#Setting Concept Art - Towers

[katabay]

original thief series basso & garrett :)

ngl, it's about quality over quantity for me. an npc can have a total of three minutes of screen time, but if they have a cool name, they can live rent free in my head and I'll spend several hours trying to decipher drawable features from a blurry screenshot of pixels

there is a vague hint of a story here, and that's because every time I try to play thi4f, I get incredibly frustrated with how Not Fun the game play is. like, is the story good? well. but it has a PLAGUE. that should've given it instant 'I'll replay this once a year' status in my heart, but the game play sucks so bad that I've never finished it. I can't believe Not Fun gameplay beat out my obsession with narrative plagues.

anyway, the idea is basically if the original era had a game with a plague centric narrative and some other stuff I liked out of thi4f thrown into a narrative blender, with a heavy dash of horror thrown in because some parts of the thief games were scarier to me than entire dedicated horror genre games.

⭐ places I’m at! bsky / pixiv / pillowfort /cohost / cara.app

[xi-off]

the darn teenage ghosts haunting my office keep hijacking my work computer to play resident evil (shou, 2008)

[world-building-inspiration]

Isle Of Berk/New Berk Concept Art

How To Train Your Dragon 3: The Hidden World

[blacktabbygames]

Slay the Princess Concept Art

We shared a bunch of concept art on Twitter today. Sharing it here, too, where you can find it all in one post. Post contains spoilers, so proceed with caution (or just play the game already if you haven't 😉)

Going to start with the first piece of concept art Abby drew for the game.

In the earliest stages of development, we toyed around with the concept of there being multiple "end game" forms of the Princess.

The initial outline, rather than being tied together by an overarching metanarrative, structured a full playthrough as a 5-6 chapter long, self-contained journey down a single route, determined by your decisions in chapter 1. Here's an alternative late-game form:

The idea of deviating end-game forms didn't lost for very long, though. As we explored the game's themes more deeply, it made the most sense for there to be a singular "true" form.

If your reality is shaped by subjectivity and perception, then the "truth" has to be what's left when that subjectivity is swept away. the Shifting Mound's final design feels like that initial truth for the Princess, though there's also another truth if you push back against her and press on into the final cabin.

We really liked this "void" design, and I played around with the idea of it being an intermediary to the final form. The "void" Princess would be what you saw upon encountering the final Princess without understanding your own truth, but once you had that understanding, you would see her as the Shifting Mound, as depicted in the game.

That gave way to the intermediary design of the SM being a sea of disembodied limbs, and we also took parts of both designs and incorporated them into the protagonist (particularly the wings.) You can see the eyes and feathers for this void form in the ending card of the original trailer below:

You can see extremely early concept art for the spectre (top), nightmare (top-right), stranger (left), beast (bottom) and ??? (right) as well!

The eyes became a motif in the Nightmare route (Paranoid's manifestation of the fear of being watched), but I also like to think of them as a part of The Long Quiet's truth. You are space and emptiness, but you're also that which observes those things, and it's your perceptions that give the Shifting Mound shape.

Anyways, on the note of the original original concepts for the game, the Princess was initially going to remain human for several loops before taking on more monstrous forms. Some concepts of that are below. Had to get Abby to tone down some of the more horrifically cartoonish designs because they creeped me out and I didn't want to romance them in a video game.

We had to hold our cards close to our chest in the non-metanarrative early drafts, which is part of why, even in the first demo, the cabin doesn't really change much in chapter 2. More room to subtly play with the concept of transformation over time.

There were a lot of reasons we moved in a different direction for the full release. The branching was unmanageably large to write, and the game felt like a slog to write.

Using an overarching narrative as a framing mechanism in the final version gave us a lot more freedom to explore wildly divergent ideas within routes while still driving the player towards the originally planned finale.

Anyways, now we've got some concept art for individual princesses. There's a lot more than this lying around somewhere, but it's all in sketchbooks, and we'll probably wait until we make an art book to show it off.

First is the tower, who really didn't change much at all. (She got a little thicker, I guess. All of the Princesses did)

Not a lot to say about her, other than the fact that we knew we wanted a set piece where she gets so big that the trees and cabin orbit around her.

The stranger went through many many redesigns over the course of development. Here, she was a "princess skin" filled with a hive of sentient bugs. The script wasn't working for me, though, so instead she became a peak behind the curtains without the necessary context to know her.

A lot of people ask how these earlier drafts of the Stranger route would have played out, and the answer is I can't tell you, because I couldn't figure out something worth writing.

The writing process for individual routes didn't really start with outlines or plot beats. Rather, the routes started from a theme and a relationship dynamic, and I organically found their outcomes by exploring actions within those themes, and then seeing if those passed Abby's editor brain.

Neither of us found actions we wanted to explore with those versions of the Stranger, at least actions that weren't a beat-by-beat retelling of chapter 1, which contained way too much variation to put on a single chapter 2 route.

If each princess examines a relationship formed by perception and first impressions, the Stranger examines one that's fundamentally unknowable. One where you've seen too much, too quickly.

An insect hive-mind pretending to be a person seemed like a good starting point, but it was too difficult to write any interactions that didn't immediately feel knowable, if still strange. So the final version of the Stranger was designed in such a way where her unknowability makes interacting with her on a human level fundamentally impossible, and you don't get to have a real conversation with her unless you satisfy extremely specific criteria.

Anyways next up is the razor's final form. We decided she needed more swords.

Hearts became an accidental motif very quickly in the development process, too. (The fact that it is only strikes to the heart that fell her in the demo was accidental, but it felt poetic so we extended it to the rest of the game.)

So on top of adding more swords, we made her heart visible. This is something we did with the fury as well, as a way of showing their emotional (and physical) vulnerability.

Here's an early version of the Adversary and what would eventually become the Eye of the Needle, back when she was still called the Fury. Originally her hair was going to be fire (as seen on the right), but it didn't feel right in its execution.

She's hit the gym since this concept art. Good for her :)

And we're going to end with the Beast, who at this point was called the Adversary. I think this was before the Witch was added? The Beast was originally designed to be a Questing Beast who lurked in the shadows, where you'd only see glimpses of her, and where each glimpse would make her appear to be a different animal. This was too difficult to execute, though we gave her a more chimera-like appearance in the final game.

This design was from when we still has the Voice of the Obsessed, and the route was going to be a more feral mirror of what eventually became the Adversary, but it felt too thematically similar while being less interesting, so we moved in the direction of making the Beast about consumption as a form of love.

Anyways, that's all we've got for you right now. Hope this was fun!

[totallynotsilversora]

…WELL I’LL BE DAMNED…

OH OH OH, Yoshihiro Watanabe just left some hints about the wanted poster in his twitter...

I'm very bad at this theorizing stuff. Probably because Knives wanted to capture him Alive? Seems the easy answer tho...

They also said something about 'how many plants worth is the new wanted poster', which it's exactly 10.000 plants. *thinking*

[rivalsforlife]

Ace Attorney Investigations Collection Announced

At the Nintendo Direct today, news I have been tirelessly waiting six years for arrived: The Ace Attorney Investigations games are coming to all modern consoles! This includes Ace Attorney Investigations 2 (now officially known as Ace Attorney Investigations: Prosecutor's Gambit), after THIRTEEN YEARS of being a Japan-exclusive game!

