#HE IS THERE WAS EACH GAME EVERY FUNCTION!! even if its season time

[saexy]

sae baby,, you were meant to be a dad, he's such a anatural with kids, my chest is all floofed w thoughts... I feel our kids would have icecream parties instead of tea parties.. dining in little sundaes in teh evening, his daughters are fancyy schmancy, opening lil ice cream parlours and tehyd bring him his fav flavours.. sometimes he gets real iceceam,, oh and weekeneds, we make ice cream from scracth, its now a ritual.. He dadsss so hard!! MY HEARTTT IS WEAK. <3

[murfeelee]

TS3 vs TS4 Features - Supernatural

I saw @moonbiscuitsims' comment here about how EA added "way more features" in their TS4 occult packs, and I wanted to talk about it in depth, cuz that's a misleading statement. Y'all know TS4's my trigger.

Cuz yes, on paper, EA offers a LOT of stuff in TS4 packs. But the saying goes: as broad as an ocean and as deep as a puddle. 😬 QUALITY, versus QUANTITY, which is crucial for replayability, customization, variability, and ultimate longevity. And another thing is the TIMEFRAME that that content was released. Sure, if it takes you 10 years to develop/dripfeed your frikkin game, ofc you can add more content over more packs; than if you'd just stuck to ONE dedicated pack, developed it in 1-2 years, and given people arguably BETTER, if not MORE content.

My gut reaction's to say EA had BETTER be offering more content! 😤 Not even to justify the ridiculous pricetag or anything, but for the simple fact that TS4's supposed to be NEXT GEN. It's SUPPOSED to be bigger & better than everything that came before it. Why are we sitting here for 10 years with TS4 if it ain't gonna increase ANYTHING but my rising blood pressure & trust issues?!

So Imma just examine TS3 SN in comparison with TS4's packs, and give my take on what's been going on, from 2012 (SN EP) to now.

Missing Features: TS4 Fairies

A fairy was the very first sim I ever made in TS3 back in 2009 (my avatar sim, Sakura). Watching the SN announcement trailer for the first time dang near made me cry. TS4 could never; moving on.

Missing Features: TS4 Zombies & Toadsims

TS4 Tragic Clowns are a W for the apple juggling & costume. I think EA was lazy by slacking on the clown just cuz he's already dead in Sunset Valley; and I guess they don't expect players to resurrect his ghost. SN EP did nothing to actually improve/expand him, just creating the alchemy Clown Potion; I guess to better integrate fishing the Clownfish into the lore.

TS4 Vampires GP (2017)

This is an easy one. I've said since TS3 Late Night EP (2010) that TS3's vampires are utter dogtrash, and the SN EP did eff all to patch/improve them, and I will die on that hill (until someone figures out how to give convert TS4's functional coffins & vampire fights & special FX). Compared to every other occult, I have more mods installed just to try to fix how effing busted & stupid vamps are; and these sparkling Twilight dumb AF bloodsuckers STILL get on my dang nerves.

IMO, TS4 Vampires is hands down the best pack EA ever made for TS4. 10/10, the attention they put in that pack outclasses darn near everything else they did until TS4 Seasons. Undisputed W, yes. 👏

TS4 Realm of Magic GP (2019)

Disputed W. I gave it an 8/10 at BEST, cuz magic/fantasy's a win, but I am disappointed. If this had been a home run for EA, I'd've shut my dang mouth, ISTG. But alas. I went on a long AF tirade against RoM when I realized that a lot of its so-called "new" features were things we could already do in TS4, with a flashy coat of paint--let alone things TS3 & the SN EP did, and better. Some things I didn't mention though:

Muggles who ask spellcasters how to do magic are sent on a fetch quest for Magic Motes, which is EXACTLY what the ITF EP Time Traveler occult Emit Revelart makes normies do to, finding Power Cells to learn how to use the Time Portal.

The Witch's perks/ranks system works just like the Vampires one, so kudos to EA for not fixing something that ain't broke I guess.

The Spells: At MTS I actually broke down what each of TS4's spellcasters do that's largely nothing sims couldn't do in TS3, even before SN came out (via SHT Genies or SSNS Aliens, or the Store).

TS3 Witches (let alone other lifestates) can do most of this either through alchemy or inherited features from older TS3 packs. This was a huge RoM dealbreaker for me, as I'd been hoping for WAY more innovative features in TS4's spells--the whole point of Spellcasters--than just an elaborate set of cheats. TS3's Witch's main features are fewer, but far more cohesive, IMO. (Granted, NONE of the packs holds a single candle to the GOAT that is TS1's Makin Magic, which had WAY more features than TS2, TS3 & TS4; and was CHEAPER. But I digress.)

There's no unique features with TS3/TS4 wands; they act the same way; the effects are just different, and TBH I'm not a fan of either--I wish wand/magic FXs could be modded in different colors at least (like BLACK 😈). But I DO like that in TS4 they can duel for rewards.

TS4 brooms do EFF ALL in a closed world; EA made them exactly they way they were in TS2, with zero innovation. (IIRC kids can't even use them--EA's hatred for kids & elders ALMOST matches MY hatred of EA.)

IMO beekeeping doesn't count, cuz TS3 included it as a small feature for alchemy ingredients in the SN EP, while TS4 integrated it far better in SSNS to work with gardening, which is genius.

Speaking of SSNS, there's the Weather Stone that only appears if you have both SN & SSNS, so occults can conjure magical weather effects over the whole world. (I'll talk about the best perk under Crystals SP.)

Familiars are the certified W for me with RoM. They're the best & most unique & most well-thought out & feature of the GP, IMO. ❤️

Extra TS4 features I think are supremely cool are spellcasters' books floating whenever they read anything. And their cauldrons have much cooler animations, and I'm so jealous that y'all can cook food in them; EA should've added that to the Store Cauldron, although I guess I understand why they didn't in the SN EP Alchemy Cauldron.

A lot of RoM's features are wrapped around Glimmerbrook. Access to Glimmerbrook comes with the Glimmer Stone key--and I WOULD use that as a segue into the Crystals SP, but I'll hold off. I already vented about Glimmerbrook in my Werewolves GP rant--but I'll get to that in a minute, too. The bigger issue is what even constitutes a TS4 "world"--those non-customizeable tiny AF clusters of tiny AF lots and huge swaths of decorative set dressing--let alone the Diagon Alley ripoff EA loves promoting like I was born yesterday and never saw Harry Potter. GORGEOUS realm, of course, like many EA worlds are. But they're largely just set-dressing, which irritates me to no end.

TS4 Paranormal SP (2021)

I've ranted & raved about Paranormal before: 7/10 at best.

TS4 Seances with the crystal ball work very differently from TS3's Soothsayer's Crystal Ball, which wasn't about banishing ghosts, but improving progression for SN's Witches & Fortune Telling (career). Fortune Telling's NOT a ghostly job, although the boho aesthetic carried over to TS4 Paranormal. (On top of the fact that they promised this whole NOLA Voodoo vibe, but delivered ZERO cultural accurate features reflecting ANYTHING from Haitian Voodoo, wtf? It's all hippie boho New Age BS--why TF does the tutorial ghost look more like Johnny Depp and less like Dr. Facilier, I ask you, EA.) Granted, some of the interactive objects are nice, like the calming dollbaby & magic candles to purify lots--kinda like TS3 incense. But again: 1-trick ponies. Yes, the animations look great, but crystal balls are typically for divination, asking spirits about the past/present/future, not removing haunting poltergeists, so I don't really get it. Stylish & gorgeous! But GENERIC AF substance-wise.

IMO, TS4's Ghosts are an L across the board; all the way from the base game--that bafflingly launched in 2014 WITHOUT ghosts until they were patched in a whole month later after everyone rose a stink (IIRC TS4 kids can't be ghosts!?)--to present. EA's been over/course-correcting from that gaffe ever since, with like double the amount of Death types than TS3. I DO NOT like how TS4 ghosts colors are tied to Eeemotionnsss~! (more like they're a sentient Plumbbob). TBF, kudos to TS4's smoky cloudy effect when ghosts appear. But the lack of unique deaths & ghost types in RoM (aside from Spellcaster Overload & the Night Wraith) made me roll my eyes, as SN EP's ghost types are some of my faves (ITF & SHT are also my top 3).

IIRC it was the SN patch that unlocked all types in (basegame?) CAS to make playable Ghosts. SN's Philosopher's Stone allows sims to summon new playable Ghosts (and ofc allows for transmutating cheap objects into gold ingots--more on that later), or it can just kill you and make YOU the new ghost, LOL.

But as for features, sure, TS4 ghosts have more interactions--though they're all pretty, rather than scary (vs TS2 ghosts, which were SCARY). TS4 ghosts lost the HORROR to just be silly/goofy or just CUTESY--especially the little spectres from Paranormal.

Speaking of horror, I can't talk about ghosts w/out bringing up TS3's AMB EP, cuz the Ghost Hunter (profession) is the real parallel with TS4's Paranormal Investigator (freelancer). In TS3, they actually stuck to their promised main premise (Ghostbusters). Overall, TS4 Seances are nowhere near as fluid as TS3 ghostbusting. In TS3 you can run all over the world using gidgets-gadgets to detect/fight ghosts & sprites, not just inside haunted houses, but anywhere they happen to spawn (ofc inc. graveyards). You're not just locked to a lot/house the player already knows is haunted (cuz you just toggle Haunted Lot to trigger the feature--SN's Ghost Gnome object isn't exactly the same, but it does spawn hauntings on the lots you put them in). ANY TS3 indoor/outdoor residential/community lot can randomly get haunted during a Ghost Hunter's shift; and you never know which one it'll be, or what kind of shenanigans will happen--EVIL ghost or just some sprites--which skyrockets replayability & keeps things fresh & interesting.

Functionally, Paranormal had no right to be that dang good for a Stuff Pack. That was a Game Pack; IDKY EA insists otherwise; esp. when it offered more & better things than some actual GPs. I'm confused. However, a serious problem TS4 has is that it gameifies everything to the point that TS4's numerous features lose their spontaneity, and just become rote--BORING. The ectoplasm everywhere just becomes another mess in your (haunted) house you have to clean--CHORES. On top of me not liking TS4 ghosts' look & vibe (and I HATE TS4's Bonehilda). Quality over quantity, EA!

TS4 Werewolves GP (2022)

Speaking of ghosts, waaaay back in 2020 I told the spirits precisely what I wanted from a potential Werewolf dedicated TS4 pack. Did they listen? HAYUL NAW. So in 2022 I said everything I had to say about the Werewolves GP, and accepted the fact that EA's INEPT.

Do TS4's wolves have MORE features than TS3? YES ofc (even in 2012 everyone complained that Witches & Faeries got the lion's share & Werewolves got shafted--they're basically glorified Familiars for Witches/Alchemist to find collectibles--more on that below). But was most of it GOOD features though? Debatable! I LOATHE the 2 wolf packs, which was what I'd most looked forward to; plus the whole world's aesthetic was ugly homeless-grunge, without a single bit of creativity or originality--only EA could make monsters as terrifying as werewolves effing cartoony hipster squatters. 🤦 7/10 at best.

TS4 Crystals SP (2024)

These crystals are ugly, EA. Which is weird, cuz the basegame TS4 gems & esp. space rocks are GORGEOUS. I have no idea which vision-impaired dev at EAxis thought these nasty looking opaque poorly-painted rocks were pretty.

Features-wise, granted, having TS4's bonafide Gemology skill from the Crystals SP's nice, instead of TS3's basegame hidden Collector skill. But the functioanlity's largely the same: cut more, unlock more (which I prefer to cheat my way through--TS3 thinks I have time for all this gameplay, LOL). (Not to mention all the extra features TS3's Aliens, Simbots & Plumbbots have when interacting with gems, space rocks, or metals.) TS4 only got 10 gem cuts for 27 crystals (=270), (+25 metals); compared to TS3's 16 gem cuts for 28 gems (=448), (+16 metals with their own separate ingots). Of TS4's 10 cuts, the Skull Cut is the ONLY one I think looks better (ignoring the atrociously flat textures ofc) than TS3's (which TS4 copy/pasted--no agates, no crystal ball, wtf).

The Garden Gnome cut isn't unique to TS4, as TS3 has several craftable (glass-only) Garden Gnome cut from the Glassblowing Machine (more on that soon).

