#this game is good and fun but i really didnt feel like continuing playing the immortal throne

[paper-mario-wiki]

Hi, sorry if this is a weird question, but do you ever feel lonely in tf2? I've been playing for a few months now and while it's mostly been fun I always get this dreadful feeling when the match ends and everybody leaves. I also haven't made any friends which makes me sad. Have you made friends and if yes, how?

that feeling of loneliness has existed in the heart of every TF2 player since the Meat Your Match update.

it is difficult to meet people in casual unless you're an active participant in chat, or somebody else goes out of their way to interact with you specifically.

i find it really enjoyable to type in chat (even with the chance that 40% of the time i do it's spammed by bigoted jerks), and at the beginning of most of my games i start by sending "hi everyone! im googoo. lets all have fun together ok?" and more often than i get called annoying or cringe, im met with people saying "hi googoo!" and "gl hf!" (good luck have fun), which feels nice.

be ready to up and leave games if things become TOO heinous (what constitutes "too heinous" is up to your own discretion), but also dont be afraid to stick it out and talk with some of the other weirdos who play this 17 year old game.

sometimes, talking with people who are dickheads can be fruitful too.

one time, i was playing in casual and i met a stereotypical edgelord toxic tf2 player. they were typing shitty things in chat and had a bigoted name on one of their weapons. i called them out, and said "that's a weird way to act, most people will find it odd". as a result, they were teasing me and calling me names during the game, but i still played along side them. after a while, when they noticed that i was still being a helpful teammate to them and letting them take health packs/extinguishing them/protecting them, they were like "why are you helping me after i was a dick to you" in voice, but i ignored them. from then on they werent verbally abusive anymore.

the game continued, and they were speaking more in voice chat, specifically to me mostly, but i never responded. and after a while they said disappointedly "did googoo mute me?" and i said "no i didnt mute you." and he said "why do you still help me? even after ive been an asshole" and i said something along the lines of "i want to be a team player, and you are a part of my team. i dont want to be vindictive, because i dont think that's right. it wouldnt be helpful. i just wish you were a kinder person" and they said "oh. ok" in a really sad way.

after the game they left this comment on my steam profile.

and a few weeks later, they deleted it without another word.

the point of this story is that even as unapproachable as people seem, and as unapproachable as they will make themselves, every person playing has some degree of rationality and understanding, and they want to be a part of the normal social world too. some of them just dont really know how to.

[moonsidesong]

finished UT Yellow pacifist ! i really really enjoyed it! i will definitely be going back for the other runs but i'd like to let this sit for at least a few days before i go back in.

extended thoughts below!! yaayay!!!!

ok im sorry to open with a negative thought but if i can be a little mean. ceroba's fight suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks. visually its insanely cool, musically its insanely cool, the presentation overall rocks, but gameplay wise its the worst ive played so far bar none.

i think this game for the most part had pretty fun and interesting bullet patterns for the bosses and, especially in the case of Axis, El Bailador, and Guardener's fights, i really got the sense i was getting a little better each time as i memorized the attacks, which is exactly what i want from a UTDR boss fight! i heart memorization.

... but Ceroba's fight was the only one where i felt like the bullet patterns just had no rhyme or reason to them. i think using several simple attacks to make a layered complicated one is a good idea in theory but in the way they did it i kinda just felt like she was throwing random crap at me and when I did beat it (which took i think around an hour) i sorta just got the impression that i was lucky enough her RNG picked the easier ones a few extra turns in a row rather than feeling like i actually accomplished anything (anything with the gravity black hole added was just kind of a death sentence for me, maybe its a skill issue but i feel like yknow. im okaaayyy at bullet hell... wah...)

also, i dont know much about game design, but the overall momentum of the fight is set up to really only be good if you beat it the first time. which is not great. they make you watch a cutscene every time you die and although it is brief, it breaks things up just a little too long! you get really sick of hearing the first few notes of what are otherwise great songs in her fight, and it makes it harder to feel for her when watching her scream starts to become annoying. i think if it were up to me, it'd be best if when you died, there was no cutscene, and the game over screen didnt have music or text and was JUST the Retry/Continue prompts so you can jump back into the action quickly. if we wanna take it a step further, because the music opens with such intense notes, stop making it start over!!!! pick it up where it left off!!!! maybe even have the game over menu not even stop the music, just muffle it temporarily or something. i dont know. thats what id do if it were up to me but i did not make anything im just a guy writing a tumblr post

anyway hater hour over. i mentioned those three boss fights earlier because they were my favorites. i thought they were really fun. i can see how some people might think the shield mechanic during Axis's fight might suck but it was like easily my favorite actually HAHAHA idk i thought it was fuuuuun heehehe yaay i block the bullets and it makes a good sound sound makea me happy <- this is the hightest compliment you can get from a misophonic player

also the ending made me cry. this isnt saying much because literally everything makes me cry but it did in fact make me cry. u show me characters showing a moment of genuine vulnerability in a bittersweet atmosphere and uh oh

anyway.

i mentioned in my previous thought post that i was interested in seeing where the running theme of "jobs/employment" was going, and seeing it play out into meaning "forever unfinished business" was really good. Martlet quits the Royal Guard having felt like she never really did anything there, neither Chujin nor Ceroba could finish what they set out to do, and Clover never even saw the other human souls. theres probably more than that too thats just what i remeber my memorys actually kinda bad i never remember anything until i play it like three times oops. maybe i should start writing my thoughts as i go instead of making big unorganized writeups on tumblr after the fact.

also this is a really small personal nitpick that doesnt matter but i dont like ceroba's skirt. i think having such a regal traditional outfit otherwise and then just wearing a short skirt that goes above her knees makes her look more like a schoolgirl than it does someone who is like At The Minimum in her thirties. i get not wanting a long skirt to get in the way of her silhouette for her boss fight since shes all like stanced up but at that point just give her pants LOL

i don't care to comment much on the writing, on the whole i really liked it so i dont have as much to say, but i dont think martlet shouldve been there in the room with you for Chujin's tapes. i think that shouldve been a quiet moment with just Clover so it could Sit with you for a second. thats my only writing gripe in this very moment.

anyway GRAHHHH I ENDED UP WRITING A LOT OF THINGS I DIDNT LIKE AND I DONT WANT TO LEAVE WITH THE IMPRESSION I HAD A NEGATIVE EXPERIENCE SO:

MUSIC WAS REALLY GOOD!!! I LIKED ALL THE CHARACTERS!!!! I LIKED MAKING AXIS'S FUNNY ROBOT PARTNER I THOUGHT THAT WAS FUNNY!!!!!!!! ASIDE FROM THE FINAL BOSS I THOUGHT THE GAMEPLAY WAS FUN!!!!! THE MAIL MECHANIC WAS REALLY SILLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I PLAYED WITH MY FRIEND AND I HAD A VERY GOOD TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAAY!!! I VIDEO LOVE GAMES!!!!!!!!!!

thanks for reading! im sure ill have more thoughts to share by the time i do the other routes, but like i said at the start, id like to just sit on my thoughts and let the game simmer for now. my overall opinion is that i thought it was good! not perfect by any means, but very very good. i'm sure i will revisit it someday. and by that i mean right now im gonna draw and watch a bit of saltydkdan's video of it before bed.

if you read this far tell me your favorite hot drink :) lately ive been really obsessed with like, this basic ass cinnamon/nutmeg/coriander chai from target. i put a little honey and cream in it and its like my favorite thing ever i have some every morning. i used to think i only liked fruity teas but my eyes have been truly opened.

[phoebified]

ooooobliiiiigaaatory sso post because new dark rider design dropped! erissa (not sure why they didnt just keep elise or change it to eris? but that's ok!), the remake of chiyo, just dropped, and... she's white! interesting. there were a lot of ways sso could've saved the dark riders fumbles. there were a LOT of those fumbles, but the one i hammered on the hardest was chiyo, because i myself am japanese, and immediately know a bad design when i see one. likewise, i'm pretty spot on with calling how that character will most likely be written, and can make a few good solid guesses. i will say, i feel lots more in common with sabine, and am against the way they designed someone i could relate to and then painted them staunchly as a villain; likewise with all the dark riders, this may be sso's most diverse group yet, and they are villains. HOWEVER. at that point, they had already put them in-game, and now all i can hope for is some good old fashioned childhood "everything ends up fine" writing that shows these characters some love and perhaps sways them from their homocidal ways.

back to erissa.

why was chiyo's design racist? well, it wasn't just her. most of the dark riders were handled poorly. to be honest, i've talked SO much on this blog about why chiyo was such a bad design that i simply don't want to rehash it. was it the worst i'd ever seen? no. but putting in those stereotypes to a game children -- WHITE children -- play is like teaching children to hit bees nests for fun. it's pointless and hurtful to everyone.