Now everyone gets to experience Debeste Ace Attorney games! ... The Winner Ace Attorney Games!

Key Information

The collection is coming out on September 6, 2024 to the Nintendo Switch, PS4, XBOX One, Windows, and Steam. It will be available in Japanese, English, French, German, Korean, and Traditional and Simplified Chinese, with new voice dubs. Most of the information in this post will be coming from the official website, which you can check out for more details.

The reveal trailer is as follows:

There's lots of information here, so let's break it down:

New Features

Since these were originally Nintendo DS games, there's a massive jump in graphic quality to HD! This includes a new interface for Logic, the court record, and redone full-body sprites. But if you prefer the classic look, the AAI collection will let you swap between the sprite styles:

Similarly to the Great Ace Attorney Chronicles and 456 Collection, the AAI Collection includes story mode, dialogue history, a gallery containing concept and special art, and music including orchestral arrangements of the soundtrack.

You can also change the in-game soundtrack to rearranged tracks! This applies to Confrontation - Allegro, Confrontation - Presto, Objection 2009, and Pursuit - Chase Down The Truth (commonly known as Lying Coldly) with and without the intro.

Pre-Order Bonuses

Much like the AAI tracks, AAI2 arranged tracks can play in game, but these are currently restricted to pre-order bonuses (though this might change in the future). This includes Confrontation - Allegro 2011, Confrontation - Presto 2011, Objection 2011, and the intro and non-intro versions of Pursuit - Uncover The Truth (commonly known as Wanting To Find The Truth).

That's all on the English side, but much like the 456 collection, Japan has a physical collector's edition called the Mitsurugi (Edgeworth) Checkmate Set. This includes an arranged mini-album of songs by other composers, and new album art by Tatsuro Iwamoto.

The new songs include "Objections of Different Eras" (seemingly a remix of Objections 2009 and 2011), "Raven that Pursues The Truth" (remix of Kay's theme), "It's Time for Action!" (remix of Gumshoe's theme), "Howling Echoes" (remix of Lang's theme), and "Unveiling the Truth" (remix of the Pursuit songs).

This collection also includes a diorama set:

The set has two backgrounds (the rooftop of the Grand Tower and Edgeworth's office), and has standees of Edgeworth, Kay, Gumshoe, Franziska, Lang, Gregory, and... Verity and Eustace.

Which is a good segue into:

Localization Differences

Since most AA fans will be familiar with the fantastic AAI2 fan translation, the new names will likely be an adjustment for all of us. Characters in AAI (like Kay and Lang) will not have their names changed, just characters that were previously exclusive to AAI2.

Known name changes include:

Yumihiko Ichiyanagi / Sebastian Debeste -> Eustace Winner

Hakari Mikagami / Justine Courtney -> Verity Gavèlle

Tateyuki Shigaraki / Raymond Shields -> Eddie Fender

We also know that Manosuke Naito / Horace Knightley's new last name is Knight, and Gai Tojiro / Ethan Rooke's last name is Rook, which isn't much of a departure from fan translation names. We also know that Mikiko Hayami / Nicole Swift's new last name is Lloyd. I will provide updates on more names when they become available!

Regardless of your feelings on the new names - it's going to be an adjustment for everyone used to the fan translation that has been around ten years now - let's all keep in mind that despite the new names, the characters behind the names will be the same. And personally, as a massive fan of AAI2, I think the adjustment will be worth it if it means that more people get to experience my favorite ace attorney game for themselves.

With this announcement, all canonical ace attorney games have been ported to modern consoles and given an English translation. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, this announcement is thirteen years in the making for AAI2! This is an unprecedented time for the popularity and accessibility of Ace Attorney.

(All we need now is the Layton crossover...)

Thank you all for joining me in this excitement and I look forward to collecting and sharing more updates as they arrive!

[hezuart]

