#when the lore is great but the game is sometimes less than good

[shwbyy]

So I caved

I made an overwatch oc

Her name’s Amira and she has ouchie fire and mmm healy fire.

The last image was an early concept before I leaned towards a more scientific approach to her abilities.

I can lore dump when I’m not feeling the effects of downing a whole bottle of carbonated beverages

[dilfismz]

I Can Fix That

Summary: When you’re faced with the threat of a dragon the boys don’t think much of it. However, you’re terrified because unbeknownst to them, you’re actually a virgin, meaning the dragon could very well come for you. You tell Dean and he comes up with a pretty good solution.

Warnings: piv, fem-receiving oral, first time, unprotected sex, no aftercare shown but trust me…it happened, praise, vanilla sex.

MDNI, you are responsible for your own media consumption beyond this point.

You’ve been a hunter as long as you can remember. However, you’ve never had the ‘pleasure’ of dealing with a dragon before. The Winchester boys quickly catch you up to speed on the lore.

Dragons are similar to the traditional dragons in lore, but, whilst in confined spaces they take on a humanoid form. Their motive is to abduct and sacrifice young female virgins to become the vessel of Eve. It’s rumored that sometimes they even eat these women as well.

You shouldn’t be worried though, Sam points out. I mean you often join in with Dean as he boasts about his variety of sexual experiences. So you definitely shouldn’t be worried at all right?

Wrong

You’ve never slept with someone ever. Hell, you haven’t even held hands romantically in years, there’s no time for that now. At your age you felt embarrassed with your lack of experience so you always overcompensate by telling masterfully thought up stories.

Never once did you think you’d have to come clean…but here you are, sitting across from the one and only Dean Winchester, your best friend that you’ve been lying to for God knows how long.

“What’s up?”, he asks confused with your sudden change in demeanor.

Previously you’d been hyped to finally face a dragon but now that him and Sam had told you the lore he noticed a drastic change.

“It’s just…”, you trail off biting your nails.

“Cmon you can tell me anything, you know me”, Dean reassures.

“Well it’s just, I’m really nervous to face this dragon yknow”

“You shouldn’t have anything to worry about considering what you’ve told me”.

You wince at this and shake your head, looking down.

Dean catches on, “hey, you never had to make all that shit up. It’s not embarrassing to be a virgin, if anything it shows you have self control!”

“Listen Dean, that’s great and all but my main concern isn’t the morality of sex right now. I’m more worried about being this dragons next snack…”

He smirks, “I think there’s an obvious solution here”.

You blush at this, “Dean what are you implying?”

“Well I’m just saying I think we both know how to assure your safety and I’m more than willing to provide my…services”

“Oh?”, you question with a quirk of your eyebrow. You hadn’t even thought about that but it is less risky than just playing the defensive game.

“So whaddya say?”

“Fuck it”, you respond with a small smile.

Dean smiles and stands, walking over towards you. “Cmon then sweetheart, don’t you want the proper bedroom experience?”, he teases before grabbing your hand and pulling you towards his room.

Once there he pushes you against his bed, your knees giving out at the pressure. He then lays atop you and presses a small peck to your nose before your lips connect.

The kiss is heated but soft as his tongue gently massages against yours, his hands moving down the curves of your body. His fingers move down under the fabric of your panties, circling around your clit.

He unbuttons your jeans, slipping them off and your panties go along with. You arch your back as Dean’s lips latch onto your clit. His hands trail down your thighs and one of his fingers prods at your entrance. He finally slips it in and starts pumping in and out of you.

You groan as his pace quickens, tongue still lapping at your clit. He adds another digit and curls his fingers, sending you over the edge as you grip the sheets.

“Fuck Dean, I- I think I’m ready for you now”.

“Alright Sweetheart, just relax for me, okay?” Dean asks as he moves to hover above you, lips centimeters away from yours. He lines his member up with your entrance and kisses you as the tip slips in.

He eases into you at an incredibly slow pace, bottoming out with a hiss. The stretch is painful and has your eyes watering.

Dean pulls away from the kiss and swipes a small tear away from under your eye. “I’ll be so gentle sweetheart, I promise”.

You nod and whine as he starts to slowly thrust in and out. He presses his thumb against your clit, tracing small circles on the sensitive nub.

“Oh baby, you’re doing so good”, Dean praises.

At this you feel a heat pool in the bottom of your stomach and the pain quickly turns to pleasure. You let out a small groan as Dean’s pace becomes more intense.

“Oh fuck baby, let it all out”, he commands, groping at your tits.

Your eyes roll back as the coil in your stomach starts to tighten. Your arms wrap around Dean’s strong frame and leave scratches along his back.

This spurs Dean on and he trails the hand grabbing at your chest down to your hips. He’s now pulling you into his already harsh thrusts. He lets out a guttural groan, his hazel eyes glistening over with lust.

You choke out one last moan and the coil within you snaps. Waves of pleasure are released throughout your body. Dean stills inside of you and his hot seed paints your insides white.

He collapses next to you, panting. “Judging by what I heard I’m pretty sure that was as good for you as it was for me…right?”, he jokes before turning over to wrap an arm around you.

[oinonsana]

thinking about world-first design

My last three games were more or less centered on the character, and consequently the player. I think this is a completely valid way of playing, but having done three kinds of games that had this, I wanted to branch out into a world-first style of design.

World-first design are the ones I associate with the stylings of mostly OSR: where the gameworld and the modules and the adventures and the equipment, the counting of ammo, of resources, are all more important than creating a character in such a way to fulfill a particular fantasy or character concept.

I call this world-first rather than character-first because it puts into primacy the very world and fiction that the players must interact with rather than the player characters being only focus of such games. In the same way that character-first design (WotC D&D, Exalted, Lancer) doesn't inherently preclude an overwhelming focus on a world's lore and vibe, world-first design doesn't inherently preclude a focus on character building or a certain primacy of the player characters over NPCs. In World-First design, to be someone of note is to have played the game and interacted with the world long enough. However, a caveat of this world-first design is that it's very easy to die, to be extinguished (it is important, in a way, in World-First design to showcase the strength of the world and how it doesn't bend to the whims of a player).

The difference of course, is how the mechanics are mostly written and presented. In World-First design, there's not much use for metacurrencies that imply that the PCs are inherently different or privileged over other player characters. World-First PCs gain privilege from things within the gameworld. While diegesis is of value, it is not the be all end all, as long as the game focuses on mechanics of the world rather than of the player. Frex: ROMANCE OF THE LOTUS THRONE has a (very rare, D&D 4e Action Point-esque) reroll system known as DETERMINATION. However Determination is a very real thing in the game, and can be gained from succeeding in particular tasks, or interacting with community and finding some form of purpose. Its sublimated form of willpower. Its also a bit of an Undertale reference. The difference then is that Determination is not meta-currency: it's in-world currency. There's no Determination stat in the character sheet: it instead fills up an inventory slot. It's a mechanic of the world and not of the player. It's simulationism without the tax forms (rules-lite, fiction-first simulationism is a topic for another post).

When I play or run RPGs, my personal preference has always been that of immersionism. The deeper you sink into a world's physics, a world's customs, the more the Other becomes the Self is a point of great joy for me: whether that be the chilling borderlands of SYMBAROUM, the intricate Underworld of VAMPIRE, the ineffable Space Opera of FADING SUNS, or the crimson-gold otherworld of ARTESIA. World-First can be a genre emulation philosophy (frex, if your world is meant to emulate a genre, a la Exalted's Creation) but I believe that Genre Emulation is not the be-all end-all of Role-Playing Games, as some would think it to be. Mechanics aren't automatically good just because it hearkens to a particular genre, a la PbtA. I think mechanics are good when they accomplish the Design Goal of the game. And sometimes Design Goals are to simulate or fabricate an otherworld and transport you there. I think that goal is one of the more difficult ones to truly achieve, so any that attempt it to this day I hold in respect, even if they end up being rules-heavy simulation-esque attempts. I believe that World-First games are like, the immersive sims of TTRPGs (in the sense that they take some getting used to but create for some of the best emergent gameplay moments, as well as potent immersion of a world).

In ROMANCE OF THE LOTUS THRONE, I’ve managed to do a bit of a mixing. Inspired by the likes of Dark Souls and Elden Ring, where the world is important, but its the character builds that make or break a game, I’ve made the characters dependent on the world. This means you more or less start a game with a blank slate of a character, or someone with the bare minimum of detail. Then, as you play, you learn and gain abilities from milieu of the world, gaining items and powers and magicks from playing the game, rather than from a Class Table. In a way, this is also an inherent forcing of diegesis in the game, and diegesis is one of my favorite concepts in all game design, across all mediums.

This does (somewhat) assume that the characters you’re playing are either amnesiac, young, or people that have not really accrued anything over the years. This is just as well: I believe that you can gain world-changing skills and capabilities even at 60 or 70 or beyond. However, if you want to build a character already seasoned, that’s easy enough to do: simply give them a number of starting equipment and Arts.

