#I'm really satisfied with how seamless this one is

[bigshotspambot]

Here's another SNEO asmr audio! It's been a while... Just some more cuddling, but this time it's outside at a late night summer campfire :) - 8 minutes long (but the extended one is 30 mins)

- Includes the usual heartbeat, breathing, computer sounds, purring, and occasional growls

- Now with peaceful ambient nighttime sounds !!

- Extended link + download here! (Also here's a mega link so it can be looped on a phone with the app)

[biasbuck]

BiAsBuck’s ficrec Fridays

Happy Friday everyone! I'm back again with another round of the fic I've been reading this week (when I wasn't busy reading Chuck Tingle's excellent satirical Hollywood horror novel Bury Your Gays). ALSO I've just got to 7x04 in my complete series rewatch, let's go, lfg!!! You can find previous rec lists here.

23 August 2024

the parts we play by @calinaannehart ok I know I recced this last week but it's finished now and it stuck the landing SO beautifully and seriously if you've not yet read this Buck is a Hollywood actor shadowing the 118 much to Eddie's initial frustration au fic then what are you doing? It's beautifully characterised, has such fun multimedia elements, and all the perfect romcom beats whilst also just being a glorious celebration of the firefam and Buck and Eddie. Read it!

piece by piece, rubble to rubble by @sharpbutsoft 'Christopher Diaz doesn’t believe in hell, but if he did, he thinks it might resemble back-to-school shopping at Westfield Mall with his Dad and Buck.' in which Chris is frustrated by his own descent into teenagerdom and the pitfalls of clothes shopping, Eddie is a very patient loving Dad, Buck helps, and things go very wrong. A satisfying 'trapped hurt/comfort leads to will reveal' scenario, with Buck and Chris bonding and being brave in the face of danger and uncertainty.

from the ashes by @exhuastedpigeon sees Eddie post-season 7 finding inspiration amongst a burned out art studio, and picks up a creative skill he put away as a teen. I really loved seeing him reconnect with a part of himself he'd hidden and the emotions it brought out, as well as the descriptions of how he captures all the colours and landscape of his family and heart through his art. This feels like a lovely unintentional companion piece to be read alongside when i see stars, that's all they are by @ithilien-writes which I recommended last week in which Eddie takes poetry lessons and I just love how we're all in agreement that Eddie is in need of some art therapy, community and creative expression to unrepress those feelings.

you're almost home (i've been waiting for you to come in) by @sibylsleaves roommates fic! In which Buck moves in with Eddie after he and Taylor split, Eddie has a revelation at Hen & Karen's vow renewal and comes out, domestic bliss ensues, and then Buck gets extremely in his head about it. A delicious mix of uhauling and slow burn, with angst, fluff and yearning galore. (I also really liked James in this, how do we manifest him, he was such a great oc.)

of waterfalls by @standback ballet dancer Eddie!!! In which Buck goes to physical therapy at the gym and is infuriated by how hot and good Eddie is, of course. But soon they become best friends and support each other along the way. With twists and turns from Eddie not being part of the 118, and some really lovely world building into Eddie's dancer world. I LOVE this concept, and particularly how Shannon was incorporated into the backstory that got them there in a way that was so seamless. When the dream belongs to someone else, how do you know where to draw the line? When do you let yourself find a new dream?

PS - quick one this week as it's been a busy one, but insert usual call out for more henren fic here. Feel free to self rec! And please share and reblog :)

[xpiester333x]

Here's my review on Metaphor: Refantazio after being 5h in and not quite done with the demo:

First let me say if you're on the fence about getting this game or not, try the demo. It's available on Steam, PS, and Xbox. It's free. It's ~5h, more or less depending on how much you want to play around with it. The save data can carry over if you decide to buy the game. See if it's fun for you. I talk about performance and graphics on my PC, but see how it works on your system too.

And with that, on to my review.

Graphics & Performance:

I saw a lot of Steam reviews saying they were having a lot of performance issues with the game, even on high-end computers. I didn't really experience anything like that. There was one scene really early in the demo, like an intro narrator bit where it was panning over a map and for some reason that did have some dropped frames and stuttering, but it was only for those 5 seconds and I haven't had a repeat since. I did max the graphics settings and uncap the frames and still had no issues.

I should also say, I don't have a super high-end computer. However, my computer is still pretty nice so maybe on much lower end PCs there would be some issues. I tried min settings as well and honestly didn't see too much of a difference in quality. If you did need to run it in lower graphics, it would still look fantastic.

And it DOES look fantastic. I've noticed there is a lot of different art styles going on. There are animated cutscenes just like in persona where you kind of just watch an anime. There are gameplay cutscenes, where you are watching the 3D characters models in their scene. I noticed the surroundings take on the same level and detail as the characters in these scenes. Then you have the gameplay graphics, which have an almost stylized sort of living painting feel to them.

You'd think having that many styles going on would be chaotic and immersion ruining but honestly it's kind of seamless.

Gameplay:

As is typical of an Atlus game, I'm only just barely getting out of the tutorial, even being 5 hours in. Now that I'm kind of getting into the flow of combat, I genuinely really like it. I wasn't sure how I was going to like a combat system so different from their current IPs (what do you mean there is no demons??) But overall I think they've managed to keep the spirit of their games alive and well while still trying something new for them. I also love that they stuck with the P5R system of being able to kill enemies lower than you without having to go through the whole turn based process, but also made it slightly more involved. They're really leaned into the hybrid action/turn-based gameplay and it's very satisfying.

Archetypes hold the spirit of personas or demons in that you can level them up and build them to suit your characters, but they come with the advantage of your entire party getting to mix and match. Also like personas, you strengthen and enhance them more through social bonds. Thus far in the demo I've gotten as far as unlocking them so I'm not really sure how ranking them plays out quite yet.

By far my favorite part of the game play right now is that if your protagonist dies, it's NOT game over. In fact as long as you have 1 party member standing, the show will go on. Also at the end of the fight your dead characters will revive (with 1hp) and still gain all the xp from the fight.

Some really cool bits that I personally think make the game more fun and challenging: there are many different status effects, but they are divided into 2 categories, physical and mental. Mental status effects expire after the battle, but physical status effects persist. It's a cool little blend of old JRPG punishment with new age JRPG simplicity. (Ask me how I feel about it later when I'm suffering.) Also turn icons, like in SMT, are back. They work relatively the same, which I've always found to be fun, but does make the game a little more challenging. And finally, there is auto-battling if you want to engage it. It will repeat the actions you used prior to engaging it, so if you have a flow going, it does make that kind if easier.

