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zenosanalytic · 1 year

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Paintbrush, PlasGlue and Holy Clippers: Sparse Marns Part 1: The Team

Hey :> :> :>

So this is a BIT out of leftfield(my FAVORITE Kind of field >:> >:>) for this tumblr, but I’ve begun a Mini-Painting-Project and I want to document it OvO

Back in the Grim Darkness of the Far Past I was once an Avid collector and painter of minis for a tabletop wargame known as Epic 40k(also a boat-game called Man’o’War), produced by GamesWorkshop. I don’t say player because it was DAMNDABLY difficult to actl FIND anyone else who collected and played Epic, because it was OBSCURE and HIGHLY UNPOPULAR(My FAVORITE Kinds of both ob-, and popular :>). Mostly I played it alone or with my sibs.

HOWEVER! I had allot of fun constructing and painting the models for it(they were TEENY) and, while Sainted Epic has sadly met it’s Rhana Dandra, GamesWorkshop is, obvsl, still around, I have been Fondly Regarding them from afar ever since, and Recently Become Once More Intrigued By Them For Some Mysterious Reason u_u u_u SO! I am painting some Spess Marins as practice :3 :3 :3

And I WILL be getting to that in future posts BUT, First, I wish to introduce you to My Associates u_u(oh yeah: the background here is just a self-healing cutting mat. They make for a great work-surface and you can get these from any hobbystore, the ones at gameshops are usually tiny, dont bother)

This is my Hobby Knife. There are many like it in the world, but this one is mine. As you can see it’s an Xacto and I got it from a Michael’s. You can get these from any hobby store for a decent price; you dont need to pay the markups you’ll fine on the ones in gameshops. They are, essentially, Scalpels and thus EXCEEDINGLY SHARP which is why you should NEVER EVER EVER EEEEEVER get one anywhere CLOSE to your eyes. Minis are necessarily mini, and some Hobbyists like to get a bit close cuz Vision, but you should NEEEEEEVER do this. Keep it away from your face >:(

However, being an Exceedingly Sharp Knife also makes them Exceedingly Safe Knives, PROVIDED YOU ARE CAUTIOUS AND DULY CAREFUL >:( >:( (I’m SERIOUS!!!). Hobby knives are very responsive, to the work-material and to your movements, and they will communicate to you what is safe if only you will listen through your touch. ATTEND! They are KNIVES, slide and slice don’t try to push it through things; think carving and shaving. Always use the shallowest angle you can. Move it in a single direction, don’t saw and dont scratch. Be gentle with them. Give them your full attention whenever the blade is free. Sometimes, when handling small things, you will drop them and your fumble-instinct will kick in; remember to suppress this when you’re holding a knife. Stay still, put the knife down(preferably cap it too so it wont roll around) and THEN pick up The Thing, and THEN pick back up the knife(and uncap it). I’ve never hurt myself with a hobby knife and if you respect them for what they are, a shard of metal as thin and sharp as a piece of paper and 100xharder, neither will you. I Love Them uwu uwu

This is a tripleset of miniature files from Army Painter. I never used mini Files before this project cuz back when I was but a wee snek GW used different casting methods(we’ll get into this) and everything was snap-fit(obvsl youd glue once you had the pose you liked) so they weren’t really necessary, but after watching some tutorials I figured they are now and, Yeah, sorta. I only used the middle awl-tipped one in this project, which doubles at being good for marking pilot holes. Im not a HUGE fan of them? I feel like they’re a bit coarse for mini-plastic, which is fairly soft, and am considering trying out glass files(one of my sibs builds gundams and suggested this) for the next build I do.

My Hobby Drill, again from Army Painter. In mini-building the primary uses of a drill are 1)clearing obstructed peg-holes, 2)making holes to attach models to bases or painting stands via paperclips, and 3)drilling out barrel holes. In this project I’ll only use it for the third. This one, using the finest bit, worked Fine for that, it’s motion is smooth and easy to control, but I’m a BIT annoyed that only that smallest bit will fit in the darn thing. Now to be fair: this is my first time using a hobby drill and maybe this was user error, but I took the whole dang tip apart trying to get the clamps to widen(it’s fine: they’re built for that and it was easy to put it back together. Easy Maintenance! Another plus) and they never did, and that annoys me >:T Why give me three bits if I can only use one??? GRRRRRR

These are two little plastic cups -one with soapy water, one with clean water- and a paper towel. These will become Important later u_u

Oh Sprues-Clippers, my Beloved! Again these are Army Painter and THIS time they are genuinely Good. Work’s a treat; crisp, smooth action; great control. There’s allot of nuance to using these that you’ll pick up intuitively as you do, but the main thing is to try and cut with the flat side. You’ll understand when you do it cuz your brain will be like ‘Sweet! New Limb :3 :3″

This is Super-, or Plastic-, Glue, again from the Army Painter. It’s Fine, but like most superglue bottles it comes with an applicator tip that was ALREADY cemented shut when I opened it, presumably from bouncing around during shipping. I MUCH prefer superglues with brush-tip-tops rather than applicators. It’s not a big deal though because...

this Ancient Box of toothpicks. Passed down by my mother, and by HER mother before her, these tiny, perfectly weildable tree-shards make Excellent superglue appliers. My tips here: 1)wear a mask, at LEAST an N95 when using super glue, 2)KEEP IT AWAY FROM YOUR FACE!, 3)keep it in a place it wont get knocked over, by you or by wind, or by anything else, 4)don’t use too much and wipe the excess off on the INSIDE of the bottleneck; dont get ANY on the outside or your cap will cement shut when you close it, 5)you cant really FEEL when you’ve lowered it into the glue, so you’ll have to check by eye; this doesn’t mean looking down the bottle, just raise the toothpick out and you’ll see it on the pick. You WILL get superglue on your fingers inevitably(DONT try to avoid this by using gloves they’ll just make you clumsier, and plastic gloves will obvsl get glued to everything by it), It’s Fine, once you reach a good stopping point go rub some olive oil on your fingertips for a few seconds, then was them in warm water with soap for The Full 30 Seconds and the residue ought to come off; if it doesn’t, then bulldoze it off with your thumbnail, pushing out, off of your tips, in a single direction, not scratching. You don’t want superglue in your eyes, or ANY of your membranes, or your Bits(you know the ones), so be careful what you touch while it’s wet on your fingers. Use a paper towel to clean the picks of any excess glue, not microfiber towels or the like they’ll pull the fibers out, and set the pick on the towel when not in use. As its used dry glue will start to build up on the pick and lessen it’s agility; it has served its purpose and can now go to toothpick Valhol(your trashcan), to be replaced by one of its siblings

Tweezers, again from Army Painter. Not a fan; they hold fine but you can’t really put any pressure through them and the main thing you need them for is gluing Tiny Bits to the minis :T There’s a particular type you’ll see most folks making mini videos use but idk what the brand is(mostly cuz I didn’t look :p)

This is two-sided tape. I used it to tape the minis to a piece of cardboard for priming them with spraypaint. I’ll get to that later. And last but not least

This is Mr. Hobby’s Mr. Dissolved Putty and the brush I used to apply it. It’s for filling in any gaps in your minis still visible after you’ve let them dry from being glued together and it’s STUPENDOUS at that, and IT IS HIGHLY TOXIC AND HIGHLY UNSTABLE! If you are going to use this: Store it in a cool dark place it isn’t likely to get knocked over or smashed; keep it out of sunlight; Shake it THOROUGHLY but GENTLY with a FIRM GRIP beforehand(and you’d do well to not let it sit around settling for too long regardless as it deeply desires to solidify; give the bottle a shake ever week or so, at least); Wear latex or nitrile Gloves; Wear Sleeves; Wear Eye protection; Wear a Respirator A REAL-ASS HARDWARE STORE RESPIRATOR WITH THE FILTERS AND EVERYTHING NOT A PAPER MASK; use it ONLY in a well ventilated area(I dont have a vent booth but my set up was: working infront of an open window with an oscillating fan 9ish feet behind me set to max, creating a strong air-current OUT). As above apply it with a brush in thin layers, giving them a few seconds to settle to see if you need to add more, adding more until the gaps stay filled. Let it dry COMPLETELY before you paint which, depending on your weather conditions(the colder and wetter the longer), can take up to a day. With my minis, it dried in a few hours. It would PROBABLY be a good idea to vent the room you use this in for a good hour or so after you do, like: open the windows and set up a fan to blow air out of them, no matter how short your usage of it is. It will keep reacting on the models as it dries, so it will stay in the air for awhile, but once you can no longer smell it you’ll be Fine. Related: it’s probably a good idea to use this in a room you can keep ppl out of after, or outside if you have a good, shaded exterior workspace. After you’ve used it, wash your hands and gargle some water for a few minutes to clear your sinuses(dont swallow the water obvsl! Spit it out). DONT LET THIS STUFF GET INSIDE YOUR BODY!!! Mark the brush you use for this for ONLY This and dont ever put it in your mouth to “sharpen” it(in fact: Stop doing that in general >:( >:( ), and CLEAN IT in a clean water bowl(preferably not plastic or anything you’ll eat out of later) after use, pushing it dry on a paper towel once its clear of the material, then throwing that water OUTSIDE when you’re done applying. READ THE INSTRUCTIONS ON THE LID!!! Safety is never a waste of your time.

SO: that’s my team. Tomorrow: ASSEMBLY :> :> :>

#zA Hobbies #zA Builds #Our Staff #Miniature Painting #GamesWorkshop #Warhammer 40k #WH40K #Hobby Tools #Hobbyposts

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smallerplaces · 2 hours

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Dura-Craft Farmhouse, interlude 1

As a break from gluing the same wall panel five different times, because every time we got one fixed, the old hot glue gave out on another section... well, yes, we should have taken it apart completely and reglued all of it at once. We're stubborn.

As a break, we went to Sacramento to look at a bricks-and-mortar dollhouse store for a kitchen set. Spoiler: this post is not going to be about what an amazing sight it was to be in my first miniatures shop. That's partly because it's not my first miniatures shop.

Okay, let's be organized:

Dollhouse furniture in the contemporary kit era (late 1970s to present).

My personal dilemma with dollhouse kitchens.

The death of the dollhouse miniatures shop.

Dollhouse furniture in the contemporary kit era

When the kit era started in the late 1970s, dollhouse furniture options were pretty limited. There were Concord Miniatures (high quality, high cost), The House of Miniatures kits (high quality DIY, mostly colonial style), Crysnbon (plastic DIY, highly detailed), and occasional dollar-store, Grandmother Stover, and Darice minis, along with much lower-quality, less detailed furniture kits from various dollhouse kit makers.

That sounds like a lot of options, but it added up to far fewer different furniture sets than in the early 2000s. That more recent era offered the last of high-end Bespaq (we used to debate if they were still in business), new products from Melissa and Doug, neat stuff from Dolls House Emporium if you paid the high shipping from the UK, basic American styles from Hobby Lobby's Mayberry Street, and then so, so much variety from dominant brand Town Square. Virtually all of the furniture other than Bespaq was chunkier than in the early 1980s, but there was a lot of it. Town Square was prolific with kitchen colors and bathroom variations.

Post-2020, that's gone. Town Square increased its domination (it's also Dolls House Emporium's Streets Ahead brand), but it reduced its lines. Other brands offer less than they used to. Amazon sells a brand called iLand, but that's about it for newcomers.

Which leads us to...

My personal dilemma with dollhouse kitchens

Contemporary dollhouse kitchens come in two basic types (photos from manufacturer stock).

This are full-wall kitchen units in various configurations (this one is from iLand). I love these and intend to use this style when I build my Walmer front-opening kit. It won't work for the Farm House because that has too many windows.

The other style, consistently mostly or entirely of separate lower cabinets, is what I need here. (Browsing to find this pic reminded me that sets used to be higher quality. *sigh*)

There are very few choices, and they've generally doubled in price since 2018 (which is not the usual rate of price increase on dollhouse furniture). Anything new is also on Aliexpress at half the price.

When I'd sold my mother's extensive collections, I'd kept only the items I absolutely loved, so I sold, gave away, or donated a number of kitchens that are objectively better than what I can find now. I don't entirely feel bad about that -- I was planning only one future project and wanted to be able to choose what was meaningful to me, rather than perpetually making Mom's choices work -- but I do feel frustrated.

The death of the dollhouse shop

When I lived in California in the early 00s, there were 7 or 8 dollhouse shops within a reasonable drive. My favorites were Dollhouses, Trains, and More in Novato (pricey, but they had everything) and Campbell Toy and Hobby (more human-scale). I preferred to shop at bricks-and-mortar stores; I used mail order only when locals couldn't get me what I wanted (usually vintage items or half-scale).

So while it's obvious that a combination of aging owners and internet-savvy shoppers contributed to the decline and fall of dollhouse miniature stores, I'm not the person to individually blame.

What's left here in northern California is my least-favorite store, the one in Sacramento. Back in the day, the owner was snobby about Bespaq, and I went to that store only if I was already in Sacramento and it wasn't out of the way. Lacking other alternatives, I figured I'd give it a chance.

It's under the same ownership, and it seems to be a hobby to get out of the house, as there's no way this store is making money. Here's where people will call me on the carpet for not engaging in conversation with the owner, thinking I missed out on quaint stories of dollhouse-building in the olden days. Maybe I did.

Here's the thing. The stock of kitchens was clearly just a matter of selling down the least popular items ordered around 2015, at a super-premium price. There was nothing new, nothing unusual, and nothing from estate sales. So no matter how often she demanded "can I help you find something?", there was nothing to find.

