#dang this got kinda long whoopsie

[galaxyseclipse]

saw a post one time about referring to adhd as "bees in the head" or something like that

and being honest, that is extremely helpful for describing it to people who either don't have it or do and don't realize it(such as my mom lol)

because "attention deficit hyperactive disorder" makes it sound like I'm running around and screaming all the time and can't pay attention for shit(not saying that neither of those happen, mind you)

but if I say "there's a bunch of bees in my head" it more correctly describes how my brain functions, because it's more like there's a bunch of thoughts running around my head all the freaking time

occasionally they all are focused on one thing, but more often than not they aren't, and that's where the "attention deficit" part comes from

the bees are all doing different tasks and my head's constantly "buzzing" with thoughts, so I can't focus on one set of thoughts for very long

especially if it's something "the bees" don't like, they'd rather be doing something else, so they do, so no bees are studying American history and I can't tell you shit about American history

but I can tell you a bunch of stuff about the history/lore of my favorite games/ocs, because that's something "the bees" wanted to do/focus on because it gives them metaphorical honey

[evilisk-played]

Games in 2019, Part 6: Arc the Lad 1

Completed in June

I like Arc the Lad 1 but bloody hell, universe, let me finish my playthrough of Arc the Lad 2 already! (Do not click this, it’s not an analysis, it’s just me venting over how the universe refuses to let me play this game and its sequel in peace)

So some context: I played Arc the Lad 1 this year. This is not my first playthrough of the game (not by a bloody long shot). What’s happened is that I’ve gotten this idea in my head to finally play Arc the Lad 1 and 2 in one go. The reason this is so important is that Arc the Lad 1 lets you carry over your save to Arc the Lad 2, and to get full completion, get all the extra scenes and loot, you need to finish Arc the Lad 1 first.

Now this isn’t hard in theory. Arc the Lad 1 is a 10 hour game. No, the problem is that this is the third time I’ve attempted to do this in about two years. Some bad juju always happens when I try to make this work, like accidentally saving over my clear file and thus forcing me to replay Arc the Lad 1. What screwed me over this year (and stopped me from continuing my Arc the Lad 2 screencaps series) is losing my harddrive. I even told myself “oh no no no, [my real name], we are not doing that blasted 50f dungeon legit again, use a freaking emulator so this shit doesn’t happen again” and then of course it just so happened that my harddrive died this year. Whoopsie.

So yeah, nothing against this game (well. Actually. I have a lot to say about this game I know so very well but I digress) but I swear this game and its sequel are bloody cursed for me or something.

...Now that the mad rant is over, allow me to actually talk about Arc the Lad 1.

Arc the Lad 1 is a 10 hour SRPG. I love the game very much, even though it has some glaring flaws and some serious balance issues. Seriously, I’ve played this game about four times, and each time has been a different experience in that every playthrough there’s this one problem area I never experienced in another playthrough.

Like playthrough 1, I breezed through (until I got stuck at the Arc Demons)

Playthrough 2, I struggled against the early sections.

Playthrough 3, I started to get stuck at this bizarre mountain segment that NEVER gave me trouble.

On the most recent playthrough, I had my butt beat at the tournament arc.

It’s weird how a game can have this type of experience. At this point, I implicitly understand that the difficulty is tied to “which characters have I overlevelled”, since having the right character to plow through the game makes things considerably easy. 

 Even though it’s a flawed gem, this game has balance up the wazoo and I kinda super, duper appreciate the fact that it’s a 10 hour game with lots of secrets. I honest to god wish more RPG’s (SRPG or otherwise) were 10 hours long. My only qualm with the game is the balance issues and also the dreaded 50f dungeon. God, I hate that shit.

I don’t want to get into it, but Dreaded Dungeon is a 50F dungeon. You don’t get healed in between floors. You don’t get to save. You got to do it all in one sitting... and that includes ESCAPING THE DANG DUNGEON.

While I love this game, holy frick I hate this dungeon so much. 3 hours. It takes 3 hours to do this, and I fricking know because I’ve officially dedicated about 12+ hours of my life to this shit.

I love ya Arc the Lad 1, but holy crap somebody make a remake or something, I am going to go INSANE if I gotta play this game again just to get through the bulky boy of a game, Arc the Lad 2.

[fineillsignup]

Clouds and Rain: a (snarky) Character Index

I lured @math-is-magic​ into trying to read Clouds and Rain despite no prior knowledge of the Three Kingdoms era generally and she professed being impressed at how, long long ago when I read Romance of the Three Kingdoms for the first time, I made my own character glossary to keep track of who is who.

