#i started a new character and have only just reached the recommended level

[illuminatedmoth]

in my bathroom talking to my wall like im giving a tedtalk about how bethesda's game design has changed over the years and how its trajectory isnt looking great

starfield still blows btw

[maximumkillshot]

I Can't Lose You-Part 11

Warnings: Triggering memories of the miscarriage, Some is grabbing, shoving, graphic violent thoughts, Cursing, Bin Loses It, threats, Bin hurts himself unintentionally oh yeah and Han loses it too

Pairing: BangChan x Reader?

Characters: Bin, Soo 😒, Han, Stray Kids, Chan is mentioned quite a bit.

A/N: Happy Birthday @galamxy and I am so sorry to everyone in advanced. This one is gonna hurt, but... BUT I am letting you know ahead of time

I Can't Lose You Masterlist-CLICK HERE

Stray Kids Masterlist-CLICK HERE

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ANY WORK THAT YOU SEE ON OTHER SITES THAT ARE MY WORKS PLEASE NOTIFY ME IMMEDIATELY.

Previously: “He won’t… too much respect… I however,” I stated very matter-of-factly, “Have a very hard line, Soo. I don’t touch women in any violent way ever… But if anyone messes with my family and with whe people I love? All of a sudden gender is irrelevant… So the next time you speak, I recommend you speak with that in mind.” I saw the blood drain from her face, I felt a new level of base in my voice. The anger is starting to reach a level I can’t control.   Minho added on with “Usually I’d have too much respect. That was before what you said about Y/N.  About her losing the baby being a good thing. That it’d make the divorce less messy…” My eyes went wide as my heart dropped on the floor, shattered. When did this happen? How did this happen? I looked away from Soo for the first time, “I don’t think I heard you correctly… She said WHAT?” 

Now:

I can’t believe that this came out of her mouth. Given I never would’ve expected this type of behavior from her either but here we are. I looked at Minho’s face and I could tell he wasn’t lying. I looked at Hannie who was sitting on my opposite side and his face said the same. 

If I wasn’t sitting I would have probably collapsed. I went from a relaxed position to leaning forward, cracking my neck as I tried to contain my rage. I wiped my hands down my face, Changbin, calm down, I told myself. I went back to what Seungmin told me, “You promised her you were coming back.”  

I heard Hannie say… “Wait.”

When I looked at him, his mouth was open in utter disbelief, “You knew…” he said to Soo… When I looked back at Soo all I saw was a smile creeping onto her face, “You knew they were trying to conceive?! When Chan told you, there was no gasp of shock, no condolences… even now…  You’re smiling because you knew…”

Soo smiled saying, “How do you think Chris and I started talking in the first place? It was clear she was broken, now the outside matches the inside. Maybe this will be a warning for you.” She looked at me, “She’s damaged goods, don’t you want to know what it’s like to be a dad?” How dare she. I looked at Han as he stared daggers at her. Hannie is not known for becoming angry, but he looks enraged at what Soo just said. I looked back to Soo.

I looked into her eyes as I wondered what she meant by that. ‘She’s damaged goods, don’t you want to know what it’s like to be a dad?’ I’ve never been good at hiding my fondness for Angel, that’s for sure, but I don’t know where she’s getting at. Angel has only had eyes for Chan, her person… hurt my person.

 I don’t know why she would throw something like her fertility at me like it’s some deal breaker. It isn’t. I could live in a shack with nothing except Y/N and I would be the richest man on the planet. Children would be nice, but if it meant giving her up, I don’t need kids, I need her. This is all hypothetical of course.

I was sure she could feel the tension shift as I could feel my face contort from the rage, “So not only are you so fucking desperate that you’ll cheat with your best friend’s husband. Not only will you cheat knowing they were trying to conceive, but when they finally do conceive, after TWO YEARS you say that it was a good thing that child died because it would make the divorce less messy?!” I've never felt this level of rage. It was almost accusatory the way she threw Y/N’s fertility. Like because she didn’t get pregnant, that’s why they cheated. 

I am feeling so many levels of disdain, hurt, and disbelief. How could anyone say that about anyone else? It is unfathomable to me how someone could hurt someone else like this. How someone could think that let alone voice it. That takes it to a different level of disgust for me. 

Han sighed as he said, “And you sit there, almost blaming Y/N for your sins? For Chris’ sins? You don’t know anything about what she’s been through. Constantly waiting for Chris, him making her feel like an afterthought,” Han added on, “telling her he has no time for her, that he has more important things to do. One of us,” He pointed to himself and me, “One of us slept in the same bed as her every night because she’d cry to sleep on her own. You know what? We’d do it again. All of it. Because she is worth that and more.” I could feel Han vibrating with emotion. I can tell I’m not the only one that is feeling this. 

I tacked on, “Meanwhile he’s cheating with you,” I scoffed, “Talk about trading in a diamond for a piece of glass. You are the lowest of the low. She isn’t broken. You two are!” I took a breath, “I don’t know what to do with what you’ve done. I’m hurt and angry, and I’m not even the one who was cheated on!” I barked at her.  

The images of me doing things I didn’t want to do started flashing in my head. She isn’t a woman anymore, hell, she isn’t even a person. I could see myself grabbing it by the throat, picking it up, throwing it across the room, and punching, and screaming while I did it. Using its face as a punching bag. I can’t… As much as I want to, I can't.  A sinister, yet just voice playing right next to Seungmin's in my mind, It’s right there in front of you. You’re in pain, agony even… Take it out on one of the people that caused it. No one would blame you. Meanwhile, Seungmin’s voice is still playing, “Don’t make her lose you too.” 

I almost lunged out of my chair before I caught myself. Instead of getting up and doing what I wanted, I screamed, “HOW?! How did she find any humanity in you!? A child died, an innocent child who did nothing wrong…died. Gone, will never have the chance to breathe. Somehow, you view it as a good thing?! THEN YOU COME HERE!!” I could feel every cell in my body burning, trying to just reach across and… “ YOU COME HERE, TRYING TO ACT LIKE YOU’RE HER FRIEND?!”

I looked at her as I grabbed her shirt, I got up dragging her to her feet along with me, “You want to know what I’m thinking right now?” I smiled at her. This felt good. Seeing her realize just how much danger she is in. She thought I wouldn’t move. Like I said before, I don’t discriminate when it comes to protecting my own.

I could see the tears start to form in her eyes as I vaguely heard Han, “Hyung? Bin!”

“I am thinking about how easy it would be to turn your face into a fucking suggestion, make the outside match the inside. Disgusting, putrid, worthless, bloody… Han and Minho are strong, but not strong enough or fast enough to stop me from crushing your windpipe with one hand.” I grabbed the back of her neck, squeezing enough to make it known. 

She yelped as I continued, “It wouldn’t be hard for me. I lift twice your weight for fun.” I laughed, “No one’s here to save you. Especially not your shitty boyfriend… He’s nursing a broken nose at home…”

I felt her body tense, “I don’t want to stop at a broken nose for you…” I chuckled. “I want to send a message so badly. I want to put you in the ICU,” I seethed just inches from her face.“I was happy you stood away but now you DARE walk into here. Demanding to see her, after you say something so vile, so…”  

I could feel Han trying to loosen my grip, I was barely registering anything except her deer-in-the-headlights stare, “Now that you tried to come here when I wasn’t here, trying to capitalize,” I saw that same smirk playing at her lip. “I was going to let you go if I ever saw you again… Now..” I could feel my chest heaving as I said, “Now I want to make it clear to YOU and CHRIS… you come near her… I’ll kill you… I meant it when I said it to him, looks like he needs a reminder. You’ll have to pay for both sins.” She started yelping as I screamed, “SHUT YOUR MOUTH. You have no RIGHT, no SHAME…” I don’t recognize my voice, it’s so heavy, leering… They turned you into this. Show them. 

I heard Minho, “Changbin-ah I know…I want to hurt her too, I want it so badly but we can’t… We aren’t them, Bin.” I shrugged him off as I dragged her to the nearest wall and shoved her against it.

I threw my fist at the wall right next to her head. I felt it vibrate with the hit, “You have no idea what I want to do to you right now. It is taking everything in me not to destroy you.”  She was whimpering as she cried, trying to look away from me. “The pain that I want to put you through is nothing compared to what Y/N is going through. Look at you, a coward that can’t even look me in the eye. She is more than you could ever be.” 

I could feel myself wanting to pick my fist back up and land it on her face so badly. I have never wanted to hurt anyone, until now. The disrespect, the pain, and the absolute lack of empathy make me want to tear her apart. I have been holding in so much pain and agony for so long that I feel like I’m going crazy. I need someone to take it out on. Who better than one of the people who stabbed Y/N in the back? Who else is more deserving than one of the people who killed her child? This makes sense, call it karmic justice. Even breathing just thinking about it feels better. 

I can vaguely hear Hannie… Not like I really can hear much of anything aside from Soo’s pathetic whimpers. For someone so brazen to be this cowering mess, all for seeing me like this. I felt my features soften at that as I smirked at her, even chuckling slightly at the fact that for some reason she decided coming down here was a good idea. If anything this is Darwinism at work, right? A part of me thinks so, at the very least.

If I were to fully embrace this… the impending feeling I knew would cause goosebumps at the relief. Seungmin’s in my head again, “Y/N deserves everything we got.” This mental tug of war makes me feel like I am being torn in half, I just want to cause pain. I want Soo to hurt. I made my decision, Get your relief… It’s not a person…

As I went to shift my weight, I heard “Binnie?”.... Y/N?

I could hear her coming from a phone. That once melodic voice quaking. She was reaching for me. Begging me by only saying my name. My whole body froze, and my vision stopped narrowing, hearing her. “Binnie? Hannie, where's Binnie?” I heard her say again. She sounds so scared. I could tell she had been crying, she needed me. I can’t do this to her. 

I saw Han come into my peripheral, his phone in his hand.

“He’s right here Anya... Binnie’s right here.” Hannie’s voice is so stiff, he’s never afraid of me. I hate it when people are afraid of me. When my eyes flicked to Han I could see the fear. He put his hand on my arm that I was holding Soo’s shirt with. That touch helped me ground myself and see things from a different perspective.

“Why is Binnie not talking Hannie? Did I do something wrong?” I heard her, loud and clear as I tried to gain control of my body again. I wanted to scream,

“No, it’s not your fault, Angel. No, I am just… I’m hurting, Love. I’m hurting so fucking bad and I don’t know where to place it. I only ever went to Channie Hyung when I was in pain. I don’t know what to do knowing he was the one that caused it, Angel. He hurt you, I trusted him to take care of you, you’re my heart… When you cry, I cry; when you hurt, I hurt. You could never do something to warrant me not talking to you. You have never done anything wrong, I love you so much,” My mouth isn’t working as the memories flash. My chest wants to cave in.

“No nothing’s wrong, Anya. Binnie is just listening to your voice, is that okay?” Han asked so gently. How is he so gentle right now? The woman in front of me is one-half of the reason Y/N is here. She’s in my hands right now. The screams replay in my head as I look at Soo, If she knew she never would’ve come here, I’m lying to myself now as my grip tightens on her. 

“Yeah, is Binnie coming back? He promised he would,” I heard her ask. Of course, I’m coming back. She’s my home, how could I leave her? Especially like this. Soo isn’t worth it, and neither is Chan, but I want them to pay. I felt my hand throb against the wall. Feeling the texture as it stands against my fist take some of the haze away. Pleading to Y/N in my head, “I want them to pay, pleeease let me make them pay. Let me make sure they’ll stay away, Angel. I need to protect you, you’re the only part of me that matters.” “Hannie I want my Binnie I’m scared,” I heard her so clearly, I could even hear the sniffles that she would allow to escape every once in a while. I could feel myself at war with what I wanted and what was right. I want to kill Soo, but killing is wrong. So I was stuck there with the love of my life practically begging me to choose her over what I wanted to do. I was trying so hard to open my mouth and try to sound strong but I was three seconds from collapsing. I’m scared too, Angel. I’m terrified. I can’t lose you. I won’t survive it. I’m not me without you. 

“M’here Angel. I’ll..” my voice betrayed me. I cleared my throat, “I’ll be there in a minute. I’ll see you soon,” I felt tears brimming in my eyes as I looked at Soo. I could see the shock on her face, that has to be enough for me. 

At the end of it all, hurting Soo would do nothing. It won't get Y/N anywhere. The pain, the suffering, it's all still going to be there, only she'll have to face it all without me. I can't do that to her. It's not fair, what happened to her. I have to let Soo go, to protect my Angel. That is more than doable. 

Hannie hung up the phone and I looked at Soo as I said, “You aren’t worth any ounce of effort anyone puts towards you. You are a nerveless little leech that sucked the life and kindness out of someone I love very much. You tell Chris what you saw here today. You tell him every detail… Especially this… If you or Chris ever try to come near her uninvited… I will not be this kind again… Do you understand me?”

She nodded violently as I released my grasp on her shirt, instead shoving her by her shoulder to Han, almost knocking both of them down in the process as I said, “Han, get her out of here before I change my mind.” I faced the wall as I tried to breathe. I have never wanted to kill someone more than just now. I’m scared, relieved, and also guilty. 

Just the fact that I was so close to possibly losing Y/N again while I was gone, shot through me like lightning in that car. Now I’m here and the threat’s gone. The original one is. That was relieving, but now I am so guilty.

If Y/N saw me like this, she would’ve been disappointed. Is that the kind of man I am? 

As soon as I register the door closing my knees hit the concrete and I’m blinded by my tears. Who am I? Soo was so scared… and I liked it? I wanted more of it. I wanted her to feel the fear Y/N felt. The pain she feels. Y/N would never want that for anyone. I almost caused her more pain. For what? To satiate my own need? 

“What kind of man am I?” I asked no one in particular as I felt the rage ebbing into whispers, staring at my hands, one already developing bruises from how hard I punched the wall, the other aching from how tight my grip was on Soo’s shirt. An image flashed of when Y/N went limp in my arms, her screams louder than the last time. My shoulders shook with the sobs that left me then. 

I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder as I heard Minho speaking softly, “You are the type of man that would do anything for the woman he loves. You’re the type that takes her pain as your own.”

I turned to Minho and said, “Hyung, I don’t know what to do. I can’t take it away.” my tears started running down my face. All I heard was Minho saying, ‘I got you’ and I let go collapsing on him. 

Minho said right into my ear, “You are a loving, caring person, Changbin. You trusted a person with your own heart and they destroyed it. It’s natural to want blood, Bin. You just proved to yourself that love is more important than revenge. You, Seo Changbin, are the type of man that is rarest of all.” I continued to cry as I held onto Minho, “You are unapologetically you. You live with your heart on your sleeve and you give without asking for anything.” “I can hear it all… Every time I hear her screams, I feel her go limp in my arms, I see the blood,” I gulped in the air, “I wa-want to make it better, Hyung. Why can’t I take it from her?” I asked.

I felt Minho quivering as he sniffled himself, “No one can, I’m sorry Changbin-ah.” I knew that answer. Logically I knew it. “But what you can do..” I looked at him, “You can show her, that loving a person is unconditional. It is as simple as breathing. You show her, that no matter what she can or can’t give you, you’ll be there. Not because you have to, but because you want to.”

I nodded as I tried to stop the tears with Minho saying periodically, “Take your time… Breathe, you’re okay. You’re good.” I was mumbling to myself how I couldn’t believe I thought what I thought and he responded with, “Don’t go there. I’m proud of you for stopping and thinking. That’s what matters.”I wasn’t sure how much time had passed as I heard Minho say, “Let me see your hand.”

I showed it to him. I could see the black and blue forming on my knuckles. When he asked me to make a fist, it was a little painful but not that bad. He smiled as he said “Good news, nothing looks broken… the bad news is there is no way you’re going to be able to hide it from Y/N. So what’s the plan Changbin, any ideas?” His eyebrows went up in question. 

“I’m not going to lie to her, Minho. I can’t.” I said plainly. She is already so fragile and lying wouldn’t help that. I also can’t tell her that I lost it and almost hurt Soo. Given, I was mad, but still. I don’t know. 

His eyebrows furrowed as he smirked, “You know sometimes you’re a little too chilverous.” I just grinned as he continued, “Alright I guess I’ll have to explain it… As far as I’m concerned you slammed your hand in the car door when you were trying to get back here. Sound good?” I nod. 

I heard Minho’s phone go off and I saw Lix’s face on the screen, “one guess” he giggles. He picked it up and put it on speaker.

“MinMin where’s my Binnie?” I heard Y/N loud and clear through the phone. She sounds a little better, I could hear the tease in it. “We were just wrapping up here Beautiful, everything okay?” He asked, smiling at me. 

“Yeah, just Inn-ah trying to eat the last brownie I’m saving for Binnie.” She giggled. My heart swelled. She was saving it for me? I haven’t had one of those in… almost a year now that I think about it.

I heard Inn-ah in the background, “Just a nibble, Y/N?” 

She giggled as she said, “Binnie hasn’t had one in a while Innie, and you live with the guy that makes them.” She laughed. She’s thinking about me? After all of this. She’s focused on me?? I think Minho could see the confusion as he looked at me.

I giggled as I said, “What about the bag of snacks we brought for the boys Seungmin?” I heard Seungmin’s voice loud and clear, “They picked it clean, vultures… I’m surprised the bag’s still there.” I heard Y/N laugh slightly louder. It melted me to my core as I laughed.

I heard Hyunjin say, “Says the one who had a whole pan of brownie to himself. I don’t mind eating clean but had I known I would’ve fought you for that pan, Seungmin.” I could see Hyunjin’s face in my head glaring at Seungmin. 

I laughed as I said, “OK Angel we are on our way. Sorry, it took so long.” I smirked at the phone, I couldn’t wait to see her. I always get this swell in my heart that spreads to all of me when I see her. 

“It’s okay. As long as you’re coming back that’s all I care about.” She giggled. Minho hung up and said, “What happened in this room, stays in this room.” I think he could tell that I was embarrassed about my breakdown. I’m used to being the person that people go to for support. I am rarely the one to need the support. This was Minho’s way of saying my breakdown stays with him. I patted him on the back, silently thanking him. 

When we walked out into the hallway I could see Hannie waiting by the door. Minho motioned for Hannie to come towards us. When he met us Minho whispered, “Follow my lead.” With that we walked back to the room together, Minho leading. When Minho went in he explained the hand injury away, “First thing’s first Beautiful. You’ll notice that Binnie’s hand is bruised, it was an accident, he’s fine and it’s not broken, okay?” He looked relieved as he motioned for me to come in.

When I came in I was met with a gentle smile from her. At that moment I realized something. Soo never told me why she was here. I know why she’s here. Chan was banking on me losing it, seeing her. He was banking on me getting myself arrested or at the very least kicked out so that I would be ripped away from Angel’s side. I smiled wider knowing that not only did I keep my cool, but this experience that he caused just made me want to stick closer to her. 

Every time it feels like the first time I see her. Always takes my breath away. Even in a hospital gown, chocolate remnants on her face. I smiled at her, “Hi, Angel, sorry it took a bit. You have something for me?” I asked as I went to sit in a chair. 

