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#it's ten am and I'm making it spicy on main

magicratfingers · 5 months

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Progress report ! ૮ ºﻌºა ✨ kind of a work-in-progress diary for myself. v indulgent.

intense world of dick terrifying - goin good! got a main character, some supporting characters, figuring out the big rivalry today. Gotta figure out a format. I was thinking of basing it off of the Day at the Airport book bc it's only about 11 spreads but there's a lot going on on each one. Could leave it a comic but I also want it to be printable hmm catnips cantrips chooseyer-by-mail test - learning a lot! the world-building has been reallllllly fun - like the kind of fun where you want to go a little deeper bc you like it not bc you have to. perfect situation. Gotta resolve the mix between the DM roleplay and the actual postcards. Made and branded a whole gmail account and character to handle lost postcards - Pizza Kentucky III of the Isekai Post Office. Haven't been keeping up with the blog. But the blog is supposed to be more of a holding container than a 'thing'. One thing I did not expect to be learning was spreadsheets. Keeping track of names and addresses and choices and paths has given me a new perspective on pacing and structure. Also? Been a great excuse to finally play with UV epoxy and it's so straightforward that I'm mad it took me so long. media thats not just webcomics - dunmeshi is out!!! Laios my beloved. Still afraid to find and read Kotteri's Veil bc it will make me too feelings. Started reading books I loved as a kid (Redwall!!!) and some story craft books (found an NPR list somewhere) WRHP s2 - started to feel like work but changing up the backgrounds freed me up, feels fun again Sorcerer comic - paused while I wait for fashion inspiration to pull the ending together Emotional support paladin - paused till I feel like it. It's got such a specific delivery style that I don't wanna force to get the story out, so i gotta wait for some story aspects to firm up Bonnie & Clawd - more of a character study than a comic - fun to practice cutie pies cuddling. But... how DO birds and wolves smooch. Saw a youtube video about how ravens and wolves are friends and work together. So perfect. Valentines day thing - got some supplies coming tomorrow, gonna try out my idea. If it works maybe sell it? If it doesn't work, oh well, probably will learn something. Wanted to make perforated cards and stickers but got a little overwhelmed thinking about printing. Might just do a digital thing if an idea comes to me. Been wanting to make holographic stickers but when I sit down to think of a motif it feels stressful. Maybe I just test the Poodle Broadcasting System logo? I've always loved the aesthetic of valentines day but never felt like it's been delivered right. I certainly never felt indulged - something is always a little not-cute or too-cutesy. Think it could be really fun to have it be an annual 'surprise box'. I lost my halloween fam in the schmivorce so I could use a holiday to go crazy on. (For years I would drive out and help build a whole haunted house in a garage and it was like a week-long party with great food and movies and laughs. Sad to lose it, sadder still to know it was so easy for them to lose me. ) Dishupon - ok not as many players and responses as I'd hoped. But that wasn't really the point. Point was to invent some sanrio-y characters for fun - which i did. And I will also say that the exercise of coming up with a variety of cozy, fun, silly, spicy ways to think about dishes has made MY dishes mostly effortless. Even made a little foam clay Tiger coach and he's sitting on the window above the sink. Perhaps I will think of a game to get my car inspection done.

Overall January is great. Granted, it's the 4th. Had my ten year work anniversary (idk how old everyone thinks I am but it's Not 20) and got to 1010 followers on twitter on the same day. And the new d20 is out on the 10th so that felt real nice and square. Bit worried that all the good vibes I built up over holiday vacay will get smashed when I'm put on a new work project. But i feel like I'm about to level up a little bit art-style wise. Feelin grateful, feelin warm & cozy

#process #progress report #posts feel more real than journal entries do

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duhragonball · 2 years

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For the Dragonball numbered asklist, four and ten?

I got 10 in another ask, so I'm gonna save that one for later, just in case this one runs long.

4. Who is your least favorite character?

Dolltaki. No contest.

I'll see people talk about their least favorite characters, or characters they hate, and sometimes I question their reasoning. They'll be like:

"I love Dragon Ball, but gosh, I sure do hate Vegeta, because he's too overrated!"

"'Sup, guys, I'm a dudebro and I think DBZ is hella rad, but I hate that soycuck Yamcha, because he loses all the time!"

"Yes, I do love Dragon Ball, or Doragonboru as it was originally known. However, I am quite dismayed by Seru, or Cell, because it is well understood that Toriyama-sensei wanted to end the series after Frieza, and the Androids saga saw a marked decline in the comic overtones that made the story such a huge success."

"I enjoy Dragon Ball, but? Goku? Is stupid? Please get him out of the story uwu."

First of all, I don't get these kinds of people. I'm not trying to be a gatekeeper here, but this is like saying you love salad but hate lettuce. And sure, maybe it's possible to thread that needle, but maybe it's more likely that you need to rethink your position. You don't have to like Vegeta, and a lot of fans don't, but I don't think he's going away any time soon. Disliking the major characters is sort of like those people who think ketchup is too spicy, because they don't realize they're allergic to tomatoes. I rag on Frieza a lot, sure, but I can't deny the guy's appeal, and it's a lot of fun to watch him get beat up. If you're a Vegeta-hater that enjoys watching him lose, then great, you're going to get a lot out of this franchise. But if you resent Vegeta for taking up screentime that should be devoted to Launch, then I think you need to consider that this may not be for you.

Second of all, the people who pick major characters as their least favorite probably aren't looking hard enough. Dragon Ball GT, for example, is a treasury of shit-tier characters. If your top five list of worst DB characters doesn't include some GT guys, then you must have never watched GT, and I can absolutely understand that decision.

I've never seen full-throated support of Dragon Ball GT. People will argue over whether OG Dragon Ball is better than Z, but you never see anyone seriously suggesting that GT is better than both of them. At most, people will say "I'm a GT apologist, so..." or "Sure it has its flaws, but I kind of liked..." GT is always getting damned with faint praise. The big line I always see is that it had "some good ideas, but they were poorly executed."

