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#i just got to this section like i've only tried about 3 times so far but i only got 3 more tries before i'm gone for the night
pbmonkeybutt · 2 years
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How did I hear praises of Mirror's Edge for years but not a whisper of the intense gamer rage it causes
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murfeelee · 11 months
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Murf's Top 50 Mods - Part 3 (2020 - 2023 Edition)
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I made a Top 50 list (Pt 1 and Pt2) back in 2016, talking about mods that I've used & love. But with all the goated content that the amazing TS3 community continues to churn out, I NEEDED to update my list! This one in no way diminishes or negates the other mods I've already listed--like, I shouldn't have to sit here and explain how NRAAS continues to carry TS3 on its freaking shoulders, ok. This is just MORE mods, the Top 50 most RECENT ones I've tried out since, like, quarantine.
I am a VERY niche simmer--I love fantasy gameplay, so my fave mods are the ones that not only offer general quality of life improvements, but also add new abilities and interactive objects inspired by different cultures, time periods, or genres. So y'all already KNOW which ones have earned my top spots. They're not based on which mods are "better," just which ones I personally have been using the most.
1: Smooth Patch, LazyDuchess
I've already gushed about this mod, but oh well. Like--I use an EFFTON of CC. My Live Mode gameplay itself doesn't tend to lag so much as my game's slow to LOAD, slow to save, CAS is a nightmare, I can do my taxes waiting for the Misc Decor section to open, etc etc. But the Smooth Patch loads everything so much quicker for me! 😭
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One thing is that on the EA App version (curse you, EA) the Master Controller package didn't work on my end, so I took it out, but everything else has been great!
2: Search Mod, LazyDuchess
Speaking of the Misc Decor section -- HOW LONG did we ask EA for a Search function y'all? Only to be ignored. Then the second TS4 is released, it ain't got a effing thing in it, but it's got a Search function??? 🤔 ISTG it's like the simgurus were told to take all of the TS3 community's best suggestions, and poach them for TS4 (like vampire coffins--NO I'm not over it!). WHY do modders have to do your frikkin job for you, EA?! I call EA lazy all the time cuz EA you suck, so it's the most ironic thing ever that LazyDuchess is out here KILLING IT.
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My ONLY "complaint" about the Search mod is the position of the icon. I use A LOT of Collection Files, and I noticed that the Search icon actually covers the Delete button when in the Collection viewer. So I can't delete items in collections with the Search icon in the way.
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But this is a MINOR nitpick--I almost never delete items, it's just something I noticed is all.
3 - 8: OCCULT MODS: EVERYTHING by @puddingface1902
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Y'all already know the Enhanced Witches mod is my favorite mod ever made. But PF1902 also made cool enhancements to the Fairies, Genies, Vampires, Werewolves, and Mermaids too! My sims are usually Nraas hybrids (e.g.: Sakura is a faery, witch & plantsim; Magnus Bane is a witch & genie; etc.), so it's FANTASTIC having so many new abilities for my magical occults. 😍
9 - 11: OCCULT MODS by xantak22
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Even more occult mods at MTS are for enhanced Plantsims, Ghosts, and Mummies! I was dying for more Plantsim abilities, omg, they're my 3rd fave occult after Witches & Fae.
12: Sim Control Tools by Knight
Sooooo many quality of life mods have come out! ^0^
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I've been ABUSING the Teleport To Me function, to quickly get sims off of lots & where I need them to be. It also lets sims unlock more Social/Romantic interactions. (Now all we need is a way to interact with sims from EA's useless thumbnails.)
13 - 18: @anitmb's mods
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There are SOOOO many--most I've yet to even try. But so far newer ones I've been using are the Deck of Cards (FINALLY something other than EA's bulky AF poker table!), Farm Mod (look at all these CHICKENS!), and Hunting mod so my 8000 archer sims can actually hunt! (Ofc I've also used the Woodcutter and Anvil mods in my older gameplay posts, too.) And @mspoodle1's edit of the Cup of Tea mod is so pretty.
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19: @mspoodle1's Poker table
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Another excellent cards mod is this medieval style poker table I use a lot now, too.
20: @omedapixel's Wildflowers DR
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I like EA's default wildflowers from SSNS, but Omeda's are just sooooo much nicer. (I haven't gotten around to trying out their Harvestable Plant DR yet.)
21: Swordfighting mod by CyrusBanefort
En garde! This mod is so freaking epic!
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One thing I've noticed is that the game lags while it waits for the mod to boot up (a message has to first pop up saying it's running when you first launch your saves). But other than that this mod is excellent.
22 - 24: Yoga rugs
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I've long been using the yoga rugs by Kitabalibar and the edited one from @mspoodle1. But now there's the newest one by @twinsimming, with brand new animations & features. The more the merrier I say, LOL. What's especially neat is the kids wobbling around as they try to do yoga! :3
25 - 30: TheSweetSimmer's mods--so cute! :3
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Omg so frikkin many, I can't even catch up! The interactions are so freaking precious, like from the More Toddler Interactions (cuddle, look at, etc) & Biggest Little Mod (hug legs), I've never had so much fun playing with kids! <3 And I LOVE that they can Catch Butterflies and Pick Flowers--you'd think plantsim children would be able to do this by default, EA! Honestly, just grab everything by TSS, your kid sims will thank you!
31 - 33: @spheresims Medieval/Nature/Tribal mods
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Y'all know I'm crazy about the Functional Fireplaces mod (the cauldrons, baby! 😈), but the One with Nature and Wildlife Hunting mods are great too, perfectly complimenting the off-the-grid realness.
34: @olomayasims/Cmomoney Smoking Mod Overhaul
The original smoking mod was on my first Top 50 list, so it's awesome seeing it get new upgrades, interactions & animations.
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I've never smoked IRL, but sooooo many of my sims just puff-puff away; I'm such an enabler. U_U Now all we need is cigars and pipes!
35 - 38: Callia-Evergreen/Camkitty's CAS CC for animal hybrids at MTS
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Not a "mod" per se, but whatever--my list my rules! I love ALL of their CC, but I get SO MUCH use out of animal-themed CC like the digitigrade sliders, wolf feet, lizard tails, and fae wings. Do check them out if you like to play with horror and monster-sims!
39: @greenplumbboblover's Sheep
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EASILY one of the most incredible mods I've ever seen. Like....HOW? (Once @omedapixel's Goats are done I'm gonna start screaming someone do llamas pleeeeeaaaaase!!!)
40: Arsil's musical instruments mod
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I used the sax most recently in my IWTV gameplay, and it was excellent, perfect for the NOLA vibes! However, although I use the flute A LOT more (for my Untamed gameplay--it's been such a GODSEND!), I really wish the hands were positioned better, preferably using the poses from Chisims' flute poseset. (But I don't eff with poses/animations, otherwise I'd do it myself. U_U) Ah well, it's still one of my fave mods though.
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41 - 42: Flower Arranging mod by zoe22 + @mspoodle1's Florist Collection
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Guys, I've been wanting this mod since FOREVER! ^0^ (I swear, the best thing about TS4 is all the 4t3 conversions, LMAO!) I just wish Teens could Dabble and use it, too--all they can do is stock the table.
43: Just Sit/Nap Anywhere by FloTheory
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Sometimes you just want sims to fall asleep anywhere, DANG, EA!
44: @sweetdevil-sims' Toddler Food DR
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Cuz EA's food is UUUUUUUUGLY~! I kept forgetting to install it, only to be rudely reminded every time I had to look at my toddler sims eating MUD.
45 - 46: @mspoodle1's mail pen quill DR and @omedapixel's pencil quill DR
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I looooove quill pens IRL (ballpoint pens, not the fountain pens--I'm way too messy), so having mods that let my sims use them too is 👌
47: Fireflies Enhanced! by Canibal_MLO
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I love anything that enhances the wildlife and collectibles/harvestables to be more dynamic and interactive. And I was JUST about to do a firefly catching scene for my IWTV insp. gameplay, so this came right on time! The falling leaves effect is delightful, but I kinda wish it was falling flower petals instead, cuz ofc I do. 🌸
48: Unicorn Aurora DR by Canibal_MLO
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GORGEOUS. This mod replaces the unicorn mist with northern lights, like.... I love the genius ideas simmers have.
49: Custom Plumbbob Color tool by CrossTheMersey
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What a neat idea! Although the default Maxis colors are ingrained in my psyche, with the iconic green plumbbob, as soon as I saw this mod I knew I wanted to at least try something different and play around with it.
50: @aa6x7's Teru Teru Bozu + other edits [Honorable Mention]
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I rave about Cmomoney's Time/Weather Mod all the time, I use it constantly. AA6x7's Teru Teru Bozu (Japanese "Sunshine Monk" charms) is kinda like a simpler version of it, as it just resets bad weather back to Sunny. But it's such a cute idea and perfect for my gameplay. Plus, AA6x7 makes all kinds of neat edits/mods to EA's bulky AF meshes, so if you haven't checked them out already, DO!
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And that's all the mods I've managed to try out recently!
I don't have anywhere near the kind of free time that I used to, so my simming has been put on the backburner and I've missed all kinds of cool and exciting releases. But trust: I am taking note, so that I know what to try once I have time.
All my deepest & sincerest gratitude & love to the entire sims community, for keeping The Sims 3 going--this year was the 14th anniversary! Here's to 14 more! 🥳 Happy Simming!
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saminator · 1 month
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the joys of being a masculine trans man
Today, sometime around 9:30 pm, I had an epiphany. Maybe I finally found the joy of being trans. I'd always heard people say it, but I thought it was bullshit. Until today, being trans had caused me nothing but misery and fury. If you asked me anytime before today, April 3rd, 2024, at 9:30 pm pst, whether or not I liked being trans, it would have been a hard no.
I have prom coming up. I'm going to the prom at the school I would have gone to if I'd stayed in my middle school's town. I know a lot of people there, and three of the people at that school are the only hope I used to have when I was 14 and 15, still figuring myself and the world out. Don't get me wrong, I still am, but I was so unhappy back then, and they offered me unlimited comfort. Anyway! I'm going to prom with them and I was kind of excited about it. I'd been having a hard time getting myself to be excited about anything lately. I told my parents I needed a suit for prom and they asked if I could wear something I already had. I said no. All I have are two blazers from the women's section that I got in 2021, one red and one gray, which are incredibly comfortable and nice but they were from a time when I wasn't allowed to shop in the men's or boy's section, and another 3-piece suit which is a bit too large for me that my ex-girlfriend (who's trans) gave to me because I would enjoy it far more than she ever did. I'd also borrowed a blazer from a friend, and again, while it was wonderful, it was also from the women's section. I wanted something new, something that I picked, something that fit me and made me feel okay. So, we started looking for one.
