#congrats on the demo release!!

[gb-patch]

Congrats on the successful kickstarter launch and the AMAZING DEMO RELEASE!

I've played through it once, which is obviously going to turn into many times, but I have one thing on my mind. A while ago I remember you said that the relationships Qiu and Tamarack develop over the years are not in our control. But does the dynamic between them change too? For my first playthrough they mentioned that they weren't friends and I'm curious to know if it'll be like that every time no matter what. I'll probably find out replaying the game but thank you either way for creating this masterpiece <333

Thank you very much :D

It will be like that every time no matter what. You can't make it so they're buddies at the start of Step 2, I'm afraid. It's out of your hands.

You can tweak their dynamic a bit, only for the worse though, aha. If the characters are set to be jealous over the MC than they will have more moments of tension with each other than usual.

#our life #our life: now & forever #ask #qiu lin #tamarack baumann

[sleepynxri]

“In hindsight, I should have looked at the instructions"

A/N: THE DEMO IS FINALLY OUT OMG!! Congrats to the devs and the whole team for releasing the demo!! I love it so much to the point I think I'm the first one to make an x reader of it lol. But I chose my favorite (for now)Vince!! And a certain person might like it as much as I do hehe. I might not get his full personality right since it is still the demo and the characters might change their personalities depending the route you pick on the official release, but do enjoy everyone! And requests will be open until further notice. And of course spoilers for the demo!!

P. S. The reader is demisexual! If you don't know what it is it means a person who feels sexually attracted to someone after creating a close bond with them! It made sense to me since in the demo the mc was a bit rude and judgemental in their thoughts regarding their interactions with the different love interests. But hey! If you don't like it then just ignore this part! Enjoy it however you like hatchlings!

Pairing: Vince Matador x gn! reader

Warnings: curses, no use of Y/N only You/I

What did I get myself into?

A sigh of exhaustion released itself from your mouth as you headed out from the diner where you now currently work at.

Who knew that you had to use the first few weeks of your summer in an unknown town after your car suddenly broke down in the middle of nowhere?

Fuck Fate and itself.

You started on walking around the streets of the said town, it was interesting to say the least. Almost everyone in this vicinity at least knew each other if they were a neighbour or a regular. You felt out of place whenever someone pointed out or asked if you were new around.

The only thing that wavered your mind was the interaction inside Cup o Jo Mama. The new part-time job you’ll be doing until you’re able to pay for both the hostel you were staying in and the repairs of your broken down car. (Srsly how did I should have checked it out before going on a long ass fucking road trip??)

Chris was quite a timid character to have as a co-worker, but I am quite the observing person to see how he changes personalities so directly. It concerns me sometimes but it wasn't my business to get into anyone’s personal lives.

And that Wyatt fellow…. Can’t say that the headlines were wrong about his looks. He was attractive, but his personality is that of a stereotypical rich people lifestyle. It's best to not not meddle myself into his work and business, if he was staying in Brine Bay in the meantime.

Placing your headphones over your ears, you started to tune out the noises, you needed some alone time after all the shit that just happened. Familiarising your steps to avoid on getting lost - (Fuck you btw Dante) again.

Clicking your tongue slightly in annoyance after remembering a certain front desk employee who didn't tell you the actual direction towards the diner you were supposed to go in.

Without you knowing, a familiar sheriff and an unknown male suddenly were seen in the corner of your eyes. Jean looked optimistic as ever, but to your surprise- he was with someone else who looked like the opposite of him.

Why not see what they’re up to?

So… . The guy’s name is Vince. Jean momentarily left you both together to help with the white haired males socialising skills. You didn't mind, but you did feel guilty for forcing him to be with you. So you thanked him for staying with you.

You didn't expect the male to give you a half- smile. It almost caught you off guard. It was so pretty…

You shook your thoughts away and gave your own warm smile. Vince was a nice fellow, since he didn't know what to show you, you suggested that he showed the areas where he likes to stay at. You bonded with him with his different favorite places in Brine Bay. You were touched on how he could trust you to these places. You knew it held something for him to show you these areas.

Then you met Kevin….

You almost laughed loudly after hearing the nickname Vince gave him.

A fucking highlighter? You didn't think the male held so much humor. (Or your humor is just broken)

Kevin was a nice fellow. A bit flirty (then again who isn't? Almost everyone - not Dante- has started flirting with you before you could even muster a response to any of their introductions) but a passionate theatre kid.

‘pre’?? Is that a word or a different language? You’ll probably ask the next time you interact with him.

After saying goodbye to the green haired male. You and Vince were left alone together again. You pointed out how it was getting late so you and him started your way back to your hostel.

“Are you enjoying yourself? “ You paused after hearing Vince’s words. You… didn't expect someone would ask this question towards you. I mean it is technically your first day here after all.

You can feel the stare of Vince from the corner of your face as you racked up an answer for him.

“I… . Can't say much. My car broke down, Jean found me, he drove me here, I met a lot of people, found a part time job… . It's overwhelming to say the least” a flash of worry crossed the eyes of Vince as he tried to find the right words to reply.

But you beat him to it.

" But… I am enjoying it. I never expected to have an adventure while on summer break. It's new…. But not unwelcoming" a chuckle escaped your lips as you watched the sky growing darker.

“That's… . Good to hear” Vince relaxed his shoulders with another pretty smile he has. Your heart flutters after seeing it again. This was the second time you’ve seen it but you already knew you’ll always remember that smile he has.

Exchanging numbers with him was… eventful. It was cute to see him flustered while nervously asking if you wanted his contact number (who wouldn't accept his advances?)

You knew you had to take your chances and placed “Vimpire" as the contact name for Vince. (He’ll probably be disappointed but who’s to say he’ll just chuckle after you have him a silly nickname)

You told him your farewells and headed back to your temporary room. Doing your nightly routine and wearing your night wear.

You decided to call someone before heading off to sleep. The first person that popped up from the idea was Vince.

