#there are other options i can explore even though it was frustrating and i didn't enjoy a second of it

[writingwhileblvck]

Can you do one where Bakugou gets from work horny and he walks in on you fingering yourself?

Absolutely! I changed it up just a tiny bit, but nothing crazy, so I hope you enjoy!

Stress Reliever

Paring: Bakugou x Fem Reader

Both you and Katsuki knew, in being hero's you would both have to find time for each other. However, when you have shifts that contradict each other, that becomes a lot easier said than done. Especially lately, since there has seem to be a surge of new villains that was currently infesting the city. It was nothing that too difficult to handle but with Katsuki on night patrol, the extra work was keeping him away from you for longer than either of you would like.

Tonight you figured you get some work done instead of lounging around the house, but you were really missing your man. Every inch of your body was craving his touch. His hands on your things, his lips on your neck, just the thought made you dizzy. But you put it out of your mind so you could work. Or... At least you TRIED. You really did try to get your mind off of it, because you had so much paperwork to finish. But as you sat at your desk, the throb between your legs was becoming unbearable.

Ah. What the hell?

An aggravated sigh of defeat fell from your mouth as you leaned back in your chair. Katsuki was plaguing your mind, and in that moment all you wanted was his lips wrapped around your sensitive little clit. But in his absence you were the next best option.

Thank god you were home. You thought as you propped yourself on top of your desk. With your boyfriend's shirt already discarded on the floor, you laid back and ran your hands down your body, legs spreading instinctually as you slowly removed your soaked panties. Your fingers explored your wet folds, rubbing small circles on your clit and letting your mind wonder.

You imagine Katsuki sitting in your desk chair and eating you like a man starved. Sucking , slurping, and moaning into your hot cunt. Your rubbed faster, harder. You could practically feel his lips wrapped around your hardened nipples, as his fingers easily reached and abused that sweet spot.

You groaned in frustration, cause no matter how hard you tried, your finger would never be enough. So instead your reached into your desk drawer and pulled out your pink dildo. Using the big suction cup on the end, you attached it to the surface of the desk. You were already dripping, so you didn't even bother with the lube and just lowered yourself down.

You didn't give to fucks about the papers below you as you rode your pretty toy. They were already cover in the sticky juices and beyond saving. All you were worried about was cumming, and you bounced up and down like your life depended on it.

"Fuck Katsuki...."

The little toy didn't compare to his coke can of a dick and you knew it, but you were desperate. You reached back into the drawer and pulled out your rose shaped vibrator. Putting it on his highest setting you went to town on your poor clit.

And there you were, completely bare naked on top of your desk, fucking the shit out of yourself. You were so gone you didn't hear the front door open...

Katsuki dragged himself through the front door of your shared home absolutely exhausted. This overtime was killing him. Having to do these drive by meeting with you was killing him too. Not being able to hold you like he wants, kiss you like he wants, fuck you like he wants... Even now, all he wanted was his girlfriend's sweet thighs wrapped around his face-

He pause though when he heard a weird sound coming from down the hall. It was late so he just assumed you'd already gone to bed. But oh was he surprised when he found you in your office desperately fucking yourself.

He watched you from the crack in the door, not daring to interrupt this beautiful sight. The moans that fell from your mouth were sinful, and each cry of his name went straight to his dick.

Katsuki palmed himself through his uniform as he watched your ass bounce on that pathetic dildo. Smiling to himself because he knows that he'll have you squirting within minutes when he gets his hands on you.

Eventually, Katsuki abandons just palming himself for just straight up stroking his hard cock. He paces himself with you as your moans get louder and louder. He can hear the squelching of your juicy pussy from where he was, the sound alone almost made him bust. But he was able to hold it together a bit longer until he heard you scream his name and squirt all over your desk.

He tried his best to stay quite has his thick, hot ropes of cum decorate your office door, but he knew he failed when he saw you shoot up and look straight at the door. Pushing the door open, he revealed himself in all his glory.

To say your were embarrassed would be the understatement of the century, as you tried to scramble from on top of the desk. Katsuki's voice is what made you freeze though.

"Might as well stay right there babygirl. It's daddy's turn to fuck you stupid." He was looking at you at a hunter about to capture its prey, and you could feel yourself getting worked up again.

So you did as he said, and arched that pretty ass up high for him. Because who were you to deny daddy what he wanted?

[omg-snakes]

Ugh my spotted python bit me today. Hes my first snake and I feel bad he’s getting all my newbie mistakes but he’s done really well with handling and this is the first time I just don’t know what happened? I know they don’t bite out of the blue but I had taken him outside and he was very relaxed in my arms with his head on my shoulder, I stepped off the porch so he could feel some sun and made sure to keep his head in the shade and after a few seconds he moves around to the front of me and just slams my lip. Obviously it’s not bad I’m just so frustrated and feel like every step forward has like three back. And maybe he just doesn’t want to be handled that would be ok but he seems so good and happy to explore most of the time. I have looked into choice based handling but he never wants to wake up and come out of his hides during the day but he always is relaxed once he is out.

Aw, I'm so sorry you got tagged. That sounds like it was really jarring. Please don't be discouraged, though. Snake keeping is a journey, not a destination, and though it may feel like you're not making good progress, every experience is an opportunity to learn and grow with your pet.

Spotted pythons are nocturnal, so he may have been startled by the sudden sunshine and warmth and either mistook you for a predator or a snack. Bites are disheartening (and a bite in the face doubly so!) but it's part of snake ownership. We will all take a chomp at some point.

I once had my leucistic Texas rat snake on my lap while I was reading and I guess he fell asleep at some point, and when I moved my arm I must have startled him awake because he freaked out and tagged me out of nowhere. I was shocked and a bit hurt in the moment, and I totally get how you're feeling. It's nobody's fault. These are animals and sometimes they react to stimuli we think are pretty benign in ways we didn't expect!

If you're going to implement choice-based handing, it'll likely only happen after the sun has gone down. It might be good to try to interact on his terms for a while, as late in the day as you can and in low-light situations. He's less likely to be a butt if he's up and active during the part of his natural rhythm when he's most alert.

I mean, imagine having somebody pull you out of bed at 3am and shine a flashlight with the power of the sun at you. Even if it wasn't right in your eyes, you might be a touch irritable!

I hope that the two of you can find some common ground and that you are able to build more confidence as a keeper. Forgive yourself when you make mistakes, as you so quickly forgave him when he bit you. I know spotted pythons are considered a decent beginner species but I've definitely found them more challenging than some of the other options.

At the end of the day you're just two completely different animals trying to understand each other, and that's pretty cool.

[igglemouse]

So yeah, I guess this week is off to an interesting start huh? It's only Monday and so much has already happened. Hard to imagine that the rest of this week can top what happened this weekend, you know, with me meeting Mr. Fate himself.

I could definitely go for more meetings with him...yeah, that would work...

I guess we should talk about what happened last night huh? Kind of hard to ignore so here is the summary: Niklas and I are getting really, really, REALLY close. Super duper close. At least that's what I'm hoping.

I have no idea where this might lead but it is on the right track. I'm happy I gave him the keys to the place, that might be rash for sure but after last night I think it was a really good decision. Let me show you why...

He's already over here cleaning my kitchen. I repeat, he's cleaning my kitchen! I didn't ask him to, I didn't even expect him to stick around again, and just look at him? Really going above and beyond huh? This just might be the start of something beautiful.

Kind of odd though because I am sure he said he knew a trick for cleaning yet there he is scrubbing away. You know what? I prefer the scrubbing. He looks amazing doing things I don't feel like doing at all.

Like I've said, I'm not sure where this whole thing with Niklas will go so I'll just take it a day at a time and see what comes of it. No rush.

In other Gracelyn news, I'm getting better at making Jewelry! This is nothing amazing, nothing special, but it looks like something that I might be able to sell. Don't get too excited, it's just a plain bronze bracelet but I'd wear it and I made it with my own two hands so that's cool!

After crafting my bracelet I definitely deserved to just sit back and soak. A lady always deserves a bit of self-care, no matter what! It's not luxury, it's necessity!

After getting all clean I settle down and relax a bit and thankfully Niklas is back over. I'm not sure what his schedule is but I imagine it might be quite hectic with the doctor aspiration AND practicing magic although I guess he doesn't care too much about the latter? Either way, I'm happy when he's around and that is all that matters.

Since he is here though I can't help but ask him a question that has been at the back of my mind; "So, how long does it take to learn something like that? Like say I wanted to clean the toilet with a a flick of my wrist?"

He thinks about it for a moment. "I don't know, I guess it doesn't work that way? A spell like that might look easy but the magician performing it is usually exerting a lot of energy."

"But is it hard to do? If I wanted to learn it, how long would it take?" I ask again because he didn't answer, not really, and besides that at least would be useful? Would the realm really be upset if I used magic to keep my house clean?

He pauses again and thinks about the answer he's ready to give. "I guess it usually wouldn't take too long. A few days? A week at most? You just need the right teacher-" and he stops himself there as if he had been interrupted. He knows this might be a sore sport for me because I'm not allowed a teacher. I know what you're thinking, HE could teach me, but it would risk him getting in trouble with the Realm and so I wouldn't ask that of him.

