#and making fun accessible games with depth

[fruitsofhell]

(Just FYI this isn’t meant to be a “How You Should Write Your Kirby Headcanons” post, its just me explaining reasoning for my own and I thought it would be fun to share!!)

     So the way I’ve factored KatFL into my timeline of Kirby Ancients Lore is that all the background of the Forgotten Land happened before and/or separately from any events previously explained to be connected to “the Ancients.” I’ve basically read it as the Ancients being the people of Halcandra and Jambandra, and that the people of the Forgotten Land are precursors to them - the Ancients of the Ancients. But I’ve seen a lot of stuff online where people have the time of the FL and the Halandran Ancients mingle, like Galacta and and Elfilis being meeting or sealing Void and other stuff like that. It kind of made me realize, “Wait? Do I even have a concrete reason why I interpreted it like this other than vibe?” But I realized I actually do, and its a meta thing about how these games are written.

     In a couple interviews recently Kumazaki and the dev team have stated that the series is entirely designed around gameplay first, which means any world-building and lore comes after the main elements of the game are in place. Every new game is built to be self-contained for the most part with the threads of details and basic character arcs connecting them so that they don’t have to fret over story while planning a fun game. That explanation is where that infamous in my mind “There is no canon timeline” quote came from. -

- What that probably means is that the plots of each game and therefore a majority of the lore of them is not planned before hand. Kumazaki just has a blueprint for basic aspects like the existence of the Ancients on Halcandra and the magic and science stuff, and then as each game came out he played by ear and built on top of what was done last. Which is really interesting - on top of not wanting to make the games bloated and wanting things to be open to interpretation, this writing style is probably why things are so vague. And with how this quote was in response to being asked if there would be a Zelda style mess of a timeline someday, I think its cool and functional to keep things loose like this so you can prioritize the gameplay and not make overly messy lore.

     Anyways, this philosophy is exactly what was used for KatFL. The idea of the Forgotten Land as a whole didn’t start with wanting to create a new place for lore, but with environment and game mechanics. -

- And specifically what I’m getting at is that the Forgotten Land as a world likely wasn't designed to interweave heavily with previously established stuff about the Ancients. It feels like this was designed to be its own kinda bubble of lore outside of a lot of pre-established stuff, but to still relate back to it to flesh things out. Like they made this whole new ancient civilization deal, and then for lore they stretched back the timeline to plop the whole of this games backstory there, make it relate to pre-established material in fun ways, and then called it there - they built ON TOP of what was there. Which works surprisingly effectively though definitely my first reaction to this was “they just added more ancients kinda out of nowhere lol?” But I mean the way RtDL kinda just came out of nowhere with a whole laundry list of details about a random new ancient people too, this will probably be built on in the background of later games a bit.

     Now that’s the dev lore side of it, but I also think its really fun thematically. I talked before about how the ruins of Halcandra and the ruins of the Forgotten Land are opposites of each other despite being related, and I think that dichotomy continues if you think of the latter as being complete pre-history to what we know. Not only are the current inhabitants of the Forgotten Land blissfully ignorant to the technological and magical riches of the planet’s ruins besides what innocent enjoyment they can get out of it now, but no one searching for that even knows the place exist because it is forgotten. Halcandra is the hellish plundered planet still looked back to in legend for its secrets and valuables, but the Forgotten Land was completely untouched by that until Kirby showed up. And Kirby and the Dreamlanders aren’t ones to really bother with all that glory and gold stuff so you know it will be safe with them (until Magolor or Susie come to visit). But I think its fun to think of its isolation as being one of that worlds many bittersweet blessings and beauties. Instead of being like Halcandra where the misery of its inhabitants and the legends spread about it turned the planet into a complete wasteland, its former greatness and industry is being naturally reclaimed by the planet to be recycled for the next inheritors of the land. Instead of continuing a cycle of greed and ruination its one of wonder and discovery and all that.

TL;DR - Kirby games are written with the basic structure of the world in mind but characters, plots, and most environments aren't planned in advance, they just build on top of each other. Which means that the FL was likely not made beforehand to interweave with pre-established Ancients lore, but built to be a self contained chapter of the universe history that just leads into what we know. It works nicely if you want to parallel Halcandra and the Forgotten Land and how one being legend and one being pre-history respectively effects how you interpret them as ruins - either as plundered remains or reclaimed wonders.

#kirby #kirby and the forgotten land #kirby lore #kirby headcanon #shinya kumazaki #shut the heck up #kirby lore rambles #kirby writing rambles #really proud of this one #also you should read all those interviews #im talking only about lore but all the gameplay stuff is so cool and i love hearing how much the team cares about all the details #and making fun accessible games with depth #i respect kids media made by really passionate people SO MUCH

[ajdrawshq]

listening to octopath music and drawing and writing stuff for my octopath pmd au so The Horrors(tm) dont get me

#i am getting WAY too in depth with these character profiles but if i dont hyperfocus on it i will implode . #like. we got species (including fusions/variants) types (may differ due to species) (plus an extra type bc of mixing in octopath mechanics) #also bc they can have up to 3 types at once i calculated everyones weaknesses and resistances which is actually kinda fun w tri-typed mons #also movesets up to 9 moves including 8 from their species(es.?) and 1 from their extra type . bc octopath #and abilities which everyone can have up to 2 of bc of how the older pmd games worked #tho each start with one and gain one in a similar way to octopath which allows for more mismatching #and also making it easier to choose fitting abilities for everyone they otherwise woildnt have access to #their IQ groups (tho. i am mildly tempted to scrap that and make my own groups. no yeah thats my next task now) #held items and general/single use items theyd most likely have #and any other individual notes i have on them 👍 like therion being unable to evolve further bc part of his lineage is a 2 stage evo #ohhh i also need to note where everyone comes from. except maybe therion bc we dont know his hometown at all #thats gonna be kinda hard bc each continent has pretty much all the biomes but psmd changed that up a bit..... hm.... #and the sand continent is straight up from psmd only unlike the rest so i need to check if theres anything besides deserts there #bc i could theoretically put 2 travellers per continent and go from there.. OH wait that works hold on. im a genius #maybe i need to replay psmd again and see.. i gotta be at least partway in my current playthrough it camt be too hard #id like to mimic where everyone starts out as much as i can.. tho i cant remember if theres a livable tundra area in pmd #still gotta do those iq groups tho . that goes first #octotag

[zelda-posting]

tears of the kingdom could have been so good if it were built around like, its story or its characters instead of being a clunky shell to show off the mechanic no one asked for that it forces you to use

#* #text #totk #mechanics #i had fun scuttling around in the depths for a while but that got old eventually. for obvious reasons #what i liked about zelda games was always the atmosphere and character interactions #like. one of my favorite games is twilight princess. which is. deeply unserious in many ways #bit it COMMITTED to its setting and what the writers went ham making sure #that it was still full of whimsy and affection. #totk doesn't have that. the characters are all 1) instruction manuals or 2) vehicles for what small and disparate semblances of plot #survived whatever disaster must have happened in development that made them cannibalize several different ideas #and stick them into the shell for the fucking. arm #totk plays like a gallery or again just an engine for the building thing. #it's pretty. the music is good. the building thing is well made. but as a zelda game totk Fucking Tanks #i HATE overinvolved mechanics. i HATE having to stop and rely on a Whole Process that i have to keep stocked #to get anything done. i've always liked loz again bc of characters and whimsy but also bc it's always been mechanically vert streamlined #and accessible to someone like me who is disabled and finds fiddling EXTREMELY tedious #you have one required tool per dungeon and they're QUICK they're SIMPLE they're A GOOD TIME #totk. to me. is just clunky and has no redeeming qualities outside of again being pretty and still sort of nominally letting you run around #collecting things. some of the side quests were cute. but even then the characters were very. #THE THING ABOUT ZELDA GAMES IS THAT IM used TO THEM BEING ABOUT. NOT JUST THE FUNCTION!!!!!! #there were things— many of them! sometimes most of them even!!!— there just for fun. again almost especially The Characters #totk is so goddamn UTILITARIAN on all levels ITS. CLUNKY and BORING i don't WANT to have to do 30 things just so i can do something else. #hey nintendo. if you have to force people to play your game. like if you specifically have an ''open'' game and then subsequently have to #manufacturer MANY blocks and caveats to the idea of ''do whatever have fun!!'' so that it's''but only how WE want you to''. maybe thats bad. #maybe you've done a bad job. if again. you have to FORCE players to go about things in the way and order that you want. it's no fun. #like even zelda games where you have less options and linear progression feel less restrictive bc like. they don't fucking punish you. #for. playing the game. you just can't do things. totk really punishes you for going off script. which like. why even do that. #anyway. this is all probably incoherent. i'm right tho. #wow there are so many typos. pretend there are not <3

[volfoss]

autism incident CRITICAL at 3 pm btw

#twist rambles #NOT ALL OF THIS IS FROM TODAY but ive been working hard on this silly guide... its been a lot of fun compiling info that either doesnt exis #on the net anymore (but was archived) or wasnt in english and putting it all together :) idk its silly no one cares abt this game rly but i #has been a VERY enjoyable process :) idk if ill get in depth with it enough that id put it on gamefaq or anything but also like. there is #such a lack of info out there for the game in terms of stuff in one place + easily accessible that most people dont know how many endings #there are or like. how to acheive them. still working on translating and getting that in my doc but its so so so fun <- normally needs #guides with games so ive been THOROUGHLY enjoying this part of making it like getting 2 see the other side of it idk. bringing this game #from 2001 when no ones cared abt it in years BACK!!

