#useless. steampunk useless

[spockvarietyhour]

Speaking of The Gilded Age this fucking bike sent me.

#Beautiful contraption #useless. steampunk useless #move over penny farthing for whatever the fuck this is #The Gilded Age #bikes #bicycles #Danny and Renae watch The Gilded Age

[starflungwaddledee]

🕰️🩷🧋and 🥘 for starstuck Dee please and thank you.

[ >>> kirby oc ask meme <<< ]

🕰️ (Clock) - What would a Dreamy Gear version of them look like? What sort of accessories would they have? What kind of role do they play?

well i couldn't resist drawing it once i'd thought about it, so here she is! still pretty recognisable, but i think that large elements of her story and the suspicions surrounding her would be different, due to the fact that waddle dee/bandee is usually the one and only waddle dee. i think she'd still be found in a meteor crater at the edge of town by meta knight, but i think this time he'd bring her to bandee instead of president dedede, mostly due to the clear visual similarities. bandee would take her in instantly, and she'd follow him around the mechanic shop, learning to tinker and serving as his glorified assistant. learns to make really good apple tea instead of being a friendly chatterbox she would be shy and selectively mute, speaking out loud exclusively to bandee. though she still forms relationships with kirby and meta knight, i think that sadly in this world president dedede would frighten her, despite how highly bandee thinks of him 😭 at meta knight's suggestion, after he finds her squinting skyward on the roof at night a few too many times, she makes herself a pocket telescope for looking at stars and surveying the weather. she uses it to give bandee reports, which he discretely passes on to kirby and dedede for their races.

🩷 (Pink Heart) - If they were a Dream Friend, what would their moveset be like? How much HP do they have? Would they be a strong attacker, or would they take on more of a support role?

she would be a support role for sure, but i also can't resist also giving her some specialised abilities... > hp: small health bar, but practically immune to damage. will still die in insta-kill scenarios like lava or crush blocks > basic attack: if bandana waddle dee, meta knight, or king dedede are on the team she'll get a simple swing attack with a toy/training version of their weapon. if at least two are on the team, it's upgraded to an attack with a three-swing combo, and she'll alternate at random between which weapon she pulls > basic support: drawing magic from the environment around her or other allies or enemies present, she can give a wide variety of power effects. i previously said she'd give blustery and i stand by it, because even if there are no other elements around there's always air, but i think she could give the others too. she cannot attack with any of these herself > healing: under CPU control she'll focus on running ahead to pick up heal items, and bring them back. if everybody has full health, she'll actually store the item and bring it out later whenever anyone gets below half health; tdlx bandee style > meteor shower: this is a charge attack that starts with a 3 minute cooldown. after charging, she can use it by jumping in the air and pressing a multi-button combo, to avoid accidental activation. this is a full screen, crash-like attack with a shooting star visual, similar to team meteor. all on screen enemies defeated, and most bosses down to at least 1/3 health. > downed: unfortunately after using the charged attack she will drop her inventory, pass out, and need to be piggy backed for about 5 minutes if you want to keep her on the team (walking over to her will activate a 'piggy back' bar instead of the standard 'revive'). she cannot heal or give buffs during this time, but can be dropped by accident or when attacked, and can take damage that cannot be healed. if she makes it she wakes up at partial health, but returns to being invulnerable while conscious

🧋 and 🥘 both answered here!

#“i won't do any drawings for these” i said. you know like a liar. anyway #steampunk design you could NOT expect me to resist it. ghhuuhh. #this one got really long SORRY AUUGH but do you see my vision of her as a simultaneously really useful & really useless dream friend!!!! #especially love that she runs ahead and picks up all the food items. this is just the cheats way of getting free kisses and we all know it #anyway this was fun! i enjoyed these! i always enjoy thinking about movesets and such and breaking 'the rules' in games #why yes my oc CAN be a special little snowflake with special mechanics what of it. what OF it. #asks #starstruck dee #ask meme

[arise-if]

“Arise, take form this new era!”

These are the first words uttered of the fourth age of this world and its influence has been felt in the blondwood galleries of the moneyed to the silver bows of the flightships which now traverse the near sky and yet when the academy first laid eyes on the object of this change they had but one warning.

But that is not your story and that is not your time, play as a homunculi child of the fourth age of alchemy and discover a world bustling with the excitement and the tragedy of new frontiers; play as the child of the partyboy former Cavalry Captain of the 13th Company and Champion Equestrian who has spared no expense in raising you, explore both the gleaming towers and hidden underbelly of Candar, the familiar glades and slopes of your homeland and the striking landscapes of far away lands, dedicate yourself to your studies or aspire to a life beyond the grip of polite society.

The currency of this era is the much prized splinters of newsilver which have enabled so much of its progress and advancement, from the miracle of flight to the industrialisation of the Great Nations and even feats we call foul heresy but even this resource will not last forever. All the world now looks towards the next great find, towards whomever shall herald the fifth age.

That is your story.

Play as male, female or non-binary with options to be straight, gay, asexual or not pursue a romance at all.

Define your player character's demeanour, appearance, personality, history and skills — etiquette, riding, alchemy, artificing, bargaining and much more.

Choose the subject of your 5th year academic theory report and go out into the world to gather data in the field — by underhanded means or otherwise.

Explore the unique landscape and phenomena that proliferate across the land.

Court and pursue various romance options from the brave lancer-in-training, the untalkative classmate, your adroit childhood mate, the ambitious assistant or the unfamiliar guide.

Live in the vast world of Candar which is currently defined by the central discovery of the fourth age of alchemy — newsilver, the rare resource containing the energy which fuels all progress in Candar.

Enjoy this story which is an affectionate ode to my favourite childhood books and stories combining aspects of historical fantasy, steampunk and grimbright lore.

Cade/Cadena Fairfax, C

(m/f, 22) The Lancer-in-Training who also attends your school, the child of the now discredited and proscribed Commander of the Librarian Knights of Gallopavia. Despite this fact they remain boarded at Gallo, their aspirations still intact though know they hope to find the truth or bring their father to justice.

A halfling (human).

