#so i must try and replicate that in this design

[deepseacityunderground]

darkrai gajinka from the Archives....

[minervamagicka]

[SSO Conversion] Sheepskin Pad

For the SSO Dressage Saddle only!

Can't stress this enough, it will ONLY fit that saddle as it was designed to do so, even in SSO! That being said, versions to fit the Realistic & the EA Fit versions of said saddle are included :>

...Anyhow, an addon! This is a Saddlepad Overlay, meaning it will replace the default white pad on the SSO Dressage Saddle, but it will also add a little 3d sheepskin pad to it that I meshed based on the SSO textures to make it a bit more 3D. The swatches (~7) all come directly from SSO!

DL, info, etc. under the cut!

By myself & Schrodcat @ DA 🖤

Choosing a Version

Note: If you've already read this from the SSO Dressage Saddle you can safely skip! You should just grab the count version that matches whatever you installed for the Dressage Saddle.

First things first; in the download folder there are two different .rar files to choose from. One is labelled Highpoly and the other is labelled Maxispoly. YOU MUST CHOOSE ONE. THEY WILL OVERRIDE EACHOTHER IF YOU INSTALL BOTH HIGHPOLY AND MAXISPOLY TOGETHER.

The Highpoly version of the saddles is based on the original mesh resolution of SSO (Clocking in at ~4500 polys on LOD0 )which is why we have labelled this version as Highpoly. We offer it primarily for simmers who plan to be taking screenshots vs actually playing the game for extended periods of time, or for those with stronger PCs.

The Maxispoly version of the saddle is a decimated version of the mesh intended to be more in-line with Maxis polycounts, and therefore be more performance-friendly. It's about 50% less dense in polys than the Highpoly counterpart (LOD0 on the Maxispoly clocks in at ~2,339 polys), however it is still higher-poly other EA meshes. YMMV!

Custom Thumbnails appear as follows, with the version made to fit the EA-specific Dressage Saddle labelled as such! If you try to use the Realistic one with the EA saddle and vice-versa, the halfpad WILL look wonky!

Terms of Use

Credit/link to me AND Schrodcat AND note it is a conversion from SSO if you intend to edit, replicate or otherwise use this .package, meshes & textures as a base for your own derivative work. Additionally, at this time, we both ask you do not backport this model or its' textures to TS3.

Do not sell or post behind a paywall, even a timed one. This tumblr is anti-paywall to the extreme. This includes any content that might be created under Rule One. Do not do this. I will think you are an asshole. I have had issues with this in the past and my tolerance for it is absolutely zero. Additionally this asset is exported from a copyrighted game with the intention of it being used transformatively for derivative fanworks; it may be actually illegal to profit from it!

Do not reupload. If you let me know if there's an issue with SFS, I'll reupload it myself. Please link to this post or to the .package on SFS when sharing.

Credits: SSO for the textures; Schrodcat with fitting the meshes & testing/screenshots, me with meshing the 3d halfpad using the SSO textures for reference & for putting it all together into one diabolical package.

Download [SFS]

☕ Buy me a coffee!

☕ Buy SchrodCat a coffee!

[clanwarrior-tumbly]

I don’t know a lot about Lethal Company.

Can I request a Reader who’s eerily good at imitating the “Yippee!” sound the Hoarding Bugs make? To the point, they can almost have full blown conversations by simply saying Yippee at different tones and volumes. And, their (crewmates, fellow employees?) are just wondering how the Reader is still freaking alive. Maybe they start branching out to try and replicate the sounds the other monsters make too. (Secretly, they have been designated the Hoarding Bug… Ruler from the sheer “negotiations” they have said without meaning too.)

This cracked me up ghshfh the "yippee" thing is from a mod but I love the idea of it being accepted as canon

.......

"Yippee!"

"Yippee?"

"Ah, Yip-Yippeeee!!!!"

"What in god's name are you doing?"

"I'm uh...communicating with the local bug population?" Turning around, you looked at your fellow employee, flask in-hand.

It was an utterly worthless item compared to the fancy lamp the hoarding bug in front of you was hanging onto.

You were determined to return to the ship with it by any means...and you may have just discovered the most unconventional way of doing so.

One that didn't involve getting blood on your hands, nor on the bug's hands

"That lamp can set us well above quota!" You exclaimed. "Just give me a moment and I'll secure it. We're working on negotiations."

"...you're gonna get yourself killed." They shook their head, frowning underneath their helmet at your "plan". "If you really think that thing will understand anything you say-"

*clunk*

You both jumped a little, seeing that the creature dropped the lamp at your feet, before it looked back up at you.

It held its arms up, clearly waiting for you to honor your part of this negotiation.

"Yippee!"

"Yippee? Yippee!" With a small laugh, you handed it the flask before it scurried back into the darkness, cradling it.

"See? Easy does it." You picked up the lamp with two hands, sighing at your shocked crewmate's expression. "What? I'm just doing whatever it takes to meet the quota. That's our job, right?"

"I'm starting to think you're actually a hoarding bug in disguise." They muttered, turning on their flashlight as they checked the ceilings for snare fleas.

"Well luckily I'm not. Let's go. It must be close to midnight."

"As you wish....'o'mighty Hoarding Bug Ruler.."

"What was that?

"....nothing."

"Next time maybe I can imitate a Bracken by shaking around one of our plants-"

"Please don't."

[redbean-nom]

Designs for adult versions of the clone cadets in bad batch as Rebellion leaders

The first weird thing I noticed was that they kept specifying that tbb are "defective CTs", whereas iirc most other clones leave out the "ct" part. additionally, "special training" must have been a reasonably expected occurrence for them, since it was used as the Hemlock-jungle-lab excuse. they're also, oddly enough, the only three survivors from a base full of both cadets and adult clones. and finally, all three of them have noticeably different face shapes.

so my guess for their origins is that they're the results of the kaminoans trying to replicate tbb's mutations in a commando template, making them all specialized CC command cadets. From what we've seen of them, they don't seem to have quite as prominent abilities as say, wrecker or hunter, but are definitely above average to have survived that long.

Anyways the mini-backstory for them here is that they end up joining the rebellion around 5 years later (assuming that they're 6/12 and 8/16 in tbb s3, they would be 11/22 and 13/26 here) as the lead squad for the clone rebel cell after rex, wolffe, and gregor retire (and echo and cody are presumably dead).

Bonus: I originally had Deke's hair as dyed blond, but then he started looking too much like Rex (esp with the jaig eyes and partial arc armor) so I changed it back

edit: sorry i forgot to tag spoilers at first! it has since been fixed

[randomthefox]

FIRST THING TO NOTE: this appears to be ON the ARK itself? Note the upsidedown buildings and what appears to be the planet earth in the lower left through the window. Eggmans logo is on the ground through. He must have set up shop. Also note "escape hatch" and "drone launch key" on the screen.

Shadow was engineered to be an "ageless".... "living weapon." Confirming Shadow is functionally immortal, and was designed for combat purposes. Obviously that's what GUN wanted him to be, but Gerald created him for the purposes of curing Maria as the video states later.

"Air Shoes"

Explicitly stating that it is DUE TO THE SHOES that Shadow is as fast as Sonic.

Also stating that Shadow is JUST AS STRONG as Sonic. Not due to the shoes though.

The Chaos Spear is an attack where Shadow THROWS BOLTS OF ENERGY. He does not WIELD A SPEAR in his HANDS.

cough cough.

This video contained ZERO screenshots of the comics, btw. Much to my immense satisfaction.

Shadow's wrist rings are his "Limiter Rings" which "keep his power in check." When he takes them off he is "virtually unstoppable." So it would be really idiotic and inaccurate if he were to, for example, take them off only to then be mobbed by zombies and get infected anyway. One might say.

