Somewhere in the woods... waiting.

I rarely post cosplay photos here, but with the Gravity Falls fandom breathing a bit of fresh life from the 10th anniversary, I thought I'd make an exception!

This show means so much to me, I can hardly put it into words. From the endless laughter with my family to dropping everything to drive into the unknown in search of a statue, Gravity Falls has truly changed my life.

Although my sister and I are more of a Stan and Ford duo, we couldn't resist cosplaying the kids!

Dipper is me

Mabel is my sister

I have an ambitious idea for a multi-media project

Long: details under cut

Preface:

Adam Savage is known for making meticulous replicas of the Grail Diary from Indiana Jones 3; they're printed on authentic onionskin paper, stitched together and bound with leather like a real old journal would be, stuffed with inserts like folded up drawings, maps, post cards, letters, wax rubbings, tickets from ships and blimps, receipts, to-do lists, photos made to look like they were taken with late 19th/early 20th century cameras, an old silver certificate dollar, Hitler's autograph, you name it. The ten dollar word of the day is "verisimilitude." These super high fidelity replicas are more than just props, they're meant to feel like a real lived-in historical document kept by a globetrotting adventurer from the 1890s to 1930s.

Gravity Falls Journal 3 wanted to be like this, but it's mass market, printed on glossy paper with fake weathering and fonts that look like handwriting. If Adam Savage made a Journal 3 replica, it would look and feel like a real field journal from the 1970s; it would have crinkly yellow pages with mold/water damage, the cover would have brass or gold foil inlays, each entry would be handwritten (and you would be able to tell it wasn't just a font because every letter would have realistic variability in shape and size, there would be a different number of lines per page, the margins would drift, it would be sloppy and illegible in parts)

JJ Abrams published a book that came close to this aesthetic, a nice midway point between the Grail Diary and Journal 3 in terms of quality. A collab with Doug Dorst, the book is sold under the title "S." but once you take it out of its slipcover it's a meta-fictional artifact made to look like an old cloth-bond library copy of a (fictional) novel from the 1940s called The Ship of Theseus by VM Straka. The text of the novel is inconsequential, a dry story about a sailor being Shanghaid onto a pirate crew (it's actually pretty authentic, evoking the feeling of being forced to read an overrated novel for high school English class), but the book is full of faux-handwritten notes in the margins with multiple characters trading it back and forth (with different colored pens used to show the passage of time), telling a whole new story about their attempts to crack the case of the author's mysterious disappearance/death and an academic conspiracy trying to stop them. It is VERY dense. VERY confusing. You have to work out the timeline yourself because each character has annotated the book from start to finish over multiple passes; you'll be flipping back and forth like a choose-your-own-adventure. And the icing on the cake is that there are dozens of inserts stuffed throughout the pages; newspaper clippings, posts cards, a napkin from a fictional university restaurant, old telegrams, folded notes written on loose leaf college-ruled paper, a cipher wheel, etc. It is mass market like Journal 3, but with a much closer attention to detail like Adam Savage's Grail Journals. The inserts are impressive as part of the meta-narrative, but they don't hold up to as much scrutiny. Owning the book is more interesting than the book itself.

My idea

I want to create a boxset for Dracula in which the story is separated out into its constituent parts; Jonathan Harker's illegible shorthand journal, piles and piles of letters between Mina and Lucy and Van Helsing and the suitors (each with their own recognizable handwriting), real playable wax cyllinders with Dr. Sewards voice recordings, the water-damaged journal from the captain of the Demeter, newspaper clippings about the horrible storm and the large dog and "bloofer lady" sightings, and then a big stack of typewriter carbon paper where Mina painstakingly collated it all into the manuscript for the novel itself. The novel claims to be stitched together from a hundred different sources, and this boxset would actually BE the original sources! There would be old 1890s kodak photography, Jonathan's train tickets from across the continent, maps showing the exact paths of the Demeter and Dracula's dirt shipments and the suitors' chase along the rivers back to Transylvania. Lucy and her mother's wills, stationary with Lord Godalming's letterhead, an old rosary, a crucifix, some garlic flowers, lots and lots of communion wafers, Dracula's book of train schedules, and MOST IMPORTANTLY OF ALL the paprika hendl recipe!

Dracula Daily allows us to experience the story chronologically, but I would like to experience it the way the characters themselves would have, piecing together all the disparate clues over the course of 6 months. It would be an enormous and unweidly boxset, like the special edition of a video game.

