#I need to practice characters interacting

[collegetennisoriginstory]

Idk if this has been asked before but is CT:OS a standalone game or will there be sequels?

Haha. It absolutely depends on whether I can continue writing interactive fiction for the next 2 years, 4 years, or way more. Finances and whether I end up writing full-time somehow are a big factor, as is interest/burn out :)

If I've only got another 2 years in me, likely CT:OS is a stand-alone game.

If I've got 4 years, probably substantial DLC content using some of the ideas in PT:OS (below) but I've got so many other games/plots I want to try my hand at.

If I've got way more years in me... definitely a CT:OS sequel (or two, to be exact). TLDR above the cut, long ramble below the cut.

Pro Tennis: Origin Story

Where MC is 4 or so years out of college, has turned pro, and has risen slowly, painstakingly through the challenger tour ranks, and is now trying to break into the Top 50. At their age, it's probably a make-it or break-it period, as if they don't succeed then, they'll probably never succeed.

While CT:OS is about found family and coming of age and pursuing one's dreams, which I love, I'd want PT:OS to be about losing faith in one's dreams or one's talent, wondering if their sacrifices are worth it, wondering if one's actually good enough (or crazy enough), building a family of people who are firmly in your player's box (who has faith in you even when you don't have faith in yourself.)

More about PT:OS

Choose what happened to their relationships after college and after the first couple of years on tour (I love writing exes: e.g. broke up in college or breaking up fresh out of college cause the tennis road-life/ambition etc. killed the relationship)

Additional stats to balance like money/sponsorships/media presence/fame, and just... normal adult struggles like cooking for yourself, doing your own laundry, booking your hotel rooms, making ends meet (see elaboration below)

I want to write a story about being in a long dark tunnel, wondering if one should keep pushing, keep grinding, keep sacrificing their life and youth and sanity and relationships for this insane dream of being a tennis player

I'd probably keep the original cast of ROs, but introduce maybe 2 more? Perhaps a celebrity e.g. actor/musician (we all know how those love to flock around tennis players, but only famous ones), and maybe one's coach for spiciness?

As someone whose favourite part of Challengers was not, in fact, Zendaya's hotness (gasp, blasphemy) and instead, the scene where Patrick Zweig's character is struggling to find a hotel room for the night & starving & desperate for calories, I really want to make a game where the player not only has to deal with playing tennis, but also all the other practical life bits that need to align in order for a Top 200 or Top 100 player to become a Top 50 player.

Like yes, there's the Nadals and the Williams sisters and even the Nishikoris (who never quite lived up to their potential) but what of the players whose names you've never even heard of?

I'm interested in class (how only rich people get to tough it out / stick it out for years without significant sponsorships) and also race/gender/sexuality and how that coalesces with finances and media presence etc.. and also how mediocre players scrounge together a team to support them, plus of course the emotional toll of always being on the road (and always being exhausted) without ever seeing much of a pay-off until they crack some invisible threshold of 'greatness'.

Finally, the trilogy would probably be rounded out with a final game.

Third game (no idea what the name would be)

MC is older, maybe 30? And has suffered some career-ending event (injury, horrific tailspin drop-off) after winning a grand slam, perhaps seeking one final shot at proving to the world that they do have what it takes to be a champion, a legend to be remembered as someone who isn't just a one-slam pony.

Themes explored would be:

Age (when is it too late to hang up one's boots?) and still feeling like you've got what it takes even though the world's telling you you're past your prime, the limits of physicality

Trying to rebuild something that has been broken, when everyone's telling you that it'll never be fixed

Leaving a legacy, fame, self-worth (figuring out what to do when one is stripped of something that has been a guiding star)

Maybe even addiction?

<This would be the game that would be most heavily inspired by Carrie Soto>

If you read all of that, wow, I'm impressed, and yep, that's what I'd foresee for CT:OS. A trilogy, if I've got it in me.

RO speculations:

Tobin could even become one's physical trainer or nutritionist/physiotherapist, though maybe that's a bit of a stretch.

Sam could become world's most biased sports podcaster/journalist

Rayyan continues as MC's rival/(possible lover)

G is ... still adamantly Not Part of the Tennis World even though they attend every game?

What do you guys think?

[negrowhat]

Favorite QL Characters 2024

tagged by @bengiyo to share my faves for 2024!