All of this lends itself to the ROMANCE's Buddhist bent, especially concerning the ideal of Anatta or Non-Self. Metaphysically, there is no self, all individuation arises from a nigh infinite set of other factors that eventually form the character. This enlightenment is inevitable for PCs that live long enough in Romance: a character eventually becomes a master of anything, removing the individuation of specialization as they inch their Cultivation closer to Awakening. To gnosis. To bodhi.

At the end of it, world-first design kind of asks the players to interact with the game not from their own biases but on the game's own terms. For the longest time this has been a no problem: the biggest world-first games are OSR after all, and they carry the baggage of D&D. However, for games that need and deserve worlds to be taken on their foundation and not the player's, both a World First design approach as well as a World First player mentality could provide a different, maybe even enriching experience that most character-first games would not deliver in the same way (character first games deliver a different, honestly more marketable niche in the realms of OC gaming and Power Fantasy).

[amity206]

Random Elder Headcanons

Thinking about the Sky elders and what they would have been like when they were fully alive (I use he/him for Daleth and she/her for Teth based on things the devs have said when talking about them but given the elders canonically don’t have biological genders I just go with some of them decided to use gendered pronouns while others didn’t - everyone is free to their own interpretation of the lore)

Daleth / Isle Elder

Likes solving puzzles

Stargazes and knows the constellations by memory (as the guide / ferryman elder I imagine he would be skilled in navigating by stars)

Takes a really long time to make decisions but usually makes good ones

Very supportive (concept stuff compared him to a kindergarten teacher), knows how to talk to kids (though he can sometimes get overwhelmed by the noise he’s super good with children)

Actually very skilled in both combat and magic. In his old age he’s getting weaker but he can definitely still kick ass

History geek

Blames himself for the King’s corruption. He thinks he could have prevented it, that he didn’t do enough. He still loves the King like a grandchild and wants to make sure he’s okay.

Ayin / Prairie Elder

Really good at cooking, even though the Elders probably had staff to cook for them

Loves baby mantas (baby light creatures of all kinds really)

Likes to make miniature models of things. would really enjoy those several thousand piece Lego sets if spirits had legos

Vegetarian

super patient. Almost never mad. Absolutely terrifying when they do get mad

Listens to everyone’s opinions on things, very thoughtful

Gives the best hugs

Very hard worker, incredibly strong. The kind of person who does not procrastinate

its canon that they snore loudly

Very sad over how the light creatures were drained under their watch, filled with guilt about it. Wishes they could have found another way that didn’t involve trapping the King in Eden.

Teth / Forest Elder

Could be bossy or stern sometimes, but actually cares very much about the people around her

She will snap at you for annoyances like handing her a shipment of improperly prepared darkstone. Everyone around her deeply respects her though

Introvert at heart, secretly enjoys cheesy romance novels as well as like. Business / mining manuals

Originally called the shaman ancestor so probably had a deeper connection to Megabird, at least at first

Nothing scares her (at least, that’s what she says)

Inner turmoil about her role in the Fall - knowing she played an instrumental role in the Kingdom’s downfall, but also unwilling to place the blame on herself. Despises the former King

Samekh / Valley Elders

Very focused on maintaining their public image and being seen as great by the Kingdom

Sibling Banter™️ with constantly trying to out-perform each other. Despite this in the face of a threat they fight almost as if they were the same person… or used to be

Former bodyguards of the King, watched him become corrupted. As the youngest Elders they looked up to the King more and didn’t know what to do

Liked to throw massive parties/spectacles

Because of this and their playful/occasionally flirtatious streak, some regarded them as more shallow and less intelligent than the rest of the Elders. Sah and Mek were actually geniuses, though prone to making impulse decisions

they judge you by how well you perform in the races / other tests laid out by them. Very dismissive of those who don’t do well.

Because of the “maintaining public image” thing, even in a dead Kingdom they don’t want to let anything be known about the extent they had to do with the corruption

Tsadi / Wasteland Elder

Got seriously corrupted by darkstone like they did in concept art. Used to be super in control of their emotions, as the corruption took hold they became more short-tempered and angry

Long-term planner, very good at military strategy and also strategy games like the Sky version of chess. Has an amazing poker face. (Ignore that the spirits wear masks okay)

Really needs someone to talk to, finds it hard to open up but has a lot to get off their chest- loss, regret, pain, things they could have done better, people they could have saved. Before the Storm they used to talk to Ayin, but now they can’t anymore

Doesnt talk much. Enjoys the company of Teth because they’re both introverts and Teth also likes strategy games.

Wanted to be seen as a hero, not a monster. Thought they were fighting for the good of the Kingdom

Enjoys books on military history and strategy

Cares a lot about people, bad at expressing it

Feels like the King used them as a weapon, incredibly angry about that

Lamed / Vault Elder

The kind of person who will silently judge you instead of confronting you about something

Always uses inside voice

Knows so many things. Passion is searching for obscure and forgotten history

Doesnt get involved in other people’s drama, would serve as a mediator in debates between Elders. Has never needed to raise their voice because a stern look is enough to get everyone to shut up. No one wants to see them get mad.

Fluent in sign language and several ancient languages

Good friends with Daleth, they have tea and share stories

MASTER at strategy games, better in many of them than Tsadi. Sharp-witted too, good at the occasional pun and knows if you’re hiding something/lying

Feels bad for skykids. Doesn’t know how to tell them they were basically created to die, so does their best to prepare them for the storm instead

[tyrantisterror]

While we’re on the subject of Dungeons & monsters, what are your top ten favorite D&D monsters & why?

I'm going to limit this to monsters that are either original creations of D&D or so divorced from their mythological roots that they might as well be original creations, or else this would just be me listing dragons. This is also in no particular order.

I'm gonna start with the Otyugh, because I think it's a result of D&D creating a very interesting ecosystem to justify its mechanics. You have all these artificial dungeons filled with different man-eating monsters, right? Well, what about the waste products they create? Carrion, yes, but also, you know... poop.

Well, you get Otyughs, a species that, depending on the setting, was either artificially engineered to take care of the waste products of a dungeon, or naturally evolved to clear out the waste of enormous megafauna predators like dragons. Is it mostly just an excuse to introduce yet another weird monster with a unique attack mechanic (say hello to sepsis and other infections, players)? Yeah, but it's a good excuse, it gets the imagination flowing.

I've actually played a lot more Pathfinder than D&D proper, and Pathfinder went out of its way to give Otyughs love by exploring all the aspects of their ecology that were only lightly outlined or implied in D&D, including the fact that they're technically intelligent enough to be capable of speech and reason - and thus, not necessarily a monster you have to deal with using violence alone. It really endeared me to them, to the point where Otyugh characters became something of a trademark of mine when running Pathfinder/D&D campaigns - and to the point where I ended up making up an expy of them for my own fantasy setting.

Bulettes are one of the coolest looking D&D monsters for my money, especially given that their modern designs take two inspiration from two very different animals - sharks and tortoises - and manage to combine them so beautifully to create something at once very cool and yet perfectly plausible as a "real" creature.

I love Rust Monsters for the same reason I love Otyughs - it's a monster that was made to showcase a game mechanic (namely, destroying players' weapons and armor, making sure they know how valuable those things are) and ends up creating a weird but plausible and interesting aspect of the ecology and world-building as a result. Also like Otyughs, they're very cute in a groady monster way.

Not every monster needs to have a big mind-blowing concept for me to be happy, though. Sometimes a creepy guy with a squid for a head who eats brains is enough. Mind Flayers are iconic and often imitated despite/because of being such a simple and easy to grasp concept.

Speaking of iconic monsters, Beholders feel like such an obvious cool concept that is shocking to me that they're more or less an original D&D creation - and it kind of sucks that they are, because a giant monster head with one main eye and several smaller eyes on stalks feels like it should be as ubiquitous in fiction as dragons and unicorns, and yet it can't be without paying Wizards of the Coast a shit-ton of royalties.

I will say that the lore D&D gave Beholders is pretty good, though - namely that each Beholder thinks it is the apex of their kind, and hates all other beholders for their perceived imperfections. Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder, you see. It's great, no notes, but beholders should belong to the people, not copyright holders.

I'm pretty sure Mimics originate from D&D, though I guess they just couldn't keep the idea of "a treasure chest that fucking eats you" from the people, since they appear in a lot of non-licensed stuff. As they should - man-eating treasure chests are another monster concept that should belong to the people.

I was talking about Froghemoths the other day on here but I want to reiterate that I love them despite/because of the fact that there really is no greater concept at play here than "what if there was a big fucking frog freak," and not once in the long history of this game has anyone decided there needed to be more at play than that. A big fucking frog freak is enough for all of us.

I just think this one looks neat.

D&D kobolds are in the category of "so far removed from its mythic roots that it's basically a new monster," and in that case the new monster is "scrabbly little dragon people with extreme anxiety," and I love that. Kobolds are my favorite humanoid species in D&D, and I'm glad 5th edition finally gave them a stat block that's actually playable, as opposed to previous edition's attempts, which made the prospect of being a kobold character the equivalent of having a public humiliation kink.

