#yes i asked the mods and this entry is valid

[heyheyitsstillgay]

The front page on the next day's newspaper shocks all, as "It Is Revealed That Mayor Masters Is An Adult Virgin Who Cannot Spell Raisen"

[12raben]

Uninstalling Inteen & Nerfing ACR

Edit 07/10/21: I’ve seen, that this post has been liked and reblogged a lot. (Thanks for that!) But I just want to point out, that I changed some parts of my “romance mod system”. The current one can be found here. The information here is still valid, just wanted to clear up, what is up to date. :)

Ok, while some of you might be interested, others might not. For all of you, who are not interested: Here, have a nice picture of the Cullroth’s home and the Sunflower Inn from neighborhood view:

For the ones, who want to know, how I set up the new mods, and are not afraid of a good ol’ wall of text you may continue here:

So, one of the main-reasons, why I wanted to uninstall Inteen, is the fact, that it conflicts with everything, everybody and their cat. I read a post by simgigglegirl, where she explained, how she edited ACR to work with Romantic Standards (a mod I wanted to use for ages), so that was a motivation as well. And forgive me, but I’m getting the creeps, when an elder is heart-farting over a teen, who just aged up (so in my mindset is barely 12 years old). I wanted to get rid of that “feature” as well. ACR is hilarious at times, because sims are horny af, but I wanted the sims of twinhills to be somewhat modest. Drama: Yes. Unneccessary, stupid drama: Meh, sometimes, but -please- not all of the time. Raising the needed STR/LTR for romantic interactions was my solution, so far, but it did not always work. The love-triangle between Moira, Madleine and Hesel is somewhat disturbing. Midgethetree uploaded a mod to add a chance for death by childbirth. And how in the name of someone holy can you play a historical game without that mod? It’s also incompatible with Inteen.

Don’t get me wrong. Inteen and ACR are a great set and I used it for many years and I am very grateful, that people put their time and effort into the mods, so people, who are hopeless, when it comes to mods like myself, can enjoy the new features. And it’s all FREE. Simbology’s Inteen and ACR are still enjoyable and if used carefully do not blow up your game. They enhance your experience and will add many handy features.

Still, I wanted to get rid of Inteen, and so I did. I tried to make my progress as clear as possible, but I don’t know, if I succeeded. At the end of the post will be a list of all mods with links.

First, I made a list of the features, that Inteen had provided so far and I need for my gameplay, which was honestly more time consuming, than I thought. I dug through forum entries and mod desriptions just to see, what's even possible and/or compatible. At the end of the day I came to the conclusion, that I need:

teens, who are handled as adults, so they can get married, give birth, take over responsibilities etc. sooner

Chance for miscarriage, which is sad, but a feature, I don't want to miss

Romantic relationships only between adults/elders and teens, who are old enough

autonomy in romantic relationships, but not as strong as ACR, mainly for reproduction

And that was it. I thought, Inteen is such a big thing, surely there is more of it, that I need.... No. XD

So, after getting an idea on how to make the new set-up working (more on that later), I read instructions on how to uninstall inteen. Surely the uninstall-instructions of Inteen are there, but there are a few tips, I found here (post #15). This is, what I gathered; Quick and dirty:

Make a backup. I feel, there is always the need to say that.

Terminate any teen-pregnancy in your game (luckily no need for that in Twinhills)

Delete the Inteen-files in your program files and in your downloads folder EXCEPT Inteenimater_C. It contains the miscarriage memory. Deleting it will cause corruption, when a sim already had a miscarriage. If you don’t want to keep the memory file, you’ll have to delete the memory and all of it’s traces with Simpe and I have no clue on how to do that.

Gather and Install new Mods :D

There is a whole ton of things, I feel like, I have to explain, so you’ll understand, why I made specific changes. Alright. Let’s follow my own list of features, I needed and how I incorporated them with the new mods:

Teens, who are handled as adults & Romantic Relationships between Adults/elders and teens, who aren’t too young That was easy and hard at the same time. I use Midgethetree’s Independent Teens. Teens become for all purposes adults, but they’ll still look like teens. Perfect. Excactly, what I wanted. The only problem with that: The span of independent teens only lasts 7 days in the original setup. I use Almighty Hat’s Aging mod, so my sims spend 24 days as teens. (In Almighty Hat’s calculation one year equals 4 days. Which make the lifespan of teens 6 years, from 14 years old till 20 years old) So, 7 days is really not long enough in my setup. Luckily Midgthetree included Bcons to edit the mod to my liking. My sims will spend 8 days as young, innocent teens, who do not woohoo and if they have romatic relationships, they’ll only have them with other teens their age. The rest of their teen years (16 days), they’ll spent as independent teens, who are for all intents and purposes adults. This also gets rid of the fact, that elders/adults hit on teens, who are way to young. Any sim, who wants a college education, will spent 8 day as a teen, 8 days as an independent teen and 8 days as a young adult, because I use Dave Luv’s Faster College Education Mod, which is very much compatible with Squinge’s Mega College Pack. Only problem, mortia mentioned, when I discussed diffrent alternatives to Inteen with her, is the fact, that independent teens do not go to school. I don’t have a school in Twinhills so far, so that is not a big deal. I think, when the time arrives and I do have a school and a college in Twinhills, I will eighter have independent teens employed in their future career or will make a student career, where they can earn skill points with chance cards. I also use Cyjon’s Edukashun Iz Gud, so the independent teen’s maximum level for any career is level 5, even if they had a A+ grade in high school. The third option (which is my favourite) is to have an actual college/school lot for independent teens, who aspire to have a college degree. The best I can think of right now, is eighter to have a few apartments, where sims rent only a room and can study in the common area or to have them live at home and set up a community lot as a school. Uuh, the community lot could be owned by a sim, who is also enrolled in the education career and his employees are professors. (Who I could add as another pool of marriageable sims... yeah, I really like that idea...) Maybe an idea for the set up of guilds? I have no idea on how to include them in my game so far, so maybe that would be a good start. Maybe it will be a mix of all of the above depending on the sim’s social status? But I digress... Sorry.

Chance for miscarriage That one was easier, than I thought. I installed Chris Hatch’s Alternate Pregnancy Controller. Yes, it also enables teens to become pregnant, even if they are not independent teens. But I myself will have to make my sims reproduce, if the parents are teens. And if I don’t, they won’t. I have full control over teen pregnancies except for teens, who run away or teens, who sneak out. Midgethetree extracted Risky sneak out and Risky Runaway, which matches my taste perfectly. Teens, who rebel and do not follow the rules, aka run away from home/sneak out without their parents permission, are more likely to have a child out of wedlock. *evil cackle* Excellent.

