#his lore recently has been making me incredibly sad

[forffax]

returning the favor with oc asks since i always wanna hear about yours !! if you had to pick like your top 5 favorite characters who would they be and why 👀 bonus if you want to pick your favorite like settings/worlds/universes youve made for ocs too!

OOOUH thank u chase!!!

I'm gonna list out my favs then talk abt my main oc universe a bit ^_^

This got ridiculously long so it's going under a readmore <3

1. Tos Family (sorry this is going to be. the whole family bc I cannot possibly choose between them)

i. Lux Tos (he/him)

(realizing now i haven't drawn him in a hot fuckin minute)

MY DAD. guy of all time ever. everyone's favorite half-human time traveling alien war vet. it always feels weird referring 2 him as part alien even if it's technically true sdjfgs. fun lore fact: he was the Dead Older Brother in original iteration Zephyr's Sad Backstory but I liked him too much so I decided he got to live <3

Lux is one of my older ocs that I still actively draw and think abt (late middle school...) and he's changed a LOT over the years but he's so so so dear to me. my guy who has Seen the Horrors and is now happily gay married with a kid :') sdfkjsk most things abt his story is just me being So Incredibly Self Indulgent (cool powers, complicated sibling relationships, gay) but it makes me happy and I love sharing it with ppl! Someday Voided 2 will be real and ready to share with the world...

ii. Ferdinand Tos (he/him)

Dad....2!!!!!! I don't remember when exactly I thought him up but it was probably around when Lux's backstory was getting a major overhaul... He's a man out of time he's training to be a doctor and his will to live is so strong he spent the better part of nearly two decades building himself a new body! Guys who died but got better <3. I think I literally got brain blasted one day and decided he's a non-op trans man and it was the best thing ever for him actually. He's a southern californian stuck in the cold northwest (probably. either that or the northeast im not settled on that aspect yet skdjfs). He's been super fun to write from a worldbuilding perspective too bc his main goal is to pioneer a new branch of medicine using his powers! His relationship with Lux and the rest of the family (and his reconciliation with his sister) is sooooo important 2 me :]

iii. Athanasius Tos (she/her)

THANAAAAA most normal sibling (lie). She was adopted formally right after Lux "died" and had a bit of a complex about just being a "replacement" for a good while, and she THOUGHT she had worked through that when Lux suddenly re-appeared... they're on great terms now but it was Tense. She's a biochemist and probably makes the most out of the household (she shares an apartment with Zeph!) It's very important 2 me that she can let herself be vulnerable with her family and close friends after years of bottling everything up... Epic nerdy autistic butches in your area <3 Fun fact she is the only full human of the main cast!

iv. Zephyr Tos (she/him)

My fuckign auncle. Within the story she only recently realized he was bigender and is much happier for it, even if you couldn't tell by her permanent scowl skjdfgs. Zeph was the original protag (along with Thana) of the short story I wrote in middle school that turned into Voided 2! In-universe he was very clearly supposed to be the protag but missed/ignored the "call to action" phase and just got a shitton of Issues and Traumas instead <3 She's so everything 2 me he's a freelance writer/artist she's kinda cringe and he is trying only as hard as she absolutely needs to in order to get by. While his relationship with Lux is MUCH better than it was when Lux first came back, she's completely inseparable from Thana and would do anything for her (I feel like they spent equal times protecting each other from bullies as kids...) He's changed so much from her original incarnation but developing him has been SO much fun <3 Since Voided 2 runs on real-world time (in that I have specific real-world dates for most major events) she turned 50 fairly recently and that's fucked but also funny. old.

v. Alan Tos (any)

Alan! Love this kiddo. He's Lux and Ferdinand's adoptive kid! Xe doesn't learn about it for a while but she was a government secret experiment test-tube baby (they were trying to artificially fuse souls together, distantly related to the later Child Soldier School ze was placed into) (kid cannot catch a break). He's a good kid, if not a little clueless and naive... someone who would hold no ill-will if you had to cut their leg off (this is not a hypothetical GJSKDS). Somehow, despite all this, she is by far the most Normal out of xer family <3 His fashion sense is some kind of spectrum between 60s businesswoman and scene and tbh? Very fun to draw! Her friends and family are very very dear to them and at the moment xe's just kind of letting life take zem wherever.

2. Vague (it/they)

unauthorized fucking thing kill it with hammers NOW!!!!!

Vague started as I think just a proxy for myself in vent art I drew in like early high school sdhjfgds they have since become. something. my mascot I guess? (I still end up using it for vent art sometimes bc it's functionally unkillable and it's fun 2 get narsty sometimes.)

originally it was just the weird cat-shaped angel thing but a couple years ago I gave them a human design that I really love too <3 vague technically has a place in Niko and my other cat furry ocs' story but their human form exists in the real world and is just Like That i think. vague is just a little guy okay? they're sorry about crying and bleeding all over the place (not bc it sees any issue with this they just noticed you looked upsetskjdfhs)

3. Niko (he/they)

Baby's first fursona! Niko was always mostly his own character but now that I have new This is Just Me sona(s), they've been officially retired from that front <3 Niko's story is mostly planned out, I just desperately need to write it somewhere skjdbfs but the gist is that Niko works a shitty minimum wage call center job and finds meaning and love through forming a band with people he happens to meet... also there's some whistleblowing and betrayal and vague slams down out of the sky at some point <3 Niko's band doesn't have a name but they're the lead vocalist! (Niko 🤝 Blue (is blue and sings in their band)) This is a universe where everyone is cat furries simply bc I wanted to design lots of cat furries but also I haven't drawn like half of his bandmates/friends.... orz

Fun fact I found my original doodles of him in an old math notebook and apparently I seriously considered the name "chandler" for them. Help,

4. Larkspur (they/them)

Laaark my friend lark :] they're my player character for a friend's tabletop campaign! *hands you a bug* *hands you a bug* *hands-

Their design was super fun to come up with and they're fun to play as :] They were raised on a farm and have a deep love for animals (insects in particular), but they have a hard time connecting with others and understanding why people act the way they do.. They wear an eyepatch to cover their multiple other eyes bc it gives them bad sensory overload to see with them! They also spent quite a bit of time as a bounty hunter before they were blacklisted from further work bc they let a target escape on purpose... Lark is a ranger/bard and they play the hurdy-gurdy! They're dear to me and I really need to draw them more sjdfhgs

5. Chungy Fresh (she/he/they)

Chungy my belungy.... she's a mimic who spent most of his life being a chest in the temple of a forgotten goddess until they gained sentience and saw a fursuit from far away and decided yep! I'm gonna look like that Now <3 She didn't get all the details right but he's never been happier! I think Chungy spawned from me drawing a weird fox thing and simultaneously thinking "hey wouldn't it be funny if a character had a verbal text/forum signature and it was also their name" skdjfgjskdfls. Chungy is def up there with "most fun ocs of mine to draw" bc she's so Noodly and Malleable... I started playing as him in a friend group's tabletop oneshot thingy (where multiple ppl write different unrelated oneshots but we use the same characters for each session) and it has been a lot of fun!

OKAY OC UNIVERSE TIME. I call my main oc story "Voided 2" bc it takes place in the same universe as my v personal self insert oc story "Voided" that I have been working on/writing/thinking abt since late middle school... It's kinda vaguely modern fantasy/sci-fi? Main things are that there are beings born at the beginning of the universe made of pure energy called Lunoirs. There are countless universes, and each universe has Lunoirs in some capacity. They mainly exist to "keep the balance," but if you ask any specific Lunoir what that means you'll get a million different answers. Mainly they gravitate towards any life within their universe and integrate with them, observing them and protecting them from Shadows and Vacares. Shadows are the unliving souls that will eventually be reborn and reformed into a living soul inside any given universe-- they exist in the space between universes, called the Void. the Void looks different to any being that crosses into it, and it's hard to say what its "true" nature is. Vacares are Lunoirs that have had their souls corrupted and eaten, usually by other Vacares. While Shadows, being amalgamations of soul energy, are strictly neutral, Vacares seek to cause chaos and eat more Lunoir souls, increasing their numbers in a vain attempt to satisfy their endless hunger.

The Lunoir population on Earth is fairly numerous, and since Lunoirs can take on whatever form they choose, many of them live and love and have children with humans, making partial-lunoir children (physically they are nearly indistinguishable from full humans, save for longer lifespans, odd hair and eye colors, and sharper teeth. also they have semi-physical wings, but these have to be manually brought out and often ppl don't even know they have them (*cough* zephyr *cough*)

Lunoirs aren't fully immortal, but they have a different life cycle to most other forms of life. When a non-lunoir dies, their soul disintegrates and is amalgamated with the souls of others in the Void to become Shadows. When a Lunoir dies (outside of having their soul completely corrupted/destroyed), they instead go into a sort of stasis and are reborn later; they have no memories of their previous life (the ones on Earth don't, at least) and they can take on wildly different appearances.

Lunoirs and partial Lunoirs have powers in the form of energy manipulation, particularly when it comes to the energy of their own souls... They can use their souls to form weapons, mainly to fight against Vacares that tend to be immune to physical weapons. Most people have one weapon that they specialize in, but in a pinch nearly everyone can form a knife. Humans can manipulate their own soul energy in this way too, but this ability must be taught/"unlocked" by a Lunoir or a partial Lunoir first (Zephyr, at some point, did this for Thana without either of them realizing it). Lunoirs can also manipulate the energy of the very universe to create Rifts in time and space, sometimes leading between separate universes... These rifts also open of their own accord from time to time, and there's a good number of people who have been displaced from their time or even their universe by unwittingly falling into one.

Every living being has a "soul" (a collection of their life energy), and through a kind of "reaching out," one can feel/taste/smell/hear/see another's soul... every soul is a bit different, so this is an easy way to identify people even from a distance!

The Earth Lunoirs once had a country where they congregated called Saluria, which was the site of a brutal multi-year war against an army of Vacares that wanted reign over Earth... Many Lunoirs and partial Lunoirs across all of Earth's history felt drawn to Saluria, often willingly or unwillingly being rifted to the time of the war to go fight in it... Some partial Lunoirs especially believed it was their sacred duty, while others believed it was a curse leading them to inevitable death... there's even whispers that Saluria itself is alive, luring in young partial and full Lunoirs out of self-preservation.. who's to say. Ultimately, the Salurian War was a victory, but not an easy one.

Lux and Zephyr are half Lunoirs (their mom being full), and Ferdinand is 3/4ths Lunoir! Alan is a bit of a weird case but functionally he's also half Lunoir :]

This is v much simplifying Years of worldbuilding ssjhdfgjks and I can FEEL I missed a bunch of stuff but it's all very very dear 2 me :]

#THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE ASK SORRY THIS IS LIKE A MILE LONG <3 #matoitech #my ocs #long post #if u (or anyone else) has any questions abt the Voided universe worldbuilding stuff feel free to ask i love going nuts abt it <3 #my art #txt #blood #eyestrain #<- mostly for the chungy pic sjdfhgs #ask games

[froggyrights]

Hi everyone! Since a couple people were interested I made a small blog recommendations list 🌟

These are all people I personally love to see on my dash! Specifically those i know well enough to comment on or people I like that I haven't seen on many other follow lists floating around.

If you enjoy following me you'll probably like these people's blogs as well.

-

Mostly Dream SMP content:

@carpedzem my c!dnf partner in crime!! also an amaazing artist and good lore posts!

@elliotl beloved dreblr member, general Good & Nice presence and good c!dream posts!

@cdiskduoisms I would trust his opinions on discduo with my LIFE. Writes so many incredible dsmp fics you neeed to check them out

@dorito-with-no-weakness both based c!dream & dsmp stuff and fun other mcyt posts!

@call-me-apple also dreblr! every apple Post I see I go woah. thats based. Recommend.

@kiuda her c!dream headcanons make me So sad. Posts analysis and cc content too!

@rutadales there's no one whose c!foolish analysis i trust more! Also a lot of c!dream, cool art and general mcyt content.

@simplepotatofarmer such a cool blogger! posts awesome c!Techno & c!rivals stuff and posts about their chickens (!!) There's no negatives here

@bigbaras recently started posting their c!dream and dsmp art on here and wow. Woooooww. Wow.

@foolsocracy posts dsmp stuff! Makes aweesome art like their c!Sam design is everything 2 me

@cgogs one of the like 6 other cdnfers on this site woo 🥳 I'd mention him just for that but she also has awesome analysis abt cclingy and cawesamponk

@yumgrapejuice I'm a huge fan of grapes endersmile fics!! Also blogs about c & cc dream :)

@kenjo-arts posts so much cool c!dream and dsmp art!!

@theminecraftbox can't rec dsmp blogs without mentioning their blog ! Has the best c!prisontrio analysis on the website for suure

-

Mostly CC content:

@dteamtogether pandasblr! Posts mainly sapnap & dtqk+!! Blaze is awesome follow him neoooww

@dtqkplus the url says enough right? Also reblogs tommy and wilbur stuff, if there's a good post I'll probably see it on their blog

@catboydweam all sorts of c & cc dream stuff! Also talented fic writer!!

@dnferisms posts general dtqk+ content, definitely a fun addition to your dash!

@alien-girl-21 mix of mcyt and general fun posts. My go to for updates on what Quackity has been up to on Karmaland!