She looked at me with furrowed brows, “I want my Binnie cuddles,” She said as she reached out for me. How could I deny that? I saw Seungmin get up and walk to a chair, sitting down. 

I smiled at her as I nestled up to her in the hospital bed. She smiled as she handed me the last piece of brownie, “It’s the corner piece, your favorite.” 

She looked up at me and wiped a tear from my face, when did I start crying again? “Why are you crying, Binnie?” 

I answered honestly, “I’m so happy to see you giggling and seeing you save this for me. I’m just lucky to know you, let alone be a part of your life.” I dried a tear from her too as I smiled. 

She buried her face into my side as she giggled. That made everyone in the room break out in smiles. The rest of the night was passed in smiles and laughs until eventually, Y/N started yawning. I looked at her trying to fight the sleep until I guided her head to my chest again. She was sleeping before I could even notice. One by one, everyone was asleep except for me. Seeing everyone asleep. I permitted myself to pass out for the night too, and before I knew it, I was out like a light myself. 

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WANT MORE? Tell me So! Want in on the tags? Shoot me an ask and consider it done!

[thesirensims]

The Bikini Bottom Legacy

Hi Guys! Oooooo🎙️🎶🎵🎼🧜🏽‍♀️! My name is SirenSims & I have been thinking for a long while about a legacy challenge that I could create that was a bit different from the other challenges I have been seeing. So I thought about the personalities of the Spongebob Squarepants Characters, and so The Bikini Bottom Legacy was formed! There are a ton of personalities to play with in the Sims 3. So this Legacy will help you discover those and have some juicy Storylines to keep it engaging! It was hard to pick just 10 archetypes, and some of these features I’ve never used before so I’m excited to try this out! 

If you decide to do this, tag me thesirensims or bikinibottomlegacy so I can see! And feel free to let me know what you think. This is my first challenge so if there are things I could do differently/better let me know!

Important! - This Challenge is not Basegame only, if you find a way to convert it to Basegame or to the Sims 2, Please tag me! I would love to see that! Also, This Challenge is Story Driven to help it not get boring fast. So try to stick to the required storylines as needed. And please do not use the money or needs Cheats in this challenge if you can manage ( Makes it more fun IMO) <3

And without further ado, the challenge.

Generation 1 - SpongeBob Squarepants

You have a heart of gold and just want to make others happy with your Cooking! Your Family raised you to be positive, helpful & friendly (even to your detriment!). Moving into a new town you bring light, laughter, and good food. You bought a two-story tiny house for you and your feline friend (Cat with any G name you want). You made two best friends, one Grumpy and one Lazy ( Make them in CAS or find sims with those traits in town). By the time you reach level 6 or 7 seven of your Culinary Career, you feel like spreading your love by extending your family. So you adopt a kid-aged sim ( Easily Impressed & Couch Potatoe Trait required). At this point you know everyone in town & go out whenever you are invited (despite the inconvenience). You have a lot of experiences on your belt and you boast a jellyfish you caught yourself and a few different Butterfly Species you collected on days off (atleast 3 types). You end your life as a wise Chef that people can't help but love!

Traits Needed - (You can use This mod to add more traits if you want, or just choose 5. Natural cook and childish being required.) Natural Cook, Childish, Cat Person, Easily Impressed, Good, Workaholic, Neat, Lucky.

Lifetime Wish - Celebrated Five Star Chef

Career Needed - Culinary (Specifically a Dinner, not the Bistro)

Recommended Town - Any European World You like or Monte Vista.

Aesthetic Color - Yellow (Pastel, Golden, Sunshine, etc...)

Create A Sim Addons - Freckles and or Moles. Bunny or Buck Teeth (Using Sliders and Teeth CC). Blonde hair with any race of sim. Blue Eyes. Uniform for Everyday Outfit (Colored in red, white, and khaki brown). Sim's name must start with Sv or Sp (Otherwise call them a Variant of Bob or Bobbie).

Favorite Food - Burgers (Obviously LOL)

Favorite Music - Island Life

Zodiac Sign - Sagittarius

Voice Pitch - High (Male or Female)

Charity - Give up to $5,000 to charity.

Starter Money - $1,500 (After Decorating or just struggling with bare necessities)

Romance - Meet a Mermaid or Scientist and marry them.

Pet Goal - Become Best Friends with Cat.

Heir - Adopt a sims of child age.

Get up to level 4 or up to 7 in Martial arts skill.

Max the Chef Skill and Charisma Skill.

Brighten 10 Sims day.

Generation 2 - Patrick Star

You have a soft place in your heart for your parents. Especially the one that adopted you, because life was hard before you met them. You only moved out of their home after you became an adult since you were so comfy. You miss their cooking and how they accepted you for who you are. But since they passed, it's been hard to look at the walls of bright yellow memories. You move into a tiny house or apartment because you don't require a lot to live comfortably. People expect a lot from you, however, you don't have the same work ethic as your parents. You start off as a Day Spa attendant for the perks and to help others relax and have a good time. You go to clubs every weekend and get sloshed. You even have a one night-stand or three. As a hobby, you love to fish (Maybe you could do it for money one day). You just want to relax and live free. Can you survive on a reckless low-maintenance lifestyle?

Traits Needed - Couch Potatoe, Childish, Easily Impressed, Party-Animal, Slob, Absent-Minded, Heavy Sleeper or Angler.

Lifetime Wish - Master Romancer or Presenting the Perfect Private Aquarium.

Career Needed - You can either become a self-employed fisherman or Only work in Part-time Jobs (Specifically the Spa Career).

Recommended Town - Any Island or City World You Like, or Pleasant View

Aesthetic Color - Pink ( Pastel, Hot pink, Rose Gold, etc...)

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have a few Moles and maybe even a scar. Give sim Pink Hair. Sim must have a fat or thick body type due to years of eating a lot. Beach style or Beach theme party outfit for Everyday wear. Have a piercing or two and tattoos once you become a teen/adult. Sim`s name must start with Pat (Can also be a variant of Patrick or Patricia).

Favorite Food - Tri Tip Steak

Favorite Music - Beach Party

Zodiac Sign - Aquarius

Romance - Have some one-night stands.

Heir - A baby you had because of a one night. (Must have the traits - Grumpy and Artistic)

Charity - Give up to $2,500 to charity in honor of Last Gen Founder.

Catch 3 different Types of Butterflies.

Throw at least 3 Successful Parties.

Visit Parents grave once a week to mourn.

Brighten 5 sims day.

Generation 3 - Squidward Tentacles

Your Parent was definitely not strict, but they gave you so much freedom that you ended up resenting them and the rest of the town. Their lack of attentiveness caused you to fall off a slide and break your nose, as a preteen, so you had to get it fixed. However, a mishap occurred at the plastic surgeon that made your nose a little longer than normal. You had to move to the City where people are as rude and isolated as you are. One thing that you do thank your parents for is their overbearing but consistent support of your love for Painting and music. Once settled in the new City you make one friend who is so positive you don't see them very often (On Purpose!). You also make an enemy on the first day that infuriates and intrigues you at the same time. Your Dream is to be a composer for Movies, but you`ll be happy just making a living in the arts in general. You hate Butterflies and Jellyfish cause they remind you of your Parent, but you do get a pet and name it after your Parent. (Maybe you do miss them). Hopefully, a life of semi-solitude will fulfill you and help you live your dreams.

Traits Needed - Grumpy, Loner, Artistic, Dislikes Children, Hot Headed, Snob.

Lifetime Wish - Master of Arts or Rockstar

Career Need - Hit Movie Composer or Self-Employed Artist.

Recommended Town - Any City town you want or Bridgeport.

Aesthetic Color - Irish Green (Light green, Pastel, soft green hue, etc...)

Create A Sim Addons - Give Sim a longer Nose. Allow the sim to have a grunge aesthetic with brown and green colors. Sims' hair can also be colored or highlighted a shade of green. Sim can have a nose piercing and one to two tattoos.

Favorite Food - Philly Cheesesteak

Favorite Music - Classical

Zodiac Sign - Aries

Romance - Enemies to lovers (You can have a love child or get married and have a baby accidentally)

Heir - An accidental baby (Must have traits - Frugal and Mooch)

Max any instrument skill in the slowest time possible (Reach lvl 10 as an elder!)

Reach at least Lvl 6 in Cooking skill.

Join or start a band and host at least 1 SUCCESFUL performance (Getting over 100-300 Simoleans in tips)

Heckle at least 5 different sims.

Generation 4 - Eugene H. Krabs

Even though your Parent did not plan for you, you still had an okay childhood. To make up for the distant Parenting you grew an attachment to the idea of Financial stability. Your parent loved their dream more than providing for the family. You plan to never make that mistake! You are brilliant at selling things and decided to move to an island. This was a strategic move to sell more modern things to natives who live in older comfort. You have a love for food like your grandparents that caused you to sell muffins and lemonade in your childhood. Now as an adult, you are considering being either a Restauranteer or Hotel Mogul. You will use anyone for a quick buck, causing you to sell out your best childhood friend, making them a lifelong nemesis. Despite your success, you feel lonely and have love hidden in your heart that you want to share. So you adopt a girl toddler that looks nothing like you. You shower her with love and even a bit of your money (Through kicking and screaming!). At the apex of your career and wealth, you feel a hole in your heart only a warm body could fill. You meet a sim that makes you feel romantic and alive, you spend some time wooing them. And although it didn't work out, you can look back on your life and say you loved every bit of it.

Traits Needed - Born Salesman, Frugal, Mooch, Ambitious, Natural Cook, Lucky

Lifetime Wish - Swimming in Cash or Resort Empire

Career Need - Self-Employed Resort Owner, or Own The Bistro & Diner

Recommended Town - Any Island World you Like or Isla Paradiso

Aesthetic Color - Green

Create A Sim Addons - Sim has a pudge due to eating well when they made meals. Sim must dye their hair red by Young Adulthood. Sim must wear a suit with blue colors.

Favorite Food - Waffles

Favorite Music - Electronica

Zodiac Sign - Libra

Romance - Fall for someone Older ( One Life State Above Yours - Adult or Elder)

Heir - An adopted Toddler (Must have Traits - Snob & Dramatic)

Mooch over 100 Simoleans from one sim.

Reach Cooking lvl 10.

Only shop with Coupons.

Never buy anything over 300 Simoleans.

Generation 5 - Pearl Krabs

You loved your childhood and your Single parent. You love the life that you were afforded and you have no desire to give it up. You are a bit of a brat, but that's only because you're a star (Obviously). You plan to make it big in the movies and keep up the family legacy by keeping up the money. So of course you move back to the city of dreams your grandparents used to live in. However, that might be hard considering your eclectic taste in decore and cars. Hopefully, a high-paying profession will make up for your purchases. Despite your Big Features, you`re attractive to most sims around, and you take advantage of this by starting an affair with a wealthy celeb. Hey don't judge, we only mess with sims that impress us. Maybe we will settle down with that same sim one day, or maybe another (😉). During your 7th year as an actress (Level 7), you remember your Parent and what they did for you. So in a moment of passion, you adopted a smart kid and funded their dreams the way your Parent did for you.

Traits Needed - Snob, Dramatic, Schmoozer, Star Quality, Irresistible, Great Kisser

Lifetime Wish - Lifestyle of The Rich & Famous or Superstar Actor

Career Need - Actor or Socialite (Find Socialite Career Here)

Recommended Town - Any City World you Like or Anne Arbor

Aesthetic Color - Hot Pink

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have Blonde hair despite race. Sim must have some big features and a shapely body type. Must wear Girly pink dresses. Sim must have blue eyes and bangs.

Favorite Food - Lobster Thermidor

Favorite Music - Pop

Zodiac Sign - Leo

Romance - Have an Affair with Married Celebrity. Marry a Celebrity (It can be the one you had an affair with if you like)

Heir - Adopt a child sim. (Must have Traits - Genius & Computer Whiz)

Befriend at least 4 Celebrity sims.

Have one Scandal.

Dance on table at the Club at least once.

Generation 6 - Sandy Cheeks

You love your Mother for how she supported your dreams. It gave you a leg up in school and allowed you to have some fun while studying in University, You have a logical yet fun spirit that leads you to make the world better using science. You have the spirit of your great-greatx2 grandparent. This pushes you to help others and make advances to make others' lives easier. You have a love of your body that was shared with your mom. However, you take to a different place by learning Martial arts. You gain a high level in that skill during a trip to China. China is where you also find the love of your life (another martial artist) and bring them home with you after a small wedding ceremony in their community. As you advance in your Career as a scientist, you feel further fulfilled by teaching sims martial arts on the side. You cap off your life (aka level 7 of the science career) by making your own offspring. You have a plant-sim baby. This decision will change the lives of others down the line. Was this unnatural child a mistake?

Traits Needed - Handy, Eccentric, Disciplined, Genius, Computer Whiz, Green Thumb

Lifetime Wish - Scientific Specialist or Martial Arts Master

Career Need - Science

Recommended Town - Any Town World or Riverview

Aesthetic Color - Lilac

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have light brown hair. Light brown eyes. Sim should have buck teeth (which can be simulated using sliders and bunny teeth cc). Sim if a woman must be slim thicc (Small waist, medium boobs, big butt). Sim can wear glasses if you want to show their intelligence that way.

Favorite Food - Grilled Cheese

Favorite Music - Geek Rock

Zodiac Sign - Virgo

Romance - A martial artist from China ( Have a whirlwind romance that ends in marriage before the trip ends).

Heir - Plant-Sim (Must have traits - Evil & Bot Fan)

Max the science skill.

Make your Imaginary friend real.

Have a collection of animals. (Turtles, and other small pets)

Max the Martial Arts Skill.

Max the Yoga & Meditation Skill (Here is the Yoga Mod)

Generation 7 - Sheldon J. Plankton

You lived in a level of solitude, as your hero parents were not into your brand of social interaction (Klepto and Mean Spirited behavior). Even though you were pretty smart, you still felt the need to take things that weren`t yours. Despite all of this, you somehow managed to be a scientific prodigy like your mom. You had a childhood friend that you had a bad betrayal from, and that sim became your nemesis for life. This betrayal made it hard for you to make friends. You decided to go to University online to hone your skills. After you graduate, you leave home and find a new job to reinvent yourself. So you join the Criminal career so you can become The Emperor of Evil. There's always been an emptiness in your soul that you fill with machines so you won't be alone. In the end, you live life with a robot who loves you and start a makeshift family from that union.

Traits Needed - Kleptomaniac, Evil, Computer Whiz, Eccentric, Bot Fan

Lifetime Wish - Emperor of Evil or More Than A Machine

Career Need - Criminal

Recommended Town -Any Country Town or Lunar Lakes ( You do not have to move for this gen)

Aesthetic Color - Green

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must keep a lean or skinny physique. You can use plant-sim skin and detail replacements. This sim can wear glasses if you like. Sim can wear shades of grey with either a suit or overalls (You decide their aesthetic)

Favorite Food - Hamburger

Favorite Music - Digitunes

Zodiac Sign - Cancer

Romance - Fall in Love with the Sim Bot you plan to make Sentient. ( Call simbot Karen)

Heir - Baby you had with Karen. (Must have Traits - Neurotic & Handy)

Steal candy from a baby.

Burn down a home.

Steal from at least 2 Homes.

Build the Perfect Simbot.

Generation 8 - Mrs. Puff

Growing up with an Evil parent and a stressed robotic mom didn't help the anxiety you were born with. You always had the uncomfortable feeling that something was going wrong. You helped yourself destress with food, which made you gain a plumb physique. To help you pass the time you gained an obsession with cars. Your evil parent was a mechanical genius and you learned to drive at a young age. You even knew how to fix vehicles as well. However, above all else, you have a knack for home decor and design. you became used to homes as you stayed inside often as a kid to avoid danger. It was your dream to become an interior designer. You find love unexpectedly with a younger wealthy sim. You have a love child by that sim. That boy was born brave and took care of you until you found inner strength.

Traits Needed - Neurotic, Unstable, Hopeless Romantic, Vehicle Enthusiastic, Handy, Frugal.

Lifetime Wish - Home Design Hotshot

Career Need - Interior Designer

Recommended Town - Any Comfy World You Like or Strawberry Acres (you do not have to move for this gen)

Aesthetic Color - Aqua

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have a bigger body type (Not fit). Sim must have Platinum blonde Hair despite race. Sim must have Hazel eyes. Sim can wear an academia-style outfit with red blue and white color patterns.

Favorite Food - Cobbler

Favorite Music - Soul

Zodiac Sign - Capricorn

Romance - Get into a Relationship with a Wealthy Sim (Get pregnant from this relationship)

Heir - Baby Boy (Must have Traits - Brave & Loves to Swim)

Max the Handiness Skill.

Freak out on at least 2 Sims.

Build one Car.

Own 3 Cars apart from the one you built.

Make all appliances in your home unbreakable.

Generation 9 - Larry The Lobster

You didn't have much of a childhood, since you spent most of your time protecting your worrying Mother. You were a nice kid who never made friends until you were a young adult. You are all about helping people with their fitness and helping them have safe fun at the beach. So your best path was becoming a lifeguard. One day you get abducted by an alien (Do you become pregnant? Do you keep it?). This experience causes you to take life more seriously and makes you want to protect people even more. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Alternate Option; Instead of Alien pregnancy and a possible love story. You can find love with a mermaid sim.

Traits Needed - Athletic, Brave, Loves to Swim, Daredevil, Charisma, Good

Lifetime Wish - Perfect Mind/ Perfect Body or Seaside Savior

Career Need - Lifeguard

Recommended Town - Any Beach / Island World or Sunlit Tides

Aesthetic Color - Red

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must have Red hair and Green eyes. Sim must have an athletic build. Sim can have freckles. Sim can have a Scar or two. Sim must have Beach type of Attire for every day wear (For males an open shirt, for girls a crocheted top)

Favorite Food - Stu Surprise

Favorite Music - Hip Hop

Zodiac Sign - Scorpio

Romance - Fall in love with Alien or Mer Sim. (Have a half-alien or mermaid sim baby)

Heir - A Female Occult Sim (Preferably a mermaid, but it can be alien too). (Must have Traits - Adventurous and Shy)

Save at least 10 Sims (5 if you're trying to speed up the Challenge)

Break up with 2 Sims before Settling Down.

Host 3 Epic Parties. (Can be any type of Party)

Generation 10 - Princess Mindy

You grew up in a warm and loving home with a great father who believed in you and protected you. He emboldened you to follow your dreams. Now you want to travel the world and document it with your trusty camera. You have always loved taking pictures and having new experiences, even though you are shy. You want to break out of your shell and become a brave explorer. You are also a good person who always gains bravery from being able to help people. Maybe you will find love during your adventures. And if not who cares!! You`re In love with The Journey Anyway!

Traits Needed - Adventurous, Lucky, Photographer`s Eye, Shy, Good

Lifetime Wish - Seasoned Traveler or Grand Explorer

Career Need - Self Employed Photographer or Monarch (Find Monarch Career Mod Here)

Recommended Town - Any World you Like or Sunset Valley

Aesthetic Color - Turquoise

Create A Sim Addons - Sim must wear glasses. Sim must have Short Black hair. Sim can wear a girly top and a long jeans skirt.

