#I just want basic graphics but alas

[fire-darkfire]

I wanted to work on my multiblog and noticed most of my files don't work on my new laptop... including ph0toshop. Can't make new icons or update Rollo's. WHY

[fereldanwench]

I didn't want to completely sit out a year-in-review, but for reasons I'll explain at the end of this post and under a cut, doing the traditional pick-one-pic-from-each-month approach just wasn't going to work for me. So instead, here are 20 of my favorite shots (in no particular order) of Valerie from 2023!

(I'll share solo Goro shots and shippy/story shots in two other posts before the year ends.)

Some thoughts about this year (cw for anxiety and depression mentions):

So yeah. I actually hadn't planned on joining in on the virtual photography year-in-review fun in part because... Well, frankly, I wasn't sure if it would actually be fun for me.

Although I do have pictures for every month, the first third, maybe even half, of the year was a struggle on almost every conceivable level. A lot of it was shit that carried over from the end of 2022, which was also an incredibly difficult year for me. I don't really want to delve too deeply into why--Some of it was personal, some of it was professional, some of it was fandom, and if you know, you know.

The main obstacle I had here is that looking at a lot of the shots I took from about January to May (give or take a few weeks on either end) honestly reminded me of Bad Times™️. I've worked really hard to pull myself out of that depression/anxiety cycle and return to a healthier approach to fandom and online socialization in general, but I just didn't want to spend a lot of time in that mental space. There are a few shots from those months that made it to my favorites, and I hope one day I can look back on that stuff and just feel the good from it again. Alas, that day is still not here.

But I am happy to report that the other reason I wanted to approach the review differently is a lot more positive! It's also two-fold: 1) I spent the earlier part of this year exploring more of a technical side of virtual photography and 2) I was really prolific the last third or so of this year so trying to narrow faves from about August until now was just not possible.

One of the few good things about the end of 2022 was being able to upgrade my graphics card, which meant I then had a rig that could support ray-tracing and hot sampling. As a result, I started putting a lot more focus on lighting and getting acquainted with new tools. I also was trying to work with the new AMM posing system, which is very convenient in some ways (100s of poses without reloading the game!) and a complete pain in the ass in others (can't move characters without their poses breaking!). Custom photomode poses + Nibbles Replacer has been the game changer I've been waiting for.

Or to put it more succinctly, December 2022 through about April 2023 felt like a relearning/return to basics kind of creative period, which is essential, but also means I just don't really like a lot of what I did, lmao.

Then, shockingly (I'm not shocked at all), starting treatment for my anxiety and depression in the second half of this year suddenly made creating a lot easier and fun again! Crazy how that works.

Even bumping this little review up to 20 shots instead of 12, there are still pictures from the past few months that I had to cut as favorites. There was just no way I could condense the amount of fave shots I took from August to now in just 5 options.

I also owe quite a bit of this revival to modders for asking me if I wanted to take shots for them--Exploring more of a fashion photography approach to my shots I think did a lot to build on what I had learned earlier in the year and encouraged me to try something new. I don't want to tag anyone in this long-ass glorified diary entry, but if you invited me to take mod shots for you, just know that it really meant a lot. ♡

And that's where my head has been with a yearly review! Is filling out a little template with 12 pictures this serious? No, it definitely is not, lmao. But hey, overthinking shit is still something I'm working on. ✌️

[batrogers]

So I have a Linked Universe Doll Fic series I'm doing, in which Hyrule got Dolls ala Zelda II for everyone in the Chain and I'm writing the "first time" they're used each. I'm almost done, but a friend just suggested a fantastic title:

~* Doll % Run *~

Now this sounds like a fantastic title to use, perhaps for using up multiple dolls in one long-running scenario, but I'm curious if any of y'all have suggestions of things you'd want to see?

I'll append a poll of some ideas I already had, but I'll happily take asks/reblogs/replies with others if you wanna share.

Under the cut is a summary of what I've already done if you don't usually read this kinda series/don't want to/want to know beforehand.

I am basically a no-holds-barred kind of writer. The only stuff that's off-limits would really only come up in a modern AU (eg. High School drama, or WWII things.)

The Dollmaker: the Chain meets the witch who makes the dolls. Time dies twice to her, then Hyrule blows them both up with a bomb to meet her demands.

Where is My Harmony, Where is My Friend? Legend gets poisoned in Warriors' Hyrule, and Wars cannot get him back to the others in time.

Dark Despair's Corroding Hand: the Chain winds up in an unfriendly city, arrested for no reason, and Time is tortured to death before they can get out and find him. [Extremely graphic]

Dog Days: the Chain winds up in Twilight's Hyrule, and Twilight goes to ask his Zelda for help while the others settle in with Telma. But he was off by a few decades on what year this is, and Zelda's mother has his flogged for his demands.

It Hungers Still: the Chain goes down a well in an abandoned Kakariko Village to figure out why the portals brought them here, and Wind doesn't listen to Time's order to stay together and runs into Dead Hand. [Extremely graphic]

Good is Not Nice: Legend sees the Dolls Hyrule got while they settle to rest in Warrior's castle, and when Hyrule takes it bag it breaks in his hand. Legend goes to check on him and has to throw Lana out of his room. [Stalker violence]

Hidden Ruin: Skyloft dove into a deep, water-filled pit to escape monsters, and he has to climb back out but the vines pull free and trap him, unable to breathe with no one who knows he's there.

Perfection: There's a mace lynel between the Chain and where they need to go, and Wild is sure he can take it. But the lynel only has to hit once to kill him.

[Four & Hyrule are, so far, unfinished]

[apopcornkernel]

i dont know if there's even a ppop presence on tumblr but i do also want to promote ALAMAT, a 6-member idol boy group from the Philippines. Its members comprise of Taneo, Mo, Jao, Tomas, R-ji, and Alas. They debuted in 2021, and their creative direction centers on championing the Filipino identity and culture through their music.

sorry that ^ was a copypaste but it's a very useful and concise copypaste LOL but onto my own promo:

(note: also most of these videos have english subs!!)

(extra note bc this issue always pops up whenever locals encounter alamat: mo is always wearing black hairstyes bc he is blasian and not bc he is appropriating from black culture hdfjhdf)

KASMALA, the inverted Tagalog word for "strong" (malakas), is the MV that really did numbers on social media iirc. The video direction focused on the "human zoo" in the St. Louis' World Fair of 1904 (which included Filipinos specifically Igorots), and a general theme of anti-Filipino racism by white people (who are represented as ominous figures literally dressed in all white)

personal opinion: the music video is great but i personally think they have better songs, music-wise. and i'm going to give you an example of that by introducing you to my ALL-TIME FAVORITE ALAMAT SONG!!!

ILY ILY, a transliteration of "Ili-Ili Tulog Anay", incorporates the melody and lyrics of the Ilonggo lullaby it derives its title from. The MV and lyrics both work together to portray the experience of being an OFW/having an OFW parent. OFWs, or overseas Filipino workers, refer to Filipinos who go abroad in search of jobs that have better pay, so that they can remit money back to their families in the Philippines.

personal opinion: this is their best song THIS IS THEIR BEST SONG EVER OF ALL TIME and lyca gairanod is such a perfect singer for this. her ethereal crooning really gave me chills the first time i heard it UGH

DAYANG, the term for the wife of a Datu, is one of their most earworming songs ever. It's a gorgeous love song and what I would recommend to newbies if they want to get into alamat <3

personal opinion: The MV is kinda ass because it's just a super long extended ad for DITO PH (in terms of story and also bc they really missed out on doing a vid that drew more on culture esp bc dayang is a historical noble title and they used tausug words and designs for the graphics an the dance itself already incorporated pangasik dance which is also from the tausug people LIKEEE?? they've always promoted other cultures of the philippines i know they can do it but because of CAPITALISM--). But the song bangs so severely, as a pop enjoyer this is peak pop for me.