@gnfghibli dteamblr and some other mcyt comtent, really fun to follow

@respiteresponse posts suuuch wonderful mcyt/dsmp art!! Mainly dteam and tina from what I've seen, it's awesome

@calamitydaze posts general dtqk content and also makes the most heartwrenching dsmp webweaves ever. Such good c!Quackity & c!fiance opinions too

@f4c3 literally a dteamblr staple. Where would we all be without f4c3. Has been here for ages & will outlast us all

@tinogie posts mainly abt dtqk+, always has something fun/interesting/cursed going on in their askbox. Also very talented dnf fic writer!

@foolishgamersbf my favorite foolish gamers enjoyer!! Posts abt foosh and tina mostly, runs @tooshdaily as well!

@sappymix1 dteam main, posts tons of mcyt stuff, very fun to follow!!!

@georgelore one of the first dteamblr blogs I followed in like 2021 and never regretted my decision, just posts good mcyt content

Also honorable mention to Leo @hoshogie who doesn't post mcyt content but you should follow xem anyway thank you👍

#dsmp #mcyt #dream smp #i spend way too much time on this pls appreciate it /reblog if you found it useful :) #you dont know how hard it was for me not to tag every single dreblr member the self restraint was crazg #i most definitely missed some people i wanted to add but im too tired to add more #new twitter people dont say i never do anything for u guys #yrsa rambles #also i used they/them for people who's pronouns i didnt know i hope thats okay i will change it if anyone wants me to

[spidey-bie]

Ansi & Hobie

–Part 3

Birdie probably created this to be something happy and cute while I'm sitting here like:

I love giving my OC more trau- I mean lore. This is going so well and nobody's even that depressed. Lalalalala 😊. Anywho.

TW: Suicidal Tendencies, Self Harm, Sex Mention

Scenarios:

Have they ever seen Hobie hurt? What was that like?

Just small injuries so far. Nothing life threatening. Even then Ansi has to remind herself that no matter how prepared you aresometimes things just happen. She has to repeat this to herself or else she'll obsess over Hobie's injuries too much and fall into past compulsions.

There was that one time when we were kids that I caught him with a razor blade. I had to patch him up myself because he begged me not to tell my parents. I wonder if he still remembers that.

(He does)

Has Hobie ever seen them hurt? What was that like?

Rarely is Ansi not in pain. It's just the nature of having a chronic pain disorder and he's grown accustomed to it. It's the days when he's having flare ups or really bad pain days that it shows on his face.

The first time Hobie came over to find them lying on the floor, (Ansi thought he had the strength to get down and grab something off the floor. She never got back up), he was really worried. Ansi assured him that everything was fine but Hobie still insisted on helping in any way if he could.

So now if Ansi is having a high pain day where she's unable to move she just beeps for Hobie to come over.

Have they ever seen Hobie cry? What happened?

When they were kids he was very emotional. He still is but it doesn't show up as much unless he's with people that he trusts.

Has Hobie ever seen them cry? What happened?

Ansi rarely cries. After being punished for so much as frowning he learned how to repress his emotions. (Unless they're using them to manipulate people.)

The most recent time was when they were catching up back at Ansi's house after reuniting. Going over everything that happened in both of their lives led to them both bawling their eyes out.

Has one of them ever made the other cry? How did they make it okay?

Probably. They've both made each other cry for a number of reasons both happy and sad. But I can't pinpoint an exact memory.

What's their highest moment?

When Ansi comes to Hobie's world for the first time.

Swinging through Hobie's universe while watching the shifting colors and structures around you is an absolutely beautiful thing to see. Hobie's crew was so warm and accepting. These are people who have to fight for their lives everyday and yet they don't let that take away their joy.

What's their lowest moment?

I don't know. Probably when they both realized how corrupted their worlds were.

How do they feel about Hobie's blue laces?

He could care less.

How do they feel about Hobie killing President Osborn?

Hobie doesn't like talking about it a lot. Ansi still really doesn't care because he doesn't have enough information to gather an opinion on it.

(Even when she does get all the facts she doesn't care. It's not something that affects her so why does it matter.)

What was their first kiss like?

Ansi wiped her lips immediately after and was like never again.

The kiss itself was fine it's just the sharing of saliva grossed me out.

What was their first time like?

They've never had sex. I've changed my mind.

Terrible.

For Ansi a lot was happening at the time. Her grandfather and her mother had gone into hiding after evidence of their crimes at Alchemax had surfaced. While his father had been accused of being the mole and forced into a coma. For Hobie it was the anniversary of the death of the officer in his dimension. (Going off of @cqcophobiq's theory) They were both depressed and drunk and they didn't want to feel anything in that moment. They both regret it and have no plans on ever doing it again.

(They both thought that maybe they were demisexual but spoiler they're both still incredibly Ace.)

Do they have a favorite moment together?

There isn't a big moment. It's a bunch of small moments that they've shared together that they cherish the most. The day Ansi first sang in front of Hobie. The first time Hobie read for Ansi when she was stuck in bed. The first time Ansi cooked and Hobie was the first to try it. And he ate it all despite her mixing up a few of the spices.

What was their weirdest date/moment?

There's never a normal moment between these two. They have gone on outings in some really strange dimensions tho.

What was the moment they were most angry at each other?

It takes a lot to make either of them angry. It's very rare for them to get into arguments because they're angry. Most of the time their arguments are just because they have differing opinions but they're rarely actually upset with one another.

(I tried I really did but they're both so chill. I can see them angry but just not angry with each other. Like one of them making the other angry would require something that went against their character.)

When was the moment they were the most terrified for the other?

Ansi is worried about Hobie everyday. She knows that he's capable of taking care of himself and that he has a crew to support him but unexpected things do happen.

Hobie is worried about Ansi because he's alone in his world. Ansi doesn't have a support system aside from the Spider Society and it makes Hobie anxious.

What incorrect quote embodies their vibe?

Ansi: Why does everyone keep assuming we’re a couple?

Hobie: [sitting in Ansi's lap] Beats me.

Also a more sentimental one

Hobie: I knew you'd come through for me. You always do.

Ansi: Well, you said, Trust me.

Hobie: And you did.

But if we're being honest it's moreso like this:

Hobie: What, is the truth?

Ansi: Nothing. Matters.

Hobie: No Ansi. You don't believe that.

Ansi: Feels nice doesn't it. If nothing matters, then all the pain and guilt that you feel from making nothing of your life, goes away.

One wants to give the other a surprise (sexy or otherwise -) what do they do?

Hobie prepares a bunch of Molotov cocktails to throw at government or abandoned buildings for Ansi whenever she visits.

Ansi will occasionally tape himself singing speaking, or reading when he or Hobie has a mission that'll require them to be apart for long periods of time.

One wants to annoy the other, what do they do?

Whenever Ansi is lecturing Hobie over something (mostly about personal safety since Hobie won't ever wear proper equipment) and Hobie doesn't feel like listening to the whole spiel about how he'll lose a finger he'll lift Ansi in the air throw him over his shoulders and run. Sometimes it works and other times he gets an even longer lecture.

Ansi will just lecture Hobie for fun sometimes even if he hasn't done anything wrong.

One HAS to sacrifice themselves for the other. Who is likely to take the plunge? How does the other react?

Please don't.

Siiiigh.

Now they're fighting over who's gonna die since they're both so willing to throw their lives away 🤦🏾‍♀️. They're both suicidal. They both will willingly sacrifice themselves.

Whether through pregnancy or spontaneous adoption, your OC and Hobie now have a baby on hand - what are they doing?

Y'know the dynamic of a stoic character who gets a child and now has a soft spot for said child. That's Ansi. He looks like he's chill and cool about it but on the inside Ansi is stressing.

WDYM you found a child. WDYM we're raising a child now? Of course I love them and am going to protect them from the world and teach them to be a good person. But still like a heads-up next time would be nice.

He's glaring over in their general direction all the time. But that's only because she's planning out what toys she's going to crochet for this kid. She's going to give this kid all the love and support that she wanted as a child.

If it's a baby or a toddler she's already trying to reschedule her entire life to see how her she'll balance her spider work with child rearing. He's also redesigning his suit to fit in a baby carrier.

An older child like a preteen to teen tho? That's a younger sibling now. Ansi is barely out of her teens herself she cannot see herself as this child's parent. But he'll still love support and care for them. The only difference here is their dynamic.

(She's gonna have so many doubts and anxieties no matter how old the child is. He's always going to wonder if he's good enough to raise a kid. Thankfully Hobie's there and she doesn't have to do this on her own.)

Hobie is INSISTING your OC give him a piercing. He's adamant that they can totally do it. How do they react? Do they do it? How does it go?

Ansi did most of his own piercings. Excluding the lobe piercings her mother got her as a baby and her septum piercing that her Aunt did. (He's got 15 as of right now but he does them spur of the moment.) So doing one of Hobie's isn't gonna phase him. Aunt May ran a tattoo and piercing shop so Ansi has all the tools she needs already. Everything goes just fine.

Personality:

How do they like Hobie's music? Do they listen to punk music or go to his shows?

She goes to his shows but she's not a huge fan of punk rock. He agrees with the message but the music isn't quite his vibe.

What music does your OC like? Does Hobie like it?

Grunge. Hobie also likes the message of most songs but hates how dreary and nihilistic the lyrics of can be for others.

Does your OC make music too? Do they make music with Hobie?

Ansi likes to sing but she'll only do it in private. He'll help Hobie with coming up with songs but it's gonna take some time before you get him on stage. He'd rather not be in the limelight again after what happened in his childhood.

Any exes on either side?

Nope.

What's their political ideology? Do they agree with Hobie?

Ansi's main ideologies are anti-consumerism and anticapitalism. Her main goal is dismantling corrupt corporations in her world, starting with Alchemax.

What's one thing your OC and Hobie disagree on?

Their methods of protest. Ansi's is more silent and discreet. He's been a public figure before and he doesn't wish to ever be in that position ever again. On the other hand Hobie's acts of protest are loud and well known.

Do they ever argue? What's that like?

It always starts out fine it's the moment when Hobie's voice raises that everything goes downhill. Now arguing with Ansi is like arguing with a wall. Nothing is getting through to her and she's standing there absolutely silent. He's absolutely fine until there's yelling involved. Which is difficult since Hobie gets heated over things that he's passionate about. Ansi's lack of a response frustrates Hobie even more which leads to him either yelling even louder or just walking away.

How do they get over disagreements.

They'll wait until they're both calmer and talk things out. They don't always compromise but they will respect the other's opinion and choice.

Favorite personality trait about the other?

Hobie's hopeful outlook on life. It's one of the things that motivates Ansi.

Ansi's careful nature and her ability to assess and adapt to unexpected situations.

Least favorite personality trait of the other?

Hobie hates how pessimistic Ansi can get at times. He's working on it but sometimes old habits die hard.

Ansi hates how reckless Hobie can be. Some of his antics make him anxious.

How do they make each other laugh?

Stupid stuff. Just plain stupid stuff. They're so.....irritating. Mostly they do small things to inconvenience Miguel. The last thing that they did was reprogram everyone's watches so every time Miguel entered the room Hobie's rendition of Fight The Power played.

(If Hobie wants to make Ansi laugh when they're alone he'll just start dancing. It gets her every time.)

(A/N: I ain't proofread this yet lol. I'll be back.)

(A/N #2: I'm back. My work here is done. It took me so long to come together with this 😭. I skipped some more bits and pieces of Ansiniya's backstory into this one.)

First | Prev | Current | Fourth | Fifth

#because im the type of person who looks at something and goes can i make this even more depressing #and doesn't wait for an answer #hobie x oc #ansiniya taratella #ansi taratella #Ansi and her Bie #jay and the spiders

[novantinuum]

top 5 side characters (from anything at all)

Oooooh side characters... that's a good question... I think I'll pick my fav side character from my most recent fandoms, one from each.

5) (Doctor Who) Missy- This incarnation of the Master is always very fun to watch, because her actress Michelle Gomez absolutely spends every second chewing the scenery clear off the walls. I also always enjoyed how they gave her a clear character arc in the seasons she appeared in- plus, it was lovely to see an incarnation of the Master who wasn't clear-cut "evil" as past ones have been, but rather Chaotic Neutral, and just in the game for the benefit of herself.

4) (The Legend of Zelda) Revali. A lot of the gaming community drags on this one, but I think there's a ton of interesting threads one can pull from what little we get of him in BotW canon that lend towards a fascinating picture of an incredibly insecure young warrior who's lashing out against someone (Link) who he sees as gaining everything he ever wanted but never working a second for it, as opposed to his hard, years-long struggle in perfecting his special flying ability. It's sad, in the end- because had he realized that Link was burdened by his own destiny and worked just as hard as he had to himself feel "deserving" of it, I bet they might've been able to find something to connect over, and became friends.

3) (The Adventure Zone) Barry Bluejeans- Goddammnit, FUCK YOU BARRY BLUEJEANS for having such a stupid ass name and making me CRY over you in just one 5 minute prologue! I really, really love this NPC... there's such a deep tragedy to his story- losing his wife and his whole found family and not even being able to remember that they're gone while in human form- and yet, every time he dies and goes back into lich form and remembers it all, still he manages to pick himself up and try again. Work harder. Work smarter. Set himself up for success each time he clones himself and returns to his human form to make his plan work. He fights tirelessly for YEARS without an ounce of thanks just because he loves his family and the world they've entered so much that he wants to make sure they'll all be safe, in the end. What a man.

