#so the lore will be more consistent going forward lol

[prydainroyals]

King Henry II, last royal portrait before his death in 1998

Born: 1915 - Died: 1998

Reign: 1932-1998

His wife, Queen Mother and Duchess of Sussex, Gwyneth

Born: 1938 - Still living

Married to King Henry II in 1958

He famously disliked sitting for portraits with her in the room.

Together their issue totaled 6 children, with only 3 of them surviving to adulthood-- Rosalinde, Duchess of Worcester (b.1960- ; abdicated, estranged from the royal family), Princess Anne (b.1967- ?), who went missing in 1992 and who has never been found, and King George X (b. 1969- ).

[toskarin]

what warband mods would you rec? I only ever played vanilla warband years ago and that was probably on fairly low AI settings, but I'm definitely intrigued by getting the full feudal clusterfuck experience as well as indulging in some nostalgia.

there's a few qualifications to these, because I usually like them for different reasons and I have something wrong with me, but...

< ! PREEMPTIVE WARNING ! > you should be running modules in Warband Script Extender even if they don't say they need it! people have historically been really bad about clarifying when it's expected

Bannerpage - vanilla for people who want More of it, and then more after that. it reminds me of a spiritual successor to Floris Modpack. an enormous expansion that's also a bit of a tongue in cheek what-if for "Bannerlord, except as continued development of Warband" with increasing complexity. this one will probably spoil you a bit on other modules just because of how many little enhancements it pulls on the native systems lol

Prophesy of Pendor - the premier feudal fantasy rpg experience. this one is brutally difficult and throws some battles at you with genuinely bewildering enemy force sizes. I'd feel fairly confident in calling this the most difficult of the major total conversion modules that maintain core M&B gameplay

Touhou Gensokyo Warfare~the Castiron Flame - this is straight up glorious kusoge and I love it dearly. it often breaks so severely due to its own design decisions that it creates a unique high-skill gameplay expectation that exists in literally no other mods, but also it can't really be called "core" M&B gameplay anymore. this module actually consists of three chinese mods (Touhou Tinder, Touhou Origin, and Touhou Beat), one of which is derived from a fork that was extended by /jp/, another which was just translated by /jp/ (a shoddy translation but not distinctly a 4chan translation, if that's a concern), all of which were merged into one mod and managed by a passionate and cool chinese mod team. none of this comes to a consistent artistic vision. every single character looks like kigurumi cosplay and they all look like they're from different manufacturers. this is my favourite module. I could play it for years.

Perisno - a strange bird of a module that I don't see mentioned much anymore. a shame, honestly, because it's quite fun if you like higher fantasy settings. a bit overconfident with its own setting lore at times, but that really just makes it more authentic as a high fantasy setting, doesn't it? anyway they funnelled the mod development efforts away to a standalone game in the setting because of that, and I wish them well, but you know how it goes with that sort of thing

Gekokujo Daimyo Edition - a modification of an older warband module that was originally a touhou hijack that was originally a mod for the non-Warband game made by japanese players annoyed that nobody in the western playerbase was making mods with a japanese setting. it's buggy, it's incomplete, it will explode at you randomly, but it's still pretty neat. there's really no other mod out there that gives you such a thorough "I HATE THE TANEGASHIMA I HATE THE TANEGASHIMA" experience. Sengoku Era, a successor mod, will probably replace it on recommendation lists when it eventually releases.

Warsword Conquest - this is the Warhammer Fantasy mod. it has all the problems you'd expect from that. that being said, the sheer level of detail in this mod makes it more than worth dropping in to check it out. some of the environments are gorgeous enough to make Warband feel like an entirely different game, and with a surprising variety of firearms, the average campaign ends up being a pretty wild ride

Brytenwalda - I'm not recommending Brytenwalda as an experience, because it's actually not that good a very interesting moment in M&B modding history. Brytenwalda is the birthplace of a lot of mod tropes that became standard in mods going forward, namely most culture-related systems and the modern standard for module graphics. it also introduced tripping and represents the moment people started making really annoying attempts at jury-rigging balance into the game before Warband Script Extender came around and actually allowed them to modify the lower systems of the game. still kinda neat if you like historical settings, and definitely foundational enough to warrant a look

Last Days of the Third Age - infamously hard-headed in a way that only a mod for a feudal warfare simulator rpg made by Tolkien nerds who insist on book>movie aesthetics could pull off, this isn't really core M&B gameplay and is very rigid, but it's another case of something being so detailed and passionate that it's a fun experience anyway.

Solid and Shade - this is actually the best hardcore survival horror experience made for Warband, which is a bit like saying that Harvester is the best FMV game ever made about waking up in a town named Harvest. the Harvester comparison is more than surface level. the writing often feels like Harvester. this is one of the only modules (hell, one of the only games even!) I've ever seen that successfully pulls off the concept of corrupting players with the promise of immortality. it's a horror mystery where every single character creation option affects your longterm gameplay... but to provide a fair warning, reading the developer's commentary on this mod will sour you on it. the developer is an edgelord who just kinda kitchen-sinked horror elements in a way that reminds me a lot of Revolution of Terror (the old Well of Souls mod). the compelling esoterica and atmosphere seem to have been achieved largely on accident

[catholicfacade]

So, your wip is fire 😳

The tiktok filming setup as a way to bring reader/Valentine into the world of Joost and his friends is such a a good idea. Something so believable and so very them. Like, it could really happen. I’m immediately immersed. You are incorporating a lot of little irl lore details that do a really good job of not letting me forget that I’m reading a joost fic. The way you include and build upon the stitch plushie is such a good moment of this. 

The way you explain joost’s immediate fascination with reader the instant he sees the tiktok is extremely satisfying. When self inserting here I felt so wanted 🥰 (I know he is being horny not sweet at this point but what can I say). I really enjoyed how joost is displaying a hint of degradation kink lol. Real femdom enjoyer hours. Can’t wait to see if it’s their whole dynamic or just one aspect of it. Also let me just directly say that this jack-off scene was hot as fuck. Superior descriptions. Wowowowow.

Rewatching the tiktok on loop until you get low battery notification 😂

Him liking his own comment immediately 💀😂

Reference to Valentine not looking as lively in the one other video foreshadowing for learning about traumatic backstory???