My dad and I went to the mall two days ago to try and look for a suit, but they were either really expensive, or just not my size. Then, my mom told me to look for it online and have my dad pick it up on the way back home from work. I did that. I ordered a gray blazer and dark blue dress pants from the boy's section. My dad got them home. I tried them on. I loved it more than I had ever loved any piece of clothing before. My dad was so encouraging about making sure I looked good and he kept suggesting different variations I could try of the outfit. After a whole hour of trying on different shirts under the blazer and showing my mom and having her feedback on it, I went to go change. Then my dad called me, saying "don't change! wear your blazer!" and asked me to move the trash bins into our backyard because it's extremely windy and they were being knocked over (also because HOA hates when trash bins are left out apparently). So I went to do that.
And I was walking down the driveway with the wind blowing in my hair, I thought Wait. Is this what they mean by the "joy of being trans?" Earlier, I couldn't stop staring at myself in the mirror because I looked so fucking handsome it was UNBELIEVABLE. My smile didn't feel ugly, my hair didn't feel shabby, my entire body didn't feel like a mistake. And now, in the wind, dragging the landfill bin behind me, I felt happy with being trans.
I don't care if others don't see me as a man. The mirror sees me as a man. That's all that matters. The sheer happiness I felt wearing a suit that wasn't someone else's or from the women's section or too big or not mine was crazy, Suddenly, my short height, my high-pitched voice that no matter how deep I try to make it still gets me misgendered, and my un-muscular body didn't matter. I WAS IN A FUCKING SUIT THAT I LIKED THAT FIT ME THAT WAS FROM THE BOYS SECTION THAT MY PARENTS ALSO LIKED THAT KEPT ME WARM IN THE WIND. I was smiling like a maniac on the way to the backyard.
I'm sure this experience doesn't just happen to masculine trans men. Maybe you're a cis man reading this and you're short, have a high-pitched voice, and aren't jacked up. I see you, and I know how isolating it can feel to be the way you are, no matter how hard you try. I've tried working out to get muscles. I can't gain weight easily. I'm literally 5'1'' and 90 pounds. I hate it. But who cares! I have a suit that's sexier than sex!
I love being masculine. That's something you won't hear people say often because masculinity is demonized because it was always weaponized in the past (and still is). But I'm not all of those men. I'm my own man and I choose to love and embrace masculinity. What is masculinity anyway???? Is it suits? Is it being built? Is it having a deep voice? Is it having a beard? Is it being tall? Is it doing taxing manual labor? No! It's none of those things objectively, not even the suits. I've said this before and I'll continue saying it, if wearing dresses or skirts or doing makeup makes you feel masculine or is your definition of masculinity, hell yeah! Go for it! To me, masculinity is home. It's looking at myself and smiling because I look good. It's wearing a suit and feeling warm and cozy and ready to do anything. It's having a better relationship with my parents because we're all trying our best. It's being daring and taking risks just because I want to. Femininity couldn't give me any of this.
Especially in a time like now, where no trans space is safe from discussions of the happenings of the world, the world where people want to erase us because they think we're a threat. The fact that people are afraid of us is astonishing. But we persevere, we wear our suits or dresses or overalls or corsets or fishnets or khakis or hoodies and we pursue happiness because it's comforting to think that it exists for us. And it does. If someone like me could find euphoria in being trans, anyone can.
But yeah, in conclusion, the joy of being a masculine trans man is trying on your prom suit with the wind blowing 18 miles per hour in your hair and feeling alive and manly masculine male >:)
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lovesickfolly · 9 months
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tagged by @aleng-neng. What are my fave top 9 shows in no particular order. (All of these I have at 10/10.) I'll only pick recent shows, as they're the ones I have listed on MyDramaList and thus have a ranking for. XD This means it's mostly bls and cdramas. 1. Moonlight Chicken.
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One of my feelgood shows, even though it's still new. It feels comfortable and adult and grounded, with a bunch of amazing actors who are clearly comfortable with each other. As an 'older queer' it resonates with me a lot and I didn't dislike a single thing about it.
2. The Blood of Youth.
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A really fun show with gorgeous, engaging characters and the right mix of beautiful scenery, beautiful people, and creative storytelling that I like. Sprinkle in some excellent fight scenes and a bunch of my favourite actors and I'm sold!
3. Old Fashion Cupcake.
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I talked about mature stories earlier and this is another one of those. I could see myself in the main lead just a bit too much for me not to love this. Nozue recognizes that he's maybe stuck in a rut and complacent when he doesn't have to be. And, maybe, that handsome junior at the firm could help him get out of it (and make him recognize he's not straight).
4. KinnPorsche.
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Look, I know it has its issues. I know. And I know people have an issue with some of the fandom. I get it and for the most part I agree. However, this was the first BL in a long time that I had the urge to write fic for. I enjoyed the complexity of the universe and the characters that much. (Even if some of it didn't make sense. but that's half the fun!) And that's why I like it. It got my brain involved. (And I just adore Tankhun, okay.)
5. Word of Honor.
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Years ago I watched a few cdramas and then...somehow forgot about them? (I don't know how I did that.) However, back in 2019 I got back into them and eventually stumbled upon The Untamed. 'This is the pinnacle of cdrama for me and my tastes!' I thought. But then Word of Honor showed up. Look, everything about this show is stunning. The story, the characters, the setting, the clear and unadulterated love between the two main characters. Everything and everyone is beautiful and I've never gone through a cdrama as fast as I did this one. It's beautiful in ever sense of the word. And so, so queer. Don't believe me? Just search 'word of honor cdrama' in the gif section on tumblr and marvel at the art.
6. A Tale of Thousand Stars.
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This is not the first Thai BL I watched, but it almost feels like it? Because ATOTS is the first one I remember going crazy about (and it set me on the road to basically loving everything EarthMix are in together). I was super invested and wanted to draw art and everything. It's just such a nice, soft, romantic story and the characters are so fun. This is probably the one I've rewatched the most.
7. Semantic Error.
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As you can tell, I generally like stories that feel far away from home. I like magic and fantasy and settings that aren't typical. However, this is one of the few exceptions. I think it's the characters and their journey and the perfect execution of tropes that would have felt stale in any other show. It's a fun story with excellent characters and I get why it's so popular.
8. Mysterious Lotus Casebook.
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Technically, I can't say this show is 10/10 yet because it still has a bunch of episodes to go. However, I can tell it's going to get close at least. (And will probably get to 10.) I keep comparing it to a perfect blend of The Blood of Youth and A League of Nobleman, in that it's a fantasy world with a master swordsman who's dying (and begrudgingly adopts a cute puppy who loves him) and a bunch of cases that need solving (to unravel the overarching plot). It's so much fun and the settings + characters are so beautiful. (And I may or may not heavily ship the loyal, eager puppy with the stoic, lying dying man who tries to push him away (and literally abandon him) in an attempt to keep him safe (from harm and heartache).) The hurt/comfort and love against all odds is strong in this one! He gave up his lifelong dream to protect a man who's been lying to him ever since they met and whom is at that point a wanted fugitive!! Because he trusts and loves him so. Also, it has a bunch of very handsome and gorgeous actors/characters in it, whom I love (and who suffer beautifully).
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9. ??? I only have 8 shows that I've given 10/10 to (or a prospective 10/10, lol), so I'll just leave you with some other recommended shows that came close! Bad Buddy
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Between Us
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Choco Milk Shake
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Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms
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My Only 12%
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Ancient Love Poetry
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That's it! I invested way too much effort into this, but...it was fun? Sorry for clogging up your timelines with this, though!
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styrmwb · 7 months
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Favorite Final Fantasy Music (FFX)
*an overdrive bar appears and lands in the middle, summoning the number 10*
FFX is by far the coolest setting for any RPG I have ever seen. It is so incredibly unique, I have not seen anything like it. Other cool things about it? It's the first FF that wasn't 100% composed by Uematsu! This is the mainline FF that brings in my man Masashi Hamauzu, who makes a Lot of really good songs here and later. There's also Junya Nakano, but I don't know his work as much cause he's not as much of an FF guy :(
When i was making this list, something I tried to avoid and failed, was exclusively battle themes. But alas, I love the battle themes in this game so much, that they all trump any overworld/event themes in my brain😭. Please give a look at the honorable mentions for some of those that I like (and more battle themes sorry).
5. Blitz Off! Sports are battles, right? A battle between athletes? I think it counts. I also want to say: I hate Blitzball. I do NOT want to be a Blitzball when I grow up. I do however, love this song. This was the only saving grace as I tried and failed (and eventually succeeded) to beat the Luca Goers so the Aurochs could get the trophy. It's a bop, I love the boops throughout the song cause it's like little waterdrops (water sphere), not to mention the fucking BASS on this shit. It's got a fun melody, and a lot of neat instruments (like the whole game has but I feel like I've made this point with every game since VII LMAO). I love how this song goes absolutely ham, and then Right before the loop, it gives you a little bit of a quieter droning jam.
4. Fight With Seymour First of all: Fuck Seymour. This stupid blue spiky hair having ass with his dumb eyebrows and his 20 boss fights and his "ohhhhh yuna ahhhhhhhh blehhhhh" (I love Seymour and by that I mean I love to hate him he's perfect). I had heard this song before playing X and I was so excited to hear it, only to discover THAT IT ONLY PLAYS IN THE FINAL FIGHT AGAINST HIM WHICH WASN'T EVEN THE HARDEST ONE (my hope absolutely did end there). ANYWAYS. His song fucks. This song is like the One Winged Angel of FFX, because it feels like a bunch of mini compositions were made first, and then they were all put together somehow masterfully. Every instrument is super cool sounding, and this song proves that the Trash Can Lid is the greatest cymbal you could ever ask for. The keyboard goes ham the entire way through, and I feel like I'm dancing at the club (this would be if I did hypothetically dance and also go to clubs).
3. Battle Theme Remember last list when I said it was a while before I used a normal battle theme? Isn't it awesome how I'm immediately breaking that pause even further? I feel like I'm going to keep saying this, but this song is a bop!!!! All of these songs are bops. I remember initially not really feeling the MIDI ass opening, but it has absolutely grown on me over time and now it's just iconic to me. I love when after the song takes a bit to get going, the melody gets louder with a bit of a synth organ backing it, not to mention when it slows down a bit (not like, tempo wise, but in instrumentation). For some reason, that section is in my brain is attached to switching out party members (my favorite mechanic of battle), so Auron saying "Let's go." is basically an extra bit of the song to me XD. Shoutouts to synthesizers and MIDI trumpets, we absolutely love you.
2. Otherworld This is just... a song. It's a straight up metal song in my Final Fantasy, something that I would hear on the radio growing up (not actually but can you imagine??). Hearing this towards the beginning of the game was already super cool, with the Blitzball match and seeing Auron look over the city (so cool....), but then you also have it as the final boss theme????? (I know it's not the final boss but like he's BASICALLY the final boss) That's even cooler. Catch me headbanging and singing along whenever it pops up. I love the guitar shredding, and the part of the lyrics where it backs off of the super deep growl to give a sort of spoken word section that sounds like it's coming through a radio.
