#bc now that i had to look them all up to add their release years for the spreadsheet i got myself kind of excited lol

[starbuck]

okay, update:

i have now created a spreadsheet that breaks down 2024 week by week and allots time for 28 books and 104 films, all selected very specifically and carefully for the purpose of both gaining knowledge and personal enjoyment.

will i actually stick to it? who knows! but having a schedule will absolutely help to keep me focused and on track with what i am trying to do.

various thoughts:

i would like to have a significant other

i would like to develop my personality a bit more before meeting a significant other

i should wait until after top surgery before even considering seeing anyone bc i’m gonna be much happier and more confident after that

i want to know my local area better

i NEED more pretentious local friends who are willing to experience new things with me in my local area

i need to read and watch and listen to and DO more and i have the time to do it now, so i need to make it happen

[tau1tvec]

S/O to a few of my favorite TS3CC Creators

I know this community is small, and therefore doesn't get as much love and attention as it deserves, but know that it is alive and well, much like my love for it, and it's many thanks to these ppl for keeping it fresh and fun even today.

@simtanico literally what would my sims be without you and your amazing sliders, slider fixes, and conversions.

@rollo-rolls you always work so hard to keep our sims looking stylish, I know a lotta people in this community appreciate you as much as I do!

@johziii you put so much love into your CC as you do your sims, homes and gameplay, you're truly the whole package!

@sim-songs an absolute legend for helping revive the Maxis Match ts3 community!

@nectar-cellar an absolute legend, period.

@imamiii idk how you do it, but you make this game look how it probably would had it been released today. Whether it's your gameplay posts, or your CC, I know when I see your post on my dash, I'm bound to be blown away.

@sourlemonsimblr still can't tell whether we're playing the same game, bc everything you post looks like The Sims 10, but I am so glad you're willing to share your CC with us, so maybe one day we will be playing the same game, lol.

@pleaseputnamehere just thought I'd let you know that I kiss your nosemasks goodnight as I tuck them into bed.

@xiasimla an amazing talented and devoted creator all around, every download post is a WIN.

@martassimsbook you keep my love for ts3's buy/build mode alive!

@billsims-cc ty for never giving up on us. 😭😭😭

@bioniczombie for sharing your amazing conversions, and helping run one of my favorite ts3cc finds blogs!

@satellite-sims although you aren't too active right now, I miss you, and I love your conversions sm. The extra work you put into making them the absolute best quality, just like all your posts is so loved and appreciated.

@simbouquet your mods and fixes are such a MUST, you always know exactly what this game needs, and execute it like a pro.

@phoebejaysims another amazing modder keeping this game truly interesting, ty so much for your dedication.

@criisolatex you're like some ethereal being sent to Earth on a mission to make ts3 the best it can be, and you're kind enough to share it with us.

@nemiga-sims-archive you pop out every once and a while like an all year round Santa giving us presents to throw into our games. TY!

@olomaya you work so hard to expand and improve and also make the gameplay in ts3 a lot more interesting.

@twinsimming you know you carry ts3 simblr, right? 💕

@thesweetsimmer111 besides being just the most talented animator I've ever seen in any modding community, your dedication to the youngest and ignored age groups is most admirable, ty.

@flotheory yet another talented and devoted modder giving ts3 the love and attention it deserves. I just know the devs would be so proud.

@greenplumbboblover you've always got something big up your sleeve, your ambition knows no bounds, and the ts3 community is so lucky to have you.

I'm likely forgetting some folks, so I'll probably add some more when I remember, and ty again everyone on this list for working so hard to keep this game alive, and fun, and freeeeeee!

[retrocesosdestacion]

FORMIDABLE MEMORIES OF US. | laura freigang

laura freigang x reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none.

notes: idk i hope tumblr dies, enjoy it guys bc now it is ready. most german nicknames are related to cute things :)

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘: Your memories will never be obsolete, they were meant to be yours.

It's gonna be

You and me,

It's gonna be everything you ever dreamed.

Disclosure.

Going to every place on earth was wonderful, and it was twice as good when it came to going out with your beloved girlfriend.

But it was a thousand times better when you could remember all those trips, all the little details that turned those moments into gigantic memories.

And the best way for this to happen is when you can see it every day in your gallery and imagine each scene in your head.

❝  Liebchen, what do you think? ❞  It's impossible to forget the deutch accent in Freigang's english, even if you had your mind in a book.

❝ Hm? ❞ Your eyes fell towards where the call came from, gradually closing the book between your fingers, to mark the page.

❝ I made a little castle for you. ❞ In fact, it was just a pile of wet sand with molds made by the bucket and some random holes; but you love Laura's creativity and imagination.

You laughed lovingly at the situation, not because it was funny, but because Freigang looked like a nine year old playing.

❝ This is more like a tower than a castle, Liebling! ❞ Giggling, you slowly got up from the beach towel and crawled to where the midfielder was, a few meters away.

❝ Huh, use a little of your imagination. ❞ Freigang said as she clapped her hands, knocking the grains of sand onto her own body.

A year ago, the hot summer in Europe was huge and the two of you decided to spend the weekend at the beach. Laura loved going out with you to new places, especially to take pictures of you.

Watching the German girl take photos and building in the sand on the beach was your favorite hobby. And that's exactly what you were doing.

❝ So at least add some shells! ❞ You opined, as you pulled the small jar of shells from the top of your bag; the ones you two had collected a few hours ago. ❝ I don't want a boring castle. ❞

Picking up the diverse little shells on the shores was another thing you and Laura loved to do. Anyone would say that if they saw how many of you two collect them.

Freigang had a smile on her face, the kind you remember forever. She also had the adorable camera around her neck, hanging from a small band appropriate for it.

❝ Oh, I'm sorry, Eure Majestät! ❞ The blonde woman played with your demand, gesturing surprise.

❝ Laura! ❞ A playful laugh left your lips, accompanied by the fragile slap you gave the German woman's shoulder.

You collected the small shells from the pot and began to slowly stick each shell into the wet sand of the supposed Freigang castle.

The midfielder watched you carefully, admiring your every move to decorate the sand. It wasn't long before you heard the pleasant sound of the camera taking a photo.

❝ Hey. ❞ Your eyes went to the woman beside you. ❝ Hey, hey, hey! ❞

Laura laughed.

❝ I already told you not to take photos of me distracted! ❞ You released the shells and carefully brought your hand to the front of the camera.

❝ Oh, please. You look like the cutest thing ever, [reader]! ❞ Freigang said while waiting for the image to load. ❝ Check it out. ❞ She turned the camera screen towards you.

You gave a silly and embarrassed smile, finally releasing your fingers from Laura's camera.

The German kept her passionate smile as she spent long minutes looking at the photo.

❝ Why are you looking so much, hmm? ❞ You moved even closer to the midfielder's side, taking the opportunity to wrap your arm around Laura's.

❝ I'll keep this one. ❞

❝ Huh, but do you always keep my photos, no? ❞

❝ Hm… It’s special. ❞ Freigang sounds with an embarrassed tone. ❝ It's the first time we go to the beach together. ❞ Despite everything, she was adorable and cute; and still is.