2) (Gravity Falls) Fiddleford McGucket- For such an otherwise funny but unremarkable joke character back in season 1, it was amazing how the writers were ultimately able to transform him into such a tragic figure, and utilize him to give context to why the whole town literally pays no heed to any of the weirdness going on all around them. He's the sort of character who gives the show amazing re-watch energy- at this point, when I go back through the show, every single appearance he has just makes me feel incredibly sad- AND a lot of his otherwise "random" or "quirky" characteristics start to make a lot more sense. He's a man who lives in the dump, but is capable of building incredibly complex machines?" He's a literal genius mechanic who's simply gone through severe memory slippage. Said memory slippage? Self-inflicted by a memory erasing device he invented himself. Said memory erasing device? Has been used in the years since to purge the town of their memories of the supernatural. His backstory blasts open a whole new door of lore possibilities in this show. Love him.

1) (Steven Universe) Connie Connie Connie Connie Connie- Connie, my LOVE- I feel like by the end of the show she's grown into more of a main character than just a side, but that shows perhaps just HOW much wonderful development she gets throughout her journey. She grew from a timid young girl unsure of herself and her place in the world around her, to a fierce teen who has purpose, ambitions, and has a whole constellation of connections and confidants ready to cheer her on. I'm really proud of her <3

Every single time she showed up on screen for a new episode I got like, indescribably happy and went "damn this is going to be a good one," and basically every single SU reactor I've seen has had the same experience, so I think that alone shows how beloved Connie is, and how well written a character she is too. It's always great to have such a grounded presence amidst characters living in a world of fantasy.

#jen rambles

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Biweekly Media Roundup

- Trigun (Anime) - The current trend in the fandom is to draw Knives as a McDonalds worker to “Make his desire to kill all of humanity reasonable as a customer service employee” which. Hilarious, I love people.

- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Video Game) - Obviously I’ve been having a blast with this, I love exploring the sky islands and caves, the Zonai and new monster designs are awesome, and the memes of messing with the Koroks and creating batshit machines have been wonderful. My main complaint so far is how they handle the NPCs memory of Link, I’d be fine with the main ones remembering him and the rest having a Tony Hawk-esque knowledge of Link without realizing he was in front of them, but it’s kind of sad to run into NPCs that Link definitely helped in the first game only to have them forget him - Like the people of Tarry Town and Hateno village. Ganon’s design is incredible though, amazing job there.

- Monster High (Cartoon) - Finished up the Monster High TV series and while it’s definitely aimed at a pretty young age group, I thought it was cute enough. I like a lot of the new designs with their differing heights and body types, I like how the characters hang out with multiple friend groups and seem to generally get a along with the whole class, and I like the LGBTQA+ and Autism representation being handled well in a show aimed towards children. 

- SSS Class Revival Hunter (Webcomic) - I was really craving more S-Class adjacent content and was led to pick up the next few series since I could get through the chapters in a couple days. This one was okay? I liked the time travel by death mechanic and the brain roommate force ghost, but the series lost quite a bit of momentum in the recent arc with it’s protagonist purposely dying of starvation to learn fighting techniques so that two groups of people could go back to happily murdering each other which. hmm. yeah I’m not feeling it homie, I basically disagree with all of your philosophies here. I might pick it back up after a few months of updates as I do appreciate the larger cast of largely unsexualized women, but ehhh It might just not be for me.

- When the Third Wheel Strikes Back (Webcomic) - I picked this up for the same reason as the previous series, and while there's very few chapters out I am enjoying it as an opener. As tropey as it is the world does at least seem interesting with several mysteries and complicated intrapersonal relationships mixing with political ones, which is fun. I also like the protagonist is a confessional Priest as that’s a pretty fun way to have him hear interesting lore and meet oddballs, so that’s cool. Honestly I’m biased because I always appreciate the “love triangle but the axis is not who you think” dynamic., but I’m looking forward to updates.

- Trash of the Count’s Family (Webcomic) - Reread this as it’s the Holy Trinity series I’m least familiar with. I do still like it quite a bit, and Cale in particular is a fun protagonist, but so far the rest of the characters are cute but a bit flat. Obviously that could change as the story goes on, and it’s possible they are more fleshed out in the novel, but for now I’ll still rank this as the least interesting of the trifecta, if not still an enjoyable series on it’s own. There’s also some great fanfic out there if you’re looking for wholesome found family stuff.

- The Locked Tomb Series (Books) - Harrow is really going through it huh. I miss Gideon.

- Crazy Ex Girlfriend (TV) - As I mentioned before, this series is turning out to be way better than I thought it would be, and honestly that it has any right to be considering it aired on the CW. I’ve been listening to the songs on loop, I love all the different styles, the rhythms, and the humor. 

- The S Classes That I Raised (Webcomic) - Still having a great time.

Listening to: A bunch of Crazy Ex Girlfriend songs, including I’m a Good Person, After Everything You Made Me Do, Nothing Is Ever Anyone’s Fault, and The End of the Movie, The Herse Song by Rusty Cage, Hey I Don’t Work Here by Tom Cardy, Jet Lag by Simple Plan, All Things End by Hozier, Lent by Autoheart, The Sound of Silence cover by Disturbed, and Holy Water by Michael Ray.

#weekly roundup #My posts #late again but we are back to Tuesday so eh

[emcscared-whumps]

Questions divisible by 5 for the wip thing? 👀

From this post!

Oh man, testing my math skills I see ;) *cracks knuckles* Let's do this thing!

05 - How long have you been working on your WIP?

I first created Pete in May of 2017 for a group roleplay, and I started building his backstory almost immediately. I have been continuously working on it in tiny crumbs over those years-- through the latter half of highschool, and through my shitty first job.

In years, that is almost 6 :)

10 - Share a song that makes you think of your WIP

I have a few songs that make me think of specific characters an arcs.

Dawn by Echo Black and Danny Blu (YouTube) makes me think of Pete's relationship with Ewrancore, the world in which Shifting Phases is set

Struck by the Rain (Rythm Heaven) (YouTube) makes me think of Timmy and Pete pining for each other even though the song itself is about heartbreak ^-^' It's full of vibes though, and the pining vibes are sad, so it's a fit ^-^ (which has a happy ending instead of the sad one in the lyrics). I copy pasted the lyrics into my notes document, and coloured the lyrics so it's a duet :3 maybe one day when I learn, I'll make an animatic :)

This Spotify playlist encompasses both canon Shifting Phases, and the AU Eclipse Descending, as well as various other lore specific and character specific tidbits.

15 - A little bit about your antagonist?

Hmm... What haven't I already said about Johnstone... Well, he has goals and convictions, and an iffy set of morals. A lot of his colleagues are unsure whether he hunts demons/belunae for the good of humanity, or for his own sadistic pleasure.

Johnstone is also a sore loser, and will stop at nothing to get what he wants when he wants.

He makes a pretty dangerous villain, though I'm not sure how compelling he is. That's okay, we have Kate for a compelling antagonist so I don't really care :)

(I do, however, enjoy the effects Johnstone has on all the other characters).

If you want to read more about him, he has a profile here!

20 - Share a song that makes you think of your antagonist

I think I've had a similar ask in the past, but there are a rare few songs that evoke character vibes at all, and Johnstone is rarely at the forefront of my mind, or even Kate, especially when I'm listening to music, which is usually when I'm driving. The easiest background thoughts to maintain while focused on the road are Pete thoughts, so, I have a few for him, and not many for Johnstone.

If there was one that I would choose, it would be Be Prepared (The Lion King) (YouTube link, clip of the scene) because Johnstone has a lot of ambition, a small group of people he's in charge of, and a hunger for power even at his hunters' expenses.

25 - Easiest character to write?

It's 100% Pete.

He's my fav, I love him, my favourite kind of whumpee who suffers my favourite whump... Because I love him so much and am completely obsessed by him, he is incredibly easy for me to write. The only tricky part is his accent mixing with his stutter, but really, it's not too hard to write, just time consuming because I have to do so many flow checks lol

30 - Do any of the names in your WIP have significance?

Yes actually, but only really one. When I first started making the characters for Shifting Phases back in 2017, I didn't really care about name meanings, and I used a fairly generic name generator because I just didn't know what else was available. Found some cute, simple names, but ultimately, nothing with much significance.

However, I only recently decided on Johnstone's first name recently, I think within the past two years, and I was more conscious of eanings relating to backstory. So, Johnstone's first name Sorrel does have a meaning. It means "redish brown hair."

Johnstone does not have reddish brown hair. But do you know who does?

Pete.

A fun fact about Johnstone was that his mother was a clairvoyant belunae. Whether she knew or told her partner, Sorrel's father, is not something I know yet, but I'd say it was unlikely.

Her abilities weren't particularly strong, so she often dreamed true rather than having waking visions. One night, while carrying her child, she had a true dream about a young man with reddish brown hair being very important to her unborn child, she could tell in the dream that her son was going to great lengths to bring him back into his life.

Unfortunately, a lot of the context didn't filter through because her ability was fairly weak, but she decided to name her son Sorrel for the man with reddish brown hair in his future. She thought it was kind of romantic and beautiful...

Seeing the way he grew up, arrogant and cruel, I wonder what she came to think of her vision... :) I wonder if she had subsequent, distressing visions

35 - What are some of the themes of your WIP?

Whump. Whump is the whole theme XDD

On a deeper level than that, a theme which also encompasses where a fair few of the character arcs end up is trust, friendship, acceptance, and love (platonic and familial).

#oohhhh now there's a fun thought... incorporate trust into part 5 #a trust fall if you will #emc's shit #emc answers asks #ask #answered ask #ask game #Shifting Phases #Sorrel Johnstone #Pete Spencer #whumpblr #writeblr

[thebleedingeffect]

Anyway I'm done lore posting cause thinking about it made me sad, only fanfic hours now.

I was thinking more about my fundy fic idea and! I really like the idea that Tommy just... disappeared one day, practically out of thin air. No sign of a struggle, no camera footage, no evidence whatsoever that Tommy was taken by anyone or anything. Tubbo reports his disappearance not even a day later but the authorities don't take him seriously at all, two kids that recently just grew out of the foster care system? Living together under one roof and helping each other make a life? Well it's clear that Tommy must've just left and not told him, he's an adult now after all and things such as this happen all the time with kids from rough upbringings.

Tubbo knows that's not the truth, Tommy is his best friend and they've been together since they were kids and even promised each other to stay together when they got out. If anything Tommy outright refused to leave Tubbo alone for to long, always messaging him in the middle of his studying while he was at work, always managing to break a smile onto his face. Tommy would never just leave, no, Tubbo doesn't believe that for a second and knows that something must've happened to him and the authorities are practically useless. It takes time, takes Tubbo clawing through his studies and grabbing an internship at the mayor's estate itself for Tubbo to have enough of an opportunity and knowledge to find out what happened to Tommy himself.

It's during this time that he meets someone by the name of Techno, an awkward guy but one of the only people that trusts Tubbo at his word that something happened to his best friend. So Techno starts to help him, gets him certain documents that would be suspicious for him to get if he was caught snooping around the deeper reaches of the mayor's library. Both him and Techno start to piece together the existence of the Syndicate Coven, with vampires being a well known but rarely talked about thing in the modern day. Until one day, Techno disappears as well, after some talk of Techno going away for a couple days by Quackity’s side to some kind of important political dinner. Tubbos distraught, having started to see Techno as a friend and companion as well as just someone who listened to his pain of not knowing where his best friend was.

But now Tubbos suspicious and he looks closer into who exactly was at the dinner, it takes him digging his fingers into things that he knows would doom him if he ever was caught. But he does it, he finds a particular list of names that stand out by the simple fact that there's seemingly no record of them.

Phil Craft, Kristin Craft, Ranboo Beloved, Wilbur Soot, Niki Nihachu.

Those names simply don't exist, Tubbo nearly tears apart the entirety of the cities records looking for any hint of their names. Scours the internet and searches for so long that his eyes burn and itch- but nothing, absolutely nothing of the sort. Five names, five names that simply don't exist and have never existed but clearly do by the simple fact that they are the lone members unaccounted for at the dinner that Techno disappeared at, his second only friend. Tubbo keeps his tongue and gets closer to Quackity, becoming his right-hand man and taking up the mantle that he knew used to be Techno’s as he pushes down the incredibly bitter taste at the thought.

It takes weeks, so much so that fractures of despair are starting to crack at his hope- until a man shows up, walks straight through the manors pristine white doors and into the center of the estate, one that tubbo has been forbidden from even walking its halls. Tubbo only catches a single sight of the man, he's tall, curly brown hair, golden circle frames sliding down his nose as he waltzes into the manor without a care in the world. The man doesn't notice him, or at least Tubbo hopes he doesn't and it takes Quackity catching sight of him for a name to whisper from underneath Quackity’s breath, one that he's sure Quackity didn't mean for him to hear.

Wilbur Soot.

He exists and that's all the evidence Tubbo needs to force his hands deeper into the ugly face of politics until Tubbo is so intertwined with Quackity that he learns. He never has seen the mayor before, Quackity is simply the face of the estate and handles the vast majority of the human side of politics. The mayor seemingly handles the vampire side of things and Tubbo is disturbed to admit that it's a system that works. A man who's face is only known to the underground and the rare times he shows his face on television and Quackity who makes the entire city cower and fit so very nicely in his palm. Wilbur Soot shows up on occasion with a blond haired woman appearing rarely but Tubbo is willing to bet that she's one of the five names.

