#so this is the last shot from hzd

[maras-virtual-lens]

mmm, pretty colours~

(last HZD shot)

[mathmusicninja]

TMNT Fic and Comic Recs

An ongoing list. Feel free to drop more in the notes!

(tw: strong language for the majority of these. Mind the tags and be safe!)

AO3 Authors:

T33la, (mostly ’03 with a heavy IDW influence), anything they write is great—a little spooky at times, but always with lots of comfort in the end. Personal favorite at the moment: “The Gauntlet” (but all of their stuff is seriously so good)

Flynne, (mostly ’03), I’m still reading all of their stuff (lots of one-shots with a few longer fics), but liking what I see so far, lots of really good hurt/comfort. Personal favorite fic at the moment: “Collector”

Halogalopaghost (halogalopaghost), (’03), mostly one-shots to fill in between the lines of canon. Personal favorite fic at the moment: “Doctor On Call”

AO3 Fics:

"Pretend that I Never Left" by redstringraven (sirimiri), ('03 x HZD), tw violence, during the Ultimate Drako fiasco, Mikey is taken to a different reality where animal-like machines roam the land and people live in tribes. Technically a crossover with Horizon Zero Dawn but no prior knowledge of the game is necessary! Mikey-centric long fic

"How to accidentally kidnap yourself several times over" by Camildeni, (Rise x '03 x '12 x Bayverse), instead of getting himself out of a sticky situation, Rise!Mikey accidentally brings more of himself into it. Very fun and creative

"Looking for a Furr-Ever Home" by The67ImpalaDragonChild, ('03), each of the boys gains a new companion through various means. Adorable, also has hurt/comfort and holiday feels

"Little Kid with a Big Death Wish" by remrose, (Rise), tw dissociation and suicide attempt, Leo-centric recovery fic after the movie, very well written and focuses on non-linear (but upward!) healing. Can be intense at some parts. Excellent hurt/comfort

“I May Be Invisible, But I Still Look Good” by Dandy (@dandylovesturtles), (Rise), Leo gets mystically separated from his body and his brothers go through a lot to get him back. Dandy also has other Rise one-shots that I enjoyed (especially “Tapping Out”)

"Underdark" by Nekotsuki, '03, Mikey-centric, a bit of a whump fic but with a happy ending, very well written and one I go back to a lot

“A Tale of Spirits” by unorthodoxx (@\unorthodoxx-page), (Rise x atla), I don’t usually do cross-fandom fics like this, but this one works for me. The Rise boys end up in the atla universe because of mystic stuff and no one believes them when they say they aren’t magic spirits.

“Ghost in the Shell” (’03 x Rise), “Fusions” (’12), “The Great Skittle Heist of 2105” (’03 au), and the “Please Just Let Them Hug” series (’03 canon compliant one-shots) by AmevelloBlue (@\amevello-blue). Good hurt/comfort

“Carapace” by SkeletalConstellation (@\kettle-bird), a Rise fic based on some events in the IDW comics

“Picking up the Pieces” by Andromedabrown, GalacticDreamer, ParvumAutomaton, (Rise) pretty long but has very intricate plot. Leo accidentally ends up mystically connected to his shattered sword and his brothers go on a wild adventure to get him back

“The Last Ronin Becomes a Discord Admin” by MelonPalooza (@\melonpalooza), (’03 x ’12 x Rise), a classic in the fandom. Has some great humor and drama. Also has a one-off crossover with “Ghost in the Shell” that was a wild ride.

“Sanctuary” by RealityBreakGirl, (’03), just a nice and fluffy one-shot, Donnie and Raph centric

“A truly French experience” by Get_dunked_off, (Rise), one-shot of Leo defending Hueso’s honor from rude customers

"Ice Cream Makes Everything Better" by mathmusic8 (yours truly :D), ('03), a series of canon compliant one shots to fill in some comfort gaps for the '03 show

"Wow, What a Coincidence" by mathmusic8 (me again ^.^), ('03 x '12 x Rise), a separated AU where the '03 boys get lost and each raise one of the Rise kids and then the kids all end up in the same summer camp. The '12 boys are camp councilors. Rise-centric. Crack fic treated seriously

Tumblr Comics:

“Cass Apocalyptic Series” by @\somerandomdudelmao, (Rise), fandom classic, bad future timeline comic, this series (the “Can you carry your uncles” episode in particular) got me interested in tmnt in the first place, canon compliant

“Aftermath” (also on AO3) by @\happyfoxx-art, (Rise), aftermath of the Rise movie, very good hurt comfort (no language!)

“Replica” by @\kathaynesart, (Rise), fandom classic, bad future timeline comic, canon compliant

“2 Arms Left” by @\intotheelliwoods, (Rise), the softest peepaw au in existence (until it isn't--mind the tags for later comics)

Tblsomedoodles (@\tblsomedoodles) does a combo of comics and fics, mostly Rise but also ’03. Has some adorable Rise x ’03 AUs

"Swantello" by @\tangledinink, (Rise), a rottmnt x swan lake crossover we didn't know we wanted

"Krang Infection" by @\abbeyofcyn, (Rise), set a year after the movie. Donnie gets a krang parasite that makes him go feral turtle for a while

"Unmutated Donnie" by @\onejellyfishplease, (Rise), Donnie ends up as an unmutated softshell turtle but keeps his brain. Very cute, fun, and Donnie's snoot is the best thing on the planet XD

"Kid Leo Au" by @\angelpuns, (Rise), when Leo came out of the prison dimension he accidentally turns himself into a kid, very cute and has good hurt/comfort feels

@\heckitall has a bunch of mini comics (mostly Rise, some '03): Masterpost. Also check out "What will it be" by clandestineclairvoyant for a fanfic of heckitall's "Same as it Never Will Be" comic!