Here's the idea behind Dolltaki: He looks like the skinny grey version of Majin Buu with a dumb toupee, and he turns people into dolls so he can feed them to a robot that somehow transmits energy to another robot, who feeds that energy to a slightly better villain. When he turns Pan into a doll, he loses all perspective, and becomes obsessed with dressing her doll-form up in different outfits. His boss orders him to feed Pan-doll to the robot, but he refuses to do it, because that's how infatuated he is with a doll he made of a nine-year-old girl.

The thing is, GT only ran for 64 episodes. Dolltaki was in five of them. And during that run, he was presented as the main antagonist. Sure, he was working for Dr. Myuu, but that conflict doesn't get set up until the next arc. Dolltaki is like a General White or Zarbon kind of figure. Except White and Zarbon are pretty cool for the limited time they're in the story. Dolltaki looks and acts and carries himself like a total dipshit, and he's the main boss of his run, so it just makes Goku and Trunks look like dipshits for having so much trouble with him.

I haven't even gotten into how creepy Dolltaki is. Like, what were they thinking with this guy? I guess he's supposed to be a parody of nerdy collectors who get way too into their Sailor Moon figurines, but how does that translate into a Dragon Ball villain? Also, when you depict a character like that and show long lingering scenes of him sweet talking a doll and getting excited about taking off its clothes, that starts to say a lot more about your show than whatever the character was supposed to be satirizing.

So maybe someone on the GT production staff had a weird fetish. That's a terrible reason to create a character like Dolltaki, but the alternative might be worse: There is no reason, they just slapped all this together to meet their deadlines, never once considering how much it sucked. A lot of GT feels that way to me, so maybe this Dolltaki is no different.

But man oh man does Dolltaki suck. He's cringy, and I don't mean that in a post-ironic way. Once upon a time, the word "cringe" actually meant something, and it was reserved for things like writing an entire professional resume in My-Little-Pony-speak, or comparing fandom discourse to real-world atrocities. Dolltaki is that kind of cringe. He serves no narrative purpose, except to make the line from the Para Para Brothers to Dr. Myuu more convoluted. So all the time he spends creeping on an immobilized Pan is just offensive drivel. It's the worst kind of filler, the kind that makes you regret watching he show in the first place. And that's why Dolltaki is my least favorite character.

But sure, Bulma is kind of pushy and obnoxious sometimes, so I can see why some people would pick her as their least favorite. 🙄

#ask duhragonball #dragon ball #dragon ball gt #really sucks #dolltaki #son pan #people used to be like 'oh dragon ball super is so bad it's even worse than gt'#the fuck it is #it's real simple: is dolltaki in dragon ball super?#no?#then dragon ball super is better than gt qed

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teaveetamer · 2 years

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Since you've written a lot of Dimidue, I wanted to ask about why it appeals to you. As a fellow Dimidue shipper, I'm always intrigued about why other fans gravitated towards it. Personally, I multi ship Dimidue, Dimilix, Sylvix so I'm not a "die for one ship" type of fan lol. But the 8 Blue Lions are so ship able together that they're all so easy to poly ship as well. There's very little I won't ship in the Blue Lions because they're all so interesting and well written and great dynamic together

Idk to be honest because it definitely wasn't my main when I started with the fandom. I think it was a couple of factors:

#1 I honestly just didn't expect to like it as much as I did.

I don't hate the lord/retainer dynamic in FE, it's just that usually the execution leaves a bit to be desired. Like Leo/Niles. I don't hate it, but it was always missing something to really sucker punch me and get me on board. Never really knew what it was though, until Dimidue came on the scene.

I think what really took them over the line was just like? How much of a unit they already seemed to be? I mean you literally cannot escape them talking about each other. Even Dimitri has dialogue in 3H where he explicitly talks about Dedue. It's very clear that whatever feelings they have toward each other, they're mutual, and it turns out that was what I was missing from the previous lord/retainer dynamics. All of those tended to be more one-sided on the part of the retainer, so a ship with the lord/retainer dynamic where they're equally invested (and if they aren't you could definitely make the case that it's the lord who is more invested?) Sign me up.

2) There's just so much to work with

I mean you have their supports, which are super gay don't get me wrong, but like? You also have Dedue's return at Myrrdin in AM, or their death scene in CF, or Dedue's revenge quest in VW, and all of their explore sections and dialogue where the two of them stand together quite often, and their whole untapped pre-academy history. AND THEN on top of THAT we got Three Hopes with even more Dimidue

3) It's kind of different from what I'd been doing?

I love Sylvix too, don't get me wrong, but I think part of the reason I gravitated less toward reading and writing it is because... I mean people made the joke that Sylvix was just nu!Leokumi and they aren't... entirely wrong... I mean they aren't identical or anything but the Takumi-to-Felix pipeline is pretty apparent and Leo and Sylvain are both sad boys with daddy issues.

So yeah I spent like five years writing a ton of Leokumi stuff and then Sylvix was feeling a little too similar to me. Dimidue was a completely different dynamic with completely different character archetypes and I found that really appealing, so I think I gravitated toward that a lot

4) This might be shallow but I'm over giving a fuck lmao. I like bottom!Dimitri pretty much exclusively and Dimidue was the only ship that would consistently feed me.

5) Dimidue being a smaller ship I also felt kind of protective over it? Not like I own it or anything but like. This is a precious seed that needs to be nurtured and babied into fruition. So a lot of my Dimidue stuff just comes from me wanting to fill out the archive with more quantity and variety of stuff for them, because it's kind of a bummer when you go to a ship's tag and there's only like ten fics and they're all G rated fluff (or if you wanna get spicy, E rated fluff with lots of hand holding and eye contact. I love that for Dimidue, but I also want Dimitri to choke on a cock and call someone daddy sometimes, y'know???)

I wouldn't say I set out to be a mono-shipper btw. I don't mind shipping characters with others, but I think I just naturally gravitate toward having an OTP.

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tedderoni · 10 months

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I think I'm gacha fatigued. I played quite a few games with gachas in them this year and after having my soul crushed repeatedly by my crappy pulls in DTW while my friends and my wife pulled characters I desperately wanted and gleefully showed them off to me (which is valid, and I'm genuinely excited for them too), I decided to reexamine why I was even playing some of these.

