#I'm SO glad the game finally got its own art

[mizukagami-takamagahara]

Blazblue Entropy Effect, key visuals

[dragon-ascent]

I love how you characterise Zhongli! I didn't realise earlier that ppl treat him to be like a western dragon when hes more of an eastern one. When you explained the differences in one post, it clicked for me on how Zhongli acts, which is fantastic cus Ive always been meh abt his character for quite some time.

Though a question: the game has depicted zhongli to be somewhat broke? I mean, cus he generously spends mora but its usually other ppls since he forgets he is no longer an archon. Heck i cant rmb which event but at one point when Zhongli actually treats the traveller and Paimon, Paimon comments abt "wow Zhongli is the one paying for once?". Im wondering abt your opinion on this.

Aaaaa I'm so glad my little essay on that matter got you to understand his character better! <3333 I hope you appreciate him even more now~

Going off canon material, it's not that he's broke, per se, but rather that he just forgets to bring his wallet with him on outings. Plus, he's part of the bourgeois tier of society (middle class, wealthy, but not royalty-level filthy rich; but still elite and way above the working class). This was mentioned in a line in the Liyue AQ.

Canon text has never actually stated (or even implied) that he's broke or doesn't have money, that's just a popular fanon meme.

If one wants to argue that his 2022 birthday art implies he's broke, I'd still disagree. His dialogue there just says that having a wallet makes him more mindful of when to spend and how much, not that he doesn't have Mora in the first place.

And yeah, when Paimon comments on him finally paying, that's just because he remembered to bring his wallet :) every other occasion, as I stated before, is just that he didn't bring his wallet, relying freely on others to do the paying.

Besides, he made the Mora. I think he has every right to consider even other people's money as his own, lol- but I digress.

If I may slot in a personal headcanon here: I reckon that, as the God of Wealth, he just naturally attracts money to use for himself in any circumstance, be it through his own money, Hu Tao, Childe, the Traveler, etc. He will never be left wanting for Mora as he will always be able to pay for the things he likes, or straight up finesse his way into getting stuff without needing to pay (like the part with the painted Rex Lapis fans).

[felassan]

Some more DA:TV and related snippets from Sylvia Feketekuty, Part 5. rest of post under a cut due to length and spoilers. [Post One, Post Two, Post Three, Post Four]

Sylvia Feketekuty: "I agree, the Necropolis IS gorgeous, I was blessed with wonderful level artists, lighting artists, and a fantastic LD who poured their hearts into making it it." [source]

Sylvia: ""But what does Manfred think about Spite?" Good question. Manfred is curious, as always, and can probably sense Spite's on his own plane of existence (in other words, another spirit.) But Manfred also doesn't have a greatly evolved sense of danger, he might not understand Spite's "moodier" moments. I also think Manfred isn't as sophisticated a spirit as Spite at the start of the game. (Though don't let Emmrich catch you saying that!)" [source, two]

Sylvia on Emmrich: "He was a team effort, and I have to especially thank the writers and editors for their early feedback that helped shape him. Emmrich wouldn't have worked as well otherwise." [source]

Sylvia: "it's a huge honour to work on a character who's someone's favorite anything, let alone romance. (Huge props to Allegra, her actor, who just got Josie right away.)" [source]

Sylvia: ""With Cassandra being our only POV into Nevarra" Poor Cassandra. (Emmrich has such respect for her uncle's books!) "There's a lot of deep respect and empathy for all the ways people relate with death and I appreciate it"" Thanks, that was something I'd so hoped would come through." [source]

Sylvia: "It really was a team that brought Emmrich, the Necropolis, and the rest of its guardians to life, I know everyone would be thrilled to know you enjoyed it so much." [source]

User: "Emmrich's fear of mortality really hit hard. Some of those lines are etched into my heart now. Thanks to everyone who helped put that deeply relatable and human experience into the game" // Sylvia: "It was kind of the core of Emmrich, writing the part where he opens up about his fears, so thank you for sharing that, it means a lot." [source]

Sylvia: "I loved writing the MW branches and letting people be a nerdier flavour of Rook with Emmrich." [source]

User: "Nevarra, Mourn Watch and in particular Emmrich's personal missions were amazing! The whimsical and the grotesque in perfect balance. When I replay next year I'll be looking forward to those missions the most!" // Sylvia: "Especial praise goes to the level designers for tackling a bunch of complex stuff in those missions as we planned them out." [source]

Sylvia: "I think we can all agree Emmrich might be a touch eccentric, but I really wanted his interests and compassionate outlook to be heartfelt, so this is lovely to hear." [source]

User: "I was so nervous about the whole Necropolis gang as I have PTSD and a major fear of death. So when Emmrich confided in Rook about his own fear, I was struck with such an unexpected comfort. I've never heard someone describe my own fears and how they make me feel so perfectly." // Sylvia: "Thank you, Bibi. It's a very familiar fear for me as well, and I find sometimes talking about it can ease things. So I'm very glad to hear Emmrich's thoughts on it were helpful for you." [source]

Sylvia: "I like a good sinister necromancer, but really wanted to try something different with the Mourn Watch, something more akin to a sacred duty." [source]

Sylvia on the Necropolis: "The concept, lighting, and level artists, and the level designer, did so much cool stuff there IMO. Seeing it with the final art and lighting in for the first time was a thrill for me too." [source]

User: "special thanks for the Terry Pratchett references in the form and speech of Vorgoth. I don't know exactly whose idea it was, but it was great!" // Sylvia: "Aw thank you so much! Re: Terry Pratchett: oh man, I read nearly every Discworld book multiple times, absolute favorites growing up." [source]

User: "I kinda of assumed that Emmrich just calculates age in academia terms, so no matter how many physical years old your Rook is, you're just a tiny baby who hasn't completed a necromancy phd. "When I was your age" = "When I was a TA."" // Sylvia: "Yes, yes that math checks out." [source]

User on Emmrich: "how refreshing it was to have an argument with a LI that’s specific to their relationship. It gives the characters such texture and dimension!" // Sylvia: "Aw thank you! I liked the tone range we ended up having between everyone, it was more rewarding to do." [source]

User: "Would you guys ever expand more on Nevarra and its culture? I loved seeing the Necropolis, and hope we revisit it. But I'll be honest when I say it made me curious what life in Nevarra is like, and how infused Nevarra's Mortalitasi are with average Nevarran life." // Sylvia: "Since I've left the company, that's not really in my hands, so there's not much I can say. But I get what you mean, because the Mourn Watch are a subbranch of the Mortalitasi with a very special field of study and service. We don't really get much about everyday Nevarra. So whoever tackles that in the future, if they ever do: I think that could be neat. Lots of room to explore different dynamics and customs!" [source, two]

User: "I adore Emmrich, he's so sweet & so thoughtful! I especially adore his love for flowers, and I personally interpreted that as a hint from the writers (you!) that choosing to embrace his fleeting mortality, like the fleeting beauty of flowers, was his "good" path - is that correct? What's your take?" // Sylvia: "I tried really hard to make either choice feel like it could be the right one for him, because I wanted it to be more about a player's own interpretation-and their relationship with him-than author fiat hinting at which one is correct. Also thank you for the kind words! I really liked writing Emmrich enthusing about flowers." [source, two] // User: "He's such a charming character, the vibes of him and Josephine are among some of my favorites in the series, thank you for helping to shape them and for being kind enough to answer my question! Do you, personally, have a preference for which choice Emmrich makes? It's a tough call to make in game!" // Sylvia: "I'm afraid, like a coward, I've not stated a preference because I don't want to accidentally influence people into thinking one was right or not. I'm also in a weird place where as the person writing him, my thoughts are far less subjective in weird recursive ways. If that makes sense." [source]

User: "do you have a favorite flower? It was such a lovely detail in Emmrich's character and it warms my heart to know writing that was enjoyable for you" // Sylvia: "It kind of changes depending on what's growing during the season, but while it's very common, you can't beat the scent of a rose. (Fond of lilacs too)" [source]

User: "Did you have any role in Manfred's wisp being lilac when/if you bring him back? That detail made me bawl 😭 Manfred was so shaped by "living" with Emmrich that his essence became Em's favorite color?! The only wisp we see to do so?" // Sylvia: "I wish! I actually don't know who did that. I'd assume that colour was chosen by one of our animators, or maybe the LD, so perhaps they added in that detail, which is adorable. (Carly, Derek Wilks, was this either of you?)" [source] // Derek Wilks: "I think that was someone in VFX actually!" [source]

Sylvia: "Glad you enjoyed the graveyard date, our animators and music director did wonders there." [source]

