#not perfect but still pretty decent by my current standards/skill level

[captainhysunstuff]

An intimate neck smooch that I was pretty satisfied with~.

[ukaiknowsbest]

Review: Tamayomi

[will contain spoilers]

Lately I have been pretty bored with the recent developments in Daiya no A and Oofuri. New Shonen anime stuff just don't appeal to me, so I bit the bullet and watched Tamayomi for at least one episode a day.

Like me, people would normally think "HOW TF ARE THEY GOING TO PLAY BASEBALL? AREN'T THEY WEARING SHORTS??? IS THIS JUST FANSERVICE?? OMYGOD"

But I did it. I watched the whole thing. 12 episodes.

And I enjoyed it.

THE SETUP/PLOT

pretty standard fare

Pitcher Yomi Takeda accidentally reunites with her childhood friend who's actually a nationals-level in middle school catcher when they both end up in the same highschool.

School: former powerhouse located in Saitama, now baseball club is almost non-existent. Yomi and a few other will try to revive the team from scratch.

Basically Shin Koshigaya is a brand new team where they struggle to look for new members and majority are first years.

They have to face other stronger teams even when they have a few members and some decent players.

Demographic is SEINEN (like oofuri, last inning, one outs, etc.)

CHARACTERS

Yomi Takeda as Main character and pitcher- skilled, resilient, funny, hardworking, does a lot of research which enabled her to perfect her form and hone her breaking ball. She keeps improving in a good pace too.

Tamaki Yamazaki former childhood friend of Yomi. Is a decent catcher in middle school. A bit well known. Good communicator.

Yoshino - team manager and coach. srsly she is a boss. She's not infallible but she tries her best.

and other decent players with adequate skill

For a sports anime they have decent cast. This is probably the closest we can currently get of a story where the girls are just focused on the sport, do their own strategizing/planning/training. All of them are cute but also serious about what they do.

There's no boys here so there's no talk about het-crushes and other distractions. It's a clamfest babyyyy.

I've seen a little of Major 2 (the one abt the son and his coed team) and I couldn't stand it because it was just slice of life in sportsy undertones.

There is also decent communication among all the players. It's pretty refreshing to watch. The catcher is well rounded and the pitcher is good. Everyone talk things out and there is not a lot of drama.

FANSERVICE

Wearing shorts to a sport that involves a lot of making contact with the ground is just illogical lmao.

Their school uniform skirt is pretty short

A little bit of their manager prodding the thighs of each person she meets but with good reason (she can tell how much muscle/exercise a person does just by a little prodding). It's a trope thing.

That's all. There are no panty shots, unnecessary locker room nudity, boob action, see through sweaty shirts. Most of the cringy things I've seen in other girls sports anime aren't present.

Eventually I even forget that they're wearing shorts or that it impedes their performance. It seems like it doesn't matter much to the characters so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I don't know if like the hugging or holding hands is considered fanservice. In my experiece we ladies just act like that irl. What they do is nothing out of the ordinary.

REALISM

3/5. They wear shorts and dont tie their hair up. The baseball part seem pretty decent though. The pacing of the story and matches was like watching IRL Koshien. It's all very clinical and straightforward.

Plus they include a lot of interesting baseball stuff which I haven't seen happen in early stages of other shonen anime like: specifically training the pitcher in other positions, showing what fielders yell to each other, letting other relievers start to reserve their ace (ppl can yell DnA did this but remember Tanba was injury boy throughout Act 1).

COMPARISON TO OTHER BASEBALL MANGA

based on technicality Tamayomi is prolly one of the top among baseball anime/manga I have seen.

Last Inning

Oofuri

Tamayomi

Daiya no A

Now don't chase me with pitchforks because of this ranking just yet. The fact that Shin Koshigaya coach's decisions and reasonings for plays and lineups are discussed makes the show at par with Last Inning and Oofuri. (we dont see DnA kataoka talk abt this sht like..ever)

Moreover Tamayomi has similar vibes to Oofuri/Big Windup but less dramatic. I do not think it's good for beginners too (especially with just 12 episodes). You need to have prior baseball knowledge to understand what the characters were doing.

However, this show is probably the most no-fuss baseball anime/manga I have watched. It does not rely on hype like DnA and it also don't have heavy topics like Oofuri and Last Inning. It's not wacky like One Outs and it's not uber slice of life like Cross Game. It's just baseball.

My minor complaint is that they don't give numbers when talking about things like pitching speed tho. It would've been more realistic if actual numbers were dropped XD

ART/ DESIGN/ANIMATION

A.k.a the thing most viewers complain about.

Character design is subpar. Everyone's faces are almost the same. You can tell who's the character not by face but by hair and height. Personally I don't mind this. I don't really look for realism in most things I watch. And I think the hair designs are cool.

Lots of people drop this show because of bad animation. There are shots/scenes where it's like I'm watching fanmade AMV's in nicovideo/youtube from the early 2000's. Pitching motions and Batting motions look like character movements in rpg games.

It's not really a problem for me though. I think it's charming for some reason. I don't mind it. A lot of people do but I'm not them.

CONCLUSION

NGL I wanted more. 12 episodes is too short. I hope a better animation company picks this up. I'm rewatching the whole thing because I enjoyed it a lot. I'll even check out the manga if I have time.

If anyone's interested here's my tamayomi livetweet thread

This is one of the closest thing I could get to what a decent girl sports anime looks like. If the character designs, art, animation and the uniforms were just better this show would have gone pretty far.

Compared to Shonen types of manga this was relaxing to watch, especially before bed. I'd honestly recommend it you wanna watch smth that doesnt involve a lot of feelings and drama but still feel like watching an actual sport.

Girls are fun. Finally.

[personal notes under the cut]

I get that people reading this would think I'm being too optimistic about a show they considered shtty but I kid you not, I dropped Bakuten (boys gymnastic's anime) coz even with it's wonderful animation i thought it was boring af.

I have dropped so many prettily animated shows coz i just cant get into the characters nor the story.

I've also said before in my Two Car review that I am actively avoiding shows with popular VA's. Idk much abt female VA's in anime, therefore watching Tamayomi was the perfect solution for me.

The reason I like tamayomi so much is that it gave me the same feeling of watching Summer Koshien 2021. I just think an anime that made me remember that kind of feeling was cool.

I'll rewatch hanebado next. wish me luck.

[bambigoose]

Puppy Love - Tyler Seguin

The iron gates look like something straight out of the medieval ages, the intricate detailing never fails to take Mia’s breath away during the day despite their imposing stature. She’d moved into this community by per chance a little over a month ago and the judgmental stare of Mrs. Fredrick glaring at her currently stopped being intimidating on day one. That miserable old women had no problem letting Mia know she didn’t belong, not like she needed to be told, her older Chevy Equinox stuck out like a sore thumb in a neighborhood of range rovers, Cadillacs, and even a few Ferraris. Mia however knew better than to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Her mother was an angel and let her live with her until she was twenty six while she was working the nurse supervisor third shift at the hospital, paying off her student loans, and saving every cent she could with hopes of being able to buy a condo. Mia paid rent of course but it was about half of what she would have paid anywhere else.

Five months ago while searching on Zillow, in bed trying to fall asleep after her shift, her house popped up. It had been posted eight minutes ago and she immediately requested a showing saying she could do it that day while shouting for her mom to call out sick and come with her.

Four hours later, Mia was in love. It was a perfect little two bedroom house with an extra room in the basement that could make it three. Her mom had turned the house upside down searching for a reason it was on the market so cheap besides the fact it was about four times smaller than the average house on the street. Finding nothing despite checking every crack and crevice throughout the entire house, both Mia and her mom had their excitement grow. While having a discussion with the relator about the previous owner who passed suddenly at their summer home in Minnesota and their children were just trying to close everything quickly. Mia immediately put in the offer.

She met Mrs. Fredrick three weeks later while the woman continually walked her fancy poodle with her nose in the air around the entire street. Clearly she had less of a problem with the people moving in a little further down the street on the same day. Clearly they had money, based on the two moving trucks and friends luxury cars helping them move in. Of course according to Mrs. Fredrick his ugly dogs would be a problem in the neighborhood, but that was minimal crime compared to Mia moving in with only her three best friend’s and mother’s older cars.  Her nose went even higher seeing them unload a lawn mower, “You’re lawn will never meet the standards of the neighborhood.” The evil witch of the west finally disappeared after Mia just shrugged and stared her down.

Now she just took satisfaction watching her face scrunch up every time she pulled through and waved at her. She could only imagine the rumors she spreads about her being gone all night long most times. Pulling into her driveway, with her decently up kept lawn, Mia placed her head on the steering wheel and sighed. It was a long shift last night and in typical fashion she put off grocery shopping until the very last minute, forcing herself to have to go this morning in order to eat at some point today.

Stepping out of her car, Mia mentally debated whether to just lie down on the couch in her scrubs or expend the energy to walk upstairs to her bed and change into sweats. Opening her trunk, sleeping on the couch was looking even more appealing staring at all her bags. Resigning herself to making multiple trips, she headed in with the first one full of frozen foods, a habit ingrained in her by her mom. ‘Don’t let the frozen go bad in all this heat.’

On her return to the car she thought she could hear jingling as she past the driver’s door but she wrote it off. Turning around the tail end she was greeted by a chocolate lab whitening around his nose and tail wagging a mile a minute in her trunk laying on the cool spot where the frozen food was had just been.

Mia melted on the spot. “Hi baby! Where’d you come from?” She asked leaning down accepting the slobbering kisses all over her face. Her Golden Retriever used to do the same thing before he pasted, if someone opened a car door while he was outside he’d jump right on in. “Where’s your family buddy?” Pushing down a little hard while rubbing his ears, she got an even more enthusiastic tail wag and a tongue rolling out of his mouth.

“CASH! Where are you buddy?”

She heard shouted out from up the street, as his ears perked up. “Cash, is that your name buddy?” Getting one last lick he took up off the street, “Bye bud!” Mia laughed grabbing the last of her groceries before slamming her trunk door shut.  

**

Daylight savings was the ban of Mia’s existence. All she saw was darkness during the winter months; she might as well as move to Alaska with their twenty-one hours of darkness. A surprising winter blast had hit Dallas the past few days in October so she took a deep breath bundled up in a sweatshirt and scarf. All her winter clothes were still in the attic and she couldn’t convince herself to pull them down just for a few days.

Closing and locking her door she headed out into her usually abandoned street. Tonight though she could hear whispering toward the end of her driveway, “Gerry you gotta calm down bud, how are you still this hyper.” Looking up she could spot a man in what looked like a suit with a dog walking across the street from her house.  The dog appeared to be dragging him along popping from flower bed to flower bed smelling everything. Mia giggled quietly to herself, unlocking her car. The click and lights turning on brought their attention to her.  

The dog was clearly an excitable yellow lab, Gerry she believed it was called. The tail was wagging so hard she wouldn’t be surprised if his handsome suited owner would have a bruise on his knee tomorrow morning. “Gerry no.” The command was useless, Gerry had already taken off across the street at her legs, his poor owner practically running in order to not end up face planting on the ground.  

Mia dropped to her knees and readily accepted the puppy loving. The lab was so excited he was bouncing in place, weaving in between her legs before settling on her feet, head leaned back against her knee with the puppy dog eyes. She continually waved off the apologizes his owner was giving. “Hello love! Aren’t you just the most adorable puppy ever?” Scratching up and down his sides the lab start talking to her. Little yelps and excited yips coming out of him each time she rubbed him down. “Shh… gotta be quiet buddy. Mrs. Fredrick will come out and yell at me and your dad. She already hates me enough as it is.”

“Ahh… you’ve met the wicked witch too”came from the suited man, mischief shining in his eyes eliminated by the street light. Sharing a laugh he reached out with his hand extended, “I’m Tyler.”

“Mia. Would it be offend you to know I prepare to refer to you as the puppy father?”

Surprised laughter left Tyler, his eyes crinkling while his face scrunched up. Mia dropped his hand, not realizing how long she had been holding on. Last thing she ever wanted to do was make someone uncomfortable like that, her anxiety was rising just thinking about it. “Well I’ll just have to refer to you as the beautiful nurse.” He says pointing to her ID badge.