Petr/Petra Guy, P

(m/f, 21) The Apprentice to the Lord Artificer of Gallopavia, your childhood best friend has changed much in the years since you last saw them. Perhaps the gruelling work as an apprentice or the weight of their gratitude has pushed them forward but you can't help but notice the youthful spark in their eyes has been replaced by determination.

A halfling (human) of some indeterminate heritage.

Jacquelin/Jacqueline Attica, J

(m/f, 22)

An Archivist of the Grand Alchemical Library and fellow 5th year student at Gallo Academy widely regarded as a prodigy and future professor at least, known to perform their tasks in total silence efficiently if it weren't for their cold demeanour and standoffish personality they'd quickly rise through the ranks of society. However when pushed they make no secret of their feelings about their peers, useless.

A sylph of some halfling (human) heritage.

Euer Ffsonye, E

(m/f, 29) The Assistant Professor of Flight at Gallo Academy, the much lauded junior newsilver researcher has quickly adapted to the position of educator easily stepping into the dangerous politics of alchemy and invention without so much as a stumble. But amongst the disgruntled who they've surpassed and outrank, they ask: what is it they're really gunning for?

An halfling (human) of some aelfe heritage.

Nate/Nata Bors-Sutr, N

(m/f, 19) The Flightship Navigator from the Free States who your father hired to act as your guide, over the years they've acquired enough practical skills to get by and earn their keep and as someone accustomed to the dark corners and avenues of this land beyond the prying eyes of the authorities they know how to find the things that others can't see.

A slyvan of some halfling (human) heritage.

Candar

The fourth age of alchemy will end with man weeping at the denouement, the tragedy of its conclusion is already known yet we can do nothing to fight against it.

Candar is the known world, its are people spread across many nations, banners and beliefs for which they regularly live and fight.

It is currently in the fourth age of alchemy defined primarily by the substance newsilver — the absolute focus of all industrial, alchemical and scientific progress which has rapidly changed the lives of the humanoids which inhabit this world drawing everyone towards it's bustling cities, enabling faster travel via its flightships, dangerous work from it's factories and bloodier wars from the newmuskets they have produced.

Candar remains filled with undiscovered and unexplored corners in which magical meetings still happen but the world is less fantastical, its uncharted territories are darker, further and yet more accessible than they ever have been.

Demo: unreleased (WIP)

References: unreleased (WIP)

Ko-fi: unreleased

Other projects: GGGLU (check it out!)

#arise #arise-if #status: no demo #dashingdon #choicescript #interactive fiction #genre: fantasy #genre: steampunk

[smallgodseries]

[image description: Portrait of a smiling man with an extravagantly curled mustache and goatee. He wears a tall metal-studded top hat with a red band. He wears a red cravat and white kid gloves. His goggles are whirling gears, and gears ornament his hat, lapel, and the entire background. He holds a black cane with a curled wooden top. Text reads, “14 C•GSWELL – Small God of Steampunk.”]

• • • • •

He was, until very recently, having a moment.

One of those moments that makes a small god think they might be moving up in the world, might be getting ready to become a medium god, or even—Zeus be willing—a large god. The kind who gets temples and tributes and childhood books on mythology written about them.

One of those moments that seems perfectly preordained and inevitable while it’s happening, impossible before it happens, and meant to be eternally lamented once it’s over.

He was, until very recently, having a moment. And now he’s having a half-off sale on hot glue guns and random, useless gears. He’d be willing to throw in a velvet top hat or two for the right buyer; just ask him.

Just ask.

Just remember he exists.

He was, until very recently, having a moment. Moments, he has learned to his chagrin, end.

#Small Gods #smallgodseries #Seanan McGuire #Lee Moyer #icons and stories

[forthegothicheroine]

Let's make a Villain!

Last time we made a henchwoman player character for Henchwoman RPG, a hack of Maid RPG. This time we will make a villain the players can work for! You don't actually have to fully roll up a villain for this game- as an NPC, they can be limited to a general concept and a few stats- but it's always fun to see what the dice give you.

By popular demand (my husband's) we will be making Mr. Sparkplug! But how seriously should we take this often-rebooted criminal? There are two things to determine this, their Level and Tier. First, the level- how long have they been at this?

To determine this, roll 1D6. We rolled a 3, meaning he's an Apprentice! If he keeps this up, maybe he'll get all the other villains not to laugh at him!

Now for the tier...

On 1D6, we rolled another 3, making him a C-Lister- which is frankly better than he should have hoped for. He's not a complete joke, but a lot of his villainous schemes will probably be about improving his name recognition.

Next up, let's give him two Special Qualities!

Roll 2D66 to determine special qualities! We rolled 2 and 4 for Musical, and 3 and 2 for Ridiculous Prop! Wow, what a guy! Let's say he carries around a big, silly steampunk lightning rod, and oh how he likes to make it sing!

But what, exactly can he do? Let's give him a Power or two! A villain starts with two powers by default, though I may change this to add or subtract powers based on level and tier. For now, Sparkplug gets two of these.

Roll 2D6 twice for this table. In our case, we got 2+1 for 3, Brilliance, and 6+4 for Wackiness! (I promise I didn't fudge that roll!) He has a very stupid gimmick of making electrical outlets turn off and on, but damn it, he's going to find the cleverest uses of that power he can!

Now we go over to the Henchwoman tables to finish him up. First, his Stress Explosion.

Rolling 1D66 for this, we got 2 and 2, meaning he burns off stress by Gambling! Let's hope he gets away with rigging the slot machines' power outlets before the mob catches him.

Now, the Color table.

Rolling 3D66, we got 1 and 6 for vermillion eyes, 6 and 3 for gold hair, and 6 and 2 for an indigo outfit. Looks like he's aiming to be the next tumblr sexyman!

Finally, his actual Attributes. This is important to understand- a villain's stats will almost always suck compared to a henchwoman's. Villains are meant to be cool but useless, reliant on their henchwomen to pull off pretty much anything. Athletics, Charm, Skill, Cunning and Luck are each 2D6/4, and Will is automatically 2 (Spirit is 20, based on this.)

Rolling down the line, Mr. Sparkplug has Athletics 2, Charm 1, Skill 2, Cunning 1, Luck 2, and Will 2. He's going to need those henchwomen if he wants to get ahead in villainy!