Finally, and also in the category of "technically named after a mythic monster it no longer resembles in almost any way," we have the Tarrasque, which went from a turtle/lion hybrid dragon in myth to a nigh-indestructible monster that's explicitly compared to natural disasters for its immense size, vast destructive power, and near inability to be harmed thanks to its armored hide and insane healing abilities. Or, in short, D&D lawyer friendly equivalent of Godzilla. How can I not love D&D Godzilla?

[tranquilpetrichor]

zb1 as honkai: star rail players

— may this journey lead us starward.

synopsis: you end up getting the zb1 boys to play the popular hoyoverse space fantasy rpg called honkai: star rail, and this is how it goes...

genre: headcanon, fluff, crack

wc: 944

warnings: mentions of video game deaths, cursing, there may be unfamiliar video game terms

a/n: haha please lemme summon all the zerose that play this game. very self-indulgent headcanon. i actually have not played this for a couple weeks because college = busy so... yeah.

taglist: @restlessmaknae

sung hanbin

he now thinks it would be a fun idea to have the members play video games like this for content so there you go

i can see him looking at bronya and thinking "she's a great leader" because honestly so true

he starts off with a fairly standard team composition (shielder, healer, support, dps) because you know less is more

likes the story, finishes it fairly quickly

thinks the feature where characters text you is cute

gets really happy whenever you use his support character

kim jiwoong

absolutely confused as hell and really, you can't blame him

"wait, why i can't jump?"

you spend a bit of time explaining the turn-based combat stuff to him and now he does get it... sorta

doesn't play too much but sometimes does it on a free day

pulls for characters he finds pretty (so valid)

and that's how he ended up with luocha, imbibitor lunae, jing yuan and kafka

has decent luck too

zhang hao

plays with chinese dub, chinese dialogue text

pulls for as many characters from the xianzhou luofu as he can

a lore enjoyer, probably excitedly talking about his favorite parts with you

probably got sucked into all the side quests

busy testing out the simulated universe, enjoying every second of it

has the ost samudrartha on blast, he'd love to cover the song one day

having a field day with any lore-heavy updates

seok matthew

he probably tried memory of chaos with f2p characters "because he was bored" and already did it w cracked as hell 5 stars

i can see him having a bunch of the standard banner characters from losing the 50/50s

he prob saw welt and said “haraboji" which means grandpa. if y'all know that joke i love you.

curses a lot if he dies

if something actually ends up being too hard for you to beat he gladly tries to help you (he's sweet like that)

named the trailblazer (main character) woohyun

also loves exploration and just running around the map even if he can't find everything

finds it fun in his free time

kim taerae

plays it casually (because he’s probably already too dedicated to valorant or something to pick up another game)

yk i think he would be a fan of the music, this game has a very good ost

in the parlor car of the express there’s a phonograph and one of the songs you can play on there is called “take the journey”, it’s this acoustic guitar song with soothing vocals

if that’s not taerae, idk what is

as a music lover, he's probably listening to the whole ost for this game

a very proud serval main (no did you see that pic of him with the electric guitar on his birthday? i'm sure he can appreciate a fellow guitarist)

thinks it's funny that gepard uses serval's guitar case as a weapon

probably builds at least two good teams

and complains when realizing he didn't get that many materials from beating the calyxes (same)

ricky

plays with chinese dub, english text

lazy af, turned on auto battle feature we stan

plays maybe twice per week

dialogue skipper

yk this man is buying whatever the equivalent of the battle pass is for this game

he can and will whale for the characters he wants (and this man already has better 50/50 luck than you, for sure)

probably doesn't give a shit about meta when deciding to pull on banners even though because oh wow that character is cool

actually pulls on the lightcone banner (because he can)

sees asta and her constant purchases and goes yep that's relatable

he jokingly tries to name the trailblazer something like youngandrich

kim gyuvin

sometimes starts leveling up relics randomly not giving a crap about stats even though he probably should

"it's a 5 star one and the correct mainstat, so here we go!"

he shows you relics leveled all the way with absolutely shit substats just to troll and annoy you

another proud dialogue skipper

but when the trailblazer speaks, guyvin picks all the funny and wacky dialogue options

lets your support character do all the work for him

probably let excess exp accumulate until he finally does his equilibrium trial or whatever

thinks it would be funny to main sampo or qingque. so that's exactly what he does

says fuck it we ball and puts 4 dps characters on one team

randomly says character voice lines like "HELP ME MR. SVAROG" and you're just like "please shut up"

probably named the trailblazer eumppappa

park gunwook

the most likely to enjoy the game imo

also ends up getting good at it (because he’s talented and good at learning new things)

doesn’t like to auto battle, actually enjoys grinding battles

started laughing at you because he got gepard for his beginner pulls and you don’t even have him yet (but you laughed when he lost his 50/50 to himeko of all people so you’re even.)

has a decent amount of characters

you give him so many credits because you keep using his gepard

to return the favor, he uses your characters occasionally, mostly seele.

he likes putting shielders and healers as support characters because "some people need to be able to not die"

easily finds the chests, is a completionist

always updated and knows when new redeem codes are out

han yujin

very intently focused on the game, you find it hilarious

but since our maknae is very dedicated, you’re quite surprised at his trailblaze level..

“yujin, slow down, you’ve been playing for what, two days?"

he’s probably already reached somewhere around trailblaze level 25 already

truly a yanqing enjoyer, he likes everything about him and sees a bit of himself as yanqing is also young and dedicated to his particular craft (yes i wish i had him on my account shut up!)

sulks whenever he loses a 50/50

ngl i imagine ricky probably buys some stuff in-game for him

[quarrybee]

So I’ll complain here because the discord a mess rn but

CoS Events are progressively getting worse (A essay ™️)

Every time a new event update drops there’s never ending complaints about being too grindy. then the smoke clears, another update drops, more complaining, and that cycle has been snowballing since the Keys event. It almost feels like the devs of this game don’t know how to make an event that doesn’t ask the players to spend hours on busywork. the event missions aren’t even unique in the sense that they’re just the normal region missions. sometimes there’s minigames but most of the time it’s just ���grow this, grow that, do these region missions, kill a bunch of tier 5s” (where do you find that many tier fives these types of missions basically requires server hopping)

and that’s not to mention, the rewards for these pointless brain numbing missions are oftentimes so small or unrewarding it feels like your progressing at a snails pace.

I feel like this mostly stems from the Easter 2022 event and the great economy crash that cost. Since then it feels like the devs are worried about over rewarding players who have gotten so used to afking for hours or grinding dull boring tasks for the duration of the event, to the point where they’d (the players) abuse the replayable minigames and get rich in 30 minutes. ever noticed how we’ve never gotten event missions that reward more than 100 shooms at a time since then? so instead the devs overcompensate with low paying, boring tasks that were part of the vanilla game experience to begin with.

I’d say the last fun recode event was the mystery of the keys, because it was unique, at least for cos standards. it introduced new minigames, new event type, new lore, there were cool awards to be earned, and there wasn’t a bunch of creature species to grind for, so at least in the completionist area there was a bit less stress. even then after the key ugcs ran out, the substitutes you could get for completing the missions afterwards were lackluster to say the least, and left anyone who didn’t complete the missions before the 4k ugc ran out were left underwhelmed.

And that’s not even mentioning bugs or vague instructions that left a majority of the playerbase without discord alienated on even how to complete certain tasks. so even their best events have flaws

I’m not a Roblox game developer and even if I did go into detail on how’d I’d personally fix these events we’d be here for another 4 paragraphs, but I’m just really hoping the game breaks out of this terrible continued cycle of progressively grinder events. people have been calling cos p2w more frequently and with these temporary event boosts and event currencies that are disposed off after the event (requiring players to start from scratch when the same event comes around next year no matter how many leftovers you may have), I can’t say their exactly beating the rumors. I really want this game to be good I really do because it’s becoming harder to love with every update for me

[call-sign-shark]

Hi darl, bc I'm obsessed with your OC Heaven and all her lore, I'm curious to know...What bedtime story would Heaven tell John's kids if she was babysitting one night? If not a bedtime story, what games would she play with them?

Ohhh Lee, this is an adorable and interesting question. Thank you so much for asking, and seriously, you make me blush. I'm so moved you're kinda obsessed with little Heaven! Thank you so much, I hope you'll like the answer! 🥺💚 Let's do this as headcanons.

• She's not so effective when it comes to games -- In fact, she lets Arthur does that because he's always so good at inventing little games and entertaining kids. When it comes to games, Heaven would usually pick Hide and Seek. Overall, the kids go for Arthur if they wanna play, and go to Heaven for activities (cooking, wandering in the forest etc...) or for stories because, God, she's the queen of Fairy Tales.

• Heaven is absolutely fond of fairy tales, myths, and legends. She is an inexhaustible source of stories and knowledge about such topics, partly thanks to her father.

• When John asks her to babysit his children or when the kids go to vacations at Uncle Arthur's house, they know they are going to have fun and get spoiled with French cooking and delicious pastries. But for sure their favorite part is when Aunt Heaven tells them bedtime stories.