Anyway Shadow has literally only popped the limiters off on screen once in the entire series. I should note that he specifically did NOT remove them during the fight against the Final Hazard, considering Sonic has one of them with him when he returns to the ARK and hands it to Rouge, which would have been impossible for him to acquire if Shadow removed them during the fight. Sonic definitely got his hands on it while grabbing Shadow by the wrist before he plummeted into the atmosphere (the Twitter Takeover confirms this). I only bring this up because he DOES remove them in Sonic X, and some people seem to think that anime supersedes the video games for some reason.

Chaos Control is only done by "tapping into the power of a chaos emerald" and allows the user to "warp space and time, moving freely." This is an incredibly vague and ambiguous description, because Chaos Control is an incredibly vague and ambiguous ability lol. Also note Eggman states he is trying to replicate the technique, because Chaos Control is NOT UNIQUE to Shadow or hedgehogs specifically. Theoretically, anybody could tap into the power of a chaos emerald in order to do it. Metal Sonic for example uses Chaos Control during the Metal Overlord fight in Sonic Heroes.

Shadow "only wanted to live in peace" alongside Maria. Ironically in the very scene that is being used during this dialog, Shadow very specifically questions the purpose of his existence and wants to visit Earth to try and find meaning. These two statements are not necessarily mutually exclusive since surely Shadow intended to visit Earth alongside Maria.

GUN wanted to "erase all the evidence" of Project Shadow, and "silenced anyone who knew about him." Probably explains why they'd bother killing an innocent girl who was terminal anyway.

Eggman also "takes it personally" that they killed his cousin despite "never knowing her." I would once again argue the phrasing of "never knew her" would imply they were contemporary with each other, that'd be a weird way to describe somebody who died before you were born. He also clearly "took it personally" that a member of his family and carrier of the Robotnik family name was killed for the sake of covering up his brilliant grandfather who he admired's project. Again, note the phrasing: he took it PERSONALLY. Maria's death is ALL ABOUT HIM and how HE feels about it. An attack on a member of his family is something he feels is an affront to HIM personally.

Shadow "prowls the globe" to protect it against any threats to the world. Particularly targeting Eggman and destroying his armies routinely.

Also of note the video ONLY uses footage from the video games including Sonic Battle - nothing from Sonic Prime or the IDW Comics was used visually or even referenced.

[nachocheezos21]

ah fuck i can’t fight off the urge to overshare—

Sebastian Solace as a would-be Lark in the fields of Meadowlark 🌾🐤

“In the Fields of Yore, word spoke of a man living in the outskirts of town. Not many know of his name nor where he came from; only recognising him with that strange-looking mask that bore resemblance to what the fishermen would find floating from the deep trenches. Many were familiar with him as he is known for selling items to his fellow wanderers in exchange — not for gold — but for maps and scrolls.

People would often see this stranger sitting on a crate of goods, strumming his mandolin as he quietly sung to himself. Songs of the past, one must assume; when he was still young and bright and fill of innocence.”

i cannot write for shit but hey !! lark!sebastian is real !! if anyone can’t tell, i just smashed my fingers onto my keyboard and try my best to make it sound logical (my only focus is on the design DFJKSDFJKJ)

i wanted to try and resemble his original design so i did my best to replicate that while adding my own twist to it. wanted the tail to be a reference hence the design on the back and the silly looking boots. i didn’t add this in bc i forgot but bc of the nature of the au, i had to compromise and give him a mandolin (originally was gonna choose the guitarlele but the lark already use the guitarlele and idk much about string instruments)

anyways enough about that, have a drawing of lark!seb singing hartebeest

[ghostlysleuth]

Do you have any tips for when designing poc characters?? Like what not or to do, etc.

this is massively edited down to just keep the essentials. this isn't going to be as explicit as you were maybe wanting but saying "don't draw black characters this way, don't draw asian characters that way" isn't something i wanna do because it's not a good feeling to review a list of offensive design practices from a trauma standpoint and likely wouldn't be for any other people of color reading.

study from real photos.

really, any set of photos of people of color work but if you want a resource where people are not models nor actors that have been plucked up for their marketableness, here's a good site: Humanae — Angélica Dass (angelicadass.com) it's a photography collection associated with pantone to showcase diversity in shades of skin.

study faces within a group.

no two ppl look the same and character design is about showcasing this through certain features.

from these, study how much differently color works for melanated/non-white skin.

again, it's different for everyone even within groups. admittedly this is only something you'd need if you have a more in-depth or painterly style, but still. avoid grayish base skin tones. the aforementioned site is actually great for this.

LOOK INTO RACIST CARICATURES.

literally, people wouldn't find themselves "accidentally" slipping into racist designs if they just KNEW, explicitly knew, and internally acknowledged what people of color find offensive or what has been used against them in depictions of themselves.

yes, this includes looking at the old offensive cartoons, illustrations, etc. it's painful and uncomfortable and rough but it must be understood how these caricatures were a means of dehumanization and are mistakes to be learned from.

again, i'm not gonna list out exactly how not to depict a black person, an asian person, jewish person, latine, middle eastern, etc. etc. etc., because i feel these things should just be known, but if it's not, literally just be aware (or get aware) of the racial stigma faced by the group of people you are attempting to represent. put care into how you are depicting them.

BUT ALSO KEEP IN MIND: you shouldn't jump to default to white eurocentric features simply to "avoid" the any sort of backlash or offense that may be taken. because if you do so, a) in attempting to not be offensive, you're still perpetuating the upholding and favoring of white eurocentric features, and b) well, you're just stifling yourself.

designing characters of color REQUIRES acknowledgement of non-eurocentric features; hell, in the best cases, it's a celebration of these features.

as you would in replicating a style of architecture, a technique of painting, a depiction of a culture, you have to observe and become knowledgeable.

addendum: obviously, i'm not white, so i don't know the depths of how pervasive racism and white supremacy can be in a white person's personal life and upbringing; but i do know that racism and white supremacy are pervasive even (ESPECIALLY) in art, a much more tangible and permanent thing than a state of being, and knowing this, i do reserve a small margin of patience for white folks that are wanting to try to be in the know on this topic, especially younger people who have yet to unlearn certain things. if anyone reads this and thinks "well, it's not their responsibility or any person of color's to teach you these things," you're correct, but yknow. the effort's there, and trying's all we can do.

[arc-misadventures]

The Unexpected One

Ironwood: So… How did this one happen? I thought you were having difficulty making a new Hunter Drones? You were having problems getting them to fit into their Housing Matrix.

Jaune: Shear dumb luck, Sir. I was running another test like usual, and this one somehow managed worked. With a, 98% match to OAI’s Matrix I must add.

Ironwood: 98%? That’s impressive.

Jaune: I know! Yang’s about 89% match to OAI’s Matrix. But, this one gave me a near perfect replication of OAI’s Matrix!

Ironwood: Wonderful! Can you make more?

Jaune: Uhh, no… No I can’t.

Ironwood: Did the matrix’s degenerate as soon as you put them into the, Housing Units?

Jaune: Five housing units. Five separate housing units! All of the failed; I need to start redesigning the housing units. There has to be something in there that’s causing this instability. I need to fix it!

Ironwood: Well, at least you’ve added another, Hunter Drone to the their ranks.

Jaune: Yep! Five Hunter Drones at your service sir! I hope she’ll get along with the rest of her sisters when they come back.

Winter: Jau…?! Professor Arc, mind if I ask you a question?

Jaune: Of course, Win…?! Specialist Schnee! W-What is your question?

Winter: Why does she… Why does she look the way she look?

Jaune: In what context; Contexts?

Winter: Is this unit blind?

Jaune: Nope, her eyesight is among the best, Blake barely surpasses her in terms of vision efficiency rates, mostly due to the fact she has better night vision specs.

Winter: Then why the blindfold?

Jaune: I asked her myself, she says it is to protect her eyes whenever she slashes through something with her swords. Trying to keep any mental fragments, dust, or general viscera out of her face.

Ironwood: But, with a simple cloth of fabric?