“Ah.. who is it?"

“You forgot about me already?" You teased slightly with a small chuckle as you looked outside the windows while watching the luminescent sky radiating from them.

“It's you… . I-i didn't expect that you would be calling me already” you wanted to tease him more but you asked him first if he arrived home already. He was still walking from home and you both decided to stay in the call for a while.

“Can I ask… why the sudden call? “

Fuck it.

" Is it bad that I wanted to hear your voice before I head to sleep? “

A pause could be heard from the other line. You grew worried when the call suddenly hung up and you panicked. You tried texting him but he suddenly beat you to it with a call.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I panicked!" A rush of apologies came after you answered the call. It was a relief to hear that you weren't stepping over boundaries and you asked him if everything was alright.

He reassured you, telling you that he just took time to process on what you said before. You couldn't see it but he was smiling on the other side of the phone (if Jean saw this he would be supportive yet teasing the poor boy).

“Hey uhm… if you have time after your shift ends… I could show you more around town? “

You were shocked again after hearing his words. This is the second time you got shocked by this man alone. You wonder what he got plans for you next.

" I would like that” you smiled warmly from the invitation. As you both continued chatting until you both shared your farewells.

You yawned and stretched your body and headed off to sleep.

You hope you can see Vince’s smiling face again.

Threads of You: Beyond the Bay

Lavendeer Studio Discord Server

Disclaimer: I am not part of the Lavendeer Studio team, I'm just placing the links here to whoever wants to play the game or wants to join the server for more updates and upcoming events!!

#Threads of You: Beyond the Bay #Vince Matador x reader #Vince Matador x fem reader #Vince Matador #Vince Matador x male reader #Vince Matador x gn reader #male reader #female reader #gn reader #first post #im nervous

[aleprouswitch]

It's weird when people say "musicians are not your friends" to me anyway, because I've known Brann Dailor from Mastodon for a very long time, and we met partially due to the fact that I ran a Mastodon fan site with another girl and Brann happened to find it and like it. Ever since then, we've hung out with each other in non-concert situations and I've had unique experiences (like hearing demos/drafts of Mastodon songs before they were ever released) that a lot of fans would have killed for. When Mastodon finally won a Grammy several years ago, I messaged a congrats message to Brann and he answered "Thanks! You were a part of it!". That meant a lot to me.

I know that "never meet your heroes" is generally good advice and trust me, I've had some musicians be very not-nice to me before. However, there are established musicians out there who actually are nice, kind people, and some of them don't have the walls and barriers up around them than others do and will come to like and appreciate you back. For fuck's sakes, the last exchange with Brann I had was a week ago when I made a joke about Joann Fabrics and he had a hearty laugh at it. He's just another dork I talk to, and god, I really appreciate having that level of rapport with him.

#personal #he's not into noise as a genre but he still follows me on instagram and always asks how my last shows went #that makes me smile

[apt502-if]

Hello, and congrats on the demo release (I almost typed demon)!! I absolutely adored it! I had a question, and this'll be gender specific because I chose to have a female C. Is Calliope supposed to introduce herself as Cal (or be introduced, I don't recall how it went)? In my playthrough "Cal" was the only name used, and I think the description of her was for male C. (For ref, I chose their genders without looking at the descriptions in the setup portion.)

Thank you! I think the problem is that the scene when Cal introduces themself in the apartment went over my head. In the elevator, Female!Cal says: "My name is Calliope but most people call me Cal." In the apartment Cal doesn't say that bwahaa I forget that for some, the apartment is the first time they meet Cal so they haven't even seen the name Calliope!

I'll fix that in the next update. MC will have the option to ask f!Cal if they can just call her Calliope because they prefer it (and it makes Cal feel good).

Thanks for all the bug reports btw! I'm jotting them all down!

#mail #about: cal

[tosahobi-if]

Congrats on the demo release.

aaaah thank you! i was really nervous about it but i'm glad people seem to be enjoying it!

#anon #and by really nervous i mean i almost had a panic attack SJFSJSFJFSJ

[get-back-homeward]

Now and Then Day

This sideblog began after watching Get Back nagged and nagged at me until finally I started to look closer at context relative to the Beatles discography and suddenly started experiencing these WAIT WHAT moments every day as what I thought I knew got turned inside out. The appeal was in looking at something you knew like the back of your hand from another direction and seeing/hearing something new you hadn’t seen/heard before. But I had no idea we’d get another song to add to the mix in 2023.

I knew Now and Then day would be an experience. I thought I’d have to wait the whole day before listening. But I got lucky and found a few minutes to listen to Now and Then when it was first released this morning. And inexplicably clicked to hear the remastered Love Me Do instead. I cannot explain my brain.

I then tried to start Now and Then and noped out before 15 seconds in. Too overwhelming. Not the right time. I was too rushed and needed more space to mentally prepare for it.

I caught NPR covering the Now and Then release today on my drive home. They had a Lennon biographer (I didn’t catch the name) reviewing the song. He said the song recalls John’s more delicate tunes like Beautiful Boys (sic) and mentioned John started the song in 1970.

Say what?!

Here I was late last night trying to nail down a better date for John’s demo than “late 70s”. Meanwhile, biographers are just here on national public radio pushing lies. Did he have ChatGPT write his comments?

Oh yeah, they also said it was created with AI no qualifier.🤦‍♀️

They played a few snippets of the song including one new piece not in the doc but refrained from playing it in full. It was mostly wrong Beatles facts all segment.

Trying the song a second time hours later, I got through it in one piece but was feeling abit 🥴 about it as a song itself. Having just listened to the original demo was probably a mistake, and I could hear all the seams and feeling the Frankenstein song effect.

Third attempt sounded more together, with the seams not quite as noticeable. I was prepared for the changes, the layering bits from other songs, and noted highlights of the instrumentals: the strings, George’s guitar bits, and Ringo’s flourishes. I love Paul coming through on the future tense certainty of “I will love you” (is that I Will?). Ringo’s shimmering effect choice (is it tams?) is such an entrancing closer. Giles’ score and Beatles recycled bits do mend the seams well once I stop thinking about them too much.

