#but I did not vote for skyrim because I feel like that's not even a hater opinion to have on this website!

[houndsofbalthazar]

Some of my extremely haterly opinions in the tags.

now its time to bring the haterism

if you think multiple are bad vote for the one you hate the most <3

[ironwoman359]

Hey so like I’ve been following ur blog since my sanders sides days but like genuinely wondering, what fandoms r u in now?

oh gosh, well hi! Thanks for sticking around so long ^.^

It's kinda hard to answer what fandoms I'm *in* per say, because I don't really participate in any particular communities as heavily as I did in the sanders sides community back in the late teens and early twenties, but this is the stuff I'm into/writing right now!

I've started reading books again! I've become one of those "reads 100 books a year" people with a storygraph and a big spreadsheet and an aesthetic book journal and everything, it's really fun. If anyone wants book recs please encourage me I will dump a whole list on you.

The fan community I'm actually participating in a bit right now is the cosmere fandom (fantasy books by brandon sanderson), as I'm in a fandom discord server for that with @mug-of-beans. Currently reading Words of Radiance and losing my mind (affectionate).

I'm writing a Skyrim fanfiction that is my pride and joy, and I recently went into a fugue state and wrote a Battinson oneshot? Batfam is one of those fandoms that I exist in tertiarily (other such fandoms include dp x dc, gravity falls, and good omens), because I follow people who reblog it a lot and I'm in some discord servers that have a lot of those fans as well.

Speaking of Discord servers, I still feel at least a little part of the Sanders Sides fandom (even though I haven't actually consumed any new official content since WTIT), mostly because of my friends who still are active in the fandom, namely @tulipscomeinallsortsofcolors whose fanfiction I am almost more a fan of than the original work at this point, and I'm in a couple different servers with la and several other of my sanders sides mutuals (some are, like me, less active in tss stuff these days but we all met because of sanders sides and so sometimes when we hang out it still feels like a fanclub for it, in a good way).

I don't watch Thomas as much anymore but I still watch a lot of youtube! I started watching Smosh for the first time about...twoish years ago? Just in time to get used to the current cast and its dynamics and in jokes and then be body slammed along with everyone else with the one-two punch of "anthony is back" and "shortney Real Actually." I cycle through different gaming channels depending on my hyperfixations (i go on and off with markiplier, rtgame, jacksepticeye, dougdoug, current big one is game grumps), I like 2nd Try and Mythical and I love video essays. Hbomberguy, Supereyepatchwolf, Dan Olson, Sarah Z, Mandalore Gaming, FD Signifier, Noodle, MothersBasement, probably several I'm forgetting. Oh, and @mug-of-beans and I own Terminal Montage's Blessed Kirbo plush because we needed the Holiest Boy in our house.

I'm also in one of those moods lately where I write a lot for my whump sideblog, so if you enjoy watching OCs in pain then you can come join me on @ironwhumper359, I just started an interactive story where the readers vote on certain outcomes!

I'm a little bit all over the place at the moment, haha, but overall I'm really enjoying the things I'm reading, writing, watching, and the people I'm hanging out with! Thanks for your ask, I'm honored that you and so many others are still following this blog after all this time!

[littleapocalypsekitten]

Okay, there is something I've wanted to get off my chest for a few days now... and my therapist has already heard it all. Warning: This is political. Warning: This will unveil a part of the Shadsie Lore that may make some of you unfollow me or even block me. I do not care. I thought "I shouldn't talk about this on the Internet, even on a place unconnected to my real name" until this article just slapped me in the face and told me that I needed to talk about it:

Ex-Felons Responding to the Trump Verdict I spent a chunk of my high school years visiting my brother in prison, where he served just shy of 4 years for an incident that he is lucky to have survived - he's white, he was arrested by sleepy-desert-town country cops who like the guards of Whiterun in Skyrim mostly deal with drunken brawls and petty thievery and weren't as trigger-happy as the city-cops. Knowing his stories, I know that the American prison system needs reformation badly, as it doesn't rehabilitate people so much as just give them a lot of trauma and, in some cases, makes them worse. And then... came time... Crime Time... for me. *Sad, scared little squeak talking about this.*

So, I did something that I am not proud of damn near 20 years ago. I will not elaborate save to say that: 1. A single felony and associated misdemeanours 2. No one was (physically) harmed 3. It was related to my mental health and how I got a diagnosis. 4. I served no time. 5. I was railroaded into a plea deal - I was contrite and fully confessed to the misdemeanours, but thought that the more serious charge that the DA wanted to pin on me was going overboard. 6. I felt like I couldn't win if it went to trial with only a public defender in my corner and so pleaded to the greater charge in exchange for serving probation. 7. I served 2 years of probation and it amuses me to this day that they gave me an officer who was pregnant. She had to give me over to another officer when she went to have her baby. I asked how she and the baby were and like to joke that I must have been one of the county's nicest criminals for them to give me a probation officer in a delicate condition. 8. This happened almost 20 years ago and it messes up my life to this day. It kept me from getting a job I wanted. (Thankfully I recently got a job with a company that doesn't look further than 7 years back). 9. Having had my record brought to my attention, I researched pardoning and gathered materials and sent off a package to petition my governor. At the speed of bureaucracy I expect to hear back about the initial filing process, let alone getting a hearing, *looks at watch and taps foot* oh, about when Pangea Ultima forms and the world has been taken over by the descendants of squids. Anyway, I've had mixed feelings all this week. On one hand, I'm elated - for once, the GREASED HOG HAS BEEN CAUGHT ON SOMETHING! Always nice to see the rich and powerful get some kind of censure, if not full justice. On the other hand, I see a lot of people online talking about felons not having rights and not having dignity and so forth - you know, the stigmas. Personally, I am never going to run for President, I do not think I would do well with a position of power and have no desire for it. In fact, I am skeptical of the morals of anyone who wants a lot of power. I am an anxious type who'd constantly worry about messing up people's lives on accident. I certainly could not do the President-thing of ordering war-actions (because my personal hero is Vash the Stampede... "thou shall not kill"). And, despite my favorite anime being Trigun and my love of playing Fallout... I don't want anything to do with guns in real life, so no worries on the gun-ownership thing. I live in a state that allows ex-felons to vote so long as they've served their time/probation. I may want to move to a state in the future where I am not sure that is allowed to be with family (One of my reasons for seeking a pardon). Between my brother and me, I am VERY concerned with the human rights and civil rights of repentant ex-cons and of those people in the prison / legal system. That said: Mr. Trump is NOT "one of us." He is a rich (or at least bluffs his way) and powerful and is being treated with the softest of kid gloves. (If I had pulled the threats and outbursts that he had in the courtroom during my hearings, I would have been jailed). I was silent, spoke only when spoken to. He'll never want for a job or money as even if he's more broke than he lets on, he has his slathering minions who send him millions of dollars in a day. He'll never have to rely on a public defender (as passionate and dedicated as they are, they are overloaded and not well listened to in the court system) - he'll always have excellent monied lawyers. I enjoy the HELL out of the idea that he's going to have a probation officer, but I do not think it will humble him. Covid, after all, didn't give him the impression of being a mere mortal man. If anything, this trial, even this conviction, highlights the disparities in the American legal system for me.

[pizkwat1]

Stormcloaks or Imperials?

So, obviously the real answer is "who would your character side with?" And really, the negotiated settlement route is the best choice, kicking the can until hopefully either the Thalmor play their hand and piss off the Empire enough to abandon the concordat and legalize the cult of Talos again or the Markarth incident is forgotten and Skyrim can regain the autonomy it had previously. But, if we're applying real-world ideology to a fantasy setting, and if a side has to be declared "right":

The Stormcloaks have a right to self-determination in the face of the Empire's denial of their right to free worship. Skyrim remaining in the Empire would probably be better for the Nords and Tamriel overall, but that can't be dictated to them. "It's for your own good" can't trump human rights.

Yes, Ulfric is racist. Deeply racist, his man Galmar evoking the Ehlnofex race war from literally before the dawn of time. Racist not just against the Dunmer, which is honestly almost understandable (how would Mexico feel about American refugees? Especially if Americans lived a thousand years and most of them were alive for the Mexican-American war?), but actually more racist against Argonians, which is honestly pretty weird. (Why? Because of Umbriel? The Knahaten Flu? That was generations ago. Under Hoag Stormcloak they weren't banned from the city. It honestly doesn't make sense.)

Ulfric did also prompt the crackdown on the cult of Talos in the first place. Remember the Markarth Incident? Reachmen (a whole other issue) took over Markarth, and a militia led by Ulfric took it back and said they would occupy it until the Empire legalized Talos worship. Prior to that, Talos worship was definitely illegal in Skyrim as with everywhere else (play Elder Scrolls: Blades), but it wasn't very strongly enforced in Skyrim. After Ulfric's stunt, it was very strongly enforced. Now, it seems most likely that Ulfric did this because he was stupid -- if he was smart he wouldn't have killed Torygg. It can't be ruled out that he did it to create instability in which he could gain power. But it does seem more likely that he was just stupid. But Ulfric's demands were not unreasonable. He voted Green when he should've voted Dem, in essence, and blew it all up. He wasn't pragmatic, but he shouldn't be faulted for idealism.

(The Altmer in Windhelm do not make Ulfric not a racist by the way; The Pocket Guide to the Empire, I forget which edition, pretty much definitively establishes that most Altmer who live outside of the Summerset Isles are exiles. Ulfric would be predisposed to quite like an Altmer political exile.)

Ulfric is a bigot and frankly a bad leader. It really should go without saying that Ulfric is not the entirety of the Stormcloaks. In Riften we see several licensed Argonian merchants and even landowners fully accepted, and a Dunmer holding a prominent position in Dawnstar even despite his shady past. (The latter might be called a token exception, but you gotta remember every city in that game has like 30 dudes in it so Erandur is like 3% of Dawnstar's population.) The Stormcloaks are united by their cause, not by loyalty to Ulfric. The only Stormcloak Jarl who actually seems to even like him is Skald of Dawnstar -- that's probably because, again, Ulfric is probably stupid, and the Jarls know it. Ulfric is undoubtedly an extremely problematic element of the Stormcloak administration, but not really a very powerful one, and to reiterate, a flawed administration, even a bigoted one, does not exempt its people from a right to independence. (There are some recent real-world examples which I feel it would be disrespectful for me to bring up.)

By the way, this is very different from the American civil war. The Confederacy seceded explicitly because the federal government was trying to remove a form of oppression. The Stormcloaks rebelled because the Empire was reasserting oppression. As evidenced by all the talk from Windhelm's Dunmer and Argonians about "ever since Ulfric came along," Windhelm was not a racist city prior to the rebellion. Ulfric's oppression of Windhelm's racial minorities is less akin to Confederate slavery and more akin to American internment camps in World War Two (which to be clear were very bad, and also very different from fighting a war to preserve institution chattel slavery. All throughout human history you see a flareup of xenophobia during wars. War is bad.)

You can also consider the alternative. From a utilitarian perspective, an Imperial victory is worse because the suffering of two small immigrant communities in one city is replaced with the suffering of a religious group representing something like a third of all of Skyrim. (No suffering is not an option because The Elder Scrolls is diet grimdark.) Again, the negotiated settlement really is the best option, but that's a cop-out, so, Stormcloaks. That said, in most of my playthroughs I went Imperial lol.