Autonomous reproduction Frankly, when you read through simler90′s complete mod description for romantic standards, it’s so engaging and interesting, I wonder, why this mod doesn’t have more likes. (145 updates?! Come on, even if you don’t like the mod, that is impressive.) I encourage you to read the whole description, because honestly: It made me really excited! The progression of romances in the game are much slower and sims need a little time to warm up before they’ll consider to woohoo. They’ll value their existing relationships and depending on the version you get, it can be based on chemistry. You can add or remove autonomy add ons or get rid of them. It’s highly adjustable. I like this setup much, much more than ACR’s “I just met you and this is crazy, but there’s a hottub, so woohoo maybe?” (Simler90 has also a mod to overhaul the attraction system, you should check out.) Still, I can’t deny the allure of surprise pregnancy, that comes with ACR. Luckily as mentioned above simgigglegirl had the idea to use romantic standards and ACR side by side. She also uploaded the updated ACR-controller, which I think, is really kind. The problem, I ran into, was again the age span. ACR only considers the ingame age, so pretty much all adults in my game are too old to get pregnant this way. But glorious as she is, Almighty Hat included an edited version of the ACR controller to work with her age mod. Simgigglegirl asked Midgthetree for help and I follwed the instructions to edit Almighty Hat’s version of ACR. And lo and behold! It worked out for me! ACR is not uninstalled from my game, but the only option available for sims is reproduction. So, deprived romance sims can still woohoo all the way with strangers like before and knock up/be knocked up, but every other romantic encounter will take time and effort for them. Also, jealousy is handled so much better by romantic standards. The sim will always take into consideration, how serious the relationship has been before they explode and slap the cheater.

Phew. That took some time. As promised here is a list of the mods I use for the intermingling of sims (and the ones I mentioned, but not linked above).

ACR, with an edit by simgigglegirl (follow midgthetree’s instructions on how to edit ACR yourself, if you use a diffrent version of ACR)

Romantic Standards by Simler90 (+all add ons)

New Turn Ons - Young Adult + Education + Aliens + Influential + Travel + Great Dancer + Pet Lover + Great Fighter + Eye Colours + Rich + Poor by SImler90 (You can pick and choose, which version you like the most.)

Age Transition Teens keep loves from Simblogy

Chrishatch Alternate Pregnancy Controller

Independent Teens by Midgethetree

Risky Honeymoon, Runaway, Sneak Out by Midgthetree

Death by Childbirth by MidgetheTree (slightly altered the Bcon, so sims who are younger are also affected, but the chance is significantly lowered, so sims, who give birth in later stages won’t die no matter what)

PregRel by Chris Hatch - look for “pregnancy relationship change“ Original Instuctions: “ For when a sim's pregnancy first shows and those around her realize she's pregnant. If she is a teen living at home (with at least one biological parent) her parents will become furious with her and lose a lot of LTR and STR toward her. Just how furious and how much of a relationship drop depends on her school grades. Parents of A+ students will get a lot more upset than those whose daughter wasn't doing so well at school. If she's married, engaged or going steady and the baby is not from her spouse, fiancé or boyfriend and he figures that out then he will also get mad at her and lose a lot of LTR and STR. If they've never had a woohoo he'll know the baby can't be his, otherwise he needs a logic skill of 300 (out of 1000 or 3 bars) or more to realize. If he has a logic skill of 750 or more he'll also figure out who the real father is and get mad with him as well. There is also a small LTR and STR increase from the baby's father to the mother when he realizes that she's carrying his child. That is unconditional and applies regardless of if they are married or he was just a fling.” If only it would affect reputation as well *sigh*)

NoBiGenderPreferenceDecrease by DeeDee

ACR Asexual Plugin by Midgethetree (For nuns and monks, who should not woohoo)

It's the Proportion -Gestation-Based Age Duration Mod by Almighty Hat

Edukashun Iz Gud by Cyjon

Faster College Education by Dave Luv

Mega College Pack by Squinge

And that’s it. I hope you’ll find this information useful! Please consider install instructions and load order.

Happy simming! :D

[khrrarepairweek]

Frequently Asked Questions

I’m curious, what is this week all about?

KHR Rarepair Week is a fanweek dedicated to the many rare ships of our beloved manga/anime series, Katekyo Hitman Reborn!

Awesome! So what exactly do I have to do?

Anything you can think of! As long as it is your original work, it will be gladly accepted.

Do you like writing? Fanfiction is the air we breathe!

You’re savvy with editing? Gifs/graphics are a delight.

You’re an amazing artist? Fanart is our lifeblood!

Perhaps you have a lot of ideas, or maybe a list of songs that remind you of a certain rare pair? Headcanons and fanmixes or AMV’s are always welcome! So are songs, cosplay, moodboards and any kind of other fanworks!

Again, as long as it is original (not reposted… that’s a no-no, tsk tsk), then anything under the sun is possible.

However, if a certain post happened to inspire you, then we say go for it! Just remember to credit the original poster, and please do make sure that the inspired work is an original one as well.

Alright, let’s do this! *has completely no idea what to do/is overwhelmed with a lot of ideas* Uhmm, help?

Fear not, dear one! We try to provide a list of prompts that might help guide your creativity. .

Next to that, if you have no idea what pairing to write for, we have a list of suggestions right here: x  (Please note: this list was compiled in 2018, please cross-reference this with our list of the current top 10 AO3 pairings before starting to write. The top ten changes from time to time).

Remember: The prompts are just your guides, and doesn’t have to be followed to a T. If you’re inspired by something else, then go for it! Everything is also subject to your own interpretation, so have fun playing with them.

Aw, bummer. I don’t think I’ll be able to do all of them. Is it alright if I skip a day or just choose a particular day?

It is most certainly alright! Don’t worry, it’s a lot of days and a lot of prompts too! No need to feel pressured.

Just Keep Calm and Rarepair On!

(Alternately) I want to do all of them, but I won’t be able to post it on the day itself! Can I submit/post it beforehand?

As much as possible, we are encouraging creators to post on the day of the given prompt, in their most convenient time. Also, Tumblr has this nifty little thing called ‘queue’, which lets you schedule a post, so you might want to consider that option. But, if both are not feasible, then please tell us so, and we’ll make accommodations. However, please know that we will post it on the day the chosen prompt was scheduled.

But I love both of the prompts! Can I submit more than one work a day?

