#if you have a pc you can pirate the game for free. I’m sure there’s a link somewhere. i dunno about for consoles

[dragonfollies]

Companies please stop being corrupt and trying to be relatable to your fanbase

Or this will actually happen

[katatty]

Hi, Kat! Fellow UK simmer here - been following you for a while here on tumblr (love your MCC posts), and am currently binging all your YouTube content after recently stumbling across your channel! I have a quick question related to YouTube, if you don’t mind answering, as I’m interested in potentially making some videos of my own. May I ask what software and setup you use to record your videos? As your audio is very good, I presume you use a mic? Your screen recordings are very smooth so I’d be interested in what programme you’re using, although I’m sure your computer has a lot to do with that. I hope my question makes sense! Thanks in advance for your help.

Hello! I don't mind answering at all, I am answering it publically in case anyone else is interested but do feel free to message me if you want to chat in more detail, I'd be happy to talk shop :) I wish I had people to talk to when I started out, I was too intimidated to approach anyone lol!

(and aaaa, I'm flattered to hear you are binging my channel, thank you!! its funny (but nice!) hearing a compliment on my audio bc I am self-concious about it and think it is not the best, hahaha)

I use OBS Studio for recording, which I think is pretty standard. But I do my video editing in Vegas Pro which idk if its common (I think people usually use adobe these days?) but I used a pirated version of Vegas to make AMVs back when I was a teenager so that was what I went with XD

I do have a decent PC but also play with low cc when I am recording for Youtube, as the game runs a little smoother and doesn't lag too much, which I think looks nicer on video! I also delete all my raw footage after I have finished editing/rendering as the files can get pretty big

edit: forgot to include this (idk if useful) but my OBS settings are set to recrod at 60FPS at a resolution of 1920x1018

I do use a mic! My first few videos were just recorded on a cheap bluetooth headset I used for work but the sound quality was pretty bad, haha. TBH I don't know much about mics, my partner is a musician and has a bunch of mics & equipment so I just borrowed his stuff lol! The mic is an Audio Technica AT2020 condenser microphone and its plugged into a M-Audio M-Track Solo USB audio interface (as the mic wouldnt plug into the PC otherwise, the interface also lets you adjust the gain which is nice) but idk if you really need something that fancy. I usually see people reccommend the Yeti mic for YouTube, which doesn't need an audio interface, idk if it is actually good or not but it seems like a popular choice?

Although if you are just starting out, I would not invest in any expensive mics or anything right off the bat - since you want to see if you actually enjoy the process of making videos first before spending any money on it! (For me at least I spend a LOT more time editing footage than recording it, it's very time consuming, although I think some creators do a lot less editing so its a style preference maybe). IMO Just start out with whatever you have and you can always upgrade later.

Also, the main thing I learned quickly which I think helped me about as much as using a better mic was having good "mic discipline". That's like, making sure your head/mouth is always the right sort of distance away from the microphone, making sure its positioned properly, trying to keep the volume you speak consistant, etc. I am still not always the best at this tbh! but am getting better :D

Hope this was useful!! Like I said, please feel free to msg me if you want to chat more about YT stuff :)

[yurimage]

Hi 🙏 saw your saw trap and thought you might know a good place to play SMT? or the order to the games / if the order matters from game to game? If this is too much effort the feel free to tell me 🙏

Hi! It’s not too much effort at all. The order doesn’t matter since they’re all stand alone games basically, like I started with SMT III. SMT V is a Switch exclusive but I’m sure you can emulate it. SMT IV and Apocalypse are on the 3DS, but you can also use Citra to emulate them. Nocturne (SMT III) is on PC now actually which is nice but I’m sure you can pirate that one too lol (it’s also on Switch and PS4/5). As for I and II, you would for sure have to emulate and use a fan made patch; I don’t have any links to a patch though, my apologies. It’s best to start with the newer games anyhow since old JRPGs are definitely an acquired taste. Same goes for SMT If, I don’t think any of those ever got official English releases.

[leafytaffy]

Need help on how to *yar har fiddle dee dee* steam games.

hey, does anyone know how to extract raw game files from steam, and be able to send them to other people with them being able to play it DRM-free? I’m also pretty dumb when it comes to tech, haven’t owned or used a PC in years before this, I don’t know a lick of code and feel like an old boomer guy using a computer, you know?

I just… I need to figure out how to be able to pirate Everhood, because I absolutely hate having to bring up this awful situation involving the devs that makes my whole body hurt from physical anxiety every time I wanna get others to try the game. I feel like shit every time I withhold telling someone about it until after they played it, so…

people have managed to pirate Pizza Tower (for the same reasons as this game, too) I’m pretty sure, so hopefully we can figure out the same for this game?

I hate asking this, I hate talking about this, it makes me physically and mentally hurt a lot, but I need help with a potential solution.

If anyone also has any piracy related forums I could go to for advice on this, that would be great too. Im avoiding Reddit because cops apparently frequent it and the piracy subreddit a lot, but might use it as a last resort if I have to.

[mmorgpara]

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[obae-me]

The House of Lamantation on Summer Vacation

“I believe the humans call it ‘Summer Vacation’,” Diavolo announced to his prestigious student council. “A time where students take a break from their studies and have fun. I think this could be an amazing opportunity to further strengthen our bond between demons and humans. Which is exactly why I want all of you along with MC to experience this Summer Vacation for yourselves. No need to worry, I have it all planned out already. You all are dismissed, you have packing to do after all!”

Lucifer

He was very against going on a vacation. It was more of a chance for his brothers to get themselves in trouble. And going to the human world no less, a world he was still pretty unfamiliar with. He was less in control there, which made him even more upset.

Once he saw the sparkle of excitement in MC’s eyes, he softened a little, and tried not to completely dismiss the idea.

Made sure to pack his extra special collection of Demonus. He would probably need it.

Once they all got to their own private beachfront cabin via the influence of the Lord of the Devildom, Lucifer laid down the ground rules. Too many of them...

Will pester and coddle MC constantly. “Where are you? Did you put on sunscreen? I want to know your location at all times. Wear sandles, you don’t want your feet to burn. Don’t swim out too far.”

MC is now in possession of secret pictures of Lucifer passed out in a hammock, his sunglasses slightly crooked on his face. He’s never looked so peaceful. MC refuses to let anyone know about the pictures they took, including Lucifer.

Will un-ironically take MC on a romantic walk on the beach.

Actually enjoyed his time on vacation, but won’t admit it to anyone.

Mammon

This boy is so excited. No class? No studies? And in all in the human world no less? He’s going to do whatever he wants whenever he wants, and steal buy stuff along the way.

He brought a full empty suitcase for all the stuff he’s going to acquire.

Started an intense water gun war by getting one of Satan’s books wet, which will effectively end in Lucifer getting a face full of water and banning water guns for the rest of the trip and possibly for eternity.

“Yo, human, I found these on the beach, who knew something free could be so pretty. Shells in the Devildom usually have a monster attached to them, heh. H-hey don’t get the wrong idea, these are completely worthless, and so I don’t want ‘em! I thought you could do something with them I guess...”

A few creepy men decided to give MC a hard time, but those humans were not prepared to have Mammon stroll up behind them with a look so serious MC almost didn’t even recognize him. They wouldn’t be bothering MC again, and Mammon never left MC’s side for the rest of the trip.

MC keeps finding little gifts on their nightstand in their room, they know it’s from Mammon, but anytime they bring it up he pretends like he has no idea. “Wow that’s crazy huh?? Looks like you have someone really great and generous looking out for you, human!”

Levi

Levi was also against going. Being outside around human world normies? being without his PC? And his figures?? Not to mention he’d miss new summer anime releases!

Almost had to be dragged out of the house until he came around to the idea when MC mentioned this was practically a Beach Episode.

Still ended up downloading a bunch of anime on his phone as well as every portable game system he owned.

If this shut-in could barely handle the light in the Devildom he is not ready for bright shiny human summer days. So prepare to hear him complain.

This boy will swim fully clothed, and will also manage to have every little beach creature follow him around. He tried naming all of them Henry but eventually lost count of how many new friends he made.

Spent hours building a sandcastle with MC because it was exactly what the main protagonist of “I Became Friends With A Mermaid And Now I Spend All Day At The Beach Building Sandcastles” would do.

Can’t stop imagining MC as a mermaid and can’t stop being flustered when they see them.

“H-hey, MC...would you maybe...want to go swimming with me when it’s dark? The human night sky is really beautiful...not that you’d want to do something with an ugly shut-in like me...”

Satan

Was pretty indifferent to having to go on vacation. As long as he could read he would be fine. In fact, this could be a pretty interesting trip, there’s so many new things he could learn.

Packed books on tropical human climates. Actually packed any book he thought would enhance this experience. More books than personal items.

Also brought along his camera for his most recent hobby on photography, and he hasn’t had the opportunity to take anything on the human world.

For some reason he finds that with most of his pictures, MC happens to be in almost all of them. Strange.

Absolutely despises getting wet other than showers, so he’ll stay far away from the ocean, safe either in their cabin or on the sand. He only broke this rule of his twice, once for the water gun fiasco and secondly for a game of Chicken Fight just for an opportunity to shove Lucifer underwater. 

He’ll probably tell MC some disturbing fact about the ocean just to get them to hang out with him on dry land for the rest of the day and will read to MC while they relax.

He once fell asleep on a beach chair, book over his chest, the title mentioning something about pirates. MC smiled and put the book off to the side, remembering to save the page. 

Somehow he and Lucifer didn’t bother each other as much during the vacation, in fact Satan seemed to be enjoying his time, and be able to laugh and smile without any malice behind it. 

Asmo

Selfies, selfies, selfies!

So excited about going on vacation, all the stress from exams wasn’t doing his skin any good. Besides, he loves the glow he gives off under the sun in the human world.

Packed so much stuff it was a wonder they brought it all. Pretty much packed everything he owned, just in case.

Uses the summer heat as an excuse to wear as little as he possibly can.

Will be hanging out at the beach almost constantly, lounging out in the open, flirting with anyone he comes across. Especially MC.

“MC! You need more sunscreen, come over and let me get those hard to reach spots.~”

Packed several swimsuits for MC despite them never asking him to, but they try them all on for him to humor him at least.

Doesn’t care about getting wet because you know he’s got that special waterproof stuff. He’ll be looking great regardless. 

