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white-cat-of-doom · 1 year

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I posted 2,327 times in 2022

827 posts created (36%)

1,500 posts reblogged (64%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@the-cat-at-the-theatre-door

@munku-collar

@white-cat-of-doom

@sillybub

@cassandra-has-moonlit-eyes

I tagged 2,321 of my posts in 2022

#cats the musical - 2,288 posts

#cats musical - 2,287 posts

#cats us tour 6 - 356 posts

#jellylorum - 262 posts

#victoria - 260 posts

#demeter - 253 posts

#bombalurina - 247 posts

#cats rccl cast 12 - 244 posts

#cats uk tour 2022 - 232 posts

#cats international tour 2022 - 230 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#part of me wants to change my avatar to one of these pieces but i cannot bring myself to take away the 2019 rumple i have had for two years

My Top Posts in 2022:

Today is the day! The Il Sistina production of CATS opens tonight (07 December 2022) in Rome!

Below are some more specific character photos, outside of larger group photos.

Jacopo Pelliccia as Gatto Giò (Bustopher Jones, a separate character in this production).

Photos taken by Gianluca Sarago.

Gaia Soprano as Cassandra.

See the full post

133 notes - Posted December 7, 2022

Everyone generally knows what the Rumpus Cat looks like in traditional productions, right? A bit silly, with funky hair and red eyes.

Meanwhile in Japan, the modern Rumpus Cat looks like this:

The hero we never knew we needed.

(Fukuoka 2021, January 2022; Kenshin Mori as Rumpus Cat, Miki Okudaira as Jellylorum, Eiko Kataoka as Rumpleteazer, Yuki Takahashi as Old Deuteronomy, Taijun Kanemoto as Munkustrap, and Yurie Sato as Bombalurina. Almost fully hidden is Haruaki Tamai as Mungojerrie.)

141 notes - Posted February 21, 2022

Rehearsals have started for the production of CATS at Teatro Sistina in Italy, starting 07 December 2022, an officially licensed non-replica from RUG.

The designs are interesting in that they have reference sheets for both the makeup and costume.

See the full post

149 notes - Posted November 9, 2022

The promotional pictures for the UK/International Tour 2022 have been posted!

See the full post

181 notes - Posted May 31, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I never uploaded these pictures last year, so I figured now would be a fun time to celebrate Pride Month again. Who better than with my favourite cast of Cats in Vienna?

See the full post

192 notes - Posted June 1, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#It has been a good year for me and CATS #I luckily got to see the last cast three times and the current cast (only) once #An interesting breakdown here #I would have thought I created more posts but 36% is much higher than the 3% last year!#Plus I reblogged from myself a fair amount which lessens those numbers compared to making a new post altogether #Jellylorum being the top character tag is actually a bit surprising to me #But good for me for pulling that off #Poor Jenny was in enough posts #I had completely forgotten about that top post but that is fun to see #Aside from myself being in the top 5 (I would not thought I counted towards that) the reblogged blogs the list is not surprising at all #And that longest tag! It did not take long after for me to overhaul (as much as you can overhaul on mobile) my appearance to change my icon #To one of the beautiful art pieces of my OC Freya that Jemi created and I would not have it any other way now #Thank you again Jemi for creating those #You are too kind and immensely talented and that is why you were obviously going to be my most reblogged blog #Apologies to anyone who gets tagged and would rather not for a post like this #I guess the main point to all of this is to say thank you to everyone who interacts with this blog and to anyone who makes content #Enjoy your passions and interests and maybe someone else will love it alongside you but at the very least you are making it for yourself #Let me see if I can overtake my reblogged posts with my created posts next year #I think I am well on my way #I hope I offered everyone some fun posts and up to date information on the musical as the (official) unofficial source for everything CATS #(that last one is more a joke but at this point how much of one is the question?)#Rambling over #Thanks for everything everyone #Who knows maybe I will actually have something important to say next year

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strawberri-elixir · 6 months

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First Date Headcanons Pt. 2

Characters: Yuji Itadori, Megumi Fushiguro, Toge Inumaki, Yuuta Okkotsu

Warnings: None.

A/N: I felt like I had to include part 2 to be able to include them in future headcanons (and cuz I really enjoy writing these-) THIS IS THE POLL WINNER BTW

ANYWAYS. ENJOY

Requests are coming up next ‼️‼️

First date: Amusement Park

𖤐 You asked him out first

𖤐 Because he’s so oblivious

𖤐 There was a local fair that came up yearly and you thought it would be a fun idea to ask Yuji out on a date

“Yuji!” You ran up to him before pulling him into a hug in front of his classmates “Are you free this weekend?”

“Huh? Yeah I am. Why?” He quickly reciprocated your hug.

“Let’s go to the fair!” You had a small blush on your face.

“Sure!” He happily accepted. He loved spending time with you and really wanted to go to the fair together.

“Great! It’s a date then. I’ll meet you at your house at noon!” You waved goodbye and walked off.

He waved back before turning back to his friends with a huge grin. “They’re such a great friend, aren’t they!”

They just looked at him dumbfounded. How could this boy be so oblivious?

𖤐 It wasn’t until right before you knocked on his door that he realized you asked him out romantically

𖤐 You offered a small smile and Yuji continued to struggle processing the information

𖤐 The two of you walked in silence towards the fair grounds

𖤐 It was the middle of autumn so it was getting quite chilly outside

𖤐 You thought you’d be okay so you left your gloves at home (You weren’t)

𖤐 But as you walked, you felt a warm hand encompass yours

𖤐 He was holding your hand

𖤐 The first thing he did when the two of you arrived was buy you your favourite hot drink

𖤐 You guys wandered around for a while, going on rides, taking pictures, and doing all the fun offered activities

𖤐 Eventually, you found yourself in the game area of the fair

𖤐 You found yourself staring at one of the prizes for a little longer than you would’ve liked to admit

𖤐 Yuji noticed and gave you a smirk

“Hey… let’s play a few games.”

𖤐 The two of you ended up blowing most of your money on those games

𖤐 And Yuji, having quite the immense amounts of physical power, ended up destroying winning most of the games

𖤐 You guys got kicked out after winning too many of the prizes

“Hey you two, we’re gonna have to ask you to leave. We’ve gotten a few complaints already about you guys winning too many of the games.” A security guard placed a hand on both of your shoulders.

“Is that even possible?” You look over to Yuji, who’s already looking back at you, suppressing a laugh.

“Well its never happened before, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be the first.” The guard chuckled. “Why don’t we buy you a hot chocolate or something and let you be on your way.”

“We’ll take you up on that.” You laugh.

𖤐 So, the two of you got your free hot chocolates and walked away with your prizes.

𖤐 And it was quite the haul

𖤐 Yuji won most of the brute force games but you managed to win a few of the luck based ones

𖤐 He walked you home and helped you organize them neatly in your room

𖤐 Since your date was cut short, you asked him to stay over and the two of you watched a movie instead

First date: Museum date

᯽ You had to ask him out first

᯽ The two of you had some very obvious pining going on between you since day one

᯽ He had been meaning to ask you out for a while, but would always fumble with his words

“Hey Megumi, how’s your day going?” You’re seated on the stairs, taking a break from sparing with Maki.

“Good.” He gave you a curt nod. “Speaking of… I have a question.”

“Oh? What’s up?” You flash a small smile.

He was done the moment he saw your smile. To him, it was the brightest thing, he would argue that it could rival the sun itself. Any and all attempts at asking you out just fizzled away.

He stood there in complete silence, staring at you. When he saw your smile morph into a look of confusion, he knew he had to say something. “Uhh… Lovely weather we’re having… right?”

“Yeah! The suns out today but there’s still a cooling breeze out!” You respond. He’d ask you that very question every time he approached you. “I actually have something to ask you as well.”

