#real low devs

[richardsondavis]

So I went to the Skullgirls official YouTube channel and went to check some of the videos there, especially the shorts.

So before the grand censorship of Skullgirls, sometime before July, the views were about in the tens of thousands. Then there's a day there where the views just dipped.

So I went and checked some of the comments over some of the shorts and I say, it's more civil than I thought it'd be. I took the liberty of screenshotting some of them and a particular title from a short on the Skullgirls YouTube channel.

So the first one.

There's a particular phrase within this exchange that really exemplifies how I feel about myself during this entire debacle and me still wanting to play and support Skullgirls Mobile.

"I personally won't insult them but if they still support the game after that, it changes my view of that person."

This just makes me so sad. This stranger, whom I most likely won't ever meet, would think bad of people like me. Would think bad of me. Would see me as an enemy. As a lesser being. This rustles my jimmies.

Yes, I find the censorship abhorrent but I'm not that petty to abstain from playing the game because, contrary to popular belief, the game still runs fine. Yes, a certain aspects of Skullgirls soul has been taken by the censorship and a few key details that made some narratives within the game be more layered but I'm not one of those people who makes analyses. I'm just your average Juan that wants to play a game because I find it fun.

During these kinds of controversies, there's always a question I have. Am I the villain here?

I prefer the official translations of manga save for the ones from Seven Seas. I find scanlations to be terribly inconsistent. Am I the villain here?

Kurzgesagt made a video that said they were wrong and a huge chunk of folks online claim that Kurzgesagt pushes an agenda. I still enjoy watching their videos, am I the villain here?

Skullgirls, a franchise that I was made aware of through their mobile game, who during the pandemic has helped me cope with the time and the mental anguish away, the elements game which drew me in was the sexiness, the panty shots and the art style plus the gameplay and gacha elements. There has been an update that censors various elements in the game. I still play and have made purchases in their mobile game because I enjoy the game. Am I the villain here?

Although I do love how the conversation ends. So mature.

I consider myself to be part of the new audience and making Skullgirls Mobile be a hit everywhere should be something I should strive for. Maybe I'll try to do just that.

Edit: Just noticed the last comment said they're a SGM player as well. Coolio.

Then there's this exchange. Judge for yourself, ladies and germs.

Edit: So this one is something. "Real fans" they say. What makes a fan? Is it money spent or time spent? Is it saying how much you love the thing? I can say that I am a fan of the SCP Wiki. That I spent countless hours reading the articles, learning the lore. I was not big on communities but I know what I know and I loved every second I spent reading those articles. Then the drama happened and the dip in the quality of writing.

I was disappointed with how things really turned out but I still hold the wiki dear to my heart. I remember just going around and collecting various artworks online of SCP. I also found joyreactor through my searches of other SCP media.

Was it a phase? Am I not a fan? Similar to Skullgirls or the mobile version of it? I was late to the party but I liked the game and I took the time to learn all that I could about it. I am disappointed with the censorship. What can I say? I'm not a true fan. I'm just a guy who finds it appealing but ain't willing nor do I have the drive and moral to oppose this vehemently. I was ignorant of the LGBSCP thing but I noticed the dip in the writing quality. The difference between Skullgirls and the SCP thing to me is that SCP truly abandoned its roots for something else and it's not really something I'm rooting for. A few gems but nothing like Series 1.

Skullgirls, I can tell, are still horny. Black Dahlia has panty shot. Cerebella, Parasoul, Valentine. They have the pantsu shot. I always intend to know the nuance. I have screenshot Filia and Cerebella to see if one can see their underwear in the frames. I have found out that you still can but they become a "blink and you'll miss it" thing which is quite a disappointment, I must admit. They were quite a pretty sight.

P.S. I understand how they would go with making this title but...

WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?

Quite low of the devs. I mean if this is how they treat their old fans, I wonder how they'd treat their still fans and newer fans. I pray they don't go full EA or Ubisoft with their game cause fucking hell.

And this is also where I got my other scrollshot. Tread with care.

[blizzard-nightlamps]

playing video games with not-quite photoreal lighting for a decade has really made me appreciate the real life lighting effects you can't easily fake in real time. i was completely enamored last night by my phone's flashlight shining through a murky plastic bag onto my pill bottles

[devsgames]

Can't help but be curious what the actual conversion rate looks like for remakes - my assumption is the target demo are mostly players who already played the original.

Coverting players who might not have played a 'game that was so acclaimed it warrants a remake' seems pretty low, and those who might get converted would get converted to...buying old games from the franchise that the holding studio probably isn't making much or any money from in the first place.

Broke: being upset over changes or additions to a video game remake of a game you've played a million times

Woke: being upset everyone is just remaking old games instead of making cool new games - potentially under new IP - in the first place

[paleopinesofficial]

An important update to our Paleo Pines Community🦖💙😞

Transcript Below;

Paleo Pines Needs Your Help

A lot of you have been asking what’s next for Paleo Pines and we wanted to provide our community with an update on the challenges we are facing. The sad truth is, the future is uncertain. 

For the better part of this year we’ve been working behind the scenes to create a plan for the next iteration of Paleo Pines, filled with stunning new regions, quirky new NPCs, plenty more adorable dinosaurs, plus eggs, babies and - yes - multiplayer. The job after launch seemed simple - listen to our community, provide a roadmap full of updates and DLC to ensure that our players can continue to enjoy the existing world… and double-down on that enjoyment with the plan for bigger, better, shinier Paleo Pines for you to enjoy with friends and family.

We've been searching high and low for a production partner, one that felt your love and passion to help us bring the next Paleo Pines to life. On several occasions in our journey, we were within a few small steps of the finish line, only to have circumstances beyond our control cause the future to fall through.

This isn't happening just to us. It seems the whole indie game scene is facing a sudden drying up of publishing and investment opportunities. Thanks to the unwavering dedication of our small team and the massive love from all of you, we've been able to support the first year of Paleo Pines on a shoestring budget. 

We’ve managed to keep the lights on… until now. Unless we can find a partner who is keen to see the Paleo Pines universe grow, we won’t be able to keep our team together for much longer. 

So, we’re making our situation public. Here's how you can help:

Do you know a publisher/investor who would be a great partner for Paleo Pines 2? If you're a serious publisher or investor and are interested in seeing a production plan, financial model, game design document and more, please reach out to kevin@italicpig.com. (By the way, Paleo Pines isn’t the only property we’re working on... Our talented team has a diverse collection of small, medium and large scale projects, for PC, console and mobile. If you’re looking for something fun and a little bit different, get in here.)

Can you help in smaller ways? Every little bit helps! Here are a few ways you can directly support the devs:

Have you got our DLC yet? We've just released our very first Halloween DLCs – a great way to support us while getting more gameplay for yourself.

Still playing the demo? Are we on your Wishlist? Please consider buying the full game today, or in the next sale. We promise it'll bring you hours of dino-tastic joy! 

