#collection update

[the-pikachu-hat]

Aussie Mail day! My friend in Australia has been helping me gather a bunch of Aussie exclusive care bears fore my collection and her package just arrived! They are so cute and cuddly! Australia has a lot of really really awesome exclusives so im really excited say i finally have some of them!

Last update is im currently doing some heavy maintenance on my collection. Got a lot of work done last night on it and it looks great so far. Posts about that progress VERY soon!

[pastelfairytears]

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

[soltheinkwizard]

New doll alert! They're going to be turned into my Sky: COTL character.

This is 1/6 Imomo Doll Toppa in Chocolate skin color. I can't wait to give them a face-up. More rambles below the cut.

Sometimes you just need to get a doll. This is my second Imomo Doll, the first is Coco (Imomodoll Apsu, 1/4 scale) and I have to say, I really like this brand. They make perfect project dolls! They are affordable but don't "feel" cheap in my opinion-the material they are made out of is really nice to the touch. The joints are squeaky (a bit like joints in Pullip stock bodies) and the posing isn't top tier but for this price, I really can't complain. They are cute and well made enough for me and I want another one😅

[nyankewlll]

here is whats for dinner now EAT IT!!!!!

[buglps]

Another haul from a penpal!

[dollpocalypse]

SHE CAME!!!! OLIVIA IS HERE!!!!

I had to wash her hair, which is becoming routine with these dolls. I'm happy Olivia has a bit more ability to move. She was a birthday present from my abuelo! Thanks, Pops! The only complaint I have is that she has hair coming out of her eye??? I never had this issue with my other dolls. This is my first online order doll, so maybe it's just the seller?

Her nails are sliced up, her brow is half gone, her nose has random green splotches, and she has a scuffed lip.

I'm definitely going to have to do a photo shoot at some point for each of my dolls but this is just a collection update!

[sillybeanies]

🌛🌜 current beanie display 🌛🌜

[animehouse-moe]

Manga Collection Update #2 (End Of) March 2023 - The 1000 Volume Milestone

"Hey, this isn't your collection, this is a haul!" - people reading this. And those people would be correct, I just thought it'd be cool to save this haul here because it's what got me to 1000 volumes in my collection. Yeah, 1000 volumes of manga, LN, and art books. Really insane stuff when you stop and think about it (I beg you do not think about the retail value of 1000 volumes of manga).

Anyways, the point of me making a collection update post about is to sort of ramble aloud about some questions and preconceptions I had about what a 1000 volume collection would be.

Does It Seem Like A Lot?

When I tried to quantify what 1000 volumes would be, even just last year I wouldn't have thought it would be what I have. A thousand of something seems like an incredible amount that you wouldn't be able to visualize easily. Like shelves going on and on forever almost, but it's not. In total, it's only about three of Ikea's full size Billy shelves (due to space constraints I don't have full sized ones for every shelf). But when you think about that, "Only 3 shelves", 1000 volumes seems almost comical. Even more than that, when you think of listing 1000 volumes (or the series that comprise that number), it makes you think that it's a lot, so much that you wouldn't be able to name them. But when I stop and think about it, I'm pretty comfortable that I'd be able to name 90% or even a bit more of the manga in my collection.

I guess at the end of it, it really feels a lot smaller than the number "1000" makes it seem like it would be. It's all stuff I've read (or am reading), and it's all stories that I can remember to a somewhat decent degree. It's a ridiculous accumulation of money, but at the end of the day it's a hobby, I'd find something else to spend the money on.

Does My Collection Meet My Expectations?

A weird question to phrase, but it's all about whether or not my collection is like what I thought it'd look like at 1000 volumes. And I'd say, yes and no. There's things I figured would be here, but at the same time loads of things that end up missing. I would have swore up and down I'd have Love Is War in my collection by now, but I don't! I would have thought I'd have That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime or Overlord in here as well, or even something like Death Note or maybe Naruto. But they're just not here.

In terms of what is in the collection that I'd never have expected: older shojosei. I didn't think I'd ever have something like Wallflower or Kare Kano in there. Not that I'm not a fan of either, but that they're incredibly rare and typically exist outside of what I pursue. But when they're offered at 5 dollars a volume I'm not gonna say no. Further outside of that is stuff like Sayonara Zetsubou-Sensei or all the NGE side stories. Some of these things cost an arm and a leg so they were pipe dreams for me, but stars have aligned for more than a few moments in my time collecting, and allowed me to have a shot at them.