She put her fingers on the back of her head; obviously, shames. You couldn't contain your laughter, Laura's smallest details were what fueled your happiness so much.

❝ So at least have a photo of the two of us together. ❞ You said, discreetly taking the camera from the German woman's hand, removing the band that comes with.

The blonde German girl always lets you touch and use her stuff, no matter what it is.

❝ I'll take it, [reader]. ❞ Laura slowly released her fingers from the camera, even though she was saying the opposite.

❝ No, no. You always take our photos. My turn. ❞

You turned the camera around before stretching your arm diagonally upwards, aiming at the two of you. You took one last look at Freigang, who kept the silly and nervous smile on her lips.

❝ Ready? ❞ You asked.

Laura shook her head, agreeing.

Seconds before pressing the button to take the photo, you turned your face and touched your lips to the midfielder's cheek. Freigang wasn't quick enough to react, as originally in the photo, it was as if this attitude was planned.

Taking photos with Laura every day is so good, remembering them is even better. Especially those that show how sweet they are.

It was the best thing that happened in your life, remembering your lips touching the midfielder's skin.

Laura's wide blue eyes that matched the color of the sky and yours bodies pressed together turned this photo into the best photo in the world.

She loves you, Freigang loves your unpredictable way.

The German smiled like you could be sure was one of those that hurts because you have it on your face so much. You still remember how red she turned, so red that she looked like she had just eaten the hottest pepper ever eaten.

Laura was ashamed to admit in words how much she loved you, but her body didn't know how to hide it. She loves, she adores - every detail and attitude you have.

She will never get used to you and your surprising actions, and she loves it.

Driving with Laura is fun, you don't need photos to prove it; She talks to you everytime, she misses the route even with GPS and she loves to tease you by saying she's going to stop to go to the bathroom every five minutes.

But sometimes, it could be a disaster. Not because Freigang was driving, but because you two didn't respect the order of the music playlists.

❝ Laura! Let me put my songs on now! ❞

She took a while to answer because she spent minutes concentrating on the road, but gradually turned to face you.

It wasn't always that Laura drove when you were out and about, it was usually you who was in charge of being the driver. But on that day, the blonde German volunteered for it.

❝ What? ❞ Freigang sounded like she didn't understand the question. In fact, she understood very well, just didn't want to change the song.

That was her way.

You accepted it with a distrust, since Laura driving was synonymous for danger.

❝ Disconnect your phone, it's my turn to put it on! ❞ You repeated in a humorous and threatening tone, looking at the German woman's face.

❝ But you've already repeated your playlist, [reader]. ❞ Freigang said with eyes only on the road. ❝ And the last time we went out, you were the one who put on the music! ❞

❝ You only have Frank Ocean and Kendrick on your playlist, Liebe! ❞ You had nothing against listening to them, but spending an entire trip listening to just them was getting tiring.

❝ And what’s the problem? ❞ It was even adorable how naive she was and almost never understood your tastes and opinions; especially when she kept that cute face.

You kept your mouth shut, since the last time you talked about one of Freigang's favorite artists, you had to listen to her argue for several hours.

Face turned to the window, you stopped watching Laura drive to patiently observe the landscape and enjoy the sound coming from the radio. Arms resting on top of the window area; such that it was completely open.

The wind hitting your face and the noise of cars passing at high speed was the only thing that dispersed you at that time.

And you stayed like that for long minutes, until the German woman stretched out her arm holding her own phone; delivering it to you.

❝ Ersatz. ❞ (change it) She spoke as if she were giving orders to a dog.

❝ Why? ❞ You turned back, showing enormous confusion on your face.

❝ Put whatever you want before I change my mind. ❞ Laura murmured without looking at you; Maybe because she was paying attention to the road or embarrassed to face you.

Suddenly, you had a huge smile on your face, the kind no one can't get rid of because it makes you so happy. You grabbed Laura's phone with the greatest desire and played any of your generic songs.

Freigang looked at you discreetly, putting a smile on that beautiful face. Despite everything, she loves to see you happy with every little thing.

❝ I must admit, you have good taste. ❞ You said as you slid your finger across the German girl's phone screen, looking at each song in her playlists.

Laura had great taste, it was undeniable. She listened to everything, but not everything. You two have different tastes - very different and distant tastes; like a line, where you were at one end and she was at the other.

❝ Glad you recognize that, Schätzchen. ❞ She laughed shamelessly, raising her hand again, but this time, to squeeze your cheek as if you were a baby.

❝ Ugh, hey! ❞ You grunted and laughed, carefully pushing the German woman's fingers close to your face. ❝ Stop being an idiot. ❞ You joked.

❝ I want an apology. ❞ Laura murmured, creating a pout on her lips.

You knew exactly what she meant by that.

❝ Apologies for what? I didn't do anything wrong, ma'am. ❞ You giggled.

❝ For complaining about my songs! ❞

You didn't answer, just looking at the shameless woman next to you. It was obvious what she wanted, Freigang always wants kisses from you.

And you couldn't deny them.

Your body automatically took charge of starting close enough to Laura, even though your belt was almost blocking it. Long fingers touched the midfielder's skin, so much so that she didn't take her eyes off the road, even though she knew what was getting.

Pressing your fingers to Freigang's chin and pulled her to your side, slowly so she wouldn't lose sight of the road. Your lips touched hers, like the thousand times this always happens.

Once, ten, maybe fifty times this has happened. You were totally used to giving her quick and magnificent 'sorry' kisses, and they always carried the same affection and love as always.

And Laura's reaction was always the same: laughing and blushing. Maybe she reacted like that because at that time it was playing some electric pop from the 90s.

❝ Stop laughing. You always laugh when we do this! ❞ You said giggling - in an embarrassed and angry tone.

❝ Sorry, but you tickle. ❞ What a lame excuse. In fact, Laura loves seeing how easily you give yourself to her.

You let go of the German woman's face with a little violence, returning to your seat properly. ❝ Pay attention to the road, Liebling. ❞ Your arms crossed automatically, obviously out of embarrassment.

She laughed once again ❝ Right. ❞

The last thing you remember is how Laura was smiling the whole trip and laughing to herself. It's funny how you always smother Freigang in a sea of ​​love and fun.

Well, this time, your songs stayed playing until the end. They stayed for so long that the German blonde memorized all the letters.

And you can say that with conviction, because to this day she sings these same songs. Maybe because these songs remind Laura of your kiss.

In the end, you remember every possible detail very well. Of everything Freigang has ever done to you, good or bad.

Casual moments that turn into formidable memories, memories that are stored in the touches between you and Laura; kept in your gallery.

You won't forget so easily, the same for your favorite German girl.

Stars don't disappear from the universe so quickly, much less your best memories with Laura Freigang.

GALLERY.

