#and i keep some backlog in my pocket

[froginabogg]

my goal is to build such an intricate backlog i'll get to the point of someone requesting a board and i can pull it right out of my catalogue, will this ever happen? well apparently no one seems to request the boards i've already made

[genericpuff]

The FAQ link sent me straight to the inbox. Do you have a Patreon? (Sorry if you've answered this before.)

Oops, that's not supposed to happen!! I'm at the shop rn but once I'm home I'll take a look at it, I recently changed my site theme so the link might have just broke 🤣

I do have a Patreon, and a Ko-Fi now too as well!! (just recently started a secondary page for Ko-Fi, I haven't finished sprucing it up yet but it's at least setup enough to function lmao) Both are setup for monthly subs, but Ko-Fi is frankly my favorite as it also allows for one-time donations, it supports community goals (which Patreon got rid of, bleh) and its fees are WAY lower, meaning more of what people send me actually gets to me!

That said, I do want to include a disclaimer for anyone finding out for the first time:

Obviously with the nature of Rekindled being fanfiction, I can't directly profit off it, so I'm limited in what I can offer in terms of tier rewards. I'm not exactly keen on running the risk of offering stuff like early access pages or sellable digital downloads of the comic itself, that sort of thing, as it could be held against me as selling Rachel's characters / story / etc. for my own profit. While Patreon overall does offer the "legal grey area" of operating as more of an optional tip jar than a commercial storefront, I would still rather mitigate the risk of legal consequences before they've happened, rather than push my luck and get screwed for it later LMAO

Aa such, most of what I post rn are backlog Twitch VODs from past streams (which includes live footage and commentary of me making "new" episodes) and time lapses of completed episodes ! Stuff that contains Rekindled goodies without it being a direct sales item ;p

Aside from balancing on legal tightropes, I've also just... learned the hard way from past experiences that I'm not the best at maintaining a robust and regular tier reward system 🫣 (thanks ADHD) If I were able to do this as my full-time job, maybe, but ultimately I prefer keeping my crowdfunding platforms simple so I can focus on making what people are really paying for - the continued production of more episodes!

Sooooo with that big disclaimer / explanation aside , if you do decide to check it out, just keep in mind that both platforms are operating more like optional tip jars, with the odd piece of bonus content every now and then from what I can feasibly (and legally) provide !! I try my best to upload regularly enough for the monthly subscription to be "worth it", but that's why I also have a Ko-Fi setup now too, for people who would rather just make one time donations or don't want to deal with another monthly subscription cost (mood)

Regardless, all the money that I earn from Patreon, Ko-Fi, and Twitch goes back into Rekindled in some way or another! Whether it's helping cover costs for my drawing software or paying for new brushes / assets, or even just helping with our Internet bill so that I can keep posting LMAO I'm super grateful to those who have or are currently tucking some extra change into my pocket to help support my work and get me by, every little bit counts 🤗💖

(and ofc for those who don't have the means to support with money - reading my work, commenting on it, reblogging it, etc. is super helpful too!!! All your kind words and fun discussions and theories in the tags and fanart and everything in between are their own form of compensation, because it brings me immense amounts of joy and constantly reminds me why I do what I do 🥺💖)

[bekaterrier]

Happy Audio Drama Sunday! I've started working my way through my holiday backlog, so some of these episodes are from a couple of weeks ago.