[talldarkandroguesome]

14th of First Seed, Sundas

I finally received word back from Chancellor of Precedent concerning the official acceptance of Kuna into the House. 

Of course I made my way down to the office immediately, arriving just behind the messenger announcing my eminent arrival.

The Chancellor had me take a seat as his assistants brought forth some very old volumes of precedents from the first era.

It was very exciting to see that there was a record of the official acceptance of a half-Altmer son into House Hlaalu. In their case, there was only one heir to the family line who had been quite sickly, so they had allowed it in order to ensure that the bloodline did not die out.

I asked if, since my son was not in poor health what it would mean for our chances of getting things passed.

The Chancellor explained that since I had no other siblings and that Uncle Urnel had no heirs, unless the Council would allow the re-admittance of Aunt Vivyne’s family, my line was the last one acceptable for the continuation of the Grandmaster’s bloodline. Therefore, we would certainly be granted our Litterae Patentes so long as uncle Urnel approved. The House Council could, of course, contest the decision, but given that I have only one heir and that the bloodline would otherwise end there, the chances of objection were fairly slim, given that none of the other Councilmer were closely related enough to try and get themselves placed upon the throne as Grandmaster.

After going over the next steps and all the forms, I agreed I would like to proceed. Since I had already spoken with Mother, I knew that she would provide sponsorship of the move to begin the process.

So we filled out the necessary documentation and the Chancellor and I both provided our official stamps and the assistants took them directly to be filed. 

Soon my daughter will be a part of this House. And that is something that I am so proud of.

I also asked the Chancellor about filing the adoption of Cariel as well. I said I was not seeking to have her added as a potential heir, but rather, simply to have her recognized as my child within the family registry.

That paperwork was also drawn up and filed.

I spent the better part of the day working on the process before getting in the carriage to return.

Unsurprisingly, someone tried to shoot me through the window of the carriage. The magickal barriers placed around the carriage prevented it, but it did make a spectacular flash of light. As I turned to the light, I saw it flashed out into the direction from whence the attack came. Two of the Ordinators in the procession steered their guar off towards the direction of the attack, even as we continued down the road and towards the manor.

When I arrived home to announce to everyone that things were going well, I found Nabine was not yet returned. Mother was there, with the girls and so we had a nice long talk about how Kuna was now officially in the process of becoming an heir to the throne. Cariel seemed a little disappointed that she would not be following in her sister’s footsteps. I explained that while she would not be eligable to become the Grandmaster, I was still having her added as an official member to the House by way of being my daughter.

I could see Mother bristling with words she wished to speak, but I told her in Chimeris to leave it be and let me take care of it as time grew. She, to her credit, said she would allow it.

I explained to Cariel that I saw her as every bit as much of the family as Kuna. That I loved her and would always think of her as my own daughter and treat her in the same manner.

It is difficult to know how much she truly understood. I know she must see herself as being different. I assured her that, since she did not have to worry about becoming Grandmaster, it meant she would not have to sit through quite so many long lessons about how to behave or have to memorize the long passages of ancient rites. She would even be free from some of the rules and regulations and could play a lot more as a result. I tried to point out every benefit to not having to join the line of succession.

By the end she seemed in rather a good mood and I made sure that we had treats served to both girls.

Mother told me she would accept the sponsorship and would even agree to take the lead on Kuna’s education towards that end. I thanked her, knowing that there was much to be done and the Council to still be convinced. With Mother’s agreement, however, I can only imagine that many will be swayed.

Mother also says that she will stop by uncle Urnel’s tonight and speak with him about all that is going on. And that in the next day or two everything will be put to a vote before the Council and the Litterae Patentes signed. Kuna would be officially granted the title and a brief ceremony would be held when everything was completed.

By the time Nabine returned, a more than a little inebriated, everything was well on its way.

I was surprized to find that Nabine was not happy about my wanting to adopt Cariel officially. I told her that I wanted the House to see Cariel as equally deserving of everything as her sister.

Nabine argued that I was not her father and that it was not my place to insist that I take that title.

I apologized and asked her if she would like for me to have the adoption paperwork rescinded.

That seemed only to set her off more. 

I realized that something else must be bothering her and so I waited for her to get out her frustrations and then asked her if something had happened or if there was something more going on.

She started to get angry again, saying I was patronizing her.

Knowing from past arguments how this goes, I used my birthgift to get her to relax and to tell me what was really bothering her, because I loved her and I wanted to do my best by her.

She told me she hated when I used my birthgift on her, but explained that she was unhappy with life in Mournhold. The constant threats, the having to sneak around all the time, the nasty looks people gave her. It made her feel awful. Worst of all, she had to watch what she did more closely, she had little outlet for her anger, and the one thing that would make it better, spending time with her family, she was denied under the current circumstances.

I wrapped her in my arms and told her I was sorry that things were so difficult. That I hated that it made her unhappy.

She said that she missed just being able to spend the day hunting with her girls or hanging out at a bar without feeling eyes on her at all times.

So I agreed that as soon as the business with Urtisa was concluded, the girls were accepted, and enough time had passed to keep us from suspicion, that I would take her and we would travel with the girls. We could spend some time back in Grahtwood and then travel to Elsweyr. We would stay with my husband and have all of our families together in one place. And if she was unhappy there, that we could do somewhere else. Someplace she wanted to go in order to feel happy. If it was Valenwood or Skyrim or anywhere else on Tamriel, I would go with her to the best of my ability.

It was then that I realized that she was worried. Worried about her life and her girls’, but also about being left again. Nabine said that considering what she had seen happen, she just was not sure what to expect. Everything was so uncertain, but not in the fun way. With so many responsibilities, with obligations pulling us in so many directions, she was scared. Even if we killed Urtisa, even if the House accepted everything and actually allowed us to travel, what new impediments would stand in the way? There was so much that she did not feel as though she could see a path forward for us. And she did not desire to be chained to a House that would keep her from doing as she pleased. Even more, she worried what would happen to Kuna or Cariel and if the House tried to take them away from her somehow.

How foolish I have been not to have seen that, even with her wanting much of this, there would be fears, too. She is a citizen of a state with which ours is a war. She has heard about the way my son and I have both been raised in this House. Of course there would be worries there, fears of what is to come.

I kissed her and told her that I shared much of those same fears. That it hurt to think that, given everything, we might be separated again. And yet, I was willing to do what needed to be done so that we had the greatest chance at success.

Nabine grabbed my shoulders in a grip so tight, it left bruises. She told me that, no matter what, I was to promise her that her girls would never be taken from her by the House. I promised her that if I had to lose my life time and again, I would see to it that the House would not ever keep her from the girls.

With that, Nabine told me to carry her to bed and get her comfortable and massage her feet.

I laughed, happy to see she was recovering herself once more and lifted her in my arms and set her gently onto the bed before going to get the oils.

Even from the other room, I could hear her softly crying and so I took a little extra time to allow her not to be embarrassed. I know how much she hates having anyone, even me, see her cry. I understand how much she hates letting her vulnerability show.

I apologized that I had had trouble finding the oils she wanted, and was happy to hear her give me a small scolding, even with her voice wavering slightly.

After I had done my best to pamper her, we got in bed and I held her until she fell asleep.

I could not rest. My mind ruminated on the fears she had, the hurt that I had brought upon her. I could have cried myself. And yet, I managed to distract myself long enough to bolster my own emotions.

As Nabine sleeps on peacefully, I cannot help but wonder what is truly to come.

She and her girls are both in danger as the result of coming here. I have done this to them.

Worst of all, the downside of not being entirely mortal now, is knowing that I will have to watch them all die. All of those who I care about. I know it will be a long time for the mer in my life. We have long life spans, after all.

But what of Qau-dar, Little Khes, the quadruplets? The lives of Khajiit are much shorter.

And after that, what then? See Nabine pass? Kuna? Cariel? Sildras?

Surely they will have children, some of them.

And I will grow to love them as well. And then I shall watch as they grow old and pass. If I am lucky, of course. There is every chance that the dangers of the world may see themselves stealing those lives early.

Is this what the guardian spirits face?

No, it is not the same. They do not have the ability to interfere. They can only listen or observe. I will be able to interfere.

Perhaps that is the price of what I have done. A price I gladly will pay. I shall become the guardian of my line.

There are other mortals who have found themselves living well beyond normal means. Divayth Fyr comes to mind. Though he has quite the reputation for serving only his own pursuits and not those of others these days.

Will I, similarly, become jaded and cold as the centuries turn to millennia? I can only hope that I am able to remain the same mer. That my personality remains as it is.

Dawn will some soon, I should try to rest. Tomorrow will be busy.

[planetoban]

Savin’s Answers from Twitter, Part 5!

Pretty much done with the backlog; this post covers tweets from November 2018 through May 2019

As always, tweets are in order from most to least recent, and answers may not 100% true/canon since things are bound to change during production of the sequel. Text is unedited save for formatting; in a few places I added [comments] for context.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

Also: If you’re going to ask Savin something, please be respectful and appropriate. He’s a person just like you and me.

-

@NekoItoi: Will the bluray be released for Region A or solely region B? As I really want to finally own Oban in hd

@EiffelSavin: The bluray will be crowdfunded and region free

(x)

@Helloworld1012: Maybe U could get a adventures of young Aikka series funded

@EiffelSavin: Actually we're developping both a sequel and a spinof, which would reveal a lot about Aikka's past...

(x)

[talking about rick]

@Antarasis: Pretty metalhead.  👍 And losing your ability to pursue your #1 passion is such a heavy hitting topic. Was interesting to see a character confronted with it. Especially to see an admirable character give in to anger because of helplessness and make him act unpleasant/unlikable.

@EiffelSavin: I agree. Characters that are not just plain black and white are very interresting to follow.

(x)

@Helloworld1012: out of curiosity, Do U [Savin and Thomas] prefer the Eva & Jordan romantic pairing and prefer that Eva & Jordan be a couple or the Eva & Aikka romantic  pairing & prefer that Eva & Aikka become a couple? I heard from a discord chat that U both have different views in

‏@Helloworld1012: who Eva should end up with. And do Romantically pair Eva with one of them.

@EiffelSavin: I don't remember disagreeing with Thomas over this and would rather leave the choice to the audience - both relationships are important ! This being said, the question of who Eva likes most may resurface in the sequel, if we get to make it...

(x)

@Xanidos43: is it still possible to get the newsletter? i would love to support and buy the blu ray upon release.

@EiffelSavin: There will be more newsletters to come. For now just register on the bluray page of the http://obanstarracers.com  website

(x)

@Helloworld1012: Hey I’ve noticed for quite a while, that Aikka and Eva in the concept art physically look to be about the same age, please give us this one hint. Is the fact that Eva and Aikka look physically the same age in the concept art have something to do with the plot or OSR

@Helloworld1012: 2? Or is it just because you and @Thomasintokyo just wanted to show what Eva and Aikka could possible look like when their older?