I love how direct joost is about what the tiktok did to him in the flash forward bit at the end. Communication is important! 😤

I’m already so invested in the success of this couple.

Your summary makes it sound like we are in for a hell of a ride. I love me some hurt/comfort so I’m very excited for this. I can’t wait to read more 💛

omg i didn’t think i would be deserving enough to ever get an inbox like this !!! thank you soooo much my mutual in shining armor !!!

i love in fics when people reference something highly specific irl, like joosts clothing or lyrics or places he’s been! it’s always super immersive, i try and add in as much as i can!

trust me these two will be on some freaky bob ™️ type shit in the bedroom ;P joost jerking off is like…he’s literally such a man…he saw one beautiful girl online and had to go take care of himself??? boy please be serious!! 😭

joost and v are the literal definition of “it gets worse before it gets better” at multiple points in their relationship. no spoilers but their love runs so deep and so heavy, even when they’re so upset with each other, i think they get a little overwhelmed. but that’s for me to show you eventually…

i’ll be honest, i’ve never finished a chaptered fic in my entire life but i’m trying the hardest i’ve ever tried to make this one the one! i appreciate every ounce of support i’ve gotten thus far and i’m really working hard on trying to write faster and more consistently for you all <333

-ego⋆♱✮

[ps. i might drop another preview this wednesday for a much later part in the series to show how different their dynamic can be, so stay tuned !! 🪽]

[zara-renata]

i just read “not my type” and i am so excited of their relationship progression.

(post-yapping insert: also, i would like to apologize for consistently using she/her pronouns when referring to your mc, even though the fic specifies the usage of gender-neutral ones. i genuinely am just so used to using she/her because of the mc i’ve made up in my head for fics and in-game. please let me know if you prefer i use they/them when rambling about your fics going forward!)

i couldn’t help but find mc’s friendship with xavier so sweet in this. (i emphasize friendship because i’m 100% a sylus x mc shipper ✋🧎‍♀️) i love how xavier really took time to hang out with her, especially considering how messy her mental and physical states have been as of late.

true to canon lore, i love how mc goes to the arcade frequently!! her competitive streak, even against children and teenagers, is so telling of how petty and childish she can be, which i really find funny and endearing. and i think it’s good for her to have an… outlet… for her feelings, even if it’s at the expense of unsuspecting younglings. she’s such a loser (affectionate) 😭

compared to the previous fics, i can really feel the distance between sylus and mc here, at least from mc’s pov. when realing sylus’s pov, it’s so easy to see how committed he is to her. but now in mc’s pov again with her self-deprecating tendencies, she truly doesn’t see the true intentions behind his actions. tbf, he seems to be taking a step back on the straightforward font with this one, waiting for her to ask questions first rather than dropping info straight up. and with how scattered mc’s mind usually is, that can be… not good. like:

“The person he’s describing sounds fascinating, and the perfect match for him. He'll never get bored with them, and maybe their goodness will rub off on him. Good for him. You had wanted to be friends with him, right?”

“If it’s heads, you’ll walk away from him and the life that allows him access to you. If it’s tails, you’ll ask him who these people were tonight and whether he has a partner. You’ll be his friend, no matter what, and close off that needy, delusional part of yourself that hopes for more from him, and you’ll never think of it again.”

these were so heartbreaking to read. i was just mentally berating sylus to do something!! he truly miscalculated a lot of things and is pushing away mc as a result. and i’m not even sure if he’s doing it on purpose or not 🧎‍♀️ like bro ya girl’s overthinker and dense tendencies are acting up – do something about it 🤦‍♀️ i know she’s a strong professional hunter but even i felt the “ambush” kind of feeling once she entered the room with the unfamiliar people. because sylus didn’t somewhat introduce to mc the unfamiliar people in the room, she ended up getting caught up with her thoughts and running her mouth.

“I’m pretty sure you have enough security for your needs tonight. Let’s just call everything off, okay? No one owes anyone anything, and you can offer that favor to someone else.” You look at the girl, but she’s not smiling anymore—rather, she’s looking at you with… confused disgust? Fuck it’s hard to read people. Maybe she’s suffering from intestinal gas. Maybe Sylus carries around lactase tablets for both the twins and his girlfriend.

like 😭😭 the secondhand embarrassment is real with this one. and the frustration with sylus not helping her navigate the social setting is even realer

that said, i am now more excited to see how sylus deals with the aftermath of these miscalculations. the grovelling, the hurt/comfort… i eat that shit uppppp LMAO. mc’s brain truly is a labyrinth though (this girl has 1,000 thoughts per minute) and i’m just cheering on sylus for trying to navigate through it LOL

Aah I'm really glad you like this instalment! thank you SO MUCH AGAIN for reading and sharing all of your thoughts!!!

so first thing's first, i do not mind at all that you or anyone else refers to mc as she/her. the mc i write is gender neutral specifically because i want people to be able to imagine mc however they want, whether its the female character from canon or a big beefy guy and everyone in between. so if mc for you, is your mc from your game, then you can talk about her all you want to me. i'm much more interested in what's going on in mc's head than what's on the outside. if i call this mc they/them it's only because i think of those pronouns as a placeholder that the reader can fill in however they'd like.

i'm really glad you're enjoying xav's interactions, i think he's such a sweet little freak and love that he's mc's partner and as a result is close enough to probably be one of mc's closest friends, insofar as this mc allows others to get close. it's really fun to make him appear and also frustrate sylus's agenda.

and for real, in this part mc is definitely trying to create distance with sylus out of panicky self-protection, because sylus is probably the closest mc has let someone get to them in years, and to just taste a little bit of what mc thought was rejection after wine night was really a wake-up call for them to hit the brakes. and sylus, bless his heart, he did not count on his motorcycle being stolen after he invited mc out (which is their first time being out in public since the auction! he's low-key vibrating with looking forward to it! he had everything planned to a T, he just made a super quick stop to pick up some massage oil with essential oils good for relaxation and insomnia because he's in his delulu hours hoping he can use it sooner rather than later, walks back outside and his motorcycle is gone. because his luck is shit! and now he's got to track down the idiot who thought it was a good idea to steal his ride!) so like, he had planned to meet mc when mc arrived, or stalk mc through the security cameras or something so he'd know when to go fetch them personally, but then got caught up in dealing wih the thief. So yeah, mc was not prepared for the social setting by Sylus, but to be fair! mc ALSO did not stop and ask questions before unleashing those pent up feelings all over sylus and the other poor bastards in the room. while all of us reading may have suffered from second hand embarrassment, sylus is secure enough to just be like yes this is my chosen one, i'm so glad we're in the same room again, everyone bask in this gift my beloved brought me!!

sooo yesss, sylus is learning bit by bit that his approach will require finesse, that he done fucked up big time with how he treated mc during their first few days together, and hopefully the hurt/comfort will be delicious. i'm going to try my best to get it right!!!

thank you again, as always!!

