#but overall i think im doing a lot better in this area!

[metalheads-trash-bin]

Bro was watching with their eyes closed if you can truly saying there was no lore or horror.

Im a writer, artist, and creator. I am OBSESSED with horror and lore like elements. Some of my favorite horror movies are Midsommar and Hereditary. I am PICKY about what I like and don’t. But now you get a ramble because you poked the bear.

POPPY PLAYTIME CHAPTER 4 RANT:

Poppy playtime had a lot of factors that were hinted at through trailers and teasers to be significant, for instance with Pianosaurus who had clips of playing notes and attacking you. He had multiple hints and teasers only to end up getting IMMEDIATELY killed as soon as you see him, no notes, no nothing. That was my first serious issue. First character killed off.

Then as you’re playing (Yarnaby was ALSO meant to be significant based on the MANY teasers and clips) Yarnaby is meant to be chasing you around and causing general problems, and he is in some aspects but for the amount of content posted about him you’d think that he’d be as important as Mommy Longlegs. He isn’t’, he chases you a good bit of the game but the most you get lore wise is the fact that he’s been manipulated and groomed by the doctor via notes and recording. Second Character killed off.

As you proceed on you meet Doey, who murks the fuck out of Pianosaurus. Doey had a lot of aspects I liked at first, but they played too intensely into his “wounded soldier” role which makes you feel borderline conditioned to like him. I like the fact that he has some sort of personality disorder which is evident through his emotion blobs inside his monster mouth. I also like how they handled regression vs aggression through his talking points. But his content (the vcrs, the kid clip, notes) were all so violently pointing at him being a bad person that it left little for your own skepticism. Third character killed off.

The doctor should’ve had a lot more lore attached to him as well, i understand why there was a lot of mystery with him but he genuinely didn’t seem like a semi main antagonist and was moreso just another thing to fight. A lot of that has to do with the way the game set itself up, you’re practically fighting back to back to back without any real rest breaks, there’s some forms of wandering and learning but its overall very lackluster. Fourth character killed off.

They killed off FOUR characters in ONE chapter, that goes against so many logically driven game laws. You bring four new characters in and rapid murder them in the same chapter, and a lot of that aspect made it so you couldn’t get emotionally invested into the situation or characters.

Thats just the first segment as to what I disliked. Onto the next.

The lore..ohhh the lore. How you went from something we have barely seen in games to another setup of disappointment. If you know anything about FNAF security breach + Ruin you know where I’m going.

First off, a lot of the VCRS are just dead images this chapter, making you have to sit there and watch in room that have little to interact with as you do so. A way to fix this would’ve been a cassette tape wrist band and cassettes, which is very possible for the prison to have as the area down below is so huge, so people would want to document what they find and see verbally to be written down. Having a cassette wrist band would’ve made it so the character could still wander and also give a better break between chaotic scenes, but instead you were stuck staring at a still image that pertains to a character. It no longer had a fear factor, it was just..there. Alongside this you have all of these toys and characters that are new but no merch for them on the upper levels? Its like they didn’t logistically plan to have the characters they did, as theres a multitude of merch for characters we NEVER SEE. (Daddy longlegs, catbee, stegosaurus, etc.)

Secondly, the creators were bragging on twitter about the amount of lore they dropped and how it’ll give you “a lot to think about”. It doesnt. A majority of what was dropped (for instance Ollie being the prototype) was already rumored as we saw this WITH FNAF RUINS. Fnaf ruins did the mimic route, fnaf in general did the children stuck in mascots route, it also did an evil dude that practically grooms children route. So much of that was already seen, and this chapter focused way too much on that vs the things that are different between them. It was nice to read more about the experimentation process and the fact that they were practically mutants that mixed with kids and toys but that was also rumored. Overall a majority of the lore here was just confirmations.

As for the horror aspect, there genuinely wasn’t one. There’s a HUGE difference between just having gore and bodies everywhere vs genuinely frightening horror. Chapter Three was a masterpiece in this element alongside lore and world building. The way you know youre being stalked, the unsettling scenes and audio, the hallucinations, etc etc. instead of continuing with a more uncanny valley approach they went full on “heres some bodies and guys chasing you” route. Theres bodies everywhere, okay cool. A guy is obviously implied to be crucified which in itself has lore as crucifixion was typically to ask for forgiveness from god, okay cool. But where was the stalking? The seriously traumatic parts? Where was the genuine unsettlingness? It wasnt there, you wandered around helping out characters and getting murked. But you werent SUCKED IN like you were with chapter three, where you felt genuinely stuck and terrified having something follow you around silently, not to mention how graphic the lore and implications were.

It felt messy and jumbled, especially with the world building it was attempting. There was borderline too much and you hung around certain key areas too little, for instance with Safe Haven there genuinely isnt much to do besides look around and proceed. Its in no way interactive and its moreso just a buffer.

The innerworkings of this chapter were very typical, the prison was definitely a surprise but the corruption, abuse, experimentation, etc were not. And the fact that the characters keep saying “this isnt like anything you saw up above” really made you anticipate much more terrifying aspects. Not bodies everywhere. It made the game boring, especially because of all the anticipation the creators gave, saying this was the most adult chapter yet.

There was just..a lot that was disappointing, especially when compared to the previous chapter which had you constantly on edge. I really hope they pick it up a notch in the final chapter, because this was full of false promise. They should’ve continued with the unsettling factor, gore is good but it needs a stable foundation and true meaning. I read all the documents and listened to all the tapes, and the foundation was still very weak and sooo much of it was already thought about or rumored. Everyone knew Ollie was the prototype, everyone knew that they were some sort of living being put into toys, everyone knew that there mustve been some sort of additional assistance to the prototype to keep things going because he is wayyyy too invested in the mc to keep whatever plan he had (which is now known) going.