I want to begin by making it absolutely clear that I know gachas are gambling. I am aware of my gambling addiction, which I'm pretty sure is equal parts hereditary on my mother's side as well as a kind of mind game these activities trick your brain into. I have a lootbox problem and I am especially vulnerable to costume collecting.

I saved up tons and tons of gems or orbs or tickets or whatever for this game and that game, and because one game in particular had such powerful hooks in me, I didn't notice that my expectations for every other gacha were unrealistic.

I spent actual, real-world money that I needed for new clothes or a haircut or funds for going out and touching some fucking grass on the teeny tiny chance that I could get just one more character or costume or event prize for my digital harem simulator or whatever.

I like to collect things. (Hoarding is also a genetic failing on my mother's side, come to think of it.)

That's why these games are so dangerous in my opinion. I'm glad I don't like any other form of gambling games, and that cute anime girls were the motivation instead of the temporary thrill of winning.

Genshin Impact appealed to me because it felt like a "real" game that just so happened to have a gacha. The way the odds worked for the banners were also very F2P friendly, or so I told myself, with a guaranteed 4-star character or weapon every ten pulls.

The story was robust and the music was gorgeous. The fandom seemed pretty chill in my little corner of the internet, though I did hear the occasional rumblings of shipping drama. I read quite a few fanfics that were cute or funny or even spicy. It was a nice break from other games, or something interesting to do when Final Fantasy XIV had longer maintenance periods and I was anxiously waiting to log back in.

I truly love the world of the game still, even though I haven't played in probably at least a month and a half. I was super hyped for Sumeru, and I pulled my favorite character on my birthday last year.

That being said, I wrongfully assumed the new area in Genshin Impact would make me feel as before. The newest chapter of the main story dropped last week I think and I barely even noticed.

I felt nothing.

There were adorable cat people and steampunk elements and underwater exploration things and I. Felt. Nothing.

I decided that was enough of a reason to quit the game. If I'm not emotionally invested anymore, then why keep playing? I tried to quit before a couple times, but then I convinced myself that it had become a money sink, an investment.

That's not how games should make me feel.

Logging in started to feel like a chore. Grinding for ascension materials or talent scrolls or artifacts was tedious and boring. There were too many characters to keep track of, and they kept adding more and more stupid gimmicks. If I missed even one day of an event I wouldn't be able to finish it in time and receive rewards that would never come around again.

If I didn't log in, I told myself, I would get left behind by the friends I play co-op with. I would waste everyone's time because they would have to go back and redo stuff because I was lagging behind again because I play a lot of other games besides this one.

If I stop playing, I can't stay in the discord server we made for Genshin and I can't see all the funny memes and cool screenshots and drawings and fanfic recommendations.

Somehow I convinced myself that I had to keep playing this game that no longer held my interest or made me happy because if I didn't, then I'm letting my friends down.

This isn't the case, of course, but my brain likes to bully my heart a lot. I'm not letting anybody down. If anything, Genshin Impact has let me down. I have the power to uninstall the stupid thing and never touch it again. It's my damn computer, my phone, my life!

I like Genshin Impact still, but I don't play it anymore. If my friends are disappointed by that, that's okay. They're not disappointed in me, hell, they probably sympathize with my disappointment in the game because they are my friends, duh.

There's no reason to stress myself out over this. Which is why I needed to just write it out and be done with it.

So, there you have it.

I'm excited that my friends are excited, and that's good enough for me right now. If that changes in the future, then I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

And if my friends come across this post, I just want to say:

Thanks for playing with me, you guys! ❤️

#talking to myself #possibly delete later

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valhallanrose · 4 years

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Peachy Keen

5,079 words

A letter from an old friend sends Miriyam back to Prakra and down beneath her streets, into a familiar world of burlesque and bloodshed.

Peachy Keen takes place approximately a year after the bargain struck in Court of Swords. CoS is not necessary to understand this piece, but I’m using it to establish a timeline for Miriyam’s story.

Court of Swords can be found here.

Miriyam’s burlesque routine can be found here.

CW for implications of assault and violence. Some not safe for work content ahead, but not graphic.

Parts of Prakra were illustrious, all shining marble and high towers that breached the clouds far overhead. At night, when the moon hung heavy and full overhead, its light would illuminate the mist on the canals with a sort of ethereal glow that clung to the gondolas that passed through them.

Miriyam preferred the darker underbelly, raucous in comparison to the gentle quiet of the streets overhead. She felt at home among the warm red glow of the lanterns and the scent of smoke thick in the air, blending easily among the gamblers and the drinkers and the rest of those with less savory habits.

She found herself tucked away in a corner of a bar that night, cigarette burning low between her lips and an empty flagon set before her on the table. Her mind was elsewhere as she tugged the letter from her pocket, skimming through it between glances up toward the door. The page was well worn and heavily creased, as if she’d opened and closed it a thousand times before despite the simple message.

* * * * *

Miriyam,

I know it’s been a long time since we’ve spoken, but I find I’ve been reminiscing lately. I implore you, come to Prakra as soon as you can. I’ll wait for you in our favorite haunt beneath the theater. I’d love for you to buy me a bottle of Golden Goose.

Anika

* * * * *

Unassuming as it was, Miriyam had dropped everything and raced back to Prakra nearly as soon as this letter was in her hand.

Anika had been her lover, years ago, but the two had wanted different things from their relationship: one wanted to move forward, and the other was content where they were. So they split semi-amicably, and before she left, Miriyam had offered a balm for them both - should Anika ever need her, ask for a bottle of Golden Goose.

It seemed silly at the time, but Miriyam had still been working for Adelram, and she was afraid of their letter being intercepted by prying eyes - and neither of them could reasonably afford it at the time, anyway. She swore she would come as quick as she could, no matter the cost or reason, but she hadn’t heard from Anika since.

And for Anika to use that now, after all this time...it make Miriyam’s stomach clench to think she was in any sort of danger.

