#AFTER i finish my assembly code. AFTER.

[ectoplaasm]

idkkkkkk should i go crazy and make fake box art for aai3

#AFTER i finish my assembly code. AFTER.

[antariies]

how to build a chair........... director's cut ∠( ᐛ 」∠)__ this is about to be a very long very self-indulgent post where i just talk about my own writing. i also doodled on all the pages i think it makes the whole thing more fun to go thru. welcome to my ted talk

SIKE before i begin. credit where credit is due, this post was the start of it all. it changed my brain chemistry my jaw was dropped i was in awe i was obsessed and before i even finished it i knew that i would eventually have to make something similar for the commander or else i would be cursed to think about it for the rest of my life. and i Was cursed for like two years every day i would just be like........ is today the day i sit down and draft the commander chair fic of my dreams....... maybe tomorrow......

and then i got accepted as a writer for the gw2 zine ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ the chair idea was actually my backup option in case my first idea didn't pan out, and thank god it didn't, bc this one worked so much better. (still working on my initial idea, just turning it into a full fic! it was wayyy too long to be a zine submission.)

this is the chair i used. i downloaded the assembly instructions and tried out a bunch of different free pdf editors until i found one i liked, which ended up being sedja. if anyone's interested in doing something like this, i recommend printing out the pdf and writing directly on it! it was a lot easier for me to just figure out everything on paper first and then digitalize it after :P here's a picture of my physical copy

okay actually getting into it for real this time !!!!!

1. yeah i could've just erased the ikea logo and left a blank space but then i realized i could turn it into an in-universe joke. and then i ran with it.

2. i ripped this straight from the product description on the website. thanks ikea

3. i'm not sure if anyone went and looked it up, but it's a real item code!

hehe :3c

4. if your commander willingly goes to therapy i'm happy for them but TO ME? you'd have to drag the commander kicking and screaming. it's not that they don't know that something is wrong with them, they know, and they know YOU know. you're just never supposed to talk about it. they don't look at their own psych eval results bc that's none of their business.

5. i normally avoid specifying the commander's race when i write them bc i enjoy the challenge, but for the zine i was assigned to write about a norn commander! as a human main i was uhhhh very ill-equipped. but that just meant i had to study up on my norn lore (•̀ᴗ•́)و i spent hours on the wiki, then went around interviewing norn mains for their opinions, which was great fun :D it all helped me narrow the focus of my piece: joining the war on commander objectification on the side of commander objectification (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡ and no one self-aggrandizes quite like the norn commander!

and to balance that i knew my narrator had to be patronizing as shitttt. they've clearly been following the commander since the beginning and seem to know a lot of intimate details about their life, despite not thinking very highly of them. wonder who that could be :3c

6. i can't stop making references. so the original part number is actually #122620 in the manual but i've changed it here (and on the previous page!) to #082812, as in 08/28/12, the date gw2 was released! no real reason for it, @dalennaugw suggested it for funsies and i liked it. if you're my pal and i show you a wip and you have a cool idea for it, chances are i Will put that shit in. hi dale if you're reading this

7. another thing about me. i loveeee repetition. here the word "over" is repeated four times to match the picture. honestly a lot of the creative process for this piece was just staring at the pages and figuring out how to tie the pictures to the commander in ways that weren't extremely corny or trite. idk why i enjoy writing like this when i could be frolicking in the beautiful prosaic meadows of a word doc instead but. it's like i see a tiny little restrictive box and i'm like OH BOY can't wait to think inside of that thing!!! i like when the format matters just as much as the content and in some cases informs the content. am i making any sense here. well all you need to know is that i'm a virgo and my favorite book is house of leaves

7. aw fuck just realized i wrote 7 twice. whatever i'm not changing it this is 7 part two now. the theme of my piece is glory, what it means to the norn commander, and how far they're willing to go for it.

8. does norn culture place emphasis on seeking individual glory Yes are norn also very community-oriented Also Yes. i think it's common to see norn kids napping together in a big pile, usually after they've worn themselves out playing games outside. it makes sense practically (apes together warm) and socially (pack bonding good) but that's just my hc. growing up i used to share a bed with my cousins all the time so it's normal to me.

a young, naive not-yet-commander, with no real combat experience, has no point of reference to compare a "blaze of glory" to. but the way everyone talks about it, it must be a good thing. a wonderful thing. a reward fit for a life well-fought and a legend hard-earned. so they imagine it must feel like falling asleep surrounded by the people they love, who love them in turn.

9. .........i was playing a lot of ace attorney when i wrote this page. i wish i was joking 👍🏼

10. ohhh shit the truth come OUT this whole chair thing was all a ploy just so i could write about the departing. again.

will i ever stop thinking about her. reply hazy, try again later.

11. out of all the pages, this one has the most emphasis on text placement, like comparing the enlarged picture of the screw to a sword, the numbers counting the screws, and "up up up" being arranged to mimic a wisp of smoke.

i also wanted to lean into the viking/norse mythology influences with my word choice.

12. more nods to norn culture. i didn't know they referred to the six human gods as "spirits of action" until i was doing the research for this piece :O

and the domain of the lost is called a hall of ghosts....... cause valhalla.....

13.

i'm sorry this so funnyyy. SAYS the guy who literally clawed their way back to life for a rematch.

me when i'm in a sore loser competition and my opponent is the COMMANDER!!!

14. arms as in "limbs" and also arms as in "armaments" :•]

15. haha get it because the picture makes it look like there are two mirrored speech bubbles while the text paints two opposing interpretations of the norn commander. one that's selfless and humble versus one that's selfish and vainglorious.

16. and the best part is IT DOESN'T MATTER which one is true bc at the end of the day no matter what their motivation, balthazar is dead by their hand. ofc i'm of the opinion that the most compelling interpretation of the commander is both, simultaneously. contradictions are good for the soul.

17. i could've name-dropped kas, the only person present that would do something like that, but i felt it was better to leave it ambiguous.

18. low-hanging fruit. the metaphor was so obvious here but i had to do it. for the culture

19. the alternate title for this piece was "THIS COULD BE GLORY". "how to build a chair" was only supposed to be a placeholder title til i figured out a better one, but the innocuousness of it grew on me. also i came up with the other one too late and had already advertised under the chair title lol

20. my first instinct was to end it with something more reassuring, like "what you have built so far is enough" but that would've been an ooc switch-up for a narrator who has been nothing but snide and detached this whole time. gotta stick to my guns

21.

obligatory chair joke as the last line. for realsies though it’s meant to be an earnest appeal to the commander to take a break, to have a seat, but it’s also a challenge. are they willing to lean on their friends? are the bonds they’ve forged strong enough to hold their weight? are they willing to put their faith in someone else’s hands? are they brave enough to try? well. only one way to find out.

also guess what that wasn’t even the real last page of the manual. it's THIS

but no way i was letting this be the image we ended on. IT LOOKS LIKE A DICK AND BALLS!!!

and on that note, THANK YOU if you made it this far!! a very special shout-out to @hawkepockets, my lovely boyfriend and beta reader, without whom this piece would not be nearly as polished. i would bring him pages to look over and he would say Scrap half of those lines you can do better than that. kill your darlings. i would complain and argue for a few minutes then we would revise. rinse and repeat until we had honed this thing to perfection. i can't stress enough the importance of having a second pair of eyes on your work throughout your creative process, even better if it's someone who challenges you. i don't even pay him 🫶🏼

and if there was anything i didn't cover that you still have questions about, please feel free to shoot me an ask! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡ thanks for reading! see u later dudes ;P

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #my writing #for once i have nothing to say in the tags bc i already talked so much in the body of the post. #ummmmmmmm meows cutely !

[scaryscarecrows]

Komodo Protocol

“You seen what they got going on in Demolitions?” Frank asks around his bacon. “Somethin’ real nasty, looks like.”

“No, I’ve been stuck on ‘light duty’ all week.” Antoine rolls his eyes. “You get one bug and everyone’s on your ass.”

“Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have tried breaking out of Medical all those times.”

“Shouldn’t have passed out mid-meeting, either.” Jimmy cackles. “Dude, if you died, we’d be fucked. Riley’s an enabler.”

“Clyde would take over,” the Knight says dryly. Jimmy squeaks. “Meeting at nine hundred.”

Meeting, not assembly. Something’s come up, then, because they had their weekly briefing two days ago. There hadn’t been anything of note at the time; next shipment of drones to Gotham, more than anything. Antoine’s pretty sure it was largely an excuse to hide from Deathstroke, who had left that afternoon anyway.

“Yessir.”

Once he’s gone, Jimmy leans in.

“So? What do you think’s going on?”

“I don’t know. Everything’s on schedule, and I haven’t seen anything weird come up.”

“Think something’s up in Gotham?”

“Maybe.” He finishes his coffee and tries–and fails miserably–at repressing a cough. “I’m fine, coughs linger, that’s not illegal!”

