#and there are people out here managed to make 3D models

[modelxis]

it's a bit of a crime that some bosses just...died

their designs look too interesting to be just slayed💦

[rassicas]

my general Side Order thoughts:

I don't have much of anything groundbreaking to say. I haven't publicly said much in relation to side order in the first place, i don't want to build up crazy expectations, and I've seen much of the fanbase making solid theories anyways. also there has been a lot less information compared to ROTM which is great, I don't want to be able to predict the whole story before the game comes out. I'd rather be surprised like i was with octo expansion! here I just want to put out my thoughts real quick so people know where I stand and that yes i am aware of the Hints and Foreshadowing

Marina's quote at the end of her interview in Splatune 3 is relevant of course, gives us a sense of what this whole world of order is. But did she build it this whole digital simulation, or was it something she found? (mix of both perhaps? found it, contributed to parts of it and it went out of her control?)

Mem cakes, agent 8, cerebral theming...very interested where this all goes. love all the references to OE keep em coming

People have been talking about this already, and the foreshadowing was acknowledged back in haikara walker in 2018. the hat logos on dedf1sh and paul gotta be connected to this thing.

It'd be a huge waste for a more grown-up paul to not show up in s3, either as someone mentioned by Acht or for him to make some sort of musical return post side order.

Glen fiddler has always been interesting to me (in that i anticipated he would become plot relevant somehow) with how he was fully 3d modeled in his sunken scroll. im not 100% on if hes gonna be in side order but the copy machine connections in side order (the fish skeletons in splatoween, also the recent poster?) are sus

^has to be agent 4. of course. seeing enemy inklings instead of enemy octolings sounds awesome btw

I'm expecting the inkopolis square hub to come back as a thing you can access post-game. pearl and marina splatfest concerts

iso padre please come back to me (maybe in said inkopolis square hub world)

who the fuck are you. not a mantis shrimp, looks too soft to be a crustacean to me. closest thing i can compare this to is a black dragonfish nymph but i kind of doubt it. maybe it is some guy who was created to manage things, like CQ to the deepsea metro?

[genericpuff]

Here's your regular service reminder that $48k/year sounds like a dream come true to people who have never made a living off their art or comics before, until you factor in the following:

Cost of assistants which is out-of-pocket (some creators literally don't hire assistants because of this which makes the process of meeting their deadlines even harder)

Cost of additional tools necessary to making webtoons and meeting deadlines, such as paying for drawing software, 3D models, etc.

Cost of emergency services such as healthcare are not covered by WT, so if your health deteriorates while you're working on your comic (which it often does for many creators whose bodies are destroyed from working long hours at a desk 7 days a week), WT will not help you.

No paid vacation time, no paid sick leave, no accommodations for people with kids, disabilities, etc. meaning if you have to take time off, WT will not be covering it.

Speaking of vacation time, Webtoons ONLY pays creators for completed and submitted episodes, meaning they will not pay you for pre-production time leading up to a series release OR have your back when you have to go on hiatus. Some creators manage multiple series to make ends meet and avoid stretches of unpaid hiatuses (IIRC I believe KitTrace does this with Nevermore and Shiloh rotating on and off hiatus one at a time) and others simply have to go without pay relying solely on their Patreons and other forms of income when they go on hiatus. And, as we've seen in the past, when they return from hiatus is often up to Webtoons, not them.

That $48k is basically just an average ballpark of what Webtoons pays creators for a season of content, and for those who recall, FastPass earnings are not given to creators until they make back that payment.

It's really hard to get people to FastPass when Webtoons is deliberately not advertising your series and, in some cases, outright SABOTAGING your attempts to advertise.

I don't even know if that $48k is before or AFTER taxes, I'm assuming before considering this is a self-employment contract, meaning you likely have to put away a good few thousand for taxes depending on your state tax rate and what you're able to write off. This also includes having to track assistant expenditures for filing.

The 60-80+ hour weeks many creators are having to pull to meet their deadlines turns that $48k/year into an ASTOUNDING drum roll ... $11 - $15/hour! Which is just barely over minimum wage in many states, and absolutely 100% not a living wage in most! And that's BEST CASE scenario in which you don't pay an assistant, don't suffer any health expenses, don't pay for 3D models / software, and POSSIBLY don't pay your taxes. Yaaaaay! 😒🖕

TL : DR $48k/year hasn't been a salary worth bragging about since 2005 ESPECIALLY not for such high-demand specialized work like this, fuck you Webtoons <3

[dragonmarquise]

How to Deal with Windows 10/11 Nonsense

This is more for my own reference to keep all of this on one post. But hopefully others will find this useful too! So yeah, as the title says, this is a to organize links and resources related to handling/removing nonsense from Windows 10 and Windows 11. Especially bloatware and stuff like that Copilot AI thing.

First and foremost, there's O&O Software's ShutUp10++ (an antispy tool that help give you more control over Windows settings) and App Buster (helps remove bloatware and manage applications). I've used these myself for Windows 10 and they work great, and the developers have stated that these should work with Windows 11 too!

10AppsManager is another bloatware/app management tool, though at the moment it seems to only work on Windows 10.

Winaero Tweaker, similar to ShupUp10++ in that it gives you more control over Windows to disable some of the more annoying settings, such as disabling web search from the taskbar/start menu and disabling ads/tips/suggestions in different parts of the OS. I think ShupUp10++ covers the same options as this one, but I'm not entirely sure.

OpenShell, helps simplify the Start Menu and make it look more like the classic start menu from older versions of Windows. Should work with both 10 and 11 according to the readme.

Notes on how to remove that one horrible AI spying snapshots feature that's being rolled out on Windows 11 right now.

Article on how to remove Copilot (an AI assistant) from Windows 11. (Edit 11/20/2024) Plus a post with notes on how to remove it from Windows 10 too, since apparently it's not just limited to 11 now.

Win11Debloat, a simple script that can be used to automatically remove pretty much all of the bullshit from both 10 and 11, though a lot of its features are focused on fixing Windows 11 in particular (hence the name). Also has options you can set to pick and choose what changes you want!

Article on how to set up Windows 11 with a local account on a new computer, instead of having to log in with a Microsoft account. To me, this is especially important because I much prefer having a local account than let Microsoft have access to my stuff via a cloud account. Also note this article and this article for more or less the same process.

I will add to this as I find more resources. I'm hoping to avoid Windows 11 for as long as possible, and I've already been used the O&O apps to keep Windows 10 trimmed down and controlled. But if all else fails and I have to use Windows 11 on a new computer, then I plan to be as prepared as possible.

Edit 11/1/2024: Two extra things I wanted to add onto here.

A recommended Linux distro for people who want to use Linux instead of Windows.

How to run a Windows app on Linux, using Wine. Note that this will not work for every app out there, though a lot of people out there are working on testing different apps and figuring out how to get them to work in Wine.

The main app I use to help with my art (specifically for 3D models to make references when I need it) is Windows only. If I could get it to work on Linux, it would give me no reason to use Windows outside of my work computer tbh (which is a company laptop anyways).

[starberry-cupcake]

HAPPY HALLOWEEN: CHAPTER 33 PEOPLE, WE'VE MADE IT!!!

previously, on harrowcita del 9:

this was the last recap update

this was my recap of where I left off

this is the post about camilla's reappearance which I can't reproduce in its entirety in this post but I suggest you look at

CHAPTER 33:

harrowcita is hanging out in a nice planet that sounds very pleasant

we've been so long in the emperor's bolthole and canaan house that this feels like heaven, actually

let's build a cottage and live here forever maybe

even better, as previously established, camilla is here

there's nature, there's little bugs, there's camilla, what else do we need???

maybe gideon would be nice

camilla shows up like "hey, loser, I need you to do me a solid" and pulls out palmolive's reconstructed skull

harrow is like ???????????????????????????

and here's where things get complicated for that 3D model I was building

harrow remembers camilla and palmolive dying the way they died in the gideon-less au

like, shot in the face repeatedly

her memory of them is the memory of the gideon-less au: not knowing them much, not remembering their faces much, seeing them shot to death by a slasher villain

and I'm like...huh????????????????????

because, as previously established (5 months ago), in the gideon-less au, dulcinea isn't not!dulcinea

she's real!dulcinea and protozoa is alive

he's reciting poetry and ortus doesn't like him coming for his gig

however, harrow does remember not!dulcinea being a threat and yandere twin has repeatedly talked about how she took off her arm and all that

so...which is it????

camilla is like "look, I don't care about your lack of memory or the fact that you're currently bleeding out of every perceivable orifice in your head, I got a job for you"

harrow is, as usual, skeptical of everything, especially of camilla being real, because 1) they're like in the orbit of the emperor's supposedly top secret bolthole, 2) camilla was supposed to be dead and 3) she's too perfect to exist

well, that last one was mine, but still

and harrowcita is dealing with this thing in which she can't trust her mind because, for all intents and purposes, she has an emotional support apparition trailing her

so harrow starts attacking camilla to try to figure out if she's real and camilla is slaying all her constructs because she's that bitch

so harrow accepts to listen and then camilla gives her palmolive's skull that's all glued back together with a lot of care, love and patience

camilla says they planned stuff in case he died (Sixth house winning points with me every single day, they came PREPARED, not like you SECOND HOUSE, YOU JUDGMENTAL ASSHATS)

in case palmolive kicked the bucket, he'd tether his soul or energy or whatever incorporeal thing that makes him himself to his remains

his remains blew to bits though

sometimes it doesn't matter how much you plan, things just blow up and explode in a million pieces

like my plans of reading this book in less time

so camilla found some palmolive scraps and put them together but if whatever bit of him he's tethered to isn't there, she has to go back and look for more bits

basically, camilla needs harrow to tell her if palmolive's force ghost is in the collected bits

harrow is both bleeding from every orifice and also very confused with everything that is happening

those are the two things she's been consistently experiencing all book long

but she's harrowcita nonagesimus and she's no quitter so in she goes to the river to see if indeed palmolive sextus has managed to cheat death, so to speak

she's expecting to have to do this

but she finds herself here

there's a nice little room with a cushion-y bed, some books, a window, a chair, etc

and there's also my reluctant bestie palmolive (I'm growing attached to him against my initial intentions)

palmolive hugs harrow and harrow is even more confused than before because affection????? care???? in this economy?????

so my reluctant bestie palmolive was able to create a sort of bubble in the shores of the metaphorical ghostly river

he created a space in the nothing, so to speak, a space in which he can remain without being pulled away from the same spot

he tethered himself in a cellular level in a spiderweb-like form to his pieces and was able to craft an unmoving reproduction of the place where he died, with what he could see at that time

that includes one romance book he's in the midst of writing fanfiction of

as one would

palmolive is also very upset at harrow taking approximately 8 months to get to him

harrow is like ?????????

palmolive goes "how did you get separated from cam?"

harrow is like ???????????????????????????

and when harrow starts with the lyctor spiel...

