#but i wanted to keep it relatively short but with a big variety

[ronqueesha]

Favorite Character Poll

I saw a few mutuals doing this and thought it was fun. So here's my list. Which of these gals do you like best?

[seuonji]

彡on a variety show w your svt bf!

๑ idol!svt x idol!yn secret relationship series! no storyline, just fun.

one ๑ two ๑ three ๑ four ๑ five ๑ six ๑ seven #mlist

notes ๑ variety show 'my alcohol diary' has mentions of drinking & getting drunk.

your group plays esports (valorant, leave of legends, apex, etc) against svt as a hybe special!

wonwoo gives you a look when you both sit at the end of your respective tables, you on the right, him on the left making you two sort of beside each other.

as you both play, the host points out that your skills are extremely good. your group member brings up the fact that recently you’ve been spending a lot more time gaming in your free time to which wonwoo rests his head on his hand to cover his smile knowing that he’s the reason you’ve been gaming more. the host adds on that your play style is a bit similar to wonwoo giving both groups chills. “perhaps it’s what’s adapted after a long time of playing,” you calmly respond.

on the other hand with soonyoung— he keeps messing up, at one point he shot one of his members, “the keyboard isn’t following what i want to do.” and you’d fr just face palm yourself. the host mentions, “even yn is getting tired of your antics.” “what antics!? im really trying.” you hope he can make it when technology evolves further. after filming you meet up with him. “wasn’t i cool earlier?” he asks. “i think my baby cousin can beat you.”

jeonghan would be such a menace in this scenario cause omg he would target you. like if he spots you he will not stop shooting and chasing until he gets you— your group member watching all of this go down would try to shoot jeonghan yet somehow he’s dodging and still hunting you down— “let me breathe!?” jeonghan shouts at your member. “you’re not letting ME breathe?” you shout back.

๑

random play dance! (random song is played and you have to dance the correct choreography)

beforehand you'd ask seungkwan to help you with the dances but he was not about to help you out while you were in a different group! until in one of the rounds where you looked lost, seungkwan comes to the front and dances clearly as a way to help you. "you're helping the other groups! get to the back," competitive seungcheol would shout. "sorry i got excited," seungkwan laughs it off. being fr tho how does that man know that many choreographies.

i imagine seokmin/mingyu would whisper to you, "i got you, just follow me," and then he would be one of the first to be eliminated.

vernon keeps on looking at you and copying your dance— you can’t help but laugh at his facial expressions when he doesn’t know the dance but also somehow he’s surviving.

wherever you are in the arena, chan always ends up beside you.

๑

youngji's program 'my alcohol diary'

you’d go alone to promote your groups album. your episode was relatively short— they covered it up with 'yn got drunk super fast' but actually, whether you have a high tolerance or not, in the end when you got drunk, you just kept on gushing about your boyfriend. (bf can be any member)

when youngji asked you to teach her the dance of your song you went through it step by step until a certain part, “oh soonyoung choreographed this part and i gave it as a suggestion and it made the cut to the official choreo,” you said with a big smile. // “my boyfriend likes this part,” you danced the bit then nonchalantly continued to teach youngji but she’s standing, there still in shock of everything she’s heard.

after filming, your boyfriend would pick you up and take care of you till you sober up.

the next day youngji would message and reveal something to you.

yn: im so sorry for the short episode run-

youngji: if it makes you feel better, seungcheol/soonyoung/mingyu/minghao talked about you way more than you did about them.

๑

chinese whisper game as a mini game (there’s a given word/phrase and the word is passed on through all players, last players needs to shout it out word for word)

you’re standing in front of jeonghan/minghao and he keeps on blowing into your ear before he starts actually saying the given phrase—

but if it was the noise cancellation version (have to read lips or body actions to get the word/phrase)

seungcheol pouted at you when you couldn’t understand what he was saying which a lot of viewers found weird since he would usually only do that with his members.

you almost hug jeonghan/joshua/wonwoo when he got the word correct—

jun/wonwoo/jihoon keeps on giving you high-fives every round.

you consider choking soonyoung when he can’t get the word correct for shit.

you and minghao/chan kept on bickering over the way he would execute the word. the staff and your members would be more interested on how you guys fight rather than the word being finally passed over to the last person.

[mistressofpuppets86]

Fireworks of our own

Pairing: Present day James Hetfield x reader (NO USE OF Y/N)

Synopsis: You’re settling into life in a new town and a new state after a massive and massively unexpected inheritance. You become close with the highly recognizable and hot as fuck heavily tattooed… and somewhat recently divorced… silver fox that you learn lives across the street from you.

Warnings: 18+. There will be smut. Minors, fuck off. RPF. 1st person POV. 20-ish year age gap. Reader is early 40s, James is 60. Reader’s race is not mentioned or described, but is AFAB and female identifying. Due to the lack of female readers with my body type when body type is described/hinted at, reader is also short and somewhat plus-sized, and has small breasts. Unprotected sex. Public sex. Creampie.

Moving into the large expensive house I’d inherited in Colorado turned out to be one of my smarter decisions.  The house used to belong to my step-aunt and step-uncle.  I didn’t find out until after they were both gone that they’d made an agreement codified in their wills.  What it boiled down to was that their biological relatives were a bunch of greedy vultures who loved to squabble over anything of value, vying with each other for the best of whatever it was and only caring about what benefit there was for themselves in literally any situation.  It shocked me as much as anyone when I was the one named sole beneficiary of their entire estate.  I don’t know what would have happened had I turned it down, but turning down enough of a bank account to make me independently wealthy plus a variety of stocks and other investments that were continuing to provide income and a plush house in the ski town of Vail was not something I would do.  I never had to work again if I didn’t want to, and the house was entirely paid off.  It would have been complete idiocy to reject all that.  In further interest of not being a complete idiot, I also took measures as soon as possible to ensure my step-aunt’s and step-uncle’s wishes were respected.  In the event of my untimely death, ‘those people’ would still inherit nothing.  I used the same lawyers my step-aunt and step-uncle had to ensure my will was as ironclad as theirs had been, in case ‘those people’ contested mine as my step-aunt’s and step-uncle’s had been contested when I was named sole heir.

What surprised me was how friendly the rest of the residents were, and how patient they were in getting me integrated into the community.  Being autistic and having ADHD made social interactions feel weird and awkward to me when I was around new people.  Everyone in Vail was new to me.  I’d moved here alone and used a moving company to do all the hard work for me.  My friends were all online and lived in other states if not other countries so it hadn’t seemed like a big deal for me.  Especially since I was such an introverted type by nature.  But something about Vail put me at ease and made it easier for me to open up to people.  It helped that they were understanding of my differences and made an effort to work with them rather than treating me with pity or like I was something to be shunned.

The real shock was my across-the-street neighbor turning out to be James fucking Hetfield of all people.  Thankfully he’d been amused rather than weirded out by my reaction to seeing him and learning he was my neighbor now.  I didn’t hide that I was a fan, but I did at least try to keep things mellow in his presence.  It helped that he was super down to earth and generally a fun guy to be around.  It didn’t take me long to relax around him while we talked and got to know each other.  I definitely had my freak-out once I was alone in my house though.

That was months ago.  Now we’re at a local park for a Fourth of July community event.  I had worn a cute spaghetti strap lavender dress with white flowers on it.  The hemline fell to a little below my knees, and there was a slit from the hem to mid thigh on the left.  The skirt part was flared enough to mostly hide my chubby belly while the bodice was a little fitted to give me some shape, with lightly padded breast cups that flattered my small bust.  I’d paired it with black strappy low-heeled wedge sandals and my hair was brushed and twisted up in a claw clip.  I spritzed on some orange-vanilla-cinnamon body spray, and was ready.  I had never been a makeup girl so I didn’t even own any.  James had given me a look I couldn’t interpret when he’d rung my doorbell so we could drive over together, but he’d also offered me his arm with a playful grin.  I’d happily taken it, grinning back and trying to ignore the way my heart fluttered in my chest as we walked to his vehicle together.  He was looking especially good himself today.  Well-fitted jeans, a t-shirt that hugged his lean body just right and showed off his tattoos, and one of his many pairs of black boots.  One of his many cowboy style hats sat on top of his silvered head.  Normally that kind of thing didn’t have any special effect on me.  But when that sort of hat was on him, it made the song lyric ‘save a horse ride a cowboy’ come to mind.

