#important note from mod jade

[sleepingdeath-light]

relationship hcs ; lucifer morningstar

requested by ; mod / self indulgent

fandom(s) ; hazbin hotel

fandom masterlist(s) ; here

character(s) ; lucifer morningstar

outline ; “dating headcanons for lucifer”

note ; this may be a touch out of character as i’ve never written for him before, but hopefully you’re all able to enjoy this piece either way ^^

warning(s) ; brief mentions to canon angst and one mildly suggestive bit, but mostly fluff!

after having a several thousand year long marriage fall apart on him and experiencing a strained relationship with his only child for a good number of years after that, it’s only natural that lucifer would struggle with letting himself fall in love and move on — both because he doesn’t want to risk pushing charlie away and because, well, despite being the prince of pride he has a lot of issues relating to his past and he’s worried about messing things up and losing someone else he loves

that’s not to say that courting the king of hell is impossible, far from it in fact, but that you just need to be patient with him — let him move at his own pace, he’s been out of the dating game for a while after all (if you could ever even consider him as being ‘in it’ at all given the unique circumstances under which he met his first wife)

despite being the embodiment of ‘pride’, he does deal with a great deal of insecurity and anxiety — about everything from his parenting to his creations to his relationship with you and even far beyond that — so any kind of verbal reassurance or praise will go a long way with him and will always be received with a great deal of warmth and gratitude

whisper about how much you love him as you hold him in your arms late in the evenings or early in the mornings, when you’re laying in bed and half asleep — making sure that you’re starting and ending each day on a positive, private, warm note no matter what happens between the ‘now’ and ‘then’

gush about his latest invention as you visit him in his workshop, commenting excitedly at each new feature and animatedly gesturing towards his whole collection of creations with nothing but genuine enthusiasm and awe written across your features — make sure he knows that his craftsmanship and efforts will never go unnoticed or unappreciated by you so long as he wants you by his side

encourage him to take those leaps of faith that he’d otherwise be too jaded or anxious to take on his own: hold his hand and help him find the strength to call up his daughter just to chat and give them their privacy once he’s back in his element and fully engaged with the conversation, give him a pep-talk before his latest meeting with heaven and their new emissary and promise that you’re only a text or call away if it gets too much for him (he’s never taken up your offer, but the promise always helps to calm his nerves), and just be there to push him forwards as his partner and be there to catch him if things don’t go his way

praise him for all of the features you love until his face is tinged a beautiful shade of red, his wings are all fluffed up, and he’s too flustered to even look you in the eye — compliment the angelic and the demonic, the human and inhuman, make sure there’s no doubt left in his mind that you’re completely and utterly infatuated with him in body, mind, and soul

oh and make no mistake this gentleman gives as good as he gets and he could easily spend days at a time talking about every little thing about you that he adores, every minor habit or quirk that most people wouldn’t even notice that makes his whole day that much brighter — there’s no room for any self doubt or self hatred when you’re in a relationship with this fallen angel because he loves you so deeply, so wholly, that you’ll inevitably start to love yourself that bit more through him

it’s extremely important to him that you get to know charlie and that she approves of your relationship — his daughter is his world, his everything, and as much as he adores you, he will not risk pushing her away again for any reason (as much as it would kill him inside to have to walk away from you)

that being said, charlie will inevitably end up really liking you and making an effort to get to know this person who her dad talks about all the time, making it abundantly clear that she approves of you and would be happy to have you in her life as her dad’s partner — and maybe another parental figure in her life depending on how things go, how your relationship with her evolves, and whether you prefer to be her ‘step parent’ or just her friend who happens to be dating her dad (she doesn’t mind either way, she just wants him to be happy)

between his angelic powers, extreme wealth, and prominent status in hell, lucifer is more than capable of spoiling you completely rotten — like as long as you’re with him, you’ll never want or need for anything as long as it’s within his abilities to get for you (whether that’s something more traditional like jewellery, clothes, books, or food, or something more niche and related to something you’re interested in, like a tool to help you engage in a hobby or a specific item you’ve been looking for to add to your collection)

he’s also not above just outright making you things as gifts — of course there are his ducks which he’s more than happy to share with you, but he’s also a pretty good cook and will make you breakfast in bed as a treat or as a way to cheer you up if you’ve been having a rough time

on a related note, this man goes all out for your anniversaries and on your birthday — he just… really loves being able to take care of you, that’s all

and despite all of that he still keeps each and every gift and card you give him — has a whole drawer dedicated to your letters and your gifts are scattered around the palace, with particularly sentimental items being kept in his bedroom and workshop

there are two pictures that he keeps on him at all times: one of him and charlie taken shortly after he helped rebuild the hotel and settled into his personal room there, and another of the two of you taken on your first anniversary of a couple — he regularly takes them out to help keep him motivated throughout the day, especially if his day has been rather draining for one reason or another

he’s extremely physically affectionate and gives the most amazing hugs — he uses his arms and his wings to hold you close and keep you warm and when you’re laying down it’s extremely easy for you to just fall asleep in his arms if you don’t make a conscious effort to stay awake and in the moment with him

his kisses can go a couple of different ways depending on his mood and the setting you’re in:

he can be gentlemanly and chaste if you’re in a formal setting or otherwise somewhere that requires him to uphold a certain image — limiting himself to brief pecks on the back of your hand, your cheeks, or your knuckles if he’s feeling especially bold (doing enough to show that you’re his partner but not enough that his ‘kingly’ persona is threatened)

he can also be very sweet and playful if you’re at home or around close friends and family — peppering kisses along your neck and jawline, kissing your lips and cheeks whilst brushing his fingers along your ticklish spots, nuzzling his ‘nose’ against yours before kissing you, etc. (showing affection in ways that are enough to make you laugh and lean into him, but not enough that he’d be making your loved ones uncomfortable by being a bit too intimate)

last but not least, he can also be passionate and intense when the two of you are alone and he’s practically aching to feel your lips on his — wet, open mouthed kisses against your lips, trailing slow kisses from the inside of your wrists up your arm whilst looking you in the eye, trailing his lips down your throat and alternating between kissing and playfully biting at your skin (nipping and marking at your pulse point every time without fail), trailing his mouth lower and lower until you’re so frustrated all you can do is pull him up by his collar and crash your lips against his own (making sure that you know that you’re desired as well as loved whilst also being a bit playful about getting what he wants from you)

he always makes sure that he’s able to spend some quality time with you each day beyond just your sleeping hours — whether that means planning a proper date, meeting up for lunch between meetings, or stopping by wherever you are at the time via teleportation just to check in and make sure everything’s okay

lucifer has a wide variety of pet names that he uses with you — this includes the classics like ‘sweetheart’, ‘angel’, and ‘love’, as well as some more personalised ones like ‘duckie’, and more humorous ones that he comes up with on the spot to make you laugh and smile — and he loves any nickname that you ascribe to him no matter how ridiculous other people may find them

more than happy to show you off to all of hell as his beloved partner and their future monarch that will be reigning by his side one day — he’s more than capable of defending you from any threats himself and the palace is well protected so he has absolutely no reservations about making it known to every demon and sinner that you belong to him, and that he belongs to you

[badass-queer-couples-battle]

Sword gays showdown, losers bracket (Round 1)

Propaganda:

For Hershel Layton:

For a professor of archeology he wins a LOT of swordfights. why is he so skilled at the blade. why do these games include so many sword fighting cutscenes. why has no one else talked about this. 

He swordfought what he thought was a vampire while tripping on hallucinogenic gas and won. He also swordfought a crazy guy on top of a giant robot with nothing but a metal pipe. King tbh. As for the gay part: he is bisexual TO ME.

For Jade:

A badass lady in love with a badass princess. Damn RIGHT!

More Jade Propaganda: (mod note: this section is from a reblog and all from one person)

Jumps off the edge of the world to follow her girlfriend, who also jumped off the edge of the world.

Out of the three braincells that the Questies collectively own, Jade always has two. (Willow likes to think he has more, but I’m not so sure.)

So tired. So very tired. Please give this girl a break, a therapist, and some rational peers.

Guys, she is named after a sword. I don’t know if that matters, but….still.

Crazy repressed, and fighting like hell to hold onto her last shred in sanity. You can see in pretty much every scene that she is *this* close to losing it, but never does.

She is “totally, ridiculously, desperately, in love” with Kit.

But not so much that she wouldn’t choose her own dreams. I think that this is a really important part of her character, the way that once she knows what she wants, she goes after it. Whether is it to be a Knight if Galladorn, to rejoin her family, or to pursue the butch princess who gives new meaning the concept of a dumbass, Kit.

THE PINING! Oh my word, the PINING!

She sometimes just decides that it would be more fun to smash a troll’s head in with her pommel, instead of using her blade, and I appreciate that in a character.

She is a protector- through and through.

She is the archetype of the devoted knight, and does it SO well!

We only got 8 episodes of Jade, but she has completely re-wired my brain. I haven’t seen the dragon prince, which is now on my list, and I am thrilled to learn all about this disabled butch badass. However, I wanted to offer a bit more propaganda for my girl, Jade.

[diamond-of-purity]

"Just call me Diamond."

"Anything important? just make an appointment with me. I appear to be quite busy right now. or just ask one of my fellow stonehearts if you need anything."

Diamond, the head of the Strategic Investment Department which specializes in major business and investment deals across numerous planets. A determined man and the Emanator of Preservation, he lent part of his power into ten cornerstones for each member of the Ten Stonehearts. Strict in business sometimes but easily becomes soft when with his fellow stonehearts

Cornerstone: Diamond of Purity Alias: Diamond Name: [Unknown] Rank: P47 Species: Human Age: 20+ Pronouns: He/Him, They/Them

Location: Pier Point Path: The Preservation Element: Physical

Voicelines: [classified] Character Stories:[classified] Lightcone:[REDACTED]

Notes from Mod Veneris

this entire format is not mine! it belongs to the wonderful @amethyst-of-the-stonehearts <3

(I also asked permission to use it)

Guidelines

Asks should be SFW as mod can get uncomfortable with NSFW asks! but suggestive is alright

You may send links, but tell me what they are for

please don't be rude, if you have nothing nice to say please don't say it at all

No racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, ageism, and transphobia please, if any of this is given in a comment above, you will be blocked

Shipping is fine with me~ Diamond doesn't have a preference

Avoid DMing me unless you are a fellow mod

Anons are most welcome and appreciated!

