#took me out of the rp and the real world parallels | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

zhongrin · 1 year

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!!! the event + afterparty were all super fun to witness n you did a really good job!! the afterparty was a little hard to follow but super cool nonetheless. also, when i sent in that ask abt my theory, i was so sure i was right only to get humbled by the alchemist sdbfhjsd

if you dont mind, can you explain the whole thing going on with albedo and dorian? mb im just slow or missed a bunch of important lore while scrolling through my dash, but what actually happened?

thank youuuu <333 and hsldkfjlsdf i hope bedo's answer didn't hurt you or anything, he's just.... i feel like it would be how he writes hahaha

oh gosh uhh the whole thing? there's.... there's a lot shldfjlksdfj

ok, let me try to summarize this... (i won't include ALL the hints i dropped because that would be. uhh. crazy. lol. just the important ones!)

ebg event

you can see a documentary of all the asks here - except for day 7 (thanks navi!! mwah mwah)

there are a few clues dropped in here and there as to what's causing mei's (who is my sona in this story basically) memory loss. the pills were a distraction (they really were for caffeine deficiency). but if you go through some asks and my posts for the last 2 days (albedo taking out mei's vision from the drawer + them taking it somewhere else), you'll notice that it's actually the loss of her vision that's causing it (side note, i was cheeky and gave yall hint on the vision poll - there's a hidden link on the underline of the emoji. you're welcome <3)

as for what happened on day 7... there were many things that happened because things were escalating really fast, and basically one of you tried to save mei AND almost succeeded. this happened on the last ask of day 7, where mei confronts albedo for the pills (because her friends - aka everyone - were basically saying that the pills were the issue here). pushed up against the wall, albedo decides to subdue her and flees to another location because he knows the lab isn't safe.

ebg afterparty

so after all that, we transition to the afterparty. where basically albedo and dorian take over the blog, because mei is mostly unconscious. as for why she's unconscious, it was because of fentanyl, which bedo actually referenced here before.

on the afterparty intro post, you can see that there are codes that you can actually try to decipher. but i'll spare you the headache and gives you the result. it says:

1 ask = 10m Σ 2800m time is ticking

this is basically a countdown to mei waking up. the total is 2800 minutes (aka 48 hours - so that's 2 days). 1 ask (only valid ones though, not the shitposts. which you can see, some posts have the '10' tag and some don't) will minus 10 minutes off the clock. and this runs in real time. the pinned post had the countdown and the hour, so you could actually track from there.

the gimmick is that, albedo will keep adding into this 'clock'. hence you see some posts with '+240' and all that. so it was actually everyone's objective to keep sending asks and waking mei up. i think only a few people realized this lol

so! that's the mechanics out of the way. lore-wise, remember: the missing vision was the reason mei lost her memories. albedo/dorian took that vision out of the drawer somewhere. so your goal was to actually locate where they were hiding and give mei's vision back to her.

now about the 'timelines' - basically what happened was that, since everyone was doing rp on their own characters and situations, it wasn't possible at this point to make them happen in one world. hence, i dropped hints about different timelines being at work here.

think of it as a parallel universe, right? one decision leads to another, and had you made a different decision, it would have been a branch of a story on its own.

but considering all that, the main storyline is still the same. everyone's goal is still the same, and albedo's actions don't differ much from all the timelines. hence i kept trying to steer you all toward where they were (it was mingyun village. see if you can spot all the little hints i dropped lol).

the thing is that almost no one really realized about the missing vision until later on, and even then no one asked where it was. so i couldn't fit the opportunity to give you clues ;w; (but on risu's last ask, i did give you a revelation - it's actually on albedo. yeah.. he had it on him the entire time lol)

so uh yeah. anyway. i probably missed a lot of things. but keep sending stuff so i can. rehash it out and geek out about all the hidden lore of this massive au? please lol

#rin answers #rin is having tea with: miyo 🧡

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miyukihoshizora · 1 year

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Okay, man, I need to talk about this ending because it has been revolving in my head for like the last 24 hours. Spoilers under the cut, for Pokémon Scarlet/Violet with a few parallels with FFXIV Shadowbringers.

(Reposting from my RP blog because this probably should have been on my main to begin with.)

The whole idea of a "quest for paradise" being the Professor’s motivation makes me wonder a lot about what we know and what we learn in the postgame. Mainly though, I want to say: This reminds me a lot of the story of FFXIV Shadowbringers.

A quest for paradise is the ultimate thing to give to your antagonist, because endless peace and a total absence of conflict means stagnation. Lack of growth. Death of the soul and of adventure. It is the perfect foil to the protagonists in a story about making the most out of your life because your time is limited. (A theme the game already very much addresses, with various degrees of success, through characters such as Ryme, Grusha, Penny, Pepper, Nemona, and even Larry.)

So, the game was great with that, and we haven’t had this level of nuance in storytelling since SuMo (before USUM took a sledgehammer to everything that made the Lusamine plot interesting and SwSh literally pussied out of addressing literally any of its themes; thank you TPCi) so I am absolutely delighted.

Now, for the speculative stuff: I am a hundred percent convinced the machine was actually the Disk-like Pokémon from the Book. Or at the very least, that it was drawing power from it.

Beyond the Professor / Emet-Selch comparison, I did not just randomly bring up Shadowbringers just now: The world of FFXIV has a thing called “Primal Summoning” that makes it so literally any God or made-up mythical figure can become real as long as there are people who believe in it. And these summonings can yield different results in accordance to what the summoner is thinking about.

You see where I’m going with that, right.

Between Scarlet and Violet, the mere difference of the Professor’s interests could very well have been the only factor in determining which era the machine connected to. So, knowing these things, this had me thinking, what if this Angelic Pokémon was based on this exact idea? What if it was actually creating exactly what its master wants, from their own imagination, instead of pulling it from the far future or the distant past?

Hell, Slither Wing and Iron Moth could be two different interpretations of the very same creature for all we know.

It seems a bit too convenient that Cyclizard was the author’s signature Pokémon, and for its Paradox versions to be the first thing the professors pulled out of their respective machines. Because they were so obsessed with these books and its author themselves.

It would also explain why, coincidentally, every Pokémon they managed to call from another era fit one what the author of the Book had already seen. And that would also explain why, in Scarlet, the Paradox Pokémon from Violet are just considered ridiculous urban legends and vice-versa.

I do not believe the Sword of Justice “chimera” we see in the book is here by coincidence either. This is explicitly a Pokémon that doesn’t exist that someone made up in their mind. So if it shows up in the future, this will definitely add water to this mill.

I think that would make this Angel Pokémon the missing link between Arceus, Mew and the Creation Trio, perhaps. Or maybe even the very egg Arceus came from. Who can tell. There’s also the whole connection to the Ultimate Weapon I have not given any thoughts to, but that’s still on my mind.

I don't expect the DLC to confirm or deny anything. (And it would be pretty depressing if they outright confirmed the AI just got eaten by that Pokémon). This will all stay speculative at best, the way we are still left theorycrafting regarding stuff like the RKS project, Macro Cosmos’s ties to the royalists and what Volo’s deal was.

EDIT: Well I've been told by Mako this is apparently a popular theory already, so, thank you Final Fantasy LMAO

#pokémon #pokemon scvi spoilers #text;

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hyakarin · 2 years

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@byakuwan here, being totally self-indulgent with an oc i got convinced to (re)make. yes, i know how this sounds, but i main write/rp current!byakuran and i know what i’m doing.

Formerly "Ghost" - the version of Byakuran that was attempted to be pulled out of another world. It didn't work, the Sky Mare Ring doesn't work anymore post-canon, but he has time and lots of memories of whatever he learned through those parallel worlds. One of his newest goals: make the Lightning Mare Ring holder into a Real Person.

Why? He had the ring and had no idea what to do with it, maybe was thinking about the past when this was on his failed-clone. Uni noticed and asked if he considered 'finding someone new', was shot down, then the conversation shifted to the way he 'brought' Ghost over. The topic of family came up somehow and at some point, Uni said... something that gave Byakuran the idea to try again. “Maybe there's still a 'me' in there, Uni-chan.”

Logistics took a bit, but... the Sky Pacifier had revived everyone who had died and the Sky Mare Ring had brought other physical people over, so... I think they could think up something. It was Uni's suggestion to give himself a sister rather than an identical twin, otherwise everyone would end up very confused.

To those characters who don't know who Byakuran was, Rin is just his "little sister".

More stuff under the readmore!

... I have yet to decide on a hairstyle. Scroll down for canon Ghost ref image.

How? Byakuran... assumably has XY genes, but the gene in the Y that actually produces the male features gets moved to the X chromosome - a type of Swyer syndrome. He and Uni both went to Verde or someone to help make a clone with his genes, but after shifting that gene over. Science is fascinating!

Swyer syndrome can be treated with HRT, so that's what Rin does.

Personality -

Working on it lmao. Basically thinking she is a little more like future!Byakuran was, rather than the current Byakuran is? Can't define it right now. 50% of that Intimidating Energy/Vibe.

Abilities -

- Carrying over the flame absorption thing from canon: she can sap someone else's flames directly as they're using them and convert it to lightning flames. This is a painful process that would leave burns (or electric scars) if she does this too harshly or quickly. It's a very dangerous ability so she hasn't used it properly yet, and Byakuran completely forbids her from doing this.

- A little flight too? Maybe her wings only come out when she needs them and she can't use them to float/fly for very long. (Awesome combined with the weapon.)

- AN ELECTRIC GUITAR. (?) She uses it like Haruko from FLCL maybe.

- Lightning Mare Ring. Not that it really does anything after canon.

Voice - Antenna Girl (singer) - see: Aiobahn - Midnight on Summer

百花梨 Hyakkarin is a (kira) name she chose/made herself when she was in the five-year-old phase and she never changed her mind. Both words intentional in that kanji combo (hyakka and karin.)

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lightns881 · 4 years

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DTeam Tumblr Demographics Survey Results (Part 2):

What does DTeamblr look like, what does it have to do with MCYT history, and why does it look like a rainbow?

I’ll make an educated guess here and say y'all enjoyed my last post (totally unrelated to the way I gained almost 50 followers overnight). Anyhow, thank you so much for the overwhelming support! I’m so glad a lot of you felt you could relate to my deep-dive into the leading personality type on DTeam Tumblr. It took me so many hours to write and research, and as a math major and honors student, it’s no easy feat, so I’m so grateful for the attention it got!

Today we’re discussing the general demographics of DTeam Tumblr and why they might look the way they do. Number 8 will blow your mind! So make sure to keep reading and hit that little grey heart and arrow at the bottom if you like it, so more people get to see it! Thanks for your support! Now, let’s jump straight into the post!

Your Daily Dose of Data

From the 449 responses we received, these are some pie charts displaying the gender, age, and sexuality of all respondents.

Image Description: Female (52.8%), Non-Binary (37.4%), Male (9.8%)

Image Description: 16-17 (37%), 13-15 (31.4%), 18 and over (29.4%), 12 and under (2.2%)

Image Description: Bisexual/Pansexual (54.1%), Homosexual (16%), Asexual (14.7%), Other (7.8%), Heterosexual (7.3%)

Mmhm, delicious! Y'all ready to dig into these stats? Because I don’t know about you, but they certainly don’t strike me as what the general population looks like!

Welcome to Tumblr, the Only Community Where Straight Men are the Minority

So these statistics certainly didn’t take me by surprise. Mostly because the DNF Shipper Survey I took some time ago revealed a similar trend. Not to mention, Tumblr is probably the QUEEREST internet community on the planet.

Funny enough, the survey revealed a shocking number of ZERO heterosexual males respondents. I’ll say it louder for the people in the back. ZERO straight males were recorded out of 449 respondents for this survey!

Now, this isn’t surprising for the Tumblr community by itself, but I can say I’m somewhat surprised in terms of the MCYT Tumblr community. (Obviously, the survey specified DTeam Tumblr, but there is a big overlap between both communities, so I will be using them interchengably when it seems relevant.)

Let’s break this down. The survey reveals the largest age population is 16-17, though it’s not by a great margin in comparison to 13-15 and 18 and older, which doesn’t surprise me either. Some of the major critics of the DTeam Fandom and other MCYT Fandoms love to claim the fanbase’s majority age range lies with children and pre-teens. While it’s an undeniable fact children are drawn to Minecraft, it’s also a misconception to paint it as solely a community for younger viewers.

In the MCYT Tumblr and DTeam Tumblr communities, specifically, we see this is not the case. Only 1/3 of the respondents of this survey are under the age of 16 (you could attribute part of it to the fact younger people might be less inclined to participate in this survey, but it is still a notable difference). I can’t say these age ranges are similar in other parts of the community like DTeam Twitter, Tik Tok, or Reddit, but if I had to make a guess, I’d say Tumblr lies toward the older of the bunch, with Reddit being the oldest and Tik Tok being the youngest (I do hope to perform this survey on some of the other communities, so please stay until the end if you want to help with that).

One of the likely explanations to why the ages for DTeam Tumblr look this way is the fact a big chunk of the community has likely been watching MCYT for a long time (even with breaks in between). I, myself, used to watch channels like PopularMMOs, Aphmau, and PrestonPlayz as a kid, and I presume many of you are familiar with them as well. With the resurgence of MCYT in the past year, it likely drew a lot of the older viewers in addition to the new ones.

But enough about age. What I really want to highlight on this post is the attraction of queer individuals to DTeam Tumblr and MCYT as a whole.

Why is the current MCYT Fandom so queer in comparison to the previous generations?

This is a huge open-ended question and considering I can only capture so much of the DTeam and MCYT community, the rest of this post should be taken solely as a theoretical analysis as opposed to fact.

With that out of the way, let’s start by discussing the shift MCYT has undergone over the years (I promise this will circle back to the question of queerness in the MCYT fandom, but we need some background before we can come up with a decent theory).

When Minecraft was first released, it proved to be a monumental change in the gaming industry. This simple little indie game took the world by storm. It was so vastly different from what the general population generally viewed gaming as (first-person shooters, story-driven games, action games, etc.) Not to mention, it didn’t exactly solely appeal to only a small margin of gamers, those being white cis males.