1. A Contest of Aeons So far, this list has mainly been "this song is on here because it is a banger" and less emotional importance, which is strange, especially after the last list. A Contest of Aeons fulfills that requirement, at long last. This song takes the main prayer song/Hymn of the Fayth, and turns it into something worthy of being a grand finale. It also plays during one of the absolute coolest boss fights ever; all of your summons/aeons sacrificing themselves so you can finally break the endless cycle the world suffers, but it also hurts so much because they have carried you through the entire game and now they have to fall to your hand. I love the constant orchestra in the back, giving the song a tense, urgent feeling. My absolute favorite part is when the choir continues to raise with the addition of the tambourine, not to mention the part right after where it sounds like pyreflies are dancing around you.
Honorable mentions go to: Prelude, Movement in Green, Mi'ihen Highroad, Assault, A Fleeting Dream, and Challenge.
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The Baldurian Journal
Written based on my playthroughs in Baldur's Gate 3 - lemme make myself known as a sort of vanilla player Feel free to ask me about it on my askbox or on the comment section. ⚠️ Long read ⚠️
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"I don't know what day is today. Actually I've been on the road for quite a while now and didn't manage to keep track of everything. It's part of the reason I'm writing it down now; not to be a Doomsday messenger, but if it comes to transforming, I think I should leave something behind, to at least show I didn't cave in easily. I also don't know if my trouble remembering things is due to the worm inside my head or just the general falling, crashing, fighting sequelae. Who knows? Had trouble figuring out how to write too. And for some reason, maybe a lapse of insanity, I figured I'd ask the elf for advice. Suffice to say he rolled his eyes, spit out "From the beginning. Where else?", and left me talking alone, wandering to God knows where he goes at night... I don't like this guy. I mean... I'm not fond of him. I can see his appeal — the red piercing eyes everytime he looks at me and, honestly, he's a good talker, and I do not take (much) pride in sharing some points of view with him. But he's so completely and overbearingly annoying. So extremely obnoxious. A girl cannot consider saving a child at peace, it always makes him moody. If he's so bothered why join? Everyone else seems on board with how I've been managing things in order to SURVIVE, but Mr. Magistrate rolls his eyes and barks at me. Well sir, bite me. The past few days have been absolute pandemonium. And as my darling "friend" suggested, I'll start from the beginning. My name is Alyah. I was on the shipwreck days ago. Me and the githyanki Lae'zel rescued this mysterious cleric named Shadowheart before bringing the ship down. People have mentioned it "fell" but I know well enough I crashed it. When I woke up at the beach, the githyanki had vanished; I don't know if she's survived. Astarion was the first one I found, by chance, looking around the debris to figure what the hell happened. And as charming as he is, got me in a headlock with a dagger to my face. To be honest I was quite surprised to be taken down by this frail looking elf; pale, thin and with eyes rather deep in his skull as if he hasn't eaten in days. He has some strength to him, I'll give him that, but it only took me longer to get rid of his paws because of the element of surprise. He said he was on the ship. He saw me there... And once I managed to get away from his dagger he looked... Scared. This was the last time I had a heart-fluttering sympathy for him. Ever since he started following me around like a lost puppy, he's bullied every single person I've talked to. Shadowheart was not amused to have him make fun of her name. Neither was Gale, Gale of Waterdeep, when the local red-eyed pet put his wizarding credentials at stake. Though I kind of agree with Astarion, getting stuck on his own portal was NOT a very crediting move. And as I feared, Gale as also on the ship. And is also stuck with a tadpole in his brains. Although he sounds, looks and behaves way too chirper to someone on the death row...
•••
We tried walking around the forest to explore and look for more survivors, but none in sight. To be honest we stranded so much from the ship I don't think either of us has any idea of how to go back — subconsciously, I think we're all trying to get away as far as possible from those things, even if there's one of them inside each of us.
– Stop. – Astarion grabbed my arm – Listen.
– And what should we be listening to? – Shadowheart mumbled and got the ugliest frown from him.
Elf versus half-elf. I suppose he has better hearing.
His hand pulled me, and the whole group, to the back of a rock to listen. People yelling. Someone asking to open the gate. I found myself staring at the three of them hiding with me and realized I was just a foot in front of the group. Astarion nodded to me.
– Go ahead. – he whispered.
Of course. It's not him who's gonna get killed on day one.
It took me a step. Just a step a bit to the side to try and see what was going on and suddenly all of the Nine Hells broke loose.
Goblins.
A couple of them right behind us, forcing us into battle.
If I recall correctly, Gale electrocuted two of them. I might be wrong. Astarion and Shadowheart had an unbelievable teamwork, given that they act with nothing but despise for each other.
And me. I finally had my hands on my axe after what seemed too long.
Though we were caught by surprise, I thought it was a refreshing battle. A good one. No losses, no harm done (to me and my own), but a nice way to put my body at work again.
The gate that person (I still don't know and actually don't care for whom it was) was asking to be opened, opened. They were wearing the same uniforms as the guards up on the watching.
– Easy to open now, that their own people is mutilated. – I grumbled, avoiding slipping on the fresh blood on the grass and I can swear I heard someone chuckle behind me. I would bet on Astarion, because he had a smirk on that face when I looked behind, but so did Gale.
Maybe I'm funny.
– Should we go inside? – Shadowheart asked, dusting her clothes.
– I don't see why not. – Gale stopped by my side – Hopefully there'll be a nice resting spot for us if they're willing to take in some disheveled travelers like ourselves.
– What if they don't, dear?
– You've seen how quick she runs, we'll be out there in no time. – I could see Gale smiling and Astarion frowning again.
– Or maybe we'll get our hands dirty again... – I said, expecting a reaction. Gale didn't give me one. Shadowheart looked rather annoyed. But Astarion spinned his dagger on his fingers and gestured at me with it.
– Well, if worse comes to worse, at least blood looks good on you, darling.
It sounded enticing, but looked menacing. I wasn't his darling, not if I dragged him into another meaningless fight.
Pity.
I like meaningless fights.
– Well... – I pulled my axe and pointed at him; this is a temporary alliance and it will come the day him and I will end up at each other's throats. But for now... – On you too. Now let's go inside.
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bulgariansumo · 3 months
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Back at it again, editing Episode 1 of Galactiquest. Version 3.0 patch notes:
-Removed all unnecessary epithets (Hopefully. I found one instance of brunet that I thought I deleted the last time around)
-Toned down the amount of exclamation points
-I think I slightly pared down a scene in Chapter 4? But I added a new one over it, so that probably cancels out
-Gave other characters a little more dialogue, especially Leon
-Changed descriptions around to be more concise, less repetitive, and less verbose (For these being Leon's chapters, I got weirdly fancy with some of the prose)
-New scene 1: In Chapter 1, a girl talks to Leon while he's waiting in the spaceport, eventually leading to him realizing he's late. This finally gave me a chance to explain why the Interstellar Forces is called that and set up that it is struggling somewhat. I think this also the first time I've gotten to mention that the IF was banned from having weapons.
-New scene 2: In Chapter 4, Jun questions why the IF would let such an inexperienced group go to Neptune (in nicer wording, but still). It sets the tone for the trip in a way that was lacking before.
As much as it stung to realize those chapters were a little rougher than I thought, I'm glad I did this. It's not a complete overhaul, but it brought the quality a little closer to my current stuff. I'm grateful some people were still able enjoy them despite rough edges.
In the times that I've asked for feedback, a few people mentioned Chapters 3 and 4 being a bit of a slog. I... did not trim them down as much as I intended. Every time I tried, it went something like this:
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Hopefully, adding that section to Chapter 4 will help it feel a little more worthwhile. That being said, if I'm compelled to edit again, I know there's a few scenes in Chapter 4 that probably should go.
For people who want to see the new scenes without reading the whole episode again, I'll post them down below. If you do want to read the full thing, here's a link.
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New Scene 1 [Bon Voyage, Celestion-5] Ch 1. Boarding for Takeoff
A monitor nearby played an informational video about Earth’s one and only moon colony: Lunaria, the city of his dreams. Though so far away, he felt like it lay within his grasp for the first time. What choice did he have but to be captivated by it?
“Are you heading to your first deployment?” The girl a few seats over might as well have appeared from thin air.
“Hm? How’d you know?” He shook his head out of a daze. Only now did he realize his mouth had been hanging open for who knew how long.
“You seemed pretty enthralled by that video for a star ranger.”
“Oh yeah. Some nights, I spent so long looking at the dome through my telescope, I’d dream about it.” He sighed. “Even now, I can almost breathe that artificial air.”
“I’ve heard it’s cool. My aunt’s paying my way. I bet you’re glad you don’t have to pay those ticket prices either, huh?” She had a pretty laugh.
“Gosh, I thought I’d have to spend my life savings just for a visit. Thank goodness for the IF.”
“You know,” she tilted her head, “I’ve always wondered, why’s it called the Interstellar Forces when we haven’t gone past Mars yet?”
“We’re supposed to dream big now and grow into it later. It worked for me, so…!” he ended with a shrug. “And who knows,” he knew, “we might be going past Mars soon.”
“That’s cute. Sorry about the budget cuts, though. No more weapons, I get, but you guys don’t even have your own ships anymore? They’re just deploying you with us civilians?”
“My ship’s kind of a special case.” Out of curiosity he decided to check his phone. “But I guess it wouldn’t hurt to che–”
His eyes widened in horror at what time it displayed. It was 25 minutes past when he should have boarded.
“Is something wrong?” asked the girl.
“Sorry, I gotta go.” He gathered his bags and hurried over to the receptionist. “Excuse me. This is the boarding area for the Celestion ships, right?” Maybe everyone else was just late. “I was supposed to be boarding a ship 25 minutes ago.”
“Oh, no sir. Are you with the Interstellar Forces? All military spacecraft are located on the opposite end.” The receptionist motioned directly behind him.
“Thank you, thank you so much,” He shook the receptionist’s hand vigorously. “Seriously, my career is in your hands. And yours too,” he sped past the girl, “have a nice trip, bye!”
New Scene 2 [Bon Voyage, Celestion-5] Ch 4. Tour's End
“Quick question.” The oddly familiar one smoothed dark, wavy bangs out of her face… or his face? Leon couldn’t tell at this angle. The androgynous voice didn’t help. “The Celestion crews were chosen by chance, yeah?”
“There’s a coupla exceptions as you’re no doubt aware,” Emil winked, “not to mention the captains, but yeah, most of us are random picks.”
“Right, cool. So, like, not to harsh the vibes, but I noticed that none of us except you and the captain are ranked higher than rangers.”
“I almost ascended to corporal~” Allen spoke up.
“I know, Rox.” The familiar one addressed Emil again. “I dunno, I kinda assumed we’d get stationed on each ship based on our experience and ability level.”
That did surprise Leon when he first heard about the opportunity. Described by his old warrant officer as ‘remarkably average in all abilities,’ he never dreamed he’d be offered the chance to go to Neptune. No one from his base deployed to space in years. He hadn’t even earned the star on his uniform yet. No way would he let such good luck pass him by.
“Huh,” Emil pinched one of his curls, “that does make sense.”
