#idk why the last photo is so low quality

[deathtastegirl]

torrid, 2001

[eemamminy-art]

I was really sick last night so I'm taking it easy a little bit today before I try to get any work done, so I spent a few hours putting together Mal's farmhouse in the sims 4 :3

Lots of pics ahead so it's going under a read more! Also please excuse the quality, I have to play with low graphics because my computer is a potato that's like, 7 or 8 years old at this point. There's also a lot of rambling about stuff with my character and my fic in here if that's of interest to anyone too :3

Okay... Well first of all, Them!!

Mal looking like a little trucker in that cap and vest combo lmao but it's so cute :3 I think it suits his weird 20-something year old grandpa aesthetic!! I use mostly vanilla cosmetics so Mal's hair is a bit longer than it should be and Alex's hair is a bit shorter than how I draw it but I tried to keep them mostly accurate! I think Mal looks better in terms of design just because I've made him in the sims before and had years to tweak him to how he looks here lol

Now the farmhouse...! I tried to get the layout of the house looking like I imagine it, so it'll give you a good idea of how it's supposed to be laid out in my fic :3 how I describe it to be anyway! The outside is not at all accurate besides the placement of the crops and chicken coop. Beside the house should be a river (it's the meadowlands farm in stardew and I moved the cabin to be right beside the river where the chicken coop is initially when you start!) and further down past the chicken coop and crops should be a whooole bunch of fruit trees. I envision the farm as like, having an orchard of different fruit trees as the main crop for the farm's actual income, while the chickens and other crops are more for like, self-sustaining the family. Idk if that comes across in what I'm writing but I'm kind of trying to have Mal stumble his way through learning to farm rather than having an inherent idea of what to do or detailed written instructions left by grandpa lol

The kitchen and living area are one big space :3 idk why the door to the basement turned invisible, just sims being sims I guess. But imagine a door there behind the dining table and not just an open gap in the wall lmao

The living room wall is a different color than how I've drawn it so mission failed on that one lol but it's fine! It should be a record player instead of a jukebox and there should be a landline phone on an end table near the door, but sims 4 only has so much stuff in the vanilla. RIP to my landline phones from previous sims games, I think I miss that the most 😩 nothing quite makes me as nostalgic for childhood as a landline phone in the home. Anyway!

Beside the kitchen is a hallway which leads to the bathroom and to Mal's childhood bedroom which he no longer uses. The hallway is kinda cramped but I like that, it gives a vibe of those kind of houses that have little space and try to use it all to the fullest :3 I didn't notice the bathroom floor was wet before taking the bathroom pics, you can thank Alex for that. He had just jogged and showered and I guess left a puddle 😂 messy boy!!

And Mal's childhood room is very small but just has some cutesy stuff in it. The little bed and little wooden chest are some things that kinda come up in a few chapters I wrote so I was like 👀 those are essential

The master bedroom, which was Mal's grandparents' room but he's since moved into it. I think I also describe it as having a dresser in addition to the closet so that's missing... And there should be family photos but I don't think I have anything like that with my currently installed packs. The guitar was grandpa's, but I don't think Mal knows how to play? I had some idea a few months back about Sam teaching him guitar but I'm not sure now. Feels a little too intimate for the dynamic he and Sam have/will have! Besides that, Mal's love of music has manifested in dancing and singing so I think that's a fair trade :3 but he keeps the guitar anyway for sentimental reasons! And the green bedding, as made by Emily... but you know in my head I imagine her making a huge quilt for him, so pretend like there's a big quilt on the bed too lol

Last is the basement which looks nothing like it should lol. I forgot to reinstall the laundry pack so I'm missing that... but I imagine it as having the water heater, washing machine, some wine racks, and a woodworking table. Maaaybe casks or kegs like you can have in stardew? I need to think on it :3 But it would be this shape of room at least, just a small square room under the kitchen.

And then... I played a little and I kept getting stuff that felt so true to them lol

Vigorously nodding, yeah 😄

(small nsfw mention in the following paragraph fyi)

And then some spicy ones which made me laugh because this is also accurate to how they are. They were literally just talking btw not doing any romantic interactions 😂 Mal made some bad jokes and Alex was like oughhh I can't not fuck him 😫 I haven't started posting all the horny turmoil chapters yet but you'll see eventually, he's a little bit pathetic about it lol it's cute

And of course, it wouldn't be the sims without it doing some weird buggy shit (especially sims 4 lately... these QOL patches have added some weird quirks to how townies autonomously interact with your sims lol)

Wherein grandpa died and then immediately called, as a ghost, to ask if Mal wanted his company for sympathy... Hrmmm....... 🤔 Maybe it knew that grandpa's ghost shows up from time to time in stardew valley too lol

The end 🥰 Hope you enjoyed reading...! I'm gonna play with them more another time and if anything fun happens I'll be sure to share!!

[cryptidsurveys]

Wednesday, December 18th, 2024.

You ever carve Jack Lanterns? We used to carve them almost yearly when I was younger, but that practice eventually waned. Last Halloween, I bought several pumpkins and simply put them outside as-is.

Have you ever visited someone in jail? I haven't.

How cold is it where you live in January? According to Google… The average temperature is 31.9F, the average high is 48.4F, and the average low is 19F. It can get quite a bit colder than that, but it's rare.

Do you like the smell of Jasmine? I can't even remember the last time I knowningly smelled Jasmine. It's probably alright, but not a favorite scent of mine.

Have you ever tried a jawbreaker? When I was a kid. I can't believe it didn't occur to me then just how gross those were - particularly the big ones that we would lick and save and lick and save and…eww.

Do you like Jazz music? It's okay. I sometimes enjoy those soft jazz ambiance videos on YouTube.

What’s your most important piece of jewellery? Why does it mean so much to you? A certain necklace. It's meaning is rather personal to me.

What job have you always wanted to do? I've never always wanted to work a specific job. In fact, it wasn't until sometime after I started volunteering at the animal shelter that I realized it was probably the only thing I would ever want to do.

Have you ever done journaling? I used to journal quite a bit when I was younger and still have many of my old diaries. As I got older, I got into journaling digitally on sites like Myspace, Xanga, Tumblr, Instagram, etc, but the bulk of those accounts have been lost to time (or website deactivations). At the moment, I'm really only active in terms of surveys and the photos (and occasional blurbs) I post on IG.

Do you think you’re a judgmental person or more an accepting person? I'm more of an accepting person.

What’s the key to happiness? Gaslighting yourself into believing everything is fvcking great. ;D No, but seriously, I don't think there is one single key to happiness. I think it's more of a holistic approach involving gratitude, a sense of passion, a sense of love and belonging, taking care of yourself as best as you can, extending and receiving kindness, etc. I also don't think it's about always being happy, but about forming a strong foundation that isn't broken when you go through difficult or heartbreaking times.

What was your favourite cartoon as a kid? Why is this question on almost every survey I take.

What fictional killer scares you the most? None of them. Even real killers don't frighten me very much.

What kind of sandwiches do you like? BLTs, egg and cheese McMuffins, some sort of deli meat with cheese and greens and condiments, peanut butter and jelly or banana, grilled or toasted cheese sandwiches with jalapenos, etc.

Which of your friends is the kindest? Yesterday, Riley said that she considers me a friend! :') I was so surprised that I didn't respond in kind (and I'm kicking myself for that brain-lapse lmao), but I had started to think of her as a potential friend as well. She's just such an affable, kind, thoughtful, and understanding individual with a wonderful sense of humor. She's almost always in an upbeat mood even when she's tired, overwhelmed, or in pain; you can tell when she's starting to struggle, but she doesn't take it out on anyone. She rarely ever speaks ill of anyone without a valid reason, and even when it comes to smaller offenses, if she is critical, then it's often in a way that comes across as very fair and empathetic. Strong sense of justice, huge animal lover, etc. Many of those qualities are true for my best friend Ollie as well. They're just sandwiched between seven layers of sarcasm.

How old were you when you had your first kiss? Idk.

Do you love kittens and puppies? Omg, I got to see some baby-baby kittens with Riley and Liv last night. There's a nursing mother in the back of ISO and I think she has a litter of EIGHT?! There was one runt that was worrying us because he was lying near the outside of the pile and wasn't looking particularly lively so they told management about it, but right before Leslie returned, the little one rose up and dived right into the midst of the milk mosh pit. Didn't know they had it in them. Surprised the heck out of me, lmao.

Have you ever flown a kite? Yeah.

[cythoughtsnmemories]

17.02.23

Done w GDL~ very grateful that we're able to delivered all xi bing on d day itself. Everything was smooth, except for some traditions restrictions (ah ma stand most left cos most senior and cannot 3 pple take photo tgt). Wonder how MIL wants to tell all guests, cannot this and that. Why can't i do it my way, its my wedding. Am so annoyed w all the restrictions and doesn't make sense traditions. No, idw to kneel for tea ceremony, except parents n grandparents. Anw, my Godma also requested us not to kneel for tea ceremony. Thankful fiancé nvr request me to move in his hse. He confirmed kena WW III

Ordered mini buffet for 10 for dinner for all crews on AD, but we had lots of leftover and we can only throw. Okay we kept for next day brunch then throw but it's still a lot.

I brought babe to Sura for course dinner n there was free wine paring. They even prepared flowers. When we arrived, d waited gave babe a pen n small card to write for d card. Since dinner was on me, I only took d card and ask babe to bring home d flowers hahaha~

Prolly having pms, I was quite emotional when babe didn't do anything for V day...except sent me an article from sg celebrity that advice for long lasting marriage is nvr celebrate V day.

I'm wasn't expecting anything expensive cos I know we just went Europe n we also spent a lot on wedding and soon we have to pay for hse too. But at least some special action? He was wfh so I tot he might pick me up from work. Nah~

Good news from sis! They're official! Look at that rose bear, definitely more than $100

So babe bought d shang tou set n we have to prepare out own candles stand. That's my parents covering the longan can w red paper. So glad, they both are participating the prep.