“Your daddy is a flirt Gerry.” She says leaning back down to his level getting a slobbering lick all up her face. “Your dogs clearly enjoy slobbering all over me.” She laughed.

“Dogs?” Tyler questioned, trying to think back if he had meet the cute neighbor before. The boys commented on her every time they saw her. The yard work in the yoga shorts and tank top was a particular favorite of the team, especially when working on her flower beds.

She looked up at him locking eyes, “Yes, Cash visited the trunk of my car just last week.”

Tyler went white, he was sure Cash had only taken off into the woods a bit, not all the way down the street and into someone else’s car. “I am so sorry. I can’t believe he…”

Mia cut him off, “Oh he was a love. Not to worry, my last name isn’t Fredrick, your cute dogs and their puppy loving kept you out of trouble.”

Tyler smirked, “Will the cute dogs and puppy loving be enough to get me a date with the pretty nurse?”

Mia looked down towards Gerry, “I don’t know buddy, should I go on a date with your daddy?” Unbeknownst to Mia, Tyler was actively regretting not listening to Jamie and teaching his dogs silent commands. He was banking on Gerry’s excitement and mentally promising him treats should he get him this date. His hopping paid off, Gerry licked her in the face. “I think that means yes.” Mia laughed. “Well puppy father, my next day off is Thursday, but you have a game the next night. Would it work if we do something before your curfew?”

Tyler’s eyes widened like saucers. “You know who I am?”

“If by that you mean know you’re the man with a ton of puppies that lives up the street and happens to be particularly skilled in hockey, then yes but I mean everyone has to be good at something right?”

Tyler release a breath, “And what are you particularly good at?” he joked.

“Loving on puppies, napping, and walking out on conversations so I’m not late for work.” She counted off on her fingers. “I’ll see you Friday?” she questioned.

Tyler smiled, “Come up around five? I’ll order us in something, that way you’ll stay for the entire time. Can’t disappoint the dogs by walking out on them.”

Mia beamed, “So what you really mean is I get to eat and go on a date with the puppies. You clearly know that way to a ladies heart sir.” She scratched behind Gerry’s ears “I’ll see you and your brothers on Friday for our date buddy and I guess we’ll let your dad tag along.” She waved goodbye, hopping into her car and reversing out of the driveway. Tyler watched her go until the tail lights disappeared.

Mia was finishing up her yard work Friday afternoon, she checked the clock sighing, there was about fifteen minutes before she needed to head in and shower for her date with Tyler tonight. She ran into him the next day and numbers were exchanged. They had been talking all week, him sending her different pictures of the dogs every day with reminders not to disappoint them and Mia was excited for tonight.

She grabbed her water and sat down on her steps with her eyes closed and face turned to the sun basking in the warmth. After a moment she felt something wet against her knee. Eyes opening she laughed seeing Marshall, the only Seguin dog she had yet to meet at her feet. “Did your dad send you down here to remind me about tonight huh?” She leaned forward and scratched behind his ears. Marshall galloped up the stairs and leaned against her side, “You’re just a cuddle bug, those young ones trying you out buddy.”  

Throwing her arm around Marshall she pulled out her phone, muting the music and opening the camera. She flipped the camera around and snapped a quick shot of them. Sending it to Tyler Lost dog?

Jesus, I’ll come down and get him.

Petting his side Mia looked at Marshall, “You wanna go home buddy or should I tell your dad I’m stealing you?” Marshall shook out his body and leaned heavily against her. Mia chuckled, “Staying with me then I guess.”

Nope. He’s mine now. He’ll escort me to yours later :P

You’re trying to steal my children.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

“Come on buddy. Let’s get cool inside the house yeah?” Mia called standing up, Marshall following behind her closely. He was practically attached to her hip. She almost tripped over him heading up the stairs. Sitting down on the edge of her bed she tapped the side next to her. Needing no further invitation Marshall hopped up and curled up almost in her lap. “You keep doing this I’m going to call you cuddle bug.”

Slipping out from underneath Marshall she gave him another ear scratch before heading into her bathroom. She made sure the doors to both rooms stayed open in case Marshall changed his mind and wanted to get her attention to leave. She showered quickly, debating what to wear throughout the duration. It was a first date but it was also only at his house. Her anxiety was spiking slightly in worry. Taking a deep breath she told herself he thought you were cute in baggy ugly scrubs everything else you own is better than those.

Rubbing a towel through her hair, Mia throw it up into a messy bun before brushing her teeth. Deciding just to do light makeup she was finished in just a few minutes. Returning to her room in order to check in her friend she paused in the doorway smiling. People say depressed people tend to have more blankets and pillows on their bed, in which place she must be denying the truth but Marshall does not seem to mind at all. He had all but tucked himself under her fluffy blanket, leaning up against her pillows with the ceiling fan circling slowly above him. He raised his head to look at her with a tiny tail wag when she headed to her dresser. "What should I wear cuddle bug?" Marshall was zero help, he just continued to sit there staring at her.

"So jeans and a tshirt with a pullover sweater sounds good then." Slipping into her clothes she nudged Marshall off the bed. "Let's go cuddle bug. Time to see daddy and your brothers." Mia would swear she saw Marshall sigh the same way older siblings do when resigning themselves to watching their little siblings for the evening. The duo walked up the street together never further than three feet apart. That would continue throughout the rest of the night. Tyler had to fight the dogs in order to weasel his way next to Mia on the couch.

…..

Mia sighed pulling into her boyfriend's driveway. Tyler and her had seen even less of each other lately. The hospital had been all hands on deck as the flu ripped through the area leading to a higher than normal admit rate and the Stars were in the middle of the season. Tyler's coach had harshly called out him and Jamie not to long ago so they were practically killing themselves at the practice rink.

Tyler had tonight off and Mia felt awful cancelling their plans to go out at the last minute but truthfully Tyler was relieved. Both of them could use a night on the couch with the dogs and food brought to them.

Turning off the engine, Mia waved to Mrs. Fredrick who of course was even more disgusted with her and Tyler now that the were dating and committing sins staying at each other's houses most nights. As per usual Mrs. Fredrick stuck her nose back up in the air huffing away with her miserable poodle.

Unlocking the door Mia laughed hearing thuds through the hallway. Pulling her phone out from the back pocket of her scrubs she started recording. The post on Instagram was the most liked of the year. Tyler and the dogs rushing down the hallway all but tripping over each other was one of the most hilarious things she had seen in a long time. The best response to her caption which puppy missed me more was Jamie's posted seconds after it went up.

The one with two legs.

[toxicdogars]

DND!!

Tumblr Meets D&D - Your Muse as a D&D Character

Blue

The last of my builds for this round, we finally get to a Pokemon Adventures character, which means we actually have a heckin’ lot to base this build off of, both from the canon source and from @maskedthief‘s interpretation of her. Blue is the third trainer to rise from Pallet Town, having set out on her journey around Kanto to take part in the league tournament after stealing a Squirtle from Professor Oak’s lab. She’s run into the likes of Red and Green plenty of times, though major moments include stealing Red’s Boulder and Cascade Badges as well as selling him a bunch of fake items. There’s also the raid on Silph Co, where she helped Red and Green knock Team Rocket outa there, even pulling a few fast ones on the mistress of Psychic Types and Rocket Admin, Sabrina. We should also be reminded of her backstory, kidnapped at a young age by a giant bird and raised as one of the Masked Man’s minions. It was there she learned all about Evolution- when something will evolve, how it evolves, how fast it can evolve, etc. These are skills we should be able to translate into some forms of knowledge, which is our first goal. In addition we need to make sure her hands are fast and just as sticky and that she can move fast to wing it outta there. Lastly, let’s try to get some of her Pokemon team represented, with the bulk of them being of the Fairy Type, we should ensure that Blue has plenty of fey influence. Once again, we’ll be using Dungeons and Dragons 5th edition and all books and articles related to it.

Ability Scores

These ventures will use standard array, a set of numbers given as a sort of average stat pool. Feel free to roll for stats if you wanted to use this character, just treat this arrangement as a general order for what stats are most important. We won’t need to bother with multiclassing, so just make sure you use the stat spread as a guideline and you’ll be passing with flying colors. ...Too soon? 

Strength: 8 (Won’t really help us.) Dexterity: 15 (Main attacking stat and useful for thievery) Constitution:��10 (I don’t wanna dump it.) Intelligence: 13 (Need this to be pretty solid.) Wisdom: 12 (Definitely has decent Insight rolls.) Charisma: 14 (Definitely knows how to please people.)

Race

Let’s look at some options here. We could make Blue a Human, since she is one (as far as we’re aware) and get her a free Feat. But I think we can do that juuuuust a little bit better. Know how I mentioned the fey earlier? Let’s actually make Blue a Half-Elf. Half-Elves get the best of Humans and Elves, starting with the typical 30 feet of movement, +2 to their Charisma score (raising it to 16), +1 to two different stats of their choice (bump Dexterity to 16 and Intelligence to 14), and Darkvision out to 60 feet. It doesn’t look very easy to see outta that mask, so she definitely had to see better in low light. Not to mention it’s very handy for a thief. Her Fey Ancestry would also give her advantage on charm saves and she wouldn’t be able to be put to sleep by magic, great for staying away from insomnia and nightmares, eh? She would also get Skill Versatility, gaining two skills of her choice. I’d recommend Arcana for her knowledge of magical metamorphosis and History to cover any research on Evolution already done. As for Languages, she gets Common, Elvish, and a language of her choice. Perhaps Auran, the language of beings close to the Elemental Plane of Air? 

Class and Background

Now, for our thief-y little girl here, I’m thinking that the best way to go is Bard, her About page does mention she’s a good singer, right? Okay that’s a big fat lie and we know it. It’s obvious, she’s a Rogue. Do I even need to explain why? No, she probably stole the reason and flew on outta here. 

Rogues start with a d8 hit die (decent, not the best), proficiency in Dexterity and Intelligence saving throws, simple weapons, hand crossbows, longswords, rapiers, shortswords, thieves’ tools, and four skills from a pretty big list. Of the options listed, Acrobatics, Deception, Investigation, and Persuasion cover her agility and people skills effectively. We’ll get some more skills to aid her thieving from her background. Toss on some light armor, I’d recommend studded leather. As for what weapons to focus on, I’d suggest any Finesse weapon to pair well with her Dexterity. While there’s no real in-character option, but a rapier is pretty stylish and could evoke a sweet masked thief vibe. It deals a d8 + her Dexterity modifier in damage too, making it the strongest option for her. 

As for her background, let’s focus on her time with the Masked Man and call her an Urchin. But since we’re altering it a bit, feel free to rename it Kidnapped Youth or something like that. Take proficiency in Sleight of Hand and Perception to round off her thief-y skills. As I’ve said before, backgrounds also give you access to tools. Her Ditto could be represented early with proficiency in a Disguise Kit while proficiency in the Forgery Kit could make her just as deceptive in writing as she is with spoken word.

This build’s gonna be pretty easy, Rogue from start to finish. We’ll take a look at what Blue gets at each level and discuss ways to make use of them and cover any choices that need to be made. At Rogue 1, Blue gets one of the best things about being a Rogue, a way to make her anime as fuck with incredible skill checks in the skills she uses most:

Expertise: Choose two of your skill proficiencies, or one of your skill proficiencies and your proficiency with thieves' tools. Your proficiency bonus is doubled for any ability check you make that uses either of the chosen proficiencies..

I’d suggest Arcana to make her an expert in Evolution and Sleight of Hand to make her hands as fast as possible. For the record, proficiency bonuses start at +2 and reach +6 by level twenty, so that’s a free +12 in those stats by the end of the build. Pretty dang good if you ask me. Rogues also get their other key feature at this level, which helps them deal more damage in their turn:

Sneak Attack: Once per turn, you can deal extra 1d6 damage to one creature you hit with an attack if you have advantage on the attack roll. The attack must use a finesse or a ranged weapon.You don't need advantage on the attack roll if another enemy of the target is within 5 feet of it, that enemy isn't incapacitated, and you don't have disadvantage on the attack roll.

And lastly our girl Blue gets Thieves’ Cant, a secret language of ciphers and symbols that can carry secret messages. Pretty handy way to exchange secret communications.

