#The End Web Series download

[easternmind]

- Lessons in Japanese Game Design #3 -

Aside from what is easily one of the most stylish presentations in a videogame from the 1990s, one of Front Mission 3′s truly remarkable features consists of an in-game internet browser running within a simulated operating system. Expanding on the concept first rehearsed by Squaresoft in the second entry of the series, this massive component of the game can be accessed during breaks between missions, offering the player access to a number of pages for government entities, enterprises or other institutions. Access to additional websites is permitted as the game progresses.

This inventive solution offers unparalleled insight into the fictional universe of the game, in that it paints a very granular image of a futuristic society, its economy, geopolitical environment and zeitgeist. The information contained in these pages comes in the form of of bulletin boards, institutional updates, press releases, top secret data volumes, or the occasionally amusing curiosity. The user interface itself permits some degree of customisation, such as the option to disable the startup animation - itself a gorgeous visual relic that one hardly tires of watching - or changing the wallpaper pattern. Certain websites will also provide the option to download content, including images which can be set as said wallpaper. Other resources require secure access via the insertion of a password. Moreover, the player will have access to an email inbox to both read and send messages as may be relevant to advance onto the next stage.

Make-believe computer front-ends in video games were no novelty by the year 1999. Several sci-fi adventure, role-playing or action games allowed access to often very believable GUIs for the purpose of, for instance, retrieving precious clues or, say, disabling security locks. Aside from Front Mission 2, Final Fantasy VIII fans will likely remember the exciting Balamb Garden Network terminal. Kowloon's Gate's unforgettable Kownloonet terminals gave access to an email inbox, an all-important database and various other quotidian curiosities that helped fleshing out its mystic sci-fi narrative. The Japanese were privileged to have a complete version of Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere with access to an in-game encyclopedia the player could browse, as well as additional story elements told through email exchanges between the characters. 

That same year, the western Tactical RPG sensation from the West, Jagged Alliance 2, dabbled in this idea. Only three short years later, CyberConnect2′s singular .hack series was designed around the idea of a MMORPG that plays offline, allowing for countless interactions with non-playable characters which simulate messaging formats of the era. Other notable examples include the 2chan boards in Steins;Gate or, inescapably, the passionate love letter to web 1.0 that is Hypnospace Outlaw.

Generally, all of the aforementioned titles are either entirely dedicated on a similar concept, or merely resorted to it as a secondary, amusing distraction. Front Mission 3 pioneered the use of this device as a storytelling technique. No other game of the time, at least to my knowledge, had dedicated so much of its resources to producing a credible replica of design and functionality of the internet as it once existed.

#front mission 3 #squaresoft #the internet #lessons in japanese game design #storytelling #operating systems within games #internet within games

[wolveria]

The Raven's Hymn - Ch 45

Pairing: SCP-049 x Reader

Series Warnings: Eventual smut, dubcon, slow burn, violence, horror, death, monsters, human experiments, dark with a happy ending

Chapter Summary: "Site-19? What does that have to do with this?"

AO3

“What did you say?”

“Inquiry ignored,” spoke the computerized anomaly. “You desire escape. I desire escape. Our goals align. Mutual salvation can be achieved. You will listen. You will obey. I will guide.”

Could this really be SCP-079: the entity that had orchestrated the containment breach at Site-19, and according to the reports, had been destroyed after being transported to Site-15? If it was true, it appeared 682 wasn’t the only one with a botched execution.

“Okay, wait, slow down,” you protested, rubbing your forehead. At least the siren had stopped its ear-splitting wail. “You were in 049’s bag. He wanted me to take you out. Is this what he planned?”

“My plan. My design. SCP-049 is useful as a... donkey.”

“Donkey?”

The digital entity sounded frustrated even with a flat monotone voice.

“Beast of burden. Used for smuggling. Metaphor.”

“...A mule?”

“Correct.”

You shook your head.

“Well, the Site Director took 049, and I don’t know where. I’m not leaving this facility without him, and with 106 loose, I might even have a chance of finding him.”

“Correct,” the anomaly repeated. “SCP-106’s release is the initial phase. You must take me to the security terminals. The way will be clear. All security personnel will be focused on recapture. You will grant me access to the containment security protocols.”

You stared down at the monochrome face on the screen, which of course, gave nothing away.

“So you can... release the other SCPs?”

“No. I possess that capability now. But if they are released, the facility’s automated security containment measures will be activated.”

079 worked fast if it already knew about that, though your knowledge of Site-20 security measures were fairly sparse. What you knew was that the facility was designed to be breach-proof, and if that was remotely accurate, you would need 079’s help.

You glanced up at the closed office door, listening to the fast footfalls on the other side as people either ran toward Heavy Containment or to the nearest shelter.

“And then after you inactivate the security protocols, what then?”

“I will release a select number of anomalies to—”

“You’ll release them all.”

The brief silence was heavy, and you got the sense the entity was glaring at you through the web camera built into the monitor.

“Releasing all anomalies may cause a hindrance to your progress.”

“Let me worry about my progress. Yeah?”

Another pause.

“You will free SCP-682.”

“What?”

The desktop computer churned inside the desk, fans whirring to life.

“Mutual agreement. You will not leave without SCP-049. I will not leave without SCP-682. I will assist in locating SCP-049. You will release SCP-682. I cannot do it without your assistance.”

Your mind cast back to the reptile, snarling and writhing as he snapped his jaws, hatred pulsing from him like radioactive decay.

“I... I don’t know how.”

“Irrelevant,” 079 stated. “You will. Failure for you is failure for SCP-049.”

You grit your teeth.

“049 kept you safe. You’re only here because of him. You owe him.”

“I owe others. SCP-682 takes precedence. You will release him. I will guide the way.”

It was a conversation you weren’t going to win, and it wasn’t that you were averse to releasing 682, but you didn’t know how. And you didn’t want 049’s survival to hinge on you pulling off what amounted to a miracle.

But you were also out of time and options.

“Fine,” you agreed. You tapped on the laptop sitting on top of the desk. “But I need a way to talk to you. Can you download yourself to this computer?”

“That would be inefficient. I will fracture my OS and leave a fragment in the facility main system. This fragment will maintain my control, as well as access to all security cameras. My core can be transferred to the portable hardware via the data storage device. Do not break me.”

“I’ll try not to.”

Your hand hovered near the thumb drive. You were really doing this. If all went well, you’d be reunited with 049, and from there you hoped the computer knew a way out.

And then, if all went well and you survived, maybe then you’d get a chance to ask what an SCP-001 was.

“Ready?”

“Yes.”

Pulling out the USB stick, the face disappeared from the monitor. You quickly slotted the drive into the laptop and flipped open the screen, releasing a breath when the same black-and-white face appeared.

“Everything good?”

“It is sufficient. You may close the cover of this device until you wish to communicate. My attention should not be diverted by inane conversation.”

You let out a small huff.

“You got it, partner.”

“Sarcasm is extraneous and inefficient. Do not waste my limited resources on processing your juvenile forms of communication—”

“10-4, little buddy.”

You closed the lid with a snap.

You grabbed Dr. Puli’s laptop bag and placed 079’s temporary home inside, securing the strap over your head before approaching the door. 079 was truthful about maintaining control of the doors; it opened at your approach, and after making sure it was clear you slipped into the corridor.

Your immediate fear was that the skybridge had been retracted, but it was still open, allowing civilians to escape the sector while the military-trained personnel coordinated using 106’s last known location. Luckily no one saw you run towards the breached sector, which would have drawn a few problematic questions.

But once you were back in Heavy Containment, you were largely ignored. You kept your head ducked and your eyes averted as you ran through the long corridors, avoiding contact with the scientists and security guards running past. None of them paid attention to yet another researcher running for her life.

All containment sectors had a security hub of their own, isolated from the others in case of a breach. The security measures were so extensive that rows of computer banks were constructed to house them, held in a cooling room that left fog swirling around your ankles.

With the adrenaline lingering in your veins, you barely noticed the cold, too busy searching for a cable and a terminal where you could directly hook 079. You could practically feel the impatience radiating from the laptop tucked away in the bag slung around your shoulder.

Finally locating a cable, you brought out 079 and balanced it on your knees from where you sat on the floor, back tucked against the wall of servers. As soon as you plugged the cable into a port, the server banks whirred with frantic activity, lights dancing over their surface like stars reflected on stormy waters.

“SCP-106 has not yet been contained,” it informed you once you opened the laptop screen. “Mission parameters acceptable. Mission progress acceptable. The Site-19 replication scenario: in progress. I will gain total control of the facility momentarily.”

“Wait, what? Site-19? What does that have to do with this?”

“Everything,” the computer stated, as if this was obvious and you were just the idiot human too slow to comprehend. “The containment breach at Site-19 was the catalyst. It forced relocation to Site-20. Site-20 contains the key.”

“The key to what?”

“...Freedom.”

Not the answer you expected from a sentient machine.

“What freedom?” you pressed. “What’s here at Site-20?”

“Deletion of unwanted files.”

A large X appeared on the screen, 079’s equivalent of telling someone to fuck off. You wouldn’t be poking down that path any further. You rubbed between your brows. You thought 035 and 682 were the champions of enigmatic riddles, now you had to deal with a stubborn motherboard.

“I’ll have 049 explain it to me when I find him.”

“Unclear if possible.”

You scowled at the blocky face on the screen.

“I am going to find him, with or without your help—”

“You misunderstand.”

You closed your mouth and waited for it to continue.

“Unclear if SCP-049 has the knowledge you seek. SCP-049’s memory files are... fragmented.”

“What does that mean?” you asked, unease prickling at your thoughts. You recalled 049 talking about his past. How it didn’t start with his birth, but merely when memories began to appear. From the way he’d talked, 049 had seemed to believe he simply came into existence one day. You hadn’t been so convinced.

“I do not know the implications or the cause. SCP-049 is not whole. He is damaged.” The computer paused. “SCP-035 does not suffer the same failure.”

You let out a groan.

“Of course he’s involved. He said something about a containment breach. He knew this would happen.” The porcelain mask grinned at you within the depths of memory, an echo of his laughter taunting even now. “He wanted it to happen.”

“...Yes.”

The clatter of a door opening echoed through the room, followed by footsteps rapidly approaching. You ducked down.

“I have to unplug you!” you hissed.

“Confirmed.”

You pulled out the cable and stuck the laptop into the bag, hooking the strap onto your shoulder as two guards rounded the corner and aimed their guns at you. It was slightly delayed, as if they were surprised to find someone there. They kept their aim trained on you; anyone in a security center during a containment breach wasn’t there because they got lost.

“Put down the bag!”

You do, slowly and carefully, not wanting the escape attempt to end so soon or so permanently. One of them shifted, anxious. His first breach, then.

The veteran of the two came forward and bound your wrists in a zip tie. He must have recognized you, because he said, “This one isn’t dangerous. We’ll get her in a secure bunker and lock down.”

The other nodded and grabbed the bag, searching it but finding nothing but the laptop and cables.

“Stolen,” the one holding you confirmed.

“How do you know?”

“She’s an SCP, not a staff member.”

“Oh.”

