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#like when I'm doing other things the idea of drawing or writing seems appealing

khadgarfield · 6 months

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This year I set myself a goal to complete FIFTY books, and keep a record of what I read including what I thought about/learned from each book in terms of writing techniques, story structure, or just wrt developing a better idea of my own writing goals and tastes. I demolished this goal before June, which I am extremely pleased about, and I am still in the process of demolishing this goal, having completed another three books since I last updated this list a week or two ago!

The aim of this exercise was the following:

Re-establish reading habit, and improve attention span.

Re-Learn how to write down my thoughts about books, even if they are uncritical observations, opinions, or ideas inspired by what I'm reading.

Cover as much ground as possible as fast as possible, over a wide range of topics and genres (audiobooks and written books both count!)

Book quality was not a factor I considered when picking what to read - if it fell into my lap I read it and wrote down my thoughts, and let me tell you I definitely read some sub-par books in 2023. I read some really great ones too! But when one is not picky you kinda get what you get, and I think next year I might be a bit more discerning/tactical in my approach. I also did NOT go to tik tok for book recs because I don't believe in tik tok the same way some people don't believe in the spherical earth. I picked books based on word of mouth, recommendations spoon fed to me by via the audible algorithm (still evil, but the devil one knows and all that), and via on-the-ground perusal of book shops and stacks and the 'recently returned' feed on the libby app. Despite this, I know some booktok faves managed to find their way onto my list. I am working very hard not to acknowledge this, please don't draw undue attention to it 😂

Speaking of libby, my hold list also grew astronomically this year. My poor local library is limited, and I have been waiting for a few books I really want for MONTHS (riyria revelations v1, the colour of magic, the king in yellow...). I was able to borrow as many cosy murder mysteries as I wanted, though, because small town libraries seem to have 10000000 of those available per patron per anum. Unfortunately, I have discovered I am neutral at best about this genre. 😔

The best books I read this year across all genres and in no particular order were as follows:

The southern book clubs guide to slaying vampires - Grady Hendrix: this appealed deeply to my love of and familiarity with horror movies of the 80s-2010s. It had an innovative and articulate approach to themes like powerlessness, rage, desperation, boredom, inequity, and guilt - at least compared to everything else i read this year. I noted paralells between this and Ira levins stepford wives, much of Stephen kings horrific americana, plus some other books and movies which I alluded to in my notes but for some reason I didn't write down (foolish 😓). Some big TWs would apply for this one, however.

The day of the triffids - John Wyndham: genuinely I do not know how I enjoyed this so much. I had no business enjoying this so much. Despite being from 1951, parts of this felt very contemporary in style and concept, tho sometimes dubious ideas about humanity or society would appear in the text as if they were a natural fact. Nevertheless, I went out and read another Wyndham book straight after, because there was also some beautiful prose in this, and it's always interesting to personally experience the origin of so many tropes which are like. Ubiquitous now.

Uglies series - Scott Westerfield: another unexpected winner. I never read these books as a teen and I consider that a good thing because they would have made my little adolescent brain crazy. These books are crammed with paraphernalia which would have been the coolest shit to a 13 year old me, all masterfully concealing themes about beauty and social hierarchy and state surveillance in a way that seems exponentially more relevant now than it did nearly 20 years ago. I was so impressed with these books honestly, and the way this author used language was something else. I didn't even notice what was going on until it was pointed out by the story, having simply resigned myself to reading an averagely written book full of weird dialect quirks just because it was pitched at a teen reader. I was way wrong, and ive never seen such an elegant example of style justified by the narrative itself. I really wish I could do something that skillfull in my own work!

Braiding sweetgrass - Robin wall Kimmerer: gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous. a sensory joy. Seriously beautiful, and surprisingly emotionally intense. I had to read this in short bursts because it made me feel too much about trees.

Boy Parts - Eliza Clark: this one made me feel things I haven't figured out yet. Unlike everything else ive ever read, I could have believed that I wrote this, and that recognition of the self was horrifying because there wasn't a moment in the story i didnt struggle to reconcile revulsion with the exquisite beauty of it all. Easily the scariest book of the year, Easily the one i have thought about the most, Easily the biggest TW of my 2023 recommendations. I'm gonna be defining my own work against this for at least the next six months, or until I have matched it in calibre/distanced myself from it so completely that I am forced to recreate myself and my art anew.

In 2024, I plan to narrow my scope more and focus back on horror, fantasy, and non-fiction. Based on how good I was in 23, I'm going to aim for 65 books in 2024!!!

#text #personal #writing things #writing things adjacent at least

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abigail-pent · 2 years

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{{ "ok yes but: Gideon's two hander fighting style is not based on Fiore it's based on Lichtenauer" Can you elaborate on that? I have no idea what that means but I'm eager to understand, if you'd be so willing! Are you telling me there ARE books about swordfighting? Is the Sixth actually NOT as insane as everyone thought for learning sword moves that way? I'm so confused and I know nothing about swordfighting or relevant writings and I had no idea they can be BASED ON things? Please infodump!

Hey! So yes: there are absolutely books about swordfighting, and the funny thing is that the entire modern sport of historical European martial arts (HEMA), on which the swordfighting in TLT is based, comes from those books. Check out Wiktenauer for particulars -- note the pun -- but at a very high level: the sport exists because a bunch of beautiful history/SFF nerds were like, "how did people actually used to fight with these weapons?" And it turns out that there are a ton of manuscripts from between the 1400s-1800s ish that are written by old sword masters, explaining exactly how to do different drills, cuts, parries, footwork, etc. The language is sort of imprecise, so people tend to get copies of these manuscripts and sort of "act out" what they think the author was describing, to figure out how to translate from the written word back into a physical medium. Not all of these documents are written; depending on the weapon, there might be leaflets or engraved plates or other drawings that illustrate how to perform different cuts or guards for a low-literacy audience. I really do think that "the Sixth learns swordfighting out of a book?!" has to be a joke intentionally aimed at the HEMA community, because (a) we know tazmuir learned all these swordfighting specifics from a HEMA practitioner, and (b) that is exactly how the sport was developed, and continues to develop. That's how a club builds its curriculum.

Re: Fiore vs Lichtenauer: Fiore was an Italian master, and Lichtenauer was a German one. I have been taught Lichtenauer's style of longsword, and seen people fight using Fiore's style quite a lot. People's opinions vary a lot, but in general I would characterize Lichtenauer's style as sort of workhorse-y, no-nonsense, prioritizing efficiency and making sure that every attack can double as a defense with minimal effort from the swordsperson. Fiore, by contrast, looks very flowery to me; it's a lot more showy; a lot of the guards and cuts look (to my eye) very silly in terms of body mechanics. No question that it can be very effective when you know what you're doing, and no question that Lichtenauer's style can also be very pretty; but every guard or cut I've ever seen from Fiore just looks fragile in terms of body mechanics. This is just my opinion, but seeing how positively froufrou Fiore is in comparison to Lichtenauer, it just seems like Lichtenauer would be much more appealing to Gideon as a character. Much more efficient, fewer wasted movements, much more solid. Plus I know that the sword club that tazmuir's "sword consultant" belongs to is a Lichtenauer club, not a Fiore club. (There aren't that many Fiore clubs. It's not nearly as popular.)

#tlt meta

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abuddyforeveryseason · 4 months

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This is the Buddy for February 3rd. It's brought to you by the sin of sloth. Something of a sin I often partake in, I must admit.

In theory, the whole "work hard to achieve your dreams" thing should work, if you accept as valid the premise that hard work leads to more money.. Though at the end of the day, it just means "work hard on a job you hate so you can retire early and follow your dreams." It's not too realistic, but it makes sense at first glance

But the thing is, when it comes to creative endeavours, it seems to mean something else. Me, for instance, I think it's pretty clear I've always wanted to do something 'creative'. I know that doesn't really make me unique. My brother, many of my friends, other people in my school, a lot of them also had dreams of being a writer/artist/director/whatever.

So what I'm always told is, work hard on your book, and you can get it published. But it's hard work. You can't be lazy. And in a certain way, it's true. First there's the writing, you gotta keep at it, make sure the story makes sense. Then comes the editing, keep only the important parts figure out what's important for the story and what isn't, make the story presentable. And then there's the selling it to publishers. Other than all the trade details like formatting and technology issues, you need people skills. You are a salesman, after all.

But the problem is, hard work isn't the only deciding factor on whether a book gets published. Sure, someone who doesn't work hard on their book probably doesn't have a chance, but, even people who do might not have a chance. It's all about whether the book is sellable. It's about giving people what they want. And although knowing what people want is part of the hard work, giving people what they want is where the "dream" part dies off.

It's pretty obvious that, for some writers, no matter how hard they work on a novel, it doesn't have enough popular appeal to be published. Sure, a writer might bite the bullet and write a potboiler to pay his bills while leaving his dream work shelved, but, that's not really living the dream. In a way, the dream, for most people like me, isn't writing for a living, but having enough money to be able to write without worrying about making a living.

Of course the chances of making it as a professional writer are pretty slim regardless, so doing it out of love (i.e., as an amateur) is that much harder.

And at the same time, just dealing with social media is a terrible nightmare for me. I know tumblr is the lesser of all evils, but, it's still an evil, and although I wanted something to publish my drawings and ideas, it's been such an unpleasant experience, it just makes it all that clearer that being a creative wouldn't be the happy life I dream of.

I'll be honest, I'm hoping to abandon my tumblr once I finish publishing the daily drawings in may. I'm already 5/6ths done, but it hasn't been too much fun.

#ab4es #drawing #comics #comic strip #sloth #lazy #dream job #follow your dreams #writing #creativty #tumblr #social media

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zepumpkineater · 5 months

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This is a sorta kinda not really vent post? Moreso just something I've noticed and really wanted to talk about for a while now but haven't really found the right words.

One of the cool things about being so deeply entrenched in an online community of artists always has and always will be seeing what those artists put out. Every time Madness Day rolls around I'm always genuinely excited to see what people have made, what someone has been pouring a year's worth of effort into. Art is exceptionally awesome, and I've sort of noticed it's a method of communication of sorts.

One thing I notice about the artists who surround me is that they're all fairly tight knit. They know a guy who knows a guy. Almost every artist in the community that I regularly see can be traced towards each other in some specific or particular way. The most common one I've seen is that they've all drawn each other, or drawn for each other. A tightly woven thread of artists drawing for artists drawing for artists.

Sometimes people get things drawn for them completely unprompted. Didn't even have to ask. They just post something and bam, a few hours later they have an impressive piece just for them from a talented individual who was inspired by whatever they posted. It's a method of showing appreciation for something that gave you that spark to create.

It's something that I can't help but feel a little jealous of. Needy for. I throw ideas for stories out there from time to time, sometimes I even write them once in a blue moon, I make these intricate narratives that it just kind of feels like nobody really...Bothers with. Too long didn't read. On a good day I might get an "Ooh!". Perhaps even a "that's cool!" or two. I just can't help but notice words don't seem to be as inspiring as they used to be.

All the online communities I permeate share one thing in common: They love images. Pictures. Drawings. Artists are inspired by things they can see, things they can draw just by looking at it. Sometimes it's as easy as posting your OC design on twitter and in a matter of hours you could be getting dozens and dozens of drawings without having written even a word of backstory. Strong designs dominate all. If you don't have a strong design, you have nothing. If it's not visually appealing, or visual at all, it may as well not exist.

I see people having their OCs drawn by their friends, of their OCs hanging out with their friend's OC. A representation of a genuine connection between two people. It leaves me wishing that I could have someone draw for me. To be inspired to create just by my presence. Is it selfish of me to want that? To get that satisfaction of knowing that someone created because of me? Of course I can always ask, and I'm certain many of my artist friends would happily oblige, but nothing will really compare to that experience of someone doing it completely and totally unprompted. Who knows, maybe this post will inspire someone to draw for me out of pity, or will me having just mentioned that now completely and totally kill the idea that was formulating in their mind?

I don't know. It's just like many things in life, I feel rather left out in that regard. Sometimes people will say they will draw for me and never do. Whatever creation they had in mind is gone now, and I would hate to feel pushy or perhaps even desperate enough to keep issuing reminders or asking. Why does it feel so bad just to ask? Why do I struggle with it so? How does it somehow feel less genuine when I had to ask for it? It's irrational, but here I am.

Anyway, if I keep going I'm going to write too many paragraphs, so I am just going to leave it here. Just please don't see this post as me whining or begging for art. Anything you draw for me out of pity would be infinitely less valuable than something you drew because you wanted to.