The only TS3 gem that genuinely affects sims is radioactive Tiberium from the WA EP, so more features is definitely a plus. The best addition is TS4's Charging Grid feature--I LOVE that TS4 crystals can be imbued with magic energy--it's like TS3's Store Crystal Tree, ITF EP's magic crystal plants & the SN EP Mood Lamp all rolled into one. @greenplumbboblover's WIP Interests & Hobbies mod brainstormed integrating that functionality that back in 2020.

The functionality of the TS3 SN EP Gem Cutter & the TS4 Crystal Tree are similar, though ofc the tree's wallet & eco-friendly; and it's a plant, not a hunk of machinery, so it naturally has that going for it.

There's also the SN-SSNS Weather Stone, which gives werewolves the ability to summon a Hunter's Storm, raining a hail of gems, rocks & metals over the whole world for easy loot farming. (The best perk, though my fave is the Faeries' Reviving Sprinkle for gardening.)

Aside from SN, TS3's real equivalent is actually the Prism Art Studio Venue's Artisan skill. Cuz the REAL seller's the jewellery-making. There's ~100 CAS items in Crystals SP (plus 30+ regular Build/Buy mode objects). At $10, the Crystals SP is a steal, at least when compared to the BONKERS $20 tag on TS3's Prism Art Studio at the Store (2014). IIRC the Glassblowing Machine newly added 16 craftable CAS items & 13 craftable glass objects (as SN already gave us the Gem-Cutting Machine & AMB already gave us the Widgets work station); and 8 Build/Buy objects (inc. the goated L-shaped "spiral" stairs). It also added 5 craftable Perfumes for sims to use.

So while the Crystals SP added NICE features, I wouldn't say they added MORE features. Rather, they added more content: Quantity. But as for Quality, I think TS3 beats it out--the Prism Studio's a effing ripoff, but AFAIK it added features TS4 still doesn't have yet (craftable glassblowing & perfumes, spiral stairs); and the objects it did add are pretty nifty.

Timeframe-wise, we got the 2014 Prism Art Studio's Glassblower 2 years after the SN EP's Gem-Cutter; 5 years after the 2009 basegame. Compared to TS4's wait for the Crystals SP 2 years after Werewolves, 3 after Paranormal, 5 after RoM; and a whopping DECADE after the basegame launched in 2014. Wtf, EA?

Still, I'd say the Crystal SP's a 7/10 (there's not enough gem cuts, the gems textures are ugly, and most of the features were lifted from things TS3 had innovated 10+ years earlier).

TL;DR

Quantity =/= Quality.

EA's been taking way too long releasing packs to have the nerve to present debatable content--it should be goated releases EVERY time; esp. since everyone agrees TS4 is easier to create content for, so much smaller in scale/scope, and with an infinitely larger budget & fanbase than The Sims franchise ever had. There's zero excuse for EAxis' mediocrity, when TS3 was churning out EPs like it's life depended on it: SHT, SN, and SSNS all came out the SAME EFFING YEAR. 2012 was LIT.

EA, you suck.

[spacedustmantis]

*cough cough* *pulling up notes* *squinting at notes* *realising i don't have bad vision* *unsquinting at the notes* *reading the notes*

how does the life series work in the FUCK I FORGOT THE AU NAME THIS WAS ALLL FOR NAUGHT

i am so glad you asked!!

alright so. the series of events goes like this:

one day grian, as he so often does, gets bored

in his defense immortality gets boring quick and he's been doing this for a While

so, he descends onto a random planet, one that in grian's opinion could do with a little entertainment. he draws up the rules of this game he's planning, pays a carefully selected bunch of cold-hearted, skilled, desperate-for-money workers and has them build a huge fucking arena, kidnap the planet's best fighters, and work on this project full time once it gets rolling

amongst the workers are a few incredibly talented medics, people who, with the right tech, could bring you back from death's door

grian personally installs chips into every contestant's brain that activate as soon as the person is not yet dead, but good as, and then put the body in a temporary stasis, so that it may be transported beneath the arena and the medics can do their work to send them back up fully restored so they can join the fray once more

the whole event is recorded via multiple cameras following around every contestant, edited down into a thrilling reality tv show, and broadcasted weekly for a good few years, which is how long it takes for the game to come to its conclusion

naturally there are a few quirks to this game

every contestant originally gets three lives, three times they get to enjoy the experience of dying, but soon enough a few of them figure out how to hack the chips. they can't seem to alter their function whatsoever, but they do figure out how to change the number of lives the chip grants you, and they also figure out that if the system clocks too many (or too few) lives granted overall in comparison to how many deaths there have been in total, it sends alarm bells ringing. and so there is an underground life trading ring that forms about seven months into the fight

somewhere in the arena there is whispered to be a strange stone statue that, if you play your cards right, bestows gifts to those who complete the tasks it gives them

there is an illness spreading through the arena, like a common cold, just much more destructive. it is known as "red fever" to some, to others it's simply "the bloodlust"

occasionally, caused by apparently nothing at all except coincidence, or some weird glitch in the system, or what certain people might call fate, two contestants get bound together on a metaphysical level. they share pain and wounds and death. they share all the bad, and none of the good

the overarching story roughly follows 3rd life (mostly bc that season works best as a mechs style retelling), with monopoly mountain and dogwarts as the two main factions that crystallize after a few months, but small story elements of each season are dotted around the plot, like one man who managed to defeat all his enemies by taking advantage of the secret keepers boons and playing dirty, or a woman who ran in solitude with only the company of her wolves and who against all odds was the last one standing - until the man she was bound to blew himself up, and her with it.

ultimately two people survive (these people are not grian and scar, but are played by them on stage). and then one person survives. and then the winner of the life game throws himself off of a cliff

of course, grian is not the biggest fan of watching as other people slaughter each other while he sits and does nothing, so naturally he joins the fight. no one knows or would even guess that the scrawny guy who maybe likes explosions a touch too much could be the same individual as The Spectator, the mysterious figure who is behind running the Life Game, not even the staff that has been hired to set it all up. grian, alongside committing murder, also keeps an eye on the game's development as well as the numbers the show gets online.

after a few months he runs into joel, whom he knows is one of the fan favorites, and sticks with him for a while. after joel dies his final death - shot through the heart by scott - he mechanizes him, and, after discovering that mechanizing joel also mechanized the man he was bound to, takes him and etho back to the xisuma to join the crew.

[landinrris]

For the wips, Lando WDC🥰

Lando wdc my eternal wip. I'm pretty sure this was on here last time I did this "ask me about my wips" game but I'm not ready to give up on it yet! 🫣 What it really needs is me to sit down with it and develop a new plot since the last time I touched it was Summer 2022. But it's pretty straightforward. McLaren comes into a new season and find themselves at the front, and Lando in a multi-way battle for the championship that has its highs and lows. Carlos is there for it all ❤️.

The references in this snippet are predictably very dated, but I like it still anyway, so take it with a grain of July 2022 salt.

---

The moments of quiet seem to be getting fewer and farther between as Lando finds himself solidly in the championship hunt. It’s only June, yet he can feel himself on the precipice of losing it— his well-practiced media smile cracking and unleashing the most ill-mannered thing he’s capable of producing each week. Each week is something new because there are a lot of dark thoughts that creep through his mind these days, hidden behind a corner and ready to strike when Lando seems at his most vulnerable.

Perhaps this is what they meant when people talked about needing a strong disposition to fight for a championship. There’s more to it than just getting in the car every weekend and driving. 

Gone are the days of two separate entities of himself— the one who goes home and the one who’s present at the track and MTC. In its place is a new Lando, one who’s seemingly on every minute of every day thinking about strategy and track layouts. A new sense of guilt is beginning to develop when he does something for himself.

Obviously, Lando knows there has to be a balance somewhere. If there’s not, he’ll be lucky to make it to the end of the year, let alone return to do it all again. It’s a topic he’s talked about often enough recently with his therapist. But that doesn’t make it any easier.

What helps, marginally, is taking the little moments when they come, when his brain gives him a brief respite from his thoughts. The little moments have been getting longer over the past few weeks, his vision less tunneled and heart rate less rabbity. Maybe it’s cliche to say Carlos’ presence helps. Maybe it’s too much on the side of codependent, but at least it’s working.

Even moments like now sitting up in McLaren’s hospitality lounge, stretched out along the length of the sofa while they watch the rain come down outside, is enough. They’re not talking about anything, but Carlos’ fingers dance along Lando’s arm, almost petting down its length on some strokes, and it makes Lando want to fall asleep. The familiarity of Carlos’ cologne, sharp and spicey, clinging to one of his hoodies from home he’s shrugged on doesn’t help.

Neither does the loud, trundling steps up the stairs that Lando recognizes as Daniel’s by now. It’d be bad if he didn’t after three and a half years as teammates.

The footsteps stop in the doorway to the lounge, if that’s what it could really be called. The entry point is more of an archway, the walls separating it from the rest of the floor minimal in their design and functionality.

“Didn’t know they let just anyone in here,” Daniel says without preamble.

Carlos huffs an amused breath through his nose before tapping Lando’s arm with finality. It’s his signal to sit up, to stop being a literal limpet if possible, which for the sake of now, he can. Daniel doesn’t need any fodder to jest with.

So, Lando sits up from his half-reclined position still admittedly half on top of Carlos.

Daniel’s still standing in the doorway, arms crossed and looking positively gleeful about something. It makes Lando feel uneasy because nothing good ever comes from a mischievous-looking Daniel.

“I mean,” Carlos says, and Lando can tell it’s not going anywhere Daniel doesn’t deserve. “They are still letting you in, no?”

Lando’s half-tempted to shoo Daniel and his big smile from the room in favor of kissing Carlos’ off his face.

“So, it turns out I heard a rumor, if you’re interested.”

“Aren’t you a little old for gossip, mate?” Lando asks.

Sometimes there are still remnants of the old Daniel from years ago that flash through. The one who spent an embarrassingly long time trying to get Lando to like him by being quirky and loud, both sets of teeth fully on display in a smile that almost looked painful. They’re on even footing now, older and secure in their relationships. Lando thinks Daniel knows he’s in his last year or two. There have been fewer bouts of loud, boisterous laughter lately.

But Daniel’s smiling now, and Lando finds something unfurling in his chest at the sight of it. If anyone knew, he’d never hear the end of it.

“Well, I figured it’s raining, and I’ve got nothing better to do than talk to people, you know? Heard it through Michael who heard it from a friend in Brazil.”

“Are they talking about swapping you midseason again with one of the Indy guys? Or maybe it’s Formula E this time.”

“I heard it’s Herta’s year this year, you know,” Carlos inputs helpfully, a look of mock seriousness on his face.

“Well, you know what they say,” Daniel adds, jumping on board, “One American isn’t enough. Gotta be at least half of the grid before they’re satisfied. Nah, but for real, you wanna know? I actually got a kick out of this one.”

“No, Daniel, we just want to hear you tease about it in the doorway and then walk away before you actually say anything.”

Carlos swats at Lando’s arm but Daniel continues as if he’s said nothing.

“Who else but the paddock sweethearts, of course.” Lando feels his eyes go wide and something churning in his stomach. Daniel charges on. “Apparently, you two have had an affair.”

“We’ve had a what?!” Lando practically shrieks, sitting up straighter and inadvertently putting more space between him and Carlos.

“Together or separate?” Carlos decides on, a question line Lando’s slightly more confused about. 

But when Lando looks back at Carlos, Carlos looks nothing but earnest. “What are you on about?”

“Was it me— you? Both of us? I am curious is all.”

“That part’s unclear,” Daniel interjects, pulling the conversation back on track. “Apparently, the Brazillian commentator was vague on details and maybe only mentioned Carlos’ name, with the girl, but Lando was there too? It’s all a bit hazy.”

Lando feels like the ground falls out beneath him. “A commentator reported this? When?” Carlos’ hand comes to settle between Lando’s shoulders, but Lando barely feels it.

“In the middle of fp1, I think.”