My complaints so far are: for the first few battle areas, your party members are on auto. It's not really fun, and frankly their AI is bad. It's not a long time, but it's more than I liked to see. Also enemies can spawn in right in front of, next to, or behind you where they were not before. This makes it harder (impossible if youre me) to avoid getting ambushed, and honestly feels counterintuitive for a game that's primary gameplay design is strategicly deciding when to attack and when to engage in turn-based combat.

Story:

I am 5 hours in, which in the terms of Atlus games is like, .5%. So I can't really tell you a ton about the story yet. I can say it's interesting. The whole concept is something so fresh for Atlus, and I am eager to know more about the story, the world, the different races, the humans, everything. They have built a solid foundation I absolutely want to see the completion of.

And the characters? I would die for them. Atlus has proven they can write characters with strong bonds and beautiful friendships that will make me go absolutely feral and I can already tell this is where these characters are going as well. I cannot wait. Plus the character designing in this game is above and beyond.

In conclusion, this game has so much potential and promise. I can already tell it's going to be an experience to play though (in a positive way). It's doing a lot that feels very new for Atlus, while remaining true to their current franchises and what makes them so good. I had my doubts about their releasing a brand new IP for their 35th anniversary, but honestly this is perfect. This game pays homage to what already makes their games so good while also showcasing a broad future.

Oh and the soundtrack is absolutely insane. It's Shoji Meguro so of course it's great but I'd be remiss not to mention it anyway.

[redwizardhats]

Knitted Red Hat The First (by the Wizard's own hand)

Hello and welcome!

I am The Red Wizard, and I'm here to talk about a hat I made.

Once upon a time, I acquired a hat (not pictured). This was a very nice hat, thick felt, tall point, very wizardy. I am very fond of it. But I didn't know how to reliably replace it, what if it became damaged, or got lost? I would be very sad, AND I wouldn't have a wizard hat of excellent quality!

So I began pondering my orb trying to figure out how best to learn how to felt hats, and I consulted those around me better experienced in fibre arts.

This has resulted in me slowly learning how to make hats, all in the hopes of creating a worthy successor to the hat I got many years ago.

But it turns out that in order to be good at doing a thing, you have to do that thing, over and over again?? Who came up with that idea.

On the other hand I do love making things!!!!

The Hat I acquired many years ago was not knitted, but I reasoned that knitting combined with felting could be one way in which I achieve satisfying wizardiness, and it would allow for a seamless object, as if made by magic! After observing my very dear friend @moon-shooter knit a hat so I could try felting one, I puzzled my way through this one without really knowing what I was doing, and it worked out okay! I knitted until I thought the brim would be big enough, and then used some leftover yarn to do a rough embroidery detail so the hat would have a front and back.

I did not anticipate the wiggly brim, but that has since become the feature of it that everyone seems to especially be enthusiastic about! I also did not felt it enough for it to look like it wasn't knitted, which you shall see I fixed in later hats! Overall I was pretty pleased with how nice it looked, and for a first knitted hat it was certainly both striking and comfortable!!

Thank you for reading, and I hope you stick around for more hats!!

[vertebrae-entertainment]

4/5/2024 - Fangst animation rework!

Hi again y'all, Hauk here! If you've been peeking at our discord channel lately, you might have noticed I've been posting a lot of animation WIP's. Thats because I'm in the process of reworking some of the oldest sprites in the project- walking and jumping!

It can take me up to a year to nail how I draw and animate a character. For our protagonist the thing that has taken the most time is definitely line stylization, proportions and leg silhouette. He's gotten bigger and bigger during development, not to mention spikier! Honestly its not that smart to design a tall character for a platformer, and there's a reason most platforming type characters have a very square hitbox. Its just easier to design challenges that way!

But i'm not changing gears now!! I wanted Fangst to have a tall handsome man as a player character, and i'm gonna stick to it!!

Here's a peek at the new walk animation. The arm holding his fishing rod is a static, separate sprite that is basically glued to the player with code for gameplay reasons.

We needed a smart way to change and add bounce to the rod without having a million variants of every sprite. Here are two iterations on how a static arm could be anchored to the player. I want him to carry himself with a confident sway, as though the whole world is his catwalk- so perhaps the full bounce of the second one is too much!

Speaking of bounce, the double jump animation! Right now he has the very placeholder double jump solution of turning into a small rotating orb sonic style, and its been a frustrating disconnect seeing as the hitbox ordinarily is quite big.

My goal for this animation is that i want him to do a sexy, elegant backflip. I started with a version with an upside down split, but after some iterations we agreed that the simpler one would be more readable and use-friendly. But an upside down split is kinda iconic... maybe we can use it elsewhere?

A platformer player will spend most of their time jumping around, so nailing a satisfying, easily readable jump is important in both animation and feel. Characterization is also important here- i want it to be obvious that our player character is athletic and elegant, and that these acrobatics cost him little effort.

However, i'm expecting a bit of a pickle implementation-wise. See, him turning into a sonic-style orb made the walljumps feel practically seamless. Will a fully animated backflip be equally friendly? The sprite will be a lot bigger. Truth is, a character turning into a ball is just really easy to design around.

Here's the current in-game sprites, featuring his old jumps, idle pose and miiildly disconnected placeholder arm with a smaller fishing rod. As you might have noticed, he's also a bit softer looking, and his boots are way smaller!

I think the newer sprites will make him have a more stylish, cool and recognizeable silhouette. It will be worth it to update these old things- after all, inbetween all this technical game design stuff, its just also really important to me that the player feels like a cool and professional monster hunting fisherman!

Thanks for keeping up with our project, we're doing our best to make Fangst a proper quality "You: A Hot Man, Kill Monster!" experience!!

-Hauk

[sarascamander]

I watched Hamilton!!! Here's my thoughts but disclaimer that I know nothing of America's history since I'm not American. So all my opinion is based only on the play.

- My favourite song in the play is definitely Alexander Hamilton, Satisfied, Burned, The Room Where it Happen, Say No to This (and probably so much more but i don't remember the title)

- the actor that played Lafayette and Thomas Jefferson is my absolute favourite. He's so funny and lively and so likable no matter whether he's the antagonist or not. He ate every of his screen time and his singing and rapping is top notch.

- I adore Eliza. I love this woman so much, I would bring down a nation for her. She is THE mother.

- I have mixed feelings with Angelica because on one hand she was such a badass and so kind but on the other why is she thirsting over her sister's husband? (I really think she and Hamilton were emotionally cheating together even though it was never clarified).

