#usually when I answer asks I add a screenshot of something in development

[jimmyjamboree]

how will u make the game accessible?? Like is it going to be a website or..

I'm sooo excited for it!! ❤️

Hey!! Thank you for asking this !!

I originally considered places like GameJolt to publish the game, but something I'm still debating on is if I should make it available to play on the web, or have it be downloaded! I'm not super knowledgeable in publishing games, so I usually confide in a friend who has more game making experience !! (@toki-woki-fnaf !! They're super amazing, I recommend following them on their projects!!)

If anyone else out there also has experience in this department, I am super open to advice or feedback !!

While I'm here, I'd like to answer another quick question I've been asked-- This game will be free to play when its released!

[chevvy-yates]

WIP Saturday

got tagged by @morganlefaye79. thank you <3

I feel like sharing a WIP today so yeah I made it WIP Saturday! Hope you guys don't mind. :P the ones I tag can still post it next Wednesday if the have something to share. Also no pressure! @dreamskug, @imaginarycyberpunk2023, @wraithsoutlaws @ugh-my-back, @kittenchrissy, @gloryride, @theviridianbunny, @humberg, @wanderingaldecaldo and @itzsassha <3

—

Since I put a lot of thoughts onto my own personal VxV ship a.k.a. Ry'n'Thy and Enzolino and Jay-Jay is thriving lately as well I feel like ArkixVijay has been pushed waaaay to much into the background. So this WIP is dedicated to them!

I'm currently getting the last bits for Vijay's npv together so he can be made into one as well that soon Arki and him can be together, too. <3 I can't find my screenshot anymore but it should be close to a year when I asked @nervouswizardcycle what she thinks about Arki and Vijay having a thing going bc we used to tease each other in a deleted server about our boys in our vp. I still know how it felt like asking her (ffs I didn't even know her at all!) and when she agreed it was like "Whaaaaaat so easy?" and then she throw Arki literally at me and I ain't seen anything coming, literally unpredictable — both of them — but so exciting! And everything started to go wild.

Wild as in I started rp for the first time (and I'm still super bad at answering fast). But also wild as in my boy Vijay started from being a nobody to develop to a real character. Wild as in I created Ry (okay he was planned long before but still it let to me creating him faster than I've wanted and now I love him to friggin' bits), Thyjs and Jaysen afterwards — all tied together in this awesome story asdfghsdf. And together we worked out out more, constructed more comple thing around the core story. We still have to write a lot thanks to me being so bad at rp once again.

So I want to share a snippet of a finished rp part where I turned our writing into a readable fic form. It's a scenery-snip at the No-Tell-Motel that literally started it all what is now and coming in the future:

Arki barely reacts, raising his eyebrows, smiling a little more as he drinks his next round. He noticed the meaning of this question. Just a little more. Both of them were obviously playing to get each other aroused here, that was for sure. It was only a matter of time how far this would go on. But V likes it. it was challenging, different compared to the usual flings he’s had. That man was an unread book to him he suddenly wanted to soak in like reading a bestselling thriller shard. “Since we are alone here, you were just in a runners suit. That’s hard to forget,” Arki adds. That felt almost naked. “I love the colors, but it’s not giving any protection. Just visual distraction. It won’t stop bullets or blades.” As soon as Arki mentions V’s clothes choice, V raises one eyebrow. He takes a new sip of whiskey, feels the smooth liquid burn as it goes down his throat. "Agreed. Ain’t very protective. But like you said: distraction. Seemed to work on ya as well with you talkin’ so stoked ‘bout it.” V decides to give Arki another smirk then gets serious again. “‘Course ya right. I usually stay in the back, though. Rest of my team’s up front. A runner ain’t no good in there.” He made a pause to lean a bit forward to grab some further spice. “‘Sides, wore a jacket over it to feel not completely — unprotected and exposed.” His last word ended in a mere mumble. His eyes move to fixate Arki’s lips for a moment. What do they taste like? Blood, ironish with a salty flavor? Or maybe like a red dragon fruit, slightly sweet? he wonders, licking his lips subconsciously. Suddenly they look so glossy in the dim light, inviting and kissable to him. 

Yet still, V restrains and instead leans back again, his look shortly moving over to the tv, he’s not even interested in. The corner of his eye catches the empty bed. He continues to nip on his whiskey, curious what Arki’s going to do next. Arki ignores the spicy snack as if he doesn’t want this heat somewhere wrong, but licks his lips ready to answer. “In combat, support and runners are the first priority to deal with. But indeed — it worked on me. Not gonna hide that.” Arki has no idea how a netrunner like Vijay can be so dangerously sexy. “You are already here, so—” Arkis begins anew. Those mixed signals here running down his spine and skin, definitely must mean something. He said it his own way. Pushing the limit. “About further plan —” he goes on, downing the rest of his drink, leaving the glass on the table now leaning towards the ginger man. “I mentioned some proper time together not long ago. After today’s situation left you wind up, wanting to let it go. Don’t you feel it?” Cards on table choom! Vijay cocks his head a little at Arki’s request about feeling wind up because of the risky action situation earlier. But no, V didn’t feel wind up in any way after today, instead he just feels his arousement rising steadily, the other man's presence is causing since he arrived here. He chooses to say nothing for the moment. Meanwhile the red-haired man chose to stand up, fingers reaching the harness about to take it off. “This shower here in the room.” His head nods towards the completely open accessible shower area right next to the bed. “Why is it here when there’s another one in the separate bathroom?” Arki gallantly throws the question into the room, making V risking a look at it as well while he newly refills his tumbler. Funny idea, to build a shower this way. Is the first that comes to V’s mind. It looks somewhat like a fish tank to him, but in the shape of an oversized vase. Arki’s smooth voice gets his attention again. “It took me some time to get why.” He holds the harness in his hands now, fingers playing a little with it. “And ever since I wanted to use it in the right way — don’t mind me if I do?” The man’s request sounded playfully.  In the next moment Vijay sees the harness fly almost carelessly discarded next to him onto the couch and Arki moving slowly towards the shower taking off his turtle neck shirt. Hot shower instead of the bed, huh? Nice choice. V leans back watching Arki with delight, as the man slowly removes his clothes in a delicate way, hands moving to his belt in the most erotic and cocky way Steyr hasn’t seen in a while. Bet you’re also a sexy dancer, Vijay thinks biting his bottom lip now, eyes observing the man’s interesting and now revealed tattoo decorating his upper back. “Mmm, I don’t mind. Do as you please — as long as you don’t mind I finish my refill, watchin’ you gettin’ wet?” V counter questions shamelessly now, feeling the heat bottling up smoothly in his middle. The imagination alone makes him want to remove his own clothes and follow-up Arki instantly – he had liked to shower before anyway – still he chooses to let Arki wait.

;P

[stop-breaking-my-heart-telltale]

Top 5 Favorite Louis Moments

So... have I ever told you guys that Louis is my favorite character in TWDG? No? I didn’t have to? You could tell by the everything that is my blog that he’s my favorite? 

Well your deduction skills are great because it’s true-- Louis is, indeed, my favorite character and after all the nonsense going on with last week’s T5F, I wanted to talk about my boy to get that salty taste outta my mouth, y’know? 

I want to talk about some of my favorite Louis moments from The Final Season, and in turn, about why I love him so much.... also this challenge of giving myself only 5 moments was just cruel and I struggled because I love nearly every Louis moment. I had to narrow it down to the favorite moments where I believe his development as a character were at its greatest, because that’s something I love about him-- his growth through the season. 

Wanna give a quick shoutout @pi-creates​ for letting me use some screenshots for this post! I’m also doing a bit of a collab with Pi and a few others for this T5F. I thought it would be fun if they did some lists for other characters! I’ll update this post with links to their Top 5′s as they come out. :D

Pi’s Top 5 Aasim Moments @kaylee-wolf’s Top 5 James Moments @taurusicorn2400′s Top 5 Favorite Things About Violet  @akemi-rose578′s Top 5 Favorite Ruby Moments

5. Appealing to Louis

I won’t spend too much time on this one because I talked about this entire scene in great detail in my Marlon character study, but I do truly love everything about it. 

When you appeal to Louis, he’s pretty insistent about staying out of it... even though you can tell this whole situation is hurting him. With Marlon still having a grip on him, Louis feels like he has to side with Marlon because he’s his best friend, he’s always had his back, he’s gotta trust him... Marlon wouldn’t kill Brody like that, it just doesn’t make sense, right? 

Add that on top of the fact that Louis is already established as “Marlon’s lap dog,” as Aasim puts it, and Marlon himself even implies that Louis is irresponsible and doesn’t ever step up.

So to have Louis instinctively puts his hands up like “Oh no, no, noooo I am not involved! Sorry, I like ya Clem but yeah, you’re on your own.... sorry,” makes sense with how he’s established, and you as Clementine have to sway him to your side by giving him some much needed courage and a chance to break from Marlon’s control to do the right thing, which is executed super well. 

My personal favorite choice is to ask Louis if he’s really going to just let Marlon shoot me just so that he doesn’t want to get involved. You can see from his body language and facial expressions that Clementine’s words struck a nerve... he doesn’t want that to happen, that he doesn’t want Marlon to murder Clementine like this, and that he knows this is all wrong. 

Also, Clementine’s “I thought you were more than that” is just.... so good. When you consider his entire arc... as far as we know, this is the first time someone has said something like that to Louis and it shows.

So he tries to talk to Marlon the first time, and Marlon intimidates and manipulates him to where you believe he’s not going to help you... and I love it. I love the way this is shot where Louis, with his hands up, slips right in front of Clementine and talks Marlon down. He sees that Marlon has a damn gun pointed at him, but he puts himself in danger to protect Clementine [and Marlon, in a way]... someone he doesn’t know that well, and he even walks towards Marlon while the gun is still pointed at him to protect her and those around him. 

There’s also the other bits where Louis tries to be reassuring to Marlon, that they’re gonna help him out, that they’re all they got, that Marlon wasn’t always pathetic.... which that last one prompts the “Yeah I was, you’re just the only one who didn’t see it,” and that’s... a whole thing. 

This is the first glimpse of growth we see with Louis and I love it. 

4. The talk in the dorms

Okay... this scene. 

I love this scene... obviously. One of my favorite’s from Ep2. After AJ is patched up and recovering in the dorms, Louis comes by to bring AJ some new clothes since his got torn up from Abel’s magic shotgun. 

At this point, we already know that Louis is dealing with a lot of shit-- his best friend of 8+ years was murdered right in front of him, he’s traumatized, mourning, and hurting buuuuuut most of the Ericson crew don’t seem to care that he’s going through this. Violet keeps invalidating this pain and calling him a shithead while talking shit about Marlon right in front of him without any care. Mitch acts like Louis should be more aggressive because he was Marlon’s best friend, which results in Louis feeling even shittier. 

He doesn’t know what to do about Clementine and AJ, all he knows is that them being there makes everything feel worse and he’s scared... AND on top of that, he just learned what Marlon was really like, Brody did indeed die because Marlon hit her, the twins might be alive because Marlon traded them away, AND there are asshole raiders coming to kidnap and/or murder them.

AND because he took part in the vote that got Clementine and AJ kicked out and insisted they follow through, AJ ended up getting shot by Abel’s magic shotgun and could’ve died... and Louis feels responsible for that, but he’s conflicted because this kid literally murdered his best friend that’s why they were kicked out in the first place. 

Also, presumably, he’s dealing with all this by himself. 

Honestly, I’m surprised he’s still functioning because that’s a lot. 

Despite all that, he still sticks with Ruby in helping patch AJ up, and is thoughtful enough to bring him new clothes so he’s more comfortable. It says a lot about him, y’know? He’s still hurting, he’s still angry, but he doesn’t hate Clementine and AJ for what happened. He never did, he just didn’t know what to do. He’s still processing what happened and sorting out his feelings. 

Oh and then the talk with Clementine... okay, I love the talk. 

It’s quiet, sincere, and emotional. Clementine kinda begins to pry about whether or not he’s okay with them staying after AJ gets better and the raiders are taken care of, and he avoids giving her a straight answer until she pushes, to which he answers with an honest, “I don’t know, Clementine.” 

Then AJ wakes up, and I love the way Louis responds to AJ asking if they’re friends again. He doesn’t lie to make AJ feel better, but he’s not a jerk about it. 

And finally, we get the final dialogue prompt with him. I usually tell him I really missed him, to which he responds with, “Missed you, too. Goodnight.” and I just... it’s so good. 

Honestly, Louis could’ve turned into a real bitch and not bothered, he could’ve remained angry and took every opportunity to remind Clem and AJ of how terrible they are... I can think of plenty characters that would’ve done that in his situation, but that’s not Louis. He’s not that kind of person... which is interesting when you consider his backstory and what landed him at Ericson in the first place. He’s seen what that kind of resentment, no matter how great, can lead to. 

Overall, one of the best moments in his character development. 

3. Louis opening up to Clementine in the music room

Oh, where to begin?

First off, not gonna gush too much about the clouis because this is a list focusing on Louis, not necessarily his romance with Clementine... I’ll only bring it up when it pertains to his character development, y’know?  Second, not gonna get into the poor lead up to this scene where the writers dropped the ball with the ���go with Violet to protect the school vs screw around with Louis and probably die’ thing. That’s a topic for another day. Just talking about the scene itself. 

Because this moment is so damn good. Honestly, these last three entries I could probably do entire posts picking them apart and analyzing everything but we don’t wanna be here for hours so I’ll try to condense it the best I can. 

So Louis invites Clementine to the music room because he needs up with a project. Clementine enters to find him playing a song that he wrote, and they have a fun conversation. Right off the bat, we get Clementine mentioning that they haven’t heard any music for a while [implying that Louis hasn’t been playing] and Louis responds with, “Some say you’re not about to hear it now.” which we all know is him trying to make light of people telling him he doesn’t have any music talent and like.... his face. The way it falls as the music goes from cheery to sad. The way Clementine looks at him. 

I talk about Louis having a wall around him a lot. Well, that’s because he does. It’s the irony thing where the happy, loud, funny character is actually putting that on as a façade because they’re hiding behind a wall too scared to let anyone in because it’s either bit them in the ass before or no one has bothered to ever take them seriously anyway or a number of other reasons. 

Louis seems to let that wall down for little bits at a time without realizing it, then when he does, it shoots right back up. A great example of this is in ep1 when he and Clementine talk in the woods. The shift is obvious, and here he’s still doing it. 

He turns around and asks Clementine how they feel about their imminent deaths in a jokey tone. My favorite thing to do is here is remain silent. When you do that, he becomes serious again and in a soft voice, he tells Clementine that he’s here for her. 

