#but it's important for the Pirate Aesthetic™

[blujaydoodles]

well this was SUPPOSED to be a mistletoe doodle but I got distracted and ended up spoofing a corny romance novel cover instead, oops

[ratasum]

Asura Appreciation Week - Day 1

Talk about one of your asura OCs! Who are they? What's their Deal™? @asura-appreciation-corner

For this, the first day in our esteemed Appreciate the Rats week, I'd like to present the smuggler queen of Lion's Arch, the harbor shark herself, proprietor of the Hammerhead Salon, Lady Makko (featuring some older but accurate art from the talented @idaidaart I got a while back).

Coming into power not long before the Personal Story began, it didn't take long for a recently recovered Makko to make a name for herself in a city of pirates and brigands. She had watched her old boss, Scrimm, work the smuggling rings for years, making a modest living but never living up to the potential he could've had if he just played his cards a little bit more carefully.

So she took it all away from him.

With a keen mind for business and ruthless efficiency, she stole away her old boss's clients one by one. And though he tried to kill her in vengeance, Makko only came back stronger, sporting an elaborate pair of hand carved basalt golem prostheses and a pistol meant for Scrimm.

Though no one outside the Salon knows what happened to Scrimm - he just vanished one day - Makko knows full well he became food for the sharks that make up so much of her aesthetic. And he became a warning: she wasn't going anywhere.

In the years since, her power has only grown, and though she spent some time out of the city following Scarlet Briar's ill fated attack, she came back tougher than ever.

These days, those with an ornate basalt pin, inlaid with orichalcum and rubies, know exactly where to go to find luxury goods that may be… otherwise more difficult to obtain. A flash of a lapel and a door swung open… welcome to the underground world of Lady Makko. The salon itself is run by her "employees," but the woman herself is never far. The salon deals heavily in "difficult to obtain" luxury goods, and she prides herself on keeping well stocked, working out deals with pirates and smugglers to ensure only the finest items for sale.

Few but her most important patrons and partners have ever seen her face, but those that know her well know her as wary but straight forward… you can always expect a dagger from her in the chest, should you earn it.

[fostersffff]

Saw your post about the TTYD remake and I wanted to say that I totally resonate with your description of TTYD being a Papercraft-themed RPG with Super Mario elements. It's one of the reasons the game had never really interested me before…it always felt to me like they made a whole separate paper-themed RPG and then decided at the last minute to put Mario and co in there to increase sales, ha. Actually playing it for the first time via the remake hasn't really changed that opinion, either. At least Super Paper Mario goes full-tilt unapologetic about it being only vaguely Mario-flavored, which makes it endearing in its own way. Meanwhile TTYD is in this weird half-step area about it all.

Anyway, I was wondering about the line between SPM and Sticker Star that you'd alluded to! My assumption was that Sticker Star was an attempt to reset the involvement of the Mario elements back to Square 1 (and over-correcting to Square -1 in the process, somehow) while leaving the amount of RPG-flavoring basically as it was, but I was curious whether this idea was in line with what you were thinking 🙂

Honestly I probably should've clarified what I meant in the actual post, but I'd be happy to do it here:

In Paper Mario, the "paper" part of it was pretty strictly aesthetic. It's especially obvious when you look at how the game was marketed in Japan where it was called "Mario Story"; the "Paper" part was an admittedly charming bit of localization marketing, and to this day I think about how that Nintendo Power ad was maybe one of the greatest print ads of all time.

There is no tangible impact on gameplay (that I can recall) stemming from the fact that the game looks like a pop-up book. In terms of its story, it's also pretty safe in terms of Brand Integrity™ for Mario, even compared to Super Mario RPG: you must save Princess Peach from Bowser, most NPCs are standard Super Mario species with a fun accessory save for a handful of weirdos, all the places you go are totally in line with pre-existing environments in Mario games.