Key

" " ~ Dialogue { } ~ Actions {" "} ~ Thoughts // \\ ~ Mod Speaking

Tags

#Business Dealings 💎 - general posts

#Jade of Credit 🍷 - Mentions/Interactions with Jade

#Topaz of Debt Retrieval 🔸- Mentions/Interactions with Topaz

#Aventurine of Stratagems ♠ - Mentions/Interactions with Aventurine

#Sapphire of Negotiation 🔹 - Mentions/Interactions with Sapphire (a wonderful mutual's OC!)

#Amethyst of Alliance 💜 - Mentions/Interactions with Amethyst (another oc by a lovely mod~)

#Silent Dream ✨- Mentions/Interactions with characters from Penacony

Masterlist of OCs and RP Blogs linked here

[trainerlynda]

Intro

Hello, I guess I should tell you about myself?

I'm Lynda! I'm 35 years old and bigender, going by she/her he/him.

Born the 31st of January.

I research legendary pokemon in my off time, chasing legends and rumors about new ones. I find them very fascinating!

//Current Arc: none at the moment!

//Finished Arc: Fool's Faller

My main team is

Espeon (He/Him).

Raichu (She/Her).

Charizard (pretty sure he's a clone 'zard...) (He/Him).

Sceptile (He/Him).

Greninja (He/They. Demi boy).

Hydreigon (She/Her)!

As for my champ team? You'll need to challenge me to find out~

I also have a Giratina named Oblivion (He/They/It).

I like calling him Blivie. I don't really use him in battle or keep him in his ball, but I can call on him when I need to. He has his own account! @oblivionthegiratina.

I'm married to @silveredfeathers, so no funny business, got it? Really not into flirty banter unless you're him... or @timetravelerpyrite, recently a boyfriend.

I guess I should put this here now since its out now...

The link above will tell you what I am.

Sometimes members of my team will steal my phone so-

⚡: Sparky (She also likes using Yellow for her text.)

🐱: Espie (He likes using Purple for his text (He doesn't like pink))

🦎: Riptor (He likes using Green for his text.

//Mini events that have happened/are happening.

//Shadow Creatures (A mini takeover event)

//Extra info under the cut.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

//Ooc. This is a sideblog! Unreality. Mod is an adult and goes by the same pronouns. All art I use is my own! I follow from @theshadowqueenofthedistortion ... Here's some of my other accounts as well!

//Link to her trainer card!

//Semi-Serious blog, I will participate in active silliness and also write serious stuff. Will sometimes touch on death, abuse and a few other things, I will tag the serious stuff with their appropriate tw/cw tags.

//No magic anons, Lyn has been through enough and I personally don't like them.

//I will not ship with anyone who isn't my BF (and myself, but that's a note for later), just for my comfort. Lyn's universe is a mix of pokemon and abunch of other things, if she goes to hang out with someone he'll likely go there with a portal.

//I am very open to crossover stuff! My character in herself is rather crossovery and his universe has dimensional travel, her world is separate from others and Giratina like screwing around with that (Palkia? Whos that? /j)

//Pokemon in his universe have human levels of sentience, however she is aware of places that have Pokemon that aren't sentient, so he won't find that odd.

//Real life animals exist along side Pokemon in her universe, like divergent evolution (not the pokemon thing, the science thing)

//I don't bite! (But my character might-)

//What the tags mean.

//Shadow Mod Speaks: Mod speaking.

Random Lynda Rambles: Lynda just saying random things, non serious tag, silliness encouraged.

//It is now Lyn Chats.

Lore Crumbs: Me sprinkling little tasty crumbs as a treat (Lynda info).

//Not used much anymore

//Mod Reference: Me and/or Zorana making references for Lyn and/or Silver.

//Shadow Art: Art by me that isn't a ref/finished.

Shifting Explorer: Closed and/or serious RP. I will also use this tag when responding seriously to something.

Espie the Espeon: For ease of finding Espie's posts.

Sparky the Dancing Rai: For ease of finding Sparky's posts.

Riptor the Great Gecko: For ease of finding Riptor's posts.

Oblivion the Distorted: For ease of finding Oblivion's posts.

Icy Apathy (Daniel): Daniel posts

Whirlpool Emotions (Jade): Jade Posts

Shocking Chaos (Crackle): Crackle Posts

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

//To do: Make a important pokemon list, make a general info background thing for Lyn (like those wiki pages for celebrities), make a public ref sheet for Lyn and her Pokemon (4/7 done), write out a public history thing for Lynda and @silveredfeathers (With help from Zorana (Silver's mod), again like those dumb wikis), get the courage to talk to other people (ongoing) /lh

[dragongeek1]

Decided to restart my Silea playthrough of Origins because I’ve been having a lot of Mahariel Thoughts™ (and also new mods so why not) (I’ll do a new playthrough, I said. Brand new character, I said.)

So have some random facts about my oc just because 😊

Penthesilea “Silea” Mahariel

she’s 24 when she joins the Wardens

her mabari is named Ozgood

she keeps a journal/hunter’s field log; throughout the Blight it gains small maps, notes, and a lot of miscellaneous paper documents (some important and others less so)

she’s demisexual

her name comes from an Amazonian queen who fought in the Trojan War, and gave Achilles a run for his money before being defeated by him (in-universe, the name is from her father’s clan, and legend has it that the original Penthesilea was a great warrior during the time of Arlathan)

her weapon of choice is a bow, but she also becomes very good with throwing knives

she romances Alistair, and out of the companions Morrigan and Zevran become her closest friends

during the fight with the Archdemon, it bites and throws her by the left leg-- the injury is severe, the dragon’s teeth go to the bone and the wounds cover nearly her whole leg. The healers thought she might lose it, or die from blood loss or infection, but she recovers. She deals with chronic pain and a slight limp for the rest of her days

after her leg injury Ozgood becomes a service dog as much as (if not more than) a war dog

despite her initial doubt and chagrin, she is actually very well suited to the post of Warden-Commander-- she has a fair mind for tactics and cooperation, and her careful, deliberate nature serves Vigil well

throughout the Blight, and the events of Awakening, and meeting corruption and death in the face far too many times, she becomes somewhat jaded-- and then when the false Calling starts, she breaks.

(Mods featured in this screenshot: natural lighting for the character creator, celtic braid hair, vibrant colors, skins/complexions, dalishious’ unofficial remaster)

[maverick-werewolf]

Modern Dragon Designs - Where they came from

Your regularly scheduled werewolf facts will return soon. For now, we provide this special, because you may not realize this, but I love dragons. There’s a reason one of my protagonists is basically obsessed with dragons.

Once upon a time, there was a movie - I don’t see anyone talk about it, I’m not even sure how many people are familiar with it...

It’s called Reign of Fire.

This movie shaped the modern Hollywoodian concept of dragons. Seriously, it did. Hear me out.

Released in 2002, Reign of Fire was a movie about - essentially - dragons as that age-old trope of “let’s take one monster and turn them into an overpopulated zombie plague so we can use them to tell a story about humans and make the monster just this brainless evil locust swarm backdrop.” This has happened to a lot of monsters by now.

But wait, these dragons aren’t like the dragons you might be used to: these dragons were completely redesigned from the ground up by the filmmaker(s) in order to make a more “realistic” and “animalistic” dragon that was acceptable by Hollywood, who generally views “dragon movies” (like so many other fantasy things...) as cheesy and silly. Market your movie as a film about dragons and you probably won’t get a deal. Well, turns out, coming up with your own gritty dragon designs worked!

Doesn’t this remind you of every other dragon you’ve seen in a movie for the last, you know, 18 years? Although it actually looks quite a bit cooler than those other ones that came after it

Please note that while I may sound sarcastic, jaded, and often maybe a bit scathing, I mean nothing against the creators of Reign of Fire or director Rob Bowman. I watched the movie in theaters when it released. I applaud Bowman for coming up with unique and interesting dragon designs, in order to have a different take on the creatures, so that they fit the story he wanted to tell, instead of doing what so many people do and completely co-opting concepts without trying to alter them to fit anything and... yeah... okay, I’m not going to talk about werewolf things in this post. Getting back on track:

What I don’t applaud is everyone ripping off Reign of Fire for their own dragons, doubly so because most of these people didn’t even take into account the reasons why it was designed that way. They should have left his dragons alone and come up with their own thing, but at least I guess Bowman can go down in history as the man who designed every Hollywood dragon for over a decade to come - with no signs of stopping - even down to the tail shape.

On Vice, you can find an article and interview with Rob Bowman, the director of Reign of Fire, discussing how he came up with this dragon design and how influential it has become. I highly recommend giving it a read.

Please note the Vice article is clearly written with the bias of someone who “can’t take dragons seriously,” so it’s also a good look at the Hollywood mindset about dragons and how much Hollywood treats fantasy in general like garbage (jerks).

It’s impossible to pretend this movie didn’t basically reshape modern dragons. Let’s get to the details...

Animalistic Design

Dragons in popular culture are generally - or at least they were generally - assumed to be powerful, intelligent creatures, often of a higher nature than humans and other mere mortals. They may be good or evil, but one can’t understate that traditional fantasy dragons are regal and majestic either way.

Reign of Fire wanted to usurp the majestic, intelligent dragon image, creating a smaller, hunched, knuckle-dragging sort of dragon that looks more like an animal - like a pteranodon. This is because the dragons in Reign of Fire are not exceptionally intelligent, noble beings that speak and hoard gold and have the wisdom of the ages. They are brutal hunters that set things on fire and eat everything smaller than them. So this design choice was a conscious one and a smart one.

The dragons in Reign of Fire are meant to be more scientific, more plausible, and also simpler, in a manner of speaking. They are not colorful, magical, ancient fantasy dragons...

Trouble is, everyone took cues from this design for their talking wise noble fantasy dragons, and it... doesn’t really work, at least if you ask me.

The dragon design in Reign of Fire looks like an ancestral throwback, an evolutionary ancestor to the intelligent, talking fantasy dragon, although they are smaller. They’re hunched, they haven’t evolved forelegs independent of their wings... you get the idea. Take a look at the “proto-drakes” in World of Warcraft versus the ordinary drakes, which have tiny dangly T-rex forelegs that haven’t fully developed yet, so they walk like the Reign of Fire dragons.