Kim from Pit Babe. PB ended in 2024 so it counts! I love him to bits and pieces and it's no secret about it. Kim just wanted to race the best in the game and win fair and square. He didn't ask to get tied up in whatever tf Daddy Tony had going on and he wasn't about to put up with it. I love that he was all cute and smol but what kicking ass left and right. I wanted him to beat Winner's ass everytime he saw him and he practically did. I was so glad to see him being adopted into the X-Hunter family where he belongs. I would do everything for him.

Tharn from The Sign. I adore him. I love how much he loved despite being afraid to love. I loved watching him rescue Phaya countless times. I loved watching him kick ass. I love that he wore his heart on his sleeve and I understand why Phaya and Dr. Cocomelon fought over him for lifetimes. Also was he NOT the most stunning Goddess? And was he NOT the prettiest crier????

Cha Yeowoon and Tae Myungha from Love for Love's Sake. They're 2 sides of the same coin. A package deal. I can't choose one over the other. I love them both and they both need love and hugs. I love that Myungha made it his entire new life's mission to take protect Yeowoon. And I love that Yeowoon wanted to do anything and everything to take care of Myungha. Also Yeowoon was the cutest and sweetest and I do love the way Myungha doted on him.

Yoryak from Wandee Goodday. He was my fave green flag of the year. Such a sweet and understanding guy who wanted to make everyone happy. I felt like he deserved better throughout the series tbh. He was incredibly caring and understood boundaries and wasn't afraid to kick a lil ass to get his results.

Tai from Two Worlds. What a fucking badass. Clearly I just have a thing for the protector type. He was strong, intelligent, and resourceful. He would do anything to protect his people and it was insanely strong of him to go against his abusive sperm donor to save Kram. I love that he was soft for this one single person and to everyone else he was a roughneck. I also think he needed to be showered in love. I think this is my fave Max role, he does action well and I hope he gets a chance to do more.

Lee Jaejun from City Boy_Log. He's such a fucking mess and this year he was at his peak, choosing real hard between his sweet boyfriend Jihan and that homewrecking Yunje. He was doing too much. But what can I say? He's pretty and I love watching him interact with his boyfriend, they're sweet together. I did like Jaejun a lot in the newest installment tho. As long as Jaejun (and Jihan) are there then I'm going to watch this lil web series. Also Jaejun is so, so pretty.

JJ from Love No Long Beans. Oh gawd he owned the only braincell in the series and he used it all the time. Love that he was constantly there for his bestie even when it meant he had to deal with Methas. Speaking of Methas, I love that he humbled that man every chance he got. He made Methas think but he also showed him love and attention he didn't receive. JJ wasn't afraid to tell people off and then bounce. I love that he didn't compromise his morals and he stood up for himself and would throw hands for his foolish best friend.

Vee from Century of Love. He's my most goodest sweetest golden boy. I love him and his vibrant personality. He still managed to keep his smile despite his terrible life experiences: dying family, opportunities being taken away, and homelessness. I love that he wasn't a damsel in distress and I love that he did not bend to anyone's will.

Zongzheng Huai'en from Meet You At the Blossom. My favorite red flag toxic prince. He's my fave unhinged boy. Love that he was such a hypocrite in the beginning and got mad at Xiaobao for doing things he was doing. I love that he was jealous enough to chop off someone's hand. Love that he threatened to lock Xiaobao up if they couldn't be together. I love that he was so desperate to be with the one he loved that he risked his everything to save him. And I love by the end of it he became such a sweet and loving wife to Xiaobao.

Go Young from Love in the Big City. What an amazing character. He was so messy and he dealt with struggles that were important to the community. It was a treat to see him fumbling through life. He was definitely the most relatable character I've seen all year. I felt everything he felt; the joy, the pain, the heartbreak, and everything in between. I wanted him to find his true love, and maybe he did, but that wasn't the point of his story.

Sian from Every You, Every Me. IDK why I loved him. Yes I do, he was very forward with his emotions. He knew that he liked and wanted Blue and wasted no time in letting him know. Love that he was so sex positive and I love that he was quite open with Blue and talked to him about his feelings. Also he was stunning.