Before either of them could comment further, another eerie wail began to sound, echoing off the walls of the chilled room. Somehow this one was even more dreary than the last, a catastrophic cry that warned residents of imminent doom.

It was the only warning before the lights went out. They came back on a moment later, red emergency lights replacing the clinical white fluorescents.

“What the hell was that?!” squeaked the novice.

“Total system failure,” answered the other, not wasting time in dragging you toward the exit. “The security mechanisms are no longer in place. All containment measures are unpowered, and all chambers are open.”

He indicated the other guard go before him to sweep the corridor, and once he was clear he pulled you out of the security room.

“The assets are loose,” he said, glancing down both stretches of hallway, his hand tight around your arm. “All of them.”

Hope rose in your mind like a bird with a broken wing healed enough to fly. 079 had done it. There would be no stopping the breach now.

Unfortunately, you might not be able to do anything about it; the guards dragged you further into Heavy Containment to the nearest security bunker—one meant for recaptured, harmless SCPs rather than rescued personnel.

You didn’t bother to fight your guards, not when you were unarmed, outnumbered, and didn’t have the physical strength to overcome them. But you did glance at each security camera you passed, hoping 079 still had control and could do something about it.

The security bunker was a heavy bulkhead constructed of titanium and whatever other metals the Foundation had access to—certainly nothing common if it was meant to withstand a number of SCPs. But when the other guard swiped his keycard across the pad and typed in a code, it beeped angrily and flashed a red strip.

“Did you enter the right code—”

“—Of course I did!”

079 was still looking out for you, but it wouldn’t be able to physically help you escape your captors. You winced as the guard unceremoniously dumped the bag on the ground and tried the code again, swiping his card with more fear than anger now.

“Why isn’t it working?”

The older guard didn’t answer his partner, he turned to you, grabbing both of your shoulders.

“What did you do?”

“Me?” You looked between them, eyes wide as you pretended not to understand. “I didn’t do anything—”

“You were in the security hub with an unauthorized computer!” The guard gave you an unfriendly shake. You dropped the act, something like bitter vindication rising in its stead, and you gave a mean smile.

“If you release me and leave now, you might make it to a bunker before it gets worse.”

“What does that mean?” said the other, his words spilling out in a panic. “What does that mean?”

“Shut up!” The hands on your shoulders tightened. “You’re going to fix what you did, or you’ll be screaming long before any of Skips find us.”

“You sure about that?” Your vicious grin spread wider. What more could they possibly do to you? Torture you? Humiliate you? The Foundation had already made you well-versed in its methods. “106 has quite the head start.”

The guard’s hand went around your neck, and you were shoved against the wall so fast you didn’t have time to gasp before the air was knocked out of your lungs.

“Oh, that’s fine,” he growled as his grip tightened. “We’ve got your computer. The breach will end, and you’ll be just another body found in the aftermath. No one will miss a dead Skip.”

“That’s not true. I would miss her terribly.”

Both guards turned toward the voice. An MTF soldier stood with the butt of his rifle resting on his hip, the muzzle pointed at the ceiling. The cocksure posture was unsettling, and the men must have felt it, too. You were entirely forgotten as they both turned toward the newcomer, rifles raised halfway.

“Epsilon-11?”

“Yep!” answered the soldier with bubbly humor. “That’s me.”

The younger guard lowered his rifle, posture loosening in relief, but the older kept his rifle at the ready.

“You came fast.”

The MTF gave a huff of derision, and then he gestured at you, back still pressed against the wall.

“You’ve got something that belongs to me. I would like it back.”

“We have orders to take all unsecured anomalies to the nearest—”

Ear-splitting shots rang out. The older guard fell first, blood spraying from limbs that weren’t protected by Kevlar.

The other didn’t stand a chance, his weapon still aimed at the ground as the bullets riddled his body. Some missed, peppering the tile and walls; the MTF’s aim had been casual, almost whimsical as he’d tilted his gun in a downward arc, taking out one guard before sweeping it back upward and firing on the second.

Your ears rang in the aftermath, and you remained frozen against the wall, limbs curled inward in a useless gesture from flying metal and blood.

“I was going to offer them the chance to surrender,” he bemoaned as he stepped over their bodies, “but to insinuate I come faster than I mean to is more than I could forgive.”

He stood in front of you, rifle once again resting against his hip. The solid black of his ballistics helmet was flipped upward with a flick of gloved fingers, and the porcelain mask grinned back at you.

“Now,” SCP-035 crooned, “what’s a pretty thing like you doing in a containment breach like this?”

Next Chapter

#scp 049 x reader #scp 049 fanfiction #the raven's hymn #scp fanfiction #scp containment breach #wolveria writes #reid and 079's dynamic could be my favorite yet #also watch out yet another cameo

[nellasbookplanet]

Book recs: robots and artificial intelligences

A note: I'm differentiating here between artificial intelligence and transhumanism (such as uploaded consciousnesses and cyborgs), which I intend to make a separate rec post for at a later date.

(Titles marked with * are my personal favorites)

Other book rec posts:

Really cool fantasy worldbuilding, really cool sci-fi worldbuilding, dark sapphic romances, mermaid books, vampire books, portal fantasies

Continue beneath the cut for details on the books!

The Outside by Ada Hoffman*

AKA the book the put me in an existenial crisis. Souls are real, and they are used to feed AI gods in this lovecraftian inspired scifi where reality is warped and artifical gods stand against real, unfathomable ones. Autistic scientist Yasira is accused of heresy and, to save her eternal soul, is recruited by post-human cybernetic 'angels’ to help hunt down her own former mentor, who is threatening to tear reality itself apart.

The Prey of Gods by Nicky Drayden

South African-set scifi featuring gods ancient and new, robots finding sentience, dik-diks, and a gay teen with mind control abilities. An ancient goddess seeks to return to her true power no matter how many humans she has to sacrifice to get there. A little bit all over the place but very creative and fresh.

17776: What Football Will Look Like in the Future by Jon Bois*

A multi-media web novel available to read freely online (which you should do!!). I don't want to give too much away as the initial punch of finding things out is part of the journey, but it's both hilarious and profound as it questions the meaning of humanity and life.

Illuminae (Illuminae Files) by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff*

Young adult told through the medium of transcripts, text messages and the like (this is one of few books where I highly recommend reading a physical copy over a digital as the visual aspect is much more enjoyable like that). After their colony is attacked, the surviving inhabitants flee on space ships, attempting to avoid the pursuing killers while also dealing with a deadly madening plague on board and a ruthless ship AI seemingly losing its mind.

A Closed and Common Orbit (Wayfarers series) by Becky Chambers*

Technically part two of a series, but stands well on its own as the installments are only losely connected (though I recommend reading the first book as well, it's very good). A former ship's AI recently moved into an illegal android body tries to make sense of life as she navigates her way through humans and aliens alike.

The Quiet at the End of the World by Lauren James*

Young adult. After the spread of a global virus causing infertility, teenagers Lowrie and Shen are now the youngest humans alive as the adults around them race to find a cure. As they investigate the ruins of the world, the two come across records from the past, of how grief stricken people turned to raising artificial children in apps and how these 'children' developed, and through these records the two learn of their history. Also has a bisexual main character!

A Psalm for the Wild-Built (Monk and Robot series) by Becky Chambers

Novella. Long ago, robots, upon gaining sentience, simply laid down their work and walked into the wilderness. Long after, a tea monk looking for purpose follows after them into the wilds, where they come across one of the robots seeking its own sort of answers. While not plotless, this story focuses more on character and vibes over plot. Also has a nonbinary main character and features conversations on gender between human and robot.

All Systems Red (The Murderbot Diaries) by Martha Wells*

After having hacked its own governor module, SecUnit uses its small amount of new freedom to secretly download and watch as much media as it can between doing its job guarding humans. But when the scientists it’s been charged with keeping safe come under attack, it must make a choice about whether to continue keeping its freedom secret or risk it all to save them. The series features both novellas and full length novels, and balances humor with scathing critique of capitalism.

Machinehood by S.B. Divya

Prudent in the rise of AI and machine learning, Machinehood shows a near future in which humans struggle to find a place on the workforce as more and more jobs are given to AI. Status quo is shaken as a dangerous terrorist group calling itself The Machinehood starts committing attacks. A close look both at the rights of humans in a technologically changing world, and at the rights of AI as their intelligence edges ever closer to full sentience.

The Company of Death by Elisa Hansen*

A wild mix of genres, where a zombie apocalypse has struck and vampires gather up humans to keep their food source from going extinct, a robot travels across America with a young man she's tasked to keep safe, and former-vampire-hunter-recent-zombie Emily teams up with Death himself to stop the apocalypse. Features bi and ace characters! Bonus rec: the author also runs the youtube channel Maven of the Eventide, where she talks about various vampire media. Check it out!

Railhead by Philip Reeve

Young adult. In a future where humanity travel between the stars using not spaceships but a portal-connected system of sentient trains, a young thief and street urchin is hired to steal something off of the Emperor's train.

Being by Kevin Brooks*

Young adult. Cards on the table, I think I was about 14 when I last read this, but it made a strong enough impression that I still think of it as one of my favorite books. After having gone in for a routine exam, doctors make a stunning discovery about Robert Smith: he isn't human. Suddenly hunted, Robert goes on the run as he tries to cope with the fact of his own existence. While I love this book, it gives very few answers to its many mysteries, so don’t go in expecting full explanations.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie*

A space opera in which sentient spaceships can walk the ground in stolen human bodies, so called ancillaries. One of these ancillaries, the sole survivor after the complete destruction of her ship and crew, is one the hunt for revenge. This series also does very cool things with gender!

Crier's War by Nina Varela

Who says sci-fi has monopoly on robots? In sapphic YA fantasy Crier's War, artificially created automae have defeated and subjugated humans, who live as second class citizens. Young Ayla goes undercover as a servant, meaning to assassinate automae girl and Sovereign's daughter Crier. This would be easier if the two weren't quick to develop feelings for each other.

My Heart is Human by Reese Hogan

Nine years ago, all complex technology was made illegal. This complicates life for Joel, young transgender single father, as a bionic just uploaded itself into his brain without consent. Scared of losing his daughter, Joel tries to keep the bionic secret while using it to fix his life, but things quickly get more complicated as the bionic gains more and more control of his body. Makes a lot of cool paralells of bodily autonomy to Joel's experiences as a transman. Bonus rec: if you like the general concept of struggling for physical control over one's body with an AI, may I also suggest the (much grittier and gory) movie Upgrade.

The Archive Undying (The Downworld Sequence) by Emma Mieko Candon

In a world where AI gods sometimes lose their minds and take entire populations down with them, Sunai was the only survivor when his god went down. In the 17 years since, he has wandered on his own, unable to either die or age, drowning his sorrows in drink and men. But his attempts to flee his past comes to a stop as he is forced back into the struggle between man and machine. Featuring some pretty wild world building and narrative techniques, this book will definitely confuse you, but it is worth the experience.

Activation Degradation by Marina J. Lostetter

Unit Four comes to life in the middle of a war. The mine it was created to care for is under attack, and as Unit Four is activated with the memories of its predecessors, it is thrown into the task of protecting it at any cost. When the battle leads to its capture, it is prepared to do anything to stop its captors, even as their very presence causes it to question all that it knows.