One day, Quackity asks Tubbo to deliver the mayor some things, some yellowed documents that he's forbidden from opening but Quackity is simply to busy and doesn't want to bother with the other man in the room. So Tubbo stands before the mayor's door, knocks, and a voice tells him to come inside. The mayor is strangely nothing like he thought he would be. Instead of a decaying, pale old man- the man before him is obviously an adult, suit jacket unbuttoned and thrown over the chair behind him as Tubbo meets the man's stare. Tubbo has to focus to not flinch under the man's stare and walks to his desk, saying that Quackity sent him.

"Quackity’s been letting a kid work here? How desperate are we for people nowadays? And kid call me Schlatt, none of that sir bullshit." Tubbo can't bring himself to look at Wilbur, but swears that the man's eyes almost glimmer in the light. Tubbo goes to leave and closes the door, until-

"-one thing that Techno and Tommy have in common is that they're both fighters. God I love them but both Ranboo and Niki had to babysit them today, both! I think they've exhausted themselves and nope, tries to hide a butter knife in the cushions-"

Tubbo walks away. He can't think. He can barely breathe. Something tells Tubbo that both men don't realize the connection right in front of them or either don't care that he might've overheard. Maybe a bit of both. Tubbo doesn't care. Doesn't care that he knows exactly what he's up against and how much the odds are stacked against him. It doesn't matter, now he just needs to find a way to contact them and he'll be damned if he doesn't find a way.

[cata-strophes]

this is home, fundy

#fundy #fundy fanart #wilbur soot #eret #philza #quackity #schlatt #dsmp #wilbur soot fanart #eret fanart #philza fanart #quackity fanart #schlatt fanart #dsmp fanart #dream smp #dream smp fanart #fundy is one of the characters i think of and want to legitimately cry #his lore recently has been making me incredibly sad #i want to just #bundle him up in blankets #give him some food and a hug #kick quackity's knee for him #plus all the other ppl in this fanart #(with eret it would be a soft kick tho bc i love them) #but quackity kickstarted my fight or fight response #also this is a bit late ive been dealing w mental health and just general lack of motivation and self worth enough to draw #my art

[findingjoynweirdstuff]

Dream SMP Recap (April 1/2021)

It’s April 1st. You know what that means.

Good luck.

---

VOD LINKS:

Ponk

Tubbo

Philza

Tommyinnit

Jack Manifold

Foolish

Nihachu

Fundy

Captain Puffy

Ranboo

Punz

Badboyhalo

---

- Ponk continues to work on his plan.

- While at Sam’s base looking for supplies to take, Ponk finds an unsigned book and quill. He hides it from chat. It’s definitely not something he should read on stream, he discovers.

- He finds out that Sam still has his “Ponk says hi” Curse of Binding pumpkin kept in a chest, after all this time.

- He talks about his future lore streams. They’ll be great. Some parts may give you goosebumps.

- He reveals that this isn’t actually the Dream SMP, and they’ve all actually been playing Roblox this whole time. 

- Tubbo wants to build up Snowchester’s defenses, but it seems that he and Ranboo have swapped roles for the day: while Tubbo aims to get things done, Ranboo joins VC to go mmmmmmm and be obnoxious

- Occasionally, cryptic messages pop up on screen

HELLO?

- Tubbo tries to retrieve Ranboo from the Nether and bring him back to Snowchester, but he is incredibly stubborn

CAN YOU HEAR ME?

IM COLD

(It’s at this point that Wilbur joins the call to ask why Tubbo is trying to steal his brand)

- Throughout the rest of the stream in Snowchester, the messages continue.

IT’S VERY DARK I CAN HEAR THEM THEY ARE UNDERNEATH ME I DON’T MAKE CAKES OFTEN CAKES OFTEN I’VE NEVER EVEN HAD ONE OH NO PLEASE I MUST GO NOW GOODBYE MICHAEL

- Phil works on mining and chats with Wilbur. They talk a bit about Wilbur’s music.

- Tommy doesn’t want the Prime Path going to L’manburg anymore. It makes him too sad. He starts destroying the route.

- He then goes to visit Snowchester. He sees Tubbo standing outside the mansion. Tubbo appears to be sleepwalking again.

- Tommy speaks with Tubbo and Ranboo and asks to see their son.

- They go to the attic. Tommy asks if Michael is kind of the thing that holds Tubbo and Ranboo together.

- Tommy sees Michael in the attic. He says he used to have a pet too...Henry. Tubbo laughs, and Tommy gets upset.

- He speaks with Ranboo alone and realizes that the last time he saw Henry was at the mountain vault.

- He asks if Ranboo’s ever gone to Dream’s bunker. Ranboo says he thinks they were all there when they came to save Tommy and Tubbo. Tommy thought Henry died.

- Ranboo asks if anything can really be dead for sure anymore.

- Tommy tells Ranboo to come with him to Dream’s bunker. He asks what Ranboo is like with Dream. Ranboo says he hasn’t really talked with Dream at all.

- They head out. Tommy hasn’t been back there since that day.

- Tommy asks if Ranboo would do anything to him. Ranboo says no, he has no reason to.

- They make it to the portal and enter. They see Henry still there. When Tommy first saw Henry on the day, he thought Dream was lying. But now he knows that the revive book is a thing. Had Dream already used the revive book on Henry?

- They wonder how to get Henry home safely.

- They start leading Henry up the stairs of the Vault incredibly carefully.

- Henry dies again on the surface. Tommy mourns.

- They keep transporting Friend. At least maybe they can bring Friend back to Ghostbur.

- They talk about life.

- They get Friend back home. Tommy wonders what else could make him happy. He tells Ranboo they need to kill Dream.

- He sits on the bench and listens to Blocks with Ranboo.

- They lead Friend to the summer house. They leave Friend there and go back to Tommy’s home.

- “Jack” runs around on the SMP a bit. He talks to Foolish and then Fundy. He has a cold.

- “Niki” streams on the Dream SMP to work at her underground city

- Fundy explodes the whole SMP with copious amounts of TNT, destroying L’manburg a fourth time (but also not)

- Ranboo finds a Drip Llama and adopts it

- Puffy, Bad and Quackity chat. Puffy puts on a cursed rabbit skin

- Bad tells Puffy the tale of Roberto

- Bad suggests they prank Punz with murder and putting his stuff in a chest with lava

- Bad and Puffy try to rob Punz of his shoes at the spider spawner

- A fight breaks out and Puffy combat logs. Eventually, Punz agrees to a truce as long as they don’t try to take his shoes again.

- Bad chats with George and Dream and shows them Puffy’s prank on the Egg. He notices that there seem to be a lot less of the Blood Vines around recently.

- They talk some more.

- Bad starts trying to out-British George.

- They talk some more. Bad attempts to Joe Mama them. It doesn’t work.

- They mention that the one-year anniversary of George streaming and also the Dream SMP is coming up on April 24/25th. George jokes about what he could do to celebrate, but Dream mentions there is something special happening that day that he doesn’t want to spoil.

- They reminisce about day one, George’s first stream, and Dream’s first stream

- Bad sings a parody of “Roadtrip” about George not being British and actually being from Florida or possibly France

---

Upcoming events remain the same.

#dream smp #dream smp recaps

[thesecondbatgirl]

Final Fantasy XIV: A Fandom Primer

I was going to do a really long post complete with pictures in the style of the old livejournal crack_van fandom primers, but you know what, fuck it, I am bad at that, so have a giant wall of text instead.

Except for this meme:

So have you tried the critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV, which once again has a free trial that includes the first expansion and unlimited playtime? No? Well, I’m about to tell you why you should try it. (Minor spoilers through the most recent expansion)

One: The characters

Look, if I tried to list every single character this would be way too long, so instead I will just say that there is a character type for everyone. Do you like found family? Have so much found family it is ridiculous. Do you like gay dads adopting a teenage girl? Check. One of the best redemption arcs since Prince Zuko where the dude is basically “I am well aware that the things I did are unforgivable, nobody should forgive me, but I will dedicate the rest of my life to being a better person?” Also a thing. Smug teenage asshole learning that maybe he doesn’t actually know everything in the world and becoming a better person. Woobie cat boys who need a hug? That one villain who just wants to fight you because his life is boring and the only thrill he gets is in searching for the ultimate fight? Handsome knights who bring you hot chocolate when you’re sad and then (spoiler) die tragically in your arms? 

Two: The worldbuilding

Endwalker (the most recent expansion) brought the main story over a decade in the making to its inclusion, and the worldbuilding was just… amazing. I am (once again) replaying the game, because little details from the base game pay off in a big way later on. And you know, all three starting cities are run by women, so you have your choice of hot pirate woman who can totally step on me (... we totally get a female villain who does step on people later), immortal(ish) child (kinda) leader of the forest nation, and a very young sultana who leads the desert city and also eventually gets an arc where she’s basically like “fuck capitalism” and I love her. Not to mention all the places you go to in later expansions, which include the fucking moon (which is haunted). And there is so much lore that they’re literally going to have to put out a third encyclopedia to keep it all straight. Oh and all the pixies are canonically non-binary, they are great.

Three: The tropes

Look, name it and it has shown up in ffxiv. Bodyswap. Time travel. Alternate realities. You can literally bartend at one point so your coffee shop AUs can exist if you want.The tv tropes page is ridiculously long for a reason because I swear everything that could possibly exist does.

Four: the themes

FFXIV is really, when it comes down to it, based on one thing. The arc words of the story are “for those we have lost and those we can yet save.” The last expansion especially has been a rebuke of nihilism and an embrace of hopepunk. There is a textual acknowledgement that yes, life is incredibly hard and filled with pain, but life itself is worth living and that we together can fight for a better future, instead of giving into despair. Oh, and also fuck imperialism, let’s go destroy the colonizers, but let’s also get into why these sorts of things happen, and how do people move on after. 

Five: The gameplay

You can be every single class without having to be a new character. That is 19 combat classes (20 if you count the limited job), 3 gathering classes, and 8 crafters. Plus, they are about to make it so that you can basically do this single player if the idea of playing with others scares you. But the community is overall fairly friendly! There is still the tank/healer/dps (damage dealer) breakdown and I am not the person to talk to about healing, but even if you want to only choose one class and play that you can! Or you can keep trying things until you find something you like, there’s a class that will probably appeal to you.

Six: The music

Is a bop. The end. There’s a reason I have played literally 7500 hours of this game since 2015. Highly recommended, you should join.

Also if you like the Jedi, I swear it's one of the best portrayals of Jedi philosophy I’ve ever seen and why I’ve spent a lot of time yelling that the woman who wrote the last two expansions should write Star Wars.

(Oh, and if you RP, there is a VERY active RP scene.)

Download the free trial here: https://freetrial.finalfantasyxiv.com/na/ and you can find me on Crystal Data Center. (Although data center travel is coming soon!) And seriously, if you have questions about the game message me, I’ll answer, and make up a FAQ post if necessary. I love this game so much, and it has gotten so many of my friends through the pandemic.

#final fantasy #final fantasy xiv #seriously everyone should play this game #final fantasy 14 #ffxiv #ff14

[that-house]

Viego Rant (villainy and character design and tragedy and all that jazz)

Introduction The more I think about Viego, League of Legends’ newest character, the more enamored I am with him as a villain (unrelated to his general sexiness, though that does tie in with what makes him such a good villain).

I’ve seen a lot of complaints about his design. The Ruined King, one of the greatest threats in Runeterra, the progenitor of the Shadow Isles, the lord of the undead, is finally released as a playable champion and he looks like this:

People were expecting another Mordekaiser (who is similarly an undead king with a ghost army), a lich-tyrant clad in iron, decayed flesh peeling from an aged face. What we got was an angsty anime prettyboy, and it was infinitely better than the alternatives. 

Lore Viego isn’t a conquering king. While his combat abilities are indeed badass, his personality is far from it. He’s a whiny brat and that’s incredible. He isn’t bent on world domination. His character arc revolves around just how human, how fallible he really is. For those unfamiliar with his lore, I’ll paraphrase it here:

Viego was the second son of a great king. Overshadowed by his brother and with no expectations upon him and near-limitless wealth, he wandered around being an idiot fuckboy for the vast majority of his formative years. Disaster struck when his brother died in an accident, and Viego took the throne with no training, no experience, and no desire to be king. He was a shitty king. The worst king. Just all-around apathetic. Gave zero shits. Can you blame him? It’s a lot of responsibility to be thrust upon someone who isn’t much more than a child, and with no preparation. He didn’t care about anything, that is, until he met Isolde. She was a poor seamstress, but he fell in love with her upon their first meeting. Together they ruled the country but it was really just them staring longingly into each others’ eyes. His allies were kinda fucking pissed about that, and one day an assassin came from Viego. The assassin fucked up and stabbed Isolde instead, and the poison on the blade made her fall gravely ill. As she lay in her bed, slowly dying, Viego went mad seeking a cure. He ravaged the land seeking any knowledge that might help, pouring all of his money into finding an antidote. He failed. As a last resort, he brought Isolde’s body to the Blessed Isles, a place rumored to be able to resurrect the dead. It worked, to an extent. Isolde’s wraith, confused, afraid, and angry at being ripped from the peace of death, unthinkingly stabbed Viego in the chest with his own magic sword, creating basically a magic nuke that turned the Blessed Isles into the domain of the undead. Viego resurrected as the king of the Shadow Isles some time later, having totally forgotten that Isolde killed him. He controls a big-ass ghost army, could probably beat up any living thing in a fight, and has evil ghost magic. Now this stupid simp wants his wife back and if he has to kill every living thing on Runeterra, well, anything for his queen. He’s even a tier 3 sub to her Twitch.