Befriend a Paleo Pines plushie. These adorable creatures aren't just cute, our portion of the sales goes towards development. Our latest, Boo, the albino Styracosaurus, is available now. Our previous plushies helped fund our new Halloween DLCs and free update.

Order Paleo Pines merchandise. We’ve got dozens of fun items celebrating your favourite dinos available in time for gifting this year.

Even if you can't offer financial support, you can still be a hero! Share this post with anyone who might be interested in helping. Wishlist us, buy the game, talk about how it makes you feel, and share share share. The power of community is real, and every share brings us closer to making more Paleo Pines!

The team here can't express enough gratitude to the incredible Paleo Pines community. You've been with us through every step of this amazing journey, from the demo launch to the release last September, and through our adorable plushie collaborations with Makeship. You've become more than players and we couldn't have imagined building this world with a kinder, more supportive group.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for supporting us on this roller coaster of a year since launch, and your patience and understanding with our current situation. Hopefully with your help, this won’t be the end of the Paleo Pines adventure.

Lots of love, The Paleo Pines Team

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

How are you feeling about the new preview of the man? I'm sure you've seen the cards for J-Word already but I'm guessing JP server is going to continue it's trend of crashing when it gets released 🤣

*takes another shot of (nonalcoholic) apple cider*

okay.

Okay.

OKAY.

HERE IT IS, GUYS 😤 mY DEAtILED ANYSlysis OF Yhe nEW J EoRD CARD!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!!! !!!!! !!!! !!! !!! ! !!! !!!!!!!!!! !!!!!!!!!! !

Did you guys enjoy it??? 🥺 I hope so cuz I worked really hard to put it together 💕

sdhflavylafafefae; OKAY BUT SERIOUSLY I SWEAR SOME TWST DEV WAS RUBBING THEIR HANDS TOGETHER BEHIND THE SCENES AND CACKLING ABOUT HOW THEY'RE GNN A SDNiPE US SO HARD FOR NOVEMBER... LIKE. WHY;S J WORD WINKING... DO YOU CASULLAY LIE ON YOUR MATTRESS AND WINK AT ONLOOKERS WHILE LEAVING YTOUR HAND OUT IN THE OPEN TO BE GRABBED AND HELD/???? ? ?? ? ? ?? ? ????? ? That is NOT normal behavior...

Another part that really gets me is why is he holding his arm like THAT... It almost looks like he's pretending to nurse an injury to lure you into giving him sympathy cuddles. dfvosydgqvyepbqeifPIBHfouv IS HE JUS T TRYING TO DISTRACT YOU FROM CHECKING HIS ROOM FOR ANYTHING SUS HE MIGHT BE HJDING IN THERE ???? ?? ? ??? ?IT'S NOT GONNA WORK, AJDE I KNOW YOU'RE HIDING A PASSED OUT MOB STUDENT IN YOUR CLOSET, RELEASE HIM

ADHFLAFEIUPAEYEGI AIHPEGQ; AND LASTBIG THING I'MLL COMMENT ON IS. AM I NCRAZY OR IS THAT TOP MORE LOW CUT THAN WHAT HE USUALY WEARS??? ? ? ? ????? ? ? ?Cuz normally J word is all or nothing; he's either completely covered up or completely naked (eel form)... BUT HE NEVER DRESSES LIKE THIS WITH COLLARBonE AND (DOTH MY EYES DECEIVE ME) SOME CLEAVAGE SPilLLING OUT>??? ?? ? ???? ? ? ??? ? OTL bEING HiT WITH TRHSI SHIT AFTER A MONTHS' WORHT OF BEING BULLINED INTO THE dIRT ABOUT HE WHO SHALL NOT BE NAMED AND HIS LARGE TRAcTS OF LAND... aND I GOT THE OTHER TBIRtCH AS A LOGIN TOO, IT FEELS LIKE THEY'R EFIGHTING FOR ATTENTION... THIS MUST BE SOME KIND OF CRUEL UFKCING JOKE

Me in the aftermath of the card art drop about to be the skeleton Jamil’s dancing with in his Nightmare Suit Groovy cuz BRO the leech sucked all the life out of me OTL

THEY’RE GONNA hAVE TO DrAG NE OUT oF THAT MaGIC bOOK LOOkin’ ALL BONeY

Side note: Shoutout to my dude Floyd 🫵 who’s manspreading to take up as much space as possible while also wearing the ugliest pajama pants I have ever seen… Takes real courage… also he’s not being as demure and slutty as his brother

[janesbeloved]

FINDING FRANKIE LORE MASTERPOST — Everything I have been able to scrap together regarding the game's lore

Take all this with a grain of salt, and feel free to share your own deductions and opinions with me! This is not me "solving" Finding Frankie, but me coming to a conclusion of an overall image of the events of the game and it's story.

THIS POST WILL INCLUDE HEAVY SPOILERS. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!

click more to read the entire masterpost!

IMPORTANT CHARACTERS

• Michael & Shawn Sykes: The two brothers who founded the company. Michael also served as the CEO before Stan Ellie.

• Stan Ellie: The latest CEO of the company and murder suspect of Shawn Sykes. His current whereabouts are unknown.

• Lucky Contestant: Protagonist of the game who has a mysterious connection of the company and has been a fan of the gameshow for multiple seasons.

• "The Other": A Frankie mascot who functions as the announcer and gamemaster, guiding the contestant through the game. He seems to have a connection to the "higher ups" that's much closer than the other mascots. There are multiple variants of him, scattered around the park, including one in the CEO's office. Their purpose is unclear.

• Henry Hotline: A mascot of the gameshow, yet he is the most sentient of the crew according to the devs, and he seems to know a lot about the true nature of the gameshow and the company, as was heard during his monologue and he ended up paying the price for his knowledge.

• Monster Frankie: A Frankie mascot that chases after the contestant most of the time, trying to kill them. While having low sentience according to the devs, it clearly responds to orders given by "The Other" and seems to enjoy roaming around the park when not chasing the contestant.

ROUGH TIMELINE INFORMATION

• Gameshows began in 2001 (as seen on the big screen at Frosted Peak)

• Despite the facility being decently modern, the use of VHS tapes and rotary phones could indicate the game taking place in 2005. However, there's a chance the game doesn't take place in the real world but instead is its own thing, so real life logic doesn't apply.

• IF the timeline of 2001-2005 is somewhat correct, and there has been 57 seasons of "Finding Frankie" we can deduce that the gameshows indeed do not take long (especially when Henry and Frankie talk of how contestants last only a few minutes, etc.) and multiple gameshow episodes can be fitted in a season. (more proof added to this later down in text!)

• The gameshow the protagonist plays in takes place on October 19th, potentially 2005 and the gameshow ended somewhere around 12am. It was thundering outside during the gameshow.

