#thinking of releasing a preset again

[windslar]

messing around reshade while waiting for the nine kids in this neighbourhood to ring my doorbell

[paluding]

MODDERS WANTED!

Maxis lost and found: Sims 2 werewolf faces?

Nope, I didn't use any custom face templates or sliders to make this render. This werewolf face IS in the game! Once again, nothing to download here, at least not for now. Hopefully we can make this an actual thing. All the details and research under the cut 🐺

So I was digging through the Pets EP files the other day for a project I had in mind when I found these meshes:

The "Arch" in the name caught my attention, because that's how the CAS face templates are named as well, so when I loaded the preview I found these really cool werewolf faces!

That got me thinking… this was probably intended for the werewolf transformations, right? Looks like the devs scrapped this idea on the final Pets release. @/hypersaline already restored the werewolf fangs, and I was wondering if it would be possible to restore these faces too.

Are "temporary face sliders" overlays even a thing in this game? The closest interaction I can think of is the Plastic Surgery station and its preset faces for the failed surgeries, but those just create a new face in the genetic data of the Sim, which is permanent unless the player gives them another plastic surgery session. The ideal thing would be morphing the face with these "sliders" when they transform into werewolves, and then remove them once they go back to their human shape.

Anyway, I figured I could extract the meshes and see if I could preview the faces in Blender just to showcase them. The files are pretty broken, they don't even have a UV map and the vertex order is all over the place. So after some tedious vertex snapping shenaningans I kinda remade them in Blender. Here's how they all look, compared to the base second face template in the game:

Adult Female Face (afArchLycan):

Adult Male Face (amArchLycan):

Teen Female Face (tfArchLycan):

Teen Male Face (tmArchLycan):

No elder faces as far as I know, and obviously children werewolves aren't a thing in the vanilla game.

The modding skills needed to restore something like this (if it's even possible) are way out of my scope. So yeah, if any modder knows a trick or two about how to implement this face transformation back in the game and feels brave enough to give this a try, please count me in! My DMs are open. I'll be more than happy to help with anything I'm able to on the meshing department 🙇‍♂️

Until then, at least here's a showcase archived of what could have been for Sims 2 werewolves 🌝

[noideabutsims]

Donut Co. Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs 📢 Simmers, Are Your Sims STILL Stepping Onto Snore-fest Rugs?! 😴 (We're Looking at You, EA!) 📢

Let's be real, folks. Finding decent rugs in the Sims 4 is like searching for a unicorn in a haystack. You spend hours scouring the build catalog, only to be greeted by a sea of beige, blah, and just plain BORING. 😫

And don't even get us started on the elusive "half rug." Seriously, EA, where are they hiding? Did they get lost in a time portal? Are they being held hostage by a rogue pack of Build Mode gnomes? We need more options! 😤

But fear not, fellow decorators! Donut Co. is here to rescue your Sims' floors (and your sanity!) with our Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs! ✨

These aren't your grandma's rugs, folks. We're talking vibrant, playful masterpieces that'll make your Sims want to ditch their shoes and do a happy dance! 💃

🌈 A Rainbow of Possibilities:

Whimsical Rainbows: Step into a world of color with our signature rainbow arch designs.

Playful Rubber Duckies: Add a touch of whimsy to your Sims' bathrooms (because who doesn't love a rubber ducky serenade in the shower?).

Blooming Leaves: Bring the beauty of nature indoors (without the risk of your Sims forgetting to water them... again).

Enchanted Mushrooms: Step into a fairytale with these whimsical mushroom designs (no, they won't make your Sims trip out... we think).

Unique Designs: For those who love a touch of abstract flair (and maybe a little mystery).

✨ Why You'll Love Them:

Perfect for Entryways & Bathrooms: Finally, a rug that's the perfect size for those often-overlooked spaces! No more awkwardly oversized rugs in your tiny bathrooms!

Plush & Comfy: Your Sims will love sinking their toes into these soft, inviting textures (it's like walking on a cloud... but without the fear of falling through).

Vibrant & Playful: Add a pop of personality and charm to any room (because let's face it, beige is SO last century).

So, ditch those snooze-fest bath mats and welcome your Sims home with a burst of color and comfort! Donut Co.'s Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs are here to transform your Sims' homes into havens of style and personality. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GUYS - A friend of mine saw my rugs while WIP and has decided to make some wallpapers to go along with them - Using my png files!! So they will match exactly to these rugs! They're already a wonderful cc creator - so you should definitely check them out; but be sure to watch out for the wallpapers coming really soon! Xx (They look amazing already!!!!) Find them here: https://crimsonrozes.tumblr.com/ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All images have my reshade on - You can find no reshade images on the patreon and curseforge posts!*** If you are interested in my reshade, or want to see how much it changes the color - you can find it here: https://www.tumblr.com/noideabutsims/763209634729345024/remember-those-days-reshade-preset-guess-what?source=share ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Has 17 swatches New mesh

All of our CC can be found by typing " Donut " into the search bar! Name: Donut Co. Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs Buy Mode Description: "Add a splash of personality to your Sims' entryways and bathrooms with Donut Co.'s Rainboho-tastic - Halfway There Rugs! These vibrant creations blend playful patterns and eye-catching colors to transform those often-overlooked spaces.

Imagine your Sims stepping onto a plush rainbow archway as they enter their home, or sinking their toes into a cloud of softness after a relaxing bath. With whimsical rainbows, playful rubber duckies, blooming florals, enchanting mushrooms, and unique rainbow swirls, there's a design for every style.

So ditch those boring bath mats and welcome your Sims home with a burst of color and comfort!

Woah-oh - You're halfway there - to having the best rugs in town! XD" Will be releasing more content soon! stay tuned! ❤️ (NOT affiliated with EA or Maxis in any way! We just make CC!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DOWNLOAD: Curseforge: https://legacy.curseforge.com/sims4/build-buy/donut-co-rainboho-tastic-halfway-there-rugs Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/posts/116930384 Google Drive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1MF3sWv5ZzL10PgM_kNZZ6pJZfN5hhIPe/view?usp=sharing ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Due to financial issues and our promise of never paywalling our content; We have to ask that you guys download on our curseforge if you are willing and able. Just using their site to download makes us be able to have at least a small income that helps us when things get tough - however no matter where you download; we genuinely appreciate every download regardless!! If you can, you can find our curseforge here!: https://legacy.curseforge.com/members/the_lady_gaia/projects

Download it today and let the color explosion begin! 🌈✨ @alwaysfreecc @maxismatchccworld

[sundays-sims]

× NAVIGATION ×

patreon   |  TOU  |  instagram  |  download section

× FAQ ×

“This link is broken or doesn’t exist anymore” and “Where can I find X set”

head over my blog’s download section to have access to a list of all my free content; this is an easy-to-navigate list, with direct download links (mediafire or patreon) & includes all my older sets that had broken links.

→  download section  ←

“This bed is broken”

when the game adds new features through updates, it can break certain type of content; to update my beds & have them work properly again, you will need to re-download them here :

→  beds update  ←

“Where can I download your builds?”

my builds & rooms are not available for downloads because I do not keep them myself. I usually create simple rooms only to showcase my content & take pictures, I then delete them.

“What ReShade/GShade do you use & where can I download it?”

my GShade presets are all my own personal presets. I think that one’s preset is such nice way to add a unique touch to pictures & I won’t share any of my presets for that reason.

“Do you allow recolors & conversions to other Sims games?”

yes. I allow recolors & conversions (to Sims games ONLY), as long as my content is already released for free & out of early access. For more information, please read my terms of use;

→  terms of use / t.o.u  ←

“I just downloaded X set, and my game won’t start”

this can happen for a few reasons; your game isn’t up to date, you have a lot of duplicate packages, or files got corrupted while downloading. If you download a lot of fully finished builds with merged cc (or into different files), you could end up with a lot of duplicates of the same object. This could cause your game to be slower or even not start at all. Secondly, downloading a lot of files at the same time, especially on patreon, seems to be causing problems & corrupting files. The corrupted files will cause your game to either crash at start or give you an error message. Try taking the last files you downloaded out of your Mod folder and re-downloading the set, or sets, only one part at the time. This seems to always work for me. My content is tested by multiple people (and me) before uploading & I would not upload broken content. If you are facing issues with an older set of mine, it is most likely a problem that occurred while downloading or with your game/mod folder. I am always happy to help when it comes to my content, but I will not “fix” any other creator’s content. In short, make sure to check for: - batch fix (e.g. broken beds updates) - game updates - cc duplicates - corrupted files Lastly, if you did all the above, and are still having problems, do not hesitate to send me a direct message (DM). When it comes to troubleshooting, I will not answer comments below posts for the simple reason that it makes it difficult to have a conversation. Going back and forth with replies into a comment section makes it too difficult since it will most likely require going through a few steps to solve any further issues.

"Do you do commission work?"

no, I dont. I often take suggestions or make small polls on my social media (insta & patreon), feel free to follow me & participate in those, send me pictures of things you like etc.

"Are you WCIF friendly?"

yes. I will do my best to remember where it was from, but since I don't keep any builds in my game, it can sometimes be difficult. Also, please note that I often write a small WCIF section at the end of my posts, take the time to read all the way down!

Thank you all for being here, supporting my work & taking the time to read.

S. xx

[pictureamoebae]

Hey! First of all I’d like to thank you for all the help and resources you provide to the community! I had some questions about updating to the new version of reshade. I use 5.9.2, and never used any other version. But I’d like to update so I can use the immerse ultimate shaders.

Will updating mess up my current presets at all? And in order to update do I have to uninstall or remove anything I have currently or just run the setup for the new version of reshade?

If I’ve paid for the immerse shaders before, do I have to pay again for the update or are updates free?

Also, is it the newest version you’re using in your YouTube video? The UI seems different and I love the relight spheres being slightly transparent. Would you recommend the update?

Sorry for all the questions lol Thanks in advance!!

I love an in-depth ask anon lol

The important thing when updating ReShade, to make sure your presets look the same, is that you have all the required shaders. I recommend going through your presets and noting which shaders they use, so then when you update you can check them off, and grab any you don't have. Make a backup of your current set of shaders and textures first, that way if anything's missing you can just grab it from the backup and drop it in your new files. You don't have to remove anything first. Because you're moving from one major release to another (in this instance from 5.x to 6.x) I recommend selecting the option for updating ReShade and the shaders. If you were just moving from say 6.1 to 6.3 then you could just choose the option to only update ReShade. But with a major version switch, updating everything makes sure you won't run into any compatibility issues along the way.

You do have to subscribe again to update the iMMERSE Pro and Ultimate shaders, yes. I believe there may be a new version coming before too long, so unless it's super urgent that you update now you might want to hold off for a little while. I'm not 100% sure when the next update will be though, so you could just be like me and be impatient and get it now!

And yes, I'm using the 2412 version, which is the latest one. You can change the transparency of ReLight's orbs, which is super helpful at times. Even on their lowest transparency though (which I think is around 10%) they will still be annoying and in the way if they're over someone's face, so I still toggle them off a lot when I need to see what I'm doing. Is the update worth it? I'm biased, for a couple of reasons, first I am ReLight's biggest cheerleader and will always try to get people to use it because it's such an essential shader for me now, but also I've just started doing some work for Marty so full disclosure full transparency, etc etc. I always get the latest versions, but iirc it wasn't as big a leap between the previous version and this one as it was between the old quint version and the immerse version, so if you're happy with how it works right now there's no harm in keep using it, at least until a newer version comes out.

[let-them-read-fics]

Dreamcatcher Reaction To Having A Really Affectionate S/O

Pairing: Dreamcatcher x GN!Reader

Requested By Anon: "hii can i request dreamcatcher reacting to having a really affectionate s/o (their love language is physical touch)?"

A/N: Hello hello, my lovely readers! I'm back again with some Dreamcatcher fluff, just for you. I hope you like all of these! Don't forget to like, comment, and reblog; it keeps me motivated :)

Info: Each member has a reaction, a story snippet / oneshot, and their love languages ranked. It's loooong, so enjoy!

Jiu

Adores it. She’s mentioned before that she feels the safest when she’s in your arms, so it’s really a no-brainer that she’s happiest whenever you’re loving on her

Just as much as she loves to take care of you and the girls, she secretly loves to get taken care of, too

Especially by you

You just know all the right ways to hold her and help her relax. Your back rubs are elite, according to her. She lowkey thinks you were a professional masseuse in your past life

You’re her personal heater

And pillow

On particularly rough days, she’ll just fall into your waiting arms and let you work your magic. She vents about her stressors, gradually releasing all of the pent-up tension that she’d been unable to get rid of on her own, until her complaints eventually subside and dissolve into quiet, sulky mumbles as she teeters on the edge of sleep

When you see her so cuddly and relaxed like that, you just…*heart clutch*

Likewise, Jiu regards you with those exact same, astronomically high levels of adoration

You’re literally the most precious and pure thing in the world to her. When you peer up at her with those bright eyes of yours, so starry and full of love for her, she always ends up blushing. She wants to protect you and your cuteness from the world

“My sweet Y/N… what did I ever do to deserve you?”