A few notes at the end:

We rolled a Theme for our henchwoman, and it makes sense if all the henchwomen and the villain share that theme. However, that is not necessarily true. Sometimes villains put together teams of minions with different wacky gimmicks. Sort of like some kind of "high risk of death gang" or something...

Once upon a time, villainy was a boys club, and being a henchwoman was the next best thing for a villainous woman. Times have changed, and the field of big time villainy is much more egalitarian now. Henching remains a pink-collar profession, however. Obviously your characters may be any gender, and can care about default expectations as much or as little as you want.

Next up, I'm working on the lair creation and random event tables. Updates to come!

#henchwoman rpg

[olderthannetfic]

This recent talk about authors has me curious: Do you have favourite authors? Or favourite books that you'd recommend (as in not specifically recommend to a person looking to read a specific genre etc. but rather a book you loved reading and would love to shove into absolutely everybody's faces if you could)? Do you only read in English or do you also like to read in other languages? What book or books are you currently reading?

And just so these aren't one-way-street-like snoopily curious questions: my favourite authors are Emma Donoghue and Hannah Kent; my favourite books are "Slammerkin" by Emma Donoghue, "Burial Rites" by Hannah Kent, "Christmas Eve Kittens" by Wilma Counts, Cathleen Clare and Debbie Raleigh, "Every day" by David Levithan, "Der Kristallpalast" (The Crystal Palace) by Oliver Plaschka, Alexander Flory and Matthias Mösch; I'm currently reading "Time of the Magicians" by Wolfram Eilenberger and anxiously awaiting Hannah Kent's most recent book "Devotion" to be translated to my native language.

I am very bad at accurately sorting books into genres, but I'd guess most of the books I've read may be classified as YA, though I personally don't know what classifies a book as YA apart from "is written with young adults as the target group," but that's too broad a description to be useful to anyone in my opinion, heh. Some things I've read I'd sort into (also way too broadly classified) stuff like romance (Christmas Eve Kittens), crime or detective fiction [Krimi in german combines both] (for kids The Three Investigators and The Famous Five, and arguably for adults Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot though I've only seen Poirot films not yet read Poirot books, shame on me!), horror (Fear Street series as horror for kids and Lovecraft for adults), historical fiction (books by Hannah Kent and Emma Donoghue, Lilac Girls), historical nonfiction (Time of the Magicians and The Visionaries by Wolfram Eilenberger), steampunk (Der Kristallpalast, World Shaker, Steamed, Magierdämmerung), nonfiction (Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F.), poetry (Heinrich Heine and Edgar Allan Poe) among other things like light-hearted children's books (St. Clare's series).

Some of the aforementioned books are classified as YA, and in my opinion reasonably so, though I do believe that classifying YA as a genre itself is quite useless since it only describes the target group but barely describes what a book is about, if that makes sense.

If I had to write down some classifiers for YA, I'd say it's maybe books that are written in a way that's accessible to a person who is no longer a child but still may be likely to not have experienced much of the adult world yet and may not necessarily be very well-read or knowledgeable about more "mature" topics on a deeper level. I'd guess that for example a book that's about topics that people may have come into contact with during their adolescence in some way may be YA like drugs (Blue Highway by Diane Tullson) and emotional rollercoasters and bullying (Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Easy Meat by Maureen Stewart) and stalking (Unheimliche Nähe by Patricia Schröder) and mental illnesses like eating disorders (Jeansgröße 0 by Brigitte Blobel) or depression and physical ilnesses (Before I Die by Jenny Downham, Skellig by David Almond though it's mainly about fantasy and arthritis isn't the focal point if I'm not misremembering) etc. (all of the examples are YA I've read and would also classify as such) or maybe a book that contains entry-level knowledge about philosophy that you may have learned in school or that you may yourself have come across in some way unrelated to school but that doesn't require deeper knowledge on that topic or on specific philosophers or philosophy schools for its target audience to understand well...

Now that I've forgotten whatever point I wanted to make: sorry for rambling, I've been sitting in your askbox trying to remember the titles and looking up their translations and the authors' names for the past hour or so instead of doing the household chores I had planned to do today lol. Off to eat bread for lunch because now I'm too hungry to cook, oops.

Have a nice day!

--

I'm currently reading Invitation to a Banquet: The Story of Chinese Food by Fuchsia Dunlop.

I don't have any books I want to thrust upon everyone. I think that's a good way to breed haters for things I love.

In general, favorite authors of mine are... hmm... Agatha Christie, Tamara Allen, Loretta Chase, Georgette Heyer, Mary Elizabeth Braddon... IDK. It's hard to think of people off the top of my head. I like the current indie "m/m romance" scene in English, but it feels like it's still early days for that industry, and I can't think of a lot of authors I love who have multiple series and who aren't going through a career slump. (Like I love Jordan L. Hawk in general, but his latest stuff isn't making me rush to read more even if I'm still backing his Patreon. KJ Charles not only irritated me with dumb posts but started writing suckier books till I no longer buy her at all.)

I've read a lot of Golden Age detective fiction and some hard boiled US stuff (think 1930s and 40s). I've probably reread those sorts of books more than any others. While I certainly have authors I like, I only very, very rarely reread anything, and a lot of what I read is by non-prolific or long-dead people, so I don't have a bunch of names I go to the bookstore for currently.

My grandmother owned a fuckton of Three Investigators books, so I devoured those as a kid, though I think most Americans my age don't care about them.

I read in Spanish too. The only thing I've gotten through a lot of that springs to mind is the capitan Alatriste series. In general, if I travel somewhere Spanish speaking, I'll try to pick up some books, but I usually end up with things that are too highfallutin and literary for my taste or that are real downers. (Plus I'm a slow reader in Spanish, so the more literary stuff is a slog.) I like fun trash, and most of the fun trash I've seen on bookshelves is translated American romance novels and that kind of thing. I'll read in translation, but not if it's from English.

I do read manga in Japanese, but I'm not anywhere near good enough to read novels at this point.