Thieves’ Cant: You know thieves' cant, a secret mix of dialect, jargon, and code that allows you to hide messages in seemingly normal conversation. Only another creature that knows thieves' cant understands such messages. It takes four times longer to convey such a message than it does to speak the same idea plainly. In addition, you understand a set of secret signs and symbols used to convey short, simple messages, such as whether an area is dangerous or the territory of a thieves' guild, whether loot is nearby, or whether the people in an area are easy marks or will provide a safe house for thieves on the run.

At Rogue 2, we can satisfy that speedy goal of mine and get a way for her to soar like a Pidgeot compared to the average adventurer:

Cunning Action: You can use your Bonus Action to take the Dash, Disengage, or Hide action. Thanks to the Class Feature Variant Unearthed Arcana article, she can additionally use this bonus action to Aim. When using your bonus action in this way, you give yourself advantage on your next attack roll on the current turn. You can use this bonus action only if you haven’t moved during this turn, and after you use the bonus action, your speed is 0 until the end of the current turn

At Rogue 3, Blue can pick a roguish archetype. Arcane Tricksters gain the ability to cast wizard spells, relying on their Intelligence modifier to enchant and illuse. This means her Intelligence modifier is added to the attack rolls of spells and the difficulty check of saving throws her spells require. She gains two cantrips from the wizard list alongside Mage Hand, and three first spells, two of which must be enchantment or illusion schools with the third being free of that restriction. In case someone doesn’t know the difference, cantrips are simple magical tricks you can pull off at will, while leveled spells require expending one of your spell slots of a level equal to or higher than the spell’s level. Here’s some options:

Mage Hand: A conjuration cantrip that manifests a spectral hand that can be used to do a ton of really small things like lifting small objects, pulling levers from a distance, that sort of thing. It’s like a tiny ghost thing, which would be perfect if Blue ever picked up, say, a Shuppet or something. Especially with the benefits that Arcane Trickster gives her, as you’ll see down below. Dancing Lights: An evocation cantrip that creates lines of multicolored orbs of light, like fairy lights. It does require concentration to maintain them, but it’s still a nice little spell for its effects. Message: An transmutation cantrip that that allows the user to send a telepathic message to someone they point at, and that individual can respond telepathically. It’s like a walkie talkie, or a cell phone. A shitty cell phone. With a range of only a hundred and twenty feet. Disguise Self: A first level illusion spell that will let Blue take on different appearances. This is essentially her Ditto, able to shift her into the likeness of Sabrina, for instance.  Charm Person: A first level enchantment spell forces a Wisdom saving throw on the target, and if they fail they become charmed by her and basically become her bestest friend while they’re affected. A great way to get what she wants if her own natural charisma isn’t enough.  Find Familiar: A first level conjuration spell that has a buncha random rules, that you’re gonna wanna look up, but it basically amounts to the ability to summon a pet that will stick around and help her out. I’d recommend a pooch of some sort, and since this spell can allow the beast summoned to be considered a different creature type, it could be a fey dog. You know. Like Snubbull. 

Also at this level, Blue gains some swanky upgrades to her Mage Hand spell, letting her use it for more rogue-y things. Additionally, her Sneak Attack dice go up to 2d6:

Mage Hand Legerdemain: When you cast Mage Hand, you can make the spectral hand invisible, and you can perform the following additional tasks with it: -You can stow one object the hand is holding in a container worn or carried by another creature. -You can retrieve an object in a container worn or carried by another creature. -You can use thieves' tools to pick locks and disarm traps at range. -You can perform one of these tasks without being noticed by a creature if you succeed on a Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check contested by the creatures Wisdom (Perception) check. -In addition, you can use the bonus action granted by your Cunning Action to control the hand.

At Rouge 4, Blue gets the first of her Ability Score Improvements (ASIs). Let’s take the +2 and put it in Dexterity, bumping that up to 18 for better hit and damage rolls with her rapier and better armor. She also gets another spell, which can be from the enchantment or illusion schools:

Color Spray: A first level illusion spell that releases brilliant light in a cone that blinds a certain amount of hit points’ worth of individuals for one round. It’s not the best way to stall a foe, but it’s certainly in character. It’s a solid use of Flash, which would have been an HM back in the day that I suspect one of her team would have had. 

At Rouge 5, Blue gets another incredibly helpful core feature that makes it a lot easier for Rogues to survive in the midst of combat. And it certainly fits her character, as the Pokemon Adventures trainers aren’t hesitant to get right up there with their foes in battles. In addition, her Sneak Attack dice go up to 3d6:

Uncanny Dodge: When an attacker that you can see hits you with an attack, you can use your reaction to halve the attack's damage against you.

At Rogue 6, Blue gains Expertise in two more skills (or her thieves’ tools) of her choice. Let’s make her social skills even more busted and take expertise in Deception and Persuasion. 

At Rogue 7, Blue gets a spell, which can now be of second level, and another key feature which makes her even harder to hit than she was before, even by some of the strongest spells in the game. In addition, her Sneak Attack dice go up to 4d6:

Mirror Image: A second level illusion spell that functions like Double Team, creating illusory clones that can draw fire, making it harder to hit the real Blue. A handy little technique that I could see Blue making a lot of use of.  Evasion: When you are subjected to an effect that allows you to make a Dexterity saving throw to take only half damage, you instead take no damage if you succeed on the saving throw, and only half damage if you fail.

At Rogue 8, Blue gets her second ASI and let’s use that to max her Dexterity score at 20 for the best hit, damage, and armor modifiers for her level. She also gets a spell from any school:

Thunderwave: A first level evocation spell that blasts a fifteen foot radius around her with damaging sound, a bit like Hyper Voice, which I have no doubt her Jiggly knows. It’s handy to have magical damage, and with such a focus on utility spells this might be the best option for damage if her rapier won’t cut it.

At Rogue 9, Blue gets another Arcane Trickster feature that makes her oh-so deliciously more capable of messing with her enemies. In addition, her Sneak Attack dice go up to 5d6:

Magical Ambush: If you are hidden from a creature when you cast a spell on it, the creature has disadvantage on any saving throw it makes against the spell this turn.

At Rogue 10, Blue gets her third ASI and lets use that to bump her Intelligence by +2 (raising it to 16) for better saves and and hit rolls. She also gets her fourth cantrip and another spell, which again must be from the enchantment or illusion schools:

Ray of Frost: An evocation cantrip that looses a blast of cold energy like some sort of beam or ray of ice. The book says it’s fired from the caster, but I see no trouble flavoring it as tossing out a pokeball to summon a mighty Blastoise to douse a foe with cold water. Some nice damage at range, since cantrips scale up with level, gaining additional damage dice.   Hold Person: A second level enchantment spell that forces a Wisdom saving throw on a foe, restraining them in place if they fail. This is your Whirlpool on Blasty or some sorta weird fairy magic from Jiggly or Clefy. Combine it with Magical Ambush to make it really hard for the enemy to pass the save.

At Rogue 11, Blue gains another spell from the enchantment or illusion schools and another touchstone feature for improving her skills, and let’s just say it’s going to make her a complete monster with the skills she has expertise in. In addition, her Sneak Attack dice go up to 6d6:

Sleep: A first level enchantment spell that uses Sing to put a certain number of hit points’ worth of foes in the area to sleep. This is a little more effective than Color Spray and hits over a wider area, but there are times when blinding a foe may be more useful than simply knocking them out. Regardless, a useful spell to have in her kit.  Reliable Talent: Whenever you make an ability check that lets you add your proficiency bonus, you can treat a d20 roll of 9 or lower as a 10.  

Seriously, consider this for a second. A Sleight of Hand check from her at this level has a bonus of +13 (5 from Dexterity, 8 from doubled proficiency). That means the lowest she can roll on a Sleight of hand check is 23. Lowest. That’s crazy. And super amazing for stealing her friends’ wallets before casually handing them back to them.

At Rogue 12, Blue gets her fourth ASI and lets use that to bump her Charisma by +2 (raising it to 16) to make her all the more sociable and manipulative.

At Rogue 13, she gets another spell, which can now be of third level. Blue apparently decided that it wasn’t good enough to be stabbing people and casting spells at the same time and decided to make it so she can really fuck up a single person that was getting on her nerves. In addition, her Sneak Attack dice go up to 7d6:

Fear: A third level illusion spell that forces foes to make a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened by some terrifying visage. Why not show her enemies a massive shadowy bird of doom? Oh, they aren’t afraid of birds? Ouch. I suppose ya could spook ‘em with something else though.  Versatile Trickster: As a bonus action on your turn, you can designate a creature within 5 feet of your Mage Hand. Doing so gives you advantage on attack rolls against that creature until the end of the turn.

At Rogue 14, Blue gains another spell from any school and a feature that may not be perfectly in character, but it does extrapolate on how low to the ground her ears can be. And I see nothing wrong with giving characters features that build on their canon:

Tidal Wave: A third level conjuration spell that releases a massive wave of crushing water, dealing bludgeoning damage over a wide area should the targets fail a Dexterity saving throw. This is the best approximation of Blasty’s Hydro Cannon I could find. Blindsense: If you are able to hear, you are aware of the location of any hidden or invisible creature within 10 feet of you.  

At Rogue 15, Blue gets a really handy way to mitigate that lower Wisdom score, something I’d wanted to deal with since the beginning. In addition, her Sneak Attack dice go up to 8d6:

Slippery Mind: You gain proficiency in Wisdom saving throws.

At Rogue 16, Blue gets her fifth ASI and honestly her stats look pretty fine, so let’s exchange that ASI for a Feat, and I’d recommend a way to give her more skill proficiencies- as in the Skilled Feat. She also gets another spell from either of her restricted schools:

Skilled:  You gain proficiency in any combination of 3 skills or tools of your choice. Round off her survival skills by taking Survival, Nature, and Animal Handling.  Invisibility: A second level illusion spell that does what it says on the tin, turning Blue invisible for the duration, as long as she maintains her concentration. Really dang handy, and something I suspect could be possible with Ditty, reflecting the light around them to turn invisible or something.

At Rogue 17, Blue gets another Arcane Trickster feature that makes her the bane of enemy casters. Considering her smarts and her knowledge of Pokemon, it does make sense that she’d be able to put her magical know-how to fuck up other people’s days. In addition, her Sneak Attack dice go up to 9d6:

Spell Thief: Immediately after a creature casts a spell that targets you or includes you in its area of effect, you can use your reaction to force the creature to make a saving throw with its spellcasting ability modifier. The DC equals your spell save DC. On a failed save, you negate the spell's effect against you, and you steal the knowledge of the spell if it is at least 1st-level and of a level you can cast (it doesn't need to be a wizard spell). For the next 8 hours, you know the spell, can cast it using your spell slots, and the creature can't cast that spell until the 8 hours have passed. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a long rest.

At Rogue 18, Blue gets yet another feature that makes her really damn hard to hit. Kinda terrifying if ya ask me, she’s lookin’ more like a DBZ character with how many options she has to dodge:

Elusive: No attack roll has advantage against you while you aren't incapacitated.

At Rogue 19 Blue gets her sixth ASI and lets also trade that one in for a Feat. I’d recommend Alert, so she’s always making use of her skills to keep an eye on things. She also gets another spell from one of her restricted schools, which can now be of fourth level. In addition, her Sneak Attack dice go up to 10d6:

Alert: Always on the lookout for danger, you gain the following benefits: -You can't be surprised while you are conscious. -You gain a +5 bonus to initiative. -Other creatures don't gain advantage on attack rolls against you as a result of being unseen by you. Charm Monster: A fourth level enchantment spell that does what Charm Person does to people but to monsters. it forces a Wisdom saving throw, and if the monster fails they become Blue’s best friendy-wend. Very handy to stop marauding monstrous beastly Pokemon if ya ask me.  