User: "Can you give us any hints on when Dorian spent some time at the necropolis? I need to know their circumstances for science (how old was Dorian back then? I could imagine he had a crush on the professor lol)" // Sylvia: "I'm going to chicken out and not pin that down (sorry.) Since I've left BW, my answer would be even more non-canonical than usual, because that would've been something I'd have wanted to talk over with the other writers. But by that same token, nothing I've said invalidates what you want to imagine." [source]

Sylvia on Emmrich: "I am flattered to hear he has become a favorite romance, the team went all out on him." [source] // Sylvia: "So many people worked on those scenes: animation, art, audio, the editors, and huge kudos to his actor Nick Borraine." [source]

Sylvia: "I THINK Emmrich is 6'2 or 6'3, but you'd need a character artist to confirm." [source]

User: "Do the necromancers of the Grand Necropolis have their own sort of culture? Like perhaps their own rituals for marriage, courting, etc.?" // Sylvia: "Hrm. Good question. I'm sure they have some individual quirks and traditions, like any long-running institution. But they probably don't deviate unrecognizably from the mortalitasi norm." [source]

Sylvia: ""i also played a trans rook, and some of emmrich's content for a romanced trans rook made for probably some of the best romance content of all time for me." That's so nice to hear, and I must give credit to some trans people who kindly took the time to give me feedback that made those lines better." [source]

User: "1) are Tevinter exchange students like Dorian common? 2) what are some of the other fraternities of the Mortalitasi? 3) do members of the Mourn Watch often attend social events with the Nevarran elite like other Mortalitasi?" // Sylvia: "1) Yeah, I think they're not uncommon. I took my inspiration from The Grand Tour, and thought it would make sense if Tevinter sent out some of the wealthier scions to see the world a little, pick up a few new spells. [link] 2) I'm afraid I've deliberately left this one blank, for future people to fill in if/when the need arises. Emmrich complains about the palace necromancers, so we do know there's a special cadre of mortalitasi running the show over there. 3. Absolutely. The MW are pretty prestigious in Nevarra with their running the Grand Necropolis. Much as Emmrich dislikes politics himself, there's probably a lot going on at the top." [source, two, three]

User: "Do you think Lich Emmrich would eventually be told by the Lich Lords to sever his mortal ties and return with them to the depths of the Necropolis? It seems like he’s willing to break all their rules to keep Rook with him" // Sylvia: "I'm afraid defining Emmrich's duties/responsibilities/required conduct as a lich would very much be something I'd leave up to the future (even if I were still at BW.) Kind of too big a topic for me to want to speculate here." [source]

User: "did you have a hand in designing how emmrich looks?" // Sylvia: "Yep, I gave feedback as his design progressed. Our concept artists really got him very early on, though, so it was smaller stuff." [source] // User: "was he at all inspired by Peter Cushing & his hammer film characters? He really gives off van Helsing vibes to me" // Sylvia: "Time permitting I want to do a post on influences, but you got it in one exactly. It was specifically the Hammer films I was thinking about!" [source] // User: "would Rudolph van Richten from Curse of Strahd be on his list of influences?" // Sylvia: "I'm afraid, to my shame, I never read much of the core Ravenloft books, so that one's a no." [source]

User: "I needed you to know that Emmerich's conversation in the Memorial Gardens about his thanaphobia really got me. I could never put the words together of what thanaphobia feels like, and his description is perfect." // Sylvia: "It's a familiar feeling to me as well, and I'm glad it rang true." [source]

User: "I've got a really severe death phobia that's been flaring recently, and emmrich's conversation about it captured the feeling perfectly and helped lessen the weight for me" // Sylvia: "I find at least discussing it can ease it, sometimes, so I'm very glad to hear getting to know Emmrich helped in that way." [source]

Sylvia: "Hezenkoss was a blast to write so I'm glad she clicked for you. "preposterous is what you wore to a bog, Orlesian" Oh wow, Skywatcher! It's been an age, so glad that line stuck with you. That takes me back!" [source]

Sylvia: ""And yet I ask the question - what attracts Emmerich to the Hand? Yes, the answer is “perseverance”, but I think this is not fully explored." Do you mean the Hand of Glory specifically? He's intrigued and disturbed by the magic around it, which is why he hones on it, even before he knows its origin" [source]

Sylvia: ""I was wondering if you could tell us about his & Manfred's first meeting or notable moments in their friendship?" This feels like something I'd probably want to leave more to the imagination. And because I'm not a BW anymore, answers would be even more non-canonical than normal. All that said, for some reason, I always pictured Emmrich being alone in the Necropolis the first time Manfred's wisp floated up to him to peer at what he was doing. It just seems a little more poignant that way." [source, two]

Sylvia: "All credit to the team, especially the writers and editors who gave feedback that made [Emmrich] so much better during those early days and beyond." [source]

User: "me + a handful of people were wondering about non-mage mourn watchers! id love to hear your notes/thoughts about them! b/c i didnt remember hearing how they become MW or if reaper uses death magic!" // Sylvia: "Sure! Not much to say, though, I think the MW is likely a mage majority fraternity that accepts a few non-mages who have exceptional skills and temperaments sympathetic to the Necropolis. A warrior of great renown, a rogue of exceptional stealth and quiet, a baby found down there in a grave, and so forth. They'd certainly undergo the same kind of oaths and bindings every Watcher goes through. I always pictured them being provided with the best enchanted gear the MW has to offer too." [source, two]

User: "Hi! About Emmerich being a professor—does he teach at a Circle, or is he specifically a professor to other MWers and Mortalitasi? It seems like the MW has some sort of official schooling for its members since he regularly takes on students each year, could you comment on that at all?" // Sylvia: ""It seems like the MW has some sort of official schooling for its members since he regularly takes on students each year, could you comment on that at all? " Sure, but I think you have it, the MW seems to want to raise well-rounded students with a classical education on top of magecraft. In my mind, it was because they saw every MW as representing the Grand Necropolis, so of course they wanted its members to have training in etiquette and history and generally be able to move in polite society." [source, two]

User: "If I remember correctly, we only really see Emmrich use necromantic magic in-game. Are there other types of magic (elemental, healing/spirit, etc) that you think he would gravitate toward?" // Sylvia: "Hrm. He does have a bit of healing magic, mechanically in combat. It coudl work, but somehow I don't think Emmrich would ever be a high-level healer. He could maybe get the basics but it's not his great gift. Something about the gravic magic of the force mage specialty feels appropriate though." [source]

Sylvia: ""would it be possible for a (romanced) MW Rook join Emmrich in linchdom, eventually?" Yes: Rook can try, bc it's not forbidden to seek the knowledge out. (Emmrich makes it clear Hezenkoss pieced some of it together herself, so we've also seen another mage get it almost-right) It is very hard and probably takes decades to accomplish (and of course, there's no guarantee Rook would survive.) But everything written in game points to there being a chance." [source, two]

User: "I’ve been thinking a little about it and I know it’s mentioned in the game he would be interested in visiting - but how would Emmrich feel about visiting the Avvar in the south? They are one of the few groups that show respect for spirits in a similar way and I imagine he’d have a lot of questions." // Sylvia: "He'd probably love it. He'd be fascinated by their relationship with spirits, in the ways it mirrors and deviates from the Mourn Watchers' own practices. (I imagine there is also like a 15% chance he gets into a heated argument with one of them over a fine point of how spirits work exactly.)" [source]

User: "congratulations on another achievement, Emmrich took the silver trophy" // Sylvia: "I was so excited to see we'd gotten the silver trophy! I hope everyone who worked on him sees that." [source]

User: "Is there anywhere we can follow your future work after this account gets shut down ?" // Sylvia: "TBH I'll probably just reopen it it there's any cool news to share since I don't have a website or anything. (I THINK I can just reactivate it?)" [source]

User: "Thank you for Lady Josephine Cherette Montilyet, emmrich, Liara and Leigon!!!!" // Sylvia: "Thank you! (I should mention I was only a part of Legion in ME3 - specifically the N7 mission into the Geth Consensus. Great fun to work on that level though.)" [source]

Sylvia: "I'm lucky to have had the chance to bring Emmrich and Josephine to you all with the rest of the team." [source]

Sylvia: ""I still remember when you introduced yourself on old BSN when Lair of the Shadow Broker came out." Wow, you're right I did! That is a blast from the past. Thank you for the kind words!" [source]

User: "Just wanted to say thank you for all the amazing characters you helped bring to life in DA and ME. I really enjoyed Emmrich and Hezenkoss in DAV. The dynamic between them really made me laugh" // Sylvia: "Thanks! That was one of my favorite pairs to write, the history between them meant everything was always a little more personal, which is always fun." [source]