PAST EVENTS TIMELINE

(NOTE: Take all of this again with a grain of salt. I have not gotten answers for everything regarding the plot, but this rough timeline has things that are too fitting to be coincidences. Do let me know your opions and thoughts!)

Brothers Michael and Shawn Sykes founded Frankies cereal somewhere in the 1950s, possibly in 1954 considering thats listed as Frankies creation date. The screens in the parkour palace give us the information that they eventually made the decision to sell the IP, but they still didnt step down from the company, they remained there but the company got a new CEO, aka Stan Ellie.

My best guess is that Stan became the CEO somewhere in the 1980s, as Henry Hotline was created in 1986, and he was marketed as "Frankie's best friend and partner in crime" in their little cartoony universe.

In a newspaper clipping its stated that as Stan became the head of the company and decided to plan expansions for the IP, the brothers disagreed with his plans. Stan says in the interview, quote, "As an IP grows, so should we – and the characters. The brothers couldn't see that, as they deemed it "crass commercialism" and too much of a pivot from what they originally wanted. But I see it as an opportunity to grow Frankie, not just as an IP but as a character, and to expand this immersive world" end quote. In the same newspaper it's also stated that the companys first of many Indoor Parkour parks is set to open in a few months from when the interview was published.

With Deputy Duck created in 1990 and his job being a "tour guide" it makes sense his duty is to guide guests in the newly opened park. Thus marking the opening of Frankie's Parkour Palace in 1990.

(Side note: The park is in California! Wowza!)

The Parkour Palace didn't have it's doors open for the general public for long, as a body was discovered underneath trampolines in a play place. A newspaper clipping that talks of the discovery states that the body's identity and the circumstances surrounding the death remain unclear.

The body was unidentifiable, yet had a strong smell which is why the body was eventually discovered in the first place

This is where the third newspaper clipping comes in. Michael Sykes, the former CEO and co-founder, accuses CEO Stan Ellie of the murder of his brother, Shawn Sykes. With the recent discovery of the body beneath the trampolines, and this newspaper clipping stating that Stan will face a judge in court on November 12th, 1993 pushes it further that Michael is certain that Stan murdered his brother. The newspaper also states that Stan is to step down as the CEO, and the companys future was left unclear and uncertain.

CURRENT EVENTS TIMELINE

The park was never reopened to the general public after the body was discovered and Stan was accused of the murder. This is evident by the police tapes in the trampoline park (Noob noob area) where the body was discovered AND in Frosted Peak police tape conceals access to the CEO's office and other areas. It was left to how it was, and for a whole (possible) 7 years, it's uncertain what exactly was happening in the park. Perhaps the additions and stuff that were needed for the gameshows were built during this time? Who knows, but we do know that the gameshows began in 2001.

Lucky Contestant has a clear strong connection to the company and it goes beyond just being a fan. Lucky on purpose seeked for a tape in the cereal boxes, having to purchase 769 cereal boxes to finally acquire a vhs tape and be invited onto the gameshow. At the end of the game, a cutscene is provided to us where we can see a glimpse to the life of Lucky, specifically where he lives. But, thanks to the ability to break through boundaries inside a game, not only do we see how much of an awful state he's in, having to sleep on a mattress on the floor, but it is revealed to us that he's an avid fan. His little computer room shows us that he has access to the gameshow livestream, being greeted with the text "Welcome back, S".

Lucky's computer room AND his apartment in general was what gave us access to most of the lore I have been able to scrap together. On a monitor there's a paper with a list of Finding Frankie seasons from 41 to 57, with 57 circled with red. At the top it says "Everything changes" (keep this in mind for later) and at the bottom of the paper there's a code, but I haven't been able to figure out it's purpose.

There's also a screen that provides a countdown for the next seasons beginning. It's a bit hard to read, but if I guess correctly it says "91 hours" which adds to my point that these seasons are truly short, contestants last only a few minutes, if it takes only 3 days for a new season to begin after the last one.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

(NOTE: This section will be me connecting the dots provided in the timelines and information listed above. I will also provide images, videos and all to function as sources for my claims. THESE ARE NOT UNDENIABLY CANON; JUST ME THEORIZING!)

Who murdered Shawn Sykes?

If Michael accusing Stan of the murders isn't enough to paint him as a culprit, there are more to back things up. In one of the newspaper clippings I mentioned, Stan talks of how the brothers strongly disagreed with his want to expand the company and adding more things to the IP. Why did Stan have issues with Shawn instead of Michael is unclear, but him wanting Shawn out of the way of his plans could've been a clear motive for his murder. (truly there could be a possible plot twist in the future regarding this, but ofc my current deductions are based on the game we have now.)

Who is the Lucky Contestant?

As I have made Lucky's connection to the company very clear, I shall make my claim that Lucky contestant IS Stan Ellie, the previous CEO and murder suspect. Here are my claims:

The note in Lucky's computer room reading "Everything Changes" is written in the same exact handwriting as the same "Everything Changes" written on an apartment paper found in the CEO's office. Lucky lives in an apartment, and has been an avid watcher of the gameshows for multiple seasons, being so much of a fan that he had a Frankie sticker on his VHS player.

"The Other" picked Lucky as the surviving contestant, purposefully rigging the game to ensure he would live until he'd reach Hexa-Havoc but would eventually be killed there. What are the odds that "The Other" chose Lucky just on a whim? "The Other" somehow knew where Lucky lives and what state his home is in. He knew too much about Lucky, for him choosing him to live to be just a coincidence or chance.

Henry Hotline, upon chasing Lucky, is desperate to keep him there and not let him go. During his chase sequence, Henry can be heard shouting "Don't leave me!" and "Stop stop! I need you!" as he desperately tries to catch him. While it is unclear that does Henry say this to every contestant he's dealt with in the past, it's important to note that Henry knows so much of whats going on, he knew too much and was killed because of it. There is a chance, he knew exactly who Lucky was.

Upon reaching the door to Frosted Peak, there are two livechat screens which you can read. It's all the viewers of the gameshow, placing bets on contestants and sharing their opinions of what's happening. One of the livestream texts is...strange, to say the least. Someone is directly talking to us, the contestant. While everything else is in all caps, this text isn't, and it reads: "I know it's you. where is my brother". Quite strange thing to say, unless Lucky indeed has a connection to someone's missing brother..much like... Stan Ellie...!

We can access the place where that body was found, in game. It's in the noob noob trampoline area, and as you go past the police tape, there's a hole which gives you access to be underneath the trampolines. There's clear bloodsplatter on the ground, and surprisingly enough as you remain crouched there, you can hear....tinnitus. Ringing in your ears. Sounds becomig muffled. Why would this area, out of everything that Lucky has experienced, would cause him to feel this..anxiety? It's like he's recalling a memory. A memory of something he did himself.

WHO RUNS THE GAMESHOW?