(is anyone impressed by that? ever? the emperor is a clown)

...palmolive says "tell me you did it correctly"

harrow tells him she slurped her cav

which we all know might not be entirely true because 1) harrow thinks ortus was his cav (brother in being blown to bits to palmolive) and 2) she's lyctor lite

but palmolive doesn't know this

he's very disappointed in god, and aren't we all

palm, my reluctant bestie, if you knew the guy you'd be even more disappointed

BUT THERE'S NO TIME FOR ANY OF THAT BECAUSE THERE'S SOMEONE AT THE WINDOW JUST IN TIME FOR HALLOWEEN

IT'S THE SLEEPER/WAKER/SLASHER

palmolive thinks harrow brought him there but he doesn't know who tf it is because he's the real palmolive and not the gideon-less au palmolive

the slasher villain is trying to get at them

if harrow leaves palm's apartment, the waker/sleeper/slasher will leave too, according to him

he kisses harrow's brow and drops a funny one-liner, as he does, because he's a nerd

harrow reluctantly leaves and shows up in a dark corridor

but it's not a corridor and it isn't dark

and most shocking of all

THERE'S A "ME"

THERE'S A NARRATOR

"you never could have guessed that he had seen me"

WHO'S ME?????? WHO IS NARRATING????

and that's it for chapter 33, I'm glad I stopped halfway 5 months ago because idk if I would have been able to do what I did if I had read until the end

happy halloween fam! I'll post my costume later but it isn't locked tomb related although maybe next year???

[fantasy-anatomy-analyst]

Shapeshifter Anatomy

shapeshifter is a broad category, covering any fictional creature or peoples that can alter the shape of their body. some can shift into pretty much any animal, like animorphs or DnD druids. some are shapeshifters against their will, like werewolves. I'll be covering the anatomical possibilities for shapeshifters with a limited ability to change their shape, more like werewolves.

the anatomy required to change one's form mostly involves keeping a lot of body parts "hidden" until they're brought out to use. there are a lot of animals that can do this! cats have retractable claws, eels have a secondary jaw in their throats, many snakes have large fangs that fold back in the mouth. etc.

hair and feathers are also capable of changing the shape of a creature by the way they move, like the quills of a porcupine or the display feathers of many birds of paradise. this is a much less flexible sort of shapeshifting, but it's a good option for intimidation and courting displays or temporary disguise.

to keep this post simple, I'm just going to focus on a humanoid with a singular monstrous form, but these concepts could be used for a lot of different creatures! though I haven't fully determined how to make someone go from mostly hairless to suddenly very furry. Maybe becoming a werewolf just gives you a lot more body hair growth and it puffs up during the transformation.

(image description: compiled sketches of different animal anatomy. in the top left corner, there are colored diagrams showing the different parts of a human skull and a wolf skull. in the top left, a diagram showing how cat claws retract and bend forward. on the bottom, sketches of moray eel and viper skulls, showing the eel's secondary jaw and the viper's folding fangs. end description.)

It took a while but i managed to find an ask i answered a while back about giving humanoids retractable claws like cats have. so that's at least one part of possible shapeshifter anatomy covered! the tldr is this: retractable claws actually require the first joint of the finger or toe to be folded backwards, and then the claw comes out when that joint flexes forward. it does make the fingers and toes shorter and more bulky at the front, but that's fine.

here's a look at just the skull and upper torso of a potential were-creature or monstrous humanoid.

(image description: colored sketches of a humanoid skeleton with a retractable fang on both the upper and lower jaws, as well as an extra joint on the lower jaw, and neck vertebrae that sit more curved in the first sketch and straighten out to a longer neck in the second sketch. end description.)

this could use more polish before it's really ready to add the fleshy parts on top, and they wouldn't quite look fully human on the outside. If you want to take something like this even further, you can alter the entire skull to be full of small moving joints, like how so many fish are able to fold up their jaws and then shoot them forward like a tube. or the sarcastic fringehead, a fish that can unfold its jaw as a method of intimidation.

(video description: a 3d model of a carp's jaw, showing how it's made of multiple parts that can all move and extend the mouth. end description.)

(image description: two photos of a sarcastic fringehead. the top photo shows this fish at rest, with its jaw frame folded backward along its face. the bottom image shows this fish with its jaw fully extended, revealing a very wide panel of brightly colored flesh on either side of the mouth. end description.)

facial changes like this are probably the most difficult part of making the anatomy for a shapeshifter. but the more moving parts their face has, the more variety of face shape you get! moving to the rest of the body though, let's consider how an upright human figure could shift into a quadrupedal form with digitigrade legs, since werewolves are probably among the more common creatures all this advice is useful for.

(image description: a simplified human skeleton and wolf skeleton next to each other, with an arrow pointing from the human to the wolf. end description)

pretty much all vertebrates have things in common when it comes to the form of their skeletons. the general location of each limb and the ribs and pelvis are always similar. but their exact size and shape varies from animal to animal. so you can't really make a normal human skeleton turn into a normal wolf skeleton. but you can make a weird human skeleton that doubles as a weird wolf skeleton.

(image description: same as above, but now the human shaped skeleton and the wolf shaped skeleton match each other, and the human shaped one is hiding its longer neck, spine, and tail by holding them with a far more curved shape while the wolf shaped skeleton holds them more straight. end description.)

okay they're not an exact match, but I tried. any humanoid being with a skeleton like this is not going to be able to fool anyone into thinking they're a normal human when they're naked. but with the right styling of clothes, a lot of the weird curves, hunched shoulders, and awkward feet problems can be hidden from view.

anything that gets more complicated than this will require extra bones and joints and muscles depending on what exactly you need your shapeshifter to do! a change in posture is a lot different than, say, being able to extend the length of their limbs or alter the shape of their ribcage by making it more narrow and protruding vs more flat and open.

I can't personally cover every single possibility! so you all will have to just use this post as a springboard and go explore more ideas yourself! I started with the idea of taking a human skeleton and altering it, but imagine what this would look like if the base form was entirely non-human! or if they were more of an invertebrate! extra arms can be folded to resemble the shape of a torso, for example. there are so many more options I'm sure I didn't even think of.

go put your mind to work and have fun!

[pommpuriinn]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪. 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉’𝓈 𝓉𝒽𝒶𝓉 𝓂𝑒, 𝑒𝓈𝓅𝓇𝑒𝓈𝓈𝑜 5

๋࣭⭑ pairing ๋࣭⭑- idol!yeonjun x superstar!oc x idol!jungkook

๋࣭⭑ synopsis ๋࣭⭑- a love triangle between Hollywood’s sweetheart, Korea’s golden maknae, and Gen Z’s IT boy. Estrella is a very busy woman who never had time dating with all her photoshoots, movie offers, recording sessions, dance practices, and public appearances. As she’s doing a little world tour promotions for her latest mini album ‘You & Me’, and let’s just say that stop lasts a little longer and it becomes a little too interesting.

๋࣭⭑ a/n ๋࣭⭑- this is a filler chapter, but I hope y’all still enjoy 🫶🏼

Korean = italics English = normal

outfit | makeup | hair | nails

Today is the pop up event for fans to visit and buy merchandise such as clothing items, albums, cute pc holders, and other little trinkets. Estrella even came early before opening to sign posters and even the huge picture of herself on the wall so fans could take their cute photos. Estrella took time taking photos in the different photo ops so she can post later. “I’m glad my vision came to life.” Estrella was planning this event for months since this pop up event will not just be in Korea. She would make 3D models on her iPad making sure everything was perfect. “Oh my god, Estrella you have to see how many people are lined up.” Daya grabs Estrella by her hand and pulls her towards the entrance. Starrys started cheering and pulling out their phones to record Estrella, who immediately started giving fanservice; waving, heart poses, and blowing kisses at all the starrys by the entrance.

“Estrella, can I talk to you for a minute?” Megan pulled Estrella’s attention away from her fans. “Yeah.” Estrella quickly waves ‘bye’ before following Megan. “So I just received a bunch of calls from different entertainments here asking if you will allow their idols to come visit because they are a big fan of yours. I just didn’t want to give a quick answer before I had a talk with you.” Megan always included Estrella in decision making. “Yes, but my starrys will not wait outside longer than the opening time just because an idol is in here. My starrys have been waiting since the middle of night and I will not let them wait any longer.”

Estrella obviously really cares for her fans and always wants what is best for them, plus seeing how dedicated they are to coming to her events and waiting for hours on end just to see a glimpse of her, or just to make sure they buy the merch before it sells out. That’s why when celebrities come to Estrella’s events she doesn’t treat them better nor give them special treatment. They will receive the same like all her starrys get. Because she sees how other celebrities act with their fans when their celebrity friends come or how they make them wait even longer because their “friends” are in there looking around taking their time buying everything.