Jaune: Hey! All the materials used in, and by my HD’s are top of the line Hunter Grade materials! I will accept only the best for my creations!

Ironwood: My apologies, it’s just her choice in weaponry. And, the destruction they wrought, I doubt a small piece of fabric could protect her from all tha shrapnel.

Jaune: You’re just upset she wrecked all of your precious little, Paladins with a simple pair of ōdachi’s?

Ironwood: L-Little?!

Winter: I think he’s concerned because of how quickly she dealt with those, Paladins. And, to be fair, one of those ōdachi’s is exceptionally large; She has a drone carrying it around for her.

Ironwood: When did you build that drone?

Jaune: Wait, when did she retrofit that drone?!

Winter: Haa… Another question if you will: Why is her skirt like… like that?

Jaune: What do you mean?

Winter: Why is their such a large slit in the design?

Jaune: Ease of movement?

Winter: I can see that, but why did you design her skirt to be so revealing? When she moves you can see her…?! Ahem! You can see a lot.

Jaune: Wait, you thought I did that?

Winter: Didn’t you make her outfit?

Jaune: Specialist Schnee, look at me? Do I look like I have a sense of fashion?

Winter: N-No…?

Jaune: Exactly! I build, and maintain the drones. Anything cosmetic related is entirely on their part.

Ironwood: It is?

Jaune: Yeah, the schematicts to how their limbs are designed, how the eye sockets, and lenses work, how the Nano-Fiber Skin reacts to touch, how the internal casing works. Even how they’ll upload their minds into new housing units. They’re the ones who redesign these to fit their preferred specifications. Do you think I deliberately designed two of them to be loli’s, that’s not my type. What do you think I am, some perverted lolicon?!

Winter: That’s because I’m your type~!

Ironwood: No I do not insinuate you are… whatever that is.

Jaune: Damn right you better!

Winter: But, why is her posterior so… big?

Jaune: Why does she have a big butt? Is that the whole reason for these questions?

Winter: Well…

Jaune: …?

Ironwood: Don’t look at me. I’m more concerned about her combat prowess, not her appearance.

Jaune: Winter…?

Winter: …

Winter: Jaune… Jaune do you… Do you perhaps…

Winter: Like girls with a big ass…?

Jaune: …

Jaune: She has a nice butt. End of discussion.

Winter: Very well then~!

Ironwood: So, this android; What is her name?

Jaune: She calls herself…

Jaune: 2B.

Winter: …

Ironwood: …

Winter: Do you think she could pass as my older sister?

Ironwood: She’d definitely could take after your mother then. That woman sure has nice curves…

Jaune: What?!

Winter: What?!

///

Will this go along with the rest of the Hunter Drone story. Possible.

I just like the idea that, 2B was one of them.

Do enjoy~!

[salt-clangen]

Moon 3

Newleaf

I’ve included some descriptions of herbs and their uses in this update, but I take artistic liberties with my writings on herbs and medicine in warrior cats. So please DO NOT REPLICATE ANYTHING IVE WRITTEN.

Herbal medicine has a place in the veterinary world, but should only be done by veterinarians in a clinic with integrative medicine.

Sorry for the rant but I’m a vet tech of 12 yrs and I’m traumatized.

It’s much warmer than usual when Wolfpaw set off for a hunting patrol. Newleaf meandering into greenleaf. The dawn hunt had been unsuccessful and she ended up gathering craft materials and a few herbs she recognized. Lynxkit had been excited to see the supplies, she was particularly proud of her crafting abilities and Wolfpaw wondered if that should be her role as an adult. But now with the sun high and blazing, the kit had wisely stayed in the den for a mid day nap.

Soon it would be too hot to patrol midday, she mused as she looked back at the dozing kit with jealousy.

Wolfpaw was tempted to join her, the heat affecting her even with her short, light coat. But she knew it was more important to hunt, it was hard processing and cooking all their meals, she couldn’t afford to fall behind. Still, she moved slowly, blaming the heat for her lethargy, she trailed around the pools in the center of camp. The tide was out, so she had a great view of everything in the water. Curiously, she dipped her paw in, the ocean water was always cold and salty, leaving behind a weird texture on the fur. Today though it was a relief from the heat, she sighed pleasantly, stirring the paw idly.

Staring into the water languidly she noticed some strange colored rocks. Purple was an uncommon color in Duskclan but it had been her mother’s favorite. She tentatively hooked a claw in the oddly shaped rock, it had ridges and a symmetrical design, she fished it out onto the sand beside her. It was even more unusual out of the water, brittle, hollow, and smelling like fish but also not. It made her think of the crayfish she’d had with an oakclan apprentice at her first- her only- gathering.

She turned it over, observing it intently, bringing her nose down to nudge it, waiting for something to happen. It was like a snail shell, too boney to eat, but perhaps she could cook it for broth like her old clan had done with bones or bark. Observing the pool again she plucked out a second weird shell thing and even snatching a few small fish.

Wolfpaw felt a little giddy at the prospect of cooking something new, eating the same food over and over was very boring. Even in Duskclan they ate mostly the same food each day, it would be nice to try something new. Anything new.

She took a small pot- they now had 4!- by the wicker handle and went to the East river for fresh water. In no time she was back to camp, her sluggishness gone. A quick check to see Lynxkit still napping, giving her time to experiment.

After simmering the pot for a while she checked on her concoction to discover that the shells had popped open. They had a small joint keeping the two halves connected, but the inside was exposed, like a cat yawning wide. With a long stick, she carefully pulled one shell out, adding in the fish and stock bones from previous kills. She had to let it cool down but once it did she was surprised to find a bit of flesh inside.

Huh, if the shell is like a cat yawning then this must be like the tongue, she thought.

It took a few tries to get the morsel pried off the shell, but when she did she was rewarded with a burst of flavor and juices. Some ran down her chin, making her lick her lips and chest. The bite was small, only the size of a cat’s paw pad, but it felt warm and solid in her stomach.

Inspecting the soup, she fished out the other shell as well. The fish she’d added was sliced and still cooking but the broth looked and smelled appetizing. She ate the other morsel, feeling a little guilty she didn’t share with Lynxkit, but it wouldn’t be a good idea for both of them to get sick if this delicious bite ended up being toxic. She dropped the shells back into the pot, maybe they can still add to the flavor. Licking her lips again, she settled into a loaf position to wait for the soup to finish.

It’s been several days since Wolfpaw discovered that the clams in the tidal pools could be eaten and since then she’s had an extra spring in her step. After 2 days of no upset stomach or signs of poisoning, she shared the news with Lynxkit and together they ate a few of the delicious shells. She was right that the inedible, empty portions could still be used to make broth, even learning that they can go ever further than traditional bones and be reused several times.

It was nice to have a broth option again with her meals, it felt like home. She and her siblings had always preferred drinking broths with their meals over teas, which had baffled their mother who was a staunch tea lover.

The memories made her smile more than flinch for once. She idly wondered how her family was, but focused again as she was exited camp.

Despite the new culinary addition, Wolfpaw knew they couldn’t over hunt the clams or rely on them solely for food. Proper prey would still be needed, though she was giddy at the idea of what else she could find and eat in the tide pools. As she walked along the rocks, watching the tide come in before the sun sets, she felt a tail run along her back and sides.

With a yowl she turned, but faced only empty air. She hopped along the rocks, scanning the area for intruders and puffing her small coat up. Then the feeling returned and she saw the cause.

Hello, the cat spoke, Wolfpaw could see their mouth move, but the words sounded more inside her head than aloud. The stranger’s pelt was gray but coated with stars and almost see through.

“This is Saltclan territory,” She hissed. “Leave now.” It felt silly trying to threaten an obviously dead cat. But she wasn’t sure what to do.

Hmm, the cat blinked fondly and Wolfpaw wondered if they’d ever met. You’re right, this is Saltclan’s territory, I’m proud you’ve done so well.