LITTLE NIGHTMARES 3

aaaaaaAAAAAA

DANG OKAy

So I had a premonition for Little Nightmares 3. Last night I had a dream that Mono was just growing old in a tower he chose to stay in as a hermit and just retired there. The runaway kid's real name was revealed to be "Gilbert" and he summoned UFOs that performed a wicked cool airshow over the sea, but then the USA government shot them down and captured them for experimentation. The government was also after a bunch of super powered teenagers and children. They all swam away and tried to escape. Six was amongst them. One of the teenagers took a liking to Six and used her powers to change Six's (super long???) hair a bright red. It was then revealed the government figurehead in charge of the capture raid was Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story. I should also mention every single person including the kids in my dream looked like they were from the Lorax movie. Like imagine Little Nightmares but all Onceler style. I woke up to several dozen messages of Little Nightmares 3 trailer and well... I'm very relieved it's nothing like my dream.

~~~

Anyway! I had very low, negative expectations for LN3. I didn't think it would ever come out, and if it did, it wouldn't be the same. I am SO glad to be wrong. This developer apparently also worked on Little Nightmares 2, so they had a feel for the story, concepts, atmosphere, and gameplay. Little Nightmares 3 trailer doesn't give us a ton to work with, but I see high inspiration from previously unused concepts. Like the crows and mirrors in the Little Nightmares comics, and the giant baby from Little Nightmares 2 concept art.

The crow boy looks as though he can go through mirrors and technically fly with a black-feathered umbrella he uses to float. The girl has a wrench, and at first, I thought she was wearing an ugly gas mask, but it's apparently an old-fashioned pilot hat. So I touched it up in my drawing to make it look more recognizable... and cute. Already their designs are very intriguing. Can't tell what the full story is about, but they're new characters in a new setting, I'm very excited to see the world get expanded!

It's still a somewhat different style and atmosphere to the previous two games, but this developer really seemed like they paid attention and made it as authentic as they possibly could, and for that I am so grateful, I respect them so much. I am now changed! I've got a hopeful and optimistic mindset for the future of this series.

ESPECIALLY AFTER LEARNING IT'S ACTUALLY GONNA BE CO-OP. HELLO?!

WHO WANTS TO DROP ME OFF A CLIFF?? LETS DO IT

[vivi-blue]

IT IS FINALLY DONE!

God, this took me way too long...xD

After days of work I finally finished the challenge that I set for myself: Sending out props to a lot of artist here on tumblr that I really enjoy! (Actually there are way waaay more people, but I really had to set myself a limit, I'm sorry fellas ;w; I still love you!)

These people inspire me every day with their creative concepts, stories, humor and passion for art and give me the drive to continue drawing myself. With this little collection I wanted to say "thank you" for all that you do and create. You rock, guys!

(I really hope I didn't mess up any of the tags and I apologize if I might fu**ed up your designs/characters ;3; I know I'm not the best in proportions and all, but I really tried. <w<´´ Also I really hope Tumblr compresses the text by itself, so that you don't get smacked by this wall of text. I'm still a rookie on tumblr, so I don't know what to do ;w;)

Okay, heeere we go! THE TAGS!

@tv-tower / @uuberwachen - with PB aka Swap Pizzahead (I really love the idea of the au and adore the character designs. PB sure is one of my favorites -w- He is literally the most reasonable of them all XD)

@technically-a-kiwi - with Cosmic Peppino ( The design of Cosmic Peppino is simply beautiful and the idea that this chef has strong star powers and needs to take care of Cosmic Noises shenanigans is super funny to me XD )

@sirtotallynotatimetraveler - with Mel Sproutbloom / Sagebloom (I'm sorry, I wasn't sure which name is canon ;w;) ( I loooove Mel! He is such a gentle, colorful guy and looking at him makes me all happy <3 )

@alextydaisuda123 - with their version of Vigilante ( I can't repeat enough how much I adore their artstyle. I love Vigi's design the most. I don't know it's just...THAT'S Vigi for me, you know? Simply fitting, cool, but also stylish -w- )

@alice-the-demon - with Vittoria ( I was first thinking of drawing Archangel Peppino, since this guy is the softness itself, buuuut I have to admit that I love the lively and passionate personality of Vittoria. She is great -w- )

@misdreavusplush - with Eyelashes ( I can't help it. I saw that character and was in awe. How adorable can you be?? I was barely able to draw her eyes as pretty as they are xD <3 )

@creature-of-pizza - with Pepp ( Seriously, the idea to see a "Fake Peppino" with more cat dna is such a win for me. He is dynamic, sassy, derpy and so damn cool! >w< Also love how colorful their pictures are.)

@eskariolis-con-salsa - with Gnocchi (I was thinking about drawing their version of Fake Peppino first, but...*looks at picture* ...let's be honest, you can't get pass that little guy. ;w; He purifies my soul. Have some soap, little guy.)

@oddpizza - with Caramel Jam aka CJ (Such a creative and powerful character! I've seen so many artworks of them and I adore them. You need more joyful people like this ^^)

@pizza-tower-secrets - with Lycheecheechee ( A small, adorable bundle full of surprises and of course secrets! I love their drive and colorful design. Simply a delight! :3 )

@rhaytronik - with Red ( A dynamic and enjoyable character with their love for adventures! Not only a great character but also the Pizzasona of my best friend. Thanks to them I was brave enough to start a tumblr account myself. So thank you for being there for me <3 )

@cutechan555 - with Mage Gustavo (To be honest, I had a very hard time to pick a character here, since their account is full of stories and ideas. I chose mage Gustavo, since I love his design and story. I'm currently into "Delicious in Dungeon" and to imagine that he goes dungeon crawling with his bros to safe Peppino is such a cool idea XD)

@bigbeastcyruspt - with Trion (I have to be honest, at first I was very startled of Trion, since his design is very mighty and scary. I mean, it's his chase form after all. But the more I learned about him, the more I grew to like him. Very damn cool design! Also couldn't help to add dah baby ;w;)

@lunar-dal - with Pizza Cruise Peppino (Another au I simply adore! The design of the characters is colorful and bright, and to imagine Peppino as a singing gondolier brings me great joy. Also I'm a big fan of otter Brick ;w; )

@smalltimidbean - with Pea Pod, Sugar Snap Pea and Snow Pea (Believe me, I never before had such a hard time to pick ONE of so many wonderful Peppi clones! THAT was torture XD But in the end I guess I picked my favorite. Such a tired, but very cute one. Not to forget about the little ones <3 To draw a PT character with 4 fingers and 2 thumbs on one hand was quite a challenge lol )

@tinderboxofsillyideas - with Coffee Peppino (Probably one of the most adorable au versions of Peppino. Seriously, if I had the chance to get my coffee in his café, I totally would! Give that guy all the tips! <3 First thought of drawing their wizard Peppino version, but the adorable barista won lol)

@xbeih - with Metal Peppino (One of the first au's I started following. Seriously, how cool can one person be?? I mean, the whole au is amazing and I enjoy every person in it. But damn...Peppino takes the cake. ówo He is so badass, you can't imagine <w< Also I'm very sorry, it was my first time drawing a guitar and aaaaaaa )

.....*looks left and right* ...ok, we did it. Wow!

God, I'm exhausted now...XD

Well, thank you very much for reading and sorry for the wall of text ówq I can only recommend you to check these people out. They are all very talented and should be appreciated!

Have a pleasant morning / day / evening / night everyone. (Depending your timezone lul .w. )

See ya next time! Vivi out!~

[felassan]

Just poring over some of the new images. ◕‿◕ DA:TV spoilers under cut.

Another shot of Rivain Coast, which we can tell from the image but is also known from the file name. this environment was seen in the Thedas Calls teaser. the remains of the large sea creature are really cool and interesting to me from a biological perspective. like is it a creature we know, or something like the Cetus, or something as-yet-unseen by us? it makes me think of Ghilan'nain's beasts of the deep, and the Tevinter Nights map, which showed all manner of sea monsters in the seas around known Thedas. it also makes me think of this codex entry, which talks about whales, squid, giant worms, dragons hunting underwater in the sea, etc, as well as the DA:TV concept arts we've seen which involves sea monsters. what if we held hands and got married.. while standing under the flower-bedecked arch of the jaw of this giant skull..? 🥺 in Thedas Calls we could also see the remains of some beast on the Rivaini shore; I wonder if this is that same area of the shore but from a different angle/viewpoint.

