#( ❀ — a quest started ; starter )

[ksksksrahrah]

[chainsawworld]

My little guy:]

[jga-dumpster-blog]

mfw someone brings up the "starter horse dies" audio...

[tamedstray]

@tadbitfooled | 𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐊𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒

❝How much have you had to drink?❞ —Gwenifar

An embarrassing amount. Vigor had somehow managed to drink too much and not enough. As a young man, he flirted with a few drinks when offered, mainly just to be polite. When he left that life behind, suddenly a nice Starburst Shandy is hard to come by in the wilderness, just when he actually wanted it. What Vigor didn't understand was how it managed to make him so miserable. Drinking was for loosening lips, or to be enjoyed before throwing oneself into lively dance. He should be dancing, roaring with laughter and enjoying the company after so many years alone. So why, instead, did he find himself pinned to the table, head in his hands, weighted down by his heavy heart? Another slip will fix it, even if the last one didn't, or the one before that.

      He moves slowly, barely raising his head as he turns towards Gwenifar's voice. Why'd it have to be her? She did not deserve to see him in such a pathetic state. The room rushes past his vision, even as he barely moves. His mind floods with too many voices, only adding to his own thoughts of shame and guilt, but it's hers, a voice so sweet and sensible, that grounds him.

      ❝Enough?❞ Vigor mumbles, faltering and ashamed. ❝Not enough to make me happy. Not enough to kill me. Just... enough.❞ He carefully rises from his seat, proving that he could at least keep himself steady, albeit with the aid of a nearby table. He wants to meet her gaze, hoping to see Gwenifar reassured and cleared of all worry, but he can't look her in the eye.

      ❝Please don't worry. I'm fine,❞ he pleads, ❝I'll— I'll go get some rest, I think.❞ He was conflicted, in desperate need of her company but racked by guilt, he could not let her see him like this. Besides, drink loosened tongues, and Vigor did not know how long he could keep his secrets any more. His past, his feelings, all things she deserved to know, and yet, she deserved better still.

[venalos-archived]

@tempestation

"C'mon, wake up!"

Was this the first time Ameth was careening towards the ground from high up in the sky? No. Neither would it be the last time.

Was this, however, the first time Ameth was falling from the heavens while his partner-in-crime was seemingly unresponsive? Absolutely.

"WAKE UP!!!"

With all the desperation one could imagine, he repeatedly clicked on the Poké Ball's central button, pressing it over and over with full knowledge that his life could literally depend on it. He paused to turn his gaze towards the rapidly-approaching ground -- a big mistake -- and he yelled before starting to click the button even faster than before, paired with furiously shaking the ball and even whacking it against his palm. Air rushed past him, whistling in his ears, and the ground came closer and closer.

He looked down again, down towards his rapidly-approaching fate. The Pokemon within the sphere was unresponsive, and there were no options. What else could Ameth have done in this precise moment other than gritting his teeth and shutting his eyes tight?

And to think, he could not even recall why he was falling to begin with...

[enemiesofinnocence]

"... Startin' to think that moogles would be better suited in a stew..."

[al-mayriti]

btw after four years i finally finished all data from my iberian-inspired fakemon region. if you even care

[fiilemade]

// tag dump

[gayrui]

Also remember when I first played da2 and actually DID softlock myself

[kavehitecture]

chat lets all b honest here…. should i pick genshin back up

[kyri45]

PREV / ALL / FIRST / NEXT (ISAT Sky: Cotl!AU!)

Wow the ratio is changing we are getting REAL SERIOUS NOW BOYS. (siffrin in the meantime is dying in Eded lmao)

So we reached officially the endgame. From now on, things will be more and more different from Sky. In a good way I promise. For starter, we aint getting spirit, we got real, breathing people because even though I adore the spirits it's just so sad sometimes that we are basically sorrounded by a bunch of ghosts.

Second, the starting of the Aviary season / quest as you can see is slightly different but more or less will be the same.

It's kind of funny. With the new update, new player now start the game here, while for old players, it was the isla the starting point. So the gang started the journey just like the old Sky player and then got jumpscared with another homespace.