Of course! The more KHR rarepair content, the better! Just make sure to label/tag/link properly so we’re not reblogging duplicates. We suggest including the prompt used in the body of the post, so we can also identify where it’s supposed to go in the blog’s tagging system. Feel free to do multiple pieces for one day/prompt!

Are NSFW entries allowed?

We accept NSFW submissions, but as we want to make this blog and this week accessible to all parties, we won’t directly be reblogging these submissions. Instead, we’ll post a list of all NSFW submissions made to each prompt at the end of the day. You are, of course, strongly urged to post your work to the AO3 collection, regardless of whether or not your works are SFW.

Please make it a point to label/tag NSFW and trigger-warnings appropriately.

(This is to ensure that no one accesses NSFW content without knowing exactly what they’re walking into. Or accidentally reads any work with content that could potentially trigger/upset them.)

I have my own blog though. Can’t I just post it there?

It’s your work, so of course you can post it there, silly goose! Then we are going to reblog it from there.

The purpose of this blog is just to collate all the works, so fans would have a go-to place if they want to see/check out the works again.

Basically, this blog exists for archiving and posterity’s sake.

*squints eyes* Are you sure you’re going to reblog it?

We will, promise. Scout’s Honor! We have to ask you to follow the tagging guidelines properly though.

Our tracked tag is #khrrarepairweek2020 (or, in case of a mini-event, the appropriate mini-event tag mentioned on the prompt post), so please make sure that they are within the first five tags of your work.

You may also link the blog directly, in the body of your post.

But, should it happen that we missed your post for some reasons, then feel free to send us a message, and maybe a link so we can reblog it.

But what about me? I’m too shy to post it in my own blog (>_<) Can I submit directly here instead?

Sure! The submission box is open just for that. :)

This is all so interesting, but I’m afraid I won’t be able to fully participate, but I really do support your cause. What can I do to help?

Thank you for the interest! Reblogging the announcement post whenever you come across it would be very helpful in spreading the word and recruiting more people to join our cause. Please help us signal boost as much as you can!

What counts as a rarepair?

As we only accept rare pairings, it’s logical this would come up! Our definition of rare pairing is as follows: any pairing not in the top ten pairings on AO3. That means we do not accept entries with these pairings:

Gokudera Hayato/Yamamoto Takeshi

Reborn/Sawada Tsunayoshi

Superbi Squalo/Xanxus

Hibari Kyouya/Sawada Tsunayoshi

Gokudera Hayato/Sawada Tsunayoshi

Dino/Hibari Kyouya

Hibari Kyouya/Rokudou Mukuro

Sawada Tsunayoshi/Xanxus

Rokudou Mukuro/Sawada Tsunayoshi

Reborn & Sawada Tsunayoshi

Everything else, however, is fair game.

Do threesomes count or are you just accepting "pair" pairs?

Threesomes are fine and so is poly and/or harem!

I was just wondering for this rare pair does it have to be romantic ships or can it be like platonic ships as well?

We accept all kinds of ships for this event, including platonic and aromantic! The content we’re attempting to generate aims at fics that have interaction between characters who don’t always interact with each other, so all kinds of interaction are lovely. How explicit, inexplicit, ship-py or not you want to make this interaction is up to you.

If I already have a work in progress, can I add it to the collection regardless of how long I posted it on AO3? Or does it have to be a brand new work for the rarepair week?

This is a perfectly valid question, but I’m afraid we’re going to have to say no. Mostly because, while we’d love to have your work, this week was started because all of us wanted to generate more content for rare pairs in the fandom. Meaning linking works that have already been posted or are WIPs defeats the purpose.

However, we’re happy to have offshoots of a previously published work, or a WIP! Meaning, if you’d like to write and submit a separate one-shot set in the same ‘verse as your WIP for the week, we’d be glad to have it.

I’m writing fic for my entries, are there any word count restrictions? 

No, entries can be however long you want. You could have a multi-chaptered fic, or write one-shots, whatever you like! The goal of the KHR rarepair week is creating more content, so don’t feel the need to set the bar high if you don’t feel like it! A 100-word drabble? More than enough if that’s what you want to do!

On the Topic of OC Ships In the 2018 event, we allowed Canon Character/OC ships. At the time, there was no definite conclusion that us mods could come to so we decided to allow OC ships and would revisit it at a later time. We mods have finally come to answer.

We have chosen to define the following:

Rarepair – a pairing between canonical characters that is not popular.

Popular – in the top ten relationship tags on archiveofourown.org

Canonical Characters – a character we know at least the following 1) their name, 2) their appearance 3) the tiniest bits of personality and ideally 4) history. A loose rule of thumb: Can you google them and find canonical information? If yes, then you’re good.

Based on the definitions above, we regret to say that OC Ships are not allowed. And as always, crossover ships are allowed. (Crossover characters fit our canonical character definition, despite them not being from KHR)

We hope you’ve learned enough about the event! If you still have questions, just hit the ask box and we’ll get back to you as soon as the mods are able! :)

We would like to thank the lovely mods of @kurodai-week​ for allowing us to use their FAQ as a base!

[my-brothers-corrupted]

Guidelines for My Brothers, Corrupted

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

What are the boys called?

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

Jackie - Red (or Hoodie)

Marvin - Blue (or Kitty)

Henrik - Doktor (or Deutsch)

Chase - Trickshot

JJ - Dapper (or Carver or Monochroma)

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

What can I send?

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

Why haven’t you answered my ask?

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

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

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

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

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

My internet or yours is being an asshole

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Do you tag triggers?

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

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

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

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

[hqrarepairbang]

Q&A, Pt. 2: Interest Check

As we’ve received a few questions in the interest check, we’ll start answering them here!

--

I'd love to see triads/threesome be an option.

Poly ships are always welcome! Just be sure to read the FAQ to make sure it follows all the rules we’ve posted <3

i hope nsfw will be allowed?

As we’ve previously answered, the current mods are still indecisive with this topic, so we will wait until we’ve assembled the full mod team to decide! 

There are a couple of artists in the fandom I'd rather not work with (the feeling would be mutual) and its my first time being interested in a bang. I don't know how the match up would work, but it is possible to not work with certain people? I don't want to be a downer or seem like problem child! I just want to be certain before signing up (in case this event goes through!)

You’re completely valid and it’s not a problem at all! 

As this is a bang, writers will be submitting summaries to the mods and we will be creating a website of summary previews for the artists to view. The artists will then choose their top three summaries and that’s how the mods will match people up! 

When summary submissions begin, we will definitely have a place for artists and writers to mention if there are people in the event they are not comfortable working with. I hope this helps <3

Are any poly ships allowed? Whats the criteria for a ship to be considered a rarepair?