[felrend]

My top video games of 2022

For what little I seem to have played this year, here is my top video games of 2022

1. Horizon Forbidden West

2. God of War Ragnarok

3. Stray

4. Cult of the Lamb

5. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

Disney Dreamlight Valley, for as cute as it is, I found to be very grindy and not super happy that the other worlds will be rolled out slowly throughout the next year. But with that said, I'm happy I don't have to pay for anything to be unlocked.

The Last of Us Part 1 will probably knock out LEGO Star Wars but not sure where it'll be placed once I'm finished.

Honestly, the biggest reason HFW takes the top spot for me is because I felt the emotional impact of Aloy and the dawning realization that she needs people. She can't do this on her own like she thought she did, if you've been around since launch, you saw my reactions to every moment. You saw me dig through the base to find all the hidden gems. And the memory it's taken up on my phone with all my screen shots lmfao (there's so many...). Graphically it's an absolute achievement what Geurrilla did from HZD, they improved on every mechanic. Of course there was story mishaps and odd choices made, but I can honestly say the same for God of War. Which I know I haven't gotten in to yet because I'd like to complete the whole map and I'm actually discovering new side quests as I go along. So that'll come later.

I'm also not going to crap on games that I haven't played or pretend that this isn't a hot take. Because I'm sure it will be to some people.

But yeah, this is my list lol

[foibles-fables]

Dude now I gotta know the apex machine and beloved sunhawk theories. Perhaps you can give us all some more brain rot? please?? I will beg u 🥺

WOO okay, did some self-soothing via corkboard-stringing and wild gesticulating this morning.

So, there are threats looming in the Forbidden West. Through most of the marketing so far, we've been made incredibly aware of two in particular: the Blight and the superstorms, both indications of the critical stage of the collapse of the terraforming system that began ~20 years prior. Both of these have been in pretty much all of the trailers and other media released so far.

However, it seems that there's an additional threat that hasn't been driven home as much (if at all) in promo material, aside from the list of pre-order goodies: "Apex" machines. You get an Apex Clawstrider Strike piece god I can't WAIT for Strike as a part of a bunch of the pre-order packages.

The qualifier alone says a lot about their potential nature. And where else have we seen tougher versions of known machines like these before? The Sunhawk comic.

This could be is the connection that brings Talanah in particular fully into the HFW plot. According to Annie Kitain, via GameInformer, "You don't need to read the comics because one of our goals is that you are brought up to speed. But if you have, you kind of have that extra knowledge of like, 'Oh, okay, I know what they're talking about and I experienced that part of her journey in the comics, and now see how that plays out in the Forbidden West.'"

Consider: Talanah's already in the West prior to the start of the game, having led an expedition of hunters to help out after hearing that things are ROUGH machine-wise. We can already assume that the "Forbidden" moniker of the West is ceremonial at best, due to Iriv's failed expedition--Carja have been there since (Red Raids) and are there now (Barren Light outpost). Also explains why Talanah isn't with us at start-game, which is where I suspect much of the story trailer is taken from--maybe it's mentioned that Aloy went calling for her in Meridian, but she'd already embarked on her own. (...an emotional concept that leads me to some even more unhinged theorizing, which I might touch upon AT ANOTHER TIME)

It's a relatively easy story to summarize from the end of the comic, as Ben and Annie state is the their goal for character catch-up. A (much more eloquent than I can currently churn out) conversation re: "Aloy! Hey! Been a minute, miss me? Please tell me if you're getting enough sleep? Staying hydrated? Oh, yeah, I left Meridian when a friend wrote to me from the west and told me how bonkers the machine situation is here. Some of it sounded like the new breed we fought together, and you drove home how dangerous they were, so I felt compelled to do something about it."

It makes threefold sense. One, it certainly does continue Talanah's comics journey--changing the purpose of the Hunters Lodge from a trophy case to folks making a real difference, which is a step beyond her ultimate goal in HZD. We find her eventually, help her deal with Apex machines, and she rightfully joins the Crew. It also ties Talanah into a very valid part of the central story--we know from TFW that HEPHAESTUS is still up to his business. Finally, it introduces a cool new gameplay mechanic. Apex machines are a lot tougher to deal with, and maybe start to show up if the player is not a careful hunter. Need to strategize your parts-farming (which is another stated focus of the game) to avoid areas being overrun by these difficult machines. Can't just wreck shit indiscriminately anymore without facing consequences.

Last thing...that shot from the VERY beginning of the story trailer, with Aloy and that Not-Talanah (UNLESS THEY PULLED THE WOOL OVER OUR EYES AND SHE'S DISGUISED TO AVOID REGALLA--) Tenakth figure. The destroyed machines among the Blight in that shot do look black-plated. I think we'll be seeing them, for sure.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. We'll certainly be finding our girl and she'll be as important as Ben and Annie's hints are making her seem. SOON, FOLKS.

