#yes I know a lot of this is pay walled content from expansions and game packs

[asha-mage]

Something I've been thinking about a lot as I play my current Sims 4 legacy challenge is how a lot of the negative criticism about The Sims 4 being to easy comes from critics and reviewers taking mechanics and even whole expansions in isolation, which is not really how the game is asking you to play it.

If you focus on any one specific aspect of TS4 to the exclusion of everything else it is in fact, a pretty easy game. But if you are trying to tell a story or allow one to naturally evolve, you are never going to be focusing on just one part of the game.

For example, in my current game I have four sims- two adults two children. Just juggling their needs and keeping everyone alive is not terribly difficult, but every layer beyond that you go it gets more and more challenging. As a result of my founder Sim picking the hot headed bad boy instead of the more stable family man (a choice made as a result of being more attracted to Bad Boy) the parents have a Unpredictable romantic dynamic and a Strained family dynamic, which means their pink and green bars are in a near constant state of free fall and it takes a lot of concentrated effort to keep them from fighting all the time and being miserable any time their around each other. They can't get a divorce though: because I need both their incomes and because it will get substantially harder to raise the kids in a one parent house hold, so instead their trapped in this endless cycle of me intervening to send them on a date to fix their shitty relationship and remember their each other's soulmates, being fine for a while, then slowly growing more and more miserable and unhappy with each other as they start fighting constantly, until I step in again, and save their relationship, again. I could just send them to relationship concealing fix all this but that takes money they do not have and it wouldn't be worth setting aside because this is ultimately cheaper (seriously, counseling costs like a thousand dollars per session and my criminal husband is taking home 170ish a paycheck!).

Meanwhile you have the kids. One just started being a teenager and that means she's constantly getting asked to do things, go places, and have those typical Important Teenage Experiences (board walk, sports day, career fair, prom, prom after party, etc). Again on it's own it wouldn't be to bad, but I have to pick and choose what high school experiences for her to have very carefully because I can't consonantly be tabbing away from my home lot to follow her and make sure she's getting the Most Out of Her Teen Years since that might mean her parents digging a relationship hole I'll never get them out of, or her toddler little brother's needs getting incredibly out of wack. I misjudged this balance initially because she got a Fear of Unfulfilled Dreams and she would often fall into an ennui doom spiral of bad moodlets related to her not missing out on life despite being like 16 (honestly? millennial icon). These bad moodlets where getting in the way of her socializing and school progress so I had to have her conquer that fear (it's own lengthy process) in order to get back on track. At the same time her little brother being first in infant and then a toddler, needs constant supervision and care from his parents- he can't go anywhere or do anything on his own, and if I let his needs slip to far away he's going to get yanked by social services, which absolutely can not happen because he's the heir to this challenge and since he's sister isn't a spellcaster I don't have backup plan for the next generation if he gets taken.

Did I mention yet that this is largely a spellcaster household? Cause see the overarching story line I'm going for is the rise (and possible fall) of a family of spell casters over several generations. And you might be thinking 'surely having phenomenal cosmic power makes all this easier' and you would be wrong. I frequently set things on fire when trying to magically repair them, overload on magical charge, and have to deal with my og Sim being cursed with everything from higher spell failure rates to being stalked by evil spirits. The curses especially are wild because in my efforts to Decrusify myself I ended up with a completely different unrelated curse from overloading during the spell. I can't just stop using magic either because it's my main sim's Aspiration meaning I need to keep grinding out those spell caster experience points- which leaves me in this feedback loop of trying to solve every problem with magic, it going horribly awry, needing more magic to dig myself out of the resulting hole, and that going horribly awry.

Honestly the only advantage of being a spell caster has been being able to make huge batches of chili in my cauldron and just leaving it there for family members to eat from when their on the go, since cauldron chili never expires. It's saved me tons of time that would otherwise be spent cooking meals, which has been a huge help since Everything Is Happening All of the Time.

All this to say is that while I understand where the complaints of The Sims 4 being to easy, I think it's a problem of framing rather then with the game itself. If you just set out to tell a story and then let it naturally evolve and twist, you'll find plenty of challenge- as each layer of the game adds it's own plate you have to keep spinning if you want to avoid peeing yourself in the street during an existential crisis.

[ramblingguy54]

True Colors: An Emotionally Fantastic Serious Game Changer.

If we’re to look back at Reunion as Season 1′s dramatic pay off for Amphibia’s message of toxic friendships, as Anne & Sasha’s conflicting dynamic showed us, then True Colors is a colossal expansive note on this big theme of the series. True Colors makes Season 1′s finale look like a walk in the park for what angst goes down between our three main heroins in Season 2′s climatic resolution. Everything that can go wrong does go oh so painfully wrong for these three kids. Anne, to no one’s surprise, gets double crossed by Sasha leaving things between them a Hell of a lot more bitter than they were previously, as if that couldn’t already be topped when Sasha tried to kill the Plantars before. Anne has had enough of her lies and manipulation not being afraid to tell Sasha straight up how awful of a friend she’s been in general, even hitting her where it hurts most of all saying, “No, I’m done listening to you! I’m done trusting you! You’re a horrible person and I am done being FRIENDS with you!”, going so far as to get a shaken reaction out of Sasha dropping her brave face act, making this girl try to wipe away the frog family.

Right off the bat, True Colors makes it highly evident this isn’t just another story of stopping a bigger threat, but one hitting much closer to home, overall. Yes, King Andrias is certainly a dangerous villain, who makes his presence and intimidating nature known to the others by True Color’s final act, which despite this Amphibia isn’t entirely putting him at the forefront, rather focusing on a more intimate study of Anne, Sasha, and Marcy’s big emotional conflict. This finale knows exactly where to put its focus of importance on, so I love that instead of it being action packed we’re getting the spotlight shined on just how screwed up these three of a friendship have, in spite of Marcy claiming in The Dinner episode, “We’re supposed to be friends for life. We don’t split up!’ . Very ironic stuff right there, indeed.

True Colors’ most powerful strength it adds to Amphibia’s ongoing profound story about healthy friendships is the thorough deconstruction of these girls defined “ideal relationship” as people. Before Anne came to the world of Amphibia this kid was afraid to stand up for what she believed in, even knowing especially well that stealing the calamity box was morally questionable, but did it anyway. Sasha was super manipulative, abusive, and used her power to control people, like she did a lot of toward Anne in their lives. Marcy, while very smart, wasn’t the most competent physically, who soon grew into being more independent without needing to rely on Anne always having to be there for her. These three were changed immensely by the events of being thrust into this world of sentient amphibian creatures. Anne benefited morally most out out of all three in taking up the mantle of responsibility and ironing out her own issues. She’s become a much stronger person all around. 

This episode asks us an important question though in nutshell with, “Have Sasha & Marcy truly changed for the better?”, since Anne has reached a point in her arc feeling genuinely content with who she’s become and the bonds that have been made with the Plantar family shown most notably with Sprig Plantar. Hence the whole purpose behind the song, It’s No Big Deal, with Anne feeling proud for who she is, yet not noticing a bigger issue right underneath her nose. That previous episode was meant to bring Anne’s happiness up only to bring it all crashing down in a devastating display of new revelations in True Colors. Every dramatic emotional beat isn’t just earned. Each significant moment is completely knocked out of the park by terrific voice acting, beautiful animation, and music composition that gave me serious emotional goosebumps. True Colors did exactly as Not What He Seems accomplished for Gravity Falls in shaking up its own respective dramatic stakes just when you thought it couldn’t get any higher for these protagonists. Shit seriously hits the fan here.

Did it ever occur to you, Anne? Sasha? That one of you knew more, than she was letting on? That ONE of you might’ve gotten you stranded in Amphibia on purpose...?

The big bombshell twist of Marcy playing a part too in getting them into this whole debacle completely flips everything upside down. Sasha pushed Anne into taking the Calamity Box, yes, but if Marcy never sent that photo because of her desire to stay with them together forever, then they wouldn’t have been stranded in basically a world full of dangerous creatures and who knows what else. Easily my favorite part of the episode, considering it adds more nuance to a situation that defined Amphibia’s story. It wasn’t just one person’s fault at the end of the day. Sasha bullied Anne into taking the box, Anne didn’t put her foot down to make a stand for something morally questionable, and Marcy took advantage of them both to benefit her own selfish desires for supposedly a “happy ending” not involving them staying apart, due to her parents moving away for a new job. All three girls played an important part on why they got landed into Amphiba. It’s why Anne’s statement to King Andrias, “The three of us may have made some mistake, but you...You’re evil and I’m gonna stop you!”, holds such a real weight to it, as this story continues to solidify how genuinely fleshed out their dynamic is.

Marcy’s super desperate plea to be understood by Anne & Sasha when Andrias revealed her getting them thrown into Amphibia purposefully was hard to watch. On one hand, I felt for Marcy because she didn’t want real life circumstances to tear apart that close connection she had to Sasha & Anne. Sure, she could’ve just kept in touch with them over the phone or chatting online, too. However, Marcy had known them since very early childhood. When you’ve been so attached to someone it can be a devastating thing, depending on just how vulnerable you are emotionally, to start drifting apart. Marcy represents that embodiment of toxic need for togetherness and couldn’t bear to let a possibility, like moving away, throw a wrench into her happiness and friendship, as well.

Never mind Marcy wanting to stay permanently in a different reality, rather than face her’s, but it made this person feel like something more. It gave her a chance to feel truly special in being able to live out a fantasy dream of having such power and freedom that a kid, like herself, couldn’t have had. The freedom to know she is plenty capable of making it out there on her own without Anne having to watch this kid like a hawk. So, to have someone, or something, try taking it away from her terrified Marcy of facing a terrible truth. That she isn’t strong enough after all to live a life without Anne & Sasha by her side completely, where Marcy will never feel truly worthy enough to blossom into her own person. It’s why that line, “I just...didn’t want to be alone...”, carries such a deep pain to it all. Marcy just crumbles into pieces accepting her greatest weakness. As much as Marcy fumbled the ball big time, it’s so easy to empathize with her on the idea of feeling competent enough. Marcy never meant to hurt Anne or Sasha, but the sad crushing punchline is she very much did.

Speaking of which, Anne had every right to be upset and mad, obviously. Anne has been missing so many things from her life before everything went off the wall. Hopping Mall especially highlighted Anne’s emotional desire to give anything just to hear her mother’s singing again. This teenager has been really dealing with a lot of grief in general quite honestly. Anne got into a high stakes battle against Sasha to save new friends, who’d practically became like an adopted family, which left the poor girl traumatized and heartbroken over the end result. She thought finding Marcy would help compensate for it and eventually be able to mend those complications with Sasha to boot. It’s simply painful to see it all blow up in Anne’s face to know not only Sasha betrayed her trust yet again, but realizing Marcy also played a part of responsibility in getting them thrown here. Matt Braly really just decided to slap future trust issues onto Anne finding out Hop Pop, Sasha, and Marcy were all super dishonest in their intentions at one point or another. Damn, I feel so bad for her.

It makes their embracing hug back in Marcy At The Gates so much harder to watch. Anne was super glad to see her again. Anne had wondered what became of Marcy or even possibly started to think she could even be alive at all. Then come to find out later on Marcy having intentionally ripped her away from a normal life must’ve felt worse then what happened with Sasha. Anne, already done with all of Sasha’s bullshit, thought she could at least expect better from Marcy not letting her down, but that too wasn’t the case. Marcy is very much as flawed as Sasha in what she has done. To think, Anne wanted so badly to get back home, yet she’s staring the very person dead in the eye, who ripped her away from it to begin with. Marcy knew Sasha would talk Anne into taking the box from that thrift shop, even if she wasn’t completely certain it would successfully teleport them away. Regardless of whatever good intentions someone can have in why they did what they did, it still doesn’t absolve them of said mistake. Fact of the matter is, Marcy tragically made her own bed, by choosing to mess with forces she couldn’t begin to comprehend and now has to face consequences, in spite of her not deserving them.

What really got to me was when Marcy tried to spin around Anne’s personal growth and close friendship with the Plantars as all entirely thanks to her. When she said, “I gave you this! I gave you everything!”, I was like, “Nope, that couldn’t be any further from the truth.”, seeing everything that has culminated in Anne’s journey of bettering herself. Marcy didn’t give Anne anything, but a one way ticket to cutting the kid off from her family, presuming she’d be fine with this idea. It’s all kinds of messed up, however what it boils down to is Marcy undermining Anne’s independence and agency. Anne’s moral judgement in decision making was what allowed her to create this new life she made for herself in Amphibia. Anne’s honesty as a whole led her down a path of togetherness, while Marcy’s lying landed her in a result of not wanting to be alone, costing her so much.

“I don’t believe this. We were so focused on each other we couldn’t see what was right in front of us!”

True Colors excels at earning each of its emotional beats because they line up with character motivations down to the last letter. Anne doesn’t want to trust Sasha anymore because of their already rocky past, which leads to her helping King Andrias regain control of his kingdom. Sasha not keeping a lid on her temper, wanting to rule over Amphibia, and trying to reinforce that power dynamic with Anne & Marcy only made things worse for her image of a changed good friend. There wasn’t a chance in Hell Anne would hear Sasha’s reasoning after she flat out tried to take away her frog family, by attempting to use the Calamity Box a bit ago in the episode. Marcy wanted to believe there was a happily ever after in seeing this world traveling idea as their only chance for salvation as friends for life, but it turned out to be something much more sinister, when learning of Andrias’ backstory and his true scumbag nature. All three of their motivations come clashing together, blinding them from a much bigger danger. Something that effectively puts everyone at stake.

Amphibia’s Season 2 finale works so excellently, given it covers important dramatic elements it’s been stirring around since Season 1′s early rumblings. Amphibia is a story centered around people’s need for emotional connections. True Colors builds miraculously off what Reunion already did quite well in showing friendships can become rough and they are never easy to deal with. When you have to make a stand it can be a tough pill to swallow on the reality check of maybe this “good friend” of your’s isn’t as nice as you previously thought them to be. Anne having been hurt one too many times now by her former friend sends that message close to home, so much so even Sasha begins to question her morality as a human being. It poignantly encapsulates how this trio’s complex friendship is a serious growing issue needing to be reexamined, overall.

What if Anne’s right..? What if I am a horrible person...?

Something I absolutely love to pieces about True Colors, also a testament to Season 2′s darn good writing, is how much introspective we get from each character on what they’re feeling. We’ve seen plenty of Sasha’s vulnerability before in other episodes centered on her issues, but now we’re getting to the root of it. Sasha is really taking everything more to heart, little by little. Sasha’s understanding what kind of an effect she has on people, seeing the damage it has caused made evident by Percy and Braddock in Barrel’s Warhammer. Grime once told her, “Some dreams have a price and not everyone is willing to pay it.”, where she’s questioning that idealism every passing minute the invasion plan proceeds further into reaching success. Sasha isn’t sure what to do with herself anymore feeling aimless. Those previous episodes had a real impact on her priorities more than she cared to let on with Sasha’s typical tough girl act. This kid has let her guard down more, which scares and confuses Sasha. She’s always used to playing the role of protector it contradicts everything Sasha stands for when the roles are totally reversed because now Anne has made her feel the tremendous change in their growth as individuals.

Sasha’s lifestyle has been all about control that after somewhat learning to be more considerate to Anne & Marcy’s feelings she feels beyond conflicted about what truly matters to her. The most screwed up part of it all is Sasha didn’t want to fight anymore, taking up a pacifist approach after seeing what King Andrias had been hiding from everyone. It’s a fitting punishment for Sasha to try bringing Anne over to work together once more, but getting her pleas for companionship outright ignored. Anne was correct that Sasha had wasted all the chances to be reasonable. Boonchuy tried to hear out Sasha before at The Third Temple. One wanted to start things over again to iron out their serious issues, but the other was driven by bitterness, while only remorseful to a degree at best, of seeing their once weak friend become so independent, mature, and stronger that it drove her up wall. Sasha wanted to take away that “problem” being the Plantars, since in her eyes they’re the source of Anne’s strength, driving a wedge further between the two girls in their heated Reunion 2.0 battle.