SO: what do i think of erissa? she's cute! i like this design way better than the last.

that's it. whole idea. i think the colors are more comprehensive, i like the crochet details, i think the hobby horse looks a little silly but i kinda like it. overall, i am happy.

now you're probably wondering, "what, so sso can't make non white villains!?" and the answer to that is 1. don't be stupid and 2. of course they can. but they better put just as much effort into the rest of sso. they don't, though. our only buff woman is alex, who barely counts because she's kinda small as fuck in game. that leaves Sabine, who's more buff. her character is nonwhite, visibly has arm hair, and until proven otherwise, is nonhuman. not only that, she's evil. that sends some pretty strong messages, and, side tangent, but to anyone too goofy or too stubborn to see how that's a problem, i'm excited to see how the children in YOUR family turn out, be it yours or other family member's. will YOU teach them what racism is and why it exists and the complexities of it that people scoff at that allow it to continue to exist day in and day out, or will you let them play all the other games that DONT revise their writing, where the good characters are straight and white and every other type of "normal" and the enemies are gay or nonwhite or both? anyway. i hope you see my point.

"children will experience this stuff ANYWAY!" sure. why add to it?

"oh, so you're pulling a save the children thing? so what, you want everyone to be th3 same?" no. i want them to take chiyo's design, make her clothes look better, make her default state not like a mouse, and put her in the game as sso's like. only japanese character. i'd fucking love that! do you know how little representation there is for weird japanese girls? we dont got dick or shit. it'd be so fun to have a slightly redesigned chiyo as an npc, i'd totally fucking adore that! different clothes bc i think her past design was a little. ourgh. it'd be fun and cool if they made her like, a budding emo? omg that'd resonate with so many people i'm sure, and the purple hair is already suited to it. black hair would also be cool, though. do you see what im saying here, though? context is everything. im sad sabine is a bad guy. im sad every white girl who plays this game gets someone to relate to. i guess i too really relate to and like anne, but that's where the similarities end. it's easy to say "why does race matter?" in a sea of white people if you're white, but it can get lonely playing any video game if you're not white. sso is one of the best games ive found in terms of trying to really add diversity (although im still waiting for updated fat npcs), and that's why i weighed in so heavily. it matters to me. i love this game. i think they've done so much good with it recently, i'm really just beyond impressed and in love.

i think erissa is a good design.

[kozykricket]

havent been very active on tumblr, for no reason in particular. anyways, as a risk of rain fan, i must clarify my opinions on the SOTS release

i think we can all agree on "the dlc is great content"

but anyways, its clear to me that the devs are people who care and are passionate about ROR as a series and about keeping ror2 going as well. i mean, hopoo and ghor have said as much! and their community manager seems nice i really dont blame the actual DLC team, because like. its always rude to just point fingers at the people who are just doin' darn good work. point fingers at the executive decision makers i think uh, the unification of console and pc code is... well, ill miss the old codebase, but honestly? the fact they've rewritten the games code from the ground up basically... tells me that they're in it for the long-ish haul. that they dont want to just drop ror2. they want to make their own basis that they can cleanly work on and continue this game into its second life of sorts i guess its like a soft reset of development - everythings jank like early access now. but itll get better is the current ror team the best at making decisions for the game? maybe not, but i really dont think they're malicious

its funny though, because the 2 things i was worried about was "oh gearbox is totally gonna mess up the lore with weird inconsistencies and it wont feel right, and they'll add powercreep" but honestly. imma be real, knowing some stuff ghor has said about his intentions behind the lore (shoutouts to Ghor btw, hes done so much for both the lore and the... well, the creation and foundation of risk of rain 2s codebase as a whole. the more i look into ghor, the more i realize he truly is mr ror2) anyways knowing his intentions with certain things, i can say... the Anniversary Update and SOTV actually messed up lore more than SOTS has, lol. the lores well done in SOTV. the non-lore-important logs kinda suck though, they're clearly unfinished. but i think... what they lacked was Time. Time, to complete the clean unification of code ... and for general polish. so i say we give them what randy pitchfork didnt. lets give them time, aight? im not super happy with the idea of a ror2: bedrock edition future, but... i think if the right balancing tweaks are done, then things can look pretty bright. and they do seem to want to listen to the community (though i doubt randy pitchfork wants them to. heck CEOs)

and as for powercreep? lmao we got the opposite, the items are almost too underpowered.

AS for the dlc content, i think seeker is goated. really fun character to play. chef is... undercooked tbh, jank m1. still havent gotten the third survivor, though i know who it is, and seems pretty well done minus the lack of visual and audio feedback / game-feel i think the stages are fantastic, the music is as always banger, and honestly the items are like. really CLOSE to being interesting. like noxious thorn? a green item that plays with debuffs? very cool. but why is it "on taking damage" and. i dunno, instead of adding more stacks of debuffs, i'd make it spread those debuffs to more enemies! knockback fin should be turned into a void of stun grenade if you have both DLCs on, tbh. so yeah, im. cautiously optimistic for the future. dont fall for all of the doomerisms that the youtubers are trying to spread - they're doing that to apply pressure to gearbox, mostly. which is fair, but its also fearmongering kinda. and like actual devs dont seem too concerned for the games future im just hoping that everyone who has been involved with ror2... has a good future. i dont want gearbox to just cut off the ror2 team, and i hope ghor can find whatever he needs

[bellsxwriting]

٠ ࣪⭑ KARMA.- Scaramouche x reader

｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡ 20 . Wish you were sober

A/N.- This is a long one so strap in bitches

You arrived at the party, sightly tipsy from pre-drinks, Hu Tao, Lumine and Ayaka stumbling behind you. You buzz the doorbell and before you had time to think the door was sung open, 

“Ladies, and Y/N, looking good!” Childe smiles, “Come on in~” He pulls you inside and loud music already harass you ear drums, you werent drunk enough for this. You follow everyone inside, heading to the kitchen to see Venti, Kaveh and Xiao standing together, “Hello boys,” You giggled, reaching towards the bottle of wine Kaveh was holding, “And you brought me a gift. Love you Kav~” You wink before taking a large swig of the drink, Kaveh went to complain before another bottle was pushed into his hands by venti and he gave him a look, as if to say let them drink it moron. You looked around at the tightly packed apartment, 

“More people than last time, seems Childe made some friends” Venti giggles at this comment as you continue to look around, and there stood in the corner, with a red solo cup in his hand was Scaramouche. He looked pissed off with everything around him and was definitely forced to be here. You look away nervously, you knew you were gonna talk to him tonight. You just needed a lot more liquid courage. You continued to talk in the little group for a while, eventually being joined by both Ayaka and Yoimia who looked…closer than normal. Before you could comment there was a tap on your shoulder, as you turned your stomach dropped, 

“Y/N, Hello darling…fancy seeing you here” Wearing tight leather pants and a baggy white top, Kaeya smiled at you. 

“Kaeya…what a nice surprise, I haven't seen you since…last time” You grimace slightly. 

“Oh right, that was sure a fun party. How about I make you a drink?”

“Sure, you half-heartedly agreed, moving away with Kaeya further into the kitchen, not noticing the annoyed eyes that followed your every move. 

After an hour of talking with Kaeya you were feeling comfortably drunk…well enough to have your filter gone and one goal in mind. You brush your hand against his shoulder, looking into the corner where Scaramouche was. “How about we finish this later, I have a…friend…I really need to see” You push slightly past him and strut off before he can even comment. You first headed to the corner where he use to be, seeing he wasn't there your next stop was to check outside, on the balcony. Lo and behold the man was looking over the city, cup on the ground and cigarette firmly in his hands. 

“Hey,” You stood next to him, reaching into your bag to pull out a pack of Marlboro golds, taking the cigarette out and lighting it. He glanced over at you, before looking straight on.