[robo-dino-puppy]

outside the alight

so there is a way to get outside the alight without dying! it involves jumping up the invisible wall that’s on the outside edge of the spire, then hitting the corners on the way down. (this is what i’m doing in the first pic) if you haven’t seen/found it yet, check out Arktix’s videos on the jump glitch/arena exploit (first one shows the only method of glitch-jumping available to the ps4, but it’s also imo the easiest on your hands and the one i use even on the ps5, second video goes more into depth about exploiting the arena). if ppl are interested, i can also try to put together video of me doing this spire climb.

you can land on the little bit of land outside the spire, then sort of slide down to the path that goes up to the alight, the one that you climb in hzd’s final battle. you can’t walk all the way up the path to the guards that keep you from leaving, tho - the game reloads you. likewise you can’t walk down - go too far on the wooden bridge and you get reloaded as well.

below is the red water texture i mentioned in the notes of my last meridian pic - i took several shots and stitched them together so you can kind of read what it says. this red placeholder texture also appears on the handholds you can use to climb some parts of the path - they’re just out of frame in the last shot of the photoset. (last two photos were taken while falling to my death lol)

[meggannn]

guerrilla does something interesting in HZD with aloy and her motivations and how they let her goals differ from the player's goals. most of the time when a main character's driving goals differ from the audience's, it means the writing has misfired and it feels jarring when you shine a spotlight on it. but it definitely works in HZD because guerilla knew what the player's immediate interests would be—they open their game with huge scenic shots of a pre-industrial community contrasted with these enormous robot dinosaurs! they want you to be sucked into the mystery of why things are the way they are—and they also knew going in that they had had to tie the player's interests to aloy's goals as a character (john gonzalez, the narrative director, talks about it a bit in this interview). and over time, the two start to bleed over as aloy starts to care about the old ones and we start to care more about her. i don't know if they'll continue this strategy in HFW, but they've set themselves up in a really unique situation with the contrast of aloy's focus on the present/future and the audience's interest (mostly) in the past.

i've been trying to find a way to articulate the ideas in this post for a while, and i am really tired so forgive me if this gets redundant or some sentences don't make sense lol. spoilers for HZD obv

in HZD, aloy, the motherless outcast, is largely concentrated on finding out the mystery of her origins. i mean hopefully we, the player, are also interested in that because it's a pretty unique set up (it's not possible for someone to not have a birth mother... right?), but i'm willing to bet that most of the audience was overwhelmingly more interested in figuring out what the hell happened to the old ones of this world (us) and why robots are wandering around everywhere, than we were about figuring out what happened to aloy's mom. (i'm aware that is a large assumption, but i think it's a pretty safe one considering the reactions i see when people finish the game usually mention APOLLO in some way, or ask if it's still around or there's a way to bring it back.)

for aloy, the status quo of robots-that-nobody-really-understands wandering around is just a constant of her life, and discovering her mother is her pressing issue. for us, this world's major differences between our world (why did we die off and why are robots now the dominant species on earth) are more fascinating. so guerrilla ties the micro and macro mysteries together so that we are also interested in aloy's journey about her origins: by making the story of her birth and the history of the world woven into the same narrative fabric

aloy even directly says "it (finding out info on the past) isn't why i'm here" and sylens replies sarcastically "of course, what's the whole of human history compared to the search of one girl?" it isn't until after aloy realizes she's a clone, that she doesn't have a traditional birth mother, when she faces the nora and decides to stop HADES because GAIA asked her to, in a sign of extreme maturity and character growth (imo), does her goal of helping GAIA by beating HADES now start to align with the player's goals of trying to "set the world right" (by helping GAIA by beating HADES).

it's interesting because if anything, sylens, the anti-hero and arguable deuteragonist, is the character whose goals most match up with the audience's own throughout HZD: he's the one who is seeking out the knowledge of the old ones, he's the one who mourns losing APOLLO the way we do. aloy doesn't really react to what became of APOLLO at all (when it's revealed what happened to it, her immediate response is sorrow over the alphas' deaths, the more human element compared to sylens's laser focus on info-hunting). sylens is... also a total asshole and might be an anti-villain in the upcoming games (i hope not; i hope he's more of a rogue agent than an actual villain, personally) so it will be interesting if the audience eventually starts feeling torn between aloy's goals (save the world today) and sylens's (recover what can be saved the world of the old ones)

for aloy, APOLLO's absence is not a loss because she's never known a world without the knowledge of the old ones. why does she care about expending energy to hunt for info on our music and art and politics and wars? how does shifting through datapoints about things she doesn't understand and tools/tech she doesn't have access to help the planet today? after discovering GAIA's origins and purpose, i'm sure she'd probably be interested in recovering APOLLO if there is anything left of it to recover—even she's only interested in it to honor samina/elisabet's memory and the effort of PZD—but a lot of the fandom (myself included) keeps hoping and speculating and wondering if APOLLO is still around because APOLLO is the audience, or rather, it's the last scraps of what's left of us. we have an interest in APOLLO but aloy never shows any interest in or sorrow over it besides to vaguely wonder what happened to it. her interests are in the here and now.

when the audience looks at her world, we see what we've lost, and we know APOLLO is a way to get some of it back. for aloy, she's definitely engaged and interested in the old ones' technology and wants to make sure PZD's work is continued and restored and rebuild GAIA, so if APOLLO turns out to be around i'm sure she'd be interested in it, but for now, she's got too many things going on to consider it a priority. and even if she did, it would have to come after she's taken care of the immediate threats of the other chaotic subfunctions; and she would have to justify the time and energy spent on APOLLO to the value it gives her world (a world that doesn't utilize focuses as much as PZD had hoped, and a world whose language has likely changed enough that they might not even understand what they were being told) because she'd have to do it for her world. her world is already here, the old ones' world is gone, and her world the one that needs saving, not the possibility of bringing the old ones' back

so guerrilla has set themselves up with something very interesting here imo where the protag and the audience have mostly aligned but largely separate primary interests and i'm very curious to see how these interests will keep aligning, or not, in the future. personally i think they'll make the main focus of the series discovering and befriending the subfunctions and restoring GAIA, while also wrestling with modern-day politics in an effort to start preparing contemporary groups of people for a more holistic understanding of nature and machines, with the hopes of preparing them for GAIA's return and a future where they 1. take care of the planet and 2. stop attacking machines for parts lol. and i think they'll drag out the mystery of APOLLO possibly still being around until the end (assuming there will be 3 or more games).