True Colors demonstrates the horrific price of no trust, communication, nor teamwork from the three main girls that Andrias smoothly took advantage of, as if they were fiddles. 

“That’s the thing about friends isn’t it? The more you love them, the more it hurts when they go.”

King Andrias is quite literally what I wanted Lunaris to be, where DuckTales’ Season 2 finale didn’t impress me on doing. He’s a serious big baddie to the main cast, who follows through on his threats of violence to demonstrate his wide array of arsenal and power. Andrias doesn’t just emotionally manipulate characters, like poor Marcy, but utterly crush them without an ounce of remorse for his actions. When he dropped Sprig out that window after Anne willingly let him have the Calamity Box back I thought they were legit gonna kill this boy off. The way Anne’s flashback montage of her good times with Sprig were eerily shot really didn’t help either on that note. Anne’s Calamity power finally activating is easily up there among stuff, like Dewey risking his life for Della’s disappearance in Last Crash, where the cinematography is shot and animated brilliantly. You feel Anne’s blind raging sadness in every hit she landed on those robots and Andrias. If anyone didn’t believe Sprig was like a little brother to Anne, then I dunno how anyone couldn’t view their bond anymore as such after this hugely defining scene. Anne went bloodthirsty when she believed Sprig to be dead further evidenced when she hugged him in relief afterwards exclaiming, “Sprig!? You’re alive!? Oh, thank goodness...”, which cuts deep so damn much.

Anne was ready to fight every one of Andrias’ troops in that castle to the death, if need be. Before Sprig came back from falling, thanks to Marcy’s quick acting, to comfort Anne, her only goal was to slaughter every opponent in that throne room, along with making Andrias pay dearly for even daring to lay a single finger on anyone of the Plantars. I’m not gonna lie, this pivotal power up reminded me so much Gohan turning Super Saiyan 2 after Cell curb stomped Android 16 into pieces with a smirk on his face. Anne Boonchuy’s maddening outburst is a classic testament to the idea of, “Piss off the nicest person and they’ll make it their mission to instill the biggest kind of fear/terror into you.”. showing this kid at her most vulnerable mental state, yet. Sprig & Anne’s cathartic embrace really messed me up in reinforcing just how these two respect, love, and would go above any of their limitations to help the other out. Sprig’s “death” scene was a masterful bait by the writers into making us think someone was gonna die and it was gonna be a poor kid, no less.  

However, it was actually all just a bait and switch for the real, “Oh, shit. They really just did that”, moment with Marcy unexpectedly getting run through with Andrias’ gigantic sword. In a last ditch effort, Marcy wanted to atone for what she had a hand in getting them all into. Marcy was ironclad determined in making her own stand for what was right trying to save the people she endangered. Akin to what Sasha did in Reunion for saving Anne’s life, Marcy does the exact same here. Although, unfortunately this time, no one is here to protect Marcy from escaping death, like Grime catching Sasha from plummeting at Toad Tower. Marcy couldn’t react in time because she was so focused on helping her dear friends out. She wanted to prove to herself at least one time, “I’ve screwed up so much stuff with my friends. Maybe, just maybe. If I get my friends back home, it’ll prove I’m not an entirely crappy person for setting these events into motion.”. Marcy’s own deep seeded remorse is what saved Anne & the Plantars, while being the cause of her own untimely demise at Andrias’ hands.

This scene is what no doubt encouraged the warning sign for younger viewers Disney decided to make for them. It’s impressive how far Matt and his crew are willing to go for intense dramatic content. Andrias trying to crush Polly with his fist after destroying Frobo with casual ease, dropping Sprig out of the window from up sky high, and stabbing Marcy with his powerful sword displays his cold blooded brutality. Doesn’t matter who you are. If you get in the way of Andrias’ plans for multiverse domination, then he’ll throw anyone into their own grave, be it man, woman, or child. That’s the mark of a truly terrifying antagonist.

Andrias didn’t care who had to be hurt or manipulated to get back the box, so he could invade other worlds with Earth being his next prime target for invasion. Marcy’s fate is a horrifyingly poetic statement, since Sasha stated to Anne in a flashback from Marcy At The Gates, “One of these days, she’s gonna get herself killed.”, with True Colors tying back to this line in a disturbing manner. Something that sends chills down my spine is we get to see the full extent of how far Andrias shoved the sword through her body. We don’t just see the entry point of where it hit her, but it even zooms out to show the whole thing. Real talk, I got serious Avatar The Last Airbender vibes from this scene. Reminded me so much of Aang getting suddenly zapped with lightning by Azula when he tried to enter the Avatar state. Marcy didn’t want to be alone so badly she ended up inevitably dying alone trying to send Anne back home to their reality. One Hell of a way to close off Marcy’s last moments in Season 2, until her inevitable resurrection happens in Season 3 now that King Andrias has her in a tube tank that looks tied to his master.

True Colors ends on a deeply bittersweet cliffhanger leaving the fates of Sasha & Grime totally unknown if they’ll get away by the skin of their teeth, or get captured by Andrias’ soldiers and robots. Anne finally returned home with the Plantars, but at a deadly cost of leaving her other close friends behind in Amphibia. After all the isolation, heartbreak, and endurance she went through with her frog family Anne finds herself at a total loss for words. Once again, Anne is in a state of solitude of not knowing if her friends are really okay or not, mirroring the start of Season 1 when she landed into Amphibia’s world. It’s safe to say to say that, “Finally me and it’s no big deal.”, lyrics have aged terribly for Anne’s realization of finding her own identity came at the expense of getting separated from friends she’s known since kindergarten. Definitely see Anne becoming a lot more protective of the Plantars now more than ever after watching Marcy drop to the ground from being stabbed in front of her eyes.

Amphibia’s Season 2 finale is exactly how you capitalize on a winning story telling formula of dramatic writing, lovable characters with layered depth, and increasing the stakes of your story in an organic manner. True Colors is a finale that should be talked about for a long time to come, as it not only showed how worth the wait it was, but reinforces why Amphibia is a truly great series. It’s unafraid to take its characters to dark places in a way that feels totally earned.

Amphibia Season 2 is everything a sequel to a first film should be.

[bedazzlecat]

My ideal #TheSims5 would be...

Create a World is base game included. It has fail safes and error guards to prevent causing problems with routing. You can shape the landscape with mountains, trees, rocks, bushes, landmarks, etc, and be able to place as many lots as you need. Would require a better program that Sims 3 CAW.

It comes with 3 basic built worlds like Sims 4

It's completely open world like Sims 3

Cars and boats and other vehicles are DLC options. If there are horses, we should be able to buy a wagon or carriage.

It comes with cats and dogs do start with and you can have DLC to add other animals if you want them. And if you want wild animals (to wander your world or to live in a preserve) this should be an option too. You should be able to choose only the items you need for your style of play.

Hunting should be an option. I don't even care if it's a rabbit hole like the bear hunt in sims medieval. I like there were steaks in Sims 3. Not everything has to be cute in the Sims .

Some grit and hardship without dying from embarrassment from peeing your pants like a toddler is required. Give the sims some dignity. Hypothermia? Fine. Drowning when you're so tired you pass out? Fine. Laughing yourself to death, stupid.

Gardening plants should have unique meshes that look like real plants. Dragon fruit does not grow on a bush and corn doesn't grow on a vine. I want to utilize all of my ingredients in something. It took several packs before I had a use for bluebells in my game other than simoleons. That's not acceptable.

Off the grid options should exist in base game. Roughing it in all forms should be base game. People love rags to riches challenges. Being poor should be base game, not take 10 packs to get a bush to pee in, an option to make candles, and live off the grid. Mansions should take 10 expansions. Cities should take 10 expansions Capitalism should take 10 expansions.

The ability to make swimmable water features that are not pools, like lakes, rivers, and waterfalls.

Lots of DIY activities for the sims, especially survival related. The woodworking table was good but it had so few items. The eco fabrication thingy was cool but big klunky machines is what I hate about sims 4. Like the telescope and microscope.

Population control. If I want an uninhabited island, I should be able to have one without mods.

Cars are DLC options on an individual basis. Otherwise you have to take public transportation. I hate yellow cabs in sims 3. A public bus, train, or subway. A transportation career should be an option.

There's like 10 different cars in sims 3 I didn't use because I prefer horses, broomsticks, boats, and motorcycles and the occasional cc car. It really bloats the game to have so much unusable stuff. Maybe an option to hide objects you don't use.

Variety in community lot types.

I love the lot traits in Sims 4.

I love the changing lot types like the seasonal community lot in sims 3 and the eco living community lot. More of that!

Sims should be able to join a religion as in sims medieval. Custom religions would be interesting, which would influence sim behaviors and feelings.

Babies grow into toddlers, grow into children, grow into tweens, grow into teens grow into young adults, adult, middle age, and elderly. Ghosts are optional.

Supernatural/occult sims should be DLC on an individual basis. If I want witches and ghosts but not aliens, it should be so.

Time periods in history can be adjusted in options. It limits what sort of items you can use or clothing.

Be able to change colors and textures like in sims 3.

Bunk beds are base game.

Weather should be base game.

Illness, injuries, and cures should be base game.

Individual adventure options should be DLC. Individual careers should be DLC.

So say I have base game, my sims can take plant remedies to get better, which requires a skill, but to get "better care" you have to buy the hospital expansion that comes with the career, but also can be adjusted to some kind of economic heathcare system that you can choose. Taxes vs deductables.

User created custom content can be part of the game. People can get paid and EA can get paid for making crazy good custom content.

Self employment should be base game.

I don't want to sell on plopsy. I did like selling on the market tables on sims 4 but it doesn't always work the way I want it too.

Risky and autonomous woohoo should be a thing as should birth control without an expansion. Like even, say my sim can eat a plant and have all the woohoo she wants without pregnancy. Moodlets can be like a honey moon period, or there could be conversational based moodlets. A couple could have a conversation to "try for baby" and they get autonomous action moodlets to encourage this behavior until pregnancy is achieved. A "fertility treatment" should be a temporary moodlet from a hospital, not a trait.

Recycling should be base game. Especially breaking down recycled materials such as metals, glass, and plastic for home building materials or diy materials (like bits and pieces from sims 4 eco lifestyle)

Lots of slots for clutter. I don't like having to cheat to place objects closer together or on top of a shelf.

Wall height adjustment to any size. Auto roofs, custom roofs curved roofs, different textures. stairs of all types including spirals and ladders included in base game. Free window and door placement. Clear roofs, clear floor tiles should be available if wanted. Ceiling tiles should be a thing.

Have a full range of gender expression and sexual characteristics.

Hide /unhide mailbox to have bills and items automatically delivered to your inventory. The ability to auto pay,

Cell phone should have an option to turn it off. Turn it on, get lots of calls, invites, opportunities, etc. That's fine. But the Sim gods give and take away when it's their game.

Consequences to your actions. Don't have a criminal career without crime and punishment in the world. And yes this should be a playable career.

Don't have fires without firefighters ever again.

Have the option to turn off public services like police and fire department if desired.

I hate rabbit hole careers but some people prefer them. Jobs should have all have rabbit holes and all have options to follow to work. Even school.

Pristine graphics.

A meaningful emotional/mood/trait system.

Favorites: music, color, genre (movies and books), food.

Custom music could tie in with a service like spotify.

Game music (build/buy, maps, and loading screens) is obnoxious. I like how in sims 4 you can turn it off.

I understand fish go bad but don't let me forget to put thing in my fridge. Store all harvestable and fish at once in a fridge.

Little pop ups that tell you about a book the sim is reading would be a nice touch. You should be able to buy books your sims wrote and edit these text pop ups so that they can be shared with the gallery.

Speaking of the gallery, there should be a Sims 5 gallery.

There should also be a virtual real time sims online community. Add friends and visit each other's houses, world, etc. Your sims social media account is on there too. You can share what your sim is doing with their blog posts, followers, videos, etc. Subscribe and let your sim watch them on any screen in the house or get updates on what they are doing or if they're throwing a party which you can be invited to or hear about later. It's all built into the game seamlessly. (I know. But... This is my fantasy sims game!)

I love what they did with the inventory in sims 4 with one of the updates. Keep that.

Every expansion should come with a world. And the builds should be worth buying the world. Otherwise give us the power to create and share our own so that people who can't build or don't want to spend the time can have access to quality creative content.

I know I'm kind of all over the place but this is the kind of game I want.

[paulwalltran]

Dungeons and Dragons Loneliness

Another interview with lofi music. Today was a pretty shitty day, alot on my mind. Here to unload. 

Today’s mood: Fuck it all...

It’s a mad addiction, a horrendous one. It’s all I think about, it’s all I want to talk about. Or almost anything fantasy related. I’ve recently gotten a little closer with one of my co workers. Delerner Banks, everyone calls him Del. He’s always in the tunnel, and always brings warhammer books to read and do work (whatever it is he’s working on.) We talk about fantasy related things all the time, and sometimes we bounce ideas off each other, feeling out our thoughts of settings and lore. Talking to him about some fantasy before leaving work made me feel alot better. The loneliness inside has been eating at me.

I know it’s salt, I know its jealousy, that I’m mad at my friends. They been hanging out more without me, playing cards and shit. Its not a passion of mine, its fun sometimes, but its still not me. Its what they bond over, its what they do together, and that’s what theyre into. If I had to guess, they’re okay with Dungeons and Dragons, but even my best friend said that I take it too serious. Its fallen out of their favor, it eats up a lot of time, and they each have their version of what a fun campaign would be like. In me, I said to myself, “Fine, fuck it. I’ll have to assemble another crew to play with.” Tough situation then isn’t it? Wanting to play a social game that needs bodies, during an age where social gatherings are frowned upon, because they carry a potential to spread a virus... Still, this is what I want to do. I want a group of friends, who share the same passion I do. My current friends must think ill of me, they may just want to hang out. They think that if they come hang with me, I’ll want a game of DnD without a doubt. They just want to chill and kick it, they don’t want to roll dice. But ask me once and I’ll tell you yes twice, to playing DnD. 

I love it with all my heart, all of the contents and materials are here, ready to play. No extra investments, no money needed to be spent, we can get going off of nothing like we did back then. A table top roleplaying game, we started with cardboard and lego figures, and just two books to share. But there was fun to be had, and a few heated sessions. But fun it was, the more we played the deeper i grew fond of the game. I’m even willing to experiment with other systems if I have someone to guide me. With cards, you gotta constantly update your arsenal to keep up with the meta, and let’s be real, not playing anything remotely close to meta isn’t as fun. Different formats allow different decks, and to keep current you gotta keep up. I dont have the fundings for it, I dont have the luck. I would rather buy a module that’ll last for years, versus a pack of cards. I have two books that have skyrocketed in value, cards go up and down like stocks. But thats the appeal I suppose, I don’t care for it though.

Back to the thing at hand, I’m in their group chat as they make plans. I can’t be there for all that. But fuck it, that’s all Im going to say. Fuck it, on repeat, until its engraved into my head. Pride is getting the best of me, I refused to be denied again. If it’s not something they want to do, so be it, I need to look out for me in the end.  I must muster up the courage to start playing online again, the first one wasn’t bad, but it fell apart. I need to get the courage to be social, and get over the fear that everyone expects you to be a pro player. I’m scared going into this green still, roll20 isn’t my forte. But if I want to play DnD, this seems to be my only option. It may fulfill my wish, to find friends who are just as passionate as I. My other friends, they’re over on the other side. Its fine, it truly is, they have one another, and I need to be strong. I need to find the strength in this loneliness, even though its tearing me apart. My circle becomes smaller, thats just the way of the world. Adapt to survive, be formless like water...

Dungeons and Dragons, my greatest escape. I can be anybody, and do things I normally can’t. I can clobber up bad guys, indecent folk, and finesse my way out of punishment from the law. I can save a village, a town, a kingdom, when I can hardly save myself. I can fly, cast spells, break locks, imagination is my only limit. I can hoard and amass vast amounts of riches, I myself can even become a dragon. I don’t have to be me, although a bit of me resides in everyone I’ve made before. I can never truly separate myself, from those Ive breathed life into. For hours on end, I can go anywhere, do anything, I melt into the world thats placed before me.