- I wish we see more of Peggy. Her vocal is absolutely insane, it's so beautiful. I heard that she was the same actress that played Maria Reynold and that's just insane! She sounds like a totally different person and again, her vocals in the song are so addicting and alluring.

- Eliza and Philip's bond is so beautiful. Eliza (hilariously) and so wholesome-ly beat boxing and supporting Philip is just agghhhh!!

- So I cried when Philip died, what's it for you?

- I couldn't remember the act one that much since I watched it a while ago but I know that I don't understand a thing about war but vibing with the song anyway.

- oh! And "call me son one more time!" Just tore my hearts little with the raw delivery.

- The King is so iconic, like a legit legend there. He slayed so hard with that stupidly gigantic crown of his, I absolutely love him. The actor really gives his everything. I just love how he was so psychotic and happy go lucky at the same time. He's so theatrical and hilarious.

- I stand by that every parliament should debate by a rap battle from now on.

- Burr is such a bastard but I couldn't hate him because I feel so bad for him the whole time. Like the guy just wants to be successful, someone gives him a pat on the head, he deserves it 😭

- ngl, I hope Hamilton dies after cheating on Eliza

- Eliza really couldn't catch a break. Her husband cheated on her, her son died and then her husband died next. Like??? Girl is going through it.

- why do people back then solve every problem with shooting each other? If that happens in modern time, I'd be a serial killer by now.

- I love Hamilton more when he mellows out and he redeems himself enough that I cried when he died especially in such a stupid circumstance. I think he deserves better honestly.

- that last scene of Eliza and Hamilton, knowing what would happen, tears me up. He would never deserve her but I love their relationship at that point.

- The stage performance of everyone from the main cast to the backup dancer is absolutely amazing!! All of them are so great, seamless and incredible. Watching all of them is like watching magic unfold.

[lesbiangummybearmafia]

Spoilers season 1 Finale

My thoughts under the cut...

I have to say I really enjoyed the season 1 finale. I finally was able to sit down and watch it, from beginning to end it was fantastic. After last week's I was feeling rough with everything that happened but the finale definitely bought it altogether in a seamless way that flowed really well from one scene to the next. Which I have say some episodes do feel disjointed this one didn't. Where to start I did like Jane and Susan kinda working together again. The way they did the race was brilliant, I like the location of unused race tracks. I know it's meant to be California but it feels more tropical to me like maybe the coast of Georgia or Florida. But what I really love is that it's Jane and Susan that end up driving in the race. It was such a surprising chance of events however I was super excited about. I was literally yelling at my phone for Jane to win. 😁 I did so love that Olivia came even though she stayed out of sight.

Oh I like the T-birds and Pink Ladies "borrowing" parts from the Principles car and Ms. McGee just pretending like she doesn't see a thing, just too good lol.

I love Cynthia being up Nancy's butt about how she's treating Potato. I also love when Nancy comes to check on Cynthia to see why she hasn't been herself lately. And Cynthia tells Nancy about her feelings for Lydia. That was such a great scene. I was in tears, because I personally know how that feels. Not just basically coming out to a friend, which back than a million times scarier but also telling them you have feelings for someone. It was really brave of Cynthia to put herself out there like that. Then Nancy was super supportive and open hearted to be there for her friend. Just love it.

Hazel waking up Jane to talk her about her boy problems. That was such a sweet scene bewteen them. Jane all being I don't have clue really. That scene flowing smoothly into them all being at the Frosty Palace discussing not being friends with Olivia anymore, Hazel being you can still be friends with ever if she gets married. Of the Pink Ladies stopping the wedding well you all can guess how I feel about that! If not I was so overjoyed, ever Olivia's mom over there going we shouldn't of said yes. Than Jane making that heartfelt speak to Olivia, Olivia understanding that she does have Jane and the other Pink Ladies even with her brother gone that she isn't alone. She has four ride or die friends. Oh my favorite part of that scene I swear Nancy was channeling my emotions when she turned back around, ran up on Mr. Daniels slapping him across the face and reminded him Olivia is just a child. So so so fucking good!! I'm a little embarrassed how many times I rewatched that but it was just so satisfying cause there's so many times I want to slap that bastard.

Olivia did look pretty in her dress, I liked her and Jane at the Carnival together, they were so cute.

I love Cynthia and Lydia in mirror house together, Cynthia singing to her omg so romantic. Just love that scene. When Nancy came in at the end awww. 😍

I am a bit curious what's going to happen with Buddy now that he's not going to live with his father? He is a good kid and deserves better than a power hunger father!

I was so hoping for awhile now they'd make Hazel a Pink Ladies. So when that scene came up I was like are they really going to do!?! The whole musical scene was great that went along with it. I just love we have a new Pink Lady!

I almost forgot getting to see Frenchy and Rizzo again is just too cute. I rewatched the original Grease a couple of days ago. It's remarkable how much Madison Elizabeth Lagarestha that plays Frenchy now sounds like Didi Conn that played Frenchy in the original movie. I also wondered while watching the movie who made the Pink Ladies jackets now? After Nancy goes away to college or what have you who takes over making them? 🤔 Strange little things my mind thinks about.

Of course the cliff hanger... so is that Danny's brother, Frankie Zuko? Truthfully do we need another boy thrown at Jane?

I'm really hoping they get renewed for a 2nd season, I definitely think the series deserves it. It's because one my personal favorites. I really like the characters I don't want to see them go away anytime soon!!

[thunderjolt]

strider (2014)

immediately after playing the nes game, i thought to myself: "hey! there's another exploratory strider game and it's been burning a hole in my steam library for 10 years!" well, i finally got around to it. strider 2014 is an interesting beast. overall, i think it's decent.

metroidvanias are a genre i'm very particular about. i think there are a few main pillars: map design, exploration, backtracking, movement, and combat. why don't we run through each real quick, in order of how impressed i was by them.

movement: the movement in strider is excellent. there are many ways to optimize it and tons of little tricks to use. you don't start the game feeling slow or useless either: this game starts you off with essentially the full moveset from strider 2, making you feel fast and powerful from the jump and only increasing your potency from there. the seamless transitions between most screens also result in traversal feeling super smooth. it's not frictionless though, and the movement does require player skill and input to get the most out of. definitely a highlight.