[jesncin]

"Constantine: Distorted Illusions" Sure Did Distort My Illusions

When it comes to transformative art I always say, "changes are fine, it's what you say and do with those changes that I'm interested in." This is cape media, they're always reimagining things to tell new stories. So any notion of "accuracy" feels like non-starter arguments for me when discussing a text as nebulous as cape comics. That being said, what does cursed YA graphic novel "Constantine: Distorted Illusions" do with the many changes it makes to Hellblazer lore? Because I'm seeing all these surface level illusions (heheh) to Hellblazer but huge changes are made that undermine the radically punk text of the source material.

Bullet point review of thoughts below, sorry for exposing yall to ken doll Johnstantine again lmao, I just want a meta that goes beyond "I hate that he's pretty":

Let's get this out of the way, the writing is bad. I don't want anyone saying "it's because it's YA/for teens!" because there are fantastic YA graphic novels out there, heck even within DC that's the case (Girl Taking Over, read it). I've read middle grade graphic novels with stronger writing than this. The MG Constantine graphic novel is easily better.

The dialogue is generic and the character voices are not indistinct (if Kami Garcia believes that making John say "Bloody" and "brilliant" and "toss" makes him British, she is mistaken), the relationships are superficial and lack depth, the plot arguably doesn't start until over halfway through the story. I'd argue the story only really starts when Mucuous Membrane gets blacklisted from performing and John decides to summon a spirit for revenge. Otherwise the beginning half is such a drag of nothing.

The art. Compliment sandwich: It's a very appealing style that teens especially will really like. Isaac Goodheart's clearly very skilled in drawing fashion and hairstyles- which again, teens will love.

The not good art: it's the part where, in pursuit of making all the characters look model-level attractive, that it disrupts the momentum of the storytelling. John especially is drawn to be so handsome-squidward that he's rendered with these duck lips in every panel, it's haunting.

Like he's threatening to kiss the reader at any second (and I did not consent). But it isn't limited to John- all the characters have a "supermodel stiffness" that gets in the way of their acting. When someone is devastated, they can't ugly cry- they still have to look hot so they can't fully emote. It makes it hard to treat any emotional beat seriously when the characters are posing for a magazine cover every minute. Some pages felt more like pin ups than truly composing a moment for storytelling reasons. In their quest to make these characters hot, it made me incapable of connecting with them- because they're not emoting like people.

Second end of compliment sandwich for art: The colors are good (props to Ruth Reymond) and some of the layouts are inspired! The painterly pages especially look very cool.

I think Distorted Illusions' biggest sin and what makes it so antithetically Hellblazer (and not in the good way- I'm all for re-imaginings that challenge the source material) is this groveling to authority figures. OG Hellblazer is a punk text- John is a born and raised punk from the 80s to 90s, hates the rich and tricks Gods, Demons, and Devils with his wits. He humiliates beings of authority, proving how their pride gets the better of them. But in Distorted Illusions, John has to apologize and ask for help not just from his dad Thomas (canonically abusive in the og canon text)- but his stepdad and a magician he failed to apprentice under. They all come to help him after he apologizes for being reckless.

In contrast, the Hellblazer middle grade graphic novel "The Mystery of The Meanest Teacher- a Johnny Constantine Graphic Novel" actually understood this! Even for a graphic novel I would consider to be the most safe and commercial way to pitch Hellblazer to kids (it's comedic, plays it safe- sets the story in America, lighthearted), it is still inherently an anti-authority narrative. The plot there was for John and his friend to uncover why their teacher is targeting them as magic-user kids. Johnny uses his smarts to outsmart authority. It's a communal effort with similarly marginalized friends against a bigger threat.

Distorted Illusions on the other hand has John dawdle around in America for a while before he eventually messes up and has to come crying to his dad, stepdad, and teacher for help. A whole coven of magic users of authority just exorcize a demon out of John's hospitalized friend. There wasn't even any smarts involved. No trickery. They just "do powerful magic that John can't do because he doesn't train" and leave. Frankly, with the state of the writing, I don't think Garcia is clever enough to think of a classic Constantine silver tongued solution.

What I do think both the MG and YA graphic novel (and to an extent all of DC!Johnstantine) misunderstand about og Hellblazer is that,,, magic isn't inherently special in the world of Hellblazer. Sure John is from a bloodline of Laughing Magicians but there's plenty of Constantines that don't practice magic. One of the things that surprised me when reading the very first issue of Hellblazer was Gary Lester (John's Mucous Membrane band member and friend) performing an exorcism pretty casually. Tons of characters either dabble in occultish stuff or are experts, but it's framed as something anyone can do.