If MC happens to be insecure about how they look in a bathing suit, he will be their hype man. “But dear, you look amazing. MC, I’m the demon of lust, if I say you look good, that means you look great, and if anyone says otherwise, well, they’ll have me to deal with.” 

Beel

Is fine with going on vacation as long as there’s good food.

Packed his personal stuff pretty lightly, but had to bring along about seven coolers worth of food.

MC introduces him to all sorts of summer treats, popsicles, sherbets, shaved ice. But his new favorite sweet treat turned out to be the s’mores he and MC made together over an open fire.

Somehow restrains himself well enough to keep plenty of snacks and food for MC.

Will make sure MC is well fed and hydrated at All Times. “MC, you’ve been out playing for a while, come share this watermelon with me. MC, come drink this lemonade, it’s so tasty.”

MC went a little too far out in the water, getting caught up in a current, struggling to get back to the others. Beel didn’t spend a moment to hesitate before diving in the water, swimming like an Olympic athlete to help MC back to shore keeping an eye on them like a lifeguard from then on out.

Aside from the endless eating he’ll probably get into some sports like beach volleyball. He also played a tournament of Chicken Fight with MC on his shoulders against all the other brothers. They were an undefeated team.

This sweet boy will enjoy the trip to it’s fullest, because it was filled with food and family.

Belphie

He’s conflicted about going. He tried to back out of it plenty of times before Lucifer finally threatened him. He feels like it’s...too soon for him to be going back to the human world. But if MC is going...whatever, it’s not like he had anything going on anyway.

Packed plenty of pillows, blankets, and comfy clothes, fully expecting to sleep for two weeks straight. He hates how hot it is, MC has never seen him without his usual baggy layered clothes, but he’s opted for shorts and a tank top.

Doesn’t like how bright it is, so he’ll wear sunglasses and stay under the shade at all times if he can. He’ll complain about the sun but he can sleep through anything, and will take naps no matter how sunny it is. 

Became the victim of getting his body buried in the sand, but it was like a blanket so he fell asleep instantly. Stayed there for hours until Beel came and carried him home.

Doesn’t like swimming too much but will join in by laying on a float. MC flipped the float over once, and Belphie got into a splash fight with them which ended with both of them exhausted. More sleepy cuddles. 

Will make sure MC gets good rest after each day of activity, he’ll bring cool cloths, fans, teas, himself.

Spent a full day with MC building a pillow fort worthy of Diavolo himself, they rewarded themselves by sleeping close together in their own blanket nest under the soft glow of fairy lights.

Extra

They all found out that demons actually can get sunburns, so MC was tasked with taking care of all the brothers during the trip, doing their best not to laugh at all their reddened faces. 

Their summer vacation only lasted about two weeks much to MC’s disappointment, but figured it was probably for the best for the safety of humanity. 

Diavolo was extremely satisfied with the results, and kept it in mind for plenty of other events he had planned for them.

[viviae]

can you like. tell me a little about dragon age. seeing your posts about it has got me interested in playing but i have little to no clue what it actually is

Boy can I explain nonny <3 This is a bit long so strap in and im sorry

Dragon Age is (currently) a three game series composed of Dragon Age: Origins (PS3, Xbox 360/Xbox One, PC), Dragon Age: II (PS3, Xbox 360/Xbox One, PC), and Dragon Age: Inquisition (PS4, Xbox One, PC) and its really unique because of its selling point that your actions impact the games as you progress. Like if you kill one character in one game they’ll stay dead through the rest of the series which makes you feel lived in the story and that your actions matter. Dragon Age is also an RPG so a roleplaying game kind of along the same lines of DnD where you get to make and play your own character. And yes there are romances and you can be gay.

The First Game of the series is Dragon Age: Origins where you choose from a selection of six unique (technically seven) origins or backgrounds for your character. You can be anywhere from a human noble or a Dalish elf, the unique elven culture in Dragon Age of nomadic clans dedicating to reclaiming their past. But eventually, from the events in your origin, you wind up a member of a secretive and elite order known as the Grey Wardens whose duty is to protect the world from the Blight.

The Blight is this spread of a horrible disease known as the Taint but is characterized by the presence of Darkspawn, a kind of zombie like creature who exists only to destroy the world. Grey Wardens take the heavy duty of protecting the world from the Blight, which have nearly wiped all of humanity multiple times, at all costs. And currently the country of Ferelden is under going a blight and due to events you wind up the only Grey Warden with your companion Alistair to save the world and reunite Ferelden which had fallen under a civil war.

Along Origins you meet many interesting characters. Alistair is your friendly co-warden who has a mysterious parentage that he hides under his happy go lucky attitude. In contrast to Alistair is the witch Morrigan who is your favorite goth swamp queen who would insult you and you thank her. In addition you meet your chaotic bi rogues Zevran and Leliana. Leliana is a nun who is on the run and hiding from a dark past and she is suspiciously good at murder. And Zevran is not at all hiding his aptitude for murder as an Assassin for hire who tried and failed to kill you but who can ignore that charming bastard?

Dragon Age II follows a much smaller story of a Ferelden refuge who had escaped from the Blight to the city of Kirkwall named Hawke. Unlike in origins where you get to pick your background 2 limits you to Hawke but fear not, Hawke is a loveable bastard and you can still customize them. Throughout DA2 you get to experience all the delights Kirkwall has to offer: Demons, crime, corrupt cops, and fighting your way to survive in this city and make a name for yourself.

Where Origins sets the stage for the world DA2 you are the actor in that play - literally the game is divided into 3 acts that take place over a span of 7 years. DA2′s main conflict is the argument of Mages vs Templars, as in DA’s lore while there are those who are born with magic they are forced to live in prisons policed by the Templar order and the church. You explore the more political arguments of; are the Templars right in their fears of magic as Kirkwall is filled to the brim with corrupt mages or do Mages deserve the chance to live and prove themselves freely from their prisons.

Your romancable companions in DA2 are all bisexuals as the true theme of DA2 is: be gay do crime. You have the foils of Anders: the runaway mage who fled from the prisons the mages are housed in and is determined to bring mages to freedom, and Fenris: the runaway escaped slave who curses magic for only inflicting pain and suffering in his life and wants his warnings to be heard about the dangers magic bring. In addition you also have Merrill, your cute but terrifying Dalish mage who would probably murder you with a cute smile and then go oops. And of course, my pirate wife Isabela, who lives a life free from commitment and is dedicated to the idea everyone should have a good time no matter the cost. Also while not romancable Hawke’s bff Varric deserves every ounce of praise he gets as never before has the energy of “two idiots sharing a braincell” ever been so well adapted.

Then finally we reach Inquisition. After the events of DA2 it triggers a full on war between the Mages and Templars that is destroying the land and causing severe damage that neither side can handle anymore. Desperate for an end to the conflict the Divine (err... fantasy pope) calls for a meeting on both sides... only for the entire thing to literally explode. Killing everyone present and causing a hole in the sky which now means demons are raining like cats and dogs you are the only one to survive. In Inquisition you can once again return to pick between unique backgrounds like in Origins but you don’t get to play through those backgrounds sadly.

You now possess something on your left hand which gives you the ability to patch up the hole in the sky that is pissing demons and due to being the only survivor everyone is incredibly confused about you. Eventually the Inquisition is formed around you, the character they are calling the Herald of Andraste (Andraste is fantasy Jesus) due to your ability to seal the holes. The mystery unfolds as over the course of the game you learn what caused the explosion, how you are connected, and what exactly the mark on your hand is.

DAI has the largest numbers of romance options so I’m gonna give a quick bullet point list for them all

Iron Bull (Pansexual, All Races): A Qunari (think Tiefling but big and beefy) mercenary who is far more clever than he lets on, as well as being the rope top dom of your dreams. Literally! Bull’s romance is a really healthy bdsm relationship if you are interested its very well done

Josephine (Bisexual, All Races): Your loveable ambassador and advisor for the inquisition. She is a workaholic noble who is a tried and true classic romance. Sweep her off her feet and duel for her hand all while navigating the nobility

Dorian (Gay, All Races): The flamboyant pariah rock star mage, he demands attention whenever he walks into the room. Although he wants to be all talk and no emotions make no mistake he is making puppy eyes at you the entire time and gets deeply offended if you say he is. Also not going to lie Dorian is the best piece of gay male rep in gaming history.

Cassandra (Male-only, all Races): Your stern warrior wife who is all serious no funny business... expect she is a bleeding heart romantic who reads horrible smut for fun. You wish to COURT HER?? I mean... if you want 👉👈 she won’t say no...

Blackwall (Female-only, All Races): Your weird dilf who wants desperately to prove himself every step of the way and help people. He is a constable for the Grey Wardens, but all the details on him seem murky... Ah well I’m sure its nothing, the Grey Wardens are a secretive order after all.

Sera (Lesbian, All Races): My wild child, monster chugging, beer guzzling, arrow shooting lesbian. Sera is here for a fun time and not a serious one, she’ll always make sure to keep you humble and ensure you aren’t getting to big for your breeches. 

Cullen (Female-Only, Human and Elf only): Cullen’s the Inquisition’s commander who oohh boy is steeped in a lot of trauma. Cullen’s actually a character you get to know through out the series and see just all the horrible nonsense he’s been through. But he is your tragic self loathing... he isn’t princely but he is your adorkable charming

Solas (Female-Only, Elf Only): The humble apostate who joins the Inquisition out of curiosity of the breech, he is an expert on what the hell is going on with that hole in the sky. However, he holds a wisdom that goes far deeper than your typical apostate. Smooth talking and refined he carries a heavy cloud over him.

I left out a lot and all the nonsense with books and what have you but this is the easiest overview of the series I can offer. It’s main selling points is the deep story and characters throughout the games. And of course who doesn’t love the ability to make and roleplay your own character as a bonus? The games are bit of a flawed gem and Origins in my ugly child but they are truly a delight if you are interested

[spellscarred]

GOOD MENTAL HEALTH GAMES

So here’s a list of games that help me get through bad days, whether it’s just being out of spoons, or being triggered, or just needing to not think for a hot second, it doesn’t matter. I’ll make sure to tell you why they might appeal, because not every game will work for every mood/situation.

STARDEW VALLEY [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 / SWITCH / IOS / ANDROID ] — of course, this is the ultimate good mental health game. It’s very relaxing, it’s involved enough that you can focus on it without having to do anything intensive. You can play at your own pace, and you can even play with a friend, if you need that extra support.