combat: this is really intertwined with movement. as i said earlier, this game starts you off super strong, and you just get stronger. that feeling of mowing through armies of dudes with just one giant laser sword is palpable here. yet still, the game doesn't play itself; you'll need the requisite amount of finesse and quick thinking to get through quickly, but the game gives you the tools to do so, and as you develop that skill it just becomes more and more satisfying

backtracking: some metroidvanias don't have room design i find conducive to backtracking. many of the games on the "-vania" side have enemies that simply require too much time and attention to defeat. personally, i believe that after a certain point in a metroidvania, rooms of enemies earlier in the game should be dispatched without much thought. this is the case in strider, and the game is better for it. you will still struggle with enemies that match the part of the game you're in, but otherwise getting back through areas is smooth thanks to smart upgrade design.

exploration: this is where i think things get a little weaker. the rewards for exploration in this game are there, but they are relatively few in number and don't really inspire curiosity. a problem a lot of people seem to have with super metroid is that its secrets tend to only reward the player with say, a paltry missile tank for their efforts. i don't really have an issue with that, though. even if the reward doesn't stack up, a map littered with little puzzle boxes to pique the player's interest and test their mechanical skills or knowledge is far better than one without. sadly, this game is just lacking in things that make the player interested in the world, and it's a shame.

map design: it's boring. this is what really kills an otherwise strong game for me. both the map (as in the world the player traverses) and the map (as in the thing that guides the player) are poorly designed in my opinion. the game world is not interconnected in an organic or satisfying way, and largely feels like a disjointed assortment of linear challenge rooms. this problem is patched up by fast travel points across the map, to hide the fact that you're mostly good in straight lines, but it's far from a solution. the map itself gives you extremely precise information on the layout and terrain of the world, where you can go to get rewards with your new upgrades, and a huge arrow with a number telling you your exact distance from the next objective. the game never respects the player's intelligence long enough to let them explore the map themselves, possibly because the developers knew they didn't have anything interesting. it's a real shame.

so overall, a mixed bag. i think the game is pretty fun overall, and it goes pretty cheap, so if you're in the mood to slash some shit up as a ninja in a metroidvania package, you could do worse.

[i-sveikata]

Hi, Gabby! This isn't an ask because I just wanted to tell you how much I adore your "I'll fill the graveyards, until I have you" fic.

It's sexy and troubled (in the sense that the vegaspete relationship is complex and messy as it should be bc they're complex and messy people!) and thoughtful and I'm in awe of your writing style, the seamless melding of Pete's analytical and sometimes distanced voice with your beautiful imagery and visual, film-like description.

I hope you aren't feeling too overwhelmed by life (been there done that, 0/10 wouldn't recommend 🙃) and that you take as much time as you need/want because you come first.

Thank you so much and have a wonderful day! ❤❤❤

oh hello anon!! ah that's okay it doesn't have to be an ask!! but thank you so much i really appreciate it!!! was very much one of those unexpected labours of love- i really had no idea going into it just what it was going to turn into but here we are and what a journey!

oh for sure without a doubt all of the complex and definitely all of the messy lol but thank you so much!!! thats honestly so nice i dont always feel like im much of a descriptive writer or at least not a very flowery prose kind of one so i really appreciate that. lol i am always picturing the things i write as a movie whilst im typing it out so im glad thats somehow still coming across too hahahah

man work!!! has!! been!! insane!!!! ive been a bit overwhelmed and completely drained trying to train this new guy at my job because he was basically dumped in my lap. while also still carrying out all of my regular work at the same time which let me tell you has not been easy because this new guy is VERY BAD at literally everything i've shown him (bruh very much does not belong in this role) but they've decided (FINALLY) that its not working out and he's likely to be fired in the next week or so so things are hopefully looking like they're about to settle down again.

but yeah so true!!! like i havent even had the mental energy to write this month at all beyond little snippets of things i want to happen in the chap so i left it at that in the meantime which was honestly such a good call considering. like id rather take that break than rush through it and write something shitty that i wouldnt feel satisfied with anyway. good things to those who wait and all that i hope!

so yes things are definitely looking up and i've got a fair bit of time to write this weekend so woohoo we are back in the process babey!!

but thank you so much for checking in and i hope you have a wonderful day!!! (even though it's currently night where i am hahaha we love a good time zone)

[antisolararc]

drew this weeks ago but never posted it bc i was procrastinating writing the caption...!

level 100 gay queen grandpa sorcerer boss... I'm still trying to figure out how to age characters soooooorry </3 i'll choose a different batik for the cloak later but i didn't wanna make a new seamless material so i just slapped on one i had saved... not really satisfied w the horns yet either but i'll think on it

Anata Maran is the vessel for a relic that allows them to terraform the island of Yameruyi in specific. They reign in the powerful astral volcano that that's been turned into a fortified base for the Luminiferous Guild of Sorcerers. As the leader of the guild from a young age (ie, since they took on their relic), they are somewhat infamous but mysterious to outsiders. Anata rarely leaves the base, much less the island. Their laid-back demeanor makes some question their power as a leader, but considering how the guild has continued to flourish, they must be capable... Especially considering that most people in such a position don't get to live to old age.

[safesthaveninexistence]