Sylvia: "Thanks Janette, loved writing Hollix." [source]

User: "Elements of Emmerich's costume resemble the Cerberus logo from ME. Is this just a reference or is there something more to it?" // Sylvia: "Gee, I can't say for sure because I didn't make it, but I'd assume that one's just a coincidence (since the Mourn Watch and Necropolis use hexagonal shapes as their primary shape language)" [source]

User: "I can just tell how well Emmrich is written along his fear. I lost my fear of death and dying as I began to honor the dead." // Sylvia: "I do think talking and thinking about these things more than we normally do helps eases the fear." [source]

Sylvia: "Thank you for these lovely thoughts. I did read some books about different customs around death, and I know a little about pagan/occult/magic practices (in a very basic and generalist sense.) So it doesn't surprise me per se, but I am very glad to hear getting to know Emmrich was a positive thing. And I'm also very glad to hear he's someone you feel you can take into the future with you as a helpful friend." [source, two]

Sylvia: ""Does Emmrich have any guilty pleasures?" Huh. Excellent question. I should really be more decisive about my own character, but while I think that could be fun, I'm not sure what it would be. "Oh one other question , is there a part of thedas you wish you could of explored but wasn't able to be in game?" I've always been interested in the sinister sounding Sea of Ash. What goes on over there???" [source, two]

User: "i have a silly little question bc i also love emmrich. was his scene revealing lichdom to everyone meant to parallel a trans coming out or was that accidental? because i felt on an existential level the thrill of revealing who you are, but also fearing people would be afraid or treat you differently. (and then there's strife discussions, and putting up a glamour some places but not others, and the blooming but gentle self-confidence... he is very transgender to me)" // Sylvia: "Not a silly question at all! After writing the scene I wondered if people would see similarities because of those overlapping themes you pointed out: the dignity of bodily self-determination, revealing your true self to those you love, fear of rejection, hope for acceptance. But during the writing, I mostly approached becoming undead as its own thing, because I wanted to ground it in the MW's particular philosophy. I think there's parallels because of the way the human personal is universal, if that makes sense. That said, if this does feel very transgender to you or anyone else (or not), I'm not against varied interpretations. That's one of the cool things about seeing people actually get their hands on your work." [source, two, three]

User: "I'm not sure what Emmrich's hairstyle is, slickback?" // Sylvia: "Good question. Afraid I don't know what it'd be called either. Googling it, slickback LOOKS correct?" [source]

User: "Emmrich has definitely developed a special bond with Bellara and Lucanis, and yet, both of them don't comment on his relationship with Rook! What would you say their reaction was? Their banter was so good I'm sure we'd all love to know what Emmrich had to say!" // Sylvia: "Ah, that one I'm afraid I can't answer since I'm not their writer, and that would've been something I would've discussed with the narrative team together. Sorry!" [source]

Sylvia: "Nick was indeed brilliant!" [source]

User: "Ive got quite bad thanatophobia and Emmerich's writing is one of the only times I've seen that dealt with actually respectfully." // Sylvia: "Thanks very much! I've experienced that fear, and I suspect it's way more common than we think, and I'm glad to hear it felt that way to you." [source]

User: "My HOF was a spirit healer, very kind & very curious, & for years I've considered how that special connection to spirits might lend itself to an interest in Thedan necromancy & puzzling out where spirits & souls begin & end. Emmrich, Manfred/Curiosity and the wisps gave me so much to think about!" // Sylvia: "that's interesting about your HOF. They may've found some kindred spirits if they ever ventured further north." [source]

User: [was] "Dorian was taken over by a nominated writer for veilguard or if his legacy was more of a team effort ?" // Sylvia: "Dorian was in the capable hands of Writer Chee" [source]

User: "I’m also dying to know what Emmrich did during Rook's stint in the prison-my thought is he not only did the majority of the work on finding Rook, but in leading the team, prob finishing touches on the dagger clone, keeping the team together in Rook’s absence while barely holding himself together at times" // Sylvia: "I think he was indeed having some very sleepless, guilt-wracked nights, working himself too hard, and trying his best on that dagger." [source]

User: "I just wanted to tell you that I love Emmrich's part of the lighthouse the books the fact that it's right next to rook's room and that johanna is in it later and that you can talk to her" // Sylvia: "Thank you! I love what the level artist there did, it's such a cozy den of a place. And I'm glad you liked meeting Hezenkoss afterwards, all praise to the level and tech designers who got her in there." [source]

User: "Are the Watchers overall vegetarian, or was it a personal preference Emmrich developed?" // Sylvia: "I think it's a thing among some Watchers, but not all. Because they think a lot about life and death and the cycle of life, and their place in it, and what constitutes a death they feel comfortable with or not. My actual, original inspiration for it was from an old Call of Cthulhu TRPG book about Miskatonic University, set in the 1920s. There was a great little detail about the campus having a cafeteria that serves vegetarians. And when I read it, I got a little jolt because I was so used to vegetarianism in North America being portrayed as a relatively modern movement. But of COURSE there's always exceptions and cultural enclaves and so on. Just one of those moments you feel your understanding of what we were up to in the past shift a little, even if it felt obvious in retrospect." [source, two, three, four]

Sylvia re: writing Manfred: "Yep, Manfred was my guy too." [source]

Sylvia: "I'm glad you enjoyed meeting our gentleman necromancer. (Full credit to the great feedback I got from the other writers and editors early on, he wouldn't be as good without them.)" [source]

User: "I was curious I know none of emmrich's serious relationships ended up panning out But like did any of them get to the point that him and his partner at the time shared a living space I'm wondering if emmrich has ever lived with anyone besides manfred" // Sylvia: "That's an interesting question. Like a coward I will hedge my bets, but I could MAYBE see a few. Not many though." [source]

[weirdmarioenemies]

Name: Insectiride

Debut: Mario Party 6

Mario and friends get up to all sorts of shenanigans! Many of these are dangerous shenanigans, and I would prefer not to get involved with them. If I were to fall in lava or be hit by a barrage of hammers thrown by a turtle, I would Die! I lament this fact, but I am no scrimblo. However, some of the antics are good safe fun, and that includes the act of racing in funny bug-shaped vehicles! I wish I could do that in real life!

Though there is a snail among these insects, for the sake of simplicity, I will call all these creatures Bugs. I usually reserve that term for arthropods, but I don't feel like saying "creepy-crawlies" a bunch of times in this post like some kind of Talking Flower. So Bugs. There are some people who'd call a snail a bug without even a disclaimer! Can you imagine that?

Players begin Insectiride by choosing their vehicle out of the four unique options! I think I played this minigame once and I THINK I used the grasshopper. I think it still might be my favorite! I'm sorry to this snail, but I don't like it much. It looks like pizza, and I like pizza a lot- I regularly observe #pizzafriday- but it's just not the sort of thing I'd like a snail's skin to remind me of.

Each of these bugs has its own control scheme! The player on the ladybug must press the indicated button ten times quickly to make it crawl forward a bit. The player on the grasshopper must press a sequence of various buttons to make it hop forward a few times. The player on the stag beetle must press each indicated button that appears one at a time, each press making it push along a bit. And finally, the player on the snail must press A when its body extends fully to make it pull the shell along behind.

When playing this with humans, there is probably no one Best Bug to reliably choose, since human reaction time must be taken into account. If playing against ambitious robots, however, there is absolutely an imbalance! In tool-assisted speedruns, Grasshopper is the winner, followed by Ladybug, Stag Beetle, and poor Snail in last...

Mario Party 6 is a Koopa Kid Game! And there is official art of him riding the funny ladybug mechanism! I'm glad he got to have fun here. We all know he isn't having fun where he is now... in the Purgatory Zone... poor kid. Oh well! That's life!

Those were the only four bug vehicles present in Insectiride, but in Mario Party 3's Ridiculous Relay, there was another! Way before all the rest! Here we have a Skeeter-inspired contraption, allowing the operator to maneuver across the surface of the water! I think this would be the main mode of transportation in Wet-Dry World, for those who are not already Skeeters. Between being a mecharthropod and having a strange control scheme that must be displayed to the player, I would not at all be surprised if this was an inspiration for Insectiride!

Now don't think you're getting out of this post without some real Bug Facts! Humans, of course, are much too large to ride on a bug. To be small enough to ride a bug, you would have to be a bug yourself. And some bugs do indeed do this! This is phoresy, the interaction in which one animal will latch onto another animal for the purpose of travel. Usually, the hitchhiker will be a tiny arachnid such as a mite (including ticks), or my favorite arachnid, a pseudoscorpion!