[charlesemersonwinchesteriii]

For dating game: Donna Noble for a non Mash option from something I'm pretty sure I've seen you reblog stuff from, BJ, and Klinger

I can't believe I got 2 Donnas for this game and neither were the MASH one haha. And yes I AM a Doctor Who fan but like with Twin Peaks I'm only a shallow fake one because I only feel really passionate about RTD era :( sowwy again. I'm 0 for 2 today. But at least I didn't skip MASH s1-3 AND I didn't skip the 9th Doctor AND I read Laura's diary + Dale Cooper's tapes. So now everyone has to give me a little headpat and forgive me and say they're not mad at me thank you <3

Donna Noble

I couldn’t handle Donna QwQ I couldn’t match her energy it’s very sad :( I feel like I would do the exact opposite of what the Doctor did for her in terms of bringing out her most amazing qualities. And I do really try to highlight and praise the qualities of people in my life!! I just don’t know if I could help her reach her full potential. Which sounds like one of those weird therapy-talk approaches to relationships but unfortunately sometimes when you really admire someone you actually do start thinking about things like “am I supporting her journey effectively” and all that. But this is just a date right so it can just be a casual thing. I feel like Donna is someone with whom I could straight up be like Hey so I was never socialized properly and your last relationship ended comically terribly so do you want to like try practicing dating with each other? I think it could be fun! And then eventually she could move on to find happiness with Mr. Temple :)  

Wait actually sorry quick tangent if Donna doesn’t remember the Doctor what does she think happened to her fiance from way back when. Does she. Does she remember the giant alien spider or. Hang on--

BJ Hunnicutt

BJ Hunnicutt is the human equivalent of Disneyland. Everybody in the entire nation is absolutely obsessively feral over it it’s sooo beautiful it’s sooo fun you just HAVE to experience it it’s a quintessential expression of the American dream blah blah blah. But I will never attend this overpriced (constantly borrowing money) and overcrowded (too much competition from the rest of Mashblr) theme park. I do not care for its fastpass system (willingness to cheat on his partner) or its uninspiring coaster design (anger issues), and I am further offended to hear of the constant introduction of cost-cutting measures that harm visitor experience (growth of mustache). Not even the prospect of purchasing a fully functioning Cogsworth clock (chance to join the Punnihawk polycule) is enough to tempt me. It’s not happening. I am going to Dollywood (Maxwell Klinger).

Maxie my beautiful girl Maxie whomst is so very adored by me

My wife my kitten my sweet snuggly wuggly good time gal. My Dollywood. Know that I love and adore Maxwell for eternity <3

BUT. I must love her from afar because I couldn’t in good conscience waste her time when I figure there must be a more compatible match out there, ya know? Like, I know hardly anything about baseball and I wear the same clothes every day and I don’t eat red meat so I can’t even share those beloved hotdogs. Max deserves the Best as I’m sure we all agree, and we know he wants a serious long term partnership. I want the same thing, so I know that such a lifelong, committed relationship should be with someone who finds themself more easily compatible with Max’s tastes and interests.  

On an unrelated note, Charles sure seemed to get super into baseball in War For All Seasons, huh? :) And we know he cares a lot about his clothes, as we see him hiring a personal tailor at least once! :) And he was surprisingly eager to get to share in Max’s hotdog delivery in The Grim Reaper, too! :) So many random fun facts in this world \^w^/

[prettylittleplanners]

Washington Park

Whyte describes an ideal plaza/public space using 7 main criteria. Washington Park in OTR, Cincinnati perfectly encapsulates what Whyte described and wrote about. We directed each principle of Whyte's and how Washington Park fits the description.

Principle 1 Sitting Spaces

From benches to moveable seats and tables, Washington Park has a plethora of seating available.

(Cincinnati CityBeat)

As seen here, there is a large gazebo structure in the center of the park with picnic tables and moveable seating. There are heaters there during the winter season so people can still enjoy the park in the cold, as well as a cover incase it rains. The tables create a shared public experience that strangers can come and share together.

This image shows both the benches that line the entire park and the moveable chairs and tables that are both perfect seating areas. This provides an enjoyable seating experience for park guests so they can have conversations and relax.

Principle 2 Most important thing about a space is its physical and visual relationship to the street

Whytes second principle is that it is most important for the space to have a strong physical and visual connection to the streets around it. Washington park does an exceptional job at connecting the park to the street. Since Washington park does such a good job of connecting itself to the streets around it, it promotes pedestrians to enter the park since it feels just like the streets they were walking on before. For example, before every FC Cincinnati game, there is a fan supporter parade that goes through Washington park. They can do this because there are no obstructions from the street that wouldn’t allow them to easily enter the park.

Principle 3 Light is vital, even if bounced/reflected from other buildings; the sun is only importanton cold days

In Whyte’s book “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces,” he wrote about the importance of lighting in plazas. Washington Park offers multiple diverse sources of light, each attributed to the comfortable environment of the plaza. Within the water features there are lights included under the water fountain. As shown in the image given. This creates a playful and visually attractive feeling for the plaza. These lights do not create glares or harsh shadows confiding to Whyte's principles. The open space of the plaza allows for plenty of sunlight to reach the area. As for nighttime ambiances, many lighting fixtures and lamp posts are provided to light up pathways and popular areas.  

Principle 4 Water: fountains, rain garden, pond, water sounds are vital

fountains and water element could be most critical and attractive parts of Washington Square Park for tourist, It has a multi-function water recycle system. the spar ground in the surface level is the most tourist friendly part of whole system. it a good place for all age tourist surrounded by bower and chair, it actively interactive with tourist, and the water are all natural collective by collect system and purified by underground purify system. most of water use in green space and rain garden of Washington Square Park are all from this system, even the toilets water use are supported by this system. Father more, they hold a lot vocation events in spar ground during summer, festival and any other necessary times.

image by 3CDC

Principle 5 Trees create semi-enclosed spaces and help shade and reduce glare

In Washington Square Park, trees are strategically used in certain parts of the park. On one end there is a large clearing which allows more open movement and a place for those to lay out and enjoy the sun.

On the other end there is plenty of seating and an abundance of trees. This provides respite from harsh summer days and rest for those who may have been playing in the sun.

By striking a balance between open and shaded areas Washington Square Park allows for visitors to enjoy themselves more and stay for an extended amount of time.

Principle 6 - Access to Food / Water Located in the heart of Washington Park is a concession stand called The Porch. This kiosk serves cold and warm beverages along with snacks. The Porch acts as both a shelter away from the elements and a place for parkgoers to refuel without having to vacate the park. During special fairs and events, additional food may be around at pop-up concession stands or small businesses in booths. Not only does this keep people in the park, but it also benefits small businesses. 

The Porch @ Washington Park - washingtonpark.org

Principle 7 - Triangulation Washington Park has an iconic gazebo in the middle of the park. This gazebo hosts many events, for instance when bands come in or when couples get married. When the park hosts vending fairs, for instance, the vendors are all stationed around the gazebo, and it remains a centerpiece of the event and the icon of many photographs. The gazebo serves as the heart of the park, with arteries of pathways from all over the park leading to a single meeting point at this iconic landmark. As people enter the park, they are directed towards the gazebo, and it remains the center of attention and one of the first noticeable things that catches one's eye as they near closer. 

Vendors around the gazebo during the Holiday Market - cincinnatirefined.com

Discussion Question:

Do you agree with us that Washington Park fulfills the 7 criteria from Whyte? Why or why not?

[chengsposts]

Fresh new off no-hitter, Joe Musgrove prospects Padres vs. Pirates

What a 7 days it's been for San Diego directly-hander Joe Musgrove. He threw the very first no-hitter within Padres heritage Friday in opposition to Texas. Wednesday, he faces his prior workers, the Pittsburgh Pirates, at PNC Park, contemporary off staying termed Countrywide League participant of the 7 days for the initial season inside of his job. Musgrove will encounter Pittsburgh remaining-hander Tyler Anderson within just the minute match of a 4-recreation sequence. Musgrove, 28, a San Diego indigenous, went property the moment he was traded toward the Padres as element of Pittsburgh's rebuilding offseason, and turned the 6th pitcher given that 1990 in direction of Provide a no-hitter for a workers inside of the place the place he was born. Presently he returns toward what grew to become a moment residence throughout his a few seasons with the Pirates. "I enjoy this metropolis, guy," Musgrove reported Tuesday inside Pittsburgh. "It seriously grew upon me above the few many years I was right here. The truth of the matter that I form of dove into the tradition of the town and extremely tried using toward get that upon and embrace it, I look which includes I experienced a ton of followers below and a good deal of household https://www.sdpgear.com/aj-ellis-jersey. "Despite the fact that he was with the Pirates for the duration of an generation of down a long time, he liked what he took against pitching in just Pittsburgh within a type of coming-of-age route. "I uncovered a whole lot. I figured out how in direction of bundle with failure. I identified how towards internalize," Musgrove reported. "I position consequently a great deal stress upon myself towards move out there and test and do just about anything beautifully, inserting myself inside a issue where by I felt including every single function I gave up was 3 operates San Diego Store. "Musgrove supplemental that he found "towards be a very good teammate, be there for gentlemen and be accessible, still toward genuinely attention upon what I have to have in direction of do in direction of convey my simplest out. And eventually the major have an effect on I consist of is currently being constructive. "He unquestionably was that Friday. "It's provided me fresh perception into how I have to have towards solution the match mentally and approach, the stage of calmness that I contain towards include matched with depth," Musgrove mentioned within just reflecting upon the no-hitter. "I look which includes I'm starting off in direction of determine out what I'm seriously competent of and who I am as a pitcher. "He incorporates an attention-grabbing video game in the direction of observe. Pittsburgh evened the sequence at its midpoint with an 8-4 gain that experienced additional blunders and sloppy performs than operates as a result of a weighty issue. "Nuts I wager is the immediately term," stated Pirates catcher Jacob Stallings, who was 3-for-4 with a few RBIs. A person factor toward perspective against the Padres' watch is the standing of specifically fielder Wil Myers. A night time as soon as he matched a profession superior with 5 RBIs in just Monday's get, Myers remaining Tuesday's activity just after the 3rd inning with what afterward was outlined by way of the workers as straight knee swelling, a scenario he too experienced throughout the spring. Pittsburgh's Anderson is coming off a decline toward the Chicago Cubs within just Pittsburgh's house opener Thursday, each time he gave up 3 operates and 10 hits inside 5 1/3 innings, with no walks and 5 strikeouts. Anderson is 3-2 with a 2 https://www.sdpgear.com/pedro-avila-jersey. 61 Generation inside 9 profession video games in opposition to San Diego, 8 of these starts off. Musgrove is 0-1 with an 11. 25 Technology within one particular earlier begin in opposition to the Pirates. --Marketplace Place Media https://www.sdpgear.com/manny-machado-jersey

[paulisweeabootrash]

Romantic Killer

Romantic Killer (TV anime, 2022)

Episodes watched: 12 (whole season)

Platform: Netflix

High school classmates Anzu and Kazuki do not know each other at all, but have one important thing in common: they are emphatically uninterested in dating. Not just each other but anyone. After Anzu sees Kazuki reject a girl's confession in a train station, they can't seem to stop accidentally meeting and getting more and more entangled. Anzu literally runs into Kazuki at a convenience store and accidentally breaks his phone, they have awkward encounters at school, he has to stay over at her place due to a freak storm, and to top it all off, his apartment is flooded so he moves in with her for a month as a form of her paying off his replacement phone. Sounds like contrived romcom nonsense, right? Maybe even dating-sim-level contrived romcom nonsense? Well, that's exactly what it is!

See, Anzu recently started up a mysterious dating sim that summoned an absolutely chaotic asshole wizard named Riri. Riri, a magical mascot character who looks like a flying potato stole Mickey Mouse's wizard hat, is determined to throw every type of dating sim contrivance they can at Anzu to try to get her together with Kazuki... or anyone else. After showing a ludicrous block of on-screen terms-and-conditions text and saying something about (of course!) Japan's birthrate, they confiscate Anzu's three basic needs -- video games, chocolate, and her cat -- and threaten to return them only when she falls in love. They even find a pretext to send her parents overseas for good measure to smoothen the whole "living together" angle. Anzu turns out to be more resistant to the threat than Riri thought, however, so they add the best new ingredient for this situation: a childhood friend named Junta who is here to create a love triangle, complete with his own very silly reason to move in.