[glitterclan]

I've been really enjoying this blog so far, and the colony lore, as well as Falconshine's lore, have me interested.

Because of your good grasp on worldbuilding, I was wondering if, without delving into spoilers, the other three clans would ever get some more screentime or lore built around them?

For example, are there any cats within the other three clans who are related to any of our protagonists? And if there was a in lore explanation as to why certain cats chose certain clans, considering the territory is practically the same per each? And also how the four leaders were chosen (I'm assuming Starclan sought them out in particular.)

Really looking forward to seeing where this goes!

thank you for your message! admittedly i actually have not really thought much about the other three clans, but i am sure there are some relations between cats in the clans (maybe not familial, as i feel they would join the same clan. perhaps they were part of the same group?) it's hard for me to think about the other three clans because i don't want to just make up characters for them, i'd rather have them ran as generated clans alongside glitterclan. but i'm absolutely not going to run four clans simultaneously and keep track of aaaaall their crossing interactions. i'm sure i will have to show some gathering scenes eventually though, so i may just generate some leaders for that occasion...

there are minor differences in the territories! glitterclan is located on the south side and has access to the twolegplace, which nobody else really wanted. as such, glitterclan is most open to threats originating from the twolegplace. shineclan, glowclan, and sparkleclan likely have access to their own respective things as well, maybe like mountains, forests, or the beach that can offer more prey options. that being said, it seems glitterclan did get the short end of the stick territory-wise, lol

the leaders were chosen specifically by hareclaw, the starclan guide/the last spirit of the old starclan (i haven't visually included him in the story yet because i haven't really found a good place for him loool) i imagine they are all good-aligned cats with strong morals, though perhaps some future leaders will not follow this tradition...

it's a bit difficult to come up with consistent lore for a story that is based on randomly generated events. so, the lore i have created so far, at this early point in the story, is very barebones so that it remains flexible/open to any sort of change the game may throw at it. however i am sure as specific characters develop more, we will get more juicy lore! (for example, falconshine never really stood out to me in the beginning. but they had a loooot of interesting coincidences happen in their random events that led me to establish a backstory for them. hopefully this can happen with other characters as well!)

[kindheart525]

What are your favorite kinds of stories to tell? What are your favorite type of characters to write? Favorite dynamics?

I love this question, thank you so much! Most broadly, my favorite kinds of stories to tell are the character-driven ones. I often tell my friends that I find it easier to write dialogue than describe actions in my MLP stories and I think that's a reflection of how interpersonal interactions are where I really feel at home as a writer.

I can write anything from friends to enemies to lovers but I think my favorite dynamics to explore are between family members. I am incredibly close with my family irl so I enjoy putting that into my stories. Even the less happy family interactions make for an emotionally-gripping exploration of the tensions and traumas that do exist within homes. The thread of generational trauma that runs through Bojack Horseman had me especially captured so I like to explore those themes in my own work. I am a mama's girl so mother-child relationships are usually my favorite within stories, particularly those that are very much loving but complicated like the Tempest Shadow/Raspberry Sorbet dynamic. I also like delving into a little relationship drama (like in Scootaloo and Terramar's arc) because that kind of angst is just so much fun to write. Marmalade Meringue's arc is among the upcoming arcs I'm really looking forward to because it has relationship drama AND family tension, both themes I love.

As for my favorite types of characters to write, I've consistently been drawn to the angsty/sad asshole types. Those characters who make terrible choices and are perhaps unkind to others but carry some deep trauma inside of them. Turquoise Edge, Galaxy Guard, and Firefly from the Kindverse were those types of characters to varying extents. I write Scootaloo like that in the Auraverse where she makes mistakes as a mother while also coping with internalized ableism and a shitty marriage. Rainbow Dash is also that character for me in the Kindverse and Thirdverse where things keep going wrong for her and she responds by pushing others away. Blueberry Sticks in the Auraverse is another one of those characters; her arc consists of the Sad Asshole trope AND familial drama which makes it another I'm especially excited about. Outside of the MLP fandom, I really enjoy Smiling Friends fanfictions that portray Charlie Dompler struggling with his vices and trying to become a better man despite his behavior harming others, so my enjoyment of that trope is more widely applicable. I like exploring this trope in a way that shows the angsty asshole really trying to make things better. When they succeed it feels all the more rewarding, and if they fail it's even more heart-wrenching in a good way.

I really like writing character driven angst as you can tell lol but I've also had fun writing the Dottieverse which in a lot of ways is the opposite of my pony projects. Sure there's some light angst, but it's mostly lighthearted and funny and told through doodles, shitposts, and lore dumps rather than full stories with dialogue. One thing it does have in common with my other projects is the heavy focus on character interactions, of course. Plus, I've been known to make shitposts and doodles alongside my pony arcs as well so that part isn't new. I'm going to try to make some more pony content in the lighthearted and informal format of the Dottieverse because I have really enjoyed that. It might make the angst a little less overwhelming if I have more of a balance in format and tone.

[cooking-with-hailstones]

I’m curious, what do you think about Zelda games and continuity in general? I know one point of contention with BOTW/TOTK is the “lack” of continuity which yeah, i get it. It could be better. However the Zelda series is not known for its continuity lol. Like, take OOT and MM for example. MM is supposed to be a sequel to OOT, right? Well, tbh it’s not a very good one. Besides the fact that Link is the same one from oot, and the happy mask salesman and skull kid return, it feels really disconnected from its predecessor. I think Twilight Princess fits more as a sequel to OOT than MM. I could go on and on but what are your thoughts?

Very good question! So yeah, I know that the Zelda games give 0 craps about consistent lore or continuity, which is fine! I think they put forward a lot of different and interesting ideas. As a fandom, and especially as writers, we can treat it like a buffet of ideas to sample and play around with.