The gaming industry has notoriously been known in the past for its heteronormative community and general prejudice toward minorities. Though it has gone through a significant change over the decades, we certainly can’t say it’s fully gone.

Yet for whatever reason, the recent MCYT has taken the interest of so many queer people in comparison to other gaming YouTube communities. Why? Why are queer people so drawn to this community? And, more precisely, why does it feel so different than the old MCYT? Lastly, how does this relate to the conclusion about the leading personalities of this fandom we made in the last post?

The Niche Communities of MCYT Over the Years

MCYT has always been a huge, over-saturated genre of YouTube with content appealing to a variety of audiences. It’s dominated gaming content for years, and I think we can all safely say it’s never been bigger than it is today.

So why is it that just now it feels like the queerness of the fandom is popping off? Why now as opposed to say five years ago when MCYT was at another one of it’s strongest stages?

It seems like the community has made a tremendous shift in relation to breaking gender norms and LGBTQ+ subjects, not only in the fans but within the creators themselves. Was flirting and calling a pretty-boy streamer pet names as normal in the past as it is today? Were straight gamer guys putting on dresses and a full-face of make-up as supported back then? Were “marriages” and “pregnancies” within Minecraft boys an everyday occurrence like they are now? How is it that MCYT has dominated a Twitch dating show where flirting with the gay host and among straight contestants themselves is just another bit of entertainment? Where is this all coming from?

Recently, I watched a 2 hour documentary depicting all of the stages of Minecraft YouTube and how it has changed over the years. If you haven’t seen it and you have some time to spare, I HIGHLY recommend it! It’s very informative, and it honestly gave me such a strong sense of nostalgia that makes me choke up every time I think about it. I’ll link it below.

The documentary does a great job at exploring the different niche communities that dominated MCYT since it first took off. Some of such communities include the basic Let’s Players, the team-based Let’s Play channels like How2Minecraft, the roleplay story-centric ones like Aphmau and Samgladiator, the tutorial, building and technical side like Mumbo and Grian, the PVP-centric Bedwars or Hypixel channels, the Machinima community, the comedy side like ExplosiveTNT, the parody music videos, and so many more. All of the mentioned communities have dominated Minecraft at one point or another, many of them still having a rippling effect and/or a loyal community today. All of these communities have certain aspects that define them, some of which parallel the current overtaking content in the present.

How can we compare MyStreet to the Dream SMP?

Taking Aphmau as an example, her MyStreet series had a TREMENDOUS success a few years ago, racking in millions of views and bringing in a lot of money that eventually allowed her to hire voice actors and increase the production of mentioned episodes. The roleplay series was so successful it ran for six seasons!

Now, let’s compare that to the Dream SMP. It seems like a big comparison to be making considering they appear so different at first glance. For once, Aphmau is just one channel whose audience caters toward girls and younger people who enjoy romance. The series is set-up in an episodic-format that resembles more of a TV series than actual Minecraft videos.

Meanwhile, the Dream SMP is a collection of content creators with a mix of improvised storylines and the occasional regular video that resembles more of a Let’s Play series than a RP series.

You could say the only true comparisons to draw out of these two are the popularity they had/have and the profit they brought to their respective creators.

However, there’s two other key similarities that you’ll find not only within these two specific examples, but many other channels and communities as well. Story and characters.

MyStreet’s story aspect is fairly obvious seeing as it’s a episodic series that focuses on a fictional story. The Dream SMP’s story aspect isn’t as clear, but it’s evident there is a story playing out in the foreground and background, whether intentional or unintentional, or improvised or not.

Character is where some of you might start to question me. It’s obvious MyStreet has characters. I mean, it is a fictional story, after all. But the Dream SMP? Light, they’re obviously people!

Well, my answer to that is yes and no--sort of. The Dream SMP’s story heavily relies on roleplay, bits as you might call them. Events that aren’t necessarily planned out as a fictional plot like the typical MyStreet episode is, but they aren’t exactly real. Schlatt is obviously not a villain in real life, he just likes to impersonate as one for the narrative. Wilbur isn’t crazy, but it’s a way to spice up the heroic story surrounding Tommy and him.

It’s video-game improv. Except the actors behind the content just so happen to be real people playing off the personalities and “brands” they have obtained.

Brands. It all boils down to this. In the entertainment business, without a clear vision of your project and a clear way to brand what your consumer intakes, your project will likely not find a lot of success.

There’s a reason why Tommy plays off his loudness, using an overexaggerated laugh that although may not be completely fake, it is likely not the laugh he uses everyday. Or why BadBoyHalo is this supposed innocent muffin who doesn’t understand the crafting table meme and other references that are fairly easy to google and find the meaning of. Or why Sapnap is this chaotic being who loves starting pet wars and we love to paint as an arsonist in the Dream SMP. While all of these personality traits may be a part of their true selves, they’re played up for the camera--for the story. They act as the personas that define their characters in the narrative.

They have a clear brand and vision that appeals to the audience and makes them tune in on the daily to see how they all come together. It’s like roleplaying a more extreme version of yourself, one that brings home the money.

Story and characters run across every entertainment outlet. They define their brand. Aphmau has her characters and series. Hermitcraft has a set of memorable personalities and episodic videos that formulate its own story that is less like a narrative and more of a history of the server. ExplodingTNT has his recurring cast and comedic sketches. Most of these niche communities have a form of story and character defining them. It’s how they achieve a clear sense of branding and cater to a specific audience.

Queer Theory in MCYT

Having said all that, why does the MCYT of today draw in so many queer viewers?

Let’s think about this. In my last post, I ended by mentioning DTeam Tumblr is a sort of safe haven for INFP and INxx types who might be placed in the “other” category by society. INFPs, specially, are predisposed for escapism--one common form of it being fiction and entertainment. Not to mention, INFPs are feeling types who, as introverts, seek a personable connection. It’s why it’s so easy for them to obsess over book characters or fall in love with content creators.

Now, let’s imagine a whole community of LGBTQ+ INFP and INxx types. Actually, scratch that, we don’t even have to imagine it.

It’s what our community looks like today.

And why are so many so drawn to the DTeam and Dream SMP of all things? It’s a personable storyline that essentially forms a direct tie to the viewer. Unlike pre-recorded fictional TV series you tune into on your device, the Dream SMP is a whole load of chaos that blurs the lines between reality and fiction where fans can directly connect to creators and get to know them as people through a storyline that features sub-textual queer themes and non-conforming behaviors.

The MCYT content creator community of today is more non-conforming than ever before, and knowing this whole fact, knowing that many of them might place themselves in the “other” category or at the very least aren’t afraid to break the norms and be seen in that light, is a comfort in itself for LGBTQ+ INFP types. Once again, it’s a safe space that helps you escape from the troubles of real life, one you relate to.

Okay. So although this does answer why the fans look like they do, what about the creators themselves? Are we really supposed to believe this all came through naturally? That a bunch of straight guys suddenly decided wearing dresses was something they wanted to do?

I don’t mean to sound cynical here, and I’m in no way trying to insinuate creators have solely some sort of corrupt ulterior motive. Things are never as simple as they look. However, the truth is, a part of it lies on the attention it’s gotten.

I’ve talked a lot about DreamNotFound and the way Dream uses it as a marketing ploy. I stand by my point. However, he’s not the only one who does this in the MCYT community. Why did Finn suddenly go from wearing a dress to cross-dressing as a girl for a whole week? Why are so many creators suddenly deciding wearing dresses is fun? Why does every freaking straight MCYT actively want to flirt with George nowadays?

Let’s just let Techno’s favorite word answer this for us: clout.

It gets attention from one of the largest historically underserved minority community in the entertainment business. We might not be able to see gay flirting in every Netflix TV show or guys not minding dresses and getting fake marriages, but you are certainly going to get at least one of those in every Dream SMP stream and video you tune into. It gets attention. It brings home the money. And do I blame them? Not really.

Interestingly enough, there’s a lot of analytical posts on the MCYT Tumblr community that discuss the dangers of these tactics and why gay jokes and the way queer subtext is treated by MCYT creators is harmful. Despite this, it still attracts such a huge community of queers. So why exactly would queer people actively watch something that’s offensive or harmful to us?

I have a lot more to say about this topic and the morality behind Dream’s tactics, but I’m out of breath for today, so I’ll talk about it in my next post. What better way to start the conversation about the DNF and Karlnap questions of the survey than a good ol’ discussion on the morality of queerbaiting and the likes?

If you got this far, I’d appreciate it if you liked and reblogged this post if you enjoyed it and/or learned something new! Also, important news, I would really like to perform a similar study on the DTeam Twitter Community to measure the differences in demographics across platforms. I would REALLY appreciate it if you guys could go like, retweet and share the link I posted on my Twitter about it (tweet will be linked in the reblog below) so it reaches more of the DTeam Twitter community!

However, if you filled out the survey yourself here or you associate more with DTeam Tumblr than DTeam Twitter please DO NOT fill out the survey again! I’m trying to make sure it reaches the audience that mains on Twitter, but I need a little help with that since I don’t have as big of an influence on Twitter than on here for obvious reasons.

Anyhow, thank you so much for all your support! I really appreciate y’all and make sure to hit the follow if you want to lookout for the next demographics post! <3

(Pssst, I’m releasing a MCYT DNF superpower AU longfic next month... You should totally go check out the post on that if you’re interested in it...)

#dteam #dteamblr #dream smp #dttblr #mcyt #dreamwastaken #dnf #mcyttblr #georgenotfound #dreamnotfound #dttwt #dream team #dteamblr demographics survey

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kittyknowsthings · 4 years

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A Nice and Accurate Timeline of the Apocalypse (and its Aftermath)

As shown on the Good Omens TV show

Happy birthday to me, a gift for myself and the entire Good Omens fandom.

MONDAY

Hastur and Ligur check on the Hellhound

Warlock and his mother argue about his birthday party while Aziraphale and Crowley watch.

Crowley suggests Aziraphale could kill Warlock. Aziraphale suggests they go to the birthday party instead.

WEDNESDAY

Warlock's (and Adam's) 11th birthday

3 pm - Hastur and Ligur let out the Hellhound

Sufficient time later for a thorough cake fight:

Aziraphale and Crowley have to admit they've got the wrong boy since the Hellhound, who should be there by now, is not showing up.

(The Hellhound had to get to Tadfield instead of London, it's a bit of a trip, I suppose, since it must be some time later when:) The Hellhound arrives in Hogback Wood between 3pm and 5:00pm, assuming Agnes Nutter and Deirdre Young define teatime the same, but with definitely enough time for

Crowley (back in his usual outfit) and Aziraphale (who had time to get changed and wash the cake off) to have decided to have a drink over their failure at Aziraphale's bookshop (where they have returned, presumably by car, though to be fair, the Ambassador's residence to Soho, which is about 3 miles, at Crowley's typical speed is a matter of a couple of minutes, really) when Crowley announces the Hellhound has been named

Newton is fired, meets Shadwell, is told to show up at his place at 11 o'clock the day after

Anathema is implied to arrive in the UK either Wednesday or Thursday, but a bit difficult to nail down - did they show it chronologically, in which case Anathema arrived before Newton meets Shadwell, or did they alternate the scenes to juxtapose Anathema and Newton more clearly, but Anathema's outfit, make-up and hairstyle are still the same when we see her move into the cottage on Thursday

THURSDAY

Gabriel and Sandalphon show up on Aziraphale's shop to corner him

(The scriptbook implies Crowley stayed at the shop through the night and is only now sneaking out, nearly caught by the Archangels, but it wasn't shown, so follow your bliss.)

Hastur and Ligur check in with Crowley and say their "operatives in the State Department" have arranged for the boy to be flown to the Middle East

The Postman delivers the Sword

Anathema moves into Jasmine Cottage in Tadfield and gets to work

Crowley threatens his plants

Aziraphale is on the phone with someone who wants to buy the Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter

Newton comes to Shadwell's and is initiated so we can assume it is now 11 o'clock

Aziraphale calls Crowley with the idea to check the convent, they take the Bentley together

(If we're assuming 90 mph is Crowley's standard speed, and Tadfield is in about the middle of Oxfordshire, we can assume it took them about 40 minutes. So, either they left later, or Crowley actually bothered to slow down on occassion.)

Anathema meets the Them while scrying for the Antichrist

Aziraphale and Crowley meet Mary Hodges, interrogate her, and ignore the police blockade to leave the former convent at sunset

Shortly after, Anathema is scrying by yet a third method (poor girl)

Anathema's bike and Crowley's Bentley collide, they give her a ride

by the time they arrive at Jasmine cottage, it is fully dark

Anathema has a video chat with her mom

Aziraphale and crowley discuss the possibility of asking a human for help with locating the antichrist over cake

Adam is starting to be reached out to when asleep by infernal forces

Back in front of the bookshop, Aziraphale finds the book and blows off Crowley to read it

FRIDAY Crowley calls Aziraphale to check in

If we are assuming Aziraphale's office clock is correct, it is about 6:45 am when he calls the Young's home phone, the Young parents are having breakfast, and Adam is training Dog

Aziraphale attempts to script an explanation to Gabriel

Anathema invites Adam in

Crowley meets with Shadwell

Aziraphale meets with the Archangels and realizes they have no intention of averting the war, Michael states "The other side are currently transporting [Warlock] to the plains of Megiddo"

Aziraphale claims, to the Archangels, not to be sure about the Antichrist's location even though we saw his notes on the matter include his address

Aziraphale calls in Shadwell, who ignores Newton's quite accurate recognition of the oddness of Oxfordshire's weather

The scales are delivered to Famine

At about 7pm, Crowley calls Aziraphale and suggests the meeting at the Bandstand in "15 minutes"

(When they are actually meeting, it's sunset, but given filming schedules and stuff, I will leave it to you if you decide Aziraphale is really late or the sunset is just early)

During the night, Adam starts actively affecting reality

SATURDAY

Aziraphale intercepts Gabriel jogging at Battersea Park

Michael presents pictures and gets Gabriel's tacit permission to check in downstairs about Aziraphale and Crowley and calls Ligur

Crowley goes over possible escape locations

Lesley delivers the crown to Pollution (the sun is still rising) and the message that it's time to Death

Newton gets sworn in by Shadwell and sent off to Tadfield, he has the accident Ligur talks to Hastur who is supposed to be leaving for Megiddo about his suspicions of Crowley, they decide to find proof

Hastur gets to Megiddo

Anathema is well-prepared for Newton's arrival

5 hours and 48 minutes to the end of the World

Newton wakes up

The Them separate for lunch, agreeing to meet up again after

Warlock is at Megiddo Hastur confronts Crowley, who was having a pity party at a cinema

Anathema catches Newt up, it's about 13:15, and "about 4 hours and 15 minutes" to the apocalypse

Crowley tries again to convince Aziraphale to come with him, fails

Sets up the holy water booby trap

Crowley melts Ligur

Aziraphale appears to have taken a short walk to clear his head, as he is on his way back to the bookshop when he is accosted by the Archangels and the horn is sounded

Adam is starting to really scare his friends

13:30

Anathema and Newton are about to leave, but are stopped by a storm

They start making out under the bed

When the pin in the map starts sizzling, Shadwell realizes he may have sent Newton into danger, and Tracey convinces him to go after him, but Shadwell refuses her money and instead resolves to ask Aziraphale for an Advance

Newton has scruples and asks if he shouldn't buy anathema dinner first, but she quickly dissuades him

Aziraphale contacts Heaven in a last-ditch attempt to ask Her for help, the Metatron quashes his last hopes of Heaven's assistance

Shadwell goes to Aziraphale's shop, sees the late end of the Metatron bit through the letter flap,

Aziraphale calls Crowley but Crowley hangs up on him to deal with Hastur.