@EiffelSavin: One possible direction for the sequel is for it to take place a few years after the original show. Hence the concept art. But this is still under discussion and would also depend on who finances the series

(x)

@Antarasis: Can we have a show about poor Muir, haha? Oh god, if I'd have the time I'd so make a parody show about Muir. There should be Muirs in Skyrim instead of mudcrabs. And Muir should get a skin in FightCrab. x'D Aaah, the potential of Muir. Please don't commit suizide, little crab.

@EiffelSavin: I could easily imagine a series about the adventures of "young muir"(!) Not sure we could get it funded though ☺️

(x)

@AldrenMcneal: Hi there! i recently watched an Oban Star Racers video and found out a potential sequel was in the works. i found your twitter and realized it was announced back in 2017. How much progress have you made since then? Do you have the story planned out? Thanks!‏

@EiffelSavin: The story is planned out but we need investors - and time as well, since we're all involved in other projects too. Hopefully a successful bluray release we'll help refocuss everyone's energy

(x)

@Bfahome: I heard rumors in the past that there's a "full" version of Oban's English opening, "Never Say Never".  Are those rumors true and, if so, who would be the ones to have it?  Would it even exist still?

@EiffelSavin: I'm not sure about this. I think the only version I ever heard was the opening version. For your info our US partners felt very strongly about using that song.  I gave my OK because it was pretty catchy, even though the op credits were created to match Yoko Kanno's title song.

(x)

@EiffelSavin: Thanks a lot to the 1000+ #obanstarracers fans who took the time to answer our little survey. Here's what you answered to one of the first question asked. Among the alien racers, it seems Spirit made quite an impression #animation #anime #surveys #jetix #nhkbs #toowam

@MattGiusti: The lack of Sul on this list is very sad.

@EiffelSavin;: Sul came right after and would certainly have fared better if the question was who's your favorite alien character. Bear in mind that the list of choices here included some of the main characters of the show, like Jordan and Aikka and that one could only give a single answer.

@rhodanum: I'm quite surprised at how high Spirit ranked (higher than Stan, Don and Maya!) and that Jordan ranked higher than Aikka. The latter is especially surprising, given the gigantic number of fanworks (fanart, fanfic) featuring Aikka or Aikka x Eva, compared to Jordan or Jordan x Eva

@EiffelSavin: Aikka ranked first in some territories but overall Jordan came first - among the voters at least. I would be interesting to see if female and male voters voted equally - or predominantly - for one or the other...

(x) (x)

@GabrielAubry2: What happened to Prince Aikka after he returns to Nourasia? Won’t the Crogs on the planet be angry at what he did on Oban?

@EiffelSavin: Good question indeed but bear in mind their leader crashed on Oban and that there were fierce rivalries between the rest of chiefs. This must have slowed them somehow. Plus there's a new Avatar! 🙂

(x)

@RakkuBoi: ust took the survey. It's probably asking for too much but one idea I expressed was the possibility of including autographes. Maybe on the art cards that might be included? Your's or @Thomasintokyo would be AMAZING.

@EiffelSavin: Point noted 😉

(x)

@kueekueeng: from a fan who's been waiting for years, is "The 2 Queens"  movie ever going to be released?‏

@EiffelSavin: Finding funding on the French market as proven more difficult than anticipated but we haven't given up and have also started working on an animated series adaptation, possibly with a more "radical" artistic direction. More news hopefully soon...

(x)

@SonicMrgame2017: Which program you guys used for animation?

@EiffelSavin: Here are the programs the team used for the animation: Pencils (well sharpened), large and thin Erasers, and most important: thousands and thousands of sheets of Paper 😉

@SonicMrgame2017: Yeah, but, the animation was done in cels or you guys used some kind of digital ink? PD: Respects!!!! I love handrawn animation

@EiffelSavin: Oban used digital paint and compositing. When we produced the series it was the very last days of painted cells in Japan, where it lasted longer than in other countries. I think the last series that used painted cells was "Sazae-san". 🙂

(x)

@quantum_cuboid: QUESTION. Can you give us any insight as to which characters will make a return in the OSR sequel? There were many good characters, and a few that make me wonder whatever happened to them!

@EiffelSavin: I'll give you one: Eva (!) 😉 For the rest I prefer to keep quiet for now but feel free to make suggestions ☺️

(x)

[note: this thread is originally in French and I used Google Translate]

@supalinocelosu: So it was the authors directly who led the # ObanStarRacers

@ EiffelSavin: I think that should be the norm but apparently no ... I was also present during the English dubbing in Vancouver. But this time there was a director of English voices. I was commenting but not directly the direction of US actors

(x)

@theinmaskedboy: Could you clarify a doubt sir? 1) What happened with him when he arrived on the earth, because at the end of the galactic race he did not mention again .. 2) There are some loose ends in history, like the crow .. Was he eliminated from the race? or just leave?

@EiffelSavin: Spirit did not make it to the final 3 so he was eliminated & returned to his home planet. Regarding Rick, his job was done so he went back home too. We had crazy plans of making a sequel with him starring as a private PI (!)  Who knows we may reuse that in 1 form or another

(x)

@Taibhse_Designs: Now this is a beauty to see, any concept art for the whizzing arrow or other paint job ideas other than the bunny exist that never made it to print?

@EiffelSavin: yes. We did more than 10 paint job tests before going for the actual ones :) That certainly could be something for the new art book.

(x)

@Taibhse_Designs: I have the original DVDs still in good condition with the cardboard sleeve, I atleast rewatch the entire series once a year and would love a Blu-ray version. Would love to see some stats on the ships like actual scale, measurements, or official heights of the characters.Taibhse Designs added,

@EiffelSavin: That could be a cool extra actually, or something to add to a new art book. If you join the Oban Bluray Project newsletter on http://obanstarracers.com  we'll soon ask you about the type of features and goodies you'd like to have.

(x)

@TheRealZentron: The 1080p 4:3 version is the most crisp out of the three, but I like the cinematic scope of the 16:9, I just wish it was as crisp! Still, can't wait until the Blu-Ray comes out, hopefully it will be available to and playable in the UK!

@EiffelSavin: The bluray will be, for the first time, in the original rate of 24f/s and will be zone free‏

@TheRealZentron: That's great to hear Savin, thanks for the info! I'll sure to place my order once available, it'll sure be good watching OSR HD on my 70" 4K TV! Will the set also include the original Molly Star-Racer trailer in HD or the regular SD?

@EiffelSavin: I'm working on this. The pb is to get the rights to the music. In all cases it will be sd as it was produced that way but we'll try to upscale it in the best possible way from the best source available.

(x)

[Original question deleted]

@EiffelSavin: That was my notes, yes: Maya cut off from her family because of her choice to become a racer with Don, and Don having old parents that died early. Thus no grand parents for Eve to turn 2. But since we never go beyond that in the story, U can make up your own idea on backstory 🙂

(x)

@LovesOban: Please tell me because I’ve been obsessing over this, but even though he wouldn’t be as skilled as Aikka, Cannan or a Nourasian knight in martial arts, & Even though in 2082 DW isn’t the most athletic & even though DW is more brains than brawn & doesn’t have brute strength, in

@EiffelSavin: Don Wei is not a "big man" but he's determined and has grown quite tough, at least since Maya's death. Do you remember the first time he meets Rick and his biker buddies in the middle of the desert?  He stands up to them pretty well, doesn't he?

(x)

@HG_Alsmyr: are you going to have Thomas Romain join you for the Ōban sequel by chance?

@EiffelSavin: Yes. We've already started to collaborate on the sequel and spinoff projects. Working together again was very touching actually 🙂

(x)

[blapisblogs]

So somehow Corey Taylor has now ended up in the place where I’m assuming the other Nostalgia Critic episodes take place, which has all these parody posters of previous Nostalgia Critic reviews and Doug Walker’s YouTube plaques on the walls. Doug, you spent a majority of at least the first half of this “review” beating us over the head with how much you hate Roger Waters’s ego, but then you show us shots like this and expect people to not comment on yours? Of course there is a very slight chance that this might’ve been an attempt at self-deprecation, showing that Doug is aware that “Nostalgia Critic” has just as much of an ego as Waters and he’s just oblivious to it, but given how the rest of this “review” is and how Doug has reportedly acted behind the scenes on other projects, I highly doubt it.

Now you’d think that with Corey Taylor here and the “review” being nearly over that this would be the part where he finally says something, especially since we’re close to one of the few times we hear Bob Geldof sing in the film. You’d be wrong. Before Doug can finish whatever speech he had planned for this part, he answers a call from... some dude asking about the whereabouts of someone called Lucy Lacemaker. Oh boy... So something I’ve been mostly ignoring is that there’s a strange creature that’s popped up briefly a few times throughout the “review”. That creature is Lucy Lacemaker, the creation of someone called Fennah, making a guest appearance in this review because... uh... The Wall had weird animated characters in it? That’s what Lucy starts talking about: how the animated characters’ designs were creative but the characters themselves were terribly underused (“All paint, no ink” as she puts it). If you’ve actually seen the film, then you know that this criticism doesn’t make sense. The animated characters and creatures in The Wall aren’t exactly characters in and of themselves; they’re figments of Pink’s imagination that are either meant to symbolize things (i.e. the black eagle in “Goodbye Blue Sky” being the Nazis who did aerial bombings on England), purposefully one-dimensional caricatures of real people in Pink’s life who’ve damaged him (his overprotective mother, his cheating wife, the abusive schoolmaster), or sometimes even how he sees himself in that moment (the mostly inanimate doll and possibly Judge Worm). They aren’t the main focus of the film or album because the focus is Pink and his internal struggles. (I was gonna say “That’d be like saying that Tamatoa should’ve been the main character of Moana when the film is about Moana”, but... no, that would still make more sense because at least Tamatoa is an actual character in that film and not a figment of someone’s imagination, despite what some grimdark edgelord fan theories say.)

Anyway, it fades to... some sort of alternate universe or dimension or something? Whatever, Doug’s now in this world of weirdos who sing about what they think of the film? I guess? This is a “parody” of “The Trial”, the climax of the film where Pink mentally, well, puts himself on trial for “showing feelings” and culminates in him making himself “tear down the wall”, allowing himself to feel and move on from his trauma. On the one hand I get the most basic line of logic for this “parody” (“The Trial had weird animated creatures, so therefore this parody of it should have weird animated creatures”), but this looks and feels so out of place here. I mean, if these creatures were in a video about Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland movies I wouldn’t bat an eye at it, but for a video about The Wall it feels so wrong. It gets worse when you know that the animated characters in The Trial all have connections to Pink whereas these characters are from a completely different creator with no ties to Doug Walker at all (or even Corey Taylor, who, you know, is supposed to be standing in for Pink). It’s not like Doug doesn’t have characters of his own or that they couldn’t fill in the spaces of the people in The Trial if he wanted to (Chester A. Bum, Devil Boner, Hyper Fangirl, The Devil, Charts Guy, Bill, etc.), so the lack of using them for this and instead using characters from something completely unrelated to his show made by someone completely unrelated to his crew makes it feel impersonal, which is the exact opposite of what The Trial did. It needs to be personal in order for it to have the proper impact on Pink (or whoever’s standing in for him in this case), so removing that element from it takes away a lot of the punch.