The framing narrative would be that the box itself used to belong to Bram Stoker. He was a close friend to the Harkers, and they gave him all their first-hand documents so he could eventually publish their story.

I don't even know where I'd start!

bad news is i'm officially broke but good news is

I need to find a good time to refixate on Gravity Falls.

I know I can, I have a fma:b obsession about once every 2-4 years

💭 that paper i wrote to present & a professor asked who i wrote it for after… no one… the goddess JSTOR…

Alongside the interview, Alex Hirsch also sent me and Hana each a personalized Gravity Falls drawing made and signed by him. This was mine.

I can now say that Dipper and Mabel have visited Canada and specifically, my home town of Toronto.

Thank you so much, Alex ❤️

I'll probably never own Journal 3 Special Edition. But this imo is even better. There's a pretty funny story that happened regarding this drawing that I'll be sharing in the behind the scenes video I got coming on the channel next month on just how we got this interview to happen.

I also made a scan of it so I have a digital version too!

Be sure to check out me and @fordtato's interview with Alex if you've not yet.

FINALLY, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, the interview I did last year with Alex Hirsch is live!

Ever wondered what's up with that changed line in Journal 3? Have you been dying to solve the red rectangles in the margins? Have you ever wondered if there was ever more grim and dark material planned for the blacklight ink in the special edition?

All these answers and more have been revealed.

And for MORE answers, such as the fate of the GF artbook, or the identity of the baby in ATOTS, check out the companion video by @hkthatgffan

Credit for the art in the thumbnail in both videos goes to @stephreynaart!

Do you think part of the D20 journalistic bias comes from D20 being edited? It gives the appearance of much more effortless play and lets them control the pacing in a way unedited play like CR simply can't do. They get to (potentially) hide a lot of stuff people would jump on as flaws while CR has no choice but to let it all play out. I greatly prefer CR's approach, despite it biting them in the ass a bit through no fault of their own.

Answering these both together to group cause and my opinions, and I do want to note this is specifically about journalism/press coverage, not their respective fandoms even though there's obviously some overlap.

I think there's a couple things, but I do want to note this was actually prompted by Daggerheart, not Critical Role. The response from several prominent voices in the Actual Play journalism community, whom I will not name here but whom I do not respect intellectually, really was, within hours of the open beta (which as far as I know they didn't have early access to - more on that later) "um it could be better, I don't like xyz and also it's sooooooo important to have criticism" and again, it is important to have criticism, but also you act like D20 has never had a mediocre moment and that Kollok is brilliant, so.

This...got away from me a bit. I'd say I'm sorry but actually I adore writing thousands of words about actual play and it will happen again but I'm putting the detailed answer below a cut. The short answer is I think a lot of Actual Play journalists actually sort of fell into their jobs through being vaguely involved in nerd spaces and aren't actually equipped to talk intelligently about TTRPGs and actual play as a medium that should, at its best, be a perfect fusion of narrative and mechanics. So instead they're distracted by flashy edits and bright lights and cool noises and some abstract concept of "novelty" and write only about that. Also Critical Role is the 700 lb gorilla in the AP space (though not, actually, the TTRPG space) and doesn't give them early access and that's meaaaaaan. Indeed, for all I think a lot of their coverage of D20 and Worlds Beyond Number is obsessively fawning, I also think it's extremely surface level, frequently factually wrong, and fails to get at what's truly excellent about those shows either.

I think, honestly, the biggest one is that I don't actually think a lot of Actual Play journalists watch series in full. I was looking for Polygon coverage of Fantasy High Junior Year and they have one glowing article but it's more about Fantasy High as setting and institution and D20 "changing the game" (also more on this later) to the point of outright contradicting the pull quotes they used from interviewing Brennan Lee Mulligan (also more on this later). So I started looking through their coverage and actually, quite a number of their write-ups are based on only one episode, or half a season. Clearly, they haven't read the full open beta (nor have I, but I think their complaints about the character build process belie a profound misunderstanding of what TTRPGs are, also more on this later). So editing is certainly part of it because it's really easy to see cool special effects and sound design within one episode and shit out a hacky article about it, whereas actually getting to the substance - character relationships, cohesive narrative, storytelling - requires work that I do not think they're doing. And on the one hand I do kind of get it, because yeah, if journalism is your livelihood then you perhaps do not have the time to watch 4 hours of D&D a week for 2-3 years if you're only going to get one article every six months out of it. But I don't think the answer is "focus intently on Microsoft Powerpoint-esque scene transition tricks while ignoring that nothing occurring at the table is actually fun to watch." For more on this, see this post.

