#honestly they could probably even do it with the artstyle. it would probably be harder though

[tooies]

to be honest if duolingo wasn't so committed to the solid colour rounded shapes artstyle they could probably like triple the average amount of progress people make by adding collectable cosmetics

[hollowphobia-casual]

FRIENDSHIP IS MAGICAL VI:  THE AGE OF SUPER ULTIMATE CHRONICLES OF FRIENDSHIP ORIGINS ZERO

So with Tumblr bursting into flames and most of the artists I know and respect trying to abandon this ship like rats escaping the titanic, I felt it was best if I moved this from my usual December the 25th to... NOW, Because well I worry that many people on this might not be here by the time 17th passes and my eternal dying love to those I care about will be unheard and what kind of person would I be if I didn’t remind EVERY.SINGLE.ONE of my friends how important and special they were to be and what makes them fantastic, So yeah depending on the state of tumblr after Dec 17th this might be the last one, or I will just have to email all of you INDIVIDUALLY. @mistercrowbar CROWBAR! HEY! So, you’ve been on this friendship list since..., we have been friends, which is.., a really long time, like I honestly can not recall a day where we have not been friends and during all that time I can’t get over just how amazing you are! Like, Holy shit are you real? Cause I get to a point where, I think this woman can’t improve anymore, and then BAMB! You do! Like Jesus, I’m always just floored by what you put out, I said once before that I strive to be as good as you some day and that has not changed! But now it gets even harder, cause like, not only are you good at art, You go and pull this beautiful disaster out of your head, SAY HELLO TO FUCKING RYYBYN BITCHES! If there was a competition for some of the best DnD characters I have ever seen on paper, I’d vote for Ryybyn every-time, a literal joke character who evolved into one of the most emotional rollarcoasters I have ever seen, who made me DETERMINED, to either play a game with you (And I fucked that up) or a game of my own, just AH!, This character! Like, their design, their character art, THEIR STORIES! OH GOD DON’T GET ME START ON THOSE, CAUSE YOU BEAUTIFUL GENIUS! You took comics from your session and made a BOOK! That I want to buy! I WANT ONE, BUT CHRISTMAS SO, ARGH!  FUCK YOU SANTA! And!