I don’t want to be too harsh on this sequence because I know a lot of people have given Fennah guff over it (and supposedly they didn’t take the backlash regarding their part in it very well), but even with how out-of-place it is I have to admit the animation isn’t too bad, especially given that this was all done in about two and a half weeks. Oh yeah, according to Fennah, Doug Walker only gave them about two and a half weeks to do all this animation, which is half of what it normally takes for him to make something like this. What the fuck, Doug? You claim that you worked on this “review” for at least two months (not that it shows) and you only gave Fennah two and a half weeks to animate their parts? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised given how much you overworked your former associates on the set of To Boldly Flee, but I guess you really didn’t learn anything from that. I mean, the least you could’ve done was try to react a little more to all these weird creatures and places you found yourself in for no reason, yet your acting is somehow worse than the performances in other animation-live action hybrid movies you’ve criticized in the past.

But enough of all that, let’s look at the lyrics for this parody of one of my favorite parts from both the album and film. Because fuck me, we’re almost done.

[Lyrics (and snark) below the cut]

[Note: I don’t know anything about Fennah, their webshow Satellite City, or anything else they do; the only character name I know is Lucy’s, so the rest of these are gonna be very crappy physical descriptions. Apologies in advance for that.]

Someone vaguely like Lucy I guess but way bigger and with horns: Right then, Lucy Lacemaker, The court will take a vote On if the film that plays before us Can in any way show some feelings, Ruddy feelings of an almost canny nature From joys to blues

[Lady, if you and these other characters wanted to do a comprehensive analysis of The Wall, then you should’ve done it way sooner and not in the last seven to eight minutes of someone else’s video, let alone the video of someone who doesn’t even really analyze it themselves.]

Five-armed scarecrow motherfucker: I always said I like a well-made ditty

[Well you’re not going to be hearing any of that in this video, dude. Edit: So I thought this said “I always said I like to wear me titty”, which of course makes no sense, but according to another video, these are the actual words. It makes more sense, but that’s still what I hear whenever I stumble upon a video talking about this.]

I will not suffer shitty Fools that bring forth Naught but pity For their lack of wit and wild

[Jesus christ, is this yet another jab at Roger Waters?! I got enough of that from Doug Walker beating it into everyone’s skulls for the last half-hour, I don’t need to hear it from whoever the hell this is too.]

But here we rather find The result of heart and artist I say the music here is joyous!

[At this point I can’t even tell if this is supposed to be a genuine compliment or a backhanded one.]

But with that, we have to say

Black, spiky, horned demon goat thing: Lazy Left in the attic We’re not crazy Constantly dreaming I just wish they’d give us some more time to live

[How is the film not being about you “lazy”? Are you even talking about this film specifically, or just movies with underused cool-looking creatures in general? Also, this seems pretty ironic given that each of these characters (with the exception of Lucy) only get maybe a few seconds of screentime in this “review”.]

Horned kangaroo lizard titty monster with no pants: Lazy, Constantly (???) as being lazy

[This is the one most everyone points to when they talk about the lyrics being unintelligible, and I don’t blame them because I’ve seen this part multiple times and still can’t fully figure out what she’s saying. Also, I’m sorry Fennah, but somebody’s gotta say it: the lip-syncing here is awkward at best.]

Multi-horned Christmas goat motherfucker: Those little shits They’ve done it now We all deserve personalities They could’ve used us Far more often than they did, But no! They had to go their own way

[Again, this film’s not about the weird creatures for a reason: they’re not the focus because they aren’t real in the context of the film and the focus is Pink and his personal struggles. If you want animated characters with creative designs that have more screentime and development, then I have no clue what made you think you’d get it from this film out of all the other animated media out there. Not every animation-live action hybrid movie is trying to be Who Framed Roger Rabbit (especially not this one since it came out years before Roger Rabbit did).]

We’re bored of Alice! We want the Hatter

[Okay, credit where it’s due, I like this tiny bit here by itself. I definitely don’t think it works as a “criticism” of The Wall, but it’s decently creative in a way.]

Just five minutes more, your honor, Them and us alone

Blue Skyrim-looking dragon: Wait! This film’s not bound by characters It’s a visual affair It never aimed to tell a story

[Were you watching the same film that everyone else was, or are you somehow confusing it with the “review” you’re currently in? The film does have characters and does tell a story, and I think it does a pretty decent job at it (even better than the album I’d argue), unlike this “review” which tries to have a narrative but becomes less and less cohesive as it drags on.]

Rather sprawling canvas of Emotion visual splendor And your honor, we can take that home

[Take what home? I don’t even know what your argument is supposed to be here. This just sounds like word salad at this point.]

Tall Sean Connery-sounding werewolf in a striped robe: Maybe There’s more to the picture Just maybe Both sides of the wall

[...Nobody in this “review” actually knows what “The Wall” that the film and album are talking about is supposed to be, do they?]

Sean Connery-sounding werewolf and white lizard thing: There’s a difference between nonsense, after all That and Creation

Mutated cow monster thing on a moon surrounded by jellyfish: Genius and nonsense And creation

[Okay, again, credit where it’s due: the lip-sync for this thing is awkward, but this is the only person or thing in this “review” with a genuinely pleasant and clear singing voice. Shame that she only gets two or three short lines, one of which she has with the previous duo.]

Lucy Lacemaker: The evidence before the court is Incontrovertible There’s no need for the jury to retire In all my years of judging, I have never seen before

[With the exception of one word in that last part, Lucy’s whole bit here is completely lifted from the original. Some of these were already cutting it close to the original’s, but this is just straight up copying it. I don’t know who wrote this part of the “review” (I’ve gotten conflicting information on whether it was Doug or Fennah who wrote this particular parody), but whoever it was, you’ve got some nerve to have characters call the film “lazy” only to later turn around and do this.]

A film so deserving Of both love and wanting more The way it makes you tougher, Makes you think and feel but suffer, Fills me with the urge to decapitate

[Go on, Lucy! Off with his head! Edit: I guess here’s as good a point as any to point out that, at least according to TV Tropes, Lucy is a lesbian who likes to murder people, so apparently that’s supposed to be funny. ...Yeah, no, it’s not. Fuck you, TV Tropes.]

I believe this film is packed

[I’m being generous in assuming she said “packed” at least, because it sound like she’s saying “hacked” but that doesn’t really make sense. Then again this whole bit in this “review” doesn’t really make sense when it comes down to it.]

With much to be revered But the marvelous creatures Should be adored As opposed to being feared

[...You mean you want people to love the animated creatures based on literal abusers and Nazis?]

Tear down the wall!

[What wall?! In the context of this “review” there is no wall! Even if the context here is that there’s a “wall” between nightmarish fantasy and reality, then Lucy and/or Fennah already broke it offscreen before this whole number started. Or are you talking about the film/album The Wall? If that’s the case, then why are you demanding that Doug Walker tear it down when he was already doing that long before you showed up? What did Doug have to do with any of this? What the hell happened to Corey Taylor during all this?! Why did I waste so much time writing all this down?! Why did I do this to myself?! WHY?!]

[rosecorcoranwrites]

Video Games as Interactive Storytelling

As I previously established, video games are a worthwhile form of storytelling, combining the best aspects of books, movies, and comics. They are unique among mediums, however, for being a truly interactive form of media. They are games, after all, and thus incorporate aspects play and choice.

Environment

Because you, the player, control the character, you experience the world as if you were in it, much more than in any other medium. You explore the environment. You fight the boss, and experience the struggle of battle. You help various NPCs, or non-player characters, with tasks. You make friends and allies, and fight alongside them. Although I never like my favorite characters getting hurt in any medium, when people attack my allies in video games, it's personal.

And that's what video games do: offer an incredibly personal experience. Unlike books, movies and comics, where you have to read from start to finish, video games let you meander and spend time in the setting. In games like Zelda, Okami, or Dark Souls, you can discover secrets that aren't necessarily part of the main plot. These can include hidden areas or side quests. Sometimes these add to your understanding of the story or make the main plot more emotionally impactful. For instance, I actually did all those side quests for people in Okami, so the cutscene during the final boss fight was personal to me. I helped those people; they were lending their strength to me.

You can also gawk at the extra details of the world. One of my favorite examples of this is in Skyrim, where you can read books of short stories or admire intricately carved Nordic architecture, neither of which are important to the story or gameplay, but which make the experience more complete and immersive. I like to wonder at the fact that some person was paid to write those stories and design those carvings; they’re neat little details that someone at the studio thought were important enough to put into the game.

Even a game as linear and straightforward as the Ace Attorney series allows for a sort of exploration. Though you can only "move" through a series of set-like locations during the investigation stages, you can click on almost every object in order to hear banter between you and your assistant. While this doesn't generally offer much in the way of world or story building (unless the object turns out to be a crucial piece of evidence) it does let us experience more chemistry between the characters, endearing them to us even more.

Choice

Games in which the player’s choices effect the story obviously offer an interesting experience. Certain games have binary choices—send this character to the safety of the cathedral, or to be experimented on in a laboratory!—while others have branching trees and dozens or hundreds of possible endings. Many games incorporate a morality system, where the more bad choices one makes make for a darker ending, with the best result being the “Good ending” and the worst result, the “Bad ending”; many games opt for multiple bittersweet conclusions.

While some such games have fairly blank-slate, player-insert characters as protagonists (that is, they don’t have too much personality, because the player can fill that in), others have very specific motivations, while still offering choice. My sister was describing her initial frustration, in Red Dead Redemption 2, that she could only make not-so-good choices in some of the side quests. This makes sense, given that you are playing as an outlaw in a gang, but was still annoying in a game that claimed to give one choices. She was later delighted, though, after something important happens to the character (spoiler: they find out they have tuberculosis, which not only makes them sympathize with one of their former victims of the same condition, but also forces them to come to terms with their decisions, as time is running out), and good options start opening up. The way the game presented choices made sense for that individual character while still giving the player the freedom to reject certain choices if they want. Masterful!

Happenstance

I will say, however, that player choice is not totally unique to games, as Choose Your Own Adventure books were and occasionally still are a thing. Programmers can program in more possible choices than can be contained in a physical book, but the storytelling principal is the same. More interesting, I think, is video games’ ability to create random happenstance. What do I mean? Depending on what the player does when, they might stumble onto a part of a game in a different way than other players.

For example, in Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time, musical themes for each location play during the day, while nighttime has only sound effects. As anyone who has played Ocarina can tell you, the Gerudo Valley theme is some of the coolest, most adventurous music in the franchise, and it starts playing in the canyon, before you arrive at the desert. In order to get to the desert the first time, you jump your horse over a broken bridge, which feels pretty awesome to a first time player. But for me, it was more. I arrived on horseback at the canyon at dawn, rode to the edge as the castanets of the Gerudo Valley theme started playing. Just as I jumped, the sun came over the horizon and the guitar began! I could have sworn there was even a lens flare, but that might have been my imagination reacting to the epicness of what was happening. It was a totally random, unrepeatable event, and I’ll never forget it.