On fourth listen, my biggest notes are questioning why Paul’s harmony with John isn’t more distinct. He shows a lot of restraint here but maybe too much? Did Get Back get to him in other ways than the most obvious? Is he just self-conscious about his own voice? Or is it the limitation of the tech when it comes to harmony mixing?

The strings were what I was most worried about, but their entrance at the 1:15 mark really kicks it up a notch to transition into the singalong. Other standouts are 1:40 with George’s flourish and 2:29 peak with the guitar solo.

Lyrically, it’s the conditional and if I make it through it’s all because of you that haunts in layers of meaning both grim and cathartic that reverberate through time and space.

If John makes it through emotionally to 1980 and has a comeback? Congrats, bud you did it. But he’s stopped physically through no fault of his own. There’s the obvious mourning of that lost potential even 40 years later.

If this song this voice this message of John’s makes it through to 2023 and reaches the public? Well, success there, Paul’s tenacity saw it through with help from many friends. John’s voice and song lives on through Paul’s wish to conjure him by his side. On the Day of the Dead no less. I was reminded of the concept of tulpas today and was knocked back on my heels by the thought.

If John as an artist and Beatles as a band make it through so fans are still listening in 2023? This doubles as a bit of a fan love letter, and thank you for 60 years. Released on the day Beatlemania first appeared in black and white.

But then there’s also a reflector on this. Some original Beatles fans have aged with Paul and Ringo and others have not and aren’t here to share this like John and George. There’s grief and mourning from those still here about those lost, and the song acts as a catharsis. A kind of thank you to the band for being there for fans in good times and bad. The symbiosis of fame between a band and its fans across the decades.

It’s a lot.

I spent some time looking at the youtube comments on the song. Some original fans but many second and even third generation fans. And quite a few stories about a loved one who loved the band and recently passed away like this one:

And this:

But also in there are stories of catharsis and healing.

And many memories of the joy that Beatles music has brought to people’s lives. We all have these stories of how their songs weave into our own life. But it’s the joy that I keep coming back to as the secret sauce to the band’s earliest days. I often think of those early songs more in terms of feeling then anything, and it starts with the first single.

I love the Love Me Do remastering. That harmonica sounds so crisp. The bluegrassy harmonies have never sounded better. The ones on ple-ee-ee-ease still give me chills. Ringo’s drums moved forward in the mix to appreciate that driving beat just a bit more. I can hear the bass too. I can’t wait to hear what the other early Red album tracks sound like.

But next to Now and Then, I’m also looking at the lyrics like I never did before. Why give it another glance? Written by a 16 year old kid, it always sounded a bit juvenile and simple. But suddenly next to Now and Then, there’s a weight to it I never heard before.

Love, love me do

You know I love you

I’ll always be true

So please, love me do

It sounds like a promise. Now and Then is fulfillment of that always. It’s no longer just the whim of a kid. But rather the beginning of 7 decade devotional: To John, to the band, to fans, and reflected back again. The love is reciprocal from all sides.

How’s that for a WAIT WHAT moment? Paul turning the least likely song inside out and backwards. And he didn’t even add a lyrical middle eight.

#my text #song reactions #had to write up today #overwhelmed #too many thoughts #not well organized but felt wrong to leave them to the tags #what a weird day #hesitating to tag it #now and then #dont mind me im still processing it #i still post on tumblr dot com like its lj 2008 #i used to do tv ep reactions but song reactions is a first #i probably missed some bits #waxing poetic about cassette tapes another day #conversations with ghosts #grief #a tag ive had here for over a year now that i swear i will do something with one day #someone mentioned hauntology and when i get a working brain again yes lets get on that #taking real love free as a bird and now and then together #for the record the moment that actually made me flat out sob today #t was the anthology youve got to hide your love away with john’s ‘ready macca?’ #sitting on a vidding project all year but that ones getting added

[waklman]

Double Take

Chapter One: Mouse

synopisis: the hard-deck believes their prized solo artist needs to boost her social presence before a long awaited album release, with the help of a manager (babysitter). yet, you manage to ditch or chase away every artist manager that gets assigned to help you. as a last resort, the label contacts the only manager who was able to tie you down, the now retired Pete Maverick Mitchell, asking for a referral. lucky for you, the one person that comes to his mind is Bradley Bradshaw—who’s in need of a new job.

warnings: no use of y/n, mature themes 18+, explicit language. reader is 21 and bradley is 23.

word count: 3.1k.

next chapter | double take masterlist.

“Can’t you just tell me her name?”

Bradley’s tongue kisses his teeth, unsure if he wants to kick Jake right off the swivel chair he’s currently occupying or not. 

And Jake doesn’t make his contemplation any much easier, choosing to grab at Bradley’s knees, using them as an anchor to spin himself around the music studio–almost knocking Javy’s vintage Stratocaster out of its stand.

Originally, the pair turned up to make sure Javy doesn’t overwork himself–silently supporting him in the background while he tweaks some of his new projects for demoing, with the promise of getting lunch together afterwards. And like always, Bradley and Jake found it difficult to keep quiet, with Bradley one snarky comment away from laying his hands on Jake. 

Deciding against the display of violence, Bradley snaps at him instead. “What happened to–Oh I don't know. Hey! congrats man or I’m happy for you Bradshaw. Good luck on the new job?” 

Javy eavesdrops on the brewing argument going on behind him, unable to focus on mixing the last untitled track he’s been trying to work on. As expected, he hears the wheels on the blond’s chair come to a halt, followed by Jake starting to fire back “Maybe I would congratulate you if-” 

“Guys. Please.” Javy is exasperated, retracting his cramped hands from the soundboard in front of him. He lets out a deep sigh, swiveling around to face the two men who he sent into a deafening silence, giving them both a look of disapproval–like a parent would to their children. 