And.. If you were not just fantastic enough already, incredible artist, attractive, funny, nerdy as all shit, super space wizard, DND and now.., now.. FUCKING HOME OWNER, like how, why, when, what! I know you moved into a house, like, Holy shit you moved into a house, but holy shit you OWN a house, it’s yours, you can paint dicks on the wall and no one can stop you! Your Independence it just, floors me, every-time, here I am questioning everything about myself and myself worth, and you go buy a house, and release two books IN THE SAME YEAR. I said how I wanted to follow in your footsteps, become as great as you, WELL APPARENTLY I NEED TO PICK UP MY GOD DAMN FEET CAUSE I’M TOO FUCKING SLOOOOW. I am SO grateful to meet someone terrifyingly amazing and best of yet, they think of me as their friend (For now) Just.., Please, don’t ever stop breaking down walls and plowing forward, you fantasticly insane woman you. @nightmargin So, what feels like, not that long ago we were chatting about Ralph and OCTs, as well as other kids who are incredibly prone to accidents and damages and now, well, YOU HAVE A FUCKING HIT GAME THAT I CAN’T LOOK LEFT OR RIGHT WITHOUT SEEING IT’S LIKE BOOM! Go to MCM OneShot Cosplayers, Look at youtube videos either seeing your characters in the background or I’m seeing people playing your game! I went on a Discord chat and I saw someone sporting a Oneshot icon. I’m just, so, happy and proud and amazed by the how far you have come, it’s just, you were always a talented person, your comics, story and artstyle was fucking fantastical, I was soaked into every second of it, wanting to learn more and more with each new picture and then, just to put the cheery on this cake, you did music, but not just any music REALLY GOOD MUSIC, I remember going to your gallery on DevianrtArt just to listen to a song over and over cause it was so good, like, damn and now, you are like, HUGE, it’s insane, like seriously, someone took time to make a 3D model of your character, holy shit. I’m lucky to get fanart, but what this is, I just, my friend is amazing person, and I couldn’t be more happy for her if I tried, you should be proud of yourself if you are not, take time and just let the well earned reward sink in, your hard work has defiantly paid off. @blueskyesartic Okay, so like, You are amazing, I dunno if I’ve ever said it enough, but, you just are, there is nothing about you that I’m not awed by, you are just, so fantastic in my eyes, I dunno if that's putting you on a pedestal or not, but fuck it, this is my sappy list so I say what I want! Your art is beautiful, you yourself are just one of the most fun people I have had the pleasure to talk to and I miss it so damn much, are trivial pointless conversations that spiraled endlessly into jokes and deep discussions, are critical thinking on story telling and art in general, it was amazing, but.., either you are never alone or I’m not and, I hate that, I’ve missed you so much it sucks, like.., I have these great memories of us talking, drawing and spending time together, these perfect moments in time that I will cherish to the end of my days, cause I know you are going to become something, I can feel it, but I might end up left behind. I just wish I could spend more time, talking, chatting and just being with you, you are amazing and I’d love to run on to you on a stage at a convention, like we joked about, but no matter what happens, you need to keep being brilliant, every second of every day, you have to continue, cause you are great and everyone knows it. @taplaos HOLY SHIT HAVE YOU SEEN THE SHIT THEY CAN MAKE, IT’S FANTASTIC, LIKE, HOW DAMN!  Everyday I feel like I’m seeing new and more amazing designs for T-shirts created by you and it’s just like, wait, this is tappy right, maker of wonkey eye, how when, OH MY GOD, Your art was always so bright and colourful but, damn you’ve improved so much I feel like I need to stop and just soak in how much you’ve improved, cause damn, can I just say damn. I am so proud of how far you have come and I can’t wait to see what fantastic designs you come out with next, you are amazing Tappy, don’t let anyone ever tell you other wise! @dansome0203 AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, GOD DAMIT, I have both talked to you a lot this year, but also not enough, or maybe I have, or maybe I haven’t, I dunno, but god dammit I wanna talk to you more, but you are hardly online when I am it’s so GAH! You are just, that amazing my friend that you are driving me insane! URGH, I feel terrible there is like, a shitton of things I wanna do for you, draw your characters being namely one, but I haven’t had time and just, URGH. But more importantly, the reason I wanna do all these things is just cause, you are fantastic, and I don’t just mean the way you draw boobs (mostly), you are such a kind fun person with so much great creative energy I just wanna, get inside your head, I have such mixed feelings on one side I really wanted to be in that DND game you started, but it’s also just a delight seeing the stuff that comes out of it, the curiosity building from it, that funny ass video you shared with us. Everyday I think I’ve seen the limits to your skill, charm and wit, then some how you change everything with new ways of being all that and more, it’s a tad exhausting. All I can really say that this year has been fantastic in what time we have spent together and I just want to spend more, I can’t wait for the next opportunity I’ll get to do so, maybe I should try asking you into a call or something, I dunno, please just, keep being you and keep being fantastic. @flunafloon & @spesiria & @spookydrawsI I didn’t wanna do this, but... I’m sorry, you guy are fantastic people I love your work, I love each one of you but I just.., I struggle to keep up to date with my own life let alone my friends, but three were such big important parts of me it feels.., no I feel like a shit for basically knowing nothing about what has happened, I use to message you each frequently, keeping up to date on your art, your lives and now.. Fuck I hardly even see you on my dash and I just, fuck, I can’t.., You are all amazing people, I should of been a better friend, I want to say I will be but it’s getting harder and harder and I don’t want to disappoint you, I respect and love the three of you too much for that, I’m sorry for being such a useless shit, you guys, are fantastic and leagues above me. @doodlediddy MY FRIEND IS HAVING A BABY, MY FRIEND IS HAVING A BABY! LIKE, HOLY SHIT YOU HAVE ANOTHER PERSON GROWING INSIDE YOU, LIKE WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK, It’s beautiful, horrifying and just, I can’t believe that someone I know, someone I met on the internet, had close conversations with and more or less stopped me from doing something, VERY stupid, is going to be a parent, like, WHAT. While I am above the moon happy for you and your bundle of joy, I do know this means we probably aren’t going to chat as much, which hasn’t been that much as it is, which REALLY super sucks, I miss you, like, OH so much, I miss are chats, are discussion.., heh, I still remember when I stayed up super