Another good horror game that got too lazy with its writing.

Next.

[gales-boyfriend]

.

[starsonablackboard]

some cotl sketches of me trying to find the lamb in my style and get used to drawing them. overall im pleased!

also a (very wordy) list of random headcanons if you're interested

im quite late to fandom so none of those are particularly original but hey, all in good fun

• the lamb was born after the start of the sheep genocide. they feel quite young to me (and pretty much every plot important npc calls them some versions of a "child" at one point or another. granted, most of these npc's are centuries old gods bUT----) and it would've taken a good lot of years to wipe out an entire species, especially one as prolific as sheep. living in constant awareness alertness mistrust and dread did a number on their psyche. i picture them generally pretty apathetic and passive, yet perseverent and focused on survival. at least before their first death

• the lamb was malnourished and all in all weakened when they were killed. not like they've ever had the opportunity to consistently eat and sleep well, but also i don't think the cultists troubled themselves much with basic needs of soon-to-be dead lamb. so the lamb sickly thin and their fur is brittle and overall they do not look good. of course the red crown gives them strengths and stamina far beyond any ordinary mortal's, but their body still locks in in this state (the lack of need in food or sleep also affects this)

• their eyesight gradually goes to shit, because this much eyebleeding isn't good for you, surprisingly enough. it distorts and weakens their sclera so they slowly become more and more farsighted. at first it wasn't a problem since every time they die their body returns to its basic state, but the more time passes and the better they become the less they die, and it's good, but it also makes the affects of any injuries more and more permanent. the red crown sometimes transforms into glasses, but only when the lamb are on the cult's grounds and preferably alone. in crusades they rely on their experience, skill and of course magic. and their eyesight isn't so bad that they can't see a sword in front of their face. not yet, at least

• the scar encircling their neck is the only one that doesn't go away with dying, since it is how they appeared before narinder for the first time. they cover it with the bell choker and do not like touching in this area since the scar tissue messed with its sensitivity, making it practically nonexistent, and it feels weird and unsafe

• their nails became claws after the resurrection, not because it makes any sense but just because i think it looks cool

• they are really really tired of washing the blood off their face

[skrittkicking]

charr body types for practice, rambling nonsense under the cut

ive been trying to get better at drawing more varied body types for a while now and i think ive still got a long way to go but im getting there. fat and muscle definition werent something i bothered to learn for a long time because all i wanted to draw was twinks and dragons ... but in the last year or so ive really been pushing myself to do better. i think learning to draw different body shapes is really important and improves your overall anatomy skill by a mile, its also just really fun for me to think about how fat is distributed across the body and affected by gravity and all that stuff. bodies in general are my favorite thing to draw and what i spend the most time sketching

ok enough word vomit lets talk about my ocs

iovitus is supposed to be built more like an athlete, but im not sure i got that across very well. they're still skinny and comparatively twinky next to their fellow cats, but still strong and in good shape. after they left the legions they didnt really bother that much with the upkeep of their figure, but since theyre focusing more on mercenary work again they've been better about it

most of iovitus' muscle is in their shoulder & back, as their weapons of choice -- longbow and throwing axes -- require a lot of strength in that area. theyre very triangular shaped & top-heavy, with a broad chest & shoulders, thin waist and narrow hips. skipped leg day :/

nero is supposed to have sort of a dad-bod type of build. i changed a bit about his design as ive been tinkering around with his lore recently. she was always supposed to have some tummy to her, but i dont think i drew it very well in the past. i think a dad bod is very fitting because she is one after all

i also wanted to make her blind eye more obvious because i kept forgetting about it whenever i drew her so umm sorry babe. still need to come up with an explanation as to why it happened! was considering having him just born with it for a while, but i love scars and scary traumatic events so... sorry nero

in spite of the good layer of fat he's got on his body though, nero is very strong and muscular underneath it all. his warband doesnt do a lot of combat stuff anymore but he's still working most of the time and takes good care of himself. juicy thighs btw

ruckus... i dont have much to say about. i love you babygirl

she's so much taller than everyone else.... its difficult to notice in the line-up as they are, but i wanted to see so i lined them up in front of one another and. well. ->

look at her. and iovitus. why are you so small??

finally, lia! she's still small in comparison to most other blood legion charr, but she makes up for it in her strength. or, well, she might've in her younger years; at her current age she's definitely lost a lot of that muscle definition just by the nature of aging

thats not to say she's weak, though. she can and will definitely fuck you up if you try her

her burned arm is her main weak point. it was burned severely enough where the muscle and nerves were permanently damaged, resulting in a lot of stiffness, uncomfortability, and chronic pain. the movement in that arm is limited and she has to guard it closely if she's ever in a scuffle

i think in general a lot of muscle definition for charr is lost just cause they have fur to cover it up, evident by the fact you cant really see a lot of it on the in-game models. or at least thats my excuse for not knowing how to define muscle with lineart

[angst-is-yumyum]

possesion era hc

!!TW for misgendering and doing bad dysphoric shit to trans people as a form of torture!! (bill during ford's paranoid era)

ok so kinda unsettling but im trans and having a bad time and I keep thinking about this

what if ford, who is trans (either way), in addition to all the terrible things bill did to him during the paranoia era (nailing his hand to a desk, making him do embarrassing things, inflicting awful pain all while controlling his body) also did things to ford's body that were bad and caused him to have awful dysphoria.

If ford was transmasc, bill could do things like destroy his binders /packers or purposefully hurt his rib/chest area in a way that would never allow him to safely get top surgery. He get a could tattoo of something terrible (like a slur or something suggestive), as we've already seen he has no qualms with disrespecting his body like that.If ford were on T he could flush them or cancel any further orders of them. He could fill ford's things with 'girly' stuff or make him wake up with dysphoric outfits...just overall bad stuff.