Shadwell picks the lock

and Aziraphale, trying to keep Shadwell safe, accidentally steps into the circle, discorporating himself.

Shadwell slams the door on his hasty way out, shaking the ground hard enough to kick over one of the candles in the communication circle setting the shop on fire.

Parallel to this, Crowley finished dealing with Hastur and makes his way to Aziraphale

14:30

Crowley, on his way to Aziraphale's shop, tries to call Aziraphale,

the store is already very on fire

Crowley goes in and tries to find Aziraphale, rescues the book

Adam announces his "new" friends - the horsemen - will be together soon and are on their way

Shadwell arrives back home and is put to bed by Madam Tracey

Aziraphale argues with the Quartermaster and decides to go back to Earth without a body if he has to

4 pm -

Anathema is getting dressed again

Crowley has gotten really quite drunk, having downed an entire bottle of Talisker and asking the bartender for a second by this point

Aziraphale finds him at the bar

The Seance starts

The Horsemen meet up at the café

Aziraphale crashes the Séance and quickly wraps it up so he can get Tracey up to speed

1 hour and 43 minutes to the apocalypse

Crowley is stuck in the traffic jam due to the M25

Shadwell wakes up, Madame Tracey and Aziraphale make him tea

The M25 lights up with Crowley still inside

Lisa from the call center accidentally frees Hastur, who thanks her by eating her and her colleagues

Aziraphale recruits Shadwell, who packs the Thunder Gun

Hastur appears in the car, prompting him to brave the fire out of sheer spite

Adam chases away Dog and the Them, whose rejection makes him snap back to himself. They resolve to stop what Adam started, and to "meet back in 5 minutes"

Anathema and Newt figure out they have to go to the airbase

Aziraphale makes the scooter fly

The Horsemen arrive through the official entrance, pretending to be a surprise inspection

Anathema and Newt sneak in through a hole in the fence a fallen tree has made

Adam and the Them meet up again

31 minutes to the end of the world

RP Tyler delays the Them

The Horsemen take over the base, starting ... everything, basically

17 minutes to the Apocalypse

after asking RP Tyler for directions, Crowley hurries

The Scooter reaches the airbase

Aziraphale argues with the airbase

Crowley arrives making his heroic entrance

(of course Adam and his friends do the real work)

The Bentley explodes

Aziraphale sends off the guard off while Crowley is having a moment

Crowley takes care of the next load of soldiers

When the Sergeant chickens out, Aziraphale attempts to use the gun on Adam, but Tracey stops him

Pepper, Brian and Wensleydale take out War, Pollution and Famine

Newt breaks the system by trying to fix it

Adam confronts Death

Anathema and Newt walk on

Crowley returns the book

Aziraphale receives the prophecy

Gabriel and Beelzebub arrive

Aziraphale and Crowley rules-lawyer them into cancelling the war

Satan shows up

Aziraphale threatens Crowley to never talk to him again, so Crowley stops time, giving Adam enough time to think

Adam rejects Satan, declaring that that is not his father, so Arthur Young appears

After Nightfall, Aziraphale and Crowley wait for the bus, sharing a bottle of wine

Lesley picks up the horsemen's items

Aziraphale and Crowley take each other's hand as they sit down in the bus

SUNDAY

Crowley, already in Aziraphale's body, investigates the restored bookshop

Aziraphale, in Crowley's appearance, is happy to find the Bentley restored

Anathema and Newton wake up together

Crowley and Aziraphale meet at the park and are abducted for each other's trials.

Madame Tracey and Sergeant Shadwell agree to retire together

Agnes has the next book delivered

Anathema decides to burn it

The Them check in on Adam, who is sure he'll be grounded for "years and years", but his parents will have forgotten by tomorrow - his powers to affect reality do not seem entirely gone.

Summer is ending.

Crowley and Aziraphale are sitting on a park bank, they swap back and agree to go to Lunch

They dine at the Ritz to romantic music and toast To the World.

#Good Omens #Kittywritesthings #technically #long post

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leavetwn · 3 years

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* KAYLEE BRYANT, CISWOMAN + SHE/HER | you know SUZIE TANAKA, right? they’re TWENTY-ONE, and they’ve lived in irving for, like, EIGHTEEN YEARS? well, their spotify wrapped says they listened to VALENTINE BY HOPE TALA like, a million times this year, which makes sense ‘cause they’ve got that whole ROLLERSKATES SCUFFED FROM YEARS OF USE, STARTING A JOURNAL ENTRY TWO YEARS SINCE THE LAST ONE, A SIGH OF RELIEF ONCE YOU'RE FINALLY ALONE thing going on. i just checked and their birthday is NOVEMBER 28TH, so they’re a SAGGITARIUS, which is unsurprising, all things considered. ( claire, 22, est, she/her )

it’s me again ! bringing a character who i’ve played for a while now, just switched up & such for every rp, and now , i’m bringin her here. :^) i hope you enjoy her as much as i do! tw: mentions of mental illness (anxiety)

𝐈. ━━ ˟ ⊰ ✰ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 .

full name: suzie tanaka. nickname(s): su, anything your muse wants to call her tbh. age: twenty-one. date of birth: november 28th. zodiac sign: saggitarius. gender/pronouns: ciswoman, she/her. sexual orientation: bisexual. romantic orientation: biromantic. hometown: san francisco, californio. current residence: irving, north carolina. occupation: part time waitress at cutie pie’s thanks to her skills on skates. full time student at the local college in her junior year as a creative writing major. she minors in film pro eye color: brown. hair color/style: dark brown, upper-mid back length & she usually just wears it in a simple ponytail. it’s more manageable when she’s out. however, when she’s at home, she’ll leave it down. height : 5′3″. clothing style: you can’t really put suzie’s style into one category. it’s inspired by several different eras & many times she pieces it together. some might call it a bit tacky at times, but she thinks it looks cute. to her, that’s all that matters. tattoos: none. probably could never attempt to get one cause she’s seriously afraid of needles lol. piercings: her ears and that’s when she was fairly young. reference the tattoos portion for reasoning.

𝐈. ━━ ˟ ⊰ ✰ 𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 .

when you were around six years old , you first realized that you were lonely. it wasn’t like you weren’t around other people. it was just that those people were mostly your mom and dad. occasionally your cousins would come over sometimes, but they were all older than you by at least four years. your parents were kind of eccentric, and for that, they experienced how harsh other kids could be very early on. they decided they didn’t want you to experience the same things, so since both were felt they were prepared enough to do so, they homeschooled you to keep you sheltered from those types of things.

you’re sure they had good intentions. that’s not something you questioned, but you wished they’d at least find another kid you could be friends with or have another kid. you found yourself bored by yourself, so you immersed yourself in things like books or whatever movies they had around the house. this is where your love of fairytales began, and you’d fantasize about living in one while you read or watched the stories unfold.

you lived in your head, and you still pretty much do. you’re an idealist, even though you haven’t seen much of the world. perhaps it’s the fact that you haven’t ventured very far from your home that makes you so, and while life could still be boring, you always had another book or movie to keep you company. you grew content being on your own, and the more that you were, the more you began to enjoy your own company.

that didn’t change the fact that you longed for friends. in all the stories you read or watched, the protagonist had one other person along with them for much of their journey. sure, you had people that you were friendly with, but it was never to the extent that you wanted. it was never a best friend or a close group — just someone you saw on few occasions. it also didn’t help how you felt when you were around others. the way you monitored every step you took, the way you crossed your legs, or going over the way you would speak to someone in your head over and over. you figured for the longest time it was because you were shy, but a diagnosis of anxiety gave you a lot more clarity and almost a sense of relief. those things started to make more sense.

being alone helped a lot when it came to academics. you spent a lot of your time studying or looking up random ass facts on the internet, and because of this, you’d call yourself fairly smart. you know your shit. it also helped a lot when getting into colleges. you didn’t aim too high though, not yet comfortable being all the way on your own. so, you chose the nearby university to attend.

you move out. you’re excited, and your parents are nervous but prepared. they’re not oblivious to the fact that this day would come. you’re ready to go out and face the world, but most of all, you’re ready to make friends. you’re ready to go out and experience the world, every small step at a time. you’re convinced at college you’ll become a brand new person, find yourself, and make plenty of friends.

it doesn’t go like that at first. of course it doesn’t. it’s a new environment, and it takes getting used to. but soon, people loosen up and warm up to you. you’re quick to make a couple of friends. it isn’t at all like the stories you’d read or watched when you were younger. it is happy and fun and joyous, but you realize that friendships take work. it’s a bit exhausting, as someone who had become such an introvert, but you manage and form close bonds.

as of now, you are working on your degree and managing life one step at a time. you’re doing pretty well, and things are looking up. you keep your head in the clouds still to this day, imagining what the future will be like. you’re still idealistic and optimistic, not that that’s a bad thing.

𝐈. ━━ ˟ ⊰ ✰ 𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐨𝐮𝐬 .

i was being exaggerative with the ‘being at home’ stuff rip. i mean, she did spend a lot of time at home, but she wasn’t always there. her dad would take her out to rockin’ and rollin’, and i mean, she fuckin rocks when it comes to skating. it was kind of freeing to her as a child. she def got a pair of rollerblades as a christmas present, and she probably was the kid skating down her neighborhood road and shit from sunrise until her mom told her to take her ass inside.

maybe seems like she’s ditzy and she’s probably somewhat naive, but she’s definitely not stupid. she’s also a fast learner. she is, however, too nice for her own good. she’ll learn eventually, but she’s hopeful and an optimist at heart 💔

loves her dad but tells her mom everything. she doesn’t recognize it, but her mom was probably her first best friend lmaoo. they have a really good relationship. she has a good relationship with her dad too. he’s a bit more closed off than her mom, and she recognizes that but understands.

has an irrational fear that everyone’s like,,, staring at her & thinking she’s weird. really wants everyone to like her but she’s not sure how to make that happen (news flash, it won’t)

her fam is actually from san francisco but when she was 3, her dad got a better offer in irving so that’s how they ended up here. she knows this & she wonders what life woulda been like if she stayed back in san fran. probably wouldn’t have changed but she literally lives in her head and imagines shit like that’s her job at this point so yehhh

dreams of being a screenwriter and maybe even a director one day. she saw how film and books influenced her life as a kid & she wants to have the same impact, yk? v cute to me i love that. maybe she’ll write a book one day too who knows

i’m feelin like she has a ton of online friends cause she was seeking connection /w people so it makes sense. shout out to all her online pals who kept her sane & shit, but it wasn’t enough for her cause she really wanted those kinds of things irl.

is a hopeless romantic rip to her. just wants someone to sweep her up off her feet and give her butterflies but this aint no damn fairytale so let’s make it chaotic

character parallels: lily (dash & lily, 2020) , amélie poulain (amélie, 2001) , belle in some ways lmao (beauty and the beast, 1991) more to be added.

𝐈. ━━ ˟ ⊰ ✰ 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 .

* friends, best friends, etc. — literally any friends at all. this is the connection she craves the most tbh. platonic over romantic periodt ! she just wants people to braid her hair and have deep, personal convos with about literally anything while legally blonde is on the television.

* a bad influence — i mean, she stayed inside mostly & is kind of an introvert. didn’t have tons of friends either, so she didn’t really have time to go to parties, etc. BE A BAD INFLUENCE SHE NEEDS TO LET LOOSE LMAOO. it’ll prolly take a lot to get her out but hey

* good influence — someone she’s a good influence on & who she helps in some way. i could see it happenin’. if you see it happening, i mean... hmu you know where i am mwah 💖

* crush — someone she’s head over heels with. i mean, it probably wouldn’t take a lot. in my head she be catching feelings way too fast. it’s just a thing, but yeah, it could go either way. maybe your character is into her too or she’ll end up getting her heart broken which is lmao bound to happen one day. could also be someone who’s crushing on her but she’s way to busy focusing all her romantic attention on someone else to notice? idk i’m just here for all the plots.

