#horse game database

[sakurastallion]

Me, an active and original member of the Horse Game Database, documenting pretty much EVERY horde video game to ever exist: I don't even get paid for this :D

“humans don’t do anything for free” somewhere out there there is a guy who spent days if not weeks of his life cataloguing every stupid thing you can do on stardew valley so that you can minmax the fuck out of growing potatoes on a pixel grid for quite literally no reason but that it might help someone else

[renthony]

I'm not worried about putting anti-AI distortion filters on my work, because people have been stealing my drawings and uploading them on "free clipart" sites for years. My writing gets screenshotted and posted on "meme" pages with no attribution (even though screenshots of original blog posts aren't "memes," oh my fucking god). My work is already being stolen. AI hasn't really changed anything for me on that front.

The horse is out of the stable and it's not going back in. I'm not worried about slapping a (dubiously effective) filter on every single piece of art I make as much as I'm worried about supporting entertainment industry unions as they fight for worker protections so that generative AI use doesn't fuck artists out of a job.

The mythologizing of AI has gotten out of hand. "AI" doesn't even have a set meaning. It's incredibly imprecise and creates a lot of needless confusion when the same term can mean "sorting algorithms for computer processes" and "programming for video game NPCs" and "brush stabilizing tools in digital art programs" and "program that generates images from prompts and a database of unethically-sourced media."

AI is being treated like a boogeyman with faerie rules by a lot of people who don't really have any idea how computers work or why it's actually a concern to working artists and their unions.

The actual problem is that generative AI can be used by companies to avoid paying human workers a living wage.

The problem is not that "computers have no soul and can't make real art!"

The actual solution is not "every artist do your part to defeat AI by using dubiously effective filters on literally everything you ever post online, ever," it's "unionize and fight for policies that protect creative professionals from exploitation."

Join a union. If you aren't eligible for something like SAG-AFTRA or the WGA (East or West) or TAG or IATSE or any number of other creative unions from around the world, you can join the IWW.

[sims4t2bb]

bi-weekly update

Hello, and happy Sunday! We're more than halfway through November, and almost done with 2024 - time flies, and our database keeps growing! The latest updates can be found, as always, under the cut. Happy Simming! 💚

— Expansion Packs

Cats & Dogs

6 Days of Pets conversion by @renalp96 has been added.

Horse Ranch

Barrelwood Bath Cabinet, Barrelwood Bathtub, Barrelwood Shower, and Barrelwood Sink conversions by @megamassikalove have been added.

Dried Horse Wallow, High Noon Western Wheatgrass, Ol' Dusty Trail, and Waterhole Western Wheatgrass conversions by @twentyfourfirst-sims have been added.

Life & Death

Conversions of majority of this EP's objects by @platinumaspiration and @tvickiesims have been added.

— Game Packs

Strangerville

B64 Training Bot and Modified B64 Training Bot conversions by @jacky93sims have been added.

— Kits

Cozy Kitsch

The filterable page is now available!

A link to the filterable page in the pinned post has been added.

[real-fire-emblem-takes]

i have a proposition to make to the fire emblem fandom in regards to ai bullshit: we makalov the face of the anti-ai movement depending on how different systems are set up, be it for those who write, those who draw, etc, there are likely ways to rig the system to overload the systems with specific things which is why i suggest we use makalov for this those who have played the tellius duology know he isnt exactly the greatest guy, and also know that mod goldmary seems to be the exception not the rule when it comes to how people view him as a character, so when people try to cheat by using stolen work feed to an ai to create some garbage about fire emblem? they can never escape that piece of shit no matter how hard they try, they'd be lucky if they even see marth no idea if it still applies but i know tumblr had it set up where each specific blog and side blog needed to go into settings to disable ai feeding, if that is still the case then it should be easy to just create a side blog just for the purposes of fucking with the systems when it comes to art just go nuts, don't have any specific things aside from putting so much makalov dna into the system that it thinks fire emblem lords have pink hair instead of blue, maybe purposefully fuck up the hands and other limbs and whatnot so they can never fully fix that issue meanwhile for writing, oh boy i got ideas, smut writers this is your time to shine! make the most nasty vile shit imaginable(while still being legal ofc just gross) and always include makalov in it, heck maybe mess the system up by ruining the lore on purpose and putting him in games he's not supposed to be in, want to have an ai write a fanfiction about awakening? too bad you lazy sack of shit you'll never escape this pink haired horse man no matter what timeline you try seeing as the purpose of these writings is to mess up any bot trying to create fanfiction this also means those who are horrible when it comes to writing can also join in! purposefully misspell and misuse words, throw proper grammar out of the window, and act like this is just how human language naturally works! also those who are good at writing can also purposefully not write good, though as a writer myself i know that is easier said then done at this point, it isn't meant to be posted to your main accounts but rather an extra expendable account just made for the purposes of ruining ai for fire emblem, or if we're lucky ai in general! tl;dr: it would be really fucking funny if this wretched bastard of a man named makalov became known for being the anti-ai symbol of the fandom

Terrible idea. There's already hundreds of thousands of fe images and fanfics in their database, a few pieces of makalov art and fics will not change much. Also making stuff specifically to ruin ai is just not a smart idea. Make something bc you enjoy it instead.

I know you mean well, but please do proper research before you suggest something like this :(

If you really wanna troll with makalov, then join the makasweep for cyl9 and vote for makalov!

[obsidiannebula]

*begins vibrating in horse girl (gender neutral)*

Ok ok I have Additions

First of all Horse Tales is really good and a favorite of my 3 year old's and mine! It has no story, the 27 or so missions function more as an extended tutorial, but if you like racing, horse breeding, base building and riding along gorgeous trails it's SO worth picking up (especially when it's on sale)! Also the wikis was made by a really really cool person wait who said that ANYWAY heartily recommend this one

Second some notable browser games missing are Morning Dust Ranch, which is fantastic if you like to come back and check your horses every day and breed them for competition, conformation, color, what have you! Also if you like a super friendly community! It IS extremely slow paced especially in the beginning, but it picks up as you get more horses and user points. And it is entirely free to play with only customization items and some QOL improvements purchasable with real-life money. It's basically the anti-Howrse in all the necessary ways.

Speaking of which, Howrse is one of the best-known horse browser games, I'm shocked it's missing! But in fairness it's extremely bloated, pay-to-win, the breeding is very simplified (can't breed for conformation at all, coat color is determined by a probability table unless a premium-currency item is used), inflation is out of control. It's... rough. I don't recommend if you're not already deeply invested.

Equine Passion is another browser game, one I have not played myself but which I know many a fellow horse gamer to greatly enjoy! Has involved breeding like MDR, less punishing if you need to take some time off suddenly.

