#it is the best pose pack imo!

[dawns-beauty]

I'm really sorry if I'm being a pest, but what pose pack contains the pose with the bird from your lunar lattice update post? thanks and sorry for bothering you! ;;

No need to apologize: I love talking about mods!

It is ILV poser, found here:

[superm4ks]

Omg this verstappie rewatch is literally gonna be the whole season lmao

Part 1 2016-2018 > Part 2 2019-2022

In 2013, after becoming the World and European KZ class Champion, European OF class Champion, Continental KF class champion, and 3rd place laureate in the World KF class, 15 year old Max Verstappen had turned that years karting scene into a 'one man show' according to Vroomkart International. The title of the piece wasted no time posing what was, admittedly, a very bold question:

Gentlemen, a short view into the 2023 season

Baku, 2023. Ik what ur thinking. 19 wins and ur gonna start wid fucking Baku? And yes 🙂I will, and so shud u 🫵🏽Max lost Baku. The pole, the sprint and the race. Lingered about 3 secs behind checo after the SC, never closed the gap. And guess what, Baku was actually one of the most important races of this season, Maxs own words. Because that inconsistent pace? Those choppy lap times, killing his tires? Max was learning how to setup his car. Rb19 was clearly rb18s big brother, a real sunday beast, faster, more reliable, but a lil sensitive, demanded some hands on attention from his boy. So Max turned Baku into their fp4. U can c it on his onboard, hear him asking for different settings, toggling wid the balance. Those of us who know Max, we kinda suspected what he was up to. But it seemed others didnt. And whatvr max was about to do to these people in Miami bro, it wud be the type of reckoning u read about in the bible.

Miami, 2023. When max qualified p9 cheers echoed across both Americas. After the Baku loss, the slow start to the season, there was hope. Max Verstappen was about to lose the championship lead. People bought into the fairytale and they were loud about it too. They taunted him, booed him and his mechanics in parc ferme. And then Max was p2 by lap 15. Cut thru the field like butter and the whole stint he kept setting purples. Fastest lap after fastest lap. By lap 40 his hards were outpacing fresh mediums on a track u cud fry an egg on. Red bulls strategy for Max required the impossible and that's exactly what Max delivered. Before Miami, Checo was a title contender. After Miami, he was barely a competitor. Max took the 'tire whisperers' ambitions and grinded them into dust in 45 laps or less. It was the race that marked the beginning of the most dominant individual season in Formula 1 history but at its core, in classic Verstappen style, it was a lesson. A very simple one.

Shot by Brook Ward.

Monaco, 2023

- Qualifying Yk who doesn’t give a FUCK about lessons tho, Monaco. Monaco wont be taught by no man. But it’s 2023. This classic immovable object about to meet the most unstoppable force in modern sport history. Max's very first pole in Monaco, and fittingly so, it came out of an all-timer session. One of those saturdays that make u understand why the tax dodging diva of f1 is going absolutely nowhere. Pole switched between Ocon, Yuki, Sharl and Alonso right up until Max did his thing. 2 mins to the checkered flag, it looked like Nando had it locked. 2 untouchable purples, textbook. It wud have been a beautiful moment, a deserved reward for an old dawg who’d kept at it and had a capable car again. Unfortunately for Nando, though, Sennas illegitimate child clocked in that Saturday. He had a bit of a history wid third sectors that once fucked him. But it's 2023, so this wud be the one that made him. Max put 3 tenths on Alonso's head in one of the shortest, most technical corners of the entire calendar. F1's 'sunday' driver by excellence, the one stop pacemaker, the metronome, the endurance machine, proved that he was all that and also, in fact, the type of elite qualifier who can write his signature on the walls of Monte Carlo.

- Race Monaco is all about Saturday obvi but imo this years race is also worth watching because its actually kind of a banger wid mixed conditions, insane strategies and because this is a verstappie rewatch, u get to c Max at his best: in a chaotic packed field under the rain.

Canada, 2023. Speaking of rain masters. Senna's legend has been clinging to Max from the very first time he traumatized wet cat Rosberg in Brazil in 2016 but it was this year, in Canada, wid Nando and Lewis by his side, the guys who were also there, who saw it happen too, that Max finally matched Senna's win tally. 41. It was a perfect weekend, a testament to the talent that allowed a 26 year old to overtake Ayrton Senna in the record book, and it began, as if in tribute, wid a soaking wet qualifying. Max's pole lap was one second faster than the rest of the grid. One full second. If ur a Nando or a Lewis fan, I wud definitely give it sunday a watch as well because old gays were definitely out there. Also we got this. What yall know about this .

Shot from Nurphoto.

Lemme tell u something rn: Ur looking at 12 world championships, 189 wins, and a 14 year old gap from youngest to oldest. You're looking at statistically, the most successful driver of all time, the guy whose racecraft still seen by many as the finest this sport has ever seen, and a kid who's been sitting between them since he was 17 years old. The same kid who, a few racers later, broke records that existed long before the other two were even born. Yk, Lewis said it better than I ever cud, 'this is quite an iconic top 3'.

Austria, 2023. Why are u a Verstappen fan? U ever been asked that question. Ik i have. 😐 Lots of possible answers. To me Austria has all of them. In Canada, Checo barely made the finish line while Max pushed rbr to their 100th team victory and ((unofficially)) began his chase of the Vettel record. Mind u the mf wont admit that’s what he’s doing, but it is. Him, GP, the whole team. They want it. But we'll get to that. Max is a hunter, and his boy car is the best hound of his career so far. Together, they’d caught the scent. Races like Australia, Spain, Monaco, Canada, they showed it was possible. His management was getting Schumacher shouts, his qualifying was getting Senna's. Clarks proficiency. 2023 can be understood as the result of Max's life long pursuit of perfection, the crowning point of his hard work, the realization of all his potential, that prodigal nature that had been so obvious for so long, finally, entering its prime wid a car that can make history. And yet. AND YET. max has something that all those other legendary mfs lack. Something that is deeply, deeply Max’s. Free practice 1 in Austria and that talented, beautiful creature of God was ready to send it all to hell to make a POINT. Austria was a sprint this year, so already you've pissed him off. During fp1, Lewis impeded Max like once.

((And listen

Lewis saw that boy enter the paddock and immediately called security and along wid seb vettel and raikkonen launched a class action lawsuit against him on the grounds of a) fuck b) them kids. Then 6 years later Lewis and that now grown ass man spent a whole legendary season trying to kill each other. U c how this relationship may have some residue of . lets say. conflict.))

So Lewis impeded Max in fp1 and Max's raytheon hamilton-calibrated sensors activated and he did nothing less but the exact same thing in sprint qualifying. Blocked old mans flying lap. Lewis is limping thru this weekend, mind u, like it’s almost sad. It’s kinda elderly abuse. THEN, the actual sprint. Again, Austria is red bull's home turf. packed wid red bull fans. The car is a rocket, they're on a streak, lots of good photo ops for the team. It started raining. Even better. Lights out, and Checo took the lead first and in the process like . squeezed Max a lil bit. Pushed him on the grass. U can guess what happened next. 😐😐😐😐To answer that first question and to quote somebody who knows him, Max is Max. No matter where, how, against who. Wid a rocketship, wid a hole in his car, winning, losing, fighting for the lead against Lewis Hamilton, fighting for sixth against baby schumi, refusing to comply wid team orders against sainz, scolding danny ric about discipline, waiting 7 months to deliver his justice in brazil, calling russell a dickhead in Baku, whether in front of 300 000 haters in Silverstone of half a million fans in Spielberg, he'll do what he thinks is right. Thats the kind of mf that wins constructors all by himself. 575 points, on his own. Over 1000 laps lead. Max Verstappen has not succeeded in f1 despite his character, but because of it. Because when Checo squeezed him at the start of a stupid fucking sprint that wont make a dent in his records or his lead, Max collected his car and lunged thru the inside line like the title wud be decided in the next turn. He was willing to send himself, checo, and a goddamn haas to hell to remain at the front. And that’s why I'm a fan.

Zandvoort, 2023. 9 consecutive wins. A race that u feel in ur stomach because you know what it means. The sheer size of the accomplishment. That word ringing in everybodys ears since Miami. Inevitable. inevitable. Up until it happened, and then obvi Monza wid the perfect 10, nobody really wanted to believe it. seb's 9 was one of those things held sacred and hallowed by the sport. Like Schumachers points in a season, Ascaris win percentage, Clarks laps lead, and Hamiltons consecutive podiums. Sacred things. And in 2023, the nonbeliever broke them all. Grasped and squeezed wid his very cynical hands. They’re his now. No one else’s. What he did, no one else can do. Max is always outstanding in Zandvoort tbh, thats his track, his fans, his weather. But this years quali was particularly emblematic of the gap to the rest of the grid , and his teammate especially. 1.7s faster than checo. The race was just as impressive. Rain hit early on, complete chaos, and while everybody scrambled to choose the right tires, GP was in Max’s ear, calm as ever, 'it’s up to you'. It really was. It always was.