A proto-drake in World of Warcraft - also say hi to my worgen warrior

So many things taking this design for their intelligent, “higher being” dragons seems kind of... odd to me, to say the least. Unfortunately, Hollywood decided that’s the only way moviegoers can “take dragons seriously,” so here we are.

“Wyvern” - Two Legs vs Four

Municipal arms of Stjørdal, Norway

In medieval heraldry, there came to be a creature called a wyvern. Now, the etymology on the term “wyvern” is a little shaky. It originally didn’t specifically refer to a “two-legged dragon.” It is thought to mean/be derived from words meaning anything ranging from “asp” to “light javelin,” and essentially boils down to a flying serpent. It is noteworthy, of course, that the word “dragon” basically just means “serpent” too.

In heraldry, though, “wyvern” came to refer to a two-legged dragon - at least, if you ask the English, Scottish, and Irish; elsewhere in Europe, they may not be so picky. And now, in modern pop culture (such as Dungeons and Dragons), we often use it in the same sense.

Wyverns weren’t really a “thing” in folklore, just as dragons in folklore didn’t look like our modern idea of a dragon. It’s debatable whether the father of our modern concept of dragons, Fafnir (from whom Tolkien drew inspiration for Smaug), even had wings at all; he was essentially a serpent, perhaps with legs. Point is, wyverns come from heraldry, especially the specificity of two legs versus four.

So now you know why you might see a lot of people (myself included) referring to this design as a “wyvern design” for a dragon.

Dull Coloration - Grey and Brown over Red, Blue, Green...

There’s something else - something very important - that Hollywood took from Reign of Fire... the concept that dragons aren’t pretty colors and are, in fact, various hues of grey and brown, and any more contrasting colors are just vague indications instead of bright red scales.

Now, Reign of Fire obviously did this because - again - they were going for the more animalistic, natural look as opposed to the mysterious majestic magical being look. Okay, that’s fine. But then Hollywood decided that fantasy, too, has to be devoid of dragons with bright colors.

The green dragon in Game of Thrones

There are countless examples of this in modern media. Any dragon that was previously brightly colored has been dulled pretty much to an extreme. Sometimes you might catch a fleeting glimpse of them looking like a brighter shade, but it was probably just a trick of the light. Why? Because all dragons are desaturated to the point of being almost indistinguishable by color.

The golden dragon in The Witcher Netflix series

This is also why you see so many mods on the Skyrim Nexus called things like “true red dragon.”

There are plenty more examples of this - I’m sure you can see the difference when you look at those dragons and other modern film dragons over, say, something like this...

Red dragon in D&D

And now we move on to...

The Fire Breathing - Chemicals, not Magic

Bowman insisted on ditching traditional fire breathing (you don't want the audience wondering whether the dragon's mouth is being burnt up with every flame) and again looked to the animal kingdom for inspiration. The king cobra, once again, was a great starting point. It doesn't spray fire, but it can spit its venom. Even more useful was the bombardier beetle, which shoots two chemicals from its abdomen that, once mixed, create a hot, burning spray. Bowman used these real-world examples to inspire his own dragons. They don't breathe fire exactly, but rather spit chemicals from two different sacks in their mouths that, when combined, ignite. "That's anatomy. That's already been designed, so we're going to draw from there," he said.

(quoted from the Vice article linked to earlier in this post)

The Hungarian Horntail in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - fire is streaming from two separate organs in the mouth, but they aren’t chemicals mixing together like in Reign of Fire...

The director of Reign of Fire wanted his dragons to be more natural in that they breathe fire through organic means, based on chemical reactions, instead of the usual dragon magic. But lots of people loved this “mouth flap”/”mouth organ” design with “streams” of fire coming from the mouth instead of fire flowing directly from the dragon’s throat, so now you see it pretty dang often.

Horns? Brow Ridges!

Another thing that is basically out now in dragon designs is the real horns of many traditional dragons, like Spyro, and like the dragons in Dungeons & Dragons used to have.

These days, it’s all about brow ridges and big spiny scales that aren’t separate horns, they’re just big pointed scales or piles of scales or bone ridges - and they aren’t a different color than the dragon’s scales, either, pretty often. And, in general, dragon’s horns have become much smaller and far more numerous, and more like spines/ridges, as opposed to the great, sweeping horns of classical dragons.

Firkraag, the red dragon, in the D&D video game Baldur’s Gate II, from 2000

Firkraag is a very traditional dragon. Now, while Dungeons & Dragons has generally kept more traditional dragons (yay!), they did fall into the brow ridge horn thing - although they, thankfully, didn’t make the horns smaller and subtler and more numerous little spikes, like so many other modern dragon designs. They also went with the brow ridge horns for tieflings (once humans with demon blood, then some weird thing in 4E, and now I think they’re humans with demon blood again), as opposed to the ordinary horns of the tieflings in previous editions of D&D.

Skyrim dragon head concept art

The Desolation of Smaug(’s design)

Here is... a big one. Here, we’ll talk some about the production of The Hobbit films over time, so we’re going behind the scenes.

Alright, so we all know Smaug, probably, by pop culture osmosis if nothing else. He is the quintessential dragon. He’s basically the founder of all Western dragon concepts: he’s big, he’s red, he hoards gold, he’s extremely intelligent and talks, etc. You get the picture. Every dragon that we have borrowed at least something from Smaug. And, in turn, he was inspired by Fafnir, the father of all our dragon concepts, from Norse mythology - but Tolkien took it all a step further and created the concept of dragons that we have today. Or, well, the not Reign of Fire ones. The fantasy ones.

A map drawn by Tolkien: notice the winged, four-legged Smaug over his mountain

During the first Hobbit movie, An Unexpected Journey, we see Smaug attack the Lonely Mountain...

In this clip, you can plainly see that Smaug has four legs. This was actually edited slightly for later editions of the movie, or so I’ve heard (I haven’t watched any later editions).

I can tell you for certain that when I saw the theatrical release, it was like this, too. It is apparent throughout the scene that Smaug has four legs and wings, separately. I know because I was paying very, very close attention, because I was going to be very upset if Hollywood turned Smaug into a wyvern.

Well, they did - later.

Smaug the wyvern looking like just another slightly different take on the bog-standard Hollywood dragon

Apparently, some studio exec decided that having a traditional fantasy dragon, even if this dragon happens to be frelling Smaug himself, would not be okay in this modern Hollywood world. So we ended up with a dull reddish spiney hunching knuckle-dragging wyvern with an angler mouth (I’m sorry; I really am sorry if you like the design, that’s totally fine, it’s a fine design, I am glad you enjoyed it, but Smaug shouldn’t have looked that way IMO and forgive me but I am still in pain over it) in place of a more traditional dragon that held more to things like, I dunno, how Tolkien himself drew Smaug. Smaug’s movie design flies right in the face of that and destroyed our chance to finally see a proper traditional dragon done justice on the big screen.

Tolkien’s art of Smaug - note the position of the forelegs, separate from the wings, like in the earlier map

This is all just one big example why we should be thankful that The Lord of the Rings films were all shot in one go, so no one could alter important things like the design of the fantasy genre’s father of all dragons, in the middle of production. Of course, the production on The Hobbit movies was a nightmare at best, as you can read about in assorted other articles, and Peter Jackson was very unhappy with what the studio had him do to the series. All of that is just another story, I suppose.

Dragons Redesigned by Reign of Fire: Example List

Now that we’ve gone over just a few of the talking points about Reign of Fire’s dragon designs (although I didn’t even get into the flat, spaded tail look in detail), here’s an undoubtedly incomplete list of several examples that have either entirely taken the design and/or were massively influenced by it...

(please note that not everything in this list held entirely to Reign of Fire’s design, obviously; some have the fire, some don’t; some have horns, some have head/brow ridges; but all of them are wyverns and most are darkly-colored)

Skyrim - Obvious influence with the general design, skin/scales and ridges design, as well as coloration; however, it is noteworthy that the Elder Scrolls has had dragons with no forelegs since at least 1998, in the game Redguard - though that dragon was also very brightly-colored (also of note: Peryite, while technically a Daedric prince and not a dragon, had four legs at least as far back as Daggerfall in 1996)

The Hobbit films, specifically The Desolation of Smaug onward - as mentioned before

Harry Potter movies - Wholesale. Two streams of fire from mouth flaps in Goblet of Fire, generally dull greyish and/or brownish colorations, no forelegs, short/simple horns that are mostly ridges...

Gods of Egypt - The giant fire-breathing cobras have the mouth flaps

Game of Thrones - This one’s pretty obvious too.

Disney’s Maleficent - In the new live action Disney movie(s), the dragon falls right into this design (though the fire doesn’t come from mouth flaps)

Netflix Witcher series - Villentretenmerth is very much a wyvern design and a dull shade, and he in fact has no horns at all, even though dragons weren’t portrayed this way in any previous Witcher adaptations

Stargate SG1 (season 10) - In the episode series “The Quest,” a dragon appears and... well, it looks just like all those other dragons, though the fire does come from its throat.

Beowulf (2008) - I try not to ever talk about or think about this film, but I have to just throw out there that the dragon is very much Reign of Fire, especially with that wyvern design.

Seventh Son - If you can call Malkin a dragon  - she was called one, I think - she definitely also has the same kind of dull-colored wyvern design.

Sucker Punch (movie)

Lots and lots of B-movies and direct to DVD/streaming films - Dawn of the Dragonslayer, Dragon (2006), Dragon Crusaders...

Something to note, also, is that cartoons, anime, and other non-film media is mostly - but not entirely - free from this influence. Cartoons especially are free from it, partially because they aren’t influenced by Hollywood producers who want “serious” and “realistic” dragons. Cartoons are allowed to have magical, colorful, four-legged dragons. Unfortunately, we are deprived of those in live action film and television, by and large.

There are still other exceptions - most notably things that were created before this influence, like Dragonheart and its spinoffs and sequels, which have thankfully kept their dragon designs consistent instead of erasing their forelegs.

Of course, why dragons are depicted as four-legged and winged in the first place - and when this depiction arose - is another topic entirely. I’m not going into that right now, seeing as how this post is already preposterously long.