Phoresy is EXTREMELY funny to me. A teensy little critter will just grab onto the leg of a fly or something, and away they will go! Hang on tight! This is a type of symbiosis known as commensalism, where one organism (in this case, the one hanging on) benefits, while the other (the host) is largely unaffected. Humans riding horses is another example of phoresy! A human can be like a mite sometimes. Ok, see you later! *grabs onto a hoverfly's leg and flies away*

[emagios]

"We've told you before, right?" "Not everybody likes arcanists, Sonetto. They are dangerous. And because they are dangerous they are feared. They are not human. And those that are not human are different, and those that are different are hated. And you, Sonetto, are an arcanist. You will not find friends outside nor would they want to be. But we're not like them. That is why you are here. If not for us, you would have gotten yourself into worse situations. Maybe you would never have been in any situation except dead and forgotten. We don't want that for you, and that is why we protect you. Keeping you here in this house is for your protection. Here you can use your abilities as much as you like. As free as you like. All we ask of you is to stay, and in turn you use your abilities into good use. Like helping us." [AU in which Sonetto was never founded by the SPDM, rather gets adopted by a family instead. However, her abilities are manifested early. Seeing the potential in what exactly her magic does, her foster parents do not persecute her, instead using her ability of creation to compose works of art and sell it. ] I'm not much of a lore buff so idk how the magic system works. So I'm just assuming that when arcanists start showing signs of magic, it first starts off as "wild" magic. Random bursts of shazam and all that. As they grow up, then it starts to become something distinct. The game makes it seem that arcanists can cast "spells" or just regular magic (Like with Sonetto and Matilda having similar moves) and at the same time they have a magic that is unique to them. Matilda with her divinity, TF with her healing. Sonneto's case is maybe similar to Blonney in that it involves creating something from their imagination. Furthermore is that Sonneto's ability require intention? or at least a form of emotion and passion (which imo is so cool character-wise because the irony is so so good Sonneto, who strives to be the Foundations perfect soldier. Who strives to follow in its ideal of order before opinion. Before emotion, yet even her own magic contests that. Or maybe I got the details wrong and I'm being delusional LOL but I digress) So yeah, that's what I have in mind so far. I'm glad I finally got around to drawing it out, because the idea has been itching at me since Christmas lmao. Also! I'm also thinking of planting her to be somewhere maybe around the late 19th to early 20th century? Like the rest of the suitcase squad, Vertin will eventually encounter her as part of her being assigned in locating "unregistered/rogue" arcanists in hopes of recruiting them to the Foundation. Yes this idea was mainly made with vernetto / tk14 in mind lol But there's also some schneider mention for the verschneider angst ofc

[avizare]

I love Oblivion; I'm glad that they're changing it.

When Bethesda finally decided to remaster Oblivion, they had one of two options:

1. Try and remake the game to be as faithful to the original as possible, or

2. Try and remake the game with a fresh vision in mind

If they intentionally went for the second option and are trying to give the game a new art style --- a fresh creative direction --- then I'd argue that they're succeeding in their attempt, based on what we've seen, and I'm all for it.

I love Oblivion. It is a game that got me through some pretty tough times in my childhood. Like many of us, I can still remember the time when I was a little kid, swathed in blankets at the end of my bed in the dark of my room, emerging from the Imperial City sewers and being left in awe of Lake Rumare and the Alyeid ruins and the wonderous splendour that permeated every square millimetre of this game that we collectively adore.

It is with this love that I can honestly say that I'm happy that the remake has made creative changes. I'm happy that it has a new colour grading and that the creatures are different and that the Oblivion gates are new. I'm happy that they are making gameplay changes and adding content.

Not because I want Oblivion to change, but because I don't want Oblivion to be replaced.

There are reasons why this game has staying power. Like every TES game that came before it and, I'd argue, after it, it has its own charm; its own personality. Oblivion often feels like playing a moving painting, and while it does have some technical pains (I'm not such a die-hard purist that I don't mod the levelling system to bits) it manages to hold up to more modern games not by matching them on a technical level, but by surpassing them with the very 'X' factor that this series lives by; the same X-factor that has kept Skyrim chugging along all this time, and keeps ESO relevant and distinct in the MMO space, and keeps people coming back to Oblivion and Morrowind and even the games before it.

I'm talking about heart. Soul. This thing that not only Bethesda but every creative who touches this franchise can't help but instil into the end product. These games have always been a product of passion, and that passion --- that love and starry-eyed adoration --- is what pushes people to continue exploring and expanding upon this world. It's what keeps The Elder Scrolls' lore-scape alive, with people like Drewmora still pulling in audiences every time he releases a video to capture our imaginations once again, simply by delving into TES' guts to pull out another story to tell; by keeping the dream alive.

Bethesda could have just upped the texture quality, updated the physics and weather and lighting and called it a day; shove it onto modern hardware and say "there, we've done it, STOP asking now". Instead, they've gone in and changed... a lot. Just like how Morrowind doesn't feel like Oblivion doesn't feel like Skyrim, the Oblivion Remaster looks to me like it has been filtered through an entirely different creative lens. Just like how every TES game before it had its own vibe, so too does the Remaster, and I hope that they work with that beyond the surface level.

The Oblivion Crisis was a terrifying, horrifying time for the people of Tamriel, and with this new warmer, darker, more realistic tone, I really hope that they explore that. Imagine Lucien Lechance's hanging corps in Unreal Engine 5; imagine the death and destruction at Kvatch, or the Shivering Isles' Dementia region. The Elder Scrolls has some hardcore horror elements that are only really held back by Bethesda's restraint. But that's besides the point.

The actual point is that they could have just replaced Oblivion, but they didn't. They look like they have made a distinct reinterpretation of this game that we love, which will serve to not only elevate the remaster as a distinct product, but to also keep the original alive, in its own vein. The original Oblivion is going to remain its own product; its own personality, distinct from this remaster.

I can see myself playing the absolute hell out of this remaster, provided that they nail it. And yet, I can still see myself returning to the game that made my childhood, after the fact. And I think that's beautiful.

I also think that the state of this remaster will give us a good look at the state of Bethesda, ahead of the release of The Elder Scrolls: VI. There's no denying that they still have the practical chops for making an Elder Scrolls game, but I think that their approach to this remaster will be incredibly indicative of VI's quality. I really, desperately want to believe that Todd Howard and his creative team have the love in their hearts for this franchise, like we do. Because that's what makes these games. Not the physics engine or the combat or the magic systems; it sure-as-hell isn't the Creation Club, though I fully expect to see that, too.

This is a franchise that was built on creative freedom, both on the part of the developers and the players. We lost a fair bit of that in Skyrim. Now, they're remastering a game that did it right, and I can only hope that by looking back at their successes and what made them so great --- what made Oblivion so great --- that they are able to pull away from the shallowness that afflicted so many of Skyrim's systems. They took the right steps in Fallout 4, as far as deepening the systems from previous entries is concerned, though the dialogue took such a hit in that game due to its voiced protagonists that its almost difficult to look at its depth objectively.

And Starfield, the failure that is was, was struck down largely by its own lofty ambitions.

I want to see that ambition in TES VI. And as far as I can tell, we are already seeing it in the few images we've got of the remaster.

What I'm saying, above all else, is that there is hope.

Hope that we will be delivered a deeper, more unique TES experience. Hope that The Elder Scrolls maintains its ever-changing soul. The game entered full production (as opposed to pre-production) in 2023, and the longer they give the game to cook, the better. In the meantime, I'm happy for Bethesda to Take Me to Oblivion again.

[simslegacy5083]

Today's (3/3/2025) Episode: Giving Back

The newly adult Skye joined his fiancée and Great Grandfather in Brindleton just in time to celebrate the Harvestfest holiday. 

"Hopefully there's something nice in here to make the place look festive" Skye fretted as xe rummaged through the old decoration box.

 "I'm sure there is, don't worry" Candor soothed as he worked on refreshing the mural in Luigi's currently empty old room "Anyway, the old house already looks great after its recent facelift, even if the blue is more in keeping with Winterfest than Harvestfest! I wonder what color will dominate when you and Elyse give me my next generation of grandkids?" He chuckled heartily as Skye blushed. "It's never been the same twice."

Skye did indeed find a couple items to add a little extra Harvestfest Spirit to the Homestead. Xe quickly got all those decorative knick-nacks set out before hustling into the kitchen to bake up some treats for their next adventure of the day. 

Elyse was making her own contribution to their outing. "That's a really unique blending of colors" Candor told her "but you're using a pretty heavy hand. Relax your wrist, focus on gentle tip strokes from end to end" she nodded, taking a breath and adjusting her grip on the brush. 