At Rogue 20, Blue gets her another spell from any school, and her capstone feature, and a pretty solid one at that:

Mordenkainen’s Faithful Hound: A fourth level conjuration spell that yes, may seem a bit odd of a pick, but it’s actually kinda nifty. It summons an invisible dog that guards you for eight hours, chompin’ on anything that gets in Blue’s way for 4d8 piercing damage. Now I said that her Familiar could be Snubbull, and I stand by that, so I suggest you use this spell to emulate her Nido instead. The loyal Nidoqueen already behaves like a guard dog, so it seemed pretty dang fitting to me.  Stroke of Luck: If your attack misses a target within range, you can turn the miss into a hit. Alternatively, if you fail an ability check, you can treat the d20 roll as a 20. Once you use this feature, you can't use it again until you finish a short or long rest. 

See what I mean? A once per short rest instant win button. Call it her Dex Holder plot armor if ya want. 

Final Thoughts

Know how I said Clair was terrifying? Blue is just as much, if not moreso. I’ve already talked about just how busted Expertise is and how good it is on someone like Blue, but let’s look at just how many of her skill checks are going to be amazing. There are eighteen skills in the game, and Blue has proficiency in eleven of them. Hell, she practically has proficiency in the hidden nineteenth skill, Initiative! Alert gives her a bonus that’s only one off of her proficiency, so yeah. Not to mention that four of the skills she’s proficiency in will never roll lower than a 20 on the die, seeing as her +12 proficiency bonus stacks on top of Reliable Talent’s ability to turn anything under 10 to 10. That’s just. Really damn good. The few skills she’s not proficient in are just ones she probably wouldn’t need to take anyway. With only seven skills left, her allies could easily handle them. I mean. Yellow definitely has the Medicine and Religion skills covered, both Green and Red have Athletics no doubt. What’s left? Performance? She’s not good at singing. Stealth? Why be sneaky when you can waltz right in and take what you want? Intimidation? That’s more Green’s thing. Insight? That’s more Yellow’s thing. And ah. That’s all the skills left. Yeah. Blue’s a freakin’ skill monkey. And she’s got great damage with her Sneak Attack and plenty of ways to get advantage so she can always get the big damage off. Not to mention her spells make her a threat even at range, mixing in magical damage to boot.

There’s not many cons. I mean… spell slots are a limited resource, sure, but that’s why you gotta be picky about you use them. We also never boosted her Constitution, leaving her with pretty low hit points throughout the build, even with maximum rolls on the hit dice. But that’s why I always say you roll for stats- You’re more than likely going to get a roll you like better to at least get a small bonus. My advice? If you can get a Constitution score of 14 as a Rogue or some sort of caster, then you are perfectly fine as is. And if ya don’t have the Con, Blue still has a ton of ways to avoid damage with all those features from Rogue. Seriously, twenty levels of Rogue makes for a stupidly infuriating game of cat and mouse, and I’m sure Blue would love that.

I hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to tell me how wrong I am with my choices.

[shadowthrone-ammanas]

So the first thing with the tiny Hat Kid/Borrowers AU that I came up with was that originally it was based off of the visual of a mod level I was playing where there was a lantern the size of Hat Kid. I didn’t start it thinking about the Borrowers as “humans but tiny” I was thinking of them as like Hat Kid’s species. 

So when I later decided Mu was also tiny that resulted in having Mu be also distinctly not just a tiny human and it had ripple effects on the borrower species design

So, background details: Most of the characters are still the same. However, the locations are different. Mafia Town isn’t on a little island, it’s on a larger one with both underground-undersea Metro tunnels and shipping routes. There is a large forest- Subcon- and some mountains, the Alpine Skyline, which then have a desert in their rainshadow. 

So that’s all the chapters except Arctic Cruise on one reasonably sized landmass, instead of scattered all over the planet, much more accessable to tiny Hat Kid

I’m gonna put a ‘read more’ right here for the sake of people’s dashboards. I hope that’s okay.

Borrower biology notes: inspired a little bit by ruffs and also my attempts to work out having Hat Kid, Bow Kid, and Mu as members of the same species

3 or 4 sexes in a similar way to ruffs or white-throated sparrows; about all I have pinned down is that Mu’s facial-hair-no-ponytail-and-long-bangs/tendrils/flaps combo is associated with one of them, bow kid’s no-ponytail, no-hair-flaps, no-facial-hair combo is another, and hat kid’s ponytail-and-flaps-but-no-facial-hair is a third (yes this means two of them are trans)

The Borrowers, as they sometimes call themselves, are the result of an incredibly powerful spell a few centuries back. They used to be about the size of humans, before the spell; and pretty much all of them lived on two islands.

The Mafia wanted to move to those islands, so they gathered up all the Time Pieces they could get into one spot on the island and had a sacrificial Mafia member do A Thing involving the time pieces and a great deal of other magical items to remove the islanders; faking a wild magic surge. The result was that as far as the rest of the world was concerned the entire species simply vanished, turned into these tiny little echoes,and also this was much less scary than it should have been. There is still a spot on the island Hat Kid is from that will likely have nothing grow there for thousands of years.

The Time Pieces exploded into much smaller fragments, time shards, which scattered all over the world, and the shrunken islanders started to try to adjust to their new lives. 

Which was made a lot harder by the Mafia moving in; they spread false information claiming that the tiny post-transformation islanders weren’t sapient anymore and were pests, like large mice, to be dealt with with poison and rat traps. 

Some Borrowers start using time shards to power things; others do the dangerous thing of tapping electricity from wires; others use tiny candles and other pre-electric style technology or magic.

Their society adjusts to a world where “eaten by a seagull” is a plausible cause of death, everyone can double-jump, most people can carry more than their own weight, and an umbrella is easily enough to completely stop all fall damage. Square-cube law! Luckily the magic helps keep them warm, but Borrowers still have a faster metabolism than they did pre-spell and need to eat more often. 

Amongst other details, it’s common for a Borrower to end up on their own due to being separated from their clan or having the rest of their clan die. Solitary borrowers don’t tend to last long, so they generally try to get adopted by the first clan they come across, basically just showing up and starting to pitch in; there’s always something to be done.

Also Borrowers are a little more scent-focused than humans, most noteably being more able to notice the scent of borrowers than a human is able to notice the scent of other humans; this is really helpful for lost borrowers finding other clans.

Hat Kid is the kid of someone relatively important in a borrower community on the other island. They treated her poorly/were neglectful, so she ended up falling in with, basically, the local borrower criminals. (Not many places have enough clans living closely enough together to really have borrowers that are criminals by borrower standards; stealing from the taller folk is not considered a crime but rather just survivial, and attacking the taller folk is basically considered lunacy.)

Eventually Hat Kid, at age 11 (okay actually older, like 16 or so, but she maps to a human 11 year old), decided to fake her death and entirely leave her old clan. Due to various shenanigans including her not being out to her old clan, the fake murder, a real murder done by Hat Kid, and paranoia she managed to be accused of murdering herself and got exiled which is a Big Deal. She stole the one local aircraft (that she had helped build) and fled, exploring far beyond her family’s reach (especially now they didn’t have a timeshard-powered aircraft).

In between her ‘ship’, her skills with an umbrella and movement, audacity, and sheer dumb luck Hat Kid managed to live alone for quite some time, eventually landing in Mafia Town due to an incident involving a Mafia with a bugnet, losing the time shards that powered her ship in the process. She meets up with Mu and is like. FRIEND! Sure, I’ll join up with you!

…aaaaand then Mu wants to use the time shards that powered Hat Kid’s airship thingy to hurt the Mafia more. And Hat Kid is like, no, no I need those. Result: Mu leaves in a huff, Hat Kid is alone again. 

Hat Kid’s ship, by this point, has been repaired enough and has enough time shards to fly a little, so she goes and recklessly lands on the local above-ground train and hitches a ride, ending up at Dead Bird Studio. Grooves finds her and is like, this borrower-mouse is wearing decent clothing and a hat. Whose escaped pet is this.

Hat Kid is semiverbal but definitely literate and manages to get her hands on a writing implement and explains that she is nobody’s pet. The Conductor and Grooves decide to hire her for movies.

Directors: a sapient borrower-mouse who wants to be an actress and is actually good at it just when we need a new actor and fresh movie ideas! Perfect!

Hat Kid: This weird clan has lots of infighting and mostly trades in movies? I get to be adopted and to use my skill in acting for things that aren’t lying to people? Perfect!

So that’s a good month or so for Hat Kid, with the culture clash never being clarified, whoops. Both the Directors think Hat Kid is going home to her family when really she’s doing stuff like looking for that time shard she thinks might be present or fixing up her ship more or getting food that isn’t provided by the Directors. (At least they recognize that providing lots of snacks to the tiny child is a good idea.)

Then the movies (both of them) are finished, and the directors are like. Thanks for working with us. There’s no more movies for you, kid, stop showing up to filming there’s no more filming involving you. (Grooves never really started seeing Hat Kid as fully a person and is pretty cruel about kicking her out from his side of the studio, too.)

In the Director’s culture: “Seriously kid contract is done, the movies you starred in have no more filming, wouldn’t mind working with you again later but uh we are not currently working on a movie right now why are you here?”

In Hat Kid’s culture: “We’re exiling you. Again.“ 

So she goes to Subcon Forest. Yes, this is stupid and risky. Hat Kid does not care.

Snatcher sees this absolutely tiny person and is like. You’re too small to be a threat. Also too small to have a soul worth the effort of eating it. 

So he hires her to do stuff like detail work on repainting the Subconites’ houses and other stuff a tiny person can do. 

He proceeds to assume she’s being cuttingly sarcastic when she calls him "dad” or “dadcher”. Instead of 100% serious. (Her perception of this as an adoption is helped by Snatcher making an effort to dig out old books and old memories on what of the local flora and fauna is edible and provide Hat Kid with fresh local food, which is a Special Effort as, well, subconites and dwellers feed off of ambient magic and abstract stuff while Snatcher eats souls.)

After maybe about two weeks he’s out of work for Hat Kid and tells her so, like, “No more work for you, kiddo. You’re free to leave.” Then is mystified when Hat Kid leaves in tears. Like what did he do wrong??

I have no clue what Hat Kid would be up to in the Alpine Skyline. Something. Probably trying to impress random nomads and goats and not understanding why they’re impressed but still leave her. 

Eventually she finds out that Mu has gotten her hands on time shards and is managing to use them to set places on fire. Hat Kid goes to stop her because no!! You do not just indiscriminately set Mafia Town on fire! Even aside from all the tall folk living there you don’t know how many borrowers are living in the walls! 

So she stops Mu, then realizes that pretty much everyone watching her has either ‘exiled’ her or has been known to hunt borrowers before (eg the Mafia) so she flees down a subway tunnel and lives in the Metro for a few days before meeting the Empress. By this point Mu’s very public yelling about how the Mafia were killing her people has gotten on the news, so she’s aware that at least some borrowers are sapient and people, and is like. You work for me now.

Hat Kid is like, my greatest fifth chance!

Eventually, though, Hat Kid manages to annoy the Empress. By this point she’s gotten used to the idea that something is wrong with her, people really don’t care about her, and at any point she could be abruptly betrayed and exiled, so she panics, assumes she’s going to be kicked out very soon, and ends up deciding to preemptively betray Empress by stealing her time shard. Empress is throughly baffled and also very upset and puts out a bounty of a few thousand or so on Hat Kid’s head; time shards are valuable damn it but also…only one?? she’d been known to bring back five or six at once? 

(Time shards aren’t very tangible to most people by default. Borrowers can interact with them always and make them solid to everyone. Hat Kid could’ve easily reversed that and forced Empress to use magically charged tongs to pick up her time shards and hire another borrower to fix them but she didn’t. The longer Empress thinks on this, the more confused she gets.)

At some point during Hat Kid’s time in the nyakuza Mu ends up adopted by Cooking Cat. She shows up on TV sometimes, joining in an episode with stuff like running commentary while perched on CC’s shoulder or butting in to help frost cakes or whatever. 

Hat Kid’s confused upset post-nyakuza wandering ends up leading her to where the Conductor is just coming back from a cruise. Conductor is like LASSIE I HAVEN’T SEEN YOU IN FOREVER! Hat Kid is like ??? and then decides that maybe…maybe kicking her out was entirely Groove’s idea and Conductor still likes her? Maybe?