#txt #long post

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otherworldlygate · 11 months

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Today is the day I finish some outlines I hope. Current progress is something like this (under a readmore to save your dashes):

Swallow the Ground: This is the sequel to Break Open the Sky, and is 90% outlined. I just need to wiggle in a tertiary plot that I'd like to carry into the third story in the series. Outline is sitting around 6,200 words and the story takes place over a full calendar year. The main plot is about Regal, Zelos, Sheena, and Raine trying to compile enough evidence against Sybak to have it shut down, with some help from Kate, Presea, Genis, Viscount Alaric, and a half-elf informant who lived most of their long life in Sybak and has plenty of evidence to spare. The secondary plot is the romance, which focuses most heavily on Raine's struggle as an asexual woman who never really processed her past relationship trauma. Even though Regal told her he didn't care how long it took for them to figure things out/things to progress between them, she still feels pressure to be ready before that one-year anniversary hits. She does a lot of conflating love and sex in the "if I love him enough I should be comfortable having sex with him" sense. As far as a tertiary plot goes, I'm thinking something along the lines of exspheres and the exsphere mines—something to draw Lloyd and Colette into the third story in the series more directly.

Balacruf Mausoleum Fic: The completion status of this one is hard to define. The trauma of the accident is entirely outlined, but this is the kind of story where it's difficult to figure out where to go afterward because there isn't a big catch-all solution to the issues that plague the characters. The outline is about 6,100 words long right now.

I do think any story centering on certain characters in ToS probably tends to struggle with a similar issue to what I'm looking at here, which is more or less difficulty finding a good/believable stopping point because the grind never ends. Think about Lloyd's journey to gather all the exspheres or Zelos's responsibilities in Tethe'alla in the post-game: it feels like there's no stopping point in their lives because the characters will never get a real break. In the case of this story, Raine and Regal pay pretty heavy prices for being in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Balacruf Mausoleum caves in on them. While Raine is at least logically free to do whatever she wants after this is over, Regal has to return to his life in Altamira and all the responsibilities that wait there for him while continuing to deal with his share of the consequences. Like Zelos and Lloyd, there isn't really a point where he gets a break; too many people depend on him.

This also isn't the usual kind of story for me. Sure, I love torturing my blorbos, but I don't usually delve into trauma-bonding or magic, and one of the big plots of this story is centered on the idea of what might happen if Raine severely over-extended herself as a healer as a "last stand" kind of thing and accidentally formed a very literal link/connection with the person whose life she was trying to save. And because I'm writing it, of course, this device skews toward having far more downsides than upsides, and it's almost made worse with the trauma-bonding. So while Raine is logically free to go her own way once the dust settles (so to speak), emotionally it becomes a much more difficult decision for her.

But where does a story like this go, other than smack into the daily grind of the characters as they try to untangle everything? And this, I am finding, is quite difficult to outline.

Declining!Tethe'alla: Character backstories are 90% complete and part of the journey arc is outlined. Sitting at 6,300 words. I don't really know what else to say about this one except that there were at least 10 ways to write any particular character arc, and I went with what seemed most appealing to me/what worked best in tandem with other character arcs.

Here are some small tidbits: Seles is Tethe'alla's Chosen of Regeneration. Zelos is the one tasked to carry on the mana lineage. Both Mylene and Seles's mother (named Carina in this story unless she has an official name) are alive. Sheena is a celebrated hero/summoner. Colette is Sylvarant's Chosen of Mana and Lloyd is her right-hand man/bodyguard/sidekick/bestie. Anna is alive. Regal has been at a human ranch for half his life. Raine and Genis are Sybak's property. Presea's story is similar to the game but somehow 10x worse.

A few characters were aged up for the sake of a better/more interesting/more believable storyline. Several relationships from the canon are also altered or changed in some way (including Raine and Genis's).

Speaking of Raine and Genis, I really wanted to avoid them being in Sybak because I feel like everyone jumps to that, so I toyed with the idea of Raine as a Desian (thanks @ciryze LOL) and while this would grant me some great storyline stuff between my blorbos if they were both at the same ranch (rapport before they meet the others!) I felt like that sort of story had a lot of short-term strength, but not enough staying power for the rest of the tale I wanted to tell. It also makes Genis a tough character to write.

Also, it's probably worth mentioning that I don't think many people actually want to read my take on Raine as a Desian; it wouldn't be that dark or interesting lmao. (I might have a one-shot brewing for this, though.)

Anyway, as it turns out, it's exceedingly difficult to ensure all these characters meet without some outside influence. While it's true that Raine and Genis could meet the Chosen's Group by pure coincidence, I would prefer a story that felt a little more intentional, especially for characters who will matter even more in a story where the Chosen herself is a half-elf. So I went with Sybak. But oops, it's not the Sybak you know and love!

The most difficult part about outlining this story is definitely getting all the characters together in a timely manner and not boring the shit out of my audience. We all played the game, after all, and we know what the Chosen's journey entails and how it should theoretically end. The second most difficult part is purely logistics-related: which human ranch goes where, which grand cardinal oversees it, how to weave in so many varying perspectives into one story, what the fUCK to do with Kratos other than let him show up, do nothing, reveal nothing, then leave, the order of the seals, and so on.

And then the third hardest thing is being nitpicky about character stuff. Let's use Regal for an example. So if he's been at a human ranch for the last 18 years, he should be long dead. He's not, so I had to figure out why. Through pure spite (or any other strong emotion) he doesn't let his exsphere awaken? He's too physically useful to be thrown away? He's not allowed to die too easily because he has to pay for the sins of his family? The Desians are intrigued by his ability to heal and use a little magic even though he reads as human to them? He has elven blood way back in the bloodline and the Desians take a small measure of pity on him? Is it possible he is being used in an experiment like the Angelus Project? Multiple of the above?

And then bigger questions, like which cardinal is most likely to have allowed this to happen? And where should this ranch be located so that the main characters can run into Regal at the right time?

We can't forget the emotional stuff, either! For example, after 18 years of mistreatment in a human ranch and seeing so many humans die at the hands of half-elves, how does Regal react to the literal Chosen being a half-elf? What about Raine and Genis, who were exploited by humans for the last 14 years?

And this isn't even getting into the backstory of his family, or George's role in anything. And this is just Regal! There are a lot of other characters, and I feel exceedingly picky about all of them.

I'm maybe 20% through this outline because there's just so much to consider.

One-night Stand Fic: The happier outline is 1,800 words (while the tragic version is 4,600) but it's maybe only like 30% complete. I think I'm going to go with the happier story because my blorbos need a break and there's something to be said about the consequences of a one-night stand being terrible enough on their own.

Like, imagine having to tell the friend that you banged a couple of months ago on a whim that uhhhh there's a baby now. There's something particularly bad about Raine being the one who has to get up the courage to say something, too; the world is prejudiced and while logically she's certain Regal will take the news in stride/take at least some responsibility, it's still a scary conversation to have.

Like, he is her friend, and she likes him, but this is a life-changing thing to announce. There is no way for her to know with 100% certainty how he will react to it. He has literally all of the power here.

What a terrifying situation to be in. And also to have to sail to Altamira when already suffering morning sickness? Hahaha. RIP.

#ruin mode: engage #wish me luck today lmao

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telomeke-bbs · 1 year

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Get To Know Your BL Mutuals

tagged by @dribs-and-drabbles

Simple, answer the questions. @ some people. Include the tag 'g2ky BL mutuals 2022' on your post so we can find everyone's answers!

What has been the BL that took you by surprise this year?

KINNPORSCHE mostly (and I've listed one more as a surprise bonus...)

Yes, I'm aware it's arguably not even a BL, but I went into it thinking it was BL-ish and came out the other side (of every episode, and also the whole thing) with a guilty smile and brows furrowed going to myself "What in hell even was that?" which I think pretty much sums up the whole experience.

In some ways it never lived up to the (second, post-Filmania) trailer and in some ways it surpassed it. Which is also the KinnPorsche formula of simultaneously giving you so much more than you expected and letting you down at the same time.

I had high hopes for this one, when it came out of the blue and whacked me upside the back of my head with its theme song that encapsulated the series so well and mindblowing action sequences popping off everywhere. And when I was down with COVID earlier this year I had an essay all ready to complete when the names, imagery and set elements together seemed to point to underlying themes drawing from Thai, Hindu-Buddhist and Chinese mythological traditions (with warring nagas, fiery phoenixes and powerful water dragons).

But a few episodes in, it became clear that none of those ideas, firmly embedded in the early writing, were ever going to go anywhere. Sadly, it looks like they were sacrificed for juicier, baser denominators geared for mass market appeal instead.

So yes, KP took me by surprise (not in a totally good way); it was wanting in so many aspects. (For example – as astutely pointed out by @miscellar – where are the women? When they do appear, more often than not they steal the show – e.g., Erika my beloved gun librarian, also the beautiful assassin who tries to off Kinn at the costume soirée, and Porsche's mom as well. But they exist just to further the male leads' storylines, and so KP fails the Bechdel test miserably.) Still, I learnt to leave my expectations by the door and appreciate KinnPorsche for its own madcap, inconsistent merits, whenever they poked their heads out of the torrent of sensory overload. And a lot of the acting was good, even with the first-timers, which is more than can be said for some of the stuff coming out of GMMTV.

My brow is still furrowed, and my smile is still guilty, but at least KP makes me smile.

OK, a side shout-out also to another drama that was a pleasant surprise instead – and that was Heartstopper. Not Asian, not strictly BL either, but oh so well done. 😍 (More on this later.)

What has been the BL that you felt a bit disappointed with this year?

VICE VERSA and THE ECLIPSE

It's the curse of Bad Buddy – little else is going to measure up. I still haven't finished Vice Versa or The Eclipse for this reason I suspect. Both felt a little off to me – Vice Versa was playing it too light while The Eclipse went all dark and heavy (and then started to plod) and I just wasn't ready. It's not that I think they're bad – I'd just rather be rewatching BBS. 🤷‍♂️

I may go back to them again (I should for The Eclipse because it's *important*) but I don't know when.

I didn't put KinnPorsche down here because KP doesn't do things by half-measures – so when it disappointed me, I wasn't just "a bit disappointed", it was roaring disappointment. But that then got drowned out by the bits I did enjoy so much as well. SMH here 🤦‍♂️

What has been your favourite BL this year?

BAD BUDDY!!! OK, also gotta mention HEARTSTOPPER and OLD FASHION CUPCAKE

This whole blog of mine is about Bad Buddy, so I'm not writing up any more about it here, except to say that it's powerful, intelligent, socially aware but also always kind at heart. 😍

Heartstopper was a genuinely excellent all-rounder, but with a gay romance at its heart so I'm calling it a BL. Radiating with positivity, I just know it's doing good in the world (especially for anyone growing into their LGBTQ+ identity).

It doesn't have to be all doom and gloom on the journey to finding your fullest, authentic self, and Heartstopper shows that the path we tread can hold life-affirming moments too, even as it shines its light on the darker corners of the road that takes us there.

Old Fashion Cupcake wasn't on my radar at first but it was everything you want (OK, that I want) a classic BL to be – gentle, sweet and heartfelt with just a touch of pining and angst.

Solid performances from the leads and a masterful restraint with the writing. Plus desserts everywhere, which is also a comment on expectations heaped on masculinity in Japanese culture.

So it still managed to be gently subversive in its messaging if you could get past the fluffy, sweet frosting on the surface. Such delicacy and intelligence in the way it was edited down to the bare, spare essentials, just enough to satisfy the hunger it elicited, but that still managed to deliver moments that somehow also felt sumptuous and indulgent too.

It's a cliché, but that there's just something about OFC, like a meticulously-crafted kaiseki, that feels so very Japanese in its essence. And you can't help but feel blessed and honored (and cleansed) for having partaken of it.

Favourite BL couples (not just of 2022)?

PAT & PRAN, KUROSAWA & ADACHI, MAX & TUL, plus a few more...

PatPran from Bad Buddy of course make my list, and Kurodachi from Cherry Magic too. And the OG BL couple MaxTul! The rest aren't really sticking out too strongly in my mind. 🤷‍♂️

OK I did like Lovely Writer's Gene and Nubsib, and oddly enough also their "straight" side couple Tiffy and Tum (especially when I found out that the beautiful Zorzo is apparently queer IRL):

And I did like Ohm and Singto in He's Coming to Me, but now after BBS that feels a little dated and... adulterous? 😂

Just for spice, I should add that I have some pretty strong non-canon ships in my head involving KinnPorsche's Daddy Chan (the chief bodyguard, played by Peter Knight) and Gun Theerapanyakul (Vegas' dad, played by Ex Piya Vimuktayon), and also Pran's dad (A Passin Reungwoot) in Bad Buddy. 😜

If you had to suggest a BL for someone what would it be?

Bad Buddy tops the list, but would also put forward He's Coming to Me, Old Fashion Cupcake, and Tale of a Thousand Stars. All solid, strong dramas that can pretty much stand on their own and be appreciated in their own right, without needing you to lean too much into the BL genre. Maybe Together with Me, out of loyalty to MaxTul, though the girlfriend/villain is a bit triggering for me. I do like bestie Yihwa though, and she balances out Plern Pleng somewhat.