Really nice of babe to let his friends to pay additional softcopy to clock the amt for credit card. Right, babe bought 4 more softcopy cos I like it, although I said there isn't a need cos i already scanned it. He said quality difference. Lol

Wfh today and as usual, busy! Idk why Fri is always so busy T^T Had mala pasta n salmon tofu soup for lunch.

Finally, reading my new book, 7 principles for making marriage work. Nth wrong to get more knowledge and prevent marriage fail right? So I leant its impt that partner to have high EQ. Its okay, pple having low IQ, but EQ is the key.

[yukinyaminyato]

so yeah here's my yesterday's cosplay 😳 posting these pics here makes me nervous but,,,, 👉👈

[releaseholiday]

Ik you said you dont care about concert tickets but I need to say that it wasn’t larries that were complaining about free tickets being given away last night or the night before, it was hardcore harries being mad that they weren’t in LA so they couldn’t get them or they paid insane amount of money for theirs, so it is unfair to insinuate some larries who are wishing failure upon hshq were making things up or seeing things that weren’t there.

Yeah that photo was taken minutes before the show but forum being full obviously don’t tell the whole story behind it. There is this kinda big twitter account helping fans with concert tickets, even they said that what is happening with LA residency -low priced, unsold and free tickets- hasn’t happened with any other of his residencies so far even when ticketmaster released unsold tickets right before the concert or sold them outside of the arenas. Calling all his forum dates sold-out is a marketing line underlining the high demand he has had, but it was literally not the case with night 1 and 2. Ofc hshq won’t wanna disturb that illusion of H being so demanded that you get to be a part of an exclusive club if you attend his shows (why do ppl think harries are looking down on Louis’ prices bc they think it is not something elite and show the quality of his crowds or smth lol) bc that is the most alluring part of being a het H fan, so they gave out free tickets and lowered the prices. Btw there were still unsold tickets on websites when he was on stage, so 🙇🏻‍♀️

Yeah, thats what I’ve heard/seen as well. Idk it’s pretty obvious to me that harries are losing interest. They loved being fans of the Harry that everyone loved bc they looked cool, now they’re even embarrassed to say they’re his fans lol. Let’s see how the new mv or whatever this Gill lounge thing is goes (bc I haven’t seen that much hype over it either tbh)

[gemsofgreece]

Thanks again for the pictures! Yeah, it's a shame to have such beautiful clothing and then take pictures of such quality that you can count the pixels xD. Idk why, I feel some traditional clothing is underrepresented big time, and that's sad. Like the whole region of Hmathia except maaaaybe Naoussa or so, even though the whole region seems to have extremely beautiful clothing.

I have a theory about the low quality thing and the underrepresentation - I believe the interest in historical fashion in Greece had been considered backwards / right-wing / provincial for the longest time and thus most photos were usually taken by middle aged- old people that were not experts at photography, technology, contemporary artistry. Most are novice parents photographing their children, not professional photographers. It is no coincidence that the best photos of Greek historical fashion are being taken the last couple of years - during which artists try to recandle the interest for folk art and see it through a modern perspective, motivated as they were by the 200 year Independence anniversary. In any case, that modern interest in the artistic presentation of folk clothes is very new in Greece whereas in other countries in the Balkans and everywhere east of us they present their traditional fashion with professional photography, beautiful settings and concepts etc…

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

Goddamn it Kyra I wasn't even interested in the Lego Lokis before, but now that you've so rudely posted pics of the options I'm probably going to have to buy some. So, couple questions: I'm not familiar with the website you linked to (it doesn't help that I'm on my phone lol) - do you get them from that site or just Aliexpress? I've kind of poked around there but I don't think I've ever actually bought anything - do you have links to those ones you bought or any tips for finding them on the site? (or like. using the site in general without getting scammed or something? Idk much about it other than stuff being low priced lol).

😇😇😇

putting the rest behind a cut because oops this got long

OKAY SO the cool thing about knockoff Lego figures is that a) there are a ton of them, so you can probably find multiple versions of most characters, and b) they're super cheap, so if you do end up getting ripped off, you're probably only out a few bucks. plus if you don't get ripped off, you feel like a genius, because authentic Lego minifigs tend to cost way more than they should (and if you get them online, you probably don't have a good way to know that they're authentic) and here you are getting something just as good or better for way less.

the site I was getting pictures from is HeroBloks, which I only just discovered myself a couple days ago; it looks like mostly it's good for tracking your collection (and learning more about bootleg Lego minifigs in general, maybe--I didn't really realize until now how many different companies there are making Lego-like minifigs) rather than buying, with individual pages including sale links that are only mildly useful. like, the extremely sad TVA Loki has an AliExpress search link that apparently just searches for "blocks," which is the least helpful search term imaginable; the eBay link uses "xinh+xh1745+loki (tva)" as the search term and that's definitely better, although it doesn't actually turn up anything. maybe that one's too new to be widely available yet, I don't know. (I hope that's the case. I need him and his sad little face to come and live with me.)

anyway--eBay is a possible source. searching for "loki minifigure" gets me results for several of the new ones I’ve been seeing, and they all seem to be shipping from Japan or South Korea. the problem is they're all selling for $4.99 plus $7.49 shipping each, which is...more than I want to spend on something I know is a knockoff of some kind when I don't know anything about the quality control and I'm not guaranteed to get what's in the picture. (here's another listing asking $40 total for all 8 figures I bought yesterday, which is actually a better price, and I'd probably end up doing that if I hadn't found them elsewhere, but that's because I have a problem.)

this is why I like AliExpress, because the risks are slightly higher but the prices tend to be much lower, even with shipping prices having gone up a bit over the last couple years. as I understand it, the site is basically just a huge marketplace for tons of different sellers in Asia, like if eBay only allowed fixed-price listings and it was based in China. the vast majority of the site reads like it went through Google Translate, because it probably did. you can find...basically anything there. I have no idea if any of it's authentic. (I also don't know anything about how or where any of the knockoff stuff is made, so...there is that.) I would not, for instance, drop $300 on a Hot Toys Loki from here, even though I absolutely would have the option to do so, for the obvious reason that I'm not going to risk that much money on an item that might be a cheap knockoff or could arrive broken. there is, in general, a solid possibility of breakable things arriving broken, because decent packaging costs more. cheap shipping will be slow (by which I mean like...up to 90 days), and most purchases either won't have tracking at all or won't have accurate tracking, so this is absolutely not a place to buy anything you want to get quickly. you also don't want to just buy something and forget about it, because there are (variable but generous) time limits past which you can't get a refund if you don't receive your items. the site's UI is...mostly functional. you often have to get a little creative with your search terms to find what you want (and sometimes you won’t find what you want through searching, but through looking at related items on the pages of things that aren’t quite what you want or are what you want but aren’t a good price). you will, absolutely, come across a lot of stolen art on things like pins, t-shirts, stickers, and phone cases, which you might not realize until you see something you recognize from a fanartist you like, and obviously that sucks. listing photos are nearly always stock photos, so in many cases they won't tell you anything about the item you're actually getting. you know the Wish app, and all the crazy things people get from that? you can find all the same stuff on AliExpress, at similar levels of quality.

however, if you approach it keeping all that in mind, it can be a great resource. I can't make any guarantees about the site's safety, but to the best of my knowledge it's secure and I've never had any weird charges show up after buying something. it's also my understanding that Alibaba, the parent company, is more or less the Chinese equivalent of Amazon in terms of the amount of business it does, which would probably be pretty tough if customer data were routinely being exposed to thieves, you know? I've also successfully gotten several refunds for items that never arrived, which actually hasn't happened all that often--but knowing that it can happen and that the return period expires, I’ll check back on the site if it seems like it’s been an unusually long time and I’ll make a reminder for myself of the deadline so I can contact the seller in time if necessary.

so the way I shop there is, I don't buy expensive or fragile things in general, because I recognize there's a nonzero chance I'll get a cheap knockoff, or something that was broken in transit because the seller tossed it in a box with no padding and called it good, or sometimes nothing at all. but like eBay, the sellers and items have ratings and reviews from customers, so that helps avoid some risk. items with lots of reviews tend to include at least a few customer photos, which are great for getting a better idea of what the thing you're buying actually looks like. I took a bit of a risk last year buying a Hot Toys (or the equivalent, I actually have no idea) Steve Rogers head for about $20, for instance, but I wasn't super worried about it because the customer photos looked good, the seller I used had a lot of sales and a lot of good ratings, and it was still a lot less than I would've paid for an authentic Hot Toys Steve Rogers head--and in fact he got here just fine and he looked fantastic. I also spent about $20 for a knockoff Iron Studios Loki statue, because in that case it was like...yep I’d love the real thing, nope I’m not willing to spend hundreds of dollars on it, yep I am willing to spend $20 on something that doesn’t look quite as nice but still looks good enough for me in the customer photos. well, and I’ve also bought knockoffs I knew would look bad, because they were cheap and I want all the Lokis and I have enough of an addiction that all the Lokis does in fact sometimes mean “even ones that look really bad” to me.