Here's the other thing. I have had elderly miniaturists attempt to "introduce me to the hobby" so, so many times. I'm not a regular at their events, so they assume I know nothing. I do not want to be sold on using the same wallpaper styles that everyone's been using for 40 years, or on lines of furniture that run $250 a room, or on how they would never touch whatever kit brand I'm working on. Been there, done that, and sincerely believe that the snobbery of the hobby is part of why it's aging out of existence. I have a bolder style that's more toy-like. It is one of my joys to see how many newer builders on r/dollhouse spontaneously do styles similar to mine (they're not inspired by me, it's just the zeitgeist).

So here are my kitchen options:

Order from China.

Hold out for a semi-vintage set, with the likelihood of paying more than I want to.

Look into building kitchen cabinets.

Either way, odds are that the the kitchen finishes should be compatible with an all-white or all-wood kitchen.

#dollhouse diaries #dollhouse miniatures #kitchen

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interact-if · 3 years

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Umm hi 👉👈 I realized that most of the asks you guys get are about games and rec lists. You guys deserve so much recognition for the work you put in this blog, so I wanted to ask if I can do a little get-to-know-the-mods thing? If that's okay!

1. Besides writing, what are your hobbies?

2. Do you have a niche interest right now?

3. Any fave songs/artists/bands?

4. Any fave movies/tv shows?

5. On a scale of 1-10, how likely would you survive in your wip's world?

You can totally ignore this if you guys want, no pressure. Anyway, much love to all the interact-if mods! You guys are incredible! ❤

We saw this ask and we went 👀 👀 👀 so we’re happy to answer! Thank you so much for the fun ask!

We also rated our survivability in all of our collective games, since Mars isn't an author! Fun stuff! Spoilers, though: it’s really not looking so great for me (Dani) but that’s fine!!! 😌

1. I’m a photographer as well as a graphic artist (but not like. A painter/drawer kind of artist!) and, on a general level, a maker and a tinkerer!

2. Fountain pens! I only write with ink, and only with fountain pens, and I use bottled inks/converters!

3. I’m pretty eclectic with music, but my top genres are alt rock, indie, indie pop, etc, as well as top 40s and some rap.

4. I feel like this is the hardest one for me to answer? Favorite movies/shows? Avatar: the Last Airbender has been a favorite show of mine since I was a little kid, but I have a harder time thinking of shows I would call a favorite in recent years. There are shows I’ve liked, and a lot of shows I’ve watched. But I’m picky! And demanding! It takes a lot to earn a place in Dani’s Trophy Case of Favorites. 😌 I would say I quite liked A Quite Place (movie), and I liked Us (movie). When it comes to TV shows, I have a hard time being pleased with them if they don’t end well. As a result, I have a penchant for a good limited series/miniseries (because they’re stories that have an end in mind and the plot reflects that, dagnabbit).

5. Heh. Okay.

In The Goodfellows? I think I stand I chance. I can exercise my sparkling wit and lovable personality to the best effect. I’m gonna give myself an 8/10 survivability rating. Even if I don’t have the right skills, I can go crying to the person who does and they’ll save me. Maybe.

In Creatures’ Cradle? I’m super $**!%d. 😌 1/10 survivability rating. And that 1 is me being nice to myself. The day the apocalypse breaks out I would probably be patient 0. I am self-aware. I would not do well in an apocalypse. Zombies care not for aforementioned sparkling wit and lovable personality, and I have all the muscle of a boiled spaghetti noodle. So it’s a no go.

Greater Than Gods (Cruz): Well. I’m going to be optimistic. And say that I have the wisdom not to do things I shouldn’t do and not to rock boats I shouldn’t rock. I’m going to give myself a 7/10 based on insider information, but also based on reckless optimism!

Vardir (Cruz): Cruz says this is a lighthearted game, so 10/10 LOL.

When it Hungers (Roast): I’m giving myself a nice, mediocre 5/10. I think I could put my mind to work here; I joke that I’m the village idiot, but I’m actually pretty smart! Unfortunately, I’m also curious, and maybe a little bad with authorities who won’t answer my questions. So I knocked off a lot of points due to the fact that I’d probably poke the metaphorical bear. So it’s a real coin flip as to whether I’d really make it or not.

Orthall Bay (Nines): Considering the genre is “horror” and the game intro includes the words “monster” and “maim,” I’m giving myself a whooping, enthusiastic 3/10. Yes, folks, I am that confident in myself! Once again, I can’t charm the socks off a monster (or can I?), so one of my greatest weapons is snatched from beneath my feet. Alas!

1. Beloved I’m a college student in the middle of a pandemic... i can hardly even write LOL i do draw at times which u can see in my personal blog (nothing too good really) and i used to do karate before things went to shit <3

2. Nothing niche I believe? All I do is leave Netflix as bg noise every day n play popular videgames (genshin)

3. Porter Robinson <3 I love Bea Miller a lot as well but lately I’ve been feeling Porter a lot

4. The Good Place <3

5. My WIPs:

Greater than Gods: Highly situational, the world GtG is set in is as broad as the real world LOL so I don’t have an universal answer. But keeping it vague, and knowing my own personality, I feel like 5/10. depends on my luck.

Vardir: 10/10 no one dies in Vikgade, unless you’re a hunter but I wouldn’t be a hunter <3

Others’ WIPs

I'm gonna give myself a solid 5/10 in all other WIPs because y'all aren't writing lighthearted stories either. I feel like as long as I avoid the role of the MC I will be mostly fine. I hope. But as Dani said I'm also prone to fight the wrong person and dig my own grave so 😌

1. Well, writing is a very, very, very, distant hobby since Words Hard, but I like to crochet and sculpt a little! Anything to do with fiddling with my hands and I’m good to go. And like, debatable but graphic design is my passion [insert clown emoji here since Tumblr said No]

2. Oh yeah a bunch! DnD yelling at people, thinking of arson, crocheting, rock climbing and simply vibing. I got into podcasts a few years ago and I’m always looking for more recs, so if you have some, hmu 😤

3. Pls,,,,my music taste is,,,so weird do not let me expose myself with lack of consistency but uhh. Current songs that are stuck in my head include; Cult of Dionysus , Achilles Come Down and The Last Shanty

4. If you’ve ever spoken to me before, I probably yelled about Pacific Rim to you or at you. Plus I love all The Mummy films and really enjoyed Castlevania (s3 excluded, we do not perceive that) as well!

5. Ah, mod survival simulator pt. 3

Alright, let’s go! I don’t have a WIP because again, words hard, but like, considering how feral I am when not tryna seem professional hm...

The Goodfellows: I wanna say a solid 7/10 because I’d hardcore vibe with the Traveler and probably instigate so much nonsense. I can also bribe with blueberry cake so maybe.

Creature’s Cradle: maybe a 4/10 and only because of pure spite keeping me alive long enough to smack someone. I’ve prepared for hypothetical zombie apolcapyses and I won’t hesitate to bap, but will be bapped back because I’m weak as hell.

Greater Than Gods: a toss up between 2/10 and 7/10! I can vibe and be chill but I also have terrible impulse control so...

Vardir: hm....I think pretty good survival rates all around? If you ask me to fight then like, okay sure, your knees are mine. So maybe a 8/10?

When it Hungers: .......8/10 just because I’d refuse to die if I can be a cool creature. Living for the aesthetic can and will drag me outta hell. But I’m also clumsy as hell so I’d probably crash as a porcelain or hold a rooster and perish (aka, real rating is a good 3/10)

Orthall Bay: 2/10, nope. Nope I’d be taken out in a heartbeat. Monsters can go pspsps and I’d head straight into the dark creepy forest like a fool if someone comes @ me. Half the time I’ll just assume it’s sfx makeup and vibe until it’s too late.

god, never put me in a universe where I cannot squawk like a bird and throw pebbles from a window. Oof

Anon, you're so sweet! I give you a forehead smoomch <333 As for your questions...

1. If I'm not writing, I'm usually watching video essays on Youtube. My go-to channels as of right now is Disrupt and Aperture! I just really like their videos. Aside from that, I recently got into podcasts. Currently going through Hello From The Hallowoods and Shelter and Warning, which are made by queer creators!

2. Oh oof, there's quite a bit so I'm just gonna put down one thing. For some reason, I really got into collecting tiny astronaut things? I recently bought this astronaut desk light, and I've got a package coming in for the miniatures I ordered. No purpose for them other than I think they're neat <3

3. I'm a bit private with my music taste (even tho I have Spotify connected on Discord lmao), but there's 5 songs that I'm currently obsessed with. I keep replaying them over and over again. Just squeezing all the serotonin I could get outta them.

4. I can't really say I have a fave TV show or movie because I can't really just pick one, but my current fave is 9-1-1 and Resident Alien. 9-1-1 because I just really love the found-family dynamics and how the show tackles sensitive topics, and Resident Alien because it's lighthearted comedy. My all-time fave movie is Flipped! I have the book too and I like rereading from time to time <3

5. You're in for a doozy, anon, because we're rating each other's games <333

The Goodfellows: 7/10

Listen. Shenanigans with the Traveler. I would get up to so many of them and that is what'll get me possibly bodied, not the actual environment itself <3

Greater than Gods: 7/10

I like to think I have enough common sense to uhhh not recklessly flip stones that should not be flipped <3 I'm a cautious and skeptic person irl so I think I'll hold up well? Then again, it's a vast environment change and while I can adapt pretty quick, I wouldn't like the lack of control in the unknown.

Vardir: 10/10

Going off what Cruz said, Vardir is lighthearted and focused on personal growth so I think I'll be okay! Self-growth here I come, babey!

Creatures' Cradle: 8/10

Maybe I'm overestimating myself, but I think I'll be able to survive in a supernatural post-apocalyptic world! Ah, but it depends on the motivation though. I like the idea of rebuilding communities and eventually societies, but the survival turmoil would be a constant battle I'd have to overcome. If we're talking survival itself though, I think I'll do well.

When it Hungers: 8/10

That's probably my wishful thinking but I think I'll be fine. Maybe. Possibly. Don't like the idea of being regulated by an organization so if I was a non-human creature that could pose a problem but I can roll with it <3

Orthall Bay: 6/10

Assuming I'm not playing as MC, my chances of survival uhhh changes quite drastically. Not enough to guarantee an untimely demise, but certainly enough that it would constantly keep me on my toes. I think that's the safest answer I can get without spoiling anything lmao

Thank you so much for asking! It's super sweet of you <3

1. Too many :'D I knit, I sew, I do carpentry (well, learning), I bake, I'm hammering away at HTML and CSS, my job kind of encourages learning new things and I take that to picking up new hobbies!

2. My time is kind of consumed with school work and work work and WIP work so not a lot of time to pursue niche interests right now. I've been watching a lot of horror game playthroughs, true crime youtubers, and an adorable show on Netflix called the Repair Shop <3

3. My taste in music is "what am I vibing with atm?" I've been listening to a lot of 80's music atm (don't @ me), but also Lo Fang and Kaleo, and whatever spotify recommends me on my discover weekly which is usually complete chaos.

4. I love the Mummy even though it hasn't aged 100% well (I'm a librarian, of course it's one of my gotos LOL), Legally Blonde, Leverage, Jumanji (the original), I'm....very bad at having recent tastes... and very bad at remembering my favorites when asked.

The Goodfellows: I'm a creature of comfort, 5/10 if I can just luxuriate in town and not actually interact with the story sfjkdbsdkf

Creature’s Cradle: I'd like to think I have a 50/50 shot XD 5/10, I want to think I'd be decent at a zombie apocalypse but ultimately would suffer an early fate.

Greater Than Gods: 10/10 if I'm just vibing, less so if I'm involved in the actual story XD

Vardir: I'd still suffer without technology but I can also knit for a living in this world so I'm down 8/10

When it Hungers: I feel like I could vibe here, there's tech if dated, hot showers, telephones are around by now... might still get bored. 7/10 though it'd be cool to be another creature....I should make a 'what creature of snv are you' quiz!

Orthall Bay: 7/10 idk I feel like after the first monster of the week I'd just skip town XDDDD I'm the worst protagonist, I see danger I just leave.

#mod talk #long post #interact if: asks

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its-ya-boi-autumn · 4 years

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Alright, you asked for it, you got it, Part 4 of my yandere Feitan series~ honestly I feel like this is more so soft yandere rather than intense. I could do better, but as long as you like it~ And you also deserve it for being so accepting of me recently ❤️ If this is kind of out of wack/order it’s because I started writing it and reallllyyyyy got into it but just kept writing and not really thinking so if it’s weird I apologize, but I did have one single goal in mind for it

An incoherent cacophony of voices plead from the room below you. Over the last year and a half, blocking them out had proven difficult, though not impossible. In fact, sometimes they were comforting, even if you knew exactly what was happening. Feitan had brought a couple over not even twenty minutes after you’d woken up. They had been unconscious and slung on either side of a different man’s shoulders. He didn’t bother to introduce himself yet you didn’t mind. You’d ask Feitan later if it has seriously began to eat at you. Likely, it wouldn’t.

The young man and what you supposed may have been a friend of Feitan’s were heard to be shouting profanities and the woman could be heard wailing, though you couldn’t exactly make out the words of the men’s argument, too focused on the little white butterfly fluttering about the dead dandelions in front of your window. Eventually, silence clouded into your mind. Whether Feitan had offed them or you had gotten too good at blocking them out was unbeknownst to you.