It's hard to say what's in my collection that I would have thought odd, because I don't have any sort of hindsight on that and I think they're all perfectly normal and interesting now. Like Heterogenia Linguistico, a series about a linguist wandering a world full of different types of species with different forms of communication. Or Himouto Umaru-Chan, a peculiar slice of life about the unseen side of the class princess as she nerds out at home with her older brother. There's a lot of things that I probably didn't expect when I was beginning, but now they feel perfectly normal.

What's My Favorite Thing Out Of All 1000 Volumes?

Wow, what a loaded question me! Well, a bit of a boring but also somewhat uncomfortable answer is my Berserk Deluxe Volume 1 (which I'm still yet to continue collecting). I bought it slightly after my birthday, the day that Kentaro Miura died, which coincided with my great-grandmother's death. As many people receive from grandparents, I was given a card with some crisp bills inside, and was told to "spend it on whatever I liked, don't listen to your parents". I was undecided for a few days on just what I should get with it, a full set of Hunter x Hunter that I found used online, or a Berserk Deluxe edition? As it happened, Fate ended up choosing the latter for me. It's also part of why I've been apprehensive/slow about continuing to collect those deluxe editions. Right now it's 1 of 1 in my collection, something that stands out, but if I put it beside a bunch of other volumes that look almost the same I feel like it'd lose the value and sentiment it holds for me.

Where To Next?

I'm someone that always chases goals, I never really revel in my achievements or milestones. When I completed my degree and got it in the mail, I just sorta smiled before tucking it away neatly. There's never been anything that I've basked in. With my collection though, I feel slightly different. I want to show it off a little, I want to excitedly share it with my friends and swap notes and compare collections. It's not that I didn't choose most if not all of what I've done in my life, but this is something else. It's a part of my adult life, something that I'll carry forward with me, rather than it being done. You can only go so far with other aspects, only climb a corporate ladder so high, only go so far with post-secondary education. So maybe more than the elation of reaching so high, it's the excitement at the fact that I have so much more left to go.

[sylvannise]

this set is incredibly cute i wasn’t expecting to love it so much but wow it is gorgeous :’)

[the-pikachu-hat]

JELLYCAT MAIL DAY! I had to hold myself back spending way too much money on the most recent jellycat drop DX. I could have easily dropped $1000 if i had the budget for that. Highlights here are the sky dragon which gives STRONG Rainbow Dash vibes which i love, the huge woody bear who made me melt when i first held him. And the smudge bunny backpack, who when i adjust the straps just right, i can feel hugging me on the back of my neck which is sooooooo cute and comforting.

[wishing-well-art]

Hermits in 1.21!

[maximura]

[celesse]

It's finally here! The biggest drop of my Summer Collection, which includes new shirts, tea towels, and totes! 📢💖✨

Shop the full Summer Collection here ☀ https://www.sugarbunnyshop.com/collections/fresh-delights

[buglps]

another haul update !

[gummi-ships]

Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories - Halloween Town Sora & Riku

[felassan]

Compilation of snippets from the DA:TV acting talent panel at SDCC (Dragon Age: Meet the Heroic Companions of Thedas) today (July 26th). DA:TV spoilers under cut.

Huge props and tysm to the users who live-tweeted and clipped this panel, you are heroes 🙏💜!!

The panel was moderated. In attendance were John Epler, creative performance director Ashley Barlow, and the actors of Lucanis, Neve, Emmrich, and Harding - Zach Mendez, Jessica Clark, Nick Boraine, and Ali Hillis respectively.

The panel ended with a Q&A session.

(BioWare have stated that a recording of the panel will be made available at a later date.)