GRAVEYARD KEEPER [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 / SWITCH / IOS / ANDROID ] — this game is here for the same reason as stardew valley, but with an entirely different vibe. You play a man from our time who’s mysteriously transported to medieval times, who has to run a graveyard to find his way back. If Stardew Valley is too soft and cutesy for you, you’ll like Graveyard Keeper’s more morbid twist on it. Steeped in dark humour.

NO MAN’S SKY [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 ] — surely everyone’s heard of this game from its disastrous launch back in 2016. Since then, Hello Games has worked tirelessly to bring existing and new players free updates and turn it into the game that they’d promised from the start. I’d say they’ve delivered. This game is vast, with plenty to do, plenty to see; you can get lost exploring planet after planet, learning more about the other civilisations that inhabit the galaxies (yes, plural), trading, hunting pirates, raiding freighters, owning freighters, base building, playing with friends... This game can initially be very overwhelming, but the key to this game is to just focus on one thing at a time.

ASTRONEER [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 ] — if No Man’s Sky is too vast for you, then you might want to try your hand at Astroneer. It’s a lot more contained, much more stylised, and since there’s less content, it’s a lot harder to lose yourself in how much there is to actually do and thus get overwhelmed. Just a fun, lowkey planetary exploration game with cartoon-y graphics. Also with co-op options.

CITIES: SKYLINES [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 / SWITCH ] — if you’re looking for something to just relax with but still get the sense you’re doing something productive, then you might want to try your hand at Cities: Skylines. The goal is to make a functional city, down to managing the flow of traffic and meeting the zoning demands of your citizens, et cetera. It’s easy to pour a few hours into this once you get the hang of it. Of course, you can also go the Sims route and just give yourself infinite money to design a city to your wishes.

JURASSIC WORLD EVOLUTION [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 ] — so this is like the old Zoo Tycoon, if the animals were large long-extinct creatures that have a habit of breaking out of their habitats if sufficiently agitated. There’s two ways you can play the game; you can follow the story line, which slowly seeks to reclaim the islands lost in the Jurassic Park trilogy, right down to wrangling the now wild dinosaurs roaming the islands and turning the GenSec bases into functional parks. Or, once you get a 4 star rating on Isla Matanceros, you go sandbox mode on Isla Nublar, which provides you with ample space and neigh unlimited money to go wild on.

BORDERLANDS 2 [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 / IOS / ANDROID ] — if you’re more into shoot and loot, you’ll find Borderlands 2 (and the Borderlands franchise in and of itself) quite satisfying. I recommend BL2 especially because while it’s dated, its graphics and gameplay still holds up, it’s on older gen consoles as well, and its price tag is a lot less costly than immediately going for Borderlands 3. The game’s funny, it doesn’t really require you to think a lot, and it’s just great fun shooting AI in the face and blowing things up. Even if you’re self-reportedly ‘bad at FPS’, there’s no expectations where Borderlands 2 is concerned. Just sorta aim and shoot, no doubt something will die and give you a shiny prize for it. Endorphines galore.

SPORE [ PC ] — disclaimer, Spore is great up to a certain point, and after that it becomes absolute garbage. Most people agree that the microbial and creature stages of Spore are absolutely fantastic and there’s some whacky fun to be had creating ridiculous-looking creatures and getting them to survive in the direction you’ve decided to take them. Generally, after the Creature Stage comes the Civilisation Stage, which is about the time I restart the game, which is a pity. The longest stage, which is the Space Stage, is arguably also the worst stage. But it’s cheap, and the first two stages are really just that iconic.

TWO POINT HOSPITAL [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 / SWITCH ] — if you’re like me and you’ve been playing video games on PC for 25 years, surely you’ll remember a little game called Theme Hospital. The weirdest, most ridiculous hospital simulation game ever created. This is that, but from 2018, opposed to 1997. I’ve spent hours upon hours in Theme Hospital trying to save patients, make my layouts make sense, and keep people from littering everywhere, you heathens! In later levels, it can get pretty stressful, but particularly earlier levels, it’s just good ol’ fun.

THE SIMS 4 [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 ] — speaking of the Sims, the franchise is obviously the most well-known ‘I know I’m in a depression hole because I played for the past 21 hours and I haven’t eaten yet and I probably won’t shower for the next 5 days’ game. Granted, I list the Sims 4, but any iteration of the Sims works for this purpose. Just motherlode and go, my friends. Cure the emptiness by creating a house you’ll never be able to afford. (Personally I use it to create my characters from toddler and making them meet and kiss their SOs, but you know.)

PLANET ZOO [ PC ] — I likened Jurassic World Evolution to Zoo Tycoon but with dinosaurs. Planet Zoo is Zoo Tycoon on steroids. That’s it. Planet Zoo is incredibly robust and in-depth, but the idea is simple: manage a zoo, help animals get off the endangered species list, and release them into the wild where you can while keeping visitors happy and keeping your park clean (why are visitors in sim games always such terrible raccoons)! Go creative mode and just create a zoo to your own wishes with no constraints and you’ll have a great mental health game.

PLANET COASTER [ PC / XBOX1 / PS4 ] — if Planet Zoo is Zoo Tycoon on steroids, then Planet Coaster is Rollercoaster Tycoon on steroids (which, in turn, was a more robust version of 1994′s Theme Park, from the same devs as Theme Hospital mentioned above). Like with Planet Zoo, you make a theme park, create rides that kill people and desperately try to hold back the tide of litter that’ll inevitably happen. But really, just go creative mode and make rollercoasters with so much G-force that it’ll kill everyone that rides them.

RAFT [ PC ] — a co-op game set in an Earth enveloped by oceans, you’re essentially a scout on a raft and that raft will become your home as you build onto it. You go from island to island to collect materials, seeds for food and trees, and discover the lore of the world. Your only enemy is hunger, thirst, and the ever-present shark that really only wants to hug you with its teeth. It’s a friend. Promise.

So do you have any games that you think should be on this list? Games that help you get through days where it’s just really hard to be a person? Feel free to add onto this post. Just make sure you let people know the name, the platforms its available on, the general gist of the game, and why it helps you through tough days.

Enjoy your good mental health days and good luck on your bad mental health days, everyone. 💛

[immortalcoelacanth]

HLVRAI Oneshot: Degrade

Once again based on the Abscond AU by @godros​ and this one does require a small bit of context so I’d totally recommend checking it out if you haven’t already! Quick note that this one is Tommy centric but there is bits of shipping here and there so keep an eye out for it ;)

Word count: 1475

Summary:  Gordon wasn’t the only one breaking down.

After interacting with Tommy, most assumed that he… was not the sharpest tool in the shed. He was often perceived as being very naïve, lacking awareness of what was going on in the world around him. Others felt that he wanted to act like a foolish child and insulted him behind his back. 

These people usually did not last long in Black Mesa, not showing up for work the next day after muttering their insults. None of the staff questioned it or knew better than to question it. 

Overall, few held Tommy’s intelligence in high regard, and as such it was also thought that his observations skills were just as bad if not worse. 

Something which was far from the truth. 

Tommy typically allowed his emotions to take center stage in controlling his reactions, instinctively responding to things rather than thinking it out first. It was why he was always so emotional, easily saddened by negative events or cheered up when a good thing happened. 

Like getting a Beyblade or drinking soda!

Being able to talk to his friends also made him very happy, so when Benrey had approached the Science Team and told them all that Gordon was back, Tommy was ecstatic!

Mr. Freeman was back after having been gone for so long! It had been depressing waiting to see what their friend would do, when he would free them from this place. Tommy had noticed how much quieter Dr. Coomer was, and how Bubby’s angered shouting was a shadow of what it used to be, and then there was Benrey… 

Sad, lonely Benrey who seemed to count every second Gordon was gone for. Tommy had noticed the tallies that Benrey kept on the wall, occasionally adding one more, and tried to ask what they were. 

He had gotten no answer. 

It had been heartbreaking to watch the hope slowly dwindle in the group, Tommy himself had been relying on Sunkist to keep him upbeat, but now everything was better! The Science Team was whole again! Everyone was happy! They could have fun and explore!

Except… after some time passed Tommy noticed that things were not okay. 

It started with small things, tiny details that no one really paid attention to other than him. Noticing that Gordon grew frustrated with his hair, how the tie never seemed to work and hold it up properly. Benrey seemed to enjoy this development, taking the opportunity to occasionally mess with Gordon’s hair and annoy him, while Dr. Coomer suggested several tips to keep his hair neat and orderly. 

Only Tommy wondered why the hair tie no longer worked despite appearing to be perfectly fine. 

From there things only grew worse, watching Gordon stumble and bump into obstacles that he should have been able to easily avoid, seeing how often the man rubbed his eyes and blinked, like they were blurry. It was only after he tripped over some rubble, a fair-sized chunk of concrete and fell to the ground, that Tommy decided to voice his concerns. 

“Uh, M-Mr. Freeman?” He began, watching as Dr. Coomer quickly looked Gordon over to make sure he was not hurt. “Are… are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” Was the oddly cheerful reply, Gordon messing with his glasses before smiling up at Tommy. Dr. Coomer helped him get to his feet while Bubby and Benrey watched from off to the side. 

“You’re more of a deadweight than I remembered!” Bubby snarked as Benrey let out a sigh and lazily smiled. 

“damn bro your middle name must be… uh, two-left-feet or somethin’.”

“Benrey, don’t you dare-”

“gaydon two-left feetman.”

“Benrey sometimes I want to strangle you.”

With Gordon back on his… feet, Dr. Coomer rejoined Bubby just in time to hear the other scientist sigh. “Damn, this ship is gonna hit more icebergs than the Titanic!” 

Fortunately, Benrey and Gordon failed to hear that remark while Tommy silently wondered what such a thing was supposed to mean. After failing to answer his own questions, he decided to ask once more if their friend was alright. 

“Mr. Freeman are… are you sure you’re okay? You looked kinda…” Tommy paused as he tried to figure out how to word the next part. “Distracted?” 

“I was just thinking about things and didn’t notice that rubble, it’s okay Tommy.” Gordon said while offering him a reassuring smile. 

“thinkin’ about finally sending me a friend request?”

“No Benrey! I don’t even have a Playstation!”