If ford was transfem, bill could, again, destroy any breast padding/fake boobs, throw away tucking stuff, makeup, etc. He could make disparaging comments on ford's appearance via sticky note on the bathroom mirror, which he already does, but these target her voice, body hair, and clothing. again, real bad stuff. (I'm not transfem so this is my best guess sorry)

Anyways, just some thoughts...I've been looking at lots of trans pines family stuff lately and this just logically seems like something bill would do. bonus points when ford's internalized transphobia (from growing up in the 60's/70's/80's combined with this gives him some insecurities that are fixes with lots of fluff and family hugs post-weirdmaggedon (and you KNOW bill would bring it up during weirdmageddon)

anyways billford in a "extremely toxic ex who did horrible things to his bf and cant get over the divorce but i love the angst and also maybe the marraige au by @ honeqq"

but fiddauthor TRUTH in a "god theyre meant for each other and they grow old not quite together but its the healthy old man yaoi / college yaoi we need and deserve also could fiddleford please be in a beard couple relationhip plsssss it would make me feel much better"

[snapscube]

Are the old graphics options going to be available? Im gonna be so mad if I Literally Cannot Play FFXIV ever again because people spent two years complaining about those goddamn grapes.

No, the base system requirements/recommendations are changing, they’ve talked about this a lot. The minimum specs are actually still pretty generous though, it’s still required to run on PS4 after all. And while I do understand the frustration if u still don’t meet the minimum specs, I promise it’s not just because of shit like the grapes lol. They’ve talked about literally needing to change intended story beats/shot composition as recently as Endwalker specifically because foliage quality looked distractingly bad during what were meant to be emotionally resonant scenes. The game absolutely could use a boost in fidelity if it’s meant to carry on for another 10 years. Sure there are a ton of people who don’t mind the visuals of the game now, I still think it can look quite nice in many areas and I think the strength of its story and overall art direction carry even the bad parts, but for years now they have been building off of a foundation that was notoriously compromised and rushed to ultimately save the game in the long run, and it shows. Texture quality in particular has been absolutely dire for way longer than it should have been. I’ve seen so many people distracted by how pixelated the Crystal Exarch looks near the end of Shadowbringers and it’s entirely understandable. I personally can’t help but notice how muddy hair and gear look when a cutscene decides to close-up on a character’s face, which is just not at all what should be running through my mind, but I can’t help it. I’m not a graphics SNOB but I do think that a games visuals really do matter, especially for an MMO like this where so much of its appeal is carried by your attachment to your character from a role playing and aesthetic perspective. Glamour is endgame after all, and that is ALL visual. This stuff is important to people, making it better is a net win.

[mochayoubi]

most japanese learning advice i've taken from my partner, which includes:

begin consuming native material as soon as possible and then merge it into your daily life as much as possible

find a method to review new words (such as anki) so you recognize them when you see them while consuming native material

look up things you don't understand

there is just no getting around some things. to get better at reading, you have to read. to get better at listening, you have to watch/listen to actual native material.

keep consistent <- if anything, this is the most important

when he says merge japanese into your daily life, he means try thinking in japanese, talk to yourself in japanese if you have nobody to talk to, switch your devices to japanese. this may sound intense, and for me it took a while to acclimate to it, but if you can manage it it does make a big difference.

because im more sensitive/hesitant about new things and had a lot more hurdles when approaching japanese, i'll add in what helped me:

like any skill, willingness to be consistent in learning something takes an attitude shift. for me it meant accepting that i had to be bad to get better - for you it could be different, but in general know that you will find yourself out in the weeds and that's ok

use native materials you actually enjoy, not just ones people recommend as "good for your level" (they may be good for your level, but if it's a slog to get through youll just make it harder for yourself)

go as slow as you need to, or get through it as best as you can. a dialogue you cant follow but still try to actively listen to is better than not trying at all. a book you need to stop to look up words every sentence is better than not reading at all

find something outside of pure language acquisition to motivate you. when it gets hard and you feel yourself stuck youll need that other motivator to get you through it. for me it was enjoying playing video games or watching shows and i could rely on my enjoyment of those things even if i didnt feel like actively studying the japanese words in them

in that same vein, find an overall goal to work towards. for me, i want to live in japan while knowing the language comfortably, so i think of how much closer to that i get to every time i learn something new in japanese

if you can, find someone to study with. having another person there doing the same thing as you can be massively helpful just to keep up motivation and keep each other accountable

make it easier for yourself, but make sure youre still consistent. read an easier book (but do read). reduce the amount of reviews you have an anki if you must (but do anki or -insert vocab learning method here-).

hope that helps! when it comes to specific areas to improve on i think that warrants a different conversation (like what to do for speaking or vocab practice) but overall these are what guide my studying.

[crystallizsch]

ian, i have a question regarding your ocs if you don’t mind!! we often see your ocs in their nrc uniforms or in event outfits, but what would their everyday outfits look like and/or how would they dress if they could get their hands on their dream wardrobe (i.e. no limitations by idk… being whisked into a new world with no money or belongings)? in the same vein, do any of them have body mods like piercings or tattoos?

partially motivated by the aspect that clothing can reveal a lot about a person/character and one of my first questions for ocs being “okay now what piercings does this dork have” :>

also hiiii new moot, i’m still super giddy about that :]

OO HI HI THIS WAS REALLY FUN TO THINK ABOUT CASUAL OUTFITS HERE THEY BE 💥💥💥

okay uh unskippable monologue below the cut beware because i just went on a design/outfit tangent hfndndjd