“For sure, I’ll call them back and tell them.” Megan goes back to business leaving Estrella to finally open her pop up. Before Estrella could open the doors the staff made sure to tell the fans not to act too crazy around Estrella when they get inside since she’ll be there helping them and checking out their items. Once the first set of starrys came they were already freaking out in the entrance way because there stood Estrella helping the staff pass out exclusive photocards.

After a couple of hours helping starrys find the right size, finding out if they have more in stock of the photocard holder, checking out starrys at the register, and helping taking the photos for starrys in the photo ops. Many videos went viral joking that Estrella is those managers doing everything and running that pop up like the military.

“Lunch time boss.” Sana giggles, guiding Estrella away from the register. “We got pizza in the back and a special someone came.” Estrella furrowed her eyebrows trying to think who it would be. Since lots of idols came to the pop up and were just as excited as starrys were seeing Estrella in person.

“Our star is here after working so hard.” The staff laughed seeing Estrella's tired face. “We ordered pizza,” Sana plated two slices of pizza for Estrella. Luckily the pop up staff created a little green room for Estrella’s team to chill in while Estrella worked the floor. Estrella wanted to start eating, but she wanted to know who was the special person to see her. “Hey who’s the-“

There was a knock at the door causing Estrella to whip right around seeing the one and only, Choi Yeonjun. He has a pink flower bouquet with him making Estrella grab and pillow hiding her flustered face. Her staff never saw Estrella so shy since she’s always so confident and is never the one to break. The whole room pointed at the shy Estrella hiding from Yeonjun’s eyes. “Why, why?” He comes closer to Estrella, confused about her flustered state. “Why the flowers?” Estrella asked while placing the pillow from her face on to her lap. “I wanted to give you a little congratulation on your successful promotional week.” Yeonjun handed over the bouquet to Estrella. “Oh my god, thank you.” She pulls him into a hug. Yeonjun was a bit taken back at the friendly gesture, but nonetheless wrapped his arms around her, hugging Estrella back.

After the hug Yeonjun realized that she had yet started eating, so not wanting her to go back out there with an empty stomach he started encouraging her to eat. “You're welcome. Start eating, you need energy to go back.” Yeonjun rubs her back, while taking back the bouquet, gently placing the flowers on the table letting Estrella to eat. If the staff didn’t know any better they would’ve thought Yeonjun was her boyfriend with how he’s treating her.

“Should we leave the two?” Daya whispered to Sana, who was watching the scene in front of them. “Yeah.” Sana nods her head grabbing Daya’s hand. “Hey, we should let Estrella rest alone. Let’s help at the front.” Sana gets all the staff members out. Before Daya and her head out last, Sana sent a quick wink towards Estrella who wanted to roll her eyes, but held it in.

Now that Estrella and Yeonjun were by themselves she decided to make the first move. “So…what’s the real reason why you’re here? Did you miss me that much, mm?” Estrella raised her eyebrow at him, while wiping her hands with a baby wipe to get the pizza grease off her fingers. “Maybe~” Yeonjun smiles, while playing with Estrella’s jog string that was hanging from her fluffy skirt. “How cute.” Estrella chuckles. “But I also wanted to come and support you. I am a fan too, you know.” Yeonjun leans back into the couch they’re sitting on. “You must be living every fan's dream right?” Estrella gives Yeonjun her signature sweet smile many fall for. “Not yet.” Yeonjun’s dream is to be able to bag Estrella and make her his.

The two make intense eye contact with each other feeling the tension in the room. It is so thick you cut it with a knife. Estrella moves closer while placing her hand on Yeonjun’s cheek caressing it. Yeonjun was instantly wrapped around her finger as he leaned closer into her touch. Yeonjun was also closing the gap between them.

*knock knock*

“Estrella 5 minutes!” Megan’s voice was heard through the other side. The two quickly went back to their places. Estrella looked at Yeonjun while giggling, causing him to laugh too. “Are you free tomorrow night?” Estrella asks, while crossing her right leg over her left. “Why not tonight?” Totally whipped. “I have plans tonight jjunie.” He could hear his heart beating louder with hearing his nickname coming from her lips. “Before I head out,” Estrella grabs a piece of paper and a marker from her Vivienne Westwood shoulder purse. “Here so you don’t miss me too much.” Estrella says, as she writes down her number with an xo at the end. “Bye~” she pets his head before walking out of her green room.

Yeonjun sat there still processing what’s written on the paper. “The woman you are Estrella Blue.” He sighs, dreamily.

taglist»-♡→ @iveivory @jjkluver7 @lively-potter @angie-x3 @herebyaccident0 @mitchko11

[littlekiara96]

Why are there so many little inconsistencies about Gallagher and who he is?

[Obvious spoilers for 2.0 Penacony content undercut, you've been warned.]

This reflexion of mine started back when I first saw him during the Penacony storyline and in that one occasion you can mention him to an NPC at Dream's Edge.

Let's talk about the first time we see Gallagher, and more precisely, how the two NPCs present react to him.

(Let's call them Taylor and Bob. Taylor uses a fem 3D model, but Gallagher keeps gendering both of them as men, so I'll roll with that.)

First, Taylor does not know Gallagher at all. Nothing strange there. The Families have a lot of members, it sounds believable. For now.

Bob, on the other hand, recognises him. But he seems to do so thanks to his appearance and his "trademark" features (brown hair and grey vest) more than because he actually knew him.

He also describes Gallagher as the "officer sent by the Family". Here, "officer" could either mean a worker for the Family, which is a given, or it could be an actual rank, which sounds more probable. He does wear what looks like a badge on his left lapel.

And afterall, Gallagher trained those two, so it surely means that he's of a higher rank than them-

Wait. He's training them?

Bob recognised him, technically, yes. But Taylor couldn't even tell who he was??

And "he's been training them"???

How does one of your trainees not recognise you on sight??!

And that's not the weirdest part.

So, Gallagher was specially sent by the Family to ensure the safety of the Charmony Festival, right? So, that sounds like he's kind of a big deal, right? Like... Other Bloodhounds would know about his presence, right?

Okay. Either the guy who won't let us to the secret place is lying as a means to do his job...

Or there's something wrong about Gallagher, actually...

Alright... What do we know about him, at this point?

Bartender and security officer. That makes sense for different reasons.

Coty and Woolsey, two other Bloodhounds, also explain the extent of the Bloodhound Family's job.

Coty puts it quite literally: they will help you manage your emotions. Because doing so is also part of taking care of safety issues, because of how the Dreamscape works and can be affected by said emotions.

And Woolsey is the NPC who tells you if there are people in the Dreamscape who still need such aid in managing their emotions.

Thus, Gallagher being security staff and a bartender makes sense.

Here's the citation from his reveal on the HSR Youtube channel:

"Making a drink is a sensory skill. In dreams, creating fizzy concoctions requires adding a bit of your mood. Heavier if you're troubled, a touch sweeter if you're in high spirits... It's not just about mixing beverages. It's about mixing the experiences of life."

And funnily enough, there's this no-name bar with a no-name bartender somewhere on the commercial street and uhh...

Yeah, that House-Blend sounds like something Gallagher could make.

Hell, it perfectly fits!

But let's go back to his "downloading" description...

Local of Penacony. Very knowledgeable, but also lowkey about it.

So, Gallagher is a discreet bartender with a discreet bar, and also a security officer of a high enough rank to be sent by The Family to secure the biggest event to them, and to have trainees...

And no one knows who this guy is.

Except Misha. Who doesn't even work directly with him.

... Am I the only one getting weirded out by all of this?

Bonus:

Have a lil' crack theory of my own. Because I'm silly, aha.

Gallagher and Firefly share the same shade of green with a "starry sky" pattern. He's not the real Gallagher, and the only things they actually have in common are the "brown hair and grey vest", but of course that's enough to fool everyone Superman-style.

The Bloodhounds are looking for a silver-haired boy, or at least, that's how "Gallagher" corrected them.

Is it Sparkle in disguise? Someone else? Why are they helping Firefly? Does she know them? I don't know, this is a crack theory.

Good night and have nice dreams~

ADDENDUM, because another post made me go "Waiiiit that is ALSO very weird:

Hey, remember the Pepeshi Club and its entry rules?

Cielo confirms that anyone (not just Sparkle) can change their "Dreamscape avatar" a.k.a. appearance. And the Dreamscape Pass serves as an I.D. to check someone's true identity, even when they are using an appearance completely different form it.

So uuuuuh...

Why didn't Gallagher just check Firefly's I.D.??? Wouldn't that be the first thing to do in the Dreamscape while searching for a stowaway who could change their appearance so easily???

No need to be uncourteous about it too, like Bob and Taylor were... Just a lil' "Excuse me, milady, may I have a look at your Pass, please?"

Would that have been too much??? Gallagher, dear, care to explain yourself???

[simaddix]

*Pay Attention - Part 2 - Tutorial*

I was about to go back to my business and quietly leave y'all with a word of wisdom but the very next package I opened raised my hackles. So here we go, hold on to your seat.

Disclaimer for younger/sweeter - followers - this has language in it because I'm pissed... I apologize in advance.

49,282 Polycounts. That's 50K for a fucking basket!!!

It's pretty, it's beautiful, and I downloaded it because it's everything you could want out of a basket of lemons... whoever created it did an outstanding job... for a movie production.

NOT PC GAMES.

So let's fix it - and let's hold our creators and converters to a higher standard or send them along to a different platform where they can create without our bitching.

First off, there's 3 or 4 ways you can check polycounts.

1 - TSRW under Mesh tab

2 - S3PE (Pretty sure you have to have an addon to do this - I'll try to find it when I'm done and add the link) Under MLOD, right click and go down to Preview. It'll open up a window and you can view the model and the polycount.