Subconsciously they see perspectives that makes them lose against me. Subconsciously they already know they lost against me. Subconsciously they know I'm satisfied they lost against me. Subconsciously they know they can never recover from me. Subconsciously I'm in satisfying ass portals only. Subconsciously I'm in portals where I never give my power away. Subconsciously I'm in portals where my power is one and whole. Subconsciously I'm in portals where I AM MY POWER. Subconsciously I'm in portals where everything is unerringly in my favor. Subconsciously I'm in portals where everything is profoundly in my favor. Subconsciously I'm in the portals where everything works in my advantage. Subconsciously I'm in portals where absolutely everyone indisputably sees everything works to my own advantage. Subconsciously I'm traveling through satisfying ass dimensions. Subconsciously I'm the apex predator of traveling of magical blissful ass dimensions. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where I'm monstrously the apex predator of being unforgettable and undefeated from absolutely all angles. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where I do absolutely everything right. Subconsciously im only in portals where I say absolutely everything right. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where my energy does and say absolutely everything right unerringly, impressively, breathtakingly, mindshatteringly, mindbogglingly and astonishingly. Subconsciously im in immeasurably satisfying ass portals. Subconsciously they know I'm a really good person to have in their corner. Subconsciously I'm a really good friend. Subconsciously I have an immeasurable abundance to offer the people in my life (chills). Subconsciously I'm never taken for granted. Subconsciously they want to kill themselves for even taking me for granted even once. Subconsciously they know not to expect me to put up with their shit. Subconsciously they know to always reciprocate. Subconsciously I prioritize my own well being. Subconsciously they know it's better to appreciate my presence than pretend. Subconsciously I instantly cut a lot of people out for over one bullshit. Subconsciously they tangibly feel I'm unforgiving. Subconsciously they tangibly feel I hold grudges. Subconsciously they always regret. Subconsciously I always feel powerful. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where I always feel powerful, unerringly powerful. Subconsciously my energy isn't leaking all over the place. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where they direly and agonizingly regret doing me wrong. Subconsciously I'm in portals where the past has been energetically revised into my own favor. Subconsciously I'm only in ultraultraultraultraultraultraultraultraformidable portals. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where their regret for doing me wrong only staggeringly deepens each seamless moment that passes. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where they relentlessly and obsessively replay in their heads how they did me wrong, staggeringly deepening their regret. Subconsciously I'm powerfully only in portals where my fears, disappointments, failures, anxieties and worries don't exist. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where they inherently KNOW THEY'RE STAGGERINGLY WRONG. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where I inherently give myself staggeringly MONSTROUS JUSTICE. Subconsciously I know they inherently KNOW THEY'RE A PIECE OF SHIT. Subconsciously I know precisely who and how and when and what to target. Subconsciously I'm only in portals where they never succeed if they did me wrong even ONCE. Subconsciously I'm staggeringly and powerfully only in portals where it's only up and up and up and up and up and up for infinity and beyond. Subconsciously I'm powerfully in portals where I have absolutely no reason to feel guilt and shame. Subconsciously I inherently know emily Michelle Viera's intuition inherently favors me and works to my own advantage. Subconsciously I step on the neck of their intuition. I'm the apex predator of having the last laugh. Emily Michelle Viera is inherently sad over me.

[amplifyme]

Finished Bright Spirit Descending~.

(This is going to be quick and unedited as I've got to keep going irl.)

Nan is brilliant, as always.

I'd love to hear all about bts content-- did Nan write this after her fics? When and why did she get contacted to write? Are there any interviews I can read up on? Any and all information will be greedily swallowed whole.

Loved how this filled-in the episodes-- tv or movie novelizations are a beloved niche of mine.

Nan definitely understood Cathy better than I did (and do); and I think her point (through Vincent's POV) is too true-- that Cathy is drawn to and feels alive in the danger without realizing, like she had been drawn to her abusive ex without first sorting her fearfully contradictory emotions. It's unhealthy, it's a feedback loop for Vincent, and both of their situations are probably going to get worse before it gets better. And, like you say, Cathy is naive and doesn't intend to harm; but there's also that willfully naive or obstinately "I can do this" quality to her that does not bend to circumstance. There is only one route to be done, always. Now that I think about it, she's very like Father: neither like to change their views on matters, both have "set in their ways" habits, and both collapse rather quickly when their viewpoint of the world is shattered or challenged. Or, if they rise to the challenge, it is because they have another viewpoint as a backup (i.e. Cathy's "you always told me to face my fears!" on the tail end of a failure.) I don't have a moment where I heavily dislike or am irritated by her other than the moments where the emotions that she prizes so strongly get in the way of common sense or logic. She's come a long way, and will go longer I'm sure. (S1 finale made me really respect her and look forward to those possibilities. However, I always remind myself that all roads lead to Rome.)

Jacob and John, Paracelsus and Father. Seamless, gorgeous, beautifully constructed. Anna and Grace and Devin and little Vincent... all of their characters were exceptional. The community's construction, expanding borders, rules, governances, operations, interpersonal dynamics: all exquisite. John's descent and Anna's end and Vincent's torture and Devin's love and speech (I had a kid in my life give a Devin speech once-- excellently written, Nan) and Father saving and learning to love his new son and the community closing ranks around Vincent for more complex and complicated reasons and why John stayed and why he finally left....

I'm almost speechless at the quality of this book. I could not put it down and read it all the way through (good thing I trusted Nan's excellence and planned for that to happen going in.)

It did clarify my confusion in Nan's other fic: Vincent thinks the same "I must separate from" thoughts; but, aside from the Pilot and the finale episode, I can't recall if that is an established pattern of behavior in S1. He's had many conversations of how much Catherine struggles (and himself); but never about permanently severing their tie or communication. I don't think, anyway. (Correct me if I'm wrong!) I do agree it is Vincent's nature. My only wonder is if it is to this degree. And if I am wrong, then that tells me I either missed something HUGE in S1 or there's a monster of character writing to face in S2 and S3; and I can't wait to turn the corner and find it.

Also: Nan filtering Vincent's mind through Paracelsus's drug and Catherine's woozy daydreams of Dris and Eurydice and all of the mythologies put together was so brilliantly done that I'm of two minds: that that was the original intention to be drawn, or that it was a slight intention that Nan magnified. Either way, what excellent, excellent writing.

I am so satisfied and pleased and content and abuzz with this story and this show these characters that I might fill in some S1 gaps (if you think I've missed any, point them out!), go over some passages of Nan's work, and watch it all jenga higher and higher as it builds towards S3 and "S4".

Thank you again and again for putting pieces up of Nan's writing and of this series (and so much more~.)

Book discussion below...

I'd love to hear all about bts content-- did Nan write this after her fics? When and why did she get contacted to write? Are there any interviews I can read up on? Any and all information will be greedily swallowed whole.

A little background: Nan wrote and published the AWTN series between 1991-1992 and it was, I believe, the first BATB fanfic she'd written. Then at some point in 1991 she was commissioned by Cinemaker Press, who had the license to publish BATB fiction, with the approval of Republic Pictures (which owned the rights to the show), to write a novelization of the S2 ending trilogy, which she titled Beyond Words, Beyond Silence. A year after that was published, she was approached to write a second novelization and chose to tackle The Alchemist and To Reign in Hell and create the backstory of the tunnel community.

I never asked Nan specifically why she was approached, but I have to assume that someone at Cinemaker read at least some of AWTN. And Nan was already a fairly well known sci-fi/fantasy writer with several professionally published works under her belt. So who better to commission, right?

Sadly, Cinemaker Press lost their publishing license and folded while in the midst of prepping Bright Spirit Descending for publication. So Nan eventually published it herself as a fanzine. There are still copies of Beyond Words, Beyond Silence floating around (I have one myself) but any for sale are stupidly expensive. Last I looked, the price was $159. Oops, just looked on Amazon and now it's closer to $180. Luckily for fans of Nan, she continued to make both novels available for download and at no cost up until her death, and still to this day.