Your eyes followed the butterfly back and forth, up and down, around the dead flowers and grass. It seemed so unbothered by such an ugly sight. It wasn’t too common for them to be wandering about the area, though occasionally they popped up here and there, accidentally bumping into the glass but quickly recovering. Just like you. It was almost like a hyper focus on the creature. So small and frail, such an innocent insect. It didn’t think much of pain or misery. It’s only objective was to survive. Eat. Fly. Live. A small part of you in the back of your mind wished for that simple objective. Well, you guessed you had it, though it seemed a lot harder as a sentient being. What with the pain of mental situation rather than just physical stimulation.

Once the butterfly flew away, you came back into focus of your world. The realization of your situation, the familiarity of Feitan’s cabin closing in on you. Your head sank, the sound of screams causing your ears to ring. Your hands covered your ears and you jumped up and left the room. Your breathing had sped up in the slightest and your legs wobbled with the numbness of sitting in one position for too long. You swung the bedroom door open, not bothering to close it behind you–though it bothered Feitan to no end–and headed straight down the hall for the bathroom, where you shut the door quietly and stepped into the tub, not bothering to turn the light on. Your body sank against the wall while you tucked your head between your knees, legs beginning to shake and hands sweating over your ears. Blocking them out wasn’t hard, but when you came back into focus, for some reason you panicked. You hadn’t realized you were crying until you heard yourself sniffle. Why were you crying? You didn’t feel unsafe, you didn’t have sympathy for these people. You’d heard many people die down there, this wasn’t a new thing for you. Why were you so upset?

Eventually, silence spread across the cabin and footsteps clambered up the stairs. You attempted to quiet your sniffling and stop your leg from bouncing off the porcelain of the tub. Feitan and the other man stomped down the hall to his room, stopping at the doorway.

“Where’d she go?” the other mans voice penetrated the silence. It was rough and husky, though no where near comforting or worried. It sounded agitated at your absence. You took a quiet deep breath, waiting for Feitan’s answer. Nothing. The door handle to the bathroom wiggled before knuckles rapped at the door.

“Y/n?” Feitan asked through the wood. Your hands left your ears and rested on your cheeks.

“Yes?” your voice wobbled slightly in attempt to be loud enough.

“Unlock the door.” the command startled you. He didn’t sound harsh or forceful, just a rough way of asking. Slowly, you stood from your position, trying not to trip over the wall of the tub as you left it. You steadied yourself against the wall before shakily reaching out to unlock the door. Afterwards you retreated backwards, hugging yourself and sitting on the floor against the tub. The door opened gently as not to spook you, though the other man seemed to be rather impatient with Feitan’s slowness. You glanced up at him, red-eyed and trembling, knees folded against your chest in front of you. His eyes softened for just a moment before hardening again. He sighed.

“What is it this time?” he asked, coming over to crouch down in front of you.

“I-I’m not- I don’t-” you stuttered over yourself, trying to think of an answer before he grew impatient. He didn’t rush you, simply staying crouched in front of you.

“I think it’s- the- the- um-”

“Oh come on. Spit it out already!” the blonde man shouted through the door. You jumped at the sound, banging your funny bone on the side of the tub. A whimper escaped your mouth at the initial shock it caused.

“I don’t like the screaming...” you hurried to say as to keep from upsetting the other man, who rolled his eyes at your answer. Feitan gave you a perplexed face.

“I was zoning out just fine and then I couldn’t... block it out...” you trailed off to Feitan, who was surprisingly listening to you intently. He stayed crouched down in front of you, now sitting on his knees and turning to the door.

“Phinks you can leave now.” he spoke in his soft tone. Phinks didn’t seem very happy about this order, though he left anyway, the front door slamming behind him. You remembered that not even a few minutes ago he was annoyed by the fact that you weren’t where you were supposed to be. It made your stomach churn. Feitan turned back to face you and stood up.

“Come.” he turned and left you there, expecting you to follow, which you did. You struggled to stand upright for a few seconds before making it out the door and back into the room where Feitan was sitting on the bed, removing his cloak and throwing it into the hamper next to the bed. You kept close to yourself in the doorway just in case he was upset about something. He was awfully calm and collected right then though, so you assumed you had to of been safe. He beckoned you to come to him with his hand and sat on the bed, fiddling with something in his pocket again. You closed the door, moving to sit next to him on the bed.

“The screams bother you, yes?” he started, turning to face you again. You sniffled, nodding your head as your hands played with your fingernails, picking at them gently.

“I thought you said you found them comforting not even a few nights ago.” he started to pry at you little by little, figuring out what had upset you. Your shoulders shrugged.

“I- I don’t know I just... um...” you were just as confused. You’d been nothing but confused for the last few weeks. Staying with Feitan for so long has turned your kidnapping into an almost completely normal home life. You didn’t feel trapped or lonely in any way anymore, I’m fact you thought you were beginning to like it here, or at the very least get used to it.

Feitan hummed, averting his gaze from your face. You didn’t make to return it either. He leaned forward, elbows on his knees and head down. You wondered what he was thinking about. How to deal with you? You could only assume your discomfort in his hobby was more than inconvenient. Would he shove you down in the crawl space again? It wouldn’t help, but you didn’t know if he’d care. In fact, he might do it just for the sheer fact of you sharing that bit of vulnerable information. You regretted telling him anything at all.

After a few moments of silence, he stood again, leaving you alone in the room. Thinking. Your legs closed tighter and you hunched over yourself. Had you just made a fatal mistake? Should you have just kept your mouth shut? Trembling sensations trickled along your spine and branched to every other bone in your body, muscles spasming slightly and goosebumps tickling your arms and thighs. You shut your eyes to block it out and covered your ears again. You didn’t know what he problem was, just that it was beginning to break you. Something sick twisted against the lining of your stomach, nausea suddenly flooding your mouth with saliva. You were going to vomit. Immediately you rushed to the bathroom again, doubling over the toilet. The thought of his fingers toying with whatever was in his pocket intruded your mind in the midst of your misery. You had to find out what it was. Tonight. Whether he told you or not.

You finished up and cleaned your nose and chin, standing to make way back for the room. Swallowing roughly, your legs carried you back to the bed, sitting at the edge once again. Feitan came back in, shutting the door behind him and standing in front of you.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a long time.” he spoke softly, “I’ve noticed a change in your behavior over the course of the year, so I’m going to give you a choice.”

His words confused you. For once, you had a choice. His pale hand reached into his pocket, pulling something out. When he opened his palm, you noticed not one, but two items. One a golden key, it’s ridges rusted from overuse and age. The other, a silver ring with a single miniature gem on top. It looked similar to that of diamond. You took a glance up at him then back at his hand. A light gasp emitted from your lips.

“Wh-”

“I’m letting you make a decision. Right here. Right now.” he dropped to kneel in front of you. Your hands fisted the sheets as your lip wobbled. A choice.

“You can take the key, I’ll give you the nearest location to stay, and you can leave. Or, you can take the ring, and stay with me. Safe and knowing you have someone to feed you and...” he trailed for a moment, “love you...”

The first instinct in your brain was to snatch the key and run. Leave and never come back. Your legs were already bouncing. at the mere thought of it. Yet something in the back of your mind tugged at the idea of staying with him. Guaranteeing what you considered to now be your safety and your home. It had been so long since you’d seen anything outside of these walls and that fence in the back yard. You could go back home, see your mother again. The necklace felt warm against your skin.

“Do I have time to at least think it over?” you tried, forcing yourself to meet his eyes. He stared back at you, then gently shook his head.

“I need your answer now.” he stated flatly. You took your bottom lip between your teeth, thinking. The cons outweighed the pros in staying with him and yet it felt almost wrong to leave him here. It felt wrong to run from him. It felt wrong to be free. You reached a hand out for the key, urging yourself to take it and make your choice. The choice to live happily. Even if alone. But something in his face twitched, just for a second. His brows knitted in sadness and the corners of his lips drooped. Your breath caught in your throat as your body tensed. You couldn’t leave him, not like this.

The ring was cold and heavy in your sweaty palm.

#feitan #feitan portor #hxh #hxh 2011 #hunter x hunter #anime #fanfiction #soft yanderee #yandere feitan

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tumbleranch-dorm · 4 years

Text

“I do not care what other’s say about their pointless excuses. Now.....focus on you’re work and GET MOVING!”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Name: Clinton Hollingsbeck

Japanese: クリントン・ホリングスベック

Romanji: Kurinton Horingusubekku

Other Name:

C (Ferd)

Four-eye bastard (Eb)

Weasel (Leona & Ruggie)

Monsieur Occupé (Rook)

Sardine (Floyd)

Voiced by Jun Fukuyama

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

Gender: Male

Age: 17

Birthday: September 22

Starsign: Virgo

Height: 177 cm

Eye Color: Grey

Hair Color: Coffee Brown

Homeland: Town of Iron Pistol

Family: Father, Mother, Grandfather

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PROFESSIONAL STATUS

Dorm: Tumbleranch

School Year: Second

Class: 2-B Student no. 03

Occupation: Student and Vice Dorm Leader

Club: Boardgame Club

Best Subject: Magic Analysis

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FUN FACTS

Dominant Hand: Right

Favorite Food: Melted Butter Corn

Least Favorite Food: Toffee

Dislikes: Dawdle

Hobby: Preserve Mini Trains

Talents: Arithmancy

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UNIQUE MAGIC “TIME IS MONEY”

Manipulate speed of time: back, forth & freeze time from his pocket watch because that’s where his power source comes from. The effects will lasts within 5 minutes short or so depending on how much magic the user’s would hold a grip. Although, with much instability will consequently lead to have black smudges in his magic pen. This must always be guarded with him at all cost and of course, will not use for a personal gain.....especially fall to the wrong owner.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

PERSONAL INFORMATION

Clinton is a very intelligent and strategic individual able to solve problems both real life & magic without breaking his sweat that many claimed he’s one of the smartest student in 2nd year class which of his classmates immediately ask or approach him for cheat codes. He also had a strict attitude too strict to be exact but not a tyrant as Riddle taking the responsibility of vice, he would take this attentiveness and never overlooked from his duties too very serious claiming he’s a perfectionist doing the things in his own way to be exact perfect. Clinton would feel ashamed of himself or rather over dramatically won’t forgive himself making such mistakes whether it’s minor or not it must always be perfect for him! which most people find him very troublesome sometimes however he’s mostly calm.

With that seriousness, he does give off a solemn expression as if he’s displeased on something, well technically it is and that’s his natural expression which is mainly because his impatience and couldn’t forgive anyone who’d slack off from their respective duties. His impatience would grew more while he’d likely would teach someone a lesson of those who couldn’t do their job seriously especially to troublemakers. He’s also sane as Ferd, Clinton wouldn’t want himself to get involved in any unnecessary events except got dragged by others then ended up blamed for their cause which mostly the head and vice are the ones cleaning up the messes. His desperate wish of his peers needs obedience and this chaotic dorm to be NOT chaotic. He’d rather find friends who aren’t dangerously chaotic while in exchange, he’ll treat them less harsh but friendly towards them.

In secret, he has a cute side of him that he likes to collect mini trains and making DIY miniature land but he hides his embarrassing dorkish side from everyone’s beliefs and wouldn’t let his guard down when people have high expectations of him being the serious type or else he’d feel a bit vulnerable. The only one who knew about his obsession of trains is Ferd. Although, most people find him very odd everytime he shared his short-term predictions to anyone even to reveal someone’s plans when they’re in unusual situation. For example, If someone think about secretly causing mischief as drawing graffiti on the 7 statues then framing other students of doing it, Clinton was able to tell them the possibility of their devious scheme would end up badly as they found out the smudges of paint were exposed from their shoes which makes them to clean up the statues then get expelled from Headmaster Crowley. With that, he was well-prepared to prevent those troublemaker scheme after he warned them about the consequences. How did he predict the bad omen beforehand? Who knows. But it seems he have seen the misfortune outcome before

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

BACKGROUND

His family, mainly his father (works as a CEO) and grandfather (a former president), runs their marketing cooperation “H. Beck” in Town of Iron Pistol. The cooperation used to be a big time industry but due to its recent bankruptcy, his father & grandfather were often busy leaving Clinton with his mother‘s care at home so his mother raised him wholeheartedly and the only parent who’s ever been there for little Clinton except between Clinton and his father had not enough time for father & son bonding then later on, both grew apart from conversing each other rarely except in dinner. It’s not that they have an argument but his father often caught up work over spending time with Clinton. It wasn’t last long when his father called out his mother to help him the issues in the company and without a choice to leave little Clinton in a caretaker’s care in the house. Being isolated by his parents affected him often studying by himself learning advance magic in order to work his best to gain much knowledge just like his parents without an interest making friends or enjoy any children s play at a young age. None of the family wouldn’t notice the loneliness he’s been through, thought it was ok for him without a complaint.

Until one day, his father luckily had a negotiation with the mayor of the town, who is actually Ferdrick’s father, to work alongside him in order to save the family’s business. Both fathers have slowly become close colleagues believing their cooperation won’t last but to continue their long-term business partnership. While for their sons: Clinton & Ferd had their first meeting which Clinton found & made ever first friend with the son of the influenced mayor then both quickly became friends. That time his point of view have changed him a bit thanks to Ferdrick’s companionships but still what he wanted his parent’s to take notice of him. Still.....it couldn’t be helped. At least this time Clinton’s grandfather was in turn to look after him. He did cared for his grandfather very much as he treated Clinton heart-kinded like his mother and like a real father to him, not like his real father who’s never been there. The most precious object that his grandfather gave to him is the family’s hairloom pocket watch.