The silence lingers between us for a moment and for me a frustration that has been lingering within threatens to explode. What calms me is the fact that there is apparently an option to learn magic, the option Valerie wants us to explore...

"I guess I should get going. Practicing medicine is a lot harder than practicing magic, trust me on that!" Niklas offers what is a comforting smile and stands to leave. He wasn't here long, not long enough, and while I'm sure he has to study or do whatever I can't help but feel the conversation of magic is pushing him out.

"O-okay, no magic! Not if you don't want to," I hope I don't sound too desperate but...I like having him around? Can you blame me? People have avoided me for all of my life so when I find someone who isn't I can't help but get a little clingy and sticky.

"Don't worry Grace! I just want to be careful, that's all," he reassures me and before I can respond he pulls me into a hug and I happily sink into his arms and enjoy the comfort of his embrace. I wish he could stay a little longer. "I'll be around," he promises and pulls away. "Be careful, okay?"

I nod, still wishing I could keep him over a little longer, but I guess there is always tomorrow.

Being careful? Yeah...no, not my style, in fact I'm going to do the opposite for tonight. I did tell Triple V I wanted to come see what this Matlock Society is all about and so that's how I plan on spending the rest of my night.

I should have been worried when the location led me to the middle of nowhere and to what looked to be an abandoned ruin. There was something in the air, a heaviness, a strange taste, and it warned me to change my plans but as always curiosity pushed me forward once again.

It's Triple V, I told myself, a lifelong friend. I've had her back and she's had mines so why would I turn back now? If there is trouble that's all the more reason to make sure she's not in the middle of it.

But as I get closer I'm not sure what I see.

From a distance there is a robed figure standing silently over three women. One is Triple V, I can of course tell from the hair. The other two? Can't say, I have no idea who they are but they are all in costume. A purple toga like robe that umm, well, leaves them partly naked.

They are mumbling something in unison, a chant, and I hesitate to take another step because it is unsettling.

The incantation, spoken in what I knew to be an ancient tongue, sent shivers down my spine. No, not in that cliche way of fear, quite the opposite, they were good shivers. Pleasurable shivers. Odd. A moment ago I was scared to come closer but now I wanted to. I suppose the more it reached my ears the more it drew me forward. The more it asked me to submit. To what, I can't say...

This, this is magic. It's not overrated. It's not dull. It's real and powerful and...dangerous.

Despite the temptation I kept my distance although I'm not sure how. Maybe instinct, maybe it's one of those protection wards my mother had placed on me? Whatever the case, I stayed back and watched as magic unfolded before me.

The robed figure's voice goes up a few notches and takes a more commanding tone. Each word she speaks is sharp and spoken with purpose and the three women, including Vee, repeated and started to lift some kind of orb into the air. It hovered between them, a ball of pure crackling energy, its raw power clear as I imagined the damage it could do despite its small size.

Something told me there was something wrong with it though, the energy wobbled and waned and blinked?

"HOLD IT!" the robed woman demand slices through the air but I could tell it was taking a lot for each of the women to hold it. The pale one with the purple hair, the seer, was holding her own but the others were struggling.

Then it disappears. No, not with a pop or fizzle or even a fade. It was simply there one moment and gone the next. As if it never existed at all.

The three women, including my friend, collapses to the ground in pure exhaustion. The robed figure stood over them disappointed, then looked right at me...

"Miss Matlock," she said with a gleam in her eye and was it reverence? Yes, she respects me, I'm not quite sure why but... "I didn't believe you would come and yet here you are. It is a pleasure to meet the heir herself."

"Yeaah ummm," how do I respond to that? "What was that? That ball? It was there one moment and then-"

"That," she interrupts with a cool and measured tone. "Was energy from another plane of existence. It would take some time to explain but I would not do so for a...non-member."

"A non-member?" I repeat, my mind catching up to what this whole thing might actually be about. It's a club of sorts, right? Some secret magical club that requires your loyalty? Perhaps a better word for it would be a cult.

"Yes," the robed woman replies. "We are the Matlock Society and we exist to uphold and preserve the forgotten magics your family has matered. Your mother, the blood witch, and your father, the bender. Magics that can do a great amount of good if-"

"Okay, one moment," let's stop her before she gets too far ahead of herself. I'm not quite ready for a deep dive on all of this stuff. "I'm going to let you finish but, who are you?"

"I am Alana Thayer, priestess of the Matlock Society," she began in that steady tone of hers and somehow with a weight that told me this was serious business to her. The night itself seemed to speak with her as if it had become her partner. It shielded just enough of her face that I could barely make out her features. "I have been trusted with the duty of guiding those who dare to dip their toes into more, lets say, turbulent waters."

"Well Alana, can I ask something?"

"Yes, of course," her head tilts, her dark eyes meeting my questioning ones, her voice taking on a softer and more welcoming tone as a slight breeze makes her robes rustle ever so slightly. "You'll find that here no question is too small, no question too bold. Speak freely and know that curiosity is awarded, it is but the first step towards-"

"What are they doing?" I blurt out, probably a little sharper than intending. The air seemed thicker now and it was adding to a growing uneasiness I was having about all of this. None of this feels...good. I don't mean in a comforting way, I mean in a way of good and evil, right and wrong.

Alana on the other hand doesn't seem bothered by my botheredness, in fact her face lights up at my question and she turns back to the source of my query. "Ah!" she exclaims, looking back at the trio of women behind us. Only moonlight exposes them and now they are without any kind of clothes. Their palms are flat against each other as they make a circle and begin to chant. What they chant I cannot possibly know.

"They've expanded a great deal of energy," Alana explains as if she were a proud mother. "Now they rely on another to replenish it. It's a form of bonding, my dear, a bond of spirit and strength. We trust each other with our very lives."

I look past her and to that circle of women that includes my lifelong friend Triple V. There was something tempting about it I must admit. The way their voices blend, the way they seem almost stuck together and all dedicated to one singular goal. There is something raw about it, something human about it and yet...

"Sisters, huh?"

"Yes, we are sisterhood. We hold a very special position among the society. It'll all be explained to you in due time, Miss Matlock. You'll find that-"

"Wait," I can't help but interrupt again and maybe its out of necessity? Perhaps I'm just not ready for any of this? "Do you guys usually train out in the open like this? What about the veil? If someone comes out and sees you all doing this that is, wouldn't the the Realm come down hard upon you?"

"The Realm is...not our concern," she says with an odd tilt to her head and a lilt in her voice. "They have their rules and we have ours. Theirs is but one belief, Miss Matlock. It is different, but I'd argue not better."

"Yeah, this does look like a lot of rule breaking," I say through the chanting. I imagine if the the realm knew about this they would do all they can stop it. Either that or they do know about it and can't stop it.

"Oh," Alana steps in. "We do follow rules, Miss Matlock, it's just that ours comes from a higher place. Theirs are rules of men, ours are rules of Gods. Tell me, which would you follow? A simple man or the Watcher? Infinity belongs to us and within us it resides. Your father understood that."

The scoff could be heard in my voice and seen on my face. "My father was a mad man, he believed in alternate universes and timelines and tried to merge them and control them and-"

Alana laughs with a knowing smile on her lips. "No, your father didn't believe it, Miss Matlock. Your father KNEW it to be true. Why do you think the Realm hunted him down and killed him?"

"Because..." I start, but do I know for sure? I don't know. That's the truth. There are two sides to every story and no matter what I've been told I do know that my parents loved me. That counts for something, doesn't it? So instead of answering I change the subject. "And my mother-"

"Came from one of those realms," Alana smoothly cuts in like a lawyer ready for the question. "A parallel universe, one where power is freely accessed and used. Your mother was a blood witch, nasty business to be sure, especially considering her rare 'half-vampire' state, but it was with her power and ability that Spellcasters have cast down the great vampire. Vlad, gone. Mr. Chevalier, gone. The Vatore's? Missing. All thanks to your mother's knowledge of blood magic, although, I must say, she was always a friend to those leeches, Mr. Chevalier especially-"

"Well..." I almost revealed that Mr. Chevalier might not actually be dead at all. I'm not sure why but I imagine this would put my vampire associate in some trouble? I'm starting to wonder if they are as bad as others tell me. I'm starting to question many things. "W-what is all this for?"

"This?" she says, a wicked smile on her lips as the chanting from my friend and two strangers continue. "This is all for you, Miss Matlock. For you and Valerie Van Vilet, whose parents were great friends of your own. For you and Kyla Britt," she says motioning to the woman with short brown hair. "Who was some random girl with potential who was not allowed into the realm because of their silly rules. For you and M. Nobusawa," again she motions, but this time to the noted ivory skin and pink hair that was the curse of her magic. "Who went through the trails of the seer, lost her name and identity, only to be kicked out of the realm as well. This is for all of us who are misunderstood."

"And where do I fit in?" I stare at her, my head swirling with mixed emotions and thoughts. "Why is this for me? I'm useless, I have no power. I can barely make sparkles."

Alana laughed at my words and before I could reply the chanting grew louder. Incessant and forceful, demanding to be heard but not by me, no, some other force motivated this intensity. Alana turned her eyes to mines, commanding my attention. "You, Miss Matlock, are far more powerful than you realize..."