Far from Riri's expectation of romantic tension, however, the three humans they forced together settle into a very platonic and very functional life as roommates. And that's the basis for the show's formula. Nearly every episode features that resident chaos gremlin Riri attempting to generate conflict or jealousy or compromising situations and that attempt getting defused into the non-romantic love between people who just enjoy hanging out. Anzu, Kazuki, and Junta are just nice people doing nice things, trying to navigate other people's assumptions that one of them must be dating Anzu.

The childhood friend, Junta, and his family all recognize and have fond memories of Anzu but she seems to have no idea who any of these people are. A few flashbacks suggest he was part of the group of boys she regularly played video games with growing up, and maybe, just maybe, she simply forgot over time... but it sure seems like Riri manipulated the memories of everyone in Junta's family to create the romanceable childhood friend angle. Does Junta have real, non-manipulated feelings for Anzu? Will this actually result in a romantic relationship? Well, you'll just have to watch and find out.

Riri also tries to wedge in a third "romantic option", the out-of-touch aristocrat Hijiri, and he is so pompous and pushy that I have a hard time appreciating his attempt at doing "commoner" activities (including getting a job) to try to impress Anzu. Luckily, the writers seem to view him as little more than a recurring joke, and avoid making him prominent.

Oddly for a show made by Netflix, one of Romantic Killer's weakest points is... bingeability. There is so much recap and so much use of very similar jokes that watching multiple episodes goes from funny to annoying quickly. I'm not even much of a binge-watcher, but I haven't seen anything that is this obviously designed for weekly consumption in quite a while. It's refreshing in a way.

The season wraps up with a small detour into drama and consequences, which I won't spoil, but overall maintains its sitcom status quo. The last episode tries very blatantly to wrap things up in a way that can either work as an ending or set up a second season, but I don't know whether it could be executed as well, especially since it seems to set up a transformation into the exact love-triangle-based romcom that its entire point is to not be. We'll see.

-----

W/A/S: 5/2/4

Weeb: A bizarre magical creature is forcing a dating sim fan into very anime-specific romcom situations. Definitely up there on this scale, but hardly unapproachable for the non-weeb audience.

Ass: As usual for the kinds of things I feel like reviewing, some sex comedy but not fanservice.

Shit (writing): There is too much recap and handholding, especially for a Netflix show you'd think would be written with flexibility and binge-watching in mind. I mean, this is the kind of show that contains flashbacks to earlier scenes in the same episode, which smacks of padding.

Shit (other): I generally enjoy the "art style shift to convey tone shift" technique in animated media, which seems to be especially common in anime, but sometimes the comedic art style shifts here are... too much. Like, not used judiciously, especially the shift back and forth between the "normal" detailed art and the thick-lined simplified-emotions art. I love the send-up of all the recent nominally-dating-sim-based shows. Even though the non-love interests are a bit bland-looking, you will not find a case of same face syndrome here, with even minor characters being easily distinguishable.

[thefingerfuckingfemalefury]

This is such a wonderfully bittersweet ending

Over the course of this story Jo's found love, the Brigadier's shown how he's gone through some positive character growth (It's hard to imagine the Brigadier of season seven happily hanging out with a progressive group of activists and genuinely enjoying their company and not only respecting their ideas but helping them get funding to make them happen) , an evil corporation has been shut down and a funky science dude is gonna be able to try and make the world better <3

But also it ends with Three on his own, driving off in silence, not even able to really say goodbye

He and Jo 100% had feelings for each other (Jo literally falls for her husband-to-be here because he reminds her of the Doctor as if it wasn't obvious enough from every other scene the two shared) but both of them know its never going to work. At the end of the day the Doctor is functionally immortal and Jo isn't. Jo will live her entire life in a time span that, for the Doctor, is less than a millionth of how long they will live theirs. And more importantly Jo wants to do things on earth to make positive change while the Doctor, much as they might like humans, could never willingly commit to spending that kind of time on one planet

I love this story so much okay its one of my fave classic Who stories its so good

If you are in the US or if you have a VPN, get your ass Tubi and watch this on there

Especially if you are a New Who fan because this story definitely was a big inspiration for the series head show runners when each of them came up with their ideas for the revived show <3

I'd in fact say it's one of the ten Must Watch classic Who stories

For those curious the other nine on my list are

Genesis of the Daleks

Terror of the Autons

The Silurians

Evil of the Daleks

The War Games

Curse of Peladon

The Happiness Patrol

Curse of Fenric

Earthshock

To anyone offended by the fact Talons of Weng Chiang is not on this top ten list

It's hella racist

It's not actually a very good story, fuckin fite me about it, it's far far too long, the plot is a meandering mess and it's not as clever as it thinks it is and the giant rat and the cyborg ventriloquist dummy are fuckin nonsense only there to pad out a very thin plot and the big finale is the reveal that actually all of this was a shaggy dog story because the villain isn't an evil mastermind he's just some asshole from the future whose big invention doesn't even work properly

[memryse]

The magic of 3rd Life, or why such a simple hardcore miniseries works as well as it does

For a series which only lasted for eight sessions, 3rd Life has had a profound impact on the MCYT fandom. While it did go comparatively unnoticed on Twitter (as is consistent with YouTube-based Minecraft content as a whole, admittedly), Tumblr and other platforms have fallen in love with this series, and it’s become a vector for many fans to familiarise themselves with Hermitcraft and Empires SMP as well. But at its core, 3rd Life is a simple vanilla survival series with a gimmick. What about it resonates so much with so many people?

I would argue that its simplicity, its small cast, its vanilla gameplay “with a twist” is certainly part of it. It’s an easy series to consume, with many POVs totalling four hours or less, and it doesn’t require any prior knowledge of any of the members. Its mechanics are easy to understand. As a standalone, it functions perfectly – it’s immersive and can be followed easily by anyone, regardless of any prior knowledge they may or may not have. However, these factors alone don’t quite encompass what makes 3rd Life so special. Its true charm point lies in the format of the series, and how well it utilises improv.

[more below the cut; this is a fairly long post about 3rd/Last Life meta and my love of its improv. I'm mostly talking about 3rd Life here as it's a completed series, but this most definitely does apply to Last Life as well]

3rd Life is an entirely improv-based series. Whilst members may have a brief concept of the direction they’d like to take their series in – how heavily they want to roleplay, for example – the actual content of each session is fully improvised. Each episode is recorded in one three-hour block, and members are not allowed to play on the server outside of the allotted time other than specifically to finish builds. This time constraint prevents any planning from going into each episode, and interactions between players are completely spontaneous. Players simply run around the map looking for others to interact with (which is significantly easier with the limited world border) and chat about various events on the server, form alliances or deals, etc.

By definition, this almost completely negates the possibility of bad writing. Each player’s reaction to any server event is spontaneous, a legitimate reaction; they aren’t trying to play any specific roles or shoehorn in any specific events (with the exception of the Red King/Hand of the King roles, who were still completely improvising). Even the finale – a distinctly heart-wrenching and tragic scene – was improvised without Grian or Scar attempting to tell any specific story. According to Martyn, they weren’t roleplaying, they didn’t have any aims with that scene. It just happened to turn out in the way that it did, and they were legitimately sorry to one another. The server progressed in this natural way, and every person’s perspective tells a completely different story. It’s hard to identify any specific heroes or villains – fans of the Dream SMP can surely relate to this feeling, but I would argue that 3rd Life takes this one step further. 3rd Life is a tragedy from all perspectives, a tragedy which tells one cohesive story in its entirety before stopping as abruptly as it began.

3rd Life hinges entirely on its interactions between its members. Whilst solo content does exist – base building, for example – the majority of each session is spent interacting with others. 3rd Life is carried by its dialogue; nothing else drives the story, and yet many episodes are between 30 minutes and an hour long. It’s that dialogue-heavy. Members of the server have expressed trouble with even editing their videos because there is so much key dialogue that they don’t want to cut. People don’t watch 3rd Life for the actual gameplay, at all – there’s so little of it! They watch it for how each member interacts with the people around them. This is something not found in any other SMP I’ve encountered. SMPs livestreamed on Twitch have plenty of downtime, and people will happily watch streams on that SMP no matter what’s occurring on the server; people often watch them for their interest in specific members. Other currently popular YouTube SMPs, namely Hermitcraft and Empires, are well-balanced between solo content and interactions, and all server content hinges on the members’ various skills like building and redstone. 3rd Life is, to my knowledge, the only SMP which does not rely on building or redstone skills (what’s the point, when they’ll be dead the next week?), it doesn’t rely on the creator doing solo work talking to their chat, it doesn’t rely on planned roleplay. People legitimately just want to hear various members talking to each other. It’s a fascinatingly unique series in this regard. This dialogue-heavy aspect of 3rd Life ties back to my earlier point about 3rd Life feeling like a completely different series from all perspectives; with all of this dialogue being conveyed through proximity chat, so many events are entirely left out of other POVs, or presented in very different lights.

The pure improv format also helps significantly with worldbuilding, whilst also leaving plenty to the imagination. MCYT fandoms always require a significant amount of imagination to become invested in them, let alone make fan content of them, and 3rd Life is no exception to this. As discussed in this post, which was incidentally the inspiration for me to write this one, 3rdLife is full of lines which flesh out the series, which illustrate what happened better than can be shown in Minecraft. These lines are improvised on the spot, and are often complete throwaway lines in the creators’ eyes. In the fans’ eyes, they make 3rd Life feel alive, they provide plenty of material on which to base headcanons. Again, this isn’t necessarily unique to 3rd Life, it’s a common aspect of all Minecraft series, but I think this is where the rather angsty nature of 3rd Life comes into play. A dramatic survival game, entirely unscripted, with all events hinging entirely on your interpretation of them? It’s not hard to see why 3rd Life fans are so creative with character designs and fanfiction – hell, a lot of 3rd Life fics simply narrate canon in their own more dramatic light. Canon-compliant fics are significantly more common for 3rd Life than other fandoms I've encountered, because people hear these simple lines and want to dramatise them, put their own spins on them. I don't feel that this would be possible with any other series, not to the extent that 3rd Life fans do it. Other series' canon is either already dramatic, and so rehashing it can feel repetitive, or so lighthearted that people write AUs/new storylines. 3rd Life strikes a brand-new balance.

The development of its characters is also bolstered by improv. As no events on the server are pre-planned, members have to react completely spontaneously to anything that occurs. They don’t get time to think – only to react as though they genuinely were in that situation. As I said at the start, 3rd Life inherently lacks bad writing, because it’s not written. Ren, for instance, began 3rd Life as a kind and harmless person, with others often walking right over him. His reaction to his death by Grian and Scar’s trap spurs him to become the Red King; he raises an army and goes to war, and ends the series having taken countless lives, becoming hardened by war. He begins Last Life by isolating himself from others, seeming jaded and unwilling to form alliances, ready for another war to break out. Being improvised, it’s impossible to say how much of this was deliberate, or if Ren just started building his base without thinking about continuity from the previous season. This improv is what makes it feel so natural. It isn’t planned beforehand. This is Ren’s natural reaction to starting Last Life. It makes his character feel so much more real than it would if this was all scripted beforehand.

3rd Life is, overall, a testament to the power of improv. It manages to be compelling and dramatic without any acting feeling forced or wooden. Its characters’ arcs feel natural, because they are natural. Placing such a heavy emphasis on dialogue, with the gimmick of the server being a vehicle for interactions to happen rather than the sole appeal of the series, makes it truly feel as though we’re getting a glimpse into the characters’ lives, rather than watching a story which has been written beforehand. We get to watch everything unfold in real time. 3rd Life has a magic to it that, to my knowledge, no other SMP has been able to recreate.

[neonovember]

The hating game

summary: calling the relationship between you and bucky anything but jagged edges and murder attempts would be an understatement. you hated bucky, bucky hated you, that’s all it ever was, until it wasn’t.

warnings; cliche tropes, enemies to lovers, admittance of suppressed love, fear of unrequited love, fluff, alludes to smut, bantering and playground tactics, near character death, angry bucky- sad reader, yada yada yada

authors notes: this fic has been in my drafts collecting dust..I don’t know if I should split it into 2 parts, please let me know !

Quickly unlatching the seatbelt from the quinjet, you make work of grabbing your duffel bag, whilst scurrying down the latch, onto the compound's asphalt runway. The sun is high and hidden at this time in summer, the heat gripping its slick amongst your surroundings, the animals burrowed and seeking relief from the heated rays in the shadows of pine trees and bushes.