Zandvoort, 2023. > Monza, 2023.

Japan, 2023. Red Bulls factory crowning weekend. Coming out a disaster Singapore, yet another statement win. Singapore had showed what it took to slow down Verstappen in 2023: not just the wrong setup, but the wrong strategy too. As we'll c in Texas, like we've seen in 2016, 2019, 2020, a machine off the pace alone wont stop Max from winning races. In Suzuka, rocky was back into his operational window, and Max proved exactly who was it that singlehandedly delivered the constructors championship. One of those classic Max weekends. 20 drivers on track but 2 different leagues and he's on his own. Wid a 177 point lead over his teammate, yet another record broken, biggest point gap between 1st and 2nd. ((In the end, the margin was 290)). Max names Suzuka as his most satisfying pole lap of the season. Bro put half a second on the grid in one go.

COTA, 2023. just something in the Americas ((me)) that unlocks the extra prodigal gene in this mf. Talent of the century? Put his ass in North America we can stretch that shit to the millennium idc idc . Miami, Texas, Brazil, Mexico, and now Vegas, to me these are cornerstones of Verstappen excellence. Max holds the record for most wins in a single geographical location over one season. ((Of course he does)) 10 consecutive wins in NA, across state lines, country borders, wid different conditions, tracks, circuits, tires, formats, setups. This years’ Austin GAG? Apparently they didn’t set the tarmac right. track was a bumpy mess. Max struggled from the start wid braking issues and tire wear, but he kept his head cool because he knew he had the basics. There was once a time before the rb19 , when all he had was a cap and 1 year of open wheel experience, and his 18 year old self put on a clinic against a 30 year old world champion on how to defend on old faulty rubber. That’s exactly what Max did in Cota. Bro was able to make up for aerodynamic loss wid nothing but pedal and wheel work. Do not talk to him during braking. Do not fucking talk to him during braking. That’s all Max asked. 50th win. Offically 3rd OAT, behind Vettel, Hamilton and Schumacher. ((He’s now alone in 3rd OAT, wid 53 wins.)). He’s 26. After Merc and Ferrari were proclaimed ‘illegal’ what truly shocked me wasn’t that they tried to cheat, but that they wud try to pull that shit against this Verstappen, in this car, in 2023. They lowered their floors for smoother suspensions to fight Adrian Neweys Frankenstein monster but the real machine was sitting right behind the wheel. And he won. Actually, he mollywhooped those bitches. Not the floor, not the wings, just a damn good racing driver. Good luck next time.

Qatar gp, 2023. Dutch man allergic to winning world championships in a normal way, millions left emotionally berated every year begging for the sweet release of ted kravitzs voice. No I’m jk but actually tell me why this fool cud not have waited for the race to clinch it. Bro had the title confirmed by a sprint where he finished SECOND. As a verstappie, imma tell u to watch this because it’s like. get out of my face rn I love you so much I’m so happy for u also that helmet is so pretty. In Qatar, Max became 1 of 5 drivers who won back to back to back world championships. After the year 2000, 1 of 3. Along wid the biggest championship margin in the most successful season of all time, well. 1 of 1.

Las Vegas, 2023. ummm ok ik this may SHOCK u but he wasn’t a fan. Max spent the whole season bitching about Vegas and breaking records and threatening retirement like that’s literally a fair description of events. Just very verstappen and migraine inducing type of shit. But yes, Vegas. Vegas held no old school appeal whatsoever. And he was right about some things. He never berated the circuit itself, the quality of the racing, just the show around it. U shud build for the track, not around it. It’s not that difficult to understand, or even that unpopular. But Max forgot about one important thing that wud prolly hurt his cause. He has never landed on US soil and not served. The plot armor wud simply never let my baddie have her AHA!!!!moment in Nevada. So I want u to open that cringe FUCKING compilation Sunday stream of the Vegas gp and c what happens when a sleep deprived verstappen and his so called ‘dominant’ ‘untouchable’ ‘unbeatable’ ‘rocket ship’ are released on a frozen track wid barely any data because one of the potholes burst and cut practices into 10 mins. Bitch what happens is good fucking f1 😭😭😭 Some real formula uno cabron 😭😭 Max retakes the lead at the start, overcooks his frozen tires, pushes sharl off, gets a penalty, serves his penalty, comes back wid gods wrath emanating from his fugly white helmet, obliterates the gap to first and Russell along wid it ((🫡)) passes both cars in front in one slick veteran move and sinks his teeth into p1 for the remaining 13 laps. And wins. Maybe not his most characteristic win, but def the funniest one. Stupid ass even sang Elvis. That’s an f1 driver bitch. He can’t trick me.

Here we are. Abu Dhabi. Breathe out. Red Bull won constructors in Japan, Max won the drivers championship in Qatar. It all started wid a lesson, remember? Max was a good teacher. He spent 8 months making sure we learned. Did you?

By Abu Dhabi, 2023, Max had officially set 20 new records, including the record for most records broken in a season by a single driver. 5 of those achievements had already been set in 2022, just upgraded in 2023: most wins in a season, most podiums in a season, most consecutive wins from pole, most hat tricks in a season, and most consecutive top two finishes in history. 3 of his achievements, however, kept him on the hunt until the very last lap: 3rd most wins of all time, over a 1000 laps lead, and the highest percentage of wins in the sports history. Max got them all. He’s now, statistically, the sole protagonist of the most dominant season in f1, and f1’s 3rd most successful driver, behind Schumacher and Hamilton. Max won 19 out of 22 races. 10 of those wins were consecutive. Right now, he’s already on another streak. 3 more wins and he matches his own record. 4 and he resets the book forever. What Max did wid the rb19 needs to be watched again and again and again, because it’ll be years. YEARS .Until we begin to learn how to truly appreciate it. This is just my humble attempt.

In Abu Dhabi, the job was done wid a series of incredible defensive moves that completely shut the door on sharl. No flashy overtakes, no heroics on the inside line. Just strong classic defending. Sharls attack was dealt wid, nullified, the gap was built, set and managed, and Max saw the fireworks 17 seconds earlier than the rest. In 2023, Max was untouchable by all but one. The car he called ‘rocky’. The only car, to this day, according to the man himself, that ever saw him smile before he crossed the finish line. That ever made him happy before it made him a winner.

You tell me.

[servegrilledcheese]

💕 self-love time! talk about which ones of YOUR creations (edits, artworks, fanfics) you like the most then send to other sim-blogs to do the same 💕

my 7k follower sim drop. possibly the best group of sims i've ever made, ever. also sad to say that it's probably all downhill from here.

avani's boutique, which essentially serves as a time capsule for every outfit avani has ever worn during the morganite generation.

my cc-free all-occult sim drop. my second-best sim drop ever imo. idk what altered my brain chemistry in 2022 that made me produce two of the best sim drops in my entire simblr career but i desperately want it back.

romeo monty and juliette cap as leonardo dicaprio and claire danes as romeo montague and juliet capulet. i remember this being a manic caffeine-induced hallucination that manifested into a cas session that manifested into this edit.

this fukcing guy

araújo cousins family portrait. i love how i framed the shot and i love the combination of poses that i used. they blend together so seamlessly that you can't even notice that they're two entirely different pose packs.

avani araújo's pink and white wedding. i replayed this entire goddamned wedding ten times just to make sure everyone acts right and also to get multiple shots. an incredibly draining experience but ultimately made gorgina screenshots.

[kyriat-sims]

Tag Game for Historical Simblrs! 📖

1. What has been your favorite time period to play in or which one are you most excited for?

I’m doing a (very) slow, modified version of History Challenge, and since it’s so slow, I’m still in Early Civilization and I love it. But I loved Stone Age too! (and I’m sure I will love the next era as well).

2. Do you have a favorite piece of historical cc? (CAS or BB)

There are a lot to choose from, but at the moment I think it’s the lovely Aegean set from @clepysdra.

3. Who is your favorite sim currently?

It’s Noor. No wait! It’s Eira! Or maybe Noor after all. Or maybe both? The truth is that I love them all. That’s why I enjoy to play rotational. But I love Eira and Noor a lot! 💕

4. What is your favorite world?

I like most of the words in The Sims 4, but I would love it a lot more if it didn’t have all that modern stuff! I’m so grateful for The timeless mod by @pandorasimbox and I’m waiting impatiently for more overrides from @simverses. Modders make me sane!

5. Are you more gameplay or story focused?

I have a draft for my story, but it’s not written in stone. So things might happen in game that make me re-write the draft! 😁

6. Do you like to play with pets in your historical saves?

I love the pets, BUT, they are such a pain in the what-ever to control, so I usually keep them out of my main family. And historically ordinary people didn’t have pets like we do now anyway. They were working animals with a purpose, and usually kept outside. They definitely didn’t sleep in the bed! Unless you were very rich and had a lap dog just to warm those sheets...