[omen-of-ice]

DEMO || FAQ || PINTEREST

The North has been all that you’ve known your whole life— residing within its icy landscape as part of House Eirlys; Wardens of the North. You’ve never thought you’d one day leave to head south to Vela’thian— the kingdom of the elvhen— much less that you’d head there due to your betrothal with the king himself.

What will await you once you arrive? Is everything as it seems? Or is there something more brewing beneath the surface of the seemingly pristine nation?

Will you find your way back home? Or will you find something, or someone, worth staying for?

Let’s see how your story unfolds…

❄️ Play as the youngest heir to House Eirlys that’s been arranged to be married to the Elven King. Explore the wondrous world of Arlatha and the great elven nation of Vela’thian and its capital Ilyransari! You’ll meet a variety of characters, uncover plots (varying levels of angst), and potentially find love along the way! This game is rated 18+ for depictions of explicit language, alcohol consumption, potential sexual content, violence/blood, and death.

❄️ Customizable MC: name, gender, appearance, sexuality, hobbies, and some skills. (You can choose to not be attracted to men and tell Daeron, the king, this, don’t worry.)

❄️ Bond with your Lycana— a winged wolf that’ll stay with you until death. Customizable: name, gender, and fur color.

❄️ Explore Ilyransari and learn more about the fantastical world of Arlatha!

❄️ Meet a variety of characters— from reclusive dwarves to hotheaded goblins— that’ll bring unique experiences throughout your story.

❄️ Learn more about your own shrouded past and how you came to be where you are now. Will the truth finally set you free?

❄️ Keep in contact with your older brother— Kaladin. He’ll want to know how you’re doing.

❄️ Romance one of characters from your potential betrothed himself— the Elven King— to an orc commander that takes everything a bit too literally or a creature from the depths of the Vesperion Sea. Or maybe someone else will catch your eye.

❄️ Remember, above all else, to have fun!

Daeron [M] — The King — High Elf

The Elven King himself, a man known far and wide for his prowess in battle and resilience in the face of almost insurmountable odds. You’re not sure why he chose you to be his betrothed— after all he must have received hundreds of requests over the years— but you were instructed to not look a gift horse in the mouth; not when an ally like him would help your family and people immeasurably. With a hardened exterior, from years of battle and sacrifice, Daeron isn’t someone that’s easily accessible in the emotional sense, but you can’t help but notice how his eyes begin to soften every time you enter the room. Will something real begin to grow between you?

Daeron stands at around 6’3” (190.5 cm) with a warm beige complexion. Raven black hair falls across his forehead in gentle curls, a delicately crafted crown always situated atop them. His golden eyes, that seem to rival the sun in brilliance, are filled with a cunning intelligence; he has a toned physique, still holding a lithe quality that all elvhen seem to possess.

Larak [M] — The Commander — Orc

Seeing an Orc within Vela’thian is like seeing a starless night; it happens, but it doesn’t make it any less of an odd occurrence. Not after centuries of war between the Elven Nation and the Infernal Plains. Larak, however, seems to have taken his position in stride, ignoring all the looks he receives without a backward glance. After all, what is an orc to do without his clan? Especially one that was well on his way to becoming a chieftain of his own? Will you give him a reason to stay?

Larak stands at around 7’2” (218.44 cm) with a green complexion. Dark auburn locks are shaved on either side of his head, while the rest is kept in a long ponytail that falls down his back. He’s a hulking mass of muscle and brute strength— his most prominent feature, barring his sharp canines, being the twin scars running down his chest that pairs well with the one through his left eyebrow.

Calypso [F] — The Wanderer — Siren

The Vesperion Sea is an anomaly to most within Arlatha; for a creature from its watery depths to appear means one of two things. 1.) Something bad is about to happen. or 2.) It’s a pilgrimage of sorts that a few depth-striders take up every other decade. Meeting Calypso it’s easy to tell which one she is; her general amazement at the world around her being something that’d warm even the most hardened of hearts. With a desire to learn, and an aptitude to do so, she tries to take everything in stride, observing Vela’thian, and it’s inhabitants, with an ardent fervor that would be quite off putting in any other circumstance. Will you uncover things together?

Calypso stands at around 5’1” (154.94 cm) with a dark brown complexion— iridescent blue scales intercepting the expanse of it across her forearms, collarbone, and sparsely across her legs. The sea green of her gaze complements the deep royal blue of her hair beautifully— the voluminous curls falling down to just beneath her shoulders. She has an hourglass figure.

Shanaera [F] — The Spymaster — Dark Fae

The Royal Spymaster within Vela’thian, Shanaera is the longtime friend, and closest advisor, to Daeron. There isn’t much information about the early life of Shanaera— something she’s gone to great lengths to keep that way— and she’s rarely seen enough by the general populace to get a concrete opinion on. Keeping to the shadows, only appearing in court once in a blue moon, and with walls of ice surrounding her, it’s unsurprising why she has the reputation she does. A woman that’s just as deadly with her words as she is with any blade or poison— getting on her bad side isn’t a smart idea… But is it even possible to get on her good one?

Shanaera stands at around 5’11” (180.34 cm) with a sun-kissed complexion. Locks reminiscent of woven sunlight falls down to her hips in a cascade of gentle waves and soft curls— the strands bringing out the luminescent quality of her amethyst colored gaze. Grand wings of iridescent black are situated on her back, giving her elegantly slender body a broader appearance.

Fáelán [M/F] — The Best Friend — Wildling

You met Fáelán when you were ten years old during a winter ride with your family— something you had done dozens of times before— coming across their slight form underneath a snow drift, after your horse almost trampled them, wasn’t something you had been anticipating, but they haven’t left your side ever since. Not even when they had been offered an escort back to the village deep within The Thaeg; an ancient forest that covers over half of The North. You were best friends from that day onward— one never seen without the other. After all of that, should you truly be all that surprised when your self-appointed guard decides to come along to Vela’thian?

Fáelán stands at around 5’8” (172.72 cm) with a light gray complexion. Strands of hair, the color of which reminds you of freshly fallen snow, fall down to just beneath their shoulders in messy waves— usually kept in a intricate braid— pairs well with the deep crimson of their gaze. Their toned body is a far-cry from the scrawny individual they had been when you first met them— an intricate tattoo making a home on their right arm.

Valerian [M/F] — The Exiled Heir — Draconian

Tales of the land across the Vesperion Sea tell of the grand opulence of Edras— home of the draconian; dragon-kin. Valerian isn’t exactly who you’re expecting when imagining the royal family of Edras, but at the same time they seem to fit right in. With a smile that never reaches their eyes fully, a voice that never has to raise to be heard, and a presence that could command a legion, they bring a slew of questions and very little answers. Why were they cast out? Why are they in Vela’thian? And why do they seem to always find themself in your company? Will you be able to uncover any of these answers?

Valerian stands at around 6’6” (198.12 cm) with a fair complexion. Crystalline blue eyes seemingly burn with a fiery intensity— despite their icy coldness— which brings out the argent quality of their silver locks; M!Valerian keeping them down to his shoulders and F!Valerian keeping hers to her mid-back.