[enden-k]

btw now that i can get to it (was busy and had someone over) i can babble a little abt zzz and give my thoughts so far on it if anyone is still wondering whether they should try it or not

first thing i have to say is, to me it feels like a cozy casual kinda game. and i love it. i think thats the part i saw some ppl complain abt

it reminds me a lot of P5 w the overall vibes etc (i played on first release years ago but not the additional stuff afterwards so idk if there were changes to the plot or anything with whatever royal is about) and it was a comfort game for me back then so yea. this might add a lot to why zzz feels like such a comfort game to me

the siblings are not active, playable characters in combat since theyre the proxy guiding and supporting the playable characters (agents) in the hollows (compare it to domains). outside of the hollows you run around with ur chosen sibling and whoever you picked, the other doesnt disappear or becomes irrelevant. they are a unit, run their video store together, theyre one proxy, supporting each other. i already love how trailblazer is more vocal than traveler but the siblings are active, talking parts in cutscenes and whenever theres dialogue choices, your chosen sibling ACTUALLY SAYS IT. this is smth i wished for a while in gnshn so seeing it in zzz made me super happy. it gives them sm life and gets me into it idk how to say it

(this is them btw. pretty mfs)

anw its not overwhelming like gnshn feels to me. gnshn has sm to explore and sm story and its smth i both enjoy and feel exhausted by. now, if you played persona or are familiar, its easier for me to use for comparison. you get to run around as the chosen sibling in the city but the fighting (w the agents you pull from the gacha) all happens in the hollows (similar to when you enter the metaverse). it runs with a day-night cycle and depending on the time, npcs and quests pop up. you can pass the time if you need a specific time of day for an objective, by doing hollow exploration or simply resting in ur room. theres side stuff you do, like running your store and visiting the arcade and play snake akjscbk

the combat itself reminds me of HI3 and wuwa and feels super smooth and fun to me

it has cutscenes etc but the story parts in between are illustrated and presented in a comic/storyboard kinda way? which fits the whole video/movie aesthetics well. its pretty cool

overall, if you didnt try it out yet bc you think it requires lots of energy and time like gnshn, its nothing like that at all. ofc im not through with everything but so far it feels like a very nice game to play casually, w a big cozy bonus when youre spending the day freely in game. i play only on pc or on console when i wanna lay down but this game even i would play on phone or ipad to chill akjscbk

the characters are also pretty fun and cool looking! like, look at them, so far we got

the most chaotic ragtag group in all of new eridu (they share one braincell and its anby who is in charge of it)

fresh looking heavy industry workers (they have a bear)

classic horror housekeeping service who will poison ur tea ig

motorcycle gang (oggling the glasses guy and boss lady super hard, they will be mine when playable-)

public security (they have an actual catboy in case weve got catboy enjoyers here)

special hollow operation elite squad aka the coolest strongest mfs out there taking care of hollow disasters

ALSO THE NPCS!!! LIKE!!! look at the cook!!! tinmaster running the coffee shop!!! the girl selling gadgets or the bunny person running the arcade!!!

even the regular npcs just roaming the streets. theres lots of cool details and life in every bit, its really cool

anw!! idk if this helped or made sense, this is also just my own impressions and feelings so far so yeee. if someone decides to play, i hope you will have fun and get whoever you really really want!!

[saturninemartial]

I'm a casual listener. Why does everyone hate Panic? Or rather Urie?

I was an OG fan back in 2005/06 but tapped out after the second album, so I wasn't fully aware of all the drama, so I had to look some of it up.

P!ATD was started by childhood friends Ryan Ross and Spencer Smith; Urie wasn't invited until later. The original lineup was rounded out with bassist Brent Wilson, although he was later replaced by Jon Walker. It was Smith, Ross, Urie, and Wilson on their first album; and Smith, Ross, Urie, and Walker on their second. In 2009, Ross and Walker decided to leave the band, mostly on creative differences with Urie. So there goes one founding member, Ross, and another core member, Walker.

Dallon Weekes, whom you might know from IDKHOW, joined as bassist after this; with Ian Crawford on guitar. Smith, Urie, Weekes, and Crawford recorded and released an album in 2011. During the recording, Crawford left bc he wanted to create "real, genuine music."

Smith, Urie, and Weekes recorded another album that was released in 2013 and soon went on tour. Smith left for a bit for addiction reasons; and in 2014, Urie said it didn't look like Smith was coming back; and in 2015, Smith confirmed he wasn't coming back. So Ross and Smith, the original two creators of the band, are now gone; and Urie is the only one left from the original lineup.

In 2017, Weekes announced he was leaving so he could focus on his own band, IDKHOW. That's the final "replacement" member, and from then on, it's just Urie. Since then, Urie has used the Panic! name for what is essentially a solo career, creating music that is so far gone from the original vision and slapping someone else's name on it. The creators of Panic!, Smith and Ross, left a long long time ago, and Urie has essentially acted like nothing happened and hasn't really given them credit. It's been the Brendon Urie Show for ages; more than one person left because of creative differences with him specifically. The Panic! name was never his to use yet he kept on using it, I guess for clout?

Then we get into the allegations against Urie. I'm on mobile and at work so I don't really have time to add receipts, but googling Brendon Urie allegations will bring up a ton of links. Basically, there are allegations of him sexually abusing fans, possibly minors. He's also publicly made some nasty rape jokes, and used the word tr*nny. I think I'm just scraping the surface here.

Overall he's an intensely unpleasant person who's been happily profiting off someone else's concept and name without credit for years. He's used Panic! as a vanity project, and the shit he's put out isn't even good.

[deafenedsaltwater]

Today I woke up at 4am and decided that means its. Time to write a 4x ramble of mainly highlights

Now to copy-paste it here so I can uhhh add to it a bit

More than 14 years ago when the first piece of bfdi/xfohv content was released, 4 and x were the first two to have a spoken interaction. Furthermore, in that educational short film, 4 helped X Find Out His Value, the titular event. Later, upon reintroduction in bfdi/bfb proper, 4 has x be his cohost, which gives us more to go off of for their relationship. Highlights of this include: 4 making it a challenge to cool down x when he was on fire, / 4 speaking in unison with x (subscriber specials + have nots/have cots challenge), / 4 saying, and I quote, "but X is just looking for his treasure! I CAN'T LET THAT HAPPEN BECAUSE I MUST BE X'S ONLY TREASURE ", / in a flashback where x is telling the contestants about 4's love for bfdi, it's shown they lived together or at least spent a lot of time together before the show (also can I say seeing x get sad about 4 running away hit me hard), / 4 sung a cover of "All I Want For Christmas" directed AT X, outright calling him "baby" and telling him he would wait under the mistletoe for him (4X NATIONAL TREASURE HOLY SHIT I LOST IT THE FIRST TIME I HEARD IT), / during Thanks for 800k, they did a parody of Honey I'm Home where the line was unfortunately replaced with "buddy I'm home" (4x disaster. We lost that day), / Cary confirmed that they were not related, and that he "liked the shipping", and "yeah, it's definitely canon" (to some extent. We can assume he didn't mean outright romantically, partial win), / 4 calls x "The best cohost money can buy", (he doesn't pay x), and earlier 4 had said "that's because I'm here! Yeah, I'm thinking of doing standup" in response to someone saying it's hot. X says something affirmative to this, I forget what exactly, but with ambiguity I can assume he meant that 4 is hot and noone can stop me, / 4 reads x's memory to find out who stole donut's diary, and x says "Ok! ...remember to keep my secrets" afterwards, / when bfb split into tpot and bfb, when x left, 4 not only got depressed, but referenced the original XFOHV short by saying "I just don't know what my value is, where my cohost is!" (Evil fucking homewrecker 2 I'll get them I WILL), asks ALL of his remaining contestants to help him get x back, before outright making it the challenge for the episode. When x is returned to 4, 4 says "x! I'm so happy to see you! Are you?" "That depends, how good are you at paddy cake?" "I'm super pro!" "Then I am happy as well!", / they have a lot of hugs, notably the one upon 4's return, and that one that is animated so that they reeaaallly look like they're making out, / I'm running out of notable moments hold on let me go watch a 4x compilation