* annoyance — someone who finds her ass annoying/does not like her. she wants everyone to like her so it would be so confusing and upsetting and she would be like wtf did i do but i want it cause i love angst. sorry to all my muses out there luv yall but i’m just bein real

* again, anything at all — if you have an idea that you love, pls don’t hesitate to hmu and lemme know. i promise i will 99.9% of the time be down. the same goes for any wanted connection doodads that i reblog like if u see it and ur like omg i luv that... PLEASE hmu i luv u all already & just wanna have plots and write with you srsly

#irvingintro #well there u have it my last one done i am so THANKFUL AND HAPPY #takes a bow #the way it's almost 4 am see i did not lie i am up forever

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theharellan · 4 years

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THE POSITIVE & NEGATIVE; Mun & Muse - Meme.

fill out & repost ♥ This meme definitely favors canons more, but I hope OC’s still can make it somehow work with their own lore, and lil’ fandom of friends & mutuals. Multi-Muses pick the muse you are the most invested in atm. tagged by: stolen from @dansiere tagging: @ghiassan, @deathsreflection, @altuspavus, @windrunnerrs (velanna), @hopewrought, @willbeshot, @seahaloed (iron bull), @asterfed (noctis), @ anyone who wants to steal it! also multis feel free to choose a different character

My muse is: canon / oc / au / canon-divergent / fandomless / complicated (i’m open to roleplaying with non-dragon age characters, and have AUs for other fandoms)

Is your character popular in the fandom? YES / NO. solas is both wildly popular and wildly hated. he’s been more consistently popular than the controversial women in the series, like sera or vivienne, who have only recently begun to get to the point where their tags are less vitriolic (although i’m sure it’s still out there), but there’s still a sizable hatedom that can’t have his name breathed in their vicinity w/o them talking abt how much they hate him. even if you’re currently cosplaying him!

Is your character considered hot™ in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK. again, you have ppl who are super into him and ppl who think he’s ugly. my personal opinion is that i think he’s weirdly pretty, and wish ppl would commit more to his unconventional features rather than try to chisel him into sb more traditionally attractive and that ppl who don’t find him attractive would maybe chill w/ calling him ugly. find him unattractive by all means, but lets embrace the fact that inquisition let their love interests have skin flaws etc and accept that some won’t be our cups of tea.

Is your character considered strong in the fandom? YES / NO / IDK. its hard to deny at this point tbh.

Are they underrated? YES / NO / IDK. frustrating as the hate in the tags he has enough fans that i couldnt say he’s underrated w/ a straight face.

Were they relevant for the main story? YES / NO. he’s the reason the game starts with a bang and not the inevitable dissolution of the conclave b/c the sides are disparate.

Were they relevant for the main character? YES / NO / THEY’RE THE PROTAG. regardless of solas’ relationship with the inquisitor, there are parallels and contrasts in their stories and he also is the reason they survive inquisition.

Are they widely known in their world? YES / NO. fen’harel is well-known and revered, if feared, among the dalish, yet at the same time he’s not remembered for a lot besides locking the gods away-- and the context of that decision has also been lost. as solas he’s relatively unknown until inquisition and especially trespasser.

How’s their reputation? GOOD / BAD / NEUTRAL. again, polarising!! he has loyal agents and people are willing to speak well of him despite everything, including his enemies sometimes (depending mostly on the inquisitor).

How strictly do you follow canon? — generally i try to have a canon basis for my interpretation, even if i interpret the text differently than the author.

SELL YOUR MUSE! Aka try to list everything, which makes your muse interesting in your opinion to make them spicy for your mutuals. — solas is an immortal who is simultaneously jaded and very much invested in the small moments of life. far from being weary of the day-to-day lives of ordinary people, it is systems and orders he is most tired of. he walks an interesting line that feels far less misanthropic than other immortal characters i’ve experienced, yet still he’s quite cynical. as a character who has fought against religious based tyranny before, but in a completely different era, he is in a unique position where what he sees around him is both horrifyingly familiar and yet completely new. it allows an exploration of the wrongs of thedas’ society from an outsider’s perspective. his motivations are complex and multifaceted, often condemnable and yet also understandable. his character arc in inquisition (if befriended, or regardless in the case of my solas) takes him from a dispassionate, disconnected antagonist to someone deeply invested in the people of thedas, deeply conflicted and actively hoping he will be proven wrong again. i think his story is a testament to human (or elven, or dwarven, or-) connection and how even when we resist we can’t resist creating bonds with the people in our lives. i personally see this bond going beyond the inquisitor hence why i play low-approval solas as conflicted as high-approval, if not when it comes to the inquisitor.

Now the OPPOSITE, list everything why your muse could not be so interesting (even if you may not agree, what does the fandom perhaps think?). — solas is selfish and motivated solely by revenge, he’s clinging to a past that clearly no longer exists, if you ignore all the people from it who are still alive. he’s totally unaware of all his flaws and never owns up to any mistakes ever. no, i haven’t listened to a single word solas has said in my life why do you ask. he’s also critical of my faves which means he’s #cancelled, there is clearly no validity to what he’s saying. ksjdf no but in all seriousness i think a lot of reasons ppl don’t find solas interesting are just... weird readings of his character that sometimes have no basis in the text of inquisition, but also there are plenty of perfectly valid reasons to not find him interesting. usually those ppl don’t like... talk abt how much they don’t find him interesting constantly tho. they just chill and aren’t invested in this particular villain. for one thing i think the game missed out on opportunities for exploring how someone who may not have even had a body at the beginning of his existence would feel about gender and sexuality, so making him presumably straight and cis was a boring choice. i also think that the dragon age games being very protagonist-centric hurts solas’ character, there’s no real reason why the inquisitor is the only one who can throw his plans into question but making the player the center of the universe means he’s not allowed to change due to the effects of other companions or NPCs. thank god this is rp and i do what i want.

What inspired you to rp your muse? — i have a history degree so when the inquisition companions were being teased, solas describing bias in primary sources from the memories he’s seen got me interested in him. but my first playthrough i didn’t actually take him with me all too often, i think my main party was dorian-blackwall-varric. i liked him, and i think he or dorian were my first friends in skyhold, but my initial interest was in other characters. between his dialogue that appealed to the historian in me tho and how his spirit opinions sort of turned everything i’d felt about spirits in the last two games on its head, i started vibing with him more the farther i went in. like merrill set me up for the “spirits are people” thing and solas hit it out of the park. then temple of mythal happened, and i did bring solas with me there. i found his dialogue fascinating and also suspicious, i’d just finished masked empire like the day before da:i came out so i definitely thought solas was an ancient elf in the same vein as felassan. it was after temple of mythal that i actually decided to make his blog, although like as one idk linchpin to cement my status as solas trash... i was hit BAD by the banter bug on my first playthrough, probably got like a dozen banters total. but then at some point late in the game i took solas to the forbidden oasis and he wouldn’t stop talking to people, and i really loved his banter with the rest of my party at the time.

What keeps your inspiration going? — replaying inquisition, new DA content when the bioware gods deign to grant us a lifeline, but the biggest thing is my rp partners. i wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for the people i write with, new and old. my activity of late hasn’t been the best, work and the summer heat has really been sapping me of energy, and does even during years when we aren’t going through a pandemic. but it’s the thought of my rp partners and love of solas that keeps me coming back.

Some more personal questions for the mun.

Give your mutuals some insight about the way you are in some matters, which could lead them to get more comfortable with you or perhaps not.

Do you think you give your character justice? YES / NO / I SINCERELY HOPE I DO? i have my doubts sometimes, but i think i do ok.

Do you frequently write headcanons? YES / NO / SORT OF? there is no headcanon too small for me.

Do you sometimes write drabbles? YES / NO. but not lately * gestures to the low activity * i’ve been in this cycle where i get anxious abt late replies, so prioritise them, then burn myself out and can’t write the fics i want. i’ve had two i’ve been DYING to write tho i just... need to find the space in my brain to let myself.

Do you think a lot about your Muse during the day? YES / NO. i mean it depends on the day. if i work closing shifts at my store it gets very quiet and boring around 8:30 so i spent the next 90 minutes thinking about character stuff.

Are you confident in your portrayal? YES / NO / SORT OF?

Are you confident in your writing? YES / NO / SOMETIMES.

Are you a sensitive person? YES / NO / SORTA.

Do you accept criticism well about your portrayal? — i’m going to say ‘no’ because like, i don’t ask for criticism. this is a hobby based on my interpretation of a character, if you think i write solas too soft then you’re welcome to think that, but i’m happy with the balance i’ve struck with his internal versus external behaviour and how he changes based upon who he’s speaking to. if you think i’m erasing straight people by making solas pan then ksjdfs. ok.

Do you like questions, which help you explore your character? — yes!!! even if they retread ground already trodden, a) my interpretation may have adjusted since the last time i played or b) a reminder is nice. if it’s new stuff then it’s fun to think about.

If someone disagrees to a headcanon of yours, do you want to know why? — it’d depend on why they disagree. if they just disagree on a subjective opinion about what i took from a certain line, then they’re welcome to their opinion but i don’t necessarily care to hear it. if it is unintentionally hurtful then i would like to know. although rather than a comment i’d rather a non-anonymous message.

If someone disagrees with your portrayal, how would you take it? — same as the above.

If someone really hates your character, how do you take it? — if they’re vocal about it i typically just unfollow / softblock if i was following in the first place. people can feel how they want about solas, but i’ve found over the years that if people really hate solas ooc it can often bleed into their ic interactions. it’s really weird seeing your character being brought up repeatedly in threads with others specifically to dunk on, for no reason other than i guess solas is living rent free in their heads, so at least we have that in common. but anyway unfollowing is just the best choice to avoid getting kinda pressed if i’m having a bad day.

Are you okay with people pointing out your grammatical errors? — roleplay is the wild west of writing, so i think it’d depend on what the error was. coming at me like “you shouldn’t start a sentence with a preposition” would get a laugh, but i don’t edit my replies much if at all and mistakes will 100% happen. pointing out typos is chill so long as you do it politely.

Do you think you are easy going as a mun? — it depends! i’ve learned that being too easy going actually just means i’m subjecting myself to negative emotions to please people. so i’ve gotten less easy going as the years go by. how does one define “easy going” anyway? does asking that question mean i am objectively not easy going? the longer this thought goes on the more the answer seems to be “probably not,” but i like to think it could be a lot worse.

#( long post )#( ooc )#( about me )

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somxus · 4 years

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PARALLEL THEORY.

I just wanted to repost this because it is important even though it is in my about page. Both in my actual page and the pop up in my blog about my portrayal and the parallel theory connecting to how versus Noctis plays a role to my Noctis. Just wanted to have it here now.

I’m not saying anyone has to read it for a had rewrote a lot of stuff, but it just makes me feel better I fixed it up cause before it felt like a mess haha. But if anyone is interested or wishes to understand my Noct better have a read, although I know it isn’t much♥

PARALLEL THEORY. This was made possible because me and a great friend of mind have come up with it and I have implemented it to the way I write Noct, I just never got around to saying it. So again, I have updated my about page, but as for this other part, I want to place it hear cause it’s very important to my portrayal. Basically, from inspiration, Noctis has had a passed life(versus xii Noct) and then was reincarnated(XV Noct) And it ties into a lot of the struggles my Noct has now and why things are the way they are. I hope that’s not confusing ;o; if interested, read below♥ Or you can head to my ABOUT PAGE if you wish to read all in which I added, the parallel theory included there to♥

Here is where I will talk about the parallel theory that I have now that I have went into about my default rp style for Noct. Now, onto his past life that ties in with the Noct we know now. Hope I won’t confuse anyone. The Noct we know now, is the King of Kings, but before that, he lived a past life, a very dark one at that. Again, this is based on the story/leaks of versus xiii

From the day Noctis was born, he was said to be the calamity. On the day celebrating that a new heir was to be born soon, Chaos made his way down to tell this tale. In front of the people, and in front of Regis and Alexandria, Noctis’ parents, saying that their son was to be the calamity and that he was to cause destruction to the world. Despite the warnings, Alexandria gave birth to Noctis, in doing so, it killed her. Regis took it in himself to protect his little one, reaching out to Lady Etro and seeking out her protection. She vowed she would look after Noctis, for this life, and the next. The people were’t to happy with the King. Saying he should have his son killed for keeping such darkness alive. Regis didn’t care what anyone else said, Noctis was his pride and joy, he would let no one take him.

Noctis had went through similar things as XV Noct, but more of his life can be read on my page about the versus xiii verse. What is important to know, is that versus xiii Noct, grew up to be a, unique boy. He was very quiet, and always said things that seemed a bit, off, but in the end, he was a gentle soul who wished nothing more than for peace. He eventually met a girl named Lunafreya/Stella, who changed his life forever. She was the one person that could understand him above all others.

On the day of the invasion, Noctis was there, and everything was taken from him. It tore him apart, but what really broke him, was seeing his father murdered, right in front of his eyes. Having someone so special from him taken away, changed Noctis forever. That day, something in him snapped. Noctis became more cold, more murderous, eventually developing a serious mental disorder. Psychopathy. To sum it up, he committed many sins. Killing innocent/abusing innocent people, treating others coldly, including his loved ones, unspeakable things that he could never forgive himself for. In the end, he gave himself to Chaos. His accession, for Chaos’ power. When it came to defeating Ardyn, Noctis was set to rot in hell, for he could not ascend, but he then made a deal. Offering to take Etro’s place. For rotting in the void, taking care of the souls of the dead, was a far worse punishment, and in his eyes, he knew that was fair.

A thousand years rotting in the void, Bahamut made a deal with Noctis, to give him another chance, for he had a job to finish. He didn’t destroy Ardyn’s soul, so he was able to return to Eos. Noctis’ accepted, but he didn’t know what this God really intended. Instead of letting this Noctis return, he used a part of his soul to reincarnate a new one, letting him leave a whole new life, even though his destiny was preordained. Noctis, who rotted in the void, was furious and was not happy about this decision at all, not wishing for some other ‘Noctis’ to live his life.

For years he would watch him, and even taunt his other self, hoping for him to one day remember the memories of the past. Eventually the other Noctis did remember, the day he put on the ring. He remembered all the horrible things he had done, and all the feelings of regret came back to him, but even still, this Noctis was not like the one from the past. Though they were one in the same, Noctis was not about to give in to the darkness for he was different now. He was the King of light. When he was inside the crystal, he confronted his other self, fighting with him. In doing so he promised he would bring back the dawn, and thus allowing him to ascend. Eventually he agreed and everything started to make sense for Noctis.

Why sometimes his nightmares seemed like memories, why he thought he was being tormented by his own face, it was all real, just now, he understood. When it came 10 years later to sit on the throne, Noctis knew part of his death was a punishment for his sins, he accepted that. In the afterlife, Noctis and his past self both ascended into heaven and everything was put at rest. Though guilt would remain within him always, finally what had to be done was done. Both Noctis’ could rest in peace, and Ardyn was rid of the world and Eos was at peace.