This is the one question I truly have no clear answer to, only guesses but there is no enough evidence to base them on anything. My guess is that Michael Sykes is in charge of it all, his motivation for doing everything is unclear. Henry Hotline only speaks of "the higher-ups" and if his wording is to be trusted, there's not just one person pulling the strings. Michael Sykes could be one of them. But what is certain, is that there does seem to be a human (or a humanoid mascot) who runs the show, as in the opening cutscene we saw someone press the ON AIR button to be on.

"The Other" clearly is connected to the higher-ups, but it's impossible to tell if he is a higher-up himself or only functions as their puppet with either his own level of sentience and/or someone speaks through him and controls him.

WHAT ARE THE MASCOTS?

Monster Frankie & Henry Hotline are robots with varying levels of sentience. How they gained sentience is unclear. They have control pannels down in the sewers, and there are various switches and other things that can be used to control them, such as options for "MOOD" and "FAKE BLOOD". Even after Henry Hotline's death, his control pannel remains on, and this leads me to believe there are two of him.

(This is again just me theorizing ofc!! Like this whole post is)

Much like there are two Frankie's (Three, if counting the sentient AI Cartoon Frankie), there truly seems to be two of Henry Hotline: Monster Henry and "The real Henry".

This is tied to how Henry's chase scene functions and the strong difference in appearance between the two Henry's. Henry doesn't chase you continuously like Monster Frankie, but he disappears at one point and reappears the next. This is where I believe Monster Henry and "real Henry" switch, and the "real one" chases after Lucky to finish the chace, explaining his personal desperation to catch him. "Real Henry" also is the one who ends up getting beat up.

(NOTE: Upon receiving the golden key from the CEO's office, you gey access to the elevator that takew you to a secret room that serves as a recharge station for the mascots. Both Monster Frankie and Henry Hotline are set to return in season 58 (with Henry marked as "X2") but "The Other" is not noted to appear...)

IMAGES + VIDEOS TO BACK UP MY CLAIMS:

VIDEOS:

https://youtube.com/shorts/3qYOEUctcF4?si=nf5CRbdbUENpbhbG

https://youtu.be/WmStk7Ofl_w?si=k2unkTednQ8szOn2

https://youtu.be/JwYQvSCBJn8?si=pt4fwkt1lS7VX3RU

https://youtu.be/oNHk2fsR8uo?si=14HQfY-CxNz4qQWF

—

THANK YOU SO MUCH IF YOU MADE IT THIS FAR!!!! I'd love to hear what opinions people have and ofc if anyone has claims that go against mine, I would love to do sole chill debating and theorizing!! This is all done by me just for fun and for pure love and adoration for this game and it's universe. Ofc leave any questions in comments, reblogs or even send me a DM ! I'm also on twitter (user is also janesbeloved) if reaching out is easier there!

[evieelyzabethh]

Streamer Jayce definitely seems like a LOL player who’d heavily grinds the game, and would *know* the lore extensively, even better than the devs/writers themselves. And in a world where LOL is the exact same, even with game Viktor and Jayce remaining unchanged, streamer Jayce would also definitely make jokes about himself and modern Viktor related to those game characters

oooh I've sorta been imagining a slightly separate AU where the streamer AU is still modern, but reader and the gang blow up before League of Legends was released their characters and bases the visuals off of them. Jayce and the Machine Herald were both introduced in like 2011/2012, so the slightly less modern streamer AU would take place circa late 00s early 2010s which is silly because that's such a different landscape.

You start out on Youtube, playing the original Minecraft, Sims 1 and 2, Bioshock, the old Resident Evil games and Silent Hill, Jayce playing WoW and LoL, the old Zelda games, Halo, and Assassins Creed. Your aesthetic looks quite different, pink and black foam sound mufflers decorating the back of your space, pink glass beads covering the door behind you, a fluffy pink rug on your floor, PlayBoy throw pillows next to your cheetah print stuffed animals on your hot pink velveteen bed. Don't even get me started on your closet. Juicy tracksuits galore, so many roll over leggings and matching tube tops, sparkly halter tops, low rise jeans, gold and silver hoops, a collection of belly button rings, and so many Chanel heels. You also definitely had one of those bedazzled BlackBerry's.

Viktor is more present in this AU, you both having a separate series on the channel called Multiplayer Monday where you and him film videos playing together. I wouldn't say he fits into the emo-boy look. Think less Rodrick Heffley and more season 1 Spencer Reid with less greasy looking hair. Lots of sweaters, lots of button ups and academic prints like argyle or plaid, lots of beat-up converse, old messenger bags, and comfy oversized jackets. He's still just as sassy, but he really does get into the games. I see his day job being something like an early day's computer scientist who really gets into the craft that goes into coding a game.

You and Jayce only really blow up because shipping culture used to be even more insane than it is now and everyone couldn't wait to see you two together, never mind the very real boyfriend you had. You and Vik still get a lot of attention, but shipping wars definitely break out over who you're going to "end up with". There are so many, fanfics don't get me started. You know how 1D started the "I Got Kidnapped By..." trope, you three definitely started some freaky shit in fanfic spaces. In fact, you really originated Fuck or Die fics, specifically a smutty twist on the Hanahaki disease trope where you have to fuck to prove that you love one of them so they won't die and prove which side of the shipping war was right once and for all. Also, so many Youtube edits of you and Vik to Kesha's, Your Love is My Drug.

Despite not being the greatest at the games he played, Jayce's deep love for the lore eventually got him noticed by Riot, who invite him, you, and Viktor to one of their events and plan a partnership with you three, which is how Jayce and the Machine Herald get introduced into the game. You also get a character, but we all know how well adding female characters to male dominated gaming spaces goes. It would be a completely terrible mischaracterization of who you are and what your channel stands for, your tits would be huge and popping out of your outfit, your waist would be the size of your head, your weapon would be some sort of Cupid's arrow gimmick, and the character would eventually be retired and a piece of lost LoL history. You get a few references made to your character on Valentines Day, though!!

Viktor is more pissed about it than you are, and out of spite, he remodels your character and makes a little platform game for her as a present to you on Valentines Day. It's a really cute small release where you battle a bunch of magical creatures on your adventure to find the Ring of Happiness. While you usually take the wheel when it comes to more creative endeavors like character and world design and story board creation, it's still a very cute game. When you beat the game, you do also receive your own real-life Ring of Happiness.

Besides the little hiccups, Jayce and Viktor think it's very cool to be in a video game. Jayce is definitely the type to main his own character no matter what while Viktor likes a little more variety. The cosplays would also go insane!!! Does Jayce lose his fingerprints with the ungodly number of times he burned himself trying to hot glue his hammer together? Well, yes!!! Does Viktor nearly dye himself with the black body paint he uses? Yes!!! You cosplayed Viktor's version and are the only one who comes out unscathed. From that point on, you leave the cosplaying to the fans and stick to playing the games.

ps. sorry for the lack of my big headcanons. tumblr hates me and wont save my drafts so i literally have no way of writing and posting them :(

[amica-aenigmata-naboo]

If You'll Have Me

Dev Patel x Y/N - drabble - 1.3K WC NSFW 18+

Masterlist

Warnings: SMUT, so fucking adorable, literally like omg, gender neutral, no real descriptions of genitals kinda?, fluffy af, L bombs, penetration, idk everything else???

