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thesunshineriptide · 2 years

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Hi uh I was just wondering, I saw your requests were open and that you’ve written stuff with the ignihyde boys. Can you maybe write them with a gn or male reader who’s an amputee? If not that’s ok :3 I love the stuff I’ve read so thanks in advance if you do write this :3

Hey! I’m super pumped to do this request because first of all, I love the Ignihyde duo and second of all disability and disability aids are absolutely fascinating so I did a lil research becausnejdhgjdjfskhfdjsk cool. Took me a while to figure out what to do though. Also I decided to make the amputation specific to the left arm and left leg for consistencies sake. Also sorry for the delay!!

Ignihyde with an amputee reader

Characters: Idia, Ortho, reader

CW// disability, discussions of prosthetics, amputation, and psychological fallout (implied)

- It would probably take a while before you and Idia become friends. You and Ortho, though? Right off the bat.

- Ortho will happily chatter to you about anything and everything, and often hovers nearby. If he spies you having a hard day with walking, he’ll grab a wheelchair and push you around for a bit while talking about the latest update to Minecraft

- Idia takes a little while longer to warm up (due to being Idia) but soon you’re trapped in Ignihyde playing games with him on the wii

- It’s a loooong while before disability comes up in conversation with him because he is the master of Not Bringing That Subject Up

- He understands the discomfort of being stared at for looking different and doesn’t want to make you feel that, especially since you’re friends

- He does bring it up though - it seems like your current prosthetic leg is beginning to fall apart and, yknow, he has a lot of experience building body parts.

- He ends up spending a lot of time figuring out a lightweight but balanced Material that would work ideally for a prosthetic. This leads from one thing to another and then you’re invited to Ignihyde to try some stuff out

- He hadn’t really concentrated on prosthetics before, surprisingly, since his main goal was making Ortho, but now he’s focusing on how to streamline complex movements, particularly using Electromyography [source] and complex AI that can help predict and measure movements via sensitive receptors under synthetic skin, specifically for disabled/amputee individuals

- This leads to him enlisting your help, since you sparked the interest, and he want to help you out. So: new free prosthetic limbs specifically tailored to you (although with Idia’s creative flair) purely because your friends are literal geniuses

- Other than that, Idia and Ortho are good company. They’re happy to take a slower, more chill pace. Idia enjoys hanging out, playing games of any kind. He’s also content to sit and watch b movies with you while eating popcorn or candy

- Ortho enjoys hanging out and doodling. He doesn’t often get into arts - lots of wet things he probably shouldn’t play with, or messes, etc - but he does enjoy drawing and is happy to sit with you and do so.

Idia sits beside you, shoveling sour candy into his mouth by the fistful as he watches fnaf security breach play throughs next to you, mumbling about inaccuracies of robotic engineering in the character design and how buggy the stupid game is.

“Idia?”

“Hmm?” He finally turns his attention to you, blinking, “What’s up?”

You shift a little closer to him, resting on his shoulder. He tenses for a second, then settles back down. “bad day.”

He adjusts and quietly quits his game (there’s not a pause button, unfortunately) before turning more attention to you.

“Have some NPCs been bothering you? Or is it the debuff?”

“Debuff.” You said quietly, closing your eyes, “Psychological damage, down ten hp per second.”

“That’s not good.” Idia said, awkwardly patting your head, “Any boosts I can give you, or do you just need to wait out the effects?”

You hum slightly, “Wait it out. Can’t really help anything in my head, yknow?”

Ortho chirped slightly from the doorway, floating into the room. He then landed in front of you and crouched down, “Y/n? Would you like to play something?”

“Not right now, Ortho.” You said tiredly, “I’m kinda…sick at the moment.”

Ortho blinked before his yellow eyes emitted a soft light.

“Scanning for abnormalities in biological settings…” He stood up, staring down, “Scan complete. Neurological functionings indicate an uptick in adrenaline, cortisol, and norepinephrine, and a lack of dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. It appears you are going through psychological distress, or potentially depression.”

You nod slightly and Idia frowns from beside you, but says nothing.

“I’m not doing great right now, no. I just need a minute to chill. I’ll be alright.”

The brothers exchange a look before Ortho sits down beside you and Idia quietly turns on Animal Crossing: New Horizons to play. They both know it’s best to let you have a moment to collect yourself, that if you want to share it you will, and if not, then company is appreciated. Idia’s left side is trapped by you leaning on it, so he only plays with on hand (slowly) while Ortho, on your other side, quietly begins researching cool bugs.

It’s pleasant, actually. To not be coddled or pitied, and instead simply allowed space near people you care about. Idia doesn’t push - lord knows there’s things he’d rather not talk about - and Ortho simply adores you, so he’s content to sit beside you quietly.

After a while you sit back up, blinking sleepily. With a yawn and a stretch, Idia’s attention turns back to you.

“Tired?”

You nod slightly, humming under your breath.

“Yeah, I get that. Do you wanna lay in bed, or do you wanna go back to your place?”

“I can walk you back if that would help, Y/N L/N!” Ortho says, “But you’re invited to stay over as well.”

“Can I…stay?” You look between the two.

Idia grins, faux mischief, “Muah hah haha ha! You’ve fallen into my sinister trap - the bed! Now you will never escape the underworld! Ha ha ha ha ha!”

You laugh a little as Ortho helps you over to the bed. “Oh no, whatever will I do? You’re too OP for me!”

Idia grins stupidly and turns off some of the major lights, as well as turning down the brightness of his monitor.

You hum slightly and settle into Idia’s bed, asking, “Are you sure this is alright?”

“I rarely use it except to dramatically mope in, so you’re good.”

Idia smiles at you and gives you a nervous thumbs up before turning back to his silent gaming, allowing you to fall asleep to the sound of animal crossing background music playing faintly across the room and the hum of Ortho’s resting station.

#twisted wonderland #twst #twst headcanons #twisted wonderland headcanons #idia shroud #ortho shroud #amputee reader #idia shroud x reader #platonic or romantic #discussion of prosthetics #disabled reader #twst disabled reader

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aurumacadicus · 10 months

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Pride Pocket13-Tied and True

Kink belongs at Pride and as an ace person I’m personally sick of people using my existence to try and push it out, so this year I’m dedicating my Pride Pockets to Kink. You can find step-by-step instructions (with pictures!) for the frog tie (here) and the cross-chest box tie (here). You can also find this on ao3 (here). Watch out for under the cut!

Steve wiped his palms across thighs, hoping to hide how sweaty they’d become as he watched Bucky pick through the different ropes that Tony had collected over the years. Tony was on his knees at Steve’s feet, hands clasped in his lap, head leaning against Steve’s knee. He was being really sweet, as if he could tell Steve was nervous. Normally he was kind of bratty. But then, Bucky liked bratty, enjoyed making Tony melt and whimper until he was putty in his hands.

Steve was usually the aftercare guy. He liked being the aftercare guy, of course! Loved smoothing ointment into welts and bruises and rope burns, loved cuddling Tony’s exhausted body close and pressing soft kisses to his lips between sips of water. Hell, he liked taking care of Bucky, too, when he was allowed. And he’d never be able to trust himself to do any of the impact play they partook in, still feeling too big and unwieldy. But he’d always wondered about the ropes. They’d always looked so good on Tony, and he felt it was something he’d actually be able to do without worrying about hurting him.

So Bucky had offered to guide him through a few sessions, just to see how he liked it, and Tony had agreed easily. ‘I’ll be your rope bunny,’ he’d joked, as if they couldn’t tell he wasn’t actually joking at all. Steve really wanted this to go well. Tony was putting a lot of trust in them, in him. He wanted this to be good for him. He wanted to be good for him.