You raise an interesting point with oot/mm. I think the difference between oot/mm is the fact that they have very little in common with each other. New map, new characters, a completely different concept. There's a lot of mechanics that are the same but it really feels like you're in a new universe with the same aesthetics as the previous one, and that's about it.

I think TOTK stands out to people because it is a direct sequel with only a few years between them in-universe, but there is very little story, lore, and setting continuity between botw and totk. If it were a whole new game with a new slate of characters and a new map, I don't think the discrepancies would feel as jarring. That being said, I really love totk as a game! It's fantastic and I've sunk at least 100 hours in.

However, botw remains my favourite game because: botw is a gesamkunstwerk. TOTK is not a gesamkunstwerk.

And now here's my very long tangent about this:

I'm sure I've seen a video talking about this idea before but basically, a gesamkunstwerk is a German term for "total work of art." Coined by the composer Richard Wagner (whom we do not like, but his ideas were very influential), a gesamkunstwerk is a large scale work where everything reinforces each other. It is "a work of art that makes use of all or many art forms, or strives to do so." So in opera, for example, this would be how the orchestra, the costumes, the text, the music, the set pieces, everything comes together to tell one unified story.

I believe botw is a good example of a gesamkunstwerk: the open world setting serves the narrative framework, the Sheikah technology is incorporated seamlessly into the game mechanics, the story is scattered throughout the world for you to discover, but everything is still centered around your final goal and the narrative arc you're meant to travel. You're meant to explore, meet people, hone your skills, then face off against the final foe that you've been staring in the face for the whole game. You're meant to discover the world, to do all these things, as the player and as Link. Everything in botw reinforces everything else. It's not a perfect game by any means but it is incredibly well crafted.

And while totk improves on all the things in BOTW, it loses the cohesiveness that tied the first game together. I find that totk fights itself in a lot of ways. It didn't commit to being a linear game but it clearly has a linear path in mind (hello dragons tears...I am so glad a friend of mine told me to do them in order) The integration of zonai and Sheikah mechanics made no sense to me. The sages... Good gravy the sages...

Anyways this turned into a much longer post than I intended, but I hope this all made sense.

[findingyourrootscomic]

Hi! I really like your comics in general, I’m not usually one to follow webcomics but yours are apart of the exception! I really like your artstyle and something I don’t really see brought up often. It’s amazing to go back to the first page of FYR and see exactly how much you improved in your art, anatomy and backgrounds. The first page is so different than the current page! And I think it’s amazing to see that growth within the comic! It’s also amazing how gradually you see the improvement, it shows that you’ve been consistently working on the comic and I respect that work ethic a lot.

Also, big fan of how you draw pokemon and how even pokemon of the same species have clear differences within them with color/patterns/size. Like RAUGHHH that’s my JAM when it comes to pokemon designs! It makes them feel like actual animals I could step outside and see!

I don’t really have any questions or stuff about the lore specifically, my question is more on the technical sense. I’m a big believer in the art itself is just as important as the characters and story itself. But how do you panel your comics? Do you have any tips? I have plans to start up my own comic but even though I’m an artist I’ve never really done a comic before ^^

Keep up the great work! I eagerly look forward to the next updates.

Thank you!!! Yeah, 6 years really makes all the difference huh. :'D I'm really happy w where my art has gotten, I think I've been improving faster now cause my bestie @zeropro started redlining my page sketches somewhat recently, for all my comics not just FYR. So thanks to her influence and help, I think the comics look really really good now!! I've been studying art p hard since I started comicking, I've come p far but I still have a lot to learn. Zero has taught me a lot. Thank you for helping Zero!!

I panel FYR just w a straightedge tool. When starting a page, I lay down the sketch and panel over it, I draw in the panels as pink and then turn them white after I finish the lineart and set up the colorblocking. CotL is different, on recent pages I actually changed how I panel the comic, I now use FireAlpaca's paneling tool to draw them. It's like super easy and way faster than what I was doing before lol. I believe Tinysweetbunny uses the same tool for Pipe Up. The panels are always one of the highest layers in the stack, the only thing that goes above them are generally speech bubbles and dialogue. Keeps it clean.

[tameila]

Hi! I absolutly loved The Sun Always Rises! It's one of my favorite fanfics, and since you incorporate a lot of the Campaign 1 into the lore, I was wondering what the TSAR' Verse verion of Pike's resurrection would be?

Thank you so much!

To tackle this idea, I think it's best to break down what Pike's resurrection was and, more importantly, how it informed her character and actions going forward.

Let's start with the death -- It was the kind of death that was uniquely traumatic and gruesome for all parties, herself and her friends who watched it happened. Like, having to watch someone you love die changes you regardless of whether it was bloodless or not but, when that death is from them being cut in half...That's just a different level, y'know.

Add on a layer of helplessness and desperation to the party, because none of them were capable of revivifying Pike on her their own; they needed outside help.

Then, you have the ritual -- two of its components coming from Scanlan himself, the doll and a kiss upon her brow.

In a superficial sense, the trauma of her death and resurrection is what changed the color of her hair.

On a deeper level, this event pushed Pike to leave the party, join a sailing crew, and come back stronger -- strong enough to pick up heavy armor.

Meanwhile, within the party, I've always seen Scanlan's protectiveness throughout the campaign as a direct result of Pike's death and resurrection as well. Like, to the point that he's consistently uncomfortable and insistent that she dress up when it's stated in a scene that she took off her armor. Which can be read as him not liking her "flaunting", so to be speak (and this thought is echoed by the party at least once with them telling Scanlan/Sam that Pike would still be wearing her padding not be just naked without her armor), sure, but his energy always read far more neurotic to me. y'know, like, he worried about her being unprotected and vulnerable.

Now, let's put all these thoughts into TSAR 'verse...

My first instinct is to say it's already there! You watch Pike's death and resurrection in real time in TSAR. that's the whole story. You watch her hit rock bottom, a major depressive episode and ego death. Her friends are helpless to stop it. In the aftermath, she takes temporary leave from her position as Head Cleric at the temple and even isolates from her family and friends so she can meditate on what it all means (though this time frame is only briefly summarize in chapter 14 and not fully explored in prose). On Scanlan's side, you see him grow a new awareness of Pike and what she needs from him, and you watch him go through stages with it. Her "resurrection" is greatly aided by Scanlan's presence. In the end, she comes back stronger and surer.