Favorite Food - Kelp

Favorite Music - Island Life

Zodiac Sign - Pisces

Romance - Do whatever feels right to Finish your story!

Max the Photography Skill.

Collect 3 Butterflies (2 must be RARE)

Befriend 1 rich Sim.

Reach at least to lvl 6 or 7 of Model Skill.

[thegreatyin]

Your posts about Fallen London are slowly tempting me into playing it- do you have any tips to start or is it best to play it completely blind?

i have a few tips and tricks! mind you im far from a veteran and i basically got my hand held by tumblr for most of the game so take everything with a grain of salt. you can and should do whatever you want always. i don't personally play it blind, but you may get more enjoyment out of it if you do, and that's awesome and im super happy for you. this is what i can say from experience:

take your time with it. this is like. the numero uno fallen london tip. it's not a game where you rush to the end in a week. it's a game where you do 10-minute-intervals of a marathon to the end in maybe a few months if you know what you're doing. spending money on action refills usually isn't worth it when you can just mosey on through neathly life one storylet at a time. a vast majority of the game's content is completely free to everyone, and while the monthly subscription options are pretty neat and let you play some exclusive story stuff (that can be pretty fire- cricket anyone basically defined the scoundrel's entire character) none of it is required and 99% of the time you aren't missing out on anything by just taking your time and exploring the neath at your own pace.

you need to raise all of your skills eventually! this is, uh. something im horribly guilty of not following myself. you can (and probably should) pick at least two stats to focus on for your character (most of the time these will be your main ambition stats, aka the closest thing FL has to a main story questline) but eventually you Will be expected to have them all at around the 100 range, minimum. for certain Super Late-game Story Content, watchful 200 is mandatory to start it, so if you have trouble choosing i'd recommend leveling that bad boy first. don't neglect your other stats though!!! don't be like me. don't be like my poor poor neglected shadowy and dangerous. it's too late for me. save yourself.

friends are fun and free and you are legally mandated to exploit them for fun and profit. okay you really aren't mandated to exploit your FL friends list but you totally should anyway just for goofy sillies. to be less jokey about it, while fallen london is primarily a single-player gaming experience, the playerbase is super friendly and super open to helping each other out (especially new players!). go on reddit, ask around on tumblr, get yourself a few buddies and use them as resources to gain items and stats and menace reduction i mean. valued companions that im sure you will treasure forever and definitely not backstab to publish that inflammatory newspaper article you've been cooking up.

on a very loosely similar note, the fallen london wiki is your best friend. yes, we're following stardew rules with this one. this is the kind of game best optimally played with a wiki article or three open in the neighboring tabs so you can follow along and know what is what. there's tons of guides on basically every part of FL, and it's no shame at all to reach out to either it or the wider community if you get stuck or feel lost at something.

if an in-game storylet has bold text, it will never lie to you! except for when it does. but that's very very very rare. you can always trust the bold text. it is always your friend. i prommy. which brings us neatly into our next bulletpoint,

seeking the name is ill-advised because it's the only storyline that can permanently brick your account at its conclusion. don't worry, the ease at which you can avoid this is practically comical, and the game will Always give you multiple chances to opt-out if you somehow accidentally start it anyway. most people make a dedicated alt character entirely for the purpose of sacrificing them to the well of doom. unless you're playing with your eyes closed for multiple months straight, you'll never run into SMEN without deliberately chasing it, and if you somehow get to that point honestly man just ignore this entire bulletpoint and see how far the rabbithole goes. go on. it's friendly :)

batfucking is always the right answer to any problem ever

echoes/the game's standard currency should always be thought of as a method of gaining items rather than a strict hoard of video game dollars. money-making can be super difficult in the earlygame, but it gets exponentially easier as you go further on. you shouldn't be afraid to sell anything you don't need, though personally i'd recommend keeping an "insurance stock" of the most basic items just in case. this includes rostygold, moon-pearls, honey droplets, etc. by-and-large, these are the easiest items to get in a pinch, and it usually isn't worth buying them from the bazaar when you can otherwise get them naturally through other methods around london. once you've got a good lodgings setup and feel decently familiar with the earlygame zones and their options, you should aim to have at minimum 1,000 of these bad boys on hand at any given time, then feel free to sell any excess you make for some quick cash in a pinch.

menaces aren't as bad as you may think, but be wary of specifically suspicion! the four main menace qualities you'll encounter in the earlygame are nightmares, wounds, scandal, and suspicion. when one of these menace stacks reach 8, you'll automatically be trapped in a unique location corresponding to whatever menace you raised too high and will have to spend time working your way out. some (nightmares and wounds) tend to fly-by rather quickly, while others (scandal and suspicion) tend to take a bit longer to get out of. none of these mean the end of your playthrough or your character, and some quests even require you to visit certain menace-exclusive locations! there are tons of items and ways to reduce menaces and keep yourself out of Situations such as these, but suspicion in particular is probably the only menace you should avoid maxing At All Costs. when your suspicion gets too high and you get sent to its special menace zone too often, you build up a criminal record that makes it harder to reduce suspicion in the future. fortunately, suspicion is the only menace with this gimmick, and before this record gets too high it's just as easy to keep row as the rest of the lot. TLDR, death from wounds is easy to escape from, but avoiding the strongarm of the law is substantially more annoying and inconvenient.

or you could be like tumblr user @with-bells-upon, who's apparently avoided death at all costs and apparently hasn't died once in the entire several months they've been playing. i don't even know how they've gotten this far without doing that. it's kind of impressive, kind of funny. especially since their ambition is one the few requiring you to die to proceed. this isn't a piece of advice i just wanted to affectionately call them out because what the heck

speaking of ambitions, pick the ambition that's right for you! ambitions are the biggest overarching questline in the game, and their requirements and rewards span the entire neath and occasionally even beyond. all four ambitions are meant to be started early and last well into the mid and late game. outside of a certain special situation regarding the light fingers ambition (the only ambition that explicitly lies to you in-game when describing its premise) you can't change your ambition without spending money, so choose carefully and choose well. they're all (mostly) equally rewarding and equally fulfilling adventures that will define your player character and your journey through the neath. there's tons of advice and spoiler-free summaries of each ambition online, so i won't cover it all here. just do your research (or don't, if you prefer) and follow your heart. maybe playing the world's most high-stake poker game ever speaks to you. maybe you want to commit a murder. maybe you want to commit a murder in the name of justice and/or revenge. maybe you just want a really really big really really shiny rock. all can be found in the neath, and all shall (eventually) be well.

if you buy 400 lucky weasels you get a special achievement. i don't need to say more.

make up a guy. this is another legal mandate if you're a fallen london player. you have to make up your own little sicko victorian london guy and roleplay them while you play. trust me. it's fun. it's free. they're going to haunt you forever. the scoundrel got a nickname like 4 months ago and ever since my mind has never known peace.

and probably most important of all, fallen london might not be the game for you, and that's okay. it includes a lot of reading. and grinding. and i do mean a lot of reading and grinding. particularly the latter, which tends to throw people off the most out of anything. it's a very niche game for a very niche audience and getting into it can be an acquired taste at the best of times. but when you do get into it, it's some Really good writing and Really in-depth worldbuilding and the most fun you'll ever have imagining sicko victorian guys running around building train stations and railway tracks directly to hell. take your time, have fun, and most important of all, always look to love.

anyway yeah that's my fallen london tips and tricks list isn't it really short and comprehendible

[theresattrpgforthat]

Ooh right — what would you recommend for roleplaying life in the Silo, from the Silo Saga by Hugh Howey?

Theme: Silo Saga

Hello friend! So I looked up Silo Saga thanks to your request, and I appreciate the further details that you provided me. I started looking for games with underground themes, and then went back and broadened my search for games in cramped spaces.

So with that premise, let's see what we have that hits the mark, or gets close to it at least.

Worlds of Legacy: Generation Ship, by UFO Press.

You’re trapped inside the heart of a decaying generation ship drifting between the stars. How will you survive and find a new home?

Your families woke up from cryostasis halfway through a thousand year journey. Now you must find a way to live on a ship that wasn’t intended to support long-term habitation, keep it running, and try to make sure future generations reach the promised land at the end of your journey.

You’ll need the core rulebook of Legacy: Life Among the Ruins in order to play this game, but it definitely fits the bill. Each player controls a Family with a specific role on the ship, as well as a character who has a unique narrative role within that family. Legacy games like to zoom out and look at long-term changes, so you are likely going to watch your families change according to the needs of the ship as time passes - and who knows, you might even get to your final destination as part of your end-game.

Depths Below, by Josh Domanski.

The surface of the Earth is barren. Left uninhabitable by countless environmental disasters. What remains of humanity has moved into underwater cities, the last of which is known as Terminus. 

Take the role of humanity's last hope, doing what's necessary to survive while the elite cower in wait for the inevitable end.  Depths Below is a complete RPG by Josh Domanski. It uses and expands upon the rules and systems developed for 24XX by Jason Tocci.

I think there are some ties to Silo that you might be able to see in Depths Below, even if the setting is a little bit different. The underwater city of Terminus is just as fraught and dystopian as the underground Silo, with political factions and plenty of hierarchies. The world above the waves is much more a mystery than it is in Silo, and there’s not much in the game that encourages you to seek out the surface - which means you are well and truly trapped.

When it comes to how to play the game, you’ll want a number of different polyhedral dice, as the size of the dice rolled depends on your skill level. Rolling a 5 or higher is a success, and you can use your gear to mitigate harm or give you the ability to do something. The actual rules of play only fill about one page of this game, but there’s an extra 12 pages of lore, character options, beasts to fight, and roll tables for the GM!

Underground, by emmy.

UNDERGROUND is an 8 page gm-less tabletop roleplaying game, where you take on the roles of post-apocalyptic factions living within the remnants of a metro system.

The details of the Cataclysm that brought you down here are long forgotten. You now have the chance to forge your own world.

Underground has a similar premise to the Silo saga in that you are groups of people living underground, in a post-apocalypse. However, the apocalypse looks much more recent, and as the players are all representing different factions, I’m not sure if there’s the same sort of hierarchical structure as seen with the different factions of the Silo - it might be if everyone agrees to represent it that way!

The biggest difference is the structure of these underground settlements - they’re not purposefully built to house people, they’re the old metro system that just happened to be there. You use d6’s to help construct the metro map, including spaces that may have not been fully explored yet. The biggest draw of this game is the exploration, so if you want to spend some time just building your own (altered) version of an underground dystopia, this might be the game for you.

Apocalypse World, by Meguey & Vincent Baker.

Something's wrong with the world and I don't know what it is. It used to be better, of course it did. In the golden age of legend, when there was enough to eat and enough hope, when there was one nation under god and people could lift their eyes and see beyond the horizon, beyond the day. Children were born happy and grew up rich.

Now that's not what we've got. Now we've got this. One of the classic post-apocalyptic games in the scene, Apocalypse World might be able to give you what you’re looking for, if you’re willing to establish some serious world-building. This game has been played in all sorts of apocalypses, and the truths of each one is dependant on what the game group is looking for, as well as which playbooks you choose to use.

Pick up a Hardholder or Brainer if you want someone who knows all too much and is trying to hide that information or control it. Play an Angel if you want to be needed. Play a savvyhead if you want to know how things work, and pick up a Hocus if you want to lead a faction of this settlement to a rebellion. You might want to cut out Choppers and Drivers though - underground, there’s not as much room for engines or gangs of roving bikers.

Neon Black, by NotWriting.

Neon Black is a role-playing game about a community of poor people fighting back against tyrannical corporations and the indifference of the rich, as well as surviving in a dystopian city state. It’s like real life, but in this world you can kill the CEO’s, rob banks to pay rent, and help your friends do the same. You'll help your community, go on dangerous heists, explore artificial realities, and encounter friendly and nefarious machines. We play to find out if the community can survive amidst warring corporations, an unforgiving climate, and the negligence of the extravagantly wealthy.

When putting together your crew in Neon Black, you need to decide which community you live in, and both the 55 (an apartment complex) and the Chariot (an abandoned space station) are possible candidates for communities with no other place to go. The biggest theme that resonates is the mega-corporations that have put you there in the first place.

Neon Black is a Forged in the Dark game, and it’s exceptionally good for playing a long-term faction game. There will be plenty of groups with interests that align or oppose yours, and you’ll be doing missions to help the people you care about while trying to take down those who don’t care about you. The biggest difference between this game and the Silo setting is the introduction of cyberware. Setting up the game is a bit of work, but I think it has legs!

For Similar Vibes…

White Sands, by Critical kit, has a dystopian feeling and the desire for rebellion, but on an Earth where clean air now has a price tag.

Lost Eons, by David Blandy, is for folks who want to explore the world after they breach their underground Havens, a world completely mutated and changed into a solar punk, sci-fantasy future.

2XXX: Promised Land, by Quasinfinity Games, looks like it starts on a spaceship, and with the horror undertones it presents, I'm skeptical about your cultists ever reaching the planet they're headed for.

My Post-Apocalyptic Community Rec List (has some overlap).

[somejazzinthemorning]

tightrope. 06

Pairing: Carlos Sainz x Original Female Character Warnings: Language Word Count: ~8.1K Previous chapter: 05.

Again, the path to the airport was waiting for me. Bags packed at my feet and with them the unsettling feeling of not knowing what was reserved ahead. Seven days were the minimum we had agreed on. Ana had called me twice after dinner to make sure I was going and at the end of the second call, I was won over by her good persuasion tactics and handed her the victory. Hours later, she texted me the ticket.

I didn’t know what to expect. To be fair, I didn’t remember the last time I spent more than a couple of hours with the Sainzes. Time made the memories of summer and winter vacations vague, only smears of memories habiting in my mind — and the ones that remained more solid had a boy with big hazel eyes as the main character and nothing much more important happening in the background.

They were waiting for us at the airport in a disorganized semi-circle near the entrance. Carlos didn’t seem to be paying attention to the conversation his sisters and their boyfriends were engaged in. Rio pointed at them, not noticing my attention was already drawn to the small group standing ahead of us. My brother waved at Carlos and he waved back.

A black backpack rested on his back, which was covered by a white t-shirt. His hair was pulled back, being held by his sunglasses, keeping it from sliding over his forehead. I rested my gaze on his face and allowed myself a second to observe him. Everything about him reminded me of the last time we'd travelled together, especially his tired eyes, sunken in their sockets, beneath which were dim shadows.

The hollow sound of my footsteps and the ruck of the wheels on my suitcase filled my mind as I asked myself one single question — what am I getting myself into?

One week (or more if work allowed) with him and our friends. That was the premise. I kept repeating it in my mind. Just one week. See the sun rise from under the Mediterranean Sea and watch it set over the beach. Late nights in clubs and lazy lunches by the pool. Long dinners in the yacht, under the golden hue of the sunset.

Somewhat of a dream, but one where we would have to share ourselves with each other again. And I was afraid of the feelings it could spark. I had just told him I didn't trust him enough to be his friend, knowing damn well I wanted him on a deeper level than that.

The first thing that crossed my mind was that I shouldn’t be here, but my body, acting on a will of its own, started walking in his direction. He had his eyes on me but didn’t say or do anything until I reached the semi-circle.

“You came,” he said, not too loud, when I approached them. The rest of the group only became aware of our presence after Carlos’ intervention.

“I told you she was going to come, no?” Rio came forward and greeted Carlos with one of their handshakes and a fast hug. Marjorie kissed his cheek and Carlos politely asked her about our drive to the airport and mocked my brother for making Marjorie carry her bags. She didn’t let Carlos take them.

Trying to escape him, I walked over to Ana. She led the way to the boarding gate, making me accompany her while she told me about work and about a book I had recommended to her a couple of months ago. At each stage of the journey, the group met. The topics of conversation were diverse: football, movies, a new series that Marjorie had just started watching and was desperate to talk about – anything but the Formula 1 season that had just come to its halfway point and hadn't been very kind to Carlos. No one seemed to want to address the last race before the break, which had gone much worse than mine. Hungary had been bad. Austria had been much worse.

I couldn’t take the images of the flames and the heart-grutching radio from my mind. No matter what had happened since then.

“You need to see what we did with the place,” Blanca said when she caught up to me on our way to the boarding gate. “When was the last time you went there?”

“2020?” I was not totally sure. My memories seemed lost in time. “Perhaps 2019?”

Despite being a Monday in August, the airport was not too crowded. It was just after 10 am when we arrived at the boarding gate. Only a handful of people were standing in line to get on the plane. And everything felt normal. A group of old friends travelling. Nothing out of the ordinary.

“You’re too tense,” Ana commented, interrupting Blanca that was filling me up on a few changes they had done in their Mallorca house during the pandemic when they spent long periods there since it was hard (and not so safe) travel to other places. “Is it us or do you still hate flying?”

I knew that by “us” she meant Carlos. Things had gotten weird after our last talk at my mom’s party. It seemed like both of us changed from water to wine in minutes. Cold looks, an awkwardness every time we were forced to be together with the rest of the group. Perhaps that was what I was afraid of—not being able to simply be close, like a friend, without feeling all my feelings in the depths of my skin, turning it into goosebumps every time he looked at me. I looked back for a second, trying to get a glimpse of the group that was following us.

“Both, I think.”

Ana was the one with whom I had a stronger friendship. Blanca was a few years older than us; she had different interests and friends of her own, so it was only natural that I spent more time with Ana, especially growing up.

From the two families and friends, I believe she was the only one to understand how much I liked Carlos. Ana didn’t care when I visited her at their house and got distracted looking out the window to see Carlos playing football in the garden. She also never said anything about how I used to get completely jumbled up my words whenever he banged on her door to ask for small favours or to just mess with her.

She watched me slowly fall in love with her brother and then she watched us drift apart.

“He’s still the same, you know?” Ana got closer to me, taking advantage of the fact that Blanca stayed behind to wait for the rest of the group. “Maybe just got a bit more handsome now.”

I chuckled at her words and there was no time to answer as the group was fast to catch up to us. Carlos, who was leading the way, was the first to complain.

“You two are in a hurry.”

“A week into summer break and you have already lost your speed?” Ana replied, making the group react with a short laugh.

“Vacaciones son vacaciones,” he mumbled as he put an arm around her shoulders and dragged Ana with him. “Stop rushing. We have time to spare.”

“I wouldn’t need to rush if you didn’t—”

Carlos planted his hand over her sister’s hand, laughing at her. “We were the first to arrive here.”

“We have two babies!” Marjorie screamed from behind. “We have an excuse to be late.”

As we approached the boarding gate, my heart started to race. The plane was awaiting us at the other side of the bridge—I could see it through the window. I made my way over in silence, with a nervous smile on my face and ignored the anxiety making my head full of terrible thoughts and childish fears. The moment I stepped on the plane, I felt a rush taking over my heart. No matter how many times I’d flown before, every time was the same.

“Where are you sitting?” Carlos asked me, looking back as we crossed the hallway.