“Didnt think you smoked” You giggled,

“Only when drunk.” You leaned your head on his shoulder and he shrugged it off, you made a gasping sound before he threw his smoked cigarette off of the side. 

“I don't know what fucking game you're playing Y/N, but if you're going to act like a cheap whore maybe don't do it to everyone at the party…ok? 

What. The. Fuck. 

｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡End of Act 2｡⋆｡ ﾟ☾ ﾟ｡

Previous . Next . Masterlist

Summary.- It’s been over 10 years since you last saw Kunikuzushi, back then he had blocked everyone and disappeared without a trace. Now, you’re in your second year of the Akademiya University. But what happens when a certain someone appears from your past, and now, with an entirely new personality?

A/N.- Thats the end of part two! One more to go <3

Taglist <3

@yumi-genshin-writer@pinkiepiescanonn@kyouzki@royalz658@sagegreenthinks@yukiipc@hotgirlshit5@theblueblub@sukunasrealgf@trowyisfruity@karma-gisa@meilin-momobami@ariilovesmoney @yevene@ynverse@goofysocks3@fogturtle@feiherp

[jerreeeeeee]

i also read the suffering game graphic novel. here's praises and criticisms. this one is also more negatives than positives unfortunately, i tried to be fair and thoughtful but i did not like it very much

things i liked:

-lucretia prologue establishing that she went to wonderland + talking abt missing the crew. fun & mysterious

-hi mavis and mookie :) they are cute

-HI BARRY sometimes i forget he stalked merle’s family outing. i love that freak

-magnus and angus scene!! fisher showing angus the statue drawing!! ango detective subplot!! this is a nice and natural addition since we know he was sleuthing around the BOB

-merle teasing taako about his date is kinda cute actually love seeing them be friends

-thank god they got rid of the chimera. idk if this is a hot take or anything but its probably my least favorite fight in the podcast its so out of place and unnecessary. there are lots of fights that didnt really matter in the beginning like all the gerblins and the slime swamp in rockport but they were still like getting their bearings and the show was more like a real dnd campaign than a typical actual play, but by the time you get to the suffering game there’s more interesting things to do and you're like god why are we still doing random forest encounters just get to wonderland already

-not a positive per se but i’m not that upset about sterling and his party being cut. i feel like an adaptation would’ve had an opportunity to make that little c-plot matter more, and that would’ve been awesome, but as is in the podcast, i never felt particularly strongly about it? not enough to miss it. idk like magnus and merle were already for ‘trust’ even if it were strangers and taako never seems all that regretful about it (which like. fair. he’s the pragmatist and that’s how the prisoner’s dilemma works. he played the game right because he couldn’t afford to lose, knowing they hurt some slightly-less-strangers doesn’t really change that).

-i dont remember which of the boys discovered it in the podcast but merle noticing the smoke thing is good. he actually is competent and especially in an arc that’s meant to make him feel useless that’s a good little reminder

-i do like that the liches say the bell is very powerful & is threatening to destroy them like both keeping in theme with the rest of the relics and an introduction to the idea that sharing an incredible and dangerous power between two people makes it easier to keep your sanity, similar to lichdom

-griffin getting cut off with the hunger is awesome finally we’re taking advantage of the medium. nothing more to say that choice rules

-posts on tumblr hyped me up for taako recognizing barry’s dick but unfortunately that’s not really what happened and now i’m disappointed. but the graphic novels arent canon so i’ll just have to continue with my barry/taako awkward past one night stand agenda despite it all

-i dont quite know how to feel about the umbrastaff leaping to barry to replace the “love barry, trust barry” moment. on the one hand, having lup actually speak to taako wouldn’t work super well in graphic novel form, not to mention the whole band of projected thought thing was kinda convoluted and they are clearly very limited on time, and taako choosing to trust the umbrastaff in this way is a creative way to get that same effect. on the other hand, its so unclear what even happened or why it changes taako’s mind without podcast context. that’s one of my big gripes, you’re expected to be familiar with the story already, but if you’re familiar with the story, the graphic novels are… worse in every way. also, i really really liked the original scene so even though it doesn’t work, i miss it. this isn’t as effective—we don’t find out there’s a person missing from taako’s memory, his heart doesn't swell at the sound of her voice, he doesn’t know with certainty that she’s someone dear to him. it's just like, another instance of the umbrastaff acting weird. maybe you put together that 'LUP' is a person but you don't have any indication until the moment of remembering how important she is. all of that would be really difficult to get across in a visual medium anyway, but still, yknow, it doesn’t hit as hard.

-ango!! his mage hand is coming along so well!! although. why is his wand just like a stick. did he pick it up off the ground. taako needs to take better care of his boy this reflects badly on him as a teacher lmao

-i felt this way about the eleventh hour too but there’s so many little details of taako and merle’s friendship i feel like they have little asides and jokes together a lot and i love that

-the looming dread of the hunger is done pretty well (as well as it can be with such time restraints)

-merle trying to commune with pan and seeing john instead is good. very ominous and intriguing for new readers and exciting for podcast listeners

-really liked the panel of barry in the red robe against the stars and the bond engine’s white ring as he’s remembering. very cool very cinematic

-i actually also really like the framing as taako remembers, filling in the memories we’d seen previously and clearing out the static while he looks so broken, and merle asking him what he’s remembering, and then finally speaking his sister’s name. its framed very powerfully. i wish he and lup didn’t look awful so i could actually feel something at that part. like they are my favorite characters ever their story makes me so emotional and i just. they’re unrecognizable. the character designs are terrible and taako has spent 6 books now being mischaracterized and flattened to hell so i just can’t muster any emotion. maybe i'll redraw that page someday though because the panelling is genuinely very good

-the ending lucretia monologue is good she's the narrator she's the main character she's everything. love the portraits staticking out and mirroring and changing, and ending on the beach painting is great. very cinematic and a natural way to phase into the stolen century

things i didn’t like:

-i dont think taako’s deepest desire is his own brand of fashion forward athleisure wear if i’m being quite honest. these little things irk me

-why is liches get stitches all the way in the beginning… ill portent for how the rest of this book will go

-i think they shouldve introduced the flaming raging poisoning sword of doom way earlier. the payoff isnt nearly as good without the setup of having been magnus’ white whale for like fifty episodes. maybe they did mention it in earlier books and i just forgot though

-^ i hate his stupid ugly oversexualized stereotyped ass so fucking much its unreal

-why are edward and lydia ugly :( —(they're not ugly because they're chubby they're ugly because their color schemes and outfits are fucking awful) (fr though why are all their colors so muted and dingy?? why are their outfits boring?? at least their heart attack looks are fun)

-oh so there’s just no trust or forsake at all. yeah i don’t like that. in the end no great loss since i don't think it really says anything about thb's characters that hasn't already been said, but so much of thb's characters and arcs have been cut from the gns already

-i get that they’re low on time trying to fit in reunion tour but like come on part of the suffering of the suffering game is how long and painful it is cutting it down really just. makes it not matter as much

-magnus looks no different after aging LMAO he gets like 2 gray hairs and that’s it

-edward and lydia’s lich forms are also boring unfortunately

-no tasha’s hideous laughter on the heart attack mannequin? lame. although i have for the first time realized that dnd shows kinda have a thing for characters uninterested in romance being forced by mysterious powers to be haunted by creepy puppet-like “romance partners” huh

-magnus doesn’t forget kalen?? why cut that out? i guess because there was never closure for it in the original story?

-no boss rush?? that was fun :(

-magnus and taako aren’t surprised merle has kids??? did they know???