Episode List - Next Episode 3.1 'Spellbound'

[lehdenlaulu]

Okay, 40h in, some stray thoughts:

I keep going back and forth between 'oh it's not really that bad after all' and 'ugh why' basically. Every time there's actually a nice bit of writing etc. the frustration at some other aspect soon takes over.

I'm particularly not fond of the random faceless mook hordes that keep respawning in certain locations (seriously, DA2 was bad enough). Or the dumb pointless boss battles you have to do in order to unlock new areas in the Fade where your reward is... another boss battle. And more faceless mooks. And maybe some gear. And maybe more of Solas's tedious sob story if you're lucky. The ghost of the live co-op thing really keeps quite literally haunting the narrative.

Oh, and there's even a fucking gladiator arena. I'm guessing that was originally for PvP. And now it's just there just in case you didn't already get your fill of combat elsewhere. And wanted to ogle Isabela who now inexplicably wears only a bikini and thigh-high boots. Because apparently that's Rivaini cultural outfit now or something? Some pseudo-Aztec thing? Sure. Whatever.

Honestly, just imagine if they'd put as much time and effort into making sure the story is narratively sound and makes any kind of sense as a sequel to its predecessors as they did into crafting the combat system and the needlessly byzantine combat skill tree. *sigh*

I do really like the new exploration mechanics though. I like that I can strafe on narrow ledges and vault over fences and through windows and such. Not super fond that I can magically just use my absent companions' exploration abilities because of my mystical magical all-powerful MacGuffin, though. Guess some people really don't feel like changing their party composition ever. 🙄

And that's another thing. This game coddles the player way too much to the point of treating us like particularly dense toddlers. Not only are there tons of visual options that basically guide you by the hand and point out everything relevant (all of which I obviously immediately turned off) but the dialogue also will very unsubtly tell you what to do at every turn. Like... Taash, babe, we're both Lords of Fortune, I don't think I need to be told to check out if there's something behind the waterfall. And if someone is so new to RPGs to not know something that basic, they need to discover it for themselves, not have it spelled out to them. Honestly, I thought this game's age limit was 18, not 12.

Speaking of Taash and all things unsubtle... I feel like there was a way to introduce their struggle with gender identity in a less... anvilicious way. And maybe come up with some in-universe lore and terminology instead of just defaulting to modern real-world vocabulary. The codex entry in particular frankly felt like breaking the fourth wall and talking directly to the player. And I say this as someone whose own gender identity is pretty nebulous.

Frankly, I'm surprised someone hasn't already literally told Bellara she has ADHD. Yet. I'm guessing she and Taash are relatable to some players, but to me they feel... vaguely insulting, honestly, because it really is about as subtle as a brick in the face. I'm also getting the vibe they're both someone's self insert to some degree at least. Which isn't new for DA, but... yeah.

What else... Oh. Yeah. The less said about the main plot the better. Varric, this really is your worst book yet.

Speaking of Varric, it's pretty funny how he keeps telling Rook to please get some sleep. Sure, mate, would love to but a) all I get for a bed is apparently a bare divan in a room with a massive glowing aquarium b) every time I try to sleep some smarmy elf keeps mansplaining at me in my dreams. Which, you know, is something I shouldn't have in the first place as a dwarf. Maybe I should just start chugging coffee with Lucanis. (But honestly, only Taash and Davrin get to have actual beds, everyone else has to make do with cots, bedrolls, divans, and... an embalming slate??)

Oh, and I'll be really surprised if Varric survives this story. I mean, he's barely there in the first place and keeps talking like some ailing relative who secretly has consumption in a Victorian novel. I mean, his writer was laid off after all.

The pacing and structure of this game is extremely weird. The beginning was particularly rough, then it got better, but it's still a bit all over the place.

Oh, right. I'm fairly sure we were promised cool bard songs at some point. I haven't heard a single one yet. Unless that one street performer in Treviso strumming Enchanters counts, which I don't believe does. It was nice to hear it, though, as much as it was a bit contextually odd to choose that song in particular. Ah well, I guess Empress of Fire would have been even odder.

This is also the most forgettable Hans Zimmer soundtrack I have heard in my life. I can't think of a single theme or leitmotif off the top of my head, but the Inquisition theme on the other hand was instantly recognizable. I might say he's just new to writing video game soundtracks, but... dude's famous for his highly catchy, recognizable and evocative themes. Weird.

But hey! As much as I don't like the cartoony character models, the game is actually otherwise really pretty and has some really lovely visual designs in environments and architecture etc. It's also very stable and smooth for a brand-new game, I've only had one crash and two obvious bugs so far. That's always a big win for a studio. Too bad its actual problems are too baked in to be fixable with some patches.

Anyway, that's it for now. Lots of negativity, I know, but I actually do like playing this game for the most part. I just have to... not think of it as a Dragon Age, basically. Because for all the bells and whistles, or maybe because of them, it really doesn't feel like one. There are glimpses here and there of a great DA game it could have been, but unfortunately, the final result is a bit of a Frankenstein's monster of different and largely incompatible concepts hastily sewn together.

[zmayadw]

Okay, so I feel a bit calmer this morning, even though I still feel very much sad and disappointed with the whole Moonvale thing, but I'd like to share a few thoughts with you all, both bad and good, concerning the game.

And if you know me by now, you also know I can't write short posts expressing myself, so feel free to skip this long post! 😅

Alrighty, so let's begin:

From the moment Everbyte announced Moonvale I was very excited. As Duskwood was an amazing game, I only expected for the new game to be even more amazing. Logical, right? I never expected it to be a Duskwood sequel, and that was absoluetly ok for me, because no matter how much we all wanted and hoped for it, I was more than willing to give the team that made so wonderful and amazing game as Duskwood a chance to amaze me once more. And when they said that Duskwood will be a part of the new game as a side story, that excitement was only getting bigger.

And so here we are, two agonizing years of waiting later, only to be welcomed with this huge disappointment.

When I started with Moonvale, I really took it slowly, exploring everything carefully before even opening the chat and actually starting with the game and the story itself. And lo and behold, what do I see? No possibility for a premium package, but a lot of options for a ridiculously priced packages to buy jewels for, at that moment, who knew what, but I had a suspicion what it was for. Nonetheless, I dissmissed it for the time being, even though it was getting me a bit frustrated, and decided to move on and start with the story.

The story itself started quite good. I even started to laugh at one point realizing and thinking to myself Gosh, those Everbyte people really like the woods! The character/actor of Eric is nice, I like him, even though he seemes to be pretty clumsy! 😄

Now, the actor/character of Adam is probably the one of the rare things that amazed me from the start! His performance was so great, and I think I read it in someones post this morning how someone also thought he looks alike Rami Malek, and that was my first thought, too! Ok, so far not bad at all one would think, right? Wrong!

At first I didn't really pay attention to, or even realized it, but as other characters started to appear in the game, everything started to scream AI. The chats with those characters just didn't really feel right, you know? And I was really appalled by it. I mean, come on Everbyte, did we really come to this? Are you doubting in your capability of creating something great so much, when we know you damn well CAN do it? Or has the usage of AI became so much needed/mandatory ( I don't know what word to put here really or to explain it better), that you cannot do anything without it? Considering so many creators of all kinds are fighting so hard to stop it from being used in everything, I suppose no. But then again, I don't know if my knowledge about it is sufficient enough, but I can voice out my opinion, and I don't like it at all!

Ok, I have to admit, the chat with Ash about us and Duskwood wasn't bad,or the chat between Ash and Charlie about us, but that is all good(ish) I can say about that.

By this time I was really getting annoyed and frustrated, and as some of you might saw one of my post from yesterday, when it gotten really interesting in the story and my insufficient amount of jewels prevented me from seeing some photos/videos, I was so fucking angry and disappointed that I was very VERY close to just drop the whole thing and stop playing. But I continued, just for the sake to finish it.

And when I finally did finish it, not even the last video of Alan's body camera, or the message after that from Jake, lifted my spirit. All I could think of was how sad and disappointed I was. :(

I really expected an amazing and great game from Everbyte, considering Duskwood is one of THE BEST games I have played. But to get money grabbing, AI screaming thing, that was looking so promising...it just saddens me. I know they need to make money somehow, I'm well aware of it, but not like this. Not like this!

Will I continue playing it? Yes, I probably will, but mostly because I want to see how it will continue with the Duskwood sidestory. Also, I read people are considering using the mod pack if/when it becomes available so they can see the premium/special options, but I won't do that. I don't judge anyone here, do what you want, this is just my opinion, but no matter what, I still have respect towards the creators, and using those mod packs just doesn't feel right to me.

So again, yes, I will continue with Moonvale, but neither will I pay for special options (unless they by some miracle make it like with Duskwood, which I doubt but one can hope!), nor will I use the mod pack of any kind. And I really REALLY hope by all thats sacred, that as the Duskwood side story advances, those jewels won't be necessary to use there, because in that case, that's it from me, sayonara/ goodbye/farewell/adios to Moonvale completely. At least I will always have Duskwood.

Thanks to anyone who managed to read till the end! 💚 Take care all, and let's hope that all this won't get any more worse than it already is!

