#Yeah I just think it's interesting

[chloesimaginationthings]

FNAF Into the pit? More like into the daddy issues

[lucabyte]

Not all who wander are lost. Some who wander, however, are extremely, extremely lost.

[mlobsters]

jared padalecki and jensen ackles spn dc con 2024 - main panel (youtube)

Q: In season 5 episode Dark Side of the Moon, Sam and Dean found out that they were soulmates and it was never really addressed after that, so what did they think when they found that out? Jared: I think they knew.

[aria-greenhoodie]

You see, @localcanadiancryptid22, I’m a motherfucker who LOVES drama, so I fw anything that can create that.

I’m normal. Btw. In case you were wondering.

[zablionsea]

My Year in Media

Over the span of a year, I have tried and enjoyed many new (and old) works of art. Let's talk about it.

Well, not all of them. I get to choose what I mention.

Mad Rat Dead (Video Game)

Mad Rat Dead is a platforming rhythm game where you jump, dash, charge, and dive in time with the music.

This mechanic can easily feel tedious in a game, Mad Rat Dead does this very well. The timing feels natural yet varied, and the levels are built around your deliberately limited movement. Platforming feels turn-based, and the game enhances that fact. Each obstacle usually has a "right" move to answer it, but this lack of flexibility isn't a bad thing here. It reminds me of charts in other rhythm games.

My only complaint gameplay-wise is the boss battles, which drag on way too long. I remember multiple that started with a maxed out timer (999), and there aren't a lot of ways to speed them up. The other levels feel great to replay, but the boss fights feel a bit tedious and drawn out. Traditional reaction-based boss fights don't necessarily mesh well with the more turn-based style of MRD. Even still, the amazing original soundtrack makes that waiting around less bothersome.

I loved it, and its story was enjoyable too.

However, this is a bad game to play if you have repetitive strain issues. You're expected to hit buttons to a rhythm pretty consistently for 3-5 minutes at a time, up to about 10 minutes in boss fights. It gets pretty fast towards the end.

The story is also dark (as the name would indicate), so if you're not in a good space to read about mortality and see mild gore, don't play it.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin (Video Game)

I played this recently. I adored the first game, so I was excited in the lead up to the sequel. I can confidently say that this is a worthy successor to the original. The graphics on the original already looked great (I played on 3DS), but its sequel looks even better. My only complaint about art is the area design being dull in some areas and looking bad as a result.

The story, on the other hand, was worse. It had another special Rathalos, but it was even less justified this time. Ratha was special in the original because it was your long-lost monster friend. In this game, it's the supposed harbinger of the end of the world. Why a Rathalos? This universe is full of nature-bending Elder Dragons, but they chose to use Rathalos again? Nothing about Ratha and Oltura felt meaningful. I felt like I was getting dragged around the map with little rhyme or reason. You'd think for a game with "stories" in the title, it would have a better plot than this.

Post-game isn't as good as the original IMO. The Elder's Lair is a disappointing blend of the Labyrinth of Ordeals and the Tower of Illusion. It doesn't have the same endurance challenge element of either because you can leave and resume at any point. The challenges in both Elder's Lairs do not feel meaningful either.

So if I dislike the story and post-game, why do I love this game so much? The battle system and exploration.

The battle system got overhauled. Weapon types interact with different monster parts differently. There are two of each: Blunt (Hammer and Hunting Horn), Slashing (Great Sword and Sword & Shield), and Piercing (Gunlance and Bow & Arrow). The two of each attribute feel distinct from each other. My personal favorite to run with is Hammer because it works well for Head to Head and great for breaking monster parts. However, each have their own unique play style with advantages and disadvantages.

You also frequently have partners in battle. Sometimes Hunters and sometimes fellow Riders. They add an element of risk-reward to adventuring. Do you want extra damage per turn or more control? Well, they're a risk-reward once you're allowed to swap partners or go without. The randomness they introduce adds challenge to the story, and it helps with immersion.

Exploration feels good, too. The open areas are even more open, as a result of being made on better hardware.