Without even trying, the two of you naturally gravitate towards one another whenever you’re together. You never have to ask for her attention or affection because she gives it just as readily as you do

When you’re out in public, she never lets you stray too far from her. Both because she’ll inevitably be holding some article of clothing up to you to see if it would fit, or pointing some piece of nature out to you, or discussing what you should grab for lunch….and also because she just wants you nearby. 

Though she doesn’t mind admiring the view she gets when you walk away, too ;)

She loves to play with your hands while you cuddle, and she also loves when you put your head in her lap

She sings to you

Whenever her schedule gets busy or the girls go on tour, she leaves some of her hoodies behind for you and makes sure to spray her perfume on them. She also presets a weekly reminder in your phone to display a sweet message for you, aware that you’ll be missing her a lot. She programs it to sound off around the time you typically wake up in the mornings because she wants it to be the first thing you see. If she can’t be there with you physically, she’ll gladly do that to make up for it

Video calls whenever you’re apart. She doesn’t feel fully at ease unless she knows you’re safe and happy

Seeing you never fails to brighten her day

Overall just a total ball of sunshine who is super super soft for you 

Story Snippet

7:32 PM 

About an hour and a half had passed since your last check-in on her, and you decided it was time to peek in again. 

Quietly, so as to not disturb the rare bout of calmness that had befallen the dorm, you approached her bedroom door and turned the knob, opening it gently. A sliver of light from the hall rushed in, cutting through the relative dark. 

Her bedside lamp was still on – dimmed to the lowest setting, just like you left it before. The bottle of water on her nightstand was a little closer to being empty than you remember, and the headache pills you had set out were gone. 

Your eyes tracked over to her soft form on the bed, finding her tucked in but awake. A sleepy, exhausted smile showed on her face when she realized it was you at the door, just barely visible in the low light. Like always, though, it had a way of shining and brightening up everything around her. 

Even when she was feeling under the weather, she couldn’t help but be radiant.

“Hi, baby,” her gentle voice greeted, sounding a bit strained.

The overexertion that she'd subjected herself to over the past few days was rearing its ugly head. 

“Hi, my love.” You smiled pitifully, stepping inside. You shut the door behind yourself and approached the bed, standing at the foot of it. “How are you feeling now?”

“Drained,” she admitted. “I’m still tired; I haven’t been able to wind down.” 

You nodded. “You’ve worked hard this week, so that makes sense. Can I get you anything to help?”

“Yeah, actually.” She pepped up the slightest bit. 

“Name it and it’s yours.”

A grin pulled at her lips of the irony of that. 

“You,” she answered. “Come here, I want to hold you.”

She opened the fluffy covers and waved you in, patting the space next to her. The smile on your face widened shyly at that, but you didn’t hesitate to do as she asked. You climbed in and settled close to her, letting her arms wind around you in the special way they always do.

Her lips pressed to yours, once… twice… three times, before she regained control of herself and opted to keep things PG. It was a bit difficult, with how soft and warm you were, sliding up against her and oh so tempting, but her better judgment managed to prevail in the end.

“I’ve been worried about you today,” you confessed, the words slightly mumbled as your cheek pressed to her chest, “...and I’ve missed you.” 

You pouted, and she could feel it. Though she couldn’t see it, she knew it looked adorable.

“I’ve missed you, too, baby,” she chuckled quietly, easing your worries a little in the process. “The bed feels so empty without you in it… I think that’s why I haven't been able to rest very well.”

You melted at her words, feeling so loved. How did she always manage to do that so easily?

“You mean it?”

She nodded, running one of her hands down your back as she scooted a little closer to you. “Absolutely, I do. So you’re not allowed to leave, okay? No slipping away.”

“Okay. I promise,” you assured her. 

You smiled when she released a sigh and relaxed into you, letting herself succumb to the exhaustion she felt. She knew you’d keep an eye on her – that she was safe and cared for – and that seemed to be the missing puzzle piece for her.

After just a couple of minutes of being in your presence, she was finally able to fully wind down; you felt it in the way that her breathing evened out and the tension in her muscles dissipated. 

The throbbing of her head mellowed, no longer unbearable. You were comfortable and easy to melt into, serving as the perfect distraction from the pain. With every gentle kiss you pressed to her skin and every pass your fingers made through her hair, she took another step towards the edge of sleep. 

A little later, as you went to ask her if the pills had helped any, you were halted by the sound of her soft snores. They filled the air of the bedroom around you, making it impossible to hide your grin. 

So precious.

Her “Giving” Love Languages Ranked:

1.) Physical Touch

2.) Quality Time

3.) Acts of Service

4.) Words of Affirmation

5.) Gifts

Honestly she's pretty much the human embodiment of all five of them put together. She will quite literally do anything to make you happy. Always, always, always watching out for you. 

◤─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◥

Sua

LOVES IT, ARE YOU KIDDING??

She never gets tired of your touch, and she really enjoys being with someone as clingy as she is

When you both get excited about something, it gets so loud and wild

High pitched laughing, yelling, jumping around, squealing… the whole nine yards

On the rare occasion that she’s busy doing something and not actively seeking affection or already clinging to you, you’ll initiate things. It goes straight to her head and she doesn’t shut up about it for the rest of the day. Gloats and brags about how cute and cuddly you are for her

But it also tends to make her blushy and flustered, and you're the only person capable of doing that.

She says you’re the only one who really understands her and her ways of showing love

Although she hides it well, sometimes she’s afraid that she does too much and annoys other people with her affection. But you’re always there to reassure her of the opposite (because you’re just like her)

Squishes your cheeks a lot and gushes about how cute you are

She protects you and your cuteness with her life. 

If anyone ever brushes you off or rejects your affection, she'll sweep you up in her arms and hold you close while yelling at them for it

Sometimes she'll literally just lay on you. She's a firm believer that being "too close" is simply impossible

Plays with your hair when you're cuddling 

When you’re walking together she usually slips a hand into your back pocket and keeps it there because she loves your ass so much

She loves it when you show affection in public, whether that’s by holding her close, pressing sweet kisses to her lips, holding hands, etc. Knowing that you’re proud of your love for her and you aren’t afraid to own it or show it makes her happy

She also really enjoys it when you show her off

Play fighting is basically a daily occurrence for you. She chooses violence at least once a day

Despite the fact that she can be super aggressive and loud with her affection, she’s also equally as soft for you

Like when you’re all snuggled up in bed and waiting on her, she’ll just admire you from the doorway and smile to herself

Morning cuddles are a must for her. She never wants to get up when you’re at her side because you’re just so soft and warm and holding you is so comforting

She loves the way the two of you fit together

You’re her assistant chef whenever she cooks for everyone. She trusts you to try all of her creations and help her fix everything

That also definitely includes back hugs and a few kiss breaks because the sight of you in an apron drives her a little crazy

“Can you be on my menu tonight?” *wiggles eyebrows*

You’ve always made her feel safe, and she’s never afraid to be herself around you. You appreciate and accept all of her – every insecurity and perfect imperfection included

Story Snippet

The day’s taping of Show Champion was coming to an end as you snuck your way into the girls’ dressing room, aided by one of the backstage workers that was privy to your plans. She helped you hide within one of the closets and wished you luck before leaving just as inconspicuously as she had arrived.

-

10 Minutes Later

You nearly cracked your head on the back wall when the seven of them burst into the room, loudly conversing and joking with one another. The stems of the flowers in your hand squeaked together quietly, almost as a silent plea for release as you unconsciously tightened your hold on them.

From what sliver of the room you could see through the doors, all of the girls still had wide smiles on their faces. They were exhausted, sure, but happy and content with how the evening was going. 

Well, all but one.

Garbled bits and pieces of their conversations made their way over to you as you watched Sua sit down at one of the mirrored stations, putting some distance between herself and the other girls. She took out her phone and began scrolling soon after, most likely as a means of distraction.

Your heart ached a little at the sight. You knew she was feeling down – the girls had told you as much, through texts – but seeing it happen right in front of you made it all the more real.

For the past week and a half, your busy schedules had combined to form the most awful amalgamation of missed opportunities; anytime one of you happened to be free, even for a short while, the other was booked for some important task that was incapable of being canceled or otherwise wormed out of. 

All of the girls had missed you, but Sua was the one most affected by your absence – and everyone knew it. 

Her spirits had been low, and her normal vibrancy was diminished; it was strange, frankly – a little dystopian – for her to be so unlike herself. The girls depended on her chaotic energy to keep things running smoothly; their dynamic was simply thrown off without it. 

But Sua couldn’t even find it in herself to bother entertaining their banter, let alone join in. She didn’t have it in her to keep up with them today. 

Although the sight of her so dejected was upsetting, it made a small smile show on your lips; you would be able to cheer her up in no time, and the 180 that she would undergo would undoubtedly make all of the waiting she’d done be worth it. 

You counted down silently, wanting to time your entrance perfectly.

3…2…1-

Just as your free hand went to push the door open and kick off your big reveal, your cell phone began to ring in your pocket. 

You faltered, fumbling quickly to retrieve it. Sua’s contact image shined brightly, cutting through the dark around you. 

The outside world went silent – everyone quickly hushing up at the sudden noise.

You shut your eyes in defeat, sliding up on the green button, while simultaneously opening the door with your foot. 

“Surprise.” You said into the phone, locking eyes with her from across the room. 

Silence prevailed… one beat, two…. Until the earlier chaos returned with even more spirit than before. 

Shouts of your name rang out from the girls, staccato and shocked as they attempted to figure out how you had managed to get there. Sua, on the other hand, didn’t bother with that; she ran up to you, her face lighting up like an eager child’s as you emerged from the closet and turned your phone off. You slipped the device into your pocket and extended the flowers to her.

“Hi, baby,” you grinned, “I finally convinced my boss to let me have a day off, and now I’m he—”

She cut you off at once, wrapping her arms around you at the speed of light and pulling you into the tightest hug you’d ever experienced. What remained of your explanation fizzled out in an instant, knocked from your lungs right along with all the air you had left. 

The bouquet fell from your hands when she picked you up and wiggled you around in the air. Your shoes slightly brushed the ground between sways, and you groaned.

“Can’t…breathe…” You struggled out, constricted as she squeezed the life out of you.

Her arms only further tightened around you in response, full of days and days worth of pent up affection with no other place to go.

“Unnie, let go!” Dami scolded, coming up to slap her shoulder. “Y/N/N isn't going anywhere.”

Mere seconds before you went fully limp in her arms, your assailant – AKA the love of your life – put you back down on your feet and took a small step back to look at you. 

Glorious, glorious air returned to your lungs in a rush, and you heaved for a brief moment or two. Once your vision returned and the floating spots that had been clouding it retreated, you blinked a few times and turned your attention to Sua. 

A cute pout rested on her lips. “I’m sorry, jagi,” she muttered, the words partially aegyo-fied, but the glint in her eye told you that she wasn’t all that sorry at all. “I’ve just missed you so much.”

Wordlessly, you pulled her in close and hugged her again. She could feel the happy upturn of your lips against her neck as you buried your face there, just as relieved as she was to be reunited. 

“I’ve missed you, too.” You whispered to her, pressing a kiss to her pulsepoint, and then her jaw, and finally her cheek. 

She blushed wildly, growing increasingly more red by the second; the girls noticed, and their exaggerated coos and whoops soon filled the dressing room. When she turned to glare at them, hoping to scare them into silence, she quickly discovered that her typical method of intimidation wasn’t going to work in bringing their teasing to an end this time.

In the name of retribution, she delivered a retaliatory shove to your shoulder instead.

“Yah! We’re finally back together and you have to go embarrassing me right off the bat?” She scolded, voice shrill. “Pabo–”

You placed your lips against hers swiftly, kissing away her anger before it could accrue anymore firepower. Your arms wrapped around her waist, tugging her flush against the front of your body. 

She still attempted to mumble an annoyed protest against your lips, but when you grinned and pinched her side, she gave in and melted into your embrace, scoffing quietly. 

…

Dami grimaced as she stood in front of the girls, witnessing you kiss again. Sua shamelessly pushed you up against the closet, acting as though they all weren’t a matter of steps away from the both of you.

The bouquet rested in Dami’s hands, courtesy of her earlier retrieval of it from the floor. 

“Should I…”

“Just leave it,” Yoohyeon answered abruptly, sharing a similar expression. 

Dami nodded and placed it down on the couch before they all backed away and made a bee-line out of the dressing room, pretending to gag.

Her “Giving” Love Languages Ranked:

1.) Physical Touch

2.) Acts of Service

3.) Quality Time

4.) Words of Affirmation

5.) Gifts

Obviously, she’s first and foremost the best at demonstrating her love physically. Like the universal master of it. But aside from that, her strong suit is taking care of you. It comes naturally, and she can almost always be found doing something to make life that much easier on you. Cooking your favorite dishes when you’re hungry, nursing you back to health when you’re sick, being your shoulder to cry on, pulling your hair up when your hands are occupied, etc. 