I really hope this wasn’t confusing, sorry I’m all of the place. There is much more to be said of course, but I am just glad to have it all written down. Now maybe people will understand more why I write versus Noct the way I do and why XV Noct has much more guilt then people know. Again, basically this theory is that, versus xiii Noctis was his first life, then part of his soul was used to reincarnate another Noctis, which is XV Noct. Good? I hope so :”D If anyone ever has questions please feel free to ask. More things will probably be clear when you see it in rps and again in my VERSUS XIII VERSE ABOUT PAGE(will be added soon). Thank you for reading.

#LONG POST #IMPORTANT.#♛ ❪ what I deem to be true ❫ — ↳ headcanons

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askcarlyle · 6 years

Text

Askblog Halloween Special, Discord Edition Part 1

[As many of you are aware, our askblog collective also inhabits a TGS Discord server and occasionally participates in real-time RP threads. These scenarios run parallel to the events of the blogs and feature the same cast, but are usually not considered part of our official Tumblr timeline. Earlier this week, @askbarnum, @askcharitybarnum, @askstabbydeng and I collaborated on a Halloween special of sorts, which I am pleased to share with you now...]

Barnum

-Strolls into the centre ring just as the troupe are packing up after an evening of rehearsing-

Now I know that everyone is ready to head off, but I'd like to open up the opportunity to anyone feeling eager for an adventure.

I have come into possession of a manor house that's supposedly haunted, it's going to be the biggest Halloween attraction in the city. I've got arrangements for tours and people in costumes. It's going to be spectacular, a huge hit with the kids.

First I need to check out that it's a safe building so who's in the mood for a night away from home?

Carlyle

There's no such thing as ghosts. There is such a thing as a safety inspector, though. For the sake of avoiding lawsuits and identifying off-limits areas, I suppose I'm attending this excursion.

Barnum

You seem awfully sure in that statement. C'mon Phil, where's your sense of adventure. You can't sell the unusual if you don't believe in it.

Pats him on the back affectionately as he waltzes past towards the exit

Pack your bags troupe. We meet back here at 8pm sharp. Not a trip for the faint hearted.

Deng Yan

watching this exchange take place. Walks up to Phillip once Barnum leaves I would have to disagree, Carlyle. Spirits are a part of our world, just not one I am afraid of. Regardless, I suppose I should be in attendance. I am intrigued to see what exactly Barnum has in mind.

Carlyle

tries politely to conceal a disbelieving look I respect your beliefs, of course, Miss Yan, but have yet to witness anything that would persuade me otherwise. wanders off to prepare a bag

Barnum

-Eagerly checks his pocket watch, leaning against the tent entrance with a suitcase in hand, a few minutes before 8-

Carlyle

comes in dragging a large suitcase

Deng Yan

wanders up, arm in arm with Charity Mr Barnum. Mr Carlyle. Are we waiting for anyone else to join us this evening?

Carlyle

Do you suppose there will be running water?

Barnum

No no, I think you're the only three who signed up. Can't think why anyone would turn down such an opportunity.

Glances at Phil and pinches the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger.

We are staying for one night, Phil. Why is your case so big?

And no there won't be running water. The place is yet to be renovated, authenticity and all that. I've got a few pillows and blankets in the carriage already but that's really the extent of the luxuries. There's not even a privy. It'll be just like camping, except with an element of the supernatural.

Carlyle

greets Charity and Deng with a small bow and helps them with their bags

Charity

Well this will be fun

Carlyle

...camping? I should have packed more soap.

Barnum

Come along ladies, and gent. Leads the way out to the carriage and holds the door open for them You'll be fine, Phil. You don't need soap, there's unlikely a place to fill a bath tub.

Carlyle

rummages in suitcase and unpacks a pile of books regretfully I guess these can stay here for just one night.

Charity

How much reading were you planning on doing?

Carlyle

You never know.

Barnum

I have to question your logic sometimes.

Carlyle

The classics are never out of place.

Barnum

How many books are in there? Did you even pack a night shirt?

Deng Yan

Now, now. Do we really need to discuss Carlyle's sleeping attire?

Carlyle

Two, in fact. Options are good.

Barnum

Tw....never mind. Just. Let's go.

Herds them into the carriage, Charity sat next to Deng and himself sitting next to Phil opposite the two ladies. Then taps the roof to get them started.

I'm so glad you decided to join us too, Chairy.

Charity

I wouldn't miss this. I love old, haunted houses

Barnum

I'll be just like when we were young.

Charity

Exactly

Deng Yan

When you were young? I don't recall you telling this story before. settling back into the carriage I am also very glad of your company. My Rosie said she would prefer to stay at home in the warm tonight. I cannot think why. We have stayed in far colder places than this. smiles at Charity I needed the female company.

Carlyle

How did you find this place, anyway, PT?

...and being in the company of such fine ladies is always a delight, of course.

Barnum

I have my sources. gives Phil a wink and taps his nose knowingly

They were selling it off extremely cheaply, no-one will purchase it because there has been so many occurrences of the supernatural. Also sixteen people were brutally murdered there. It used to be an orphanage!

Pulls a handful of peanuts out of his pocket to snack on while they ride

Have I really not told any stories about myself and Charity when we were children? She was quite the rebellious young girl. Always eager to sneak out. We'd go exploring in the night time and I was always seeking out abandoned places that we could run off to.

Charity

16 people?! Goodness...

Deng Yan

Why were people murdered in an orphanage?

Charity

Did no one think to check after the first murder?

Barnum

Minor details. Waves his hand dismissively

Carlyle

Murdered. looks appalled

Deng Yan

giggles into her hand at Charity's words

Charity

Maybe the seller was exaggerating a bit?

Deng Yan

No matter. I look forward to this.

Barnum

Picks up the candle lighting the inside of the carriage at night and holds it close to his face.

It happened just over thirty years ago now. This orphanage was like no other, it was a place radiating cruelty and evil. Children preferred being sent to the workhouse to staying here.

The matrons would beat the children for crying out for their parents, the beds were full of mould and disease spread every year leaving the children frail and ill. An awful place.

And one night it got even worse...

Carlyle

shifts uncomfortably in seat and stares out window

Deng Yan

That sounds perfectly horrible.

Charity

....And?

Barnum

Takes off his hat slowly and places it in his lap, leaning the candle on the top.

Lights out was at 8 o'clock. The children were marched to bed and locked in. Heavy wooden doors with large steel locks, the only person with a key was the matron.

That night a man broke into the facility. Some say he was a victim of abuse at the home, returning to the place he was broken. Others say he was a maniac escaped from the asylum down town. Rumour has it he only had half a face.

Runs his fingers down his face eerily for dramatic effect

First he sliced the throat of the matron.

Runs a finger across his throat

Then he took her key then locked himself in the bedroom with the children. There were fifteen to a room and he killed them all. Reports say they were tortured into the night, poor souls. Police didn't find them until the next morning. The murderer had hung himself in the centre of the room surrounded by his victims.

To this day no one knows why it happened. Some say they can still hear the sounds of the children crying for their mothers in the hallways.

Charity

I almost regret asking

Deng Yan

That... really is awful, if there is any truth in it.

Carlyle

continues looking out window, paleness probably just from the reflected moonlight

Deng Yan

Mr Carlyle, are you quite well?

Carlyle

coughs It's unfortunate. Unfortunate if the agent felt the need to concoct such a tale just to unload the property on a buyer known for his love of sensationalism.

Charity

Or we might hear the sounds of children crying tonight....

Barnum

Hangs the candle back in it's place

Oh, the agent didn't say anything about that. He'd be an idiot if he did. I just stayed here for a few months when I was a boy.

Watches the carriage come to a stop outside of a huge dark building, broken windows with a worn down playground.

Oh we're here! C'mon, no time like the present.

Cheerfully unlocks the door and climbs out to grab the bags.

Deng Yan

stares after Barnum for a moment before climbing down after him and offering a hand to Charity Are you quite sure you wish to stay here? You could take the carriage back to the circus?

Carlyle

remains sitting stiffly in carriage for a moment, blinking in obvious horror

Deng Yan

looks back into the carriage at Carlyle I meant you too. I wouldn't think any less of you if you chose not to stay.

Charity

has already set off towards the house

Carlyle

clears throat and scrambles out after Charity Safety protocols.

Deng Yan

takes her bag and follows after them

Charity

Watch out for the cobwebs!

Barnum

Turns around to watch them catch up, grinning in delight, then takes out a large metal key to unlock the huge front doors with a clunk. Waltzing inside the dust covered mansion and breathing in deeply with a look of excitement.

Bit overgrown in places but it all adds to the effect doesn't it? Terribly creepy. It'll make the perfect attraction to terrify people. I think I'll line the floors with rubber for easy cleaning.

Dumps his suitcase carelessly

Carlyle

...why do you anticipate there will be that much mess?

Charity

Because there's no light in here lights candle

Carlyle

hands Charity a lantern to set it in

Barnum

Thank you Charity.

Picks up a lantern from the wall and lights it against hers too

Leans close to Phil and lifts his chin with one finger to meet his gaze in the dim light.

I anticipate because I know that I am very good at running a show. I already have several actors lined up and being fitted for outfits. People love to be frightened.

Deng Yan

wiping a trail of dust from the banister of the stairs, then blowing on her finger, watching the dust rise into the air How long did you say this place had been empty for?

Carlyle

shakes off the feeling of foreboding and hastily grabs another lantern, shining it into corners Long enough to develop a pest problem, it seems.

Barnum

Just over thirty years. They closed down very quickly after the unfortunate events.

Jumps a little as a rat runs over his foot, grunting and stepping back

Blegh. Looks like you're right. I'll get pest control in tomorrow.

Charity

So where are these ghosts you promised me?

Carlyle

bumps into Barnum when he jumps back, having been tailing him closely during their exploration Ack.

Barnum

Careful, Phil.

Turns around to steady the younger man

...You alright? You don't look yourself. Make sure you eat something, alright?

Glances at Charity and cocks an eyebrow

It's still early, and we're only in the lobby, Let's wander upstairs. We can stay in the murder room.

Charity

Ominous. Do you have to call it murder room? I think Carlyle is about to pass out

Carlyle

voice perhaps wavers a bit more than desirable Don't think I'm going to be hungry, thank you.

Deng Yan

I could cleanse the room, if you like.

Carlyle

nods slowly If that would make you feel better.

Barnum

Hey, no doing anything to drive out ghosts. People will pay a fortune to come and look if there are any here.

You ladies go on ahead, its upstairs, eight doors to the left. I'll catch up in a moment, I just need a word with Phil.

Gently tugs Phil back towards the entrance for some fresh air.

Carlyle

follows, glad for a breather

Deng Yan

sighs, walking up the stairs, more dust raising with each footfall He would rather keep the souls of children entrapped in the place they were murdered?

Charity

I'm sure it's just a story

Deng Yan

I like to believe so. I can't truly imagine Barnum being that callous.

Barnum

Pauses in the doorway with Phillip, rubbing circles on his back.

Are you sure you're okay? I can send the carriage to take you back if you're not feeling up to this? Can tell the girls that you felt under the weather or something.

Carlyle

regains some composure taking in the crisp fall air. Shakes head and makes a derisive sound Don't be ridiculous. I know this is all just an act. It was just a bit stifling in there. So much dust.

Barnum

Gives his shoulder a reassuring pat

Alright, well just take it easy. You know I wouldn't let anything happen to you.

Presses a kiss to his cheek then turns around to dash off after the ladies

Come join us when you're ready.

Deng Yan

upstairs, making her away along the corridor tell me, Mrs Barnum. Is what he said true? About you sneaking out as a child? I have to confess I can't imagine you conforming to a stifling lifestyle. You are like my Rosie in that respect.

Charity

Yes I used to climb out the window and meet up with him on the beach

Deng Yan

On the beach? Very romantic.

Charity

Not in the middle of winter

Barnum

Jogs to catch them up

Nonsense, the beach is romantic all year round.

Deng Yan

turns quickly at the sounds of his footsteps and visibly relaxes seeing it's Barnum

Charity

You almost died that time you decided to go for a swim on the coldest day of the year

Barnum

Grins proudly as he pushes to walk in between them

Almost. But I didn't. You can't say you weren't impressed by my resilience.

Deng Yan

smirking Now there is a story I would like to hear. From you, Mrs Barnum, not his abridged version. pauses outside the eighth door Is this it?

Charity

Yes obviously I married you for your resilience. It's a deal, Miss Yan

Carlyle

stands at doorway for a few moments longer, feeling a bit more bolstered after the talk, then turns to find he is alone in the lobby ...PT? takes a few steps back inside, swinging lantern around to see Phin? heads up the stairs at a nervous clip

Barnum

Just the one.

Notices the boards nailed over the door when he runs the lantern close

Hmm, I didn't bring a hammer. Hold this for me a moment, won't you.

Passes the lantern to Charity before taking a few steps back and running at the door, throwing himself into it and knocking it hard enough to send the the whole door falling out of its rotting frame and landing on the floor with a loud crack. Revealing an eerie old bedroom, fifteen beds in a row along the long stretch of wall. Strange dark staining on the floorboards hard to make out in the dim light.

Charity

I really hope that's not blood

Deng Yan

It's... probably water residue.

Carlyle

startles at the sound of a sudden crash from further up, followed by a fresh cascade of dust. Coughs and waves away the cloud, taking a blind turn to the left and squinting down the hall

Barnum

Whatever it is, I hope it hasn't weakened the floor boards. Stay here.

Cautiously wanders into the room, careful of every step. Getting to the centre of the room and then bouncing on the creaky floorboards a few times.

...No they're fine. Come on in.

Deng Yan

And what would we have done if you had gone crashing straight through? searching in the shoulder bag she is carrying for something

Barnum

I was at least 60% sure it was fine.

Wanders around, inspecting the beds to see if they're too mouldy to sleep in. Deciding that they are and dumping his suitcase on the ground instead

Can I have my lantern back? It's dark.

Carlyle

counts off doors, though unsure whether it was 8 doors total or on both sides. Shrugs and twists the handle on the final one, stepping into a dim room that looks like a nursery

Charity

Only if you stop angering the ghosts passes lantern What happened to Phillip? Did he go home?