-dupree looks terrible but i guess props to carey for giving him feathers even though it looks bad

-just axed the liches’ backstory?? that was kind of important?? the fact that they turned to necromancy out of love for their family & powered themselves with positive emotions too? that like, has relevance later…

-NO BAD LUCK FOR ARMS OUTSTRETCHED? COME ON

-the framing of magnus’ soul being removed is so anticlimactic in general like the POINT of a VISUAL adaptation is to have interesting & cinematic VISUALS its just so messy

-all of arms outstretched didnt look very good in general sorry. its just such a big important moment and to make it so mid… a tragedy

-“i guess we still needed each other after all” doesnt work anymore because they removed all of edward and lydia’s backstory and character but it was an interesting line to me that i wish had been kept. hammering in that liches need anchors is, again, pretty relevant later on, getting rid of that foreshadowing sucks, and it also humanizes these villains in an interesting way that really highlights their powerlust as their downfall rather than just, like, cruelty for evil’s sake. like yes they torture people and find it fun because they’re so distanced from their own humanity but they also truly believed it was necessary for their own safety and seemingly only became sadistic after they desensitized themselves. i wrote a post about this a while ago but idk if i’ll ever post it

-not a fan of barry killing lydia either. idk why, its not like he hasn’t killed other people to protect the boys before. but that’s earlier in the show before we know he’s not just a villain and is in fact meant to introduce him as a villain. now he’s a friend so idk if you can just go back to having him murder people? again its not a wrong choice but it feels like messy storytelling. also like i think seeing a lich grieving her anchor and a sister grieving her brother would pull some heartstrings for him. it would maybe remind him of some people he loves and garner some sympathy and give him some pause. and i liked that in the podcast even though lydia was so distanced from the idea of positive anchors, killing edward just immediately undoes her, fits in with the themes and the way we understand liches to work, another powerful example of what bonds can do, and that's kinda lost here

-magnus’ answer to the bell sucks so badddd lmao when these books NEED context they’re devoid of it but when they actually have the necessary plot points/character arc established for the reader to put something together they have to go and spell it out like the audience is stupid. there was something so raw and powerful about magnus’ original “i’d hate it. shut the fuck up.” like just shutting it down and not even considering it. that’s completely lost when he has to be like “recap time! my wife, julia,” eugh just didnt like that. there are so many powerful lines from balance that i don’t hate on principal that they’ve changed, but there was no good reason to change, and so the new version just falls flat and there was no reason not to include the original lines verbatim? i get not wanting to just deliver a podcast highlight reel and have the gns be their own story or w/e but if you’re gonna do that you have to do it well, and they just keep being worse unfortunately

-they don’t get the chance to go off the grid themselves and choose to trust barry?? come the fuck ON that is IMPORTANT to the STORY

-this may or may not be an unpopular opinion but i’m not a fan of barry’s design either. i don’t like the hair and he’s not fat enough. less egregious than others but its still another instance of being like who tf is that

-barry’s little coin monologue was kinda fun and dramatic and i (finally) liked the visuals of him falling from the sky/silhouette of the starblaster against faerun’s single sun. but i wish they’d kept more of the original. add drama that’s fine but the point of it is to humanize him after we’ve spent so long thinking of him as a villain and a ghost and a force of the story and now it turns out he’s barry bluejeans. he’s just a guy. he loves his mom. he’s allergic to dairy. he’s afraid of the dark.

-especially not a fan of cutting out the “love that defined and redeemed you” and “dull weight in your chest” in barry’s coin monologue. those are important parts of his character. whether you interpret the love and the weight to be for lup or for the whole crew, you need to know that the red robe has lost people, and that everything he does is to try to get them back. he’s the lover and he’s grief personified. his mission is to save the world AND recover his family. thats like. kinda important for his character and role in the story. if you ask me.

-again the “we’ll get em next time” magnus flashback is not BAD but it could’ve looked so much better? carey definitely has strengths as an artist but her fight scenes and character design tends to be very weak so its unfortunate that this is an adaptation of a dnd podcast where those 2 things are like, the most important. idk i feel like i should be articulating what i mean better but i’m not sure how. the fights just are often really cluttered and framed in an odd way that doesn’t look very good or dramatic or dynamic. i don’t want to say carey is a bad artist, i really don’t think she is! but i think she was not the right artist for this project. the magic of a visual medium is, well. the visuals. when they’re mid the whole story suffers.

-taako and merle not just saying magnus is dead is sorta unnecessarily confusing since everyone like assumes he’s dead anyway? idk i don’t understand that choice. kinda fucks with his moment with carey. not a big deal in the end but it does seem unnecessary

-MAGNUS DOESN’T GO SEE FISHER?? the mannequin dies in fantasy costco??? what about johann???

-“you stole half of my fucking heart” i know a lot of people loved this line but it genuinely baffles me. Why Only Half. not only referencing one of the most heartwarming (and heartbreaking) lines in the original show with no context for why its meaningful at all yet—but also minimizing it? why soften that blow? why detract from the raw intensity of that grief? why reduce a very powerful sentiment? an adaptation of balance that doesn’t allow itself to be earnest and wholehearted (ha) about its platonic bonds is not a good adaptation, straight up. maybe its not that deep but it is To Me. maybe it has no real import and i’m just being stupid but like they made that choice to write half instead of just “my heart.” Why, genuinely

-hey what the fuck happened to johann for real though. that was a really important part of the story. hey. hey. what about johann. like are we just ignoring johann. am i insane. how has no one mentioned this. what’s up with johann

-

so all in all, again, rushed pacing, axing of a lot of very important plot points, shoddy visuals.

it did not make me relive the emotional journey of the suffering game and reunion tour. it inspired a vague nostalgia for the first time i experienced reunion tour, reminded me of how much i love the original show, and made me want to listen to the podcast again. especially reunion tour good god i love reunion tour. and it made me desperately wish for a good adaptation. i would do fucking anything for a good adaptation. the longing is making me sick. at least we always have podcast reunion tour.

the graphic novels are just so empty and soulless compared to the original show. i wouldn’t have an issue with changes, except that the changes, at every turn, gut the emotional core of the story that makes it so special, and ruin the strong themes throughout the story. they fundamentally misunderstand what is so good about balance. and also, like, basic storytelling. they’re poorly designed and poorly written, so they don’t even stand on their own as a different story. i'm not expecting an exact replica, but i am expecting good writing, good changes when necessary, and respect for the original beloved story. without those, the soul is gone, the spark of what makes balance so compelling and emotional.

i am dreading the story and song graphic novel. i don’t think it will be any good. the themes and character arcs and plot of the show have been mangled beyond belief so nothing is really meaningful anymore. can we go back to the johann thing for a moment—

[astarionancuntnin]

✨Writing Interview Tag Game✨

Thank you for the tag @nyx-knox!! <33

When did you start writing?

Like wayyyyyyyyy back, I technically wrote my first story when i was 11. I didn't write again until i was 15 (original pieces + fanfics), then i stopped and Im back at it again at 26 ayoooo

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

if i really need to search further into my favorite books, i would definitely say psychological horror and dramas

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

I don't know writers enough to really get an idea of how to compare myself to any of them, but I do know that i tend to emulate what i'm exposed to, so if I read an entire series from an author, and they used a certain syntax, i'll tend to also do it by force of habit. (i also consider it a flaw cause i see it as hindering my writing creativity ;-;)

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

its my personal pc that doubles as my work space, so its a bit all over the place ngl haha, theres a lot of astarion stickers and posters, all the furniture (keyboard, mouse, desk, etc) is pastel purple (my favorite colour), i have three screens (mostly for work but its also useful in day to day life) and my three wallpapers are astarion, of course. sometimes when i feel a writers block, i found out that writing on my laptop does unblock me! in that case, youll find me typing away on my couch in my living room uwu

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

MUSIC. What I write will be highly dependent on what I listen at the moment, like I was really into boywithuke when i wrote my angsty fics, and then i moved to a dark romance playlist and that got me going for die for you but then i was unable to continue my other fic cause i wasnt in an angsty mood anymore ._. (i swear i didnt abandon it, it just isnt the playlists turn to play on repeat) and rn im a lot into sleep token and ari abdul

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

So. Much. Smut. And angst. not surprising! my writing will also often depict my current state of mind. dw im in therapy, im working on it

What is your reason for writing?