◤─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◥

Siyeon

Couldn’t be happier. She absolutely loooooves being close to you

She could cuddle you for hours on end

Maybe even forever 

She rubs your back when she's holding you, tracing mindless patterns against your skin. Having you close is so special to her

Sings to you, sometimes coming up with new material on the fly. You’re her muse, after all, so it’s easy with you around

When things get too hectic and hard for her to deal with, you’re always by her side in a heartbeat

You can read her like a book, and she’s so grateful for that

She thanks her lucky stars on the daily for the fact that she found you in this great big world

When you seek comfort from her and retreat into the safety of her arms, she gets so protective of you. You could simply be evading the wind on a chilly day and she’ll lowkey yell at it to leave you alone while she holds you against her. 

She bought you matching rings for your anniversary one year, and when she zones out she always has a habit of toying with yours and playing with your fingers. 

Sometimes you all even zone out together (#CoupleGoals)

She pinches your elbow and the back of your hands a lot

When you go full koala mode and just latch onto her and refuse to let go, she gets so happy. It makes her slow down and just revel in the simplicity of your touch, appreciating every second she gets to spend with you (because your schedules don’t always align, and sometimes it can be difficult to have free time like that)

You’re basically her stress reliever. When you’re holding her, nothing else matters

And once you start cuddling, don’t expect her to let you get away without a fight. If you say you want a snack, she’s not afraid to pick you up and carry you into the kitchen just so she can be with you that much longer

“Baby, I’m not gonna drop you. I promise. Have some faith in your wolfie.”

Like Sua, she enjoys PDA. Not anything extreme, of course, but she likes it when you let people know that she’s yours and you’re hers. It helps prevent her from getting jealous (which happens sometimes, but a kiss from you usually solves that)

She’s seriously down bad for you and whipped in a major way. A single touch is powerful enough to make her weak in the knees

Our wolfie is totally *heart eyes* for you

Story Snippet

Siyeon's legs intertwined with yours as you laid down on top of her, pressing her into the couch. She tugged you in, urging you ever-closer as her warm hands settled against your hips. Her thumbs rubbed circles there, soft through the material of your shirt.

The musky scent of her perfume wafted into the air with her movements; it comforted you, putting you even more at ease. Your brain had long ago associated and equated that smell with home.

She smiled brightly, peering up at you with her dark eyes as she giggled at some random joke you had just made. You always knew just what to say to make her laugh. 

"You're so beautiful, jagi," you praised, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. 

"You think so?" She played, batting her lashes.

"More than you'll ever know. I'm the luckiest person alive," you mused.

The blush on her cheeks spread, becoming more prominent as it flitted its way across the bridge of her nose. She turned her head slightly to the side, briefly glancing away; she felt small beneath your gaze. You always looked at her like she was the most valuable thing in the universe; it made her shy.

"You're such a smooth talker," she groaned. 

You chuckled and leaned down, kissing her cheek. Your lips trailed over to hers, ghosting softly across her flawless skin as they pressed a few stray kisses here and there along the way. 

Her eyes fluttered shut the moment your lips met, fitting together as if they were created for that sole purpose. The vanilla balm smoothed across hers was partially smudged and wiped off – a result of the earlier kisses you couldn’t refrain from stealing, when the two of you had first lost interest in the movie you were watching. Its flavor remained, though, just as enticing as always. 

Inconspicuously slipped beneath your shirt, her fingers curled slightly along the small of your back – where her hands had now come to settle. She drew you closer, comforted by the way you felt against her. Your subsequent hum of gratitude made her melt.

The pad of your thumb made a pass over her cheek, rubbing it gently as you deepened the kiss. It stole her breath away, but she used what little she had left to gasp lightly into your mouth. 

You smiled, unable to help yourself. 

Stomp, stomp, stomp

Heavy, authoritarian footfalls resounded in the hallway outside of the dorm's door, gaining your attention. You curiously raised your head, and Siyeon lifted her chin to peek back at it.

A mere second later, Sua came blasting in. 

"Yah! Y/N L/N!"

Shit.

"Yoohyeon told me everything," she said, striding into the middle of the room. Yoohyeon trailed after, staying at a distance as she shut the door behind herself. She was wincing, appearing to heavily regret her earlier slip up.

You raised up, pushing yourself off of Siyeon and up onto your knees. She propped herself up on an elbow, clearly intrigued and confused.

"How could you take my hoodie without telling me?" Sua shrieked, approaching you with her hands out. They gripped your collar, shaking with purpose. 

"A-ah," you laughed nervously, dryly, "I was going to ask first, but I was running late this morning and had to just throw something on. My things were in the wash." 

"What if something stained it? You know how much I love it." 

"I would've bought you another," you promised, voice slightly strained as she tightened her grip, thus preventing you from breathing normally.

"You can't just 'buy another'! That line is discontinued now!" 

"Nothing happened, though–" you sputtered. "You're worrying for nothing; I already put it back.”

Disbelief gleamed in Sua’s eyes, and when Siyeon caught a glimpse of it she sat up at once. 

She knew then that your demise was imminent.

“THAT’S NOT THE POINT!” Sua bellowed, yanking you around. As she prepared to shove you backwards onto the couch and pounce, Siyeon selflessly put herself in front of you. She held her arms out, blocking you from all of the unnie’s methods of attack.

“Save yourself, Y/N! I’ll hold her off!”

“No…” you said, voice dropping dramatically as your head vehemently swayed left to right.

Amidst a slew of shoves and jabs from Sua, she nodded sadly, remaining strong. “Just go,” she begged. 

Her soft cheek nuzzled against your palm as you reached forward to briefly cup it, sharing one final embrace. 

“Remember me.”

“Always,” you whispered, holding back a grin at how dramatic the two of you were being. 

Following a subtle signal from her, you stumbled off of the coach as she turned and tackled Sua away from you, landing on the opposite end of it. Your sock clad feet slipped and slid on the wood flooring, providing you no sense of control as you scrambled to escape with your life. 

When you careened into the hallway wall, you shot a look over your shoulder; it was a horrific mistake, however, as it only awarded you the image of Sua slapping her elbow and jumping into the air before landing on Siyeon with it. A loud groan resounded around the living room, followed by Yoohyeon’s fading plea of “Unnie, no!” as you snapped your head forward again and set your sights on Jiu’s door at the end of the hall. 

Your legs gave out from how quickly you attempted to kick off again, sending you to the floor. 

Sua chuckled from somewhere behind you, far enough away to not pose an immediate threat, but still far too close for comfort. You pushed yourself off of the ground and sped off again, using the walls to propel yourself forward even faster. 

The knob of Jiu’s door slid into your hand and twisted smoothly, pulling a sigh of relief from you – thank God it wasn’t locked. Without wasting time on knocking, you blasted in and slammed it behind yourself, void of any and all grace whatsoever. 

You heaved, pressing your back to it and reaching down to lock it just as Sua’s frame collided with its other side. She had nearly gotten you – you’d made it just in the nick of time.

Jiu perked up on her bed, eyebrows raised and eyes open wide. The glow of her phone screen cast across her face and chest.

“Sua.” You explained, without having to elaborate. Her name alone validated your behavior a million times over.

The shock on Jiu’s face dissipated at once, turning to understanding. 

“Sua,” she repeated, nodding.

Her “Receiving” Love Languages Ranked:

1.) Quality Time

2.) Physical Touch 

3.) Words of Affirmation 

4.) Acts of Service

5.) Gifts

Our big bad wolfie might have a good poker face sometimes, but we all know she isn’t all that big or bad. She’s definitely a softie at heart and loves to hear every sweet thing you have to tell her when you’re spending time together.

◤─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◥

Handong

Very soft about it

She adores the attention you give her, and she always enjoys having you by her side. It makes her feel important and highkey boosts her ego

Also, having you nearby makes it easy for the two of you to be (playfully) judgy together and whisper jokes without other people interfering or overhearing

Aside from that, you genuinely comfort her in a lot of ways, and when you're apart she always finds herself missing you 

“You know, now I get homesick twice as much, Y/N. Half for my country, and half for you.”

Sometimes she teases you, cheekily saying that you just can't keep your hands off of her

But tbh she can’t keep her hands off you either

She’s a fan of more subtle touches, like a simple hand on the thigh beneath the table or an arm around the waist

Honestly though she also loves it when you surprise her with a spontaneous kiss (on the cheek or lips), or hug her and spin her around. It makes her blush like a madwoman, but she enjoys it – despite the playful nagging she does afterwards

You're one of the only people who can make her blush, and when you really get her good she’s out of commission for a couple minutes, unable to piece together any witty comebacks in her love-dazed mind

Once she’s regained her bearings, though, she amps up her charm in retaliation, aware that her flirting is basically your kryptonite 

And it works. Practically 100% of the time. 

Her bold confidence gets you just as flustered as she had been, and you typically end up hiding your face in her neck or shoving her shoulder and running away.

Enjoys PDA in the form of cuddling and kissing. Nothing too wild, but she definitely wants it to happen when you go out together. She wants people to know that you’re hers, and vice versa

Hand holding is the usual go to, or linking your arms together. Kisses, too, depending on the mood and vibe of wherever you are

You jokingly touch her muscles and brag about how strong she is, especially when she gets back from a workout

She's fond of the praise, and though she wouldn’t admit it without a fight, it makes her work a little harder to keep up her physique. Staying fit is already important to her, but the fact that you enjoy her body so much is just added encouragement. She also likes to feel powerful and like she can protect you, so it’s truly a win-win

(Though she knows you’d love her no matter what she looked like, muscles or no muscles)

She puts her head in your lap a lot as a silent way of asking you to play with her hair. It relaxes her, and she usually falls asleep in the process

When she’s feeling clingy herself, you’re the first person she goes to. You’re the only one capable of melting this ice princess

Story Snippet

(I don’t know the actual layout of the mall, so excuse any errors)

Starfield Mall – Seoul, SK

Forever Yours.

Handong peered into a glass display case, rereading the words over and over to herself. Two ruby pendants hung side by side on a rack, magnetically joined together in the middle to spell out the words. 

Only when they were connected did the short message come together. 

A sentimental smile made its way to her face the longer she looked at it. It would be the perfect gift for you, she decided, as she snuck a glance at you from across the store. You were occupied in the ring section, browsing through the different rows of them. The wondrous expression on your face warmed her heart.

"Sir," she called to a nearby worker quietly, so as to avoid drawing your attention. "I'd like to buy these." She motioned down to them.

He nodded and grabbed the key for the case before making his way over. 

-

Childish, bubbly laughter carried over to your ears as you exited the store and entered the mall’s spacious third floor, where numerous kids chased one another around. Beanies rested atop many of their heads, and the fuzzy sweaters they wore engulfed their tiny frames in such an endearing way that you couldn’t help but smile. 

Holiday lights gleamed all around you, strung up and wound around decorative tinsel on the storefronts and windows. They shimmered, some set on timers to flicker every now and then.

A gentle smile played on Handong’s lips when she felt the careful tug you applied to the end of her sleeve, silently asking for her hand. 

She wordlessly shifted her shopping bags into her other one in order to free it up for you to hold. 

Her fingers interlaced with your own immediately, assuming their rightful position for the millionth time today. She gently stroked the back of your hand with her thumb, allowing it to make a few gentle passes over your smooth skin.

Something about the way your hands fit together, so snug and perfectly balanced, made her truly believe they were created just for one another. No one else's – not a single one of the other billions in existence out there – could've ever compared to yours. 

She was sure of it.

“Where should we go now?” You asked, still letting your eyes wander across the expanse of holiday decorations. 

The steps you took together were relaxed, void of any rushing.

Handong pondered for a moment, racking her mind for a place nearby that would award you some much-needed privacy and quiet.

"How about that place downtown we've been wanting to try?" She suggested. "You know, close to the square?" 

“Oh," you gasped lightly, remembering the quaint little restaurant that she was referring to. "That'll be perfect, jagi." 

"I'm glad you agree," she quipped, leaning over to press a kiss to your temple. Your smile deepened, and when she pulled away you watched her fondly. 

What glimmers of love showed on her face were soon eclipsed by something else entirely, though. 

Mischief, you realized, a mere second too late. 

The apples of her cheeks became prominent as her lips tugged up into a pretty smile. The kind that’s soft enough to turn you to putty, yet striking enough to light a fire in your heart. Your kryptonite – a fact she used to her advantage. 

"Race you to the car!" She shrieked, already speeding off. 

You didn’t even have ample time to pick up your stumbling heart, or to catch your breath. 

"Dongie–"

Her bags jostled in her hands, swaying with every thundering step she took. The tread of her shoes against the linoleum echoed out, broken by a squeak when she made a turn up ahead.

You pursued her at once, bobbing and weaving through numerous people – some bewildered, others cheering you on. 

Her hair whipped around as she ran, flowing in the breeze with an elegance you would never understand. 