late just to send you Toradora, one video at a time, god, that was so funny and really bad for my sleep schedule actually. Still the best romcom ever. I really miss you, I’m so happy for you, I hope we get to talk again, love you, you big christian mamma. @lou0 There are many people I would attribute to me being here right now, from saving my life, to being a mentor and some just being shoulders to cry on, but none of them.., were the person I obsessed over.., wait let me rephrase that. When I started as good old Clock-workable, making steampunk rip offs of Unknown Peron’s Karl, you were some I admired, you were a kind, passionate and amazingly creative artist, AND HOLY SHIT MAH, SHE’S IN BRITAIN, I COULD POSSIBLY MEET THIS WONDERFUL PERSON. Sadly that never happened, and I’d openly admit I feel very intimidated talking to you, I dunno why, shame? Guilt? I feel like, I don’t belong, that I’m not good enough for you, that there are better people who deserve your attention that I do, despite just how, fun you are to be around and just how important of a person you are to me, so I admit it, it hurts, me seeing you down low like you are, I wanna pick you up, be the motivation you were to me, but I also have to accept that I can’t be, all I can do, is try to be a good friend and be there for you. You are, the most amazing, creative person I have ever known, I’ve wanted to Commission you for long, to collab with you, to have one of my characters drawn by you, hell just be noticed by you, cause you are just that important, I mean, I dunno what I am saying here exactly... You said you don’t see a point, but you to me, your are was the biggest point, it was bright, colourful, sexy, scary, amazing and just filled with so much character, everything you drew and draw has just so much life to it, I wanted to capture some of it and have it for my own. I dunno if what I am saying is meaning anything, but your art reflects you and to me, you are colourful, sexy, scary, amazing and just filled with so much character, every second has been delightful and if you will let me, I would love to continue to enjoy it more. @jabbage I find it funny how, no matter which minecraft server I joined, I never got as far in building a base, than I did on your server, as short lived as it was and despite no one ever joining it, I never joined a server where I got as far as I did on that server, like, I dunno how but there was something about it, maybe it was the fact that I really wanted to build that clock tower. I miss that, I hope you are well, you beautiful human being, It sucks, cause I know that, out of everyone, i feel like I spent time with you the least, which is stupid, cause all I can think of, when talking to you is good memories, which is like saying I stopped talking to you because you were too nice, which is dumb, the truth is i just got busier, and busier and it sucked. Cause I remember thinking how I really wanted to get o know you, cause you were a fun person, I’ll try to be better from now on, cause deserve it, you are a fantastic human being, smart and caring, not just trying to butter you up to make up for my.., terribleness, but I will try, to be better, for you. @shadowscarknight You fantastic mate and I know, it’s been hard, I’ve not been avoiding you, I really haven’t, but, it’s just hard you know? The way, that ended it probably wasn’t easy being you, I dunno if you even know why the two of us stopped talking to each other, hell I dunno why, but that isn’t your fault, specially after you commissioned me, which again, I happy you enjoyed it. You are a great guy, funny, witty, charming and your designs, fuck off they are that good, but you do come up with a lot of them, but then again you get inspiration and you do what you love, so no one can fault you on that, unless your making another ask blog that you won’t update, hehe. I promise to talk more, cause I’m so proud with how you are improving, cause just like, wow, every time I see you look away, it just gets better and better, I should really ask for some tips off of you, cause damn mate, your leaving me behind. I hope you don’t stop being fantastic mate, You are a joy the world can never do without. @totalobelisk I know where you hang out!... So it’s not excuse that we haven’t been talking as much, fuck mate I’m sorry, I don’t hate you or anything, no, fuck no, you are great, it’s me, I’m just.., fucking useless to be entirely honest, I’m terrible at communicating with people and I’m surprised you haven’t just unfollowed me from everything and cut all ties, cause, fuck, I’m just so.. I’m sorry, you are a fantastic guy and we’ve been friends for too long for me to neglect you like this, I’m so sorry, I hope I can start talking to you more to make up for it, or just hit me up sometime so we can chat, cause you deserve better from your friends. @velkro-bitch & @fivirr & @a-trashcan-in-a-corner Am I cheating by grouping you three together, yes, maybe... BUT I ALSO HARDLY GET TO SPEND TIME WITH YOU GUYS AND IT FUCKING SUCKS, CAUSE YOU ARE ALL BEAUTIFUL LOVELY PEOPLE AND I WANNA SPEND AS MUCH TIME WITH EACH OR EVERYONE OF YOU! (Or maybe I’m just secretly trying for a four way polyamory) But Jesus fucked by a pogostick guys, how can you three come into my life, be amazing shits and then just leave me! You are all such wonderful, thoughtful and delightful human beings that every second with you felt like an eternity, I’m a naturally defensive person, I have a lot of barriers in place to keep myself emotionally safe, and all three of you tore those down! (your gonna have to pay for that) AH, And to make it worse, when you shmucks do show up it’s very late and I gotta go to bed, REVOLVE AROUND MEEE DAMMIT, I WANNA SPEND TIME WITH YOU GUYS, it’s so hard I love being with you all, but it’s so infuriatingly difficult, I feel like giving up half the time, but I also don’t want to cause I love you all so much, god you three drive me mad, but it’s what I enjoy about you guys and I hope we do get to spend more time together. @phantomdotexe I honestly do not know where I would be without you right now, for you it may seem like all you did was re-post my art, credit me and commission me, but you also introduced me into a large friendly community that I didn’t even think I had the right to be in, I was and still very much am the new kid to all this, but everyone you introduced me to accepted me with open arms, artists and writers whom I thought I’d never get the chance to speak to talk to me casually nearly everyday. It’s all thanks to you! You amazing person you, I know you beat yourself up, ALOT, when you really shouldn’t, you are so amazing, not just in your writing talents, but in your world building and characterization, but even then that isn’t there is all to you, you are.., the most, charismatic, funny, playful and down right enjoyable person to be around, you are infectious, you have touched so many people in so many ways that you manged to build a community of friends and fans who want to build upon your foundations, I dunno if I’m even speaking the right words now, haha.., But you are fantastic, so when you struggle we all want to help, we