[tableperson]

Yo, GeMCYT community, has anyone made a Mumbo and Scar fusion yet? I haven’t seen one. There’s the buttercup fusion but not scar and Mumbo from what I’ve seen lol

Idk I might try and design one but I’m not the best, I’m just surprised no one seems to have one yet

For inspo, I’m thinking steampunk train conductor and/or extremely silly inventor who designs useless but fun creations a-la Mumbo’s ‘making your comments’ series, mixed with Scar playing in SMPs with the Create mod. Generally whimsical and air headed fusion that can be blindingly smart when he wants to be. Unlike Charoite, when this fusion blows things up it’s not on purpose lol

What gem should he have?

#gemcyt #fusion ideas #redscape #mumscar

[atlantis-archive]

Vinny Has a Blast!

Written and lettered by: Michael Stewart Pencils by: Steven Butler Inks by: Jim Amash Colors: John Green Published in: Disney Adventures Collector’s Issue! Atlantis: The Lost Empire Volume 11, Number 6 (pg.80-83). Publisher: Buena Vista Magazines Inc. Publication date: circa July 2001.

Text:

Page 1: Rourke: [To reach Atlantis, we must get the Ulysses through that narrow opening in the rocks up ahead.] [Vinny, you'll have to blast a hole big enough for the ship to pass through.] [Moliere will handle any digging for you.] Vinny: [You want your standard round opening, or maybe something interesting--] [--a diamond... or a figure eight? Perhaps an "A" for Atlantis?] [I've got enough nitro to get creative here...] narrator: [Red alert! The crew of the submarine Ulysses faces the first major obstacle in their quest to find the lost continent of Atlantis!] Mole: [-:Sigh:- I have just escaped the bath and now we go into the ocean?]

Page 2, Panel 1: Rourke: [You're sure there's no other way, Milo?] Panel 2: Milo: [The Shepherd's Journal says we have to go through, Commander Rourke.] Panel 3: Milo: [It also says the seas around Atlantis contain unknown dangers...] Panel 4: narrator: [Minutes later, Vinny and Moliere eagerly strike out into the unknown...] Vinny: [We'll bury two charges--one on each side of the opening.] [Like I always say, two explosions are better than one!] Mole: [I cannot wait to sink my pickax into the unknown delights of this exotic undersea rock!] Panel 5: Vinny: [Remember, the depth of the holes must be very precise!] Mole: [Please! Am I not the famous Moliere?] Panel 6: Vinny: [This explosion will be a true work of art!] Panel 7: Vinny: [Did Michelangelo ever sculpt rock on such a massive scale? No!] Mole: [Something's moving over there...]

Page 3, Panel 1: Mole: [Fish! Big fish!] [Scary fish!] [Vinny!] Panel 2: sfx: THWACK! Panel 3: Vinny: [You got that second hole ready?] Mole: [Sacre bleu!] Panel 4: Mole: [Please--it looks hungry!] Vinny: [Let you're little fishy nibble on this flare.] Panel 5: sfx: FLASH! Panel 6: Mole: [We go now!] Vinny: [If that hole isn't just right, this explosion could be very... messy!] Panel 7: Mole: [Uh... sure. The hole is fine. Let's go!]

Page 4, Panel 1: Vinny: [OK, time for the first big boom! Mole: [Are we fare enough away?] Panel 2: Vinny: [The view is much better up close!] [On the count of three!] [One... ah skip it--boom.] sfx: KA-BOOOOM! Panel 3: Vinny: [Let me guess--you didn't finish digging the hole...] Mole: [Not exactly, no.] Panel 4: Vinny: [My foot is trapped! And your helmet is cracked! Get help from the Ulysses!] Mole: [Yes! I'll go back to the ship!] Panel 5: Vinny: [Might as well finish the job...] sfx: BA-BOOOOM! Vinny: [Ahh! Is there anything more beautiful than a very large explosion?] [No, I think not!] Panel 6: Vinny: [Hey! Look who's back!] [That explains my sudden craving for fish sticks!] narrator: [Turn to page 84 for the exciting conclusion!]

Notes:

This post is passed the weekly deadline! That's 1 demerit for me. I'll need to figure out something to do with those to make them effective. This still counts as last week's post so I owe another this week, which I have decided will be the last comic in the Disney Adventures issue.

The story here takes place prior to the battle against the leviathan, seemingly before Milo's presentation on the bridge in the film.

We see that the Ulysses, unsurprisingly, carries diving equipment. However, these are ambient pressure diving suits, good for protection against tearing and cold but useless against the pressure at deeper levels. Humans can't really survive more than 60 meters (196.85 feet) below, which is why Atmospheric Diving Suits were invented! Imagine them in steampunk-esque, underwater robot suits instead!

The "scary fish" (the nayap according to Sweet's Fish Story!) is the first fantastical creature encountered by the expedition. It doesn't seem particularly interesting, though. A weird shark with a feathery tail and long snout?

Vinny's dialogue really shows how much Don Novello brought to the performance. Without his adlibbing and weird energy the character just doesn't hit the same.

#2001 #july 2001 #buena vista magazines inc. #disney adventures #media #comic #atlantis: the lost empire #Helga Katrina Sinclair #lyle tiberius rourke #milo james thatch #vincenzo “vinny” santorini #Gaetan “Mole” Molière #ulysses #nayap #late posts (SHAME)

[delta-queerdrant]

useless desires (Persistence of Vision, s2 e8)

I just realized I posted my drafts out of order! And skipped Persistence of Vision!! So sorry, but also what is time, etc.

"Persistence of Vision" could also be titled “kisses no one wanted to see on television.” There are so many of them! Voyager is a show that is fundamentally bad at romantic subplots, and this episode in particular seems determined to deliver awkward makeout scenes that literally no one asked for.

Truthfully I’m inclined to like this episode - it’s gothic, and it's about feelings, and those are both good things! (Season Two as a whole is strong in the area of feelings-forward episodes, even as it struggles with such matters as “plot.”)

We open with Janeway, modern career woman, losing her cool due to the pressures of command. The Doctor orders her to blow off some steam with a holo-novel, so we’re back to Victorian governess cosplay. 

This show’s conception of self-care is so very nineties - Janeway is a leader, but she’s also a woman, which means that an essential layer in her Maslow’s Pyramid is “putting on a corset and getting snogged by a bargain-basement aristocrat.” The problem with the governess holonovel is that it invokes universalized cliches of gendered desire (bodice-ripper tropes) instead of drilling into what this character, specifically, would look for in a holonovel (my money is on lady doctor/cowboy romance, but I will also accept steampunk adventure, or pirates). Some women dig feeling feminine, but they also want to feel like themselves.