[phoenixcatch7]

Guess who just finished Oracle of seasons :D!!!

Very fun game actually, I didn't except it to be so enjoyable, shame on me lol. The pixels and frustrating bits absolutely did not stop me from having a blast!

But dear goodness the backtracking. Oh my gosh, THE BACKTRACKING.

I didn't get the fast travel option until pretty far in, a lot of enemies were just a pain, and the difficulty spikes came mostly from absolutely incongruent solutions to puzzles and I got lost SO many times.

That being said, it was unexpectedly pleasant to be at such risk, to have to keep engaging my brain in little ways. Modern games (yeah, like botk) have very different ideas of power scaling and difficulty. It comes from a much more honed sense of the audience and the much more open worlds used as standard now, but there was something to be said about such a linear world and story. There were different optional things along the way, yes, but really... It never stopped being a challenge. I was constantly trying to outrun garden variety enemies, wrack my brain to remember locations and how to get there, pacing back and forth staring across a pit of lava that remained stubbornly impassable.

The amount of backtracking gave me an organic feel for the world, dumb decisions had dumb consequences. I never got bored fighting enemies or exploring dungeons. I loved trying out new things that weren't immediately obvious and seeing what would happen. It felt more up to me to figure out the solution than to find out what the game was telling me the solution was, you know?

The plot was pretty much as basic as you can get, save local princess from dark castle with evil boss, but it was hardly a downside when the characters were so wacky and varied.

I loved the boss designs! They ranged from fireball geodude with a face right out of mob psycho 100, to an acidic piranha plant tree in quicksand, to a super speed glowing tiger, to a two headed skeleton dragon that shot lasers. They were all sort of lumpy in the medieval painting way, gave them a retro sort of charm and a sense of danger that the sleeker modern bosses just don't have. Make bosses lumpy again 2k24 XD.

Link was a dear and pulled off some pretty slick moves in cutscenes! The twinrova reveal (spoilers for a game that came out in 2001?) was excellent, genuinely spooked me. Also the feeling of 'hnnnnn these are hyrules problems, my circus my monkeys' was great lol. Like ugh not these bozos again. I was having a break! Saving some other unrelated kingdom! But noooo it's our problems escaping containment after all. UGH. Lmao.

The linked game ability is pretty cool. I wasn't so sure I'd play OoA after, but I just might. Wonder what'll change? The idea of Link chasing the twin witches across kingdom borders is awesome, very proactive of him! Very high stakes undercover mission style!

The ending cutscenes were very adorable as well, very Legend of Zelda (even though she doesn't even appear in this game XD).

[leohtttbriar]

I would have loved to see Jadzia central episodes after she got together with Worf, and ones that's didn't focus on their relationship only. There was so much more to her before and then it seemed like being very immersed in everything Klingon was one of her very few traits.

yes--I absolutely agree. probably not the first to say it. she becomes this quirky, hot sidekick/girlfriend in season 5. how they wrote worf and dax getting together was cute and "screwball comedy" but they sort of tried to keep up that energy but not as successfully (screwball banter is cute only when both parties are getting jabs in equally, and dax seems to just smile like worf is being cute when he accuses her being ridiculous all the time)(like i said, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't)(it's just when it doesn't, worf comes across as annoying and dax comes off as Not a person). she's around quite a bit, offering her quips and support and playing her role in other people's journey's...

but episodes that are about her and depend on some issue she has within herself are not present after the romance. not like "rejoined" or the episode where she's being accused of murder bc of curzon. of course, of the episodes that are about her in previous seasons, all of them except "rejoined," arguably, are about her struggling with some past self. while i think the character can go beyond that simple sci-fi-what-if design (like, for example, i think spock goes beyond the alien-conceit in most of the spock-centric episodes), i found myself missing even that watching everything after she and worf get together. if they had even drawn out that romance and showed her genuinely trying to get worf's attention for more than one or two episodes, that would've been more interesting then what ended up happening.

i also sort of get that ds9 isn't so much the "new world" part of star trek as the "new civilization"---that is, it's mostly focused on ongoing diplomacy and war plots with the same handful of richly made-up peoples. but they managed in previous seasons to still write episodes about discovery and scientific work. in season 5, scientific work all seems to be focused on julian, due to the exigency of his role, rather than dax, or both of them. like, within the typical star trek roles to play, the science officer drives the fun discovery and new-weird-stuff plots. instead of episodes about any of that in season 5, though, there's a lot of quark and odo and sisko and julian and worf all juggling their various definitions of identity. (miraculously, dax never seems to waver in that regard. with kira, it's debateable.) which. fine. it was all interesting.

i do think that the show still manages to show dax as someone particular and complex--the writing just doesn't genuinely explore any of it after writing the worf/dax relationship. the moments she does have in episodes not about her are for the most part very good and very interesting and she provides context and wisdom and motive in the way her role dictates. but the fact that i think her character is so fascinating and has so many rich options for sci-fi storytelling only makes the absence of stories focused or driven by her all the more frustrating to me. there's only so many episodes about odo's feelings i can retain interest in.

maybe give jadzia a planet to explore with a bunch of geode formations that emit a protein that causes mutations within biological creatures to cease which somehow causes changelings to crystallize while the protein is in their system and jadzia has to fight on behalf of the planet to just exist so it's not turned into a super-weapon against the dominion and this turns into a struggle with basically her and julian against everyone (they're the most idealistic) and causes real tension between kira and dax for the first time ever and sisko has to say something about how life is sacred and resources are sacred and one has to choose and then dax does something that can't be taken back and the creatures give her a small geode/collection-of-geode-creatures in thanks and she carries it around like she carries all her past-selves.

(which would then justify the way worf constantly seems to characterize her as impulsive and impractical or whatever. bc she did this one dramatic thing that no one can now forget about her. and she just takes it bc she would do it again. and the audience just doesn't know who to agree with.)(but that would make her person with deep conviction and interiority and some perhaps truly un-likeable traits. instead of the hot, smirky-quirky jester that gets men 18-24 to tune the fuck in once a week.)

[panecitotulipan]

Eating schedules

Miguel O'Hara/reader

Notes:

I am posting little chunks of a story in disorder. The chronological order list here. It will make sense and join dots once it starts to fill, everytime a new chapter comes out I'll actualize that list (works like in Beyond two souls but is a random y/n fic you found on Tumblr).

You may find fluff, touched starved physical interaction, angst, mentions of anxiety and bad health habits in these writings. I also think is important to point out that there will be no NSFW in any part of the story.

English is not my mother language, sorry if a few things sound off. But don't worry about spanish dialogues, i know those are well written.

The reader knows spanish, i have to admit i thought about they as a mexican person.

Gender neutral narrative, so anyone can be comfortable.

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Gif credit

"You may be useful" the Dorito shaped man said. When he offered you to form part of this, declining wasn't an option, who the hell would say no to travel between universes and work with advanced technology? Definitely not a nerd like you.

Casually chatting with the VR avatar girl and exploring the functioning of the machines was undoubtedly helpful to keep yourself busy when there were no missions assigned.

Once in a while the naps on the extravagant and irregular walls of the control room were comfortable, even though the 'boss' waked you up every time yelling in some kind of frustration tone, he was usually upset at everything and everyone.

As you didn't enjoy going out of this laid, the only times other spider people could see you was while buying food at the cafeteria, rather for you or the boss. Since he spent a lot of time in the same spot as you, the constant interaction was not avoidable at all. Even while your talks, everywhere but the floor was a better place to be standing on, which the 2099 unsurprisingly found annoying. A certain memory came to mind: he cut off your spiderweb, made you fly for a second, and then had lunch with you. All that in a period of 30 minutes approximately, hilarious to put it that way. By that time, you must have spent about' a couple of weeks of joining the society.

┄━═━┄

The 2099 was checking anomalies data in that floating and dramatic platform with the funny AI lady. When he called for you.

–Ah, yeah? I'm right here.– You said as you left yourself fall from the ceiling, already with a thin web that would hold you safely once you reached a level a bit higher than 2099's face.

–I know you're here, you're always here. If you're not on the walls you are hidden in a corner of the ceiling. It's certainly annoying.– O'Hara commented with throaty and toneless voice, then he relocated the conversation. –Did you upload the data i asked?–

–First of all. Why do you have so much problem with me being around in this room? I'm literally not bothering anyone, you yourself said I'm hidden.– You cleared your throat and then continued calmly. –And second, yeah I did, just after you ordered me to.– Supposing that was all, another thread of web came out from your free hand, pretending to swing away. But a tight grip surrounded your wrist, stopping you.

–Can't you stay still for a second? Are you a monkey or something?– The boss sounded a bit angry now.

He made a rough movement, snapping the web and provoking your fall. Hopefully O'Hara did it knowing you wouldn't actually get hurt, hopefully. Falling on your feet was not a big deal. Still very rude though.

Turning around on your toes in his direction, mockery was the chosen answer to deal with the situation.

–Not a monkey, I'm pretty sure I am quite literally more spider like.– Now you were messing with him. It wasn't your fault if he had a bad day, you didn't have to handle his cranky behavior every time he was stressed, which was frequent since tones of spider people joined the last two weeks, they have easily triplicated the number.