the other focal point of this screenshot is the boat. the red things on the side look like shields, and they remind me of a stylized version of the Qunari symbol. red is also a color associated with Qunari, from things like the distinctive red-rope clothing. but the boat also really reminds me of Taash's design and color scheme. maybe it's associated with Taash, or it's a Lord of Fortune vessel more broadly? if you look at Taash, two, the aquatic blue-green is her main color, accented by bits of red, just like the boat. the pointy bits and triangular shapes of the boat remind me of her pointy armor with triangle details. idk, even the hoop (even though it's a totally normal thing to have on a boat) 'feels' familiar. like I could totally buy that this boat is associated with Taash's group or something. or maybe, shut up MJ, ignore the hoop, but the blue-green and red is notable still. but also maybe I'm just seeing things that aren't there hh :)

in this first screenshot I also simply spent a while looking at the sunlight through the palm fronds :') there are coconuts or something similar in some of the trees. I'm also curious about the ruins here (right hand corner) - remains of fortresses or watch-towers that were guarding the coast against invasion?

Another shot of Rivain Coast, which we can tell from the image but is also known from the file name. this environment was seen in the Thedas Calls teaser. again, in this image we can see part of the skeleton of some giant creature, and I wonder again if we're seeing this (or one of these, if there's more than one) from a different angle in this screenshot. we can see more of the sea-ruins in this one, and part of the wall has a crenellated top like it was a rampart and the other part looks cylindrical like it was a tower/watch-tower of some kind. nearby we can see a campfire on the go with a cooking pot heating over it, and is that maybe a hammock set up behind it? camping near a giant skeleton like that would be so metal.. and I wonder if it's simply environmental art/scenery, or maybe there are a few maps where as we explore them we establish lil camps as we go again as like in-map waypoints or something. and in the top right, we can see part of the mast and rigging of a different boat, I guess a shipwreck.

what do you think this other wooden structure from the top right is btw? part of another ship's mast/rigging?

this shot is taken from a place in the shade, like from the mouth of a cave or from under an overhang of the cliff, which reminds me a bit of the perspective from under an overhang here. we can see a tangle of driftwood bleached by the sun, elf warrior Rook (love the ragged cape/cloak), Bellara, and Taash, looking soo cool and nonchalant as she Casually Leans, Casually. Taash is so cool aaa! love her piratey boots and in this shot we can see that her dragonscale-looking armor extends to her legs also. (I hope Rook can have piercings and jewelry like Taash's, whether it's from inside CC or items gathered in the world._ the big coins are ornamentation, part of Taash's outfit, just like how Lords of Fortune who have survived a couple of years are allowed to display.

also in this image are big green pots. I wonder if we can smash them open, RPG-style, to find loot or potion restocks. wasn't there something like that in the gameplay video? ^^

another thing that gets my attention in this screenshot is these blue-green banner- or standard-looking things.

whom do you suppose these standards are associated with, like which group..? in this area the Lords of Fortune are active, and the Qunari also have a presence in part of Rivain. the material that they are made from remind me of the blue-green gem of Taash's 'horn' and the blue-green material on the boat from screenshot one. if the standards are Qunari, I wonder where the familiar Qunari symbol is? for the Lords of Fortune, we don't know much about them or the specifics of their aesthetic yet but I'd be looking for their octopus symbol or classic piratey stuff like skull and crossbones or something. so who? I also can't place the standard from or being associated with anywhere else either (but if I'm missing something pls lmk ^^). here is what it does remind me of though.

The spine-like spiky pole with the suggestion of paired centipede-like legs coming off of it; the dual-prongs at the shoulders, even the crossed-over aspect, and especially the curved shape at the top.

In Thedas Calls, as the camera pans over Rivain and over its Coast, the speaker at this point says "Glory to the Risen Gods. They've come to deliver this world". I remember us wondering about the connection between these gods and Rivain. maybe these signs/standards were erected by new cultists of Ghilan'nain, and this is part of their spread? Rivain is a country surrounded by a lot of sea, and it has strong nautical themes like the piracy. Ghilan'nain has sea associations of her own, like her creatures of the deep and her monster-form rising from the sea in that one concept art. and something has caused the Lords of Fortune to lose dominion in the area and something seems to be unsettling the dragons in the area. and the Chantry has less influence in Rivain, there's more variety in religion there. but also maybe I am just reading waaay too much into the coincidental shape of a sign LOL. Ghil Goggles. maybe it's nothing and they are just fancy anchors or other pieces from wrecked ships hhh.

as an aside, I love the skybox here in 'screenshot two'. :)

This image shows Arlathan Crater, per a filename. Elf Warrior Rook, Grey Warden again by the look of their (massive!) shield, Bellara (looking all curious/inquisitive) and Harding, looking out over this beautiful and fantastical viewpoint. These ruins look so grand, even in this state and with magic gone from the world. Imagine what Elvhenan looked at its height, before the world was un-made.

For this screenshot, I highlighted some things. ^^ -

The detail of roots in and partially in the ground in the bottom left; the mist effect; the thought put into the Celtic knotwork-looking detailing on the 'tower' in the foreground; in the background just beyond that could that be a waterfall? Makes sense, there's a lake below and mist everywhere. The familiar curved arches and similar shapes of ancient elvhen architecture; gold-capped towers shining so brightly in the sun; the shimmer and reflections on the water; rocks and chunks of ruins floating in the air the way things do when Fadey stuff is going on or the Veil is disrupted/thin; the detail of small trees growing on top of a tower, having seeded there (this happens irl too). Also in general the detailing of things like paint or etc having faded off walls, the exterior parts of stonework on stone walls having crumbled away in patches, chips in the gold.

There is also a statue of a bald ancient elf. I wonder whom of? They lack a distinctive Evanuris head-piece shape, but I'm sure there were depictions of Evanuris without those, or depictions of other notable elves or other powerful elves like their chosen.

The water makes me think of the concept art where the party are swimming underwater looking for treasure or something. Maybe swimming is a thing in this game? I would bet that over time and/or thanks to the recent reality-warping that has been occurring in Arlathan Forest, that some ancient elvhen ruins and artifacts have become submerged in water.

In the foreground is a chair with a tome on it. A book a Veil Jumper was using in their research, or found and was reading, and their resting/lookout point? ^^ we know that we will spot Veil Jumpers working away and researching in Arlathan. next to that is a golden object which I wonder, is it either 1) a telescope or spy-glass of sorts which a Veil Jumper has been using to study the ruins across the lake or 2) an ancient elvhen artifact that they've found (it is gold after all), and that maybe Bellara could use Tinker on it to use it. You can see a similar gold-orb type object in the distance in this shot of the team fighting in Arlathan (that one looks on/activated). between this object and all the floating rocks in this image, I'm reminded of the bit in the Game Informer cover story article that says to reach a certain place in Arlathan in the opening hours of the game, we must first remove the floating rock rings and how to do so, we must use Bellara's Tinker to interact with a nearby piece of ancient elven technology.