I checked the ticket on my phone and then looked at the numbers. Fifth row, middle seat. Awful. I mentally cursed Ana for booking that terrible seat for me.

“Right there," I said, pointing my head to the seats. “In the middle.”

“Do you prefer the window?”

“Where are you sitting?” I asked. He pointed with his head to the same row. Ana, behind Carlos, was grinning. Fair, I thought. She didn’t have to know about how… weird things were between us. Neither I wanted her to know. At his request, I handed him my luggage, which he stored next to his.

“You’re nervous, aren’t you?” I think his smile made the anxiety worse to bear.

I lowered myself into the window seat, shaking my head. “Of course not.”

“Good,” Carlos sat next to me. His arm rested on the armrest between us. “Close your eyes, then. Try to sleep.”

He put on one of his AirPods. It didn’t take long until Rio called for his name and he turned his back to me to answer my brother, sitting across from us. I looked outside the window. The moments until the take-off were torturous, but happily, Carlos was too distracted to notice my distress. To my surprise, the take-off was fairly smooth. As always, I tried to not look outside and failed miserably. I took a deep breath, looked ahead at the tops of the heads peaking out of the seats and just like that we were smooth sailing between the clouds. I closed my eyes. I could use a few minutes of sleep.

My heart thumped as the pilot’s voice crackled in the speakers and the plane shook slightly, and then a little more violently. I opened my eyes, my head hurting from being awakened that way, my pulse quickening and blood rushing in my ears. My hand rushed to the seat belt. It was tightened.

“Now you’re nervous, I imagine,” Carlos’ lips curled in a tiny smile and I rolled my eyes in response.

I grasped the armrest for dear life. My other palm pressed into my thighs. In my mind, a TikTok video about jello and planes was looping. It won’t fall. I kept reminding myself of that. Carlos’ fingertips brushed the back of my hand and he retracted them almost immediately. My breath caught. My heart clenched. Not particularly because of the turbulence.

“Maybe a little,” I didn’t take his hand but didn’t move mine, either. I looked down, at his fingers hovering above my hand. Then, I looked up. “Are you?”

Carlos shook his head; from the way he was forcing a line with his lips, I could tell he was making an effort to not snort at my question. “It will be okay,” he tried to reassure. “And I’m right here, in case you need me.”

I just nodded. My eyes were closed and my head was turned toward the window. I had experienced worse, but each time it was a little living nightmare. I heard a little laugh coming from the man seated at my side.

“Don’t laugh at me, Sainz,” I snapped at him, turning to him. He had his sunglasses on his head and he was not using his AirPods anymore.

“I won’t. It’s just— how many times have you—” I interrupted him by flipping him off. “I’ll stop. Are you okay?”

I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. Carlos laid his hand on top of my arm and brushed his thumb on my skin, so slowly that I had to look down for a second to be sure it was real. Once again, I nodded.

“It’s just that I hate these flying cages,” he let out a little laugh, again. I couldn’t hold mine.

“You are a racing driver, Eva,” there was a stupid smile on his face.

“Last time I checked, I don’t race aircraft ten thousand meters in the air.”

“But you can crash and get hurt…”

“My point prevails.” His smile kept growing, and at the same time, my grip on the armrest got looser. “Even if I crash, I won’t be crashing from this altitude.”

He shook his head, a big smile on his lips. From the pocket of his t-shirt, he took out his AirPods and handed me one. Then, he took his phone out of the pocket of his shorts.

“Sinatra?” I asked after he pressed play on the music. He nodded, as he relaxed his back and laid his head on the headrest.

“I thought you would like to hear this,” he looked at me, head against the headrest, his hair messy on the top of his head.

“That’s Life? I could use something more reassuring.”

His chest shook with laughter, “Will you ever get less weird?”

“You’re the one picking the music,” I fought back, raising my eyebrow.

“And you are the one that made me listen to this in the first place. Now you have to put up with it.” His eyes dropped to the phone and shortly after Fly Me To The Moon started playing.

“You’re so predictable, Sainz.”

“What?” He chuckled. “It’s a great song.”

“Is it, indeed,” at this point, both of us were laughing, and I was not sure why. “Is it just so you to play it right now. That sense of humour of yours…”

“Don’t complain. It always makes you smile,” he pointed at my lips. “See?”

But as I looked into his eyes—those brown eyes that always seemed to see right through me—I started to feel like maybe there was something more to Carlos Sainz than just a silly sense of humour, a love for Sinatra and the awful amount of bad feelings. There was something else behind his eyes that made me want to trust him, even though I had no reason to do so.

He grinned at me, a lazy, satisfied smile. None of us needed to say anything, but I think he gathered something from the smile my lips formed. It was so easy when we were alone. With the music sounding in my ear, making us dwell in the same frequency, I quickly forgot the things I had said to him a few days earlier. We hadn’t spoken since that moment at the party and even if we did, I really doubted it would be of any use, as there weren’t words I could say that would resolve the confusion meddling in my head.

So much was happening. So fast.

The past and the future crashed together and scattered debris everywhere, sending me into eternal dark spirals of thought which I couldn’t seem to get rid of.

It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep and for his thumb to stop brushing my skin. I wondered about the origin of the dark sockets under his eyes, of what had taken his sleep last night. Above them, the perfect line of his lashes and the relaxed brows grabbed my attention next. An expression of tranquillity. I forced myself to look away as if it was a sin to delight in such a view.

I tried to focus on the vast white that stretched below us towards the horizon, but the weight of his hand on my arm made it impossible to focus on anything but him. I looked down, taking in the sight of his hand resting on my arm, his fingers slightly apart.

The turbulence had long since passed, but he didn’t let go.

~

The weather in Mallorca was better than in Madrid. We left the airport in two cars, windows open and music blaring on the radio. Carlos drove and Rio followed with him in front. Marjorie tried to sing along with the music on the radio, forcing a Spanish accent that despite the years she'd lived in Spain, she still hadn't perfected.

The house was in a private village on the east of the island. I had been there and the route was not totally a blur from the last visits. It was usual to visit them here, especially during the summer holidays, when Rio and I were often invited by the Sainz to come and stay for a few days, with or without our parents. In our early adult years, Reyes and Carlos Sr. chose to stay in Madrid for the first few days, letting us enjoy the island alone.

“This place looks amazing!” Marjorie exclaimed when we parked the car. There was a good view of the sea and the house itself looked like a little paradise on the Mediterranean coast.

Carlos chuckled over her unfiltered enthusiasm and gave me a small pat on the shoulder as he walked past me to get the luggage out of the trunk. I went to help him as Rio took his wife on a short visit around the outside and the rest of the group hadn’t arrived yet.

The house was even more beautiful on the inside. I really needed to step out of my own reality and I realized that place was the right choice the second I looked at the view and absorbed the peaceful atmosphere being brought inside by the big windows, the amount of natural light, the furniture and its soft earthy tones.

“Better than you remember, no?” Carlos asked, proudly, with a smile reigning on his lips. “It’s all Ana and Blanca’s work, they did everything.”

Rio came inside with Marjorie shortly after. Meanwhile, I just walked around the lower floor, recollecting the floor plan that I realized I hadn’t forgotten. When I got back to the living room, the rest of the gang was already there. Blanca and her boyfriend, Guillermo, headed upstairs.

I was then taken by Ana on an official tour of the house. The office was near the living room and had a nice view of the pool and the sea, which I knew would make my work hours a lot harder than I wanted them to be. My room was upstairs, the second door on the left.

That first day was the most peaceful of the week we spent there. We didn’t leave the house. I can’t remember much, as the memories congealed into a cluster of laughter and slow-motion visions of jumps into the sea and tanned wet bodies resting under the sun. That night, Blanca cooked for us. We ate outside, surrounded by the tall trees around the house perimeter and the darkness of the night, which stopped us with ease from caring about the reality we left on the other side of the gate. Only a few memories remained from the dinner — the contour of people’s smiles, heads thrown back amongst the laughs, the taste of the sangria and how easy it was to fall asleep that night.

On the first morning, I went for a jog. For the first time in a while, I had all the time in the world and an unknown road ahead. And it might sound a bit too poetic, but the resemblance to my own life made me clear out some ideas and make a handful of promises to myself.

The roads unrolled themselves like a map once forgotten in time. At every turn, I would find a collage composed of new and old buildings, painted on unsaturated reds and oranges, as the sun was settling in the firmament. With it being so early in the morning, I couldn’t hear much more than the birds and the sea that lazily kissed the rocks of the coast.

When I stepped inside, the house was still enveloped in deep silence. It was early, not even 8 am. A shower, a quick breakfast and a morning behind the desk. That was the plan.

There was a shelf in the office.

A few racing helmets filled the spaces between the books. I was not counting on finding much memorabilia around here, since I expected it would be stored in their Madrid house or Carlos’ apartment in Milan, but there it was. Two of them were rally helmets, belongings of Carlos Sainz Sr. The other three were Carlos’. On the bottom stood one from his Toro Rosso era, in display on top of Adrian Newey’s How to Build a Car. On the top, a scaled version of one of Carlos’ Ferrari helmets. And in the centre, like it was put there to catch my attention, one of his McLaren helmets.

The beginning of the end.

I couldn’t help but take a step towards it and take a closer look. I took it in my hands. I could see my reflection in the chrome, wondering how many memories this house could wake up in me, how many pieces of us were scattered around the place. It had happened so slowly and so gradually that, looking back, I can't find a milestone from which to draw a before and an after. Maybe those two years were that point. There was a before, where no part of me imagined there wouldn't be an after. There was a during when there was still hope. Less and less, each day, but still there. And now there is an after, which we live desperately trying to elapse three and a half years.

I just needed to keep crossing the rope, head held high. One foot after the other.

As I sat on the desk, ready to get a start on the day, the front door opened. The silence of the house made it easy to hear the steps and the hum of a melody I didn’t recognize. I looked at the door I had left open. The sound of the steps got gradually louder, until a man passed by the office. Carlos, in his black shorts. No shirt — of course, no shirt. A fitness band around his chest.

Not resisting the forces that commanded me effortlessly, I looked over to the window to find him stepping down the stones that lead to the lower area of the garden. I watched him as he took his shoes off and took the fitness band off his torso. His sweaty skin glistened under the sun, his hair was already wet and messy. At his pace, he dove into the pool.

I tried to focus on the laptop’s loading screen, but my eyes kept travelling to the man floating in the water and back to the helmets in front of me.

The day flowed with ease and even when it invited me to take a dip in the warm waters of the Mediterranean, I resisted and didn't leave the office during the day. However, every corner of that house transported me into a limbo between joy and sorrow, which I didn't want to deal with, especially not while working. I tried to ignore all connections to the past and that amounted to ignoring Carlos, even though my eyes were looking for him every moment.

Fortunately, the house was big enough that we could live in our own universes without tripping over any of the lines we had silently agreed to. Our conversation at the end of the dinner party acted like an unspoken agreement and even if he broke it on the flight, we both seemed to forget about that interaction. We went back to the people we were before Mugello — the distant strangers whose paths crossed by chance and were forced to coexist.

Though I was happy about it, knowing how much I feared what the intimacy might trigger in me, I wondered what was making him keep his distance. Was he just being respectful or did the weight of my words create a barrier that no force could break down? Did he think I hated him? Or did he see what was going on inside my mind and decided he didn’t want to take part in it?

I could swear to God those eyes and the touch of his lips were capable of ridding my mind of any shackles and protective casings. All he needed to do was ask, looking deeply into my eyes, and I would tell him my truth. The one I’m ashamed to even admit to myself. That I’ve wanted him so much, for so long, that I’m afraid to make him see it, let alone feel it.

But he seemed happy in his world, where the only things that mattered were his friends, the sea and the sun. I, on the other hand, continued to be a hostage of my own thoughts.

When I left the office later that afternoon, I found the house invaded by a bunch of people whose faces I didn’t recognize. The kitchen was full of life and laughter. Blanca was talking to two blonde girls, Marjorie and Ana were outside talking to a couple. And Carlos… well, Carlos was being his best self, entertaining the crowd. As I approached them, sitting at the table, I realized they were talking about Formula 1.

I stopped a few meters from them, not wanting to intrude, but as I tried to find a way to go back inside and try to find my brother and use him as a shield to avoid unwanted social interactions, Carlos found me in the small crowd of people. With a motion of his head, he invited me to come closer and join the group and I walked over, Carlos found me a chair and dragged it to his side. There was no choice but to sit next to him at the edge of the table and face a dozen strangers staring at us; at least one of them, blonde and tall with a particular medal around his neck, was polite enough to grab me a beer. I found Rio sitting among the guests.

“—and so, when I was about to go on track, I told the guy: ‘I’m not going to be able to do a single flying lap with this’. He just looked at me and said: ‘You’ll be surprised, my man’. So I went out and did a 1’21”. Can you believe it? A 1’21” with a fucked up gearbox!”

“The poor man couldn’t believe his eyes,” my brother joined him. “We spent two hours around that thing trying to understand what happened. Chili, my whole career was changed by that broken gearbox.”

Everyone laughed until a german accent overlapped the sound. “And what was with the gearbox?” The beer guy was German. Noted.

“Turns out the guy who drove it before was so shitty he didn’t know how to drive that car.” My brother explained. “And that gearbox? Yeah, it was fucked, but good or bad? All the same for him.”

I took a sip of the beer, my eyes directed at the other edge of the table where the German guy was now getting up from. He was a rally driver, the same age as Carlos. That was all I could gather. But he was funny, and the accent was attractive and his smile? I saw him walking up to me, the conversation flowing in the background, my brother now telling a story about Silverstone and Carlos’ win. As I put the beer down on the table and turned to my left ready to welcome The Guy, I felt a hand on my right thigh. I turned to Carlos, who slowly leaned towards me, eyes glued to something, someone, behind me.

“Real plays tonight. I forgot to tell you I invited a few people to watch the match with us.” I just nodded. He was now looking at me, his hand was weighing on my thigh. I wondered if he was waiting for me to do something. To move away, maybe.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. No problem.” And with that, he moved his hand away and leaned back on the chair.

When I turned to my left, The Guy was nowhere to be seen.

I looked around.

A few people. There were at least, twenty more people around the house, dispersed around the terrace. Half of them sitting with us at the table. Carlos paid attention to my brother for a few seconds before turning back to me again.

“You’re sure you don’t mind?”

“I don’t.” I paused and forced a smile; he frowned a bit. “Carlos. I don’t mind, really.”

“Good.” He grinned, the frown disappearing. That smile could disarm even the most trained soldier. “When I saw you getting here, I thought we disrupted your work.”

It’s not like I was able to pay any attention to it, I wanted to say.

“Nah, don’t worry. It’s all done for the day.”

Some tapas arrived from a bar nearby that Carlos had called in and the table was slowly taking shape. The small portions occupied every stop of the table, and in the small areas available, bottles of beer or wine were placed. A plate of Piquillo peppers, mozzarella and red peppers. A chip of garlic and a sliver of sheep cheese. The scent of garlic and olive oil filled the air, mixed with the aroma of grilled meat that Rodrigo prepared nearby.

When I sat down to eat, no one was already sitting in the places they were previously sitting at, although, Carlos stood in the chair by my side, back turned to me and facing his friends and the projection of the match on the wall ahead. The laughter became intense incoherent yelling, louder and the chink of silverware and the hissing of the burning wood, just some feet away.

Some of the people left the table while the game was still going on and took with them their plates and glasses of wine. The house was big, and so were the terrace and the backyard. Looking around, it felt peaceful. It was chaotic, I can’t lie, but something peaceful lay in the intense yelling and the comradery. I missed this.

Carlos’ English became non-existent. Both he and my brother screamed in Spanish, commending the tactics. I was not particularly paying attention. Not because I didn’t like football, but because I simply couldn’t make myself focus on the players when I was so aware of the man next to me, still smelling like the suncream and sea.

An Estrella Galicia appeared before me with drops of water sliding down the bottle. I turned to the man next to me, whose wet slender fingers were still around the bottle.

"You're not paying attention, are you?" Carlos said, taking the cap off the beer. Our fingers touched for a fraction of a second while I took the bottle in my hands.

“Spent way too many hours in front of a screen, today,” I had a sip. “My eyes are tired.”

“Take a day off, tomorrow,” once again, he leaned against his chair, with a second beer in his hand, from which he had a sip. “Try to enjoy the vacation.”

“It’s not properly vacation,” he scrunched his nose at my words.

“Eh, I didn’t think you would actually get some work done.”

“She’s a workaholic, Chili,” Rio said from his chair, not bothering to turn to us or even looking in our direction. “You won’t see her all week.”

I rolled my eyes. “Don’t start.”

“So, you’ll join us tomorrow?” Carlos asked. “To be beach we were discussing at lunch?”

“I don’t know. I need to check my schedule.”

He took another sip, his lips twisting in a smile. “I’ll know if you’re lying.”

“She won’t say no,” Rio said. “Not to you.”

“Don’t be so convinced,” I told them.

A hint of disorientation but me as Rio turned back to the projection, but Carlos kept looking at me. Deep hazel eyes bulged into mine until the crowd and their exaggerated reactions to the goal stole his attention.

I saw him again the next morning.

I had woken up early as usual and although I had promised myself I would take a break from work and get some rest, I didn’t want to miss my morning routine. The sun was shining in through the window, casting a warm light over the room. The sea was calm and the sun was getting high in the sky.

Stepping down the stairs, I could hear nothing but the soft brush of the waves on the rocks outside, but as I reached the bottom of the stairs and headed to the door, I found him wearing orange shorts and a white t-shirt, bent over near the open door, tying his shoes. Getting back up, he looked behind him.

“You’re up early,” he said as he straightened up and put his cap on.

“Morning run, as always,” I explained, walking towards the door. He walked outside after me, closing the door behind us.

“I see,” he nodded and then silence fell upon us. Only the waves and the sound of our footsteps on the gravel could be heard for a few seconds. “We could go together,” his voice broke the silence and stretched in the air like a question that I wished he didn’t ask.

We stopped near the gate, my mind battling the idea while he opened it up and waited for me to pass. I could feel the closeness of his body and his breath on my shoulder as I passed between him and the gate.

“I was going to do some intervals.”

“I can do intervals.” He rushed to say. I just nodded. “You can just say you don’t want my company if that—”

“No, not at all.” I interrupted him and looked at my watch to start the program.

When I looked back at him, he was already running. Slowly, at first, but then he increased the pace and I had to run to catch up with him. We ran in silence for a while, our breathing falling into sync as we ran side by side. The sound of our footsteps, our breathing and the waves were the only things keeping us company. I was trying to keep my mind blank, but it was hard.

Every time I tried to empty my thoughts and focus on the road ahead, his face would appear in my peripheral vision, or he would point at a funny-shaped cloud or a pretty rock on the sea. Before noticing, I was completely out of the route I’d previously chosen for that morning. We had left the residential area and were now running on a dirt road by the sea.

“Where are we?” I asked, slowing my pace and looking around.

“Just keep running,” he said. “How much time left?”

I looked at the watch, “Little less than 5 minutes.” He just nodded.