3 - 3D Viewer on your computer

4 - Blender or Milkshape

Now that we have the ability to check our polycount - we're gonna fix this mesh. I'm not going to show you how to package it, there are other tutorials for that part, but this is VITAL to having a healthy game, and honestly, being a creator or converter for this game. I do understand that you have to have the knowledge before you can fix a problem, so here it is - literally handed to you in a basket. I also understand that there are creators/converters who don't post polycounts because they're afraid people won't download it - that is inexcusable. If that's the case then you will eventually be boycotted by the players who know better.

Alright, so step one - you're going to want to get into blender after exporting your mesh. You're going open the modifier properties and add a decimate modifier (the wrench circled in red, and the add modifier drop down menu).

Keep it in Collapse, not un-subdivide. It's gentler on the mesh itself and you'll get a lot farther with it. You're also going to want your UV map to match what you're doing with your mesh, in case you need it for selection (I'll explain that in a minute) and have faces tagged so the selection is easier.

Now that you have that set up, you're gonna want to remove unnecessary vertices. See the shadows on the bottom of the basket? Here's how to fix that - hit tab, press A to select everything, and then go to MESH/MERGE/BY DISTANCE. This removed 16,900 loose vertices that didn't need to be there.

Go back to your modifiers and add an edge split modifier and hit apply.

Boom - no shadows.

Now that that is all done you're going to go in to edit mode (tab) and press L while hovering over what you're wanting to select. This is going to select all of the islands in your UV, and it's the fastest way (that I've found) to quickly select pieces of your mesh.

When you have your whole group selected (you can also figure out at this point what pieces need alternate textures or groups for TSRW later in your packaging process) you're going to hit P-Selection. That's gonna split whatever you have selected into a separate group.

Now, you can do that to however many pieces you see fit, but for this I'm just gonna stick with two - the lemons and the basket itself. You're going to click the blue Ratio box - and type in .5 and hit enter. That will collapse your polycount in half - (you can move that ratio box lower if you wish, but this way is the gentlest way possible and I've gotten better results. So play with it and see for yourself if you wish to. ) - Now repeat the process until your mesh starts to lose quality, I tend to stop there unless I can push it a bit further without making it look bad.

Now repeat that process with all groups.

Given that this particular mesh was such high polycount and an intricate mesh, I could only manage to get it from 49,282 faces (polys) down to 18,860. This is absolutely not okay for TS3 - and I'm using as a lesson rather than using something that I can get down to an okay level - because this is what you're going to run into when getting meshes that start in the tens of thousands of polys. THIS IS NOT MEANT FOR TS3, it's beautiful, yes, but you are putting people's equipment at risk by advertising a mesh for a 13 year old game without disclaiming that it's dangerous for it.

This tutorial will absolutely work for most objects, and I've used this process for a couple of years now with success, but you have to be able to decide what you're willing to put into TS3. We have all of these tutorials for reducing lag in this old as dirt game, but NONE of that matters if you're carrying objects like this - no matter how pretty they are.

If you need it that bad, figure out how to make a version of it that CAN look as good as this with a little less detail (think the spirals in the wicker that is actually meshed rather than just textured), or ask a creator to make something for you.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. If I have the time, I try to help whoever comes into my inbox. If I can't help, there is a hoard of creators out there that probably can.

So have fun, CHECK YOUR CONTENT, and keep your computer safe.

And creators/converters - do better.

Edit to add - to the creators/converters who do put out their polycounts, or a disclaimer of high poly/photo use only - thank you. I do understand the need for high poly objects for photo-op purposes, and I'm not here to attack anyone's preferred gaming style. I just want people to be safe while they play, as there are those who don't know what they're putting into their games. Let's help ensure that everyone has a chance to play whether they're experienced creators or regular game-players.

Edit to add 2 -

To add a bit of context - I was able to get the reduced mesh even further by removing some of the intricate details of the mesh, to create a simpler version. This is now down to 5,270 - and it could be lowered even further by removing the top of the handle - which is 1700 by itself because it's spiraled. So when you're dealing with a high mesh object such as this, pay attention to what's really adding weight, and if you can replace/remove it without taking too much away. The shadows can be fixed in gimp as well.

[smahell]

so the obey me boys aren't going to AX this year..

to absolutely nobody's surprise. yes solmare, you take away one of the most anticipated events for AX for obey me fans (at least for me; I need more fan content!)

but what I'm genuinely excited about, though I'm unable to go is..

now THIS is what i'm interested in. a new youtube audio drama project by ntt solmare: Ex and Bee: Nightfall's Coven; a mystery-centered audio drama with a dash of the dark arts and occult! am I excited just by that premise? from the little sneak peaks posted on twitter, which is the bare minimum, it's just enough to hype me up for this, yes. finally something else that might be solmare's legacy other than weird luke art and bad representation.

y'know what makes me even more excited.

look who's having a video appearance. heh. heheheh.

are they recycling VAs? yes. do I care? not at all. get that bag, Kada-san.

i genuinely think this project will be well received by those who do recognize it. with its more mature, somber theming, perhaps darker tone than obey me, it seems to still be catering to that same 16-24 age group but more to those who may be interested in psychological horror, sci-fi and true crime (aka, autistic people like me).

there's not much information i could dig from the internet about whoever else is working on the project, but i fear that the series will be reduced to 'obey me's lesser step-brother', and won't reach (enough of) its target audience, and then be completely discontinued out of nowhere after a year due to 'funding issues" (aka, not enough popularity, and daddy solmare wanting to spend his big bucks in silly dating sim game and their shitty 3D model concerts around the world (Japan and the US)).

[which is one of the reasons why i made this post. i do NOT want this project to flop just because of its relations to obey me and under funding.]

i think Ex and Bee deserves a chance its own separate fanbase from obey me... even though one of the main selling points was "hey guys!! you remember these guys??? they're gonna be here!!! please recognize them!! give us money!!!" and all that other corporate greed blabber that you don't hear from the social media managers.

conclusion: (army general voice) i want YOU to attend this panel if you are going to AX, and if you aren't, i want YOU to hype this shit up when more information comes out!1!!

[notoneopinion]

10 Ways I Soothe Anxiety

Hello. I have anxiety.

I have anxiety, but I have also managed to somehow keep a pretty good life for myself through it all. Getting out of bed when you have a paralysing fear of the world is not an easy task, but there are a few things I have found that make it that little bit easier, life that little bit smoother. And because we certainly don't gatekeep here, I thought I'd share the ten main ways I soothe anxiety. Basically, ten things I do to switch off and remove myself from my brain.

1. Turn your phone off.

An obvious one, but probably one of the most important. It's insane how clogged a person's brain will get when they spend their day glued to a phone screen. For me, it's not even just social media that sets me off, though that is a massive trigger for me and many other people; it's the phone in general. I could be playing Angry Birds for twenty-four hours and still finish the day feeling gross and anxious and guilty. The screen itself just makes me feel groggy, which in turn leaves me feeling anxious by the time I'm getting into bed that night. There are some days I will wake up, and just turn my phone off completely - usually days when I know I'm going to be at home all day, but still. That extended break from screen time is a life saver.

2. Fidget toys.

Okay, so I may also have autism.

But!!!! Fidget toys are miracle workers for all kinds of mental illnesses and uncomfortable feelings, so don't think you can't invest in some just because you're not on the spectrum. Fidget toys are literally made to soothe anxiety, so get yourself some!! I have one called a Tangle that I keep on me at all times, and I just mess with it in my pocket when I'm in a social situation and I don't know what to do with my hands, or I start feeling a little overwhelmed. It brings my fight or flight right down. I don't know the science behind it, but I honestly don't even care. Give me fidget toys, or give me death.

3. Model making, eg Legos, 3D puzzles.

Legos and 3D puzzles are another thing that has changed the game for me when it comes to anxiety. Like fidget toys, they are the perfect way to keep your hands busy, but they have the added bonus of keeping your mind busy, too. These are, of course, more of a relaxation technique, something you come home to after a stressful day rather than something to eliminate anxiety on the spot, but we'll take what we can get. These also keep you relaxed and distracted for hours, because there is hours worth of work to be put into them. Plus, they're very addictive - once you start on a Lego set, or a puzzle, you don't want to stop until it's finished. I've sat for eleven hours straight doing a Lego set just because I wanted to see the finished product as soon as possible, and during those eleven hours, my anxiety was non-existent. I was just enjoying myself the entire time.

4. Have a nap.

Very self explanatory, and yet controversial???

But genuinely, just go to sleep??? If you're having a gruesome day, and your mind is bullying you, and you're exhausted, just lay down and go to sleep. Fuck what other people say. There is nothing wrong with clocking out from the horrors of the real world for a few hours. As long as you get back up, all refreshed and ready to tackle another day, who cares??

5. Talk to a loved one.

I am very blessed that I can put this on the list. I know this can be a very difficult coping mechanism for a lot of people - trust me, I know. Growing up, my anxiety was my own, and not once did it ever occur to me to share that problem with anyone else. However, after meeting the right people, and understanding that nobody is going to be annoyed about hearing my problems, talking to people became one of the best and most useful coping mechanisms I've got. It can be as simple as sending your best friend a text telling them how you're feeling, or you can go all out and sit your Mum down with a cup of tea and bawl your eyes out. Getting those feelings out will give you a physical relief as well as a mental relief; the weight you've been carrying, a weight you probably don't even notice any more, will be gone in a matter of minutes. I promise you.

6. Exercise.

I know. I was shocked too. All those scientists that told us exercise and moving your body is good for your mental health were right. Bastards.

Just go on a walk. That's what I mean when I say 'exercise.' If you want to go to the gym and lift weights, or run a marathon, you go right ahead. More power to you. But by 'exercise' I just mean. . . move your body. Take the dog on a walk! Walk to the shop instead of driving! Get a bike! The tiniest bit of movement in a day can do wonders, whether we want to admit it or not.