Bradley awkwardly shifts under Javy’s gaze, making the leather couch under his thighs squeak from the movement–while Jake sucks in his cheek from embarrassment, pushing himself up to fix his slouched posture.

Javy lets the pair soak in the punishing silence before deciding to speak up again. “Anyways. Congrats Bradshaw, you finally get to escape your shitty ex-client.” Bradley appreciatively nods his head, thanking Javy. “And Jake, if Bradley says over three times that he doesn’t know the girl he’s gonna work for, it’s safe to assume that he really doesn’t know.” 

Jake shoots the broad man beside him an elusive look, before entirely giving in. “Sorry, I was just excited you’re working for a chick instead of some greaser.” he admits. 

Across the studio, Bradley notices Javy has an expectant look on his face, encouraging him to respond. “It’s fine, Seresin.” he mutters under his breath.

Seeing that the mood of the room is still significantly low, Javy attempts to bring it back up. “Hey, so Mav didn’t tell you who it was?”

“Nope,” Bradley shrugs, enunciating the word. “..told me she’s kinda a handful though,” he recalls. “Can’t be worse than the dude you worked for before.” Jake puts forth. Bradley leans back into the couch at the mention of his last client. “Man, I hope not–cause he was a fucking dickhead.” 

“Didn’t he make you wait with him, while he got tested for chlamydia?” Jake asks, lips tightly sealed in a thin line—failing to conceal his amusement. 

Bradley lets out a brief laugh, shaking his head at the memory, “Yeah, and guess what,” He whispers, taking a pause to build suspense–smiling while the two other men both lean in curiously. “..it came back positive.” 

“I fucking knew it dude.” Jake shouts–stumbling in his seat, upon hearing the news. He had been begging Bradley to reveal the results for months now, but Bradley wasn’t able to tell anyone until he was released from his contract–which ended just last week.

The room brightens up again, with Jake celebrating his odd victory, while Javy and Bradley share a laugh at his reaction. 

“Jeez Seresin, I never thought I’d see the day you’re excited over chlamydia results.” Javy jokes, hinting at Bradley to join in. “Right? He looked bummed the last time he got back a positive test.” Bradley adds on, lips tugging into a smirk. 

“Yeah, Yeah keep the jokes coming, why don’t ya.” 

The instrumental leaking through your headphones does nothing to soothe the sting of your migraine.

Instead, the dulling ache just manages to double down under the blaring white light that oversees the room–causing the mild discomfort of waiting on everyone to worsen. 

Choosing to ignore the searing pain that now lines the front of your skull, you tightly shut your eyes to focus on the way the melody repeats itself again, making sure to pay close attention to the percussion that’s been added on this time. The production choice doesn’t suit the track, so you make a mental reminder to yourself: ask Javy to tone down those drums the next time you catch him in the studio. 

Bringing a hand underneath your hood, you cup the sleek shell of your headphones–pressing the pleather cushion tighter against your ear to properly listen for the beat counts. You begin to nod your head, following the beat for the next minute.

Impromptu lyrics start to come to mind, but before you could stick them to memory, you’re quickly interrupted by a light kick to the shin from underneath the table. In a jolt of surprise, your eyes rip open to see that Andi–your publicist, has been trying to capture your attention. She’s currently in the middle of saying something to you, but you can’t hear a word that leaves her mouth. 

“Sorry, what?” you hastily tear off the headphones, letting them fall forward into your lap—quickly adjusting your ears to all the sound that was previously muffled. 

“I said, it looks like you’re in trouble. Ms. Benjamin doesn’t usually make an appearance for team meetings...” All you can do is sigh at the reminder.

“Well, maybe if she met me in the middle, there wouldn’t be any problems.” you quip. The offhanded reply just makes Andi’s face fall flat.

Out of nowhere, someone tugs back the peak of your hood, allowing the unwanted light to flood your vision even more. With squinted eyes, you turn around to glare at the sly social media consultant–who just entered the room.

“Well, maybe you should learn to comply because you need the exposure.” Graham offers, amused grin on his face.

“God, she summoned you here too?” you ask, watching him throw himself into the seat besides you, carelessly tossing his slim legs over the table.

“Penny Benjamin spares no one, especially our little rockstar here.” he winks at you–crossing both arms behind his head to lean back. Graham always had a knack for not letting things get to him–creating an equilibrium amongst your team, his carefree attitude neutralizing everyone else’s overthinking tendencies.

“Dude, how are you so relaxed right now? I think I might hurl.” Micky–your agent speaks up, green in the face as if he's actually about to carry out his statement. Besides him, Andi is nodding in agreement, biting the lining of her inner cheek. 

“No vomit in my meeting room please.” a smooth voice calls out by the door. And there she is, Penny Benjamin, the bane of your existence, as of late. 

When she first launched her career four years ago, you were one of the first artists she managed to secure. Not long after your fresh debut, you were overwhelmingly adored by the public—securing your title as one of the youngest rising stars at the time, at only seventeen years old. And with that privilege, you received a lot of leniency, until recently. 

Sometime last month, Penny had strongly suggested you “dip your feet into the social scene of Hollywood”, the one thing you were promised you wouldn’t need to do when you signed a record deal in the first place. But everyone knows by now that, what Penny asks for, Penny gets–transforming her strong suggestion into a fully fleshed out set of PR moves for the next few months. 

You inwardly scoff, watching her strut in to take a seat at the end of the table, impatiently waiting as your team scrambles to get Graham to sit up properly–now that you’re in the presence of the person who employs you all in the first place. 

“Alright. Alright–I get it!” Graham yells back in a hushed whisper, waving off everyone’s stack of complaints with a dismissive hand.

“Now that you’re all settled,” Penny starts, voice tight, sending a warning look over to Graham.

You watch as a satisfied smile appears on her face, once he stills. Then you see it. There’s an unrecognizable glint in her eyes–sending an instinctive shiver to run down your back.