“You do?”

“Yeah! I was wondering if you’d like to go out with me.”

The question was so straightforward, he honestly thought you were messing with him for a second. Nonetheless, he agreed but absolutely insisted that he’d be the one to pick you up and everything.

᯽ He also told you about his plans to ask you out

᯽ So you found yourself being dragged out to a museum (Not that you complained)

᯽ It was one of those really big, really fancy museums

᯽ Honestly one of those Pinterest worthy ones

᯽ While most of it was just quietly admiring the pieces, you had your moments of immaturity (mostly you)

᯽ Like you’d be looking at one of those nude sculptures and you’d find yourself trying so hard not to laugh when you looked lower

᯽ And Megumi would just walk away like he didn’t know you

᯽ But the overall experience was worth it (To you, and to him)

᯽ After the two of you decide to call it a day, he takes you to a cafe

᯽ One of those cozy, family owned ones with lots of cute decor

᯽ You took a lot of pictures for your social media (Most of which had Megumi as the main focus)

“Megumi! Look over here.” Your camera covered your face. The boy looked over to you, a blank look on his face.

“Don’t you think you’ve taken enough pictures?” He takes a sip of his drink.

“Never.”

᯽ You guys talked for hours, consuming questionable amounts of caffeine in order to stay in each other’s company for longer (He bought most of them)

᯽ Needless to say, neither of you slept that night, but you didn’t care

᯽ He insisted on calling a taxi or an uber for you

᯽ The two of you took the train home together after you kept declining his offer, insisting that you can walk home on your own (Big no no)

᯽ He walked to up to your doorstep and gave you a small kiss on the cheek before letting you go

᯽ Later at night when you were asleep, you feel your phone buzzing on the table beside you

᯽ Megumi sent you all the pictures he took on your date when you were distracted (There were a lot)

First date: Picnic date

✰ He asked you out first

✰ You assumed that his heart was closed off due to his history with Rika, so you never dared to cross the line between friendship and something more

✰ So imagine how awkward you were when he finally mustered up the courage to ask you out

“Say, Yuta. Have you ever thought about dating again?” You were worried about being seen as insensitive, but it was too late to take it back now.

“ Well… not up until recently.” He pondered for a moment. “But I’d like to say that i would give it a try with the right person.”

Hearing him say that peaked your interest. He was thinking of someone already?

“That’s great! I’m proud of you.” You give him a slap on the back. “But we have to approve of them.” You gesture to Maki, Panda and Toge who all stood a little ways away.

“Ah- well i’m sure they already approve.” He awkwardly scratches the back of his neck.

“Oh? That’s even better!”

“Mhm… so will you go out with me?”

“…” You stared at him. “Huh?”

✰ He ended up spitting out a whole confession out for everyone within a ten foot radius to hear

✰ None of the second years let him live it down (Ever)

✰ The only thing he told you before he rushed off, was to meet him at your favourite park later at night

✰ When you arrived, his eyes lit up as he greeted you at the entrance

✰ He led you to a hidden area in the park by the lake under the willow tree

✰ He set up a blanket, pillows, and those little fairy lights around the base of the tree for the two of you

✰ You saw all of your favourite things scattered around the blanket

✰ He seriously went through all the trouble to find your favourite snacks

✰ And he even found a cute plush of your favourite animal to give to you

✰ You saw a little basket of food in the corner, he really thought everything through

✰ There were even little crafts for you to do

✰ One if the first things he wanted to do was make little flower crowns for you (He doesn’t know how to)

✰ So you teach him

✰ Or at least tried to

“No… you’re supposed to tie it the other way Yuta… to keep the flower in tact.” You watch the boy decapitate another poor flower.

“There’s no way this should be this hard.” He grumbles, tossing yet another flower stem into the pile.

You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. Who knew one of the strongest sorcerers would be so bad at crafts. “It’s fine. Just do whatever feels right.”

And so, Yuta gave up trying to be gentle with them and just tied a bunch of flowers together. The results were about as good as a toddler’s attempt, but you loved it.

✰ It became abundantly clear to you throughout the date that Yuta was not one for arts and crafts

✰ At least he tried his best

✰ You helped him a majority of the time

✰ The two of you spent hours sitting there, watching movies, playing games, doing crafts, etc

✰ When the date ended, he asked you if you’d like to go on a second date in the near future while he drove you home

First date: Aquarium

ꕥ He asked you out first

ꕥ Well, it was more like a note

ꕥ Since he chooses to only talk in rice ball ingredients, he gives you a piece of paper because he wants to be able to get his feelings across properly

“Ready for another mission?” You grin. Toge had been sent on a week long mission and would probably end up staying for longer to tie up any loose ends.

"Salmon." He gives you a nod.

"Well then I guess I'll see you in a week!" You continue walking with him to the school entrance. When you got to the gates, you knew it was your sign to leave. "Stay safe."

You begin to walk away when you feel a hand around your wrist. "Salmon cod roe." He used his other hand to reach into his pocket, grabbing a folded note and handing it to you.

"For me? What is it?" You shoot him a confused look.

He just gives you a blank look before turning around and walking away.

ꕥ And so, you were forced to wait a whole week to give him your answer

ꕥ It's not like he was doing any better, poor boy kept losing focus, his thoughts drifting back to what your answer would be

ꕥ When he finally got back, the first thing he did was look for you

ꕥ You were already patiently waiting for him

ꕥ His eyes lit up when you said yes

ꕥ That following weekend, he officially took you out to the aquarium

ꕥ Since he avoids most conversations due to his cursed speech, he thought that something like the aquarium would be the best option

ꕥ And it went well! You guys got to see all sorts of exotic fish as well as other sea creatures

ꕥ There were quite the handful of activities to do like a petting exhibit, cardboard cutouts for photos, and even a scavenger hunt

ꕥ The two of you turned that little scavenger hunt into a competition (Which was made for literal children might I add)

"Toge! Look!" You dragged him over to a table with colorful maps spread across the surface. 'Scavenger hunt!' written in big bold letters on the sign.

The boy just lets you drag him along over to the table as you look at the lady standing behind the table. She offers a small smile and hands you one of the little maps. "Come back if you end up finding all the fish."

You were supposed to find each fish listed and take a picture of it. But the further down the list you went, the harder it was to find the creature.

"Just one more." You pointed to the little striped fish shown in the picture. "Probably won't find it since it rarely comes out of its hiding place."

"Tuna tuna." He lightly pats your shoulder, pointing to an ugly looking fish swimming along the aquarium floor.

You turn your attention to where he's pointing and low and behold, there it is. The ugly little fish was aimlessly swimming around.

ꕥ When you returned to the desk, the lady looked at the two of you, shocked

ꕥ Apparently there's been barely any winners since they started the whole scavenger hunt activity

ꕥ So you guys got your picture taken and hung up on the wall of fame

ꕥ And you got a little fish plush

ꕥ You insisted for Toge to take it since he's the one who spotted the fish in the first place

ꕥ The two of you got something to eat at a local ramen joint afterwards

~ Please do not repost on other platforms! ~

#jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen imagines #yuji itadori #itadori x reader #megumi fushiguro #megumi x reader #yuta okkotsu #yuta x reader #inumaki toge #inumaki x reader #strawberri-elixir

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targaryen-dynasty · 10 days

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Fandom can be overwhelming. And a ton of writers surely can agree that it puts an immense pressure on your shoulders you sometimes struggle to take care of.

And it was like that for me quite some time ago. Back when I started writing, I was a half-baked writer and even less experienced with fandom etiquette in general. I just stumbled into fandoms, not really knowing what it all was about. After posting my first fanfic that was based on a role play storyline a former friend and I had, and seeing how well it did, I got lost in the rush of attention and interaction as well in the people asking for a part two and what not. I am wiser now, and things like that don‘t affect me anymore (honestly), but back then, it led me to resort to shitty things to be able to post stuff as quickly as possible.