The 2099 rolled his eyes and tried to ignore you by talking to the AI. After taking a deep breath, his hand brushed his hair back to place.

–¿Ya comiste hoy?– You randomly asked in an annoyed sigh, getting the Dorito's eyes attention. –I've only seen you drink coffee since yesterday.– It was funny because you have proved that the boss got in a little better mood after having something decent to eat.

–No…no lo sé.– He returned his attention at the multiple screens, somehow avoiding your gaze.

–¿Recuerdas cuándo fue la última vez que comiste?– (Do you remember when was the last time you ate?)

–No.– O'Hara responded dryly. This man lacked self preservation when it came to basic health care routines. What a bonehead.

You left silently, and returned after about 15 minutes with two meals, each one on a hand. You were practical, not that much of a talker.

–Pedí algo nuevo, creo que te puede gustar.– (I bought something new, i think you may like it.) You said while raising his food container.

The 2099 didn't even look at you when a glowing thread stuck to the plastic on your raised hand.

–Hey!– You instantly grabbed the web and let your own container fall, hopefully nothing happened to your food. Most of the time you forgot how strong this man actually was, so when he occured to pull the freaking strand you were violently lifted from the ground as well.

The little flying trip to the platform ended abruptly by crashing towards the Dorito's chest. You grabbed his shoulder, trying to put yourself together.

–Dude, what the hell!– You exclaimed with a taut voice. –Say "gracias" at least.–

–Gracias.– O'Hara said with an ironic smirk. Asshole.

An annoyed growl escaped your mouth, and you let go of his shoulder. After jumping back off the platform you checked the fallen food container, still eatable. So lunch time finally started, not leaving the room at all.

The thought of insisting that O'Hara shouldn't eat while working invaded your mind. That was a bad habit too.

–Ahmm, boss. I'll say it once more, you shouldn't eat while working.– You talked in a ringing tone.

–I need to keep on–

–You'll do better if you recover your energy properly. Don't want to imagine you fainting in the middle of a fight due to malnutrition.– He slightly frowned when you interrupted him. Funny.

–If I go with you and have lunch. Will you shut up and let me do my work?–

–Pretty much so…eh, 60% of possibility.– Your hands moved in the air simulating a balance.

–I guess it is better than nothing.– He mumbled. –Find me a chair on the previous room or something, I'm reaching you.–

You smirked in success.

–Sure thing, Dorito.–

He hated that name, but you left before a possible answer. You grabbed a chair and sat on an edge of the table, careful of not throwing any near artifact. After a minute he appeared and started eating, despite of his efforts to not look starved, this man was eating too fast. When he finished his meal you weren't done with yours, so you offered the rest.

–I am not asking if you want. Come más.– (Eat more.) The boss didn't say anything, and with an vague air of shyness he took your plate and ate what was left.

–You honestly sound like a grandma sometimes.– There was his severe voice again.

–Good. Grandmas are the best.– You proudly declared with a grin on your face.

His smirk was slight and discreet, but noticeable enough to catch your eyes. O'Hara seemed to realize the eyeing, even if he didn't say a word. A moment of silence surrounded you both.

As soon as you caught yourself staring, clearing your throat was your immediate reaction.

–I'm glad you gave yourself a quick break. I will insist once in a while for you to take proper eating schedules.–

–As long as you're not too annoying, it's fine.– 2099 took a deep breath, and rubbed his eyes with his fingertips. –You don't have to... pero gracias.– The lasts words were pronounced in a mumble barely perceptible to the ear, but perceptible enough to your ear.

–No hay de qué, jefe.– (It is nothing, boss.)

[battyaboutbooksreviews]

🦇 Perfect on Paper Book Review 🦇

❓ #QOTD What's the best advice you've ever received or given? ❓ 🦇 High school junior Darcy Phillips has a secret identity as the relationship advice expert behind Locker 89. Leave a letter along with $10 and she'll provide the perfect solution to your relationship woes. So far, she hasn't been caught...that is, until Alexander Brougham catches her collecting letters. He'll keep her secret...if she can fix his relationship post-break-up, that is. Can Darcy help Brougham win his girlfriend back (without strangling the entitled, rich, yummy-Australian-accent-slinging swimmer) in the process?

💜 Perfect on Paper was nominated for a Goodreads Choice Award (Best Young Adult Fiction - 2021) and it's no wonder. This was the exact book bisexual baby me needed a decade ago. Though I've read a multitude of books featuring bisexual FMCs, Sophie Gonzales is the first to capture the authenticity of internalized biphobia. I'll admit I was sheltered enough that it took me a while to realize bi was even an option for me. Bisexual erasure didn't help; once I self-identified, I was given the oh-so-cliche, "that's not real," and "it's just a phase." Bitch, I'm a moon goddess; I'm in a new phase every day of my life. ANYWAY. Darcy is authentic in her concern that a crush over a guy invalidates her bi-ness. The Queer & Questioning Club scene where Darcy's community validates her was everything (and truly got me misty-eyed).

💜 The advice column aspect of the story was brilliant. Darcy's letters are written in a tone that's patient and empathetic yet informative and encouraging. She'd obviously done her research and it shows, but you see her mentally unravel the moment there's personal bias and it's BEAUTIFUL. Darcy isn't perfect. She's a high schooler, still figuring herself out. Yes, she's flawed, but she's also self-aware, willing to grow and change and take her own advice (or the advice she gets from her AMAZING trans big sister, who I adored).

💜 While this is a queer YA romance, there are so many layers beyond that. There's a mixed bag of diversity and personal trauma (and with that, potential for growth) to explore.

💙 The story DID take a minute to pick up speed, so the beginning left me waiting for a catalyst for momentum. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm no a fan of the miscommunication trope. HOWEVER, it does fit here, and proves how easily a tiny moment of misunderstanding can completely alter the course of a friendship. I did have to put the book down at one point, when Darcy's best friend outs her (I was super frustrated on Darcy's behalf because that betrayal was intense). I was disappointed that no one stepped forward and THANKED Darcy for her advice when she was getting attacked as the person behind Locker 89. People were upset BEFORE their letters were taken, but no one thanked Darcy until LONG after the situation cooled. Given Darcy's self-proclaimed success rate (was there a mention of HOW she knew she was successful, beyond the lack of refunds?), I expected a lot more praise for her abilities beyond one person.

🦇 Recommended to fans of Leah on the Offbeat and Imogen, Obviously, with a hint of To All the Boys I've Loved Before and Netflix's Sex Education.

✨ The Vibes ✨ 💌 Bisexual FMC (w/ Internalized Biphobia) 💌 Queer Young Adult Rom-Com 💌 Lots of Rep 💌 Hate-to-Love 💌 Friends to Lovers 💌 POC Sapphic Side Ship

💬 Quotes ❝ "Do you think there’s a chance that [...] you’re intellectualizing things so you don’t have to, you know, feel them?" ❞ ❝ I was sitting in the space between a sound and its echo. Brougham had asked a question, and I had to answer it. It was that, or keep dreaming about love, and working toward helping others find it, while never letting myself risk it. ❞ ❝ In some ways, we mirrored each other. We shared cracks in complementary places. ❞ ❝ Bi people are part of the queer community, and their identity does not change depending on who, if anyone, they happen to have feelings for or date at any given moment. ❞

[gorbagegorl]

thinking about my experience with the souls(bornering die twice) series

tried dark souls for the first time in like 2014 maybe? didn't have a controller i could connect to my pc so i played with mouse and keyboard. no dsfix. struggled for hours to make it to taurus demon and im not sure if i beat him. definitely got stuck on the bell gargoyles if i did. no summons bc i didn't know about them. it was such a tense and terrifying experience. killing every enemy every time, incredibly stressful to gain an inch of progress bc i knew i could lose it all at any time.

i tried bloodborne next and the opening bit of yharnam also had me stressed over every inch of progress. but i got past it and got pretty far into the game. it was fun to go fast and parry things. no summons again bc i didn't have ps plus. i think i stopped on the approach to mergo's wet nurse bc giant spiders started to show up, dropping onto u from above, and that was too scary for me.

tried ds1 again years later with dsfix and a proper controller. i got way further, making it to ornstein and smough but i couldn't beat them. no summons again, not because i didn't know how to use them but because i had fooled myself into believing that the "true" way to play dark souls was without them. the main feelings i remember from this run were frustration and anger. banging my head against a brick wall until it broke. getting frustrated when the wall wouldn't break after the most recent hit. getting angry when it hurt to hit my head against the wall. feeling nothing when i finally broke through.

i didn't try ds2 or 3 bc i hadn't finished ds1, and sekiro looked way too hard, so my next game was elden ring. no summons bc i still thought that was the best way to experience the game (did use spirit ashes and a ton of spells though.) again, i bashed my head against the brick wall until it broke, getting frustrated and angry when i died and not really feeling satisfied when i won. but i did win. it was the first souls game i beat. i even did Ranni's questline and got her ending, despite it being optional and hard. i had finally proved that i could beat a souls game the "intended way." and again, it mostly just made me feel frustrated and angry. after all that effort i learned that it would have probably been much more fun if i had just used summons. i enjoyed the exploration though and my appreciation for the combat grew while learning how to fight some of the world bosses (specifically the magma wyrms.) despite my anger and frustration i enjoyed elden ring enough to put over 100 hours into it, eventually trying out randomizers and the seamless co-op mod as well. i think the most important thing i took from my time with elden ring was getting so used to fromsoft controlls it became like second nature. being able to run while keeping an eye on the boss, without lock-on, can be unbelievably helpful in certain situations, and i would not have been able to tackle the next game without that familiarity.