He parked and we walked toward the entrance.  When I saw just how many people were gathered in the park, my steps faltered.  It was weird.  I’d had no crowd anxiety at the few concerts I’d managed to get to, but this made me hesitate.  Maybe it was because at concerts I was surrounded by fellow metalheads and felt safe there.  Even when I didn’t know them personally we were already bonded through the music and shared love of the same band.  That connection and feelings of belonging and community weren’t present here at the park.  I’d barely stopped walking when I felt James’s arm drape over my shoulders and pull me in close to him.  I looked up at him even as I leaned against him and wrapped an arm around his waist.  Instead of the irritation or other negative emotions I had expected to see in his face and eyes there was nothing but understanding, patience, and reassurance.  “We’ve got this, babe” he murmured, giving me a squeeze.  I smiled up at him and gave his waist a squeeze as my heart flipped in my chest at the endearment and his embrace.  Then we entered the park together.

Once the initial anxiety had dissipated I was able to relax and enjoy the afternoon.  James insisted on paying for everything no matter how much I protested and reminded him I had my own money.  He countered that it was the gentlemanly thing to do.  Having no answer to that, I gave up trying to prevent him from doing it.  What was even more surprising to me was that he didn’t end up mobbed by fans.  I was sure at least some people recognized him - especially with his tattoos so readily visible and recognizable - no one approached for autographs or photos or anything.  With as at ease as he was, I could only be happy for him that he could still go out in public and do normal things like anyone else.  

We both lost most of the carnival games we played, but James had a decent win at one of them and insisted I pick out the prize since he intended for me to keep it anyway.  I chose the plush possum - about the size of a housecat - as soon as I spotted it.  I tucked it into the tote bag I was carrying, positioning it so the fuzzy head was sticking up out of the top.  “So he can see everything going on” I joked, making James laugh.  

As night fell we found ourselves at the edge of the grassy area that had been set aside for fireworks viewing.  With the setting sun, the warmth from the day seeped away and left everything on the chillier side.  Enough that it made me glad for the two blankets we’d brought… one to sit on, and one to cover up with.  We ended up with him using the tote bag as a pillow, and me - at his insistence - using his shoulder as a pillow.  Not that I minded, of course.  His arm wrapped around me and kept me close beside his warm solidness.  Without thinking about it, I rolled onto my side and snuggled closer with an arm over his waist.  I felt him stiffen for a second and panicked that I’d overstepped, but then I felt him relax and his arm tightened around me in a brief squeeze.  “Comfy?” he asked playfully, his voice low enough only I could hear what he said.

I shifted my head to look at him and my heart skipped at how close his face was to mine.  It was difficult to see much in the darkness but I could make out the amused quirk of his lips.  “Very much so… babe” I replied just as softly and playfully, pointedly tossing his earlier endearment back at him.

James let out a quiet bark of a laugh.  “Shit.  And here I thought I’d gotten away with that” he joked, the tip of his nose brushing against mine.  I knew he could feel my racing heart but he said nothing about it.

“Mmm… you kinda did, in a way” I murmured, rubbing my nose against his in turn.  “Clearly I didn’t mind you calling me that since I didn’t raise any protest.  And I certainly wouldn’t be laying like this with you right now” I pointed out even as I felt him roll onto his side facing me.  He murmured a quiet agreement, his lips close enough to mine I could feel his breath as he spoke.  Then his lips were on mine, tentative and testing at first then with more confidence and assurance when I responded eagerly and kissed him back.  A soft moan left my throat and my leg slid over his hip, my own hips pressing against him.  I felt the rumble of his moan too and his strong hand spread over the curve of my ass, pulling me even more tightly against him.  Tight enough I could feel his hard cock through his jeans.  I rolled my hips against his and deepened the kiss.

Carefully, James slid my dress up over my hips to my waist and my own hand tugged his jeans zipper down, fingers delving into the fabric to free his length.  I could feel exactly how thick he was too, my hand wrapping around him and stroking until his hand gently took hold of my wrist.  “Gonna bust like a virgin boy if you keep that up” he growled softly in my ear.  “And I wanna be in you when I bust” he added with a nip that made me whimper in pleasure as much as his words did.  I let him take control again, his long fingers tugging my panties to the side and guiding his tip through my slick folds.  “Holy fuck you’re soaked” he murmured as he sank into me.  I made a noise of need, and he quickly smothered the sound with another searing kiss as his hips slowly rolled and he thrust into and out of me.

The way he filled me was absolute perfection, and each drag and push of his cock would have had me moaning loud enough for us to be caught even over the noise from the fireworks show starting had he not kept his mouth on mine and my tongue busy with his.  It was bliss and torture at the same time that he kept his pace steady, his movements small but intense so we could both finish but hopefully not have our activities noticed.  “James… getting close” I murmured against his lips, my pussy fluttering around his cock as he brought me closer to my peak.

“Good.  Cum for me, my love.  Cum all over this cock” he murmured back.  The command in his tone, him calling me his love, and the way he was fucking me sent me over the edge.  He kissed me hard to keep my moans muffled, grunting softly and bucking into me hard as he followed me over that edge, his hot seed shooting deep into me and filling me to the brim.  We lay there in each others’ arms after, his cock still buried inside me, kissing slowly and languidly for a short while.  But then the finale of the fireworks happened and we knew our cover would be up soon.  He withdrew from me and tugged my panties back into place before his cum could leak out onto my thighs.  Then he kissed me once more and rolled onto his back to tuck his cock back into his pants and zip up.  We pulled our arms out from under the blanket to make everything look innocent just in time for the end of the display and the other attendees to start packing up to go home.

“What did you two think of the show?” a man around my age with a woman who looked to be about the same age at his side asked us as James helped me to my feet and we started folding up the blankets and gathering our things by the light of cell phone flashlights.  James and I exchanged a mischievous look and grinned.

“It was great” I replied, my voice even.  “Best display I’ve ever seen” I added.

“I was just telling my girlfriend how much better the show was this year than last year” James added, his eyes and smile full of mischief.  I felt my cheeks heat but I grinned back and made a comment about how I was glad to have been part of it.  Warmth blossomed in my chest at him declaring me his girlfriend.  The other couple seemed a little surprised but continued the conversation and didn’t seem to be judging either James or I over the obvious age gap between us.  I couldn’t tell if they knew who James was and accepted it as a general celebrity thing or if they were just chill like that.  Either way worked for me.

James draped his arm over my shoulders again and I put my arm around his waist as we walked back to the parking lot, each of us carrying things as we had done coming in.  His cum slowly leaked out of my hole and soaked my panties as we walked.  When we got to the vehicle, I reached for one of the blankets to put on my seat for the drive home.  He raised an eyebrow in question.  “If I don’t put down a barrier, I’m going to leave a wet patch on your seat from your cum soaking through my clothes” I said bluntly, leaning in close.  He smirked at me and held me close with his hands on my hips.  My arms went around his neck and he kissed me gently.

“Mmm… worth it though” he teased, making my cheeks heat again.  He kissed me once more and gave my ass a double-handed squeeze.  “Now let’s get home so we can get fully naked.  I wanna taste your pussy before I fuck you properly and have you screaming my name while I fill you with my cum again” he growled softly in my ear.  I shivered and made a needy sound that brought a grin to his lips.  When he released me and went to the driver side with long strides, I wasted no time getting into the vehicle and closing the door, buckling my seatbelt.  My panties were wet with more than just James’s cum, and I was eager for not just the rest of the night with him but the rest of our lives together.  I knew, somehow, that we belonged only to each other now.