And then in the ensuring confused discussion Conductor begins to realize the culture clash. Conductor ends up adopting Hat Kid, and later takes in Bow Kid as well because she was separated from her family and saw Hat Kid riding on Conductor’s shoulders and just sort of. Jumped on his other shoulder, startling him, and was like “HI”.

At some point Hat Kid and Bow Kid end up guest starring alongside Mu (they made up) on Cooking Cat’s show. Possibly several times. Hat and Bow are adorable and while they don’t really say much unscripted and it’s usually sentence fragments they’re still popular for a mixture of Adorable and their sense of humour eg Bow Kid insisting that duck is actually “quackers” in a dish involving duck and cheese to set CC up for a terrible “cheese and quackers” pun. 

Mu, Hat Kid, Bow Kid, and the TV Trio end up working together a lot to try to change things for the better for the Borrowers. Meanwhile Snatcher is off doing his own thing, having heard of the culture clash (Mu explained it on TV at some point) he works out a schedule for when Hat and Bow are staying with the Conductor and when one or the other or both are staying with him. He ends up with a few borrower clans living in his forest (they followed Hat Kid) and is just like, sure this works. 

I greatly admire people who can just come up with AU ideas and build on them and then come up with a whole story for the AU. I love that it has a happy ending too. :)

[betabites]

Dragons of Tiamat 3: Dooms & Trifles

Doom of Fire From what I've tasted of desire, I hold with those who favor fire. Benefit: This ability is always on. You deal +30 damage with all fire attacks. You deal triple damage on a critical hit. Drawback: You take double damage from fire, and criticals against you deal triple damage (or have their multiplier increased by 1).

Doom of Ice But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate to say that, for destruction, ice is also great and would suffice. Benefit: If you hit a target with at least two attacks, you can freeze the target in place. It cannot move (including via teleportation), and its AC is reduced by 10. The effect lasts until the end of your next turn. Drawback: If you freeze a target, you are also frozen.

Doom of Entropy Kids! Bringing about Armageddon can be dangerous. Do not attempt in your own home. Benefit: You can activate this ability as a free action during your turn. Once active, the effect persists until the end of the encounter. All combatants take 50 irresistable damage at the start of the round.

Doom of Rage Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Benefit: You can choose to deploy the Escalation Die. It starts at 2, and increases by 2 every round on your turn. The Escalation Die value is added to all attack rolls, damage rolls, and DCs. Drawback: The Escalation Die applies to all combatants, not just allies.

Doom of Spite Do not go gentle into that good night. Benefit: When an opponent damages you, they take damage equal to the damage they dealt to you. Choose whether you are going to use this ability when damaged. If you activate this ability, it functions for the rest of the encounter. Drawback: When you damage an opponent, you take half the damage you deal (per instance of damage, not per opponent).

Doom of Slaughter An axe age, a sword age - shields are riven - a wind age, a wolf age - before the world plunges down. Benefit: If you reduce a creature to -50 hit points, you heal 25 hit points.

Doom of Sloth Somewhere in her mother's pantry, Laurel suspected, was a box of tea that said, "In case of Armageddon, steep three to five minutes." Benefit: If you make no attacks and prompt no saving throws or skill checks on your turn, you receive 2 rerolls that can be spent on any check. These rerolls vanish if not spent before the end of the encounter.

Doom of Knowledge There Malice Striker sucked corpses of the dead,: the wolf tore men. Do you still seek to know? Benefit: You can ask the DM any question about an enemy - current and total HPs, resistances & immunities, what their actions will be next turn (given current crcumstances), etc. Drawback: You take 25 irresistable damage per question.

Doom of Pride Never compromise. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Benefit: You automatically succeed at any one roll, or can maximize any variable effect (such as damage). Drawback: Using an automatic success deals 25 irresistable damage to you. Maximizing an effect deals 50 irresistable damage to you.

Doom of Venom Nine paces fares the son of Kord,/ And, slain by the serpent, fearless he sinks. Benefit: This ability is always on. All your attacks inflict a poison counter. You may call in poison counters to deal extra damage. This damage is poison that ignores any resistances or immunities the foe may have. 1 poison counter -> 5 damage. 3 poison counters -> 25 damage. 5 poison counters -> 50 damage. 13 poison counters -> 250 damage. Drawback: You take double damage.

Trifle - Saved Some Bandits ...front row seats to the apocalypse. Benefit: You have an alternate primary attack action: Soulstones of Lex, Vic & Minny +30/+30/+30 ranged touch (5d6+5) (range: 500ft) As a move action, you can permanently sacrifice one soulstone (and ray attack) to heal 50 hit points, or remove 5 counters.

Trifle - Figurine of Wondrous Power: Obsidian Butterflies Fly, my pretties! Fly! Benefit: You have an alternate breath weapon. It is a 50ft cone of razorwinged obsidian butterflies, dealing 25d6+85 slashing damage. The butterflies remain until they are slain. You may direct their movement as a free action, once per round. You can use this breath weapon once per encounter, in addition to your regular breath weapon. Dragon Rage cannot give you extra uses of this breath weapon.

Swarm of Obsidian Butterflies AC 40; HP 100; Ref +20 (evasion); Immune fire; swarm immunities Speed fly 40ft (perfect); Size 15ft x 15ft; targets starting their turn inside the swarm take 20 slashing damage. All attacks against targets within the swarm deal +10 damage.

Trifle - Last Gasp of A Paladin Talk about creepy ways to remember your exes... Benefit: You have a flask containing Alex's last breath of defiance. You can imbibe it to heal 200 hit points or remove all hostile counters. If you drink it, you take double damage from all sources.

Trifle - The Last Library Knowledge is power. Guard it well. Benefit: You have a portable hole containing an extensive, well-indexed library. It gives you a +10 bonus on all Knowledge checks and lets you exceed 10 on untrained checks. There is also a decent amount of storage space, most of which is filled with unindexed books.

Trifle - Hoardgullet You just feel safer with it on the inside. Benefit: You have your complete hoard with you, safe inside a semi-extradimensional pocket in your stomach. It is valued at 1,000,000gp, more or less. It is very pretty, but not particularly useful in dangerous situations.

Trifle - Heart of the Warpstar I say we take off and astral-nuke the site from orbit. It's the only way to be sure. Benefit: Once, in place of your normal damage, roll all dice currently on the table, and total them. Deal that much damage.

Trifle - Mucous of the Newborn Dead God Ewwwwww. Benefit: You have a glob of the most powerful psi-active mucous the world have ever seen or ever will see. It is laden with unspent potential, unfulfilled divinity, and paradox. I'm sure you can think of uses.

Trifle - Touched by an Angle That which is not dead can eternal lie, and with strange aeons, even math may die. Benefit: Roll three twenty-sided dice. Arrange them into a die code (xdy+z). Three times, you can use that die code instead of whatever you are supposed to roll. Example - If you rolled a 3, a 17 and a 13, you could make the die codes 17d3+13, 13d17+3, 3d13+17, etc). I recommend a digital dice roller.

Trifle - Lacrimosa of the Lich Queen How do you even get tears from a lich? Epic level onions? Benefit: You can drink this poition as a move action. It gives you 150 temporary hit points. These hit points are lost first, but do not fade with time.

Trifle - Trifle I'm just here for the wordplay, don't mind me. Benefit: You have a bag of holding type IV full of trifles - trifle cake, served on trifle pewter. You have enough to share with literally everyone still alive - which, admittedly, isn't a lot of people - but it's still a lot of trifle.

Trifle - Last of the Kamikaze Kobolds Who could hate something so adorable and pyromaniacal?...Okay, the giggling can get annoying. Benefit: The last kamikaze kobold has strapped itself to your snout, and chucks explosives at anyone you bite. Increase your bite damage by 5d6 fire.

Trifle - Ate A Very Alarming Portal In retrospect, WHY WOULD YOU EAT THAT? Benefit: You have an alternate breath weapon, a 50ft cone of writhing green worms that dazes and entangles all within the area for 1d4+1 rounds (Reflex DC 34 to negate the daze). You can use this breath weapon once per encounter, in addition to your regular breath weapon. Choose whether Dragon Rage gives you an extra use of this breath weapon or your standard breath weapon.

Trifle - Burned Down Sigil And Dis, and the City of Greyhawk, and Waterdeep, and Evermeet, and Istar, and Barovia, and most of the City of Brass. Benefit: Whenever you deal fire damage (by any means), increase the damage dealt by +25.

[cjostrander]

Nickelback: Feed the Machine

Good morning everyone! I took a bit of a break from reviewing to prepare for a change of leadership at the martial arts school i teach at and are now back to toss a promo review at you. I know that i’ve tackled Nickelback’s Here and Now album recently but their new album actually attracted a nice bit of attention from me. This album is going to be a very nice change of pace with incorporation of a more metal oriented edge and a surprisingly more impressive set of guitar solos. While it’s going to feel fresh; it is also going to be very familiar at the same time which is an okay trait for them to balance out their experimental moments on the album. I’m going to assume that the next few reviews are going to be promos since i’ve gotten quite a bit on my ipod since i took my little break. Yesterday i got Stone Sour’s Hydrograd and have to check that out, Linkin Park’s pop album is still on my mind to do at some point, Mucc’s new album is rather solid, Angelo has a decent too, and Rise Against put out a really nice album as well this past month. I’d assume Rise Against will be up next since it really caught me off guard like this album sort of did. Hope you enjoy my view on this album and let’s get started!

Feed the Machine (Single): We begin the album with the title track and lead single. It originally caught me off guard with its more Industrial like tone to it and at first made me question whether this album would be a complete blowout. It begins with some moody guitar melodies, a subtle bass rhythm and a very prominent drum presence in the background. The melodic and semi electronic approach of this song is very experimental at first glance and will be a very interesting piece for the listener to encounter at this stage of the album. Chad’s vocals are a bit processed but developed a nice degree of depth for the more politically charged lyrics than Nickelback is often given credit for. The chorus is more subtance driven rather than melody and the instrumentals are left with a decent degree of success to keep the listener engaged as the song progresses. It’s a pretty easygoing listen despite its clear aim at changing up their sound and the more gritty solo is a decent touch to push this five minute song towards it’s end. Like i said before, this one puts you a bit on guard since it is very unexpected from them but it is a nice piece to toss into a live show and diversify their music in general. 8/10

Coin for the Ferryman: This one begins with a electronic drum pattern and aggressive guitar melodies that bare hints of their standard rock grit; but with a surprising degree of catchy groove. Chad enters the scene with his standard style of a quick and coherent vocal delivery. The lyrics prove to give the song a decent flow till it reaches the chorus. The chorus lifts the catchy factor a bit with some stronger lyrics that you could imagine yourself singing along to a bit at times and maybe even dancing a bit during a live show. The instrumentals keep a good degree of energy going in the mix but Chad definitely has more of a dominant presence here than on the first song. Lyrically it’s him that wrote this song verses the last one; so that could very well explain why this one is very reminiscent of his usual style. There is however a surprising instrumental breakdown and solo that would be a perfect adrenaline booster for a live show. It helps to make this song one that i would not mind them doing when i see them live next Saturday. 8/10

Song on Fire (Single): This is currently the last single but i’m sure there will be at least one or two more before they done promoting this one. It begins as your typical pop rock centric ballad for them and established a bare basic piano/drum instrumental and Chad makes it work very strongly with just this set up. When the chorus arrives the guitars enter a with an offering of melodic beauty that Chad uses to give his voice and strong lyrics a high degree of bliss. It actually is a very calming piece that is smart for them to have picked as their ballad/radio single because it is very mainstream but not overbearing on their past songs of this caliber (Yeah they have done quite a few ballads like this on their Here and Now album). Lullaby and When We Stand Together would be the first songs that stand in my mind; but this song is tremendously stronger than those two. That’s why i label this as their strongest ballad since their Dark Horse album and is an easy highlight track for you to focus on during you listening experience. 9.5/10

Must Be Nice: Guitars begin this one with that cheery country rock groove that they dabble in from time to time. It is very catchy with the level of grit in it and Chad’s processed vocals give it a very catchy rhythm. His lyrics stick out rather well and the aggression in his voice helps the lyrics stick out with a nice degree of presence. It is going to be very hard not to want to dance and sing along to it because it a very catchy song lyrically and coming from Chad; that’s a nice surprise to see once in awhile. The guitars break up for a short little build up and then venture into a rather well crafted guitar solo that further develops this song as a stellar live pick that could have single potential despite its gritty guitar edge. I definitely want to see this one live next week! 9/10