“I’d like to introduce you all to your new team member.” Penny announces, making direct eye contact with you, grinning. She clearly has a trick up on sleeve.

And there’s no point in hiding your distaste for it, because you’re sure it’s written all over your face–you were never one to hide your expressions well anyway. 

Around you, your team begins to stir–all three of them exchanging confused looks with each other. Why call everyone down to the building—just to welcome some poor soul who’ll just end up quitting after dealing with you for a few days?

“Excuse me, Ms. Benjamin? I don’t mean to interrupt but–we’ve already run through ten different managers this past month.” Micky meekly raises his concern.

“Oh, trust me I’m well aware,” 

“Which is why, I brought in a new hire recommended to us by Maverick.”

Your mind instantly reels back–determined to search through every possible person your old manager would have suggested. You’re too deep in thought to notice that the rest of your team follows along behind you, skimming through Maverick’s connections in their heads for someone that could possibly handle your tactics. 

“Tell him, he can come in now.” Penny requests, calling out to her assistant guarding the door.

All eyes trail over to entry way, and in walks the last person you expected to see.

You immediately stiffen, upon recognizing who it was, “Oh shit. Mouse?” he gapes loudly. Your mouth opens but no words seem to come out—all you can do is stare back at him incredulously.

“Bradley fucking Bradshaw.” Graham yells out in disbelief, standing up from his seat to greet him.

“Graham Cracker?” he gawks, fixing his attention onto Graham, meeting him in the middle for a hug.

Everyone seemed to be relieved to see him, except for you. 

You had only met Bradley a handful of times–your interactions were always brief but never pleasant, the first impression being the most unfortunate of them all. 

Back then, you let yourself into Maverick’s apartment since he was out of town, in search of a sweater you left behind–just to end up clashing face first into Bradley’s wet chest—because he’d been taking showers there until his own bathroom was repaired. 

By the second encounter, he’d even nicknamed you Mouse, because of the ridiculous Karen Smith mouse costume that Natasha made you wear—to match her and Bob at a Halloween bash last year. Bradley had made teasing comments towards you all night and you just took it—far too embarrassed to utter back a word, especially so soon after seeing him practically half naked. 

You wanted to kick yourself for not being able to figure this out right away. This made sense–Bradley was Maverick’s nephew who also worked in the industry as well. You had never bothered to pay attention to his conversations with Mav about his previous job, but now, you wish you did. 

As Bradley makes his way around the room, you look up in search for Penny but she’s already out the door. Your headache is quickly replaced by an onset of annoyance. 

“Miss me?” you’re immediately met with the sight of his crotch in your face. 

Blinking slowly, you stretch your stiff neck to look up at Bradley who’s standing in front of you now, blindly confident as ever. You don’t even know what to say–still trying to overcome your shock at his surprise appearance. 

“Look at you Mouse. You’re so happy to see me–you can’t say a thing” he falsely observes, bringing his rough hands forward to grab at the fat of your cheek. 

“Agh.” you squeak, softly rubbing over the skin he pinched, trying to soothe the pain. 

“There she is, you ready to kick back with me?” he coos. It’s like he doesn’t even consider the fact that you could punch him where it hurts, all it would take is one jab between the legs.

“Good luck Bradshaw, she’s a runner–managed to escape poor Tommy at a movie premiere last week. The kid quit because he said his anxiety meds weren’t strong enough to keep up with her.” Graham laughs, retelling the story of your last manager. Though, it only entertains him and Bradley, because Andi and Micky both share a look of apprehension–remembering how they failed to convince the last manager to give you one more chance. 

“Is that right?” Bradley looks at you, intrigued.

“You gonna be nice to me, Mouse?” There’s something about provoking you, that just elicits sheer joy out of him. He thinks it’s because you’re like a little sister he’s never had. But you think it’s because he has nothing better to do with his life. Your opinions clash. 

“No.” you snap, voice coming out weaker than you wanted. 

“What was that?” he teases, squatting down in front of you, leveling his gaze. 

You look right into his mischievous eyes and answer him again, more stern this time. “No.” 

“Wouldn’t expect any less.” Bradley’s smiles smugly, completely unfazed by your harsh reply. 

It’s like Penny staked her claims on you this month, selecting you as her victim of choice. 

Not only does she cover Bradshaw’s living expenses, but she also buys out your neighbor’s apartment–dropping the shiny keys right into Bradley's meaty hands, giving him a direct line of access to you. You always knew she was quite stubborn–but never expected it to reach this degree, which gives you a sickly feeling that Bradley might be harder to dodge than you had previously thought. 

And your intuition is proven correct, because he has barely left your side since yesterday–even with the knowledge that you didn’t have any events lined up until next week. 

“Delivery for, uh—Reese Witherspoon?” the uniformed man asks, confused by Bradley’s towering figure between the crack of your door. 

“This is she, thanks man.” he grins, oblivious to the delivery man’s uncertainty. 

Bradley shamelessly passes him a wad of ten dollar bills in exchange for the brown paper bag. The door shuts, and it takes him only four long strides to reach you in the kitchen. 

“When I said put a fake name under the order, that's not what I meant.” You make no effort to look at him, too focused on unzipping files on your laptop. Bradley just shrugs off your unamused comment, placing the bag onto the counter. “I think Reese Witherspoon is a good secret alias.” he answers, completely sure of himself.

“A secret alias is labeled secret for a reason.” He nods, taking in your reply before tearing right into the bag–dumping the contents out. The inviting smell disperses in the air, hitting both your noses in an mere instant. 

“I kept your identity a secret, did I not?” he turns to grin at you, but your eyes are still glued onto your screen. His grin disappears at the lack of attention. You already lost yourself in your work again, scrolling through all the tracks Javy sent over for approval. 