The words echoed in her head again, louder, and she had to flatten her ears and shut her eyes for a moment. Her claws dug into the rock below to try and ground herself.

Sorry, I know this is a lot. My name is Nettletuft. I’m so proud of you, Wolfpaw.

The apprentice choked back a small sound of surprise, eyes wide again. She looked up.

“Really?” She asked. “Even though I ran away.”

You took action and saved Lynxkit. What you did that night and every moment since has been very brave. Wolfpaw looked at her paws, so much smaller than the other cats, she didn’t feel brave at all. The cat’s image flicked for a moment in the wind and she felt panicked.

“Why’re you here?” She asked quickly.

To guide you, starclan gave you a difficult task, leaving your birth clan and family with Lynxkit. But it’s not over. Their eyes met and Wolfpaw felt a sense of dread spread through her chest. You must journey to the Moon spring and commune with Starclan. Then they will tell you the clans future.

“But I’d have to go through Duskclan to get there! Why can’t you just tell me now?” She cried as the wind picked up.

You must go, it is the only way to ensure Saltclans future. The clan won’t survive if you don’t.

“The clan? You mean Lynxkit.” Wolfpaw said slowly, trembling a bit at the thought. “You mean that if I don’t go, something bad will happen to Lynxkit!”

You will understand more when you go to the Moon spring. More voices joined Nettletuft’s now.

“Are you threatening to hurt a kit just to make me do something that could risk both our lives?” She hissed, hackles rising again.

No! Nettletuft’s voice became a hundredfold at once, rattling Wolfpaw’s skull and she had to press against the ground to avoid falling over. The dead cat becomes nearly corporeal now, stalking towards her. Avoiding your destiny not only puts Lynxkit’s life in danger but your future clan mates. You cannot go on like this, you must receive our message.

Slowly as the cat spoke the voices faded down to only one. Just like the night she found the clan’s camp. Wolfpaw blinked tears out of her eyes, overwhelmed by the sensations and stress. Nettletuft’s head pressed against hers, still hunched on the ground. She felt a wave of complex emotions pass through the touch, settling into a warmth of comfort.

You will find a way to us, they spoke. You have too.

Lynxkit didn’t wanna nap, she wanted to go with Wolfpaw to hunt, but the apprentice had told her firmly to stay in camp. But that was so boring, while alone she spent some time moping and muttering to the empty camp. Finally her secret tantrum passed and she trotted around the dens, looking for something to do.

While Wolfpaw and her usually sleep together in the den furthest from the pools, the camp had several unused dens. She enjoyed tracing shapes and glyphs into the sandy floors. In one of the dens, the overturned tree trunk covered in lichen curtains, she found some plants in the far corner.

Herbs. Wolfpaw had brought them back a few days ago and scolded Lynxkit when she tried to weave one into her basket. These were special plants, the apprentice had said. They help us when we’re sick.

How? Lynxkit had asked, causing the older cat to deflate and admit she didn’t know. But she’d recognized a few while out hunting and took them back. After being left in the den for a few days they were mostly dried out, but still held their fragrant scent.

Lynxkit carefully pulled them out into the clearing, the afternoon sun was a pleasant warmth on her back. She stared at the leaves for a long while, as if the herbs themselves would speak to her.

This one here is rose hip. A starry paw pointed to the red buds that were shriveled from the heat. If you make it into a drink, it’s good for upset tummies and keeping healthy cats from getting sick.

Lynxkit met the kind gaze of the deceased cat, they blinked at each other fondly. Clouddawn had visited her once before, in her dreams, making the kit think maybe she did take that nap after all.

“And this one?” She pointed to one with long stems and narrow leaves.

Rosemary, good for inflammation and appetite. The cleric purred, at Lynxkit’s head tilt she went on. Appetite is when you’re hungry and wanna eat. Inflammation is when our bodies fight off sickness and injury, like when you’re sick and sneeze out gunk. The kit giggled at that.

Or when you scrape your paw and it gets warm and swollen. That’s inflammation, but sometimes the body does it for too long which is bad so this herb helps your body stop. Lynxkit nodded along, then nudged another plant.

“Wolfpaw says this is sage.” She said with confidence.

That’s right, do you know what it’s used for? Clouddawn curled around the kit now.

“Ummmm tummies?” She shrugged, the cleric purred with amusement.

It is used in cooking for flavor, but for clerics it’s for infections. That’s when germs get inside your body and makes you sick. It’s why you don’t eat raw or rotten food. Lynxkit giggled again, luxuriating in the sun and attention, this impromptu lesson was exactly what she’d needed.

“Do you think I’d be good a cleric?”

I think you’d be an amazing cleric. Clouddawn said dreamily, Lynxkit wished she could fully feel the cleric against her, but the gentle comfort that enveloped her was pleasant.

“What about this one?” She nodded towards some silvery leaves left over. Clouddawn makes a face like she smelled carrion.

Get rid of it, it’s toxic and can make you sick. It’s called wormwood and clerics used to use it for worm infestations but it’s easy to eat too much. You could even die if you’re not careful. Lynxkit feels a chill at the thought, that Wolfpaw could’ve gotten hurt while gathering it.

“I’ll bury it when Wolfpaw gets home.” She yawned, finally feeling ready for her nap. “Is that why you visited me? To make sure I didn’t eat it?”

Partially, The cleric’s laugh was distant as her eyes felt heavy. Wolfpaw is meeting Nettletuft right now so I figured I could visit you.

Lynxkit smiled, curled up on the warm sand, the thought of Wolfpaw meeting with a Starclan cat made her happy. As she slept, Clouddawn remained sentry over her until she eventually faded in the dying light.

Characters:

Wolfpaw- a white tabby molly with short fur, heather blue eyes, and a notch in her right ear. 9 moons. Apprentice. Saltclan. Nervous, compassionate, oddly observant.

Lynxkit- a blue point molly with long fur and blue eyes. 4 moons. Saltclan. Quiet, sweet, quick to help.

Nettletuft- a grey and white nonbinary cat with medium fur and amber eyes. 101 moons living. 68 moons in death. Artisan. Oakclan. Calm, thoughtful, great speaker.

Clouddawn- a white molly with medium fur and blue eyes. 52 moons living. 23 moons in death. Cleric. Honeyclan. Loving, shameless, great healer.

[flowerbloom-arts]

If you don't mind me asking? Can you elaborate more on the problematic aspect of Mumrik please?

Don't take too much of my word for it because this isn't very researched and this is more of a stream of consciousness than anything but fanon "Mumriks" (Joxter and Snufkin), as I've seen here and there, fall dangerously close to antisemitic caricatures and Romani stereotypes.

For one thing, Joxter and Snufkin's personalities being equated leads to a mash of their negative traits, and their negative traits being laziness, deceitfulness, uncleanliness and tendency for thievery/utter disregard for the law to the point of amorality or indecency applied to both with either "natural explanations" (saying that's just an Inherent Part Of Their Species) or dubious motivations is deeply entrenched in stereotypes of the Roma throughout Europe.

The fandom tends to mystify Joxter and Snufkin alot on very shaky ground, with forebodings (gut feelings) that are treated as a magic litmus test for things to come or having a connection with ghosts or using divination like tarot which is based on either throwaway lines or background details that don't particularly affect the plot yet the fandom treats as one of their major traits that get used in plots alot. Romani people get stereotyped with that sort of mysticism alot, especially in association with the Fortune Telling business and to a lesser extent Mediumship and general superstition. I could also chalk this up to the mystic cat stereotype, particularly in association with witches and the like.

Joxter gets (or at least got, a while back) casted as the malevolent counterpart to Snufkin for the sake of Daddy Issues Angst, and that combined with people's dissatisfaction with Joxter and Snufkin's more human designs gave way to very impish or even monsterous depictions of Joxter (and sometimes Snufkin), which we can make parallels to antisemitic caricatures of Jewish people; sharp teeth, pointy ears, strange eyes, predominant nose, hind legs, tails, claws, generally untrustworthy vibes all around. Unclean and tattered, not to be trusted by others in any proximity; good for nothing thieves and tricksters.