7. What’s your biggest immersion breaking pet peeve with the game?

Apart from game bugs and app problems 😡 it’s the insane amount of time I’m using to control NPCs and Townies. I have several mods that helps, but I still spend (too much) time with them. And then there are the modern background stuff, buildings, bridges, boats, trams or whatever. Hey TwistedMexi we will be dying for that CAW-thing when it’s finished!

8. What’s your favorite in-game historical item? (CAS or BB)

“In-game historical item”? Is there such a thing? Well to be fair, the Jungle pack has some build elements, as do the Outdoor pack. I also use some timeless CAS-items, and I appreciate the meshes, so I can recolor them. (If I knew how to use Blender I would go bananananas!) Apart from that I consider the game to have a 100% modern style. Even the “historical” clothes are best for use at costume parties in a modern save.

9. What would you like to see as a new pack or asset to the game?

HORSES!! Dear Sims God, please please please let us have horses. 🙏

10. What pack do you think is invaluable as a historical simmer?

I really couldn’t say, I mean you come a long way with mods. I could name a few that is totally dispensable though! Even so, I have them all, so...

11. Do you have a favorite mod to enhance historical gameplay?

If MCCC and TwistedMexis mods are not updated I would rather not play at all, but for historcal gameplay I would say Fashion Authority by Lot51, and the earlier mentioned Timeless mod.

12. What’s your ideal family size for playing?

I like big families and I wish we could have more than 8 sims, which really isn’t that much when you think what families looked like historically. (16 children? - Bring it on!) I know you can fix that with MCCC, but if you are like me, going in and out of CAS all the time, it is too much of a hassle.

13. Do you use poses?

Yes. Not as much as you might think, because I try to use the animations and expressions in game a lot of the time. But for bigger “events” you can’t tell the story without poses IMO.

14. Do you use any overrides in your game?

Absolutely! I try to limit them, but this modern stuff is too annoying sometimes.

15. Do you, or did you, play off-the-grid during your game?

I have done it, but after a while the charm faded and I found it just annoying. So I cheat. I have fridges looking like jars and TV’s looking like a coffee-sets. My excuse is that I believe people appreciated some things more than today. Like having a good cup of coffee, it would totally fill your fun-bar, right?

16. What lifespan do you play on?

Looooong! And I still turn aging completely off sometimes, so that my sims don’t grow up or dies before I can take the necessary pictures. 😌

17. What inspired you to start playing a historically?

I think it started with Sims 2 and the introduction of genetics. In a totally self-centered manner, I made my great grandparents, to see what would happen. Would there eventually be a me? It was so much fun, and I’ve had a love for historical gameplay ever since.

I was not really tagged by anyone, but I saw my friend @taanoir do it, and it looked fun!

I will not tag anyone either, but whoever feels like answering a whole long list of questions are very welcome to do so! I would love to read them!  💖

[alltimefail-sims]

I dont want to sound rude but I wish youd stick to 1 project. I followed months ago and u seem to work on a lot of different things

This ask is over three weeks old; sorry to the sender that I've just gotten around to answering it.

First and foremost: I'm going to spin this a positive way and say thank you for being interested enough in one of my projects to follow me and inquire about my posting timeline. There are a handful of stories on simblr that I read and personally adore, so it's flattering.

With that being said, this is my hobby. I think of myself as a storyteller first, and I hope everyone who follows me can enjoy and value that enough to look past little editing errors and random (or slow) rollouts. It's kind of crazy to even be getting an ask like this because I do have a good amount of followers (thank you if you follow me, that's awesome), but there are MANY blogs that have a way larger following than me and I cringe when I think of one of them receiving a message like this. Good content takes time. If we're being honest, even subpar content takes time honestly lmao. I think everyone on here is sharing their sims and their stories for the love of it, for a creative outlet/stress relief, and/or for community engagement. Adding a timeline to something like that feels kind of unnecessary, imo. Plus, with the new pack coming and the infant update, I've been wary to go into any of my important saves. I can't afford to lose anything or have anything corrupted, and I'm not going to dive into anything when I know the game is about to undergo a massive amount of updates (and I'm going to have to wait on lots of mod and cc batch fixes most likely anyway).

Since we have opened this dialogue, in the spirit of honesty I want to add that this does kind of sound rude. We both know someone would never ask this off anon. It's just a peculiar demand to make of someone you don't know, and that's probably why you chose to approach this topic with anonymity, right?

Although, I will admit this ask poses a fair assessment: I absolutely do work on other things, whatever I feel like working on in the moment! I get new ideas every day. I'm sure I am not the only blog operating this way? When I really care about something though (like my Strangerville story, for example) I am extra meticulous about it. I'm not going to put out a story I love and am proud of in a half-assed way. I have a lot of learning, world building, and writing to do before that's even remotely ready to roll out. But I am doing my best, and I've shared details throughout the process because I'm excited about it. On the other hand, there are some projects I might try out but they just don't work. For instance, I hated doing the Bachelorette Challenge. It was extremely boring to me, and as much as I LOVE when other people do them, nothing exciting was coming of mine. I feel bad about that a little because I got some wonderful submissions, but this is my blog and I'm going to give myself permission (as everyone should) to only do what brings me joy or what I feel is worth my time. I haven't fully canceled it, but it's on the edge of the chopping block for sure. It's just not my thing, and that's okay. This is a hobby, and I want to spend my time on projects I love. I know follower count is always a big discussion on simblr for some reason, but that's not really why I'm here and I don't feel it is fair of followers to demand one type of content just because they followed for a specific reason.

Sooooo TLDR, I have to keep running my blog the way that works for me. I'm going to work on things as I want to and as inspiration strikes (that might mean I'm working on 5 WIPS at a time). I don't need a perhaps well-intended but nonetheless unnecessary performance review. I do appreciate you giving me an opportunity to explain this, and I ask for opinions frequently, so feel free to share them when that time comes. ❤

[ruethos]

I figured I'd ask cause I've been following you for a while and you post transformers every so often, and I'm finally caving and want to check it out. So I'm curious what you might recommend to start at? (Cartoon-specifc)

Oh boy, okay SO this really depends on what exactly you're looking for in a show, so I'm gonna give you a variety to choose from.

The Transformers/G1: It's silly!! A fun Saturday morning cartoon that doesn't take itself too seriously. The Autobots and Decepticons, caught in their millions year long civil war, crash land on Earth and continue their battles. This is just a vehicle for Shenanigans to happen. You WILL get whiplash from how quickly the first episode changes scenes. 3 full seasons total, season 2 is the best one imo. You can watch it for free on Tubi.

Transformers Animated: not AS silly but still light-hearted. A fun cast with some of the best human characters in the franchise and a great overarching plot. Basically throws out the "in disguise" part and makes the bots heroes in futuristic Detroit. Some of my FAVORITE versions of these characters. 3 seasons and SHOULD'VE had a fourth but Hasbro killed it (something of a running theme in the franchise as a whole). You can watch it for free on Tubi.

Transformers Prime: a more serious take on the franchise that still manages to keep some levity. Small teams of Autobots and Decepticons (lead by Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively) continue their civil war in secret on Earth, vying for control of the energy rich planet. Absolutely STELLAR 3D animation and good character designs. A take on Cybertronian culture that has influenced so much of what has come after it. Middle of the pack human characters, /I/ think they're fine but a lot of people don't. 3 seasons and a TV movie, also got cut short. Season 1 is available on Netflix and the rest is for free on Tubi.

Transformers Cyberverse: I love Cyberverse to bits. Poppy art style that’s pleasing to the eye with a good mix of the 3D animation and 2D effects. I was gonna describe the plot until I realized that uh, it changes? Autobots vs Decepticons, except when it isn’t. Really has fun with the setting of Cybertron (once they get there), and is one of the few series that actually go PAST the war. 3 seasons and season 4 was two tv movie specials. Killed too soon. The only down side is that the episodes 15 minutes or so. I love this show so much. You can watch it for free on YouTube.

Transformers Rescue Bots: actually one of the best shows in the franchise and I am being 100% serious. A team of first responder bots have to team up with a family of first responders and keep the island of Griffin Rock safe while posing as highly advanced non-sentient robots. It's the baby show. Completely new cast of characters with some guest appearances from the heavy hitters (Optimus Prime and Bumblebee). The BEST human main and side characters. There's a musical episode. I honestly love this show so so so much please don't let the art style fool you it's SO GOOD. The only series to get 4 seasons and they are WELL. DESERVED. Also it takes place at the same time and in the same continuity as Prime, which will never not be funny to me. Season 1 is on Netflix, seasons 3 and 4 are available for free on The Roku Channel, but I can’t find anywhere to watch season 2. But, well, there are ways around that.