After the Rain: Melodically echoed guitar riffs start this one off till a pounding drum beat hums along in the background. Chad pushes his vocals across with a nice degree of catchiness and when the chorus arrives it tackles an uplifting ballad focus. The lyrics are standard overall but provide steady substance to follow along to. The instrumentals keep a reserved structure but do not by any means fall flat in keeping Chad propped up with just enough support to be successful. This one is pretty straight forward for the most part since it is a very standard Chad ballad that will rather quickly conclude the first half of this album. Ironically this album hasn’t seemed to drag at all like their past albums have; but it’s usually the last three songs that do it; so we shall see lol. 7/10

For the River (featuring Nuno Bettencourt of Extreme): Guitars start this one up with a mid volume rock rhythm and its jam progresses till Chad enters to deliver some more of his fast paced vocals. His voice develops a rather catchy flow and the lyrics while basic as typically expected give the song a nice level of play room to capture a listener’s attention. The only drawback is that the chorus lacks and sense of catchiness and comes across as a regular verse than anything so this song is going to have more of a solid jam format than anything else. The little guitar solo is a good break up which i assume is where the guy from Extreme comes in but i know zip about that band other than an annoying ballad single; so don’t take my word on his work. This one is an okay piece that will contain just enough attention during a live show to be appreciated but could of used a more catchy chorus to make it more memorable. Other than that; the jam aspect will be a decent element to add to this album for them. 7/10

Home: Echoed guitar melodies and electronic drum patterns join with a soothing key segment to established a rather moody atmosphere for Chad to enter to. He takes a more emotionally somber tone than on the past songs and his lyrics manage to give the song a high degree of substance to quickly establishes this song as a likely single pick for them down the road. The instrumentals do rather well at keeping this song full of substance without having too much of a presence that would distract you from the more serious nature of Chad’s vocals. This one establishes itself as a stronger track on the album that i’m sure will be one of the more appreciated songs from their more casual listeners. 8/10

The Betrayal (Act III): Interesting acoustic guitars begin this one off with a very classically tinged sound that is going to be a very big shock to anybody that says that their sound is way too basic.The guitars and drums then enter with a nice degree of tension and Chad has a more furious yet contemplating tone similar to the first song on the album. At the chorus he goes into a shouting match at his audience and makes the most of his decently written lyrics to maintain his grip on the listener’s attention. This is another nice little metal song to give the album an extra dose of energy as it approaches the final tracks. It may not be enough to impress a seasoned metal head; but it will definitely catch their attention on the album and hopefully a little more respect as to their musical skill. 8.5/10

Silent Majority: Now this this a song that i really want to see live and as a single; since it is easily my favorite song on the album (Song on Fire is just the near perfect version of the type of song that they were aiming for). It begins immediately with a serious dose of motivational energy. The guitars and drums are very catchy and establish quite a strong foundation for Chad to enter to. He doesn’t disappoint and uses a casual but highly melodic delivery to build the song into the album’s strongest chorus. It is very empowering and uses simple lyrics to really make an impact on the listener. The instrumentals continue to maintain a suitable amount of energy during the softer segments but surely kills it during the chorus and will establish this track as quite possibly their strongest song since their Dark Horse album came out (That album turns ten next year i believe; so if i don’t do it sooner expect it out during 2018 for review). Two more songs and this album will quite likely take the top spot on my Nickelback section. 10/10

Every time We’re Together: This sort of finale piece begins with echoed acoustics and drum beats. Chad enters with a very familiar ballad style and his lyrics are rather catchy but easily relateable to past ballads. It progresses for a little while before the chorus enters and it manages to stick out slightly with a high degree of smooth melody and blissful emotion from Chad. I can’t knock the lyrics or instrumentals because the lyrics get the job done as expected and are pleasant to follow along to as well. The instrumentals are reserved yet melodic for the most part; but do have moments where they stick out nicely and help to make this a stronger track than the beginning led me to originally believe. The guitar melody at the end does very well at giving the listener a feeling of closure and fulfillment and will make this another potential pick for a single. 8.5/10

The Betrayal (Act I) (Instrumental): Now this nearly three minute instrumental is technically the closure and it begins with that blissful acoustic melody that the other Betrayal song began with (Yeah i know Act II is missing and really want to know why). The instrumentals prove to be very soothing in melody and actually develop a soundtrack like structure that i could easily picture being made part a fantasy flick. This is going to be another pleasant shock among listeners and hopefully is clear sign that their future albums are going to embark on more complex song structures. We shall see but until then this concludes what is very likely their strongest album in general. 9/10

Overall album rating: 8.4/10

Yep, as expected it beat Here and Now by a margin of .3 to take the top spot on my Nickelback reviews and actually get them a “B” score for their first time as well. Dark Horse will possibly get a B+ but we shall see when the time comes. I was actually very surprised by this album and have high hopes that they will build on this improved level of complexity on future releases. I hope you all check it out and give it a chance because it’s going to be a nice surprise for you. I’ll keep the promo reviews going for a bit before heading back into my anniversary reviews and odds are Rise Against will be next up on my list. Thanks everyone for all the recent likes because i have been flooded over the last month and really appreciate it. Check out my older reviews and repost them so everyone else can see the other albums i’ve scratched off of my list for you. Enjoy your day everyone!

*Reviewer’s Pick*

[beastgamerkuma]

Steel Rats makes me revisit my old thoughts about a robot outbreak in the future. It makes me wonder what kind of vehicle I would want to use. Do I go classic muscle car, tank-like truck or do I go with the infamous two-wheeler? In this new retro-future, there is a robot invasion and it is up to this ragtag of motorheads to deal with it. Time to rev those engines grease monkey’s and strike hard and fast against this threat.

Steel Rats only need two Wheels!

It all begins with man creating tech, tech becomes efficient and then things go horribly wrong. It is a tale as old as any science fiction story. Robots wreck the world because humanity relied on them too much. What does one do in this future/retro world? You modify your hog and take to the streets to liberate the people. The sad part is the Junkbots overran everyone, but the Steel Rats came at the right time to throw down.

Heroes 4 Take the Streets:

This is your 2.5 D experience where you have terrain going from A and B. But you can go vertical in which you will have to solve puzzles and find secrets in each level. It is not that tasking and can be fun. There are 4 unique characters each having their own special abilities with their bikes.

James Jones The Fearless Leader – Rocks an armored motorbike

Lisa Carvalio The fastest of the Group – Known for her Flames

Randall the Biker Prince – Chains of Fury

Toshi Takahiro the Teenage Genius – High Tech weaponry

I am currently playing on the PlayStation 4 so all information will be used from that controller. You will start off with Toshi giving you the ins and outs in a nice tutorial. Using the left Analog to steer up and down through obstacles. If you want to turn around in a quick 180 just hit Circle. However, when having to turn a corner you will need to combine up and circle to do a full U-turn. Then your main weapon is what I call “The Razor Wheel”. By holding the X-Button you can whip out a front wheel heated razor wheel. This can work on an offense and help with your terrain.

There will be pipes on each level. if you hold the X button while going towards these pipes something magical happens! You will stick to that terrain like glue, but check the area because you could find a secret. Other things to note is if you lean back on the left analog you can do a wheelie at any time. The bikes are quite nimble and hitting the Triangle can perform a jump. It becomes tricky when you have got to hard to reach areas. If you double tap the X Button you can perform a vicious thrust forward. If you want you can be stylish by performing front or back flips while in the air.

Now, there are specials for each character and to switch between them just click in the R3 button. If one dies you will just have to pick the remaining characters. A skill street is involved and it is pretty intense with Perks, Primary, Charge, and Ultimate. perks have two rows. Each will cost a certain amount of points, but you will earn a lot easy at each level. There are 28 levels that you will need to go through as you open up each district. The best part about this is that each character works well.

Randall has a Harpoon special and if you do the double tap Circle. This causes a shield spin combined with L2 he will shoot our multiple harpoons. Lisa can use flames especially if you get an air can burn them with her exhaust. James has an energy blast from the front of his hog which looks like a Rhino punch. Toshi has a mini-bot that follows him around shooting lasers. Utilize each character to your will, but also keep in mind that all the characters also have a gun feature. Once you obtain ammo from any ammo crate laying around you use your gun with the Square button. This has an auto-aim feature so don’t spray and pray. Just aim near an enemy and it will make its mark.

Bike Vs. Mech Junk

There are some huge bosses and sub-bosses at times. You can be a bit intimidated by this but remember you have everything you need to survive. As simple as this game may look it can be complicated in your timing and using your abilities for the right fight. Teamwork makes the dream work and knows your perks, ultimates, and charges. The good news is that there will be ammo boxes to give you an advantage in some fights that respawn. The bosses are not the only challenge keep in mind. Each level will have specifics in time trials to earn extra bonuses, how many secrets you find and even stunts. Try getting through without losing a character as well.

Griddy Visuals:

In this world it is alive and full of fear with the junk bots around, however, I am having fun riding around. Being that it is kind of a side-scrolling game it does looks amazing. You have NPC humans running around from danger. There are background scenes that may show you your next boss fight waiting for you soon. As you go through the levels certain cosmetic unlocks will be available for you. It will cost you scraps and you can change not only the characters but match them with their bikes. It is simple but a fun feature either way.

I have to admit there are many different junk bots that give you a fierce challenge. You will have your standard bots with spinning razors. You have the armadillo bots that home in on you, but you can use them against other bots. Think of it as magnetic mines but leading them towards enemies. As a strategy, I use them against the bigger bots. With four seconds and 28 levels, you will have a lot to do.

The Bad

Not every game can be perfect and Steel Rats has its moments in the, “oh what the hell man?”. My only gripe is the controls at times where it can be a bit too sensitive. I try to go up to make a turn but instead perform a wheelie. Reverse wants to work when it wants to work which is weird. I can’t control reverse unless I was already moving and even with Jump combined with the double tap X dash you don’t get much height for certain obstacles. What is up with the fall damage? I get when you fall from a huge height, but some are not that high and I explode.

What is good though is the fact if you find a secret and die, you will still have said secret. They look like Steel Rat logo symbols so keep an eye out.

Ride or Die!

Steel Rats is a pretty decent game which only will cost you 20 bucks. There is replay value to be had especially online leaderboards to give you a decent challenge. I love the commentary of the characters which gives it more life and shows how an indie title gives a lot of effort. The only thing I would suggest if possible to have Biker Mice from Mars DLC pack. I know Moto would not appreciate being called a rat, but it has the right type of attitude just for those Chicago heroes.

At the end of the road, Steel Rats gets 4 paws out of 5. Check it out right now which is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Steam Marketplace. Give it a go and I will see you on the streets. – Beast Out –

  Final Verdict: 

  Beast Reviews Steel Rats Steel Rats makes me revisit my old thoughts about a robot outbreak in the future. It makes me wonder what kind of vehicle I would want to use.

[geekysweetie]

Love Nikki - Dress UP Queen - Anime Mobile Dressup Game Review

Nikki is back in an all new game, and this time, it even has English voice acting. As you may recall, I reviewed  Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up awhile back on my blog. Sadly, that game closed its doors a few months ago. As I mentioned in that original review, there were a ton of other Nikki dressup games available in the app store, but none of them had the gacha, rpg, and quest mechanics that I enjoyed so much in Hello Nikki – Let’s Beauty Up.

So I was left Nikkiless for a long time; until one day, I saw a Facebook ad for a new Nikki Game, Love Nikki Dress UP Queen. Love Nikki Dress Up Queen is extremely similar to the old Hello Nikki – Let’s Beauty Up. It’s also extremely similar to Romantic Diary, much more similar to Romantic Diary when compared to the similarities between Romantic Diary and the old Hello Nikki – Let’s Beauty Up, which were admittedly, already pretty similar.

Other Dressup Games you should check out include Line Play, Pokecolo (formerly Pokemini), CocoPPaplay, Miitomo, Dream Girlfriend, Animal Boyfriend, Moe Can Change, Outlander Princess, Dream Boyfriend, and Lady Popular.