When Miriyam looked up again, she caught the door easing open, and an indescribable feeling crept down her spine as she caught the familiar shade of emerald green, the lilies woven into the braid that was pulled over the woman’s shoulder.

She watched those wide brown eyes flick over the patrons in the bar, the way she pulled her cloak a little tighter, and felt her heart leap up into her throat before Miriyam managed to shove herself out of her chair to wave Anika closer.

Gods, she hadn’t changed a bit.

Anika’s eyes landed on her, narrowing slightly before recognition flashed beneath her lashes. Miriyam was hardly out of her seat before Anika rushed her, throwing her arms around the taller woman and burying her face in her chest with a trembling sigh of relief.

“You really came.” Anika whispered, voice trembling as Miriyam’s arms fell around her shoulders and pulled her in close. “I thought you would have forgotten.”

“There are a lot of things wrong with me, but my memory isn’t one.” Miriyam teased gently, earning a quiet laugh from Anika before the two eventually settled back into the booth. She reached out, clasping Miriyam’s hand tightly in both of her own as the silver haired woman put out her cigarette with the other. “Tell me, Anika, what’s going on?”

Anika shrugged, stroking her thumbs over Miriyam’s gloved knuckles and refusing to meet her eye. “What if I just want to catch up? It’s been so long, after all…did you do something different with your hair?”

Miriyam sighed, reaching out and gently tipping Anika’s chin up with the side of her hand. She wasn’t surprised to see the tears welling up in Anika’s eyes, but she shifted her hand anyway, letting Anika lean her cheek against her palm as she spoke.

“Anika, there was a time I knew you better than I knew myself. I’d like to think you haven’t changed that much in six years.”

The green haired woman laughed and closed her eyes, a few tears dampening Miriyam’s palm before she wiped them away. “Yeah, you always did see through me. One of the things I loved about you, you know.” She sighed heavily before she continued, squeezing Miriyam’s hand lightly. “You...you remember my place, right?”

“Dove and Orchid? Yeah, I remember, you worked your ass off getting that thing off the ground. It’s doing alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s doing alright. Great, actually, up until recently.” Anika straightened, rolling her lip between her teeth. “I, um...Miri, someone’s hurting my girls.”

That caught Miriyam’s attention.

Dove and Orchid was a dancer’s club, built for more...promiscuous entertainment than some preferred. Anika hadn’t cared - she was the first performer at Dove and Orchid and had done everything she could to create an environment that was comfortable for patrons and dancers. As far as Miriyam understood, that was the reason for Anika’s success. She treated every dancer like her family, made sure they felt safe and secure so long as they were under her employ.

And that’s how she knew it broke Anika’s heart to think anyone would hurt any of her dancers.

“I don’t know who, but apparently it’s been happening for a few weeks - one of them came to me just a few nights ago and told me a man she didn’t recognize broke into her dressing room after her performance. He…” Tears began to fall hotly down Anika’s cheeks again as she spoke. “I tried to ask the city guard to come, post someone to keep them safe, but the one I spoke to told me they were asking for it and just laughed me off. Four of my girls have been attacked, Miri, and nobody will help us. I don’t know what to do, or who else to turn to, and I know you have every right to go back to wherever you came from - ”

Miriyam hushed her carefully, taking both of her hands and grasping them tightly as Anika tried to catch her breath. “Hey, hey, Anika - I’m not going anywhere. I told you a long time ago that if you ever needed me, I would help you, no matter what. Nothing will keep me from that now, you understand?”

Anika nodded slowly before she lowered her head, bringing Miriyam’s hands to her mouth and pressing a shaky kiss to her knuckles. There were no words needed - the gratitude cascaded off Anika in waves as the two sat in comfortable silence.

* * * * *

Several weeks had gone by since Anika’s initial approach, the pair having decided the best approach would be to bring Miriyam in as a dancer to keep her from any suspicions. Her tattoos and scars could be easily hidden - Anika was an adept illusionist - but they had to bring her up to speed on the aspect of performance.

And by the gods, Miriyam had never been more grateful for the grueling training she had undergone to gain her flexibility and endurance.

Dawn till dusk, she found herself in the rehearsal space, all while the club remained on a temporary hiatus. Anika had loosened just the right set of pipes to flood the space enough for some renovation to occur, buying them enough time to build Miriyam’s cover.

The night before the Dove and Orchid was set to reopen, Anika approached with a bottle and a pair of champagne flutes, their voices low as Miriyam let her tug and lace up parts of her costume between sips of the sparking liquid.

“So...you still need a stage name.” Anika mused, deft hands lacing up the skirt at Miriyam’s hip.

The silver haired woman snorted, arching a brow and glancing down at the other. “You were serious about that?”

“As the grave.” Anika playfully smacked Miriyam’s hip before retrieving her champagne flute. “Some of the girls have been tossing them around. They seem to like ‘Silver Fox’ for you.”

Miriyam groaned and laughed, her head falling back so she could look up at the intricately painted ceiling. “Dear gods, that’s awful. Please tell me that’s not what I’m going under, I might just leave the country.”

With a soft giggle, Anika shook her head, refilling their flutes before she answered. “Thankfully, no, but I am taking one of their other suggestions. You know how you always hunt down peaches for breakfast?”

“Breakfast without fruit is poor breakfast indeed.” Miriyam shrugged, leaning into her hip as she watched Anika drop into one of the armchairs. “What about it?”

Anika raised her glass, as if in toast, a playful smirk pulling at her lips. “Welcome to the Dove and Orchid, my dear Peachy Keen.”

Anika took a long swig of her champagne, leaving Miriyam to ponder the name for a long moment. Golden gaze fixed on the wall, one hand ran down her side, smoothing over the intricate embroidery and the pearl beading. She pulled at one of the thigh high stockings before closing her eyes, heaving a deep sigh and emitting a single word in response.

“Fuck.”

* * * * *

It took about two weeks before any real changes occurred.

When the Dove and Orchid reopened, business had been a little slow as the word spread. It took perhaps a week for all the seats to fill again, another three days for even standing room to be hard to come by.