Bucky finally turned from Tony’s chest of ropes and chains with a few thick coils of bright red jute. “Okay, I think I’ve decided what I want you to do.” He walked over to them and slapped the coils into Steve’s hands. “Hold these.”

“Um, okay,” Steve said, fumbling with the ropes to keep them from falling and tangling.

Bucky turned his attention to Tony, sliding his fingers into his hair and curling tight so he could force his head to tip back. “I thought separate ties for the top and bottom, and we can work our way up to full body ties if he likes it. I don’t want to start out too strong for you guys. You wouldn’t have fun that way.”

“What ties?” Tony asked, already blinking a little slower.

“Simple frog for the legs,” Bucky drawled, low and slow, just the way they both knew Tony liked. “Wanna be able to spread ‘em as wide as I want. Maybe fuck you, if Steve wants to sketch you instead.”

“Yeah,” Tony breathed, blinking again, and moaned as he allowed himself to be eased forward so his face was buried in Bucky’s groin. “Mmm…”

Bucky pet through his hair a few times fondly, then smirked up at Steve. “Then I thought a simple cross-chest box tie on top. Keep his arms tied, but the rope off his reactor. It’ll make a pretty little frame around his chest with the reactor right in the middle.” His smirk grew wider. “If you like it, I can look up some more artsy ties. I know ya just like lookin’ at him sometimes.”

“Yeah,” Steve croaked, already half-hard at the thought. He did like just looking at Tony, arms and legs straining impotently against Bucky’s ropes. He liked sketching his taut muscles, heavy-lidded eyes, panting mouth. Tony was so beautiful, Steve felt lucky to be able to include him in his art. That Bucky would look up ties just for him to sketch somehow made it even hotter.

Bucky tangled his fingers in Tony’s hair again, reluctantly pulling him away. “You wanna fuck him, or do you want me to do that?”

“I suppose there’s no better way for you to check the ties,” Steve offered, voice thick. He twisted the ropes in his hands, forced himself to stop. He looked at Tony speculatively, licking his lips. “He’ll have to be on top,” he realized, because being on his back with his arms bound would be too much strain on his shoulders, and he wouldn’t be able to brace himself with his arms properly to protect his chest. He swallowed, loudly, and couldn’t help a whimper at Bucky’s filthy grin in response.

It was quick work to get set up. Steve grabbed his easel, stool, and bigger sketchpad while Bucky helped Tony undress and get onto the bed. It seemed like Bucky actually had a little more trouble, even because Tony didn’t help at all, moving belatedly, as if he was already sinking under into his bound headspace. Like a doll, Steve couldn’t help but think, watching as Bucky let out a triumphant cry as he finally got Tony’s pants and underwear off.

They took a moment to just look at him, admiring his body, but when Tony’s hands began creeping up to cover the reactor, they quickly turned their gazes away—Tony had gotten better with his self-consciousness, but they weren’t going to push it, especially when he was already going to be in a vulnerable headspace for them. Besides, he was already much better than when they’d first gotten together; back then, he’d been too embarrassed to even take his shirt off, let alone let one of them do it.

Instead, Bucky grabbed one of the coils of jute, twisting it in his hands thoughtfully. “Yeah, this should be enough,” he finally decided, thrusting it back out to Steve. “You remember how to do Lark’s head and square knots?”

Steve opened his mouth to sass him, because obviously he knew two of the world’s simplest knots, but then he noticed Tony’s eyes blinking open slowly to look at him as he answered. “Yes,” he said simply instead of snarking at him. Tony and Bucky were doing this for him, he had to remember.

“Let’s start with the legs, since those are easier for him,” Bucky decided, then grabbed Tony under the arms and hefted him up onto his knees. “Up you go.”

Tony whined, in that special way they’d come to recognize as ‘I’m complaining because if I admit I like this it will give you power over me.’ They were kind enough not to mention it, instead allowing him to believe he wasn’t being incredibly vulnerable in front of them. He allowed Bucky to settle him on his knees without more than a disgruntled mutter about super soldier muscles and how they should be licked. (Kicked, he corrected belatedly, and Steve covered his mouth to smother the laugh it almost surprised out of him.)

“That okay, doll?” Bucky asked, holding him up in case he needed to move him.

Tony, to his credit, shifted his legs speculatively. “Yeah,” he finally decided. “This is fine.”

“Great,” Bucky said, slowly releasing his grip on him, then gave him a smack on the ass. “Alright, Steve, let’s get to it.”

“Ow,” Tony hissed, glaring at him.

Bucky ignored him. “So, first of all, we’re going to make a Lark’s Head knot over his thigh and then immediately reverse tension.”

“Okay,” Steve said obediently, stepping closer to wrap the rope, folded in half, around Tony’s right thigh and just above his ankle. He threaded the ends through the loop and pulled until it was snug, then reversed tension as he’d been told. He glanced up at Tony to see if he needed reassurance, especially if he was still salty about the slap to the ass, but Tony was already doing those slow, syrupy blinks again. He turned his gaze to Bucky, raising his eyebrows.

Bucky reached out with two fingers to test how tight the rope was. “That’s good,” he decided. “Wrap the rope around his leg a few more times. You need at least eighteen inches left. Dress it,” he added sharply as Steve went automatically for a second and third loop around Tony’s folded leg. “You want them to have even tension. Skill over speed. If they’re uneven, it could hurt him.”

“Okay,” Steve said again, unlooping one round so he could make sure the ropes were uniform. He wrapped the rope again, glancing up at Bucky for approval. Once he received a satisfied nod, he returned his attention to the rope, wrapping it back around Tony’s leg two, three, four times before he had a little more than eighteen inches of slack left. He looked up at Bucky again.

Bucky leaned over to be able to look his work over and nodded again. “Good. Okay, now reach through the bight, grab the tail, and pull through.”

“The bight,” Steve repeated, turning his gaze back on the ropes. After a moment, he figured out what Bucky meant, where he’d slipped the tail through the first loop and cinched tight. He wriggled two fingers through it, biting his tongue to keep from grimacing. That part he’d have to fix on Tony’s other leg, fingers feeling thick and unwieldy as he struggled to get them through. Finally, though, he was able to grasp enough of the rope to pull it through the loop. He made sure it was snug but not too snug.

“Now separate the strands,” Bucky directed over his shoulder. “And run each strand around both sides of the cords.”

Steve followed the directions obediently, then sat back on his heels, blinking. “This is just a double column.”

“Yup,” Bucky said, popping the P. “But I wanted to do it step by step just to make sure you had it. You’ve never frog tied someone whose safety you cared about.”

“I’ve never frog tied anyone,” Steve began indignantly.

“Anyway,” Bucky continued, ignoring him with a shrug. “You’ll finish off with a square knot. Usually, you’ll twist the cords so that the knot is on whichever side of his leg that Tony won’t be able to get to easily, but since his arms are gonna be bound, too, it doesn’t really matter this time.”

“Uh-huh,” Steve agreed, giving Bucky some semi-lethal side-eye, then returned his attention to Tony’s leg. He decided to tie the square knot on the outside of Tony’s leg, just for ease. Tony tended to try to close his legs when he was overwhelmed, and he didn’t want to have to pull Tony’s legs apart at the end of their play in case it caused him extra stress. He tightened the knot, then sat back, allowing Bucky to inspect it in its entirety.

Bucky leaned in to tug at the rope, the loops around his legs and the knot, then couldn’t help an amused snort. “It’s perfect. I dunno why I’m surprised.”

Steve looked up at Tony, smiling. “How’s that, sweetheart,” he began, then swallowed thickly when he realized Tony’s eyes were closed, lips parted to suck in slow, soft breaths to center himself. “Tony?”