Now onto the review!

Title: Love Nikki Dress UP Queen

Genre: Dressup Game

Developer: Suzhou Nikki Co.,Ltd

Publisher: ELEX Technology

Price: Free with Optional In-game Purchases

Where to Get:

Itunes: https://itunes.apple.com/…

Google: https://play.google.com/…

Release Date: May 05, 2017

Overall Score: 66/80 83% B “Very Good Game for Girls”

Geeky: 1/5 – The only real reason to play this game is because it’s so mind numbingly cute. Cute as it may be, it is full of bugs – It actually does not run well on my Iphone 6S with IOS operating system 10.3.2 – I can’t see the menus in the dressup, and can’t view tips. I can only access clothes by searching for them by name. Because of this, I play, whenever I can on my PC with a bluestacks emulator to play the android version. I could not get past the tutorial on my Iphone because I couldn’t click where it wanted me to click. And there are still times when I will click and it will be nonresponsive.

If they fix that IOS issue (and yes, I’ve already tried the built in fix utilities), then I’d probably be inclined to give the Geek score a 3/5 because it does feature online play, ranked leader boards, events and quest mechanics, and other interesting features to make it much more than “just” a dressup game.

Edit: Geeky 3/5 – They have fixed the above mentioned bugs (awhile ago, I just forgot to update this). As mentioned the game is more than “just” a dressup game, it features tons of events and online play with other players, as well as limited edition items, a story, quests, and crafting and other features.

Sweetie: 5/5 – So many cute outfits, events, and the characters are all cute. Just packed to the brim with cuteness.

Overview: 10/10 – Love Nikki Dress UP Queen takes a lot of what made Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up so much fun and throws in a few new surprises as well. If you login each day you get all kinds of rewards, basic login rewards, as well as ongoing event rewards, and other goodies. If you compete in the Stylist Arena you can get ranked against others and earn more rewards. The Arena is broken into seasons and the scores reset with new seasons which help new players catch up. You can enjoy the story mode by challenging various NPCs, or you can dress up freely – the choice is yours. With so many ways to play, Love Nikki Dress UP Queen is sure to keep you coming back.

Gameplay: 7/10 — This would be close to a perfect 10 if they could fix the game breaking bugs that exist on the IOS version right now. If you’re playing the android version, then you don’t need to worry about the negatives I’ve mentioned earlier in this review. I just can’t give “gameplay” a high score in good faith, when the game is so buggy (almost unplayable) for IOS users right now. Your Mileage May Vary depending on your device and what version of IOS you’re running. You can also switch freely between both the Android and IOS versions by linking your facebook account and have access to your same account and items in both versions of the game.

Edit: 10/10 The Above Bugs Have Been Fixed.

The actual gameplay itself is super solid. As mentioned under overview, there’s several different gameplay modes to choose from, and you can also craft, decompose, dye, and modify your clothes.

Like Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up, the main objective of the game is to collect different articles of clothing, and layer and combine them to create new outfits.

In the Story Mode, you will explore various maps; each point on the map presenting a brief story and new dressup challenge. You will be shown tips as to what styles or feelings your outfits should evoke, then you will face off with the NPC where your outfits will be scored on various standards such as warmth, liveliness, purity, maturity, sexiness, casualness, etc. depending on what the challenge calls for.

You’re also able to learn new skills as you level up which boost your score, or negatively impact your opponent’s scores when used in battle.

You will receive a letter grade and corresponding reward F through S rank for each challenge. Some maps may require you have a high amount of high ranked challenges to progress to the next map. Other maps may let you by with a C or higher.

  In the Stylist Arena, you are paired with other real people playing from all around the world. Unlike Romantic Diary, there is no limit to how many pieces of clothing you can carry into the challenge. You (and your opponent) will have access to all of your items in every arena battle. You can rise to the top of the leader boards each Arena “Season” to get top rewards.

  In Free Dress you can just put together whatever outfits you would like and have fun without worrying about meeting certain challenge requirements.

Be sure you look at the events, quests, and get your sign in bonuses every day. Click everything you can click; there’s so many rewards that it can be easy to miss some awesome freebies here.

Don’t forget to also collect your free gacha items each day. This is your chance for free rare items! Treasured items are good, but Super Treasured items are even better!

You can also earn retired / out of print outfits for linking your Facebook account or referring friends! So many ways to get free stuff – YAY.

Story: 7/10 Love Nikki Dress UP Queen has a new story to explore. Legend tells of a kingdom ruled by fashion battles. These fashion battles even have the ability to determine who will rule each kingdom as its king or queen. In the latest fashion battle, there was a tie, between a Princess, and a common girl. The Princess was very beautiful and refined with dark hair. The common girl had long pink hair, after the last fashion battle, the pink haired girl mysteriously disappeared, and the Princess became the new Queen. She ruled her kingdom harshly and brought about an age ruled by her cold blade. Nikki finds herself somehow in this strange kingdom, with her talking cat, Momo. Nikki shares an uncanny resemblance to the pink haired girl of legend who could challenge the current queen. Nikki will make her way to meet the queen while encountering strange new characters who either want fashion advice, or want to battle (in a fashion battle that is). – The story is there, and this time it’s even fully voiced, but it’s still not terribly interesting or engaging

Characters: 7/10 – all of the characters are voiced, have their own unique sense of style, and all of them are super cute, but it feels like they’re just there to keep you moving from point a to b, and of little story significance.

Graphics: 10/10 – Pastel pink is everywhere. Everything about this game is girly, feminine, charming, cute, and kawaii AF. The ability to layer items, from dozens of different “item slots” makes the dressup possibilities almost endless. The amount of different items also is mind boggling.

Music:5/10 – Meh, just average. It’s there, it exists, I just don’t pay much attention to it. It doesn’t get on my nerves, unlike many mobile games that I have to play on mute, but it’s nothing too impressive or memorable either.

Voice Acting: 8/10 – I’m torn on this — It’s the first Nikki game to have voice acting in English — or “first English Nikki Game to Have Voice Acting” period – by that, I mean that Hello Nikki Let’s Beauty Up removed ALL the voice acting from the original game before bringing it to North America – not only did it not have English Voice Acting, but it also removed the original Japanese Voice Acting as well! I was really disappointed by this.

So I’m really really happy that the new Nikki game is fully voiced – I would have liked for it to have included an option to keep the Japanese voice acting — Or if I could only choose one or the other, I would’ve preferred the Japanese voices. But I know there are royalties and licensing fees associated with doing so…

The English voice acting is actually… for the most part… not bad…. I’ve met a few questionable characters but on the whole, overall, most of the characters’ voices seem to fit well and deliver a decent performance that is not cringe worthy or over dramatic. I actually kind of really like some of the characters’ voices in fact. So yeah, we have voice acting, and it doesn’t totally suck, so yay lol.

Overall Score: 66/80 83% B “Very Good Game for Girls”

NOTE: if playing the Android version or if they ever fix the bugs in the IOS version, the score would be closer to: 66/80 or 83% “Very Good Game for Girls”

Edit: Bugs have been fixed.

Love Nikki – Dress UP Queen – Anime Mobile Dressup Game Review was originally published on GeekySweetie.com - Geeky & Kawaii Anime, Tech, Toys, & Game Reviews & News

[connor-moore-blog1]

You Must Know To Choose A Good Wedding Photographer

Choosing your wedding picture taker is not a troublesome undertaking. By taking in my 10 privileged insights you will kill a hefty portion of the pitfalls it is so natural to fall into. It is imperative that you make your choice of picture taker right off the bat in your wedding arranges. The best and most well known picture takers get booked early, frequently a year or two ahead of time. So once you have set your date and orchestrated the wedding scene, the following thing on your rundown ought to be your picture taker.

In the event that you were getting hitched an era prior in the 1930's or 40's, your decision would have been fairly restricted. In those days photography was all the while something of a 'dull workmanship Best Wedding Photographer in India'. Truly the picture taker or his aide would invest hours oblivious room creating movies and making photographic prints by hand. Your alternatives for the big day would have been constrained. The picture taker would typically turn up toward the finish of your wedding administration and meet you at the congregation entryway. He would then grasp a modest bunch of pictures on his extensive camera. Typically a full length photo of the couple at the congregation entryway, a nearby in the event that you were fortunate and after that maybe a family gathering or two. Shading pictures were a distinct extravagance in the 30's as shading film was still in its earliest stages. A skilled picture taker may offer you hand tinted or shaded pictures which he would make from highly contrasting firsts, yet these eventual a costly alternative.

It was normal to travel to the picture takers studio either on your big day or in the blink of an eye a while later. The entire business turned out to be a significant event. Posturing before hot studio lights was something you just did on exceptional events. It was the best way to get photos of a sensible quality. Basic cameras were winding up plainly more accessible to the general population, yet they were extremely fundamental with few control. In those days the expert picture taker still had a puzzling quality; part craftsman, part scientist and part performer. He could deliver photos you just couldn't accomplish yourself with your 'Crate Brownie' camera.

Today things are altogether different. Photography has been turned on its head. Gone are the popular organizations like Agfa and Kodak. Film based photography has been supplanted altogether by advanced innovation, the nature of which enhances significantly step by step. The vast majority now have a camera of some sort and are content with the photos they take Destination Wedding Photographer India. Fast advances in computerized imaging have guaranteed that the "auto" work on your camera will give you an adequate picture. Today you don't need to stress over shade speed and "f" stops to get a sensible picture. Simple to use is the simple choice. Notwithstanding, specialized advance does not imply that everybody comprehends what they are doing.

Look in any Yellow Pages or some other catalog, Google 'wedding picture taker' for any town or city and you will discover a constantly expanding number of passages under the posting. Why would that be? It is basically on the grounds that innovation has enhanced to such a degree, to the point that even the most unobtrusive and moderate camera is equipped for delivering awesome pictures.

Tragically you will find that not each purported picture taker is an expert picture taker. Some work at it on low maintenance premise and may be a cleaner, cabbie or office laborer from Monday to Friday and a wedding picture taker at the end of the week. It has turned into low maintenance occupation for some sharp beginners hoping to make some additional money at the end of the week.

The inquiries you should ask yourself are; would I go to a dental practitioner in the event that I wasn't certain they had the preparation, experience and capabilities to deal with my teeth securely and cleanly? Would I believe a handyman to introduce a gas fire on the off chance that he were not qualified and enrolled? No, it could involve life and passing.

Would I believe my wedding pictures to a picture taker who may work low maintenance at ends of the week, shoots everything with his camera set to 'auto', guarantees me several photos on a circle for a couple of hundred pounds? Unfortunately many individuals do!

The explanations behind doing this are fascinating. Aside from the innovation issue I have as of now specified, the other current impact is mold. The present mold in wedding photography can be depicted by the terms 'narrative', 'reportage', and 'way of life'. More or less, today it is cool and elegant to have wedding photos that look like previews! Pictures that look unconstrained, which is not organized and catch the feeling of the day without being meddlesome or formal in any capacity.

What does this mean in all actuality? Right off the bat, it is accepted that to accomplish this "narrative" or "reportage" look, you should simply to take an unreasonable number of pictures and chances are that you will get some reasonable ones in the blend. So snap away is the attitude of numerous unpracticed picture takers. All things considered, after you have purchased your camera and memory cards, the pictures are free. There are no preparing costs as with film, if the picture is no great simply erase it, it costs nothing!

Truly, to take great "narrative" pictures you likewise require different aptitudes. You have to suspect the activity, be in the perfect place at the opportune time, know when to press the screen to understand that unequivocal minute, know how to adapt to an assortment of lighting conditions that will trick your camera, make your photo accurately, lastly have the capacity to control the visitors such that things you need to photo happen normally.

How would you maintain a strategic distance from the pitfalls? It can be troublesome, however here are 10 privileged insights that will help you while picking your wedding picture taker!

Looking in a registry will just give you contact subtle elements. Taking a gander at a site is a decent begin; at any rate you get the chance to see a few pictures. Today a decent and very much delivered site is inside the financial plan of a great many people who need to set up in business. So you can't expect that somebody with a favor site is the best decision. He may have another occupation to pay the home loan. Does the site have a bio page? What amount of data does it give about the picture taker, their experience and their expert capabilities? To what extent have they been doing business?