Poly ships are allowed! And please view the FAQ for the list of pairings not considered a rarepair! If you have further questions afterwards, please don’t hesitate to send us an ask!

Is it okay to join when one hasn't been active in the fandom for a very long time? Or do you prefer to only take on people that are active in the fandom right now?

Of course! This is an event to help revive the fandom and to build hype for the upcoming seasons, so anyone who loves Haikyuu and is interested in participating is welcome <3

How do you intend to do match-ups for the pairings? I have some notps and would like to know if I'm expected to write for them regardless of personal preference.

Match ups will be done as like any other bang. Writers will submit summaries to the mods and a website of summary previews will be created for the artists to view. The summary previews will be listed as Entry 1, Entry 2, etc. in order to avoid any bias in summary selection. The artists will then choose their top three summaries and the mods will match partners up by that! 

If you sign up as a writer, you will be choosing your own pairing and creating your own summary--you definitely won’t have to worry about creating for NOTPs! :)

I mean... judging by the low level of fan content, I would assume Ukatake qualifies as a rarepair? I would kill to do a Ukatake zine piece, I have daydreamed about that on many occasions!

Yes! UkaTake is considered a rarepair and we can’t wait to see your creation; however, we’d like to remind that this is a bang and NOT a zine. 

--

If you have any other questions/comments/concerns, feel free to shoot us an ask or drop one in the interest check!

[askanonbinary]

Idk if this is the right place but here’s a family member’s argument about using they as singular. I want to know how to explain to him that it’s correct and appropriate. Here’s his take. This didn't really say anything I didn't already know outside of her own opinion/solution, but to be honest, this is irrelevant. I'm not questioning the need for new language. I'm not denying the right to identity either. She says "some people used 'they' and it sounded weird, but then I got used to it". 1

It’s not a solution or even a compromise, it’s a “just do it” because they like this word, but they like this word too. I’m not against a community for pointing out a poor decision made by that community, I’m simply commenting on it, because that’s the whole point, right? A dialogue to relate for means of consensus. I apologize if I’m insulting you or making you feel upset, I promise that it’s not my intention and I love you. 2

Change is good and I understand why you either prefer “they” or support those who prefer “they”. The action and decision to support a community is mature and beautiful. I’m proud of you for that. I’m just saying they should’ve used another word. 3 final

Tell them to look it up in the dictionary and that “it sounds weird” isn’t a good reason to look down on it. I don’t like the word “moist” but that doesn’t make it not a valid word, nor does my personal feelings on it get to dictate whether or not it’s a useful term, and if I shudder and go “ew” anytime someone says “moist”, it just makes me look like an ass.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/theyhttps://www.dictionary.com/browse/they?s=thttps://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/they

You could also talk about how language naturally evolves over time (and mocking this makes you sound old and bitter). Ou and ha used to be gender neutral pronouns. I believe they may have fallen out of use in favor of they. As a singular pronoun, they has been around since the 13th century, which makes peoples protests against it especially hilarious, tbh. For a while, there was at least a push for he to be a gender neutral pronoun, though that eventually fell out of favor. And fun fact, you began replacing thee, thou, and ye out of use ages ago. I bet people complained about that, too, but was it for a good reason? I highly fucking doubt it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third-person_pronoun#Historical_and_dialectal_gender-neutral_pronounshttps://www.theodysseyonline.com/7-facts-about-the-history-of-gendered-pronounshttps://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/third-person-gender-neutral-pronoun-thon

You can also talk about how they/them is already in common use in everyday language (and even as singular, people just don’t realize how much they use it singularly) and that makes it very easy and useful for people to use rather than waiting for people to learn brand new pronouns (or brand new to them).

You could also talk about all the other pronouns that are in use (here’s just a few) and how people are diverse with different preferences, and that’s what makes us amazing. I always like to compare pronouns to names. Learning someone’s name is a basic step of common courtesy and respect. That doesn’t mean you have to know ALL the names in the world first. It just means when someone introduces themselves, you listen to their name, you learn it, and you respect it. Pronouns are the same. We’re incredibly diverse with a wide array of pronouns we can use. That doesn’t mean you have to know them all now. It means when someone introduces themselves with a new set, you take the time to learn it and you respect that. Along with this, you could also turn their rant back on them and ask them to just think about how they’d feel if, after introducing themselves to someone, that person went on a vent about how their name was spelled wrong or should be completely different because they would never name their child that name or something. I bet they’re defensive at first, but if they really thought about this question, they’d realize this would most likely bother them.

Finally, I would ask what the lecture and rant was for if they truly do support and understand those of us that use they/them pronouns. Sounds like your friend needs to stop and re-evaluate their real feelings and figure out what their hangup over they/them is really over because I can pretty much guarantee it’s transphobic in its roots. No matter how much they have tried to unlearn transphobia, we live in a transphobic society, we are all transphobic, and it is a constant process. But someone who complains that we’re “wrong” (who tf made your friend the ultimate language police lmaoooo) for the pronouns we use isn’t someone who has bothered unlearning this or actually accepts and respects this process. If you respect something, I don’t see why it would set you off on a ridiculous rant on how it is “wrong”.

If this is what your friend said to you, then this was really insidious, and I’m so sorry you had to sit through that pile of garbage. People cannot just say they are accepting and understanding and respecting. They show it. It does not matter how much your friend tries to preface this as acceptance, it’s not, and it’s something they need to work on. I’m sorry you had to hear this.

I hope what I said helps. If you google things like “why they pronouns are valid” or “singular they/them pronouns” or similar searches, you can also find some points by other people as well.

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/use-the-singular-they/https://www.teenvogue.com/story/they-them-questions-answered?verso=truehttps://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/respecting-theythem-pronouns_us_58c05c7be4b070e55af9eac7

Good luck! It’s awesome that you want to try and dialogue about this.

~ Mod Sock

[notpano]

Netflix Bundling 48 Hour Trials With Some Xbox 360 Games!

Many people won't be aware of it, but its possible to extend your Netflix trial interval for as long as you want.  You will have to arrange the Netflix application and new account on every console, Apple TELEVISION, Roku or Blu-Ray participant. 

You simply have premium membership of Netflix that is all, you can enjoy your favourite TV shows or movies anywhere, anytime. Moreover, no money can be deducted out of your bank card when creating the trial account.

Finally, this trick is for you not to must pay something yet know the way to get a free Netflix account each month. Where its predecessor supplied a depressing narrative and repetitive missions, for the sequel Ubisoft righted many of its wrongs, giving gamers a fun and unique sandbox to hack to their coronary heart's content. 