“Mm,” Tony offered, then visibly forced his eyes open with a sharp intake of air. “Good,” he managed after breathing deeply a few times.

“Fuck,” Steve breathed, and he felt Bucky’s flesh hand clasp his shoulder in agreement.

“Alright,” Bucky began, then took a deep breath. “Do the other leg, then we’ll focus on the box tie.”

Steve rested his hand on the lines of rope around Tony’s thigh, taking a moment to just stroke his thumb over them, then sucked in a deep breath and turned, grabbing the second coil of rope with shaking hands. It was quick work to get the second tie done. It was a simple tie, and Tony was a perfect subject, sitting still and allowing Steve to work. The most difficult thing about it was that Steve kept glancing up every time his eyes caught movement, just so he could watch Tony’s eyes flutter as he tried to keep them open, and even then, he could feel his way through the tie.

“This one looks good, too,” Bucky said, tugging at the knot just to make sure, before he clapped his hands on Steve’s shoulders and forced him to stand up. “Walk the room. You’re sinking, too.”

Steve reluctantly took a few steps away from the bed, then took another deep breath and focused on pacing the room once, twice. He felt jittery. He’d been losing the feeling in his legs, he realized, and hadn’t even noticed, so focused on Tony as he was. He tried to shake the nervous energy from his hands as he turned to make another pass through the room. He needed to be at his best. The ties Bucky had chosen were simple, but he wanted to make sure Bucky could find no fault in them. Wanted to make sure he didn’t do anything that could make Tony rise from where he was falling. Wanted to make sure both of them were pleased with his work.

Wanted to show Tony that he could be trusted with this.

“Okay, I think everyone’s ready to continue,” Bucky said, kindly, as if Steve wasn’t aware that it was mostly for him. He turned and carefully propped Tony into a better position. “How you doin’, doll?”

“Good,” Tony said, a little faster and clearer than earlier.

Steve felt himself relaxing a little. Tony had needed the break too. He took the last coil of rope into his hands, feeling how smooth and slick it was, then approached Tony again. “Okay. That’s good, Tony. Do you think you can go on?”

Tony offered him a faint smile, hands smoothing over the ropes around his thighs, before he carefully twisted his hands behind his back. “I’m ready.”

“Good boy,” Bucky purred, though which one of them he was talking to, they couldn’t say. He crawled around Tony so he could see what he was working with. “Okay, we’re going to start with a single column cuff around both wrists. Then we’re gonna pull the tail up to one shoulder. Just pick one, it doesn’t matter.”

Steve began tying Tony’s wrists, quick, efficient, as if he was tying up an AIM agent or Hydra captive. He belatedly remembered to dress the rope, so the loops fell uniform and even, fingers picking at the cuff until he was satisfied with the length of rope taut in his hand. He wasn't tying up an AIM agent or Hydra captive. He was tying up Tony, and he cared about his comfort. He decided on pulling the tail up to Tony’s right shoulder. He looked at Bucky for the next step.

“Okay, now we’re going to pull it over his shoulder and across his chest so it’s under the opposite arm and to the back,” Bucky directed simply. “Then you’re gonna pull it through your cuff.”

Steve wondered if there were special tools for people with fat fingers as he struggled to get one through the cuff. He’d done it up too tightly again, apparently. Bucky didn’t help him, though, which he appreciated; he wanted to do this himself. Finally, he got one finger through, hooked the tail of the rope with it, and drew it back, free hand working to make the ropes uniform again as he tightened his grip on the tail.

“Alright, you’re doin’ real good,” Bucky praised, and Steve couldn’t help the pride that swelled in him, even if it turned out it was supposed to be directed at Tony. “Now run it up to the other shoulder, good. Across the chest and under the opposite armpit, then back through the cuff—Good. Around his upper arm and across his chest, right under his pecs, then around the opposite bicep, and—that’s lookin’ great Steve. Take a minute, because this is where the tie gets difficult.”

Steve felt the smile drop off from his face. Of course. There was no way this tie could be as simple as the frog one. Too many moving pieces. He took a moment to breathe in, deep and steady, then let the breath back out slowly. If he could follow Bucky’s directions, it would almost certainly be fine. Bucky had had confidence that he’d be able to do this, and Tony had been game enough to be his model. If they believed in him, he could too.

Bucky was patient as he explained the next steps, coaxing him through threading the tail of the rope and reaching out with gentle fingers to dress his rope for him. He breathed through fucking up the cinch around one of Tony’s arms, carefully guiding the rope back until Bucky could explain in more detail what to do. Tony remained patient and quiet as he worked, breathing deeply, the only real show of impatience a careful flexing of his hand that went quickly still as Steve fixed the way the ropes were lying on his chest.

“Alright,” Bucky said, and Steve waited for him to continue, the ends of the surgeon’s knot still in his fingers.

When he didn’t, Steve blinked, once, hard, then exhaled as if it had been punched out of him and actually took in the ropes in his hands. Oh. Bucky had said it with finality. He was finished. Steve let go of the rope and instead put his hands in his lap, curling and uncurling his fingers as he took in the way the red jute twisted around itself, sleek and shiny, around Tony’s arms and back. He swallowed thickly, eyes taking in every detail, because he wanted to sketch it later, the way the ropes dug into his skin, how the shadows of the loose rope played over his tan flesh. He wanted Tony to sit on his face, helpless to resist, until Steve decided he was good and ready to be done.

“Let’s show Steve the front, doll,” Bucky urged gently, grabbing Tony under the arms and lifting him off the mattress to turn him around.

Steve almost swallowed his tongue. Suddenly he understood why Bucky had looked so smug when he’d decided on which ties to walk him through. The back was intricate, would give him a challenge to sketch, but the front… it was simple, a pass around each shoulder like a halter top, two passes around his chest to make a triangle with his reactor as the focal point. The way the cords around Tony’s rib cage pulled tight under his pecs, it made them look perkier than they normally did, especially with the blue glow from the reactor casting shadows under the ropes. He wanted to bite them, feel the give of flesh under his teeth.

Wanted to sketch them even more, fingers itching to grasp his charcoals and scratch it out onto paper, so he could look at it whenever he wanted.

“Look at your pretty little rope bunny,” Bucky cooed, smoothing his fingers over the ropes slowly, so Tony twitched at every pull his fingers might cause. Once he’d passed over the last coil, he slid his hands down Tony’s sides to rest on his hips. “So sweet and perfect for us.”

“Yeah,” Steve croaked, eyes tracking up and down his body from the ropes around his chest down to his thighs. Tony was so helpless, at their mercy, and he still blinked at them with soft eyes and total trust.

Bucky glanced back and forth between them, at Tony’s open expression and whatever the fuck Steve’s face was doing. Finally, he said, “I’m gonna sit him on my cock and bounce him on it while you sketch him.”

“Okay,” Steve answered, as if it was punched out of him. He was glad that Bucky was taking the reins, though. He had been okay just staring, looking his fill, but he knew that Tony would eventually feel self-conscious, even if he did feel good right now.

Bucky stared at him a little longer, then waved his hand in a shooing motion. “Go sit at your easel.”

“Okay,” Steve said again, stood there like an idiot for a moment longer, then finally managed to make his body move. He sat down at the stool he’d brought in, then looked back at them. “Can I have Tony sit on my face after?”

“…Yeah?” Bucky answered, brows furrowing together in concern, then tipped Tony back so he could meet his eyes. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Tony agreed dreamily.

Steve snapped the first piece of charcoal he grabbed in half, knowing that Bucky was never going to let him live this down, even if Tony assured him that it had been sweet and flattering.