If these artifacts remove the floating rock rings.. maybe it's because they are reducing the 'Fadey'-ness of a place by.. reinforcing reality there. Which makes me think of the artifacts in Solas' quest in DA:I, Measuring the Veil. He said that when we activated them, they strengthen the Veil and help prevent additional Veil tears, and they were also gold looking things, and orby-looking too with their aura when active.

This image shows Arlathan Crater, per a filename. This time we have elf warrior Rook, Neve and Lucanis. This looks to be at a similar viewpoint located not far down from the one with the chair in the previous image; if you look across the water to the ruins, you can see the tower with the ancient elf statue with the two trees growing near its top, just from a slightly different perspective. I feel like the barrels, boxes, cart and planking is Veil Jumper stuff, like field provisions and equipment and stuff when they go on expeditions or something maybeukuh. ^^ another beautiful shot.

Lucanis is smoll. :)

This image shows Arlathan Forest, per a file name. Elf warrior Rook, Harding, and Lucanis (still smoll <3) explore ancient elvhen ruins. another beautiful shot. :D I love the big Totoro-style umbrella leaves and Harding looks so cute here. and I love purple as an 'iconic color' for Rook so much. we've seen this Grey Warden elf Rook in quite a few images now. I count at least 4 blades on Lucanis. On the stonework just behind Rook's head you can see more of the knotwork-esque pattern. also in the background here we can clearly see a door to this temple[?]-place. I really like how even the door is in this distinctive ancient elvhen shape, they really committed to recognizable distinct architecture and design styles for the different nations/cultures/asset-sets etc. ^^

The main point of interest in this screenshot of course is the pair of golden hands, an ancient elvhen artifact of some kind I assume. it brings to mind the artifact Bellara uses, which has been described as a "gauntlet" (something one wears on the hand/forearm). look at the diamond/triangle patterning on the inside of the wrist that we can see - like the triangles in the ancient elven tech/gear Veil Jumpers use. Maybe this artifact is designed not so much to look like 'hands' but specifically 'gauntlets'? it could just be the lighting, but the green glow around the hands look to me like this artifact's magic is active/that it has been activated. other gold pieces are magically[?] suspended in the air above it. I wonder if these pieces are actually moving, like they each spin on a slightly different axis/rotate? that's what the angling of them in this still looks like to me. Maybe they move when the artifact is active? also, up there is the triangle motif again, this time in a way that makes me squint. the biggest ones give that part the impression of a sun, with sunrays (also like the Veil BUBBLE shown in the Tevinter Nights map below). the curved lines give the impression of the 'concentric circles' motif which is sometimes used to represent the Veil. the paired triangles in one of the layers give the impression of the black-gold banding, and triangles like these seem to sometimes represent the Veil, Fade or magic.

(re-eyeing old bubble imagery now btw, since we know there are Veil Bubbles in DA:TV. like the giantest bubble, the whole-ass Veil itself, in the TN map, and the bubble around Solas in his 'me and my fursona cast the Veil' fresco. see also in these images - the triangles)

So I wonder if, when these 'hands' are activated, does it have some effect on the Veil? ^^

the other thing the hands remind me of is the Dead Hand landmark (see Trivia section) in DA:I. it's found in the Dales and contains an elven shrine. it's not far from Ghilan'nain's Grove, and it also has an interesting magic puzzle involving the lighting of torches and balls of light. detached stone hands in DA:I, detached gold hands in DA:TV, both 'holding' magic in them.

Lastly this image is included because it's actually a slightly different moment to the one here (ability wheel pointing at a different icon) ((I covered in the rest of the contents of this image in a previous post in this series)). where in the last one we could see Harding has a move called Shred, in this one we can see that Bellara has a move called Fade Bolts. it detonates, applies Shocked on hit and sunders the target. I wonder if these are bolts of Fade-energy in the shape of arrows that she fires, or arrows that she fires from her magical gauntlet-bow and because it's magic she never misses or they have extra effects on impact.

There were also two screenshots in this 'batch' which were stills from the gameplay video, which I won't include here: the one showing blood splatter, and one of Harding as she talks to Varric.

[judasofsuburbia]

Jonathan Byers might be the stupidest person on the planet. Because why...WHY did he ask Steve Harrington to model for his photography final? Why did he think he would ever be able to focus enough to capture what he needs to? Why did he wait until the last week of the semester and now, there's no time to ask anyone else and he doesn't want to hurt Steve's feelings—

“Hey,” Steve says, interrupting Jonathan's thought spiral. “Is this where you want me?” 

Jonathan looks up from his clipboard and camera to see Steve standing on top of the stool. Jonathan had sent him away with a costume he borrowed from the drama department and hadn't heard him come back in.

Steve is dressed in a toga. The crossbody strap is smaller than it would be on anyone else across his broad, hairy chest. The end of the toga rests delicately on his upper thighs, an inch away from being too short. Steve has quaffed his beautiful hair up and a plastic, golden crown of leaves sits amongst the brunette locks.

All of the moisture in Jonathan's mouth evaporates as he takes in Steve in this, what should have been, almost ridiculous outfit. Instead, Steve is absolutely striking in it and Jonathan is going to lose his mind before he even gets the lights set up.

“Uh, yeah, just hold there,” Jonathan croaks so he clears his throat. “I still have some things to set up.”

“Cool,” Steve replies simply. He shifts from foot to foot, tied up in lacy sandals. He looks around the studio that Jonathan has set up and smiles.

“Excited to see you do your thing,” Steve says. Jonathan trips over a cable.

“What?”

Steve glances over his shoulder and his face is so genuine when he says, “I wanna see you in the zone, you know?”

Jonathan blinks and ducks his head. “In the zone,” he repeats lamely.

“Yeah,” Steve smiles. “I mean, I've seen you take pictures before but never all done up like this. And this concept is really cool, I hope I can do it justice.“

Jonathan's assignment was to take from an existing piece of art, something not photography related, and recreate it. He's always been fascinated by the coliseums and marble statues of Greece, all the Gods and warriors of that time. As he was researching, the only thing that came to his mind was “Steve, Steve, Steve” and before he could even think twice, he shot him a text asking for his help. 

“You will, man,” Jonathan barely speaks above a mumble. 

Steve hums a song Jonathan doesn't know in the silence that follows. Jonathan finishes setting up all the lights and drawing the curtains of the room. He tries to pull up the screen behind Steve but can't get it to sit on the designated pole.

Steve reaches over him, his stomach resting on Jonathan's shoulder, and hooks the screen into place. Jonathan glances up at Steve's towering figure and swallows dryly. His muscular arm is bulging, his head is cast in the light from behind them like an angel. 

Steve winks and says, “You can put me to work, Byers. I don't mind.”

Jonathan's not sure that the thing that tumbles out of his lips is a laugh, per se, more like a weak, nasally huff of air. But he can't focus on that right now because he needs to stop breathing in Steve's cologne. He escapes to the other side of the room.

“You're going to be doing plenty today, I promise,” Jonathan responds while he sets up a little table next to his camera for his notes. “Why don't we start with you sitting?”

Steve sits on the stool with his legs spread, not even realizing that he's near exposing himself through the skirt. Jonathan squeaks and Steve glances down. 

“Oh shit,” Steve says, crossing his ankles. “Not used to that happening.”

“It's fine, I didn't see anything,” Jonathan mumbles, writing down nothing on his clipboard of notes. 

“I didn't go full commando under here,” Steve clarifies with a small laugh. “I'm just glad I wore white boxers today--”

And yeah, Jonathan didn't need that image either. He starts adjusting his camera on the tripod and says, “Sorry, I should have been more clear about your costume.”