But then what makes John special then? I thought magic was his power? Well no, it never was. It was his smarts. And I believe that's key to keep in mind. Hellblazer is an anti-genre superhero text- no one person is picked to be exceptional. Anyone in Hellblazer can do magic. John's power is mundane but that's why he's a compelling character. It says anyone, even a working class drunkard can overcome powerful obstacles. When John is "a special birth magic boy" as a means to fit him into some kind of Harry Potter mold, it misses the point for me.

General diversity representation thoughts time. It's apparent that with any adaptation of old source material that "this time it's those characters again but more diverse" and sometimes those changes inform the characters (Girl Taking Over, my beloved) and other times it's diversity paint and the characters are interchangeable with their original counterparts (MAWS, my behated). For Distorted Illusions' case, this means adding more women, characters of color, and John being just a bit more outwardly bi (he just says a guy is hot and ended a relationship with a guy named "Liam" who we never see. It's scraps).

I'm torn here because as a reader of color who loves og Hellblazer but also occasionally finds it a frustrating read from its outdated portrayal of characters of color and general racism/colonialism plots, I turn to the more modern Hellblazer stories like maybe Spirit World or even Distorted Illusions for what I hoped are stories that handled characters of color better. Instead I end up annoyed because while og Hellblazer had outdated writing, those characters of colors' identity mattered to the history and context of the story. Their identities were politicized and therefore not interchangeable with whiteness.

Distorted Illusions wants you to praise it. "Look John has gal pals now! His best friend is a girl! His stepdad is a Black man, his mentor is a Black woman, and his love interest is a brown girl! Also John is definitely bi in this!" But if I changed all these characters to be white or straight people would the story really change that much? Were their identities integral to the narrative or who they are as people? Because they sure would be in og Hellblazer, even if sometimes poorly done- they certainly were trying.

And how diverse were those changes anyway? Distorted Illusions is already a pathetically un-punk text with how it grovels at authority, but we're in an era where there's more queer characters than ever- and yet we're still terrified of having mainline bi characters say the word "bisexual". John doesn't say he's bi in Distorted Illusions. He keeps saying he's punk, but unlike his friend Slaughter, he's not given outfits nearly as punk as him (John still has to look commercially attractive after all). He can't even wear his gay right earring. You're telling me a text from the 80s and 90s isn't afraid to say gay, lesbian, queen, f-g, and AIDS but comics in the modern day think calling a guy "hot" is enough? I'm tired. It's cowardice. Who needs the Don't Say Gay bill if we're already doing the censorship ourselves?

There's other insidious changes too. John's mom is alive (didn't die from childbirth like in canon) because I guess John needs more women in his life. Okay. Where's Cheryl (John's big sister) then? Why are we trying to fit John into a nuclear family structure so much? They live in this aesthetic cozy house because I guess the lower-working class upbringing og Hellblazer John grew up in just isn't aesthetic enough. John's bio dad, Thomas Constantine, isn't an amputee. He has two arms. Oh, but don't worry we have a magic user authority wizard woman in the end who is a wheel chair user. We did our disability rep quota! Because disability rep is only limited to what DC fandom recognizes as Oracle!Barbara.

It's transparent that while these are all more superficially diverse changes, they're all so palatably safe. John has gal pals because his occasional misogynist outbursts in his og Hellblazer run is just too messy. John doesn't have a single parent for most of his life, swapping households in extended family member's homes because that's too messy. What's the point then though? These changes don't challenge or innovate Hellblazer. All they're doing is fitting John into a commercial box.

And that's my general feelings towards Distorted Illusions. It's a continuing trend of superficial aesthetics that try to frame itself as more progressive than the original source material but falls flat on its handsome squidward face. It's easy to make fun of this book, the writing is bad, the yassification of John, and the "inaccuracies to Hellblazer" are all beaten like a dead horse. But there's other insidious stuff in Distorted Illusions' mediocrity. And it's worth examining as much as any other Hellblazer text.