What's your non-BL favourite for this year?

Ah, that would be 55:15 NEVER TOO LATE. Good performances from both generations, interesting premise and themes tackled.

One proviso though: the BBS curse struck again and I have yet to finish this! (Yes I'm aware it's about as old as Bad Buddy.) I hope it finishes strong. (Would take a lot to screw it up.)

So to move this forward, tagging a few of my favorite fellow bloggers on Tumblr: @miscellar, @jemmo, @narcissusneverknewme, @theheightofdishonor, @7nessasaryevils, @faillen, @non-binarypal7, @lovelyghostv, @monamay.

Apologies if I've left anyone out (all followers are precious, so feel free to join if you wish). Apologies also if I've tagged anyone already tagged previously but these were the first names that came to mind. 💖

#g2ky BL mutuals 2022

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facelessxchurch · 1 year

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Alright, now that we got the basic unbiased info established and out of the way, here are my personal thoughts:

First Impression: That cover is ugly as Hell. It has the same pale blue I disliked about the HBL cover but has swapped the ugly neon yellow with a somehow even uglier neon green. And randomly threw in a neon magenta for the secular title.

This is visual vomit, my eyes feel assaulted and I am sickened to my core.

Regarding the story, I'm very unhappy that it's set after UtE. For all I'm concerned the last book ruined the universe and made Val too OP for there to even be a chance for any story set in that time period to be even remotely good.

The title is so fucking generic too.

The Artwork: I don't like it, especially not the cover. I know I said I really wanted an SP comic, but I said that under the assumption Todor Hristov (the Grimoire comic artist) or someone with a similar style would be drawing it. Instead we get this.

It's this cheap classic American comics style which I despise so much and not the more 'painterly' European graphic novel style I much prefer. This is ironic bc the main artist is from Northern Ireland. I do get that Landy likes this style bc he's probably nostalgic for it, but quite frankly, the classic comic style is a big part of the reason why I never really got into comics.

I would have loved to see how Todor Hristov draws the nasties, but I dread to see how THIS artist would draw them.

While this is mostly a personal taste thing I also see a few things I would say are art sins. Like the shading on the lower part of the hair. Why would you cross hatch/texture shade there. The shading lines should go with the flow of the hair like it was done for the top part of the hair. One eye brow is thicker than the other. And the way the nose is shaded makes it look like the face is looking to the viewers left while the nose seems to be pointing towards the right?? The nose shading is super weird in general. No idea what's going on there.

And I dislike the way the skull was stylised. Too long upper jaw, to short lower jaw. And why is his jaw so wide??

Considering that Landy is writing this and he's going full control freak on it again, the art is the only thing an SP comic would have going for it. And so far, I don't like what I'm seeing.

They could have at least put more effort into the cover art considering that's what makes people pick up a comic in the first place :/ (comic cover art is often not done by those that illustrate the actual comic)

Regarding the TheBookSeller Article (there is alot to unpack here)

" The 144-page, full-colour graphic novel Bad Magic will be a completely new “self-contained story” which builds its own distinct lore separate to that presented in the book series."

I'm ok with the selfcontained part. But why does it have different lore from the main series?? It's not only set in the same universe it's the same goddamn characters!

"The author explained: “I didn’t want it to be just for the hardcore [Skulduggery] reader or even the casual reader. You can pick it up even if you’ve never read a Skulduggery book."

Yet ANOTHER entry to the series. A sure sign that things are going well regarding this IP. (sarcasm)

"Introducing a graphic novel to the universe was then a “natural fit” for a Skulduggery story and tied with HarperCollins’ desire “to lead the market and do different, new, exciting things”."

"Bad Magic arrives when graphic novels, spearheaded by Alice Oseman’s record-breaking Heartstopper series, are becoming increasingly popular [...] Yet the timing is, in part, due to luck: “We sort of loved to say that it was a clever plan, but it also ended up being serendipitous,” says Lake. Landy concurs: “The new emphasis that is now on graphic novels ever since Heartstopper is fortuitous; it’s not the impetus [for Bad Magic], it’s not how it started.”

"Bad Magic will undoubtedly tap into the pool of Skulduggery readers while hoping to entice new ones and appeal to the growing graphic novel audience."

Landy might have been wanting to do an SP graphic novel for a long time, but I'm sure that the reason HC greenlight it as bc comics are currently THE thing. In their minds anyways.

Seems like HC wants to use the current trendy thing to breath new life into Landy's dying IP.

"Readership has always been at the centre of Landy’s ethos: he will always add an extra element, such as an extra chapter or a deleted scene, to every new edition of his books."

Oh please, if he respected his fanbase his writing in phase 2 wouldn't have been so goddamn lazy. Every fight scene that was meant to be one of the big ones was either vaguely described or not at all. The pandering is half assed and ill-informed and releasing the Grimoire in the state it was in was an insult to his readers. Not even the bootlikers could bother faking liking it.

And adding 'something extra' to new editions is the exception, not the rule. Plus, I know examples of deleted scenes/What-Could-Have-Been, but I'm not aware of him adding new chapters to books?? Do they mean the short stories?

"Unlike other prequels which act as an opening into the world, Hell Breaks Loose requires the reader to have already read the entire series. [...]“If you’re a fan, even though it’s not book 16, you need to read it.”"

That's in direct contradiction to how HBL is marketed as entry point for new readers tho.

[source]

"It [HBL] definitely hinges on reading all 15 books, because it deals with a piece of the series’ history, [...] The novel promises to reveal two things “that will blow the fans’ minds"

"Bad Magic and Hell Breaks Loose are the first steps in an extensive publishing plan for the Skulduggery universe. “The excitement doesn’t stop after 2023,” Lake notes, with plans for the 20th anniversary of the first book in 2027 and into 2028. A redesign of the backlist can be expected, alongside “very, very, very secret things”."

Ah, so this is the rebranding Landy was talking about. So all new covers will be a fucking eye sore. Great. Amazing. Can't wait to bleach my eyes out.

I thought it was finally over with phase 2 but they have plans at least 5 years into the future. How are they still going?? Globally phase 2 is a complete failure. Despite multiple attempts SP never became popular in America and I know that at least Bulgaria stopped translating and in Germany the book stores have like 2 SP books max when there used to be big displays for every release. And the fandom is pretty much on life support. Half of it hates Landy's guts anyways.

#skulduggery pleasant #SP Bad Magic #SP Hell Breaks Loose #SP Comics #rant #long post #art rant #Landy Interview

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threadsun · 1 year

Text

JDA Asks: "That one thing with Z kissing people and just letting out all the smoke— I think you are getting me into stuff I didn’t know I was into— uh I should be worried,,,

-JDA here-

Okay wait a lot of convo is going on so I kinda have to go back to re read everything cuz I have no idea how memory works- uh—

Kvetch,,, I think I get how to do it now??? The thing is yes pls rant about everything with me I will so gladly listen !! No I will never think it’s dumb or annoying I love to rant about silly stuff too !!

You shouldn’t think, you should KNOW women deserve to cause trouble uwu pretty women I love women !!

Yeah !! Changing your Oc also feels like you’re growing up with them,,, Bun used to be like 16 when I created her and ooO now she’s somewhat like 22-30 AND I LOVE HER SM !! I used to draw in dumb ppg style and she looked very bad but hey she’s improving !!

-also just listening to music and creating random scenarios with your characters in your head is fun !-

Pretty nice power if you ask me !!

Well I’m not scared of hell,,, especially if it means I’ll get to see more of Z uwu

The silly comic was nice btw ! Also !! I think art would suit you right ! I also hate that “getting better at stuff” phase cuz if I’m not good at everything the very first time I do something then I’m never going to get good— but I get over it,,, I think-

The thing is uh, draw, it’s fun !! Also I lieky to talk about silly artsy stuff, I’m all self taught so tell me to draw a human face I will make the worst sketch of a human you’ll see in your life, as long as people don’t have high expectations of me, I’m cool—

Anyways me rn

LISTEN smoking kink is hot. There's a reason Z smokes, and it's like at least 50% for the sex appeal. 80's Z smokes even more because it was more common back then.

Okay okay too much conversation but yes!!! I agree on all of those things!!! And yeah, I wanna do more art. I'm not bad at like... more abstract stuff, I guess? Like I can make nice skies and I've started working on a little eyeball and tentacles doe that I'm pretty proud of so far. But like... the human body eludes me and I wanna be able to draw people. I can draw dicks and boobs no problem, but literally Every Other Part of people is soooooo difficultttttt ;-; and I know I could take the time to learn but like... I wanna be good at it NOW!!! (imagine me stomping around like a toddler cause that's how I feel)

Also heeheehoohoo I'm glad you like my silly lad!!! He's simply feral!!! I need to make more dollmakers and stuff of him... It also seems like I'm gonna be writing him and Nik as the main characters of the multi-chapter fic I'm gonna write so >:3c more Z content will finally see the light of day!!

#sunshine #asks #jda

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chemicalbrew · 2 years

Text

2021 game list

aka 'I finally got tired of having to scroll really far to edit the 2022 list because I wanted originally to fuse two years in one, like a fool'

I'm pretty sure the bulk of this was made in... spring\summer 2021, but there were a bunch of games I didn't write anything for until this year, as will be evident later. This is long as hell, as you would expect.

'Veronica, why didn't you have a 2021 list ready in time???'

A question that nobody asked, but one that really needs answering, because in 2021, I gamed too much, in addition to other things. I'll make additions to the behemoth of a document that never saw the light of day in time in italics.

A lot of things have happened this year. I learned how to swim, for one! I graduated high school, too, and got into my dream university (though, honestly, it's just about as messy as any other uni in the end). I got a reasonably powerful and fully functional PC all to myself (it doesn’t even compare to the old husk I had to use in my school days!) (this year, I finally got a good phone as well, which influenced the current year's list a fuckton). And I could finally fulfill the one dream I held on to for the past two and a half years and get a Switch for myself (insert bittersweet laughing here)!! As a result, when it came to gaming, the possibilities became nigh endless. Instead of praying that a game I kinda like even manages to launch, I could dive headfirst into anything that catches my eye with confidence and no hesitation! I had so many options, in fact, that I ended up making a Backloggd account to assist myself. (yup, still helpful, though I'm much more loose about keeping track of shit now) Almost anything I played that isn’t on this list can be found there, if you’re curious! This, however, turned out to be a double-edged sword. More options means more garbage to wade through, and yet the best games tend to draw you in quicker than you think. (so true bestie)

After this, a list of games that did nothing but disappoint me that year followed. I don't want to dwell on it too much now, but I'll still mention their names:

Night in the Woods (PC, 2017) - I was way too old to be their target audience and came out thoroughly disappointed, especially in the character cast and soundtrack.

Children of Morta (PC, 2019) - the progression is too slow, the cast isn't appealing enough, there's a lot of redundancy to the point where I dropped the game. However, it was fairly pretty and I liked the narrator enough to listen to his extra works.

Spiritfarer (PC, 2020) - best described not as ‘a cozy management game about dying’, but’ as ‘much ado about nothing’. These two reviews give voice to some of my frustrations better than I can. PS. Love lighthearted ableism!

Aria's Story (PC, 2018-2019) - A very little game that has nothing of value to tell you (that hasn't been done to death already) and has cheap jumpscares every five minutes.

Hyper Light Drifter (PC, 2016) - I don’t get this one. The idea of telling a story without words seemed appealing at first, until I realized that I actually need words in my stories!

Moonlighter (PC, 2018) (confusing gameplay, boring music and plot)

OMORI (PC, 2020) (I think I have an allergy to this game)

Yume Nikki (PC, 2004) (sorry, but nah, I don’t get it)

Long Live the Queen (PC, 2012) (more like Long Live the Guide)

Owlboy (PC, 2016) (why would you do my boy Otis like that? Also, my apologies to Rads)

UnderMine (PC, 2019) (should have been called UnderGrind)

Baba is You (PC, 2019) (actually not bad, but brain is fry)

Hand of Fate (PC, 2015) (the font hurt me, there’s nothing really good here other than narration)

Minute of Islands (PC, 2021) (should have been a picture book, otherwise it’s a neat interpretation of ‘no man is an island’)

...'okay, but surely not everything you played was garbage?'

Right you are, hypothetical reader! And this is how I would like to introduce what once was the 'honorable mention' section of my record. These notes have actual substance to them and are formatted similarly to my 2020 list! There is a game that is of particular importance (because I ended up playing its sequels in 2022) at the end of this section.