Long story short, I was rewatching the movie Gods of Egypt and, when I saw the giant cobra monsters breathe fire, I was possessed to write this article. Because Reign of Fire’s influence is something I have always noticed ever since its release, and something my brother and I talk about a lot (and everyone who knows me has surely heard me talk about it, too) - because, frankly, it’s always bothered me. My favorite dragons are traditional dragons: four legs, bright colors, wings, horns, breathing fire, the works.

So, although the original creator of these design ideas did something cool and different because he wanted to do his own take on dragons, Hollywood decided that these design cues should be taken to dumb down all dragons forever, the same way that Hollywood has dumbed down so many monster designs so that the only acceptable ones just a bunch of near-replicas of each other, including werewolves.

I think it’s very sad that film producers think you can’t take something like dragons or werewolves seriously unless they are dull, nontraditional, and ugly. And I say ugly in the sense of these are not pretty, majestic fantasy designs - they are, many of them, intended to be ugly. Though I personally also hold the opinion that most of them are ugly regardless of if they are intended to be ugly.

So - now you know! If you haven’t seen Reign of Fire, go check it out to meet the father of modern dragon designs, from the color of their hides to the shape of their bodies, the smaller horns, and - sometimes - even their tails.

(Special thanks to everyone on my discord who helped me compile this list, as well as of course my brother and all our ranting at/with each other on this topic over many years)

If you like this post, maybe you’ll enjoy the rest of my blog, where I post a lot about folklore and all kinds of monsters (especially werewolves)!

Werewolf Facts --- Patreon

[ironforgedrp]

Hi! I'm a (hopefully) first time admin and I've got everything ready to go and set up but I'm really nervous that it won't get off the ground, and you guys have been open for so long do you have any tips for me how to make my RP be as successful as yours? It looks like such a good place, I hope it's not weird to ask this

        hi there friend,  thank-you so much for your compliments, and don’t stress… i’m happy to offer some advice, i’m no expert whatsoever but i’ve run a few roleplays over the past decade or so.    the key note firstly is to think of your RP as your kind of group ersatz family, as the admin you’re the head of that family.   you keep everyone on course, you’re the gatekeeper and it’s your standards that set the tone for what happens in your family’s house.  and i first want to tell you honestly that it is a little bit of a responsibility; you have to be willing to sort out problems, make decisions, mediate, diffuse and sometimes be on the receiving end of anon hate or the occasional jaded RPer, you have to be motivated and encouraging and dedicated -  but if you are, the people who you write and create with will give it back to you tenfold & it will never become a drag.    i hope this helps you a bit!

decide if you want a co-admin or you think you can handle it yourself - i personally have done solo-adminning, lead admin with moderators & co-adminned with up to four people. though i’ve found that, if you want to work with a team of mods/admins, having an odd number can be really helpful as you’re never tied.  also, if you decide to bring in a co-admin or moderator, have a clear idea of how you want to operate as a roleplay and what you expect of them as admins, and whether or not they have an equal say as you, the creator of the roleplay.  if they do, make that clear and if they don’t, make it clear what things you need to have a look over and what things they are able to handle alone (i.e. asks, applications, major plot changes).   honestly, the worst thing that can happen is if you’re not on the same page because it confuses you, them and your muns.

don’t jump the gun, patience is key.  if you’re hoping to have a long running roleplay then i would expect at least a month of work to be put into it before it’s trotted out, but it sounds like you’re already ready to go. make sure, before you open for activity, you have enough muns & characters to get the roleplay off to a healthy start and have the dash reasonably active.

set rules that are clear, but don’t be a dictator - make sure you have expressed clearly what your rules of conduct are (such as dash conduct, mun age restrictions [if any], activity standards, god-modding, banned/acceptable faceclaims, etc.)

set up an ads blog, and queue ads to post semi-regularly with varied but relevant tags and an eye-catching graphic &/or summary of your roleplay

set up a discord server or another way for your muns to communicate and plot OOC, it really helps muse and communication and also can be a fantastic way to build plots with existing characters and muns.  and, lets be honest, it’s nice to be able to chat with the folks you’re writing with.

check in with everyone! make sure your muns are comfortable and happy and no one is falling by the wayside or being left out. also, it’s nice to make sure that your muns are alright personally - by no means pry, but be an open ear if someone needs to talk. you’d be surprised how many in the RPC are often too shy or anxious to admit to an admin that they need time for their mental health, work, study, etc. but if you make it clear from the beginning that you actually do care and are willing to help work with people it makes all the difference.

the most important to me: build rapport!!!   the best thing for your roleplay, as an admin, is to do your absolute best to be approachable and have a relationship with your muns. you obviously don’t have to be best friends with everyone and talk every day, but believe me, what makes a roleplay last is the community you build behind it. i love having made such talented and varied friends in ironforged - we have voice chats and some of us facetime and/or text, we watch tv shows together and even help each other out with anything from personal problems to university assignments.  our community is  what helps us withstand all the trials and tribulations, and it’s what has given our roleplay such fantastic plot drops and progressions.  the main point is, from the get-go, make sure your muns know that your DMs are always open if they have questions, queries, rants, concerns, ideas… all of the above.

trigger warnings, which obviously depends on the genre you’re in but, i personally would suggest to offer your muns the ability to tell you what their triggers are privately and list them somewhere on the main blog for the other members to see.

embrace being an admin, and don’t get walked over. don’t forget that this is your roleplay, you created it and put the work in and no one (anon or not) can tell you how to run it. don’t be scared to call out people for breaking the rules, don’t be scared to issue warnings, don’t be scared to reject people if they haven’t read the rules or aren’t the right fit for your roleplay or make you uncomfortable, don’t be scared to say no.  it’s okay!

have open eyes, ears and mind; listen to feedback and concerns, hear out grievances and be willing to be polite even if people are being rude but don’t entertain pointless anon hate. speaking of anon hate… don’t turn off the anon ask option unless you honestly feel like it is the right route for you - it shuts off the ability for people to contact you whilst maintaining some anonymity and privacy, which can be discouraging.

crucial to any roleplay is the world-building, have a page with some key locations that are applicable to your roleplay (such as cafes, taverns, gyms, shops, housing locations), also i’ve honestly found that it helps setting the scene. consider where your roleplay is located (real place/fictional place) and make those details clear. paint the picture, immersion is a fantastic thing and it’s something both you and your muns can work on and collaborate on in the future. we have an inspo blog, pinterest boards, spotify playlists, youtube playlist, ambiance playlists, regional locations and business…. and a very colourful NPC list that has been collaborated and expanded upon throughout the life of ironforged.

have clear direction and at minimum a loose idea of where you want to go with your roleplay.  even if you don’t want to have a very plot driven roleplay (like ours is with plot drops, random events, character/mun interwoven plots - which requires a long-form type of roleplaying) and would rather have it open world (you set the scene, and everyone just goes with the flow - which can be both long or short form types of writing) - it is so important to have some tricks and surprises in your bag. the best and easiest is having a few muse-boosting tasks lined up, perhaps a group event to bring people together (a party, a fight, a ball, a wedding, etc.) otherwise, 8.5 times out of 10, you’ll find muse flatlining.  ask your muns! ask other rps! make a poll! hit up the RPC tags and roleplay helper blogs!

the finer details; pick a timezone to mark the roleplay with (eg; here i post in AEST on the roleplay because i am australian and it’s easy for me to queue and schedule things) but it’s crucial to ensure you include the timezone equivalent for other people in other timezones to be able to quickly understand (eg; AEST = GMT+10). you can always link an external timezone converter page if you’re unsure!

and, of course, be organised. make sure you have your pages set up and linked properly. the main that come to my mind to start off with are; navigation, plot, taken FCs, IC & OOC rules, a masterlist, blogroll/follow list, application/application page, application counts, ask & submit are open and an ooc page.

         and LASTLY,  this is my personal advice from one admin to another; if you really want a roleplay to work and you really want it to last for (hopefully) years, then you have to put some heart into it.  our roleplay, as a group, has seen some bad times and good times galore. we’ve had people become seriously ill, we’ve had engagements and weddings, graduations, a fair few birthdays, hospital trips/emergencies, international internships, personal problems, personal triumphs…  our communication as a roleplay isn’t always perfect, but we continue to do our best - and working on our communication is what allows us to keep going on through everything.

         also, as an admin, do your best to make sure you are not the most powerful character and not center of all the roleplays controversy, drama and plot drops (if applicable), it’s become a kiss of death cliche, and also can alienate potential muns because they feel like background players to your show.    but seriously, involve everyone and give a shout out for peoples interest, and the ideas that come flowing back from your muns will amaze you, trust me!

       best of luck!    admin tee.

[killing-harmonyy]

Moving Blogs

After doing a lot of thinking about this, I’ve finally made my final decision.

I’m moving blogs and revamping this AU.

I kinda did some reflecting about this blog, and I realized how messy the overall plot is. 

So, doing what I think this AU needs, I’m restarting from the very beginning on a whole new blog. 

I already have the new blog all set up, and the only things I have left to do is to make the starting post and mark this blog as archived. 

The new blog’s URL is @simulated-harmony, but you can simply click here to be sent there!

Thank you so much for staying around and supporting this blog!

- Mod Jade

[julian-thirstposting]

I have no idea if you can do this or not, but would it be possible for you guys to cast a healing spell for the victims of the Christchurch attacks? Just so that their minds can feel a bit better. Or if you have anything else in mind, feel free to do it. Thanks.

Oh wow, that’s quite an ask. A wonderful, but overwhelming, request.

I’ve never done something on this scale before, but I certainly can try. If it can reach anyone affected by the attacks and help to provide even the smallest amount of comfort, I’m more than happy to try.

My heart goes out to the victims and their families. It truly does. ❤

The object of this spell is twofold. For those affected by the attacks, it is intended to provide comfort and healing to its user. To those wanting to send support, it is intended to send out protective and loving energies.

When charging this spell for yourself, it is important to focus internally. Turn your energies inward, and tell yourself what you want this spell to produce within you. Say it as though it is already true; as though you have no doubts that this spell will work. Say things like “I will heal from these events,” or “You are safe and loved,” depending on your intent. Be sure to be in a genuinely positive mindset while imbuing the spell with this energy. These positive energies will be amplified threefold and brought back to you when the spell takes effect.