The multiplayer expeditions especially (which actually don't require another player haha, I have no friends who can play this with me). Exploring a dungeon to get cool items, eggs, and genes is really fun. I like cheesing it by using a Nargacuga to avoid fights, but when fights do happen (usually at egg dens) they're often very tough and tense. You get worried about running out of time or getting defeated with your half-size team.

The gameplay tweaks make the game overall a good experience. I think it's that good. Also my emotional attachment to the first game might be a factor, hehe. There's a lot more I could talk about, but I don't feel like doing so.

Only caveat I'm adding here is that I'm pretty sure this game single-handedly caused my Joy-Con control stick to drift because I held it in the up position for so long at a time. Be aware of that, I guess.

NOISZ (Video Game)

You know bullet hells? Imagine doing that, but you shoot to the beat of a song. That's NOISZ in a nutshell.

The shot timing feels awkward sometimes. There are probably some settings I need to fiddle with to make staying on-beat more consistent. It doesn't have any variation from the beat nor BPM/measure changes. It can't because of the lack of clear visual indicators.

The bullet patterns are great. They're a lot of fun to figure out. I played on normal (except Route C because I was in a hurry to get through the story), and when I chose to engage with the battles, they were challenging and fun. I like the option to adjust difficulty and style when you game over.

It's nice that the game lets you skip fights, but I don't get why it's so inconsistent about what fights you're allowed to skip. The story always progresses like you fought them, so it doesn't make sense to me (except in the special case in the C route, but I can't explain that one without spoiling it).

The story is phenomenal too. The branching story combines very well to give a good picture of the universe and the history behind its characters. Previous routes are recontextualized by playthroughs on different routes. The route guiding feature is much appreciated. The only complaint I have is the contrast on options without route guide on is atrociously bad. I can't tell which item I'm highlighting. The font isn't great for readability sometimes.

I bought re:||verse but haven't played it yet. I can't speak on the experience of re:||verse. I'm still stuck on the final fight (or what I think is the final fight) of Route C of the original NOISZ's story.

I still recommend NOISZ to others, but with caveats. Don't play it if:

You have repetitive stress issues or hand strain. You will be mashing a button to a beat for several minutes at a time, assuming you don't fail a boss attempt and have to restart. It's not as bad as in Mad Rat Dead, but it's definitely not a good choice if you're dealing with that.

You don't care about the story. That's a good chunk of the experience (and for NOISZ SL fans, this is probably the biggest selling point).

You don't like games in the style of Crypt of the Necrodancer, Mad Rat Dead, etc. If you don't like it there, you certainly won't like it here.

You're looking for a traditional rhythm game. Go play NOISZ SL. It's much closer to that experience. The original is a bullet hell with shot timing mechanics.

NOISZ STΔRLIVHT (Video Game)

PLAY THIS PLAY THIS PLAY THIS.

Sorry, let me try again.

NOISZ STΔRLIVHT (often abbreviated as NOISZ SL) is a bullet hell rhythm game for IOS and Android. You are an accountant for a technology corporation called Antiphon, and your company suddenly decides to make you the producer for an idol group called STΔRLIVHT. The group consists of four girls: Grace, Sera, Sumire, and Hakuno.

The team behind it, Anarch Entertainment, prides itself on being a queer friendly company with many queer employees (due to an accepting company culture). The team originally worked on update content for Pump it Up Infinity before deciding to start their own company to work on the original NOISZ. The game features a lot of queer representation, and it's clearly done with a lot of care. I think it felt authentic.

Unlike its predecessor, NOISZ SL plays more like a traditional 4 key game. It has standard, hold, slash (which require you to move your character through while the approach circle is visible), and flick notes. The game also has bullet hell segments, sometimes while expecting you to hit notes.

I think the charting in this game is great. The balance of notes to bullet hell feels very natural, and the charts seem designed to account for the fact that you're probably playing with two thumbs, at least on lower difficulties.

The music selection is amazing too. They got Camellia to work on the opening theme. Need I say more?

Ok, my only complaint about song selection is that it's mostly electronic music. I like having more genre variety, but I have a feeling it wouldn't have meshed well with the game's aesthetic. The original NOISZ was similarly electronic music focused, and SL has more variety in that field. A woman can dream, I guess.