The second, which is very relevant to Daggerheart but also is actually a big gap in D20 and WBN coverage in my opinion, and which I put in the tags, is that I actually don't think a lot of journalists have a solid understanding of TTRPGs nor of most genres. And I think Critical Role has a particularly good understanding of both these things, actually, if one skewed towards collaborative storytelling that is not rules-light. I think one really big example is that one person within the space is mad at the Daggerheart questions for the character archetypes because what if your character doesn't fit these. I think this is dumb as shit. I actually think that a common criticism of D&D - that you can't play ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING - is not valid, or rather, it's a valid opinion to hold but if you want to play a character who doesn't fit into the available archetypes perhaps you need to find another game. We all inherently understand that Blades in the Dark characters will be members of a criminal organization in a relatively low-magic setting, correct? That you can't show up to BitD and play a lawful good wizard prince because that's not the story being told? Or like, how in Honey Heist, you are a bear and you are trying to get honey, and you cannot play a human child investigating the old abandoned house at the edge of town, but there's a cool game called Kids on Bikes that will let you do that? Great! Why is this suddenly so hard to understand in the realm of heroic fantasy, that you will fit into specific archetypes? Why do people's brains, if they have them to begin with, vanish suddenly? I know I just did a big old rant that included this within it but genuinely I think a lot of people are deeply ignorant of heroic fantasy, or don't like it, and either is fine, but then they get mad at the heroic fantasy game for having heroic fantasy archetypes when the answer is "maybe this will never make you happy because it's not for you." (Frankly, I think this is also why they love D20, because it doesn't really do straight-up heroic fantasy, and that's fine, but they do keep acting like doing a Game of Thrones pastiche is equivalent to the invention of the wheel.) Like...I remember in the Midst Q&A that Xen said they tend to not like playing typical D&D classes, but their solution was to, you know, create Midst instead of sitting around going "actually, because D&D doesn't support cyberpunk narrative and the character archetypes within very well it is an utter failure." (I could go on forever about how actually TTRPGs are not a showcase for your already extant OCs to prance around but that's a totally separate post).

Mechanics and story are inherently intertwined, is what I'm trying to get at (sorry I'm really tired and have a lot to do but I'm passionate about this answer, it will be rambly, she says like 3 pages in) and I really don't think most actual play journalists get this. At all. And I do think that CR, and Daggerheart, and the people working for it, and especially Spenser Starke, Rowan Hall, Matt Mercer, and Travis Willingham, get this more than almost anyone else in the field. I also think Brennan Lee Mulligan and Aabria Iyengar get this, and the thing is, for all the praise showered upon them, much of which I think is deserved and most of what I think is undeserved is not because they are lacking but because the person writing about them is an idiot crediting them for things they (Brennan and Aabria) would never claim to have invented, their mechanical prowess is rarely if ever written about well. Fantasy High Junior Year's downtime mechanics actually fill in a famous gap in D&D, namely, downtime, and provide an excellent marriage of story and mechanics in my opinion, and I haven't really seen any discussion, because that would require watching the part of the TTRPG show where they play the TTRPG, and knowing the vague word on the street about D&D criticism that isn't just "*nods sagely* capitalism is the BBEG."

And finally: related a bit to the edit but Critical Role used to not be able to provide any early access to press, because it was literally a live show, and I suspect they never broke the habit, and I think that is for the best. As discussed a lot of D20 coverage actually feels like they watched the press screener and then never returned to the show. And I do not know the politics about them, but given that several of these publications (notably Polygon, but some others) have been shitting on Critical Role for several years, and just generally given the way CR's leadership vs. how D20's leadership respond to fandom pressure, I suspect Critical Role does not give these journalists a ton of early or increased, if any. Honestly, why should you, if you're getting interviewed in Variety? And I think the journalists are mad, because they think they're special and should get treated as such.