OH I ALMOST FORGOT DAGUNDONG

DAGUNDONG, a song basically recounting the colonial history of the Philippines from Spain to America, is just so fucking good you should watch/listen to it rn. There's EN subs don't worry you won't miss out on the context. This is colonial rage it's so satisfying I still remember where I was when they dropped this.

personal opinion: FOREVER OBSESSED WITH HOW THEY SAY "dahil puso mandirigma di papakutsa di papapugon" you guys have no idea how much i sing that line to myself sooo satisfying. Instant earworm this song i swear.

OK ONE LAST one last and i'm done. okay.

MAHARANI, a Sanskrit term for the wife of a Maharaja (translated as "great queen"), heavily features singkil, a Maranao dance which uses bamboo poles like tinikling does. The song also uses SEAsian instruments like kanun, gamelan, and gangsa. Also BINI's Jhoanna plays one of the main characters here!!!

personal opinion: this is their most pop-sounding song, which i think is slightly carried by the video i'm sorryyy. it's catchy though!! and i looove the part somewhere halfway where alas starts his verse, singing it in a more spoken-word way

___

okay 5 songs is. probably enough. this post is already kinda long shdfjskdff but yeah. pls check them out if you can hehe <3

also ppop idols are just really funny. there's no concept of an idol image so they just tweet shit. alamat jao gave out his genshin UID after a fan tweeted about having co-oped with him in genshin, and then after that he started answering questions with the hashtag "#canceljao" making a lot of magiliws (alamat fans) confused, and then he posted a classic iphone notes apology like this 😭

i'll do a bini version after this my girls deserve more international hype. they occupy a more girlcrush pop genre but they're just as chaotic as alamat if not even more 😭 there are entire THREADS on twitter of them just being hilarious jdhfkshgf i love them so much

thanks for reading <3

[dessertpanda]

To be a Hero or Maybe.

MasterList PT2 PT3 PT4 PT5 PT6

This story is heavely based on one of my OC, it mentions kidnapping, suicide, bullying, sex, yander behavior and abuse. Please be warned this is little more graphic compared to my other storys. Also the time line for the story is a little different when compared to the actual MHA, the characters are all in college vs being in hight school. Please enjoy and note that i do not own any of the named character except for Paris, all credit for the characters goes to Horikoshi. (Izuku x Fem Reader)

(Set as a pre... they're in middle school)

        Midoriya stood watching over the roof tops edge, he was leaning with his back against the railing and his feet teetering on the ledge. He took a deep breath and slowly released it, allowing the wind to blow his hair.  He had been up there so many times before but for the first time in his life, he stood there with no intent of jumping. He watched the clouds and the kids below who only pointed up and laughed at him. He has had so many thoughts of this ledge being his end but yet "IZUKU HIII" He was startled by his sudden name called but he smiled at the familiar voice. "Y/N!! HII" He held a face of pure excitement, as he looked behind him to see her smiling face. A transfer student that showed up mysteriously from America. She was outcast-ed for many reason, coming into middle school with no friends would to that to ya, not to mention the rumor of her being quirk less left her basically alone. That was until she ran into Izuku Midoriya, who she had quickly made friends with, seeing him on a roof top in the city... she watched as the #1 hero leaped from the same area. Alas. she brought him instant comfort and safety, however he was concerned for her already bad reputation and did not want to tarnishes it anymore by having the other student see them together. "Y-Y/N you cant call out to me so openly! people are gonna hear you" He warned, hoping back over the railing and standing across the roof top from her. "Oh why not? scared to be seen with me?? Huh the transfer?" She teased him, taking a couple steps closer to him.  "N-no that isn't it! I just... you don't want them to catch you with me!" He points down below to the other teens who where walking around in similar uniforms. They where clearly their classmates, and the ones who bulled Izuku. "If they see you with me, they'll tease you even more" He looked down shamefully, he held tears in his eyes refusing to look at her. She huffed, walking up to him and gently cupping his face. "I'm not ashamed of you Izuku..." She sighed lifting his face to look at her..."You're my best friend Izuku, please, let me be your hero" She used her free hand to wipe his tears,  "y-you don't care if they make fun of you?" His eyes met hers and a slight sparkle shown in them. He had fallen in love with her since she first spoke to him... her courage, her quirk, her everything. "I'll just kick their asses,  because hero protect other! so lets protect each-other!" She called holding out her fist for him to hit. He met her and smiled brightly, no one has ever offered to protect like she has. She was truly extortionary. "YEAH! W-we can protect each other!" They both giggled at each-other, "Now lets head home!" She started her way towards the rooftop door, "Alright!" Izuku quickly grabbed his things and ran to follow her.

         As they walked out the school grounds they gained glances from other students, trying to figure out why in the hell she was walking with him. Even though they've been friends for so long, Izuku did his best to keep it under warps. Izuku was glancing around and his anxiety was rocketing through the roof, but he took one glance at her and felt at peace. His smile returned and he puffed his chest out the slightest. They continued walking, chatting about an anime they've both been watching. As they walked the sidewalk, Y/N took a notice to the group of kids that seemed to linger behind them.  They where whispering rather loudly about them "Look at useless Deku" one spoke.... "She's wasting her time". Y/N felt irked, "HEY if you got something to say, say it with your chest" She huffed, turning around to confront the group.  The teens snickered, "Why are you walking with that nerd?" "Your wasting your time by talking to him, he quirk less and useless. No better than trash" They laughed at them "You should find someone better to hang out with" Y/n only hummed at them, "You say that but are you any different?" She asked, her head tilting to the side. "Well, for starters I have a badass quirk" He smirked, the other boys chuckled in agreement. "Uhm.. but a quirk is only as useful as it's holder, and what im seeing right now... isn't very impressive" She sighed crossing her arms and glancing at Izuku, she had a disappointed face. He couldn't help but giggle at her. The bully face faded into a scowl, "W-What the hell did you say to me?" His voice only raised in volume as his anger increased, he was not used to having anyone speak to him this way. "IM BETTER THAN HIM" He roared, he activated his quirk which allowed him to stretch his arm out. "Prove it then" she spoke, her tone hard... she watched as he moved towards her, "I'LL PROVE IT BY BEATING YOUR ASS" He made a running movement at her, his followers watched with wide eyes, this was the first time they had seen their leader get challenged like this. Y/N took a stance... "Lets see it then" He lunged at her, making an attempted to punch hier... The others muttered... thinking of how this battle could result. Y/N dodged, grabbing his arm and twisting her hips to flip him over her shoulder. "H AHA TO SLOW" She cackled as his head smacked into the ground. He let out a groan, his arm flying back into its original size. "ACK" He screamed as pain flooded his senses. The others gasped at how fast he had gotten taken down. They where scared... but moved quietly as to not be noticed by Y/N. Y/N stood over the bully... "Without using my quirk... you where beaten.... so quite talking out your ass" She told him off, hands on her hips and head shaking side to side. "should kill you for this" Still laying on the ground he was awestruck. Bakugo was the only person that ever scared him. "y-you got lucky! it was one shot! when I get up YOU'LL REGRET THIS" He strained to get up, he huffed and wheezed but his eyes went wide as both his arms where pinned by her shoes. She stood over him, both his hands pinned, she lifted her hand and brought it down right onto his face, breaking his nose. He laid still for a moment before she stepped off him, blood began dripping down his face, rolling on his side he began to tear up. Everyone stood shook, the bullys poise was to scared to move, they watched as their leader rolled in pain. Y/N huffed, "You talk shit but you're no better...if I hear you talk bad on him, you're gonna get it ten times worst. As human beings you should be ashamed and know that if truly believe you're above someone then you're probably under them" The others shook in fear, they watched as she moved away from the body, she glanced back at him as he snarled from the ground... he couldn't move even if he wanted to... his nose was in to much pain. His eyes held nothing but rage and hated.... "Keep looking at me with those eyes.... I love the attention" 