Only so many games can fit onto a single post, so if you want a truly comprehensive list (or the closest thing there is- new additions are made all the time!), I cannot recommend the Horse Game Database enough! It is a wiki actively maintained by numerous horse gamers throughout the world, and even available in multiple languages!

A Somewhat Comprehensive List of Horse Video Games

I will be editing this original post with new games, new information, and so on. If you see a reblogged version of this post, it is worth going to the original post to see if updates have been made.

Ahead will be a list of games that either were released recently and/or are being actively maintained. I have not personally played all of these games. Do not take this list as my personal recommendations.

If you have games you would like to suggest for this list, please let me know!

Some games are listed in both the Single Player and Multiplayer sections. This is due to them having the capability for either.

Single Player

The Ranch of Rivershine [Steam]

Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch [Website, available for PC and consoles]

Rival Stars Horse Racing [Website]

Astride [Steam, Website]

Horse Club Adventures [Steam, also available on consoles]

Horse Club Adventures 2 [Steam, also available on consoles]

Wildshade Unicorn Champions [only available on consoles]

Multiplayer

Rival Stars Horse Racing [Website]

Astride [Steam, Website]

Horse Isle 3 [Website]

Alicia Online [Website]

Star Stable Online [Website]

Star Equestrian [Website]

Browser

Horse Reality [Website]

Ropin' Ranch [Website]

Wild Horses Valley [Website]

Hunt and Jump [Website]

Mobile

Wildshade

Equestrian The Game

Star Equestrian

Rival Stars Horse Racing

Star Stable Online

Equestriad World Tour

Honorable Mentions

These are games that are not horse games technically but may have good horse gameplay, either in the base game or via user created content.

Red Dead Redemption 2/Red Dead Online/RedM

Minecraft

Roblox

The Sims 3 Pets

The Sims 4 Horse Ranch

Black Desert Online

Upcoming

Some but not all of these games have demos or paid beta testing, though none are officially available yet.

Fernhoof Grove [Trailer]

Unbridled: That Horse Game [Website]

Tales of Rein Ravine [Patreon]

Horse Life Simulator [Patreon]

Canter Crossing [Steam]

Pro Show Jumping [Steam]

Horse Project [Website]

Horse Trainer [Video]

Details about some of the games:

Rival Stars Horse Racing

Rival Stars has two versions. Desktop via Steam and Mobile. While the gameplay itself (e.i racing, breeding, etc) are identical there are massive differences in how it functions. Mobile has micro transactions and limits on how much you can do a day without paying money. The desktop version has no micro transactions and no limits on how much you can do at any given time. Desktop, however, does not get updated as often as Mobile. I could go on and on listing various pros and cons between the two versions, but ultimately I personally prefer Desktop due to the lack of micro transactions or wait times and in addition Desktop has the ability to make custom horses, which is quite fun. It's worth checking out the mobile version first, however, so you can see if the game appeals to you as the Mobile version is free to play.

Astride

Astride is in "early access" on Steam, though that can be misleading. What is currently available is little more than a tech demo. You can create a horse and ride around an area on it, utilizing Astride's unique jumping system, and you can given play with friends. However, it is extremely glitchy, the lighting looks awful right now, and overall it just... isn't good. That said, it is still in progress and I personally have hopes that it will become a full fledged game as promised someday. That day is not today and so I personally recommend not purchasing it until it has gotten a few good updates, unless you just really want to financially support the developers.

Horse Isle 3

Oh boy. I'll just point you towards this article about some of the issues with the community management of HI3. Be warned if you intend to play, moderators are inconsistent about the rules they enforce and you can very easily get banned for saying harmless things. Personally, I stay out of the chat and I'm careful with what I name my horses. Horse Isle 3 is a one of a kind game, sadly, that allows for extremely detailed breeding. Realistic genetics combined with the ability to breed for all sorts of shapes makes it a very compelling game, which is why so many people continue to play it despite... the issues. It is free to play, though there are paid aspects to it. However, you can earn the premium currency within the game and utilize paid features without ever paying your own money.

Minecraft

Minecraft can be a fun horse game using mods or server plugins! The mod SWEM adds a lot of content that makes for good realistic horse roleplay, though doesn't fit well in survival style gameplay. The mod Realistic Horse Genetics actually doesn't change much of the horse functionality, making it a really good fit for survival gameplay, but adds lots of realistic genetics and a better system for inheriting stats than vanilla minecraft. The mod Genetic Animals will be adding horses soon.

Red Dead Redemption 2, Red Dead Online, and RedM

While it is not intended to be a horse game, RDR2 has horses that feel so very real. They are well animated so they feel alive and they respond to their environment in realistic ways. Many people purchase the game purely because of the horses. There are mods you can use to improve the horses in Single Player, though I've never used any so I can't offer suggestions. Personally, I really like Red Dead Online for the horses because the horses can't die and there are a few more breed options. You also can look into joining a RedM server. There is one called Rift that is specifically meant for horse enthusiasts.

Roblox

I know nothing about Roblox personally, but I know there are several worlds (games? I don't know what they're called) in Roblox that revolve around horses.

I will add to this as I think of more. If you are viewing this as a reblogged post, it's worth checking the original to see if it has been updated.

Please feel free to request more information or suggest games or add your thoughts.

[breadnabreadd]

✦ Oh boy! Here we go.

I created a LMK Au just for funsies. A furutistic, high technologic world with cyberpunk vibes! (Because I absolutely love this type of aesthetic)

✦ the picture above is just a quick drawing I did of Macaque in this AU. I will get into details about the AU while showing a few infos of a few LMKs characters alongside with their designs. (Just a reminder I'm still creating the AU and it's my first time making one. It might be a little messy, so I apologize if it gets too messy--)

Oh! And by the way, the characters on this AU follow the same basic formula as the original characters. So it doesnt have much changes, other than the world they live in, their clothes and a few events.

✦ MK, The Monkie Kid

• Its the same thing as our little MK from the animated series, he works at Pigsy's Noodles as a delivery boy, is the Monkey king's biggest fan and is his successor and pretty much the basic stuff.

• He learned about the Monkey king with Mister Tang. He is a huge fan.

• Tho he isn't a great expert, he knows how to how to fix computer cases, machines and vehicles and build stuff by using old pieces (he learned with Pigsy and Sandy, just in case his delivery vehicle breaks in the middle of the road or a something start malfunctioning in the noodle store). As we can see, he works more in the hardware part.

• He likes to collect the old pieces of old devices that people throw away in the city's old graveyard. It's like a type of recycling. (That's also how he find the Monkey king's staff but that is a thing I will tell in details in another day--)

• He loves to draw!!! Hooray!!! He also likes to play games. Is always playing video games with his best friend, Mei, on the arcade or online.