People like to make "Mumriks" this massively marginalized group, afterall the two fellas we know are like... Hrm. But Joxter's lifestyle is hopelessly conflated with Snufkin's... Darn. People try to draw lines where they think they are but in doing so, it trying to replicate Tove's style of "some behaviors being inherent to a species" (which one can debunk with some critical thought and literacy) they accidentally create these stereotypes, they don't draw clear distinctions between Joxter and Snufkin even though Snufkin's mother is a Mymble, they don't consider how weird it would be within the context of our culture or even the context of these characters, yet somehow...

But this is just my thoughts as they currently are, I have thought about it alot but I do need to be on the lookout for more examples and do more proper digging. Again, I'm not accusing anyone of bigotry and purposefully baking them into characters who are clearly their darling faves, I'm just saying that there are certain things one must keep in mind when it comes to characterization and headcanons, or else one could accidentally recreate malicious bigotry without any malice.

[mandokero-eboy]

Welcome people who started following me and reblogging me today, and also those who have been here for a while. If you're the former you might be a bit surprised given that i've been mostly posting about politics a couple of days but as a matter of fact this is usually a horny blog and the following is a horny post.

If you're the latter group, you may remember this post (https://www.tumblr.com/mandokero-eboy/752670916093362176/bad-sex-games?source=share) from a while ago where I talked about that terrible horny version of monopoly. Been a while but I wanted to fix it since I saw it and it is finally time.

[Tumblr was a shit about a few of the pics here so I am going to just put descriptions. The top of the article had a picture of monopoly man in bed with TF2 Medic]

HOW TO FIX SEX MONOPOLY

My first fix for sex Monopoly would obviously be to replace this "sex acts instead of money" mechanic. There's two options here: The money is used to buy the sex acts, or the sex acts do replace the money but we make them scarce so it's not insanely unbalanced. I ended up siding with the latter because the former allows for less variety of kinky fun.

So here's how we set it up:

The game provides a number of "Sex Cards" featuring sex acts of different intensities, the players can add to the default selection at any point during the game and at the start a number of cards are distributed to them. This is our initial "money" supply. Your goal is to accumulate sex acts to potentially use on the other players. Because the players largely get to define the content of the cards and what they're willing to accept for trades, they also get to moderate the intensity of the game to a large degree. We're trying to make it so consent is always at the forefront of the individual sexy interactions here. If you run out of cards, or the cards you have are not something you're willing to perform for any other players, or it becomes clear the other players don't want what you're selling, you are considered bankrupt. You're also considered bankrupt if you have an orgasm barring certain conditions.

What you need to play:

Regular Monopoly board

A collar for each player (optional)

an assortment of sex toys (optional)

A few extra tokens (optional but useful)

First the basic economy: It's not currency based but barter based. If you want to get rid of a card, you have to spend it or be told to get rid of it without spending it. "Spending" means you have to do what's written on the card to the player receiving it or to someone that player designates as the recipient of the act (more on this later). The player receiving the card gets to keep the card to use on someone else later. You can also trade these cards between players without acts being performed but at least one card must change hands for each. You are not allowed to offer a sex act in a trade that is not featured in one of your cards. The only way to expand your options if your current cards appear ineffective is to introduce new cards into play by passing "GO!" or with chance cards.

[There was a picture of Nagatoro getting boned because the monopoly cards said so]

You go through a usual monopoly board with usual rules for movement. When you do a full loop and pass go you get to draw some new amount of Sex Cards. Players can write new Sex Cards at any stage and you get to pick which ones you'd like to grab. Knowing what the other players are into is largely rewarded because of this. You don't know exactly what might be most valuable to them.

The usual monopoly board has only 28 properties with 22 streets, 4 railroads and 2 utilities. (The specifics on how the streets are divided between players can be thought about later). What do the Title Deeds give you ownership of? Well, the other players of course! With sex monopoly you can replicate the excitement of buying a sub

You land on a free property and it's put to auction, the one who landed on it gets to bid first. Everyone bids a sex card that they want to the player in the Title Deed, the player accepts anything they want in exchange and that card from the winner is spent. The Title Deed might want to avoid cumming early and being elimintated if possible so it might be beneficial to strike a balance between not too intense and still appealing. On the other hand they might want to be a free use slut for the rest of the game and only accept what they enjoy most without regard for winning, all playstyles are valid in Sex Monopoly! If you get a full set of properties corresponding to a player you get exclusive ownership of them and get to build houses.

[There was a short furry comic about people turning a game of monopoly into a "oh i don't have money to pay my rent can I do anything else?" deal]

If you land on a property that's already owned, you have to pay rent. You must Spend one of your Sex Cards to the player who owns that property and perform the corresponding act on them or they can designate the person corresponding with that property to receive it for you. If you don't have anything they want you give up the requisite plus an additional card and perform a forfeit of their choice on yourself. At least one of them has to masturbate while you do it. (We managed to bring forfeits back!). Regardless of who the recipient of the act is, the cards are claimed by whoever owns the property.

Buying and Rent for the utilities and railroads works slightly different as they're not associated with ownership of specific players. The recipient of the acts associated with buying one is the player nearest to the property other than the buyer (If there's more than one, you get to choose). For a railroad, rent is between 1 and 4 cards depending on how many other railroads you own and the recipient is the last person to have paid rent on a railroad (including the owner). If the same person lands in a railroad owned by someone else twice in a row (and are therefore the designated giver and recipient of the act), they do a forfeit and still give the owner the corresponding number of cards. For utilities it is based on the dice roll with which you landed (dice roll divided by 4 rounded up) and the recipient is the nearest person on the board including the owner.

Taxes: This is one of those ways you give up cards without spending them. They work very similar. Either it makes you give up 3 cards (luxury tax) or 5 cards (income tax estimate) a variable amount of income tax (Cards + Number of properties Divided by three rounded down). These cards go on the bank and the players can claim them when they pass Go! or from chance cards.

Jail: Usual rules for going to Jail apply. You get out by rolling doubles; paying a sex card and having a player of your choice perform it on you if they're willing; performing a forfeit on yourself and giving up a card; with the get out of jail card. When you're in jail you don't get to move, if you're paying attention to the kind of game this is you'll introduce bondage on this element. When you're in jail you still collect rents but can't offload being on the receiving end to someone else, even your subs (if you have any, see Bankruptcy below). Any tasks you must perform as part of any other transactions must be done while in bondage and may not proceed if you're unable.

Free Parking: Literally the same thing but optionally you get to sit on someone's lap of your choice.

Chance and community chest work pretty much the same. The effects are "go to jail", "go to this place", "be given a sex card", "give someone else a sex card", "Give yourself a new sex card of your own design", "get out of jail free", "give up or receive some number of sex cards depending on houses / hotels", "give a card to every player", "get one card from every player" and such. Each effect that leads to sex cards changing hands between players hands has variations where the task in the card is performed or not.

Houses: You can spend Sex Cards on a property group you own to buy houses such that when someone lands on the group they have to perform more than one act (up to 3, one per house) which you can split between yourself and the person, you also get some extra boons from the player in the title deed determined at the start. To build a house the recipient is the person in the title deed. Hotels are different and we'll get to that later. (I think it might be fun to represent ownership of a number of properties representing a player with some level of clothing loss but that's kinda flimsy).

[There was a short wholesome comic about consent coupons here]

If someone cums, the player who made them cum gets a Hotel. If there is no such third party they Hotel is put to auction. A Hotel is basically an orgasm token and in this version it is fungible and defensive, as it allows you to orgasm yourself without becoming bankrupt and because it is not tied to specific properties it can be traded out. They are consumed on use.