 Because the reality is that I’m practically shit, and nobody. The world is fucked up and jacked up and spiraling down the drain. I’m mentally fucked and my physicality is pretty much the same. I’m stuck in place when the world is demanding me to change. I lost with no real direction. No map in hand, no guide, and I’m scared out of my mind. I don’t know whether to trust the process or commit suicide. Im not sure where I’ll end up, if it’s good or bad. Im struggling, I’m suffering, and there seems to be no end. I could say I’m trying, but I would be lying, if I had to look at the brighter side. The positive things in life are so hard to identify. But my emotions are raw and hit hard, slamming against the walls in my skull. Demanding me to give them attention...and attention I give them, as they tear me up. Like being pulled at by the limbs, drawn and quartered is the method it seems like today. I was thinking that I couldn’t drink forever, my body would eventually reject. But what if I drank energy drinks on end, a heart attack to get me out of this place. I can down those all day long, so whats stopping me from taking that way out of it? Less grotesque and violent, it’ll probably be painful as hell. An organ seizing up, as the body ceases the function. I get said thinking about it sometimes, but one day, enough will be enough. But damn that lady...damn her for speaking those words... Tomorrow. If nothing is better by tomorrow, then do as you may. But sleep it off, tomorrow is another day. 

It’s not verbatim, but its the gist. Just wait for tomorrow, and hopefully things will change. The choice is still mine to make, and something in me pushes me forward, keeps me going on. Sometimes I think about who I’m leaving behind, and maybe how much it’ll hurt. The evil darkness inside me says that they’ll get over it, they have to, and time doesn’t wait. I won’t be immortalized, I’ll simply end up a statistic. That maybe itll be a few years the sadness remains fresh, but wounds always heal. Discrediting my actual existence, and any form of relations. Like I wouldn’t have made any actual impressions, people don’t weep for me now. People kind of forget I exist already, what makes me think they won’t after I’m gone? 

I think about my folks, my grandma, my girlfriend, my second family, and other close dear friends. I think about how many last will letters I would have to put out there, before I call for the curtains. Sometimes, I say I will start writing them, but they give me pause. I end up not wanting to leave this world, after pouring out my heart. Because I don’t want to leave any questions behind for people who matter, I want them to know how I felt before I passed. I want to leave with them apart of me, so they would never forget. 

Still it doesn’t change, shit is rough as of lately, work has been eating me up. I feel like Im never hundred percent, and me back on gaming is making it worst. I’ve gotten back onto Elder Scrolls Skyrim, its been my virtual version of DnD. Waiting for the Outer World Expansion, so I can get addicted to that again. All I want to do is play Dungeons and Dragons, the question is how do I make that into a living? I think being a Matthew Mercer is one in a million, I don’t think I’m that great. I’m willing to learn, grow, evolve because it is my passion, but I’m always scared of making mistakes. To be one of the greater Dungeon Masters, to be THE Wizards of the Coast Dungeon Master, it may possibly be the dream. To eat, sleep, breathe, Dee en Dee. My obsession isn’t that crazy though, I’m still behind on the lore of creatures and settings, I haven’t studied at all. But with the right drive and motivation, I would, especially with something as real as a legit group.

Enthusiastic players, who show up every week, bi weekly, once every month even, to play this fantastic game. Group of chill folks who is willing to take the Dungeon Master Mantle with I get burned out and have the desire to be in the player seat. One of those is the driving force, they make me want to plan. They make me want to make the world, the style, everything in general better, with the constructive feedback. I mean it’s been so long as I was a player in a campaign until the end, I’m beginning to think paying for a Dungeon Master wouldn’t be so bad. Once a month? A couple of hours? I mean I’m thinking like seven USD per hour? Eight isn’t bad, but after that it becomes a questionable amount. It repeats in my head, “No DnD is better than Bad DnD”, this much is probably still true. I say still because I still might want at least one session with said game, so I can at least say it was the worst after having attempt it, rolling something. Ha ha, I kid myself, I’m lying because I know the rage would be all to real and caution is my game most of the time. But I mean, I just might have to start exploring the idea, I was definitely going to ask on FaceBook if any Roll20 games was recruiting a newbie. 

Alas, today won’t be the last time I speak on the matter, Dungeons and Dragons haunt me everyday. I stare at minis, I stare at the upcoming books and modules, and I watch youtube where they tell RPG Horror Stories, Its become a huge part of my life, such as dancing once was. It almost links right into my earliest talents...writing. I love to write, just like I’m doing now. Im fairly decent at the writing game if I must say. Hey, real life failed Bard here, I should make one who always ends up playing big bro, and end up being friendzoned by all his interests. Im short, so Halfling is very true. Am I charismatic? Who knows, I can’t say for sure. But yes, I feel like this is what I need, a solid weekly game, maybe once every two weeks, hell, once every month would still be great. Something to look forward to the very least, in this life of routine and mundane. Something to look forward to for me, something that’s my own. Something I don’t need my closer friends to be apart of, since they’re not interested anyhow. I’m really talking shit because I’m hella salty, but at least I’m being upfront. Get it all out now, before the typing is done. 

It’s been a productive session, I may have to attribute it to Lofi it seems. The Lofi Hip Hop Radio on YouTube, also found on Spotify. Some tracks still strike me deep in the chest, giving me horrible flash backs and feeling in my chest. Others keep me going, forward, almost propelling. I’m currently training myself to be accustomed to the sounds, because I at first was very scared. That it would just transport me to a dark place and keep me there. I’ve been trying to confront my feelings more with this music, I think I felt better after last session like this. The more I faced myself, the better I became. Yes, I most definitely referenced Persona 4, another amazing and loved title because of the message it portrays. I always wondered what my shadow self would look like, and what they would say. But eh another time, I’m about to start rambling again. I have to conclude here, before I get off topic.

Until next time Tumblr...

[krinseldraegun]

All the video game asks

Played obsessively? Kingdom hearts!Influenced me creatively? Final Fantasy Tactics AdvanceWho did I play with as a kid? Nobody really. I played single player games for a long timeWho do I play with now? I'm back on a single player binge, but my best friends occasionallyCheat codes? Yeah, pretty often when just burning through emulated games for fun. Outside of that not too often.Ever buy strategy guides? Only for Final Fantasy and pretty much just to collectMultiple copies? DDR Supernova and KH1Rarest/most expensive? I have no idea. I don't have many expensive gamesMost regrettable purchase? A couple games in my steam library were pretty fucking bad and I got them for cheap like half a decade agoMidnight release? I went to the LoZ Breath of the Wild midnight release despite not preordering it bc I had a friend who didEver made new friends from a game? I met my best friend because of maplestory!Picked on for liking games? NahA game you've never played that everyone else has? Most Legend of Zelda games, most spyro games, most crash bandicoot gamesFavorite game music? The OSTs for most Square games are absolute bangersIf you had to, game related tattoo? If I'm doing a game related tattoo I'd rather go all out than get some small tattoo. Like a sleeve of Yojimbo's FFX designFavorite game to play with friends IRL? Mario Kart!Lost a friend over a game? Kinda, I knew a person who was convinced that if the game wasn't structured like Mass Effect or a Telltale game it wasn't an RPG which is objectively wrong.Date someone that hates gaming? It's a big part of my life and always has been. That'd be like asking someone who's been on a football team his whole life up to graduation and maybe college if he'd date someone who hates sports. I don't think I could. Someone who doesn't play games but doesn't hate them? Maybe. I don't really have to worry about this question though 🖤Favorite handheld console? 3DS hands down. It's just fucking goodGame that I know like the back of my hand? KH1. I can beat it without dying with starting equipment in under 9 hoursGame you didn't understand but now love? FFX had quite a confusing leveling system for me when I was a first grader. Good shit now thoughGame related clothing/accessories? I have a couple different KH necklaces, a couple KH shirts, a moogle pin, a palico pin, and the KH 2.8 limited edition pinGame you've logged the most hours in? Recently it would be FFXIV, but Modern Warfare 2 is definitely the mostFirst pokémon game? XD Gale of DarknessArcade game player? I'm really good at time crisis 2 and for a while I was really good at House of the Dead 3Gaming rivalries? Nah, neverGame that makes you rage? Dark Souls and For Honor, but I still 100% Dark Souls 2 SotFSEver play in a tourney? A small local one with friends for Sm4sh. I'm not good at sm4shGaming setup? My computer desk has my gaming pc, wii, ps2, and ps4 hooked up to my TV in my room next to my mini fridge and my ps3 is out in the front roomHow many consoles? 5. PS2, PS3, PS4, Wii, Xbox 360 that's collecting dust in my closet3DS/virtual boy headaches? Everyone gets Virtual Boy headaches, that's what it does. My 3DS doesn't give me headaches thoughGame based off favorite media? YESS I played a LOT of Megaman Battle NetworkBootleg/plug & play? I had an atari plug & play for a bit iirc. We got it for free and it didn't survive longGaming parents? Both used to play, now my mom doesn't and my stepdad only plays panzer general and candy crush despite having a ps4 proEver work in a game store or have a favorite game shop? Never worked in one but my favorite is a local store ran by a really chill dude named David who also hosts smash bros tournamentsSweat blood or tears because of a video game? Sweat often. I get really into games and start stressing a lot. Never blood. Tears is an almost because of the lightning field minigame in FFXE.T.? Never played it, but a game that ended up being shoved in a landfill to that degree must be terribleGuilty pleasure game? None that I can think ofDream sequel? YA BOI WANTS A NEW .HACK// GAMEVR and motion control? I absolutely love VR. I'm waiting to get my own VR setup, but I'm kinda waiting for the cost to go down and better games to come out, but games like superhot and RE7 really show promise for the idea. I've always been a fan of the .hack// series so I've been waiting for VRGenre not for me? RTS and fighting games. I'm terrible at both and I kept getting people telling me I'd be good at starcraft because I'm 1/4 korean and it just isn't happening and it's made me hate the game.Game that started it all? It actually was my first game, and it was Kingdom HeartsGaming when you shouldn't? Too often. Way too oftenMost played arcade cabinet? Either Time Crisis or House of the DeadMario Kart? I'm pretty damn good if I say so myselfRelaxing games, animal crossing, harvest moon? Not really. A lot of them require you to come back day after day for progress without a clear endgame and I can't do that. The idea of needing to consistently log into a game just for maintenance doesn't work for me and is why I burn myself out on mobile games fast.Competitive games? Absolutely! Team based shooters I love competitive modes and ranked modes forCustomization time? It varies, but in games with a lot of customizing it can take around an hour or two if I'm trying to get something specificPreferred class? Tanks! I like being on the frontline being the wall between my team and the enemy!Dream game to make? Real time open world action RPG that's a mix between high fantasy and magitek that has a story mode and an open, create your character and group with friends mode that has its own list of quests and missions separate from the main line but has events that overlapForgotten to eat or sleep? Yeah. Not on the eat part but definitely the sleepGame I begged for as a kid? Kingdom Hearts 2, Kingdom Hearts 358/2 days, KH Re:Coded, KH 3DDLC? Expansions that add a decent amount of new content to a game are wonderful. Locking non-episodic main story content, fighting game characters, and non-cosmetic items behind paywalls is wrong and games shouldn't be pay to win.Steam sales? I have no money to give in with and I'm picky with games I enjoy.Sims voodoo doll? Never played a lot of the sims and if I did it'd likely be more just dumping OC's in a houseRoller coaster tycoon murder? Never played it100% games? First game I got the 100% trophy in is Dark Souls 2 SotFS, and that's after miracles were nerfed into the ground3 games for the rest of your life? Pls don't make me do this. I can't choosePhone games? FFD opera omnia, mobius FF, KHUx, but rarelyKonami code? Ye boiTrade in or keep forever? I keep specific games and trade in the restBuy a console for 1 game? Almost? I bought a 3DS for monster hunter and kingdom heartsGaming convention or tournament? No... I wish...Gaming specific tv or monitor? I don't have any mahney. If I did have the money I definitely wouldGameshark etc? I had a ps2 gameshark. It never corrupted anythingOld nokia with snake? Nope, but I had friends that didHappy childhood gaming memory? Pretty sure I cried the first time I beat Kingdom HeartsArcade tickets for prize? Nah, the games that didn't give tickets were more funBest game ever? Can't think of any. My favorite game is KH, but it isn't the best game. No game is perfectFirst game beaten? Kingdom hearts!

[shirlleycoyle]

The YouTubers Keeping Pets Entertained During the Pandemic

Since the pandemic started, I've been using YouTube far more than I used to. Workout routines, sewing tutorials, mindless feel-good clips of babies hugging animals: YouTube has all of these in abundance. But all of these pale in comparison to the type of video I put on most frequently. In our house, kitty TV reigns supreme.

YouTube is filled with content aimed at dogs, cats, and their owners. The varieties are endless. Birds alight at a feeder, a GoPro hidden nearby to record their comings and goings. An invisible hand drags a string toy back and forth. Fish in a koi pond bobble to the surface of a pond. A camera moves smoothly through a park, capturing trees and squirrels. These videos are long, often over four hours, and the most popular ones have millions of views. I put on at least one video per day, which amounts to, at minimum, 28 hours of pet TV per week. Most YouTubers would kill for those numbers.

It wasn't always like this. But one of our cats, Graymalkin, got much more attached and energetic when I started staying home all the time. He used to sleep during the day, while I was at grad school. Then, in the mornings and evenings, he'd sit on my lap and purr as I worked. In the spring, he lost his tiny mind. He spent all day zooming around the apartment, mrrrring and chirping for attention. He begged for treats. He planted himself on my keyboard. He constantly fought my partner for control of his gaming chair.

Greymalkin the Cat, watching someone attempting to play Control / photo by author

One afternoon in July, I searched "cat tv" on the advice of a friend. Maybe some videos of birds or squirrels would take Gray's mind off the gamer chair. And it worked, at least for a little bit: Graymalkin hopped up on the TV stand and parked himself as close to the TV as he could. In his glassy, green eyes were reflections of hummingbirds. When he was most engaged, he reached up to bat at the screen with his weird little cat-hands.

After about five minutes, he curled up in my lap, bored. But I wasn’t bored. After the video ended, I put on another. And another. There were so many videos for cats and dogs. I sat on the couch, watching Graymalkin watch TV.

For both of us, it was a portal into the strange, sometimes eerie world of The Algorithm. In one video, an enormous cockroach skittered across the screen, freaking us out. In another, an otherwise tranquil recording of a bird fountain, a Minion toy loomed ominously above the birds. Every few minutes, the footage would jump cut to a slightly different angle, making it look like the Minion teleported a few inches to the left or right. Eventually, I selected so many videos from Japanese creators that YouTube, confused, started serving me ads in Japanese. While I tried to follow the plotlines of commercials in a language I don't speak, Graymalkin swished his tail, impatient for images that triggered his hunting instinct.

A still frame from a video by TV BINI

No video captivated his attention for more than a few minutes, but for those minutes, he was rapt. Sometimes I caught him staring at the screen even if it was switched off, as if he was trying to suss out the TV’s inner workings.

Eventually I noticed the viewer counts on the cat videos: hundreds of thousands, sometimes even millions, of views. Many of the videos came from the same channels, and these top channels were monetizing their content by running ads. How much money, I wondered, were these creators making from pet TV? Had they stumbled upon success by accident, or had they worked hard to win the chaotic gamble of making money through YouTube? And were animals really watching these videos for hours at a time?

Identifying the inner workings of the pet TV biz became an obsession. I wanted to know more about the people who had figured out this YouTube niche, harnessing the power of SEO plus the fretting of helicopter pet parents for ad revenue. So I reached out to two YouTube creators: entrepreneur Amman Ahmed, the founder of Music for Pets (which includes the YouTube channels RelaxMyDog and RelaxMyCat), and Bini, who runs TV BINI.

RelaxMyDog and RelaxMyCat both post new videos almost every day. No two are the same, but many follow a similar formula. The first element is either still photos or slow footage of expansive natural landscapes, sometimes with wild animals in the background. The second element is slow, soothing piano or strings, the kind of music you’d hear at an upscale spa. The audio loops infinitely and the video plays on and on, sometimes for up to fifteen hours.