And that‘s plagiarism.

Many, many (traumatic) things have happened to me in the years before that, and while that‘s no excuse, knowing it might give an insight of what‘s been going on with me.

Just so you understand, it all has happened more than a year ago, I got called out by the original author and very quickly deleted the few things related to it. I have also not done it again since then, but it has still happened. I have lifted a good bit of that writer’s things of a series I truly enjoyed, yet it didn’t help with my anxiety. But I still received recognition for it and should feel good, right? It felt nice, right? No, no it didn’t.

I refused to say it out loud, because I was ashamed and afraid, and should have known better back then (although there was no way for me to know. I was inexperienced in writing, fandom, and some life things in general). But with all the fandom bullshit going on now, and these informations in the hands of the wrong people, I deem it most fitting to admit it now to free myself of that burden and take back my power. There are screenshots where these people admitted they wanted to call me out based on the apology doc I made to inform them, but couldn’t simply because they didn’t have any access to it anymore, and how they made fun of me for it — while they also called me nasty things. And on top of that, these people went around and told my secret to several people. While I trusted them to keep quiet, they always claimed there would be other people I told that would definitely spill the secret, but these people didn’t. It were them.

I am by now way justifying what I did, I don’t want to do that. But it‘s meant to finally show my responsibility for that mistake. I‘m an adult, yes, but that doesn’t mean I am immune to making them. I am still learning, and with this, I‘ll take a step back from writing for I don’t know how long. Could be a few days, weeks, months or until season two airs.

Thank you for reading, I’m sorry, and lots of love,

Laura.

Unfollow me, unlike my stuff, stop supporting me: do whatever feels right for you. I don’t blame you. But it‘s been done, and I’m sorry for it. There‘s nothing more I can do to make it better.

I won‘t shut down my anons. So, if you have something to say to me now — feel free to do it.

#laura talks 🐉#I apparently have no grasp of English #so if there are any mistakes — idc #this is going to blow up on discord i just know

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hacked-by-jake · 5 months

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Hello hbj, hope you are well! I am immensely sad because of the unfinished V for Vendetta fanfics, they are fascinating stories but the authors stopped updating, I wanted to know If you have anything to recommend me? I read your recommendation and I'm extremely passionate about it, Too bad it stopped being updated a long time ago

Oof, that's a hard thing. I've read so many incredible fics and I fear I don't remember most names. But I also searched for ones I enjoyed the most back then and had to discover that many one shots I've read on Tumblr vanished. They blogs are deactivated or they changed their names. I don’t know. But I'm very sad about it.

So first of all for your information, I have always read more One shots so I can hardly really give recommendations for several part fics. But I enjoyed them a lot so hopefully you will as well. Oh, and I won’t lie, many fics/one shots include smut and nsfw content. I don't know if you're okay with this, I hope so because I can really recommend them. Well and I hardly read anything else than smut. 😂 (Some "one shots" still have several parts)

I also read a lot on AO3, which is why all recommendations will come from there. Since, as I said, many fics on Tumblr are no longer to be found.

I can also recommend you to search for v for vendetta on AO3. I have read a lot of fan fictions released after 2021. Or Evey Hammond/V, you will find lots of fics there.

So, I can recommend a lot of fanfictions by blythechild

Also Me Tangere by Beth Winter

Lots of V fics by Corvidology

The account by singleword

V x Reader by undertaker_biscuit

Flesh by Trishtim

By invaderspotty

Ad meliora by Heriota_Jelly (12 parts I don't remember if it just stopped being updated)

vale, salve by winter_hiems

Halfway by JackHawksmoor

Veritas Vincit: The Fallen Rose by NuriaSchnee

Ko_dama

And one of my absolute favourites: (I thought it's gone but then I found it and almost cried) also by Ko_dama

Sway

So, I don't remember all of them completely and I also re discovered some while searching for it so I don't remember every single one completely. But I thinks it's not a problem since tastes are different anyway.

If I will find more or remember more I will maybe reblog this post or make a new one. But until then, I hope you find some you like and enjoy. Have fun reading!

And also thank you for sending the ask. I'm glad you liked the first recommendation. It's still my absolute favourite v fic. I could still cry because it was never finished but what we can read is unbelievable enough.

I hope you will have a fantastic day/evening/night. Take care of yourself and stay healthy and safe. 💚🌹

#cute anon #cute v for vendetta anon #not dw #hbj v for vendetta answers #v for vendetta #v for vendetta fanfiction #v for vendetta fanfiction recommendation #v for vendetta x evey hammond #v x evey #v x reader #<3<3<3<3<3

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dndadscharacterpolls · 6 months

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hey y'all ! making this post to let you guys know that this blog is going to go on a short little hiatus for a month or so . I wanted to try to wait till after the current poll , but I don't think I am currently able to give these polls the enthusiasm and excitement they deserve , and I still want these polls to be fun for *everyone* , including myself ! I assure you this hiatus won't last very long , just a few months until I've got more time and energy to be able to start up again :]

if you want more information for what's going to happen with this blog in the meantime as far as posting and the current poll are concerned , I'll have all that in the pinned post shortly !

thank all of you for your support and enthusiasm that you've all shown in these polls and to this blog in general , I appreciate it immensely and I can't wait for this hiatus to end and for me to be able to enjoy doing these again , thank you <3

#dndads #dndaddies #dungeons and daddies #dndads polls

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basiliskonline · 9 months

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I just finished a Court of Fey and Flowers by @dimension20official, it was absolutely amazing, hands down the best AP I have ever seen, or imagine I might see.

You can find it here.

As someone that is strongly anti-D&D 5E and Anti Wizards of the Coast, it took me a long time to give dimension 20 a chance, and I will strongly suggest that anyone in that same position give it a shot.

I am gonna talk about it below the cut here, cause this will likely be long, this will be things I both liked and didn't like.

So i'm gonna talk abit about my feelings and experience with games and APs, because we're all different, we all like different things in a TV Show and by extension those variable preferences would also expand to APs. So I want to give you a little bit of information about where I stand as I explain my thoughts. Sorry if this gets very SEO Recipe lmao.

If you don't care about all that, skip to the next bold line, however if you are gonna comment or argue or whatever, at least read the context first and then probably don't do that.

I've been gaming for 30+ years, I started very early, and i've played definately dozens, probably hundreds of different games. D&D doesnt even rank in that list, I didn't like it much as a kid, when i grew up and it was 3/3,5 I hated both it and pathfinder with a passion. I played 5E for a bit but its lackluster and very poor design led to a game of boring mechanical options and choices that quickly grew old. And if I was gonna play a narrative game, i wouldn't be playing D&D in the first place. 4E is the only edition of D&D I've actively enjoyed.

I was an immense Critter during Campaign 1 and partway through Campaign 2. Like... "my wife and I have Critical Role quotes engraved on our wedding bands" critters.

But I quickly fell away from both Critters and Critical Role, by and large Critters is the worst fandom ive been apart of (and I was a SuperWhoLock back in the day) and the CR cast talks a lot of nice ideals and backs them up with absolutely nothing but lip service. I am now, tbh, somewhat uncomfortable when I see any of them on my timeline.

Dimension 20 is the first AP my wife and I have tried to watch since CR (we find most APs to be unwatchtable in most situations, just our own preference), My wife was curious about seeing Brendan as a DM after watching him on Game Changer, so we watched Mice and Murder (it was fun, and good, but has NOTHING on aCoFaF), and then on a suggestion moved to watch aCoFaF).