• Since John's kids do not want to go to bed, she had found a very effective idea: rather than telling stories in the bedroom, she makes the kid gather around her on a comfy fur carpet on which she had placed a ton of pillows and blankets, right in front of the fireplace. Then, she sits in the middle so that the kids can lean on her or hug her - especially Katie, who always clings to her.

• She would obviously tell them her favorite fairy tales: The Red Riding Hood, The Devil With the Three Golden Hairs, and Goldilocks. She also invents stories from scratch, mixing her own imagination and her favorite myths/creatures.

• But what she likes the best is telling them the story of Alice's adventures in Wonderland because she's in love with Lewis Carroll's works. But there is a little plot twist with this last one...

• Sometimes, she replaces the characters with people from the family or with the family's friends. Taking this into account, Katie becomes Alice and her unnamed siblings are also assigned to a character. Want a few examples.

• "And then! Katie found the Mad Hatter, who looked like her own dad except he had a very great hat on his head. The Mad Hatter, chewing on a toothpick, was arguing with the March Hare. In fact, he wanted the March Hare to stop drinking whisky. Vexed, the March Hare stopped playing with his mustache, grabbed a cup of tea, and threw it at the poor Mad Hatter, who managed to avoid it!"

• It works every time, and the kids end up falling asleep all around her. The thing is, it does not only work with them...

• When she's telling stories, Arthur either leans against the door frame and listens to her, a faint smile etched on his lips and his blue eyes shining with undescribable affection. He falls in love with her all over again... Or he kind of joins the herd, sitting on the couch right behind them. When he does this, he 100% falls asleep in less than ten minutes.

• One time John spotted the whole scene and, putting one hand on his heart as if it has been too cute to handle, he turned towards Arthur and said with utmost envy "Lucky bastard."

✞ Heaven is “you” in Heaven in Your Eyes, an Arthur x Reader!OC ongoing series. Check out the Masterlist || Last chapter published.

[oxean-et-al]

A "brief" review of Submachine: Legacy

So, Submachine: Legacy was released yesterday, and I beat it about an hour ago, after just over nine hours of playing.

Review in brief: I liked it. It was good. It feels like a fitting send-off to the Submachine series (or this first phase of it, at least), though I won't go quite so far as to call it a "definitive edition" of the games.

Of course, there's more to my thoughts than that, hence the rest of this post. This review will be spoiler-free, though given the nature of the games there's not much to spoil. I'll also be assuming you have no idea what I'm talking about, so first, a quick history lesson.

The Submachine series is a series of (initially) Flash-based puzzle games produced by the Polish game developer and artist Mateusz Skutnik, consisting of 10 games in the 'main' series, released between 2005 and 2015, as well as 3 'spin-off' games, and one 'non-game experience,' for lack of a better term; this last item was also the final Submachine-related work to be released (or, in this case, finalized), being declared finished in December of 2017.

The first game, retroactively titled Submachine 1: The Basement, was, at its core, one of many 'escape the room'-style flash games, which abounded on sites like ArmorGames, Newgrounds, and Kongregate at the time.

However, as the series went on, the barest breadcrumbs of lore in the first game grew into a great web of narrative, held together by notes from multiple different (and sometimes unreliable) authors, and the games transitioned from being mere escape rooms into a unique form of puzzle game, held aloft by Skutnik's masterful hand-drawn environments, which benefit from his training as an architect.

I mean just look at that.

With the death of Flash, the availability of the games diminished greatly, available only through purchase on Skutnik's website, or via large collections such as Flashpoint Infinity. The 'non-game experience' I mentioned earlier, Submachine Universe, remained available through itch.io as well.

But now, nearly six years later, comes Submachine: Legacy, a remaster/re-release of all prior works in the Submachine series, available on Steam.

So, with all that preamble out of the way, my thoughts.

Submachine: Legacy is, ultimately, just the original Submachine games bundled together into one program, with some graphical updates here and there. But it's not merely the same games as before; there have been some changes and additions.

On the UI side, your cursor lights up when hovering over an interactable object, which makes looking for things much easier. The cursor also indicates where you can exit a room, and (in some cases) which item to use in a given context (hammer, karma water, etc.) That's a fairly simple change which I think makes the games much better, and more fun to play.

There are short sections linking the main games, or "chapters," which are quite nice. Also very nice are the detailed landscapes now viewable through some windows and telescopes.

There are a few changes I am slightly less enthused by, though. Submachine: Legacy, to my surprise, incorporates most (possibly all) of Submachine Universe; however, presumably due to reasons of copyright, the multiple user-submitted theories that festooned the walls of every room have been replaced by architectural sketches.

Likewise, some of the puzzles have been simplified. In some cases this is perhaps warranted, such as with the rotating wheels puzzle (I'm not really sure what to call it) near the end of Submachine 2: The Lighthouse. In other cases, however, I think it makes the series lose a small amount of its charm - I am specifically thinking of how the pieces of silverware that are used in some of the earlier games as makeshift wires, bridging broken electrical connections, have been replaced by new power relay items. These are both fairly minor changes, but they did disappoint me just the smallest amount.

The only changes that I had a distinctly negative impression of were in sound design. Specifically, both the 'item picked up' sound effect and (especially) the 'electrical connection made' sound effect went on for far too long, and, in the latter case, was rather overused.

It's for these reasons that I can't quite call Submachine: Legacy a 'definitive' edition of the games, though it does come close, and I would recommend it for newcomers to the series (the price, for reference, is $25)

Submachine: Legacy also has new content for the long-time Submachine player (which, let's face it, is likely to be most of the player base), involving over a dozen monoliths scattered throughout the games, and a genuinely brilliant new puzzle. For the sake of a spoiler free-review, I'll say no more, though do note that (I think) it is possible to accidentally reset the monoliths, so be cautious.

Submachine has been a major factor in my life, and this feels like a fitting send-off to (this part of) the series, and I eagerly await the next installment in the series.

[aotopmha]

The final bits of the lvl 88 MSQ I have thoughts on are the dungeon and the trial.

Ktisis Hyperboreia was a little less impactful for me compared to all of the other dungeons in Endwalker.

Zot had the really cool interior design and final boss, Babil had the really cool train set piece that lead into the tower and Anima, which narratively led perfectly into what came next, Vanaspati had the scale, tension and awesome monster designs.

Eventhough Ktisis gave you the chance to run a dungeon with the ancients and explore an ancient facility, only the final leg of the dungeon had a setting and a boss I found to be pretty cool: while the rest wasn't bad, it also wasn't as cool and interesting as some other encounters before it.

It was a cool idea that really deserved more interesting execution in my eyes.

So how does The Atiascope compare to them all?

Well, The Atiascope is equally a feast on the eyes as well as lore brain.

I think it is probably the best-looking dungeon of the game so far and I can't wait to see it with the graphical update.

We actually see what the Aetherial Sea approximately looks like, and the echoes of the souls of our friends accompany us on our way to Hydaelyn.

I think how souls work here also explains the apoearances of Haurchefant and Y'sayle when Estinien is freed from Niddhog's eyes. It's trace of their (memory) aether still not having moved on to the sea proper.

Sometimes the big lore dungeons can be less interesting mechanically than narratively (I love Amaurot, but feel like the cool monster designs deserved more interesting mechanics), but I think I enjoyed all of the bosses in the Atiascope because they gave new twists to old foes.

Livia, Rhitahtyn and Amon all had really neat twists to their fighting style and attacks.

I like the positioning with Livia.

I like opening up the safe spot for the walls Rhitahtyn creates. Shields as weapons is always such a neat concept to me.

And Shiva creating the ice block for Amon's attack is one of coolest story-gameplay integration moments in the game for me.

What a fantastic idea.

Between the bosses, the souls we see are:

- Papalymo, with Ilberd as a strong mob to take down.

- Haurchefant, who gives us a buff.

- Minfilia, who we see creating the way forward at some point.

- And of course, as mentioned Shiva/Y'sayle, who creates the ice block to protect you from Amon's attack.

The cutscene after the dungeon gives us closure on Amon, which I already went into in another post here, but it also gives closure on Asahi.

I love how the hatred between Asahi and Alphinaud is mutual.

"Likewise I hope we do not meet again."

In the cutscene before the trial, Hydaelyn sums up the character arcs and struggles everyone has gone through and also restates that she ultimately sundered reality for humanity to have a chance against Meteion, for which they need the ability to manipulate Dynamis.

And most crucially she restates that what she did caused much suffering; it was simply her solution to the problem of humanity's survival, not the morally optimal option out of any of the solutions the ancients could find. And I think that's my favourite part of her story.

She implemented the best solution she could think of that would preserve humanity's future, and it was still imperfect and caused much pain.

And then we get to the trial itself.

Which was a little bit of a let down in my eyes because Zodiark was so good.

It's, again, great on the lore level because we see all of these iconic elements associated with her character used in the fight.

We see her as an all-rounder fighter, then must defeat the crystals styled after the ones we initially get from her and finally, we see her create mini Floods of Light.

However, I don't find it particularly unique mechanically.

I still like it, I just don't find it mindblowing.