Hope from Jack & Joker. I just love that he was unapologetic about enjoying kicking ass. He was very transparent about what he cared about and that was Save and kicking ass. I loved every scene he was in and even when he was getting his ass handed to him he was cool as fuck about it.

[tackykachowch]

Every time I see a "they clearly needed more seasons, they didn't have time to tell the full story properly" I lose 10 years of my life and 5 particles of my sanity. Why in the world would they need additional seasons to tell a full story, when in season 1 they were perfectly capable of it with the same 9 episodes? In season 1 they didn't waste our time at all, every scene was meaningful, every line of dialog said something important to us or set up something for later. The way the story was structured showed us that the writers understood their limitations and decided to use every single second they had properly. Also said limitations allowed them to focus on one specific overarching conflict (Piltover vs Zaun) and one specific set of characters, each of whom were directly involved in said conflict. No other distractions or side plots that go nowhere.

And there's season 2. Suddenly the writers decided that dialogs are for losers, actually, and it's better to replace characters reacting to major world-changing events (like Silco's death for example) with music videos. Weird choice, but okay. Oh, a bunch of new characters that serve no practical role in the narrative and distract actually important characters from interacting with each other? Give me 10. Also add a bunch of side storylines that go nowhere and serve no purpose to the main conflict- *the phone rings**picks up* what do you mean the main conflict changed? It's not about Zaun and Piltover anymore? What do you mean this conflict is left unresolved and is forgotten about completely in act3? Then what on earth do they focus on instead??? What, arcane? Meaning like. What? The magic subplot that was only a small part of season 1? And why would it matter more? Ah, marvel fights. Uh-huh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, sure. I get it, thank you *hangs up*. Well, that was a disaster. The decision to change your MAIN CONFLICT in the middle of the story is probably one of the worst ones you could ever make, and then yeah, no wonder they didn't have time to tell the full story. Because they don't know what the hell the story is about anymore. Therefore they can't use the resources at hand effectively and every wrong decision they make going forward is going to make everything even worse. And from what we see they made plenty of wrong decisions. Remember what I said about not wasting our time? Well forget it, because you NEED to see this joke play out in full, even though it's not funny in the slightest and doesn't tell us anything significant about the characters or the world. Also there's flashbacks that also don't contribute anything substantial to existing character stories, and even actively make them worse and inconsistent (ily Felicia🫶🫶🫶). And then there's the entirety of ep7 which is an abysmal abomination in and of itself. Not only does it waste our time with an alternative universe that has nothing to do with the canon conflict and characters in the first place, but it actively pretends that it does matter, actually. Which is detrimental to the whole story going forward. Because now instead of on-screen character interactions and actual resolving of existing conflicts within the story we're just told. To imagine it ourselves. Because the au somehow implied what was going to happen between completely different characters. Somehow. Alright.

So, I hope the reasons I listed above more or less explained why arcane, in fact, did NOT require more seasons to tell its story in full. What it did require was more tight writing, focusing on the conflict we had initially, flashing out the existing dynamics between characters and introducing the characters who didn't interact previously to each other (for example: Jinx and Jayce), thought through dialogs which focused on giving us important information first and foremost, less music videos and more actual scenes with dialogs and characters reacting to the world around them properly, subplots that actually mattered to the main conflict etc. Like, it really is THAT basic. If the story is badly written more runtime isn't going to fix anything, it could even make it worse, because more time = more chances to screw up even more stuff. Only good writing can fix bad writing, and that's an unfortunate truth we have to come to terms with. No amount of pretty visuals or microexpressions or character/prop design is going to change what is ruined at its core.

[lesbianyujiitadori]

Ai in itself is really facinating and can be used for good things, I've stopped using ai chatbots now but it did help me practice writing bc i used it to talk to fictional characters.

But unfortunatly, most poeple don't use it for good. I'm in one of the worst states for education in the U.S. and I can't express how angry i get when i see ppl taking EXTRA steps just to get to chatgpd or some unblocked version of it. First, Ai isn't always right, it meshes a bunch of different sources that can and do contridict themselves. This lead to incorrect information.