I do want to wrap something up, and I want to thank @captainofthetidesbreath for talking a little about this in game design/ttrpgs and giving me the idea, but in story, you should be challenging your audience, expanding their horizons, and being new and interesting. In the actual playing of TTRPGs, especially a new one, it is vital to be inclusive and easy to understand and patient and provide points of reference. I really feel like many Actual Play journalists and some TTRPG ones as well have this equation flipped and are looking for challenging concepts that most people will never be able to get a group to be willing to play, and bells and whistles in production, but leave story as an afterthought. Critical Role designs games to actually be played and to be used specifically to tell good stories, and puts story before production, and I think that undercuts those journalists' whole deal.

How to get into the mind of a character? Honestly this can be for your OWN character or a fictional character. I'm wanting to write for characters- headcanons and fanfictions- and I'm so afraid I'll write them so uncanny to how they actually are.

How to get into the mind of a character?

To get into the mind of a character, you have to understand that character, believe in that character, and even "live" the character's life. But we all know each individual is different, and we cannot live different lives. A normal person who grew up in peacetime cannot fully understand the hardships of a warrior, and a doctor cannot know the thoughts of a mafia boss.

So, how can writers create believable characters? How can they possibly offer a believable soldier, cop, detective, alcoholic, or any given character type if they themselves haven't lived as them? How can they possibly offer a believable character in a situation that they've never been in?

Here are some tips you can use to get into the minds of characters:

Tip 1: Observe real-life people

To create well-rounded characters, observe real people around you. Pay attention to their behaviors, mannerisms, speech patterns, and thought processes. Take note of how they express emotions, handle conflicts, and make decisions. Drawing from real-life observations can add depth and authenticity to your characters. You can also search for novels and movies with different themes, study how characters with different pasts, biographies, occupations, and personalities act, behave, gesture, and speak. The best way is to prepare a small notebook and a pen so you can carry it with you wherever you go.

Tip 2: Create a detailed character profile

Develop a detailed character profile that includes information such as their age, background, beliefs, values, goals, and fears. Consider their relationships with other characters and how these dynamics influence their thoughts and actions. Delve into the character's past and explore significant events that have shaped them. Consider their upbringing, traumas, successes, and failures. These can provide you with a roadmap for understanding the character's mindset.

Tip 3: Use internal monologues and journaling

Imagine the character's internal thoughts and dialogues with themselves. Consider what they might be thinking in different situations, their hopes, dreams, and fears. (And why do they dream of that? Why are they afraid of that thing? What in the past made them afraid? Always asking questions.) Writing internal monologues or journal entries from the character's perspective can help you delve into their mindset and gain insight into their unique voice.

Tip 4: Consider their external influences

Characters are influenced by their environment, culture, and society. Reflect on how external factors such as family, friends, societal norms, or even the story's setting impact their thoughts and behaviors. This will help you portray their worldview more accurately.

Tip 5: Study the source material

If you're writing about an existing character from a book, TV show, or movie, immerse yourself in the source material. Pay attention to their dialogue, actions, and interactions with other characters. Take note of their personality traits, motivations, and backstory. This will help you develop a strong foundation for understanding the character. For example, recently I suddenly became interested in Nightwing (do you know him? Nightwing from the Batman series!), and I wanted to write a few short stories about him. So I found all the comics and movies that featured Nightwing and watched them one by one. I don't take notes because I have a pretty good memory (especially for characters I like), but I still recommend taking notes on special things to note.

Tip 6: Practice free writing

Set aside time for free writing exercises where you write from the character's point of view. Allow your thoughts to flow without judgment or editing. Just write, write, and write. You can reread and make corrections after you're done. Remember to gather your posts in one place; otherwise, you'll lose or forget them (like me!).

Getting into the mind of a character is an ongoing process that requires continuous exploration and refinement. The more you invest in understanding your character's thoughts, feelings, and motivations, the more compelling and authentic your writing will become.

Additionally, you can read my articles on how to write an effective character here:

How to create a superbad villain

How to make a villain's appearance memorable

Basic questions for your character

Describing a villain's appearance in a natural way

Create an effectively past for character

Common character motivations

How to create a good main character

How to avoid the instance where a secondary character stands out more/ is more lovable?

Character flaws

Writing a good Anti-Hero

Character positive traits

How to write an elderly main character?