I'm using masculine pronouns ffor both of them bc that's how they're referred to in the show, but as with all Algebraliens, they're genderless

OK OK I COMPLETELY FORGOT TO TALK ABT X GETTING SAD WHEN 4 ENTERED THE GROUND. Sitting at the exact spot 4 entered the ground for months and watching his 43 imaginary bfdi seasons is so,, I mean all I'm saying is that hurt/comfort goes crazy for them (fanfic reader in me shining through)

AND THE "What do you think of roleplay?" LINE. That whole episode of them swapping appearances was so lovely for subtle 4x dynamic. I want I want more just fluffy moments with them,, just seeing how they banter and bounce off each other is so joyful. I'm a sucker for fluff

Generally X is just such a supportive friend and 4 loves them (Other than the LRC line - I really don't like the Limb Reattachment Center being a possibility even off screen. It messes with my perception of them, and it feels inconsistent with the rest of their relationship throughout the show. Maybe I'm just a massive hater and don't want my vanilla flavor fluffy best friend ships being toxic in some way. 4 screeching adds to this, but lesser as later when x made it a condition of him staying 4 stopped screeching)

4 was proud of x for doing bfb without them. Honestly, my earlier distaste for the LRC thing could be fixed by continued shows of progress in their relationship like this. I will read between all the lines I want to make sense of the behavioral changes, as someone who hasn't watched BFDI content other than all subscriber specials, the pi day massacre, tpot 11, and a 4x compilation. Part of my willingness to somewhat brush past is that 4 and X are very strong/durable people who, as far as we know, could live for eons. Mainly referencing Thanks For 900k's timeskip here. I hope they live forever <3

OHHH THE WHOLE SUBPLOT OF 4 TELLING THE CONTESTANTS TO RESPECT X'S ALOE VERA,, I mean, it's a subplot that leads into x catching on fire which leads to th e challenge being first to cool him down then to do something to help his aloe vera grow. But it was great. "If X says there are points, there are points" ...lovely

X offering 4 a juicebox when they feel bad <3

I hope these two title screens speak to their relationship, and my perception of them

[kittxleonixravenlee]

horses on my SSO suggestion list | who i'd add to the game | part 2

happy neigh year! here we go w round two! i'm gonna try to make this a monthly thing. as some of y'all know, there was recently a leak spoiling the new horse breeds we're gonna see released in 2025 (here) so i'm gonna try to avoid going over those since we're already scheduled to be getting them. although if i am particularly eager for one, i may break that rule. luckily the Criollo is one of them! we get them on January 15th. i look forward to being able to review them/update their section on part one of this series, but it could take a bit since i'm low on SCs after buying my Earik, Silverdeer, & Kátur, Holly. again, quick note that this is gonna contain at least one confirmed 2025 horse release, so if you don't like spoilers, skip #3. the only reason i mentioned the Criollo is bc HQ has already started promo of them publicly. i had to make this one shorter bc it's almost 3am as i type & my sleeping schedule is quite fragile. i might make a 2.5 to make up for it. much love, Kitt

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

1. the Westphalian (gen 3.5)

the Westphalian was one of the very first horses to be added to SSO, but disappeared in-game after generation 1.5 ended. in fact, the Westie was in Star Stable: The Winter Rider, which came out in 2009, two years before SSO would open their doors w the game's very first server, Air Star.

one generation 2 arrived, it seemed HQ abandoned the breed entirely. i would really appreciate it if we could see a modernized model of these guys. they were completely removed in 2022 which sucks but is understandable. the community really loves European sporting breeds so i don't see any reason we can't have the Westies reintroduced in the coming years, as long as they make them somewhat unique from the Dutchie & BWB. warmbloods are one of my top favorite horses so this is pretty typical for me, but i doubt it will be an unpopular opinion, especially amongst older players!

added to list: 01.05.2025

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

2. the Falabella

now if you know what this breed looks like you're probably looking to report my blog but here me out: obviously, you can't ethically ride a horse this tiny, & maybe this is unorthodox for this list, but what if they were a pet somehow? our avatars have pets, why can't our horses have little friends, too? i think it would be cute to have a big sporthorse next to the pipsqueak. everyone could do little photoshoots w their Falabellas, dress them up, maybe it'd become an extra fun thing for clubs to do; a club pet Falabellas. they could be mascots. i bet the roleplayers would really like them. i'm not one to splurge on pets at all (post of mine are free or from before HQ started charging too much for them), but ik a lot of other people would like it, & i'd love to see all the little variations.

added to list: 01.05.2025

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

3. the Rocky Mountain Horse

the Rocky Mountain is a breed i've loved for a very long time (thank you, Breyer Horses). flaxens have always caught my eye. that contrast between their body & mane/tail is so striking. when i was a kid i swore i'd get every flaxen (SSO & Breyer) ever made. Rocky Mountains have this glossy fur, they look like they're modeling for hair products. i would love to see if HQ could do that texture justice, they have been doing a lot better w lighting & shading. i remember back when every bay we'd get would come out looking purple, but they have made sm progress that i think they could nail this breed. i wasn't a huge fan of the gen 3 Morgan as someone who was obsessed with the gen 2 silver black one growing up, but i did appreciate that the updated version included the silver black bc they're practically just a flaxen (controversial statement, ik).

hopefully SSO gives us one w a heart marking + dapples. for some reason i wanna name mine Applepie, maybe since these guys remind me of the South. i really wanna see a good transition to brown to blonde in the mane, almost like they've been sun-bleached. very excited that HQ is gonna be fulfilling this one for us this year!

added to list: 01.05.2025

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.