I find this whole sections of the scene, including the tuning the piano part, so interesting because it’s him testing the waters with Clementine, if you will. He’s inching the wall down until they’re both sitting comfortably at the piano when he begins to play his song for her. They mark the piano, and I think that seals it for him that they’re here together, that Clementine isn’t like the others who have never taken him seriously or never bother to look below the surface. 

So, he takes a chance and fully brings the wall down, opening himself up to her as he thanks her for being there with him, even after everything. 

Like... Louis is just so aware of people’s perceptions of him. This is a discussion that I’ve had with people before where Louis is very much a people person in the way that he’s not just charismatic, he’s observant, too.

Anyway, you can have Clementine confess she has romantic feelings for him, establishing them as a couple, or you can remain friends but now you’re super best friends. You know me, I go the romance route because clouis. 

I do wanna point out that Louis does have romantic feelings for Clementine no matter what you pick, but if you do wish to remain friends, he’s incredibly respectful of that. There’s no bitterness, there’s no pushing. He’s maybe a little sad for two seconds before he realizes that he has a new [and probably better] best friend and embraces it. He’s just happy to have Clementine at his side.

As for the romance, I will never get over his reaction to Clementine confessing. His face? So good. Then he becomes so giddy talking about how he was hoping Clementine felt that way and “Holy shit, it’s me!” 

Then he names the song he wrote after her and they smooch~!

uhh sorry, said I wasn’t gonna gush about clouis but can’t help it... and hey, in my defense, it does pertain to his development because this relationship influences him greatly. 

What else can I say? It’s fucking great. 

2. Louis finally shares something from his past & plays Don’t Be Afraid

Yeah I’m combining them, they go hand in hand okay. 

Listen.... like I said before, I could write an entire analysis of Louis in this scene, but I’m gonna reel it in. 

We finally get the reason Louis was sent to Ericson in the first place-- he was stupid rich with parents who gave him whatever he wanted except singing lessons, and being the spoiled child he was he didn’t take kindly to that... so he broke into his father’s credit card accounts and faked an affair in order to break up his parents marriage, and then when it was all said and done, he threw his fathers words back in his face.

Like.... I’m pretty fucking sure not a single one of us thought this was going to be the case when it came to Louis giving us his backstory.  

He finally puts it all out there and now Clementine knows what kind of person he was before he arrived at the school, what he was capable of before she met him. That wall is gone.

But this is what I was talking about before. Louis knows first hand what can happen when feelings go unchecked, when resentment is held onto, when you don’t apologize or try to repair mendable relationships, when you’re vindictive and bitter and take it out on others. He’s been there and now he’s here, and he holds a lot of that with him. You can see he does in the way he talks about himself and struggles with confidence in his abilities. 

I also love the line he says when you remain silent about how he doesn’t even know the person he’s talking about, how it’s like the only thing they share is the same name. He then goes on to say that Clementine should know who she’s riding into battle, which I’ve always seen as his way of telling her she should know who he really is, good and bad, before she puts anymore effort, faith, love, etc. into him and their relationship. 

Then there’s the song. 

Tenn asks Louis if he can play Don’t Be Afraid for them, a song that he composed with Minerva back before she was taken by the delta, and it’s my favorite version. 

Just the way he looks at Clementine before he starts and she gives him a small reassurance before he starts, and he fucking dedicates the song to Minnie... who is going to try to kill him later and that’s a whole thing, but it’s still a sweet sentiment. 

Then the song plays and it’s that calm before the storm moment, y’know? Like, everyone is sitting there listening to him play this beautiful song while realizing that shit’s going down soon and this might be the last happy moment they get.... and then as he’s playing, Louis looks over at AJ’s drawing of Violet, Aasim, and Omar and just.... his expression. 

Also, he looks up at the ceiling as he’s playing and given how glossy his eyes look at the end of the song.... you know he was trying to hold it together. And that last look he and Clementine share? ugh.... it hurts my heart. 

I adore this scene.... We finally got something about Louis’ past, which is something he hardly shares up to this point. Anything shared is minor, like how he used to play baseball or he hates cantaloupe.... but nothing major, y’know? So good. 

1. The walk back to Ericson

This is it. 

When it comes to Louis’ development as a character, this is it. Let me tell you about this moment because oh my god.

To start things off, Louis gets back to the school with everyone and then alone decides he’s gonna go look for Clementine, AJ, and Tenn. Which I don’t know if that’s something he would’ve done in ep1, at least he wouldn’t’ve gone alone. This to me says that he got back, made sure everyone was taken care of based on his comment about Violet’s eyes, and then set off on his own to look for them. 

Then we get the cute clouis, Louis celebrates victory a little too early, and they begin their walk about to the school... and it starts off so quiet. He and Clementine steal glances at each other before Louis brings up Dorian. Y’know, the woman he killed. 

We learn that it’s his first human kill ever.... in the 8+ years of the apocalypse, Louis has never had to do that and it’s one of the things he was so scared off. We were supposed to get a bit about that during the party but y’know, it was cut for budget reasons.... which is lame but you can figure it out from his behavior before they snuck onto the boat anyway.

It’s a great talk between them. I usually tell him that it’ll get easier, and he acknowledges that it’s fucked up, but he believes it will get easier and he’s just glad he has it in him at all. He tells Clementine that having a home means protecting it, he shares some things about his past, and then he and Clementine talk about a dream house together. 

And this.... THIS. Okay look. Listen. I know people give Louis shit for how he behaves in ep1. You don’t have to go far before you see people writing him off as lazy, irresponsible, blah blah blah..... and like, I think people forget that character growth is a thing? That a character usually starts out flawed and over the course of a story, they change? for better or worse? 

I’m perfectly okay with Louis being portrayed as irresponsible and carefree and whatnot because from that point he grows. 

Remember what he said in ep1? He says he prefers to think of survival as a day-to-day task, he says that the future doesn’t exist and there’s only today, that the only thing anyone has is this moment. 

Louis didn’t look at the future because he didn’t care, or rather, it wasn’t a priority for him. He slacked off because he turned away from responsibility when Marlon needed him, and while I don’t disagree with his view of appreciating the now, I do believe the future should be considered. 

Now compare that to Louis in ep5. 

That whole conversation is Louis telling Clementine he wants a future with her and the rest of Ericson, and while maybe they can’t build that 914-floor purple mansion, they can still try.... they can still create a home together. I think he still believes his this moment talk, but has a better grasp of what he really wants, y’know? 

His whole journey when you stick with him is just.... so good. It’s not perfect, I mean y’all know that I have my issues with how some things were done, but Louis’ development as a character is one of the greatest accomplishments in TFS. 

Also, Louis lost the 4th grade spelling bee because of “recommend” and he had a pet turtle named Geoff. My patience has been rewarded and I know more about his backstory. 

I don’t even know what else to say? It’s #1 for a reason? Because it’s a great showcase for how far he’s come? and I love him so much? Seriously this scene is so good? 

---

Honorable Mentions

-Louis’ introduction in the music room. It’s a classic fave.  -The walker piñata moment where Louis lets his guard down around Clementine to tell her his view point on survival. -The archery moment where Louis apologizes to Clementine and opens up a bit about Marlon. -The card games. Both of them. He’s great. -Everything in the dorms in ep3. -y’know what? Just everything that isn’t the cell scene okay? 90% of Louis scenes get honorable mentions. 

---

So there we go. There’s all my gushing about Louis. Could do it for much longer, but I don’t think we wanna be here for hours. So, what are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with any of my choices? Or have anything to add? I’m always down to chat about muh boy. 

Have any suggestions for future T5F’s? Feel free to send ‘em in! :D

—

Next week’s T5F Top 5 Reasons Doug Was Pretty Great

[criquette-was-here]

Long Awaited Replies

Hello everyone! It’s been awhile since my last activity here. Stuff’s just got real last few months and I am now experiencing some heavy RLS which makes the future of the whole Feverfew project quite uncertain. I’m very annoyed by the fact I have to move the release date over and over again, but, fingers crossed, I’ll be able to manage to make it this year. But before I post any updates, I need to answer my inbox!

@landgraabsims​ said:

feverfew is absolutely gorgeous!! is it inspired by any real-life places or towns? i live in england and it reminds me of a few in-the-middle-of-nowhere villages i've visited c:

Thanks @landgraabsims​! Yes, Feverfew is based on British countryside aesthetics without any towns or villages in particular. It has a bit of everything, really. It’s a fantasy place after all. But I do use a lot of real life references for making landmarks for it.

Anonymous said:

any idea of the date of release for feverwood? just redownloaded sims 2 and im in loveee

Hey Anon! I’m glad you like it! I really hope to make it happen this year.

Anonymous said:

i would die (or pay) for zagoskin omg it looks like TS3

Oh, thank you, Anon!

@katzengirl​ said:

Hello Criquette! I don't have a challenge or a question or a request. I just wanted to tell you that I appreciate the things you've shared with us! I hope you're having a good day.

Hello Kristina! That is so sweet, thank you ^___^ I hope you’re doing fine too!

Anonymous said:

Hi there, Criquette. Been having fun with your Rural Charm set and the Better Lighting.  Ran into one small problem with the RC. One of the narrow curves picks up the texture from a road section with a crosswalk, so that looks a bit odd (30degree inner?).  And a question - is there a Better Lighting for the Iron Bracket street lamp with the seasons banner?  Thought the iron bracket would work, but it's not. Anywho, Thank You for ALL the work you put into making our hoods look fantastic!

Hey Anon! Thanks! Depending on the road DR you’re using, there can be some  texture issues here and there since Rural Charm is optimised for road texture without any markings (apart from the broken white line). As for the Iron light post with a banner – no. I’ve only made 2 Maxis’ base game lamp posts.

Anonymous said:

It's amazing how this one game embraces so many different types of players. I'm planning to create my very own nh from scratch, and I'd be a liar not to recognize how your game pics inspired me to the task (not to mention your ever impressive work of hood deco cc throughout these years). For all that, as much as I'm just another anon, thank you, sincerely. But that left me wondering: do you also/still play with the other ts2 game modes or they no longer interest you?

Oh, that is so kind, Anon. Thank you! Yes, I do love to actually play the game. I enjoy building/decorating lots as much as live mode. In fact, I often get carried away during playtest sessions and just keep playing in lot mode and that’s why there are lots like ‘The Tower Inn’ or ‘The Moose & Beaver’ or sims like Tilda Phidbach, WHT-FC28 servo and their field lab.

Anonymous said:

Criquette, do you know something about this project? thesims1master tumblr (the idea is to make the game look like the beta version. I ask, because I liked it so much, but I haven't been able to find the person behind it and I'm very curious to see more or download it, as well as his world, which I've been waiting for since last year lol)

Hey Anon! Oh, I don’t think I know anything about this project, no. But it looks rather interesting!

@forever-evenfall​ said:

Hey Criquette! I just downloaded your Lighting Remedy (because I only just realised I needed to change the txt file and not just download it lol) and when I placed your lighting text in the program files, the lighting itself worked, but the terrain itself was flashing red. Do you know what I did wrong? I literally don’t think I can play without the fix lol. I am using UC and I placed it in the Fun With Pets/SP9/TSData/Res/Lights folder. Should I have put it somewhere else?

Hello Eve! I might be wrong, but isn’t it Mansions & Gardens SP that stands for UC? Anyway, flashing red terrain is really weird consequence for just replacing a txt file. Neighborhood terrain doesn’t have any dynamic light. It has a light map instead which comes with Lighting remedy too. If you only just replace the lighting txt file without putting LR light map into your ‘Downloads’ folder, the only issue you should get would by unsynchronized light directions for hood decos and the terrain itself.

Anonymous said:

I'm having a problem: not all the decorations I put in the neighborhood are showing up in simulation mode, even with the fade off and the long-range vision on. I think there is some code that I need to add to the game files to make all the decorations appear. But I can't find how to do this: c Can you help me?

Hello Anon! Basically, there’s only one type of hood deco that isn’t showing up in lot mode and that is neighborhood effects. All the decals, flowers, fields, all the animated stuff (except for texture animation, e.g. Maxis’ marquee sign) is not showing up in lot mode. There’s nothing we can do about it. Yet. If you think that there’s a proper hood deco that isn’t showing up in lot mode, please PM me with some screenshots and we could try to sort it out.

Anonymous said:

Hello--Anon who asked about additional pieces for the Rural Charm set--I see now, thank you for explaining about the floating intersections.  Is there anything you recommend then, to add on to existing roads? Otherwise, thanks for taking the time to explain.

Hello Anon! Oh, you’re most welcome. There is a tedious way to replace a texture on the existing tile of the real road, to make in into intersection so that it would connect better visually with decorative road pieces. But that takes time. What you have to do is to determine the tile you want to edit using technique described in this tutorial and then you have to change the texture name in the corresponding line. The texture names for the intersections (their index name parts) can be found in any road DR beforehand.

@sunradersimblr​ said:

Hi, I'm just wondering if you've ever done hood deco of a highway rest stop like the type we see in the U.S. along interstates and state highways, just a green space, usually, with toilet facilities and a place for a picnic and parking lot? I need one for a story and thought I'd check with you. Thanks for all the great work you share! 

Hello Sunrader! That would be really nice addition for the highway set, but I haven’t made it. Thought it’s quite possible to make something similar if you use ‘One side exit piece’ from the motorway set and add some picnic tables, umbrellas and benches using street tables & benches set. There’s also many 4t2 deco conversions for toilets and other small size decos that would help to create a decent resting stop.

@nataliepop​ said:

Hi there Criquette! There's a new game called Townscaper which I think you'd like. The architecture has an English aesthetic and you build cities or towns but it all starts on an ocean. It's in early access, so I hope by the time it officially releases they add boats and piers. Look it up on Steam or Youtube. I saw it via someone who usually does Cities Skylines videos. Btw, have you ever played that? Also, apart from sims what else do you enjoy playing? Anyway, hope you are having a good day!

Hey Natpop! Thanks for a lovely game suggestion! I’ve checked it out and it looks really fun. Can’t say I’d play it though XD All my free time (which I don’t have atm) is reserved for simming hood deco making working on Feverfew ^^

Anonymous said:

hey~ i love all of your stuff, you're so talented (๑♡⌓♡๑) i wanted to ask, do you think you'll ever release feverfew's sc4 map? 