Protagonist who is a ballerina

How to write a believeable egotistical character

very soft launching this in advance of more formal promo stuff, but i'm prepping for an "insta takeover" at sinister wisdom (starting dec. 3), a beloved lesbian+ lit mag open to submissions from all lgbtq ppl of marginalized genders

i'll be announcing a special issue i'm reading for - Mad Dykes, Queer Worlds - and wanted to invite you all to consider submitting! you don't need to identify as a dyke to submit. you just need to think dykes are cool, and identify with Madness as an identity, philosophy, experience, craft approach, and/or praxis.

all/no forms and genres accepted, including art. there's no payment for submissions, but you get copies of the print journal your work appears in, as well as a year-long subscription to SW. (if you do want to submit your Mad work for payment, consider submitting to the paying mag i edit, manyworlds.place!)

to submit to sinister wisdom, you need a submittable account to submit through the main portal, but if that's an access barrier, you can also email me your submission and indicate it in your subject line.

tagging some friends/mutuals who might be interested in submitting or sharing! feel free to rb + message me with questions.

@closet-keys @sadhoc @bioethicists @trans-axolotl @flameswallower @girl-chunks @felgueirosa @t4t4t @ghostzvne @lafemmemacabre @tamagotchiplanet @materialisnt @killyfromblame @fatehbaz @boykeats @discworldwitches @myalgias @campgender @grimesapologist

i honestly dont know hoe to say this, but you really had a hand in shaping my brai chemistry while i was growing up, no kidding. i remember when i was 13 or so and whenever you posted a pearl rap career chapter it would unironicaly make my day (specially when you dropped the peridot chapter i had a stomach infection or smth, so that video and the last one out of beach city episode were on replay for me for a few days). its really weird seeing that rebecca managed to make a safe space for lgbt folks (it was really hard for me to accept myself as gay, it seems really simple nowadays but back then it was so discomforting to even thinm about it so su and its fandom, and by some extent, your vids, helped me externalize some feelings or queernes i guess, do you remeber when someone said your video editing was raw and masculine? lol). anyways, its wild to think i was in 5th grade when i first watched laser light canon and now im finishing my journalism course in college and seeing how this show raised me in some way and helped me to be aware of my own mental health i only have good memories, thankfully, and its really sad to see that it ended, but i honestly wouldnt have had it any other way. its kind of a long rant but id like to thank you, mackenzie, your videos made me laugh a lot when i was a teen and they still make me now. this show was truly a gift, it made us connect to something bigger and magical. this was kind of a long rant since ive kinda forgotten that su existed and remined that it existed because of some dreams lol. i remembered back then when i was super anxious about the cluster episode, i remeber checking your tumblr everyday and seeing fanon content. i really dont know how to express myself since english is not my first language and i tend to ramble on a lot on my native one, but id like to say youve made me smile a lot, it was so cool seeing you present the su podcast and being an intern at CN. i honestly wish you the best.

Dude it means so much to hear that my lil shitposts have had an impact on people!!!! I completely understand where youre coming from re: SU's impact on your life (and acceptance of queer identity) and feel the same way!!! im so grateful for this show and everything it represents. in a world without Steven Universe my current life would be completely unrecognizable. like genuinely I dont think any single aspect of my life would be the way it is without SU. which is nuts but it's true!!!

I love engaging with this community and it gave me a lot of support when I was at a place in my life where I felt pretty isolated. I'm kind of rambling now too but this seriously has been sitting in my inbox for a bit now and I just knew i needed to respond and say thank you for sharing. <3

ALSO LMAO I FORGOT ABT THE RAW AND MASCULINE COMMENT THANK YOU FOR REMINDING ME HAHA

Some photos of the invisible ink pages from the Spanish translation of the Journal 3 Special Edition

5 Imaginary Play Prompts for Age Regressors / Agere - How to Play Pretend (Agere)

Ciao lovelies! Today I have another Agere post for you all! Sorry that it’s been so long since the last one, but I think you will really like this! Have you ever had trouble deciding what to do with your toys when you’re regressed? Do you feel kind of annoyed because it’s hard to pick a game or prompt to go off for pretend play? Well, I’ve got 5 pretend-play prompts for age regressors to talk to you all about today! Let’s get into this and learn how to play pretend, agere edition!

Imaginative play is a super important and fun part of life. As children, imagination shapes your problem solving skills and provides tons of entertainment. But as we get older physically, even if we’re still children on the inside, getting that inspiration back can be very very tricky. Society is somewhat built to suppress imagination in “adults,” so it’s not uncommon to feel like you’ve “lost your imagination” as you get older. What I’ve found that helps me when I want to begin a session of imaginary play, is something to begin with, like a prompt! In this post, I’ve listed and described 5 of my favorite imaginary play prompts that can be used with toys, stuffies, or even just in journaling or drawing! These prompts are the ones I use most often and I enjoy the most. There’s no ranking here, just five ideas in a random order. I really hope these can help those of you who are looking for a place to start when you’re wanting to voluntarily regress!