#aurumacadicus writes #pride pockets #kink edition #stuckony #lemon

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phasebun · 7 days

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Hello hello! I feel like you’re the right person to ask about this cause you could give me some motivation and good advice maybe? Anyway, I have two OC’s in bg3. The first one is a female and she’s the dark urge, then I have another one that i haven’t created yet but i’m planning for this one to be her love interest; so I wanna swap out one of the companions and redo them, into my male oc, so I can get kissing scenes between my two oc’s. Does that makes sense? I’m just like, idk, worried, that people will dislike me for it, for not pairing my durge with any companion or npc in the game :((( just love to create fictional original characters. Idk where i’m going with this, but do you think i should do it or should i do like most people, pair my durge with for example Astarion instead? Dont wanna get hate :(( thank you.

Hiii!! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ ) I must apologize if this does not help or comfort lol I can only give advice from my perspective :x sorry for the long answer!

You make perfect sense lol that’s literally what I do, with all four companions more often than not LOL!! And have been doing a bit less than a year ngl ^^ BG3 is a tool in my eyes, in many ways. I find it fun, writing and bringing life to an entire crew, shaping their lives and “being” myself. To be honest, there may be people putting assumptions on the “why” you’ve swapped a companion. They may assume it’s a deeper meaning when in reality, you’re just trying to have your characters in action. Don’t let that get to you! You know what they say about assumptions ;) lmao. Personally, the negative reactions I’ve received over the months are from “trolls” posting psychological attacks, as well as a few that have more personal issues with me/what I’m doing. (Tbh, I consider all hate mail and unwarranted malicious acts to another as internal problems the person needs to work on themselves, but can't/lack the ability to do so.....but that's online spaces for you. Sitting behind a screen is like liquid courage to MANY, MANY people) I’m here to tell you if it happens, you’re human, it might sting, but don’t let someone else’s personal issues cause you to toss it all away and just stop!! Unfortunately negativity runs rampant in online spaces, if it happens once, I'm sorry, it could happen again. Never let another have so much control over you, that you stop though!

If you love your charas and truly want to flesh them out, you might need to take a bit away from the negativity but don’t stop. You could create while taking a moment away! I’ve had interactions that made me create and not be bothered posting to the online world. Vibe out, don’t let them into your head…at least not for too long. That’s what negative people want, to try and cause you to stop! Like you said, you love creating, don’t let someone else’s dark cloud latch on to you!!! Never let someone else stop you from doing what you enjoy! If you get hate, or deal with something less than positive, protect your peace. Always. Block them asap!

Pairing your durge with a canon character truly, mostly, garners more interactions due to others understanding said canon chara already. (I've lurked before really diving into things, I noticed the way things were lol) Doing so initially can build a following faster. As you’re fleshing your characters out, others are learning about your characters along with you! For me, I knew people would see a gang of my own original characters and be confused to what’s happening. It reminds me of something I saw and it had a person confused with a piece of art that had a random character who was with the canon charas and they go “oh, it’s their tav” lol

I’m here to tell you once you start, no matter how it may seem, you aren’t alone. A ton of engagement or not. It might feel a bit lonely, but that’s when engaging with the community a bit comes in handy. ^^ The more you create, especially consistently, the more others are seeing it and connecting with both you AND your charas. It's a slower process, but don't let that discourage you ^^

Ofc!! ദ്ദി ˉ͈̀꒳ˉ͈́ ) ♡ any time! Hope I've helped!!

#anon #trust me--the stories I could tell LMAO #NEVER let someone stop you!! I know it can be scary #but posting anything you make is a bit daunting #so--JUST DO IT ^^#I have posts that took a lot of time to do with minimal or zero “likes”--still made something to post the next day/later lmaoo #and that's not just here on Tumblr #trust me--ppl might be nasty online #but damn sure are diff offline lmao would bet hella money on that--so I say fuck em'#also-DON'T wait to block #block ASAP-from experience lmaoo

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kdinjenzen · 2 years

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I hope this is alright to ask, but do you have any advice on staying motivated and persevering in what you want to do?

I’ve graduated college and been trying to work my way into the art industry and as a content creator but it feels like it’s hopeless for me. Like I can’t keep up with how fast social media moves, I can’t get engagement no matter how much I try to put myself out there, and it feels like no one is ever going to give me a chance for a job. I know being patient and humble, and you should make things for yourself, I appreciate the little engagements that I do get with all my heart. And I would never give up doing what I love but I just feel like I’m never going to get anywhere and sometimes think “what’s the point?”.

I feel like it’s important to say that I legitimately never expected to be here, and I say that with all the confusion and weight that those words have come to mean in the heaviest of ways.

I spent my childhood trying to be everything my family expected of me.

I spent my late teens alone, confused, poor, and afraid.

I spent my early 20’s questioning who I am and being afraid of the people around me because the thought “what if they found out” haunted my every moment.

And I spent my late 20’s devoting my time to people and groups and companies who used me as a shield and left me to suffer every chance they got.

I was going through all this while also thinking all the same things you are now.

“Everything is going too fast. I can’t keep up. Why isn’t what I’m doing good enough? Is there something wrong with me? Will I ever be good enough for anything or any one? Is this what my success is? Is this family? Is this all I’ll be allowed? What am I even doing? Can I even survive?”

And here’s the thing… I have like… 30k whatever followers here on Tumblr, I have nearly 60k followers on Twitter, a bunch on Instagram… and somehow when I do things FOR ME to be CREATIVE like streaming on Twitch? I’m barely hitting 40ish viewers at a time on a GOOD day.

On a logical level it looks like almost no one cares, and it’s just a small group of people who are coming to support me every stream, which is the thing I do to be creative for myself.

But it’s a perspective thing, so let’s shift that.

Imagine being in a room with 20 people and every single one of them wants to talk to YOU and JUST YOU! You’re their focus! They are there specifically for YOU!

That’s what it is really.

And that translates to every medium of creating content.

The internet is such a weird and wonderful and awful thing.

We can instantly connect and be connected and be surrounded by people who WANT to be around us… and yet somehow feel like we are alone, or the amount of people isn’t enough, or that we’ve failed.

So here’s the deal with ME:

I am not a success. I am not “doing amazingly” in any aspect of my content creative path OR professional path. I am moving slower and having more difficulty on average than most do.

But I am finally enjoying my life. I am enjoying what I create. I’m enjoying the room of people who I’m surrounded by, even if it is small.

I create because I LOVE.

Even with my many failures, my lack of success, my small numbers in my real personal creative avenues…

I create… because I love.

I want to bring joy, to bring hope, to bring happiness, to bring a small moment of laughter in a ocean of darkness that often surrounds us… even if it’s to just ONE person.

And that’s the point, the purpose of it all.

At least for me.