It's my favorite creative output/the one im most experienced in! i wanna start drawing but i never find the time to really get into it and also terrified of failure which brings me to my second reason, its all i think i can do and i get dopanine reading nice comments teehee

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

when people tell me about a favourite part, when they liked the tension i managed to create, how i convey some characters, and most of all when i get told they loved a character i created!! this is so encouraging and pushes me to continue <3

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

i dont know how to answer to that .-. uh, i guess i want to be liked? seen as a good writer if anything? idk man ;-;

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Definitely descriptions, and creating a build up in a scene. I feel like it comes naturally to me and people have often told me that they are never lost when reading my scenes which reassures me so much LMAO I feel validated I also think I make really fun dialogue, especially banter with my ocs/tavs

How do you feel about your own writing?

i often self criticise my own work a lot, and i get that imposter syndrome where ill reread my work before posting and go "what the hell" in those moments, im grateful im not writing on paper cause that sheet would find its way to the trash real quick ^^ ' im sincerely truly blessed that my partner offers himself to read my pieces and beta read them, and tell me his honest opinion (there are things i wrote i wish i could forget and yall better be thankful he was there to stop me from posting first versions)

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

mix of both definitely. initially i wrote my own ideas and if people do end up liking them hell yeah!!! glad im able to find people that vibe the same way i do! then again, when i write for people, even if most of it comes from my silly little imagination, it was initially influenced by the request itself and is going to guide the writing specific to this piece, which honestly makes sense imo

Tagging 🏷️: @marlowethebard @roguishcat @anacdoce @charmandabear @marimosalad

[reilleclan-blog]

Yes I'm still here and while I'm here I decided to get rdr2 b/c I wanted to rp as a cowboy so fucking bad. Um honestly I don't hate rockstar games recent gta story wise and online play is ass to me movement and thr story felt so trivial to me(this js my opinion after years of thinjing rockstar and gta are relativrly good) but yeah. the only rockstar game i faithfully love is Bully.

(SPOILERS)

and as i play rdr2 i feel like the story is basically like Bully except the entire plot of rdr2 is Jimmy(arthur) and Gary(Micah) going at it the entire game but also using a bit of mislead.

(and yes after arthur got captured by odriscolls i immideitely sused out Micah as being a snake. also i didnt believe a word of a "truce")

And yes i did look up the truth to confirm my suspicions b/c i don't believe in spoilers kinda. But yeah im gonna say a couple things about this game I genuinely think it's a cool and interesting game. I personally can't fathom how ppl thought Dutch was so "wise" and "complex" he basically was some dude that monologued EVERYtime he was on screen. Like I swear to god this dude was just a "head up his own ass" type of guy and it solidifies even more around the ends of the game. (In the beginning I thought he was sort of a good guy but once they sat up camp out of the cold .. I was like this guy is annoying ass shit and I absolutely hated taking orders from him as Arthur lol)

Dutch was basically a dude that thought he knew more than everyone cause he read a couple books and quoted shit all the time. My nigga , u are ultimately a fucking poser. U no better than anyone in the camp ANYONE could've done what he did he just got in the position before anyone else. I swear to god I'd skip so many cutscenes b/c all he did was talk and talk "blowing hot air" and as the game went on he continued to do dumber and dumber shit and everyone just went along with it. I genuinely think it's hilarious a separate job everyone does(robbing the bank) was the most fun mission with main side characters I'd probably had thru the entire game. And all that was pretty much thrown out the game b/c Dutch's plans made everyone have to leave again.

(Him saying "play both sides of the war" was the dumbest shit ever. But ofc everyone still listened to him. Hosea was having a mind of his own but STILL choice to do what he said.) Dutch wanted to play chess so bad but really he was playing checkers ever since they left Strawberry possibly Blackwater as well.

Also I wasn't sure how I'd like the game mostly the main character but Arthur actually has a personality and can be complex more than a lot of the characters ppl call "complex" . I honestly think rockstar could've gone farther with making the story so compelling maybe the main character could've been a woman who is living in the west u know and finds these band of misfits and it could show the struggles of crime and being a woman advantages and disadvantages. Something like that.

I don't think the characters aren't interesting not saying that lol I just think in the end this story didn't want to push further with complex understanding or characters. It's like yes it's a story but it's not here to make u think too much on what's going on. (That's how I felt) since most of the audience I'm assuming were biased players and SURPRISE straight white men.(even though funny enough cowboys were originally black and brown) so I think rockstar made a story just interesting ENOUGH to keep that certain demographics attention. I assume with ppl that assess games and the way the game plays out at times. For example a lot of the times during missions u could do something stealthy but still end up having a trivial ass shootout to "keep the excitement" of the game. A lot of the times that happens and it just annoys me b/c it'd virtually makes stealth pointless unless otherwise.

I'm still trying to finish up the game but rockstar has a tendency to make these games over long for no fucking reason . It reminds me of movies that are like 2hrs long just to have the entire movie be "racism is bad"(Cloud Atlas) or some dumb simple shit like that. So I'm still tryna see what the story this game is tryna tell me or show me but damn it's just taking forever for no fuckin reason TO ME. 💀 also feels like there's so much shit happening in the game that I can't grasp the story at times like there's no rest? Doesn't mean when characters died I didn't care but still

I was even baffled that the crew really went overboard and landed on some tropical island. Sometimes the events in the game seem unnecessary as well. Again adding to the fact the game is over long for no reason. Anyways um cya till next time.

[hansmannette]

i finished veilguard and i kinda need to write smth down cuz idrk how this game should make me feel atm

spoilers for dragon age the veilguard below the cut

i dont think i liked veilguard this much tbh. it wasn't a total disappointment but i expected a different game altogether. theres not many aspects i enjoyed about it and when i think about replaying it in the future im like "... im not looking forward to experiencing any of this again" like there wasnt a single point in the game i really had fun playing?? idk

the characters fall completely flat for me. theres no one i think was cool or fun interacting with during my playthrough. i think i liked taash a little? like at least they were funny sometimes and their dialogue seemed genuine most of the time. spite was also funny sometimes. i think i liked spite more than i liked lucanis which is a shame. the least boring guy was probably davrin, i might check out his romance in the future cuz i liked assan and yea.. davrin was really ok tbh. the absolute worst character for me was harding??? harding was so fucking annoying all game and she was just... not at all like harding. all her lines were so obnoxious and just idk. i think the dialogues overall were just really bad cuz i actually enjoyed most character arcs, i even thought hardings was amongst the strongest. i also didnt like that you could never just chat with your companions and ask them about their lives or whatever, you had to wait for them to want to talk to you in order to be able to interact with them at all and overall the companion aspect of veilguard was just trash. they mightve wanted to go back to da2 or ME style but this doesnt fit modern games anymore imo and just made me not care at all for any of the companions. the romances were way too short too. i liked the romance element the most in any given dragon age and its always been important to me so veilguard fucked this up bad imo :/ theres like 10-20 hours of gameplay at a time where your romance does not progress at all and at times i thought it bugged out but apparently its intended to be this lacking in content

speaking of characters.... rook was really unlikeable to me? ANY dialogue option was horrible cuz rook is just a very annoying, terribly written protagonist

the map design was ok i think... i wouldve preferred the inquisition approach and for everything to be less linear and streamlined. seeing bigass fogwalls with an actual interface LOCKED symbol isnt very immersive??? just let me explore on my own wtf. while some locations were cool and beautifully designed, especially dock town and treviso, exploring them wasnt that engaging since there wasnt much to see. ive seen people on here say most of the locations seemed like theme parks and i agree, especially the necropolis and hossberg

obviously it feels bad for decisions in previous games to not matter at all, i feel like this used to be a core mechanic to all dragon age games and now they just dropped it

the cutscenes however were all very good imo, the overall story of the game was great and especially the cutscenes were super impactful and emotional, i cried a BUNCH during this game. i just think its funny how the small scale writing is so bad but the overarching story was good? id say the game is not worth it outside of the main story quests and some companion quests. theres probably a billion people out there who would disagree with me saying the main story writing was good but i think it was just fine to focus on solas and the aftermath of his actions. at least solas didnt suffer much from bad writing in this game and he continues to be one of the most interesting characters to ever exist probably. every scene featuring solas was great and whenever he wasnt present the quality took a nose dive. tbh morrigan also stayed true to her character id say and she also kinda carried the game

i fuckin hate this weirdass dalish art direction overhaul? stop with the fucking futuristic gadget triangle look??? this doesn't give elf fantasy at all, i think i disliked bellara and the veil jumpers MOSTLY because of this shitty design choice

i legit feel insane mentioning this but i DO NOT get how meredith was irrelevant?? they showed the red lyrium idol in the teaser, they confirmed her return at the end of absolution and i was 100% sure she would somehow be relevant in the veilguard story but she just....wasnt. i truly dont get it. but at this point theres a billion characters that shouldve been relevant given the themes and locations and they just werent. we had plenty reason to see characters like zevran, merril or fenris again. i AM grateful for the cameos we got tho, i was really happy to see familiar faces every now and then

the dragon fights are the best in the series imo. theyre not elden ring levels of cool but they are the best in all of dragon age. the combat system was really nice and dynamic, i was looking forward to this and it absolutely delivered. i WOULD replay veilguard to try a different class/build

the character creator was good, transmogging was good, i liked having a few specific weapons and gear pieces for different combat stats...... yea

i feel like.... everything in the game is just kinda washed out. theres barely any conflict in the world OR between the characters. everything is giving super weenie hut jr. vibes and i dont say this bc i want broodmother stories and abuse back but did we really forget about the crows trafficking children? did we forget about slavery in tevinter? why is none of this shown, it feels like this was erased to be as palatable as possible

there was sooooooo much missed potential with this game... or my expectations were too demanding idk. when i saw 12 eluvians in the crossroads i got SUPER excited for all the possible locations, even hoping one would open to kirkwall. but that never happened and besides the main locations the rest was just used for one-time companion quest visits.