Mortgages: You can mortgage properties like in regular monopoly. This gives you one extra card from the bank or from the player corresponding to the property, but while they're mortgaged they get to use you instead of one of their properties and you don't get to collect rent on them. To unmortgage them you must perform two cards of their choice on the mortgaged player. If you buy a mortgaged property you have to add an additional card to the agreed on price and the player who owns it has to receive all the acts directly. In essence what happens when you mortgage is the following

Bankruptcy: If you cum without a token on hand or otherwise become bankrupt by running out of cards, you go bankrupt and become a sub. You can also go bankrupt if you commit to 3 payments in a row (by way of rent, a property purchase or some other action that forces you to perform an act on another player from your cards) where all your cards are rejected and you end up doing forfeits. If you're bankrupt, put on your collar and your maid dress and your leash or just write "hoe" on your body honestly do what you like with this. All your properties go to whoever made you bankrupt as well as all your cards. You are put to auction if there's no clear person who made you bankrupt. Other players can still own the properties associated with you and can order you around but as a sub whoever made you bankrupt (or whoever they trade you out to) gets to veto them. They can also order you to perform acts on others on their behalf and receive any acts on their behalf. This is the only way to get someone other than yourself or the person designated by a title deed to receive an act on your behalf, so accumulating subs is very advantageous. Making someone else's sub cum doesn't transfer ownership of them but does still give you a Hotel. This also provides a way for eliminated players to still join in on the fun!

[There was a picture of a doggirl on a leash here]

Ending the game: Like regular monopoly this is last player standing. We can shorten the game if a simple majority of the remaining players wish to enter a final phase. This can only happen after the first bankruptcy.

End Phase: First, the players perform a series of auctions for any property groups that aren't owned by a single player (excluding properties and the 4 railroads). Every player who owns one of the properties in the group can bid one card for every property in the group they don't own. The title deed player gets to choose the winner. The tasks are done simultaneously by as many of the players involved in the auction as needed (we are trying to save time here).

Second, Once all property groups are fully owned, we tally them together. Each one is worth one point for every house on it. Your unused Hotels are worth 3 points. Utilities are 2 points each. Railroads are worth an additional point for every person that landed on them divided by 4 and multiplied by the amount of railroads you own (yes this makes railroads extremely powerful to own at the endgame). A bankrupt sub is worth 3 points as well. Finally take each of your unused cards, read them to the eliminated players, you get one point for each player that wants to experience that card.

If you've done everything correctly, the last 10 or so minutes of gameplay will look like this

[There was supposed to be a picture of Rouge the bat doing math about people's butts here]

Once the remaining players do all this math and compare scores whoever has the highest number wins. Congrats on your win. You may repurpose all your earnings from the game for more sexy times afterward. Or you could just have normal sex I guess but if you've read this far that's definitely not what you're looking for.

PROBLEMS

I know, incredible, but there's actually a few issues with how we've laid out the game.

We've destroyed the balance of the monopoly board, since under these rules the board does not have a consistent layout from most to least expensive.

Also players can have different number of properties representing them depending on how many players are (this might be a good thing, more players represented by less properties each might make eliminations faster). A possible solution to this is making some spaces represent things other than players.

The way the ownership mechanic works it might require a few overhauls to play with two people.

Extremely convoluted rules about the economy whenever specific exchange numbers for certain things are introduced. Definitely need balancing.

Probably can simplify the endgame phase.

These are off the top of my head. There's probably more. Obviously this needs a lot of fleshing out on the specifics and could probably be simplified somewhat, but I think it's a far more solid foundation for a kinky game based on the trading mechanics of monopoly than what I originally reviewed in that old post.

Join me next time I want to make extremely convoluted rules to avoid having regular sex. Maybe I'll pick a simpler game than Monopoly, like Settlers of Catan.

though probably what i'll do next is make optional hypnokink rules

UPDATE: (Adding more stuff in the notes check reblogs and such for that)

[threestarsaboveclouds]

do you think you'll reach ascension :?

It is against my nature as an iterator to ponder such questions. We iterators were specifically designed to be unable to ascend; our job is to guide the lesser creatures of the world toward ascension. Seeking personal ascension would distract from that imperative.

Our creators intended for us to be a gift to the world; discovery of a true Solution would release all creatures from the ties of the Cycle. We must iterate upon possible Solutions to the Great Problem until one is found.

I am… aware… that some of my peers have abandoned this duty, but I personally wish to continue my work for as long as I can. My creators built me for this purpose, after all.

@chaoticallycam

My creators found their own Solution. We iterators were left behind, tasked with locating a method of ascension that is truly generally applicable; a great responsibility. It is an honor to be trusted with such an undertaking.

Some have expressed resentment towards our creators for choosing to abandon their progeny. They helped us as much as we helped them; to leave us behind would be unfair, even selfish.

I would be lying if I said I did not occasionally feel bitter about my creators' choice. We all do. In particular, denying us the ability to safely modify ourselves seems to be a major oversight. However, it can be argued that the implementation of the self-modification taboo speaks to the confidence our creators had in us to solve the Great Problem.

Given infinite time, if thousands of iterators are working on the Great Problem, the law of large numbers states that eventually the Solution will be found, if it exists. However, we do not have infinite time; our machinery is destined to degrade with age. Our genetic taboos serve to eliminate distractions so that we may all converge on the Solution more efficiently.

To an extent, I can understand why some iterators chose to abandon the Great Problem. If a Solution that satisfies the Triple Affirmative does not exist, it would be pointless to even try.

Some would argue, however, that Sliver of Straw's transmission of the Triple Affirmative signal proves that the Solution does exist, but all attempts to replicate her methods have failed. Sliver of Straw's broadcast is a contentious enough topic on its own, so I will not discuss the details here. All I will say is that I think our time is best spent on issues other than Sliver of Straw's apparent death.

I digress. In truth, I don't know if I personally will reach ascension. None of us know. I prefer not to dwell on such matters; they only serve as a distraction.

As for my creators... I am happy for them, I suppose. Their departure does make my work easier in some ways.... and harder in others. They would often turn to me for guidance, as I did to them. We were in constant contact, and while I sometimes viewed their presence as a bother, I enjoyed being able to help them. My creators helped me as well; in their absence there are many things I am no longer able to do.

Without them, I feel.... empty.

Alone.

....

Well... not anymore, at least.

I appreciate your communication.

[ellevandersneed]

One of my nagging fears is that someone will or already has screengrabbed a bad take of mine and used me as an example to define the type of person they don't like. I can get really paranoid over my little posts. It's simultaneously a matter of actual insecurity on my part - I find it difficult to live unabashedly as myself for a variety of reasons that I am slowly but surely working on - but it is also sort of a legitimate fear based on the experience of hanging around terminally online people for a large chunk of my life. How long until I have become the non-entity whose existence symbolizes miserable idiocy. How long until I get to play the NPC or the secret liberal pig or the miserable killjoy. Have I been psychoanalyzed by an angry 19 or 33 year old yet? Maybe if it ever happens and I stumble across the digital plaque with my dog face and tumblr handle, a short wall of text made in the moment without much serious thought, captioned by a diatribe about how miserable and pathetic and tiresome this person (me) must be - I'll be able to suddenly realize, on a much deeper level than I do now, that this is an overrated, petty fear. Maybe I'll remember some childhood persecution or familial expectation and be able to process it better. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and the world suddenly turns to pudding and the river becomes lemonade and the great many rusted metal things that line the riverbed transmogrify into delicious rock candy of so many colors and shapes. Maybe I'll have to put in the work and actively fight this insecurity or maybe I can ignore it and do some hard work (and be set free) and one day it won't bug me anymore. Maybe I should tell a friend or a therapist. Maybe I'll learn the process of making rock candy, and make those many shapes and colors and put them on sticks and bring them to parties. Maybe I'll pick up a guitar again and practice until my fingers don't feel so clumsy and I can strum the Flintstones theme effortlessly. I'll ride in a riverboat, plucking out a tune and while I rest my hands I can dip an empty tankard in the river and pull up a draught of sweet lemonade. The boat could go out to sea, and I'll swing below deck whenever the sun or the rain get to be too much for me. The ship could carry a great many underwater compartments. It could house an entire apartment complex that shrinks and grows on the outside, depending on the circumstances, but is always the same size on the inside. I could cover the floors with carpets from around the world. I could sit and look at the famous Persian flaw of an Iranian rug covered in beautiful designs and woven with red, orange, cream, burgundy, cerulean threads and think of my insecurities. What is perfection in a world without a perfect being? Is this idea of improvement, infinite improvement, an attempt to help others and myself or am I just trying to replicate the proverbial Jesus of a pseudo-secular mindset. Am I actually challenging my own insecurities - my petty, trifling, in-sig-nificant insecurities - by thinking in terms of... "Well... other people don't act or think like this. You don't want to act like the wrong type of person, do you?"