✦ Mei, The White Horse Dragon Girl

• She's a programmer/developer of softwares (Yes I know that in I drawing I said she's a "hacker but a bit clumsy" but actually i wanted to say shes a programmer. I was sleepy, it was 2 am, and my brain wasn't braining 😰😰😰---) with a few knowledge about hardwares. She created her technological helmet system with MK's help. (Her helmet it's similiar to Iron man's helmet from inside.)

• She built her own motorcycle, again with MK's help. She participates a lot motorcycles race just for funsies.

• Loves to play games. I guess I could say she is quite of a professional gamer? She play to win. But when she is playing with MK or with other friends, she doesnt care losing or winning, she only cares about enjoying some quality time with them.

✦ Liu'er Mihou, The Six Eared Macaque.

• Pretty much same as the original Macaque. (Lost his eye in the past with a fight against Sun Wukong. Omg betrayal. Yknow the deal-)

• Here he is a Hacker/Cracker.

"But what is a cracker?" You may ask. Now it's time for my nerd/TI studant side take over. A cracker it's a mean hacker. The cracker breaks/attacks the systems and webs for their own benefit, which it's for illegal purposes. Now a Hacker it's actually a job, which their purpose its to find the security breaches and ways to how break it, so then they can make the security stronger and prevent invasions/attacks at the system.

With that being said, Macaque is a hacker/cracker. So he makes defense systems to himself and breaks into other systems for illegal purposes.

• He got these gloves that helps him hack things better, he created it himself. He create floating holograms like it's a tablet screen and can hold on these holograms using these gloves. With a simple touch he can steal database from a device and hack it's system. (He can hack machines, computers, tech weapons and even the light system.)

• He got his shadow magic too, same as the original one. Shadow clones, shadow portals... but he kinda makes a fusion between his magic and the technology he invented to himself. (Before anyone say it. YES! I got heavily inspired by Sombra from Overwatch. 😔)

✦ The Monkey King, Sun Wukong

• Yeah, the Monkey king. The great sage equal to heaven. The silly who made a havoc on heaven---

• HE GOT THAT HUGE MECHA WE SAW IN THE ANIMATED SERIES BECAUSE HE DOESNT LIKE USING HIS KAIJU FORM !!!

But he doesnt use the mecha much. It has been CENTURIES since he last use it. Now MK is the one who uses it because he is Sun Wukong's successor.

• That's not his "Monkey King" royal clothes. It just some casual/comfy clothes to use in everyday life.

• He already knew who MK was. MK is a stone Monkey just like himself. Wukong have been watching the kid grow up from far. He grow a bit attached to the boy.

Sun Wukong surely wasn't expecting to MK being able to lift his golden staff, so he think in the opportunity to make him his sucessor and teach him how to use his new powers. (Yes, I was lisiting to "the horse and the infant" song. How did you kn--)

Oh God. That explanation was long.

✦ Welp, that's all for today!

I will post more stuff about the AU in the future. And I still need to think a name for it...

It is clear I got heavily inspired by Cyberpunk, techwear, overwatch, New Gods: Nezha reborn, Arcane and other stuff. I'm sorry, BUT I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THAT AESTHETIC AND VIBES!! HHHHHHH-

✦ I'm a huge nerd. 🤓

[davekat-sucks]

You know thinking back on it it's kinda weird that trolls have last names. Their biology and culture prevents them from having familys so why would they have them. In a metaphorical sense either works, connecting ancestors to descendants, but if you think about for a minute it makes you wonder how last names even exist as a concept to them.

In an old Tumblr post from Andrew Hussie, lusus make some strange noises and their noise is interpreted by the trolls as their given name. For things like Terezi's lusus, who was in the egg, it can be chalked up to said lusus using something like telepathy. Because lusus are aliens in itself on Alternia, perhaps animals like sea horses in the case of Eridan's lusus, have their own ways to verbally communicate and make sound that is far different from real life animals on Earth. For how the Beta/Alpha trolls would get similar last names in connection to each other, one could say it's because of Paradox Space and the connection with the Ancestors to use those same caste names. Finding out the Ancestors is said to be like a myth or urban legend to Alternia trolls. Getting proof or evidence of their existence prior to the Sgrub game is hard without looking crazy. According to Pesterquest in Karkat's route, if you want to take it as canon or not, troll names would be recorded by the Imperial Database. It may even imply some caste names could be repeated by others anytime after birth. So there technically can be two people who have the same names like Johnny Egbert or have nonsense names like Asdfgh Jklzxc. Whether it is past or more than one living active trolls in current Alternia. Though I would feel sorry for the troll if they had interpreted on the latter name. Maybe they were stupid or something.

There is also the fact the concept of funerals for trolls is foreign to them. They would not know who the past living trolls were unless it was recorded in some way by the troll themselves or people like matesprites and moirails. They don't have anything like tombstones or graveyards since most trolls would be taken by Imperial Drones or be left to rot in the spot they died on. So perhaps the names are just a checklist of who is active on Alternia. As well as the fact since most trolls are born via incestuous slurry, they are all related in some form. But things like the blood colors and caste names makes it easier to differentiate. Like Vriska and Terezi are literal sisters, but their last names and blood separate them from being too familial. Said same Alternia planet also think incest is fine. Alternia is really full of inbreds when you think about it. Maybe that's why they are so stupid.

[kaylinalexanderbooks]

WIP Questionnaire

Thanks @buffythevampirelover for the tag! This game looks fun!

Rules: answer as few or as many as you'd like!

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

TSP: Lexi was! TSP started out as a school project, and we had to create a character sheet for our first person narrator! That was "Alexia" who is now just "Lexi" (but her full name is still Alexia).

SOTL: The concept! "School for fairy tale characters" was basically it. I got discouraged a bit when I found out this concept already existed, but that didn't mean I couldn't do my own take!

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

My favorite types of intros for TV shows are original theme songs or very catchy instrumental music. 30-60 seconds is a good length. I'd hope that for TSP and SOTL. Hope this isn't a cop-out.

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

TSP: My favorite characters to write for are Lexi, Gwen, Akash, Robbie, and Carmen. Lexi because the arc I gave her is an exaggerated version of something that speaks a lot to me. Gwen because I wasn't expecting her to be as interesting as she ended up being planned to be. Robbie and Akash because of how funny and sweet their dynamic is. Yes, I love them separately, but they're a package set. Carmen because she's just so damn interesting I love studying her under a microscope.

SOTL: I am barely into writing it, but it's Jack at the moment. Shocker, he has three chapters while Tierney and Úrsula have one each! But the reason is that he is average at everything, but he doesn't let that get him down! He's funny and relatable and a dork.