overall i expected more... its not a terrible game but i really was hoping for something else. my opinion might change and i might be overly emotional and aggravated bc i literally just finished a couple hours ago but at the moment... im not that happy tbh. i hope my feelings about it calm down over time. mostly im disappointed cuz the game just came out and is, like all the other dragon age games, something completely different and its not another origins or another 2 or another inquisition. and i mean why would it be? we already got those games so ofc veilguard is something entirely new. maybe once enough time passes i can enjoy the game for what it is but at the moment i feel very "meh" about it and kinda miss the other games

[stardewvalleycatycat]

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ what i thought of sam and sebby when i first played stardew. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ sam

✮⋆˙ I like his vibe, being a musician seeing a character like that gave him some points. I liked his sweet kind personality. getting into his heart events changed my thoughts on him however..

๋࣭ ⭑⚝i really liked his two heart event it was cute seeing him jam out with his friends, and im a huge fan of the sam,abi,sebby friend group dynamic.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ the 3 heart event was really cute and it showed the dynamic between vincent and same which was cute. i dont have alot else to say about it

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ the 4 heart event however, i didnt like it. it feels childish, you earn 50 friendship points with him for basically lying which i find really dumb.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ if i thought the 4 heart event was childish the 6 was way more. he does a cool skate trick and lewis catches him doing it and is made about it cause its not allowed. if this led to making a skate park in the town i would enjoy it alot more.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ the 8 heart event was alot of fun i enjoyed it, it continues on the 2nd heart event and you get to see him, abi and sebby play their concert, my favorite sam heart event.

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ yikes... we know how i feel about the childish sam heart events. if it wasnt for his mom walking in i would enjoy it alot more. but it felt really weird considering his most likely in his 20s

๋࣭ ⭑⚝ in conclusion i enjoy him at the beginning but after that im not a huge fan. he gives man child/himbo energy which im not the biggest fan of.

sebby

‧₊˚ ☾. ⋅ ok im going to have alot more bias cause hes emo and emo guys are like m type >_< i really like his vibe and his introvent nature

‧₊˚ ☾. ⋅ his second heart event was anything special it didnt make me like him or dislike him more. i dont have alot to say about it.

‧₊˚ ☾. ⋅the 4 heart event i really like, cause you got to learn that he owns and drives a motorcycle which foreshadows the 10 heart event and marriage with him.

‧₊˚ ☾. ⋅ the 6th heart event OMGGG I LOVE IT. you get to see him in his element and bond playing his favorite game with him which is cute to see and your bond with him is close enough for him to show you his game.

‧₊˚ ☾. the 8 heart event is so good after the 6th one. it again shows the closeness you are with him now he opens up and talks to you. another set up for later is a frog and if you marry him he has that frog in his room.

‧₊˚ ☾. OH MY FUCKING GOD THIS CUTSECNE. yes my emo motorcycle boy bias. he talks you on a ride to zuzu city and then he confesses his feelings for you and then a sweet kiss between you too. AHHHHHH MY BRAIN TURNED INTO MUSH AFTER THIS. I think you can see who i like better :p

‧₊˚ ☾.in conclusion, for sebby i like how its hard to get close but once you do its SO FUCKING CUTE.

if you have any recommendations for more things or fanfic to write lmk <333

[cowedeakamatsu]

Ahem Ahem. Welcome everyone to yet another cowede peptalk about themselves cos... lets face it i have an issue. (part 3)

So! like i said my mental health got a bit better, my libido is back motherfuckers, theorically all should be way better! Welllll my libido did came back... but a biiiiiit too strong. As in insanely too strong, and it came back with a looooot of frustration build up, and a overflowed ego that I feel like I have to flex or else i'll re-despair over self confidence and go back to being dark cowede (and big shotout once again to the "close to cowede gang" @plaindanganplain and stoopid name cos during those 2 months i was half depressed half flirty over everything, and complained cooooonstantly. and now ? i'm half flirty half a total bitch, which is probably just as hard to deal with but the thing is im the fucking best so i dont care~) and with that frustration, came frustration conscerning this whole shebang of 1 person vs multiple (harem) once again, @makoto-naegi-stud-and-friends @plaindangan and even the good @carnyreborn if they have good memory know its a thing i always tried, because while im absolutely NOT into the whole alpha thing, i have a strong kink for feeling loved, and... look X aint the only person I had to do multiple person for even though i fucking HATE IT (heck even in my first RPS (without the erotic) back in da good ol days, i found myself planning those monster hunter type / scooby doo esque quests about solving a mystery then tracking what will be a good fun creative stuff to fight (it wasnt dnd, we didnt even really had rules, just a setup universe all our character evolved in, it was on skype and factually ive never been happier) and I had to develop all those side characters and keep track of everything only for a KEY ELEMENT given to 2 other players not being disponible because while the quest was going on those 2 decided to NOT play their part and literaly go in a private room to erp instead ? and for those who say "yeah but thats what a gm does" know i wasnt a gm. I helped create the plot and all but there was no real gm just a bunch of people co writting a cool fun story half stolen on kingdom hearts character because i'm a fucking fanboy. ) and this kinda stuff happened on repeat for other a year. and when i got into erp ? a gooood chunk of them was for absolute assholes who asked the world and gave minimum effort. So anyway i kinda became allergic to doing multiple chars, i hate it, when im super horny im down for anything, but even this i have NO FUN doing at all. BUT since i did sooooo many I developed a desire to be "the center" of those harems. and i already asked all of the affordmention goats to try one erp harem style with a character of my choice (no surprise if it was very often shuichi, kokichi sometime) annnnd well none of them really worked. for carny it was a time and disponibility issue. for plain, well it did kinda work but i ended up overcomplicating things and then I felt bad for it so i sabotaged it, and with the last one well, i jumped to an episodic 1 V 1 formula, cos since the plain accident i feel easily bad for overworking people. back on our subject : X. so what happens is, im back in the game, after 2 month of not responding to our last rp i respond, i try to make my answer fit all their kink especially cos, its at that point a 1 on 1. aaaand they say afterward that they dont want to continue it. OK im in the cowede isnt depressed anymore mood, so its annoying and frustrating cause i know that in Z point in time youll guilt trip me into making another new thing that will be even mooooore focus on X's because they dont want to continue our older stuff but dont want to create a new one but dont want to not have a harem. So i decide "ill just be like "ok" and will come back later. (part final comming soon)