Soon Janeway’s repressed lady psyche, pushed to the brink, begins to spill out into ordinary life. When she dares to enjoy a coffee ice cream (instead of one of her inexplicable cups of soup), she begins to hallucinate. Mark shows up!! A ghostly dog barks!!!

I am usually one to try to get behind a canonical love interest - even if my shippy preferences lie elsewhere, canon relationships shed light on character. But man, I hate this jerk. No doubt real!Mark has many pleasant qualities that phantom!Mark lacks, but let's be real, dude has all the charisma of a bin full of pencil shavings.

Mark (and Mollie) have been on Janeway's mind; we know this because she gave their photo a long, plaintive look before trotting off to the holodeck. Now phantom!Mark declares that, quote, SOMEONE ELSE IS IN YOUR THOUGHTS NOW(!!!) As further evidence of her guilt, a hallucinatory Mrs. Templeton appears and jumps her.

Who the heck is someone else?? One is inclined to assume that we're being setting up for a Janeway/Chakotay romance arc - but it’s hard to feel certain this show isn’t fucking with us, making shippy promises it has no intention of keeping. It seems equally possible that Lord Burleigh is someone else and the writers truly believe that Janeway feels guilty for kissing holograms behind her fiance’s back.

At any rate, atmospherically backlit aliens have shown up; the rest of the crew starts hallucinating, seeing loved ones or, in B’Elanna’s case, a torrid romance with Chakotay?? (I am actually okay with these two as fwb, but their relationship is so fundamentally platonic that, again, it feels like the writers are just messing with us.) Mark shows up and kisses Janeway (gosh, two Janeway kisses in one episode, each one profoundly disappointing).

Only Kes is strong enough to resist these bankrupt conjurings of female desire. Her siren is a Tom Paris who needs to be rescued, which is actually a pretty funny and on the nose interpretation of what Kes is into. Overcoming her urge to engage in some hurt/comfort roleplay, Kes rescues the ship, Medusa-like, by using her telepathic powers to return the awkward to sender.

I enjoy this episode because it’s about women’s personal lives, even though the script seems extremely confused about what those personal lives consist of. Janeway and Torres share a very sweet “welp, that was awkward” scene at the end in which they resolve to be a little less repressed in the future.

Of curse, we can't possibly expect either of them to follow through with their vow; when it comes to nineties television, the richest texts are usually those below the surface. 3/5 surreptitious coffee ice creams.

#star trek voyager #star trek #janeway #janeway lambda one

[hermitblurbs]

A continuation of my Steampunk AU (7)!

Grian had grown to accept his weird attachment to Scar, if with a bit of hesitance. The other was good conversation in a town where everyone else was incredibly boring. It’s why he stuck around with broken machines so often; there’s nothing to predict about them.

Scar was fixed up, no sign of glitches like in N.P.C or Grumbot, and Grian couldn’t predict him if his life depended on it. Whatever AI in the bot’s brain was fascinating, and the strange logic it followed always managed to keep him enraptured.

It quelled that bored drawl in the back of his mind, on a good day.

Today, even with Scar by his side, seemed to crawl along at a slug’s pace.

The wastes were turning up useless scrap after useless scrap, Mumbo too busy with a commission to entertain him, even the ticking of his wings was the same as ever. They didn’t even ache. At least then, complaining or not, wouldn’t leave him bored.

If he’s being honest, he probably shouldn’t have gone out to scavenge.

Days like these are best kept in line by staying in a place with overarching rules, a guarantee he won’t overstep anything and end up missing more than a chunk of wing.

The wastes don’t have that. They have metal, radiation, rust, and scavengers.

“This is a lot further than we’ve travelled before,” remarks Scar, frayed gas mask making him seem bizarrely human, bizarrely out of place in one of mumbo’s white button up and a false corset. He knows by the whirl of Scar’s fans, that the green metal would be warm to the touch.

He climbs the hill anyway.

There’s the clanging of other scavengers, only two of them at the foot, and they’re pulling something out of a shaking pile that’s large and expensive.

“Ooh, a lucky find for those fellas!”

Grian says nothing in return.

His wings click. Once. Twice.

Take it from them.

He widens his stance, careful not to make a sound on copper and aluminum and iron.

Imagine how excited Mumbo will be.

His wings spread like butter across the sky.

And he jumps. Dives, towards the two.

What should’ve happened was a simple wrap of his hands around the machinery and an arc back into the air and away. What should’ve happened would have been enough to satiate his boredom. What should’ve happened, is that he should have been faster.

What did happen, is that he gets his hands curled around the machine. He’s on the upbeat of his wings, when a hand wraps around his ankle.

He registers the impact. He registers the stars. He registers how the metal crumples beneath him, denting and damaging the scrap.

And then he registers the pain of being slammed into the ground.

“What the fuck, you little asshat!” The nearest one sounds. Their mask is colored the same white as the gleam of a jawbone. They raise a foot and stomp on Grian’s hand, grinding it into the dry dirt with the heel.

He has half a mind to scan the hills for Scar, but the android is lost among the shadows and the piles of scrap encircling them. His heart sinks.

“Hey, dude!” Comes the second one—their mask is layered to look like a growing of fungus. “Take it easy, they’re already down.”

“Their mask is cool,” remarks the third, the one his missed and the one who grabbed him. Their mask is simple and plain, a stark contrast to his own, hooked in the shape of a beak. They’re dressed in dark browns, almost blended completely against the ground.

“That doesn’t matter, they tried to *steal* from us. Why I oughta—“ And they grab his wing.

Something in his mind goes a little haywire. The bones there are fragile, half-molded to metal and muscle, and he does his darnedest to bash their faces in with the prosthetic.

He manages to clip Shrooms across the temple, drawing his knife and lunging at another, but it doesn’t last long. It was never going to last long, three against one. But he gets some good hits in, spills enough blood.

He ends up fully pinned, a boot against his back and his racing heartbeat prominant in the pressure from a steady, constant pull of his wing in a scavenger’s hand.