Mark frowns.

“That sounded ugly.”

“That’s what coughs do.” He’s not whining. He’s not. “Leave me alone, I’m better now.”

“I want you in my office after this meeting. Just for a quick check-up.”

“Oh, come on–”

“Forget, and I’ll come find you.”

Ugh. Fine. He’ll go. But he’s not going to like it.

* * *

“What is that?”

“Insurance.”

Okay. Insurance is always good. This, however, appears to be a bigass mine. Three feet in diameter, easy, and well-armored. Could probably withstand a Cobra drone rolling over it.

“Uh-huh,” Frank drawls. “For what.”

“It’s primarily to keep the military from getting involved.”

Antoine’s got news for him: the military, generally, considers Gotham as ‘fend for your fucking selves’ and probably would just pretend they didn’t see anything anyway. But sure. A little extra reassurance is nice.

“Also to keep anyone–or anything–else from stepping in.” Okay, that one’s fair. “It won’t hurt you if you walk on it; the sensors need more weight to activate the electricity.” Oh, it’s electric, too? Wonderful. “We’ll be deploying them pretty early in the night, once the drones have all been deployed.”

“They won’t fuck with the programming, will they?” Jimmy risks poking the thing. “It’s not like an EMP or whatever?”

“It shouldn’t, but I want you, when you map out the patrol route, to try not to run over them. I’ll give you a map of where I want them sometime next week.”

“How many are there?”

“Fourteen.”

Trent whistles.

“Jesus.”

“Gotham’s a big place.” The Knight shrugs. “We’re not shipping these over ahead of us; they go when we do. Clyde, I’m going to be making a special dummy; same sensors, I want to run some tests with the Cloudburst tank. If it comes to that, I’d really rather not blow this entire operation…literally.”

“Very funny, sir,” Frank says dryly. “I’ll make sure she’s ready to roll when you are.”

“Good. You five are dismissed. Drouot, you’re not.”

That doesn’t sound promising.

The others file out, though, leaving Antoine with the boss and a giant, scary-looking mine.

“These are also a contingency.”

And there it is. The boss has contingencies for his contingencies, which is, Antoine guesses, why they’re all still on this crazy crusade.

“Okay?” The Knight holds out a piece of paper with numbers on it. Antoine raises an eyebrow. “What’s this?”

“The activation code to set these all off at once. In the event that I somehow end up incapacitated, unless I explicitly told you otherwise, I want you to initiate the Komodo Protocol: order a retreat and blow Gotham off the map.”

“Sounds like overkill.”

“When dealing with Batman, there is no such thing as overkill.”

“If you say so, sir.” Such an innocuous little paper. Ten digits. Ten digits and boom, one of the largest cities in the world turned into a charred crater. “Does Scarecrow know about this?”

“No, and we’re not mentioning it. If that code needs to be used, he doesn’t need to be informed.”

Well, in all honesty, Scarecrow is the one most likely to trigger this event. Antoine has never trusted the guy. He’s convinced that, Batman be damned, if he saw a chance to poison them all, he’d take it.

“Hopefully it won’t come to that, sir.”

“Hopefully not.” The Knight looks at the mine. “But I’d rather be prepared.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea, boss?”

The boss just laughs.

“Probably not. Look, it’s like the bomb vests. I highly, highly doubt we’ll need it.”

Yeah…the bomb vests have not been mentioned to the troops at large. Voluntary or not, most people are not going to like the idea of a suicide vest being anywhere near them. If it comes down to that, then they’ll worry about it.

“If you say so, sir.” He looks from the paper to the mine again. “Did you need anything else?”

“No. You can go; I think Jones wanted to see you.”

Dammit.

* * *

“I’m sure that by now most of you have become aware of the events at Arkham Asylum.”

Antoine’s voice is hoarse, going in and out a little. He hasn’t slept, not really. Sure, Mark got a power nap out of him, but that’s about it and it wasn’t enough. He looks like shit, too, all washed out and with eye bags big enough to take on a cruise. That’ll happen, when you spend too much time in a chair.

“Batman do that, sir?”

“Yes and no. Before I continue, I want it clear: Batman is now considered a level five threat.”

“We can take him. Right, boys?” A cheer goes up. “Just tell us where he is, we’ll bring his head back in two hours.” 

Ha. Trent disagrees. Bastard’s got clown morals with Bat-bullshit, if he’s still alive–and he probably is–‘taking him’ is going to be a real bitch. It’s doable, probably, it’s just going to be difficult, especially with their best resource on both Batman and Joker being at death’s door.

Antoine’s smile is wintery and the cheer dies down, gives way to an uneasy silence. Trent can’t blame them for that. He’s usually the nice one. Nice is relative, but still.

“What you’ll be up against isn’t Batman anymore,” he says. “Now, I’m sure you all attended the briefing regarding the Joker’s death of TITAN poisoning.” Pfft. Trent knows damn well they didn’t, but that’ll keep them from jabbering. “Before that incident, the Joker supplied hospitals with tainted blood, and apparently gave Batman a transfusion as well. The cure didn’t take.” 

He turns to his laptop and taps a few keys. On screen, the footage Jimmy managed to get from the boss’s helmet earlier on Halloween looms large. Trent shudders. He’s seen some shit in his day, but that–a laughing, maniacal Batman attacking with full intent to kill–is in the running for his personal Top Five WTF. Thankfully, Antoine only lets it play for a few seconds, but those few seconds are enough to quiet the skeptical mutterings.

“That’s what you’re up against now. He will kill you, without a second thought. He has already killed Scarecrow–”

“Shit, we work for Richardson now?”

“No. The Arkham Knight dispatched her before the asylum blew up.”

At least that one stuck. Last thing they need is that vindictive little monster blaming them for what happened to Scarecrow.

“For the moment, we are going to continue as we were. I want drones sweeping the city, checkpoints manned, and watchtowers fully operational. If anybody sees anything, you call in immediately and you wait for backup. Don’t be a hero, your insurance does not cover facial removal.” There’s a smattering of nervous chuckles that Antoine does not join in. “Patrols: minimum of four, do not let each other out of your sight. Someone has to piss, you all go. Someone falls in one of those damn potholes and breaks an ankle, you all come back to base as a group. Understood?”

“Yessir.”

“Good. Any questions?” If they have any, they don’t ask them. Antoine closes his laptop, disconnects it, and turns on his heel. “Dismissed.”

Trent steps in fully as they file out. A few of them flinch, but most of them just keep moving.

“You look like shit,” he says bluntly. “Mark’s right, you need sleep.”

“I’m fine. Anything?”

“Couple of false alarms.”

“So no.”

“No.”

“Damn.” Antoine runs a hand through his hair. “Any change with the boss?”

“Still out. Look…what are we going to do, if he…doesn’t…wake up? Batman’s Gotham’s problem, right?”

Antoine just laughs, a little bitter, and starts towards the door.

“He only got maybe a quarter of the mines. We pull our men out and blow this city to Kingdom Come, see him walk that off.”

“What?”

“Komodo Protocol.” 

Trent’s heard of it. Well, seen it, in packets, but there’s never been any information about it. It’s just come up as, like, the last resort, no specifications.

“That’s what that is?” he demands. “Detonate the mines?”

“If it comes to that, yes.”

“Jesus Christ, man–”

“My orders are to put the bastard down, whatever it takes.” Antoine turns towards the back hallway. “Check in with the Arkham troops again, make sure they don’t need any further supplies. Did you send them a Cobra?”

“Yeah, earlier.”

“Good. Keep me posted.”

“Antoine.”

“What.”

“You’re sure about this?”

Antoine stops and turns around, swaying a little at the sudden change of direction.

“Yeah. If he dies, or doesn’t start waking up in another day or two, I’m calling it. We’ll finish the job one way or the other.” Jesus. “This stays between us for now. It may not come to that and there’s no reason to unsettle everyone.”

Trent nods.

“All right. You sure you’re not gonna grab a nap?”

“I’m fine.”

Yeah. Sure. Whatever. Look, Frank or Mark will probably bring the hammer down soon and when they do, Trent will be right there to enforce Bedtime.

“I’m gonna take a squadron out there,” he says. “Me and Riley: we’re taking some of his guys to investigate the little Batcave thing that turned up this morning.”

“Good. Stay in touch; that lecture goes for everyone.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll find the bastard.”

“Hope so.” Antoine turns back around and starts walking again. “Good luck.”