You’re hot, sticky with your sweat, you feel it slip down your forehead, before it smacks down on your combat boots, creating a small indiscreet puddle. At first glance, it may look like the sun has gotten to you, your otherworldly, mystical abilities carving your place in the Avengers being no match to the harsh, unforgiving season, but once you look closer, analyze and examine the searing red crescents carved into your palms, or the heavy trot of your combat boots, it's clear that is far from the truth.

It isn’t the summer heat you've felt burning into the back of you since you were 12, it isn’t the summer heat that turned you into a lethargic slobbery mess, you know summer, you understand the fiery red season, you were forced to grow familiar with her in the desert state of your hometown, burnt brown soles of asphalt and broken fire hosers in summer break felt like lifetimes ago but still cherished like yesterday.

Summer isn’t unknown, your skin welcomes her into its bronze hue with open arms as if she were a childhood friend, you take summer with open mouthed gratitude, you thank her for the nostalgic reverence for your younger years. If there's anything you can understand, it's summer.

Summer hasn’t caused the unfurling rage brimming in your chest, or the curls matter to your forehead, or the way you practically run into the compound doors, it isn't her, she would never, it's him. It always is.

Gritting teeth and pulsed heachaches were a given during each and every interaction with that brunette man, you understood that, hell you were used to that, but this?, Causing dripping wet to leak from you like some bodily function? You curse him now, for making you grow distasteful of summer. You mutter obscenities under your breath as the bubbling furnace within you causes even more perspiration to slide down your forehead.

For the first time in 15 years, you wipe away sweat from your forehead. Summer has never made you sweat, it was one of those things you boasted about, protected like a child, yelled it into the face of Tony or Steve. He does though, he makes you sweat.

You gulp down the indescribable feeling of losing yourself to your rage, and scrub your face harder. You try to get further, but the soles of your feet feel like marshmallows, like you're stepping on clouds as you stomp to find footing.

You hear your name being called but you’re too engrossed within your anger that it becomes inaudible, the sound muffled by your shaking hands and tight grip of the events that had transcribed earlier. Knuckles in palms are you fight every instinct to unleash the burning fury within you onto him.

It had been a normal mission, purely extractions, nothing you haven’t done before, nothing you couldn’t have done blind folded.

Steve had motioned for you to join Bucky's original solo mission, and much to his dismay, you disgruntledly joined along, half in quiet pettiness to prove something to his brooding ass.

Bucky hadn’t necessarily told you directly that he disliked you, no, he’d never let off his gentlemen facade, never do the impoliteness of just bluntly expressing his distaste, but from the way he’s eyes narrowed at your frame whenever you walked into the room, or his quiet annoyance whenever you’d speak, eyes rolling, his pretty lips pulled tight, unfurling a strange peppering anger across your body, told you he didn’t have to.

Bucky Buchanan Barnes may be a quiet, introverted man, content, or maybe forced to keep to himself, but his body, that 6ft mass of muscle that stomped rather than stepped, will speak paragraphs more than his words.

It wasn’t like you didn’t try, god, you spent weeks trying to coax a friendship with him, beg him and bribe him like he was a damn baby, asking him to join you for lunch, or grab a coffee or even get his insight on a mission. It never worked, each met with a faltering excuse, fiend regret as he declined your every advance, as if the motherfucker already knew before you asked him.

You pride yourself on being resilient, never backing down or giving up but after the second week of his dismissal, you did what you thought you’d never do; give up. You hated looking pathetically desperate, and you were close to crossing that bridge with Bucky.

This awkward acquaintance was only held with Bucky, your friendships with the rest of the Avengers blossoming rather quickly, and for a while, your insecurity over Bucky’s denial had been stamped out by the comfort of your close companionships with the rest of the team.

Though, after you had grown accustomed to their familiarity, it seemed as if Bucky’s coldness towards you had increased, pronounced like swollen skin when you’d converse in common rooms and at dinner. That easiness you held with the team put in hesistaton and faltering once he sat amongst you, his eyes burning holes into your skin, your jittering nervousness souring your mood, ruining any hope of a relaxing evening.

You could feel the rest of the avengers sense it, half of them were killer assassins, you’d hope they did for the rest of the worlds sake. You heard it too, hushed questions in training rooms, and prodding conversations Sam would badger Bucky with. You always tried to listen in though, as much as you willed yourself not to, you wanted to hear his answer, why he didn’t like you, you felt the heaviness of your insecurity in your heart then, it was never satisfied, his murmured reply falling inaudible to your ears.

You walked back in heated shame, why did he make you like this? You had grown confident in your skin, comfortable enough to not care if someone hadn’t particularly liked you, but now, with the jittering nervousness that caressed your skin every time he was near, the pounding of your heart behind your ribs, it was as if your entire existence relied on James Buchanan Barnes fucking deciding you were enough for his company. And you didn't like that, you didn't like that at all.

One night you had asked Natasha about Bucky whilst she was in your room, your legs resting on her thighs as she painted them, mind fuzzy and warm with the bottle of wine she’s sneaked from the kitchen, lips shushing hands at your shock, before grinning at your excitement.

She simply shrugged, eyes slitting over your form in pursed cluelessness, whispering assurances that he didn’t hate you, he couldn't hate you,

But he didn’t like you either,

She rolled her eyes at that, her brows pointed up, dismissing your claims and assuring you he was just a brooding old man. A brooding old man that was a shut book, hard to understand or siphon, an enigma only Steve had the curse to understand.

Of course you don’t want him to hate you, you would be fighting alongside him, splitting skin and breaking bones together, laying your bodies on the line for humanity and reason. It was normal to understand you’d even hold each other’s lives within your grasp, the only assurance of survival, the whispered promise of protection and companionship, the soothing balm to your distress.

But with the way Bucky so confidently dismissed you without even knowing a single thing about you, sent you on a whirlwind. Your mind wouldn’t put it to rest, the knowledge of his rejection pressing into your skin until your only reprieve was throwing it back at him, your condescending attitude unnerving him whenever you bite back a snarky remark, or undermine his every word.

There were countless times within the compound meeting rooms where you both were found butting heads, rising anger at each other’s condescending push backs, never surrendering, never giving the benefit of the doubt, never agreeing.

On some rare occasions, mostly during mission briefings or operational meetings, you’d had to be physically restrained by both Natasha and Bruce, your newfound strength built from the fury of Bucky’s stupid taunting, your hands flying over towards Buckys smug expression, torso pulled back from crawling over the damn table and ripping his jugular out. You screamed that you’d get a little peace and quiet then, and he’d thrown a dagger at your face.

So yeah, Bucky may act as if he didn’t hate you, but you certainly made it noticeably clear that you hated him.

— -

“Don’t turn your back on me!” Bucky's borrowing voice rattles the ceiling lights as he staggers towards you, eyes darkened, orbs glowing in a blue storm.

“Well look at that, my back is in fact turned, and you can’t do a single damn thing about it” You reply, rolling your eyes as you continue your haste trek into the compound

You ignore his ridiculous command and continue walking through the compound, arms tucked into your tactical suit, your duffel strewn across your shoulder. You’re sweaty and gross from the mission, and frankly, you're too tired to entertain this.

“I’m talking to you goddamn it!” His voice darkens with command, as if a warning, he reaches for your shoulder, thick fingers violently turning you towards him, the curve of your neck grinds painfully to keep up with his harsh swerv, but you bite back the howl of pain in favour of aloofness. You won’t give him the satisfaction of seeing you in the pain of his own doing, you won’t show him hes metal arm fucking hurts

“I got it, Barnes,” You spit his name like cyanide, the syllables jumping off your tongue until they’re on the floor in front of him. Bucky scoffs like you hadn’t answered him at all, his chest rising and falling heavily in exasperation.

You’ve never truly seen the breath of Buckys anger, always on the other end of sparring sessions with him holding back, until you’d grit you teeth and unwrapped yours hands, muttering how stupid he’s being, how you could take him.

You knew you couldn’t, it’s partly why you taunted him, you wanted to see, you knew it was stupid and would earn you a broken bone or two, but your body had a habit of acting before your brain could rationalise.

So each time you’d stand there, opening your mouth and begging for a front row seat to your early retirement. At least you’d actually get to fight him, and not some soft childish alter ego he had only for you that threw weak punches and always made you win.

You see it now though, his hands twitch as if he’s withholding, knuckles white and bones pointed, you gulp down the instinct to cower against his dark glare, fear beginning to bloom in your chest as you see the fires of Bucky's simmering rage.

There was always a humour under laced behind every sarcastic retort you’d throw at him, juvenile and satirical banter you’d share. Now however, you notice Bucky’s very real malevolence, his words clip and short, mechanical, as if talking to you would cause his very short temper to snap into two.

You found it ridiculous, you and Bucky had shared less than 10 words that weren’t childish quibbles, he hadn’t even wanted you on this mission in the first place, much less give mental space to care about your actions during. Even actions that were as ridiculously foolish as throwing yourself into a crumbling building.

That was just how it was, your established relationship with him, it’s all you knew, your stomach knotted with confusion and anxiety at his change, at his sudden concern for your well-being. Even if it was hidden behind angered yells of dissidents and chastise of “disobeying protocol”.

You didn’t want to understand him, he’s mood swings or whatever the hell it was, yet you grew antsy as you felt the normalcy of your clashing relationship slip into something else. Something that you didn’t want to entertain, protection for your heart and mind, but there it stood. The whispers in your ear questioning him,

“Does he actually care?”

“Does he actually care about you?”

You found it hard to lock away those thoughts, keep them hidden in the seclusion of your mind. All you wanted was for things to just go back to the way they were, you wanted him to throw his sarcastic baited remakes at you, condescend your comments, build the fire of your rivalry.

This, now this, was harrowing in the way it was so abnormal, you feel yourself wince as you recalled his actions proceeding your rookie foolishness, how his face had turned horrified, how he displayed a reaction you’d never seen before until it had clicked,

He was terrified.

It may have been mounted behind blankets of raging anger and condescension, but it was there, he shook with it, he gripped your arm with it, Bucky’s fear took hold faster than his anger, Bucky’s fear was stronger too.

The way he’s refused to even look at you after the mission, the silence on the ride back had been heavy with tension, the animosity radiating off of him in waves until you felt its ribbons wrapping around your lungs, choking you with his hostility.

He grips his hands at his hips, the muscle twitching with suppression

“I know I made a mistake, for fucks sake, but I saved them didn’t I? The choice, whilst dangerous and unplanned, was the right thing to do at the end of the day” You said solemnly, crossing your arms on your chest, a sick, condescending smile on your face. You grin as his cerulean orbs flowed with fumbled rage, half lids widening at your remark.

“The right thing?!, The building was a breathe away from disintegrating, you not only completely disregarded mission protocol, but you ignored my direct order to evacuate the site” He growled, he’s jaw tightened against his teeth, the bone jutting out painfully until it formed a sharp curve, you resist the temptation of gliding your finger across the edge, you could taste the crimson that would’ve dropped from your index.

His dark locks swayed violently every time he spoke, whipping around his forehead before hastily being tugged back behind his ears.

“What’s the whole point of this Bucky? What am I fighting for? The whole entire reason I’m even here is to do the things I did, it’s to put them first, it to lie myself on the fucking line no matter how terrifying it is. Is this not what it means to be what we are? Avengers? Avenge? What am I if not throwing myself ferociously into danger to save the people who can’t?” You tried to reasoning with him, hands flapping about aimlessly.

“No..no” He grunted out eyes burning a blue whirlwind.

“No?!, God Damn it Bucky!, Stop with this, what, you think I’m not capable enough? Is that it?” Need to keep me on a leash?”

This was a fucking joke, you didn’t even know why was so angry, it wasn’t like you haven’t, any of the avengers haven’t chosen risky choices, in favour of the few civilians that needed to be saved, his outburst was concerningly inappropriate, honesty. More than you choice of running back into the falling apart building ever was.

“You could’ve died” He grunted out, in a low growl that stirred something within you, it was at the edge of your belly, seeping into your hot chest of rage, swirling through the channels and gripping onto your anger. The feeling whilst unknown, felt familiar as it blossomed through you, you felt it overcome you before you pushed it back down, turning the foreign sensation into ammunition for your anger.