“What’s going on here?” Comes a familiar voice, and Grian feels like crying. If they leave him alive, at least Scar can get him back to Mumbo.

“Are you with this vulture,” one of them spits.

“I am, and I promised he’s very much learned his lesson—“

“He sliced my arm open,” they growl. And yeah, he did do that. The drip of blood fills him with a cruel pride that they’re going to need to go home after this and waste the day away.

“You deserved it,” he calls back, and is rewarded with a particularly painful tug on his wing.

“Fellas, I promise you that if you let him go, you’ll never see us ever again. Heck, we’ll even leave you little things for yourself to improve profits! How’s that for a deal?”

“How about instead we slice his throat?” And he knows it’s a bluff. Killing someone over a single piece of scrap is ludicrous, and these guys don’t seem insane enough to do it to a first-time offender. They’re farther than typical from their bubble, and while Grian’s had his own fair share of death threats they’ve only ever been serious in total nowhere. It’s got to be a bluff. It has to be.

He’s going to die if it’s not.

Grian looks up, eyes following metal legs to Scar’s face to find the other staring directly at him.

He doesn’t know what Scar sees in him, but he hears his fan kick on just beneath the noise of the wastes.

The android steps forward, steps closer. Grian can’t tell a single thing about what he’s thinking, but he knows his neck is starting to ache from the angle he’s keeping it at to keep Scar in view. Something about the quiet won’t let him look away. Scar rears back a fist.

And then he hears the crack of bone.

The weight falls off his back, his wing, and Grian is left staring into empty space as Scar takes measured steps behind him, and out of view.

The impacts behind him begins to sound wet, like the repeated thump of a hammer against drowned wood.

Grian has dabbled a bit, long before he met Mumbo, in engineering himself. It was more buildings than robots, trains instead of anything that breathes. But there’s one thing he still remembers, clear as day.

A robot may not injure a human being.

So what does that make the thing in front of him?

#blurb #scarian #steampunk au #hermitcraft fic #hermitcraft #this was sitting in my drafts waiting for you all! #sorry i took so long to post <3 #i dont think this blog will be continuing to write for Awhile #schools getting rough! #but if yall have any questions on story beats #ive got some semblace of a plan for a lot of them! #cod boy might be stalled too #we didnt have any writing backed up;; #love yall! im going to enjoy my retirement <3

[illtellmineyouregay]

One Last Stop out of context:

“That little twink contains multitudes”

“Sex-haver toast”

“Pop-Tart angel”

“Lie back and think of the fucking Dewey Decimal System.”

“For research.”

“God, not the stupid bed-assembly fantasy

again.”

“Fuse by osmosis”

“Yes, thank you. I invite you to eat a dick. Goodbye.”

“People are cheap. And idiots. Cheap idiots.”

“I'm pretty sure the guy at the bodega thought I was stoned.”

“Mmm, yeah, say more big words.”

“What kind of safe word is 'waffle cone', anyway?”

“Oh my God. She literally shorted out the train because she was horny”

“Typical Virgo bullshit”

“August starts a sex notebook”

“You can mock it all you want, but i've never been murdered.”

“I'll be your Lasagna”

“Sweet potato titty tassels and an Apple pie g-

String”

“The path of my boner.”

“Big Dick Energy Is Gender Neutral”

“Steampunk Tony Stark in a leather skirt.”

“God, you are the most useless bisexual l've ever met in my entire goddamn life.”

“Thanks, Jane”

“Stoners pass a joint under a gazebo”

“I remembered that I dated a girl in Spanish

Harlem who liked to get head to this album!”

“Thankfully, after the first, they're almost never songs that she used to eat girls out to.”

“You haven't been in New York long enough to earn the right to be an asshole with impunity. You're still in the tourist zone.”

"A hobbit hole?"

"each wiggling their asses to force the air out."

“Aren’t you gonna write that down in your little sex notebook?”

“Did that stapler try to get emotionally intimate with you?”

“But she’s Suzette Landry’s daughter, which means she’s bad at letting shit go.”

“Donna Summer at a truly inconsiderate volume, pouring out of Isaiah’s apartment.”

“performs an elaborate socialism-themed number set to a mix of “She Works Hard for the Money” and clips from AOC speeches.”

“I don’t guess you want take the subway?”

“The bathroom floor is an upgrade.”

#august landry #jane su #ols #one last stop #coffee girl #subway girl #casey mcquiston #chloe green #shara wheeler #red white and royal blue #alex claremont diaz #prince henry of wales #zahra bankston #shaan srivastava #rwrb #rwrb memes #alexander claremont diaz #prince henry #henry fox mountchristen windsor #zahra #june claremont diaz #book quotes #queer books #lgbtq books

[nopecho]

Some sheets I prepared for a DOL roleplay I'm organizing with a friend! It's steampunk themed, it's got trauma, it's got drama, I'm working very hard on it :> Can't wait to start writing it with my friend! ANyway, some basic info on the LIs!

Arden- the isolated

Basically my own personal take on Kylar in this universe. However, instead of bein a gross little freak, he actually has some charisma to him. Yes he's a yandere, but not the desperate type. He's more likely to silently plan to kill all his love rivals, rather than kidnap you. he will eventually if pushed over the brink, though. § He has a creepy, yet misterious aura about him. Maybe it's his big, amber eyes that scare people away. He's softspoken, but will infodump you about his passion project. people call his stories creepy. He's into writing and dolls. Will make sure you cum every time you have sex.

Codium- the merman

A merman bound to the sea. In this steampunk universe, industrialization massively impacted the environment, including the sea. it's scattered with oil and garbage. His first encounter is him trying to drown you, thinking you're polluting the waters. Once he realizes his mistake, he'll apologize profusely and be actually rather kind and sweet. If you get in trouble in the sea, with high enough love he'll come rescue you. During sex, he'll note how different you feel from his people. Will praise you endlessly, and try his best to make you cum (may not be very good at it, but he tries.)