My second instinct is to say it's already there...in bits n pieces! The mentions of Pike's gap year after high school. Wilhand's accident, Pike's desperation at the time, and how she had to shift her whole world view in the aftermath.

My third instinct, of course, is to acknowledge that neither of those are the answer that you came to hear lol! So, to really answer your question, if I were to explore the full weight of Pike's resurrection in TSAR 'verse, I would explore it as divergent AU of TSAR 'verse canon.

The divergence would be that it's Pike that suffers a traumatic accident instead of Wilhand.

and here's a collection of thoughts:

In this divergence, Pike's gap year would instead be interpreted as her deciding to fully complete her undergraduate abroad in some vaguely European country. She chose the university because the connected city has one of the oldest temples to Sarenrae.

The twins and Percy would also be at this university. Keyleth would still be back in Westruun, Grog still an up-and-coming MMA fighter, and Scanlan still his popstar self.

The accident would happen during the winter break of her final year. Keyleth and Grog have come to visit. Both of them had been saying and promising that they would since Pike started at this university so, since it's her final year, it's now or never! Pike's supposed to fly back to Westruun with them for Winter's Crest at the end of their trip. Pike introduces them to the twins and Percy. They spend a week European trottin'.

A surprise comes in the form of Scanlan, fresh off his final show of the year, joining them for the last few days. This is Pike and Scanlan's second first meeting, aka the first time they've seen in each other in person since Scanlan's career took off and since Pike's been in her transformative abroad era. (In actual TSAR 'verse canon, this second first meeting was a Grog's first big title match., which was the first time they'd seen each other since Scanlan's career took off and since Pike's gap year. It's one of those moments that's so cemented in the canon for me, but I can't remember if I've ever put out a piece that conveyed that to the readers lol)

It would be during one of those final days of the trip that The Accident™️ happened. I think, in the same way that I never specify what happened to Wilhand, I would never specifically state what happened to Pike. In her POV, it would always just be The Accident, and the others would never want to talk about it in detail either. However, it would be clear that it was nearly fatal, that she was legally dead for a brief time, and it changed everything.

She would remember Scanlan at her bedside and the warm press of lips against her forehead as her first clear memories of "coming back to life".

In the aftermath, she would take leave from school and drop contact with everyone for a time. Eventually, she would quietly return to Westruun and finish her final credits at the university there.

Quietly, the others would bleed back into her life too.

Instead of focusing on her a few years into her time as Head Cleric, the timeline of TSAR would then be about her in the first few months of that promotion instead.

Scanlan coming to town and the gang being all together again during this very momentous time in Pike's life is what brings up all the old feelings connected to The Accident.

Other domino pieces from this AU would include Scanlan's drug spiral, which was already about trauma from his mother's death and how he never fully coped with that, also having traces of trauma from Pike's accident mixed into it. Adding another layer to the situationship that him and Pike had going on during that time and the letter that Pike would write to him. Also, in TSAR 'verse, Scanlan's reasoning for coming to Westruun is an inherently selfish one. I think in this divergence his reasons for coming would be a bit more mindful and specifically for the need to support Pike.

and my mind is zipping all around and I could go on about all the little changes, but I have been writing along for, like, two hours now and my room has gotten dark around me 😂

Thanks again for your kind words, and I hope that this lil divergent AU satisfies those Pike resurrection angst needs! ☀️💜💛

[tiredassmage]

Actually I'm going to forget to do this tomorrow when I teased it and I might just generally forget if I don't post about it sooner rather than later, so my happy birthday to myself this year 1 day early, I promise I won't tease Tyr about his joints this year (if I find the post, I WILL schedule it for tomorrow as a happy 1 year anniversary to the post bit, it'll be funny) post is Lana and Tyr's slowly healing friendship lore post!

So, I've talked about Lana and Tyr's relationship before and expressed that they're not... always on the same step at the same time, but for all that they don't always get along or see things the same way, they do consistently show up for one another. And that still counts for something. And... also, after this long, I figure they... both deserve mending a couple gaps in their relationship.

Lana's form of care and guidance for Tyr's personal needs isn't always the type that he receives the clearest or with the least resistance. They can bicker over necessity in these ways, but in the way that's generally still well-meaning. But it must count for something because working with the Alliance does give Tyr a place where some of his older hobbies start to resurface - among which is dancing, as several times mentioned, but I also think it'd be nice for him to mend a bit of that old relationship with piano lessons he hasn't much touched on since his Academy days.

And Lana is inclined to poetry! So, all of that is just... a setup I'm going to take the excuse to expand their friendly bickering into hobbies instead of just their work, lol. Lana catching Tyr actually spending time on some of these hobbies and not constantly with his nose buried in Alliance operations and intelligence work and... engaging him in it is... the kind of way to say I see you, actually -you- that... almost says a little more than it would for Lana to say so plainly to his face in words.

And soon enough, he's got Lana on the bench beside him and they are bickering about rhythm and line breaks in poetry and Tyr is waving a hand at her arguing to "Just... hear me out." and playing to experiment with her. And it's... it's all really good for them.

Because they've coasted through a lot of their relationship on precedents they've never really discussed - Lana with a determination that keeps pressing her forward and Tyr used to veiling everything in double meanings and masks. But... she does, genuinely, care for the man somewhere wrapped up in the operative she's known and worked with. No, they're not always the best at communicating that, but... this is the kind of activity that says such in the quiet ways Tyr almost knows best. And it means a lot to him for Lana to meet him in that kind of space and I have a lot of feelings about it that I'm not entirely sure I'm properly articulating.

But anyway this all brought to you by the fact that a couple nights ago it was like midnight and I was trying to remember the word for "metronome" and ended up blissfully listening to the google one while... admittedly kinda pointlessly scrolling pictures of metronomes for... ??? Don't ask, I don't know why.

So! Naturally I used the excuse of it being a time of year associated with bonding & gifts to make my blorbos actually do something about their friendship levels. xD

[bloodydesires-if]

👏👏👏

Wow just wow, immediately after I read your intro I was rushing to check out the demo 😆 I'm already looking forward to its release, just wanted to ask a few things and find out a bit about the lore,

1. Are we affected by the sun? ( nothing at all, burst into flames, drastically weakened, or do we sparkle)

2. Does our age determine how strong we are as a vampire? (Like older is stronger or is it a purity of blood thing)

3. One of the characters is a professor of witchcraft at a University of witchcraft I think (hope I didn't read that wrong), so is the world aware of the existence of supernaturals?