Ahmed really is a savvy businessman who saw an opportunity, then threw everything he had at dominating it. Though RelaxMyDog now has 587,000 subscribers and RelaxMyCat has 472,000, they started out much smaller. “I self-funded it, had no investors. I 100% owned the company. It's luckily, over the years, got bigger and bigger,” Ahmed said, video-chatting me from his temporary home in Kiev. Music for Pets is headquartered in Manchester, in the UK, but Ahmed travels frequently for work. He spent the beginning of 2020 in Brooklyn, but then saw the COVID-19 writing on the wall and left the country. Fortunately, Ahmed told me, many of Music For Pets’ fifteen employees – including filmmakers in Indonesia, South Africa, and Romania – work remotely. Music For Pets is a complex operation, with lots of cogs and levers. Luckily, Ahmed can make sure all those cogs are turning properly from anywhere in the world.

In 2012, Music for Pets was just Ahmed and his new business partner, a music producer from El Salvador named Ricardo Henriquez. Ahmed had wanted to start a business centered around relaxing music for people, and in searching a freelancing website for music producers, stumbled across Henriquez. Henriquez's dog suffered from anxiety, and so Henriquez and Ahmed wondered if calming music would work just as well on dogs as it did on people.

A still from from a Relax My Dog video

Eight years later, Music For Pets makes much more than just music. There's a subscription service, which allows users to play ad-free videos for $4.99 a month. They even have a mobile app, called Games for Cats, that lets cats bat at fish and bugs on a smartphone screen. “In 2019, l think twenty million cats and dogs around the world consumed content on RelaxMyDog and RelaxMyCat,” said Ahmed. Music For Pets’ viewership numbers have hit an all-time high in 2020, and Ahmed thinks that worldwide COVID-19 quarantines are at least partially responsible. Pet owners who have started working from home are disrupting their animals’ routines, potentially causing anxiety. “Cats are looking at their owners like, ‘Why are you still here?’” he said. Another possible explanation for Music For Pets’ popularity is that people find the videos soothing. “Our content is now becoming more designed for humans and pets to watch together,” Ahmed told me. Music For Pets ran a survey that asked viewers if, during quarantine, they were watching RelaxMyDog alongside their pets. 87% of respondents said yes.

It’s easy for me to see – and sense – the human appeal. Focusing on a sunlit beach and mellow music is exactly what my meditation app asks me to do. I seem to get more out of these videos than Graymalkin, who wanders away after he realizes he can’t actually commit any bird murders. And I am not the only one who feels this way, according to Ahmed. “We see a lot of comments where people are like, ‘Look, I don't have a dog. I enjoy watching this while I'm high,” he said. But motivations notwithstanding, enough viewers have clicked on RelaxMyDog and RelaxMyCat videos to generate a business that Ahmed says is valued at seven to eight million dollars.

Bini runs a very different kind of operation, one that doesn’t generate the same kind of profit. While Ahmed said he regularly talks to journalists, Bini – who declined to give her real name – rarely does. When I reached out to her to ask for a phone interview, she said she would prefer to talk over email. "I'm an extremely private person," she wrote. Her reclusiveness contrasts with the popularity of her channel, TV BINI, which has 105,000 subscribers. Some of her 156 videos are filmed, while others are animated, but she makes and edits them all. "TV BINI is a one-woman production," she wrote.

Graymalkin, the author's cat, considers the fish in a video for which he is ostensibly (but doubtfully) the target demographic. / photo by author

Bini, who lives in California, started TV BINI in 2014. However, she's only recently gotten a high enough subscriber count to feel like her efforts are paying off financially. "It wasn't money that kept me going, that's for sure," she told me. What’s kept her going is the thought that she’s helping both cats and cat owners. Many viewers have posted clips of their pets reacting to her content. “The cat reaction videos and positive comments by pet owners motivate me to continue making videos,” she said.

Bini told me that videos of prey, or objects that move like prey (such as string dragged across the screen), help cats exercise their basic predatory instincts. And though she creates content with cats in mind, other species react, too. Bini sent me a list of videos depicting other animals, like a peacock, a praying mantis, a dog, and a lizard, interacting with her videos.

But how should we interpret animals’ reactions to pet TV? According to Dr. Kersti Seksel, a veterinary behavioral expert who practices in Sydney, Australia, it’s hard to know. “There’s very little research on [pet TV],” she said. Some studies have indicated that certain genres of music may decrease stress responses in dogs, such as a 2012 study in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior that linked classical music with more sleeping and less shaking or barking in shelter dogs. In addition, Ahmed pointed me towards a 2017 study in the journal Physiology and Behavior which suggests that soft rock and reggae music relax kenneled dogs.

However, Seksel says that the way cats and dogs perceive video is starkly different than the way we perceive it. Both species have a far sharper sense of smell than we do, which means that they rely on olfaction – a sense that video doesn’t cater to at all. They also hear a far broader range of frequencies than humans: dogs can hear up to 45,000 Hz (hertz), while cats hear up to 64,000 Hz. (We only hear up to 23,000 Hz.) Furthermore, the placement of both cats’ and dogs’ eyes means that their field of vision is much wider than a human’s, allowing them to sense more peripheral motion. “[Cats and dogs] live in their world. They hear ultrasound and infrasound sounds that you and I can't even detect,” said Seksel. “Maybe the birds outside are making noises that we can't hear, but the animal can hear.”

As a result, Seksel told me, it’s hard for us to know if the basic concepts conveyed by videos come across the same way to our pets as they do to us. While a video with fluttering feathers and a high-pitched song may convince us that it’s depicting a bird, cats and dogs may only perceive some of the signals they associate with birds. That’s what might have happened with my cat, Graymalkin. A video could suggest the presence of a bird, so he checks it out. But when he inspects the TV, he doesn’t smell a bird, or hear the ultrasonic frequencies a real bird would make. In the end, he might be wandering away because he’s bored.

Seksel said that pet TV likely caters more to our understanding of entertainment than to a cat or dog’s. “I think our expectations of what the animals will do are wrong,” she explained. “It’s based on, ‘Well, I can sit and watch a TV show, I can watch a movie.’ But even with humans, if the movie doesn't have something that changes every five to seven minutes, you lose interest. Same with video games.”

Ultimately, the audience that pet TV caters to isn’t pets. It’s us, the pet owners. As in the children’s publishing industry, the supposed target audience isn’t the one making choices. Little kids don’t have the purchasing power to buy books, so publishers market to their parents. Similarly, cats and dogs don’t have the opposable thumbs necessary to put on games or videos. Their owners are the ones who scroll through YouTube results and pick the option that seems best. In this context, the “best” video might appeal to a cat or dog, but it might also be “the video that appeals most to people.”

However, Seksel said that just because there isn’t research to support pet TV, that doesn’t mean it’s completely ineffective. “We need to think about animals as individuals,” she said. “Just because my dog doesn’t react to TV doesn’t mean that someone else’s dog wouldn’t react to it.” Seksel stressed that dogs and cats, like humans, respond to stimuli based on their preferences. Those preferences don’t have to conform to logic, or to scientific consensus. “You might like playing golf, I might not like playing golf. That doesn’t mean golf is good or bad,” Seksel added.

In a follow-up email, Ahmed agreed with Seksel’s analysis. Because there isn’t much research on how cats and dogs react to TV, “we took the approach to pump out loads of experimental content because we have a huge audience,” he said. That way, Music For Pets could engage with as many animals’ preferences as possible.

Bini hopes the popularity of pet TV will spark more research into animals’ responses. “It would be exciting to learn the differences between human and animal motivations and perceptions,” she said. Ultimately, she believes that any entertainment that makes sedentary indoor animals move around is a good thing.

Speaking with Seksel made me realize that, for me, pet TV is a small way of asserting control. It makes me feel like I’m taking steps to improve the life of a living creature. Existing in a pandemic, especially a pandemic that so many people in my country seem hellbent on minimizing, makes control over anything seem like a pipe dream. I’ve lost the power to make life much better for myself, or for people that I care about. But my cat? I can fill his days with endless clips of birds. Maybe that means something to him. Even if it doesn’t, it is still soothing for my world to contract, to become as compact and frictionless as a cat watching a TV screen, birds of prey reflected in his lambent eyes.

The YouTubers Keeping Pets Entertained During the Pandemic syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[mikahorror]

The Sims Mobile - First Impressions Review

This isn’t a Simblr, but I’m a long time fan of the Sims. Most of my time has been spent in Sims 3 and I didn’t really know how I’d feel going in. I saw one person do a video before the game released in the US and it wasn’t a glowing review, so this kinda dropped to the fringes of my game radar. I’m always looking for the app game to change my mind on app games though, so I decided to try this out.

The character creation is more in-depth than I expected. You only get to choose the everyday outfit, however you also get to play around with character features like you do in Sims 4. This was the second option I got and only made a few changes; her makeup, glasses, and reversed the hair color. The default outfits are...okay but I don’t play with CC (custom content) even in my PC games, so it’s bearable.

There are these interactive screens, which add to the experience since it’s not what you’d expect from a Sims game. I’ll admit I’ve seen it in screenshots for other app games though. It does break the wall that has sorta existed between players and sims. Waving their hands in frustration instead of just going to eat, sleep, or just going to the fucking bathroom before they piss themselves isn’t the same as this direct conversation, but I don’t mind.

The leveling (up to level five at least) happens fairly quickly. Not sure how I feel about clothing being tied to the leveling system. It requires you to sink hours into the game to get basic clothing that should’ve been default. There is clothing in the game that adds buffs depending on your traits, but these aren’t those. 

There are four slots for playable Sims. The second comes with leveling up. The last two are unlocked by grinding events (friendship, romance, or work) for in-game money or by paying real money. I understand the need for cash shops in games that need constant maintenance since I play a lot of MMOs, but I don’t think it’s unreasonable to not expect EA to pull a scummy move like making game play impossible at some point unless I’m willing to shell out money. At which point I’ll be uninstalling the app 😏

(Yes, you can pay to rush the next time your Sim can use the bathroom)

Building relationships with other Sims involves starting a story and then playing through the chapters. At first I thought it wouldn’t really matter what you chose, but choosing a different story does change how the Sims interact. For example, I chose the Soul Mates story for Vikram and my Sim mentioned wanting to know him forever. Much different from her more casual interactions with other Sims where I chose Geek Speak and Raincheck, Please (for friendships where you’re too busy to hang out). Far from groundbreaking but there are seventeen stories for you to pick from, so I think it’ll be awhile before you’re repeating things. If you’re like me and can only keep up relationships with one or two people even in a virtual world. I definitely wouldn’t have guessed there were that many options so I’ll give props where they’re due.

So the Sims Mobile introduces this....character who’s a custom designer. Izzy gives you “special” clothes that give bonuses depending on the trait you give your Sim.... And here’s the first thing I was unimpressed with. Again the clothes look like the default clothes but they have animations. The pink skirt my Sim is wearing in the screenshot above is one of Izzy’s designs to buff her Foodie trait; little hearts float around her. If they don’t stay I haven’t even noticed them disappear. The default career is Barista and I don’t expect I’ll be into the game so much I’ll switch, so even though I didn’t like the skirt I got it so the game would let me move on. 

 Since I mentioned the career, I will say it was a little surprising to actually control your Sim during work. Having not experienced Get To Work, or any of the expansions, this was nice and makes me want to go back to the game. I never got to experience The Urbz either so this was my very first time controlling my sim in more than a chore master way. What kinda Simmer am I??!....A broke one. It’s mostly clicking like any other app, but there are times when you can take risky actions and one choice I got was to give a customer an experimental brew. These actions have a meter and even if it’s high there’s still a chance your Sim will fail.This customer decided to pour the drink of the floor and boo Tia. Glad to see your fellow Sims are as polite as ever.

Energy in this game goes down incredibly fast, which makes grinding for in-game cash even harder. So deals that include cupcakes will look pretty appealing. I played for maybe an hour before game play turned into waiting. It’s a long time to play but you can sink a day into the Sims if you’re not careful, so this is a huge block to that freedom of play. Also, more items that look basic but are behind a wall for some reason but now I’m repeating myself.

I didn’t get a screenshot but you can interact with Sims created by other players and give them stickers. You get new ones every day and you can only give one to each player Sim a day. These Sims have blue plumbobs over their heads so you can tell them a part from other NPCs. Depending on the stickers you recieve, you’ll get fashion gems to use in Izzy’s shop.

If you’d like an update at the end of the week, let me know. Check out more of my content here. I haven’t updated my review blog in over a year, but you can read my previous reviews if you want.

The Sims Mobile relationship tutorial I referenced for the stories part of the review.

A guide for how stickers work.

[cos-mind]

My Top 5 Games of 2017

Oh hey I guess I’m only ever using this tumblr for posting my Top 5 games list, whooops. Also I’m bad and barely played any games that came out in 2017 because I’m a broke bitch since I don’t have a job.

Now before we get to the main event, here are some mentions I’m sure I would’ve put on my list since they seem right up my alley and I really want to play but just either haven’t played/beaten them or I haven’t bought them yet.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

#1. Wolfenstein 2: The New Colossus

So I really loved Wolfenstein: The New Order, and this game is a direct sequel to that, taking place only a few months after where the first game left off. Now I’ve played a few hours of this game so far, and I’m enjoying every minute of it. The gameplay is just a little worse than the first game’s gameplay, but I’m enjoying the story and narrative a lot more. This would be on my list but I want to actually beat the game first before I put it on anything. So for now, it shall stay in the mentions pile. Sorry, B.J.

#2. Yakuza 0

The Yakuza series is a series I’ve recently started getting into and that was from the release of this game. In the past, I knew about the Yakuza games, but I didn’t know anything about them and just knew they were games. But when this game released, I heard you could win a live chicken named Nugget in a bowling mini game and hire it as a real estate worker for you, and that’s when my interest just fucking sparked up.

So I’ve played this game a bit. I got to Chapter 3 of the game (out of I have no idea) and I really enjoyed it apart from one garbage thing from the game (coughMr. Shakedownscough) but like Wolfenstein 2, I haven’t beaten it yet and thus it sits here.

#3. Horizon: Zero Dawn

This is a game that has been on my eye for a while. When they first showed gameplay of it during the Sony E3 2016 conference, the fluent combat with the bow, the beautiful environments, and the very unique robot dinosaur enemies made me want the game right there in my hands and playable. And I’ve seen multiple screenshots from the photo mode in the game and it just looks absolutely gorgeous. I recently got it for Christmas so I’ll be getting around to it once I beat Wolfenstein 2, and I’m excited for when that time comes.

AND NOW FOR THE MAIN EVENT

MY TOP 5 GAMES OF 2017

god I’m gonna get so much shit for putting this game on my list

#5. Destiny 2

Yeah yeah yeah, I know, this is a controversial opinion, but fuck you I enjoyed this game a lot.

Destiny 2 is like the first Destiny (note I also really liked Destiny 1) but without the bullshit. Heavy ammo used to be super rare? Oh guess what, you’re basically overflowing with heavy ammo. Barely getting any legendary/exotic gear? Heyy, you get a lot of that now.

Aside from all the fixes of the first game’s problems, Destiny 2 also has surprisingly fun and beautiful environments, over a hundred unique weapons to collect and use at your disposal, and an at first confusing, but fun raid mission to do with all of your friends.

#4. Shovel Knight: Specter of Torment

So yes, I know, this is technically an expansion to Shovel Knight, but it has the heart, soul, and length as it’s own game.

Specter of Torment takes place in the same world as the regular Shovel Knight campaign, but it changes the environments and gameplay up so much to where it feels really unique to play. The gameplay mechanics for Specter Knight are really fun and fluent. Adding the little jump homing attack and wall running feels like you would expect Specter Knight to feel, and it just makes the game even more fun to play.

Plus in the final boss, you’re literally grinding on a rail with your scythe like it’s a skateboard, so that’s pretty dope.

#3. Yakuza Kiwami

Yakuza Kiwami is a remake of the first Yakuza game, originally released on the PS2 back in 2005 (2006 in the West, since it’s a Japanese game). This remake not only remakes the entire game in the Yakuza team’s current engine, it also adds a lot of new content, and a LOT more Majima, which we can all use in our life.