personally, when i look at what we've been given so far (everything could change when HFW comes out), i could go either way on if APOLLO is still actually around or not. it would be an interesting (if expected) twist, but i wouldn't want it as wish fulfillment; i wouldn't want it to be used as a cheat that suddenly means ted faro's harm can be negated, or brought back as a HEA in a way that implies knowledge will suddenly be used and spread equally or even easily. also we should consider APOLLO is now an AI of its own! it will have opinions and things and the will to act on them!

discounting the overwhelmingly difficult logistics of introducing APOLLO to a new world that has evolved without its involvement from its inception, if APOLLO comes back in the way the we, the audience, want it to, then spreading several millennia's worth of knowledge to several diverse, warring peoples is full of difficult challenges that you are now suddenly introducing; aloy + GAIA + co. would now be in charge of not only taking care of humans on this spinning ball called earth, but also educating them equally and fairly. it's a huge task to introduce on aloy's already very busy schedule! so frankly i wouldn't be surprised if they wrote APOLLO off and went with an "it sucks but we have to make the most of the world the old ones left us" angle—or, alternatively, have aloy (or sylens!) dedicate the rest of her life traveling and hunting down and/or spreading what remains of APOLLO'S knowledge?

idk! there's a lot to dissect here about what guerrilla is doing and where APOLLO fits in as both a possible ally/villain and a narrative tool to keep us interested (it is a carrot on the stick for the audience)! and i find it all very interesting!!

[mrscullensrutherford]

I just wanted to pop on here to say a big thank you to @pikapeppa @cdrkateshepard @natsora @rpgwrites @dafan7711 and everyone else who continues to tag me in fandom stuff. These last few months have been hell for me mentally and I've kinda checked out of most social things. So, I appreciate your love and support. Also to all of the people who still deal with my crazy on a regular basis @mythicaitt @kittleskittle @fogsblue @lanelacy and everyone over on the hzd-shipping discord.

And last, thank you to everyone who continues to read my fics in my absence. It still makes me happy to see all of the kudos, comments and bookmarks on my works. I am slowly trying to get back into writing but my first few attempts haven't been up to par from what you guys have come to expect from me but I've put the training wheels back on and you all may start seeing some one shots soon.

I'm so happy to be part of a community who is always there to support each other.

[edgepunk]

12, 14, 15 and 25 from the video game asks? 😊

12. Most embarrassing gaming moment?

Does accidentally nanoboosting Lúcio during my Overwatch days count? Also maybe missing every single shot in HZD, I was having a bad day and that was the last straw for me lol

14. Most memorable gaming moment?

The Suicide Mission in ME2

15. Video game character you wish you could meet in real life?

There's so many of them but uhhh,,, Sombra

25. Video game you wish you could burn from your memory?

The Witcher 3, but only because I'd love to experience it again.

video game asks

[galadrieljones]

Author Meme

tagged by @thevikingwoman​. thank you!! <3

Author Name: galadrieljones (gala)

Fandoms You Write For: Currently Red Dead Redemption 2, but I’ve written a LOT for Dragon Age: Inquisition, also Horizon: Zero Dawn and The Last of Us.

Where You Post: AO3 and tumblr

Most Popular One-Shot: I’m not totally sure. I don’t do a great job of keeping count. My little story “Unsigned” about an unnamed Lavellan who has Solas’s baby, and then gets a letter from him asking if he can see her, is definitely up there. In terms of overall popularity, Yours, Sadie Adler is a more popular one-shot across platforms (tumblr and AO3 combined).

Most Popular Multi-Chapter Story: Still The Dead Season (DA:I, Solavellan), just in terms of sheer numbers. But TDS is quite old by now. In terms of popularity to progress, The Lily Farm (RDR2, Arthur x Mary Beth) has surpassed TDS by quite a bit. Which is surprising to me, because it’s a rare pair. I’m so thankful?

Favorite Story You Wrote: Usually my favorite thing I’ve ever written is the thing I’m writing now, which would be The Lily Farm. But like viking, I love all my stories. Though sometimes I do still think about the little one-shot where Solas and Sene meet for the first time (“Nobody”) and the one-shot where they kiss for the first time (“The Party”). Those are big moments that never made it into TDS, because they’re backstory, and I really love how I wrote them. I miss my tol elves. But they’re safe, and that’s what counts.

Story You Were Nervous to Post:  I usually still get nervous when posting any and all smutty chapters/fics. Idk. I have the least amount of experience writing erotica, so I feel like I’m still learning and gaining confidence.

How Do You Choose Your Titles: Obsessively. Lol. I love titles. For me, titles play a roll in the message of the fic or chapter. Sometimes, they come very fast. Sometimes, they take some real thought. Usually, I title my chapters or fics after a recurring theme or image. So like, my latest chapter of The Lily Farm is called “The Wayward Minister.” This harkens to something Hamish says in an earlier chapter when he’s giving Arthur advice about his wedding. It also most obviously gestures to Reverend Swanson, who is a main character in the chapter and a very important thematic character in the game. But it also subtly points to Dutch, a “different kind of minister,” and how Dutch is notably ABSENT at the time of Arthur’s wedding (ie: wayward). So like, there are TWO wayward ministers in the chapter, and a hint toward a line from a previous chapter. Sorry there is usually a lot going on with my titles lol

Do You Outline: No. I usually just hold the story in my brain, which means it changes shape over time, but that’s okay with me. I also tend to plan just by sketching out important scenes ahead of time. I will rarely write down summaries of what I’m writing. I definitely don’t chart or list. For me that is all very stifling.