[ithoughtghostsjustfloatedaway]

ok wair actually i Do have a question. FOR your fem losers designs do you have like. Specific reasons for why you designed them that way?

this is actually so sweet tysm for this question, i love my gals & don’t feel like i get to talk about them much!!

might be a bit long so i’ll put it under the cut

for my fem!losers designs, i took inspiration from the movies, other artists’ fem losers designs, & even some fanfics. i looked at a bunch of things & sketched a bunch before i came to what their designs are currently. & their designs are still changing, i’m always tweaking what they look like, but they’ve stayed relatively the same since i started drawing them as girls back in 2021. it’s mostly just finding a mix of making them look like their film counterparts, taking my own creative liberties, & just what seems right

as for more specifics, some of the designs just felt right & others i have a lot more hcs & reasons for why they look the way they do. for bill, mike, & ben, i don’t have a ton of hcs atm for why i designed them the way i did, they just felt right. bill seems like a short haired girl & she doesn’t seem like a huge dress girl. mike seems like she’d have big curls-that she always keeps back- & is more about practicality than style (tho bev loves to dress her up & she definitely doesn’t argue). ben would wear her hair back more often than not cuz it doesn’t draw attention, & she wears lots of skirts & big t-shirts for the same reason. & besides that i just wanted to make all their hair colors stand out more so i made bill’s a bit more red & ben’s more blonde than brunette.

stan is fun cuz i feel like she looks the most similar to her canon counterpart (at least, i try(?)), but i still take my liberties. she’s got more strawberry blonde hair, & she’s got big curls. i think she wouldn’t care for them much when she was younger but once she learned how to maintain them she grew to love her curls. i also draw her in a lot more preppy-styled, modest clothes cuz i think it just makes sense (cuz of her parents)

richie’s fun cuz i feel like her who design just makes sense? she’s got big hair (i made a whole post on my hair hc for her a while ago), of which she grows out & cuts throughout her life. she likes to keep part of it pulled up usually too, for variety (but mostly cuz she lets eddie borrow her scrunchies when she wants to pull her hair up & richie loves when eddie wears her scrunchies but you didn’t hear that from meeee) she wears a lot of mismatched clothes, lots of ripped jeans & ofc her hawaiian & other brightly patterned shirts.

eddie is by far the loser who’s design i have the most hcs for, & it’s NOT cuz of favoritism (…maybe a little). i’ve always had the most ideas for her cuz hee characterization imo would be the most affected by her being a girl in the canon. she would have to fit sonia’s “perfect little girl” ideals, which is not eddie in the slightest. perfect little girl eddie keeps her long hair down at all times, always wear skirts & blouses, & always does what she’s told. real eddie pulls her hair up all the time (until she finally cuts it, i also made a post about my eddie’s hair hcs), wears t-shirts & shorts her friends keep hidden for her, & has a trash mouth that only rivals the trashmouth herself. i give eddie more freckles the older she gets (until chapter 2, she has less then) cuz she’s outside running around all the time (which sonia hates). idk if anyone pays attention to it, but i draw eddie (especially teenaged & up) with an hourglass body cuz i still think she’d be small, but she’s got a bigger chest & curvier hips (sonia kaspbrak genes). i also think it plays into that “perfect little girl”-> “desired woman” pipeline that sonia would believe it, & that eddie hates. idk if that even makes sense. 

i’ll be so fr, idek if any of that made sense, or was even what you asked for. but hopefully that was a little bit of a glimpse into my mind when it comes to these gals? i’m constantly thinking about them & i’m always messing with what they look like so if anyone has any suggestions/ideas/want to know more about something specifically just lmk!! <3 <3

[lunarifie]

Tftsd Flower shop/Tattoo Parlor AU

(Set in modern times)

Part 1 / Part 2

- Bart and Gum Gum have known each other ever since they were placed in foster care. They stuck around each other until they were 18 and legally allowed to take care of themselves. They end up renting an apartment, doing freelance gigs and odd jobs to keep themselves afloat.

- At some point, Bart runs into his past mentor, Marge, a tattoo artist who’d taught him a few things back in the day. She claims that Bart’s a natural artist, and that she has plans on retiring after holding onto her tattoo parlor for some time now. But to do so, she needs to hand it off to someone she can trust, therefore, she takes Bart as her apprentice.

- After a year or two, Bart picks it up relatively quickly and replaces Marge as the owner/main tattoo artist. He keeps the parlors name “The Jebediah” in honor of his mentor.

- With a now sustainable job, Bart tries to train and hire Gum Gum, but after a few months, its obvious that Gum Gum doesn’t have the same talent as Bart. Gum Gum admits that he can’t see himself inflicting pain on others for the sake of art (only for the sake of protection). Bart understands, and knowing Gum Gum’s affinity for flowers, convinces him to try and apply to the newly implemented flower/coffee shop down the street, known as Mudd’s Plants and Coffee.

- Gum Gum enters the shop and immediately forgets what he was there for, entranced by the variety of plants and differing floral. He notices a dried up plant hidden behind a big-leafed one, nudging it closer to the sun and hydrating it with a nearby watering can.

- Gum Gum jumps when he hears a - “What do you think you’re doing?” - from behind, turning around to face the tall shopkeeper. The shopkeeper stares at him sternly before widening his eyes and cursing, shoving past Gum Gum to inspect the almost dying plant.

- He reaches for the watering can but Gum Gum interjects, “don’t worry! I already watered it. If you do that again it’ll drown.”

- Mudd pauses, hand hovering over the watering can as he eyes Gum Gum, “customers aren’t supposed to mess with the plants…”

- “I wasn’t messing with it, I was helping it.”

- “Uh huh.” Already annoyed by this meddling customer, Mudd asks Gum Gum if theres anything he can help with, ready to have this person on their way.

- “Actually, yeah. I’m here to apply for a job, do you know where the shop owner is?”

- “I am the shop owner.”

- Gum Gum blinks, staring blankly at Mudd before splitting into a wide grin. “Perfect!”

- Mudd is hesitant in considering the applicant at first, but with the surge of customers who want to try out the aesthetically pleasing cafe/plant shop, he can use all the help he could get.

- Mudd is often busy at the counter, ringing up orders, brewing coffee, and adding his signature herbs to his recipes. Its hard for him to pay attention to every single plant and flower in his shop.

- After a week or so, he notices he no longer has to rush to his plants to make sure they’re healthy. From the counter, he can see his flowers blooming, bright and vibrant thanks to his new employee. Its obvious that Gum Gum has a talent for finding the dying forgotten plants and helping them thrive.

- Bart is ecstatic over Gum Gum getting a secure job, teasing him over it, “my boys all grown up!” He often takes short trips to Mudd’s shop to visit Gum Gum, whose always excited to see him and greets him with a “Bart!”

- Eventually, Mudd ends up introducing himself after the red-heads name is yelled enough times.

[scotianostra]

October 1st 1999 saw the sad death of Lena Zavaroni.

Lena had been in hospital for several weeks and died after contracting pneumonia following an operation.

Lena Zavaroni, from Rothesay on the Isle of Bute in Scotland, made her name with a five-week run on television's Opportunity Knocks in 1974.

This was followed by the chart-topping Ma, He's Making Eyes At Me. At the age of 12 she sang for the Queen at a Royal Variety performance.

But it was at the height of her fame that her tragic battle with anorexia began. Lena developed anorexia aged just 13 and fought the disease for over 20 years.

Zavaroni, became the youngest person in musical history to have an album in the Top 10. She appeared on US television with Frank Sinatra and Lucille Ball. The young Scot went on to perform at the White House for President Gerald Ford.

Becoming a teenager and attending stage school in London, Zavaroni struggled to cope. She became depressed. She developed anorexia nervosa. While at stage school her weight dropped to just four stones.

You have to put some of the blame for Lena's passingto those around her and who managed her. The tiny singer, who was just four feet, 10 inches tall, explained in one interview the pressure she felt under. “When they tried to fit me into these costumes, they would talk about my weight. I kept wondering how they expected me to fit into these dresses. I was a plump little girl, and I was also developing into a woman.

“I wanted to be just right for them, but I had to go to all these breakfasts, dinners and lunches. I only became fanatical about not eating when the pressure got too much. I just wanted to have a nice shape.”

Lena Zavaroni’s mental health worsened to the point she threatened to take her own life. In attempting to deal with the depression she agreed to a partial lobotomy, a controversial and rarely performed elective operation in which nerve pathways in the brain are severed. What a horendous thing.........

Lena Zavaroni, who had a short-lived marriage, suffered both a tormented and ignominious end, living on benefits in council housing in Wales. She died on this day 1999 at the age of 35.

I really didn’t know whether to post a pic or a video of Lena for this post, I suffer from depression myself, but can't imagine what she went through. Lena’s life was one where epression obviously played a big part, I read a comment one of her relatives made that she was "Not depressed, she just went into herself" Depression is a very missunderstood thing, you can beoutwardly happy for all to see, while going through torment in your head, but you keep quiet about it........

Sometimes putting posts like this together make me very emotional, Lena we salute you for your struggles and for bringing joy into many people’s life with your voice and early enthusiasm. I

Rest in Peace Lena Zavaroni, 4th November 1963 – 1st October 1999.