I do have some performance issues on my device. Sometimes the framerate drops and the game stutters, but it's not very noticeable to me. Not like my phone is built for gaming, though. I've also heard complaints about the flick and slash note timing being delayed/registering late, but the hit window seems pretty wide on those. Therefore, the problem feels minimal to me. Then again, I'm bad at recognizing timing issues.

Overall, it's an amazing experience. I love this game. I love it so much.

I wouldn't really recommend this to everyone because it has microtransactions. You can bypass most of them by purchasing all character club passes for a total of 20USD, but for events, that isn't necessarily true. Also, you can buy previous event styles for real money. It's way better about microtransactions than any other mobile game I've seen, but it still has them. Be wary.

Monetization is set to update to a newer (supposedly better) model at the start of the new year, so this review isn't going to stay up-to-date with that.

Mappy: The Beat (Web Animation)

This is everything to me.

I don't have much to say.

Please watch it. It's also known as ShiftyLook Mappy. It was reuploaded to YouTube. You can find it. You can watch it.

The character dynamics are so natural and interesting. The dialogue is sharp and witty. The overarching plot builds up well.

This is everything to me.

Bravoman (The Animated Series)

Bravoman is a show. That's all I have to say.

It's good, but not in a remarkable way. I found the comics better but not enough to make them noteworthy either.

The animation is good but not outstanding.

It's kind of just... there.

Wonder Momo (Webcomic)

I read this once for myself and skimmed through again to glean details for something.

It's just average. I didn't like it very much.

Genshin Impact (Video Game)

I want to stab this game with my knife that has a dragon on the handle.

It's fun, until it's a gacha game. The gacha elements ruined the game. I played for hours when I wasn't having fun. It was a bad experience.

This game suffers from feature creep really badly. The sheer number of chores you are expected to do before getting around to exploring (the best part IMO) is absurd. There's daily commissions, weekly reputation tasks, weekly boss fights to get talent and weapon materials, using up all 160 resin (and you better not do it wrong or else you'll take weeks longer to strengthen your characters), Spiral Abyss, events, and probably some local resource harvesting/mining too.

As more weekly bosses got introduced, you have to start picking and choosing what you do even more. I quit at Inazuma, but god, imagine how much worse it is with Sumeru now in the game. I don't know. I just assume it's worse.

The game really encourages compulsive play. I hate that. Look, if I'm going to do a bunch of tedious shit I don't like, I'd prefer getting paid, thanks.

I quit after getting Ganyu in the Lunar New Year event. I don't know if anything could convince me to come back.

Even the story can't get me back. I lost interest in the overarching plot after realizing every single new area was going to follow the "help us out with this big problem in our area, and we'll help you find your sibling. Uh, oops, guess they're not here hahah. Guess there's nothing we can do. Your princess is in another castle." Ok that's not literally the case, but it sure fucking feels like it. Why would I care about anything if the game has an active refusal to delve into details about the world until its designated climax, which is years away?

The most interesting story details are the ones you get from exploring and doing quests you find while exploring which, surprise, the rest of the game design intends to block you from doing by trying to play on your fear of missing out to do a bunch of annoying chores, so you can get your favorite character. You've got to be kidding me.

When I had the freedom to explore the world, it was truly beautiful and expansive and fascinating. The puzzles were fun to solve. Encountering new enemies and unlocking new waypoints was exciting. Learning more about the world by talking to its inhabitants was rewarding. I think fondly of the time I spent on Tsurumi Island and learning about the history of its fallen deity. It's just a damn shame that the game so heavily discourages you from engaging with that by shoving chores in your face and trying to guilt you into completing them.

I do not recommend Genshin Impact to anyone. I enjoyed my experience when my time was good and the events were fun. However, I am not going back. I hate this.

...

Sorry to end on a sour note. I did find a lot of things that I enjoyed throughout the year, not all of which I can talk about. Even the stuff I trashed on the list, I still enjoyed going through, at least a bit. It's just as important to criticize as praise a piece of media. Recognize the good and the bad.

I hope that next year, I have interesting media to talk about then too. For now, that's a wrap. See you 2022, and happy 2023.