next was sekiro. sekiro pissed me off more than any game i had ever played before, and it is the game that finally made the souls series fully click for me. it was frustrating to adapt to sekiro's style of play after 100+ hours of elden ring, frustrating to have no choice but to approach bosses with the sparse (compared to other games mentioned) options provided by the game, frustrating to still feel like the only option was to bang my head against a brick wall until it broke. i actually made two attempts at playing sekiro, the first of which ended at lady butterfly- i didn't understand how sekiro's combat rhythm differed from fromsoft's other games, so i felt like it was impossible to make progress in the fight, got mad (especially on juzou) and quit. my second time trying sekiro i fought gyoubu before attempting lady butterfly, which worked out way better and gave me a feel for the rhythms of the game. this time when i fought lady butterfly, i understood what the game wanted from me and i felt i had a chance at seeing an ending. i would still get frustrated and angry but once in a while i would actually feel satisfied after a fight; i could see what the game wanted me to do and i delivered. no longer would i launch assaults of the cranium upon the brick wall with no end in sight, i could now read the game and see a path through.

then i fought Owl (father.) Owl (father) was the most Piss Me Off fight i had ever fought. i could learn when to be agressive, what to punish, how to parry parriable moves, but it did not lead to victory. i would maximize the uptime of my agression and owl would end up maneuvering us into a corner where i could not see or effectively avoid certain attacks. i would attempt to punish a move i had punished dozens of times before only to discover that the contours of the dirt floor of the arena had positioned us in such a way that my attack would just barely miss, allowing owl to hit or even kill me with an attack that was normally safe to punish. i would parry and dodge perfectly, reach his second phase, bring him down to a sliver of health, only for his fire-owl summon to get caught on a pillar in a way that delayed its movement to punish my regular dodge timing that usually worked for that move. this fight pissed me off so fucking much. i got embarrassingly mad. it took me three days to beat him. i did not feel satisfied. but this was the last time i didn't feel some kind of satisfaction from beating a boss in these games, and after this fight i felt that the souls games finally fully clicked for me. it's hard to articulate but it's like i had a better sense of what was and was not my fault when i died in these games, as well as being more capable of working around things that were unfair. after three days of seeing exactly how to beat this boss and having my plans foiled by quirks of level geometry, i slowly realized that that kind of situation had basically never happened before or since. and when i do encounter some capital b Bullshit i can quickly figure out how to avoid or mitigate it as much as possible. three days of walking a straight path up a hill and falling flat on my face after tripping on a rock i hadn't noticed before taught me that if i see a path to the end i absolutely can make it, i just need to accept that sometimes i will still fail. it was an infuriating lesson to learn in the moment, but it has greatly improved my enjoyment of these games. i defeated isshin with a smile on my face, each new move and phase that killed me a joyous expression of how fucking cool games can be.

i still get frustrated and a little mad at these games but nowhere near what i felt before. but finally, every part of these games was fun. i tackle new bosses from the elden ring dlc with the same enthusiasm with which i finished sekiro.

idk if i had a point i was working towards. i guess it's that u can absolutely get into the souls games by playing it the Pure way, spending dozens upon dozens of hours with mounting anger and frustration and no help, but you could also just have fun and use summons while you can bc ultimately what's important is spending time getting used to the quirks of these games (also bc summons aren't available in sekiro and you should play sekiro :3)

[femmefatalevibe]

Hi :)

I have a bit of an internal dilemma surrounding sex.

I'm in my mid 20's & had sex for the first time with a man who made me feel safe and cared for it was just such a special connection, unfortunately, we live on different continents but planned to meet again to go exploring in a different country together because we really wanted to see each other again, and that was fun and exciting. It's been like a condensed gentle and passionate relationship but it's not practical for us to be together.

A part of me feels "spoilt" & that makes me want to regret having slept with someone who I couldn't really be with long-term but that's only because I'm struggling after putting my virginity on such a high pedestal for so long. It made me realise maybe I tied my value to that which is what a lot of young women do & I wish I knew where to turn to help myself be okay with this because I feel like sex is a very polarised topic amongst women. I'm not into casual hook-ups & don't believe I will be but I don't want to purity culture & waiting to marriage to dictate my life especially now since I'm "tainted".

Where is the balance between the two? I feel too ashamed to even mention this to my therapist because I have an irrational fear of been judged or seen a particular way.

I've always been comfortable with my body so it's not that but I guess. figuring out how to process my sexuality going forward. I was raised in a moderately religious (Catholic) family but I'd say I've been more spiritual than religious since I was 13 because I didn't agree with everything, and I've always supported women doing what they want with their bodies but I'm confused about it when it comes to me. I'd describe myself as more of the gamine, girly, free-spirit, and highly sensitive if that helps with your advice for me or any other women like me or in this situation.

I appreciate your thoughtful responses & the content you share. Please feel free to reply whenever you get the time & inspiration to do so.

Sending love.

Hi love! I'm so glad to hear that you had a positive first sexual experience even if you live in different parts of the world and cannot be with each other long term (these situations are so frustrating – completely empathize with your frustration and sadness over this matter).

Good for you to want to move past this black-and-white thinking around sex and your sexuality. Purity culture is so toxic. Unlearning the shame that comes with a religious upbringing can be difficult. Please remember, though, that no one is "tainted" from engaging in such a natural act with someone they have chemistry with. The only "damage" that can happen from consensual sex is STDs or unwanted pregnancy if you don't use protection.

From what I've seen, religious indoctrination tends to promote an otherness around sex – it is a purpose-driven act (uphold a marriage, create children), rather than an innate desire that matures just like the rest of your being (body, mind, spirit). Once you consider that your sexuality is simply a part of your human existence – like your desire for certain foods, emotions, interpersonal connections, sensory experiences, and creativity – it is easier to perceive sex as a morally-neutral act.

Because one's sexuality is so personal, you need to learn, explore, and accept your preferences at any given stage in your life. If you find the idea of casual sex or purely physically-driven sex to be unappealing, that is completely fine. Some people prefer to have sex with someone only after they've established an emotional connection or were friends with the person beforehand. It's like someone preferring smooth or chunky peanut butter. You might not understand why someone likes the other option, and you might change your mind over time, but neither option is inherently "good" nor "bad." Either option should align with your personal preference to ensure you're getting the most pleasure and satisfaction out of the experience.

I know it might feel uncomfortable at first, but, if you have a good therapist, it could be very helpful for you to speak about your reservations and underlying shame around sex in a safe space as you get to learn and explore this side of yourself. If you feel more comfortable chatting in private about this, I'm sharing my one-on-one chat session link here: https://calendly.com/femmefatalevibe/30min?month=2023-04.

Hope this helps xx

[the-owl-tree]

Hi! Could you talk about Ryepelt and/or Poolmask? I loved the story you wrote about them and would love to know more about them in general and their whole dynamic

YES ANON TY FOR GIVING ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT THEM!! they are the two i've had the most clear story ideas for since they're kind of my most ""canon"" nextgen kits

Ryepelt and Poolmask have a...tumultuous relationship. They're family, sure, but family doesn't always have to get along, especially for two cats so opposite from one another. While Poolmask is serious, stern, orderly, quiet, and prefers to keep to himself; Ryepelt is outgoing, mischievous, messy, and still, as a warrior, struggles to use her 'indoor voice'. Despite being opposites, Ryepelt still makes an effort to try and talk to her cousin, making time to see if she can join him on herb gathering, try and share fresh-kill and, if she's feeling especially resigned, even take on the mind-numbing task of organizing herbs with him.

Still, even with her effort, Poolmask keeps his distance and Ryepelt feels herself growing more and more frustrated and misses her old best friend even more.

(this more plot stuff)

As kittens, the two were actually very close, having been born around the same time (with Rye being older). Pool was a shy little kit and struggled a lot with going outside, even with his mother's encouragement. It was Ryekit, with her boisterous can-do attitude that managed to give him the courage to try and do things for himself. From there, the two were essentially inseparable with Ryekit leading the charge and Poolkit right there alongside her (though usually he would stick around the aftermath of her mess to try and clean it up). While their friendship is far from perfect, with Ryekit often blaming Poolkit for her misdeeds or him being disgusted by her messiness, it's something special to them, with Ryekit not minding when Poolkit didn't want to talk or Poolkit believing Ryekit when she swore, for once, she didn't do something.

It was that close bond that, in true Po3 spawn tradition, lead them to sneaking out of the camp the night on the night of their apprentices ceremonies - a tradition made by the other apprentices to welcome new kits into the den. In what was suppose to be a quick trip to the Ancient Oak, turned into a nightmare as the two found themselves lost in the woods and eventually stuck in a not-very-well-hidden empty cave after a storm hit. With nothing but time to lose, Ryepaw insists they explore, a way cooler discovery then marking some dumb tree in her opinion, and without any other options, opts to follow her in.