In Kiwami, you play as an Ex-Yakuza member, Kazuma Kiryu, who got framed for murder and put in jail for 10 years. Kiryu is considered the “Dragon of Dojima” because of his reputation of beating the shit out of literally hundreds (possibly thousands) of guys with his bare hands within around 7 years. In the game, you have 4 different fighting styles, each one having unique moves and move sets. One of the game’s best mechanics are heat moves, which are moves you can use in combat once you charge up a meter in the top left corner of the screen. Depending on either what item your holding, if you’re near other enemies, if you’re near something in the environment, etc., and you activate a heat move, Kiryu unleases an insane, ridiculous, and sometimes hilarious attack on the enemy, taking off a nice chunk of the enemy’s health. This mixed in with the absolute charm of the game, the dumb yet great side missions you can do throughout the world, and the amazing, fun loving characters makes this game one of my favorites of this year.

Also one of the heat moves is Kiryu pours salt in someone’s eyes and then slams his fist into their face, and that’s hilarious.

#2. Super Mario Odyssey

I! LOVE! MARIO!

I mean who doesn’t right?

Super Mario Odyssey was such a fun, amazing experience that I want everyone to go through. Seriously, go buy a Switch now with this game and play it.

Mario Odyssey at first just seemed like a regular 3D Mario when they announced it, and I was excited, yes, but not as excited as I was when they revealed the main gimick of the game. POSSESSION. In Mario Odyssey, they introduced Cappy, a little ghost companion that took the form of Mario’s hat, and what he lets you do in the game is that it allows you to throw your hat at things, and depending on what you throw it at, you can possess it. Throw you’re at at the Goomba, you are now the Goomba. You can’t do much as a Goomba, but what you can do is hop on other Goombas and make a large Goomba Stack that allows you to reach high places you couldn’t before. And that’s only just a small example of the hijinx you can do when you possess things.

Instead of Power Stars, you collect Power Moons, and they’re no longer just set levels where you complete the level and you get a moon. Instead, they drop you into large areas called Kingdoms that have dozens and dozens of moons hidden in them, and you have to explore the kingdom to find and collect them. And believe me when I say this, there are a l o t of moons. If I am not mistaken, there are a total of 999 power moons in the game, scattered across 17 kingdoms. I’ve played the game for more than 15 hours and I don’t even have half of the moons.

The Kingdoms in the game are some of the funnest areas I’ve played in a Mario game, with the highlight being the Metro Kingdom, which is just a giant metropolis area filled with so many things to do, you can spend literal hours just exploring it. And the ending of the Metro Kingdom is my second favorite part in the entire game.

My favorite part being the final level and boss. It’s super anime.

And now... my 2017 Game of the Year:

#1. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Now a month ago, I expected that when I wrote this list, that Odyssey would be my GOTY. But when I played Breath of the Wild, I was immediately blown away, more than I thought I would be, and it knocked Odyssey out of the running for my GOTY.

Where do I even begin for this game? The game throws you into this giant world that you can just immediately go explore as much as you want to. When you get introduced to the world, it shows you this absolutely beautiful landscape shot of the entire land, showing you everything you can explore, which is literally everything you can see. You see those mountains? You can go there.

Much like Odyssey, this game rewards you for exploring, a lot of the times with nice and rare treasure, but mainly with even more exploration. No matter where you’re at, something is always gonna catch your eye and you’re gonna want to go explore THAT thing, you get treasure, and then you get stuck in this endless loop of discovering new things throughout this ginormous, dense world filled with hundreds and hundreds of things to discover.

The gameplay and combat is much different than other Zelda games. You can climb basically any surface like it’s Shadow of the Colossus, you can actually jump instead of it being an automatic jump, but the main huge change is the combat and equipment mechanics. The combat is now very fluent and fast, but also can get very difficult at times if you are confronted by multiple very strong enemies, or maybe even one strong enemy. The equipment is the biggest change, with you now being able to pick up monster parts from monsters you’ve slain, materials you can sell for some easy cash, or food you can cook at a cooking pot to heal you. Weapons, shields, and bows you now pick up throughout the world, whether it be from an enemy you killed or from a treasure chest you found. You can hold multiple weapons and shields at a time, while also being able to upgrade how many weapons/bows/shields you can hold. But here’s the kicker: weapons, bows, and shields all have durability. After you use your weapon or bow after a while, or after you block a lot of attacks with your shield, they start to get badly damaged, and very soon after that, they break, and then you have to find something to replace the thing that broke. It may seem bad in theory but generally doesn’t become much of a problem.

The game’s rich story telling and it’s hundreds of unique characters mixed in with the beautiful, very explorable world, gameplay, and fun and unique puzzles is what make this game and absolute joy to play. Nintendo took so many risks with this game and they all payed off. I have so many other things to say about this game, but if I said them all, we’d be here all night. After playing this game nonstop for a week, and 80+ hours put into it, I can now say that this is absolutely my favorite game of 2017, and one of my favorites of all time, and I can definitely see me going back in a few years to experience this wonderful game all over again.

[kiniism]

thoughts on the “mount adoption” mechanic

@guildwars2

tldr before we get into it:

400gems per skin = good. gambling to get the one skin from thirty that i want = bad

Suggestions:

–remove the rng element, or at least lessen it. perhaps the ability to choose what type of mount we want? ex. Selecting “I want a Raptor.” will only give you one of the raptor skins

–add skins to in-game content. side quests, stories, raids even? give players something to work for, like you did with the griffon. it was expensive, but it was a goal that got us exploring the world

–make them tradeable. at least then if I have one I personally don’t like, someone else might want it, or I could give it to a friend

Okay now to elaborate.

First: the overarching idea. I like it! “Adopting” mounts from special breeders is nice. It FEELS nice. But listen. If I’m looking to adopt an animal from my local shelter, I don’t go in and say “I want to adopt” and they hand me a randomly selected pet. What if I was looking to get a cat, and they gave me a dog? It doesn’t work. If you want to “adopt” an animal, you go and LOOK at the animals, and you choose the one you like. The RNG element of the passes, which could net you anything at all, doesn’t feel right. What happens if I get a griffon skin, but don’t want to unlock the griffon? It’s useless to me. And I’m stuck with it.

Which is the second point: what I get could be any one of five mounts. I use some more than others, and don’t particularly care for a few. If I pull something I don’t like and am disappointed, one of two things will happen. I will either sigh and try again, or give up and be disappointed. It’s lootbox gambling, and I really hate it.

“But Kinvi,” you say, “it’s not gambling because you’re guaranteed to win every time!” Well, yes, but it’s still gambling. I had a chance to get the prize I want, instead of just buying it outright. I don’t want to pay for a CHANCE at something. The gem store shows you, with the exception of Black Lion Chests, EXACTLY what you’ll be getting from your purchase. Unless I spend 9600+ gems, it’s a risk.

Here’s the third point: the marketing. The spooky mounts were 1600 for five skins. Reasonable, and you get exactly what you paid for. The new Warforged Hound? 2000 gems by itself. Likely put up to show how sweet the 400g-a-skin the adoption center is. Granted, the Hound is a lot of new assets and elements, and is definitely worth more than switching some colors and adding more dyes. You guys are experimenting and I like that, but please. Point four.

Here we are, my biggest issue: the gem store itself. Yes, it’s how you make money, and I’ve spent a fair bit myself. But 31 new mount skins, and not a single one that can be earned through in-game tasks? I still have hope for the foreseeable future where I can do side quests to get some new content, but putting so many at once behind the cash wall feels odd to me.

Also, a concern. There are 30 available right now, but wording seems to indicate to me that over time, there will be more and more added. And that’s great! I look forward to seeing your creativity. But if the systems stays as it is, will it all just be one big pool? Will I eventually have a 1/60+ chance of pulling the one skin I want, provided I don’t unlock any right now? I REALLY don’t want that.

But lastly, to address some argument points.

“It’s all optional cosmetics, it does nothing to improve your gameplay experience.” Yes. To a point. A lot of the people I know enjoy customizing their characters and getting into the lore and feel of the game. It’s a great game and I love it! And that’s why I want to feel good playing it.

“If you buy 30, there’s no risk of NOT getting what you want.” True. But I don’t have $120+ of disposable income lying around right now. I also don’t want to pay for something I don’t want. I’d gladly save up and spend for something I DO want, like I did with the Path of Fire expansion, or the new Pokémon games that are coming out. But why waste money on something I don’t want and won’t use?

“If you don’t like the skins, don’t buy them.” I don’t like SOME of the skins. Others, I would be glad to use, perhaps on multiple characters! I want to get the ones I WANT without having to sift through the rest. I want to support the company because I love the game, but, again, I don’t want to pay for things I don’t want.

[next-lvl]

Majority of my followers know what Wakfu is, but not all know about the game: how many wounds it left in my heart, and everyone else’s. This post isn’t gonna be precisely explaining the wrongs that Wakfu did, I just wanted to mention that, in aftermath, it was a disaster of a game that left its most loyal players hurt, disappointed and immensely sad. I still keep meeting people who love this franchise, but can’t stand the game anymore since it’s.. Changed too much and didn’t stay enjoyable, to say mildly. I’m surrounded by, literally, traumatized veterans who look back at the good old days and shed tears. And I’ve been talking a lot about GW2 recently, not for no reason.

I want you to heal, just like I did. I mean.. I’m still hurt over Wakfu and I’ll stay this way forever, but I found a game where you can feel safe, loved, cared about. Devs in GW2 are humans who talk to us, who put smileys and memes in their posts, who hang out on reddit and ingame. This’s one of the major and striking differences between Wakfu and GW2. I’m still genuinely stunned by my own experience with customer support, I had a few troubles during my 1.5 years in GW2 and the response was not only fast and effective, it was HUMAN AND CUTE. I’m still not over it. Now that I’ve been invited to be a creative partner.. I’m still not over it too. They shower their regular players and content creators in gentle attention and kindness. I cry. During the 5+ years of being the most active and visible artist in Wakfu fandom, literally promoting it with thousands of drawings, I’ve never got a tiniest bit of official recognition. Not even a single placement on official media. When I took part in contests, I never won. Overall it’s been a one-way street. During my first 1.5 years in GW2, I’ve been noticed, picked up by the team, pampered and spoiled to the point of barely believing it’s true. That’s my personal experience, but it should indicate Anet’s general attitude towards the players. They. Do. Care.

I just wanna try and convince more ex-Wakfu players to give GW2 a shot. The two games are different in the visual and core gameplay aspects, yes, transitioning from an isometric 2D turn-based to a 3D, real-time game was somewhat harsh, but boy, how glad I am that I did it.

There’s EVEN MORE TEXT, brace yourselves. :D In GW2, I found everything that I wish was in Wakfu.

GW2 is a true sandbox. You log in, you do whatever the fuck you want. Level your first (second, 12th, 33rd, 68th) char? Grind mobs and dungeons? NO. Run around, look for events, explore, literally everything you do and everywhere you go, gives xp. You can level via crafting! Which, btw, is relevant throughout the entire game, unlike in Wakfu.

You do have dungeons of two kinds, and you CAN farm them if you want, but it’s your deliberate decision. There ARE farms in GW2, but they’re fun, if you’re not trying to get a legendary weapon in a month. I personally like running around with a bunch of random people who are there to FARM events in a specific map, but that happens once every two months.

Said legendary weapons ARE hard to get and yes, they can get you burnt out in no time if you don’t have a concept of a “long term goal”. Leggies are a prestige item, and, just like other prestige items (auras, specific minis, skins, etc), they’re meant to be your ultimate show-off item. People see you and know that you’ve been through.. A lot. BUT. Your hard-earned prestige item is to stay prestige. I assume you know relics in Wakfu? Then you must know what happened to them after a few years.

There’s no devaluing in GW2. Your trophies stay relevant and rare. Your prizes, your exclusive titles, skins, etc stay exclusive. You aren’t losing half of your wealth just because the devs decided to revamp ALL GEAR FOR THE THIRD TIME.

Speaking of the gear, the orange set you get at 80, is endgame gear. GW2 is 5 years old, so that orange gear is. People crafted it on the release and.. It stayed endgame. Yes, there’s also pink gear, which ~5% better than orange and is only needed if you do high lvl fractals or are min-maxing in raids. If you’re casual or just starting, you don’t even have to think about it. But once you craft your set, it stays relevant forever. People’s effort is never shoved up their asses.

There’s no constant carrot-on-a-stick gear upgrades. Level cap is 80 since release and will stay so. The game promotes safety and stability, that’s what attracted me. You take a 2 years break? No problem, you log in and go play. Nothing has lost its value, you don’t feel inferior, you don’t need to catch up to play with your friends.

Which reminded me: there’s a wonderfully done level downscale system. You’re a lvl 80 in a lvl 16 zone? Your stats are auto-adapted so the enemies you fought as a noob are still dangerous, and your reward (xp/gold/materials) is adapted to your true lvl. You go and play anywhere you want, and get fair rewards.

Crafting materials of all levels are also demanded and relevant. Oh yeah, you can run around for hours just gathering wood/ore, familiar to Wakfu players? It’s nice and relaxing until you meet another player. Well, in GW2 all gathering nodes are NOT shared. You see a tree? It’s your tree. That dude who runs up to it won’t steal it from you.

Oh also there’s no kill steal! Which is big, imo. You’re encouraged to play together, to help people kill stuff, to contribute to any event you see around, since everyone gets rewarded equally.

Legendary stability of GW2 servers. Lemme just say: there’s no weekly maintenance. There is. No. Downtime. Even on the big update days, you can download and play pretty safely. If there’s a hotfix, the game KINDLY WARNS YOU that you need to update and you have TWO FLIPPING HOURS to do so. Before you did that, you still can play, finish whatever you were up to.

Everything revolves around player’s happiness and convenience. There are constant quality-of-life updates. Your bags are full of crap? Here, salvage it into materials with two clicks, then deposit into your bank with two clicks (from anywhere in the world), then compact the rest of your shit. Yeah, with two clicks. x’D

There’s wonderful Fashion Wars. The game offers so much customization, and it’s taken so seriously, that it’s one of the endgame aspects. There’s 30000+ achievement points to earn, which are mostly fun and make you go out of your usual way. Dailies? You get 10 points and 2 gold for doing 3 easy tasks that take ~15 minutes.

There’s LORE. There’s fun little interactions all over the world. You just did an event? Stay here and listen, probably npcs will say/do something and start another event, logically following the previous one. The world lives and breathes. You can just walk around and observe. You’ll learn so much. And of course, there’s always a good cause to laugh. Dialogues/reactions are just hilarious sometimes.

Regarding the lore: there’s a so-called personal story which accompanies you up to lvl 80, then there’s “living world”, smaller events and single maps being rolled out every once in a while - so far there’s 2 seasons available, and 1 being “historical”, not playable anymore. In that season, they fucking crushed the main capital city. It changed forever. It was an epic event, which I missed, but watched people’s videos later. Then season 2, then HoT, then season 3, and now we’re waiting for PoF, second expansion. The updates have picked a nice pace and are frequent now.

There’s just so much to do. Just go, dive into the world and drown forever. :3c And meet me on the bottom. x’DD

GW2 feels different from Wakfu, but I found similarities for myself. It’s a sandbox after all, and later endgame has a lot of strategy. GW2 is never tank-and-spank. You just, literally, can’t facetank shit here. You gotta use your skills wisely, time your dodges, play with traits/passives until it all flows together. You’ve got a HUGE BUILD FREEDOM. There’s 9 classes, each having at least 3 defined roles, with more variations. You don’t just go ranger (oh archer it’s like a cra rite??) and do pew pew from max distance. Well, yes, you have a bow and can pew pew.. Or you can be a melee fighter, you can be a full blown healer/support.. As a ranger, yes.

I’ll be wrapping up now, I swear. GW2 is true f2p. Which of course does have a few restrictions (can’t trade or use map-chat), but you can get to 80, gear up and explore to your heart’s content before you decide to pay. I personally played for 5 months, every day, before I bought HoT.

Why’d you buy an expansion? More story, more maps, new class traits, gliding in HoT and mounts in PoF. The expansion and living world content has been constantly improving, visually, mechanically and lore/writing-wise.