Second, people often use it to cheat. This doesn't enforce students to actually learn the materal and even teachers feel hopeless and do a lazy job of teaching because they (rightfully) assume people are just hoing to cheat. It also takes away from kids who ACTUALLY try, I love to write, essays can be boring but i've practiced and I actually take time to make a good, well constructed essay. Meanwhile, the kids in my class need help with even starting it, asking/ saying things like "Ms I don't know how to start"(and other things along those lines.) Kids expect for teacher to hold their hand and sinply give them the answers without putting in effort. So now kids just look up how to write simple essays(that have all the text evidence they need in the text).

Thirdly, mental health. This can go in many ways, but to simplyfy the discussion let's just say it can either help ot worsen ones mental health depending on the person. For me, I didn't(and still don't) have a stable support system, and being that I already had struggled with socializing and expressing my feelings, talking to someone that eouldn't judge and would give an i finite amount of 'verbal' support helped me a lot back then. But too much of anything is unhealthy, and there's an epidemic of kids who overuse ai and it tolls on their ability to interact with others, people can use ai to self-isolate and thus deepen an already fragile state of being

Ai can be used to inspire writers and help them with brainstorming, and in general, Ai is just another great tool. But people misuse it, and that's the problem; it's being used as a way to be lazy yet reap all the benifits someone who actually put in the work would get. Anyways thxs for listening to my TED talk 😋

[justanotherurl-not]

Hey is it gay if your bro stares intensely into your eyes?

[halohearted]

[krenenbaker]

Trick or Treat~!

Pairing: Che'nya x Floyd (could be read platonically or romantically)

Summary: It's finally Halloween night, but Floyd is in a bit of a slump. However, the arrival of a curious companion may just make the Halloween party a bit more interesting for him.

Notes: This is my first attempt at something following a prompt - specifically, "Trick or Treat" for the 2023 TWST Rarepair Halloween event. I'm trying to get more comfortable/practiced with writing prose (which is why this wasn't posted on the 30th... oops), and only vaguely ended up following the prompt. I'm fairly happy with how this little piece turned out, though!

Tags: @dove-da-birb, @azulashengrottospiano, @inkybloom-luv, @eynnwwyjth, @officialdaydreamer00 (please let me know if you'd like to be included or excluded from future writing of mine, or only want to be included in specific types of creations)

Floyd wanted to take a break. 

It was Halloween, and all he had done the entire week was work, work, work. Getting costumes ready, decorating, helping with their dorm's presentation, plus cooking and serving at the Lounge, all on top of normal classes? 

Sure, it was fun, especially getting to show off Octavinelle's cool setup, and 'taking care of' those misbehaving visitors. But now? Everything felt draining and boring, and Floyd simply wanted to leave, which sucked because the actual Halloween party had just started!  

Maybe he should just ditch and go back to his dorm; being in a funk when everyone else is having fun around you is not enjoyable.  He slumped down on a bench and unwrapped a sweet he had picked up earlier, before wrapping it up again. Ugh, not even in the mood for that candy he wanted only a few minutes ago. 

As he shoved the sweet back into his pocket and was about to get up from the bench to leave, Floyd heard a rustle behind him. Someone was quietly humming, and… laughing? The sound gradually moved to his side, towards the empty side of the bench.  

“Trick or treat~”

Floyd turned to face the voice. "Listen, man, I'm not in the mood to—” he froze, staring at the figure beside him. “Hang on a second, where's your body!?"

A toothy smile came to the face of the head that currently floated beside Floyd. "Oh, it's here.... or maybe it's there." A pair of hands materialized on either side of this boy's head, followed by the rest of his body. 

“I'm just kidding. Mind if I take a seat? I’d like to rest up before I keep purrowling around and startling people.”

Floyd blinked, then raised an eyebrow. “Uh, go for it.” 

This guy was... weird, and it was hard to tell if he'd be annoying, or interesting. "You don't go here, do ya? At least, I’ve never seen you before. And you’re no ghost, either.”

The cat-like boy shook his head, his jewellery jingling softly. "I'm just passing through for the festivities and collecting treats. Scaring some people, too. That’s loads of fun. And it's always nice to see my friends let loose." 

Floyd had a vague memory surface. "Ohh... you must be that RSA boy who's friends with Sea Turtle and Goldfishie." 

"'Sea Turtle' and 'Goldfishie', hey? Those are good names for my green and red friends. Cats are known for liking fish." He leaned forward, his grin growing. “Artemiy Artemiyevich Pinker. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

Floyd nodded, “Floyd Leech. It's nice to meet you, too.” He looked curiously at the boy beside him, taking in his shaggy hair, piercings, and impish smile.

