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rinriya · 9 months

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BG3 ending (spoilers)

I finished BG3. And I.. I'm so devastated right now. Not in terms of relief or "oh, such a good game has come to an end, idk what to do next", I just don't understand what happened. I am disappointed. I need to speak out. Otherwise I feel like I can burst into tears because of indignation.

And I beg DON'T READ THE POST FURTHER if you haven't reached the end. There will be plenty spoilers. DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THE GAME.

So. Is this really the end? Is this… what we've been so actively waiting for 3 years? Maybe there will be DLCs no less than another full-fledged act? Otherwise, I cannot understand what was the point MC to do all of this?

I.. damn, this is hard. I waited so long for this game, but now I criticize it. Okay, phew. I'll get myself under control. Phew. Sorry.

We were promised different outcomes, different endings, many choices. But what did we actually get? You either save Orpheus (the Emperor becomes an enemy), or help the Emperor (Orpheus dies), or you/your companion turns into an illithid. And like.. who cares if you continued to refuse the powers. It's unavoidable in any case. You cannot form an alliance, you cannot win without a tadpole. You are linear in your final choice.

Your companions?

Wyll leaves to Avernus. Karlach returns to Avernus. Astarion can no longer stay in the sun, he begins to burn and therefore runs away. That moment… it broke my heart. My MC romanced him, couldn't he followed Star? Was it not possible to add some extra scenes? It doesn't matter to anyone. He ran away? Well meh who cares. Only Shadowheart says something like "oh, how sad, he can no longer walk in the sun."

I wanted to help him damn it! Both him and Karlach. And Lae'zel too, but game not allowed me to do so, forcing to choose: either the giths fate, or your ally. Choose.

I wanted my friends to live happily even without tadpoles! Why the hell I was saving the world, if my companions can't be happy? For the sake of a good ending, I should have let Stari to perform the terrible dark ritual? Or turn Karlach into a squid? Minsc and Jaheira are just fanservice for old fans. More or less good end has Gale (still with bomb inside him), Shadowheart and the Emperor himself.

And what about all my decisions? Where are their consequences? What happened to the vampire spawns? With a grove? With the forest? With Hell, where we killed a mighty devil?! With the Ironhand clan, who now have a new leader? Larian Studios, was it really so hard to write at least in text about everything that happened? Like in DOS2 at least? Or about our companions future life. At least about them!

It feels like even if I decided to play as pure evil.. there would be no difference, because I just don't know what my actions led to. But I can't play evil, I just can't hurt anyone. Yes, I'm boring person who loves happy endings and when everyone doing great.

BG3 received its fame, glory, attention. Obviously will receive a bunch of awards, because its ratings beat all records, but inside me.. there is just emptiness. I can headcanon a happy ending with Astarion, truly free Lae'zel, who will be no longer chased by Vlaakith's servants and Karlach with repaired heart. But it will all be in my head. Not in the game. Baldur's Gate 3.. is like a beautiful (really beautiful) wrapper, but the candy inside turned out to be simple and not very different from the others.

I'm sad. Very sad. And I'm sorry for this flow of words. I had to speak out. Now I feel a bit better. I really want to hear your opinion, because now I'm mentally hurt. I obviously triggered the high expectations for this game and get a painful kick for that.

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conarcoin · 4 months

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Congrats on finding your white whale. I'm excited to see what comes next from either sharing, or keeping it to yourself.

This fic is definitely one of those pillar fics that created this reaction that we can still see the repercussions of today. And the negative attention the author received in wake of the fic was not something that they deserved. I must admit I am curious to see what that fic actually holds because I stayed away from that side of the mcyt fandom at the time because of personal reasons

Whatever decision is made with the fate of the fic, I will fully understand and support it. Knowing that the fic still exists in its entirety is enough for me.

But also. Were you around at the time of the fics original publication? And how much did the reactions to this fic actually set a tone for the rest of the fandoms interactions with content creators?

I was not! I was a lurker - for personal reasons I was inactive on social media from around 2017 to 2020, if I'm remembering correctly. However, I have done an absurd amount of research into MCYT fandom history to the point of digging through thousands of old SMPtwt tweets, since I'm very autistic about SMPLive and MCYT as a whole.

SMPRonpa directly led to the creation of the blog smp-boundaries, as it was singled out and used as an example of inappropriate fan content by CallMeCarson in his stream "Let's address fan culture", which was the reason the blog was made. Said blog would continue to be updated into the early Dream SMP period and is still cited today despite being filled with misinformation. SMPRonpa is frequently referenced as an example of "what not to do" by other fans - I remember Among Us and Squid Game AUs being heavily criticized with this "remember SMPRonpa" narrative.

Creators didn't really care about it besides Carson, and plenty of them were openly positive towards it! SMPtwt also for the most part loved it, while SMPblr considered it gross and inappropriate. Because of how Carson talked about the fic, people now have the incorrect belief that a majority of creators involved were super uncomfortable with it - when that isn't the case at all - you had them actively replying to the creator and discussing the fic with fans, cracking jokes about their in-fic deaths and kills, it even ended up with Poke playing Danganronpa which you can still watch on his channel!

It's a very odd piece of fandom history to me that goes to show the damage you can do to your community by interfering with and publicly shaming fan content you don't like. I feel like the community around SMPLive seemed way more friendly with their creators before the stream, and it never really was the same after that, unfortunately.

You also have to think about Carson being later stated to be manipulative and at times downright abusive to his friends, especially the three he lived with in 2019-2020 (Noah, Cooper, and Travis - Noah's talked about it in length in an interview that's up on YouTube somewhere) - I feel like this is an important detail to consider given how his concerns were made into "all of our concerns" in the stream. Creators besides Carson were largely uncomfortable moreso by the stan culture surrounding them rather than any individual fan works, at least from everything I've publicly seen.

#discourse #< just kinda #my meta posts

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heartscrypt · 8 months

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wip review wednesday (it is not fucking wednesday)

rb the art im talking abt here to support me : )

i wanted to do something a lil new and actually talk through my choices in the artwork in the post so like if you're not here for commentary. i put everything under a read more!!!!

ok so here's a basic breakdown of what everyone is doing in the piece. or supposed to be doing. you can zoom in on shit to verify if u want

jamiazu: obviously jamil is beating azul at ddr. less obviously azul is sweating because this is actually not the first round of ddr. he has lost horribly in two other rounds but he's not giving up (he should give up)

tweels: they're both judging azul because they know he's horrible at cardio so what in the world is that boy doing on that dance machine. jade is making snide remarks about azul's lack of balance behind his hand and floyd's listening in amusement

adeucepel: epel just won an impossible amount of tickets at skeeball. apparently his aim is really good thanks to some carnival game in his home town. deuce is being excitedly supportive and helping him gather the tickets. ace is arguing that he should get a share because he totally helped epel score (he didn't)

rookvil: they're looking at the ticket prizes. vil is scrutinizing the cheap mass produced quality. rook is just happy to have his arm around her waist and equally happy to listen to her sharp criticism. shes so beautiful when shes annoyed♥️

diasomnia: silver is attempting to figure out the card machine in order to get a play card for malleus. malleus was not told that they were going to the arcade (hes definitely not dressed for it) but is honestly happy to just be there and is volunteering to try his hand at the machine (five seconds after this scene he will break it on accident). sebek is running over to yell at silver for not being able to figure out the card machine (he's also not able to figure it out). lilia is watching his kids from the inside of a ghostbusters shooter booth game. you know the ones

idikei: idia is destroying some zombies in a shooter game. cater is actually not playing. he's got his phone in his hand and he's just talking At idia while idia plays

ruggie: he's actually judging jamil. raising his eyebrows at jamil even bothering to play against azul who is clearly not even at his skill level. bro this is not even fair game

part of my art process for this piece was getting outfit suggestions from my friends so to everyone who complimented the outfit choices in the tags im pulling back the curtains. i have a million mice running around in my brain (my friends). here are some funny snippets (i did not put idia in a squid games shirt. i did give him crocs though)

#jamie talks #txt post #img post #long post #heartsprocess #this shit took a week. exhaustin #im not used to drawing bgs so if the perspective is off thats why #also i had a moment where i really hated the color palette but im normal now so

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gabrielsbubblegumbitch · 30 days

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It doesn't seem to get discussed very often, but what's it like to have comorbid ASD and NPD?

hard

No but seriously it's like playing Squid Games when you don't know the rules (and everyone else does). How do I suppose to get my social validation without understanding what people expect from me??