"Last one there has to pay for dinner!" She teased, glancing over her shoulder at you.

"You're going down!" You fired back, finally gaining on her. 

“In your dreams!”

—-

Harvest House - Bar & Grille

“Stop sulking,” you playfully chided from across the table, not even looking up from your menu. It wasn't necessary, after all.

You could practically feel her pouting.

Handong rolled her eyes and sighed, fighting the smile that tried to work its way onto her face at the fact that you knew her so well. 

She picked up her own menu and began to peruse it, comforted in a strange way by the gentle clanking of silverware and dishes that flowed throughout the restaurant. Much like your own, clusters of conversation hummed – little pockets of stories and adventures, softly recounted so as to not disrupt the others around them. 

Your eyes eventually wandered back to her, simply unable to stay away for too long. They peered at her curiously, watching with adoration as she concentrated on choosing the perfect meal. 

She felt you staring, and yet she stubbornly refused to look at you. It was her way of continuing to pout, and you knew it all too well. 

“Dongie…”

“Hmm?” She hummed, not budging. 

“Jagi…”

“Yes?” Her brow raised, and her head tilted up slightly. Not enough for her gaze to meet your own, though. 

“I love you.”

There it was. That phrase that she could never not react to. 

Your heart warmed as you witnessed an embarrassed tint of blush appear on her face, and the achingly sweet way her features softened as your words sunk in. 

“I love you, too,” she murmured, finally peering over the top of her menu at you. 

You smiled and placed a finger at the top of it, carefully tipping it down towards the table so you could see her better. 

Outside lights fought one another for the chance to shine on her through the large front window that the two of you were seated beside. Every color of the rainbow gleamed, emitted from star-shaped bulbs strung up across the square. 

In your peripheral, you could see the town's recently-placed Christmas tree standing tall on the other side of the street. People were taking pictures in front of it; some were large families, complete with a teen or two angstily brooding as they squeezed into the frame, and others were paired up or alone. 

You turned your head briefly, glancing at them.

Their interactions were so adorably human that it brought you comfort. The patient way they waited in line for their turn in front of the tree was endearing – reminiscent of childhood as they peered up at its lights, growing excited at the sight. Parents readjusted their children's beanies and mittens, ensuring that they were well protected from the cold. 

It was like a movie playing out right in front of you, reminding you of the true magic of the season. That's what it's all about. 

Handong must've noticed the dreamy expression on your face, because her next words took you by surprise, making you blush. 

"You're so beautiful it hurts, Y/N."

Your eyes widened in time with the upturn of your lips, and you shyly dipped your head down, avoiding her gaze. 

She reached out for your hand across the table, taking it into her own with ease. 

"Can I kiss you?" 

A question once asked with trembling lips, during the youth of your relationship, now spoken with a sweet confidence and nonchalance that made you fall for her all over again. 

It was a redundant question at best, when you so clearly would permit her to do anything she pleased. But, even still, it sent butterflies to your stomach. 

You nodded, leaning forward enough to meet her halfway. She did the same without missing a beat, and before you knew it her lips were on yours. 

Both of her hands came up to cup your cheeks, and she felt you grin at the change. 

She didn't understand why, in that moment, but she would soon.

Inconspicuously, you retrieved something from your pocket.

As you kissed her again, making it count in the name of keeping her distracted, she felt something being wrapped and fastened around her left wrist. It was small and thin, lightweight against her skin. 

Her brows furrowed lightly.

You pulled back after a moment with a knowing, anticipatory look on your face. The way it lit your features up made Handong’s heart skip a beat. 

Curious, she peered down to catch a glimpse of what it was. 

Polaris. A sterling silver, beautiful little bracelet with Polaris shimmering in the center. 

"Turn it over," you instructed, still grinning. 

She did as you said and found a personalized message engraved into the material. 

"Everlasting Love", it read, written in Chinese characters. 

Her lips parted in shock. "When did you…"

"A few days ago, when you went out with Gahyeon. She offered to help keep you distracted so you wouldn't find out."

"Y/N…" she sighed blissfully, shaking her head in disbelief. "How do you keep getting even more perfect?" 

You smiled again, rolling your eyes. 

"Shush," you tutted. "I'm just glad you like it." 

"Jagi, I don't like it. I love it. This means the world to me; especially coming from you. Thank you." 

She leaned forward to kiss you again, but this time her lips pressed to your cheek instead. She felt the heat there, exposing your shyness at her praise.

So precious.

Her own gift for you was practically burning a hole in the pocket of her coat by now, and she decided at once that it was time for you to receive it.

As she sat back and reached towards where the material hung across the back of her chair, you simply watched her with sweet curiosity.

You weren't expecting anything in return for the present. 

You were clueless to her plan, and yet, that made it all the more special. 

As she retrieved the box and held it out between you, finally opening it, you gasped quietly. A small treasure, discovered at last.

Her side of it peeked from beneath the cover of her shirt, daring to shimmer. 

She carefully took it out of the box and held it up, watching it catch the lights around you.

"Now we'll always have a piece of each other, no matter where we are," she mused, linking it with her side.

As it clicked into place, her eyes met your own.

Her “Giving” Love Languages Ranked:

1.) Gifts

2.) Physical Touch

3.) Quality Time

4.) Acts of Service

5.) Words of Affirmation

She spoils you every time the opportunity presents itself. CEO of Rich GF™ vibes. According to her, you deserve every single good thing that the world has to offer; so it’s really a no-brainer to her that you should be able to find something new wrapped up and waiting to be opened when you visit her. Anytime you mention needing or wanting something – even just offhandedly – she makes sure that it eventually ends up being yours. 

◤─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◥

Yoohyeon

She loves it. There’s absolutely no doubt about it

We see how she is during interviews (always holding onto the members in some way and wanting to be near one of them), and that trait is no different when it comes to you

She always wants to be connected in some way, whether that's holding hands, linking pinkies or arms when you're walking together, piggyback rides, back hugs, etc.

Honestly she’s just as affectionate as you

She hates being away from you. She lives for your touches and kisses

And just your presence in general, really. She’s totally whipped for you

Being held by you always comforts her

And anytime you kiss her forehead or cheek? *earth-shattering squeal*

Hides her face in the crook of your neck when she gets shy

Despite her tendency to get embarrassed, she never turns down PDA from you. She enjoys the sentiment behind you letting everyone know that she’s yours (as if they had any doubts, with the way she was practically tethered to you at all times)

She sneaks into your bed when she can’t sleep

If that’s not an option, she’ll call you on the phone to hear your voice (and she ends up falling asleep with you still on the other end like 99% of the time)

“No, baby, I’m still awake." 

{...} 

*snoring*

You're her partner in crime. The girls lowkey tease you for it and say you're joined at the hip

Whenever Sua ends up chasing her around she always runs to you, seeking safety in your arms. You take your duties as a human shield very serious

Sometimes you team up with her enemy, though, and the three of you end up fighting and wrestling like a bunch of five year olds. She acts betrayed, but once a truce is called she’s in your arms again in less than a second

Tours are honestly difficult for both of you, for a multitude of reasons. But in particular, Yoohyeon gets grumpy when she goes an extended amount of time without proper cuddling from you. The members offer themselves up to fill in and keep WWIII from breaking out, but she swears up and down that they simply can’t compare

So, anytime you’re reunited after time apart, expect to be tackled to the ground or go careening into the nearest piece of furniture as she clumsily flings herself at you

She loves lazy days with you. Laying around and just relaxing together is one of her favorite pastimes

She usually acts childish and whines whenever you pull away, even if it’s just to go to the restroom or something

Anytime she decides to start gaming, you wait on standby…

…and when she eventually loses a match, you're there to hug her and make it all better

She swears up and down that you're her good luck charm. So most of the time you end up sitting at her side and watching as she plays

You’re her number one fan

And she’s yours, always and forever

Story Snippet

DC Dorm – 11:49 PM

A brochure suddenly smacked against your face, opened to a glossy middle page as Yoohyeon's body collapsed onto yours in a heap. 

She had run from her bed to the living room, unable to keep her recent discovery to herself. 

"Can I help you?" You asked sarcastically, cradling your sore nose. 

She pushed herself up into a sitting position and apologized for her clumsiness at once. 

After you forgave her, she flipped back to the announcement she'd seen in the booklet. 

It read:

"Thundering Heights Amusement Park – Grand Opening: July 7th"

An address was listed at the bottom of the page, and you realized it was just outside of the city. Maybe a twenty minute drive or so at most.

"Will you go with me?" She asked, hope shining in her dark eyes. They almost twinkled, like a kid's on Christmas. "It looks like so much fun."

You pretended to debate for a moment, enjoying the tease. She tugged at your shirt, pouting as you made her wait. 

"Sure, jagi. I'd love to–”

She tackled you down onto the loveseat and peppered hundreds of kisses across your face, her hands cupping your cheeks to keep you in place for her onslaught.

"Thank…" kiss, "you," kiss kiss, "baby." Kiss kiss kiss.

You giggled and squirmed a little beneath her, taking the affection as it came. 

—----

Opening Day

As usual, she was right. 

The day was off to a great start by all accounts, and you were convinced you had never smiled as much in your entire life as you had that morning. 

The sun was out, providing plenty of pretty views for you to admire together as you walked your way through the park. It livened up everything that it touched – made the trees’ green leaves a little more vibrant, the flowers a little brighter. The warmth of it wrapped around you like a hug, settling into the fibers of your clothes and staying put.

An occasional breeze blew in, mild yet so necessary as it balanced out that heat. It lifted the ends of Yoohyeon's hair, caressing them gently as she took in all of the sights around her. You walked beside her in tandem, simply admiring her. Admittedly, nothing else managed to capture your attention in the way that she did.

She caught you staring on more than one occasion and shyly scolded you each and every time, but you simply couldn’t help yourself. If there was one thing you’re sure of in life, it’s that she was created to be adored. Plain and simple. 

-

Later

“Let’s go again!” She bellowed, jumping around on her sneaker-clad feet. Adrenaline coursed through her, making her jittery from residual excitement.

Much the opposite, you were bent over the nearest railing, just outside of the exit for the ride. Your stomach churned, deciding on whether or not it wanted to upturn itself. 

“I can’t,” you groaned, holding your head. “I need something to drink first. And an hour long break.”

She tsked at you disappointedly, but appeared at your side a few seconds later nonetheless. Her hand rubbed the small of your back in soothing circles, easing you through your queasy-ness. 

Once it subsided, you uprighted yourself and looked at her. Something behind you caught her eye, and when she met your gaze again a small smile tugged at her lips. 

“I know just the thing to make you feel better.” She booped your nose lovingly, reaching down to grab your hand and tug you along for the millionth time today. 

-

15 Minutes Later

A sunhat rested atop your head, its brim droopy to block out the now-harsh rays that the Sun had to offer. The strap beneath your chin was pulled tight to ensure it didn’t fall off or blow away. You felt like you looked ridiculous, but she had insisted that you wear it. 

…so you did. 

You held a mini handheld fan up in front of your face, listening to the quiet brrr of its motor as it worked hard to cool you down. 

Yoohyeon stood in front of a slushy stand in the middle of the park’s food court, where she had just ordered and paid for your drinks. Two workers were inside, doing their best to keep things running smoothly. 

After another minute or so, one of them handed the refreshments over to her, smiling kindly and thanking her once more. She reciprocated and left, quickly returning to your side.

“Here you go,” she chirped, handing over your favorite flavor. “They’re nice and cold.”

“Phew,” you sighed, relieved. “I was worried they might’ve gotten hot on the way over. You know, since they’re made of ice.”

She smacked your shoulder in retaliation to your sarcasm. 

“Yah! Don’t act like I won’t eat yours, too.” She pointed a finger at you, jabbing you in the chest a couple times to solidify her point. 

“Ouch, tough crowd,” you feigned hurt, putting a hand atop the impact zones and rubbing the ache away. 

Though she fought hard, she couldn’t entirely conceal the grin on her face. So instead she busied her lips with her straw, drawing it between them to take a long sip.

You mirrored her actions, appreciating the fact that she knew and remembered your favorite order. It made you fall for her a little more, though you didn’t see how that was humanly possible.

Content and now more energized, the two of you fell in step again. Yoohyeon began to discuss the next section of rides for you to conquer, and what the quickest route to get there was. She babbled rapidly – far too fast for you to keep up – so you opted to just smile and nod, still sipping on your drink. 

You both knew you’d follow her wherever she went and do whatever she asked of you regardlessly, and you were aware that her ranting kept her happy. 

So you threw in the occasional “Oh, really?” and “No way!” to keep her going. It worked; eagerly, she continued.

The happy moment was soon cut short, however, as life suddenly took on a cinematic, almost slow-motion haze right before your very eyes. 

Yoohyeon turned to look over at you, meaning to tell you that the trolley was your best bet at making it across the park in a timely manner, when you both rounded an ill-fated corner. 

A welcome sign was propped in front of a shop's side door, directly in her path. 