Last piece of the puzzle, WotC is a fucking nightmare company that has harbored some of the worst pieces of trash imaginable (though tbf that is not unique to them, its a major "large/old ttrpg company issue". And I quite frankly would love to never have to hear or see about anything wotc ever does ever again, preferably because they burned down and everything they ever made goes with them (this sadly means I would lose 4E but sacrifices must be made).

Things I like about a Court of Fey and Flowers

The first thing I love about it, is its a very role play heavy AP, and it centers on matters of Political fey intrigue, and that is done so masterfully by every single player and by the GM. (I absolutely avoided D20 because of the DnD/WOTC connection, but I in retrospect absolutely understand the whole "Season of Aabria" that was going around now).

The characters were thrilling, dramatic, sneaky, nuanced and hilarious, and the storyline was gorgeous and beautifully made, allowing the players to make their own messes and their own relationships and romances. So much romances.

I absolutely loved that I didn't have to see dnd 5e be played most of the time. This is something, and one of the only somethings, you'll see me talk about in the "don't like" section, so it is strangely enough both. The system was changed and mostly ignored that I almost never had to see dnd played, the AP is so heavily social and rp and during the state of the AP only had two very very short combats that were more priority on the social implications of the combats than the combat itself. Overall it could have used any system and done what they did, but mostly I didn't have to see 5E played and that made it pretty solid, despite "being 5E".

I also love Brennan Lee Mulligan's Captain KP Hob, a very good bab and the first and only Bugbear PC ive seen in an AP (and I love me some Bugbear)

Thing's I didn't like about a Court of Fey and Flowers

This is gonna stay light, because really there wasn't much. The only thing really is that the system, while ostensibly "5E" the system was so lightly applied, used or stuck to that the game could have used almost literally any other system to better affect and I absolutely hate that they still gave 5E and WOTC some sort of props/bandwidth by barely using the system but still selling it as DnD.

#Dimension 20 #a court of fey and flowers #dnd hate tag #actual play #mine #ttrpg

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moonfruito · 1 year

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Hey! I want to start jrwi, but idk where to begin. Any advice?

:D !!! oh the IMMENSE joy i felt receiving this ask !! i am about to ramble a little a lot - if anything does not make sense then feel free to ask more questions :))

the main campaign of just roll with it is riptide, a pirate campaign dmed by grizzly set in the world of mana, where the planet is nearly all water save for some scattered islands. the characters are gillion tidestrider, a triton paladin/sorcerer played by charlie slimecicle, chip, a human rogue played by bizly and jay ferin, a human ranger played by condifiction. there's a playlist with all the episodes on so it's pretty simple :)

youtube

i have found that my irl friends who have never watched dnd podcasts before have struggled to get past the first arc, around the ep11-14 mark, but i see from a peek at your bio that you're a critical role fan so you'll probably have no issue :) the earlier episodes are slower to start but they're still great! the quality does improve a lot as time goes, naturally.

there's also two prequel episodes for riptide which you don't need to watch, but they're worth noting if you want to go back to them after you catch up like i did, or you could watch them before if you want a bit of extra lore context.

youtube

that's probably all the information you need to get started, but i am going to give you some more information about the patreon campaigns as well - you don't have to pay attention to all this if you want to just keep it simple! i just feel like giving a full beginner's guide for no reason lmao

for all three of the campaigns i'm about to talk about, it is $5 a month - obviously not asking you to just jump right in and give them money but i do very highly recommend it if you find you enjoy this podcast!! it's a fairly low cost for a lot of great quality content.

prime defenders is the main patreon campaign, and it's a mutants and masterminds superhero campaign dmed by bizly. the characters are teenaged boys with superpowers, enlisted to help defend the world of prime. charlie plays william wisp, who has ghost powers, grizzly plays dakota cole, who has super strength and does martial arts, and condi plays vyncent sol, who's from another world and has people living inside his brain? i don't really know how to explain that one uhhh the first five episodes are available for free - won't link each because it'll clog up the post but here's the first one. decent place to start if you're considering getting the patreon, although similarly to riptide the beginning episodes are a little slower as they start around the same time.

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this one i'd personally recommend watching after you finish the other campaigns, simply because it's the longest of the patreon campaigns, but it is very great! <33 it also has two prequel episodes which are for free - similarly not required watching but good fun nonetheless!

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apotheosis is a fifteen episode-long mini-campaign where the players go around and kill all the gods, dmed by condi. peter sqloint is a human possessed by an archangel played by charlie, rumi is a changeling bard/warlock who is chasing visions played by grizzly and thanatos is a very intense and murderous war forged played by bizly. first episode is available for free, and it is essentially the compiled session zeroes of their individual characters.

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this campaign is, in my personal opinion, the best place to start for patreon because of the shorter length and how easy and quick it is to get into. if this was not a patreon campaign i would recommend this as the best place to start jrwi, honestly, because the shorter length means everything's more packed in and faster-paced and it helps you get into the swing of things and get the satisfaction of watching through all of it, while also showcasing the potential of the episodes to come later in the longer campaigns.

blood in the bayou is a four episode-long call of cthulhu campaign set in galloway, louisiana in the 1980s, dmed by charlie, where three old friends reunite and discover their hometown's local horrors. kian stone, a big city rockstar, is played grizzly, timothy rand, a stoner still living with his parents, is played by bizly, and rolan deep, a lawyer, is played by condi. it is audio-only and has higher quality sound design and an original soundtrack. pretty different for the other campaigns but so well-made. good place to start with patreon as well! the first episode is available for free too <3

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and that's all for the recent stuff! there were a couple other campaigns from years back that never got finished and never will get finished and some scattered oneshots but i hope that was all helpful in some way!! i hope you have a great time watching jrwi and that you'll fall in love with this podcast like i and many other people have! <33 really happy to see you interested - lot of love has been put into this show and each of the campaigns really are so good :) again, if you have any more questions then go ahead and ask!! i'm always happy to help :D

also if anyone wants to rb this for other potential jrwi watchers then feel free to ?? idk if anyone was considering that but y'know the recent influx of qsmp charlie fans might have some takers and the jrwi propaganda machine never stops

#jrwi #jrwi riptide #jrwi bitb #just roll with it #jrwi pd #jrwi prime defenders #jrwi blood in the bayou #blood in the bayou #prime defenders #my textpost #jrwi apotheosis #just roll with it apotheosis

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thisworldisablackhole · 21 days

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Long time no see. I have been extremely distracted by video games lately. Helldivers 2 has consumed the past few weeks of my life, and I also just decided to take another stab at Elden Ring, so this book took me much longer than usual to get through

Hyperion's format of storytelling actually lends itself to longevity though, as it's essentially a collection of short stories. This worked out nicely for me because I didn't have to worry about forgetting any details after not touching the book for a few days in a row. To sum things up quickly, the stories are shared by a group of pilgrims who are travelling to the Time Tombs on Hyperion to request council with the Shrike; the mysterious Lord of Pain and/or bloodthirsty murderer who's intentions are unknown. All the citizens of the Web know is that the Shrike holds insurmountable power and secrets. That alone was enough to hook me in.

Each character takes turns sharing their backstory of why they decided to join this potentially fatal pilgrimage, and it is through these stories that the world of Dan Simmons' immense universe comes to life. Hyperion takes place in a distant future where Earth has been destroyed and humans have officially become an interstellar species. Almost every planet in the galaxy is not only inhabited, but connected by "farcaster" portals (a technology passed down to humans via the AI conduit) which makes access to these planets almost instantaneous. These planets are part of the "World Web", which is governed by the Hegemony (because of course the entire universe is going to be ruled by one totalitarian government). Hyperion is the only planet that sits outside of the Web, and it's incorporation into the Hegemony is highly debated due to the absolutely violent, maniacal God that roams it's plains.