CAVEAT LECTOR: Historically accurate only to the degree that it pleases my pedantry. Departs from Dynasty Warriors in some key areas. Limited to characters that have (so far) appeared in the story directly.

Wu aka Sun Wu - Jiangdong - The Southlands

Colour Scheme? Red Animal Motif? Tiger Part of China? Southeast third, from the Yangtze (more or less) down, west about halfway. Heat, rivers, pirates, rice, fish. Motivation? Bonds Hearts? ON FIRE Enemy Camps? ALSO ON FIRE

Sun Quan, ruler of Wu, style name Zhongmou: Wow, who died and left this loser to rule? Well, that’s the problem, everybody died and left this loser to rule. Ever so slightly neurotic. *coughs* Kind of my problematic fave. Thinks everybody in Shu is out to get him. (Everybody in Shu IS out to get him.) Lianshi: Technically she ought to be Lady Bu but since Dynasty Warriors didn’t bother neither did I. Former lady-in-waiting to Sun Quan’s sister, nicest woman you’ll ever meet, Sun Quan is her problematic fave. Big ol’ tiddies. Lu Xun, Wu chancellor, style name Boyan: OUR HERO. 92.3% perfect gentleman and Confucian af. Gan Ning, Wu officer: Adorable kitten thinks of nothing but murder all day. Former pirate, semi-reformed psychopath. WEARS BELLS, it’s his thing. Used to be in the employ of another army, during which time he kinda sorta killed the father of... Ling Tong, Wu officer: Rich kid who made good in his own right. Wanted to kill Gan Ning for a long time (in revenge for his father’s death) but has mostly gotten over it and now they are best frenemies. (Note to history buffs: just GET OUT of here with your FACTS.) Shield of laziness and apathy. “I don’t care,” says Ling Tong, caringly, as he cares deeply. Zhou Tai, Wu officer: Sun Quan’s personal bodyguard. Former pirate. Tall, dark, and... scarred. Well, two out of three isn’t bad. The strong silent type. Zhu Ran, Wu officer: Lu Xun used to be Wu’s pyromaniac character. Then they introduced Zhu Ran to be the pyromaniac and actually made Lu Xun well-rounded, and Zhu Ran is slightly bitter about it. Also a Rich Kid. (Is Wu’s army all rich kids and pirates???? MAYBE.) Ding Feng, Wu officer: One-note character who looks like Frankenstein’s monster and writes poetry. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯  Han Dang, Wu officer: One-note character who doesn’t want to be forgotten. Forget about him. Sun Shangxiang: Sun Quan’s younger sister, famous/infamous for being wild about martial arts and just generally wild. Arranged married to... (hold this thought...)

Shu aka Shu Han

Colour scheme? Green Animal motif? Dragon Part of China? At this point, the west-southwest. Smallest/least prosperous. Motivation? BENEVOLENCE Really? YES OF COURSE, BENEVOLENCE AND ONLY BENEVOLENCE. Pay no attention to the man behind the crane fan. What’s benevolence? 仁 Ren. Confucius says... no, come back, this isn’t a joke! Confucius really does say! Confucius says: Now the man of perfect virtue, wishing to be established himself, seeks also to establish others; wishing to be enlarged himself, he seeks also to enlarge others. What’s that guy doing over there behind the crane fan? NOTHING!!