#omen of ice #interactive fiction #interactive novel #interact if #no demo #high fantasy #dashingdon #hosted games #choice of games

[duskbats]

i’m not sure if this is something that people are interested in, but i kind of wanted to make this as a personal thing anyway in case i end up losing all of my occult related mods one day. these are mods for occult sims that i have in my game and either can’t live without, or am excited to try out myself!

this is heavily inspired by many other wonderful must have mod lists, so thank you to everyone who has made one of these as this post will follow a similar layout and structure and inspired me to make my own. i’ll try my best to keep this post up to date! - updated 6th april 2024.

mods marked “new!” aren’t necessarily new mods, but are new additions to this list.

vampires.

bloody bites & wounds.

i think i’d consider this my most essential vampire mod. it’s not for everyone, as it is quite gory, but i personally love that this adds levels of blood messiness depending on how much they drink etc. it’s pretty self explanatory otherwise!

vampires can kill.

this is a fun one that just made sense to me. i’m not one to have violence mods in my games, but sometimes a vampire can get a little carried away and drink more than they should, y’know? 

immersive vampires.

i’m a big fan of any mod that adds depth to the way sims can interact with each other, even if it doesn’t have a significant effect. this mod adds the ability for vampires to ask others more about vampires and confess that they’re a vampire etc.

vampire magic.

i still have yet to actually play with this mod, but it appealed to me after making my vampire the masquerade sims and the tremere clan as they’re known to be magic users of sorts. i also really like how this mod can add a special sage too, and you find out vampire spells by asking the sages!

vampire bloodlines.

reworks the vampire bloodlines a little bit, making each bloodline have a different weakness/strength level in regards to xp gain and energy drain when being exposed to sunlight.

vampire initiation ritual.

this is another mod i haven’t played with yet but i 100% plan to when the time is appropriate in my gameplay. this adds a special event for a vampire initiation, where you can invite other vampires to witness the turning of a human.

more drinks for vampires.

another mod that i’d consider essential for my gameplay, i’m always on the lookout for more vampire drinks and food as the game is lacking them! this mod only adds drinks though, featuring a simple glass of blood and a blood cocktail. these can also be accessed from the vintage glamour bar which i think is super handy.

vampire food set. & NEW plasma foods!

similar to the above mod, this features food specifically for vampires. i do wish there were more vampire recipes, though. i also wanted to mention srslysims’ cooking overhaul includes some vampire recipes too, and for those who enjoy playing with vampire toddlers, this mod is great!

plasma fruit override.

pretty self explanatory and simple. it makes the plasma fruit look more blood-like by making everything red, this is something i’ll only use sometimes depending on the vibe of the gameplay i’m doing with vampires as sometimes i want it to be more sims-like and keep with the purple theme. but i’m currently using this mod!

vampires weakness freedom.

this is something i like to be selective with with my vampires, some i want to give weaknesses and some i don’t. i used to use mccc to remove weaknesses after picking their powers but this one allows you to pick powers without requiring weaknesses, too! but you can still pick them if you’d like. i also highly recommend this creator’s other vampire mods, such as no friendship decay from hissing.

misc. vampire mods.

there are a few other minor vampire mods that i want to include but they’re not major enough for me to make a section for each, so i decided to link the creator i depend on the most for my vampire mods, zero. they have various mods that i find to be more quality of life things for vampires, such as the pass out animation being more dramatic, and many more.

spellcasters.

alchemy overhaul.

once again, one of the most important mods for spellcasters i think! this mod allows you to create the outdoor retreat potions with the cauldron, adjusted the prices and ingredients and you can also purchase alchemy ingredients at the computer.

functional spellbook.

i actually adore this mod and every spellcaster of mine has one in their home! it’s very helpful for spellcasters that live in small homes as they can learn things from the book without having to walk all the way out to a big open space to practice spells in front of their neighbours.

expanded spells collection.

another handy mod that expands on pre-existing spells for your spellcasters. it adds more depth to certain spells such as allowing to clean pets with scruberoo, adding new types of summonable undead with necrocall and more.

craftable wands, brooms & tomes.

this one is completely new to me and i actually just found it when i was compiling this list, but it seems exciting to use and a great idea for running an alchemy shop. it’s pretty self explanatory, it allows you to craft certain wands and brooms with the woodworking table. tomes can be written on the computer like a regular book.

kids can perform magic. UPDATED (untested)

i know this mod used to work at some point, but i’m not 100% sure if it does anymore as i remember having some problems the last time i had a spellcaster child in my game. i was recently browsing this creator’s patreon and discovered that i THINK this mod has been updated? i haven’t been able to test it yet but here’s hoping! but if it does work or gets updated, this is a great mod as i never understood how magic for children wasn’t a thing in RoM already.

magic realm initiation rework.

i really like the sound of this mod as i never personally liked the “mote hunt” to become a spellcaster. this mod makes it so that each sage has a different task for spellcaster initiation.

misc. spellcaster mods.

similar to vampires, i depend on zero a lot for my spellcaster mods. they have many other minor quality of life mods or spellcasters as well that i highly recommend you check out if you play with spellcasters a lot!

werewolves.

i want to add a sidenote to this section to say i actually haven’t played with any of these mods yet as i have yet to play with werewolves in general, but i wanted to include werewolves in this list regardless as there are actually mods for them now!

mooncasters.

this mod seems to essentially give the ability for werewolves to be spellcasters, but they’re called mooncasters. it seems a bit complicated to become a mooncaster, but this mod looks very well thought out and in depth!

werewolf blood kills vampires.

i put this in the werewolf section as it seems to be more beneficial for werewolves than vampires, considering it has dire consequences for vampires. but the mod name itself is pretty self explanatory!

werewolves can kill sims.

another self explanatory mod name, and similar to the vampires can kill mod. werewolves can attack and kill sims with this mod!

no relationship loss from werewolf reactions.

i never liked these features that EA adds that makes it so that all sims react negatively to occult sims, so i’m happy to have this addition in my game!

less furious werewolves.

another mod i have yet to experience, but it seems that werewolves’ fury meters fill up way too quickly so this seems like an important one.

fated mate changes.

changes the way a werewolf can find their fated mate. previously, the werewolf would have to use a romantic interaction to discover if a sim is their fated mate. now this mod can make it so that any interaction can find their fated mate. also makes it so that a werewolf can find a fated mate whether they’re an occult or not!

werewolf club activities.

allows you to add werewolf activities to a club, essentially making a club version of a werewolf pack!

werewolf tweaks. new!

pretty self explanatory. this mod features a few tweaks for werewolves such as giving vampires a venomous bite, more vicious rampages and even a tea to protect sims from werewolves.

werewolf bloodlines. new!

basically the same as the other bloodline mods included here, but for werewolves.

various occult mods.

this section will feature mods for other occults or multiple occults, considering i haven’t found enough to give them their own section yet. werewolves will be added once more mods are made and i’ve experienced them to see what mods i find useful.

occult activities.

this applies to both spellcasters and vampires, and i think it’s really useful! it allows vampires to go out hunting in a rabbit hole if you don’t feel like helping them hunt for sims to feed from, and spellcasters can forage for ingredients for their potions.

supernatural traits.

this is a great mod that allows you to add special traits to your supernatural sims. these can either add depth to a pre-existing occult sim (i.e, a vampire with a haunted trait) or make new occults all together (sort of).

enhanced aliens. CURRENTLY BROKEN - Causes wants & fears to not show up!

this mod adds some well needed features to aliens. it gives them powers such as mood boosting and draining other sims and mind control powers that allow them to command a sim to do things, plus some other stuff.

alien bloodlines.

this basically just adds bloodlines similar to those that spellcasters have to aliens, but i definitely think it’s worth using if you play with aliens!

ghastly ghosts.

something that i’ve ALWAYS wanted is the ability to make ghosts feel more unique, and this mod seemingly does exactly that. now only certain sims can see ghosts (children, occults & mediums) and ghosts can’t easily communicate with living sims anymore, making those sims that can see ghosts feel special.

dormant occult traits.

this allows sims who have a lineage of occults to be born with a dormant trait related to that occult, which is apparently something that came with werewolves. these dormant traits can be unlocked in certain ways and allows said sim to rediscover their lineage and become that occult!

various occult food.

this find was HUGE for me, considering i’m always wanting more food for vampires in particular. BUT this list features foods for other occults, too!

credit of course goes to all of the wonderful mod creators, and i want to credit those who have made mod lists before me as i was heavily inspired by those lists.