Too caught up in organizing everything you received, you fail to realize that Bradley planted himself next to you. With furrowed brows, you carefully move one of the songs over to the music application for further inspection. But, from the corner of your eye, you see a floating tin-foil wrapped burrito, carried by Bradley, starting to slowly block the view of your screen. 

“You’re my manager, not my nanny.” you shoot him down, slapping away the gluttonous burrito. 

“Just one bite, make your old man proud.” he attempts to sway you, already peeling back the wrapping for you. 

You snap your head in his direction. “You’re only two years older than me, Bradshaw.” You deadpan him, but all Bradley does is smirk at you in response, pleased that you had already dismissed your work to answer him.

“I know you’re hungry.” he drags out the word, already bringing the burrito up to your face again. 

“No, I’m not.” you reply firmly–but your body fails to line up with your statement because a loud rumbling can be heard from the pit of your stomach. The sound makes Bradley swipe his tongue over his lips, amused.  

“What was that? Can’t hear you over your tummy growling.” he leans in, playing into his bit. 

In no mood to put up another argument, you snag the burrito out of his hands, angrily taking a bite–but your chewing comes to a halt–because it’s so fucking good, you can’t even pretend to be mad. 

“Shit, you look so funny Mouse. Lemme take a pic for Graham.” 

He doesn’t even give you a second to react before he’s pulling out his phone for a picture. Struggling to work the camera app, he switches to instagram to take the picture instead. With one hand, he lightly grabs your jaw to point your face at his camera, chuckling to himself as he snaps an image. You just blink back him, obliging–brain scrambling from the burrito–to the camera–to him touching your face. 

Forcing yourself to swallow back the food, you slam down the burrito against the tabletop, reaching for his phone.

“Bradshaw, delete that,” you demand, embarrassment evident in your voice.

“No can do, Graham asked me to take pictures of you. He needs more content for your fans.” He gladly denies you, slapping his entire palm over your face so you don’t see him save the picture to his camera roll. 

You grumble unintelligibly into his palm. There was no point in fighting back—he never removes his hand until he's satisfied with himself. You'd seen him do it too often with Nat.

“What was that? Thank you for the food Bradshaw? Awe. You’re so welcome Mousey.” he runs his mouth, enjoying how you’re unable to respond to him. 

Bradley likes to think you settled down from your anger from earlier, but the spiteful glances you’re sending in his direction says otherwise. 

You’re both eating in silence, with you taking strategic bites, and Bradley beginning to sink his teeth into his second burrito. You uncomfortably watch as he takes a massive bite, flinching at the way he just swallows it after chewing just once.

Caught off guard by the sudden ringing of his phone, Bradley slightly chokes on a piece of chicken, sputtering forward. Taking the chance to relieve your grudge, you harshly slap a hand against his wide back–helping him cough it back up.

Bradley clears his throat, hand reaching for the device buzzing against your glossy countertop. With haste, he answers the facetime call—propping his phone up against a water bottle so you and him are in view. 

Both of you wait until the call connects, expecting to see Graham’s cheerful face appear—from seeing you two together. Instead, he loads in, biting his nails nervously. “Bradley, delete it.” Graham spits out right away. 

“What?” Bradley mumbles, with a stuffed mouth. 

“Delete what.” you snap your head at Bradley. 

Graham worriedly swipes his hand through his hair, “Someone took a screenshot of your story and shared it to a few news accounts online. I need to call Andi so we can get them taken down but you need to delete it–like right now.” he warns.

You’re still not comprehending what’s going on, but it finally clicks in Bradley’s head.

“Fuck.” Bradley whispers. You look over at his screen, watching him rush to open Instagram to reveal the burrito picture of you that had been accidentally posted on his story–and it has over 25,000 views.

note: thank you reading! please tell me your thoughts on double take so far, i would love to hear! :) that being said, reblogs are very greatly appreciated!

join the taglist for this series here or follow @waklman-library and turn on notifs to be notified when i post!

#bradley bradshaw #bradley 'rooster' bradshaw #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley rooster x y/n #bradley rooster x reader #bradley rooster bradshaw #top gun rooster #rooster top gun #rooster x y/n #rooster x reader #rooster x you #bradley x reader #bradley x you #tgm au #tgm fic #bradley bradshaw fluff #bradley bradsaw x reader

[sanctus-ingenium]

I saw on ko-fi that you're releasing your book, and I'm very excited. I'm having top surgery this week, and it'll be good to read it while I'm recovering! The sample you released earlier this year was fantastic

oh shit congrats on the surgery!!! wow, i'm really glad to hear that you enjoyed the demo, there's so so much more where that came from. i hope you have a smooth recovery <3

#when i had top surgery i spent the immediate aftermath writing an 80s corporate CEO au of the characters from inver #essentially recreating the entire chunk of the book which i put up as demo except all taking place in a skyscraper owned by a megacorp. fun #oh right. uhh whole book release tomorrow 8pm - i should make a new post actually

[aevumgames]

YAY! Congrats on the Twine demo release!!! 🩵🩵🩵🩵I was so pleasantly surprised to see it extended a bit past the original demo! And I love the formatting/ option setup it’s so sleek! But I gotta say- Kaine, our big sweet protector 🥹🥹 missed him.

It made me think: how did/does a crushing on MC Kaine deal with any potential suitors who come around the tavern to get an eyeful of MC or try to court them?

Also: is Martin aware that (bff+crush!) Kaine has feelings for his kid? And vice versa?

Again, amazing job and patiently looking forward to more! 🩵🩵

Thank you so much B! And yeah, I was hoping the little bit of extra content would get noticed!

Ah, Kaine... as the first character I made for this IF story he holds a special place in my heart. Also, as for a Kaine that's been crushing on MC, unfortunately the answer is that he doesn't deal with it, LOL. Kaine who has been best friends with the MC since they were younger has, well... things that have held him back from ever confessing how he felt. And those same things are a source of a bit of self-loathing for him, so I think if someone were to flirt with MC in front of him, he would simply feel like he didn't deserve to intervene. But, that said, if MC seemed uncomfortable at any point with the flirtation, Kaine would be swooping in so fast to get the person to back off! The guy very much has protective instincts, he just currently has... some unresolved conflicts holding him back from his romantic feelings.