The caves are dark and winding, the sound of water dripping in the distance and Poolpaw can feel his breath getting tighter as the walls around them feel as though they're closing in. In his panic, the two are separated in the dark tunnels and Pool shuts down, terrified and struggling to breath. Ryepaw tries to urge him forward, starting to get creeped out herself by the dark ancient tunnels and stiffens in horror at the scent that hits her: fox. Desperate to save her cousin and herself, she tries to urge the immobile Poolpaw to move already but he's frozen stiff in his panic and she can only listen as the pawsteps of the creature get louder and louder.

There, in the darkness, with yellow eyes stares down the ragged and hungry-looking fox while Rye desperately tries to tug her much bigger cousin back. But Poolpaw won't budge, staring ahead with glassy and ragged breathing, and so, Ryepaw makes a choice as the fox stalks close.

She turns and runs, fear, desperation, and pure terror fueling every pawstep.

It's not too far as she runs that a black-furred cat darts passed her, expertly navigating the tunnels before launching itself at the fox before it can even get a hair on her child's back. Hollystar (in this universe!) fearlessly attacks the fox, bringing a patrol with her after the missing apprentices and drives it away. From there she lies with her only son, gently licking his back to soothe him from his fear and murmuring reassurance while Ryepaw can only stare.

Shaken, terrified, and now riddled with guilt, Ryepaw can only stare at her poor crying cousin and furiously feel ashamed of herself. It's only when Berrynose, surprisingly soft with the apprentice, gently snaps her from her stupor and helps guide her out from some fresh air.

The two's friendship is never the same again. Poolmask still feels that sting of abandonment, acutely aware that she had turned and fled to leave him to die even if he can understand why. Ryepelt is riddled with guilt from the incident but the more and more rejected she is by Pool the more frustrated she gets, it was moon ago! Why can't he just get over it? It wasn't like he actually died...even if he almost did.

eventually i think the two would work things out, either by talking it out or some fun mirror situation where pool gets attacked again like the fox magnet he is and rye comes to help him

i do plan on doing some more art and writing once i've ""canonized"" the nextgens lol not everyone will survive </3

[alicefromtheabyss]

1. The Switch is pretty neat I guess. I also absolutely love the DS/3DS line of systems. But currently, I play most of my games on PC for, uh, *puts on pirate hat*, reasons

2. In no particular order, Pokemon White Version/Pokemon HeartGold Versiin, Xenoblade Chronicles Definitive edition, Octopath Traveler, Hollow Knight, Xenogears

3. The Radiance, because I get to live out my fantasy of beating the shit out of the sun

4. Ughhh, there are so many good ones. But if I'd have to narrow it down to one, it would probably be XBC.

5. So, the first gym in Pokemon BW always makes you fight the gym leader with the elemental monkey that's strong against your starter. What you are supposed to do is go talk to that one girl in the Dreamyard who gives you the monkey that's strong against the gym leader's. But because, as a kid, I basically never talked to npcs or engaged in proper exploration, I didn't get the monkey until after I had already beaten the gym. So what did I do? I grinded my Snivy to level 16 and overpowered the gym leader through sheer force.

6. Pokemon White Version

7. Haven't finished it yet, but Trails in the Sky (pretty good so far!)

8. Ys 10 Nordics

9. *sigh* fire emblem heroes. probably. but if we're talking about genuinely respectable games here, Pokemon HG

10. Also Pokemon HG.

11. JRPGs of all kinds, be it turn based, action or strategy. Metroidvanias are a close second.

12. Samus Aran

13. Grimm

14. Ys 5? Maybe? That game isn't really bad, it's just...kinda undercooked in a lot of ways.

15. Thracia 776. That entire game is a certified Kaga Moment

16. Singleplayer

17. Not anymore, fortunately.

18. There's quite a few, with the most recent one I can think of being the PSX version of Grandia.

19. XBC

20. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 broke me twice, with both times being during moments I had already been spoiled on.

21. XBC2 (again). I thought I'd like the gameplay but not the story, and ended up loving this game about as much as the first one.

22. Yeah, I guess

23. I mostly just go with whoever has the best drip, which, in most cases, just so happens to be the female option.

24. Probably in the world of Pokemon. I mean, it's literally just our world, except better, and with even funkier animals.

25. Gaur Plains, though Valak Mountain is also up there, as are a lot of other snowy areas in games. Also like a bunch of areas from XBC2. These games just have the best world design imo, so much fun to just run around in.

26. Swamps, especially poisonous ones (sorry miyazaki)

27. Metroid Prime

28. Yes

29. Pokemon White Version

30. Depends on the game. But a good OST is something that any game should have.

31. Pokemon White 2 for being Pokemon White 2 and also having like the most stuff to do in the entire series

32. I haven't really ever rage quit a game, but I have taken breaks or even dropped games due to getting frustrated. For example, FF2. That game isn't nearly as bad as people say it is, but it also is a game that is actively hostile to the player, and as such, can be kinda exhausting to play.

33. I could figure out how to deal damage to a specific boss in Metroid Dread despite it being pretty obvious.

34. That one sequence in Xenogears where Bart's butler guy comes in to save them on that crab helicopter thing

35. Uhhh I have a few plushies if that counts

36. Sigurd from fe4 if you know what I mean

37. Uhh fuck Klavier ace attorney, marry Testament guilty gear, kill The Radiance (I hate the sun)

38. I like XBC2 more than XBC3. Actually, liking XBC2 in general could be considered an unpopular opinion.

39. Silksong

40. The og Secret of Mana boxart. That shit deserves to be framed and hung on a wall.

Video Game Related Asks for Gaymers!

Platform of choice when gaming?

Top 5 games of all time.

Favorite boss?

Best game soundtrack (full album or single track)?

Most memorable gaming moment?

First game you ever played?

Most recent game you played?

Most anticipated upcoming game?

Most hours you’ve put into a single game?

Game you’ve replayed the most?

Favorite game genre?

Favorite game character?

Coolest enemy/boss design?

Worst game you’ve ever played?

Hardest game you’ve ever played?

Single player, multiplayer, or both?

Do you play mobile games?

A game you started, but never finished.

A game that you wish you could play for the first time again.

A game that made you cry.

A game you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving?

Do you watch any other gamers?

Do you typically choose to play a male or female character (when asked to pick)?

If you could live in one of the games you’ve played, which one would it be?

Favorite environment in a game?

Least favorite environmental hazard (e.g. poison swamp, fire/lava, etc.)

A popular game that you just can’t get into.

Do you still buy physical games?

Favorite childhood game?

Favorite aspect of a game (e.g. exploration, combat, fashion/customization, environments, graphics, bosses, roleplaying, etc.)

If you could only play one game for the rest of your life, what would it be?

Have you ever rage quit a game? If so, what game and what caused the rage quit?

Most embarrassing gaming moment.

Funniest gaming moment.

Do you own any gaming themed memorabilia? (e.g. collector’s editions, posters, prop replicas, statues, clothing, etc.)

Hottest video game character?

Kill, Fuck, Marry (choose three characters)

An unpopular gaming opinion you have.

What’s something you want to see in the future of gaming?

Best game cover art.

[todayimgonnaplay]

Today I'm Gonna Play: Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

The only Ys game I've played so far is IX: Monstrum Nox, and I've heard lots of praise for VIII. I've been putting it off but had some folks recommend the game to me which finally pushed me to play it.

What seems to be a staple in Ys seems to be what this series is really good at. Fast-paced combat with barely any input lag, a bunch of monsters to beat up to your liking, and a range of (somewhat flashy) skills you can use to wipe the floor. I think it works great for people that are into beat em' ups and hack and slash. Both titles focus on exploration as well, but the difference between IX and VIII is that the latter is more of an open world, with a castaway island setting where the cast has to survive and discover the mysteries behind the Isle of Seiren. On paper, this sounds really exciting and it does seem to have success on practice. But personally, this has not worked out for me. The map is by no means massive to the likes of a triple A title like GTA, but I don't think small open worlds work either. Much of the map feels repetitive with it having a sprinkle of resources to find for crafting or side quests, maybe a specific area or two that could be designated as a landmark, which is really just for completionist purposes and nothing else (I think it would've served as a good way to use fast travel, since they're landmarks), and a BUNCH of monsters littered about. I'm fine with fighting them as that's the main aspect of combat, but I felt that this quickly started to get stale compared to IX. My biggest gripe with the map is its design, which can thankfully be remedied via the options menu. By default, the minimap has a dynamic compass feature that moves as your character moves and rotates. If you're not good at reading directions like me, this makes traversing extremely frustrating and you'll end up running around in circles wondering how to get to another area. I nearly wanted to quit the game until I found out you could set the compass to static, making it much more easy for me to progress. But even then, I could notice its minimap system is a little lacking compared to IX, which to me has now become the gold standard of navigating in JRPGs. But I can't blame the game since this is a previous title.