Hades (PC, 2020) [♪ House of Hades]

Yes, I get to put the game of the previous year here again, because it is my list. All things considered, I love Hades too much not to use the opportunity to mention it again! I played it till March to wrap up some of the tasks that are more… out there (learning to play without god mode, chasing extra dialogue, and climbing up in ranks), and it was fun pretty much the whole time. Streaming it was a grand time while it lasted, as well (not very long at all). All the mediocre roguelikes I touched this year fail to measure up to Hades in any capacity. 💖 Still true - my interest in roguelikes\-lites has naturally dropped since then, but Hades' excellency was a major factor in this.

Sayonara Wild Hearts (PC, 2019) [♪ Doki Doki Rush]

Kiss Your Ex And Lie About Your Genre On Steam: the game. The only thing preventing this from being a game that is barely worth mentioning is its really good soundtrack. (I played it about a quarter of the way through before realizing that a far better option than standing still and letting the music play out would be to just watch the whole thing.)

I also like the general style of it and find it pretty unique (even though Katana ZERO did something similar in a much more cohesive and enjoyable fashion), but playing it was an exercise of frustration that prevented me from appreciating the awesome landscapes. Parallel Universes is a pretty incredible level concept, yeah, but I did NOT handle it well.

I didn’t jive with any of the symbolism either (I guess it’s gay though. Good for them), however, I am still glad something as creative as this exists, even if it is clearly not cut out for me. Can’t believe I let this game gather dust for months, when I could have just given up. lol

A Hero and a Garden (PC, 2019) [♪ Shop Bell]

A clever little mix of visual novel and clicker game that manages to have an interesting story, despite starting out with the oldest of cliches (hell yeah, there's a princess!). Music is really sweet too, and even in a runtime as short as ~2 hours, you end up feeling for the protagonist. If you don't have much free time, spend it on this for a complete experience.

Doki Doki Literature Club Plus! (PC, 2021) [♪ Dreams of Love and Literature]

PM died for this.

Ohhh… A horror VN classic… Yeah, sure. It’s actually not that great, but some of the music is downright incredible (i.e. the linked song and about half of the songs added in the new edition), and it was a game that undeniably helped and inspired many people. I can’t say I regret spending time with it, but it didn’t impress me, either. The scares got ever so slightly more predictable over time, and it became clear that all they were aiming for is shock value. This game reminds me of Night in the Woods in the way that it had been severely overhyped by contemporary teenagers.

At least Yuri was pretty, I guess?.. But really, all the girls did was represent some overdone anime -dere cliche. It was very likely done on purpose, which is something to be respected for sure, but the fandom ran with it anyway, cause fandoms be fandoming. Shame! (Monika is the obvious exception, but the way they built her up was through the simplest of text dumps, oh, and they also gave her a Twitter account or something. Come on, get creative!)

Rhythm Doctor (PC, 2021) [♪ Rollerdisco Rumble]

Healing hearts and minds with the power of rhythm, hell yeah! Absolutely incredible concept! Combine that with amazing pixel art and animation that makes the small world come alive, the incredibly flashy aesthetic that draws attention from the outside and utterly fucks with your performance on the inside, and an overall message that both promotes peace and showcases humane struggles of a medical profession… the way it ends up going places you wouldn’t quite expect is just so good. And through all that, the game retains its charm and positive vibe! I want a bigger scope, though – it was over far too quickly. Oh, and a little more accessibility options wouldn’t hurt.

The flashiness of this game reminds me of Rhythm Heaven trying to mess with the player, but pushed to an extreme, which is delightful. I had to clear most of the later levels with my eyes closed, and rewatching them later was quite an unusual and fun experience!

Coffee Talk (PC, 2020) [♪ Come Closer]

Pretty (the pixel art reminded me a lot of the PC-98, which is never a bad thing. Oh, dithering, my beloved!) and has an atmosphere, but not nearly as impactful as a game from later on this list with the exact same premise.

Can be good for a getaway\escape kinda game, and the decision to focus the soundtrack on the lo-fi genre is wonderful, but the story has no staying power, and not even the ‘make your own latte art’ gimmick ended up working out, because the process would always feel… either too realistic or too finicky, I wouldn't be able to tell. I’m no barista! Oh, and I guess there was some message about overworking employees?.. I literally forgot.

Ys: Memories of Celceta (PC, 2012-2018) [♪ Wise Man]

So, this was my… *checks notes* fifth Ys? I started with Oath (okay… I guess…), then I played I&II (and wrote about that in 2020) and dabbled in Origin (it was… exhausting to play, but well-written), and I played VIII this year before this (more on that later). So I thought I had enough experience (and understanding of the fandom’s general opinion on Celceta) to know what to expect when I began my journey in this game. Boy, was I wrong! But still, it's obvious that the earliest iteration of the party system would be worse than VIII's, and playing the games in the order that I did may have screwed my impression.

First, the good things. I actually grew unreasonably attached to the artstyle of this game. I loved the fresh take on a younger Adol just starting to give in to his lust for adventure, and the other party members had quite good designs too (especially Duran. I dunno, I can’t help but love that husk of a dude). Some of the locations were endlessly charming (I loved running laps around Casnan with its upbeat music and fun NPCs, and was awed by how pretty Danan ended up looking for a Falcom game). The world was decently fun to explore overall, but I think most of that fun came from seeing what is an early draft of what would later become Lacrimosa of Dana.

The music is absolutely lovely! Everyone loves Ys for constantly offering hardcore rock guitar bangers or whatever, and while Celceta isn’t without a couple of these, I ended up appreciating far more how much calmer it sounds as a whole. There are plenty of tracks that offer you much needed downtime, and the sound of the game feels more mellow than your usual Ys soundtrack.

The gameplay\battle system was overall serviceable, with a few nags in its way - movement felt more restricted than before, and breaking enemies’ guard felt more tedious than necessary. But hey, there’s no raids in this game! hahahahaha-

That ending single-handedly ruined a decent game and is as bad as everyone said it was. I broke down in hysterics when it actually happened. Also, I am still mad about getting only 99.3% map completion! That part of the game is crazy!!

Ib (PC, 2012) [♪ Uneasiness]

My memories of this are quite scattered, but I really enjoyed it, so have this heap of thoughts!

Aria’s Story, but good enough to leave an impression on you, since Gary is an actual character. He serves as a great mentor figure – even without coming across as stiff or all-knowing, he has a lot to give and teach Ib, which makes for a good dynamic that contrasts his disheveled looks well. It’s clear he cares about the girl, but is reluctant to show it clearly enough for her to understand fully, but she clings on to him as her last hope anyway. It’s pretty damn beautiful, actually. also the handkerchief in the true ending omg

The other girl with the yellow rose… Mary… good contrasting character, but her betrayal could be seen from a mile away, which, I guess, is the point, but still not satisfying.

Music is somewhat good too, and the game nailed the aesthetic of an art gallery (including successfully subverting expectations).

The jumpscares rely more on the physical suddenness of it all rather than psychological pressure, and it works out really well – even if you’re cringing, your body is affected. Plus, they fit well thematically, given the protagonists’ age. Speaking of which, the ??? thing (if Ib doesn’t know a word, you won’t know it either, basically) is clever, but gets old a little too quickly.

The idea of linking their life energy to fragile but sharp roses is somewhat creative and executed very well, especially regarding Gary’s blue rose.

The chase sequences were kinda annoying, but not nearly as awful as Aria, thank god.

Basically, this was the game that, alongside OFF, convinced me I might be into RPG Maker games, but, unfortunately, I've yet to find anything else that matches Ib and OFF's energy in this niche\'subgenre'. (And of course, this is talking about the version available as freeware, and not this year's rerelease, which I am curious about, but have no plans of playing.)

Butterfly Soup (PC, 2017) [♪ Thought Projection]

The most wholesome VN I have ever seen. The art is very pretty and expressive without being overwhelming (and of course, the focus on purple\pink is extremely satisfying to me personally). Music is cute and never gets annoying; it may be royalty-free, but it was chosen with clear care.

This game, in my opinion, is genuinely funny without coming across as insincere, and I don’t feel inclined to agree with those who tend to say its ‘uwu humor’ did not age well, because I personally laughed at most of it (the Zero Escape reference got me, man)! And even if I hadn’t, it would still, ironically, fit well with the overall message (which is that growing up and learning new things about yourself is good, and it’s fine not to know what you’re doing for a while, as long as you stay true to yourself and your friends)!

Some of the impact was lost on me due to the focus on America as a setting/baseball, but it's fine, since this focus was chosen with intent. Ultimately, the game carries the same message and does similar things to Night in the Woods, except successfully, without having to rely on random gameplay changes or ‘hip’ artstyle.

Evan’s Remains (PC, 2020) [♪ Whales]

The best thing about this game is its pixel art – just detailed enough for you to appreciate it, but not excessively so. The backgrounds in particular are nothing short of stunning.

Unfortunately, nothing else in Evan’s Remains manages to match that standard. The music, for the most part, is just there, the puzzles, while creative, can be somewhat irritating and repetitive, and the story, while starting out decently, has an ending that might be worse than Celceta’s and ends up making about as much sense. I would recommend you to watch footage of this game, but only if you like pixel art. It won’t take long, I promise.

Platform fighters I tried to give the light of day to

Super Smash Bros. Brawl - fun for just messing around in classic modes like the SSE and Multi-Man Brawl. Really, you can't ask much more of it.

Rivals of Aether - the most polished one that isn't Smash by far, really pretty and fun in general, but a little small in scope. I owe its soundtrack my life (or more accurately, one track. It's legit amazing to study to...)

Brawlhalla - as usual, don't trust a free game to be good. That's all.

In general, the copycats simply fail to capture the charm and spirit of Smash Bros, and Brawl is as much of a casual's game as one would expect. :)

All the idle\incremental games that ate up my time this year (yes, I like these too much, I know)

Namely, these, ordered from best to worst:

Kittens Game (actually amazing for killing boredom. the flavor text is extremely cute and the resource management is quite advanced)

Cookie Clicker (the classic. I lost my garden due to mods, and so shall never speak of this wretched curse again)

Tap Wizard (ironically, the only one on the list I'm still playing - now side by side with the sequel. Though the praise I gave to Kittens is still deserved.)

Trimps

Grimoire

Liquids

Exponential Idle

Shoutout to r/incremental_games for enabling me to dive deeper into this toxic, awful, beautiful genre of timewasters :)

Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney (DS, 2007) [♪ Trial]

AKA ‘the one where Phoenix done fucked up’. First AA I played the Android version of, and it held up pretty well (certainly better than emulating DS via RetroArch)! The remastered graphics annoyed me less than expected, and the gorgeous OST (best in the series so far, unless you count Investigations, and overall a glow-up and joy to my ears [< Still true. I might be ready to shill AA6 music any day, but nothing can top the excellency of AJ music even now.]) has remained intact.

I don't think this game ever reaches the highs that AA3 did, but it is certainly not for a lack of trying. I can understand the sentiment behind 'being done with Phoenix', for sure, and him still being here proves to be a sign for the beginning turmoil of the series and the struggles that Takumi is only now beginning to see the end of with GAA.

I didn’t find myself exactly attached to any of the main characters (okay, maybe Klavier awakened something or other in me, who can say [so valid, but girl... your personal prosecution turmoil is far from over]), but that has been the case for basically the entire main series as well, so that’s not surprising to me personally.

4-1 was more fun than I expected it to be based on popular opinion, and I got a good chuckle out of the ‘’’Russian’’’ waitress and the mental image of hobo!Phoenix eating borsch, but it’s still no 3-1. 4-2 and 4-3 especially were less than impressive, and overall the game got steadily worse over time.

I still appreciated it for trying to pave a new road for the series, for, again, having a fantastic soundtrack, and for making Phoenix into a lovable utter failure (should have stayed that way, his days were indeed over), but… AJ is not the best Ace Attorney by a long shot. 4-4 was pretty damn good though, and I loved how the jurist system was integrated in both story and gameplay, even if the threat it tried to present fell way short. Also, Vera Misham is the cutest girl we’ve ever had to defend.

PS. Klapollo have bigger gay energy than Wrightworth do, fight me. 2022 me here to report that I no longer want to fight anyone, because in the end it turned out I'm the loser who got somewhat into Blackmadhi. And also I now think the two ships in question are about equally good.

Fire Emblem: Awakening (3DS, 2012) [♪ Chaos]

I actually had barely played the game throughout either year, but it still deserves this spot.

A game that aged better than expected. Really fun to play on an actual big screen (and with savestates – the Mila's Turnwheel of yore). Music is still godlike after all these years. Still haven't gotten far enough to marry Chrom, but I was almost there, I swear!! (If you think I care a lot about much else after so many years, you're a fool.)

I don’t have much more to say because a passion for this game has burned within me for years now, and playing it now just matches every expectation of it I used to have. It’s very dear to me, and it’s very good, and that’s good enough.

