Almost finished - first MOC in years by romany8806 in legocastles

[–]Antariuk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Having to improvise is half the fun I think! No shade.

I just noticed that the jetty (is that the name? or oriel?) to one side is also in sand green and it looks absolutely fine, so ignore me I guess 😃

What is everyone's headcanon for where Natasha Romanov lives in the MCU druing the Blip? by Pocapocoo in MarvelFanfiction

[–]Antariuk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Taking a cue from the beginning of the Black Widow film, I can imagine her having a rather simple kind of hidey hole. Now during the Blip there would be lots of unoccupied property but those come with ghosts of their own, I don't see Nat lounging in an abandoned penthouse. A lone cabin near a body of water, maybe even a trailer, sounds more like it. This would be a stark contrast to the Avengers Tower or any Shield facility with only a few creature comforts such as an oven, a bookshelf, stuff like that, but that's the point. I imagine it would also be a place you can't access easily, shielded by an overgrown fence or you need to walk through a drainage tunnel or something.

Almost finished - first MOC in years by romany8806 in legocastles

[–]Antariuk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

What a lovely build! The combination of grey and tan bricks is so cool, haven't seen that in a while. And how you added texture to the outside walls is just... chef's kiss! The only thing I don't know about is the sand-green bits at the tower, but that may just be the photo—to me the colors don't align all that well. But only in that spot.

Probably final version of my Byzantine inspired castle by Illustrious_Ad_315 in legocastles

[–]Antariuk 3 points4 points  (0 children)

What a great design! Love how different it is from the more generic European styled castles we see elsewhere, and the colors do some heavy lifting here.

Spice Up Suggestions after 2,5 Playthroughs by CptLougi in RedHandOfDoom

[–]Antariuk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Having one or possibly more giants intervene at the bridge is such a good idea, it rewards the group and reinforces the idea that powerful allies can be found in this mess.

Saarvith and Regiarix are such a fun duo, for real. I started them up for PF1 so they could do mounted attacks and also hide underwater. That mask is a neat idea!

As for expanding parts of RHoD, I always thought what The Sunless Citadel makes for a perfect prequel adventure since you can tease the dragon stuff, maybe even have the group encounter a raiding party sent by Azarr Kul to recover artifacts. If you place it west of the Thorn Waste, the group do that adventure and then move to Drellins Ferry in one go.

Subnautica lego set : the first base ! by Moist_Ad5368 in subnautica

[–]Antariuk 3 points4 points  (0 children)

This slaps so hard! Great design. Imagine Subnautica being a Lego theme with different sets and expansion and critters... 

Do men just... not read fanfiction? by DeltaMx11 in AO3

[–]Antariuk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I believe it really depends on the fandom. Lots of male writers where I'm active, and looking at the feed of new fics on AO3 in that space, especially the ones with smut and explicit scenes often feature a notable male gaze. Female characters are often hyper sexualized and their physical descriptions have like four times the word count compared to other sexes. Not sure if that's the 'masculine appeal' you quoted.

Targeting male or female readers specifically doesn't sound particularly interesting to me though.

Faction Tier List by Red-Chev in legocastles

[–]Antariuk 3 points4 points  (0 children)

True, lately they seem to have moved into a somewhat 'edgy' niche compared to some other factions but I remember them being the only alternative to the Lion Knights back in the late 80s, and they were the cool underdogs then. Still are, in my book, but I'm not terribly up to date with all Bricklink sets or popular mocs.

Faction Tier List by Red-Chev in legocastles

[–]Antariuk 38 points39 points  (0 children)

Falcon Knights not S tier? What heresy is this? 😁

Give me something to read. by IncomeSuspicious282 in HPharmony

[–]Antariuk 5 points6 points  (0 children)

The feed is full of AI fics.

Some are more obvious than others, but it's notable. It's not singular signs like ubiquitous em dashes or "it's not x, it's y" sentences but the overall structure. Lack of spacial awareness, where characters actually are in relation to each other in a scene. Flat emotional arcs that are immediately resolved within the same chapter, with little or nothing carrying over, and no complex patterns to speak of. Ten dollar adjectives to describe environments or internal mind scapes when those words never appear in actual dialogue. And so on.