Liu Bei, ruler of Shu: He was arranged married to Sun Shangxiang! (I hope you didn’t hurt yourself holding that thought.) Tenuously related to the imperial family but grew up poor af. Charismatic as hell. Wants to tell you the Good News about Benevolence. Liu Shan, crown prince, aka A-Dou: Unspecified, serious intellectual disability. Bears zero resemblance to the Dynasty Warriors version. Affectionate, gentle young man. Gets along really well with Zhao Yun and Sun Shangxiang. Zhuge Liang, prime minister of Shu, chief strategist, style name Kongming, Taoist name Crouching Dragon: The smuggest of snakes. He has a crane fan and he isn’t afraid to use it. Likes: his wife, his lord, his plans, sex magic, being an asshole. "I meant to do that,” he whispers, calmly, while falling at terminal velocity into a pit of vipers. Yueying aka Lady Huang, inventor: Zhuge Liang’s wife. Unspecified not neurotypical. Likes: machines, her husband. Dislikes: people, distractions, social cues. Very little resemblance to Dynasty Warriors character. Zhang Fei, Shu officer: Liu Bei’s sworn brother dating back to when they all weren’t shit, along with the dead Guan Yu. Designated youngest brothers because in Chinese culture it is Absolutely Vital We Know Who Is Older. Big, burly, loveable drunk. (Again, do NOT confuse me with the facts.) Zhang Bao, Shu officer: Zhang Fei’s son. Young and unproven and determined.  Grew up with Guan Yu’s children as pseudo-cousins. Xingcai aka Lady Zhang, Shu officer: Zhang Fei’s younger child. Xingcai is not here to make friends or play games. Xingcai is here to win. Unfortunately for Xingcai, her society dictates that ladylike behaviour means making friends and playing (diplomatic) games, not winning (on the battlefield). Guan Xing, Shu officer: The oldest natural child of Guan Yu. Honour, righteousness, honour, honour, rules, benevolence, honour, rules, and honour. Guan Suo, Shu officer: Youngest son of Guan Yu. In the wake of his father’s death, passive and disheartened. Guan Yinping: Youngest child of Guan Yu. Our heroine! Strong, sweet, determined, and genuine. Zhao Yun, Shu officer: One of Liu Bei’s first and best recruits to his cause. Famous for having single-handedly rescued Liu Shan as a baby while they were fleeing Cao Cao, fighting with the infant on his back. Madam Zhao aka Yunlu aka Lulu: Zhao Yun’s much younger wife, the sister of another officer in Shu, for some mysterious reason her identity is a (badly kept) secret, WHO could she POSSIBLY be? (People who know the answer: shhhhh.) Ma Chao, “the Splendid”: A multi-ethnic officer of Shu who joined because of wanting revenge against Cao Cao for the massacre of his clan. Yes, Ma Chao is Shu’s Sasuke. Catchphrase: JUSTICE. Ma Dai, “the guy who hangs out with Ma Chao”: Ma Chao’s cousin, trails along after Ma Chao trying to keep him from getting himself justiced to death. Wears the only non-stupid hat in Dynasty Warriors. An artist and a joker. Wei Yan, Shu officer: Speaks... like... this... why?... Unclear... maybe... head... injury...

Wei aka Cao Wei

Colour scheme? Blue Animal motif? Phoenix Part of China? The entire north, from the coast to the west, including the cities with the strongest claim to be imperial capital in that time. Motivation? Ambition and power Isn’t that slightly evil? I mean, not necessarily, but they’re the antagonists so in fact yes. So they don’t get the same revisionism deal as the other two kingdoms? Nope. Is that fair? Nope! Show me on the map where I store my fucks.

Cao Pi, ruler and self-proclaimed emperor: I genuinely have a grievance against the historical guy but he was no worse than most of the rest of the people here. But in this story, the fictional Cao Pi is a supreme douchebag. Zhenji, empress: Too good for Cao Pi and this world. Don’t mistake my meaning; also kind of a bitch. A perfect bitch whom I would die for. Sima Yi, Wei prime minister: Genius strategist. Did not even originally want to join the Ambition Kingdom, but has caught the spirit in a big way now. Zhang Chunhua: Sima Yi’s wife, pulls the strings, literally. Thinks all problems can be solved with enough murders. Don’t think I’m saying she’s a bitch and I don’t like her. She’s a bitch, and I like her so much. Zhang He, Wei officer: Could host Queer Eye for the Third Century Guy. Floats like a butterfly, stings like a bee. Came to Wei from the same place as Zhenji and they are besties. Li Dian, Wei officer: Has a gut sense about things which is always right, unfortunately doesn’t stop things from happening, poor babe. A nice guy. Yue Jin, Wei officer: Smol and insecure about it, despite the fact that he could fuck you up. He can fuck anyone up. He can fuck himself up. BFF with Li Dian. Also a nice guy. Wang Yi, Wei officer: Hey remember how Cao Cao killed Ma Chao’s entire clan? Well while Ma Chao was attempting to get his revenge against Cao Cao, he whoopsy-doodle massacred Wang Yi’s entire clan. Now Wang Yi dreams of dancing with Ma Chao’s severed head in the moonlight. Xu Shu, Wei officer: Sad man who got tricked into leaving Shu because he loves his mama. Tries his best and deserved none of this. Jia Xu, Wei strategist: Loyal only to himself and shrewd, was an enemy strategist who came very near to killing Cao Cao at one time, but accepted being hired by him when he was captured. Does believe in doing his best.