Also it makes treatment very hard because line between maladaptive NPD pattern and adaptive ASD strategy is very blurry. For example, one therapist told me that I need to stop thinking so much about how other see me. Because that's narcissistic and constant performing prevents me form forming genuine connections. Okay Gretchen, but have you ever experienced consequences of smooching your classmate on the lips in front of everyone because being 7 you were convinced that kissing is just expression of love and you loved your best friend? And you had no idea that people have different boundaries and it's socially unacceptable for girls to kiss girls, even platonically? Cause I did and that's why I know I can't just "stop thinking" what is acceptable, and what is not. Not only for my own benefit of being liked but also to not make others uncomfortable.

It's also a constant internal struggle to identify if something I do/feel is just me being autistic (normal, I can't help it) or me being narcissistic (bad, evil, should be treated). Or maybe it's all narcissistic, I just use autism as an excuse because narcissism is undesirable pathology so ofc as a narcissist I would like to distance myself from it? Seriously stigma around narcissism fucked me up. Additionally it severly influences the way NPD is treated by medical professionals. One German psychiatrist I know told me that his hospital avoids giving poeple NPD diagnosis because "it's like telling someone that they are certified shitty person". My friend I met during the group therapy was constantly criticized for forgetting about stuff and being "insensitive to others needs" and therapists blamed it on his narcissism, that "makes him so self absorbed he's incapable of paying attention to the outside world". It turned out the guy just has ADHD. It's seriously such a struggle to explain people that suppose to help you that you are not that bad, you are not careless, you seriously want to be a well adjusted person but there are some things you cannot easily change.

Also it fascinates me how little research exists about connection between NPD and neurodivesity (I have some theories why's that but I don't have enough evidence to make any serious claims). It's an anecdotal evidence but out of 11 people with diagnosed NPD I know, 7 of them have ASD or ADHD. And to me it makes so much sense because one of major factors influencing development of NPD is feeling of inadequacy. Yeah, constantly failing at social interactions and basic chores while everyone seems to be doing just fine and you have no idea what you could do better makes you feel pretty fuckin inadequate. Of course there are other things required to form PD but that's a great start.

#npd #asd #adhd #private #psychology

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kristinamae093 · 8 months

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Ghosted

Ghosted - Always Watching (Chapter 8)

Series Summary - Prince Liam fell for Riley Brooks hard and fast. A marriage filled with love and devotion was within his reach. But everything changed when she vanished just before the end of the social season. As everyone voices their concerns regarding her scandalous departure, a confession from an unlikely source turns Liam's world upside down and makes him question everything around him.

Book/Pairing - TRR - Liam x MC (Riley Brooks)

A/N1 - This AU starts right before the beginning of the engagement tour. There is a two-month lapse between the coronation and where we pick up, but we will stray from canon. Please excuse any errors found.

Characters belong to Pixelberry.

The morning after the discovery of the maid’s body, Liam sat with Olivia, Drake, and Maxwell inside the study at the Applewood estate. Liam canceled the barn raising scheduled for the day early that morning. He told the press it was because of inclement weather, which was not necessarily a lie, although it wasn’t the entire truth.

Liam realized they could not keep the murder under wraps forever. Only a few people knew the real reason for the cancellation, including those in the safe room, Drake, Olivia, Maxwell, and the guards. He planned to keep it that way until they knew who was responsible, and then he would happily release that information to the public. He visited with Rhonda’s family briefly and told her husband they would receive a stipend from the crown, as well as college funds for her children.

They all believed that the incidents shared a relation; the only steady lead they had regarding Riley wound up dead days later, and that was no coincidence for anyone. Olivia explained to Liam in great detail her observations at the crime scene; after hearing her retelling, he too believed the area was staged, but he couldn’t make too many conclusions until Bastien presented him with the evidence.

The bloodied dress put a sense of urgency on things, but the murder really made everything more critical. Whoever was behind this was clearly not playing a game and didn’t want their plan to be uncovered. He was growing restless, not knowing the extent to which this treachery ran.

It appalled him that all of this happened right under his nose. The doubts about the narrative against Riley were always there, but this runs deeper than just wanting a particular woman to sit on the throne as Queen. Whoever orchestrated all of this was an enemy of the Crown, and Liam was determined to rid that negativity of his court.

Another part of his impatience was purely the need to see with his own eyes that Riley was safe. The guilt he felt for turning his back on her crept up on him at random times throughout the day, but he was trying to push that aside and focus on locating her at any cost. He hoped that whoever was responsible hadn’t been able to locate her either; he prayed with everything in him that after she arrived in New York, she found a safe place to retreat, far away from the turmoil that was unraveling around him.

“OH! What about this one?” Maxwell exclaimed, as he sat next to Drake and scrolled through an online catalog of outfits for an upcoming gala.

Drake rolled his eyes. “Please stop showing me this crap. S’long as you wear something, I don’t really give a shit what you show up in.”

“What are you going to wear?”

“Clothes, most likely.”

“Clothes, most likely.” Maxwell mocked under his breath.

“What was that?” Drake snapped.

“Nothing! Oh, this has a matching one! Look! Ohmygosh we could match! Twins!” Maxwell exclaimed as he once again shoved his phone in Drake’s face.

Drake grimaced at the sight before him. It was a set of bright blue ocean wave suits, complete with a bright orange squid bow tie. “God, no. Not even if you paid me.” He replied as he shook his head.

“Oh, come on, Walker. You can be a sea creature instead of one who drags his knuckles on the ground.” Olivia added with a smirk.

Drake flipped her off. “Fuck. You.”

Olivia snickered. “I’d rather take a lava bath, but thanks.”

“I’ll see if Bertrand will match me,” Maxwell said with a mischievous grin.

“Good luck with that, Beaumont,” Drake answered.

“It could go better than you think, honestly. He’s been super nice to me ever since we told him about all this stuff with Riley. I miiiiight be able to get him to do it.”

“I’m taking pictures if it happens, hands down,” Drake chuckled.

Olivia subtly rolled her eyes. “Stay away from me, regardless of what you wear. You too, Walker.”

“Way ahead of you there, Ice Duchess.”

Liam stayed quiet; although he still held rage with Bertrand and his tasteless actions, he hadn’t given his status as Duke much thought. Although it had not left his mind, for now, especially for Maxwell’s sake, he was keeping his inner thoughts to himself.

A knock interrupted them from their uplifted moment. Liam stood and granted them entrance, and Bastien appeared with a bow. “Your Majesty, I was hoping to give you an update on the homicide.”

“Of course.”

“We have no clear suspects. However, we discovered a murder weapon.”

Olivia’s ears perked up from her seat, and Liam’s eyes widened. “You did?”

“Yes, sir. We found it in the woods near the area, and I sent it off for analysis. It was a black knife with gold trimmings; I believe it to be the same one used in the earlier ceremony that night.” Bastien held out a folder to Liam, who accepted it and started looking through it immediately.

The picture at the start revealed the murder weapon, which was the same knife used to cut the apple with Madeleine, but covered in blood from the tip to the hilt. He flipped further and felt his stomach churn at the images of the crime scene. The first few photos were of the maid’s face and he could recognize her, but barely. As he proceeded, he suddenly pulled the file away from his face with a grimace as he saw the cause of death photographed.

“I apologize, sir. I should have given you a warning beforehand.”

Liam swallowed thickly and with a deep breath resumed, but a tad more prepared for the sight this time. “My God…” He gasped. “What – How – I –” He stammered before closing his mouth with a shake of his head.

“We still don’t know a lot, sir, as it’s still the early stages of investigating. But we are working around the clock to ensure we receive a solution promptly. Obviously, we’re certain the cause of death was the wound in the jugular, however, we have sent the body for analysis as well. When I spoke with the other staff, they recalled seeing her earlier in the day, but her whereabouts past three p.m. are unknown.”

“Is that everything?”

“For now, yes. I will let you know something else as soon as I know.”

Liam resumed his venture through the folder and furrowed his brows at some of the random items photographed as evidence; the things Olivia noted were present, as well as what appeared to be a cap for a tube of lipstick with a clear set of fingerprints. Of course, the suspect could have dropped the item, but it seemed conveniently placed within the other markers. The only thing that implied relevance was a bloodied shoe print. He could tell it was a woman’s, as the base was short and narrow, not to mention the pinpoint of a heel. However, it was still an odd discovery given that there appeared to be no other signs of blood anywhere else except on the body itself. “Bastien, are you questioning the legitimacy of this crime scene? At all? I see multiple red flags here just at first glance.”

“We found a few things out of the ordinary, but I have sent everything for analysis. I’m confident either way, the forensics will produce some kind of answer.”

Liam nodded, sufficed by his response. “Have you looked for Riley? Or Tariq?”

“I have attempted but have found no new leads. However, I am still continuing even with arrangements for the tour and the homicide investigation. I am doing everything in my power to provide you with some answers.”