Edit/update: I've now been through this post and tidied it up :)

---

Here are some pictures from the panel [source]

Here are some more pictures from the panel [source]

In this Twitter thread there are also some video clips of parts of the panel [source]

BioWare tried to avoid spoilers in the panel [source]

Key points/summary of DA:TV: hunting Solas, found family companions, stop the elven gods [source]

When auditioning the companions, BW were specifically looking for character chemistry [source]

BW used motion capture for the game [source]. Mo-cap was mentioned a lot in the panel [source]

Lucanis sees assassination as a job. His mind is as dangerous as his knives and he is also "kinda hilarious" [source]

There was mention of other Crows [source]

Zach Mendez read Tevinter Nights like three times [source]

A clip of the actors doing mo-cap was shown [source]. Photos of Zach mo-capping for other characters was shown [source]

BioWare said that Zach brought a certain darkness to Lucanis [source]

Zach is excited for the romance and is looking forward to the stats [source]

Zach mentioned that he used his own relationship with his brother in his portrayal of Lucanis [source] (surely this means ILLARIO.. ?👀)

Zach played a lot of darkspawn originally while auditioning [source]

Ali Hillis really welcomed Zach into the DA family [source]

Neve is from Minrathous. She has fun banter and is a cynical detective with a heart of gold. They want to show a rebellious side of Tevinter [source]

Jessica Clark loves Neve's loyalty, dedication, and different vision of Tevinter

Neve is fighting for the people [source]. Jessica: "She is really really fighting for those people, and she loves those people. So, yes, she's cynical, and yes she's kind of tough and brusque and all these other things, but when they say there's a heart of gold, there really, like, to have that kind of a passion and dedicate your life to something like that, I think that's definitely my favorite part about her" [source]

Jessica loves how much Neve loves Docktown and its people [source]

Neve sees a different vision for Tevinter than what has previously been depicted in the series [source]

The actors were separate from one another while recording lines but still bonded really well and organically [source]

There are several Veilguard gc [source] (groupchats?)

Ali is an angel and very supportive of the new cast [source]

Emmrich is a "stone cold silver fox" (this is a quote from the panel moderator) [source]

BioWare knew the reaction they would get about Emmrich from the fandom [source]

Nick Boraine feels like he's been preparing for Emmrich all his life. He's obsessed with death (as a comfort and not scary) and enabling people to transition into death. He is attracted to this aspect of the character [source]

"You're gonna need a dictionary for Emmrich" for all the magic spells [source]

"Interesting how this character caught fire compared to the other sexy characters" [source] (I think this was said wrt Emmrich?)

BW had a great time recording with Nick, he is a very consistent actor [source]

Nick and Matt Mercer have never met [source]

Manfred plays off of Emmrich. "I set the tone" [source]

What has Harding been doing in-between DA:I and DA:TV? She's been working closely with Varric and the Inquisition remnants. She and Neve already met in the comics [source]

Ali vividly remembers the beginning of voicing Harding, she says it's brilliant writing. She really thought of Harding's personality and traits. She's so happy to be back [source]

wrt the Covid-19 pandemic and the year 2020, BW had to pivot with working remotely and were able to push through their projects. [source]

"[Harding] chasing Solas for a decade..." "that was a great relationship that [you] developed... and now I'll stop talking now". Ali was excited [source]

John Epler talked about how companions may but heads, and won't be predictable [source]

There are thousands and thousands of lines and so many characters to meet [source]

Zach "unfortunately has been around the DA Reddit before recording as Lucanis" [source]. He feels inspired by all the fans and cannot wait for us to play it [source]

[new textblock due to character limit!]

John Epler on Emmrich: "I mean honestly, I will say, like, we expected a great reaction to Emmrich. Went beyond what we expected for sure. But it’s been fascinating to see, because again, Emmrich is this character, he’s more of the professorial, more, he brings a wisdom and kind of a calmness to the group, so even when things are at their worst, there’s that one person in the group who is kinda like, ‘okay, y’know, we've got, let's figure it out, let’s take a deep breath’. And just his journey through his character arc, and his interactions with the others, it’s been fantastic to see. Even just finding opportunities for him to bounce off the other characters, you know, the way he talks to Bellara, the way he talks to Neve, it’s all so different, but it’s also just, again, based around this core of this warm, kind-hearted, professorial necromancer. Which, again, is not something you see a lot of in media. I mean, usually, necromancers are depicted in a very specific way. But it’s been, it's awesome to see how Emmrich has grown and just, really one of the most, one of my favorite experiences has been just working with Emmrich’s writer, working with Emmrich as a character." [source]