What I like about her farewell afterwards (this also applies to the cutscene before the fight), is that we get to address her as Venat because I think the real intention with her characterisation in Endwalker was to humanise her.

Not necessarily to make her good or bad morally, but to give her beliefs she acts upon with conviction.

I see the intention behind her character as that of an incredibly strong, but still imperfect woman put into a difficult situation, who fought for the future of humanity with all of her might.

And I think she deserves to be sent off as that "human" woman, not the "goddess" she became.

And finally, here is where I mention the details that the Labyrinthos/Atiascope section uses to bring the story full circle: the Dalamud shards, which were a symbol of the Seventh Umbral Calamity are now used to save humanity along with the Mothercrystal, which has been a stand-in/symbol for Hydaelyn for so long, is used as a fuel to travel to Meteion.

Once again, I think it's all just really well done.

And with the next quest I'm at being the first lvl 89 quest, I'm officially in the final stretch of 6.0.

I was planning to get to it today, but I think I also have other plans today and the next few days, so I'll see how it works out time-wise.

Aiming for it in the upcoming days/week for sure, though.

[yeehawbvby]

Maxine Pokemon (tm) lore post LET’S GO ->

- Born in Unova, heritage is a mix of whatever the equivalent of Italian + Irish is in Pokemon (her mom is the daughter of an Italian immigrant, and her dad is an immigrant from Ireland).

- Her huge family (she’s the youngest of 7 siblings) moves to a farm on the border of Wedgehurst and Turrfield when she’s like 5 years old

- She moved to Galar early enough that she managed to develop a Galarian accent instead of keeping a Unovan one. Here’s a voice claim!! (This video specifically - this person sounds less soft in other things and it just wouldn’t fit Max as well. She’s VERY soft spoken.)

- She was an accident. Her parents had her far later than her siblings and didn’t want her, but were too proud and religious to do the responsible thing in that situation

- They resented her because of this, manipulating all her siblings to feel the same, thus all treating her like shit

- Unable to keep enduring the abuse, Max runs away at 10 y/o to Spikemuth

- In my HC, Spikemuth’s cost of living is low because crime etc. is high, and the city is huge. Made it an easy place for little urchins like her to run off to. She still struggles, though

- She lived in a tent for a long while because she was too young to sign for an apartment and didn’t have any adults to sign for her, but she glammed that shit out the best she could!!

- Battery powered string lights, tons of blankets and pillows, some incense to make it smell good but also ward off dangerous pokemon that might stumble upon her at night. It was as cozy as it could be

- Her partner is a Misdreavus! She was obviously too young in Unova to have a pokemon, and they aren’t natural in Galar, so how did they end up together?

- It belonged to one of her older siblings. He rarely took it out of its ball, and actively talked about how he didn’t like it compared to his other mons

- Maxine would sneakily hang out with it from time to time, and they got on well, sharing a bond in being the unwanted child basically

- So when Max ran away, she stole Misdreavus to come with her

- (Still haven’t worked out the logistics of it, but Max can understand pokemon. It’s friendship based, like, she gets close enough with a pokemon and eventually she can actually understand them? Idk. But yeah she can actually converse with Misdreavus to a certain degree)

- She did some odd jobs, but mostly made her cash off underground pokemon battles. The stakes were higher (making them illegal lol), like.. it was intense gambling basically.

- Misdreavus didn’t want to evolve, so they hustled >:3 They went from venue to venue pretending Max was a new trainer with a new pokemon. Sometimes they lost on purpose before a win streak that they claimed as “beginner’s luck”

- It was absolutely exhausting though. She was constantly putting herself in tons of danger by doing this

- At the time she was like 145cm tall (by the time she’s done growing she’s only like 149cm lol), malnourished, and didn’t have any real way to defend herself if someone got mad enough to harm her

- Plus, Max is a little anxious mess and all the people + risk + acting wasn’t great for her. Kinda led to her being too tired to really care for herself

- Eventually met Piers and Marnie when she was, like, 17 or so - they were out on a walk, Marnie dropped a toy, and it rolled into Max’s tent

- Piers was surprised to see someone around his age open the flap to hand it back, and Marnie (who was like 6 at that point) was interested bc of her childish wonder or whatever

- They became fast friends, because I’m a sucker for giving Max the love she deserves damnit!! (BIG contrast from her old lore lol)

- Piers and Marnie would visit regularly. They would all mess with each other’s hair, paint each other’s nails, they’d play handheld games and read comics together and listen to music together - anything they could do from the confines of basically a little camp

- Piers would often come without Marnie, like if she was away at a play date or something, which is how Max and Piers’ bond grew as strong as it is

- Eventually Piers invited Max over, and when he realized she barely knew how to act in someone else’s home, let alone really, like.. take care of herself beyond the bare minimum, he pieced together that she’d been on her own far longer than he’d thought - not just in the physical sense.

- Piers’ and Marnie’s parents were gone, but they’d at least had some stability due to inheritances. So to try and offer that to Max, he started to sneakily feed her more, would subtly convince her to shower at his place when she needed to, offered to let her sleep on their couch…

- Once Max caught on, things got a little weird. She didn’t like the help, and being autistic, took it personally; like he pitied her for her shortcomings and executive dysfunction, and wanted to help because of that, rather than because he cared about her

- But by now Marnie was becoming more aware of herself and the world around her too, and her concern tugged at Max’s heartstrings a ton. She and Piers both managed to convince Max that they just wanted her to be happy and safe

- Fast forward a little, and now Max, Piers, and Marnie are renting a place together

- Piers found out about Max’s illegal battling habits and, now being a gym leader and rockstar, let her be part of the staff

- With a more stable lifestyle and also with age, Max started to be able to pull herself together

- Previously skin and bone - not in a healthy or natural way, but rather the ‘hadn’t been sleeping much, was horribly depressed and was extremely malnourished’ sort of way - she started to put on weight

- Needing new clothes, it gave her the chance to change her style to something closer to what it is now - very cute and cozy, rather than the weird mix of emo and athletic-wear she had worked with previously

- Along with the style change, she cut her hair!! Or at least tried to. Piers had to fix it lol

- By 23, she was ready to get her own place

- Wanting a change of pace, she moved out of town - decided on Circhester because she and Misdreavus like the cold, and also because it’s right next to Spikemuth, so she and her closest friends could still see each other often

- She started working at the Circhester gym, not wanting to commute back to Spikemuth so often, and Melony became a bit of a mother figure for her

- They went on cute lunch dates frequently, for strolls around town with hot cocoa, and Melony even took Max shopping sometimes. It was the closest thing to a mom-like figure Max had ever experienced

- This made work more enjoyable too. She was worried that, upon changing venues, she’d have a hard time. Going from working with friends to working with strangers was scary as hell at first

- Eventually Melony tried to convince Max to do the gym challenge, thus starting that whole saga. She only decided to actually join in when Marnie decided to give it a shot too, encouraging Max to go along with her

- Melony and Piers both wanted to endorse Max so badly lol. Since Piers had already endorsed his sister though, they decided on having Melony do it

- (This never happened I don't think, BUT I love the idea of Piers and Melony bickering over who gets to endorse Max jkrengdrge)

- Partially because I’m indecisive and partially because Max is an extension of me, she doesn’t have a set team - she just swaps her pokemon out situationally (with her Misdreavus being the only exception to that), which made the gym challenge kind of easy on her. She had all the type matchups she needed, she just had to train them more

- Earns a corny nickname of DynaMax from fans (and keeps it after the challenge is over too, to her misfortune.. she has a love-hate with how her fans play into her love for corny dad jokes), but is super anxious about all the attention

- She has a fling with Leon during the gym challenge

- They break up before she even makes it to the end of the challenge, agreeing it’s probably for the best (from an ethics standpoint as well as just for each other. They stay friends though)

- She doesn’t win! She made it to the finals and then got her ass whooped by Allister.

- (Sorry for the Champion Gloria and Victor erasure. Maybe another year was better to them)

- Because she didn’t win, things go back to normal for a bit

- Only abnormal thing is that after the gym challenge, her and Piers start dating

- They had been interested in each other for a long time - even shared their first kisses with each other, amongst plenty more after the fact - but didn’t want to mess things up

- It was Max dating Leon that made them both realize they should give each other a shot romantically. Max didn’t feel the same butterfrees and whatever, and Piers got jealous as fuck (although he wanted Max to be happy so he didn’t say anything)

- Things go amazingly with them actually, but they wind up breaking up on friendly terms when she decides to move to Paldea a few years later. It’s less actually wanting to break up, more just thinking the distance might be too hard to manage

- When she leaves for Paldea it’s because she wants to go to school, something she’d never gotten to do before. Knowing it’s prestigious and wanting a challenge, she enrolls in Uva

- My HC is that Scarlet, from the manga, takes the place of the protag here. So while Max does befriend Arven, Penny and Nemona, and while she does get a little involved in the main storyline, she isnt super in it.

- She doesn’t become a champion, but does hang around Scarlet and Nemona to support them during the gym challenge

- Whiiiich is how she eventually meets and canoodles with Grusha!