Transformers Beast Wars: listen. LISTEN. This is the best show in the franchise. Bar none. Look past the goofy late 90′s cg animation. Yes its fun to make fun of but eventually you stop paying attention to that because the show is just THAT. GOOD. Two ships, one full of Maximals and the other full of Predacons (the descendants of Autobots and Decepticons, respectively) are sent back in time and crash land on prehistoric Earth. GREAT characters, wonderful story, introduces SO many things that are still used in the series to this day. I love Beast Wars with literally all of my heart. It’s available for free on Tubi.

Honorable Mention: Transformers Earthspark. This is only an honorable mention because season 1 isn’t even finished yet but what we have of it so far is VERY good. Great characters, wonderful animation, great music, and a lot of promise going forward. I’m so excited to see where this is gonna go.

EDIT: I actually forgot to mention, you can watch most of these for free on the Transformers Official youtube!!

EDIT #2: Added proper summaries for all of the shows.

[physicists-against-prawns]

Sims EP box art

Beating the dead horse/preaching to the choir a bit by bemoaning EA and the current state of the Sims franchise. But rn I’m mourning the loss of artistic direction when it comes to the box art of the expansion packs.

The Sims 4 expansion packs all have the same template which make them look rather bland and doesn’t really create a want for the packs. imo they’re just bad marketing. They all look the same??!?!?!?! I get it’s to make them look uniform. But it has come to the point where each pack has lost it’s identity and it comes across as lazy design.

Same font, same colours. Dare I say, even the same pattern in the background? My favourite pack design is the Snowy Escape. I love the dynamic segments of the box art and how it depicts different aspects of the pack. High School Living and Cottage Living get higher marks because they actually depict a staged scene of the pack gameplay. (I just really like when the box art shows gameplay aspects to get you hyped to play, instead of sims just posing.)

The Sims game who’s EPs most closely resemble TS4′s is TS2. But is still leagues better in terms of box art design to TS4.

Like TS4, TS2 follows the general format of sims posing behind a solid colour background instead of showing staged gameplay. However, I don’t need to tell you that the colour scheme of each pack is different. Each pack has their own unique logo. Another little piece of marketing which helps give the idea and tone of the pack and beats TS4′s uniform text any day. Both TS2 and TS4 have silhouettes in the background. TS4 has the same pattern repeated on every box art, where as TS2 (superiour) has unique silhouettes of SIMS ACTUALLY MATCHING THE THEME OF THE PACK. TS2′s EPs actually look fun and make you excited to play the game.

As always, my bias is TS3. (My introduction to the series and the first video game I fell in love with.) 

I am obsessed with the six triangular segments showing the new gameplay introduced in the pack. (No wonder I prefer the Snowy Escape design to the rest of TS4 EPs.) Also it has the return of the unique logos for each pack! And theme heavy packs like Late Night, Supernatural, Showtime, Island Paradise, Into the Future emphasize their genre through the box art. (Into the Future doesn’t do this as well as the others but that is just my opinion.) Like yessss show that off that is why I want to buy those expansion packs. AND THEY STILL LOOK COHESIVE!!!! Each pack has the same format of the same six segments, same size of logo, same positioning and size of ratings. But the marketing and design teams clearly made each box look unique such that each pack could showcase it’s individuality before you bought it.

Just in the sake of completeness. TS1 has better box art than TS4 too.

TS1 kept a similar style to the base game with Livin’ Large and House Party. (House Party looking like the blue print for TS3 box art.) But even then the art is superiour to TS4 because we see several different sims displaying what the pack has to offer. I feel like the posed stills in TS4′s box art are style over substance. Really only one new feature is presented and if there are anymore they tend to get hidden for the sake of posing all the sims like they are all in the same group. On the other hand, Livin’ Large and House Party gave sims their own space to do what they need to do and show all the new features of the pack. (For the love of GOD can someone explain to me what was added in Get Together, I have never played it and the box art is just Sims taking a group selfie.) TS1 gets a more cohesive box art with the Hot Date expansion pack. Like TS2 the EPs are now colour coded. We also see the Sims demonstrating the new features being replaced with silhouettes. Which I am not as big of a fan of but they are at least unique with each EP and show a variety of new features. (TS4 box art could never.) I also like the unique logos for each pack. (Seriously, making a unique logo for your product is Marketing 101.) The best thing about TS1′s box art is how “The Sims” logo itself changes with each EP. Phenomenal. A fun little detail to spot. Do any of TS4′s EPs have any cool details that make you feel rewarded for noticing? NO! The only details you notice are how much each box art is copy and pasted. Then, the only thought running in your brain is not Oooooohh how cool!, it's omfg how LAZY do you have to be?!. 

In conclusion, TS4 has shit box art. The team was clearly going for a minimalist and uniform look. But the result has robbed each expansion pack of it’s marketable qualities and individuality. It even has made the purpose of some packs unclear. (I’m looking at you Get Together.) Previous entries in the Sims franchise were able to achieve a uniform look with their expansion packs while keeping and advertising what made each expansion pack special. The only thing missing is the minimalist style. (But quite frankly, that is a sacrifice that I am willing to make.) With TS4′s box art it feels like EA stopped caring. Which is (somewhat) out of character because you’d think they’d actually advertise properly so you’d want to buy their overpriced shit.

Anyways, my official ranking for The Sims franchise box art is:

1. The Sims 3

2. The Sims (Livin’ Large and House Party)

3. The Sims 2

4. The Sims (Hot Date and onward)

5. No Name brand products

6. The Sims 4

Thank you for reading this far if you did. I have no knowledge about art and design above a hobbyist so I both lacked the terminology to articulate what I meant and probably misused what I did know. This was more of a rant than anything. I posted to Tumblr because I didn’t know where else to put this.

[dndeed]

Crit Role Miniature Rollout: C3E37 From the Boughs

With Andrew Harshman

An archive and analysis of the minis used on CR.

Wooey what an epic tree! Very metal! -errr, I mean lumber, very lumber! But more on that later. Rad storytelling and mechanics on display in this episode / combat. How many times are they going to have to fight ol’ Delilah B anyway? She just won’t quit!

♬ When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall ♬ [dice roll] and take 5d6 damage, it’s time for Crit Role Miniature Rollout Campaign 3 Episode 37!

The List

Mats by Mars: Shattered Soil Tabletop Play Mat

Dwarven Forge Wildlands Set

Dwarven Forge Mountain Peak Pack

Dwarven Forge Mountain Elevation Pack

Dwarven Forge Wildlands Tree

Real Game FX Fog Monster Fog Machine

Hagglethorn Hollow Sundial

Campaign 3 Party Wizkids Sculpts

Warhammer Underworld Shadespire: The Sepulchral Guard skeletons

Monster Menagerie #07 Specter

Skeleton #45 Lords of Madness

Tomb of Annihilation Skeleton Key / Skeleton

Halloween tree decoration with custom clay sculpting

Excellent question @eldritch_DM thanks for soliciting this answer from Matthew Mercer. Wow, what a crafty dungeon master! Check out them trunk sculpting skills. 

Quite the improvement over the early Campaign 2 swamp troll stump (meaning no offense of course). As I said, a mighty epic tree! The Sun Tree deserves no less.

The Monsters/Villains

Delilah Monster Menagerie #07 Specter Mini image sourced from minisgallery.com

Why does spirit form Delilah look like Imogen’s hair? It’s as if when she lost her hair, it animated into a malevolent wig wraith. This Specter mini doesn’t photograph super well, but it has a certain pop to it in person. Decent miniature choice. But such an infamous villain is deserving of a more loft model imo. If/when Delilah returns, I would expect a custom model.

Skeletons Warhammer Sepulchral Guard skeletons

An interesting skeleton situation in this episode. We have two of the best in the biz appearing onscreen alongside some of the worst. The Warhammer Sepulchral Guards are metal af. Spectacular poses and cast fidelity. With the exception of Campaign 1 final form Vecna, it is a rare occasion that a Warhammer model appear on Critical Role. But here we are. What a delight. The downward swing skeleton is one of my all time fav skellies.

skele-poots Tomb of Annihilation Skeleton Key / Skeleton Mini image sourced from minisgallery.com

Gods awful. Garbage. I own these models, I don’t have the heart to throw them away, but I actively avoid using them on the tabletop. There are so many variations on this figure, what an absolutely waste of plastic.

Skelington Skeleton #45 Lords of Madness Mini image sourced from trollandtoad.com

There is a subtle brilliance to the posing and sculpting of this figure. A certain slackness, jerky, distinctly reanimated appearance to this pose. Also, the skull of this skeleton actually looks like a skull, unlike the skele-poots. This model also comes in an axe variant, which I think I might prefer, because, let’s face it, this sword looks busted. 

See ya next sesh!

#critroleminiaturerollout

[mindsbanana]

Sims 4 dancer job cc

Sims 4 dancer job cc how to#

Sims 4 dancer job cc mod#

Sims 4 dancer job cc skin#

Poses The Sims 4 kpop poses KARD RED VELVET and more. K-Pop Star Trait Sims 4.Ġ8032021 Sims 4 Kpop CC and Mods ALL FREE Hi today I will show you the best cc and mods where you will experience kpop culture in sims 4. Dont forget to check all her downloads if you are really into finding bts hair cc for sims 4 or just kpop mods in general.