7. Blast happy, sing-in-the-car music.

There's a playlist of Spotify that I highly recommend when it comes to wanting to escape reality and just have a good time. It's literally called Songs to Sing in the Car, and it's one of those playlists Spotify make themselves, just full of songs that you can sing at the top of your lungs, or blast through your headphones, and just have a real good time for a little while. I know it's easy sometimes to just go straight to that playlist full of sad songs that you can relate to in that moment, but try and go for a different approach - go find old bangers that you used to jump around to as a kid. It's a breath of fresh air.

8. Do chores.

Two in one baby!

A good chunk of the time, our anxiety is stemming from our to-do list, even if we're not thinking about it. All around us is evidence of all the unfinished tasks we've got to do, and that can really stress you out. Personally, whenever I'm anxious, I become almost camotose; I will just sit on the sofa and stare at the wall, feeling everything all at once. However, I've found that using this time to do little tasks around the house actually makes me feel better. I'm not saying I go and do a full massive clean; I might push myself just a bit to wash one or two dishes, or the whole sink if I can manage it. I'll hoover the living room floor. I'll go upstairs and put my clothes away. Just tiny jobs, only as much as I can push myself to do. A lot of the time, one job turns into two, and then two turns to three, and soon my house is spotless, and you know what they say - clean space, clear mind!

9. Take up knitting/ crocheting.

This one is pretty self-explanatory. I only discovered this as a coping mechanism when I was suffering from really bad insomnia and I couldn't sleep; I somehow found myself watching YouTube tutorials on knitting, and I was overcome with this intense urge to learn. It was literally one in the morning, and I drove to my Mum's house (dragged my fiance out of bed to come with me, too, sorry babe <3) and grabbed knitting needles and some yarn. I was up knitting for about an hour, and I felt so relaxed that I actually managed to go to sleep! For the first time in days! So not only can you make really cute clothes and nick-nacks and learn a new skill, you're also relaxing that anxious brain of yours for a little bit.

10. Have a good cry.

Yeah. Just this.

[speeps-highway]

hiya speeps! love your mods and videos, they have fueled my sonic hyperfixations very well! anyway, in one of your older videos you briefly mentioned how sa1 having cutscenes play over top of gameplay was why characters could "make faces" in that game but not sa2. could you go into more detail as to why this is?

In SA1 the cutscenes are done like an RPGMaker event, it has a library of event-specific functions to control characters/objects etc. and forms a list of them as one big script.

Here's an example from one of Sonic's events:

Here's what a few of them do:

EV_MovePoint2: Move a character to coordinates with specified speed and acceleration. There's also a simpler, less used version called EV_MovePoint that does the same thing but at a fixed speed.

EV_SetAction: Give an object an action (Model+Animation) and textures. You can also specify the speed of the animation, whether it loops and (if another EV_SetAction is playing) how many frames to interpolate to this animation from the previous one. (Think every time Sonic moves his hands around while he says "Ah Yeah this is Happenin'", that uses it)

EV_SetFace: Give a character a list of preset facial animations to do (Each letter in the string corresponds to one) . It only works on Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and Tikal - no other character has faces. (Except for Big, but the game will do an out of bounds crash since he only has 6 faces instead of 20)

EV _Wait: Pause the event thread for X frames.

Here's some others that aren't in that image:

EV_CreateObject: Creates a blank object, usually used for props by giving them an appearance with EV_SetAction.

EV_PlayPad: Plays back recorded user input, Sonic Team used this whenever they wanted Sonic to jump or do a spindash.

While this way can make everything look stiff at times, it's pretty flexible and easy to play with in a mod. It's also why the game has 8 character slots and why Eggman, Tikal and event ZERO are technically player characters.

The best part about it is that the two aren't mutually exclusive, you can call anything from an event in during gameplay and vice versa, the game does this itself a few times too, like setting a flag that keeps the hint monitors active for the Twinkle Park scene.

The faces are part of the characters themselves and they'll switch to them at any time if the relevant values are changed, so I managed to figure out how to do it in the Dreamcast version in 2017. (Funnily enough, also August).

As I said above with EV_SetFace, there's only 20 faces to hold up the entire game's dialogue with (even fewer in actuality given the ones either reserved for blinking or unused) and they seem to be focused more on expression than speaking, at least for Sonic and Knuckles, which is why a lot of people find them goofy.

There's only one situation the game uses the animations for outside cutscenes - when the player gets hurt, they'll do one of their screaming animations for a few frames. (There's also a funny issue where Sonic does it after hitting Knuckles in his boss fight)

Anyway, you can call any event animation, any face and even spawn event objects (such as Chaos event actors) whenever you want in that game. Usually the only thing they need is their textures loaded.

Here's a few things I did when I first figured out how to do it:

SA2's cutscenes are full 3D animations (like Blender) in the game's event folder, everything in them is entirely separate to the gameplay stuff, so the in-game characters have no mouths or cutscene-specific animations to play around with.

It meant they didn't need to deal with gameplay limitations (like player physics) and were easier for them to test as they have a fixed timeline rather than relying on in-game sequences to fall into place.

They also had much greater control over character expressions. The mouth and head are separated and they aren't limited to the list of 20 faces. Here's a bunch I dug out a few years ago for Amy's brow alone:

They used to be really annoying to edit (I had to use a Hex Editor) but I think the SA2 Modding community has had breakthroughs since. Still, I suck at 3D modelling so I prefer SA1's.

I decompiled all of SADX PC's event scripts a few years ago so if you want to learn exactly what they do (and change them, as it's in mod form) take a look:

[vexation-816]

Hello it is I, random anon who does not know you and has never interacted with you before, what is your opinion of your mutuals?

Byxell. I know this is you but I gonna still answer this question notheless.

Anyways my opinion on my mutuals. Well where do I start?

@rabid-mercenary16

Firstly, there's the 'Greyscale Jester' Rabid. One of the first people that Ive interacted on here. She's a comedic, funny, creative, and an enjoyable person to talk to in general. When I first started on here I didn't think I would get noticed with my art but I started drawing out her characters and her and Glitchy being one of the first people to like my stuff. In the beginning I was honestly happy that people were liking the stuff I posted and shared on here. She and the others are just a big reminder to me of how I matter and just a funny person to be around I really to the bottom of my heart appreciate them for that. You're an amazing person Rabid. Don't you ever forget that.

@moshieee

Secondly, there's the adhd buddy of mine Moshie. Who cannot like this lovable person. They're one of the second traditional artists that Ive interacted with on here and Ive just enjoyed interacting with them for this entire time. They're an absolute funny, creative and amazing person to talk to in general. Ever since we started to talk more we'd just be rambling about our characters and ideas for hours and I just love their personality overall and they've just been an inspiration for me to keep going. You're an amazing person Moshie. Don't you ever forget that.

@bunnybunnsowo

Thirdly, there's the fluffy bunny friend Bun. He's a funny and creative person to talk about ideas with and they're just funny in general. I haven't talked to them until I started doing stuff for the Mafia AU and when I first talked with them they seemed like a very kind and lovable person to talk to and Im just glad that Ive been able to be friends with them and talk with them. Your amazing Bun. Don't you ever forget that.

@unfunnyaceartist

Next there's the cuphead fanatic Ace. I honestly haven't talked to her as much but she's honestly a very nice and funny person. She's very creative with what she does and they are just an amazing person to talk to in general. She's a very comedic person to talk to about Cuphead and other topics about the game. You matter Ace and don't you ever forget that.

@bixell-pixell

Next there's the robotic pal Bixell. They're a pretty creative and chill person in general. She's pretty funny and creative when it comes to the stuff that they do. Ive done 3D Modeling in the past and Im glad I found another person that takes interest in modeling. Overall they're a cool and funny person to talk to and Im glad that Im able to talk to them.

@dia-smthidk

Now we have 'The Prince' Dia. He's a pretty comedic person to talk with and they're just very creative in general. I remember that they were one of the first few people Ive started to interact with and their AU and they are just a funny person to talk to. Even when the mood is brought down they always manage to persevere. You're an amazing person Dia. Don't forget that. Make sure to take care of yourself.

@lilithloves-you

Now we catch up to Lilith. I honestly never had the chance to talk to Lilith but from what Ive seen she's a pretty nice and funny person to talk to in general. Im sorry if there's barely anything here I just haven't been able to talk to ya but your a very amazing and creative individual and don't forget that.

@glitchyk

Im not sure if Glitch will see this but I will type one out for them anyways. She is honestly a funny, creative, nice, and overall just an amazing person in general. They were always that little voice of motivation that just encouraged me to continue with traditional art and were just there for me whenever I was having a bad day or down to my lowest. I honestly do miss them to the bottom of my heart and I hope they are doing well at the moment.

@neptunestoast

Lastly, we have the Blob, Neptune. Ive seen them around here a few times before but never gotten a chance to talk to them. But when they got invited to the Sona Mafia server they are just a wholesome, funny and creative person to talk to. When I first saw their art style I was shocked on how good it was and was just thinking 'Why is this individual so underrated?!?" But still Neptune your an amazing person dude. Don't forget that.

Im sorry if some of my writing seems repetitive. Im not the best writer out there but I genuinely mean it when I say that you all are amazing people and Im just happy that I got to be able to interact with ya'll.

To the bottom of my heart. Thank you guys for just liking the stuff Ive done and just being like rays of hope and inspiration throughout my time on here. I appreciate you guys. I really do.

[fluffabutt]

Rewrote this fic so many times:

Yandere!Laventon x Reader

Warnings: Reader is isekai-ed and unhappy about it, feelings of betrayal, injury, drugging

———————————————————

You’ve been through this before: being introduced to the Pokémon world.