[tauforged]

HEY I have a hermit crab (he's like 6-7 at this point so not a recent acquisition) and I'm always trying to think of things for him to do or play with because he’s awesome and I love him. Any ideas?

ANON THATS SO COOL! hermit crabs are awesome, and huge props to you keeping your little guy’s enrichment in mind!!! i have seen some people put larger hermits or other crabs (like fiddlers) in hamster balls for short periods of time in order to let them explore in relative safety…. i would go for one of the larger ones and keep a close eye on him but that could be fun!!

variety in diet is also a big thing people will do for their hermits. when i worked at a pet store, i used to love giving ours fresh chopped veggies fruit and nuts — but they can eat all sorts of additional things too! food items that won’t spoil right away (like dried fish or dried fruit) can be sprinkled around the enclosure or ‘hidden’ to give him a chance to put those foraging skills to good use. stuff like sterilized dry leaf litter (catappa/indian almond leaves are usually sold for fish or reptile setups, but they work good for these guys too! i’d just make sure to go for stuff intended for pets) or even live plants can make for good edible enrichment too! (i’d be very careful to make sure everything you use is safe for him to eat - i’ve seen people grow wheatgrass or other ‘cat grasses’ for anything from hamsters to birds to crabs so that might be a decent option. you could also look into what sort of leafy greens people find their hermits tend to like, and consider growing some sprouts for him!!)

they’re also avid climbers, so something like pieces of sturdy driftwood or cholla wood or even one of those rope climbing nets people will use for lizards could be fun — if it’s the latter, i’d just make sure it’s very tightly secured and that the substrate is thick + soft enough that if he does fall, he won’t hurt himself too much. don’t want any shell damage.

one thing i always love to do for enrichment with the various inverts i’ve kept over the years is actually one of the easiest things to do — just rearrange their tank every so often! turn around or flip over bits of rock or wood, switch out fake plants for some new ones, change the location of the food or water dishes, all kinds of stuff like that to keep their brain moving and keep them exploring!! it’s something we do for animals at work too, it’s a great way to provide novel stimuli without having to go too crazy.

i’ve honestly never had a hermit crab myself (i love em to death, but they usually like to have as much space as possible and i’m heavily limited for space rn. that and i’m hardly ever home lmao) so i’m just pulling from my general invert/aquatic crustacean knowledge, so take that with a few grains of salt. best of luck in your crabby enrichment endeavors though!!

[midnightcreator12]

For the prompts you're doing * mf deep inhale * FIC PROMPT! The whole squad going to the mall cuz we NEED it! (03' turtles too, if it's alright and doesn't get to messy to write abt cuz dialogues with big groups are HARD, so it would be understandable ngl ;-;) Everybody needs some shopping tours. Aaaaand perhaps Leon getting lost cuz i'm a sucker for stupid things suddenly happening. I love drama.

I am so sorry with how late this is aaand I did try to get the 2003 boys in there but....it was a lot to balance for something I was trying to keep short so I hope it being Post-The Portal Home is okay!

You do know I know what an interworld market is, right?”

“Clearly you don’t because you call it an ‘interworld market’ instead of a shopping mall,” Leo grumbled.

“That’s what you call a large market with a variety of products from multiple regions! I don’t come up with the names for things…although I guess since Earth hasn’t made contact with other planets it would be an inter-nation market?”

“Shopping center,” Donnie corrected from above. “Or, more commonly, the Mall.”

Chula rolled her eyes fondly, leaping from their current rooftop to the next.

Their new member, however, loudly interjected, “Why would you call a building the maul? That sounds like a terrible idea to get people to restock there.”

“Not ‘maul’, a ‘Mall’!,” Mikey corrected.

“That’s what I said!” Seena protested.

Chula laughed now, hard enough that she had to pause or risk mis-timing her next jump. Seena growled as she ran past, pausing just long enough to smack her shoulder. The blow barely did anything but Chula still reached up to rub the spot and let out a tiny whine.

“I know that didn’t hurt! Cut it out Verd!”

Chula laughed again, louder, before moving again.

It’d been a few days since she and Seena had returned to the boy's dimension. Of course, she and Donnie had gotten to work, making plans to try and track down Astra and the battalion. Since it was obvious that combing each possible reality would take way too much time, Donnie had proposed that they work on the transdimensional communicators and pass them out to the various turtle teams in each reality. When she’d asked why other versions of the brothers he’d gone on…quite a rant that basically boiled down to ‘we attract weird, both versions of ourselves that we’ve met attract weird. Any other versions of us are most likely to bump into a magic space wizard and a ship full of human copies.’

It was the best idea they could come up with that could be done in the relative near future but it meant that trying to look before the communicators were done would be a waste of time. Which meant Chula was stuck waiting for that near future to become the present.

And while she’d tried not to mope around too much…one of the boys must have noticed.

She suspected that was why Raph had proposed this outing. She suspected that it was actually a group idea to try and keep her spirits up and to introduce Seena to more Earth stuff.

So, they were breaking into a ‘shopping mall’.

And apparently, shopping malls on Earth were contained in large buildings.

“Why would it be inside?” Seena asked as they peered down at it.

“Where else would it be?” Raph asked.

“Outdoors.”

“Why would you want to shop outside?” Leo said as he pulled out a katana. “Sounds weird.”

“Your planet is the weird one.”

“Children, let us remember that we’re from different realities,” Chula said as she moved away from the roof edge and waited for the portal to be opened.

“...still weird,” Seena muttered.

Her comment went ignored as Leo opened a portal and all the boys hurried to push Chula and Seena through. Leo bounded in last, sweeping his arms wide in a showmen-like gesture, “Ladies, welcome to the Queen’s Place Mall! Our go-to hotspot for all the latest fashions, food and learn valuable lessons about multitasking and prioritizing!”

“Wha-”

“Just roll with it,” Chula cut Seena off before she could finish the question. 

The other boys were already chattering over each other, trying to pull the pair of aliens in every direction as they pointed out storefronts and the food court and Chula picked up Raph mentioning an indoor public gym that he liked to frequent.

Chula chanced a glance to Seena, snorting when she saw how lost her friend was in the middle of the kids' excitement. But she was letting Donnie and Mikey tug her along, stiffly nodding as they pointed out what looked to be a clothing store, so Chula wasn’t that worried.

She turned to Leo, grinning broadly, “She’s goin’ to be comin’ back in a completely new getup, isn’t she?”

“A good chunk of the plan for this was to get her a new fit,” Leo admitted breezily. “Seriously, does everyone in your reality just have the one outfit they wear all the time?”

Chula frowned, “I’m literally wearing a second outfit to what I normally wear.”

“And no offense, but this getup looks like you just snagged it outta a thrift store because you needed a change real quick.”

“Leo!” Raph chastised.

Chula just shrugged. Because Leo wasn’t entirely wrong in his assessment of how she got her ‘casual’ attire.

Leo led the way, taking Chula to another clothing shop. She expected him to open another portal to get past the gate covering the entrance but instead he dropped into a crouch and whipped out a lockpick set from his belt, “Watch and be amazed.”

Chula hummed but let her eyes roam around. The main bulk of the building was a large open area covered in shiny tiles and polished wood. She could see various little stands scattered around and further away a water feature stood as a centerpiece. Above their heads were walkways for a second floor, probably a copy of the first. She absently wondered if this was what the markets on Courcsaunt looked like, perhaps they could bring Astra here and ask when they found her.

The metal gate made a rattling sound and Chula looked back to see Leo swinging open the shop door. She followed both the boys in, eyes scanning again at the new space.

There was….quite a lot of clothing. And accessories and flashy trinkets scattered everywhere.

“Earth doesn’t skimp on the variety, does it?”

“People like to have a lot of choices,” Raph said. “And this one is one of my favorites. They have a lot of plus size options.”

“Which means we can find something in your taste without going to a mens section!”

“Thank Ashla for that,” Chula chuckled. “What are you pullin’ out back there?”

“Oh, just some options,” Leo circled around another rack and out of view. “You are getting the full Earth experience with this!”

Raph wandered off as well, browsing the racks absently. And with nothing better to do, Chula went in another direction to look around.

It really was quite fascinating to see how many different things this one shop had. Granted, for all she knew, the Core Worlds back home were much the same but she’d tended to avoid anything beyond Mid-Rim. And most of the shops and markets tended to only have a handful of things unique to the individual vendors.