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

TSP: Hm, good question. The only thing coming to mind right now is Young Justice (the cartoon). Starts out with this fun group of kids, becomes extremely dark. Ensemble cast. Sneaking around. Superpowers. Fight scenes. Drama.

SOTL: Insert fairy tale retelling here.

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

TSP: Juggling everything. The world building, I guess. Making all the characters distinct was something I struggled at for a while, but I'm getting much better at it. Trying to figure out how the world works is challenging, but I am having fun. But juggling all the moving parts to make it cohesive is a challenge.

SOTL: What is plot?!! Also battling my ambition to do every fairy tale ever. I'm gonna have to make a lot of background characters that will get their own side stories separate from the main series to get all that I want. I probably will do that.

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

TSP: Yep! Alium has a lot of fantasy creatures, animal hybrids, and fun things I just made up. Custos the dragon is the only truly prominent one right now. He's a blue fire dragon and is adorable. I also have kitsunes. Animal hybrids include unibison, ferretsnakes, cowyotes, beaverducks. Things I made up include the elemental foxes and blue hedgehogs.

SOTL: Hofiwi is an anthropomorphic bear! She was cursed to be anthropomorphic, this is not a normal thing in this world. I love her and she's just planned at the moment. Can't wait to do more.

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

TSP: Hovercrafts, dragons, teleporting, trains, and some other power-based travel

SOTL: I'm still figuring this out no one has gone anywhere yet. Dragons or carriages would be cool. Maybe I can mix them with something modern to fit the setting.

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

TSP: World building! Specifically the power database since that will be the backbone for everything.

SOTL: Reading fairy tales... I need to do that more

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

TSP: Powers, diverse cast, queer/disability rep

SOTL: same as TSP but fairy tales!

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

If I see one (1) fanart between either my life will be complete.

This was fun!

Softly tagging @mk-writes-stuff @jezifster @blind-the-winds @little-peril-stories @sleepywriter00 @mysticstarlightduck @sarahlizziewrites @writernopal @gottestod-writes + anyone who wants to join!

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites - giving a slightly harder nudge than usual cause I really want to see what y'all have to say! Still optional obviously

Blanks below the cut!

1. What was the first part of your wip that you created?

2. If your story was a TV show, what would the theme song/intro be?

3. Who are your favourite characters you've made? Why?

4. What other pieces of media do you think would share a fan base for your story?

5. What has been your biggest struggle with your wip?

6. Are there any animals in your story? Talk about them!

7. How do your characters get around? (ex: trains, horses, cars, dragons, etc.)

8. What part of your wip are you working on rn?

9. What aspects (tropes, maybe?) of your wip do you think will draw people in?

10. What are your hopes for your wip?

[artemonh]

I would let you win

A Miraculous: Paris Special ficlet.

Shadybug and Claw Noir

Canon compliant. Graphic description of violence.

"The Supreme's so-called games were little tasks while they were waiting for Betterfly's next move. To keep them focused and motivated, as he said."

“Caline Bustier is an important member of the Resistance. She has the heart and the trust of the people of Paris. We need to find her; the reliability of our organization depends on it. Call us if you find any clue.”

Alya Cesare kept this message as professional as she could. Shadybug had the suspicion that she only called them because of Betterfly's insane trust in them. 

God, she must be desperate, and she knows we can find her, thought Shadybug with shame.

Her stomach turned if she imagined a folder about herself in Alya’s database, and like many times before, Shady was curious how much information LadyWifi knew about their past.

Claw Noir landed next to her on his fours.

“Sorry for being late.” He got up and turned his baton into communicator mode, with Miss Bustier's photo on the screen. "Game on, Cockroach, the loser pays for..." He shut himself up as he saw the face of the girl. 

“Shit…Shady…I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to... I wasn’t thinking.” 

THREE YEARS AGO

“I believe I was very specific about what would happen to the one who came back empty-handed.”

Said the man who wore the jade armor of the turtle miraculous. 

“Yes master.” 

Claw Noir stepped out of a newly opened portal.

“You came back willingly; why?”

“I’m not a coward, Sir.”

Said Claw, but he wouldn't dare look at the Supreme. 

He was an old man; his hands rested on a cane, although his posture was proud, and probably from the powers he gained from the miraculouses he seemed somehow eternal.

The black glasses of the horse miraculous were like two endless black voids. 

“Where is the girl?”

"She knocked me out after I had found the target.” 

She cheated with luck, of course. Damn cockroach, I was the one who found the man, then she just stole my prey!

He didn’t say anything.

It didn’t matter in front of their master.

“Of course she did, clever girl.”

The man in green let out a little laugh. 

It was really hard to hold back the growl that was forming in Claw’s throat.

The Supreme's so-called games were little tasks while they were waiting for Betterfly's next move. To keep them focused and motivated, as he said.

The instructions from their communicators were always clear. Only one of them can win; the other will face cruel consequences.

This time the target was a man who gave away information about the Supreme’s organizations to the enemy. 

The man touched his temple like he was having a headache, then opened a new portal with a gesture of his hand.

It was the unconscious target that came through first. He was bound by the yo-yo’s string and was slipping on the floor a little to end right in front of the Supreme’s boots. Shadybug walked through the portal, her yo-yo quickly getting back in her hands.

The master smacked his fingers, and a portal swallowed the traitor.

"Well done."

“Thank you, Sir.”

The Supreme held out his cane, and Shady winced as he pointed at her.

“Nothing to fear, lucky girl.”

She felt it almost immediately. The constant suffering of the infected, burning veins was gone. It wasn’t  the promised cure—the price for that was the end of Betterfly - just a little magic that was going to fade away in a few hours. 

It was intoxicating not to feel her ever-growing curse, just to be able to take a breath without pain. The Supreme promised to spare one of them at the end, and in these moments, Shadybug believed him. 

Then the man in green turned towards the boy and let out a sigh, like he felt really sorry for what he had to do. 

Claw Noir tried to keep it cool and be ready, but you just can’t be ready for this.

The cane was pointing at him, and his veins burned like they were filled with acid. 

Claw Noir cried out, then collapsed while he was coughing up black smoke. 

_

Shadybug was hugging him like her life depended on it or if he could fade away at any moment.

It is a miracle we ended up like this, thought the Black Cat. Back then, the Supreme set them up against each other, punished both of them if they failed, but only gave rewards to one of them if they didn't.

They fought together against Betterfly, because if they managed to catch and destroy the kamiko, the Supreme usually just let them go because that was the bare minimum. 

“I’m so sorry; I wasn’t thinking.” Whispered Claw Noir.