Barnum

Takes it with a sarcastic eye roll

I'm not making that promise.

He was feeling a little faint so he said he'd catch us up after a little fresh air.

Charity

under breath Oh good we're all going to die

Barnum

Squints

...Did you just hear a door open somewhere?

Deng Yan

stops searching her bag Yes I did actually. I am sure it's just Phillip looking for us

Barnum

Clears his throat

Of course. He probably just took a wrong turn.

Deng Yan

Shall I go and check?

Barnum

That would be helpful, don't need him stumbling around in the dark by himself when we're not sure the structure is safe.

Carlyle

steps further in and makes out a moldering old rocking horse, not unlike the one from his own childhood. Runs hand lightly over it, setting it swaying back and forth

Deng Yan

Of course not. retreats back into the hallway Carlyle? walking a little further along the corridor Phillip?

Charity

I don't like us all splitting up like this

Barnum

Waves his hand dismissively

It'll be fine, I'm sure he's not too far away.

Charity

You just said you're not sure it's safe and you let him go walking around without a lantern

Barnum

I'm pretty sure he has a lantern. And he's no idiot. I'm sure we'd hear him if he hurt himself or anything.

Carlyle

sets a mobile spinning in passing, smiling at the shadows of animals thrown onto the walls in the lamplight. Leaves the door open and wanders into the next room, calmer now in these surroundings hearkening back to childhood

Deng Yan

sees the open door and goes to investigate Carlyle? If this is a trick I will not be best pleased.

Carlyle

wanders over to examine a dollhouse, accidentally tipping over some small chairs in the dimness. Sets it aside and catches a glimpse of some bookshelves in the next room. hums a half-forgotten lullaby to himself while exploring, now more sad than frightened by the thought of any souls left forgotten here

Deng Yan

walks through the nursery and into the next room Carlyle??

Barnum

Wanders right to the end of the room, finding the door to the Matrons room and pulling a small piece of wire from his pocket to try to pick it.

She is taking her time though.

Charity

despairing sigh

Carlyle

holds up lantern to read the titles in the shelf Hmm, not bad. sees a flicker of movement out of corner of eye Hello? sits down at the table and opens book Well, if there are 15 of you up here, you've probably been bored to tears. Why don't I tell you a story.

Barnum

If you're going to sigh and huff at me then you are more than welcome to join them.

Successfully picks the lock and lets out a sound of triumph as he confidently steps into the pitch black room, illuminating the moulding ceilings and walls with his lantern

I'm perfectly content to explore the interesting areas by mysel-

Crashes through the floor with a small yelp

Charity

Safer here in the murder room...

Or not.

Did you hurt yourself?

....Phineas?

rushes over

Barnum

Hauls himself to sit up, squinting at the pitch blackness

No, I think I'm fine. My lantern just went out. I'm in the room below.

Charity

Don't move you might've broken something. 60% sure the floor was safe, eh?

Barnum

Charity, I'm fine.

Shifts to his feet

And 60% of the floor probably was safe. I just happened to step on part of the 40% that wasn't.

Carlyle

Once upon a time there lived a beast, cursed to end his existence in an abandoned old manor because of his own hubris. He was once a prince, but his pride led him to push aside others and use the helpless merely as a tool for entertainment and gain.

Deng Yan

looking in the doorway, seeing Phillip with the book Oh, Carlyle.... walks over to rest against the wall near him

Carlyle

For this, he was imprisoned and placed under a spell, along with all the occupants of the house, where they dwelled in an unaging half-life, waiting for the one....

looks up at the sound Miss Yan! Where is everyone? I thought we were meeting here.

Barnum

Kneels down to blindly pat the ground to try to find his lantern, fingers landing on the dulled candle in a puddle of something, grimacing in annoyance realising he wouldn't be able to re-light it.

Chairy, I can't see anything. It's really dark. Have Phil and Deng come back yet?

Deng Yan

You got the wrong room. nods towards the book Carry on, by all means

Charity

No it's just me. This is why I didn't want us going separate ways.

realises she's alone now and the hairs on the back of her neck start to rise

Carlyle

The wrong room? looks around Are you sure?

squints and looks around, in the shadows ...because they seem to think they're in the right room.

Barnum

Takes a couple of cautious steps forwards until his hands touch a wall in the dark, trying to make sense of his blind surroundings

I'm uh. Not a big fan of...

You won't go anywhere will you? You'll stay here with me.

Clears his throat to try to hide the waver in his voice

Charity

I have a lantern, shall I come and find you?

Deng Yan

...They?

Barnum

No!...No it's fine. Don't leave. Stay here.

Charity

If you can't see, you could be getting into anything and I'm not convinced you're not injured.

carefully walks over to where Phineas was and shines light through floorboards

Barnum

Squints at the slight light, breathing a little shakily, at least able to see his own hands now

Carlyle

nods and continues scanning the room Yeah, all of them, just like he said. But they're not angry. And they don't want to haunt. They're waiting for someone to break their curse.

turns to look at Deng now Didn't you say you knew how?

Deng Yan

looks around the room I might... I didn't think you believed in any of this.

Charity

feels something crawl over her shoe

Please be just a rat

Carlyle

...I don't. But I know what something trapped and in pain feels like and there's plenty of that here.

Barnum

Hears the sound of footsteps and shuffles slightly where he is.

Chairy you're not...are you walking around up there? I can hear something down here. There's not supposed to be anyone in here yet. The actors don't start until we've renovated.

Carlyle

Do you have your supplies?

Charity

....No? Haven't moved....

Deng Yan

smiles softly, indicating her bag I do. And you're a sweetheart, you know?

Carlyle

shrugs A fool is someone who isn't willing to change when given reason to.

Charity

unable to stop her voice shaking Phineas? Please come back.

Barnum

Takes off his hat to squeeze against his stomach

I...changed my mind. Come and find me.

Chairy. I think there's someone down here. It's dark, I want to leave now.

Charity

This is what you get for calling something a murder room

backs away to the door and flees

Barnum

Hears creepy sounds creaking in the room like footsteps

Fine I...I take it back. I won't call it a murder room anymore. I won't exploit anything. We can make different Halloween plans, we can-

Feels a hand touch his back and shrieks, turning and bolting as fast as he can into the pitch black hallway

CHARITY!!! PHIL!!! DENG YAN!!!!

[To be continued.]

#tgs #the greatest showman #pt barnum #phillip carlyle #charity barnum #deng yan #halloween 2k18 #the greatest halloween #discord

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novantinuum · 6 years

Text

The Time We Lost, the Time We Mended (Ch. 6)

Read and comment on AO3!

Fandom: Gravity Falls

Rating: T

Words: 3700~

Story Summary: Before the summer of 2012, Ford and Fiddleford never thought they’d get the opportunity to see each other again. Now… they have a second chance. A chance to rekindle the love they once shared, reconnect a family once lost, and to mend old wounds. But as they'll quickly discover, fixing the mistakes of the past, especially in the wake of inevitable apocalypse, doesn't always come easy. RP to fic.

A Fiddauthor reunion story written by @the-ill-doctor and I!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5

Chapter Summary: In which Fiddleford leads Ford on a romantic walk through the woods, Ford has an unpleasant encounter with a townsfolk, and Tate discovers Ford's return.

Chapter 6: Universal Constant

Despite the long decades that had passed since he’d last set foot in this dimension, some features of Gravity Falls’ surrounding forest still retained a certain familiarity to Ford’s eyes. The trees and foliage had grown up, engulfing old cobbled paths and casting deep shadows in spots he once recognized as clearings, but even still he could notice details that, for all the area’s progression, hadn’t changed a bit: the deep clawed gouges in the bark of a tree that he always used as a landmark on his hikes, various large stone formations, a gaping pit in the ground he’d accidentally left behind after misfiring a spell he’d picked up from some wood nymphs. The difference now was that unlike thirty years ago— where he was Fiddleford’s guide through the untamed thickets of these magical woods— Fiddleford was now the expert, leading him along the dirt paths and between the thickets with practiced ease.

“I can tell you’ve journeyed through these woods quite a lot in the past few decades,” he said, walking alongside his dear companion.

“Oh, all the time!” Fiddleford chirped, swinging their hands as he led. “It’s the best place to look for nuts and fruits for munchin’! Jus’ gotta be sneaky when grabbin’ berries, ‘cause them pixies can get mighty noisome. Those critters have the nastiest bites.”

“Goodness yes, they do,” he agreed with a lopsided smile. He glanced down at their feet moving parallel, his clad in worn boots and the soles of Fidds’ feet swathed in thick bandages. (He offered him a pair of open toed sandals to wear before they left, but he vehemently refused, labeling them ‘feet prisons.’) “I must say, after all this time you must know your way around this valley more than I ever did.”

“Well, I ended camping out here a lot whenever it’d get dark. Gets pretty tough getting’ back to your shed when ya’ can’t see nothin’. But I reckon I’ve come a long way from wanting robo-legs for hiking, eh?” He nudged at his shoulder.

Ford chuckled, giving his hand an affectionate squeeze. “I honestly forgot about your joking obsession with robotic legs. Didn’t you always beg for me to carry you back home after our field studies?”

“Ya’ kept on takin’ me on day long hikes, Ford! I wasn’t used to walkin’ for that long back then,” he shrugged. “That, and it was a nice excuse to get a free piggyback from ya’!”

“Wait, wait, let me get this straight in my mind,” he began, pausing in the clearing, next to one of the rock formations he recognized from his researcher days. He pressed the fingers of his free hand against his temple. “Did you— in the early 80s, after your divorce— did you still have feelings for me? Even back then?”

Fiddleford turned bright red at his question, and started to softly laugh in embarrassment. “Well, ya’ see, they might’ve still been there even after we broke up.”

"Oh, Fiddleford," Ford sighed sadly, pulling him into a close embrace. "If only I'd known...”

“If only we could’ve been more honest with each other,” Fiddleford said, his voice slightly muffled through the thick fabric of his sweater. “But...” He gazed up at him, smile warm and steady despite it all. “I think we’ve done enough regrettin’, don’t ya’ agree?”

“I do,” he smiled in return. “As difficult as it may be to avoid dwelling on the past, what is most important is to enjoy the time we have to be together now.” Ford gently released him from his embrace, and took both of his hands in his own, folding all of his fingers tightly around his. “I’m so thankful we could find each other again. To be honest, when I returned to this dimension I never thought I’d see you again. It was... heh, it was actually Mabel early this morning who informed me that you still lived in town.”

“In that case, I’ll have ta’ thank her next time I see her,” Fidds said, beaming. He planted a kiss on each of his hands, sudden affection which caused the tips of Ford’s ears to go red. “She helped me reunite with my favorite pillow.”

When Fiddleford began to snicker— a sound which he reveled in hearing— his lips curved up in amusement. “Oh is that what I am to you?”

“Well, you’re strong, handsome, and very warm,” he said, and nestled into his side once more. “And ‘sides, anyone would be lucky to cuddle with that soft belly ya’ got!”

Ford swore he could feel the blood vessels in his face widening, increasing blood flow to the skin. “Th- thank you?” he stammered, glancing down at the, as Fidds put it, soft belly in question. He’d ran his body to its bitter limits beyond the portal, for sure— and had gained quite a bit of muscle mass for his troubles— but thankfully in the last handful of years he had access to enough food to retain an optimal, healthy amount of body fat as well. Which was nice, as there’d been a hard span of years early on where he was dangerously close to skin and bones.

Fiddleford let out a loud snort as he watched his dear friend’s face turn beet red. “You’re mighty welcome.”

“As flattered as I am though,” he laughed, “the only person lucky enough to cuddle with me as far as I’m concerned is you.”

“Then I suppose I must be the luckiest fella in the whole multiverse.”

“Actually, I might have to contest you with that one,” he replied, gently rubbing circles into the back of Fidds’ hands with his thumbs. “Because I happen to know another ‘fella,’ one who now gets to share his days with the kindest, most brilliant, forgiving, incredible man he knows.” Ford reached forward and tilted up his wide brimmed hat so he could see past the shadows cast on his face. “A man whose eyes are just as bright and beautiful as they were the day I first met you.”

Now it was Fiddleford’s turn to blush, not used to being showered in sincere compliments. Shyly, he glanced away, his knee bouncing. “Nah, I ain’t. I- I ain’t got those eyes no more, Ford.”

Hearing him brush aside his affection like this tore him apart. “You do to me,” he insisted, cupping his cheek in his hand, running his fingers through his beard. Apparently taken aback by his earnest words, Fiddleford sniffled, the corners of his eyes growing damp. He blinked, unable to keep the tears at bay. Gently, Ford wiped them away.

“G-Golly...” He let out a small, embarrassed chuckle. “Ya’ really mean it.”

“Of course I do,” Ford said, his soul swelling with a feeling he hadn’t experienced in this intensity for years, a feeling that— before today— he wasn’t sure he was still capable of experiencing. Although perhaps it wasn’t accurate classifying it as only a feeling, so much as it was a promise. A promise he’d forged within the deepest parts of himself to protect and care for and experience life alongside this man for as long as time would allow him. “All these years, all our experiences, the very shifting of our worlds... so much has changed, I admit this. Hell, I embrace this. And yet, even through the shadows of everything still unknown to me, through each unpredictable variable, there’s one universal constant I know in certainty to be true... and that’s that I love you. I’ve always loved you.”

For a moment, Fiddleford’s mind went blank, just like the confused, muddled fuzz he’d experience each time he used that dang memory gun on himself. Did he really hear those words? Was this real, and not merely a construct of his old, messed up mind? For years, despite his frazzled memory, the man had never truly left his deepest thoughts. Sometimes he’d even show up in front of him like a mirror to the past, an illusion only shattered when he tried to take his hand. But the hands holding his face now were solid and warm and fixed. This time, the Stanford Pines in front of him was real, and the promises he spoke were too.

The next moment was all but a blur to him. All he knew was that he suddenly found himself leaning closer... and giving him a sloppy, yearning kiss.