“Thank you, Bastien. Just… keep me updated…” Bastien nodded and bowed before he exited. As he did, Liam stood staring blankly at the door behind him, his mind a jumbled mess of chaos that seemed to only get worse by the day.

Drake cautiously approached Liam. “You alright, man?”

Liam laughed sardonically. “No, Drake, I’m not… How am I just supposed to wait? How long is it going to take Bastien to find something?”

“I’m not sure, but what else can we do?”

Liam ran a hand down his face and let out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t know. If I did, we’d be doing it.” He snapped, but immediately caught himself and retracted. “Sorry, Drake. I’m just…”

“Na, it’s cool. I get it. I wish there was something we could do, but… it sounds like we’re just waiting until Bastien can get those reports back.”

“Goddamnit,” Liam growled as he slammed his fist down on the desk he stood beside. “I– I can’t just sit here and wait. I need to do something now."

“Perhaps we should seek outside help,” Olivia interjected.

“What do you mean?”

“I have an acquaintance who is somewhat of a… ‘private investigator’. He’s not cheap, but he’s worth every penny. He can look into Riley and Tariq’s locations, for sure, as well as whatever else you may see fit…”

“I’m not against the idea… but how would that even work?”

“We can figure out the details later, but I have somewhat of a cover already thought of. I can easily say he’s my driver, or bodyguard, or anything, really. Who’s going to question me? Honestly?”

“Much as I hate to admit it, maybe she’s onto something, Li,” Drake interjected with a sour face. “Bas clearly has his hands full, and I know you wanna get some kind of answer.”

“See? Even the cave dweller agrees!” Olivia exclaimed, earning her a middle finger from Drake. “Plus, perhaps having another set of capable eyes around will do us some good.”

“I want to agree, I really do. It’s just… the last person to get involved with this was… well, you know. Do we really want to put someone else in danger like that?”

Olivia snickered. “It’s cute of you to worry, but he’s more than capable of defending himself.”

“I don’t know…”

“Do it, Liam! DO IT! Or I will myself!” Maxwell exclaimed.

“No offense, but how are you gonna pay him?” Drake asked.

“Perhaps he would be interested in a one-on-one interpretive dance class; we could trade one service for another.”

“Hate to break it to you, but your dance class ain’t worth shit.”

Olivia rolled her eyes but approached Liam and blocked Maxwell and Drake from view, forcing him to focus on her. Of course, her top priority was ensuring Riley’s safety, but in addition, she had her own questions regarding her blackmail. She would help Liam with anything, but this was more than merely a favor; it was personal. However, Bastien’s competency was undoubtedly questionable in Olivia’s mind. She couldn’t rule him out as a suspect, but she didn’t exactly have something concrete to tie him to anything. For the time being, she needed a second set of capable hands.

“Liam, we have to act on this now. Whoever did this is actively covering their tracks. If we don’t do something, we may never figure this out.” Olivia pleaded.

Liam swallowed thickly and kept his gaze trained on the floor. “I know…”

“So, let my associate come and assist us. If he doesn’t provide answers, I’ll pay his service fees out of pocket. But of course, I’ll be working alongside him.”

“I trust you, Olivia, I do. However, I’m worried that putting another person into the equation may end up biting us in the ass in the long run.”

“I understand, but again, he’s highly trained and knows what he’s doing. All we have to do is keep his cover intact until we can locate one of them. We can’t tip the mastermind off and give them an opportunity to bury this deeper. As long as everyone in this room keeps their mouth shut about his true purpose, we should have no issues.”

Liam looked away with a heavy sigh; although he remained hesitant to add another person to this mess, the thought of getting any kind of answer outweighed any con he could think of. And, he trusted Olivia to steer him correctly. He finally said, “Okay, do it...”

“I already did, Liam. He’ll be in the country this evening, hopefully,” Olivia smirked. “Now, we need to address the next order of business…” she trailed off as she approached the window and stared out. “Whoever did this killed that maid to send us a message; I think we need to send one back.”

Liam’s jaw fell open. “What?! Why would you think that, Olivia? We–”

Olivia held her hand up to stop him. “Let me finish; we need to send a message while doing ourselves a favor. The tour leaves for Italy in four days, but that can not happen, Liam.”

Liam furrowed his brows. “You want me to cancel the tour?”

“No, I want you to rebuild it to stay in the country. Think about it; you’re technically still going along with their plans, but perhaps throwing a wrench into them. You’re showing that you’re willing to play along for now, but you won’t back down entirely like they assume you’ll do.”

Liam shook his head. “I don’t think that’s smart, Olivia. We don’t know what they’re capable of or what lengths they’ll go to.”

“I’m aware of that, but it’s not like you’re canceling everything; you’re simply rerouting, so to speak. The results will still be the same; you’ll ‘marry Madeleine.’ How you get there shouldn’t matter.”

“Isn’t that suspicious? To suddenly keep the tour within the country?”

“It would be, but I thought ahead and I think I have a decent proposal laid out.” Olivia produced a file and handed it to Liam. “How are we going to figure this out internationally? We have to stay here…”

Liam opened the folder and saw a detailed explanation for the sudden changes, as well as a list of future events to be held within the duchies. “Wow,” He responded with wide eyes. “This – this is convincing, and you’ve practically already planned everything… When did you have time for all this?”

“Last night. I wanted to come and find you right after Walker and I left the crime scene, but I assumed my plan would get a stronger reaction if I laid it out for you. All you have to do is make the calls…”

“I think it’s a solid move, Li,” Drake interjected. “You’re standing your ground but yet still giving the appearance that you’re moving forward for the ‘greater good of Cordonia.’ I’ll help you take care of anything you need help with, or try to at least. But she’s right; we won’t find any more information about what happened to Brooks globe-trotting.”

“Trust me, I don’t want to leave, but we already set these events! What am I supposed to do to–”

“You need to pull your head out of your ass, Liam.” Olivia interrupted. “You’re the King and I think this would be a lot easier if you’d start acting like it.” She saw Liam contemplating her statement and stepped closer to him with narrowed eyes. “It’s time you put your fucking Crown on and show these assholes that you won’t back down. What’s really important to you here, Liam? Do you want to figure this out, or are you going to let them use your duty to control you – again? I lay the plan out for you and when my associate joins us, we are that much more prepared if they were to strike back, but we can’t pussyfoot around anymore. You wanted to do something now, so do it.”

Liam stared at her for a long moment as her words echoed in his mind and a newfound determination took over him. His nostrils flared as his hands balled into fists at his sides. The bright blue orbs that were previously dimmed seemed to darken even further. Olivia was right; this was his country, his call, and the ball was now in his court.

Liam never said a word, but soon marched over to the desk and picked up the phone. He listened intently until someone answered the other end of the line. “Buonasera, Francesco. I’m afraid I’m going to have to cancel our pre-scheduled festivities...”

Liam, Drake, and Maxwell worked the rest of the day and into the evening to cancel all the tour’s events, and were well on their way to planning what Olivia had mapped out. With the newly produced schedule, they would have much more time to focus on their investigation while still keeping the same number of events as before.

Liam’s determination in his decision stood firm, however, he couldn’t deny feeling apprehensive as well. He was sure there would be retaliation in some form and was unsure as to just how far they would go. However, the power he felt at that moment was something he wasn’t used to. Since his ascension, he’d signed treaties and other small documents, but this was the first time he was going to assert his authority in such a large capacity. Adrenaline ran through his veins and for the first time, he felt like a King.

The door to the study was suddenly flung open without warning, startling everyone inside. Madeleine marched into the room with a red face. “What the hell, Liam?!” Constantine trailed not far behind her, although his expression was one more of confusion than anger.

“Ah, I take it you’ve learned of our changes?”

“There will be no changes! We’ve had this planned for weeks! We’re not canceling within a few days–”

“I already did.”

The color drained from Madeleine’s face. “No, you didn’t.”

Liam indignantly laughed. “Oh, I sure did.”

Madeleine’s cheeks heated further, nearly purple. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

Constantine put a gentle hand on Madeleine’s shoulder. “Language.” He scolded. Madeleine stepped back with her arms crossed over her chest. “Liam, I want to believe you’re not doing all of this for an irrational reason.”

“I’m simply doing what’s best for Cordonia.” Liam shrugged.

Madeleine scoffed and shook her head. "Unbelievable! Have you completely lost your mind? How is this what’s best for anyone?!”

Constantine turned and gave her a warning glance. “Although I do not agree with her delivery, I echo Countess Madeleine’s question.”

“First off, explain to me how an international tour is beneficial to Cordonia at this current moment. The only event that even made a difference was the charity banquet in Paris; the rest of it was just a bunch of bullshit. This way, we can rally our people behind us.”