Surveying the finished product a short time later she shot a worried glance over her shoulder at her mentor "what do you think?" "I think it's going to bring a good price at the charity art sale" he replied. "Great job. Pack it up, let's grab our resident chef, and get going. We don't want to be late!"

"Candor! Welcome, it's always lovely to see you" the director of the San Sequioa rec center greeted him like an old friend. A good sim, Candor enjoyed giving back to his community and was a regular volunteer at the venue. 

“Malakai, looking handsome as ever!" Candor replied with a grin "I've got a couple friends with me today; we've brought goodies for the sale and experienced helping hands for the kitchen."

"That's what I like to hear" Malakai clapped in delight "You know the way, you good to get them acclimated? I was just going to go set out the puzzles in the game room" Candor nodded, waving for the others to follow him as he headed off down the hall.

Elyse hung out at the art table and while Skye and Candor headed to the dining hall after grabbing some photos of their donations to the bake sale.

"Lunch starts in a couple hours" xir grandfather said. “Go introduce yourself to the head chef and then everything you need to make the meal is in the fridge. You ready to get cooking?"

"Always" Skye grinned, saying hello to Jessica before getting started while Candor helped set the tables.

"Oh grim, this is GOOD" one elder sim exclaimed over a spoonful of Skye’s tomato soup “You’ve outdone yourself in the kitchen today, Jessica!”

“I wish I could take the credit” she replied, “but our newest volunteer here actually made that one.”

Skye, who’d worried xe’d over spiced the meal, smiled shyly at the unexpected praise. “I’m glad you like it” xe finally managed “Happy Harvestfest.”

“… and I was worried no one would want to buy my painting, everyone else’s work was so much better, but it sold for over 200 simoleons!” Elyse enthused as the group arrived back in Brindleton “the sim who bought it said they are going to hang it right in their entryway – can you believe it!?”

“That’s great!” Skye and Candor agreed, and the ancient mage added: “You both should be proud of yourselves. Thanks for coming out with me today.”

With his grandfatherly duty to engage the next generation in good works met for the day, Candor went back to work on his latest freelance gig.

Those youngsters, still brimming with energy and overflowing with plans of their own banged happily around the family home that had been much too quiet for much too long. As he worked Candor smiled at the sounds of Elyse working out in the home gym, while his grandchild typed furiously away on the computer in xir office to meet some deadline before heading to the kitchen.

The smells of roasting feast soon wafted from that area, the familiar scent leaving Candor excited for the family that would shortly gather at the old homestead to celebrate Harvestfest with them. It was like a revival of years gone by in ancestral Brindleton Bay, and he was overjoyed to see it.

View The Full Story of My Not So Berry Challenge Here

[kholnt]

Hey, you! New person! Welcome to the LU fandom, we’re so glad to have you! 💞💞 Saw you were looking for mutuals—I just have a few questions… *flips through pieces of paper real serious like*

👀 You got a favorite LU boy yet? Or a favorite panel/arc of Jojo’s comic? Favorite fic, art piece, author?

👀 I saw your Wild sketch, it was very nice. So you draw? Do you write, too?

👀 Finally and most importantly, what is your opinion on mayonnaise?

HELLO HELLO!!!!!! i am so very happy to be here i am giggliing kicking my feet 1. i find all of them to be absolute whimsical goobers but probably wild (botw is the only physical loz game i own and it was a gift from my brother so i do have a wee bit bias. but they're also just like the Guy ever) 2. this wolfie from the most recent update has my heart and soul. so very polite heems so!!

3. art piece of jojo's has got to be either september's stormy draw, but outside of that. honestly just any sleepy lu. little snoozin guys yk?? 4. goddesses fics,,,,, keeping it to lu a home for flowers (faufaren) & silent princesses (korokcrucifierr) absolutely eat personally. as for authors, i don't pay much attention since i read based on me tag-hunting (i do say that nintendo fics absolutely eat and rarely miss. i have yet to be proven wrong) 5. tysm!! i DO draw!! and write on the very very rare occasion (as in once a year and if i finish something its a miracle). i'm currently at a roadblock w/ art and i havent seriously drawn in nearly a month but i do silly little doodles like the wild in both my pfp and the one mentioned!!

6. not a mayo guy personally but i love ranch

[skyflyinginaction]

Shin Megami Tensei IV FINAL Official Setting + Shinwa Sekai he no Tabi translations 

I don’t own the raw scans or the translations in this post all credit for the translation belongs to Miel who did a wonderful job on it. The Nanashi bio was already translated by Dijeh and the rest are translated by them.

Asahi

In the early scenarios, she was supposed to be a tomboyish character who often used foul language. As you can see, she ended up the complete opposite (lol). Asahi was designed as a child whose parents had lovingly raised, and had her life planned out for her to survive in this destroyed world. They were hoping that she would one day be able to see the light of dawn, hence she was named Asahi. We based her design off themes of the sky, hence the goggles, hat and the blue color scheme to make a pure, orthodox heroine.

Navarre

A harmonious, all-green presence… Actually I just came up with that after (lol). But I think the meaning of Navarre's scarf color was shown pretty well in the game. His ghost form and the fact that he would be a partner was decided from the very beginning. I wanted him to be able to run around the map following the MC, so I suggested a mascot-like design that could float alongside the MC. I'm glad he was able to re-appear as a likeable character (lol).

Nozomi

In the previous game, she was an event character with only pixel art, but in this game, we decided from the very beginning that she would be a partner along with Navarre. We tried to keep the same imagery she had from the previous game but designed elements unique to this game. After she became one with Danu, I wanted a change in both mind and body. Her hair and eye color, as well as her physique are all mixed with Western features, and when compared to the main characters who are all children, she looks like a mature adult lady.

Hallelujah

We had planned to create a mixed-race child who would show what kind of world setting it was in this game. His brown-colored skin was the only thing that still remained of his initial draft; every thing else about him was totally changed from the initial planned scenario. We gave him a Ashura-kai styled outfit, as well as a school jersey to make him look like a child delinquent. The pointy ears and black nails were to give him a demonic feel. When he transforms, he changes color, and I think it perfectly represents the devs’ ideal image of him.

Chironnupu

When Chironnupu was created as a demon, I was requested to make him a mascot-like character. They did not want a standard cutesy character, but rather something that had a “Megami Tensei" type of cuteness. There are very few legends about the Chironnupu, so I got ideas from keywords such as Ainu, fox, divine spirits, and hunting, and instead of simply drawing a fox, I made him a young spirit that wears a carved wooden mask.

Gaston

When I first heard that Navarre’s younger brother was going to be in the game, I laughed… and I was very surprised. Of course they must have the same hairstyle and facial expressions to live up to the family name (lol). Since he is an elite member of the newly established Samurai group, I put his Samurai uniform over his inner wear, so that he looked like a medieval musketeer but set in modern day. The cross symbol represents God and the four archangels. Michael's spear was originally meant to defeat Lucifer, so I based its design off Lucifer’s motif.

Toki

Out of all the characters, this character had the most changes and was the most difficult to design. In the early designs, she was made to look like a miko (TN: shrine maiden) who served Lilith, so I wanted her design to emphasize her young age when compared to Asahi and Nozomi. That design later evolved into a tall, ephemeral type of girl, and then later, finally settled into the design of an assassin. She’s designed as a member of the Ring of Gaea, and her unmasked face has the cuteness of a Japanese doll but also a beauty that exudes an exoticism. 

Nikkari

This is a character that appears right at the beginning of the game, but we did not originally plan to have an illustration for him. However, there was a request for a illustration to show the worldview of this hunter from Tokyo, and how the world and the people he cared for were being overrun by demons. Thus we created illustrations for the 3 of them: Nikkari, Manabu, and Master. The name Nikkari is based off a famous sword, but you’ll just have to find out whether or not his sword is the real deal by playing the game.

Manabu

As a more senior hunter, he has become a unique character. Like Nikkari, we had initially only planned to have pixel art for him, so we made sure to exaggerate that reggae-like feel to convey his love for reggae, even if it's a tiny pixel art. Compared to veteran hunters, he didn't have much experience yet, so we designed him to still look a little naive. Having designs for the sub-characters was not initially planned, so I only had a short amount of time to design them, but I was able to take a breather and had fun while drawing them.

Master

When I was making drafts of his design, I borrowed the design of the adult form of the protagonist (lol). Since the character is a former hunter of an inhabitable society and a master of the company, I gave him unshaven stubble and thick arm hair to give him that rugged feel, but also gave him the outfit of a bar waiter to give him a sense of tidiness. Anyway, it feels like a strange coincidence that the pilot-style outfit worn by the original adult protagonist ended up being worn by Asahi instead. I wanted to see how well he would do.