Complete: ?? I have completed a couple of chapter WiPs: The Dead Season and Last Call. Outside of fandom I have completed one (1) very big fantasy novel that is currently in a drawer. I have a million completed little fics and short stories I have no intention of counting them lol.

In-Progress: The Lily Farm and also technically Zero (HZD, Aloy x Nil), which I still have deluded myself into thinking I’ll get back to some day. 

Coming Soon: More Lily Farm. Also a sequel to Yours, Sadie Adler that I’ve been cooking up for some time. But it’s hard for me to switch back and forth between my Happiness AU and then the sadness of what happens in canon. Honestly it’s like emotionally distressing :’)

Do You Accept Prompts: Yes, always. I like to work from an overflowing backlog. It gives me little things to do when I feel like writing in bits and pieces, and not worrying so much about editing.

Upcoming Story You Are Most Excited to Write: I am really excited to just keep going with Lily Farm? I have many things in store? I love my readers because they are emphatic. They’re always like, FUCKING DUTCH FUCK YOU DUTCH and they are great defenders of my sweet darling children Arthur and Mary Beth. I love surprising them and bringing them new updates. It makes me so happy. 

Tag Three Fanfic Authors to Answer These Questions As Well: @bearly-tolerable @a-shakespearean-in-paris @idrelle-miocovani <3

[silverettadesign]

Yesterday was such a great day! I went to @florencefun2019 to participate in the cosplay challenge and to get some photos with my Aloy but I didn’t expect how it ended! The place was so hot and sadly we didn’t have so much shadows around but there was a free water fountain that saved us! Anyway I was able to get some shots with @f1.8_cosplay that was so kind to work under the heat! Then there was the cosplay competition, organized by the amazing people of @youcosplayofficial that were so kind and professional! Especially their Freddie Mercury that entertained us and was so kind to run to half of the con just to give me a printed photo of my cosplay before I was leaving! Least but not last I also won a prize! Best female! And I can’t be more happy than this! Thanks to all the cosplay judges and in particular to @nausicaa_kusuriuri that was so kind and sweet with me! <3 I still do my know how I survived the con with that sun and with cosplay pieces made with hot glue that were detaching from the heat 😂 also half of the makeup went away but my wig stayed still probably thanks to a miracle! I hope to show you soon some of the photos taken there! Funny thing: @callmebooker won as best female the day before with her Aloy! We kept high the name of Horizon Zero Dawn and this can’t make me more happy! #aloyarmy forever! #aloy #aloycosplay #hzd #hzdcosplay #horizonzerodawn #nora #norasurvivor #sylenslance @guerrillagames (presso Novoli) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByiHR-nDd7v/?igshid=gq57bvimuc1u

[babykeithsmullet]

New Year's Wrap Up 2018

thanks @imaginationcubed for tagging me!

Fics that you wrote in 2018:

• find me in the drift

• rid the hallways of light

• leave me your stardust

• send your cutest delivery boy

• nova

• dear shadow, alive and well

• lead us into battle and i'll lead you in a dance

• when soul meets body

• i'll be your sky

• sun and shadow

• echoes in my soul

• by any other name

• 1000 lonely stars hiding in the cold

• it will come back

And my as-of-now unpublished piece for Orion, and my in-progress piece for In My Scope

Ship/Character Breakdown:

Klance (2), shance (1), sheith (1), shklance (3), ryance (2)

Characters with a main focus:

Keith wins (duh) but also I wrote a lot of Shiro this year, and a couple times in his POV! That was a fun change bc while I feel like I've gotten pretty solidly into writing characters like Lance and Keith, I'd never really thought about writing from Shiro's perspective and I really enjoyed it. I also really enjoyed getting into writing new characters like Krolia and Ryan.

Specifics:

Best/Worst Title?

Best: Dear Shadow, Alive and Well / by any other name

Worst: lead us into battle and I'll lead you in a dance. (I could have done so. much. better.)

Best/Worst first line?

Best: After what feels like an eternity running, Keith finds waiting to be a completely foreign idea. (from i'll be your sky).

This line is the foundation of this fic - that Keith, who has spent the last year caught up in the war against the galra and now can do nothing but wait to go forward. I hope it embodies the fic as well as I think it does.

Worst: Getting hit by a car is not how Keith wants to start his day, but sometimes that’s just how things go. (from Send Your Cutest Delivery Boy) I just..... don't understand why this fic took off lmao it's SO JANKEY

General Questions:

Looking back, did you write more fics than you thought you would this year, less than you thought, or about what you predicted?

I wrote WAY more than I thought I would!! I'm still reeling from the fact that people actually like my stuff and it's helped me keep up my creative drive.

What pairing/genre/fandom did you write that you would never have predicted last year?

The fact that I wrote Beyond Good And Evil fic is still kind of hilarious to me, mostly because that fandom is TINY. Pairing-wise I could never have predicted Ryance because Ryan didn't exist last year, but I never expected to love them as much as I do now. I'm also surprised that Shance became a huge favourite of mine! I liked pairing them off before I officially shipped them but they shot up to my top 5 ships pretty damn fast.

What’s your favorite story this year? Not the most popular, but the one that makes you the happiest.

Nova. It marked one exact year of me beginning the foray back into writing (which I had been blocked on for almost three years) and fanfic, which I had been out of longer. I poured a lot of my soul into that fic and dedicated a lot of time into making it into the story I envisioned. It's proof that I love what I do and that I can bounce back from hard times in my life, no matter how long it takes.

Okay, NOW your most popular story.

Lead Us Into Battle!! I was SO surprised that it shot up the popularity charts but I couldn't be happier. The fact that people have referred to it as "a fave", added it to fic rec lists, and even drew freaking fan art of it is unbelievable to me. The fact that my first Shance fic was so embraced by the fandom warms my heart.