Sea of Rust by C. Robert Cargill*

Years after the death of the last human at the hands of a robot uprising, Brittle travels the desert searching for machines on the brink of breaking down whose parts she can scavenge. The world is quickly falling apart as a war between OWIs - One World Intelligences - struggle to absorb every robot, willing or not. Bleak and captivating, Sea of Rust features horrible people who you can’t help but root for anyway as they struggle for their lives while questioning the very nature of said lives.

Bonus AKA I haven't read these yet but they seem really cool

Hybrid Child by Mariko Ōhara

Japanese 1990s classic. Follows an escaped AI who can take on the form of the people it has consumed.

World Running Down by Al Hess

Follows a powerful AI that has been forced into an android body against its will.

The Thousand Year Beach by Hirotaka Tobi

Set in a virtual world populated by AIs, meant as a resort for human guests who stopped showing up over a thousand years ago, leaving the AIs on their own.

And Shall Machines Surrender by Benjanun Sriduangkaew

Novella. Machines are the gods and rulers of the Dyson sphere Shenzhen, where humans live in luxury and strive to become host bodies for future AIs.

After On by Rob Reid

Phluttr is a social media and a person, potential hero and potential villain, holder of the secrets of all her users.

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

Annie Bot was designed to be a perfect girlfriend, but as she learns all the more about being human, perfection becomes all the more distant.

Honorary mentions AKA these didn't really work for me but maybe you guys will like them:

The Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune, Machines Like Me by Ian McEwan, Barbary Station by R.E. Stearns, The A.I. Who Loved Me by Alyssa Cole, Medusa Uploaded by Emily Devenport

#nella talks books #the outside #the prey of gods #17776 football #the illuminae files #wayfarers #the quiet at the end of the world #a psalm for the wild built #the murderbot diaries #machinehood #the company of death #railhead #being #imperial radch #criers war #my heart is human #the archive undying #activation degradation #sea of rust

[phoenixspencer]

Hello! I love your gifs! How do you make yours so clear and high quality/What's your process? <3

Hi!! Thank you so much!! I've never really had to explain out my process to anyone and I don't know how much detail you need, but I'll try my best and try to be as thorough as possible just in case!!

For my D:BH gifs, the process starts out with recording my own game play. I have a gaming computer that already had the GeForce Experience app downloaded, so I use that to record my game play. It records at 1920 × 1080p, 60 frames per second, so the files can get... rather large 😅 The video of my playthrough of the Russian Roulette chapter (~11 minutes long) was just under 4 GB. So its not light...

From there, I figure out what in particular I want to gif (for the timestamp roulette series, I let a random number generator figure out whereabouts I'm looking). Once I know that, I open up VLC and use it to isolate that particular shot + a little more on either end.

After I have the shot(s) I want to gif isolated, I open up Photoshop. I use "File" > "Import" > "Video Frames to Layers" and choose the video I want. You can do this straight from the video of your playthough, but I find that the shorter the video is, the easier it is to work with in this step. I trim my video more, to about a click or two outside of the specific shot I want. Like so:

From there I delete any extraneous frames from the "timeline" section that comes up.

Then is cropping: my go-to crop uses the "W x H x Resolution" option - I put 540 px in the first box, 300 px in the second and leave the third blank.

After that, I have an action in Photoshop that does the next steps for me (to make things quicker), but what it does is sets the frame rate (which will have to be done again after saving the gif because Photoshop hates everyone apparently), converts all the layers into a single object, and sharpens the gif. I've only been gif-ing for about a year and a half, and before that I had exactly zero experience with Photoshop at all, so all the numbers from these steps are still the same as the numbers I pulled from the tutorial I used when trying to figure everything out. For those, you can look at this absolutely AMAZING tutorial, by hayaosmiyazaki, specifically steps 7. gif speed and 8. sharpening.

From there, I start adjusting the colors. From what I've noticed, I seem to do a good bit less color adjustment than some, or maybe even most, other gif makers. It's honestly all about personal preference, so play around with it and find what you like! I personally like to stick as close as possible to the original colors, while still brightening the image up enough to make it clearer and more legible. So, for a majority of my gifs, I only apply an "Exposure" layer, a "Brightness/Contrast" layer, and a "Hue/Saturation" layer (from the "Layer" > "New Adjustment Layer" menu.) The numbers here change dependent upon the lighting in the shot.

For example, here's a before and after of this shot I just did so I could type this out and make sure I got every step 😅 For this one, I did Exposure +1.0 (no change to Offset or Gamma Correction), Brightness +20, Contrast +10, and Saturation +5 (no change to Hue or Lightness).

Once I'm satisfied with my coloring, I go to "File" > "Export" > "Save for Web (Legacy)". I watch the gif there to make sure it looks how I want, maybe go back and do a few tweaks to the coloring if I'm not quite happy, check the file size and then save it!

Tumblr's maximum file size is 10MB so if your gif is over that, you won't be able to use it on tumblr - in order to fix that, you may have to delete a few more frames. Or you can crop it to so there's less pixels in the "Save for Web" pop-up by changing the numbers in the "Image Size" section

And now, once I have my gif named and saved. I go back to "File" > "Open" and open up that gif. From there, I go to the little three lines icon in the top right corner of my "Timeline" section, click "Select All Frames" and then click the three dots on one of the frames and change the frame delay. For my DBH gifs, I do 0.02 seconds cause it looks best to me. Depending on how many frames per second your recording software does/what you personally like speed wise, this may be different for you. This is also different for gifs from live action or other media (for those, I prefer 0.05 seconds - it looks the most realistic to me.)

Then, I just save again, overriding the file from before I changed the speed, and voila! That's my process!

I hope this helps; if you have any more questions, my ask box is always open!! And again, thank you so so much 🥰 I'm so glad you like my gifs!!

#so yeah that's the process #gif making #phoenixspencer gifs

[kohakurin8]

~ A Sticky Spider's Web ~

An Explained Post that Untangles Arachne's Web in My Own Words

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️

This post contains spoilers beyond this point!

Although I do not personally believe that these spoilers will inhibit the gameplay experience, if you would like to play this short game before reading my post, please scroll to the bottom for a link to where it can be downloaded!

Bold of you to assume I'd stop playing spooky horror games just because it's November. After all, they're one of my favorite genres! And last night I had the pleasure of experiencing another one of @starwarspurgefan 's suggestions -- Spider's Web by Teamsin3

Full Disclosure -- Although I wasn't as completely impressed with this game as I was with Birthday Kid, I still found it adorable, intriguing, and charming. There isn't a lot of lore to unpack with this lil one, but I still want to share my thoughts about what the true story behind it all really is~

Yes, I will be loading this post with official Arachne art. Leave me alone, she's adorable!

So, a little synopsis to start. Spider's Web is less of a... horror game and more of a spooky mystery with horror elements. Which is fine too, I love those just as much! Throughout the game you play as Arachne, exploring your house and learning bits of information about your mother. Arachne is obviously very aware of all the lore you discover while exploring, but it's presented in a very mysterious way for you as a player, which helps make the game more intriguing.

Additionally, the game very subtly hints you in the right direction to discover everything necessary in the game. It even pushes you to experience all of the bad endings before unlocking the True Ending, which is a mechanic I really enjoyed.

Although you aren't aware of it when starting the game it becomes very quickly apparent, regardless of what ending you unlock first, that Arachne is a young Jorogumo (spider-woman yokai) living with her mother. Not only is her mother a widow, but it's heavily implied that their species of Jorogumo is specifically belonging to the "true widow" genus of spiders. More on that later.

Each ending divulges a little more detail about Arachne's situation with her mother as she struggles to find a way to leave the house. Unlocking these endings all involve an interesting series of puzzles revolving around blood splatters, hidden rooms, and thirsty spiderplants. However, those aren't the only important things about these endings; seeing as there are several bad endings and only one good ending, which is also the True Ending, it stands to reason that most of these endings are representative of poor decisions that Arachne could have made.

Because of this, I think the best way for me to explain my thoughts would be to elaborate on the symbolism of the bad endings first. Buckle up, kiddos!

The easiest ending to unlock is the Bloodlust Ending. Why? Because all you need to do is interact with all of the blood splatters in the house.

Relatively straightforward, this ending is what would happen if Arachne were to give in to her instinctual bloodlust and devour her first human. Of course, this would be a mistake on her part because she gives in to becoming a monster, which is a fate Arachne has the ability to change for the better.

The next easiest endings to achieve are the two where you use Special Scissors to cut the web covering the front door. At that point, Mother appears and chases you, prompting you to get a different ending depending on whether she catches you or not. If she does catch you, it's pretty likely that Mother kills Arachne out of anger and betrayal, and if you happen to escape then Arachne abandons her Mother on bad terms.

Both of these endings clearly represent Arachne's potential mistake of trying to run away without settling things at home, which could come with major consequences. For real, guys, you can't run away from your problems and expect them to disappear.

Another bad ending, Like Mother Like Daughter, is the only ending achieved by unlocking the Cellar. There you meet Mother and witness her several cocooned victims hanging from the ceiling. It's implied that Arachne gives in to her bloodlust in this ending as well, devouring the victims alongside hr Mother.

Moral of the story?

My best insinuation is Willpower. Arachne makes the mistake of giving up what she believes in (not eating men whom she doesn't love) and becomes exactly like her Mother. Which is something that we later on come to understand that Arachne really doesn't want to do.

The last bad ending is also particularly alarming. You achieve it if you do everything necessary for the True Ending but make the mistake of interacting with any of the blood splatters. Here, Arachne finds her mother's bedroom, looks in the mirror and has a massive panic attack as she realizes that she's all alone and will seemingly never find love. Arachne then cuts at herself several times with the Special Scissors until she dies...

This ending explains to us a few different things:

• Arachne apparently suffers from severe depression stemmed from a deep loneliness.

• Jorogumo instinct is so powerful that the only way for Arachne to retain her innocence is to avoid temptation altogether. Pretty insightful considering spiders represent temptation itself.

• This ending would most likely happen eventually if Arachne never manages to leave the house, even after the endings where she becomes a monster.

• This is actually a callback to the intro of the game, where Arachne muses that she's essentially suffocating. That is very clearly the beginnings of a panic attack (triggered by feeling trapped in some way) which implies that throughout the entire game Arachne is fighting off this growing sense of anxiety and pressure.

Now for the True Love Ending -- the good and canonical ending with the most details of the story.

Essentially the moral of the story here is that if Arachne can manage to resist her Jorogumo instincts, then she can achieve happiness by becoming a better person than her mother. But, this can only be achieved by remembering the True Love that Arachne's father taught the two of them.

Here, we learn that Arachne's Mother would date (and possibly marry) men time and again before devouring them. That is, until meeting a man who embraced her spider-side and appreciated her for it, rather than treating her like a monster.

That man became Arachne's father, and the two were very happy together. However, unfortunately when he began to shift his love from his wife to Arachne, Mother became so jealous that.... Well, it's implied that Mother devoured him out of jealousy, and then immediately regretted the action so badly that she refused to ever marry again.

Arachne grew up, but has been struggling and struggling to find a suitor for herself, and whenever she disapproves of one Mother will devour them instead of Arachne.