In order to get into the correct mindset, I like to listen to emotionally appropriate music. For this spell, I listened to songs of connection like “All You Need Is Love” by The Beatles. I’d recommend trying this if you feel you are struggling with focusing your energies. It is also easier to strengthen your thoughts while viewing one focal point. I use my glass ball for this, which I would recommend you focus on as well while using this altar spell.

The meanings of each piece of the altar are detailed below the cut.

- Mod Knight

no new asks; Spring Cleaning

North: Earth (represented by stones)

African Jade: Self-healing.

Agate: Love.

Amazonite: Univeral love.

Amethyst: Healing on all levels - body, mind, and spirit.

Aventurine: Eases heartache.

Bloodstone: Healing.

Cat’s Eye: Improves the ability to deal with challenging situations.

Carnelian: Protection.

Hematite: Protection.

Lilac Amethyst: Cleanses, purifies, and heals the mind, body, and spirit.

Lodestone: Protection.

Moonstone: Encourages empathy and kindness.

Quartz: Amplifies and sends energy.

Rainforest Rhyolite: Protection.

Rose Quartz: Restores harmony after emotional wounding. Promotes love, peace, and tolerance. Heals soul trauma.

Snowflake Obsidian: Dissolves fear, shock, trauma, and pain.

Tiger’s Eye - Gold: Protection.

Tiger’s Eye - Red: Protection.

Unakite: Balance of the emotional body.

Vesuvianite: Community, protection.

East: Air (represented by incense)

Dragon’s Blood: Love and protection.

South: Fire (represented by candles)

Green: Healing.

Blue: Calm, protection.

Pink: Caring, goodwill.

Black: Protection, repels negativity.

White: Peace.

West: Water (represented by water and oils)

African Queen: Love, comfort.

Angel Dreams: Love, protection.

Bergamot: Peace.

Chamomile: Peace, love, tranquility.

Clary Sage: Soothes nervous exhaustion.

Country Spice: Love, healing.

Eucalyptus: Healing.

Eucalyptus Lemon: Healing love.

Green Tea: Love, progress, and moving forward.

Lavender: Peace, protection, love.

Lemon: Love, blessings.

Orange Blossom: Love.

Peaches N Cream: Protection, love.

Red Egyptian Musk: Sense of control.

Rose: Love, protection.

Rosemary: Love, healing, protection.

Tea Tree Oil: Strength, harmony.

Vanilla: Love, calming, consoling, soothing.

Note: This mixture was dabbed over the heart during the spell to increase its power.

Center: Focus of Energies

Glass Ball: Allows for a mental focal point during spellcasting.

Pentacle: Represents Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Spirit.

Worry Doll: Represents the removal of fear, worry, and pain.

Wand: Concentrates Internal Energies

Cherry Wood: Amplifies spellwork.

Ivy: General good luck.

Note: This wand was held during casting the spell. It is only on the altar in the photo for visual representation.

[sexvimpulse]

Axel: [Glares as his handler debriefs him on their mission and how he needs to be around her] Fuck you. [Hisses as he clenches his jaw. He opens the door to their new base and sees her sitting her, lips parting as his heart sinks] I’m.. Axel. Your partner. [Says sternly as he extends his hand to her but doesn’t make eye contact]

Jade: [Opens her eyes upon hearing the words “a clean slate” before seeing an older man scanning her diagnostics on the computer. She’s told that her name is Jade while the resistance program is being installed, giving her all the information that she needs to understand her purpose. Saying nothing, her focus changes as another man enters the room, detecting his vitals and reading his body language to deduce that he has no interest in partnering with her] Hello, Axel. I’m Jade. [Takes his hand as she shakes it politely, gauging his reaction before withdrawing it] I look forward to partnering with you. [Speaks truthfully as she waits for him to make eye contact with her. The older man leaves the room, leaving them together but not long before telling him that everything is “all clear”] I’ve been updated with information on the cause. I’m told that your last mission was unsuccessful. [Frowns slightly as she continues to look at him, finding him attractive but her focus is on the resistance] May I ask why?

Axel: [Blinks as he listens to her] I don’t think you have clearance for that which is why it wasn’t downloaded into your system. [Shakes his head, making something up] It was a very difficult mission. [Doesn’t look at her as the lingering scars on his face are a result of their mission]

Jade: [Purses her lips, the sound of his voice feels soothing, before he refuses to tell her the reason] Is there a way for me to request it? [She feels that she needs every detail in order for them to move forward and succeed] I see. [Hollows her cheeks as still doesn’t spare her a glance, unsure if they will be able to work together. She gazes at his features and sees the freshly healed scars] I’m sorry, Axel. [Murmurs, feeling empathetic for a moment as she senses that he might be emotionally distressed] As your partner I will do what I can to protect you and that our work is successful. [Speaks more out of her loyalty to the organization that her words almost come out “emotionless”]

Axel: [Calms himself as she speaks, the coldness in her tone causes him pain] Right. I appreciate it. Likewise. [Remains curt with her before sitting at his station and working on weapons and disguises upgrades for her]

Jade: [Nods in response, collecting notes about him as she realizes that he is creating distance from her. Going to her area, she studies up on the recent events with the opposing side and hollows her cheeks as there doesn’t seem to be much movement on their part] I’m missing information that I feel is important for our next phase. [Furrows her brows as she doesn’t understand why she wasn’t debriefed on the last mission. She goes over the upcoming agenda before moving towards his space] Have you looked over our next case? [Looks at his work, impressed by what she’s seeing on the holographic screen] It looks like you’ll be handling a dead drop during an upcoming gathering that I’m required to attend.

Axel: [Tries to concentrate on his work but it’s difficult with her right here] It’s not important for our next mission so drop it. [Says harshly, wondering if maybe a small part of her realizes what happened] Your job is to analyze the attendees and make sure I go unnoticed. [Hollows his cheeks] One of them is going to be our mole.

Jade: It is so that I’m aware of what not to do. [Blinks as his stance is tense while he raises his voice. She purses her lips before going over the guest list for the event] That shouldn’t be a problem. [Looks at the screen as she stares at the codes while searching her internal data, seeing that she doesn’t have the mods that he’s in the process of modifying] I see why they call you The Mechanic. [Murmurs softly] You must’ve worked with a similar design to mine before. [Wonders if they had a previous android assigned as his partner but doesn’t ask as it wouldn’t be important to their mission] May I download the upgrade to test it out?

Axel: It was an entirely different mission. [Hisses as he becomes irritated with her persistence, but also crushed at the thought of her “death”. He doesn’t respond to any of her comments until the end] Go ahead. [He moves back and allows her to download the code that will enable her to appear completely different, with a voice changer as well]

Jade: Thank you, Axel. [Saunters to his workstation as she hooks up to the system. The holographic screen shows the new data syncing in before she removes it from her port and runs the code to change appearances] Great work. [Tells him truthfully with a small smile, even hearing the difference in her voice as she speaks. She’s positive that he’s very familiar with her type of model] I didn’t detect any glitches. [Staring at her hands, she runs her fingers through her blonde hair before reverting back into herself] One of the men that will be at the event has an affinity for blondes. Perhaps I can coax information out of him while you carry out the drop. [Looks determined as she goes over the files, absorbing every detail that she can]

Axel: [He watches her with thin layer of coolness to mask his wonder and longing] He likes Swedes too. /Better download the Swedish accent on English./ [Speaks his mother’s language to her, knowing she can understand] Lets focus on getting the drop first and foremost.

Jade: [Looks at him in a curious way as she easily understands his words, feeling a strange sense of attraction for him before erasing the thought] /Will do./ [Smiles softly after installing the accent. Taking a seat again, she lifts up the hologram and expands the map of the event and the drop zone] I don’t expect any problems during this as long as we keep track of the time that this needs to happen. [Creates a path on the image to show where he needs to go] It’s more open than I would like but it will be the quickest route for you.

Axel: [Looks over the map she provides, having done recon at the location already] I thought that was the best route too. [Nods] Did they program you to have emotions or no..? [Doesn’t give anything away but he has to know for his own sake]

Jade: [Plays multiple scenarios in her mind in case things go awry, planning multiple exit strategies for him] I’ll make sure that you remain undetected. [Draws out different pathways before stopping as she hears his question. She looks up at him, searching his eyes in confusion] Would it bother you if I didn’t? [Asks as she wonders if his detached demeanor stems from him not liking how she was made or if he doubts her loyalty] To answer your question.. Yes, I have emotions. [Speaks softly before pulling up videos of innocent beings suffering at the hands those she’s fighting against] Seeing this.. It hurts me. [Shows more emotion as she becomes fixated on the horrible sight before closing it as she regains her composure] I would do and give anything to stop all of this..

Axel: [Blinks as she shows the same propaganda he was shown when he was recruited. He doesn’t react as he’s having his doubts about their organization] Right. [Nods as he goes back to his work, saddened that her memories are completely gone. He wonders if every interaction with her in the beginning will be repeated] I need to get some sleep. We’ll talk in the morning. [Grabs his things and heads out of their operating center]

[oc-review-shop]

OC Review: Ida North

Reviewed by: Mod Charle

I’m gonna be completely honest here... This thing took so long to do.

Sorry for the sketchy quality!

This art is pretty nice and it does show a lot of Ida’s physique and the other aliens as well.

Okay, so she is the protagonist of an idea of a dating sim, that I will never do, or hardly ever, who knows, still, I like developing the characters...

The thing that’s so great about dating sims is that you can make them as weird and extravagant as you want and it can still flow because the premise of it is dating. However, the story will still have to be well thought out and the characters need to fit.

How it starts (its an excuse plot) YOU CAN SKIP READING THIS AND GO TO THE PREMISE

: The protagonist (Ida North) doesn’t get the job she wanted (either because she overslept or because she wasn’t accepted for not meeting all the qualifications) on a travel agency, so her best friend Mabel Attar, offers her a job in her workplace, a faraway Space Station, 

Well then. So Ida North is shown (so far) to be irresponsible due to oversleeping and she isn’t very organized or mature because she can’t meet the qualifications for her job. Her friend Mabel offers her a job at a space station? You probably need more clarity on what type of society they live in. Is this like an advanced world where aliens and space are both well known to mankind?