In Okami, I never knew that going through some torii gates led into mystical areas while going around them led to ordinary shrines, because I always went a certain way. Thus, my mind was blown when I discovered, after following a little sparrow girl through a gate, that what had once been a solid wall was actually a pathway. It wasn't until my second play through that I went around the gate of the first shrine, which led to a glowing portal to a celestial world, and discovered nothing but an ordinary statue in a moss-covered cave. I never knew!

In another Zelda example, every player had a different experience of their first Blood Moon in Breath of the Wild. Blood Moons are events that serve to replenish the enemies in the area, but in-game are meant to be the malice of the main enemy infecting the environment and causing monsters to resurrect. They happen at random, and are preceded by the music changing, the light dimming, black wisps issuing out of the ground, and, of course, the full moon turning red. My brother first experienced it while looking at some goats in a pasture outside an inn, while my sister experienced it after climbing up a tower to reach a treasure chest. Never having heard that Blood Moons were a thing, their thoughts, respectively, were, “What the HECK is wrong with these goats!?” and “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry! I’ll put it back!” I’m sure others have their own fun stories of their initial horror at what was happening.

Social Interaction

Cast your mind back to when this whole diatribe of mine began (many weeks ago), when I mentioned a coworker of mine saying that video games don’t inspire social interaction. Just the opposite is true, and it always has been.

One of the first, if not the first video games was the two-player game, pong. Though not actually a story game, this led the way for more two player, and then multiplayer games. Kids used to go to each other's houses and play Mario Brothers or Bubble Bobble; now, they interact with friends and strangers across the country in online, multiplayer games. There are even games that have “emotes”, special moves you can do to communicate with other players without voice chat. Others let you vote for another player as the MVP of each round to show your appreciation. Lest you think it’s all online, Nintendo is keeping in-person multiplay alive and well with games like Mario Kart, Mario Party, and Smash Brothers.

Single player games, too, invite interaction. Pre-internet, people would spread hints and strategy and cheat codes by word of mouth. “How did we know how to do that move without reading the manual?” my sister asked, recalling some odd special move in an older game. “I think a friend must have told me, and they probably heard it from one of their friends.” Nowadays, internet forums and Let’s Play videos serve the same purpose: a community of gamers helping each other out and spreading information about games.

I myself have talked repeatedly about what my brothers and sister experienced in their playthroughs. Some of this is because some games are too hard for me (like, every game FromSoft will ever make), but a lot of it is just because there was one TV and not enough time for me to start my own game. I’ve never actually played Sekiro or Bloodborne or Last Guardian, but I’ve watched people play all of them from start to finish, so I still have that experience. My brother and I both gasped when we first encountered a Mist Noble and its enchantment in Sekiro (and my advice, “Kill it with fire!” worked like a charm). My sister and I squeed over the griffin-dog-thing’s cute antics in Last Guardian. Unlike books, comics, and movies, which are best enjoyed in silence, video games invite conversation during play.

Online streams offer a similar experience. Even here, choice rears its head. Some streamers play it straight, from start-to-finish, with little editorializing. Others derp around doing a lot of nonsense, or add hilarious commentary, often adding their own layer of storytelling to the mix. Viewers of said streams can type comments in real-time, so that the streamer interacts not only with the game but with his viewers, and the entire experience is like one big conversation. Who said video games don’t inspire social interaction?

Community

Right about now is when I connect this new form of storytelling to something ancient. Books are the new songs and poems, movies are the new plays, and comics are the new tapestries and hieroglyphics. What, then, are video games? As I said before, they take elements from all of these other mediums: video games are the new bard adding their own lyric to a song, or the actor playing a well-known role a different way, perhaps due to choice or happenstance.

But mostly, video games are the new play, that most primal and primordial of all human storytelling. We play as soon as we can think, and play act as soon as we can walk. Children assign themselves roles and act them out together. Humans are communal creatures, after all, who process narratives by interacting with other humans.

To some extent, all storytelling is like this, as it is one human telling something to another rather than keeping it in their head. Video games, though, bring back the communal aspect of storytelling. Wanting to take part in stories—whether as a child going on adventures with friends, or an adult participating in a narrative ceremony, or anyone telling a story around a fire to a group of rapt and responding listeners—is part of being human.

At some point, however, that part of life got chopped off and shunted to the corner, as if adults shouldn’t desire narrative play unless they are writers. Thus, video games are put down as childish, or geeky, or not as valid as books. Oddly, they are stereotyped as being something beloved by loners, which ignores the vibrant and vocal gaming community.

I’m not sure where the animus towards gaming comes from. Why is immersing oneself in an imaginary world while staring at a book is considered high-brow, but doing the same while staring at a screen considered low? I don’t know, nor do I want to. What I do know is that some of the most unique, innovative, and emotional, stories I’ve ever seen have been those in video games, and I hope that in the future, more people give them a chance.

And those, dear readers, gamers, viewers, and story lovers of all stripes, are my thoughts on video games.

[hoe-imaginess]

replies

so many repliessss. About two month’s worth so check for your message here! They’re not really in order since I mixed them up on accident

@evagenesis I know you sent this like forever ago but just so you know it still makes me so happy to read thank you so muchhhhh

Why ):

INTERESTING I love this thank u

true

ajdhfkjshfdkjshdfkjh this would be Tobirama tho

I am!!! I’m just busy with life and writing a lot more commissions now bc I need the $$ to keep up with expenses, especially now that I’m not in school and have to help pay back some loans before I go back next semester. thank u ily <3

THIS is it chief 

I’m so late but thank u!!! Happy Valentine’s @any59

No worries!!! Things are coming back into order so I’m definitely getting back to writing and updating

I will probably dream about this tonight then I will tell you how it fees

INTERESTING... So most of the votes were separate so that’s what I’ll be doing. I honestly did struggle a lot with the dabi x reader x hawks one because I had so many ideas but they didn’t all flow together. Hopefully the separate ones will do each boy justice~

I’m doing much better thx!!! Just trying to get my mental health on track before I make room for other stuff in my life

@gamewriter-12239 I’m not going anywhere!!! Thank you so much for the love <3

I MEANNN I’m not too into discussing ships but... all fax. I don’t see Madara ever wanting anything to do with Tobirama after Izuna’s death. Don’t think either of them could stand even being near each other, let alone touching each other and let alone x2 fucking each other. BUT I can understand the appeal of their personalities. In an AU where Izuna isn’t dead then... maybe. Less on Tobirama’s end, still

Honestly you’re right and for all equally different distressing reasons

this is.... so cute... wtf....

ofc this was what Kishimoto had in mind when he created Naruto, clearly

HMMMMM sounds a little wild but I’m in 

Gai has the unfathomable dick energy we been knew!!!

ngl I can’t get past the face-titty like... it barely even looks like Hashirama. It just looks like a meme face

When you enjoy dom/sub relationships in bed! I also tend to think of it as fighting for the dominant role, but that may just be me 

I feel Madara would have had some problems still with the village itself, because Izuna still wasn’t there with him, but I agree, Tobirama really did cause a lot of shit lmao his death would have saved the Naruto series 3/4 of all its problems

Yeah it’s really not our fault we’re not culpable 

YES I DO!!!! Knb was my introduction into anime imagines I spent hours looking at knb blogs omg kajshdfkjasdh the good ol days 

Thank you all so so much for these messages I have such great followers thank you for always sending me nice things even when I’m being a dramatic inactive bitch I love y’all 

I’ll write aged up for him!

Ahhhhh I can’t think of any right now my brain is fried sorrrrrry. Thank u though!

THE HEART KNOWS. Don’t underestimate Madara though he knows how to use it he really does

Yeah like I can never see dabi banging a hero knowingly (but even like an undercover hero didn’t feel right to me) as of now I’m trying to play around with the idea of an undercover cop??? Maybe not as bad as a hero in Dabi’s eyes. Maybe. But I like villain on villain more lmao less drama and more banging

Tbh he’s embarrassed by his long schlong but at the same time, he knows he’s the shit 

He really really is he cannot be stopped

I honestly have a good portion of the gangster Au written out from yearsssss ago, but I’m getting back into the Gods AU. Wondering if I should write some out in my free time tbh 

Hmmmm possibly! Also factoring in Izuna on Madara’s part, and I think most of Butsuma Senju’s intolerance was inherited by Tobirama

STRONG AND SILENT VIRGIN IS THE BEST WAY TO DESCRIBE IT

It was honestly the question of the century

It’s canon 

MIKOTO!!!!

!!!!!!!! completely canon (although I thought Senju had more chakra maybe I’m wrong)

the evidence presents itself tbh!

I doubt you could even get a comb through that thing tbh so nah 

@sufferthesea I’M SO HAPPY TO HEAR THIS THANK UUUUUU

I do not play Skyrim but.... I agree

@daemmerlicht-prinzessin SUPER LATE MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU TOO!

Ahhhhh I’ve been so caught up with other stuff I stopped working on it for the moment, hopefully in the next few weeks!

I missed it this year I’m so mad ):

other fics!

I do not, sorry ):

it’s sad times we’re living in but the Uchiha dick had to go. It had bigger dreams

i’m glad it was such a delicious drama <3

honestly.... they’re not wrong

OH MYYYYY Tobirama would die

UGH it’s ok we all feel the same way

WHAT DOES THIS MEANNN

Ugh don’t worry love Tobirama did fuck up in some arenas to get to this point but there will be an ending soon...

high key it’s always been a lil ugly

omg thank youuu. yeah the Uchiha have a frustrating tendency to be hot as FUCK so I’m sure Madara’s bros were

thank you so much my friend <3

LMAOOO it’s an illusion tbh this man is such a giant virgin dork

wow... this was so sad.... but so true

I would but I don’t have any good pictures of it surprisingly ):

Hmmmm I might, I’m not sure. There are so many requests it’s difficult to remember what I have 

I don’t have too many currently so I’m available to write more if anyone is interested!

murked omggggg. Well I guess you’ll just have to find out (:

UM HE REALLY IS his dick has its own armor it’s so strong it can’t be defeated. He’s not worried about it at all 

I’ll give it a listen!

Hashirama can be my sugar granddaddy ugh yes

Hmmmm likely not. I really don’t see Izuna as the type to put aside clan rivalries for friendship, at least not a deep one ):

Yeah I noticed that too ): if you’re looking for a specific one lmk, it may be on my wordpress!

Honestlyyyyy I don’t think much would have changed. Hashirama would have been heartbroken, but still an advocate for peace

it’s true I thank you for this

[urdnotcadash]

Dragon Age Questions

i was tagged by @nordxz thank you so much!

&& IF YOU SEE THIS AND WANT TO DO IT, I’VE OFFICIALLY TAGGED YOU

i think this is a lot of rambling but i hopeit makes sense. feel free to ask if you have any questions about my ocs.

01) Favourite game of the series?

That’s a really tough question, honestly, because i love them all for separate reasons. I play Inquisition the most, but i love origin and 2′s story... so tough question.

02) How did you discover Dragon Age?

I played Skyrim for like 2 years (whenever i felt like playing) & finally got too bored to play. so i searched through my brother's games and found Inquisition. it took a while for me to finish it (bc i played on his console too). thennn i played the games backward. Inquisition, 2, and Origins. 

03) How many times you’ve played the games?