“Oh lay off the good guy facade Barnes, we know you wouldn’t give to shits if I were dead, you’d probably cheer in victory” You tongue poked out to lick the smirk of your lips, your throat constricted at your bleek suggestion, as true as you believe it was, it still ebbed away at your chest. The knowingness settling into your belly that Bucky had disregarded to the point of throwing your life away as a mere fate of the job.

“James Buchanan Barnes, always finding a silver lining to a shit show huh?” You chuckled, eyes glowing with satisfaction at the incredulous look on his face.

“What?” He growled slowly, he couldn’t believe you’d just say that, to him, to everyone, with such fervour and confidence, like it was the truth. He couldn’t believe it, until he caught the glimpse of your eye blinking back, a blank expression on your face as you prepared for his remark.

You believed it, truly, Bucky Barnes held a dictionary of adjectives to describe you, but a liar wasn’t one of them. Your dark brown orbs held resentment, anger annoyance, everything he was used to with you, but amongst the ordinary feelings of hatred, there was a sliver of sadness. The melancholy feeling leaves an indiscreet mark, pulling him back from his opened mouth remark, reeling his mind to still.

You truly believed that he would be happy that you died. The thought shocked him frozen, his hands stopping shaking with that anger he had felt just moments before, now replaced with white hot confusion.

“Cmon Bucky, stop it” You say, whispering the last part to him, your cold confident demeanour shattering slightly, your facade so close to breaking. It willed itself not to, not in front of him, never.

“You didn’t like me the second I walked through those doors, it doesn’t take a trained assassin to figure out you fucking despise me now” You say, your face blanking, eyes boring into his, as if to question, as if to deny, the obvious truth.

“No, no, what are you saying? Hate you? I don’t fucking hate you!” Bucky yelled, reeling back to look into your eyes for any hint of humour. He wanted there to be, for once he needed there to be.

“No, no, Bucky, stop, don’t say that, don’t fucking say that” You shook your head violently, lips wobbling to conceal your tears.

“Listen to me, listen, I don’t hate you, I’ve never hated you!” He yelled it until the words boomed across the compound, until Steve and Natasha were starting to get up from the living room room across.

“Stop fucking lying Barnes, I told you this before and I’ll tell you again, I don’t like liars, and I don’t like being made a fool, so don’t stand here and tell me that what I said was a lie” You scream back, gripping your tactical jacket in your grasp until the material stretched and weaned under your hold, your vision burnt with the withhelsion of tears, you felt the tightly knit band snap in two as you stared at his face, at his distraught face, as if what you said was anything but the truth.

“Who said this? Who made you believe this?!” He flowed with a different type of anger, a possessive rage filling him as he’s mind drifting to the possibility of someone doing this, making you believe their lies.

You closed your eyes as you squeezed your body, you'd been doing so well, you’d been good for so long, you would never forgive yourself if you let it slip now, in front of him.

The sound of your name called you forth, until you peak your eyelids open and saw Bucky was closer than before, reaching out to your arm.

“Who said this?” He punctured again, and the wilting of the hatred bloomed to ignite once again.

A burnt out fire within you seemed to ignite upright as he grasped your palm, as you felt his skin across yours, how dare he. How dare he remain emotionless towards you for months, for so long, and now ask you why you’d begun to believe it. His concern now felt dirty, it felt wrong on your skin, it felt wrong in all sense, you weren’t this pathetic, you’d never let yourself get so low only to be left in the dirt again, only to be faced with his soulless eyes once more.

“You did, James, your entire existence has taught me that” You barked back after a moment of pause, your jaw creaked under the pressure of your tense, and you don’t miss the shock paint over his face, you take glee in it, his guilt, you wish to paint your face with it, to swim through it, until it dripped down your body.

He gulps back what seems to be invisible bricks, scanning your face for any hint of sarcasm, he finds none but remains his eyes on you. The high sun seems to be dipping now, the colours changing on his face, his eyes lighting up at they shone in the oranges and pinks of the sunset, for the first time, you realise how long you two have been doing..this. It seems never-ending, this dance.

You hear him whisper obscenities under his breath, before he winced in pain, eyes squinted

“I..did?, I made you feel like this?, Goddamn it, doll I just-, fuck” He says, looking lost for words.

“You’ve got to believe me, I don’t hate you, god the fucking opposite, I, I don’t even know what I’m saying, but please, listen to me doll, all I’ve done, everything I’ve done, pushing you away, it’s not because I hate you” He says it ferociously, with determination.

“Bucky..why do you keep lying to me?” You break your stare from the fields of grass behind him, Bucky, once again reels you back into what's become your entire life, closing the bubble around you too, the satisfaction from before dissipating like steam.

“I can deal with it, I’ve fucking dealt with it before, hate me, I don’t care, but don’t make me believe you don’t, don’t make me feel like there’s a possibility” You say back.

You’re tired, your bones wilt with this back and forth, with this tired old dance the two of you have consumed yourself with, the bubbles of your insecurities seem to leap from your throat, and you don’t have the power to stop them from pouring right out in front of you.

He gripped your hand firmly, whispering, commanding you to stop, stop with this assumption, stop yourself from sinking into the puddle of insecurity.

“I shouldn’t have screamed at you, I should be apologies for the months of pain I’ve caused you, I will probably never deserve any reprieve you give, I know you should probably never forgive me, I know that, but I won’t have it, I won’t, I won’t have you believe I hate you.”

“It’s just-, seeing you run into that building, watching it crumble as you dove head first, I’ve never been so terrified in my entire life. I couldn’t see you anywhere, I called and called and I just heard silence. God, that was the one time in my entire life I didn't want silence.. It scared me, what you did scared me, I never considered it before but right then and there it was like I could finally understand. If I lost you, I’d lose myself, if you weren’t okay, I don’t know what I would have done” He scrubbed his jaw at that, eyes bringing with red tears.

“I couldn’t have you alone in there dying, I couldn’t do that, not when I didn’t tell you,” He began once more, and you felt the dip in your gut at the direction of his words

“Tell me what?” You gulp at his confessions, your heart reeling with anticipation as the conversations steered into the banks of something you knew was always there.

“Doll, don’t you know?, He steps forward, the crinkle of his shirt unfolds as he moves, the sounds of his boots collide with the being of your heart, you feel him flutter his hands across your neck, but you don't dare look away from his eyes.

“I’m in love with you” He finally says it, whats ben torturing the months and nights since you began, he finally releases what spurred him into snapping at you in the first place. His love.

And just like that, the hatred, the rage, the grief and rivalry between you guys that you’d known me for as long as you could breathe, fell away. Collapsed into the concrete flooring of the compound, turned into dust as it glinted in the afternoon sun. You couldn’t believe how blind you’d been, couldn’t believe what was staring at you all along. You feel the hitch of your throat the moment he uttered those three words, a new type of fear conceals your insides, it travels along your back until you understand for what it is; hope, excitement, futures.

somehow its so much worse.

You step back, legs shaking, unable to hold yourself up you don't want to believe it, you don't want to let the truth of it seep into you the way your skin swallows the sun.

‘No..no Bucky, come on, why? Why are you doing this to me?!” You want to yell, to tell him to stop with these games, but it comes out in croaks, where half the letters are missing, and it sounds like wet lungs.

He steps closer, and just like that the band snaps, you feel yourself crumble as you swiftly turn the other way, and before you can breath you take off, the soles of your feet bouncing along the floor, until the soft earth meets your shoes, and the wind slaps across your face.

You don't know where you're going, your lungs expand as you take mouthfuls, but none of them seem to reprieve your gurgling mess of hiccups, you just run. Until the view of the compound is a bleak splotch amongst the fields and you are far away from the desperate hope you know all too well, until you don't have to believe it once more, until you stumble into the dark dirt of the forest floor.

part two

[acerace]

...you have opened my eyes to a vast universe of VintageBeef lore that I was unaware of. I knew about the New Hermit Order, of course, and the UHC invention, and I've watched a few of his CTM things but -- I will take all the info and lore you feel like giving out because Beef is amazing and my knowledge is so small.

Vintagebeef my beloved <3

So the thing is, right, until about 2016 I only watched two (2) youtubers- Vintagebeef for Minecraft and aDrive for Pokemon (and funnily enough both of them are named Dan irl). So I've watched most of Beef's videos over the years and have a general knowledge of most of his stuff, except because it's been like a decade I don't remember where most of the lore comes from XD

The thing with him is that he doesn't do Lore tm the way other mcyters often do lore- he doesn't have an extensive RP series to draw from like Grian, doesn't have a solo world with steadily increasing amounts of lore like Etho or Zisteau, and while he's played on SMPs and been involved in storylines before it's not really the focus of his episodes unlike with Evo or Legacy or Empires

So where does that leave us?

IRL, Beef always has multiple series running at the same time. Often he's playing on an smp while doing a singleplayer, often modded, series as well as a CTM or modpack with a group of friends. For example, right now he's playing on Hermitcraft, doing weekly Pixelmon and Building a Zoo episodes, and a CTM map with Slip. And to me, this translates to one thing: Beef is an adventurer. He travels frequently- he explores a world and when he decides he's done, he leaves for the next one. That's the basis of my personal interpretation of his series and his character for my writing.

Ok so reading this back, this got extremely long and didn't explain much in the way of lore, somehow? If anyone has any additions to add please do so, I am very definitely leaving out a lot and would love to see what other lore people remember and are using for Beef! I didn’t include the Hermitcraft stuff since my memory of season 4 is blurry (his base was themed after the Martian, that much I know, and he and Iskall were buddies :D) and most of the s5 NHO lore is best watched from Bdub’s perspective from what I remember, and the only s6 stuff is a single line in Hermitgang and then the Area 77 arc with its possibility of an NHO reunion which we did not get rip. And s7 of course had the cloning machine and also the Podzol Party as the main lore. So all the original rambling is still below the cut though it is very long, and I'm gonna bullet point the main stuff here instead:

Actual canonical things:

Invented UHC and was the only survivor of the first ever uhc (Mindcrack UHC s1)

Married to an ender dragon (one of the UHCs I think), later father to a different dragon (Mindcrack season 3? I think?)

Might not have legs if you choose to take that joke as canon (Mindcrack s2)

Was a wizard (RAD)

is a zookeeper (Building a Zoo) 

Had a wife and kids (Sims in Minecraft)

Part of the Trial of the B Team court case (Mindcrack)

NHO founder, founder of the Podzol Party (Hermitcraft)

Created a cloning machine that sort of works (Hermitcraft)

Played the Forest which is I believe the first time he and Keralis played together (look up the trigger warnings for this one, it's a horror game)

Was the creator/owner of Sourceblock SMP (featuring some familiar faces if you know Legacy, Empires, or MCC) and there is literal magic from a mysterious sourceblock of water that teleports people and summons mobs and probably more stuff that I haven't seen yet since I'm still watching it myself

Things you can infer:

Good with animals (Life in the Woods, Pixelmon, Ark)

Is a car nerd (irl and all of the car games he's played)

Is a highly experienced adventurer who has traveled through dozens of worlds both vanilla and modded, across multiple dimensions (Twilight Forest, the Aether, the Betweenlands, Limbo), completed dozens of monuments, fought in blood sports, survived apocalypse after apocalypse, tamed dinosaurs, and played a lot of prop hunt and golf with your friends

If you're looking for what to watch for lore purposes, I'd say the Mindcrack UHCs and Team Canada's RAD series are pretty good, definitely Sourceblock and HC s5, plus the Diversity CTM maps and Ruins of the Mindcrackers maybe? And Mindcrack Prank Wars for the chaos and the origin of Team Canada. And if you can handle horror than the Forest is fun and if you don't do horror you can watch the Pojkband play golf or prop hunt they're hilarious I love them sm I want a Pojkband reunion So Bad 

Beef's first series was a singleplayer series in beta 1.4_01 though he had played the game extensively before that, and was a big fan of Guude, having watched his own Minecraft videos. The series was functionally a hardcore one where if he died Beef would delete the world and start again! I haven't actually Watched this series so idk if he died or how often lmao. When Guude made Mindcrack, which was btw one of the very first Minecraft SMPs, he also hosted a competition for people to join, and Beef submitted a video (which is still viewable on his channel I believe!) and won, and was added to Mindcrack in season 2 :D (fun fact, Guude said that even if Beef hadn’t won he would have added him anyway) 

Two running jokes emerged from Mindcrack- pulling a Vintagebeef and Beef doesn't have legs. The first is a reference to Beef dying of fall damage (I believe the exact instance was him trying to jump into his swimming pool and failing spectacularly) and after the incident, every time someone died of fall damage they were pulling a Vintagebeef. The second joke comes from Guude, who joked that the reason Beef wasn't going to a convention was because he didn't have legs, and then he pranked Beef's base by building a giant pair of legs at the entrance to his castle so you had to walk between them to get into the base. This joke has long since died and both Beef and Guude feel pretty bad about it iirc because there were people who genuinely thought Beef was disabled and were emailing him supportive messages and stuff oops. So if you go looking on the Salad or find old Mindcrack fics, you might see references to Beef having prosthetic legs!