4. the Missouri Fox Trotter

our very own Ozarks equine, the Missouri Fox Trotter is from my home state of Missouri. this ofc contributes a lot to my decision to include them here. i have a complicated relationship w my state but i'm still very in love w it & this breed makes me feel proud (not a common feeling for Missourians). there are plenty of other reasons to add the Missouri Fox to SSO, though! A) they're a beautiful, medium-sized equine, B) they have diverse coat variations so more people are likely to find a horse they want, C) the game is in dire need of more Western-specific breeds & generally lacks a Western culture, even w the addition of Starshine Ranch.

their gaits are very fun to watch. i think HQ would enjoy making them, especially adding an extra gait (show canter). us interested in Western have been overlooked long enough, so it'd be great to see not only a brand new breed in-game, but a Western one, & one from where i was born/raised. <3

added to list: 01.05.2025

[jiubilant]

i see the complaint about d&d's lore being all over the place a lot and i get it & even agree but i feel like comparing a game series with a ttrpg with thousands of random writers that was 20 years old even at the time the other game was created feels a bit unfair 😭 like tes gets design teams with a vision to carve out but d&d got decisions basically at random every edition based on approximate player feedback like the constant adding and removing of psychic powers bc people kept going we HATE psychic powers. no wait we miss them add them back. no we HATE psionics. and add to that going through the layers of fluff added over time feels like individual writers constantly having pissing contests trying to be the definitive d&d writer of the time, trying to craft the Better idea of gods/magic to one up each other, trying to create the Most Evil creature, retconning each others characters or systems or just outright stealing from better known fantasy sources to graft on one atmosphere to the campaign they wanted to make canon. nerd superiority complexes supercharged etc. i wont claim to be an expert on tes fluff but it sort of feels like comparing the entirety of some comic publisher and the various titles (universally recognized as varied to the point of self incoherence if you dont pick and choose your writers/arcs) to one comic from a small publisher (not that you could consider bethesda. small) able to have a tighter grip on its direction. mechanically 5e did a lot to prune the system down to basics but i feel like doing any more would get rid of the spirit of it being a sort of "pick and choose what you like" sort of deal. though if youre interested in a system with relatively more lore coherence to look through there's pathfinder, which from 2009-now has had a grand total of four core sourcebooks released between the editions as compared to d&d's 1974-now count of 41+

we agree! i wasn't really expecting the post that you saw to leave tesblr. it's part of a years-long conversation about the elder scrolls series and—much is made about this around here—the various ways that it derives from other fantasy media. my aim was to acknowledge the way that tes, which began in d&d, occasionally challenged the conventions of the genre at the time that it was made

[hero-of-the-wolf]

What are all of the games that you’ve played? Double the points of you add your thoughts on it (it can be as short or as long as you want, if you’re up to it)

Bonus points if you want to add some of your thoughts on Echoes of Wisdom.

I’m assuming you mean LoZ games? okay so far we’ve got:

Twilight Princess

the first Zelda game I ever completed :) it will always hold a very special place in my heart!! I’ve been wanting to replay it again so badly lately even tho it’s only been like a few months since I finished it (I can just use my bad memory privileges—)

listen, Twi’s my guy. I love him sm. I love running around Hyrule with him and holding all the cats and petting all the goats 😭😭😭😭😭 this game just hits on all the nostalgia for me I can’t listen to the score without tearing up 🥺 also I’m ngl at the beginning I genuinely didn’t like Midna at all and by the end I actually physically CRIED when she left so…. good job Nintendo. this game is literally the BEST 20/10 I could play it forever and never get sick of it

Breath of the Wild

so BOTW is actually the game I heard of first? like it introduced me to the concept of LoZ, and I even played it a bit a couple years ago, but I actually started playing it after I finished Twilight Princess. with some experience under my belt I enjoyed this game so much better haha

my favorite part is the way the game lets you solve problems in multiple different ways!!! I really enjoyed the shrines, I don’t think I ever really got super frustrated and had to look smth up with this game and it made me feel really smart hehe :) also the combat is SO satisfying but I rarely ever actually engage bc I uhhh I don’t want my weapons to break 💔

Wind Waker

this one I borrowed from a friend :) my only complaint is it’s far too short 😭 I also went into this one determined to figure everything out by myself (riding my BOTW high) and I got SO confused like halfway through I literally had to look up a walkthrough 😭 ik that’s on me tho, I unfortunately get confused very easily 😔 this is another game that I’m so tempted to replay but I do not own it so 😭😭😭😭😭😭 NINTENDO PLS RELEASE THIS GAME AND TP BOTH ON SWITCH I AM BEGGING

the worldbuilding in this game is INSANE actually like they went so hard??? I love the implications of like… this is the same world from OOT but flooded and the people alive now don’t even realize, the world as it is now is all they know. it’s just so interesting to me. and I love Aryll and grandma sm like I would literally sail to the ends of the earth for them

Skyward Sword

so I’m not even halfway through this game yet but I LOVE THIS GAME SM I don’t understand all the hate it gets like it’s SO GOOD???? every scene with Link and Zelda in it makes me so goshdarn emotional 😭😭😭😭😭 I would kill a man for Zelda!!

this game is quickly becoming one of my favs…..

Link’s Awakening

it’s still in the mail so I haven’t played it yet :) I’m very excited to cry at the ending :))

Echoes of Wisdom

I’M SO EXCITED FOR THIS GAME NEW ZELDA GAME AAAAAAAAA

I just know it’s gonna be so much fun to play :) I can’t wait to puzzle things out (esp since there will be multiple right ways to solve a problem again!!!) and learn the story and find out what happened to Link!!! and I cannot wait esp for the lore implications and how this might potentially affect LU >:3 I’m so excited!!!!

[mcfiddlestan]

Ship it/Don't Ship it

Frostiron, WinterFrost, Winteriron, Pepperony. (The last I'm grinning evilly at because I will look forward to the angry discourse. LOL)

FrostIron

Ship It (I SHIP IT HARD.)

What made you ship it?

Around the time the first Avengers movie came out, I was just dipping my toe into Tumblr and Twitter fandom. I found and started following a ton of RP accounts on Twitter. And since RDJr is my favorite ever since Weird Science, there was a lot of Iron Man fanart on both of my dashboards. Shippy fanart started to slip in -- and while Stony was very prominent, so was FrostIron. My love for Loki had already started to bloom (plus, I was fascinated that IRL British Ginger Dork could, with a little hair dye, become My New Favorite Villain), and seeing him constantly paired with My Favorite New Hero -- and there was A LOT of very cool art --made me go Ooh. Plus, I befriended this awesome Tony RP writer who had an awesome RP thread with a Loki, and that, plus all the fics I started to read, just plunged me, heart eyes first, into SHIPPING IT HARD. I watched the movie 10x in the theatre, started watching all the interviews with RDJr and Hiddles, and eventually, I read a college au (that I loved) and decided I could totally write them even tho I hadn't written anything in a couple years. Thus, Dark Side.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

Besides the whole enemies-to-lovers thing? And besides the fact the ship was comprised of two of my favorite actors (at the time)? I mean, their whole dynamic is not so secretly my ideal relationship. The sarcastic barbs lobbied back and forth that rests comfortably atop the sexual tension the ability to keep up with each other is flamed on by. The intelligence that kind of quipping and humor requires -- and let's face it: someone is always hotter when they can stimulate your mind and your body. Add in the bonding that can happen over the shared Terrible Paternal Relationship and The Trauma That Makes Our Humor So Great and how they can heal each other, the debate between science vs. magic, and how they're much more alike than one would think. The fics that explore how discovering how much they have in common and how they learn to see each other in a different light (whether superhero and supervillain or not) are some of my faves and an element I often insert in my own fics. IDK, I just love them.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Not really? Any gripes I have are more with authors' characterizations of them. I don't go telling anybody they can't write them the way they choose, tho. I just nope out of fics that have anything I don't want to read. And then I write my own. :D

WinterFrost

Ship It

What made you ship it?