all want to see you grow as a person, as a writer and an artist, you brought so many wonderful people together, you should deserve to see how truly wonderful you are. @horrorjuice Speaking of people I don’t deserve to be friends with, I’m just.., fuck where do I start, well, I will say it’s not entirely my fault you are hardly ever on Discord and I don’t like Facebook, but Bubby, my bubby, I miss you! I miss your explantions, your ideas, you concepts, your worlds, your beautiful bubby brain like GAH, I remember our chats, are long wonderful chats where your dog would bark loudly, the beautiful horrible slobber monster that he was. I miss you Bubby, I really do, I wanna chat and talk like we use to, I wanna hear your beautiful amazing ideas and see your brilliant art work, god I miss you, but I hope you are well and that you are being just as fantastic and brilliant as the day we first met, you wonderful human being. @valbey-the-girl Fuck you, you lovable asshole! How dare you be such a wonderful insightful human being who has had my back for so long, I remember when we became roommates for University as a somewhat after thought, we hung out but we were not exactly ‘friends’, but now, I dunno how I could of survived with out you! You are a wonderful source of humor and opposed thinking that I enjoy, you agree and don’t always agree with me, which is the best sort of friend, someone who can challenge my values and viewpoints, but at the same time doesn’t belittle me..., mostly, you twat. I am so happy that we’ve stayed friends for as long as we have and that I invited you more into my world, with regular games of DnD and other video games, as you prove to be time and time again a great person I love to have at my side. I hope we get to hang out again person to person, because I miss you mate, talking on chat gets stale fast specially when your friend is as great as you. @whatever-i-feel-like-rebloging I struggle, so hard to understand us, that it hurts cause.., I want to be friends, but I just always feel like I’m being pushed away from you, and it hurts. I’ve spoken to many friends about the troubles we have had and many of them have said to drop you, but I don’t and I dunno why, maybe because, I’m scared? Or maybe cause I’m unsure how or, perhaps I’m just very hopeful? I remember a time where we’d talk all the time and I loved it, it was great, we never discussed or mentioned how we didn’t like each others thing, we joked, we flirted and it was fun.., but now, all we seem to do is give each other little comments and snap at one another and I hate it, I hate it more than anything I can imagine. I wanna be your friend again, I wanna laugh with you, joke with you but, I feel like I’m just being singled out and removed, that I am something of mock and ridicule, which I hate and I dunno what to do with myself or you anymore. I hate, disliking this, I just.., I just wish I had never liked you, because I feel like that was when everything went down hill, cause we use to be such good friends, but now, I feel like we are more, acquaintances.., it sucks. @grittysugar HOLY. FUCKING. SHIT. That’s all... ... .. Okay okay, but fucking seriously, you went from some gal drawing redhead accident prone children flying goats and tall noodley men with green hair who probably shouldn’t be to fuck. TO DO FANTASTIC CREATIVE ANIMATIONS ON YOUTUBE, LIKE HOLY, GUM DROP SHIT, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAA-, I wanna kiss you I’m so proud, like, GAH, I still can’t even put it into words, like it was..., uh ... .. . EIGHT YEARS AGO, that we were opponents in a tournament on the internet and now your, I’m so happy for you, and I SUCK cause I haven’t bought any of your merch yet... (but I will), And if I can I’d love to see you at a con so I can give you a big ass hug, but that might be another, I dunno, ten years. Also I’m a shit head and it’s occurred to me I have never asked for your Discord information, which now is probably high protected FU-, God I dunno, if you still count me as a friend, or even a blip on your radar, but I just wanna say, I’m happy and just, SO proud of you, I want you to keep growing as a person, an artist and just, be fantastic. @clauseart OH MY GOD HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR COMIC GOING! And shame on me for not staying in touch more cause holy shit, you are on fire, your colours, designs, panels it’s just, WOOF, it’s blowing me away, I’m so proud for you, every time I see you post a page, all I think about is how I need to catch up because my comics currently in the dust, while yours steams ahead. I honestly can not wait to see where things are going, and to see how you go with it, I may not be the best of people at times, but I’ll be damned, if I won’t try to follow along the best I can, cause you have only just begun and I’m so excited to see you be yourself and just wow everyone around you! OH and Please most some stuff from your DnD game! I’m curious about what you guys are up to these days, hehe. Be fantastic. @funktrash The girl was essentially my fan when I was a nobody is doing a webcomic better, quicker and more on time than me, AND IT’S GREAT, like, AH! I know, you beat yourself up, it’s part of who you are for such a long time but, you have to realise, YOU ARE AMAZING, you are fantastic! Like, seriously, you have a comic, your is beautiful and just, WHAT, I remember back when we made an rp group based on this thing! And now it’s something I can read and enjoy, and I’m enjoying it, seeing these characters whose stories I’ve only had the chance to glimpse at now brought to life with your beautiful colours and wonderful sense of humor, timing and pacing, it’s just, YES! I’m so amazed at you, you are fantastic, don’t ever tell yourself otherwise, cause you are a star, a bright burning beacon of awesome! @mortooncian-art FRIEND!... FUCK! Okay, so I’ve always known you existed forever and I’m always loved your work, I even followed your webcomic! Until it wasn’t a webcomic anymore, but sadly I DON’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YOU, expect that you are so funny, your art is fantastic and I’d love more than anything to get to know you more! Cause like, I see your art, these lovely illustrations filled with so much character and life, I just wanna do the same, (If I only wasn’t very busy) Like, I enjoyed your stuff so much that I regularly looked forward to going to twitter just to see what you posted, either a comment or art, cause it was the highlight of my day, and I HATE social media with a passion, but you made me really excited just to see your posts, and I know a person who can do that with just their art is probably twice as exciting as a person, and I really want to get to know you more! So I hope you keep being a wonderfully fantastic person, whom company I get to enjoy in the future. @sunshinedrago This woman, single handily got me back into watching shitty anime again, and I love her for it, God dammit you are such a fucking fun person to be around, despite the damage to my ear drums I do enjoy our conversations from nerding the fuck out, to tearing things apart. I may not always