Gentle reminder that avina is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns!
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Ooops, my bad. I REALLY haven’t met Avina, have I? XD
Edited. 
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Is there a nonbinary version of Mary Sue/Gary Stu? I would make one up, but it’d probably be seen as offensive because I have no lucky being funny and not offending people at the same time…
And I use “mean girl” for guys, too, so… it’s just the vibe, not a gender thing.
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Haven’t checked the forum in a while, but it’s good to see some things never change sdfks the seven hate still going strong. My controversial pookie.
Hello y’all, hope everyone’s doing good. Dumb question, but was there an update recently? (since the title remains unchanged I can never tell)
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Nope
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No update but there have been a few valentines shorts put up on patreon. Also the reason the title doesn’t change on the forums is that Amy doesn’t really come on here much…there are a few reasons why I guess but yeah I try and update when I can if I see something on tumblr or whatever lol
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Is it wrong that I really love Blake and how straightforward he is? Like he will straight up tell you he wants to destroy you, antagonises your friends, but will flirt and joke, and even be friendly at times. Seems like he just does as he feels, says what he wants, etc. It’s kinda refreshing for someone like me (and my MCs who always end up a version of myself) who cannot read between lines or social subtleties.
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Blake is totally contrived about G so i can’t say i see them as a really straightforward person. In fact, most of their behavior comes across as performance more than anything.
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Blake is my favourite RO in Infamous, so it’s everyone else who’s wrong.
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I’m not sure about the G thing, I understood that Blake’s angry at G about something in their shared past and wants to antagonise them, so it felt straightforward to me. Maybe straightforward wasn’t the right word to use.
I think the best way I can describe what I mean is that they seem more honest in how they interact with the MC, no emotional whiplash, as in I’m not guessing what they really mean or how they are actually feeling as I am with other characters, which makes my MC feel less anxious around them.
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The thing is, i’m not sure if what Blake is doing is so much straightforward antagonization, and not a bratty attempt to get G’s attention, which they’ve used to have and want again.
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Ah, see I never even thought of that. That would be interesting.
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Note that this would run DIRECTLY counter what Blake tells you when you (unsuccessfully) try to call the parents on the bus.
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It is something changed in the updated version? The public demo only has Blake do a bit of their usual posturing and then fuck off in that scene, as far as i can tell.
Hmm must be a different scene later i forgot about. The one i do remember is right after boarding the bus, when MC tries to call, gets no response and then Blake shows up all like “aww, is the wet cat cryyyyyying?” then goes “uh okay i didn’t mean to mock you that hard, y’know” and leaves.
In any case, Blake (or people in general) telling stuff is one thing and actually practicing themselves what they preach is another, so i wouldn’t consider potential contradiction between words and actions an impossibility here. If anything, it’d align with my reading of Blake coming across as contrived about the whole G thing. But you could be right, of course, and maybe it’s my impression that’s off.
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I only played the public demo. What I got in that scene was this:
After you try to reach the parents, go straight to voice mail and the MC starts looking out the bus with various degrees of despondency, UW shows up (well, if you bussed with them, obviously). There’s this awkward beat and then one of UW nudges Blake to keep going, but she signals them to go on without her. Once they’re out of earshot, Blake goes (paraphrased, obviously): “look man, I dunno who was on the other side of that call, but you reached out. That’s your due diligence done, now it’s their choice on whether to call back or not. And if they don’t, fuck them, they’re not worth your time.”
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@JBento @fsix the new patreon demo only goes up to the end of chapter 1 so far.
So just before mc steps onto the bus lol
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It’s been pointed out in the text and the Tumblr that seven went on sleeping/dating with people in mc’s social circle. Making sure to be seen on camera with other people so mc knows that they’re doing well without the them. they also ghosted the mc for a month before eventually breaking up. They also get hurt when you choose not to bus with their band when they explicitly told you to stay away. I don’t know if thats emotionally abusive but seven is fond of playing mind games with the mc lol.
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Welcome aboard the Blake express. They are my favourite too lol. I like how straight forward they are. The rest of the cast too tangled up in their own messes, Blake is like a breath of fresh air. I don’t think they even hate the mc. Their suspicions seem very much valid to me. (Because I too think G chose mc’s band so that Blake doesn’t get a chance to be in BoTB) Love how they are willing to act civil to a certain degree. (I personally find their snide remarks funny)
Their band is also very much cool. Literally such chill people. I would love to see more of UWB.
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Oh yes I completely agree with you. What G said in the dressing room after the auditions seems like Blake has valid suspicions.
I’m a fan of the remarks too, I love that I can be sassy to Blake and not feel bad cos they’ll give it right back.
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Infamous is probably the best IF I have ever read, and then some more, for its remarkable power to place my respiratory faculties in a crushing vice-grip. In spite of this condition, my heart felt liable to leap out of my chest at a moment’s notice with each scene. I can’t remember the last time a written work of fiction affected me so viscerally. The strangest thing of all is how I long for that suffocating pressure to return and fill the emptiness in its wake. It was decidedly disagreeable, and I reveled in each second of it. Has there always resided a fiendish craving for debilitating angst in the depths of my psyche? I only know that you have awakened it and I painfully need more.
Some part of me suspects my adoration stems from how relatable the story is. It’s odd to say this, but here I am in my late 20s like the MC/ROs. Still grieving the lost years of COVID. Still coming to terms with how different life is now compared to before. The starry-eyed hopes of post-graduation plans have faded into cooling embers. People have passed through my life in either directions. A whole chapter in life slipped through my hands and I never got to say goodbye. The world itself seems to stray farther off kilter each year. Everything is in motion and so I am. I stay the course, though I know neither direction nor destination. One thing I do know is that it’s a farcry from what I imagined a short few years ago or even in high school, though that part of my life is gradually retreating into a rosy tint. I am a fish out of water, wistfully reflecting on what was and what may be in between the staccatoed back and forth as I try to flip myself from the bank and back into the river that flows to who knows where. Kinda like the MC? Yeah? No…? Pffft…
The MC is likewise in a completely new environment. They are better off (?) yet can’t shake the urge to gaze back, longing for a simpler and purer time. Things can never be the same; some scars never heal and the road ahead may hold more in store. The journey they are on will force them to grow and who knows if they will be recognisable at the end of the road? Who knows if any of it will be worth it? But there is nothing to do but to keep marching. Even with all that said, they never lose their rock in life. Their music. Their childhood friends. Their dream. These priceless gifts that too many in the real world never had or struggle to rediscover. I think this is the beauty at the heart of the story that makes it so captivating; so poignant for those of us who have bumped shoulders with the quarter-life crisis. (Oh dear, I have fatally outed myself as a Seven masochist haven’t I?)
I want to thank you for producing such a work that would evoke this introspection within me, intentionally or not. In all forms, the nature of art strikes deep at our souls and compells us to feel. To this end, I pronounce a marvelous success, at least for this reader
PS:
Creative reading demands my undivided attention. Music is normally a distraction when I read. However, I found that listening to the songs of the bands which inspired my MCs band as I read greatly amplified my breadth of emotion, and set the perfect mood for immersing myself in the role as a member of a band. I most enjoyed the juxtaposition of writing songs for an upbeat dance genre (indie rock/synthpop) all the while contending with the inner turmoil of the story’s events.
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