[thatbirdrestaurant]

A deeply unnecessary analysis of NaLu and Natsu's feelings

I'm as much of a sucker for insta-love NaLu as the next guy, but I do genuinely believe it took these two a while to fall in love. I can't deny that there was an immediate attraction, especially on Lucy's end, and I do think romantic feelings have been stewing between the two of them since as early as season one, but the realization took a really long time to hit.

We'll start off talking about Lucy, because I have the least to say about her. I've said before that I think Lucy didn't realize she had feelings for Natsu until she realized she was in love with him, which was after the events of the Eclipse Gate. I can pinpoint the exact moment she realized; the moment right after, when her and Natsu are standing in the rubble, and she just starts crying before running to hug him. I think that's the moment she realized that she loves him, and she has for a while.

I believe it took so long for Lucy to realize because she grew up in a very sheltered environment. Her only exposure to typical teenage experiences that didn't involve arranged marriages was teen magazines; she knew what it felt like to be superficially attracted to someone, when someone was objectively attractive, and she's had crushes before, but never really been in love.

We're moving onto Natsu now, because I have the most to say about him by a landslide. For immediate starters, I don't really recognize 100 Year Quest; even though I love all the GruVia development within it, I find it to be a very unnecessary spin-off that doesn't respect its characters, especially Natsu. It's done horrible things for his maturity as a whole, including all the development with Lucy.

Natsu loves Lucy, that's something I've believed for a very long time, and he shows it in his actions more than anything. He's protective of her, he loves spending time with her and he's upset when she isn't around, and he wants to move Heaven and Earth for her. He has since pretty much day one.

But he doesn't realize he has feelings for her until their fight with Kain, and he doesn't even realize he's in love with her until he watches her (future self) die.

That doesn't sound right, though, does it? How can someone watch a scene like Natsu putting the rainbow sakura on a boat, just so Lucy can see it bloom, and think he doesn't realize he likes her until much, much later?

Natsu was raised in an environment where you would cut off both arms and a leg for your friends and family. Fairy Tail is a guild that values familial relationships and friendships more than anything. I truly believe that, to Natsu, most of the things he did for Lucy before the fight with Kain, he did with what he thought were platonic intentions.

On top of that, I do headcanon Natsu to be on the aromantic spectrum. He doesn't feel romantic attraction as "easily" as other people do, and he very seldom actually recognizes it as such. He knows what it is - how could he not, when surrounded by it so often - but he's never really felt it himself. Maybe he had a bit of a childhood crush on Lisanna, but that's stretching it thin. She was his best friend, that's for certain.

Natsu thinks he and Lucy are as normal as friends as anyone else in the guild, until she has the chance to leave him behind for her own safety, and she absolutely refuses. I cannot watch that scene without feeling like I'm watching Natsu fall in love, realize his feelings at the very least.

Another NaLu trope I'm an absolute sucker for is that Natsu thinks, and has thought, him and Lucy have been dating for quite some time. Do I realistically believe so? No, I don't.

I think, to some capacity, Natsu knows that Lucy loves him, too, the same way that he loves her, and I think he believes that's a mutual understanding. To Natsu, they both know how they feel, that they're in love, but they're not in a rush to discuss it, to put a label on it.

He knows they act like a couple, that people who pass them on the street see a boyfriend with his girlfriend, and that's enough for him at the moment.

Natsu and Lucy's final conversation before the end of the series was a confession. Hiro Mashima can pry this belief from my cold dead hands. That was Natsu's way of confessing his love for Lucy, his way of expressing that he wants them to be together forever, but he's still Natsu, and he still thinks Lucy knows he loves her.

Lucy is a very shy person; she gets flustered just from Natsu standing too close, and Natsu is already content with the two of them just existing near one another. Would he like to hug and kiss Lucy? Of course he would, but he doesn't need it.

Where him and Lucy are is already more than enough for him, he just, unfortunately, doesn't realize that Lucy isn't on the same page. She would like to be, though she doesn't even realize it, but she doesn't quite have the courage for it.

While I do think Lucy is pining for Natsu, I don't think she's doing so painfully. She gets flustered when people insinuate her and Natsu are a couple, as anyone would, but she doesn't seem very torn up about correcting people. She loves him, yes, but she's completely fine with just being his friend. She's grateful enough to have him in her life.