------------------------------

You moved smoothly around the kitchen, the soundtrack to your boyfriend's new movie energizing you while you made dinner. Specifically the extended version of LED Spirals, you didn’t know what they put in the song but fuck it was addicting. So addicting everything else felt drowned out. You kept dancing, swaying and twirling with the music in a seductive yet passionate way. The lights were dim, only a few softly glowing lamps throughout the kitchen and living room provided a soft glow. Lost in your own world you continued what you were doing, never hearing the front door open and close.

Dev could hear the music from outside the apartment. He gave you his spare key a month ago which shocked you as you had only been dating for two months. Now on the cusp of four months Dev knew deep down how he felt for you. It was a deep sense of longing and lust; creating the sweetest form of love with so much fire in it. He wanted to devour you, and be devoured by you. He unlocked the door quietly and pushed his way inside. Slipping his shoes and button up shirt off after setting down his keys. He kept his loose pants and muscle shirt on, looking down at how dirty he was from filming Monkey Man. Today had been mostly stunt work and fight scenes - he was exhausted. Whatever you were cooking smelt amazing, a fragrant blend of spices ruminating in the air. He gently walked towards the kitchen, trying not to make noise. As he leaned in the doorway he watched you with a smile. Your movements were hypnotic, the way your hips flowed with the beat. The quickened breathing making your chest rise and fall. The rosy tint on your cheeks. The little gasps you made. He licked his lips before running a hand over his face; how were you so stunning? And how were you his? 

You swayed in a circle before giving a small shriek and jump, not knowing Dev was watching you. “How long have you been watching?” you mumbled, hands balling up the ends of his oversized hoodie you were wearing. 

“Long enough.” he smiled before he walked towards you, hands finding their way to your waist. 

You let out an involuntary hum at the contact, you let your hands rest on his chest, fingers caressing his jaw. You breathed him in, his cologne from this morning mixed with sweat. He already had a bruised eye from earlier in the week and now his knuckles were actually bloody. You sighed, knowing he was careful but still ended up injured. Yet you supported him as you knew how much he loved putting his all into his movies. 

“Did you have a good day?” you asked, leaning your head against his chest.

He swayed you both slightly, “Exhausting but yes… My body hurts.” he joked but you knew there was truth behind it. 

“Here…” you said, pulling away from him much to his disdain. You grabbed the bottle of water and Midol you had set on the island before he got home.

“Midol?” he asked, quirking his eyebrow. 

“It’s good for periods AND busted up actors - trust me I’m a doctor.” you joked with him. You may not be a doctor but you did learn how to patch Dev up with his minor stunt mishaps. 

Dev shrugged before taking the two pills and water from you, swallowing them quickly. You watched the way his throat bobbed. How the water trickled down his chin to his chest. How his muscles moved with every breath. Your lip was clutched between your teeth as you gawked at him. You were having the unholiest of thoughts while he was doing the most mundane task.

“Darling?” Dev said while screwing the top of the bottle back on.

You shook your head slightly, coming back down from your fantasies. Cheeks flushed, Dev quickly caught on to what was going on. 

“Do you want something lovely?” he said, his voice thick with desire, dropping into a low gruff yet buttery tone. 

You swallowed the lump in your throat as your hazy eyes looked at him. You and Dev had done some stuff but hadn’t had sex yet. Every fiber in your body was now wondering why. You walked to him, hand coming to cup his cheek, your breaths mingled. You met him as you both moved to finally lock lips. It was hungry, desperate. As if this was the last time you’d be together. Dev quickly grabbed the backs of your thighs, hoisting you up to lock your legs around his waist. He made his way to the bedroom stumbling into the walls every now and then as he got lost in you. You felt him sit down, your legs now resting on either side of his lap as he got comfortable on the bed. You ground your hips down into him. His breath hitched before he let out a shaky moan. 

“Do you want to?” you asked, intertwining your hands with his. 

“If you’ll have me.” he smiled, placing soft kisses across your chest, making your eyes flutter closed.

“Please…” you breathed out, holding him close to you. 

Dev tore his thin shirt off, making you moan against him as you kissed. Your hands felt over every inch of skin they could. Dev snuck his large hands under your shirt, letting his hands travel across your chest before he slipped the hoodie and shirt off in one go. You gazed at him as you sat in only your underwear on his lap. Taking in a few deep breaths you looked into his eyes.

“Are you alright?” he asked, “We can stop.” he assured you, hands caressing your cheeks. 

Your heart melted at how soft he was with you. “I love you.” you whispered, your eyes widening when you realize what you said. 

“I love you.” he said without missing a beat, he leaned his forehead against yours momentarily just soaking you in. His head dipped to your neck; biting and sucking marks into the supple flesh just to savor the little pants and moans that left your lips. His hand slid into your underwear, finally having him where you wanted him most. Your breath quickened with each move his skillful hand made. 

“You’re so good for me…” he mumbled as he moved his lips against you. 

Your eyes fluttered closed as they rolled back, you felt him igniting a fire in your lower belly that flowed like warm honey through your veins. Warm and sticky yet pulsing and electric. Your mind was clouded with pleasure but you didn’t let that stop you from slipping your hand down his chest to his waistband, slipping two fingers inside to trace the seam. You felt his hips jolt slightly before his hands started shoving his pants and boxers off. You slipped your underwear off before settling on his lap again. You clutched him gently, moving him to your entrance. His cock twitched in anticipation before you sank down on him. Both of you let out groans, enjoying the feeling. 

“Why didn’t we do this sooner?” Dev muttered. 

You laughed, pulling him into a sweet kiss. You started moving your hips; both yours and Dev’s breathing picked up as the pleasure built in you both with each grind. You sped up after a moment chasing the high that was so nearly in grasp. You felt his hands clutching your hips tightly, guiding your movements. His lips ghosted over your chest, whispering praises to you. He gently bit into your shoulder as he came, bringing on your own orgasm as you liked the slight pain he provided with the overwhelming pleasure. Your body shook as you came down, Dev holding you close. You leaned against him, exhausted and sleepy. Dev kissed you lazily as he pulled out, he laid your body down next to his, holding you against him. You kissed his chest a few times before snuggling into his side. 

“So you love me, huh?” he said with a goofy smile.

You laughed as you rolled your eyes, “It's entirely possible.” you replied.

-------------------------------

Naboo's Note:

Heyyyyyy first celebrity fic - and what a guy right? Recently watched Monkey Man and I am OBSESSED. He's so damn fine. Anyways - feel free to send in requests regarding Mr. Dev Patel or any of his characters. Thank you for the support!!! XOXOXXOOXOXOOX!!!!!!!