[dameronalone]

thinking about how percy jackson is seen as intimidating because of his godly powers from his father but the thing that makes him the most dangerous is his humanity from his mother

[hellenhighwater]

I have a maybe silly question, but uh. How do I become a more interesting person? I have a horrible habit of staying home and not going out and doing things. How do I not do that? This feels very goofy as a thing to ask, but you appear to have an interesting life, therefore making you a reliable source. Do with this what you will, and please say hi to your creatures! Here is my mischief goblin Jammer for your troubles:

It may seem backwards, but...don't try to be interesting, try to be interested.

Find things you find engaging, and then find ways to pursue them. It's best if you can find some kind of group or community that also does the thing you want to try--if you're struggling to find things you like, then just start trying things local to you. You've probably got a local birdwatching group, or a sewing circle, or a community theater, or a historical society, or a comic shop that does game nights, or a group of regulars volunteering at an animal shelter, or stained glass classes, or a makerspace, or any number of little communities that are out there. Try them! The first meeting will be the worst. And if you hate it, you don't have to keep at it, and trying will give you a fun story. Sooner or later you will land on something you like and then...keep turning up.

And if you're not finding things local and in person, then just take up whatever strikes your fancy at home. If you could be incredible at any three hobbies, what would they be? What's stopping you from starting those hobbies? You're going to fail at them when you start but you're already failing at them now by not starting, so what do you have to lose?

Here's the thing: nobody wants to talk with someone who's just singing their own victories. The best stories are the ones where we tried something new and different and silly and strange and maybe messed it up, but had fun. And the best stories are shared--ask other people about the things they're into, be interested and engaged and maybe see if they're open to teaching you a little, if their interests seem fun to you. It's not about being interesting, it's about sharing passion.

So find the things you're passionate about, and keep at them even after you've failed, and the rest will follow.

And pet your cat, he's doing his job so well!

[blackkatdraws2]

There are more things in the Parable than Stanley knows about. [Blank Scripts AU]

[revvethasmythh]

Liliana telling Imogen, "You know how much I miss just taking care of those horses? You know how much I dream of just walking the fields and making breakfast at sunrise? All that was taken from me" really brings to mind something that Laudna said to Imogen in episode 49:

"If you wish to have a quiet life in a cozy cottage in a field, raise horses and just be, no gods or fates or destiny can keep you from that."

That's the crux of why Liliana's argument fails to be convincing. Laudna is right--at any moment in this journey, Imogen could have decided she didn't need to do this and found a cottage to settle down in. At any point in 14-16 years of wandering Exandria before finding the Verity, Liliana could have gone home and had all the things she feels were "taken" from her. But she didn't, and that was her decision, not the fault of the gods, or Predathos, or any other force she thinks kept her away. She decided she needed answers more than that cozy life she loved so much. Foisting the responsibility of that decision does not erase that it was hers

[starry-bi-sky]

i need to get this out of my head before i continue clone^2 but danny being the first batkid. Like, standard procedure stuff: his parents and sister die, danny ends up with Vlad Masters. He drags him along to stereotypical galas and stuff; Danny is not having a good time.

He ends up going to one of the Wayne Galas being hosted ever since elusive Bruce Wayne has returned to Gotham. Vlad is crowing about having this opportunity as he's been wanting to sink his claws into the company for a long while now. Danny is too busy grieving to care what he wants.

And like most Galas, once Vlad is done showing him off to the other socialites and the like, he disappears. Off to a dark corner, or to one of the many balconies; doesn't matter. There he runs into said star of the show, Bruce who is still young, has been Batman for at least a year at this point, but still getting used to all these damn people and socializing. He's stepped off to hide for a few minutes before stepping back into the shark tank.

And he runs into a kid with circles under his eyes and a dull gleam in them. Familiar, like looking into a mirror.

Danny tries to excuse himself, he hasn't stopped crying since his parents died and it's been months. He rubs his eyes and stands up, and stumbles over a half-hearted apology to Mister Wayne. Some of Vlad's etiquette lessons kicking in.