Y/N huffed turning and taking Izukus hands "Lets go home" He followed silently, amazed by her strength and ability to take down such a force with ease. He was snapped out of his daze when he felt her warm hand envelop his. He blushed at the touch, his worry taking over...  "Y-Y/n are you okay!? hurt anywhere?" He gasped, frantically checking her for any injuries. Y/n blushed softly at his fear... her heart fluttering at his antics. She smiled at him before an idea... bold and daring piped into her mine. "y-you know, my lips kinda hurt," She glanced away "M-maybe a kiss?" She was beat red and pointed to her lips, "Just a small one" Her eyes winded when his arms started flailing. "AH A k-kiss as in you w-want my lips and your lips... pressing ohh god" He was flush red... shaking at her request. "h-hey Izu,.. you don't have hmm" She gasped as his lips crashed into her, she was quick to get over her stunned state and raised her hands to hold his face. He let out  soft moan as he also raised his hands to meet her face. They connected perfectly, enjoying their time for a few more moments before they gently separated.  Izuku quickly covered his face mouth, eyes wide and face flushed... he stared into Y/n's eyes who held nothing but love and asmiration while looking at him. "Date me?" She blurted out... he was slightly taken back... he felt undeserving of a girl such as Y/n, she was perfect  and he was merely a deku... but if the world was offering him her.... then surly he was allowed to be selfish for one.... he was allowed to hold her close and claim her. "YES! i uh yes, i'd love to date you!" He smiled brightly at her, "REALLY" both where giddy, giggling at one an others actions. Y/n gasped softly as Izuku dove into a hug... burring his head in her chest and holding her waist tightly. She greatly returned the hold and gently began petting her hair. "mmm" Izuku made a noise of approval of her touch, almost like a purr. Having been friends for over a year now... being here felt natural, now as they returned to school tomorrow, they would no longer stand as best friends protecting each-other but rather lovers who had taken a vowel and stand true to it. "hey... Izuku" Y/n hummed, he took a glance up at her, still a red face and bright smile... "Let’s head home" he nodded his head, gently removing himself from her hold. He had never felt for safe, so appreciated, so loved. "right!"

Okayy, this will contiune!!!! Im actually so excited for this! this is one of my OC story lines but not my main! Thank you all for the support and love!!! HAVE A GREAT DAY AND REMEMBER TO EAT,DRINK, AND LOVE YOURSELF BYEEEEEE LOVE YOU ALL

[three-fulm-thaumaturd]

Dawn? Trailed.

Finished Dawntrail MSQ tonight. Assorted scattershot (and spoiler-heavy) thoughts under the RM.

-I came to DT without much preexisting hype or emotional investment. All I wanted out of this expansion was to have a break from being the main character who has to save the multiverse from extinction, again, and to have some cool scenery to look at and some banger music, and we sure got that!

-There are a lot of things about how this expansion was written that didn't effortlessly or instinctively emotionally appeal to me in specific, but that are, when I think about them, really good, solid workmanlike choices re: how to construct a video game narrative.

-I know J-media tournament arcs are “well worn” in the same sense that the Grand Canyon or the Marianas Trench are, but they provide a plausible pretext for the things that MMOs are set up to do. Better than a host of supposedly highly-realized and virtuous precursor beings insisting that we repeatedly justify our existence by fighting, for sure.

-Being Wuk Lamat's mentor/emotional support Eorzean/800 pound gorilla was an interesting conceit. I think the writers carried off "non-protagonist PC" fairly well, and I've played other games where that was tried and didn't work (lookin at you SWtOR, re: KotFE). Lamat'yi feels like a more competently-written version of Stormblood-era Lyse. She's got both a core personality that remains consistent and a trajectory of increasing competence and maturity. I think she's well constructed as a protag/viewpoint character: she's primed to like things and people, her ethos of addressing conflict by seeking understanding and consensus is a good pretext to deliver exposition, and she feels/empathizes intensely but doesn't get stuck on her own emotional reactions. I wouldn’t say I effortlessly enjoy her as a character, especially early on when the writing leans hard into her immaturity and desperation to be liked and to prove herself, but I understand and respect what that’s for. It’s no different than Naruto or early-OT Luke Skywalker.

-I like the variety of Central/South American cultural inspo (Aztec, Quechua, Yucatec Maya, Pueblo, etc), we got in the setting and culture for this xpac, and the conception of Tural as a very racially/culturally heterogeneous place where power comes from the aggregate of a complicated network of relationships that have to be negotiated on an ongoing basis. It's not zero-sum, and finding solutions that benefit everyone is hard but worthwhile.

-I was excited to be able to bring Krile, my favorite Scion, along this time. I feel like the ShB/EW A-team had enough presence to appeal to people who like them and not so much that they upstaged the new characters or the change of scenery.

-I think there was effort to add cinematographic interest to the many, dense cutscenes other than wide-angle shot/reverse-shot over paragraphs of text. Some of the camera angles (switching between the faces of my minimum-height lalafell and 2m+ Wuk Lamat) and long shots of characters' expressions resulted in...sometimes-intentional uncanniness and unintentional comedy. This probably was not the devs' intention (their intention was probably a performance with emotional subtlety that the graphics overhaul alas still doesn't permit), but my instinctive read was that it felt like unnecessary padding/stalling for time.

-Re: other stuff that felt like it unnecessarily lengthened the playtime and the amount of text to read, sometimes I resent that it feels like I'm being not just spoon-fed, but bottle-fed plot and character beats that are not complicated or hard to understand. Then I see people evincing failure to comprehend what they're reading elsewhere on the internet and understand why it's done that way. :\

-There's basically one trademark Ishikawa conflict: Local man driven to extremes by inability/unwillingness to come to terms with loss, aging, and death. There's also one trademark Ishikawa sin that characterizes all of the ShB-and-after antagonists: a delusional insistence on harming the living to feed the dead. Those come up so consistently that her style is instantly recognizable...and I wonder some about what she's experienced or how she's doing.

-The hairpin turn in the plot about 2/3 of the way in and the by-now very familiar tropes aren't my narrative jam at all, but it was engaging enough to mostly keep my attention until the end. I'm beyond weary of Ascians/Ancients and shard math, so I'm glad those things were referenced (and there's some interesting stuff to chew on re: Lalafell history in particular) but not focal.

-I'm a little mad, because my pre-Heritage-Found speculation that El Dorado was going to turn out to actually be an aetherologic Superfund site (which would explain the security, the giants charging in and coming back dead, sick, or unable to reproduce, the teratogenic effects on eg Blessed Siblings etc and the fight for control of it as a putative military asset) seemed to have a lot of fun possibilities. I guess you could argue that Living Memory might be a very abstracted nod in that direction.