But it seemed Earth locals liked having as many choices as possible in one place. Chula would bet her slug-thrower that every other shop and stand in the mall had just as much variety available.

She looked around the racks surrounding her, taking in the bright colors, intricate designs, layers and layers of fabric-

Her eye spotted something bright blue with rainbow accents.

Curious, she wiggled it out from between the other bright colored clothing around it. And smirked when she realized what it was.

Leo and Raph were finding things for her, she saw no reason not to return the favor.

—------------------------

“Have fun?”

Seena sent Chula a seething look. She was carrying her normal armor and wearing a dark gray jacket over a white top and loose pants that matched the jacket, “Seems I’m not the only one.”

Chula chuckled, grabbing the skirt of her new flower printed dress and flapping it dramatically, “Leo has excellent taste.”

“Then why is he dressed up in a Quarf jumpsuit?”

Chula glanced back at Leo, happily showing off the clothing Chula had found for him to his brothers, “He said it’s called a unicorn onesie.”

“Whatever. Did all of this at least cheer you up?”

Chula’s grin became softer as her hand smoothed over the silky fabric of her new ensemble, “Yeah. I think I needed this.”

“Thank Force for that then. I never want to have a ‘makeover’ with those two again.”

“Says the woman wearing that makeover.”

“Shut it Verd.”

Both pause for a moment as the group started moving towards the exit.

Then Seena spoke again, “Sooo, we’re just straight up robbing this place?”

“Donnie said he’d leave money. Non-humans aren’t really…widely accepted on Earth.”

“Ah….so why do you want to live here again?”

Chula grinned, looking back towards the boys just in time to see three of them climbing up Raph, “The company makes up for the need to hide.”

[varjopeura]

15, 20, 33 and 56 for Tomu! :D

15. What battle in the campaign has been most memorable to your character?

There are many good ones to choose from, so let's go with a very recent one! The party had taken on a bounty hunting gig that lead them into a hidden laboratory complex of a lawless master mechanic. The place was brimming with traps and heavily armed minions, so a couple of the party members were already beat to shit at this point. They found a relatively safe hiding hole to rest for a while, but Tomu wanted to keep exploring while the rest of them were licking their wounds. There were fun little mechanical spiders here, and so many fun varieties of explosives, and she really wanted, no, needed to see everything right away! So she got turned invisible by the druid/warlock B'Tuin and went exploring ahead.

Only a couple rooms away from their resting place she found their mark, all alone and not noticing invisible Tomu sneaking around. This was just too good of a chance to pass up on - surely Tomu could take this villainous elder gnome down all by herself. So, with the element of surprise on her side, she tried to sneak up on the gnome and pour a magical sleep-inducing potion in his mouth... and failed miserably in doing this.

The alarmed gnome didn't attack Tomu right away, but went and hid into this big metal construct on legs that could move and fight on his behalf (fantasy mech suit! how cool is that!!) and only then attacked. The rest of the party heard the commotion and rushed to help Tomu, their short rest sadly interrupted.

The mech was a challenging opponent, and two out of five members of the party were not in great fighting condition to begin with, so they really had to use their brains with this one. So there was a lot of moving around the room while everyone was trying to find a safe place to stay in. There were bombs thrown about! And did I mention the Giant Mech we were fighting against! Everything here was just so so so inspiring for Tomu (and as a player it was a super fun battle). But yeah, what really made this one memorable over everything else was the fact that this one was 100% Tomu's fault. Her dear friends got into serious trouble just because she didn't want to hang around while they were catching their breath.

I think she might've learned something from this experience. (and she got to throw some cool ass bombs towards a giant robot, what's not to like)

20. What is the biggest mistake your character has ever made?

Oof. I'll tell you the tale of what happened to the temple town of Othe, because. Well. Even if it was an accident (and technically a group effort), the sheer magnitude of this one leaves no room for any other answer.

The party was searching for shattered fragments of a primordial titan to help B'Tuin in his research of them. And they found one, in an ancient underground ruin near the town of Othe. There was only a slight problem: the fragment, resembling a vaguely round blob of black stone, was seamlessly attached to a huge stone altar and thus impossible to move around.

The party tried a few different ways to remove the blob, none of them working. Then, in a random fit of inspiration, our cleric Musta tried to lick the stone (idk, must be a tabaxi thing) and immediately fell unconscious when every bit of moisture from her body was sucked into the stone through her tongue. The blob was thirsty.

While the rest of the group was working on getting Musta back up, Tomu tried out a couple of things with the blob. Spitting on it didn't have much of a reaction, apart from the wet mark disappearing into its mass in a split second. Maybe emptying her water skin into the blob would be a good start? So Tomu poured all of her drinking water onto it, all of it getting sucked in like she expected.

And suddenly the blob's thirst seemed to be quenched, and it came free from the altar with a soft little 'plop' sound. Tomu picked it up and handed it to visibly delighted B'Tuin. No one really paid mind to the small but deep hole left in the altar on the blob's place. Their job here was done, it was time to get back to Othe.

Their preparations for leaving were interrupted by the sound of rushing water. A few heartbeats after they heard it, the small hole in the altar started spouting water with impossible speed. And when I say impossible, I mean impossible: the room they were in was vast, more of a great hall than a room, and the cave system behind it even greater than that, and still, within minutes the water level was reaching their ankles, their shins, and kept rising fast.

So they ran. They climbed higher and higher in the tunnels, just barely keeping ahead of the all-consuming water masses rushing behind them. It was a narrow escape, but finally they got out of the caves and climbed to safety on a tall cliffside. Here out in the open, the water couldn't rise as fast, there was simply too much ground for it to cover.

But here's the thing about Othe. The town is built on a lake, on a series of small islands connected by bridges, and the lake is surrounded by hills and mountains on all sides. The place is essentially a bottom of a very big bowl. And there was a lot of water heading into that bowl.

There was really nothing the party could do at this point, as the water mass underneath them was roaring and snapping trees in half and moving boulders from their places. There were even giant sharks and various other sea creatures apparating seemingly out of nowhere into this great whirpool of death. They could only watch from afar, as the water on the lake surrounding Othe rose higher and higher, until nothing remained but the very tops of the town's tallest towers. The ancient town with all of its people was essentially wiped out of the map in less than an hour.

Tomu doesn't really like to think about this one. Unfortunately everyone else in the party is talking about it a lot, it really left a scar in everyone so it's not that easy to repress this one into oblivion. It might've been a complete accident, and someone else on the party would've certainly removed the blob if she hadn't, but. You can't really hide behind any excuse when you've drowned an entire city.

33. What person does your character admire most?

This is a tough one to think about! For the longest time in her backstory era there was such an easy and obvious answer to this: Augusterius Harha, her mentor AND best friend, and at least in Tomu's eyes, the most powerful person on this side of Imperium. And after that relationship and admiration came to a sudden and horrid stop, she's been quite wary of holding anyone in similarly high regard.

Her traveling party would be the most obvious choice, especially her new BFF Kato, our barbarian, whom she absolutely adores with every fibre of her being. She just gets kind of weird about "putting people to that kind of pedestal" (her words, not mine. it's like she sees admiration as something inherently hierarchical and thus not fit for equal partnerships).

But there was a wizard in Nicodranas, Yussa Errenis*, who was the employer of the party for a short while. This dude owned an entire city district! AND a cool super special magic tower in the middle of said district! This is something to be admired in Tomu's eyes, this is the level of power and fortune she wants to have when she grows up.

*it's fun to have a campaign set in Wildemount, we get to occasionally meet famous NPCs from the source material :3

56. When they were a child, what did your character want to be, or think they were going to be, when they grew up?

Tomu's parents were running a fairly successful general store, and Tomu was very much raised with the intention that she would one day take on the family business alongside her sister. She wanted nothing to do with this plan - the honorable profession of a trader was a Boring one! She wanted to have some action in her life! To see places! To see people who weren't here to buy turnips or knitting needles!

So she spent a lot of time dreaming about running away from home and joining a traveling circus or theatre troupe. She probably would've done it, too, if she wasn't suddenly swept away to a life of crime (and later, adventure) instead.

[alchemicallymoon]

Commentary for my latest fic!

I liked explaining my thoughts the last time I did a commentary, so I did another! As always, feel free to ask if you have any more questions or things you'd like to know!