They're in this weird limbo of 'not a couple, but not just friends' because while they're not oblivious to their own feelings, they're oblivious to the impression the other has about their relationship. Natsu thinks they're dating, but are taking things slow; Lucy thinks they're just friends, but would love to be more.

[mclarensims]

**NEW** The Princess Peach Challenge 🍄👑

Starter house on the gallery: @AhriOW

Hi there, royal builder! Welcome to the Princess Peach Challenge for The Sims 4! 🌟 In this magical adventure, you’ll guide Peach through her journey to build a castle, grow her kingdom, and prove she’s the ultimate boss princess! 💕 Each phase is packed with fun goals, storytelling, and some epic building moments. So, grab your crown and let’s get started! 👑🎮

🌟 Setup

Before Peach can start her royal quest, we’ve gotta set the stage!

🏰 1. Manage Worlds:

Bulldoze and convert the Von Haunt Estate into a residential lot. (You’ll need the Venue Changes mod by Zerbu 🛠️).

Rename the lot: Mushroom Castle. 🍄✨

🌞 2. Lot Traits:

Add these magical traits to Peach’s new kingdom:

🌱 Great Soil (perfect for gardening!).

☀️ Sunny Aspect (keep it positive and happy).

🌬️ Bracing Breezes (gotta keep fit for all that adventuring!).

💸 3. Starting Funds:

Reduce Peach’s starting funds to 8,000 simoleons (even princesses have to budget sometimes 😅).

👸 4. Create Peach:

Aspiration: Friend of the World (because Peach is a sweetheart 💖).

Traits: Cheerful 😄, Good 💕, Outgoing 🌟.

Career: Politician (Charity Organizer branch) 💼✨.

🏡 5. The Royal Shed (aka Her Starter Home):

Peach starts her journey in a tiny shed (humble beginnings, am I right? 😅):

Inside: A basic bed, desk, chair, mini fridge, and a small bathroom (toilet, sink, shower ��).

Outside: A little garden patch for growing flowers and veggies 🌸🥕.

👑 Phase 1: Becoming a Princess

Peach is just starting out, full of dreams and determination! 🌟 This phase is all about laying the foundation for her role as a princess.

✨ Goals:

🌟 Career Goals:

Join the Politician career and reach Level 3.

Use your Charisma (Level 3) to deliver a speech on a community lot 🎤💬.

📚 Writing Goals:

Write and publish your first children’s book: The Toad Who Could 🐸📖.

Earn at least 500 simoleons in royalties.

🤝 Social Goals:

Make 5 friends to build your royal crew 👑✨.

🤝 Skill Goals:

Reach Level 3 Gardening Skill.

🏡 Building Goals:

Keep living in the Royal Shed for now—it’s not castle time yet!

🏰 Phase 2: Building the Ground Floor

Time to level up, literally! Peach starts constructing the ground floor of her castle while still living in her Royal Shed (progress takes time, bestie!).

🏗️ Construction Unlocks:

Build the following rooms:

Entrance Hallway: Add some cute flooring, wall lights, and maybe a rug or table ✨🪞.

Bathroom: Sink, toilet, and shower—basic but functional 🚿.

Kitchen: Fridge, stove, and one counter (no fancy upgrades yet, sorry! 🍳).

Dining Room: A dining table with four chairs (keep it simple for now 🪑).

Office: Desk, computer, and maybe a bookshelf for decor 📚💻.

Grand Staircase (Placeholder): Add a staircase to hint at future expansion—it doesn’t go anywhere yet, though 😅.

⛔ Restrictions:

Peach still has to live in the Royal Shed—no castle bedrooms yet!

Keep the decor modest (save the fancy stuff for later ✨).

✨ Goals:

🌟 Career Goals:

Reach Level 6 in the Politician career.

Use Charisma Level 5 to deliver another speech on a public lot 🎤.

Raise 2,000 simoleons for charity 💖.

📚 Writing Goals:

Publish 2 more children’s books: Piranha Plant Picnic 🪴 and Adventure Under the Mushroom Tree 🍄📖.

Earn 1,500 simoleons in total royalties.

🤝 Social Goals:

Make 10 friends—your kingdom is growing! 🥳.