A click from the ceiling brought with it Captain Galhardo’s voice. “Randomized crews are a key element of the Celestion Project. Though each captain, including myself, went through a series of tests to ensure our capability.”
“Well, there you have it. Besides, as long as my brother’s piloting, we’ll make it back a-ok. Nothin’ to worry about.” In only a few strides, Emil made his way to the cooking area. “Over here we have a microwave, an oven, dishes, other kitchen-y stuff–Oooh, guys, I gotta show you something!”
He stuck his arm over the stove, to the confusion of Leon and most of the others, and to their horror, turned it on.
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nolanrossblog · 1 year
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Game Hammers 2
This is the second week of game hammers. WOW! Two weeks already, we've come so - so so so - so far. Nolam This week my parents were off for vacation, so I was in charge of taking care of my 3 siblings. On top of that, it was back to school, so it was an intensely busy week. I'm going to categorize my progress this week so that I can better parse my thoughts. And I'm also going to write as the week goes on starting from Tuesday, April Eighteenth, 2023. ~MUSIC~ Since Christmas I've picked up the violin, and I do my best to average around two and a half hours of practice every week. I've also been taking violin lessons! I started with electric, but the electric violin my mom bought me isn't suitable for practicing, so I switched to an acoustic one for now. To be honest, I don't have much to show for it, but learning instruments is difficult and it takes time and dedication. It's really a battle to find motivation sometimes, but I think it's a good continuous goal. ~SCHOOL~ School is nearing its end and it's a slurry of conflicting emotion. On one hand, I'm completely mentally prepared to leave high school behind, and on the other hand, I sense I'll miss it. Life is about moving on though, and I think I'm ready. ~GAME DEV~ If you watch game dev Youtube, there is a popular Unity developer named Blackthornprod. I've been watching their videos for years, and they've helped me grow as a developer. There is a series of videos called "Pass The Game Challenge" on their channel, which works like game dev telephone, and I had the pleasure to participate in it for a second time this week. The most difficult part of these challenges in my opinion is dealing with other people's code. The approach that other people take in making their games is kind of perplexing, especially when they're given a strict time limit. I edited together a recap video of me turning what I got into the base for an adventure game about avoiding the mighty sun. You can watch it here: Recap
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I'm pretty proud of what I did for the game in just six hours, and I gave the recap a story which I felt made it flow nicely. I had lots of fun participating and hope I can do it again some time.
~ART~ I've been working hard on my art final project, which includes over 5 pieces and my process of development. Hopefully in the next log, I'll have compiled some professional-quality images of my works. ~PERSONAL~ I want to become more positive. I've noticed in conversations I often have a critical point of view, and though criticism can be constructive, I often end up tearing people down, and this is a trait I want to leave behind as I move into adult life. Spebby
Wassup Hammers, welcome back to the Spebby section of the Game Hammers blog. This week was slower in terms of learning compared to previous weeks, but I still have some things to share. I’d like to focus on my mid-semester break to Lake Tahoe: I’ve only been once before, but this time I tried skiing for the first time, and I sucked pretty hard! As we headed up the Gondola my partner told me all the stories of where and how they broke their bones along the slopes, even pointing out the exact tree they broke their arm on. I myself thankfully avoided having any  particularly bad crashes, but I must have fallen at least 30 times. The most painful crash ended in a splits, with both skis still attached, and both of my legs caught on something
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My first descent took 2 hours, but eventually I managed to do it without falling on a repeat descent. Eventually, I headed up to the summit of Mt. Pluto. Most of the ways down were Black Diamonds, there was a path down that was a Blue. While I had only ridden Greens up until that point, I thought I may be able to handle it with a few stumbles. I very quickly realised that it was way too steep for myself, and had to literally roll down the mountain. Unfortunately I don’t have any videos of photos. But I do have one of the peak. It had a beautiful view of Lake Tahoe. It was quite surreal to be honest. Before I had gone to Tahoe I always held the belief that the place was overrated. I had known many people as a kid who’d go up every year. But when I finally did go up it all clicked and I had a newfound appreciation for my adoptive home state.
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And of course, the views on the drive back were quite something. We didn’t stop, but I got some great photos of the snow covered landscape. It was actually quite surprising how much snow there really was. Prior to heading up I was told that this time of the year, there’s little snow on the mountain and usually none in Northstar’s Village. But there were mounds of snow as tall as people all over the place. Hopefully, I will be able to return to Tahoe this summer and visit the lake properly again. When I had been last, it was too cold to swim, so maybe I’ll get to do it this summer!
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Flodo Heya
Heya' my fellow Hammers, it's me, the Brazilian, Flodo. I've been doing art and making prototypes that get fixed and turned into the games we've released so far! Although after Boolliards I haven't done anything interesting, here's a fun fact: originally, Egg Rush was gonna have the player be an unhatched egg walking around and punching chickens instead of rolling and groundpounding them. Like and Share for more epic facts next week or something! Nolam (again)
I wish that Flodo would write more in these blog posts. I know that he's a capable artist with a drive to create, and that he has lots to share and be proud of.
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dweetwise · 1 year
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[Riconti] Pudding out
Just a silly little thing I wrote bc I love domestic riconti <3 Rated G | 900 words | ao3 link
Ace stared at the colorful spinning wheels on the screen with single-minded focus.
The room was filled with the chiming music of the online casino, the laptop’s speakers occasionally crackling with the volume Ace had set the game to. He was hunched over in his seat and waiting with bated breath for his next win. 
There was a sad sound effect to signal no win and Ace barely even registered clicking the auto-spin button again. He only needed one more of those stupid diamonds, and then he'd get to activate the multiplier again—
Ace jumped as a hand shot out from behind him and a small item thudded onto the kitchen table in front of him.
"Oh, hey!" Ace greeted and immediately turned the volume down. "I didn't even hear you get home."
Probably because he'd been engrossed in this game for almost an hour. The obnoxious music had apparently been enough to mask the sound of Felix’s sedan pulling up in the driveway.
Felix grunted and turned back to the kitchen counter, plucking items out of a supermarket bag rather aggressively. Ace didn’t blame him; after a long day at the office, grocery shopping was far from anyone’s favorite way to spend their night off.
Ace went back to inspect the item Felix had dumped in front of him. It was a small plastic container and the side said salted caramel—ah, some kind of dessert.
"Aww, thanks!" Ace smiled at Felix's back and immediately grabbed the complementary little wooden spoon glued to the tin. He turned the package over—
Oh. It was a salted caramel protein pudding.
"Uh." Ace paused. "Are you sure this wasn't for you?"
Felix froze from unpacking the bags. When he turned to look at Ace, he was half-pouting, half-glaring. Ace racked his brain; it was a Wednesday, which was Felix's gym day. His hair was still damp so he must have showered after his workout, yet his mood was absolutely sour…
"I bought the wrong flavor," Felix said miserably. "A stupid clerk was standing in the yogurt section, and I tried to wait, but the store was crowded and I wanted to go home. But when I asked him to move, he gave me about ten centimeters of space, so I went to grab the chocolate flavor that I always get, but I couldn’t see properly because that asshole was still in the way. And when I realized I didn't get the right pudding he'd already gone back to hogging the whole fridge, and I was tired and sweaty and the frozen foods were melting and I didn't…"
Felix deflated after his little rant, his shoulders slumping as he looked at the floor with a frown.
"You didn't wanna bother him a second time?" Ace guessed. 
He scooped out a spoonful of the pudding, which, surprisingly, didn’t taste too bad. Then again, Ace wasn't usually picky about food—hence why Felix always dumped his unwanted veggies and other foods onto Ace's plate.
"I should have," Felix said. He glared at the offending pudding. "I hate salted caramel, but it's almost the same color as the chocolate one. What a stupid design choice—and who the hell organizes a shelf in the middle of the post-work rush hour? He wasn't even stocking it, just straightening the rows like some kind of…of protein-hating psychopath!"
Ace chuckled at Felix's fuming around another spoonful of artificial salted caramel. He knew from experience that there was little that got under the normally quiet architect’s skin like a disruption to his routines—no matter how minor.
"Well, I for one appreciate you braving the rush-hour supermarket and reaping the fruits of your little mishap. Though I've gotta say, I usually prefer my desserts with actual sugar," Ace said.
"I'm glad one of us finds it edible," Felix huffed.
"But from what I understand… You missed out on your post-workout snack, didn’t you?" Ace said, hazarding a guess at the root of the problem.
Felix frowned. "Yes. Because of that one—"
"Yes, yes, because of some minimum-wage sap who was unfortunate to come between you and your favorite pudding." Ace stood up, coming to stand before Felix and placing a hand on his chest. "Anyway, here's my proposal: you're clearly a little hangry, so why don't you leave the grocery unpacking to me, grab some Michelin-star spaghetti from the fridge—yes, that I cooked for my beautiful boyfriend to enjoy after his long day, hold your applause—and find something on TV that we can mercilessly roast together. Me and the fake-caramel-stevia monstrosity will join you later."
Some of the tension in Felix's posture eased and he even gave Ace a small smile. "That sounds incredible."
"That's because I am incredible, bonito." Ace winked. "Now move your gorgeous ass or I'll force-feed you some of that pudding."
Felix actually chuckled at that, and he briefly squeezed Ace's hand before obediently moving to the fridge and bravely plating out a generous portion of Ace's slightly burnt attempt at cooking.
And the next time Ace was shopping at their local grocery store, well, he may or may not have bought the store’s entire selection of chocolate protein puddings to avoid further snack-related incidents in the near future.