As far as interviews, there's little to nothing on the web. Nan had very little desire for self-promotion. She was much more interested in mentoring and promoting other writers and artists in the fandom and doing her part to keep the dream alive after the show was canceled. Her website for the two authorized novels is still accessible here: http://nan_dibble.tripod.com/

You can also access more information about her on Fanlore. If you do a deep dive on the links to her BATB fanfic there, you'll discover that her AWTN series was considered one of the most controversial zines in the fandom and not very well received by Classic fans (those who deny anything that happened after the S2 finale and insist Cathy didn't die). I'm afraid that by introducing you to Nan's work and the show with AWTN, I've brought you into a very small subset of the fandom that loved all three seasons and the idea of Diana as the perfect romantic partner for Vincent post S3. It's really quite amazing, if you venture into reading other 4th Season writers, that we seemed to have acquired a hive mind when it came to how we saw Diana and what would likely be Vincent's fascination with her.

On to other things...

Cathy is drawn to and feels alive in the danger without realizing, like she had been drawn to her abusive ex without first sorting her fearfully contradictory emotions. It's unhealthy, it's a feedback loop for Vincent, and both of their situations are probably going to get worse before it gets better.

Your last line here is an understatement. S2 is a rollercoaster ride, S3 even more so. But before I scare you, both seasons are filled with lovely stories and individual moments as well.

Now that I think about it, she's very like Father: neither like to change their views on matters, both have "set in their ways" habits, and both collapse rather quickly when their viewpoint of the world is shattered or challenged.

Yes! You can't see it, but I'm standing up and applauding. I love how easily you're picking up all these little nuances that even some longtime fans have never noticed or given much thought to. I love that. ☺️

It did clarify my confusion in Nan's other fic: Vincent thinks the same "I must separate from" thoughts; but, aside from the Pilot and the finale episode, I can't recall if that is an established pattern of behavior in S1.

It's there, but not obvious. I think any fan who gets to know Vincent (through repeated watches) in all his aspects and personality quirks, gets to the point where they just know that his thinking is when it came to Cathy, specifically, and the tunnel community at large. He is always aware of his otherness, his aloneness, and the danger he poses to the people he loves because of that. There are more hints and confirmations of this mindset in S2.

Wasn't the backstory of the tunnel community wonderful? It was my favorite part of the book, and Nan handled it masterfully. ❤️

[noahsbookhoard]

📚August 2024 Book Review (Part 4/4)📚

And that wraps it up for August! It had been a busy month but I loved the variety (although I could have lived without learning about Ignatius Reilly)

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

The misadventures of Ignatis Reilly, a lazy misanthropic man forced to work for the first time in his life in 60's New Orleans, from the Levy's Pant factory to hotdogs selling in the streets, around incompetent policemen, anticommunist elderly men, more or less dubious barkeeper and the gay community.

I haven't chosen to read this book, it was this month's book club blind draw. I probably would have read it ever if it wasn't for this and jury is still out on whether or not I would be happier not having read it or not. The book isn't even that bad! It just has the worst protagonist in the history of Literature.

The story itself is a satire of the US in the 60's, characters are archetypes turned into comedy by their meeting clashing personalities: the black man in need of a job and the barkeeper who wants to appear running a proper business but needs to sell explicit pictures on the side, the half blind half deaf already a little senile employee of Levy's factory about whom M. Levy and his wife keep arguing to see if she should retire or not... There's some sitcom comedy trope with an assortment of subplots opened but never closed as the story goes until one event makes everything fall back together in one perfectly geared sequence. This was good, this was funny, I wish this could have worked with Ignatius Reilly.

Sincerely the biggest reproach I can make to this book is its main character. Problem is said character is there nearly all the time and being an unsufferable 30 year old toddler who never ever face the consequences of his actions. Just thinking about Ignatius fucking Reilly makes me itchy. He is dirty, lazy, a liar, a hypocrit, self centered and just downright unpleasant. The most uncomfortable part of the novel were the articles written by Ignatius about hi experience as a worker because they are a concentrate of everything wrong with him with absolutely no critical perspective whatsoever. He is a racist that tried setting an insurrection by the black worker at the factory, he is a homophobe that tried to create a political party with the gay community of New Orleans...

I didn't even get the satisfaction of him getting, I don't know, run over by a cable car, punch in the nose by one of his former boss, kicked out of the house by his mom (or multiple of that I wouldn't mind) he just run away with his former girlfriend who is just as terrible on the opposite end of the scale.

It's a classic so I'm happy to have read it. But I won't be doing it again, thank you very much.

How to Raise a Kraken in Your Bathtub by P Djeli Clark

A mysterious ad in the papers caught the eyes of Trevor: an offer for a kit that allows you to raise your own mythical creature at home. It might be his chance for a grand achievement! But careful what you wish for...

This is the short story that won the Locus 2024 and my first meeting with author P Djeli Clark which I wanted to read for quite some times. I have in the meantime already read Ring Shout and I'm really thinking of putting Master of Djinn higher on the TBR, I have a new author added to the favorites!

This short stoey is wickedly efficient, either in characterisation or in worldbuilding. Trevor is brushed in two strokes as ambitious (That's literaly the first word of the story) but not a hard worker and unable to think longterm about his decisions. The addition of merpeople in the story is seamless: I never question how they got here, we were just in a fantasy uchronia now, okay, carry on.

The foreshadowing works really well too: the main character is too clueless to click it but the reader does and waiting for the other shoes to drop is really satisfying.

I don't want to say too much, but the twist at the end still managed to surprise me. I was expecting something but not that, and yet it felt like I should have. It painted the entire story in a new light for the last half page or so, I love it.

If you want to read it it's on the Uncanny Magazine website. It's a quick read but it's worth the time!

Rendez-vous avec la mort (An Appointment with Death) by Agatha Christie

From his hotel room in Jerusalem Hercule Poirot hears a disturbing conversation "You do see, don't you, that she's got to be killed?" The detective doesn't think much of it until the tyrannical Mrs Boyton, on vacation with her family, is found dead in the ancient city of Petra.

What is it with Agatha Christie and making her victim absolutely awful people? Is it so there would be more suspects? Is it so they reader is more willing to distance himself and play the Whodunnit Game? Anyway!

You can really tell that this novel was written based on Agatha Christie's memories of visiting the place, it felt very alive,very realistic and more picturesque than her other novels. The setting is always important of course but here it's almost a decor.

There was so many suspects and they all had a very good reason to want Mrs Boyton dead (or to protect the one who did it) this investigation was very intricate and the plot pulls the reader in many different directions. It's a good thing Poirot takes notes in the book or I would have done it myself.