Link to the fic here https://archiveofourown.org/works/52146427

As mentioned in the tags of the fic, this has no connections at all to my other fics. I try to keep a consistent lore with my Splatoon fics, in terms of timeline and characters. There was no way that this fic would fit into that. I planned on making it separate from the beginning, though, it wasn’t a problem that I wanted to fix.

This fic was probably 90% done when I posted the first chapter. That’s partly because of how in depth my draft was—I knew exactly what I wanted each chapter to look like. But it’s also because I didn’t write it entirely in order. I would write scenes for chapters 2 and 3 before finishing chapter 1. It was mostly a “I need to write this idea immediately because it sounds so perfect in my head” situation, followed by “maybe it wasn’t so perfect, I should edit it.” I would write notes, but they ended up being so long and detailed that it was better to just write the whole scene.

Ch 1 I had a few goals with this chapter, and after thinking about it, it’s more of a prologue than anything. One goal was to make it clear that both Four and Eight use she/her pronouns. People use a variety of pronouns for their Agent OCs, (for my consistent lore, Four uses they/them,) so I thought it would be good to make it clear, even if the tags and category already say that. Side note: It’s such a chore writing two characters with the same pronouns together, because you either have to overuse their names or risk being ambiguous.

Another was showing that Eight is still new to the surface, and inkling culture. One way I did that was by having her really take note of things that inklings might take for granted—like the view from the café. If she were still in the octarian domes or the metro, she wouldn’t be able to see so much of a city from so high up, nor have it be lit by real sunlight. Another thing I did was having her forget inklish, or speak in odd ways. The two most obvious parts are the coffee scene, and the fact that she doesn’t use contractions. I avoid going too far with writing language learners unless it’s a more central part of the plot.

I wanted to make it clear that they were not already dating (again, even though the tags already say that.) I think not mentioning that they are dating is a good solution, considering the intro of the fic. The intro is a short backstory of why they live together, and it makes no mention of them dating. If they were, then it would be an important thing to add. Besides that, I use the terms “friend” and “roommate” to describe their relationship.

Finally, I wanted to include the line “Dear, sweet, precious Eight.”

Ch 2 So, I was going to complain about how many times I used the word “movie” for this chapter. Then, I had the idea to count exactly how many times I used it. Luckily, the writing program I use can automatically count word repetitions. Unluckily, it searches every single word from every document in a project by default, and I keep every fic plus a few other things in the same project. So, that was a very slow loading bar. But at least now I know I’ve used “four” 920 times in total, making it my most used word right after Marie. (It went up to 980 since writing that last week.) Oh, right, the original point! I only used “movie” ten times.

There was a pretty big tone shift in this chapter—it was the comfort part of hurt/comfort. I tried to ease into it with the beginning paragraph, so that it wasn’t an immediate 180°. The tone shift made it easy to start with the romance part of the fic, as the last chapter didn’t have room for that. It’s relatively subtle and there isn’t much of it, but my goal was to portray it as both of them having a crush on each other, but being too embarrassed/shy to admit it.

So, I had a very strange and minor problem with this chapter. Of course, the Splatoon universe is set ~10,000 years after humanity is extinct. That means that they have their own language. I didn’t want to include the term “Ferris wheel” because it’s named after the person who invented it in real life, and there would be no reason for it to be called that in Inkopolis. But, lucky for me, there is Splatfest stage dialogue in Splatoon 2 where Pearl uses the term (followed by Marina flirting <3) Thank you Inkipedia!

Chapter 2 ended up being longer than expected. I just had a lot of fun writing it, and there were a few key points that were important to include. That also meant writing transitions to and from those key points, though. I could’ve shortened the movie watching part, but I wasn’t really aiming for it to be short—sometimes chapters are just a little bit longer. The chapter was very full of humor compared to my other fics, and I’m happy with how it turned out!

Chapter 3 Eight’s thoughts are very overblown and give too much blame to herself, which I did on purpose—it’s panic. But, chapter 1 explains why she reacted in that way. Inklings don’t like octolings, I mentioned that a few times. I also mentioned that Four is not like that, so why that reaction? Well, that was the part of her reaction that wasn’t overblown. Other people would judge them if they were in a relationship. And even though Eight knows that Four is nothing but loving, there is always that doubt in the back of the mind. The regular embarrassing romantic aspect contributes to her reaction, but it isn’t the main focus.

Four’s reaction is also panicky, but for a totally different reason. Half a fear of rejection, and half because she technically didn’t ask before kissing. Valid concerns, but not really on the same level as Eight’s. Four doesn’t even consider the inkling-octoling part of their relationship. It isn’t something she thinks about, as an inkling.

I guess there isn’t much to say about this chapter that isn’t already in the chapter itself. I did want to say what I said in the first part, though, it’s relevant to the fic as a whole. The chapter turned out to be shorter, but more heavy than I expected. I like the way it turned out, though, and I think the kiss at the end is a good conclusion.

[killemwithkawaii]

Some rambling bc I've been AFK:

>God, I've been having so many polyship feels lately... Sal is still 100% my main man, but throwing Lar-bear in the mix is a lot of fun, too 🙈💘 I really want to talk about it more and draw some stuff for it when I have my current projects done! (I also need to nail down a ship tag for the throuple ship if I'm gonna start posting about it hmm.... is 'throuple trouble' too close to 'double trouble' or...? 🤔)

>I've become very interested in the Uncanny Valley universe and have kind of adopted John Doe as an f/o, specifically as my bff/big brother! c: I'm working on making a Regular Guy sona for myself and have been gradually building a selfinsert AU(s) with @stormcellarwitch (which may or may not be an SF crossover sksbxjx)

>I'm getting SO HYPED for 'Strange Nightmares'!! Steve said that the game will be an alternate retelling of the original story, which I am so fucking here for 👏 I love that multiple realities (possibly infinite realities) are canon in SF- the possibilities are literally endless (keep going nuts with those fics yall), and I'm very interested to hear about the different story routes Steve came up with himself. (It looks like Larry might be in trouble... 😰)

>On that note, I have to admit, I went through a period recently where I thought my interest in SF was fading, but I realized that that feeling was a combination of general disinterest in Everything and a need for some variety. I've rewatched playthroughs and the dub of SF more times than I can count and have basically memorized it, and I was finally getting kind of bored with the same old thing... BUT NOW, Steve is effectively filling a hollowed-out pumpkin with raw ground beef and is about to roll it into my enclosure. I can SMELL IT. I am SCRATCHING AT THE BARS. LEMME AT IT GIMME GIMME GIMME GIMME >:3c

>Related to 'GIMME': Steve also announced that an SF subscription box will be launching this summer (with exclusive merch and puzzles) and I'm over here budgeting already 😂 (I seriously want to have enough SF merch to create an SF themed decora outfit at some point, been shopping around for a fitting ita bag for it and everything) 🛍

>Related to 'need some variety': I've been watching playthroughs of some horror games (including John Doe, House Hunted and Needy Streamer Overload) and have really been enjoying them! If you have any recs (preferably for relatively short games), feel free to send them my way! 🎮 🔪

>I am (tentatively) planning on opening new commission slots sometime in February! I'll keep you guys posted~ 🎨

[blueaizu]

My Game, Clip Idol

Since I guess this Tumblr is my new base of operations, I should start putting more effort into updating it more. I don't want it to turn into me talking about these things instead of doing them, but I figure it's best to keep people updated and I gotta do that somewhere!

My first big text post was pretty negative, and the last thing I want is for my page to devolve into constant down notes. Why don't I talk a little more about the cool thing I'm making? Click to find out more and see an early build of my game in action!

So in an earlier post about... another website with an off-putting musk that shall not be named, I glossed over the fact I'm making my own game and that I've livestreamed myself working on it. I more or less kept it a close secret except for those particular streams, but I figure now's a good time to start going into more detail about it.

My game is called Clip Idol, and it's a collection of WarioWare inspired minigames with a Vtuber theme. But talk is cheap, so how about I show you a video of it in action?

Neat, right??

Which parts did I make? All of them. All of the stuff you saw and heard in the video was 100% done by me (except the engine, which is GameMaker) (Harley's voice samples are also from a Japanese program called UTAU)! The art's still mostly placeholder, but I'm still working on it.