They're offering different prizes like a free cash gift card and two years free Netflix use. To help make that seek for the fitting streaming service a bit simpler, I've compiled list of on-line streaming providers with free trial periods. Certainly, you should utilise either Hotmail or Gmail as free electronic mail providers for this meant objective. As soon as that's all sorted, subscribe to Netflix below and provides that one-month a very good run.

Related story:  How to Watch out of Market NFL Games Anywhere

Be sure to cancel this one in the event you don't want to continue because it costs you for the whole yr ($ninety nine) as a substitute of for the following month. There isn't any doubt that bank cards is usually a actual thorn in the aspect to these with a propensity to spend recklessly. 

So, if you do not feel comfy with the thought of sharing your banking info and the number of your credit card with Netflix, you can start paying via PayPal. A free trial is an audition, and it's worthwhile to do all the things you'll be able to to coach prospects about how your product can resolve their problems. Netflix provides whole seasons of the most popular past and current television applications on the market. From what I perceive, the two week trial is free, however on the condition you sign up for a subscription.

With the Netflix Card, nevertheless, the corporate has just introduced a new pay-as-you-go possibility, permitting you to continue sampling the service beyond the free trial or enjoy your favourite films and TELEVISION shows with out the added trouble.

The credit card presents that seem on this site are from bank card firms from which receives compensation. Please contemplate every thing above earlier than falling into the free two-week trial trap that many have already fallen into. And then Netflix provides you an error like You seem to be using an unblocker or proxy…”, don't panic, merely examine our Netflix proxy error repair out. 

As a result of Netflix will nonetheless mean you can use the service for the full 30 days and cancel it routinely once your time runs out. You'll be able to learn extra concerning the algorithm on their webpage , or take a look at the Null Byte information on how credit card algorithms work A pretend quantity will work for sites that retailer bank card data to both cost you later or ask you to improve.

Related story: Whats your favourite Walking Dead Merchandise?

After signing up for the free trial our credit card was not charged until 2 weeks later. So alongside the way I did discover a 30 day free Netflix Coupon Blu Ray trial account signal-up page. It'd take a month or two to get the invite email, however don't fret, you eventually will. 

Even for those who're in a restriction area, you may simply access your services using a VPN service, akin to Hola, which is totally free. Alternatively, just do a quick Google search and you may turn up results that may offer guidance on the place you will get reward playing cards for Netflix.

Some readers who used the free trial offer and cancelled their service additionally confirmed that they lately acquired an email from Netflix urging them to come try the service once more with one other one month free trial. Immediately block disk updates (you'll have to put in delicate mod records data to use this selection) and install Netflix in your console.

Most individuals apply using the time period free trial” based on how they usually encounter this in day-after-day life. Once you select your plan (which you can change at any time), you may must enter the deal with the place the DVDs will be ship and your bank card data. So if you'd like further tutorials like how to get Netflix free of charge eternally then let us know in the comments part beneath. The activation of the design begins proper after client's electronic mail address and credit card digit is verified.

The nice factor right here is that their free subscription stays yours eternally once you get it! As soon as the month of free trial provide is over, the shopper will robotically have to pay monthly subscription, which is very low comparatively. 

Trial Details: Your HBO (HBO Now Evaluate) free trial will final for 30 days and require a credit card. Trial Details: Sling TV's trial lasts for 7 days and it'll require a credit card. In reality, it's at all times crucial to use totally different knowledge in order to create a brand new trial registration.

In some cases, it is possible for you to to continue watching until the top of the month. He then makes use of the identical card to pay his Netflix bill, and once he will get his $25 reward, it's basically a wash.

Validation in particular could be helpful when you have been accepting bank card funds on your own site and needed to verify the playing cards were legit. I did find many articles and evaluations, many of these articles have been very helpful in steering me the fallacious method when it came to finding a technique to start a Netflix account with a free month at first.

The very best part is - you do not need a coupon code to take advantage of this deal - all it is advisable to do is go to Netflix by way of this hyperlink: Begin your Netflix FREE trial at the moment! For instance, if you would like American Netflix catalogue you should select a US VPN server. 

Just like with Spotify, I had already used my Gmail deal with for the Netflix 1-month free trial earlier this year. When you're presently signed as much as a monthly plan but really feel Netflix's newest option would better go well with you, the Netflix Card can be utilised on new and present accounts. Choose your preferences and enter the data related with your new electronic mail tackle and prepaid card.

On this spirit, any function we assist is covered with our in-depth documentation , and we provide guides to assist developers actually construct their authentication process with no matter framework they use—not simply plug-and-play solutions. We'll also train you how you can get Netflix without cost without end for a second month as nicely.

Which means you'll pay for the service that you simply use prior to actually utilizing it. So yes the free trial provide is free and if you learn the positive print you will notice you can cancel at anytime prior to the end of your trial period and never be charged at all.

What I needed was to start out a brand new Netflix account for myself in order that I might get some blue ray motion pictures in the mail and watch them on my laptop computer or in my living room. Now we have obtained the Netflix coupons via the advertising that allows you to strive the awesome service for one complete month. 

So, earlier than moving to the next step, just be sure you have subscribed to a great VPN for Netflix (the one we will suggest is NordVPN ). Install its app and connect to a US based mostly server. I'm on a trial membership and the flicks that I can stream are largely not present.

However, it's not straightforward to know if you happen to'll enjoy and even use these services earlier than you've got had a taste of what they've to offer, particularly since there are other companies that provide things which can be very near the same because the services that Netflix.

As a substitute of getting a refund pro-rated to the days you used, you may get to use the service through the top of the month. Within your Netflix account, you'll have entry to four totally different levels of parental controls: little youngsters, older children, teenagers, and adults.

So for those on the market in search of a really good Netflix trial, or a Netflix coupon, they can head over to the actual webpage that I discovered and likewise learn what may be required to seize one of the two prizes being provided over there.

Nevertheless, you still need to provide a credit card quantity, and if you determine you don't just like the service, you have to cancel your account either by phone or on-line - otherwise you will incur expenses. 

Netflix is the only firm that gives DVD leases, and those who do not wish to receive streaming providers can join a DVD-only plan. In case you could have never actually thought of that you'd change jobs only for a free account, you need to. Your free trial begins immediately and you won't pay something for those who cancel before the free trial period ends. 

Related story: Top 30 Best Horror Movies Playing on Netflix Right Now

With a purpose to set ourselves up to discover ways to get Netflix totally free forever, we want something. The very first thing you must find out about how you can get Netflix for free perpetually is that it is onerous. All in all, it's just one of the many different ways in which you can discover the best way to get Netflix free forever and for life.