For once I had caught the Important Detail That Gives You The Answer TM but I took it totally in the wrong direction! So I had a theory that was (or so I thought) rather solid but I was misled by a detail. Maybe I missed it but the reveal includes one key information that I can't remember seeing anywhere; it is the only link between two characters and the only thing that makes the motive makes sense so I was a bit surprised by who the culprit was. Or maybe that's just me being a sore lover because once again Christie bested me.

The only thing I really disliked about this one - and it's wierd that it's even there - is the epilogue. There is so rarely an epilogue in her novels that I'm wondering if Christie wasn't pressure to add this Happily Ever After. It is very awkward because it is almost to good to be true, every one is married to another character even when the pairing doesn't make sense and everything is just perfectly fine for all of them. Not to mention the young schizophrenic daughter married to her acting agent who is twice her age because that's not creepy at all! /s I don't know what the intention was but it just flops very hard after what is a really nice book, that's a shame really.

Fortunately it is nothing but an epilogue, and van easily be discarded as just and after thought and I will keep deluding myself in thinking that the novel ends after Poirot's dramatic reveal of the culprit, as usual.

Under the Whispering Door by T J Klune

Wallace is having a hard time accepting that he just died, he barely lived the life he had! So when a reaper comes to bring him to a teashop and to Hugo, a Ferryman tasked to help souls pass to the afterlife, Wallace will have to make the best of what little time he has left in the land of the living.

After reading The House in the Cerulean Sea every other novel by T J Klune were just begging to be read. I stalled as long as I could bear so here I am!

There is kind of a similar structure between the two books (the main character is very professional and cold but learns to open up, Hugo and Arthur have pretty much the same patient, observing and enigmatic personality. Even Charon's Crossing and the foster house or a little similar, two secluded places, meant to be welcoming and homely, yet totally unfamiliar and scary at times for the protagonist) but it never really bothered me: I liked how comfortable it felt to find it all back in this novel.

Through exploring other people's fate, how they lived, how they died, how they went through this time after death but before passing over, Wallace changes and learns to be a better person. The story itself isn't intricate but it is cozy, funny and the life lesson put through the author's word is more than just a feel-good novel line. The main subject, grief, is heavy but Klune handles it really gently, even in very hard moment, violent deaths and character who just can't accept their fate. And once again the love story, although it isn't the main focus is very important and drives the characters forward. It was sweet and nice and I really liked how bitter sweet it felt until the very end and they get the Happy End they deserved.

I read someone reviews saying that the ending was too much but hey, what's the point of writing stories if you can't make it all perfectly okay for everybody in the end? The dead don't come back in real life but if it makes the character of this story happy I absolutely want them to come back!

Aaaand that's close enough to a spoiler so I'll wrap if up: impeccably good read, go for it! Just be aware that it deals with grief and death, including violent deaths and suicide.

[xenmag112]

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[gemsofthegalaxy]

Okay, so, I'm like pretty far into Boyfriend Dungeon, I've gone on one date with all of the weapons and most of them are actually at 6 hearts so far. I have so many thoughts

first of all, I really genuinely enjoy the game. I absolutely love Dating Sims and I also enjoy rougelike dungeon crawler type games such as Hades, so it's super fun to have them combined into one

at the same time, I feel like there's so much more potential when it comes to expanding the story of all of this.

I am one of the people severely disappointed by Sunder's route and the fact he breaks up with you. I found it very anticlimatic and also extremely jarring in the face of my actual feelings for him and how i was conceptualizing my relationship with him.

Jesse and Mandy warned me not to get attached and that he tends to get attached but then drop lovers off. This led me to seeing him as more of a fuckbuddy than anything- when he sent a heart emoji, I sent back an eggplant, sort of acknowledging that I know he's getting caught up in his feelings but probably won't love me long term and I'm more here for the sexual connection and dancing.

if he did turn around and want to get serious, I would have been open to it, but I did not expect him to unilaterally decide that he "wasn't what I wanted" in a partner. How does he know that? it's not like it's ever been discussed and I have been dating/sleeping with several other people too. when did my character ever say she wanted a monogamous lifelong commitment from a 200 year old vampire? maybe she just wanted to continue to have fun

this feeds into my underlying issue with the game's narrative in general.... at no point does it make it clear to all the boyfriends (gender neutral) that you're seeing them all. Many of them say they love you, want to see you again, Issac even makes reference to having a whole life together. I feel like this makes the player character a hypocrite to not be able to call Sunder out, because she's doing exactly what Jesse and Mandy accuse Sunder of doing, ostensibly I feel like I'm toying with all their feelings. I wish there was a way to either acknowledge this or incorporate it in a way that was still fun and fulfilling.

in a typical dating sim (in my experience) you would generally have to Pick One and then re-do the game to get a different ending with a different character. BD is a bit long for that with having the dungeon crawler aspect. My lovely best friend who bought me the game for my birthday told me I wouldn't actually have to pick one, but I am still very hesitant on how it will feel narratively satisfying.

i simply don't know yet, and I request nobody give me any spoilers for anything I haven't touched on. I'm just musing on where I am so far in the game. And I acknowledge, the way things were done makes more smoother gameplay and has legit reasons behind it, I'm not saying the game is bad or it sucks, just that I feel like there was potential to have the narratives done in a more seamless way on the romance front. but the jury's still out

[bearpillowmonster]

Wuthering Waves

I caught up.

Coming from the guy who doesn't like Tears of the Kingdom (sees an army behind me) oh, hey. I was afraid to try anything considered like it, you know, the grindy, open-world walking, parachute and climbing simulators. That included Genshin. But if there's one thing that can change my mind about a game, it's a cute anime girl and with genshin, I can't say there were many that I was interested in, meh. So this one released and it was pizazz because I saw some good looking characters that I could want to collect, that's the mechanic after all and if I saw those then there must be plenty more.

You start out picking boy or girl, no choice on features or personality. They're just static on a background so I just picked the boy and figured I'd get romance options and partner points and junk, yeah, no, that's not what this game is. The female protag was actually the one I saw, come to find out, just couldn't tell from the way she was framed. But ok, you don't build your relationship with any one girl but there's gacha mechanics so there's bound to be one to like.

Once you pick your protag, that's it, you don't get to go back but it's generous enough to let you pick who you play as in the battlefield as well as in the overworld as long as you have them.