I’ve played through completely 2- 5 times each. but I’ve started countless games each in every game and just didn’t finish them

04) Favourite race to play as?

Dwarf! Especially in Inquisition. 

05) Favourite class?

Rogue! Wielding a bow is my go to. 

06) Do you play through the games differently or do you make the same decisions each time?

Honestly, it depends!  Likeee mage play through= mage rights, but any other class just depends on how i want to play or the background i gave the character. i’ve yet to side with the templars in Dragon Age 2 though. lol.

07) Go-to adventuring group?

Again, it depends. but i almost always have Alistair in origins, Varric in 2. my go tos are: 

dao: Alistair, Wynne, Zevran/ Leliana

da2: Varric, Bethany/ Anders and/or Carver/Aveline, Isabela

dai: Cassandra, Dorian, Iron Bull

08) Which of your characters did you put the most thought into?

i’ve done a lot of work on all of them. I’d say Roxy & Gavin Hawke(&Aidan Amell and Odette Surana bc their stories are related) and August Trevelyan. i don’t write a lot about any of my ocs but i’ve made full timelines and family members for all of them. i still intend to put bios out, but the only one i have finished right now is Stella. I’ll try and start those while im at my moms. c:

09) Favourite romance?

i really appreciate all of them, but i have a few favorites. 

Zevran, Isabela, Iron Bull- which i know they have one thing in common and it’s being known for being extremely sexualized. maybe im a sucker for falling hard and being able to open up to someone. but i really adore their stories and i just want to hug them, ok.

10) Have you read any of the comics/books?

I have the books and haven’t read them, yet. it’s on my long list!

11) If you read them, which was your favourite book?

I’m really looking forward to The Masked Empire tbh. 

12) Favourite DLCs?

The Descent, defiitely! but i haven’t played through them all yet, just all of dai and some of daos. 

13) Things that annoy you.

Representation, probably. yes they have lgbt people but i personally haven’t been able to connect to any of them EXCEPT Lace Harding & she’s not even a full romance! lol. 

theres nothing else that comes to mind or i feel comfortable talking about. 

14) Orlais or Ferelden?

Ferelden.

15) Templars or mages?

Mages.

16) If you have multiple characters, are they in different/parallel universes or in the same one?

They’re really all interchangeable. i need to make a few more characters if i want complete timelines though. for example:

Odette Surana & Aidan Amell, Gavin & Roxy Hawke, Augustine Trevelyan/Sunshine Cadash/ Austa Adaar can make one timeline. Except Odette couldn’t survive without Aidan whereas Aidan wouldn’t be the same without Odette. 

& Stella Tabris, Roxy & Gavin, Sunshine/ August/ Austa could also work. 

hell i’ve even thought about combining them all somehow lol. 

17) What did you name your pets? (mabari, summoned animals, mounts, etc)

(all mabari unless specified otherwise) 

Stella Tabris: Goose & Cricket(found after Blight)

Odette: Ser Barksy Aidan: Barkspawn

Roxy: Sweetums Gavin: Mighty

August: Yellow (named by Clem), Flower (a cat also named by Clem), horse: Pretty Boy

Sunshine: Rose (might be renamed tho) and her Battle Nug: Nugget

Austa: Precious (Josie’s mabari), 

18) Have you installed any mods?

Two for Origins, one to skip the fade in the circle and another for an all romance mod- i think. 

19) Did your Warden want to become a Grey Warden?

Aidan did far more than Odette, Aidan wanted out of the circle. Odette wanted to take Irving’s place- she wanted to make the circle better. 

Stella wanted the hell away from the life her dad imagined for her, she was scared but excited. She didn’t like how it happened, nor the responsibility that was placed on her shoulders.. but she knew she just wanted MORE. 

20) Hawke’s personality?

Roxy: Purple Gavin: Blue

The twins really help one another, yes they can survive without the other but they wouldn’t be the same. Roxy keeps Gavn from being so serious and Gavin reminds her to me more... sensitive.. even if it doesn’t always work. 

21) Did you make matching armor for your companions in Inquisition?

lmaoo noo, im so lazy about armor. as long as they look good i don’t reallt care. 

22) If your character(s) could go back in time to change one thing, what would they change?

August, would have done more for her daughter’s father.. she would have been on watch the night he was taken. Losing her best friend was very hard for her. 

Sunshine, once upon a time, wished to leave when her sister did... but after the Inquisition, she was thankful for it. For the people, she’s met, and the skills she developed during that time. 

23) Do you have any headcanons about your character(s) that go against canon?

Sort of? i have them work around the canon...sorta.

Odette only survives because of Aidan (two heros isn’t canon so), because if Aidan didn’t exist she wouldn’t have even told Alistair about the dark ritual and wouldn’t have let him go to the final battle. Thus sacrificing herself. 

Roxy and Gavin: Twin Hawke AU where all the siblings survive. Roxy and Gavin fight the Ogre, saving one of the twins. Carver becomes a Warden and Bethany joins the circle. 

Austa’s parent’s escaped the Qun, but they escape with two of their own biological children Oz and Austa.  & Valo Kas actually started from the remains of an old Tal Vashoth community and have since built to a large merc company her brother and father run. 

&August had her daughter Clementine at her childhood home and left her there to be raised- bc her parent’s used her status to have that privilege.

The Cadash Carta works a little differently. Instead of one person at the head: it’s a council, like orzammar, and several families run their expanded carta family. The children can inherit their parent’s position in the council unless they don’t have kids or are voted off. So since Sunshine’s father is part of the council meaning her younger brother, Wesley, is being trained for their father’s position. Zelde (oldest sister ), left before she could even be considered and Sunshine was trained to be an assassin from a young age.. so she also wasn’t being considered. 

so i guess they all do... oops. 

24) Are any of your character(s) based on someone?

not really. probably should bc they all look really similar imo. I do have different oc aesthetic boards that give you an idea though!

25) Who did you leave in the Fade?

im a weak bitch who decides they all somehow get out.........  but Stroud. poor guy. 

26) Favourite mount?

the war nug! <3 i love them. 

[betterbemeta]

I bet you already did this but I would love to hear your take on the paarthurnax “it is better to be born evil and overcome that nature than to be born good” thing vs delphine’s take on it

See, I sort of think it’s a nonissue. What Paarthurnax has to say. And what the Blades have to say. Because the conflict here has nothing to do with goodness vs. evilness, but with the furthering vs. not furthering of your power fantasy.

Which makes sense, because a consistent sense of good and evil is not a theme in the game. You, and your power, and why you are important, is a theme of the game. The Blades are a faction who will unconditionally support you, serve you, even treat you like a king (and in any way but formality you are what substitutes for a Dragonborn emperor now to them!)… after you play into their narrative of what that figure should be and do.

The game needs dragons to be beings with an objectively evil nature. It needs that to be true for you to feel good killing them, if they are intelligent beings. But if they are intelligent beings, we should assume they have some sort of free will, which means the potential to choose good or evil. What Paarthurnax says is basically a meta plea to the player: “every other dragon in the game has existed for you to feel good killing. But hold on one second.”

He is the only being in the game that gives us evidence that dragons may be people despite them doing stuff like talking. And even he actively thinks (while also being a narrative rebuttal of) that dragons are not people, but beings with an ‘evil nature’ that can only choose otherwise with (for him) divine intervention or total abstention from society.

But that’s not the only reason for our discomfort with killing Paarthurnax– what Delphine and Esbern have to say about him is also disturbing if you bear in mind the time scale of histories they are talking about. Paarthurnax was responsible for many crimes before he decided to turn on Alduin… over four thousand years ago. That would be like holding someone accountable for crimes committed in Mesopotamia, or in the sixth dynasty of ancient Egypt or something. That would be like trying to execute Sargon of Akkad. (The real one. Not the shitty youtuber.)

But if we hold Paarthurnax accountable for ancient crimes, why should he be the only one? The Ancient Nords committed genocide against the Falmer. Is it time for Skyrim and the flattering legacy that the modern Nords have enjoyed to come to an end? If eating all their heroes in Sovngarde is a vote yes, then Alduin has the right of things!

But what’s more important is that there are more recent events that may deserve similar attention. The very Thalmor that hunted Delphine and the rest of the Blades are waging a holy war against Talos– Tiber Septim– and it’s never clearly said in game that his empire was one that conquered the Summerset Isles by force using Numidium, basically a weapon of mass destruction. And that’s only around 700 or something years ago– more immediate than Paarthurnax’s war crimes by far. But their cause isn’t justified. And it doesn’t flatter us as the player.

So like, both sides points (Paarthurnax’s that dragons may choose to be good, the Blades’ that ancient crimes must be punished) are basically nonsense, inconsistent with the way the game frames ‘evil’ enemies and with the scale of time the game asks you to look back upon. There is no moral dilemma because neither side has a consistent moral philosophy. Or even significance to the game’s other details or themes. In the end, the Paarthurnax dilemma is really a personal choice for the player. Do you want to continue to be the most important dude to the guys who worship you and enjoy that importance and praise? Or do you not?

[wittygaypuns]

Okay, excellent.

For the six who would like more information (and those of you who just want to know about it in general), here’s an overview of the way this fic will work.

The fic will take place in the Elder Scrolls universe. It will take place during or perhaps a bit after the events of Skyrim (being the most recognizable and popular of the series) and will center around Oswald. It will follow Oswald’s efforts to make a name for himself, for better or worse.

Here’s where the vote comes in.

For anyone who ever read those choose your own adventure books, this will be familiar, because that’s what I based the concept of the fic mechanics on.

At the end of every chapter, there will be a question posed based on Oswald’s actions during the chapter.

There will likely be 2-4 options, and I want my audience to choose. I will create a strawpoll like I did to ask the question above, and you will answer with the option you’d most like to see.

For example;

“The bitterly cold winds of Skyrim bite at Oswald’s poorly equipped body as the sun sets. He will surely freeze if he remains without shelter for the night, but several options present themselves. An hour or so earlier he passed by a cave that faced away from the brutal winds. In the distance, down the hill and into the wood, a cottage sits nestled among the trees, smoke curling out from the chimney. If he persists on partly into the night, he will reach the outskirts of Windhelm and be safe under the protection of the guard and the fires that burn outside.

Where does Oswald choose to go?”

And the poll would be linked there, with three options:

The cave

The cottage in the forest

Windhelm

Of those three, whichever the most popular vote was I would write the next chapter based on. It could end up good or bad, or neither! I’ll give probably 3-4 days for people to vote on the poll.

Now, in the story itself, many characters are going to be made available to interact with, and he may or may not even come across certain people depending on where the story goes. There will be plenty of opportunities for him to romance (or be romanced by) various Gotham lads... It’ll all depend on the choices made. This story has the potential to be ridiculously long if people are interested and want to stick with it. It’s partly an experiment on my part to see how people enjoy the structure and ability to guide the story.

If anyone else has any thoughts or questions, feel free to run them by me!

[anethara]

End of Year Inventory

First things first, did you have a good year?

I had a wild fucking ride this year. A lot of change hit me all at once and while I vaguely remember the bad, the good and the great stands out vividly in my mind. 

How old did you turn this year?

Twenty-eight.

Do you feel your age?