And (I think) that’s everybody! Whee! I hope all three of you who read this enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

[nmbh1-moved]

       okay so---    wow,    first things first i never expected to get so many followers?    i’m really shoken and i’m honestly just super happy i have so many of you out here still following my dumb ass like...    seriously,     thank you all  SO MUCH for putting up with my bs and supporting my portrayal of nigel.    i’ve never actually done a milestone thing on this blog,    but 500 was too big of one to pass up.

       BECAUSE this is such a huge milestone,    i’m gonna be doing a little but of a giveaway.    how to enter?    like and reblog this post!    it’s that simple.  each like / reblog counts for one entry,    doing both is two.    though,    i won’t count multiple reblogs just cuz i dont want people spamming the dash.    what’s the PRIZE you might ask?    well,    five lucky people will get an edit of the muse of their choice.    what’s the edit?    that’s a surprise,    whoopsie!    but it’ll be great,    i promise.    DEADLINE is on march 4th.    okay,    i’m gonna cut the post here and ramble about all my good buddies.

@guiltycharge / @gcninja / @pnkfghter :    oh boy oh boy, alice i’ve known you for a good while and i have a secret to tell you. remember when you first had your yin blog and you were like “oh dang where my yang blog at?” and i was like “bitch i’ll be your yang oh boy”?? well, uh, i had NEVER watched yin yang yo at that point and i really just wanted to be friends with you so that day i binged the entire fucking series, and actually got genuine yang muse, and i’ve kept this from you for 84 years im sorry. nOW THAT THAT’S OFF MY CHEST--- you’re such a good friend and a talented person? i’m super happy to have known you for as long as i have. you write all your muses so beautifully and i absolutely lOVE talking with you and plotting shit. all those gknd angst threads we have? those are my lifeforce. ily so much never change <3 <3 <3

@theirsun / @failedwish / @mewnicrown :    maple, where do i begin? we’ve been friends for so long and knowing you has made me so so happy? you’ve helped me through a lot of rough times and i want you to know that you mean a lot to me. i love how you portray your muses, not just canon characters but your ocs as well. you’re so talented and creative and i’m so blessed to have gotten to know you. i’m being really cheesy right now, but i want you to know i love you and i can’t wait to go to spooky places with you in the future.

@theirtraitor / @voidfcllen :    zak zak zak--- remember when we first met on your dipper blog and you were like “uwu i have chad muse” and i was like “o shit” well: confession time--- i literally forgot chad was a character bc i was just watching random episodes and i had to sit my ass down and figure out who that boy was and my portrayal of nigel has never been the same since. it’s kinda funny thinking back on it, because your chad muse and our interactions have changed the way i write nigel so much and i’m super happy about it? because if you hadn’t come around i don’t know if i’d still?? be so passionate about nigel as a character. you’re super rad and i know we haven’t talked all too much lately, but i want you to know that i love and appreciate you and i!! really want to write with you more <3

@briilliance :    alex. you mean a lot to me. and i’m so glad i know you because i’m honestly not sure i’d still be alive without you? you are such a good and caring person, and i appreciate you way more than you know. i’m getting kinda teary-eyed writing this haha... we dont talk that much ooc anymore, and that’s okay, but i miss just chatting and fuckin’ around with you. whenever you reply to one of our threads i get super excited? like. today i was working and you responded to like. 3 whole threads and i got so fuckin happy bc! heck yes i love writing with you. pls keep being you because you’re the best <3

@coronabane / @ateloist :    zk. you are so fuckin great. you’re such a talented writer, your graphics are amazing, the way you portray your muses is amazing, and YOU are amazing. i love talking with you?? and plotting out all our angst shit. i never thought i’d be so invested in a ship with YANG of all people like--- i never thought i’d ever ship yang with anyone but here i am crying over yang and louie 24/7 bc fuck our bOYS,,,,,,, i’m also super excited to write more with your varian bc?? heck. ive been really really tempted to continue watching the tangled series bc of you. but UH!! just know i love you and always wanna write/talk with you more.

@wigglestein / @vsqez / @gcdgetguy :    elmo elmo elmo..... we don’t talk much, you’re not active much, but that’s okay. you’re such a kind and genuine person. i love it whenever you message me, i always get super happy. i see a notif from you on discord and im just!!!!!!!!OWO every time. i really hope you get more confident in your writing and such in the future, because you’re honestly super talented in more ways than i think you know. i love you, ‘mo.