anyway, uh, Lego-type minifigs. this is an especially good area to go knockoff, because--okay, apparently I can’t link to a page of HeroBloks search results for some reason, but it’s the best resource I’ve found for this type of thing that isn’t just authentic Lego figures. but if you go there and do a search for “loki” you’ll get a bunch of results and you’ll see that they come from like...9 or 10 different brands. Lego specifically has only four Loki options: Avengers Loki in black, Avengers Loki in gray for some reason (which, frankly, looks like a cheap knockoff but isn’t), movie-inaccurate Ragnarok Loki with the blue outfit and the full helmet, an ugly Classic Loki, and a mostly green Loki from I guess the first Thor movie (and then I think they’re going to release a TVA Loki, a Sylvie, and a Throg). all those other results--all those different outfits from every single Loki appearance, and different variations on those outfits, nearly all of them more screen-accurate and/or detailed than the Lego versions--are technically knockoffs. they’re better and you can buy them for way less. (I mean, a lot of them are new so I don’t have them yet, but I do have frost giant Loki, better Ragnarok Loki, better Avengers Loki, opera Loki who actually has another face that’s half-Jotun, and at least one chrome-helmet option, and they all look basically like the photos. so I think I can reasonably expect most of the new ones to look basically like their photos too.) 

for reasons that I don’t understand aside from a vague guess that it’s copyright-related, AliExpress pretty much no longer shows full pictures of Lego-type figures in their listings--instead, you have to pick just based on the heads. this is a problem when lots of heads look very similar to each other! luckily, the listings also typically have the actual serial numbers for each figure, as do the HeroBloks listings, so you can cross-reference them to see what you’re really getting. for instance let’s take this listing because it’s cheap and it offers most of the Loki figures that are currently available. say you’re interested in one of the horn-less Lokis. there are...let’s see, five of them, but you have no idea what they actually look like aside from slightly different facial expressions and maybe weapons. however, the first one listed says XH1359 for its color...and what do you know, 1359 is the serial number for this Loki by a company called Xinh. okay cool, how about the last one? the “color” is listed as WM2182--and yes, HeroBloks has a listing for a Ragnarok Loki from World Minifigures with the serial number 2182. (I just ordered all 8 of the new World Minifigures ones yesterday, so again, I can’t personally guarantee yet that they’ll look as good in person as in the pictures--but I think they probably will, and more importantly they cost a whole dollar each.) and if HeroBloks doesn’t have a particular figure, you can probably find something useful just by googling the serial number.

I specifically bought from this listing yesterday because they currently have a bit of a sale going and a deal for free shipping if you buy 10 figures, and I wanted a couple duplicates, so it worked out to be the cheapest option. the same store has another listing for a bunch more Marvel characters, including a couple more Lokis I already had, so it should be pretty easy to get the free shipping so the figures are less than a dollar each and you’re only risking about $10. if you’d rather try one or two and see how it goes, it looks like this listing is probably the cheapest, with figures currently going for a little over a dollar each once you add shipping (although it’s totally possible shipping is more for me because Alaska).

that’s...probably already way more information than you really wanted, but I hope at least some of it makes sense. feel free to ask other specific questions if they come up--I might not be able to give answers exactly, but I can probably tell you what my experience has been, which is better than nothing.

[gods-and-punks]

Ratatouille Voice: "Anyone Can Draw"

Okay idk I'm not a professional artist, I don't even consider myself "good", though I've made some pieces I'm proud of. [Shameless link if you wanna see how full of shit I am.] But I honestly truly believe that anyone can draw, and anyone can improve. Yeah, you might not be where you want to be, but if you really want to get better, let's harness that "feeling bad about my art" and turn it into drive "so I'm gonna do something about it"!

I've been drawing off an on for over a decade, but I've really improved in the last 3 years, and here's what I think happened:

I learned to 3D model fast. Which is to say, I learned to turn shapes over in my mind and figure out how slight changes in angle affected what I see. I can't conjure images in my head very easily or with much detail, so learning to layer details and give volume to an idea in my mind was a huge hurtle I never realized I had until I uhh had a senior project that required me to face and then get over it.

I started making deliberate decisions about what I wanted. (Ie, my art isn't a passive experience "i guess this is how things are", I started making choices of what I wanted it to be like.

I stopped mindlessly practicing - I started doing research and doing very deliberate practice and experimentation. I did research, I found videos, and I chose what I spent time on. I tried different combinations, I drew low-stakes sketches that no one had to see. I also stsrted doing warm ups!! It matters!!

And I know this doesn't sound like the "ideal" that art should be spontaneous and natural and I feel it too. But I don't have talent, so I have to work at it. And I am a PhD student in a non-art field, so I have limited time - so I have to work smart.

Part 1

So I know 3D modeling isn't really accessible, approachable, and all that (it's also not not accessibly, i just learned school of hard knocks so I literally cannot teach anyone how to do it); but I also don't think it's necessary. What you need to do is draw still life. Yes, its not the fan art you want to draw, but it will help! (And I do not suggest starting with your anime figures either, use simple kindergarten shapes.)

Learn to draw things you see in your room, go pick stock photos and recreate them. Trace parts only to learn how the lines come together, duplicate from sight!

I strongly advocate taking up charcoal if you can, it teaches you how to think not just about the thing you are drawing, but think about it in reference to its surroundings.

https://youtu.be/KD2v0Dwg2og

https://youtu.be/nkDObgH6ixg

https://youtu.be/emcO79uteN4

Part 2

This is the one where you gotta swallow your pride and ideals, and look at things practically. If you want to be in an art industry or just help yourself feel better about your hobby, your art should never be an "accident".

And what that means is that you chose to draw faces like that, you chose to use darker thicker lines, etc. "That's just how I draw x" as a response to art criticism is a really bad sign. But if you've already decided that you aren't happy with your art, then I think you're already... ready... to make a change - you've already had this "come to earth" uncomfortable epiphany that you probably have some room to grow. And honestly, I love and respect you even more for it!! Everyone can grow, and you have done the hard introspection to say that you want to!

So now we need to start looking at what other artists do that make you admire them? I love how sketchy the lines are in Tite Kubo's Bleach manga is, so I try to emulate it. I'm not stealing his art, I'm learning from it. I love how fluid Katsura Hoshino's D Gray Man is, so I embrace that and try to incorporate it in my scenes. But note: these are "qualities" of the art. I am framing these as "attainable characteristics" that come from the art I can look at. Its not "D Gray Man is pretty, why can't I do that" or "Bleach is so cool, I'm just not good enough".

No! Kill your doubt gremlin!! and start looking at the reasons you love and admire the artists you do. Go on insta, find someone to adore, pour your <3's on their pieces and learn from them by looking at how they use line and shape and tone and whatever.

https://youtu.be/NEvMHRgPdyk

Part 3

So I just kind'a put links where I though they would help, so now I'll list the various playlists that I keep my favorite videos in. The people who make them are good, not always gentle, but they have helped me out a lot.

Remember that things that work for one person may not work for another, but you have to try. If you don't have talent (which tbh is pretty common and is 300% not an insult, just just something I had to accept), you have to work for it. And that sucks, but that's life, and you have to decide if this is worth the effort.

And if it is, I hope this helps you see that you already had the agency to learn this!! It's all free on the internet, because of content creators who want you to learn!!

Anyway, take it or leave it, but this actually worked for me so I thought I'd post about it.

[vyvesvi]

updated top albums list + recommended tracks from each bc im bored lol

*tentatively* in order

unnatural - wjsn | recommended songs: all of them (especially unnatural, supermoon, and yalla) except for rewind | skips: just rewind bc ballad /// im not sure what style to call this album but they really made such a smash, its crazy that it came out so early in the year and no gg is touching it (album wise). literally the only complaints i have are the obligatory ballad (that they always do bc they can all sing lmfao), the album cover/title (dont love the cover design and i dont love when the album name is the tt name, except in certain circumstances (a full album (especially where the title isnt necessarily from the title track) like montero) or when it's a single album (the inverse of this being rsq's prequel which couldve just been called colorfull since that was the only damn song 😐)). i also was disappointed with the outfits for last dance but that's peripheral.

timeabout, - yukika | recommended songs: insomnia & secret | skips: none /// okay to keep it very real im genuinely scared that she'll never surpass soul lady. i love, and i mean LOVE timeabout, but soul lady was on another plane of existence. like she could've held that album a little bit

the other side of the moon - gwsn | recommended songs: like it hot, starry night, i cant breathe | skips: i sing, depending on my mood /// i dont have much commentary tbh,this is just a very solid mini idk. id like to see a fusion of i cant breathe/tweaks/after the bloom/burn, maybe on their next mini. i love their brighter stuff but maybe a darker concept next (halloween cb pls pls pls)

montero - lil nas x | lowkey too soon for me to pick recommended songs but i'll say montero, scoop, lost in the citadel, sun goes down, and am i dreaming for now. will update! | skips: none /// i cant say that this is this year's sawayama bc sawayama was kinda more like a collection of really strong singles? whereas i feel like these songs shine as an album. i dont even know what to say except that im soooo surprised and impressed because i didnt know that this is the type of music he made???? like he raps but theres a lot of singing? not like belting but definitely not rapping. its kinda...alt ish? in some places? if i had to use ine genre to describe the whole album id probably say alt pop? idk but whatever it is it's definitely working

hide & seek - purple kiss | recommended songs: zombie & so why (tbh all of them) | 2am and zzzz depend on my mood but theyre def not full skips /// no bad song on the album this is crazy....i might rerank since i just listened to it for the first time but as of now idk, its good im just super impressed. ponzona wasnt for me but this cb theyre really doing all the things, lovr tht for them

produced by: [myself] - onlyoneof | recommended songs: coy & night flight | question mark depends on my mood /// im still mad at them (read: 8d) sooooo...idk. i can’t really listen to their music rn. but this mini is still good

play game: holiday - weeekly | recommended songs: check it out, weekend, holiday party | i like memories of summer rain and la luna but it depends on my mood /// very cohesive mini, def their best overall imo! not much to say, but i hope jiyoon gets well soon TTTT

enchant - orbit | recommended songs: gokurakuchouka & never gonna get away but also all of them except flor lunar | skips: flor lunar is nice but boring /// i need kpoppies to get into it im tired of being here alone cmon y’all

set - woodz | recommended songs: feel like | skips: none /// i prefer his bright tracks but this mini was solid as usual. where is the full album tho seungyoun hmmm????