Sims 4 dancer job cc mod#

– Kpop Star Career Mod by kawaiistacie Sims 4 This mod adds a rabbit hole K-pop career for your sims. Checking out Kawaiistacies Kpop mod that was re-released this week. Realistic Kpop Career The Sims 4 Mods mp3 download 1872 MB REALISTIC KPOP CAREER. K-Pop Star Mod This mod lets your sims become k-pop stars. Im back with another video for The Sims 4 mods.

Sims 4 dancer job cc how to#

11122020 A detailed guide on how to create a successful Kpop group in The Sims 4 including everything you need to know to get started and to make the group realistic. It brings some realistic gameplay to The Sims 4. 11082020 The Best Kpop Mods for The Sims 4. K-POP STAR MOD Los Sims 4 Mod Review – YouTube. You will start as a nobody and work your way up to becoming a k-pop legend. 26102017 The Sims 4 Dance Animation Sims 4 Dance Animation I found this cute jpop dance animation for sims 4 on tumblr by a user called roundog and though it would be fun to try out. Your sims can choose from becoming a K-pop group member or K-pop star.

Sims 4 dancer job cc skin#

They have different skin toned people in the same country. 30032021 Kuntswollen makes the best sims 4 BTS hair cc imo and has not only made hair for Taehyung but other band members as well. 20042016 I have created 2 traits they are the exact same except they have different names in-game. In this stage you will be building skills and trying to audition to get into a company. K-Pop Star Mod Sims 4 cc freeload Mods Fan made stuff pack Custom content Resource The sims book Maxis Match Alpha Male Female. Kpop Star Career Mod by kawaiistacie from Mod The Sims Sims 4 Downloads. This is intended to be a placeholder until a Late-NightShowtime type of expansion pack is released into the sims 4. Im back with another video for The Sims 4 mods.įlower Chamber Kpop Girls Groups Dance Postures Set V 1 Sims 4 Sims 4 Couple Poses Sims Sims 4 mint tea. I included some footage in my Korean Kpop Girl video but I had quite a bit of leftover footage which I made into another video.

[armoricaroyalty]

hi! do you have any tips for a new/just starting out royal simblr? anything you can tell me is greatly appreciated.

also, one more thing: any tips for how to place/adjust tiaras using the hat slider? i’m seriously losing my actual mind over here trying to position tiaras and i don’t even know if i’m doing it right 🤣 ty!

You know, a while ago I actually started writing a guide for new royal simblr but it ended up in my enormous pile of "projects I'll return to when my free time returns from the war!" Here's some of the highlights.

Know what you want to get out of your story... Are you telling a story because you're excited about the community aspect, meeting new people, participating in community events, and making friends? Are you looking to challenge yourself and grow your skills as a story-teller, pose-maker, or editor? Do you want to dress your sims up in pretty clothes and make them smooch? Figure out what you want to accomplish with your story, and prioritize the parts of it that enable you to do that thing.

...but don't do it for notes. There's a big difference between joining a community to make friends and enjoy your shared hobby and joining a community with the intention of building a following and getting a lot of likes, comments, and asks. We all like it when the numbers go up, but focusing exclusively (or almost exclusively) on the numbers is a great way to kill your passion for your story. Comparison is the thief of joy. Write for yourself, not the audience you think another simmer has.

Start small, start simple. Your story will naturally develop in complexity as you revise your outlines and edit posts. The stories you follow might be packed with intricate drama and lots of moving parts, but they (probably) didn't start out that way. Don't feel like you need to roll out a complicated story with a cast of dozens and extensive family trees...you'll have a hard time keeping track of it, and so will your readers. Some of the best story-telling advice I ever got came from a tabletop roleplaying game manual via an actual play podcast: draw maps, leave blank spaces. Know the shape of your story but leave yourself space to improvise and embroider later on.

Pick a good entry point. Expanding on the point above, (imo) the best way to get started is to have a small core cast with clearly-defined relationships reacting to some kind of status-quo altering event, and then building the plot and world out from there. For example: what happens when the elderly king's only living child dies? Does he divorce his also-elderly wife and marry his 20-year-old sidepiece in the hopes of producing a new heir, or does he reconcile with his estranged brother and declare him heir? That's a cast of four (five if you count the dead son) with a lot of baked-in drama and intrigue. Readers are going to want to know what happens next. I want to know what happens next. Someone write this story and send it to me.

A lot of the rest of the guide I have drafted is just me tiredly making a case for making sims who don't look exactly identical, so I'll save that for another day.

ETA: no tips for the hat slider, sorry. i’m constantly fucking that one up, too.

[cluelesskitten]

My unasked for opinions on Queendom 2, round 1:

This is going to be a long post. As a whole, I thought the performances were pretty underwhelming. I felt that some of them tried too hard to do something high concept or tried to put too much into the performance, and lot of them had kind of shaky vocals or we couldn’t really hear them sing.

I rewatched a few of the Queendom 1 performances and what was so great about them is that they felt easy, and the groups seemed confident in their abilities. Take Mamamoo for example, their opening performance was one of my favourites. They had a big opening, and followed it up with confident vocals. They played to the audience and they looked like they had a lot of fun. They included the props towards the end for a big finish, and it was a good cohesive performance. Gidle as well, they picked a concept that fit the song, they had a clean dance break that fit the performance and they didn’t let the back up dancers outshine them. In general, they didn’t try too hard to stand out and performed to the audience.

Back to Queendom 2, the only performance that I felt was on the same level as any of the Queendom 1 round 1 performances was Hyolin. She deserved that first place. Girlie served vocals, dance and charisma. She made it look easy. She picked a theme that fit the song and it felt like a party. She played to the audience and she slayed. And I’ve never listened to a Hyolin song before, so you know I’m not biased towards her.

Viviz did okay. I liked the concept, though I would have liked it more if they somehow went from a GFriend song to a viviz song to signify moving on. I don’t think the props added anything. Upon first watch, I was moved by the nostalgia. Watching it again, all three of those girls were kind of lacking in energy. Maybe they were relying on their song choices? Idk. It was just a bit forgettable imo.

Kep1er definitely felt like they were trying too hard. The concept was kind of basic but equally, they packed a lot into the performance. I think they were so eager to prove themselves that they kind of tried to fit too much into one performance but didn’t really do anything at the same time, if that makes any sense? Like, they went from sharp and moody to cutesy and sweet without any indication in the music. They tried to use the entire stage, but it felt like they felt like they had to use every single inch of the stage when it wasn’t necessary? I think their inexperience in performing on large stages was pretty clear. Yujin was great though, her years of experience are clear in performances like these.

WJSN really disappointed me. Their vocals were shaky, at best, and they did seem off. Obviously, the prop breaking and the stage being slippy threw them off. But we, as the audience, shouldn’t be able to tell that something went wrong and I think we could tell that something was off. I didn’t really get the concept. I think they should have finished in a lower rank than they did. They knew they didn’t do well though. Even if they didn’t show their post performance break-down (which I hate when they show that), they were very sheepish in the self-evaluation and they seemed genuinely shocked to have placed so high.

Brave Girls are another group that tried to do too much and ended up being style over substance. The props were totally unnecessary. The drums at the start could have been great if they were all playing them as an introduction, then the lights could have gone down and they appear at the front of the stage. That would iconic. But the drums, and then the sticks, and then the fabric with the walk, walk, pose, it was doing too much and saying so little. They had all these props and didn’t really do anything with them. Not all performances need a dance break, theirs went on a bit long. But I did like the transition into rollin. I appreciate them singing live, and the vocals were fine overall but I thought the lead singer was a bit shouty. The one with the turquoise mic though had great stage presence, I liked her. If they had a stronger stage presence as a whole and more cohesive props, it could have been really good. I don’t know Brave Girls, but I’m excited to see what else they bring and I think they should have placed higher, maybe third?

Loona were struggling. It was clear that a lot of them had not fully recovered from covid. Given that half of them seemed to still be ill (they all looked exhausted) they did pretty well! Kudos to them. But when you’re accustomed to energetic, effortless performances from Loona, it’s a bit disappointing to see them struggle. Not only their energy, but their vocals suffered too. Even Jinsoul, who I think is usually the most stable live, was struggling to keep up vocally. Having said that, if they were healthy, and if they managed the vocals, this performance could have been amazing, rivalling Hyolin and even some of the best of Queendom 1. It’s a shame covid took them out like that. I’m excited to see what they bring when they aren’t sick.

To summarise, I found round 1 disappointing, the exception being Hyolin who was fantastic. I hope they all bring more energy and confidence to round 2 and don’t keep on trying too hard to re-invent the wheel.