Time is a very important aspect of this book. Not only are the Time Tombs themselves very central to the plot, but there is also the problem of time debt. To put it simply, people who often travel in space ships at a speed faster than light experience less time than those who don't. 9 months of space travel for one person could be 10 years of local time for their family back home. This makes the universe quite unique, because as citizens of the Web experience time at different speeds, the cultures and technologies of past and future begin to bleed together. The result is a book where the exact time period is really hard to pin down. Descriptions of 19th century peasants are contrasted by space ships and laser guns, and it gives the whole book a really special vibe that is equal parts confusing and exciting.

If I have one gripe with this book, it's with the inconsistency of the writing itself. Hyperion often shifts in and out of sci fi genius in one moment, and then eye roll inducing space opera pig fodder in the next. Some of the pilgrim's stories are really imaginative and unique, and then others read like something I would have written when I was 12. I don't fault Simmons for letting his inner child run rampant throughout the novel, but some of the romance and power fantasy action scenes were just a bit too shallow. Regardless, the world building is so fun that even the most shallow stories climax with intriguing information and a foreboding twist that will engage you further in the plot and make you feel more connected to the individual characters.

Overall I'd say this is an essential read simply due to the innovative ideas and masterful storytelling. It's genius is sometimes bogged down by adolescent fantasies, but it's not enough to detract from the central plot, which is definitely meaty enough on it's own to keep you engaged. From what I've been told, the second book doesn't follow the same format of storytelling, so I am really excited to jump into it. As much as I enjoyed getting to know the characters through their individual sub plots, I am looking forward to a more straight forward story arc. I must find out more about the Shrike.

4/5

#hyperion #hyperion cantos #dan simmons #sci fi #books #science fiction

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jukemaid · 2 years

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ok real talk i know it’s fun doing angst to the twins but there needs to be a hard line drawn in the obsession with making emmet insane and violent with grief. i’m taking a gamble putting this in the main tag but i believe it NEEDS to be said, so please feel free to block and disregard if it’s too upsetting. believe me i get it

i have ptsd. i know what it’s like to be so traumatized that it changes you, makes you angry and upset and prone to lashing out bc your brain can’t function properly anymore. i know exactly what it’s like to lose control of how you think and feel and process information and it’s terrifying. i’m all about respectful depictions of mental illness in my media and anyone who’s followed me for a while is well aware how passionate i am that people DO talk about it. write fic about it, make art about it. but have some goddamn tact for all of us out there who don’t have the luxury of moving on from one fanfic to the next.

think about us reading these things and having to deal with the reality that this is how you perceive us. we’ve suffered from immense trauma and continue to suffer in so many different ways all the time, and that’s not something we can escape from. we can’t push the tragedy away like you can. we get triggered, have flashbacks, have psychotic episodes, and have to manage those for our own safety and well-being. i have triggers that i’ve spent years working through so i can safely browse random shit online, but even then something could happen at any second that sends me spiraling. it happens. it has happened and will happen countless times for the rest of my life, but i’m fortunate enough to have had treatment for my ptsd and adjacent traumas.

there are many of us who aren’t as lucky to get that help and end up somewhere truly awful, and they’re the ones hurt the most. we are not inherently violent. we aren’t suddenly cruel and callous and do horrible things to people we love. we are permanently, irreparably injured and cast aside, disregarded, because we’re an ugly truth nobody likes to acknowledge. we exist just like the rest of you, have regular mundane lives, and fight every single day to keep our heads above water only to try to indulge in our favorite series’ and see ourselves painted as broken, violent things to pity, by the very people we thought we could trust with our vulnerability. and i’ve been burned before.

trauma victims are not concepts of fiction for you to play with. we aren’t tropes and tags to delight in for morbid satisfaction or borderline perversion for tragedy. i love angst and i love dark media exploring these exact topics and go out of my way to roll around in disturbing content and psychological horror. it’s cathartic, it tickles my psychology brain, and i know i'd love them with or without my own mental illnesses. with them however, i genuinely adore and appreciate grounded depictions of emmet working through his trauma, confronting the darkest parts of himself, and learning from them. that’s a struggle i understand. it’s unfathomably difficult and many of us don’t make it out. it’s ugly at times but it is all the same.

so here is what i present at the end of all this: have respect for topics of mental illness, trauma, and ptsd. have respect for the victims out there who enjoy the same things you do, the same genres, but find ourselves romanticized. fetishized. author intent does not matter because we’re real people whose largest wounds are being used as playthings in media we’re trying to enjoy with everyone else.

and if you continue to do so regardless (i’m not your dad you can do whatever you want), don’t be surprised by negative reactions. being quiet certainly hasn’t helped us this far.

#submas #trauma tw #ptsd tw #mental illness tw #and for the record i'm also on the spectrum but there's already been lots of posts about that #this is far more visceral #victims don't talk about these things for good reason

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youngsuitedboi · 10 months

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A very special relationship

Chapter 1 Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Sir was making great progress with his two boys, witnessing their shyness gradually dissipate as they engaged in their nightly make-out sessions in front of the camera. He found it intriguing to observe the boys sitting on the sofa every evening, eagerly waiting for his command. Sir enjoyed playing with them, occasionally teasing them by withholding the command until their movie was almost over. He delighted in the anticipation he could sense from the boys, as they became unable to focus on the movie, their attention solely fixated on his voice.

This routine continued for two weeks, becoming a highlight of their days. However, on this particular day, they finished their movie without any interruption. Fear gripped them as they wondered what had happened. They longed for physical contact, craving the touch of the other person's hands on their bodies and cocks, and their lips meeting. But it didn't come. Sir had different plans.

Instead, Sir sent Alex a text message, informing him that a gift awaited them underneath the sofa they were sitting on. Excitement washed over Tom as he bent down to retrieve the gift, revealing his bare ass cheeks for Alex to admire. Retrieving the box proved challenging, as Sir had intentionally hidden it well. Eventually, Tom successfully retrieved the box and handed it to Alex. With a sense of anticipation, Alex slowly removed the lid, causing both boys' hearts to race. It was their first gift, and they were eager to discover its contents.

Alex's mouth fell open as he realized the meaning behind the gift. His surprise and slight apprehension piqued Tom's curiosity, leading him to also peer into the box. Sir had gifted them matching slave collars and chastity cages. Alex looked down at his still free hard cock, feeling a mix of fear and uncertainty about the idea of a chastity cage. However, knowing that Tom would be sharing the same fate alleviated some of his worries. Tom, on the other hand, eagerly anticipated the fitting of the chastity cage. The notion of chastity becoming a part of his life excited him. As Alex displayed a hint of fear, Tom reassured him by grabbing his arm and affirming that everything would be fine. They embraced each other before proceeding to read the letter nestled at the bottom of the box.

The letter read:

Dear Alex and Tom,

I am immensely pleased with your progress during training. You are making me proud! I wanted to express my gratitude and provide encouragement for our future journey, so I have prepared small gifts for both of you. The gifts are identical because you are equals in my eyes.

The first gift is a steel collar. It should fit snugly around your necks. I visited the apartment while you were away at school and work, ensuring the collars matched the sizes of your shirt collars. You are to wear these collars 24/7, whether you are naked at home or clothed at work.

The same rule applies to your new chastity cages. They are lightweight and small, causing no discomfort during long-term wear and remaining inconspicuous under your clothes. Inside the box, you will find two locks and two keys. Lock the cages and place the keys in the box on your kitchen table. I will collect them tomorrow while you are away at work and university.

Now, let us toast to the beginning of our new chapter. Alex, I want you to place the collar around Tom's neck and lock him in his cage. Tom, you will do the same for Alex.

Have fun boys!