[yj-98]

my brain is perpetually melting lately so im like not super comprehending it but i looove hearing ppl talk about what theyre into and i am just nodding along so enthusiastically when you talk about rdr2 . also take this as me asking about it as i said im nodding along

crow im sorry </3 honestly i understand 100% and i hope the brain fog lifts for you<3 but im happy its fun to hear about <3 thank you for nodding along and asking about it (in spirit) so let me lay the generic history + synopsis of both games because i have . sort of just been dropping context as i talk about two brothers and their horrible father (<3 and the good one)

anyways im about to be very autistic<3 buckle up

red dead redemption (2010) started off as a spiritual successor to a game called red dead revolver (2004) that rockstar bought after the game had been cancelled after it failed to follow thru with funding issues in 2000 (capcom. as in mega man capcom, was paying for a studio to make it, but funding dropped and and that studio closed so rockstar acquired the studio + eventually got the rights for rthe game). HOWEVER they wanted to do more w/ the concept

so john martson was born in 2010 w/ the first red dead game. youre introduced to a this former outlaw in 1911 who's family is being used for blackmail as he makes his way across a fictionalized version of the american south/west + mexico trying to track down his former friends because the US govt wants them dead. hes polite but no-nonsense and hes sarcastic sometimes and mentally unwell and also so kind. hes very funny honestly like rdr1 john my beloved. and he helps people along the way! he makes associates with all kinds of people. he deals with the people in his old gang (javier escuella and bill williamson), including his father figure dutch van der linde. hes described as his fathers greatest success and greatest downfall. hes returned to his wife and son and 'uncle' only for the US govt to raid their home, kill uncle, and it forces john to tell his wife and son to run while he makes a last stand, knowing that theyd stop at killing him. because ultimately these games are about redemption. and it almost succeeds, but his son grows up to avenge him

and its a fun game! its a wonderful story its really well done with interesting twists and turns and a HEARTBREAKING ending with this kid just. continuing that cycle. killing a government man puts a target on his head too. and rockstar couldve gone with a sort of . 1910s-1920s set sequel where you explore what the kids fate is. instead in 2018 we're given a prequel in the form of red dead redemption 2.

its 1899 and its the end of the golden age and the age of the "west" is honestly decades gone. dutch is clinging to an old life because he hates the US government, doesnt trust the law, etc. hes got a group of misfits including two men hes raised since they were preteens (arthur morgan + john marston) alongside his oldest friend (platonic life partner? sorry. theyre toxic old men* in love) hosea matthews.

(*old for 1899)

so arthur morgan is born in 2018. hes not mentioned once in rdr1 because he didnt exist! and rockstar gives themself the very hard job of making us LIKE a protagonist new to the story as a whole. and it works basically immediately. id argue its almost impossible to hate arthur when he feels so human. ive rarely like. played a game that beat for beat feels very much like reading a novel and i am. so honest when i say he feels human. they all do. but you hear his thoughts, you read his journal entries, you hear his comments to himself and his way of interacting with the world around you, let alone with other people. hes so endearing, if not a bit gruff and rough around the edges, and then he warms. especially around hosea, or in quiet moments with john or his friendship that blooms w/ a man named charles (i will not get into this.) or his kindness with sadie adler, a widow you meet in the prologue (shes sooo).

and then arthur starts dying. hes dying from the end of chapter 2. theres 6 chapters total + two epilogues w/ john. chapter 1 is essentially the prologue. youre given ONE whole chapter with arthur before It Happens. and hes declining. and you get hints. he starts coughing.

rdr2 is a story of arthur and the events that lead to rdr1 with a splintered family. you know the events of rdr1 will happen as absolutes: bill dies. javier dies. dutch dies. john and abigail (his wife) will die. jack, their son, who in rdr2 is maybe all of 5 years old, will one day kill a man. but that seems so distant

its a death march, its an avalanche, its a butterfly effect. its a car crash its a trainwreck. and youre a rubbernecker. you cant look away, you have to play his part in the play. the events that ultimately are the catalyst happen a month prior to the games opening: dutch picked up a man named micah bell, and micah is not a nice man. and he knows exactly how to play dutch like a fiddle. and dutch's ego is too big to know hes being played. they rob a ferry boat. it goes badly. people die. the pinkertons are after them all. they run into the mountains and almost die. dutch's ego is bruised and he Needs to correct it. they run into his old nemesis and they steal that guys plans to rob a train. you could say that this was the true catalyst for the events for the rest of the game but ultimately it doesnt matter. micah has his grip on dutch, and dutch just robbed one of thee wealthiest men in america, who has an ego that matches

meanwhile arthur is an attack dog, and he attacks the wrong target on orders he doesnt like. a weak man dying of tuberculosis. it infects arthur, unwittingly. arthur can quit these jobs. its doesnt matter. he will die in 6 months

rdr2 is a story of trying desperately to pump the breaks as more and more people die. its about hope and trying to save as many people as you can. its about people who fall through the cracks and who the 1% hate coming together and the reality of being used in a cult of personality. its about one man falling apart and taking 20+ people who looked to him like a shepherd, down with him. its about desperately clinging to the past as the future rockets forward. its about loyalty its about betrayal its about dying.

arthur is shown chapter after chapter as he gets weaker that his father is willing to let family die. that when dutch loses hosea in ANOTHER botched robbery he is not the same man. that he's willing to let both his sons die. and when arthur realizes his time left is short, hes desperate to make things right

arthur dies letting john escape. dutch and micah look down at him as hes dying and walk away. arthur is buried facing west. for the sun. john inherits his hat and journal. john tries to build that fateful home with abigail and jack. you spend the epilogue with him as he tries to make wrong puzzle pieces fit and shave down the parts of him that were his fathers son so that they can try to live normally. he succeeds. the epilogue lets you face micah and dutch as john and arthurs friends who survived (charles + sadie). you kill micah. he deserves it. dutch lets john live.

time does not stop. rdr1 looms ahead. you ignore this and play ranch simulator as john draws in arthurs journal and writes and scratches out words and draws hearts around his wifes name. you can find arthurs grave and sit with him.

i spent 1 month putting off arthurs death. i mourned him in real time when he died. games to CHANGE the brain chemistry

[briansastro10]

Day 7: First 9 days of Lancaster

The atmosphere is casual and bustling with activity. YANG sits at a table, looking determined. JAUNE and RUBY, both nervous and fidgety, take a seat across from each other.

Yang: *leaning forward* Alright, you two. We're here to have a good time, so let's break the ice! Jaune, Ruby, why don't you start by introducing yourselves?

Jaune: *looking down, mumbling* Uh, h-hi, I'm J-Jaune Arc. Nice to, uh, meet you…

Ruby: *nervously twirling her hair* H-hey, I'm Ruby Rose. It's, um, nice to meet you too…

Yang: *irritated* YOU ALREADY INTRODUCE YOURSELF 50 TIMES IN YOUR ROOM!!

the sudden burst didnt make the situation better, so Yang took a deep breath before she continue.

Yang: Calming down Why dont we open up with something new? How old are you two? Are you in any clubs?

Yang: energetically Alright, let's try something else. Since you both are in college, what courses are you taking?

Jaune: nervously I-I'm studying software engineering.

Ruby: softly I'm majoring in art.

Yang smiles, happy to see them sharing their academic interests.

Yang: So how's your course do you enjoy it?

Ruby: Y-yes..

Jaune: Y yeah..

Yang waited and realises they've finished their sentence, and to keep the conversation flowing she ask again.

Yang: That's great! You both have unique paths, combining creativity and technology. So, what about extracurricular activities? Are you involved in any clubs or groups?

Jaune and Ruby exchange awkward glances, clearly uncomfortable with the question.

Jaune: avoiding eye contact Uh, No… I haven't really joined any clubs.

Ruby: nervously Yeah, me neither.

Yang notices their hesitation and tries to think of another way to find common ground.

Yang: thinking Hmm, maybe you both know someone in common? Like a mutual friend or someone from your classes?

Jaune: shaking his head I don't think so. I don't go out often

Ruby: disappointed I haven't really had the chance to meet many people outside of my art class.

Yang pauses for a moment, realizing that finding a common friend might not be as easy as she thought.

Yang: annoyed Come on, guys! Stop with the Dry answers!! We need to find something to talk about. This is supposed to be an opportunity to get to know each other better.

Ruby and Jaune lower their heads, feeling guilty for their inability to keep the conversation flowing.

Just as Yang is about to scold them, both Ruby and Jaune's phones simultaneously emit a notification sound. They glance at their screens and see that their favorite game has released a new update with exciting gacha banners. They looked at each other, Not sure on how to make the first move

Ruby: Shyly Do you play that game too?

Jaune: U-mmm Yeah… I do, I've spend most of my free time playing it. There's a character I wanted to get.

Ruby: Ooh! Me too!! I've been trying to pull this one specific character for weeks! They have such powerful abilities.

Jaune: Smiles I actually managed to get that character recently! They're a game-changer, for sure.