[kremlin]

i figure most human behaviour that, not only doesn’t occur in other animals but has zero connection to animal behavior is basically distantly rooted in the known fear of inevitable death. let me be clear. cats and shit don’t know they’re gonna die. we do. we have thoughts. we know it’s coming. we think we’re gonna be rich, bullshit like that, most humans believe in magic and most humans doubt that math is a universal or consistent thing. total nonsense right. but everyone knows their ass is gonna die. before you write me off as some dumbass reciting basic 101 level university lectures just Trust Me I’m An Engineer. anyways. being human and dying are somewhat one in the same.

“if i do nonhuman things i can cheat the reaper.” short and sweet. if i can beat zelda faster than anyone i can outrun the reaper. and you know what, fuck it, i’m scared shitless of dying. it’s gonna hurt really bad no doubt. what if the brain destroyal process makes time slow down in my perception and it’s not just like five seconds of bleeding out or fire ant bites or however you go. Scary. so i’ll play along:

i am an average american man and i enjoy bad game runescape. it’s a computer game. MMO. kill monster get loot. sell what i don’t want to other players for gold. spamming chat with “SELLING BOWSTRINGS 200gp” for an hour “sucks” so the devs add a grand exchange where you can post buy/sell orders for a given item+price to maximize gameplay efficiency and minimize social interaction.

like any other MMO you can pay some sketchy website real money for ingame gold farmer by chinese gold farmers. totally against the rules. remember this

so the first thing that comes to any male aged 23-27 mind is “buy low sell high” basic bitch shit. no good. there’s a 5% tax that’ll wipe out your profit margin intended to eliminate this behavior (you’re supposed to friggen kill monsters). but everyone thinks they’re a genius and can beat the system and that there is a secret george soros style illuminati group that is holding the secrets, blah blah blah, whatever, and this comes as a coping mechanism after losing your shirt after trying to beat the market (success rate of 0%).

here is where people mostly quit thinking: if you do the math, which takes about ten minutes and can be done on one side of a sheet of paper with the most basic calculator, it’s easy to figure out that the amount of gold you’d need to play dirty (buy out all the available Feathers or Fire Runes or whatever) in order to corner the market would be so high that there is no possible way for a character to hold that much without having spent IRL money for gold. you’d get autobanned.

SO..finally, go on the ol’ www.reddit.com, and make a really really professional-to-professional sounding post advertising a “service”. Saturate the fuck out of it with dense but very real financial jargon. the “service” (which needs to be obscured enough with plausible and relevant language) is a hedging service aimed at make-believe market players who are buying and selling such huge amounts of items and gold (usually in anticipation of a game update that will speculatively introduce a sudden, dramatic, and capitalizable price change for some item). you need it to be as alien-sounding and foreign as possible but with enough believability and clarity that a handful of reddit jackasses will figure out what the fuck your post is about. whenever pressed further, act totally puzzled and make it very clear that this is not a service relevant to “individual entertainment-motivated” players or some shit. no matter what amount of gold anyone quotes at you, just act puzzled and if that amount is 1/1000th the amount one of your “normal” clients deal with. you need to do all of this extremely artfully. and by “you”, i’ve been meaning to write “me”. really lay it on thick that whatever you’re “doing” is totally unavailable to them and that you want zero to do with them.

so now theyre still mostly totally confused but enough is made clear that their interest is piqued. got my hook in em. some guy will copy/paste wikipedia shit in an obnoxiously long and pseudointellectual, contemptible but characteristically reddit guy style what you’re “selling” actually is in the most exhausting, hand-holdingest way to his fellow reddit gamers. with complete tone of authority.

inevitably one of them will put on their sherlock holmes hat and go deep undercover, emailing me posing as an interested party. bingo. now i get to really lay on the WTF and go off the rails asking about vouchers from One Of The Big Seven, but oh no, you can’t get one of them to vouch for you, that’s fine, it makes sense, we’re the only firm that deals with unvouched, that’s our market, well, one of them at least. Just give me a rough rundown of your entry criteria, dwell time, risk tolerance, fuckin “Gamma Ratio”, you know, all the basic stuff, and i’ll have the team generate a .xlsx for you to plug your data into to get a rough feel for what the final contract might be like.

(lololol) But REMEMBER, that excel sheet is seeded, output is fuzzed and salted and if you share it or try and sell it to our competitors, it will be fuzzy enough to be worthless to them but obvious to us who leaked what. this is the only way we’re able to integrate unvouched clients without untenable premiums and while managing our risk levels

blah blah blah blah, i go on and on and on and the guy on the other end is developing a scab from constant head-scratching. and that’s about the maximum real-world harm i’m willing to inflict. i know this sounds like an elaborate as fuck confidence scam but it isn’t. that shit makes me sick. i’d literally slam my arms in a car door before taking a cent from all this. hell, i’ll go out of my way to guarantee i don’t even piss anyone off or offend them or anything.

your guess is as good as mine but i do stuff like this constantly for anything i know well enough and the example i gave above is just a pretty low quality one i made up on the spot. this is a public blog after all.

anyways, cheers, hoping this saves me from dying or whatever the hell i was talking about before that could have probably been cut out. Namaste. Mahala.

[mdpthatsme]

Two announcements today. I'm going to ignore the movie news because I honestly have the lowest of low expectations for it.

Project Rene scrapped? Unclear.

They've decided to restore the Sims 4 foundation, Project Olympus, to its original purpose, a multi-player MMO chat room whatever.

The excuse of "we don't want to end 10 years worth of TS4" is total BS and only wants to invoke sentimentality of players as if us older players haven't lived through 4 iterations of the game.

What they really mean is they found out how much money it will cost to run Sims 4 servers and Sims 5 servers and don't want to pay for it. Because the-totally-doesn't-need-the-internet-to-play TS4 shutting down and not giving access to players would have major backlash. Over $1000 for a game you can't play? People would be furious.

So they are sticking with the shaky foundation of TS4 as their generational game with all the horrible brokenness that console players can't get around, that modders have tried to fix, and that they themselves ignore and sweep under the rug because some people are holding onto hope they'll eventually fix it. Meanwhile, they'll distract everyone with new shiny DLCs, that will continue to have no real impact or consequences on gameplay and bring in creators to collaborate with in showmanship that they're "for the players."

TS4 will have multi-player. Big whoop. Majority of players aren't interested as they have said through countless polls and surveys.

TS4 doesn't have:

Open world

The ability to create your own world

Color wheel for all options

Cars

Robbers, real plant sims, zombies

Memories

Consequences

Astrology

Real personalities

And many other things that I don't feel like typing on a phone, but you can add yourself.

Point is, TS4's foundation is very limited. They won't be able to update the real things players want because it's just not possible with Olympus.