Other than that, there’s a gemstore offering cosmetic and convenience items (gems can be bought for cash OR ingame gold). There are infamous rng boxes, but none of those are p2w. GW2 is oriented at the western consumer, which means, yeah, they know that we hate p2w and they’ll never do that to us.

*breathes out* I had to get that off my chest. I wanna talk about GW2 forever, but it’s exhausting to do one-on-one. :P Hopefully someone’s still reading this!

Now lemme remind you that now I have those partner links, if you use this to create a new account and play for free (for an hour or two months? w/e), or this to buy an expansion, I’ll get paid a bit. Not much, but it definitely helps!

And I was gonna write this wall of text regardlessly of the partnership one day, now I just have more incentive. x’DD Plus, we’re gonna have a beta weekend on 11-13 august, where you can preview the second expansion for free! It’s a perfect timing to write this post and try convincing you. You’ll just need a f2p account, and you’ll be given a lvl 80 boost and whatnot for that beta weekend. I’m not sure yet, but I assume you WILL. Just please register using my link above, so that I get paid for the two hours I spent on this post. :D

[enambris]

Glass Network Missive - The State of the Network and the Battle Across the Wall

Good day, all. This missive is a summary of how things are presently going, what our current status is, the states of our various warfronts, and some pressing questions I know a lot of you have about the Network’s position in the escalating hostilities at Baelsar’s Wall and beyond. This should serve to answer most of those questions, as well as discuss the rumor some of you may have heard that we have intentions to cross the wall. I will also be covering and addressing all of these topics and answering questions in a meeting to be held at Haven, as well as additional meetups to provide more information to our new members and old timers alike.

Finally, before I dive into the details, I want to thank all of you. More than a year ago, the Network was founded with a single goal in mind, one that caused us scores of inter-organizational problems, lead to the deaths of friends, and bought us no shortage of failed missions. But it has also brought us all into each other’s lives, for better or worse. It has brought us triumphs and experiences. It is through the dedication of everyone involved that we grew, both as a group and as individuals, into the continent-spanning organization that we are now, and this would not be possible without the contributions of everyone involved. I am beyond proud to lead you, and all of you have brought me more hope and laughter than you could possibly know.o

We have served this star for more than a year, and until we finish this fight, we will continue to do so, and I am honored to have you all with me every step of the way.

- E

First, let me say that it has been a turbulent several months for all of us, both working with the Network and in our lives beyond it. We have gained new faces and lost ones we cared for deeply. We have experienced triumphs and torment, and yes, tensions have been high. In an effort to try and condense the information we’ve collected over the last year of operating, I will be tasking some of you with chronicling what you’ve seen and what you will see going forward, as well as assisting in the creation and distribution of new member materials to make the on-boarding process easier. Quite frankly, explaining why we’re called the Glass Network, when it is but one of our many fights, has become a little tiring. No, I will not be changing our name.

I also want to take a moment to remind everyone that while we do strive to keep our mission transparent and our actions clear, this cannot always be done. As the Network itself is an official body that is publicly neutral and apolitical, it becomes necessary for us to differentiate the goals of our members from the goals of the Network itself. That said, while you are on-mission for the Network, what you do and say may be taken by others as representation of our group as a whole. I and my council will never publicly condone the injury or murder of innocents. This is non-negotiable. I don’t need to remind everyone what happened between our members and one of the high houses of Ishgard.

As of this moment, we are fighting wars on multiple fronts. Our primary fight has always been the eradication of the substance known as Gallows Glass and the incarceration of its creator, the man we know as the Craftsman. However in recent months, this operation has taken a backseat to other more pressing issues: Ana D'mira, the Queen Drowned; Elizabeth, shade of Eloise Daemond; the Shadow, elder voidlord sleeping in a hole in the desert; the ‘Lord of Eyes’; and Morgan Grey, the ‘Queen of Teeth’. Each of these entities has their own agendas, and each seems content to commit atrocities to see their agendas come to pass. As such, our operating directive has shifted. We are no longer confined to being a response to the threat of the Gallows Glass plague. We are now a group dedicated to responding to other-worldly entities that pose a threat to innocent life.

The appropriate changes and additions are being made to the Glass Documents and the Collected Works. Hard copies can be found in my office, or at Haven’s Safe House. Additionally, I will be making maps available to recognized members of the Network that mark locations for our safe houses and all known glass caches.

So, down to business. These are some questions I’ve been asked about our standing in the war, and this is the part of this missive you should not skim.

Is the Glass Network taking a side in the war?

No. The Network is an apolitical body with goals and missions that do not relate directly to any agenda set by a participating party in the current war, regardless of where our members stand in opinion. Remaining a neutral party affords us the standing and authority to move and act as needed when handling the threats we face, no matter where on the map they may be. This standing is imperative to maintain to continue operating as we do.

Does that mean you condone what the Empire is doing?

Again, no. Neutral means we are not becoming involved in the fight between the Empire, the Alliance, and the Empire’s various colonies. While our own directives may take us to those locations, we are strictly responding to threats of the other-worldly variety, primarily Gallows Glass, Ana D'mira, and Elizabeth Daemond. However, this does not restrict the Network from providing medical relief and aid to those places damaged by the fighting.

Can members of the Network join either side of the war?

Yes. Having membership in the Glass Network does not preclude you from joining the Resistance or fighting with the Empire. However, there is a stipulation that comes with this. When you are on the battlefield with whatever side you have aligned yourself, you may act as you and your compatriots see fit. However, that is to cease immediately the moment you return to run missions with the Network.

We have members from all sides of the spectrum, from those who sympathize with the Empire, to neutral parties, to resistance-backers. And while your standing is your own, those opinions are to be left at the door when you are with us. The Network is unique in its ability to bring together people from all over with differing methods, ideologies and life experiences. We are united in the face of a common enemy that gives no regard to the Empire, or Ala Mhigo, or even the Scions and the Alliance. This means that no matter what your opinion is of the opposite side of the wall, leave your passions and hatred for each other at the door.

There is to be no political or partisan fighting in the Glass Network linkshell, headquarters, or safe houses. If you and someone else have a disagreement, you can settle it on the battlefield and off of the Network’s time and resources.

Doesn’t the Empire threaten innocent life by expanding the way it does?

Yes, aggressive expansionist policies are, by their nature, often a threat to innocent life, especially when backed by military control. However, the Empire is a nation of living, breathing human beings (for the most part). And while much of what is done throughout the course of this war can be labeled atrocities, these are sown by mortal hands.

However, there is a fine line between mortal military conflicts and where the Glass Network’s involvement becomes required. If, for example, the Empire is using voidsent to beat down or otherwise terrorize a population center, or if the Ala Mhigan Resistance is dosing their enemies with Gallows Glass, or if the Othardian resistance is using Glutton’s Grasp to wipe out crops for Imperial citizens, the Glass Network gets involved to the extent of the threat and no further. We will fight whoever falls under our purview.

If, however, any party tries to invoke yet another calamity, no matter the means or who is involved, the Network will step in.

What is our current primary target?

For the moment, we have three primary issues to tackle: Ana D’mira’s ceremony, the rescue of Samara Gorarkhiran, and the capture of the Shadow. Additionally, within the next fortnight, we will be taking on one other primary target, which will be discussed at length during the next meeting, and in my next missive.

I want to help out more or take on more responsibilities. What do I have to do?

Quite plainly, all you need do is speak to me. I am always ready to delegate more tasks to other members of the Network, and if you have a team you would prefer to work with for a larger task, I could hardly deny you.

Will I get paid for my participation in missions, battles or other tasks?

Yes. I do supply stipends to members for their participation the following day or week, depending on how beat up I am at the time.

((Note: The Network does pay its members. All payments are IC in most cases, but can be in-game currency depending on circumstance for equipment wear and tear.))

Do we have a headquarters?

Yes. Currently our headquarters is very, very small, and is also my office in the Sultana’s Breath building in ward 1 of the Goblet. However, we are currently negotiating to acquire a larger piece of land on which to build a real headquarters, and more information on this will be available in the future.

Is it true that the Glass Network is going to cross the wall?

This is something I have been considering for a long time. Originally, I had intended to keep our fight restricted to Aldenard, being the primary region where Gallows Glass and our other fights are taking place. However, new evidence has come to light that will necessitate our expansion. Without going into lengthy or explicit details, yes. The Glass Network will be crossing the wall, and we have a series of very specific missions to fulfill. If I deem it necessary, we may further expand our reach and set up additional safe houses across the wall.

In order to continue pursuing our goals, and to stop the severe damage that will be caused if we do not intervene, we will also be crossing the ocean. I will provide further details as we near our point of departure, and I will be holding several meetings for all Network members, both new and old, to get up to speed on our challenges and various missions and distribute assignments as needed.

As a group, we are far from perfect. Most of us are quite strong, coming from varied and dynamic backgrounds and cultures. And while we are all so very different, we must learn to be unified when we are working together. When the Network fights, it is not for land or glory. It is not for riches or treasure. Your own reasons for fighting may be different. Maybe you’re here because you want to do some good. Maybe you’re here for a paycheck. You might be here out of loyalty to one of our own, or maybe you’re here because you want revenge on someone we’re fighting. Hells, you might even be here because you’re bored.

Whatever your reasons may be, we as the Network fight because this very star is threatened. We fight because we must. Imperial, Eorzean, Resistance fighter or cast away from a dead land, it doesn’t matter where you come from, who you serve or where you are going. No one is ruling anything, living anywhere, or fighting for anything, if we have no world left to fight in.

OOC Notes:

Hey gang! If you’re new to the plotline, welcome! If not, read on anyway. Today marks the last day of gameplay before the launch of Early Access for Stormblood. I know a lot of you involved in the plot are going in heavily involved in RP in the new regions, while others are going in more focused on content. Regardless of what you plan to do in the first day, week, or even month of 4.0, we will continue pushing plot and moving the story forward.

The Glass Network and its plot are designed to allow participants to come and go as they want or need. Real life happens, sometimes you get pulled into other things in RP, or maybe you want to take a break and do content. That is okay! The Network was designed to operate as a broadly spanning organizational body, not a company, so that its members can participate without having to leave or join a new FC or cut ties with others. While there are some of us that act as core members, anyone can contribute their own plotlines to our story and get as involved as they want.

There are a few things I would like to remind everyone of before we go into 4.0:

1. Be excellent to each other

2. Spoilers are not cool! Remember to tag your posts appropriately and make use of the “Keep Reading” function! If you are a member of the Discord server, please make use of the Spoilers channel. Anyone without access to the Discord server can message me here, or on Discord directly.

3. Remember to keep a healthy degree of separation between IC and OOC. The themes and stories that will be coming out of Stormblood are going to be emotionally and politically charged, and tensions will definitely be high. I as an RPer and a community leader for the Network will try and facilitate as many “cooling off” events as I can, and I encourage everyone to participate or set up their own!

4. IC drama is fun, engaging, and drives stories. OOC drama is not fun, causes massive amounts of stress, and generally makes a bad time for all involved. If you and someone else involved are having some sort of conflict, please make sure it is settled reasonably outside of the IC Network channels. If necessary you are more than welcome to come to me with questions, or to help mediate or find a compromise. I am more than happy to do that. However, if conflict spills into IC channels, I will step in regardless to make sure we can all continue writing and planning for more awesome stories to come.

See you all in Stormblood!

[incurableweeabootrash]

Top 10 Anime That Doesn’t Shamelessly Sexualise Women With Fanservice

The most awkward and annoying thing about anime is that little thing known as ‘fanservice’, moreso fanservice that creeps it’s way into shows otherwise focused on other things. It’s what I like to call ‘doing a Game of Thrones’.

In my experience there are honestly quite a few shows that actually have confidence in their own writing, and don’t feel the need to add softcore erotic moments disguised as jokes in order to desperately snag viewers and make their money back. But unfortunately, the shows that do have fanservice are now the predominant preconception of anime to outsiders, and female viewers especially can be turned off by this.

I’ll admit I’ve been guilty in the past of developing a ‘fanservice filter’ for shows like Kill La Kill, where I taught myself to tune out at certain moments until the show got back to showing the things I liked about it (The fights, the crazy fun tone, the characters, the intensity, and even the story eventually. It’s not my favourite show, but I cite it as an example of me overlooking and ignoring awkward bits because there were other aspects of the show that I liked). But not everyone is willing to do that, and it really puts a barrier up to new anime watchers who understandibly just aren’t comfortable with that. So with this unfortunate blight potentially lurking in any show to a new viewer, I thought I’d make this list to make sailing these uncharted waters a little easier. I'm going by memory, so apologies if any of these shows have something in them I've forgotten about. But here’s the top 10 anime that doesn’t have panty shots, breast-orientated ‘gag’ moments, or other ‘male gaze’ unneccesary sexual content. I’m also excluding shows that had a moment that made me uncomfortable with any attempted ‘funny’ moments that crossed boundaries, e.g. Meliodas’s inability to keep his hands to himself in ‘Seven Deadly Sins’. (Needless to say, I hated that character).

In no particular order:

1. Princess Jellyfish / Kuragahime

“Instead of becoming a princess, I became a freak.”

…Yes, that title sounds a tad dumb in English. But Princess Jellyfish is great character driven show about a young woman named Tsukimi with a passion for drawing and marine wildlife, specifically jellyfish, who feels that she hasn’t really blossomed into the beautiful woman she was told she would grow up to. Living  in the fashionable Tokyo district of Harajuku, Tsukimi sees people more beautiful than her everyday. But her life starts to be shaken up a little when she befriends a beautiful woman who isn’t all that they seem.

Princess Jellyfish has the advantage of being written by a woman for a grown female audience, so there’s no sexual pandering to teenage male viewers to be found at all here. It’s also only 12 episodes, although the manga continues the story further. I really do recommend it for it’s likable characters and it’s simple but effective narrative.

2. Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

“In order for something to be obtained, something of equal value must be lost.”

FMA:Brotherhood is the story of two brothers living with the consequences of their failed attempt to bring their mother back to life with alchemy. Seeking to gain back what they lost from that attempt, Edward and Alphonse Elric join the military as State Alchemists, becoming a tool for whatever purpose the military desires in exchange for access to their expansive library on alchemy. However, they soon discover alot more than they intended to, along with some things they never wanted to discover.

Probably one of the most popular anime out there, with an exciting and twisting plotline that carries you through to the end of it’s 62 episode run. Now, that’s admittedly a lot of episodes, but I can safely say that the story is worth it. Be warned that you actually have to skip episode 1 due it being a filler episode designed only for fans of the original 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist. Yes, really. The very first episode is a filler, and it even contains a subtle spoiler. So yeah, skip it, as well the recap episode halfway through. It’s all on Netflix btw.

One slight flaw is how it occasionally jumps into a jarring cartoony art style whenever it tries to be funny, which doesn’t really fit with the rest of the show, but it depends on your sense of humour whether this is a problem or not.

I recommend this show if you like adventure, action, a bit of fantasy, and suspense and mystery.

3. Death Note

“This world is rotten, and those who are making it rot deserve to die. Someone has to do it, so why not me?”

Another popular and well known anime within the community, Death Note is the story of an overachieving high school boy named Light (it probably sounds less pretentious if you’re not English) who discovers a notebook that will cause anyone who’s name is written in it to die. With such power in his hands, Light decides to use it to reshape the world and rid it of criminals and injustice. But what he holds in his hands is a murder weapon, and prodigal young detective L is soon on his case in the hunt to find the cause of all these mysterious new killings.

Death Note is very much a psychological thriller. In fact, there’s basically no action scenes at all in it. The tension instead comes from the cat-and-mouse battle of wits between Light and L as they constantly try to outsmart each other. But what makes it interesting is the fact that you’re following the story of a protagonists who is pretty much a serial killer, and you actually weirdly kind of root for him. This show is also all on netflix, and is 37 episodes.

EDIT: It has been pointed out to me that the character of Misa, who works as a model, could be considered as sexualised at a few certain moments, although I would say she’s in control of her own sexuality. You’re welcome to your own opinions on this. But nevertheless, it’s a show that isn’t riddled with fanservice shoved in your face.