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vanderwoodlings · 2 years
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i still do. i always will. a dan/serena playlist (x)
For the good times and the bad—text version of the tracklist (and commentary) under the cut
1. “Middle of Love,” Jake Wesley Rogers. Thesis statement song!!! In the middle of loving you/It's so far from done/You tried to run/I tried to tie your shoes
1. “Middle of Love,” Jake Wesley Rogers. Thesis statement song!!! In the middle of loving you/It's so far from done/You tried to run/I tried to tie your shoes
2. “Lovebug,” Jonas Brothers. This song is all dorky infatuation and I love it for them
3. “Falling in Love,” Cody Fry—for when that infatuation gets deep really, really quickly. Promise you 'til the day that I die/You and I will be falling in love
4. “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic,” The Police. Even though my life before was tragic/Now my love for her goes on
5. “Wishing Wells,” The Colourist. I'm sick of hearing what if, what if/Just follow what you're feeling for
6. “The Only Exception,” Paramore. Children of divorce hours, specifically in the ‘i need to know why you love me’ type of way
7. “If I Could Take You Home,” Relient K. Oh, look, our first typo on the covers. If I could take you home/I'll be all that you need/The trail of broken hearts you left behind/Should send me running, girl, but I don't mind
8. “Please Don’t Say You Love Me,” Gabrielle Aplin. Fools rush in/And I've been the fool before/This time, I'm gonna slow it down/‘Cause I think this could be more. Tentatively getting back to together song
9. “You Can Call Me Al,” Paul Simon. ‘Congratulations, Don’—this song is just here to be goofy and fun
10. “11:11,” Waterparks. My favorite set of stairs is the one up to your room/And my heavy set of cares evaporates all around you
11. “Gotta Have You,” The Weepies. No amount of coffee, no amount of crying/No amount of whiskey, no amount of wine/No, no, no, no, no, nothing else will do/I've gotta have you, I've gotta have you
12. “Poetry by Dead Men,” Sara Bareiles. I think I got this one off another derena playlist, but whoever it was was right? Fire from embers, how can I make you remember?/With a turn of a phrase, would you turn to me if I say/I still want to be your girl?/I still wanna be your girl in a white T-shirt/Over coffee, stirrin' in the cinnamon/While you read me poetry by dead men
13. “1965,” Zella Day. I never had nobody touch me like I'm glass
14. “No Children,” The Mountain Goats. I am drowning/There is no sign of land/You are coming down with me/Hand in unlovable hand. I’ve metaed before about s6!derena and this sense of like. ‘You’re all I have so here we go’ as opposed to their s1!selves, and I feel like this is… right
15. “Fuckmylife666,” Against Me! I don’t have the heart to match/The one pricked into your finger. Feelings are messy. Also trans Dan subtext because I must
16. “I Don’t Wanna Know,” Fleetwood Mac. Yes we did go from s6 to s5 don’t worry about it—still, it feels very fake dating plot in some ways
17. “Glowing in the Dark,” The Girl and The Dreamcatcher. I've been bitten by the lonely/But when I'm not the only/When I'm, when I'm not the only/One who feels it, maybe it's sick to say/But it helps that you feel the same
18. “First Day of My Life,” Bright Eyes. I’d rather be working for a paycheck/than waiting to win the lottery. This is the start of the ‘what if it got good again’ section haha. Welcome to my derena agenda
19. “One Headlight,” The Wallflowers. We’ll put it all together/We can drive it home/With one headlight
20. “Lucky People,” Waterparks. Let’s be lucky people, you and I
21. “Just What I Needed,” The Cars. It's not the perfume that you wear/It's not the ribbons in your hair/And I don't mind you comin' here/And wastin' all my time
22. “Don’t Take The Money,” Bleachers. This song is like. For the work of relationships? It is, however, also so much fun
23. “All the Small Things,” blink-182. She left me/Roses by the stairs/Surprises let me know she cares. I have thoughts about Gender and being good to each other
24. “Drunk Voicemail,” Pom Pom Squad. I wanna tell you everything that makes me cry/Wanna tell you everything that keeps me up at night/Wanna tell you that I hate you, but I don't know how/When the truth is that I love you more than anyone else
25. “Gold in the Summertime,” Matt Nathanson. Nobody loves you/The way that I do/The way you shine through/Gold in the summertime
26. “Hey Jealousy,” Gin Blossoms. And you know, it might not be that bad/You were the best I'd ever had/If I hadn't blown the whole thing years ago/I may not be alone
27. “See The Sun,” Pete Murray. And where's the love/That we shared go/Can you be the one/Can you see the sun/With me
28. “The Graveyard Near The House,” The Airborne Toxic Event. I love the refrain of Bye, bye, bye to all this dogged innocence for a later derena relationship, but also: We're like two actors playing our parts/Did you memorize your lines? Cause I did/Here's the part where I get so mad/I tell you that I can't forget the past
29. “Notbroken,” The Goo Goo Dolls. And we’re not broken/So please come home
30. “What’s Left,” The Walters. Thesis statement… two!!! This is the depressing version. Tell me what is left 'round here/Other than you my love
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kokokulto · 2 years
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hi ! long time fan of your work Koko :) i wanted to ask you what your experience has been like delving into each social media platform, trying to get a feel for each, and now settling on tumblr ? how would you compare each of them, and why do you feel that tumblr has been your best experience so far? thank you for your time <3
[really long post lol]
There are so many things going on in my mind that I want to be able to articulate into words as I read this question lmaooo.
To have a fuller understanding I've talked about quality over quantity of social media interaction here and here. To summarize, I did some reflecting after attempting to 'reboot my art accounts' earlier this year. I realized that attempting to spread myself thin doesn't make me happy and I should only focus on a platform that encourages meaningful feedback and thoughts from other people. To me, Twitter and Instagram was not a place for it due to the nature of its design and algorithm.
I prefer comments over numbers. Something that in my experience isn't super common on Twitter or Insta (unless you're a really big account, or your post blown up to a massive audience). Most interactions there start and end with a like, and perhaps if they are generous enough, maybe a Insta Story share or retweet. The stories are just plain, and it's not often one get's a quote retweet (if you have more qrts, then you are being ratio'd LOL). It's a numbers game. The only parameters you base your "success" on these platforms is through the amount of likes or retweets you have. I am not saying it is impossible to have a good experience on these platforms, nor saying it's impossible to get mutuals there. However, I personally did not feel that people are actively encouraged to actually say something about the artwork if the person isn't a mutual or someone they already know. One experience that put it into perspective was when an old FNAF painting I did got around 1,500 likes despite the account being new and bare. Flopped on Insta but blew up on twitter; it dawned on me how meaningless and based on luck these large numbers were.
Now, here is where tumblr kicked in! Tumblr was part of the social media 'i tried to reboot'. I know that the growth here can be long (the ban, and people left blah blah yeah), and honestly did not expect much from it. But, I channeled my familiarity with tumblr from 2014 and remembered: "hey! In the tags, guys". Posting and reblogging made me enjoy the "tag culture" of this hellsite—even WAY more than before! The "comments via tags" thing is almost a way to give your thoughts and prayers remarks without the expectation for direct social interaction. Some people prefer this over the actual comment section, and it makes them more comfortable to say something about the work! I value every reblog that has comments and tags. Being able to hear your thoughts about the piece, why you like it is 1000% better than tons of likes. I get to actually see why people interact with the post; I'd describe it as having a touch of humanity in the interaction. Actual quality!
This is inherent to Tumblr's design from the beginning. There were no likes on this site before. At its core, people must reblog. And with the whole craze back then on this site with fandoms and such, people just started blurting out comments via tags. Even when likes were first introduced, the number reblogs often out weighed the likes. Because tapping a singular button and ending it there doesn't actually show much appreciation! Being on a platform where the community is encourage to use the tags beyond blog organization is amazing. Input and thoughts, are valued here and I think that's pretty cool. I look at the type of interaction the platform can give, not its quantity. I had fun time here at 40 followers, am still having that same fun at 200+. Probably will be the same throughout! (hopefully)
At the end, this place is still social media and one's relationship with it should be monitored. All comments (good and bad) shouldn't go to your head too much. But, at the very least, Tumblr's design and community allows a bit more of a humane touch when interacting with someone's work.
In terms of design though, I like that tumblr allows for different types of media (videos, audio, image sizes, long posts, asks + answers). Its archival system and the ability to open different blogs is also cool. Customization and markups are really nice! I love how personalized this place can be.
Hopefully this answers your question, and is comprehensive enough LOL . Again, this is my experience, and my journey. It may be different from yours. Just remember to go where you grow while having fun!
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azikarue · 1 year
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2022 Fic Recap
At the beginning of 2022 I told myself I wanted to write more and publish less. This was to allot myself time to work on longer projects I had sitting on the back burner.
Fast forward to the end of the year, and I definitely feel proud of what I've accomplished. If I had my way entirely, I would have made more progress on ongoing fics and WIPs, but you can't have everything. I'm super happy to have participated in MayBlade - it makes up about 99% of my content for 2022. 😅 I look forward to working it (and the baby bout of burnout that follows) into my writing plans for next year.
Before I get into that though, here's a super quick recap of fics I updated or published in 2022.
Bliss
Summary: Life isn't always easy, but there's a certain bliss in tackling it together that makes everything worthwhile. Pairing: Max/Mariam Chapters: 5/15 Words: 28,911 (so far) Rated: T
Chapter 5 (Undecided) is the one addition to Bliss I managed to make this year. I remember spending January and February agonizing over it, only to still need most of March to finish it. Considering it's about 12k words and not the original idea I had for this chapter, I don't feel so silly. I hope to update more this year. 🤞🏻
As a reminder to anyone following it: Bliss is a little jaunt through Max and Mariam's relationship as adults, including plenty of cute domestic moments to make my heart happy and some big conversations/milestones for them to navigate. (Latest chapter is a doozy of a conversation.)
Since starting it, I have mentally had it separated into three loose sections: 1) Boyfriend and Girlfriend, 2) Engaged/Newlyweds, 3) Expanding the Family/Married with Kids. I plan on still following that for the most part, but the sections may not be equal in length. That's mostly because I doubt, in my limited audience, many people have an interest in their children or life past a certain point? Just feel like everyone's headcanons are probably so different for things like that. We'll see how we go lol. This is a very self-indulgent fic, so I'll weigh any feedback I get against that knowledge.
Just A Moment
Summary: A collection for MayBlade 2022 (and beyond). Pairing: Multiple Chapters: 31/31 Words: 48,864 Rated: Varies (everything from K to M)
This fic is the one that took up all my mental capacity for the year. I loved working out the prompts for this and challenging myself to write without overthinking as much. I'm sure there are some prompts that I could have executed better if I took all the time in the world on them, but when I reread them I don't hate how any of them turned out.
I did struggle to keep up with the intense write, edit, update cycle on a daily basis. I found that if I had anything planned on a weekend, then I didn't get as much writing done as I would have liked and it set me behind. I don't know if that means I need to give myself a SUPER strict word count restraint (I tried, but some prompts got longer than I intended), or if I just need to start earlier next year. One thing I don't want to do is restrict my character usage. I wrote about a lot of characters I've never utilized before in this fic and I enjoyed testing myself, even if it's one of the things that made the event more time consuming for me.
The last five chapters of this took me forever to finish and upload. I feel like I lost so much steam pushing myself so hard throughout the month of May, that I needed time to recoup. I took more time than I strictly needed, and I want to find some way to combat that if MayBlade happens in 2023. Tbh, I also felt some discouragement after the event was over, knowing the last few chapters weren't going to get as much feedback after everyone else was done with MayBlade. But I always knew I was going to finish for myself, and that's what I did and I'm SO HAPPY!
This is also a fic I love to look at the stats for. Different chapters did better on FFN versus tumblr, and I enjoy comparing notes and reviews and seeing what people had to say. I get imposter syndrome really bad, where I think I suck at writing and should quit, but this fic gives me some proof that it depends on what I write about and who happens to see it. It's nice to be seen and have a little validation sometimes.
On another note: I plan on posting an index of sorts for Just A Moment, since each chapter is so different. If anyone is hunting it down in the future (i.e. me) it will be linked HERE when it's finished, as well as on my tags page. ♥
And that's 2022! This year went by in the blink of an eye! I know they say time goes faster as you get older, but I thought I had at least a few years left before it would go this fast.
All things considered, I'm proud of what I accomplished this year. It may be a little list of two fics, but there's 32 updates between them, so I won't complain.
For 2023, I want to update Bliss (at least once or twice), participate in MayBlade 2023 (without disappearing off the face of the earth for months afterwards), and work on/complete some WIPs (especially a multichaptered one I've had in the works for a while now).