Mindcrack also brought about the creation of several Player groups- Team Nancy Drew, Team Canada, and GOB to name a few relevant to Beef. Team Nancy Drew consists of Beef, Pauseunpause, Guude, and Baj, who formed to investigate a prank on one of the members but I forget who. They're named Nancy Drew after the detective! Team Canada also formed in retaliation to pranks, with it consisting of Beef, Etho, and Pause, the three Canadian members on the server (not including Adlington who moved to Canada but never joined the group). There was also a Team America who pranked them with American flags everywhere. GOB is Guude, OMGChad, and Beef, who played stuff like the Ragecraft, Pantheon, and Monstrosity ctms together but that's way down the line lol

Team Nancy Drew is also notable for inventing UHC. It was Beef's brainchild but it was the four of them who first played it! The first UHC had the four of them working to kill the dragon with no natural regen, with everyone dying but Beef, who "won" the UHC. The second uhc was still dragon focused and iirc is where Beef married the dragon? Memories are hazy but they do kill the dragon in this one I think. UHC was then revamped as a pvp event and became a regular Mindcrack game every few months, featuring most of the Mindcrackers and several special guests, including Dinnerbone, who as we know Thanos-snapped Doc's arm out of existence as a result of Doc killing him in one of them

In one of the seasons of Mindcrack, Beef invited swedish Mindcracker and good friend Anderzel to go caving with him and invented ABBA Rules caving, where the winner takes it all. ABBA Rules is a game where each ore (and also dungeon loot like nametags) is assigned a point value and the person with the most points at the end wins and gets to keep all the stuff collected from the game.

In Mindcrack season 3?, Beef punched the ender dragon in an... awkward area, so when the dragon died and left the egg behind, Guude said Beef was the father of the egg XD I don't remember if I watched s3 so I have no idea if anything Happened with this concept but *history of the world voice* you could make lore out of this!

So Team Canada has played a Lot of CTM maps (which fun fact were pretty much invented by another Mindcrack member, Vechs, with his Super Hostile series! Super Hostile has a bunch of things called "Zistonian", which are references to another Mindcrack member Zisteau, who has a very wild singleplayer series with even wilder lore but I digress). In Ruins of the Mindcrackers, they had a running joke that Beef was Etho and Pause's mom, which is a joke we can leave in the past actually /lh. They also played all the Diversity maps, Sky Factory, Terra Restore, Uncharted Territory uhhh and a couple more ctms and adventure maps! Each map kinda has its own story so in Diversity 3 for example they were trapped in a simulation? I think? Team Canada also recently played the Roguelike Adventures and Dungeons modpack, aka RAD, in which Beef was a wizard with a magic staff that could do anything from summon lightning to control hostile mobs.

Sourceblock SMP is a vanilla survival 1.14 series that ran for one season and the series starts with each of the Players being drawn to a strange sparkling water source that, once they touch it, brings them to the Sourceblock world. It also summons a giant zombie at one point. There's probably more lore for this series but like I said I haven't watched it all the way through yet 

He has a Patreon server called VintageCraft and has done a series or two on there as well, and played a few UHCs with them, so lore that how you will! 

Beef also played a few popular mods, notably Pixelmon, Life in the Woods, and Feed the Beast, with LitW being singleplayer and the other multiplayer. He's also recently played the Zoo and Wild Animals mod a lot. He did a short series with the Minecraft Comes Alive mod where he married one of the villagers and had two children, so that's canon now :D he’s played a Lot of Pixelmon starting when the mod first came out iirc (he chose Turtwig in his first series and built a Grass gym, then made a Normal gym in another series in uhh 2016) and he still plays to this day. Quite a few Hermits played on his Pixelmon servers with him, like Wels, Etho, Iskall, Stress, Slip, Zueljin, and also Guude and Phedran (a Mindcrack adjacent player and creator of the LitW modpack) and a few Mindcrackers on the older servers 

Mindcrack and friends played a lot of other games too- 7 Days to Die, Ark Survival Evolved, Unturned, to name a few, so you can pull a lot of lore out of these as well. Speaking of friends and non-Minecraft games, Beef teamed up with Pause, Keralis, and Slip (a former Hermit) to play the horror game the Forest, which saw them stuck on an island trying to survive against terrifying mutated human... things. They played it a few times as the game updated but as afaik it's the first time Beef played with Keralis and possibly Slip and since the game starts with the Player's airplane crashing, that could totally be how Beef first met them in-universe 

I... think? that’s everything I mentioned in the tags? There is probably way more stuff I’ve forgotten that stems from inside jokes and things that happen within each series, but I hope that was a) helpful and b) at least somewhat comprehensible lmao 

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

I decided to watch the Walker pilot so you don’t have to. #1

I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I’m doing this and the more I put it off the less I’ll want to do this. So. Let’s start.

The fist thing we see is Jared Padalecki, em Walker, driving. He’s vaguely smiling and there’s the sun behind him. He seems happy. He’s driving a truck, for some reason my mind goes to Twilight. I’d rather watch that. At least there are vampires (not dressed like clowns) there. Anyway. Walker is meeting someone. He’s meeting his wife! “Look at you!” she says. The camera makes us look at him. He looks like this

I am unsure whether we’re supposed to see this as sexy or cool. It looks frankly ridiculous. I don’t know if I’m just not American enough to appreciate the aesthetic of this. But I didn’t go through 15 seasons of Americana-in-British-Columbia for nothing. If a character appeared like this on Supernatural, it wouldn’t be presented seriously. It would be played for a chuckle or in a light-hearted way at least. Not even Dean Winchester would find this hot.

The Padaleckis tell something to each other. Apparently he needs to go home with the kids and his parents because it’s game night. My mind immediately goes to Game Night the episode and I am sad now. But Walker lifts my mood in its own weird way.  He doesn’t know the rules because every time she tells him the rules, he blacks out. I would make a fun quip about this, but the truth is that I relate to him a lot right now because I blacked out during the entire scene. I’m not sure what they said other than the game thing because I wrote it here. I already forgot the rest.

Anyway. What we’re supposed to get from this scene that they’re Very In Love (see that soft warm light?), and that he’s anxious because he’s not great at being a father because he’s shit at games apparently, but his wife is like ~don’t worry so much~ because she’s a kind, understanding wife. He tells her to be safe, because the Texan countryside is dangerous or something. She needs to stay on a route he approved for some reason. Is she traveling with supersoldier serum in her car? Is Hydra going to murder her? [cue the Marvel snipers shooting me to death because they don’t want Marvel to be associated to this]

Later, everyone is having fun playing fake monopoly, but Walker (whose mannerism is just Jared, he’s not even trying) is apparently too stupid to understand a game for kids. Plot twist, this is anti-cop propaganda because it says cops are dumb.

“Et tu Brute” Jared says when the kids point out he broke a rule so they get an extra turn. I thought I was safe from hearing Jared speak Latin! I thought I was safe! I am never safe!

Emily (Gen) suddenly texts him “SOS. Answer” which is OMINOUS! Oh my god! Aren’t you feeling the tension. The rest of the family keeps playing fake monopoly. Someone throws dice. Are we supposed to go “oh! The dice are ~symbolic because someone’s playing dice with her life” or have I been watching too much good tv.

She is running somewhere in the countryside, wearing a white shirt (is this the cowboy lady equivalent of the Wife Nightgown?). She says something is not right. He’s worried. Then he hears gunshot and her scream. He does the Alarmed Jared face, presses lips together and does a Upset Jared face.

Then he goes out, tries to call her again, and again, does a Jared Upset Sniff--

Oh! We actually see her! She’s alive, but she’s been shot in the stomach. Her white shirt is definitely the cowboy lady equivalent of the Wife Nightgown! Ah the blood coming from the stomach! How terrible! Her phone is ringing but she cannot reach it. She is definitely alive right now, though. She’s breathing heavily because of the wound, which is breathing, which is the opposite of being dead.

He decides that she’s dead, and lets out the already infamous manly scream of anguish.

It would be sad if it wasn’t that literally one second ago we saw her wounded but alive. Her turning out alive in the season finale or so will shock everyone. Nobody will have seen it coming. Who wrote this? They should have just shown the ringing phone and her bloody hand/side, making the audience assume she was dead, instead of showing her breathing. Now the audience is gonna assume she didn’t actually die, and wonder “why didn’t he call someone or went looking for her” but apparently Jared’s characters have forgotten that, like, ambulances are a thing. Jared’s manly screams of anguish are more important than common sense.

I’m not going to say anything about the manly scream of anguish. I’m not going to say anything about the manly scream of anguish. I’m n

We’re just 4 minutes in, guys. Why am I doing this?

Eleven months later, says the screen.

It’s night, outside a house. The son is waiting for him. The daughter doesn’t think he’s coming. On the porch there are two men, one is his brother and one is apparently his former partner, now new boss. He’s dressed like you’d expect a normal person to be dressed in a casual Texan night, hat and tie and all. If you are law enforcement in Texas and don’t wear a cowboy hat at any moment, you will be executed. That’s what the death penalty in Texas is for.

Somebody arrives, but to the kids’ disappointment is some dude whose function is to tell us the men’s names. The brother is Liam, the cop dude I forgot.

Walker is being sad on the back of his truck and drinking alcohol, which is the only way television can express a man having trauma. Holy shit - he reminisces of his wife like this is some emotional Lord of the Rings scene in a place where Elves live except this is not the Lord of the Rings and is just ridiculous, look

She’s seen running towards the gazebo, then she turns

This is exactly shot like the scene where Arwen has a vision of her son. Flowy hair and all. I cannot take this seriously.

He smiles sadly. Then a cop car arrives.

Mexican Lady Cop(TM), whose function in the story is to be a Mexican Lady Cop(TM) asks for his licence since he’s drinking alcohol in a public place.

“You ask so nicely” drunk Walker says. Ew. “Yeah, they train the girls special” Oh! Can you see? She is the Feminist Icon who Takes No Shit from the Dude! I’m so excited. I am slowly losing the will to live.

She drives him home on the police car. His legs don’t fit. At least this is realistic.

He does exposition in the car, including “I needed to visit a ghost instead”. There-there was no need to say it. What’s the demographic they’re aiming for? Five year olds? Do they have to spell everything out loud?

“It’s been a while since I had an actual conversation” he says, which supposedly explains why he’s making awkward exposition, but it’s just bad writing. At least they acknowledge it’s bad writing.

She figures he’s law enforcement coming back from an undercover mission from some drunken ramble he makes. This is worse than the Sherlock phone cable port thing.

She says she just got promoted from state trooper, ehe she will work with him wink wink nudge nudge. Is she going to be a cop-buddy-character slash love interest except when they’re almost about to realize they’re into each other, his wife comes back and draa~ama? I can already see it.

He goes home, makes some Jared grunts, and falls asleep on the couch.

Next morning, he goes out and jogs to where he left the truck. He puts on a cowboy hat which is supposed to be an artistic shot.

I’m slowly dying. He makes some Jared Deep Breaths, at least this made me laugh.

Wait, he’s now wearing a black hat. He’s in mourning, see? What.

He drives to his father’s ranch. His father is Super Not Impressed. It’s awkward. They took about horses. Mitch Pileggi is thinking that at least the other show was more exciting and there was Jensen Ackles in it.

He gets into his parents’ house and the dogs run to him, he does the Jared Dog Chuckle. He hugs his mom. He hugs his son - “August, my boy!” he says, like a normal person his age says.