Host a Silver-Level Dinner Party in your new Dining Room 🎉.

🏡 Building Goals:

Complete and furnish all ground floor rooms (keeping it basic, there will be upgrades!) 🏰.

👑 Phase 3: Expanding the Castle

The castle gets an upgrade, and Peach finally gets her own fancy bedroom! ✨

🏗️ Construction Unlocks:

Build the second floor, adding:

Princess’s Bedroom: Luxurious bed, vanity, and wardrobe—time to live like royalty! 👸🛏️.

Second-Floor Bathroom: Fancy fixtures, of course! 🚿🛁.

Royal Hallways: Connect those new rooms for a cohesive look.

Functional Grand Staircase: It finally works—no more pretending! 😅.

⛔ Restrictions:

Still no extravagant luxury items (save the chandeliers for Phase 4!).

✨ Goals:

🌟 Career Goals:

Reach Level 8 in the Politician career.

Host a public protest on a community lot ✊.

Raise 5,000 simoleons for charity 💖.

📚 Writing Goals:

Publish 2 more books: Royal Mushroom Adventures 🍄 and The Brave Garden Bloom 🌼📖.

Earn 3,500 simoleons in total royalties.

🤝 Social Goals:

Make 15 friends—Peach is becoming everyone’s favorite princess! 💕.

Host a Gold-Level Dinner Party in your castle 🎉.

🏡 Building Goals:

Move into your Princess Bedroom (bye-bye, Royal Shed for now! - do not delete it) and finish the second floor 🛏️.

👑 Phase 4: Restoring Royalty

Peach is thriving now, but there’s always room to level up! 🌟 This phase is all about making her castle shine, expanding the kingdom, and preparing for future challenges (Bowser might be lurking 👀).

🏗️ Construction Unlocks:

Time to add some extra flair to Peach’s castle:

Grand Banquet Room:

Upgrade the Dining Room into a banquet space fit for royalty. 👑

Add a large table (seats at least 8 Sims), fancy lighting (chandeliers, anyone? 💡✨), and decor.

Royal Garden Expansion:

Add 10 plants (flowers, fruits, or veggies—get creative 🌷🍓).

Include a fountain or pond and some outdoor seating for a peaceful vibe 🪷.

Royal Sitting Room:

Build a cozy living room with:

Plush sofas or armchairs 🛋️.

Optional fireplace for extra charm 🔥.

A creative hobby item like a chess table ♟️ or easel 🎨.

Servants’ Quarters:

Add a spare bedroom with basic furnishings (bed, side table, lamp).

⛔ Restrictions:

No building the third floor or any secret rooms yet—save that for Phase 5!

✨ Goals:

🌟 Career Goals:

Reach Level 9 in the Politician career.

Host a Gold-Level Royal Fundraiser or Charity Benefit Party in the Banquet Room 🎉💖.

Raise 8,000 simoleons for charity.

📚 Writing Goals:

Publish 2 more children’s books: Toad and the Great Fountain 🐸💦 and Peach’s Royal Banquet 🍑🍽️.

Earn 5,000 simoleons in total royalties (cumulative).

🤝 Social Goals:

Make 20 friends to show Peach’s growing popularity and beloved status 🌟.

Host a Gold-Level Social Event in the Banquet Room.

🏡 Building Goals:

Complete all new construction (Banquet Room, Royal Garden, Sitting Room, Servants’ Quarters).

Convert the Royal Shed into a greenhouse for gardening 🌱.

😱 Phase 5: Kidnapping and Self-Rescue

Plot twist! A villain (cough Bowser cough 🐢🔥) disrupts Peach’s perfect life by taking over her castle! Peach must now rise to the challenge, prove her independence, and reclaim her kingdom on her own terms. 💪👸

🏚️ Kidnapping Setup:

Story Setup:

Create a rival Sim (your Bowser equivalent) with traits like Mean, Hot-Headed, or Kleptomaniac 🥴.

Move this rival into Peach’s castle (using Manage Households) and lock the lot for Peach—she’s officially kicked out! 🚫🏰.

Peach moves to a rundown micro-home (maximum 32 tiles) on a tiny lot. Use cheats to reduce her funds to 1,000 simoleons.