#i'm sorry if this is messy #my head is fuzzy today but i wanted to get it done #i'll try my best to keep this updated! #especially for werewolves whenever more mods come out for them #ts4 #the sims 4 #simblr #mod list #mods

[ganonfan1995]

And it's not exactly that all fans ever want linear games (some do~) Most people I've spoken to who didn't like BoTW, simply wanted a game with a bit more depth and energy put into the story and the world.

While I don't fully agree on that front with BoTW (personally I think BoTW was one of the most concise LoZ games to date) ToTK only amplifies BoTW's weaknesses, rather than its stengths.

I understand the desire to expand on Hyrule, to make a truly vast and vibrant world, flush with exploration. Now with next-gen consoles and better hardware, there's a lot more opportunity for these types of games to take front and centre.

But at the same time, large procedurally generated landscapes can often break immersion while feeling bleak and unnatural. Even if landscapes are generated to be as natural as possible, worlds are as much a character, as well...the characters. (I could go on a whole tangent about design here, but I digress..)

I think what people miss from LoZ titles, is the human touch and energy invested into making Hyrule, feel like a place, rather than an idea.

BoTW wasn't perfect, but it was their first swing at this type of world and gameplay. I do think it can be improved on, and honestly, I was expecting progress on that front in ToTK.

But given that ToTK (past the demo lmao) was nothing more than a 100$ expansion on BoTW...I'm not feeling too confident myself moving forward with these open-world Zelda games.

Despite being linear games, growing up OOT and WW felt open world enough for me. LttP was a super fun play that had both a linear story line, and open world possibilities while giving the player full access to all the dungeons and tools off the bat.

If sacrificing genuine, thoughtful, world-building and design is what it means to have a truly open world Hyrule...I kind of don't want it either.

I dunno just some thoughts

#ganonfan posts #i know by and large botw didn't use procedural generation and i know #that its an important tool in game dev for large worlds #but the depths i feel are a shining example of like #the bleakness #i didn't love the depths #i wanted too #i did in theory #but in practice it was #really disappointing

[multiversal-bridge]

Pale is Worth Your Time

So today Wildbow posted the last epilogue of Pale. It’s finished. Which means there’s never been a better time to get into a megafictional epic about three teenagers solving a murder mystery and learning to be wizards.

If you’re looking at its word count – longer than any of his other web serials by far – and wondering if something that long is really worth getting into…

I’m here to tell you that the answer is yes.

Pale is worth it. It gets my fullest, most ringing endorsement.

There are a few fight scenes that drag a bit, but overall, Pale is the best-paced and just plain best-written of any of Wildbow’s works. Unlike some other web fiction I’ve read, and even some of his previous works, Pale knows exactly what it wants to be and is firing on all cylinders to get there.

Pale is Wildbow at the top of his game, creating brilliant, emotional character moments and a rich, expansive magical universe. And I think it’s a better introduction to that universe than Pact, which is a much bleaker story. Pale makes the Otherverse fun and accessible, in a way that enhances reading Pact, too.

And also it’ll rewire your brain? In the best way? There’s no other story about how to fight for justice, about parents and children, about how to live in the world as a person, that comes anywhere close to discussing them with as much depth as Pale does.

But the neat part is, you don’t have to take my word for it.

Pale isn’t one of those works where you have to slog through a certain amount before it “gets good.” Everything I’ve been talking about here is present in Pale from the very beginning.

So if you’re on the fence about Pale, I recommend reading an arc or two and seeing if you like it. If it’s not for you, then you can figure that out without that much time investment.  

But if it gets its hooks into you? Then you’re in for a treat. You’ve got one hell of a ride ahead of you, a story you can sink into with just as much obsession as a multi-season TV show.

Come join us in the world of Pale. Come hang out with Lucy, Avery, and Verona.

It’s pretty great over here.

#pale #pale web serial #wildbow #wormblr #parahumans #and whatever else we want to call the overall wildbow fan community

[txttletale]

Because I'm curious now, what are your favorite TTRPGs? One of my personal favorites is the Kids On Bikes system and its variants for their simplicity and ease of access for new players.

so first of all--kids on bikes is very cool. it’s a nice rules-light game with a pick-up-and-play vibe. haven’t ever run it myself but i feel comfortable seconding your recommendation. anyway here’s some of my FAVOURITE TTRPGS.

Blades in the Dark is probably my enduring all-time favourite game. it’s a little flawed in places but its core loop is pure fucking elegance at play. flashbacks (you can spend stress, a metacurrency, to have done something in the past) and resistance (you can also spend stress to evade something bad that happens to you) are two of my favourite mechanics in any TTRPG ever. every player character gets to be a competent badass while also facing real, tangible danger with every moment. not to mention an incredibly well-fleshed out and evocative setting in the gaslamp fantasy nightmare city of doskvol.

Eidolon: Become Your Best Self is a game that dares to ask questions like, ‘what if jojo’s bizarre adventure was good’ and ‘what if persona, also, was good’. characters manifest the power of their souls as weird freaks with incredible powers. the ‘reveal your master plan’ mechanic works much like BiTD flashback mechanic and a smart combat system where enemies get stronger as you fight them really makes this the perfect vehicle for creative character-driven superpower-based combat. if you subscribe to the developers’ patreon you can also get access to the draft of the second edition, which does some really cool fucking things like replacing dice rolls with a tarot draw.

Lancer is the game for people who like grid-based tactical combat. it has incredible tactical depth, well-thought out mechanics that interlace perfectly--and best of all, you get to design and customize your own mech from a truly dizzying array of options to find all sorts of fucking insane synergies between abilities like ‘teleport whenever you attack somebody’ or ‘do more damage the more you overheat’. it also has a very comprehensive suite of GM tools that make it a breeze, and even fun, to create and run a balanced encounter with clearly defined and narrativly interesting goals for both sides. i’m not too into the setting for reasons i’ve talked about elsewhere, but fortunately as long as you can accomodate ‘mech combat’ into your setting, none of the worldbuilding is load-bearing to the game’s core appeal.

Microscope is totally different from a lot of TTRPGs in that it’s noit about playing characters, but about creating a world. it’s a beautiful collaborative storytelling tool with deceptively simple tools that can easily add up into your table creating a world that’s way more intricate and eclectic and fascinating than anything one of you could have come up with on your own. good for creating TTRPG settings but also good just as something to play for its own sake!!

Dream Askew would probably round out my top five, but i’ve just posted about that one here--so instead i’ll give this slot to Nobilis 3e, a game that might not be one of my favourite games to actually play, but is genuinely fascinating to read and sit with, a fucking masterful work of both design and literature, something that so distinctly creates a world and a tone that it’s instantly magnetic. not for everyone, but worth checking out.

#ask #ttrpg #fish-king

[1e1e1e]

king undying.

"This gothic, loosely game-inspired (fear and hunger / bloodborne / ffxiv / elden ring) character template can be used to track your muses in depth as they each get their own individual slides. This template can also be multi-purpose, as in the other slides could be used to track lore, instead of additional characters." - from the shop.

the text on the upper right & left-hand corners is actually lyrics from "brutus" by the buttress! nice little fun fact. then can also be changed, by the way, to any lyrics, quotes, or text of your choosing -- but it must be done manually, otherwise, you risk deleting several images. so please if you want to change it, find the bottom of the text with your arrow keys and manually delete it.

additionally, you can duplicate the pages as many times as you want. please just start by drag-copying the empty space from the page above and then drag to the page below (or your target page), copy, and then paste wherever you want.

editing and modifications are welcome once you purchase the template.

all elements are created by me. If you take inspiration from this document, please credit me as the source of your inspiration.

don't claim this as your own.

please like, or reblog this post if you use my template! 

how to use

click underlined "undying"

download the template via my ko-fi

follow the instructions left on the note attached

once you receive access to the template, go to file  →  make a copy

#riot: original #google doc template #google docs #aesthetic template #google doc #google docs template #character template #discord rp #muse template #multimuse template #multimuse rp #multimuse #bloodborne #fear and hunger #elden ring #ffxiv #final fantasy xiv #final fantasy 14 #ff14 #gothic #goth #gothcore #goth aesthetic #dark gothic #paid template

[novlr]

Hey! I'm a non native English speaker and i find it very hard to use wide variety of vocabulary in my writing. Any tips??

Just as a painter needs a rich palette of colours to make their art, writers need a diverse vocabulary to craft deep and engaging story worlds.

Your vocabulary as a writer is much like a paint box, with each word adding depth, contrast, and colour to your creation. So what techniques can you use to improve your vocabulary and give yourself more linguistic colours to choose from?