I don’t even know what that means. I have a lot more of the material trappings of “adulthood.” But I’m also borrowing time on adolescence with HRT and going to college. I definitely feel like an adult, though, so sure. 

Did your appearance change in anyway?

I went blond (again); I went silver for like, a month; I went back to blond. I achieved my desired fashion aesthetic (mostly black; occasional jarring patterns; occult symbolism). I upgraded to a double nose ring. 

Post your favorite selfie.

If you traveled, where did you go?

2019 was the year of travel for me. I went to California twice: once by air, once by road trip. Both trips were great but the road trip was great; I loved bonding with my best friends and my wife and getting to see one of the last remaining states I’d missed out on. I also traveled to New Jersey and New York to see my dad and his family. It took three tragic losses all right in a row to get me out there, which I deeply regret, but I had a great time and I was so happy that my dad got to meet my wife (finally!). In October, I went back to Maine to attend my oldest friend’s wedding and had a damn good time; I also got to see my mom for the first time in five years. 

Which fashion trends did you love?

I haven’t been paying attention. 

Which fashion trends did you hate?

Red baseball caps. You know the ones.

What was your favorite article of clothing this year? Post a pic if possible?

I got a black tank top featuring The Lovers as two skeletons embracing that I really dig. 

What song sums up this year for you?

I won’t lie, it felt like a 7 Rings kind of year. Congratulations also hits a little different in 2019.

What album has been on heavy rotation this year?

The albums I’ve listened to the most this year are, according to my chosen music software: Amo by Bring Me the Horizon, Beautiful Death by Slaves, Peach Club by Emarosa, Help Us Stranger by The Raconteurs, Let’s Rock by The Black Keys, The Black Panther Soundtrack, Pain Killer by Little Big Town, Lunatic by Kongos, Wild Horse by Rae Lynn, and Ghosts by Smoke Fairies.  

What was your favorite movie of the year?

I didn’t see anything that came out this year (I don’t think…) but my favorite movie I was introduced to this year was A Quiet Place.

Did an actor/actress catch your attention for the first time this year?

No one comes to mind.

Favorite new TV show?

My favorite TV show is the same as last year: The Haunting of Hill House. I am, however, extremely excited for the anthology to continue next year.

Which new ship/fandom has taken over a lot of your time, attention, and tears?

My favorite ship remains steadfastly my Skyrim Dragonborn, Ari, with Rory’s Dragonborn, Nikolaj. 

What food did you try for the first time?

I tried so many new foods this year, I can’t remember them all. My favorite was Korean Barbeque.

Did you make any big permanent changes this year?

I moved into a house. I also began the first stages of some hardcore oral surgery (stages 2-4 coming in 2020). 

What was one nice thing you did for someone else?

I tried to provide for others, this year. I donated as much food and clothing and toiletries to the homeless as possible. I tried to give money when I could. I tried to take friends out for meals. I tried to offer to pay for things people needed and I tried to buy little luxuries people couldn’t otherwise enjoy. I hope it helped. 

What was one nice thing you did for yourself?

I quit my job and visited my family and focused on school and my health.

Did you develop a new obsession?

Hill House was watched probably ten times in this house, and we only moved in back in April. 

Did you vote?

I did! (Thanks Steff…)

Did you move?

I did, hopefully for the last time.

Did you get a job?

I quit one, actually.

Did you get a pet?

Kind of! I gained a dog when Rory moved in.

Do you regret not doing anything?

No, because there’s nothing I didn’t do this year. 

Do you regret doing something?

I regret procrastinating on my surgery, but the timing was just all fucked.

Have you done anything that scared you?

Quitting my job; going to college; going through with a three-part surgery.

Did anyone/thing make you so mad it stayed with you for days?

I got into a nasty traffic altercation that culminated in my having to get out of my car in stand-still traffic on the highway and threaten violence before it was resolved. That had be pissed for a good three or four days.

Did you lose anyone close to you?

I think I lost a friend. The last time I heard from her was a text that read ‘I don’t remember what you’re responding to. I don’t even try texting with you anymore.’ It was my fault, but I realized that if it’s gotten this bad, the friendship was likely decaying anyway and it’s probably better for both of us to move on. 

Did you fall in love?

I keep falling deeper and deeper in love with Steff as the years pass. 

Did you fall out of love?

Yeah, with menial, dead-end retail labor.

Did you start a new relationship?

Kind of.

Did you go through a break up?

See aforementioned friendship I neglected.

Did you have to cut ties to someone?

I didn’t have to, but I did it anyway.

Who was important to you this year but wasn’t important last year?

I don’t think there’s anyone currently in my life who hasn’t been important to me for at least three years.

Who wasn’t as important to you this year as they were last year?

The friend I had to let go.

If you could have a do over on one thing you did, would you take it?

Yeah, I would have booked my trip to Maine a lot earlier, and for four days instead of one.

What was the best moment of the year for you?

So many great moments happened this year. Closing on the house; road-tripping with Rory; seeing my family again; being back in Lavalette and New York City; being back in Maine; getting to watch my best friend get married; getting my grades back for fall quarter… It’s been a good year.

What was the worst?

The worst thing to happen to me all year was when my car battery died and the air pressure went out of my tires unexpectedly in the school parking lot and if that’s the hardest thing I had to deal with all year? What a breath of fresh air.

Did anything happen that you were sure would change you as a person but it really didn’t?

Nothing comes to mind.

Did anything happen to you that you were sure wouldn’t change you as a person but it did?

Transition marches on, and that’s had a continual effect on my personality and behavior. 

What are you most proud of accomplishing?

Maintaining a 4.0 GPA despite struggling with two major papers, an intensive career project, an impromptu oral presentation, and literally every fucking social experiment demanded of me by my chaotic psych professor.

What have you learned about yourself this year that you didn’t know in the years prior?

I really don’t trust, and I really struggle to believe people can be reliable or stable. I’m working on it.

Did your opinion of anyone change for the better?

No one I know personally.

Did your opinion of anyone change for worse?

See above.

If you make resolutions, did you complete them this year?

I knew 2019 was going to be bonkers, so I didn’t make any promises.

If you make resolutions, what will your resolutions be for the coming year?

I want to reinstate healthy habits. 

If you could go on an adventure during the remaining days of the year, where would you go and what would you do?  Who would you go this?

I’m all adventured out, to be honest. I’d rather just hang out at home with my wife and my family.

What do you wish for others for the coming year?

Good omens; cash flow; good luck with cars; steady work and good health.

What do you wish for yourself?

A steady mental incline, physical improvement, and a 3.7 GPA.

[godsavetheq]

1-30 c;

*GALE FORCE SIGH COMES IN FROM CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA*

1: Do you try to stay away from walkthroughs?

Yes. I want to win through my own merit. But I need that old ass game guide magazine for Perfect Dark because I want to unlock all the things and beat all the things (Perfect Dark will be a recurring theme from start to finish so buckle up)

2: Company you're always loyal to?

For consoles, Sony for the most part. XBox is the devil. But I do most of my gaming on PC these days. 

For games, the Creative Assembly (which makes the Total War series of grand military strategy games). Although my loyalty is being tested because their cranking out fantasy Warhammer: Total War games like hotcakes now, presumably because their SEGA corporate overlords like the money they’re making off them. Though apparently they have a separate team that’s pretty far into developing the next historical Total War game so I’ll come back around when that comes out, probably.

3: Best game you've ever played?

What a hard question. You know I have 111 games in my Steam library? We’ll say 100 because some of those are like expansions of other games or test servers of WIP games. So 100 games just on PC, plus god knows how many PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, N64, GameCube, and Wii games I’ve played. It comes to a point where I can’t objectively single out one game from all of my favorites, so I’ll take “best” as meaning like highest production quality and best execution of the game, and I’ll hand it to Resident Evil 7. So professional, so fun... so Shoney’s.

4: Worst game you've ever played?

Shower With Your Dad Simulator 2015. Yes that’s a real game, it costs like $1 and someone bought it for me on Steam and it is the simplest, stupidest game that it probably belonged on a free online game site to justify its existence in some way.

5: A popular series/game you just can't get into no matter how much you try?

Well there’s a lot of popular games that I can’t get into, but that’s partially because I’ve internalized that I hate them without having given them much of a chance (looking at you, Dota, League of Legends, Overwatch (Or as we in the trade call it, “$40 Team Fortress 2″))

But now that I think of it, World of Warcraft. I got my free trial and played it some with Perry & Good Old Boys™ from Steam, but I just did not enjoy myself. I also had a prejudice against this one before I played it but at least I tried it and confirmed that I didn’t like it.

6: A game that's changed you the most?

Fallout series I guess. Kind of got me into post-apocalyptic stuff, RPGs and the like. Kind of opened the door for fantasy for me somewhat. I generally don’t like fantasy and I like to make the distinction between sci-fi and fantasy to justify my liking Fallout but truthfully half of the shit in Fallout is too over-the-top to qualify as like realistic fiction. Still haven’t played Skyrim because it’s too fantasy, but I’d at least consider it because it’s not all that different from Fallout if I’m willing to excuse the magic and shit.

7: A game you'll never forget?

Surgeon Simulator. What a titan of ridiculously clunky medical malpractice. 

The Stanley Parable because that game messes with you and is comedy gold

POSTAL 2 because rarely does a game execute low-quality production and lack of taking itself seriously so beautifully 

Hotline Miami because it fucks with you even worse than the Stanley Parable. I mean seriously, what a rollercoaster ride of mental fuckery. Am I a good guy? Am I a bad guy? All I know for sure is I’m killing a copious amount of Russian mobsters while masked figures in my head whisper nonsense at me and everywhere I go I see my dead best friend and........

Rollercoaster Tycoon (the old one for like Windows 98) because muh childhood

Destroy All Humans! 2 because they just don’t make any alien games that compare to it. Also muh childhood.

KHOLAT because it’s like a clinic in how to do horror right. And it came out at a time when it was a sad time to be a horror fan because Resident Evil was all “hurr durr our games need to be like Call of Duty” and there were no new Silent Hill, Outlast, or Slender games coming out. Of course eventually Resident Evil got good again, Outlast 2 came out, Silent Hills was SUPPOSED to come out (RIP)

Kerbal Space Program. I held out on this one for so long because I was turned off by the little green alien people and I figured it wasn’t serious. But holy fuck it’s actually like the best simulation of running a space program and designing rockets and shit oh my god like they train Astronauts with that game no lie.

8: Best soundtrack?

Slender: The Arrival. Honorable mentions go to Hotline Miami and Supreme Ruler: Cold War

9: A game you turn your volume off every time you play it?

None

10: A game you've completely given up on?

Five Nights at Freddy’s, like, all of them. I can’t beat all of the levels in any of them. I beat the five nights in the original FNaF but not the edgy sixth night. Didn’t even get that far in the second or third. Kinda lost track of which is which too...

11: Hardest game you've played?

Fucking Perfect Dark. I’ve been playing that game effectively for my entire conscious life and only just this summer have I begun to win A FEW levels on Perfect Agent difficulty. For context, I beat the entire game on Special Agent difficulty years ago, but at the time, I could not even beat the first level on Perfect Agent. 