Story most underappreciated by the universe?

My HZD Sheith au. It contains some of my favourite lines and moments, plus that good platonic Kallura. The fact that HZD seems to be kind of a rare fandom is probably to blame.

Story that could have been better?

Send Your Cutest Delivery Boy. I literally wrote it in an hour lmao

Sexiest story?

Nova wins by default, being the only story that contains even a reference to sexytimes lmao. Sometimes I remember that I wrote and posted the phrase

How was the sex? Hot. Heavy. Poetic. Like getting crushed in the folding mechanisms of a rogue sofa bed.

And I'm like 😳

Saddest story?

Nova and It Will Come Back are probably tied. One's realistic depression, the other is Pacific Rim backstory angst. You take your pick.

Most fun?

Both my crossover installments. Combining the universes of HZD and Voltron, or Pacrim and Voltron have both been really fun and I plan to continue with both series, adding more characters and fics as we roll into 2019!

Story with single sweetest moment?

I can't pick, so I have two:

Lance can’t help it; he laughs and brings his hand up to tangle in Keith’s hair. He knocks their foreheads together gently. “It’s not like you didn’t know,” he says softly. (from Nova)

The answer had come tumbling out of Keith before he’d even processed what he was going to say; “I’ll save you every time, and then some. As many times as it takes.” (from Sun and Shadow)

Hardest story to write?

All of them tbh. I still find it hard to put myself out there and I beat myself up for not finishing or abandoning WIPs a lot. Every published fic I have on my ao3 is victory achieved with time and effort (and probably some crying lmao). Unofficially it's my upcoming piece for Orion. Because it's a zine piece I really struggled to make it reach the high standards I had set, but one that I'm especially proud that I wrote.

Easiest/most fun story to write?

Once I got the ball rolling on my pacrim au the words came FAST. Especially in It Will Come Back - I wrote furiously at 3am to the tune of about 4000 words over one weekend. Considering I usually squeak out maybe 300, that's A LOT.

Did any stories shift your perceptions of the characters?

My Shiro POV pieces absolutely did. In writing him this year I really embraced his character and got to nail down some of my own interpretation of him, especially in Lead Us Into Battle. It helps that in that fic, he gets to be a leader but also has the tables turned on him. It pushed me to love his character even more, when last year he was kind of a rare bird on my blog.

Most overdue story?

Hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh you can't ask me, a known fic killer, this. I wanna finish i'll be your sky this year.

Did you take any writing risks this year? What did you learn from them?

I applied for zines!!! With standards and expectations and the possibility of rejection! And what I got out of the experience was an exercise in followthrough above all else. I had an outline that I stuck with and people to help me hash it out, and I'm incredibly grateful for the experience and the friends I made in the process. Shout out to the mods and contributers of Orion, you guys helped me grow 💖

What are your fic writing goals for next year?

• START AND FINISH A MULTICHAPTER. I have two main ideas kicking around that I want to see realized.

• Apply for more zines

• Finish my WIP series and leave no ends untied

• Either revive or gain the courage to delete Riven lmao. I just don't know how to continue right now, but maybe this year I'll find the solution.

I tag @mllecomtessedelafere @nutella0mutt and anyone else who wants to do it!

[sun-and-shadow-aloy]

Writer Appreciation Post #2

I have done this before (hence the #2) but there are some new fics out there that I wanted to give shout-out’s to. The HZD fandom just keeps growing and I am loving that we continue to see new content all the time. I LOVE doing these, as I LOVE supporting my fellow writers. (You can always hit me up if you want to talk). I am going to avoid the same fics I have named in the past, but if you are curious you can find those here.

Okay, Okay. So I couldn’t make this list without the wonderful @pikapeppa If you saw my last list then you know how much I love her long-fic (she does too, I assure you). However, she also has a wonderful collection of Niloy one-shots. The Collection is quite entertaining. If you are a Niloy fan, they are a must. (Imma bout to go read some myself ;) )

The Sun and Moon by @oops-gingermoment This is Game of Thrones meets HZD. Aloy has fulfilled her mission and finally has a chance to breathe, but it doesn’t last long. New threats from the south make her Meridian “homecoming” a little on the tense side. This fic has all of the Alvad fluffiness my heart can handle. I may have the inside scoop on coming events which adds to my anticipation level for this fic but DAMN IT IS GOOD. Even if you aren’t 100% sold on Alvad, give this one a try. She will reel you in slowly and then you will not regret it ;)

Gonna throw a rare-pair at ya! (I regret nothing) Winter’s Bargain by @ir-anuk is a VERY well written fluff piece for Aloy/Sylens. The writing alone is fabulous, but the story is even better and I began to feel the ship. The way it is written, you get into Sylens’ head and start to see how his view of Aloy has changed/transformed over the years. SO WORTH READING!

Ain’t at Home by callunavulgari (don’t know if they have a Tumblr) is a collection of smutty one-shots. My favorite is obviously the Alvad one, but they are all pretty great! 

That is all I have for now, but I am sure there will be more of these to come. 

[that-nora-girl-blog]

Blog News: And So It Begins!