Read a lot

Reading is the best way to improve your vocabulary. It’s immersive, enjoyable, and will introduce you to more varied words. Make it a habit to read often, and try to read widely. Don’t limit yourself to one genre, age range, or style. Whether fiction, non-fiction, articles, or instruction manuals, reading as widely as you can opens your mind to words and styles you might never encounter naturally in your day-to-day life.

Write a lot

Write as often as you can. The more you write, the more often you’ll find yourself reaching for varying words and phrases to accurately convey your thoughts. Every written piece is an opportunity to experiment with new words. As with anything, practice is crucial—regular writing will naturally enhance your vocabulary and make your word usage more instinctive and fluid.

Use a thesaurus

A thesaurus introduces you to a variety of synonyms for the words you’re using and can help you express your thoughts with a bit more flair. However, using a thesaurus does come with a caveat: avoid using complex words just for the sake of appearing more sophisticated. Always choose words that best fit the context and effectively convey what you’re trying to say.

Join a writing group

Beyond being a place to talk about words, writing groups let you test your understanding of words in real time. Writing groups provide valuable insight into whether your word choices effectively convey your intended meaning. Seeing how other writers use their own vocabularies to share their own meanings is a great way to see how word choice can make your writing richer and more nuanced

Play word games

Playing word games is not only fun but is also an effective way to expand your vocabulary. For instance, games like Scrabble challenge you to form varying words from a set of letters, crossword puzzles can improve your understanding and recall of words, and games like Boggle can stimulate quick thinking around word formation.

Keep a word journal

Every time you encounter a new and intriguing word, whether through reading, conversation, or even during a TV show, jot it down in your word journal. Follow it up by researching its meaning, synonyms, and usage in sentences. Revisit these entries frequently, and try to incorporate these words into your writing somehow, even if it’s only during practice sessions. Over time, you’ll notice these new words naturally creeping into your vocabulary.

Sometimes simple is best

While having a broad vocabulary is an asset for any writer, it’s also important to remember that effective communication is what it’s all about, and sometimes, simpler words serve this purpose best. Not every situation calls for intricate or sophisticated language; in fact, often, using simpler, more direct language can make your message clearer and more accessible to a wider audience. More important than a wide vocabulary is an understanding of your readers and the message you want to convey in your text.

#writers #creative writing #writing #writing community #creative writers #writers of tumblr #writing inspiration #writeblr #writerblr #writing tips #ask a writer #writblr #writers corner #writing advice #resources for writers #writing resources #advice for authors #vocab list #writers and poets #writers on tumblr #helping writers #writing help #learn to write

[fernsnailz]

i love reading your sonic loreposts i was wondering if you could please explain archie charmy to me, i have heard stuff and i am so curious but i am not a comics in general kinda person. the lsd poisoned friend or the brain damage literally just anything that happens to him your pick

hi anon i’m just going to go over everything that happens to archie charmy pre-reboot so i hopefully never have to talk about it after this. i'm sorry i'm so so sorry

Archie Charmy is subject to a lot of controversy and discussion because despite his limited role in the comics, he goes through some of the most batshit insane character and plot beats in the whole series (and that you’ve already mentioned). I’ll be skimming over some of the more boring parts, but the wild stuff I'll go pretty in-depth with.

I’ll also be attempting to explain WHY all of this happens to Charmy Bee of all characters, taking into account the context of the story, what was happening behind the scenes in the writer’s room, and even comic trends in general. I want to try and keep away from the very reactionary “wow archie sonic is sooooo crazy” discussion that happens around this stuff and hopefully provide a little more useful analysis. i talk about comic PSAs for a while so be warned

There are some very, very important content warnings that are coming with Archie Charmy lore: warning for non-consensual drug use and overdose (specifically LSD), child death, genocide, implied ableism, memory loss, implied age regression, breif homophobia mention (not related to charmy)

this is going to be a very long one. charmy lore under the cut

INTRODUCTION - CHAOTIX

Charmy Bee’s first appearance in Archie Sonic is in the Knuckles’ Chaotix special, which adapts the first game he appeared in. This issue introduces the entire Chaotix cast (six new characters) in a mere four pages, so Charmy doesn’t make much of an impression other than “bee who likes to explore and adventure.” He lacks that annoying little brother personality that he has in most Sonic media, and he’ll often speak with language that feels extremely out of character for the Charmy that most people know.

This is because this version of Charmy is based off of his character description from the Knuckles’ Chaotix game manual. Despite the series being based off of the video game franchise, the Archie Sonic writers were often given very little information about upcoming game releases from SEGA when they were asked to adapt them into the comics. Often they had to go digging for the canonical materials themselves - for example, the only way they were able to adapt Sonic Adventure into the comics is because Patrick Spaziante (one of the comic’s artists) had a Japanese version of the game that he bought himself. They had no English translation and zero guidance from SEGA, so they had to attempt to piece the story together without SEGA's help. This was the case with most of the game adaptations, and it was honestly a miracle that they had access to the manual for Knuckles’ Chaotix at all.

There’s just one problem: the manual for Knuckles’ Chaotix describes a version of Charmy that is very, very different from the one we know of today. It describes a 16-year old that is… sophisticated?

(sorry for the low quality, there aren't many images of the manual. also fun fact, there was no age for Charmy listed in the original Japanese manual)

Charmy's differing age and personality will lead to many, many problems, as the writers decided to give the “sophisticated” Charmy darker stories. This brings us to the Knuckles the Echidna mini-series.

The Knuckles mini-series is. Bad. Charmy Bee is certainly there for the first few issues (as are most of the Chaotix), but he doesn’t get much focus until issue 13.

I don’t know how to put this in a way that doesn’t sound extremely blunt: This is the issue where Charmy’s best friend overdoses on LSD and dies.

PART 1 - MELLO

Charmy's best friend is named Mello Bee. This is his first and last appearance in the series.

Mello started feeling strange on their return trip from Happyland, a sketchy theme park that recently reopened under new management. Charmy isn't sure why Mello died, but Constable Reminton (essentially the sheriff of Echidnopolis) reveals that there have been a series of cases similar to Mello's - cases where people were suffering from… Lemon Sundrop Dandelion poisoning.

The Chaotix go to Happyland to see if they can find the source of the poisoning, but what they don't know is that it's actually laced into the food. The manager of Happyland, Renfield T. Rodent, has been lacing the park's chili dogs with LSD in hopes of making everyone addicted to them. However, the amount of LSD he's been putting into the food is too much for most people to handle. This is probably the most insane paragraph I've had to write for one of these loreposts

Unknown to the Chaotix, they all start eating the chili dogs during their investigation (except for Julie-Su and Knuckles, who is absent) and start tripping balls.

Continuing the story into issue 14, Charmy’s LSD trip reveals that he’s actually the prince of a bee colony and has been running away from his responsibilities as a member of the royal family.

Charmy is knocked out for the rest of this arc as he goes through his trip - they have to operate on him and some other stuff happens I guess (Julie-Su gets thrown off of a roof, Knuckles fights some guys in a desert, Vector is a misogynist, stuff like that). At the end of issue 15, Charmy learns from his trip and returns to his family, temporarily leaving the Chaotix to return to his royal duties. Mello's family and his all mourn Mello's death and bury him back at their home.

So. What was the fucking point of all that

In the long-term, Charmy returning home to his family essentially writes him out of the story for a while. Knuckles the Echidna issue 15 released in 1998, and Charmy doesn't really return until 2001. While I'm not entirely sure what the reason for this was, there were so many members of the Chaotix that I honestly think this was an okay decision.

However, there's one very important question left to answer: Why was LSD and a drug overdose included in this arc at all?

When I first read this arc, I had a burning thought that I couldn't get out of my mind:

PART 1.5 - wait is this an anti-drug PSA?

(if you want to avoid me talking in-depth about the abilities of LSD and my ramble about comic PSAs for a while, you can skip to PART 2 where I continue the Charmy lore)

Comic PSAs (Public Service Announcements) and propaganda are a fundamental part of the medium’s history, whether it be to aid their country’s war efforts, give health information to their readers, or warn kids about the dangers of drug abuse. While a comic being used as a PSA isn’t inherently a bad thing, it’s usually VERY obvious. One of the most interesting ones I've found is a PSA that features Green Lantern debunking misinformation about the AIDS crisis. The image quality isn’t great, but the comic doesn’t hold back when talking about how the AIDS crisis is spreading homophobic ideology - if you read this, you know it’s a PSA and you know what message it’s trying to send. Sometimes propaganda can be subtle, but PSAs are usually loud.