12: Shortest time you've beaten a game in?

When I got GTA V for Christmas several years ago I did almost nothing but play it all day every day and beat it in a few days.

13: A game you were the most excited for when it wasn't released yet?

Probably Total War: Rome II. Honorable mentions go to Saurian, Resident Evil 7, Silent Hills (RIP)

14: A game you think would be cool if it had voice acting?

I dunno, I feel like most games that SHOULD have voice acting DO have voice acting. Nothing comes to mind.

15: Which two games do you think would make an awesome crossover?

I got nothing.

16: Character you've hated most? From what game?

I have to do it. Ashley from Resident Evil 4. I don’t care if you are the President’s daughter, you are useless and annoying.

17: What game do you never tell people you play?

I mean, games that I don’t like I guess.

18: A game you wish your friends knew about?

I got nothing, my friends know about most such things.

19: Which game do you think deserves a revival?

Spore, 100%. Nobody before or since has saw to completion a game where you literally design your own organism from a microscopic sea creature, evolving onto land, gaining sentience, building a civilization, uniting your planet and pushing out into space to build a space empire. It deserves to be remade, and done right this time.

20: What was the first video game you ever played?

The first REAL video game was GTA 3, but I may have played something stupid before that.

21: How old were you when you first played a video game?

I dunno, young.

22: If you could immerse yourself in any game for one day, which game would it be? What would you do?

Kerbal Space Program. I’d finally make that manned mission to Duna (Mars), baby. It has eluded me for so long, and to see it with my own eyes... 10/10

23: Biggest disappointment you've had in gaming?

Rome Total War - Alexander expansion. It seemed like such a simple thing. Make an expansion for Rome Total War about Alexander’s Empire. It was the most pitiful thing I’d ever seen. I mean, I know the original Rome Total War is old as dirt, but the base game and the Barbarian Invasions expansion were pretty good.

24: Casual, Hardcore, or in the middle?

In the middle. I tryhard sometimes and just fuck around other times.

25: Be honest; have you ever used cheats (like ActionReplay or Gameshark)?

I mean... do the cheats in GTA 3 count that spawn a bunch of guns and tanks for you? I didn’t use them to beat the game, I just wanted to fuck around because that’s the best way to play GTA 3 :P

26: Handheld or console?

Given those choices, console. Never was too into handhelds after Gameboy Advance. I had a DS Lite and was into Scribblenauts on that for a while, but since then, nah.

27: Has there ever been a moment that has made you cry?

Don’t think so, but it hit me in the feels when John Marston got killed by the crooked wild west cops in Red Dead Redemption.

28: Which character's clothes do you wish you owned the most?

The only thing that comes to mind is Trent Easton from Perfect Dark because he has like a fucking red velvet suit and it’s so ridiculous like he’s the head of the NSA you’d think he’d wear a black suit but no, bright red. I’ll take 20.

29: Which is more important, gameplay or story?

Don’t make me choose. Depends on the game I guess. I like Perfect Dark despite the fact that its storyline is an incoherent mess. Try to follow along.

It involves a plot between Cassandra de Vries, owner of a shady arms manufacturing corporation with private paramilitaries on the march in every corner of their corporate HQ as well as all over the city streets (I, too, voted for Trump so that he could legalize corporate-owned private armies) that also has a massive underground research lab hidden inconspicuously under the city of Chicago; Trent Easton, the fashionable Director of the National Security Agency, whose goons start shooting up Air Force One in a plot to kidnap and clone the President of the United States, and a mysterious tall blonde man known only as Mr. Blonde who wears evil clothes and, unbeknownst to the other two conspirators, is a massive alien dinosaur thing that sounds like a jaguar in disguise who eventually kills both of them once they’re no longer useful. But don’t worry! The plot to give the dinosaur aliens a super-weapon fails when some guy sends his on-staff professional mass-murderer to go kill endless corporate militias and NSA agents to get to the bottom of it with the help of a flying laptop that has developed a moral code and a different race of aliens who look much less impressive. Or something. So that game makes a compelling case against storyline, but in other cases it’s not so XP

30: A game that hasn't been localized in your country that you think should be localized?

Everything that I care about is localized to the US.

[alexanicholsauthor]

Getting bitten and being pregnant…

I’ve been officially bitten by the Halloween bug. I tried to resist it, ignore it, and replace it with other habits (meth, crack, Skyrim), but nothing worked. I finally snapped the other day, and now everything in my house and Anne’s has been Halloweenified. Our phones, computers, accounts on our video game systems, etc. I even started outlining a spooky, intense, erotic little tale called Paramnesia that should be finished by the end of the week. It’s scheduled to be released on December 1, 2021. Unfortunately, you won’t get to read it any earlier unless you’re

A member of my Beta Reader Hit Squad, or

A member of my Patreon.

I’m not doing that to be a bitch, it’s just that my releases until then are already slated and, in most cases, finished. Since I release a new eBook/paperback/audiobook every month, I can’t just push everything aside, ya know?

So far, it’s coming out amazingly. I’ve already finished writing, revising, and polishing the outline (which I preach to my students in my Writing 101 class), and tomorrow, I’m going to start writing the rough draft. I am so excited. Of course, I’m doing this because I’m taking a brief break from the final Exitium Mundi book, Everyone 2, which itself is in its rough draft stage. I know, sometimes I have writers ADD, but it’s nice to switch projects occasionally, especially when your creativity starts feeling stale.

After this, I’ll jump back on Exitium Mundi for a bit, then finish up Erotic Urban Legends: Taboo, a short story requested by one of my Patreon supporters (you motherfuckers did know you can do that, right? You just have to be on the VIP Tier). Taboo is in the outline stage, but the characters and story are entirely flushed out. So many projects, so little time…

Fuck, I love being a writer! 🥰

I would love it even more if I didn’t feel 13 months pregnant from all this damn Halloween candy I’ve been eating from Universal Yums. During my Halloween frenzy, I ordered their special Halloween box, which they got to me quick fast and in a hurry, and Anne and I immediately tore into it this past weekend and now… I never want to see another piece of candy again. They were so damn good though! Except for that weird sour candy that gave me bitter beer face for like an hour. That was horrible. Even Anne tasted it and looked at me all alarmed and betrayed. 😅 She came to love it though – after the initial taste shock wore off.

Ah! Before I go, I wanted to post the current status of my latest Twitter poll, which had some interesting conversations attached to it. There’s still a little time left to vote, so make your voice heard! 😝

Enjoy the following Halloween story, ripped from the interwebs.

And sweet dreams, beloveds… 🎃

Charlie

I hate it when my brother Charlie has to go away. My parents constantly try to explain to me how sick he is; that I am lucky for having a brain where all the chemicals flow properly to their destinations like undammed rivers. When I complain about how bored I am without a little brother to play with, they try to make me feel bad by pointing out that his boredom likely far surpasses mine, considering he’s confined to a dark room in an institution. I always beg for them to give him one last chance. Of course, they did at first. Charlie has been back home several times, each shorter in duration than the last. Every time without fail, it all starts again. The neighborhood cats with gouged out eyes showing up in his toy chest, my dad’s razors found dropped on the baby slide in the park across the street, mom’s vitamins replaced by bits of dishwasher tablets.

My parents are hesitant now, using “last chances” sparingly. They say his disorder makes him charming, makes it easy for him to fake normalcy, and to trick the doctors who care for him into thinking he is ready for rehabilitation. That I will just have to put up with my boredom if it means staying safe from him. I hate it when Charlie has to go away. It makes me have to pretend to be good until he is back.

[spaacejunk]

“A bunch of fuckin’ fuck.”

“Language!”

“Sorry ma’am, I’ll go to church.”

“I trust you, Brandon!”

“Thanks, other Brandon!”

“You got like 3 or 4 people!”

“Well that’s the majority now.”

“Yo!”

“I love you!”

“No you don’t!”

“Notice me senpai!”

[treasurer and Club President are dancing. The secretary is between them and not impressed]

“Noah! Zzt. Zzt.”

“Are you excited for the parade today Mister Frie—“

“No.”

“Bring on the eggs.”

“I’ll make eye contact with someone. Probably… hitting Deven.”

“Because Mozart was a butthole.”

“Let’s play the Devil note!”

[presses onto strings with bow at full force and plays]

“I’d like to call a friend, his name is Jesus.”

“Every day you say ‘C’mon Dylan.’”

“Not true, sometimes I say ‘Dylan come on.’”

“I feel like I am at one with nature because she threw lettuce at me.”

Male student: “I’m pregnant.”

Math teacher, deadpan: “Congratulations.”

“It’s not gay if you say no homo.”

[SMACK] “no homo.”

[deep, gravelly voice] “I want to die.”

“I AM SATAN!!!”

“Come forth, Magnus!”

“The council already voted, JON.”

“I’ve talked shit about you, [points to other friend] and I’ve talked shit about you, [points to me]… I’m sorry Abby I love you,”

[text] “My mom either got me the book "IT" or the Bible and I'm kinda willing to chance it”

“Joy is contagious you know.”

“Good thing I’m vaccinated.”

“Your skeleton is always wet.”

“Oh.”

“But don’t worry. It’ll be dry one day.”

“OH.”

“I was taking communion. People were taking shots of alcohol and I was taking shots of Jesus Blood.”

“He was busy taking those shots, Larissa!!”

“Man I slide into the DMs, the AMs the PMs and I still don’t get anywhere!”

“He gots the flu.”

“What is it?”

[whips head over] “a child.”

“I’m insane not psychopathic.”

“There’s a lot of 16th notes because it’s Vivaldi and that’s what he does. Well, did, because he’s dead.”

“What are you talking about? We’re the 3rd best Strings program in the state.”

“Because there’s like, 4?”

“Small’s class always sounds like a cult or something.”

[under my breath] “Theater.”

[at a loud crow] “EXCUSE ME YOU’RE BEING RUDE!!”

“I’m not gonna die! I’m gonna kill my uncle!”

“I could really use that crow’s help right now.”

“...Channeling your energy into that video. What even was that?”

[video] “It was this damn ass rock!”

“One-and two-and le-tter 6.”

[screaming as they chase another student who stole their pencil] “YOU HAVE COMMITTED CRIMES AGAINST SKYRIM AND HER PEOPLE!!! WHAT SAY YOU IN YOUR DEFENSE!!!???”

And now, some quotes I've heard during the first two weeks of school

Feel free to use this for stories or rp starters and stuff, I really don’t mind

“Oh, you know me. Stressed, Depressed, and overdressed.”

“Hey, be quiet, I’m like, reflecting.”

“This is the stupid question bell.”

[in the middle of class, interrupting the teacher] “DAMMIT!!“

“I’m AJ, aka, Twig-Arms McGee.”

*intense stare at gif on PowerPoint* [whispers] “holy shit it moves..”

“BUTTERNUTS!”

“No cracks, front or back!”

[halfheartedly] “pow.”

[amidst a struggle] “NO! LET GO OF MY FUNYUNS!!!!!”

“I think I’m gonna like this club.” [person in background shrieks]

“I’m[name] and my favorite anime is [favorite anime]” [person sitting on a rolly chair in the back of the room claps, a Kermit mask pulled over their head]