Similar to FrostIron, I discovered WinterFrost through mostly RP. But probably what made me fall head over heels for this pair was dipping my toe into RP myself. The friend whose Tony Stark I loved mentioned in convos that they wanted to start RPing a Bucky but wanted him paired with a Loki. They asked me if I wanted to try my hand at RP, so I did. This was about 6-7 months before CA:TWS was released, so there wasn't much if any, WinterFrost content yet -- and it was actually still called Lucky at the time. Anyway, Bucky was post-CATFA, and my Loki was post-Avengers (we mutually decided to start there instead of post-The Dark World). They randomly met and organically began to fall in love. The truth is, this ship is special to me bc, as we wrote Bucky and Loki falling in love, we were falling in love. So, it's all kind of woven together with my own love story. Kind of bittersweet now.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

There is a bit of a dark element to WinterFrost that I'm kind of drawn to. The RP was the only place I ever really explored that (kind of) -- although I did have an idea to turn my PWP WinterFrost into a serial killer AU. I eventually abandoned that idea. For a lot of reasons. By dark element, I mean the darkness in both characters potentially being compatible and flourishing. Bucky as the Winter Soldier was almost devoid of emotion (except when he saw Steve, in the movie at least); Loki, in contrast, was highly motivated by his emotions but kind of let himself get battered and embittered by them. At least the way I wrote my Loki. Beyond that, there is a great capability for them to bond over their trauma (again, similar to FrostIron). There is no bigger troll than Bucky (c'mon, he grew up with Steve Rogers, ffs), and Loki would relish in the chaos Bucky would cause with his commentary. I feel like there's a mutual mending they can do for each other. Loki can help Bucky battle his demons -- as a demon slayer himself -- and Bucky can show Loki a love like he's never known.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

Nah. Similar to FrostIron, it's down to characterizations. I'll literally read anything about these two.

WinterIron

Ship It

What made you ship it?

I was already into FrostIron and WinterFrost -- and RPing both. So it was kind of like, "I ship Tony and Loki and Bucky and Loki, why not Tony and Bucky?" I RPd that for a bit, too. I haven't read or written a lot of this ship, so I'm not sure what I like beyond it being two actors I love, two characters I love, and liking that they could both find a little bit of happy with each other. Also, it's interesting to think about the internal crisis Tony would endure for falling in love with the man responsible for his parents' deaths.

What are your favorite things about the ship?

I honestly have no idea. Like I said, I haven't really dug deep into this one yet, like I have FrostIron and WinterFrost. It's definitely one of my smaller ships.

Is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

No, but I wish people would leave WinterIron shippers alone. Way too much hate flung at this ship and the people who write it. It's annoying.

Pepperony

Don’t Ship It

Why don’t you ship it?

Honestly? It's because of Gwyneth Paltrow. I don't like her, as an actress, as a personality, as a hawker of vag candles -- whatever. I never liked her portrayal of Pepper. And don't come for me, y'all, bc believe me, I know how this sounds -- but I thought she looked too old to play Pepper. Yes, she was only 34, and RDJr was 43, and that's an age gap in itself (and coincidentally, Leslie Bibb was 35, which btw she does not look older than GP and...yeah). I think I felt the way they were portraying Tony Stark's womanizing ways it didn't make sense (to me!) that he'd go for someone closer to his age and stick to younger women. (Blame my brother. He's been dating girls my age and younger since high school. His first son's mother is my age. She was 4mo along when we graduated from hs. He dated a slew of girls near or around my age well into his 30s. His second son's mother was 6yrs younger than me. He's gross, I know. I tell him all the time.) Anyway, I love Tony and Pepper's dynamic in the comics (the few I've read), and when I RPd a Pepper (I did not use GP; I used my idea of a perfect Pepper: Jessica Chastain), I was told the way I wrote her was closer to comic!Pepper than MCU!Pepper, which I gathered was a good thing. People often misunderstand that my distaste for Pepper has nothing to do with the character herself. I LOVE the character. I think she's a badass, and I think she's the best working partner Tony could have -- which is why probably why I always writer her as Tony's closest confidant. But I also think they did Pepper a disservice by casting GP.

What would have made you like it?

A different actress, lol.

Despite not shipping it, do you have anything positive to say about it?

Like I said, I love the character of Pepper. She's a great foil to some of Tony's more grandiose ideas and she has a way of handling him without him realizing he's being handled. Maybe I'd ship it if she didn't start out as his secretary? There's something very creepy about a relationship between a boss and a secretary to me. Idk. As Besties, I love Tony and Pepper. Beyond that? No.

Don't come at me yall. @mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea made me say all these things. LOL (jk ily!)

Thanks for asking!

Ship It/Don't Ship It

[hoesamo]

Altar of the Cult [Part 2]

We next see Fafnir in the room he fell in. He’s a bit dazed, but thinks he’s fallen into an altar.

As he further regains consciousness, he realizes he can’t move his body. He sees that his arms and legs are tied. When the demons reveal themselves, he’s none too pleased, asking what they’re doing and demanding to be released from his shackles. He’s only met with sneering/laughing, so he starts to cast his Primordial Sun spell…

Only to have it interrupted. His spell actually won’t work. With no means of defending himself, he is now at the mercy of the enemy attacking and torturing him. Even after telling them that he’ll instantly heal, they continue their attack. From the room above, Yuji now understands that the point is to not necessarily be killed immediately, but to experience immense torture.

Gordon explains the king of this place used to perform sacrifices to the Dark God here in order to gain immortality. Suffering is an important part of these sacrifices, as it’s said to have made the Dark God happy. The king would find ways to maximize the pain and suffering for these rituals, which would include ripping out many victims’ still-beating hearts. The king would be granted said immortality, and would use necromancy to resurrect and manipulate the sacrifices’ dead bodies.

Gordon confirms this.

Had he been caught after the trap, Fafnir would’ve been tortured plenty for an hour or so, based on his experience here from 10 years ago. Before Yuji can use his single braincell to process the weight of that exposition, Gordon urges them to hurry up. The pitfall leads to a room that is two floors below them.

We cut back to Fafnir being painfully tortured, now having caught on to the demons’ intentions. He wonders how long will this go on, and if these tireless can really keep going forever.

When Yuji makes it to the room, he notices that it’s a little familiar, built in a way reminiscent to the Ancestor. He spots Fafnir and alerts Gordon to get into position. He wants to save him quickly, but Gordon tells him to wait for the right opportunity to strike. Another aspect of torture is that it can lure out the victim’s friends

(Gordon STAYS dragging Fafnir Andjdksnskf it’s SO funny to me)

This is what happens to those who get caught in these traps. Looks like Gordon’s also projecting his own traumatic experiences here.

{DeepL Translation for Gordon’s line: “And to add insult to injury, he even got his friends involved in his death....... He's just like those idiots.”}

Yuji isn’t liking Gordon’s wording at all here, calling that awful. He understands that falling into the trap is indeed his own fault, but to leave him in that position…

After the brief scolding, Gordon admits he was captured the same way as Fafnir 10 years ago. Back then, when his adventuring party was considered the best in the country, he let it go to his head. In trying to rescue him, one of his friends died, and the others became disabled like him. He still blames himself for his recklessness, and wishes he had died back then instead.