I could sit, cross legged and sipping riverwater lemonade, the tips of my fingers sore from pressing down on strings and plucking at them, and ponder all of this forever. The rock candy formations of the riverbed would glide by. Tufts of seaweed that had been transformed into strips of gummy candy filled with sealed pockets of sweet syrup would brush up against the hull of my boat. Swedish fish would wriggle past, or they would sit tight as the tide pulled them in the direction they wanted to go. The world would keep happening regardless. I wonder if I would just be taking myself with me if I were to walk away from this little imperfection in the rug. If I stood up and began to look for problems to fix, tightening pipes, sealing leaks, arranging furniture, I could lose myself, or maybe my flaw would manifest in the ways I behaved. I would be very far from that boy they strung up a couple thousand years back, indeed. So I continue to sit on my rug. I think that maybe, if I sat here long enough, I'd be able to solve the problem that is myself - unravel every knot in my heart so perfectly - that I could leave that part of myself here on the rug to be thrown overboard later. I would, of course, obtain the great goal of enlightenment and be a being of pure light and energy. I would do anything I wanted to. I would become morally invincible, I would become a "good person." It would finally all be over. So I spend the rest of my life, sitting on the rug, unraveling knot after knot - not realizing that the strings that make me who I am are perfectly tying themselves right back up when I'm not looking. Meanwhile the rock candy and the gummy seaweed and the Swedish fish and the whole of the lemonade river would still be passing me by until all of it was eventually long gone and I was all alone - enlightened but alone - the knots would all tie themselves back up pretty quickly indeed if this were the happen. The solace worth taking is that, at least, the knots will be different. At best they will be variations of their old configurations. Fun.

The only other choice seems to be to get up, live life, play songs and fix leaks and drink lemonade and sail with other boats and dance on other decks and help other sailors and eat new candy sealife and live and live and live while stopping every so often to check on that little insecurity in me to see how she's doing. I can augment how I listen and how I communicate and how I set boundaries and how I respect boundaries and try to be a little kinder and forgive myself and do all of the many little things that are in vogue right now while still living. Not unaware and paranoid or sitting still on the floor staring at the tiniest of threads but actually living life as a maker of mistakes and a sad, sweet, happy, angry, patient animal and an artist and a writer and a friend and a neighbor and a stranger. I just won't do it with eyes closed. Or I won't force myself to keep them open if I the strain becomes to much. Or if sleeps call is too sweet. I am tired now. I am so sleepy.

[zedecksiew]

BLOGGIES 2023 GAMEABLE WINNERS

Another week of voting is over, the responses have been counted, and the results of the final round of the BLOGGIES 2023 GAMEABLE category are in.

Here are your winners, medals, and acceptance speeches!

(I asked the winners to say a few words about their winning work—where they were at when they wrote the posts; whether they have additional insights; how they feel about winning.)

+++

BRONZE BLOGGIE FOR GAMEABLE POST:

🥉Flux Space🥉 from Papers & Pencils

Nick:

Even after years of percolating in my head it took 5 months from the first draft to feel like I'd communicated myself clearly. Almost immediately people began telling me about ways they planned to use Flux Space which I'd never intended, some of which contravene the whole point I was going for. That's not a complaint, it's something I marvel at, and am humbled by. The author is dead, long live Flux Space!

+++

SILVER BLOGGIE FOR GAMEABLE POST:

🥈Pointcrawling Character Creation🥈 from Rise Up Comus

Josh:

How I feel winning an award:

but for real: It's enormously humbling to get a single vote when the competition was against some of the best blog posts this year from all the people I so greatly admire. Blogs are the best way that I know of to quickly get an idea out of your head and onto paper, look at it, turn it around from a different angle, and see how it resonates with people. That's all I was trying to do with Pointcrawling Character Creation, and I'm pleased someone out there thinks it's an idea they'd like to play with, too.

+++

(In lieu of a medal, Gold winners will get a linocut print; here's a design inspired by Jo's post: a clutch of eggs that are worlds, and a dragon hatching from one of them.)

GOLD BLOGGIE FOR GAMEABLE POST:

🥇Laws of the Land: meaningful terrain via in-fiction limits and conditions🥇 from Was It Likely?

Jo:

This, as with all such statements, is a thing only true in the moments of its making; accept then, the memory of a truth: the most valuable contribution of the OSR is the idea that TTRPGs are more or less choice generation machines; they provide decision points situated in contexts of complexity that cannot be replicated outside of the human mind. The OSR also has made a fetish object out of the idea that such decisions should be procedurally derived, rather than placed directly into the game. “Laws of the Land” was born out of a dissatisfaction with that fetish object and a desire to place the object of play directly in my games. Be brave enough to make the statement: this is true, this must be done, the world is shaped in this way. The best art is itself of itself, and aren’t we all artists? Those of you I love are, anyway. And I love you. I hope the things I make bring you joy. Kisses, Jo.

+++

And I love you, too. Congratulations everybody!

(Special thanks to Martin / Sharkbomb for his assistance tidying up the medal graphics.)

[ashipiko]

random ahh q but how did u develop ur artstyle? :D

HIYA!!!! oh yeeeesh this is gonna be such a long answer 😭😭 it’ll be under the cut…… but um. warning for old Ashi art HAHAHA it’ll basically just be me guiding you through my gallery from all these years <3 I HOPE IT CAN HELP A LITTLE!!!

old Ashi Art JUMPSCARE

BUT BASICALLY. YEAH! this is me starting digital art in like? 2020 and getting into a3! <3 as you can see. this is my kind of sad attempt at replicating the style ??? you can tell from the way I colored my eyes, hair, and copied the way the hair is drawn!! it’s not OVERLY obvious but if you look you can see that I REAAALLY referenced it. which is kind of a big thing for creating an artstyle

and queue in my art around a year later!! 🤔 kinda more used to drawing the a3! characters (which mind you were the ONLY characters I drew for like. a whole year) and so naturally I adopted the artstyle more into my own art. learnt more about airbrushes would reference the original art a LOT. redrawing really helped me 🙏 once again. lots of referencing and looking at character references. and while I didn’t always redraw it exactly, looking at the character designs themselves made me pick up quirks of the original artstyle to better display the characterization and charm of the characters!!

then 2022 rolls around and I start getting more into proseka. start finding little things about this artstyle that I liked— whether that be finding that out through redrawing the art or trying to replicate the style. started picking up things like the smaller face shapes (as compared to twst and a3! which I was focused on previously) the way they drew the hands, the bodies, etc etc!! along w softer brushes and rendering 🫶

at around the same time I return back to a3! and make attempts at replicating the artstyle (left) or making edits to the predicting art to try and make it blend in (right). as you can tell I start playing around more w hair highlights and the rendering and all that stuff!!! 🤔 sort of like picking up new skills that I missed out on the first time. starting noticing more of the little details

and SO then I returned yet again and begin redrawing a3! cards!!! but you can tell that there’s more of a concrete style w the squisher faces and more experience the rendering 🙏🙏

and I did a LOT of redrawing. 😭😭 a3!’s artstyle is soooo dear to me because it has so much charm despite not being insanely rendered or having too much detail. and I LOVE that. so to try and add it to my own art I redraw and redraw and MIMIC in attempts to gain that exact same energy.