“laaaaaaame.”

While the typical banter was certainly reassuring and helped Tommy calm down, there was no shaking the quiet voice in the back of his mind that continued to insist that something was not right, that something bad was going to happen to Gordon. It put him on edge kept him that way as they explored the desolate map, chatting and joking about things. 

If only Tommy had listened to that voice and voiced his concerns, perhaps things would have turned out differently. 

Gordon’s condition grew worse, eyesight deteriorating to the point of where Dr. Coomer and even Bubby were trying to convince him to take a break, sit down and relax as they figured out how to help. Benrey seemed to be in denial, still joking and occasional talking about random topics. Tommy had practically glued himself to Gordon’s side at this point, hovering over the man and trying to see if he could help in any way. 

“M-Mr. Freeman c-can I get you a… a soda?” His words were starting to fracture a bit due to the stress, but Tommy did his best to keep himself together for his friend. “There-there might be a m-machine somewhere. I could always, uh, g-go and-”

Gordon shook his head, cutting off Tommy’s rambling. “Nah, I’m okay. You don’t need to worry about me.”

He smiled, a small, pained smile, and Tommy worried all the more. 

Both Benrey and Gordon insisted on moving forward despite there being no real reason to and the objections from the rest of the Science Team. Unfortunately, their concerns were paid no mind as the two continued to press forward, forcing the rest of the group to follow and make sure nothing else happened. 

Not that any of them thought they could stop whatever was happening. 

“You’re both a bunch of fucking morons if you think any of this is going to turn out okay!” Bubby had cursed while pointing at the duo in denial, fortunately without a gun in his hands. “I thought Gordon was supposed to be smart!” 

“what? i’m not smart?”

“Of course not! You think Playstation is great when everyone knows that PC is the best for playing games!”

“but-but how am i supposed to… uh… how do i get playstation plus then, huh? i want my free games.”

“It’s called pirating-”

“That’s illegal!” Tommy wailed. “That-that’s stealing!”

“It’s only stealing if you get caught.” 

This good mood was fleeting as soon enough the Science Team found themselves encountering another hurdle. 

Gordon’s hand glitching and twitching as the skin it was made of faded away and was replaced by a blocky texture, becoming nothing more than a projection of what it had previously been. 

The group all stared in shock and horror, and even Benrey seemed to be at a loss for words. And then pure, absolute, chaos broke out. 

Dr. Coomer rushed to Gordon’s side as the man sank to the ground, clearly in shock as he tried to touch the phantom hand, resulting in his fingers passing through it. Bubby started cursing and yelling, not at anyone in particular, however Tommy had a feeling that some of his insults were addressed to two people in particular, and Benrey… 

Benrey looked… guilty. Eyes looking at everything except Gordon while standing as far from the group as possible yet still being close enough to see what was going on. 

“Mr. Freeman?” Tommy whimpered, causing Gordon’s glitchy eyes to fixate on him. “We-we should go b-back. You need to g-go back. You… you can’t-”

He smiled that empty smile, one that seemed so unconcerned with himself, and reached out to pat Tommy’s shoulder. His phantom hand phased through it, and Tommy flinched sharply. While no words were said, the unsettling interaction was more than enough to convey several worrying things to Tommy. 

Why did Gordon seem so unconcerned with his own safety? It was… scary to see him acting like this! Maybe it was the shock? He hoped it was. 

Naturally, this put their exploring to an end for now. No one disagreed with that decision thanks to a quick glare from Dr. Coomer, and how gloomy Benrey had become. As the group sat in silence and got some rest, Tommy curled up and pressed his face into his knees so no one could see his tears. 

They had enough problems to deal with, they did not need another. 

                                         xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I had to contribute a bit of angst to this AU, it’s in my nature! Also to my followers Also I apologize once more for the change in the focus of the content I’m putting out!

I hope you all enjoyed reading!

- ImmortalCoelacanth

[purplesurveys]

1245

Serious question, peanut butter or nutella?  Oh you are just mean. Nutella is amazing as a filling or icing, but when it comes down to it I guess I look for peanut butter more often. I love both though.

Do you prefer baked potatoes or mashed potatoes?  Mashed. But baked potatoes are pretty good too; the only reason I didn’t pick it is that I don’t get to have it as often as I do mashed.

What is your oldest sibling’s middle name?  I’m the eldest sibling, but my sister, who comes after me, has Beatrice as her second name if that’s what you mean by middle name.

Do you like breadsticks?  Yes. The more cheesy-garlicky, the better.

What are your favorite things to spend money on?  Merch or food.

Which would you rather have a new puppy or kitten?  Puppy. Not the biggest fan of cats.

How old will you be on your next birthday?  24.

Do you ever feel self-conscious when you eat around other people?  If it’s the combination of having to be around people I’m not too close with, like workmates, and I’m eating something that tends to be messy, like jjajangmyeon, then yeah I can definitely feel conscious.

When you opened your eyes this morning, what were your first thoughts?  I fell asleep from 11 PM to around 3 AM and when I woke up then I thought  “ugh, I fell asleep early again?”

What is one thing in the room you’re in that reminds you of somebody?  My vape pen constantly reminds me of Andi because they were the one who gave it to me.

Could you ever be friends with somebody who was homophobic?  No.

Would you ever want to be a supermodel, or date one?  I did want to be one, at one point. It was all a matter of being stuck with the wrong crowd at the time lol.

Honestly, have you ever made fun of somebody so bad they cried?  Probably with my sister when we were very young.

Honestly, would you rather be complimented on your looks or intelligence?  Intelligence.

Have you ever purchased a pregnancy test, for yourself or otherwise? I never have.

You can get one thing, anything, for free right now. What do you pick? Why?  A 1 or 2 TB hard drive. My phone has reached the stage where I’m starting to have to constantly delete shit so I don’t reach the maximum storage, so I need someplace to dump all my photos and videos in to free up my phone.

Honestly, have you ever danced naked?  Nope.

What was the first illegal thing that you did? Did you get caught? I dunno...buy pirated movies? I didn’t get ‘caught’ since pirated movie stalls are widespread here anyway, so for the most part I’ve always been more concerned for them than I am for myself.

What is the home page on the computer you’re on?  Technically it’s supposed to be the Google home screen, but I have an extension that shows me my to-do list for the day.

Do you like to write poetry?  Nah, that’s always been my Achilles’ heel when it comes to writing.

Are your ears pierced?  Yup. Surprisingly enough they’ve never closed up despite never having worn earrings (clip-ons notwithstanding) in the last 13 years.

If so, were they pierced with a piercing gun, or with a sterile needle?  I’m not sure, since my mom had them pierced when I was a baby. I would guess piercing gun, though.

Do you wear makeup regularly? I never wear makeup.

Did you eat cereal for breakfast today?  I never have cereal unless I’m staying at hotels. It’s just never been something I look for.

When was the last time you tripped over something?  A box that was lying around in my room.

Any obsessive-compulsive tendencies?  I’ll sometimes get concerned with how many times I have to flick the switch of our hot water dispenser or open and close the refrigerator door before I feel completely satisfied...but I dunno if that counts.

Who was the last person you yelled at?  Technically...Angela? I was filming an unboxing video for a gift she randomly got me and I loved the gift so much I was yelling my excitement through the screen.

Why did you yell at them?  ^ That.

Favorite type of apple?  I don’t like fruits.

Ever seen live horse racing?  No, it’s not something that interests me.

How about live greyhound racing?  I don’t even know what that looks like.

What’s one thing, besides the obvious, that you couldn’t live without?  The arts, I guess. I need something to listen to, to watch, etc on a regular basis.

Have you ever touched a giraffe?  I don’t think so.

What does your mom call you?  Robyn, or the Filipino term parents use for their kids.

What stresses you out the most in life?  A particular client at work. We have a million campaigns going on for them at any given point so my life virtually revolves around that brand these days.

Do you play any PC games? What is your favorite?  Nope.

If you were pregnant, how would you tell the father? Well, that would depend on the circumstances. Did we want a baby? Was it a bad surprise, a happy surprise? I can't answer this with just one idea. < Yeah.

What’s the hardest level you can play on Guitar Hero?  If I’m using a Playstation controller, I can go Hard or Expert. But my finger coordination with the actual guitar controller is terrible and I fail most songs even at Easy.

What ever happened with you and your first boyfriend?  There was never any ‘boyfriend,’ but my first girlfriend and I have basically had a falling out and I haven’t talked to her in months, and I expect it to continue being that way.

What’s your favorite country song?  I don’t have any.

What is the worst thing a former boyfriend/girlfriend has done to you?  Putting her pride and anger first even when I’m obviously in a state of disstress or breakdown in front of her. That’s some emotional rollercoaster I’m glad I don’t have to deal with anymore.

What were you for Halloween last year?  Just Dora the Explorer again, which was a repeat from the year before that.

Are you feeling guilty for something?  I don’t think so; at least there isn’t anything I’m actively feeling guilty about at the moment.

Are you usually quiet or loud?  I think I’m in between? I’m pretty loud but I can space out at the most random moments hahaha.

How many hours do you spend on the computer a day?  This question always makes me wince at myself...I guess anywhere between 16-18 hours? The only time I put my laptop down is when I’m off to bed, but otherwise it’s constantly open.

What is the show that you watched when you were little, and you still do? I don’t think there is such a show.

Do your siblings text you?  Nope. We live under the same roof 24/7 so there’s been little need to text.

Do you want a small or big wedding?  Big.

Have you ever searched for your own house on Google Earth?  Yes, but that was when Google Earth was still super bare so I wasn’t able to see the actual house anyway, but just the general area where we’re located. I haven’t used Google Earth in years.

Who is your ex dating/talking to?  I don’t know and I hoooonestly could not care less.

Ever kissed someone who smokes?  Yep.

Does it take a lot for someone to annoy you?  Depends on my mood. I have my moments where it’s very easy for me to get irritated.

Do you own your own computer?  I mean it was bought for me, but I didn’t get it with money I earned.

Did you ever have to share a room with one of your siblings?  When my brother was starting to mature, my sister and I very very briefly experimented sharing a room, but it lasted like all of two weeks. My parents ultimately just transferred our balcony to a bedroom so that all three of us had our own rooms.

What noises in the room you’re in, do you hear at the moment?  An airplane is flying above me at the moment so I can hear its engine. I can also hear some crickets chirping and the faint barking of dogs.