“If it were one of his games, I would let you win; you know that, right?

“Shady…”

“I would do anything to protect you from him and..."

“Shady, don’t…”

“I have stolen your victory many times, and..."

“Marinette!” her real name does it, she silenced with a sob.  

When they separated from the hug, he gently smoothed away the tears from her face. Her make-up was a disaster, but she was still beautiful.

“We have to save someone; this is nothing like the old times.”

“I know… I know! Sorry, kitty, I’m just so lame tonight!”

Claw Noir shook his head at that self-insult, then kissed her forehead. This kiss was like a silent echo of her promise, “I would do anything to protect you.”

“You know what, fancy bug? We are going to do the exact opposite of what he trained us to do. We are going to stay together and save that woman from his minions.” He said that because there was no way he was leaving her alone tonight. She broke a sad little smile, and he catched the relief and gratitude in her eyes.

She was so strong, probably in every universe, but in this version of life, after a glimpse of the past like this, she needed him to lead the way through the dark.

[dawnleaf37]

@spiderwebd regretevator

Regretevator (Game) is similar to The Normal Elevator from older days of roblox, being that you enter an elevator and it will arrive on a myriad of different floors to explore, minigames to complete, or just . Funny Thing

The Regretevator (the actual Elevator) is an interdimensional form of travel that is used by various entities to get around. It is confirmed to be able to go Anywhere. and seems to be able to transcend time and space which is always fun

The game features 70+ floors currently, and has a certain style of humor to it, but what really makes it are the NPCs, interactable characters, some of which can enter the elevator and some of which cannot. Im going to recap the ones who will enter very quickly, so sorry for the imagespam here:

Mannequin_Mark

A mannequin(which is a species produced by a factory) named mark. Woodcarver as a job, has a coworker named Jim. Hates concrete. Southern accent. Divorced from Wallter.

Wallter

Used to be a human, drank cement, is now concrete. Generally nice dude. Thinks concrete is better than wood. Tall as fuck. Divorced from Mark.

PartyNoob

Often shortened to Poob. Loves parties if you couldn't tell. Can kill you if you slap them like 10 times. You can slap them. theres something so so so so fucking wrong with them holy fucking shit oh my god. oh my god oh my g Keep this asshole in Mind. Keep them in mind ple;as

Pest

Actual name is PartyGuest. Builds robots. Steals money from you. Speaks Japanese. Yes they are a bug beetle to be specific. Asshole

Lampert

Found in the 3008 level yes theres a 3008 level yes i love it. Germophobic, clean everything. Zoomies he is zoomies. Despises Infected, but knew him as Kasper

Infected

Diseased when he bought a freemodel with a virus in it. Perpetually trapped as a scene kid. Had a cat. No longer has a cat. Used to be named Kasper, infection made him forget

Unpleasant

It;s the fucking unpleasent gradient meme. does jackshit. some people headcanon that it ate infecteds cat and i think thats the funniest shit

Split

Species called a fruitaur or something, banana-snail-horse-dog-girl. Hosts a wipeout-like show named Splitsville. Lesbian. canonically has feelings for bive

Bive

Completely made of hair. Conspiracy theorist. this is just touch tone telephone. canonically has feelings for Split. may seem crazy but she Knows things

Reddy

It;s freddy from fnaf but for Red Ball Diner, go look up gregoriah regretevator and tell me how gender he looks

DrRETRO

Animal Jam emote. framed for many crimes. Also knows things. Shoots lasers out of her eyes that will either kill you or heal you. meows

Gnarpy

that fucking cat everyones nuts about. Alien. Abducted Spud! and did shit to them. proud xe/they swag. was redesigned cause the creator was an ass :/

Spud!

yes the exclamation point is part of the name. was a camp councilor, got abducted by gnarpy and experimented on, is this now. that line is his mouth btw. if you click it 200 times it will explode. please be nice to them :(

Pilby

Clown fired from job after to bad of stage fright. They are just a sad thing tbh

Prototype

lovely little robot, if a bit glitchy and unfinished. VERY nicey ! a researcher, learns info on everythings for their database! my friend made this one :3!

FleshCousin

(invasive)Species of shapeshifters. Repeats words back at you in jumbled wordsalad. they dont seem malicious i dont think . my favorite. ever. the best

Jermbo

a cat

-------------------------------------------------------------

There's more NPCs but i just covered the basic ones(new one being added soon made by my friend as well :3333333333)

BASICISH LORE SHIT:

this is MR

it is an effigy for a spirit and when it enters the elevator it has a chance to cut the lights and burn any NPC in the elevator. EXCEPT FOR FUCKING POOB. the spirit that inhabits MR is also the same one that protects poob. and if you look close at the game youll see POOB SI FUCKING EVERYWHEREi have to stop here before i go fucking insane but the basic premise is these two are tied and i dont know why or what how whatthe fuckkkk theres a whole lot more like theres a damn religion surrounding it and symbolism of the axolotl sun which means something but fuck FUCK!!!!

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2024-09-09

It was Bandcamp Friday last friday so those go up front:

Listening: First up God's Country by Chat Pile which I cannot remember why I found it but is extremely noisy metal. Blunt, to the point.

A Dog A Deer A Seal by Hit Bargain has featured on a Monday before but now I actually bought the album, here's the title track. Very modern-style rock.

The Envoy by Gavlina Rayna Russom, her first solo album after leaving LCD Soundsystem, soundscape electronic and voice based on The Left Hand of Darkness.

Cyberspace Database by Fornax Void, sort of the evil mirror dimension version of Businessfunk which now that I think about it has never come up on here? Incredible. Anyway a sort of fantasy soundscape for a cyberspace environment. Huge album too, like 50 songs.

Alright back to our regularly scheduled programming

Watching: New! Dynamo! Dreams! from Ian Hubert,

This is the first time we're back at what was started in Ep1 so there is in fact some kind of plot, although the series remains supremely vibes-based. Excellent extensive rampaging robotaxi sequence. Dynamo Dreams is mostly about the props and atmosphere.

Reading: Finished The Tyrant Baru Cormorant after a brief lapse in reading. It's got problems! I really like a lot of it but it keeps on pausing the book to tell us about the blogs and wikipedia pages Seth Dickinson has been reading. Have you heard of Euler's Formula? What about the evolutionary argument for homosexuality? Yo did you hear about plants that avert scurvy? I am going to tell you about these in a boringly straightforward didactic way for the next 200 pages while occasionally progressing the plot.

Things I like: There is a very real sense of trying to balance everyone's schemes. Despite the fantasy communication techniques there's a lot of hidden information that gets used well, and the vibe of Baru's person-blindness is felt heavily but by anyone trying to make a plan run smoothly. Baru gets so messed up over the course of these books and it works to demonstrate how she's taking herself to pieces to make this work.