Clip Idol is a project I undertook to get a better grasp of all aspects of making a game. They say to keep your first project a simple one, and WarioWare's about as simple as games get. So I had an idea of what I wanted to make, but then I needed some kind of framing device to give it its own identity. Vtubers are popular and they play a variety of games on stream, so why not turn that into a game? I am actually surprised no one thought of it before, or at least had the drive to turn it into a real game.

The character is named Harley Felina (Harley for short), and I designed her specifically for this game. She's a cat-themed android living in a cyberpunk-ish world that likes to ride and maintain motorcycles. She also likes to play games that last for like four seconds, in rapid succession.

So where are the livestreams? They're on my old VODs channel. I did a lot of streams last year (relative to when I'm posting this), and while they don't cover all of the development it chronicles a good chunk of it. I was a PNG back then, and now I have a full fledged Live2D model waiting in the wings (bat wings, to be exact). Which, by the way, I also made 100% by myself.

I don't really have a thesis for this post, I just wanted to talk about the project I've been working on, plug that I've done streams in the past and that they're on my old VODs channel. It's not just Clip Idol, either, I also did art streams and game playthroughs. I finished every game I played! ...Well, most games I played (I didn't like Resident Evil very much).

I'll continue to work hard making cool stuff!

Until next time!

[jesterkindreview]

Severed Steel - Review

Don’t Stop Movin’.

When I was first looking at Severed Steel’s store page to get a feel for what kind of game it is, one of the mechanics it made a big deal about in descriptions is the fact that you can destroy the environment to make your own routes through its various levels. This, in my opinion, is a mistake; that element is there, it’s not a lie and it is quite fun, but it’s not the mechanic that I would say underpins and links every other mechanic to bring the game together into a beautiful whole. Of course, this raises the question of what mechanic I would say is important enough to get top billing, and the answer to that is pretty simple. Once you understand what kind of game this is - fast paced parkour shooter - then the central mechanic you need to know about is bullet time.

Severed Steel is far from the only game to have bullet time, but the way it chooses to implement it warrants the top billing that its destructible environment claimed in certain rundowns I saw. You see, using bullet time drains a pretty short timer, that only refills again when you get a kill- the only way you can regain health, too. At first blush, it seems relatively simple; play fast and use bullet time very sparingly, chaining kills to keep yourself alive. However... there’s a catch. This is a parkour shooter, and so there are a few mechanics central to that sort of game. They are, for the most part, variations on wall running, sliding, and dolphin-diving forwards. The catch I mentioned before is that while you are performing any of those actions, bullet time is free - and works even if the meter had previously been drained.

It’s this small-seeming mechanic that really brings the whole game together into a marvellous whole. Rather than being precise and judicious with your movements, you’re allowed to get as sloppy and aggressive as you want; rather than the game being almost incomprehensibly fast-paced, it ends up at almost Superhot levels of slowness... provided that you are always moving. Cover is irrelevant; wallrunning, sliding, and diving all guarantee that enemy attacks won’t hit you and can all be extended immensely with the now-free bullet time, so you don’t have to do anything other than ensure you’re always doing some sweet stunt for your character to be functionally immortal. That’s not to say the game is absurdly easy; there are a few caveats, like not being able to chain a dive into a wallrun and your character being so flimsy that a few bullets will take care of her if you do end up caught out of position and overwhelmed with numbers, or the level design of some areas featuring bottomless pits that you’ll surely perish in if you dive in the wrong direction, that keep the game feeling challenging even as you’re shrugging off bullets in ways that would make even Neo shed a single, tubular tear.

Even the way you interact with weaponry leans into the game’s aggressive vibe; you only get weapons from enemies, and they only have limited ammunition. When they run out... you just chuck them full force at whatever enemy you’re looking at, with enough velocity that they can and often will get a killing blow. If you’re lacking a weapon and there’s nothing on the ground to automatically pick up... dive at an enemy, activate slowmo, and aim a punch at them to nab the sidearm right off their belt, with enough time left in your trajectory that you can twist in midair and blow the guy away with his own stolen pistol. The variety of weapons on offer is relatively minimal- punchy pistols, spray-and-pray SMGs, and slow but monstrously powerful shotguns are the bread and butter that you’ll be swapping between as you play, with a few different variations for each one, but there are a few odd ones out like a grenade launcher stolen from heavily armoured goons requiring more precise shots to take down or flamethrowers from even tougher enemies that can only be damaged from behind to keep things spiced up. There’s even a sniper rifle, though the game didn’t bother with the laughable notion of putting a working scope on it; you’ll not be that far away from your opponent anyway, just dive and jam the barrel right in their face. The beauty of the variety is that you honestly don’t need it: I was perfectly content with any of the weapons you start with in various levels, as all the weapons are precise enough to function at the odd angles and timings you’ll be using them at. It might be tempting to pick favourites; why use anything other than, for instance, a punchy, precise pistol? Well, because the pistol runs out and your enemies are carrying other weapons, so don’t get too attached. Cycle through what’s available and adapt to what’s on hand!

It’s clear to me, all this considered, that the intended power fantasy isn’t that of breakneck speeds and godlike reactions, but rather the kind of gratuitous slow-mo action movie bullshit that many games attempt and many games entirely fumble with. I wouldn’t call Severed Steel a masterpiece in this regard, necessarily, but I’d be immensely dishonest if I implied it wasn’t extremely fun despite that. There’s a narrative running through this game, so to speak, but I would say that it’s largely irrelevant. The campaign is the most fun of the game’s three modes on offer, the other two being variations on level gauntlets with changing modifiers, but it isn’t really because of some compelling story being told- it’s really just that those levels, in that order, with those available tools, is already kind of just the most interesting and compelling version of this game to begin with. Still, if you’re like me and got hooked enough after beating the main campaign that you went to go check those out, you’ll surely find something worthy of spending some time on. If not... well, there’s always New Game Plus, right?

Accompanying these mechanics is a relatively minimalist art style conveying a few different cyberpunk-adjacent levels, and a pretty decent (but honestly not incredible) soundtrack. Neither of these things would be the draw here; the artwork isn’t breathtaking and we’re hardly talking Hotline Miami levels of soundtrack, but they’re both perfectly serviceable and add to the game’s overall charm, so I can’t complain too heavily about it. All in all, I’d recommend this game to anyone who doesn’t mind the almost vertigo-inducing twists and turns of the game’s FPS parkour nature. I had a blast with it, at the very least; amusingly, the game’s window (and thus what it shows up as in Discord’s ‘playing: [game]’ text) calls the game “ThankYouVeryCool”, and that’s pretty much exactly how I feel about it.

Have fun, and don’t stop moving.

[seorchtolive]

Mastering the Art of Working Your Cow Horse: A Guide to Using the Mechanical Flag Effectively

The Ultimate Guide to Using Mechanical Flags for Effective Cow Horse Training

Are you ready to take your cow horse training to the next level? Look no further, because we have the ultimate guide for you! Introducing mechanical flags – a game-changing tool that will revolutionize your training sessions. Whether you're a seasoned cow horse trainer or just starting out, these innovative devices are designed to enhance communication, build trust, and maximize effectiveness in the arena. So saddle up and get ready as we delve into everything you need to know about using mechanical flags for effective cow horse training. Get ready to witness remarkable progress and achieve unparalleled success with this comprehensive guide!

Introduction to Mechanical Flags and Why They Are Used

If you're looking to add an extra layer of training to your cow horse operation, look no further than mechanical flags. These devices can be used in a variety of ways to help horses learn the ropes of working cattle. In this guide, we'll cover everything you need to know about using mechanical flags for effective cow horse training.

What are mechanical flags?

Mechanical flags are long poles with a flag attached at the end. They are often used in rodeos and other events were horses need to work around livestock. The purpose of the flag is to create a distraction for the horse so that they focus on their handler's commands instead of the animal they are working with.

How do I use mechanical flags?

There are a few different ways that you can use mechanical flags with your cow horses. One common method is to wave the flag around the perimeter of the arena while the horse is working cattle. This will help them learn to keep their attention on their handler and not get distracted by the animals they are working with. Another way to use mechanical flags is to place them in strategic locations around the arena, such as near gates or corners. As the horse works cattle past these flags, they will learn to pay attention to their handler's commands and not get distracted by their surroundings.