“Nah man, it's alright. I kinda dig it. If we shoot outside, I'm sure the breeze will feel so good.”

Outside? No, Jonathan can't see Steve basking in the sun like this. He wouldn't survive that.

“Gonna have to settle for the AC, I'm afraid,” Jonathan says with a fumbling laugh. “Okay, first shot. I'm thinking you tilt your legs to the side, almost like you're lounging on the stool. Then pop the shoulder closer to the wall up while keeping the other down. Look up at the ceiling.”

Steve follows his instructions but he tilts his whole head up instead of just his eyes. 

“Chin down a bit, look with the eyes.”

“Like this?” Steve asks, voice innocent though it runs hot through Jonathan's ears.

Jonathan looks through his viewfinder to see Steve absolutely glowing. His brown eyes holding so much casual emotion that it tugs at Jonathan's heart. 

“Mhm. Perfect,” Jonathan captures a few shots like that before directing him to the next shot. And the one after.

Steve nails it over and over again, looking exactly like the ethereal Gods and tragic heroes Jonathan read about. Jonathan keeps telling him he's doing amazing, that he looks amazing. He can see Steve try to fight off his smile for the sake of not ruining the shot. Jonathan wonders if he could shoot that smile someday just for the sake of letting him be happy.

“You're going to give me a big head,” Steve says when they take a break. 

“Please,” Jonathan scoffs. “You already have one.”

Steve pouts playfully when he's done sipping his water. “I'm better than I was.”

Jonathan shakes his head with a fond smile. He looks at Steve directly and says, “Yeah, you are.”

Steve's lips part in surprise but then he quickly tilts his head away, sipping more water. Steve tsks. “Compliment after compliment, Byers. I should be your model more often.”

Jonathan's cheeks burn hot. “Yeah, yeah, tell your friends. C'mon, let's get back to it.”

The new few shots require Steve to show off his muscles which had to have been an idea of a deliriously horny Jonathan Byers. He could kill that guy.

“Okay, hold your hands up and behind your head. Then, uh,” Jonathan stammers, “Flex your arms for me.”

Steve raises his eyebrows but he does flex. It's not that Steve Harrington is absolutely shredded; rather, he has the toned muscles of a casual jock. He just cares about his body and his strength. It doesn't make it any less debilitating to witness. 

“G-good, that's good,” Jonathan mumbles.

“You good, Byers?” Steve asks. His smirk grows less subtle every fleeting second it takes for Jonathan to respond. “Wishing for someone more buff?”

“No,” Jonathan defends immediately. “No, uh, no, you're good. Great, even.” 

“What should I do with my face?” Steve asks.

“Keep it smug like that,” Jonathan says, a little bite to his words that comes from the roaring zoo currently in his stomach.

“Smug,” Steve scoffs, voice still teasing. “Just trying to figure you out.”

Jonathan ignores that, he does not need to be figured out today and especially not by Steve Harrington.

He takes the shot and instructs Steve to hold one arm up to the side while the other pretends to hold something. Steve stands awkwardly, clenching and unclenching the fist that's supposed to be acting right now. 

“Can you show me?” Steve asks. 

“Sure,” Jonathan says. He rounds the camera and is about to demonstrate making an “O” with his fist but Steve holds out his hand and Jonathan doesn't think before he takes it. He shapes Steve's fingers gently and places his arm outstretched to his side. Steve just watches him. 

“Should I actually hold something?” Steve asks.

“No, I'm gonna edit something in later,” Jonathan explains, awkwardly dropping Steve's hand because he realizes he's still holding it. 

“Like what?”

“I can't decide if it's going to be a sword or a lightning bolt. Armor, maybe,” Jonathan shrugs then looks up at Steve who is beaming at him.

“You can do that?” 

“Y-yeah. Photoshop and all.” 

“That's so fucking sick,” Steve exclaims. “You're gonna send these to me, right?”

“Yeah, if you want,” Jonathan says.

“Of course, I want,” Steve assures. ”Not only because you're making me into some Greek god but also because it's your art and it's fucking cool.“

“Thanks,” Jonathan breathes.

Steve reaches the posed hand up and pinches Jonathan's chin. Jonathan can feel every nerve vibrate as Steve's fingers fall away too soon. Steve gives him a curious look but returns his hand to the pose. Jonathan shuffles back behind the camera and continues shooting the pictures.

Steve showcases different smolders that make Jonathan's stomach tighten but he keeps pressing the button, keeps seeing how far Steve will go without his instruction. 

“What if I shot my arm back like I'm about to throw it?” Steve asks, demonstrating his point. 

Jonathan's eyes trail up his torso to the arm in question and he swallows. “Mhm. That looks really good.”

Steve's lips turn upward and he whispers, “So do you, Byers.”

Jonathan's whole body freezes. His finger trembles over the button but his mind is so blank that he can't tell it to push. Steve keeps glancing at him but Jonathan's not registering it. 

Steve coughs awkwardly and mumbles, “Just tell me to fuck off, man.”

That gets Jonathan's brain back online. “What?”

Steve jumps, not realizing that Jonathan was actually listening. He drops his stance and rolls his shoulders back, bones popping as he does. He sighs and says meekly, “If you don't like me flirting with you, just tell me to stop and I will.”

Flirting? Flirting. 

“You're flirting with me?” Jonathan asks, exasperated. 

“I was trying to,” Steve explains, a sheepish look on his face. “But it's obvious you're not into it so--”

“Wait…no, hold on, I honestly thought you were messing with me,” Jonathan admits, walking around the camera again. Steve steps down from the stool to be at eye level with him and Jonathan swoons a little in their new proximity. 

“I do love messing with you,” Steve confirms. “But no, Byers, I’ve been flustered all day having you stare at me and do your hot artist thing. That’s not a joke.”

“Really?” Jonathan whispers, his skin flushed. 

“Really,” Steve whispers back.

"I am into it," Jonathan responds quietly.

"Yeah?"

"Put you into a toga because I'm so into it--" Jonathan doesn't finish this sentence because Steve is kissing him and he would much rather be kissing Steve than talking.

With the curtains drawn and the studio booked for the rest of the afternoon, Jonathan finds himself in Steve's lap with Steve's tongue in his mouth. He decides about two seconds in that he's got enough pictures for the day.

[zeeinkzquill]

THE AMAZING DIGITAL WORLD OF WONDER MASTERPOST

(a wip tadc au, some concept art in the post tho)

A virtual RPG-like world filled with mystical places, tricks, and traps around every corner. 

One-six humans remain in this world, hiding within the Fairytale forest, with the fallen AI Caine, to find a way to beat the final boss and find a way out of their digital prison.

♠️♥️Role Sets♦️♣️

When a human first spawns into the Digital Wonder they are assigned a symbol:

♥️ Hearts: Based in the Sweet Heart Kingdom.

♣️Clubs: Based in the Kingdom of Fairytales

♦️Dimonds: Based in the Kingdom of Playful Diamonds

♠️Spades: Based in the kingdom of Underground Spades

When a human is spawned they are assigned an Overworld Card consisting of 2 things:

The front holds basic fighting symbols that holds the player's basic fighting style and weapons. (This part of the card is usually held basic playing card symbols)

Examples: Ragatha is an ♥️Ace of Hearts♥️, giving her a mage like fighting style.

The back holds the player's ultimate move (which are based of the Major Arcenas of Tarot Cards). The move can be activated through battle when the player gangs enough hit points. When activated is can give the player player 

Example: Rag’s Ultum is the Temperance.

[Art of the Cards will be coming soon!]

♠️♦️CHOSE YOUR CHARACTER♥️♣️

<the character designs and bios may be updated over time ask I build the story and timeline of the world>

Name: Pomni

Class: Club

Overworld Card

Basic : The 7 of Clubs

Ultum: The Wheel of Fourtune

Bio:

Being the newest member of the human players, she overwhelmed to say the least. But panic attack aside, she has a lot to learn while trying her best to be useful the gang, learn her new powers, and so much more. It's going to be a wild ride!

Name: Ragatha

Class: Hearts

Overworld Card

Basic: The Ace of Hearts

Ultum: The Temperance

Bio: Loveing, caring Ragatha is the walking version of the class she was put in, all while trying the keep her composure under all of the havic the digital world (and some partners) may have to bring.

Name: Jax

Class: Spade

Overworld Card

Basic: The Jack of Spades