-*Queen Sphene*? Really, you couldn’t have named her anything at all else???

-I'm not at all satisfied that "he felt overshadowed by his father's accomplishments and wanted to prove his worth independent of his unusual heritage" is sufficient justification for how Zoraal Ja was, especially prior to his first contact with Alexandria. I figured based on his behavior and Krile's remarks, that he had to be Tempered, or affected by an equivalent kind of magical compulsion.

-The final trial, and to a lesser extent the last dungeon are an unmitigated (and unmitigatable until mods become available again) accessibility nightmare if you're photosensitive or prone to motion sickness. I hoped the devs would take the feedback they got from the ShB alliance raid series under consideration but they sure didn't give a shit. Guess I'm not doing roulettes for a while.

[leonardoeatscarrots]

So i don't really know much about your fandoms or interests so... idk, would you mind giving me the rundown maybe? Like a little description about the games you like, or some info about your different comics? I want to chat more with you but I'm not sure where to start since I'm not familiar with your fandoms

Haha, that makes sense, my Fandoms can be considered a little niche.

First off, I'm super glad to finally meet you, lol. I've sorta been watching you and Pringles from afar, and you two seem like good friends.

But yeah, I'll happily give you a rundown, thanks for asking ^^

Pathologic/Мор: Утопия is a Russian videogame developed by Icepick Lodge. You play as one of three healers in a bo-hum steppe town, and your goal is to try and save the population from the outbreaking plague. The game has a lot of heavy theatrical influences and is well known for being extremely difficult and cruel. Which means the writing is perfectly catered to my tragedy-loving gay-theater-kid ass.

Karamora/Карамора is a show I got into a while ago. Basically, it's a fictional retelling of the Russian revolution (one of my special interests, lmao), except all the nobles are vampires. It's dumb but it's unironically so well made. Plus it has that twinky ginger guy, Evgeny Schwartz, in it. This show is also what got me on the Russian media pipeline to begin with XD

Lost Splendor was a memoir written by Felix Yusupov (aka the guy who killed rasputin, aka an important figure in the Russian revolution), and it's just incredibly funny for no reason. Man killed Rasputin, but all he could think to write about was how gay and ADHD he was.

Comics. I'm just very normal about them. I have a collection of around 80 different comics, single issues and graphic novels included. My favorites are queer and indie graphic novels, but im also a huge sucker for some of the classics like V for Vendetta. I have yet to purchase The Sandman comics, but they're on my list.

As for webcomics, I'm addicted to those too. I'm probably the biggest fan 5-ever of The Peculiar Compendium of Victor Van Wolfe on webtoons, and I've written a few fanfics and made fanart aplenty, as well as made custom stuffies of the characters. But I have a wide list of recommendations across a lot if genres XD

As for comics that IVE written, I currently have two open to the public on webtoons and tapas.

The first is Spaceships and Vodka, which is my primary comic. It's an anachronistic sci-fi surrounding a band of space pirates. It's a monster of the week style story with a lot of extra narrative told through backstories. It's currently still in the exposition stage and on hiatus.

The other is Gentle Hands, which is technically an AU of S&V. It's a gay romance following a disabled WWI soldier in a shellshock home and one of the nurses he has a crush on. This one is, alas, also still in the exposition stage, but is currently updating one page every other week.

As for like individual OCs, I mostly obsess over my comic characters. I don't typically make Fandom OCs.

My absolute pride and joy is Craig. He's also the fan favorite thus far.

I don't even know where to begin with him.

I have a bio for him and some other OCs I think, but I have yet to actually fill out any more >>_>> executive dysfunction my beloathed.

The full main cast list includes

Craig

Mirium

Derick

Terric

Carl

As well as Erasmus, Rusty, Cipher, Jadyn, and Jesper as some other extras.

So long as I'm here I may as well finish all the bios and make a master post lol...

[vidreview]

VIDREV: "Why Did Link's Cel Shading Disappear?" by Jasper

[originally posted december 2nd 2022]

when i was in college, i worked in the oklahoma film industry for a few years as a grip-electric swing. in simplest terms, an electrician sets up the lights and a grip shapes the light. the swing's job is to, naturally, swing between both departments depending on what they need. this gave me an intimate understanding of all the ways a set is fictionalized by skilled workers so that it might appear real on screen. that experience colors much of how i approach creative work both practically and critically, because i very much dislike how the labors of so many talented technicians are conglomerated to one of a handful of names on the poster. there is an art to carving light into a proper shape. you can spend hours lighting a room just to make it look like night. it's not easy and it's not automatic. it is exactingly technical work that requires measurement and precision (if you want to do it right).

i say all this to say that video games are impossible. you can't just write some random symbols and numbers and then seriously expect me to believe that creates an immersive triple-a gaming experience. how do they do that? how does a horizon zero dawn exist? math is the devil's playground. my nvidia gtx 3070ti is the apple of eve, and i partake with reckless abandon on a daily basis (especially now that the associated credit card debt is almost paid off). it's sorcery is what it is, and i will never understand it. those wizards whose tongues have been trained to fork in C++, fingers long and spindly with wretched computational vigor, are sinners in the eyes of god, and i have nothing but respect for the thankless work they do to create the vile abominations we all know and love.

this video, nominally about an obscure graphical glitch in the legend of zelda: breath of the wild, did not convince me that video games are "real" as such. but it did give me a momentary glimpse of what it would be like to be a me who, instead of working in film, had worked in video games. i felt for a second like i had a real appreciation for the kind of labor that goes into making a game, beyond the popular imaginary of "some folks sit at computers and type." i don't think i've ever appreciated just how ruinously complex even the simplest of digital visual expressions can be to produce in real-time, and i appreciate how patiently Jasper lays it all out. i may be a digital native of the world wide web from the age of aol instant messenger, but i'm still a poetry animal who has to do basic math on her cloven hooves. talk slow and i'll get it, but you gotta talk slow.

i understand some things about how various mediums treat the film frame. celluloid is a physical surface with depth, a lumaphilic topography of the universe as visible to a piece of glass. digital sensors, however, capture raw signal data and either store it in RAW files or process it through the manufacturer's proprietary algorithm to create a suitable recreation of the universe as visible to a piece of glass. i just think it's interesting. i like to understand the rote physical processes which produce the raw materials of art, and i find it endlessly fascinating that the constituent parts of a medium are so often the realm of highly skilled technicians, and yet the final product is somehow produced by an artist who is not necessarily expected to know a single solitary thing about those processes. think of taika waititi just sorta casually throwing cgi effects artists under the bus in a press video for the bad thor sequel he didn't want to make. i know he knows a lot about the technical production of cinema because he's been a hands-on guy his whole career, and by all accounts he seems to care a lot about his crew (often making sure maori and indigenous film workers are on set and getting real experience). alas, solidarity is an elusive quality even among the decent ones.

besides having an interesting premise with a surprising amount of depth, this video reminded me that in games as well as movies, nothing you see is an accident. also light is magic no matter what medium it's captured in. anyway it's a good video and you should watch it

[nerves-nebula]

Still kind of hilarious I spent my whole life leading up to going to art school so that I could build up the drawing skills necessary to finally be able to draw whatever it was I wanted, and at the last second I pivoted to graphic design instead of illustration because I realized drawing as homework/a full time job would make me miserable.

Like I’ve taken a lot of art classes but still generally think of myself as self taught because art classes in high school are basically just “here’s some materials, do the thing” even the really good ones.