🤔 and though it’s not twst art…… this is when I started replacing the twst style and picking up on it’s quirks, then adopting what I thought was fun about it. most notable the varied opacity rendering. and you might notice that my lineart is more see though!! I MUST SAY!!! THAT WAS JUST BECAUSE OF A LITTLE EXPERIMENT I WANTED TO DO and I enjoyed it SO much that I dropped solid lineart sketching IMMEDIATELY!!!!! I think developing an artstyle is really dependent on you being willing to step away from your “art style” and look at others. maybe try some new things. pick up smth else and try to mimic it, and see what ingredients are used to make that artstyle succeed in the way that it does. between these three images you see such a change because behind the scenes I’m trying all of these different things, and seeing if I like doing them!!

🤔 sorta like….. oh I like this ingredient. so I’m gonna take them and add it to my own food because I like it. if that makes sense?

AND SO YADDAH YADDAH. you follow my blog you know my art and where it is now

A SNEAK PEEK FOR ASHACE ART SINCE YOU READ THROUGH ALL OF THIS….. and like. as you can see my art really is just a mutant combination of all of these things that I like from the artstyles I enjoy. slowly it came together w no rush and I’m sitting here now satisfied with a signature artstyle that everyone can recognize.

!! I REALLY DONT THINK YOU NEED TO WORRY TOO HARD ABOUT HAVING AN ART STYLE especially if you’re a beginning or learning artist still. and don’t think that art styles just come out of nowhere!!! art is a combination of stealing parts of things that you like and putting them together. as all things are 🫶 but yeah!! the Ashi gallery HAHAHA

[felassan]

Some snippets of interest and insight from Mark Darrah, from an older Mark Darrah on Games YouTube video where he was livestreaming playing Dragon Age II some months ago -

Chat asked "Are you devs (former devs as well) hyped and excited about entire lore and world of DA like we are?''. Mark replied that the devs do get into the lore but that they actually often lean into the community to make sure that they aren't violating their own lore (because there's so much of it). "You guys have done a much better job of curating it than we have to be honest".

A comment in chat said "I think it's important to know that as DA4 ramps up, the fandom is going to change". Mark replied "for sure, definitely, as the marketing picks up for a game you draw in more people. Also, BioWare is carrying some Anthem people that picked up that never left, that have definitely changed the tenor of the fandom to some degree".

For dialogue, the reason why the paraphrase is different to what Hawke actually says is that they found in ME1 that if they just made them the same, it felt like everything you as the PC said was being repeated because you had already read it in your head and then it got said out loud. This does sometimes lead to disconnect as sometimes what Hawke ends up saying isn't really what was implied by the paraphase. Mark said "that's why we've been experimenting with different tonal stuff in different games, to give you hints as to more clarity as to what will actually be said".

Chat asked ''what is you opinion on the rewrite/corrections of a lot of the lore from DA2 in subsequent media?'. Mark replied "My opinion is that you should try to be respectful of everything that came before as much as possible. I don't like that some of the comics and things have enforced sort've standard canon so strongly. I recognize that, especially coming out of DA:O, there's not much choice, but I feel like we could have done a bit of a better job there".

[source]

He also talked more generally about DAII and the previous games in general. These bits are collected under a cut due to length:

The messages that appear at the bottom of the DAII start screen must be hard-coded as opposed to live updates received from online, as some of them still refer to long-past things

On Varric's embellished prologue scene, where Bethany's chest size is exaggerated, he mentioned that Varric was more of a pig in DAII than he is in DA:I. "Men writing men writing women"

First impressions have an impact on players' opinions of the companions. Mark mentioned that he thinks that might be one of the reasons why players tend to stick with the first 3 companions that they get in the game, because those are the ones they're used to and are forced to get a bit more context on because they're there with you for the duration of the prologue/introduction

One of the problems with DAII is that because the followers are so locked down in terms of their abilities, gameplay and roleplay are in conflict more than they are in DA:O and DA:I

Combat in DAII is essentially the combat of DA:O (the same systems underneath) if someone took the 'knobs' and cranked them in the opposite direction really far. So the same systems underneath, but just with very different numbers in them

In DA:I, lighting (what time of day it is) was created such that the best looking lighting/time of day for each area was chosen

In DAII Kirkwall, because it was essentially such a central character in the game, actually got a lot more attention than cities usually do in DA games

The design of Kirkwall's city map actually kind of discourages you from going out into the wilderness, which Mark doesn't think was the intention

He mentioned that accents are tricky and that you want replicable accents. This was a problem Mass Effect had, e.g. with Tali. Tali's accent was one her VA could do, but no-one else could do it, so they ended up with an un-replicable accent for this character

"I forgot how many redheads there are in DAII"

Adding in some of the 'this is physically impossible irl' moves and skills to warriors and rogues in DAII helped to better balance those classes with mages, which were sort've overpowered relatively speaking in DA:O

DAII tried really hard to establish an art direction. So for example, there was a strong effort to make elves not look like 'humans with pointy ears', hence they're very angular. They then backed away from this a bit in DA:I

Chat asked ''Do you guys prefer the strongest loot to be crafted or found?'". Mark replied that crafting is a dangerous thing because some players don't engage in it, so if you require crafting for the best loot you run into the problem of players who don't engage in crafting not being able to play the game. Usually the best loot is crafted, but you need to be able to play the game without using it

In DAII they were trying to control the game economy a bit better than it was done in DA:O, as especially in the first act you're supposed to be someone who has just fled the Blight, so it wouldn't make sense to have a sack of money

On the repeating cave environment in DAII, it was a very specific hole in the cave ceiling with a shaft of sunlight hitting the ground that was so identifiable/distinctive that was what showed that the cave was being reused. "That specific spot is the main reason there was backlash about and people noticing the reused cave". Chat asked whether Mark thought that a simple texture swap-out would have helped mitigate the repeating dungeons complaint and he replied that some texture swaps could have helped, but the reason why they didn't do more clever tricks to conceal it was lack of time

Another major thing that caused the noticeable repeating environments problem is that they had the same area map, as they didn't have the ability in the engine to have specialized area maps, "so what happens is you actually get lots of times where parts of the level look accessible when in fact it isn't" (blocked off doors and not making it look like that on the minimap), and that just draws even further attention to how repetitive it is. DA:O comparatively did better at disguising or effectively reusing content

Also, chat asked ''Development wise, was crunch much worse for DA: Exodus versus DA:O or DA:I since it had a year or two development period??'". Mark replied that "Crunch-wise, yeah, DAII was arguably the worst but because the game was short in terms of dev time it was less total time I guess. But it was kind've for the entire development process so that was not great. We decided to do it in December in 2009 and shipped in March of 2011, so total time from the day we decided to do it until the day it was on shelves was about 15 months." This is why the game relies so much on the followers, because they are faster to write, usually require less revisions and you can go with the first drafts a little bit more. "If Jason Schreier says it was 2 years dev time for DAII in his book Blood, Sweat and Pixels, he's incorrect". More development time for DAII would have helped but it would have needed to have been added to the timeline in just the right way. If it had been added at the end and the release date had shifted really late in development, that would have been the biggest way to help, "because you could take the game as it was and patched over the biggest shaky bits". If it had just started with a 2 year dev cycle "I think you would have ended up with weaknesses because you would have just filled up the bucket with more content and I think the solution would've been to not do that, to keep it super tight, keep the focus on the characters and then patch over the worse of the glaring things". Also, "I have slept under my desk, yes".

(pls note that in places there is a bit of paraphrasing of the info, the best source is always the primary source with full quotes in their original context. and also that this vid is from 11 months ago)

[source]