Thank you Anon! That’s very kind. I’m not sure if there’s any point in releasing SC4 map I used for Feverfew because it’s completely differs from the way it looks now. The road layout is different, there’s no canal, no islands on the river, hills are different, etc. It has been heavily terraformed and edited during development process. I’d recommend just to wait till the Feverfew neigborhood release.

Anonymous said:

Hi! Do you have any idea of when Feverfew will be released? :) 

Hey Anon! It will be released this year, hopefully!

Anonymous said:

Hello :D Is it possible to get your linden trees as lot objects in build/garden section? I love them and they beautify my neighborhood but could really use an option to select them on lots too :)

Hello Anon! Yes, that’s possible, though I can’t say if I could make it myself. What I can say though, is that there’s a linden trees redux coming soon. It would make linden trees look better and highly optimised so that it would only take 4,5 Mb instead of 60 Mb without any losses in texture quality and resolution. 

[harddrivetrash]

Methods for Creating Robust RPG Characters From an Actor’s Perspective

I know I don’t post a lot at all, but I’m trying to be better about that. So instead of empty promises and some Assassin’s Creed screenshots, here’s some Real Content! This one’s for all you RPG’ers who might want some advice on character writing. Hope you enjoy it.

For context, I am an actor in Northern California with professional training and seven years of theatre experience. I’m in college currently pursuing a theatre degree. I have been running rpgs for about a year now, and I am the forever game master (GM) for my gaming group.  With that in mind, know that the suggestions in this article come from a place of strong knowledge and love for the art of theatre, and from personal experiences, both onstage and at the gaming table. I have a lot of particular thoughts regarding aesthetic philosophy, specifically as it relates to acting and theatre art, but I’ll try to keep those to a minimum.

1. Start With Your Gameplay Vision

This method focuses on the player’s gameplay preferences first and builds the personality to accommodate that. What do you want this character to be like in a social situation? Do you want a suave talker who can charm his way into trouble and then bluff his way right out of it? Or do you want to be the quiet, brooding type who lets her allies talk things out whilst backing them up by looking intimidating? Similarly, consider how you want to approach combat. Whether you’re a guns-a-blazin’ type player or a stealthy assassin doesn’t matter; the most important part is making that concrete decision and then creating a reason for it.

For example, if you want your character to be a gunslinging, animal-taming bard, decide why they fight that way. Why do they like guns, and how did they learn to shoot? When did they discover their love of animals, and when did they practice the skills which enabled them to tame creatures? With each additional answer, keep adding to the backstory and make sure that everything you add to it stays consistent with its ability to facilitate your gameplay preferences.Keep asking and answering these kinds of introspective questions about your character until you feel comfortable with that creation.

I recommend this method for beginning players and game masters because it allows one to write up a character based on something you’re already excited about. I’ve found that this method works especially well for Dungeons and Dragons, but it’s a perfectly effective method for other, more role-play focused games like Call of Cthulhu or Vampire: the Masquerade. 

The beauty of creating a character this way is the simplicity; the player only needs to consider whether or not every added detail to the character’s personality and backstory is consistent with their desired playstyle. There is no need to worry (too much) about the lore of the game world. The biggest drawback, however, is that this method encourages players to think about actual play in a much more meta-minded manner, as opposed to focusing primarily on immersion and role-play, especially for new players. You might find that you or your players will only play this character so far as to create an opportunity to roll dice. This is totally okay, by the way; there is nothing wrong with hungering for a good dice roll. It’s just something to keep in mind.

2. Find an Environmental Anchor

You may find the previous method to be too basic or meta or for whatever reason not your desired method for character creation; that’s fine! Sometimes when you start a new character, you don’t have the slightest idea about what you want to do in combat or maybe you don’t want to build a character based on class or combat role. No matter what, this method is totally focused on immersion into the game world and nothing else. 

First, speak to your GM about the setting and theme of the game. Try to get as much information as you can about the world and its lore, and then pick something you like as an anchor. For example, if there is a rugged mountain range in a high fantasy setting that you like the concept of, consider making a connection to it with the information you have; is your character from there? Do they want to go there? Did something happen to them whilst travelling through the mountains? Whatever it is, define a clear connection to that place (assuming it works with your game master’s world and lore, of course) and then work from there, asking “why” and “how” along the way to smooth out those rougher details.

Environmental anchors don’t even need to be related to the geography, either! For example, if you’re playing a sci-fi setting where your character lives on a colonial planet, find out what that culture is like. Why is there a colony? What government funded the development of this colony? How do people feel about their leaders and what do they do about those feelings? Acquire any and all information about the people and their culture as you can (assuming your GM shares that with you) and then consider how you want your character to exist in that context. If it’s a religious society, define whether or not your character is religious and how they feel about religion. Do they follow the same religion as everyone else? How has religion affected them in the past? These kinds of questions help you to define how your character acts and feels in the context of the game world without focusing on the different aspects of gameplay or game balance. You’ll definitely find your fighting style along the way, don’t worry.

The biggest downside to using this method as a player is that you need to bug your GM a lot. Chances are they’ll be more than happy to help, especially if they’ve built the entire game world from scratch. But remember, depending on the person, you might not get a lot of information because it’s all an elaborate secret, or they might just not have that information available for you. However, the silver lining is that in asking your game master specific questions about the world, their creative wheels start to turn as they ponder these questions. I’ve found that this usually leads to the GM creating a far more robust and detailed land than they would have done otherwise. In any case, be kind and patient with your questions.

3. Define Personality Traits

Maybe you’re an experienced player and want to try a different method of character creation, or maybe you’re a new player who wants to focus on role-playing a particular archetype, but you have yet to define their more nuanced personality traits. This method is perfect for building a personality, and then writing your backstory to accommodate that. 

Like the other two methods listed here, the most important thing is to decide on a concrete center for your character concept, regardless of what it is. If you want to play a character who is a brave and honorable warrior, start with that. Why do they value bravery and honor? Was it ingrained in them during childhood or did they learn those values later in life? Just those two questions can give you a lot of creative room with which to work. Keep asking questions about the reasons for your character’s attitudes and the way they react in different situations. 

I personally use this method a lot in conjunction with finding an environmental anchor. You don’t have to, but if you choose not to create a character who is tightly tied to the game world in some way, you run the risk of creating a character in a contextual vacuum. I’ll expand more on this idea at a later date, but the key thing to remember is that people, and by extension characters, do not exist in a vacuum. There is always a social and an environmental context which affects how your character develops. Once you’ve used this method to come up with a good personality for your character, be sure to work with your GM to implement them into their game world as smoothly as possible before play begins.

4. Assist Your Players

This one is for all the game masters out there. I find that it is incredibly helpful and important to assist players in character creation, especially if they are struggling. Asking your players questions and providing suggestions which they themselves may not have thought of goes a long way in helping them develop a character with some real depth. In my experience, this collaboration also helps immensely with prompting players to create more intriguing backstories.

Communication is incredibly important (again, I plan to elaborate on this subject in a future post) and as a GM, character creation goes a lot smoother when you inform your players about the setting as soon as possible. Keep them updated as things change in your planning so they can change their ideas in time, if need be. 

The biggest pitfall with this method for both players and game masters is the risk of allowing the player's creation to become the GM's creation. Too many suggestions for backstory plot points or personality traits can smother the player's creativity and lead them to play a character which actually isn't their own creation, and they might not be happy about that. 

Personally, I like giving my players as much agency as possible, so i tend to keep my suggestions to a minimum and focus on asking my players questions about their character. However, if your players enjoy taking your suggestions and everyone's having fun, you don't need to worry. 

One Last Thing…

Remember that your character, especially if you’re a player, is your vessel through whom you may freely express yourself. Stay true to whatever your vision is and create something that you actually enjoy, even if it takes a little bit more time than you’d expect. Playing tabletop games is about having fun and sharing a narrative experience. Don’t worry too much about if your character is “right” or “interesting enough” or “different enough” from your own real personality; that stuff doesn’t matter. As long as you’re all having fun, you’re doing it right. 

Be kind to each other and stay healthy.

[rainbowamory]

Mansfield Park (1999) Review

The film I am reviewing is the one that came out in 1999. There is actually another film made in 2007.

I want to start by saying that I was a fool. I take back everything I said in my first post about this film. I had been reluctant to watch it for the reasons I explained in the previous post, but I finally pushed myself to give it a chance and… by the end of the film, it went from being my least favourite cousin love story in a novel to one of my Top Favourite films exploring this kind of relationship. I want to explain why I loved it this time round and what my impressions were of the book vs. the film.

The truth is I read the novel by Jane Austen years ago, so I don’t really remember the exact details or what the film might have changed. The main love story is still there. They might’ve just changed some details of the scenes here and there. But I remember that my first impression of the novel was that Edmund was indecisive and took forever to realize Fanny’s worth. Or that’s how it seemed to me, and that was the main reason for the bad impression I got of the book. It’s possible I misremembered or simply misinterpreted the book’s version of Edmund.

As for Fanny, I thought they changed her personality completely, but that too was a misunderstanding. The first time I tried to watch this film, I had only watched the opening scenes and I was irritated because I didn’t like the creepy stories that Fanny was reading out loud… I recall the book version of her being more sensitive, so I was put off by those opening lines because it seemed on the surface that the film version of her was harsh and unfeeling.

But the fact it, sometimes Fanny is cold on the outside, but she’s a sweetheart on the inside, and always faithful. (Wait a minute. Isn’t that my type?? So how could I possibly dislike her?) I think if they changed anything about her it was just that they made her personality more vivid and passionate in the film. They didn’t change her core character traits or values from the book.

The 2nd reason I had a negative impression of Fanny was that before I watched this film, I had seen some screenshots of the 2007 film, and I noticed two males in the picture, which sometimes indicates a love triangle. My personal preference in ships has always been monogamous pairings. The only scenarios in which I am ok with non-monogamous ships is if all characters involved are truly poly. I don’t care for stories where one person leads on two people and acts like the center of attention. In the 1999 version of the film, it’s clear that Fanny’s heart is always with the one guy: Edmund. There is no ambiguity there. If Henry Crawford feels like a third wheel, it’s his own dumb fault because no one is leading him on....

As I watched more of the film, it became clear that the dilemma Fanny and Edmund were really going through was the dilemma of a second-born son being in love with a woman from a lower class. Their marriage would not have been “advantageous” in a material sense in their time period. That was a huge part of what was holding them back from getting together.

So Edmund actually had a good reason for his hesitations. He was struggling inside because he felt he didn’t have enough to offer Fanny if she were to be his wife. And the only reason Fanny went along with the courtship with the other guy was because she too was trying to make the best of her circumstances and the fact that being with Edmund was not initially an option.

➤

[Typo in the captions below. It should read “I hope you know how much I shall...”]

Edmund and Fanny were always each other’s first choice. And they were always honest with each other every step of the way, even when they were going in separate directions. There was no sleezy deception. It’s this fact that ultimately won my heart: this consistent mutual respect. It’s what made them worthy of each other in the end.

There were a number of other things I also loved about this film. Often times, when consanguineous pairings are handled in fiction, especially more modern fiction, they tend to set the pair in a “broken family backdrop”. That’s something I really hate—this implication that incestuous relations only happen in unstable or “dysfunctional” families. Mansfield Park appears on the surface to follow this stereotype, but there’s more going on. Fanny’s uncle is a very sick individual who gets away with horrific crimes, but there was unfortunately nothing Fanny could directly do as she didn’t have the power to expose him. To add to that, Edmund’s mother is emotionally absent, Fanny’s parents are always struggling with poverty, and Edmund’s siblings are troubled in their own ways.

So one can say that Edmund and Fanny really only had each other. But it’s clear that the “broken family backdrop” is not the reason they got together.

I look at the common Cousin Dynamics to see where Fanny and Edmund would fit, and they actually don’t fit into the 3 main categories that are most typical. They grew up separately up to a certain point, and they didn’t seem to see each other as siblings, so it’s not Dynamic 1. But they did grow up together under the same roof for a big part of their lives, so it’s not Dynamic 2 which involves more distance. It’s not Genetic Sexual Attraction, because they did not fall in love upon first meeting. They had developed a bond and shared history before they fell in love.

They were playful and mutually supportive and they just seemed very in synch with each other’s personalities and values. It was a bond that came with the build-up of trust over time, familial and romantic at the same time. The “broken family backdrop” in this scenario did not force any of that. If anything, it only brought two already close people even closer. Dysfunction in their families was a circumstance, not the catalyst for their love.

Would I recommend this film? YES. However, you should know it’s not a plot-heavy story. It’s more a “slice of life” kind of story. When I watched it with my partner, half-way through she asked me, “Is this one of those stories where nothing really happens?”

My answer was that actually a lot is happening, but it’s in subtext. The themes that we see in subtext include women’s social expectations, inequalities between genders, classism, and the darker undertones of what was happening with slavery in those times.

But the main story is focused on the inner conflicts and coming-of-age of two characters.

It’s a refreshing exploration of a relationship that is allowed to form without the added stigma of the “incest taboo”. This is also due to the time period in which the story is set, in which cousin marriage was not automatically seen in a negative light.

As the 2nd born son, Edmund will not inherit the main wealth of the family. So their future is that of a clergyman and a clergyman’s wife, a humble middle class couple. This is an interesting alternative to the usual stories about royal couples or rural stereotypes. And something tells me they will not be the blind, bigoted type of religious people. Edmund’s comments about the music at church and about Fanny’s character traits, and Fanny’s own ability to see through falseness in others shows they are people who can see the very essence of things.

Watching this movie was like watching a dream. It was beautiful and very charming and satisfying. The symbolism, the subtle humor, the way it was filmed, the acting… every decision fit the story and the themes. I was getting worried near the end whether it would end the way I was hoping it would, and when he started confessing to her, this was my reaction: 

YES. SAY IT YOU SON OF A B*TCH. SAY IT. APOLOGIZE TO HER. THAT’S RIGHT. YES. NOW KISS HER. 

And after that moment, all was forgiven in my head…

It was really a treat for a romantic with an open mind. And I regret dismissing it before, but now that I’ve seen it in full, I love it so much I would actually like to make a fanvideo for it eventually.

[ladyfogg]

May I? - 7/?

May I? - 7/?

Fic Summary: Ensign Faith Diaz struggles to hide her mental illness from her fellow shipmates aboard the Enterprise until an intrigued Data goes out of his way to try to understand her behavior. At his insistence, Faith tries to figure out what she’s truly passionate about and eventually seeks the professional help she needs. Fic Masterpost.