Ford fell into the rhythm of the kiss with ease, wrapping his arms tight around Fiddleford, allowing his hands to cradle the back of his head and his shoulder. His heart almost wanted to laugh in joy amid all of this at the gentle tickle of his beard against his lips and chin. For one very real, beautiful moment, the universe smiled down upon these two old men, and Ford experienced a sense of content like he never had before. When they finally pulled apart, he felt alight. Renewed. He beamed at Fidds with adoration, intertwining their hands once more.

In all these years Fiddleford never felt so much romantic love for another person. He gazed into Ford's eyes, the tiredness he had seen in them from last night having long melted away. “I love you too,” he replied, breathless in the wonder of it all.

Ford laughed softly, a sound that nearly blurred into something of a relieved cry. He pressed his forehead against Fidds, and allowed them to gently sway back and forth as a unit, their fingers still wrapped together. It was almost a dance, the two of them swathed in the privacy of nature and the heat of the late morning sun. Faint, but still noticeable all the same, the familiar scent of tackle filled his nose.

"Is the lake nearby?" he asked, still swaying with him.

"Hm?" Fiddleford said in a happy daze. "Oh! Yeah, I reckon' we're close! There's a lotta good spots for banjo practice n’ relaxin’ there! Wanna head on over?"

"Of course," Ford said, grinning as well. "The lake was always one of my favorite places in Gravity Falls..."

Fiddleford started to pull him along. "Well, come along then!”

The closer the two came to the lakeside, the more Fiddleford’s pace receded and slowed. He was trying to calm his anxieties, but he knew his son was working in the bait shop today, and not only that, but the townsfolk could be so cruel in their jeering sometimes. On any other occasion he’d shrug off these realities like water off a duck’s back, but along with his memory’s return came his long forgotten sense of shame. He prayed there wouldn’t be any problems, that he and Ford would be left to their leisure unbothered.

But he still wasn’t convinced.

Ford eventually must have noticed his incessant twitching and squirming, because he squeezed his hand to ground him. “What’s bothering you, dear?” he asked softly, the lakeside looming on the horizon.

“Hm?” he muttered, snapping out of whatever repetitive mental blockade he’d fallen into. Ford’s worried face greeted his gaze. “Oh, it’s nothin’! I’m just spacing out a little.” Not entirely a lie.

“Fiddleford... please know I’ll listen to anything you have to say, if you’re ready to say it. No matter what.”

His shoulders tensed for a moment, scrunching up beside his neck. He took his hand from his partner’s, twiddled his fingers together. “All- all right. I don’t, uh, I don’t exactly have the best reputation in town.”

Ford’s eyes softened. “I know the feeling,” he said. “From my time in the multiverse. I’m so sorry they’ve judged you so harshly. If you’re not up for walking around the lake with all the people who are here today, I’m more than willing to continue our trek through the woods instead.”

“Nah, nah, it’s fine,” he replied, breaking a small smile again. “There’s actually someone I wanna see.”

“Oh, you have a friend in town? Excellent! I’d love to meet them.”

He started to fidget with his beard again. “You already have. It’s my son, Tate! He’s the ranger at this here lake.”

Ford’s eyes shot open wide, for a split second flashing with an emotion Fiddleford could only hope to describe as something between hurt and dread. “Tate?” he exclaimed. “Tate lives here?”

“Yup, moved on up and started workin’ here right outta school.”

“Goodness, I... I haven’t seen that boy since the week he stayed with us in ’81,” he mused. Something about his demeanor as he spoke still seemed... unusual to Fiddleford, but too distracted by his own worries he chose not to bring it up.

“Well, I can guarantee he’s grown up a whole lot since then!”

“So I’m sure,” Ford said, the edges of his lips curving up.

As per every weekend, the lake was crowded with townsfolk enjoying themselves in the sun. Fiddleford clung to his partner’s side as they approached the shore, readying himself emotionally for all the misplaced attention his presence was sure to attract. He squeezed his hand, and Ford squeezed his back in an effort of comfort, three times.

Where Ford himself was concerned, the glimpse of townsfolk he caught— some he vaguely recognized, and others who were all but strangers— spiked his heart rate up. This was the largest group of humans he’d been faced with since returning home. Hell, even a simple family breakfast alongside his brother, Fiddleford, and his new grandniece and grandnephew was nerve wracking enough. He dearly hoped he’d be able to act halfway normal around these strangers, to act as if he hadn’t been entirely detached from the customs of humanity for thirty years.

They reached the dock, and naught a breath after their feet touched the wooden planks, an older woman with a beehive of powder blue hair and caked eye shadow spotted them and made her sinister advance.

“Well hi, Stan!” she said nasally. “Haven’t seen ya’ in the diner for a while. And wow, what a nice sweater that is!”

Initially Ford was met with nothing but confusion, before he realized with frenzied frustration that his brother had lived here and build a rapport with these people for the past thirty years. They thought he was Stan. As much as he didn’t desire to have a conversation with this woman at all, however, he knew this was a great opportunity to set the records straight...

“I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve actually met?” he began. “I think you’ve confused me with my twin brother, Stan. My name is Ford.”

“Wait, whaaat?” she gasped, lifting up her lazy eyelid to gain a better view of him. “Well, I guess your hair is styled a lot different than I last saw it. And you do have more fingers than I remember...”

“Heh,” Ford laughed softly, nervously glancing between her and Fiddleford. “Indeed. It’s called polydactyly.” He raised his hand up so she could clearly see it. “A genetic mutation, resulting in extra digits. For future reference, between Stan and I, just check the number of fingers.”

“Oh, all right! My name’s Susan, by the way, Lazy Susan! ‘S nice to meet you.” They awkwardly shook in greeting. As they did so, she leaned closer to whisper in his ears. “Between you and me, I’d watch myself around that hillbilly fella you’re with. I’ve dealt with him in my diner for years, and he’s quite the pickpocket.”

Ford’s jaw clenched. Even ignoring the sheer level of ignorant judgement interwoven into her words, his blood boiled at the cavalier way she referred to him. That hillbilly. They lived in a town small enough that everyone could reasonably know everyone else’s name, and either she hadn’t made that tinniest effort with someone she perceived as lesser, or she knew his name and didn’t care.

“His name is Fiddleford, for the record, not ‘that hillbilly,’ and he’s my most dear friend. I assure you, the person I ought to watch myself around? It isn’t him,” he said, scowling deeply at her. “Now, if you’ll excuse us.”

With that, Ford took Fiddleford's hand and walked him away.

Fiddleford was stunned with how protective Ford had gotten. It was actually quite flattering. He never considered hillbilly the worst thing people could call him, but he had to admit it did sting the callous way a lot of the townsfolk would sling that word at him. He leaned closer to Ford and nuzzled his head against his side as a way of thanking him. As they neared the bait shop, they became aware of an almighty ruckus emanating from inside. Clearly whoever wandered inside had no concept of indoor voice.

"Welp, sounds like Dan and the kids are shoppin' again!" Fidds declared, a skip in his step.

"Dan?" Ford says, making a face as he tried to place the name. "Wait... do you mean that Dan? The lumberjack? Oh, what was his name... Corduroy!” he exclaimed, snapping. “Boyish Dan Corduroy? He still lives here too?"

"Yeah, he lives in a cabin down in the woods with his kids! But, uh..."

The three Corduroy boys piled out of the shop all at once, adorned in matching life preservers and each holding a pole. "FISHING! FISHING! FISHING!" they chanted.

"KEEP THE CHANGE, RANGER!" Dan yelled.

"He ain't exactly boyish, anymore.”

Ford watched, mouth agape, as the mountain of a man dutifully lead his sons to the shoreline, where he’d tied up their boat. Wow. That was perhaps the most hair he'd ever seen on a single person. That young Corduroy kid certainly grew up into one manly fellow.

“He had a bit of a growth spurt,” Fiddleford giggled as he walked him inside the shop.

Inside, Tate rubbed his sore neck. Just seconds previously, Dan put him in an affectionate chokehold as an unconventional way to thank him for a discount he'd given.

"One of these days he's gonna pop my head off like a grape," he grumbled, not yet paying attention who had just walked in.

Instantly Fiddleford's fatherly instincts overrode his initial nervousness. He let go of Ford's hand and lifted himself onto the counter, swinging his legs over the edge. "You all right there, Tater-tot?" he asked, voice unusually calm.

"Hm? Dad?" Immediately Tate noticed the difference in his voice. For one thing, he hadn't heard that nickname since he was a kid. Was this one of his more lucid days? He glanced up to speak, but froze when he noticed who stood beside him, decades of guilt written on his face plain as day.

Cleft chin, six fingers, a leaner body type than the so-called ‘Stanford Pines’ he'd neglected to get to know in town.

"I— it's you.”

“Greetings, Tate,” Ford said quietly. “It’s… been a while.”

"A while?!" Tate snapped then, clenching his fists tight against his side. "You have the nerve to waltz in here after 30 years, after the state you left my father in, and all you have to say for yourself is that it’s been a while?! No phone call! No letters! No way of contactin' ya! The rest of the town never noticed the difference when that other Stan acted as your cover all this time, but I did!” he shouted, advancing towards him in fury. “I genuinely thought you died!"

"Tate—" Fiddleford attempted to interrupt, jumping off the counter to stand between his son and his partner.

"Why did you leave him?!" Tate yelled, his voice starting to crack. "Why did you leave my father behind? He needed your help! I needed your help to save him!" he finished, bitter tears streaming down his face.

Ford backed away from him slightly as he watched him fall apart right in front of him, his throat suddenly feeling as tight as it did in the elevator this morning. "I didn't know," he whispered hoarsely. "Didn't know where he went, if he left town or not. I lost him, Tate- I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I know it's my fault. I was distracted, falling into madness... I-I failed to look, I didn't- didn't think to," he stammered. "You have every right to be upset with me for- for a multitude of reasons."

"Yer damn right I'm upset! You abandoned him!" He wrapped his arms around his father, almost protectively.

"Tate..." Fiddleford looked up at his son worriedly. "He didn't want to leave me! He was forced into a right pickle with no way back," he cried out. "You gotta believe me, he wouldn't knowingly abandon me!”

"Why... why are you defendin' him?"

"Same reason I'd defend you," Fiddleford whimpered, hugging him back.

"And why would you do that, either?!" Tate snapped, holding him tighter. "I'm a horrible son. I started givin' up on ya’..."

Ford watched them silently as he considered his words, their past, the sum of his mistakes. A lump formed in his throat. He wrung his hands together.

"Tate..." he began softly. "Tate. You're not a horrible son. You... you stayed here with him, for thirty years. You picked up your entire life, and moved it so you could keep an eye on him. Even if you started giving up, at least you tried. It's... more than I can say for myself." He turned towards Fiddleford, gently cupping his cheek in his hand. "Fidds, I'm afraid he's right about me. I had all but abandoned you, had given up all hope of seeing you again... until Mabel told me you were in town. Like I told you earlier, we only reunited because of her. But don't you both realize?" He opened himself to both the McGucket men. "Despite all of our past mistakes, despite lasting regrets. We're all together today. And we all have a chance to make tomorrow a happier memory."

Both the Mcgucket men stared at Ford for a moment before Tate broke the silence.

"Damn, you’re still as overly poetic as I remember," he snarked. He wiped the remainders of the tears off his face, letting out a stifled, low laugh. "Damnit... damnit, I knew it... I knew I couldn't hate ya’!" he lifted the brim of his hat, revealing tired eyes and faint scaring slashed over his eyelids. "You’re here admitting everythin' and..." He laughed again. "What's wrong with me? I'm already ready to give ya’ the benefit of the doubt..."

"Tate," Fiddleford took his son's hand.

"I'm fine, Dad."

“Would you… would you prefer if I gave you two some time alone to reconnect?” Ford asked, a slight frown crossing his lips.

"Nah, nah just—" Tate let go of his father’s hand and pulled himself to sit on the counter. He hung his head low, and gave a loud sigh. "Just tell me... what happened. I want the full story."

#gravity falls #fiddleford mcgucket #stanford pines #fiddauthor #gravity falls fanfiction #tate mcgucket #lazy susan wentworth #manly dan corduroy #fordford #gravity falls fanfic #my writing stuff #fiddauthor rp goodness

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kastle09 · 4 years

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What Poker can teach about Decision Making

There was a video that Core A Gaming did on “How Hadouken Reinvented 2D Fighting” and towards the end he mentions the parallels the fireball game and Street Fighter had to Poker. Reading players, looking for tells, misdirection and bluffing are kind of the most notable things I think normies associate with poker, but there is a lot even if you just barely scratch the surface (which I'm gonna try)

I hear complaints about “guessies” and “50/50s” in SFV constantly and yes some of those criticism are justified. But even in this regard, are there ways to control these spots better? Poker is a game about managing and controlling a game that is inherently up to luck and randomness. So maybe we can learn something about the strategies they use to help mitigate that and still be consistent.

I'm just going to touch on two that I've stated on commentary before, and if you hear me on the mic you might get a better understanding of where its come from.

Disclaimer: I am a poker casual, I enjoy the game and have dug in a little bit but I may butcher or over generalise some things. I apologies to anyone who is an actual Poker player that knows these concepts much better then I do, hopefully they still make sense enough to apply.

GTO, Exploitative and Mixed Strategies

Somewhere in the last 15 years GTO (Game Theory Optimal) strategies have popped up as a new way to think about Poker. What GTO essentially is you create a strategy that is “unexploitable” so across an infinite amount of hands, you will always be in the positive. In the ideal world GTO would beat all other strategies.

The easiest way to explain GTO is with Rock, Paper, Scissors. Simple game and used a lot in video games as a balancing tool anyway.

So what would be the GTO strategy in RPS? Its approx 33% for each option right? Every option has the same value in this case so If you are balancing correctly and throwing each option you are unexploitable. You have no discernible pattern which your opponent can take advantage of.

But lets say you play against a player who throws Rock... a lot. Like every time. What does that mean for you. Well 33% time you will win, 33% of the time you lose, 33% of the time you draw, So while you aren't losing, you also aren't winning a whole lot either.

This is where exploitative play is usually heard, and probably what most people think of when they think poker because its that very romantic old school approach where you stare deeply into your opponents eyes and know exactly what he has. So in the scenario above you might think:

“This guy is constantly throwing rock, I'm going to constantly throw paper.”