Idea 1: Game Show!

This first idea is something I find super fun, and it’s easy to customize it to whatever you prefer. The idea is essentially, set up a game show for your stuffies, dolls, toys, etc, whatever you want to do! You can be the game show host, or choose a toy to be the host and announcer. When picking the contestants, try to give them fun back-stories to affect the game! 

I like using this idea in various ways. Sometimes it’s similar to “Total Drama Island”. Sometimes I frame it as a task oriented game show like “Wheel of Fortune” or “Jeopardy!” Other times, I set it up like a cooking show, similar to things like “Great British Bake Off” or “Chopped”. 

You can also have fun with this by imagining the prizes or even crafting them! Sometimes I like to draw and cut out prizes like huge fake checks (like the ones on TV), or award badges. Other times, I like using a treasure chest as a “grand cash prize!” Adding my own touch to these things is really enjoyable and adds to the experience overall.

My last tip for this prompt is, the more outlandish and wild you make the contestants, the more fun you’ll have! Don’t be afraid to make certain characters fall into reality tv tropes, those sort of things are totally fun in this type of game. 

If you’ve used a prompt like this before, comment below how you set up your game show! I would totally love to hear more ideas.

Idea 2: Deserted Island / Shipwrecked

Okay, so this next idea is something I like doing with smaller toys, so I can give them a big island to explore. I usually pick like 3-5 “characters” who get stranded on a deserted island together and have to figure out survival. Sometimes I have items they brought with them, but not always. This is a fun idea if you like camping or outdoorsy type stuff. It can totally be played outside, but that’s not required. 

A tip for playing this inside: use blankets/towels to add different “zones” of play. For example, I like to use my orange Umaru blanket for sand type things, and blue towels or sheets for the ocean. This is helpful if it’s harder for you to visualize environments like that.

Some other ways to add to this prompt, I suggest having a variety of character types to play with. Not everyone can be amazing at survival stuff, and everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. Giving everyone a different special skill can really help with that too. It’s fun to flesh out team dynamics in that way! It’s kind of like one-person-DnD.

It’s perfectly okay to use pre-established stories too! Sometimes I like to act out scenes from Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous with this prompt, or even have similar concepts to Jurassic Park 3. (I’m a huge Jurassic Park/World nerd, I know, lol!) There’s nothing wrong with using existing stories as a starting point or as a “script” of sorts. Imagination comes in all forms, and using inspiration is perfectly normal!

If you’ve played something like this before during your regression, (or childhood!), please comment below, I’d really like to hear the types of stories you use with your toys as well! I’m a huge fan of sharing concepts and ideas as a community, so hearing from you is always my favorite thing, and totally makes my day!

Idea 3: Detectives

This is one of my fave tropes/concepts in media, when a show has an episode where they have to solve a mystery! It’s super fun to watch and even more fun to act out. The way I like to play this one is usually pretty simple, but then escalates over the storyline. 

Usually, I first pick out what type of mystery is being solved. Murder Mysteries can be good (more on that in Idea 4,) but I also like heists, conspiracies, ancient magic, stuff like that! After picking the type of mystery, I like picking 2 characters to be a “watson and holmes” type duo. Sometimes I bring in more characters to work with them, like random experts that are relevant to the type of mystery, key witnesses, etc. 

One of my absolute favorite things to do in this scenario is adding in obstacles/roadblocks, the more absurd, the better. Art museum was robbed of their most valuable statue? 2 detectives begin the case, but the art museum’s cameras were off that day. Taking witness statements? Only two people saw the suspects, but neither person can see well without glasses, and neither were wearing them. Got a clue leading to an address? Turns out to be an ambush trap, and our detectives find out that this mystery is only the beginning to something bigger! Things like that really add to the story, and you can make them as crazy as you want, because you are the author of the story, so you can just invent any solutions to them that you want. It’s such an enjoyable thing to do. 