━━━━━━✦

SURPRISINGLY (other than in her intro post) i think i’ve only drawn yuusha in her main casual fit in these posts with jamil -> (💜) (💜) (💜) where they’re in kinda like their silly dating arc which i dont know where to place in their relationship timeline so i just figured it’s an au of some sort

(firstly i’m not 100% aware of fashion/clothing terms so forgive me, i’m just gonna use the generic terms)

ANYWAYS yuusha loves loose fits or just generally clothing that feels comfy and breathable if that makes sense, especially around her upper torso because sometimes it makes her feel self-conscious that she doesnt have a noticeable chest.

the way i would describe her casual clothing is just like- effortless-looking clothing while still managing to look nice/pretty/fashionable somewhat. she dresses for comfort AND style.

she’s fine with tight/flexible pants though, like leggings so she can move around more freely and that it’s breathable.

other than that, overall she just likes casual/warm/cozy fits that aren’t too “loud” like, just monochrome and soft colors.

but when it comes to special events, she’s more confident in dressing like a gentlemanly lady killer while still keeping that feminine vibe bc what better way to channel your feminine prowess is by beating the guys at their own game.

personally i could never do piercings/tattoos but i LOVE seeing them on others. (for piercings the most im kinda comfy having/giving my ocs with is ear piercings but otherwise it’s awesome seeing different kinds of piercings/tattoos when it comes to others) so for yuusha, i think the most she’d be willing is a few tattoos and some ear piercings.

also omg matching couple tattoos aaagh maybe i’d give yuusha and jamil one post-nrc

━━━━━━✦

fun fact: when i was designing yuuna, their features weren’t usually my go-tos when making personas (the only thing was my usual was hairstyle and eye color) bc i thought i’d be over and done with twst after a bit (but look where i am now and yuuna had quite grown on me 😔)

theyre my pink barbie doll where i channel all the whimsy, cutesy fashion choices that i wish i could wear lmao 😭

similar to yuusha, they’d wear anything regardless of gender presentation. but their preference leans towards more feminine.

yuuna’s fashion choices are definitely more “loud” like more patterns, more brighter colors, etc. anything to stand out. (i know it doesn’t show in the doodle i did but hfbdjsjs i love outfit designs but i'm not super skilled in that area yet) they also like warm/cozy outfits but instead of monochrome colors, it’ll be more colorful.

and if THEY COULD, i can see them in various kinds of lolita fashion. yuuna would absolutely walk around in those if they could.

(thanks again to @/0honeybones0 for the name dividers 🙏💕)

[zephyrine-tale-archived]

im doing the rant about N25 KAITO i fucking lied about it coming on the weekend because im bored as hell :3

*ahem*

so N25 KAITO is memed a lot because in the April Fool's event, there's an area convo with N25 Rin where she's talking with another unit's KAITO (either VBS or WXS i can't remember 💀) and she's like "oh. i wonder if our KAITO will be like that :)"

and in EN server there's almost certainly people meming the way the new stamps tastefully ignore N25 KAITO

and I'm interested by this because I think niigo KAITO coming last was a very purposeful decision by the writers?

let's look at the first four KAITOs. Leoni KAITO is quiet, shy, but still a helpful senpai- exactly what the Leoni girls like Saki and Ichika have been needing for direction in their music studies and becoming a better band by working together individually and as a group.

MMJ KAITO is a hardworking manager, who provides that "push" that's shown to help Minori the most. Minori has her head in the clouds often and is shown to be helped by very severe, what I would consider maybe slightly "harsh" instruction from the others. (Think Airi always training her and pushing her to go harder, that's what Minori needs.) KAITO provides that push and also shows the management side of being an idol group for MMJ- all of MMJ are idols after all, to my knowledge none of them have managing experience. But keep in mind, he's still kind. He's still helpful and nice, and smiles often.

VBS KAITO is shown as mostly a direct contrast to Akito and how since the main story, he (akito) has wanted to work hard and consistently for the goal to surpass Rad Weekend, even perhaps putting his studies aside. KAITO represents keeping talent and being hardworking, while still being lazy and having fun. I think he also represents as motivation for Kohane, who was convinced by the main story she needs to work constantly and hardly and push herself beyond other things she enjoys to be able to reach this goal- but she doesn't. All of VBS can achieve their goal while still having fun with it, and that's what their KAITO represents.

WXS KAITO is literally fucking WXS KAITO idk what you want

Okay jokes aside as the "main" KAITO he is there to provide the more serious aspect to WonderShow's silly goofiness. Tsukasa definitely also has is head in the clouds, but all he wants is "to become a STAR! ⭐️" without really knowing how to achieve that goal. KAITO represents the path to that goal, and motivates him to work for that future. We see before PXL and SEKAI, that Tsukasa wasn't really getting anywhere with his acting career, right? And there's a whole other bucketload of info about what he represents for Emu, Nene, and Rui, but I can't figure out how to word it 😭 😭

So to sum it up, KAITOs seem to show what the unit members (especially the "leaders" but not always) need and motivates them to get to their overall goal, they were created in the image of what they want and what they need. And in contrast to Niigo KAITO, they are all NICE. They are all helpful, kind, fun, and genuine.

Now, remember what I said just now, about how they were created in the image of what the unit members want and what they need.