But hey, grim reaper expansion pack that will intrigue people for a few weeks before it releases with a ton of bugs that will continue to crumble the foundation and create more issues for the devs to slap a bandaid on.

But that's all I have to say about that.

Edit:

[voice-o-fallacy]

Oh hey would you look at that, it’s more player take from a sleepy idiot, rejoice /s

> As the basis of everything here, the player is treated more like a character/oc than a self-insert. I hc that everyone (including the player) sees the world in Block Tales as the real world (even if it might go against canon). Everyone but Shed and Builderman. The devs see it more as a game they built and maintained.

> The player is barely 20 when they were sent back from the future.

> Assuming Builderman’s kidnapping in 2010 marks the start of the end of the world, and they traveled back from 2024, they spent almost their entire formative year struggling to survive in an apocalypse.

> The peaceful present day (2010) existed only in their distant childhood memories. To be here in person again as now a (young) adult is a surreal experience to say the least.

> It’s not wholly negative, mind you. The peace and quiet and the abundance of material goods, they enjoy those a lot. They really took their time to try out every kinds of food, and they’ve already joined Griefer as half a Bloxy Cola addict.

> However, the stability of the present day - how everyone seems to collectively believe in this normalcy, wholly oblivious to how wrong everything can get in the near future - unnerves them sometimes. How are you smiling when you are walking into your own graves? It keeps them vigilante, running around even when no new instruction has been given by Shed. Kyoko might have to wrestle them a bit to have them actually sit down with her.

> Luckily their life experiences didn’t make them a brooding asshole. If anything they tend to shoulder the responsibility of being the funny one. Growing up as one of the youngest in their survivor group means when people look at them, they either see hope, or liability. They learnt to stay happy and stay strong for the ones cared about them. Or lay low and be useful when their survival relied on someone who’s not wholly happy about dragging a kid along.

> On an unrelated note, the player is a scrapper. Meaning they’ll use any dirty trick in or not in the book to win any fight, and they tend to shittalk their enemies sometimes.

> Shed gave absolutely no funding to the player, even if they’re literally saving his business partner and possibly the world, except means of transportation. Being familiar with the game’s mechanics, he’s sure the drops/loots will give them enough Tix to go by and they can figure it out.

> The player just halfheartedly chalked it up as Shed being a cheapskate.

The guy (gender neutral) in question. Their current design at least

[pinacoladamatata]

I am once again thinking about Solas and how his potential arc this game could go regarding the Veil being up or down and I'm gnawing at the bars of my enclosure [spoilers obviously] I don't like being intelligent/thoughtful on here I prefer to be stupid but here we go

In [yet another] article that came out, idk? today? Mark Darrah says the story "allows us to, hopefully, give a good conclusion to all the varied attitudes toward Solas that are going to be coming from people who love Solas, who agree with Solas, who hate Solas, people who want to kick Solas off of a building – I think that we give you the opportunity to bring that to a close, but then tell a greater story about The Veilguard and about the world as a whole."

and I don't know what to fucking think about this? They obviously know people's opinions are varied and I think it should be obvious that this is not a case where 'one ending fits all'

Because like, he is such a tragic character and I know there's gonna be an option to kill him, calm down, before you start in my inbox with "I WANT TO KILL HIM" like, you will be able to, that's kind of...almost a certainty. Especially for low approval Inquisitor/swore to stop him at all costs. Because if he Won't agree to stop trying to tear down the veil and causing mass destruction, (even after dealing with Elgarnan and Ghilly) then you'll have to kill him. Even trapping him forever isn't really an option because he created the fucking veil, man's crafty, he'd eventually find a way out. Like, If he will not and cannot see reason, then you, the protagonist, will have to end him.

It's the OTHER option that has me spinning because, you could, maybe, potentially, hopefully, talk him out of it. And if you did that, either as a romanced or friendly Inquisitor, or apparenty? Rook? based on this new info that Solas and Rook are going to have a lot of interaction, then he doesn't NEED to die. If he stops wanting to tear down the veil, he could potentially just disappear and do whatever he wants, like nerd out over magic.

And honestly, having him die on both paths is such a slap in the face for "your choices matter" because like clearly they do not if that happens; like what was the point of making me choose at the end of trespasser? If the only difference is 'stop Solas at all costs' leads to a boss fight where you kill him and 'redeem Solas' leads to ? him dying anyway somehow? Like I'm sorry but that is lazy and boring. His redemption should not end in death, he should have to live and deal with the consequences, because that could be so much more interesting.

[because I'll be real, I don't think they're going to let us have the option to tear down the veil/side with him AND have the option to keep the veil up. I think it will be one or the other no matter your choices; Simply because there is too much of a massive difference between world states of 'killed Solas to prevent him taking down the veil Thedas remains status quo' VS 'let Solas take down the veil, Thedas is now fundamentally different in an almost inconceivable way'. Like the setting for any future games depend on this; you would have to create 2 very different games. There has to be some uniformness to the world state, like; the veil remains, but it's thinned or whatever and the people of Thedas are living life more or less as usual if they ever want to make DA5. Would be wild of them do go the route of no matter what you do the veil comes down anyway. Which would be annoying if you swore to stop Solas at all costs and he just... succeeds anyway, even if he dies? Of course, there is Sandals prophecy, which I think is about the events of DA4. And devs have said in the past they had 'something' planned since Origins. "One day the magic will come back - all of it. Everyone will be just like they were" - The veil coming down and everyone gaining magic? Not just elves but humans, dwarves and qunari too? "The shadows will part and the skies will open wide" - Talking about the veil coming down?? Do shadows represent the abyss? "When he rises, everyone will see" - I'm actually convinced this is about Elgar'nan, or, something even worse; like the 'thing' that Mythal locked away, that the "evanuris in their greed could unleash" that "would destroy us all". So I think the end of DA:TV will be either the veil stays in place no matter what, or the veil comes down no matter what, which is, idk, interesting? Because again, they can't have both- that just gets too messy for the setting for the next game. They could have the veil come down no matter what, but, you would need to have a "better option" as Varric and Solas put it. Which, let's say for narrative purposes, this option exists and we tell it to Solas and he goes "Okay let's do that instead" and it results in a world state where the veil is 'down' but not in a catastrophic mega-calamity way. Even then though, some players are just not going to pick that and also if the veil comes down; what the fuck are we guarding it for???? I think it might come down temporarily. Maybe we have to make a new one? a better one? we have our fade tamagotchi fen'harel who happens to be the only fucker who knows how to make a veil too. Could this 'better veil' alleviate some of the problems Solas had with the old one? If there was like a set door way that allowed people and spirits to pass safely? One that didn't cause so much discord between spirits/people? Is our Veilguard a Fade TSA? I can dream. But who knows. Either way, I think we're only getting one endgame worldstate regarding the veil.