“It was for publicity, Liam!” Madeleine exasperated. “We need to worry about our international standings, which are going to be shit now that you’ve–”

“Our key priority is the Cordonian people. My father pointed out to me that the citizens doubt our union already, and I can’t say I blame them. It isn’t a secret that you weren't my first choice, not even the second.” Liam had to hide his smile as he stood from his seat and crossed the room to stand in front of Madeleine.

He forced the softest tone he could when he spoke again. “I want to do everything I can to ensure this works. I know I haven’t done my part, but this is my first step in making amends. Although the international publicity would be good, we need our homeland’s support more. We can enlist in media coverage so we can still get the word out, but Madeleine, we need to stay here. Cordonia needs us right now; Cordonia needs to see its future leaders united. We have to show them we are going to lead them together.” He swallowed down the lump of bile in his throat.

Constantine observed Liam’s body language during their interaction. Never had he seen him so confident about a decision; he looked regal, authoritative, not a hint of doubt to be present. Liam made undeniable points, and he had preached to both of them to do more to keep the people's faith in their union. However, he couldn’t help but feel like Liam could have ulterior motives for the sudden change.

Constantine arched his brow. “That’s why you’re doing this?”

“Yes, father. I just want to ensure the right people are supporting us. We need strength internally. I’ve adapted all the best traditions into our stops along the tour to honor those who have come before us. And, well–” Liam sighed and looked away. “I need to show the Cordonian people I am in the right mind to lead them. They’ve questioned me since my coronation. I have to show them I can do this… I can’t do that from Italy or Paris...”

Constantine eyed Liam sternly for a long moment. Throughout his life, he could force Liam to break with only a glance. It never worked on Leo, but Liam always cracked under the pressure if he was hiding something. However, Liam showed no signs of hesitation and there were no slips in his facade. He looked regal, poised, composed, calm, and firm, with just a hint of vulnerability. Since he passed the signet ring to Liam, he was practically begging him to get his head together, and the man standing in front of him appeared to be doing just that.

Liam knew exactly what Constantine was doing as soon as his brow arched. It’s the same glare that had gotten him into trouble multiple times growing up and he expected to endure the stare as soon as he told his father the news. It took all of his restraint, but he never let his carefully placed expression stray from his features. He silently prayed Constantine couldn’t notice the sweat profusely forming in his palms, though.

After a long moment, Constantine’s face broke out into a small smile. He stepped forward and patted Liam on the shoulder. “I believe this is an excellent idea, son. You have my full support.”

Liam had to fight hard to hide his surprise. He expected more of a fight from Constantine, but perhaps Olivia provided the perfect excuse. He slightly bowed and said, “Thank you, father.”

“Let me know if you require any support in the plans.”

“Thank you, but we’re nearly finished.” Liam turned to Madeleine, who stood with her arms still crossed over her chest. “What do you say, Madeleine? You’re free to look over the arrangements if you’d like. We’ve left your bachelorette party on the same day as before, but the location is open to the entire country… Just say the word and I'll have the jet prepared...”

Madeleine rolled her eyes. “I don’t get why you want to cancel an international tour so we can go to the same old duchies–”

“Countess, your King made his wishes known and his reasons are relevant. Do you wish for the people to doubt your reign as Queen?” Constantine asked with his hands clasped behind his back. “Perhaps after the coronation fiasco this would have been the best solution, anyway.”

“Fine, we can proceed with your new plans.” Madeleine finally relented. “But there had better be media coverage, Liam.”

Liam fought the urge to roll his eyes. Instead, he nodded. “You have my word.”

Constantine smiled and put a hand on both of their shoulders. “I’m proud of both of you. You’re going to change the course of Cordonian history, the two of you. Have you prepared a statement, son?”

“I’m working on it,” Liam answered. “Would you like to be present with me, Madeleine? Perhaps it would be better if we announce the changes together.”

Before Madeleine could respond, Constantine did so for her. “Yes, that’s a splendid plan. Do use urgency so we may stay on track. Be sure to extend invitations to our international counterparts who we expected to see along the tour, though.”

Liam nodded, and Constantine exited with Madeleine at his side, who trampled away with heavy footsteps. Drake audibly gagged as soon as the door closed behind them. “That was hard to watch.”

Liam shuddered. “Tell me about it. Do you think they bought it?”

“I think so,” Maxwell answered. “Your dad seemed really into the idea, honestly… and as long as it’s heavily publicized, Madeleine will be happy.”

Liam rubbed his hands together. “Right… Right… You’re right…”

“Calm down, Li. You did good.” Drake patted him on the back. “They bought it and I think you made a smart move by enlisting Maddy to make the statement with you.”

“I agree. It’s showing the mastermind that although I’m changing things up, Madeleine is on board. That’s who they’re concerned about, anyway... I’m hoping that having her support on this will work to our advantage.”

“Damn straight. Now, we gotta hurry and throw all this bullshit together so you can get your statement out there.”

A few hours later, Olivia was on her way to meet with her contact on the outskirts of the city limits. Her acquaintance was someone she worked with in the past and trusted to assist them. He helped her look into the source of her own blackmail after she hit a wall. Olivia only traced it back to three different middlemen; had it not been for her associate’s aid, she never would’ve found the others. He didn't classify himself as an investigator, spy, or hacker; simply a jack of all trades. His skill set and knowledge were insurmountable, and Olivia knew he would be a worthy asset.

Olivia pulled up to an empty parking lot aside from one other vehicle. A tall man in a black leather jacket stepped out and adjusted his shirt underneath as he did so. He took off his sunglasses and leaned against the side of the car. She exited her own SUV and made her way over, all the while looking around to ensure they were alone.

“Thank you for meeting with me, Ray. I have a job for you.” Olivia cautiously spoke as she reached him.

Ray smiled and bowed to her. “What can I do for you, Duchess?”

“I need you to look into the whereabouts of two people. The first is Tariq, second Riley Brooks.”

Ray nodded. “I was wondering if you were going to seek help there.” Olivia’s brows furrowed, causing Ray to chuckle. “Please, anyone could tell those photos were fakes or set up. It seems likely that the one who leaked the story is the same person who blackmailed you.”

“It’s not just the story, Ray. We think someone removed her from the situation. We found this–” Olivia produced the trash bag with Riley’s contaminated dress and held it out to Ray, who took it and glanced at the contents. “–inside a shed, along with all of Riley’s other belongings.”

“A shed?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

Ray gave her an unsure expression. “I don’t like that, Olivia. That instantly gave me an unsettled feeling. There’s a reason her stuff is there.”

“Trust me, I know...”

Ray once again looked inside the bag. “You haven’t sent this off anywhere? To check the DNA?”

“I intended to, but then I was called to a homicide for the only solid lead we’ve had regarding Riley.” Ray didn’t even try to hide his shock, which caused Olivia to chuckle. “Yeah, tell me about it. Obviously, we’re thinking it’s all connected, but…”

Ray noticed Olivia’s hesitant expression and inquired, “What?”

Olivia sighed and explained to Ray all the things she observed the night of the maid’s murder. When she finished, she added, “I was going to have Bastien send that dress off to forensics, but after his futile behavior, I don’t think I want him near it. He’d probably fuck around and lose it or something.” She rolled her eyes.

“I can have it sent to the lab I use if you’d like. If I tell them it’s a stat order, I should only have to wait a few days.”

Olivia nodded. “Yes, do that.”

“You got it. Now, have there been any leads into either of your missing persons?”

“All Bastien has found is that Riley landed in New York the morning after the jamboree.”

“Nothing on Tariq?” Olivia shook her head. “Hmm… I find it odd that there would be no trace of him.”

“I can confirm on my end I found the same result when I searched.”

“I’ll begin at once. And you want me to travel with you?”

“Just for now. If we’re correct once the news breaks of the tour’s new destinations, there may be retaliation. I’m not sure what that could look like at this point and I need more people around who can properly assess situations. Honestly, finding Riley’s dress and leaving it opened my eyes to the fact that we’re all emotionally involved in this. There’s no reason for it to have sat in there a second longer once we found it, but we were all so stunned nobody was thinking. I hate to admit it, but even myself included.”

“I can see why; it’s a lot of information to learn at once and not a lot of it makes any sense from where I’m standing. But I agree that having someone with a firm and clear mindset could benefit you.”

“I’m counting on it.” Olivia handed him a thick folder. “Here is your dossier to cover you throughout the tour. You are now Harold Marshowitz, my new bodyguard. Alternative forms of identifications are in there as well as any security clearance you may need.”

“Got it.”

“Great, let’s get moving.”

“Wait–” Ray stopped her. “While we’re free to speak openly, I wanted to bring forth another potential lead I see…”

Olivia arched her brow. “I’m listening…”

“Have you looked into that article? At all?”

