(what is less or more than a touch?) —walt whitman, song of myself, 30

There should be a fanfic writing game called the showrunners challenge where someone writes a story and partway through someone else can play things like "actor leaves after 4000 more words" or "topic now too politically sensitive due to unforeseen world events" or "lost rights to that reference"

I need this to be a real game right the hell now

I do not have the energy do do a full layout right now b/c it is kickstarter season and I am under water, but here's a prototype that can be solo-played (you can also have a friend just pick from the lists if you want that pvp feeling.)

Showrunner's Challenge By Runawaymarbles (also sorta by sprintingowl)

Begin writing a fanfic. It is a feature length television program being watched every week by thousands. There is no plan. The industry is in shambles. The writer's room is barely hanging on.

At the end of each chapter, roll a d12.

1 Everything at once. Roll twice, use both. If you get this again, keep rolling. Your only way out is to stop getting 1s. 2 Product placement! The next chapter must center (and subtly promote the features of) a product belonging to the most recent brand you've seen. 3 Fan favorite. Your most recently mentioned character (or named object) is now beloved by the audience. You must give it a bigger part in the story, a special destiny, or an important new romance or friendship. If you get this twice for the same character or object, the adoration cools and you must go back to treating the character or object normally. 4 Executive meddling. You must change to a different genre. You cannot go back to a genre until you have changed genres three times since then. 5 Audiences are craving more coziness. The next chapter must be completely low stakes and set you at ease. 6 Audiences are craving more suspense. The next chapter must take place entirely in a single location, ideally just a single room, and build tension with every exchange of dialog. 7 Audiences are craving more action. The next chapter needs to involve at least one extended fight scene, and the weapons must be the last three objects mentioned. 8 Audiences are craving more romance. The next chapter needs to involve a deep, sappy confession of either love or admiration between two characters that have not previously been romantically involved. 9 Go to the most recent line in your fic that references a brand. Due to ongoing legal action, that brand cannot be mentioned again, but you score 1 audience point every time you allude to it in a way that paints it in a negative light. 10 The two most recently mentioned characters' actors have, IRL, gone through a VERY messy divorce or friend breakup. You cannot put them in the same scene, but they must both remain relevant parts of the show. If you get this with the same two characters again, they reconcile. 11 The most recent negative event (stabbing, poisoning, banishment to jupiter) is now the center of a very real IRL news story. You must immediately pivot away from all plotlines involving it and, if possible, also find away to apologize for even thinking to include it without breaking character. 12 The most recently mentioned character's actor has decided to leave the show. You must write them out in the next chapter. If you are brave, also roll a d12. 1--6, they were well loved and their sendoff must be as flowery as possible. 7--12, they were despised by the cast and crew. Mulch them.

You win if you can complete the fic in a state of relative coherency.

Alternate Game Mode: TV Digest Version

Don't write full chapters, just summaries of what happens in each chapter.

Alternate Game Mode: Realism Edition

Start your fanfic with your own telling of the first episode of an existing show, then proceed from there.

some advice: if the next step seems too big, it's not the next step

Hi! Im Hank, also known as Pansy Leatherwork. I'm a fat, butch, tgurl leatherworker based out of Chicago. I started working with leather last June after working a retail position at a large leather shop in my city. One of the big things that led me to leave that job is how they thought they were making stuff that was inclusive to everyone but just frankly... weren't

Where was the stuff for the transsexuals, the fat bitches, the girlies getting paid $15/hr, the freaks that make up the actual communities I exist as part of?, the freaks like me? So I put in my two weeks, started doing phone sex again to cover my bills, and bought some tools and got to learning

Now, just under a year out, I'm genuinely astonished at how well my work has been received. I operate on sliding scale, even on my website, and getting to hear how my stuff gets used or seeing it in action genuinely fills me with an amount of joy I can't properly express.

If what I do seems interesting to you, you can check out my work at Pansy-Leatherwork.com or my Instagram, @pansy.leatherwork

Listen to me!!

No, really, listen to me

I did not scroll back through 2 hours of posts just for you to ignore this.

Take a second to look at her site

These leather prices are great. Downright criminal even.

You see those beautiful, hand painted CUSTOM stamped collars? That shit would usually be EASILY 100 bucks

Those collars are 70 dollars max and have a sliding scale down to 45

Do you know how insane that is??? Do you know how insane it is that that quality is available practically at cost if you’re struggling???

CHECK OUT HER SHIT AND REBLOG IT TO SPREAD IT.

Pay as high as you can to make this something she can continue to do for others.

Shipping fictional characters isn’t representative of your moral values. It’s representative of your particular psychic damage and the themes and motifs that haunt you. Hope this helps.

Lots of folks interpreting this post as "your fave ship dynamic = your trauma/what you seek in relationships" and while I am charmed by that interpretation I must impress upon the reader that no.

Sometimes the themes simply grip you like the hand of a capricious god and demand you make art. Sometimes the motifs appear to you fully formed in visions, compelling you to write fic. Sometimes, things are just hot.

my first act as president is very small electric shocks for people who censor written swears in screencaps

You know, regardless of Buddie and queer Eddie and all of that, I just really need Chris to tell Eddie he doesn't need a new mom

Will looking like the statue of David will forever be my Roman Empire because you know Hannibal thought it too

god damn

Ten years. Ten years I’ve been seeing this wonderful art piece, and STILL our minimum wage REMAINS at 7.25/hour.

Meanwhile, the cost of living has easily tripled.

And minimum wage wasn’t enough to cover it even before.

This is UNCANNY.

@vurelly

This genre of re-enactment of video game logic/bugs/behaviour will never cease to be immensely funny

Not to mention everyone who does it is so insanely talented at portraying not only the vibes, but being dead on with the motion. I mean the courier in this alone has amazing core strength and rag dolls the EXACT way that bodies do in game. It’s honestly incredible.

I was born sick, but I love it; command me to be well.

They should make an alternate version of boba tea called kiki tea and its filled with spikes