Yuji cannot believe what he’s hearing. He will always help a friend in need, so don’t tell him who’s worth saving. Gordon doesn’t understand his way of thinking, believing it to be foolish as well. In fact, it reminds him of his friend who died. He was even a lewd person like Yuji, too. He was actually the first person to originate his old adventuring party.

{DeepL Translation of his next lines bc I really love them for Gordon: When I was playing with him, teasing him, saying I love him and coming at him head-on... Oh, those days were really, really fun...}

After a moment of silence, he tells Yuji to listen carefully, and then Google Translate proceeds to immediately demolish the vibes with this hiccup. 😂

(I think he means he’s gonna create an opening for Yuji with a distraction lmfao XD)

[steelycunt]

ridi i'm LOVING all these unpopular opinions!! music haterism is always justified imo and soo entertaining also love that i agree with you 100% on basically everything 😌 some of these things just had to be said…

i thought i didn’t have anything to add because ts, hs etc have all been spoken about and i don’t listen to modern music enough to have strong opinions on any others but then i remembered my BIGGEST parasocial enemy (who i never talk about bc i don’t really have that good a reason to find her annoying i just do) is beabadoobea…

apologies in advance but she sort of represents everything wrong with the music industry rn to me so maybe a rant is justified here? anyway taking this opportunity to say i think she’s so overrated and not in a unique way, like it isn’t new for people to get careers from how they look but in her case specifically it annoys me sm because of what her fans are like and also it’s close to home…as in my cousin is one of her best friends from school so i knew of her when she started releasing music on band camp and had to watch her make a music career off being pretty on instagram with the four chords my cousin taught her on guitar and a voice that’s just…fine, and whatever everyone has to start somewhere except she got a record deal when her sound was completely underdeveloped before she’d had time to learn anything about music or her own artistry and like fuck around experimenting for a while.

which is so common these days i think w people blowing up on social media and getting handed careers i.e riding on the people who can actually play their instruments and getting loads of money thrown at them to make really bland four chord nothing songs... like in the first few years of her career she made so much music and it was all so boring and sounded exactly the same, even now it might be unfair but i do just assume any vaguely interesting part of her output is someone else’s work like sorry she’s never had to come up with her own fully fledged ideas or concepts and she’s been working with the pressure of commercial viability the whole time, any potential she might have had i just think was squandered by having everything come too fast and too easily or maybe i'm being generous and her authentic sound is just boring idk because it still doesn't seem like she has anything to say…all this wouldn’t be as bad if her fans weren’t sooo insanely annoying about her + as a person i have no real reason to but i just do not like her :| my cousin is still good friends with her as well so i have to pretend i know nothing but the picture of her i’ve built from things my cousin’s said…just aggravating, alsoo she’d played at my work once when my friend was on shift and her ex bf that looks a tiny bit like george harrison was sitting at the bar the whole time drinking water and not talking to anyone while she was doing coke in the bathroom and he looked so pathetic my friend started talking to him to cheer him up in between serving him his next cup of tap water…

HELLO MY DARLING!! oh my god i didnt realise she needed to come up until you said it...bebadoobedobee...beadbeadooebadoo..clapping n cheering for your rant because youre fucking RIGHT i have a few friends who like her and have tried to get me to listen to her and she was just. appalling truly and as you say not even just in a ah shes trying shes young she'll get better kind of way but in a this is genuinely unbelievably soulless and bland and boring and says so little that even she seems disinterested with it. the inside scoop on her from your cousin is delicious also gbfskjfskd her poor sad george harrison boyfriend..

i think youre so right and i dont mean that new artists shouldnt be given a break or an opportunity or anything but like you say, when theyre being harvested on social media, where a lot of the time look is everything (as i believe it is for bebadoobebdoo, her look her 'aesthetic' pinterest-board fashion sense does play a part i really think it does because there is no way her music is strong enough on its own to be successful) and where they may not necessarily be super experienced or practiced yet (which again, i appreciate, theyre new), a lot of money goes into getting songs out of them which are inevitably boring unimaginative four-chord songs that do not have enough substance to make anyone feel anything. including the people singing them. i cant imagine that beabadoobee demonstrated enough genuine musical promise to be given a record deal so i have to believe its either her image or the idea that well if we give her tons of expensive resources maybe then she'll end up putting out something good.

there have to be new artists out there who are more talented and interesting and would do more with the sort of record deal thrown at beabadoobebee than beabadoobdbbee did...surely...i really did try to like her because my friends raved about her so much so i listened to a fair bit from her and her music was just so staggeringly nothing. i think you make a good point about how the fact that she got a record deal so early on probably has sort of stifled the music she makes/her ability to experiment with it but im not sure im as kind as you because i do fear she is just not very talented perhaps. sorry giggling at her sad george harrison tapwater drinking boyfriend again poor lad..

[celestie0]

Hiii again Ellie!!🩷

I LOVE YOUR NEW THEME, IT LOOKS SOO GOOD!!✨

Ahh yes, the kdramas that you mentioned are soo good. Watched all of them and they are amazing!

I’m a huge kdrama fan so it’s a bit difficult to choose a favourite one. If you ever need a recommendation in one of genres hit me up😊.

But all time favourite ones that I could recommend would be Crash landing on you, Moon Lovers, My dearest, Deaths game, Alchemy of souls, Work later drink now, reply 1988, Happiness, Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and the list can go on.

As of right now the kdramas that had been released this year and are the most popular among knetizens and worldwide are Lovely Runner and Queen of Tears. Lovely runner is a very good kdrama and in some bits gave me kick off Gojo vibes ngl)

But I would have to say in my humble opinion nothing can beat 2016 kdrama’s!

Hope you are having a good day today!!!🩷🩷🩷

HIII DARLING <33

thank u thank uuu for the love on the theme omg 🥺🥺❤️❤️ omg i’ve seen strong woman and crash landing on u!!! i really liked both of them, i think crash landing was one of my faves bc i adored how much time they invested in the sub plots, i looove when kdrama has engaging subplot

OUUU it gave you kickoff gojo vibes ive gotta add it to my lissttt. i really do missing watching kdrama, i used to watch a lot as like a lil treat at the end of the day and it seems i could realy use that again hahah

i agreeee omg 2016 kdramas were PEAK they just dont make em like that anymore!! thanks sm for the recommendations my love, and i hope you’re having a wonderful day too!!!