“It’s enough to get there,” Carlos made a gesture with his hand, asking me to catch up to him again. “Vamos, don’t make me drag you up the hill.”

Slowly, we started to move away from the sea, following a trail on a small hill. Between the trees, the remnants of blue narrowed. My watch beeped just before we reached the highest point of the mountain and Carlos refused to stop and forbade me to do so. I would have complained if the effort of climbing such a steep path hadn't taken my breath away.

“Come on,” he said, holding my hand and pulling me up the last few meters. Warm and sweaty, but firm around my fingers. I looked up at him. “We’re almost there.”

As we reached the top, the blue widened in front of us, revealing an infinite horizon. The sea and the sky melted in a single shade of blue, in a single line that drew the limit between what was above and what was below. Some benches, made of stone, stood in the middle of a small clearing. Carlos let go of my hand and sat on the bench, motioning for me to do the same. I followed his gesture and sat down, my eyes still on the view in front of us.

“I like it here,” he said, after a few minutes of silence.

“It’s lovely,” I whispered, not taking my eyes off the view. The sun was high in the sky now and the heat was starting to be felt, even with the wind.

“You should see it at sunset,” he said. “It’s even better.”

The house was just a white patch among the green at the bottom of the hill. There was a sailboat crossing the sea in front of us and some jet skis creating foam paths in the deep blue. Our accelerated breaths, the sound of birds and the whistle of the wind were our only soundtrack.

It was like the world had stopped spinning and time had frozen in that moment of utter tranquillity. His hands were resting on the bench, his left hand between us. Mine was dangerously close to his, so close I thought I could feel his warmth spreading towards me—that unexplainable pull towards him.

A sensation that I dread with the same emotion that I welcomed. Peace and tranquillity walking side by side with fear like no other. We couldn’t part ways, again. I couldn’t bare to see him walk away and lose this feeling, again. I turned my head to face him, wondering if he felt the same. The sun kissed his already-tanned face; there was a faint rosy line under his eyes and on the top of his nose. His hair curled around the brim of the cap.

“You come here often?” I had to end the silence.

He faced me. “We came here yesterday. I think you were in a meeting. Marjorie said you couldn’t come.”

“Yeah, it was a last-minute call, couldn’t postpone it. But thank you for bringing me here.”

“Just wanna make sure you’re not losing the good parts of being here.”

“Carlos—”

“I’m not in the position to tell you what to do, but you—” he cut me off. I propped my elbows on my knees and after a deep breath, I rose back up.

“Yet you do,” this time it was me who cut him off. When I looked at him, his jaw was tense, eyes locked on his hands, holding the bench. “I have to work. I can’t just decide to not work. I told you before coming here.”

“You need guidance.”

“For work?”

He frowned, shaking his head. “For racing.”

“I have Rio and my dad—”

“Your dad?” His body turned to face me, eyes piercing through mine and meeting all the weaknesses I held inside. I would crumble at his feet if I didn’t look away. “Eva, listen.”

“I don’t—”

“Eva, listen,” Carlos said firmly. “Learn to listen. Stop being like this.”

“Like what?”

“So stubborn, when all I want to do is help. I know it was wrong to turn my back on you but I care about you. Always had.” He paused. “I can’t ignore that, and I know neither can you, but… listen. I just want to do what I couldn’t do until now.”

The duality of feelings was consuming me whole. My chest burning with questions, but not looking to find the answers. My throat aching. Lungs way past the point of their capacity. I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“Can we talk like grown-ups?” Carlos turned to me, once again.

“Sure,” his gaze softened the weight on my shoulders. “Go ahead.”

“Your dad wants to sell the team.”

Inside my mind, silence.

Around us, the wind made the leaves run on the floor against the grass, composing a low-frequency melody that made nothing to make me calmer. The weight fell back on my shoulders, the knot in my throat getting thigh with all the words I wasn’t able to say.

“How do you—?”

“My dad told me,” he paused. “Your father looks at numbers and follows them. Makes you follow them. And if you need more proof, you should have been the one in F3, not Rio. I love him, but you have more talent in a fingernail than that guy in his whole body.” Amid sorrow, my lips found a way to curve in a small smile, imitating his. “You have so much pot—”

“Don’t say potential.”

“Potential,” I rolled my eyes and he chuckled between his words. “It’s sad to see you stuck in The Challenge or a reserve seat.”

“I’m not stuck.”

“Eva, come on…”

“I can go anywhere else, I have proposals.”

“Why don’t you, then?”

“Because I don’t have that mentality or experience… I’m not you, or Rio. I race because I like it and because I found joy in doing it. But lately? With all these… talks and expectations? And covid, and having my seat in FRECA revoked out of nowhere... You know this takes more than driving the car.” I paused to take a deep breath. “They keep saying I need to do more, but what if I don’t want to do more?”

“I can’t let you give up.”

Deep breath. Blink twice. Look at him, again. To the man with the ebony hair, now without his cap and with his hair being whipped by the wind. He looked at me, squinting his eyes while battling a particularly strong gust of wind. His head tilted to the side, lips parted as if a long sigh is waiting to be let out. I shook my head, weary of the subject.

"It's tiring to repeat it, Carlos," I said and the sigh he was holding was finally released. Carlos moved in his place, gathering his hands in his lap and then resting them on his thighs. “You don’t get it, do you?”

“I don’t,” he shook his head. “I look at you and I see an incredible future, as I always did. I thought we would share the track, someday. I imagined that you would follow the same steps that I took and that Rio took... I asked my dad so many times what prevented you from going to F3."

"Sponsors," I said, he nodded.

"He told me the same. But…" he shook his head again, “did they see you racing? Did they see you on the track? Or in the garage talking to any mechanic or engineer?" I shook my head. "You were raised in a garage, but in the wrong stop. You should have been in the car, not following us everywhere and watching from afar.”

“I… It was… F3 is a big deal. And after Rio decided he didn’t want to race anymore? Do you have any idea of mad my dad got? I can’t even imagine how much money he spent with Rio, for nothing… I mean, I get it. Of course, he has reservations, now.”

“I don’t.”

“He’s… I don’t know. I think he expected Rio to be the one doing this, you know?” He nodded slightly. “I mean, I wouldn’t put money on me, not after—”

“I would,” he interrupted me. “Any person who knows enough after racing would. Why don’t you believe it?”

“Because I haven’t seen it!” I said, impatient. “For a while, I believed in it, you know? F3… You were there, you know how hard I wanted it. How much I fought for it. Asking for sponsors, and trying to find a seat, but after years of trying and failing…? Either because of money, or just because I wasn’t doing as well as people wanted me to… It was brutal…”

In silence, he nodded again, lowering his hand and placing it on the bench. I looked down. To the contract between his soft skin and the rough surface, the veins creating bumpy mountains on the tanned skin.

“And now I think,” I looked up at him, again. “What if I fail them all again?”

It was uncomfortable. The talk, the place, the roughness of the bench against the back of my thighs, the sun hitting me hard on the back. Small drops of sweat dripped down my temples, ticker ones dripped down his.

“So you rather fail yourself?”

“God… you almost sound like Marjorie.”

He snorted. “Come on, give me an answer.”

“No,” I said. “I don’t want to fail myself. I like this. I like racing. But I hate the pressure and this… carnage. And it’s so fucking lonely. I’m… I just want to be home. Have a stable job. Come home after work, with fresh bread and open a bottle of wine, watch a sitcom…” He took a breath and I watched his Adam’s apple bob up and down.

Carlos was always so calm, so collected. I’ve always envied that.

“It doesn’t have to be lonely.”

“It is, though.”

“No.” He shook his head. “I’ve been there. I’ve been to the top. Been all the way down. Look at this season… I know what it’s like to feel the fear and the desperation and the hopelessness, and I’ve overcome that. Well…” he hesitated, “I still am. But do you think I’m doing all of this alone?”

“This season…” he continued, eyes down. “Each time I thought it couldn’t go worst, it went. And I know you think I’m this cold, rude person, with no feelings and emotions, like a robot,” I bit my lips trying to muffle a chuckle that I couldn’t stop. He smiled. “It was tough, I really felt it in my skin. And I’m sure it didn’t end here, more will come… But I had and I have my dad, and Rupert, Caco, my friends… my sisters…”

“Rio is leaving.”

“Ah…” He rocked back in his place, rubbing his hands on his shorts. “I thought it may be that.” he stopped. “I feel like I need to apologize for making him leave.”

“Nah, it wasn’t you. He really deserves this opportunity.”

Silence.

“I know you don’t want to hear this, but,” his voice softened and he met my gaze. The look in his eyes was so sad, so resigned. It pulled at something in my chest. “I’ll be here.”

Silence.

In my mind, he was already gone. But those eyes? And the way they looked at me like I was some kind of rare work of art? Damn him. My eyes dropped down to the line of his mouth—lips full, and somehow I knew exactly what they’d taste like.

“God forbid you will ever do what I ask you to,” I joked, weakly, and in response, he let out a hoarse chuckle. But as soon as the chuckle died down, his expression turned serious again.

"Listen, I know this isn't the life you imagined for yourself. And this may sound selfish, but this isn’t the life I imagined for you. I know sitcoms and tea are much more likeable than having fajitas for dinner after running 5K in negative temperatures, but… I can’t let you do this. I can’t let you give up.”

I felt a weak smile grow on my lips.

“And if you fail? Then you fail,” he shrugged. “We all have ups and downs. You fall, and you get back up again because, and this is a promise, I won’t let you feel lonely.”

“And what if I’m just… not good enough?”

The corner of his lips pointed up, in a lopsided smile. “You are. That’s the only thing I’m sure about.” He paused. My eyes dropped to my hands, and his hand met my thigh, in a gentle caress. “Look at me.” I did. Of course, I did. “You’ve won races, championships. You were amazing in your WEC debut. Everyone agrees. If you want to do this, you can. Endurance, Formula, just name it… I know you can do it.”

Tension grew heavy. My chest was about to implode on itself, loaded with a strange sense of hope and an ambition I’d felt like I’d forgotten about.

“If I run out of options,” his smile grew, notoriously understanding I was about to completely shift the mood. “I’ll join your dad at Extreme E.”

At this point, I was already grinning. He snorted. “Good luck keeping up with the old man,” he got up and extended me his hand. “Anyways, I’m sure you’d be amazing.”

Five minutes later, we were by the sea again, in a course we trekked at a steady pace, side by side, in silence. If before I associated Carlos with cold and stormy nights, thunder that made the ground shake and freezing snow, now I saw him in the light of the August sun, surrounded by the immense blue, a clear sky and an empty road ahead.

Airport Carlos + Sun Kissed Carlos + Motivational Speaker Carlos + was that Jealous Carlos? 👀 Thank you all for the support! Please, keep leaving comments and messages, they mean the world! All the love, Bru

[never-wednesday]

So i did some Stupid Fuckshit this past month in final fantasy ffxiv: I wrote a character who i wanted to be a reaper through MSQ for story reasons.

This means that in order to accomplish what I want i need to be reach level 70 in a combat class, which was Paladin so I could start in Ul'dah and get fast queues.

I allowed myself some concessions: having access to the first three dungeons would grant us access to the leveling roulette, and Sylph Management will grant us a job, which makes the prospect of grinding much much more tolerable. So i allowed myself to progress the story just enough to move from Gladiator to Paladin.

It took me a total of 28 days (Oct 8th to Nov 4th), and 2 days, 6 hours, 12 minutes of playtime. Just under a month isn't bad, especially considering i spent almost a full week out of town and unable to play at all.

In that time I primarily used daily leveling roulettes, and despite unlocking PvP far earlier only used PvP for the last 5 days. Hunting logs, minimal levequests, every sidequest I could find, and pretty much any FATE I stumbled into was how I spent my time. Also, lots of Palace of the Dead. It was interesting! I'm glad I did it, and I'm glad I don't hate Reaper (I didn't have the good sense to give it a proper test on my main first) but I can solidly say I do NOT recommend this! What the fuck!

If you do want to do this though, here's my advice:

- just start doing your daily frontlines as soon as possible the exp is no joke. It's also the only other roulette you have access to besides the basic leveling roulette, and you will want that scaled exp

- pursue challenge log entries!!! I didn't realize how good these were until the LAST DAY they got me from about 1/4 of the way to level 70 to level 70 so so fast. The chocobo companion and FATE challenge entries pair very well together, so pick up some gyshal greens! It'll also make soloing those fates much faster (ask me how i know)

-rotate between activities, PotD runs, FATEs and hunting log entries are well and good, but if you don't want to feel like you're going to start fist fighting every goddamn enemy personally you also gotta spend time doing other things that are fun. That's part of why I did so many sidequests! They have lots of love and charm in them, and it's a nice break from harsh grinding. I also really spent some time learning gpose which was super fun!!

-dont divide your time between multiple classes if you can at all help it. Honestly, I'd really recommend staying away from conjurer/white mage because it's much harder to do solo potd runs with (I did lots of potd content solo out of convenience). If you are going to pick up a new class, pick up something like RDM, GNB or any other class that starts at a high level and fully commit to it till you hit your goal

-uhhh, be yourself, have fun, and test your goal class BEFORE you do this

[temnurus]

Wangxian Top Ten Fic Recs

So. I got into MDZS/The Untamed back in February, & I've sort of fallen into a Wangxian black hole from which I am not sure I will ever emerge. Thusly, I've been reading a ton of Wangxian fanfiction lately & have acquired quite a few favorites. Naturally I had to eventually compile a rec list lest I combust with all the barely suppressed love I have for this ship.

Now you lucky people get to reap the benefits of all my hard work because not only have I ranked my top ten, I am also including a bunch of honorable mentions because I'm ridiculous & have no self restraint because I'm such a kind & generous person. Note that the honorable mentions are not ranked & are listed in no particular order.

Fair warning, all of these recs are rated Explicit because I enjoy either a sprinkling or a flood of adult content with my fics. It's far from the focus of many of them, but it's there to varying degrees in each. Also, some of these fics cover some heavy content that may be triggering for some folks, so please do mind the tags & any authors' notes for your own peace of mind.

And with no further adieu, onto the recs!

1. Scars Where They Used to Be by CwythanWind (E, 58,467)

Thoughts: I lost count of how many times I cried in this fic. It was gorgeous in every sense of the word. The characterizations were phenomenal. Wei Ying’s pain was palpable, & the pining was agonizing. Lan Zhan conveying his love through poetry made me sob like a baby twice. The prose was just that beautiful. I can’t recommend this enough. As soon as I finished it I knew it was going to become my favorite Wangxian fic, & nothing has managed to top it yet.

2. Beneath Your Skin by Wrenwolf (E, 147,201)

Thoughts: I was sold on tattoo artist Wei Ying from the word go, haha, but Lan Zhan as an antiques dealer was also surprisingly on point. I go on about characterization a lot in these recs, but I have to tell you that Lan Zhan's here is one of my absolute favorites. I felt like I'd crawled into his skin & was just living there right along with him. And don't get me started on Wei Ying in this fic. I just.. fuck, I cried so much, y'all, & it was incredibly cathartic. Nie Huaisang was my favorite side character in this, & they were an absolute BAMF! You can't go wrong with this one. It's just stunning.

3. Pentimento. by orange_crushed (E, 72,966)

Thoughts: This fic was full of sentiment: regrets, longing, & so, so nostalgic. The love of art was apparent & beautifully on display here, & it added a richness to the whole thing. I cried several times during this from the empathy I had for both Lan Zhan's & Wei Ying's experiences (can you sense a theme with my favorites making me overly emotional? lol). The tone got heavy in places, but it didn't feel graphic or overwhelming at any point for me. The writing was just fantastic, & I've enjoyed a few more of the author's fics since I read this one.

4. i'm gonna drown when you wake up by teenjiism (E, 51,752)

Thoughts: I related to this fic on several levels because both characters are portrayed as neurodivergent in ways that felt very authentic, & I rarely see it done as well as it was here. I have ADHD, & Wei Ying's headspace felt extremely familiar, ha. Lan Zhan & Wei Ying's friendship was so lovely here, too. I adored their easy intimacy & how they were each other's favorite person before Wei Ying even realized he was in love with Lan Zhan. Oh yes, this is another fantastic oblivious Wei Ying/One Brain Cell WWX Strikes Again fic. The pining was perfect, & the overall sweetness of their relationship made this a very floaty/happy reading experience for me, personally.

5. Nothing But Trouble by brooklinegirl (E, 60,318)

Thoughts: Continuing with the theme of One Brain Cell WWX Strikes Again, this was a hilarious & heady fake dating scenario fic. His cluelessness reached new heights in this one, & I about died when he came up with the idea that naturally he & Lan Zhan should practice things like kissing for authenticity's sake. (Oh Wei Ying, you sweet summer child... he kills me; can you tell?) I loved how matter-of-fact Lan Zhan was about the whole thing, too. I laughed a lot during this fic. I even blushed a couple of times, too! Highly enjoyable & a must-read for me.

6. you've ruined my life (by not being mine) by cicer (E, 132,713)

Thoughts: None of the parents in this fic are doing a good job, but hey, they didn't in canon either, in my not-so-humble opinion. It's not what I focused on in the fic, but the tags certainly amused me. I haven't come across many texting fics in MDZS, so this was a pleasant & welcome surprise. The whole fic wasn't done through texting, but their text exchanges were SO CUTE. Lan Zhan texted exactly how I thought he would in this, & it made me laugh every time. The pining was lovely, & when they finally got to see each other in person again in New York I was glued to my computer until I finished the fic. I adored the tone of this one. It was great & just a really fun read.

7. and so my heart beats wildly by lily_winterwood (E, 106,435)

Thoughts: This was one of the most original modern AUs I've seen & featured competitive cultivation that had a Hunger Games meets professional figure-skating competition vibe. It was wild, but it made sense when I read it, I promise. The author was very good at fleshing out their world, & I was fascinated by the concept. Wei Ying once again failed to notice Lan Zhan was in love with him, & his confusion over their interactions never failed to entertain me. I never get tired of their dynamic, y'all, & it was just perfect here. I highly recommend this one.

8. Falling to the Rhythm by Selenay (E, 128,916)

Thoughts: Ever seen So You Think You Can Dance or Strictly Come Dancing? This was basically that but Wangxian! Wei Ying was stunning as a professional dancer being handed a socially awkward, concert violinist Lan Zhan & having to teach him to dance in front of the nation for 12 weeks, & I absolutely loved Lhan Zhan in this. He was precious. The sexual tension during some of the dances was electrifying, & watching them fall in love over the course of the filming of the show was a delight to read.

9. Two Dollar Coffee by marizousbooty (E, 145,286)

Thoughts: I almost fell out of my chair laughing because how do you acquire an accidental sugar daddy?! Well, if you read this fic, you'll find out. One Brain Cell WWX Strikes Again! Yeah, it's one of my favorite AO3 tags, so sue me, lol. The sex was obviously one of the highlights, which I am known to enjoy in a fic (don't judge me, Puritans), but it certainly wasn't the only thing that was well written here. I loved everything about this from beginning to end.