[stormblessed95]

Hello, this is the fantasy photoshoot concept anon from before! I absolutely love what concepts you did for the maknae line! And I would love to see the concept you wanted too! If they went a little darker, I think it would blow our minds away. I love books too but I haven't been able to read as much as I want due to certain circumstances. If you have time, I would like to see what you have for the hyung line!

Also, please recommend some books you love. My book nerd heart is gasping for air rn lol.

What is one (or multiple lol) thing about Yoongi that you want to talk about?

I adore Stray Kids. The amount of music they have put out and the fact that a lot of them are very catchy is amazing. I've noticed that when Kpop bands put out an amazing first debut song, it is hard to keep up with the pressure of creating a just as good one. And they do it everytime in my opinion. Felix is what pulled me in and he became my Bias Wrecker, while my Bias is Han! I love the dynamics between all of them and I am watching a certain duo because I can see something possibly developing in the future if that makes any sense (don't think anything is happening rn but they certainly look cognizant of the other. So, hmm.) They have good chemistry, imo, and the way the members pick at them sometimes blows my mind. Keeping my eye peeled definitely lol.

Sorry for the rant! I get happy when talking about things that I love. Have a nice day and stay safe!

Ah! This is fantasy photoshoot concept anon! I forgot to add it in, but I would love to see a post on BTS and the media! It would definitely be interesting!

Welcome back! And okay... if you insist, I will also cast the hyung line as some of my favorite book characters. No need to push so hard 😉

Starting with our leader! Not only does he give me all the prince vibes already, he is our leader and I can just see him as this character sometimes (minus the black hair. I feel like RM has black hair the least in the group lol) Namjoon as Prince Dorian from Throne of Glass

Worldwide Handsome Jin. I cannot think of ANYONE better suited to play literal perfection, literal work of art, so pretty he glows.... Seokjin as The God King, Susebron. No lies the Butter photos made me think of this immediately, he was literally glowing he looked so good

Yoongi with blonde hair will sometimes give me Rowan Whitethorn vibes. Also sometimes with his personality too. Also from the throne of glass series. Someone get Yoongi a hawk to pose with for a shoot too, I would literally DIE

And finally, J-hope as one of my all time favorite characters with one of the sweetest and kindest hearts, best smile and essentially the most handsome man in the entire series... lol I can see Hobi as Adolin Kholin from Stormlight Archive. He would slay in that role. I would honestly love to see Hobi with a giant sword too. Plus Adolin and Kaladin (who I did for JK) have the best bromance ever and I feel like that translates to the 2 of them in real life as well lol

And let me just indulge for JUST A MOMENT my love for paranormal werewolf novels (no, its nothing like a/b/o fanfics.... sorry) and do a jikook as Joe and Ox one too. Sorry, not sorry. I love this series too and while they are very different personality wise, I can also see them cuddled up together and with the rest of their bangtan pack too always.

I'm so sorry for all of you who don't care about this at all, but this was so fun for me 🤣😂 You can find the maknae line in my last post about fantasy concepts. Here is the link for that ask with the maknae line characters:

Anon, if you are comfortable enough to DM me you should and I can give better book recs that way! I have lots, just gotta know what you tend to like to read. Same for anyone else who wants any. For now, I did enjoy and love the books I casted the members in. So those were:

Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson

The Grishaverse Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo (i enjoyed the spin off books from this series even more)

Caraval trilogy by Stephanie Garber (spin off staring Jacks, aka Jimin, coming soon)

Throne of Glass series by Sarah J Maas

Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson

Wolfsong by T.J. Klune

And again, if you are comfortable DMing me, I would love some Stray Kids song recs from you as well!

And I will definitely add How BTS is treated unfairly by the Media to my list of blog posts to write at some point 😅

Thanks for coming back and for the super fun asks! I greatly enjoyed them! Sorry again for the hundreds of you I know don't really care lol I did say bookish posts might pop up on this blog every now and then. I did warn you!

[bellatrixobsessed1]

Icy Is The Avatar Of High School; The Essay

I would like to begin this essay with a song. While reading this essay keep in mind that Icy has the exact same energy as this song which (imo) embodies prep & jock with a touch of nerd. No goth tho, press f in the chat.

Wow I put way too much into this. I hope y’all love it.

Okay so lets get into this! We will begin with the obvious one, goth:

*Gestures to all of the snow*

Edit: that was supposed to say show but snow works too.

Next we will talk about Jock.

So think of your typical jock. A stereotypical jock has a few qualities; reckless bravery and determination, large ego, usually at least kind of an asshole, doesn’t know when to quit, craves them gainz, and makes impulse decisions. 

Icy is definitely a very brazen person. It takes balls (and a large ego) to get banned from your campus and then very boldly strut back onto said campus in the middle of dinner while the whole school is assembled. She looked at Lord Darkar, shadow phoenix of the underworld and was straight up like, “yeah, whatever dude.”  Dude is such a jock word. 

So onto determination! Okay look, we have like 7 whole seasons of her trying to take over the world. She was arrested, what? 5 times? She literally doesn’t know when to stop. Give up??? Who’s that??? 

I feel like the large ego thing also speaks for itself she is constantly talking about how she deserves to be Darkar & Valtor’s main witch. She is well aware that her plans are usually fantastic. She just exudes an I’m better than you energy. It’s in her posture, her gestures, her tone of voice. Icy is absolutely certain that she is the shit and in the 4kids version one of her demands to the professors was to stand before the student body and say, “Icy rules, Icy’s the greatest.” *Spoiler alert* she is. I promise that she is not holding me hostage. 

Which brings me to the next point, getting dem gainz! Your average jock is at the gym, drinking protine shakes, and building muscle! While Icy is not in a gym trying to get 6 pack abs, she 100% chases them magical gainz! The dragon fire is just a really hot protine shake.  

In the 4kids version, upon overrunning Cloud Tower, she addressed the student body by welcoming them to her pep assembly. Ya know who else likes pep assemblies? Football jocks. 

Also that whole scene in episode nine (Spelled) where she rallies up the witches and they all chase Musa. That’s like the goth equivalent of getting the entire football team to chase after the nerd (or a member of the rivaling team).

And let’s not forget the ‘nerd run’ from season two where she rode this dinosaur thing and chased Timmy, the stereotypical nerd type. (It’s funny because she doesn’t know that she’s a nerd too). 

Okay so now that we dug deep into jock, it is time to discuss Prep!

I tend to use prep & always wears pink, blonde, mean girl interchangeably. But wiki says; Characteristics of preps in the past include a particular subcultural speech, vocabulary, dress, mannerisms and etiquette, reflective of an upper-class upbringing. Both definitions hold up in my book. 

So we’ll start with wiki’s. Icy (depending on whether or not we’re going with the season 8 retcon) is from an upper-class upbringing. Tbh she’s like Stella but a witch.  Icy is Stella’s goth phase and that’s why Stella fears Icy because she knows that that’s what she could be. I feel like Icy also has the most preppy dress style of her sisters.  Also pretty sure preps are known for being over-achieving perfectionists. Icy was actually pretty good with her academics. 

As for the Regina Gorge type prep; Icy is totally your classic mean girl bully, but make it witchy. I really think that this speaks for itself. It sings for itself too in 4kids OST. One of the lyrics in the Mean Girls song is that they will steal your boyfriend and trash your makeup. If that doesn’t scream prep, Idk what does. 

She reads them magazines. I don’t remember which one but I do remember her mentioning that there was a question posed in said magazine about ‘what would you do if you took over the world’ and apparently she wrote, ‘you’ll find out soon enough, loser’ and sent it in. 

Loser, pixies, nerds, dweebs. Icy has a whole list of mean and petty insults to put in her burn book. Like bye girl. 

Literally all of the Miss Magix contest. That is peak mean girl shit. The Trix literally went to a beauty pageant for the sole sake of making everyone look stupid and to trash on everyone’s fashion and makeup. On top of all of that she did that just because Lucy agreed to do their homework for ???? amount of time. Let’s be real, it was a life sentence.  

Now, the moment you’ve been waiting for! Nerd!

Literally every time she calls anyone a nerd or a loser I wheeze because, girl, check yourself! Prior to getting kicked out (for being a dumb jock), it is heavily implied that Icy, Darcy, and Stormy were at the top of their classes. Like these three were Griffin’s best students. And I am inclined to believe that Icy was thee top student. This woman was an overachiever whether she wants to admit it or not. 

Icy is the plan person. She’s the one who keeps the Trix on task. Though Darcy exudes ‘group mom’ energy, Icy is usually the one to snap at them to stay focused. She’s the organized one  and the one who seems to do most of the scheming. That takes some deep thinking and brain power. She knows how to summon monitors, banish trolls into oblivion, astral project into virtual reality using voodoo dolls, summon nightmare monsters, and summon an army of rot. Like how does she know all of this?  Studying. I almost said that I have no proof except in the Winx comics (this one) she is seen venturing to the library to research dark magic and spells. 90% she has done some extensive research and reading into all of these things because I highly doubt that Cloud Tower teaches things like summoning the army of decay. That was all down time research because this nerd enjoys learning about dark magic. Ya know who else enjoys reading and learning? Nerds. I know, I’m a nerd who loves reading and learning. Just because she likes learning about ~cool~ thinks like dark armies, doesn’t mean it’s not a nerdy quest to know everything about the subject she knows. 