A tip for this prompt, I enjoy modeling my detective characters off of Sherlock Holmes and Watson from the books, which means getting to give them funny voices and make them interact in fun ways. But you can make your detectives have any personality you want! Are you more of a fan of CSI? You can make serious policemen! Prefer something like Supernatural? Make them slightly snarky and quippy like Sam and Dean! It’s your story, so the tone is 100% up to you!

Similar to this prompt, you could also use the next idea, which is….

Idea 4: “Among Us” Style Mystery / Murder Mystery

This is something I remember playing very often as a bio kid, and now, as well. Starting with about 8-10 characters, who are somehow trapped within a house, ship, etc. Someone is murdered and nobody knows who did it. People keep disappearing or dying until the suspect is found, and nobody leaves until they know who was guilty. You can set this up to be similar to something like “Clue,” or even more similar to “Among Us.” 

A tip I like for this prompt: select a character who is not guilty, but everyone thinks they are. Have them be super suspicious and mysterious, only to dramatically reveal that they are innocent. 

Another fun tip: if you want a horror movie style thing (think like slasher films), select a character to fill the “final girl” trope (doesn’t have to be female though). This is the last person left alive who must face off against the killer in a dramatic final battle. 

I like adding plot twists to these, because it adds so much fun to the story. Here are some of the plot twists I like to add to these stories:

Someone has an evil twin, they are killed secretly and the twin replaces them until the very end.

Someone in the group is working with the killer.

Someone in the group witnesses a murder, but cannot speak and is in shock. They reveal the killer at the very end.

The first person to die was of natural causes, everyone after that was just everyone turning on eachother.

Nobody in the group is actually the killer, and the house is haunted, and a ghost is causing the deaths.

Nobody actually dies, it’s all an elaborate prank on the sole “survivor” and this isn’t revealed until the end.

Someone in the group disappears and is assumed dead, but reappears at the end to defeat the killer.

These sorts of stories are super fun to make overly-dramatic, and also super fun to give all the characters funny voices or weird reactions to events!

And now…. For the last prompt!

Idea 5: Exploring a New Planet 

Maybe I’m a huge nerd, but I grew up enjoying Star Trek TNG and Voyager. My dad and I would watch whole seasons from DvD box sets we had while we ate flash boiled broccoli in the summer (because it was finally in-season!). My favorite characters were Data (from TNG), and Seven of Nine (from Voyager). A big part of my enjoyment of the show was when they would discover new planets or new life forms! 

When I use this prompt, I typically use Star Trek as a basis for things like the space ship name, crew ranks, protocols, etc. I love having characters fight over the validity of the Prime Directive, and have intense moral debates. But that’s just me kind of being a dork. LOL.

To play this prompt, I suggest setting up an area you want to be the new planet. Laying down a blanket or towel in a fun color to be the surface of the planet, then use anything and everything to establish buildings, farms, etc. Make the planet anything you want!

Next, pick your explorers, I usually default to a group of 4-6. Select a mission leader, a science person, and if you want, a galactic ambassador! 

Now, the explorers can visit the planet, being amazed by each new thing they see. You can have them make “audio logs” of their findings and take “readings” of new life forms! You can even have your explorers meet aliens and learn about new cultures and beliefs.

For extra fun, I like to have a scene or two with my explorers trying the new culture’s food. I use Monster High food props for this, mostly, but sometimes I also like to use playdough or floam to sculpt new foods for them.

You can make their adventure as perilous or as interesting as you want! Your explorers can encounter dangerous new weather patterns or plants, or they can have an enjoyable trip meeting new aliens, it’s totally up to you!

Thanks for all the support from you lovelies! We have a pretty awesome community, and it’s all because of you! Thank you for keeping OFT’s online spaces positive, uplifting, and supportive.

And, thank you again for reading! And most importantly, please remember to stay awesome and love yourself! You are amazing just as you are, and you deserve so much love and support. I hope you all give yourselves the love and kindness that you show others.

See you in my next post, video, or whatever comes next!

[The Ssum] New Ssumone ‘June’ Review Event! Commemorative Research Assignment: June Observation Journal

Hello, dear lab participant!

Following the Season 2 update of <The Ssum>, one week has passed since you found your new match, June!

How was your first meeting with June?

First impressions, cute things about him, his charm, memorable moments….

Share your observations of June through the commemorative research assignment June Observation Journal!

Post your review of June on social media and submit the link on the app to receive special lab support items from the Forbidden Lab.

♥Research Benefits♥

- All participants: 5 Aurora Batteries (Download that picture you wanted!)