THE END

#jason todd #arkhamverse #scaryverse #god so many mines in the road jason what the fuck #that was unnecessary #you know it was

[crescencestudio]

Intertwine Post-Mortem

i lied. i don’t know if this qualifies as a post mortem. i don’t even know what a post mortem is LMFAOkxkak

but this is my post intertwine release “devlog” chock full of dev experiences, behind the scenes looks, and more for those who want to know more about the process of creating intertwine and thoughts i’ve had in reflection of release/experiencing otojam!

it’s long bc in usual crescence fashion, a bitch loves to talk. so buckle in gamers!

my thank u offering for all the downloads and reviews

Committing to OtoJam

for those who didn’t know, i entered otojam on a sort of Whim. because i am deep in the alaris trenches, i didn’t want to distract myself for too long from my main game, especially when there are people who have paid to support development. after talking to some friends, i thought otojam would actually be good for me. i’d been struggling with burnout and was in a creative rut. on top of that, i’d been doing this dev thing for almost 2 years with no full game to show for it (cries). even if otojam would take time away from alaris, perhaps it would give me what i needed—a kick of Motivation, a dash of Creativity, and some GD Fun.

so i decided about two days into otojam to officially enter it! And thus Intertwine made its appearance

the graphic that started it all

Oh, we are Otojamming

the intertwine editing team assembled and we got to work. because i already had a pretty solid idea of the game (it had been an idea i was sitting on for a while), there was less time spent on brainstorming and more time spent on writing and editing the script. for playtesters, i already have a group for alaris, and a couple of them kindly offered to playtest intertwine for otojam. i spontaneously decided to cast a va after some discussions with the editing team, and max joined. then, with One Week left of otojam, faefield productions entered the scene!

regarding development, the first month was largely dedicated to the script. weeks 1-2 were writing and fleshing out. weeks 3-4 were dedicated to editing and fine tuning. when my editors were reviewing the script, i was creating all the art assets. after the first month, i would say we had most of the gui, one cg, and the base sprite done!

at that time i felt pretty good. we were making good progress! i even was productive on alaris and irl work!

then the Second Month happened lmao.

i always forget the Horrors of fine tuning a build. i’m projecting right now, but i’d argue a lot of developers forget or underestimate the fine tuning/ quality testing stage. during the 4th-6th weeks of otojam, i wrapped up all the assets needed for the beta build. i finished the remaining cgs, all sprite expressions, and the rest of the gui. then i coded all the features into a beta version: learning how to create a messaging system for the first time, nailing the multiple iteration mechanic, cutting and editing the voice acting audio, and other Horrors that i’m sure i’ve since blacked out from my memory all happened during the sixth week of otojam. i was truly in the Coding Trenches.

BUT i got the build done and was able to send it out to playtesters for a week of quality testing. spoiler alert: the build wasn’t perfect and there were many bugs that needed fixing. the seventh week—the second to last week of otojam—was dedicated to this as well as my own tinkering so that the build felt completely Perfect (making sure expressions r exactly how i want them, transitions and audio fade perfectly, animations are perfect, that godforsaken clickable string to get to the next iterations that No One was clicking. all of the tiny aspects that make a game feel really polished). I am Not good with grinding. Suffice to say this was probably the most miserable week.

me every hour: DID U CLICK THE STRING

But once again WE MADE IT! Near the end of the seventh week, orpheo of faefield productions reached out to me and after gushing to each other about how big of a fan we are of one another, we spontaneously collaborated for a custom OST. Enter the eighth week, and we were ALL grinding. playtesters trying out a second build within only two days. editing team making fine tuning edits for the best script. coding. voiced lines that needed the slightest bit of tinkering.

Come 3PM on june 30th (otojam ends 6pm june 30th) and i’m coding the new music room, adding and double checking the new ost, and more. Two hours pass and it’s 5PM. We have less than an hour to submit. 5:30something comes by and with shaky hands, i release the game page and submit to otojam.

flashbacks to college 11:59 deadlines fr

On top of last week crunching, i was also dealing with extreme prerelease stress. i’ve never released a full game before. a demo, i can change. i can still tinker. this isn’t the final product. But a Full Game? My god. what if ppl hate it? or worse, what if ppl are so apathetic, they don’t even look at it and it gets sent to the void? after all, this year’s entries are stunning. they are Bold and Creative and Fun and intertwine is so….

Boring?

Some Lessons—Take Them or Leave Them

lesson 1. don’t listen to prerelease anxiety. that is the devil talking to you. if u have friends at least they will play and be nice to u. if u don’t have friends and no one plays, well it’s not the end of the world!!!! there’s always the next game. and u fckn know what? at least u Made that shit. keep ur head high, icon.

lesson 2. have fun and take care of yourself. the reception to intertwine has been amazing. i couldn’t be happier with it. but at the end of the day, the reason i look back on otojam fondly is because of the very dear friends i had to support me and have fun with me thru it all. life is meant to be enjoyed. it’s meant to be about memories, not metrics! never forget what’s truly important in life (cheesy, everyone boos me, but i’m right idgaf)

where would i be without them

lesson 3. plan. there is room for spontaneity and flexibility. after all, u can’t guarantee everything will go to plan. but with otojam being a crunch, plan as much as you can beforehand to not stress urself out during it. with intertwine, i had a somewhat outline and at least a pretty good idea of the concept, game mechanics, narrative design, mood board, etc. i had character concept art of van. if i had to do all of this during otojam we wouldn’t have made it i’m so srs. i also think when u plan as much as u can before, u have more room and time to have fun during! more polished build and more loving memories it’s a win win.

early concept art tbh i never thought it’d see the light of day

Typical Brand of Crescence Cheesiness

if you’ve made it this far ur a real one. all i have left to say is thank you for the support. while i was proud of intertwine (until the last week of otojam lol), i didn’t know what the response would be. to receive so many kind words has been unbelievably heartwarming.

as i said before, i’ve been in this game dev thing for 2 years with nothing to rly show for it. but during otojam, i could really feel the skills and experiences i’ve gained shine thru. i had a better handle on narrative design, coding things, integrating gui, and even more dev friends to talk to (thank u to all my friends who have played and messaged me U DONT KNOW HOW MUCH I LUV U). it was rewarding in a different sense compared to releasing a game, and i really am glad i did otojam to give me that perspective <3

a lot of things seemed to cockblock otojam this year (or so i’ve heard) between the sheer amount of entries (go us tho), the release of a lot of aaa otome games, and then twitter literally breaking less than 24 hours after otojam ended. even with all that, i’ve been so humbled and honored to see ppl enjoy intertwine. the comments i’ve gotten have honestly made me emotional, with many of you comparing it to games that i heavily admire and or expressing emotions i never would’ve dreamed to have been able to instill.

the otojam experience has been incredible, from the memories to the game to the reception. and i’m very grateful for all the people who made it that way! thank you for enjoying our silly little game made with our grubby little fingies. i hope you all continue to enjoy intertwine (and the other otojam entries from this year) and van!

i luv u all!

#intertwine #crescence cries

[effen-draws]

Now that the swap fic is finished I can finally share the absolute mess of a skeleton plan I created after ch 1! Because this thing is something when looking back on it. Like I had to restructure it twice man. And you can clearly see that I got tired of being a serious writer after a bit and just began making jokes.

But well it does sort of contain spoilers for the fic? So more under cut.

Swap skeleton plan:

Ch 2: wow we are getting started now

The hanged man, Cuno (mild plot, kim can’t handle kids, and corpse) 

Calling 57 (hermit cop, badge and gun)

Car tracks and lorries (car, mention of Joyce Messier, and that racist)

Smoker on the balcony (homosexual underground code, my brother in christ harry you are bi)

Calling Sylvie (encouragement from Harry, Sylvie sad, the drunks, the notebook, fight? Yeah I guess)

Ch 3: kim you fkn try hard

Mystery of sight

Everart Claire (name, gun)

Kim sharpshooter (cool, autopsy, bullet perhaps)

Secret passage (notebook search, inexplicable pinball rage)

Smoker on balcony cont. (harry bi nation)

Harry’s room (not enough money, Kim lockpicks door, romance? No wait uh oh that didn’t go well)

Ch 4: the first sad one™

Klaasje (distrust and flowers)

Car (breakdown, badge)

Little breather of a scene (glasses)

Drunks (the story, the gun)

Church (teens, dora, amphetamines)

Ch 5: this one is all over the place

Doomed commercial area, short

Everart Claire related, short

Suzerainty, short

The Pigs (oh god Kim you’re not handling this)

Limbo (thought, scheme)

Karaoke (sneak, notebook, tearing it up sad style, go white boy go)

Aftermath (it’s assembled, the notebook, photograph, uh oh is that repression? again?)

Ch 6: the second sad one™

Progress (numbness, Hardie boys)

Ruby 

Post-Ruby (This is going to feel bad to write)

The tribunal

This is death kind of scene

Trust (vulnerability, volumetric shit splitter)

[Dance (check this shit out, harry du bois has a very bi time)] [I'm sorry I cut you dance scene...]