Speaking of which (lol get it, witch), Icy also knows about history. She was the one who told Bloom all about what happened to Sparks and all about the coven. Why? Because that knowledge is floating around in her brain and she chose to retain it. I have a feeling her knowledge of history goes beyond the coven and Sparks too because she also knew that the Ring Of Solaria had fragments of the dragon fire.  She knows too much about this shit. 

I think that her nerdiest moment though, had to be when she solved that riddle at Red Fountain to get the codex. Like you have to have brain power to solve a riddle with the added pressure of being surrounded by your foes on enemy territory. In general her nerdiness just bled through in that season because she was snatching those codexes left and right. 

Also lets get into the fact that she (especially in the comics) has a tendency to humiliate herself, whoops. She managed to get her own (and Darcy & Stormy’s) memories erased, she got them trapped in an avalanche (and then dated a fellow nerd for two seconds and pretended like she didn’t hate it), and she is constantly pulling ‘we’ll be back’ speeches every time she gets defeated. Like seriously this is the evil equivalent of ‘lol I meant to do that’ or ‘haha, that didn’t happen, you didn’t see anything.’ And then she will make her next attempt as if she had never gotten defeated at all. Because losing is for losers and Icy ‘totally isn’t’ a loser. 

And honestly what’s more nerdy then prattling off your entire evil plan? Like this is her trying to flex her intelligence. 

Let’s not forget how she had her nerdy fangirl moment. She simped for Darko for like two or three whole comics. Like full on simping over here. If she could have bought a T-shirt with Darko’s face on it, she would have. Bonus, he was her childhood crush.

And finally, I am also very  inclined to believe that Icy is the fake it until you make is sort. With her it’s all about presentation. The only thing that saves her from being an obvious nerd is confidence. I touched on this with the whole ‘you didn’t see anything’ bit. But legit, pretty much everything she does would be kinda nerdy if she didn’t make it look good. 

Please feel free to add if you think that you have more examples of Icy being a nerd. 

[mermaidsirennikita]

thoughts on the emmys?

--best actor in a drama/best drama went about the way I would have wanted and predicted... It was The Crown's best season, Josh deserved (so did Gillian)... I adore Olivia but I find it very weird that she won over Emma for that season, tho. The material just wasn't there? But Emma will have more opportunities, I'm sure. In the battle of the Hollywood Blondes, they're my current longevity pick (along with Florence Pugh).

--along those lines, I adore Tobias Menzies but damn he also lacked the material. Philip and Elizabeth really were not the focuses of s4... at all. and similarly to how I feel that Olivia should more rightfully have an Emmy for Fleabag, I feel like Outlander should've been the show that got Tobias an Emmy--though, to be fair, I think he destrooooyed in s3 during that weird little "Philip wants to go to the moon" ep.

--I think Tobias and Olivia winning for seasons that didn't serve them also just highlighted how... Like, this was really diverse spread of nominees. Not just in terms of racial diversity--Mj Rodriguez's win would've been historic (and more deserving than Olivia's, imo--Mj has always been fabulous on Pose) and Emma stands out as an openly queer, nonbinary actor nominated.

--But in general, the fact that Michael K. Williams lost after the Emmys most def used his death for publicity.... shades of Chadwick and the Oscars, and it's ugly every time.

--Damn, the way that old white guy who brushed off the music so arrogantly to continue his monotonous thanks (compared to Michaela Cole spending 1/8 of his time and saying 80000 x more) really does sum up the entire tone of The Queen's Gambit, huh?

--Seriously though, did they.... ruin people's chances of watching the show by being like WE MAKE CHESS SEXY??? Or are people now waking up to the fact that it's an asinine show because the female chess player they borderline slandered pointed out that it's an asinine show lmao

--As I've made clear, I think Anya is a hack (not to be confused with the apparently funny show HACKS!) so watching her lose to Kate Winslet was funny. Like, I have my issues with Kate, but the Twitter stans bitching and moaning about how this was bought and paid for!!!!

--I didn't get thru Mare. I would've preferred Lizzie won. But.... I wasn't surprised when she didn't. Anya and Lizzie were reported to be neck and neck for a while, both are newer to the game, younger, bouncier, cool girls who'd split the Younger Bouncier Cool Girl vote while Kate Winslet is a fuckin' legend lol. And when a movie legend comes to town to do a sober TV drama ANNNNND does an accent??? Girl, it's over. Pack it up and give it to Kate. The Emmys love it when a movie actress does TV.

--Spending an early childhood in Argentina does not an interesting actor make, and while I'm sure she will convince someone to give her an Emmy someday, that day was not.... last night.

--Was amused to see HACKS! prevent a Ted Lasso sweep, as I'd never heard of that show before.