Have you ever dated someone with longer hair than yours?  Yup.

What’s the biggest upcoming event for you?  I guess my second vaccine dose is kinda big? It’s happening this Friday.

What do you typically order from Wendy’s?  I rarely get Wendy’s tbh, but when I do I usually go for their Baconator.

Have you ever been given a lapdance by an actual stripper?  No, it’s not something I would be into.

What do you love most about yourself? Continued the next day because I am terrible at taking a survey in one go. I like that I don’t hesitate to do or buy things for my loved ones, not even inwardly. I guess it’s because my family has always lived very practically, so I want to make up for that by spoiling my friends.

Have you ever received a hickey from the last person you kissed?  Yes.

What are you doing right now?  I am supposed to be at work but it’s a relatively quiet day, so I’m here. I do have my screen split between Tumblr and my emails though, so that I’d be able to see if new work will come in hahaha.

What’s bothering you right now?  Quiet work days always make me anxious because it makes me think if I’m forgetting about something crucial.

What was the last thing you drank?  I literally just took a sip of my coffee before moving on to this question.

Be honest, do you like people in general?  Depends on the situation, I think. Like when I go to concerts, I know I’m around people I share the same interests with, so there’s a sense of solidarity that goes with that. But when I’m like...I dunno, lining up to get my license renewed at a government office, I know people there are in a rush and tend to get rude, and that makes me feel a little bit overwhelmed. I don’t think this is something I can generalize.

Do you want your tongue pierced?  No. Lip I can consider, but I have to pass on tongue. 

Do you change your phone background a lot?  I do these days, yeah.

Have you ever made someone so mad that they broke something?  Possibly.

Have you ever been strip searched?  I’ve been searched, but was never asked to strip.

Do you have a funny last name? Does anyone make fun of it?  No, it’s an ordinary surname.

Ever have a drug overdose? What did you OD on exactly?  Never.

Do you get sick of people who call themselves bipolar all the time? I get sick of people who call themselves bipolar, and of people who use ‘bipolar’ to describe someone else who just has your typical mood swings.

Describe your day so far in three words:  Business as usual.

What was the most stressful project you had so far/while in school? I was once designated as a leader for a science investigative project, which didn’t make sense because science was definitely not my strongest point. Needless to say it didn’t go well and I ended up being a terrible leader. Choose one- Butterfinger, Milky Way, Snickers:  Butterfinger, even though they’re a bitch to eat and chew.

Have you ever stepped in dog poop?  Maybe once or twice. It fortunately doesn’t happen a lot.

What was the last thing you spent money on?  I got Angela and Reena cheese tarts. The reason behind it was Jin held a VLIve last Monday and he had been eating egg tarts during the stream; and because I was happy to have watched my first Jin live, I got my friends cheese tarts hahaha. I don’t know a lot of places that sells good egg tarts so I settled for cheese tarts instead, which I think are better anyway.

Have you ever slept in the same bed with the last person you kissed?  Yeah.

Is there a guy that knows a lot about you?  I guess Hans? We personally don’t get to have a lot of heart-to-heart exchanges, but considering how Angela’s my greatest confidante I’m sure she has shared bits of my life to him, which I don’t mind.

Is there someone you just can’t imagine your life without?  I don’t really like answering this question anymore because the people that I’ve declared ‘for keeps’ have faded out of my life at some point. I’m a lot more guarded and self-preservation-y when it comes to this now.

Do you prefer Starbucks coffee or small cafe coffee?  Ooooh, both. I love coffee.

Would you ever consider getting a piercing in your septum?  No.

Do you enjoy being outdoors?  If the weather is nice, yes.

Do people tell you that you have an accent?  I mean I’ve been told my English is strong, but my accent in particular doesn’t really get noted.

Do you enjoy watching fireworks on the 4th of July?  I don’t celebrate that.

What’re some unspeakable subjects for you?  I don’t like talking about my brother. Otherwise I am pretty open about everything.

Is there anyone you would take a bullet for?  Several people come to mind.

Do you enjoy tanning?  If I’m at the beach, sure. It’s honestly not something I have to constantly keep up with, though, since I’m already naturally tan enough. Are you a virgin?  No.

Who’s your celebrity crush?  Taehyung :(

Did or do you get good grades in English class?  I always got pretty good grades in English.

What part of your body are you self-conscious about?  Teeth, and my legs sometimes.

Are you expected to help fix Thanksgiving dinner?  I don’t celebrate that.

Have you ever lost anyone close to cancer?  Yes.

Do you personally know anyone who is transgender?  Yes.

When was the last time you got a shot?  Last month, then I’m getting my second dose tomorrow.

[clonethoughts]

Follower Meme

I was tagged by @gothwarlocks​!!! Thank you so much, I get excited to talk about any of my swtor characters.

Once again, I’m not tagging anyone but feel free to do it and say I tagged you if you get nervous about that like I do.

How would your character act  if they were an In-Game Follower?

Daesha Hielim

Selection Line:

“Couldn’t stay away from me, huh?”

“You got something for me?”

“I was in the middle of winning a sabacc game!”

“I got your back, pal.”

Class: Scoundrel

Weapons: Blaster pistol, Shotgun (Offhand)

Battle Lines:

“Sorry buddy, but I never lose.”

“That all you got?”

“Bet I can make you cry for your momma.”

“Why am I always getting shot at?”

Exciting Battle:

“I really am just too good.”

“Never bet against me.”

“I’ve seen banthas fight better than that.”

“People call me the best shot in the Outer Rim for a reason.”

Ko’d/Low Health

“I’m not going down like this!”

“It was fun while it lasted.”

“Think I could get a hand?!”

“Knew I should have brought that extra medpack.”

Resurrected:

“The galaxy needs my pretty face around.”

“If anyone asks, that didn’t happen.”

“Bet you missed me.”

“I really gotta remember to use my medpacks.”

Misc. Click Lines:

“I ever tell you about that one time I woke up in a bed with an sis agent, a senator, and an imperial spy? Remind me later.”

“You need something from me?”

“We should play a round of sabacc. Promise I’ll go easy on ya this time.”

“It’s hard being this good looking and skilled. Super unfair for you too.”

“Don’t think I’ll ever get tired of running around this wild galaxy.”

“When I was a kid, I wanted to be a medic, just like my pops. He taught me all the basics.”

Dismissal:

“Wanna bet that you’ll need me again?”

“Time to get back to that sabacc game.”

“Finally, a little time to relax.”

Gifts:

Love: Luxury, Courting (If romanced)

“You sure know how to make a gal blush.”

“That’s...actually real sweet of you.”

Favorite: Underworld Good, Delicacies

“Aww, all for me?”

“This is a pretty nice gift. I’ll repay you somehow.”

Like: Trophy, Weapon, Courting

“I love when people give me things for free.”

Indifferent:

“You shouldn’t have. Really.”

Likes: Helping others in need, flirting, compliments, good-natured challenges, winning.

Dislikes: Getting tricked, sexists, losing, slavery, and looking down on others.

Where the PC meets/recruits her:

Being a smuggler, you would think you would meet Daesha on Nar Shaddaa. But you actually find her on Tatooine, smuggling medical supplies to a Twi’lek settlement. She joins after you help her smuggle the last of her shipment, defending it from pirates. She would mainly be a medic but is always willing to show off her aim, of course. Conversations with her would mostly entail talking about past jobs, how she became a smuggler, and why she operates the way she does. She has a few short side missions that mostly entail delivering smuggled goods to those in need. She would be a romancable companion, for both male and female PCs.

[nickcifonie]

In 2021, Anyone Can Make $ Playing Video Games!

I grew up playing games like Risk, Monopoly, a little Chess... and still remember buying my first computer somewhere around 1986 solely to play a computer game on. It was an Apple IIc, and that first game was some type of Pirate Adventure. I wish I remembered the name. It wasn’t all that good, but still, I was hooked!

Since that first adventure, I’ve spent thousands of hours as well as dollars playing just about every type of digital game that has followed! PC games, Atari, Wii, mobile games... you name it, I play it! I’d always generalize the cost (to myself at least) thinking “some guys play golf 3 days a week at $100 a round... I play computer games”.

That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it! However, the story has changed...

“Pay to Play” has become “Play to Earn”!

If you would be to search terms like “crypto games”, “blockchain games”, “make money playing video games”, and others, you’d find some really incredible statements. Today, quotes like the ones below are becoming more and more common!

“I made $400 last week playing a computer game” “I just sold my RPG character for $200 profit”

“I was offered $1k for a skin for my laser rifle of doom” (I made up the “laser rifle of doom” part)

“I bred my pet thingamajig yesterday and sold the baby!” (it’s digital, for those of you wincing)

In 2021, thanks to the blockchain, there’s a growing community of gamers who are making real dollars daily, mining, fighting, shooting, jumping... all while playing the same type of mobile and PC games that you had to PAY to play just a short while ago...

...but let’s start at the beginning.

You paid $172,000 for a what!?

Yes... all the way back in 2018 a CryptoKitty named “Dragon” was sold for an incredible $172,000. (300 ETH) Don’t be too surprised, it’s justified! It’s an adorable digital image, or “NFT” of a cat, after all.

It’s a lot of money, but for NFTs and blockchain gaming, flipping a Kitty today may as well be considered the stone ages. It’s still a record, but while you can still get started collecting these digital felines for as low as a couple of dollars, big-dollar trades still happen daily.

On the flip side of mortgaging your home to buy a digital picture of a CryptoKitty, Bored Ape, or CryptoPunk, you may feel better if you begin your adventure into making crypto (it’s real money, dear!) by playing a video game where you can “make money” instead of spending it.

I’m not saying owning a CryptoKitty or any of a plethora of “Avatar NFTs” we see popping up on various exchanges isn’t one way to do it... I’m saying to me at least, as a life-long gamer I’d much prefer playing a mobile, console, or PC game to collecting pictures in a digital wallet.

So what the heck is an NFT?

I could go into a long explanation... but since this article is about gaming and not cryptocurrency, I’ll tell you an NFT is a “non-fungible token”, and leave you google it if you really want to dig in deep. I do want to share more, so I’ll ‘splain it as simple as I can for you Lucy!