Miriyam spent her nights rotating between dancers, one night on stage followed by another night on the floor as a waitress of sorts to get a handle on the crowd. Whenever she wasn’t on the floor, she was backstage with Anika, eagle eye watching over the dancers as they moved about the building.

But the nights on the stage…

She hadn’t ever considered burlesque as an option for herself. She didn’t believe herself to be an exhibitionist, and the idea of anyone she knew finding out was fairly mortifying, but there was a different sort of thrill she got from being up under the warm glow of the lanterns as her body moved to the thrumming music that filled the hall. It was easy to separate her nerves by viewing her body as a tool, another in her arsenal, as a means to an end - it made it easy to lose the self-consciousness that came from stripping down on stage.

Despite the fact that she was technically on a job? She had a fucking blast.

But the job always came first. Early on she’d spoken to each of the girls, getting details from each about the man they had seen, sketching face after face until she finally got one all four agreed upon. She knew who she was looking for, was always on the lookout, but that two week mark was the true beginning of the hunt.

It started small - the hair on the back of her neck rising at the feeling of someone lingering beyond her peripheral, things moved around in her dressing room, pieces of her costumes going missing. It was irritating and - though she’d never admit it - nerve-wracking, but she could do nothing until they showed themselves. Too soon, and she might scare them off completely. All she could do was wait and be wary, wait and watch for the inevitable slip of the man who cast a long shadow over the Dove and Orchid.

And slip he did.

* * * * *

About a month into Miriyam’s time performing at the Dove and Orchid, she slipped out onto a darkened stage, dressed in her personal favorite of the costumes Anika had pulled together for her. The outfit was layered with fabrics of gold and peach, the bust trimmed with freshwater pearls. There were laces at her back and her left hip, cream colored gloves pulled up above her elbows, and sheer stockings pulled up around her exposed thighs.

The music began before the lights started to warm, casting the stage in a pale pink glow and illuminating the bits of shimmer Anika had dusted on Miriyam’s collar and high cheekbones. The silence grew into wolf whistles and shouts as she cast a cheeky wink out to the crowd, dragging a hand lazily up her exposed thigh before she truly began to move.

Lip caught between her teeth, she slid down carefully from the carousel horse, hips swaying in time with the music until the backs of her thighs touched the sparkling stilettos Anika had all but forced onto her. As soon as they did, she was up and moving, body swaying as she made her way across the stage.

Hips rolled, gloved hands slid down over her breasts, down to her hips and over her thighs while a teasing smile pulled at her lips. She grasped the front of her skirt, buttons popping as she bared her thighs and pulled the split fabric up to her hips in favor of showing off her well-toned legs.

She always did like her legs.

With a flick of the wrist, the rest of the buttons popped, allowing her to cast the underlayer of the skirt aside. A playful smile over the shoulder, a roll of the hips, and she strode toward the carousel horse settled centerstage. She pushed down on it, where it tipped on its rocking base, then caught her glove between her teeth at the tip of her finger.

One of her legs lifted, the inside of her ankle skimming up her knee and high on her thigh as she worked that silken glove down her arm until her wrist. She turned, grinning as she kicked a leg up, wrapping the glove around the rod set through the wooden horse’s back and pulled it down the metal surface with a laugh.

There.

A man, light eyes and dark hair, the dim lighting of the Dove and Orchid just enough to let her see the distinct curve in his nose. The second girl had broken it - the third and fourth pointing it out in their own descriptions that led to the final image. There wasn’t a doubt about it in Miriyam’s mind.

He was here again tonight.

There you are, you motherfucker.

Steeling her nerves, she kept up that playful look, tugging on the laces of her skirt at her hip as someone near the front let out a loud whistle. She easily pulled open the wrapped fabric, briefly showing off the garter belts holding up her stockings before the skirt swung shut again. Miriyam turned her back toward the audience, lowering the skirt briefly to give them the briefest glimpse of her ass, laughing as she saw a young woman choke on her drink and repeating the motion when she saw her blush.

Despite her outward calm, Miriyam was keenly aware of the man’s eyes now that she’d seen him - and she knew as soon as the hair rose on the back of her neck that there was no chance she’d made an error.

The skirt was tossed aside, quickly followed by each of her sparkling stilettos before she eased herself up onto the wooden horse’s back. She swung her leg over, pitching her hips forward against the gold plated rod, setting the prop into motion as her legs swung with it. One hand grasping the pole, she leaned back, shooting Anika a wink when she saw her in the back before she pulled her legs beneath her.

Kneeling on its back, her hips lifted, bumping forward against the metal before her hand connected with her ass in a solid slap. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Anika snort, shaking her head as Miriyam dismounted and dragged a hand up her thigh before her hands traveled up to her back.

The corset was relatively easy to unlace - the cords were just long - and came off in moments, swung in a circle over her head before it too was tossed aside. She laughed when it slid and someone grabbed for it, knowing Anika would be a bit displeased to have to track it down, but her mind was elsewhere in the moment.

The practice had paid off - her body moved easily in time with the music, but her mind was set back into her mercenary ways. She was taking in each exit behind her playful smile, each glance cast over her shoulder ensuring her target was still there and still attentive throughout her performance. Perhaps it wasn’t the most conventional method, but...it certainly seemed to be working.

With the garter belt gone, Miriyam leapt up onto the carousel horse’s back, its base tipping dangerously before her weight settled. She stripped off her stocking, swinging her leg out in time with each beat of the music, down until the very tips of her toes before it came off and fluttered through the air.

She eyed the crowd, gesturing to the metal rod, raising a brow and grinning when the whistles grew louder. A few huffs of breath, and she playfully polished it with her balled up stocking, earning her a few goading shouts as she gestured to it again. When it grew louder, she grinned, then leaned forward and dragged the flat of her tongue up the cool metal as languidly as possible.

It fogged under her the heat of her breath, and she pulled away, laughing as she threw the first stocking down and began to pull the other off. Her hips rolled against the pole as she did, and as soon as the stocking was off, she reached for the ribbon at her hip - then shook a finger at the shouting crowd as if to scold them.