Fic Rating: NC-17

Pairing: Data/Female OC

Warnings: tw: depression, tw: anxiety, fluff, friends to lovers, eventual smut

Screenshot by @ spacetailor

It had been two weeks since Data and Faith had found the unknown handprint. A sweep of the tubes was done but no other prints were found. However, there had been reports of other consoles around the station that had been tampered with. He and Faith continued to add them to their map, trying to find a connection. They had not been successful.

Faith's mood continued to fluctuate from day-to-day. There were times when she closed herself off or began breathing heavily, unable to speak without stuttering or tripping over her words. Most of the time she worked through it alone and if she could not, Data assisted by repeating her own instructions back to her. She did not ask him to. He did so on his own after a particularly difficult episode.

While the captain was frustrated with the lack of answers, he allowed Data and Faith to work at their own pace. So far nothing of great value had been taken. No one had gotten hurt or actually seen anyone on the ship who was not supposed to be there.

On a personal level, Data and Faith only interacted during their joint shifts but he found himself looking forward to those times. His Bridge duties had been reduced so he could focus on the assignment, which meant he spent most of his day with Faith. While he was able to witness some of the behavior Geordi had previously mentioned, it seemed to happen less and less. Certain days she was quieter than others but other than that, her work was improving even if her mood was not.

Data made his way to Counselor Troi's office for their weekly appointment. He greatly enjoyed their sessions and appreciated her insights. Now more than ever.

Deanna was already sitting down when he entered. She smiled. "Hello, Data. How are you doing today?"

"I am functioning at—" He paused, correcting himself. "I am well, Counselor." He took a seat.

"Anything new you wish to talk about?"

She started every session this way, knowing Data came prepared with numerous questions on various topics. This time, however, his thoughts were more focused.

"There is a recent development I wish to discuss," he said. 

"Tell me about it."

"It is about my friendship with Faith."

He did not miss the way her mouth twitched into a smirk. "Oh? I understand you two have been spending a lot of time together. I'm surprised you haven't brought her up before."

"I wanted time to process an interaction she and I had two weeks ago," Data explained. 

"So what's troubling you?"

"After I paid her a compliment, she seemed embarrassed and even though she gave me permission to continue, she still reacts this way each time I do so. She explained it was because she does not receive them that often. I find that difficult to believe."

"That one can be embarrassed by compliments?"

"No, that she does not receive them."

Deanna's smirk widened. "Why is that?"

"From what I have witnessed, she has a lot of positive qualities. Her intelligence exceeds many of her peers, she has shown great dedication in our joint assignment as well as a meticulous work ethic. She often considers my 'feelings' though I already explained to her that I do not have any. She is also one of the only people to not interrupt my 'babbling', as Captain Picard puts it. And if she does, she apologizes."

"It sounds like you admire her a great deal," Deanna said. 

"I believe I do."

"And it makes you confused that others don't?"

"Well...yes, I suppose it does." Data studied Deanna, looking puzzled. "Why are you smiling like that?"

"Data, if I didn't know any better, I would say you have a small crush on her."

"A crush?" He scanned his knowledge base for the definition. "Ah. A crush: an intense infatuation for someone. A secret burning desire to be with someone who you find attractive or special. A person you cannot get off your mind."

Deanna let him process, watching in amusement just as she had during his interactions with Faith.

"Huh...fascinating," he declared. "I have never had a crush before. How do I know that is what this is? Is it even something I am capable of? There are many questions."

"Well, you have had relationships with women before," Deanna said. "How does this compare to those?"

"I have had two romantic entanglements in my lifetime," Data explained. "Only one of those was intimate in nature."

"And?"

"And, with Tasha, it was a one-time experience brought on by a mind-altering virus. The other…" He thought of his relationship with Jenna. "...did not end well."

"I see," Deanna said. "However, if I remember correctly, you were pursued in both those cases. You have not pursued a romantic relationship on your own."

"I have not found the need to," Data explained. "And I do not know if that is what I would like to do with Faith."

"Understandable. Not all crushes are romantic in nature. What would you like to do?"

Data thought about her question, trying to determine the correct answer. "I want to spend more time with her," he declared. "Outside of our duties, I mean."

"That's a start," Deanna said. "Have you tried?"

"I have offered. However, she had yet to take advantage. I do not wish to push her."

"And that is all you can do at this time," Deanna said. "Let her know you are there for her and comfort her if she seeks it. Knowing you are there can make a difference, even if she doesn't take you up on your offer right away."

"Occasionally, she does seek my comfort during her anxiety episodes. Usually when she cannot handle them herself."

"That is a very personal thing to share with someone," Deanna told him. "You must mean something to her as well if she is comfortable being so vulnerable in front of you."

Data processed what the counselor said. While he followed her reasoning, he was still stuck on the notion that he might have "a crush". "If I understand the word correctly, would a crush not require feelings? Could this be another instance of me feeling emotion for the first time?"

"It's possible," Deanna said. "When you felt what you perceived to be anger, it came about suddenly and organically."

"That is correct. It was during my fight with the Borg that I was overcome with an intense sensation that I could not control. The only way I can describe it was being angry."

"And afterward, when you were trying to elicit an emotional response from yourself, it didn't work, correct?"

"Also correct. I subjected myself to many forms of stimuli but achieved no results."

"We discussed that the difference between the two was the organic nature of the first emotion. Perhaps that's what's happening here. There was something that drew you to Faith and it happened organically. You didn't seek her out and she did not seek you out. You were drawn together by circumstance and connected on a level you've never connected with someone before."

Even with his superior brainpower, what the counselor said was difficult for Data to wrap his head around. He was used to cause and effect, of being able to track the sequence of events which led to each individual moment and reaction.

"I find this all very confusing," he admitted.

Deanna smiled. "Welcome to being human. Most emotions are."

The idea of feeling as other humans feel made Data smile, though he was still trying to work out how to handle what was happening. 

"Should I tell her?" he inquired. 

"That is entirely at your discretion," Deanna said. "I can't make that decision for you."

"I understand, Counselor. But I would appreciate the advice."

Deanna sighed, leaning back in her seat. "If you are as unsure about the sensation as you claim, perhaps you shouldn't tell her quite yet. Wait until you've spent more time with her and then see if the feelings persist. If they do, then perhaps share them."

Data nodded in understanding. "What if she does not reciprocate?"

"Then you know where your relationship stands."

The counselor's words echoed in his mind for the rest of the day. He pondered how to proceed, eventually deciding to take her advice and keep the information to himself. His reasoning was that if he was wrong, he could potentially ruin a new friendship that was dear to him. He could not take that risk. 

Data arrived at Engineering and made for the assistant's office. It had been repurposed for Data and Faith so they could have a central location to continue their investigation.

When he arrived, he was surprised to see Faith was not in her usual seat. He sought out Geordi for answers.

"She said she wasn't feeling well," Geordi explained when Data asked. "You two have been working 'round the clock so I gave her the next two days off."

"Strange. She did not tell me she was feeling ill."

Geordi smiled. "You two have become pretty close, huh?"

"Yes, we have." Data turned to leave. "I will go check on her."

Data heard Geordi chuckle as he walked away. "You do that, buddy."

Faith did not answer the door when Data rang. He waited exactly ten seconds before ringing it again. It was not until the third time that he heard a soft voice say, "Come in."

Data entered Faith's quarters for the first time. Everything was in disarray. Clothes and dishes were strewn around the room. The lights were dim and at first Data did not see her until he stood in the doorway to the bedroom.

"Data? What are you doing here?" she asked, her voice thick and gravely.

She was curled in bed, buried under a mound of blankets except for her head. Her eyes were red and there were tear stains on her cheeks, which alarmed him.

"Geordi said you were not feeling well. I came to check on you."

"That's very sweet but you didn't have to."

"I wanted to." He crossed into the room and knelt by the side of the bed. "Are you alright? It looks like you have been crying."

"No...no, I haven't." She swiped her cheek with her hand to brush away the marks. "I'm just sick."

"Would you like me to get Dr. Crusher?"

"That's not necessary."

"Do you know what illness you have? I am sure it can be cured easily."

"It can't." At Data's look of concern, Faith forced herself to sit up, her wavy hair swirling around her head like a dark cloud. "Data, do you know what depression is?"

"Depression: feelings of severe despondency and dejection. A mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest," Data recited. He put the pieces together. "I see. So you have depression?"

"Yes."

"My files state that it is treatable. Are your treatments not working?"

"It's a little more complicated than that."

"You are receiving treatment, correct?"

Faith's hesitation answered his question before she spoke. "I am beginning to. I have started seeing Counselor Troi on a regular basis." She left the statement there.

Data was not satisfied. "There is also medication that helps treatment."

"Yes. That's true."

"From your expression, I gather you do not wish to use the medication."

"Dr. Crusher gave me some but I haven't started using it yet."

"Why?"

Faith sighed, pulling her knees up to her chest. "It's complicated, Data. It's not an easy decision to make."

"That is the second time you have used that word to describe this situation. Please explain."

Faith pursed her lips but did not speak. Data waited in sixty seconds of silence before sitting on the edge of her bed. He was patient and in no rush to be anywhere. If she needed time to answer him properly, he was willing to give it.

"Going on depression medication...is a big decision," Faith explained slowly. "It's admitting there is something about yourself that is out of your control. It's taking the chance that you may need to be on that medication for the rest of your life."

"But if it helps you feel better, why does that matter?"

"Some people get used to the sadness, Data. They... I don't know who I am without it."

The gravity of her words was not lost on him. He had seen a lot of illness in his time, mental and physical. As much as medicine had advanced, there were still some ailments that could not be eradicated. The brain may have been mapped, but some of its functions were still out of anyone's hands.

Data reached over and placed his hand on Faith's. It was an action he had witnessed many times when his fellow shipmates wanted to comfort each other. 

"You are smart, kind, dedicated, and a good friend," he said. "That is who you are."

"I would say you're just saying that to be nice but I think I've gotten to know you better than that."

"I am saying it because I believe it to be true. That is what I see."

Faith gave him a sad smile. "I wish I could see myself the way you see me."

Data was struck by an idea and got to his feet. "Come with me."

"What? Why?"

"I have something I would like to show you."

"I don't want to get up."

"It will be good for you to move."

"I don't know, Data. I'm a mess. I don't exactly want the others to see me like this."

"Then get dressed and meet me in my quarters when you are ready." He headed for the door, eager to put his plan into motion.

"But wait, Data, why?"

He paused and turned around to face her. "So I can show you how I see you." Before she could protest further, he left.

It took her thirty-two minutes to do as he instructed. When she arrived, she had showered and dressed in fresh clothes, her wet hair draped over her shoulder in a long braid.

"You're lucky I like you," she said grumpily as she entered his quarters. "Now, what did you want...to...show me."

Data had taken the time to put a selection of his paintings on display. They were propped up on every feasible surface of the room, arranged strategically so. 

The most recent were first, showing various depictions of their time together: her with her head bent over the console, biting her lip in thought as she studied the map, her taking apart one of the replicators with parts spread out on the floor, her staring off into space deep in thought…

And there were others less specific in nature and more abstract. Dark ropes of space and stars woven together in a single braid like the one she wore. A collection of flowers arranged to form the side profile of her face…

When she reached the first painting he did of her, her eyes in the vines, she stopped. 

Data watched her face and the myriad of emotions that danced across it. 

"Data…" she said in a soft voice that barely broke a whisper. "Are these all me? "

"You wanted to see yourself how I see you," he said. "This is how I see you."

She looked at him with wide eyes before looking back at the painting. She approached it, reaching out to gently touch the edge of the canvas.

"Do I really look that sad?" she asked.

Data came to stand by her side. "Have I offended you?"

"What? Oh, no! Not at all," she said. "I'm flattered. Beyond flattered. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. I had no idea…" She trailed off, looking around at his paintings before returning her gaze to him.

She looked at him with such wonder and amazement he could not believe he was the focus of such a gaze. She put her arms up and took a step forward but then stopped herself.

"Do you mind if I hug you?" she asked. 

"No, I do not mind." He opened his arms stiffly.

Faith smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. Data returned the hug as best he could. She was shorter than him, causing his nose to burrow into her hair. Her shampoo smelled pleasant.

They remained that way for fifteen seconds before she regrettably pulled away.

"I didn't know you paint," Faith said. "Do you have others? I mean, in general. Not about me specifically. I'd love to see more of your work."

"Certainly," Data said with a smile. "I would be honored to show you."

He shared with Faith the rest of his paintings, from his very first to the ones he completed prior to meeting Faith. Her reactions to them were fascinating to watch. The same intense study techniques she showcased during her work applied to viewing art as well.

"These are stunning, Data," she said hours later. She sat on the couch, a mug of hot chocolate clutched in her hands.

Data sat down next to her. "Thank you, Faith. Your opinion is most appreciated."

"Have you ever thought about doing an art show?"

Data cocked his head in thought. "It had not occurred to me. Do you think others will be interested in seeing my work?" 

"Absolutely. Your imagery is…" She struggled to find the right word. "...a peek into your soul, your thoughts. It's fascinating."

"Because I am an android?"

Faith waved her hand. "Bah! It has nothing to do with that. Most people may be able to picture images in their head, but very few of them can actually replicate it. You've not only managed to do that, but also given it so much substance."

Data was overwhelmed. "No one has ever described my creative endeavors as having substance."

"You do something else besides paint?"

Data nodded. "I play the violin and have tried writing poetry."

"Tried?"

"It has not been...successful."

"I was never good at poetry either," Faith said. "I'd love to hear you play the violin at some point."

"There is a recital next week. I would be honored if you attended."

"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Her eyes drooped and she stifled a yawn.

"You are tired. You should go to bed."

"Not yet. It feels good to be out of my quarters and I enjoy spending time with you."

"I enjoy spending time with you as well," Data said. He noticed she had finished her hot chocolate and took the mug from her hands to dispose of it.

"I'm sorry we didn't get any work done today," she said. "I know the captain is anxious for some kind of results."

"On the contrary, I have been running diagnostics and analyses this entire time," Data told her.

"Convenient and handy. Find out anything interesting?"

Data accessed the information while he began putting his paintings away. 

"I have been analyzing the items that have been reported missing and organizing them into categories. Among the most significant are power chips, wires, a replicator module, and scraps of parasteel. However, I was curious and began to construct a second list of non-mechanical objects that have been reported lost or missing. There has been an unusual increase in blanket replication, several crew members reported clothing misplaced or gone altogether, and even one person lost their uniform shoes. From this, I can deduce that whatever life form that is evading our detection is collecting items for survival…"

He turned to look at Faith, only to find her fast asleep. If Data were human he might have taken it personally. He approached her cautiously, hand reaching out for her shoulder to wake her. But the peaceful look on her face stopped him.