guess who - itzy | recommended songs: sorry not sorry, tennis (0:0), kidding me | skips: in the morning, occasionally wild wild west /// i remember being very surprised that i liked this album, especially given that i dont like mitm. not anything groundbreaking but still solid. i think the naming of tennis (0:0) was really clever

intersection: trace - bae173 | recommended songs: green light, loved you | skips: none (sometimes the intro tho) /// honestly their music is really good??? mbk just hasn’t promoted them well, i feel like they make it a little hard to stan...i really appreciate that they’re not doing the stereotypical hard bg concept thing

lilac - iu | recommended songs: coin, flu, ah puh, troll | skips: honestly id have to relisten, some of the songs a lil boring but idr them at the moment

hello future - nct dream | recommended songs: hello future, life is still going on | skips: idr tbh, probably hot sauce though //// was very surprised that i liked this album, but the outro of hello future really got me after a few listens so i had to check it out. very decent!

killa - mirae | recommended songs: killa, sweet dreams, 1 thing | skips: none really but all of the bsides are a little mid tbh /// i will be 1000% honest in saying that the three reasons this allbum made this list are 1.) killa (the tt), 2.) none of the songs are bad, 3.) lien’s vocals. something about lien....he really just sells whatever song he’s on. his belting >>>>>>>>>>>. he makes their music very enjoyable to listen to, next in that department would be junhyuk. based on their most recent cb, siyoung and khael also contribute a lot as well. shame that the rest of the cb album kinda does nothing for me idk. random but i would really like a gg to cover higher and/or killa

& - loona | recommended songs: ur, ptt | skips: a different night, dance on my own /// these r my girls but this is not their best. ur is wonderful though, and ptt is addicting somehow. wow and be honest are fine but really not their best. i like wow’s choreo tho! 

albums im excited to listen to (no particular order):

last year was weird volume 3, tkay maidza (i’ve already listened to a bunch of it but i need to sit and just listen to the whole thing)

troubled paradise, slayyter (same as above, but i didn’t even realize it came out this year, i thought it was old for some reason lol)

jo1, challenger (every song of theirs i hear i like pretty much so i need to take an organized look at them lmfao)

jo1, stranger (same as above)

only lovers left, woodz (duhhh its woodz. not out yet but im excited! i do prefer his brighter concepts and this def isn’t that. he says its not gonna be like what he’s done before but the title and concept photo that’s out rn is giving lift up)

the book of us: negentropy - chaos swallowed up in love, day6 (the title kinda bored me but we’ll see. also sungjin’s gone so.....................we’ll see.)

ancient dreams in a modern land, marina (i barely got past venus fly trap because its soooooo good. i’ve listened to a little after that but the songs i heard didn’t really compare. i have to give it a shot tho)

the chaos chapter: fight or escape, txt (i liked the blue hour mini so i need to give them a chance i suppose)

333, tinashe (i just feel like i should idk)

honorable mentions (no particular order):

blue hour, txt - discovered this year, came out last year. retroactively makes the 2020 albums list bc whew the market research that went into that thing paid off

hula hoop/ starseed ~kakusei~, loona (why tf does the album not have a name) - duhhh loona + synths = a smash. in fact like i said when it dropped i dont even wanna call them loona anymore. this is kongetsu no shoujo!!! this isn’t on my top albums list because im counting as two songs and my limit is 3. i might add it anyways lmfao. we’ll see

ugly beauty, jolin tsai - discovered this year, came out in 2018. i just really like jolin tsai idk. i had only heard that album w play and i’m not yours, both are iconic but the production quality sounds...low? like its older but ik they’re not *that* old. either way, ugly beauty does everything i wanted it to - dramatic, vocals, rapping, boa vibes...jolin tsai is a queen what can i say

also, there are of course a ton of singles that i love as well, this is albums only though lmfao. i have no idea if i could even attempt to organize the singles lol

[harryhoney-bee]

omg now that you bring Instagram up, i just remembered a dream i had about you. for some reason i was stalking your Instagram in my dream and i don't know what your face looks like too much so the person your face was in my dream was a Puerto Rican girl i had in my cosmetology class and in all the photos, it had that weird filter that people loved using in like 2013 where it was almost like a brownish reddish color. it was a bunch of selfies and i remember thinking, wow she looks really young to be writing smut online. i guess you looked like one of those kids from early 2010s who took low quality photos and had millions overlaying filters on all pictures.

anyways, don't ask me why i dreamed that. i don't even know your Instagram to attempt to stalk it lol. maybe i dreamed it because i remember you talking about making a fake Instagram last night before i went to sleep. idk.

THAT'S SO FUNNY BYEEEEEEEE 😭😭😭😭

Not the 2010 kids 😭😭😭😭

Omg tori, you have no idea how much i hate those reddish filters, they are so ugly!!!!!

I'm glad you dreamed about me though, that's cute, let me give you a kiss 😚😚😚😚

[purplesurveys]

1262

o1. With which one of your friends do you spend the most time? With which friend do you spend the least amount of time? Would you like to change this in any way? I don’t really get to...spend time with my friends, in that sense. For very obvious reasons. But I talk to Angela and Reena the most. Andi and I talk a lot too, but not everyday. 

Among my friends, I probably talk to my college group the least these days, but that’s mostly because 2/3 of them are pursuing law school, and the 1/3 have jobs and are as busy as I am. We’re still as tight as ever and our group chat becomes active at least once a week.

o2. What four states in the USA would you most like to visit? Which four countries would you most like to visit? States: Illinois, Louisiana, New York, Utah. Countries: Malta, Switzerland, Thailand, South Korea.

o3. If you have one, how often do you watch your favorite television show? How long has this show been your favorite? I’m not a big TV person, tbh. The closest thing to my favorite would be Friends, which I rewatch at least one episode of once a month though I used to watch it FAR more often than that, hahaha. I think I first hooked to it...I wanna say 2018?Or 2019. Sometime in between those years. o4. Would it bother you if your boyfriend hugged other females (think hypothetically if you don’t have one)? Why or why not? No. He’s allowed to have girl friends. The only reason it bothered me when it was Gabie was because we were both aware that her guy friends were genuinely into her. I never channeled my annoyance towards her though; I was definitely more pissed off at those guys for not learning how to back off when needed.

o5. If you had snow-days as a kid, how did you spend them? Do you like the snow, in general? We don’t have snow, but our equivalent would be days off school because of a typhoon. Anyway, I just spent them lounging around and mostly watching stuff on YouTube. In college I was a bit more diligent and would use the extra time to catch up on readings.

o6. Do you know anyone who does hard drugs? Would you ever befriend someone that did? Not that I am aware of. I probably wouldn’t befriend someone who did if we weren’t already close, because there’s no telling what kind of influence they would be on me.

o7. When was the last time that you were afraid for your life? Did this incident change you in any way? When I was really sick back in May. Not really, I just wanted to recover as quickly as possible.

o8. Do you enjoy taking pictures? Is it just for fun, or do you make an attempt at actual photography? I didn’t then, but it’s something I’m trying to do more often now. I’ve realized I have very few souvenirs from the last few years because I barely took photos then, so it sucks not being able to revisit memories and ending up forgetting others completely. I definitely don’t plan to take it so far as taking photography lessons; taking pictures from my own perspective and in my own style suffices.

o9. Have you ever had low self-esteem? How is your self-esteem now? Yeah, sure. I had a recent phase of it because of the breakup, but I’ve recovered from it. My self-esteem is a lot healthier and more stable these days.

o1o. When you see someone sickly-thin, what is your first thought? Nothing for the most part, but I would obviously be concerned if that person was starting to show worrying signs of malnutrition. Idrk what you mean by sickly-thin.

o11. Do hospitals make you nervous? Why or why not? Do you have any bad hospital experiences? Not really, only because I’ve rarely had to go there.

o12. What did you dress up as the last time you went Trick-or-Treating? Who went with you? I went as Sofie, my old best friend from high school.

o13. What is one thing you miss most from your childhood? What do you miss the least? The part about having less responsibilities and more time to just have fun and do whatever I want. But I didn’t really have a picture-perfect childhood either, so my list of things I don’t miss for sure trumps the list of stuff I do miss.

o14. What would be the biggest challenge involved in raising a child at your age? How to send them to a good school because I don’t make nearly enough to afford tuition for another person.

o15. If you happened to get pregnant before you were ready for children, how would you cope? Do you think your parents would support you and help you out? I don’t know, honestly; and the thought kind of scares me. I know my parents wouldn’t provide support whatsoever, so I’d have to claw my way to find it from other people who would be willing. I’d probably need to take an extra job to earn enough money to support us both.

o16. Have you ever had unprotected sex? What would you tell a young teen thinking about having unprotected sex? Yeah, but I was also with a girl, so...idk. I don’t have a lot of sexual experience either so I dunno what sort of advice to tell a teen other than ‘don’t do it,’ lmao.

o17. What are some gender double-standards anger you? All of them. < Yes.

o18. Other than the usual qualities (honesty, respect, etc), what are some attributes you want your BF/GF to possess? Patience in the sense that I tend to be sensitive, so if they crack a joke that I ended up getting hurt or offended by, or if I get triggered by something minor that would otherwise be normal for anyone else, I hope they are patient enough to ride the wave out with me. I didn’t experience that with my past partner, and was often told to just stop being sensitive.

o19. Do you still talk to the first person you ever dated? If not, would you want to? Why or why not? No, because doing so is detrimental to my well-being.

o2o. Five years ago, what was the most important thing in your life? How about the most important person? My relationship, barf. Gabie, another barf.