Before you had ample time to react and stop her, she ran into it, tripping and being sent through the air before subsequently landing on top of the now-toppled sign with a harsh clack. The puppy-ear headband she had on jolted, its two brightly colored springs bouncing in opposite directions after colliding with one another. Her cup fell from her hand, too, getting crushed in the process.

You winced, tensing up instinctively. Oh no. She'd surely die of embarrassment. You could see the beginning stages of it unfolding as she hid her face, already blushing profusely. 

So, thinking on your feet, you knew you had to act fast to prevent her demise. If you could stand in the way of her arrival at an early grave, you planned to do it. One rule that you live by played in your head: you're in it together. Where she goes, you go. 

Including the ground, apparently.

Without hesitation, you rocketed yourself forward, tripping yourself over your own foot and sending yourself crashing to the pavement that waited below. 

The slushie in your hand exploded upon impact, erupting into a fruity blitz that shot off in a hundred different directions. Some got on you as well, immediately trying its hand at staining the fabric of your shirt. Your fan dinked off the ground, too, getting scuffed up as its motor came to a sputtering stop.

Your hat jostled, no longer sitting in its proper place.

"Oww!" You shouted, both a little over-dramatic and real. Though the cause itself may have been intentional, the fall definitely didn't get the memo. The front of your body ached, having absorbed the shock first and taken the brunt of the damage. 

"Who puts a sign in a place like that?!" You lamented.

You rolled over, squinting as the blazing sun shined down on you. You squirmed a little, still suffering from having the wind knocked out of you.

Yoohyeon groaned and pushed herself up into a sitting position at your side. She peered over at you, concerned, but your antics told her that you would be okay. After all, if you had hurt yourself too badly you wouldn't have been able to yell like that.

But making such a spectacle of yourself had clearly worked, because the people passing by all looked at you, rather than her. Their attention was successfully drawn away, and you smiled. At least the pain wasn't for nothing. 

"Are you alright, jagi?" You asked her, turning your head to gaze up at her. 

She scooted forward and put a hand up, shielding your eyes from the Sun in lieu of your hat. The shadow she created held the light at bay, allowing you to stop squinting. 

"My ego's dead, but other than that, yes." 

“Good.” You said, relieved. “Wait– not good about the ego thing! I- You know what I mean.”

She chuckled at that, though the sound eventually morphed into a soft grunt of pain. Happy pain, though. The kind that you feel later on down the road and recall the memories of. 

“And you?” She asked. “Is my knight in shining armor going to live?”

You nodded, winking at her. “I think I’ll pull through.”

“Good,” she reused your word. “Because if we’re gonna make it through the rest of the park today, we need to get a move on.” She glanced down at her watch quickly. “We should have enough time to get a replacement slushie…” she eyed both of your previous ones, where they laid nearby. With haste, she leaned over to grab their trashed containers, “...and then catch the trolley. But we’ve got to hurry.”

You sighed defeatedly as she sprang up and dusted herself off, like nothing had happened. It was a good quality to have, though, for someone as clumsy as her. She balanced herself out. Uncoordinated yet resilient. It was almost poetic. 

What wasn’t poetic, though, was the unceremonious way she hauled you up to your feet, all in one motion. 

You barely had a second to catch your breath, or wheeze, or curse into the afternoon air before she was pulling you along at the speed of light again, all of her embarrassment forgotten and instead replaced with excitement once more. 

Her “Receiving” Love Languages Ranked:

1.) Physical Touch

2.) Words of Affirmation

3.) Quality Time

4.) Acts of Service

5.) Gifts

Yoohyeon is prone to embarrass herself, and her insecurities sometimes tend to show themselves as a result. She also has an unfortunate habit of overthinking; but a simple and easy way to remedy that at any given moment is through physical touch and sweet words of reassurance. They never fail to comfort her and restore that confidence that you love so much.

◤─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◥

Dami

Dami isn't always the biggest fan of physical touch, but she makes an exception for you

She's grown quite fond of your ways of showing love 

Especially because you respect her boundaries and don't overload her with it all of the time 

The girls jokingly complain about the fact that your affection never gets rejected by her like theirs does sometimes 

You're usually the one to initiate things, but she also surprises you sometimes by beating you to it

You l o v e when she does that because it just shows that she's willing to step outside of her comfort zone to convey her feelings for you

She usually gives you back hugs and puts her head on your shoulder

Slips in little touches throughout the day

Also loves to hold your hand

If it's chilly out and she notices your hands are cold, she'll slip one of her heating packs into them without you even having to ask

Piggy back rides

Lets you poke her cheeks and toy with them

She bought a pair of touch lamps for the both of you, so when she’s away and missing you she can touch hers and yours will light up. It’s a subtle reminder that she loves you and that you’re on her mind

Gives you her jacket when it’s cold out and holds the door for you

You've made her more comfortable with physicality, honestly, and she finds herself missing it when your schedules keep you away from each other

If you get overcome with emotion and give her a spontaneous kiss or cuddle, she ends up blushing every time, without fail

Sometimes she becomes the clingy one and wraps you up in her arms, not letting you go until she’s satisfied

“Let’s stay just like this, jagi.”

Soft hours

But any other time, when it’s you who’s being clingy, it’s really endearing to her to see you visibly waiting to touch her and attack her with a flurry of affection. You hold back long enough to get permission, but the second that she gives you the green light you’re basically pouncing on her

Whenever she reads, she invites you to snuggle up with her. She typically ends up absentmindedly toying with your hair, or stroking your arm, or pressing a few kisses to the top of your head, too

Just like her, her love is subtle and quiet most of the time. But it’s endless, and it’s always there

She loves you to the moon and back and is willing to do just about anything to see you smile

Story Snippet

DC Dorm – Dami's Room 

Snowflakes fell outside in droves, heavy and thick as they added to the masses that had already accumulated on the ground over the past few hours. Biting winds blasted by occasionally, reminding everyone of just how frigid it was. They caused a branch to knock into the window of Dami’s room, scraping it lightly.

Ever since your arrival in the afternoon, it had been like this; as you spent time gathered with the girls and enjoying yourself by the fireplace, nature had been gearing up for a full-blown blizzard. 

Aware of this, they all insisted that you spend the night at the dorm and just return home once the conditions were safer. 

It didn't take much to convince you, truth be told. Their company was far too enjoyable to turn down, and you didn’t have any desire to head back to your empty apartment anytime soon, anyway.

So now, in the wake of a movie-marathon, multiple games of drunken charades, and escaping the tight clutch of a sleeping Sua, you stood in front of Dami's dresser, bent at the waist as you sifted through the drawer that she had directed you to. 

Through the speakers of her phone, a soft piano melody ambled out, basking the room in a comfortable, easy-going ambience.

"Pick whichever one you want, baby," she called, glancing up briefly from her book as she flipped the page she had just finished. The texture of it – a little rough, unsmoothed – made a scratching sound as it rubbed against the one behind it.

"Really? Even the–"

"Yes, Y/N/N, even that one." She interrupted, amused. "I washed it yesterday because I figured you'd want to wear it." You could hear the grin in her words. 

Eagerly, you continued searching through the hoodies until you finally found the one you were after. It held a title unlike any other. None of the rest even held a candle to it. 

Why was it so special?

Because you bought it for her during a birthday trip last year, and it was the coziest thing in existence. 

Oh, and it was also panda themed. Dami in hoodie form.

With a triumphant smile, you unfolded it and thrust it up into the air, showing it off. Dami watched from the bed, smiling softly to herself at the cute sight. 

You slipped it over your head and pulled it down across your body, allowing the cozy material to engulf you. Two rounded ears sat atop the hood, and they bounced lightly when you tugged it up onto your head. The grin on your face deepened when you reached up to feel their fluffiness. 

“You’re so cute,” she mused, far too interested in you to pay attention to her book anymore. Her finger rested between its pages, keeping her place marked as she openly admired you.  

“Yah,” you scolded softly, lacking malice. You could feel your cheeks and ears warming up as a result of her compliment, and it made you shy. 

“Thank you,” you added quietly, glancing away. 

She bit her lip and shook her head, completely enamored. How could a person be so adorable?

“Come here,” she commanded, when she noticed you playing with the ends of the sleeves mindlessly. The inconspicuous (yet totally obvious) way you peeked back at her let her know that you wanted to be closer. 

Hope shined in your eyes as you padded over like a puppy, and when she tossed her book to the end of the bed and filled her hands with you instead, you nearly swooned. She tugged you in by the waist, sending you sideways onto the bed. 

A second later, she was hovering over top of you; her soft hair cascaded down around the two of you, blocking out the rest of the world like a privacy curtain. You met her dark eyes briefly, highlighted by the bits of lamplight that peeked through, shining on the two of you. But her gaze soon dropped lower, landing on your mouth – which she’d been dying to feel against her own all day.

“I’m so happy you’re here,” she admitted, before leaning in to press a gentle kiss to your lips. It was sweet and warm, just like her. “You made today so fun.”

“Yeah?” You grinned lazily, basking in the warmth that her body radiated. “I’d have to say that you made the day fun,” you opposed. “I mean, come on; when you saved us from losing that third round of charades with your last-second guess? That was gold.”

She nodded, pursing her lips as she recalled that victorious moment. “You do have a point there…”

“Or when you saved Jiu from getting whacked by a blindfolded Yoohyeon during our ‘What’s In The Box’ game? That deserved some kind of award.”

Her features pulled into a grimace at the memory. “I don’t know if she would’ve recovered, honestly. What do you think? Concussion? Short coma?”

Your hands trailed up to the back of her neck and gently settled there –  fingers interlocking as you took a second to consider her question. She shivered slightly at the sensation, nearly tickled when you absentmindedly toyed with the baby hairs at her nape.

“Mmm, definitely a concussion,” you frowned, feigning seriousness until the sudden sound of Dami’s laughter cut through the quiet, bringing out your own. 

She rested her forehead against yours as your combined giggles filled the air, completely and utterly happy. They were genuine and natural  – a little sleepy, a little unpolished – and that warmed your heart. 

Seeing her like that made you fall that much more in love. She shined brighter than moonlight, starlight, sunlight – all of it. You wanted to stay wrapped within the bounds of this perfect moment forever. 

“I mean it, though,” she affirmed softly, like some kind of shy confession finally given voice to, once your laughter died down into quiet chuckles. "Things wouldn't have been the same without you here."

Yet another one of her ways of saying ‘I love you’ without actually uttering the words. 

“I know,” you nodded, brushing the tip of your nose against hers a few times. You could feel her melt into you at the contact.

“I love you, too.”

Her “Giving” Love Languages Ranked:

1.) Acts of Service

2.) Quality Time

3.) Words of Affirmation

4.) Gifts

5.) Physical Touch

What she struggles to show physically, she makes up for in other ways. She’ll do favors, dote on you without you even having to ask, make you food if you’re hungry, leave encouraging post-it notes on your things if you’re in need of reassurance and support… the list is endless. It’s how she shows all of the love she has for you; she’s a fantastic listener and always pays close attention to you, and she thinks it’s easier and more convenient to demonstrate her love this way. The little things mean everything to her. 

◤─────•~❉᯽❉~•─────◥

Gahyeon

Enjoys it a lot. Your presence alone is comforting to her, so she’s really happy to have you nearby 

When you link your arm through hers and cuddle into her side, she falls a little more in love with you. She does it to you often, too

Whenever you kiss her in front of the girls, she tends to get shy. (Mainly because of their relentless teasing). But she never turns you down 

She loves having your attention on her. 

And she'll pout in order to get it

Like Sua, she tends to get a little loud and aggressive with her love

Will literally whine and cover her eyes when you walk into the room because she says you look too good for her to handle

She loves to sit on your lap (and have you sit on hers as well)

Puts her head on your shoulder a lot

Holds onto the end of your sleeve and tugs it when she wants your attention

She lets you play with her hair and style it however you want

One time you managed to make it defy gravity, and she still hasn't lived that down at the dorm. The girls said she looked like an alien

Whenever you’re just lounging around together and scrolling on your phones, you both still like to be connected in some way. So she’ll usually pull your legs across her lap, or even lay between them. (It makes it even easier for her to show you something interesting or funny that she stumbles across)

She knows she can get her way with you really easily because you’re a total pushover for her. All she has to do is pout or give you a kiss and you’re like putty in her hands

That’s one of her favorite traits about you. Both because she thinks it’s adorable, and also because she can exploit it (big brain Gahyeon)

“Pretty please? I promise to buy you more candy in the morning if you just let me have this last one now.”  

{......} 

"...or we can share it, if you'd rather." 

You make her feel powerful and important, and that’s priceless to her

She loves when you get protective over her. There’s something about that side of you in particular that really does something to her

Whenever she’s busy or away on tour, expect lots of pictures and videos from her at odd hours. The time difference doesn’t stop her from messaging you when she can

Also, sleepy voice messages when she’s laying awake and having trouble sleeping 

Whenever you reunite, she’s yelling and running into your waiting arms

Story Snippet

“Yah, how much longer are we going to be out here?” Gahyeon whined, her breath turning white in the chilly atmosphere that surrounded the eight of you. It floated away gently, catching her attention for a brief second as she lagged behind everyone else.