"You're not what I expected.” Floyd smiled, "But you seem fun, Catfish. I didn't think Goldfishie would get along with someone so... interesting."

Che'nya's eyes lit up slightly. "Catfish? Heh heh heh, most people call me Che'nya, but I guess that works. And I’ve heard some… interesting stories about you, too."

He stretched his legs out in front of him, leaning back with his arms behind his head as he sighed. "But yeah, I don't think Riddle could shake me if he tried." 

"I'm almost jealous." Floyd tipped his head slightly. "Most of the time, Goldfishie likes to swim away before I can play with him."

Che'nya laughed, "Well, if you're wondering, he 'swam off' that way." He pointed off to the side. “Just don’t be rough with him. I don’t like people mistreating my friends.”

Floyd looked off into the crowd where he had pointed, and let out a small laugh. “Alright, good to know. Maybe I’ll find him later, if I feel like it”, he smiled and sat back. “And Goldfishie’s stronger than he looks, but I guess you’d know that.”

Che’nya nodded, then leaned closer with a mischievous glint in his eye. "You know, I bet we could do something that would really surprise him.” 

Floyd turned slightly towards Che’nya, and flashed a smile. “Yeah, we probably could. I think we should talk more in the future, Catfish. You seem pretty fun.” 

Che’nya grinned, “You seem pretty fun, too.”

"Well,” he stretched his arms above his head. “I think I’m going to go and find some more treats… and play some more tricks tonight. I'll catch you around, Floyd." 

With a haunting giggle echoing in his ears, Floyd watched as the boy beside him faded into nothingness, just the same way he had arrived. 

What a weird guy.

Floyd unwrapped the candy he had pocketed earlier, then popped it into his mouth. Maybe this party was worth staying at after all.

[creatively-cosmic]

fuck with me

fuck with meeee

im trying to do different sprite styles and sizing down full drawings to make a base is so fucking dumb looking. christ. also ace not looking like they havent slept in days feels illegal.

on another topic god seeing other pokepasta blogs interact with each other lately has been so fun. i really wanna do that sometime soon... it certainly wouldnt be canon but i havent gotten to see stuff like that circling around since my time in the daily pokemon community! though maybe its just cus of the blogs that i follow that im seeing it now hajnsljkns

[mars-ipan]

they're so GROSSSSSS (<- desperately wants what they have)

alt color under the cut:

[hermitcraftx]

just got a dm abt one of my posts and y'all please don't try and show the hermits (or any minecraft youtuber or content creator for that matter) my posts, i'm uncomfortable with it and don't want any of my posts shown to a cc. if they stumble upon it naturally that's unfortunate but i can live with it since i do maintag a lot (something i REALLY need to stop doing tbh i already know i need to make a tagging system just for my blog that wont clog results) but going out of ur way to show a cc is entirely different and something i am not comfortable with.

no hate to the person at all but even if i wasn't a little silly and weird with it sometimes i wouldn't be comfortable with it, i want my blog to be a purely fandom only space with none of the creators involved <3 please respect this

[waywardsalt]

i think elden ring will always be my favorite game in terms of environment. every area is so impressive, even the copy-paste stuff manages to be impressive with atmosphere, and the amount of just. stunning-looking locations is wild especially with how natural even the most amazing looking shot you can find is.

just the fact that you unavoidably see this when you walk into leyndell is incredible. one of my favorite environment views in all of the games ive ever played

[tarot-the-silly-one]

tma au cool lighting things :D

alina and kyro belong to @mayyak

[moinsbienquekaworu]

If I didn't already have multiple drawings I want to finish I'd start a series of Constant interacting with their companions. I already have ideas and everything!!

[s0ngsandstars]

I actually have to write this idea because there's no fics of it that I could find so heyo guess I'm doing it.

[eebie]

i need to draw more yaoi yuri girlyaoi boyyuri etc......

[headfullof-ideas]

I’m redesigning a few more characters that will look different in this story in comparison to canon, and all I will say right now is I totally forgot Savage had a mustache in Riders and Defenders of Berk.

I’m so used to him looking like this in RTTE

That I forgot he used to look like this

Help