10. things that make it warm by yabakuboi (E, 33,327)

Thoughts: This fic hurt my feelings, not gonna lie. I cried ugly tears at the break up, but I've always had a hard time with reconciliation fics. It was very worth it, however. The way the fic covered their relationship growing & changing over time was very compelling, & a highlight of this for me was Wei Ying's relationship with the Wens, particularly A'Yuan. It was very sweet amongst an ocean of angst, haha. I read this in the span of a couple hours. Just couldn't be torn away. If you're a sucker for angst with a happy ending, then you might want to check this one out.

Honorable Mentions

The Simplest Way Forward by harriet_vane (E, 70,972)

Thoughts: This was so heartwarming I couldn't stop smiling over how adorable it was. Kid fics aren't typically a favorite of mine, but I do enjoy a really good one every now & then. This was one of the best I've read, to be honest. A'Yuan was the sweetest little angel, & he was so cute with Wei Ying spazzing out about every aspect of his care. Lan Zhan being the quiet, responsible source of reason & support was expected but of course always a welcome addition to the mix. Accidental Baby Acquisition isn't a tag I'd seen before, but it's a new favorite when it comes to Wangxian getting to be surprise parents together, haha.

undone (the spreadsheet song) series by spookykingdomstarlight (E, 282,452)

Thoughts: This is a two part series that tells the same story from each love interest’s point of view, a la Rivals by Reiya in the YoI fandom, which is one of my favorites of all time. Similarly, this story is also phenomenally written. I was sucked in immediately & read both fics over the span of like 3 days. I actually read Lan Zhan’s POV fic (the second in the series) in a single day. I was spellbound by the whole thing, couldn’t get enough. I highly recommend this. The characterizations are incredible, & the emotions are so intense I couldn’t help but feel everything right along with each of them as the story progressed.

My only word of caution is that if you have a hard time reading about Wangxian being intimate with people other than each other you might want to skim/skip those sections of the second fic like I had to. The author makes it fairly easy by giving a heads up in the author’s notes at the beginning of each chapter in which that occurs, which I very much appreciated.

Many happy returns. by orange_crushed (E, 25,470)

Thoughts: This fic started with a very serendipitous first meeting between businessman Lan Zhan & Wei Ying, who he mistook for the (non-sexual) escort he'd hired for the evening. I nearly died of mortification right along with poor Lan Zhan when he figured out his mistake. Him confessing this to Wei Ying was painfully awkward & hurt my heart, but fear not! We all know I can't handle a fic without an eventual happy ending, haha. Watching their instant connection develop into something more was such a treat. I loved this fic quite a lot for it being a quicker read for me.

Multiphonics by androkastia (E, 63,705)

Thoughts: Wei Ying was such a lovable disaster in this (as he often is, bless him). Him & Lan Zhan both being in the orchestra was a fun idea, & I loved the author's choice of the harp for Lan Zhan's instrument. I thought it was very different from the usual violin or cello choice I've seen previously but still suited him perfectly. I also loved his overall characterization, down to his fashion sense being tastefully eclectic when his style is usually portrayed as very stuffy & conservative. I really enjoyed this college/university AU, & I've read quite a few of them at this point. So obviously this one stood out.

No Compasses, No Signs by brooklinegirl (E, 36,041)

Thoughts: Ah, finally! A soulmate fic. A Temnurus rec list really wouldn't be complete without at least one. This was a modern AU, which made it especially fun when their soul bond inexplicably manifested as they literally collided with each other on the sidewalk. It was painful watching them fumble for answers to why they suddenly knew things about each other they had no way of knowing only moments before, but the sweet conclusion made it more than worth the temporary angst.

A Haunting Love by Selenay (E, 64,621)

Thoughts: This was another very unique modern with magic AU, & I was nervous because Wei Ying was a ghost haunting Lan Zhan's new house in the quiet little town he moved to in order to write his next novel. Naturally Lan Zhan became ensnared by the mystery surrounding Wei Ying's departure. This had a very romantic feel to it, intensely poetic in a way that I found very alluring. There were even thriller-esque moments towards the end of the story, so it had a bit of everything, all of it equally satisfying to read.

love, in fire and blood by cicer (E, 360,042)

Thoughts: This was an example of a cool MDZS-specific trope I hadn't seen before, & in it Wei Ying, the infamous Yiling Patriarch, was a cultivator who had achieved immortality (aka, he's OP as fuck but in a fun way). The great sects enlisted his help to win the Sunshot Campaign, & what did he demand in return? Lan Zhan's hand in marriage, of course! It was a fantastic slow burn in which poor Lan Zhan suffered the mortifying ordeal of falling in love with his own husband. An amazing & complex plot, chock-full of angsty goodness.

a place to hide (can't find one near) by yiqie (E, 76,091)

Thoughts: I'm giving y'all a heads up first thing that this fic pulled no punches when it came to the heavier subject matter covered in the tags & author's note. Some of the descriptions were fairly graphic, so please take care of yourselves when considering this one. That said, it was a powerful portrayal of someone suffering from mental health issues & the long & often complicated journey of healing. This one also happened to contain a love story so beautiful that I was brought to tears several times by Lan Zhan's patient & loving care for his most important person, nevermind all the times I cried at the sad parts! I found the emotional cost of those very much worth the payoff of their happy ending, which is why I just had to include this one.

Just You, Just Me (Just Us, Just We) by wincechesters (E, 19,777)

Thoughts: Lan Zhan thought his brother made him an appointment at an acupuncturist & was aghast when he discovered it was for a session with a professional cuddler instead! Enter Wei Ying, gratuitous cuddle therapy, & his usual chaotic charm. Poor Lan Zhan being so overwhelmed while also becoming hopelessly besotted made me laugh, bless his fragile little heart. This was an adorable & light-hearted fic that made me want to go back & reread it almost immediately, haha.

my age has never made me wise by idrilka (E, 63,439)

Thoughts: I absolutely loved this. It was pretty CQL (The Untamed) compliant & told the post-canon story of Wei Ying wandering alone as a rogue cultivator after the events of the show. Of course he was pining after his zhiji the entire time, so when he heard gossip that the Chief Cultivator might be married by summer's end it nearly undid him. The angst was excruciating, but at the same time, One Brain Cell WWX Strikes Again fics somehow always manage to be fun at the same time. I've read several post-canon, wandering Wei Ying stories, & this one was particularly good.

[wynterrolls]

Obey Me (OG) Newbie Guide

Author's Note

There are multiple guides for this game existing already. Most could be found in Obey Me sub-Reddit or by searching in Google. Since the game is already 4 years old, this game has finished the main storyline and already moved on to a new prequel game called Obey Me Nightbringer (NB). Obey Me (OG) is still up and running at the time of this writing, since they run the events in both OG and NB, so if you want to still play this game, then that's up to you. Keep in mind though that this game is grindy.

In this post, I'll make a concise guide that will help new players (hopefully) traverse in the game. As always, this guide isn't only from my own experience, because I'm going to include tips from different sources here. The links for the sources could be found at the bottom of this post. I've created this guide with the idea that this is my game notes just in case I forgot about this game.

When starting an account

You can't reroll account in this game thru normal means.

It's not recommended to reroll in this game since you'll get a free UR Asmodeus card in mail but, if you're like other players who want to reroll just to get a card of their favorite guy or you want to get ahead by having more UR cards early in the game, then here are the steps.

Play the tutorial by skipping dialogues until you get a 10-pull. The cards you'll get is fixed.

Keep skipping until you clear 1-6.

Click the home button and go to mail after being bombed with announcements. Claim all. (You'll get enough to do a 10-pull.)

Roll in Nightmare. Preferably in event banner.

If you don't like the results, create transfer code for this account. (Walkthrough on how to setup Transfer Password here.)

Close the app in this phone.

Have a second phone or an emulator (e.g. Bluestacks) with Obey Me app.

Open the Obey Me app in the second phone or emulator.

From the title screen, click Transfer Data > Enter Transfer Code > Input your Transfer Code and Transfer Password > Tap Transfer

Once done, the account is now transferred to the second phone/emulator. Close the app.

You could use the first phone to create another account again.

All about UR or UR+ cards

UR/UR+ cards are the endgame goal to collect in the game. The difference is that UR+ cards either have outfit for character or moving background, while UR cards don't. Both have similar power level.

UR/UR+ card is the highest rarity. SSR cards could work for early game, but would need to be replaced once you reach harder content in game.

There are two types of cards needed to create a team - demon cards and memory cards. Demon cards can be obtained from Chapter A, any event banners, or event reward ladder, while Memory cards from Chapter M, from event reward ladder, or from shard farming in hard mode in lesson 61+. Chapter A and Chapter M are considered standard banners in game.

NOTE: You can't have 2 demon cards of the same character in 1 team. You need to have varying characters for each attribute.

Different ways to obtain UR/UR+ cards:

free pull in Chapter A for demon cards

free pull in Chapter M for memory cards

[RECOMMENDED] pulling in event banners with devil points (DP) or demon vouchers (DV)

[NOT RECOMMENDED] pulling in Chapter A and Chapter M with DP or DV

buying UR card shards in Akuzon with raven (Akuzon > Exchange Raven > Piece of Card)

grinding past events in Lonely Devil for UR cards

UR memory card shard grinding in hard mode of Lesson 61+

UR memory card from limited-time event login rewards (happens during holidays or anniversaries)

UR demon card from 10-pull birthday banner

** It is advised to save up the DP and DV for the limited-time event banners.

** It is advised to save up DP or DV enough for a 10-pull before your birthday. The date you write as your birthday will have a special 10-pull banner that will guarantee a UR card.

NOTE: You need 80 card pieces and 60,000 grimm to form a single UR card.

Surprise Guest

Surprise Guest randomly comes out after you manually battle a stage. One of the 3 guys in the demon cards you used will appear. Getting their 3 interactions right make them gain intimacy points.

Their preferred touch interactions after battles can be found here. Better go look at the list yourself because the options are many.

You can also get gifts when you get a heart reaction for all 3 interactions. You could get 6 gifts per day. Gifts include:

2 AP x10

2 Grimm x1,000

2 Raven x1

There are several ways to obtain gift items for characters during Surprise Guest:

can be bought in Akuzon > Items > Present, costs DP

[RECOMMENDED] can be bought in Akuzon > Exchange Raven > Present, costs raven

reaching certain point requirement in event reward ladders

unlocking gift nodes of Devil's Tree from cards (Click here to find out more.)

possible reward from sending characters in :D Jobs

** To know more about intimacy, click here to check Thal Fox's in-depth guide on intimacy.

** Here's the updated link for the Lesson Intimacy Bonuses.

All about Devil Points (DP)

Devil Points are premium currency used in game and can be bought using real money.

From one-time DP sources [free]:

unlocking gift nodes in Devil's Tree in cards (Click here to know the specific cards.)

clearing the boss stages in each lesson, DP found in To Do > Total > Tasks

reaching certain point requirements in event reward ladder

clearing the missions in To Do > Total

clearing the missions in To Do > Demons

claiming event login rewards (happens during holidays and anniversaries)

From recurring DP sources:

completing To Do > Daily (18 DP)

claiming Day 8 and Day 14 rewards in Attendance card for non-VIP players (10 DP)

claiming Day 8 and Day 14 rewards in VIP Login Bonus for VIP players (30 DP)

TIP: To do the level up card x3 and upgrade devil tree x5 daily mission, do these using N, R, SR, and SSR cards you have. You could easily get these missions done with minimal grimm cost.

All about Demon Vouchers (DV)

Demon vouchers are used to pull in Chapter A and Chapter M in Nightmare. These can also be used in limited-time event banners.

Ways to obtain DV:

unlocking gift nodes in Devil's Tree in cards. (Click here to know the specific cards.)

buying DV in Akuzon > Exchange Raven > Nightmare, costs 45 raven

completing missions in To Do (Click here to know what specific missions rewards DV.)

claiming event login rewards (happens during holidays and anniversaries)

reaching certain point requirement in event reward ladders

buying the flash sales with DP

TIP: Save enough DP to buy these flash sales. To learn more about these sales, click here to check out Thal Fox's comparison guide on different flash sales.

[PRIORITY] Level Up sale - costs 99 DP

Solomon's Summoning Sale - costs 150 DP

You Got This Set L - costs 500 DP

** Congratulations Set Flash Sale (Level Up sale) does not occur until the player has reached level 15. From that point, the sale will appear:

Every five levels from levels 15-40 (15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40)

Every three levels from levels 43-58 (43, 46, 49, 52, 55, 58)

After reaching level 58, the sale will be made available at every level increase.

All about Grimm

Grimm is used for upgrading card level, unlocking Devil's Tree nodes, and pulling in Chapter G. This is a scarce resource if you are a F2P so you need to allocate this carefully on the cards you only want to use and level up.

Ways to obtain grimm:

sending characters in :D Jobs

doing x3 or x5 of the latest battle stages you've cleared

claiming Day 2 and Day 10 rewards in Attendance card for non-VIP players (7,000 grimm)

claiming Day 2 and Day 12 rewards in VIP Login Bonus for VIP players (30,000 grimm)

completing missions in To Do

unlocking Devil's Tree gift nodes in cards (Click here to know the specific cards.)

participating in event ranking

reaching certain point requirement in event reward ladders

buying the Congratulations set flash sale (Level Up sale)

buying the AP recovery set flash sale (appears every 12 hrs)

TIP: Unlock Ristorante Six as fast as you can so you could earn the max grimm you could get.

All about AP

AP is used to battle stages. Without it, you can't do anything in the game. Replenish rate is 1 AP = 5 min.

NOTE: It is strongly advised not to hoard APs by letting your AP bar capped. Better spend the APs to let the AP bar replenish itself.

From one-time AP sources:

buying the Congratulations Set flash sale (Level Up sale)

completing missions in To Do > Total

completing missions in To Do > Demons

participating in event ranking

claiming event login rewards

unlocking Devil's Tree gift nodes in cards (Click here to know what specific cards.)

reaching certain point requirement in event reward ladders

From recurring AP sources:

288 AP from natural regen (if no sleep, awake for 24 hours straight)

20 AP from Surprise Guest gifts

50 AP from watching x5 ads daily

50 AP from AP exchange in Friend list

30 AP from 12pm - 2pm Fridge Mission (local time)

30 AP from 6pm - 8pm Fridge Mission (local time)

30 AP from To Do > Daily

60 AP from claiming Day 4 and Day 12 rewards in Attendance card for non-VIP players

200 AP from claiming Day 3 and Day 13 rewards in VIP Login Bonus for VIP players

200 AP from buying the AP Recovery Set flash sale (appears every 12 hrs)

All about Raven

Raven is used to buy items in Akuzon > Exchange Raven. Pretty good resource to grind for if you need specific items.

Sources to obtain raven:

claiming Day 6 reward in Attendance card for non-VIP players (1 raven)

claiming Day 6 reward in VIP Login Bonus for VIP players (10 raven)

pulling in Chapter G with 27000 grimm until you max the skill level of your N, R, and SR cards, the next pull with max skill level would convert the card into raven

unlocking Devil's Tree gift nodes in cards (Click here to know the specific cards.)

potential reward from sending characters in :D Jobs

reaching certain point requirement in event reward ladders

All about :D Jobs

:D Jobs is where you can obtain grimms, Surprise Guest gifts, raven, keys, and daggers, and increase intimacy points for characters you send.

TIP: Always send the characters in :D Jobs.

All about Daggers

Daggers are used to uncap the max level of card. This is done in order to increase the power level of the card, to be used in harder lessons in main story.

For example, UR/UR+ card has max level of 100. You need 10 daggers of same sin attribute with the card, 100,000 grimm, 100 gems of main sin attribute, and 100 gems of secondary sin attribute of card in order to increase the max level of this card. Each uncapping of max level of card is increased by +10 levels.

Ways to obtain daggers:

potential reward from sending characters in :D Jobs

reaching certain point requirement in event reward ladders

maxing out the Surprise Guest encounters for rewards in To Do (1500 max per character)

participating in Otaku Boot camp (Do they still run this in OM OG?)

All about Devil's Tree Items

Devil's Tree items are needed to unlock the nodes in Devil's Tree.

Ways to obtain the said items:

doing the Akuber orders (each day has corresponding sin attribute)

completing missions in To Do

reaching certain point requirement in event reward ladders

unlocking Devil's Tree gift nodes in cards (Click here to find the cards.)

grinding the hard mode stage for RNG drop of items

All about Lonely Devil

Lonely Devil is a mode where you could rerun the past events in game. You could unlock a past event using LD tickets or by paying 10 DP.

Players who have missed their desired rewards from the event ladders rerun this event in order to continue what they have started. The total points acquired from previous run is saved and could be continued on your next run of same event. The event rerun lasts for 4 days. However, cheat cards don't work in here.

Lonely Devil is a great way to obtain UR memory cards in the game. Daggers could also be obtained here.

Ways to obtain LD tickets:

unlocking Devil's Tree gift nodes in cards (Click here to know the specific cards.)

reaching certain point requirements in event reward ladders

potential event login reward (happens on holidays or anniversaries)

** To know more about Lonely devil, click here to view the in-depth guide of u/SeriousLatte.

All about D-energy

D-energy is used to increase the chances you could have in capped battle stages. Battle stages that have x3 cap are event stages and hard mode stages. Using one D-energy gives 3 battles. If you run out of D-energy, 5 AP will be used to get 3 more battles.

Ways to obtain D-energy:

unlocking Devil's Tree gift nodes in card (Click here to know the specific cards.)

buying the Congratulations set flash sale (Level Up sale)

reaching the certain point requirement in event reward ladders

All about Card Mechanic and Total Power

UR/UR+ cards have max level 100 and could be uncapped until you reach max level 200. SSR cards has max level 80 and could be uncapped until you reach max level 160.

Each card rarity has their own power level that is used in battle stages. This part will be further explained in a separate post (because I think I'm almost reaching the 30 max image cap in a post). I will link the post here later on.

All about Lesson Summaries for Obey Me (OG) Main Story

If you don't want to grind the main story and just want to read the whole story, here's the link for the lesson summaries for lesson 1 to lesson 80.

Miscellaneous Info

You can drag your finger across the hearts that appear on screen during battle instead of tapping them individually. WAY more effective.

Choosing quick clear x3 or x5 on battles only gives EXP to player level, not including the card level, but you still get grimm and rewards.

Save glowsticks. Rainbow glowsticks are the more powerful buffs in battle.

You don't need to complete all daily missions in To Do. Just clear 7 missions in order to get the 18 DP daily.

You can leave your rewards sitting for as long as you want, and collect them whenever.

AP will carry over when you level up.

You can edit the game's graphics settings if you have lag. Just go up to the top right corner and hit the settings gear.

Work towards building a deck that covers all colors with a variety of characters, both demon cards and memory cards alike.

Try to keep your in-use cards (your deck, as opposed to your overall collection) evenly leveled.

Don't forget to level your memory cards. They are also important in total deck power.

Daily server resets at midnight JST or UTC+9. Convert into your local time to know when it will reset in your location.