You can't go wrong paying for it for those who use it and really get pleasure from it. My wife and I did not watch enough TELEVISION to justify the cost of cable, and for us, spending lower than $10 a month for Netflix is a great deal, and saves us about $forty or more every month - which provides up quickly!

Although, you were playing with fireplace once you use your card and don't have the funds in there to back it up. The financial institution payment is your individual fault. Netflix gives their companies to North and South America, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom, Eire, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and the Netherlands. For those who're going through any problem whereas using free Netflix account, do write your doubts in remark part. 

You will still need to input your credit card information and whatnot, so be to positive to cancel your subscriptions earlier than the trials end. However the preliminary wording that most people read (below) provides folks the idea that a 2-week free trial is just that - a FREE trial. The client can bring collectively the Netflix review from boards and create applicable selections inside the plan selection. They do not cost for the free trial period, they cost for the time after the interval. ( TV-Smash.com)

[stimtoybox]

No need to answer if it would mean more pain/a heavier workload for the mods, but what are your opinions on both neurotypical and allistic/neurodivergent people using the term "stimming" instead of "fidgeting"?

Ah, anon, this is complicated, and I don’t think there’s any community consensus on this. In fact, that fidget cubes and spinners have become part of a global social lexicon both confuses this and makes it even more necessary to discuss, but I also think people are leery of discussing it because we’ve all seen what “discourse” has done to too many other communities. The last thing in the world I want is for the stim community to split and start warring over who can and can’t use certain terms. It breaks my heart that I have to endure this in several of my own communities, as an a-spec queer, and I very much hope we can keep this from happening in stim spaces.

(This might be an idealised want on my part, but it’s a want all the same. I love that this space in specific and most non-discourse stim spaces in general aren’t about arguing over words, and I’d very much like to keep it this way.)

I’ll be honest: I started off this blog feeling that stimming was a thing of neurodiversity, full stop, and that anyone else is fidgeting. Because stimming is something neurodivergent people do, and it’s something with which we endure the social backlash and ableism, and therefore it’s ours. That ableism, that thing we suffer, makes that word ours and ours alone.

And then, anon, people asked me questions. People who described their anxiety on their own blog but got angry at me for wanting this blog to be about neurodivergent stimmers, because they didn’t know that “neurotypical” doesn’t equal “allistic”. People with anxiety (or even ADHD!) asking me if they’re valid as stimmers. People unsure if they’re neurodiverse enough. People wanting reassurance because they weren’t sure if they belong or if they’re appropriating stimming by seeking out tools that might help them. People who are dealing with the ableism that is NT teachers and professionals saying that they’re being offensive by adopting behaviours similar to mine (as an autistic stimmer). People who ask, so afraid that they’re somehow hurting me, for the right to use my words and my tools, even though those words and tools are theirs. Questions burdened with fear and anxiety, questions it takes courage to ask, questions as though I’m some kind of gatekeeper who might graciously allow them entry.

That tells me one thing: that we, the stim community, are failing in our outreach to our own. That by holding words tight to our chest, we are keeping our own from confidently accessing disability aids and the acceptance that comes with conversations about them. Who am I to tell someone that they can access what’s theirs by right?

(At the same time, I’m seeing the viciousness in other online spaces, when it comes to who can use words and what they mean. I’m seeing people draw lines in the sand and exclude people on the basis of that line. I’m seeing this discourse with a history of having torn communities apart and, despite that history, continue to be repeated with different targets. I’m seeing the same language, violence and mindset I studied for my honours thesis, just in an online environment; I’m seeing something that horrifies me.)

I do not ever want to be a gatekeeper, anon.

And I will choose to let some people who maybe shouldn’t use the word use it over excluding people who need to use it. After the education this blog has given me, I’d rather my crime be one of being too accepting than one of not being accepting enough.

To me, it seems very simple. The pain of those feeling excluded from their own community is not an acceptable price to pay for keeping out those who might not need to be here.

(And who am I to judge what someone else does and doesn’t need?)

Since our own are so afraid that they don’t belong, the answer, it seems to me, is giving more people access to the word. There are consequences to this, don’t get me wrong, but I think this is the less damaging approach, especially in a world where we want stimming to be understood, normalised and accepted. Yes, it runs the risk of NTs talking over us, but let’s be honest: aren’t they doing that already?

When you look at the sheer linguistic oddity NT doctors, parents, teachers and professionals have to undertake to try and discuss stimming without using the word … it seems to me that it is simpler to just let everyone use it. That it is easier to spend the time we could spend arguing about who can use “stimming” on discussions about where to find toys or what they’re like to use. What’s the difference, really, between stimming and fidgeting, save that fidgeting is one form of stimming? When we acknowledge that stimming has been trained out of the population, when NTs have been denied the right to learn it from us because we have been denied it for ourselves, when we know it is a useful behaviour and expression, when we do not know how many lives might be improved because of it, do we really need to argue about who uses what word?

I do think that, if you use the word stimming to describe your behaviour, that word comes with a few requirements (no matter who you are). The willingness to educate yourself in ND culture, for one; the willingness to respect all stims, for another. The willingness to make a continual and conscious effort to leave our ableism at the door (and this goes for ND/disabled people, too, as we’re all taught to be ableist, even to ourselves). When you are not ND and you use the word “stimming”, it is a privilege. It means respecting that some stim spaces will wish to focus on ND and/or disabled stimmers, not all stimmers; it means boosting ND and/or disabled voices and engaging in support and advocacy. It means listening when ND people correct and educate. It means not treating stimming as an aesthetic. It means recognising that stim spaces generally aren’t centred on your wants and needs - that you are allowed here on our terms, not yours.

Right now, we have problems where the people who work with us don’t understand our language - something that alienates us. (Contrast, for example, buying items from Stimtastic, where everything is talked about in terms of stimming, and OT/therapy stores, where it’s all sensory needs and children because ND stimming adults don’t exist. I know which store makes me feel more comfortable; I know which store uses language I’d like to see the others adopt.) Keeping our terms to ourselves doesn’t solve that problem. We need people to use our words, not theirs, especially for information and services provided to us.

But, anon, I want to stress that this is my singular opinion, based in my experience of running this blog, and I don’t believe it to be necessarily a community-wide opinion. (I don’t speak for the community in this and I have no more authority in the community than anyone else.) I am fine with NT stimmers using the word “stim” for their behaviour if that better suits them. I have better things to do than tell NTs that they can’t use this word, especially if, as a result, ND stimmers feel excluded from their own spaces. Which I know, based on the questions that have arrived in my inbox, is happening.