Her eyes shifted toward her target for the briefest of moments -

Good. He was still there, still watching, but...there was this look in his eye like he wanted to devour her where she was. And not like the other looks she got when she did this - something behind his eyes, behind that ravenous gaze, set her on the razor’s edge as she reached to unhook her brassiere.

As her routine drew to a slow close - her chest rolling, her hips swaying as she pulled the last layer before the barely-there panties she wore away - her mind was already in the dressing room.

She was cataloging the knives bolted to the underside of her vanity, how much time she needed to get there and how he could get in, but she managed a smile as she leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the wooden horse’s nose in time with the last note of the music behind her.

And as the lights in the room dimmed, she saw him slip away, toward a passage that she knew led backstage and eventually to her dressing room.

And so the hunt began.

* * * * *

Wrapped in a silken robe, Miriyam quickly settled in at her borrowed vanity, taking off the heavy necklace and earrings she’d worn as she lifted her knee into the hilt of the dagger fastened to the surface. Her eyes were focused on her reflection, but her senses were cast elsewhere, searching for any disturbances in the room as she tucked the jewelry away.

Her shoulders tensed imperceptibly as a floorboard creaked just beyond the sight of the mirror, off to her left, but she simply maintained her outward focus as she reached to unfasten her hair from Anika’s careful style.

Then the hand settled on her shoulder, seconds before an arm wrapped around her throat and yanked her back off the stool at the vanity.

Legs tangling with the stool, Miriyam was thrown off balance, her assailant pinning her arms under his other as the first tightened around her neck. Her knee slammed into the bottom of the vanity as she clawed at the arm at her throat, her vision going terrifyingly spotty as she found herself unable to pull in a full breath of air as it pulled tighter and tighter.

With what strength she could muster, she thrust her elbow back into the man’s stomach, catching him low enough to make him shout and loosen his grip on her arms.

She tried to step out of his grasp to make a grab for the knife, but he grappled for her, hand shredding her robe before her right elbow flew back into his jaw. She let out a shout as his hand fisted in her loose hair, but she quickly threw back her left elbow, his hand ripping free as she turned over her shoulder and grabbed the back of his neck. Her knee slammed into his pelvis, and he dropped, giving her time to reach for the vanity before he grabbed her ankle and tried to pull her back.

But it was enough. She pulled the mirror free, hefting it over her head and slamming the silver-backed object down over his head.

Glass splintered and showered around the pair, but the weight of the mirror was enough to knock him down for the count and give Miriyam the chance to catch her breath.

Slowly, carefully, she picked her way around the broken glass and unstrapped her dagger from the underside of the vanity. With an eye on his prone figure, Miriyam slowly opened the door, calling out to Anika from within the dressing room.

Unfortunately, in a place like this, restraints were not quite an immediate find.

Anika was there in moments, a few of the other girls whispering behind her as Miriyam held her shredded robe shut over her breasts.

“Careful, Anika, there’s glass everywhere.” Miriyam murmured, gesturing loosely to the remnants of the mirror all over the floor. “I’ll reimburse you for the mirror.”

The emerald haired woman waved a hand, eyes fixed on the unconscious man hardly ten feet beyond the doorway. “Don’t worry about it, I always thought that mirror was ugly. But...this is him?”

A silent nod, and Anika stepped into the room, shutting it behind her to leave herself and Miriyam alone inside.

“What are you going to do?” She murmured, and Miriyam shrugged, lifting the dagger held in her left hand in a wordless answer. Anika nodded, heaving a deep breath before she locked the door behind her and folded her arms over her chest. “Good…good. What can I do?”

Miriyam picked her way through the glass, her hands passing over the thick fabric hung on the wall before she dragged her knife through it. When she had four thick strips in her hand, she nodded to the man, then one of the chairs tucked away in the corner. “Help me get him into that. You want answers, don’t you?”

Anika nodded, the pair making quick work of his wrists and ankles with a bit of effort to actually get him to sit upright in the chair. The emerald haired woman dusted her hands off and shot Miriyam an amused look, then tugged on one of the knots she’d tied at his wrist. “Well, this is familiar. Last I remember, though, I was the one tied down.”

The silver haired woman choked on a laugh, shaking her head as Anika started to kick the broken shards of glass under the vanity. “Different circumstances, I’d think.”

“I hope. I have pleasant memories of that time.” Anika sighed dramatically, turning the stool over so it sat upright as Miriyam rolled her eyes. She leaned back against the vanity, lip caught between her teeth as Miriyam checked each of the knots, mulling over something before a raised brow prompted her to speak.

“Are you going to make it quick?”

With a feline smile, Miriyam stepped forward, carefully making her way toward the man and stroking a hand through his hair as he started to stir. After a moment her hand tightened into a fist, yanking his head back and exposing his throat to them both. “Not if you ask otherwise.”

Anika’s gaze was of matching intensity, and Miriyam’s eyes flashed an unearthly gold in the darkened room. “Make him answer for my girls, Miri. They’ll sleep soundly knowing they’re safe again.”

With a predatory grin spreading across her lips, Miriyam rounded on the waking man, the sounds of screams and the scent of blood thick in the air when she descended on her prey.

It would be hours before the final spray of blood splattered against the wall and her blade split his throat in two.

* * * * *

Anika’s girls were exceptional at body cleanup, Miriyam soon learned. They were all too eager to help dispose of him, removing all traces from the place that had been their sanctuary long before his presence tainted the boundaries of the Dove’s walls.

The silver haired woman had chosen to lay low after the fact, but a few days later, she found herself in Anika’s office with a glass of wine in hand. They sun hung low in the sky beyond the stained glass window, casting their faces in a rainbow of warm color as they spoke quietly between themselves.

There had been a long silence before Anika spoke up again, her words making Miriyam tense behind the glass raised to her lips.

“Miri...I know things didn’t end well between us…” She started, staring down into the ruby liquid. “There are so many things I didn’t get to say back then or that I didn’t say right. And seeing you all these years later...I think you made the right choice, as much as it felt like you didn’t at the time.”