Thats all I can think of for now but if there's anything else I'll be sure to ask 😁👍

Sorry for the no demo yet. It is being worked on and once I've completed chapter 2 of NIL, I will start posting consistent updates for the demo progress for this game! I know exactly how it feels to see the DEMO TBA lol.

1. Are we affected by the sun? ( nothing at all, burst into flames, drastically weakened, or do we sparkle)

Yes, vampires are affected by the sun. But it's nothing too drastic. They are weaker in the sun. This is because sun exposure increases appetite drastically and they need to feed more. So, the sun = is hungrier and weaker. It's not like, a useless level of weak though. But, for example, it would increase time to heal if injured. Hope that makes sense! lol

2. Does our age determine how strong we are as a vampire? (Like older is stronger or is it a purity of blood thing)

Well, the way I have things planned is that vampire strength in general is the same but there are things that can alter one's level. For example, going out in the sun, not drinking enough blood, and getting injured. Those things drop your strength.

All of that said, each backstory has a different perk so I'm more focused on how those will affect the playthrough instead of strength.

3. One of the characters is a professor of witchcraft at a University of witchcraft I think (hope I didn't read that wrong), so is the world aware of the existence of supernaturals?

You are correct - River is the professor. So, it's a bit complicated!

The world at large is not aware of supernaturals - the universities are obscured by magic and hidden from the outside world. Now, there are some humans who are aware of supernaturals for various reasons:

some governments - mostly the Heads of State. The Vampiric Round Table (VRT) has treaties. At times, they can even be allies to each other, used in war or other schemes... Other supernaturals have groups as well. However, the VRT advocates for more than just vampires. Overall, they try to keep peace among supernaturals. Especially since they all have at least one common enemy: hunters.

Heaven's Hunters - the Hunters are a worldwide organization that has been around for 700 or so years. They are humans and their knowledge is passed down through families. In modern times, they also recruit. Usually, they focus recruitment on humans who have suffered at the hands of supernaturals.

Finally, there are other people who know about supernaturals for various reasons. Maybe they were like one of our ROs, Charlotte, and were targeted but survived. Or maybe their family member or friend is/was supernatural and they're aware, like one of the other ROs, Bennett.

Overall, the supernatural element of society is unknown to most.

Sorry for the long answer lol

[revlischarm]

Hey Revlis!

For your LMK Morro design, is he getting more comfortable not wearing make-up with his cursed soul marks as time goes by?

Also, was/is he afraid of water with the whole Ninjago lore with ghosts poofing when in contact with it?

Ahaha see the reason for his cursed marking stuff is actually that I hate drawing them because they’re impossible to draw consistently in the LMK style, but I keep writing myself into a corner with situations where he has to go around without any concealer on to cover them up unfortunately.

So Morro is always going to hate having those markings, they’re very much not comfortable with practically displaying to the world “Hey, I was a spirit of the damned, look at me”. Thus, after the whole season 3 stuff that happens, they take to carrying around concealer with them everywhere as well as holding onto some spares.

Morro. Doesn’t like showing his markings. And I hate drawing them because they’re so hard to illustrate in a consistent manner.

Although!! At the start of season 4 (don’t worry, no spoilers for anything in canon), we can see that—well I might actually keep this bit to myself for now, only because it makes me kick my feet gleefully at the thought. Let’s just say the marks go through some development for reasons that are connected to my frustrations with drawing the markings and also a former scrapped idea I had for season 4 I wanted to work in. So. Hehehe. Look forward to the season 4 design I’m working on!!

EDIT:

I forgot to answer the second part of the ask shit

Yup! Morro is definitely afraid of large bodies of water. He’s able to like, come into contact with it in a controlled environment without freaking out, but in terms of the ocean specifically he stays away from it. And unexpected contact with water (like if you dumped a bucket of water on him) would get him mildly freaked out, angry, and very tense.

Near-drowning situations (I’m looking at you, scene-where-everyone-almost-drowned-in-season-3-when-the-airship-crashed-into-the-ocean) would cause him to have a panic attack. Morro also hates caves and enclosed spaces! Especially humid enclosed spaces, like uncomfortably hot. In terms of a normal enclosed space, he’s fine-ish, depending on how tight it is. When there’s other people there, he isn’t affected at all. But super warm, close-quarters areas get him freaked out no matter how many people are there. It reminds them too much of the cave they died in and they hate that.

Lol sorry went and dived into Morro’s trauma there, didn’t mean to get so deep! Anyways, hope this helps!

[oceanera12]

Dude, if I wasn’t broke I would literally offer to pay real money for you to write the other side of Tango’s chapter. I know you said you didn’t want to go down the rabbit hole of writing extra parts and considering the length and detail you put into every chapter I totally get it, but man, that rescue mission would be so cool to read. I’m glad we at least have an idea of what happened though because even just imagining the whole operation based on that outline is so much fun.

Also, what is Zedaph doing in the Hunter arc in your handwritten outline? 👀 I am very curious about what you’re gonna do with the sheep man

Btw, speaking of ‘director’s cuts’, do you have any comments on Xb’s chapter? I think I’ve said this before but his and Tango’s together are my favorite bit of this fic so far. Just, the complete contrast between the two and how Xb’s chapter helps to highlight everything that the people in Tango’s situation have lost, how the hunters steal more than just their freedom (as if that was little thing), while at the same time diving into and exploring the joys of the diversity that inhabits this universe. Absolute masterpieces, both chapters.

~ @nightmare761

(Im shadowbanned so i cant go off anon)

Well, that stinks.

If I do any "one-off" chapters with Built Family it will be after the main story is actually done to preserve no only my motivation, but my sanity. So we shall just have to see what happens.

Don't worry about the sheep man. He's fine. No really. Don't worry about him. Don't even think about him. He's fine. He's doing fine. Nothing is wrong with him and you do not need to worry about him doing anything of any sort. He is 100% fine and his chapter is not at all one I am looking forward to writing because I want to see what all of your reactions are. That is not the case at all. Don't worry about him. Don't think, don't even ask about him. Zed's fine, he's fine, he's fINE--

ON TO THE CHAPTER ANALYSIS. To anyone who wants to reread it:

There you go. Everyone else, either scroll by or read on!

xB's chapter is one of my favorites because of all the (MatPat voice) LORE!!!