Laventon is your Professor, which makes sense since he’s the first one you meet and wearing a labcoat. He says that you fell from the sky, and you’re content to believe you’re in a very realistic dream.

The air is clear, the sky is blue, and it’s absolutely fucking freezing in your shorts.

You go through the motions, meeting your rival character Akari, the tough boss Cyllene, and establishing your ‘home town.’

It isn’t until you manage to scrape your hands while catching Pokémon that you realize you’re not in a dream.

The blood running down your fingers makes you ‘wake up’ in a sense. Laventon rushes over to bandage your hands as you walk towards him and Akari in a daze. You look at them both with new understanding.

You’re in the Pokémon world.

These are real breathing people, not 3D models on a screen.

And you come to a new understanding of how you need to do everything you can to go home.

You open the mission on your new Arcphone.

There are people relying on you back home, they must be worried.

You can’t make them wait.

————————————————————————

You keep it very professional all things considered.

The Survey Corps members are all reasonably kind people, but you don’t have any intention of getting close.

You just keep your head down and finish as many Pokédex entries as you can without working yourself to the bone, occasionally joining Laventon and the other Survey Corps members for Potato Mochi to celebrate. Otherwise you keep to yourself.

Many people try to ask about yourself but you keep them at arms length. You can’t lose focus on your mission, and any time spent trying to connect with others is better off going into survey work.

You sometimes talk to Laventon or Cyllene, mostly on business but with your attempts to keep yourself from getting sick and keeling over you spend time with them.

Paperwork mostly, but Laventon goes out of his way to include you in the small gatherings that happen within the corps.

You appreciate it, really, but you don’t see much point in team-building when you intend to leave. Laventon often walks away with a strained smile when you refuse the invitation.

Besides, what could you even talk about? That in your world none of this is real? It’s a wonder the presence of your new phone isn’t a paradox in and of itself.

So no, you tell them about the most basic parts of yourself, leaving anything else in vague statements.

And cry into the pillow that came with your futon when you feel especially homesick.

————————————————————————

The frenzied nobles add a new quirk to the mix. The Alpha Pokémon were already terrifying in their ferocity, but the frenzied Noble Pokémon?

You think whatever put you here just is interested in killing you in more extreme scenarios by the day.

Running for your life desperately pelting Pokémon potpourri, so panicked you don’t even have the breath to scream when you get hit by the damned thing.

But you work through it.

Laventon bandages your scrapes with gentle scolding about your wellbeing, but you simply just sigh and crunch numbers in your head to catch up on how much time you wasted fixing the clan problems.

Laventon offers quiet nights so you can recover and get back into shape enough to go back. You say your thanks when he offers to brew a tea that helps you sleep.

He thankfully doesn’t bring up the nightmares you wake up from with a gasp during survey expeditions. You keep the fact that your nightmares persist into your house in Jubilife to yourself.

Laventon is kind enough to keep you distracted with research talk until you excuse yourself when your eyelids flutter and he walks you back to your house.

—————————————————————————

Though you do find somebody to cling to in the whirlwind of activity. One Warden Ingo who mirrors the lost look in your eyes.

Though yours don’t glow in near darkness like his.

Ingo is the first shuddering breath you allow yourself to take, where he opens up about the memories that linger outside of his reach and you feel compelled to talk about the people you miss everyday.

You tell Ingo almost everything though you have to leave out the entirety of Pokémon being fictional, out of fear his straining psyche would deteriorate.

Of course, the Pokédex comes first, but you make an effort to keep up correspondence with Ingo. Letters fly back and forth between you two, information on the native Pokémon and their habitats is precious to you and you offer a sound board for some memories he has of his time.

You wave off the weekly invitations to spend training with Ingo. Pokémon battling is a necessary skill for the wilderness of Hisui and genuinely you have a good time. Even taking offers from Ingo for help with the Pokédex in the Coronet Highlands.

The Pearl Wardens hear about your bonding with Ingo and offer their assistance as well, and you’re extremely thankful. You even take up offers to go by yourself with the Pearl Clan without the help of the Survey Corps, Ingo helping to escort you to a settlement and take you back to Jubilife after a week of work.

Laventon approaches you in a panic when you both come back to Jubilife terrified that you went and got hurt. But you wave him off explaining where you were, and happily hand him a few journals worth of notes and show off your haul of newly captured Pokémon.

It’s the first time you see Laventon so off balance. You feel terribly guilty as Laventon just quietly collects your research and turns away to walk back to Headquarters.

Ingo escorts you the short walk to your house before you separate, to which he asks if he can join you for dinner. You feel slightly deflated with what happened but invite him over anyway, happy for the distraction of what happened.

You go to Headquarters to give your progress to Cyllene, who looks impressed at your wide berth of work. It’s only when you turn to leave that Cyllene stops you.

“We were worried for you.” She says, her hands steepled as she levels her piercing gaze at you.

“Ah, my apologies. I will alert you in the future if I intend to go out on my own-“

“You are appreciated here. People like you.” She says, the weight of that statement makes your stomach churn

“Thank you.” You say, because you don’t have any idea of what else to say.

There’s a very telling pause that only makes you fidget with your hands.

“That’s all, dismissed,” she says with a sigh, something you’ve never heard from Cyllene, and goes back to the large stacks of paperwork on her desk.

You’re happy to be able to get away from the Survey Corps.

Though you swallow the hard lump in your throat and blink back tears as you trudge back to the house.

———————————————————————-

Ingo is mercifully quiet as you help each other with a dinner, you peeling potatoes while he chops vegetables. They’re combined into the hot pot as you carefully lay pieces of meat into the hot oil.

“You’ve made great progress on the Pokédex,” Ingo finally says.

“Yes, there’s about 30 entries left. Mostly just raising Pokémon.” You say back. You push the idea of the box Legendaries into the back of your mind before your migraine gets worse.

“You’ve been here for a month yes?” He asks.

“Yes, just about.”

“Have you told anyone else?” He asks.

“Told anyone else what?”

“That the Pokédex is your only way home.” He says.

You just stare at him, he uses his chopsticks to stir the veggies and flip the meat so it cooks evenly.

“Ah, so that’s a firm no then.” He says with a sigh, running his hand over his goatee.

You just turn to grab two clay bowls and the soju you keep in your small little cellar in the floor.

You hand Ingo his bowl and once everything is finished cooking, you both set down to eat. Ingo is mercifully silent, though accepts a few swigs of your soju as you pass it back and forth.

You place your bowl on the tatami mat, laying your chopsticks across the rim, and sit back on your hands as you try to gather the words you want to say. You look at Ingo.

“If…” You start, and Ingo meets your eyes, patiently waiting. “If you could go home, would you?”

Ingo blinks, fiddles with his goatee as he looks down. You watch his eyes focus on the floor, the quirk of his eyebrows, and the subtle tap of his fingers against the tatami floor in a rhythm you don’t recognize.

“I would,” he says, after he meets your gaze again.

“So would I. So to follow that, if you knew you were going to leave, would it be fair to get close to someone knowing you’re not going to stay?”

Ingo answers you with a deep sigh, his free hand moves to the brim of his hat.

“That’s why. I want to go home Ingo. I want to see my friends, my family… it doesn’t feel fair to get close knowing that the first opportunity I have… I’d leave this world in a heartbeat.” You say.

You get up to take your dishes and place them aside, you hand Ingo a little clay bowl with a lid for him to grab the leftovers.

“I see…” he says.

“So I’ve been told to finish the Pokédex, and I’m going to,” you say, turning to face him. “And as soon as I do, we’re going to go home.”

You offer your hand out to Ingo, and his eyes flicker back and forth, searching you for something. You know there’s nothing there but your honest feelings.

He clasps his callused and scared hand against yours and gives you the soft smile he reserves for when he loses.

—————————————————————-

You walk Ingo to the door and say goodbye after he puts on his shoes. Though he walks back in after immediately stepping outside holding a bamboo box.

“This was left on your stoop,” he says, shock overriding his typical neutral frown.

You take it from him and open it.

Fresh Dango on skewers, two in particular.

You gasp with pleasant surprise and offer one to Ingo. He tries to refuse but with mild goading he accepts the present.

“I wonder who could have left it…” he says, trailing off before enjoying a mouthful of the sweet dango.

“No clue.” You say, smiling as the man manages to stuff his face full of the sweet treat like a chipmunk before heading off into the night.

You enjoy your snack, though the sweetness makes your heart hurt, knowing even if you had a secret admirer you wouldn’t be able to return their feelings.

You wouldn’t be sticking around to find out.

————————————————————————-

From there everything swivels sideways, from Palkia and Dialga, to Volo and Giratina, you barely managed to regain your focus.

The way you were ousted from Jubilife struck you particularly hard, no matter how kind Cogita and the other clans were. You didn’t try to make friends, but when no one was able to stop your expulsion your resolve was cemented.

You were an outsider, clear and simple.

So with three legendary beasts on your team you ran yourself hard and fast to the finish line. During your exile you had the opportunity to get close with Diamond Clan members and their wardens so you had a vast network of people to rely on.

A vast enough network that you left Jubilife for the final time.

You send your data to Laventon with a Staraptor you trained for correspondence. The sweet darling had been a Starly for your letters back and forth to Ingo but the poor bird wanted to evolve once your correspondence evolved to Pearl Clan, Diamond Clan, and Jubilife.

You keep all your letters brief, though Laventon often made the effort to tell you about the goings on in Jubilife: how Akari was progressing, Cyllene getting startled by the guy with the Weedle out front, etc.

Laventon often sent you treats as well, which you thanked him for, but no matter how subtly he tried to reel you back in to Jubilife you stayed in the wilderness. You didn’t want to offer anything to Laventon you knew you couldn’t give.

You couldn’t offer a friendship you knew wouldn’t last.