A CryptoKitty, as stated above, is a type of image called an NFT. (the collection is called “CryptoKitties) It’s a digital picture of a cartoon cat. There are thousands of different ones that have different shapes, colors, expressions and traits. (kind of like a real cat, but eats less)

The difference, is only one of each design is actually a legitimate “CryptoKitty”. (or a legitimate whatever type of image it happens to be) To be clearer... each NFT is a “one of a kind”, so if you’re thinking “but can’t I just make a copy?”, nope you can’t.

I mean... you “can” make a copy of it if you really dig the design and want it on your desktop, but it would only be a copy of that particular NFT, not the real McCoy! Ok... so what makes one real, and the rest fakes? The blockchain.

Now, I’m going to be true to my word and keep my promise of not making this an article about crypto or the blockchain, so just know this: the difference between an image that is an actual NFT, and a copy of one, is there is an underlying digital code that designates the real thing.

So real in fact, that artists are creating or importing their paintings and creations to the web as NFTs, numbering them as they would a lithograph, and selling their entire collections. So if you are an art fan, check with your favorite creators... you may be surprised to find all of their “works of art” on an online marketplace!

NFTs are viewed on certain marketplace websites and digital wallets where the copies cannot be displayed, so that is how we know one is real, and the others are not! Having said that, sure, there’s more to it, but just know that there’s a 100% secure way of knowing an image is a real NFT.

In addition, there can be more than one NFT with the same identical image. However, each has a unique underlying code, so even if they look exactly the same, they are not! Look at it like the playing cards or comic books of old... there may be 1,000 created (or “minted” as it’s called in NFT land) but they will each be numbered 1 to 1,000.

And guess which is more valuable.....? I knew you’d get it!

And these NFT’s make money how?

You’re getting warmer! There are a lot of different types of games coming out these days where you can make money playing. There are RPG’s, MOBA’s, Shooters, games in first person and in third, dungeon crawls... you name it!

If you’re thinking “how did I not know this!”, I was the same until recently! I have been gaming almost daily since I stepped into Ultima Online back in 1997, and I can’t even begin to tally how many hours and/or dollars I’ve invested into gaming.

Now, our hobby pays!

After 30-something years, my wife still thinks I’m bonkers... but I got a totally different look from her a few days ago when I told her I sold my game character for well over $200. Legit. I sold two more yesterday, and another this afternoon.

Some of these only cost me $10 or $15, some much more. Some are free. I sold another NFT character last week for $1,950, and it was sold on the game’s website, not on the black market.

So not only can an NFT be a picture of an Ape, Vegetable, Duck, or Stripper on a pole (we’ll leave it at that) but it can be a character in a game, a weapon, a mount, armor, or more.

One game is giving away free pet turtles with each character. For the uneducated on “pets” in computer games, it’s not the kind you keep in a bowl in your bedroom. It’s a companion that fights with you in an online game and may shoot fire from its eyes, heal you, or similar.

Soon after being handed out for free, they’re now selling for around $60 each.

So an NFT can be an image, a video, music, a meme... or even a shirt or shoes! But we’ll leave the NFT clothing explanation to another article. ;)

Remember that rare skin you paid out the nose for a year ago in Apex? Or the L33T character you built up in Fortnite or Warcraft? If you’re no longer playing that game, it’s money under the bridge. And you don’t own the bridge!

In this new breed of blockchain games, you could have LEGALLY sold that character, skin, weapon, land, house, mount, or whatever it was when you tired of the game. For a profit. Maybe for a LARGE profit.

Yes, in the past we were able to find ways to get around the system and dump our pixels from time to time. We’d sell the account on the black market, or cut a deal with someone like a drug dealer on a Chicago Street corner. Then we’d over who went first...

“You give me the account and weapon first!” “No you give me the money first”.  Sometimes the deals even went through. Others well... let’s just say half of the parties walked away happy.

I made good money when after 4 years of daily playing I sold my Ultima Online account for somewhere around $2,000, but I needed to find a trustworthy “go-between” to broker the deal. Even then, I was sweating it!

With today’s crypto games, not only do the games provide the platform to buy, sell, or trade your character and items, but it’s encouraged, and done with good old U.S dollars! I’ve made $ playing 4 or 5 different games already this week, as well as flipping (buying low and selling higher) NFT characters!

How else can I make money playing games?

The way you earn varies from game to game, but each week seems to reveal another new strategy, platform, or idea. Many are new strategies, and while some have “triple A” 3D animation and graphics, others are simpler and use basic one-dimensional graphics for the gameplay.

Some of these games are actually tied to a token on the blockchain. The game developer creates their own token, not too unlike Bitcoin or Ethereum, and it can be bought or sold on the open market as well as used in the game as currency.

Could you imagine if back in League of Legends, Guild Wars or Final Fantasy, when you were ready to move to a new game, you could sell or easily convert your gold to cash? Some of today’s blockchain games encourage it!

Not only can you now buy and sell characters and weapons, the gold in the game can be traded, bought, sold, or saved like real currency, stocks, crypto, or collectables. Never have I been as excited about PC and mobile gaming as I am today!

As an example, I am doing some work for a new game that will launch soon called Pepper Attack. Pepper Attack has its own token or coin... called MYTE. It can be used in the game as currency, but also be traded like Bitcoin. A lot of today’s blockchain games offer this same benefit.

Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to mine I go!

Just by owning an NFT from the game, you can login on a daily basis and click “mine” earning real-value tokens passively. Your Pepper goes to work like one of the 7 Dwarves mining MYTE, and later on you can convert it to other tokens or cold, hard cash.

There's more to do in this particular game as well. Like any good RPG or MMORPG, each pepper has a unique combination or skills like attack, defense, evade, hit points, and more. As an example of the possibilities, if you have a high attack score, other characters will be able to pay you in MYTE to “train” them, raising their score as well.

In addition, these NFTs have unique physical traits, some are common and some are very rare. This game in particular have toons that look more like anime-ish elves with weapons and a stem... I have to admit the artwork is really spicey! (see what I did there?) Other games are of course totally different.

Some people will simply collect these NFTs/characters as an investment, like playing cards or comics. Others will use them in the game, and still others will do both. Either way, they can be held, or sold for a profit!

Unlike the games of the past, when you’re ready to move on you don’t walk away and lose all the $ you have spent for characters, skins, weapons, potions, and other items. When you’re done, you’ll be able to sell your character and items... possibly for a profit... maybe a lot of profit... and move on.

These are not your father’s computer games!

As we move ahead in the genre, we are seeing AAA studios coming out with big-dollar productions, like Blankos, Mist, Illuvium, Ember Sword and others. Some of these games actually let you buy the land you build on!

Did you have your own house in Ultima Online, Star Wars Galaxies, or Archeage? What if you could have used It as a shop and been paid in dollars for your wares, rented it to another player, or sold it for cold hard cash at a huge profit down the road?

In many of today’s games, not only is it common, but extremely hard to come by, and quite expensive. Not only are people paying thousands of dollars for a plot in some of the games that have land, but they’re paying it many months before the game is even released.

They do it, because in many cases they know that they can easily 2X, 10X, or even 50X their investment a short piece down the road. Seriously? Seriously... and the early bird catches the worm!

Other games with lesser budgets are more graphic-based, but have super earnings potential as well, and are just as fun to play. These include Splinterlands, (a card game like Magic!) Crypto Blades, Axie Infinity and more.

Regardless of if the new blockchain game of your choice is a RPG, MOBA, a card game or racing game... the fact that you can put some coin into your pocket playing adds a whole new element. It’s heckafun making money playing a game!

The early nerd catches the worm!

In many cases, if you can catch a game before it releases, the land, characters, weapons, and other items... in most cases all NFTs... can be grabbed at a tiny fraction of the future value.

Of course, always check out the game details and team first, and be confident it’s a good place to put your money. Not all games are made the same.

If you’re lucky enough to find out about and partake in an early sale, for example, like grabbing a character NFT or two in   “Pepper Attack”  before the late September launch date, you may be in for a real treat!

There are plenty of new titles coming down the pipe that look to be fun, have great communities, and offer earning opportunities. A web search will find services and websites that will keep you on your toes and alert you of upcoming blockchain game releases, marketplace opening, and more.

As we look forward, the future of gaming on the blockchain is really, really exciting! Not only are the games getting better and more fun, but they’re getting better at making the economics work more smoothly as well.

The games are not without challenges, as they need to be made to sustain themselves economically over the long haul. In addition, they need to have higher levels of security (thanks blockchain!) and of course, work without becoming “pay to win”. Thankfully, the new breed of developers have risen to the challenge!

The next time you look for a new game to add to your phone or desktop, or just want a change of pace, look to a game that pays to play! Your wallet might thank you.

Another perk, is your husband or wife will appreciate it as well! Instead of hearing “are you going to play that stupid game all night again?”, you may start to hear things like “I’ll put the kids to bed tonight sweetheart, so you can get online and play”.

One can only hope...

Author - Nick Cifonie

Nick is a lifelong gamer, who cut his teeth at the local Chicago arcade playing Tetris as a teen. Better known as Znick or Deacon Z, Nick became a Game Master in Ultima Online in 1997, ran a large multi-game guild for 15 years, and now spends his time in the “play to earn” arena. Professionally, Nick is a writer and 4-decade marketer working with the  Pepper Attack team, as well as others. Nick is also a Catholic Deacon.

[blazehedgehog]

Thoughts on Nintendo making the Super Mario 35 game and 3D All Stars limited physically and even digitally?

It’s legitimately surprising how blind Nintendo is certain things. And even if they aren’t blind, they’re... ignorant, in a sense? Frugal to a fault? They’re dumb. Amazingly dumb. Let’s go with that. That's a nice way to put it.

I tweeted that I’d recently finished replaying Super Mario Sunshine a year or two ago (it took me roughly four years!) and that I’d burned through the PC port of Super Mario 64 not that long ago over the course of a single weekend. And that, because of this, I found it hard to justify paying $60 for the Super Mario 3D All-Stars collection.

I don’t want this to sound like “because I played them for free, I don’t want to buy them.” I already bought and paid for Super Mario Sunshine on the Gamecube, and I own at least two, maybe even three copies of Super Mario 64 (original cart, Wii VC, Wii U VC). That's because Super Mario 64 is also one of the most influential games of all time. I know I say that a lot, but I'll repeat it as many times as I need to. Any third person action game made in the last 25 years owes something to what Super Mario 64 figured out -- analog character movement, how to set up the camera, all of it. Even if Super Mario 64 didn’t invent everything about 3D character movement, it probably still figured out a better way to do it. All modern game design roads lead back to that game. I will absolutely buy another copy of Super Mario 64.