There is so much of it that if I tried to explain it all we would be here all day so we aren't going to do that. But, I knew that I wanted to show how just because they are all "players" there is culture carried from your origin, your server, whatever. The best way to explore is to try and hit as many as I possibly could.

xB's introductions was longer than I planned, but that was my own fault. I wanted to shove as much Guardian culture into only a few pages and it was impossible. So what was supposed to be "here is a peek into Guardian culture" turned into what could have been a chapter on it's own (a common pattern with this fic and I will not apologize for that).

What xB's original chapter was supposed to mainly consist of was all of his trips and what he learned from everyone. That ended up being condensed into a form of "chat" in his journal entries and honestly? I like it. It leaves room for me to explore future cultures (cough cough *Impusle!* cough cough). We do not get to see all of xB's trips, friends, and visits to various places.

I knew that I wanted to connect Cor to xB somehow. Making him the last "World Walker" since xB was unplanned, but really worked out. Originally, I did want to have Cor and xB talk directly, but I had to cut it because of LENGTH. Seriously, it is annoying how much I want to put in and CAN'T. (Maybe in the future after Built Family is done we'll do scene requests and I'll put them in a collection or something)

Case in point: xB's artist career. As an art major I cannot tell you how much I wanted to dive into all the different mediums, styles, and methods I could see xB doing-- but we'll just have to wait until Beef's chapter, lol.

We get to meet Keralis' wife and kids, however brief. I don't know why, but I really like them as these vague, unseen people for the most part. Not sure why.

xB is suspicious of Keralis and company despite their years of friendship. Beef is suspicious of xB despite their years of friendship. Both of them are not technically "bad" in their assumptions, as they both had their reasons to doubt. Obviously, those assumptions were not correct.

I totally forgot to give Keralis a charm in this chapter but I'm too lazy to care about going back to fix it. Now for everyone else's charms, they are 100% related to backstories or hinting at something in the future. As such, I can't really break them down and their meanings until later. But if y'all want to speculate, be my guest.

xB joining the Hermits because of his culture's leftover charms was kind of thrown together, but I like it. xB is one of the few Hermits where he's guided by his feelings and I kind of love him for it. We have a lot of Hermits who are logical in their actions.

I think that's all I got on xB's chapter but if you have any specific questions, feel free to ask and I'll answer in the notes.

[micalpixel]

Pixel Art Walking Animations

I'm about to dive in to pixel art walking animations, for sprites that are larger than I've worked on before. So I did some research to see how they've been done in the past (front-facing, for now, from top-down perspective games only, and only characters taller than 16px).

Here's some interesting findings from the ones I put together and re-animated:

Walking animation loops have ranged from 2 frames, all the way up to 8, and 10. The latter 3 were all by Nintendo. Impressive quality stuff. (Sorry Ness, with only 2 frames, lol. At least Ness has 8-directional movement to make up for it).

Nearly all 4-frame animations consisted of 3 frames, with the middle one being repeated twice. (left-foot - stand - right-foot, stand, ...). However, one (the top-right), had 4 unique frames of animation. It's from Alcahest.

Head-bobbing is a near-universal way to convey walking. And it was expressed in many ways. Some didn't bob at all (Terra). Some bobbed sideways (Ness). Some bobbed UP (like a hop) as they put their feet forward, while some bobbed DOWN (more like real life) when they did so. Some bobbed by compressing their torso while keeping the feet level (Lucas), while others physically extended their feet lower than they were during the standing-frame.

Turn-based games, and games where movement is confined to four directions, tend to have fewer frames of animation for movement.

There's also a lot of variation in how leg and arm rotation (or lack thereof) is handled.

So many different styles...

Games Shown:

10: Zelda: Minish Cap

8: Zelda: ALTTP, Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga

6: Terranigma, Secret of Mana, Mega Man Battle Network 6, Chrono Trigger, Golden Sun, Secret of Evermore

4x3[1]: Final Fantasy 6, Breath of Fire 2, Pokemon Emerald (x2), Mother 3, Harvest Moon, Undertale

4x3[2]: Pokemon Diamond (x2), Ys IV, Lufia: Ruins of Lore, Bahamut Lagoon (x2), CrossCode

4x4: Alcahest

2: Earthbound, Dragon Warrio 3, Crystalis

(Next time I play Minish Cap I'm going to appreciate those animations more.)

[zara-renata]

IM GONNA SCREAMMMMMM creatures feature was so cute and fun. i love how sylus was in the “slutty” costume and the reader was in the intricate knight costume :) it’s such a good peek into their relationship dynamic once they’re more established as a couple. and it’s so cute how it’s sylus who planned all of it and had them made, it really shows how u characterize him to be so giving and thoughtful as a partner. and the tail!!! wrapping around reader’s leg and patting her butt lol all the details were so cute i love how easy of a time they have with each other here especially bc it’s so interesting to contrast it to where they are in the series rn. and speaking of the latest update to the series was so good. i really love the way u write luke and kieran and noah, u make them feel so fleshed out and it’s so fun to be more immersed into their world. i’m so looking forward to the reader getting more used to sylus’s constant presence and his house and in general just getting her more involved in his life and vice versa. and omg pls don’t whack me if im forgetting something but is that evol dream kiss their first kiss??? that’s so cute, imagining them on a beach in some sort of romantic getaway is probably what sylus dreams about every night already haha. and the tension between them in bed in the morning is so delicious and it’s such a good push and pull. i’m so happy that i get to read the series and u update so consistently. no pressure im not expecting u to keep the same schedule forever but i love these dorks so much and rereading chapters in between uploads is so good and cathartic bc u really do make each piece worth it. they’re like small puzzle pieces of a much bigger picture and i like how with each one we learn more about the reader and sylus and see them understand each other a bit more (not always but it’s not an easy road and i like that) happy halloween and thank u so much :) every time i scroll your blog i get so happy if i see u reblogged ur masterlist bc that most often means you’ve just updated and it’s such a perfect treat

Hi there! Thank you so much for this fun message! I’m really glad you enjoyed the Halloween story—it’s one of my favorite holidays, and so I couldn’t let it pass without writing down some ideas about what I think Sylus and MC would be doing on Halloween. It was really fun to think about what they would want to dress up as and using that as an excuse to play with the theories about Sylus’s lore since we know next to nothing about his lore still.