seem that happy at times, but I’m naturally a miserable person so you will have to forgive all the BS you went through with me, but god you are intoxicating in your positivity, the characters you make are enjoyable to playground with, the ideas you come up with are very surprisingly engaging and your commissions, equally detailed and time consuming, haha. Like Jen I dunno how I have lived with out you so far, you are such a conversational delight it makes me feel like I’m a teenager ago, howling loudly in laughter as I watch awkward as shit anime and actually enjoying my life, but whats great about you is not just the fun, it’s also the insightful and thoughtfulness to you we all grow attached to, you have a great way of handling peoples pain, that I have only seen in a few people, being to be compassionate, reasonable and always to get a chuckle at the right time, I dunno how you do it. But please don’t change, it be a travesty if you did. @tuz-ohtopia TALK TO ME MORE! Tuzoh, you are a very busy guy like.., stupidly busy the amount of work you put into your DnD sessions are stupidly amazing and the stories you have crafted are fantastic, all I want is to share in it more, to listen to how you work, you scheme and plan, your creative thoughts, everything. But you are busy, which is what both I love and infuriates me about you, you have such a driven determined work schedule it puts me to shame, I never wanna see you slow down, because I know you are doing something that is just, wonderful, but at the same time I wanna talk to you, get know you and build on our friendship, I feel like I’ve talked about you to more people then I have ever to you and it sucks, cause you are an awesome dude. Not trying to pity you and say just stop everything for me, I’d never want that, I’m just, so enthralled by your creativity that I wanna get to know the inner workings, maybe work with you. But no matter what happens please just keep doing what you are doing my friend, you are a delight and fantastic treasure, I can’t wait to see what you do. @knifetotheback WHERE ARE YOU! no seriously I mean it, you appear like, every now and again, but you are hardly ever around and it sucks, cause you are a fun wonderful person. You were always a delight to talk to and it sucks that we don’t get to chat as much, I hope you are alright and that you are still having fun with what you are doing right now, we miss you, I miss you. Keep being wonderful, where ever you are with whatever you are doing. @nickala OKAY, So, feelings, down in words,..., fuck this is hard, I dunno how to describe you, like shit, you are amazing, but beyond that, you aren’t just an amazing friend, you are a unique friend, a special friend, no wait, that sounds romantic, what I mean is.. I feel trapped so often, I hate it, my brain is flawed and wrong, I know I shouldn’t think like that, but I can’t help it, I speak and I make people mad, upset, annoyed or just.., I hate it, it’s the part of me I dislike the most, I just want to talk to people and say “HEY, you are beautiful, keep it up” But I can’t, but you, understand me, you help me so much with these thoughts and understanding the world in a way others could not and for that I will never not be thankful, but at the same time I feel shit, because, I know you are struggling, I wanna help so much, I wanna be there to make it easier, to help you through this rough patch, but I can’t I dunno what the right words to say are cause this isn’t a thing where one solution is the right solution.., but you have to realise you are amazing, your creativity is outstanding, the designs and creatures you create are far greater then anything I could ever come up with and I wish I could be on par with your skill in monster design and anatomy. You don’t have to compare yourself, to others cause you are already in a league others couldn’t even dream to reach, if only you could focus on that and draw strength from it, and I wish I could help you do that, but all I can say is that I will be here, the best I can, even if it’s terrible. @thelovelyghosty Is it possible to meet someone who makes you very calm and also incredibly nervous at the same time, YES IT’S YOU! I love you Jen, I am so happy that I get to have you as a player in my DnD games as well as be a human being I get to call a friend! It’s amazing just how open you are to everything as well as critical thinking, you are a breath of fresh air compared to people who only speak with their feelings and not just their thoughts and I enjoy every second of our conversations, yes even the dumb ones! I feel like you complete a part of social circle that I didn’t know was missing and that’s why it hurts so much I hear what you have to struggle through, but you amaze me, because despite all the bullshit you are still here, you are still a person whose company I get to enjoy, your strength is awe inspiring even if you don’t see it yourself, not to mention your brain, have I gone on about your brain enough, cause it’s fantastic! I wish I could just ramble on with you for all day and night, cause I imagine the discussions we’d get up to come be fantastic. You bring a fantastic fresh view you everything, even seen in your character, the Amazing Shield, they’ve hardly spoken but like you they have left an impact on me and everyone else that I doubt anyone will ever forget and as such it wants me to return in kind, you are an outstanding person and I want you to keep being outstanding, so I’ll always be there for you, no matter what, day or night. @altoblt5 Okay, first off, you are too adorable, so I will just have to kill you and second, thank you for joining my DnD game! I won’t lie, I was super fucking hesitant at you joining as I’m not good with people at all, expect all these friends above this text, ignore them for a moment. I am hesitant as shit, I’m nervous and I worried that anyone could be a potential threat to me or others, but you, came fucking tap dancing in with a stupid, lovable infectious character and personality that just, melded so well it made all my worries go away and the more I’ve gotten to know you the less regrets I have about you ever joining our game, you’ve only improved it by adding a dynamic to the group that we didn’t know we were missing from the start! I hope as we go on we can stay in touch, possibly do more games together and just chat more, cause we should really do some other stuff outside of DnD. @riyamilea I’ve been following you since Rise and I have to say, I’m so happy I did, and I was fucking ecstatic when we got to play in a DnD game together, like H.O.L.Y SHEEEET, that was fun for as little as it lasted, but I guess it was invertible a bit, there were signs, but out of it I finally got to make you my friend, and that's an experience I am so proud of cause like, YOU ARE AMAZING, you are so fun and insightful, I just, I’m so excited that I get to talk to you, cause just like, GAH I dunno how to put this into words, you are just, brilliant, that’s it, you are brilliant and I can’t wait to spend more time with you and hopefully, we can play more DnD together in the future, in the mean time, just keep being fantastic.