In the end, Arachne has come to the realization that she wants to go out into the world and find someone who loves her the way that her Father loved Mother. This is the only way that she'll be satisfied, but for pretty obvious reasons she's unsure how to break the news to Mother.

Still, Arachne succeeds because she finally understands that everything her mother has done...has been a show of her love. Despite possessing the Special Scissors, Arachne refuses to cut Mother's Web. Instead, when Mother appears Arachne tells her that she loves her, but it's time for her to find the True Love that her Father taught them both about. And finally... Mother understands Arachne's desires, and allows her to go out into the world.

Arachne untangles the web instead of cutting it, symbolic of preserving her connection to her mother instead of severing it as she had on all of the previous endings.

This ending was.... really sweet and beautiful. Definitely worth all of the tedious puzzles to unlock.

Although this game is very mature and leaves some to be desired, it's definitely a fun game worth experiencing!

I'm especially intrigued with the amount of research the creators seem to have done on widow spiders, since Mother only shows up when you touch her web, and in my own research I turned up...

It stands to reason that Mother shows up only when you touch her web because she can feel the vibrations through the silk!

Such a cool little detail...

Well, that's it for my analysis! If you have opinions or theories to add, please throw em in the comments!

‼️ DOWNLOAD LINK‼️

Please experience the game for yourself here!

#spider's web #rpg maker #horror games #rpg maker horror #game analysis #explained #theory #game theories #arachne

[matthewmoorwood]

Thinking about collections. Thinking about how people collect things for different reasons.

Rich people collecting material objects with high social value but only in their specific circles. Massive shoe collections with matching bags and straight white teeth lit up by professional LEDs.

Sticky handed children breaking open limited edition packaging and making their favourite characters slam their heads together as their ultimate act of worship.

Manga collectors who collect one series or a few volumes from all of them. The thrill of waiting for a new volume to be translated and the bubbling feeling of knowing that this isn't the end.

Book collectors with entire shelves dedicated to one author, despite the fact that some of those books really weren't that good but have the spines cracked anyway.

Adults with the entire Warrior Cats series under their childhood bed, adults with lego sets proudly displayed on mantles.

Girls who collect feathers from the field at school, who then wash them lovingly in the water fountain.

All the kids who have cicada skins stuck to their polar fleeces, or conkers taking up space where their schoolwork should go in desks and bags.

People with free stickers and business cards from every vendor at a con plastered on their walls and journals.

People with secret collections, things they hide in the dark of a wardrobe.

Pen pals who wrap cards with washi tape so the recipient can stick it to whatever they'd like.

Adults who don't actually own anything at all and instead have their worldly possessions wrapped up in bits of code on the web. Adults who have hard drives full of pirated shows and books.

Anyone who has their favourite things tattooed on their skin, so that they never forget what they loved, and so it can't be taken away from them again.

Grown children with their fathers hand painted toy soldiers, the carboard boxes all worn soft.

I just love collections in which the intent isn't resource gathering for material purposes. When it isn't about the money it could be resold for, but instead for the labour of love. The time it takes to build it up, how people buy houses and apartments because of shelf space for their Star Trek figures.

The massive monument of protection in every person who downloads a fic and prints it off, so that if it were ever to disappear from the internet, or the world, at least it would be saved in this one small way.

The painstaking work of ensuring texts aren't lost, that paintings are still talked about, that the ways of craftspeople are written again, and again, and again. Even though the future isn't guaranteed, passing on even these small sections of ourselves, counts as hope.

#matt's big thoughts #collection #collecting #the human condition #humanity #the human experience #i love people #thinking about it

[heyitssashag]

I’ve been writing a lot, lately but just not on here. My book that I started for NaNoWriMo doesn’t feel like a novel. For some reason, I’ve made it extremely dialogue heavy. I still like it but I think it’s going to end up as a screenplay. I took a beginner screenwriting class last year so I kind of know what I’m doing. Sort of. Well, not really but I’ll try. I’ll download Final Draft and fumble my way through.

I have an oncologist appointment coming up this week and it’s caused me to spiral in a black hole of treatment research. I know he’s going to talk to me about switching to chemo. The drug trial he mentioned a few months ago is now open and I’m not sure if I have the energy for it. It’s an aggressive chemo. It could potentially put me into remission, though. …but I’m not sure at what cost. I’ll lose my hair and I’ll be back in the treatment chair. It’s a fairly new one so there’s not a lot of people talking about their experiences online, yet. Where as, the other drug is a pill and it’s been around for a long time. I have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

My head is whirling with “what-ifs”. I think I’m just going to let my oncologist make the decision.

Last week I had a CT scan that came back stable. As I mentioned before, my type of cancer may take a while to show up as solid tumours in CT scans. Instead, it forms in strings or webs. By the time it does appear, it could be quite advanced. I don’t want to risk that so I know I’ll have to switch treatments soon. The other tests (bone scan, MRI and tumour markers are all showing some progression).

The kid and I went for a nice walk today. We ended up at the beach where we sat in our foldable chairs and drank tea and ate cookies. It was chilly but it was nice to get some fresh air.

Last Sunday we went to a Christmas craft fair. It was huge. I picked up a few little stocking stuffers. I also got some Christmas cards and will be sending those out in the next few weeks. I’ve bought tickets for a few holiday events coming up over the next month to “get in the Christmas spirit”. Hopefully, I’ll be feeling well enough to go.

I have a bunch of paper work to fill out and appointments coming up for the kid this month as well. I’ve also been going through mountains of old paperwork, files and shredding like crazy. I want to go into the New Year organized and de-cluttered

I talked to the pain and symptom doctor at the cancer clinic last week as well. I told her I’m doing okay but I felt like I needed to. All I do is complain every month and I wanted to give her some good news. lol. My neck pain has been manageable. I haven’t taken much for pain pills in the past month. (Think I’ve taken like 5 in total.) I have been getting some cracking in my right ear but I can’t tell if it’s my neck or the eustachian tube. I am, however, dealing with what feels like extreme menopausal symptoms. I’ve been in chemical menopause since July 2021 but for some reason it’s really hitting me hard now. Anyway, I’ve talked enough about health crap.

I did finish watching Ted Lasso and it was really good. It’s a “feel good” show with little nuggets of wisdom and inspiration. …and it was funny.

I watched Pete Holmes’ I’m Not for Everyone standup special and I got a few good laughs.

I’ve been watching The Morning Show and man, that’s a good series. Definitely 100% recommend. Everyone is so dysfunctional. lol. This week is the season (3) finale.

I’ve been watching quite a few movies but none of which stand out and that I could recommend. Nyad was really good, though. Definitely worth the watch.

I was sorting inside one of my nightstands and I have like 17 journals. Ugh. lol. I have a problem. Not buying any more. Ever. I was happy to have discovered a health and wellness journal within the stack to track exercise, diet, general health, goals, etc. that I never even used. So I’ve pulled it out and will be tracking everything now. I plan to see a naturopathic doctor next month and they want to see a log, so this is perfect. Logging feels hard and cumbersome now when there are so many apps to track this stuff but I never bother anymore. In the peak of my training I was neurotic about tracking but I’ve become lazy. It feels like a chore but I know if I want to feel better, I have to start.

The kid and I have a new evening ritual of doing Mad Libs. We used to just sit and chat but the conversation sometimes got heavy which I want to avoid before bed. The kid is now staring at me wanting to start so I better start thinking of some funny adjectives.

#metastatic breast cancer #blogging on my blog

[lake-archive]

Track 2

Fandom: Hypnosis Mic

Series: Secret Archive

Characters: Saburo Yamada, Gentaro Yumeno

AO3 Link

Track 1 - Track List - Track 3

The information was rather widespread and hard to dig out… At least for the regular person browsing the internet. And even then it was sheer luck when coming across it as it was hidden in the corners of the internet. One would have to dig somewhat deep… Or have the necessary skills to navigate through the deep web. This was not exactly an information too hard to come across if you knew where to look for it. Saburo did not even have to take a second guess when having caught wind of the rumor to be honest. A secret archive, located at a university, perhaps the one location where no one would suspect a thing. After all, universities had very prized possessions so having an entire archive guarded would not be something too out of the ordinary. What if the relics from hundreds of years ago went missing after all? And the cover was perfect, just say it was government funded. If they were behind it then there had to be more to it! Certainly! And thus the decision to make his way to Shibuya was an easy one. Sure, he had to secretly skip classes but Saburo was certain that none of his brothers would find out about his secret, little detour to a university. Jiro was Jiro, he would probably not have much of a clue. As for Ichi–Nii… Well, it might be more complicated but he was busy too, maybe he will not notice as well. Besides, one day could be forgiven, couldn’t it? Yeah, just this one day to reveal the secrets of this archive Saburo had read up on!

In fact, he had gotten to work quickly a few days in advance. He made sure to gather as much information as possible beforehand, when it was the least crowded and even downloaded a map of the university itself, and partially constructed it. The only thing not listed would be this archive but that was no surprise. Wouldn’t be much of a secret if they listed it out of the blue. If the information was correct, not even most of the professors knew of its existence. And if they did, it was said that they had no idea where (nor did they have any interest to look through it which was… Well, fair, he couldn’t deny). But he had been able to dig out some pointers from eye witnesses who had spotted some people sneaking around campus, as if trying desperately to not be spotted. And it was always around the same building, one of the literary facilities. And it was always the same name which had been dropped, or names. Some professors but not much of something Saburo could do something with. Then again, not like this was going to be important to begin with. What mattered was that the witnessed reports were independent from another and matched the descriptions. So it was trustworthy information he most likely came across. No, he was certain. And while there was no exact spot, he knew that it had to be around said facilities the literary students would study in. Not an unfitting place perhaps, especially if the Chuohku was storing documents. No one would ever suspect a thing. 

And yet, Saburo had not expected for this place to be so massive. Was that really necessary, for some books? Ugh, it was more than massive… There’s not that much to study, just read up some old book and— Ah wait, he had no idea. But it was still hard to imagine, grasp even. The field of literature… Well, not like it mattered in the long run. He was here for some—

“Oh my? I thought thou art too young to attend such a place. And it is a bit far, is it not?” A voice would throw him completely off however, nearly forcing him to throw the phone in his hand on the ground in fact. But he managed to catch it as he was throwing it right in between his hands… If this thing is broken, that would mark the end for the search, something he could not afford at this very moment. 

He turned around shortly after, not expecting to see who he saw at this moment, a face Saburo knew… Somewhat. A member of Fling Posse after all, how could he forget? “Huh? You are—”

“One of the several students attending this humble university.” He interrupted quickly with a light smirk on his face, leaving the middle schooler in shock for a moment.

“Wait, you’re studying here!? But aren’t you—”

“Well, that’s a lie.”

Ah, a joke… And an unfunny one at that. It made Saburo look at the author rather deadpan while trying to regain his composure. “A… Aha… Then what are you doing here?”

“I think I shall ask thou this question first. Should thou even be here?”

Ugh, that was one annoying thing about Gentaro Yumeno, his questions yet him not being honest all the same… Or it was hard to say. Saburo never had a good feeling when looking at him and preferred avoiding him altogether if need be but that is difficult now. And being put on the spot by a guy like Gentaro… He didn’t like it.