Bruce is awkward, but he softens. "That's alright, lad," he says, pulling up some of that Brucie Wayne confidence, "I was just coming out here to get some fresh air."

There's a little pressing; Bruce asks who he's here with, Danny says, voice quiet and grief-stricken, that he's with his godfather Vlad Masters. Bruce asks him if he knows where he is, and Danny tells him he does. Bruce offers to leave, Danny tells him to do whatever he wants.

It ends with Bruce staying, standing off to the side with Danny in silence. Neither of them say a word, and Danny eventually leaves first in that same silence.

Bruce looks into Vlad Masters after everything is over, his interest piqued. He finds news about him taking in Danny Fenton: he looks into Danny Fenton. He finds news articles about his parents' deaths, their occupations, everything he can get his hands on.

At the next gala, he sees Danny again. And he looks the same as ever: quiet like a ghost, just as pale, and full of grief. Bruce sits in silence with him again for nearly ten minutes before he strikes a conversation.

"Do you like to do anything?"

Nothing. Just silence.

Bruce isn't quite sure what to do: comfort is not his forte, and Danny doesn't know him. He's smart enough to know that. So he starts talking about other things; anything he can think of that Brucie Wayne might say, that also wasn't inappropriate for a kid to hear.

Danny says nothing the entire time, and is again the first to leave.

Bruce watches from a distance as he intercts with Vlad Masters; how Vlad Masters interacts with him. He doesn't like what he sees: Vlad Masters keeps a hand on Danny's shoulder like one would hold onto the collar of a dog. He parades him around like a trophy he won.

And there are moments, when someone gets too close or when someone tries to shake Danny's hand, of deep possessiveness that flints over Vlad Masters' eyes. Like a dragon guarding a horde.

He plays the act of doting godfather well: but Bruce knows a liar when he sees one. Like recognizes like.

Danny is dull-eyed and blank faced the entire time; he looks miserable.

So Bruce tries to host more parties; if only so that he can talk to Danny alone. Vlad seems all too happy to attend, toting Danny along like a ribbon, and on the dot every hour, Danny slips away to somewhere to hide. Bruce appears twenty minutes later.

"I was looking into your godfather's company," he says one night, trying to think of more things to say. Some nights all they do is sit in silence. "Some of my shareholders were thinking of partnering up--"

"Don't."

He stops. Danny hardly says a word to him, he doesn't even look at him -- he's sitting on the ground, his head in his knees. Like he's trying to hide from the world. But he's looking, blue eyes piercing up at Bruce.

Bruce tilts his head, practiced puppy-like. "Pardon?"

"Don't." Danny says, strongly. "Don't make any deals with Vlad."

It's the most words Danny's spoken to him, and there's a look in his eyes like a candle finding its spark. Something hard. Bruce presses further, "And why is that?"

The spark flutters, and flushes out. Danny blinks like he's coming out of a trance, and slumps back into himself. "Just don't."

Bruce stares at him, thoughtful, before looking away. "Alright. I won't."

And they fall back into silence.

Danny, when he leaves, turns to look at Bruce, "I mean it." He says; soft like he's telling a secret, "Don't make any deals with him. Don't be alone with him. Don't work with him."

He's scampered away before Bruce can question him further.

(He never planned on working with Vlad Masters and his company; he's done his research. He's seen the misfortune. But nothing ever leads back to him. There's no evidence of anything. But Danny knows something.)

At their next meeting, Danny starts the conversation. It's new, and it's welcomed. He says, cutting through their five minute quiet, that he likes stars. And he doesn't like that he can't see them in Gotham.

Bruce hums in interest, and Danny continues talking. It's as if floodgates had been opened, and as Bruce takes a sip of his wine, it tastes like victory.

("Tucker told me once--") ("Tucker?") ("Oh-- uh, one of my best friends. He's a tech geek. We haven't talked in a while.")

(Danny shut down in his grief -- his friends are worried, but can't reach him. When he goes back to the manor with Vlad, he fishes out his phone and sends them a message.)

(They are ecstatic to hear from him.)

It all culminates until one day, when Danny is leaving to go back inside, that Bruce speaks up. "You know," He says, leaning against the railing. "The manor has many rooms; plenty of space for a guest."