And writing his tail was SO FUN, I love the idea of it giving away his feelings while he’s trying to maintain his laid-back, impenetrable facade.

And of course Sylus would go in the slutty costume, it's so canon that he wanders around with his cleavage showing all the time and takes his shirt off at every opportunity when MC is around😝!! And I like the idea of him wanting to honor MC’s interest in weapons and combat by designing a really badass suit of armor which MC thinks is just carbon fiber but is designed to withstand bullets because Sylus is Sylus, and though he’ll always trust that MC can protect themself, he doesn’t trust other people to not realize that it’s stupid to fuck with MC lmao.

And thank you so much about your kind thoughts regarding Luke, Kieran, and Noah!! I want to know so much more about Luke and Kieran, but in the meantime, I really like building the found-family vibe with them and Sylus and throwing Noah in because 1. Can’t ever have enough fun female characters and 2. Adds more complexity to plot opportunities. I’m so glad they feel fleshed out and you like how I’m handling them, I’m so excited to write more with them involved.

And yes!! The next few parts are really going to be about MC getting to know Sylus on his territory and the two of them getting to know each other better without the constraints of MC having to work all the time. I’m hoping for a lot of domestic fluff and fun times with all of Sylus’s toys until we get to the birthday banquet and some more action-y bits.

And you’re right, in the latest part it was their first kiss!!! I’m glad you’re not mad that it was in a dream, I was worried readers would feel let down but with so many things with Sylus, only MC doesn’t know that it was real lmao it will be SO FUN FOR SYLUS WHEN THEY FIND OUT. And I’m glad you liked the dream setting: I think MC’s dreams will reflect how calm and safe they feel when Sylus is there for the most part, even though the nightmares won’t entirely be resolved just because he is there. 

Thank you again for your kind words and this wonderful ask, I’m so glad you’re enjoying the story and want to stay on the roller coaster ride with me as Sylus and MC’s relationship deepens. This part of the year tends to get busier with holidays and work for me, but I’m having so much fun writing that I hope to be able to squeeze in the same consistent amount of writing and posting. Thank you again for reading!

[ac-liveblogs]

so how's the honkai gig going? I recently downloaded it myself haha, my reaction to us having a consistent party and being able to chat up playable characters was the "what the fuck, is this allowed?" meme lol

It's been an interesting experience. I quite like the Astral Express team, and it was... really strange to be playing a HYV game where yu have a party and they have dynamics outside of you, yeah. I actually like the Trailblazer as a character too. Unlike the absolute soup that is the boneheaded mystery box around the Traveller and their sibling, what's going on with them is straightforward and tied to a rival group that shows up semi-often. Not a high bar, but it's nice to have it.

HSR gets a lot of things right that Genshin just plain doesn't. A lot of those are basic things like proper narrative structure, (basic) character arcs, the lore they bring up generally being relevant to not just the story you're in but the playable characters, the playable characters interacting with the world and people in it... none of that is especially ground-breaking, but it is for HYV, so I liked it.

HSR's use of their 'Aeons' is a lot more interesting and abstract than the Archons, and due to the Aeons not being real characters HSR can dive into the way Aeons impact the lives of playable characters in more depth. I like that.

I like stuff like Duke Inferno being immediately relevant in the next patch (low bar). I like stuff like the followers of the Nihility worshipping chaos but having different ways of doing it. I like the story going out of their way to have Belobog and the Xianzhou Luofu's relationship with their Aeon's path twisted and that forming the crisis in that world.

I wasn't super impressed with the Herta Space Station's story at first, but I really like revisiting it because Asta, Herta and Arlan have such strong presences there and I like meeting the rest of the Genius Society whenever they show up. Belobog has some minor narrative missteps and is a simple story done okay, and the time they spend developing the side characters and the parts they play in the Overworld and Underworld is really nice.

I even liked Topaz' quest, even if I think Topaz herself was.... hmmm. I get what they were going for with her, but it really does rub you the wrong way. It was nice being back in Belobog, anyway. Seeing them trying to rebuild and figure out a path forward is nice.

A lot of the story or major side quests are far more involved than in Genshin as well, incorporating multiple major characters as well as the TB in a decent way. The minigames are a lot better, I like that events stick around, farming is easier and in some ways there's both more and less to do. I think HSR is the better game overall - it does less and does it better.

Unfortunately

I like Dan Heng, but Xianzhou Luofu was a clusterfuck. A lot of the writing reminded me of some of Genshin's - everything was still more competently done, but the morals, emotional beats and handling of Dan Heng's personal storyline were completely out of whack. They were almost always focusing on the wrong thing, but HSR has never actually forced me to contort my brain around what they're trying to say or had any massively glaring plotholes. It's just mishandled and really disappointingly so, because Dan Heng's storyline has a lot of beats that could've been done well otherwise.

You're mostly just running around doing busywork while the game aggressively dodges engaging with Dan Heng's actual storyline in an interesting way until it comes time to play the cool cutscenes and pay off the cool stuff at the end. Sounds familiar...

In particular, I'm really disappointed that Blade is so boring as a side effect. He's part of the Stellaron Hunters and gets none of what Kafka or Silver Wolf got despite being the most directly connected to a member of the Astral Express's storyline atm. The High Cloud Quintet is interesting in concept but not in practice. Jing Yuan actively annoys me now, and I think they played their hand with Dan Heng's backstory far too soon. They can't really capitalise on it now, which isn't a great sign for March's storyline.

I also find the Luofu less cohesive and less fun to be in than the Space Station or Belobog. I guess there's less of a sense of 'having been through some shit' with these characters, bc I was mostly stapled to NPCs, which is a bit disappointing.

I'm hoping the next world will be more like the Space Station and Belobog and less like the Luofu, because if the Luofu becomes the norm I probably won't stick around. The next world is it's final exam, i guess.

Also, HSR has genuinely made me laugh, unlike Genshin. Whoever Luocha was in HI3, my condolences.

Also, Pom-Pom is cute and charming and way better than Paimon, why are we saddled with her when we could have someone like Pom-Pom?!