The actual 2021 list

Rhythm Tengoku (GBA, 2006) [♪ Iai Slash] + Rhythm Heaven Fever (Wii, 2011) [♪ See-Saw]

Rhythm Heaven is a very special, fun and wonderful little series, and I'm happy to say that spending more time with it was the first thing I thought of when I got my new PC.

I played through both Tengoku and Fever this year, but I believe the former is more remarkable because... It's my first time! And the game is honestly a little brutal compared to Fever (thank god for savestates), but it looks somewhat impressive for the GBA, and the music is fabulous, and it's just so exciting to properly see the origins of the best rhythm game series ever. If the ranking system was just a tad less strict, I would have loved to get to know it fully.

However, keep in mind this is the game that has Quiz and an endless game as original as Mr. Upbeat. You can’t have your cake and eat it?..

Anyway, Fever I actually managed to complete without much issues (Working Dough 2 aside. My god, that game can go fuck itself.), which was another longtime dream of mine! Yay!! In my opinion, Fever hits the perfect sweetspot between being so strict you can’t pass a remix and being so forgiving that you don’t feel accomplished unless you get a Perfect (looking at you, Megamix). The games are well-varied as well, although overall they rely too much on holding A+B together… I suppose that is better than motion controls, though!

More about the games themselves: most of them are solid. If you haven’t gleaned this from the first paragraph already, I think See-Saw is actually a classic. My favorite remix has always been the fourth one (kinda obvious if you bother scrolling through the wall of shitposts on my ‘about’ page), and I have a soft spot for all games on that set, too. Love Rap, while not outstanding, actually gave me a lot less trouble than anticipated (following cues out loud helps), and you just can’t have Karate Man beat!

Even some of the more obscure games, like the two-player Pirate Crew (which I played on my own, while emulating two controllers. It’s fun that way, but quite tough!), are well-made and fun! I’m so glad that even… roughly four years later for me, the game managed to deliver.

Trials of Mana / Seiken Densetsu 3 (PC, 2020 / SNES, 1995) [♪ Meridian Child]

Ah yes, the second-to-last good Mana game with a soundtrack that at times outshines Chrono Trigger! (only at times, though.)

Disclaimer: I have only played the remake, and I only did it once (Riesz\Kevin\Angela was my party). However, I watched two playthroughs that covered the other routes, and one of them was of the SNES version of Trials. Yeah, that took a lot of time!..

(Surprisingly enough, that was all past me had left me with. This is where the list in general shows how it ended up unfinished in time! Time to wrestle with my own memories!)

Here's the thing: for the mid-90s, this game is impressive as all hell. And as someone who has considered herself a casual fan of the series for a few years now (Secret being one of the few games I had a good time with on the SNES Classic, and Legend leaving me with a warmth of fondness in my heart), I was unusually, but unsurprisingly, excited to see this allegedly wonderful work come to us in its full splendor. The favorable reviews of the remake when compared against the sheer mediocrity that was their first attempt with Secret didn't help when it came to quelling my hype either.

And then I booted the game and was greeted eagerly with the wonder of a song that is Meridian Child. You bet I looked forward to it!

In the end, though... even the best Mana games just aren't enough to compete with most RPGs of the modern day, or even some contemporary ones. That's not to say I didn't have fun, but you can't deny how basic this game's story, structure and gameplay feel in the 2020s.

I wasn't disappointed with my choice of characters (they made a very cohesive and satisfying team together, based on almost all-out offense), but I did feel like there wasn't much of anything done to make them feel like a well-thought out party narratively. I mean, the team in Secret didn't have that much reason to get together either, but considering how much the game and its fans tout how 'interconnected' the stories are... I think I have a right to feel let down. The gameplay system itself is pretty bare-bones, too - it doesn't feel all that different from the predecessor (I mean, yes, you no longer have to wait to strike at full power, but does that count as an actual change?), and playing it in 3D made me realize how much the charm of the excellent 2D sprites had carried the series all along.

The character designs are... very 90s, for all the good and bad that entails. Angela in particular deserves the small degrees of infamy she got upon the game's release. However, in a complete vacuum, they're quite pleasant (Riesz especially - doubly so in the Star Lancer class she ended up with on my playthrough.), and the way they change together with the classes (the whole idea of a class change in a game that's not strictly about classes like Fire Emblem is great!) is spectacular.

The music is absolutely wonderful, and unlike Secret, the remade versions don't ruin the SFC sound's charm either. Trials was one of the few remakes where I actively made use of the soundtrack version switch! It's still hard to pick a single favorite, even when my excitement about this game has long since quietened. Walls and Steels, Powell, the cheekily-named Secret of Mana (ignore the video title, lol - SE seems to have gotten greedy with copyright strikes in the years since I started this list) and Damn Damn Drum are just a few pieces I have enjoyed for years - both the original and the remade versions.

The logical conclusion here is that in this day and age, this game is nothing more than eye candy, accompanied with Kikuta's finest work. But hey, sometimes that's just what you need, and I enjoyed what it had to offer!

Wandersong (PC, 2018) [♪ Sailing with the Coffee Pirates]

The one thing Wandersong became particularly well-known for is its… energy, in my opinion. On their own, the colorful visuals, charming writing and welcoming music wouldn't amount to nearly as much as they do when they all come together. Fitting for a game whose message is all about the whole world coming together to accomplish what no one could on their own, huh?

This, believe it or not, is the solution to basically every problem - big or small - that plagues the world of Wandersong. Good thing singing is basically all our adorable protagonist* can do! You'll never guess what they end up doing for the world they live in, either!! (save it. they save it.) ...but what matters is that they don't do it alone. (and that they're not the eternally cheerful bundle of energy they always seem to be.)

*I lovingly named them Bong as soon as I saw the opportunity to do so, but I know their actual name is supposed to be Kiwi. I doubt I'll address the character themselves much while writing, but if I do, I'll probably end up calling them the Bard anyway, for simplicity. 'Bong' was funny while it lasted, though!

Call it cheesy, call it overdone - it doesn't change the excellent execution of the ideas brought to the table. Playing this game is like looking back at your younger self who believed in fairytales, and telling them 'no, it's not always like those stories, even if sometimes it seems that it will be. But what you can do is be yourself, and like-minded people will flock to you. And others will have something to learn from your example!'.

Also, you can dab and play Megalovania (if you know how to) in this game. 10/10 meme potential. ...I'm honestly struggling to put my impressions in words - it really is just a warm cup of coffee brewed the right way. It can barely be described any better than a warm way of sunshine. My rambling doesn't do justice to how adorable it was.

Va-11 Hall-A + KIDS! (PC, 2016 + 2018) [♪ Base of the Titans + Her Noise]

Screw it, I don't care what this inclusion says about me. I recognize this has similar pitfalls to the previously shat on Night in the Woods (Jill is barely any better of a protagonist than Mae, only more grounded; the amount of stupid and/or immature jokes is similar, if not worse; the Julianne minigame is super dumb), but listen! I just heard of a visual novel that was inspired by PC-98 graphics and immediately drooled and had to find out more.

The pixel art is indeed immaculate, if not too varied. The music is really good. Might not be something to listen to much outside of the game, but while you play, it ENHANCES the experience ♥ [this is so funny to read to me, considering I Still consider this to be a phenomenal score and have come to enjoy it a ton in 2022, even finding it genuinely inspiring at times. Don't listen to past me, this game is full of bangers.] Not to mention how diverse it can be sometimes — i.e. the track above vs. Snowfall vs. Showtime! [my personal current favorite] That, combined with how you're in charge of what you're hearing most of the time, makes for a very chill experience that manages to reflect what you're feeling impressively well.

The idea of the story changing depending on the drinks you mix is interesting in theory, but the way it plays out in practice is just a lot of basic win/fail branching that doesn't ever seem to change more than a few lines most of the time. The script is actually quite robust when you look deep into it, but it's hard to witness while you actually play. This game could benefit from a flowchart to encourage players to explore. (However, Alma acknowledging you're trying to cheer her up with her favorite drink despite her ordering something entirely different – that's good! I want more of that!)

Other things ruining the drink system are:

the fact that the recipes are easily accessible, so unless Jill gets distracted and/or the order is obscure, it's impossible to screw it up or experiment;

it's all revealed at once, which makes gameplay more repetitive than it had to be;

you need a LOT of money, especially if you're buying as much furniture as I did, which further discourages you from experimenting on your first playthrough

A lot of the jokes are (im)mature, hit or miss, and reliant on recent internet culture. There's too many dogs and they're not even funny, either. This is not going to age well, but the game still made me chuckle reliably, dang it!

The world gets a surprising amount of development thanks to Jill's phone apps and exposure to all manner of clients. It's really a shame you don't get to see any of it aside from her bar and room! And despite what I said earlier, it's hard not to get invested in Jill's struggles to live and make peace with herself.

This is far from a masterpiece, but to me it's clear that it's not what it wanted to be – you can feel the developers striving for more, which is a good thing. It makes for a great time with a chilled beverage of your choice and it looks great, I couldn't ask for more!

KIDS! is a fabulous spinoff that is way too good for an April Fool's joke! The art is inspired and cute, the music is just as good as the original and even better at times, and the decrease in mature jokes is honestly refreshing.

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana (PC, 2018) [♪ Royal Capital Aigius]

I'm soooo conflicted on this one.

The character/flashbacks artwork is really amazing and I loved it all immediately... but I really can't say the same about the game's actual graphics. They're serviceable, but I wish there were more chances to show off the gorgeous artwork!

Dana might be the best character in the whole series and I fucking love her, but the way she exists in the same game as Sahad is a travesty. Dogi needed to switch places with him and be playable.

Exploring the island is pretty fun for the most part. The way everything's marked on the map makes it rot a little, for sure, but I won't refuse a nice distracting checklist! After all, I play Trails! Unfortunately, the locations don't vary, like, at all (aside from Eternia, which was great), so if you binge this game, you're guaranteed to get sick of greenery and dinosaurs :(

Some of the music is as good as you would expect from an early 10s Falcom game (everything to do with Dana/Eternia, Alone on the Deserted Island, Gens d'Armes, etc). Key word is 'some'. Despite what I just said, I think Iclucian Dance is uh... Flawed. And all music for raids/hunts can die in a fire. In addition, aside from these clearly bad tracks, I have bias against the kind of music Ys uses in general, so in total my OST impression is one big fat 'meh!'.

I like the general idea of abandoned island/castaways, getting them back together and having to figure out what's going on before stumbling onto Dana... Why did this get diluted with thematic clashes ghost pirate ships and silly assassins?

Getting the castaways might be fun, but their actual personalities are unimpressive. I don't want to blow this flaw out of proportion - this is Ys, after all, and it's about as good as I would expect for Ys, but still. The feeling of the whole village bonding is greater than the impressions from its individual residents. Not to mention, it devolved into yet another save the world plot near the end, when I would've preferred something that focused on Dana more than it already did.

Moving on to gameplay... wow, an Ys game that has a party instead of a single playable character works? Kinda. The bare minimum is done to distinguish between characters, and the Flash system trivializes most differences anyway. In the end, only Adol and Dana are actually fun to use. Unless you count spamming the same skill over and over.

Sanctuary Crypt was a very fun optional dungeon with the best boss to boot. Block puzzles soured my impression, though. Meanwhile, most of the other levels are nothing to write home about, if not outright terrible.

And since I have nowhere else to put this: raids/hunts as a whole are unnecessary, grind the slow pace of the game to a halt and are not fun. Also, giving Adol binary and meaningless dialogue options won't make him a nicer character, the outside narrator explaining his thoughts in the older games was better.

Cosmic Star Heroine (PC, 2017) [♪ A Conspiracy]

What do we have here? A very unique battle system that is greatly enjoyable, but really, only in short bursts (a huge part of why I almost burnt out on the game was playing it on Hard / Heroine – made it drag). What makes it stand out is how it elegantly limits your abilities - you can only use each of your equipped moves once, before you have to recharge them by defending. It's a refreshing take, to be sure, but when you play the game for hours on end, it turns into something that feels more like padding than actual mechanic.

There's also a unique soundtrack, which should not really be a surprise, given the composer, but still, you just don't hear stuff like A Firebrand, An Agitator in your everyday RPG! It can feel a little off and cringe-inducing sometimes, but it's honestly just very awesome overall.

The pixel art in this game can be hit or miss, but luckily, it never missed in its most important moments, and character portraits did not fail to please.

That's about where CSH's strengths come to an end, however. When it comes to personalities, everyone is pretty dry and feels like cardboard, but it felt fair to me, since I knew what I was jumping into. And the gorgeous presentation, battle system and decent jokes all outweighed the forgettable plot!!! It was a good time ♥

Pyre (PC, 2017) [♪ Surviving Exile]

Near flawless given what it sets out to do, discounting the slower pacing near the second half. For a pitch as uniquely strange as 'visual novel where you have to play a game of sports-lite about a dozen times', Pyre manages to be incredibly compelling and welcoming to nigh everyone that approaches it, thanks to having what can be graciously called an open-ended story that is, in a way, completely independent from the 'sports'-like parts of the game (you can lose every match and still reach the end), and yet, in a lot of other ways, bound together (hehe) with it so intricately that it might as well count as a gameplay\story integration masterclass. The fates of characters you love riding on your shoulders and the performance you're willing to deliver is a simple, but elegant way to set up the narrative.