All the actors are excited about the dialogue and narrative, and for us to explore DA:TV [source]

Ali says that we will really find ourselves in this game [source]

During the recording process, the actors all hear the previous person's recording and react or respond to it [source]

Due to Covid-related lockdown, a lot of recording was done over Zoom, and the writers besides Ashley Barlow (creative performance director) would jump in on the call to talk about the previous person’s lines [source]

A question was asked about the background factions. "Characters not causes". [source]

You can work with the Grey Wardens in the game (for example) [source]

The actors all met this weekend. They are an "un-chosen" family [source]

Zach stood in for multiple characters for mo-cap, for example he was Assan [source]

Lucanis has a heart but is stubborn and stuck in his ways. Zach is excited for fans to help his character open up as the story progresses [source]

Jessica is incredibly honored to join the DA universe. She is new to voice acting for video games. “This is play pretend. Playing Neve allowed her to step into her power.” [source]

A question was asked on what their first exposure to fantasy was, and do they implement this into the acting? John talked about Lord of the Rings and how every media you experience will seep out into your work [source]

Ashley didn't want the dialogue to sound modern [source]

Zach loves Theseus and talked about the symbolism in DA [source]

Jessica loves Greek mythology and lore [source]

Nick talked about The Hobbit and how he would dress up in big boots and a cape when his mother would read to him [source]

Ali recently went to Greece and felt like she saw DA everywhere [source]

A question was asked - "From your companion's perspective, which previous companion would you romance?" Zach kind of has a thing for The Iron Bull, saying "oh that awakened something inside of me". He also likes Dorian. Jessica was too overwhelmed to answer. Nick was also overwhelmed by the question, but thinks Solas is sexy [source] [source]

Ali fangirled over Lucanis and Emmrich [source], prefers Emmrich [source]

A question was asked - "Is DA:TV and DA:I streamlined together?" [paraphrased]. Answer: DA games are not as streamlined as Mass Effect and act almost as standalones [source]

The cast were asked about which aspect of their character is their favorite. Ali loves the little quirks about Harding. "Lucanis is a good cook!?" ** Neve is very dry and pretty closed off about it. For Emmrich, it's the "exploration of the idea of death and necromancy" [source] (** FINALLY CITATION for this? :D)

A question was asked: "How do you decide to introduce the lore in each game?" BioWare answered that it depends as they build each game. They always know the base lore, and see opportunities through game mechanics and characters. They try not to infodump [source]

A question was asked: "Any favorite party banter?" Ashley Barlow said to listen for "hand to bone combat" [source]

The game takes place approximately 10 years after the end of DA:I. You start the game hunting for Solas. The game is built on some core principles: be who you want to be in a world worth saving and with characters that matter. The companions are always at the heart of DA and they are at the heart of this game too. [source]

The moderator asked John Epler about what is bringing this party of people ("this rogues' gallery") together. John: "I mean, it's the end of the world, and each character that you bring into your party understands that the world is ending, that they need to stop that, and you're really building, what I would say is, more of a found family. These are characters who may not start off liking each other, may not even start off liking you, but over time they grow to understand the importance of what they're doing and just, how critical it is to stop the elven gods" [source]

"He is kind and has some spectacular lines. He is a natural nerdy scientist. He loves learning." [source] (Emmrich? ^^)

Ali didn't realize that Harding was such a beloved character. She thanked fans for bringing this character back [source]

Ali is super excited that the game is releasing. She said that there has been an evolution to Harding's character and that she's been chasing Solas for like a decade at this point [source]

Jessica loves the writing in the game [source]

Nick loves its narrative [source]

Ali said that this game is going to take you into a world that will blow your minds [source]

On Manfred: Nick was asked what it was like having another character to bounce off of. He said "Oh man! I mean, that is such a hard question, because Matt and I have never met, and we worked completely separately, and, I, I mean I know that the rapport is really great, but it's in the ether, I mean it is just, the magic that these guys create, telling us how to respond, how to do that, but it's, I can't wait to meet Matt" [source]

BW still said that the game's release window is Fall 2024 [source]. Nothing more specific was given [source]

There are also more snippets here in this Tumblr post, go check it out!

[source, two]