21. How would you describe your sexuality? Have you ever wondered whether or not you might be homo/bisexual? I’ve stopped caring about it. I say asexual to people just so I have an answer to say.

o22. Do you think that homosexual couples should be able to raise or adopt children? Why or why not? Yeah...because I don’t see why they can’t be granted that right?

o23. Think of your worst fear. What would you do if you were confronted with it right now? Hyperventilate.

o24. If you were to become a vegetarian, what meat-product would you miss the most? Have you ever been or wanted to be a vegetarian? Chicken wings or sandwiches. I’ve thought about it before, yes. It’s too expensive a lifestyle where I live, though.

o25. Do you think that someone’s sexuality is something that they can control? No.

o26. What do you like most about your favorite animal? They’re very friendly and always down to play. :)

o27. What is your favorite way to eat your favorite food? How often do you eat your favorite food item? Eating burgers by hand is always the best. I have one maybe once a month.

o28. What is something you are craving? Will this craving be satisfied? KFC’S DOUBLE DOWN. I’ll get one next week, when I get my next pay lol. The rest of my budget this week is already allotted for my mom’s birthday/JK’s belated birthday dinner tomorrow.

o29. What is the largest number of texts you have sent in a day? Do you often text this much? Ooooh, I dunno. Maybe around 200-300 in a day? My ex and I primarily communicated through text whenever we weren’t physically together, which was often as we were both students in different schools.

o3o. Do you like the holiday season? Why or why not? What could be better about it? Some parts of it I like, some parts of it I don’t. The latter mostly stems from insecurities I will feel from seeing other families on social media, who always seem to be having a better and fancier time than I am. It’s why I usually deactivate during Christmas so I don’t get to see posts that can affect my disposition.

[soft-hard-peaches]

Reaction: Mornings with BTS

~fluff~

Kim Seokjin

Seven o'clock light is always the brightest. The warm morning rays peak through the window blinds onto your eyes, slowly but surely waking you from your well rested slumber. Trying to fight that urge, you turn away and pull the blanket over your face. Closing your eyes, you try your best to catch some more z's and you do for a while until you smell something savory. Pulling the blanket from your face, you spring right up from the thought of breakfast from your boyfriend Jin.

"Jin..babe", you call out to him with a hoarse morning voice in hopes that he can hear you with out yelling. He did not. You roll off your bed and put on your cozy RJ slippers then begin to walk to the kitchen. The closer you get, the more you smell his perfectly cooked bacon. You are happy that your bf loves to cook for you. God knows you're not much of a morning bird.

"Morning Angel", he says with a smile to your groggy just-woke-up face, "pancakes or eggs?"

"Eggs pleeease" you say lazily as you walk behind him and wrap your arms around him.

He smiles shyly when he heard your low hum.

Min Yoongi

Unlike Jin, mornings were difficult for Yoongi. With long nights at the studio, this man truely treasures his slumber. I mean he treasures sleep 2nd. You are his greatest treasure. One of the best things to happen in his life. You're perfect for him too. You both live for music, you're more lively than him, so you show him a new perspective, you match in your down to earth nature, and you enjoy the simple things in life.

One of his favorite things in the world is waking up to you. No matter what negative feelings you have about yourself, he sees you for what you truely are. You are a beautiful human being. He sees you as his blessing. Even when he shushes you for sleep mumbling, that's one more thing to love about you. And when the sun rises and his eyes open, he gets to bask in your beauty.

He curls up to spoon you. Taking in the smell of your conditioner.

"Mhm. Are you up Yoong?" You're both groggy.

"...no...", he responds in an unsually throaty voice. You try to get but he holds you tight.

"Y/n.. let's stay in a bit longer... please." After that request as slide back in your bed. Comfy and together.

Jung Hoseok

Mornings with Hoseok is usually mellow. Although he is bubbly and outgoing for most of the day, he's not awake enough for the first few hours. Your mornings mostly consist of both of you lazing around together on the bed. While you check and respond to your emails, he checks for memos and respond to messages. Once business is over you both end up on social media eventually. You both enjoy each other's quality time. Even if no one is talking. From time to time you show each other something funny or interesting.

"Hobi, Hobi, look at this boy! He's a new meme."

He looks at your scene wondering why you're smiling so hard, "...why..?"

You laugh goofily at the seemingly normal photo, "idk but I love him."

Hoseok laughs with you but only cause he's tired and confused.

Kim Namjoon

Namjoon is a heavy sleeper so you let him be and sleep. For a while, you lay on his chest to start off your day on a warm beat. Your head on his chest, rising and falling, matching you breath is the opitome of relaxation and once you hit full Zen is when your day starts.Once you're finally up you find one of his hoodies to put on and head to the kitchen.

Though he's not good at cooking, he tries and you love that about him. Dinner was *wince* sub par but you admire his effort, now you want to return the favor. You decide to make him blueberry waffles with a side of fruit salad. You turn on some music to match the bright morning mood but you get lost in the task and don't notice Joon entering the kitchen.

"Need any help there?" His voice sneaks up at you but his lips on you cheek calms you down. After you ask him to bring you the milk and a couple of glasses, you ask him to sit down. He complies with out incident. He watches you set the table with a smile. This is one of his favorite parts of your relationship. He loves the dependable role but he also likes being taken care of.

"I made us breakfast as a thanks for dinner", you then kiss his lips and he kisses back.

"Anytime, love", he responds.

"Anytime."

Park Jimin

Jimin and you are up early to run errands today. Buffy and barefaced, the two of you put on whatever is available and look over the to-do list. Once you both decide on what's of importance, you head off to start your day in hopes that it will be quick so you can hurry up back into you pjs. Since Jimin just got his licence you toss him the keys. To be honest, you hated driving so Jimin's licence is a God's send.

As he drives through the town, you two perk up more. Enough to sing along to the radio. Jimin's voice is professional and beautiful but you know how to hold your own with a melody. "Wow y/n, you can hold a note almost as good as Jin hyung!" You both laugh. The more you two sing, the more awake you become. By time you make it to the store, you two are fully up. He splits the list so you can cut the time and you both separate for the time being. And it was successful because you both leave in record time. Once you get to the car you're both just happy to go home and end the day together.

Kim Taehyung

ft. Jungkook

Mornings with Taehyung was always the best. Well besides nights with him. After long days you both love to come home to one another. Catch up on the day, hangout out, and embrace each other. So much so that you often wake up still in a embrace caused by your cuddly boyfriend but you didn't mind the skinship. Honestly, you craved his touch when he's not around. Last night, Taehyung had one of his bestfriends, Jungkook, over to play Death Stranding all night. You were fine with it so you went to bed without him that night. But morning came and you don't feel him on you.

You rub the sleep from your eyes to find your robe. Once you open your bedroom door you hear soft snoring coming from the living room. But Tae doesn't snore. You peak pass the wall to see two sets of bodies on each couch. You recognize the sandy blonde hair to be your boyfriend and the dark brown too be Jungkook.

Still too tired to deal with them, you head to the fridge to get some water. Turning on the water sprout on the fridge caused a soft hum but not soft enough. Suddenly you hear the boys clear their voices and yawning.

"Morning baby", you here from your hazy boyfriend and his best friend right after, "Are you making us breakfast?" You walk pass Jungkook saying no and a quick hair ruffle.

Walking pass Taehyung, you gesture him to the room, "I'm going back to bed, Tae." Before you can fully lie down, you see Taehyung climbing to be with you. Leaving his friend.

"Morning baby."

Jeon Jungkook

"How should we split the chores?"

This is the last thing you two need to figure out now that you're living together. You've spent a night or two at each other's residents but now that your relationship has bloomed more and more, you two took a huge step forward. This is your first official week of being a live in couple and now realized that mornings are best for you too. You're both usually out in the afternoon and tired at night, so mornings practically are sacred.

"How about I do laundry and you dust the living room and hallway?", Jungkook proposes while scrolling social media.

"Can't dust, Kook. I have bad allergies." You look at the ceiling thinking, "I'll do the laundry and clean the kitchen."

"But you're terrible at laundry", he laughs, "You don't even know when to change the water tempature." You nod in agreement because there's no fighting the truth. You crawl to him to cuddle from behind, wrapping your legs around him, "let's figure this out later." The final solution is the best one cuz he puts his phone down and rubs your arms that are clasped arm him.

[benisasoftboi]

Gushing time.

Rune Factory 4 Special arrived a day early, so my entire day has been consumed in nostalgia. The original Rune Factory 4 was the first video game I ever bought on release day - I remember saving up all my money and making my mum drive me to like three different shops trying to find one that had it. I was already a fan of the franchise - before then, Rune Factory 3 had been my favourite video game, across the board. Aside from a playthrough of the first game last year, I haven’t played a Rune Factory game in a long time, certainly not RF4. But just starting up the game and hearing the music again, it was like it was suddenly seven years ago. Running around Selphia and seeing all the characters again - I love JRPGs, have played a lot of them, and I can think of very few that have characters that have stuck with me this long. And the aesthetics - the best thing about the Rune Factory franchise has always been the aesthetics, the music, the scenic and character design, just the general world. It’s a beautifully whimsical balance of urban and fantasy, and it’s the only JRPG world I think I’ve ever come across that I would genuinely want to live in. Rune Factory may no longer be my favourite game franchise - but I don’t think there has ever been another series that has felt so much like home to me.

Here’s a very long selection of personal highlights from the art book (by which I mean photos of the art followed by my rambling opinions):

Yeah, see, here’s the thing - Rune Factory 1 is not a good game. I could write an entire essay on why it’s bad (I actually started and got pretty damn far before realising no one’s interested in my two thousand word review of a game that came out over a decade ago - the short version is ‘Misty Bloom-fucking-Cave’. Anyone who’s played RF1 knows exactly what I mean). Don’t get me wrong, it has good qualities - excellent boss fights, for one, and also, as with the rest of the franchise, it is aesthetically wonderful. But ultimately, it feels less like playing a video game, and more like playing a proof of concept for a game. Which I guess it kind of was - and I can’t hate it because we wouldn’t have the rest of the series without it.