And the gameplay itself is... well... it's everything you could want it to be within reason, I guess. On the surface, it's not particularly complicated - you control three characters one at a time to score goals while preventing the AI from doing the same - but the amount of choices given (and supported by the narrative) when it comes to composing your team and letting it grow is surprisingly high. In addition, one of the defining features of Supergiant's games is the freedom they give you when it comes to difficulty, and Pyre is no stranger to this. There's the previously mentioned freely available option to lose, but if that's not enough, Pyre has an always accessible difficulty toggle and the (by this point expected) extra difficulty modifiers.

Of course, one of the biggest reasons Pyre saw success in the first place was its ingenious presentation - it's pretty without being overwhelming with details or feeling pretentious, the character designs stand out on their own while also conveying a much needed feeling of unity... and the soundtrack is one of the best I've heard in a game, period, managing to tie plenty of rather diverse styles, from the gentle vocals used in something like Mourning Song to the appropriately abrupt metal track that is Thrash Pack, together neatly, without clashing or betraying the game's intentions.

And that's without going into how dynamic everything sounds - there's the obvious changes, like the theme song of the Liberation Rites and the (wonderful) ending song changing lyrics depending on who you faced and\or what the outcome was, and the more subtle ones, like Surviving Exile (and most other tracks) having different layers to them that show themselves appropriately, with that track in particular doing a splendid job of both setting the game's overall mood and, well, setting, as well as providing a thematic foundation for three of the game's more important characters.

That's not to say they're given more time than the rest or anything like that - all characters, at least the ones that band together for your cause, are well-written given the short runtime (I always looked forward to talking with the kind and resolute Hedwyn in particular :) ), and even those that face off against you carry just enough intrigue to be interesting and have their own place in this strange little world. Therefore, Pyre excels at selling you the found family narrative, if you're willing to stick to it, not in the least because your role as the Reader in particular is handled so well.

You're basically half of the reason these beings of different walks and ways of life could have banded together instead of resigning themselves to their fate in the first place, they owe a lot to you in that sense, and yet, they make it a point to make sure you stand as an equal among them. They're willing to stand up for you just as much as you are for them, though some might need a little convincing first. It all makes for lovely interactions that enhance the cast and the world around them, while still making your place in it feel unique. Never have I felt so good about being literate, which is a plot point that ends up enhancing the worldbuilding in rather impressive ways - helping you feel closer ties with everything that's happening, since obviously you can read, and making the world around you take shape and feel more real thanks to the Book of Rites. (And of course, the small detail of being able to choose the Reader's pronouns and that change being reflected everywhere, including the music, is just about the cherry on top - I like it because you can use it both to increase immersion and to distance yourself from the narrative as much as you want.)

So yeah! A refreshing experience that never quite falters from start to finish, with a powerful and positive message to deliver... it would have been the game of the year... were I not a Trails fan...

Katana ZERO (PC, 2019) [♪ Katana ZERO]

Yes, I did pick that track to do the 'Fullmetal Alchemist. Fullmetal Alchemist.' thing. But it's also genuinely really good! Although my big faves are Sneaky Driver, Full Confession and Overdose. The soundtrack in general, while hit or miss sometimes, overall has an incredible sound that would resonate very well with younger me, methinks. The heavy reliance on bass and repetition is exactly what I'm here for, and it's a flawless fit for a game that has you spend a lot of time perfecting the execution of each of its challenges – it draws you into the setting and the mood without having an overwhelming presence. I also love the little detail of Zero actually turning it on every level – I admit, it got me pretty pumped across the whole game.

The aesthetic/presentation is top notch, I enjoyed every second of it. Zero's movement looks and feels very fluid, the overall color scheme is just my absolute favorite, and the way it all reminded me somewhat of the glory days of vaporwave was great too. Not to mention that in general, 2D art in games is my jam... I was SOLD!

The gameplay is far from my comfort zone, but I ended up enjoying it more than expected (it almost gave me the worst case of hand cramps I've ever had, that's how addictive it is, lmao). It's a huge shame that I can't think of any other similar games off the top of my head that I would truly get interested in, without having to wrestle with heavy-themed plots or anything similar (because let's face it, this was one of the few games where I didn't bother with engaging with the story. I was here for the spectacle, and boy, on that level it delivered.).

I loved the general cycle of 'start the level, die immediately, start actually plotting a strategy, die as soon as that strat fails you, develop a fully functional plan, spend some more time executing it... wait, I did it! And didn't realize I was holding my breath the whole time! PHEW, time to watch the tape!'. The last level in particular had me feeling like I was pulling off pure miracles just with my guts and reaction, and it's a fantastic feeling! ...and then I watched the speedruns of the game, which show perfectly how tight the execution in this game has to be, and lost my mind, it's crazy.

The dialogue system in KZ, while undercooked, is intriguing nonetheless, and some of the optional dialogue can be pretty funny. (Pinkachu, anyone?) In addition, I found it ridiculously hilarious to see СУКАБЛЯТЬ multiple times across this otherwise clearly-not-supposed-to-be-russian-at-all game.

And, despite just saying that I did not care for the overarching story, I have to admit, I was drawn in by the sheer mysterious, yet human-like, presence of Zero as the protagonist. This is a game that's not afraid to be itself, and, for better or worse, it had all the right elements to undeniably suck me in. Playing it even a year later is a feeling so specific and good that I'm stuck yearning for more of it. Maybe one day it'll come in the form of DLC?

OneShot (PC, 2016) [♪ On Little Cat Feet]

This game genuinely was a touching little experience (and you know me, I love me some toying with the fourth wall), complete with adorable pixel art and one of the sweetest protagonists known to RPGs. I know usually people tend to rave about this game (and rightfully so, most of the hubbub is deserved), but personally I'm like 'yeah! I played it! It was fantastic!', and I don't really want to preach to the choir beyond that. I do want to point out that this will probably remain one of my favorite 'meta' gaming experiences, though - this game does not try too hard to appeal to the player (and therefore, it never feels like the narrative is falling flat on its face), and the simple story hook of a lost child like Niko trying to find their way with your help is lovely and effective at keeping you invested. It's just... nice, okay? Sometimes it's enough for a game to be nice.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails to Azure (PC, 2011, tr. 2021) [♪ Heavenly Chariot]

There are a couple of points to make about this game:

1. The music in Azure is beyond incredible, and showing off but a single track would be an unforgivable crime. At the same time, it's very easy to just point to the entire damn OST as an example of RPG music excellency. I guess they were not kidding when they said Falcom peaked music-wise right around the time this game came out!! When I talked about Zero, I mentioned that, despite how much I liked that soundtrack, I felt like it lacked consistency to a certain degree, which had hurt it, in my opinion. Azure, looking back, managed to strike the balance between having distinct memorable tracks and staying cohesive as a game soundtrack, which is what, deep down, I was looking for in Zero the year before. I remember laughing to myself about how different my opinions on Trails music tend to be from what seems to be the norm established in the fandom, but playing through Azure was the first time I found myself agreeing with 'the masses'. It's impossible not to adore this soundtrack.

2. The main reason this will never be the greatest of Trails to me is that I believe Azure marks the point in the series where the time put into the game (as a completionist who fishes for everything each Kiseki has to offer) starts to become disproportionate to what you actually get out of it.

To explain: while the main storyline is as well-written and exciting (though in a different way from Sky or even Zero - this game is famous for pulling out all the stops, and starting with a bang while finishing with a series of even bigger bangs) as always, this very likely came at the cost of the usually outstanding dialogue of the NPCs. Each time you go on your routine laps around the region, in any way you can, 90% of the time you will only see characters say one-liners about the current situation. That you just witnessed during the main quest from the perfect viewpoint. With your own eyes. It gets, uh... annoying?

And in addition to that, Azure is crazy about locking DP behind random things. Some of them are easy to figure out, naturally, but you will not be reaching first (or even second) rank without guides. And the biggest reason for this is the combination of ridiculously well-hidden quests and unwinnable battles that give you 5 DP in exchange for burning out on your item stash!! >:( You can be smug about this point, given that this is part of what the whole series is known for, but attaining max DP rank here is definitely more of a challenge than even in its prequel.

If that wasn't enough, there are eleven characters Lloyd can get bonding events with, drastically up from Zero's three for like no reason? Which is clearly designed to entice you into doing multiple playthroughs of a 100+ hours long game! I am not against getting more of beloved protagonists, but this is a very bad way to go about it. [laughs in CS1]

The gameplay here is also something I came to appreciate more a year later, after getting to know CS1. As the saying goes, you don't know what you have till it's gone, and this applies perfectly to the changes made to the battle system, particularly Orbments, over the years. When I played Azure, I didn't think too favorably of the addition of Master Quartz, but it ultimately made for an excellent fit, further emphasizing the combat roles the characters are made to fill while giving you an improved sense of progression with the MQ being able to level up.

All this, combined with the fact that I had been stubborn enough to use Hard instead of Normal (lose-lose deal – on Normal regular encounters wouldn't be as fun, on Hard I get my ass kicked by ultra-strong bosses harder. Retry Offset, I miss you...)... Yeah, that is why I almost broke the game with debug mode during the finale (that boss fight was over-reliant on Burst, I swear), and I have no regrets :p

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (Switch, 2018) [♪ Main Theme ~ Piano]

This GIF is actually an accurate summary of how my time with this game went.

I feel like, despite past me claiming that Azure was rightfully the spotlight of her year, the true game of 2021 was this all along. Partially because '21 was the only year when I could enjoy it to the fullest. I don't really want to talk about it much, which is funny when I try to look back at the huge rant I had half-prepared about my love-hate relationship with this game (bring back shielddropping! and good singleplayer! and give us good online!), rife with comparisons to Smash 4 and small things only true nerds semi-competitive players care about, but now it all just reminds me of the Smash Ball-shaped hole I have in my soul.

Maybe in another world, I'll be able to enjoy Smash again. For now, I have to thank Ultimate for making 2021 feel like something I earned. For the greatest soundtrack a game ever could have. And of course, for the Palutena buffs. I still remember when I thought she would never appear again, much less be empowered like she was. 💚

In conclusion, this is a game that can be painful to love, but love persists nonetheless, because there is nothing like Smash Ultimate in the world. ❤ - 2021 me, who was right

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egg-emperor · 2 years

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I know Ivo seems to have a passion towards amusement parks, and as an amusement park enthusiast, I adore that about him! He's so creative and energetic that it lightens my mood as well. I must know: What do you think would be his favorite ride or attraction?

Absolutely, theme parks are evidently his biggest interest besides science and robotics, with a huge goal of his being making all his crazy and creative park dreams come true with Eggmanland when he takes over the world. His passion for them shows so openly and proudly with how it's had such a huge focus, to the point he even built an entire interstellar park and I really love that about him too! :D 💕

I think he likes all kinds of big fast and crazy rides the most but I've always liked to imagine that rollercoasters are particularly his favorite for the thrill that makes him feel alive, the heights and speed give him a rush and the more intense the better. I'd say that there's plenty of stuff that points towards it as it's always a ride he includes no matter- such as in his Interstellar Park, Eggmanland, and he even had a coaster at Circus Park. And there's this cute art from the Eggman's Carol video XD 💜

I'm sure he'd never run out of ideas for any rides and attractions and can come up with things nobody else could but there are especially endless possibilities for designs and themes for rollercoasters that fuels his creativity! I imagine it was a part of what first appealed to him about them when it comes to both riding and creating them, along with how big, fast, and crazy they can be.

Another factor is the danger and scariness when it comes to deadly rides he makes for guests' fear and doom and his amusement, while he keeps safe fun but still crazy rides to himself. He likes how he can make them unstable and how people can go flying off it, it can suddenly break, or there can just be an abrupt drop where the track ends, like he does all the time in the games >:)

I also imagine that he finds rollercoasters most fun to design and draw and build small 3D models of, with impressive complexity and fun twists, turns, drops, crazy fast acceleration and risks before he makes them into a reality. And that he's always daydreaming about it, writing down and sketching ideas, and making cool models and is even happier to make them become a reality.