Swordsman Hunter

During the idea stage, there were many variations for a non-human hunter. This is a lightly armored female hunter whose main weapon is a sword. Her personality also seems outgoing.

Professor Matsuda

This was the initial idea draft for Matsuda. Back then he was planned to be a NPC that you can speak to but didn’t have a character portrait. His facial expressions can’t be seen clearly from the small portrait, but you can see his hunched-back posture.

Elite Hunter

An elite hunter who has a high rank and is well-dressed. It's the type you don't see very often in the underground world of Tokyo, but it seems there’s actually some hunters who are living a privileged life out there.

Punk Hunter

A female hunter that catches the eye with her standing hair and studded clothes. Strong female hunters who live by fighting with demons are all cool-looking. The same goes for Nozomi. It’s no wonder Asahi admires them.

Child Hunter

The boy with the spear is an NPC you can talk to. During the designing stage he was made to be a little child hunter but the final version of the NPC seems to be older in appearance.

Gaea Elder

An old man who was created as a member of the Gaea. Compared to the fierce male members and cold-looking female members, he’s more of a good-natured old man character.

Asurakai Member

Most of the Ashurakai members were thugs in suits, so we had the idea for a man who actually looked dangerous because he had a drawn knife in his hand. Might’ve been a change after Tayama’s death.

[nonsubstantial]

APRIL 2024 ART FASCINATION DIARY

This is another post about the art that I've been fascinated with this year. I make these posts monthly, so that I can look back and remember all the things that were keeping me happy and inspired! If you are reading this, then I hope it will be somewhat interesting to hear about. First, a collage of my interests this month, then there are descriptions below.

MUSIC / ALBUM I heard about Everything Harmony by The Lemon Twigs because Vinny Vinesauce liked it enough to feature it on his twitch channel four times within this last month. After checking it out, it quickly became a favorite of mine as well. It's inspired by 60's era rock bands like The Beach Boys and The Beatles, and the two brothers in charge of The Lemon Twigs were basically raised from birth to create this kind of music. They're excellent musicians, but I do have a few complaints, mainly that their band is a four person group that started as a two person group, and it shows. The musicians on their drums and backing guitar are unnoticeable most of the time, or even make their music worse when I really focus on the boring repetitive parts that they play in the mix. I think that it would improve things if we heard the other two members’ creativity shine a little more. On a different note, their lyrics also feel kind of hollow to me, sort of like facsimiles of themes that we heard out of the 60’s pop music that they’re inspired by. Maybe the brothers’ odd upbringing is what makes their lyrics feel like nothing more than dreamy imitations of other lyrics, rather than being something written from their own hearts? In any case, their vibe is really bizarre, but despite all my criticisms I did really enjoy this one album from them. (And actually, their new 2024 album is already out! It’s also fantastic, and I’ll talk about it on my May list.)

FANFIC / CREATIVE WRITING I've been working on a long fanfic for fun since last month, and every time I write a new scene for it I'm filled with a sense of creative euphoria for the rest of the day. It's not always perfect, but there's no real pressure to write something good, so it just ends up being an enjoyable outlet for my passions. Even if I never publish anything, being creative and exploring my own imagination is satisfying in itself, and I wish I had the time to do it every day! (HONESTLY, there could and should be time, if only our society actually prioritized taking breaks for mental health and personal wellbeing over making endless amounts of money and increasingly insubstantial products to be consumed by only the luckiest members of our parasitic upper class. I hate our unsympathetic workaholic capitalist culture with every fiber of my being, and wish that I could fucking end it all, but I digress...) Writing is just so fun. And I'll be working on the same projects for another few months, probably, as long as I can keep on keeping up with them.

REALITY GAME SHOW The finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 16 concluded this month, and I thought it was absolutely fantastic. Now that it’s over, we’re starting back from season 1 and we’re going to try to eventually watch it all! (We actually did finish season 1, right before posting this. It was interesting and groundbreaking in its own right, and it introduced me to Tammie Brown, who is now one of my favorite queens. Then, we started season 2 and I’m pretty sure that this is where the show’s bad reputation got its start, because I really can’t stand any of the season 2 contestants. Too bad, but we’ll keep on watching and see how it pans out anyway.) In season 16 though, there was just so much unique creativity and talent on display, and so many jaw dropping ‘holy shit’ moments, that I think it was one of the best things I have ever watched. It had the hypest final lip sync battle I ever could have imagined, and I had no idea which way it was going to end. In whole, I feel like the show was a wonderful watch, and I’m glad that our friends convinced us to give it a shot.

LIVE THEATER MUSICAL My partner and I were given a gift card to our local theater last year, so we finally used it to go see a live production of Annie! We don't live in a place where live musicals are very common, and I actually hadn’t seen any since highschool, so we had to make plans very early in the year to go watch it. And after having done so, I can say for certain that there is a unique magic to watching a live theater performance. I’m surprised that it was all performed so perfectly, even with children and a dog on stage, and remarkably, it sounded better than any recording I could find online before or after the event. It was so incredible all around that it totally transported me into a unique creative headspace. There were people of all ages there, some dressed up, some appearing more casual, but the atmosphere was delightful and jovial all around. I’m not going to comment about what was or wasn’t problematic about Annie; it’s not really that deep and you can probably figure that out on your own. But I will say that the magic of a live performance depends entirely on the energy in its room, and I was totally swept away by this experience. Without the discount, it would have been very pricey though, so I’m hoping that we can put away a little money to see a different live musical next year.

BOOK / AUDIOBOOK About a month and a half ago, I started Leo Tolstoy's epic work of historical fiction, War And Peace. I love a book that I can get completely lost in, and War and Peace is one of those books. I made it about 1/4th of the way through it this month, and even though it started slow, I’m now sure that it’s going to be an all time favorite. I read Anna Karenina years ago, and thoroughly enjoyed it, so I expected to like this one too, but there was still a sort of learning curve to overcome at the start. After over a month of engaging with it, I feel like I’ve finally gotten over its barrier to entry, and now I’m picking up the pace. Most people have heard of this book before, so let me tell you that its high-sounding title is no false advertisement. It’s a Russian slice of life book set during the Napoleonic Wars, dealing with a huge assemblage of political and philosophical conflicts, and it will have you exasperatedly crying “time is a flat circle!” as you realize that humans today have nearly the same brains and political interests that they had over 200 years ago. It is already a masterpiece, in my opinion, and I’m going to be reading this book for the entire month of May also, so that’s something to look forward to. If you’re interested in checking out an audiobook, I’m also listening to the Maude translation, narrated by Neville Jason, and I think it’s quite good! (That's it for April! But we're already a few weeks into May, so expect more Lemon Twigs and more War And Peace. Thank you for caring about me, and I hope you have a good day! ♡)

[goldenteaset]

What would you say was your favorite event of the year?

Thanks anon! I'm glad to say it's a tough one this year. :D

In a category of its own: Heart of the Sun, because its themes kept popping up in every single event this year, it was great: Grief, the high cost of attaining power, loneliness, what "love" is and how it can be used against you... I really like the cool ways they changed up the presentation of things, too, like POV shots or depth of field.

After that, though...man, this was a great year for story events. I'm actually struggling to choose! The Last Sumo Warrior made me appreciate sumo for the storied martial art it is, The Dark Singularity was both fun and heartfelt (aka a summer event besides The Maydays and Sincerely, Your Dearest Friend that I actually liked), Our Style and Our Substance gave me all the fashion worldbuilding my id could want and Lamouralla aka The Princess of Fashion and Carbonara, Monscian was just straight up exciting and tense, BTTP made me literally laugh out loud...

But the two that are neck-and-neck for me are Lone Wolf's Passing, What Reeks and Burns and The Lion Stirs. Under the cut because I went feral again! XD;

WRaB is an absolute winner of "a mystery/being in the head of a character who's going insane" combo that immediately hooked me once I realized what was happening. The only downside is that I can't say much about it without giving the game away. ^^; If the other two I mentioned didn't exist, this one would win hands down. It's also not tied to any previous event stories, per se, so it's a good intro to what GBF can offer, I think.

Lone Wolf's Passing is similar in that regard. Sevastien was already interesting as a character (he runs a spy ring that also operates as a soup kitchen, how could I not like him), but with his backstory revealed he got even better. The romance between him and his wife was so good I genuinely forgot about her having already passed away and was horrified by how that happened. Speaking of, I may not have enjoyed the antagonist, per se (especially after WRaB's), but he got the job done and was very enjoyable to smack around. XD; Also, Bridgette and Cordelia got to be relevant again!