#kdin #ask me anything #kdin jenzen #kdinjenzen #anonymous #anon #ama

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tortoisebore · 1 year

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silly question, maybe, and I'm asking it anon because I don't want you to feel obligated /at all/ to answer (or to feel pressured to read my fic, lol) but.

my question is, how do you deal with the "pressure" of posting on ao3? I reckon for you it can be quite a lot of pressure to have so many people reading your fic / waiting anxiously for new chapters, and feeling that pressure when you're writing.

for me it's kind of the opposite - I post my stuff publically to ao3 but I barely get any hits/kudos/comments, which I know isn't the be-all-end-all of fic writing (I loooove fic writing and would continue to do it either way for my own enjoyment) but it can feel a bit daunting sometimes to post something and not feel insane pressure to /live up to high standards/.

like, I'm not delusional (most of the time), I won't be the next zeppazariel or moonymoment or whatever, but it does feel like a lot of pressure to write something PERFECT in order to be "allowed" on ao3 and receive comments and feedback and word of mouth, you know?

idk this became really rambly but I just figured you might have some good insights into this as you /seem/ really smart and I value your thoughts? anyway hope you're having a good day x

hi!! this is NOT a silly question 🫶 i’m speaking from my own experience so please take it all with a grain of salt and know that those feelings of pressure and discouragement and that need to meet a certain standard are reeeeaalllll and we all feel that at some point when doing anything in the realm of creativity

i have a very specific mindset when it comes to not just writing, but literally everything i create. i went to an art school and had all of my work ripped to shreds in public critique from age 17 on, so i built a very thick skin early and learned to separate myself from my artwork and designs. it sounds very cold, but it was/is necessary in my career and i’m thankful for it now!

all that to say i’ve carried pieces of that mindset into my creative hobbies. when i do something like write fic or make art just for the sake of making something, i’m coming at it from a place of “this is for me and me only.” i don’t find myself looking to other people for confirmation that i’m doing well because if i’m enjoying what i’m doing, that’s all that matters!

i feel like it sounds kind of arrogant to say this, but because of that, i don’t feel pressure surrounding writing fic. i write when i want, i write what i want to see, and no amount of comments asking for updates is going to change my process or make me feel guilty for taking “too long” between updates. i have a whole entire life outside of this (as do you!) and for the most part people understand that you’re a person with a hobby just trying to do something fun.

i’ve also been in fandom spaces since i was a very young teenager and i feel very familiar with the way people act surrounding fic and fic authors, so i knew what i was getting myself into when i posted the first chapter. i expected it to not be seen by many people, i expected negative comments, and i expected lots of backlash about the story not being finished when it was posted (for some reason people hate wips now????). i just got extremely lucky that someone liked it enough to post about it on tiktok, and then on twitter, and it took off from there.

i also don’t really keep track of hits/kudos other than getting the kudos emails (but i do read every single comment i get on ao3!). those numbers don’t mean much in the grand scheme of things and i try not to let them get into my head when i’m writing. i’ve also been extremely lucky in that i think i’ve had one singular kind of negative comment on the entire thing?? and it was someone that just didn’t seem happy with the slower pace of the story. i was able to look at that and be like “great, it’s my story and i don’t care <3” and move on from it quickly.

i know that this is not a universal feeling and that most people do not feel this lack of pressure and anxiety surrounding posting their work. i have such a specific set of experiences that’s led me to this level of comfort surrounding sharing my creative endeavors, and i know it’s probably not helpful to hear, but that’s how my brain has worked behind the scenes about this!

if i had any actual helpful tips to give, i think the biggest one would be to write from a place of self-indulgence! you’re going to be most passionate when you’re writing things for you, and that’s going to come through in your work. other people are out there looking for the exact things you want to write, they just haven’t found it yet.

((also use ao3 tags liberally 🫶))

this was so so so rambly and probably not very helpful i’m sorry fhfhffhfjfh if you ever want to talk more pls dm me or send another ask if u want to stay anonymous!! 💕💞✨🫶

#u ask tortoise answers #anon #i’m so so sorry this got so long and weird #i also have lots of thoughts about ‘celebrity’ fic writers #and how fandom culture surrounding fic authors as shifted so much since the pandemic #but that’s a topic for a dm i think

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inventors-fair · 1 year

Text

Basically, here are our winners this week! ~

Congratulations to @helloijustreadyourpost, @i-am-the-one-who-wololoes, and @snugz for winning this week's contest!

@helloijustreadyourpost — Urborg’s Descent

There are a lot of great cards to talk about this week, and this one is just plain elegant. I agonized a little near the end of my selection process, but thinking about the world, about the way that these cards play out, and the limited/constructed applications, I had to conclude that this card is just pretty darn great. Milling and losing life isn’t the greatest four-drop ETB you could ask for, but the eventual downfall being super-Mutilate is just about worth it. This card’s worded spectacularly, which is good to see, and it’s for sure a control-oriented and slower card.

I do really enjoy the flavor progression that’s both straightforward, sensible, and powerful. You have the sinking into the mire, the flooding of black mana and death, and the necromancy that arose from its sinking. Selective exile is great, untapped Zombies is great, and you know what, this card could be fantastically annoying in a mono-black deck or a deck with swamp types, so I’m all for it. DMU duals especially make this one a fun little treat in that meta, heh. So you know what? Well-won. I especially appreciate the attention to wording on a fairly complicated card.

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes — Waves’ Rising

This card, man. I feel some sense of modernity that’s hard to explain here, but this is quite a powerful card and I would hate to be on the other side of the table. Looking at it more, I wish it would work just as well as a sorcery, but you and I both know that it doesn’t. This is an instant-speed horror that is a game blowout if anyone can use it. Limited-wise, I don’t think anyone’s going to be forcing it, but you never know. Constructed-wise, whoof, someone will have fun with their duals here. What a card.

Your art direction and flavor text are pretty spot-on, too. These sailors are lost at sea, and perhaps they were lost at sea to the people waiting for them, too, and this card serves as a warning. The camera angle of the art direction implies a really awesome piece too! It’s worldless and that’s totally fine—krakens are everywhere. All in all, the bounce and potential 6/6 is a swell idea, the limits are reasonable, the late-game style is great, and I just really love this card’s vibe! Good power sensibility here.

@snugz — Necromancer’s Apotheosis

I grok this card. Does everyone? Perhaps not, but that’s fine. The limits here are intended to be a little convoluted and I totally feel that. Once you get it, though—for anyone reading this that’s not there, really imagine the game state and the balance you can make from this. It’s a fantastically head-scratching card that asks the most from MTG players that they could possibly put into it. Limited all-star, constructed...maybe, commander self-mill for sure. And weirdos will try to make it happen because it’s fun to do so.

Once you make the deck right, it’s definitely a get-rid-of-this-or-I-win card. A few Swamps and a lotta self-mill means that this baby regulates itself. But things have to die to make sure the triggers still happen, and you have to watch your drops, and this is a tricky tricky card that can really gum up the board if you’re not careful. I would have LOVED to play this card last night at FNM. All that aside, I do want to point out that the name’s a bit of a bugbear. “Necropotheosis” would be fun but somehow worse. Still, who am I to judge double-turn possible-amazing reanimation? I’m gonna get eight swamps, nine creatures in the graveyard, and reanimate Atraxa.

Runners and more soon!

#mtg #magic the gathering #custom magic card #basic type contest #winners #commentary #inventor's fair

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thefanciestborrower · 2 years

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Saw that character asks post, and now I gotta know more about these lads!

May I perhaps ask 1 and 12 to Ben,

And 1, 7, and 14 to James?

Also, I’m very curious if #84 had any special significance, and why you chose it!

Ben:

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself!

Sup guys! I’m Ben, and I’m one of the craziest people you’re ever likely to meet. No really, I’m pretty sure I am. I mean, not many other guys would be willing to sing on a table in front of all their friends or dive down a giant’s throat, and therefor that makes me special. I love acting, gaming, and hey if you’ve got YouTube then you should totally check out my stuff because I am ALWAYS looking to up that follower count. It’s mostly original shorts and things, but I think if enough people start spreading my work I could really make it big. What else what else...oh! I can play harmonica, which is a skill few have mastered and I am very proud of it.

12. What’s your favorite part of being nommed?

Well what’s not to like! I mean, sure some of my friends think I’m a bit weird for enjoying it so much, but I think they’re secretly just jealous I’ve got the best spot to nap and play splatoon between classes. It’s warm, soft, and call me crazy, but even the slime is pretty fun once you get used to it. Plus I get to mess with James and listen, seeing how embarrassed I can get him with a few simple little pokes to his stomach is always a highlight of my day.