“What do you mean?”

“It had to come from somewhere; it didn’t just appear. Not only did someone have to take those photos, but there was a story attached to it. Someone concocted that; I’m unsure if it’ll be the same person, or…”

Olivia shook her head as frustration washed over her. “No, I hadn’t even thought about that…”

“As you said, you’re all emotionally involved in this. I’m not, so I can see things a little more clearly…” Ray trailed off, then hesitantly spoke. “I’m, uh – a little surprised that the guard didn’t think of that.”

“Bastien is an idiot, but something about his demeanor lately has struck me as off… I don’t know if he’s developing dementia, or if it’s something deeper…”

“All the more reason to have me around,” Ray smirked.

“Is that something you can look into? The article?”

Ray flashed her a cocky smile and straightened his jacket. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

Olivia rolled her eyes. “I’m trusting you, Ray. I need you to come through for me.”

Ray placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “All jokes aside, this is what I live for, Olivia. I love sinking my teeth into a juicy mystery. I will find them, you have my word.”

Out of sight, a figure was lurking in the shadows not far away, intently watching and listening to the meeting. As Olivia and Ray vacated the area together, the peeper clenched their jaw and repetitively punched the tree they stood beside. After removing their surveillance equipment and slamming it to the ground, they started vigorously pacing.

Everyone assumed Liam could start asking questions, but his duty and broken heart were supposed to keep him blinded. The expected time for his inquiries was long after the wedding when the job would be fully completed. However, Liam and his collective group of friends were making progress in their search and had uncovered too much in a short period; not everything, but it wouldn’t be that hard to find the rest of those answers, especially now that he brought on a competent professional to help. Considering how early it was in the tour, the possibility of him figuring it out suddenly skyrocketed.

As a result, the entire operation was in more danger than ever before; that was not an option for anyone involved. They served the deception all around; if the mission was uncovered, multiple people would go down for it, and they would face the wrath of more than the current monarch.

It wasn’t hard to guess where their investigation would lead them next, and that meant another loose end just identified itself. The unknown person brought out their phone to make a call, which was answered on the first ring. “We have a tremendous problem…”

Tags (let me know if you'd like added or removed): @choicesficwriterscreations @ao719 @txemrn @imashybish @queenrileyrose

@kingliam2019 @riseandshinelittleblossom @dcbbw @tessa-liam @twinkleallnight

@amandablink @cordonia-gothqueen @sfb123 @jared2612 @harleybeaumont

@bebepac @charlotteg234 @busywoman

@malblk21 @angelasscribbles

@bascmve01 @iaminlovewithtrr @hopelessromanticmonie

@mysticalfangirl @umccall71 @fuckitweball0000 @differenttyphoonwerewolf

@lovingchoices14 @emersyn-in-cordonia

@aussiegurl1234 @karahalloway @the0afnan @nestledonthaveone

#the royal romance #choices the royal romance #king liam #liam rys #trr #choices trr #trr au #choices #liam x riley #ghosted #trr fanfic #trr fandom #drake walker #maxwell beaumont #olivia nevrakis #choices fic writers creations

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writebackatya · 1 year

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I don’t know why, but one of the most surreal sights on YouTube for me is Epic Rap Battles of History inspired channels doing battles that use YouTubers (and are actually pretty damn good or entertaining)

Also that one channel that did Deadmeat vs. Nostalgia Critic will be doing a Scott the Woz vs Jontron battle. And the guy who played Nostalgia Critic also played Jacksfilms in that MatPat vs Jacksfilms rap battle. And you know what? His impressions were really good.

Edit: I wanna include links cause these people worked hard on their vids

Squid Game vs. MrBeast - Freshy Kanal

MatPat vs. Jacksfilms - Snakebite126

Dead Meat vs. Nostalgia Critic - fightmarker

Scott the Woz vs. Nitro Rad - SIR Rap Battles

#YouTube #mrbeast #matpat #game theory #jacksfilms #dead meat #nostalgia critic #scott the woz #nitro rad #Freshy kanal #snakebite126 #fightmarker #sir rap battles #epic rap battles of history #rap battle

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weaselandfriends · 5 months

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The Puritanical Eye

An absolutely amazing article that discusses many observations I've had on the direction of mainstream media, and the reaction of audiences to mainstream media, over the past few decades. A choice quote:

The current state of cultural and material decline plays an important role in the shift toward Puritanism in media and art, in consumer appetite, and in the political posture of the State. That is to say, with the compounding crises we are bombarded with (everything from climate disaster to rampant racialized police violence to genocide) as a part of our daily lives under late capitalism, the need for escape, and indeed, the need for that escape to be completely unchallenging and non-confrontational, has become imperative. Moreover, as control over our own material realities becomes less and less feasible, the last lone place we believe we can exercise agency is within the landscape of that which we consume. This has resulted in the consuming public approaching all media and art with a moral imperative — that which we consume must be perfectly virtuous, sanitized of all problematic or complicated ideas and depictions, because it has become the stand-in for our very realities, our very political action as citizens; consuming has become our praxis.

I also love this takedown:

In 2022, The New Yorker organized a roundtable of critics tasked with examining the absence of sex scenes in mainstream Hollywood cinema. Paradoxically, despite The New Yorker’s critics expressing a longing for sex scenes in films, their stance is not too dissimilar from that of those audiences who reject such scenes today. For example, on the sex in Verhoeven’s Benedetta, Alexandra Schwartz says, “It felt superimposed, like a point was being made rather than it being anything integral to the movie”. Words that seem to confirm what Verhoeven has asserted about the drift towards Puritanism in American cinema today, and its indifference or impatience toward the kind of stories and images that have always interested him throughout his career. [...] The issue is that the presence of sex that is not easily digestible and sanitized for these viewers, sex that can not be swallowed whole or viewed as morally correct in some way, is therefore automatically seen as “anti-art”, as without having meaning, as alienating.

The article ultimately states that this Puritanical backlash against "morally impure" art is the final solidification of capitalist commodification, rendering the body consumable once any challenging or uncomfortable elements are sanded off. What concerns me most is how so many of the voices crying out against "degenerate art" today are from young people.

I expect old, conservative fuddy-duddies to espouse such reactionary stances. What are the youth up to today? The chief virtue of young people is their collective anti-establishment bent, capable of challenging the entrenched status quo. Yet I now see many young people, self-professed left-wing radicals, who joyfully and with earnest energy attempt to enforce the mainstream capitalist conception of art via policing morality. It's like Squid Game or Hunger Games (a lot of Game titles): Works that ostensibly challenge the injustices of the capitalist/entertainment system, but which are themselves mass-produced, mass-appeal, mass-marketed works of media.

The independent nature of the internet wrested a significant chunk of creative control from big studios, and much of the most original and avant garde artistic endeavors being made today are made by a single person or small group of people in some niche online corner: the videos of Jon Bois, Andrew Hussie's Homestuck, and web fiction similar to those I highlighted in my previous post, to name only a few.

Yet if the people, not even those in power but random online people gathering with enough numbers, are going to start inflicting moral artistic imperatives on each other even outside of government or big studio influence, what is the point?

This issue extends even past the moral. Simply look at the financial state of many artists and authors online who require Patreon donations for financial security, or the YouTube video creators subjected to the whims of the almighty algorithm. These creatives are forced to generate content of certain popularly-appealing specifications at a certain (usually accelerated) rate in order to remain afloat. Though YouTubers at least have the excuse of being under Google's big business yoke, those relying on Patreon are being forced to dance like grinder monkeys simply at the behest of their readership.

Researching RoyalRoad prior to posting Cleveland Quixotic, I often saw reviews of popular works that described the work being a "Patreon Trap"; i.e., the author constantly outputs content but the story only ever moves at the most glacial of paces, allowing for a constant stream of monthly donations as readers are strung along expecting something to finally happen. The term "Patreon Trap" denotes it's as much misery for the reader as it is for the writer. Yet, the practice continues. And so many of these webfics turn into million-word monstrosities. For all the hand-wringing about capitalism, the systems it inflicts upon people, and its propensity to push cheap and valueless consumption, when free from big business control, why do we only inflict systems potentially even more insidious practices that are even more conducive to valueless content on ourselves?

Another great quote from the article:

Indeed, the market asserts that what we’ve loved before we’ll love again, and that not only will this recursive posture lead to certain profit, but the halo of nostalgia that comes along with it will generate an extra boost in capital to boot. The drive to capitalize on the childhood favorites of those who now have spendable income and drive a large portion of the market means that most of our media is based on children’s artifacts from 30 years ago, and franchises originally made for children.