According to his grandfather, the old pocket contains a powerful magic that enables to manipulate timespeed. So powerful that if you made a single change can cause the effect of the future. Every male heirs has to pass it on to the next heir, to be the keeper of the artifact. It was supposedly his father ‘s turn but didn’t get a chance due to his overwork and instead, he handed to Clinton. Not only to pass it on but to remind himself the pocket watch, itself has much love for Clinton from his family including previous generations

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OTHER FACTS

He’s twisted version of Mr. Wesley the businessman

Him and Ferd are childhood friends

The pocket watch was made by his grandfather

He secretly has a miniature land and collections of small trains kept in his room. It was just a rumor but no one ever confirms it

Other than his duty as vice, he does do other minor work like a househusband doing much of cleaning, cooking and fixing

Wants to become a businessman someday. He’s well prepared knowing how to manage finances and running a business. With that, he and Ferd had a good-term business friendship

Clinton can count money quicker with just a glance

He knows about all Heartslabyul’s rules because strangely he was fascinated by that

#twisted wonderland #twisted wonderland oc #twst #twst oc #tumbleranch #tumbleranch oc #clinton hollingsbeck #clinton #twst clinton #Clinton’s profile #profile

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smallmediumproblems · 4 years

Link

Summary: The Magnus Institute budget waits for no eldritch entity, and there are only two archival staff with enough patience left to answer Elias' questions.

Note: I missed the deadline to submit this to a contest ages ago, and kinda forgot about it...? but, it’s finished now, so, here y’go! Takes place sometime mid-season-3.

. . .

BASIRA: Do you think he's going to notice?

MARTIN (tense): I think there's not a whole lot we can do if he does. Not much he can do to us, either. I mean, who else is willing to put up with paperwork for him?

BASIRA: I'm a little surprised he still trusts you. With anything.

MARTIN (more tense, looking for an excuse to lash out): It's almost like I try to be helpful and cooperative all the time so people know they can rely on me.

BASIRA (not sure about the method, but approves of the results): Huh. Sneaky.

MARTIN (has snapped): Nothing about this is sneaky! We're literally asking him to finance his own-

MARTIN (CONT'D, lowers his voice, reminds himself that they’re not supposed to talk about Secret Plans): You know.

BASIRA: Fun, right?

MARTIN: You're totally sure we got everything on the list?

BASIRA: I checked with Daisy just this morning. She’s not happy about it, but she was very thorough. Melanie's, erm, needs , are pretty straightforward. Tim is being actively unhelpful.

MARTIN: He seemed pretty enthusiastic.

BASIRA: Doesn’t make him helpful. Anyway, you said it yourself. It’s too late to worry about it now. What’s the worst he’s gonna do to us for a little light subterfuge?

[Cut to several minutes later. BASIRA and MARTIN are sitting in ELIAS' office. BASIRA has her game face on, and her confidence is infectious. MARTIN has calmed down a bit. But only a bit.]

ELIAS: First and foremost, I’d like to thank you for meeting with me today. I know that our working relationship is a bit… strained, at the moment, and I appreciate the degree of professionalism this demonstrates in both of you.

MARTIN: That might be the nicest thing you've ever said to me.

BASIRA: I just didn't want to leave him alone with you.

ELIAS: I believe you two were in charge of drafting the archive’s most recent budget request, is that correct?

BASIRA: That’s right.

ELIAS: I had some concerns to discuss with you before I filed everything.

BASIRA (somewhat defensive): This is the pared down version. We had to make some hard choices for what to cut.

ELIAS: I would be interested to hear what you decided to forego in favor of…

[Very brief beat as ELIAS flips through the budget, which he has printed out for the express purpose of quoting at them disapprovingly]

ELIAS (CONT’D): ...four dozen assorted hunting knives.

MARTIN: Mostly, it was just more knives.

BASIRA: Daisy goes through them pretty quickly these days. We figured it might be good to have a few stashed around the archive. For safety.

ELIAS: I hardly feel safe giving you easy access to weaponry, considering Melanie’s new hobby. Not to mention your collective history of emotional outbursts.

BASIRA (trying to pretend that she cares, not trying very hard): Oh, your safety. Yeah, that makes sense.

ELIAS: On the subject of safety, I see that you've opted to restock with what I can only call an excess of fire extinguishers. Hardly necessary now that Jane Prentiss is deceased, but I understand your concern.

MARTIN (eagerly): No, you’d think that, but they’re really good for a lot of things. I mean, we ARE dealing with a fire cult. The archive’s enough of a hazard already. Loose paper, old electrical sockets...

BASIRA (supportive): They’re great for self-defense.

ELIAS: I suppose it is a better alternative to knives.

ELIAS (CONT’D, continuing to flip through papers): Speaking of excess, you appear to have ordered twice as many supplies as you normally need for the breakroom. Would you care to explain why?

MARTIN: We’re not the ones who hired a bunch more people. We barely had enough for four of us, and now we've got five! Six if you count Daisy. She’s mostly in and out, but I’m not going to tell her she can’t have a cup of tea while she’s waiting for Basira.

ELIAS: You’re certain it has nothing to do with stocking a second meeting space that you’ve decided to assemble at without my knowledge?

MARTIN (carefully): ...no?

BASIRA (more casually; no plans here, Vader, just a diplomatic mission to Alderaan): Sounds kind of far-fetched.

MARTIN (deciding to roll with it): Should we do that? It could be a good team-builder.

ELIAS: My main concern is that you’ve listed a frozen margarita machine among the requested furnishings.

MARTIN (oh! that’s all it was): Oh-

BASIRA (to Martin, confused but not upset): I thought you took that out.

MARTIN (annoyed): Tim must have snuck it back in. That- that’s an honest mistake, we didn’t mean to submit that.

ELIAS: Then we’re in agreement that it doesn’t constitute a reasonable business expense?

[MARTIN makes a doubtful noise.]

BASIRA (also doubtful): I mean...

MARTIN: I wouldn't say that.

BASIRA: Have you talked to Tim lately?

ELIAS: Hmm. Point taken. Still, I can't spend Institute funds on it in good conscience.

[ELIAS scratches out the line item and continues to page through the budget intermittently as he talks.]

ELIAS (CONT'D): Let's move on to some of the miscellanea. Cassette tapes are entirely understandable, but are you certain you need this many?

BASIRA: The tape recorders follow Jon around, yeah? I figure, if he doesn’t come back, they’re going to stop showing up on their own. We need to plan ahead.

MARTIN (angrily; clearly they have argued about this before.): That is not why.

BASIRA (conceding, more amused than apologetic): And it makes more sense for each of us to have our own supply instead of ransacking Jon's office whenever we run out. That’s what Martin keeps telling me.

MARTIN: She won't stop stealing his pens!

BASIRA (frustrated. This is also something they've argued about before.): I need them. You never gave me any office supplies.

MARTIN: You were supposed to put that in with the budget.

BASIRA: Hard choices, Martin. This was one of them.

ELIAS: Is that why you’ve ordered nearly a gross of glow sticks?

BASIRA: Oh, no. That’s for research.

[Beat as ELIAS waits for BASIRA to elaborate. She does not.]

ELIAS (forcing a patient tone): What kind of research?

BASIRA (condescending, as if this should be obvious): Spooky research.

BASIRA (CONT’D): I’m not convinced the People’s Church is as dormant as we thought. I’m toying around with defensive strategies- redundant light sources, stuff like that.

MARTIN: It’s been very festive!

ELIAS: Would that also explain the assorted sports equipment?

BASIRA (it would not): Research.

ELIAS: The smart-home device and speaker system.

BASIRA (definitely not research): Research.

ELIAS: And is this a miniature zeppelin?

MARTIN (pleased with himself for contributing): Ooh, that one's me. Er, yeah. Research.

ELIAS: Is it meant to resemble a shark?

MARTIN (yes, it is): I… hadn't noticed.

ELIAS: What about the petrol?

BASIRA (Smugly. She knows that ELIAS knows exactly what she wants to use petrol for.): Definitely research.

ELIAS: I think not. I already cannot trust you with sharp objects. I don’t see how accelerants are a possibility.

MARTIN: We did also ask for a lot of fire extinguishers. You've got to look at the whole thing in context. There's a system here.

ELIAS (crossing out several lines): Regardless. That will also not be making the final list. One other item in particular drew my attention simply because of the price. What do you need a GPS tracker for?

BASIRA (immediately): Jon.

MARTIN (disappointed): Yeah.

ELIAS: Out of the question.

MARTIN: What if he goes missing again?

ELIAS: A tracker is an optimistic but unfeasible solution. The things that have an interest in Jon are likely to take him somewhere he cannot be tracked.

BASIRA: Plan A was to give him a bunch of knives, but you shot that one down.

ELIAS: In any case, the only way this would work is if he wore it every minute he was outside the Institute. Don’t you think that’s a bit invasive of his privacy?

[MARTIN begins trying not to laugh, and is quite unable to do anything else for a few seconds as the conversation continues.]

ELIAS (icy): Something you'd like to share with us?

MARTIN: I’m sorry, I- I can’t tell if you’re being serious.

BASIRA (trying to ignore him): We did talk to Jon about it. It’s not like we were going to stalk him.

MARTIN (would be sarcastic if he wasn’t still laughing): Who would do such a thing?

ELIAS: Do we need to postpone this?

MARTIN (managing to calm down): Nope, yep. I’m good. Hmmmmmkay. Where- where were we?

ELIAS: I believe we were at the start of a very serious human resources inquiry.

MARTIN (feigning interest): Ohh! Whose is that?

BASIRA (tired): GPS unit is a no, that’s fine. I’ll get him one of those kid-leashes out of pocket. Elias, was there anything else?

ELIAS: The rest of the budget looks to be in order. If I could discuss one other issue with you, I have some similar concerns with your reimbursement requests. I take it this list is similarly ‘pared down’?

BASIRA: Yeah, I didn’t do that.

MARTIN (alarmed): What?!

BASIRA (unmoved): Yep. Just put everything in a list and printed it out.

MARTIN (rapidly cycling through the five stages of grief): Why??

BASIRA: Because we all have massively more important things to do.

ELIAS: Perhaps if you had taken the time to edit the list, this meeting would have been much shorter.

BASIRA (smug that she’s managed to make this ELIAS’ problem, not hers): Misery loves company.

ELIAS: Indeed. You mentioned Tim’s instability earlier. He’s put down several months of a gym membership and listed the explanation as ‘vengeance’.

MARTIN (uncomfortable, unhappy about TIM’s state in general but unwilling to show it here, of all places): Yeah, that’s… been a thing.

ELIAS (dismissive): I don’t suppose he’s intending to punch the Unknowing out of existence?

BASIRA: We haven’t actually sorted out who he’s planning vengeance against. Could be Jon. I don’t think he’d punch you, but I don’t know him too well.

MARTIN: Honestly, it’s been a good way to keep him busy. I won’t say it puts him in a better mood, exactly? He’s not less angry, just, erm, distracted. I think it helps. He thinks it helps, that’s what matters.

ELIAS: It is at least easier to rationalize than the margarita machine.

ELIAS (CONT'D, flips a couple more pages): One last thing… Ah. I also wanted to discuss some of Jon's travel expenses.

BASIRA: Is this from when you framed him for murder?

ELIAS: I think you’ll find that my involvement led to him being found innocent, but yes. This would be his absence during your investigation with Officer Tonner.

BASIRA (resigned): Alright. What’d he do, now?

[ELIAS slides a piece of paper across the table.]

ELIAS: Is this a typographical error, or did he really try to request this much compensation for ‘emotional damages’?

[BASIRA makes an interested noise as she reads the figure.]

BASIRA: Sounds about right.

ELIAS (stern, disapproving): We have an entirely separate form for that. It hardly counts as a travel expense.

MARTIN (did not know this. stunned, distant, half to himself): We have a whole form for emotional damages…

BASIRA: I think he just wanted to pay back his friend. Rent, groceries- I think Orsinov did some property damage, even?

ELIAS: Ahh. I see. We should be able to provide for that, if he can acquire some itemized receipts.

MARTIN (muttering to himself): What else do we have forms for?

ELIAS (darkly): A great many things, Mr Blackwood. Let us hope that you never find yourself in a position to discover them.

MARTIN (refuses to be disturbed by whatever the hell that’s supposed to mean): So, like, a sabbatical program? Have we got educational incentives?

ELIAS (perhaps a bit annoyed that Martin isn’t playing along): Don’t you already have a degree?

MARTIN (defensively): Maybe I want another one.

ELIAS: Then I suggest we have that discussion in a separate meeting. I doubt that Basira needs to know the details of your plans for personal growth.

BASIRA: Depends on the kind. Daisy might be in the market for a new gym partner.

MARTIN (terrified, dead sure that’s a euphemism for something violent): Oh wow! That’s. Great, Basira!

ELIAS: If you two are quite finished, I have other things I need to accomplish today.

BASIRA (sarcastically): Good luck with that!

BASIRA (CONT'D): I’m heading out, see you two on Monday.

MARTIN: Basira, it’s not even lunchtime. On Wednesday.

BASIRA (referring to Elias): What, is he gonna fire me?

[beat]

ELIAS (disgruntled): Enjoy your weekend, detective.

[Door opens and closes as BASIRA leaves.]

ELIAS (ominous): ...while you still can.

MARTIN: Do you do that every time someone leaves the room?

ELIAS (oh for- what now , MARTIN): Do what?

MARTIN: Say ominous stuff while no one's listening.

ELIAS (chuckles. If there was a camera, he'd be grinning directly at it): I can assure you, Martin, someone is always listening.

#the magnus archives #tma spoilers #fanfiction #smallsays

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sjrresearch · 4 years

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An Interview with Warwick Kinrade, Wargaming Author and Rules Designer

(This article is credited to Jason Weiser. Jason is a long-time wargamer with published works in the Journal of the Society of Twentieth Century Wargamers; Miniature Wargames Magazine; and Wargames, Strategy, and Soldier.)