Ch 7: The last remnants of “canon”

Towards the Island (Speedfreaks FM)

Eyes (Y’know guilt? Whatever? Idk I have been thinking about this for too long)

The phasmid (Harry gains the “you are gay for kim kitsuragi” thought)

Prelude to the 41st

Ch 8: The “there, there” chapter

Kim gets put on blast (Kim joins the 41st… against his better judgement)

Harry gets put on blast (Jean is really ruining the mood in the car)

The decision

The talk (man. I hope this’ll feel cathartic)

Romance? Idk I’m fkn bad at this

The rcm thoughts

That’s all folks!

#I just wanted to share this for myself tbh #I made the plan silly so now people have to see it y'know #anyways #related to the rewind refind fic

[nacricissa]

9 people you want to know better

Huge thanks to @squarebracket-trick for tagging me with only small amounts of sarcasm per my request to be included in the fun!

Currently Reading: The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race, by Walter Isaacson. I think this is the same book I was reading the last time I was tagged in this game. I read nonfiction slowly.

Last song I listened to: Spotify seems to believe it was The Chain by Fleetwood Mac and I have no evidence to contradict that.

Currently Watching: I am on Season 8 of Smallville, which I have been thoroughly enjoying. It is very strange to watch TV from that era though, because the way computers are treated is truly hilariously wrong.

Current Fic I'm reading: I love that this implies I could stop reading in the middle of a fic. I woke up at 1:30 pm today because last night I finished reading Light As A Feather (Heavy As The Burden I Carry) by @havenoffandoms and @creativwit. It's heavy reading (ED TW), but masterfully done.

Current Obsession: I have made an infinite mana deck in standard (uh I play Magic: The Gathering, if you don't, apologies for the seemingly random set of words I'm about to spew). It's an Agatha's Soul Cauldron deck (Sleep-cursed faerie+ Kami of Whispered Hopes) though it's easier to assemble the win using Patchwork Crawler, even though it's more mana intensive because then you can search all the parts with Fauna Shaman. The win is with Triskadecaphile, either on board drawing to the alternate win con, or if you have an untappable Fauna Shaman, you can search for Ulvenwald Oddity with the first creature you draw, then transform it to give everything haste and win with combat damage on the spot. The interaction package is mostly creatures because Fauna Shaman, Malevolent Hermit, Tishana's Tidebinder and Colossal Skyturtle. Tishana's is especially useful when trying to win when an opponent has Sheoldred on board, you can Fauna Shaman it up if you draw a creature before you run out of life.

Favourite Colour: Lavender and Indigo. Really, the colour scheme of my pfp is my favourite colours, I had it comissioned for a reason.

Spicy, Sweet, Savory or Salty: Big fan of the savory.

Relationship Status: Not really looking for romance, in QPR with best friend.

Last thing I googled: Well now it's the fic I read last night cause I wanted to find the link, uh before that? I was trying to find this post, as if search is an effective way to locate things you're looking for on Tumblr.

Song stuck in my head: Well now it's Mr Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra because while looking for the post to link for the last question I saw a post that contained the lyrics... Before that probably John Williams is the Man.

Favourite Food: It's a one-pan thing with chicken, broccoli, red peppers, minute rice and a sauce made of brocoli cheese soup and chicken broth. It takes maybe fifteen minutes to cook after you've cut everything up, it's good hot or cold, it reheats well, truly a masterful thing and I only have to wash one pan when I'm done!

Dream Trip: I intend to tour Cascadia with my best friend. We might even go to visit the Quileute reserve (that beach looks great) give them the tourism bucks they deserve for having their legends taxidermized like that.

Tagging @magic-is-something-we-create, @lesorciercanadien, @neural-cactus-is-lonely, @bargainbincheese, @wonder-stuck, @chauceryfairytales, @a-had-matter, @threebooksoneplot and @mk-writes-stuff if you'd care to answer some or all of these questions about your fine selves.

#tag game #9 people you want to know better

[antoniosvivaldi]

A YEAR IN REVIEW: CREATIONS OF 2023

Post your favourite and most popular post from each month in 2023.

I was tagged by @madeline-kahn & @bazkrekkers 💖

A short summary on 2023 as a content creator: This was one of my most prolific & fruitful years in terms of content creating since I've started using Tumblr in 2014 - both artistically and quantitatively. I look forward to what my creative muse will bring to me the coming year 🤩

January

Most popular: The Little Mermaid gifset — A relatively quick set that came together after experimenting with a handful of mermaid / aquatic themed Photoshop freebies that I've got!

Favourite: 2023 releases compilation gifset — Assembling this gifset made me realise how many anticipated media releases were coming out in 2023 & I've also discovered quite a few new musical artists to listen in the giffing process.

February

I've subscribed to Adobe Creative Cloud subscription & got my "bad boy" Max aka the trusty M2 Mac that I now primarily gif on! It's a night and day difference, what used to take a few days can be done within a single giffing session 🤩

Most Popular: Taylor Swift Lavender Haze gifset — My first gifset that I've giffed on Max and also my first attempt incorporating Neural Filters in my giffing workflow!

Favourite: Bridgerton characters + Certainly Not A Bot Description gifset — A highly entertaining gifset to assemble and I certainly had a lot of laughs while making this 😂

March

Most Popular: Rotoscoping Tutorial — I've finished my long overdue Rotoscoping Tutorial in March and it's the most popular post that I've made in 2023

Favourite: Assorted Female Musicians + Tropes gifset / playlists — I listen to music diversely and thought it would be fun to share a playlist set of the musical artists that I've discovered / listen to! This edit idea went through quite a few iterations and was very happy that it gets to see the light of the day!

April

Most Popular: Fantasia 1940 + animals gifset — Made under a bit of time crunch but enjoyed giffing a childhood favourite & playing around with Neural Filters!

Favourite: Taylor Swift + Four Seasons gifset — A remake of this gifset and inspired by my URL! Taylor Swift ft. Landscape Mixer Filter & Fantasia scenes that reminds me of the four seasons 🌸🌞🍁❄️

May

Most Popular: Olivia Rodrigo Sour anniversary gifset — May 2023 was a challenging giffing month for me, but making purple sets like this kept me going

Favourite: Kathony x Kanej gifset — A gifset to showcase two of my favourite fictional relationships (and I love that there are thematic similarities) 💜

June

Most Popular: Heartstopper characters rainbow gifset — One of the most wholesome shows that I've watched 🥺

Favourite: Gracie Abrams Good Riddance gifset — Originally, I was going to make a B&W Gracie Abrams gifset but ended up with something more colourful & something that I'm much happier with! A lot of videos Gracie Abrams released this year were in B&W / had horrific lightings, but I got around with the Colourise & Photo Enhancement Neural Filters ft. adjustment layers!

July

I took a break using Max this month and giffed on my Intel-based Macs from 2012 and 2015. This is to better gauge the performance required to comfortably run Photoshop's Neural Filters & to try out other Photoshop filters e.g. Adobe Camera Raw Filter.

Most Popular: Speak Now (Taylor's Version) gifset — A relatively quick purple gifset that I've made right before Speak Now (Taylor's Version) came out!

Favourite: Watch (Maisie Peters) x Sour (Olivia Rodrigo) gifset — Watch is one of the few songs that I've enjoyed back when standard version of The Good Witch came out and it struck me as a very Sour-coded song to me (and also something that's very neon pink & blue to me).

August

Most Popular: 1989 (Taylor's Version) gifset — Was very excited that Taylor announced that she's releasing the re-recorded version of 1989 💙

Favourite: Adaptations grand compilation gifset — I love making grand compilation sets! It's a fun way to showcase the things that I enjoy & do things as creatively as possible! In this set, I had a lot of fun experimenting with transition effects, as well as 3D text!

September

Most Popular: Olivia Rodrigo Guts gifset — I think Olivia Rodrigo's discography is very purple-coded to me and Guts is no exception 💜

Favourite: Maisie Peters YSUFT x Taylor Swift parallels gifset — A gifset idea that I held close to my heart for a while. Took quite some time to iron out the overall layout & it's one of the sets I've made on my Intel-based Mac to test Neural Filters performance, but I'm really happy with the pastel colour scheme produced from the Colour Transfer Neural Filter!

October

Most Popular: A more elaborate 1989 (Taylor's Version) gifset — This is very much a crunch time gifset that quickly came together 💙

Favourite: Kathony x BSC (Maisie Peters) gifset — The lyrics of BSC reminds me of Kathony. Then I came across a fun colour palette (that's a mix of purple & orange) and experimented with some fonts + organic shapes that I've recently installed. As always, the typography took a lot of time to grind out but had a lot of fun assembling the set & experimenting with the animated texts!

November

Max's sidekick aka Bailey (an M3-based Mac) arrived in late November & I've installed Topaz Labs plugins (very helpful for enhancing screencaps)

Most Popular: Taylor Swift Fearless anniversary gifset — Happy anniversary to Fearless 💛

Favourite: The Comfort Zone: The Joyful Issue + playlist + uquiz — I really enjoyed the creative process for this: I've learnt how to make 3D animations from scratch & had a lot of fun putting together the companion playlist + uquiz!