The phenomenon of nostalgia described here is possibly also a byproduct of the eradication of the avant garde. If there are no artists who are capable of pushing contemporary tastes in new directions, even if imperfectly at first only to be refined later, then contemporary tastes will simply continue in a state of inertia, recycling "what made me happy in the past" (nostalgia) and emphasizing the conservative and reactionary nature of most media.

Anyway, read the full article, there are many more insights I didn't touch on in this post.

#media

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highly-important · 1 year

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Splatoon and Commercial Countercultures

When Splatoon came out it actually reminded me a lot of Jet Set Radio.

Not necessarily game-play, but the imagery and themes in both games. Both are about music, urban life, fashion, and turf wars fought between rival gangs through graffiti. The color palettes of both games are a mix of urban greys and beige and vivid bright colors. Even the “hosts” or “narrators” of both games being musician media personalities. I’m not the only one who sees this. There is a lot of “Jet Squid Radio” fanart mashing up the two games, even this song.

But I think major difference is summed up by the fact that in Jet Set Radio, the bad guys are the cops.

In Jet Set Radio, you are in an actual gang fighting other gangs, the DJ is running an licensed pirate radio station, the fascist police force have no problem shooting someone who is merely defacing public property, and the big bad is a corporation trying to swallow the entire city.

And in Splatoon, the “turf war” battles are a commercially-organized team sport, re-enacting a war that took place 100 years ago in which the opposing Octolings were banished to underground bunkers. In Splat 1 and 2 the solo missions are to fight the Octolings. The game even takes time to mention that the ink you paint vanishes after the match is over, so you are not actually defacing public property. (To be clear, all of these things are much more conservative and much less subversive)

One thing want to make clear is although I am highlighting the contrasts between these two games because of their relative similarities, Splatoon was never obligated to be Jet Set Radio, and I am not trying to criticize the game for being something it was never intending to be. Jet Set Radio was made by a smaller studio, with less restrictions, and at the time SEGA was taking bigger risks on trying to court its target audience.

But that being said, no matter how much I love Splatoon, I feel like it doesn’t have anything to say at all. These aren’t anti-authority, anti-capital games, or games that ask tough questions at all. They’re games about supporting a status quo. I think Octo Expansion and parts of Splatoon 3 explore some interesting topics, but never in a way I think is all that challenging.

And obviously, Nintendo is never going to say anything radical in the same way that Disney isn’t going to either. And a game marketed to an older audience can have a edgier message than a game marketed to all ages. But I think its an example of how counter cultures get hijacked by corporations, which then have the power to change and control the messaging of these cultures.

Brands need authenticity, they need cultural relevance. Culture is just extremely important in marketing. Corporations are always going to be the loudest voice with the furthest reach, so when a corporation takes over a culture or movement, the corporation has more power to control the messages, values, even practices and beliefs of the culture than the people who belong to that culture. And that means that if a culture’s beliefs run contradictory to the needs of a corporation, the corporation can co-opt that culture and redirect its messaging and values.

A kind of goofy but very recent example was the “De-influencer” movement on Tiktok. It started as a reaction to trends like #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt, where consumers just showed off products they purchased after seeing them on TikTok. A slew of TikTok users tried leveraging their influence to tell people to stop buying products because it isn’t worth it. De-influencing sprang from a place of authenticity. But in a matter of days, Influencers hijacked the movement and changed its message. Instead of “don’t buy things you don’t need,” they quickly used the hashtag to pan certain products and tell viewers to buy alternatives instead. Just completely reversing the intent of the message and intent of the original movement.

In the fifteen years between Jet Set Radio and Splatoon 1, street art and graffiti culture has gone mainstream. Businesses are decorating their walls with street art. My office took our team to a “street art class” to learn graffiti. So, the reason why Nintendo could make a game about street art is because by that point street art had gone mainstream. We are also seeing an industry that is maturing, getting more refined and relying less on riskier strategies.

If I had to interpret the intent behind Splatoon, I’d say they were trying to create a fun, colorful space where self-expression is encouraged, and the teen characters are unburdened by authority figures. These things are all very “safe” for a mainstream audience. And I think that is why the games accidentally attracted a huge queer audience. To a queer audience, those things (fun, colorful, self-expressive, no authority) are all still radical ideas.

Maybe it was a perfect storm of different little things that add up to a product the LGBTQ community cares about. The shooter genre is bleak and often pretty toxic, and Splatoon created a space for a niche audience that rejects those things. The characters themselves are androgynous and fluid, and you’re free to dress and style yourself however you’d like. There is a lot of unopposed freedom that its going to be attractive to certain communities. Splatoon accidentally made the type of sandbox that a queer gamer audience wanted to inhabit.

And while Splatoon’s queer following might not have a major influence on how future Splatoon games are made, it doesn’t discount the fact that the LGBTQ community has a strong presence in online Splatoon spaces. Corporations can try and control the message, but they can’t control how we think or suppress counter cultures.

And I guess I am also considering some of my own thoughts about the two games as well. I know this is all over the place, sorry. Jet Set Radio was made for people of my generation, which is why it resonates with me more. Different generations need different messages and that’s fine. But either way, corporations still have the power of what messages go out there. I doubt SEGA would publish a game like this now if it was brand-new, but they wouldn’t have published it in 2000 either if the message was too contradictory with SEGA’s goals. Capital is not going to release anything with a message that is a threat to its bottom line.

#Splatoon 3 #Jet Set Radio #commercialism #capitalism

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bettedavisgf · 5 months

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besides all the really obvious criticisms of the new squid game reality show (it’s missing the point of the original show as a critique of capitalism etc etc) it’s also just bafflingly incompetent to a comedic degree like. the entire thing that made squid game compelling and exciting was the stakes of “what if there was a game show but if you lose you die” and netflix was like “what if we did that but with no stakes so you’re just watching people play red light green light”. what was the thought process here omg

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modstin · 2 years

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Splattack! The Tactical Splatoon Roleplaying Game!

You're a kid now! You're a squid now!

Welcome to Splattack, a tabeltop RPG game themed around the universe and gameplay of Splatoon!

In Splattack, you'll make your own team of muck slinging mollusks and take on another team in a war to control grounds! You'll choose from a small variety of unique weapons to accomplish this task.

Work as a team with three other people against the MC (Master of Cephalopods) controlled opposing team. Or perhaps take up a whole team by yourself and battle against a friend! If you're REALLY insane, why not just get seven people together and all make your own splatoon OC to battle against eachother?

This game is currently in its Alpha state, with a variety of not-present features (such as fleshed out rules for proper adventuring, gear, and so on), but it does feature a mechanic for getting clout online, so, like. uh. pretty good tradeoff there! Plus, it even comes with a map to play on! Try to take over the Kelp Dome with 9 rounds of splatoon fun.

If you end up playing it with your group, I would LOVE to hear about your experiences and feedback, the more playtest information I get, the more I can fine tune the core experience and start on additional expansions.

But Modstin, why should I play this instead of just loading up Splatoon 3?

That's a good question! Splatoon is a fantastic game, and I've tried my best to adapt its mechanics in a fun way to the tabletop format. With the freedom of an RPG comes the allowance for more than the games can offer, like freedom of being any odd species, and of course, roleplaying as your squidkids!

Are you sure this game is Balanced?

Somewhat! It's still a work in progress, this is the alpha version! If Splatoon can make overhaul patches all the time, so can I. And by playing the game and trying to break it, you're doing me a favor! I want all the feedback I can get!

What mechanics ARE covered in this game then?

Turf Wars are fully playable, with three main weapons, three sub weapons, and three specials to choose from! Inking turf, splatting enemies, superjumping, it's all there! There are splatblocks for a few different characters at the end of the doc, which you can use as premades or run as the MC.

Wow! I'll go play it right now!

You sure will! Here's the link to the Google Drive with everything you need to get started!

Remember! I'm always welcoming of feedback, criticism, ideas, and so on! My messages are always open!