Yang watches with relief as Ruby and Jaune engage in an animated conversation, their shyness fading away.

Yang: smiling See? You both have something in common that you're passionate about. It's a great conversation starter.

Ruby starts to feel happy. realises thats its nice to have someone to talk to.

Ruby: Hey Jaune, There's this mission that requires two player. Would you like to play with me?

Jaune: nervously I-I would love to! That sounds like a lot of fun.

Ruby's face lights up with excitement as they exchange shy smiles.

Yang: teasingly Looks like you two are hitting it off.

Ruby and Jaune both blush at Yang's remark.

Ruby: softly Y-yeah, Let's exchange numbers.

They take out their phones and quickly swap numbers, their fingers slightly trembling with nervousness.

Jaune: looking at the time Actually, I should probably get going soon. It's getting late.

Ruby: Oh, alright. Thanks for coming over and talking with me, Jaune.

Jaune: sincerely No problem, Ruby. I had a great time too. And don't worry, we'll play that mission together soon.

Ruby smiles, appreciating Jaune's reassurance.

Yang: Take Care Jaune

Jaune: Thanks a lot. I'll see you guys back.

Ruby and Yang bid Jaune farewell as he gathers his things and leaves the restaurant.

Ruby: Under her breath My.. First…

Yang: curious Hey, Ruby, is everything okay? You seem a bit flustered. Did you say something?

Ruby: looking down, blushing Oh, um, well… It's just that… this is the first time I've ever had a boy's phone number.

Yang: Well there's first time in everything.

Yang's eyes widen in surprise in her realization. That she introduce Her sister to a boy!!

Yang: *In her head* Face palming and hitting herself to an imaginary wall I've become the thing I've sworn to destroy!!

[spacedlexi]

Your style is definitely one of the best I’ve seen!

As a raging Twdg fanatic, I can help but wonder if you’re ever gonna explore more characters, cause there’s so many scenario that would look amazing/hilarious in your style (ik a lot of your work is shippy stuff, but it’s not like there’s a shortage of that in the game)

God knows id do it myself but I’m still learning

Hope all is well and would like to hear your thoughts :)

thank you!! ive worked really hard on it 😭 and i still have a ways to go..

dont feel like you cant make your own stuff just because youre still learning tho!! youll never stop learning. but you gotta start somewhere. i mean hell just look at my first fanarts ive come such a long way myself just drawing these little nerds lol

i plan on drawing some moments/characters from other seasons at least once out of love for them but honestly i get the most enjoyment out of playing around with the s4 cast. theyre just a really great ensemble for clem to be a part of, and clem is all grown up in a leadership position and no longer subject to the whims of the adults around her (aside from the delta plot lol but the whole point is shes a real leader now making a real stand against the adults who think they can use them for their own gains). its her home and her family. its just the most fun sandbox for me to play in. it being the end of her story with such an open door is just a lot of fun to work with conceptually. and the season being the length it is leaves doors open to work with the ideas it didnt get to fully examine as well. theres just a lot of meat to chew on. ericson itself is like one big sandbox honestly

to me once a character is dead theyre Gone like oh well it is what it is (unless their death continues to have an impact on another character). so by default im less interested in the previous season casts since theyre all pretty much dead and gone and have been for years 💀 aside from the garcias who i can give special appearances to and wonder what theyre up to in richmond lol. this isnt to say the other casts arent interesting or anything they definitely are. but to me theyre more interesting to like.. study.. as a morally grey character enjoyer twdg is good with having casts of morally conflicted characters, although the execution can sometimes leave something to be desired. but like conceptually at least theyre all very interesting. unfortunately tho theyre also all dead so..... i just dont ever really feel the need to go back to those stories 💀 they did what they needed to do for clem to continue to evolve as a character

in the end i care about clem as a character the most, so whatever i do will typically revolve around her unless i get some other character inspirations. and the other characters i Do typically get inspiration from are also mostly the s4 cast so.. it is what it is..

[thejonymyster]

What's your favorite game you played this year?

2023 games i havent played many of them this year have played some more recently as i have started streaming on and off gives me permission to play games instead of not doing so mental health issue etc

Games that stand out

Mosa Lina:

Groundbreaking new indie physics based "puzzle" platformer / "immersive sim" featuring aggressive randomization which ends up being intrinsically rewarding as a result of no challenge feels artificial as none are designed they simply occur

Level editor support increases continued play value but replay value without is already very high dev currently still supporting with updates to main game

Premise simple there are 24(asofnow) Tools and (i dont know how many) levels. 9 tools are selected from the pool of 24, to be put into your "deck", and 9 levels are selected from the pool of many. Then, you are placed in one of the 9 levels at random, with 3 random tools from your deck. You must collect or destroy all fruits in level and make it to exit portal. if you win, level is removed from pool. if you lose, level remains in pool. Either way, you are sent to a random level in your pool with another random set of 3 tools from your deck. Go nuts. You win upon defeating all 9 levels.

Tools are clever and engaging level designs are varied Game feel is great soundtrack is ambient game is good go play

(costs money)

Trouble In Terrorist Town:

incredibly modular first person shooter turned social deduction game, fun to play if you can arrange with friends, have been playing with discord server for thekla's the witness Some issues in that gameplay can of course annoyingly devolve from logic but can be frustrating as there is no voting system - players vote by action you simply kill the "impostor" group. Recommend minimum 5 players, Ideally 6-8. Not much to say else. Funny premise. "You are an innocent terrorist."

(costs money)

I Wanna Be The Guy: Remastered and I Wanna Maker:

I wanna be the guy - famous "unfair" precision platformer long time one of my favorite games of all time remastered not my first time playing remaster but recently revisiting and greatly enjoying game again nice to have less crashes. need to dive into alternate characters. newfound appreciation for retro collage style art of game and booby trap idiosyncracies. Recently watching lots of kaizo mario rom hack play throughs newer hacks have strayed away from what i find ideal in genre in older entries like Kaizo Mario World 1.

I wanna maker custom level editor game for i wanna be the guy type games interesting but weirdly feels limiting in ways i didnt expect despite massive customization + simple scripting options - feels almost too clean rejoyced when they added blood splatter death previously was unsatisfying poof now i have my character set to visceral blood explosion upon defeat but everything else still feels wrong often find myself using (one of?) the only tilesets present in original iwbtg everything else feels inappropriate or misplaced not sure i think theres a different sort of charm to being hit by mario paint plane vs making fake version in copyright safe form. great game constant updates cool features but just makes me want to just program a full game...

(free)

Cat Planet and Super Cat Planet:

cat planet random indie game fun floaty "platformer" (you mostly fly around so its a platformer in the sense that flappy bird is a platformer or like underwater mario) collectathon, very good easy thing tbh go play. Super cat planet fan sequel made by unaffiliated group boosts difficulty and depth of gameplay introducing light "story" elements and many secrets to encourage more exploration

super cat planet MUCH hrder than cat planet by large margin definitely would consider it a *precision* platformer. cool that it exists at all, go play if you feel up for challenge

(free)

additional notes sorry i still havent played retrush it looks really good will add to my stream list will most likely motivate me to play it as previous barriers prevented most gameplay in general

played many paper puzzle genres which i would not consider video games

played celeste wasnt always what i was looking for but still solid

started playing dustforce havent gotten far in enough to really review but so far so good

[crushingcasanova]

unfortunately no im not doing much today D: i might play stardew valley or minecraft later though!!! or read.. i didnt end up continuing my novel last night, and im really looking forward to the next interaction between the two main characters

what do you have planned? you dont have to answer! but either way i hope you enjoy it so so much!!

and im doing well :D i was a bit upset earlier, i cant lie, but.. you made me feel much better. did you ask how i slept? i cant remember. but i slept well! kind of. how are you doing? any better from last night?

-🫧

Gaming sounds like fun! I hope you have a good time, sweetie. What novel are you reading? Sounds like a lot of fun, if you do get to read! I've been meaning to pick up this series again but I don't have the next book... my friend keeps forgetting to give it to me!

I'm going to see some of my friends today! I'm hoping to go to the park and relax for a while, get some ice cream, and then go to the local car show perhaps. I think it'll be fun!

I'm sorry you were upset, dear. If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here for you! I'm also doing very well, definitely better than last night!