Right away, the gameplay is actually pretty impressive, I was blown away by how fast-paced it was and felt myself shaking my head at Breath of the Wild. Sure, you don't have anything to experiment with but it does have mechanics like levitation on certain objects, a grapple, a sensor, a camera, it's neat enough to fit very nice. Having the three in your party at a time is really beneficial and seamless, you can get combos off of each other like mad, really satisfying. Aside from playstyle, they have different weapons too. Some have guns, some have swords, some have little companions that do all the work for them but they're a good buffer because they heal.

Exp is gained more through the menu though as you get canisters to apply to your characters. Some can argue that it lets you play as your powerful ones and feed your little ones so you can play as them more often so that's neat but sometimes it feels wasted because of it, not sure how you want to feel because you do get normal exp too but it's not much. I normally gave a lot to my main, because he was in my party all the time anyway, might as well have a pillar but then I realized that going down the list depleted what level I was used to playing as and couldn't pull off as good of combos as I should've so you want to try and keep your main 3 as close as possible in stats. Make sure they each have max resonators and level those up too. There're just too many things to level up.

The graphics aren't all bad, you can set the options in the settings but there was a lot of pop-in so there was no real "view from far away" mechanic or binocucom. I wasn't really bothered. The Open-World has a good variety of fast-travel points so it never really felt like a hefty run like TOTK did, nor as empty, I always felt like there was enough variety and enemies and places to interact with and fight, it's a good world.

The stamina meter is actually pretty reasonable, you can even run up and along walls. You can climb the lip most of the time so I don't feel stuck. My only real complaint with the world is something that Zelda does better and that's side-quests. I'm always doing quests, going here or there and they usually aren't far from the next checkpoint but for one, they kind of suck. If it's not the main mission, it wasn't really worth paying attention for me, save a few, I skipped a lot of cutscenes. The way these are treated is also a bit weird because something the protag wants to talk, sometimes they're silent. I assume it's because you can choose gender but at the same time, why not commit one way or the other? There will also be little title card transitions that summarize the gaps in between like "This person went to jail." next custscene. Really weird. They've started adding characters already and so far some of those have some good stories though so I can't complain too much if they update with better quests.

But all these side-quests have to originate somewhere and it's not out in the world, it's usually at the hub or starting town which is really odd. I may pass all these places but they have no meaning to me unless I do a quest. Sometimes that quest will just be later in the story and I haven't unlocked it, which I'll get to. Other towns do exist but they're few and far between and they don't give me any quests. I think this is the part to say that it's not an MMO. It acts like an MMO, but it's not, I'm not sure that it'd run the same that way so it can be forgiven but I think that would boost the experience a tad and breathe more life into the areas that exist. Is it grindy? Well, let's talk about that.

I hate when enemies feel spongy and because attacks are constantly bringing down health rather than cold and calculated chips, I didn't feel like I was being cheated, I just felt like if I had trouble with it, it was just the level I was at.

There's actually a few different types of exp but they use different bases to level up. So we have character exp, which is fueled by those capsules I was talking about, gained from pretty much everything. Then we have weapon exp which, I'm a Kingdom Hearts nerd so of course I'm going to draw a comparison, Union Cross. You take medals and you feed them to other medals to increase the level. That's a good comparison for the gacha too, you have a few different events to choose from and it asks you who you're going after but it doesn't affect probability or really much of anything but you have a chance to win a character, not just girls either, I have this Raiden/Sephi crossover here to prove it but you're going to get a lot of items instead.

Union X often had something guaranteed in 10 or so pulls, getting 10 each time with a guaranteed rare for events. Being that this just came out, you might run out but I had enough to do it over time. I believe it holds your place and it's a chinese gacha game, let me remind you, that's what they want, but it's perfectly manageable without it.

Right now, there are 18 characters you can get, but you get 4 from the get-go and I got so far that I got a free ticket to choose one of whomever so 5 if you get that. Can I get the female protag? That remains to be seen but I'm looking into it. I honestly think to wait for more characters to appear so you can get the one you really want and be happy with but right now, I'm more or less just getting a head-start. Anyways! The last sort of exp is Union Exp, why it's called that, I don't know, there are no guilds or unions, maybe just as an 'overall' or union of everything combined, but it's basically the level of your profile and how far you are into the story. This is gained by most things, little by little. I found that I got the most doing lengthy quests, claiming rewards and getting those fast travel icons. The thing is, this is the one that it actually requires you to get in the story. I didn't even need to worry about it until I was to meet with Chixia again and enter the Grand Library for the first time.

I was Union 11. I needed 14. So, for some reason, I got really behind, really quickly. So I grinded and did some quests but some of them I was underleveled for the first time as a character so I went out and did the little stuff that I said because, like I said, all those side-quests originate in the main town and once you complete those then you're kind of lost on what to do and just have to leg until you reach that goal. I suppose it's meant to inflate playtime but I finally got to the quest and found that I was facing enemies in the 40s, which only my protag was prepared for so I had to go and grind again to upgrade everything. A very sudden spike.

I'm a bit of an item hoarder so I don't spend what I don't need to so I had the resources to level up my characters (the capsules, which don't affect Union Level) but I just saved them for when I decided what to use them on so that I was never out. If I want to do things in a timely manner, I have to use them. After I beat that boss, the next main quest has another big jump over to level 21. Now I'm familiar with MMOs staggering their main quests so that you can stay busy with side ones but when the side ones are also staggered, it gets kind of annoying.

It's also annoying to log in everytime you open the game but alt F4 to close and you can just get back in. But back to the Union Leveling. You get to 20 and it says that in order to progress you need to get this ascension thing in the form of a training quest but the enemies are over level 40, which your character is maxed out at and you need to beat this quest to level up higher. So, if you can't beat it, the only way to get stronger is to max everything else out until hopefully you get there. I was at 40, 39, and 38, weapons maxed, all resonators filled and still couldn't beat it. It's timed. And really, I was doing just about everything else without a problem aside from some of the tower, the main missions are harder than any boss you will face in the overworld because they specifically put you in that position. So how did I improve when I was literally barred from exp points?

Well, I pulled. That's right, gacha was apparently more than optional, you need it in order to get better weapons/the same ones to feed to the ones you already have. Through this, I learned the crafting and synthesis system though I don't care much for it unless it saves me the trip of fighting the same stuff over and over. The next limit wasn't nearly as tough because it more or less acts as your final main quest for the chapter so it grants you level 50 characters to play as.

I know I said this is a single player game and technically, I'm half correct. The core is indeed single player, but there's a co-op experience where you can go and grind or fight monsters or bosses, good for leveling up but you can't get any help doing quests, it's one sided. This will probably change later on but that's the base