Also, in the BFF+Crush path? Martin totally knows MC and Kaine have feelings for each other. He's been watching them slowly begin to pine for each other for most their lives, to the point where Martin and Gregory discuss the two of them regularly and make wagers on them. They've both decided it's best to "let them figure it out themselves", but at the same time it's driving everyone MC and Kaine both know slowly insane, LOL. I also think Kaine knows that Martin knows, a fact which mortifies him to no end, I'd say. It's all very funny, honestly.

Thank you again! And I really hope I can get more of the story done and out there soon!!

#ask.txt #kingdom-dance #kaine breckem

[infamous-if]

First of all, congrats on the release! I replayed like four times already, choosing different options and everything was amazing! It might be a little too soon since the demo just came out, but do you think you’ll ever be looking for Alpha & Beta readers for this IF, or you kinda rolling with the personal project feel?

Thank you! Ahhh happy you enjoyed it!!

And though I do like personal project feel (less anxiety) the plans I have for Infamous what with coding and variations just makes it difficult *not* to have testers. It’d just be too much for me. The demo is pretty tame in comparison to what I want the rest of the story to be!

I mean I can keep doing it myself, but then every release would be riddled with errors and while I know people don’t mind it definitely bothers me hahaha

TLDR: I’m planning to! But I probably won’t make it a big thing, it’d be really casual hopefully just a few people reading for fun and just letting me know without all the fuss or any requirements ❤️

#inbox

[crescencestudio]

after i noticed the enchanted demo release i did a whole ass lap around the house and when i tell you im so close to biting my table every time the scenes change... THE ATMOSPHERE?? THE ART??? THE ENTIRE THINGYS?!?! i wanna bundle this all up and like,. absorb it, eat it even. I played through it straight, no pause no nothin'. im REPLAYING IT even and trying not to run laps around the rooms here. my brain chemistry has been altered. i saw the divine. i am not the same person i was like 2 hours ago. the love, the skill, the gui, the art, the writing the all of it, it's amazing, divine even. like, i want this painted on my ceiling. like im not joking i want this entire game painted on my ceiling.. i remember playing the very first demo and being FLOORED bc hello??? banger plot banger characters whats not to love (the #gayforkayn from like 2 years ago has a whole section in my heart LMAO). and now the enchanted demo is release, and im still so in love no even more in love with the game. seeing the work being done on alaris has been the one of the highlights throughout the time ive been around, and im so happy for you! so a big congrats to this milestone and all the work that has been done to get here! im writing this in a like half awake moment so dunno how much makes sense and also im sorry if this got long i swear it wasnt like this when i started. i be remembering and writing but the enchanted demo gives me the best shakes someone could get. but seriously, i can feel the love that went into this. my heart and soul are happy, and once again a massive congrats to this milestone and every bit of work done to reach it. the entire demo has so much love poured into it and every little piece of the game just makes me get those good shakes in my heart (if that makes sense). (I also did not mean for this to get a little bit long but, im just so proud and happy for you)

KARMA U R ONE OF THE OGS….. i literally remember u still from like the two years that have passed since the first demo. IT MAKES ME SO HAPPY TO KNOW U LIKE THIS VERSION TOO!!!!

revamping everything has honestly been a crazy and Extremely Tiring experience. i never would’ve imagined two years ago i would’ve been able to replace everything i have. the different vfx (snowblossom my beloved), text effects, assets, and just everything took up so much time to replace. a lot of times i wondered if it was even worth it since the changes felt small. but i rly do feel like seeing the end product now, it feels so different from the og and in a way the demo is a reminder of how far i’ve come on my dev journey compared to the og release 😭

so thankful as always for the ppl (new and old) who have watched over alaris’s development. it means a lot to know the ppl who have played the new demo can see how much work has been put into it and like it 💖 i sometimes get self conscious comparing alaris to intertwine since a lot of new ppl came here bc of intertwine. but its def moments like this that remind me how special alaris is to me just by virtue of it being my OG project. like this is literally my child

SO GLAD U LIKE IT KARMA (and whoever else plays!!) IT FEELS SO CRAZY TO HAVE BEEN ON THIS JOURNEY W U FOR SO LONG!!!’

#alaris #asks #k4rma11 #also how did u already finish a playthrough???? #U LITERALLY MUST NOT HAVE TAKEN ANY BREAKS….. LSOSOOA

[st4rdom-if]

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL🙊 SPEAK-NO-EVIL🙉 HEAR-NO-EVIL for the ROs ! <3 (I really love your work, congrats on the demo release!)

Thank you anon! This took a while to write. Sorry about the long text 😅

🙈 SEE-NO-EVIL - what's a side of your oc that they don't want to show other people?

This one is hard since there are a lot of things about the ROs that have yet to be revealed, so this is heavy spoiler territory. They will be addressed as the game progresses, but generally they all don't want others to see their darker side.

Nari, Seungho, and Gracie have to keep up with good appearances to the public. They cannot act too brash, arrogant, or self-absorbed. Chang-ho, as a bodyguard, has to keep his temper from exploding, especially when fans get too pushy around him and MC. Andy has a possessive, envious side that they have to keep repressed around MC and others.

🙊 SPEAK-NO-EVIL - what is something your oc will refuse to stay quiet about?

Nari: Any smack talk about her or her friends in ST4RDOM. She will not stand for it at all. Expect to find her engaged in a shouting match with whoever said it until she's pulled back.

Chang-ho: Anyone hitting on MC when she is clearly uncomfortable with the touching. He will say something about it loudly.

Andy: Actually unsure about them, they will typically speak up if they see bullying happen. But they will definitely not hold back if they hear insults about MC if they are dating.