Instead, he gently gathered her into his arms. She instinctively curled against his chest, letting out a small content sigh. Data held her for a moment, studying how the worry lines of her face were gone while she slept. A strange sensation settled in his abdomen and he had the sudden urge to protect her at all costs.

Data carried her over to his bed, laying her down before tucking the blankets around her. 

Spot appeared from the shadows where she had taken refuge when a new person arrived. Now she sniffed Faith curiously before giving Data a look of doubt.

"Be nice, Spot," Data ordered, pointing a finger at the feline. "She is very special to me."

Spot swatted at Data's finger, making him tut in disappointment. He put her on the floor. 

"Computer, dim lights."

The lights in his quarters lowered and Data returned to the couch. Now was as good a time as any to turn on his dream program. He laid himself out, staring up at the ceiling. Spot jumped up onto his chest, turning in a circle before lying down and curling herself into a ball. She began to purr as Data scratched her ears.

Data's thoughts were consumed by Faith and her compliments. He began to understand her reaction when he first complimented her. Data himself was used to admiration on his skills, particularly his computing, strength, knowledge, and other aspects of his android nature. 

He was not used to compliments on his creativity. Quite the opposite. Perhaps he would display his work in an art show. Perhaps Faith would help.

He cast one last look at her, smiling when he saw her still fast asleep. Then he closed his eyes and succumbed to his dreams.

[queen-scribbles]

Bless Me With Your OTP

Rules: answer as many of the following questions as you want, and add art/screenshots to show off your OTP!

Tagged by @starsandskies, tagging @haledamage​, @storyknitter​ and @allisondraste​, if you wanna ;) Also anyone else who wants to do this; I didn’t wanna go overboard with specific tags.

Gotta do Tragen/Jaesa, because I’m having feels again.

(fab art by @the-upper-shelf​)

Do they fight often? If so, what is their dynamic like?

Not really. They’re of the same mind on a lot of things, so really the only thing they fight over is when one is planning to do something self-sacrificing and dangerous and the other is worrying about them.

Who is the most skeptical of the two?

Tragen, only because he spent his teens growing up through the Sith Academy on Ziost and saw the very darkest side of sentient beings’ nature. Not to say everything was roses for Jaesa as a handmaiden(especially on Alderaan, OY), but even the shrewdest of political maneuverings can’t really match the savagery of a Sith who wants something. Considering his experiences, he’s still surprisingly optimistic, but he’s also much quicker to write a person off as a lost cause than she is. He wants to reform the Empire, but first of all realizes that’s probably just a pipe dream; they’re fighting an uphill battle against millennia of tradition, and second figures the way to effect change is through a new generation of more light-leaning Sith, not “redeeming” the ones already in power.

Who would be most likely to suggest a night of dancing?

Both of them would love to dance, and they would be amazing at it. Tragen would be the more likely to suggest they do it, though, simply because he’s the bolder personality of the two. Jaesa’s more quiet/shy, and would happily accept if he offered, but would be too hesitant to suggest it herself and now I want art of them dressed to the nines and slow dancing ohno 

What would they do if the other was injured in battle?

If Tragen gets hurt, Jaesa becomes laser focused on getting him out of danger so she can heal him. Even if the threat is still out there, as long as she can get him away from if, that’s good enough for the short term. They can deal with it later, it’s more important to make sure he’s safe.

 If Jaesa gets hurt, Tragen’s gonna throw himself even more fully into whatever fight they were waging so he can kill anything that’s a threat. He’s not good at anything healing related at all, so the only way he’s gonna be able to even attempt to help her himself is if there’s no threats to worry about nearby. He’s still more likely to try and get her to a medic than do anything himself for fear of making things worse. . 

How do their fighting styles complement each other?

They’re both very skilled... saberists(?), though they focused on different weapons: Jaesa has a doubleblade and Tragen dual wields. The different techniques they’ve each learned work very well for watching each others’ backs. Jaesa’s also fairly skilled with Force healing, which is good bc Tragen is very much a frontline defender brand fighter; he wades in and tries to keep the enemies’ attention on him so they’re not hurting other people. He’s more focused on melee combat than using the Force, she’s very attuned to the Force but still relatively skilled at melee combat. Add in their Force Bond and the two of them almost literally move as one when fighting. They can pretty much read each other’s mind/emotions, so always know exactly where to be.

Do they want children? Does it frighten them? How many do they want?

It’s not something they’ve talked about yet.  (can you imagine how gorgeous their kids would be? Just A+ gene pool right there)  Them as a couple is a fairly recent development that kinda caught both of them off-guard, so they’re still working through all of the Stuff(TM) that comes with it. HOWEVER. Neither of them would be opposed to kids, for sure. Tragen might’ve been more reluctant when he was Wrath, just because of the danger and any kids being one more things that could be used to hurt him if his true... uh, beliefs were discovered(it was real fun playing a LG paladin Sith lemme tell ya xD). But now that he has some level of autonomy as Alliance commander, he’d be very open to the idea. He loves Jaesa so much, the idea of having a family with her would delight him.

Jaesa would probably likewise love to have a family with him. She’d be a little more hesitant just due to the basic state of the galaxy. Even knowing things will never completely calm down, it’s nerve-wracking to think about bringing a child into the mess that is the current state of affairs. But it really isn’t ever going to be “safe” and she’s grown more comfortable with being bold and taking risks for the things she wants, and this would be something she wants. 

Both of them would be ferociously protective parents; RIP to anything that tried to hurt their kid(s).

What happened when they took them home to their families? If their families aren’t in the picture anymore, how do they feel about it?

Well, fun fact, the very first time Tragen took Jaesa with him to visit his family was before they were a couple. Before the Wild Space Expedition, even, not long after he was made Emperor’s Wrath. His parents and sister all like Jaesa immensely, and his mother can TELL there’s Something there with this girl, but she doesn’t say anything bc they need to figure things out on their own. Whenever he gets around to telling them about the change in relationship status from friends and master/apprentice to lovers, he’s gonna get a round of “Saw that coming” and “Took long enough”s

Technically, so far, the only time Tragen’s met Jaesa’s parents is during the SW quest arc on Alderaan. He was polite, and merciful, and told them he only wanted to talk to their daughter, he meant her no harm. They took some convincing, their Jedi guardian even more so, but he did talk them into cooperating before instructing them to go to Dromund Kaas. When he found out Baras was poking around them, he kept an eye on the situation, but thankfully things with Baras came to a head before that particular problem got too dicey.  He’s currently hoping things resolve enough with the Alliance/Republic/Empire that he and Jaesa can track them down again, make sure they’re safe, and that they’re okay with their daughter dating an ex-Sith. (Jaesa’s an adult who can make her own decisions, so it’s not really asking permission; more he doesn’t want to be a point of contention between her and her parents after they’ve been apart for so long)

How does each person show affection towards the other?

There’s a lot of affectionate touching, and I don’t just mean hugs and kissing, though there are plenty of those.

Jaesa tends to brush her fingers against his arm whenever she walks past him, lean her head on his shoulder whenever they’re sitting/standing next to each other, that sort of thing. Tragen likes to slide an arm around her waist or hold her hand. Both of them have a history of being forced to repress feelings for various reasons, and finally being in a position where they don’t have to, where they can say I love you and kiss each other whenever they feel like it and be touchy-feely affectionate... why would they pass up any chance to take advantage of that?

On top of the physical affection, they’re both big fans of encouraging and reassuring each other. They’ve been doing that since well before they fell in love, so it’s only natural it gets folded into their romantic relationship as well. 

Who cries the most? Who is better at comforting?

Jaesa for both. She’s so very tender-hearted, and one good thing about being trained as a Jedi rather than a Sith, compassion’s not seen as a weakness. So while Tragen’s super accustomed to burying the vast majority of his emotional vulnerability(other acolytes would’ve torn him apart, forget about full Sith after his summoning to Korriban), she’s more willing to show it. When Tragen’s feeling sad etc he tends to just go sit somewhere alone(preferably with a good view of the stars) and work through his feelings inside his own head.

BUT since Jaesa’s such an empathetic person, she’s really good at picking up on the more subtle signs he’s feeling down and their Force Bond only makes it easier. So she usually gives him a little while to have some privacy, then offers to help with comfort or company or whatever he needs if he wants her to. (He always wants her to. But she always makes it his call, even if she thinks she knows the answer)

Who is the bigger flirt?

Neither of them are all that flirty, actually. The two of them are more earnest declarations of love and support than attempts at seduction. (Neither of them is particularly good at it, either. Jaesa’s tried being coy a time or two, and Tragen will occasionally pitch his voice lower bc apparently that’s “sexy”, but since they both realized independently they were in love with each other and confessions were made so fast in relation to being reunited, any flirting is more joking/playful “I’m so lucky and glad I have you” teasing than anything else. They’re dorks. Vette rolls her eyes at them even as she grins.)  

[my-brothers-corrupted]

Guidelines for My Brothers, Corrupted

Why henlo! This is, as you probably know by this point, an ask blog for Anti and the five egos, corrupted by his influence. We’re here to have fun and be angsty, are we not? Okay but here’s some rules and answers to questions you might have.

What are the boys called?

The egos, with the exception of Anti, have “corruption names” which they are instructed to go by at all times. If you see them being called by their original names, it is A) indicative that they are in some way loosened from Anti’s control in that moment, or B) Mod made a typo. C’est la vie. They go by

Jackie - Red (or Hoodie)

Marvin - Blue (or Kitty)

Henrik - Doktor (or Deutsch)

Chase - Trickshot

JJ - Dapper (or Carver or Monochroma)

The nicknames are just in case you have preferences and so you understand if the other egos call them by these names. You can totally call them by their usual names in your ask. However, you should be aware that it will be as though they had not heard the name - if you send “Does the name Jackie mean anything to you?” he’ll say no. Likewise, questions like “You need to remember who you are, Chase” will only reach him as “You need to remember who you are, Trickshot.” Saying their names will not cause them to remember.

What can I send?

Bruh, anything! It doesn’t have to be just angsty, it can be anything. Happy, sad, random, plot-seeking. You can ask Anti questions too if you’d like.

Why haven’t you answered my ask?

This should be a fairly rare question if you give me at least a couple days before getting stressed or offended or anything. I might not have answered your ask because

I’m waiting for another plot point/more relevant mood before posting a response

You’ve cleverly discovered something I need a little more time to develop

I can’t think of a good response right now and I want to think on it a while!

I’ve gotten a lot of really similar asks and just answered one instead of all. Usually I will screenshot your ask and add it to the other.

My internet or yours is being an asshole

Your ask made me uncomfortable (it’s okay, you can message me if you have questions and we can revise the ask in a way we both like! But I reserve the right to say “um, no” if you’re being pushy or rude about it or if it’s just a really uncomfortable question)

I’m busy! Sorry :( I’ll try to get back to you soon :)

Again, feel free to dm me if you have questions about why I haven’t posted something and as long as you’re not being a jerk about it we’ll totally figure it out

Is there a plot and how do I catch up to it?

There is a plot! Once a “chapter” is finished I will post that it is over and reveal the title that I’ve been working with. However, this plot is not heavily structured. We can go as slow or as fast as we want and if I decide to throw in new elements that I think of on the fly, let’s do it! If there’s something in particular you want to see (this character getting sick, this thing happening) feel free to message me and we might work it in.

This is my first time running an ask blog and I had a TON of fun with my test run. But if I treat it more casually and decide not to go with a really structured plot - well, we’ll see what happens.

What sort of things should I know about the story before sending an ask?

Okay, yeah, let’s lay down some bases.

The egos have little to no memories of the time before they were corrupted

The relationships between many of the egos are tense, as Anti has intentionally pitted many of them against each other, but others remain shakily friendly with each other.

I use a “looking through a camera” format for my egos but there’s not actually a camera and you can ask any of them what’s going on at any time (if you see Chase “holding the camera” you can still ask JJ something in another room

Due to their abuse and the control Anti has on them, some or all of the egos may be unreliable narrators.

Anti knows you’re here and allows the egos to speak with you for his own reasons. If you ask questions he does not like, he may react.

Can I reblog with additional questions instead of sending an ask?

Yes. But you should be aware that A) I am less likely to see and remember it than if you send an ask and B) I am unlikely to reblog a certain entry multiple times. So asks are better, but I’ll check reblogs and try to reply to them too.

Can I tag you in things I create for this au?

HELL YEAH GAMER i LOVE your amazing art, edits, writing, moodboards, and more. Please do credit me, but also tag me just so I can see!!! I may or may not reblog creations but I appreciate the hell out of every single one of them.

Do you tag triggers?

Course, I’m not an asshole! I’m a pretty careful tagger and anything obvious (gun, gore, torture, panic attack, etc) should be tagged. HOWEVER - dudes real talk okay - I’m not going to tag abuse because as far as I’m concerned this whole ask blog is a major abuse trigger. PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND CONSIDER AVOIDING THIS BLOG IF ABUSE IS TRIGGERING TO YOU.

You’re so valid and I don’t want you to get hurt. If there is a more specific abuse tag I can use to help you - or ANYTHING that you need tagged - please feel free to hit me up. I will absolutely work to accommodate.

I reblog this when we get new waves of followers or there’s some sort of problem! If you have any other questions, feel free to ask.

You guys are great! Looking forward to writing this story together.

[archiveacademics]

Why write fanfic?

I left off my last post with a screenshot from AO3′s homepage that gave some stats about how many fandoms are represented and stories have been written on the site. And there’s a lot, over 5 million works so far. But what is it that drives people to write fanfic? 

In Fic by Anne Jamison, popular YA author Rachel Caine writes about how fanfic saved her writing career. 

“By 1999, I was ready to quit professional writing. Quit, completely and utterly. I was still doing the occasional short story...During this time I wrote another novel, Exile, Texas, a straight mystery/thriller; but although it was published, it also sold in not fantastic numbers.

But mostly? Mostly it was the fic that kept me writing, from the sheer joy of creating stories in a wold that I loved to inhabit. I also loved the challenge of working in a world that had clearly defined rules and characters. Unlike most fanfic writers, I didn’t want to write outside the lines; the highest compliment I could be offered was when readers confused one of my stories for an actual episode of the show [I was writing about].”

A similar story is told by Betts, a guest on the Fansplaining podcast episode “The Craft of Writing (Fanfiction)” Betts was working at a bank and smothered her creative and fannish impulses when she discovered a popular fanfic in the BBC Sherlock fandom called “A Cure for Boredom.” And it changed the whole trajectory of her life. She eventually got an MFA and became a writing instructor. She even uses fanfic in her classes. 