Ultum: The Hanged Man

Bio: Out of everyone in the gang, Jax is a criminal. Like literally a criminal. For however long he's been trapped he's found his way onto ever single wanted poster in Digital Wonder. (Which is the main reason he's with the gang, for cover.)

Name: Gangle

Class: Club

Overworld Card

Basic: Ace of Clubs

Ultum: The Sun

Bio:

Known as the lovable crybaby of the gang, Gangle is more than she seems behind that mask. Being the creative fighter and artist that she is force to be reckoned with

Name: Zooble

Class: Spade

Overworld Card:

Basic: Eight of Spades

Ultum: The Tower

Bio:

The tank of the group, Zooble has a heavy hitting attack and attitude. Tho they my look like a mess of shapes and colors, in a fight they do most of the damage.

Name:Kinger

Class: Diamond

Overlord Card:

Basic: King of Diamonds

Ultum: The Emperor 

Bio:

One of the two kings of the Playful Kingdom, Kinger is one of the most questionable rulers the kingdom. Though his ways maybe … weird, but he’s a fair king non the less.

a small author note

I will be trying to update this story every so often like twice a week. Again Have any question about the AU, my ask are open.

[alice-after-dark]

Wavelength

Inspired by this art from @hiemaldesirae, this art from @ectochoir, and this post by @liulith

Might become an AU or a fic but this is such a fun concept

TW for mild blood and gore.

Vox first starts noticing something is wrong when he begins losing chunks of time.

It's little moments at first. A conversation here and there. Then entire meetings, movie nights, dates. A whole afternoon just...gone.

He chalks it up to exhaustion. Velvette is always saying he's overworking himself. That's it. That's all it is. He just needs to take care of himself a bit better and he'll be fine.

Vox really begins to worry when he wakes up on the floor of his bathroom covered in blood.

He can taste it in his mouth, the flesh in his teeth. He doesn't recognize the Sinner's corpse in the bathtub, flayed open and organs gone. He throws up.

The security footage is clear. He watches himself leave the tower, leaping into the power lines from the privacy of his bedroom. Hours pass before he finally returns, dragging the corpse along behind him as he heads towards the bathroom.

He remembers none of it.

It takes him the rest of the night to clean up the mess. He can't risk anyone seeing. This would destroy his image. How can the people trust someone who just plucks Sinners off the street for a midnight snack?

He disposes of the corpse and his ruined clothes. How would he explain this to Val and Vel? He can't. He can't explain any of it.

Things come to a head when he almost kills a Sinner on live television.

It's his usual talk show. He's interviewing an actor about his latest movie (produced by VoxTek, of course) when he hears it, like static in his mind.

Kill him

He shakes it off and continues the interview, ignoring the way his heart beat kicks up a notch.

Kill him

The stage lights seem so bright, so hot. They're blinding.

Kill him

He can hear the rush of blood through the actor's veins, see the pulse of his jugular. His claws twitch. He wants to rip it out.

KILL HIM

The actor is still speaking, but Vox can't make out what he's saying anymore. His head is filled with static and the sound of rushing blood-

Ǩ̶̨̮̾͠I̷̧̩̋̂͋Ḽ̴̀L̵͎͇̟̔͝ ̷͙̯͝H̶̫̤̿͂I̷̭͚̎͌̕Ḿ̶̤̑

Vox runs off the set without explanation. He cuts the broadcast remotely and does not stop moving until he reaches him dressing room. He slams the door. His heart is pounding. He is shaking. Sparks crackle around him wildly and he struggles to reign them in. Someone is pounding on the door. Velvette is shouting his name. He presses his hands over his receivers.

"Shut up! Shut up! SHUT UP!"

And everything goes silent.

When Vox opens his eyes again, darkness has descended upon his dressing room, the LEDs around the mirror flickering. And from the darkest corner of the room, a figure emerges. Vox glares.

"You."

"Good evening, darling!" Alastor cackles. "How is your broadcast going?"

Vox staggers to his feet. "What the fuck do you want?! How did you even get in here?"

Alastor's answering grin sends an icy chill down Vox's spine. "Why, you let me in."

"Bullshit! Why the fuck would I do that?"

"Look for yourself."

Vox does, mentally searching out every camera feed for what the Radio Demon might be talking about...and he finds it. Wide-eyed, he watches his own image enter the security office, slitting the guard's throat and tapping a few keys on the blood-splattered keyboard. He recognizes the motion enough to know it's the access code and within seconds, the V Tower is completely exposed. Vox kills the feed and looks at Alastor is shock.

"I told you," the deer says.

Vox shakes his head. "How, I...I don't remember doing that! Why would I do that?!"

"Because I wanted you to. Just like I wanted you to kill that Sinner you found in your bathtub. The actor...while annoying, I didn't truly want you to kill him. No. What I really wanted was to get you alone."

There a rush of static again and Vox's jaw snaps shut, body rigid. He can't move. He can't speak. Panic floods him. Alastor steps closer.

"I've been controlling you for weeks now. It's a splendid little trick, don't you think?" He points to the floor with his cane and Vox kneels. The microphone tips up his screen. "Imagine what I can make you do. Though you don't really have to, do you? I think I made the...possibilities very clear tonight. Of course, we could always make a deal."

Vox feels his jaw come free and he stares up at Alastor's Cheshire smile.

"You want my soul."

"Ah, so there is a brain in that flat head of yours! Marvelous! That will make this all so much easier." Alastor twirls his cane, grinning down at Vox. "So here's the deal: you can either sign your soul over to me or watch as I slowly drive your empire into ruin. I'll even leave you the souls you've collected. You can maintain your Overlord status. No one needs to know about any of this. You come when I call you. You leave when I dismiss you. You follow my commands. So..." Vox feels the control lift completely. "D̴̪͈̃o̷̹̜̎̓͘ ̸͇͙̒̌w̸͕̹̐͘e̵͈͙͆͌͝ ̸̪̜͆h̵͎̫͒á̷̠̂͆v̷͍͒̀e̴̋ͅ ̶̬́ā̸͔̻̉̈́ ̷̤̾͛̓d̴͈͖̈́̈́͝ê̵̗̈́̕a̸͈͚͉̋l̷̜͈̭̈?̶̝́̄"

[sloshr]

After watching through Side Order... I have a Few Thoughts.

[Spoilers ahead]

My Review of the Side Order DLC - Its little more than Gameplay.

Initial Opinion

- - - - - - - - - -

Overall; I like the gameplay mechanics initially, but the story absolutely feels lacking to me, imo. It feels like they were really banking on Side Order being Hard but... multiple of my friends finished it on their 2nd or 3rd run through the Spire.

That in itself isnt a problem! But... everyone felt sort of unsatisfied? There were no developments in the story, as we, Agent 8, were just assigned the task to Get to The Top of the Spire -> The Player Does That -> You beat a Boss -> Credits Roll (?)

On my watchthrough I literally said Please Say Sike 😭 because, dont take this poorly, but they were advertising Side Order as;

• Difficult (stated Multiple Times in basically every Trailer)

• Story Driven (You Uncover things as You Climb)

• Character and Lore Intensive (as shown by the trailers with all the concept art as well as promo art)

I dont feel like it was wrong to expect more based on how it was advertised.

But... if you complete the DLC in 1-2 runs, which is Very Much Possible, no buildup happens at all. The story was banking on the player struggling, and putting all the content behind repeat runs, which falls through and Doesnt really work/feel satisfying if the main goal is achieved in such a short time. I Feel like anyone who regularly plays Salmon Run will likely have a similar experience. And I feel kind of cheated? Because what we got was something that was Tell Not Show rather than the Show, Not Tell formula. And in my opinion, it really doesn't work as well at all. It puts all the major lore that the game has set up behind repetetive climbs (which never change btw, despite each climb being generated differently, its the same after a while) and you get about 1 Sentence of Exposition, with a Modlog from Marina if you are Lucky.

Side Order was (to me), after watching it all;

• Not Difficult, But Repetetive Gameplay (This easily runs people down, which would be fine if the tower had more than 1 setup or phase)

• Inital Story Setup with no complexities or stages. You climb the first Tower, Save Marina, Climb the Second Tower, Beat Order, and the credits Roll. In its most complex, you could fit what Side Order's Story is in 2-3 Sentences. Rather than Lore being revealed During the story, it feels Pushed to the Side as all of it is either in Text the player may never see (different climbs) or care to read (Marina's Mod Log)