- Having been a pro ice-type trainer herself for a while, plus both of them being physically disabled to a certain degree (Max’s hEDS + Grusha’s, in my HC, prosthetic leg), they mesh well

- There’s a lot of playful bickering going on, and at first Max couldn’t tell if it was in good fun or if Grusha just fucking hated her lmao. But it worked out!!

- Since gym trainers aren’t as prevalent in Paldea, Max has to go into a new line of work. She turns out to actually do really well in her classes, so she winds up being an assistant researcher and TA for Jacq and his classes!

- Fast forward a while, she’s explicitly told by him that black Tera crystals are not worth the research, please don’t go, etc.

- She doesn’t listen because of her childlike sense of wonder and new love for academia, thus going with Nemona to take one on.

- Unfortunately, their opponent is a messed up, dummy strong, super pissed off electric-tera type Gyarados. They struggle a LOT.

- At one point it shoots a bolt at Nemona, rather than at her pokemon, but Max runs over to block it. She gets fucked up, because obviously.

- Max thinks she’s dead. In reality, she goes into a coma. She doesn’t know that though as she gets an isekai to Hisui

- Hisui-era Max follows mostly the same plot as PLA. All the field research piques her interest, for inexplicable reasons (she has no memory of her other life yet), but nobody opposes it.

- She and Volo have a romance, because of course they do. Half my OCs backstories are ship-driven ciwjvodkckd

- As she regains her memories, she loses her absolute marbles

- Not only is she here because she “died” but she’s having a worse time than she could ever possibly imagine. Shit is dangerous in Hisui!!

- Eventually realizes Volo has been manipulating her all along. Loses some more of her marbles, as one would

- The thing is, Volo’s feelings were still real. He did what he needed to do, but he ultimately does care for Max, and offers to let him rule the world he aims to create alongside him

- With literally nothing to lose, Max accepts. Couldn’t possibly get any worse than it was, and at least if she was gonna be stuck with anyone it would be someone she admires

- Arceus is PISSED that she was gonna follow through, rightfully so!! So it retracts her from Hisui before she can hand the plates over, as punishment, and also as a way to prevent himself from being flicked out of existence

- From Volo’s POV, Max simply vanished, plates included. So obviously he conspires that she has some sorta power and it was on purpose and he got Punk’dtm

- In present day, Grusha - knowing how important Piers and Marnie were to Max (and also knowing them, maybe being friends with them, because of all the phone and video calls Max had with them) - flew the two of them out to Paldea so they could be there for Max if and when she woke up

- The gym challenge had just ended before this so Marnie had the time, and Piers put his tour on hold

- Max wakes up. She was out for like a month or two real time, I think, but was in Hisui for a year or so.. don’t ask me how this works idfk

- She now thinks everything in Hisui was just a really fucked up dream

- A lot of crying happens, both because she’s scared and because she’s happy to see her old friends and new ones all together.

- Feeling messed up by everything that just happened, she decides to move back to Galar. She wants the comfort of what she considered her true home, plus she doesn’t want to be reminded of her Incident every time she sees a Tera crystal

- Her and Grusha break up for the same reason she and Piers had earlier. It’s all on friendly terms, but they don’t want to do distance.

- Piers is elated she’s coming back, but they both agree to take things slow. No dating resumes for a long while, but it does resume. First loves, still best friends, etc, it makes sense (I know irl it doesn’t always make sense BUT MINMAXSHIPPING IS MY OTPPPPPP)

- Okay so. You know how I said the isekai was real and Max really did time travel back to Hisui?

- Volo is real. Volo is immortal.

- He’s posing as a traveling merchant in modern-day, and just happens to be in Galar.

- So, a few months after Max wakes up, she runs into him.

- She’s terrified. How is he here? Wasn’t he just a figment from her dream? What was going on?

- Volo? He’s PISSED. He remembers everything: his heart being broken, his plan being ruined, his accomplice vanishing before his eyes. He puts on a facade though, for his own safety.

- Volo pretends to not recognize Max. When Max addresses him by name, he plays it coy, like, “Oh wow my goods are so popular in Galar that you know my name without me saying it? Pshh that’s weird, I’m flattered” etcetera

- Lame way to end this but that’s all I’ve got for now, because idk what comes next and idk how things might change when the next game comes out :’)

[lesbiandanhowell]

Sam (begrudgingly) reacts to: Dan and Phil play Poppy Playtime CHAPTER 2!

I fucking hate horror games and I am have a high anxiety day so this is like awful timing BUT HERE GOES NOTHING.

- Not a fan of the runtime because I don't enjoy horror so the longer the worse for me personally so fuck this actually oops

- Babes I am literally shaking and almost crying 4 minutes in this will not be fun lmao (but also I know my anxiety won't go away without dan and phil content so might as well hope they will be funny and cute enough to make me calm down).

- I hate this I want to cry UPDATE: I literally started crying right after this, about 8 minutes into the game, but it got better afterwards.

- The touch when saying 'we have to be brave' was very personal to me. (Someone give me someone to watch this with and hold me please because I am scared)

- The buttplug jokes being the only thing to make me laugh, thank you Phil. Dan what do you MEAN "tails in" in reference to buttplugs, did you see the unhinged shit we said on tumblr, because oh god please no.

- "What are we going to do now?" "Cry" Phil gets me actually thank you I feel seen.

- The color game is actually calming my anxiety SO much it's hilarious, like it's just logic and following patterns and those things are so calming even when Dan is screaming.

- "For our lesbian audience that has mommy issues this is gonna be a weird episode" YOU DONT SAY DAN YOU DONT SAY

- new lore alert: Phil going to a wrestling party

- Phil lore: he was afraid of the KFC man as a kid

- PINOF MENTION AND CLIP AHAHA, they love doing these references since they uploaded the first react video.

- Dan hiding in his hoodie is adorable, like he just fully went "nope!" and hid haha.

- I think you can see Phil's hand shaking in the whack a mole, like the camera was SO shakey which was either his inability to use a mouse or he was shaking, place your bets.

- Dan playing the mini game after all, Phil is never beating the younger brother stereotype truly.

- When did they film all of these that their heating is still broken?! Makes me think they really did pre-film most of these to have a less stressful time now during december, which good job guys!

- Mommy's voice reminds me of someone else in a tv show but I can't figure out what? Anyone know?

- Their delighted faces at seeing jacksepticeye are adorable, like you could tell they were so happy truly and I love these little easter eggs!

- "Sean you down there?" HOWLING

- They edited so many clips and memes into this (which makes me think they edited it rather than an editor) haha

- Phil just, maybe unconsciously, moving impossibly closer to Dan is a big mood (only I am alone rip).

- Weirdly enough the mini games are the most calming part for me, like there is a clear focus and clear objective of what to do and it's like: here is a problem, solve it and I think that does wonders for me.

- Unsure if I am shaking from anxiety or being cold (also great I have more uni work to do after watching this)

- Yes please sanitize my boobs. What

- I agree Phil, we have gotten a lot of lore (about you)!

- Phil's panicked "geese!" gets me every time because it's so cute.

- "I feel kinda bad" aw ofc you do Phil and ofc you don't Dan, so very in character for both of them honestly.

- "Sometime in 2023, so not much longer" Phil, honey, there are like 20 days left what do you mean?!

This actually wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be, after I had my little cry at the beginning. I was actually quite calm by the end and I think my anxiety actually is less, which I didn't think would happen. The magic of Dan and Phil, see you tomorrow!

[randomrings]

My thoughts on Death Must Die so far

I beat a level today. Game is good. Excited to see where it goes development-wise.

Thoughts below:

Stuff I liked:

I was originally going to criticize how often dialogue pops up but given how short the runs are, I think it's the right amount, especially because god dialogue isn't guaranteed to pop up for each blessing.

The incentive for going back to beaten levels works well.

If only aesthetically, I like the art style and think (for the most part) it is easy to tell where everything important is during combat.

The runs seem to be designed to be shorter than I expected going in. Some runs only last 4 minutes but I feel like I gained something substantial, if only knowledge, every run.

There are some interesting blessings.

Mort is my favorite!

The variety in character playstyles in such an innately simplistic gameplay premise is impressive. Although I definitely prefer Merris and Skadi over the other three (current) characters, I think the other characters are still fun to play as.

I like the dialogue so far.

Adding little details to the lore the more you interact with the gods is exciting.

My only major criticisms:

I get stuck on landmarks sometimes. Skill issue, I know. But when waves of enemies cover the screen and everything has the same outline-less pixel artstyle, a lot of environmental things muddle together. For certain things (like trees) this is by design but you don't get stuck on trees. You get stuck on the gremlin's house or various shrines. This wouldn't bother me as much if the game was designed around more or faster dashes (like Hades) but it's not. Again, to a degree, I guess I can go fuck myself but this seems like maybe a little bit of an artistic oversight more than an intended obstacle.