- 20 Lucky draw winners: 50 Aurora Batteries (PIU-PIU’s versatile fuel♡)

- 3 Lucky draw winners: Autograph from June’s VA Kim Myeong-jun (That limited item everyone wants☆) + June Halloween illustration towel (Can be used as a fabric poster!) + 100 Aurora Batteries

♥How to Participate♥

1) Upload your review of June including two hashtags, #TheSsum #TheSsum_June_Review

2) Log into <The Ssum> and click the dedicated event banner located in the [ Lab Support Box - Event ] tab to upload the link to your review

♥Event Schedule♥

Event Deadline: November 22nd, 2023 (Wed) KST

Winner Announcement: Within 10 days after event deadline

※Please Note※ * There are no restrictions as to which social media platform you can participate with. * If a private post, deleted post, stolen link, or incorrect link is registered, participation rewards may be withdrawn and you will not be eligible for the lucky draw. * Post links must be unique to the post. Do not post links to individual accounts. * You can edit the registered link by pressing the write button until the end of the event, but the participation reward will only be awarded once for the initial registration. * For questions about the event, please contact: [email protected] 

We look forward to your participation, and happy love research on <The Ssum>!

Thank you.

-Cheritz-

So, I've been working on a little something recently and can now show it; A Starter pack/Guide for every year of Gravity Falls' life!

Starting with 2012! Highlights include...

The Slender man hoax

Blendin in the background

Alex's GF Gossiper Podcast interview

STNLYMBL

GF in 2013! Highlights include...

The McGucket Hoax

Rise of Reverse Falls and other AUs

Bill Cipher's reveal

Dipper's Guide to the Unexplained

The Great year long hiatus

Gravity Falls in 2014! Highlights include...

Season 2

GF is moved to Disney XD

Mabel's Guide to Life

The Lebam theory

Bipper!

Gravity Falls in 2015! Highlights include...

The Reveal of Ford

The Rise of Dipcifica

The Mystery Trio

Weirdmageddon

Alex Hirsch confirms the show is ending

Gravity Falls in 2016! Highlights include...

Weirdmageddon 3

Cipher Hunt

Journal 3 and Time Pirates

The Farewell to the Falls Art Show

The Pilot is revealed

Rise of Gravity Falls Amino

Gravity Falls since 2016! Highlights include...

Journal 3 Special Edition

Lost Legends and the box set

GF Alumni making their own shows

New books, merch and even the GF vinyl

Cameos in other shows of Bill

The 10 year anniversary

And that's where we are now! What year or era did you join in?

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Happy Valentine's Day to those who celebrate the holiday! While I was away at my robotics course, my mom baked oatmeal cranberry cookies (pictured above)! My dad also picked me up a new squishmallow! Her name is Aidy (pictured above). Isn't she so cute?

The cookies were delicious too, although I only ate one because I have dance. It merely looked strange to have one on the plate for a photo. I will eat another one tonight before bed with my snack I think.

Tasks Completed:

Geometry - Reviewed formulas for surface area and volume + learned to find surface areas and volumes of composite solids + practice

Lit and Comp II - Studied Unit 18 vocabulary + read chapter 20 of Emma by Jane Austen + worked on my newspaper writing assignment + read the news

Spanish 2 - Wrote a schedule of my daily routine in Spanish using vocabulary words

Bible I - Read Joshua 7

World History - Watched the second half of New Hidden Killers: The Edwardian Home and completed chart of inventions with their problems + writing assignment

Biology with Lab - Reviewed ecology terms + worked on proofreading and editing my endangered species project

Foundations - Read more on persuasiveness + completed Lumosity daily brain workout + learned about ad hominem, tu quoque, and special pleading fallacies

Piano - Practiced for one hour

Khan Academy - Completed High School Geometry Unit 9: Lesson 3 part 7

CLEP - None today

Duolingo - Completed at least one lesson each in Spanish, French, and Chinese

Reading - Read pages 261-290 of Warrior Girl Unearthed by Angeline Boulley

Chores - None today

Activities of the Day:

Extracurricular robotics course

Ballet

Variations

Journal/Mindfulness

-

What I’m Grateful for Today:

I am grateful for my parents who love me very much.

Quote of the Day:

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.

-Lao Tzu

🎧Consolations, S. 172: No. 3, Lento placid - Franz Liszt