The implication there, hidden between the lines. And Danny is smart, he looks at Bruce with a sharp glean in his eyes, and he nods. "Good to know."

The next time they see each other, Danny has something in his hands. "Can you hold onto something for me?" He asks.

When Bruce agrees, Danny places a pearl into his palm. or, at least, it's something that looks like a pearl. Because it's cold to the touch; sinking into Bruce's white silk gloves with ease and shimmering like an opal. It moves a little as it settles into his hand, and the moves like its full of liquid.

Bruce has never seen anything like it before, but he does know this; it's not human. "What is it?" He asks, and Danny looks uncomfortable.

"I can't tell you that." He says, shifting on his foot like he's scared of someone seeing it. "But please be careful with it. Treat it like it's extremely fragile."

When Bruce gets home, he puts it in an empty ring box and hides the box in the cave. He tries researching into what it is. he can't find anything concrete.

Everything comes to a head one day when Danny appears at the manor's doorstep one evening, soaking wet in the rain, and bleeding from the side.

[novelconcepts]

wait wait wait, so we had: a gorgeously diverse, complicated story about the folly of the Jedi, set against the backdrop of truly fascinating Force witch lore and a potential deep-dive into the real fallout of suppressing emotion, complete with totally rad lightsaber fights, grayscale characters all around, and the coolest fucking helmet in the history of the franchise, all tucked into the world of Star Wars, which makes money simply by existing--and they cancelled it?? i am going to explode

[landofartandcraft]

I REALLY like them OKAY

They are so funny together and it's so obvious they care even if they can't stop bickering like a pair of silly dudes

[ganondoodle]

you know im unable to shut up when i have any opinion on zelda (though i try and have thus far succeeded at not commenting on any other concept from the darn book)- i find most totk ganondorf concept art worse than what we got to insulting even (of those i have seen) ..... this one though

much more the one in the background than the one up front, still at least he has the collar and the weapon we saw in the first trailer of things that never happen in the end (like so much else)

[nordidia]

having a very rough night so raph doodles needed to be made

when in need, mash two interests together

[tapakah0]

Animation commission I guess...

Um... ha-ha, okay, it has been stuck in my head for the whole month, but if I will keep it any more I will explode, I need to busy my brain even more I'd like to take an animation commission. Like, a fully colored, shaded, with lightning, with in-betweens, with the clean line (and background). Up to 5 seconds depending on what you want to get I guess the price may start from 250$ and be higher or less depending on complexity of the details, character or movement (<- of course everything will be negotiated) I never took such commissions before so please be patient with me since I might spend even months ha-ha (really wanna beat this fear of taking something more complex) But I will do my best since it will be first experimental time for me 1. Payment via Boosty after acceptance of the sketch animation (very rough idea) 2. I think I can draw mostly anything (but won't 18+, guro and I can decline something if I feel like I will not like to do it) 3. You must have a reference of the character, I'm not ready to work with something that doesn't have a ref to start working right away 4. Please, properly think of what you'd like to see, I will not make 3 different rough animations of different ideas because you suddenly had another idea ;~;; 5. Note me in dms if you'd like to take commission... (I'd like to move to discord later since it's more comfortable in here) Uh... I have only this as a more or less proper example (it was based on amazing storyboard by yeye23)

Okay, I'll just leave it here if someone really will be interested and will delete if it if it will be decided.... I just feel like my brain is dying if I don't have an enjoyable/stressful more complicated work on a side that demands an attention from me. Have a nice day

[turtleblogatlast]

Leo being put into a situation where there is absolutely no fighting, just verbal manipulation and perception games, would be amazing to witness. We see a lot in the series how good he is at subterfuge and how he uses his perception to manipulate to great effect, so it’d be so cool to really see it put to the test even more.

Manipulation is one of the most effective tactical strategies of all time, so just imagine Leo putting this skillset of his to the full test. Imagine the boys slowly get up to busting bigger and more powerful criminals, including those with networks of crime under their belt, and a simple fight isn’t enough to take them down. For criminals like this, Leo’s skills in subterfuge would be deadly.