Benefits of Using a Mechanical Flag

When it comes to cow horse training, mechanical flags can be a great tool to help you create an effective training plan. Here are some of the benefits of using a mechanical flag:

1. It can help you create a more consistent training schedule.

2. It can help you target specific behaviors that you want to change or improve.

3. It can help you create a clear and concise signal for your horse to respond to.

4. It can help you avoid over-training your horse and causing him to become bored or frustrated with his work.

5. It is a relatively inexpensive way to get started with cow horse training.

Step by Step Guide on How to Use the Mechanical Flag

1. Start by setting up your mechanical flag in an area where you can have plenty of room to work.

2. Once you have your flag set up, place your horse in a short loping circle around you while you hold the flag in your hand.

3. As your horse begins to lope around you, wave the flag in a big sweeping motion from one side of his body to the other.

4. You will want to keep waving the flag until your horse begins to respond to it by moving away from it when you wave it near his body.

5. Once your horse is responding to the flag, you can start using it to cue different movements such as stops, turns, and changes of direction.

6. Always be sure to praise your horse when he responds correctly to your cues so that he knows he is doing what you want him to do.

Tips and Techniques for Effective Cow Horse Training with the Mechanical Flag

There are a few key things to keep in mind when using mechanical flags for cow horse training. First, the flag should be large and bright enough to catch the horse’s attention from a distance. Second, the flag should be moved in a way that mimics the movement of a real cow, so that the horse can learn to respond appropriately. It’s important to be consistent with your use of the flag, so that the horse doesn’t get confused.

Here are some specific tips and techniques for effective cow horse training with the mechanical flag:

-Start by holding the flag near the ground and moving it slowly back and forth. This will help the horse get used to the movement of the flag and understand that it represents something moving.

-As the horse gets more comfortable with the flag, you can start waving it around more vigorously and even swinging it overhead. Again, make sure to mimic the movement of a real cow as much as possible.

-If you want to work on getting your horse to change directions, start by holding the flag in one hand and a whip in the other. Use the whip to tap the ground on either side of the horse’s head, while simultaneously moving the flag in front of their face. This will help them understand that they need to change direction when they see the flag.

-Once your horse is responding well to all of these different exercises, you can

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Using the Mechanical Flag

When it comes to using mechanical flags for cow horse training, there are a few common mistakes that you'll want to avoid. Here are some of the most common mistakes made when using mechanical flags:

Not keeping the flag waving: One of the biggest mistakes made when using mechanical flags is not keeping the flag waving. The flag needs to be kept in constant motion in order to keep the cows attention and keep them moving.

Not having the right size flag: Another mistake often made is not having the right size flag. The flag needs to be big enough to get the cows attention, but not so big that it's overwhelming.

Not using enough flags: Using too few flags is also a mistake. You'll want to use enough flags so that the cows can see them from all angles, but not so many that it's confusing.

Not having the right color flag: The color of the flag is also important. You'll want to use a color that contrasts with the colors of the cows so they can see it easily. Red or orange are typically good choices.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you'll be well on your way to using mechanical flags effectively for cow horse training!

Conclusion

The mechanical flag is a great tool for cow horse trainers who want to take their horses to the next level. With its versatility and convenience, it’s no wonder why so many experienced trainers use this piece of equipment in their training regimens. We hope this guide has helped you understand how best to use mechanical flags for effective cow horse training and that your results will be as successful as possible. Good luck on your journey!

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[foone]

Mostly, but not exactly. I accidentally infodumped about one of my favorite hobbies.

Besides the parts that are made by, you know, the game companies... there's a couple generators where someone else made them and sent me the code+assets. Like the Street Fighter 2 generator and the Mortal Kombat generator.

And in a few cases people made part of a generator, and in different ways!

The Sonic 1 generator wouldn't really exist without someone drawing a few extra letters: the original game doesn't have all the letters in its font, because they only drew the letters they needed for the level named. Some letters aren't in those! They don't use JQVWX, so if the generator wanted to be able to show those letters, someone had to draw them. Sometimes it's easy enough to extend a letter or two if I can easily edit them (like turn an B into a D: erase the cross beam and flatten out the middle curves), but other people with more artist skill than me have made extra letters to make the generator possible.

The other way other people have contributed is in drawing alternative versions of game screenshots. Like for the Castlevania: Symphony of the Night generator, you can make it Christmas, Bernie Sanders, or Nacho Libre themed, because someone drew it and let me include it.

And the graphical design of some elements of the site wasn't all me: the original navigation was horrible and all mine, someone else cleaned it up to make it not look like shit, and then I've slowly been replacing their UI now that I've needed to upgrade the UI.

But all the main code and the majority of the generators are just me. It's a surprisingly big project because I've lucked into a setup where it's easy to periodically add more bits into it and those are always relatively short projects with a wide variety of approaches.

And I'm not kidding about variety: some generators are "take a few screenshots and wire up some json config", while others are "take 20,000 screenshots by automating an enumator" and a few Extra Fun Ones are "use NSA tools to decompile a Nintendo DS game (damn you Cory in the House!)".

But yeah, It keeps my ADHD-brain happy, and it's a fun thing to be able to pick up and work on whenever I've got some free time. It's an eternal hobby project: it can never be done, but it is always fun to work on.

And I've been working on it long enough that it's like, what, 350 generators? That's about one a week going back to 2018 (I should graph how the number of generators/month has changed over that time... I'm curious what the shape is! It's not flat and it's slowed off as I've done a lot of low hanging fruit games (like NES games: almost always easy. So simple to do I've written semi-satirical tutorials on how to make one(as I made one in protest after some far more modern game was proving a tough nut to crack and frustrating me)))

Anyway... I'm always looking for game suggestions to do, a lot of the games in the generator are there because someone @'ed me and was like "hey this would be fun as a generator" and I looked it up and made it.

I've been pretty slow with that recently (currently mostly bedridden! If you'd like to help) but I'm still trying to do them as I can. Too much fun not to.

Which is really the charm of this project to me: I've managed to make it enough fun for me to make, that I'm already pretty happy just making generators for me. The fact that other people enjoy it is a bonus! But it's a very nice bonus, it must be said.

Thanks to everyone who's enjoyed it!

On a lighter note: around 4 years ago I found a site that would allow people to easily make fake video game screenshots. Then I forgot what it was called (it has a really weird name).

Well… I final found it again:D

No fe game has been implemented yet, but have fun: https://deathgenerator.com/#gallery

My own fake screenshots under the cut

[sharvinmanagement]

The first of these films is "Yatrigan Dhyan De," in which Niraj plays the lead role.

Niraj Chauhan is a rising star in the Indian film industry who has been making waves with his impressive acting skills and dedication to his craft. In a short span of time, he has already made a name for himself in the industry and has won the hearts of audiences and critics alike. And now, it seems that Niraj is all set to take the film world by storm with his upcoming projects.According to sources close to the actor, Niraj has signed on to star in five back-to-back films over the next five years. This is a remarkable feat for any actor, especially one who is relatively new to the industry. It speaks to Niraj's talent, hard work, and dedication to his craft.The first of these films is "Yatrigan Dhyan De," in which Niraj plays the lead role. This film, which is set to release soon, has already generated a lot of buzz and anticipation among audiences. Niraj's performance in the film is said to be nothing short of outstanding, and many are already predicting that he will be the next big thing in Indian cinema.But "Yatrigan Dhyan De" is just the beginning. Niraj has also signed on to star in a number of other exciting projects, including several big-budget films and collaborations with some of the biggest names in the industry. He is currently working on his next film, which is set to release in the next few months. Fans are eagerly awaiting the announcement of his other upcoming projects.Niraj's success is not just a result of his talent as an actor, but also his relentless work ethic and dedication to his craft. He is known to be a perfectionist on set, often going above and beyond to get the perfect shot or scene. He spends hours practicing his lines and studying his character, and is always looking for ways to improve his performance. This level of commitment and dedication is what sets him apart from his peers and has helped him to achieve success at such a young age.In a recent interview, Niraj talked about his passion for acting and his excitement for his upcoming projects. He said, "Acting is my life, my passion, and my love. I am grateful for every opportunity that comes my way, and I am excited to take on these new projects and challenge myself as an actor. I want to keep growing and learning, and I hope to continue to make my fans proud with my work."It's clear that Niraj Chauhan is a force to be reckoned with in the Indian film industry. With his talent, dedication, and passion for his craft, he is poised to take the industry by storm and leave a lasting mark on cinema. Fans can look forward to seeing him in a variety of exciting projects over the next few years, and it's clear that Niraj is only just getting started.