Once you find a character you like and get a ton of cool armor for them, the only reasons to play as the other characters are to try them out or squeeze replayability out of the game. This isn't as big of an issue as the first problem I mentioned, just something I noticed. I think a passive upgrade system kind of like the mirror from Hades or (god help me, I just can't think of a better example right now) the rune system from League might help with this. Not as a replacement for how stats are currently set up. Just something that might make it easier for trying other characters. Additional note on this: you get loot for other characters on your run. I think this was their counteraction to the problem. I feel like it's enough but could be better is all.

I would change how the shop menu works so it's easier to swap characters. It's not awful now but I feel like swapping characters is a more common thing players are going to want to do versus going to the buyback menu.

Unless they're planning on adding *way* more to the hub world, the hub world is too spread out.

I hate to nitpick the story but I don't think "it's vague and we don't know what all is happening yet" is a great start to the story. Enough information unfolds to where the lore becomes more interesting and this is very effective. However, I think a more gripping motivation for the player to attach to the characters overall would have made the game more interesting. This isn't to say the story is bad or poorly executed. There is a lot to like about it and it's easier to feel underwhelmed by a story purposefully unfinished. Just, for me personally, the motivation lies more in the curiosity in the gameplay at this point than the vast majority of what has been presented storywise.

[fandoms-uniteds-blog]

My Top 10 Favorite Cartoons!

Number 10 Octonauts

What attracted me to this show when I was ten was the lessons on animals since most shows for little kids are about shapes, numbers, letter, and other boring stuff. But not the Octonauts! They talk about two of my favorite things: science and animals. And sea creatures no less. When was the last time you’ve seen a show meant for young children that educated them on the ocean and everything in it? Maybe that one show on PBS with the Cat in the Hat? But I like Octonauts better. Just look at those designs. Absolutely adorable!

It’s simple, it’s cute, and it’s surprisingly interesting sometimes.

I used to be super embarrassed for watching a show meant for toddlers since I’m in my twenties, but then I found out that their are grown adults that enjoy wholesome shows too, like Paw Patrol and PJ Masks! It was a nice relief to know that I wasn’t the only one.

Number 9 Wander over Yonder

This has got to be the sweetest show to every be put on Television. Most main characters have to be strong and cool and have an internal struggle to be impressing, but Wander doesn’t. He’s the cinnamon roll of all cinnamon rolls!

All he does is travel the universe with his bestie Sylvia (in a bubble!) and goes sightseeing. And if he happens to help people along the way, even better!

What gets me about this show is that Wonder’s optimistic and naivety doesn’t always lead to everything being hunky dory. Sometimes being nice gets him in trouble or makes even the simplest tasks harder than necessary. Heck, if Sylvia wasn’t there to have his back, his kindness would be a lot easier to take advantage of.

And I love that because it’s true that sometime being nice doesn’t feel as accomplishing as is should and can even backfire on us. But even though Wander’s experienced betrayal and hardships in his life, he still has enough hope in his heart to keep helping people.

Number 8 LEGO Ninjago

I remember when this show came out all those years ago. Back when TV’s were these big, chunky machines and you had to prop them up on tables instead of mounting them on walls.

This show is full of so much creativity and lore. From the elemental powers, to Ninjago City’s history, to the characters, and even the ideas that were dropped, it’s no wonder why the show’s still going. It’s great watching Kai, Jay, Cole, and Zane make friends, battle enemies, learn life lessons, discover secrets about themselves, and go on the craziest adventures.

I ended up being too busy because of middle school after season 3 ended and missed out of the rest of it up until Sea Bound was announced. Thanks to the birthday specials LEGO did for Ninjago’s anniversary, I learned that the show was still running and on Netflix. So me and my sister binge watched the series from the start and we fell right back in love with it.

Number 7 Transformers Animated

Out of all the Transformers series, this one is my personal favorite. Yes the other shows are pretty good too, but this one is different from all the other shows, comics, games, and movies. And I like different!

Optimus Prime has been depicted as a lot of things. A war hero that keeps his men’s spirits up with good humor and cheesy quips (G1). A powerful warrior who has become jaded after a millennia of war (Bay). A stoic leader and friend who won’t give up hope for a better future (Prime). But TFA Optimus isn’t any of that. If anything, he’s a little bit of everything but still his own thing.

And Optimus’s not the only one who’s different. Prowl is a nature loving ninja, Ratchet is a grouchy war veteran who cares about his team, Bulkhead is full of knowledge and creativity, and Bumblebee is the kid of the group with a lot to learn. The Decepticons are just as entertaining too with their own unique abilities and personalities.

All in all, there isn’t any other version of Transformers like this one and I wish more long time franchises would try something new from time to time.

Number 6 LEGO Monkie Kid

Based on one of the four classic Chinese literatures, Monkie Kid is a wonderful adaptation of a four hundred year old book that’s had a crap ton of movies, shows, and even an upcoming video game inspired by it.

I’m very picky about shows and movies based on history, mythology, or folklore. I like it when it’s accurate, but understand when things have to be changed around. It’s why I’m not the biggest Disney’s Hercules fan since they got the mythology completely and utterly wrong.

But Monkie Kid is freaking amazing. The amination is so colorful and lively and exhilarating! MK, the Monkey King, and all of their friends are so much fun to watch and I love all of them. The story is wild and mystical, which is fitting since Chinese folklore makes little to no sense but is still entertaining as heck. Don’t believe me? Read the original Journey to the West novels and just try to make logical sense out of it. Like why the dragon stays a horse for 95% of the book when he can be a huge fire breathing dragon!

I used to bug my little sister to watch this show with me all the time. And her being the little sh*t that she is always said “no” just because she has this weird habit of turning me down. But I was finally able to tie her down and force her to watch the first season! And guess what? She liked it! All this talk about NoT bEiNg InTeReStEd and now she’s getting ready to go cosplay as MK for a convention!

Number 5 Gargoyles

This has got to be Disney’s coolest show of all time. Disney usually sticks with cutey family friendly stuff like Duck Tales and Goof Troop, but they decided to take a risk and try to gain an older audience with Gargoyles. And they succeeded!

The show’s based on some of Shakespeare's books and has a good mix of fantasy and sci-fi. Especially when it takes places in 90′s New York. It also teaches a lot of mature life lessons like the importance of taking responsibility for your actions, the dangers of being stubborn and in denial, prejudice, gun safety, death, and so much more.

The characters are all lovable tropes of the 90′s, including the smart one (Lexington), the big eater (Broadway), the guy who wants to look cool but is actually a dork (Brooklyn), the dog (Bronx), the wise mentor (Hutson), the badass leader (goliath), and the girl of the group (Elisa). But their personalities and arcs are expanded on after the first few episodes. And the people they met also get a chance to shine in their own way and I appreciate that.

I’d recommend this to anyone who’s into Shakespeare or anyone who needs something to push their interest towards those kinds of stories.

Number 4 Arcane

I’m not a gamer, so I have little to no information on League of Legends. I don’t know the characters, the landscapes, the items, the history, or the lore of this world. But you don’t need to be a LoL fan to watch Arcane.

The animation? Gorgeous. The music? Amazing. The action? Thrilling! The characters? Complex. The voice acting? Impressive. And the story in general? Captivating.

I like how this show demonstrates how everyone’s actions have consequences and that there’s more to people than meets the eyes. Humans (and whatever other creatures exist in this world) are complex being and the choices we make don’t just affect our own life, but the lives of others too. Seeing the domino effect of everyone’s actions is as entertaining as it is nerve wracking since no one knows what the end results will be until it’s too late.

Another thing I love about this show is that it’s a Netflix original so it’s translated in Spanish. I was able to watch Arcane with my parents and they loved it. It was so much fun watching their reactions to the action, the conflict, and the sisters’ relationship because the two of them are very vocal and expressive. When the season one finale ended with that jaw dropper of a cliffhanger, they were both waiting for me to put on the next episode. They were devastated when I told them that that was it and had to wait for season two.

Number 3 Final Space

Like most animated series nowadays, Final Space is a mix of goofy, angsty, and lore heavy. But then, as the series progresses, the angst is doubled, if not tripled, and the side characters are given a chance to be fleshed out.

Everyone in the show has a story to tell. Gary, Mooncake, Avocato, Little Cato, Quinn, HUE, and everyone else have a past that ends with them being brought together to help each other reach their goals. Each with their own strength, weaknesses, and arcs to go through that make us love or hate them.

The first season is easily a fun space adventure with a few mysterious for us to look forward to and heart felt moments that have us sobbing. Then season two ups the stakes with the universe needing saving and more trauma for the characters to endure. And then there’s season three, which hits us in the feels in every episode and leaves us with an ending like no other.

If you're going to watch this show, then I’d advise you to prepare yourself emotionally.

Number 2 Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

If you haven’t guessed one of my guilty pleasures from my favorite Transformers shows, I like it when the usual formula is shaken up a bit.

The TMNT franchise has had dozens of shows, movies, comics, and video games dedicated to these guys. All of them about four mutant turtles in their teens being raised as ninjas by their rat father and using their skills to fight all kinds of evil lurking in New York City.

But Rise turns the sci-fi into fantasy and use that to give us something brand new. Not just rebooted, but reimagined! Each turtle is a different species, they have their own unique powers, they have different personalities from their previous incarnations, and the adventures they go on feel a lot more fun and sometimes grander than before.