When Baru is actually doing her thing you can ignore the sort of awkward frankensteined nature of the world around her, but when explicit attention is drawn to it it quickly starts to fall apart, and the introduction of the Lightning Cult has me worried that this will only get more severe. Seth Dickinson seemingly cannot do Greg Egan, but they can do the rest of the Baru Cormorant pretty solidly.

Also more Skin Horse. Only to about 2012 so far.

Making: Some abortive soldering projects, hampered by my lack of good quality solder, I only have pure tin/copper blend in pretty coarse gauge, you want something finer and with a little silver for this.

Started working through some Control Theory lectures to brush up on that because I'm also working through some ROS tutorials, I want to make my robotics projects more broadly useful and integrating ROS/microROS might go a long way to helping that.

Playing: Ash and Adam's Gobsmacked, an early access roguelite arena combat goblin game that came out recently. Big focus on mobility, you can run and jump and glide around levels while taking out a bunch of robots. Still pretty finicky, controls are on the slippier side so on the plus side "high skill ceiling" but also "uncontrollable".

A touch of Minecraft, poking at Modrinth mod manager rather than my usual manual mod installation because I was unwilling to spend time figuring out how some of the new mods interact. I really do want to stick with a world long enough to do something interesting sometime.

Tools and Equipment: I set up Tailscale to link my server with my devices when they're in the field, using a headscale node running on my cloud server. It's really nice once you have all the basics sorted out, works smoothly. Worth a look if you want to securely access your home network while on the go.

[jaybejaybenot]

tagged by @patheticjayce - thanks for the tag :)

whats the origin of your blog title?

i heard viktors va saying it and its been on loop in my mind ever since. i say it to myself when im trying to decide on things. when i made this sideblog i needed a name and was like "well that works" and then it wasn't taken so it was perfect

otp(s)/shipnames:

in arcane, jayvik of course but also zaundads and caitvi. outside of arcane, gotta be spirk and garashir man i love those aliens

favorite color:

red

favorite game:

rdr2, hands down. im a horse girl at heart

song stuck in my head:

a horrible mix between abracadabra and sharks with legs

weirdest habit/trait:

uhh man idk, i drink hot coco in the summer to cool off and i have a truly absurd amount of freckles on my body (i got bored once during SAT testing and counted 583 on my just forearms)

hobbies:

so so many; i'm an equestrian, photography, drawing, writing, book binding, chainmail making, and atm im reading two copies of the odyssey to see where the differences are. those are my main ones at the moment but i've dabbled in so many things lol

if you work, what's your profession?

i work in an entomology museum imaging bees and moths for an international database - i am not an entomologist tho, this just pays the bills and is really cool so i've gotten interested in it as a bonus

if you could have any job, what would you do?

im studying for my bachelors in archaeology so ideally somewhere in a museum doing experimental archaeology work but honestly, dream job would be cattle herding or helping on a horse ranch. i managed a horse farm for a year and god it was the best, my mind is made for manual labor. unfortunately my body would break into shards if i tried it professionally but dream job if i could

something you're good at:

i'm weirdly good at cooking, i can just wing it and come up with something that tastes really good. i made a really good cornbread once but didn't use corn and was actually trying to make a brownie brick so 💅🏼 call me chef boy arby

something you're bad at:

i'm atrocious at focusing. the senioritis is hitting so hard, i can't focus on anything at the moment, even stuff i like. outside of that, im so bad at knowing when to quit. i'm a perfectionist and completionist at heart

something you love:

kindness, the smell of rain and snow before it does, music, horses, people honking in tunnels, my roommates - really hit the jackpot with them they're amazing. i also love committing to the bit, i will do anything for that payoff

something you could talk about for hours off the cuff:

star trek, and spirk. i could literally write a thesis length paper about spirk and how misinterpreted they are in the modern trek era (mostly kelvin timeline, disco/snw is still too new to say for sure) its infuriating. i also have a spreadsheet on them cuz i got really in the weeds a few years back. and honestly i could tie them in with arcane/jayvik now that i think about it, there are definitely some parallels i could draw. oh and also greek mythology i love it so much

something you hate:

people who can't admit they're wrong/don't know/don't like not being the expert on things and who can't apologize. grew up with a dad that was like this so now i try to keep people like that at arms length cuz it fucked me up so bad as a kid

something you collect:

books, coins, bugs, postcards, keychains

something you forget:

so much, i have pretty bad memory problems so i forget a lot of things. i have to ask people about things multiple times so often, its such a pain (and also lowkey scary cuz its a fairly recent development)

whats your love language?

gift giving/acts of service, i love doing things for people or getting them things they want/need especially when they aren't expecting it, or mentioned it offhand or in passing

favorite movies/shows:

star trek - except for that fucking section 31 movie fuck that thing, arcane, rosencrantz and guildenstern are dead, stardust, starcrash, the little prince, silverado and clearcut

favorite food:

mangoes, mini bagels, and this kimchi dip i get at my local farmers market

favorite animal:

horses, cats and whales; got multiple tattoos of all of them

what were you like as a child:

outgoing, friendly, kind of an outsider, definitely the weird kid tho - closet queer meets so much undiagnosed stuff + warrior cats obsession + small christian town lmaooo i was cringe but i was free

favorite subject at school:

history and art are tied, which isn't too surprising given where i am now lmao

least favorite subject:

in my heart i want to love math but math does not love me </3

best character trait:

ive been told i'm really friendly and warm, and would give my shirt to a friend who needed it, and i'm a good listener

worst character trait:

awkward as fuck, i don't know how to talk with people i don't know so i come off as standoffish/shy, i have a hard time being honest with people and trusting people due to childhood trauma (also daddy issues out the wazoo)

if you could change any detail about your life right now, what would it be?

probably just making a bit more money, i can afford rent and such but it doesn't leave much extra for things like tuition and books and things i want to do for myself and it means money is very tight so when things go wrong i'm set back for months. i can't plan for a lot of future things like top surgery or moving abroad to get my masters because of it

if you could travel in time, who would you meet?

funny answer: ea-nasir

serious answer: i'd want to meet a neanderthal or denisovan. i just... i think about them so much, and i love them and i want to know what they were like, did they speak like us? how did their world work? could we communicate?

ok i would tag mutuals but i made this blog like 3 months ago so i don't have any others atm, and all my other mutuals are on my main blog and have been my mutuals/friends for years so if you want to join just hop on!