Living Situation:

Build her new tiny home with only the bare essentials:

1 bed, mini fridge, toilet, shower, and a cheap desk with a broken-looking computer 💻💔.

Castle Rules:

Peach may not return to the castle or interact with it until she completes her self-rescue goals.

✨ Goals to Escape and Reclaim the Castle:

🌟 Career Goals:

Maintain her Politician career and reach Level 10 while living in her tiny home.

💪 Fitness Goals:

Max the Fitness skill (Level 10)—Peach has to train to defeat her rival 🏋️‍♀️💥.

📚 Writing Goals:

Write and publish 1 motivational book about overcoming obstacles: The Princess Who Saved Herself ✨📖.

Earn 2,000 simoleons in royalties during this phase.

🤝 Social Goals:

Befriend 2 new Sims in her new neighborhood to show her resilience.

Meet Mario (add him to the neighborhood!) and fall in love 💕.

💰 Earnings Goals:

Save up 15,000 simoleons through work, writing, painting, or gardening to “fund her escape.”

🎉 Reclaiming the Castle:

Once Peach completes her goals, she can return to her castle! 🏰✨ Here’s what she needs to do to fully reclaim her kingdom:

Defeat the Rival:

Win a Fight interaction against Bowser. Show him who’s boss! 💥👊

Host a “Reclaim the Kingdom” Party:

Throw a Gold-Level Party to celebrate her victory 🎉🍑.

🏗️ Unlockable Upgrades:

After reclaiming her castle, Peach gets to add some well-deserved luxury:

Secret Tower Room:

A hidden or private tower room with luxury decor (e.g., yoga mat, meditation stool, or vanity table). 🗝️✨

Expanded Bedrooms:

Add a fully decorated heir’s bedroom for the next generation 🌼.

Royal Garden Upgrades:

Add a gazebo, statues, or seating areas to reflect Peach’s triumph 🌷🪑.

Banquet Hall Enhancements:

Add extra elegance to the Banquet Room, like a piano or bar 🎹🍸.

🌸 Phase 6: The Legacy of the Princess

Peach has done it all—built her castle, defeated her rival, and earned her happily ever after. Now, it’s time to prepare the next generation (and wrap things up with a bow 🎀).

✨ Goals:

📚 Writing Goals:

Publish 1 final children’s book about her journey: The Legacy of the Mushroom Kingdom 🍄✨.

Earn 10,000 simoleons in total royalties (cumulative).

💕 Social Goals:

Marry Mario in a lavish wedding 💍🍑.

Make 20 total friends (symbolizing Peach’s beloved status).

Befriend 1 child or teen Sim (as a mentor to the next generation).

👶 Heir Goals:

Have at least 1 female child (Daisy), who will continue her legacy.

🏰 Final Castle Completion:

Peach’s castle must be 100% complete before her heir takes over:

Throne Room: Luxury furniture fit for royalty 👑.

Princess’s Bedroom: Fully upgraded and personalized 🌸.

Heir’s Bedroom: Ready for Daisy’s reign 🌼.

Banquet Hall: Lavishly furnished with chandeliers, a piano, and more 🎹.

Royal Garden: Includes a gazebo, fountain, and 10 Perfect-quality plants 🌷.

🎉 Farewell Celebration:

Before passing the crown to Daisy, Peach must host a Gold-Level Farewell Party to mark the end of her journey and the start of the heir’s! 🌟

Enjoy!!

[fountainpenguin]

sdflkj, Mumbo's Episode 3 is just one gut punch after another:

Logs in. Is dead. - "I was kicked when the server reset, leaving no death message... and no evidence."

Trotting around in confusion trying to figure out how he died. Returns to the scene of the crime. Confusing bits and pieces start rendering in. They answer nothing. He's shook.

Uses chickens on ropes for structural support

Tries to distract Iskall so he can sneakily add oodles of blocks to his base.

Decides the best way to enter his base is by dying and respawning. Designs a system for this.

Realizes he has no way to get items into his base. Designs an item launcher that fires things into it.

For unknown reasons, Mumbo plays a gag like 3 times in this episode where he pretends to be taking down and rebuilding his slime farm.

"Despite his glaring faults, I managed to not blast Ren."

Runs around, unable to find anyone with ice.

Chirps that he's shocked Scar is doing anything besides standing around all day blaring his train whistle.