4. Golden Time

“Accident or amnesia, you can’t rewind your life and start again. If you struggle, you’ll just hurt yourself, and the people around you.”

Due to a tragic accident, Banri Tada is struck with amnesia, dissolving the memories of his hometown and past. However, after befriending Mitsuo Yanagisawa, he decides to move on and begin a new life at law school in Tokyo. But just as he is beginning to adjust to his college life, Mitsuo’s ex-girlfriend Kouko Kaga dramatically barges into Banri’s life, and their chance meeting marks the beginning of an unforgettable year. However, the buried memories of the Banri before the accident sometimes resurface, transforming him into the person he was before with none of the memories of his current self.

Golden Time is a great mix of drama and romance, with the drama not neccesarily revolving around the romance. What I also like is that the romance isn’t just a ‘will they, won’t they?’, as it actually shows how the relationship plays out and how it copes under the pressure of Banri’s problems with amnesia. Plus it’s just another good story set in real life. It’s 24 episodes

5. Attack On Titan

“And just like that, everything changed. At that terrible moment, in our hearts, we knew. Home was a pen. Humanity, cattle.“ 

Living in a walled city hiding from giant strange humanoid monsters known as Titans isn’t the cushiest of lives, but the struggle and fight to survive in this show is a thrilling ride. Honestly, it has some of the best action scenes that visual media has to offer, all brilliantly directed and animated. It’s 24 episodes, though most will tell you to get to episode 5 before you write it off.

6. Madoka Magica

“Remember this… and take it to heart: kindness sometimes leads to even greater tragedy.”

I literally can’t say anything about this without spoiling it, but make sure you watch until the end of episode 4 before judging it. It’s also only 12 episodes in length. The best part about watching this show is that you can then show it to other people and grin evilly as you watch their reaction to it…

As per the theme of this list, it doesn’t have anything awkward, sexual, or immoral. All you need to know is that it’s really quite a good story, and it’s a fun cute show about magical girls. Honest!…

7. Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions

"I am the eye of the wicked lord, member number zero, Rikka Takanashi!“

An entertaining show about high schoolers who’ve watched too much anime and now think they have superpowers, and have invented characters and backstories for themselves. This phase is known as ‘chunibyo’ in Japan. Also along for the ride is our protagonist Yuuta, who’s already grown out of that phase but still finds himself roped into the ‘Far East Magical Society’.

It all starts off silly, but there is actually a bit meat to the story as it goes along. Best of all, it eventually leads to a really sweet relationship in the second season that actually shows a very good demonstration of consent. Yuuta won’t do anything his girlfriend isn’t ready for, even if it means they can’t kiss or even hold hands initially. Her delusional ‘chunibyo’ state also adds an interesting element to the relationship. Basically, I came out of this show all ‘OTP’ for them xD

Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions is 24 episodes long in total, including both seasons.

8. Ouran High School Host Club

“Listen, Senpai, I don’t really care whether you guys recognize me as a boy or a girl. In my opinion it’s more important for a person to be recognized for who they are rather than for what sex they are. “

As the only lower class student in a school for the incredibly wealthy, Haruhi has nowhere near the money to pay for the vase they accidentally breaks in the schools ‘Host Club’. (a service unique to Japan where you can basically hire time with an attractive man at a cafe and have him treat you like a lady. Yes, really.) As such, Haruhi is contracted to work off their debt at the host club and is given the job of making the female customers swoon over them. However it’s only after Haruhi is hired that the rest of the men at the host club realise that Haruhi is biologically a girl. Nevertheless, the customers don’t seem to notice.

Ouran Highschool Host Club is a fun entertaining show with great likable characters, and Haruhi is the perfect neutral foil to all the personalities in the show. It’s actually kind of funny as well, though of course humour is highly subjective. The show seems to be quite popular with female audiences, but I would say that anyone can find enjoyment from this show. This anime is 26 episodes long.

9. Wolf Children

"You might think this sounds like a fairy tale. You might even laugh at my story. You probably think that stuff like this just doesn’t happen. But everything I tell you is true. This is the story about my mother, and the wolf man she fell in love with." 

An excellent film that’s great to just get lost in for the duration of it’s admittedly lengthy runtime. Wolf Children is the story of a woman raising two rather different children after a romantic encounter with a werewolf in human form. Unsure as to whether to raise these children as wolves or humans, the mother does her best to support them no matter the challenges. Honestly a really enjoyable movie. Recommended if you like Studio Ghibli.

10. Clannad

“I was only living because it was too much trouble to die. I got up in the morning, went to work, I ate dinner, and then I went to sleep at night. It’s like my body was doing it out of habit.”

Clannad is probably most well known for being most anime fans first experience with the ‘feels train’. The first season of delinquent student Tomoya’s adventures in helping out anyone he comes across in school while ditching class, and it’s all good slice of life stuff with the occasional good moments of drama. But most people will tell you that the second season, Clannad: After Story, is where it gets into the real meat of it.

Clannad is another character driven story, with drama, romance, and a slight hint of the supernatural.

And there we have it. Overall, it was an interesting challenge making this list. There are a lot more than 10 anime that fit this criteria, but I only wanted to include the ones I thought were in the top 10. The challenge came from the fact that I chose to exclude any show that had even one instance of an uncomfortable moment. By that logic, I had to exclude Future Diary even though I love it, as well as Steins;Gate despite it’s eventually thrilling story. I even had to exclude ‘Love Live! School Idol Project’ in spite of it mostly being the most innocent thing ever, all thanks to Nozomi’s imfamous ‘washi washi’ scene that was basically sexual harrassment disguised a ‘mischievious’ joke. (Fans actually complained about that and in response, she didn’t do it at all in season 2).

However, I still recommend those shows, especially Future Diary and Steins;Gate for their plotlines, but you have to be willing to overlook just a single awkward moment in each. (maybe 3 moments for Future Diary) Anyway, I hope this was helpful :)

[skinnedhearts]

love scars

He doesn’t know when the scars first became a symbol of love.

From an outside view, his mental image of them can be seen as some fucked up game Micah chooses to ignore the warning sides to — collect them all! The expanse of his skin at some point had become that similar to a paper card handed to frequent visitors at a shop; a stamp for each visit with ten being the goal for a free prize.

Micah had lost count of how many stamps he had collected already.

“You’ve got to stop doing this.” Reva had jammed her chipped, gray nail polished index finger against the side of his neck, purposely hitting the freshly tended wound that Quinn had just patched up.

“Reva…” Quinn’s tone was laced with concern and warning.

Reva simply chose to ignore it, further digging her finger into Micah’s neck where she watched his tainted blood stain the gauze cloth on his injury, “Is this some fucked up game to the two of you? Where’s the end goal? When you’re dead!?”

“Enough, enough…!” Micah erupted in a sea of whines, his hand slapping away at Reva’s in pain. “So he went a little overboard with the biting this time,” he shrugs, “It ain’t like I’m dead.”

“Darling—”

“You’re a fucking idiot.” Reva cuts into whatever Quinn had to say, “Why are you so bent on still sleeping with the guy, it’s not like you don’t have other boytoys around to fuck.”

“Because he’s in love…” Finally able to speak, Quinn’s words plummet the room into silence.

Of course that was the obvious answer to it all, Reva was aware of that much as well. But deep down… a part of her had still hoped that her dumb cousin didn’t bear the constant injuries he’d obtained because of such a troublesome emotion. It wasn’t that Reva didn’t wish for his happiness, no. Call it fear and concern that she wasn’t sure how to express — that one day, Micah would cease to exist.

♥

He had a habit of studying every mark on his body.

Though his time alone inside the house was rare, Micah knew that he could always count on the brief window he obtained the moment he wandered into the bathroom to turn on the shower and let the sound of the water stream fill the room.

“I’m probably going to take a while so out, out,” he had nudged Nameless out of the bathroom, giving him no chance to inspect the damage that was left behind on his body.

Micah knew that Nameless wasn’t dumb, somewhere in between their moments spent together under the sheets, he knew that his streams of pleasured filled moans had hitched into sounds of pain in the middle of it all. Many times in those moments, Nameless would pull away — rare times in other moments, Micah would distract any concern with a simple roll of his hips and a breathless plea for more.

“Micah…” Nameless’ voice held a warning to it, a silent command demanding to see. The tone only made Micah’s heart twist.

“I’m fine,” He interjected back in response, the burning sensation he felt on his hips and blood dripping down the new wounds on his skin saying otherwise. “You want to pamper me that badly, babe? I’m touched… How ‘bout you go fetch me something to eat then. I've got a meal in the fridge that I've been saving, if I'm lucky enough, Inigo has probably yet to eat it."

"Why are you being so damn stubborn about this as if I didn't hear the noise you made earlier."

Micah sighed, "Because I'm fine…" Through the bathroom door still slightly opened ajar, Micah reached out to gently cup Nameless' face with his hand — with his thumb, he stroked circles on the curve of Nameless' cheek, "I'm in one piece, aren't I?"

Tender… Micah's golden eyes drowned in a honeyed tenderness that took in every detail of Nameless' face. From the dip in between his displeased, furrowed brows, to the doubt in his eyes, Micah soaked it all in.

"I just wanna take a quick shower. Think I deserve that much considering the fact that someone likes to dirty me everywhere."

The response isn't one that Micah wants, but his stubbornness is what makes Nameless pull back with a sigh, "You're letting me see after you're out of the shower."

"No promises, sweetheart."

Before another cycle of disagreement could begin, Micah closes the bathroom door. His sigh is a silent one, a sudden exhaustion washing over his entire body. Every small movement, every gentle shifting; all of it causes the muscles in his body to cry out in pain. But it’s in front of this full body mirror hooked onto the bathroom wall that he can turn his body one way and then another — some faded out scars here, some new, dried up scabs there… And on his hips, Micah lets the tips of his fingers gently stroke the freshly done marks with a touch as light as a feather.

His blood smears onto his freckled skin, but he pays no mind. His attention solely focused on the way his fingers looked above the indents where Nameless’ fingers had deeply dug into his skin to the point of piercing. No one would agree with his thought process, but to Micah, these injuries felt like home.

♥

“You should get rid of them.”

“I already said I’m not going to.”

“Are you that sick in the head?” Asya’s voice holds an edge to it, a displeased growl laced in anger and hidden concern, “Nevermind. Don’t answer that.”

“Aw, after all these years, you finally know me like the palm of your hand? I’m touched, Kier.”

Asya isn’t pleased. Of course he isn’t. Though Micah hoped that he would somehow be able to talk himself out of this current predicament he’s found himself in, he knows that a broken bone is a lot harder to ease the edge out of than some cuts and bruises.

In our defense, it’s not the first time a bone has been broken. He wishes to say, but he knows the statement would not ease the situation regardless of how much truth it held.

Yes, it was unfortunate that his arm still held an intense ache despite the majority of the shattered bones in his arm being healed; and of course, there was no greater turn off to sex than his sudden shouts in pain, but he was no stranger to a few chipped bones. He really wasn’t…

Sometimes, in the heat of it all, Micah would rarely notice the way Nameless’ hands would grip too tight around his arms. His only focus in those moments being how good it felt to be pinned down against the mattress, touched in ways that made him feel so, so wanted. He craved for that desperation the most, he thrived off the intensity of it all rising the moment his legs wrapped around Nameless’ waist to pull him closer — I want you… he’d gasp into the shell of Nameless’ ear, just you, you, you…

( Micah’s punishment would come the next day, when he’d wake up with his arms unbearably sore and swollen; dark, nasty bruises in the shapes of fingers signaling the injured area.

Fractured, Tea would run a smoke covered hand above Micah’s wounds at a later time. At this point, he was unphased. At this point, Micah knew not to glance at Nameless’ face during it all. You have but a fool’s luck. This could have been two broken arms.

Maybe so… Micah hums, his legs kicking and swaying as he sits on top of the kitchen counter. But it wasn’t, so we’re all good now, right?

Wrong. He knew this, he really, really did… but he’d always hope it wouldn’t be the last time. )

“Look,” Asya began, and Micah instantly understood his tone of voice as a lecture to come. “Quinn and I have been talking, she thinks there’s a way we can get rid of the scars without her personally taking an effect. You don’t have to keep living with all the marks you’ve gotten, Micah. It’s fine to get rid of them.”

“It’s my choice to keep them, isn’t it?” Micah hisses, his body tensing in defense similarly to a mother cat protecting her children. Similarly to a witch desperate to be in love, protecting the only marks he can keep of his lover. “I don’t know why you, Revs, and Quinn give me such a hard time ‘bout them. My body, my rules. I didn’t know I somehow belonged to all three of you, too.”

“You’re romanticizing them, Micah. You’re getting hurt.”

“Oh, so now the paranoid, jealous hypocrite wants to speak to me about what’s healthy and what isn’t.”

Asya responds with silence, and Micah sighs with guilt.

“I’m sorry, it’s just…” Too embarrassed to meet Asya’s eyes, Micah glances away to where Nameless resides at a distance with Tea; possibly going over Micah’s newly obtained injuries. “We can’t be together, y’know. Not the way I want us to… It’s funny… I never really realized how much I longed to be in a sappy, disgusting relationship the way you have one with Sylvs. With the kissing and the y’know,” he gestures vaguely with his one uninjured hand. “The closest I get is this weird no label thing.”

“... But don’t you think this is still good enough?”

“You tell me, Kier.” Micah glances back at Asya, sunset meeting forest land. “Would you be content never having anything official with Sylvee? Knowing that one day, one can just walk away and you can’t hold the other back because it’s not like you ever had anything solid to begin with.”

Asya can’t help but sigh, and Micah knows that at least for now, he’s won this miniscule dispute.

“You can’t keep seeing these scars as your only symbols of love, Micah…” Asya still speaks, settling on the couch next to Micah where he picks up the arm brace Tea was meant to strap on him before calling Nameless aside. “Not to come off as a smartass over the obvious that you’ve done already, but try talking to him, you got that?”

Without an instant response, Micah gently strokes the scars in shape of puncture wounds peeking out from the holes in his ripped jeans. He knows Asya has a point, he knows everyone who’s ever spoken to him has had nothing but insightful advice to say, but in the moments where Micah feels himself work up the courage to speak, to confess the love that’s been bubbling up like a geyser deep within his heart; ready to burst… self destructiveness is a hell of a drug that kicks in.

And though he knows that Nameless himself has a better head in his shoulder — proven the times he ignores Micah’s advances and tucks him into bed with such tenderness (how it aches, it always aches…), he can’t help but fear that if he were to speak, it would all come crumbling down.

“I’ll think about it.” Micah responds, and Asya knows that’s the most he’ll get out of him for now.

[tentativi-vani]

Gym Boss Interval Timer Review - Getting Into Killer Condition Using Interval Timers

Outside the projects that are intended to acquire a particular objective, for example, increments in 1RM quality, or an expansion in bulk, and so forth, molding exercises can likewise be a fundamental piece of an all around planned program. In my prior days, as most western coaches, I by and large overlooked General Physical Preparedness (GPP)/general molding when concentrating explicitly on an expansion in quality and LBM. The more western way to deal with expanding quality, bulk, or what ever the particular objective, is to just concentrate on the preparation that follows the objective, and by and large disregard everything else. For instance, on the off chance that you need to be acceptable at the powerlifts, simply practice the powerlifts, etc The Devil Is a Part-Timer manga That, pretty much, is the exemplary 'old school' western model, despite the fact that things have improved as of late as what functioned admirably for western quality competitors has affected eastern methodologies and tight clamp versa and present day mentors have reevaluated a portion of their methodologies as of late. Be that as it may, a large portion of your ordinary individuals in the rec center regularly neglect to acknowledge what amount has changed in the previous decade... One of the best quality mentors on earth, Lou Simmons, is a major advocate of GPP for quality competitors of various sorts paying little mind to their particular game. His article on the significance of GPP is an 'unquestionable requirement read' in my view.