[c0rpsedemon]

also it's telling just how the sanrioification of hatsune miku has gone hand in hand w the phenomena of anime going mainstream or more accurately how otakuism has gone mainstream . and by that i mean the ppl in every tiktok comment section going 'name anime' based off a 2 second clip from literally any show they don't recognize instead of doing the bare minimum of looking in the tags or [gasp] looking up the premise to see if they'd actually like the rest of the show and the ppl i've seen ask what miku's from on mfc or the ppl who made the aftermarket for The mayura fig go the way that it has despite not knowing what an ukagaka is. there's been a lot of discussion w the mainstreaming of nerd culture in the early 2010s and one thing i think it tends to leave out is that history is repeating itself, it's just that what their emulating now has a different country of origin. and this ties back in w my previous point mainly abt miku in that these ppl immitating otakuism without actually being that into anime or that discerning irt it in that these are the ppl that saw she was popular, decided they liked the idea of her, and then the few that did seek out her origin proceeded to project their mainstream western(or occasionally kpop insp) ideas of how music works onto her and/or see the biggest songs w their fancy animated pvs w en subs and think 'oh that's how all of them must be' when like. the songs originally released w none of that and most of it was acquired over the course of years by other ppl coming across the song/art/pv and going 'oh i want to add to that/spread it to a bigger audience'. which is how we get to where we are now where hero by yoasabi exists and i'm forced to acknowledge that an artist w a number 1 hit made a vocaloid song just bc biggest jp music act in the world rn + oversaturated brand that had something to do w music once many years ago = success . also money . the song was commissioned yoasabi didn't just decide they loved vocaloid one day it was only ever for the money .

[foxstens]

steam next fest demo thoughts!

mendacium - i wasn't even going to try this bc for some reason the screenshots didn't grab me, i was content to just add it to my wishlist, but it was received very positively so i tried it. and honestly? kind of the best demo i played lmao. it grabbed me so fast! it feels so good to play!! the music the visuals the controls all of it it just works. the only thing i don't love is the extreme knockback you get when attacking, and it also seems to happen when you're standing on a platform and pressing attack but not actually hitting anything. but absolutely amazing i think the devs know what they're doing and the game is going to be great

umbraclaw - i tried this on a whim not noticing it's by inti creates beforehand and it was pretty nice. i've tried multiple games by this dev which have all been misses for me but this one seems a bit different and i really liked what i played of it, will def check out the full game.

ultros - probably the best-received demo, and with good reason. it looks great, the concept is great, the in-game mechanics are also nice. however i can't say i was exactly blown away. there's just something about the controls that felt a bit off to me, especially the way the retaliation works. couldn't get the hang of it at the time and also sometimes it's a bit difficult to tell what you can interact with. but still good, one to keep an eye on for sure.

tales of kenzera - oh look an AA metroidvania. kind of inspired by the new prince of persia; looks great, i love the premise, the voice acting is also nice. but i barely played any of it because you can't rebind the movement keys freely and i literally can't play with wasd. it also runs pretty badly on my pc. i'll keep an eye on it, hopefully they change some things in the full game.

crypt custodian - yet another well-received one bc the developer has some experience, their previous games were also pretty good apparently though i have yet to play them. yeah, it looks really nice, it's very charming, the movement feels good and an isometric metroidvania is bound to be an interesting experience. i just hope it won't be too short.

phosfi - definitely inspired by hollow knight, i love the art and the colours and it's another one that grabbed me instantly. i do feel like it needs some more polish for the full game to be successful but i will be playing it regardless.

william and sly - the first game is one of my favourite games ever so of course i had to try this. AND IT FEELS SO GOOD. ohhhhh my god you go so fast, it should feel weird and uncomfortable and hard to control but somehow it doesn't? it feels so nice to play and it looks so good and it runs surprisingly well on my pc. i love this game and i hope it'll be long :')

there's also some other games i found unplayable bc of controls you can't rebind n stuff. also steam now has this thing, this weird ass popup that tells you to grab a controller and kick back. apparently the intention is to make pc players understand that you can relax when playing on pc as well? which is nice but. i fucking hate the popup. it showed up during some games that play perfectly with keyboard and it's so freaking annoying especially if the game also has a screen that tells you it's 'best experienced with a controller'.

ew. i know yall only test your games using controllers for some reason but how about you let me decide.

but anyway yea, pretty nice, and since so many of these games are expected to be released this year, i think it's gonna be a good year for indie games and especially metroidvanias.

[sailoryooons]

you say I'm being nice, i say I'm being honest (I also say yes to your marriage proposal, no takebacksies)

as an engagement gift to us I thought I'd give you some book recs:

She Who Became the Sun, by Shelley Parker Chan

This book had me floored at certain parts where it navigates gender, sexuality, identity and purpose. I would be sat there feeling so captivated by the exploration of the MC's discovery of self that I knew it would stay high in favourites no matter what I would end up feeling about the plot lol. The good news is I like the plot too ahaha. I think it could be considered a slow burn for excitement levels, I know I recommended it to a friend who didn't read further than the first 1/4 bc it just didn't captivate them. It's the first physical book I bought and read after a long reading lapse, initially pulled in by the beautiful cover, fully intrigued by the author's explainer about where the book came from & very satisfied by my overall experience with it.

Iron Widow, by Xiran Jay Zhao

I basically read this book in two sittings and finished it immediately wanting to read the second (gotta wait a couple months yet). This book is interesting. The pose isn't particularly poetic or elaborate, and some things definitely feel over explained to the reader, however I think that tone adds to the attitude/charm of the book. The voice of the protagonist is incredibly refreshing and invigorating to become one with. I don't think many of the reveals/twists will sneak up on you, but I found that I didn't mind that I could see where most things were leading & just wanted to see MC follow their path. However there was one outcome that I was pleasantly surprised by that I've since seen the author openly talk about on their social media, so I wouldn't follow them until you've give it a read if you're interested. I'm excited to read the second book to see the MC find more of their power within themselves and take more power from the world around them.

Although both books very much have Chinese historical fiction as a genre in common, She Who Became the Sun is more historical fantasy whereas Iron Widow is more futuristic/historical sci-fi.

.. Those were all over the place reviews. yeehaw.

Also, I sent asks a couple weeks ago telling you that your words are that of a surprisingly good published author and I stand by it so hard. I find myself reading and thinking that your writing would be perfect on the printed page and honestly better than so much that's already out there and well acclaimed. I would eat dirt to see a fully fledged book of your fantasy worldbuilding.

I'm so excited for every fic you're gonna release this year. So excited.

Also also

on second thoughts it would probably more appropriate to say dark fae jimin will eat me (and I certainly won't be complaining)

OKAY SO I HAVE SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN ON MY BOOKSHELF! It's on my TBR list but I just started Wheel of Time so we will see how long that takes me. It is a solid 900 page per book so I will most likely read other things between each novel. I am so excited to read it, especially now. You have no idea.

I have read Iron Widow and I CANNOT WAIT UNTIL HEAVENLY TYRANT COMES OUT! I absolutely ADORE Xiran and that story made me look more into Chinese history and theology. I love that it is technically a retelling, in a way. I thought the lore of the crysalises and the dynamics between riders and the use of xi is so!!!! She is such a fantastic writer and I also really enjoy her as a person and her straight-forward approach to publishing.

THAT WAS YOU!?!?!!? WELL I am glad that we are now engaged. You get first dibs if I ever figure out how to publish a book bestie. Honestly, I just try to like... absorb all the big fantasy writers and apply it to my writing. I think the first time I ever realized I wanted to do writing was when I read Eragon in middle school. It's just. Such a masterpiece.

Fae Jimin will 100% eat you he is going to be kind of unhinged I am not sorry!