I like to think he's been doing it since childhood, so he's giddy with glee whenever he gets to make his near lifelong dreams come true for real when he builds them! He took a lot of interest in designing other rides and attractions when he decided he'd like to make entire parks and has fun with them too but coasters will always have a special place in his heart above all. 💗

#asks #dr eggman #eggman #dr robotnik #dr. eggman #headcanons #my post #hobbies

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fairywithgremlintendencies · 2 years

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hi jas! (i hope its okay if i call you that)

anyways i had was wondering if you had any tips on how to further develop an oc

i have a few ocs and i have fleshed out a general idea about them, but theyre still just really general and i wanted to see if you have any advice on how to make an oc more thorough and unique :)

im sorry its a lottt

evan!! :D you can 100% call me jas, you're actually the first to do so on here *hands you a medal* <33

also don't be sorry! original characters are literally my life and have been for. god. around 2 years or so! BUT ANYWAY I'LL GET INTO THE IMPORTANT STUFF

an important thing to acknowledge is that general character ideas are in themselves so important, in terms of seeing a particular character through. if you're hooked enough on the general vibe of an oc, you're probably going to be more likely to do more work with them in the future, weather that's by drawing them, thinking about them, writing, whatever that may be. There are several ways to make a character appeal to you, the maker. i cannot stress enough how important it is for the creator to be invested in their characters. for example, when i was starting to get into a certain show I noticed that i loved how contrasting the character's personalities were, and how they all interacted together. for me, lots of characters being present was a part of the appeal because i'm interested in how they interact/their connections to each other! therefore that's kind of what my character's story centers around. human connection! (or semi human, in my case.) what i'm trying to say is that if you're running out of ideas, turning to media for inspiration is a go to and can really help!!! even if it's just like "whoa, this character in this show has something special about them, I wonder how i could use this to inspire my own work!" find what you tend to like seeing in characters. how could you use your knowledge of what you find appealing to make this character likable? (if that's what you're going for, a hated character can be fun too sometimes >:) )

also one last thing about base ideas/general ideas. they will change. its important to be flexible with these kinds of things, as creativity can be a complex process and your characters are bound to evolve over time, which is awesome and beautiful.

ONTO FURTHER DEVELOPMENT!!

it's important to make your characters seem "real" in a sense. even if they're based somewhere other than earth, characters are more relatable when they seem more "human" or realistic. By this i mean don't be afraid to give your characters flaws! let them make mistakes! as well as it being good for their development, it's also way more fun to portray.

also, character backgrounds. families!! (if relevant.) people tend to take on traits of their parents, grandparents, etc and sometimes it's best to start with those relatives. i'll give an example. my initial main cast of ocs was just a handful of people. they had their own story forming and it was looking okay. after a while, i came up with future kids for some of these characters and how the parent's features would be shown through these future characters. .....long story short those "future kids" characters are now my main cast. by (accidentally) developing them from this angle, i was able to flesh out important things like their parent's backstories and past connections to my antagonist, how that will affect my main characters, (what trauma could this cause? what conflicts could arise?) and how different and diverse families can look. (found families, single parents, children adopted into families because one of the older characters had similar problems to them growing up,) the list goes on! something that can make characters seem more fleshed out is their relationships with other characters, and their backstories/motives/fears etc! also!! it's always interesting to see how a character's attitude and personality changes throughout their story. for example, how they act at the beginning may be very different to how they act when something is revealed about them later/conflict arises or something similar.

idk how much of an in depth answer you need but it does depend on if you want to have well rounded characters just to have, or if you want to put them in a storyline. in terms of art, if you ever want to design your characters yourself, finding artists that have a style similar to how you imagine your characters can be so helpful, and you can learn so much about your characters by seeing them on paper/on a screen! (like when i imagine my character concepts, there's always some things i don't think about until i draw/colour them, like the colour of their eyes!)

ALSO ALSO ask yourself things like

do they have any physical features connected to their past? does your character embrace them or try to hide them?

does your character have any insecurities?

how does your character feel about (insert activity here)

how does your character tend to process difficult or strong emotions?

if your character has siblings, what is their relationship to them like?

creating character bios can also really really help! general details that I like to include are full name, age, where they're from, nicknames, if any, (my personal favourite part) birthday, any details on any powers they have if any, personality types, (optional but can also help to see how they think a bit better, what their core fears are etc) gender, sexuality, pronouns, any random trivia/facts, and notable friends and family!

also, diversifying characters can help a lot with variety and i really recommend it. having characters with different abilities, disabilities, sexualities, gender identities, gender expressions, ethnicities, etc is all so interesting to develop for a character, and i've learned a lot from doing it! i also like to throw little aspects of myself into my characters! for example, one of my main ocs experiences gender the same as me is many ways! we have similar dysphoria triggers and our gender presentation is almost the same! my protagonist is a lot like me personality wise, and one of my other characters has the same family dynamic problems that i face (not enough motivation to be as helpful as one feels they should be in a family environment etc) i actively encourage projecting onto characters. very therapeutic. also!!! characters are more complex than they seem at first glance. if you think about how you see the world and your experiences, there's probably lots of layers and complexities to that! characters are similar! that's why i personally base my protag off of me a bit, because it means that i already have a solid understanding of her!

ok i've really been rambling but i hope this helps! creating characters is a lengthy process (i have over 100 and have fully visually developed like 4) but it's so worth it in my opinion <3333

#leaf asks #long post #leaf ocs #noah :)#tries to bold some things to make it easier to read for whoever needs those accommodations bc i would if i was reading this #ocs #oc development #caps

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courtofmatchups · 8 months

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This is such a good idea omg!! May I get a Match Up?

My Name is Maia and i go by she/her! Im about 5"4 which is pretty ordinary id say. I have green eyes and dye my hair alot as a form of self expression! I'm very artistic and draw or paint alot. I also write! I own 2 cats which tend to sleep on me or in my bed when I sleep. I think my friends would say I'm pretty energetic but I know when to stop kinda?? 🤷��♀️ Theres nothing that I love more than making others feel safe and guarded. I also enjoy dancing, baking, cooking and singing! I also very much enjoy gardening and caring for plants or animals. I am an ENTP, meaning im really extroverted but I still have times in which I just want to sit back and let others do the talk. I get exhausted from public situations sometimes. I absolutely hate rude people, like the ones that are rude without a reason. I could break their bose each time someone talks to me or my friends like that. M favorite thing about myself is that I know how to communicate. It was hard acquiring that, since I have some childhood trauma in the bag. Meaning I start tearing up whenever someone I love might start talking to me in a pissed way or in a way that tells me were arguing because i usually avoid arguments within family or with loved ones. I tend to look out for others alot and i try to balance that by doing self care every now and then! I also value my sleep alot but sometimes I catch myself reading until late at night. I can be very crackheaded when with people I love but only if I feel extremely comfortable with them. When In a bad mood, I can get very snappy but that rarely happens because of me not wanting to gurt the people im around. I also enjoy the sun alot but I rarely go out. I just sit at my desk, starring at my phone like:

"Someone please.. Someone please call me and ask me to do something!"

So im not someone who initiates that by herself. I am definetly really touch starved and cuddling with people helps me relax alot. Sometimes, I tend to bite them. Idk why bro the urge is just there?? I love going shopping and treating myself more than anything but I have pretty faked self confidence. I try to keep it up around people but sometimes its just hard to not be self conscious about everything you do or how you look. I also have major back problems due to the size of my chest and the weight it puts onto my back💀 My favorite colors are pink and light blue or pastels! I either dress very romantically or like a full on lingerie model no inbetween. I also really value it when people communicate their emotions to me and I love helping them learn how to since it's really important!

Have a nice day and drink enough <3

It seems to me you've captured the heart of...

The Clement Prince

Aquia Avari!

(A/N sorry this took so long. Uni was kicking my ass 💀)

If there is one thing this sweet, soft-spoken man loves about you, it's your energy, and how you express yourself. And the fact that you know when to reign it in makes you all the more appealing to him. And when he learns that you're artistic, you have a green thumb, and the fact that you love animals, the ball just starts to roll. Your relationship starts with the two of you bonding over your love for gardening. And once he feels like he can trust you (trust me, with your personality, that won't take long), he's gonna invite you over to his secret balcony. He loves to listen to you talk about your interests, and he also appreciates that you like to hear him talk about his. What's this? You're protective too?

"How is this person so... Wonderful??" - Aquia Avari

Aquia does his best not to overstep any boundaries, and if he does, he'd appreciate it when you tell him about it. He knows just as well as you do that communication is important in any relationship. If you ever bring up your childhood trauma, he can't help but feel sorry for you, but also proud. It takes a lot of strength to grow around it, and don't even get me started on practicing not taking any shit from others.

Cuddles! Aquia would absolutely love cuddles with you. You may take him by surprise if you do nibble on him, but when you tell him that's just a way you like to show affection, he can't help but feel all warm and fuzzy

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A long day of lectures had come to a close, and Aquia walked with you to his balcony. His plants look a little dehydrated, but it's nothing some water cannot fix. You offered to help him water them. He taught you the proper watering techniques for his plants (let's be real, most of these plants don't even exist on Earth). Meanwhile Mel and your two cats are playing (assuming hamsters aren't part of their diet)

A: "Ah, I just remembered! Maia, I aquired some Avarian Ale. Shall we have a drink?"

M: "Awesome! What's the occasion?"

A: "It's nothing in particular. I just wanted to share a drink with you. That's what paramours do, is it not?"

M: "You're not wrong there, hehe"

After a few drinks, the two of you sat there talking to each other, enjoying each others company. At one point, you asked Aquia to hold still, as you wanted to draw him. You've drawn him a few times before, but the surge of pure joy he gets when you draw him never dies down. You finished the sketch about an hour later, and presented it to him. Was he always this handsome to you? He couldn't help but preen a little.

Neither of you realized how late it got. Aquia noticed you were shivering a little from the cold so he draped his jacket over you and led you inside. He asked you if you wanted to cuddle as you entered the building.

M: "I thought you'd never ask"

Aquia led you to the sofa with his arm around your waist. He wrapped his other arm around you and pulled you closer. And you happily nuzzled into him, and gave him some nibbles on his cheek. And there you stayed, eventually falling asleep in each other's embrace.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

#court of darkness #court of darkness x reader #court of darkness matchups #otome #makai nightmare #court of matchups #aquia avari #aquia avari x reader #this was a bit longer than i intended #but i had fun writing this

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clairethecutepup · 1 year

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Weekly Update: 4/17/2023 - 4/22/2023

Up ahead: Comics, Writing, Game Interests, Journaling, Fan Speculations...

Personal Works:

In terms of comics, I'm working on the "introductory" page for Getting Your Goat. I figured it'd make it feel more like a comic and all, if there were nice little introduction pages that gave you an idea of what's to come: a synopsis in a text box and a foreshadowing "chibi-styled" image. Ironically, though, it seems to be taking me longer to draw in the more simplistic style, than my usual and more "professional" style! Yeah, there's a reason for the quotation marks, as it's definitely not the most impressive; but I feel it's got its appeal, and you can most certainly tell it isn't AI-generated when it looks like a young teenager drew it.

In terms of writing, I admit that I'm a bit hooked on these fanfiction-styled "practice writings"! Yes, I refer to them more as "practice writing" than "actual" sessions of it, for the following: I'm not as strict with them and thus can count them as less "seriously" done than "actual" products, the end goal is to improve writing skills than create a product that'll interest you in its official "series," and the mentioned fact of "official series" and "writing practices" not meant to be an actual series.

In addition to writing, I think I'll stick to a 2nd person style from now on, no matter what I'm writing in pure literature. After all, one reason for little Claire Vlcek's existence is to allow me to have adventures with characters, just as I've always wanted to when I was young. Hold on, I said having adventures and also have the addition of wanting to be with characters I like, nothing about being a goddess that everyone bows before and cannot defeat (aka a Mary-Sue). I wanna give people that same, fun adventure: let THEM join in on the action and all, as if they're really there to experience it, but with the catch that you'd be an established character. Ex: one chapter, you'll be Claire herself and be interacted with as so, then you'll be Cio in the next and experience interactions/thoughts/etc. as HE would. True, that's usually what 1st person narration is for; but 1st person is more like the character is recounting their tale to you personally, than you actually being part of the action and all that.

In further addition to writing, I'm gonna recreate comics as pure literature for those who may not care for my art-style, but are interested in the story. So, that's technically a THIRD time Getting Your Goat will be redone-- oh my gosh, what is with all this "redoing" of Claire's Companions' pilot episode?! Feeehhhhh, I just hope I've finally got my stuff together...

Life:

Well, I've taken up journaling again, so it'll hopefully lead to emptier head space that can be taken up by more useful things: creative work, planning the days ahead... Seriously, mind, shut up about the past and other stuff...

I'm also still hoping to see the Mario Bros movie soon enough, and get my hands on that Megaman Battle Network collection on Steam.