—————————————————————————

You finish the last of the data Laventon requested, leaning back with a heaving sigh.

You set up camp in a former Garchomp den, long since abandoned, and if you were worried about the Pokémon coming back your Godlike attack dogs would’ve made quick work of the poor thing.

You set up a fire, and quickly manufacture dinner, small tears of relief being grossly licked off by your starter Pokémon. You shove the dumb baby’s face away with a laugh, and get back to your set up.

It’s when you lean back against your curled up little menagerie of a team you realize you’ll miss them. The god Pokémon in your team were friendly, but you knew they were there because of your purpose set by the god of Pokémon itself.

Though you would happily take the image of Giratina rewarding your well placed pets with the most haunting purr noise to your grave.

So you gathered up the fancy parchment you saved for the moment when you knew you’d leave. You started your farewell letters to Jubilife first: thanking Cyllene for her kindness in offering you meals and a home to stay in, and asking her to release your Pokémon in the stables. Telling Akari she was bright and would excel in Team Galaxy and wherever she set her sights on in the future, how she should have an open heart and an open mind.

Laventon… you wrote a sincere appreciation. Without his word, without his effort, you more than likely would have died out in the wilderness. You told him you were thankful for his kindness, that you wished you could’ve taken the time to grow closer. You give him your best wishes, and make sure to bundle the finished pieces of your research with his letter.

You send your Staraptor to send the letters off, giving the sweet ‘mon a Sitrus Berry for her troubles. You give her orders to drop the letters off and then come back immediately.

You wake up when your Arcphone buzzes and tells you that God saw and recognized your mission was completed and told you to head to Spear Pillar. So you pack up your stuff and your team, and head off towards your final destination.

———————————————————————

You try to take in the journey as you make your way towards Spear Pillar, you write to Iridia and Adaman, extending your gratitude from their kindness and willingness to support you at your lowest.

You write to Cogita as well, the beautiful older woman was given some golden nuggets to make up for her generosity in feeding you and letting you stay in her home.

You write to Ingo telling him to hurry to Spear Pillar, you promise to wait for him to summon Arceus as your way of going home, and you thank him for being patient.

After that it’s slowly releasing your Pokémon as you go, your Staraptor, your starter, and the legendary trio being the only ones left in your team. You feed the Noble Pokémon treats in thanks for them helping you one last time.

You get to Spear Pillar and set up camp, with the Azur Flute.

And wait.

————————————————————-

You wait.

And wait.

And wait.

It’s the start of the second day when you start to get restless.

You go to search for food with the help of the Noble Braviary bringing you to the base. Hoping to find Ingo in the wilderness… but you only find local Pokémon.

You pace at camp from then, focusing on feeding yourself and your Pokémon while you wait.

On the evening of the fourth day you see a shape in the dark as someone approaches you from the summit and you eagerly jump to your feet.

“Ingo?” You yell, waving to them.

“Ah, no! It’s me,” the ever enigmatic Professor calls back.

Your heart drops.

“Oh, Professor, what are you doing here?” You say, trying to mask the disappointment in your voice.

“I received your letter,” he says. He gently lets a leather bag down onto the dirt near the fire. “I didn’t want that to be the last conversation we had.”

He sits across from you, rummaging through his bag until he pulls out a familiar looking tin can, holding it with a triumphant smile.

“Care for a spot of tea?” He says, giving you a wistful look. “One last time?”

You can’t find it in your heart to deny him this. Considering the care he always showed you, you figure it’s only fair to take up his offer.

———————————————————————

You sit in the silence as Laventon sets up the kettle and the tea above the fire pit. Any time you hear a noise you quickly turn to see if it’s Ingo only to be disappointed every time.

“Are you waiting for someone?” Laventon asks.

“Yes, I asked Ingo to meet me here.” You say.

“Ah you two were quite close after the Lord Electrode incident.”

“Yup.” You feel bad, but the anxiety that Ingo stood you up overrides your need to be polite. You call your Staraptor, asking her to search for Ingo, and send the fierce bird off into the night.

Laventon pulls out a set of tea cups, pouring one for you and one for himself. You accept the outstretched cup with a sigh and hold it in your hands while you give it a moment to cool. He gives your starter a Jubilife Muffin, to which the darling happily eats up.

The wind picks up and sends a chill through your warm Survey Uniform, the night air is cold to begin with much less at the peak of a mountain.

Laventon clears his throat, and your eyes snap to him.

“Would you, mind terribly, if you could recall the Gods of Sinnoh?”

Oh. Right.

“Oh I’m sorry,” you say, quickly ushering them into their respective Pokéballs. “I’ve gotten used to them with time, I can imagine how intimidating they are.”

“Indeed,” he says with a good natured chuckle. “It’s not every day you meet a god much less three.”

You nod and slowly sip your tea. It’s bitter, but considering how tough luxuries like sugar are difficult to come by, you manage to push through it. You wish you had some honeycomb though.

“Then again, you’re not an ordinary, every day person.”

You just keep your eye on Laventon, goosebumps run up your arms but you chock that up to the chill.

“Please, answer me honestly,” he asks, and you feel all your nerves stand on edge.

“Did you ever… did you ever consider a future in Hisui?”

You wanted to avoid this.

“I told you in my letter I wish we could’ve had the ability to get closer to you-“

“So why didn’t you?” He asks, his mouth strains a neutral grimace, sounding clearly hurt.

“I couldn’t-,” you start to say, swallowing a lump of tea to ease the tightness in your throat from your nerves. “I couldn’t in good conscience be your friend knowing that I’d leave.”

The Professor sighs, crossing his arms.

“That’s what you told Ingo did you not-“

How did he know that?

“-You still wanted to be friends though, you wouldn’t have come to the Survey Corps parties if you didn’t…”

Your mouth feels dry as you just stare in confusion as the Professor continues to ramble.

“If you had just been honest from the beginning I doubt we would have gotten to where we are now,” he says with a sigh. “I’m afraid it’s too late to go back to how things were. Your resolve was too steady.”

“Professor,” you manage to say past a heavy tongue. “Were you listening to me and Ingo’s conversations?”

“Only because you refused to say anything to anyone else.” He says.

What?

“What?” You ask, feeling a heaviness settle on your body.

“I had thought… I had hoped with our relationship that you would have been able to talk to me about your plans. I admired your drive to finish the Pokédex, I had even hoped…” he trails off, and then looks at you with eyes gleaming.

You meet his gaze, feeling nigh paralyzed.

“I had hoped that you could possibly come to… reciprocate my feelings for you.” He says, with a woosh of breath like he’s just lifted a heavy rock.

“You’d hoped that my desperate attempts to go home was actually a sign that I liked you? What the actual fuck Lav?” You ask incredulously, your body starting to involuntarily shake with the stress. You stand with some difficulty, trying to keep your body calm, and stand away from the fire next your starter Pokémon.

You know your buddy would have been up on their feet by now, but one look over at your companion shows they’re completely unconscious.

He seems clearly shocked, his eyes follow down to where your legs shudder.

“You found me on the beach in my pajamas! You found me lost and alone in a world I didn’t know and!-“ You shout, throwing your hands up in frustration. “-and assumed that because I eagerly helped you with your career because I had a crush?!”

Laventon stands as well raising his hands in an attempt to calm you down.

“What of all the nights we spent putting the Pokédex together?” He asks, he takes a step around the fire towards you with a hand outstretched.

You stumble away from him trying to keep the fire between you.

“I spent time with you because I thought you were nice!” You say, throwing your hands up in frustration though it makes you dizzy.

You trip over your feet and fall, Laventon rushing over to help you. You just scream and call out to your starter Pokémon, trying to get to your feet.

The beast doesn’t even flick their ears at the stimulus and your heart drops down like an elevator from the top floor of the Hancock Building.

“Hey! You’re alright!” Laventon says, his hands land on your hips and you throw your weight as hard as you can away from him.

You feel heavy, like you’ve had weights tied to your limbs as you try to dig into the ground below you for leverage. You manage to pull yourself forward, but quickly lose steam, flopping to the earth.

You make a strangled yelp as Laventon slips his arms under yours and drags you back to the fire. You struggle as best as you can while you fight your eyelids closing shut.

He pulls your limp body onto your sleeping palette, and walks over to your starter. Poor thing completely unknowing to the world.

“Wait!” You yell. “Don’t!”

Laventon simply returns your Pokémon to their ball and turns around with an offended look.

“Did you genuinely think I would hurt them?” His eyes look misty as he turns towards you. “I’m a professor that studies Pokémon… I would never cause them harm!”

You can barely even keep your head up your body is so heavy.

“So you think drugging an unsuspecting person and their Pokémon isn’t harming them?” You manage somewhat coherently, the last of your words starting to slur.

“There won’t be any negative side effects, I’m a researcher first and foremost, I made sure.”

Laventon sighs, brushing the skin of your cheek as he sits by you on your sleeping palette.

“I wish it hadn’t been this way, I didn’t…” he sighs, you close your eyes unable to face his lies anymore. “I didn’t want this. But we’ll have a fresh start you and I, there’s a ship at Prelude Beach that will take us to Galar, my home region.”

You feel tears slide down your cheeks, even if you can’t budge your eyes open. Laventon just wipes them away with a handkerchief and soft coos of reassurances that make you want to puke.

“Ingo?” you warble, begging to God and Arceus that he’ll show up to stop this madness.

“Ah,” he says bitterly, a tone you’ve never heard from him before. “Don’t worry, Warden Ingo won’t be joining us.”

Oh god please.

Not Ingo.

He didn’t deserve that.

“You’re thinking the worst of me again, love.” He says, smoothing a finger over the quirk in your brow as you fight to remain conscious. “He simply never got your letter, I convinced your Staraptor to give me it instead.”

You let out a small gasp for air as your heart thuds harshly in your chest.