Ida NEEDS the money, so she isn’t gonna waste her time questioning her best friends or suspecting anything shady so she accepts immediately, after all, she isn’t going to spend all her life mooching on Mabel and eating College Student food...

I’m a little confused. So Ida basically lives on Earth while Mabel lives on a faraway space station? Long distance is fine but I mean it would be difficult for Ida to mooch on Mabel. And she’s still eating College Student food? Not gonna lie, that’s a pretty sad life.

On the way there, Mabel tells Ida that she will love her job, that is well paid, and she will soon forget about her Travel Agency desired job, and that she also started with that job, however, it turns out that the job is nothing more than being a glorified janitor, having to clean up rooms and collecting things so other’s could study them, work that could be easily done by machinery, but isn’t because Mabel asked for it so Ida could have the job, Ida suspects that Mabel has more power on the Space Station than what she says.

Mabel is either a god-awful friend giving Ida a janitor job, or a dang good one. Mabel is powerful if she has control of jobs on the Space Station and I really wonder how the two became friends at all if their lives are so different. A well paying janitor job is well near impossible to have, but if Mabel is the all powerful front runner of the station, I’ll let this one slide.

One day, when she enters a room, a massive amphibianish alien, also encounters Ida and is enthusiastic about her presence, very enthusiastic in face, he starts playing with her, nuzzling her, however Ida isn’t taking any of this and knocks a pair of his teeth with a metal bar, 

Where’d the metal bar come from?

making it clear that she isn’t a helpless damsel in distress, and swings the bar at the alien menacingly, but he just places his claw on her body, holding her and making eye contact, or something, and taking off her uniform to keep it.

The alien strips her? That’s a little erotic, but I mean it is a dating sim. 

I find this really confusing, however. You didn’t give a good background on how society is. Are aliens a normal thing? It was made clear that there is advanced extraterrestrial knowledge due to the space station, but are aliens normal? The alien just randomly jumps on Ida so I’m not sure if aliens are seen as friends or dangerous creatures, or if they’re even known to mankind.

** Side note, I would like to know how Ida was allowed to go up to the space station without training. Like, space is dangerous.

The next day, when Ida and Mabel go to a cafe nearby to celebrate Ida’s first week, and Mabel tells Ida that one of the aliens has escaped, but she shouldn’t worry about it too much, because it probably wasn’t her fault but Mabel would have to retrieve the alien back to its room, and a young looking (about late 20′s) guy, approaches Ida and tackles her, the guy despite looking skinny is actually really heavy, and leaves footprints whenever he walks so its really uncomfortable for Ida, who has no idea of this guy, but they guy just enthusiastically tells Ida that he is going to help her with her dream job and everything, because he wants to make her happy, he introduces himself as Keith Gatti and keeps rambling on very enthusiastically...

I would have been super surprised if someone randomly tackled me. Did Ida at least try to fight back? She is strong so I just want to know if she at least fought back against Keith and tried to kick him off of her.

... It turns out, Keith is the alien that has gone missing, and he really has become infatuated with Ida, but since only Ida, Keith and Mabel know about this, Mabel decides to help them both, and tells Ida that she could, introduce the earth to Keith, and eventually a bunch of other aliens, like a tour guide of sorts, while also developing a growing affection...

So Ida is supposed to introduce the aliens to life on earth, orders from Mabel. There’s nothing wrong with this, and in fact I think it’s a pretty good way to get the story flowing into a dating sim. Background information, like I mentioned earlier, is key, however.

Okay that it, now we cut to the important part (there might be fluff): Premise: The protagonist has to introduce the earth to a bunch of aliens so their plant and earth can form an allyship, while also developing a romance with them.

This is probably the background information I’m looking for, but I feel as if there would be more knowledge about aliens if the society they live in wants to form an allyship with an alien planet. 

And now the OC stuff: Name: Ida North Meaning of name: Id: from the Germanic word “id”: Work, labor Age: 30 D.O.B: March 26th (Aries) Height: 1 Meter 75 Centimeters, or 5 feet 9 inches Type of body: Mesomorph Hair style and color: Celebi/Onion style with antennae like fringe, red with brown streaks (dyed) Eye shape and color: Deep set, brown Build: Muscular, beefy Voice: Orotund, rough Romantic and Sexual Orientation: Bi for both

She’s a very muscular and strong woman, who is actually already 30. She is really different from your usual dating sim girl. Most girls, I believe would either be in their teens or early 20′s. However, I suppose her age does work out since she is supposed to be helping out aliens, and teens aren’t exactly the type for that. 

A resume of her personality: Grumpy, snarky, and a bit sour, Ida seems like your typical jaded person, who has lost all faith in the world, but this couldn’t be further from the truth, since Ida loves the earth and appreciates the beauty of nature and technology, though due to her insecurities and bad experiences she hides her love with layers and layers of jerk.

I could definitely see Ida being the type of person to care for a lot of things, but hide it all behind a facade. Is there a reason for her to hide herself, though? Having insecurities as bad as her don’t usually pop up out of nowhere.

Personality traits: Snarky: Whether in a good mood or a bad mood, Ida always seems to convey her thoughts in a good dose of irony and sarcasm Rash: Ida doesn’t usually think about the consequences of her actions, and oftenly acts on a whim, only caring about the now Strong Willed: She isn’t going to give up on anything Hardworking: When she has to do something, she does it with whole dedication Appreciative: She loves the world, and its beauty, and how it stays strong, despite everything Insecure: She doesn’t think highly of herself Aggressive: She conveys her insecurity this way Adventurous: She loves new experiences and challenges, she isn’t afraid of the future, but rather a lack of future

At first I was a little iffy about Ida being insecure and strong willed/hardworking at the same time. There isn’t an easy way to connect these without heavy amounts of character development and such. However, you did mention that Ida conveys her insecurity through aggressiveness, and not the other personalities. 

I do have one issue though, and that is her lifestyle compared to her personality. She was previously said to be in a bad position where she oversleeps and has her life in a mess, yet she is hardworking. This doesn’t connect. If she was hardworking, she wouldn’t miss a job interview for anything, especially if it’s a dream job. 

Relationships: 

With Mabel: They have been best friends since very young, and they often confide each other’s secrets, Mabel also wants to help Ida with her quest. Although she may have a secret crush on her.

I would honestly like to see Mabel be a path for this dating sim. Just me? Ok.

With Keith: He is the first alien she meets and one of the most effusive and enthusiastic about the earth, he often shows a lot of affection towards Ida, though he has toned down the touchy feeliness and tries to keep a reasonable distance. Not that he won’t hug Ida every now and then, in both his alien and human form.

He’s a good depiction for the first route in the dating simulator. Having a bubbly and outgoing character compared to Ida’s tough character is a pretty fun match and would keep the game interesting.

With Drake: Drake is the second alien that meets Ida, they started with a rough fight that Ida barely won, he respects her now, but has drawn lines she is not allowed to cross. Although he is willing to see if she wants to cross those lines and to fight her.

Drake is a tiny little alien, and is smaller than Ida, so I would understand how Ida would be able to beat him in a fight. However, it is a little inaccurate to have Ida beat Drake given that he is an alien. More clarification on the strength of this alien species and their abilities would be more beneficial, just as extra background information.

With Caleb: Despite their initial interactions, being scarce and in the shadows, they have found themselves fond of each other, and having similar yet different tastes, but only think of themselves as friends. Or in the case of Caleb, he sees her as food, but he has another reason, rather than wanting a snack, something having to do with his species and fatherhood, although he is trying not to because he appreciates her company.

Ida’s relationship with Caleb is super confusing not gonna lie. They have a friendship going, but Caleb does see Ida as food? Again, more clarification on the alien species themselves would be beneficial in understanding the different types of aliens we come across. Caleb is also giant and scary as hell.

With Xander: He wants Ida to open a bit up more, and often opts for her security and comfort, wanting others to see them as each other’s protector, and he is willing to hear her most inner desires and insecurities. Although he also feels insecure and has shown a jealous streak.

I actually like the relationship between Xander and Ida. It’s good to have different personalities in dating sims, and you really nailed this. 

With Shiro and Kuro: Shiro and Kuro are two eerily coordinated security guards that watch how the relationships develop, and both would love to have Ida as a guinea pig every now and then.

This might be a little unnecessary to have, but if you elaborate on Shiro and Kuro’s significance in the story, it would be better. They are supposed to watch over and guard, but for a dating sim, they aren’t necessary, UNLESS, the society still sees aliens as dangerous. Again, background information is KEY.

Other stuff** -She is an A cup and wears a pushup bra -She is not a vegetarian but would rather eat veggie food than hamburgers and hotdogs, she DESPISES them -She has gardening knowledge -She has gone camping several times. She LOVES camping -She had a dog, who died of old age -She has travelled by air, land, and sea -She knows English, German, Spanish, and Portuguese, she is currently learning French -Her favorite flowers are buttercups

She has a flat chest. Wow. But I’m not surprised about this looking at her physique. The second bullet point technically means she is a vegetarian if she despises meats. 

I hope you like it, and if you are interested, I might do the profilies of the four main boys, and maybe Mabel and Kuro and Shiro

This was overall, a pretty decent story given the amount of work that needs to go into a good story. There are some good points in this dating sim idea, but there are also a lot of fixes that need to be made; a lot of them being major. However, with these fixes I mentioned, this could potentially be a very good idea. 

I wouldn’t mind looking at the other profile characters, but it may take a while to get it back to you since they are fairly long. This took me a while to write just because of the mix of grammar and length.

Thank you for submitting/reading, and I hope this helps! (●´ω｀●)

~ Mod Charle

[morgibritt-blog]

I’m a terrible shit person who’s terrible at doing replies during the week. So here’s a build-up from the past couple days. I promise I read everyone’s comments! And I really appreciate them! <3

cute!!

I’m glad that you like!

iliketodissectsims replied to your photo “Prickly Patterns: A set of 19 Cactus themed, fully recolorable...”

:O i am OBSESSED with cacti *___*

Ohhh yay! These will be right up your alley then!

justanothersimsblog replied to your photoset “Glitz’s traveling opportunity involves collecting jade or some gem...”

Im guessing its the blue one since its Egypt...but yes, pretty sky more important.