The Thousand-Year Door (tellingly called Paper Mario RPG in Japanese, rather than Mario Story 2) leaned into the paper aesthetic, resulting in the fact that everything was papercraft lending itself to mechanics: you get the curses that turn you into an airplane or boat or roll into a tube or turn sideways to slip through narrow cracks, and a ton of puzzles involve revealing that the obstacle in front of you is a piece of paper overlayed on top of the actual path. It also got a little weirder with the story: the hub is a pirate shanty town built on ancient ruins, you go to the WWE to fight Hulk Hogan and uncover Vince McMahon's sinister conspiracy, there's a murder mystery on a train, the main antagonists are a bizarrely futuristic army hunting for a treasure that is secretly An Ancient Evil. It's not at all a bad game, it's just a very different vibe than the first one.

Like you said, Super Paper Mario is where they got REALLY weird with it- so much so that maybe they would've been better off just making it an original IP if not for the loss of the branding. My post that referred to it as "papercraft" was innacurate, because I was just thinking about the perspective shifting gimmick, which isn't inherently papercraft-related. But the more important thing with Super Paper Mario is that it got Really Weird, but again: that's not a bad thing! I haven't played it in years but I pretty fondly remember SPM.

And then for whatever reason, around this time- late 2000's- Nintendo becomes INCREDIBLY brand conscious about Super Mario, basically to the extent that anything that is not identifiable as a Core Super Mario Element cannot exist. So the time comes for IntSys to make a new Paper Mario game, but they absolutely cannot have it be weird- no interdimensional megalomaniacs, no going to hell and heaven and fighting the usurper god, and for good measures, no existing Super Mario species with accessories, either.

At around the same time, the video game industry at large was kind of in a dark period for RPGs. There was still a lot of good stuff coming out, but the mainstream Western (i.e. The Biggest Market) opinion was that they were outdated and boring. So, IntSys, either by their own volition or at Nintendo's urging, needed to make a sequel to Super Paper Mario that couldn't be weird or have RPG elements from prior installments, which left them with the papercraft gimmicks they messed with in TTYD.

And that's really what Sticker Star felt like: it's just about the papercraft gimmick, which this time around was stickers. It's ostensibly an RPG because combat is turn based, but there's not really any reason to engage with it, because everything is based on your sticker inventory. The bosses are extremely obnoxious slogs unless you bring the correct item that instantly defeats them. Hell, even Origami King, which I did actually like, wasn't an RPG either; it was still turn based, but it had a lot of the same problems.

And Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam... M&L faired a little better in that it got to keep being an RPG, but the two games that came out during the same era as Sticker Star- Dream Team and Paper Jam- placed a much higher emphasis on the weird gimmicks. Like, Bowser's Inside Story's gimmick was "Bowser is a character you can play as!", Paper Jam's gimmick was "Paper Mario is here, which means we can have PAPERCRAFT TANK BATTLES and other Papercraft Gimmicks!"

[voidendron]

maybe the swtor outfit meme + xaerez if you’re still doing these?

ooh, thank you! 💚�� I love showing off his outfits :D

At fifteen outfit slots, Xaerez is definitely spoiled akdl;jsdkl. There's a few I'm not too happy with (desert, bounty hunter, and cold weather being the big ones), and some that are just "meh" (he's got...four, I think? outfits that are just whole sets instead of mix-and-matched that I'd like to work on). But some of the others? omg he has some of my favorite outfits of any of my OCs. He's definitely my biggest Space Barbie™ lol

I'll put a few of his here, so they'll be below the cut!

[SWTOR Outfit Designer Meme]

[My OCs]

his main outfit is my favorite one out of all of them!