With Niigo, it's a common theme that could be said that "all roads lead back to Mafuyu." Kanade wants to save someone with her music, and Mafuyu represents that desire for her. Ena wants to prove herself as a talented and respectable artist, and she'll know she reaches that goal once Mafuyu is able to genuinely tell her, from the bottom of Mafuyu's heart, that Ena had improved and gotten the feeling she wanted to convey across to someone who is practically incapable of feeling anymore. And Mizuki ,,, there's definitely something for them to but I can't remember anything abt their stories rn 😭 😭 im a failed mizuki kinnie istg (also this entire paragraph was not supposed to invalidate any of their individual stories and characters and say that mafuyu is the best and only character of N25 that's not it at all)

So, considering Mafuyu under this lens, and quoting that KAITOs tend to represent what a unit member needs and wants to move forward, this becomes interesting because deep down, Mafuyu doesn't know what she needs or wants. There were definitely people who predicted that N25 KAITO was gonna be an asshole, but for the most part KAITO's harsh strictness and rudeness came as a direct contrast to all of the kind, helpful SEKAILOIDS we've seen before. Even N25 MEIKO was just kinda chill and quiet with the occasional not nice comment, but KAITO came forward with the sharp, harsh comments about what exactly Mafuyu needs to do. I heard somewhere that Mizuki tells Mafuyu that maybe running away would be a good idea, and that Rui tells her something similar.

But KAITO flat out fucking commands her (and the others i think) that she needs to confront and cut ties with mafumom IMMEDIATELY, and not in a nice or encouraging way either.

Anyways that was my midnight thought I had and I definitely did not do any research, so if I said something totally wrong or you'd like to make an argument/bring up new points, PLEASE feel free to reblog and tell me your thoughts! Plus I didn't beta read this or anything so it probably won't flow well and there might be a few typos or grammer mistakes. Hope you enjoyed reading!

[secret-sturniolo]

SPACE CAMP REVIEW!!

(honest, in-depth)

Shipping took about a week and a half but it arrived in perfect condition and undamaged

-packaging is super cute! not super complicated/over the top, but also not overly simple. my order came with a valentines day postcard and a silver "space camp" logo sticker.

-right off the bat, i can tell these are definitely bigger than any other lip balm i have ever used. they also have a higher quality feel to them.

-i think the "pocket safe" turn wheel is super unique, not something i've ever heard of before! it definitely does help protect the lip balm from damage when not in use.

-the jumbo size tubes allow for more surface area coverage when applying to the lips, making application quicker and easier

-all lip balms apply super smoothly, and feel soft and moisturizing on the lips. there is no "waxy" feeling left behind on the lips as with other brands.

Wild Cherry

-smells exactly like a cherry lollipop i would have eaten when i was younger. its not sickly sweet or overpowering, but you can definitely tell what it is.

-the cherry taste is very mild. i can almost taste the beeswax/sunflower oil a bit more than the cherry, but by no means is the taste bad!

-other cherry flavored lip balms (chapstick, burts bees) tend to make me feel a little nauseous for some reason? but this flavoring did not give me that effect.

-overall really good, but i would've liked to be able to taste a little more of the cherry flavoring!

Frosted Mint

-smells exactly like mint ice cream, just as advertised. im not always a big mint person, especially if it is a stronger scent. this scent, however, is just enough without becoming overwhelming.

-the taste is also exactly like what mint ice cream tastes like. i really enjoyed this flavor, its not one that i see super often as a lip balm flavor so it was very interesting to try!

-it leaves a slight cooling feeling as well as a mild tingle on the lips, which is not my favorite. its nothing like if you were to use a lip plumping gloss or anything like that, but i know a lot of people could dislike this, especially if you tend to be sensitive to certain sensations.

-i think this is a really great flavor! i was happy to discover that it does really taste and smell exactly as it was promoted. once again, i would not recommend this flavor if you are sensitive to cool or tingly feelings on your lips.

Juicy Watermelon

-i am not exaggerating when i say that this smells HEAVENLY. i had a feeling going into this that it was going to be my favorite flavor, and it did not disappoint. if i could hold it under my nose and smell it all day, i would. its the perfect amount of sweetness, almost like candy. i wish i had better words to describe it, i feel like my explanation wouldn't give it justice.

-if you can imagine biting into the most perfect, red, juicy, sweet slice of watermelon, that's how this flavor tastes. i have tried other watermelon flavored lip balms in the past, and this one is by far my favorite.

-i honestly have no complaints about this flavor. literal perfection

Do I recommend?

currently, they are only available to purchase all three as the Launch Pack, set at $36 + shipping (USD). my shipping was only $6, which is significantly lower than some of the other shipping costs i have seen. so in total, i paid $42 for the three lip balms (about $12 per tube).

taking into account that they are USDA organic and significantly larger than most retail lip balms, i do still feel like the price is a little steep. if there was an option to purchase individually, i feel like this would help that issue. to be fair, Nick did say this option will be available in the future.

if you are willing to pay for it, i would say its worth it. the quality of the lip balms definitely reflects the price, so its not like you are paying for low quality product. however, if you are somebody who does not want to pay at least $36, or if you already know you wouldn't enjoy one or more of the flavors, you are better off passing on this, or waiting for a future launch with different flavors and the ability to purchase individually.

i am personally very happy with my purchase, and i don't regret it at all. there are obviously things that can be improved on, but you have to take into account that this is a new brand that is still working out the kinks.

im super proud of Nick, and im excited to see what the future holds for Space Camp Wellness!

[adobe-outdesign]

YOU ENDED UP GETTING ME INTO NEOPETS NOW SO WHAT R UR THOUGHTS ON JETSAM(S)? IM A SUCKER FOR SHARKS LOL SO IM RLY HOPING TO GET ONE AT SOME POINT

Jetsams are sharks, and are meant to be kind of a counterpart/natural predator to the dolphin-like Flotsam; to the point where the two looked near-identical. Nowadays there are more differences, with the Jetsam sporting two fins, sharp teeth, slightly different markings, and an upright posture. Personally, I like to think of these two as a case of mimicry, with the Jetsam having evolved to trick Flotsam from a distance.

Visually, the Jetsam has a nice tough look to it that gives it a lot of personality, and the way it sits upright plus the two fins gives it a bit more uniqueness so it isn't just a normal shark. My only issue with it is that the gray underbelly is a bit too dark and low-contrast. Gray as the accent color is fine; it just needed to be a lighter tint.