Warwick Kinrade is a long-time rules designer and author of the award-winning Battlegroup WWII series of miniatures rules. At 49, he is someone who’s made a real splash with many of his rules projects, from Normandy Firefight, Battlegroup WWII (now exclusively available through Plastic Soldier Company) and the Cold War-based derivative, BattleGroup NORTHAG, and now, the “Soldiers Of..” ancient rules (though I hear it’s expanding into Napoleonics!).

He’s done a lot in the universe of miniatures, and we expect more out of this prolific giant! I wanted to touch base and see what he was up to.

We’ll talk to his partner, Piers Brand, in the near future!

Jason Weiser: So, how did you get started in writing rules? Was there an “aha” moment, or did you fall into it?

Warwick Kinrade: I have always written games, from age 10 playing D & D, to board games, to writing my own Wild West RPG aged 12, it was something I was always doing for fun. I first got paid to do it as a Games Developer for GW, a job I started in 1996.

JW: How did Iron Fist Publishing (IFP) come to be? Can you talk about some of your previous works?

WK: IFP was simply a business deal so that Battlegroup would be 50/50 owned by myself and PSC. It came to be at a meeting in a cafe near King’s Cross in London. I had Battlegroup ready to go, and PSC and myself agreed to go halves on costs, etc. Before that, I’d worked for GW as a writer. The first game I worked on for them was Epic 40,000, then I did lots, but mostly 40K supplements. I wrote the Imperial Armor books for about 6-7 years.

JW: Can you tell us about Nam ’68?

WK: Yep, it’s a squad-level skirmish game for the Vietnam War. A bit different, in that it is a narrative-driven game, with one player as the umpire/referee and all the others (1-3) as the US platoon. I’ve very much concentrated on making it an anti-insurgency war, all ambushed patrols and search sweeps. Not much in the way of stand-up fights (though some). The VC generally has the upper hand, lurking in wait. It all ties in to its campaign system, a 12-month Tour of Duty for your platoon. A bit unconventional, as far from a tournament game as you can get. No points values at all. Not that I’m against points-based systems… just nice to try something different.

JW: What are your favorite works?

WK I’m proud of all the games I’ve written. Battlegroup is the biggest, but I love the ‘Soldiers of…’ games I’ve done so far. Not surprising really, I only write the games I want to play. Picking is like asking which child you prefer… impossible to say.

JW: Is there a period of history you want to write rules for but haven’t?

WK: Yep, most of them. I have a pull towards doing early Rome, the Punic Wars. I’d love to do a sci-fi game one day (many plans, none yet to come to fruition). Make it proper good. That’s one for the future.

JW: Can you tell our readers what goes into rules writing?

WK: I take my advice from Stephen King. If you want to write, read. That would be my first step on any project, get some books and read them, make notes and jot down ideas as you go. Also, for game mechanics, keep an eye on other games, not just miniature ones, but card games and board games too, even computer games. I love an interesting mechanic, a neat way to use dice or counters. Not enough of that in most wargames’ rules. It is very conventional in how rules are structured. I personally favor card-driven rules these days.

Also, it is more work than you think. It takes time, and you need that time to play lots too. Nothing like the furnace of the tabletop to hone rules. When you’re playing, it’s not to win. It’s to push the rules and try and break them or bend them out of shape. To find oddities or things that don’t feel quite right. Also, if you have 20 good ideas for your game, be prepared to cut about half of them. That’s a hard bit, but you can’t get wedded to anything. Cut it… and save it for another day.

JW: Has desktop publishing and PDF only supplements changed the face of the hobby. Has it affected the quality of the product we see today?

WK: Well, desktop publishing makes it all possible, but I’m no fan of PDF rulebooks. Useful, but I hate working from PDFs myself. Old school, I like a book, preferably hardback. Wargaming is very much, for most, a cottage industry. Working small is the only way for most. If PDF is all you can do, then do it.

JW: What are your favorite historical periods, and why?

WK: WWII, Crusades, ACW… but mostly WWII, just because well, it is the largest, most important event in recent human history. A bottomless pit of interesting stuff for gaming, plus loads of tanks! The war was fought with tanks.

JW: You and your partner, Piers Brand, are known advocates of 20mm. Can you tell us more about that?

WK: When I started WWII gaming, it was all there was. 1/76th or 1/72nd kits and some 20mm models. 15mm had not happened, 28mm was almost nothing. There was no choice unless you did micro-armor… and once you’re committed, collecting and painting big armies, lots of terrain etc., then you’re never going to ditch all that work for something else very similar but a bit smaller or larger. 20mm is still the best compromise between detail tank models and table size. They are just the best models going.

JW: What other hobbies do you pursue to unwind?

WK: I’ve been a re-enactor, Vikings, for 20+ years. Two big hobbies are enough. Like everybody, I watch movies, I especially like hunting down foreign war films and read. I avoid watching junk TV or playing computer games (much). Time thieves… I use the time for painting models, far more relaxing.

JW: What do you see for the future of historical miniature wargaming?

WK: Big question… the biggest technological change coming must be 3-D printing. Models you can make yourself. Maybe it’ll get good enough to be able to print really nice models, already in base coats for painting, Little khaki men with pink faces and hands and black guns… how great would that be? As the price comes down, I think 3-D printing your own armies and terrain may well be the future for collecting toy soldiers. It is, though, very much a ‘greying’ hobby. Clubs are full of older guys. That slightly worries me. I think computer gaming has become all-powerful for the next generation, it might be the death-knell of our old-fashioned analog hobby. But, hey, I’m going to carry on anyway.

JW: Anything else you’d like to mention?

WK: Err, I’ll do the quick plug then. For 2021 I’m working on Nam ’68 as mentioned and a new ‘Soldiers of’ title, Soldiers of Napoleon… a huge project, but well in hand thanks to the [COVID-19] lockdown. They’ll be the first horse and musket rules I’ve done, and it’ll be card-driven like the other ‘Soldiers of’ games, but not the same—a new, different game. WIP so far is good fun.

At SJR Research, we specialize in creating compelling narratives and provide research to give your game the kind of details that engage your players and create a resonant world they want to spend time in. If you are interested in learning more about our gaming research services, you can browse SJR Research’s service on our site at SJR Research.

#gaming #wargaming #history

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cardandpixel · 4 years

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9 Board Game YouTubers I Follow & Why (plus a few others)

In the literal dim and distant past when I started boardgaming (honestly, the biggest threat was tallow wax on your board), the internet was still accessed by whatever IP address you could remember off the top of your head (there’s no place like 127.0.0.1 as they sayI) - and the only TikTok was the clock ticking, waiting for half of Louise Nurding’s left leg to download only to realise it was Anne Widdecombe and you’d hit the wrong link on a BB. Boardgames had some quiet and shady corners of the internet, in those same Bulletin Boards, there was one for HeroQuest and Space Crusade when they came out. But sadly, if you wanted to see a boardgame being played or learn the rules, you either had to go round to your friend Tim’s house where he had a new chits-for-days wargame going, or sit down and actually read the rulebook yourself. As a result, I bought some interesting games in my time, including a game called Operation Overlord - a mighty chit-tastic WW2 N African campaign monster that I bought in desperation from the Games Workshop in Manchester on the first morning that it opened in 1979 (?) as we were so far back in the queue that there wasn’t a space marine to be had for miles. But now, we have a plethora of kindly folk available on our blistering shiny Windows NT 486sx machines to inform and delight us in full 8-bit glory. Everything from reviews, buying guides, rules tutorials and even painting & crafting guides, we can be bathing in just about whatever aspect of board or wargaming we so desire in an effort to stave off the clattering realisation that it’s been over 3 months since we spent any quality time with another breathing soul outside our houses. The question gets frequently asked on boardgame FaceAche forums “What YouTube channels are worth my time and why?” so in an effort to throw my own towel into that controversial ring, here’s my pick of probably 9ish, maybe more by the end, but let’s start with 9 in no particular order..... 1) 3 MINUTE BOARDGAMES

One of the first board games ‘er across the table (TM) and I bought together was a copy of Gloom from a little games and comic shop halfway round the world in Hamilton NZ, Mark 1 Comics. As we were achingly close to moving to NZ a few years ago, we’ve kept up with many aspects of what might have been our life over there, so it was a delight to discover Jarrod (and now Stephanie) on YouTube, a friendly and familiar accent reviewing board games. But it’s not just the NZ vibe that I love, Jarrod does a great job of cutting thru the hyperbole and bloat often associated with trying to keep YouTube vids ‘long for the algorithm’ (ugh) and just gives very pragmatic reasons for a game either joining or leaving his collection. He has a great approach, and it’s nice to see him finally on camera instead of the disembodied voice. Great reviewer, and Stephanie is utterly hilarious. 2) THE BROTHERS MURPH

Mike & Nick are two of the most engaging brothers on YouTube let alone just in the boardgaming community. Their series on thrift shop finds has dredged up some hilarious and often tragic specimens from the grand days of Palitoy, MB and Parker Games. They are also masters at ‘speed reviewing’ often piling reviews of 50 or 60 games into the same number of minutes. I think I favour the ‘don’t outstay your welcome’ approach to YouTube in general, and the Brothers Murph are at great ease with this philosophy and yet they take on simple party games thru to the heaviest euros with the same distillation equipment, and yet their reviews are never trivial or throw away. We had the chance to chat to Nick at Airecon this year and he was a lovely guy, slightly blown away by the fact that people liked his channel. He’s also an awesome artist too.

3) ACTUALOL

There are many reviewers on the web who have cost me a fair amount of money, the worst being Zee Garcia, however, a close second is Jon Purkiss aka Actualol. Jon has a terrifying gift for finding games, and especially ridiculously affordable games, that I buy on spec and then end up absolutely loving. Jon has a light and breezy style which is instantly engaging - I also really want his comfy chair (surely in exchange for a nice review on here Jon???). His videos are tidy and concise and yet still convey a deep enthusiasm and joy for games. His reviews very clearly portray what the setting of the game is and what you’ll be doing, without getting embroilled in the rules. He always has great footage of the game on the table (please reviewers - look at the ratio of your face to the game you’re talking about - less than 10% game and i’m walkin’) and often favours the less pricey end of the market which suits me fine. Brilliant games I love thanks to Jon include: Second Chance, Magic Maze and Ninja Academy

4) OUR FAMILY PLAYS GAMES

There’s not much to be said about Mik & Starla Fitch that cannot be gained from watching a mere 3-4 minutes of their channel. For sheer exuberance aimed squarely at a love for bringing families together via our glorious hobby, you cannot top these guys. If you are ever - EVER - feeling slightly lacklustre about gaming or losing your mojo for whatever reason - heck if you are just feeling slightly down, treat yourself to 10 minutes in the company of these two excellent human beings. Their reviews and playthru’s have all the humanity you need in a game and after five minutes you are thinking “Is the US too far to go just for a gaming evening?” We’d both utterly love to sit across the table from these lovely people and just play, and I can’t say that about every reviewer, I’ll be honest. Their reviews are often centred around unloved classics (watch their vid dedicated to why they love Catan as an example - you’ll be clicking Buy Now before your know it) and also some great quirky unknowns that I’m trying to hunt down even now. They’ve just had a brilliant couple of boosts from both a spot of Good Morning America recently, and becoming reviewers for the mighty Dice Tower. I’m immensely grateful for a tweet by Rodney Smith for pointing me in their direction, my social media is a much brighter place with the Fitch family in it.

5) RAHDO RUNS THROUGH

“Heeeeey Everybody”. One of the first board game reviewers I ever caught on YouTube was the inimitable Richard Ham aka Rahdo. And I’m so glad I did. I would genuinely never sit down and try and learn a game from one of Rahdo’s playthrus, they are what I imagine being in a wind tunnel full of 50 tonnes of feathers is like. BUT and this is crucial - if I want an idea of what a game is going to feel like to play, there is no finer deliverer of the remote game experience than Mr Richard Ham. His unique ability to explain how a game is going to work, turn by turn; the decisions you will make; the things you’ll have to consider; the short and long term goals; are all brilliantly covered in one of Rahdo’s videos. His ability to make different choices for his ‘ghost partner’ Jen (who does exist in real life, we have bought jewelry off her, she’s lovely) also adds a real dynamism to the games, showcasing the flexibility in a design for different play strategies. Rahdo tends towards 2 player games and usually at the heavier end of the scale, but if there’s a game you are thinking of buying, check Mr Ham out first!

6) WATCH IT PLAYED

It’s often been said that Canadians are some of the politest folk on the planet, but when it comes to ranking Canadians, well, I’m sure they’d be too humble to rank each other so I’ll have to. Rodney Smith is the loveliest man in the world. There, end of article. But it’s true. We’ve been watching Rodney since we first got confused about the rules for Mice & Mystics (which we still got wrong but that wasn’t Rodney’s fault) and his ever chirpy, ever positive approach to his rules rundowns is utterly remarkable and frankly, enviable. And it’s his attention to detail and clarity for explaining rules that have rightly made Rodney one of the most important resources in the gaming hobby. If you have ever struggled over a rulebook and haven’t raced to Watch It Played, I will guarantee you will have spent far longer on that rulebook and lost way more hair than you ever needed to. We had the great honour of playing Rajas of the Ganges with Rodney at Airecon in 2019, and I mugged up on the rules sooo much. Regular imbibers of this rag will know my sloth for reading rulebooks is legendary but fortunately ‘er across the table (TM) loves them. But, for the 3 days running up to our trip to Harrogate, I did nothing but read that rulebook - this was THE Rodney Smith, you can’t get a rule wrong with Rodney. But of course, nerves kicked in and I could barely remember the rules of Snap, but the nicest man in the world could not have been nicer. Really, quantum mechanics has proved it. He was just the same man off the computer telly. Funny, engaging, warm and happy to chat as well as play (which I was also really nervous about doing!), if you don’t watch Rodney, are you really internetting?