And it’s not just the TMNT part that I love. The animation is jaw dropping. The voice acting is very fitting. The humor leaves me laughing every time. The action scenes are so fast and creative. The characters are likable and memorable. And the brotherly relationship of Leo, Raph, Donnie, and Mikey are put front and center for us to gush over.

I know some people have a thing about changes, but if you give this show a chance, I swear you’ll love it.

Number 1 Mao Mao: Heroes of Pure Heart

I have never related to a fictional character before, much less three, yet here they are in the form of a grumpy cat with big dreams, a cybernetic badger with a big imagination, and a chaotic bat with a big heart.

And if you’ve watched even one episode of the show and know what I mean when I say that I relate to them, then yes, you should be very concern for my mental health.

This show is truly a treasure. It has everything I love in a cartoon and more. It has fluff, angst, mystery, comedy, friendship, bromance, humor, hurt/comfort, sci-fi, fantasy, anthro animals, and the classic found family trope all rolled into one! What else is there to say other than this show is nothing less than amazing. The characters are charming, the world is interesting, the adventures are entertaining, the visual humor is hilarious, and the main trio have their own tragic backstories that make them easy to sympathize with.

Funny story: me and my little sister were watching it together and she started laughing her butt off when Badgerclops was complaining to Mao Mao and Adorabat about having too many chores. I was glad she was enjoying herself until it got to the part where Badgerclops was says something along the lines of “It’s always Badgerclops, fix the arocycle. Badgerclops, go get groceries. It’s overwhelming dude!” Then my b*tch of a sister turns to me with a sh*t eating grin and goes “Rose, do the dishes. Rose, clean the bathroom,” and laughed in my face!

It’s not my fault I live with a bunch of gluttons who can’t put their dirty dishes in the kitchen or wipe the bathroom sink after they splash water everywhere!

...

Wait a minute, why do a lot of of my favorite shows end in tragedy?! And I don’t mean the final episode or whatever, I mean the program as a whole! Final Space was canceled after giving us a depressing season three finale, Gargoyles had a terrible season three because Disney switched their writers with people who knew nothing about the show and had to wing it, Transformers Animated was cancelled when a season four was planned, ROTTMNT was “put on hold” for years until the movie came out with hopes of bringing it back, Wander over Yonder was going to have a season three with an ever bigger baddy but was shot down, and Mao Mao was promised a season two until a certain company that will burn in hell took that away from us!

Hopefully Ninjago, Arcane, Octonauts, and Monkie Kid aren’t hit with the same bad luck.

Just how many more amazing shows were screwed over and why are they always the ones I love?!

[hetalia-club]

I don't know much about Game of thrones lore like you. But why is Prussia so childish in your au? I'm not saying I disagree I don't know enough about the world to dispute but I was just curious for the reason behind it if any.

Yes, I can tell you exactly why. When a Targaryen is born the gods flip a coin. This means either they are completely nuts or they are sane/sane-ish. More often than not it lands on the wrong side of the coin. The Targaryen family practice incest often times marrying siblings and first cousins. They want to keep their dragon blood pure and don't want the other houses being able to ride dragons (Which this logic does make since if its where your power comes if everyone had dragons and road them you wouldn't be so special, but it does not make it right or healthy). On top of that the Targaryen's have blood of dragons inside of them. A lot of them have terrible tempers. they are from a hybrid human-dragon cross breeding thing that the Valyrians did thousands of years ago. They actually are part dragon.

Targaryen's have been royals since the start of the Seven Kingdoms. They are out of touch, selfish, often times cruel and could care less about the small folk. They don't know what it's like in the city because they hardly leave the palace unless they have to. A lot of them do act very childish their entire lives. They don't know anything outside the castle walls most of the time. Are you going to tell the King who is cracked in the head and who has a fire breathing dragon for a bestie that he's 'too old to play with toys?' no you won't lol. and if you do you're going to get... 'fired' if you catch my drift. They do it for less.

A lot of them also live very tragic lives, still births, babies being born half dragon with wings and claws and turning to ash as soon as they are born. On top of that some Targaryen's are plagued with 'Dragon Dreams'. These dreams are just that they dream that they ARE dragons. They fly through the sky and burn cities. Some Targaryen's have these dreams every night of their lives and it drives them crazy. They start to blur the lines and get it in their heads that the "are dragons irl" so they will act more like a dragon. They will become callous and uncaring, have a fascination with fire and burning things/people, their temper will get worse and they will start to mutter and talk to themselves in Valerian (the dragon language) and spend more time with their dragon. Also if the heir is actually crazy and a violent psycho they don't say "okay maybe we don't make him the king" that's just the king now unless he dies of natural causes or someone kills him. That's just the King whether he is a good/bad/great/terrible king that's just how it is. Prussia is not the best option for king but he's not the worst king they have ever had by far. He does listen to reason sometime and has never done anything too irredeemable or terrible. He just talks about it a lot and threatens it. Prussia is married to his older sister since a young age. His father died when he was young and the King needed heirs.

They are a very tragic family and all the cards are against them, it never gets better and only gets worse as they age. You unfortunately can't make a 'true to story' Targaryen family without giving them woes and ailments. if you did it would be taking away from the story and what makes them so tragic.

If you're interested in the Lore of the Targaryen's and want to know more of my thinking on it. You should watch "House of Dragon". You don't have to watch Game of thrones first and it's only just starting season 2 so it's not so much that you have to binge. It will help you understand the mind set of most Targaryen's and how some of them don't even really get a fighting chance and are just given a bad hand at birth.

[lavenderjewels]

Rewatched the latest jjk ep 18 so going to throw my random thoughts about this season here with manga spoilers

I didn’t want to rewatch this episode, but my family hadn’t watched it yet, so I went along with it. Didn’t have anything to worry about, since I didn’t get emotional this time and mostly just had fun with Mahito

Something I loved about JJK when I started it is how it set up some of its death scenes—With Junpei, Nanami, even Jogo, it’s obvious at a certain point they’re not going to survive. Junpei when he realizes Mahito isn’t a good person, Nanami the second the scene shows Mahito in the photobooth, Sukuna being Sukuna, etc. This isn’t going to work for everyone watching, especially if you don’t care for the character(s), but that anticipation for their deaths always made the scenes more tragic for me.

Mahito being a great villain also helps for those scenes. His personality and ability makes him some of the most fun to read and watch, and he’s incredibly smart, or, at least, perceptive in a way that’s sometimes hidden by how chaotic and childish he can be. I can’t wait to see the rest of his fight with Yuuji and his final words towards Kenjaku. I never noticed this in the manga, but in the anime, the look that Mahito gives Kenjaku the last time they met makes it clearer that Mahito had some understanding of Kenjaku.

Mahito and Nobara’s confrontation was gorgeous with the colors and lighting. It’s devastating knowing this is just. it for her. It’s too short and I’m still hoping for her return, but it’s been a long time with nothing

This season has been an interesting watch, since it’s changed a lot of my feelings on the shibuya arc and some characters. Had an opposite situation than with csm (spoilers for s1) where I was surprised after watching season 1 because I thought power was way more prominent than she actually was in the manga, except this jjk season was me being surprised at how much Megumi was here. It wasn’t an overwhelming amount, but he was involved in the background and at the focus more than I remembered. That and how his expressions/body language was animated with the voice acting made me like his character more

Somehow I ended up liking the shibuya arc a little less—also like with the csm anime, although these aren’t animation faults, only seeing the series in a new light and in a different medium. I was never huge on the grasshopper, seance curse users, miracle curse user (haruta??) fights, which take up a good portion. The toji fights were great, although I’ve always been neutral-ish about his character. The Mei Mei fight was surprisingly better, mostly since the comedy gag aspects with her brother were toned down (its still evident she’s grooming him to die for her but it’s not framed as comedic as the manga) and the atmosphere was unnerving and dark. Nanami is also a character I’ve always been neutral-ish on, so overall not the most interesting parts of the series for me. Love the kenjaku and curses team though.

But on the positive side, it made me appreciate what’s to come more. I didn’t care as much for some of the fights and most of my personal favorite characters (yuuji, choso, maki, kenjaku) get explored more after this arc, minus yuuji who gets time near the very end. I’m very curious to see if I’ll end up enjoying the Culling Games colonies more and less when they’re animated. A part of that will likely depend on how the future chapters handle things set up or continuing in this arc.

As of now, Hidden Inventory/Premature Death and the stretch of chapters from the end of shibuya to the Higuruma scenes are my favorite parts of jjk. For the latter, I honestly love when the characters have long talks, whether it’s about themselves, lore, or anything. The power system is fun, but when the chapters focus too much on that technical side, that’s really the only time I’m bored by dialogue or narration heavy chapters. Thinking mainly of the Gojo and Sukuna fight with that, but there’s a few minor instances in the series.

Choso and Yuuji episode is still my favorite! I am incredibly biased

Part of me wishes I watched this show first without ever reading it, but the manga is still more impactful for me, probably because I got to read at my own pace/digest what was happening and read it without expectations coming in