And then there's The Lion Stirs, which made me go absolutely feral and still does, oh my god. Oh my god. I don't like to call myself a "Dragon Knights fan" even though I do like them a lot, because really I'm a fan of Vane, Arthur, Mordred and Merlin, and the storyline surrounding them. So of course the one that's basically The Hibergrief Kingdom Variety Hour is the one I love the most. I started losing my mind when horse SFX of all things started up and pretty much didn't stop the whole way through. XD; Vane got to be serious! Sir Kay is finally here, and a really great take on him to boot!

And Merlin! Merlin oh you miserable catboy you were everything I wanted and so much more. I'm beyond excited for more of him and Mordred together, they're going to be either a force to be reckoned with or the most miserable people in Wales, and either way it'll be SO MUCH fun.

...Actually, maybe Our Style and Our Substance should be higher? I keep going back and forth on that. Hmm. Anyway, those are my favorites for this year! :D

[stinger-shot]

Yey! Silly vent because I feel like shit!

Read under the cut if you want the juicy ass details

So basically, I gotta let this shit out.. its fucking me up a bit rn.

I met this dude around the start of 2021 on tiktok AND HE WAS SO TALENTED AND FUNNY but he always said he wasn't. Anyway time skip a lil..

We started getting into a few arguments near the middle of 2022. And they where just small disagreements then they gradually got worse and worse every time it happend. And it especially got bad when I made another friend on tiktok who loved doing art related things and drew my old persona back then.

And HE WAS NOT HAVING IT and he said quite alot of bad things to me. Did I stay friends with him? Yes I did. Did I also block the nice guy just trying to be my friend? Yes. I blocked them out of fear of loosing my best friend.

And near the end of 2022 we started dating because things had gotten a better.

Oh how I was so wrong. Everything just went downhill when he left high-school. He always needed attention. He got mad at me because I couldn't set an alarm BECAUSE he was up at 10am and I was up near 1pm. So I forced myself to do so mutch bullshit for him. Like draw him art as an apology and it drained me do badly I could hardly do my own personal art.

I didn't even have personal art at this point. Every time I fixated on something it was what he was fixating on because he'd get mad at me and argue with me if I wasn't.

But everything was calm when it was around April in 2023 and we where finally getting along like an actul couple because of a game called final fantasy. We where obsessed with it for months! And then around June or July I re discovered transformers.

I have never felt as happy in a fandom since 2019! Like holy shit the fandom is so sweet.

But I kept it a secret from him he still doesn't know. Then at some point I made this tumblr to get my stupid little urges out and now look at where I'm at. I haven't been this happy in a LONG while.

And just st the start of 2024 my ex got into an argument with one of his friends and I offered to talk to them. so he agreed and I spoke to them.

Im so fucking glad I did.

Because without their help I'd still be fucking miserable. They gave me the confidence to dump that bitches ass and I honestly feel like a weight has been taken off. Because it honestly felt like a chore every day of my life just talking to him.

And my other friend on discord had helped me out to. Including you silly fuckers on discord/tumblr. If your even reading this... if you are why are you still reading this?

But anyway. I just needed this off my chest. Because it does hurt a little spite how good i feel but I just have an off feeling. I haven't put down everything that happend while I was with my ex and some things might be in the wrong order or time but at least I'm forgetting it?

Just. I love the transformers fandom so mutch mutch really helped me pull through...

Fuck I'm ranting. Uh. Bye!

Also a big thank you to Avery and rex for helping me feel better (rex I've only known you for a little bit but jesus christ I fucking laugh my ass off because of you) jesus I'm sappy as fuck. (and avery your so fucking cool. You helped me alot.) And belyyvolks (I've had alot of fun messing around about ironhide XD) I'm not tagging because I don't want alot of attention on this post.

[cross-my-heartt]

Some thoughts on the first book in the Thrawn trilogy.

They're a bit messy because I'm going off of memory as I didn't take notes at the time but oh well.

[MAJOR SPOILERS FROM HERE ON, BEWARE!]

I'm gonna start by saying that I didn't expect the adventures of space Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson but I'm definitely not complaining. It's a tried and true formula and Nightswan as their Moriarty worked well while it lasted.

Also you know a book and its characters are good when it gets you to cheer for the 'bad guys'. And I'm only putting that in quotes because you get a genuine sense that despite the corruption and bias galore, a large part of the personnel are just regular people working a job and trying to go about their lives.

Arihnda's arc was really well done - you sympathize with her while she's an underdog, getting betrayed, manipulated and used by others. She's wily and ambitious and resilient and you're like yas, queen slay. But the more she plays the game the more you see her crossing lines until the final arc where you realize just how ruthless she's become, or maybe always was, and you get that sense of 'oh shit'. (Keep in mind I haven't watched rebels so I didn't know where she would end up.)

It's the same sense you get when you reach the Wookie slaves arc and it sinks in that the quirky duo you've been following are in fact working for the most evil person in the galaxy.

As for Thrawn himself, I didn't expect to enjoy him this much. His final conversation with Nightswan in particular - I always felt like there was something off about his motivations and his apparent ignorance in politics. That scene confirmed that he's even cleverer and craftier than he lets on and put that dissonance to rest.

He's persuasive to the point where you almost wish things would go his way too. I love how it's a running theme throughout the book for people to be frustrated by how much sense he makes and you even sympathize with that as a reader sometimes.

I'm really happy with the parallels the author makes throughout, something I'm seeing in Alliances as well. There's Thrawn and his art and Eli and his numbers, Thrawn's 'bigger picture' logic and Nightswan's principles. Characters really shine when they have a good foil in the story.

And finally Eli. Another character I didn't expect to like so much. Such a genuine plucky guy. It was fun to see him go from being ambiguous about Thrawn to constantly being shocked at how much he trusts him. And being so protective of him, bless.

I'm glad he got his own arc, going from someone who's charted out his whole future and desperately wants to stick to what's familiar to being willing to leave all of that behind and jump into the unknown by joining the Chiss (which was foreshadowed in Thrawn's conversation with Nightswan but still made me a bit sad).

Of course, I do have some complaints, the biggest one being the dialogue and how clunky and awkward it feels at times. Which is especially obvious when you have these supposed cunning politicians throwing the simplest most blunt threats at each other with no subtlety whatsoever.

The book's exposition also suffered because of it. I daresay that has improved in book two but that may just be because there's less politician talk and it's a mostly military setting.

Finally a lot of Thrawn's conclusions feel like a huge reach but I'm willing to let that one slide. Say we assume he knows more than he lets on to the readers.

But all things considered, those are minor complaints and I really enjoyed the book. Can definitely say I'm tempted to see all four seasons of Rebels just to get more of Thrawn.

[rawliverandgoronspice]

Okay, I just wanna say that Ganondorf in ToTK, despite not having Wind Waker’s pathos, is easily the best Ganondorf we’ve had (which is surprising considering some parts of the story). He’s terrifying whenever he shows his mug, he’s active and damn near omnipresent though Puppet Zelda and the Phantom Ganons/gloom spawns, and he’s easily the most unhinged take on the character we’ve ever seen. As for his motives, it’s as simple as turning hyrule into a chaotic hellish landscape where the only rule is that the strong thrive and the weak die, which isn’t really unique, but the landscape and monsters in the game kinda cements how bad that would be.

I get we were kinda expecting another Wind Waker situation, but what we got is great too because Ganondorf was great in Ocarina of Time and he too wasnt anything beyond pure near omnipresent evil.

I mean... I think it's as good as any a time to bring up a really important distinction to the way I critique stuff in general, which is that there's a part of interacting with art that is kind of is... true at a fundamental level? That fundamental level being the emotional response. Nobody can ever be more right or wrong for their emotional response, it's kind of non-debatable.

So I'm really glad TotK Ganondorf did it for you! I genuinely am. I actually loved some things about his incarnation; the musical motifs and the way they are integrated within the story (!!! so good), the concept of Fake Zelda, the actual final fight which I 100% agree is the best one we ever had (still love the TP one, but, the horseback part is a little eeeh and the swordfight could have been harder), his various designs, Gloom Hand and Phantom Ganon which are probably among my favorite parts of the game...

But yeah, I suppose I'm the kind of annoying player who needs a solid thematic framework to relax and accept the scenario proposed (the kind that is driven by mimicry and meaning, which is, I have to admit, especially hard and ungrateful to design for --and so is, often, completely ignored *sobs*). So I would have been completely fine with a Ganondorf without pathos, but one that did fit better within its own environment and countered the themes of the game and developed an ideological philosophy that you could solidly oppose, and not just treating him as an excuse to usher the gameplay forward (I mean, he did betray the gerudos which stranded him while you get to receive everyone's help, but he is not alone in practice! Every monster stands by his side! He may even have a more devoted and stronger support system than you depending on how you play the game). But that goes beyond Ganondorf: I had much trouble seeing past the self-referential and actually enjoy what Tears of the Kingdom had to offer in terms of emotional texture.