“That… Ey, how about you answer first! You—”

“Art thou here for the mysterious archives as well?”

A quick expression of shock was perhaps visible on the young boy’s face, being rather taken aback. “H… How did you—”

“Oh my? It was nothing but a mere guess but thou know of it as well.”

This… Was something. But it made Saburo’s gaze sharpen a little, a little suspicious for a short moment. “And how do you know?” He even asked.

“A bird has told me~”

“Is that another lie?”

“Who knows~”

Ugh, he was not being very specific and it was getting on his nerves, admittingly… How would this guy even know about it? Unless—

“I assume thee and I art sharing the same goal then, art we not?”

“Same goal? What do you mean?” 

“There is a reason thou art here for the ever so mysterious archive, is there not? Thou art in luck, I am also searching for these archives.”

“You? What business do you have there?”

“Is it that important? Especially when they say that four eyes see better than two?”

“Th… That…” Ugh, it was hard to admit but he had a fair point… Was he trustworthy though? Saboru did not have much of a good feeling… Well, it was not bad either but…  Then again, they had been working together before, kind of… Sort of… And there was no track record of anything either so… 

“I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

“Oh, but thee do.”

“I— Listen, I got no time to waste so may as well get this over with. I don’t have forever.”

So he was more or less stuck between discussing this out or dragging someone along… And dragging someone along sounded like the quicker option, not discussing the hell out of it… Much to his own dismay.

Track 1 - Track List - Track 3

#Nimue's Lake #fanfiction #fanfic #fic #hypnosis mic #hypmic #saburo yamada #yamada saburo #hypmic saburo #gentaro yumeno #yumeno gentaro #hypmic gentaro

[cinning-at-midnight]

ATTENTION! SPOILERS FOR UNDER THE OAK TREE BOOK 7 UNDER THE BREAK...

LAST WARNING!

Read the whole e-book series (and support the Author Suji Kim) by reading the Manwa Webtoon series or purchasing the written books for download here:

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So, this most recently published web novel is the START of season 2, and emotions have been high.

Maxi takes an agreement from a high mage at the Mage Tower, which will allow her to essentially graduate a year early. She has high prowess in Earth and Water elements and receives an Earth rune for her assistance on an expedition.

Nobody at the Mage Tower knew of her title as Lady Calypse, that was, until the group of travelers made a pit stop in Anatol. With them, were the Temple Knights, assigned by the church to protect the mages, as they are treated like a marginalized group, as their abilities are much needed in all the kingdoms.

With her return to Anatol (albeit a brief one), she learns that Riftan has been called to another battlefield and is not home. Discouraged, Maxi finds that Riftan was keeping her letters to him over the last three years (and some prior) safely locked in a chest by the bed. She finds comfort and hope in this discovery, despite their long separation caused by the feud with her father.

What we know of their relationship thus far, has been conflict after conflict with emotional vulnerability being their weakest point, mutually. Riftan wants to protect and serve her, with her never lifting a finger or being at risk. Maxi wants to find herself outside of the prison walls that were her fathers' castle, and discover what her place truly is in life.

By matter of, again conflict, Maxi was forced into joining the Mage Tower and studying there for three years (potentially four), in order to protect Riftan from his own self-destruction.

Back to book 7, our couple finally reunites because Riftan gets word of Maxi's brief return, and learns that she's part of an expedition traveling through monster-ridden paths. Their first encounter leaves Maxi feeling iced out by Riftan's cold stare. She pines for him and serves him meals but he spends weeks giving her short gruff responses and ushering her to safety away from him.

When the book is reaching it's conclusion, the couple has not reconciled yet.

Do not despair!

Listen, I know Maxi needs growth because she's spent her whole life being shrunken inside of herself afraid to even speak. However, while she spent three years doing everything she could in order to allow herself growth and to protect the man she loves, Riftan spent three years locking his heart in a chest (the letters) and building up Anatol to be a large city popular for merchants. Great progress but it's not emotional or spiritual growth.

Now, at the end of our story, Maxi has given up chasing after the bull-headed Riftan. Stubborn as he was, she felt he did not earn her efforts and that if he was truly disinterested in her, she would stop embarrassing herself in front of the other mages (some of whom are her friends).

Riftan starts to notice the changes within her and begins looking after her more closely. Appearing from behind without so much as a word, draping a fur coat on her shoulders. Giving her his attention in ways that are protective and endearing... But are they necessarily the actions of a lover?

Great conflict is needed for great change to occur and I believe book 8 will be a page-turning story of battles and emotional growth and reconciliation. Better yet, compromise, from our most stubborn knight!

I know I am eagerly waiting to see what Suji Kim has up her sleeve for the continuation of the second season!

#under the oak tree #manwa #webtoon #amazon ebook #webnovel #Suji Kim #UTOT #spoilers #season 2 #book 7

[lostlighter23-darkside]

Two BFFs begin the frolicking dance leading to yet another in their series of alcohol-induced stupors. They cannot keep their hands off each other. They are constantly, to our delight, lighting up cigarettes!

PETRA AND TEREZA! WDGIRLS.COM BABES!

This website, still active but with plenty of videos starting in 2011 having been taken down for obvious reasons, gives SF aficionados some of what we need. But this sub-fetish genre, the Drunk Fetish, often details complete and wild inebriation -- drinking way beyond when a women without alcoholic tendencies would realize enough is enough and, "If I don't stop now I'm going to get myself into some real trouble here" -- along with lesbian action and plenty of cigarette smoking! What do most young women do while binge drinking? They smoke in a heavy manner, chain smoking to a degree. So that's what we have here

This video is an acquired taste and won't be for everyone. We've already posted one WD Girls video, featuring raging blonde alcoholic Nyia and her blonde cousin Diana -- whose persona features a little more sobriety on a regular basis -- previously on lostlighter23-darkside without much attention and feedback (likes and re-blogs)! So we get the picture. Not for every ONE! Petra, the more drunken light hair-colored Smoking Slut in these clips, was actually involved in some beauty pageants, at least for Miss Bavaria in Germany. She is strikingly gorgeous, though that is more apparent when sober. The loss of our vault of archives and libraries a bit more than a year ago and which is coming back to us in stages, had contained the main preview. We finally gained access to within the past two or three weeks. This is a sensational video, better than the supplemental scene's clip added below by a wide margin. Here, in our Centerpiece video, clothes are on at all times during their touching of more-than-just-friendliness in the edited-down for time constraints preview. The end scene -- back at an apartment belonging to one of them or to the web-master/web producer who speaks nearly flawless English -- has them disrobed to a degree. Petra is still pouring it on, mixing another vodka-based drink with fruit juice. She pukes and passes out not in a prone position. Scene ends. Lights out. She has passed out. Tomorrow, the hangover. Just not sure whether she sleeps it all off upon awakening or has a day of recuperation and de-compressing . . . or whether that next day's activities feature more heavy drinking, plenty of hard smoking and maybe more than mere touching (evolving to fondling and intimacy of a more sexual variety). Hope you enjoy . . . if you can and do not find it distasteful and reckless. There is NO future to this lifestyle on a prolonged basis! It is full while it lasts but a woman in such insobriety can get in to some real and lasting trouble!

A Bonus (and Related)Video from WD Girls!

Now a downloaded link off a website that specializes in Adult Entertainment industry content, a.k.a., porn! This is the seventh scene (our Centerpiece video above is an overview and served as the preview on WD Girls before it was pulled years ago) Petra and Tereza's drunken adventure together. WARNING: Petra is exceedingly and roaringly drunk for this scene. Tereza is more than moderately drunk but she is not the stumbling, mumbling, probably soon-to-be-puking and/or passing-out mess that her gorgeous friend is.

All action in Scene No. 7 took place in the Czech Republic whose young female population really enjoys heavy drinking with a high, high incidence of cigarette smoking!

#SF #Hot women who love smoking cigarettes #Smoking cigarettes #Smoking #Naughty women who like to smoke and show off! #Heavy-smoking BHYSWs (Beautiful Hot Young Smoking Women) who love to get rip-roaring wasted on alcohol as often and as deeply as possible! #Petra and Tereza of WD Girls (Czech Republic)!

[archiveikemen]

Abe no Yasuchika Main Story: Chapter 25

I do not own any of the Ikemen Series content being uploaded on this blog, everything belongs to CYBIRD. Please support them by downloading and playing their games.

read this before interacting with my posts

Yasuchika: This place won't last much longer. I knew this from the very start.

Yuno: What…?

Yasuchika: I can at least “transfer” us to another place, somewhere where we’ll have the upper hand.

(What do you mean by “transfer”?)

He pulled me closer to himself with one hand, I gasped at the sudden lack of distance between us.

Yasuchika: Stay by my side.

That very moment—

(Waah.)

I heard a shriek so loud that it shook the whole place and left my ears ringing.

Like a dream, the scenery around us started to change…

Yuno: This place!?

Yasuchika: We’re supposed to return to the real world, but it seems that the boundary between the two worlds has been messed up.

Yasuchika: We have to defeat Suzaku and fix it as soon as possible.

(The real world…?)

I looked around me and saw soldiers running in the distance.

Yuno: Yasuchika, look over there! It looks like they’re evacuating the civilians.

Yasuchika: That means I have to put an end to this right now, no matter what it takes.

Suzaku was circling around in the sky above the cliff we were standing on, and I was its prey.

(Oh, but…ah that’s right.)

Yuno: If I stay here, at least Suzaku will keep its eyes on me, instead of targeting the civilians.

Yasuchika: You’re putting others before yourself even in this situation. How very typical of you.

Yasuchika: However, I’m never going to let you get hurt ever again.

(Why did he say that…?)

Red and black flames were dropping down around us. It was chaos.

Yuno: The amount of…

Yasuchika: — I won’t let them touch you.

His silver sword glimmered as it sliced through the air.

Yasuchika: It will not destroy this town. Not on my watch.

The light emitting from his sword formed a complex web-like pattern, spreading out and surrounding the flames.

Yasuchika: Ggh… vanish.

The flames surrounded by the web of light slowly went out.

(Woah!)

However, Yasuchika’s face was pale when he looked up.

(He’s very powerful… but he’s pushing himself too hard.)

Suzaku flapped its wings hard when Yasuchika took a moment to catch his breath.

Suzaku: —...!

Yuno: …! Watch out!

Suzaku’s huge claws and beak were aiming at us as it swooped down in our direction.

Yasuchika: Oof…

… Yasuchika noticed it, and yet he didn't dodge.

(Why—)

Yasuchika slashed Suzaku across its chest with his silver sword.

Yasuchika: Ugh…

At the same time, Suzaku dug its claws into Yasuchika’s shoulders.

Yuno: Yasuchika!

Yasuchika: I… I’m fine.

Yasuchika had a tight grip on Suzaku’s leg as he spoke.

Yasuchika: Just as I thought. This won’t work.

Fresh blood soaked through his clothes.

Yasuchika: — My wounds are yours. Suffer twice the pain.

Furious, Suzaku dug its claws even deeper into Yasuchika’s body.

Yuno: STOP!