Lastly … I respect anyone’s right to disagree, but I hope we can have community conversations on this with consideration. We do not need discourse (which isn’t the same thing as a conversation and the exploration of ideas: “discourse” no longer means “discourse” but intensive attacks and bullying) on the subject of who does and doesn’t have the right to use the word “stim”.

- Mod K.A.

[deepcutinquest]

“What have you got to hide, Mr Murphy?”

A former army fire officer who confronted Geoff Gray on the night he was killed denied any knowledge of how the young soldier died.

Billy Murphy was asked by Bridget Dolan QC: “Do you have any knowledge - at all - of how Geoff Gray came to be shot?”

“I had no idea madam,” he said.

“I had no idea what occurred.”

Geoff Gray

Ms Dolan QC asked about his feelings towards the young soldiers following the confrontation at the gate.

“If it was suggested to you, you had bad feeling towards the privates on duty at the gate because of the incident?”

Mr Murphy said: “I had no bad feeling, madam, I was totally asleep.”

Geoff Gray was the third of four young soldiers who were shot dead at Deepcut between 1995 and 2002.

The police and army have always maintained he took his own life on September 17, 2001.

The former fire officer was stopped at the gate on his way back from watching football and drinking in a local pub on Sunday, September 16, 2001.

As he tried to get back into the camp, the validity of his pass was questioned by a young female soldier.

Litany of Abuse

After being refused entry, Mr Murphy said he became abusive.

He apologised for what he described as a litany of abuse.

John Cooper QC for the Gray family confronted him and in tense exchanges accused the former fire officer of being a bully who had lied to police, forcing him to admit he was very drunk when the young soldiers stopped him.

Mr Murphy, who was 41-years-old in 2001, said he had been economical with the truth when he told police in 2002 he was not drunk when he arrived at gate to the Officer’s Mess.

“In your police statement you said you were ‘Merry’,” Mr Cooper said.

“You lied in your police statement.”

Mr Murphy said: “Yes, sir.”

Mr Cooper asked him why he felt the need to lie to police.

“It was character appraisal.

“I didn’t want to look in a bad position,” Mr Murphy said.

“You are a liar in June 2002.

“Are you a liar now in 2019, equally to make yourself look better,” Mr Cooper asked.

“No, sir,” Mr Murphy said.

“You accept you were very drunk,” Mr Cooper pressed.

“Yes, sir,” Mr Murphy admitted.

What Have You Got to Hide?

The former fire officer who still speak with an Ulster accent despite telling the court he is not Irish said he could not remember how much he drank but was not a heavy drinker.

Mr Murphy said he thought he had been a victim of discrimination when the soldiers refused him entry to the camp after hearing his Irish accent.

Mr Cooper asked him if he was a man with a temper who angered easily.

“No, sir,” Mr Murphy said.

“I was refused entry and I can’t fathom why.

“It must’ve made you very angry indeed,” Mr Cooper asked.

“I was very upset, sir,” he said.

“Can I suggest you are very angry even now,” Mr Cooper said.

“No, sir.”

“You feel very wronged even now,” Mr Cooper said.

“No, sir,” Mr Murphy replied.

Mr Cooper asked if he thought the behaviour at the gate had been bullying.

“No, but it was lamentable.

“It was out of order,” Mr Murphy said.

He denied wanting to get his own back on the recruits or having seething anger towards them.

“I never had any anger,” he said.

Mr Murphy said he remembered nothing more until the following morning when he went for a run, showered and had breakfast before going to work.

“What have you got to hide, Mr Murphy,” Mr Cooper asked.

“Nothing, sir,” he said.

“Have you been lying to the coroner today,” Mr Cooper asked.

“I don’t tell lies in the plural sense.

“It was that one case,” Mr Murphy said.

“Can I suggest that during your evidence you have singularly lied to the coroner,” Mr Cooper challenged.

“I apologise for that on an occasion, yes,” Mr Murphy said.

The only statement Mr Murphy was ever asked for was taken in 2002.

He was not interviewed by Surrey police following the statement.

Nicholas Moss for the MoD confirmed Mr Murphy started working for the Ministry in 1979 as an industrial firefighter.

He was posted to Northern Ireland, Donnington, Bicester and back to Northern Ireland before going to Scotland.

He started at Deepcut in 2000 where he stayed until 2004.

He told Ms Dolan: “I was a fire officer, training the soldiers and officers in fire training.”

Coroner Peter Rook QC asked Mr Murphy to confirm his height.

“Five foot seven,” he said.

A former soldier with two tours of Afghanistan said it would be impossible to know how many rounds had been fired in a burst of automatic fire.

Gary Urie said he thought reports of three rounds being fired on the night Pte Gray was killed was a bandwagon.

He was on guard duty the night Pte Gray was found dead.

“I don’t think how you could possibly know.

“If it’s automatic, how do you know it’s three with a short burst,” he said.

The inquest continues.

[morsmanbacklog-blog]

No. 2: Fallout 4

When I drew Fallout 4 as my second game I was tempted to revise the conditions of this blog; I had already put over 80 hours into the game, and wasn’t sure I had the chops to write on one so divisive. Besides, the very reason for this blog is that I get around to trying out the games that I let pile up underneath triple A titles like this one. In the end, though, I want this blog of mine to be as much about writing and thinking about video games as it is playing them, and Fallout 4��is certainly one that elicits some thinking.

I went to bed at a decent hour on November 9, 2015, the night Fallout 4 was released. Now, I was just as excited as anyone for Bethesda’s next open-world RPG, but unlike those who stay up for midnight releases, I’d much rather get up early than hold off sleep to enjoy a new game (yeah, I have also been known to find stray Werther’s Originals in my pockets. Why do you ask?). besides, the game was downloading on my PC as I slept and was pretty much ready to play when I awoke. By the time I left for class the next morning I had made my character, lost my wife and child, and had a shootout in Concord. I was thrilled to be back in post-apocalyptic America, and according to critics, so was everyone else. 

Well, it has been almost two years since Fallout 4′s release, and it would seem that those initial, positive reviews don’t reflect the current sentiment toward the game. whether it be coming from my gaming friends or lengthy think pieces around the web, the general feeling of disappointment toward Fallout 4 reminds me now of these first reactions to The Phantom Menace in comparison to its standing today as one of the worst Star Wars movies. Many of us, including myself, may have been blinded by the updated graphics and new features that came along with Fallout 4, but the sheen has since worn off, and the game we have now fails to deliver on many levels.