[dlamp-dictator]

Allen’s Ramblings: Reminiscing on Elsword

Well... looks like the Second Seinen Adventure will have to wait until tomorrow along with my Dictator’s Works on fanfiction, so apologies for those that are waiting on those. I’ve been having a lot thoughts about the MMO Elsword recently. The MMO Closers finally has an NA server and I’ve taken a good hour and a half to see what that was all about since I’ve been interested in at least trying it out for the last few years now. It’s a nice dungeon-crawler/side scrolling MMO that has some good animations and style in the combat department, and it’s controller friendly as well which is always a plus for me. My only issue so far is some of the audio mixing, as the music instantly blared out my laptop speakers when I was connected to my bluetooth speaker. I’m also not a huge fan of the soundtrack so far, but I’ll save my detailed thoughts on Closers for another time. But in playing Closers I felt like going back to Elsword for a bit as well. Elsword is also a Korean side-scroller MMO, and... I just wanted to see something familiar now that my interest for the genre sparked back up again. And with the final drop of the 3rd classes on the Korea severs announced along with the second drop of 3rd classes for the NA severs, I think now is a good time to finally talk about this series in depth.

So how about I start with my history with this MMO? Well, from the very beginning. And folks, I mean the very beginning.

I started playing Elsword when it first came out to the US in 2011. Actually no, my experience with Elsword can go back as far as when Fists of Fu was a thing, an MMO that was directly ripping off Elsword. Hell, I can take this a bit further and say I’ve been around since Grand Chase was a thing, Elsword’s spiritual predecessor. A little history for those that might not know, Elsword’s sister was originally called Elsa instead of Elesis, likely to  not confuse Grand Chase player with continuity. I still remember the fan wars between Grand Chase and Elsword fans... what times we lived in back then when Allen was still a young 13-year-old. But yes, I’ve known of Elsword since the very beginning. What attracted me was the mix of the artstyle and the gameplay. It looked like a mix of generic fantasy combined with a manga artstyle. Character close-ups would have manga panels textures over them before doing a big move, all the characters had a very bright and flashy character designs and colors, and those of us that were Grand Chase players were curious about how the game would played by comparison. It was a lot more combo based and played pretty close to a fighting game in some regard. It was very simple to pick up, but hard to master, especially if you were playing Aisha at the time with her pitiful physical damage and dependence on Chain Fireball for damage.

When I first picked up the game I picked up Elsword. I wanted to go for a simple character to warm myself up. I played around with everyone, at the time, but I settled on Rena since she could class change into a martial artist class, and that’s usually my preference in terms of character classes. I mained Jin and Amy in Grand Chase at the time after all. 7 seven years later and I am still now, and will always be a Windsneaker!Rena main, even if she’s utter garbage in PVE  nowadays (and honestly PVP too as of late). 

At that time, Elsword only had a level cap around the 40s or 50s if I remember correctly. There were only three characters: Elsword, Rena, and Aisha, there was a completely different skill tree system that focused on special point distribution. 7 years later and we have quadruple the characters, three class types, and three job advancements for each class. We have full English voice acting (with my favorite voice actress voicing my favorite character). We have an actual story with visual novel style cutscenes and very in depth lore for those that look deep enough into it. We have a level cap of 99. We have a costume cash shop that is teeming with options for mixing and matching outfits. To just looking back and seeing how far the game has come... I’m honestly proud to say I’ve been here since the beginning, even if I’m barely active nowadays. 

And I think it’d be criminal of me not to mention the artstyle.

I think one thing that’s definitely improved about the game is the presentation, the one thing that shows how long it’s been, is just seeing how much better the art has gotten over the years. I’ve always loved a lot of Elsword’s character designs, my favorites design-wise being Eve, Raven, Lu/Ciel. Yeah, Rena isn’t my favorite design-wise, but... well, she’s Best Girl in my heart anyway. 

And, of course, all the little animations are nice too. The poses and movements of the characters before starting a dungeon and after they beat one can range from cute to badass depending on the character. I’m honestly tempted to go back to Chiliarch/Dreadlord just because I like their animations a little more, but  Diabla/Demonio is a bit more rewarding in the gameplay department even if they make pretzels of my fingers.

If I had to name one of this MMO’s downsides it’d be how it handles its cash shop. It’s an issue of probably all MMOs, but Elsword can feel a little cheap at times with how some of the class advancement quests go, and even some of the quest to unlock certain skills. I don’t mind that non-paying players have work a little harder to get certain rewards, but... it can feel a little insidious at times. Now, I personally don’t mind giving money to MMOs, they have to make money somehow and if the base game is good, then I want to see it continue. I have probably sunk in about 450-ish dollars into this game over the last 7 years. That’s about 65 dollars a year, which is about $5.50 a month. That’s probably just a little more than my Crunchyroll subscription, so I’m fine with that, and they have sales and deals around Black Friday/Christmas time that I try to take advantage of as well. I only feel like that want you to pay for progress around the time you get to level 60-ish, when endgame stuff and PVP start to really pop into your mind. I’ll let the fandom decide on how pay-to-win this game is, but from a player that only plays this monthly for PVE, it’s fine. 