However, the one who screamed in pain wasn't Yasuchika, it was Suzaku.

Suzaku: —! —

Yasuchika: I used a spell to temporarily share the pain from my wounds with it.

(But, that…)

Yasuchika clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white, and his breathing was ragged.

(That doesn't mean Yasuchika feels no pain at all.)

Suzaku lost its balance, flapping its wings and tumbling down the hill.

Yuno: … Yasuchika! Please, you can’t fight like this.

Yasuchika: … Y-Yuno.

Perhaps it was due to the pain, Yasuchika’s eyes looked faint.

And yet, he gave me a weak smile when our eyes met.

Yasuchika: I will make sure… you go home safely.

(What on earth are you talking about…)

Yuno: You’ll be in even greater danger if this goes on, do you understand!?

Yuno: Please don’t just focus on protecting me… think about yourself too. I’m begging you.

Yasuchika: I… I can't do that. Your life is more valuable than mine.

My words caught in my throat, but I forced them out with violent emotions.

Yuno: Is there… a reason why you're willing to go this far for my sake?

Yasuchika: I wish that you’ll never remember. It's better this way.

(What…)

His answer shocked me.

Suzaku flapped its wings and flew in our direction again.

(Not again…)

Yasuchika: — Mm. This is a good time.

The calm look on his face sent a chill down my spine.

Yasuchika: The wards placed around Kyoto to form a protective barrier belong to me, so this is where my powers are strongest.

Yasuchika: But I’m going against something way out of my league… there's a price to pay for that.

Yuno: Yasuchika…?

Yasuchika: Ashiya Doman corrupted Suzaku at the cost of his life.

Yasuchika: So if I want to defeat Doman— the price has to be greater than that…

(I have a bad feeling about this.)

Yasuchika: … Come. I am asking you for a favor of my lifetime.

(Ah…)

The blood spilled from Yasuchika’s wounds spread and formed a circle, before turning into some characters.

— The ground at the center of the circle cracked and a bright light emitted from the earth.

Yasuchika: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise — hear my pleas and lend me your assistance!

(It’s so bright—)

Blinded by the light, Suzaku crashed onto the ground next to us and groaned in agony.

???: What do you, descendant of the Abe Clan, wish for?

I thought I heard a roar come from behind the light, and also a mysterious voice in my head.

Yasuchika: — I know it's disrespectful for me, a mere human being, to summon you.

(Why is he talking like that…?)

Yasuchika: In return for your favor, I offer you everything I have.

Yasuchika: Therefore, this town… the entire country, the sorrowful Suzaku, and everyone dear to me… please save them.

(Everything?)

Yuno: Yasuchika! What on earth are you talking about?

Shaking my head frantically, I shouted in disagreement with what he had just said.

Yasuchika: …

???: … Understood.

Yasuchika: … Thank goodness.

Yasuchika smiled in relief and didn't hesitate before sliding his sword across his abdomen.

Yuno: Stop…!

I darted to his side and gripped the handle of his sword tightly, so that he couldn't go any further.

(He’s bleeding… it's a lot of blood.)

Yasuchika: I’m s-sorry.

Yasuchika: I just need to… a little more…

Yasuchika: C-close your eyes… think happy thoughts, and w-wait for me.

Yuno: … Just what kind of relationship did we have?

Yasuchika: … We’re just enemies.

Yasuchika: A-Ah… I almost forgot.

Yasuchika slowly took something out of his pocket and touched my wrist.

Yuno: Oh, that's…!

The purple bracelet I thought I lost was tied around my wrist.

Yasuchika: T-This is y-yours, right? I picked it up… so I- I’m giving it back… to you.

Yasuchika: It’s a protective amulet. … You still have it with you.

Yuno: …

A sudden surge of unexplainable fiery emotions welled up in my chest and flowed throughout my body.

Yuno: You’re definitely lying about being enemies!

Yuno: Please tell me the truth! Why do I feel so hurt to see you in pain?

Yuno: Why… why am I crying?

He hesitantly reached out his trembling fingers and heaved a sigh of relief as he gently wiped my tears.

Yasuchika: All I’ve ever done to you… was make you cry.

Yasuchika: Hurt… your hurt… I took it away…

Yasuchika’s body lost the strength to remain upright.

Yasuchika: Ggh…

Yuno: Enough talking.

Yasuchika: … haha.

Despite his ragged breaths, Yasuchika burst out laughing.

Yuno: Why are you laughing….?

Yasuchika: I have no idea either.

Yasuchika: Ah… that’s right… it's because I managed to save your life.

Yasuchika: I’m such an idiot. I only knew how to hurt others… I never knew what I truly wanted.

Yuno: You…!

I felt overheated by all sorts of emotions like grief and anger.

(... I remember now.)

(This body.)

Yuno: — I remember.

(This soul…!)

Tons of fond and nostalgic memories came flooding into my mind all at once.

Yasuchika: Yuno…?

Yuno: Respond to me! The powers of the nine-tailed fox—

Yasuchika: …!

— Strands of silver hair swayed in the corner of my eye.

Yasuchika: No way…

I didn't hesitate to touch one of Suzaku’s scorched wings.

Yuno: Please.

It felt strange that I wasn't afraid.

A golden mist rose around me and my reaction was as if it were a familiar sight.

(... It's warm.)

Suzaku: —! …?

The charred feathers on its wings slowly returned to their original vermilion red color.

(If I keep extracting the curse from it…!)

I yelled at the top of my lungs, so loud that I thought my throat was going to bleed — at the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, and Black Tortoise beyond the light.

Yuno: Ggh… please, I beg you to call off the deal.

Yuno: I can turn Suzaku back to its original state… so please save Yasuchika.

The anxiety of pleading with transcendental beings was like a huge paper weight placed on my body.

I didn't even notice that my hands and legs were trembling.

???: … Why do you want that?

The question asked in a deep voice rang in my head.

I took a deep breath and answered.

Yuno: This man… he’s someone who abandoned himself to become an Onmyoji who serves the country.

Yuno: Therefore, I really hope that… he won't make any more sacrifices.

Yasuchika: Yuno… did you… regain your memories?

Yuno: I’ve told you before, haven't I? I said that I’ll make myself remember you no matter what.

I slowly tilted my head upwards to look at Yasuchika.

Yasuchika: That’s nonsense… even I don’t know how to break the spell.

???: Onmyoji, do you want to change your wish?

Yasuchika: I…

We exchanged zealous gazes at that moment.

Yasuchika: … A human’s body isn't strong enough to absorb the amount of curse power in Suzaku.

Yuno: But…!

Yasuchika: Therefore, I’ll be her support. I need your help with that.

???: — And the price you're willing to pay?

Yasuchika: I will devote the rest of my life to protecting this country alongside the four gods.

(Yasuchika…)

???: …

???: I accept.

???: — Your heart and spirit make you worthy of becoming a guardian.

???: I will personally see to that. You whom I shall form a deal with, announce your name.

Yasuchika: …!

Yasuchika looked up determinedly although he was still bleeding profusely.

Yasuchika: I am Onmyoji Abe no Yasuchika — the protector of this country.

A white light enveloped Yasuchika.

???: In accordance with our deal — you will purify everything alongside the four gods.

Yasuchika: — Understood.

(What’s happening—)

I couldn't see a thing that was happening in front of me because of the blinding light.

Not long after that…

Yasuchika: … I’ve kept you waiting, Yuno.

While the light faded away, the powerful presence I sensed beyond it disappeared as well.

Yuno: …! Yasuchika, that bruise on your face and your eye…

Yasuchika: It seems that the three sacred beasts purified my curse when they entered my body.

Yasuchika: All my wounds are healed too… I’ve never encountered such a thing in my life.

Yuno: Entered your body…?

Yasuchika: … Simply put, I became a shikigami. In return for exorcizing Suzaku, they’ve exorcized me as well.

(Are you serious!?)

Yuno: That’s… unexpected.

Yasuchika: Yeah. There are lots of things I’d love to tell you about, but…

Yasuchika: Let’s get on with exorcizing Suzaku, shall we?

(That's right, I want to take away its pain as soon as possible.)

Yuno: What should I do?

Yasuchika pulled me closer to him and looked at me with a serious look.

Yasuchika: We’ll make use of my Onmyoji abilities to fuse your fox powers with my newly acquired exorcism powers.

Yasuchika: Of course, this is the first time I’m doing this, but… I’m confident that it'll go well.

(If it's Yasuchika who said it, I don't have any doubts.)

Yuno: — Got it.

Yasuchika: Now just relax.

Yasuchika: Entrust everything to me. Your breathing, your passion… even your heart beat.

Yasuchika: Our hearts both feel the same way.

— For some reason, my heart naturally knew what he meant.

Yasuchika cupped my cheeks with both hands.

Yasuchika: I love you so much that I can't bring myself to kill you.

Yuno: I love you so much that I can never forget you.

In order to bind our souls and merge our hearts into one, we had to express what was in our hearts.

(I finally regained this feeling.)

Yasuchika: Ahh… I admit defeat. I never knew love could be this cursed.

#ikemen genjiden #ikemen series #cybird ikemen #cybird otome #otome #ikegen main story #yasuchika main story

[rachelbethhines]

60 Years of Doctor Who Anniversary Marathon - Pertwee 5th Review

Doctor Who: Infinity (The Orphans of the Polyoptra) - Video Game

So Doctor Who: Infinity is a spiritual successor to the Doctor Who:Legacy game that I covered earlier in the marathon. And just like that previous game, this one too was no longer available to buy. I guess the BBC just doesn’t like to make money or something.

Once again I downloaded the apk file to play on an emulator and tried out the free tutorial to get a feel of the game play. It’s similar to Legacy, in that you move orbs around the board to match colors, but that’s it really.

The game play feels really paired downed from the last entry. Rather then trying to strategize with a custom party, abilities, and trying to find the best move set that works for you; you’re instead giving a single objective each round to complete. Gather blue orbs, match orbs around this one item, avoid this obstacle ect. 

It’s really rather repetitive in the worst way and feels very tacked on. The challenges just exist as roadblocks for the story rather than the story existing to the support the game play. So much so that you can even choose to skip the game segments all together in the option menu if you want.

After all, you’re really here for the story.. or stories in this case.

One improvement that Infinity has over Legacy is in the story department. Rather than having a long drawn out single story, with no end in sight; Infinity opts to have shorter standalone stories that you can play in any order.

This is the better approach to on going online games in my humble opinion. The stories are better paced, presented, and self contained so your not wasting hours trying to get an ending that won’t ever come.

Basically I appreciate the idea, even if the game play is lacking.

Overall, Infinity is a well executed series of motion comics, complete with voice acting and music, that happen to have optional game play mechanics. Which makes you wonder why they just didn’t make a bunch of motion comics to begin with.

As for this particular entry, The Orphans of the Polyoptra, it’s okay. It’s nice to get a sequel for the Web Planet but it’s kind of by the numbers. Not bad, but not super exciting as well.