The Jetsam benefited quite a bit from customization, as its old art was starting to get very dated and needed a redraw anyway. The new Jetsam looks a little less tough, but the smile is nice as it shows off their teeth, and it gives them a fun kind of mischievous look. The overall look didn't change much, but the head has been changed significantly to have a much better, less wonky shape to it, and the markings now stop above the mouth instead of near the eyebrow. The shape of the hind fins have also been improved, and they're one of the only pets who can make the customization fists look good.

Favorite Colours:

Maraquan: How do you make an underwater version of something that already lives in the water? Make it into a deep-sea fish, obviously! The overall design is easily recognizable as a Jetsam, but its been given a horizontal posture with bioluminescence and an angler fish light/teeth. The palette is great, using neutral browns and greys for the body and bright neon blues for the accent color. My only nitpick with it is that the teeth feel a bit busy and don't quite make sense if you look at them too long, but overall, this is a great design.

Pastel: The pastel Jetsam is just plain pretty, using a soft pink and turquoise palette. What really makes it work is that instead of using flat colors, it employs subtle gradients so the turquoise becomes blue in areas and the pink gets some subtle highlights. On top of that, it's also given a sunlight-under-water ripple texture, with a few small speckles on areas like the eyebrows and tail. A lot of effort went into this design compared to your standard pastel pet, and it really paid off.

Toy: Alright yeah, this one's just fun. The pool floatie idea is a great concept that works perfectly for the colour, and the execution is also really solid, including lots of raised plastic ridges, seams, and plenty of highlights to give it that plastic look.

My only issue with it is that weird handle on the side of the head. I guess some shark toys have these, but I've never seen one personally and it honestly just looks distracting and kind of out of place. Also, I do wish it was semi-transparent (think like the good Jelly-coloured pets), but that's not a big deal. Still a really good colour regardless.

BONUS: The robot Jetsam has a mostly red and white palette with a few black accents, and it works really well for this pet. I love the visor, and the patterning on the fins is really neat. Both versions are fine; the UC/styled version looks a bit more robotic, but the customized version reads a bit better overall.

[freakinator]

Freakinator freakinator freakinator. I'm shaking you. I'm really interested in your opinion on Wemmbu's video when you're done watching it.

hiii im finally done watching the vid so heres my Honest Review™

im sure a lot of ppl hate the length but i personally dont mind it cause pacing is really important to me (too slow i get bored and antsy, too fast i get bored and overwhelmed) and with the kind of storytelling wemmbu does i think it works pretty well, can it be divided into less intimidating time chunks? yes and honestly he probs should do that ngl lol like theres some downtime moments where cutting it would be acceptable imo and its not like unstable where you risk having the overall story flow break if you cut a vid in half, will i mind if it stays this way tho? not really and i could always come back to it later if i had to stop watching for whatever reason

also the latter half of the vid was more interesting imo cause of the fact that his pov is a lot more unique there which i think wemmbu was aware of considering he put less cuts and narration for the later days vs the earlier ones ---- tho it could have also just been because the more interesting parts of the earlier half are more spaced out and context-dependent compared to the latter

i think most of the seeds for how wemmbu became the menace that he is today were planted After his hiatus so i wasnt surprised at there not being a lot of ✨foreshadowing✨ shown in the video, but the few that Were there were really juicy such as wemmbus zambook-related shenanigans, wemmbu referring to the wemmbu head above the frat house as a parasitic infection seeping into the roof which pangi notes as being like him living rent free in their heads, and wemmbu saying that revenge has consumed him already after zam said not to let it consume him

i said it in one of my liveblogs but i think its fascinating how trusting wemmbu is, like youd expect him not to be considering the kind of person he is and the kinds of things he likes to do but he it seems he just. wholeheartedly believes the other lsers wouldnt make his life miserable if they could which is interesting considering even at that point he was considered as one of the serverwide opps, he also extends that trust onto their skill level ie trusting other ppls decisions before his own and thinking that other ppl are more skilled than they are

i think its interesting how his tussle with the empire was a little less... direct??? for lack of a better word compared to his teammates, like they fought sure but he has yet to have a 1 on 1 problem with any of them with the exception of jepexx who his problem with is just that he combatlogged and even then that conflict was resolved really quickly ---- wait nvm i just remembered the daycare fight lmao, but even then that was less an empires moment and more a loserduo moment tbh, otherwise all his conflict with the empire has been pretty team-based rather than individual-based

im a big fan of how he kept coming across zam considering theyve got basically nothing to do with each other at this point and yet hes still one of the more consistent presences in wemmbus vid which is something of note considering all the other consistent presences in his life are either his teammates or his enemies (mainly mapicc), not even pangi is a consistent presence despite the fact hes also a spawn camper (could just be a timezone thing tho)

im also a big fan of the wemmflower, shoutout wemmbus inclination towards tulips lol. im curious how its doing rn tho, like i doubt any player touched it cause its quite the niche area but at the same time it Is located in an unlit cave full of mobs such as creepers so it getting destroyed is a non-zero chance (hoping it stays safe forever tho)

overall i gotta say im a big fan and also that was p much what i expected out of a wemmbu lifesteal vid lol, granted the fact it was 3 hours long was a lil unexpected but also that explains why it took him like 2-3 months to edit it

[gragam]

i listened to more current albums this year than i ever have before so i wanna rank them