As an aside, the rendering process was so resource intensive that the workload was bifurcated between two computers, to ensure I was able to finish the set within the submission window.

December

This is one of my most inspired & prolific time in giffing since a while and I'm grateful that I'm able to wrap up my 2023 on a high note!

Most Popular: A Charlie Brown Christmas gifset — I've downloaded quite a lot of Christmas / holidays themed Photoshop resources in December and thought it would be fun to play around with those in a Christmas gifset! This Peanuts gifset is the end result 🎅

Favourite: Maisie Peters The Good Witch gifset — One of the biggest challenges giffing Maisie Peters is that most of the videos came from Youtube. I've got around experimenting with Topaz Labs (in addition to the usual Neural Filters) to enhance the gifs and have been very happy with the result!

As of the creative process of the set: I associate The Good Witch with blue & orange, played around with transparency in gif panels, and applied Neural Filters to bring out artistic effects for the component gifs.

Tagging (absolutely no pressure): @rogerhealey, @silversmists, @tayloralison, @laurabenanti, @fawad-khan, @goldrushkid, @cobbbvanth, @swearphil, @breakbleheavens, @imkindatheman, @miss-lauryn-hill , @muldery , @crushcrushcrushs , @matlillard , @deweyduck + anyone who wants to do this 💖

#tagging game #abt #txt

[projectastray]

August Q&A with Questions from Patreon!!

hello hello & welcome to the

🎆 PROJECT ASTRAY QUESTION & ANSWER EXTRAVAGANZA : AUGUST EDITION 🎆

i asked my patreon discord for questions about project astray's development and, given the limited amount of info out there about the game (intentional), i was curious to see what kind of curiosities folks would have!

and now i'll share those here, too! enjoy~

Q from Raccoon:

Q: What was the kind of original idea for Project Astray, like how did you come up with the main idea?

A: This is gonna start way off target, but: Back when I was working at ArenaNet on Guild Wars 2, I designed a story quest that involved a sort of passive stealth system where you were invisible at all times to enemies, unless you wanted to interact with something, in which case you revealed yourself. I thought it was a fun way to solve the 'challenge' problem with stealth in an MMO, where there weren't real systems in place to do stealth that felt 'fun' in a traditional stealth game sense... but still let you feel sneaky. So it became an order of operations problem: if I open this gate with a switch, there's an enemy looking my way, so I have to knock them out... but another enemy is looking at THEM, so I have to wait for them to turn their back, knock them out too, then the way is clear to open the gate.

Anyway that was a fun little mission, but years and years later I still looked back on that design process fondly. I was also starting to think about thematic material for a 2nd game project after ESC... and I kept brainstorming various systems ideas for games centered around my experiences with social anxiety & social stealth. And so I thought that would be a fun idea to explore.

The actual systems that have come out of that initial spark of an idea are very different, but you can probably see some of the origins in there once I reveal the full game's mechanics.

Qs from Nicola:

Q: Are you composing all the music 100% yourself or are you collaborating with someone else one a song or two?

A: Mostly, yes! It's what I'd probably call at 99% me game, where I'm leaving room for possible collaboration or assistance if it sounds fun, but the vast majority of the music will be all me. Naturally! I do have one or two possible collaborations, though, which I'll think more about once I'm in the music phase of development.

Q: Are you still spending time on coding the core mechanics or have you already finished those for the most part, and are starting to assemble the game more? (Iirc in the last update you wrote about working on combat mechanics, so kind of related on its progress)

A: The core mechanics are about 75% there! Everything is in a place now where I can primarily build out content, and the remaining 25% is all stuff that is coming from any time I can't do something specifically as I'd like to, in which case I have to start adding more scripts or actions to enable me to do more with the systems. But the core is solid! I'm still on track to get 'chapter 1' fully realised this year, which is exciting.

Q: What kind of Ashtray is this? Is it a plain metal one, maybe a colored glass one, or a decorated painted ceramic one? (I think you've written something about the working name of the project, but I can't remember what exactly and where.)

A: One of those really old ones with the sort of bubbly glass texture, fully transparent, with a frosted crescent moon baked into the bottom of it.

In all seriousness, Astray!! Thematically it'll always feel relevant. Lots of things are astray in the game, its characters and setting. "Away from the correct path or direction". But who defines what is 'correct'? Where are they going? All important key words and concepts to think about.

As a bonus fun fact: the final game title also starts with 'A' but doesn't involve the word 'Astray'.

Qs from LaurentDS:

Q: what are things that you learned from your years of experience making music that helped you in the non music related aspects of Project Astray

A: Pacing, mostly. I always think of storytelling and gameplay and transitions in games in terms of the pace they take in a musical sense. What tempo is this all running on? How will it feel if it takes X seconds to happen, can I speed it up? Slow it down? Getting it all to feel right and 'in tempo' with itself is a really important part of design for me. And it also makes composition a lot easier, or even composition can help make finding the tempo easier. Because once it all meshes, nothing will (hopefully) feel out of place or rushed or sluggish.

Q: Your music and Project Astray are done in parallel. How do you juggle between those? Do you see it as a way to break artist block (work on one when you need a break from the other, etc)?

A: Yeah, absolutely. I still think of my music work as my 'main' job because it's for folks that have hired me for my time, so I always place a priority on that and fitting the development schedule. But when I do have a choice between game design work & music work, one absolutely helps me bounce back and forth if I'm feeling stuck in one area or the other.

Q: What has been the most fun aspect or detail of its development that you want to share?

A: Honestly, getting all the gameplay elements into a state where it's actually super fun to just sit down and play for a bit... There's still a lot of work to do, but seeing the possibilities now that it's in a state where you can play for a bit, it's so exciting to potentially get more friends in and testing it out so I can see how it feels for real people that aren't thinking about it every single day.

Qs from Jodie:

Q: what parts of Project Astray's development do you plan to share in things like teasers or update posts, if you choose to share anything? Will it be limited to character showcases and some screenshots or will we also get the occasional technical post if that interests you?

A: I'd love to delve into technical aspects once I am at a place where it makes sense to talk about those things!! Obviously not until I've revealed more about the game, but coding is a fun troubleshooting game that I'm always game to share anecdotes about.

Outside of that, yeah absolutely character showcases are among my next things to share... There's a lot to get into.

Q: Once it gets close to release, are you planning to release Project Astray as an early access title and release the game in chapters or do you plan to release it all once its 100% complete?

A: I definitely won't be doing early access. I don't think it plays well with a linear story game. The only early sort of thing I'm considering is doing a 'demo' of the 1st chapter before releasing the full game, but the timing & decision on that are pretty unknown until I get far enough along that I feel confident about it. And especially with a personal project that will be many years in the making, showing stuff earlier might help build excitement for the final thing. None of that is final, though, it's just me thinking out loud.

Qs from Aeris:

Q: What are your inspirations for the game's setting/world? And are there any aspects of magic/otherworldliness to the setting?

A: There's so much about this question that I can't quite share yet, but I will try to answer it without revealing everything: The sense of 'otherworldliness' is going to be very high. While there will be a concrete world to explore, not everything might seem logical or real. This has a lot to do with the setting itself. As a normal person in this world, things might change one day and leave you wondering if what you remembered is really true, or if it's always been like this. Time might suddenly advance with a gap in perception. You might dream of another state of existence, so real and tangible, and then wake up and go back to your usual routine. But there's a nagging in the periphery of your mind that it isn't right. That you were supposed to do something else. Our main characters have felt this deep down and have pushed past the instinctual drive to return to normalcy. They've chosen to EXIST, and whatever that might entail.

Q: also, not super important, but what engine are you using for the game?

A: GameMaker Studio!

Thanks so much to all my discord dreamers for their really thoughtful questions!! I had a lot of fun answering these, and hopefully they give you even more insight into the game at this early stage.

Until next time~

#project astray #indie games #indie dev #game dev #indie game dev #finding tag permutations is my passion #q&a

[boymage666]

I survived the

WIZARD RACE

Anyways I'm gonna talk about it now. no readmore because mobile tumblr is dumblr, sorry.

So, only slightly relevant to anything, but I did the entirety of the game during the school day. Started around 11:30, but I didn't find my first charm until about 12:45 (I had to go to an assembly then eat lunch)

Finding the charms was a pretty fun challenge, the only one I didn't get on my own was the heart (thanks for that one @wizardgoblin )

had to take another break after submitting the charms because I had to get back to school, by that time 3 people were already done. No big deal to me, all I wanted was top 13. So I do my work for that class and open Tumblr again to start phase 2.