James:

1. Alright, pred, tell us a little bit about yourself!

Hey everyone, my name is James, and I guess the most interesting thing about me is that I play football. It’s...more of a hobby than anything really, but I love the exercise and it’s a great way to make friends. My favorite thing to do if I ever end up with some free time though is taking care of my plants. It’s a little silly and boring sounding maybe, but for me it’s also very relaxing. Which I think is important you know? I mean, I like hanging out with my friends, but I need my alone time as well from time to time. I also really like cooking and eating new foods. Again, that’s also more of a hobby than something serious, but there’s just something so fun about creating, well, art, with something most people take for granted.

7. How does your favorite prey react to being eaten?

Oh, you mean Ben? He’s practically crawled down my throat on multiple occasions and I think that about sums up how he feels about the whole process. He’s pretty wiggly too, and while I’d be lying if I said the movement didn’t feel nice, sometimes it makes him a little hard to swallow. Mm, he’s also loud. Like, really loud. The second he realizes he’s about to be eaten he either launches into extremely dramatic ‘oh woe is me’ mode, or starts cackling like a madman. Not great for when I’m trying to avoid attention I’ll say that much. Even after I’ve got him down he practically never stops moving or talking, even in his sleep, and it can be pretty distracting when I’m trying to study. Would not recommend eating him before a test I’ll say that much.

14. When being a pred, do you take your time? Or do you like to hurry the process along?

Well, I suppose I tend to take my time. That is, I don’t really like to eat someone as fast as possible often. I’ve done it before of course for games and such, but sometimes that means they’ll get stuck or I end up with a sore throat, and it just...isn’t a fun experience. But I definitely eat faster than some other friends of mine, so maybe I’m somewhere in the middle? It’s hard to say. I do enjoy savoring Ben in particular when I can though. He tastes so good and...gosh this is embarrassing, but sometimes I’ll get cravings specifically for him you know? And when that happens I definitely go a lot slower than normal.

Okay okay now get ready for this dump of American football knowledge I gained through my extensive hour of research lol and my reasoning behind choosing #84 for James’s jersey.

So apparently, those numbers on the players jerseys actually tell you what position they play! I thought it was like, idk, a way to keep track of how many people you had in the whole team or something hwjhfdhbd but NO!

Anyways after talking with a friend of mine who is very knowledgeable about the physical attributes you need for different sports ball positions, we decided James is a tight end. Basically, in the most basic terms possible, they’re the players that are big enough to block linebackers and defensive ends but athletic enough to run fast and catch passes. They also tend to be on the taller side. So the number on his jersey is basically just there to tell you what he plays

I think there was some change that happened in 2021 that redid the number system but honestly I don’t care that much lol. Most stuff said 80-89 is the correct range for a tight end so I went and picked 84. Idk why that number specifically, it just felt nice

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puppytoast · 1 year

Note

has @diurnalcritters helped alleviate the feeling of dissatisfaction you've had with art?

Sorry this is going to get long winded as you’ve struck a thing I’ve had to think a lot about the last year and a half so I have a lot to say LOL. DiurnalCritters is one thing in a long line of things to help me get back to normal, and even better as a person as a whole, after nerve damage I suffered last year.

The TL;DR answer is It’s definitely been one thing has helped yeah. It’s been fun, people enjoy them and send me very kind messages on and off Tumblr about them, and they help me overcome a bit of perfectionism I started developing recently since I have been able to draw more again, and thank you you and everyone that has been supporting me with it! I know it’s different from my usual content.

This is where I start rambling about where the feeling started and how I am still overcoming things in full, but it’s all pretty personal gushy stuff so no hard feelings if it’s not read but It’s been cathartic to write out:

In early 2021 I suffered some minor nerve damage that caused me to not be able to draw for about 6 months and still to this day I occasionally get pain from it. According to clinical tests it healed well over a year ago, so i’ve attributed it to phantom pain and the majority of it just being in my head. It really only crops up when I think about it too much and when I am trying to force myself to work on things when i’m feeling particularly rusty that day, and it never gets worse even when I push through it. (I can feel it very minorly as I type this lol) I’m at the point where I have just considered it a traumatic experience that left me struggling to pick up drawing completely again despite desperately wanting to, because deep down I am afraid of not being able to do this anymore. It’s the thing I am most passionate about and enjoy doing, and makes up a huge portion of who I am and what I care about. So being faced with the very real “if you don’t let this heal, you could damage it further and never be able to work again” broke something in my brain and caused a lot of other unrelated problems as well.

Not being able to draw for a significant amount of time left me incredibly depressed and when I still couldn’t even come up with ideas and was still dealing with pain, despite being okayed that the nerve had been healed, that depression got even worse. I chalked a lot up to dissatisfaction and brainrot and not really knowing what was wrong and being very distressed about it all. I ended up having to seek therapy and that has been very helpful and has gotten me to get better at managing some personal issues and be able to handle this entire situation better. I’ve started expanding my horizons and going outside of my comfort zone on things like volunteering at the local zoo and finally being convinced to join a TTRPG game (maybe even a second one soon), which gave me Tetra, who I had and have clung to as an anchor and who has become immensely important to me as something I was able to be creative with even in a time where creativity simply refused to come to me. She is an extension of myself and has also helped me with other long standing social and anxiety issues I’ve had that it would be an entire other long post to ramble about so I’ll stop myself there lmao.

Managing a lot of other problems and experiencing new things has helped me get the creative streak back, and while I am still slower than I would like to be, it is definitely getting better, and the recognition of what is wrong and taking steps to work towards overcoming it does very much help. I started getting into a bit of a perfectionist streak with commissionwork causing it to take twice as long as I really like it to, and DiurnalCritters has also been a very good overcoming of that problem in the shape of making me have to just get something simple down without thinking about it too hard, and even with DiurnalCritters I do still have that problem on occasion, but it is also getting better as I remind myself to recognize when it’s happening and just get whatever down and move onto my day.

I’ve been drawing WAY more recently again, and I’m feeling the best I have in a long time about creating, and i’m just very glad because I was terrified I would never get back to this point again.

Thanks if you read this long self-reflection.

#puppy poops #ask #oct2pus #ive always found the best way to get around mental blocks is to just try new things #and this entire experience ive had to go through has definitely further cemented that in my belief system lol #just have to keep trying things and eventually something will work #even if it takes way longer than you want it to #I am still slowly recovering but I am definitely recovering #and thats the important part

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razglowe · 2 years

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I’M BACK

I’m going into detail on why I’m back (tl;dr - boobies unbanned, was locked out of account for over 2 years, and Twitter is now on fire), but just know that:

a) I’m back and active! And; b) My username is changing! I’m Razglowe from here on out

Detail below, but expect activity once again! Genuinely so happy to be back

“Alright Ra, talk - you were so against Tumblr when you left! Why are you back?”

La Tiddy Like, for dead serious for one reason - artistic expression of the human form was banned. This is a huuuuuge no-no for me. I came to Tumblr for art and - while I don’t post the nude human form - I saw it as a huge attack on the community here. I was also trying to stand with SWers as much as I could. At the end of the day though, it’s sadly a losing battle for Tumblr (thanks Apple). Seeing they have at least made the human form not prohibited is enough of a reason for me to come back. Remember guys, SW is work and I do hope one day there’ll be less scorn around the profession. Unbanning the lady nip was my huge line to come back. And so... yeah, the second I heard that it was unbanned I went “that’s it, it’s a sign that I can return”.