The story is intriguing, as it follows a classic formula of being in an undiscovered location filled with mystery, most notably about an entire civilization as well as creatures roaming about. It's perfect for those who love adventure which is what Ys is all about. It does have a couple hiccups though where there was a sudden tonal shift that didn't really add much to the overall story. Some parts about the reason of conflict/plot in the game didn't feel persuasive enough for me to support what the cast was fighting for. But as usual, Ys' endings leave a bittersweet feeling in my heart whenever I finish them. I can't seem to connect with the characters much in this title compared to IX, they seem to be a little more tropey (such as having a tsundere, or a pompous noble that gets barely any repercussions from others for the trouble they cause) although they do show some growth as the game progresses. There was also a weird part that suddenly introduced a murder mystery subplot, which I felt was unnecessary. It didn't really add much to the game other than just get rid of some characters that hinders the exploration part of the gampeplay. The character designs also seem to be really odd apart from a few. One would think (apart from Adol who does get a costume change) that characters may want to change clothes while being castaway to something more suitable for the situation and climate, but the game instead focuses on making their clothes fit their background/personality instead. This would be good as an introduction, but a wardrobe change wouldn't hurt, I think. A good example of a simple change could be from Persona 3 Reload, where the main cast now has access to outfits that look battle ready instead of fighting off Shadows in just their school uniform.

There are a couple aspects that I really do like about the game. One is notably the music. I've heard good things about Sunshine Coastline and it definitely doesn't miss! What I also love is the main theme of the game. It's been a really long time where a main theme impresses me from the first listen without some nostalgia factor being attached to it. Each track really fits the mood of what's going on; calming you in this mysterious yet serene island, or pumping you up to get into fighting off enemies. The second thing I like are the render images in the skills menu, showing everyone's serious faces with a dynamic pose gets me fired up when I equip new skills, It sets a nice example of UX in action.

Overall, I feel a little sad that I can't experience the joy that other players feel when they praise this title. But then again, I seem to like titles like IX which people seem to dislike, so it's interesting to see how opinions can differ. I'm glad to have given this a shot anyway, and wouldn't discourage anyone from trying it out. Heck, you might end up loving it.

[autumn-foxfire]

I had one strange dream. So we're in this dark location, which looks like a cross between a fun house and some building with winding hallways. The POV has you climbing upwards through something that feels like the walls have the quality of a bounce house, but more solid. And that's when you're in the hallways, and somehow I'm just gonna assume I'm moving through Hawks' eyes here, we see a door and we're like "yeah no, we're cutting to the chase here" because we're impatient, so we're skipping to the final location instead of preparing or exploring, the final Challenge- The Elite Four Battle, yeah turns out this building is apparently Indigo Plateau, but with the halls and more walking options I guess it's more like something outta BW, (ignore that I never really played those games and am going off a screenshot memory) but it's so cramped in here, and there's the first battle, for some reason Ghost, Agatha. (Okay this clearly feels like it's based off my memory of Pokemon Rocket Red Edition, which has some wild implications on what Hawks is doing here. Dw he's on the good side but man this storyline meshed with bnha? I can't imagine.)

And there's other people there, PLF minions? And instead of Pokemon we're trying to kick a soccer ball but where it sometimes looks like a strong kick, no matter how hard we push or imagine it, our movements end up sluggish and miss it. It's frustrating because we keep "seeing" a quick, fast kick they can't block but it never happens. My brain creates a question of "should we get the battle moved to an open area?" and Hawks is like "no, we need to do it here. The rooms are designed to process victories and the doors will keep opening up to where we need to go next. There's an automated system that'll make an announcement that we've won to everyone in the building, it'll be official that way." Well ok then.

Yeah there's a banner up there that shows the names of challengers, wonder what he's trying to do? I'm guessing onwards to becoming the Champion and saving the world from corruption. Scene jump. There's a pantry with a bunch of feathers, but they seem to be painted blue halfway? And lots of disposable gloves. Hawks for some reason is deciding how many gloves are safe to offer up because apparently he's still trying to infiltrate PLF and idk what the gloves are gonna do for you boy, that's better off offered to Overhaul. Scene cut. Hawks is talking to some PLF guys who seem like they're questioning their alliance, maybe to help them? Scene cut. He's now talking to Dabi and we're in a slightly bigger room, but that's because the old battle room has been cleared out of people and whatever huge blockades there were, there's now these trinkets scattered all over the ground and Dabi says he cleaned it up but my brain is grumbling because he didn't do a good job likely on purpose, so I force my dream to manifest a huge ghostly hand to push everything to the side because Dabi really could've made a pile instead of slyly grinning at us acting like that was the best he could do. Yeah great job telling the people to go away, why did you want a private audience with us, that was the real reason right? Those objects weren't there last time and imagine someone placing colorful ping pong balls neatly on the ground and saying that was "cleaned up" it looks like that's all you can do because they're each taking up a certain amount of space but they can be piled and shoved in a corner to take up even less. This is just mischievous cat/toddler behavior. Also apparently the whole "Dabi exposes Hawks' history" reveal also happened here, not sure how that played into what actions we took. I remember I really liked their dialogue and I wanted to write it down because it was Top Tier DabiHawks Convos but y'know, it's a dream and I didn't remember it waking up 🥲

Dreams are crazy XD

Not how I would expect a BNHA/Pokemon fusion to go though. Love how even in dreams Dabi is an annoying bastard and Hawks is all down to business.

[voidcataro]

how do i know if im trans?

first of all, if you're currently questioning your gender, or even tentatively considering poking it with a stick, congratulations!! welcome to the world of 5D gender chess, we've got a broad and nuanced range of excellent genders to choose from, or feel free to make your own <3

with that out of the way, here's a secret: the first step to figuring out your gender... is Not Knowing. you may find yourself spending a lot of time on this step.. that's normal. it's frustrating for a lot of us, because we want answers right away, but the truth about gender is there's no right or wrong way to do it, and there's no secret indicator bound to the very essence of your soul with your One True Gender written on it. gender is a made up concept that shapes our lives and its implementation is pretty much entirely subjective. some people have an easier time figuring out what they want out of gender than others, and that's okay.

but how do i know what i want? you might ask. if you ask most cis people how they know what their gender is they'll probably tell you they "just know". that's not really helpful though, especially if you suspect your gender might be a little spicier than your typical 'male' or 'female' options. for me, questioning my gender was a little bit like being introduced to an extensive menu of diverse food choices after eating pretty much the same simple meal every day of my life. as soon as i realized there was something else, i never wanted to go back; but i didn't know what i'd like best, either. the only way for me to get a feel for what i wanted was to try things that looked good. this advice likely won't work for absolutely everyone, but it's a decent starting place for just about anyone. pay attention to gender presentations, labels, pronouns etc. that interest you, and try them out. it's okay to go through and taste a little of everything in a short time before deciding on something to explore more deeply; it's okay to spend a lot of time savoring something only to change your mind and go for something completely different later; follow what feels natural to you, and don't worry about getting it right the first time. you'll always have room to change your mind later and try something different.

to extend the food metaphor a little bit, it's important to remember that there's more than one way to prepare a particular food. some people can only enjoy vegetables prepared a certain way, for instance. there's many ways to view and inhabit a given gender. the first couple times i tried out being male felt.. almost right, but there was something off about the experience that made me shy away from it several times before i found a kind of masculinity i'm comfortable and happy in. if you find yourself coming back to a particular gender more than once but can't seem to make it fit, i recommend exploring queer and nonconforming flavors to see if you like any of those better. i have a trans woman friend who's very tomboyish and will never ever wear a skirt, and another friend who's the strongest butchest bravest person i've ever met and everything about her makes way more sense since she came out to me as a woman. i wasn't happy with my own gender until i realized that i could be soft and gentle and vulnerable and silly and not be any less strong or any less masculine for it.

it's important to note here that you're not obligated to choose only one gender, either. the food metaphor works here too: lots of people prefer to keep their meals simple and consistent, or have a particular staple they always come back to, but it's normal and common to switch things up now and then. sometimes for a special occasion, sometimes Just Because, but most people's genders aren't truly static. there's a lot of nuance and give to every gender. there's infinite ways to make a sandwich, and people can argue in endless circles about the true ontological distinction between a sandwich and a salad, but at the end of the day it's nobody's business but yours what shape your daily nourishment comes in.

a note on safety: while recent legalization of gay marriage in the US and proliferation of queer spaces on the internet has created a lot of opportunity for queer people to find accepting communities, it's still by and large a huge social risk to be out as trans in irl spaces, especially in conservative rural areas and many religious spaces. it is vital to protect your own safety and the safety of your queer friends in spaces that have not demonstrated genuine acceptance of and solidarity to queer identities, so be mindful of what information you share and with whom. on a lighter note, it's difficult to try out varying gender presentations and pronouns etc. without a supportive social circle to reflect your presentation back at you and allow you to experiment with being seen as a different gender. after all, gender is a social construct; it's an important aspect of relating to other people, so it's all but impossible to explore in a vacuum.

last but not least: remember that you do not have to change yourself to fit your preferred gender. anyone with any set of traits can be any gender they like. it's not about what social role fits you best, it's not about your body, it's about how you interpret yourself and what interpretation makes you feel the most like yourself.

gender is your playground now; have fun, try new things, and eventually you will find yourself knowing what you like and what you want. and it's normal and fine if what you want changes from time to time; change is a natural part of life.