And then there’s just my general mindset in terms of how I play MMOs and video games in general. I mostly play console games, so I tend to play something for a month or two at most, then move onto something else. It differs a little with RPGs or shorter platformers like Sonic, but I don’t tend to play a game for the long term. Like I said, I pop in Elsword once or twice a month. I’ve had a Windsneaker!Rena for a few years now, but I only have her at level 60-ish in a game that now has a level 99 cap. That’s... a lot of grinding I personally don’t want to do when I’ve already got Dragonball Fighter Z and Nier Automata to play at the moment, but I hope to get more into Elsword this year since there is an actually story going on in this game that I’m curious about.

Overall, as a long time fan of this game, I think Elsword is fun to play and is worth getting into, despite some of its flaws. My personal favorite characters to play is Windsneaker, Diabla/Demonio, and maybe Rune Slayer. Feel free to ask for my usernames if you want, but just know... I play this thing monthly.

[taliawinters]

10 to 15 for marpessa? i know so little abt her

Aaaaah, thank you! I really hope I get to actually play her at some point, too, I love her so much.

10. What’s their favorite time of day?

Late morning, when people are waking up but not in their grumpy early morning phase anymore, and the sun is up and warm and shining. Or even when it’s not, but it’s when the day truly starts and you have a new chance at life.

11. What kinds of foods and drinks do they like? Do they like certain foods to be fried? Do they prefer certain foods to be prepared hot/cold?

Without spoiling her backstory, I can say that she is not very picky about her food, but she enjoys baking a lot. She definitely does have a sweet tooth and will go for that option if it’s available. She also does prefers hot drinks - tea, mostly - over cold ones? She’s from Hylos but moved to the Free Isles very young and honestly, warm food is just easier to deal with given the climate.

Marpessa doesn’t do fried food, though. She just does not like it, a lot of it is greasy and gross and, ugh. (Fish, maybe, but you can just bake those.)

12. If they were an actual character in an animated film or TV series, who would they be voiced by? Do they have a certain accent that the person would need to perfect?

Probably yes, but given that I am the one that will have to voice her, I want to say no. I don’t have a way of speaking pinned down for her yet, if I’m honest, but… she’s definitely have a high-ish voice, and would probably have an accent when speaking Kosacian or Sea Elven to anyone? But I’m not sure what the Hylosian accent would sound like in other languages, I’m going to bug Silviya about this at some point.

As far as mannerisms go, though, she pretty much always sounds cheerful, uses a lot of filling words, and possibly rising inflection? The latter would also depend on what characteristics Hylosian has. Also, fast talker. Kinda too fast. Slow down, child.

13. If you are an artist, and if your OC can draw as well, could you replicate what their artstyle looks like? Or, if you can’t, could you describe it?

Very… experimental, I guess? I don’t imagine her to be a very artsy person, but she’d probably use watercolours, mostly do landscapes? She can do amazing things with cakes, though. Probably great at latte art, though, if that were a thing in Siastra.

14. If your OC owned a Tumblr blog, what kind of content would they post?

A worrying mixture of recipes, existential nihilism memes and positive posts. Selfies are rare but when she has a girlfriend she loves posting pictures of her (with permission). Doesn’t make a lot of personal posts, but will always reply or fave posts when a friend is upset and in need of advice.

Doesn’t get into Discourse much and (possibly naively?) just wants everyone to get along. If they don’t, she’s willing to yell at them until they do. Very politely.

15. How do they type? Do they use emojis? Do abbreviate and shorten words?

Marpessa does not understand emojis. She doesn’t know what they mean and she’s not sure what people are trying to tell her when they send her one, either. Just use your words? Please?

She’s dyslexic, so she tries to spell out words fully and avoid typos as best as she can, to not make her own life harder? She’s very, uh, creative with punctuation, though. Why use one question mark if five will make the point so much more obvious?

[zefive]

since one person asked me to, here’s a post recommending some roguelikes!

if you don’t know what a roguelike is, it’s a game where, once you die, you start over. the fun is often in getting better, and defeating enemies you couldn’t defeat before. it’s pretty dang fun.

(i was gonna write a lot more, but bleh to that.)

anyway! starting with my two personal favourites:

RISK OF RAIN a game where every second that passes means a harder, tougher, game. the graphics are gorgeous pixel-art, and the soundtrack is pretty damn rad. it’s probably my favourite, even though i don’t talk about it at all. (and haven’t played in a while >o>;) plus, it’s finished!

THE BINDING OF ISAAC: REBIRTH probably the most popular roguelike. i’ve personally spent 200+ hours on it, so. the art is pretty cute, and a lot of people praise the soundtrack (personally i turn off the music and listen to my own shit, but that’s probably because i’ve spent so much time on it) there’s also two DLC! Afterbirth and Afterbirth+, both of which i’d recommend, though if you’re not sure, just buy rebirth first! there’s also fanmods a plenty, and have i mentioned the main character?? because you will Want To Protect him very fast. (there’s also kind of a story, but it’s not like... in your face? it’s mostly in cutscenes you get after beating the round) it’s also finished!

ENTER THE GUNGEON the game which i’ve been playing a lot, recently. it’s super fun, and also hard, but i’m having a damn blast playing it. it just got extra stuff added (for free!), so even though the base game is finished, there’s still more stuff a-coming! i’d definitely recommend this one; it’s kind of quirky, and a lot of fun, and just- it’s really fun, okay?