With love,

Sir

Having finished reading the letter, the boys understood that what lay ahead was a significant commitment. However, they were determined to embark on this journey together. Standing before the sofa, Alex reached into the box and retrieved the metal collar. He slowly secured it around Tom's neck, hearing the satisfying click as the ends met at the back. The collar was now impossible to remove without a key. Tom felt the weight of the collar around his neck, and he developed a nice boner. However, the real challenge lay ahead—the chastity cage. Alex knelt down, took hold of the ring, and carefully slid it over Tom's balls and cock. It took a bit of effort, but eventually, Alex managed to secure the cage, locking the two parts together. He returned the key to the box.

Now it was Tom's turn. He eagerly grasped the metal collar, admiring it before fastening it around Alex's neck. The entire process felt like a formal ceremony, akin to an engagement or the exchange of rings at a wedding. Standing before each other, they locked one another up. Alex's new collar was securely in place, and he took a deep breath, feeling the presence of the collar around his Adam's apple. It was noticeable but not painful.

Tom then knelt down, confidently fitting the chastity cage onto Alex. To Alex's surprise, Tom accomplished it swiftly. The cage was locked, and Tom placed the second key in the box.

Now, the two of them stood before each other, completely naked, adorned with collars and caged. They knew that this marked the end of their "making out evenings," at least in terms of reaching climax. Nevertheless, they were content. They were happy to share this journey, as not long ago, they were two free heterosexual men. But Sir had changed that. Now, Tom couldn't imagine life without Alex, and Alex looked forward to every moment they spent together. Life felt good. With this realization, the boys hugged, kissed, and Tom turned to face the camera.

“Thank you, Sir!” he said for the first time, resting his head against Alex's chest.

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thebadascetic · 2 months

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Small Steps Towards Big Goals

This week has been a mixed bag. I've been able to mostly keep to my dairy fast. Getting to finally have cheese again was such a rewarding experience. My fiance made me gnocchi, a perfect Lent meal that I had never had before and I enjoyed it immensely. I'll have to learn to make it myself for him one day. I also bought dairy free butter to allow me to at least have toast, one of my staples for this past week. But let's move on from food.

I finally finished my skirt on Tuesday. I had begun making it several months ago and had finished most of it by Christmas Day so I was able to wear it then but it took me until Tuesday to finish off the last section. It still needs a good iron and it's not the most skillful work ever done but it's only my second ever sewing project so I'm going to go easy on myself.

Wednesday was by far one of my most fun days. My friend and her brother took me to a carpark so I could learn to drive for the first time! I was there for about two hours, mainly going around this carpark over and over again but was eventually able to drive up the road and go around the roundabout. I feel very proud of myself for taking that first step but am still somewhat apprehensive for my next time driving. Towards the end of my two hours, one of the tyres hit something and had to be changed over. We were fine, it didn't affect the drive at all. Just created a bump in the tyre is all.

On Thursday, our Catholic young adult group started back up. I may have mentioned before but this year, I want to try and be more sociable at this group and become better friends with everyone. I was able to have a good conversation with a couple of people that I think I'll have the best chance of developing a friendship outside of the group with.

Towards the end of this week is where things became a little more sour. Five Uber Eats transactions that I didn't make showed up in my bank account, all from Thursday during a one hour window in the afternoon. I didn't see them until I began work on Friday. They added up to $82. I reported the transactions to my bank and then filled out a form on the Uber Eats website the next day. Fortunately, they are planning to refund the charges. Two of the charges have since disappeared and the other three are still pending so I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Sunday came with a beautiful Divine Liturgy, as it should. The priest that came down to say the Liturgy is the one organising my Catechism. He brought with him a book for me: Christian Initiation of Children. It's a book all about baptising children. Obviously I'm not a child, but it still has a lot of good information on why we baptise, what will happen during my baptism, the role of sponsors, and how to prepare for my baptism. And the parts that pertain purely to infant and child baptism, as our priest said, will be useful to my fiance and I in the married life. It's a beautiful book, filled with prayers for conception, pregnancy, before and after childbirth, and for new mothers and fathers. I'd like to add some of those prayers to my intercessory prayers for my friend who herself is pregnant. The book is also presented in both English and Ukrainian, which will be useful for language learning. I've already picked up on the word for baptism (Хрещення). I've been told to read it with my fiance and we've already started it. I'm eager to continue. I've started reading the youth catechism I was given some months ago. I know a bit more than I knew then so it's starting to make more sense to me.

Today has been quite a calming day. I went to a psychology appointment that has left me feeling more comfortable with the direction my life is heading and what I'm focusing on. I also got to see the therapy dog again and was able to get some pictures of her. She's a lovely, albeit sleepy, lady. I've finally brought the bins to the curb. Someone was taking them up each week when we moved in but recently they stopped and our apartment building has gone a few weeks with no bins being emptied so I've taken them up tonight.

Lastly, I ordered some books for my fiance's birthday last month but they still haven't arrived. I had contacted the monastery that printed them last week and have been in contact with one of the nuns. She's all but prepared to print the books again for us, free of charge, but asked to wait two more weeks to make it a full month due to frequent delays in the Australian Post Office. My fiance agreed and wouldn't you know it: tonight, I found a warning in my mail box telling me that I'll need to pick up my package or they'll be returned to sender. All this for a package that I've gotten no update or notice about at all 🙃. Hopefully, it'll be my fiance's books.

Glory to Jesus Christ!

#catholic #catholic women #christian faith #christian living #christian women #christianity #eastern orthodoxy #jesus #jesus christ #orthodoxy #eastern catholic #catholicism

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ganymedesclock · 2 years

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greetings! do you have any advice for crafting new characters with life and personality?

First and foremost:

there's no silver bullet for any artistic process. This is because art is highly subjective and the majority of standards for what makes something Good are going to be immensely personal to you.

in explaining my own process I am going back and secondhand attaching theory to stuff that I do mostly by instinct- this is not a statement of arrogance, it's a statement of "I'm self-taught and focus on enjoying myself most of the time I write, and I progressively built refinement and theory on top of that"

Those things in mind!

My character creation process tends to look like this, when I'm making a character to fit into an extant story. (if I'm not, I tend to basically just spitball concepts until one hits me)

Once I reach a part where I need a new character- I will use an example of a character I just wrote for a personal project, Duke Indrick of Lamentation- things go something like this:

In my outline, I had the introduction of a very specific character who's going to be important. This character would show up, and have a contentious, charged exchange with a local nobleman. That gave me a framework to work in- I already have a bunch of topics that are relevant to this. This exchange is about elitism, and 'merit', and in a broader sense this whole story is about Heroes and Villains and what leads someone to be deservedly-or-not categorized as one or the other.

The main character, Argent, is someone artificially trying to hold the high ground when he's actually heavily at a disadvantage. A big part of this is that during the entire conversation, he's talking to a guy on a horse, but he obviously came here on foot, and is continuing on foot- he doesn't even own a horse, because he can't afford the upkeep of one himself. I decided to make that worse by having the Duke be part of a hunting party, so there's a whole posse of characters, all on horses; Argent is surrounded and outnumbered by horsemen, even if this is not a fight or he's under attack, it makes the dynamic more distinct.

If anything, he can't argue that they're unfair or that these horses shouldn't be there if he's the one who barged in, and these guys are busy with other stuff- they're a hunting party, of course they have horses! It's not fair for him to suggest he feels outgunned (and Argent is a defensive pill, so it's informative to his character to put him in a situation that sets his hackles up but he got himself in here so he's gotta personally get himself out)

I'm also drawing heavily off of JRPGs such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, and thinking about what qualities I tend to like and dislike in those games. One of the things I tend to dislike is when it's super obvious who's an important character and who's not, and especially how in these kind of games, there's usually a bunch of nobles around and you can often tell if the nobles are trustworthy or not at a glance- if they're pretty and charismatic, they're Good Kings, and if they're ugly or mean to you personally right away, you know not to trust them.

So I thought, well, okay, I'm gonna confuse those tropes.