Today marks the first day of reblogging all my screenshots from my old HZD blog onto here! I spent over an hour last night scheduling reblogs till my queue filled up 😢

Basically every day (until I run out of my shots to reblog) two of my screenshots from my old blog will reblog here at 3:15 pm EST and 6:30 pm EST! Order of reblogging is (generally) oldest to newest 😊

Hope you all enjoy, there's some shots I totally forgot about! Let me know your favorites when you see 'em! 😄

-R.S. "That Nora Girl"

[h0riz0nstuff]

I’m going to show what we see of equipment and weapons for Aloy in this post, so I’m going to keep all this under the cut. :)

The gameplay vid is full of info, it was awesome ! xD

I think this gameplay is situated a bit along in the game, and Aloy probably won’t have this equipment when she starts. She wears an outfit which is probably Utaru, so green and leafy (I love it). I hope that’s our stealth outfit line, I’d love this. Both her spear and current weapon are visible on her back. The Spear appears to be similar to the one we saw in early promo material and the Fortnite version.

New Weapons Wheel with SIX slots (if that’s the max we do get…) Weapons will be upgraded at benches. We can see the wheel a few times, they kept HZD symbols, but they possibly won’t always correspond to the same ammunition.

Oseram Forgeblast Spike Thrower ! :D Basic Explosive Javelins Rocket Shot At the bottom, crafting with shards and unknown materials.

Tenakth Ranger Sharpshot Bow (yay ! a sharpshot ! my fave !) Heavy Arrows Emplaced Shot (wonder what that means…)

Carja Adhesive Blast Sling Adhesive Grenades Sticky Grenades That one was super efficient against that Tremortusk… but it kinda reminds me of the goop in Portal 2 xD

Aloy also wields a weapon from the Tremortusk (I included the weapon symbol). Seems pretty efficient, it was situated on the side of its jaws.

Aloy also used a Smoke Bomb (they appear in the comics ! Amadis uses them) against a clawstrider (it attacked her with a sonic blast… I think).

Aloy has new equipment as well ! She can scan around to find handholds to climb stuff, as well as finding points to use a rappel/grappling hook that seems fairly similar in animation to the one she uses to rappel down stuff in HZD.

Another interesting thing, tho not equipment, is that Aloy is seen hauling herself up a wall, probably a jumping mechanic ?

And last but not least : A GLIDER

It’s hard to take shots when everything is moving so fast… Sorry for the blurriness.

I probably missed a lot of stuff but it’s 3AM so I’m going to bed xD (there’s some stuff about her spear but I’m too blurry myself xD)

[perfectirishgifts]

The Top 10 Gaming Photo Modes Revealed–With A Surprising Winner

New Post has been published on https://perfectirishgifts.com/the-top-10-gaming-photo-modes-revealed-with-a-surprising-winner/

The Top 10 Gaming Photo Modes Revealed–With A Surprising Winner

‘Forza Horizon 4’ is one of ten games making waves on Instagram right now.

Photo modes are becoming an integral part of gaming, and why shouldn’t they? Even before the likes of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 landed, we’ve enjoyed utterly stunning games for years, which deserve to allow gamers to immortalize them in new and beautiful ways.

Ahead of the release of Cyberpunk 2077 tomorrow (November 10)–which is introducing its own top-of-the-line photo mode–research carried out by the photography community Shotkit has analyzed the popularity of gaming photography on Instagram, where trends like #ingamephotography and #virtualphotography are in their millions.

Thanks to the organization’s hashtag-heavy deep dive, we now have a definitive idea of which games dominate the image-happy social media site more than any other. And yet, despite the predictable appearances of games like Fortnite and Forza Horizon 4 on the top-10 list, a much more cinematic experience sits at number one, thanks to its deep and flexible photo mode.

‘Fortnite’ may have a player base of 350 million and rising, but it’s not number one on Instagram, … [] according to Shotkit.

10. The Sims 4 (4,800 posts)

Six years on, The Sims 4 is still going strong in the Instagram gaming community. It’s hardly surprising; after the year we’ve had, it’s understandable that people escape to a game that allows them to create a more attractive version of themselves (in my case, at least)–one who can live in a more trouble-free world, where the biggest danger is still the possibility of drowning in a fenced, ladderless swimming pool.

9. Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End (4,900)

While it might not have quite matched the generation-defining brilliance of its second outing–and the series’ original PS3 audience has largely matured to prefer Naughty Dog’s grittier The Last of Us–Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End is still one of the most beautiful and cinematic games on the PS4. The tenth Jeep-driving chapter, The Twelve Towers, must account for at least half of its 5,000 photos.

8. The Last of Us Part II (5,300)

While it might not let you take a Watch Dogs: Legion-style selfie with the Rat King, The Last of Us Part II is still one of the most incredibly beautiful games of its generation–and certainly one of its most visceral. Its world is the gaming equivalent of Talking Heads’ ‘Nothing But Flowers’: one gradually reclaimed by nature, where as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention. Then again, there was a deadly virus kicking about, so you can’t blame them. Let’s move on before we get even more depressed about 2020.

7. Ghost of Tsushima (16,900)

It’s not even five months old, but Ghost of Tsushima is an Instagram hottie. It’s entirely predictable, given its art direction–and the fact it’s so loved, it yesterday won The Game Awards’ Player’s Voice Award (something that has since been hit with allegations of impropriety). Pictures like this, from Jafree’s Perspective, only prove how magnificent it can look.

‘Ghost of Tsushima’ is the newest game in the top 10.

6. Forza Horizon 4 (33,100)

I’ve plowed about 150 hours into Forza Horizon 4: one quarter completing it, another quarter somehow getting three stars on all drift zones, and half of it on photography. Its effortless photo mode and a huge selection of endlessly customizable cars mean it’s too easy to get snapping; the fact Playground Games later added the “Picture Perfect” photography achievement, which also featured in its prequel, undoubtedly got more people taking shots.

5. Horizon Zero Dawn (40,500)

While The Last of Us Part II captures a more believable downfall of modern society, Horizon Zero Dawn presents its most beautiful: the aftermath of a technocratic dystopia, now governed by increasingly deranged Machines that threaten humanity a second time. Its brighter color palette, beautiful vistas, and ridiculous action make for some pretty incredible shots.