Music His musical theme isn’t some heavy metal anthem or intense cinematic piece (unlike the Pentakill song named after his sword, Blade of the Ruined King). It’s mostly sad and slow, almost sinister, with a piano and a music box. It has its loud moments featuring violins and choral bits like any villainous music, but the song is mostly subtle. It is a banger though.

In the comments section of this video, someone pointed out that the music reflects his story from beginning to end:

Everything about this champion is so well done. Riot Games really outdid themselves on this one. Bravo, encore please.

Motivation While the Mordekaiser circlejerkers on r/LeagueofLegends won’t shut the fuck up about how powerful Mordekaiser is, Viego is the better villain. Mordekaiser may be a bigger threat to all life on Runeterra, but Viego is a better character. (There’s a guy on my League discord server who won’t shut up about Mordekaiser so forgive me for being pissed at Morde stans).

Mordekaiser is motivated by a desire for control, to rule the world. Viego is motivated by obsession and misplaced love. There aren’t a lot of Mordekaisers on Earth. Supervillains are rare in real life. But Viego’s motivations are a lot closer to home. People in positions of power that they don’t deserve can do a lot of harm (for example: Trump).

He’s a grieving husband who was never prepared to deal with anything more difficult than choosing what wine to drink with dinner, who is trying to get his wife back because the world had always complied to his every whim. He’s a funky mix between a truly hopeless romantic and a spoiled brat throwing a temper tantrum.

Obsession is scary. It’s a real-world emotional state that’s been the cause of a lot of murders over mankind’s history. In contrast, Mordekaiser’s cartoonish Genghis Khan XXL schtick isn’t something that we encounter often. Of course a superpowered ultradictator would be worse for the world, but if you give ultimate power to a random person, you’re more likely to get someone like Tighten from Megamind. Or, more relevantly, Viego.

Design His design is sexy and stupid, just like him. He wears an open shirt into battle and wields his sword like an idiot (I’ve seen all the rants about how that’s not how that sword is meant to be used) because he was never really a warrior. Even at his most violent, right before the end of his mortal life, he didn’t do much combat himself, leaving his military endeavors to his underlings. Even now that he’s essentially a god, he still has a colossal wraith army that causes far more devastation than he ever could personally.

Despite his slim build (by League of Legends standards), he easily wields his colossal sword because of the strength of his state of undeath. Like his political power when he was alive, his posthumous magical and physical powers were never something he sought out, they were just given to him by circumstance.

The big cool-ass triangle hole in his chest where Isolde stabbed him is the source of the Black Mist, which is evil ghost mist that ebbs and flows from the Shadow Isles, bringing with it hordes of the undead. The sadder Viego is, the more Mist he creates. Poetically, his invasion of the world is inspired by his sorrow at his wife’s death and enabled by his wife’s reluctance to return to him. His story is perfectly reflected by his design.

Isolde Isolde’s spirit took up residence inside a young Senna (who’s another League champion, not particularly important here). This led to some Black Mist-related shenanigans and at least for the time being, Senna uses Isolde’s power to fight off the servants of Viego which threaten all life on Runeterra.

It seems pretty clear that whatever love Isolde felt for Viego is gone by now. Whether or not she ever loved him or was just unable to say no to the king is up for debate, but I’d like to believe there was something there. In my opinion, Viego’s story hits harder if they really were a great couple at first, torn apart by circumstance and obsession.

Much like the Maiden of the Woods in that one comic that circulates around here, to whom the knight gave his heart and she was like “yo what the fuck i literally never asked you to do this,” Viego went a little too far in trying to save her. They may have once been happy, but the Ruined King ruined his own life, too.

Unless Isolde is a lot less morally decent than we’ve been led to believe, I doubt she can forgive all the massacring that her husband’s been doing lately. In the recent cinematic, she was shown to be pretty anti-Viego. Maybe she’ll get a bastardization arc, but it certainly seems unlikely.

All of Season 2021 is based around Viego, Isolde, and the Shadow Isles, so we’ll just have to see what comes next. It’s possible that we’ll get Isolde as a playable champion, which should clear a lot of things up.

Final Thoughts Unlike so many villains, he’s not fueled by rage or hatred, but rather by sorrow. He’s stuck in his past, unable to move on. He regrets the actions of his life but is set on his course now. The sunk-cost fallacy comes into play here; he’s put so much time and effort and blood into bringing back Isolde, that turning away from it would feel to him like an insult, not only to her but to the innocent lives he’s taken in her name.

His tale is a tragedy, a love story gone horrifically wrong. Viego has suffered throughout his thousand-year life. Despite this, he’s undoubtedly the villain. His permanent death would be a net positive for the world. In has rage and grief he’s destroyed multiple civilizations, and will burn down the world to get Isolde back.

His heart may be in the wrong place, but it’s in a very human place. I don’t think he’ll get the ending he’s looking for, but I hope he finds some closure in the end.

#League of Legends #viego #i swear no one's gonna read this #even if you dont care about League i tried to make this interesting #even if you don't like League as a game the lore is pretty fucking solid

[cadaceus]

EXU 6: “The Gift Among the Green”

Hello everyone and welcome to my liveblogs for this week’s episode of Exandria Unlimited: “The Gift Among the Green.” I absolutely loved the worldbuilding that Aabria gave us in this episode, and some of the character moments--especially with Opal--were truly so emotional. I am both so ready and not ready at all for these final two episodes! 

- This cozy Matt look is really working for me, personally (plus Omar’s outfit is so cute!)

- Fy’ra Rai calling Dorian “little brother” is gonna get me every time isn’t it  😭

- DARIAX AND HIS 0 PERCEPTION CHECK IS SO ON BRAND.... it’s okay baby boy.... we’ve all been there....

- Dorian getting the crown again via his friends skinny dipping into an ancient civilization... EXU once again being peak D&D

- A PUPPY??? Googol my beloved! (Oh and now Googol has the scary crown... this went downhill so quickly oh my lord)

- Ruidus has been mentioned... I just got flashbacks to that hour long Exandrian moon theories video on Youtube.... give me the moons lore Matt and Aabria!

- YES DORIAN LORE DORIAN LORE 

- Oooh, his real name is Bronte... I wonder what his last name is and why he refuses to say it? He must be some sort of nobility, right?  👀

- Orym admitting to checking out Dariax during the skinny dipping LMAOOO Liam’s characters will just always gravitate towards Matt’s magic men

- FEARNE’S PARENTS LEFT HER 50 YEARS AGO?? So she has spent almost half her life without them... oh my love 😭

- Dariax LIED to the group and about Tharla Starr too, he is so precious

- “I’ve never done anything without Ted” :((( Love them

- Dariax saying to the Observer “there’s been a lot of people in my head recently” reminds me of one of my favorite Yasha lines, “There’s been a lot of people in my head and I don’t want to give them you” and now I’m emo again

- “That’s called... branding” I mean, Dariax is not wrong LMAO Dorian has one of those names where you just want to say the first name and last name together

- HUH? Who/what did Opal see in the mirror? At first I thought maybe Ted, but Ted would look like Opal (ie: not blue eyes) right? Curiouser and curiouser....

- Oh, she saw her mother.... baby girl... Opal is making me sad today, Aimee has done such an incredible job with this character 😭

- FY’RA KAI IS ALIVE???

- Orym got a seed! I wonder what sort of seed! (Or maybe they said and I missed it...)

- That group Perception check was..... rough

- HUH??? Someone got Opal with a dart, but they are in the ancient city so did someone sneak into the city or is there someone after her that is a resident of this place?

- LIAM SAYING CALEB INSTEAD OF ORYM I MISS HIM ALREADY TOO  😭 😭

- A chase scene?! Let’s gooooo

- This derailing into a conversation about gender and sex in the animal kingdom is so valid of them dfgdhjkfl

- Wait, I didn’t know Word of Radiance was a 5e spell.... any Stormlight Archive fans here who know exactly what I was thinking of when I heard her say it...

- “Save Opal--and get my axe back!” Priorities on point :’)

- MEAT BEAST??? PUPPOS??? 

- Ashley’s two Natural 1s in a row...  😭

- Opal Misty Stepping on to the back of Dire Wolf!Fearne is so badass, I love that imagery so much... anytime someone uses that spell it ends up being so freaking cool

- Wait why was Opal kidnapped again? Or do we not know yet?

- Fy’ra Rai going “I tell you all these things with two slaps on the back!” made me laugh so hard tbh sfghdjkld that’s just how D&D works sometimes, I wasn’t even questioning it until she pointed it out!

- The way Ashley went “I apologize” in that long drawn out way was so funny dfgdhjk

- Huzzah for getting the Ring of Invisibility, that’s so cool! But also YIKES IT WAS THE PURPLE PEOPLE WHO WERE AFTER OPAL?? HOW COME??

- Dariax’s Opal impression going “Help me Ted!~” before spellcasting truly made me laugh out loud quite literally fsghjkdl (timestamping it at about 4:22:28 on the VOD, 4:07:28 on YT)

- Poor Opal is in shock isn’t she :(((

- NOOOOOO I DON’T WANT ANJALI TO GOOOO I was lowkey hoping that she would stay with the group for the rest of the time, she feels like such a key part of them now!

- “Don’t worry... I would do anything for my friends.” This is still giving me Dorian Corruption Arc vibes and I am not mad about it... what if he makes the same bad turns/choices as he did previously (that Fy’ra Rai is referencing) but this time it’s not because he thinks he’s better off alone, it’s because he does it for the sake of his found family? This is not a theory just an angst dump but woof I love how much potential this storyline has

- I like “the Chosen Ones” as a name so much! Maybe not as much as “the Natural Ones” as I saw suggested in the chat, but hey it’s still a keeper ;)

- Ooh, so is this Ted’s body that someone found? Or is it more of a metaphysical imagery of Ted, ie inside of Opal’s mind? I am so intrigued at what’s to come in these last two episodes!

- See You Next Thursday friends! ;)

#exu spoilers #exandria unlimited #exu liveblog #exu6 #another shoutout to the kind critter who gifted me a critical role sub for this month you are a real one for sure! #opal's growth in this episode/the layers we uncovered of her.... my beloved #also the dorian lore!!! give me more dorian lore in these next two episodes!!!!

[nextwarden]

Webtoons are good for the soul [Long post] [but worth it] [hopefully]

Bit of a long one (for a change...), sorry.

I haven’t read that many that’s a lie but here are my favs!

Lore Olympus by Rachel Smythe [ongoing - every Sunday]

or when Hades met Persephone. It’s a love story, fluffy yet deep and sad at times. Very well told and with incredible art (as you can see from the cover ci-dessus), in a pastel/watercolour fluid style, as is the storytelling. It has compelling characters, character growth, love, funny moments, and basically the best you could ask from a romantic story. And it had enough material to get you through good number of hours of reading before you have to break down every sunday in wait of the following week like the rest of us.

mah-hart-mah-sole/10

Love Advice From the Great Duke of Hell by unfins [ongoing - every Friday]

Paul is in love with a cute girl who works in a café nearby. But Paul is shy and can’t work out how to go ask her out. So Paul does what anyone would do and summons one of the Great Dukes of Hell in order to get better at fumbling his sentences and blushing at beautiful maidens. It’s about discovery of one’s true self and how getting deep into shenanigans will lead you to find so much more. Also, sister. (You’ll understand when you get there.)

It’s funny but also compelling and serious but still incredibly funny. I don’t think I’ve laughed as much reading any other webtoon and yet the story is also really cool. It strikes a perfect balance, or near perfect. The expressions and the action scenes are just incredible too.

chenandeler bong/10

Suitor Armor by Purpah [ongoing - every Friday]

In a land with magic and war between humans and fairies, Lucia is the princess’s lady in waiting and her only goal in life at the moment is to get her Lady to have the wedding she wishes for and deserves. But then she gets a flower from a magic armor and everything changes. Also, she’s a fairy.

It’s well drawn, characters all seem unique, varied and personnality-driven. The art style is beautiful. It’s also deeper than what I expected, with inklings of different types and levels of drama.

Alright, I’ll say it, it feels like a ‘promising new Lore Olympus’. By which I mean not to compare but simply to say I felt as taken by the story as I did with L.O.

Modeus/10

Facing the Sun by ArtbyTesslyn [ongoing]

Aarya reaserches the intricacies of dobotics and artificial intelligence with her companion robot Liza who's expiration is long everdue. Things change with a hardware update. One can’t live without the other, and neither can the other.

It’s dark but beautiful, both in the art and in the story. The sci-fi elements aren’t overwhelming and pieces of lore bring begin to pain a picture over time. It’s a slow burn but oh lord! if it isn’t going to be blazing hot...