This is something I like to do a lot! There's nothing new under the sun but you can rapidly synthesize really fun organic-feeling characters by grabbing well-traveled concepts and fiddling with them.

In the case of the Duke, a big thing I wanted to attach to him, load-bearing with the story's themes, is that he's charismatic. Physically, he's good-looking, he's got cool fantasy stuff attached to him that makes him more exciting and interesting (he rides a unicorn!) and he's a smooth talker with a temper that doesn't break easily.

But he's also not a Good King- he's calculating, corrupt, and deeply entrenched. He's more contemptuous of others than he lets on, because he knows it's not useful to present that way and he doesn't have the stereotypical raw nerves of a standard Evil Usurper. In this sense, giving him Good King traits make him actually pretty scary- this is nobody the protagonists are in a position to tackle at the time they meet him. They have to work around him, and he's smart and on the ball and has a lot of supporters, both "good" and "evil".

At this point, these traits help me inform a third character- a subordinate who is outraged at Argent on the Duke's behalf- and I can pull into them further by just reasoning about what I've already set up about this setting and its environment.

The great thing about character, narrative, and setting design, is they're cumulative. Threads of worldbuilding and setting detail and other characters can all come together and get reinforced by making a new character. I can figure a lot of who Indrick has to be just by knowing what situation he's in, in a big sense. I made him a Duke arbitrarily, and then looked it up, and traditionally dukes and duchesses are only relatives of the royal family- which works for a lot of his personality, making him the queen's uncle. That even ties in nicely to the whole, "good king / evil usurper" thread, since Evil Aristocratic Uncles are a dime a dozen in fiction.

From this alone, I have a good profile of Indrick to draw from. He's an older man who's held power for a long time. He clearly has an eye for the finer things in life, which lends to his casual corruption, and threads nicely with that the city he rules over is a major trade export close to the capital, that has a lot of good farmland and- in particular, precious vineyards and distilleries that make a unique, magical wine that's a luxury many people are demanding.

Because Lamentation is also an old city characterized by a lot of grief and melancholy (the wine itself is so celebrated because it effectively tastes like "nostalgia"- people are literally and figuratively drinking to remember the good times that they idealize in their memories), and the Duke is an old hand at the reins and has this very noble, charismatic reputation that he does work to maintain, him being smart, calculating, and even-tempered makes sense; this is a guy whose reign made it intact through an extremely tumultuous and dangerous time.

Which itself threads nicely back into, of course people idolize him! He's playing the role of Good King for power and profit, but to a desperate populace who were faced with total catastrophe, he weathered them through the storm. Making him good-looking (and making a point that's not reflective of morality) threads in further, that he's right there ready to be framed for a painting of his heroic valor. And I can even introduce him in the process of living up to the legend while he's also protecting his assets- riding out to personally hunt down an out-of-place monster that's threatening his people's livelihood and making plans to commemorate the hunt with a public feast.

Sure, I didn't need to go this far by any means. Just introducing some noble guy for Argent to play off of would've sufficed easily- but by building Indrick up the way he was, I now have a great character to use for future events, raise the stakes on my protagonists (who are eavesdropping on this and need to go through Indrick's city and not get caught), and can condense a lot of information about Lamentation and how it's doing by having this moment of the hand at the wheel. It also lets me characterize the Queen a bit, because both Indrick and Argent have a connection to her.

Like I said, a lot of my mentality is that character and setting-building is cumulative; I tend to like to sock a lot into it before I necessarily need it, coming up with more details than fit into the story directly, because I think this helps a lot. It can even help if you've got just one standalone character you're building and you don't have much of a setting or story to put them in yet- just take the details you put down because they already tickled you, and then look at them and ask, "what kind of setting does this person fit into?"

A character who feels like everybody's out to get them probably has something going on that makes them feel justified- they may not have many close friends, or there may be larger forces that are batting them around, and it may not be actually about them, but they'll sure feel like it is. Meeting one person gives you some sense of what their usual stomping grounds are like- and that'll, in turn, inform other people, and then both the setting and those other people inform your character.

The biggest thing that makes characters feel lively and full of personality to me, is this kind of building off organic bonds. I try to avoid playing to traditional traits, because if I give my audience a bog standard evil uncle who's just an evil uncle doing commonly acceptable evil uncle things, they will not really admire my hard work; it's very easy to turn off your critical think and flow right through. Which can be desirable and useful sometimes! One of my favorite things to do is set things up just stereotypical enough that I can lull my audience into a sense of security and then surprise them. Half of why deconstructions and reconstructions of concepts are so fun is that it requires speaking to people in a language they already understand, and then stopping them at the right points and going "but why is this, what does it mean? Why did we believe it in the first place, and why might we choose not to believe it anymore?"

#writing ruminations #readmore #I think the best character concepts are dynamic #like a piece of cloth or a glittery prism #putting them in new lighting and playing them off new people makes them much stronger #it's good to give multiple dimensions to characters you don't think will need them

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richincolor · 1 year

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Title: Midnight Strikes Author: Zeba Shahnaz Genres: Fantasy, Mystery, Romance Pages: 448 Publisher: Delacorte Press Review Copy: Received eARC via NetGalley Availability: Available now

Summary: Seventeen-year-old Anaïs just wants tonight to end. As an outsider at the kingdom’s glittering anniversary ball, she has no desire to rub shoulders with the nation’s most eligible (and pompous) bachelors—especially not the notoriously roguish Prince Leo. But at the stroke of midnight, an explosion rips through the palace, killing everyone in its path. Including her.

The last thing Anaïs sees is fire, smoke, chaos . . . and then she wakes up in her bedroom, hours before the ball. No one else remembers the deadly attack or believes her warnings of disaster.

Not even when it happens again. And again. And again.

If she’s going to escape this nightmarish time loop, Anaïs must take control of her own fate and stop the attack before it happens. But the court's gilded surface belies a rotten core, full of restless nobles grabbing at power, discontented commoners itching for revolution, and even royals who secretly dream of taking the throne. It's up to Anaïs to untangle these knots of deadly deceptions . . . if she can survive past midnight.

Review: [MIDNIGHT STRIKES is a time loop book, so there is a lot of violence and death for basically everyone, including references to Anaïs intentionally dying to reset the loop or requesting others kill her. Racism and colonialism are frequent topics as well.]

MIDNIGHT STRIKES is an immensely satisfying read. I love time loop plots but am also pretty picky about them—it takes a deft hand to keep the iterations of a time loop from getting boring or too predictable. Author Zeba Shahnaz did a fantastic job of deciding what to repeat, what to gloss over, and what to advance each time Anaïs woke up and had a new chance to figure out what was going on. It certainly helps that there is a lot that Anaïs needs to figure out, including why she’s even caught in the time loop in the first place. Anaïs would track down one plot thread, find out new information, recontextualize previous events, and then use that to follow a different thread further down its track. MIDNIGHT STRIKES is a truly well-crafted story in that regard.

And of course, what makes plot even better are great characters. Anaïs is an interesting narrator, and I appreciated her complexity. Being unhappy about the necessity of a political marriage is a fairly standard trope, but the layers Shahnaz added on to that really deepened both Anaïs’s character and the world building. I also appreciated that Anaïs wasn’t always positive and hopeful about being able to end the time loop—she had her rage and hopelessness and denial time loops, more than once. She did terrible things, often multiple times, and those decisions haunted her across the loops. I loved it.

The information Anaïs gets from each loop and the decisions she makes help her dig deeper into the people around her, which allowed some characters to gain depth instead of remaining shallow extras repeating the same things endlessly. Prince Leo is the most notable example, of course, and I found myself really enjoying the way Anaïs’s relationship with him changed over the course of the book. Due to the shortness of the loop and the limited locations, the number of characters who could gain depth was limited, but it still made for some very fun and satisfying character interactions in conjunction with the world building and mystery solving.