Miriyam sighed heavily, leaning back in her chair and letting the heel of her boot fall onto the heavy mahogany of Anika’s desk. “Oh, so we’re going there? Thought I might be able to dodge that…”

She set the glass aside and folded her hands over her abdomen, closing her eyes in thought.

“I’ve had a lot of time to reflect recently. Mostly on my life and how I lived it, if I’m honest, and I’ve been thinking about us long before I got your letter.” She waved a hand loosely before it fell back against her stomach. “I loved you, Anika, and I think a part of me somewhere still does. But I don’t think I ever could be the woman you wanted, and I would have been an awful wife back then. We were just a couple of stupid kids caught up in each other whenever the room was dark enough to get our hands down each other’s blouses.”

Anika laughed softly, standing and circling the desk to perch on the edge of the armchair Miriyam was seated in. “As much as I wanted you to say yes back then, I know you’re right. But by the gods, you were this passionate little thing, and I think I was so worried about losing you that I drove you away on my own.”

Miriyam felt her lip tug up at that, huffing a laugh through her nose. “Oh, sweetheart, you’re too kind. I was a disaster, you can tell me that. Nineteen year old Miriyam needed a swift kick in the ass and I’m shocked nobody gave it to her. It would have been well deserved.”

With a laugh, Anika leaned down, kissing the top of Miriyam’s head. The gesture was laden with unspoken affection, but not the romantic affection they’d once had. Slowly, Miriyam opened her eyes, golden eyes meeting warm brown as Anika smoothed away a few pieces of silver hair from her face.

“You’re a good woman, Miri, even if you were a hellion as a kid.” Anika teased, folding her arms over her chest. “And if I know anything about you, it’s how quick you are to depreciate your own value. I just hope that one day you can understand what you’re truly worth.”

Miriyam was quiet before she surged out of her seat, reaching for her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. She kissed Anika’s forehead before giving her a raucous grin, one hand shoved into her pocket.

“Maybe. We’ll see what plan the gods have laid out for me.” She mused, striding over to the globe Anika had perched on her desk. She tapped a point on its surface, the gold leaf lettering bright in the setting sun. “I’ve got a contract. Ship leaves tonight, bound for Vesuvia. I’ll be there for about six months before the contract ends and I move elsewhere. I’d like you to write to me sometime, preferably before another six years goes by.”

Anika nodded, wrapping her arms around Miriyam in a loose embrace until the taller woman returned it.

“I’ll try.” She whispered, then leaned up and pressed a kiss to Miriyam’s cheek. “Are you sure you’ll be alright? You can always stay in Prakra a bit longer.”

Miriyam couldn’t help the grin that spread across her lips, shrugging her shoulders as she slipped from Anika’s arms and toward the door of her office.

“While such an offer warms my cold, dead heart...I think it would be good for me to move on.” Miriyam laughed as Anika punched her in the side, grumbling to herself about idiot women as she continued. “Don’t worry, Anika. I’ll be...how shall I put it? I believe the term is ‘Peachy Keen’?

Anika slammed her glass down, shoving at Miriyam’s back with a sound of disgust. “That’s it, get the hell out of my building. I don’t know why I thought I missed you, I hate your puns, I hate your face, get out - !”

Miriyam grabbed the doorframe as Anika tried to force her through it, grinning over her shoulder when she saw the smile pulling across Anika’s face. “You love me.” She crooned, then stumbled when Anika’s knee planted itself against her ass and knocked her hands free of the doorframe. She just laughed and turned, walking backwards and giving Anika a two fingered salute as she adjusted her bag on her shoulder. “See you around, Ani!”

“Never will be too fucking soon!”

Miriyam’s laughter would echo back to her, a fond smile on the woman’s lips and her heart lighter than when she had arrived, leaving the Dove and Orchid behind for the very last time.

#miriyam #miriyam von helvig #arcana oc miriyam #writing #the arcana game #the arcana #it's ten am and I'm making it spicy on main

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agent-cupcake · 3 years

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does your otome game have any saucy Bad Endings

I feel bad answering questions like this and making it seem like this is something I can do when, realistically, I don't have the means to complete a project like this but I've been developing the characters, setting, and plot for ten months so talking about it is cathartic.

Short answer: Yes!

Longer answer: Every main route is an unavoidable saucy bad ending. What I wanted to do going into this was to push each of the boys to their very most extreme, worst selves and, until you have all of the pieces of the mystery, you have no way to stop that from happening. Also, I'm a disgusting degenerate and want that spicy adult content in my dating sim relationships. For the "true" endings, you'd complete each main route to have the whole picture and then be able to decide if you want the final good or final bad end with any boy of your choosing. Both are equally canon.

Personally, and I realize this is a matter of specific taste, I dislike it when there are only one or two characters who are taken to dark extremes. That is the type of thing I am primarily interested in and most straight visual novels seem to cheap out on that kind of thing or relegate it to the non-canon "bad ending" fail state with only a short segment delving into the twisty dark elements. But, believe it or not, I do like happy, love-y endings in certain circumstances, I just want it to be done well. For darker, controversial characters something I've noticed is that while some people are super happy about the good ending resulting in the character overcoming the issues that made them behave so terribly, other people are confused about the good ending and cannot forgive the character for the things they've done even if they do change throughout the story. Both perspectives are pretty valid, and it's definitely a matter of taste as to what's "too far" for someone to still want a happy ending with the character. Having the choice to forgive or not forgive them be up to the player, and having both choices be canon, seems like it could potentially work as a middle ground. At this very least, this is my thought process. I'm not sure if the story I've written actually accomplishes this or even if it will ever actually see the light of day but, like I said, I've had this brainworm stuck in my head for the entirety of this shitty year so talking about it finally is nice.

#lake oberon

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3platoon · 2 years

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Hi! As someone who deals with lifelong chronic GI (gastro intestinal issues) and ive got some little tips for your trouble! (If you want, feel free to ignore if you want.)