--Cedric's hosting was really bad

--That's all

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #407

“sugar pop, sugar pop, baby here i come, straight to #1″

Do you follow any special diet? (dairy free, vegetarian, gluten free etc.) No. What’s your favourite summer activity? Swimming is all I really enjoy about summer. Who was the first person to break your heart? It wasn't in a romantic sense obviously, but my dad. First band you obsessed about? I've only ever *truly* been obsessed with Ozzy Osbourne as a band, haha. First place someone took you on a date? I want to say a local skating rink. It was a group thing. How many doors are in the room you’re in? Two, if you include the closet door. Has anyone ever drawn a picture of you? Yes. Do you have any nieces or nephews? Quite a few. Which movie villain do you find the most terrifying? Well, if you've seen the scene where Pyramid Head literally rips a woman's skin off like a sheet in Silent Hill... u kno. I genuinely do find him to be a terrifying monster though, all bias aside. Humanoid monsters with ambiguous faces unsettle me. I wouldn't want that knife swingin at me, either. Do you get grumpy when you’re hungry? Yuuuup, I sure can. Do you stick your tongue out often in pictures? I have done that maybe twice in my whole life. Which one of your family members are you closest to? My mom. If chocolate was an illegal drug - would you be a drug addict? Nah. I'd be able to survive if it was illegal, but it would suck. Are you proud of your parents? Yes in some areas, no in some others. There are things both have said and/or done that I can't say I'm proud of them for, but overall, I am. Do you say “soda” or “pop”? "Soda." Are you shy about singing in front of people? YUP. I just don't do it. If you could get backstage tickets to ANY concert - which would you pick? Ozzy. :') It'd be fantastic to tell him thank you for his music that has always brought me joy and comforted me, and also let him know for sure just how strong he is and that it is absolutely not overlooked to still be nailing out an album while fighting Parkinson's. I'd probably start blubbering like a baby while rambling at some point, haha. Which is better: orange or grape soda? Orange. I don't like grape soda. Do you sleep with a sleep mask? Well, you could sort of call it that, ha ha. I have to wear an APAP mask to subdue my sleep apnea that causes wild nightmares/terrors. Do you like techno music? It's actually grown on me the past few months. Have you ever been drunk? No, I've never quite reached that point. I've only been tipsy. Are you mad at your best friend right now? Nope, got no reason to be. Do you know anybody with a pet snake? Yes, including myself. Is there any drink that you absolutely MUST drink cold? WATER. ABSOLUTELY WATER. I canNOOOOOOT do room temperature water anymore. It's gotta be pretty damn cold for me to drink it like it's nothin'. Have you ever painted anybody's nails aside from your own? No. Do you ever donate to the less fortunate? Mom likes to donate our old clothes and stuffed animals. Did you buy an American flag after 9/11 to put on your car/house/ whatever? I was a little kid when this happened, so. I don't know if my parents did. Honestly, do you have any Hilary Duff on your MP3 player? HA, I do. I love "Who's That Girl." When was the last time you had an ice cream sandwich? Wow, probably years... I really, really want one now, ha ha. Have you ever caught a friend cheating on their bf/gf? Well, my sister's friend, anyway. I was just sitting on the computer in the living room and there they were on the couch just casually making out. Do you enjoy doing math? Fuuuuck no. Do you think your mom has secrets she’s never told you? Oh, I know she does. There are things she's done that I know I have plenty of missing details from, but I don't ask because I know they're sensitive subjects. Do you own anything you don’t want your parents to know about? No. Do you pose in your pictures or just smile? I usually just smile. Do you use scented soap in the shower? Yes. It smells like cinnamon rolls and it is HEAVENLY. Did you ever want to be a fashion designer? No. Who was the last person you danced with? Enjoyable? Ha, Sara. Yeah. Dark or light colored jeans? Dark, 100%. I never wore light jeans. Can you take apart a computer and name all the parts? No sir. Can you take apart a car and name all the parts? That's an even bigger "no." Have you ever purchased a lotto ticket? No. What is the longest amount of time you've spent playing Monopoly? Idk. Have you ever witnessed a tornado first-hand? Thank fucking Christ I haven't. I am terrified of them. Have you ever colored your eyebrows? No. Have you ever taken another person's prescribed medication? Pain medicine, yes. Have you ever played golf (not miniature golf)? No. I'm not interested to, either. Have you ever gotten dressed with the windows open? I definitely don't believe so. Have you ever taken a shower outside? At the beach, yes. If you could call it a "shower." Have you ever been to a junkyard? No. Have you ever watched the History Channel willingly? No. If you could get the cell phone of your choice - what would it be? Probably a current iPhone. Apple is such a rip-off, but damn is the camera good lmao. Do you hand out candy to kids on Halloween? This will be my first Halloween in this house, so I really don't know if trick-or-treaters happen here. Do you like huskies? Love 'em, but I could neeeever own one with all that fur. What do you smell like? I'm always self-conscious over if I smell like sweat because of my hyperhidrosis. I hope not. Do you take your dog for walks? I don't have a dog. I used to take Teddy when he was younger, though. He loved those, but I stopped when I noticed his arthritis kicking in. Have you ever went paintballing? No. Seems stupid to me, honestly... Like that shit seems painful, so like, why??? What kind of movies are you drawn to? Horror and fantasy, mostly. I don't watch movies often. How often do you update your Facebook status? Just about never because I either just have nothing to say or am afraid of saying something stupid. I only ever share posts or pictures that appeal to me. What type of pet would you like to have? A Brazilian Black tarantula. :( I will whine about that until the day I get one, ha ha. I would also really, really like a plains hognose and a woma python. What breakfast are you most likely to have? Cereal. When you're starting to feel sick, you: It depends on what kind of "sick," but odds are I'm heading for the medicine cabinet. What colors are you most drawn to? Pastel ones. :') Light and pretty. What deadly sin are you most likely to commit? Sloth. When you're away from home, what makes you feel at home? "Having my stuff with me, like my laptop." <<<< Same. Do you prefer to lounge in a hot tub or swim in a pool? Swim. How many books do you have out in the public areas of your house? None. Who makes a better burger, in your opinion? Sonic. @_@ What do you like best about the holidays? Seeing my niece and nephew so excited. You think your eyes convey: Boredom, probably. Besides screaming for ice cream, what else do you scream for? If a bug surprises me by being on me. Well, depending on the bug. Do you like fried chicken? Noooo, it is so gross to me. What do you think of belly button piercings? They are SO cute imo. I want one, but I think it would look hideous on me. Maybe if I was actually thinner. Not saying bigger people can't wear belly button piercings, I just don't think it would look good on me. Do you like plain Lays potato chips? They're my favorite! I especially like the ruffled kind. Is there a big screen television in your house? In the living room, yeah. Would you rather no heat in winter or no A.C in summer? No heat in the winter, EASILY. I can't handle no A/C when it's hot. At least if you're cold, you can bundle up with tons of blankets. Have you ever had braces? I did for a long time because we couldn't afford to take them off. Do you do your own laundry? No, honestly. Mom likes to just do it all together, so I let her do it. Which do you prefer: English, Irish, or Australian accents? Irish. Is there anything on your bedroom door? Yeah! I got a "Meerkat Lover St." sign for my door. :') What is the best vegetable? Broccoli. Guys in eyeliner: Hot or not? That shit is h o t. Have you ever seen your favorite band live? No. :( Do you drink water or soda more often? Ugh, soda. Did you collect Pokemon cards back in the day? I didn't deliberately, but only because I was awkward about asking for Pokemon stuff because I thought people thought I was weird for being a girl and being obsessed with it. I think I got one pack. I really, really wish I'd been less self-conscious about that passion. Pet turtle: yay or nay? I'm personally not interested. Did anyone famous come from your town/city/school? Yeah, but I'm not sharing who. Have you ever seen a celebrity on the street? No. Have you ever pretended to be sick? To avoid school sometimes, yes. Can you ice skate? Never tried, too scared to. The blades terrify me. Do you have your nose pierced? No, but I want to have it redone. Do you loooove Tim Burton movies? I sure do! What arcade games do you like to play? I haven't been to an arcade in forever... but I liked the racing ones. What's the most expensive gift you've ever gotten for someone else? I'm not sure. Would you rather spend a whole day with your mom, or your dad? At this moment, probably my dad. We haven't hung out in a long time. What would you say if you found out your last ex was in a relationship? I'd be happy for her and tell her she'd better let me know if the person ever fucks up so I can kick some ass, ha ha. Are you easily confused? Very. I'm slow to understand things. Where was your MySpace/Facebook default taken? My bedroom. Can you whistle with your fingers in your mouth? No. I've never understood how that works. Do you like peanut butter? Love it.

[stormskates]

Rika Kihira - Kung Fu Piano Program Review

Choreography by Tom Dickson

The Concept

The art of figure skating meets the art of kung fu. The program is a nod to martial arts and all its beauty, strength, and power. That’s pretty much it, short and sweet. Concept brevity is ideal for a program performed under three minutes.

The Music

Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascends is a remix arranged by The Piano Guys. It takes from the score of the Kung Fu Panda movie, highlighting the track Oogway Ascends in particular, and arranged it with Chopin’s Prelude No. 20, aptly nicknamed the Funeral March. (source) In the film, the music plays when (as the name suggests) Oogway passes away in a scene of peach blossom petals carried by the wind. 

The piece emulates the sound of traditional Chinese stringed instruments. I think of it as one of those pieces very suitable for skating since it has variations in tempo that can be complemented really well with good choreography — which, in this case, it does. 

The Choreography

(All the GIFs for this post were made from Raykey’s wonderful annotation video. Give it a watch!)

Kung Fu Piano was performed in Rika’s last season in juniors (2017-2018), and around this time, all jumps in the second half were given bonus points instead of only the last jumping pass, so the composition of elements is quite different from what we see these days.

For comparison: KFP Layout: LSp - 2A/3A - StSq - 3F3T (x) - FSSp - 3Lz (x) - CCoSp BIB Layout: 3A - 3F3T - CCoSp - 3Lz (x) - FCSp - StSq - LSp

While the KFP layout puts jumps in the second half and BIB puts them in the first half, both layouts are designed to cater to the rules set at the time. 

The choreography nods to martial arts in several moments. This is still figure skating, though, and not every movement will directly replicate the one it’s in reference to. For example, this side lunge at the beginning of the program:

—alludes to the drop stance commonly seen in martial arts like wushu and kung fu. In actual martial arts practice, the position is much lower, though it is not necessary to fully replicate this on ice. 

Here’s another example:

The position before the inside Ina Bauer is loosely reminiscent of the eagle stance in wushu:

(source) 

Notice how the position of leg left is different to help maintain the right leg’s glide and flow on the ice. Not that she can’t do it, of course, but it’s also just unnecessary to do the exact pose for a split second and sacrifice the skating (which matters much more) in the process. 

The arm position is different, too, but this is more of a congruence with the skating than the martial arts, as they face the same direction before and after the movement.

There aren’t frontal high kicks in this program, but there are a couple of kicks, like this side kick with a straight leg before her Ina Bauer leading to 2A:

or this one in the middle of her step sequence that loosely resembles a hook side kick mixed with eagle arms:

(source)

There’s also a reference to the backward hook kick in her glide after the opening layback spin:

There’s also a few lunges mixed in the choreography. I like this sequence from the StSq because it reminds me of the fist lunge in karate:

—while this one is a side lunge with crossed arms block:

Speaking of blocks, I love the allusions to blocking motions littered throughout her step sequence. (Again, these aren’t direct replications since the choreography is designed for a figure skating performance rather than a martial arts exhibition, but you can see the similarities from several references like this or this.)

I’d say the most recognisable pose throughout the program is the kung fu salute which she does near the beginning and at the end of her step sequence:

Tom Dickson did a really good job making the sharp movements look so fluid. I love how unusual all these movements look in dance and how they accentuate the music notes while complementing all the steps. The pattern of the step sequence is unusual, but it highlights Rika’s multi-directional skating and her vast range and control of movement.

I would like to also add that this program has some of my favourite transitions she’s ever done. I love the arabesque spiral to layback spin, the Ina Bauer to 2A, and the spread eagle - edge change - rocker - choctaw - crossed step to 3Lz. I’d say this is less packed compared to BIB, but a beautiful and theme-fitting composition all the same.

Personally, I think this is one of the programs that best captures Rika’s personality and spotlights her strengths. It’s a really good step-up from her Tzigane short program from the previous year, which imo is also good but definitely more conventional in terms of choreography. Kung Fu Piano was a great vehicle for her to demonstrate her skating skills, performance qualities, and her technical proficiencies. It’s energetic and graceful, much like Rika herself. While the next season is very much up in the air, I wouldn’t mind watching this all over again.