He hugs his brother and they joke-wrestle and he says “I’m still the big brother” and did I mention I’m dying inside. I just can tell this is SUPPOSED to be reminiscent of Dean and Sam’s first meeting at Stanford in the pilot except Jared is the big brother now. Ew.

We learn that the brother is a DA and gay. All pilots suffer from Forced Exposition Syndrome but it’s like this isn’t even trying.

He goes to work and hugs (very manly hug of course) his friend-now-boss, who is called James. James asks him if he’s good and he’s like yeah I’m good, which our I’m Fine Lie Moment #1. Some things never change.

Enter the case of the week - a cop offered roadside assistance but he was assaulted. We’re already starting with a “Oh No Poor Cop :( Someone Doesn’t Like Cops And Gets Violent” plot. Yay.

Ta-da! Mexican Lady Cop appears, cowboy hat and all. James says she’s Walker’s new partner. My heart cries while Walker says “figured you’d be a guy” and she replies “so did my mom”. The feminism is so strong :’) She’s such a strong female character :’) I’m so happy :’)

Then Walker makes such a quintessential Jared thing with his mouth that I need to stop this here and take a break.

It’s been 13 minutes. So much still to go. I’m bored. Why am I doing this.

[in-defense-of-loki]

Okay to answer your question here each Marvel continuity is given a number 616 for the main Marvel comics 1610 for the Ultimate universe and 199999 for the MCU. Every Marvel continuity does this. Every cartoon, video game and What If story is given a number in reference to its continuity. This number system really just kinda exists for the sake of data books and wikis it's rarely if ever referred to in-universe. But for what every reason Waldron decided to refer to the MCU Doctor Strange the one from the apparent "Sacred Timeline" as being from Earth-616 which is confusing because the comics and movies are very different continuities

Anyway pointless nerd rant over thank you for time

Not pointless, this helps, thanks! I knew about the number system, but I didn't know what Waldron did. I didn't even make it all the way through episode 1 of the first season of Loki, and I've basically sworn off all Waldron's interference. (I really hate Rick & Morty to begin with...)

He really doesn't know anything about how Marvel functions, and the why of him being hired becomes more and more obscure. Or maybe there's just not a good enough excuse to hire him, no matter what anyone says.

[taki118]

Go Watch the Venture Brothers

So just heard the complete and utter Bullshit news that Adult Swim has cancelled one of (if not the best shows) they have the Venture Bros. This series is one of those shows that for WHATEVER reason never got to the level of fandom Rick and Morty has even though they’ve been at the genre parody game longer and in my opinion better. 

The series is about Rusty Venture former boy adventurer and failing super scientist who in an attempt to keep his head above water in debt goes around with his two boys Hank and Dean, and bodyguard Brock on misadventues while various legal archnemisis go after him, such as the Monarch. 

So if you never watched or never heard of this 7 season series let me give you a break down on why you should, 

1) Art Style & Animation

Venture bros is one of those rare Adult aimed animated series that that really truly tries to utilize their medium to the best of their abilities. Season 1 had like such a small budget and corners had to be cut so it can be a little hard to watch at times. 

But with each passing season they get a little better, a little more fluid, go just a little harder and it truly feels rewarding to watch. Like seeing an artist you follow online improve over the years. Like they COULD have stayed with the choppy and stiff animation from season 1 it fit right in with its fellow adult animated shows but it didn’t. They strove for quality to have something that matched the story they were telling.

2) The Writing 

Venture Bros has some of the tightest and consistently great writing of ANY serialized show I’ve seen, adult, animated or other wise. Wanna know why? Cause it’s all done by TWO people (save for like one ep each season where one other person is allowed to touch their baby). Yeah TWO people and they work their asses off every season to interject, humor, refrences, parody, plot and character development in equal measure. 

3) Character Development

Um yes in case you were wondering that’s right an adult animated show has CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT  that holds as the series goes on. Not to give spoilers but characters will go through changes in alignment, relationships will develop and change, some characters will go through negative arcs where they are straight up unbareable for a season before coming out the other side even better than they were before. There is no end of epsiode or even end of season reset. Characters, settings, and dynamics all change over the course of the show and it feels just so god damn good.

4) Story Development 

Just like the characters the story of the Venture Bros grows and changes each season. Things that are set up even as early as season one are paid off as the series goes on. Like not to be that bitch but you know how RIck and Morty teases an overarching plot ALL THE TIME but like will often just spit in the face of fans hoping for more than like one episode a season addressing it? Yeahhhhhhh that doesnt happen here, fans are consistently rewarded for putting the time in to rewatch and really think about what happened in the series. Characters that are seen in the background or are just referenced by other characters will be brought in to be recurring characters, things that start off as a small detail or gag will be given larger relevance and each time they do this you get that “OH I remember that from last season! So thats what it was!” The writers WANT you to rewatch, they WANT you to analyze and they WANT you to theorize, and they give you a show that gives back the time you put in.

5) Parody & Reference 

This series does a great thing with parody. They make real characters  who are just as enjoyable as the characters they parody, they make story lines that both poke fun at the absurdity of the media but shows the writers love for it. So often parody and references are just used to mock the thing but with Venture Bros you feel the love and care so when you know the thing being parodied you can laugh but feel good about laughing cause they are never laughing at a thing maybe you cared for in your youth but rather laughing with it.

And it’s never just one thing. When they parody a thing its often layered with other things to make it even more unique. Scooby-Doo is overlayed with famous criminals, Laura Croft is mixed Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, GI Joe is given the look of the Village People and so on. They never go for the easy joke or reference. Hell theres an episode that starts with them reciting the lyrics to David Bowies Space Oddity for really no reason other than they could. They weave these things in naturally with their setting and characters so nothing feels out of place. Like if you dont catch a reference or parody you dont feel like “I think this isa reference to something?” like a LOT of things do not just adult animated shows. You arent taken out of the moment cause it all feels so natural. 

6) The Characters 

God damn these characters, I could go on for hours about these characters. From main to one off these are some of the most likeable characters you can find. I mean it when I say I can’t think of a single character I wish they had cut cause they are all so well created. Even the ones I hate i have fun hating cause they were made to be that way. I’ll be good though I’ll only talk about my absolute top faves.

- The Monarchs

You ever sit and wish villain couples could have functional  healthy relationships? Well look no further than Malcom Fitzcarraldo aka The Monarch and Dr. Shelia Girlfriend (yes that is her last name). The Monarch is a high strung impulsive saturday morning cartoon villain whos tendency to over react is only matched by his unspecified hatred of Dr. Venture. And Dr. G is his nonsense partner in crime who will cut a bitch if they don’t play by their admittedly weird rules. Both characters are great on their own but are better together. Though that doesnt mean they always get along. Like a real couple they have their ups and downs they fight, break up, make-up and grow stronger in their relationship with each season. 

- Shore Leave

Ok ok so I want you to imagine James Bond, mixed with GI Joe simmering in a cocktail of the most flamboyant gay men you have ever seen and you have one of my favorite gay characters/characters in general. Shore Leave is a member of OSI (the shows SHEILD/GI Joe parody organization) he’s loud, brash, flippant, sassy and highly competent at his job loving every second of getting to beat bad guys down within an inch of their life. I love seeing him play off the stoic Brock and the two have this great brotherly dynamic that’s never called into question. He also gets to have a very cute romance with Al the Alchemist (who is also great). I could talk about this man all day.

- Dr. Rusty Venture

They did such a good job with this man. He’s a self serving, sexist, perverted, whinny, self important asshole and yet you feel pity and genuine sympathy for him and want him to succeed. You can see how Dr. V was given a raw deal by his father who seemed to care more about his adventures than his sons well being and how this molded him into the bitter man he is today, but on the flip side you can see where he chose to use that as a crutch for his worst behaviors and impulses. Seeing him slowly grow and change and be an actual good father to his boys while all the while still be a giant dick is actually really great. 

- Dr. Byron Orpheus 

Ahhhhh Dr. Orpheus part Dr. Strange Parody part busybody stay at home dad, he’s just such a delight. Dr. Orpheus is a divorcee, with an unfulfilling job of maintaining order to the cosmos (which isnt as hard as one might think), and uses his magical ablities in ways most of us would (ie menial tasks and home chores). Overly dramatic and affectionate Dr. O is a delight whenever he appears, but he’s at his best around his daughter and old friends The Order of the Triad. 

Again I can go on but all these characters ranging from main to recurring are crafted with the utmost care for you to want to see them succeed or fail, to see them again even if you know it’ll never happen, and want them to cross paths with other characters. 

The Venture Bros is one of those series that I will ALWAYS recommend even to the pickiest of humor tastes. But if you don’t believe its as good as I said or don’t think the concept is to your tastes I’ll recommend a few eps that I think best show off the base idea of the series without giving much away. In terms of plot and spoilers, though somethings wont make a lot of sense. 

- S1 ep10 "Tag Sale – You're It!" - Dr. V is having a yard sale so of course all manner of costumed weirdos show up.  - S2 ep5 "Twenty Years to Midnight" - basically a fetch quest around the world to save the planet with daddy issues - S3 ep2 "The Doctor Is Sin" - Again daddy issues but with one of the best recurring characters and a great showcase of the series deeper emotional plots - S4 ep6 "Self-Medication" - Really embraces the parody as Rusty goes to a former boy adventurer support group.  Anyway the show is 7 seasons with 80 episodes, please go watch it. I will never forgive @adultswim​ for cancelling what was to be their final season. And in closing GO TEAM VENTURE!

[imaginedmelody]

I know now that season 2 is out we’ve all moved our focus on to the new content, but I’m in the middle of a season 1 rewatch of Mythic Quest right now- and every time I watch ‘A Dark Quiet Death,’ I’m still so stunned by this great, sensitive, complex little piece of stand-alone TV storytelling. This past time I watched it, I was especially struck by the way the episode not only succeeds in making neither Doc nor Bean entirely the ‘bad guy,’ but also how it uses them to mirror the central conflict of the game. Not just in the sense that it’s an unwinnable game and ultimately neither of them ‘wins’, but in the way the two characters play off each other.

‘Dark Quiet Death’ the game is designed around the tension between two forces: the ever-present threat of the dark, and the way the flashlight beam incrementally pushes it back, a little bit at a time. The dark is a constant, a static force, and the flashlight is an active function-oriented device. That same dynamic is what we see in Doc and Bean: it’s not that Doc is ‘too light’ and Bean is ‘too dark,’ or that Doc is too capitalist-minded and Bean is too much of a rebel. Ultimately, what causes the rift between them is how they symbolically relate to either side of that tension in the game. Doc clings to symbols like the flashlight not because he’s not cynical enough for the dark, but because he is at heart a task-oriented, progress-oriented person. That means he ends up making concessions that compromise the integrity of the game’s central premise, but he’s not out of touch with the game’s message. He understands. He’s just drawn to the facet of the game that was designed to yield results. Bean, on the other hand, is an intractable person who is so set in her ideas and her somewhat nihilistic expectations that the part of the game that matters most to her is the darkness. And because those two forces- the dark and the flashlight- are always at odds in the game, so too are they what creates the friction in real life between Doc and Bean.

Doc is as much at fault for his relentless fixation on moving the game forward, even at the cost of its integrity, as Bean is for standing in the way of any change. And though it makes Doc seem out of touch with the game’s core message, I think Bean is unknowingly out of touch with a part of it too. She created the central mechanism in the game where you work as hard as you can to push back the dark, but she doesn’t really see why it matters the way Doc does. (When he gets angry at her for putting flowers in the flashlight and says “This means something to me!”, there’s a deeper connotation there than just the gift being important to him as a corporate gesture.) So she’s confused when her partner embodies the effort to do, in real life, exactly what the flashlight is meant to do in the game. Both of them see the root idea of the game as something different: for Bean it is about the futility of escaping the dark, and for Doc it’s about the effort to push back against it.

(It also bears mentioning, relatedly, that the one moment that Doc digs his heels in and refuses to push back, to compromise, is the moment he tells the brand manager that Roscoe goes against the game’s ideals and it’s either Roscoe or him. The moment, in other words, that he starts to realize the futility of him trying to control the game’s trajectory, no matter how much power the monetization guys claim he has. The instant he finally empathizes with the dark, he defends it and stands his ground, and ultimately then succumbs to it. The way the players of the game were always designed to do.)