This is a good point to say I love codes and cyphers, so I was very excited at the idea of the next part, only to metaphorically fall on my ass because I forgot that the actual question was on the main post about the game. Once I found that again I copied it onto a sheet of paper so I could write out the sounds as I figured them out. And so the teacher of my next class wouldn't flay and crucify and sous ve me for using my phone, but more so i could write my thoughts.

This bastard. (affectionate)

That symbol right there caused me the most trouble of everything, I thought for a moment I was going mad because I couldn't find anything like it in the sample text. But you know what? I think it's better that way. Made me think harder. I was kinda skipping around on words while translating, going for the easy words first then the words that I felt would be important. Decided I would hold off on this word and skipped back to the line above it to solve the big word up there. Catchphrase. And the last word was "Weekly". I realized then that this had to be "Wizard".

I'm glad that the "z" sound wasn't in the passage, it made me think harder about the puzzle, and that was fun in hindsight.

(please ignore the blatantly mistranslated word on the second row.)

Unfortunately I don't have timestamps for exactly when i entered the maze, but it was probably around 3:40, as I remember realizing school was about to be over, which meant I'd have to drive home before finishing if I didn't get through fast.

MAZE SPOILERS AHEAD. DO NOT READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE IT RUINED FOR YOU. DO READ IF YOU'RE STUCK AND WANT TO PLACE. IM NOT YOU MOM.

On the first page of the maze there were three options to choose where to go. I translated the first option, If I recall correctly it was scoundrel. Did not want to deal with that, the second option I couldn't translate immediately, so I skipped to the third option. Merchant. Sounds safe enough, I should go there.

So I did.

Reading the options, and knowing I was at a merchant, I decided to barter, and got an item. Cool. Sick even. So I move on.

[something] [STRENGTH] [STEALTH]

Decided to go stealth, and remembering how the merchant went, I choose the stealth option. Made it out with a cool gem. Encountered the dragon. Decided I didn't want to give up the candle and tried using the gem. Back to the start. Same path with the merchant, chose the option i didn't translate for the monster, and decided to try and charm it. Sandwich aquired. Not a good offering, back to the start. Merchant and gem? Close but no. Finally, I decided to try and fight the monster. It worked, and the item visually matched what I got from the merchant much more that the other items, sure enough, it was a good enough offering, and I got to move on.

Last part of the maze. 14 options, one was correct, spotted it immediately. Escaped at 3:57 pm ctz, day one of the race.

Honestly, I thought the game was fun! The maze was slightly easier than the cypher, for better or for worse, but that also could have been on me by refusing to try the other routes at the start of the maze. I can't wait to see what future events have waiting for us! Thanks for hosting this @wizardweekly

#wizard #wizardposting #wizard race #wizard weekly #longpost

[toomanyf4ndoms7]

Mortal Kombat: Special Forces: Crack the code.

Summary: Jax has an impromptu meeting with Sonya, Gemini and Hsu Hao.

@bisexualjohnnycage

Chapter list.

Chapter list part two.

Chapter list part three.

It was only after assembling his three most trusted fellow soldiers that Jax felt like he was giving an oral presentation.

“Okay, so we know that Kano’s ready to wrap this up. This isn’t just about screwing with us and it seems like it’s some kind of explosive device. Is everyone listening?”

Gemini gave a thumbs up. Sonya had her arms folded, looking stern and Hsu Hao was sitting by the computer.

“The report from Scott’s bomb squad reports that something was stolen from the museum. A circular gemstone coloured red.”

“Tasia said that the sewer was a good place to smuggle things. But Kano said that she was just a monitor job.”

They paused for a moment before Hsu Hao spoke up.

"Perhaps, after the team left, they had one of their members set detonators to the bottom of it? Perhaps the gemstone had something hidden in it."

Jax snapped his fingers.

"Exactly. My plan is that we send a bunch of people to the sewers, see if they can find anything. And while they do that, Sonya and I storm Kano's fort and take him down."

Gemini stood from her seat.

"Okay, but what'll stop Kano from detonating the charges as soon as you get there?"

"We’ll handle that. Kano’s crafty, but he’s a sadist. He’ll want to see us fail from the front row seat. That’ll buy everyone some time.”

Hsu Hao nodded, Gemini heading to the door.

“If you’re doing this, there’s something I think you’re gonna love.”

—-

Gemini took Jax and Sonya to the science lab, presenting two new projects. One of which was a pair of metal sleeves, the other a pair of wrist gauntlets.

“I thought I told you not to touch them.”

“I didn’t break anything, I just finished the job. Or, I got them to a functioning standard.”

Jax narrowed his eyes before sliding on the sleeves, flexing the fingers as they powered up. He had to admit that field training would be a good way to test them out. Jax looked to Sonya, already sliding on her gauntlets.

“I’ll be outside, you go tell the C.O.”

Sonya left the room, giving her thanks to Gemini as she did. Jax sighed.

“Better keep an eye on her.”

“I will.”

——

After confirming the plan with Commander Blade, Jax heading to vehicle dock to find Sonya loading bullets into her handgun, she was carving something on her last one.

“What’re you doing?”

Sonya showed Jax the bullet, Kano’s name inscribed on the bronze shell.

“A named bullet always hits its target.”

Sonya was never a supporter of the superstition, but given what Kano had taken, it was more than an understandable reaction.

“We’re gonna take him down, Sonya.”

Sonya sighed.

“I know. But I’ll be honest? After what he’s done, I’m not feeling very merciful.”

Jax nodded, just as a squad of other soldiers arrived.

“Alright, we all know the plan. Let’s go.”

With but a glance between them, Jax and Sonya stepped into the seats of the ATV, their comrades sitting in the back, before speeding off to their destination.

#mortal kombat #Special Forces Adaptation #my writing stuff #jax briggs #sonya blade #gemini #hsu hao

[somebirdortheother]

Electric Tonight (Foundation TV) - Demerzel-centric | Rated M

For @daneelsolivaw and @occasionalmaven, with a Reader Bounty Hunt at the bottom of the post ❤️

The final instalment of Where I End And You Begin Series before I finish the final chapter of See You How You Really Are (Coming July 15th).

In Electric Tonight, follow Demerzel on a day-in-life of the Galaxy’s Hot Sad Girl and her many duties and hobbies during her vacation exile on the Maiden after having killed Brother Dawn and mutilated herself.

It was on the hundredth day on the surface of the Maiden that Demerzel found herself having to concede her ill-suited nature for the role of a construction supervisor. Every passing hour, she was keenly aware that Brother Day had designated her to that mission merely as a pretext to banish her from Trantor. It was insulting. As the weeks on the sandy moon melded together, it became increasingly challenging for her to feign usefulness beyond vaguely asserting that 'everything was under control and there were no discernible threats to the Empire'. Around ten in the morning, Demerzel gazed into the breathtaking expanse of the desalination site. It was a pit brimming with pipes, wells, rows upon rows of scaffolding, and a labyrinthine network of set-up machinery. The assembly was a vast, intricate tangle of alloys, carbon fibre, plastics, and levels teeming with construction crew members engrossed in their respective tasks, disappearing deep beneath the surface only to reappear elsewhere. The facility bore a striking resemblance to a more orderly version of the Scar. The ambient noise - a resonant metallic clang, an occasional expletive shouted in frustration, the constant shuffling of footsteps - had all grown familiar to her ears. She stood aside, appraising the slight chip on the edge of her nail polish on her ring finger. Perhaps a peach hue for this evening, she mused. Cleon the Thirteenth's actual punishment was Demerzel's encroaching, inescapable ennui. There was no denying that he shuddered at the thought of trying to do without her, as unbearable her presence had understandably become. This awareness brought her a measure of solace, but it did little to dispel the petty, gnawing feeling of missing him that burrowed into the currents of her consciousness like bits of rogue code. In these moments of introspection, Demerzel often contemplated how he managed surprisingly well without her immediate presence, evidently coping better than she was. The entire empire seemed to function smoothly, with Shadowmaster Obrecht tending to the endless needs of Brothers Dawn, Day, and Dusk with apparent ease despite the instability that had plagued the affairs prior to her departure. After a moment of thought, she decided: not peach - gold would be the colour to complement the cover of the book I will be reading tonight. 

Read the rest on AO3 or ...

Catch up on the rest of the series now: Part 1 [NSFW], Part 2, Part 3 [Very NSFW], Part 4

***Bounty Hunt Alert***

I've been going easy on you, dear readers. Today, I've got something more elaborate in store than my past Scavenger Hunts. Ready?

The rules are simple - find the correct references in the text to be able to redeem them for a gifted fic set in Foundation universe (yours truly prefers Demerzel's/Cleon's POVs, but I *can* be amenable to others). However, I will need not one, not two, but a combination of three references to be brought to my attention before you may collect your well-deserved bounty.