“In Creative Writing, I have a lot more freedom, and so since I went into the MFA as a…as what they called a “self-taught” writer, since I had no creative writing—traditional creative writing instruction before that point, I developed my class around how I taught myself how to write, which involved very heavily fanfic.

And so I would take, when I started writing fic, I would take a concept that I wanted to improve on—and I did this very systematically, very scientifically—take a concept I wanted to improve on, and I would do all this research, and I would find like, resources and what other people thought of it and whatever, and then I would write a fic where I only focused on that single thing. And then everything else I didn’t care about. So like, if I was focusing on character development or voice, then it didn’t matter what anything else was doing. I was just, one thing at at time.

And so I got to develop my class around that, and that, like, I have these like—I have lesson plans, and I have a week dedicated to fairy tales, and a week dedicated to…and the fairy tale week is actually about form. And how to break form and invoke meaning. And I have a week based on character development, a week based on, on endings, which is called “Exit Strategies.” [all laugh] 

And so I do very much bring in fandom context into my classroom, because we also talk about—I should say, I meet with students one-on-one, because I’m, I think I’m better one-on-one than, you know, just standing in front of people talking at them. And I can usually tell by sitting in front of someone what their interaction with pop culture is. [all laugh] And so, like, they’ll be talking about their story, and I’ll just kind of insert, “Do you like fanfiction?” [all laugh] And it’s amazing, it’s amazing how many faces just like light up, like “I didn’t know I was allowed to write that, I didn’t know I was allowed to do that.” And I’m like “Yes, please please please write fanfic, please write things that are a step away from it, please begin with a fic and then move original,” you know. 

And so when I phrase it like “You can start something with something you’re familiar with, and then slowly work it around into something original,” and that kind of branches off of what I see as a major block for a lot of people who are writing original fiction, which is there are just too many decisions to make when you face a blank page.” (From the episode transcript)

Ok, so that’s a lot of words from someone else, I know, but I think what Bett’s gets at here is so important. Writing fanfic is not only about loving something and participating in it, it’s also about learning. Writing fanfic can teach you how to write. 

A simple Google search for “writing fanfic” will bring up a myriad of articles on the subject. From Julie Beck’s “What Fanfiction Teaches that the Classroom Doesn’t” to Colleen Mitchell’s “How Fanfiction can Improve your Writing” and Vivian Shaw’s “6 Ways Fanfiction Makes your Writing Stronger.” 

As Betts says in the podcast episode “[Fanfic] is a genre of freedom.” It allows for lots of different ways of writing and reading and interacting with a piece of media (be it TV, movie, book, or otherwise) that other genres don’t generally allow because there are boundaries, rules of what makes a genre a genre that fanfic doesn’t necessarily have. And it becomes easier to focus on particular aspect of a piece, be it character or plot, when you don’t have to fill in all the blank space. So an AU gives you a new setting to play with, but the characters are still the same, and you’ve got the story laid out for you. Meanwhile a story where you add an OC into an existing world allows you to work on character development without making you create the setting or the plot as well.

I actually ran a survey, posted to Facebook and it only received 12 responses, so it’s by no means scientific. But I asked my friends if they wrote or read fanfic and why.

One of the questions I asked was about when they started writing fanfic, and the answer for most of them was between 10 and 15, though one person said they didn’t start writing fanfic until they were 22, and another said they started at 35! Fanfic is for everyone of all ages, is what I’m saying. I also asked when they stopped writing and while some are still going strong, others stopped in their twenties. 

The most important question I asked, though, was what they got out of writing fanfic. A few of the answers were the expected, about loving the world or being inspired by reading other people’s fics. Many, though, had very interesting reasons for writing their fics. 

The survey was anonymous, so here are some of the answers in no particular order:

“It was some of my first serious attempts at writing a story more than a couple pages long. It was a great way for me to practice plotting, and writing a longer piece, without having to spend all my time working on world building and character creation as well. Also, playing around with the characters and the world, almost like a set of dolls, was - and is - just plain fun!”

“I first started writing it to make my own little world where I could be important and cared about, since I didn't have it in real life. After that I was just interested in exploring a couple concepts/characters deeper than the canon did.”

“I wanted to know what happened in those side stories, but obviously the author wasn’t going to tell me so someone had to do it. I had fun, entertained myself and others, flexed my creative muscles, and learned how to emulate others’ writing voices.”

“I wanted to see the characters explore storylines that weren't getting written in the comics (Rogue was done dirty by the x-men comics in the early 2000s), half of my oc got killed off (Anakin Solo [don't get me started on how much material Disney squandered when they rendered a bunch of novels/comics non-canon]), or I just really hated all the canon pairings (HP)”

I also asked why my friends read fanfic, because a whole big part of the experience is not just writing, but reading it as well!

“The last season [of Gilmore Girls] changed writers and producers and it became a different show, so I turned to fanfic to continue wondering what would happen if the original writers and producers were on the show. Additionally, the fanfic became a lot more interesting. I realized that there were a lot more people that liked the show than I even realized. I was also really impressed with the creativity of the writers. They were able to replicate the characters, how they would act, what they would say, almost perfectly to make a completely new scenario. I would say that reading fanfic has made me more imaginative about the shows I watch, or even the books I read, but also it has opened up a realization that there is a community in almost everything you do.”

“Fanfiction gives you alternate takes so you can spend time in the viewpoint of a character who barely makes an appearance in canon. Also, importantly, fanfic is written by peers, so you can interact with the writers. We are all friends.”

“Probably the main draw is getting to spend more time with the characters that I love, and seeing how they might react in different situations that didn’t come up in the source material. Also, it can be nice to be able to search the archives online to find something to exactly match my mood at the moment (such as if I’m in the mood for angst, or romance, or family bonding, it’s easy to find exactly what I want).”

“Ff is definitely 1) an easier lift than reading something new and 2) satisfies a slightly different itch than canon. It’s easier to read just because I mostly know what to expect from the characters and the type of story. There are few unpleasant surprises and I’m already invested, and if I don’t like a story, it’s easy to drop and move on. Fix in my brain is also wish fulfillment. There are many many things I would never stand for in canon, like overly saccharine endings or pointless melodrama, that I can enjoy in ff because “real” story is already established. Canon has the hard job of making a world or a character enjoyable or interesting. Ff is where I can go to wallow (sometimes for years) in that joy or interest, whether it was a character or a dynamic or just a specific trope.”

At the end of the day, fanfic isn’t just about reimagining stories we love, it’s about reimagining those stories with other people. 

Both Rachel Caine and Betts discuss this, that it was the positive feedback of the fandoms they wrote in that helped give boost their writerly self esteem and keep them coming back to write more, which eventually led to them writing their own original fiction. 

Not that you have to move from fanfic into original fic! There are plenty of people who are completely satisfied writing nothing by fanfic for the rest of their lives. And that’s ok. 

Whatever your experience with fic, whether you are a lurker who just reads but never comments or writes your own stuff, or if you’re a BNF (big name fan) or even a fan who became a big name (like Rachel Caine or Naomi Novik), the pleasure of fanfic is that we get to experience it together.

[the-rainbow-mafia-blog]

Y don't u care abt UsUm?

// Short answer; because I feel Nintendo doesn’t either.

And now a long answer because I’ve been sitting on this rant for ages and I bothered the Discord server enough with it. I want to put foward first that the opinions expressed here are my own. I am a big fan of Nintendo and this is something that bothers me. This is no way shape or form an attack to people who love these games to bits. This is also not meant to hate on a franchise or a company. The purpose of this rant is to put some arguments behind my statements.

Sources are linked in the text. I used Nintendo but I always meant everyone involved in the making of these games.

The reason I feel comfortable sharing it now is because people have their, rightful, concerns about the upcoming games; Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield, releasing in a few short weeks for the Nintendo Switch. Nintendo’s newest and most succesful baby. 

Why doesn’t Nintendo care about Pokemon, according to you?

First we need to ask ourselves;

How much does Nintendo make on Pokemon?

While I do think they care in a sense the numbers won’t lie. Pokemon has made around $95 billion US dollars since the franchise came to life in 1996. To put it in a way bigger number; they make about 4130434782.61 US dollars PER YEAR on Pokemon. (This is my own math, I do not know the exact numbers per year. I divded their total by the amount of years Pokemon has been alive.) That’s a lot of money and it’s with right the most financially succesful franchise to date. 

Only a part is made by the video games $17.138 billion. It’s merchandise makes more; $64.1 billion.

I could not find a reliable source on how much it takes to make a Pokemon game in monetary value.  What I could find however is that Pokemon is making less and less per game they release. Without counting Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Sun and Moon made LESS than X and Y.  

The only main series game that made less than Sun and Moon (again not counting UsUm) was Black/White.

Nintendo knows people will buy their games anyway;

Dropping sales or no, Pokemon still manages to fatten the piggy bank over at Nintendo because people will buy it anyway. The Pokemon craze of the 90′s should tell you that. People would buy it if it had Pokemon on it. Those people are now in an age group that has money to spend, hell some even have kids. So Nintendo is smart and releases commercials like this one or this one.  This marketing is beautiful (and no, not only Nintendo knows how to do this) because they play on your feelings. Who didn’ make a friend because you both liked Pokemon? And if you grew up with Pokemon like the person in the second commercial the whole feeling and setting is famillair to you, hell they could’ve casted you and it would’ve make sense.  They compare the whole bleakness of adult life, having to work to pay the bills, having less time for video games, to that warm familliar feeling of coming home and playing Pokemon. They feed on your nostalgia; your desire to relive those moments or if you have kids, to share the feeling those games gave you with your off spring. Or your younger siblings or other family memmbers.  I catch myself doing it! When a young one comes up to me, or I see a kid play the game on the bus I get that familiar feeling of ‘Hey I used to do that!’ It’s smart and it’s a thing Disney is good at too. It zooms in on what was precious to you and now resells that feeling to you. 

“Hey buy our game to feel something again. The world sucks anyway but Bulbasaur is still cute!” This isn’t a bad thing! Nintendo is a company and at the end of the day they need to make money. That is fair and I am in no way bagging on them over that. But it’s my belief that Nintendo keeps making money on the Pokemon games this way. Which leads me to my next point;

The Pokemon games come across as lazy.

Again, opinion but it feels like that. Which is also why I don’t care for UsUm; it’s lazy.

I truly believe Pokemon has some decent writers who don’t get their chance to shine. The beginnings of great stories and characters are there but it feels unfinished. Like someone bought the ingredients to a delicious dish but forgot to make them. Over the years Pokemon has a colorful bunch of characters, and the ones that stand out the most are the baddies. They usually get the coolest designs, the sickest themes, one way or another they are present in the climax but again. It’s lazy. How many of them pretend to be good or have a high moral standing and then turn out to be absolute dickbags? Almost all of them. Then they have characters (Ghetsis, Lusamine and Faba come to mind first) do something horrible (abuse of minors and playing God) and they get away with it what is basically a slap on the wrist. 

And after you beat them… for me the story stops. Yes you can go and beat some very powerful trainers and claim your title as whatever the thing in this game is and yes often that unlocks some post credit content but it’s bare. The big threat is gone.

“But,” I hear you say “It’s a DS/3DS game. There is only so much you can do.” Disagree. Phoenix Wright, Ghost Trick, Professor Layton and The Legend of Zelda OoT 3DS and Majora’s Mask all released on the same consoles and have a much richer story and even more characters. All games keep their pacing and the story really feels like it ends when the credits role. 

Then there is the overal quality. The main characters in Sun/Moon looks like someone forgot to progamme their soul in: /Screenshot take from THIS video/

I, again, easily could compare this other games who have much more expressions but let’s take one of Nintendo’s own;

There is so much more emotion in the Legend of Zelda one.  It released a few years earlier than Pokemon Sun/Moon too.

Second the frame rate drops like a hat. While some framerate drop is expected this much is a little too glaring to ignore.  To compare it to BoTW or Red Dead Redemption on the PS4, who both also have some frame rate issues at times it only happens in certain locations, usually a spot with lots of effects of NPCs. In my opinion, Pokemon does not have the luxery of that excuse. It would random drop in almost every location i was in.

The story

Every Pokemon has a story and I get that it’s basic. It’s a game for all ages after all. I get it won’t have a deep story like other games have. The basic gist of the game is to still enjoy catching all these mon’s with occasional story woven into it. But here is the thing that irks me; The little sneak peaks of story that we do get.. it’s good. It’s just so unfinished. It’s like there is a constant battle in the developers room betweeing writing a deep and interesting story (I’m not counting Pokemon Lore, just the story given in a game) and focussing on just the gameplay. There are many examples of rich story games with little gameplay (Grim Fandango, The Walking Dead, Almost every Visual Novel ever, Detroit; Become Human, just to name a few.) There are games with lots of gameplay and little story (Mobile games for example) and there are games that mix story and gameplay perfectly (Red Dead Redemption, Left 4 Dead 2, Persona 5 to name just a FEW examples) 

I feel Pokeon TRIES to be all three of these styles of games but ends up failing at everything.

Storywise they lured peopel in with Team Rainbow Rocket, like mentioned before this is for most people the reason they get drawn in; seeing their old baddies return and getting to interact with them again. It’s the same reason for me. But it feels unpolished, same with The Ultra Recon Squad. They seem like GREAT characters but again, so little is done with them that I feel there could be so much more.

Don’t change a winning team. 

Pokemon has been selling the same game to us for years. Again, I don’t blame them. Why bother. People like it, why change it? They try new gimmicks now and again and I respect them for trying. I personally like the Let’s Go Eevee/Pikachu versions. While they were FAR from perfect I can at least applaud them for doing something new and interesting. While at the same time trying to lure people who only played the mobile app into the main series by remake the first game all over again. Again, I understand. I would too if I were them.

But with Sword and Shield they are taking something away; Pokemon. And with that the whole thing comes undone. This is supposed to be THE Pokemon game, the big one, the game that will release on The Switch; home of BoTw and Mario Odyessy but also the upcoming Witcher 3, Skyrim. Games that are all much bigger than Pokemon and yet they took a vital part out of it.

The video is deleted now and I won’t link to the Chinese Bootleg game as it does steal user data, but the whole issue was the animations.  The animations in the bootleg were GOOD. And if we remember the amount of Pokemon makes per year they can afford themselves a team of good animators. This isn’t some indie studio who employs 20 people and have to live of Kickstarter donations, this is GAME FREAK, this is NINTENDO. And it’s not like they can’t, please remember Pokemon Stadium.  Look at the animation on that. Now remember that Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time, ALSO came out for the Nintendo 64 and got a beautiful update on the 3DS. If they can do that, surely they can port the animations.