It sounds like a tall order, but I'll do my best to push myself. If 2023 is anything like the last couple years, I'll make myself proud one way or another. I'm excited to see where next year takes me, and forever grateful to have anybody reading this or following my stories along for the ride. ♥
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toa-arania · 2 years
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Since she's my current blorbo hyperfixation I've decided I'm going to talk more about my Star Trek oc, Allira. I've made a couple art posts about her already but I was sort of vague in them so this is where I'm going to talk about her :)
I've already given the vague idea in the previous posts, but to go over it again: Ensign Allira is a Vorta who defected from the Dominion shortly after the end of the Dominion War. She's currently on her third clone, with the first having been terminated while researching the morphogenic virus (remember that time the founders ordered all the doctors be executed and activate their clones? Allira 1 was one of them), and the second being terminated for recklessness and a dash of insubordination. After that, Allira 3 pretty quickly got the fuck out of dodge, stealing a ship and dropping off her Jem'Hadar to starve somewhere.
After about a year fucking about in the Alpha Quadrant, doing some soul searching and otherwise figuring out what the fuck to do with herself, she decided that her best bet was to take her medical expertise to Starfleet and pray. Fast forward a few years, and here she is as a junior-grade Ensign, freshly out of the academy and horribly paranoid that everyone hates her.
Her first posting is to the steamrunner-class Dover, a patrol ship that spends her first two weeks on the job docked at Deep Space Nine for repairs. She doesn't take this especially well. She uses the time to do what she can to get to know her new roommate, Ensign (senior-grade) Rāphen Calos, a command-track prodigy- Red Squad and everything- that Section 31 seem rather taken with. Not that either of them know that, of course. Raph is a friend's oc that afaik they haven't written about anywhere but that they have posted about here and here. (They also posted about Allira here)
Raph and Allira have had a... rocky friendship. They're trying, but they're both incredibly bad at it. However, over their first few months working together they did manage to cultivate a friendship and start opening up to each other better, helping each other to relax a little and not get killed by accidentally antagonising people. Then they got sent on a mission together to one of Bajor's moons to investigate a distress signal from a mining colony.
Split off from the rest of their crew, who at that point were investigating a distress signal from a ship that just left that colony, they found themselves alone in the dark, empty corridors. Allira, confident that she'd be able to withstand whatever airborne toxins there might be there, took her respirator off to better know what they were dealing with (I like flavouring the Vorta's resistance to poisons so that they can also taste and smell them more distinctly). This turned out to be a mistake when she started hearing voices, and Raph noticed her eye starting to turn black. Just as they started panicking, an assimilated mining drone showed up to start threatening them.
Now Allira doesn't respond well to threats. When threatened with termination by the borg, her response was not to comply. Her response was to threaten to terminate herself first so they'd lose their bargaining chip, which she only doubled down on when it turned out the borg specifically needed her medical training. In response, the borg cut Raph's arm off to force her to come to the medical bay anyway.
Details time- these borg were relegated to using airborne nanoprobes because there was an error in their code that caused the assimilation to fail and just tear apart the bodies of those they tried to assimilate. Raph and Allira (and the crew of the Dover) still don't actually know what the borg were doing this far from the Delta Quadrant. Going back a bit, recall that Allira is in the middle of being assimilated.
Once Raph was stable, they made a break for it and got to a ward where Allira could irradiate herself to disable the nanoprobes. As soon as the borg noticed, they sped up the assimilation to try to kill her. Rather than let herself be assimilated, Allira tried to activate her termination implant, which was too damaged by the assimilation to work. The irradiation started, and both of them blacked out.
Two weeks later, Allira woke up in a sick bay with injuries to the entire left side of her body, including throat injuries severe enough that she couldn't speak. While recovering from her injuries and with remnants of the collective now fading from her mind, she and Raph have been given some lovely medical leave on Bajor so they can finally have some time off to relax and completely fail to healthily process how gay they are for each other (Raph refuses to open up or wind down and Allira is horribly paranoid about everyone around her, it's such a disaster of a combination)
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acoldsovereign · 2 months
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Hi, Guillotina! I know you're still in the midst of setting up your blog and all, including new rules for followers (as you've said already), but I hope it's okay for us anons to still send you random IC & OOC asks! If not, you can delete-- I'll understand. ;w; I won't comment on recent dash stuff but I just wanted to check in and see if you/the people involved were okay???? I know you care about Saiyans a lot. Like, a lot, a LOT-- maybe more than anyone I know or seen so far. (In case I sound like a creep, I swear I'm not!) I was here when you first had Google Docs and had a really cute section about relationships/shipping stuff with Bardock. (Was also here when you first set up your Sites page and had an even *cooler* section about the diversity of the Saiyans' gene pool, explaining why Maiz looked so different! Not to mention your cultural & biological headcanons as well but that's neither here or there). So, I just wanted to check in on you. 🥺 I also say this because of your recent Toriyama post (didn't know he said that about female Saiyans omg! Everything makes so much sense now, haha. I was confused for years man 😭 ). Point is, I see how much Saiyans mean to you overall and I think it's rad to see as a fellow female fan of the series! Can you explain more of your muse choice to me? Like, what went into making her? I know you said she came from a fanfiction but I remember on your old blog, you also said she predates it?? Sorry If I'm misremembering! I just think you and your blog are cool! Keep on trucking!
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{{ Heyo! Yes, that rule is still in place, anon! I will ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS enjoy receiving random asks (IC or OOC) from mutuals and anons. Though I'm private nowadays, I will extend this courtesy to non-mutuals as well! (How else am I supposed to know we're a potential match as writing partners if I don't extend that olive branch, y'know?). With that said-- awwww, you were here for all for that?! 🥺 My pre-Sites days too and during them?! That means you've kept an eye on me ever since I stepped onto the RP scene here.... You're an OG, you know that right?! I didn't expect this sweet and heartfelt message, so thank you so much for taking the time to write this out. I'm smiling so much like a goofy goober. This means the world to me. But yes, I'm okay. I got two new good friends out of said dash stuff (though we were mutuals already, anyway/had already been interacting). Anyway, yeah, I'm good! They're good, too! Thanks for checking in with us!! I'll tell them you sent good wishes, granted if they don't see this beforehand. :3
About Saiyans meaning a lot to me-- yeah. I wish I could remember the interview it was revealed in, but he was asked about it at some point to where he said something to the effect of "I didn't know how to design them/couldn't figure out their appearance", something like that. It stuck with me because like I've mentioned in my Toriyama post, many toxic (as in sexist/misogynistic fanboys and overall creepy ass people) tried to make DB a thing I wasn't allowed to participate in, all because I was born a girl which was and is-- bullshit. Women aren't a different fuckin' species, man. We like the same shit as men sometimes and that's alright. Trying to put me into a girly girl box is what made me into a rebellious ass tomboy (much like Videl who I somewhat related to, growing up). Only in my late teens/early adult years did I embrace my femininity (yes, I was vain and shallow like Bulma at times. I was also a bit too loose with money when I had some, so I understand her casual attitude regarding her wealth, but that's neither here or there). Point is there was and always have been room for female fans of the series, so when I heard that from the horse's mouth himself? Yeah, it was a wrap. That was it. Nobody could tell me SHIT. That's one thing about me: If I learn something is true and it makes my life easier, I will not listen to anything else. I'll do my own thing. I'm a bit stubborn like that but trust me, it's a good stubborn. Otherwise, I'm very open-minded about many things and I'm a good listener.
As I stated on more than one occasion, I started RPing in a chatroom of an anime-pirating website, while I watched DBZ Kai. After I finished the anime (and lost my original RP group of friends), I coped by scouring the Internet for more RP forums and platforms, of which eventually led me to Facebook. I ran into some mishaps here and there in the DBZ RP space but that aside, the highs were worth it and I stayed for a long while. I mostly specialized in Android/Cyborg OCs and Saiyan OCs. So yes, you are right by saying Maiz (as in RPC!Maiz's template) comes from my 2018 fanfiction but also predates it by SEVERAL YEARS because every female Saiyan I had from the age of 12 and up was essentially a prototype of who Maiz would become. Long story short, Maiz grew with me, even when her names before were: Rayearth (my og username on the chatroom/anime website), Beats, Serori, Celeri, and later Jinjā. Rayearth was able to go Super Saiyan and she was the angry-punchy type. She was closer to Vegeta in temperament and haughty as all hell. Beats was a bit more humble with a hint of cockiness. This was around the time I started playing around with morality and all that, so she was less of a Vegeta type but still rough around the edges. I think I implied she could go Super Saiyan but can't remember if it happened in any threads. Serori was much more humble and quiet-- introspective. However, she could be hostile if approached too quickly or suddenly. She was the first low-class Saiyan I ever made. Celeri was a jump off of that because someone had the same name as my OC so I changed her around*. She was extroverted, but not too much. I guess you could call her a quasi-Goku type, if Goku was Mid-Class and a woman. I changed the rank because I wanted to explore the classism aspect of the Saiyans and my OC's relationship between her and her inherent power. She was morally gray, if I remember correctly.
*A bit petty of me, I'm sure-- but I was immature and a moody teenager who only had her creativity to express herself with. Anything too similar to me back then felt like an attack on my personhood and individuality. Thankfully, I'm a mature adult who's grown past that trauma response from childhood.
Jinjā came in 2015. I was 16 going on 17, about to enter college. Stopped RPing some time before this, because well, I had to focus on school and life stuff. This is what she originally looked like:
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She has no story, because she wasn't made with one in mind. I just missed having a female Saiyan to think/write about. She was truly random, a burst of inspiration that heavily looms over Maiz's current design. Jinjā has red, short, choppy hair because Seripa/Fasha was her base design. I wanted something different to make her stand out, or else she'd just look like a clone or twin. That's all. Fasha being the base is also where the earrings comes from, since she had them. (This was just before I started embracing cosmetics and accessories). While she didn't really have anything to her, the basic idea was to go back to my roots: a rough-and-tumble Saiyaness who can pack a mean punch and rock your shit even if it kills her-- even if she fails. Hence my attempt at blood and making her look badass/intimidating. Muscles and female anatomy was hard for me, still is slightly-- but I'm getting the hang of it. Anyhoo, I believe my intentions-- if I fleshed her out more-- would've been for her to be a Bardock-type. Fun fact: Battle of Gods came out a month before this redesign did, so I got some confused looks when asked if this was SSG (Red) and I said no. I wasn't a huge fan of the movie so I didn't really see it until later. Only clips and such on YouTube. I warmed up to it eventually.