I'm still trying to get the hang of running multiple social media accounts to promote my works, and I think that saving other accounts for the weekend is, luckily, making it easier to upload and stuff. Speaking of social media, I'm on the fence about Twitter... I know it's said to be useful for artists, but Twitter is also a bit... extreme, to put it mildly: "cancel" mobs, extreme "wokeness" obsessions, and it's generally said to be dying. I may try Deviantart, but I hear that got shot in the foot by "eclipse" and the like. On the upside, it would also allow for literature AND it'd be easier to keep it grouped together there.

Misc:

Do any of you Ed Edd n' Eddy fans wonder what it'd be like if your childhood self was part of the Cul-De-Sac cast: who'd you be friends with, which type of "neighborhood kid" would YOU be? If so, does anyone else have the fear of your childhood self weirding others out or generally not getting along well with them otherwise? I know, if you actually WERE part of their world, they'd just be normal people to you and nothing to be overly concerned about, but still.

Personally, I feel like I'd probably get along best with Sarah and Jimmy, one reason being I've often seemed to earn favor with kids younger than me. Plus, I'd probably be passive enough to abide by whatever bossing around Sarah would do and I could avoid provoking her otherwise, and I can see Jimmy connecting with a "fellow artist" and an interest in stuffed animals. Heh, I can just imagine the two growing taller than my short and childlike hide, and constantly joking about poor (literally) little me never getting to "grow up" or, "going from the trio's oldest to the youngest."

#ed edd n eddy #eene #gaming #comics #writing #social media #journaling #minds can be weird #weekly updates

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junithys · 2 years

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Passing Thoughts 1

This blog is pretty much an op-ed piece where I talk about random things that I have thought and/or written about in my diary — may make a PART 2 in the future if I decide to talk about miscellaneous topics again. Mostly involving anime, because as most of you know — I'm a really big nerd. Though I am less into review-writing as I used to be, partially due to the fact that I have dabbled in art and animation, so it is harder for me to be impartially critical when I know how difficult the work is.

I heard an episode of the Anime World Order podcast a long time ago, where Mr. Surat said that if you love anime enough, you'll eventually want to contribute creatively in some way or make your own. I fought against this idea for many years, I kept telling myself that I would just be satisfied with just writing a novel and that would be the extent of my narrative-making skills, that I would dedicate the rest of my time to music.

But then, I picked up the pen (stylus) again and started drawing again, and then I starting imagining my stories in visual novel format, as I once did when I first discovered them as a teenager (as a choose-your-own-adventure game). I then realized that I could not escape the impulse to want to create something with an anime art style. It was like the figurative Mephistopheles clawing cloyingly at my back.

Detective Conan

It is hard to get other people into Detective Conan, there's a common misconception in my native country — if there is a main character that looks like a kid, then the show is for children. In the case of Detective Conan, this simply isn't true; there are elements of it that seem written in to appeal to younger people, like the word game (shiratori) riddles in the films, but the series is actually very cerebral and something that I would mostly suggest to teens and adults.

The murder mysteries are so well thought-out that they are hard for me to predict at times, and they are often very elaborate… there are some episodes that will leave you thinking, how would you even think to kill someone in that way? The characters are very lovable and wholesome, like you would expect in a family film, but the narrative devices are employed in a very complex way.

Thoughts on Fanservice in Anime

I was thinking about this after listening to the recent Otaku Spirit podcast episode called "Is Anime Problematic?" where the hosts vent their worries about the growing concern of censorship in anime, and they discuss the moral dilemma of "if an anime is problematic, should it be erased?" Obviously, I don't think so — I think aspects of media that are troublesome can often reinforce a sense of right and wrong in people.

I know that there are, of course, mentally ill people out there but the complication with writing to avoid stimulating a psychopath is that if someone is sick, I think censorship will only make the person feel more oppressed and radicalize them even further? I. am sure that someone so unhinged would see secret messages in a show about a baby wallaby, the course of action for creators is often hard to take when there are so many expectations and culpability on how it will affect the public.

I used to wonder why more fictional series didn't push the envelope to explore untapped subjects more openly, but as I've grown older — it makes more sense, although I can't say that I like it. Media-enforced morality is a difficult subject to broach, but I have never been a strong proponent of any kind of censorship, particularly in literature and comics.

I do not think it should be up to the government or people in power to decide what us common-folk read — I know there are dangerous ideas, certainly, but if you spoon-feed the population then critical thinking will become raw and premature as a result. If the public blindly follows whatever is told through the news and publications without thinking things through, history has shown that that kind of mindless thinking can lead to many tragedies and terrors.

Note: I do believe in trigger warnings and content filters though, people should be allowed to put up boundaries with what they intake. Particularly those with traumatic pasts.

This circles back around to my view on fanservice (ecchi) in anime. There has always been arguments about whether fanservice with younger-looking characters should be allowed, and I personally do not see a problem with it as long as it is tasteful and does not become pornographic. In school shows, there's an innocence and element of comic mischief to it, it feels like reliving your youth in a sense because it encapsulates the feeling of hanging out with old friends or falling in love for the first time. There's a feeling of purity with most ecchi and moe series, though I do admit that some can be excessively dirty, too.

A lot of people from my generation originally fell in love with anime as a medium because the animation and art is not only top-notch, but the ideas are fresh and for the most part, it is unrestrained. Anime felt like an expression of freedom that sees its viewship as competent and not infantile, there was a lot of experimentation and intellectualism in the writing. I think that anime creators should try their hardest to retain that sense of artistic integrity.

Vtubing VS Blogging

Sometimes I don't write blogs as often because I talk about a lot of my opinions on stream or the blurbs about anime become verbal, and then I am too tired to repeat them via text… it feels like blogging is kind archiving my opinions or setting them in stone, and sometimes the thought of that can be daunting. Especially when I have changed a lot over the years, I guess it is still good to have a record of who I used to be — like a journal entry.

Unconditional Love

It's a given that pets, for the most part, express their unconditional love to you. Of course they do, you feed them — clean their litter — give them a warm place to sleep during the winter, but I realized recently how grateful I was for that. With our cats, while they love both of us, Kenma is closer to me and Karna is the closest to SakihataLily. I realized how grateful I was for that innocent intimacy recently, I have been waking up with Kenma curled up to me every morning! I am so happy that we decided to adopt cats!

Saber Route

So — Saber is my favorite heroine in the original Fate/stay night story, ufotable has announced that they will adapt Artoria's route. Though the date remains unannounced, I am still eagerly awaiting that version of the narrative!

Note: I was reminded of this because yesterday, ufotable uploaded all of the Réalta Nua OPs to their YouTube account and Twitter, and there were a lot of Saber fans asking for the adaptation. I can't blame them, Saber is wildly popular for a reason!

Tumblr: Then VS Now

The last time that I used Tumblr before now was in 2015. I eventually switched to Twitter because back then, Tumblr seemed pointless — there was a sub-sect of active artists, but most of the blogs that I saw were a collection of reposted fan art from Pixiv and quirky GIFs. I am okay with people posting official art, but when people repost fan art, I do not like it — the dignified part of myself thinks that it should be up to the artist themselves to share their art on whichever sites they want to.

It feels pointless because the reason why I share pretty fan works to begin with is to directly support the artist in some way, but if I am reblogging reposted art, it does not feel like I'm directly showing support to the artist and thus, feels like a waste of time. Tumblr seems to be much better with that now, but since I am older, if I don't want to see an art-reposting blog, I just block them.

That may sound rude, but it saves me the confusion of having to figure out whether they are the actual artist or not, and since I am working on my own projects — I do not have time for that. I like some of the newer features of Tumblr, like the option of hiding followers, it makes it feel more cozy and less competitive. Overall, I am glad that I made Tumblr a secondary blog, I have never used blogging sights like Blog Spot, other than to lurk on pages of musicians that I used to like back in the day, but if I need to… I feel more comfortable with the idea of branching out now.

As an aside — if you are an artist in any medium (illustration, prose, game dev, musician, animation, etc.) or Vtuber, please hit me up — I like to support other artists and network whenever I am able to!

#fate stay night #detective conan #fanservice #tumblelog #live blogging

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zixzs-ajk · 2 years

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Hey hey hey! Your Ralsusie colleague @vsa-pieldepapel referred me to you in their last ask. By the way, loving the art and the fic; I'm sure you contribute to more than half of the Ralsusie fanworks. Be the change you want to see in the world, am I right?

If you've got time, I'd love to hear any takes you have on the jock Susie and the studious Ralsei in a high school drama AU. Same details as provided in the ask I gave @vsa-pieldepapel.

Something I neglected to mention to your colleague however was that, at the time of meeting and doing work with Ralsei, Susie is already dating someone. Their relationship, at the time of Ralsei's arrival, is wonky and low-key toxic on her partner's part, but she refuses to leave out of worry for her partner's mental health. Only if her partner did despicable things beyond measure would she leave the relationship officially. (And from the looks of it, once they catch wind of Ralsei being in cahoots with their girlfriend, he'll quickly become a target of their schemes.)

So, with that in mind... if you have any ideas, lay them down!

Hey thanks! Glad you like the stuff, and indeed the main reason I got into drawing/writing so much Susei was that I was sick of waiting for someone else to make it lol.

I guess outta the gate I should say that I don’t much deal with love-triangle-esque scenarios; not to say they can’t have their own appeal, just that it complicates things too much for me, usually. The topic of toxic relationships resulting from mental health issues is a tricky one to approach. All the love in the world can’t prevent deep-rooted issues like that. I think a big factor might be that (according to how you described) Susie’s largely in such a relationship because she’s desperate for affection, rather than having any significant chemistry with her partner. Then along comes Ralsei, who gives her affection without qualification, which removes her main reason for being in a toxic relationship with this mysterious individual (I am unsure if you want to use part of the main cast for this role or if it’d be safer to use an OC). I’d like to think that she ax’s (ha) the toxic relationship IMMEDIATELY when her partner targets Ralsei out of jealousy and/or desperation, and I imagine it’s not a very clean breakup, knowing Susie. Tainting one of the few good relationships she has is absolutely not something she would tolerate. Regardless of how worried she is about the mental health of her partner, she can only take so much stress herself, and it’s entirely realistic that she refuses or even can’t deal with that for her own sanity’s sake.

With that out of the way, I’d see it as Susie attempting to keep her and Ralsei’s relationship (whether platonic or otherwise) on the down-low; then when the cat’s outta the bag, she just owns it (“Yeah, I’m dating him, so what?”). He doesn’t quite understand the initial secrecy but doesn’t much question it, since he’s the new kid and Susie seems cool enough to be friends with. He’s immensely patient with her when it comes to what she struggles with (read: homework, studying, tests, etc.) and always talks good about her, no matter what the other students gossip about. Susie tends to be dismissive of “the little runt” rather than malicious, but inadvertently admits that he’s got a heart bigger than anyone else’s (and the brains to boot).

Here are a couple fluffy scenarios I can think of, in no particular order;

Susie doesn’t normally care about school but needs her grades to be passable, and this new guy seems nerdy enough to help her.

Ralsei waits for her to finish practice so they can study together, and sits to the side as Susie practices. He’s enamored with BIG MUSCLES and Susie’s athleticism, while she’s trying to figure out why she’s so self-conscious practicing in front of Ralsei (“why do I wanna impress him, anyways?”)

(borrowed from Vsa lol) Ralsei sets up a sorta reward-system of food to motivate Susie to study, since she’s all-brawn-little-brains. She’s almost embarrassed by how effective it is.

One study night turns into a heart-to-heart between them when they talk about their struggles at school (Ralsei being the “new kid,” Susie being too intimidating to make many friends, etc.)

Ralsei (and by proxy Susie) are invited to a sort of mini get-together with Kris ( + maybe Noelle and even Berdly), and they subconsciously gravitate towards each other when Kris puts on a surprise horror film for them all. Berdly inadvertently spreads rumors about the two at school, leading to some questionable considerations on both their parts about the relationship they really have with each other.

Ralsei stays up super late compiling a study guide for Susie; the next day, he falls asleep against her shoulder while they’re reading together, and she just stays quiet about it (though has difficulty focusing on the book by that point, lol).

Ralsei tries joining her in sport for fun, he is terrible at it but Susie is enamored by his effort all the same. BONUS: He accidentally gets hurt (maybe twists his arm/leg awkwardly) and Susie carries him to safety/nurse’s office/etc. like it’s a life-or-death scenario.

Susie gets invited to a party for her athlete-all-star status, but only agrees to go if she can bring Ralsei since he’s never been to a party before; the entire night, she hangs around him, shrugging off everyone else and pseudo-protecting Ralsei from being made fun of at the “cool kids” party.

Susie gets picked to show Ralsei where everything in the supply closet is, and they both accidentally lock themselves in the cramped space, leading to Ralsei noticing just how much bigger Susie is than him (and vice versa).

Apologies about the long answer lol, I had fun thinking of this stuff. Hope that suffices!

#deltarune #ralsei #susie #ralsusie #au #school #fluff #ideas #answer

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