And yes, I’m hearing you. You say that there are a lot of Pokemon.. but they’re taking a lot of them out of Sword and Shield. So there is no excuse for the battles to look like this. And remember this is the same console that has BoTW, one of the most applauded games in recent gaming history. A game with tons of content, tons of NPCs, tons of Items and has almost none of the issues Pokemon has.

I don’t care about USUM because it’s a lazy cash grab that adds nothing new to the table except some side story that doesn’t do anything to the main story. Play UsuM, Play SuMo, you’re basically getting the same game. Nintendo is smart and tries to sell you the same game twice due to a Pokemon being unique to a game. Meaning that if you want them all, you’re going to have to fork over 120 US dollars and guess what? That version is almost sold out where I live. So it’s working. And I don’t blame them. I am impressed.

Because I get the feeling that, with absolutely minimum effort they are forking in insane amounts of money.  Nintendo is a company. They need money. I don’t blame them for doing the things they do. I am however, entitled to my opinion and despite everything said above I will see myself getting a copy of Sword or Shield in the future. Because that is how it always is. Because I too, want to relive the moments of my youth when the biggest concern I had was chosing my starter.

[gerbits-vault]

how do you make doing a legacy last long and be fun???? i’m so stumped i can barely get past gen 1!

I’m gonna take this opportunity to make a big master post on this bc a lot of people ask me this & while I don’t mind answering it at all I just feel like I repeat myself a lot and I just hate clogging up your dashes! SOO tips & tricks are under the cut!

The biggest thing I’ve found that helps is to really pay attention to your sims’ whims. Since I’ve been doing that, each of my sims has developed their own personality and it makes them less robotic which in turn makes me more attached to them!

Randomize your sims’ traits! When making sims, I always find myself using the same like...5 traits. Since I’ve installed this mod, it’s been a lot more fun and I never really know how a sim is going to turn out! If you don’t want mods in your game, you can always roll for them with random.org or a dice or whatever!

Kind of building onto that- I always try to pick some sort of general “theme” for each generation! That way I have something to kind of go off of when taking screenshots or whatnot.

Free will! Try not to micromanage your sims too much- I pretty much just let my sims do what they want when they want to do it and it usually results in something interesting because let’s face it...without us controlling what they do, they’re helpless lmao

What has actually been helping me a lot is to move my heir out and start fresh! Not a whole new save (unless I have to...rip gen 5), just a new lot. This way, I feel like I’m kind of starting a new save!

I’m gonna steal a tip from @racingllama that I thought was really great- if you end up making a new sim and really fall in love with them and want to start a new save, just use them as a spouse instead! This literally just happened to me the other day- I made a super cute sim and I’m like “hey let’s start a new challenge!” but after thinking about it, they’re just gonna be the next spouse instead ^^

If you find yourself just putzing around on your sims’ lot and don’t really know what to do next (this happens to me all. the. time.), focus on what they need to get a promotion or level up their aspiration! This always helps to kind of get the game moving and sure there will be a bit of a lull but eventually something interesting will happen- I promise!

Give your sims makeovers! I’m constantly changing my sims’ clothing/hair just to mix it up a lil bit and add some change :D

I hope some of those tips were helpful, and I wish you luck on passing gen 1! I’ve found that the first few gens are hard to get past, but once you do, you’ll feel inspired to keep going! Once I hit the halfway point, I felt like I really could finish this legacy and here we are- almost to gen 8 ^^

[borderline-off-fangame]

Birb answers random questions you probably thought about asking!

Might as well do this. *shrug emoji* 

Q: When did you start working on Borderline?

A: September 18th, 2015 is when I sort of started working on Borderline? beforehand I actually wrote a fanfic.. it was terrible.. then again, the first few updates even more terrible. It’s been 3 years since I started working on it, and I’ve made quite a lot of progress over the course of a year. 

Q: What do you use to make assets? 

A: Sai to draw, and gimp and paint.net to save them in 8-bit format (if it has textures, use gimp. paint.net just.. fucks it up even if you lower transparency on that bitch). For voices and edits, I use audacity, and my laptop mic to record my voice.. not sure what wolf uses to make their music, you might have to ask them, as for chii, she doesn’t use sai, i know she uses medibang now??? again, ask them!!

Q: What got you to write the story in the first place? 

A: uuuuu.. too much fangames inspired me to make my own thing. It wasn’t as much solid as it was, but the premise was still the same: Max has to deliver food to the Guardians. Of course, I had to make several changes to the story, because the first variation, you already knew what you had to do. In the current version, Max has no idea why Puppeteer is there, and what their intention is, other than to help you with your job. There might be more changes to the story in the future, probably minor changes and shit like that, but the main premise still stays the same!

Q: You accept cameos in your game?

A: YES, ABSOLUTELY, GIVE ME YOUR CHILDREN RIGHT NOW AND I WILL EMBED THEIR CHARACTER FILES INTO MY GAME FOREVER!! ... yes, yes I do actually! From time to time, I do accept cameo appearances in my game, but these cameo appearances don’t like.. uuuh.. how to put this. usually cameo appearances are done where like the character simply exists and doesn’t contribute anything other than just.. existing. In Borderline however, each cameo has it’s own purpose in the game, as I want the cameos to DO SOMETHING other than just stand idly and exist, so of course, each cameo is given a purpose. So when you give me your character, I make sure to do them a lot of justice!

Q: Can we use your assets? 

A: I’d rather you ask first, but chances are that I would say no, and instead would offer to make assets for you. Even with school, I have lots of time on my hands and always need some kind of excuse to get out of my comfort zone and do stuff. I also make free assets from time to time, so you’re allowed to use those as long as you provide credit. In short, if you want some assets, don’t hesitate to ask me to make you some assets. Again, it gives me an excuse to do stuff.

Q: Are you in need of aid or suggestions maybe?

A: ... always! I’m just either too anxious to ask for help, or I’m unsure of how to organize myself and tell people what I am in need.. The most important thing I am ALWAYS in need of are beta-testers, and of course, the more the merrier! Not everyone might point out the same bugs as everyone else when they play my game, and most of the time I beta-test the game.. every. single. time I set up an event to MAKE SURE it works the way I want it!! ...But sometimes I happen to miss a couple.. or maybe a little bit more. (and I burned myself out doing that oops.) But even if you decide to offer your help, I’d be utmost grateful! 

Q: Is your game crossover friendly?

A: The fuck you saying, Borderline is the biggest crossover you’ll ever get to play! ...Yes my game is crossover friendly dun worry! ;w; Not sure why I’d answer that question but if you’re curious, refer to two questions above (the cameo one).

Q: Where do we report bugs?

A: You can use the submit box to report any bugs you find. If possible, provide a screenshot and submit it there. You can also personally IM me if you feel comfortable ;w; Just please.. be specific when you’re reporting a bug. I really can’t fathom at all, as I’m but a slow dunce and might not understand what you’re saying at first... I’msosorry!!!

Q: What program are you using to make the game?

A: Rpgmaker 2003. It’s only 20 bucks both on steam and on the official site (doe I did buy it from the official site cuz steam is hecc.. and my laptop can only handle so much. :’3) 

Q: I am stuck somewhere, and I need help!

A: There is a solution folder which can be found within the game, not only does it contain images, but it also contains videos as well.. Remind me to uh.. fix a couple of dem.. puzzles.. yes.. 

Q: Is it okay to make fanart/ask/rp blogs of your characters? 

A: Why yes, it’s actually okay! I really appreciate the gesture! For art, because the tagging system (on tumblr) can’t get any more wonkier than it is, so if I don’t see something that you drew for me, please don’t feel bad! It’s just tumblr is fucking garbo. :’3333 Instead, you can use the submit box or IM me. If it’s of lewd nature, I ask of you to NOT DRAW THE FOLLOWING CHARACTERS IN LEWD IMAGERY (and I am copying this from the main blog): Basically the protagons of the game (Max is ace who shames people for fun, doesn’t care about sex at all, Sam is a fucking child, Seneca is not even my own character, Puff is also ace and very sex repulsed, and Aleyes is.. he’s not a tentacle monster that’s for sure.), Asriel (He might be his own character, but.. please don’t fuck the goat!! He’s supposed to be innocent!!!!), Baka (not even mine), Pipscrap (not even mine)., Now.. Regarding ask/rp blogs however, I am okay with it, but do consult with me about it (hey, those are my children, I wanna interact with my own children!!) Plus, I can provide you with a bit of an in-depth detail regarding the characters so you know what’s up.. Which brings another question to light.

Q: Can we ship <insert character here> with <insert character here>???

A: I’m a thotticus for shippings, but I’m a huge ass sucker for chemistry(tm) and relationship development between two or more people! I really wanna see what y’all can come up with really so go crazy!! But, keep in mind..

There are... restrictions however.. mostly with Max and Puff who are in a canonical relationship; this should also apply for AU’s as well, please pleaaaaaase don’t ship them with any other characters other than each other! Not only because I can’t see those two being shipped outside their pairing, but also because their relationship is very critical to the lore itself! So.. please be respectful of my decision! ;; There are other restrictions, but I won’t list them here, because we’d be here for an eternity. ;; Just don’t do illegal shit that can get you called out or worse.. please do ask for restrictions.. ;; 

Q: Is it okay to add Easter Eggs/references regarding your game or your characters in our work? 

A: I’d cry? I’d appreciate you ask me about it first so we can consult and shit, but I’d be hella fine with that!!

Q: You inspired me to start my own game!

A: I know it’s not a question, but I can’t just shrug this one off, please excuse me while I go and scream into the void! *sniffs* I am glad that my work actually inspired you to make your own game, and I cry?? Like I literally feel the feels?? <333333

[georg-prime]

Why do you think Allurance is gonna be end game? I'm just curious.

Though you would better ask an Allurance shipper, I’m sure they have all the screenshots and meta ^^” I suppose I may at least try to explain why I keep saying I’m 100% sure they’re endgame. And as usual, I’m sorry in advance for any mistakes as I’m not a native English speaker, and for this big mess of a post, if I try to make a better structured one I’d never finish it...

So, short answer is: tropes? When you get used to see movies/shows/cartoons and reading books, you can tell? Idk but it just seems very obvious to me. And I’m saying that when I’ve thought from day 1 that Allura deserved better, so I’m pretty sure I’m objective enough here, and well at least now I’m more okay with it because the development I knew they were going to give to Lance was actually - waaaay - better brought than most stories with the same kind of situation (awesome girl ending up with the straight big flirt ‘loser’ kinda situation). But I’m digressing.

So like, when this happen with a boy and a girl at the second of their meeting:

usually you can bet they’re endgame. It’s a common trope (literally called “Falling into his Arms” it was so ridiculously an obvious “hey look, these are the two straits you should be rooting for”, I rolled my eyes super hard at that, good thing Allura is not the passive kind of princess, her next reactions were fun).

I’m pretty sure you could check a lot of the common straight pairings love tropes for those two. The biggest one being The Lady and her Knight.

They are also colour coded in their paladin armour. Red and Blue are the rivals (no offence to KL shippers, even if in this case it was a mostly one-sided rivalery), but Blue and Pink, that's a hint especially in a cartoon, it's the most obvious you can come with for children because of our societies gender roles to tell them 'this is a boy this is a girl and they're gonna get married', I guess?

Lance’s character development began after he became Red’s pilot, but it was especially increasing in parallel to Allura and Lotor’s relationship: he is Allura’s love interest and his acting all jealous was something you found regularly in stories too, and then realizing in s6 that the reason she could never take him seriously was his own fault - as he wasn’t respectful to her, was even basically sexually harassing her - and from there on it was very obvious he is to become a more serious and responsible person, the kind of person she could be interested in ; it was all done on purpose presenting their relationship as a slow burn (there is a lot of slow burn pay off in this series imo, which what Josh Hamilton was talking about, and it’s not just about romantic relationships).

Also the fact that she didn’t seem to find it repulsive and ridiculous when the mice told her that he was in love with her, is a big good point for him: she would not have reacted with just a bit of surprise and a smile before, she got the time to become at least friend with him since they met, and she could see that he wasn’t just some rude idiot, that he was smarter than he seemed and that he had potential not just of greatness (which he already proved as a paladin) but also of nobility of heart, by sacrificing himself for her in 6x01 and by having his bayard turn into the same Altean sword King Alfor was using, very symbolic:

(also side note, Lance was the only one to get a glimps of ghost Alfor without counting Allura, when the ship and his IA got infected that time in s1).

His love and the importance he accords to his big family is something I can see playing a role in the development of their relationship too. Not only as making Allura feel welcome with them on Earth maybe, but also to show that he would make a good consort, one who would have the same sense of responsability and care toward a whole people, something the last Altean will need from Allura and anyone she would choose to share her life with. The ruler of a people (Allura) would need someone who seeks stability (Lance the family guy) rather than someone who wants adventures (or universe domination).

Which also brings the fact that the way Lotor treated Allura, then the way he treated the other Altean, was, is and will be opposed to how Lance is with her, classic love triangle (hey kinda like how they opposed Adam’s reaction to Shiro’s choice, to Keith’s unconditional love for him...).

And talking about Sheith, Allurance is also the only other relationship that has symbolic and or meaningful/deep moments at least once per season if not more (again, lots of tropes in those scenes).

I've seen people calling Lance "the rebound" which I find super weird, I personally see Lotor being the bad experience, but experience nonetheless, she’ll know better now than to give her heart to the first charming dude I suppose, and Lance the better choice now that he realized the difference between a crush and real love and that women deserve to be treated respectfully, and not just as sexy things, and that he could at least offer sincere and unconditional support if he really loves her.

I’m sure there are other things we could add, really there must be some good long meta out there, I’m just gonna finish here by saying that Voltron is indeed a cartoon about a group of hero forming a giant robot to defend the universe, but their relationships (all kind, friendship, family and romantic) all play a big role in their development - especially because they are young people. Which then plays a big role in their confidence about their abilities, their will to fight for what they believe in and what they want to protect, their bond with their lions and Voltron’s strength itself. It’s also a cartoon for teens rather than little children (like idk, Pokémon), so I do believe that at least one main pairing will be explicitely canon endgame, and the most logical would be the straight obvious one Allurance (and if they have the guts to defy the dudebro fanboys, at least subtily, Sheith). It would be appropriate to finish such a story with a hopeful joyous note, with super friendships between not just the paladins but also different species accross the universe, families reunited, and new families being formed.