Exploring the city and shopping had gotten boring for her about two hours ago, and quite frankly she was over it at this point. 

Heading the group with Jiu, you stopped and turned around to look at her. The brochure in your hands lowered, no longer your top priority. 

“What’s wrong, Gah?”

She didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she scuffed the bottom of her shoe against the ground, twisting it into a rut that existed in the weathered cobblestone. Her hands flexed into fists at her sides, toying with the handles of the shopping bags that were nestled against her palms. 

“I’m cold,” she finally said, voice small as a pout played on her lips. She looked away when everyone’s attention fell to her. Admittedly, she felt a little childish for making everyone stop. The weather was simply starting to get to her, and she was tired. 

But being the maknae meant she had every right to be babied, after all, so she didn’t feel too guilty. 

You rolled your eyes and smiled softly, shaking your head. “Jiu, will you take over? Let’s go to that restaurant I showed you earlier.”

“The historic one?” She asked, clarifying.

You nodded. “It used to be a royal building, so it’s pretty massive. And there’s a fireplace there fit to match, so…” you trailed off, glancing again at Gahyeon. Her pout deepened a little at you, exaggerating.

“Sounds great,” Jiu smiled warmly. “Let’s get going.”

The girls all resumed their walking after that, conversing with one another and taking in the surrounding sights of the city as Jiu flipped open to the brochure’s walking map and led the way. You let them pass you, waiting for Gahyeon to catch up.

Her nose was red, and the fuzzy muffs on her ears had fallen from their proper place. Her shoulders sagged dramatically, making her look truly spent. 

You had to bite back a laugh. 

“Here, baby,” you offered, reaching out to take the bags from her. She gave them without any further prompting, and you quickly slid them onto your arms, allowing them to rest in the crook of your elbow. You resituated her earmuffs next, and pressed a small kiss to the tip of her chilly nose. 

“Better?”

Her head shook in protest, stumping you. 

“Not yet.” 

She stepped forward, just a breath away, and slipped her hands into the pockets of your hoodie. They balled in the material and tugged you closer, nearly making you stumble into her at the unexpected action. 

“Let’s stay like this, just for a second. Let me warm up a bit,” she smiled mischievously, leaning in enough to brush her nose with yours. Her fingers wrapped around the warmers that were tucked away in your pockets, reveling in the soothing heat that they provided. 

You reached in, too, covering her delicate hands so that the cold didn’t have a chance to touch them. She hummed happily, tilting her head to the side to press a thankful kiss to your lips. She giggled quietly against them, pleased to have gotten her way. 

The night sky was bright above you, illuminated by the moon as it showered down its speckled starlight in a way that seemed intimate, like it was meant just for the two of you. Your own personal glimpse of the cosmos. It provided comfort, reminding you of home. Of all of those late nights in Korea, when you would sneak outside with Gahyeon for some fresh air, talking about any and everything your sleepy minds could come up with until the delirium set in and you had to amble your way back up to bed. 

Even here and now, in a foreign country that seemed lightyears away from that place, shimmers of those moments could be found. They gleamed in Gahyeon’s sweet eyes – hundreds of potential experiences and conversations just waiting to happen. It was meaningful, to say the least, and you were beyond happy that fate had allowed you to be here with all of them. 

You kissed her cheek before pulling away enough to look at her. 

“I love you–”

“I love you–”

Both of you laughed together at the coincidence, your shoulders lifting and falling lightly. The smile on her face was precious, reminiscent of a fox’s. You studied her for a moment, just taking her in and committing everything to memory.

“We should probably get going,” she said, still grinning, though she made no move to actually leave. Her gaze dropped to your lips, lingering there for a beat before raising to your own again. You felt the subtle way her fingers tightened against the warmers, attempting to be inconspicuous. 

It was almost comical how bad she was at hiding her feelings for you. 

“Yeah,” you agreed, settling closer, teasing her. 

She looked around, peeking over your shoulder before craning her body left and right to make sure the coast was clear. Once she was satisfied, she pulled your hood over your head and leaned in, sealing her lips against yours. 

Beneath the cover that your thick hood provided, she did as she pleased. Taking her time, savoring the rare chance she got to be alone with you like this. She was a mix of sensations – from her blushing, warm cheeks, to her chilly lips that slid against your own, never wanting to part. The entirety of the embrace was perfect; you couldn’t have asked for anything better.

“We really should get going, though,” you chuckled, resting your forehead against hers once you’d parted for air. “They’ve probably already made it there by now.”

“Fine,” she sighed, feigning annoyance again. “You’re right. But I’m taking this,” she declared, stealing one of your warmers. 

She pulled away, turning to stand at your side so you could walk next to one another. “We can share this one,” she resolved, keeping her other hand in your other pocket, where it was still cradled in your own. 

You sighed as well, mimicking her. “Fine.”

To smooth things over in the wake of her crime, she cuddled up against your side and laid her head on your shoulder as she pulled you along. The soft crunch of your shoes against the cobblestone street resounded, announcing your journey forward. 

“Thank you, babe.” She said quietly, serious now. “For everything.”

“Anything for you,” you quipped with a small smile, watching as your sweet assurance turned white in the air and surrendered itself to the universe.

Her “Giving” Love Languages Ranked:

1.) Gifts 

2.) Physical Touch

3.) Quality Time

4.) Words of Affirmation

5.) Acts of Service

She feels responsible and accomplished when she can spoil you and buy you the things that you want. There’s nothing quite like watching the smile grow on your face as you open up presents from her. She’s not afraid to go all out, either. 

[simbic]

what do i look like, someone who can resist a life sim in any form

I needed to see my OCs with some realism. She's mf perfect, like exactly what's in my head.

Honestly the talk about it being a "sims killer" was hilarious before and it's even funnier now that I've played it. Because this is not the sims, this is a different game in its own right, and it's going to pull in a specific type of sims player.

Gonna be real, played for a few hours and I'm not really feeling it. I'm going to give it grace; it is early access, but i feel like they should have just waited a while before release. Maybe the end of the year.

And I just learned about the AI thing and honestly, I need to learn to read the fine print before I make manic decisions at 2 in the fucking morning.

anyway, stuff below

Generally speaking, I just don't like it. Gameplay feels just...blegh. It's got a sterile feel to it that just leaves me a little underwhelmed. I can watch them interact and talk and smile and fall in love, but it feels like a couple robots just doing things? Relationship building is too easy. This is a complaint I used to have about TS4; two sims who are polar opposites or just fundamentally don't like each other or have different values should not be able to fall in love before 10AM.

Literally. They were soulmates by 10AM.

Also

Now look.

I understand this might be a culture thing, I think Korea has a different view of what counts as obscene. But this made me mad lmao

And when they got back out of bed they were fully clothed! Excuse me!! At least put them in PJs! It took me all the way out of it, and I was already half way out lol

Like I don't need to see anything my dudes, but the bed covers moving is the standard okay. There's a reason blur mods are always among the first to be created in games like this lol

The musical stings when I switch between zois makes me insane; I'm going to assume you can disable that and I just haven't looked through settings thoroughly enough. I don't like it in sims 4 and I don't like it here. There seems to just be a kind of...sluggishness to things that frustrates me. It's not clicking with me and I'm kind of sad about it. I was hoping for a just "yay!" feeling but it's TS3 all over again; it ain't working for me, not right now anyway.

I do like that you can control them with WASD though, watching over their shoulders is cool, but I'd rather use WASD for moving the camera, not controlling them. A couple articles I read complained about the world feeling hollow, and while I get why (went looking around the city in general and it does just feel kind of "empty"), the lots I visited were busy. A lot of activity happening. I saw this complaint about TS4 years and years ago, and it was much the same; the neighborhood never appeared empty and lifeless to me, so yeah.

On that note, the musical chairs drives me bonkers, just like in TS4. Creating a game like this is NOT a small feat, and I commend them for taking this on. The musical chairs occurring in a competitor to sims just kind of drove this home for me. This is not easy; there's a reason the sims hasn't seen real competition until now.

I'd like to see that boring, sterile feeling dealt with, or just play more and figure out if I can deal with that myself. I'd like to see the character customization made a bit more flexible? Like not just face presets; I want to see eye, nose, mouth, etc presets to give me more wiggle room. Clothing and hair selection disappointing, but it was disappointing when i played the demo so. And the basegame selection is always going to be a bit limiting.

The realism bothers me quite a bit. I've always liked TS4's cartoony feel; it's always felt warm, full, and vibrant to me, and hyper realism doesn't really create that atmosphere for me. Plus, it's a reminder that it's not real and I can do whatever I want; there are no limits. I've never been one for realism in the sims in any iteration, so I guess that makes sense.

Inzoi already has weather, which I was impressed by at first, but realized it's purely aesthetic, so the point of it is lost; they don't react to it. They get cold but the rain/snow might as well just not be there. For me, the character creation is amazing, I actually do love it, I loved seeing my OCs through a realistic lens. But once I plopped them down on a lot, I felt...eh. I haven't gotten into building, so it remains to be seen how I'll feel about it later.

I find the HUD to be a little too...fiddly? Like wants, needs, moods, it's situated in a way that my eyes don't like, but I wonder all the time if this is because tablets tend to be busy like this? My eyes couldn't figure out what to look at first, though I got used to it. I feel the same way about Marvel Rivals; I hate it when everything is busy as fuck.

My time in sims 4 is like 20% building, 15% CAS, and the rest is all regular gameplay, and if I'm not entertained watching them do things, then it's not going to hold my attention. I hope this aspect of Inzoi improves, not because I want to play it but because the sims NEEDS some healthy competition to keep them on their fucking toes. That, and I think alpha players are going to be really drawn to it in the end.

I'm glad to see some real variety appearing after sims has held the market for so goddamn long, but I think I'll just...see how Paralives turns out. Like I said, you have to remember Inzoi is in early access and it's not going to be what you want it to be for a while. I'll just check back in on it after it's had some updates. I don't see myself pivoting to it just because the aesthetic does not appeal to me. I don't like hyper-realism, so it's very likely just not made for me.

[snapsnzips]

Why Am I Even Here? My Initial Dragon Age: Inquisition Reaction

I didn’t even like DAI at first. Especially coming in hot from DA2 and a lifetime of built in keyboard habits from Bioware games. Suddenly trying to click-to-move has me stopping and shooting. I can’t walk around using my mouse buttons while I drink some coffee or have a snack. Every time I try to pause the game I jump and the pause is now way off where my small handed pinky can’t really reach.

I’ve always played dual wield rogues. I love them. I instantly hated them here. No DA2 gap closer, no click to move if I’m not quite close enough, she kept ending up back in front of mobs no matter how I positioned her. No health bars or nameplates on mobs, they were impossible to see for someone overwhelmed by the input of a new game.

Also wtf is that tactical cam? As a diehard DA:O combat enjoyer, I was in shambles.

I can’t name my save games, I have to maintain a text file with save timestamps of things I want to keep.

I had to be standing on top of something to loot it with no click to move for better repositioning. The hold key is more of a suggestion to your party than a command that they actually fucking stay where I put them. Releasing a party from hold (if they actually stood still for more than 5 seconds) is now a separate keybind.

I finally made it to the tutorial boss and was so mad about how bad melee rogues play that I restarted the next day with a mage. Things got a little better.

I remapped jump to a mouse side button. I remapped disengage to another mouse side button. I put pause on the key it’s used for the last fucking 20 years of bioware games. I gave up mostly trying to get my party to stop moving. (I’m never doing the temple puzzles again where it requires everyone to stand in really specific spots all over the room). I installed mods that:

widened search radius

constantly search pinged

extended gathering reach

quicker looting

more banter

deshine (why tf is everyone soaking wet?)

more hair mods because again bioware hair is all square blocks

HD textures

A Reshade preset

complexion textures

beard edits for the male NPCs because wtf is that facial hair?

And then I restarted again to get something better out of the character creator.

I ended up with a bunch more mods but those are the big ones. I finally ended up needing mods to stop Maryden from singing so loud when I’m talking to people, to shut up Xenon because he’s so loud and stop the requisition officer from talking so she stopped interrupting banter that triggers on zone in.

Weirdly I don’t hate table missions. Although I wish some of them could have been side quests. I managed to kill my Dalish clan at least once and also killed off the Wardens in a set of missions. At first I thought table missions were purely flavor so I didn’t realize I could accidentally murder people and get really bad outcomes. I honestly don’t mind the war table although I did eventually cut mission length to 50%.

I got a conversation zoom-in mod as well. The default conversation zoom is so impersonal it just felt bad. The game should allow more zoom in during none cutscenes.

In case you can’t tell, I’m a game restarter. I often need two or three starts into a game before I can finish. I’ll restart and play the intro a few times to get a feel for what’s actually going on once I’m no longer overwhelmed. I’ll also restart halfway through if I realize I’ve made some really irredeemable mistakes (those conversation wheels don’t always mean what you think), or if I realize I’m really into what’s going on and want to replay what I’ve already done for a deeper understanding before moving forward with my story.