But it literally ends with a dragon spewing plant breath on a tank to make a turnip grow out of the gun. ‘Profound’, my arse. 

It’s Raguna! The “master sowrdsman!” (that is not a typo on my part that is a direct quote from the ending of Rune Factory 1 this game’s script had so many issues-). And Mist! My favourite of the ‘canon’ love interests!

Best girl! When I was a kid, my favourite love interest in RF1 was Rosetta. As an adult, it is Tabatha. I don’t know what it is about her that I find so likeable (she’s as lacking in personality as any other RF1 character), but... idk, I just like her a lot.

Camus’s big ambition is to leave town like even once. He will never achieve it

Fun fact about Melody is that she’s extremely depressed, a fact that comes up once in an optional side quest and is never addressed again. It’s incredibly dark for an RF game

Fun fact about Lukas is that he sucks (he’s one of those ‘obsessed with talking about how hot all the girls are’ characters, an archetype that thankfully doesn’t show up again in these games). But also, interestingly enough, thanks to one of RF1′s many, many script errors, if you marry Rosetta (the girl Lukas is the most obsessed with), he’s supposed to express disappointment that he lost her to Raguna - but instead, he implies that he’s disappointed to have lost Raguna to her. The translators typoed their way into giving him a sexuality change. Which is honestly kind of amazing.

LOOK AT THIS SLIME THIS IS SUCH A COOL SLIME LITERALLY EVERY OTHER JPRG SLIME GO HOME DRAGON QUEST GET FUCKED (jk I like Dragon Quest a lot and its slimes are cool too). Wish you could see in-game that this is what they’re meant to be like.

I just generally love the monster designs, they’re really charming

Rune Factory 2! The RF game with the most weirdly mundane protagonist name (Kyle. In the main four games of this franchise we’ve got Raguna, Micah, Lest, Frey... and Kyle). The two generations thing was actually very cool, but when they say ‘each chapter captures a different lifestyle’, what they really mean is ‘the first half is a weak Harvest Moon I’m sorry, STORY OF SEASONS game, and the second half is a pretty good Rune Factory game’  

lookit this little fuck

Yue Yue Yue! I love Yue so much, she’s great. She’s kind of like a much chiller version of Anna from Fire Emblem.

It’s really cool that we got to see grown up Cecilia (she was in RF1). I have this silly headcanon that if Kyle doesn’t marry Mana, Nicholas (her friend in 1) comes to visit Cecilia one day in the hazy-post game future, and meets Mana, and they get together. While Yue is my favourite, I do genuinely like Mana a lot, and I just want her to find love, I guess.  

Here’s original Barrett! There’s a reason he was popular enough to make a reappearance (well, aside from the whole grumpy pretty boy thing he’s got going on) - he was a great character in this game. His and Dorothy’s relationship is also definitely the most compelling of the rival romances. Bonus Max, who also has a little shout-out in RF4 (check the diary in what will become Dylas’s bedroom at the start of the game)

Ray is male, but apparently he was originally going to be a female character, as he has an unused portrait in a wedding dress. My friend and I agree that this makes him a Trans Icon

Monster designs remain excellent. Especially the goblins

Skipping over Frontier (and also Oceans later), as I never got to play it growing up due to not having a console, and still haven’t got around to it - might try this summer. Except I do need to point out that these guys should be memes. I don’t know in what way. But they should.  

Rune Factory 3! My first RF game. The transformation thing was very cool, even if it was basically useless outside the main story. My friend and I spent hours mucking about in the WiFi dungeon. I loved the desert settlement and all of the dungeon designs in general, and man, RF3 is just great. I hope it gets a remake one day.

Raven Raven Raven! I LOVE Raven (as do most). Her story with Micah is the first time I can remember getting genuinely invested in a video game romance. I’m so glad she cameos in RF4. I love her. She’s wonderful.

I have an odd fondness for Marian. When I was about twelve, I decided to do a playthrough where I deliberately romanced the least popular bachelorette. After poking around on forums, I determined that character to be Marian, and did a run with her. And... I actually came to really like her. I find her endearing. I get that people find her annoying and don’t like her... unethical medical practices, but doing that run has still made me a pretty protective of her. It’s been a long time since I played RF3, so maybe I’d change my mind if I replayed now, but currently, as far as I’m concerned,  Marian’s a good’un.

I think I also used to low key ship her with Collette lol 

Pia’s official art has always been super weird to me because it’s so not what her character is like in-game. She’s a ditzy airhead. This makes her look so serious

RAINBOW! Another character whose art makes them look way more serious than they actually are. Daria is great and would be a meme if this game was more popular. I think she’s also implied to be a relative of Margaret. 

I’ve always been super confused about what Kuruna’s skirt is meant to be. Is it fur? Is it part of her shirt? Is it even a skirt at all?

Check it out, it’s the guy everyone would ship Micah with if this game was more popular

I want Zaid to make a reappearance and interact with Doug. Pretty sure it’s canon that they’re from the same clan? Think it would be very interesting.

RF3 definitely had the coolest farm. Also, still love the desert settlement.

This is from Oceans, so I have no context, but it’s just so cool that I had to share

Rune Factory 4. Culmination of the series is right - when I was playing it for the first time, I remember being blown away by just how much it is a true love letter to the franchise. I have never come across another game series that so consistently grew and improved from entry to entry. RF4 was a perfect ending.

Not that I’m complaining about getting RF5. Quite the opposite.

But if it had been the end (as we all thought it was until about a year ago), well, like I say. Perfect. 

Well. Aside from soda can nipples. Can’t believe they didn’t fix those. Though in some ways, that would have made me sad too

Dolce has such a cool design, in both human and monster form. I’ve always kind of crack-shipped her with Margaret, for no real reason at all

Vishnal! I love Vishnal. Vishnal is pure as heck. Marrying him this time around.

Doug! My choice from last time around. Another character who looks more serious in his official art than he is in-game (well... most of the time)

And then there’s Dylas, who looks much happier here than he does most of the time. Kind of looks like he and Doug swapped bodies, actually. There’s a fanfic prompt for you.

Their ship name is Dyldo. I love them

Leon is nostalgic for me mostly because my friend and I used to get into a lot of arguments about whether or not he’s the hottest character in the game. She maintains that he is, because muscles. I maintain that muscles aren’t actually that attractive. It is a rift that divides us to this day

(He looks oddly... younger in this art though? Weird)

Sechs Empire is such an unfortunate name. Seriously. How rushed was RF1′s localisation team? All those script errors, and then this (the Sechs were the antagonists in the first game, and were only referenced in passing in the rest until RF4 - so it was a bit of a ‘sins of the father’ situation by then).

Seriously, try saying ‘Sechs Emperor’ out loud and tell me you can take this man seriously 

I??? Love??? Them???

I??? LOVE??? THEM???

Still confused as to why Kiel, Xiao Pai, Arthur and Margaret are on the cover now. Don’t get me wrong, I like them, but... Amber, Dylas, Dolce and Leon made way more sense? Even the Archival Cover makes more sense (Vishnal, Clorica, Forte), as those three are all kind of Lest/Frey’s servants (well, Forte for the whole town, but still). Of those first four, all but Arthur basically lift right out of the game with little-to-no impact on the story

NO HAT TABATHA NO HAT TABATHA

I’ve always really loved this Raven picture

And I am thankful for you <3

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #267

“you can take my heart, you can take my breath - when you pry it from my cold, dead chest.”