While going back to college for the second time (2018-2019), I got into Super properly with the introduction of Broly in DB Super: Broly. I enjoyed the Future Trunks/Goku Black Saga but the narrative nightmare within the anime's climax (and the manga's middle part) was a tough pill for me to swallow. The movie though-- despite the minor grievances I have with it-- hit all the right spots: Saiyan lore! Saiyan culture! POLITICS!!! Space-Opera! Sci-fi!!!!!! Around this time, I was finally inspired to do something else for this fandom I've had a tumultuous relationship with-- write a fan fiction. Jinjā's redesign was imminent:
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She got renamed in reference to her mom, who was now Seripa/Fasha's older sister as a nod to the latter being a design base. Karne comes the Japanese spelling of karnels (kaneru, if I have that correct) because she's frustratingly slow to anger like popcorn-- the pun she's based off of. (Fasha in other media, such as the games has always been described as the opposite: short tempered, fierce and feisty. She's staunchly loyal to her crew too, as implied in the movie and in those same games if you pay attention to her dialogue). With this, it only made sense to have the updated version of Jinjā follow the pun as:
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To summarize: Maiz became Maiz in 2019, in the wake of DB Super: Broly. (It came out that year in the U.S). In the fanfic she originates from, she is the last female Saiyan, and that weighs on her all the time. Incidentally, Story!Maiz is much more sympathetic while remaining a frosty a--hole. Her trauma is much more apparent and while she's not exactly the nicest person in the Galaxy, it's much more clear to see why: she has attachment issues, which makes getting to know her difficult, she has trust issues, anger issues from surviving a bloody and rather violent/sudden genocide of her people at a young and tender age, she can't remember the last time she slept well, has frequent nightmares of being abandoned by her mother (she was the one who shoved her into an escape pod). She thinks there's no value to her life because she's been traveling through outer space with Turles for six years consecutively and there were several planets/galactic sectors who didn't even know what a Saiyan was. They were lucky to find remains. (Cut tails, boots, bones, dust/ashes, name tags, etc etc. The sights were very, very grisly. And she kept seeing the same things for six. Years. Straight). All of this turned her into a very bitter, negative person who became a straw nihilist. She kind of just wanted to pass away quietly in some corner somewhere, not because she felt remorse for being a Saiyan/the effects of her kin but because she had her entire life upended on a sadistic whim. There was nothing to live for in her eyes. She thought Turles was stupid for having hope after a while and became jaded. While she was stronger than Turles in terms of raw power, she had a issue with not wanting to preserve her ki for important situations. He constantly had to watch over her like a big brother and she absolutely resented him for it (misguided anger, anyone?). It didn't help that he remembered more of Saiyan life than she could. All in all, she was tragic and a bit too edgy probably, but she would grow out of her frosty shell with the introduction of Broly. She reluctantly bonded with him over time on their ship as Saiyan Squad (what I called them out of text) made their way to Earth to settle the score with Vegeta. Paragus didn't do anything for her but make her angry at first-- all this time she's convinced herself there were no more Saiyans and then she sees this old man still kicking somehow? Of course she'd be livid. (Paragus, over his short presence in her life until his death at Vegeta's hands proved to be effective; he became a makeshift father figure and imparted some words of wisdom of which she'd take to heart, post Broly fight. Turles was pretty devastated too and they would finally be the brother-sister duo he's always known they could have been. It's bittersweet and sad, tbh).
Anyway, that's the evolution process. As for why she looks like this in universe-- I'm gonna be honest and say I got it from Father of Goku. There were different looking Saiyans in there, two women have blue hair. Super Saiyan has green eyes and blonde hair. Who's to say there aren't natural green eyed Saiyans who existed? Or blondes? Dark hair can mean black and/or brown, so why not both? Same with dark eyes! Make them brown, hazel, chestnut, almost black or straight up black. Etc etc. (As a reminder, Fasha has purple eyes! PURPLE). If you look at official artworks/some colored manga covers and whatnot, Goku's actually tan. Hell, Future Trunks is basically apricot or a peachy skin tone. If you want a triple whammy??? Read the manga. No, seriously. There are OFFICIAL scans that has Trunks with red hair instead of the Super Saiyan blonde. And those are mistakes from Toriyama himself. Look at Z Broly and all his in between stages-- blue hair, greenish-yellow hair, etc. It's really not that hard to create a unique looking Saiyan, or justify it-- so I feel like the whole dark hair and dark eyes should be overlooked/not a big deal. I also just don't like how restrictive it is from a narrative/in universe standpoint. It's not fun to play with.
Anyway, thank you so much. I know this was long. 😭 My bad. I enjoy talking about Maiz very much and her concepts.
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kreideprinzalby · 9 months
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Genshin 4.0 Thoughts
So I finished the Chapter IV Archon Quests (And some of the major World Quests) for 4.0 a while back and like very other long-time Genshin fan whose been playing since it's launch in 2020, it's been a joy just going through the new nation and for the first time in so long I finally felt like I'm having fun in Genshin again. To the point me, someone who will admit never 100% completed any Genshin area or region, 100% COMPLETED THE FONTAINE 4.0 AREA IN A WEEK, it think that says something about how far we've come from the early days.
There will be talk of 4.0 spoilers under the cut so be warned!!
Funny enough, I've never made a post like this since 2021 when Inazuma went live. Mostly for a lot of personal reasons (college courses, moving away from home, etc.) and how i felt about the game post-Inazuma / pre-Sumeru wasn't exactly positive. Plus the initial backlash Sumeru had soured my mood to the point i was just playing through the game just for the sake of it. But that was before the Archon quest finished, and while I'm not going to talk about Sumeru's exploration aspect (no one mention tunnels in the desert to me ever again), The Archon quest was a MASSIVE improvement and showed how the story of Genshin can be good when they take their time. It did make me hope the next region would take a page from how Sumeru handles it's characters. Besides that tangent, So what is it about Fontaine that's making it so fun?
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Well for starters, the water exploration is VERY fun. Even without Fontaine characters the atmosphere and just overall game-play feels smooth and easy to control. I found myself mindlessly swimming around just taking it all in. It's probably also why I felt motivated to 100% the area since 4.0's area is small and feasible to do.
Surprising no one, Genshin's soundtrack for Fontaine is fantastic as always. I could pinpoint some songs the 4.0 livestream played but the rest are still beautiful to listen too. Especially the vocals in the underwater tracks or even just the songs that play in Fontaine's countryside.
Staking a page out of Sumeru's Archon Quest, the first two acts of Chapter 4 really set a new high bar. Mostly because they mystery of why the Nation of Justice treats trials like a spectacle plus the the looming threat of the entire nation being flooded and dissolved away with only Focalors remaining makes for a chilling mystery.
As a fan of Ace Attorney (and Danganronpa unfortunately/lh) the trials section are so much fun to play thru. The way we get to piece it all together, granted with not much penalty, felt like we were uncovering a case before our eyes. And hey! the traveler got to talk some more! also shoutout to Paimon's Groucho glasses staying for that 1st half.
Even though Genshin is no strangers to killing off NPC's at this point, something about how the methods of murder are done here feel eerie. From the jumpscare of the Box being crushed with someone inside to the fact PEOPLE IN FONTIANE JUST, DISSOLVE? so there was a Serial Killer going out murdering girls in a way that leaves nothing behind is very scary to think about even with the lack of blood and gore onscreen.
Of course the real stars of the show are the Fontaine characters we have already met. It's nice to finally see Lyney & Lynette after the Teyvat Trailer showed them nearly 3 years ago, and their dynamic is so nice to see (even if Lyney is rizzing us up lmao). I also love the direction they're going with Navia, Clorinde, and even Neuvillette with how they came across from the teasers.
As the 5th Archon we've met, I already love Furina's personality and dynamic she's got with the traveler. We haven't had an Archon whose been an outright rival to us since they've either been helpful to us from the get-go (Venti, Zhongli, & Nahida) or or straight up tried to kill us for exisiting (Raiden Shogun / Ei). Furina not only is committed to acting al high and mighty every chance she gets, but also really seems to want to show off how grand she is. I also love how we get to see a lil' bit into her psyche and how underneath that bravado she's really just scared her people will judge her if she didn't act like a god fit for the land of Justice. which makes me really excited how were going to convince her to devolve info about the traveler's twin.
Less serious but i love that Arlecchino is called the "Father" and is King in her home we love a GNC queen <3. That being said I am a bit excited to how they portray her since the way Lyney and Lynette talk of her is very much rose-colored since she saved them from horrific circumstances and they trust her with their life, but that remains to be seen
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But if that's what I think is good, whats some stuff I think could have been better?
Even though the water exploration is fun, I wouldn't say the puzzles and some of the underwater power are balanced. The Bullet Barnacles took me way to long to figure out before i took too much damage and since underwater you done have access to hearing other than specific areas your characters are just dead until you revive them. Plus the Sonar you get from the Seals feels weaker to use then say the Crab or Manta Ray power-ups. Plus the time trials and such are just your normal fair for genshin 'secrets'
The Pneuma and Ousia mechanic for the Meka enemies feels a little janky in combat. Maybe because from the start we only have Lyney & Lynette (and the Hydro Traveler) that can use this system right now make be why, but the targeting on certain Meka enemies looks like they hit them with the correct energy but doesn't stun them. Maybe it'll get better once we have more Fontaine characters but for now it's just another combat mechanic.
This is more of a nitpick, but there's one story moment that has one of the worse timing in Genshin. You've prob seen how people reacted to the Traveler seemingly random hostility towards finding out Lyney & Lynette are Fatui (or at least part of a Fatui household since House of Hearth raises Fatuus Soldiers), and normally that would make sense since they spent an entire trial trying to defend them but that omission of crucial info almost cost them the case. BUT, from the players perspective not only hours before were they JUST friendly to Childe, a Fatui Harbringer that despite being friends they are still wary of and now suddenly is willing to treat him like any old friend now in Fontaine makes it come across as cruel to the twins and weird in context. Why would the traveler, whose a twin themselves, show a lack of compassion two twins that opened their heart about their (surprisingly dark) backstory? It's not a horrible choice but it's definitely a weird writing choice in this instance. Especially since you have to finish Act's I & II to seen Lyney's Story Quest, and the traveler is somehow okay with them now? It's just weirdly timed is all.
I need more Freminet PLEASE I JUST WANNA SEE THE BOY!!
That's pretty much all I got. Hopefully I'm more hopeful of Fontaine's hype to the end, especially with how great Sumeru's story quest went. So we'll just have to wait & see what 4.1 and 4.2 gives us!
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mxtcha-tea · 3 years
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domestic shiratorizawa
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⊹summary; the life inside the dorms of shiratorizawa
⊹pilots; gn![y/n], ushijima, tendou, semi, yamagata, reon, kawanishi, shirabu, goshiki (pairings showed; yamagata x reader, goshiki x reader)
⊹genre; fluff, crack and some cursings (no proofread)
⊹flight details; i've once made a domestic imagines in my old blog so imma make a small reboot of it <3
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random shopping
normal day, normal life. you could've seen yourself laying or even napping in your room while a compilation of minecraft songs plays in the background. but no. instead, you're inside an antique shop with Yamagata, Ushijima and Tendou.
you have no idea when, or how did the process happened but you surely is done with getting dragged inside the shop by Tendou and Yamagata.
while Ushijima's stuck on a section, you don't know where, but he's definitely stuck there, "[y/n]! look at what i found,"
Yamagata called you as you turned around to see him holding up a pretty heavy doll. you raise your brow, "what the hell is that?" walking towards him and taking a closer look at the object in hand,
"i think it's a, um, i think a matryoska doll? matroyska? is that how you say it?" "why're you asking me, i don't know jack shit about russian stuff,"
"ah you mean, matryoshka doll?" Tendou butted in, startling you two, "it's also called a 'nesting doll' and did you actually know that it was actually originated from china?"