“Fuck I lost my keys” When I locked the door behind me with my Tumblr account, I put on 2FA to make sure it didn’t get hacked. Through a series of boring events, I upgraded my phone (fine), changed my phone number (not-so-fine) and lost my handwritten 2FA backup codes (VERY not fine). I’ve been trying to get access back for 2 years! Learn from my mistakes folks - always make sure you have a secure location for these things, and possible put it down in 2 real life spaces, not just a digital sapce. It’s a nightmare to recover otherwise. The new “Account Recovery” form is what saved me (and a huge HUGE thanks to Tumblr’s staff for helping me!) and helped verify my information. I’ve got protections back up but it should be less of a hassle if it ever happens again.

This Bird is on Fire That wee little blue elephant in the room - Twitter. I was semi-active on Twitter for the past few years and enjoyed myself (as you do). However, I honestly missed Tumblr a lot. And I was on pins and needles waiting for the day I could come back here. Art and fandom really thrive here for me, more than it ever did on Twitter. And I couldn’t really gel with Twitter as much outside it being a chat hole for me and my friends. But still, I wanted to stick by my one rule on the lady tiddy. Turns out everything kinda lined up with each other? So that’s fantastic news for me! (And for anyone else who is keen to see me back on here active again).

I’m sure things will be slower compared to pre-2018 and a lot of the people following me are probably inactive now, but I don’t mind. I’m just more here for the fun, the vibes, and just sharing fun stuff.

I’ll also loop everyone in on what I’ve been up to soon! I’m so excited with where things are heading in life right now.

In the mean time I’m going to clean up a bit and clean house before I start posting more. I’ve also started to diversify on where I am (CoHost, Mastodon, TikTok, and might try to revive my Instagram a bit more), but I do best with text and pictures and nothing will really change that. I’ll make a pinned with everything once I’m done! (Also I might still be on Twitter. Maybe. I just want to point and laugh if it becomes unusable)

So happy to see you all again, so glad I’m back ❤️

#returning #technically as a Twitter user you are all permitted to throw one (1) tomato #That being said I don't think I ever stopped using Twitter like Tumblr so hopefully it'll be a more natural fit!#twitter #twitter exodus #twitter returner #ex-twitter user

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wenloggd · 1 month

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Dave the Diver Review - 08/04/2024

A charming pixel diving/restaurant management title packed with spirited characters and an engaging narrative.

Review contains very minor spoilers: plot points from Chapters 1-3, content shown in trailers, and (non-hidden) achievement descriptions

Read it on Backloggd, or click to read here VVV

Jumping off the back of my DREDGE playthrough, I decided to pick up another aquatic adventure – this time, one a bit more calming than a horror title. I’d heard nothing but good things about Dave the Diver since its launch but kept away from spoilers (or any content at all, really, as I didn't even watch the trailers) so I could go in blind when the time came to play it myself. This turned out to be a great call, as I could never have expected what I thought to be a simple restaurant management game with a deep-sea twist to instead centre itself on a quest to locate and save an ancient race of seafolk... a revelation which happens pretty much right at the beginning!

This is a game so packed full of content I’m not even sure where to begin. The gameplay loop is satisfying and fun, if a little infuriating at times – I’ve been locked in a corner and mauled by a shark more times than I can count. Aside from the occasional unfair game over, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in the Giant Blue Hole. There’s an incredible density of content, ranging from simple upgrades to creature collecting, to farm management, to a range of minigames – including a Tamagotchi and a rhythm game! It may seem overwhelming at first glance, especially looking at the game from afar, but it’s all introduced at a very fair pace, with ample time for the player to get used to new mechanics before the next one is introduced. The pacing of the story is also well thought-out, as VIP customers and party events encourage you to spend time away from the main story to collect ingredients off the beaten path. This simulates a much greater passage of time than if one were to ignore all these incredibly lucrative events and blaze through the main storyline with reckless abandon. I took noticeably longer to beat this game than most, as my avid completionist mindset led me to completing as much side content as I possibly could before progressing the main story (my hubris, which naturally leads me to complete games slower than a monkey on a typewriter). I rolled the credits at around 33 hours, with 35/48 achievements under my belt. I decided to write this review prior to achieving 100%, as I didn’t want the tedium of grinding optional achievements to lower my rating of an otherwise wonderful game.

On the subject of achievements, most are easily attainable if you take your time. The grinding only comes into play for a select few: Strange Fish (at least 5 in-game weeks after unlocking FishMon), GYAO! Master (Several in-game weeks after unlocking GYAO!), and Catman (20 in-game days, provided you have the required items). Arguably the restaurant-related achievements could be considered grindy as well if you’re delegating your funds to other things, like iDiver or the farm. All they really require is money, which isn’t difficult to get – especially when you’ve finished the game and have enough ingredients stocked up to justify skipping to the evening for a few days straight. This is all to say that, while there is some grinding required for 100%, Dave the Diver does have mercy on the player. There is no achievement attached to catching every possible fish (boss fish aside), nor is there an achievement for winning every seahorse race. These would be welcome achievements for try-hard completionists like me, but to the average player they would just end up being a nuisance.

The graphics are absolutely gorgeous. I’ve always been a fan of pixel art, being an occasional pixel artist myself, but this game takes it to a whole new level. It’s a unique art style I’ve not seen anywhere else, and the intricately animated and dynamic cutscenes are always a joy to watch; the semi-realistic art style and minimalist shading really cements the style as unique and expressive, while (hopefully) not making it too arduous a process for the animators. I adore the practically seamless combination of 2D sprites with 3D environments and entities (eg. larger fish like sharks). The subtle chromatic aberration underwater definitely adds to this effect, and makes the environment seem all that more unusual and intriguing. Fantastic art direction – I genuinely can’t get enough of it!

In conclusion, Dave the Diver is a fantastic casual game with stunning pixel graphics, and bucketloads of love poured into it by the developers. The gameplay loop is simple and satisfying, and it never gets boring thanks to the side content spicing it up at every turn. I had a blast playing through it, and though I don’t see myself restarting from scratch anytime soon, I absolutely anticipate returning to the game to chase my last few missing achievements. Despite its minor controversies last year, it holds up as a fab title I would definitely recommend trying out. 8/10.

#review #game review #dave the diver #dave the diver review #backloggd #8/10 #completed

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mojavepumpkin · 1 month

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3/29/24

today has been good. we got out early at school, i’m not sure why we went. when i drove home i drove fast, i felt good. sometimes when i drive fast it makes me feel like my mind is going slower than normal. like maybe the weight that usually lives within me is gone and i can live without it for a moment, slow down and breathe. maybe in outrunning myself i can catch up to the real me.

art was good, R and A left, though, i wished they had stayed because i enjoy talking to them. idk. it was a good day i think. all i know is that im tired. maybe as soon as i stop feeling something im not sure if i felt it at all. or maybe the emptiness that i feel after im really happy is evidence, or maybe emptiness is all i got and now that im not distracted i notice it better.

i saw a bald eagle today. i wonder if they feel the same way about something the way we do about them, we stopped our car and turned around just to see better. if an eagle could drive would it stop its car if it saw, say, a moose?

sometimes my heart beats really fast and i get scared, and im not sure what im scared of but i just know that i am. sometimes i tell myself that it’ll go away once something passes, but it doesn’t go away. there’s just a sacredness within myself of something hard to grasp. i just wish i could be seven again. maybe scared isn’t the right word, more so on edge, like in a horror movie when all the music cuts out so you expect something to jump out at you. pensiveness.

pertetual pensiveness provides plenty people pain.

perusing pomegranates, polly paced ‘pon pine planks pondering plainly.

i wonder why alliterating isn’t as popular as rhyming.

i went on the usual walk. i met my parents in town, inadvertently, twice. i would have really preferred to be alone. i like to pretend im someone else, or nobody at all, really. observational but not completely able to be observed. that illusion is shattered upon a look into a reflection, or a conversation with your parents. i wanted to be alone. i ate shawarma on a park bench and thought about how i looked with tzatziki on my face. i wondered why i didn’t ask to eat my food inside the greek place. i got a book, after that. The Catcher In the Rye, i imagine it’s about agriculture and skill positions in baseball. that’s a joke.

i’ve been tired recently, run down feeling. most of the time i want to live IN a moment, rather than living in an endless stream of moments. and trying to stop time is like trying to stop gravity, it just marches forward with the same pace all the time. i want to be a time astronaut, what’s escape velocity for time?