But you have to do it right.

If you aren’t matching or or exceeding the work that fans are doing for free, then you are asking me to pay money for a worse quality product.

I can play Super Mario 64 at wide screen, in 4K, at 60fps, with modern camera controls, thanks to the PC port. It sounds cleaner, and it looks better than the N64 game did. Even if you subtract the recreated textures and the high-def models and just play the game with the original assets, it’s still running smoother and plays tighter, but still feels like Super Mario 64.

A case could be made that these enhancements to Super Mario 64 are pretty big and would require lots of new work and testing (as if Nintendo couldn’t just account for that). But, then, what about Super Mario Sunshine? Now, the All-Stars version has been updated to run in widescreen, sure, but even more could be done without messing anything up.

Super Mario Sunshine as it shipped on the Gamecube ran at 30fps, but that’s not always how the game was shown. For a large portion of its development, Super Mario Sunshine actually ran at 60fps. At some point, Nintendo decided to cap it at 30fps, likely because it couldn't maintain a stable 60. Using the emulator Dolphin, and the right Gameshark/Gecko code modifier, it’s possible to restore Sunshine’s original 60fps framerate.

All the game logic under the hood was probably always running at 60fps, it’s just they capped the rendering at 30 for the final game. And yet, the All-Stars version seemingly retains the 30fps cap, even though the Switch could probably do 60fps in this game with both joycons tied behind its back.

For a company that constantly oversteps their boundaries when it comes to fighting the threat of piracy, they sure seem to be making an excellent case for why people should pirate their games, because they’re lowballing things like this and expecting consumers to gobble it up. Thank you Mister Nintendo, sir, for this generous offering of reheated table scraps.

No other extras, no other bonuses. You get these three games and a soundtrack player. Development history? Alternate versions, like Super Mario 64 DS? What about archival material? Concept art, or anything like that? A lot of people are over the moon about Nintendo history right now thanks to the Gigaleak. No? You’re not going to provide anything interesting or cool? Just a bare bones collection of three games presented basically as-is? Not even Super Mario Galaxy 2? Can't be too generous, after all. It's only been 35 years, and Mario's just one of the biggest, most important franchises in all of gaming. Gotta save Galaxy 2 for the, uh... next 3D Mario collection...?

The whole release date thing is just the final slap in the face. It’s Nintendo creating their own artificial scarcity. This is something I’ve picked up on regarding t-shirts -- I run a Redbubble store with shirts I’ve done, and the sales have never been stellar. In four or five years, I’ve made something like $18. Total.

Why? Because they’re always available. The few times I’ve actually encouraged sales a little bit is when I suggested some shirts might be getting retired, eventually. And when you think about it, that’s the entire crux of something like The Yetee. Either you buy this shirt right now, right here, today, or it goes away and may never come back. Limited edition stuff boosts sales because it forces people to make a decision.

It also boosts a festering aftermarket, where, because people know this is a limited edition thing, they can effectively “buy stock” that will effectively collect interest over time. Buy them at $60 now, mark them up for $80, or $90, or $120+ in a year or three. But then all that does is create a scenario where legitimate customers aren’t going to be able to buy the product, because the people who flip these in the aftermarket will have spent $1500 hoping to make a return of $2500-$3000.

You saw this with Amiibo. You saw it with the NES Classic and SNES Classic. It is TWO THOUSAND AND TWENTY and every store front worth a penny allows “third party sellers.” Everything is Ebay now. Wal-mart, Newegg, Best Buy, Amazon, Target, whatever. You name a major retail brand, and they probably let some random goober scalp aftermarket products out of their garage. In many states, scalping tickets is banned, but online this is just “business.” I’m sure Jeff Bezos is elated you spent $230 on a Squid Sisters Amiibo double pack (original MSRP: $30). You don’t get to be the richest man in the world by forcing your best moneymakers to play fair.

Nintendo has taken many notes. The bare minimum of effort, for full price, and “oh, gosh, you better buy it now! It might not ever come back! The faster you give us your money, the better!”

Go jump in a lake. I get better and more features in an emulator and I can play these games right now, today, if I really wanted to. If you aren’t going to offer competitive features and business, then our conversation is over.

[phoenotopia]

2020 May Update

I hope you're all staying safe and healthy during this time of Coronavirus!

We continue towards the finish line, slowly, but surely. Coronavirus did throw a few wrenches in our plans. Our talks with a publisher about a possible sponsored appearance at an upcoming event stalled.

But that was always just a possibility. We have a backup plan. If we didn't win a sponsor, we were just going to pay our own way to a convention. That's what most indies do! Anyway, that's canceled too. It doesn't seem like there'll be any conventions to showcase in the near future...

Nevertheless, we did move forward in other areas. We've got the press materials ready as well as the game's official launch site up. You can view it in its prelaunch state at this link. NOTE, It is in a "prelaunch" state, so some media links are being withheld until reveal time. But there are a bunch of new pictures and artwork you can look at.

You might notice the link reads "phoenotopia.wordpress.com". The plan is to direct "phoenotopia.com" to it in the near future. That means if you wanted to reach this tumblr specifically, you'll have to visit it at its tumblr link, "phoenotopia.tumblr.com" (which, I just noticed doesn't work... huh). Anyway, since this is a dev blog, I'll talk a little bit about the journey of creating the website.

SQUARESPACE vs WIX vs WORDPRESS

I actually tried 3 different services (in the above order), before I settled on wordpress. I did a bunch of researching, and most reviews seemed to point at WIX >= SQUARESPACE >>> WORDPRESS.

I went with Squarespace first, since it was recommended a bunch on some youtube videos I saw (guess marketing works). Even though it didn't win outright in the reviews, my impression of it was "less quantity, but more quality." I tried it and found it serviceable. It was kinda sluggish, with some not so intuitive areas. I had to ask for help a few times for some things that would seem simple ("how do I change the BG and font color and of the music player?", etc).

That was last year, when I *thought* I was near launch and would need a press site soon. One year later (present day), it was time to create a press site again, and since my website with Squarespace expired (I had only signed up for a trial period), it was a good opportunity to try Wix, especially since Pirate had lots of praise for Wix.

My impression of Wix was that it was... too distracting. After I chose a theme, in the editor view I felt bombarded by menus. Everywhere you move the mouse, things kept lighting and popping up. And it was slow. So I guess it was sorta like Squarespace, but maybe even a little worse?

(Easy ways to preview the website from phones and tablets was one of wordpress’s neat features)

What prompted me to try Wordpress was one of their slogans "35% of the web uses WordPress". If it's good enough for 35% of websites, it's good enough for me! I ended up liking it most of all. It's definitely less featured, which suited me, since I'm not trying to create something too fancy either. Unlike the other website builders which emphasize free-form, wordpress was more rigid. I couldn't drag and drop an element just anywhere - I found that comforting in a "I can't screw this up" sorta way. The most important thing was that it was fast. Loading the editor view to Wix took 11 seconds vs 4 seconds with Wordpress. And the speed advantage of wordpress extends across every action. Similarly, when Chrome launched 10+ years ago, it was also less featured vs Firefox, but it became my choice browser. I guess speed is something I value highly.

Anyway, my experience is from a drag/drop perspective with minimal coding. This is also NOT a paid advertisement. However, if wordpress would like to send some money my way, I would not be opposed... (call me!)

Achievements, Bugfixes, and Cleanup

Lots of small tasks and polish was done over the past 2 months. I finally fixed the time tracking bug - important because the Speed Run achievement depended on it. I also finally finished implementing all the technical stuff for the achievements. There was a bug where some enemies would stack up too many light sources, causing them to appear too bright and drain system resources. That's now also fixed. Lots of other small ones that don't bear mentioning.

A neat trivia about the game is that there's a final super hard achievement for those seeking to prove their mastery over the game. The player has to beat the game having never picked up a heart or energy upgrade. When playing under this constraint, some enemies can even kill the player in one hit! In the game's most current iteration, even I failed to achieve it, so I'm definitely going to have to go in and tweak things a little more.

Age Ratings

I went and got the game's age rating. I did a little research on this - it's quite fascinating. ESRB would be the age ratings board for the United States (where I'm based). But if you were in Europe, you'd get a PEGI rating. Then there's ACB for Australia and so forth. So if you wanted to launch a game globally, you'd have to deal with this process over and over, and each country rates things a little differently... that's a lot of work!

Enter IARC (International Age Rating Coalition), which aimed to simplify the process by being the one standard that you apply to, and from which you could then get the equivalent rating for all participating countries. IARC is an entirely automated process - probably necessary due to the boom of digital titles across all platforms, particularly mobile.

IARC is great for me, because they relaxed the standards for getting a rating. From my understanding, the process used to be more difficult. And you'd have to pay ESRB a hefty chunk to get a rating, but with IARC, it's totally free! So long as it's for digital and it's used only on licensed sites and store fronts. If I wanted to launch the game physically, I'd have to deal with ESRB on an individual basis again.

Without further ado, here's Phoenotopia's IARC ratings:

Fascinating... Phoenotopia is rated "Mature" in Australia... but for "Horror". Which seems suspect. The horror elements are rare (remember Dreadlands?). But when I was answering their questionnaire, they provided a video example of what they considered "horror", and it was pretty mild. About as mild as my game, so I checked that box. It is what it is...

We also got a "Teen" rating for ESRB for reasons of Fantasy Violence and "Mild Blood". This one is kinda iffy. In the game, if you hit a giant bug, it spits out a few drops of green blood. Does that really count as blood? Ocarina of time skirted by with an E rating 2 decades ago, and it let a dude spit out green blood. However, since IIARC is an automated process, I didn't see any place to dispute. But also, I wouldn't have disputed it anyway. A "T" rating is cooler than an "E" rating!

I'd like to mention this is not a paid advertisement for IARC. However, if IARC would like to send some money my way, I would not be opposed... (call me!)

Submission

I expect to polish the game for about 2 (maybe 3) more weeks. After which, I'll be submitting the game to the console "authority". From my understanding, I'll then have to wait a month while they "inspect" the title. After which, I'm then cleared to have an official launch date - which I'll probably set to be 1 month after getting approval.