Yamagata's eyes practically sparkled at that with a surprised look, "from china? really?"
you can only roll your eyes, "and how can you even know all that?" Tendou snickered and put on a smug face, "i'm actually very smart, y'know. ya'll just don't know about it," "says the person in class 2,"
"i blame the mathematic old hags for adding letters in math, and the apple that fucking hit my man Isaac," you tsk'ed and walk towards the next section. Yamagata passive aggressively put the matryoshka doll down and follow after you along with Tendou,
"also, we need to find ushijima, i think he's stuck in some section between here...ah there," you stopped walking and turn to your right where you find Ushijima reading a book.
Tendou skipped towards him and smack his shoulder, "you okay, wakatoshi-kun? you sure did took longer to look at the stuff here," while Tendou chats with Ushijima, Yamagata look up at the shelves as something caught his eyes.
he tried to reach it while tip toing but due to his height, he can't reach it. then, he jumped from his spot to grab the object but end up hitting his head onto the board, "AGH, FUCK!" which causes you all to look at him, watching him hold his head while shivering from the pain,
"are you okay, yamagata?" ushijima ask, putting back the book on the shelves, "yeah, yeah, i'm just tryna get that," he shakes his head before pointing up.
you followed his finger and caught a glimpse of an old polaroid. it's a little bit dusty but other than that, it looks new. Ushijima reached it from his spot and managed to grab it, "here,"
he hands it to Yamagata as he instantly recovered from his recent pain and snatch it from Ushijima's hand, subtly thanking him with a grin, "why do you even need a polaroid?" Tendou asked, leaning his arm over Ushijima's shoulder with one brow up,
"pfft, for journaling of course,"
a gust of wind went through you while staring at him with a poker face, the same with Tendou with a small cat like smile. Ushijima just looked the same,
"okay," "WHAT'S WITH THE TONE??" you blinked and just knit your eyebrows, "i mean, since when you started journaling? you're not even the type of person to do something aesthetic,"
he pouted and just crosses his arms, "so what? that doesn't mean i can't do it, right? have faith in me god darn it. and honestly, my journal looks good so far," "well, fine,"
you waved your hand at him and continue going through the other section. and just like that, "hey wait!" Yamagata tailed after you.
Tendou snickered at the two and focus back on Ushijima, who's still watching the display yet again, "have you thought of what to buy wakatoshi-kun?" "i'm not sure, there's a lot of interesting stuff here," "well, you've only been in this section but okay~"
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studying
"agh, why did those idiots really have to call me at this time...?"
you groaned, slowly walking through the halls with a slouched figure. tracing your fingers along the wall with a dejected look. you're suppose to sleep today.
an hour or two long sleep. it's finally the weekend which means the time for you to sleep all of your problems away. drifting into slumber with fluffy pillows and warm blankets, enjoying your dream as long as you can.
until your ringtone annoyingly rings next to your ear. you answer the call, and again greeted by the most annoying human in the planet,
"[y/n], we need you at the gym right now!"
"huh? oh fuck off Tendou, i need to sleep right now,"
"nuh uh, you can sleep later after you go to the gym,"
"why? are you, i don't know, practicing or something?"
"you have to find out. if you don't move your ass from that bed, we'll send Hayato to wake you up~"
". . ."
and now, you find yourself standing in front of the door of shiratorizawa's volleyball gym. not only that Tendou wakes you up from your sleep, you also had to WALK all the way from your dorm to the gym,
"i'm gonna add more time to their practices after this..."
sliding the door open, you expect them to be doing serves or maybe spikes.
but instead, you're seeing them—as in the 3rd years—all sitting down at the middle of the court, with books around them.
and what's even more confusing is that they somehow managed to bring a table inside. no, not the flip-able table.
literally a whole ass table.
Reon looks up from his book and notices your figure standing on the door way. he waves his hand at you, you did the same but still with a confused look.
Yamagata was next to see you as he abruptly stand up from his spot, shaking the table in the process,
"Hayato! stop shaking the table," "oops, sorry. ah, wait, [y/n]!"
that caught all of the boys attention as they look at you, "what taking you so long to arrive?" Tendou asked, a pen rested in between his upper lip and nose.
Semi smacked him in the face—earning an 'ow'—before shaking his head,
"their dorm is literally far from the gym, and why do you even proposed your idea of studying at the gym anyway?"
you make your way towards them, Reon patting the empty spot next to him. you sat down on your spot as Yamagata did the same. seemed like he was waiting for you.
Tendou rubbed his nose and pouted at Semi, "this was the best place to study anyway! it have much more room,"
"we should've gone to the cafeteria OR the LIBRARY," Semi groaned, looking back at his book before writing on it,
"pfft, the cafeteria's no fun. and i got banned from the library," Reon looks at Tendou with confusion, "well, it's not surprising,"
Tendou shrugged, "i was also banned from the library," Ushijima said, not looking up from his notes as you knit your eyebrows at that,
"you're also banned from the library? Satori, what did you and Ushijima did—" "anyways, um,"
he cut you off, fidgeting with his pen before pointing it at you, "right, you need to tutor us on this subject~!"
you blinked, looking down at the book they're studying about, "haven't the teacher covered this already?"
"well, i'm sorry, class 6. but we have no idea how this thing works. maybe only Reon, but look at Semi,"
Tendou wrapped his arm around Semi's neck, practically head locking him, "he's from class 1 and i think you should teach him about this the most," "I'll rip your fucking head off, Tendou!"
while both of them tried to strangle each other, Yamagata caught your attention next,
"and also, it won't be fun without you, y'know," Reon nodded, "and don't forget that you can't leave me alone in this,"
"oh right," "hm? what was that?" Yamagata asked. you just shake your head with a defeated smile, "nothing..."
after clearing your throat, you snatched Semi's book away before flipping through the pages,
"okay you scumbags, it's time to learn,"
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oblivious enough
the birds chirped from the tree, the hallway's as loud as ever. Semi and Tendou's leaning against the window, each of them drinking apple juice and eating yakisoba bread.
it was silence between them before Semi spoke, "hey, Tendou," "yes Semi-Semi?" "y'know,"
Semi turned his head to look at Tendou as the redhead did the same, "have you, noticed the relationship between [y/n] and Yamagata lately?"
the latter made a thinking face, before nodding, "hm, seems so,"
"do you think, either one of them ever noticed about it?" Tendou shakes his head at the question, "nope, i don't think they do. in fact, they might be completely oblivious to it,"
Semi snickered, "right, like that one time..."
"[y/n], do you think my lips are dry right now?"
you look up from your clipboard, seeing Yamagata pointing his lips, "hm, nah. they're fine, but if you want, i can but on some lip balm,"
his eyes sparkled at that as he nodded his head with excitement, "sure!" you walk towards your bag with Yamagata following you. opening the zipper and search inside it, you pull out your lip balm,
"here, hold still," you put a hand on his cheek while the other applies lip balm onto his lips. it was a slow process but he managed to not move at all while making eye contact with you.
once you finished applying, he pop his lips before humming, "mn, cherry," "let me know if you need anything else,"
he nodded with now flushed cheeks as he smile at you. you did the same, gently patting his arm.
from a distance, Shirabu looks at them with a disgusted look, "ugh, can't they be more subtle about it,"
Kawanishi shrugged, "just let them be,"
"how can i redo my memory? i don't need to see that this early," "well, what if it was us?" "i would be twice as grossed, i can put my own lip balm," "hm yeah, you're right, i honestly would be like that too," "good,"
"haha yeah, now that i think about it, they do it all the time right?" Tendou nodded at Semi's statement before hearing the all too familiar voice just a few meters away from them,
"[y/n]!"
you turned your head around while still sipping your drink. Yamagata stood in front of you, holding out his visibly crumpled necktie with a small smile,
"my necktie!" "ah again? whatever," you give your drink to him as he hold it for you.
grabbing the necktie from his hand, looping it around his collar shirt and started tying it with a concentrated look,
"i can't say that it'll be clean when i finished tying it," "it's okay! that's why i'm asking you to do it, messy or not, at least i have it on," "hm, yeah,"
after you finished tying it and patting it a little, Yamagata hugged you, "thank you!" "yeah, you're welcome,"
the aura literally radiates on the slightly crowded hallway as some of the students who passed you talked among themselves.
Semi and Tendou stared at you two, expressionless eyes but with a small smile,
'ah, right,'
Tendou sighed, intertwining his fingers together and lifting it up to his cheeks, "ah, young love~"
"we're all the same age,"
"young love~"
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bonus; reliable kouhai
lifeless.
is what goshiki would say when he took a few glances at you from his book. you promised to tutor him about this subject he's struggling on. but didn't really expect to see your slouched form walking inside the library.
he's not even sure if you even hear anything you're saying right now, "get a shovel and two-" your head hit the table, creating a loud sound and catching the attention of almost everyone inside the library,
"[y/n]-senpai, um, are you okay??" you groaned and rapidly blink your eyes, covering your forehead, "yeah, 'm just..."
a yawn escaped from your mouth before you can even finish your sentence, "...tired. those stupid senpais of yours need help tutoring too even tho being grown ass men,"
goshiki closes his book and creating a small 'thump', snapping you out from your mind,
"well, if that so then you didn't have to come, you could've just tell me and i would be fine with it!" your hoarse laugh caught him off guard as a shade of red ran across his cheeks, "i can't break a promise, tsutomu. why do you even think i agree on tutoring you?"
"uh, cause you want to help me with my studies?" "one of it, and cause i enjoy tutoring you," he can feel his cheeks heating up more when you made eye contact with him, a small smile laced upon your face,
"and honestly, you're smarter than i thought. class 4 right? that's cool," he looked away, trying to calm his nerves down, "t-thanks! a lot of people thought i was in a lower class, so i, i appreciate it,"
goshiki took a peek at you, now burying your face onto your face, "also, senpai," "hm?"
"you should take a nap for now, i think i can start understanding this formula," you slightly look up at him, "you sure? i was prolly talking craps just now," "yeah! your health is more important anyway,"
you hum, offering him a warm smile, "thanks, i know i can count on you," you rested onto your side and close your eyes. lips slightly parted and just like that, you're deep in your dreams.
he pursed his lips, slowly leaning against the table to look at your face. it's calm, peaceful and beautiful, kissable lips. he wonder if he could lean in a little closer until you two-
goshiki instantly jolted up and hit himself on the head, face's covered in the color red, 'no! don't think about that, curse you Tendou-San for introducing me to those mangas...'
Tendou's faces ran across his mind as he grunted,
'why're they so pretty??'
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