#Splatoon #Splatoon 2 #Splatoon 3 #Sploon #tabletop #ttrpg #tactics game #tactics rpg #nintendo #splatoon rpg #rpg

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snalsupremacy · 1 year

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2023 events

2022 events list

Again, these are not all of the events, just the ones i happen to come across with

- All of Sherlock Holmes is now officially public domain - Lil Nas X back at it again with... THE WIGGLES?! - Noah Schnapp, who plays Will Byers in Stranger Things, comes out as gay - US gov can't vote for a speaker of the house - McCarthy wins speaker of the house after 15 votes - Bolsonaro supporters storm the Congress and vandalize the whole place, are arrested on location -golden globes n stuff -JOJO LEAK JOJO LEAK ITS A BOY ITS A BOY -Lisa Marie Presley, daughter of Elvis Presley, dies at 54 -M3gan is a gay icon pass it on -AO3 down, 40 injured 15 dead -New FOB album - Velma show unsurprisingly sucks - Pink Sause on wallmart -Paramore back & new album coming soon - UK blocks scottish law that helped trans people and this might lead to their independence (pls) -TUMBRL ADDED POLLS! TUMBRL ADDED POLLS!! - #team snail worm deserved to lose the centopéia or however you say in english winning was RIGGED AND I CAN PROVE IT - Pete Wentz leaked Brendon Urie’s oncoming baby which leads him to breaking up Panic! At The Disco. Finally. - Holy fucking bingle! Trans Bi Lesbian It/She pronouns swiss hacker just leacked the US no-fly list, and plot twist, its very racist, what?! :3 - Justin Roiland is fired from Rick and Morty for being a bad person - Cecil from welcome to nightvale defeats Reigen in the Tumbrl Sexyman rematch pools! Idk who he is i just voted him bc i dont want reigen to win. -CECILSWEEP IS EVERYWHERE THE FINALS ARE SANS VS CECIL WHO WILL WIN - CECIL PALMER WITH THE STEEL CHAIR BEATS SANS TO PULP AT THE BACK OF PAPA JOHN'S!!! -The last of Us everywhere, seems to be a good game adaptation! glad to see more of those!

-Toby Fox scores the very first interview with creator of Yume Nikki, kikiyama with 9 yes or no questions and 1 "free response" question asking what they would get at a Denny's -FNAF movie officially starts filming - Marceline wins tumbrl woman - Just vote for vanilla extract and waive boys, just vote for vanila extract and wave - 7.8 earthquake hits Turkey and Syria, thausands of casualities - Spotted chinese (?) spy baloons (?) in America - Now theres a Tumbrl vanilla extract bottle, awesome - Hogwarts Legacy release discourse follows - Tear of the kingdom trailer out this is the most emotion link has shown in canon in 36 years - Youtube channel schaffrillas productions gets involved in car accident, Christopher Schaffer and Patrick Phyrillas pronounced dead on site while James Phyrillas in critical condition - Italian manwhore summer (Sanremo) - Netflix creating something thats gonna ruin password sharing people and everyone is mad - Brianna Ghey, 16 yo trans teenager, is stabbed to the death at a park -THE JOJOLANDS! AMAZING! MINDBLOWING! LIFE CHANGING! NEVER THE SAME! 10/10! -Succession will end in S4 -NEW MAGNAPINNA SQUID FOOTAGE HUNTING??

-New gen of TMNT (Mutant Mayhem)!! -Minesota lagislature makes trans health care (wait for it) LEGAL! - New mario movie trialer the babygirlification of Luigi continues -Willow project approved ‘_’ - More anti trans legislation. whats the news - Esc songs dropped the guy w the green top is already tumbrl’s top 1 jenn should have won etc etc -Gerard Way presenting in full office lady style. Tbh im just more impressed he did a show in tights. - Jojolands #2 out! Hot dog guy has a name now and Rohan canonically transcend the multiverse! - Taylor Swift eras tour congrats swifties - ICC issues arrest warrant to Vladmir Putin for war crimes -Trump to be arrested -Arab Cartoon Network hacked (Update: hacking was fake) - Tik Tok banned on government phones after spying accusations -New FOB album - The ladies from RWBY just kissed! mazal tov! - Justin Roiland case dropped - Kid in brazil attacks school teacher with knife - School shooting in US - Resident Evil 4 remake - Dobi dies in a glue trap -Trump got indicated, idk what that means but seems bad for trump which is good

-10 year anniversary of the Mishapocalypse - Ofc all your fave properties do an April fool’s special,, most notably Toby Fox’s “accidental foam pic” and Sonic The Hedgehog free murder mystery game that looks gorgeous?? they take the trophy this year -Kasane Teto gets her official voicebank for her 15th anniversary -wait... the DSMP is over..? it ended..? for real..?? WOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLL!!1!!11!!!!!11 - Dalai Lama [redacted] [redacted] [redacted] - Harry Potter HBO series... just what we needed ‘_’ - Misha Collins reveals Warner Brothers wanted him to stay out as bisexual after that one off joke last year - Out of touch thursday on 4/20 we did it boys - We DOUBLE DID IT BOYS! Elon Musk’s rocket explodes because he forgot to build a flame diverter?? Or did he not build one on purpose? Anyway no one was inside THANKFULLY - Movie markplier is working on is revealed to be..IRON LUNG?! - Elon Musk takes out all the unpaid blue check marks expecting the celebrity accounts to pay for them, instead #blocktheblue movements started in which you block all users with blue check mark, Musk then responds to this by awarding random popular users with check marks -Tucker Carlson fired, ill b real, I have no idea who he is -Don Lemon also fired, again, idk who he is - Ray Toro and Gerard Way on fnaf movie soundtrack?!? -Disney sues Florida governor Ron Desantis, woag.. I cant believe im saying this but it’ll be easier to make the governor leave than the rat theme park

-JASON DERULO JUST FELL OFF THE STARS AT THE MET GALA! 😱😱😱 - WGA on strike! -And may Eurovision posting begin! Im rooting for finland what ab y’all - Tony Hawk and chocolate guy collab?!?!?!?! -ABSOLUTELY BULLSHIT EUROVISION RESULTS KAARIJA IS THE REAL WINNER SWEDEN BE DAMNED -FNAF trailer drop -Barbie Movie trailer drop -IDubz apologises for content cop, better late than never ig -Succession finale - I saw that execution clip from generation loss cuz it cant be thaaat fucked up right? haha.... im traumatized -Seth Everman announces he will leave the internet in 200ish days -Ted lasso ends, and so, pride month begins.... -Hank Green got cancer

-Happy pride month guys! - Jojo musical adaption of Phantom Blood confirmed - Russian occupiers in Ukraine blew up the Kakhovka Hydroelectric Power Station -Across the spiderverse takes the internet by storm AS IT SHOULD - Fires in canada kinda spreads the smoke like all around and its all a gray haze over there -Kaarija and Bojan concert together doing a shit job at beating ther allegations happy pride month kings -Hank Green is bisexual, likes Brennan Lee Muligan, and found that out because of wreck it ralph cosplays i can’t believe this is real -Redit blackout? 196? im very confused, but the redditors are here and tumbrl are welcoming them WAY better than we did twitter users which i find fitting lol -Adrien and Marinette from miraculous lb finally kissed omg its been like 8 years?? insane -The Idol sucks - Shit submarine w 5 people goes missing and the more we find out the more inevitable it felt • Oceangate...gate brings awareness to migrant ships who drown and kill hundrents of migrants • Iron Lung game sell suddenly spikes •Submarine found, it imploded, all passengers dead - Joes Biden (US president)'s son committed tax fraud -Mark Zuch and Elon Musk are going to fight?? -Military coup in Russia (failed) -Miranda sings revolutionizing the YouTuber apology genre by apologizing for groomer allegations via ukulele - wtf is a grimace shake - Happy pride month! US overruled law prohibiting homophobic discrimination based on religion!

-Nimona is out! I haven’t watched it yet but the reception is great! (Edit: watched it, its good) -Superman finally got his long deserved sailor moon style transformation. good for him. -AO3 down, 500 dead 756 injured (Update: AO3 is down due to DDOS attack, which is when a group overwhelms the website with requests. This seems to be made by a group who claims to be doing it for homophobic reasons tho they likely have uterior reasons) -SAG-AFRA joins WGA strike - Universal prunes trees outside their building to try and prevent WAG/SAG-AFRA picket line. However, these trees are city property and "tree law" (heavy fine for destroying gov owned nature) might be called into action - Happy Barbenheimer tho all who celebrate - MITSKI ALBUM ANNOUNCEMENT?! - Fnaf DLC smth smth eclipse - Elon Musk tries to change twitter to X ? - Good Omens season 2 finale so tragically good it re animated OFMD SPN and Hanibal into trending page

- Tik tok parody of every 90's euro disco song goes viral - New James Webb telesc ope picture shows a giant ? in space. poetry. - Forest fires in Hawaii destroying homes -Anti semetic hate crime against USP teacher in Amazonas - Tik tok tried to create their Goncharov (Zepotha) and it turns out to be a plot to promote a musician's new song - Planet of the bass music vide out!! - Trump might actually get arrested, mugshot and all - Who thought it was a good idea to make the actor portraying Bernstein in the new biopic wear a PROSTHETIC NOSE?? - India first country to land on south pole of the moon! - Someone tracked down spanish spn’s rogue translator, who claims he did not add that in, meaning in some version of spn destiel was canon - Riverdale ends with all of them in a polycule. Which honestly is the best possible ending - TRUMP MUGSHOT TRUMP MUGSHOT

-That mole do be interesting -Castiel 15th birthday WAIT 15?? A DECADE AND A HALF?? - Ladybug and Chatnoir are emo now. Like, literally. - WGA strike succesfully ends -The Pokemonx Miku collab is everything actually - WGA stricke officially ends wed 27/9 12:01 AM, the deal is finalized and the writer’s guild got most of what they wanted! yay uniuns!