8. brat remix album - charli xcx

not really much to say about this. its not like i was excited for it but its impressive that not one of them is even really listenable. charli has a knack for picking the worst features imaginable every single time

favorite tracks: :/

7. sophie - sophie

it feels unfair ranking this against all the other ones bcus of the circumstances surrounding its release and im glad the tracks are out in the world but unfortunately none of them really stood out to me. sorry sophie you will always be the queen

favorite tracks: reason why, live in my truth

6. brat - charli xcx

im maybe overly critical of brat because of its reputation but it has a couple songs i really like and a couple i really dont and mostly a bunch that i dont really care about because this album is way too long. overall i guess i like it but it feels half baked in a way that 2 bonus versions couldnt fix. best thing about this album is that it introduced me to her better albums

favorite tracks: sympathy is a knife, everything is romantic, 365, spring breakers

5. imaginal disk - magdalena bay

this album kind of oversells itself with a really incredible first track before settling into something much less interesting but still very listenable. its stretched a little too thin over too many tracks but theres not really any that id skip. just a good album with a couple of great songs

favorite tracks: she looked like me, fear sex, cry for me, the ballad of matt and mica

4. the book of phytoelectron - susumu hirasawa

his instrumentation is as wonderful as ever and i do really like the album but i selfishly wish it was a regular album instead of a guitar album because i think he has like the best singing voice ever. but there were some tracks that reminded me of his old prog rock band that i really like so that was a nice little treat for me

favorite tracks: the history of omnificence in memory grass, area of red flowers on the snowy mountain range, the valley where the blue flowers on expedition take root in the light (damn), pollination charge: vines that go back to the future, remember it will come

3. i lay down my life for you - jpegmafia

seriously awesome production throughout even if the last couple tracks are sorta underwhelming. i know some people dont like this as much as his other albums and im not Super familiar with his other ones but i think this ones my favorite that ive heard. i have kind of a love/hate relationship with sampling but hes uses them in a way i love

favorite tracks: sin miedo, be right there, its dark and hell is hot

2. mahogakko - hakushi hasegawa

honestly im probably putting this too high theres a lot of dead space between the really good tracks but those tracks are like mind expanding and definitely contributed to me expanding my musical horizons this year. one of the most maximalist albums ive ever heard but still very listenable. the contrast between the off the walls instrumentation and their high soft singing voice really works for me

favorite tracks: departed, gone, mouth flash, kyofunohoshi

chromakopia - tyler the creator

kind of a surprise favorite for me ive never listened to a tyler album before and its definitely less ambitious than some of the others on here but i really enjoyed it. a couple of kind of cringey tracks but overall extremely fun and energetic while also being very heartfelt and touching. i will definitely be exploring more of his discography. i also like that sticky sounds exactly like a lisa the painful song

favorite tracks: st chroma, rah tah tah, i killed you, tomorrow, like him

[positively-mine]

Hello I loved your bf HCs I was wondering if I could get headcanons of how Reki and langa act when they have a crush on someone?Would they try to impress their crush with their skateboard skills and other things. Thank you

Crushing on you

How Reki and Langa act around their crush

A/n: Thank you for your request, hope you like it! I think it's a little too long but once I started writing i couldn't stop. Also not proofread bc im still sleepy (⁠ ⁠╹⁠▽⁠╹⁠ ⁠)

When he realizes he has a crush on you he's like

Oh

And then becomes a blushing mess

Mind you he just realized this when he took a candid picture of you

He's staring at the picture and is like "I want to take more pictures of them"

And from them it spiraled into a worldwind romance

(Is what he would like to believe)

Honestly he thinks it's one sided pinning but little does he know...

Everyday when he enters the class he scans the classroom trying to find your face in the sea of students

He's elated when he finds out that you're in school that day

When's there's group work, he usually tries to strike a conversation with you

And when he's distracted you enough to realize that everyone else already had a partner

He'll swoop in and offer himself

(I like to think he's cunning)

And from there he's just cracking jokes and flirting with you a lot

He wants you to think he's reliable so he's offering to do a lot of things

Like, is your bag heavy? Let me help you

You're tired? Sleep a while and I'll wake you up when the teacher arrives?

You didn't bring your lunch? Take mine, i wasn't hungry anyways

I can definitely see him doing weird & cool things to impress you

Would take you to the skate park to watch him do tricks and practice with him

And if you don't skateboard he's going to ask you to rate how cool that trick was

Say 10/10 or we're going to have a problem 😕

Overall he's very blushy blushy like

The color of his hair blushy

Bonus

Personal hc that he's clingy so when you're together expect lots of physical touches

He found out he liked you when he wasn't just looking up to you anymore

Something along the lines of "wow, they're kinda cool...i want to be friends with them"

I have a gut feeling that he's more direct about his courtship with you

(It all came from his mom)

Once you've established a friendship, he'd ask to pick you up along the way to school

Waiting somewhere near your house or public transport area, whichever you take

Not very subtle, if he finds something funny or interesting he's immediately tracking you down to show you

Also another one to actively seek you out

He'd approach your table to ask if he could eat lunch with you

If he needs help with his classes, you're the first person he turns to

After school also offers to walk you home along the way

When you guys start hanging out more, i can definitely see him inviting you to watch him practice skateboarding

(Early on when he's still learning) he wants you to see him improve

Once his gotten better is he then showing off to you

He wants you to see what he can do coupled with his experience of skiiing

He's doing this to fish compliments from you

Another personal hc that he will do stupid stuff just to impress you

You'd have to deter him from doing such things pls, Reki isn't being much help

In fact he's encouraging Langa to do it

I can see him attempting to make a bento box for you

Heavy emphasis on the attempt

It's kinda messy and ameteur but he did it because he heard your classmates say food is the way to the heart

Bonus

Another one to be clingy, if you're walking together he wants to hold your hand or be close to you

[lemongogo]

what's your process for coloring like? the look of that elendira is so textured and interesting, i can't figure out how you do it