So; OK, back to Solas and how the fuck that could end. Harking back to that Varric/Solas conversation about the old man living alone. Solas is clearly speaking as though he is the old man, and he can't fathom just living a quiet life when there are literal world ending gods waiting for a weak moment to bust free. He Will not, Cannot stand by and do nothing while he knows his prison is failing. He HAS to at least deal with the 2 evanuris before tearing down the veil bc he doesn't want them to cause harm. He didn't want that before (hence locking them away) and he doesn't want it now, even for modern day Thedas (hence him helping Rook). He's got such a fucking heart under all that armor. He cares about people, he demonstrates it again and again. But my god what if, he finally *sees* that the veil may not have been a mistake, it doesn't need to be torn down, (maybe it has to be remade, better?or just altered?) and then us the protag, no longer has to kill him to stop him from tearing it down?

Like, I am very partial to the "what if love changes everything" trope especially for such a tragic character. Bc he's got death flags left and right; "I walk the dinanshiral" "there is only death on this journey" "this does not end in my downfall" his "dying alone" fear tombstone, and he's lonely he's miserable he's afraid. I'm so worried they'll kill him off anyway bc 'he was always doomed' trope and it would be easier to write, but motherfuck it would just, be SO so satisfying if, instead, there was a path where he wasn't doomed; whether it's bc of Rook or the Inquisitor or a combo of both. I feel like what if, either platonic or romantic; if there was just at least one path where love changes everything.

ofc this is massive amounts of copium and I don't expect bioware to give me anything so cool as "the veil starts to come down anyway and you, Rook, have to rebuild it with Solas' and the Inquisitor's help and at the end you can either kill him or convince him that this world is worth living in"

but hey, i can dream ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

[taffywabbit]

do you agree it's a tragedy they shrunk the bnouys in mc?

from glancing at the dates in the patch notes i'm pretty sure i never actually played minecraft within the gap of time between when bnunbies were added and when they were made smaller (the change happened while i was overseas) but idk they seem like an acceptable size to me?

the REAL tragedy is that i think the bnuyys in vanilla minecraft look kinda bad and don't do anything interesting, despite the fact that Mojang allegedly hired a bunch of the Mo' Creatures mod devs to help add new animals, and the Mo' Creatures bbunies were PERFECT. (especially the older design with lower-detail textures, because i really like the simple one-pixel dot eyes. the wide nose and wide-set eyes delight me)

this design was also used as a base for the Aerbunny in the Aether Mod, which i was recently reminded of, and THOSE are peak bonnuy if i'm being honest. lil guys with big fluffy bodies that puff out like a cloud and emit particles whenever they do their slow, low-gravity hops. also both the Mo' Creatures bnyuny AND the Aether aerbnuy can be right-clicked to let them ride around on your head, and the aerbounies even allow you to descend slowly and avoid taking fall damage from jumps. helpful! stylish! wonderful!

(meanwhile vanilla MC bnnuys spend most of their time running around aimlessly with a really unsatisfying animation and stumbling off 3ft ledges and immediately dying from fall damage every time. they are a fucking embarrassment to rabbitkind if you ask me)

[itsrhodi]

yknow as fucky as Nightreign feels in terms of presentation and just like. how it's Soulslike But Absolutely Not At All in terms of gameplay/mobility/combat/etc. (assumptions im making purely off the weird-but-cool acrobatics of the reveal trailer), i'm completely charmed by it ngl.

from what ive been reading it's looking like it's not canon to actual Elden Ring lore, which is why there are so many copy-paste bosses from Dark Souls. so thank god for that, but i was kind of expecting it. Miyazaki wouldn't let Bandai fuck up his IPs that bad if he could help it.

it really looks like a product of a small team with a small budget being told to go off and run with silly goofy ideas. that's a good sign to me, i love that a lot. sure, make ER a roguelike! and why not, give it a sekiro parry mechanic and a stupid anime mobility system! who needs horses, let's try a BOTW-ass bird glider! even better, let's just throw some old FS bosses in there too! the more the merrier! throw shit at the wall, see if it sticks!

Nightreign reads as just good fun, like the devs are playing with action figures and telling us we get to do the same. in spite of the very real possibility Bandai is trying to milk the Elden Ring IP for all it can, i think this is low-stakes, low expectations. Nightreign is going to be a Video Game, and that's okay with me. the vibes are good so far imo, im not worried about it

[koboldfactory]

Ok genuine game dev question. So in like 3D games, you know that thing where you load into a scene/level and like all of the models and textures and shaders and stuff like visually update in real time over the course of a few seconds or whatever after the loading screen? Why not just extend the loading screen artificially when that’s happening so the player doesn’t see everything popping in and turning from low poly clay into the intended graphical fidelity? It’d just be like a second or two of extra “loading” so why not? Is there a genuine reason for why this isn’t done?

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Have you by chance seen if Grim got a new bow in the JP event? I’d hope it looks better than the event sprites haha…

Yup, Grim does, in fact, get a slick new look for this event! I made a post commenting on it (which you can see here!).

Looking at the 2D models for the event characters though… They aren’t bad, but definitely not my style. I feel like the individual elements can look good, but it’s a bit much when out all together…

Not sure if I’m a fan of Jamil’s super baggy pants or Azul’s wide sleeves; I would have liked them tailored more. Azul’s sleeves would be fine if not for the current position in the pose; I believe they are supposed to “open” due to the generous slit in it, similar to the Pomefiore dorm uniform sleeves. As it’s depicted here, it’s stiff.

Ace looks the least odd to me of the group overall, but I do like Jamil’s hair, jacket, and makeup in the 2D model (it’s Too Much for me in the card initial art, probably bc the pose places his braid in the middle of his face and looks a little out of place). Azul really got the short end of the stick… His hair lost a lot of volume which saddens me :(( I like his usual floofier hair… Jamil and Azul’s coats also look a little heavy because of how the gems are concentrated on their lapels, not sure how comfy that would be to walk around in.

I appreciate Vil’s look for what it is (he is the concept of gender itself), but I don’t really care for the low cut top or the gloves…? (I noticed several people pointing out how they look like the Thanos gloves which makes me giggle 😂) The hair and coat itself are fine, but again I find the makeup to be too heavy.

Again, don’t hate the them but don’t love’m either. There was definitely a lot of thought put into these looks from the devs, it just appeals to a certain crowd that doesn’t include me. Maybe I don’t get high fashion www but really, I think it’s just the 2D models making the outfits unflattering?? They look a lot better in all the fan art I’ve seen, so maybe the real problem is that the construction of them appears stiff and immobile in the game specifically.

What I will say, however, is that the chibi animations are very cute! I love seeing Vil strut around… and it’s sort of funny seeing Ace and Jamil fight with makeup and perfume.

kabejdbskwj They look like those department store salespeople who hound you to sample whatever it is they’re selling… (Azul’s freebie card is time gated right now so we don’t have his yet, but that vibe totally suits him, doesn’t it???)