Seungho: Rumors that are not true. If questioned about them, he will vehemently deny it to the end. While he does not mind baseless rumors, the ones that actually seem like they could be true get on his nerves.

Gracie: Frankly, she does not care what others think about her. Her personal business is hers; rumors are rumors and accusations are just accusations. Insults roll off her, ineffective.

🙉 HEAR-NO-EVIL - what is the worst thing your oc could hear from someone?

Nari: A loved one passes away. | "You are never getting out."

Chang-ho: "I hate you." | "You are fired."

Andy: "We should break up." | "I need space/time away from you."

Seungho: Nasty insults about his looks or performance. | "I do not like you. I cannot stand you."

Gracie: "You look like you gained weight." | "You are still the same as I remember you."

#answered #anon #st4rdom #ch: nari #ch: chang-ho #ch: andy #ch: seungho #ch: gracie

[sofia-d-asb]

Hi, first of all allow me to say congrats for finishing your current IF project.To tell you the truth I've been anticipating this one since you first uploaded the demo back then on Dashingdon. I recently found and followed you on Tumblr just to make sure the game wasn't being abandoned. I'm truly ecstatic after you announced the release date. So, I just want to ask, will it be possible for you to also make this game available to be purchased straight through ITCH.IO website or Google Play Store (On Android)? Cause I just checked on Steam, it's only playable for Windows and iPhone. (I mean I can play it on my laptop or computer but i'll be great if I can play it on my phone as well. I'm currently using Android) If not, it's also fine though. I will still definitely purchase it from Steam. I just can't wait for it to be fully released 😍. Thank you 😊 have a great day....

Hi there! Thank you for your message 😊

I've been getting dozens of asks about the same topic, so allow me to clarify:

Arcadie: Second-Born will be released on Steam (2 more days to go!), for PC (Windows) and Mac computers. The Steam version is not meant to work on mobile devices (tablets, smartphones).

Mobile versions: Not sure if I'm even going to do this, but I may give access to a mobile version of the game through Patreon. It'd be a bit cumbersome, but it'd be an option if you absolutely want to play on mobile.

If you want to own the game outright, though, getting it on Steam is the best option.

I wish you a great day as well!

#arcadie second born #ask #release

[lavendeerstudios]

Congrats on the release of the demo! I love Vince to bits and I just want to hug him hhhh >< I saw on tiktok that you'll add poly options in the full game, and I wanted to ask if I can romance Vince alone or if he's the full package with Jean, I wouldn't mind either but I was curious :3 thank you for your hard work and have a nice day! ♡

Thank you for the support!

You're absolutely able to romance Vince individually! Our poly options are completely optional, we understand it's not for everyone! :)

#lavendeerstudios #visual novel #renpy game #otome game #renpy #vn #vndev #indie game #renpy visual novel #interactive fiction

[knights-of-venus-if]

Hello. Loved the demo. Especially cuz it's mecha😁

Would you be willing to give sort of a roadmap for the game. What can we expect to see further. Like features or mechanics that have yet to be introduced?

Congrats.

Sure, although I’ll have to throw a big “THIS IS NOT FINAL AND COULD BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY POINT” flag on things so, be disclaimed all ye who enter here.

That said, I’m planning a semi-episodic structure, at least at first. My plan, such as it is, is to have discrete missions in the field for various employers, followed by downtime at base, followed by missions in the field, etc. At least at first, no telling how your merc’s life might get shaken up 😉 Currently for what I’m calling “Chapter 1” (no I’m not sure how many chapters there will be per se, although I do know how the plot will go. It’s just a matter of how much meat I attach to that skeleton) there are two missions that the player can take in either order, followed by a bossfight of sorts. I’m probably going to release these one at a time as their done, just because putting out more updates makes me feel better, even if they’re shorter than a massive multi-mission one.

As for mechanics I’ve coded up a little loadout system. Currently I have four weapons that you can take with two slots, which determine what stat (personal and mech) checks are available to you. That combined with simple positioning and other tactics (don’t set yourself up at range with only a pile-driver, or use a sniper if you can’t shoot for shit) will determine how the fights and missions go. For the filthy cheaters out there this is fairly easily modded, if you want to bring all the weapons you can just tick all the variables on after you launch for your mission. One thing I’m mulling over is how exactly your pay works. My current draft has you just getting raw currency you can spend, but I’ve also considered abstracting it away to “upgrade points” or some such. I think I’d like to let the MC spend their blood money on frivolities and cosmetics though, so a cash pile is best for that.

One last thing to mention is augmentation. My current plan is to have an opportunity to improve your skills naturally every few chapters up to a human cap of 5, with the opportunity to go beyond that cap and upgrade more frequently by purchasing augments that improve your performance (this can include literal performance enhancing drugs). I’d like to include the option to forgo it entirely as a sort of “hard mode”, and to discuss the consequences of leaning on it too hard, but the game will likely end up balanced around the player indulging at least a little bit.

Thanks for the ask, hope that’s what you were looking for!

#choice of games #hosted games #interactive fiction #mecha #scifi #asks #game development

[renvdmaledictus]

Hi! Congrats on demo release! I loved it and was sad that it ended so fast. I'm playing as a brooding, aggressive, sometimes sarcastic MC who likes to distance herself but protects those who are precious for her. Can't wait to meet other ROs! Also, the RO POV is so cool! Especially after being dismissed by my cold-hearted MC. 😂

I'm glad that you added height option to the game. Unfortunately, not all games include that. Will the height affect the game? Like flavor text. Hopefully it does. I want ROs and side characters crane their necks up to meet my MC's eyes. She can be rather intimidating with her height and build. Can I suggest to add body type? Also, is it possible to add character profile in the stats. For example, I go to stats and at the very top I see all the info about my MC. Name, height, eye color, hair color, body type, witch house and etc.

Anyways, once again congrats! And good luck!

Yep there will be flavor text and I'll add the stat screen as well. And I'm happy that you're enjoying the demo so far. 😁