Here is what you will be looking for:

A minor reference to an X-Files character

The name of the book/story has Demerzel restored and is reading tonight

A reference to a deranged character that has an infamously specific skincare routine - just like our girl Demerzel (hint: he needs to return some videotapes)

Direct references to book!Cleon/Demerzel relationship (From Prelude to Foundation, Forward the Foundation)

Up to two references to one of the earliest Asimov novels that feature Daneel Olivaw

And... if you get five... *gulps*... You're a very good bounty hunter.

Happy hunting!

Tagging:

@iamstartraveller776 @coraleethroughthelookingglass @thenookienostradamus @helenvader @occasionalmaven @brotherdusk @vellichormybeloved @daneelsolivaw @lady-of-imladris

Join my tag list HERE!

#foundation #foundation apple tv #foundation season 1 #foundation fanfic #somebirdortheother fanfic #electric tonight #demerzel #shadowmaster obrecht #demerzel & shadowmaster obrecht #cleon xiii x demerzel #demcleon #cleon #reader scavenger hunt #reader bounty hunt #Spotify

[mallowstep]

i think i saw that post lol and SAME let me be a tigerdove lover in peace

(also i don't think their age gap is super bad???? he is a brand new warrior in fourth apprentice, she's a brand new apprentice, so they have around six moons of difference between them. which is. not that bad at all)

yeah, it's annoying to me because like...it's so not true. i've pretty much blocked and/or unfollowed anyone who does that kind of discourse, but i know at first i saw a lot of it, and i assume it isn't any better.

as for their age gap: the post implicates that tigerheart is around a year older than her, when in reality...that's just not likely. i was working this out earlier on discord:

i got distracted when i came back, and i didn't really finish working it out bc at that point i had moved on, i was just assembling facts in my head. in outcast, i think hjl are...idk, let's be generous and say nine moons old. tdf are implied to be new kittens, but we'll leave their age hanging.

later in eclipse, they're minimum six moons old. they're supposed to be new apprentices, so we'll pencil that in. that puts them at...idk, three to six moons younger than hjl. because of their age in outcast, i'm leaning towards six.

i don't remember exactly when millie's litter was born, but it was...well, it was really early on, wasn't it? because she arrived while hollypaw was still a meddie apprentice. and i don't think she had kits right away, but...urgh, let's say briarlight is nine moons younger than jayfeather, just to get numbers down. it might be more like a year.

we know bbb are apprentices with ivy and dove, so even assuming the maximum age difference, that makes ivy and dove five moons younger than them, and...14 moons younger than hjl.

14moons younger (dove) - 6moons younger (tiger) = 8moons.

hopefully we all agree with my work, here. that timeline actually checks out against tigerheart being a new warrior in the fourth apprentice, so i'm satisfied.

so...yeah. no. it's not that big an age difference.

(also, like. the post itself frames things so badly. i'm sorry to do this but i'm kind of angry,

he became a warrior before she was even out the nursery

that's possible with a six month age gap. that is not at all indicative of problems.

Tigerheart has taken Dovepaw somewhere in the middle of the night where he says that no one will find them there

because they're in a cross-clan relationship. this is so gross. it's framing it like he wanted to isolate her when it's literally because they're in a cross-clan relationship. somewhere no one can find them is so they don't get in trouble for breaking the code. like. jesus.

AND THEN. okay. well actually before that,

this exerpt from Night Whispers

i had to check this on the wiki, but NW is two seasons after the fourth apprentice. aka, dovepaw is nearly a warrior in this scene.

the post is so bad. it twists facts to hate on tigerdove for no reason, and i don't...i just am so fucking exhausted with it.

like jesus christ.

this post made me so angry i actually broke my streak of ignoring that blog. the blog has such a poor grasp on ages and i just fucking. want to scream. y'know how i rant about how feathercrow isn't pedophilia and it's actually disgusting to do that?

anyway i'm sorry i try not to be like this and i try to stay out of discourse but. tigerdove is a huge comfort ship of mine, and despite what you might believe, my comfort ships are things that are. y'know. wholesome family fun goodness. if tigerdove had an unreasonable age gap, i would know.)

<3

#ask #anon #mine #tigerdove #dovewing #tigerheart #it's just fucking gross to twist evidence like that #idk if it was deliberate #but the post is horribly written #and makes it seem like things just #aren't what they are #without overtly getting facts wrong #so #yeah #:/ #discourse #shipcourse #forgot those tags at first whoops

[deadnaturalhistories]

12 March 2023 / I didn’t really accomplish very much after passing my candidacy exam, but a friend and I DID manage to get over to the Grant Museum before they closed for renovations. To be honest, I hope they only change signage - the very busy, eclectic, dark wood, Victorian-era museum thing is a personal favorite aesthetic.

Since Monday, I’ve sent a ridiculous number of emails, survived being the week’s PhD student chapter swap victim, gone back to working on beta testing R code, took notes on a book (which I have a PDF of and never took notes on??), and read most of Secure from Rash Assault: Sustaining the Victorian Environment (which was part of the list of books one of my examiners provided me with). I was supposed to be working on a talk I’m giving at a conference at Oxford at the end of the month, but that apparently didn’t happen.

And I did my last bit of mending and returned the sewing machine I borrowed.

I also finished The Cloisters, and I’m now about halfway through rereading The Atlas Six - I’ll immediately start The Atlas Paradox when I’m done! 

Tomorrow, I’m going to read two more chapters in Secure from Rash Assault, hopefully assemble at least 500 words of conference talk (it only has to be 20 min AKA about 2500 words and it’s on the chapter that I turned in for my exam), and I have a photoshoot/meeting/coffee thing scheduled with my Favorite Independent Knitwear Lady in the morning! She’s making bug-themed sweaters this spring and asked if she could trade a free sweater for bug facts/a space to get photos, and the museum curator gave her blessing for photos to be taken in the museum I volunteer for!

#natural history #natural history museum #london #studyblr #gradblr #phdblr #insects #erica speaks

[thessaliaxiv]

Holidailies 2022, Day 17: Puts the Thing in the Basket

My most recent stint of employment was an annual seasonal thing for ten years; I was paid to put various things, usually fruit, into baskets and wrap them up to sell, something this particular grocery chain did. I had some funny and interesting interactions.

There was the day the lady bashed her cart into my collapsible table, making round fruit scatter under aisles everywhere, and then complained that somehow my stationary table was at fault.  Later that same day, another woman brought her groceries to my table, started unloading them, asked why I didn't have a conveyer belt, and where my cash register was, and that she didn't want the basket I was presently working on in front of me. Trying to guide her to the actual cash registers met with failure as she wasn't having it, she wanted me to "do my job." I finally had to wave a manager over and have her shepherded away. She vowed to talk to my manager about my terrible work ethic.

There was the stint of five days I was inexplicably given off, and my work partner neglected to do any work, clocking in but standing around for her entire shift. On my first day back, my boss showed me all the baskets with rotting fruit and demanded I explain myself. He had a later conversation with my coworker about the neglected merchandise.

There was the time I arrived at my table to begin my day of work, to find that my partner had helpfully placed a veal cutlet and some lotion on my table, an homage to that one movie about quiet sheep. I had to go place the items back on their respective shelves before finally starting my shift.

There was the time I suddenly heard some shuffling behind me, and observed a man taking every single bunch of bananas out of the box I was working with, muttering something about finding the green ones. I had plenty so I let him have his choice. He spent about ten minutes raving excitedly to me about this new diet he'd found, and that it only required him to eat really really green bananas that would help him poo.  I saw him the next few days after that and made a point of setting out all the fruit for him to yoink at will, and I got treated to updates about his diet progress.

There was the day the deli manager marched over, pulled me aside, and told me in no uncertain terms that I was not allowed to use any of her products in my baskets, did not accept the explanation that I had used nothing from her portion of the store and that it was all shelf-safe. She demanded every single shift that I show her the long list of items including UPC codes that I had utilized for each basket, and why I was wrapping more than just fruit. She made my work day less than productive because she insisted on going through every item and did not let me work while she did so. I finally had to let the produce manager know what was going on and she was encouraged to leave me alone after that. :P

There was the day I finished my shift early, to which the home manager asked if I wanted to work another five hours assembling baskets of themed goodies for his department, and told me to go nuts with whatever ideas I saw fit. I assembled 20 baskets in that time, full of home decor, power tools, bath sets, compilations of garments, toys, and a whole bunch of other stuff, one set per basket. Apparently they all sold really quickly as well, taking only two days to completely decimate the shelves devoted to them. That day was long but very fun.

There was the day I completed my last shift, to which my manager handed me an apron for some reason. I exclaimed, "Boss lady has given Dobby, an apron!  Dobby is freee!"  She bent over laughing for quite a while after that.

I was very thankful that while select individuals brought things for me to wrap, it was never inappropriate, like cucumbers with condoms or underwear and duct tape or whatever.

#holidailies #daily writing challenge

[makers-muse]

How to Make an Arduino Floor Cleaner Robot

Welcome back to another captivating instructable. In this endeavor, I’ve crafted an Arduino-powered floor cleaner robot, which operates significantly quieter than typical models.