Yeah that sounds right! I just can’t remember what they’re called. Maybe sapphires.. but idk But yes! It’s a lovely sky! :)

oasisdesiresimmer replied to your photoset “Glitz’s traveling opportunity involves collecting jade or some gem...”

What lighting mod did you use? It looks awesome.

I use the brntwaffles’ Frozen lighting mod :)

smillingsection replied to your photoset

this is the cutest thing!

Awww thanks! :)

ieneile44 replied to your photoset

Awe, sooo perfect! ��

;_____; Thanks!

plumbmeow replied to your post “I'm just genuinely curious, if anyone can share their insight”

I do clean up my following count sometimes, but I usually only unfollow if the person has been inactive for a year at least, and even with that, it depends on the person and their content.

That makes perfect sense!

oasisdesiresimmer replied to your post “I'm just genuinely curious, if anyone can share their insight”

True ^ But if they come back and do the exact same thing why unfollow them? I don't get it. I know I would never do that to anyone especially since I just started being more active on tumblr.

Yeah unfollowing is sort of a tricky business I suppose. I unfollow people a fair amount, but just not usually for inactivity.

romeo-and-simulet replied to your post “I'm just genuinely curious, if anyone can share their insight”

and I have to admit sometimes people come back and do completely different things and we don't talk any more so I decide to unfollow

romeo-and-simulet replied to your post “I'm just genuinely curious, if anyone can share their insight”

tbh I don't think follower counts have anything to do with hiatuses at all, sometimes you don't post anything and then come back to ten new ones and sometimes you post your usual stuff and lose tons...it IS sad following people who haven't posted for a year I'll say that...so I'd understand if ppl would unfollow there

Yeah maybe it’s not really related. Who knows really. It does sometimes make me sad when someone comes back and it just feels like someone different. But even when they are inactive for a while, I like to stay following them so that it’s a nice surprise when they do come back *cough* @rosessupposesmanythings *cough*

melien replied to your post “I'm just genuinely curious, if anyone can share their insight”

I agree with you and everyone above, I wouldn't unfollow someone whose blog I have always enjoyed but they've got some reasons for not posting. We're all human. Tbh I have this fear myself if I ever go on hiatus, but I've seen people being away for two years or so, and they still have loyal followers, which makes me more optimistic :D

Yeah I wouldn’t worry about it too much! You’ll definitely have loyal follows and those are the one’s that really count. I mean personally, if someone unfollows me just because real-life is getting in the way of me posting on some website... well.. fine than. No sleep lost for me. You know?

pxelface replied to your post “I'm just genuinely curious, if anyone can share their insight”

I've always wondered that too? Like, wouldn't you want to keep following them so you know when they come back? Its not like there's a limit to how many people you can follow, so why unfollow people who aren't posting? It doesn't affect anything

Yes it’s such a lovely and nice feeling when you see that they come back!

justanothersimsblog replied to your post “I'm just genuinely curious, if anyone can share their insight”

I know that every so often I clean up followers by using an extension that finds inactives. They need to not have posted at all for a month (or more) though. I'll unfollow if I can't really remember anything from what they posted or we never had any contact. I figure if they do come back I'll find them again ��

That makes sense! I didn’t even know there was an extension that does that XD

inquisitive-simmer replied to your post “I'm just genuinely curious, if anyone can share their insight”

i agree with you, it also doesn't make sense in my head

It was helpful to read some other’s thoughts. So if you’re curious, they’re replies are above :)

threadsoftheeasternseas replied to your photoset “One last photo of the whole family <3”

THE TODDLERS ;-; so cute!

Aren’t they presh?!

amixofpixels replied to your photoset

HOW?!?!?

amixofpixels replied to your photoset

MORGAN?!?!?

Magic. Pure magic ;)

inquisitive-simmer replied to your photoset

omg beautiful

Thanks!!

ticklemerainbows replied to your photoset

Look at the baaabieeees

They are precious little pixel babies for sure <3

amixofpixels replied to your photoset

I'm coming to live in your game. Can it handle a slim 5'10 person?

Oh definitely. You’re welcome any time!

romeo-and-simulet replied to your photoset

SDHSMVFJHASMBFJHASD

amixofpixels replied to your post “I’m working on a bit of a sim dump”

GIVE ME ALL THE SIMS! or at least the ones, I'm allowed. XD

You’ve got it! ;)

amixofpixels replied to your photo “Gillyflower Blush for phyrcracker93You requested a light pink berry...”

This has sooo few notes, it must be from back in the day.

Yes I made her quite a while ago. She was probably in one of my first batches of sim requests.

[hskin-center]

This isn't exactly a request for positivity- More of a request for advice, I suppose..? To summarize, I'm Jade Harley. I want to tell my significant other, but I'm scared of making them uncomfortable.. Because their previous partner's name was Jade. That past relationship didn't end on a good note, to make things worse.

Okay, I apologize for taking so long to answer this but I honestly have never been in this situation before so I didn’t know what the best solution to the problem was. I wanted to take some time to think it over to make sure I could give the best advice that I could. 

The only thing that I could really come up with was communication. Let them know that you are kin with a character who’s name, not the character’s personality or anything just their name, would make them uncomfortable. Wait for them to ask for you to tell them before continuing, but it’s important to give them some type of warning beforehand so the information doesn’t catch them off guard. Next you need to remind them that you have no intention of hurting them or being like the person in their last relationship. Distance yourself from the past relationship and make it clear that you aren’t doing it to be like their ex. Remind them that you love them/care about them and that you can’t choose who you’re kin with. Then once they understand all that you can tell them. You may need to repeat some things like telling them you love them and that you aren’t going to hurt them, depending on their reaction. 

I’m sorry if this isn’t very good advice but I tried to base it on how I would feel if my S/O was kin with someone who shared the name of one of my exes. Like I said, I’ve never personally been in this situation, but this is the best scenario and course of action that I could think of. But I wish you and your S/O the best of luck!!

If any of our followers want to provide additional advice just add on to the post or send another ask!! 

-Mod Eridan

[terryblount]

Mortal Kombat 11 – Review

Mortal Kombat is more than a game: it is the closest thing we as gamers have to a counter-culture. It is an I.P. that has consistently laughed in the face of censorship boards by never compromising on giving fans the unfiltered carnage of close combat. This was literally (part of) the reason why there exists an ESRB rating system today.

What’s more, this violence is not just for looks – it is also about skill. The genius of Mortal Kombat’s formula has always lain in demonstrating the player’s fighting ability through how sadistically they can crush their opponent. You don’t just K.O. an opponent in this game; you FINISH THEM!!!

Is it weird to admire the way blood is animated in a game?

I am quite pleased to say that this 27-year-old spirit of Mortal Kombat is alive and well within the eleventh arrival. Let’s not beat around the bush here. This is essentially the perfect fighting game, and players and pros alike will surely regard it as one of the best this series has ever produced. This is because Mortal Kombat 11 manages to include every modern convention that works, while being mindful of the old-school novelties that cemented the I.P. in gaming culture.

Time and time again

In the single-player ‘kampaign’, Earthrealm yet again comes face to face with an apocalyptic threat. The story opens with a now corrupted Raiden (see MK XL) decapitating the elder god Shinnok as a message to anyone who dares to threaten his domain. This was was a most serious error in judgement as Shinnok turns out to be the son of a new character, Kronika – the guardian of time itself.

“But know this–the arc of the universe bends to my will.” – Kronika

Needless to say, Kronika is rather unhappy not just about her son being reduced to the usefulness of a bowling ball, but also due to the balance of good and evil now being uneven. She vows to restore equilibrium in the timeline up to the events of her son’s beheading, but is also aware that Raiden and the Earthrealm gang could present a troublesome thorn in her side in any dimension.

Kronika therefore merges the past and present together, and teleports an army of Netherrealm’s most formidable villains, like Baraka and Shao Kahn, from the past into the present as her insurance policy. As per usual, the player will represent the fight for Earthrealm’s fate from the perspective of Johnny Cage, Kotal Kahn, Kung Lao, and other classic and contemporary characters.

I get that the whole time travel motif has been done to death, but the team at NetherRealm have once again shown their practiced hand for storytelling. They have wisely used the motif of temporal distortion as a McGuffin to re-imagine and bring back some of the franchise’s most beloved figures for the modern gaming climate.

Johnny squared!

This makes for a deeply interesting plot with some exciting and unexpected alliances forming or breaking between characters from different time periods (because their major clashes haven’t happened yet). More than that, Netherrealm sets up the opportunity to introduce characters like Cetrion and Geras who have fighting abilities centred on the manipulation of time.

Overall the story really oozes the kind of cinematic quality that would make Marvel Studios sweat bullets. The combination of excellent graphics, captivating voice acting, and the return of favourite characters will most definitely have new fans engrossed, and old fans spiralling into nostalgia.

In with the old, out with the new

Objectively speaking, Mortal Kombat 11 plays it extremely safe. This game demonstrates the old adage that players are bound to enjoy what lies in their comfort zone, and it is not necessary for sequels to reinvent the wheel. Instead, MK 11 goes for the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, but make it a whole lot prettier’ approach.

Indeed,  MK 11 plays just as slick and precise as every game Netherrealm has developed thus far. What can be perfected has been tweaked, but a whole slew of small changes collectively add up to an experience that will still feel fresh and engaging to long-time players. Not much is new here, and I am very happy about that.

You get to see quite a lot of Sub Zero’s face in this game.

So aside from the single player campaign, the ‘Klassic Towers’ mode also makes a return in which the player must defeat a sequence of opponents to ascend up the tower. Except for infinite modes, these always end with Kronika as the final boss. Defeating her also gets you a brief cut scene that fills in some story details specific to the character you happen to be playing much like Tekken or Street Fighter.

You will not find the ‘Living Towers’ of the previous installment as Netherrealm has ditched this mode in favour of the ‘Towers of Time’. These differ from Klassic Towers in that opponents get more challenging as you approach the top, and players are also permitted to activate certain modifiers (they unlocked as loot) either for one match, or for the duration of the entire tower.

As an example, you can assign Jade one or two of Cyrax’s cyber webs to fire at her opponent stunning them momentarily. Alternatively, the match might have a vampire modifier in which the player’s health bar drains constantly to the opponent’s, so it is best to finish the match sooner rather than later. These towers can certainly get infamously punishing, but the game drowns you in rewards for completing them.