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endthecycle · 7 months

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Indoor person turned runner

As a child, I’ve always wanted to be active and sporty. Maybe not with ball games like Volleyball or Basketball but with Martial Arts. We didn’t have time back then and I never really voiced out about wanting to try sports. So my main activities before were video games, art and music. Very indoor girl. I would go home from school, go straight to the computer or my handheld console and play for the rest of the evening (except when I had homework). I never went outside to play with other children of my age. I was in my very own peaceful world.

Fast forward to present. I am now a runner. Yes, you read that right. But I’m not the speedy runner that you see on TV or the distance runners participating in marathons, just a beginner runner who enjoys running a good few kilometers and joining small races. So what made me go from being a gamer who spent most of my time inside my room to a person who spends most of her leisure time working out and running? Take note, I am bad at being physically active. It’s like my body just accepted that I will be sitting down the chair and stare at the TV with household chores as my only exercise in this lifetime. I finished my studies and got my first job being just that. What changed?

My partner introduced me to running. He and I met when I was a slightly heavier person. Unlike him, I gained weight when I started working so when I gave running a try, it was soooo difficult and felt like punishment. I could only run straight for 200 meters then I would stop, catch my breath and continue again for the next 200 meters. My form and foot strike were also bad that those are enough proof that I spent most of my childhood life indoor and never played tag with other children.

If I’m being honest, trying out a hobby that I am not good at or makes me feel like a loser is not really my thing. I used to hate doing things that I’m not good at. I loved drawing because I was good at it. I loved playing instruments because I learned how to play them fast. Struggling at something was not new but never really my preference. I will either be good at something in a short span of time, be good at it instantly or not do it at all. But running was different. I suck at running (pardon my poor choice of words). I was so bad at it that I almost felt like giving up. “Running is not for me”, “I am not built to be a fit person”. These were the thoughts that rang inside my head for months. Days and months flew by, I started running regularly. There were mornings when I didn’t feel like running. There were so many times when I lost the drive to keep going and I gave in so many times too. It was only this year that I got serious about running. I bought my first ever expensive pair of running shoes. The pair I used to run with was so light that I felt slower when I ran with my new pair. But it motivated me even more simply because I wanted to be faster in that pair and I also wanted to run in this great location covered with trees (but mostly uphill)…or maybe because that pair was expensive, I didn’t want to waste a 7k worth of shoes!

Going back to getting serious, I started signing up on races, earning medals and reaching mini goals that I set for myself. Who would have thought that I could run? Haha! My parents wouldn’t believe that if I told them the first time. This hobby got expensive, I bought nicer workout clothes, 2 new pairs of running shoes for my daily runs and race days and signed up to more races but I’m loving how it transformed me inside and out. Of course I got slimmer after a year of running but most importantly, I learned how to let go of my ego. I will not always be good at something, I have to accept that being a beginner is okay. Struggling is okay. Being bad at something is okay but one can always aspire to overcome their weakness right? I wanted to overcome my weakness. It brings a smile to my face to know that I, who used to be so bad at running, learned to love it through the hardships. I wanted to enjoy the process of being slow and see how far I can go.

To my partner, my heart and my best friend, thank you for joining me on my journey. It amazes me how we are slowly being transformed, individually, from the person that we were, to the “much better” person today and “even more better” version of us that is yet to come. You were also there since day 1, from being my personal coach, photographer, chauffeur, videographer to someone who is running the same race with me. Let’s finish this race together.

#running

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umichenginabroad · 1 year

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Last Weekend in Madrid :(

This weekend was officially my last in Madrid. I’m so so sad to be leaving soon, but am so grateful for the wonderful experiences I’ve had while studying abroad here. And don’t worry - I still have a week here! (it’s just filled with exams)

I decided to take full advantage of my last (non-exam) week here in Madrid. So that meant many visits to my favorite spots, while also fitting in some last minute experiences that I have yet to try. On Tuesday, me and my roommates had our weekly taco night. I’m actually not joking when I say that we have been to this restaurant at least 8 times. To commemorate this experience, I’ve decided to include our weekly taco tuesday pictures below.

It was a beautiful day on Wednesday, so I decided to wander around La Latina. Of course, I ended up back at my favorite cafe - Agrado. This week they brought back my favorite strawberry-pistachio cake, so I enjoyed this and some coffee while getting some work done. Another reason why I love this cafe is because it has great natural lighting. I prefer this when studying, or doing anything really. After studying for a while, me and my roommates decided to go enjoy some tintos de verano near the bridge by our apartment that overlooks La Almudena Cathedral. This is a great sunset spot, and we enjoyed each other's company and our drinks into the evening.

On Thursday, me and my roommate Jordyn visited a new cafe - Novo Mundo. This had actually been on our list for a while, but we hadn’t gotten the chance to go yet as it had been closed for renovations. This cafe / bakery specializes in pastries, and on the weekends there is usually a line out the door. Luckily for us, it’s a lot slower on weekdays. She got a french toast croissant and a pistachio one to bring home, while I had an acai croissant and a white chocolate blueberry. They were delicious, but we definitely would have sufficed with just one each.

Friday was filled with classes for me, so I spent my day running back and forth from my apartment to my various labs. But, I was able to unwind Friday night. A group of my friends and I went out to Teatro Magno, one of the clubs here in Madrid. It was fun and the interior was cool, but I wasn’t a big fan of the music. I generally prefer music with words, whether that be Spanish or English, but the music they played was a bit more techno. Regardless, it was still a very fun night.

Saturday was another stunning day, so I decided to have a solo day. I visited Agrado again (whoops 2 times in a week) and read my book there for a few hours. The book I read is called “The Fountains of Silence,” and it’s a historical fiction based in Madrid when Franco was in power. Wow - this was an amazing read. I actually finished the book this weekend , and I whole-heartedly recommend it to anyone, especially someone familiar with or studying in Madrid. It was a great way to learn about Spain’s history, and it was also super cool when the book mentioned places that I have been here in Madrid! I went on about it so much that my roommate is borrowing it to read as well. After a morning of reading, I went on a mini shopping spree. There are a ton of vintage/thrift stores in La Latina, so I sifted through those for a while. Afterwards, I went home for a quick dinner, as me and my friends had some evening plans. We had bought tickets for a Real Madrid game! This was something I really wanted to do here in Madrid; I used to play soccer and am a big sports fan overall. It was an amazing experience, and I’m a big fan of watching soccer, so to see it at this level was so fun. We had an amazing time there, and I’m so glad I was able to fit it in before I leave!

On Sunday, I went to my last ever El Rastro Market! This has been a highlight for me during my time here in Madrid. El Rastro lies partially within La Latina, and it is an open air flea market that takes place every Sunday! You can find anything and everything here - clothing, jewelry, art, furniture, food, etc. It’s always packed, but was especially so this week since Madrid is warm and sunny now. I spent multiple hours here, picking up a vintage watch and a skirt for €10 all together! There were performers on street corners, customers bargaining with the sellers, and people enjoying their breakfast and lunches in the sunshine. It was a wonderful Sunday, and a wonderful week.

Abbey Almeda

Industrial and Operations Engineering

UP Comillas

#umichenginabroad #ipemadrid #ipewinter23 #spain #abbeyalmeda

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