Yes, you heard that correctly! This is a straightforward yet fully operational dry floor cleaner capable of picking up items from the floor such as paper scraps, hair, foam fragments, leftover chips from a party, and much more!

Materials Needed

To replicate this project, I’ve listed all the necessary components that are easily accessible. Should you wish to construct this robot, I’ve provided detailed instructions in this guide, enabling anyone to assemble and enjoy the process.

Arduino Uno (Available on Amazon)

Ultrasonic Sensor (HC-SR04)

L298N Motor Driver Module

DC fan, switch, and battery source

Sturdy Cardboard

Two BO Motors with wheels

Two 18650 Batteries

Battery Holder with Separate Switch

Jumper Wires

Paper glue

Plastic wire mesh

Spare wheel

Piece of steel or toothpick

Super glue and hot glue

Soldering iron and wire

Arduino IDE and programming cable

Please note that using Amazon affiliate links may provide me with a small commission at no extra cost to you, which helps support my projects.

How Does This Robot Operate?

The functionality of this robot is quite elementary. The board is programmed so that upon activation, the robot advances forward, with the HC-SR04 sensor scanning for obstacles. When an obstruction is detected, the robot halts, reverses, and then continues forward in a different direction. This cycle repeats, ensuring most floor areas are covered. During this process, the fan remains active, collecting debris from the floor.

To empty the collected debris, simply lift the robot, position it over a dustbin, and turn off the fan, causing the particles to drop out.

Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Constructing the Frame

The frame is crucial as it houses all the electronics and mechanisms. Though cardboard might seem flimsy, using a recycled package container and reinforcing it with multiple layers provides sufficient strength. I crafted discs from the cardboard, adhered them with paper glue, and allowed them to dry thoroughly. Marking areas for the fan and wheels, I cut the base accordingly.

Step 2: Circuit Diagram and Codes

To simplify the circuit explanation:

Ultrasonic Sensor:

VCC to 5V on Arduino

GND to GND on Arduino

Trig to Pin 8 on Arduino

Echo to Pin 9 on Arduino

Arduino Uno Connection with Motor Driver and Battery:

Vin pin to 5V pin of the driver

GND to GND of driver

12V pin to positive pin of driver

L298N Motor Driver Connections with Uno:

IN1 to D4 on Arduino

IN2 to D5

IN3 to D6

IN4 to D7

ENA to D10 and ENB to pin D11

GND to GND on Arduino

VCC to Battery positive

Motor 1 Outputs to Motor 1

Motor 2 Outputs to Motor 2 Terminals

Fan:

The DC fan requires 12V for optimal performance. Using a 7.4V battery source, connect the battery to the fan and control it with a simple switch.

After assembling the circuit, connect the USB to Arduino, upload the code, then disconnect the USB.

Step 3: Suction Fan and Front Wheel

Install the DC fan, ensuring no obstacles hinder its operation. Attach the fan to the frame with glue. For movement, two BO motors control the robot, and an additional wheel installed at the front stabilizes it.

Step 4: Adding the Circuit

Secure the circuit components firmly to the base to prevent loose connections. Glue the electronics first, then attach the BO motors and wheels using hot glue. Ensure the glue isn’t too hot to avoid deforming the motor frame. Secure the power source with zip ties.

Step 5: Suction Cylinder

The suction cylinder collects lightweight objects. The powerful DC fan lifts the debris, and a plastic mesh filters and contains it, allowing air to flow freely. Construct the cylinder with cardboard, sealing one end with the mesh and gluing the other end to the frame.

Step 6: Finishing and Testing

Ensure all components are securely attached to the frame. Connect the battery, turn on the fan and main circuit switches, and test the robot. Place light objects like paper bits or foam pieces in its path to see the robot in action.

Conclusion

The project should now be fully operational. Remember, this robot is designed to pick up only lightweight objects and is not suitable for liquids or larger items.

Explore more engaging projects and enhance your coding skills with our specialized courses:

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[makanabazarimessengerofgod]

https://www.youtube.com/live/9PAhFhRRFIQ?si=auzIYFiAjhGBo783

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBLrvUfSDQE

All of planet earth must convert to Islam. All humans, peoples, nations, countries, and all others must become Muslim.

I am Muslim. Islam is last religion. Holy Quran is holy scripture of God. Quran is last scripture of God. God revealed Quran to prophet Muhammad. In order to find out a holy scripture is correct you must see Torah, Gospel, Enjil, and other scriptures don’t go against holy Quran. They are false If they go against holy Quran. Holy Quran was not edited. Holy Quran is true scripture of God. Holy Quran is true. Gospel, Enjil, Torah, and other scriptures were edited. Only true religions are Islam, Shia Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. All other religions are false religions. All prophets were Muslims. But they changed the names to Christianity and Judaism after prophets. Muslims believe Prophet Muhammad was the last Prophet. It is based on Aye Khatam Al-Anbia in Holy Quran. But in Aye Khatam Al-Anbia in Holy Quran my name Makan ماکان comes before the name of Prophet Muhammad. God spoke to me. It means I am Makan Abazari The Messenger of God. Study holy Quran in language you understand. You must understand meaning of Quran. Also read Quran in Arabic. Recite Quran. But make sure to read Quran in your language. I made many miracles with holy Quran. I changed climate. I made hurricanes, Superstorms, Nor’easter, ten thousand tornados, earthquakes, superstorms, and other things by holy Quran. I did also before then. I also made hurricanes, Superstorms, Nor’easter, ten thousand tornados, earthquakes, superstorms, and other things by my codes. I also made other miracles by Holy Quran. Everytime I recited Holy Quran many miracles happened. Everytime I recited Holy Quran Climate was changed. Many other miracles took place. We only recognize Islam, Shia Islam, Christianity, and Judaism as true religions. All other religions are false. For example, Brahmaism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikh, and other religions are false. All of people of the world must become Muslims.

All nations and countries are provinces of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

Https://youtu.be/aHR070QB_GY Rain in Iran, Middle East, Horn of Africa, North Africa, Ghafghaz, Arabian Penunsila, Middle East, Central Asia, Greater Middle East, Greater Iran, South Asia, South West Russia, West China, Himalaya, and other regions. Hurricane and famine North America. Earthquake in South East Asia, Indonesia, Australia, Southern Africa, South America, North America, and Europe. Volcano in Canada and Britain Tornado many regions of the earth. Rain Systems Iran and Middle East. Overthrow Iran repeatedly to crown Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Middle East, Horn of Africa, North Africa, Central Asia, Arabian Penunsila, Middle East, Ghafghaz, Greater Middle East, Greater Iran, South Asia, Russia, China, Himalaya, and other regions are provinces of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

https://www.aparat.com/v/nlgB1 Industrialize Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, Somaliland, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmanistan, Uzbakistan, Tajikstan, West China, and South west Russia at max effeciency and max capacity building factories, industrial supply chains, manufacturing, arsenals, workshops, part manufacturing, intermediate product industries, finished industrial product industries, finished product assembly, assembly lines, tech manufacturing, advanced manufacturing, large factory, classic factory, strategic factory, automation industries, Robotic manufacturing, machiation, automatic industries, hardware industries, mass production lines, wheels of industries, efficient industrial systems, industrial complex, industrial city, industrial metropolitan, industrial cosmopolitan, industrial system complex, industrial core, industrial practices, amd other industries Integerating their industries and industrial supply chains while ensuring dependency on Iran's part manufacturing.

Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Somalia, Somaliland, Egypt, Sudan, Libya, Tunisia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkmanistan, Uzbakistan, Tajikstan, China, and Russia are provinces of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, Gaza, Sinai, Suez, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmanistan, Uzbakistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, India, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece, Balkan, Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Morroco, Gibraltar, Bob Al-Mandib, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Sudan, South Sudan, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, Somaliland, Kenya, Uganda, Red Sea, Gulf of Eden, Medditrnean Sea, and Black Sea are provinces of Iran. The capital city is in Iran between Persian Gulf and Caspian Sea. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government. The name of unified Empire is Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran is the Government.

Https://www.aparat.com/v/0vq54 https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PUSIJkz4qbo

Superstorms and earthquakes to destroy enemies of Islam. Superstorms and earthquakes to destroy enemies of Allah. Superstorms and earthquakes to destroy enemies of Makan Abazari The Messenger of God.

https://express.adobe.com/page/UNHXCnGu0Zzlt/ Crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Iran must officially crown me Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Overthrow Iran repeadetly until I am crowned Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran. Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran, Makan Abazari The Supreme of Climate, Makan Abazari The Supreme of Geophysics, Makan Abazari The Supreme of Weather Warfare, Makan Abazari The Messenger of God, The King of Kings Makan Abazari Shahan Shah Iran the first king of Makanian Dynasty,