But yeah. Could not get behind the writing and a lot of choices in terms of... I don't know, the timing of his maniacal laughter, for example? I feel like a good maniacal laughter needs to be earned, and there's so many times where it just felt completely cheap to me? Even OoT Ganondorf, who had his share of cheap laughter moments, kind of had them work by the simple fact that they were here to directly mock us, the player, and our actions (if I remember well he only has two in the entire game: one after getting his way within the Sacred Realm, and one right before the final battle). We're not going over the extraordinary WW laughter, which is everything to me, but I also really enjoyed the kind-of-unhinged-but-sober take on TP Ganondorf, where he laughs only once and because he knows that he is close to losing probably. I think that was a great characterization, and I'm kind of sad they got rid of it to replace it with [insert maniacal laughter here] sort of approach that isn't specific to the character built over the years (except for the moment where he turns into a dragon, which was the one I liked the most --but it was greatly overused in my opinion).

So I really think his absence of specificy and the fact that his plans are pretty much nonsensical when you examine them for more than a minute, and the fact that he was all over the place and actually sparring with you and building direct grief with you in previous titles, where here I really wasn't sold on why I was supposed to invest myself in the situation besides a vague sense of duty and "that's what the game expects of me" really... didn't sell me the intimidation or the presence. There are a couple of iconic moments that I genuinely loved to see (the whole fist in the throat was GREAT, and perhaaaaps the "come at me" tho even THAT is self-referential grumble grumble sorry to be like this I'm genuinely sorry, the thought wouldn't even have crossed my mind if everything else about him wasn't a strange patchwork, but, it does pile up), but, I needed the framework to stand on its own to genuinely love him in this game.

But I'm really glad if he scratched the itch for you! Most people seem to agree too, which is great. I just... I mean, I am obviously invested in this not becoming the standard of quality. I think we could keep a lot of what worked here and add a scoop of better writing and thematic consistency, and I'd be on board way more already.

[torchdreemurr]

Just beat Mother: Cognitive Dissonance for the first time (I got the Good and Severance endings), and uh... Here are my thoughts! (BIG COGDIS SPOILERS BELOW)

Holy fuck Niiue is so hot. I just want to stare at his flowing hair, his big blue eyes, his little snout, his big pink tail, all of it. AND THAT'S NOT EVEN GETTING INTO FUTURE NIIUE??? I CAN'T STOP LOOKING AT THAT ONE PIECE OF CONCEPT ART HIS HAIR IS SO LONG AND FLOWING!! I wonder what Geeg skin feels like, it's so bright, i bet it's smooth and wonderful. Look at him just swim through the air so gracefully. AND HIS VOICE!! I can't stop listening to Speak!! Every single time I hear his voice, so soft yet so gravelly and so tender, the roughness and intimacy of the song, I feel choked up every single time i hear him. I'm so glad he lived, I'm so happy he gets to be acklowledged as his own person, I think he'll be such a good dad for Giegue...

Oh yeah and the game had other stuff in it too

Cogdis' biggest flaw is probably how little the main four are characterised. Obviously Niiue is an exception to this (or maybe that's just my gay autism), but Alvinar, Col. Saturn, Larice, and Zarbol all felt like they had no characterisation whatsoever. After spending so many hours finding every single secret, I could barely tell you what they're like. When you reach the magican bosses and fight the manifestations of everybody's flaws, that's a bit of characterisation I guess, but Larice's nightmare is the only one who has their flaw be explored outside of the text that introduces the boss. So many quirky side characters and allies, and yet there isn't even a note for the core four to be one-note to.

Outside of this, though, the game was incredible. I hear that people don't really like that they didnt include the iconic rolling health but I just had fun playing it as a standard RPG. Difficulty felt good, and each character's playstyle felt distinct even if it doesn't reach the heights of individuality that other RPGs do (UNDERTALE 2 EVERY GAME MUST BE COMPARED TO UT2 THE GREATEST RPG EVER MADE).

The music is a tossup for me. On the one hand, we have some slop that barely counts as more than noise, the musical equivalent of the unpleasant colour gradient. This is usually the area themes. On the other hand... Bill Eager is a fucking genius and he fucking nails literally every single track he touches. He is an auditory god and having him grant audio to the game's greatest moments is a perfect decision. The Apple of Enlightenment would not FEEL like something actually divine if it didn't have Hymn of Dawning Light play as you collected it. Tomorrow's Fight is one of the most hypnotically groovy battle beats I've ever listened to, and somehow it's one of the LESS notable tracks Bill made?? And, of course... Speak and Ghosts In Flight. Yeah. I cannot stop fucking listening to these. Big & Hairy is literally me because I would attend literally every single Nowhere Train concert no matter what. This game's soundtrack fucks. Dare I say it? It cums.

I know this isn't a big thing, but I would like to take a moment to gush about Master Magnolia because holy shit the buildup to his fight is so perfect. You go through the whole infected mothership and you keep hearing the voices, and you assume that this is from the sole survivor of the affiar. But as you keep going it gets stranger and stranger until you finally meet MM himself and everything is simultaneously explaned perfectly and flipped on its head. God it's so good.

And, of course, this game has the most powerful anime character of all time, Fungustrosity. How could it not be peak fiction? In short, well... Cogdis is a good game and you should play it because it's fun. That's all there really is to say on the matter. I might make a full big youtube video on this one day, but until then, remember...

Love is the only thing standing between us and the great beyond.

[tobyfoxmademeascaly]

Dawntrail Part 10

Rescuing our cat, and making a trip to Urqopacha

not the landsguard. Worse <3.

hello manlet how's the heat exhaustion been

... officially warming up to this cat

He was LEFT in a WET CARDBOARD BOX. ALL ALONE.

OHHHH MR CAT. IM SORRY I SAID YOU'D USE BITCOIN. YOU DONT DESERVE THAT. EVEN IF YOU'RE STILL A SHARLAYABOO

... now that I think of it, whenever I've gotten stories of the cats' childhoods, zoraal ja is notably absent.

FRUIT GUMMY

GO CAT GO

YAY WE RESCUED OUR CAT!

love how he sounds like he just got the wind knocked out of him. because he just has a mountain lion of a woman land directly on his stomach

im so sorry. alphinaud's head just barely peeking over the bottom of the screen is sending me. He's so fucking SMALL.

also. SOMETHING beyond even what gulool ja ja has told me after the spar must be going on. Because I feel like even with the Secret Training Regimen going on, bakool ja ja should have been long since disqualified if this was JUST a contest for the throne.

HELL YES FINALLY. FREE TO FLY ABOUT

once again. GEE. I WONDER WHO THAT REMINDS ME OF.

Thank you for the self-care advice Erenville

... once again I must trouble myself with the question of how teleport spells function for Joe Average. WE are Aether Reserves Georg and thus are only limited by money, but between sharlayan's control of the aetheryte network and other people NOT being Aether Reserves Georg, how often does the average person on etheirys use the aetherytes?

accusations of Ancients Fuckery RESOUNDLY defeated. These guys are so... ODD looking. I can't really pin them down as any particular folkloric creature or anthropomorphic animal. They have long arms and short legs, each limb ending in three digits, like the mamool ja, and big bulbous eyes like a goldfish, and fleshy… ears(?) and no nose. They’re BIZARRE looking, and so much weirder than I expected from them being described as “giants”

... so, considering that its just sealed, rather than dead, AND there are Certain Spoilers in the crafting logs... I'm gonna have to kill that thing aren't I.

this raises a question for me. the vidraal have been compared to the auspices in othard, but with the exception of the kirin I can't remember the name of, the four lords were relatively peaceful. Was valigarmanda just cruel and violent, or did it have its own reasons for rampaging?

yeah, I figured as much. The storm would NOT have all this narrative weight unless something big was coming

the ratatoskr woodcut, the minfilia storybook, and now these. ffxiv art team LOVES to make super cool one-off illustrations that you see for maybe one (1) quest and then never again. Its their favorite activity

Koji Fox's love of conlangs strikes again

... do you need a lozenge, man? you're a bit hoarse.

SUDDEN BIRD EVENT

she really is a shonen protagonist at heart. all she needs is some 11th-hour powerup at the climax and she'd be Catgirl Naruto.

... once again. I am SO glad I am playing a video game and not doing this for real.

Next time: climbing that mountain. And probably the first trial.