Finally gets a silk touch pick off Scar. Leaves. Puts the pick in a chest and throws himself into lava.

Starts gaslighting Scar in the chat, claiming he died in a pool of lava that formed under ice. Scar keeps protesting this makes no sense and Mumbo keeps insisting this is what happened.

Disappointed Scar bribes him with a diamond block for Mumbo to replace the pick. Mumbo promptly gives it to him and laughs his head off.

"I must just exude poverty." - Mumbo, wearing a full suit.

Mumbo dying in order to access his starter base. He forgot to set spawn inside. He's stuck outside. It's Episode 3.

Mumbo on a quest to solve his own murder. Plays a bit of all the clues that led him to this conclusion, does his outro, and cuts to himself watching Tango's video where the murder occurred.

20-minute episode.

[cyten0]

Dragonfable was a big influence, but would you recommend playing it now?

Yes, absolutely, positively, 100%.

The game is constantly getting updates. Like. Once a week. It's got a really neat world and story and just about everything if I'm being perfectly honest. ESPECIALLY for what you would expect from what started as a 2006 free-to-play flash game. Like. Leagues better. Hell, it's better then a lot of games out there.

And unlike other Artix entertainment titles, it focuses a lot on actually staying a good game, and not just chunking out new content meaninglessly. (Looks at AQW. I love you Elegy of Madness but you are trapped in such a shit game)

Fuck, I gotta rant about it a bit.

Okay, for starters, the devs clearly CARE about the game being nice to play. I mentioned it has weekly updates, but not all of those are new quests or stuff, but quality of life or balance changes to keep the game interesting and fun. Like, they are even going back and revamping the original questlines just to add a bit more polish, like adding music to stuff from before music was even in the engine, or cleaning up dialogue. They make nice interfaces to help you find your way around the story, they give exploration, they ease the player into the complexities of the battle system, ect.

And it's also very friendly in other ways. LGTBQ+ friendly, and they mean it. Pride stuff up always, gender changes easily accessible and including NB options (not body types YET but considering they would have to make a new variation for every single armor type in the game to do so I don't blame them). Very accepting, nice community from what I've seen, both in and out of studio.

And the story. GODS I love the story. And the world. You start out as a fairly classic hero, saving the world from the evil bad guy, with prophecy on your side (Kind of?), things are a lovely mix of serious and silly that hits just right.... And then, after you've won? It keeps going. Because the world wasn't magically fixed. Because the battle has consequences, on both you and the world. What was once a playground becomes obviously more serious BECAUSE you won. The world is fleshed out, always HAS been, but your character never payed attention to it before things fall apart and running along with prophecy and skill no longer cuts it.

And god that's not even going into the absolute JOY of how it handles it's tie in's with other games. You don't NEED to play the other games but... Short answer is that the game is technically a form of post apocalypse from the Sci-fi spacefaring game, because you RESET REALITY and you start Dragonfable technically thousands of years after that one, in a whole other reality, and THE INSTANT AFTER IT ENDED. All at once. And it's not entirely gone. It's kinda still there. And you... you were the hero of that one too, and you don't remember. (Or do you? some things feel... familiar...)

Also it's art SLAPS. Both it's visuals (a 2-d sidescrolling game on a small crew is normally hard to pull off but Dragonfable is fucking beautiful) and it's music. I use dragonfable music for Symphony in Crimson for a REASON. There's SO MUCH OF It, and it's a lovely music of royalty free stuff from good artists, and in house music made across the entire Artix entertainment studio. And 90% of the time, Dragonfable uses it the best, across the various games.

Now, it IS technically a free to play game. and that comes with some connotations. But uh. I've really never seen a game handle it better then them? Free version covers the entire story and 83% of the gameplay, the 'full' version is a one time $20 purchase, and it's paid currency is mostly for cosmetics. Honestly? I wouldn't be surprised if the game is barely kept afloat with how generous it is. You can beat endgame bosses without paying a penny.

Overall, Dragonfable is one of those games that... feels like it would have died out years ago. Or wouldn't be able to exist in the modern market. But it's not, it's still here, and better, and gives me just... that little bit of hope? for stories and games and everything.

And again. It's story and world is wonderful. I cannot recommend it enough.