1. Of course if you can, look into a doctor that specializes in gastro issues, bc a professional opinion is the best thing you can get. They may also point you in the direction of some over the counter meds that can really be life changing! Don't be afraid to get into detail, ya gotta say whats up.

2. Try to look for probiotic products, they'll help with digestion health!

3. Perhaps do get allergy testing, bc depending on your symptoms you might be allergic to something that you commonly consume.

4. Keep track of what you eat, if you have the attention span keep a record of what you eat and how it makes you feel after. This is how i figured out I'm sensitive to dairy, greasy foods, tomatoes and a handful of other odd specifics!

5. (This is a bit gross srry) but if your troubles lie especially in the in the lower intestines levels and functions, make sure you pay attention to the productions, and log that along with what you ate prior. If you have like, a Lot Of Blood, its not normal and you should get a doc's attention about what to do, for it could mean a lot and not a whole lot good. (As u can see im sidestepping a lot of words um. Again sorry. I know u dont want some anon talking abt the scary/ickyness bits)

6. For some reason i find bread sometimes agitates on bad days (other fam members can recite why but i can never remember why) so if you find yourself making a lot of sandwiches, maybe just roll the ham n cheese or whatev up in a little tube and consume it that way! Or do the bread for lettuce swap but ive heard a lot of recalls so maybe not-

7. If you want a more natural reliever for stomach issues, Ginger is your bestie. Tea, candies, get a product you can tolerate and keep it handy. If there is a ginger candy id reccomend, it would be Gin-Gin's, but specifically the hard candy kind. The flavor is somewhat strong but it's easy to get used to when your bod gets to know it helps (or u can just. Cronch) ginger is the main one i remember currently but research into what can alleviate naturally is worth it, cuz sometimes it's all you need on a decently troubled day!

8. Things like tums can also help, worse comes to worse take some ibuprofen with it too. Pain is best not endured is the motto.

Anyways, that's the advice i have! I hope it helps, pretty please take care and reach out to those that can support you! You deserve to lead as painless of an existence as possible. Gn! - 🦓

marry me right now 💍

YES omg so i am doing some of these things (seeing a GI again, taking ginger frequently (550 mg pills once a day)) but i know i need to get my ass in gear & start logging what i eat & stuff (a little late to do it ten days before my appointment but anything works i guess?)

i did not know that about bread or probiotic stuff and i've been curious about allergy testing for a little while now. i suspect red sauce might be troublesome?? but that's just because that's what i was told is troublesome so. idk LMAO. spicy food is obviously a no go, i will never eat spicy things again unfortunately

all in all your message is very appreciated!!! i have never gotten a thorough bullet list of tips like this before & tbh coming from an actual person it is more helpful than just rereading medical websites over & over and not knowing what's true or what's not u know. i am proposing right now

#ask to tag #illness tw #food tw #not sure what to tag this as i'm sorry bros 😭#long post #asks for me #gastrointestinal #health talk

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yautja-rp-burner-blog · 4 years

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Rules

1: I will never write out a rape scene with you. Ever. And don't ask for it.

2: I don't want to write against a character who is a survivor of rape or csa. It's triggering for me and I'm under absolutely no obligation to discuss WHY it is triggering.

3: The order in which I reply to prompts/memes/posts/etc is not first come first serve. Posts that read well, provide detail, inspire interest, and excite me the most will obviously get more effort and care from me.

4: No Human Characters. I just DON'T want to write against a human OC, at all. It's not that I have something against humans, it just always follows exactly the same plot formula and typically the bulk of the story consists of my big brute alien hunter character taking in this abused and tortured human soul to protect until they slowly morph into a mini predator. I may have enjoyed that many years ago in my teen years but I've done it SO many times with SO many people. It's like being forced to write the same book over and over. I'm not doing it again. If you contact me for a human/yautja pairing I'll assume a lack of respect for a clearly marked boundary and immediately block you. The only exception to this rule would be a Nugochi/Shorty pairing because SPICY.

5: Naming your main character Cetanu (More or less after the Yautja equivalent to The Grim Reaper) is the most annoyingly self important thing you can do and immediately tells me that your character is going to be an overpowered pain in the ass to write with. Am I kinda a hypocrite about this? No, I'm not, because the character who calls herself Death's Messenger is an egocentric, evil-ass who treats her pack-mates like windup machines, and really does think of herself as an instrument through which death operates in the universe. I as a writer recognize that she is both wrong and merely flesh and bone and neurosis. There's a difference between irony and flat, boring, impossibly strong characters who are no fun to write with.

6: Canon compliant yautja females only, I.E. big enough to accidentally throw the males across a room in the act of love(?) making. I don't want to play against an abnormally short/tiny female yautja, nor do I want to play against a yautja female raised by humans and wearing denim jeans. This was an attempt by a more recent potential RP partner to slip what might as well have been a human woman into my character's bed and I wasn't having it. This isn't a monster kink thing, this is a cultural thing and I'm tired of this particular dynamic between human and yautja culture. I'm sick of having to explain yautja hunting practices to human or human raised characters. Again, tired of writing the same book.

7: At LEAST a paragraph per post. A sentence or two during speaking/dialog scenes is fine.

8: Third person and past tense or nothing.

9: If our characters spar or fight, I want us to decide who wins BEFORE we start writing that scene and maybe plan just a bit as far as what injuries are to occur. I've had people do debate gymnastics with me about what position my character's arms were in to win a stupid RP fight scene as if it were the most important thing in the known universe and then LITERALLY two posts later write their character dry humping my character's leg (characters had met one another a mere ten minutes before this) and catch a big attitude when I pointed out how OOC and unrealistic it was. I'm not dealing with horny overpowered Gary Sues on a power trip this time around.

10: BE OVER 18 YEARS IF WE'RE WRITING EXTREMELY VIOLENT THEMES TOGETHER, AND OVER 21 IF WE'RE WRITING EXPLICIT SEXUAL JUNK.

11: Before you ask "Oof, who hurt you?" I'll answer that. Reddit. Reddit Rolplayers are why my rules look like this.

Feel free to peruse my Interests, About, and Muse sections.

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