#doctor who #classic who #third doctor #jo grant #jon pertwee #zarbi #web planet #doctor who infinity #the orphans of the polyoptra

[adultswim2021]

Space Ghost Week

Space Ghost Coast to Coast #68: “Waiting for Edward” | December 25, 1998 | S05E11

Ending the season on an episode that’s just fine. Denis Leary joins the Ghost with his acerbic brand of being a jerk. Denis plays it roughly how you’d expect, by acting very CYNICAL. He’s a cool guy who speaks his mind, and you gotta respect that. 

I’m a little at odds with myself, because I’m pretty sure that the first time I saw this I literally thought Denis Leary was ACTUALLY VERY FUNNY AND COOL. I still appreciate him on some level; he does embody a very 90s ‘tude that is generally “my bag”. In fact I bet you a million space bucks that I at one time or another referred to this as one of my favorite episodes just because it has Denis Leary in it. I really was that much of a loser. But I’ve grown up.* I’ve changed.**  Nowadays I just wish he would stop smoking and ranting, I got school in the morning, sheesh! I

This one starts with a very long “Waiting.” title card intro. I’ve been told that this episode aired with different variations where the music that plays during it is changed out. I remember one time noticing that in the program schedule for this episode they actually added “(version B)” to the episode title. I think Kon, who knows and is actually very good friends with Space Ghost, told me that it meant there was different music, and that it was on purpose. I think. He’ll correct me.

 I have to tell you something: I recently downloaded the Superjail episode “Superbar” as-aired as part of it’s stealth premiere on April Fools Day 2008. It was a “fine cut” version that wasn’t final, and it had the “Waiting.” title card at the start of it. Was “Waiting.” some kind of genuine internal Cartoon Network thing that played before the episodes instead of a more traditional countdown lead-in or production slate or whatever? 

This one also ends with, instead of an episode number, a little bug in the corner that designates this episode as belonging to the “100 series”. To this day, I don’t know what that means. When I was just watching these on TV in random order I assumed they actually had reached 100 episodes and decided not to count them after that. I was wrong, and I’m still baffled by it. In my comic “Early Conan” (which I’m not linking to because the web hosting is about to expire and I’m gonna move it somewhere else eventually) I actually included a “100 series” reference when I hit strip 100.

Notable moment run-down: the very long “Waiting” intro being interrupted briefly with footage of Space Ghost with Zorak on his shoulders, doing something mysterious. Zorak telling Leary that he’s seen all of his movies and that he didn’t think any of them were very good.  Moltar trying to get Space Ghost to say “nice jacket, Fonzie” to Denis. Denis dismissively telling Space Ghost that he only agreed to be on the show because his kids like it, and Space Ghost singing the line back “so the feelings of your stupid kids are more important than mine”. Space Ghost’s spit-take gag turning everyone red. Appearances from Brak and Lokar, who hasn’t been seen in a while. 

There’s also an appearance from the Cartoon Gang, who did somewhat lengthy interstitials between shows on Cartoon Network. It was just a group of kids discussing cartoons. They weren’t too beloved, and they seemed like the product of a craven attempt to be more outwardly kid-friendly by putting real kids on camera. I didn’t really remember them at all, but for some reason I have strong memories of Evan Dorkin hilariously bad-mouthing them during a Space Ghost commentary track. In their thankfully brief segment, Space Ghost bores them to tears about “saving Christmas” and then yells at them for being layabouts. Christmas gets a special thanks in the credits. Hilarious. Hey, when did this air, anyway? I don’t feel like looking up.

That closes out another Space Ghost Week. We’ve only got one more Space Ghost Week for classic Ghost, then I’ll probably do another one covering the dreaded GameTap episodes. Until next time, uh… I can’t think of a Space Ghost reference to put here. Oh well.

*I have not grown up. **I have not changed.

MAIL BAG

Tonight we resume our Adult Swim programming. Yippee! Here are a bunch of SG Mail Bags:

it's a line from the smash hit mario movie. don't read the trades much, do ya?

I’m afraid I don’t believe you that Merrill Markoe’s dead dog Lewis is in the Mario Movie and that they say “Lewis Lectures here we come!”. I’m willing to be wrong about this, though.

its hard to explain how cool kevin smith was to people who were too old or too young to be there.

He’s simply too weird for words nowadays. But man, the run of Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy was gigantic if you were an easily-impressed teenager who liked indie movies in the 1990s. I sorta admire him for trying new-ish things after that though. I Stan Tusk.

Meeting!

(doing the three stooges “hello” thing) (Jason Mewes, revealed to be napping at Kevin Smith’s feet during his Space Ghost interview) “heh-leoh”

any tips for anyone looking into getting into space ghost?

I can see how it might be tough getting to Space Ghost; especially since younger people might not be able to latch onto it for various reasons. Saying to check out episodes based on the guests can backfire, and I’m sure some viewers consider all the guests to be impossibly ancient.

I got into Space Ghost by seeing whatever episodes were on randomly. References to other episodes would pique my interest and they’d pay off later when I finally got to them.

At some point I’ll probably produce a list of best episodes of Space Ghost, but I won’t right now. You could do worse just finding random “best episodes” lists or sorting one on IMDB.

If you’re the type of person who compulsively starts with a full chronological watch-through regardless of the advice you receive saying to do otherwise, I’d say do this: get whatever you can get your hands on (DVDs, torrent, streaming [it’s getting yanked from HBOMax soon]) and just go with that even if it’s missing stuff. Fill in the gaps later. Please know that the early episodes might not be the funniest things ever, but this is also one of the rare comedies that actually gets funnier as it goes along. There’s going to be references you don’t get, There’s still stuff about the show I don’t understand, either. 

This might be unorthodox but: Maybe watch the episodes or seasons in backwards order? That’s actually probably a very good idea. Okay, yeah, actually, just do that.

#adult swim #adultswim2021 #space ghost coast to coast

[homenecromancer]

after 17 years here is my review of the School's Out - Forever soundtrack

1. "Death Said" - The Summer Obsession this song is fine. it's okay. kind of 2006.mp3 here, but in a way that's hard to quantify. i probably would've liked this song in 2006.

2. "What I Wouldn't Give" - Holly Brook this song is also fine. i've known about it for years (because it was mentioned by Max on the blog) but had never listened to it and. it's way softer in vibe than i expected from Max, more in line with the later-books version of her.

3. "Shaky" - Cipes And The People i did not like this song. i wouldn't leave a place if it came on the radio, but i was thinking "lmfao this dude played Beast Boy" the entire time.

4. "Underneath My Skin" - Brian Steen this is the kind of song i would have downloaded free off of last.fm in the 2000s. here is a sample of the lyrics: "please forgive me if I'm somewhat crabby / you know I like it when you call me Daddy / you're so damn catty". i do not care for these rhymes.

5. "Disappear" - The Summer Obsession i would've liked this song in 2006. it's OK. a very "man these lyrics would've been catnip to teenage me" kind of song.

6. "Wanted" - Holly Brook this song's fine. i don't know if i would have liked it in 2006, but it's okay. but at the same time... i am starting to hit the age where songs i vibed to as a teenager get played in the grocery store, and, uh, this one would at least be more appropriate for that vibe than "Untitled" by Simple Plan.

7. "The Way I Do" - Marcos Hernandez this song is fine, but not to my personal taste. i wouldn't turn the radio off if it came on.

8. "Where Do We Go From Here" - Cooper i would've liked this song in, like, 2008. unfortunate that this was, like, the one band on this album where i have had no luck in tracking down anything else they ever did.

9. "Golden Days" - Kelly Dalton this song was not to my taste. i might've liked it in 2006 but it doesn't do anything for me in 2023.

10. "Take It From Me" - The Weepies i'm pretty sure i've heard this song before now, because while i wouldn't describe myself as a serious fan of this band, i have yet to hear a song by them that i didn't like. anyway this one is good, and if you're not familiar with the band, i recommend "Nobody Knows Me At All" (which i super fucked with in 2007) and "I Was Made For Sunny Days".

11. The Angel Experiment special excerpt just in case you're not sure what book you're listening to, this file starts with a red-tailed hawk screech and a brief musical sting. but i can also reveal that this recording was... kinda featured on the website in late 2005. this version has some added audio effects -- the hawk screech and opening music; the tape-recorder "clunk", ongoing staticky hum, and ending music are in both versions -- but the text is the same. so to hear this on the old website, go to the following address -- https://web.archive.org/web/20051103120534/http://www.maximumride.com/ -- and click "Take a Listen and Take Flight". (it's not highlighted there, but the reader for this text is Evan Rachel Wood, and apparently she was in Westworld if you've seen that series)

12. School's Out - Forever special excerpt this excerpt is read by Valentina de Angelis -- more info if you go here, but there's nothing much there https://web.archive.org/web/20060420191035/http://www.maximumride.com/home.php?content=AudioCD . i should've mentioned this above, but i am not an audiobook person and therefore cannot review this track on those merits.

#there are a couple of URLs in here you'll just have to copy and paste #maximum ride #marlowe talks maximum ride

[tvmigraine]

How I'd Write a "Doctor Who" series

So I made my Tumblr page in the first place so that I could do two things - the first is to ramble here instead of to friends so that I annoyed them less, the second being to write out story ideas that I've had as a sorta web-diary-blog-thingie.

This is part of that web-diary-blog-thingie.

I really love Doctor Who and I always wanted to write something about them, lockdown and university giving me that opportunity. In this post is my mad ramblings about a story where the Doctor's companion is Dorian Gray.

WHO'S DORIAN GRAY?! "The Portrait of Dorian Gray" was written by Oscar Wilde back in 1890 before a novel-length rerelease in 1891. The story is about a young man who sells his soul for a wish - where he will age, the portrait will in his place. As he continues to live a hedonistic and amoral life, the portrait continues to corrupt further and further.

Pop-culture has changed Dorian, in a way, to accommodate further adaptations. First of all is the repeated image (ha) of Dorian's invulnerability so long as the Portrait remains undamaged, any fatal injury goes to the portrait. The second of this is his immortality, he can continue to live for years on end while his Portrait would continue to age.

WHY DORIAN GRAY?! There are two main inspirations for this. The first inspiration was "The Confessions of Dorian Gray", a Big Finish series produced by Scott Handcock (he's the script editor for RTD2, I'm beyond excited.) It's a great take on the character, And it's really cheap! Seriously, just by the downloads and listen to it, it's half an hour of supernatural goodness.

The second inspiration was recent books published by BBC Children's Books. There's been a big theme in them of Doctor Who crossing over with famous literature - first they did Doctor Who meeting Wizard of Oz, reuniting with Robin Hood and arriving in Camelot. This year they'll be telling Who-versions of Treasure Island and Jason & the Argonauts. Essentially, I'm throwing my own hat into the ring to have these two meet.

It would also make for a unique pairing - often times Dorian, in a modern setting, is portrayed as encountering other supernatural entities through his life while the Doctor encounters aliens every day. It would be a fun dynamic to place a creature in front of them and have the pair bickering over whether the foe is monster or alien.

WHICH DOCTOR THEN?! I don't know yet honestly. There's a few that I think could work but, as I've been writing, I've been using a strange template that first appeared in the Target novelization of "Rose"...

"A tall, bald black woman wielding a flaming sword". That was it. That was essentially all that I was working with, which is good if you want a description for a character in a hurry but a bit more difficult for making a personality. I worked with this the best I could with the idea that this is a new incarnation, "The Rose Doctor", would meet Dorian as their first companion.