And a lot of art basics we go over are stuff I taught myself already or had already heard of before. Like I’m definitely refining my skills in college but they’re skills I was gonna work on anyway and now I’m not even in college for drawing so any progress I make is like, still mostly of my own doing.

If college didn’t cost so much goddamn money I’d get a degree in illustration for my personal work and a degree in graphic design for work purposes. alas!

[zer0psd]

never used photoshop so im curious to see your opinions about photopea vs photoshop

ok things to be known: 1) adobe can suck my cock and balls theyre evil and i wish that the corporate entity that is adobe would go up in flames, a corporation shoud NOT have that much insight in your privacy, files, sensitive info, etc 2) photopea is great and built off a small dev team as a basically a passion project, which is awesomesauce! i'm not knocking them at all, and i think ppl should support them in anyway they can

i've been a graphic designer and photographer for years now, and in hs i became adobe certified. i literally spent four years of my life learning on an industry standard. it becomes muscle memory after a while. beside that i was a roleplayer so i became VERY familiar with edits and gifs and all that. again everything became muscle memory. adobe suites are the industry standard for a reason, and for GOOD reason. i think they have an amazing interface and work hard to update the experience and make shit easier for artists; like i will give them that even if i sound like a bootlicker. i never paid for it tho lol as a student i got it for free and i would use cracks/torrents.

when i got my new computer it wouldn't let me run bootcamp so i couldn't crack the adobe suites like i used to :/ new mac processors or whatever don't rely on intel anymore, so not intel = no bootcamp. most cracks are pc based so i just couldn't find one that worked for me. apple went ham on protecting IP and combating torrents so it's like impossible to crack without an extensive VPN or else adobe will literally send a cease and desist to your internet provider. its sincerely fucked up.

i switched to photopea bc of this. i really liked it, but im autistic so having to relearn my own workflow that ive had for years made me want to hashtag die. the interface is VERY close to photoshop, so it wasn't hard, but it doesn't have the same capabilities i was used to w ps. i do NOT like edited photos in photopea; i think its way too laggy and glitchy to work with giant raw files, which really sucks!!! for making small edits and doing my graphic design tho??? i do really like it. it doesn't have the same capabilities as ps sure, but once i just fucked with the filter galleries and different plug ins and worked my process around what photopea could accomplish, i was good as gold. i've been producing quality work on commission through photopea. it's a learning curve for sure, especially if you have zero experience with an editing interface like that, but the more i use it the more i learn.

all of that being said, i think photopea is fucking awesome for being completely free and open source. it has its issues —— sometimes its way too glitchy for me and pisses me the fuck off, i have to frequently save my psd files and hope that they don't fuck up, and then reopen so it's less laggy and rinse and repeat bc some of my stuff takes hours lmfao —— but i think its pretty darn close to the photoshop i was using like less than a year ago. its glitchy, its laggy, the ads are annoying and clog up the screen, but i simply cannot complain to much when its a smallish dev team working on a shoestring budget (last time i checked) and for FREE. like its open and usable on any browser and computer and i think thats rad.

if i could go back to ps without giving them money i would in a heartbeat. ps is awesome for the work i do, and i like that there's constant improvements and updates. it just boils down to look, feel, and workflow to me; ps is rarely laggy and glitchy, its meant to handle giant projects, there's so many plug ins you can find online, etc. i just wish it wasn't a subscription based software; honestly if i new adobe was less like the elf on the shelf and i could make a one time purchase, i would. but alas.

anyways i'm pro photopea all the way. idk if any of this was helpful its mostly rambly lmfao. but yeah. i don't do much photography anymore, so i don't have to work around the glitches and lags and all of that with photopea; i focus on graphic design for event fliers and social media content + rp resources. it has room for improvement for sure for sure, but it's lovely and helpful in its own way.

[gatheredfates]

time and treachery | ashley hawke & koret swan

Do you want to read all of my FFXIVWrite prompts? You can do that here!

JERK. an unlikable person. especially : one who is cruel, rude, or small-minded. TW: There is implied domestic violence here, but nothing super graphic. Please read at your discretion.

“Y’know, you’re kind of a jerk sometimes.”

“Can you just shut your mouth and patch me up already?”

The brush of medicinal alcohol caused Koret to hiss, jolting back as Ashe grabbed a hold of her wrist to keep her steady. It wasn’t common for the brawler to shift into a curative role these days, especially with Shiro becoming a doctor, but the rare times that the captain presented herself to her she found herself compelled, and the most basic of first aid came easy for someone who learned to patch themself up from their own mishaps. She went back in with the wipe, ignoring how the woman growled; twisting her lip into a crooked smile when she retorted, “You did that on purpose.”

“Maybe.” The wipe came away bloody, a darkened peat-brown like graves dug along the edges of Ala Mhigo, and smelled not too dissimilar to the aftermath of the Garlean invasion — clinical, chemical and rust-wound. She tossed it into the bin and retrieved another, continuing to dab at the wound. “Y’lucky it’s me and not Shiro. Could be a lot worse.”

She knew why it wasn’t Shiro. The two had a shared history; a shared bond, of sorts. Koret Swan didn’t need to explain why she came to her door black and blue — she didn’t need to rehearse the same story, the same twisted chorus or endure the pity fresh in the face of every chirurgeon within a thousand-malm radius.

“What pissed him off now?” Him. Not her. Ashe watched the way Kor snickered, her voice bemused but her eyes bereft of mirth. The side of her cheek bulged where her tongue pressed, like a deadened whale swelling with decay, but the words she might have said were interred to the rot until they sank into irrelevancy.

“When I find something that doesn’t, I’ll let you know.”

She looked at her then, amber-gold to earthen-brown, and Ashe’s chest grew tight. She hated how she couldn’t protect her — hated that, despite the fact they weren’t so different, time, people and circumstance had twisted them to different paths — and that the blood she dabbed away in thickening clots was only one separation away from her own.

“Papa always said he was a little bitch.”

He was more polite than that, but it made Kor laugh. 

Ashe smiled in return, casting off the final wipe before turning back and grabbing a hold of the small sewing kit. Threading the needle, she carefully pushed the skin of her eyebrow up and began to crudely stitch it back together.

“—Always said he had somethin’ t’prove, being the youngest. Said he would whinge like a baby if he didn’t get his way.” They were never things said to Ashley specifically, more… discovered in the night when they first arrived at Limsa Lominsa, bitterly thrown to their compatriots. They were snarled the last time the two men ever spoke to each other, trading blows beneath the Marauder’s Guild after an altercation in the Drowning Wench had the three imprisoned in the small holding cells — Ashe on the outside looking in, swiftly retrieved by the guards the moment she began to scream.

Dimitri was able to pay his way out, but her father remained.

She knew he made it difficult for them. She knew he felt… slighted by that night. Embarrassed. 

He liked Ashe because he thought she was a cabin boy. He scorned the pantomime of gender when he found out proper.

It never bothered her, but she knew it bothered Kor. There was tension in her fingers, her maw set in a hard line. How many times had the two been compared — how often did she wish she could be him, not knowing the him was a farce? 

The few times they traded looks when they were children, her in rags and she in Sunday best, she knew she loathed her. She also knew Lily didn’t know her at all.

Strange to mourn a cousin seen in glances.

Careful not to nick the skin, Ashe snipped the thread pulled to a tight knot. Kor let out the air she held in a sigh, ballooning her through the pain, and reached her hand up to touch her face. The skin was swollen, the outer edges already going blue.