(cw: homophobia)

This is why anti-drug PSAs are so common and so remembered - they’re over the top, they’re blunt (lol), and they have a very specific message they’re trying to send. For example, there’s an issue of New Teen Titans from 1983 that introduce a character called the Protector to teach kids about drug awareness where the issue literally starts with the Teen Titans in an auditorium telling kids about a dangerous drug. This issue also includes some bad trip imagery, and it’s uh… honestly i kinda love this

Anti-drug PSAs usually don’t work for this very reason - showing how a drug affects fictional characters can increase interest in the substance, and a single superhero telling someone to stop smoking is not going to break someone’s addiction.

So. Is Knuckles the Echidna issues 13-15 an anti-drug PSA?

Probably not, but if it is it’s doing a fucking terrible job of it

Some of the main factors of a PSA are the information it's presenting, the opinion it wants the consumer to develop, and the bluntness of its presentation. While this part of the Knuckles series is certainly over the top, the rest of these factors are really muddy. First, anti-drug PSAs usually don’t create a fake drug to replace the one they’re advising against. An anti-weed campaign will just tell you that weed is bad because that’s the opinion it wants you to walk away with. So when Knuckles issue 13 introduces a substance called “Lemon Sundrop Dandelion” and never actually refers to it as LSD, it’s less of a message about “drug bad” and more just a sly nudge and wink that goes “hey you see that? yeah, that’s drug.”

Then there’s the problem that there isn’t really much of a lesson to be had from these issues regarding drug use. Yes, Mello dies horrifically of an overdose, but most of the cast is able to walk off the trip like it’s nothing. Charmy needs to be operated on, but the doctors literally treat it like it’s fucking NOTHING

he's literally talking about how he told a patient that couldn't afford surgery to go to the butcher like HUH?????

In fact, Charmy’s trip seems to help him in the long run - he’s forced to face his past, and eventually returns to his family because of the literal guilt trip he has. It’s a fundamental part of his character arc.

This isn’t to say that I wish these issues were explicitly drug PSAs - I bring all of this up because these issues were released in 1998, in an era where the anti-drug movement was arguably at its peak. The people working on these comics would KNOW its content is similar to and even promotes the anti-drug movement. While I don't consider these issues to be an anti-drug PSA, they can definitely serve as anti-drug propaganda.

With this in mind, considering Knuckles the Echidna as a form of propaganda really opens up how utterly terrible these issues are. These comics can be genuinely harmful pieces of anti-drug propaganda because the way they use LSD to advance they plot is untrue to how the drug actually works and relies entirely on fear mongering. While LSD can be laced into other substances like drinks, it probably wouldn't last long in cooked meat - LSD usually degrades at higher temperatures, and telling comic readers that they need to be afraid of LSD-laced fair food is fucking stupid and likely based on false urban legends. Not only that, but Renfield T. Rodent’s plot to addict everyone to his LSD chili dogs is also fucking stupid because LSD is not considered an addictive substance. It can be extremely dangerous at high or multiple doses, but LSD does not normally lead to compulsive use.

I don’t talk about all of this to be a cinemasins guy or to nitpick a comic from 1998, and I also don't want to imply that PSAs can't spread lies and misinformation (anti-drug PSAs famously over-exaggerate things). I bring all of this up to show an ineffective and possibly dangerous use of something that could be considered anti-drug propaganda. Spreading blatantly untrue information and placing false fears into a reader’s mind is truly incompetent on the writer’s behalf, especially considering that this comic was targeted at kids. And that’s not even mentioning that there’s barely any moral to all of this. There’s no lesson and they never talk about this again.

Do I think this was all intentional on the behalf of the writers? I have no idea. I have no goddamn idea what they were thinking with this one, and I honestly don't think much thought was put into this arc at all. Maybe this was a strange attempt to make a Sonic-themed anti-drug PSA, maybe they were just inspired by the drug PSAs of their time when writing this, or maybe they just did not care. I don't know man. Anti-drug propaganda is stupid and it doesn't work and these comics drive me crazy

alright enough of that. let's talk about genocide

PART 2 - SAFFRON

don’t worry this part will be shorter (cheering and clapping)

Like I mentioned a while back, Charmy is essentially written out of the story for a while after the Mello incident. While living in the Golden Hive Colony, he reunites with another friend, Saffron Bee. Saffron becomes Charmy’s girlfriend, and they’re together for basically the rest of the comic. Usually if Charmy shows up, Saffron is there too.

(image of Charmy and Saffron I stole from... the Shipping Wiki??)

They eventually return to help Chaos Knuckles, a green version of Knuckles who is uh. Kinda going through it. Not much important Charmy lore needs to be discussed here, but some of his actions do eventually lead to him creating a genocidal villain that will cause many problems later. Don’t worry about it.

Things are quiet for a while for Charmy and Saffron. That is, until Eggman attacks their colony and wipes out most of its population.

Charmy and Saffron are the only survivors we see from the Golden Hive Colony. Eggman transforms the colony into a new base and traps its residents in an invention of his called the Egg Grapes - basically, he puts Mobians in these little pods that sap all of their life force, powering his empire. Most people do not survive the Egg Grapes.

The two bees return to join the Chaotix for a little while, and the rest of the Chaotix confirm that the Golden Hive Colony and its residents are truly gone. Espio destroys what’s left of the colony so Eggman can’t use it as a base, and no other survivors from the colony are found.

So. yeah what the fuck

Archie Sonic is known to have a LOT of characters - I’ve talked about the sheer number of echidnas the series has before, but there are a lot of characters that have massive extended families. The arc where Mello died introduced like eight new bee characters, but most of them were background characters that didn’t need to stick around.

Most people cite writer Ian Flynn’s debut to the series as when a lot of these unneeded/background characters were written out or killed off, and I agree since one of his objectives as a writer was to tighten up the story. However, the trend of “Archie background characters getting killed off or written out” started a little bit before he joined the team. There’s the destruction of the Golden Hive, and many echidnas in this arc suffer from the horrors of war - a number die off after Charmy and Saffron rejoin the Chaotix. yeah it's kinda fucked up

This is the second major arc where Charmy has lost people close to him - first Mello, and now his entire family and kingdom. The same goes for Saffron - they only have each other left. I mean the Chaotix are also there but still, trauma is trauma

How could it get any worse?

PART 3 - CHARMY

Remember how Archie Charmy is based off of the Knuckles’ Chaotix manual? The one that said he was sophisticated and 16?

This is about to cause a few problems.

At this point, it’s around 2007. The Knuckles’ Chaotix manual is terribly outdated, and most versions of Charmy within canon are 6 year-old kids. Charmy is known to be the annoying comedic relief, which is the exact opposite from how he’s portrayed in Archie Sonic.

So when SEGA asked writer Ian Flynn to change Archie Sonic to be like his video game counterpart, the solution was uh. well. it could have been handled better

Like how he obliterated the Golden Hive Colony, Eggman’s next target to destroy is Knothole, the city where Sonic and the Freedom Fighters all live. It’s a surprise to all of the residents, and he manages to teleport most of the population into his Egg Grapes. Before Sonic can save them, Eggman singles out Charmy to be used as an example of how the Egg Grapes work.

Sonic and friends manage to get Charmy out, but not before the damage is already done. In the limited amount of time the Grape sapped his life force, Charmy’s memory was partially wiped and personality changed forever. After this, Charmy has very little memory of the Golden Hive Colony at all, only seeming to remember Saffron and his friends. His becomes much more child-like, similar to his game counterpart.

the fucking sigh i just sighed

For clarification, Charmy is still 16. The only thing that was altered was his mind, with the intention to make his personality more in-line with his goofy video game counterpart. The problem is that giving a character brain damage to turn them into a comedic relief character is fucked up and unintentionally ableist.

This is something that writer Ian Flynn identified pretty early and openly regrets (I’m not sure what the source of that statement is, I’m assuming an episode of Bumblekast but I’m don’t know which one. I’ll edit this if I find it). Because of this, he mostly kept Charmy out of any comedic situations for the rest of the series. Charmy has a very limited role in the series after this until the reboot, only appearing sporadically and in one Sonic Universe arc. When he does show up, his childish demeanor is usually met with the patience of the Chaotix and their sad expressions.