7) TABLETOP MINIONS

“Pachow” From boardgames to wargames. As well as my slight addiction to cardboard, my other opiate overlord is 28mm plastic miniatures. Specifically those involved in tabletop skirmish games like Malifaux, 7TV, Fallout Wasteland Warfare, GuildBall and a smattering of others. Though recently more focused on the frankly insane amount of content being released by Games Workshop, Tabletop Minions is presented by the splendid Uncle Atom. (In fact, I identify his content so much as Uncle Atom’s stuff that I honestly had to double check the name of the channel for this article!). My plastic habit uncle (sounds so wrong, but so true) has possibly the gentlest delivery of anyone on the internet. It’s not so much content, as therapy. I know the net is awash with AMSR channels at the mo, but if you don’t want to listen to some overmonetized southern californian with some bubble wrap and a large capsule condenser mic, just hop over to TTM and listen to the Uncle for 5 minutes. He’s like a soothing bubble bath of content about painting figures, philosophy of the hobby, general art & design principles, and great life advice. He also wears a fez.

8) GIRL PAINTING

“Hello Tchoobies!” I painted my first 28mm figure when i was about 12ish - it was, ironically, a space marine of some sort - the old clunky Ral Partha ones. It looked terrible, but each model got a bit better till I stopped for some reason a few years later. When I got into Malifaux a few years ago (ie decades, several of them, later), I knew I was going to have to get back into painting; heaps of grey plastic does not a skirmish game make. (Little did I know I would have to revisit my microscopy days either when assembling damn Bayou Gremlins!) Two channels were recommended to me, the Esoteric Order of Gamers (more later) and Girl Painting. EOG put me on the path to believing I could paint again, but Alexandra at Girl Painting actually made me believe I could learn to do it well. GP’s approach to painting figures, terrain and vehicles is based on solid art theory. Her explanation of colour relationships and the colour wheel is something I can quote to this day. All of the techniques that I lean on so heavily in day to day painting both for table and display I learnt from Girl Painting. Correct use of washes, wet blending, non-metallic metals, shading, drybrushing, highlighting, model reading, all of it from studying intently, often with a brush actually in my hand while watching the channel. I cannot recommend GP enough if you want to put paint to plastic. Whatever your ability, you will learn something from this hidden gem of a channel.

9) ESOTERIC ORDER OF GAMERS

Another dang fine antipodean and another slightly unusual channel. I have a terrible, terrible memory when it comes to rules. In our early days, we also had a a lot of games with seemingly very over-bloated rulebooks - FFG games basically. I suddenly realised what I wanted was to lift the lid of a box and find in the lid, a summary of the important stuff i needed to remember about the game. Apparently I was not the only one. In 2013 a chap known as Universal Head started publishing an amazing series of rules summaries which condensed down some of the bloatiest rulesbooks down to often one or 2 pages of A4. It was a (pardon the pun) gamechanger for me. I can’t count the number of games in our collection that have a friendly sheet of A4 now as the first thing you see when you open the box. They are brilliant. And he’s still doing it to this day. I would argue that the more useful leg to his activities is the website rather than YouTube channel, but his channel does have the aforementioned brilliant figure painting tutorials, unboxing videos and some crafting stuff. The website is definitely the place for the rules summaries and also a fantastic resource for build-it-yourself foamcore box inserts. Though Folded Space have now made box inserts pretty affordable, there’s still no feeling like the satisfaction of building your own, and I would argue that some of EoG’s designs actually make more sense than some of the Folded Space ones anyway. AND THE OTHER ONES (Who probably don’t really need the exposure, but hey, only 11 people probably read this so......) Why aren’t these on the list above? Just because I wanted to highlight some of the more marginal channels above or more specialist rather than the pure reviewers. SHUT UP & SIT DOWN Possibly my favourite channel on YouTube, whose name sounds more like a menacing Yorkshire greeting than a boardgame channel. SU&SD seem to be a real Marmite issue on the board game communities. And I genuinely don’t understand it. Yes, their reviews are often really funny but honestly, if that’s all you take away then you are missing some amazingly detailed and thought provoking work. Quinns and crew’s reviews are some of the most measured and balanced reviews in the gameyverse. Their reasoning for the conclusions they come to are incredibly well thought through and often very surprising based on the tone of the rest of the review. They have steered me to some games I would never have looked twice at and steered me away from some very shiny games that I might have blown a lot of money on otherwise. Flagposting great alternatives is also a signature of their reviews, and that again has often lead me to some fantastic games. We don’t always agree (their recent review of 10 Oink Games was savage imho) but we always disagree for the right reasons. Again, I would argue their website is actually a better overall resource, especially their podcasts which are superb, but all their content is fantastic.

in a highly similar vein I would add NO PUN INCLUDED. Efka & Elaine produce some of the most thoughtful and intelligent boardgame review content today, and often for some of the deepest and most complex games. The joy of boardgaming is that it is highly subjective and there are lots of times when NPI like/dislike a game that I do/don’t, but they are engaging and warm enough as presenters to hit you with a gentle subtext that says “It’s ok - I know we like this game, we get that you don’t, it doesn’t make any of us bad people, just people y’know, have a sandwich with us” Efka criticising a game reminds me of when Dennis Healey once described an argument with Geoffrey Howe as being ‘savaged by a dead sheep’, though not in the cynical manner of the original. The criticism is loaded with that crucial dose of ‘hear me out’ that is sadly lacking in 90% of all other reviewers out there. Efka & Elaine are no GoggleBox reviewers, they are the real deal - they genuinely understand how games work and why. The sheer moral turmoil that Efka expressed over the cultural issues in Rising Sun was some of the most thoughtful YouTube content I have ever seen. I just wanted to do a little shout out to Johannes & Sunniva at BOARD GAMING RAMBLINGS - I don’t have as much to say as they are relatively new on my radar, but I have really enjoyed their content so far and find them to be like one of those adorable gaming couples that you might see every once in a while at your gaming group and have a blast with, and then not see for months and go “Awh - I really miss Johannes & Sunniva - where’d they go?” that feeling, you know the one. Adorable, with a hint of the esoteric. Also, a quick but important mention to the other titan of boardgame rules explanation that is Paul Grogan of GAMING RULES!. Like Rodney Smith, Paul is meticulous about rules explanation and is really clear and simple to follow, even for very heavy games, which Paul tends to do more of than Rodney, which is probably why I end up watching Paul slightly less, but certainly not for any less quality. Paul has such a reputation in the industry that he now works closely with many designers and publishers to help craft the best rulebooks around as a consultant. So that’s it - congrats for making it through folks. Didn’t think it was going to run this long, but turns out.... I quite like a lot of the YouTubers I watch - who knew? Until next time... happy gaming y’all.

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honeymoonjin · 5 years

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makin’ monet - jungkook

A/N: requested by @xilee-reaper. Jungkook’s interest is peaked when his roommate Taehyung has a collection of fake classic paintings. 2.2k words.

“O Week, baby!”

Jungkook ignores Tae’s cheer as he pokes around his room. Tae had only been in this student accommodation for three days, but his stuff was already all over the place.

Tae had always been a collector; no matter where he went, he was always picking up trinkets and memorabilia like he was a magnet for it.

Now, it seemed, his new obsession were these tiny little canvas squares, painted as miniature imitations of famous paintings. Jungkook picks one up, a mock-up of Monet’s Water Lilies that is accurate down to the smallest detail. There’s no name on the bottom, just a tiny black set of initials.

“God, where did I leave the slides?”

Tae has been rooting around his room for the better part of half an hour, getting ready for a campus party that only he wanted to go to, yet somehow was the one that was now an hour late for, and Jungkook was forced to endure the unpleasant experience of Tae going through every single clothing article to try and find the best outfit.

Jungkook was just in a white t-shirt and worn jeans, but that apparently was too minimalistic for Tae.

He puts down the Water Lilies and moves on. There are six of them on Tae’s bookshelf, and while they’re good, sure, it seems a little excessive. “Hey, Tae,” he calls out to the man who’s head over heels in his closet, waiting for a muffled ‘yeah?’ before continuing. “These little paintings, you made them?”

Tae emerges ass-first from the messy heap of clothes, triumphantly brandishing a pair of Gucci slides. “Nah, ‘course not, I bought them off Y/n.”

Jungkook frowns. The name’s not familiar. “Y/n? I didn’t know you had a girlfriend?”

Taehyung just scoffs, hopping around on one foot as he puts on his shoes. “I don’t, she’s just a friend. If I spot her at the party tonight, I’ll introduce you two.”

Well aware of Tae’s habit of saying things with no intention of actually doing them, Jungkook just hums in affirmation and leaves the paintings on the shelf, itching to finally go out.

The girl, Y/n, apparently wasn’t at the party. Maybe she was, but Taehyung just forgot to introduce her. Either way, the loose end was bothering Jungkook more than he expected. Why was he so curious about this girl? He tried to picture what she was like. Chances are she wasn’t that much like Tae. All of his friends always seemed way different from him, Jungkook included, as if he wanted to be the Regina George of his friend groups at all times.

That did leave a lot of possibility, though, and he found himself asking Tae more and more about this mystery girl, curiosity eating him alive.

She was studying engineering like Jungkook, apparently, so perhaps she was like those cold, logical, hard-ass women he had seen in his classes, but her paintings would suggest otherwise. Tae also mentioned he often hung out with at her place, and she had an impressive collection of videogames that ‘even you would be jealous of, Kook’. So perhaps she was an anti-social nerd that sat on the couch for hours with a controller and a bag of Cheetos, but then Tae never had any interest in hanging out with people that had no interest in hanging out with him.

The more he found out, the less he knew.

Now, Jungkook sits in his first computer lab of the semester. Engineering was a pretty massive discipline, no matter what university you were at, and the giant lecture halls were so packed that you couldn’t really make a lot of friends and get to know people, but there were so many timetable streams of computer labs that each one had broken down to about twenty-five people.

Next to him is a guy with boxy, unflattering glasses, the ones you could never imagine anyone actively choosing to wear, and he seems too plugged in to some anime with extremely endowed women to want to talk to Jungkook.

The seat next to him is vacant when the class starts, but ten minutes in, one of the doors opens and a girl slips in. At first Jungkook assumes she’s in the wrong room, because she looks nothing like the other hundred or so engineering students he had seen so far.

She’s so short she has to go on tiptoes to glance over the computer screens and find a spare seat, wide eyes lighting up on the space to Jungkook’s right.

“And why are you so tardy, madam?”

She pauses in her scurry towards his desk and stares at the lecturer, who is crossing his arms over in an unconvincing show of dominance. “Because I didn’t get here in time,” she answers matter-of-factly. “Don’t let me interrupt you.”

Jungkook can’t help but quirk his lips into a grin at that, but once she turns back to his direction, he quickly hides it behind his hand, coughing lightly.

The computer lab is hard, way more complicated than anything he had done in high school, and he’s so focused on putting in the right commands that it takes him another twenty or so minutes to look up from his monitor and notice the girl next to him.

He rubs the tiredness from his eyes and stretches back, glancing over at her screen. He pauses, arms still stretched out in the air behind him. “You’ve already finished?” he asks incredulously.

She looks up from where she’s scribbling absentmindedly on a piece of graph paper and stares at him. Once she processes what he said, her eyes widen in realization. “Oh, yeah, I checked it out last night and it was kinda easy, so I figured I’d just do it then.”

Ignoring the fact that he felt a little stupid for struggling so much, he sits up in his chair properly and swivels to face her. “Why are you here, then?”

She grins cheekily and cocks her head to the lecturer’s desk, where he’s overseeing the lab like a sergeant. “The general ambience, you know.”

Jungkook laughs, eyes glancing down for a moment. He blinks a couple times and realizes that her scribbles are actually quite good, and in fact familiar. “Café Terrace at Night?”

She cocks her head at the sudden change of topic. “Huh? Oh, right! How did you know?” She sighs. “I’ll be honest, I’m a little sad that I couldn’t pass it off as my own.”

Computer lab forgotten, he begins swaying back and forth on his chair lazily, bumping knees with her every swing. He notes with a little burst of happiness that she makes no attempt to move away from the contact. “I saw a Van Gogh recently. Not a real one, though,” he adds quickly upon seeing the impressed look on her face.

Wait a minute. He glances down at her half of the desk again and sees a haphazard pile of textbooks and refill she had brought in with her. On the spine of Introduction to Mechanical Engineering is the name Y/N, in sharpie-d all-caps.

His mouth falls open in a perfect o, and he points dumbly at the textbooks. “You’re Y/n!”

She bites on her lip, glancing back and forth between her books and him. “Yeah?”

“My friend, Taehyung, he’s got a bunch of your paintings in his dorm room.”

Her eyes brighten in realization. “Ah, Kimmy! Small world, huh.” She glances down at her drawing, eyes distant and unfocussed. She takes a deep breath and looks back up at him, twiddling her thumbs. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in buying one?”

Jungkook tips his head. “Buying one?”

She frowns, and Jungkook can’t help but stare at her delicate pout. “Well, I’m not giving them away for free! They take hours of hard work and I-”

“That’s- That’s not what I meant,” he clarifies hurriedly, “I just didn’t realize you were, like, selling them selling them.”