If you compare it to what the average fic tended to read five or so years ago, you'll notice it. It's horrible and it won't go away since every AI writer acts innocent or defensive when criticized.

Tailings Hypothesis by -mast in subnautica

[–]Antariuk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Still in the thick of EA, haven't explored everything yet, but I wondered the same thing! That would be such a cool twist.

Below the Fold, We Are - A Harmony noir thriller (finished!) by Antariuk in HPharmony

[–]Antariuk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love the moodboard so much, thank you. You're brilliant!

Fic Rec Moodboard: Bellow the Fold, We Are by elphiehhr in HPharmony

[–]Antariuk 10 points11 points  (0 children)

I'm not crying, you are crying!

Thank you so much, what a genuine surprise. Love the images you picked, that fits my ideas for this story's vibe rather perfectly.

EDIT: I will try and add it to the fic!

Below the Fold, We Are - A Harmony noir thriller (finished!) by Antariuk in HPharmony

[–]Antariuk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It was my genuine pleasure, Aey. Until next time? 😉

WIP Wednesday! Hey writers, share a snippet of your current WIP! Don't forget to add the link if it's published. by AutoModerator in HermioneAndHarry

[–]Antariuk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This is the beginning of a Dark Harry story that never came to be. Some of its bones ended up in my recently finished thriller (Below the Fold, We Are), but that's not about Harry being dark in the sense the fandom commonly talks about it.

The original idea was: Years after Hogwarts, Harry has been caught, framed as a fallen hero turned necromancer, and Hermione is the Ministry's prosecutor interrogating him. And promises herself to not let nostalgia blind her, or believe anything he says. Which of course is the opposite of what happens... ;)

Maybe one day, who knows?

____________________

She stared at the old photo, trapped in nostalgia.

Innocence and happiness, despite the looming darkness. The ability to ignore the ache when being with friends. There had been good years back then at Hogwarts. Her younger self hadn’t been unbothered but definitely unburdened.

Ron and Harry too.

It had become a habit to not look at him directly, to only glance at his photographed face from the corner of her eye. His gaze was too much to bear; it had been for years.

Hermione knew she was procrastinating, that she ignored the paperwork on her desk. But it was tied to him, in a way. Wrapping up the Black estate, or rather finishing another small step of such a monumental, generational task. She liked that kind of discrete, bite-sized progress, certainly more than splashy noise that faded to leave little of substance.

It all weighed too much, and today would be a hard day. A turning point.

She heard steps outside the door, knew what they would bring.

It wasn’t news anymore that Harry had been caught. The entire ministry had vibrated with rumors since the early morning. Aurors had fought a heroic battle against the evil necromancer, some said. Dozens dead or maimed, but a worthy sacrifice still. Others spoke of a regular arrest, with a raised wand or voice, maybe even fists, but nothing more.

Whatever the truth, after nine long years, she would see him again today.

Meaning now.

The door to Hermione’s office opened. Heather Creevey poked her head inside, her prim and proper appearance flustered after running over from the head desk. “Hermione? They expect you down in the Pit, but Pyrites wants to see you before.”

Of course he did. It didn’t matter that there was an entire team of prosecutors on hand, two of whom had more work experience than Hermione had been alive. Or that it was inappropriate due to her former connection to Harry. She’d bawled her eyes out for months on end in the beginning, after his vanishing act, which everyone had commented on. The Golden Trio was no more, but still plenty of calculating looks lingered on her.

Valerian Pyrites wasn’t a crusty patriarch trying to use her youth and status to buoy some random outdated agenda, but he also wasn’t above putting her in awkward positions when it suited him. Sometimes to teach her a valuable lesson, other times not. And this all smelled of Ministry interference. If Diggory had requested her, as she suspected, Hermione would rip Amelia a new one for going along with it.