I Robot/10

Spellbound by Ronce [ongoing]

Eglantine joins a new highschool midyear and finds herself paired with a refractarian roommate. She does her best to fit in to her new school despite not conforming to all the expectations that others might have of her. Or of her strange but likeable roommate.

It’s a cute and queer little romance, very underrated in my opinion. The art is wonderful, it’s black and white in the beginning and starts having touches of colour here and there before going full blown coloured, and I didn’t even realize it had until many chapters into it... The characters all all diverse and interesting. Also did I forget to say it’s set in France and it’s a wizarding school? Because it is!

conseiller principal d’éducation/10

180 Angel by King Katbird [ongoing]

Chloe is an angel, she lives in Heaven and goes to school in the hopes of becoming a delivery angel one day! However her plan are compromised by her inability to do anything well except halo manipulation. Even flying is not easy for her. But a fateful meeting with a reaper sends her on a trip to Hell and back which changes her. Or is it that she had always been different?

It may not seem much from the banner but I tried it and I got hooke. The art is great and still improves over time, the plot takes a bit of time to set in - I’m still not sure it’s fully set in yet - but it’s worth it, and the characters are visually deep. It sometimes jumps weirdly between scenes or sequences but not so much it completely loses you.

LAMP/10

Letters on the Wall by JaelynGs [ongoing]

Tara comes back fom spain after a five years abroad to find things have changed and others haven’t, to her equal pleasure and dismay. This is how she and her friends deal with these old relatioships that they are now reviving.

Everything doesn’t go smoothly despite each and every character deserving them to. The art is good to begin with and manages to improve over time, as well as the storytelling. Where it might have been a bit hectic before, it smoothes over time. It was for the longest time the only reason I would stalk Webtoons everyday to see if there was any updates. Also each chapter has a colour in the name and that’s just cool!

If Da Yomanville Gang [see below] got me to come to Webtoons, this sealed the deal for me to stay. [And then there was Lore Olympus.]/10

Not So Shoujo Love Story by Curryuku [ongoing - every Tuesday]

Rei Chan-chan loves Hansum, the chin chin chinny goodest looking student, more than she loves her shoujo manga. But gorgeous Hannah is in her way and won’t seem to let her get her way with him. Why is that? Well, gaybe there’s a secret hidden behind her motives? Read it to find out...

It’s funny, it’s cute, and it’s so, so stupid. I love them all. It’s dumb but so much fun to read. There aren’t that many chapters yet but enough to get into it. Also, sisters. (You’ll understand when you get there. Bis) So this is what the spring of youth feels like, huh...

chips/10

Always Human by walkingnorth [completed]

Sunati, a young engineer in training, fan of all those mods you can add to change your appearance, meets Austen, a beautiful yet modless girl who she’s been admiring from afar for a while now. She thinks the girl’s beautiful, but sdly she’s refused when she asks her out on a date, and for rather good reasons.

Now watch as they gravitate around each other and how it influences them both.

It’s a slow-burn quite realistic lesbian sci-fi story about finding love and accepting oneself and others in the midst of life and all it brings upon us. It’s cute, it’s fluffy, and it’s heartwarming despite broaching serious subjects - in a good way -, and it’s finished so you can read the whole thing! (It has enough chapters to give you a few hours of reading)

hay fever sucks/10

Da Yomanville Gang by Jason King [ongoing - every Tuesday]

Layla moved recently, to get away from a dose of angst she didn’t want to have to deal with. She meets new people, fun and friendly people, but it seems the angst can’t quite seem to leave her alone. Alone is what she’s not to deal with it anymore, however.

This is the one, long before Lore Olympus, which brought bme over to Webtoons. It’s not the best drawn, not the most compelling, but the strong point and what made me love it - beyond Layla’s chara design - is the depth of most of the characters, how not all good is good and all bad is bad, and reality often lies in the middle - and how they evolve over the course of the story. Definitely worth a read.

wheelbarrow/10

Love Bot by Chase Keels and Miranda Mundt [ongoing - every Sunday]

In the near future - the year is (Blade Runner) 2049 - technology has advanced enough to creat pseudo-artificial intelligence and thus lovebots. Xada mods and repairs those emotionnaly intelligent robots for a living. What brings this story about is him toying with a less-than-friendly client’s bot so much so that he finds himself in quite a pickle when the bot ‘wakes up’.

It seems to be BL. Let it be BL, please! The art is very nice, the story feels dark but the pitch give way to many interesting possibilities, and, well, the characters are quite nice to look at, I’ll admit... Also, angst. I don’t always enjoy it but when I do, I do.

Not many chapters but it’s getting there.

i’ll let you bot my love/10

Mage & Demon Queen by Color_LES [ongoing - every Thusday]

Malori is the best and the most promising mage student at her school. Aided by Cerik, her best friend and swordsman party member, she attempts to conquer the last floor of the demon tower, reigned over by the ferocious Velverosa, the demon queen, whose defeat will bring glory and richess to those who defeat her. But all is not quite as it seems and, what is that, might it be a crush I see over there? Oh, wait, no, that’s just our protagonist getting squished by the weight of her love...

Once again, it’s fun and stupid (a pattern? noooo) but it’s worth a read.

LES/10

Down to Earth by Pookie Senpai [ongoing - every Tuesday]

Kade live alone and depressed in spite of fleeting relatioships since his big breakup, content with simply going by life while he works in retail. One day, an alien crashes into his backyard. Zaida’s an alien but she’s cute, seems innocent, is unfamiliar with everything, so he agrees to help. Thus begins a slice of life story of them roommating in his appartment until, maybe, one of them crashes into the other’s heart?

It’s cute, heartwarming, and I sort f relate with the main character. Although I don’t know if’d prefer a cute alien, a dragon or a stalking neighbour... [that’s an inside joke, I’ll explain if I ever make a list of the good yamete onii-chan! I’ve been reading] It’s a slow burn with enough depth to hook you up. Some characters are still uncertain in my eyes but that makes me curious.

loner/10

The Remarried Empress by Alphatart / Sumpul [ongoing - every Wednesday and Sunday]

Navier Ellie Trovi is an empress. Perfect and perfectly content in every way with her life until the day a mistress enters her husband’s life. Things sort of go downhill from there. Or do they? For she also learns about herself and what she might actually want out of life to be happy. Breaking the status quo might be the way.

It feels like one of those poor quality isekai comics or manga in which the MC is brought back to a time where she has the power to change her life and decides for emancipation and revenge, but it’s not. It’s more ‘yolo’ and had interesting characters, especially the MC - no pushover - and a slow-burn plot. Don’t expect to see the flash-forward in the first chapter quite yet, but come to experience the whole affaire in detail and in the most satisfying of ways! Also the art is cool!

divorce/10

Muted by Miranda Mundt [ongoing - every Friday]

On her 21st birthday, Camille fails the ritual to become a full-fledged witch and is isolated from what remains of her old and successful family. This leads to her discovering truths about herself and her powers that will change her and those around her.

By the same author as Love Bot. I haven’t read the whole thing yet but the designs are good, the plot is interesting, the characters have depth and personnality, it has witches, magic, romance [I guess, still unsure of the details though], a bit of angst, and it’s set in Louisianna. All good points.

plant magic/10

Cursed Princess Club by LambCat [ongoing - every Monday]

Gwendolyn and her sisters, each a princess in their own right, are set to be betrothed to three princes of a neighbouring country after living all their lives happy and sheltered with their father and brother. Unfortunately, Gwendolyn is not like her sisters - and brother, for that matter - in that her beauty is... less than conventionnal. Devastated by what outsiders think of her she escapes into the forest and meets kindred spirits in the form of the Cursed Princess Club - non-gendered, they also have that one prince there! - and it might just help her grow into the confident woman she is destined to become.

I clicked for the funny hahas ‘because she’s ugly’ and cursed princess trope, I stayed for the genuine laughs and smiles and the heartwarming good nature of most of te characters. Also, haha, funny characters are funny. So, yeah, I started this with a bias - still haven’t caught up yet - and have been seduced by this lesser known webtoon. Don’t let the visuals fool you, it’s really good!

respect wahmen/10

Andy Bass by KenneDuck / Gia [ongoing - every Friday]

Andy Bass is our average highschool girl. Litterally. She’s half human, half fish, a real mermaid but vertically. That leads to less-than-friendly looks and reactions from others. However, the arrival of a new, and frankly very cute, transfer student might change all that.

Haven’t read it all yet, not that there are many chapters out, but it feel fun and promising. Also, physically imperfect characters are best characters. Down with the reign of beauty and up with 𝔠𝔬𝔪𝔪𝔲𝔫𝔦𝔰𝔪!

Chin Hansum 2.0/10

For the Sake of Sita by Haga [completed]

A medical student passionately falls in love with a fallen goddess during his volunteer abroad in Nepal, and he desperately tries to fight off destiny to save his love. [the actual summary]

Okay, I’ll be honest: I haven’t quite read that one yet. I’m guilty of only having looked at the beginning and the end to see if it seemed worth it and, oh my gorsh! it does. The art is beautiful, the story seems sad yet beautiful too (I had tears reading the last chapters without knowing much of the rest) and it’s short, so jump on it!

[I’ll probably come back to that later when I’ve actually read it completely]/10

Us Right Now by yurineseventeen [ongoing]

Rina's long-term girlfriend, Noa, decides to run away from home. Rina has limited time to find her.

Not much more to say other than it’s sweet and it feels real. I like the beginning, haven’t read the rest yet, but will definitely soon.

keep going/10

New Normal: Class 8 by Youngpaka [ongoing - every Sunday]

Dongwoon has a big head. It does not make life easy. But what if he wasn’t alone being so... different? He discovers it is the case when he joins his new school a special class full of people who are different. Things get weird fast but also better and fun.

I haven’t read this in a long time, it’s on my list though. But until the moment I stopped at least, it was fun, funny, and interesting. It’s slice-of-life comedy, often ligthearted and stupid, sometimes more serious, but globally a pleasure to read.

sensei/10

The Witch and The Bull by Moonsia [ongoing - every Thursday]

Tan's job as the King's royal advisor has nothing to do with his hatred for witches, but it does make him a prime target for a curse that turns him into a BULL! The only way to undo this hex is to rely on the beautiful witch, Aro. Can her kindness turn his feelings around, and break this spell? [the actual summary]

There are two bulls and they have to ask it questions to know which is the real bull? I dunno, I haven’t read this one... But it’s been recommnded by @berigolote​ so it’s worth a try I guess? She did recommend Lore Olympus to me, so it’s on my list anyway.

to try/10

The Right Knight and Our Days in Lumain by buttersphere [completed & ongoing]

A fun short comic about a play on the ‘knight comes to fight dragon to save princess in her tower’ trope and it’s sequel. The sequel is not finished yet (seems on hiatus) but they are worth the read for cute, funny, fluffy knight and dragon/witch romance and grumpy princesses.

need more/10

NetOL by Forever9Nine [completed]

A slice of life comic about a veeery shy cat-girl (not literally) falling in love with a warm-tempered bookshop employee ( and NOT her colleague), and all the shenanigans that ensue. It’s short, it’s fun, and it’s cute. What more to ask?

oh wow sports/10

Susuhara is a Demon by Soya S. Holm [ongoing]

The usual romance storyof perfectly perfect girl meets absolutely bazongers delinquent and reluctantly carries her unconscious ass to her appartment to help her after witnessing a gang fight between multiple idiots and her (future) idiot and saving her from a knife attack by bashing the last standing dude with a wooden shop sign. Legend says there’s a demon in K-city, I still am unsure of whom it might be.

fun/10

It Stems From Love by Soya S. Holm [competed]

A short story about a girl who loves flowers and finds herself unexpectedly coughing them up dramatically whenever she’s jealous of those around her crush. It’s short, it’s cute, a bit dark at times, but definitely worth a read!

bouquet final/10

Lesbiampires by fabarts [ongoing]

So, yeah, lesbian vampires. Nuffin’ ta add.

Well, anyway, it’s cute, it’s funny, it’s serious too, it makes me root for antihero type characters who actually murder people for fun (but in a fun and respectful way, I swear!) because, well, love./10

Perfect Harmony by bluebloodtanuki [ongoing]

An Overwatch fan-comic about Symmetra and her disaster roommates.

I don’t play Overatch but I like the lore and got dragged into fanfiction and shipping (by myself, mind you), so a fan-comic about similar dynamics AND it’s funny? Gimme.

Roadhog & Junkrat best duo/10

Love Doesn’t Talk by Ann [completed?]

A misunderstanding is fine. Two? Hmmm. Three? Surely that’s fate, no?

A cute love story unfolding before your eyes with no dialogue, only pretty pictures. I’m not actually sure it’s completed but even if it isn’t, the ending doesn’t feel disappointing in the least.

no words/10

AntiSTALKER by VOKIVORMOK [ongoing - every Thursday]

Humans, vampires and werewolves all cohabitate in this freaky highschool, despite tensions between the three races. A bittersweet yet fun love story between a fake stalker and his amnesiac prey...

Eugene wants Kira’s heart, she wants his head.

who?/10

Kiss It Goodbye by Ticcytx [ongoing]

Two lesbians in love recount to their drunk friends the story of how they met. It’s fun and cute, both in story and in art.

delinquent x prim&proper/10

Avril and the Divine Being by Charlie Genmor [ongoing]

Avril is a waitress, Cat is a reccuring client. Feeling blossom before they even exchange words and when they finally do, embarassment ensues.