Restart scenario: I had been playing DA2 from my original pre-order disc from over 10 years ago. When it went on sale over Christmas, I bought it so I could play the DLC. Which I did then realized as I was part way through act 3 that I didn’t want to go there again. Anders my beloved.

Since there’s no way to save a character outside a new game, I had a lot of early false starts with DA:I. But that’s probably a story for a next post.

[guardiantales-fanblog]

Guardian Tales Director Q&A

and now for the Director's Q&A that also came out today. This is gonna be a long one. And again; all MTL'd from Korean, sorry. link to interview

Q: You are receiving favorable reviews for your story. Are there any plans to provide separate content to view past stories? A: There are no plans to provide it in-game. If possible, I hope you enjoy the story along with the gameplay. As of now, we are thinking of steadily adding a replay feature so that you can enjoy past stories. The full story is also being released on YouTube, so I hope you'll get into the game and try it out yourself.

Im... not sure what this means tbh... Maybe they're talking about prequel side-content.

Q: Many people are unhappy that the playable hero is locked to Knight. A: It's a matter of choice. In Season 2, knights and princesses were the centerpiece of the game, so it was for the sake of immersion. In Season 3, we plan to change it so that users can use their own heroes in the story. However, for those who like to play as knights, we've also made significant improvements to the knight experience. It's your choice.

So basically: teams in story are coming back, and we might get Knight ascension soon?

Q: Last year, you mentioned a new summoning system. Can you elaborate? A: […] Since I personally don't enjoy picking and the current picks don't fit the current state of Guardian Tales, we're introducing a selective pickup system to make it easier to get each hero. The pickup system will allow users to select five heroes and then those heroes will appear. This will make it easier for players to collect the heroes they want. Since the game doesn't force duplicate picks, the value of each hero will be lower. We will adjust the release window to preserve the value of new heroes. In Season 3, we expect that new players will be able to easily pick their favorite heroes from the existing ones, and existing players who have collected all the heroes will be able to focus on picking up new ones.

New summoning mechanic coming soon

Q: There are not enough party presets. A: We plan to improve the preset system along with the UI in Season 3. Enjoy all content with 30 presets. This method allows you to specify a preset for each content once the update is applied. 

(possibly the new UI for master arena)

Q: When will the replay feature be added after Chapter 13? A: Replay is a huge resource drain on our development team. We're working on improvements to simplify and standardize the development process, as there are multiple options in between. Although we did not have enough time to work on Season 3 until the first half of this year, we will develop it in a simplified way in the second half of the year and even show World 18 again

I was not aware replay development was so rough... I hope things become smoother for them

Q: Is it possible to add the ability to visit a guild lobby other than chatting with friends? A: I thought a lot about including the whisper function in the season 3 specs. As a result, there was a lot of other work to do, so it was omitted from the current plan. Adding the ability to visit other guild lobbies is difficult because it requires creating a new guild room. However, in order to strengthen the community function, we will make improvements to make it easier to invite when playing cooperatively or in friendly matches. There were issues that made it difficult to get together in the cooperative expedition. We are also considering updating our profile page so that we can show off our achievements to other users.

they might mean stuff like those stickers they've shown in the stream?

Q: Balance controversies are always inevitable. A: There will be no drastic balance changes before Season 3. […] We promised not to nerf existing heroes. We need to look at it over a long period of time, but we plan to periodically buff non-mainstream heroes so that the results can be felt relatively quickly.

Q: There is a trend of subculture games announcing animation production. Does Guardian Tales have any plans? A: There are no immediate plans to do so. It's not my personal preference. I watch a lot of anime, but I really want to tell a story in a game. The main character of Guardian Tales is the player. I don't want to create subculture content centered around the knight. We're open to considering external animation, but we want to keep the emotional impact of the gameplay.

Im surprised to know that they actually considered it. I have to agree with the director here, while i did wish it got one, I dont think an anime would give the same feeling playing the game does.

Q: What are your next collaboration plans?  A: I have a plan. It could be introduced within this year at the earliest, or next year at the latest. Originally, the Tensura collab was planned for last year. There is something I have prepared to present this year. That IP is my first pick. It's an IP that everyone will know when they hear it.

Q: I’m curious about the future princess’s whereabouts. A: We know that there is a high need for a reappearance as it left a great impression during Season 1. Based on the scenario, I think the story of the future princess and the unrecorded world was neatly concluded in season 1. Now, the story of another timeline is open to all possibilities depending on the users' imagination. Rather than waiting for the future princess, I would appreciate it if you looked forward to a scenario where you meet new characters. I will show you a story that will satisfy you.

ah..... FP............ come back home soon...

Q: What is the current status of overseas services? A: Still receiving a lot of love. However, in the case of China, Japan, and Global, content is being used up in line with Korea's progress. As the progress reached a certain level, the initial explosive power faded away. Still, new articles are coming in steadily. In Season 3, we plan to inject new momentum so that you can quickly enjoy it with other users. In line with Korea Season 3, it is being developed so that it can be quickly expanded to overseas markets.

Q: What is your biggest goal as Guardian Tales director? A: There is no final goal point. Because I like story RPGs, I am happy just by creating Guardian Tales that can provide the highest level of emotion. I just hope Guardian Tales continues to make good stories.

[ms-foobles]

for NES asks: at the time it was released, what technical aspects of the console set it apart from the other consoles of that generation (like the Master System and Atari 7800)? i know the design of the console and the strength of the games were big, but what about the machine itself made it so great?

That is a very interesting question! I don't know quite as much about those other consoles as I do the NES, so this was a great excuse to research some new tech!

(I hope this response isn't too long, there's a lot to talk about!)

In my opinion, the thing the NES does best compared to all the competition is sound. The NES has 5 sound channels: two pulse channels, one triangle, one noise, and one delta-modulation channel. The pulse channels each support various different duty cycles, which all have different harmonics and gives you some versatility in timbre even with a simple pulse wave. And the delta-modulation channel enables a game to play actual audio samples. Some of the other consoles had sample playback capabilities as well, but in those cases the CPU had to be doing all the work to feed data to the sound chip. On the NES, the system itself does that work instead, which makes it feasible to play recorded instrument samples or effects while the CPU is doing other work (kinda).

By comparison, the Atari 7800 had only two channels with a preset list of waveforms, and way, WAY worse tuning when it comes to specifying the frequency of the sound you want to play. The SMS is better, but still worse than the NES. It has 3 pulse channels and 1 noise channel, but you couldn't even control the duty cycle of the pulse channels!

Graphics are a whole 'nother story though. In terms of raw picture quality, I might have to say that the SMS wins over the NES. The SMS has way more graphics memory, and also allows for way more simultaneous colors for any given sprite or tile. The 7800 comes in last place again-- I don't think it's really a contest. Sorry Atari! (That being said, I could do a whole nother writeup on how weird the 7800's architecture is, it's exceedingly different from the others).

One thing the NES did very differently from almost all the competition though was the way that it accessed video memory. On most systems, including the SMS and consoles that came after the NES, it works like this: The system motherboard has a graphics card and a video memory chip (VRAM) on it. The CPU occasionally sends graphics information into VRAM (such as pixel data or tile maps), and the graphics card then uses whatever data is in VRAM to draw a frame of video.

The NES is very similar, except that instead of the graphics card asking an internal VRAM chip for graphics data, the graphics card asks the game cartridge for graphics data. This means that custom hardware can be put inside of the cartridge that handles the graphics card's requests in special ways in order to achieve REALLY cool effects! This is particularly powerful when combined with the idea that drawing a frame of video happens line-by-line, top-to-bottom linearly over a span of time. If the hardware inside the cartridge re-maps memory in the middle of the graphics card outputting a frame, then everything before that point (i.e., above it/to the left on the TV) will look one way, and everything after that (below/to the right) will look another way. This can be used cleverly to, e.g., expand the maximum number of tiles that are visible at once, or even implement cool stuff like rudimentary vertical split screen! None of this would be possible if the NES fetched graphics data solely from internal VRAM, because if it did, there would be no way for custom in-cartridge hardware to intervene.

[simeffable]

Hi! Looking forward to seeing your next Sims! A couple of questions: I don't see the old pinned post about your upcoming sims, just the one about the Lost ones (which look amazing btw) and now the Buffy one I'm very excited about! Were you still releasing whichever the others were on the old pin? And Question 2: do you have any tips/can you offer any help/talk about how you make such accurate lookalike Sims from TV shows and other media? Simmers make it look so easy, but I can't figure it out tbh... Thanks!

Hi! Thanks for your question :) First of all, thank you for reminding me that that LOST post was still pinned! I pinned it for a while because a few people for people on Reddit, but I very much intended to replace it with my 'upcoming projects' one and totally forgot! It's all sorted now. Everything on that post will be released, and anything that has been is linked on it :)

Second of all, great question! I find even though it sounds obvious, always have a photo of the person you want to capture the likeness of. Don't assume you just know what they look like. I usually stick with a front profile photo to begin with, then will look at 3/4 and side views if I'm still struggling (but not always, as altering the side profile in Sims can sometimes completely change the front and make it look goofy. I'd rather have an accurate front profile and dodgy side.). I then try to have my game split screen in windowed mode with the photo along side it (if you can't get split screen there are a few apps available to overlay images onto windows) zoomed and positioned so that the real guy's head is the same size as the sim's. From there, I start by trying to get the physical features lined to match their position on the photo and get the size of them correct. Then, I always start with the eyebrow shape (sliders from @miikocc help a lot) and the eyes (again, @obscurus-sims sliders for eyelids will help capture more complicated shapes and hooded eyes). A lot of the time, its actually the width of the neck that makes a sim look goofy so @golyhawhaw 's Neck Width Slider is a life saver for male sims. Just keep going back and forth between the picture and your sim, choose the most accurate hairstyle you can and don't be afraid to download as many CC sliders as you can find as these really optimise the games' sculpting ability.

Hope this helps!

I've linked my favourite sliders below, as well as my go-to hair creators as it really is the make or break!

Golyhawhaw's Neck Width Slider (male only) | Miiko Eyebrow Slider | Eyelids Sliders | Squeamish Sims Temple Slider | Cheekbone Slider | Scalp Slider (male only) | Luumia's Assymetry Sliders, Ear Slider and Presets

Favourite hair creators: @johnnysimmer , @daylifesims , @simstrouble , @nolan-sims , @feralpoodles , @aharris00britney , vevesims (inactive I think, but creations can still be found), @okruee , @wistfulpoltergeist

[liaragaming]

Dragon Age: The Veilguard HYPE Q&A

What was the first Dragon Age game you played?

Origins. My husband encouraged me to play it, saying that he thought I would like it. And then I loved it more than he did. lol!

2. Which Dragon Age game is your favorite so far?

Inquisition. That cast of characters just sucked me in.

3. Do you usually play as a warrior, mage, or rogue? Which class are you planning to try first this time around? Which subclass?

I tend to switch it up. Origins, I played rogue because that was recommended to me. Exodus (DA2), I played warrior because I wanted Bethany in my party. And then Inquisition, I was like, well, I haven't done mage, so I'll do it. Thinking of going full circle and going rogue again in Veilguard.

4. What does your worldstate look like going into DAV?

That's a little difficult to get into since we don't know what will be important. But:

Romanced Solas / vowed to save him

Leliana Divine

Inquisitor didn't drink from the Well

Do you typically use a preset character and name or spend hours in the character creator coming up with a custom one?

I can get overwhelmed in the character creator. I tend to start with a preset and then customize it a bit and then jump into the game. I'll make tweaks to the character overtime though as I play. I prefer coming up with a my own name though, just because I don't want my character to share the same name as other players. And I will spend hours on that.

Do you have your Rook(s) planned out to any degree? If so, would you share some details or ideas you have?

Waiting for more information, but I'm thinking elven and red head. I like the idea of a non-magic user who joined the Veil Jumpers. Just because you can't use magic, doesn't mean you can't be fascinated with it.

Which character from the previous games or other media are you most hoping will make an appearance in DAV?

FENRIS! I need, need, need Fenris!

Dorian feels like a given.

There's more, but those two are tops!

What faction are you most excited to learn more about?

Veil Jumpers!

But also, all of them, to be honest. I can't wait to learn more about each one.

Which romance, if any, do you plan to pursue first?

I was thinking Bellara because I like elves. And then I heard about Lucanis being the angst romance, and I'm a sucker for that (as long as it end happily - I'm already in hell over Solavellan). But then I heard Emmrich is a total nerd and loves learning - and like... I don't know anymore!

Which location are you most excited/hoping to explore in-game?

It was Tevinter, but now... Arlathan forest? I also really want to see Rivain and learn more about the culture there.

There's so many place we'll be visiting. I'm excited for them all!

What's one thing you'd really like to see in this next game?

Resolution to the Solas romance. I've been in hell for 10 years! Please release me from this prison!