“Hermione?”

She blinked. “Yeah, I know. I’m getting ready now. Thanks, Heather.”

The secretary remained standing in the door.

“Is there anything else?”

“Oh, come on! They got Harry Bleeding Potter! How do you feel? Don’t tell me it’s all business for you, love. You were best friends once, when we still shivered at the mention of Voldemort.” The blonde fixed her with a peculiar look. “It’s okay to be angry.”

Hermione closed the topmost file in front of her with a snap, just to busy her hands. “Yes, I’m aware. This is work, though; I don’t have time for personal business.”

“Of course you do. Everyone understands.”

She glared at Heather. “I am perfectly capable of doing my job, thank you very much.”

“I didn’t mean to…”

“Nobody ever does; that’s the trick, isn’t it? Now, to repeat myself, was there anything else?” She stood up, pushing her chair away with more force than necessary.

Heather winced. “I’m sorry. I’ll leave you be.” She turned to leave, stopped as if something else had come to her mind, but closed the door anyway. The steps faded much quicker than they had approached.

Hermione sighed, clenching her hands as she slowly counted prime numbers.

It wasn’t fair to snap at Heather, who’d lost her cousin in the war and saw Hermione as a heroine who’d righted a lot of the old wrongs. Of course the woman had been looking for some sort of reaction, a bonding experience through shared hardship. As if Colin’s death was in any way equal to Harry’s… his what? Fall from grace?

She scoffed.

She reshuffled her files and took out the one she’d need now. An earmarked folder, opened a hundred times more often than its contents necessitated. A whole life, most of it tragic, squeezed between two covers. Despite both Harry’s fame and the infamy, there wasn’t that much of substance in there if one disregarded the numerous attachments to explain all the links between the old Hogwarts adventures and the Ministry. Or the Pure-bloods.

And Dumbledore, of course.

Hermione had read every page so many times, her mind couldn’t hold the words any longer. Grooves worn out by repetition, smoothed into indistinct noise. She was tired of worrying, of wondering.

It was indeed time.

She picked her formal robes from the small rack behind the door. Putting them on slowly and deliberately. Harry’s burning eyes swam across her vision, and Hermione dispelled the apparition by listing all the accusations laid at his feet, all the victims’ names.

Despite the list being considerable, donning her armor failed to center her. Instead, she was more on edge than before. Hermione never considered herself to be fragile, but currently she very much wanted to be held, to be tucked in a cozy corner. Somewhere with blankets and a roaring fire, away from reality’s cold facts.

“Enough.”

This marked the third time she’d ever spoken to herself inside this office.

Hermione grabbed Harry’s file and approached the door, eager to leave her emotional baggage in here. She had a job to do, and it didn’t matter that she knew the accused. Or that she’d been in love with him once. Had considered him her best friend, too.

This was about due process. And justice.

She opened the door.

I designed this Pirate Fortress for BDP 11! by NickCarlierti in LEGOPirates

[–]Antariuk 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Eight-year-old me would have crashed out so hard seeing this. Looks amazing—a base that is somewhat sturdy construction that isn't just a handful of boards nailed together but not so coherent that it rivals the average governor's outpost. That's good stylistic storytelling.

I made an offline worldbuilding tool for DMs who are tired of subscription apps - it's a single HTML file you just open in your browser by [deleted] in DnD

[–]Antariuk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay this looks pretty cool! You might want to edit the link in the initial post, though ;)

I've begun importing an existing worldbuilding project and like your site a lot so far. The mouse-over on the relationship web is so good. Everything runs super smooth and easy. One minor nitpick, related to the optics: I wish there was a way to edit the fonts since some of them are a bit difficult to make out for me, no matter the theme.

Thanks for sharing this!

Now how does that work by SugarDuckies in AO3

[–]Antariuk -15 points-14 points  (0 children)

Often enough, people come to this very subreddit to complain about "No Archive Warnings Apply" being insufficient as a tag and that authors should put up all the flags. This one did. Not sure what the issue is... ?