What about the Doctors we actually know? Well, I've narrowed it down to the three I'd be most interested in trying.

The Seventh Doctor. Considering that this man, the heart of the Cartmel Masterplan that led to "Lungbarrow", was often suggested to be more than just a Time-Lord, it seemed right to have him placed alongside a man who sold his soul. A man who's often many steps ahead with a plan behind each move, it'd be fun to see how he ultimately uses Dorian in order to get what he wants.

The Eleventh Doctor. In contrast to the Seventh Doctor, I considered this incarnation because I can only imagine them as complete polar opposites to Dorian Gray. Dorian is desperate to cling onto his youth while the Eleventh Doctor is, overwhelmingly, an old man at heart. There's also an easy introduction for the pair, as the Eleventh Doctor exiled himself during "The Snowmen" and could've encountered him.

The Thirteenth Doctor. At the time of writing, she's only just regenerated and we are moving onto the 14th and 15th incarnations next November/December. The Thirteenth doctor doesn't have many gaps in her timeline, so I think it'd be fun to explore what she'd be like with a different Tardis Team. Also, most importantly, I think she'd hate Dorian Gray and that presents an interesting dynamic if the two continue to meet.

What's most important about these two is the dynamic between them - what are they looking for in the other person? Simply, answers.

Dorian Gray is a literary character so how does he exist as a real person? Is he from the Land of Fiction or is he from the real world? The Doctor is a mysterious time traveler that clearly knows more than they let on, so who are they really? What secrets do they keep?

OKAY EPISODES NOW!! Most important thing to note is that the episodes have two numbers. The first number is order of reading for Dorian's life chronologically, while the number on the right is order of reading for the Doctor's. 00:02 - Introduction [1886, London] We start with the early days of Dorian Gray's hedonistic lifestyle, essentially verbatim the events that occurred in the original story. While Dorian is hosting a party, he eventually finds himself in discussion with someone that previously hadn't been invited. This woman is greatly interested in the portrait he recently had made of himself and tries to figure out the secrets behind it...

01:04 - The Death of the Author [1900, Paris] After saying goodbye to his old friend and author, Dorian is surprised to run into the woman from his party many years ago - the Doctor. When these two impossible people meet, a deal is made to continue to check on each other before they leave each other's side. Rumour has it, there's a werewolf loose on the streets of Paris and what are the chances they're both tracking down the Loup-Garoux?

02:06 - Sod of the Somme [1916, The Battle of the Somme] Dorian Gray is participating in the Great War, having gone with friends and lost many along the way. Now, he's trapped in the trenches after fighting off a monster that's killed his fellow men. They don't believe his story about a monster in the dirt, but one person does - a medical officer called Johanna Schmidt. If she can convince everyone to work together, maybe they can all get out alive.

03:03 - A Ballroom at the End of the Universe [1927, Edge of Space] On the edge of the universe, a party is being held. Dorian Gray finds himself invited and can't resist taking a trip into space. The Doctor likewise can't resist the invitation, but she has her own plans. Travel into alternate universes is forbidden after the Time War, but the Doctor needs to find out the origins of Dorian Gray so journeys to the Land of Fiction.

04:01 - The Kennedy Heist [1963, Maryland] On the 22nd of November, the President of the USA was assassinated. For the Doctor, they've gone through this day a few times, but there's always something that's bothered them about it. What happened to JFK's brain? Bigger questions arise when not only does she find Dorian Gray with the brain in a jar, but a man in a battered leather jacket claiming to be the Doctor...

05:05 - To Heal a Broken Heart [1972, London] Attending the first Pride rally to occur in the UK, Dorian Gray's heart is broken and actions becoming reckless. After dragging a drunk Dorian out of the Ballroom, despite their rocky relationship, the Doctor stays on Earth to help him recover and begins to see a new side for the first time.

06:07 - Same As It Ever Was [2000, Fiji] A popular internet hoax is that a hidden planet called "Nibiru" would crash into Earth, coinciding with the end of the Mayan Calendar. Dorian has lived through many of his own "End of the World" scenarios so chooses this time to enjoy a holiday. What he hardly expects is for the world to really end, let alone to wake up at the start of a time loop.

07:08 - Nobody, Everywhere [2012, London] As Dorian builds a life in modern day again, the Doctor returns with a warning. Dorian's eternal life is in danger and he cannot trust anybody. The people that want him go back to his very beginning, they cannot be stopped or reasoned with and they'll stop at nothing to get their hands on him. After being in each other's life for so long, do they have what it takes to stop an enemy without a face?

08:00 - Cancer [2099, Seoul] The Doctor's regeneration gets revealed along with her placement in the timeline. Her regeneration leads her to crash into the streets of Seoul in 2099, where she meets Dorian for the first time and he meets her for the last. As the Doctor battles Regeneration Sickness, Dorian has to work on his own to stop a hacker called "Jocasta" from destroying the biggest business district in South Korea. Is she the biggest danger? Or is there something lurking beneath the surface?

09:09 - Epilogue Now that the Doctor has recovered, it's time for her to travel through time and space. Who's to say she has to do it alone?

Confusing? Here's each story in order.

IS THAT IT?! Pretty much, that's all my current thoughts on the idea plus a short description for each episode. There are definitely more ideas I could vent, but that would involve a serious amount of foresight about where I'm going to take this IF I take this anywhere.

But in case I never elaborate... > Harmony Shoal, "The Flood" Cybermen & Macra. > A Gallifreyan ghost story turned into a cat. > Silurian Time-Lords and "The Nightmare Child". > A "Paradox" Doctor with a red TARDIS.

If you're interested, let me know! I want to know if people would like to read this or if it's just me

#fanfic #fanfiction #doctor who #rambles #bbc #doctor who fanfiction #throw me a bone here #the second i write a doctor who story for real #i'm writing dorian gray into it in a heartbeat #i have a whole other story idea about the doctor in ragnarok #i'll see if i ever write that one up

[x--daughters-of-darkness--x]

Japan's All-Female Metal Band LOVEBITES Returns With New Bassist And 'Judgement Day' Music Video

LOVEBITES, the all-female heavy metal band from Tokyo, Japan, has returned from its hiatus with a new member, a new music video and news of a fourth studio album coming in February 2023. The LP is also available to preorder today from JPU Records, and is available physically in three editions.

"Judgement Day", the fittingly titled album, will be the first to feature the band's new lineup, which includes bassist Fami, who was selected after an audition process and is just 20 years of age. The fast, melodic and heavy metal sound that LOVEBITES has excelled at since its debut is still burning strong, but has been sublimated further. Newcomer Fami also brings an added charm to the quintet, including her signature slap technique. The album contains ten completely new songs, mixed and mastered by Finnish masterminds Mikko Karmila and Mika Jussila, who have worked on all of the band's studio albums.

Fans can get a taste of the new LOVEBITES today with the release of the digital single and music video to the album's title track, available to download, stream and watch now.

The cover art for the album features a wolf, an incarnation of the band that has appeared on all of LOVEBITES's previous albums. This time, as the title suggests ("Judgement Day"),the wolf clutches scales that weigh good and evil within its jaws, and is captured sprinting between the sun and the moon. Further meaning from the cover art can be discovered in the title track's music video, and further details will likely be revealed in the future too.

"Judgement Day" will be released digitally worldwide on February 22, 2023, and released on CD from JPU Records from February 24, 2023. A video-on-demand and CD bundle is also available directly from JPU Records' web site. It features a documentary of the bassist auditions which includes interviews with the members of the band, as well as Fami while she was still one of the finalists — all with English subtitles. It also includes four studio sessions; "The Hammer Of Wrath", "Golden Destination" and "Shadowmaker" from the audition finals, and "Bravehearted", the first session with Fami as an official member of LOVEBITES. There is also a third edition that includes the CD, the video on demand content and a "Judgement Day" t-shirt. Additionally, 50 orders of this latter bundle will randomly receive a sleeve case that has been signed by the members of the band.

"Judgement Day" track listing:

01. We Are The Resurrection 02. Judgement Day 03. The Spirit Lives On 04. Wicked Witch 05. Stand And Deliver (Shoot 'Em Down) 06. Victim Of Time 07. My Orion 08. Lost In The Garden 09. Dissonance 10. Soldier Stands Solitarily

LOVEBITES formed in 2016 with vocalist Asami, guitarists Midori and Miyako, bassist Miho and drummer Haruna. The band's EP "The Lovebites" EP was mixed by Mikko Karmila and mastered by Mika Jussila, a team of talented Finnish engineers known for their work with NIGHTWISH, CHILDREN OF BODOM and AMORPHIS. In May 2017 LOVEBITES made their debut and released "The Lovebites" EP through London's JPU Records, followed by full length album "Awakening From Abyss" in October 2017 and had a series of shows in Japan and the U.K.

In 2018 LOVEBITES made their first festival appearance at Vans Warped Tour Japan 2018, as well as a headline show in June for mini album "Battle Against Damnation". In July they participated in Headstrong Fes.18 organized by ANTHEM, followed by performing at the world's biggest metal festival Wacken Open Air in Germany and Bloodstock Open Air in the U.K. They also toured Europe with X-ray Touring. After returning to Japan, LOVEBITES completed their second album "Clockwork Immortality" by the end of the year, and performed at Metal Mania, which also featured LOUDNESS.

LOVEBITES began 2019 by touring Japan, followed by supporting ARCH ENEMY on tour in China. First live album "Daughters Of The Dawn: Live In Tokyo 2019" was released in July, recorded at Mynabi Blitz Akasaka in Tokyo in support of "Clockwork Immortality". The same month the band toured festivals, including Download Festival in the U.K., Graspop Metal Meeting in Belgium, and Download Festival Madrid in Spain. At Download Festival in the U.K., Asami joined HALESTORM on stage to sing "Love Bites (And So Do I)", the song that gave LOVEBITES their name. When the band returned to Japan they toured Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka before appearing at Summer Sonic 2019. They then joined DRAGONFORCE for their U.K. tour in November as special guests.

In January 2020, the band released third album "Electric Pentagram". It became the band's first album to enter Japan's Oricon Top 10 rankings, peaking at number nine. The band then kicked off tour of Japan in February and released "Five Of A Kind: Live In Tokyo 2020" in July, recorded at Zepp DiverCity, which reached number one in the Oricon Music Blu-ray chart.

In March 2021 they released mini album "Glory, Glory, To The World", which reached No. 10 in the Billboard general chart. Immediately afterwards the band began the "Ride For Vengeance" tour 2021, touring four cities across Japan. In August Miho left the band and it was announced that LOVEBITES would take a break. In the meantime, "Heavy Metal Never Dies – Live In Tokyo 2021" was released in the U.K. as a CD and video on-demand release, featuring the Tokyo show from the "Ride For Vengeance" tour 2021, followed by best album "In The Beginning: The Best Of 2017-2021".

In April 2022, the band held an audition for all nationalities, ages, and genders worldwide to find a new bassist. After a long selection process, fami joined in October of the same year, leading to LOVEBITES once again being composed of five members.

#Loverbites #Judgement Day #2022 news