Lemme smash! This is who you will be playing in the Krypt. Note the three currencies in the bottom of the screen.

The Krypt is back again, of course. This time the event plays out on Shang Tsung’s island (see MK 2011) during which you open chests, smash vases and crush meteorites for some sweet loot and unlockable goodies. The Krypt also adopts a third person perspective now which only makes the act of swinging around Shao Kahn’s colossal hammer at vases and statues all the more gratifying.

Light puzzle solving is also a way of collecting some treasures, and it is clear that the developers really want the player to enjoy exploring for goodies to make your game more interesting. I have always been intrigued and, a little creeped out by this subsection of Mortal Kombat games, so it’s nice to see it return here. It’s really beginning to feel like a crucial component of the experience.

Kompletely Unreal

I have never been shy to express my admiration for the Unreal Engine, but what Netherrealm has achieved on a visual level in this game is outright astounding. Here we have a super modified version of the Unreal Engine 3 no less, throwing around particles and rendering high definition textures like it is trying to put Frostbite and Unity out of business.

Even though certain sections of the game have been mysteriously capped at 30fps (most of which can now be fixed by a mod), this game flows on the PC like butter down a centrefold’s butt cheek. In contrast to Mortal Kombat XL, the vibrant graphical tone of MK11 really throws the bountiful details of the visuals into sharp relief. I feel like the unique cast of characters that has always defined this series finally get the representation they deserve.

Damn this game is beautiful. This allows for particularly dramatic cut scenes.

The environments and fighting arenas have also been given the deluxe visual treatment through dramatic lighting and environmental effects. I found the arenas to have an enigmatic and refreshing feeling to them, and a particular favourite of mine became the decaying Shaolin temple where the corpses of dead monks observe your match. I clearly have issues.

They are noticeably the tightest fighting planes that Netherrealm has implemented within one of their games, but this has the pleasing outcome of somehow making the action feel closer… more immediate. The close-quarter combat also places more importance on finding openings in the opponent’s technique rather than just  flying from one combo to the next.

Combos are still just as important, but it is clear that MK 11 wants shorter, more potent moves to play a bigger role too. This means that the one guy with supersonic thumbs you always get paired with online is less safe than he thinks this time round. You know who you are!

The fatalities and other post-match tomfoolery have, naturally, also been given an obvious graphical upgrade. Seriously, seeing brains being splattered and bones being shattered in this level of realism is not at all for the faint of heart. Be that as it may, I nevertheless have a hard time imagining a more beautiful, albeit visceral fighting game.

The very definition of fighting chance

As I mentioned, the roster of fighters is a mixed bag of old and new characters including the original 7, but like all the other yobs on the internet, I feel like some characters leave a conspicuous absence. Where the hell is Goro!? I also miss, Takashi who had a snappy and responsive feel in his fighting that appealed to my playing style in the previous game.

Perhaps old Goro will get his chance with DLCs, but the roster is still a bit smaller than I would have liked. It is once again too obvious that most of us will be expected to fork out more of our hard earned cash as extra content later down the line. Netherrealm has chosen quality of quantity, but this rather anemic roster just smacks too much of leaving room for microtransactions.

At least Geras more than makes up for my four-armed favourite being conspicuously M.I.A. His time-travelling abilities allow him to execute a punch, blink back in time, and execute another attack before my opponent could even find a moment to move. I also liked the beefy, warlock look he had going on which looks particularly slick during fights. Definitely my favourite new character in this game.

Geras warping back in time behind his opponent. Cannot remember who the other is… uhm was…

It also helps that the developers have really gone the extra mile to give MK 11 a truly comprehensive and helpful tutorial segment. They even included a lesson on frame times and hit advantages – something I usually ignored and left to subconscious strategy until I actually paid attention to it in this game.

Best of all, for the really nasty combos and chained assaults the game will actually demo the move on screen with button prompts. I am embarrassed to admit that some combos in previous games took me upwards of an hour to get right. With this new system, it was ten tries tops. As such, newcomers to Mortal Kombat, and fighting games in general, will undoubtedly feel more welcome than ever before.

On the subject of techniques, MK 11 has swapped out X-ray moves for a new system called ‘Fatal Blows’. Like X-ray attacks, they are once-off, deadly attacks taking you microscopically close to your, or your opponent’s, cracking jaw and rupturing internal organs. Except there is one crucial difference: Fatal Blows can only be activated in the last third of your health.

In other words, if the player has only been maintaining a slight lead with their opponent throughout the fight, the last section becomes indescribably tense. You can no longer rely on short-distance techniques or longer combos to win because if you allow even one opportunity to have a Fatal Blow performed on you, you’re toast.

Let us have the talk

So what exactly is the deal with this grind getting everyone all upset? Well, the manner in which MK 11 deals with in-game currency makes us all want to gather our raincoats for the inevitable microtransaction storm that is surely going to hit soon. At the time of writing, MK 11 has very little to offer in the way of DLC on Steam.

Still, something tells me that this will change soon not just because this is the nature of our industry, but because fighting games are also particularly lucrative opportunities for monetisation. They always have been because it is so satisfying seeing no grey blocks on your roster, or adding some cosmetic personality to your favourite fighter.

This is my only major issue with MK 11 because it feels like there is simply too much being gated off from the player when you start the game. Every time I completed a fight, the game goes through a huge pomp and circumstance to inform me of all the different currencies I just earned. Not that the handouts are even that generous mind you.

You read that correctly. This time there is not just the Koins  used to unlock outfits, fatalities and modifiers for tower modes. Even in the Krypt, you now have to juggle multiple kinds of currency units like hearts and soul fragments if you want all off the riches the hidden content has to offer. Oh, and the Krypt chests are randomised so your friend may find a liquid metal suit for Sonya Blade in the same place you get concept art…

Playing around with some of the unlockable skins and finishing moves.

Even though I have never really cared much about cosmetic items in the games I play, I don’t like the sense of gaminess MK 11 creates with the endless pop-ups eagerly informing me how much I have earned. I am playing because I am having fun, and this just feels like Netherrealm is trying to force me into some scheme inevitably leading to microtransactions.

FINISH IT!!

In case that last section threw you off a bit, I want to state again that Mortal Kombat 11 is essentially fighting game perfection. This game is completely saturated with the kind of creative vision that has been the worked into the design of my favourite fighting games. This game looks great, sounds great and feels great.

If Netherrealm vow never to turn the superfluous currencies online into an evil plot of monetisation, I will not need another fighting game for the next ten years at least. Combined with an excellent story, this will become an essential classic in your Mortal Kombat collection.

Remember to check out our Mortal Kombat 11 performance analysis!

Tight and refined combat

Tutorial section

Story

Excellent visuals and sound

Design of new fighters

Temporal fighting abilities

Somewhat limited roster

Too focused on currencies

          Playtime: About 28 hours total. 10 hours on the single player campaign with much of the remaining time spent online.

Computer Specs: Windows 10 64-bit computer using Nvidia GTX 1070, i5 4690K CPU, 16GB RAM – Played using an Xbox Controller (Thanks to my friend Niel for lending me his!!)

Mortal Kombat 11 – Review published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

[killing-harmonyy]

Gosh, I can’t believe I let this happen again-

School started for me in August, and it’s kept me busy.

However, I’m now a bit more on top of things!

I’m really sorry about the hiatus, and I’ll get back to posting normally soon!

[julian-thirstposting]

So I’ve applied to this college program, it’s Occupational Health and Safety so I can be a nark for the health and safety field. It’s a whole new college I’d be going to and I’m just nervous about getting in and stuff because my grades are good but not like breathtaking good so if one of you folks wouldn’t mind could I please and thank you have a luck spell? Just if any of the mods are available. Thank you so much!

Hello, there!

I really hope I’m not too late with this spell… I am so sorry if I am.

Regardless, I wish you the best of luck with getting into your program and hope this spell can help you a bit in the future! 💕

The object of this spell is to bring you good luck and enhance your educational success.

When charging this spell for yourself, it is important to focus internally. Turn your energies inward, and tell yourself what you want this spell to produce within you. Say it as though it is already true; as though you have no doubts that this spell will work. Say things like “I will get into my program,” “I will succeed in my new university,” and “I will get good grades on my assignments.” Be sure to be in a genuinely positive mindset while imbuing the spell with this energy. These positive energies will be amplified threefold and brought back to you when the spell takes effect.

In order to get into the correct mindset, I like to listen to emotionally appropriate music. For this spell, I listened to the songs “Best Day Of My Life” by American Authors and “On Top Of The World” by Imagine Dragons. I’d recommend trying this if you feel you are struggling with focusing your energies. It is also easier to strengthen your thoughts while viewing one focal point. I use my glass ball for this, which I would recommend you focus on as well while using this altar spell.

The meanings of each piece of the altar are detailed below the cut.

- Mod Knight

no new asks; Spring Cleaning

North: Earth (represented by stones)

African Jade: Confidence, good fortune.

Agate: Good luck.

Aventurine: Good luck.

Carnelian: Aids in achieving one’s dreams.

Hematite: Clarifies thought, improves memory, calms anxiety.

Mahogany Obsidian: Protection from self-doubt.

Moonstone: Good luck.

Pyrite: Good luck.

Sodalite: Promotes intelligence, studying, and learning.

Tiger’s Eye - Gold: Luck.

East: Air (represented by incense)

Dragon’s Blood: Good luck.

South: Fire (represented by candles)

Red: Career goals.

Orange: General success.

Yellow: Accelerated learning.

Blue: Good fortune.

West: Water (represented by water and oils)

Bergamot: Luck.

Country Spice: Success.

Peppermint: Luck.

Red Egyptian Musk: Confidence, sense of control.

Rose: Luck.

Rosemary: Improve memory.

Vanilla: Attracts good fortune.

Wintergreen: Good luck.

Note: This mixture was dabbed over the heart during the spell to increase its power.

Center: Focus of Energies

Glass Ball: Allows for a mental focal point during spellcasting.

Pentacle: Represents Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, and Spirit.

Owl: Represents wisdom and learning.

Wand: Concentrates Internal Energies

Cherry Wood: Amplifies spellwork.

Ivy: General good luck.

Note: This wand was held during casting the spell. It is only on the altar in the photo for visual representation.