So the plan is to have a very short marketing campaign. The reveal trailer will basically drop 1 month before release. And we're going to sprint to the finish line. Some marketing campaigns are 6 months to a couple years. Ours will be one month... Let's hope it works.

Wrench

That's what the plan looks like right now, but there is a possible upcoming wrench in this whole thing. I recently learned that my version of Unity is too old. Games running on old Unity versions are not automatically accepted - so I'll have to apply for an exemption. If the exemption gets rejected, we can't launch without upgrading, which will require *significant* work...

This came as a surprise to me. When I started dabbling in games development a decade ago, the most common advice I found online was "Make Games, not Game Engines." I interpreted this to mean lock in your technologies. There's always going to be a new and shinier bell or whistle, but if you keep chasing it, you're not going to work on the actual content of the game. That's probably what kept me to releasing the original game on Flash. That was a game I was making as a hobby while working a full-time job. By the time I quit my job to go full-time indie dev, Flash had long been a dead technology. But I remembered "do you want to build game engines or games?" And so I pressed forward.

So that mindset could potentially backfire here. If PC was the lead SKU, we wouldn't have these issues since PC is more relaxed as a platform. Consoles, as I'm now learning, have an ever forward shifting window of technologies. If we get rejected for the exemption, there's a couple ways we can play it. One, we go through the pain of upgrading which will take months... Two, we pivot and make PC the lead SKU again, but have to handle porting that plus its specific features, which will also take months...

So why is updating such a big issue? Unity has changed drastically over the years. When I started, it was a lot less 2D friendly. They didn't have an official 2D tilemap solution, so you had to build your own or buy a 3rd party library from their asset store. I used 2DTK for tilemaps - 2DTK is now entirely deprecated. Similarly, I had to search for and purchase a good asset to display crisp text - since you couldn't even do that in Unity back then (heh). That's the story for a lot of old Unity stuff. Think of it as a first mover's "disadvantage".

Hopefully it won't come to that, since I'm pretty spent as a developer. I've been ready for this to be over, and I know many of you feel the same. Hopefully soon! As usual, I'll update in 2 months at the latest (end of June). An update might come earlier if we have some good news to share sooner. Until then!

Fanart and Cosplay

This first picture comes from roccy_chair and shows Gail basked in light. I like how her pose and equipment together form an "X". That's a neat hidden symmetry. The way she floats also kinda reminds me of Crono's "Shining" spell. Perhaps Gail should have the ability to cast spells? Hmmm...

Cody G returns with a new art depicting the 2 Moonstone enthusiasts. I like Fran's starry-eyed expression here. That's true love on display. I also like how the Moonstones are depicted as flat and coin-shaped. Very unique! Also note Gail makes an appearance in the back :D

Thanks to M1shaaa for this cosplay of Gail! There's a lot to like here! The vibrant pink hair. The costume with 3 stitches across the vest. The pose with slingshot, accurate to Gail's depiction in the box art. Amazingly, this might also be the very *first* cosplay of Gail! Will and Pirate both alerted me about it excitedly since they were pretty stoked. We joked that we crossed the final milestone in terms of fandom.

[hey-hamlet]

Quarentine Recs

What with everyone munching through media like my dog munching on anything that could be considered edible, I thought I’d throw some general recomendations into the ring! Everything here is hopefully something you can start right away without needing to leave your house, if you’re ok with some quasi-legal pirating.

To watch: 

Ore Monogatari / My Love Story Romance / Comedy One Season Fluff to the max, Gouda Takeo is a massive first year highschool student of exeptional size and strength. While hes popular with the boys, most girls think he’s strange. When he saves Yamoto Rinko from a creep on the train its love at first sight, but she’s convinced she’d into his hot friend. Comdey follows.

Somali to Mori no Kamisama / Somali and the Forest Spirit Drama / Fantasy / Good Dad Golem  12 Epsiode Season In a world where humans have been hunted right to the edge of extinction, one golem and his human charge journey in search of the remaining few to reuninte Somali with her kind. Golems live very long lives, but finite ones, and Somali’s guardian is reaching the end of his. I’m two episodes away from finishing it but its really sweet, great dad content featuring multiple guest dads and their children. Somali is so sweet she’ll give you a toothache

Isekai Shokudou / Restaurant to Another World Slice of Life / Fantasy / Is food a genre? Because food Every Saturday this restaurant closes it’s doors to the public and recives visitors from another world. There isn’t much plot here but it will make you very hungry and strangely greatful for processed flour, canola oil and freezers. I’m pretty sure the chef is voiced by Aizawa’s Japanese VA and its amazing.

Gravity Falls Mystery / Drama / Comedy Two Seasons A Classic - A set of twins, Dipper and Mabel Pines wind up spending their summer holiday with their sketchy grat uncle Stan. But, as they soon find out, the town is not what it seems.

Features loads of action, fun mystery and loads of twists set up so well you’ll kick yourself! Good family relationships with rounded characters and fun villains. This series has a special place in my heart as something I grew up watching when I was twelve, and it finished in my second last year of highschool, its just a great story. The comedy is really only big in the first season and dies down fast when things get serious. Be prepared to hate a tiny 10-ish year old boy.

Steven Universe / Steven Universe Future  Comedy / Drama / Slow Burn / Action Six Seasons Considering it just finished, now is a great time to start. Steven Universe is a bubbly young boy who lives with the Crystal Gems, a strange set of gem creatures who knew his mother. Steven is half gem himself and the show features him growing up and helping the people around him grow as well. 

The show is slow and starts a little rough but its very sweet and ernest. Steven Universe Future is far darker than the original show (but, a minor spoiler, does have a happy ending) so be careful!

Over the Garden Wall Mystery / Drama / Supernatural 10 Episode Miniseries  Two half brothers, Wirt and Greg, find themselves in a part of the forest they don’t recognise with no clue how they got there. The deeper they go, the stranger it gets and the less certain their escape may be. And whats all this talk of a beast? 

This show has Wirt learning how to be a good big brother along with some delightful autumnal scenery and American gothic fantasy elements. I recomend you sit down with some tea and baked goods and watch it like a movie.

To play: 

Animal Crossing: New Horizons Nintendo Switch Brand new and very popular, you play a human on an island with delightful animal neighbours. Make friends, customise your island and live your life to the fullest! Features local and online mutliplayer with up to 8 people. Also feel free to play it with me because its taking over my life!

Yonder: The Cloud Catcher Chronicles PC / Play Station 4 / Nintendo Switch / X Box One A sweet open world indie adventure and exploration game with farming and fantasy elements. You find yourself shipwrecked on a strange island with only your magic compass that I can’t remember the name of to guide you. This game is mostly about expolaration and discovery and the enviroment is pretty enough that it works well.

Niche PC A boardgame like turnbased strategy that has you controlling a small group of creatures and tinkering with their genetics and breeding to try and survive the harsh world around you. Cute creatures, fun game.

Temtem PC A pokemon-like MMO that sees you capturing creatures call Temtem to fight for you. The game is still in early access so keep that in mind, but it’s pretty fun and the creatures are very well designed. 

Guild Wars 2 PC FREE TO PLAY VERSION AVALIBLE The only MMORPG I’ve ever played but boy it’s spoilt me. A one time purchase lets you experience the world of Tyria where you can play as one of 5 races or one of 9 classes. The personal story is great (unless you’re me and have played the sylvari stories so many times you can quote half of the lines) and the post game story gets real fast. Asside from that, its a really pretty game thats super fun with one of the nicer communities I’ve ever experienced. Co-operation is encouraged and the dynamic event system will have you playing with puppies one minute and murdering a giant undead behemoth the next. I have sunk so many hours in this game.

[thelightofthingshopedfor]

well here’s something that’s kind of good, it looks like I only started properly using my old drive as a storage drive at the end of April, so my backups are accurate to that point, and even if everything on the drive is unrecoverable, that means I’ll have lost...a little over five months of downloads, mostly. that works out to about...

100 tracks from Freegal if I didn’t add anything to iTunes, which I did, so less than that. Freegal sucks about telling you whether you downloaded something and that’s going to be a problem, but if I can see what’s on the drive even if I can’t recover stuff, I’ll be able to get a list and that would pretty much turn it into a non-issue

a few NoiseTrade downloads, which...I think I can find again from the site? if the site has a list, it’s fine, I’ll just download them again, and there’s not likely to be much anyway because the quality of the offerings kiiiiinda dropped after Paste acquired it, which is unfortunate in general but good in this very specific case

at least a handful of temporarily free Itch.io games and I’m not thrilled to lose those, but I think I noted in my “to play” list if I’d downloaded them outside of the client, so I can at least track them and see if they go free again. if something is no longer being sold, well, “I got this when it was available but my hard drive died so can you let me download it again please” is at least worth a shot

probably all my Comixology backups, which I should at least partially be able to redownload

any non-Steam screenshots I took after April, which mostly means two and a half months of SWTOR screenshots, so that’s...a bummer. Steam screenshots are also lost, of course, but I did upload all of those, so at least they’re saved somewhere

same for any screenshots I took during the couple weeks I actually used my PC Game Pass, which actually is really annoying because there might have been an easy way to upload those but it wasn’t obvious so I didn’t, but on the other hand I don’t think I took a lot to begin with

unknown amount of save data from various games--Steam should be okay because I think a lot of that gets saved in Steam Cloud, SWTOR and Fallout 76 are definitely okay because it’s all online, 7 Days To Die had a major update so I guess everything’s gone anyway, not sure about ARK. so the only potential issue is Carrion because I don’t know if PC Game Pass puts your game data in the cloud, and that would be annoying because I was almost done...but at least it’s not a long game

any ebooks or comics that were temporarily free between May 1 and now, which is also a bummer, because there probably weren’t a lot but they’re not likely to be offered again, and I wouldn’t want to pirate those

all the mockups for new Pride Cap shields aside from the lesbian ones, which is irritating, but they didn’t take long to make in the first place so it wouldn’t take too long to recreate them

any other photos/images I downloaded, and I hope there wasn’t anything important because I have no idea what I might have saved--aside from any fanart I commissioned in the past few months, but I think I should be able to dig those out from Tumblr or my email

this year’s tax return, I should grab that from the site I used before I forget...ditto any insurance claims but I would’ve uploaded them all when I submitted them so I should be able to get them back

so that’s...not ideal but nowhere near as bad as it could be, anyway.