When did you last talk to the last person you kissed? Last night. Do you think people have any misconceptions about you? Oh, I'm positively certain. What’s something you wish you could understand better? There are a great many things, but the first that came to mind are certain political/moral beliefs that I REALLY do want to understand, but I just don't. When was the last time you cried really, really hard? About a week back when I woke up shrieking and sobbing from a nightmare about Dad. Have you ever injected a drug? No. How many people have you liked in the past 5 months? I've been COnfuFSSeD!!!!!! Are you currently in a relationship? Nope. Probably for the better. Have you ever touched a dead body? Animals, yes. I may have at an open-casket wake, but idr. I was young. Ever played Grand Theft Auto? Nope, but oh man, good memories of those stupid games with my neighbor back when I was younger... He loved that game just to fuck around, and I liked watching. Then Jacob and Jason played it together at the apartment a lot, and those are warm memories, too. The last male you spoke to … is he attractive? That would be my 3-year-old nephew, so it'd be fucking weird to call him that. He's one handsome little boy, though. We all know he's gonna be a lady killer one day. If your ex called right now, would you answer? Yeah. Is there a dictionary on your bookshelf? I don't even have a bookshelf. Do you have any pet names for the person you love/like? Not anymore. Who was the last person you had a serious conversation with? What is your honest opinion of that person? Mom. I love her to death. Who was the first person you dated? What is your honest opinion of that person? Aaron was my puppy-dog love, and I have not the slightest clue what he's up to now, but I have faith he's kept that good head of his. Ever fallen in the shower? I've passed out while getting *out* of it. I've slipped a number of times too, but not truly fallen. Do you think that things will get better? For me, I genuinely don't know. Ever been to a bonfire party? Yes, by my cousins' friend's pool for a b-day party. It was cool. Their house was fuckin' wild. Movie theater inside and all. Is your dad bald? Just about. His head is just mostly shaved. Have you ever slept at a member of the opposite sex’s house? I mean yeah, all the time when we were together. Have you ever hooked up with someone to hurt someone else? Wow, no. I don't do "hook-ups" anyway. Do any of your relatives actually pinch your cheeks when they see you? No. Have you ever made a member of the opposite sex cry? Ugh, yeah. Do you know the last person you kissed's parents? Yes, I adore them. Do they like you? I think so. Name a couple things you can cook. ... Literally just scrambled eggs, if you mean something pretty much from scratch. Well, I could probably still do pasta if I read the box. Who was there to help you last time you were puking? My mom. I am absolutely terrified of vomiting, so she's kind enough to somehow manage to stand in there with me and talk to me. Are there any boxes of tissues in your room? What’s the design on it? No. Are you in high school? When are you done? No. I graduated in 2014. Are you embarrassed to say if you’re a virgin or not? More like confused and awkward, because I genuinely DON'T know for sure. Have you ever met someone you thought you’d be with forever? It was  "certainty" to me. That's partially why the breakup was so traumatizing. I MEAN IT when I say my brain couldn't even fathom the idea. It was "impossible." It simply couldn't happen. Then it did. ^Where are you two now? We haven't spoken in three years. Has your best friend ever been in love? Yes. What was the last magazine you bought? I've never been a magazine person. Will the last person you kissed get you anything for your next birthday? *shrugs* Do you think Family Guy is funny or just stupid? It can be both. Have you ever stayed with someone who treated you like shit just because you liked them so much? NO SIR-EE. You'd never see me stay with someone who treated me badly. Would you date someone all your friends and family hate? If I REALLY liked them, but if everyone hated that person, I would seriously consider why that is. Are you already looking forward to your wedding? Ha ha, not really, in most ways. Like, I hate getting all fancy and such. Have you ever spit on someone? No. Would you rather cuddle or make out? I MEAN, that depends on the mood??? Has your best friend ever been cheated on? No. Do you text with one hand or with both? Both. Are your parents left or right-handed? Right, to my knowledge? What was the last photo you took of? Something on FB I wanted to show to Sara. What topic always interests you and you will never tire of? C R Y P T I D Z Are you more or less tolerant than the average person? If you mean of varying beliefs, stuff like that, definitely more. If someone were to rate your life, what film certificate would it receive? PG-13 or R, idk. Actually, probably R for all they profanity lmaooo. Do you mind eating cold fries or are they disgusting? Ewww. What song makes you cry? What about it makes you cry? I physically cannot listen to "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin because of Jason joking at prom that the music sucked and we could dance to something like that, then once he took me home, I played it from my iPod over his car speakers and we danced in the headlights of his truck and it all felt like a fairy-tale. I'm emotional just typing it and it makes my stomach hurt, so moving on. If you could remake a movie, which movie would it be? Silent Hill: Revelation. As a fanatic over the series, I enjoyed it decently, but, objectively, it sucked and was ALL over the place. How about if you could rewrite a book's ending, which one? Why? I don't think I'd change any. Maybe a clearer answer to The Handmaid's Tale, but it's still g. What colour hair does your sibling(s) have? Brown, except Misty and Katie. Theirs is black. What gemstone would you like on your wedding ring? A dragon's breath opal or rose gold would be gorgeous. What are you looking forward to in the near future? We're throwing my little sister a surprise graduation party at our older sis's house. Thanks to the quarantine, her senior graduation isn't *actually* happening, so. How is life going for you, anyway? Be honest. IT KINDA S U CKS!!!!!! What time did you get changed this morning? I haven't changed out of my pj's. I almost never do (besides obviously after a shower) because I have nowhere to go, like ever. Have you met somebody that you want to spend the rest of your life with? Yeah. Have you ever dressed up as a Disney character? Which one? Maybe as a kid? Have you ever played chess? If so, are you good at it? I’ve never played it. If I wanted to buy you a chocolate bar, what kind should I NOT get? Ew, Snickers. Of all your close friends, who have you known the longest? Sara. What was the last song you heard, that made you feel emotional? Hm. Maybe "Disguise" by Motionless In White. I wonder all the time if that's how Jason felt. Plus it's his favorite band, so that's a double whammy. When was the last time you took a selfie? Maybe about a month ago. As a child, did you ever have any scented gel pens or markers? Oh, I remember those! Yes. Name an alcoholic beverage that you dislike. Hell, most that I've tried. I hate strong stuff. Can you recall the last time you were on a dancefloor? When I was shooting someone's wedding last year. Do you own any color-changing mood jewellery? No, I have zero faith in those. What was the last thing you heated up in your microwave? Ummm pizza rolls, I think. What was the last flavor of ice cream you had? Moose tracks. Do you have an online game that you play often? I play World of Warcraft daily, and I enjoy the Dragons of Atlantis app a few times a day. I was into it when it was still a game on an actual website, and I more recently downloaded it on my phone. What’s your favorite cookie? Soft chocolate chip... yum. How long would you have to date someone for before moving in together? I think this depends very much on the relationship, BUT LIKE, definitely not TOO quickly because you need to test the endurance of the relationship. I'd at the very least give it a year and seriously consider how healthy the relationship is. Moving in with each other shouldn't be an impulsive "this is working great omg I love him/her let's do this!!!!". What's your favorite kind of sushi? N/A How much was the last bill that you paid? I've never paid a bill... wow, that's sad. What was the cause of the worst low point you've had in your life? A very abrupt, traumatic breakup. What are some of your favorite types of cheeses? Really just American. When did you last feel like your privacy was invaded? I'm not sure. Do your parents volunteer anywhere? No. Do you own more than 50 books? I have my Warriors books stocked somewhere. Probably in the attic. Do you have a bachelor's degree? Bitch I wish. How old were you when you became financially independent from your parents? I'm 24 and still aren't independent. Does your kitchen have an island? No. Have you ever bought or sold something on Facebook Marketplace? No. Do you know anyone famous enough to have their own Wikipedia page? No. What was the last appointment you had? With my psychiatrist over the phone because yeah quarantine. Why did you last feel like crying? I woke up from yet another nightmare. I'm so, so tired of them. They make me dread sleep. Do you keep your friends secrets/private information to yourself? If it truly is private, yes, and secrets, absolutely. What negative quality do your friends bring up the most? "I... don’t think I’d like to be friends with people who have a habit of bringing up 'negative' things about me." <<<< This. Do you often "jump" to conclusions? ONLY ALWAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What about the world do you wish you never found out? Christ, there's a lot. For some reason, the first thing that came to mind is the dogmeat trade in Korea. A girl in my first semester did a presentation on it, and just... wow. I never had the slightest clue it was a thing. Does the sight of blood make you feel sick? No. Does someone's background affect whether you'll be friends with them or not? Well, yeah. I'm not gonna be friends with a rapist or something. How about their religious background? Depends on if they push that shit on me or not, as well as things they believe. If someone admitted cheating in a past relationship of theirs, would you trust them? NNNNNNNNNOPE. Do you drink tea and/or coffee every day? There are so many tea/coffee questions in surveys... and no. I don't like either. Did you ever want to be a cook as a kid? No. Do you wish that magic was real? Well, it depends on what the magic is. Do you prefer fire or ice? Fire is cooler. Do you rap along with rap songs? No. When happy, do you become more talkative? WAY MORE. Bowling or sailing? Why? Never sailed before, but bowling is fun. Especially with the lights off but all the neon and signs lit up. Do you prefer sitting in the front or back of a car? THE FRONT!!!!!!!!! Sitting shotgun and being able to control the music is everyTHIIIIIIIIIIIING. How about in a train? On the bus? I don't really have a preference here. Do you care about politics? I should... Are you offended easily by non-politically correct language? No, honestly. Do you think the censors/fcc go a bit too far or are just right? Definitel too far. Have you ever taken a martial art? Which one(s)? No. Do you know anyone who is scared of you? No. I am so unintimidating. Do you like watermelon? Not really, no. Can you remember the month of your first kiss? April or May, p sure. What do you think is the most interesting thing about you? Uh. I dunno, man. Do you have a photo album? Mom has tons. What was your biggest fear as a child? Thunderstorms. I was fucking terrified. Can you remember all your past teachers' names? The majority. Do you find people taller than you intimidating? Generally tall men do, but not always. What's your favorite thing about your country? We have a lot of freedom. What's your least favourite thing about your country? We're greedy as fuck. What websites do you have bookmarked? I have a few on my personal laptop, which I don't have access to now so can't recall well. What TV show scared you as a kid? Courage the Cowardly Dog... though I watched it anyway lmao. What is one thing you regret having done or not done in your life? There's a lot. Let's not focus on it. Which parent do you identify with the most? I guess Mom. What embarrasses you the most in front of other people? laskdjflawe admitting I RP is almost ENTIRELY IMPOSSIBLE to others, especially in-person. If you had to choose one thing you were most passionate about, what would it be and why? Politics, 'cuz that's shit that seriously matters and affects the world. Who are you most envious of—real or fictional—and why? Probably an old friend who's an award-winning, quite successful photographer here in the state. She's shot fashion and model stuff professionally. She's absolutely gorgeous, does the coolest stuff... What’s the saddest song you’ve ever heard? Good Lord, I know so many. "UR A WOMAN NOW" by Otep is one, then there's "Terrible Things" by Mayday Parade, "Cancer" by My Chemical Romance... wow, I'm so surprised they're not just rushing to me. How about the sweetest song? Biiiiiih "Here For You" by Ozzy Osbourne laskdjfk;awe Do you know how to play dominoes? No. What food will you absolutely not, under any circumstances, eat? Exotic/endangered animal meat. What is one thing you’re embarrassed to admit you want to try? Uhhh I'm really not sure. Which famous person would you like to be BFFs with? Shane Dawson is MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. Is there something you wish you had said sorry for but never did? Many things.

[piracytheorist]

My Notes on Rewatching “Call Girl”

I amuse myself by thinking that watching this film is an important rite of passage for anyone who’s an all-in Colin fan, as in, one who’ll watch anything and everything he’s in, no matter the content, theme or quality.

I actually used to think that this was a pretty bad movie... but, as you might have seen from my last few posts, I recently realized this isn’t the case. Sure, it is not your average short film, but breaking it down you realize it’s doing most things right from a filmmaking point. I mean, you don’t have to love it, but it does a great job overall.