4. Skyrim (46,200)

Well, this isn’t a surprise: Skyrim is fourth, not least because it’s been released on nearly every console of note since its 2011 debut, as well as Alexa, Etch-a-Sketch and your fridge. But its deep modding community, which also made the leap to consoles, continues to make this classic even more beautiful and photogenic.

3. Fortnite (135,000)

The king of battle royale is relegated to duke status in the royal succession of Instagram photos, picking up third place despite a player base last registered at 350 million and growing. Maybe it’s because of youngsters’ embrace of different social media platforms, but it’s still a good showing–and its popularity may push it up the rankings as time goes on. I’m now hyper-aware of my own age by referring to Fortnite players as “youngsters”.

2. Grand Theft Auto V (146,500)

The PS2 gave us three GTA games, while three consoles have coughed up GTA V. And yet, the game’s initial technical achievement, and subsequent upgrades, have made it an “enduring mystery” in terms of never-ending sales. Photos unsurprisingly follow this trend–but interestingly, it’s a more recent Rockstar game that takes the crown.

‘Red Dead Redemption 2’ is the biggest hit on Instagram among virtual photographers.

1. Red Dead Redemption 2 (165,200)

Despite being just over two years old, Red Dead Redemption 2 tops the Instagram list for the most popular game on the photo front. Given it’s the closest we’ll ever get to immerse ourselves in a spaghetti western, it’s perfectly understandable. The largely untouched features of 1899 America provide some of the most jaw-dropping landscapes known to man. The filters, as evidenced above, only add to the game’s majesty.

Speaking to Shotkit, Leo Sang–an insanely talented Brazilian virtual photographer whose skills have led to sponsorship by NVIDIA, whose own photos are above–explained what makes the perfect photo mode. He said: “A familiar and easy-to-use photo mode is less intimidating if you’re getting used to virtual photography; the basic camera controls and settings should have easy access and be intuitive.

“The camera’s movement can’t be too restricted; the wider the movement range, the easier it is to compose your shot. The same applies to the other settings: field of view, roll angles, depth of focus, and so on… being able to fine-tune your shot helps you experiment and create a lot easier.”

However, high-quality graphics aren’t everything to Sang, who added: “An element of fun is always important, especially if you’re trying to do this professionally. If the game is fun, your motivation to find great shots increases as you want to do the character justice. It’s what explains why games like The Sims 4 and GTA 5 made it onto the list.”

The only disappointment in this list is that Control doesn’t feature, despite being what I think is the most uniquely gorgeous game of its generation. But who needs Instagram when you’ve got books, especially when we’re inevitably robbed of the internet with our own, HZD or TLoU-style apocalypse?

From Games in Perfectirishgifts

[mrscullensrutherford]

Quarantine Q&A

Thank you for tagging me @rpgwarrior4824 and @obvidalous!!

Tagging: @fogsblue, @oops-gingermoment @mythicaitt, @pikapeppa, @dafan7711 , @kittleskittle , @myrddinderwydd, @blueboxness, @schoute, @natsora, @n0rmandysr1, @vorchagirl with no obligations. Only if you want to do this.

Are you staying home from work or school?

I am a stay-at-home mom and a pro BETA reader, so I am almost always home anyway. The quarantine has effected me by having my space and time filled with my family instead of generally being by myself. I can’t complain about it though. It has been nice to have them here but it does make some aspects of my job slightly difficult. Reading or writing with an eight-year-old trying to talk over anything you do does get taxing. Luckily, my husband is good about distracting him so I can get a little work done each day.

If you’re staying home, who’s with you?

My husband, son and two dogs.

Are you a homebody?

Absolutely. I am quite introverted. I do not like large crowds and I prefer sitting at home and reading to going out any day of the week. I am missing going to the bookstore and other human interaction outside of my immediate family but it isn’t something likely to really bother me. 

An event that you were looking forward to that got canceled.

There are a couple of things. I have half my head shaved and it is something that requires regular maintenance in order to look good and I missed my last appointment due to the closures and now it will be another month or so before I can get it redone. (Small worries but we may all come out of this looking a little silly.) But my son was also about to start daycare. He has a lot of issues from his previous life (he’s adopted) and one is he doesn’t like socializing. So, we were taking small steps in reintegrating him back into school (currently homeschooled)  and into social settings. This has been put on hold in the face of the virus. 

What movies have you watched recently? What shows are you watching?

The last movie was one I found ridiculous in the best way. Mr. Right with Anna Kendrick. It is about two rather mentally ill people finding love. And when I say mentally ill, both are a bit off their rockers but one is a former CIA agent turned hitman and the other is just a bit looney but they find their soul mates in each other. I have also started a rewatch of TVD. I am a sucker for Vampires and it is nostalgic for me.

What music are you listening to?

Mostly my writing playlists. I am currently working on a few Kinktober fics that I never got around to and my Shega WIP, so the music I curated for those stories are my background noise. 

What are you reading?

I have been trying to read more fic lately and have been going through a few one-shots. Currently working on @natsora‘s Reyder one-shots and @kittleskittle‘s HZD long fic. As far as actual books, A Plague of Giants - Kevin Hearne. I was supposed to do a BETA and review for it but I have about eight books that got lost in the hubbub of the recent year. So far, it is really good and reads like the Canterbury Tales. 

What are you doing for self-care?

I am making an effort to carve out alone time and time for writing/reading. Not only are they my job, but they are also my ways of relaxing. I am also trying my best to keep up with my skincare routine, as it helps me to feel like I am not a gross hermit human. Some days I even put on makeup to remind myself that I can be pretty.