Because Fallout 4 not only had to live up to the rest of the Fallout franchise, but also Bethesda’s long lineup of revered, open-world RPG’s, there is extensive writing around the web about the myriad ways in which the game disappoints. Redditers subscribed to the r/gaming subreddit may be familiar with the numerous infographs or charts comparing Fallout 4 to Obsidian’s Fallout: New Vegas like the one below, usually in order to show how great New Vegas’ story and quests are in comparison to Fallout 4′s. I tend to agree with these critiques, but I also have never heard anyone argue from the opposing side, making it seem like those making and posting these comparisons hate Fallout 4 more than they actually like New Vegas. 

Oddly enough, I do not see many comparisons being made between Fallout 4 and Fallout 3, which would seem appropriate seeing as both games were made by the same developer and written by Emil Pagliarulo. Has Fallout 4 improved upon Fallout 3? The latter certainly has its critics, but I will get on with my time with Fallout 4.

                           Want me to play a game? show me the charts.

I started a new file shortly before beginning this blog, so I went ahead and picked up where I left off, which was right after saving a ragtag group of survivors from raiders at Concord. To spice things up this time around, I have been using the ENB and weather overhaul mod, PILGRIM, which makes the wasteland look and sound appropriately unsettling. I highly recommend the mod given that the game, though it certainly doesn’t look bad, seems oddly colorful and cheery at times. 

As far as the story goes, I cannot speak for the whole thing because, despite playing Fallout 4 extensively, I never reached the end, though I believe I got rather close in my first playthrough. That fact in itself may speak toward the quality of the main quest, but I tend to go off the beaten path fairly quickly in all open-world games, including, yes, the apparent gold standard of storytelling, New Vegas. It is the side-quests, hidden journal entries, and environmental cues requiring us to fill in the gaps that give Bethesda’s worlds any sort of narrative edge. This fact makes games in the Fallout and Elder Scrolls series so attractive; they are big worlds that reward exploration. One almost gets the feeling that Bethesda feels obliged to cobble up some mainline quest in their games when the side quests and general goings-on in the world were enough. When there are worlds inside paintings to enter, vampire cults to find, and evil orphanage headmistresses to kill, saving the world once again seems a lot less interesting. 

Fallout 4 is no different from Bethesda’s other RPG’s in this regard and is arguably worse due to the fact that the protagonist is not simply a voiceless avatar for the player to inhabit, but a fully voiced character who has had his world destroyed in every figurative and literal way imaginable. I cannot begin to fathom my reaction to my wife being murdered, my remaining family being kidnapped, and my world being nuked, but it probably would not involve returning long-past-due library books.  All games like this require some amount of suspending disbelief; a main draw is the freedom of the open world, which almost requires letting the protagonist behave inconsistently with his or her character.  Having a protagonist that can actually speak, though, makes it all the more awkward when I am not particularly interested in those goals; I begin to feel like the cordyceps fungus I saw in Planet Earth as I lead my unwitting character away from his own goals and toward my own.

As I said before, I have yet to finish the game’s main questline, but I am fairly confident that the leader of the before mentioned survivors, Preston Garvey, is Fallout 4′s main antagonist. If the player should choose to keep in contact with Preston after Concord (which I strongly discourage), he will soon saddle him or her with seemingly countless settlements to care for. What does taking care of a settlement mean? It could mean nothing. You could clear the designated settlement areas of raiders and then let the place go without food, water, or power. This is the route I take and the one I would recommend. You could let the evil Preston Garvey distract you from finding your son and stopping The Institute by doing his job for him, but why would you do that?

                         I hate so much about the things you choose to be  

Yes, on paper being able build your own buildings, assign jobs to settlers, and generally sprinkle your own creativity into the Fallout universe sounds like a great idea, and it is, just not when crudely put into a completely different type of game. The settlement mechanics, though somewhat restrictive, are not all that bad either; there are some impressive creations to be found around the web, but that is not the point. The point is that this is a huge part of the game that takes up a lot of space on the map, so it detracts from and interrupts the greater Fallout experience. There was something special about being able to afford a house in Oblivion or earning that small home in Fallout 3, but the settlement system takes away that sense of home and accomplishment by drowning the player in it. Oddly enough, I think this problem could be improved upon if there were fewer settlements, and if they were much more difficult to obtain, but as is, the settlement system is, in my opinion, the worst addition to Fallout 4. 

Though I stand by all that I have said thus far, I have now put around 100 hours into this game, and no amount of complaining on my part will negate that fact. You can tell me that the story is not compelling, that the settlement system doesn’t belong, that the dialogue choices are needlessly vague, or that the number of quests does not amount to that of New Vegas. Those critiques are all valid and make Fallout 4 the lesser of the three first-person Fallout titles. The key is to accept 4′s faults and enjoy what is great about the game as well as its many, welcome changes and gameplay improvements, such as better player movement and combat, an extensive crafting system, and a more varying and rewarding loot hunt.

What brings me back to Fallout 4, however, is the same gameplay loop that has drawn me to each of Bethesda’s games; there is a huge world and enough rewards and stories strewn about to keep me exploring it. The disappointment of the main quest is not as bad when I have quests of my own each time I play, like when I fought my way to the bottom of an abandoned hospital only to be jumped by a deathclaw, or when a yao guai chased me up a fallen tree in the woods. In the end, we play new installments in series such as Fallout and Elder Scrolls more for what has remained the same rather than what has changed, and those elements remain intact in Fallout 4. 

Though I initially dreaded drawing fallout 4, I believe being forced to ponder the game for a while has brought be to a greater appreciation of it, despite its many flaws. In fact, I will probably keep playing it on the side when I can, even after posting this, and perhaps get my hands on the story DLC next time it goes on sale. I will make sure to write if I have any additional thoughts. 

Ok, let’s see what we have next...

Blackshadows...What is Blackshadows?

P.S.Before I draw the next game, I have something to say about these types of games in general. Seeing as I was playing more for writing this blog rather than simply enjoying it as a game, I decided to be a bit more reckless with my items. I ate a lot of food, threw a lot of grenades, and generally didn’t play with the “but what if I need this later?” mentality. I ended up enjoying the game a lot more. it was better experience overall to just use what I had and get rid of what wasn’t useful. 

P.P.S. I do not plan on all of my posts being this long. Many will be shorter. I am going to write my honest thoughts and opinions on each game I play, that is all I can guarantee, but Fallout 4 has so much going on within and outside of the game that it required a longer post.