Her pout tips up into a soft smile, and she raises her eyebrows in good humor. “Well, this is the first time we’ve met, so it’s unsurprising that you don’t know everything about me.” She pauses. “In fact, I don’t even know your name.”

“Oh! Jungkook. Jeon Jungkook.”

“Well it’s nice to finally meet the man Kimmy has never once mentioned,” she jokes. When Jungkook furrows his brows and looks a little put out, she laughs and pushes him a little on the shoulder. “I’m just messing with you, idiot! He talks about you all the time. Kookie, right?”

He flushes at the embarrassing nickname but nods in assent.

“Anyway, I used to just make the paintings as a hobby, but I’ve been in a little…financial strife recently, so I’m trying to use them as a little extra income.”

Jungkook sobers. “Oh, I’m so sorry.”

Y/n laughs again, and the joyous tone causes something to spark in Jungkook. “Oh, no, no, don’t be sorry. I’m just being dramatic, I guess. I let my bunny out of the hatch, and he chewed the cord of my roommate’s headphones. They were pretty expensive ones, so now Yoon’s taken mine hostage until I can save up enough to replace them.” Her gaze turns inward, and she sighs. “Although now I can’t game without him biting my head off about the volume.” She clears her throat and shrugs, cheering up again. “Anyway, if you don’t want to buy one, that’s all good, just thought I’d ask.”

Jungkook leans back in his chair slightly and tips his head back, shaking his hair out of his face. He’s pleased when he sees her swallow and stick her tongue out subconsciously to wet her lips. “No, I’ll buy one,” he counters, “anything to help out with a fellow gamer’s plight.”

Maybe the subtle plug wasn’t so subtle, but her face lights up nevertheless. Over the remaining fourteen minutes of the lab, Jungkook’s computer eventually goes to sleep, as they spend the whole time discussing which servers had the best graphics, and how many times it took them to beat a final boss.

Once the clock strikes ten to the hour, almost all of the students rush to log off and gather their stuff, but Jungkook is in no hurry. Y/n is hunched over his outstretched arm, writing her number on his hand with a pen.

The tickle of the pen sets his nerves alight, but it’s nothing compared to the warmth of her hand keeping his steady, and the wrist resting on his as she wrote. He laughs to try and distract himself from just how much his heart was racing from her close proximity. “I said Tae would put me in contact with you! Don’t you trust me?” he teases.

“I don’t trust Kimmy,” she counters immediately, not looking up until she underlines her number twice and puts an exclamation mark. She tucks her pen away in her pencil case and starts packing up her things. Although he has a class next and should probably hurry up, Jungkook just sits back in his chair and observes her. “You can tell him a million times and he’ll still forget, and I’m not putting my business on the line for his flaky ass.”

He chuckles, and absentmindedly his thumb rubs over the ink on the back of his hand. “You’re quite bossy, you know that?”

She grins at him, kicking him lightly in the shins. “And you’re a terrible flirter!”

“If you noticed I was flirting, then I must have been doing it right,” he counters. “Is it working?”

She kicks him again, but her cheeks heat up. “I gave you my number, didn’t I?” She glances at the clock and bites her lip. “Ah, I’m late for my physics nap. Dammit.”

“You’re what?”

She hoists her backpack on, and answers as he gets up hurriedly and stuffs his things away. “If you get to physics early enough, you can get a seat at the back, and Professor Namjoon can’t see you sleeping.”

He scoffs, finally picking up his bag and joining her as they left the classroom together. He doesn’t have the luxury of sleeping in class, and his is in the opposite direction to the way she’s leading him, but he doesn’t want to part ways just yet. Maybe he can skip, just this once, and get Jimin to give him his notes. “I apologize for keeping you up past your bedtime, chief.”

She snorts out her nose but manages to keep her face impassive. “At least you know your place, young grasshopper.”

“We’re the same age!”

“Kimmy’s older than me and he still knows I’m the boss.”

“Sorry, but you’re going to have to earn my sworn fealty. I’m not a loyal puppy like Tae.”

She raises an eyebrow at him. “You’re quite bossy, you know that?”

He laughs at his words from earlier being thrown back at him. “Only to pretty girls.”

She blushes but forces an unimpressed look on her face. “So, there are others, huh?”

Jungkook shakes his head in bemused disbelief, making a note to himself to thank Tae for buying the photos that started all this. He stares at her while she’s making a point of doggedly avoiding his gaze. They had only just met, sure, but there was something about her that made his heart beat faster, and he desperately wanted to explore that feeling. “Not if you don’t want there to be.”

Read the sequel!

#bts fic #jungkook x reader #bts au #bts imagine #bts x reader

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modeltanks98-blog · 4 years

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Model Tanks

So I am Rob I am a level Hobbyist or even Model Maker, whichever requires your fancy. I got in to the hobby once i had been young maybe 8 or even nine years old by means of my Dad. He used to create Historex Army Miniatures, and every now in addition to then something different. We remember him making a new fire engine at one point. This is back in the 80's and when all of us visited town we might always go to Beatties the hobby shop. I had been initially drawn in order to 1/72nd figures. I did not paint them or anything just used these people. Then ?nternet site got a new little older I was pulled towards the Tamiya 1/35th Scale Military Miniatures. Beatties used to have a new huge selection. I steadily got more kits with regard to my birthday and Holiday. Mostly figures as well as tiny vehicles. I recall the SAS Jeep and the Kettenkraftrad. The offshoot regarding this is it received me considering history. Our dad had a VHS tape called Blitzkrieg and am should have watched this 100 times. That really like for history is nevertheless with me. I did not get many Model Storage containers as they certainly were pretty expensive for my moms and dads but I do keep in mind obtaining the M3 Stuart and the M113 Control APC. I was constantly in to the Military Models even though. I got employment on a milk round whenever I was about 14 and the milkman used in order to drop me near a new toyshop. They just took place to offer Airfix model planes. So every Weekend when I finished the milk round, I might go in and buy a plane and this seem to be my weekend fixed. When I was around 12-15 approximately my friend introduced me towards the Games Class. Now I only enjoyed Warhammer 40K a couple of period but I loved the mini, and as an auto dvd unit Maker, I recently cherished that fantasy world in addition to started collecting and piece of art both Warhammer and 40k and also this is going again to the 90's before the internet so an individual had to choose the gesetz or white dwarf in order to see how to color these. Come 16 yrs old I discovered ladies and wine!!! Fast forward 12 years and We got divorced, I shifted in with the parents and just did not really know what to complete with myself. To be a new scale hobbyist at center I visited Games class and indexed an military box of Canadihsjh troops a lot of citadel paints and started in order to be a model maker once again. As I enjoy Army Miniatures I also bought myself a 1/35th level humvee and 1 1/72 scale hind. For the summer I sat in their shed and just got in feel with the hobby that will I love. Later that will year I got returning to work and again the hobby was put on hold Fast forward once again 4 years and We was in a steady relationship and moved in to a set and was capable to once more start the hobby. Picked upward a couple of Military Models which includes another of those Tamiya Military Miniatures SAS Jeep and Hannomag. 6 a few months later we decided all of us wished to buy a residence so we put everything in storage and moved in with the girlfriend's mom to save to get a downpayment. All the time We was buying one model a new month to incorporate in order to the stash, luckily now I've a little more money so I may buy Model Tanks! Quickly forward 2 more in addition to we acquired a residence with a man cave… See here and We am back as a new scale hobbyist. I made a king tiger container in 1/35th scale with winter camo, you may CLICK HERE to observe it. I showed a new few people and these people were blown away. I was really shocked at exactly how impressed people were thus I decided to go all in and start this weblog and can get on social media. I will always become a Model Maker in mind you hear sniggers some times but there usually are very few guys out there there who don't take pleasure in looking at a level model. So, I desire you enjoy what I am doing here, by no means am I a specialist model maker. This web site will serve as a record regarding my journey to enhance my skills, and We hope that you take the journey with me. We am laid back so keep a remark here or even on some of the social press platforms.

#Model Tanks

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klassikally · 5 years

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Sirius black is an artist headcannon

Okay just listen up I 100% believe that Sirius Black was an AMAZING artist

It started when he was young and bored during his mandatory tutoring sessions that he was forced into as soon as he began to show signs of magic

At the beginning it was just random doodles here and there on the margins of papers, books anything he could get his hands on

Walburga hated it, stating that art was only made by the poor for the rich to enjoy and that art was most certainly not an acceptable hobby for the male heir of the black family or some bullshit like that

She did everything she could to stop him from drawing as a child from only providing him with quick quotes quills to making a scene of incendioing any small doodles she found

However she wasn’t the only one who noticed his talent his older cousin Andromeda gifted him a set of quills and paints enchanted to look like books for his 11th birthday as well as a notebook with an endless supply of paper

It was his first gift that he truly treasured and once he began to paint (first with watercolors) he felt so alive it was almost as if his magic ingrained itself into his artwork

Sirius had always seen things in his own way. He was able to find beauty in things that were ugly, familiarity in the strange and home in the foreign. This gift allowed his art to flourish and at the same time his art allowed him to show how he saw the world in a tangible way.

Once he got to hogwarts his subjects of painting were able to become so much lighter and more alive no longer was he confined to painting dark still life’s of random objects and corners of 12 Grimwauld Place

For a while he kept it a secret his mother’s dissaproval resounding in his head whenever he thought he had enough courage to show the boys, fearful that he would be labeled a “pounce” or something along those lines

But one day in third year he was studying alone with Remus and wasn’t able to help himself from sketching the boy, the way his hair was both messy and perfect at the same time, his skinny frame which could never seem to gain weight no matter how many cholocate frogs he ate and the way the pink raised lines crossed over the bridge of his nose, his freckles cheeks and sharp brow

Over the past few years his style had changed from mainly still life’s to scenes from hogwarts and creatures that he would find around the grounds

However he had also recently been drawing and painting portraits now using both watercolor and gouache paints he found himself sometimes sketching out and painting those who he spent most of his time with

He had a few of James some depicting him just lounging around the common room. Sirius’s favorite of him was the short sketch of his best friend flying, he had also painted a few of lily and the other Gryffindor girls giggling amoungst themselves, one of Peter red in the face after his first kiss (on the cheek) and even one of McGonagall her stern eyes behind her specticals

But there was no person who took up the pages of his sketchbook more than Remus Lupin. Some of the images were small deatailed studies others were quickly sketched as if he were trying to keep the moment forever

Nonetheless Remus saw the book that day but decided to keep quiet about it until the two got back to their dorm later that night James down at quidditch practice and Peters snores coming from behind the curtains of his bed

At first Sirius had slightly panicked when Remus confronted him but once the initial anxiety was gone and he handed the book over to Remus to look through he felt more pride in his talent than ever before the two of them staying up long into the night with Sirius finally being able to explain the art that he was making to someone else

Eventually James and Peter found out and Sirius realized that his fears were only fears the other two loved his work and eventually his trio of friends convinced him to not hide his work from the world any longer

Soon Sirius became known as the artist at hogwarts he would create banners for quidditch games, sell painted cards for Christmas and Valentine’s Day and even have his painting of the Gryffindor tower hung in the common room

Every year after that he was gifted supplies and canvases by his friends for his birthday and Christmas and they would know that if he wasn’t in class or pranking with the other mauraders that he could always be found in the studio that he’d created in the room of requirement

Over the years his art began to diversify he still did portraits and architcheure but soon it also began to turn a bit abstract the traditional style he’d come to teach himself mixing with line work and minimalism as well as different colors textures and ways of thinking

He also began to wear his work painting pairs of muggle jeans and dabbling in creating patches and designs on his leather jacket (gifted to him by James for his 15th birthday along with his first full pack of cigarettes)

Over time the boys began to understand that Sirius used the art to convey thoughts and emotions that he otherwise didn’t know how to articulate.

After holidays and really any interactions with his family his art would often be darker showing a glimpse of what all was going on in the black home

Sirius even came out through his art first to his muse, who to no ones surprise was Remus who choked up at the sight of the portrait of himself the first time he was able to really see his body and believe whenever he heard Sirius whisper that he was beautiful when he thought the other boy wouldn’t hear

During the summer holiday before his 6th year he would send small paintings to the other boy done silently at night in order to not be discovered by his mother

He had a small collection of unfinished canvases he had brought home to try and work on over the summer however one night kreacher found them and alerted Walbuga and Orion Black

The two saw this as their blood traitorous sons last straw cursing the boy and sending his work up into flames before blasting his name off of the family tree.

He only had enough time to grab his beloved sketchbook, jacket and set of paints before flooing to the Potters. Bruised, bloodied and covered in the soot of his artwork

After this his art turned even more dark the depression very evident, there was no longer likeness to anything in his work it was haunting to look at but no less beautiful the only other time the mauraders saw work even close to this was after ‘the prank’ that almost ripped them apart and sent Sirius into a month of isolation the previous year

Eventually it returned back to his semi normal style but it was never the same and as the threat of war grew during their last two years it seemed the young man was desperately trying to capture every happy moment he could with the family he had made at hogwarts

After graduating Sirius was one of many to join the Order in the fight against Voldemort. Despite the constant threat over their heads his art never stopped instead it was probably the one thing keeping him sane

He would sketch every single member of the Order no matter how much they did for the organization only painting in their picture if they died

He even secretly painted one for Regulus when the news of his death reached the order despite the fact that the two hadn’t spoken in over a year

Soon he felt he had too many painted portraits

When Remus was away on a long undercover mission with the werewolves he felt he could barely hold up his pencil or even draw a basic shape only creating one piece of art in the 3 months that his boyfriend was away

When Lily got pregnant his joy seemed to resume he gave the couple the collection of paintings he had done of her and them throughout the pregnancy when Harry turned 6 months

When his godson got a bit older his firsts gifts to the boy was a miniature broom (that to Lily’s dismay almost killed their damn cat) and a set of child safe paints that he and the boy would dip their fingers in and get more on the floors than the paper whenever he and Remus would babysit

He also did a painting of the boy around early October of 1981 and gifted it to the couple the same night that he and James had decided to actually make peter the secret keeper

On October 31st he had been painting in the cottage that he and Remus shared. All night he had felt a sort of dread and by 10pm he couldn’t take it anymore, his boyfriend out at a meeting with Dumbledore and he had been trying to finish a painting over the past several hours and only seemed to be messing it up more every minute

He decided to fly his bike to James and Lily’s place thinking that it wouldn’t be long and that he’d rather not apparate that night.