Useful Resources

Resources to look into to know more about this game.

https://karasu-os.com/

https://obeymewiki.com/

https://obey-me.fandom.com/wiki/Obey_Me!_Wiki

Sources

Banner Image Source

How to reroll in the game using emulator by u/Guilty-Ticket

How to reroll in the game using second phone by u/AngelicaLily

How to setup Transfer Password walkthrough video by Obey Me Official

Transfer Data from Fandom Wiki

Surprise Guest

Devil Tree Rewards from karasu-os.com

Intimacy Guide by Thal Fox

Obey Me Flash Sales by Thal Fox

Flash Sale from Wiki

Obey Me Guide from VN Guides Wordpress

The Hidden 68 DV in OM by Thal Fox

F2P Guide to Obey Me! by u/gniehc

Daily Login Bonus from Wiki

How to obtain daggers? Question by u/Master-Computer4437

Ways to farm daggers by u/kindacutekindapunk

Guide on Lonely Devil by u/SeriousLatte

Unlocking a Card's Maximum Level Cap from obeymewiki.com

Using DP for getting more battles answer by u/Clarasiir

10 Tips for people who are starting out by u/RustyBoyo

Lesson Summaries for Obey Me (OG) from obeymewiki.com

Lesson Intimacy Bonuses from Fandom Wiki

Obey Me advice thread from u/LadyBastilla

➥ Back to my otome game masterlist.

Update Log

12/20/2023 - Uploaded this post.

01/01/2024 - Added Player's birthday info

01/27/2024 - Added the reminder line at the top and server reset in Miscellaneous info

[blackbackedjackal]

please try to sell me gw2. i really want to like it and ive tried a couple times over the years to get into it, but every time my experience is like: walk for 5 irl minutes -> talk to someone -> kill 20 things -> random world events -> kill 50 things -> go back and talk to the person. rinse and repeat

and then i uninstall the game

Hard to sell it to ya when it's free to play ;0

As a new/returning player I honestly recommend going in with some friends. It's a game were you can absolutely solo PvE with the right build, but I always have more fun playing with my friends for the shenanigans. I also, 100%, recommend plopping an OC in the game. My first characters were both in-game and all their lore is based around GW2, but putting June in there has been hella fun to see how she would handle being in Tyria.

Your first 80 levels are basically to help get you accustom to the game mechanics and the story. Though the story is optional, I recommend playing it so you get more of a feel of Tyria and the history. The story also leads you through the game an the map rather than just taking random quests as you explore. It's really the only mode that gives you a bit of direction in the game.

If you happen to get stuck or have any questions about the game, it's pretty safe to ask the map chat and usually people will help you out, especially in early maps. GW2 is a game that doesn't really teach you how to play, you learn as you go. There's also plenty of YT vids on how to get started and tutorials if you get stuck or suggestions of things to try out as you level. They've also updated the game fairly recently where you now have access to the Raptor mount without needing to have Path of Fire or doing the expansion, which is a HUGE quality of life change while you explore the early maps.

Once your toon hits level 80, that's when you unlock your mastery tracks that will allow you to do more of the endgame content and continue through the living story. Fractals, Raids, Dungeons, Strikes, World Bosses, Meta Trains, Gold Farming, PvP, WvW, FASHION WARS!!, There's a ton to do once you're set up, and again, lots of resources available to help you out (TaCO, GW2 Efficiency, Crafting Guides).

The world is unique. It feels lived in and ever expanding. The lore for all the playable races in the game is really interesting and they do a lot to subvert expectations from typical fantasy stories. Some things are a hit or miss for a lot of folks but there's so much to love about the game even my least favorite parts are like just mid to me compared to the parts I genuinely enjoy. My favorite expansion is Path of Fire + Season 4. The desert maps are my favorites followed by Maguma (begrudgingly). Cantha had grown on me a lot after a million Leviathan Farms for gold lol. THE SEASONAL EVENTS AHHH like again there's just so much to touch on but yeah the long and short of it is it IS a time sink at minimum to get to the more favored content, but even as a old player I still love making new toons and taking them through the early game content again just for fun.

But yeah, free to play, no subscriptions, all expansions are a one time purchase. You've got 10 years worth of content to explore and try out. It's a relatively inexpensive MMO (the expacs can be up to 50% off during certain yearly sales). An overall very helpful community. Any paid content is mostly cosmetics and convenience items, but nothing that gives you an advantage over other players. Basically everyone is grinding towards a similar end-goal, so you can always get the same gear as people through grinding. Nothing is really out of reach and people are always willing to help others out with multiplayer content.

I've been consistently playing for 8-9 years now. It's one of those game where I'm IN it for like a few months then may take a few months off until a holiday event I love is coming up and then I play for a few months again. It's probably the only other game I've sunk as much time into as Pokemon or Skyrim over the years (I jokingly call it Skyrim Online since ya'll won't catch me playing ESO). But yeah just, it's a game I never expected to play for this long and this consistently and it always feels fun to pick back up. Genuinely I do hope you give it another try. I've honestly had the most fun I've had in years with the wave of new and returning players jumping back into the game c:

[fanonical]

Weird question, but “how” exactly would you recommend someone gets into Homestuck? I know it’s very long with a lot of characters and timelines, is there anything in particular I should take careful note of? I also know there’s a lot of additional content outside of the comic on the actual website. Do you recommend that too? Should I start with the comic and read that and finish it, and then move on to the supplemental stuff, assuming that’s good?

I know that I’m overthinking it but the 1mil+ word count intimidates me a little! I should add that I read the first act or so years ago and know enough about the “main” kids/trolls to be able to keep track of them, but that’s it, I’m very entry level.

(Also, just wanted to say that I saw the link to your story on ao3 when I went to send this ask and that I really love it. It’s genuinely so beautiful and I’ll look forward to every update. 🩷 I’m not too good at articulating my thoughts into the proper review that you deserve, but I did want to let you know just how much I absolutely adore Laika and her story.)

hi! thanks for the kind words about Laika, this totally made my day. this, and the request to teach you how to read homestuck. i hope im up to the task.

so first off, you want the Unofficial Homestuck Collection if at all possible. For this, ideally you need a computer/laptop and around ~4gb of storage space; buy a USB stick if you need to. That’s actually not a lot of storage space at all but apparently a lot of young people these days don’t have computers, so if you are absolutely 100% bound to using a mobile device, there’s an experimental browser branch of the Unofficial Homestuck Collection that does a pretty good job, too.

The reason you’ll want to read it on the UHC is because 1. as of January 2024, the official Homestuck website is pretty broken (a lot of it relied on the now retired Shockwave Flash) but the UHC is basically a perfect “as-it-was-back-then” version of Homestuck made to archive the true experience. It’s recommended by the author even!

The Unofficial Homestuck Collection also collects much of the additional content you allude to, and very conveniently, provides a “New Reader Mode” that “unlocks” new additional content as/when you reach the page closest to when it was released, which really streamlines a bunch of the stuff you’re anxious about — not only does the collection provide it for you, it very graciously curates it to reflect Homestuck as it happened.

As for if you should read anything else before Homestuck, that’s up to you. Homestuck was the fourth piece of fiction under a collection of works called “MS Paint Adventures” — the other three aren’t necessarily canon to Homestuck, but they’re referenced pretty frequently. In the opinion of author Andrew Hussie & a lot of the classic fan base, it’s easiest to start with Problem Sleuth and progress on to Homestuck if you want to “get” how the world/structure functions (Homestuck is not a traditional webcomic — the audience would submit commands for the characters to perform as their next action. This is a little more apparent in the earlier MSPAs). Personally, I think Jailbreak, the first MSPA, is also unmissable but it wouldn’t be wrong to go back and read it later either. And most people (myself included) just started on Homestuck itself.

The biggest piece of advice I would give you is to take notes, and also, that every “piece” of the comic is just as important as every other piece — the dialogues don’t supplement the narration, the narration doesn’t supplement the images, etc, they are all equally important & a lot of Homestuck is told through unreliable chat log discussions, a straight up manipulative authorial voice & quick paced visual storytelling, so it can be a bit hectic and opaque first time around.

The second biggest piece of advice I would give is to read it with a group of friends if possible, and if not possible, consider reading the dialogue aloud to yourself sometimes (or at least give the characters voices in your head) because I think hearing the different characters vocally interact can really help one to “get” the dialogue & complex concepts being put down

Finally, my biggest piece of advice is that I have been running a Homestuck workshop in my discord server where I’ve been guiding a group of around seven new Homestuck readers in “how” to read the comic because it’s quite a hands on experience; right now our live read is almost half way through but we can provide you with resources & help & guidance if you need anything, so if you want a link for that just send an ask off anon and we can do that 🥰

[half-deadfic]

Q&A with Darth Frodo

Hey, everyone! Two years ago, this project started as a way to reach out to authors who had left some beloved projects unfinished, mostly to reach out to them and see how they were doing, show them appreciation, and see if they needed any support in case they wanted to finish their projects or just wanted to have fun sharing behind the scenes information and tips through a Q&A.

As a part of bringing this project half-back to life, I would like to present the first Q&A of this project, in this case with the one and only @darthfrodophantom, who returned after almost 10 years to the phandom to share the ending for "A Secret Uncovered".

Special thanks to @dp-marvel94 for the questions submitted!

If you want to find out other amazing authors participating, make sure to check out this recommendation list for the project!

❇️ About Darth Frodo ❇️

[AO3] [FFN] A multi-fandom writer who has also written for Danny Phantom since the show was still on air, Darth Frodo joined the phandom classics early in the Fanfiction.Net era with beloved works such as "Tortured Truth" (2006) and "A Secret Uncovered" (First published on 2006). The latter was left on standby as life happened, but Darth's desire to finish the story was always close to her heart.

Her love for identity shenanigans and the philosophical analysis behind characters also took her to explore other ideas and stories back in the day, but also recently as she returned to the phandom for events such as Ectoberhaunt or the DP Reality Trip AU Zine, for which she published delightful new adventures.

Now that she has rewritten all of her first vision for "A Secret Uncovered" and added an incredible ending and epilogue, we reached out to Darth with a few questions...

❇️ Q&A ❇️

Q: What inspired you to write your story ("A Secret Uncovered")?

Darth: Not sure if you’ve caught on to this based on pretty much everything I write, but I love identity reveal fics. I love the awkward tension that happens right before, during, and after the reveal. I love the moment where you just don’t know how it’s going to turn out. And I love watching the aftermath of the characters struggling to adjust. I really wanted to write an identity reveal fic on a huge level that involved everyone finding out, and it kinda went from there.

Q: Who is your favorite character to write and why?

Darth: I feel like I have to say Danny because he’s pretty much my POV of choice. His internal monologues are so fun to dive into because he’s witty and snarky, but he can also be so clueless sometimes. I love putting him into different scenarios and watching him struggle through them. But if I had to pick a character outside of Danny, I’d have to go with Jazz. I just feel like I get her. She’s the mom friend and the big sister who ‘s an overachiever, and I love that. Jazz can connect pretty obscure dots, be the emotional comfort, and a voice of reason, which are so helpful.

Q. Are there any characters or types of scenes (action, dialogue, ect) that you struggle to write?

Darth: I feel like I struggle the most with transitions. How do we move from one scene to the next and conveying what happened in the downtime we don’t cover? How do we give the readers a sense of the emotional or logistical events that happened without actually having to spell it all out, but also not make it too exposition heavy? I want to include the details, but I don’t want to bog people down with exposition and passive tenses. It’s contrary to that “show don’t tell” tenet of writing, but it’s also acknowledging that from an editing perspective, you can’t show every minute. (Of course this is now all you're going to pay attention to when reading my writing lol)

Q. This one is based on a screenshot I saw on tumblr of a tweet saying "writing a fic consists of having one scene you want to write and scrambling to come up with an entire plot just so you can write one scene." If this applies to your story, what is THAT SCENE for your fic?

Darth: I actually did! I literally pictured the scene where Danny walks into school that first day after his secret has been revealed and everyone stares at him and whispers about him and crowds around him. When I first thought of doing an “everyone finds out” identity reveal, this was the first scene that popped into my head, and everything else spun from that concept.

Thank you so much Darth for the time to reply to these questions.

To anyone reading, we'll bring back the Q&A part of this project before we reach the 20th Danny Phantom Anniversary, as a way to hear from beloved writers and celebrate our phandom.

Stay tuned!

[faejilly]

jilly's week in review?

I guess or something. Idek y'all, I was gonna try and do reviews but then I just rambled about what I did instead, so this is clearly gonna need a format revamp next week

anyway

READING

Finished Daughter of Witches

and also St. Peter's Fair, which I had started AGES ago and sort of lost track of, but I'm doing the January Challenge on TheStoryGraph and couldn't decide what to read next but needed to get my pages in, so I went digging for random shit and I have read it before and watched all the Cadfael mysteries so it's not like it was hard to get into to finish it so I could save my streak.😅

Read A House with Good Bones (on purpose from start to finish in one day!) because T. Kingfisher/Ursula Vernon is absofuckinglutely one of my favorites. (There's a thought here about my occasional forays into the horror genre, and how some horror is almost kind of cozy because it's about protecting what we love from what we fear, and that is very much a Kingfisher kind of thing, but that might need a new post and a more functional brain to figure out where I'm going with that.)

Listened to a little bit more of IT while doing housework; I'm not great at audio books except when I'm driving, but sometimes I can manage a little (and I didn't want to distract myself from dishes by picking up a new book instead). Stephen Weber is an excellent narrator btw, for anyone who's curious.

WATCHING

The husband was sick last week, and I was only sort of doing shit either, so he kind of just put the TV on and let it go and I definitely will not manage a nice list with links like I did with books. There was some M*A*S*H, (oh, I did finally watch the special that recently came out on Hulu), and RoboCop (largely because Thing 1 gave the husband the new game for Christmas) and several different Predator movies of various quality, and a bunch of other stuff I am not thinking of at the moment. I know I picked a couple and watched them myself but with everything else I can't remember what?

Also some Mythbusters when Thing 2 picked something to watch for awhile, which is pretty much always entertaining even when we're like: your sample size is nonexistent and just because you can't do it doesn't mean someone who knows what they're doing couldn't have done it so are you SURE you should have busted that? 😅

PLAYING

I got Garden Story for Christmas and got through the quest-lines and realized I was quite far away from all the upgrades, so I've been periodically poking at it and trying to get my villages/tools better before trying the Final Boss. I have had a good time with Concord though, it's fun, I'm just not sure the leveling functions, such as they are, are paced/balanced quite right? 😅 (Or perhaps I'm just Bad At Fighting In Cozy Games? This does seem to be a bit of a trend tbqh, probably why I liked Wylde Flowers' lack of combat so much.) I also have found VERY FEW of the memories/weird achievements so that's a thing I'm probably going to have to look up hints for soon-ish...

(I did finish Potion Permit last year, which is great, I recommend it whole-heartedly: the potion building mechanic is usually pretty solid, it has good characters, a nice aesthetic, I did actually mostly have fun rolling around and fighting things/gathering stuff, but I did reach the end of the main quest and then go... huh, is that it? just because it, yk, kept going after the finale but there didn't seem to be anything there beyond like, a couple personal quests that needed materials I couldn't unlock until the end.)

MORE ENTERTAININGLY I THINK, we did also play some board games

Paint The Roses is QUITE HARD with only two people even if you stick to the medium level whims; or maybe I'm just not that smart?!? We did in fact survive without getting our heads' chopped off by the Queen of Hearts, but we legit guessed the last two puzzles so. Dumb Luck™️ is not nearly as reliable as actually figuring out how to plot your plants better.

We did Escape the Dark Sector (with more people this time, tbf) on our first try though! That was pretty delightful. It is atmospheric and potentially almost deadly without feeling too awful at any point! Also I got to punch a tentacle monster!

Mice & Mystics can go dramatically bad if your dice aren't on your side and you do like, one stupid thing to compound that, and then if you're invested enough to start over you can suddenly realize you've been moving tiny plastic mice and bugs around the table for like four hours and still only got through the first chapter... but not regret it at all because you like your mice and are very proud of them for finally making it!

Can you tell we like co-op games? 🤣🤣🤣

(I did also do some rearranging so the game room was comfier, so like, win/win I adulted and played!)

THERE WAS NO WRITING OR CROSS-STITCHING OR PAINTING OR ANYTHING ELSE THIS WEEK, so uh. Clearly my balance of activities is bonkers and I should maybe get off the couch/game chair(s) a bit more often.

[fruity-passion]

Beating TFBW on Mastermind difficulty

From start to finish

.

Beginning tutorial is just standard, nothing really noteworthy here.

Class: the first class I picked was the Netherborn class.

The Chains of Super Craig: in order to start to mission you’ll have to complete the battle against Bartles. Just use Soul Slash (preferably out of reach to get attacked, so the far right side) and continually use that attack for an easy win.

Alternate Universe Collide: During this mission you’ll have to battle against Alternate Human Kite. There ain’t much of a strategy. Just spam Soul Slash and if needed use Dire Shroud.

Birth of a Coon Friend: you unlock Artifacts in this mission. Use any that are 40 ranked ones. For now I will be using Tachyon Matrix. Use can also add a DNA strand if you wanted. I put in High Pain Threshold. You’ll need that extra health and only negatively affects one of your abilities (Ghastly Grasp) by -25%.

Rise of the Fourthies: For this mission you’ll battle against the Sixth Graders. You’ll get the option to pick your combat challenge, that be mastermind. You should have already done this at the very beginning of the game. For this battle I would start off with Ghastly Grasp. When lined up correctly it’ll hit all the enemies. Use offensive when it comes to your two allies, you don’t really need to play defense this early in the game, so just have your allies use abilities that deals damage.

A Touch of Faith: For this mission you will have to battle against the Priests. Just spam Soul Slash and avoid theirs.

The Talk: For this mission you will have to battle against the Rednecks. Firstly, you want to change your team. I would recommend: Mintberry Crunch, Fastpass, and Human Kite. At the very least put Mintberry cause you’re gonna need him for his Bringing The Crunch special.

Before doing the next mission finds some chaos minions to defeat until you level up (or hero rank 3). Then add in another artifact (I did the Crystal Capacitor)

Mosquito in a Honey Pot: For this mission you have to battle against the raisins girls. Given that you are locked into having Mosquito on your team, I would recommend having the other two be Mintberry and Fastpass. Again, you don’t need to play defensive yet, just make sure you knock Mosquito out of the charm status.

Origins 2: New Beginnings: you get to pick a new class. I chose to have Psychic as my second class. Then you’ll want to swap some of your powers. Change Grim Fate to Chakra Cleanse. Change Ghastly Grasp to Dazzling Flash.

Civil War: For this mission you will battle against the Freedom Pals. Like the pervious mission, you’re locked into a teammate, that being Super Craig. Have the other two Mintberry and Mosquito. Depending on how the battle is doing, you’ll need to use the Chakra Cleanse special, otherwise just use Mintberry’s Bringing The Crunch ability.

Homeward Bound: you’re just going to sleep to prepare for the next mission. There is no battle in this mission.

The Bowels of the Beast: There are a few battles in this mission. The first battle is against Randy. You are locked into having Captain Diabetes (this also goes for the next two battles). I would recommend using Soul Slash for your character; any of Scott’s moves are fine, just use his special High-Fructose Death Wave when given the chance

the second battle in this mission is against the VIP Johns. Just use the same strategy as the previous battle, just make sure you use Dire Shroud if needed.