• Use of Character Drops with no explaination / mention (The Agent 4 Boss, Anyone?) (This felt very Bait-y, with No Payoff)

Rating

- - - - -

If I had to give Side Order a Rating

4/10. At Best.

I am a bit disappointed with this as I feel like I was promised more, Storywise, and honestly a bit gameplay wise. I think it fails where other DLC has succeeded Due to being Built in such a way where anything engaging is stuck behind barely changing gameplay. It is not built in a way where the experience cant fail to show you whats important to the characters and the worldbuilding. It relies too much on telling you whats happening rather than the world showing you. Its too Simple, and It Doesnt Work, personally, in a series that contains Octo Expansion.

Which is Sad to me!! It had so much wasted potential and I really hope this isn't the last we're going to see of the concept, we get to see ideas actually built into the story, and... maybe find Agent 4.

Conclusion

- - - - - - - -

Tldr; Side Order had a good concept, but failed in execution for being simple and gameplay dependent, which was ultimately disappointing due to it being advertised as something more for all involved.

It was an alright attempt. The experience will just be known to me as... well. Baby's First Rouge-like. Nothing worldbreaking.

(PS, this isnt meant to be mean spirited or overly critical, I just love the Splatoon Series so I give it Tough Love. This is just my personal view on the DLC)

Thank you for Reading! Feel free to share or add any thoughts!

[homunculus-argument]

Dumbass housing concept: A city that's set up like an idyllic little village, but with the population of a large city. And instead of multiple apartment blocks, everyone who wants to live in a small apartment lives in the same single stupid-ass long wizard tower. Concept art:

Source images sadly from google, not sure how to cite originals [1] [2]

[dreadfutures]

Blue's DA4 Screenshot Binge Pt. 2

Dragons

We see several dragons appear *repeatedly* throughout the trailer, as in the same dragons appear over and over again in different locations and different states of decay.

Wide Horns from the Vinyl (Golden City)

We see this dragon pretty clearly on the album cover. - it has grooves on its horns, red tinge to its body, and it first appears in the trailer in this place that has a tower whose top dome is of an architectural style i can't place - it doesn't exactly match the spires and domes we see in Arlathan Forest, Tevinter, Antiva....

It ambushes our heroes outside of a Blight-ridden cave, and next to the cart that it squashes, there is a wriggling tentacle mass that is holding a struggling person. It doesn't look particularly unhealthy here!

We also see it later, same horns, same grooves, same red tinge, but now it appears to have been corrupted. It looks furry, it looks like tentacles, tendrils, or flayed skin are falling from its throat and ribs, and red glow - similar to what we might think of as this very organic looking red lyriumy stuff throughout the trailers and concept art - covers its body.

We also see the reddish dragon with (maybe?) the same grooves on its horn, same general horn shape, cheek spikes, and it does not show the corruption on its nose, throat, or body.

Poor girl.

Hornless Blue Dead (?) Dragon

Then there is the hornless, almost petrified-looking, corrupted pustular blue-glowy dragon.

We see it facing off against some Wardens in their fancy winged helms and coordinated movements. It looks hairy, decayed, petrified, as if it's been dead and eaten up by something on the ocean floor idk.

It appears later with the later-corrupted red dragon.

During a Darkspawn siege. Literally. Look at those guys, so militant and efficient.

Halo Head - Headplate Dragon (Black City)

First seen on the vinyl. Halo Head at first seemed like just a halo, and mandibles.

After the last trailer we all felt certain that it is a representation of or connected to Elgar'nan, Halo Head, since it perfectly resembles his crown.

Interestingly, this dragon ALSO appears uncorrupted in a brightly lit place - this one clearly Arlathan, or elven ruins related to Arlathan:

Where we see that not only does it have a halo, and mandible horns, it also has another set of curling horns - and a headplate. You can see the headplate more clearly in silhouette.

This dragon doesn't have any other glowy bits, pustules, or other signs of corruption - and also, it DOESN'T have tentacles. what we thought was TENTACLE DRAGON in the last trailer is actually tentacles in the environment responding to it.

[lesbian-octoling]

Hello all, and welcome to the third round of salmonid adopts: Horrorboros edition! Availability, rules, and other information below the cut!

What is an adoptable?

An adopt is a pre-designed character that I create, and you can ‘buy’ to be able be able to use and claim as your own character. Of course, since these are splatoon based I’m not selling the concepts of splatoon, just the idea and design of the character itself.

INFO + RULES:

Once you buy the adopts, they’re yours. You’re welcome to redesign, alter, give away and/or trade as you see fit. The only thing I don’t allow is reselling for a higher price (same or below is fine).

Though these are meant to be splatoon adopts, you’re welcome to use them for any setting that you please! They’re not inherently limited to splatoon; especially the more unique characters.

The placeholder names, personality, and info are just.. placeholder/concepts! You can name them whatever you want, give them any pronouns, personality, lore, whatever! I won’t feel bad lol

Once I receive payment, I’ll send you a full size, transparent, unwatermarked image of your adopt!

I can hold them for up to a week!

If one is on hold, you can still message and ask to be next in line if whatever they’re being held for doesn’t work out.

AVAILABILITY + PRICING:

Base price for each adopt is currently $40 USD (A bit pricier than my usual ones cus I worked really hard on these ones + they're really detailed), however, you can check out some discounts at the bottom!

Also, please keep in mind that my last adopt post had an issue where I could not edit the post after posting it, so if you see this message, PLEASE check the notes to see if any have sold, as this list won't be accurate.

“SCREAMO” - ON HOLD [3/10/23] A horrorboros that decided to put their voice to use instead of filling their mouth with slime. Quit your big run, join my screamo band!

“CAROUSEL” - ON HOLD [3/11/23] After sneaking a peek at Wahoo World, this horrorboros fell in love with the aesthetic of the beasts on the carousel, and became inspired to work on some fashion... in between battles, of course.

“LITTLE PRINCE” - SOLD [Note: this is a 2 for 1, do not separate them <3 ] A cohozuna who's taken it upon themself to raise this silly little... noodle into a proper king salmonid.

“THE TOWER” - SOLD A young teen horrorboros who wants to be a stinger, not a silly booyah bomb thrower!

DISCOUNTS + DEALS

Yeah, we know this is what you’re here for!  I’m going to offer several discounts and deals, which are subject to change, and may or may not pop in and out! This is my first time trying some of this.

COMMISSION BUNDLE If you buy a character from me, you can also get a get a commission of that character for 25% off to come with it! This only applies once, and has to be worked out around the time of purchasing the character. You choose the type of commission you’d like! Commission info is here.

PASSION DISCOUNT If you do a piece of fanwork for one of these characters- come up with extensive lore, a piece of art, a piece of writing, etc- and I can tell you actually put some effort and passion into it, then you can get them for 30% off… making them $28! It doesn’t have to be anything fancy and I’m not going to judge you by how ‘good’ your work is- again, it’s only judged by passion for the character. If I can tell you genuinely enjoyed it and had fun and will love the character you get (instead of having them simply sit on a dusty shelf or resold, etc), you get the discount! If you’re worried about the work taking a while but you want to wait until it’s done to buy them, no worries! I can hold a character for up to a week for you.

BONUS LORE If you wanna shell out an extra $5, I can fully flesh out the placeholder lore for you and come up with something much more fleshed out! Names, backstory, personality, all the bells and whistles. I can also work with you to fit it into any preexisting lore or characters you might want them to be worked with! Once again, you’re welcome to change any of this- but I’ll work with ya on it to make sure it’s something you like!

TRADES I’m a bit iffy on art trades or character trades, but I’m not going to say they’re out of the question. You’re welcome to ask!