-Titanium Onslaught Headgear

-Taskmaster's Jacket

-Overwatch Security Bracers & Gauntlets

-Bounty Tracker's Belt

-Space Guardian's Pants

-Mythran Boots

-Sith Apprentice dye

At first, I was just "ooooh spy need trenchcoat!!!" and...yeah. I found the mask and fell in love with it on him, so I built the rest of the outfit around it and wanting that type of jacket for him (imagine my glee when I discovered the Taskmaster's set haha). It's changed a lot in the time I've played Xaerez, but I'm finally pretty dang happy with it.

The mask is because he doesn't like to show his face. Most of his outfits incorporate some kind of mask into them, but this style is what he wears most often. The rest was just building off a stereotypical suave spy aesthetic, and ended up working really well for him!

-Outlander Fixer's Facemask

-Clandestine Officer Jacket

-Overwatch Security Bracers & Gauntlets

-Bounty Tracker's Belt

-Space Guardian's Pants

-Mythran Boots

-black secondary dye

While this one shares almost all the same pieces as his main outfits (only head and chest pieces are different), I still wanted to go for the "professional" look that his casual main one just doesn't offer.

While not something he'd wear often, it achieves its goal and he'll wear it when he needs others to respect him or know he's someone important without having to say it. For Outlander!Xaerez, it's actually what he wore for meeting with Acina in Run for the Shadows. While he doesn't care to dress professionally, it's good for when he needs to.

honorable mentions to pirate/Red Blade and Dread Guard-corrupted!

Red Blade's pieces are:

-Classic Trailblazer's Helmet

-Headhunter's Body Armor, Gauntlets, & Boots

-Trimantium Onslaught Armguards & Belt

-Raider's Cove Targeter's Leggings

-dark red/black dye

Not much to say for this one. He wanted to look the part of a pirate after stealing Red Blade's identity, soooo. Here he be. (tho been considering the actual Red Blade helmet. undecided yet)

corrupted pieces:

-Dread Guard's Corrupted Mask

-Cutthroat Buccaneer's Breastplate

-Temple Guardian's Wristguards, Gauntlets, & Boots

-Ruthless Scion's Belt

-Jedi Strategist's Pants

-Naval Officer dye

Can't say too much about this one, yet, but during the Oricon arc he was temporarily corrupted/brainwashed by the Dread Masters. This was what he wore while in their ranks.

[andresylupin]

Got tagged ages ago (or what seems like ages ago anyway) by @yahtomingan to list seven comfort movies of mine, so here we go!

- the Lord of the Rings trilogy (yes it is three movies. yes i will only count it as one. you can't stop me): I remember watching Fellowship of the Ring for the first time on the family computer, while my parents had guests downstairs, and I had to interrupt every 20min or so to pop back into the living room and be a polite child, and I was kind of screaming internally because one of my favourite books was being brought to life before my very eyes!! Anyway these films mean a lot to me is what I'm trying to say.

- Mary Poppins: I don't know why I latched so much onto this movie. I didn't watch it that much as a child (that spot belongs to Les Demoiselles de Rochefort and Peau d'Âne), so while childhood nostalgia is definitely a factor, it's not just that. There's something about this film's music and french dub that moves me. Also it's a wholesome somewhat nonsensical film with a bright aesthetic and that's good enough for me!

- The Man from UNCLE: I'm still shocked that a film so perfectly catered to my interests exists: 60s aesthetic, great characters played by attractive cast, espionnage flair, killer soundtrack, there's even a blond femme fatale! This film is a masterpiece of entertainment and I love it so much.

- La Folie des Grandeurs: of all the highly popular comedies featuring De Funès (which are all comfort films of their own) this one is my favourite and I couldn't really tell you why? I also watched it as a kid, and I used to act out certain scenes with my little brother, some I still know by heart to this day. The simple fact that the film got made is amazing, like, "let's make a more or less parody of a Victor Hugo play and also cast de Funès in it" and they just went with it? It's got great dialogues, great comedy, Louis de Funès et Yves Montand have a hilarious dynamic, it's just a great movie all around.

- Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy (oh yeah it's three movies again, I don't care): it's just fun, I don't know what else to say, there are pirates and a banger soundtrack, I just like being swept by a swashbuckling adventure sometimes.

- obligatory Ghibli film Kiki's Delivery Service: okay so, Nausicaa is actually the Ghibli film that had the most impact on me, but if we're talking comfort, Kiki's Delivery Service is more like it. The central theme of the film is very important to me, and well, I mean, it's a Ghibli movie: the "vibe" itself is a comfort of its own. I know it's cliché but there's really something about Ghibli movies that hits different.

- Excalibur: oh the joy of watching the Arthurian legend through the eyes of the 80s!! I love the grandiose of it all, the grain of the film and that weird 80s glow, Merlin and this iconic silver helmet, all of the epic of chivalry condensed into one film, how awesome is that?? It's genuinely a comfort film for me because I get captivated every time, I feel ™ every time : there's truly a unique air of greatness to this film, from the adrenaline of battle scenes to the tragedy and then bittersweet of the fall, it's honestly my favourite piece of Arthurian media (Kaamelott excepted bien évidemment)

That was fun :D I'm tagging @little-water-lily @hurlumerlu @tortue-souris @stopaskingmetowearthatwig @fuckensubtext @no-weewee-in-my-valhalla and anyone who wants to do it really, let's share film recs!

[anemoi-i]

Top Five Favorite Boards- Setup, Dynamics and Design

1. Pirate Attack: Utilized Vacation Spots and made them important with great buffs and powerful tolls. Always fun to play, even if you didn’t win the match. The board itself was a fair 1v1v1. Music was great too, as well as the special Skill Cards you got on certain turns. Also Best Girl’s(TM) era, but that’s just the icing on the cake.

I LOVE Pirate Attack so much, you have no idea. I feel like none of the new boards can have the simplicity and fun Pirate Attack had because it was the perfect mix of competition (trying to get all the vacation spots), map size and aesthetic.

2. Mysterious Mansion: From my understanding, you had a variety of buffs you could get on this map: one on Fortune Road (increases toll on your properties) and one on Misery Road (increases opponents’ buffs), Crimson Aura, and the 300% increase to all properties when anyone landed in jail for three turns. All of the buffs on this map, when activated made your heart race, especially now since all the Channels were removed and how much you win is based off of Max JOY, but it still is very fun.

You don’t play lightly on Mysterious Mansion. At all. You DON’T want to land in Jail, because you’ll be screwing yourself over as WELL as your opponents. Mysterious Mansion’s board is fun despite all of these challenges in the board and it came with wonderful aesthetic and music. Also 1v1v1.

3. Navy Strikes Back: The downside is that NSB loses the qualities that made Pirate Attack so fun, but it’s still third on my list because it’s still an interesting board to play. You only had two distinct buffs and that was Pirate Hideout (Misery Road) and the Navy’s buff on Fortune Road.

The board itself is big enough for a good team battle, but as far as it being fun, it IS-- just not anything that’s truly noteworthy. This is a good 1v1v1 to play that has similar gameplay to the original board.

4. Lost City: I feel as if Lost City is overlooked a lot. It was a relatively small board but I consider this Game of Dice’s last good board design. Even the story based on Lost City is excellent. Lost City introduced certain blocks that changed with every turn which was a mix of Fortune Road and Misery Road concepts.

(It’s also a cyberpunk aesthetic technically and I love that shit).

Lost City is so underrated. It was it’s own unique board with like, one buff that increased per turn I think and Best Girl #2(TM) Joker & Kaito as well as Rockstar Rica came out this season. Come on, give it more respect. 

5. Genius League: Genius League is actually very enjoyable for a 1v1. Aforementioned 1v1 isn’t my favorite to do but Genius League makes it bearable. Genius League also allows you to take out a loan two times which is also a blessing but also challenging as you may forget that it is possible.

It makes me wonder why Game of Dice failed to impliment this method for boards other than Genius League-- it would have been rather interesting.