Do they have a place with a perceived proficient photographic affiliation, or only a camera club? Is it accurate to say that they are liable to an expert Code of Conduct? Will you have anyplace to engage if things turn out badly? Unfortunately a man can get down to business and purchase a favor camera with his excess cash on Friday and call himself an expert picture taker on Saturday. In the U.K. there is no control of picture takers right now. Anybody can lawfully set themselves up in business as a picture taker and they don't need to enroll with anybody. The general population is not secured by any enactment. Throughout the years the significant expert photographic relationship in the U.K. have campaigned progressive governments in regards to this matter, yet without achievement.

Is a postal address recorded on the site, or only a portable number and email address? In what manner will you discover them if there is an issue? Not each picture taker has a high road studio, much work from home authentically. A respectable picture taker will dependably distribute an address.

On the off chance that the picture taker telecommutes he/she is probably not going to have a vast studio unless it has been reason manufactured or adjusted from a carport or other room. They are probably not going to take numerous representations amid the week. Will you mastermind to visit them to see a current choice of wedding pictures, or do they demand coming to see you at your home? With regards to taking a gander at tests, collections containing an assortment of weddings can look fine. Photographic artists constantly jump at the chance to flaunt their best pictures. Continuously make a request to see finish weddings through and through. That will give you a superior sign of the picture takers' aptitude level, instead of respecting pretty pictures.

Is it accurate to say that they are qualified? I'm not discussing a degree in photography. As far as anyone is concerned there are no degree courses in wedding photography at any school in the U.K. There are degree courses in Documentary photography, however weddings or social photography are not shrouded in any profundity. There are wedding capabilities granted by the fundamental photographic bodies in the U.K, for example, the MPA, BIPP, SWPP. These are granted by the accommodation of real work that has been attempted. So search for expert capabilities. There are three levels: the fundamental level being Licentiate (LMPA or LBIPP). This level demonstrates the picture taker can create work of a skilled and expert standard. They will likewise have great business aptitudes on the off chance that they have accomplished a Diploma in Professional Photographic Practice (DipPP). The second level of capability is the Associate (AMPA or ABIPP). This demonstrates extensive experience and an ability to deliver imaginative and inventive photography. The second level is hard to accomplish, along these lines there are less Associates than Licentiates. The top level of capability and extreme point of every trying proficient is to be a Fellow (FMPA or FBIPP). To be a Fellow is an uncommon accomplishment. It shows the most abnormal amount of fitness, experience and creativity and demonstrates the picture taker has a novel style. These are the top experts who have been perceived as pioneers in their field.

Will's identity taking your wedding photos? Get the opportunity to meet the individual him/herself. Numerous picture takers as opposed to dismiss a wedding commission, will sub-get the work to a colleague, sharp novice, or camera administrator. Continuously discover who your picture taker will be and get the opportunity to see their arrangement of work. The supervisor may take great pictures, however shouldn't something be said about his colleague?

Ask what protection they hold. Your "cowhand" won't have Professional Indemnity cover if his gear falls flat. He won't have Public Liability cover ought to a visitor stumble over his camera sack. On the off chance that he says his camera is guaranteed that is not a similar thing. That exclusive spreads him if his camera is stolen.

[atrocitycl]

Uhm Junghwa - “Dreamer” Review

(Music Video) / (Dance Practice)

Uhm Junghwa – Dreamer

Reviewed on February 4, 2017

Certainly “Dreamer” is still decent overall, but I will personally argue a surprising factor heavily weighs down the song: the vocals. This is not to say that Junghwa’s singing is poor per se; rather, how her vocals are used in the song is questionable and that is what I wish to focus predominantly on in this review.

Personal Message: We are already into a new month even though I somehow feel as if we are still in January. That aside, I do want to greatly apologize to both readers and the requester of this review. I have been incredibly busy with university but I am hoping to spend this week with catching up on multiple reviews. Furthermore, I hope to be more concise with reviews but, as some readers may know, that is difficult for me to personally balance as I still have yet to find the perfect, short amount of writing that readers and I can enjoy while still conveying a deeper, critical discussion of a song. As per usual, experiments will have to take place. Also for other news (and directed more towards Fiestar fans), I do intend to begin subtitling videos more frequently again especially as I have plenty of videos left to subtitle. In particular, I will be subtitling a commercial song by them that surprisingly no one has translated yet. Finally, due to a long absence, I might attempt to “compensate” by posting a technical music post—something that admittedly I should not have the authority to write but I find that there are readers who might be more curious on this aspect to music and thus, I could discuss something simpler and even relevant for readers.

Onto the review, thank you to the requester for sending this in. It has been two weeks or perhaps even longer since the request was submitted and to that I deeply apologize. Nonetheless, despite the delay, I am very grateful for receiving this and especially with this song being one that is not “mainstream” as it involves Uhm Junghwa, an older generation artist. In fact, to put the latter into perspective, it should be noted that the legendary, highly influential singer (especially for current female artists) Uhm Junghwa is 47 years old. Indeed, in K-Pop age is merely a fictional number as she continues to showcase excellent singing and dancing skills.

Now focusing on “Dreamer,” the requester of this review did predict that I would very much enjoy the song. While—as in all cases—I do appreciate and admire certain aspects to the song, unfortunately I will say I find myself being neutral if not somewhat negative towards the song. Certainly “Dreamer” is still decent overall, but I will personally argue a surprising factor heavily weighs down the song: the vocals. This is not to say that Junghwa’s singing is poor per se; rather, how her vocals are used in the song is questionable and that is what I wish to focus predominantly on in this review.

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Song Score: 5/10 (5.00/10 raw score) - “Average”

- Vocals: 4/10

- Sections: 5/10 (5.14/10 raw score)

Introduction, Verse, Pre-Chorus, Chorus, Post-Chorus, Verse, Chorus, Bridge, Chorus, Conclusion

1.     Introduction: 5/10

2.     Verse: 5/10

3.     Pre-Chorus: 5/10  

4.     Chorus: 4/10

5.     Post-Chorus: 6/10

6.     Bridge: 5/10

7.     Conclusion: 6/10

- Instrumental: 5/10

- Lyrics: 6/10

Boy, don’t you cry Never never cry Boy, don’t you cry Maybe everything is alright

So pretty, it’s like a lie Your sleeping face in my arms Honestly, I’m a bit sad when I think that this is it

On the first night there were so many things we were curious about One of me, one of you, we showed each other On the second night I was so sorry because my heart didn’t pound anymore

Boy, don’t you cry Don’t you ever ever cry Back then, I loved you more than anyone else Dreamer dreamer, in my deep dream You just came and left, that’s all I love your face when you cry But you never never know You’re like a young child Like you lost everything Dreamer dreamer Dream deeper That night might come again Until then, goodbye

Do you wanna love again? Do you wanna play again?

You can do whatever Say what you want about our past Rumors will spread anyway If only one of us is the bad guy It’ll probably be me

Boy, don’t you cry Don’t you ever ever cry Back then, I loved you more than anyone else Dreamer dreamer, in my deep dream You just came and left, that’s all I love your face when you cry But you never never know You’re like a young child Like you lost everything Dreamer dreamer Dream deeper That night might come again Until then

From close up it’s not beautiful to me I wish everything was just a dream

Boy, don’t you cry Don’t you ever ever cry Back then, I loved you more than anyone else Dreamer dreamer, in my deep dream You just came and left, that’s all I love your face when you cry But you never never know You’re like a young child Like you lost everything Dreamer dreamer Dream deeper That night might come again Until then, goodbye

[Conclusion]

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Analysis: Now before truly discussing the vocals, it is still necessary to acknowledge this song’s strength. In particular for what stands out, the flow to “Dreamer” is incredibly tight. In other words, the song in whole is very cohesive and as discussed in multiple reviews, this is a huge asset as it allows many individual aspects in the song to actually aid one another in producing better sounds versus conflicting each other. Let us analyze the sections for this discussion.

First, it should be understood that the sections’ placement—or even existence if we are being accurate—in the song are odd at first hearing (or glance if we literally look at the list): there is only one post-chorus and the second half of the song is missing a pre-chorus. Unlike the traditional route of having a relatively symmetrical song from the first half to the second half (such as with the standard trio of “verse, pre-chorus, chorus” and that said trio repeating in the second half), we find that “Dreamer” is the opposite as it simply is not symmetrical in that sense. However, I argue this composition significantly helps the song in maintaining its tight cohesion. With the post-chorus for example, rather than entirely dropping the song’s flow to that of a stagnant pace in order to “reset” the song’s intensity to the level of the first verse, the post-chorus actually carries on the prior chorus’ faster and more energetic pacing.

Even more intriguingly, the second verse that follows up then continues to adopt the post-chorus’ state—a state that is still upbeat but is still within the appropriate scale so that the second verse is still identifiable as a standard pop song verse. Now with all this in mind, the lack of a pre-chorus is understandable and even beneficial: because of how the second verse is already somewhat hastened, the final line in the verse is then easily and naturally transformed as a pseudo pre-chorus. This is brilliant as this verse-and-pre-chorus combination is efficient—and being efficient in a song is to be cohesive (for the most part; exceptions exist) as the sections just go to the next without any abrupt, sudden changes.

However, although those composition points very much impressed me, I find that the song’s composition in terms of its actual sounds is less appealing. This is why despite the stunning maneuvers of the sections they still ultimately average out at a five. For what I argue is the root cause of it all, I unfortunately do blame the vocals. (But to clarify, this is not to say I blame Junghwa herself; instead, it is the vocals in this song’s specific context that is weaker.) For example, throughout the entire song the vocals become mundane as mechanically there are minimal changes in pacing and, in specific, tone. By tone I am referencing to how the vocals’ core sound—even despite changes in tunes—still sound the same. Consider this: in the verse, Junghwa’s singing, while it may be more passive and focused on lower notes and a slower pacing, sounds very much akin to the singing at the choruses if we ignore changes in intensity and pacing. Especially when we consider other songs where the vocals at, say, the choruses sound significantly different due to added strain or adding a “heavier” or “softer” style, in “Dreamer” this is not the case as the singing sounds plain and the same throughout. It is because of this sonic repetitiveness that many of the sections are indirectly negatively affected. Couple that in with a tough compositional dilemma of either making the instrumental fit the vocals and therefore creating the song’s solid cohesion or to make the instrumental vary and thus create diversity and appeal in the sections at the cost of the song’s cohesion and indeed, we are at “Dreamer” ‘s situation—though, as we can tell, the composers did choose the former.

All in all, “Dreamer” still rates at average and I do agree with that. The cohesion to the song is very impressive, and as discussed, how the sections work structurally personally awed me as I find the single post-chorus and single pre-chorus very effective yet creative ideas. Unfortunately, the vocals and even instrumental create a mundane sound to the song and so while the song structurally is solid, it sonically is weaker. But of course, average is by far not a “negative” score; the only issue is that it is equally not a “positive” score and thus blends in with all the other K-Pop songs in existence—this being problematic if we consider that there are a lot of K-Pop songs. Perhaps “a lot” is an understatement.

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Once again thank you to the requester of this review. I actually found that this review went rather smoothly and I managed to touch in decent depth everything that was critical of the song, and I was able to do so without being too lengthy or too robotic. I will continue this style of reviews and if it works out then perhaps I will be able to easily catch up on many songs. Also, thank you to readers for being patient and thank you to those that read this review whether in full or skimmed. I appreciate it all.

Look forward to a bonus post that addresses music on a more technical level—and all while being something that a majority of readers can find relevant and applicable to their daily music experiences. Afterwards, other requests will be covered: Cosmic Girls’ “I Wish” and BTS’ “Dead Leaves.” After those songs, I plan to then review Hong Jinyoung’s upcoming comeback as I have been anticipating the day I get to review trot music (I am a huge fan of Hong Jinyoung’s songs and of trot in general), and if my schedule is correct, the last review of the month will most likely be either be AOA, 2NE1 (yes, even after their disbandment), or a collaboration between MAMAMOO’s Solar, f(x)’s Luna, and EXID’s Hani. There is a lot to cover, but look forward to them all.