“Thank you,” said after a beat — like it was a forgotten sentiment, a habit she was trying to retrain. Ashe laughed proper now and grabbed a hold of her hand.

“You’re welcome. Still kind of a jerk, though.”

“Blame my father,” she said, though Ashe swore she saw a proper smile there.

“I do! I really think if we knew each other better as kids we would ‘ave gotten along.”

At least they were together now — that was the thing that counted. Time and treachery had carved a rift between them but, even in the stoicism of the captain’s words, she knew the tender sentiment. “I think you’re pushing your luck.”

[sommerregenjuniluft]

heyyy lovely!!! so i was casually stalking your account and i saw you mentioned a pandalily cannibalxdetective fic called “these lips that left some scars” and it sounds insane in a way only the best things are. i was just wondering, with no intention of pressure, if you could give a little bit of a sneak peak of what more the fic could entail in the future?

p.s i am obsessed with the way you’ve set up your profile

hii hello!<3

first of all, thank you so much that’s so sweet of you!! :,

so, funny thing is,, this was actually planned as a oneshot for part of a series i had in mind. the series being sapphic ships in all sorts of different scenarios where one might die and get eaten (other examples being siren x pirate, or vampire x human) buuut, it kinda ran away from me, ideas wise and so i’d like it to have more chapters. still won’t be anything big i think, i’m just gonna throw out estimated less than 25k words because i suck at planning/outlining fic and coming up with plot lol (but we’re all here to improve so who knows *shrugs*)

basically the babes constantly cross paths (because pandora arranges for it to happen, aka continuing her silly little murder spree and letting herself get caught, but with no evidence) and lily is a little deranged and falls prey to pandora’s charm and they end up indulging their fucked up fantasies together in the most romantic way<3 or maybe pandora does end up eating lily. i really dont know yet i’m only the writer, they do shit of their own accords,,,,

as for sneak peaks >:))

Oh, and the pain. The noises they make in pain.

Every other sound that’s coming out of Lily’s larynx is already irritatingly beautiful and exhaustingly enticing. Pandora isn’t sure she wouldn’t come undone in the presence of Lily groaning and panting in pain. Oh, maybe she’s a whimperer.

aand…

Oh, but Lily.

Lily is different though. From the other detectives and uniformed officers. Lily looks.

The first time Lily came onto one of Pandora’s crime scenes she’s pretty sure she fell in love with her.

She hadn’t realized immediately, the glint in Lily’s eyes and not in person, of course, but Xeno has their ways of hacking into security cameras and getting their hands onto whatever footage or information they want—alas Pandora having sent rather explicit death threats, graphic in both the death threat as well as the things she’s going to do to Lily right next to their corpse, to Lily’s bumble matches only a few weeks prior.

i’ve already posted about them some time where Pandora was getting felt up homoerotically pat down for weapons professionally but that’s probably lost somewhere on my blog since i didn’t tag it siigghh

i’m v busy at the moment but this made me really want to write them again, i will fight tooth and nail (my family) to get away for a few hours tonight and pick this back up!!

**also Xeno is Pandora’s aroace nonbinary partner in gay crime, they are very much platonic with each other and live in a symbiotic (no one gets hurt if Pandora gets what she wants in the next 5 seconds) relationship :))

****also im very sorry for taking so long to respond, there are demons (my toddler brothers) dragging me around all day in their fierce clutches keeping me from the vital ways of life (blogging on tumblr) <3

[bmaxwell]

Baldur's Gate 3

Baldur's Gate was my first-ever PC game. I came home with a shiny new PC a coworker built for me, and stopped at Best Buy to pick up the MicroProse Magic the Gathering game and Baldur's Gate. The game was positively mind blowing. It used AD&D rules (my first tabletop system) it had gorgeous isometric graphics, and FIVE (5) discs. Console gaming had nothing like it.

5 years later I was burned out on the genre* and maybe the rest of the world was too, because that style of game stopped being made. Years later when Pillars of Eternity, Tyranny, and Divinity Original Sin came along, I spent time with each but was never truly enamored with them. I figured that, like RTS games, Metallica, and kart racers, CRPG's were something I used to like.

So when Baldur's Gate 3 released in early access, I largely ignored it. I'm not going to spend time playing an unfinished story-centric game, and even if I did? I haven't finished One of These in some 20 years. It's a bad bet.

However.

I'm like an alcoholic that drives past every bar in town every day. I listen to video game podcasts, and I talk games with friends. A couple of friends' enthusiasm for the game was infectious and, near release, Larian Studios announced that they were upgrading standard preorders to the Deluxe Edition for free. Well, if I ever do want the game I'll want the deluxe edition, and I can get that upgrade for FREE now? I'm basically losing money if I don't buy it. Right?

Buy it I did, and I was immediately hooked. I even spent an eternity in the character creator,** mostly debating my race and class. I get major FOMO with games like this. I want to see everything there is, and that's just not possible. I can't pick every lock AND smooth talk every conversation AND be a follower of every god, and so on. I finally settled on a Tiefling Warlock, a patron of The Great Old Ones.

Oh Aremon. I have so much I need to warn you about. But alas, I cannot.

It turns out there's a lot more than your character and class keeping you from seeing everything Baldur's Gate 3 has to offer. The game gives you an incredible amount of freedom. The studio touted the game's "17,000 endings" which seems nonsensical. After putting a hundred hours into the game I can believe it now. There are choices and events - big and small - whose outcomes ripple out into what feels like an ocean of possibilities.

The game reacts to everything you do. I've played a few saves and have friends playing their own campaigns, and the way we swap Baldur's Gate 3 stories feels like the old days on the playground. "Oh, you saved the druid grove? Well I heard you can assassinate the leader and there's a war and the whole GROVE is basically destroyed! Billy says he went and saved their missing leader and Susie says she helped an evil Drow elf raid the grove and burn it down!"

Susie that bitch.

And that's all true. Every action you take, every quest you follow through on or ignore, every area you miss altogether - these all have tendrils that spread out and touch every other thing in the game. It feels like there's a DM with a folders full of wrinkled papers of hastily scrawled notes alongside their binder of carefully written world lore that the players may never see.

The story revolves around mindflayers, opening with your character being restrained and infected with a gruesome parasite. It's a pretty good impetus to set you off on a quest to get that teethy little tadpole out of your head. No one needs to tell you that the kingdom is in danger, you have your own personal stakes in the form of unwelcome parasite in your brain. You can just watch that opening cutscene again if you need reminding of the situation's urgency. *shudder*

Or, perhaps not. Maybe this tadpole gives you cool powers. If one tadpole is good, more must be better!

Right?

As of now I am into chapter 3, exploring the titular city of Baldur's Gate, and I have no idea how this is all going to play out.*** The shades of grey and the way the game subverts expectations speaks to the quality of its writing. Dungeons and Dragons is some 50 years old now. Creative works carry the world view of their makers - hopes, fears, sense of justice, and prejudices are all along for the ride. They HAVE to be.

It's a black and white world where the monsters are evil and the heroes are heroic. The black skinned Drow are born evil and cruel, orcs are wild, savage, dumb, and violent. Mind flayers are cruel, thriving on enslaving others for their own ends. Thankfully the writers have gone outside the tired stereotypes pretty often with Baldur's Gate 3.

It makes me happy that I have a female Tielfing demonic barbarian who is somehow big hearted and vulnerable while also being powerful and kickass. My cleric is worships Shar, goddess of darkness. She's not necessarily evil per se, but she's definitely not about holy water and rays of holy light shining down from above.