Recommendation: Get it now, especially if you’re a fan of time loops. MIDNIGHT STRIKES takes the grand spectacle of a ball and turns it into a nightmare, and then traps our main character there. Author Zeba Shahnaz did a fantastic job of varying the time loops and allowing Anaïs to claw her way towards answers regarding the explosion and why she was caught in the loop. I had such a fun time reading it and was immensely satisfied by how the story concluded.

#midnight strikes #zeba shahnaz #fantasy #mystery #romance #get it now

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evanox · 2 years

Text

Day 3: Starsworn (+ modern au?)

I decided I'm using LegacyTober to try and resurrect abandoned drafts. This one has been here for months. After I wrote the Sage x Rime post, I wanted to try my hand at what the dynamic would look like between the other Starsworn. (Can be read as platonic or romantic, up to you!) Won't be doing taglist bc I don't want people to feel like I'm shoving my crack ships down their throats jhgjh

m.list

Felix x Anisa

I was crying over a scratch on my knee. No one could come to my aid, for you see, I was quite the rebellious child⁠—still am, but that's neither here nor there⁠—and thought it was a good idea to sneak out to the playground all by myself. A tumble from the slide made me regret that decision very quickly, at least at the time.

Then you came along, like an angel descended from the heavens, and washed away the blood with water from your pink Hello Kitty bottle. You gently pressed a folded tissue to the scratch until the bleeding ceased, then hugged me until I stopped crying. Not once did you complain about all the tears and snot I must've gotten all over your shoulder.

Papa had already found me by then, and all was well, but you still insisted on splitting your chocolate bar with me. You said it was your favorite.

I looked to you every day since then like the sunflowers look to the sun, and you always shone just as brightly. I bet you still do. I never found the confidence to tell you, and we've already parted ways, and I wonder when or if I'll ever see you again, but you'll always be my first love. I cherish every cheesy line of poetry I wrote about your big smile and emerald eyes on the back of my notebook.

I also remain grateful for the friendship we've had. I find myself wondering from time to time what you might be up to now. I've always had a feeling you're meant for greatness.

I still remember what brand your favorite chocolate bar was.

Anisa x Sage

I was really hoping my last years of high school would go smoothly. I had a vision, you know. Terrible distractions, you and Felix⁠—you more so than him. I say that with the fondest smile on my face, not that either of you needs to know.

Those would've been some terribly dull years had it not been for you two.

You, however... I hate how often your shitty pick-up lines made me feel like the most special girl in the world. I know you said them to anything with a beating heart. Honestly, the only reason you got away with any of it was your stupid, charming smile.

Everyone said we'd look really hot together at prom (ugh, as if!), but I never paid them much mind. I much preferred being your competition for the hearts of the cheerleaders. Of course, that didn't stop you from saying I'd look "smokin' hot" in red. I told you you had no authority on what's fashionable. I avoided you at the party because I didn't want to see your smug smirk when I did come in red.

Looking back, I find it all very funny, endearing even. I was so fussy, wasn't I? I'm lucky you have a ridiculously big heart (I can already imagine what face you'd make if anyone told you that, but it is true) and knew how to have fun.

Another thing I'll never tell you: you looked very good at the reunion. Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like if we actually went for it, you and I.

Sage x Felix

Ill-mannered, loud, vulgar, the list goes on and on... I've once looked down upon your antics with disdain. I am now more grateful than ever for the absolute riot you are.

I don't understand why I was so worried about inviting you over to play that one time. How else would I have gotten some of the most priceless, horrified faces out of my father? Since then, you have always been—and will always be—welcome to dinner at our place. Truth be told, I do not know how I could weather another family reunion without you.

(I'd tell you papa enjoys your company immensely too, but I fear what you would do with that information.)

If my father did not rush to judge you so harshly, he would've known what a great friend you are too. (If he thinks you're the reason I am so "rebellious," then that old man doesn't know me as well he claims he does). I know it's hard for you to sit still and listen to what I'm saying, and maybe half my words go through one ear and out the other but you still try⁠—if the concentrated furrow between your brows is anything to go by⁠—and that means the world to me.

I can't say I'm too certain about how I feel about you. At least, I was certain at some point: you're the greatest friend I could ask for. Then there are times when you look at me in that way, and I can't tell if you're only teasing. You probably are, but hells, I'd be lying if I said that didn't make me feel something.

I doubt it matters much how I feel. For one as perceptive as you are, you sure wouldn't know a hint if it slapped you in the face. I suppose that's part of your charm.

#last legacy #fictif #fictif last legacy #legacytober #felix iskandar escellun #sage lesath #anisa anka #felix escellun #last legacy anisa #last legacy sage #last legacy felix

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mistydeyes · 9 months

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hi! can you do a COD pairing for me please? <3

I’m 5’2 female, dirty blonde hair, slim ish with a curvy figure, multiple ear piercings, and I am a Criminal Justice major. I love your pairing fics and I think they are so much fun! Thank you so much if you see this! <3

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

How you met: Civilian For your Laws, Politics, and Society, your professor informed the class of a special guest speaker. You pulled out your laptop and iPad as the class began and prepared for another boring law enforcement officer or middle-aged lawyer to speak for an hour and a half. However, to your surprise, a young man who couldn't be much older than you entered the room in a dress shirt and slacks. The class' attention was drawn to his genuine smile which hinted at a strong jawline and caring hazel eyes. "Good morning, class, ah that sounds to formal," he joked to the laughter of your peers, "I'm Kyle and if you can't tell this isn't my usual day to day but I'm here to talk about the joint interactions between the Special Air Service and the Metropolitan Police Department." Throughout his presentation, he included jokes and questions that kept the audience engaged. Even the students who fell asleep in the back of the class were intently taking notes and responding to his discussions. By the end of it, various people had questions and you decided to wait around after to have a more personal conversation. As the class exited, you walked down the lecture hall's stairs and greeted the man. "Hi Sergeant Garrick, I just wanted to say your talk was very informative," you began and he nodded at your compliments. "I hadn't thought about a position similar to yours but I am interested in learning more about it, do you have any advice?" He took a moment to think as you stood there looking up at him. "I think if you have a dedication to protecting the ones you love and have the right connections, it was help your career immensely," he began to say and you smiled as he continued, "I'll give you some contacts to reach out to if you'd like to learn more?" You agreed and he wrote down a few emails and names of people who could point you in the right direction. "Thank you again!" you said as you exited the room and headed to your next class.

A peek into your relationship: "Alright, alright I think it's time we hear about how Kyle and Y/N met," Johnny said and deflected the conversation to you and your boyfriend. You had enjoyed a night of drinks at the pub and everyone was going around introducing their significant other's and their meet cute. You looked at Kyle and asked who wanted to tell it. He decided he would take a shot at it and you smiled as you sipped on your beverage. "Well I first met her when a buddy called in a favor and had me speak at her Criminal Justice class," he started and Johnny laughed in response. "Oh so this was a professor student situation," he joked and his significant other lightly punched his shoulder. "Shut up Mactavish, anyways I couldn't focus on the presentation as I kept locking eyes with a particular blonde student who was intently taking notes," he continued and smiled at you as you blushed slightly. "I was preparing to leave when she just happen to come up to me and ask how to get a foot in the door and honestly the rest was history," he finished. It was a great retelling, after you had met Kyle, you ended up interning for one of his contacts and eventually met him later down the road. Now established in your field, you started off as co-workers and eventually found yourself moving into a flat together. As you left the pub, he put an arm around you. "I'm so glad you stayed after class," he joked and kissed you gently. You were glad you decided to stay too.

#izziespairings #madebyizzie #cod mwii #mw2 imagine #task force 141 #kyle gaz garrick #gaz x reader #mw2

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