I got hooked by the art style for this one and I have yet to be disappointed. Not many chapters but keep it close.

sunny/10

Sunflower by EtoileKonijn [ongoing]

Wednesday, an art student, meets Sophie, a friend of a friend. Feelings ensue. It’s beginning to have a good number of chapters (even if they are short) and it feels like it’s actually the slowest burn of them all. Very much worth a read though, for the art style especially.

cute/10

It Takes Two by love_of_pi [ongoing]

Common art style: imperfect but improving. Classic story: normal girl meets famous girl by accident and leave a great first impression. Shenanigans and romance ensue. However the tints of drama, the fun interaction between characters, and the smooth plot make it worth it.

Honolulu latte/10

A Mild Flavor by Ru-rin [ongoing]

A slice of life of different couples. One with a compromised relationship and bittersweet reflections of the past, and the other which is hidden from plain sight, at different times if life. It is not perfect but it managed to worm its way into my heart nonetheless.

tasty/10

The Greenhouse by Viesallon [ongoing]

Another one I haven’t read, but from the extracts I’ve seen the art is compelling, the story seems worth it - definitely deserves the drama tag it seems - and I keep it on my shortlist until I have time to read it.

supernatural/10

My Masochistic Boss by Arisas_Art [ongoing]

Debuting goth writer meets hellish boss of editing company about her new book. Disagreement and tensions ensue. It starts with a slap and might very well end in bed, stay tuned!

This one rebooted recently and the art is soooo beautiful, moreso than before is I may say.

sexy/10

Still Alive by Comic Kat19 [ongoing]

Half-zombie girl meets emo boy, baby ensues.

After the zombie apocalypse, they have to survive, and despite their differences, maybe together is better?

This I classify in the ‘Yuuutsu-kun to Succubus-san‘ category: a somewhat rough art style that I have come to love and enjoy greatly. Also the story is fun.

cat creature/10

The Biggest of Treasures by Aixn [ongoing]

That smile, that damn smile. It’s what got me to try and it got me to stay. The art style is beautiful and the chara designs is too. The plot? Not much to say yet, but cuteness is enough.

bright/10

---------- ---------- ----------

And there you go for now. These are my picks. I haven’t read everything on Webtoon, I haven’t even read everything I’ve subscribed to, but if I had to recommend anything I have tasted, here it is.

Sorry if I missed any you deem worthy; feel free to harass me and mock my lack of culture by flaunting your own.

Maybe more later, in the mean time: keep scrolling, scrub!

PART II

#webtoon #webcomics #comics #lore olympus #recommendations #yes i like cheesy romance stories so what? #about wlw #but not only #yes i also have a dumb child's humour #all of them deserve more views #long post #mega thread #look at what i'm doing instead of working on my finals #help

[luffysbasement]

messy i hope you know with the way the story has shaped up c!dream escaping from prison only to be killed by c!sapnap has an incredibly high chance of happening.

so high in fact i would bet on it if it were possible to do so in las nevada.

honestly i can't wait sapnap lore stream WHEN???

-ghost

(also how funny would it be if las nevadas had bingo cards for future events like how we made some for events that may occur in 2021 as well)

/rp /dsmp

ASDDFHFKA i mean, logically speaking (this is the theorize-r in me), i kinda feel like if that were to happen, its gonna be a bit anti-climatic for the whole picture, you feel me?

bc sapnap's character is undercooked. theres too little of his lore, too many questionable decisions in the plotline, like:

-suddenly turning on dream and siding with tommy just bc tommy returned his fish? the fish that he got when its just a few of them? with dream and george?

-also when he heard dream say he cut off all his attachments, he didnt bother confronting dream about it? only went and ranted about it in front of george.

-and sapnap has many times in the lore where he's just all over the place when it comes to siding with people. its like he's acting like punz, a mercenery (paid for work) but sapnap doesnt get paid for anything (dont think so, dk for sure)

-not to mention, altho this could be intentional and very plausible in the lore, the way he was so quick to blame destruction (that isnt lmanberg anf the community house) to dream, seen from the recent sapnap lore stream. its mostly sad bc its possible :((( but seeing his character development through that wouldve been nice (and better for understanding him)

and i just asgsjfhks although i made that comic, and its such a cool thought, i feel like its gonna make the whole c!dt lore feel like theres a hole somewhere yknow???

((sorry for full on ranting LMFAO c!dt is my favorite melody i can never shut up about it i am a nerd))

#asks #c!sapnap needs more #ALSO HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH BAD??? #his canonical (adoptive) father?????? #is so undercooked as well like bad invited him over to the red banquet where everyone was a sacrifice WHAAAAT #wait i ddnt onow about the bingo cards HWAT

[stovmborn-arc]

𝐃𝐀𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐑𝐘𝐒 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐑𝐍 & 𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐃𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐎𝐍𝐒.

**   this meta contains book, show and personal headcanons following daenerys’ relationship with her dragons. one thing that really stands out to me in the show is that the dragons are literally used as weapons of war, rather than maintaining the relationship that daenerys had displayed with them during the earlier books. yes, they will help her win the seven kingdoms but they are her children, instead of ways of winning battles. crafted and constructed over lots of heartbreak with the help of daisy over on @perzyr​  ( a literal living dragon encyclopaedia )  so please go and give some love with a follow for top quality dragon lore & content. it’s going to be a long one so if you do read this then get comfortable. i will always reference and inform my writing partners of any important details regarding the dragons, should they be of any relevance to our plots or threads.  give that like button a   ♡   if you do read this  –-–  just so i know   !!!

◈        first things first, daenerys is not immune to fire. although in the show, she does not suffer any injuries from the funeral pyre in which she burns drogo, she is given the name of the unburnt because of emerging from the the flames alive, not unscathed. the hatching and birth of drogon, rhaegal and viserion was incredibly unique, a miracle even. three petrified eggs were placed into the pyre of her husband and dragons returned to the world for the first time in centuries. in the books, she loses her hair as a result of being within the flames and much like any other human, sustains at least some injuries. as a targaryen, she can tolerate high levels of heat and resist the pain of being burnt for a short while but too much time in fire can be severely damaging. albeit receiving wounds, they are quick healing given the magic in her valyrian blood. ◈        there is a level of understanding between daenerys and each of her children. although she cannot physically speak to them, there is a bond that she believes cannot be broken between her, drogon, rhaegal and viserion despite eventually becoming drogon’s rider. the bond she forms with them is one that grows with the time she spends nurturing them. to form a closeness, she cooks their meat as they are only babies and even speaks to them in valyrian. daenerys does not only rely on them for warmth but for comfort at times where she is feeling uncertain of the path ahead. dragon cuddles are a thing, it is known. cradling them in her arms, letting them huddle around her and sharing warmth with them, she attempts to create a physical bond between herself and her children. viserion is known for curling up on dany’s chest in particular. whilst drogon and rhaegal tend to occupy themselves more in play, viserion can be found by daenerys’ side as she reads. rather than caging them, daenerys ensures that they have their own safe space they can return to where they are free  –-–  their own sanctuary almost unless they are travelling. she allows them to fly above her and the khalasar along the red waste but also has a horses cart in which she places them when they grow tiresome.  ◈        when it comes to the chaining of viserion and rhaegal, daenerys is at odds with herself. beginning to lose control of drogon and learning that yunkai has returned to their old ways, a weight rests upon her shoulders. jorah mormont has too recently betrayed her and so, daenerys feels control slipping from her fingers. remembering that she is still young and somewhat naive ( despite being a queen ), an overwhelming amount of guilt falls upon her as the body of a child is brought before her claiming that  ‘the winged shadow’  was responsible. whilst it is suggested that the death has been caused by the masters in a bid to shame her, daenerys decides that it is a risk she simply cannot take. grudges have been held against her ancestors for the pain they instilled upon their own dragons, confining them to a pit. her liberation of slavers bay has been dedicated to freeing people of their chains and yet, she finds herself submitting to exactly what those of house targaryen did many years prior in the dragon pits. with a heavy heart, she makes a temporary measure to confine them below the great temple though, it is not as simple as what the show depicts it to be and instead, she faces a struggle.

◈        ❝  once, not long ago, she had ridden on her shoulder, her tail coiled around her arm. once she had fed her morsels of charred meat from her own hand. she had been the first chained up. daenerys had led her to the pit herself and shut her up inside with several oxen. once she had gorged herself, she grew drowsy. they had chained her whilst she slept.  ❞   –-–   the capture of viserion, her smallest and youngest baby. having to lead viserion into the pits personally, it felt as though she was leading viserion astray. an immediate guilt resides within daenerys, knowing that it is only her who has the power to bring viserion into the pit, it felt as though daenerys was leading her to her own demise. she had been named for viserys, the very person who had bargained with her freedom and now, she has in turn, chained the dragon she had named after him into a slave. ◈        ❝  rhaegal had been harder. perhaps he could hear his sister raging in the pit, despite the walls of brick and stone between them. in the end, they had to cover him with a net of heavy iron chain as he basked on her terrace, and he fought so fiercely that it had taken three days to carry him down the servants’ steps, twisting and snapping. six men had been burned in the struggle.  ❞   –-–   the capture of rhaegal, her most stubborn and defiant child. following the tales of rhaegar, she knew that rhaegal would not go down without a fight, though she did not anticipate the difficulty that would come with it. knowing of the struggle that he puts up, it only stirs more distress within daenerys, a sense of grief she has not felt before. watching the struggle increases her guilt and she cannot face rhaegal, employing members of the unsullied instead to lure him to the pits as she cannot bring herself to face him beneath iron nets. ◈        there are many occasions in which daenerys struggles to live with the decision that she has succumbed to the very thing her ancestors did and in an attempt to quell her own sadness and keep a bond with viserion and rhaegal during drogon’s disappearance, pays visits to them in the pits. though on one occasion, one lunges towards her as teeth snap in darkness, daenerys barely able to make out what is happening. the only thing that saves her is the fiery breath in which viserion releases, lighting a path so that she is able to quickly flee from what turns out to be an attack from rhaegal. the time he has spent in darkness has shaped his vision of his mother, stirring a rage inside of him ( not only for himself but for his sister ). paying mind to the devastation that she has bestowed upon her children, the pit is sealed abruptly once more and daenerys is left with a raincloud lingering above her. she had named viserion to do what her brother could not  –-–  protect her and that was exactly what viserion attempted to do as a fire lit within rhaegal’s throat, ready to engulf their mother as punishment. ◈        when the fighting pits are reopened during her wedding to hizdahr zo loraq and the sons of the harpy attack, drogon is lured to daznak’s fighting pits by the noise and the smell of blood. no whip is used to berate him or mount him and instead, the bond that formed between them is returned to her eyes as she looks at him in fear. she pulls a spear from his side, teeth bared as he lets out a scream of pain, though he soon realises it is his mother. it is within that moment that she remembers she is the mother of dragons and instead, takes to climb atop of him where she is carried to safety and taken to his lair in the dothraki sea where he has been living in his absence. falling ill and growing weak after eating wild berries and the scraps that drogon has left behind, daenerys begins to hallucinate. not only does she have visions of quaithe and the message she has delivered but she dreams of her children too, chained and betrayed by their own mother. it is in these visions that the impact of her actions begin to stir inside of her, realising that her children were never the monsters but instead, it was her.

◈        freed by tyrion, daenerys and her children take to the skies to defend meereen which is under siege at the hands of yunkai, astapor and volantis who are adamant in ending her ‘reign’. whilst this might not necessarily be a moment of rejoice and destruction for rhaegal and viserion, it is the first time in which they have been free from the pits beneath the temple in which they had been chained. viserion flies in out of loyalty to her mother ( and feeling somewhat responsible for having been chained ) as rhaegal follows closely behind, having grown protective of his sister. following the victory, daenerys dedicates most of her time in making amends to her children she has betrayed and willingly chained. 

◈        with viserion, she takes baskets of apples having known it is her favourite food and sits upon clifftops, reading to her in an attempt to salvage the bond they had. she tells her tales of the dragons that lived centuries before them, teaching her of dragonstone and the history of house targaryen’s reign in kings landing, on occasion also speaking in high valyrian. it takes weeks in order to strengthen what she had severed and at times, has to sit with her back to viserion to provide her with some comfort. each day that passes, she inches slightly further forward until one day, realises that viserion is wrapped around her  –-–  too big to now curl around her neck like she had done as a child. at first, when daenerys goes to touch her, she realises that rhaegal is scared ( particularly if her neck is touched from where she almost strangled herself, worried for her mothers safety as the sons of the harpy erupted within the fighting pits ). instead, she makes contact by scratching at her nuzzle, allowing her palm to stroke between her nostrils until she reaches up to the point between her eyes. 