And those mind flayers? Maybe they're not so bad. Not all of them. Some of my best friends are mind flayers! Or maybe that's my tadpole parasite thing speaking. I've met monsters who were not monsters at all. It's a lot of shades of grey and I DIG that.

The game gives you some weighty choices. I've had a handful of moments where I had to sit back and ponder for a few minutes, and these usually involve my party members. Each party member I've recruited (I have missed a few that I know of also) has been wonderfully written and voice acted. They each carry their own baggage and their own backstory that they will eventually share with you. We're all in the same parasitic boat together, but we each have our own demons.****

I have a vampiric theater kid, a spunky demon lady, a melancholy mage, a heroic warlock, an emo cleric, and a fearsome warrior traveling with me. Well, had. I ended up killing one of them when their morals went too far off the rails for me. It's not a choice I made lightly and I do not regret it. My friends have had their stories play out differently. The world reacts to your decisions and so do your party members. They're not just blank ciphers to blindly follow in whatever you do. They'll make their opinions known up to the point of leaving or even attacking you. I've seen their stories play out in very different ways based on who was in my active party at the time of a key story event.

Video game stories are very hit or miss for me. With RPG's I'm usually there for the combat and systems as much as the story. Baldur's Gate 3's main story is engaging and kept me invested from start to finish. Every party companion felt like a fully fleshed out character who I wanted to learn more about and hear more from. Even some of the game's side plots were engaging - one involving a hag comes to front of mind. There's just so damn much DETAIL here, and none of it feels extraneous. The developers have clearly played a lot of Dungeons & Dragons, they know the sorts of things players want to do, and they made a game that says "Yes, actually you CAN do that" surprisingly often.

That freedom extends to the game's combat as well. You can throw objects, ignite pools of oil or alcohol, electrify water, push people off ledges, and on and on. My concern was that I'd get overwhelmed like I did with Larian's previous game Divinity Original Sin 2, but the combat threads the needle of being challenging without typically being overly long (spending an hour plus in combat only to lose and have to start over feels bad).

I can't close this review without mentioning that Larian did a great job replicating the act of rolling a die, a key component of tabletop games. The die clatters about and settles on its number in a satisfying way, and the excitement of a natural 20 on a long shot or the deflation of a crummy roll are intact here in this digital translation. The game handles luck streaks too - there's an option called Karmic Dice that you can toggle in the system menu, which prevents long runs of bad die rolls. After all, the dice add some welcome randomness but they should never play a huge role in determining how things play out.

The inspiration system is also wonderful - the game grants characters an "inspiration point" that can be spent on a reroll either in combat or in a skill check. These points are earned by essentially roleplaying your characters; smooth-talking Astarion will get inspiration points whenever you lie, persuade, or otherwise bullshit your way through a situation while no-nonsense bruiser Lae'zel is inspired whenever you mop the floor with foes in battle. The game is full of these thoughtful little touches.

The game writes a LOT of checks in the opening act, and somehow manages to cash them all. Choices you've made, people you've helped or hurt or ignored will come back around to you in the final act. Major events will play out wildly differently based on who is in your adventuring party. When it came down to the end, I made choices that felt right for the people in my party. It felt more like an ensemble cast rather than my character being the star of the show and everyone else supporting him. I'm writing this the morning after finishing the game, and I'm debating whether to reload my final save to see how other options play out. On one hand, I'm curious; on the other, it feels like the ending I got was my canonical ending, and playing tourist with it would feel dishonest.

As someone who hasn't seriously played D&D since 3rd edition (and not at all with the 5th edition ruleset used in Baldur's Gate 3) I'm not sure which elements are from the tabletop and which are unique to the video game. All I know is that, while no videogame can wholly replicate the experience of spending a Saturday afternoon at a table rolling dice, talking in bad accents, and poring over rulebooks and character sheets with friends, Baldur's Gate 3 does a better job than any game before it. *After Icewind Dale, Icewind Dale II, Planescape: Torment, and Baldur's Gate 2 **At least 15 minutes! ***I've since finished the game ****Figurative and otherwise

[xiv-wolfram]

I'm new to tumblr and looking to start my own visual stories. I stumbled upon yours through the suggestions and I am INVESTED. Raubae is a beautiful man and Wolfram and he are a beautiful couple!

Can you give a noob visual storyteller pointers on how to get started with their own comics?

OMG THANK YOU!!! 😭 I'm totally normal about them. I also want to apologize for Tumblr being a bit of a mess in terms of following the comics. Highly recommend the Carrd for chronological links.

As for comics - I'm far from an expert but I do see myself getting better with each one I make so hopefully some of this will help. 🤞

Read a bunch of different types of graphic novels. Pick the ones you like the most and pay attention to how they do things. I personally like lots of dialogue and character development, dramatic lighting, and focusing on facial expressions. Others focus on the action or scenery. Some a mix of both (which I'm working towards). Just find inspiration in what you love and let it help you find your style. 😁 Looking into how comics are made and what the different speech bubbles mean/text decoration/etc was helpful.

Use Clip Studio Paint or a program like it. Basically you want something that will let you cut out comic frames and add dialogue boxes easily. It really streamlines the workflow.

Write out "scripts" before GPosing. I know some folks who can freestyle but for me scripts with minor stage direction and dialogue have helped a lot. I have a different numbered line for each GPose I need to take too.

Everyone does plot/characterization differently. IDK if you were curious about that but I personally focus my plot around 3 main storylines - WolfBahn relationship arc, Wolfram's voidsent problem/past trauma, and MSQ. These plotlines overlap A LOT and come to a head in Endwalker. A lot of folks focus on their OC (I of course do.) but its also nice to develop the NPCs in some way. Most of Raubahn's development comes from MSQ which makes that easy but I do take time to touch on some of the things MSQ doesn't cover heavily like his recovery after being rescued from Halatali or the toll fighting to liberate Ala Mhigo takes on him. So I guess I just think - stories are more engaging if you flesh out the NPCs a bit. That may be personal preference though...

Really know your characters. I've found answering WoLQoTDs helps a ton. Along those lines - a timeline of their major events. Mine includes Eorzean events like The Autumn War and Garlean invasion of Ala Mhigo so I can fit my character's story in with the greater world. Before starting the comics I had a summary of his story on his Carrd (it's down now though). I also made a family tree. Replaying cutscenes helps get me in the zone to write too. Knowing them really well makes the writing flow pretty effortlessly.

Spend the time to edit each screenshot. I didn't do enough of this starting out and regret it. Even just upping the sharpness makes a big difference. Highly reccomend hitting it with the dodge/burn if you have time. The images will be smaller than most gposes so zooming in or cropping closer can help show the fine details (another place CSP shines).

Make dialogue box text large enough so that the majority of users on mobile won't need to zoom in. What I've been doing is 50 in CSP.

This one I don't do - but I should. Have someone with good grammar who also actually enjoys your story go over your comic before you post it. Ideally over the script as well. They'll point out grammatical mistakes but also since they're fans they may have some cool character insights you hadn't thought of!

Don't be discouraged if you get less "likes" than you do for GPoses. I usually get way less. On the flip side I get more actual interaction with the comics. Nice convos. It's how I've met some of my best buddies! So it's a good trade-off IMO. Most important of all - it's FUN to tell stories!

I hope this was helpful. Feel free to DM if you have more specific questions/want to have a convo too. I'm always excited to see more GPose comics! :D

[theonlybatopus]

Okay so, first off. Pokemon has never been and never will be a hard game. Unless you play competitive the base games are just for funs. Fite me. People act like the newer games need to be so hard you yeet yourself off a cliff. Look, I just wanna enjoy throwing lil baby monsters at another monsters face okay.