[vanilla-blessing]

qb's top 5 anime of 2023

This list is coming out in July 2024 because I needed to finish mygo first and also I needed several more months to write it that's my excuse

#1 Uma Musume: Pretty Derby - ROAD TO THE TOP

In order to explain why I put a gacha mobile game anime adaptation in the #1 rank I need to explain why Uma Musume Pretty Derby had a bad start. There was a flash of wild inspiration in the core concept, that this is a place where real world racehorses are, instead of awkward animals, awkward two-legged girls who do a victory song and dance when they win, and it accommodates this absurd gimmick in every part of their setting with humorously large phones and earmuffs and carrot burgers, but it lacked the confidence that this premise was funny enough on its face and frequently dumped dramatically less good comedy on top of a basic sports anime formula. There was a spark of something fun there, but it was ultimately covered up by too many bits that were tedious and unremarkable, and the anime didn't stand out from other sports anime in execution. Thankfully, Uma Musume Season 2 got a strong upgrade in animation and began to prioritize the simple but effective drama of competitive running, building a more coherent narrative around the real-life events that happened to these horses. Most importantly, it took itself more seriously (which is much funnier) and steadily accumulated memorable moments and running bits, then paid off everything in the bombastic final episodes that sprinted to the top of my 2021 anime list.

Uma Musume: Road To The Top further refines the formula of Uma Musume Season 2 into four lighting-quick special episodes with no wasted time and even more commitment to the bit that anime girls yelling their heads off while running is simultaneously thrilling and really, really funny. Road To The Top is pure gas the whole time, entirely composed of over-the-top highlights, and utterly confident that it can go as hard as possible on tragic drama and ferocious action, buoyed by the fact that all of this is inherently hilarious no matter what they do.

The 2024 horse movie Uma Musume: Pretty Derby - BEGINNING OF A NEW ERA seems to have inherited this momentum and accelerated to ludicrous speeds, so it's my most anticipated anime and I need it as soon as possible. There's something to the fictionalized drama Uma Musume as a franchise has built on obsessively accurate results of horse races that is compelling in its authenticity, enabling Studio KAI to capture the feeling of the messy but true stories that get passed down naturally and retold among fans of any sport, but starring anime horse girls with profoundly stupid names. This is the highest compliment I can give in the sports genre.

None of this bizarre franchise should work on paper, but it does anyway, its momentum keeps growing, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

#2 BanG Dream! It's MyGO!!!!!

BanG Dream MyGO!!!!! doesn't come up in the first page of results of any anime database when you start typing the title, it's something like the 4th or 6th entry in the BanG Dream gacha mobile game anime franchise, none of the other seasons are particularly notable aside from putting SANZIGEN on the map as one of the two rock-solid CG anime studios; the point is nobody really expected a lot from this show. MyGO!!!!! has the same core staff from the other seasons, it even shares some of the same characters as other seasons (although it's intended to be watched standalone). However, despite everything being stacked against it, MyGO!!!!! forced its way into many top 10 anime lists by word of mouth, where it was praised widely for its exceptionally powerful writing and lyrics, strikingly competent CG animation, and unique style that could only be pulled off on a TV schedule by a team that was supremely confident in their ability to execute the previous two things.

The personalities that make up the titular wildly dysfunctional band range from deeply unpleasant to generally infuriating, but MyGO!!!!! strikes a careful balance, endearing them as people without giving an inch in portraying how frankly awful they are to each other. Seeing these messy, manipulative musicians clash, break up, and unwillingly come together again over the course of the season reaches heights of drama I've rarely seen before, it's as though you're watching a house made entirely out of tires burn down.

The way the show's tangled relationships converge around the immovable object Tomori, who's inability to read a room or pick up on signals just so happens to cut through their collective drama like a hot knife through butter, is such a compelling way to utilize a character unambiguously on the spectrum that I haven't stopped thinking about it and I'll need at least a few more watches to fully appreciate. She's the X-factor that makes the entire show work and episode 3 rigidly forcing you to inhabit her first-person worldview isn't only a directing stunt uniquely suited to CG, it's a blunt declaration of the core mission of MyGO!!!!!.

Halfway through 2024, everyone's talking up different band anime about girls who are more than friends, but MyGO!!!!! will be known forever as the definitive band anime about girls who are closer to mortal enemies.

#3 Pluto

Pluto's my favorite manga and the anime took so long to come out we thought it was fake. My only major complaint is that the CG is unmistakably strange and evokes the feeling of observing an alternate history of animated special effects development that is more goofy and endearing than bad, but it's a consistent distraction from the all-timer material.

#4 Scott Pilgrim Takes Off

Totally unexpected drop on Netflix in the middle of a season, this caught me off guard and handed me a full platter of New Scott Pilgrim which I didn't know I was ravenously hungry for.

#5 Oshi no Ko

I adore the manga for Oshi no Ko, especially the more sicko it gets, but the anime is objectively better thanks to smart pacing decisions, an unreasonably powerful character designer, and better planning than most seasonal anime (everyone knew this would hit like an isekai truck so they just didn't stop after S1). S2 is airing now and it's already powerful in the ways I just said.

Heavenly Delusion and Apothecary Diaries were also pretty good. Expect my next 2024 anime list in 2028 - friend of the show qb

[sims4t2bb]

weekly update

Hello everyone, and happy Sunday! The end of summer is fast approaching and for many, it's back-to-school and work we go. In any case, we hope you're well prepared 📔📚🎒

The updates for this week can be found, as always, under the cut. Happy Simming!

— Database

You may have noticed that we've not been posting our updates as regularly over the last few months. We're very sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused. For now, we'll revert to posting our updates bi-weekly instead of every week. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this matter 🤍

We've gone back through all our mentions and tags from the last 100 days and collated them in this update and in an extra bonus update, to be released next Sunday (1 September). If you've mentioned or tagged us in something and it doesn't appear below or in the next update, please tag us again. Thank you! 💃🏻

— Base Game

Buy Mode

Freezer Bunny Blues Guitar, Grim's Ghoulish Guitar, Pied Piper Acoustic Guitar, and Rock Legend Signed Guitar conversions by @platinumaspiration has been added.

Debug

Carved Guitar conversion by @platinumaspiration has been added.

Decorations

Cock's Crow Table Accent by @littlelittlesimmies has been added.

— Expansion Packs

Seasons

All the images have been updated.

Alphabetised all items.

The page menu has been updated.

The coding has been cleaned up and standardised.

Horse Ranch

'63 Twilight Notes Resonator Guitar conversion by @platinumaspiration has been added.

— Game Packs

Outdoor Retreat

StickiMo Travel Acoustic Guitar conversion by @platinumaspiration has been added.

Werewolves

Rockmeister Syzygy 7000 Guitar conversion by @platinumaspiration has been added.