Gear- the robot

A mischievious little street rat. He lives off of stealing stuff from the dumpsters, fixing it and selling it at overpriced rates. He's desperate to make money to help his creator, Vicky. she disapproves of his criminal life, but she can't do much about it- they need money. Despite his bratty attitude, he cares deeply for those he considers friends. That's why he isn't afraid to turn to a life of crime. He is a dirty boy, he's into all kinds of nasty shit. Is not afraid to get his hands dirty , in any occasion. He's a horny little freak. he WILL have his sexytimes with you. Even if nonconsensual, he'll always help you cum after sex.

Jamie- the orphan

It ain't a DOL universe without an orphan somewhere. He's an aspiting inventor, and is quite creative. He may need some help to pay off Bailey, he barely manages to make enough money to pay rent every week. he often has to skip lunch to save on money. His favourite inventions are small, yet useful household items. He invented a machine that warms up bread just right. Unfortunately, not many people are interested in these kinds of things. He's sweet and caring, but also naive. Has a secret dirty side to him. loves to be degraded for the useless aborted kid he is, depending on PC to pay off his debt. Doesn't care if you cum or not, if he's done he's done.

Uri Gabriel (or Uriel)- the banished

a fallen angel banished from heaven for loving someone other than God. his greatest sin was to love his partner. He fell from grace because they told on him to repent. Uriel fell, and swore to never fall in love again. He is cold and distant, intentionally pushing you away if you get too close. The only reason he even bothers interacting with you, is because you save him from the church during your first meeting. He's dominating, he's course and rough, swears a lot during sex. You're his cocksleeve, at best. unless he actually starts developing feelings... he will become more sweet once he admits his love for you. doesn't care if you cum during sex. you're his toy, at best. why would he care?

#degrees of steampunk lewdity #dol #degrees of lewdity #they are all men bc my friend doesn't like women #i'd love to see genderbent versions #or even your takes on them! #degrees of lewdity LI #degrees of lewdity oc #roleplay #arden #arden the isolated #codium #codium the merman #gear #gear the robot #URI gabriel #Jamie #Jamie the orphan #writing #dol writing #degrees of lewdity writing #art #drawing #digital art #character sheet #DOL oc #my art

[sockendrache]

Headcanon that Freminet builds Lyney a fidget toy

Idk man, Lyney somehow gives me the vibes of someone who gets incredibly fidgety and antsy before every show because he wants to get out there and do something already. Not anxiety or stage-fever, mind you. He just wants to have fun with the crowd already, lol. Like... Lynette just sits back with a nice cup of tea and relaxes a little while Lyney is just strutting around making strange magician noises and flicking cards everywhere to like, hype himself up or something

And having to deal with this every evening stresses Lynette out so much that she comissions Freminet to build something, ANYTHING for Lyney play around with that doesn’t involve him being an antsy nightmare backstage.

So Freminet comes through and builds... basically a fidget toy. I’m imaging like, a super steampunk-looking ball with a bunch of buttons and switches to press and mess around with, but it doesn’t do anything. Freminet calls it “The useless Orb” (he claims it’s perfect that it doesn’t do anything since that means Lyney can’t break it,,,, hc that Lyney can and will break anything involving tech of any sort)

....it worked surprisingly well and now Lyney just quietly sits next to Lynette sipping tea, playing around with his Orb. Maybe he even likes the Orb so much that he carries it around under his tophat-

#genshin impact #genshin headcanons #genshin hcs #genshin lyney #genshin lynette #genshin freminet #lyney #lyney and lynette #lyney gets so annoying backstage that freminet builds him a fidget toy #lynette be like shut up and play with your orb #lyney hides a figet toy under his hat and i will die on this hill #one day lyney somehow manages to make the orb light up #and freminet has no idea how tf he did it cause the orb shouldnt light up #lyney manages to break the unbreakable orb

[black-performer-blog]

Hi-Fi Rush fantasy AU

First of all, forgive me for my English. Secondly, I will be incredibly happy if one of you can tell about your vision of this, adding or correcting some elements. I'm just wondering what other people could think about it.

Let's go.

Okay, Hi-Fi Rush fantasy AU. Almost-like-middle-ages, maybe with inclusions of steampunk and magical technology. In this variant, lost limbs can be replaced with the power of alchemy, just as they can be modified. Corporations could be replaced by guilds, manufactories also could be used. The robots here could be represented as golems, and they could be less common. And maybe I don’t have a good idea of the locations, but I think I know who the characters in this AU could be.

Chai - I think he would always want to be a wandering minstrel or maybe a bard? In instruments he might have a lute or a vihuela, heck, maybe another stringed instrument that I've never heard of. Is it possible that his hand was damaged and did not grow together properly? So when he could afford to start his own life and get a lute, it would be useless for him. So yes, he still doesn't know how to play, but he probably has a bunch of sketched notes for his songs at home.

808 - a golem, or maybe a spirit, capable of summoning people for a short time through a portal. It seems to me that in this version it could have had much more patterns, as well as visible joints in the limbs and any bending parts. Can roll into a ball and roll/levitate. In theory, it would be an indication that Pepermint is associated with the upper strata of society - the aristocracy or alchemists, because the golem is complex. But Chai is still a bit of a dumbass, so he's unlikely to think about this detail.

Peppermint - I'm not sure, she may come from an earl or baronial family, famous for its alchemical activities and inventions. Her image could be similar to a classic D&D rogue with a small light crossbow that could be enchanted. Her knowledge of alchemy may help her deal with magical seals and locks, but she in her position may clearly lack the materials in this version.

Macaron - former head of the Alchemy Guild, whose arms are not replaced but modified to give him more physical strength. It could be his own project, which he experienced for himself. I imagine him wearing goggles and an apron with many pockets where amulets or potions can be crammed to aid and enhance. And of course de a small grimoire on the belt.

Korsika - captain of the guard! I'm sure leather armor and double clubs (or maces) enchanted with electricity would suit her. She worked hard and for a very long time, it can be assumed that she is either just a hereditary guard, or it was her family's business to once receive the honor of standing at the head of the guard of their city.

CNMN - a golem, obviously. However, I have no idea how it is possible to keep a joke and pun with his name in this AU.

Rekka - should be in charge of manufactories. She dresses simply, but with high quality, and her clothes are reinforced, which seems strange to others, but it gives her certain advantages. Rekka would suit the personality of something similar to a berserker by DnD standards, but more tamed (I may be wrong due to lack of knowledge). Her hands have the most demonic appearance of all the characters, and as such, she wears gloves so as not to scare people even more.