Although the intention was to make Archie Charmy more like his game counterpart, in practice I honestly think this action only made Archie Charmy even MORE distant from his game character. From the Egg Grape incident to the reboot, Archie Charmy’s trauma never leaves my mind and leaves me feeling strangely hollow.

CONCLUSION - WHAT THE FUCK

I find the Archie Sonic series unfathomably fascinating. While I love the series, I can’t deny that most of the events I went over are poorly handled by the writing team and leave the series with such a strange legacy. With Archie Sonic, it’s often incredibly easy to see the biases of the writers and how they affect the characters and stories, leading to some genuinely fucked up moments that could have easily been avoided in my opinion.

Archie Charmy was really one of the characters that got it the worst, but it's honestly so strange that all of this happened to him specifically. The fact that all of this shit happens to a silly little bee is so, so Archie Sonic to me. Charmy is such a simple character to understand - he's a funny kid who's kinda annoying and hard to handle. So when I look back and see the 3,000+ words I just wrote about Archie Charmy... fucking hell why did i do that

In conclusion. I am sorry and do not become a comics person

thanks for reading if you got this far. as always let me know if i need to tag any other content warnings or if there was anything i got wrong! alright good night tristate area

#PLEASE read all of the content warnings before opening the pandora's box of charmy lore #this one's a hell of a read i am so sorry #sonic loreposting #cw drug use #cw overdose #cw child death #cw genocide #cw ableism #cw memory loss #cw age regression #i actually really enjoyed talking about comic psas and propaganda its very interesting to me #long post

[swisccfinds]

Realistic Life & Pregnancy Mod v.1.0 by PERSA

This mod add so many cool moodlets and actions to improve your realist gameplay.

Creator's notes-

Hello simmers,

As everyone loves this mod I wanted to add more features to it to make it more realistic and fun to play

First of all, I merged all the files in one package for more accessible download as a lot of you has problem extracting the files

+ Family interaction

- I added more "Discuss Adopting Pets" interaction moodlet (a few examples)

added more animals like rats, fish... and also insects for those who like to catch them.

I definitely had a sim who loved collecting insects and giving them names :D

Your sim might now automatically adopt a pet from the phone and many more in-game

- "Have you cleaned your room?" I added this one for when your teen or child has piles of clothes on the floor or ate in their room and left it there, the parent would nag about that and makes the child clean

- also added "Discuss Expanding the Family" making sims wanting the Test-Tube baby

If they are teens or young adults they will be having this moodlet (I added teen just in case you want to make a specific story)

and if they are adults to elder I made a special moodlet just for them (in case you want to make a story as if they grow older and it became hard for them to have a natural pregnancy)

- I added more to the "Ask If They Want A Sibling" interaction where the kid doesn't want a sibling they will get a gameplay trait that says rather be the only kid

in the "Discuss adoption" one, I added moodlets that let the sim choose the baby's age (if you want me to add more like infant gender let me know!)

- I added "Nag about Having kids" for every adult to an elder that their child (young adult) didn't have kids yet they will be wanting to ask them why and as usual different moodlets for every sim to create a more in-depth story.

+ Family Loss interaction

I made a new pie menu where your child could ask about their lost parent

- "Remember their Deceased Parent" is a great option for a parent, caregiver, or even grandparent to tell nice stories about an orphan's parent to give them more beautiful memories, just like real life.

- Last but certainly not least in this Family Category I added "Tell me more about my deceased parent" For children that lost a parent, they will be asking questions about their deceased parent and want to know more about them. It's natural for kids to ask such questions and is crucial. (questions could be asked to their parent or caregiver)

I personally had a child that lost his 2 parents and I cheated by adding his caregiver to the household so the child won't be adopted by another family, and I was like I want them to talk about his family so I added the option).

- I added a new interaction "Name Them as their Child's Guardian": This one your sim will only be able to ask families, such as an uncle, cousin, grandparent, divorced spouse, caregiver, or even sibling to make sure that their child is in the right hands after your sim's death.

Some will accept and receive a trait that will help them be a better guardian if your child's sim dies in-game and you have only the kid left, the kid can call the guardian and use the cheat code testingcheats on, click on shift then right-click on the desired sim and press add to the family, also if you have the Parenthood GP right click it and add the caregiver/dependent and there you have it. No need to leave you can continue your game.

Your sim (parent) should be at least in their 2nd level of parenting Your sim can only ask family, ex-spouse, or their good/best friend for this

If the sim refuses, you'll just need to choose someone else.

+ Morning Interaction

I only added 2 interactions for this one:

the "What if you take a day off?" was meant in case your sim wants to spend more time with their lover or bff to enjoy the day together

+ Mean interactions

"Nag About Laundry"

"Nag To Do Chores"

+ Kids interaction

(For Children)

- In here I added "Ask For A Gaming Pc " It performs exactly like the others with conditions or why not:

- Added "Ask for a Gaming Chair" and "Ask to help with bedroom decoration" for teens:

More teen interactions: "Ask for Camera Photo", and "Ask for a Workout Machine" This will make them decide if they want the weighing machine, the treadmill, or the punch bag

(For Teens)

Child one: "Ask to build a Treehouse"

"Ask for a Wellness Object" This one as well will let your sim choose between the Meditation Bench and a Yoga Mats

"Ask for a Sleeping Bag" Ask for a Soccer ball Ask for a Sleeping Bag

"Ask for a Better Bed" This is for your teen when they keep complaining about their back hurts because of the poor quality of the bed, so you can make them ask for a better bed and see the parent's reaction to making decisions

"Ask for a Snow Sports Object" will also let your sim decide between the climbing gear, the snowboard, or the skis

(an example and way more in-game)

every interaction has its own moodlet that differs every time

+ Pregnancy interaction

I added a new interaction to your pregnant sim where they "Worry about providing for the baby "

"Discuss baby's Tuition"

the partner moodlet:

I also added "Worry about providing for baby"

I also added a trait when your sim asks about the baby's gender the target sim will respond and receive a trait that says what gender they are more into (this one is basically just for more realism in case you want to have a baby shower or make a pregnancy experience more in-depth of every couple)

Once your pregnant teen feels that it's time to tell about their pregnancy to their parent/caregiver, they'll have a trait saying they got pregnant in their teenage time

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#sims 4 download #sims 4 cc #sims 4 gameplay #sims 4 #the sims 4 #sims 4 mods #sims 4 custom content #the sims 4 mods #the sims 4 custom content #ts4 #ts4 gameplay mods #ts4 gameplay #sims 4 gameplay mods #ts4cc #cc finds #s4 mods #s4 #s4cc download #s4ccfinds #s4 custom content

[demifiendrsa]

God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla - Reveal Trailer

The free "Valhalla" DLC for God of War Ragnarök will launch on December 12, 2023.

Key visual

First details via PlayStation Blog

Journey to Valhalla

God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla will be an epilogue to the events of God of War Ragnarok that follows Kratos on a deeply personal and reflective journey.

Set after the decisive battle against Odin and Atreus’ departure, Kratos has seen a path for himself that he never thought possible before. Brought to the mysterious shores of Valhalla accompanied only by Mimir, Kratos will enter its unknown depths to overcome trials within himself and face echoes of his past.

Combat Reimagined

The team here at Santa Monica Studio challenged ourselves to make something different from anything we have done before in God of War history. God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla celebrates the combat you know and love from God of War Ragnarok and blends it with fresh, experimental elements inspired by the roguelite genre.

Each attempt in Valhalla will encourage you to master different aspects of Kratos’ arsenal as you face new combinations of enemies and some surprises along the way!

Fight, Learn, Grow

In Valhalla, defeat in combat is not the end of a warrior’s spirit. If Kratos falls, he will reawaken outside the doors ready for the next try. During each attempt, you will learn and adapt to the challenges Valhalla has to offer. The more you overcome, the more resources you’ll gain that can be put towards permanent upgrades that affect both Kratos and even Valhalla itself.

Accumulating rewards and knowledge during your attempts will help you get ever closer to discovering the mysteries that await Kratos within.

Master Valhalla, Master Thyself

The shore of Valhalla humbles all those who wish to enter. Kratos must cast off his armor and equipment, and instead build towards both per-attempt and permanent rewards.

Kratos will have access to all his weapons and fully-upgraded skill trees at all times, but must commit to a shield and path of Spartan Rage for each attempt. As you overcome the trials of Valhalla and explore its depths, you will make choices between temporary Glyphs for which Stats to upgrade, which Perks to select, which Runic Attacks to wield, and more. Each attempt can play out differently based on the rewards you choose, so keep your strategy in mind when making selections!