[tachiisms]

Siri Tachi is probably the best Jedi because like.....

felt passionately about slavery and did something about it

like sacrificed a lot and ended an entire slave trade ring in the outer rim, plus got slavery outlawed on an entire moon

taught her Padawan that love is not forbidden by the Code and took the time to explain the difference between love and attachment

taught her Padawan that emotions are not bad and that the Code does not say Jedi shouldn’t have emotions

taught her Padawan that it’s not wrong to feel pride in your gifts and accomplishments

taught her Padawan that he could ask her anything about anything and she would always listen and give him an honest answer (and then proceeds to do so even when he asks about taboo things like attachment and the dark side)

threatened to kick the ass of the person kidnapping her and Obi-Wan when she was physically unable to move because of an electrojabber, extra points for being only 11 at the time

has been a certified Sass Master™ pretty much since birth, including regularly out-sassing Obi-Wan

went out of her way to actively and vocally support Anakin just because she thought he needed backup; also validated Anakin’s feelings and opinions every time he opened up to her about them at all

stopped a street brawl with a lightsaber throw to get everyone’s attention and then politely asking both parties to apologize to each other

used the phrase ‘on a doomed ship’ to describe her relationship with Obi-Wan while quite literally on a dying ship

has a purple lightsaber

hangs out with sassy pirates and with Dex Jettster

wears a leather unisuit so she doesn’t have to worry about flowy robes getting in her way, cuts her hair short so it’s not in her way, has a #rebel aesthetic

makes Senators nervous by not giving a shit about being respectful and deferential to them

shows up fifteen minutes late with Starbucks every time she’s summoned before the Council (and the Council waits for her to show up every time, too)

doesn’t listen to the Council or the Senate without question, and bends the rules when she wants to

raised The Best (aka Ferus Olin) who went on to be a badass rebel leader and a sass master himself, and who is literally everything the fandom has ever asked for in a character including being gay and thinking Leia is equally as important as Luke and getting pissed at Obi-Wan for putting Leia second

death was the manifestation of a ‘hoe don’t do it’ ‘*does it*’ ‘oh my god’ meme

literally died protecting actual angel Padmé Amidala 

is all around the Best and Coolest

[budugaapologist]

Still, this could be acchieved if Edward stayed in the normal outfit, Duncan Walpole's suit. He could have modified it to have more chest armor, but regardless the arm armor is overdoing it. And the butt flaps, he doesnt need a trench coat, that truly is there for the assassin aesthetic, which I'm fine with but its not like he isnt also wearing the sash, red sashes being a continuity thing that could be in place of the cloak.

Ideally, he should be wearing the top half of his whaler outfit and the bottom half his first outfit. Or, he should be wearing Cuban linens. You know why he was falling in love with Rackham's blouse? Because it let Rackham's skin breathe, unlike his own garments. The art book for AC (1 through Syndicate) mentions pirates didnt wear hoods, and Edward probably swore off hats after his beating when he first tries to protect Caroline's servant Rose since it fell off and his hair got in his eyes, making him vulnerable. I say he and Adé should've just been the bandana bros and he should've wore something that was a mix between Mary and Adéwalé.

If assassin garb was such an important thing in Black flag, why wasn't Mary in a hood? He should wear a long sleeve linen or silk shirt, a tan leather vest to match his boots (his first outfit shows he cares about that [ignoring historically pirates didnt really wear shoes but honestly? feet are gross im glad they ignored that]), the red sash to continue the red lineage, and his diver pants for Ass™. The bandana he can keep sweat out of his eyes along with his hair and a couple belts here and there can hold up his weapons. Thats the look he should've been in. If anything, he can be like Ben and throw on an open coat, but none of this closed up shit. His skin is protected this way and he isnt as dehydrated since his body can breathe.

how the fuck did edward not die of heat stroke at least seven times in his assassin outfit