Throughout the years, a gratefulness on my end for GPP was answerable for the expansion of my Hybrid/HIIT day as a component of Brink's Hybrid Training Program, which has prompted enhancements in body structure, quality, and GPP/molding, for the individuals who have tailed it. There are numerous approaches to joining GPP into a program, however that is not the focal point of this review; I urge individuals to peruse Simmon's article on the theme. Other effective SnC mentors/contenders, for example, Dave Tate and others, are likewise advocates of brilliantly applied GPP. How GPP is applied depends somewhat on the objectives of the individual, experience levels, and so on., so some exploration is justified before bouncing into it.

Can the keen/suitable use GPP preparing - other than the undeniable advantages to wellbeing and molding - improve one a force lifter, a superior muscle head, a superior competitor in any case? As I would like to think, the appropriate response is yes.

In light of all that, I needed to talk about one of my preferred thingamajigs called the Gym Boss Interval (GBI) clock, and how I as of late utilized it in my GPP/Conditioning day.

The GBI clock is one of those "why the damnation didn't I think about this?!" straightforward devices, that in spite of the fact that not fundamental to a program as such, adds such a great amount of accommodation to any exercise that includes an interim or some likeness thereof, you don't have the foggiest idea how you lived without it.

Basically, it's a cheap clock that will follow two separate occasions interims and join them for you into a solitary program. For HIIT preparing, it's an absolute necessity have device. In any case, I think that its helpful for different exercises that includes any sort of interim time between activities, or rest periods. What follows is an ongoing GPP/molding day I followed that is a present most loved of mine, and how the GBI Timer was utilized.

This specific day calls for:

•10 minutes of HIIT preparing

•10 minutes of substantial pack work

•10 minutes of parallel medication ball divider crushes

I set the GBI clock for a 30 second: brief interim that endures 10 minutes in length. The clock will signal after every interim, so no watching timekeepers on the divider or show on some machine while attempting to concentrate on not kicking the bucket during HIIT!

The three meetings during the current day are finished with negligible rest between them. What amount of rest? 'Till you can go onto the following one. On the off chance that you can hop directly from the HIIT meeting to the substantial sack work, put it all on the line. I for the most part need a couple of moments to get my legs to work appropriately and my breathing back...

HIIT meeting for the afternoon:

The HIIT convention I use for this meeting goes like so: after a short warm up - 5 minutes or so on the treadmill - I will utilize a step stepper type machine and will do brief low power followed by 30 seconds hard and fast, and rehash. I will do that for 10 minutes, which is actually everything I can stand. At the point when I state "full scale" I mean 100% force, nothing kept down, as quick and as hard as my legs can move me, comparable state to a full run on a track.

Brisk significant note here: what a great many people consider HIIT isn't. A great many people who think they are doing HIIT are most certainly not. My full remarks on that can be found in my article "HIIT Training, would you say you are truly doing it?"

As referenced over, the Gym Boss Interval clock merits each penny with regards to HIIT thinking about how troublesome HIIT is (when done accurately!) and not monitoring the interims permits one to truly concentrate on the exertion.

Overwhelming Bag Session:

Overwhelming sack preparing, in the event that you have never done it, is incredibly burdening. Once more, the GBI clock is priceless to me as I simply need to concentrate on what I am doing versus taking a gander at the clock on the divider. Albeit one can absolutely change the interims on the clock, I like to adhere to my 30 second: brief interims for 10 minutes. I'm languid I presume.

The substantial sack is 30 seconds of overwhelming pack work, one moment of rest, rehash for 10 minutes. Substantial sack work isn't HIIT preparing. It is a type of interim preparing no doubt, yet it's not HIIT, nor is it prescribed to endeavor as obvious HIIT. On the off chance that you have never done any substantial sack work, it's most likely worth making some mentor there, taking a gander at some vids on the 'net. And so on. Overwhelming sack work can be challenging for the joints, and done mistakenly, lead to wounds to your wrists, and so on. How much genuine exertion you put into the overwhelming sack during the 30 second "go" interim, is directed somewhat by your involvement in it, also, that 10 minutes of HIIT that was simply done leaves one inclination very destroyed, trust me.

My recommendation, find a steady speed on the substantial pack. Ten minutes of that - quickly following a HIIT meeting - will be a lot harder then most may anticipate. Once more, the Gym Boss Timer works extraordinary here. No watching the clock (and I don't care for wearing a wrist watch when I train....) simply hearing the blare, and concentrating on the exertion.

Horizontal Move Med Ball Wall Smash:

The last third of this passing walk is the Lateral Med Ball Wall Smash: This one takes a touch of clarifying. On the off chance that you have worked with a medication ball, you realize they don't bob. The "drug ball divider crush" includes tossing a prescription ball with enough power for it to skip back at you off a divider. You push it away from you as though passing a b-ball to somebody utilizing two hands. Ball near body, push hard forward with two hands. With a prescription ball, standing state 3-5ft away, it requires some push to make it skip back at you. As you are doing that, you are moving along the side to one side or right. Clearly, you need a length of divider to do it.

Two, the divider you utilize MUST be made of block/soot square/stone. On the off chance that you give this a shot a common indoor divider made of sheet rock for instance, you will make enormous gouge/entire in the divider, and proprietor of said divider won't be content with you...ask me how I know... At my rec center, the structure is made of ash squares, so as long as I am utilizing an outside divider, I'm all set. I for the most part utilize a vacant vigorous exercise room/studio for this.

I will go left 20-30ft, at that point back the other path along the divider to the extent I have until the 30 second clock of the GBI clock blares, at that point rest a moment and rehash. Once more, when added to the last two area of this GPP/Conditioning day, this is significantly more troublesome then it might sound. Alright, perhaps a portion of the 20 something studs perusing this will blow directly as the day progressed, however I'm toast subsequently.

[sauteedsuns-blog]

Hack Summoners War

There are numerous phone rpgs with great sharp graphics and a lot of items to collect, but many of them are not pleasing if you without a doubt continue to enjoy them download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. to breakout into battle along with the only answer finished up increasingly being to develop an area to stay different types download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. intense or inadequate vs individuals download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. |What helps save this procedure from increasingly being thoroughly unbalanced is actually that any beast can consequently prove to be leveled to a maximum of and which includes half a dozen Nearly 30 of those crystals might possibly be obtained everyday, that is definitely 1/3 through the mystical summon, however they may also be used for significant buildings, further electrical power, or some other area battles download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Though monsters be be highly effective choices, yet they will also be awakened by gathering material from dungeons download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Everybody exploring to obtain an especially entertaining and addicting phone hack definitely should most definitely give that a person a look at that wonderful handle and sharp graphics by himself download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. any extra dollars to blow!!! Can actually draw mankind!!! Still another idea that any of us seriously prefer (hack designers) com2us, would look at altering is: the opportunity allow finish communications with neighborhood pals illustration: the make trades, or purchase of monster's amongst others located in groups for crystal's and other for incorporated runes download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Summoners battle awake2 for that reason it runs that at the time you put a natural stone to the software program retail store it, the things you strike arrives nearly similar to the next, accurate? Properly, just about every single every now and then, you likelihood over a game title subject that is without a doubt without a doubt crazy high quality (at the least when compared to other things at the industry) download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Struggle scheme struggle is much like common control console rpg types in which all component, your lineup along with the enemy’s, consume a simply turn-established scheme determined by their a number of full speed stats download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Particular conditions can cause condition problems - much of that happens to be one of a kind, or at excellent, hard to find inside rpg variety, like producing models not able to prove to be cured, or engaging damages proportionate to one’s health related (consider gravity miracle at the ff series) download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. |Skillzoom a fireplace-enter fairy, for instance, doesn't very easily have some other elemental alignment when compared to regular moisture-enter fairy, even when they are participating in reveal alike bottom stats download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. This is dependent upon the monster’s proficiency and stats, and so as to make a formidable squad, you will desire to use performance-up and evolve your monsters, or use the not too long ago-created beast fusion feature download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Particular teams of runes give reward stats as well , download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. For each rune port and rune enter, there's a corresponding guide where one can farm citizens runes download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Together with the high quality aspect about reward exp is you do not really have to worry about going above the time reduce download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. It’s nicely-refined along with the scheme technicians are stretched, new and entertaining to find out download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Far apart from other beast-gathering phone generators, just about every single beast in Summoners War Hack Apk provides one of a kind proficiency and personality that allow it to tackle distinct handle positions, being a aquarium part, an aid part, a panic attack part, and combo positions with further customization changing at the game’s rune scheme download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Monster catalogue - a great deal of monsters to assemble, enhancement, and evolve to suit your playstyle download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. This rune product is needed to being successful in struggle as you can employed to cover deficiencies in monsters download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. |A very good feature of Summoners War Hack Apk is that gamers can write evaluations of monsters download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. This isn't made it simpler for seeing as some monsters that happens to be also known as are solely pointless other than using only as fodder to reinforce other monsters download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Summoner competitions is usually a hack made by plaid cap generators and playdek corporation download game summoners war sky arena mod apk., and in accordance with the 2009 game of the identical name download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Along with when you find yourself not, the sport is free of charge to examine, and you've picked up you win download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. There is not any undesirable vocabulary outside of "dammit" and no explicit sexual written content, quite a lot of the female stats are tested in-hack not to mention on reloading display screens putting on skimpy outfits that scarcely cover their busts download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. In addition, gamers usually requires form, increase, and boost their own mysterious head office download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. The seem to be development is expertly undertaken, along with the electrical power-established product is lucrative and facilitates for lengthy enjoy periods with no need to acquire everything download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Every week i’ll render files-run ideas to obtain an software program determined by its openly you can get user ratings download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. The topic “useless because” looks like just the right place to start with: this gamer appreciates the sport, but he looks like he is not using anywhere you want to download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Anybody victories download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. |Know how to make gamers need to pay out, not absolutely need to download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. read more neighborhood provides download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Certainly on commencing problems, gamers are showered with rewards and kickbacks, you will discover rarely boundaries to performing download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Better grind download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. At present an bug randomly failures the sport when commencing battles, taking in electrical power not to mention 1 of 3 guild struggle markers download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. The city Statement for use on your mother download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Normal water, blowing wind, fire, lumination, and black download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. |Really hope this made it simpler for! One of the better android os / ios rpg/methodology generators download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Summoner competitions is usually a prompt-performing, measures-stuffed greeting card hack just for two-4 gamers that they can tackle the purpose of summoners: impressive creatures who utilize the effectiveness of bizarre summoning precious gems to steer their race to conquest throughout the battle-split world of itharia download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Glory may be found only at the death through the opponent's summoner download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. I’ve noticed quite a lot associated with this game for almost any lengthy time, so i’m looking for a lot of shockingly impressive hack enjoy and a lot of entertaining inside the hack this was picked out for the dice tower’s ‘game inside the year’ grant in '09 download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. All over the fix-up you may be delivered to 3 or more inside the greeting card categories automatically: wall membrane, frequent models, together with your summoner download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Winner models are extremely impressive models with increased invade and health related in contrast to frequent models and they also will usually possess alot more impressive effects as well , download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. This really is serious seeing as every one of your models might possibly be used on an drain port beside a wall greeting card, and if you exhaust walls… you can not summon! (yes !, it is really bizarre that wall membrane will be required for summoning, but that is an component of the game’s enchantment, seriously!) the levels are quick and quick with few procedures taking place located in them all simply turn download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Moving along-for-handle you have to roll dice so as to get rid of handle download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. After that you take this stack by inserting a number of these charge cards facial skin-at the throw away stack similar to a card’s rate download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. |emerge as most entertaining greeting card enter simply because they help you find creative concepts and methods to create new decks out there, such as eradicating an rival component accordingly it may well visit your miracle stack to be employed down the road download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Faction-deck-expansions Whenever you acquire and even become the perfect catalogue you can start to mix them during deckbuilding download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. I understand i’m only a portion of the one that desires the fabulous exploring summoner competitions sleeves because 1! Summoner competitions was first fashioned being a two-gamer hack download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. summoners for his or her superfans download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. When you have not suffered the enjoyment of wall-summoning as of yet, you’re without a doubt missing out download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Just don't think the enticement to obtain some other factors will not likely back its nasty your head in a number of different places download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Finding out and gathering new bases over which you'll produce new, far better brawlers is unquestionably among the list of game's best charms, and this i found my own self coming back time and time again to achieve this once i'd just enough Summoner competitions [] is usually a crossbreed ccg / very little guide methodology hack fairly very much like mojang's really-awaited download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. |The iap is modeled with that of plaid hat's greeting card hack, with just about every single faction buying a "bottom" deck along with an development fix, obtainable for 99¢ all download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. As "events" comes with the various generators a whole lot more spell-like problems (sorceries and instants, in magic's words), this really is a situation through the disappointment, nonetheless it helps you encourage hack equilibrium and indicates that every meet is won determined by battleground practices with elevated deck development a plus but no "secure download game summoners war sky arena mod apk." Each and every faction plays differently, since the beginning to feel is classically exceptional dream, plaid cap discovered some attempt to deliver all faction an original atmosphere download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. That's also through which among the list of game's faults looks like: there is no chitchat feature download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. To turn into fair, no ipad device hack has released a superb That certain without a doubt puzzles me download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Accordingly, if starting with ten minutes and possess 30 just a few seconds every switch, your 10 second "traditional bank" will undoubtedly continue to be cut down using the Let us procure 1 aspect evident - summoner competitions is merely good - entertaining, correct, several factions, fabulous pushes, wonderful height and wide selection inside a quick hack download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. So there's tonnes to understand more to do with download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. |My only criticism relating to the stats is that lots of choices secret inside food list and do not really intuitive to get - maybe a touch more visibility on obtaining these stats would go a lengthy way download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. It requires serious amounts of get comfortable with the technicians and then determine the several models download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. The 1st aspect that i take delight in about summoner competitions takes place when the significant moment in time will work download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. In problem you missed it previous inside paragraph, you will definately get miracle for getting rid of an additional gamers download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. I really supplement the trendy for doing a good chore in acquiring living towards the playable events download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Logically, most hack vendors seem to come with vanished using this unit as a result of rate and prospect of having a new brand name, accordingly i a lot of want this promotional towards the ccg different kit cutting open download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. I am sure a bunch of playtesting typed in this, and this i would personally reckon that they can thought about producing when larger sized, and they also have to have decided for reasons uknown small measured deck labored even better download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Or, should you wish to take a peek at a lot more of my evaluations, you should think of the summoner competitions get good at fix (obviously), but you may also consider the amount of resistance, yomi, and battlecon download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. |There are a number areas that you should check out look at several different factions and development provides, but boardgamegeek download game summoners war sky arena mod apk.com is most probably the ideal method to obtain that download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. As soon miracle: the range greeting card scans moving spinning up using the web, fearful gamers sensed which your online world was hastening the conclusion through the dearest past time download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. The sprawling struggle grids atmosphere in the home throughout the ipad device (the new iphone rendition is pinched and difficult to work out at events) and navigating when using the struggles is a snap download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. can help you control just about every single facet of their dream military services download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Still, it's pleasant so that you can taste the confusing manner of summoner competitions without need of progressing to invest a cent onto it 1st download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. You may only gamble some other numbers the elves, yet still, you can possibly customize the desktop computer to your opposition deck download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. Shorter rendition: obliterate or simply be cleaned by helping cover their charge cards And dice reduced rendition: an optical illusion struggle hack that involves positional table enjoy, deck And wrists and hands leadership, and dice handle a whole lot more feature for the rectal with our midst: erik arneson (akapoliticalguy) performed an incredible chore summarizing the guidelines And measures inside a past opinionated game enthusiasts review… that you need |(yes !, you've my agreement to see And make it happen accurate now… just be sure that you gain in this case whenever you are complete or i’ll really have to submit the eater to get you download game summoners war sky arena mod apk.) here’s the a part through which i seriously declare why i did not find a beginner variety of summoner competitions lumbar region before the go on few events of 2010: i then finally previously had some other generators dollars, as a result of x-mas generosity of family And pals download game summoners war sky arena mod apk. And, when you find yourself all set to pile two decks together with each other, there’s a bunch of living space for all those actual summoner competitions decks inside field - despite greeting card sleeves! (could this summary be nowadays geekified? Carton put in adore?!) also incorporated are (apparently) the necessary dice And surfaces to achieve the game… together with a pleasant two-chunk premium quality table download game summoners war sky arena mod apk.