What's one thing you're hoping we DON'T see in this next game?

Anyone dying. Please Bioware. DO NOT give me the Hawke / Warden choice again.

What's one thing you've seen confirmed so far that you're a fan of?

The theme of regret. I can't wait to dive into that.

Developing a relationship between Rook and Solas. I have no idea how that is going to work, but I am so excited.

The Lighthouse. Just... gimmie.

What's one crack theory you subscribe to (yours or someone else's)?

Solas and Ghilan'nan were a thing (mine).

Are you interested in all the lore and speculation or do you focus more on the games and stories themselves?

All of it. All the lore, all the stories, all the characters. I just eat it up.

Which aspect of fandom are you most looking forward to? (e.g. reading/writing fic, the bounty of gorgeous art, getting to know new people, etc.)

Very excited for all the companion fanart and meta that is going to come out. Also all the fanfic I'm sure I'm going to write.

Are you planning to replay any of the previous games, watch Dragon Age: Absolution, or read any of the books/comics/short stories, or are there other games you want to play in the meantime?

Reading through Tevinter Nights now. Then going through the World of Thedas books. I WISH I had time to add the comics in there as well.

Post a picture or gif that conveys your current level of excitement for Dragon Age: The Veilguard!

[simplyanjuta]

Thank you so much for your Adjusted Thumbnails mod! I needed it so much and I didn't know it. :P I don't know if it's possible but could it also be adjusted for the Pre-teens mod? I have no idea since that is not an actual EA age but figured I would ask. Thanks again!

Hi there! Happy a few people find the mod useful :-)

From what I understand pre-teens in the referred mod are just teens with a special trait & height preset applied, so similar in that way to the Shorter Teens mod.

I just tested it to see if the pre-teens fit into the picture frame with the adjusted settings for shorter teens from my mod... It kinda works but it's indeed a bit cropped. Seems like the applied height preset is even shorter than the shortest version from the Shorter Teens mod.

I guess I can add a variation zooming out yet a bit more, but need to see how it looks overall. I felt a bit hesitant even with the version I released tbh.

P.S. When I experimented with the settings, I also tested how far I need to zoom out with max and min settings of Redheadsims height sliders, but at some point it just looks really silly imo 🙈

Update: Tried it out and the portraits would need to be teeny tiny, so I don't think it's a worthwhile option.

[cpcwiki]

I am suggesting for the wiki account to start from the very beginning, which imho related about the episodes. Like maybe give tutorial of the how to starts at the wiki.. Wiki is free to edit from and for all, but one need to register themself first so maybe it's confusing to the totally new account of the fandom. After that, maybe teach how to upload images (I already taught in reblog about how to properly naming image but the better things be repeated, the more info of it being on remember) like from screenshotting image/panel of the CPC (if in mobile, which at app - means to be aware from the logo webtoon watermark.. it's best to screenshotting from the PC)

Our absolute immediate danger is to putting (uploading) any necessary images that related to wiki before CPC going to becomes daily pass. Based on my calculations with @meritre24601 that taking account of anything possible like LambCat claims that she likes to end the CPC at episode 169 at IG = We're literally in red danger as it makes the FP ep 169 will on release at January 15 - well, just one month from now

The free pass of the final episode will be 2-3 weeks from that, but once the very final episode on free - then the possibility of daily pass is usually only few weeks PLUS sadly English platform not really warning about certain webtoon will becomes daily pass (unlike Indonesian that has monthly warnings about which series that will become DP) SO I won't try my luck to urging delegations of the wiki project BY not giving all my best effort - but also I know I can't do anything alone, I am just a human with limitations after all

Move on the most crucial pages in the wiki IMHO, Episodes. There's 2 types of Episode Template (I am not sure which we'll decide to have, personally I really want the more complete and longer one which we have 'gallery' section so from a particular episode we could analyse the image that related to it. I think that way easier and more understable to do, make someone focus on certain topic (in my experience, I'll pour my everything to improve overall Frederick depiction especially my initial reason is - I hate the comment section on his character page, and his page likes abandoned for years, so i am one of the most eager editor that helps to improve Frederick informations ~ later on basically 'everyone/thing'). The focus is totally depends on certain interest of editor, so as long that editor could writes objectively based on canon original source then why not? Any helps will be immensely helpful than no help at all espc from people that confused

I can try to write some guides for beginner editors! That seems like something I can get done pretty quickly that might still be helpful. I'll be free for the next two days, so I can try to get some of those done then. (Ofc some confirmation that people are actually interested in editing would be nice to have first, so I know I'm not wasting my time writing guides for people who'll never read them... I think I'll make an interest check for people who actually think they'll be able to edit soon)

Encouraging people to only focus on the area they're interested in seems like a good tactic!! As long as it falls within one of the areas the wiki is incomplete in, then I agree. Any sort of work would definitely be appreciated.

Also, what do you mean about there being 2 types of episode templates? If you're talking about the one that only has headings and no preset information (like on episode 50 for example), I wouldn't consider that a template. The only one I do consider a template is the one I made. Okay maybe I'm a little biased, but I would really like us to use the longer episode template with more information. So, if we need to choose between them, my vote is for my own template :)

Again, I am VERY VERY VERY sorry for my inactivity over the past few months!! I know keeping up an entire wiki for a still-ongoing series is difficult - I was the only editor on a couple wikis for a while, including this one at one point. It doesn't give me an excuse for having basically abandoned the wiki like that, though, especially at such an inconvenient time for us. Right now, running this blog is the most wiki-related work I can do without exhausting myself :(

This is also a good time to thank you for all your hard work again!! Btw Cookie and I maaay have been considering making you an admin... we can talk about that if you're interested!

[roaldseth]

For the Trianfgle Strategy question: 17, 19, 22?

Sincerest, deepest apologies that this answer didn't arrive sooner. A lot was going on, and a lot consistently kept going on, and you know how it is, and of course making the House Wolffort live stream was of upmost seriousness and importance. The last was jokingly, but the others not so much. Anyway—

17. What ending did you go for first?

Liberty. As I had said in this set of answers, anything for Benny Boy. The story goes is that my fate was already preset before release, because, to much dismay, Benedict Pascal stands as the sole reason for why I even gave glances at Triangle Strategy. I'm not known to be an TRPG/SRPG player, gameplay was not the pull, concept did seem fun though, but on GOD I had to find out what was UP with that man. In the end, when actually presented with the options full context, I still selected Benny, half from favoritism (and not wanting to loose him first go), half from process of elimination of not wanting to do the other options at the time.

Though I am a strong Liberty End enjoyer, I was not impressed at all first impressions on how it was presented as an idea. Quite frankly, I didn't really like Benedict's argument, or at least not how he presented/worded it. Ultimately, I think I reacted that way because it wasn't presented in a way that was appealing to a person like Serenoa. But, it turned up being a "the worst man you know makes an excellent point" but the excellent point is not his point at all, and it's assessing the likely to happen/known collateral of the other options. I don't regret doing it first play through, and know I'm very much an outlier in NA-EU group with this option.

19. Most heartbreaking moment?

Finishing—UH. When I say this, I speak from a place who always inevitably has to abruptly stop when the end of the game is coming up for days/weeks as if that'll prevent it from ending because I don't want to have to deal with a conclusion when it can just, you know, live on ambiguously suspended. Endings are markers, and though I know I can—and do—live my days happily attached to Triangle Strategy as a piece of media, I can never get that first time feel ever again. It cannot be recreated. It was a specific moment in time, and it's bittersweet. So, I just don't like finishing games in general, especially if it's in a place of much love and facination, for this reason, but it's something that is important to do.

But, I know that's also not what the question is asking, so perhaps consider: Utility End does a good job of making you feel like shit, sure (moral heartbreak)? Every ending (except Golden) ruining a perfectly good marriage before they could even get married (matchmaker heartbreak)? Realizing that the stick up Benedict's ass was put there by himself (being forced to witness idiocy heartbreak)? IDK, options are there.

Actually, no, you know what? Parting with Benedict for Morality fucking sucked. Hated that shit. Like, yeah I'm a known Benedict enjoyer, which is not helping my case, but from the stance of his history and job, his parting is painful because you—the lordship—is choosing to forego the House, its settlement, its people, its ancestry, and such is a name he had served devoutly since before it was a High House (30+ years).

This doubles with Frederica leaving for Utility end, because abso-fucking-lutely. You—her betrothed—are choosing to side with the oppressor of her people because the current king doesn't have much of a spine because he's the second son and wasn't expected or taught to deal with stuff like this, and then you thought it was a good idea...

Okay, actually, halt the post (sorry Roland, you don't get a section). The easier way to say what I want to say is that your partings with any of them are so painful. Like, I get it that they're supposed to be heartbreaking because "oh disagreement, oh bestie is leaving" but it's heartbreaking because they all have good reason to fuck off (it's just Benedict and Frederica have more push with other things not canon-specific events). The emotion they all put behind it fucking rocks. Love it, but I emotionally hate it.

22. Favorite moment?

Honestly, no idea, but I will say that the Chapter 17 voting period as a whole, no matter which way it's split, and because it's split, is... something for sure, important for sure... that I can really put a name to. It will certainly likely be a benchmark if future installments are made. In functionality, gameplay and writing, it's got to be something that works in unison with each other. I don't know. It's a very important part of the game for various other reasons that isn't narrative, but still greatly includes the narrative absolutely, and it's also just oh neat let me see everyone react, excellent.

(One comment I have heard in passings is that a let down of the game was that the 4 [reps] to 8 [war council] didn't disagree enough during votes, and on one hand, yeah they probably should have butted heads more at some capacity. But, for where Triangle Strategy is right now, I can understand why they didn't, whether or not it was the right or wrong call. I personally didn't hold it against them, or mind, or think it too out of the ordinary, so it's just a personal taste and maybe "you might be looking for a different game" really.)

[thedragonagelesbian]

Oc flower asks for Cyrus- Sunflower, Violet, Wisteria

flower asks (thank you <333333333)

Sunflower - What name(s) were you originally thinking of calling your OC?

God, it's been so long since I made Cyrus, I can't remember anything else I considered? I initially made him ~2017 as the twin brother of my other Hawke, Belladonna, for an inquisitor!Hawke AU*. I wanted to give him a 'C' name to match with Carver, since I already had Belladonna & Bethany, as well as something sufficiently fantasy-ish and soft-sounding for my gold-hearted hunk of a warrior.** I might've also considered Cyril?

*No one asked but I had to abandon that idea after this version of Cyrus proved to be too much of a stabilizing influence on this version of Belladonna, countering her penchant for self-destruction to such a degree that the original character stopped working. I don't think I'll ever write them together again, but with their new and improved 2024 characterizations, they'd definitely make each other worse, not better.

**Original Cyrus was also human, bald, and heavily bearded asofjpf there were some. adaptations. when I decided to reuse him for sapphim & vaelsmod's (then) recently released Playable Elfs mod.

Violet - Do a voice claim for your OC?

I really like Nicholaus Boulton's voice acting for m!Hawke, it's hard for me to imagine anything different for Cyrus! I love that he also does the voice for Malcolm in the Legacy DLC, since Cyrus desperately wants to have his father's deep voice, whether via imitation pre-voice drop magic or approximation through voice drop magic. Also @/zevsurana has some great posts about how... performative and strained m!Hawke's red dialogue options sound, which I love as an additional detail for Act 3/post-Kirkwall!Cyrus & ranger!Cyrus. To the extent that the anger and aggression are real, they're also very much a coping & protective mechanism to try to keep himself safe.

Side note, now that I'm finally spending some time with another BG3 OC, it's wild how different some of the acting direction is across the voice presets. Voice 7 (Cyrus' voice) sounds way more tired & done with things than Yiseeril's voice (8). It's very fitting, especially for ranger!Cyrus.

Wisteria - Does your OC have a skill they'd like to learn? What is stopping them?

Varies depending on version/setting

When he's living in Val Royeaux between games, DA2!Cyrus spends a lot of time being frustrated that his brash sword & shield skill set isn't well-suited for Orlais. He tries to learn some more subtle rogue maneuvers from Varric & Zevran, but he never takes to it, being so utterly antithetical to how he's fought & conducted himself for all his life.

Both paladin versions of BG3!Cyrus (so pallybarb/Karlach & Halsin romancing timeline, and shadow sorc/Astarion romancing/turns into a sword timeline) want to further develop their Elvish, as it's a skill that has turned quite rusty in the ~century since his parents died. Pallybarb!Cyrus has a very willing & eager teacher in Halsin, though going to the Hells with Karlach has paused their lessons for the time being. Meanwhile, shadow sorc!Cyrus is a bit too distracted with the. Nonstop existential body horror that is this version of the game for him, so it's not something he's pursuing right now.

And ranger!Cyrus wants to learn to dance!! Though he has a complicated relationship with it, he loved dancing with Wyll sosososo much and wants to be able to do it well to give Wyll the dance partner he deserves and so they can show off in front of the other Baldurian nobles.