The third battle in this mission is to Chase Classi. I would recommend using Scott’s Sugar Rush to get to the end of the hall faster.

The fourth battle in this mission is against The Cooks. I would change your team to have Mintberry and The Coon on it. Use Dire Shroud when needed and use Mintberry’s Bringing The Crunch special.

The final battle in this mission is against Randy again. Keep the same team as last time and make sure to play more defensive during this battle. So use Dire Shroud and have Scott use any ability that grants him protection. Also learned that don’t let Scott die, you’ll instantly fail even if your other teammate are alive. So use Dire Shroud on Scott for the majority of the fight.

CLASSIfied: Firstly, you should have unlocked a major slot by being hero rank 4. Insert the Nether Talisman (you might should now be 140). You also unlock the DNA during this mission. If you didn’t insert a DNA before, put in High Pain Threshold.

Alternate Universe Collide Again: you’ll want to do this mission first before going to Medicinal Fried Chicken, you’ll have to battle against The Imposter Human Kite again. Keep the team you had from the previous battle (which is Mintberry, The Coon, and Captain Diabetes). Once you get to the second phase, I would use the glitch time ability to skip Alternate Kite from shielding himself. Then use Mintberry’s special Bringing The Crunch (you’re going hear this a lot so get used to it). Before moving to the next mission get your Crafter Rank up (around 8 or 9) and upgrade the Crystal Capacitor and Tachyon Matrix. Your might level should now be 180.

Ghost Reconciler: get this mission started and finish once you unlock the time stop ability.

Once you do all that, you’ll want to gather some items before doing the Medicinal Fried Fiasco mission. Go get the Skeeter’s Roof-Aged Cheese and Super Spicy City Shrimp. Also make sure to grab the Memberberry Farms Juicer Crank while you’re there. For this you’ll have to battle some Sixth Graders. Given your might level is 180, it’ll be easy. While at City Wok, get the City Shrimp and the Artifact Metabolic Furnace. Replace the Nether Talisman with Metabolic Furnace. Your might level should now be 190.

Medicinal Fried Chicken: now that you got every you can continue on with the mission. For this, you’ll battle against the Raisins Girls. I would recommend start out by using Dazzling Flash on the red head (their turn should be next in line), then just Soul Slash the rest of the battle. Make sure you keep your glitch time ability for phase two. I’m pretty even with max health that you’ll die instantly if you don’t use the glitch ability. Once you do the rest of the mission as usual, you’ll have to battle against Towelie. This battle is pretty standard, just do it as usual. If anything, use Dire Shroud if needed.

Finish the Ghost Reconciler mission and get the Vigilante Marketing mission by talking to Cartman’s mom. Finish that mission.

Microaggression Academy: This mission doesn’t have a traditional battle like the others, but I would still do this one (I’m pretty sure it is required)

The Talk 2: The Gendering: For this mission you’ll have to battle against the Rednecks. Keep the team as it was for the pervious battles. Before starting the battle, craft some stuff so you get to Crafter Rank 11 then upgrade the Crystal Capacitor and Tachyon Matrix. Your might level should now be 230. You don’t need to do anything special for this battle. It’s pretty easy all things considered.

Operation: Just ‘Cause: For this mission you’ll have to battle against the Drug Dealer. Just use Soul Slash and the time stop ability to win.

Operation: Blind Justice: before starting this mission, do some random battles until you get to hero rank 5 then put in the Nether Talisman in. Your might level should now be 290. This mission will have you battle against the Security Team. I would focus on the dogs first. You will want to use Dire Shroud when the second phase starts. The second battle in this mission will have you fight the Kingpin. Use the same strategy as the battle against the drug dealer.

Origins 3: The Visitor: you get to pick another class in this mission. I am picking the Final Girl class. I’m not adding anything new to my powers, mainly just choose it to skip the tutorial for the class.

Civil War 2: Playtime’s Over: this mission will have you battle against the Freedom Pals. Use Mintberry’s Bringing The Crunch ability and Dire Shroud. Obviously you the time stop ability to gain an advantage in battle.

Race Academy: First Class, We Need A Tool and Under Covers: there are no battles is these missions.

The Hundred Hands of Chaos: there are a few battles in this mission, but first, get the Gourd of Hipstering. This’ll make your might level 298. The first battle in this mission is against the Bums. Given how high your might level is (the enemy is 160 and yours is 298) this’ll be an easy battle.

The second battle is against the Chaos Minions. You’ll want to changes the team (Mintberry Crunch, The Coon, Toolshed). The first phase will be fine but save the special for the second phase. Once the second phase starts use Prime-Time Coon. Make sure you use Dire Shroud on any ally that needs it. When you can use a special again, use Mintberry’s Bringing The Crunch special. After that battle you should now unlock your first epic slot, put in the Sash of Ultimate Merit +6 to bring your might level to 423. Before starting the next battle you need to buy the Aural Disruptor from a vending machine. Replace the Gourd of Hipstering with the Aural Disruptor. Your might level should now be 425.

The third battle is against General Disarry. Just do it as usual.

The fourth battle (which is optional) is against the Chaos Minions. Pretty easy, nothing special about it.

The fifth battle is against the meth heads. When you get Call Girl, use the Phone Destroyer ability on one of the barrels in the very back of the room. It should case a chain reaction that’ll deal damage to multiple enemies.

The sixth battle is against more of the Chaos Minions. Use Dazzling Flash on one of the minions behind one of the turrets.

The final battle is against Mecha Minion Chaos Supreme. Do this battle as you usually would, just make sure you knock out the healers whenever they appear.

(You Can) Call on Me: this mission will have you battle against the Crab People. Pretty standard battle. Nothing special to it. While you are at the D-Mobile, buy the Pup o’ War artifact and replace that Aural Disruptor with it. Your might level should now be 447.

The Chaos Gambit: for this mission you’ll have to battle against Butters’ Dad. I would recommend keeping Butters to the far left of the screen, for the most part he won’t get re-grounded on that side. After the battle you will now be rank 7. I put in the Hidden Blade (which has been upgraded). Putting it in will now bring the might level to 527.

The Invitation: before staring the mission, go to Hillvale Farm to get the Bucket of Memberberry Juice. You’ll then want to go buy the Chocolate Memberito recipe and the Gluten Necrometer. You will need to sell some stuff in order to afford these. Then replace the Metablic Furnace with the Gluten Necrometer. This’ll bring your might level to 549. This mission will have you battle against the Ninja Ambush. You’ll want to change the team (Mintberry Crunch, Call Girl, and Toolshed). You’ll want to keep Call Girl at a distance and mainly use the Phone Destroyer ability.

The Samaritan Agenda: this mission will have you battle/escape Shady Acres. I would use Tupperware’s Hot Swap ability to get to the exit faster. You’ll want to use Dire Shroud a lot during this fight. Now that you have the summon ability, you’ll want to use that at least once to be able to use Dire Shroud more.

Always Bet on Chaos: this mission will have you battle against the Rednecks. You’ll want to change your team to have Mintberry and Call Girl. Not too bad of a fight.

Therapy Wars: this mission will have you battle against the Therapy Kids. Just do this as usual.

The Big Beatdown: for this mission you have to battle against the Pimp. Use the glitch-time ability during this fight.

Origins 4: The Omega Prologue: you get a new class during this mission. I chose the Plantmancer class. After doing the tutorial for this class, replace Dazzling Flash with Purifying Petals.

Nocturnal Submission: no battle in this mission.

The Thin White Line: there are a few battles in this mission. Firstly, you’ll want to get your Crafter Rank to 17 (I just made the Elder Maw +4 artifact a bunch of times) then upgrade the following artifacts: Crystal Capacitor, Hidden Blade, Tachyon Matrix. Your artifact load out will change a bit (Sash of Ultimate Merit +6, Hidden Blade +3, Elder Maw +4, Oracle of the Deviant +4, Crystal Capacitor +3, and Tachyon Matrix +3). Your might level should now be 615.

Anyway, your first battle is against the Crooked Cops. You’ll want to change the team before the battle starts (Mintberry Crunch, Call Girl, Toolshed). You’ll want to use Call Girl’s Phone Destroyer ability for most of the fight; also keep her at a distance from the enemies. I find that to be the best way to use her. That way she won’t get any damage done.

The second battle is against more Crooked Cops. I would use Dire Shroud on the enemies. You should be hero rank 8 after this battle, put in the Hyper Glass and your might level should now be 695.

The third battle is against Jared. Just do this battle as normal and use the pause time ability and Dire Shroud when needed.

The fourth battle is different than any normal right. Your team will change for this fight (Mintberry, Captain Diabetes, and Toolshed), strictly for the fact they have attacks that deal knock-back.

The final battle for this mission is against Coon and Friends. Before you start the battle say you want to make changes to your team, just so you can change your artifacts. Replace the Hyper Glass with the Nerconomicon. Also craft the Tantalum Accelerator +1 and change the Oracle of the Devil with it. You might level should now be 715. Just use Dire Shroud and Chakra Cleanse to get any new allies health up. Once this battle is finished you’ll unlock some stuff. Firstly, replace the Elder Maw with the Energizing Codex. This’ll bring your might level to 720. If you wanted to use the Ungodly Strength DNA you can. I am going to keep High Pain Threshold for now.

Touch the Sky: you have to do the flappy-bird like mini game before the battle. Unless you want to attempt it normally, I would just die twice and get 30 hearts. This battle is Rednecks. Your team should be Mintberry Crunch, Call Girl, and Toolshed. You do this battle as normal.

A Perky Predicament: this battle is against the Raisins Girls, and you’re locked into having a certain team. I would use the summon ability. Given how high your might level is, this’ll be an easy fight.

Freedom Calling: no battle in this mission.

To Catch a Coon: this mission has a battle against every enemy you’ve fought in the game. Use the summon ability and Chakra Cleanse.

The final battle in this mission is against Mitch Conner. You’ll want to use the pause time ability and make sure you keep your teammates health up. Once the battle is done you’ll want to change some artifacts. Firstly, replace the Necronomicon with the Heavy Hand of Deception. Then put in the Supreme Fist of Chaos in your free epic slot. Your might level will now be 826.

The Many Asses of Dr. Mephesto: there are a few battles in this mission. First battle is against the Many-Assed Cats. Your team should have carried over but as a reminder (Mintberry, Call Girl, Toolshed). I would use the summon ability and any healing abilities. By this point a strategy would have been made throughout the game that most of these final battles should be easy. There are just two that might need more of an explanation. Once you get to the vending machine buy some (90 in my case) Gigawatt Power Cell; that way you can craft Annihilation Overthrusters +1 and the Dazzling Dervish +2. Change the Energizing Codex to the Dazzling Dervish +2. Then change the Tantalum Accelerator +1 to the Annihilation Overthruster +1. Your might level should now be 831.

The second battle is against the Many-Assed Sixth Graders. Just make sure you keep your allies health up and it should be all good. I would also try and just focus on one or two at a time. A final recommendation would be to use Mintberry’s Bringing The Crunch ability.

The third battle is against the Ass Mutants. Like the previous fights, keep your health up and use the summon ability. Before the next battle starts you can buy some revive serum from the vending machine if you want.

The final battle in this mission is against Mutant Alternate Human Kite. You’ll really want to make sure your allies health is up, and do your best to keep Call Girl at a distance and use the Phone Destroyer ability. I would use a mix of Mintberry’s special and Toolshed’s special during the fight.

Farts of Future Past: The first battle is this mission is against the Woodland Critters. You have to focus on the ones to the right side of the screen. Don’t split your allies to fight both sides. Have all of your teammates fight the ones of the right side and have Santa distance the ones on the left. Once all the ones on the right are gone, then deal with the ones on the left. Make sure your allies health is good, use the summon ability, and use Mintberry’s Bringing the Crunch ability. After the battle change the Heavy Hand of Deception with the Festive Verse.

The second battle in this mission is against the King (or your past self). Like with the prior battles, just make sure you keep your health up and use the summon ability. On the final phase make sure get rid of Clyde as fast as you can. It can be annoying with him giving protection to all the enemies. I would exclusively use Mintberry’s Brining The Crunch ability during the final phase of the fight.

The final battle in this mission (and in the game) is against Mitch Conner. This battle is significantly easier than the last three, so just do this battle as normal.

[scharfkugel]

Things that I like about Arcana Heart

Seeing discussion of any sort about Arcana Heart these days is extremely rare, particularly discussion that focuses on the cool/good things the series does.

Which is exactly why, now that I’ve been playing AH a lot with a friend recently, I’d like to make this post talking about all the cool stuff I really like about this game! (Read more incoming because I’m gonna ramble)

Character designs

If you know anything about AH already, you probably know there’s a lot of real ‘misses’ when it comes to the character designs. If you don’t know what I mean, take a look at the whole roster and then you will. But those aside, here are the ones I really like!

Lieselotte Achenbach

A contract assassin on a quest to find her lost sister. She carries a suitcase that holds a possessed puppet with the memories and personality of her real sister.

Fiona Mayfield

A maid with a massive sword, massive gauntlets, and massive sabatons (not pictured). One unfortunate day, she became trapped in the realm of elementals and now only exists as a spirit in the real world. She’s trying to recover her true body and return to her friends.

Yoriko Yasuzumi

A normally shy and quiet girl who is overly-interested in the occult, she summoned the self-proclaimed ‘Demon Lord’ Michelangelo through an accident and now has to put up with his constant bickering and arguing that frequently gets the two of them into trouble.

Eko

A young girl with brilliant powers that let her bring anything she draws to life. She likes to play with her protective “brother”, and favourite drawing, Kazu.

The system mechanics are unlike anything else

AH uses the standard anime fighter A/B/C buttons set-up for attacks, but with two more unique buttons: Homing and Arcana (D and E). When choosing a character, you can then choose from a large list of various Arcanas that act somewhat like ‘assists’ in other fighting games do. Not only do they give you access to assist specials, they change the passive abilities of your character and change the properties of your E attacks (life drain, unblockable, projectile invuln, etc.) The amount of combinations given the huge roster is absolutely staggering and different combos can feel like playing a whole new character.

The homing button lets you fly into the air and start homing straight onto the enemy’s position like a missile. Different directions change your trajectory and timing, meaning the game is hugely focused around tech-chasing, mid-air fighting, and a powerful game of anti-airs and air unblockables. The vertical screen space in AH is absolutely staggeringly high to allow for all of this.

The uniqueness of character kits is absolutely bizarre

A lot of people say that games like Blazblue and Guilty Gear have such incredibly varied and unique kits that characters can feel like they’re playing different games to each other. AH is very much like this; it has some of the craziest kits I have ever seen a fighting game.

See above: Yoriko Yasuzumi has a move that has you input a pentagram on your stick which causes Michelangelo to cast a buff.

Angelia has a charge move that has you hold down any button, A/B/C, in order to start charging it. The longer you charge it, the better it gets. How long, you ask? To reach level 5, the strongest version of this move, you must charge the special for nearly the entire round. It then becomes a 12,000 damage unblockable drop kick.

I could go on for much longer with many more examples, but the game not being afraid to put absolutely insane mechanics in is exactly what makes learning AH so crazy and interesting.

So in short!

AH is crazy to learn, crazy to play, and I feel like I have a newfound appreciation for it after having given it a real shot with a friend. This isn’t a post recommending or telling you to play Arcana Heart, but if does so happen to do that, then go for it. Just keep in mind there’s no rollback netcode!

[self-loving-vampire]

Anything I need to know about fallout going in, or can I just, get it and go ham?

One big recommendation is to download and use Fallout Fixt. Other than that...

1- Reading the manual is vital! With a lot of older games there isn’t much of a tutorial and they expect you to read the manual for basic information instead. Fortunately, old game manuals are actually very fun to read and you can just use the index to skip over anything that is too basic. It was written for people who have never played an RPG before.

2- It is much more fun to make your own character rather than using one of the premades, which are not really that good build-wise anyway.

3- Unfortunately, a lot of games with tons of different skills don’t manage to make them all equally relevant or important. A lot of the skills in the game have only marginal utility and can be avoided.

Skills like small guns (which includes rifles and shotguns), lockpick, and especially speech are golden while skills like throwing are far less useful. There’s a big middle ground of skills that are decent but not really worth spending that many points on.

4- The Gifted trait is broken. It lowers your skills but gives you +1 to every stat. It almost feels like cheating, so if you want to have a much easier time you should consider it. Moving some of the bonus stat points to intelligence helps offset the skill penalty. Relative to 3 and New Vegas, it is relatively difficult to permanently raise your stats (although wearing power armor is a big strength boost).

5- The Awareness perk is a good choice for your first perk at level 3. It lets you know exactly how much HP enemies you are looking at have and also what weapon they’re wielding. This can help you make more informed decisions during combat. I think it requires 5 Perception as a minimum?

6- Don’t stress too much about the initial time limit. It is actually very generous and you should have time to spare if you take care to talk to people and follow leads. Once you deliver the chip you can explore far more freely.

7- Before you go to Vault 15 or The Glow, have a piece of rope on you. You will need to use rope to really get into these places.

8- Overall using drugs for anything other than healing or dealing with radiation (which is a much smaller aspect of the game than you might think) is a bad idea.

9- Do not give Ian a weapon with burst fire.

10- A lot of people don’t like it when you talk to them with a weapon in your active item slot. Rather than putting it away, you can keep your secondary slot empty and switch to that one when talking.

11- Also worth noting that while opening your inventory in combat takes 4 action points you can use as many healing items as you want and also reload your weapons while you are there.

12- Combat-wise, Agility is king. It gives you more action points, which means more attacks and more movement.

13- Try not to start with less than 4 intelligence or the game will be very different and you will be unable to do most things. Intelligence is a pretty overpowered stat overall.

14- Money and drugs are weightless. When possible, try to trade for either cash or more stimpaks.

15- By the time you reach the midgame, it might be worth it to start putting points into energy weapons. The absolute best weapon in the game, the turbo plasma rifle, is in this category. However, it is probably not a good idea to start with a high energy weapons skill because you are very unlikely to find any in the first half of a normal playthrough.

16- This is a bit unintuitive, but if you did not tag Melee Weapons at character creation you may actually be better off fighting unarmed rather than using them, as your unarmed skill is likely to be higher (resulting in a better chance to hit).

17- Once your skills are high, it is a great idea to start using called shots to target specific body parts. The eyes in particular are the most difficult but most deadly target, especially once you get the Better Criticals perk. You can even get instant kill crits this way.

18- The combat system is not very deep, but you should not neglect making good use of movement. It’s generally far more impactful than ending your turns with AP to spare for the extra dodge chance. If you move away from a melee opponent before ending your turn, for example, they will have to spend some of their points moving up to you again before attacking and so they may get less attacks off.

For the same reason, hiding behind corners during gunfights is recommended since it can force enemies to spend a round walking up to you rather than shooting.

19- The last major thing that comes to mind is also something the manual should have drilled in well: Save often and in different slots.