Second. Scarlet and Violet isn't that bad omg. I went in cringing and waiting for my eyeballs and brain to explode and melt at the same time. Yet here I am, typing words to make your brain do that instead. The game graphics are...well it looks like a Pokémon game. I don't expect spectacular nor do I care. The framrate issue is annoying and semi-noticeable (more so for me because motion sickness and fuck you v much). Sometimes I walk into shit I shouldn't but that's literally any game. I played without the update at first to see if I got the cool glitches all over Twitter but alas, my game runs like a normal game with slow frames lol

The story is basic but they learned with SWSH (does anyone else says swish and make the noise? Just me? K.) that too little story makes the fans v angry. Are they amazing? No but I enjoyed them immensely. The characters are fun, the designs of them are neat and over the top like most Pokémon games. The mons are a lil disappointing because sure some mons are just straight up irl animals but gd ya'll only had 107 new ones, I didn't want a dolphin XD But also that is my dolphin and I will fite you. I don't even like dolphins but bottlecap is my baby. Yes I named him bottlecap. We have a whole world to explore you can spend hours ignoring the story, being lost because what is a map (and it rotates fuck you v much gamefreak), doing stupid pre gym battle missions (looking at you bug gym, fucking shit got stuck and just alfgaksjsl), and other shit. Look, we have demon dogs, decent stories, lil monsters to fuck each other up with, and some mindless entertainment. The game is not that bad yall. It really isn't. And before you start with its a big game company, yeah and our government is huge and also supposed to not do a shitty job yet here we are 💀

Play it if you wanna, return it if you wanna, but quit acting like it was the worse pokemon game or game in general to ever drop. The worse was prolly the first aside from nostalgia, I said what I said, so enjoy your game. Relax. Go touch fake grass and try to catch weird plants with eyes!

[noivysneverland]

a drunk, rambling (of both positive and negative sides) of pokemon scarlet (my pick) and violet. spoilers ahead under the cut. you’ve been justly warned

tl;dr up front, this game in terms of Story, Characters, Battle Mechanics, and new changes to the overworld far exceed the lack luster trash that I think gen 8 is. as i make my next sandvich to feed to the stupid lizard i named Heavy because of its addiction to said sandviches i think about what this game has brought to the table, and it’s got a lot of filling in it,but arguably its execution of has been for some funny, others an embarrassment, and others still, a blatant showcase of why first party pokemon games are going the Way of the Dodo in terms of quality. 

it has been Five days since generation 9 has had its rather divisive release into the public space, most certainly one of the most anticipated releases for the switch this year, and for a not insubstancial vocal contingency have been raking it over the coals for a lot of reasons, predominantly performance and graphics issues. its so hilariously bad on this front because the frame rate dips, shadow rendering and sometimes piss awful rendering speeds make the game look like something out of a goddamn steam greenlight submission (remember those????). now see i dont normally even care about that sort of thing or can just easily ignore it. except this happens so frequently i cant even go a few minutes without something getting choppy. and yea when it comes to a first party nintendo release fuck up should be a badge of shame we should put not on gamefreak but rather the fucking corporate investors that forced an obviously crunch-induced deadline. it has all the hallmarks of a game put under crunch, and while GF is quite famously press shy (especially after the dexit thing last gen), so we’ll probably not know the whole story unless someone does The Game Journalist and digs up as much of the story as they possibly can. 

 but alas i dont play pokemon for graphics. im mostly into battles and well, I was actualyl pretty surprised with some areas and parts.

i actually really like the idea of terrestalizing, and changing a pokemon’s typing to another thing. it opens up a lot of strat and team making that suddenly some mons which may have been held back by massive type weaknesses can now suddenly get a chance to shine in ways never before possible. the game really doesnt do it much justice since they basically treaded water for a majority of the big fights, but some notable outliers are out there. but some fights are a fucking joke at the point you reach them; WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU PUT A FUCKING ***GOGOAT*** ON THAT PERSONS TEAM WHEN YOU LITERALLY COULD HAVE PUT ANYTHING. FUCKING. ELSE. ON IT I SWEAR TO FUCK I AM GOING TO CHOKE A FUCKER. that one battle (if you know you know) was so underwhelming bc of that team line up i still wonder who thought HM WE SHOULD DO THIS FOR THAT BATTLE. 

the real strengh of gen 9 is in its story characters in multiple fronts. After the fucking embarrassment of a rival that was fucking Hop, you’re greeted out the bat with a Champion rank trainer who basically just wants to Battle All the Things and wants a challenge again. This would be annoying as Nemona pops up all over the bloody place and at times much like the Hopeless Hop, but instead she tries to actually build the player character to reach her level so she can finally have the real challenge again.  it doesnt actually stop with nemona either, you also get introduced to Arven, a young man who is so Done with the Stupid Sanvich Addicted Lizard that he just gives it to you and now You have the unsubtle legendary which you can just ride in plain daylight and nobody bats a bloody eye. his line involves finding The Perfect Food Ingredient for personal reasons that also happen to be important for some reason. and then there’s the whole thing with Team Star, which as you progress you actually get a thing where, depending on how well your time in school was, you may very well understand and appreciate whats going on there.  unlike every other pokemon game out there, there’s no hard order for you to do things. if you wanna march right up to the strongest gym leader, the only thing there to stop you is pokemon well above yours in level, and the fact you will Get Your Shit Kicked In(ask me how i know). there’s rewards for talking to things and doing things unrelated to the main story line(s!) and taking a bit of time away from the battle and world to read things is a good way to get some decent rewards early game. and the final areas are actually p. gud in terms of what they bring to the table, its what happens after the main story where things get Meh and enough for me to put down the game for a few months.

The (non performance/bugs) weakness of gen 9 right now is the lack of a real postgame. even sword and shield gave you a Battle Tower to just keep doing things. but after you clear every thing leading to what i see as the final task, you basically only have the tera raids and a tournament thing to do. and let me tell you those tera raids at their highest levels are, at the time of writing, are impossible to solo for me. you gotta have Friends to do em afaik and one fuck up or RNG Bullshit.tm will halt a run instantly. i don’t enjoy em, and since I have seen all that i deem to be seen for now, I am back into Monster Hunter Rise/Sunbreak where i am now mercy-killing infected monsters. There’s obviously going to be DLC for this game at some point, but lets face it with the Amount of Bugs currently plaguing it, i dont see that happening any time soon. closing notes, i know some of the tunes are bugged, but some of them are really, really fucking good. one of them beats out the famed Gen 5 tune for that type of trainer. if you know, you know and i will die on this hill that gen 9s is better than gen 5s. fight me. i also have found three shiny mons after not encountering a single one since 20-fucking-10. a Summer Deerling, a Houndour and a Skrelp (oooo!)

final drunk noivy ratings Story: 9.1/10, probably one of the strongest ones since gen 5 Battles: 7.5/10, terrestalizing is a cool concept, but the game doesnt deliver on it well enough anD SOME OF THE FIGHTS ARE A FUCKING JOKE, FUCKING GOGOAT MY FUCKING GOD. but some of the fights are up there in difficulty graphics/performance: lol its better than sword and shield. and then some. that first bar isn’t hard to clear for me. but it does enough out side of the glaring bugs to convince me that yea it was ok purchasing it day one. probably won’t do that for gen 10.