◈        with rhaegal, the process is a much longer and difficult one. as noted in the words of barristan selmy, he was always the more aggressive dragon and quite often, became possessive over things such as food. when attempting to rebuild the bond she had with rhaegal, daenerys ensures to bring him extra meat and cooks it herself, starting a fire and charring it before retreating further away. there is little she can do in terms of comforting rhaegal and for the first couple of weeks, sits with him in silence knowing that no words can convince him of how she believed she was doing what was best for meereen. on one occasion, rhaegal snaps at daenerys, pinning her down to the point of almost crushing her. it is a cry from viserion that tears rhaegal away, the sadness within her windpipe causing him to leave daenerys and fly off elsewhere to escape from his mother. on her next visit, she ensures that viserion is there, becoming aware of the protective instinct he feels for his sister. eventually, daenerys attempts to create toys and little playful games like she did as they were babies. this consists of making balls of ribbon, much bigger than what they once were as drogon joins them too, living in the memories they did when the three of them were newly hatched. the trust between rhaegal and daenerys has never fully returned to what it once was, though she notices that tyrion’s presence instils a sense of calm within him  –-–   one she has not seen before. it fills her with sadness, having named him for her brother who died on the green banks of the trident, daenerys had hoped she might feel a closeness to rhaegal out of the connection he holds with rhaegar and yet, this will never happen. though, she knows she only has herself to blame. 

𝐀𝐃𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋.

◈        following the chaos in daznak’s pits and realising that spears ( although not deadly ) can cause damage and hurt to a dragon, daenerys readies her dragons to have armour as she prepares to sail for westeros. it is not full body armour but more so protective layers that shape around their throats and shoulders. shed skin is used to form a second layer of scales, used for measurements too. a saddle is also made for drogon, simply to make things safer and to provide him with more comfort as she rides him. more details are later added to their armour using dragonglass mined from the caves of dragonstone. 

◈        it is suggested by some that to maintain a relationship between her and the dragons, so that they accept her as their ruler, daenerys uses a whip to control them. when she acquires the unsullied, daenerys is seen mocking the masters by tossing the whip that master krazyns provides her with to the ground. and if this does not promote her attitude towards cruelty and control, i don’t know what does. as much as she would like to be able to tame her dragons, she understands that they are creatures as smart as she. they have their own mind, their own will and it cannot be bent or controlled. she does not use a whip or any kind of weapon to command them but instead, relies on the physical and mental bond that she has instead as a means of trying to show them what is right from wrong. the first time when this is questioned however, is when she locks rhaegal and viserion in the pits below her pyramid. 

◈        if more eggs were to come into her possession, daenerys would not be so hasty in attempting to hatch them. she knows that it was a miracle for her own eggs to hatch and would not rush to do so but rather, let the dragon insides grow until they are ready. as she did with drogon, rhaegal and viserion, she would spend time with them and attempt to bond with them. the difference this time around however, is that any babies will have older dragons to look up to    –-–  to nurture them and daenerys would rely especially upon viserion having shared such a tight knit bond with her since she was small enough to fit in her palm. 

◈        if either rhaegal or viserion showed interest in allowing another rider, it would not bother daenerys so much, providing that the person they had shown an inclination to was somebody she too trusts. the dragons and daenerys share a bond ( even if it was severed when she betrayed their trust ) but they have seen many people enter and leave their mothers life. some lost to war and protecting their queen, others with ulterior motives. the dragons have a good judge of character, particularly drogon and viserion who daenerys shares the closest bonds with, simply from the consistent contact and affection they keep. daenerys’ feelings and reactions to things rub off on drogon and viserion, with thanks to the emotional and physical connection she shares with them. rhaegal too is capable of picking up on his mothers emotions, though he usually only acknowledges them if they are of threat to viserion. 

#iii. i will answer injustice with justice » metas. #DAENERYS STORMBORN & HER DRAGONS. #i would personally like to shout out daisy #for absolutely ruining me #just a side note that when i recover from this meta #i'm putting your ass on a google doc #fOR DESTROYING MY LIFE

[ronnytherandom]

I forgot to watch content all week so i wrote about games ive been playing

9/2/2021: The Truman Show

You should fear your fears but embrace them and use them to guide you into the unknown, to explore and experience what life has to offer. Fear stands between you and the fullest experience of life so you must pass through it to better yourself. Heed not the walls built about you and the chains made to hold you. Though the architects insist it will preserve your life, containment is anathema to life. Do not take in faith the benevolence of powers that be; instead trust those who would support and liberate you, guide you through fear and into life.

As best I can lay it out, I think this is the philosophy of the Truman show but there is so much more to read into it also. There is critique of systems of commodification and celebrity (i.e. capitalism) reducing human beings to a consumable good as well as encouragement to find and pursue your goals despite adversity and even sensibility which is also tied to the illusion of economic responsibility. You can’t put a camera inside a human head, you can never “know” them without being an active and intrinsic part of their life, but also there is need for reciprocation. If one half exists with ulterior motive then the entire relationship is rotten; sincere humanity is what creates real connections. Without such your world is fake. A world built around one person is a world where no one can truly live. All these actors have given up basically their entire lives for the sake of watching Truman have his life built around him by outside forces, have allowed themselves to be commodified and dehumanised for the good of one man, Christoph. The man at the top has delusions of grandeur and thinks only of his own bottom line, he cares not for his subjects but simply wants them to do as he tells them because it benefits him to commodify their lives and interactions. Even then he cannot stand to lose control and in seeking to demonstrate Truman’s “realness” he structures his life so thoroughly that eventually there’s no reality left, only a script and adverts. But the people watching still empathise with Truman because everyone in the working class understands what it is to be trapped because real life is our own Truman show and one day we must all pass through fear, step out of the dome and create a real life for ourselves outside of the system of commodification which consumes everyone’s life and removes all realness and sincerity and emotional catharsis from it.

I unreservedly love this film.

14/2/2021: Assorted Game Reviews

Horizon Zero Dawn (Unfinished due to technical issues, 45 hours inc. parts of Frozen Wilds): This game is really cool and really fun. I think it is defined by its incredible setting which somehow creates a fresh feeling post-apocalyptic environment. Said environment creates intriguing alt-future lore and some very interesting environments to explore. I love the machine designs (especially tallnecks!) and was very sad to hear one of their contributing artists passed away recently but I’m glad their work lives on in this visually stunning game. I’m a sucker for Ubisoft-style open world games simply because it tickles a certain kind of itch and somehow this non-Ubisoft game has outdone Ubisoft on their own formula, which is hilarious, but also good for me as running around this world exploring and clearing map markers is engaging fun. Not least because of the combat. I have a minor criticism here that the combat feels slightly awkward on mouse and keyboard, the arrows never seem to go where I’m aiming, but aside from that the experience of fighting is a grand one. Enemies never lose their threat and I love the weak spot system the game employs which makes every tool useful in niche circumstance and rewards curiosity. It specifically manages this in a way that I feel the Witcher series could learn from if it ever returns; by making head on assault less viable and encouraging tactical hunting. I do feel this system makes hunting robots so fun that by contrast hunting humans becomes a chore however, though I noted this improves in the dlc with the addition of humans with elemental weaknesses limited in number as they are. I cannot speak for the story in entirety but what I encountered was pretty good, though I feel as if it was only just really getting going at the point where I could not continue. I find Aloy to be a compelling and well portrayed protagonist and though I can guess about her origin and the ultimate end of the alt-future apocalypse I still want to see how it plays out on screen, so will return to this as soon as I’ve fixed it.

Rimworld (122 hours. Familiar with but do not own Royalty Expansion):

Rimworld is one of those super special games that I don’t think I have a single problem with. Fair warning it can be brutal and is heavily dependent on RNG but this allows it to create truly unique and interesting scenarios on a constant basis. In the wider perspective it could be described as formulaic, with regular cycles of managing the settlement between raids and random events, but the devils in the details. Colonist traits, health and skills dictate how you play and sometimes you’ll be forced to adapt as some colonists simply refuse to perform some tasks. The depth of health particularly amuses me, in that each little part of someone’s body is modelled in a way. If you’re in a firefight you may take a single bullet which grazes your finger and you’re fine. Alternately it could pierce your human leather cowboy hat, your skull and kill you instantly and the game will tell you exactly what happened. The risk/reward element is addictive enough, and that’s without accounting for just how cool it is to see your colony slowly expand. Establishing more and more options for crafting is fun and shows off the full range of different items in the game which is fucking extensive. Between clothing, weapons, armour, sculpture and drugs to name only a few you have the opportunity to create many varied production lines either for your colonists or to trade for money and there is a lot of fun to be had here as well as it is quite satisfying to see psychoid you have grown personally become the cocaine your colonists snort to help them stay awake on limited sleep. From an archaeologist’s perspective it is especially cool to look back over your base and see the hints of how and why structures were built and remember the history of your limitations and development through structure. I think the lore of the universe is really cool too, a very 40k-esque kind of place except with far less order, somehow. But the universe does an excellent job of feeling alive and moving constantly on both a planetary and interstellar level. You can fully believe that while you build wooden shacks to shield yourself from terrifyingly low temperatures there are simultaneously rich pieces of shit living it up on the glitterworld that’s one system over. The music does an excellent job of creating the wild west frontier atmosphere the game cultivates to great effect. Ultimately, for just being a grid with a series of different numbers attached, this game does a fantastic job of creating a compelling, brutal and very real colony management experience. I dont think I can properly put into words the grandness and scope of this one. I didnt even mention the modding scene, which is expansive and tailors to basically any need you could have. The Rim is a terrifying place but theres so much fun to be had.

Factorio (86 hours, mostly 1.1): Having completed a game of Factorio I can tell you reliably that this is one of the best games ever made, thoroughly addictive and fun. If you like numbers, logistics, TRAINS, its gonna be your thing. Not to mention its probably the only documented case of a game with no bugs (so far as official forums are concerned). Strictly speaking this games combat is not the most engrossing thing but good lord do you feel it when you acquire a flamethrower. The way each aspect of the game (production, research, logistics, combat, upgrades for everything therein) feeds into the next is a really well constructed balancing act such that you must experience the full game in order to complete it and I always appreciate this kind of design. I think its one of the best tenets of factory game design especially as its something present in Satisfactory too. Beyond all of this generalised good the game is also excellent in its intricacies, the architecture necessary to build a maximum efficiency base, the level of planning and organisation that can be employed is mind-blowing. Not to mention the mod community, factorion is already an extensive experience and some mad bastards have seen fit to complicate it further, hats off to them. This really is a great moment in gaming.

 Destiny 2 (198 hours, all expansions, played some post Forsaken release, mostly Season of Arrivals onwards, spent roughly £20 on microtransactions):

This is a very interesting and enjoyable experience, but I must say it can be a bit controversial at times. What its does particularly well is moment to moment gameplay and design in all aspects. The game is stunning; between environments, cosmetics, shaders ships and ghosts there’s a vast range of incredible things to see, all rooted in the “pseudo-magi-science” aesthetic it’s got going on. The class design is excellent and you really do feel like you embody this rampaging madman / agile gunman / space wizard archetype, whichever you choose to play. The abilities, especially supers, are very satisfying. Everything has heft and power behind it which can be felt in all aspects of design; sound and animation is top notch. Movement is cool, you can feel how fast you move both on foot and in vehicles and the navigation has a little fun subtlety depending on your class jump, even if you can bounce unpredictably occasionally. But for the love of god why is the wall kick in there? It has only ever served to push me from a ledge into a bottomless pit. You're looking to remove antiquated content? Start there. Some guns are not so good to shoot but there’s such a great range of guns that are fun its like complaining about one drop in an ocean; and enemies are fun to shoot at, each faction distinct in meaningful ways and presenting an effective challenge. Speaking of oceans, that’s one way to describe the lore. I haven’t dived too deep but it keeps going down forever and everything I’ve read is intriguing. As a former Elder Scrolls lore nut this is something I could definitely sink my teeth into, though its much more of a pulpy sci-fi vibe than a pure nonsense vibe. I do think the game has a bit of a loot problem, primarily in regards to the conflict between high stats and looking good. This should never be a conflict, and yes you can apply ornaments to any purple gear but that’s not enough when I spend the entire time grinding power levels and thus must change armour and weapons on a constant basis to progress. This game needs a true transmog system and if not that, rethink how gear power level works. Perhaps rather than earning new instances of gear you always possess a version of it and the loot you acquire in missions just upgrades your instance to your current overall power level? This would serve to do away with the current upgrade system which I think is a needless additional grind. Perhaps it could be retained in using enhancement cores to empower gear as present but necessitating a whole upgrade module to keep your favourite weapon on hand is kind of painful honestly. There is also at present the issue of sunsetting gear, mildly controversial to say the least. If it’s necessary to streamline the game and make it function moving forward so be it but surely loot pools should be adjusted so you can actually get useful loot from older locations? And why sunset personal instances of gear which can be acquired at the regular power level anyway? I had to throw away my favourite bow and hunt down a new version of the exact same weapon for… what reason? I do think destination navigation leaves a little to be desired also. I get that having a physical hub world is meaningful but Destiny does not have a very extroverted community; I can count the times someone noticed me in the tower on one hand. And its not even like there’s fun activities to be found in the same sense as say Deep Rock Galactic, which really does take advantage of its hub. Perhaps for players who simply want to go about their business all of the vendors could be set into a menu system where just clicking an icon takes you to their menu from anywhere in the system rather than, per se, having to go through an entire loading screen (Which takes you to orbit and back) to reach a location which serves simply as the front for four menus. These are established player problems. As a dedicated PvE player I can say that this game is immensely fun in combat and growing in power does feel really good. It’s something I recommend getting into, there’s just some very large creases that need ironing which the Bungie should really take the time to address rather than pushing out new in game content every three months.

#the truman show #horizon zero dawn #rimworld #factorio #destiny 2 #d2 #film #movies #video games #i dont know what im doing #hzd #opinion