“So now it’ll be just the two of us. Making a future together… you will have to leave behind your flute, the Legendary Trio of course.

“Ah well we have an appointment with the ship captain at dawn so we must make our way down the mountain quickly,” he says as he gathers you up and onto his back, your arms dangling limply as he holds up your thighs.

“If you behave, you’ll get to wave goodbye when the sun rises.”

You slip away then.

Into the void.

Knowing you’ll never see Ingo…

or your friends…

or your family….

Ever again.

[atomarium]

Wawa!

Now for real tho, how did You manage the iterator cube in the first place, I think My computer would explode just being near half the polygons

Have a 3d scug as a treat tho

Waw!

The question can be interpreted in three ways.

Technical:

just... Pain...I have an old 7th gen Intel i7, 16 gigs of ram, and RTX 3060. The thing is. When It comes to meshes, or hard surfaces (the polygons) blender is actually very good at handling a lot of them. But guess what blender does NOT like. Clouds, textures and displacments. I did the details in the cube first, and then sufferd through the pain and lag of clouds and textures.

Render times don't increase with polygons. This many poligons render a 1080p image in 40 seconds. You just have to be smart about hiding stuff you don't need when editing.

I can send you the model. It's really not a huge problem.

Creating detail kind of technical:

well it is indeed hand made. It doesn't take long if you blender very aggressively with energetic music. The first wall took me, ~30-40 hours. The second is barely visible so just a copy of that with modifications. I premade greebles and assets that I have later scatterd. You can see I reused a lot of stuff. In the project I am currently working on it will be different. But in this one, I tried to follow the doctrine of hiding the flatness of the cube. So it doesn't look like a cube with stuff on it, with fairly decent results. Made some holes some structures etc.. The plugins that I used mostly are discombulator, blenders inbuilt panel gen. And we'll uh. That's Pretty much it. Made a geonodes modifier, for the pipes. So it's easier, so that's a thing.

And the rest is just me trying to be creative and stuff.

The "how do I come up where goes what"

I domnt funkin know.

I'm an engineer. And that means I solve pracital problems. Such as, will this pipe going from here to here make sense? Or does it make sense to make this thing here if there is another nearby? I can barely be called an artist, or creative for that matter. I can't draw like at all,I just get anxiety when I try, I can't make anything that is alive in blender. Like genuenly anything.(including scugs :<). I am pretty darn new to blender with barely even 1 k hours. I looked at references of Cappins (the creator of the original 3d model found in OE.) Model, I got some inspiration from there.

Here is his model.

And here is mine ( low quality because I don't have the original on my phone)

You can defenetly see the similarities. I took inspiration from a lot of the stuff on Cappins model. Unfortunately I for some reason never figured out that iterator cube is not a cube. It's a uh... Pancake shaped cube. What I also like a lot about Cappins model, is that it's very very well balanced. Perhaps some technical details are questionable but at that scale that can be ignored. I later talked with him. And he explained me the meaning of primary secondary and tertiary detail. Wich is actually very useful. Go google it if you draw or model. As for my model. I'm happy that people like it but I'm not happy how not canon it is compared to other iterators. Perhaps, it's an older model of an iterator. It took me nearly a third of the time cappin took to make his, that explains the quality difference. And we'll he had to start from scratch.

I hope that answers all the questions, otherwise ask again. It's not like I'm gonna go anywhere.

(also pls gimme de scug model if it's okay)

[wfagamerants]

You know the drill by now. New Direct, New Mario games shown. I will talk about them here. There was plenty else I enjoyed, but with the Mario focus of the blog, I wanna give the three new Mario games my attention.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD

I understand this one feels underwhelming for some, given DK has still not gotten a non-port or remake game on Switch, but to be honest, I like this. DKCR is a phenomenal platformer and with the 3DS content included, we now finally got a definitive version to point people to and I do think this gives this re-release a lot of value.

Not much else to say, because I doubt there will be much, if anything, new. Seems like a very Luigi’s Mansion 2 HD situation and I am okay with that.

Mario & Luigi Brothership

This was easily the biggest bombshell and yeah, what a way to start the Direct. The recent RPG and TTYD remakes made me hope that Nintendo may be working on a serious relaunch for the RPG branch of Mario, but to see them do it this soon is not something I could have ever seen coming.

Much is still unknown, but there is quite a bit we can look at, like the visuals! The occasional use of 3D models in the 3DS games made me wonder what a fully 3D M&L could look like and Brothership gives a very pleasing answer. Translating a series known for stellar sprite work into 3D is an uphill battle and Brotherhood manages to pull it off with both a really faithful translation of the series’ artstyle we always saw in official art and animation that’s as snappy and toony as it should be for a series like this.

Especially happy about the cutscenes. RPG already made me really want to see more like those and Brothership is very similar. Seeing the characters be this animated and not limited to their standard animation sets is a joy to watch and M&L is the perfect series to do a lot with that.

We got plenty of new character designs already too and those largely go for a tool theme. Very interested to see where this will take things, but just in terms of designs, I like em’. Connie seems to be the big hit among fans and I am firmly in that camp too. She’s adorable.

What we hear of the music is good stuff too. It’s to be seen if Yoko Shimomura is still working her magic, but I’d be surprised if she wasn’t brought back.

In terms of gameplay there is not much known yet, but I am very curious how they’ll do things. After the Baby Bros, Bowser, Dreamy Luigi and Paper Mario, we are back to just Mario and Luigi and that promises some expansions to the gameplay around just the two of them.

We already see hints of that with the jump and hammer attacks shown in the trailer, which involved Luigi helping out Mario for a bit of a team attack. They don’t seem to be Bros Attacks, since we see the Shell one we had since PiT at the end of the trailer, so maybe that’s just what jump and hammer moves are like now? We’ll see, I find the idea intriguing. 

One thing up in the air is how the game will handle previous M&L specific characters. The series has been remarkably good about keeping those in the picture and making these games feel truly connected. Not a big deal if they treat this like a soft relaunch though, even if I would be perfectly content with even just a picture of a Shroob on a wall or something.

The titular ship and island theme makes me curious about the overall structure of the game. The most likely answer being that different areas are separated into islands you visit one by one. Perhaps there could be an exploration mechanic ala’ Wind Waker, or the very blatantly based on that section in Origami King, where you can sail yourself, find treasure and optional islands?

Only time will tell, but I am really excited and happy to see a series back that has been in a very unsure place for years.

Mario Party Jamboree

As far as realistic wishes go, Mario Party was my big one, so I am very pleased and it easily stands shoulder to shoulder with Brothership and away from Mario, Echoes of Wisdom and the Marvel vs Capcom Collection, for me.

Mario Party is one of my favorite series period and I even got quite a bit out of the pre-Switch NDCube games. 10 and Star Rush in particular I openly defend a lot. That said, my relationship with the Switch entries has been a rocky one.

I never really liked Super, it always felt like a pale imitation of the classic formula, that lacked a lot of what I like about the series and made many decisions I didn’t vibe with.

Superstars is much better, but still ended up being a tug-of-war of really good stuff and things I found still lacking, particularly in terms of content and how off a lot of minigames felt to control, compared to their original counterparts.

Jamboree is looking to be the Mario Party I have been waiting for all gen and it’s looking to fix all the problems I had with the previous games.

7 boards, 5 new and 2 returning. Never thought of a mix of old and new as an option, but it’s a move I can get behind. It’s a good way to get more boards in. I’d like it if they remade some of the GameCube boards for once, but I am not complaining. Hard to when Western Land is back baybeeeh!

The new boards all look good. It really seems like we are back to the 6-8 era approach of giving every board their own gimmick and that’s something I have been waiting to see again. The theming looks great too, especially the mall and race track ones, some creative stuff in there.

The roster surprised me too. Superstars had a laughably poor one and while Super had a large one, it made decisions I didn’t like, particularly relegating several established characters to NPC roles.

Jamboree does away with that, Birdo’s here, the Toads are back, which I really wanted and all around while I prefer less mook heavy rosters, I like the selection on offer here, especially Ninji and I’ll never say no to Boo or Shy Guy.

I also like what they did with Bowser. I love the guy, but his playable role in Super I feel robbed the series of something. His usual role is a big, irreplaceable part of the series, in both gameplay and vibe. This force who commands the power to massively shake up the game. Kamek in both function and presentation just didn’t offer a good replacement, so the new approach to have a Kamek created Bowser clone fill in is a significantly better compromise.

Ninji not being in the intro and bringing the roster up to an odd numbered 21 does indicate possible unlockables. I’d be happy if what we saw is what we get, but I’d never say no to say, Pauline, who is otherwise still strangely absent from the series.

What we saw of the minigames meanwhile looks good. A much better mix of zany antics and more grounded competition than Super had, which dialed back the slapstick adventure feeling a ton. The large number of minigames, seemingly all original this time, is also genuinely impressive.

We also got the promise of more modes, but so far the only one we got concretely introduced to is Koopathlon, which is blatantly Coinathlon from Star Rush brought online and escalated to 20 players. As someone who loved Coinathlon, I fully support this.

On top of that, I could already hear new voice clips, which is just that extra mile I appreciate. Mario spin-offs are no stranger to reusing those a ton and Party is one of the more notable examples of it, but something about the ones used post-10 I found especially grating, especially how much Superstars spams them in some minigames, so I am VERY pleased to get away from that.

On the whole, Jamboree feels like a lot of lessons were learned and they really want to make this one something special and I am very excited for that. This really makes the previous two games feel like test runs and I did hope they were just that. Especially Superstars which showed some real understanding of how to make a great Mario Party, but just wasn’t there yet in too many areas for my liking.

In general, a strong trio of titles, that really shows a surprising amount of gas in the tank for a system that is now in its twilight years. Along with the 2023 output for the series, I am extremely excited where things will go from here.