So you start throwing 100% of the time as Paper. Yeah you are going to beat him a whole heck of a lot now but you have also given reigns for them to notice and think

“Wait a sec, I see what you are doing”

Now you become the one exploitable. Every time you deviate from the GTO it makes you vulnerable to being read. Another way of identifying the difference between the two options is being exploitative is about maximising the value in each exchange, while GTO is about securing a minimum positive EV play to all your options.

So how can we use this idea in fighting games?

Thinking in GTO is a way to baseline your options for a given situation. It would be as if you took the human element out, and had two computer playing the game perfectly weighing up as the best range of options and risk reward to think what mathematically is the right play. Especially in situations such as ranked, or ft2 tournaments where you have never met your opponent before, you need to think about a road map that will allow you to stay as safe as possible. If you wildly swing at them off the bat or make a read with less then ideal information to base it on, you can end up in a lot of trouble.

The disadvantage FGs have against poker is simply the repetition is a lot shorter and the goals are quite different.

You may get to play thousands of hands, and the goal is to end the night with more money then you have lost. But in FGs where you have first to 2 sets with 3/5 rounds max in each, you may not be able to reach the ideal equilibrium in time for GTO to be effective. The other things is obviously you aren't up against a computer.

So its still important to identify and know the situations where your risks have sufficient backing from your reads. GTO is a great starting point, and knowing where and when to deviate is when being exploitative is really going to shine through.

Back in the RPS example, instead of throwing paper 100% giving a chance for our opponent to clearly notice and adjust, we may instead want to instead bump paper to 40-50% of the time. Our opponent isn't going to notice our strategy as easily and our win - loss percentage will still increase. So we have bumped up past our baseline to extract more value from this player.

This is called a mixed strategy and what most top poker players argue for as true GTO doesn’t exist as of yet (Big argument, not for me to weigh into). It both allows a solid foundational base that a GTO like strategy provides while also presenting opportunities to extract more value on opponents through reading tells, tendencies etc.

Table Image and Player Metagame.

In Poker table image is the perception that other players have about you. This was especially happening as more people were playing with the TV poker personalities and famous internet players that have now had their hands and playstyles analysed a lot by the community. The more people know about you, the more assumptions and pre-conceptions they have going in and you need to be aware of that.

Damosk (right) playing vs Dankscorpio (left) at OHN16: courtesy koukiphotographynz.com

This happened to a friend of mine, Damosk who is a fantastic Boxer player (and Crash Team Racing savant) and he developed a reputation for V-skill overhead. Anyone that talked about Damo would always include in the next breath “Always block high, overhead coming every time”.

Well he knew he had this reputation and because of it he would play off it constantly and use it as part of the meta game he had with people, and even he would talk it up sometimes before only going low for entire sets.

When a player sits down next to you, what is their perception of you? How much do they know about you? How does that dictate how you are about to play against them?

If someone identifies a trait you have, something you might consider “Your style”, because it is something that they identified it means its something they want to take advantage of.

In essences your style is your mistakes. If you were a perfect robot, you would have no style.

While you may get defined at your local tournaments by your play in game, you equally can give off information out of game in real life as well. The most notable one being Tilt.

Seeing someone on stream seething or fidgety, the players that hold their head in their hands, or if you are the kind of player to take your shirt off giving off odours of salt. Knowing how a person acts when they are on tilt can be incredible valuable.

Some players may try and become very risky, seeing the game where nothing has gone their way and trying to force an opening, force a situation. But some players are the opposite. They start to not press when they should, they are in constant fear of getting blown up by some meme option again and so instead start to play super safe, no risk, easily exploitable letting you get away with a lot more.

________________________________________________________

This is probably one of those ideas that are a bit divisive and in fact in the poker world there is a lot of disagreement in the effectiveness of GTO vs Exploitative vs Mixed. Even if you don't agree with my conclusions I do find especially on commentary its something I've used to identify how particular players like to think about the game.

Speaking of commentary, the next topic I want to write will be about Commentary and how I came to understanding telling a good story.

#fighting game #poker #street fighter #strategies

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the-royal-courier · 7 years

Text

Trauma Help Available Through Therapy

By Risri Elthron

Trauma, anxiety, and depression are mental health issues many suffer from, but few seek for help. Mr. Cassidy Hayden, P.h.D, is one man trying to aid in changing that situation. Working out of the House Reinhardt Charity Clinic, Mr. Hayden offers counseling and therapy for those suffering from mild to severe mental health problems.

Born and raised in Stormglen Village, Gilneas, Mr. Hayden saw the suffering of his fellow villagers after a devastating disease took many lives. “A lot of my neighbors were distraught, mourning... I found myself wanting to help, but being a rowdy teenager at the time, I didn't really have much to offer. So... I winged it at first. I tried to help with chores, or bring food--those sorts of things. But there was one constant with those suffering; they talked, and I listened. Eventually, I would just go around, and let people speak to me. I tried not to offer advice, or hollow platitudes, and it struck a chord with them.” Encouraged by a friend, Mr. Hayden sought a degree and now holds a P.h.D, using his knowledge to help people move past trauma and live happily again.

After the Cataclysm, Mr. Hayden came to Stormwind and opened a small private practice within the city. Looking to help more people from all walks of life, Mr. Hayden was pleased to be offered an opportunity to do so within House Reinhardt’s Charity Clinic. The clinic is open daily and offers help to all, no matter their financial situation.

Mr. Hayden is passionate about helping others and described his therapy as mostly listening to his patients. “For the most part I employ what I learned in my youth; I listen. For the first several sessions, sometimes longer, sometimes shorter, I simply let them express themselves however they like. Some don't talk and I end up with staring matches for quite a long while, but most will, by the time we part ways, express gratitude. See, something that a lot of people suffering from some sort of trauma, or life changing event is that... no one listens to them. Whether it's because they themselves can't bring themselves to speak, or that they are surrounded by people only interested in themselves, they all tend to share this initial trait. It can be -such- a relief for many to have someone's ear. Someone listening intently, someone sympathetic and unbiased. A weight is lifted, they tell me."

Putting patients at ease is a priority as well as making sure there is compatibility between Mr. Hayden and the individual. He will refer to another therapist if that comfort level is not able to be established. “I try to discover what I can of them, from what they reveal to me, and offer a parallel about myself. Like attracts like; if we have something in common, they're far more likely to become comfortable with me. So, I tend to give a bit of myself to my patients, in order to put both of us at ease."

The results are important to Mr. Hayden, “Most that stick with me, and stick with our recovery plans, tend to return to the world at large and regain control of their lives. That's what it's about--regaining control. It's a joyous occasion, firing me. I am gladdened when I am no longer needed by a patient. It cheers me on to see a former patient out in the city, laughing, interacting, not affected by what plagued them.”

Therapy sessions are scheduled around the patient’s needs anywhere from an hour to two depending. "I schedule appointments with a bit of leeway between, of course. It's sensible. I wouldn't want to cut someone off if we reach a particular milestone or breakthrough because their time is up. So, yes, I will take as much time with someone as I can. This... can lead to late appointments for others, but I haven't had anyone too upset that I couldn't smooth over. I think in situations where someone finds themselves in my waiting room, they are a bit more understanding with delays. After all, I tell them, would they rather I cut off -their- session to keep a good timetable? Survivors of trauma tend to adopt a more tolerant outlook."

While Mr. Hayden admits therapy may not help in every situation, many find that an open ear is welcome when processing the trauma or depression they suffer from. Visit the clinic today to set your appointment and begin your healing process!

(OOC: This is an extended RP story line Cassidy is offering to any who wish to seek IC help for mental health issues. While primarily looking for RP in game, Skype/Discord RP is available as long as it is real time as he prefers not to have slower/longer term posts. The minimum would usually be about an hour of RP, but it can go far longer if the scene fits it. The RP would be long term because he is not out to wave a hand and 'cure' anyone's IC issues. It can be once a week or more, depending on availability , and he is not opposed to RPing with someone outside of the therapy office.

If you are interested in this sort of storyline, see his patient sign up post here https://counselorcassidy.tumblr.com/post/163254539043/opportunities-abound )

@counselorcassidy

#wra rp #rp #wra people #Risri

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greensunprincess · 7 years

Text

Triumphs as a Storyteller

I wanna talk about exalted a bit here, just because I had a surge of pride in our campaign:

First off, this campaign, which is nameless, mostly due to it being so hard to quantify, we seldom stay in one place long enough to name it after a place, the party is divisive enough to have naming it after a goal to be a little too complicated. . . so it’s just called Exalted. It should be noted there are multiple exalted campaigns being run, which everyone defines by their difference from MY Exalted (i.e. Scrub Exalted, Side Exalted, Bros-night Exalted). When we say “we’re running exalted” they mean my game, which I like.

Secondly, this one story has been running for FIVE YEARS. and I don’t mean that in game time. I mean in real time. In fact, only one of the players present at the beginning of the campaign is still in it (not counting me) and NONE of the starting party of Solars are still alive (One of them became part of Gaia, and so he continues to exist as a spirit but. . . he doesn’t count) The same circle is still together, however, tied together by a city they once saved and their past life memories.

Thirdly: In game time, enough time has passed for the newest Solar addition to be of age with one of the original Solar’s kids (the two of them started dating) The Solar who became part of Gaia has two daughters, who are old enough to be Queens of a different nation in their own right, and have kids of their own. There’s a lot of family based RP in it, and a lot of interesting coming of age stories, both of the characters and eventually their kids, allowing in game parallels which I love.

In terms of more blatant bragging, I’ve managed to tempt three seprate players into accepting an Akuma deal through honeyed tongue alone, even with them knowing that I’m mean and more than likely to compel them/ take control of their characters as Yozi can do. I’ve brought the entire table to tears at least a dozen times, and individual players to extreme emotional responses more than I can count(read: not just rage due to shitty gameplay, but character bleed), which is perhaps what I am most proud of.

In terms of pure events: We’ve had several people nearly sleep with Luna, someone HAS slept with Lilith, we once had our archer Night try and punch a Hekatonchire in the face. That same night then got bucked and thrown twenty miles, and survive. We had an airship crash into a manse the Solar’s had conquered, nearly destroying it. We had a battle against a giant river squid, and then a desperate attempt to detach a city from a underworld copy of itself, before the two merge and plummet into the void together. The Brave Archer Night caste saves a simple country doctor from an Infernal Trap. (Remember this, it will be important later! Date: early 2012) The Solars survive getting all their intimacies reversed, prompting them to turn on everyone and each other, and then having the city they were in tossed into the deep wyld. Our Twilight got so mad that someone stole his gun that he created a wagon that moved faster than sound to pursue them. Our token Lunar both impregnated someone and got pregnant in the same session. She then traveled across the world to acquire an artifact that controlled reincarnation so that a kind and sad ghost could reincarnate into the baby in her belly. The party accidentally summons Mercury into an Infernal trap, and both the Twilight and the Lunar bonded to him die in her defense. (And everyone was terrified of Shredderkin forevermore) Our dawn surfs on his sword on a wave of Lava, punches a tower out of the sky, and uses the Sun’s own laser to kill an Infernal. The party confronts Juggernaught and the mask of winters at the gates of Fallen Lookshy, and, with the brave and true sacrifice of the oldest remaining Solar (the same twilight who punched the Hekatonchire), manage to break the Mask’s mask, kill him, and team up with Lookshyan rangers, the Elemental Dragon of Air, and an Infernal Princess to destroy the walking fortress just before it turns Lookshy and half the scavenger lands into a Shadowland. During that same fight, our Dawn learns that he accidentally impregnated his shape-shifting dragon-horse mount, and she gives birth to a daughter literally ON Juggernaught’s back, whose mint-new soul is the perfect place for shards from the Mask’s broken soul to nestle. That same girl is kidnapped and tortured to death at age 10, and becomes a hideous Abyssal. Dawn swears by all that is holy that he will cure her. (this is also important date: late 2014 i think) The new Night Caste starts hate-dating the leader of all the Infernals, Hell’s top general, the leader of the Reclaimation. They get way too close, and actively avoid killing each other even though their armies are diametrically opposed. Party joins a war, helps the Brides of Ahlat overthrow their husband, and then they kill him. HIs manor is declared a cursed place after a party member dies horribly there. (And everyone is afraid of Ahlat’s manor forevermore, second only to shredderkin) Party raids a Realm Embassy, barely survives a battle against nearly two dozen dragon blooded, ends up fighting Anys Syn herself, escaping only because the dead Night caste’s mother is equally attached to the new night caste, and she happens to be a millennia old Sideral. Party escapes to Hell, where they adjudicate a domestic dispute between three Yozi. Dawn is given a carbon copy of his Abyssal daughter, but this one became a Solar instead. Everyone suspects the Ebon Dragon. Dawn adopts the spare daughter anyway, dares anyone to tell him she’s not his. Night’s hate date tells party she’s going to steal the US’s spear. Party rallies an entire nation to stop her, starts a war with the bull, fights a hundred battles only to lose horribly against her in the final moment. Turns out she only wanted it for one brief task, which she traded to Adorjan in exchange for curing her daughter of something horrible (Shredderkin is no longer insane! Still very scary) Less than a day later, Party fights a full circle of Abyssals lead by another Deathlord. Somehow wins, thanks to both strength of arms and the friends they made along the way. Turns out the simple country doctor was actually a third circle demon who fell in love with both Night Castes (Date of reveal: early 2017 - a four year con~!) Dawn redeems his daughter at the tail end of this fight. (Motivation achieved, only took three-ish years!)

. . . So yeah. I’m quite proud of this. I love exalted. Things have kind of ground to a halt recently, since we’ve been making the swap to 3rd ed, or rather, my own homebrew of 3rd ed. I’ve put more work and effort into this campaign then I have into the rest of my life combined (my transition not included)

#exalted #loooooooooooooong post #nobody is gonna read this #but #i needed to put this down in writing #So much has happened #It's like I've been running a vast world simulation in my head for years #it doesn't feel liek writing to me #it feels like just tuning into the sim and watching to see what other people are doing #and then telling the players about it #it writes itself #i wish my one talent was actually useful to making money #instead it's just #damn girl #you can write a roleplay like nobody's buisiness

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