Kale - comes from an earl or baronial family, obviously. In fact, he modified his entire body with alchemy, but these changes are only visible when he needs to manifest them (hell, imagine if he changed completely into something similar to the demonic form of Dante from DMS 5).

Roquefort - the head of a Merchant Guild or just a merchant's house? His near-death state could be anything, but I find the lycanthropy option interesting. What if his fading and approaching end would be associated with a beast that would take over him every day, so that his death could be both from the loss of his personality, as a human, and literally from monster hunters. Kale could then offer him a risky option that would rely heavily on luck (perhaps because Zanzo, who was already on Kale's side, suggested such a fucked up idea). And yet it not only worked, but also gave Roquefort full control over his beast... which is very bad for his enemies, especially since this form was later enhanced many times and brought to something almost demonic.

Mimosa - I'm not sure, but something like a court minstrel, managing heralds? She seems to me to come from a relatively noble family, but she is the hardest thing for me to see here. But I just see that her wings have very strong peacock motifs.

Zanzo - current head of the Alchemy Guild. Could have been expelled from there earlier due to his dangerous experiments and curiosity for darker sides of alchemy. It is possible that he is too fascinated by this science and the possibilities it provides, especially for him, to pay attention to what someone considers too dangerous. Definitely does not see sympathy for golems, as well as for robots in the original, perhaps even worse. His arms and legs were replaced with artificial ones, most likely due to a accident during his experiments. He wears an alchemical cloak with pockets and a special belt. As for Zanzo's head - I thought about it for a some time, but it could be something like a hoop helmet with ropes extending from it from some kind of magical material, around which alchemical inscriptions are wrapped. Maybe here they would gives greater sensitivity to magic or let keep more knowledge in mind without constant looking into the grimoire.

#hi fi rush #AU #Chai #macaron hi fi rush #chai hi fi rush #kale vandelay #peppermint vandelay #roquefort hi fi rush #hi fi rush rekka #zanzo #CNMN #mimosa hi fi rush #808 hi fi rush #Hi-Fi rush

[aria-i-adagio]

WIP Ask Meme

Bold of you to think I'm organized enough to have a WIP folder @hoochieblues.

Rules: Post the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. Let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! Then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

I'm adapting these to brief descriptions. If there are any ongoing files in my GDrive I'll include the title/first line, but those are temp then everything moves to Scrivener.

Tagging: @atypicalacademic @motherofqups @niffty24, @ankoku-jin and @hollyand-writes

Here's what we have going on right now:

(In addition to the super fun work of writing my own bloody geometry textbook because the major publishers can't be bothered to do it decently/even vaguely in line with the current academic standards.)

Thrift Shop Vikings continues. It is cringe, it is dark, it is... hopefully actually decent. It has also grown from, "eh, think I can make the Nanowrimo draft into a decent short novel" to "yeah... this is going to be three genre length novels." I want to say I'm 80% of the way to beta-reader ready draft of Act 1, but I'm scared of jinxing myself. (That said, if anyone is interested in not quite Game of Thrones level dark fantasy, with yours truly treating crack [omegaverse] seriously, HMU. This is... not for everyone, and much darker than the fic I've written.)

Once Sindre had recovered enough to not feel that he needed to sleep until the end of days and the final battle, he began waking with the sun. Misery barely described... There's an idiom: as useless as nipples on a man

Where the Elfroot Grows is not dead. It is just percolating. In fact, recently Jeanne has been very loud about being the POV character for the arrival back at Skyhold. Also, the fish out of water appeal of forcing Rhys though Halamshiral is just too damn much. Also, I feel entirely empowered to make up my own canon now.

Jeanne became one of Rhys's primary minders Scene: Getting Hawke moving Rhys wakes to a kiss pressed to the back of his neck Adrian's arm remains extended R&D Ocean

On that note, I'm not really filing the serial numbers off WTEG per se, because I think I've backed far enough up to basic fantasy tropes. Or maybe I'm filing the serial numbers off, IDK and IDC. Either way, I'm at the world-building, occasional scene writing, creating lore, boning up on history and anarchist theory stage of taking the elements I particularly like and running with them, while paying more attention to consistent characterization and general coherence in terms of theory and theology. Currently has more of a steampunk vibe, as I can't quite pull off the level of 'sweeping social change more than mage rebellion' with a thoroughly medieval world-build. I would get into my Xnity, but to the left, meanderings here, but it would turn into a thesis. Anyway, both this and Thrift Shop Vikings are engaged with the idea that anyone who believes god is on their side is as dangerous as hell, just in very different directions.

And @hollyand-writes I really do have enough of an outline for Gatsby meets Kirkwall to get somewhere with it. Just maybe not until the school year is over. Every time I drive past the road named for the local moonshiners I'm reminded/start thinking on it.

#my writing #ask memes #thrift shop vikings #wteg

[hillnerd]

For the AU ask thing; Steampunk!AU for 'Persuasion'? Thank you!

Frederick’s favourite thing about the air ships was getting to look at a bright dawn just beginning from so high up, where the dark sky is tinged with early morning light and you can see the gentle curve of the horizon. Stars are beginning to fade and everything is serene as few need to be up at that time on the ship

Anne is quietly good at small mechanics- her father finds it gouche and her sister think it’s useless and manly- but Anne likes to sort out the mysteries of why the mechanics for something was not working and especially likes the medical side of it

Captain Harville has an older model of a mech-leg that needs refitting. Anne is able to get the gold grease for him which Wentworth quietly watches and likes quite a lot about her.

Bath has many a submarina, which Wentworth finds disturbing- one should be on the ocean or flying high above it- not under it!! But he’s quite willing to go into one of those blasted tunnels if Anne is there. He particularly doesn’t care for the moist air and leaky bits between different submarina cafes and Anne finds his nervousness quite adorable as he offers he an umbrella and fresh air

When they’re finally together and on his ship Anne loves getting to finally feel useful, learning ways to help with the on board dr and getting better with mechanics- which Wentworth greatly admits and encourages

Thanks for the ask!!

If anyone else would like a go, here’s the prompt:

#persuasion #au #asks