Wise preparation, adaptability to the challenge at hand, and command of your abilities will be the keys to mastery.

Play in Style

Armor in Valhalla is for appearances only, so don’t hold back when customizing for style! Unlock different looks, then mix and match your favorites between attempts to get Kratos looking fighting fit for all your Photo Mode needs.

Choose your Challenge

God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla has five difficulty settings that have been specially crafted and tuned to the unique gameplay of the downloadable content. Each difficulty setting increases the rewards you’ll gain from battle, and you can swap freely among them between attempts (including to and from the highest difficulty setting, Show Me Mastery).

As your skills grow, we encourage you to try out some of the higher difficulties to earn more rewards and test your mastery over Kratos’ arsenal!

Between the five options, you will be able to select the level of challenge that is most fun for you. To help further customize your gameplay experience, the downloadable content will continue God of War Ragnarök’s standard for accessibility settings.

Play at Any Time

God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla is a separate experience from God of War Ragnarök, so you don’t need to worry about going in without certain upgrades, equipment, or story progress. If you think the DLC sounds fun, you can jump in at any time!

However, if you are concerned about narrative or gameplay spoilers, we do recommend that you finish God of War Ragnarok first as God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla serves as an epilogue to the story of the base game.

A Gift to the Fans

If you own God of War Ragnarok, you will be able to download God of War Ragnarok: Valhalla for free on December 12 at PlayStation Store.

On behalf of everyone at Santa Monica Studio, we want to wish everyone a happy holiday and extend our heartfelt gratefulness for the incredible support you’ve shown us over the past year. We truly are fans of our fans, and we hope you enjoy God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla when it comes out next week. We can’t wait for you to play and share your experience with us by using #GodOfWarRagnarokValhalla or #GoWRV on social.

#God of War Ragnarok #GoW Ragnarok #God of War PS5 #God of War #SIE Santa Monica Studio #Sony Interactive Entertainment #video game #PS5 #PS4 #The Game Awards 2023 #TGA 2023 #long post

[sameschmidtdiffname]

If anything were to ever be released from Peeta's POV during the series, I think what I would be most interested in is what was going through his head during The Mockingjay Trial.

Peeta's thoughts during Mockingjay as a whole would be interesting. Peeta is ultimately cunning. We all joke about how Peeta would've ran 13 if he'd been the one that was saved, but I can't imagine Snow was having a particularly fun time with him either. Peeta knows how to communicate with the Capitol. I wonder if part of the reason Peeta was abused so horribly was not to torture Katniss, but because it's very possible there was a real possibility Peeta could've won the war from the inside by turning Snow's people against him with his own personal showmanship. "If it weren't for the baby" is a perfect example of how capable Peeta could be of doing just that.

I imagine once Peeta begins to regain his mind, it doesn't take long for him to realize the multiple problems that exist within president Coin. The problems Gale decided not to acknowledge in the proper manner.

Gale and Katniss are incredibly close. Now, I know we all like to poke our fun at Gale, (I'm definitely guilty of it,) but Gale is a genuinely complex character. He was a kid too. That doesn't take away from how he still did wrong, but you cannot look at him from a black and white lense when legitimately viewing his character. He does have depth.

Gale and Katniss are close because they are similar. They lose their fathers in the same accident, they learn to survive the same way. Katniss speaks throughout the series of how similar they are. It would not at all be impossible for Peeta to assume Katniss was radicalized the same way Gale was since he remembers their relationship despite the hijacking.

I think this is what hurts Peeta the most during the voting for the final Hunger Games. Peeta is at a severe disadvantage to reading Katniss still. His mind is better, and most likely he had already begun therapy in seriousness and was already improving mentally. But he and Katniss have not begun to grow back together yet. He no longer has access to her obvious tells. And yes, Katniss's thoughts are obvious to her inner circle. To everyone else, she is a mystery. Katniss loves him, but he is no longer in her inner circle at this point.

I don't think Peeta would realize the truth of Katniss's vote until she shoots Coin instead of Snow, which I think is the point for many to realize the amount of deep set problems there truly were with Coin. Most of the time it takes someone doing something extreme to make people pause and think.

Peeta is already having to put the pieces back together in his mind about Katniss. I think The Mockingjay Trial would probably be the tipping point of Peeta's recovery due to the testimonies, the evaluations. Something I've wondered is if Peeta was even allowed to testify since he had been hijacked. Honestly, I would assume that he wasn't. Leaving him off to the sidelines, forced to watch as someone he knows he used to be close to be examined live for the nation to see, to be picked and torn apart. I imagine that maybe the general public was not allowed to see any footage, but based off of Plutarchs offer for Katniss to be on a new singing program during their final conversation in 'Mockingjay,' it seems Katniss was correct in thinking there was most likely a live broadcast of her in the Training Center available to watch. Most likely Haymitch was allowed a peak. And through Haymitch, probably Peeta. I don't think it would be until the entire nation is forced to learn the "truth" about The Mockingjay that Peeta has the same moment as Katniss has in 'The Hunger Games,' when suddenly he realizes just how much he does know about her.

I would think this time would be when Peeta and Haymitch also make peace with their relationship as well. Most likely there were probably a few, very hard to have conversations between the two of them during the trial. About Katniss, about Haymitch's promise to both of them during 'Catching Fire,' about being unable to save him.

Peeta returns to District 12 at the earliest opportunity allowed. Probably for a few reasons. It's his home, it is ultimately where he belongs. But I also think there's probably a very large part of him that wants confirmation for what he's sure he already knew. Her thoughts when shooting Coin. When she voted yes. I think The Mockingjay Trial is probably when Peeta decided he wanted to be her friend again. That it was when he finally remembered her. And I'd just really like to see that, even as a short story.

#can you tell i wrote this while fighting sleep #i feel like you can #anyways. maybe ill write a fic about this one day #im tempted. but thats a decision for another day. week. month at this point #the hunger games katniss #the hunger games peeta #the hunger games trilogy #the hunger games #thg series #thg #thg peeta #thg katniss #peeta and katniss #peeta x katniss #katniss x peeta #katniss and peeta #katniss everdeen #peeta mellark #peeta #katniss #mockingjay #catching fire #mj #cf #peeta's pov #rambles

[joelhappyhil]

What's DAWN, and why should I fund it?

Tumblr doesn't feel like the place to spam ads to get a Kickstarter going, I don't know what makes me think that, but it feels right.

So at risk of wasting my time, I've decided to write a comprehensive overview of my upcoming Kickstarter, DAWN.

INTRO

To get started, here's the opening text as of the game's current version:

DAWN is a grid-based, combat-focused, setting-agnostic TTRPG, made with a focus on mechanics that provide as much depth as possible while keeping the game fast-paced and easy to pick up and play. 

Create your heroes, discover truths of the world, face against thinly veiled metaphors in the forms of fearsome overlords and monsters, and grow - both in power and as people - within a world of your own making! Embark on an adventure with friends, coming with its highest highs and lowest lows, bearing the greatest storms to gaze upon the beautiful DAWN.

NARRATIVE

What may or may not be clear from reading this primer, is that DAWN is heavily inspired by the anime and games I enjoyed in my childhood, KMMOs like Elsword and shows like Fairy tale, both properties with strong color-coded character designs and fun magical specialties for each. I'm trying to recreate this vibe in DAWN, but in a way that can fit into nearly any setting.

The game's got a setting creation activity that can help you both make a fun world and get an idea of what the game's intended tone / important narrative elements are.

There are also a number of roll tables I've written up to serve as suggestions or a way to quickly throw together a setting!

COMBAT

The game's combat is meant to be similarly quick and snappy, with its rules less than 10 pages long (As of now), you've got action points to spend on your turn and by default all characters have access to a melee, ranged, and heavy attack, with your Powers adding additional effects and flavor.

Want to be a cool and quick sword master, no need to choose a class, equipment set, and feats to make this possible, just pick up a power or two that fit, and you're done.

WHY SHOULD I FUND IT?

I haven't shown everything here, but the game is available for free on my Itch, and with that you may be asking "Why should I fund this?"

Short answer: There's still not enough.

Long answer: I really want to add some important things to this game, I need more art, I need a proper title page, and I would really love to pick up Affinity and improve the layout, and with my minimum wage income I can't afford that along with being alive. So if you have interest in this project I would really love if you would follow the KS and consider supporting it on release.

#ttrpg #indie ttrpg #kickstarter #crowd funding