- Israel-Palestine conflict breaks into full on war with many casualities on both sides -NOOOOOO BAKUGO IS ALIVE PUT HIM BACK IN THE GRAVE!! KILL HIM AGAIN!!

- Spock wins the AO3 polls unsuprisingly - youtuber SSSniperwolf doxxes youtuber JacksFilms -Merlin twitter account is active...why? -Mathew Perry, Friends actor and advocate for alcoholism and drug abuse issues dies at age 54

-Happy 3 anniversary to Nov 5th -THANK G-D ATTACK ON TITAN IS OVER ITS FINALLY OVER FUCKK YES FINALLY -NOOOOO LIVE ACTION ZELDA CONFIMRED WHYYYY - Actor strike is over =D - GTA 5 anounced - SHREK 5???? - Omegle shut downs for ever - Zack and Cody’s restaurant reservation is today - Dream and the voice actor of Gumball beefed and tbh it was hilarious - Russia declares LGBT groups extremists organizations - Henry Kissinger, american politician, dies at 100 - SONIC 3 DATE REVEAL YEAHHH

-Hbomber guy DESTROYS James Somerton and Internet Historian’s career with his new video on plagiarism - TODD IN THE SHADOWS COMES BACK WITH THE STEEL CHAIR IN JAMES SOMERTON!! - BG3 Game Awards Sweep including GOTY

#text #us politics #2023 #january 2023 #brazil politics #uk politics #polls #2023 events #tw murder #politics

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miercolaes · 11 days

Text

howdy friends, fiends and foes! i'm currently having brainrot for alice in borderland and i was wondering if anyone would be down to see how it goes if wednesday and your muse would end up there! i won't spoil the tv show in case you want to watch it, but under read more there's a brief description of what's going on!

PLAYER REGISTERED:// welcome to the borderlands. no one knows how they ended up here nor if there is a way out. all that we know is that people suddenly started disappearing and vegetation has claimed the cities. it's sort of odd how this world looks, there's something uncanny about it. do you see that billboard lit up? it says there's a game arena nearby. you should go and play before your visa runs out. you don't want to find out what happens after the visa runs out.

WELCOME PLAYER! there are a few things you should know.

01. once you enter a game arena, you can't back out. if you do so, a laser will kill you. no one knows where the lasers come from and it seems no one can find a way around them.

02. each game has assigned a particular card. the cards can be as followed [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , J , Q , K ], which acts as ranks to the game difficulty. meaning, 1 is the easiest and K is the hardest. you don't know what card the game has until the game commences.

03. the cards also have particular suit. here's what each suit means. CLUB ( ♣ ) - require teamwork. these games force the participants to foster trust and cooperation between themselves in order to win. these games require a bit of strategy, as the players need to come up with a plan together to make it to the end. the venues for the club games tend to be some of the biggest, as they often take place in massive buildings or outdoors somewhere. SPADES ( ♠ ) - require physical endurance, strength, agility and stamina. the games can include all types of physical activity, including running, fighting and climbing. combat based games often allow the use of weapons, which isn't as common in other games. DIAMONS ( ♦ ) - require logic, strategy, wits and intelligence. players participanting in these games must use critical thinking, analytical skills and sound strategy to survive. these games are often in small venues and don't require much physical effort to complete, as they're all about mental capabilities. HEARTS ( ♥ ) - require emotional and psychological intelligence. the games seem to require participants to either trust or betray their teammates in order to survive. they're considered the hardest suit as it often plays with the participants' minds.

if you want a starter based in the borderlands, you may send the number and the suit (i.e. 5♠) or write it out (i.e. five of spades).

the borderlands can be anywhere so no matter the universe, there is a possibility of being one. if you want our muses to be in a specific location, be it real or fictional, add it to your message (i.e. five of spades, jericho)

if you want the starter to be prior, during or after a specific game, add before / during / after (i.e. five of spades, jericho, after).

there are no games set in stone, meaning we can create our own or take examples from children's games (i.e. hide and seek), squid game (i.e. red light, green light) or steal some from aib canon (i.e. four of clubs is called distance). if you want a specific game, add it to your message (i.e. five of spades, jericho, after, hide and seek).

you can either comment on this or send me an ask! i choose violence but i also want to write with you so here we are! thank you for reading this if you got this far and if you have any questions, please do ask anywhere you want, be it comments, ims (those are not yet working properly on desktop but i will check them out on the mobile app), discord, asks (anonymous or otherwise)

#♱ starter calls.#if you're familiar with the tv show / manga #im insane and i will add some of the characters from the show on my multi #the show has so much gore ik wednesday would fit right in #but ofc our games don't have to be that extreme

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ambiguousintentions · 18 days

Text

4.9.2024 Reflection

Damn. It's been more than a year since I left education and half a year since I ditched my last set of friends (had to; they hurt me bad, and their texts were beginning to trigger anxiety attacks).

Sober for about 3 weeks now for an electrician apprenticeship I applied for. Couldn't do corporate- fuckers wanted to only give me a $1.50/hr raise after I reworked their entire operations system and developed SOPs for them. Making silly YouTube videos in the meanwhile, which is honestly so fun. If only it could be more lucrative though- then I'd truly be living.

Ever since I ditched my friends, I just keep trying to reflect on all the ways I'm shitty. Am I just too sensitive? Was I actually not a good friend? Was I not educated enough? Was I too offensive? Too snobbish? Not proactive enough? What could I have done to make them care about me more?

All of those are probably true to some degree, but it's hard to tell what degree. It's easy to feel like everything's your fault. My fault for getting too upset too easily, for not letting social issues go, for not knowing when to just chill. To be honest, I've kind of stopped trying to make friends. I just feel like I'm wasting everyone's time. Why bother when I know that I'm just 4th choice? I know you're barely enjoying this conversation; I'll release you from it. Sorry.

But today one of my students found the Gen Alpha rant video I made about 3-4 months ago, where I detailed about problems I saw in the education system. When I left education, I left my last high school once fall semester was over; admin had about a month to find a replacement for me, which I thought was reasonable enough time. The student who commented on my video yelled at me for leaving them and asked why I couldn't just suck it up, because they had an apathetic sub for the rest of the year. They said that I shouldn't blame my colleagues (cause I blamed them for playing movies all the time and literally letting the kids literally re-enact squid games instead of actually learning and doing work, which lead to a lot of shitty attitudes and behavior (and of course there were other criticisms but they agreed with those)) since they were probably experiencing the same stress I was experiencing. But they also said that my class was the only class they felt like they learned from.

I feel like crying. I feel strangely validated. Thanks; I didn't know you were actually learning from my class. I'm so happy to hear you learned. You're right though- I am weak. Sorry. I don't know how to fix that. I'm working on it, but I don't know how to do that faster. I don't know what I could possibly do now to fix my mistake of leaving. Am I your deadbeat dad???

I do that often I think. Sometimes people want to get to know me, but I've already decided we've got nothing in common. I don't want to bore them, and I wouldn't want them to bore me. So I give up before I give it an honest effort.

But it just has me thinking... how many times has this probably happened? I leave because I'm failing when in reality I'm not??? I leave because I feel myself getting increasingly bitter and frustrated and know that if I stay in that same place for too long, I'm going to blow up and do or say something I'll regret. It's just... it takes me so long to reflect on things. To figure out how I feel. I mean, fuck, I'm finally at a place where I feel like I COULD potentially have a conversation with one of my old friends without having an anxiety attack, but it's been 6 fucking months.

I feel like a mess. I've been repeatedly transforming myself for the last decade. I looked back on my posts from years ago, and I can't help but feel like I still harbor the same underlying issues. I feel like the wisdom I've gained over the years has helped me control the damage a bit better yet at the same time the collective damage is breaking me. I wonder when I'll be done transforming and finally settle into the form I've made for myself.

And yet. At the same time... when I look back at those posts... and see how upset I was ten years ago- similar to how upset I was in the past year-

I can't help but laugh and smile at the journey I've been on. Such a winding and long journey only to end up in the same psychological spot but in a different physical setting. Did I truly go anywhere? Is the whole point to do another cycle just so you can laugh all over again about the convoluted way you took just to arrive back in your haunted home of a body?

#personal #different day same shit i suppose #like... what happens to adults like me yknow?

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