[feisty-mary]

A King and a Duchess: Thoughts on TRR Book 3, Chapter 2

I don’t usually write detailed reviews of TRR chapters aside from screenshots of my playthrough with some comments. But I’ve had tons of feelings since the lackluster pilot and now even chapter two is a disappointment, so I decided I might as well summarize what I think and get it off my chest once and for all.

Note that this post will be peppered with links to my other posts, since I usually write down my thoughts immediately after finishing a chapter so I don’t forget them. It won’t be necessary to open the links to follow what I say here (unless otherwise noted), but please feel free to visit them for screenshots and additional insights.

1.    We finally have the names of the likely enemies of the Crown!

It’s always frustrated me how Liam dances around the issue and says absolutely nothing to his future bride and Queen about the enemies of the monarchy. I understand he can’t (especially if you’re not romancing him), but that doesn’t make it less annoying. It’s a relief to finally get some clues about who they might actually be in this chapter.

According to Bastien, there are three suspects:

    a. Liberation Core. Anti-monarchists, have grown more outspoken in their criticisms against the Crown.

    b. Sons of Earth. Newer faction. Pro-trade, in favor of bigger concessions.

    c. Nevrakis Family. Olivia’s parents were part of an attempted coup.

I reckon Francesco (the Italian ambassador) is part of the Sons of Earth, since he’s been pushing for Cordonia to grant Italian artists more access to Cordonian market. I don’t think they necessarily want to overthrow the government; I imagine they’re mostly businessmen who want a big share of the market for their own benefit. If this is the case, I think we can conclude that they will be the last people who will want instability in Cordonia, since an uncertain environment is bad for business.

Liberation Core sounds the most obvious culprit at the moment, since the videos from the assassin explicitly say that they want to shift the power from the monarchs to the citizens. I wonder if this is a call to change the form of government from monarchy to democracy?

I’ve already said that I have some faith in Olivia’s friendship with Liam. However, it’s her Aunt Lucretia that I’m very wary of (the one who left her to fend for herself after her parents passed away). In this chapter Olivia seems fiercely determined to support Liam, but that’s not necessarily true for the rest of her family, is it? Where has Aunt Lucretia been all these years?

Coup d’état is defined as “a sudden and decisive action in politics, especially one resulting in a change of government illegally or by force” (Dictionary.com, 2018). It’s interesting that this was what Olivia’s parents were involved in, and this is also in part what the assassin in the video threatens to do if Liam doesn’t abdicate the throne (“the palace halls will flow with the blood of tyrants”).

I’m not drawing conclusions from the points above yet, though I admit I’m frustrated that Constantine never dealt with the potential threat in Olivia. If I remember right, Olivia’s parents died when she was around 6 or 7, so this coup d’état must have happened some twenty years ago by this time in canon. The fact that this problem still haunts Liam now that he’s already king is… well, very disappointing.

2.   The enemies of the Crown publicly threaten Liam’s life again in this chapter, but everyone pretends everything is okay. 

Everyone includes but is not limited to Ana and Donnie (the media), Bertrand (who calls the entire thing “a PR miracle” if you don’t botch it up), and even Liam himself, who doesn’t discuss the assassin’s video with MC, but invites her to soak in goddamn bathtub instead (if you’re romancing him). I personally bought Liam’s diamond scene, and except for the two lines where Liam asks MC how she feels after what happened, they don’t dwell much on the video message from the enemies and then continue acting as if it’s really not that important.

Excuse my French but, uhm, what the fuck?

3.   To Ana’s and Donnie’s credit, they don’t pull their punches when they ask Liam what he plans on doing following the demands of the enemies of the Crown. (You might want to open this link in another tab for context.)

“And what about their demands, King Liam? Given everything that’s happened over the past few days, are you thinking of stepping down?”

They go right for the jugular with this question. And Liam, oh my dear Liam disappoints spectacularly in this one. Here he “pauses to gather his thoughts”, and then it’s basically MC who takes over and sends a message on Liam’s behalf.

My question is: Why? Why does it have to be MC who has to do all the talking, when the question is very clearly addressed to Liam, the actual King of Cordonia? Granted, in my playthrough my MC is romancing Liam and is thus his future wife and future Queen of Cordonia. ‘Future’ being the operative term. Why does she get to speak on his behalf, and why are we given the impression that her words instead of the King’s are enough to assuage the fears of the media and the public? Who the hell even is she? If I were a citizen of Cordonia, why would I believe this person in the first place?

I’m incredibly upset by this sequence, because we’ve been told since Book 2 that Liam has to earn his reign in order to regain his kingdom. In this scene, though, after he supposedly pauses to gather his thoughts, his only words are:

“She’s right. I have no intention of giving in to their demands.”

It gets even worse when you remember how much they’ve been emphasizing that there needs to be a display of strength following the assassination attempt during the Homecoming Ball. And like we’ve been told since Book 1, appearances are everything. In this scene, Liam is supposed to show that he isn’t unruffled by the assassination attempt. He’s supposed to show his constituents that he’s a leader they can look to for guidance, a pillar they can lean on in times of chaos and confusion. It’s supposed to be an opportunity for him to start proving himself to the public.

But no. Instead the writers give the spotlight to MC, and it’s her who gives a strong message that appears enough to alleviate the worries of the public (based at least on the reaction of the media).

This just didn’t work for me. I understand that the writers must have wanted for players to have some input in the direction the dialogues are supposed to take, but to me this greatly undermined Liam as the King. This guy was brought up to be a prince, and then eventually the ruler of his own kingdom. His reign has just been threatened publicly, twice, in the span of barely a week. Is this really all he has to say about the matter? “She’s right. I have no intention of giving in to their demands”?

Wouldn’t it have worked better if Liam, as King of Cordonia, had taken the lead and sent a message to bring his people together, assure them that all is well? That’s literally his job. Ana’s and Donnie’s question isn’t something that should have caught him by surprise – not after that botched up assassination attempt. Couldn’t MC have just rallied behind him, said something in support of his statement, as a Duchess and/or future queen? 

This entire scene was just ridiculous. I know the entire premise of TRR banks on a lot of suspension of disbelief, but they really did Liam’s character dirty with this one. 

4.   Madeleine will be our new press secretary! 

I’m surprised but at the same time I’m not? Back in Book 2, even Justin himself remarked that Madeleine was really good at handling the press. Which was when I started lowkey shipping them. I still do; you can fight me. 

I know a lot of people dislike Madeleine, but I’ve grown to really like her. Like I’ve said here, I think she will be perfect for this role, considering her upbringing and her knowledge about Cordonia. I’m not sure how we will convince her to help us, though. I know she does want power, so maybe we’ll make some concessions? A higher position? I for one am not entirely opposed to the idea. You can hate her guts all you want, but even Liam and her mother Adelaide have both acknowledged that Madeleine will make a good queen.

I’m also thankful and happy that they decided to take this route with respect to her character development. I wholeheartedly acknowledge that Madeleine hasn’t been the most pleasant person since we first met her in Book 1. But in making her MC’s press secretary and thus an ally, the writers will have more room to explore who she is: what her motivations are, how she has dealt with Leo’s abdication and her being cast aside, her relationship with her mother and Regina, what she feels about Liam and his decision to choose MC in her place, etc. The writers will add more depth to her character instead of simply writing her off as another evil, power- hungry woman. I for one am keenly looking forward to what she’ll bring to the table once she becomes our ally.

=================================

I’ve never done this ‘thoughts on a TRR chapter’ thing before so my ideas are divided between several posts. I’m adding links to those related to this one. I have already mentioned some of them in the text above.

Enemies of the Crown | Truth behind the Death of Olivia’s Parents | Questions We Need to Ask Ourselves Post-TRR Book 3, Chapter 2 | King Liam, MC, and Answering the Press | Madeleine as MC’s Press Secretary

[ellie-mnop]

Hey! Sorry if this is bothering you or anything but I was wondering how you are learning? And if it’s online do you mind linking me to some?🙏🏻

Hi! I’m using several different tools and methods and resources to learn! I’m not sure whether you mean for Portuguese in particular or if you are looking for stuff that can be applied to other languages you’re trying to learn, so I’ll give you everything I have!

Grammar/Guided Practice:

Duolingo: This is the first thing I started using. Most people have heard of it already. It teaches grammatical concepts along with vocabulary and stuff, in a sequence made up of various themes, and the “Clubs” feature provides more open ended questions to practice writing skills. It doesn’t provide much in the way of explanations of new concepts, but every sentence has a comments section where you can ask questions and look at explanations other users have written. It doesn’t have speaking practice for Portuguese, although I think I have heard that it does for other languages, or used to, or something. https://www.duolingo.com/

LingoDeer: This is one I just started using and I’m really enjoying it. It works in a way that’s similar to Duolingo, although it provides more actual explanations of things instead of hoping for you to figure it out yourself, which is nice. It also has speaking exercises, which you record and play back to compare your pronunciation to an official example, which I find really helpful. It was designed with Asian languages in mind, and the website hasn’t been updated to point out that they very recently added betas of some other languages, but don’t worry, Portuguese is available. The activities are more interesting than those on Duolingo, but the sentences are less so, and there are no comments sections. https://www.lingodeer.com/

VerbSquirt: I installed this app because I needed more practice with verb conjugations than Duolingo was giving me. You choose the category and tense you want to practice, and it gives you some verbs, and you conjugate them as fast as you can from a multiple-choice list. You get more points for going faster. I don’t usually like or do well with games that rely on going as fast as you can, but I’m okay with this one because nothing bad happens if you don’t get a high score. It also teaches you the meanings of the verbs you’re working with, so it’s an alright way to get a little extra vocabulary too. The paid version is the same but with more words available. I think it’s based on European Portuguese (it includes conjugations for “tu” and its icon resembles Portugual’s flag) but I haven’t been confused by it even though the rest of the resources I’m using are Brazilian. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=net.jandaya.vrbsqrtenptfree&hl=en_US

Conjuga-me: This one is not an app for practicing anything, but I’m putting it in this category anyway because it’s still grammar. You put in a verb, and it shows you all of the conjugations in all of the tenses, and emphasizes, through text color, which forms are irregular or use special spelling rules. It helps, if you’re not sure about a conjugation you need and want to look it up. http://www.conjuga-me.net/

Explanations and Information:

Transparent Portuguese and Street Smart Brazil: These are two different websites, but I’m listing them together because they way I use them is very similar. They are blogs with interesting articles about various aspects of the language, such as grammar concepts, the usage of certain words, regional variations, or cultural concepts. They also have various resources to practice. For example, Transparent regularly posts articles to listen to and read, and sometimes posts songs with explanations of the lyrics, and Street Smart Brazil does articles with links to things, like movies in Portuguese on Netflix. Transparent has a Word of the Day every day, too, which is neat, and Street Smart has a YouTube channel. https://blogs.transparent.com/portuguese/ and https://streetsmartbrazil.com/blog/

I also sometimes use explanations of things on YouTube, but I mostly find those individually, I can’t think of any channels to recommend or anything.

Vocabulary and Dictionaries:

Reverso Context: This is a very helpful resource to look up words, because when it gives you a word, it also gives you a whole bunch of examples of that word used in various sentences. That way, you can see if the word has the connotation you want, what prepositions are used with it, and so on. http://context.reverso.net/translation/

Wiktionary: This one can be a little unwieldy to use, because all of the pages have so much information, but it’s very helpful. The lists of translations that are on the page of any given English word specify which definition they are translating, so that if a word has multiple meanings, you can find the one you want, and it has pronunciations in audio and IPA. (I can’t read IPA, but it’s helpful in finding out more about a particular sound I’m having trouble with.) https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Wiktionary:Main_Page

Wikipedia: Specifically, the menu on the top or side of any Wikipedia article that allows you to view the version of an article in any language it has been written in. The title will be translated too, and so you can find out what that concept is called in the language you select. This is helpful for finding translations of titles or multi-word terms that might not be translated word-for-word, like “data storage” or “The Land Before Time”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

TinyCards: This has all of the vocabulary lists from DuoLingo, if you’re looking for a way to practice the vocabulary you learn from there. It’s just a flashcard app, but it’s a pretty nice one, I like it. https://tinycards.duolingo.com/en

Talking To Native Speakers:

HelloTalk: Initially, when I had questions about what I was learning, I asked my friend Sofia, because she is a native speaker and offered to help and stuff. Unfortunately, I cannot send you a link to install her. However, the next thing I did to find more people to talk to was install a language exchange app, where the point of it is to talk to people who already speak the language you are trying to learn, and who are trying to learn a language you already speak. There are many such apps, and I mostly just installed HelloTalk because it was the first one I heard about, but I like it a lot. I have met several lovely people there, and it’s easy to find people to talk to – I actually get more messages than I can answer. https://www.hellotalk.com/

Media And Content To Practice With:

Radiooooo: Useful for finding songs to listen to. I use it by choosing a country that speaks Portuguese, and a decade with a style I enjoy. Then, when it gives me a song I really like, I screenshot the title and artist so that I can find it again to add to a playlist or use other ways. Doesn’t work on Firefox. http://radiooooo.com/

Letras.com: A lyrics website, useful in conjunction with Radiooooo or with any other method of finding songs. Looking at the lyrics while listening to the songs helps with focusing on the words, and with building reading and listening skills together. https://www.letras.com/

Turma da Mônica: Comics are a nice way to practice reading, because the pictures help with figuring out what’s going on and confirming your understanding of what they text says. These comics are pretty cool and cute, and there are a lot of them. The ones at the link are free online on the official website, and there are also many that have been published in print if you can get those somehow. http://turmadamonica.uol.com.br/quadrinhos/

Games: I went through and checked the menus of the games on my phone and the store pages of the ones in my Steam library, to find out which ones I could play in Portuguese, and I recommend doing that, to find choices that correspond to your taste in games. Some of the ones I found include Battle for Wesnoth (a partial translation, you have to edit your preferences file to get it), Bridge Constructor, Game Dev Tycoon, Knights of Pen and Paper (this one was developed in Brazil, actually), Stardew Valley, Terraria, and on the phone Galaga Wars, and My Tamagotchi Forever. I haven’t tested all of them yet.

YouTube: I don’t have an overarching method or anything of finding YouTube videos to practice with, I just put in search terms that sound interesting in Portuguese. I’ve watched news clips, interviews, sing-along videos of kids’ songs, videos about Pokemon, videos where kids try different foods, all sorts of things. I don’t understand most of what I watch yet, but I repeat the videos however many times I need to try to catch what I can.

I’m sure I’m forgetting some things, but this is most of what I use and do.