AA THANK YOUU ^__^ !! textures & brushwork are my favorite things abt my art, so im happy you find it interesting hehe . its SOO cool to look at & so much fun to draw imo

i prefer to color by building in layers , if that makes sense 🤔!! hundreds of them !! such that i'm always drawing on Top of previous layers, working from big & messy blocks of color to, eventually, small and refined blocks of color until it feels processed enough. as a result, i rarely ever erase (!!) and i rarely ever draw lineart aside from the initial sketch

a rough, patchy textured brush is key here, as it'll give you dimension and variability w/ your colors. i recommend "Brush and various sets of fountain pen style (万年筆風ブラシと色々セット)" on Clip Studio (ID: 1679706) !! :3

im terrible with explanations though, so i'm going to show a step by step of that elendira drawing if you dont mind :3

sketch layer !! because i mostly render through color alone, i try to make this as close to the finished thing as possible . ^__^ i hateee drawing the same thing over and over and like the expressivity and movement of my sketches anyways , so the more i can preserve at this step, the better. if u were to look at a side by side of my sketches and finished pieces, youd notice a lot of those og lines are present in the final drawing :3

2. flats !! pretty self explanatory, but the solid background gives me an idea of where the figure begins & ends while the colors themselves help distinguish whats what . i stick to ambient lighting @ this point because im usually not sure what i want to do with the overall palette or lighting yet . having two tones (ex, dark and light in her hair or dark and light on her skin) can also help in identifying key features early on that u wanna preserve. as you build layer by layer, sometimes these areas will remain untouched and i think it makes for a rly lovely feel at the end

3. start blocking !!! to be totally honest with you, i dont really know what i do here HAHAHA. like i just scribble the shit out of it, usually focusing on what i might want to do with lighting (ex: grey areas to accentuate folds in her costume). i think i like to start "erasing" the sketch where possible by coloring on top of it .. like if you look at her hat or her arm , you can tell i'm starting to get a sense of the shapes i like vs the ones i dont. it's at this point that the final image starts to emerge in my mind , like im gradually pulling her from a tarpit of scribbles until shes recognizable lol. chipping away at the marble until i can free her. tbh.

4. keep blockingg...when u think u are done , block some more . as you can probably see, the brushwork becomes more intentional as i add more shape, with specific focus on line weight. this is also where the patchiness of that textured brush comes in - notice how none of the colors seem totally uniform (ex: the red cross or the original sketchlines for her waist). you can see bits and pieces of the layers underneath pushing through and i really like that !! ^__^ its very fun and sketchy to me, so i try to keep them around. those areas are also great to colorpick from, because it'll give you "new" colors to work w/ that are already part of your palette.

5. GRADIENTS & GRADIENT MAPS !! TONE CURVE !! COLOR PICKER !! this is the best stage tbh. flatten your image so its all on one layer and just go crazy with all the color settings in ur program. add gradient layers and set them to darken, or overlay, or subtract, orrr. lighten or dodge glow or divide or soft/hard light.! OR!! edit the hue, saturation, luminosity and contrast.and then color pick from these edits, block even more on top of ur image, flatten, color edit again, etc. etc. until u feel satisfied.

ANYWAYSS . i hope that makes sense @__@ sry i wrote this out and deleted it like 23 times trying to make it make More sense but thats what ive got HAHA i hope its useful though :3 !

[zebulontheplanet]

Hello

I am so sorry if this not good to ask/ the right place to ask (idk how tumblr works yet). Please lmk if so and i will not do it again /gen.

I am concerned I may be exhibiting signs of catatonia. I know it is not smth to be self dxd and is very serious but I can't find a huge amount of useful things online and idk what to do so i thought id ask you so i can get a better idea of whether to seek professional help seeing as you have lived experience with it. I hope that's okay

I have slowly been losing skills over the past year (not in burnout). Ive lost a lot of maskjng ability, I find speaking harder and often talk like a younger child despite my advanced vocabulary as a result, I get stuck on tasks and now need physical or verbal prompting to do a lot of tasks like bADLs i didnt need this for before (not counting iADLs bc i dont need to do those because im 15, nearly 16, altho i doubt they would be better). My sensory issues have worsened and so have my meltdowns and shutdowns (which were already not great). I have episodes where I feel like I literally cannot move and my body won't move or will only move very slowly or jerkily. It is like it won't process what my brain is telling it to do. I also stim more often and far more noticeably. Idk who to go to. :(

What other overall areas does catatonia cause decline in - for example does it cause social skills to decline, etc? I've noticed my social skills worsening quite a lot too which is why i ask.. the stuff ive found online can be a bit vague/ confusing or not what i want to know.

I'm scared because idk what is happening and it's really confusing. You don't have to respond to this and I'm sorry for rambling.. is it worth going to a professional? Can this kind of thing be caused by other stuff? If I were to go to a professional it would probably take ages because the waitlists are so long here. I'm just really confused and kinda scared and I dont want to lose more skills :(

Hello, so regular catatonia is different from autism catatonia with regression. Catatonia is very serious, and if you believe you are having it then PLEASE seek out medical attention. Autism Catatonia is usually regressive, and gets worse with time without treatment. Which, I am personally experiencing and it’s the reason I’m on medication for it.

Catatonia is a very serious condition, and can be life threatening in some. So it’s important to know the warning signs and contact a professional. Do NOT wait and contact someone as soon as possible.

Regression is hard, but regression doesn’t mean catatonia. So if you think you’re experiencing regression then that doesn’t automatically mean you have catatonia, if that makes sense. Catatonia for me is episodes of complete freezing, and episodes of slowness. Even outside of tasks I have catatonia. Although tasks are a huge trigger for my catatonia.

Please don’t try and self diagnose it and seek out medical help. I hope you have a lovely day and get the help you need. ❤️