— Kits

Everyday Clutter

Beacon of Intention Active Set, Invincible Frame Tray, and Subtle Serve Makeup Kit conversions by @melbens-ts2 have been added.

Party Essentials

The filterable page is now available!

A link to the filterable page in the pinned post has been added.

All conversions by @tvickiesims have been added.

[gorgeousundertow]

wip tag game <3

tagged by the wonderful @blood-mocha-latte <3 <3 <3

rules: make a new post with the names of all the files in your WIP folder, regardless of how non-descriptive or ridiculous. let people send you an ask with the title that most intrigues them, and then post a little snippet or tell them something about it! and then tag as many people as you have WIPs.

oh dear. this is Extremely Cool and also Extremely Terrifying.

1 - The Burden of Tomorrow - bradnate Minority Report au. Some of it is up on a03 already, but here's a snippet:

Nate tossed his pencil down with a sigh and rubbed at his eyes with the heels of his palms. “I’ve seen seven hundred murders, Brad. I’ve seen people stabbed, shot, choked, burned, poisoned. I’ve seen more horror than you can possibly imagine. And yeah, I guess I always thought maybe it was different, seeing it in a vision. That if I ever saw the real thing, or God forbid if I ever did the kinds of things I saw, it would be the worst thing in the world.” He looked at Brad, and his green eyes were as steady as ever. “But it wasn’t. It wasn’t any different, doing it myself. What do you think that says about me?”

Brad looked back at him for a long moment, and then he got up. He went to Mike’s refrigerator and pulled out a couple of cans of beer. He popped the tabs and handed one to Nate before sitting back down and taking a long drink. “It tells me you’re some kind of fucked up,” he said at last. “But you know, that puts you in pretty good company. Look at Ray.” He gestured to where Ray was squatting on his heels on top of Mike’s desk chair, cackling to himself as he hacked into the FBI employment database. “He’s a two-bit hustler with the impulse control of a squirrel on meth, and he would never admit it but he cries every time he has to pull the trigger. And he’s still one of the best cops on the force.”

Nate laughed, and Brad watched, pleased, as some of the light came back into his shadowed eyes. He took a drink of beer, and Brad watched his throat move as he swallowed. “And what about you?”

“Me?” Brad shrugged and looked away. “They call me the Iceman, because I never feel anything at all.”

2 - Winnix Ever After

Struggling with this one a bit, even though I basically begged to write it. But here's a snippet:

“I thought you were going to steal my horse.”

The prince laughed, though it wasn’t a very nice laugh, Dick thought. “You weren’t wrong, as it happens. I was. I am.”

Dick shook his head, bewildered. “Why didn’t you just ask me for it? I’d have given it to you. You’re the prince.” I would have had no choice, he thought.

“Because I’m trying to be stealthy,” the prince said. “Here, horse, come on, now…” Dick watched as Prince Nixon tried to climb on Silvermane, without success. “Why the hell isn’t there any saddle?” he complained.

“Because I didn’t have time,” Dick said mildly. “Would you like some assistance with stealing my horse, sire?”

3 - Bradnate in a snowstorm.

No snippets available yet, just an outline

4 - Hanahaki Nix

There was something in the wine at Berchtesgaden.

I have other general ideas, but those are the ones that are somewhat started.

tagging the lovelies @lamialamia @ep6bastogne @meet-you-at-the-north-star @spinteresting and anyone else who wants to do it <3

[richs-japan-tabi]

May 14 - Ueno Park

Today we went to Ueno Park! This park is known for its scenic views and scale. It is so big that within it there are several shrines and temples. The first of which we visited was Shinobazunoike Bentendo. After making an offering, there were omikuji and various other trinkets that were available for purchase. I, instead, decided to buy a goshuin stamp, which I thought had nice calligraphy compared to some of the other temples I had seen. At this point, my collection of goshuin has grown to four! 

The second we visited was Ueno Toshogu Shrine. I was informed that this shrine was built in honor of Tokugawa Ieyasu as a branch of his more famous shrine. It was thought that his soul would live through this shrine and offer protection to the city of Edo in his afterlife. Contrary to most other shrines, Ueno Toshogu Shrine does not follow the Japanese visual aesthetic of wabi-sabi. Rather, it is lavishly decorated to display Tokugawa's wealth and power.

When we were done walking around Ueno Park, we visited the Tokyo National Museum. This museum had a multitude of interesting artifacts from ancient Japan. As for the building itself, it was impressive in its own right, standing out from what is expected of Japanese architecture. I will further discuss my experience in this museum in the academic discussion.

By the time we had finished exploring the museum, I was starving. For lunch, we stopped in Ameyokocho, an open-air shopping district by Ueno Station. Almost immediately, we found a butsudon restaurant. When we sat down we noticed that there was a numbness scale. Confused, we asked the server what this was, and he explained that it was different than traditional spiciness and recommended we start with only a little. The food was delicious! However, I did notice that it left a little bit of a tingling sensation on my tongue. I suppose this is what he meant by the numbness factor.

We ended the day by going to Akihabara. While I have already visited Akihabara multiple times due to its proximity to the hotel, I still had fun. I went inside one of the many arcades and played a bit of MaiMai, a Japanese arcade game, before leaving.

Academic Reflection

First, I would like to discuss my experience at the Tokyo National Museum. An artifact that immediately caught my attention was a replica of a samurai general's helmet from the late 1500s and early 1600s. This helmet unlike many others was designed to resemble a man's head. I found this fascinating as I typically associated samurai helmets as being these eye-catching spectacles as presented in Western media. However, this one had horse hair on top to resemble human hair and a headband made of black lacquer and silver leaf!

The readings for today's excursion were centered around the otaku. Defining otaku is a difficult task and, for this reason, remains to be the main topic of both readings. Azuma describes otaku through his idea of the database as opposed to the traditional grand narrative that can be found in media. If media of the modern age can be described as a fragment of a grand narrative, media of the post-modern age can be described as a database of moe around which characters are built around. Moe describes characteristics that invoke an emotion in their audience. One common example of this in anime is girls with cat-like ears. Rather than stories being written by an author and characters being placed within them, the media of the post-modern age begins with the characters. Works such as anime, manga, and other story-driven media begin, instead, with the character. The second reading further explains the psychopathology of the otaku. It explains how the otaku expresses ownership by making a work their own through parody. This, for example, includes fan art, fanfiction, and cosplay.

The influence of otaku culture is immediately apparent upon entering Akihabara. Characters with various moe elements can be seen on nearly every building as you walk through the city. Furthermore, stores such as Melonbooks sell doujinshi that are a testament to the scale of post-modern nonnarrative works. If you would like to examine otaku culture or even take part in it yourself, Akihabara is definitely the place to be.