And I mean, it’s got Colin in it. How bad can it be? ;)

Beware of spoilers, if you haven’t seen the film. And if you do wanna see it, here it is :D

~

I'm still surprised that... this is it. That's Colin freaking O'Donoghue right there. The pirate. The cowboy. The astronaut. The man the myth the legend.

Ah, early 00's.

Wait. Ok let's make a breakdown of the decoration here. There's: 1) a heart anatomy poster 2) a frame with an undiscernible picture 3) IS THAT AN ASTRONAUT FIGURE? dun_dun_dun.mp3 4) a small penguin (?) plushie with a nautical (?) hat on it 5) are those... mantis figurines stuck on the sides of the screen????

Oooooh boy you sure have some very specific decorations on your desk.

The music stops abruptly when Brendan's mother calls out to him to not close the door because she wants to see him studying. That's interesting. Also how old is Brennan supposed to be? Is he supposed to be in high school, or an adult in college? What was the age of consent in Ireland in 2003?

This vibe, though. White perfect shirt and dark vest...

The look of "I'm gonna look at hot girls with my bedroom's door open while my parents argue across the hall" ALSO YES THAT'S A MANTIS

This just makes me laugh so much. Can you imagine sweet innocent (mostly) virgin Brendan typing it and his heartbeat skyrocketing?

Seriously though, that "Welcome back Brendan" thing. With one small addition you add a whole point in his backstory about him trying to deal with his urges.

Jesus I have forgotten so much. As soon as Brendan hears his mother coming, he immediately clicks "Dump her" on the "Virtual Babe" and it just... explodes. 

With a full low-quality boom sound effect to boot. Like seriously if you were trying to hide why the f have your speakers on. You had one job, Brendan.

A rare glimpse into Brendan's room, and I'm trying to understand what the pattern on his sheets are. Maybe I'm just confused by the astronaut figurine, but it looks... vaguely... about space? Like, if you squint, the circular thing on the top left looks like Saturn's rings. No?

Also, Brendan's mom being obsessed with disinfection. That was 2003.

"I don't want filth getting into my house while I'm gone." And two hours later, her son has sex on her bed.

Oh wait, his father says "The only contact [Brendan] has with the outside world is through that bloody computer of his," in a... weird, tone? Like he's trying to placate the mother's fears of any rave party suddenly taking place in the house, but also with his tone (and maybe by using the word "bloody"? idk I'm no native speaker but it piques my interest) it doesn't seem like he's very... understanding and/or supportive of his probably very shy and/or socially awkward son.

Mom: That reminds me, block off the internet, will you? Dad: *scoffs* Why not lock him in a tower while you're at it?

He is sassy though!

Lookit him though! So sad he won't be able to create and look at Virtual BabesTM while his parents are gone.

The parent's accents strike me more towards a British one and I got confused for a bit, but then I remembered that we see Brendan use euros later, lol.

*hatching the plan to search in his father's briefcase for any cards for escort services*

This is where I started feeling that this movie is better than I’d remembered. Like, it does the job of delivering Brendan's guilt over "tresspassing" into his parents room and disobeying his mother, as well as his fear of being discovered, even though he watched his parents drive away, so he'd hear the car if they came back, in a pretty well-done and clear way.

I love how he immediately knows exactly where to look. His father's such an organized fella. Also those pills that he seems to not need immediately (thus leaving them behind for the weekend) are... something. They're put there for a reason and I wonder what that could have been.

There's not even a moment of hesitation, once he opens the briefcase. He doesn't put the card back in, he only looks briefly at his parents' photo but then he's like "Yeah. I'm doing it."

That smile as he sees the card though, lol. 

Casual reminder to have safe sex, lads.

And then the phone operator is like, full business mode. Brendan stutters for one (1) second and she's immediately like, "You want a girl?" She's like, I've had tons of people like you, lad, can't waste my time waiting until you find the courage to ask. You wanna hire or not?

OH MY GOD I JUST REALIZED The operator asks for the address, Brendan gives it, then asks how much does it cost. Then the operator says "Same as usual." BRUH she knew the address from how often his father used the service!

And then poor Brendan checks his savings and his "Uh..." says it all about how he wishes he could hire someone for longer than an hour. Bro, calm down. It's your first time.

And then he's like, waiting all anxiously by the door. I've never hired an escort service but I feel ya dude.

And of course Barbara the nosy neighbor, here to bring us to the edge of our seats, lol.

Look at how organized their fridge is. Why is that chick suddenly so eager to cook something for him? There looks to be so much food already prepared in there.

And dude. This movie has set-ups. Barbara tries to open a cupboard to like pick up ingredients to cook something, and Brendan, with a sudden "No!" rushes in and closes it. It only makes sense later, when we see that that's where he hid the money for the call girl.

Yikes she booped his nose as she left... what is he, ten? I mean even if he's supposed to be a teen here it's still... like... he's not a little boy to fucking boop his nose. No wonder her mother seems to trust her with taking care of him, with how both treat him like he's a child.

Hi there! You're gonna die :D

Shit I just noticed the portrait on the wall. Is that a... is that a fucking ruff collar his mother is wearing???? (btw I had to search to find that term with "shakespeare collar" XD)

I mean... you can't help falling for it. At first you're like, she seems too... simple for a call girl. But then you're like, who else could it be who also knows his name?

I wonder what would've happened if she hadn't asked to use the bathroom, which prompted her to look at his parents' bedroom and him to... initiate contact. Would he have mustered the courage to actually ask her about it or would he have been so flustered until she'd say something? What would she say? "You know, your mother said you would [something]" and he would FREAK THE FUCK OUT because how does his mother know? Would they have stayed there in awkward silence long enough for his mother to call, him to pick up and find out what she was really there for?

I mean, look at that! I'm speculacting the "what-ifs"! Good fucking movie!

That look, though. You suddenly go from "Aw you cute" to "WTF I know you're thirsty for it but that's... creepy"

Look at that smile, though! She is pretty nosy!

I just... I love everything about this. The way she's smiling at nosing in in her boss' bedroom. Him creeping behind her like the future killer that he is, actually scaring her. The way he says "This is my mother's room," so shy and collected. The fucking music, too. How it slowly builds up from the moment she spots the bedroom and it starts developing when Brendan kisses her.

And that kiss. So chaste and shy and yet she's like, wow yeah let's have sex now.

"You're not as shy as you look." LOL

For the pre-sex scene I just wanna link y'all to @killian-whump 's post about it, since it says it all.

Also dude the voicemail is set up from that moment too, but we've yet to hear what it includes, aside from his mother being bossy about the smallest things. "I hope you haven't gone back to bed." IF ONLY YOU KNEW. Not only what bed he's gone to, but also what he's doing on said bed.

"You don't waste much time, do you?" Lol if only you knew. And again his first response is to apologize if he did anything wrong.

And you know what? Plot twists are a hell of a lot of fun and well made when they make you go back and see things with the new perspective. Like, how chill and simple she was, why she said the last line I mentioned, the newly-known reasons why she said it was kinky to have sex in his mother's bedroom... *slams hand on table* That's a great way to do a plot twist! A fucking plus!

Like seriously, this convo: B: Have you met my father? M: No, but a lot of the other girls have though.

Pre-plot twist viewer: Wow whAT how do you say it like that Post-plot twist viewer: Yeah makes sense

M: I think he gets sympathy from them, like, you know, cause his wife's such an old witch... *realizes* Oh, I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that! *more failed excuses and then THAT face*

And like, that's a bit inappropriate in any case but pre-plot twist you're like WTAF. And then you're like eh makes sense for frustrated employees to pity their bitchy boss' seemingly calm husband...

And there's that set-up from before. Job well done, film.

And then their argument about the money. Brendan being confused about the amount, Mandy saying she'll come back and speak to his mother about it...

Seriously though what if he'd found out the voicemail after he'd had sex and before the "confrontation"? Would he like, have sent her on her merry way with all the money and then had more sex with the actual call girl?

And then his instinct, to try and make sure his mother won't find out, is to fucking threaten the woman with a knife. Wow, a little too much, Brendan. And then his first instinct, when they're fighting, is to search and grab the knife and fucking stab her. Lbr though that's just baby Colin finding his call for playing messed-up characters.

Also how did she die so quickly. Guess I found one weakness in the plot XD

And now you're like Jesus he just murdered her but when Barbara comes a-knocking and he looks at her and exasperatedly calls her name, you're like... same, bro.

And the stupid bastard didn't even wash the blood off his arm. Like seriously, Brendan, either do a murder correctly or don't do it at all. At least you can't say he wasn't dedicated, bro sliced his own arm open. *pats head* you'll learn, my little murderous bean, you'll learn.

Brendan: I was doing the dishes. Barbara: Did your parents leave them for you to do? They must have left in a rush this morning.

Yes, Barbara, he can do the dishes, he's in an undetermined age between late teens and-

Barbara: They didn't even make their bed.

Wtf you nosy bitch.

See what I'm saying? Full character development for a character with like, two minutes of screentime.

And then the voicemail drops like an anvil. My first thought when his mother said that Mandy is nothing but trouble I was like "Yo look who's talking" but then I thought that... yeah she did creep in her boss' bedroom, actually had sex with her son in it, then pretty much talked dirt to him about her... I mean she definitely didn't deserve to die, but maybe his mother was a good judge of character for one (1) moment.

And then Lorraine appears.

And Brendan's like "Now I have money for like, three hours with her. Maybe I'll even convince her to help me hide the body too."

“OR MAYBE I’LL JUST KILL HER TOO.”

In conlusion, yup, I’m pretty glad I spent a good hour and a bit watching, analyzing, writing this review and screencapping this film. 10/10 would rewatch and review again.