About an hour later he arrived to a dark and destroyed home his heart in his throat he stood for a second his mind not comprehending what had happened fast enough only to be woken from his trance by a cry that he knew to be his godson.

Rushing through the broken door his heart nearly stopped at the sight of James lying dead at the base of the stairs his eyes still open and glasses cracked.

Another cry made him pass the body of his best friend, his brother not before gently removing the spectacles and closing his friends eyes. He rushed up to the nursery only to find young Harry in his crib crying down at the body of Lily lying right before him. The paintings that he and Harry had made were still hanging from the wall

He was met at the door by Hagrid about an hour later after sobbing with Harry in his arms he had almost cursed the gameskeeper when he suggested taking harry before begrudendly deciding not to fight Dumbledore at the moment and planting one last kiss on his godsons head before letting Hagrid take him and the bike to Lily’s muggle sister

The next morning Remus Lupin trudged into the cottage that he and his boyfriend Sirius Black had once shared. He had just found out about the mans betrayall and watched him get dragged away after killing another of their friends

Upon entering the living room he saw a mess of paints and cloth two easels set up one with a painting of the Potter family the fucking bastard had some nerve and the other half finished the reference photo still charmed to float next to it

The other canvas no bigger than a textbook so far it was just their hands and faces his forehead was resting on top Sirius’s long black hair the other mans head resting on his chest both had small content smiles on their faces his eyes followed the brown sketch lines down to their hands collapsed together this was the last picture that the pair had taken together and was so lifelike the only difference is that there was a single golden ring on his second finger that he didn’t own.

That he had almost destroyed every piece of Sirius Black more times than he could count. His mind raced with different spells he could use the idea of waiting until the next full moon and destroying them as the wolf even came up once or twice

But he found himself unable and instead he just left he locked them all up and left them in the basement of their old house

The next morning he left everything behind besides the two final paintings and the sketchbook that held ten years of art that he couldn’t seem to let go of

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 5 years

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Barbie may not be out of the closet yet, but her fans sure are

Has there ever really been a gay doll?

Well, yes and no. In 1977, "Gay Bob," marketed as the world's first gay doll, was sold through mail-order ads in gay magazines. And I'm sure that Mattel still thinks about the "Earring Magic Ken" fiasco of 1993, and his "necklace."

But there's nothing inherently gay about dolls themselves – they're toys, pieces of plastic after all. In the same vein, there's nothing inherently gay about doll collecting as a hobby, as a passion, as an art form.

Dolls are cultural reflections of the times, for better or worse. But doll brands like Barbie that are symbols of hyper-heteronormative, old-school femininity are being reclaimed and reinterpreted by adult LGBTQ collectors in a new way. And don't think the toy companies are unaware — they’re not, and they are absolutely involved.

More recently the main way collectors are expressing this kind of love and solidarity, and where community can be found, is through the internet and social media. This is a space where the toys' brand narrative has usually been out of corporate hands. But companies like Mattel are in it now, noticing these LGBTQ fan communities, and vying for their digital eyes.

Now THIS is what the Dreamhouse should look like.

Image: THE SIMPSONS/ Fox

Coming out of the (doll) closet

Many adult collectors choose dolls because of the nostalgia associated with collecting toys from their childhood. Younger LGBTQ collectors aren’t connecting as much over the nostalgic dolls themselves, as much as they are using social media to connect with other gay fans.

Tumblr user @dolljunk, who used to collect Barbies as a young boy, got into it again as a young adult through online fandoms. “Internet groups were a great way of connecting to other collectors. I had never even heard of [doll-related social media], let alone other collectors and when I went to my local library, I found a multitude of forums and fan sites that detailed how people collected dolls such as customizing, photography, and numerous guides for doll releases. It really opened my eyes to another side of playing with and seeing dolls.”

LGBTQ collectors are also identifying with the messages of newer doll franchises, and the potential for what the dolls can represent. Monster High collectors in particular are mostly Millennials who never grew up playing with the dolls themselves, but with whom the brand's identity has resonated.

Dott, a doll collector active on social media, introduced her collection, saying “I mostly collect Monster High, but there's some Barbies, Ever After Highs, and Descendants strewn in there." For reference, all of these brands were created after 2009. "Monster High's my main focus because...well, I think I connect with the lore the most. Unlike a lot of doll collectors, I love the lore aspect as much as, if not more, than the actual dolls. And there's something about the MH media that I just adored.”

In an article from the University of Connecticut titled "Valuing queer identity in Monster High doll fandom," author Sara Mariel Austin wrote that "Monster High's recent ad campaign claims, 'We are monsters. We are proud.' Race, ethnicity, and disability are coded into the dolls as selling points. The allure of Monster High is, in part, that political identity and the celebration of difference..."

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The #Goochella monsters couldn’t get enough of the #FierceRocker’s freaky-fab cover of @LadyGaga’s song, Born This Way! 🙌💁🙌 Thanks for showing us that any dream is possible if you are brave enough to put yourself out there! 💪❤️ #KindMonsters #MonsterHigh

A post shared by Monster High (@monsterhigh) on Apr 21, 2016 at 8:05am PDT

If the messages intrinsic to these brand identities are like this, it's no wonder that LGBTQ doll collectors connect with these dolls on an emotional level. Social media doll communities like "Dollblr" and "Dollstagram" have also inspired other ways for a group that's traditionally marginalized to express themselves.

A passion for fashion: doll artistry and expression

Doll collecting is, inherently, at least somewhat escapist. There’s something that feels revolutionary about being constantly bombarded with the idolized bodies and lives of cisgender heterosexuals on social media, and then going “screw that! I’m gonna take this toy, make it a representation of me, and imagine a new world with it.”

Utilizing dolls as an art form – through mediums like photography, clothes-making, customization/modification, and fanart – allow for LGBTQ collectors to envision a world free of toxic masculinity. Creating doll art in and for an online world allows a safe space for folks to literally “play” with their own femininity and subvert gender roles as they see fit.

“It's something that's a nice escape from real life? We aren't worrying about gay stuff if we're rerooting a doll head, cause we keep pricking our fingers on accident, and our wrists and palms are sore from using pliers. In all seriousness, I think it's a form of self-expression,” Dott told Mashable about the physical art of doll modification and customization.

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A post shared by Barbination™ (@barbination) on Mar 10, 2019 at 3:31am PDT

The way that @dolljunk connects to his collection emotionally through art is similar. “Dolls and toy collecting [are] a great creative outlet...and can encompass fashion design, hair styling and face painting/makeup while also offering a way of creating new items,” he said.

"It resulted in me becoming more secure in my identity and interests because Barbie, for better or for worse, is a symbol of hyper femininity that doesn't allow any room for toxic masculinity in her world. Being able to get in touch with my feminine side and interests was a big contributor to accepting my sexuality as being an intrinsic aspect of myself that didn't need to be changed,” @dolljunk said.

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A post shared by Barbievette (@barbieboyvette) on Dec 31, 2018 at 1:52pm PST

And for many LGBTQ folks, especially gay boys and trans girls, that's incredibly important. Even Carlyle Nuera, who is now the lead designer for Barbie Signature at Mattel, sees the growth in these social media communities as being rooted in collective childhood experiences.

“I think for a lot of us, in different ways, for different reasons, we feel repressed growing up," Nuera said. "Depending on our homes, our family situation, we might not feel safe expressing ourselves. I think a lot of people when they start to have expendable income, they kinda create this fantasy world, this beauty that they never really had access to as a kid. They can see it — and I think they can sort of create it with their own dolls, by customizing their own dolls, or with photography. And then also to share with other people, cause you can connect with other people [on social media].”

Dolls are humanoid, so it’s easy to project our wants, desires, and dreams onto them. And if we alter their resemblance enough, they can mirror us back in ways we hope society will someday.

Does life in the Dreamhouse have to be so straight?

Toy companies, though, are already creating their own miniature worlds with their own identities for the dolls through tie-in media. With various outlets and extensions of their brand, they impose their own meanings onto the products. Mattel and Hasbro, for example, have their own TV shows and movies. Barbie has the Netflix series Life in the Dreamhouse; Monster High and Ever After High had their own movies and webisodes, and Hasbro has the massively successful My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic series.

They also have flashy social media accounts with good fashion photography and witty interactions. Barbie is now an Instagram influencer, as well as a vlogger with her own popular YouTube series. Mattel once ran an entire in-universe Monster High school newspaper through their Tumblr account.

The presence of toy companies on social media is intriguing though, given that the minimum age for Instagram, Tumblr, and Facebook is 13. So who really is the audience for these branded doll accounts?

While these companies likely don’t want to risk alienating the parents who buy dolls as toys for their kids, it's also seems fair to say they want to capture this LGBTQ adult interest in their products. There have been brand partnerships like with Crayola, meant to solely market towards kids. But when you have Mattel partnering with Lady Gaga’s Born this Way Foundation for Monster High, it’s obvious that they spend at least some time thinking about their messaging that can be subtly aimed at the LGBTQ community.

Especially since in a lot of their media franchises, there's a heavy focus on messages about being yourself, accepting others, and celebrating our differences — great lessons for kids of course, but all of which resonate deeply with LGBTQ doll fans.

Milissa C. is a big fan of the Monster High and Barbie: Life in the Dreamhouse series, alongside collecting the dolls themselves. She believes that the connection between the brands and the fans is deliberate. "[We] members of the LGBT+ community are oftentimes made to feel like we are not normal because of our feelings and our identities. Monster High encourages people to celebrate what makes them unique, 'freaky flaws' [as the main character Frankie Stein says] and all. LGBT+ doll collecting communities will certainly imagine more of their dolls to represent themselves. Every time I see a post from the official Barbie Instagram accounts where Barbie is obviously having a date night with a lady friend, I think — bi queen!"

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It’s a museum date! Taking in the @mickalenethomas exhibit today at @mocalosangeles. See more from the galleries in Stories. 💙 #MickaleneThomas #barbie #barbiestyle

A post shared by Barbie® (@barbiestyle) on Feb 1, 2017 at 2:26pm PST

Connecting to the storylines as much or more than to the dolls themselves is a celebration of LGBTQ identity, in Dott’s case. “Mostly because Monster High's entire concept is centered around embracing who you are. Plus, it was my special interest when I realized I was a lesbian. Mattel never gave us any canon gay characters in that franchise, but I find it profoundly moving that lots of lesbians/bi girls see themselves in characters like Clawdeen [daughter of the Wolf Man] and Twyla [daughter of the Boogyman]."

Yet, she's right — the representation so far hasn’t been that explicit. There’s a line between using broad metaphors to illustrate big concepts (mainly for kids), and allowing the diversity of the real world to exist and be seen on the small screen.

Despite knowing that he is far outside the target demographic, @dolljunk says that toy brand media “influences or recontextualizes the designs of the dolls I collect. A good piece of toy tie in media often encourages its audience to invest in the universe they have created, and I've seen it result from kids to adult collectors to go on to create their own fanart or fan characters. That being said, in the future I really do hope they are able to innovate and modernize for an ever changing audience in a world with changing attitudes and values.”

From the Ever After High episode, "Dragon Games." This was supposed to be "CPR". Yeah, right.

Image: NETFLIX / MATTEL

Dott says she always hopes for more explicit inclusivity. “Put some canon LGBT characters in your doll and toy franchises. Show kids that it's okay to be gay or bi or trans! It hasn't got to be something big; maybe a boy character has a schoolyard crush on another boy, you know? Just something small like that to get the ball rolling. Companies still have to do better.”

Not having canon LGBTQ representation is not unique to doll media, but because the companies have opened the door by putting these messages front and center, doll collectors engage with the media as a way of reclaiming identity, and then push the representation further than canon allows for. Toy companies arguably owe it to both children and adults, LGBTQ and not, to step up with better depictions of diversity because they're already toeing the line.

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A post shared by Barbie® (@barbiestyle) on Nov 21, 2017 at 2:36pm PST

Progress is being made, slowly but surely. There are new dolls and action figures coming out of prominent IRL figures and fictional characters who are LGBTQ. Last year on Instagram, Barbie wore a shirt that said "Love Wins." Even in doll-related media, companies are beginning to test to waters — in 2016, Mattel's movie series based on the doll line for Ever After High featured an on-screen kiss between two princesses.

For many collectors, it's not enough anymore to simply admire and collect these fashion figures. They want to see themselves in the dolls that they've been projecting onto for decades.

So while we wait for the brands' next move, gay culture will keep claiming dolls because we know in our hearts that they're ours as much as anyone's. Barbie? More like Bar-bi.

WATCH: Lady Gaga hopes award shows will become gender neutral

#_uuid:6483e5b9-5580-350b-8c5b-3ec67d1f17e9 #_category:yct:001000002 #_author:Sage Anderson #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DTrEpEAL #_revsp:news.mashable

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