NUCLEAR THRONE in the same vein as Enter the Gungeon, is this game! it actually came before Gungeon, but whatever, i do what i want. much like Gungeon it’s quirky, super fun to play, and also hard. it’s also finished.

CRYPT OF THE NECRODANCER probably the most unique game on this list, it’s a rhythm-rougelike! the music is top quality, and it’s super easy to sink a lot of time into it. it just recently got an DLC, Amplified, which is in early acces!

DARKEST DUNGEON the oh god how do you not die game. Darkest Dungeon is a bit different in that, once you die, you don’t start over- instead, you lose the characters you’ve spent hard work leveling up, and start over with new characters. it’s fun. :) it is also a pretty damn grim game, with lovecraftian elements, a ‘dark’ artstyle, and a system which will fuck you over (or save your ass). beside hp, there’s a thing called ‘sanity’ which will drop the further you explore into the dungeon. when it drops completely, your hero will either crack, or go full blown saint. this is one of the hardest games on the list, i think, but it’s also a lot of fun. also, the narrator has a very delicious voice. i’d definitely recommend watching the intro.

DON’T STARVE (TOGETHER) another of my favourites! together is a multi-player version, which is probably the more popular one. it’s super fun to play with others! anyway, DS is by the awesome company Klei, who makes super awesome games. the art style is FANTASTIC, the world is amazing, and the characters are all precious and lovely. there is story, but it’s one you have to seek out yourself. there’s also DLC, which changes up the formula and adds more characters. there’s Reign of Giants, which adds a weather system and giants that’ll fucking murder you; Shipwrecked, which strands you on an island, and forces you to make boats and shit. it’s really an amazing game, and i’d recommend it any day. (though, fair warning: i personally get a bit nauseous playing it. you might be the same, i dunno.)

GONNER the actual cutest roguelike ever??? the art is fantastic, and the music is amazing, and YOU HAVE A WHALE FRIEND. it’s also pretty tough, as per usual. it is also finished.

CATACOMB KIDS i’m currently playing this, and having a fucking blast. it’s still in alpha, which means it’s nowhere near finished, but damn, is it good so far! unlike most roguelike, it has swords! and not guns! also it has spears, which has gained my forever love.

VAGANTE in the same vein as Catacomb Kids is Vagante! it’s a lot more polished, but it’s also still in early access. i haven’t actually played this recently? but it’s got a great art style, and it’s super fun.

DOWNWELL i honestly love this game. it’s a neat little one, with pretty pixel graphics, and fun gameplay. it’s really cheap too! i’m not sure why exactly i love this one as much as i do, but it’s a lotta fun.

ROGUE LEGACY another ‘unique’ one, in Rogue Legacy when you die, you start again as the dead hero’s kid. it’s pretty damn tough, and i’m nowhere near beating it, even though i’ve played like 19 hours.

SPELUNKY remember how i said Isaac was the most popular roguelike? i lied, this is the one. Spelunky is pretty dang known in the gaming-circle, and it does live up to that fame. it’s super tough, but also fun. it can, however, get very frustrating.

FTL: FASTER THAN LIGHT space game! roguelike- in space!! FTL is another one of those ‘famous’ ones, and it most definitely lives up to that fame. it’s fun, and also tough as fuck, and it’s kind of a delight?? also there’s aliens.

THE FLAME IN THE FLOOD i literally just played an hour of this, just so i could recommend it. because the game looks awesome, and from what i’ve played, it’s pretty great! it’s a survival roguelike, and you gotta travel from island to island. plus, you got a dog.

NEO SCAVENGER i love this game, honestly. it’s mostly text-based, and it’s not quite roguelike, but fuck it, i’m putting it here anyway- it fits the criteria well enough. it’s really fun to play, and it doesn’t matter that there’s not much visually going on.

DUNGEON OF THE ENDLESS this game is super duper pretty, turn-based, and i don’t know, i just really like it?

KINGDOM this apparently isn’t an roguelike either, but it feels like one, so. in this one, you gotta build up your kingdom, and not die. it’s pretty neat, and also pretty pretty.

ONE WAY HEROICS oh man, this game. it’s barely ever talked about, but it’s super fun. it’s kind of an old style JRPG, except an roguelike. basically, you can only go one way, and you have to constantly move, because otherwise you die. it’s really fun, super cheap, and also funny.

DUNGEONS OF DREDMORE okay so personally, i don’t care much about this game, but it’s pretty popular? it’s kind of in the style of old rpg games, kind of ala tabletop games, and stuff. it’s kind ‘quirky’, but obviously not in a bad way. it is kind of fun, and i probably just have to give it another chance.

DEVIL DAGGERS okay so, this isn’t really a roguelike either, but it feels like one, and it does kind of fit the criteria. also i do what i want, fight me. anyway, Devil Daggers is.... a really, really, hard game. like: the first hundred times you probably won’t even last over a minute. but, the combat is pretty damn fluid/fun, and the art style is just. REALLY RAD. also there’s a lot of ‘listening’ to figure out where your enemies are, and just- i really like this game, even though i haven’t even played 30 minutes.

anyway, that’s more or less it! all of the roguelikes i have (and would recommend)! there’s obviously some good ones i don’t have yet, and some of these aren’t quite roguelikes, but they’re pretty damn close. hopefully you’ll like one of these, and find a new game to love. (◡‿◡✿)