@storiesfromylelmore Episode 209 - Detention: After their wild escapade last episode, the trio are in detention (worth it), and they're as hilarious as ever. I wanted to shout out the sound scaping, the rain on the windows was very soothing; noticeable but not distracting from the episode. Also I want to know what the lunch ladies were gossiping about, Ms. Yesrith and who??? I have the feeling that Keryth wasn't really supposed to be able to summon the School Blessing. Also I'm adding Blessings to my internal database of the lore of Ylelmore! 🏫

SFY Patreon Minisode - Knight AU: Y'all it is so cute to hear the kids in this AU. You definitely need to join the Patreon to hear the whole thing, it is worth it! ⚔️

Case Study: IREC-A59 - Update: No new episode, but I did get the chance to chat with the writer over the holidays! The plan for the show is 4 seasons, which have already been broadly mapped out. S1 will be 20 episodes, and work on the writing for season 2 is already underway! I can't wait for more of the world building to be revealed, as it sounds like there's a lot of thought that went into it. Also I really hope they eventually release a bloopers reel for S1 because the stories I heard sound ridiculous. 🚀

@starfallpod Act 1 Scene xviii: Oh Fel...oh Leona... </3 I'm very glad that they had their talk and are back to being besties (them not getting along was just not right), but man were those some tough things they had to share. Can we not just bundle them up with a bunch of food and keep them safe somewhere? Nothing more bad will happen to them right?? 🎭

@vestaclinicpod S2 Teaser Trailer: I. Am. So. Excited!!! S2 coming in early 2025, with cases run by the whole Vesta Clinic team!! ⚕️

@monkeymanproductions's Waiting For October S1 Episode 3 - Small Town: By the end of this episode, I just wanted to bundle Karo up in a big hug. It's clear she went through a lot as a child, and while we learned some, there's still a lot she's not saying. As someone from a small town, I can totally understand how coming back is both comforting and bringing up old wounds. It's made especially tough when a minstrel won't stop following you around singing about your life without the complete picture (not that I've had that particular event happen to me...) 🪕

@midnightburgr Welcome to the Horizon Part 9 - The Mountain: Drunk June is the best. Drunk June being proven right is even better! I'm with her, I also snorted when Deidre said the full "Deidre Peppercorns" out loud, and yes, that Verge moment was hot. I am falling in love with each of these Hood's Pocket weirdos more each episode, Edgy Steve and Flat Doug included. Also, "I mean, look at you. Of course you fell from the sky." SO smooth Deidre!! Now what up with this comet?! ☄️

[spadesolace]

the idea of yoo - 1.4. what even is love? (written)

previous | next

“you sure about joining me for this service?” you looked at rei who was also putting her shoes on. nodding in confirmation that she does want to do this.

“i wouldn’t worry much about you being bored. father lee would keep you entertained.”

“why?”

“he says some… out of pocket things.”

rei looks at you confused as you fix her top. the sad smile is still evident in your features but not quite like the weeks before. an entire month, you were busy to say the least; working on backlogs and gaining extra for you and rei - mostly for rei.

the mass was quite the usual, you did have a responsibility for being the pianist to which you have to start looking for a new one.

your gaze travels around the people sitting below, rei is right next to you, looking around the amount of instruments just for you.

there’s jimin… i really messed up.

jimin lost her spark, the same gleam you saw when first meeting had been gone - like a star after a supernova, becoming a black hole. hoping that wasn’t the case for the shining star that is yoo jimin.

yeonjun was late, sitting next to his dad, who had quite the expression for whatever they were talking about. he still looked the same from the day he found out - disappointed, sad, and confused.

deacon yoo became white noise to you, you’ve heard the same message time and time again but you weren’t expecting jeno to stand in front. if rei was bored, this got her attention.

“thank you. love! what is love? love is patient, it is kind. it does not envy nor boast, it is not proud… which is why i love this little lady.”

if the heartbreak from the past month didn’t hurt, what jeno would say next will.

“and why - she’d make me a fantastic wife. Jimin, will you-“

“NO!” 

everyone turns around, yeonjun and jimin finally looks at you after a month. you were hoping not in this way, not letting your emotions get the best of you.

“i- uh- i just wanted to add that…” you maintained eye contact with jimin, within the friendship you had developed with yeonjun within the past months you learned one phrase. fuck it, we ball.

“love is-”

“love isn’t pretending.” yeonjun cut you off, taking a deep breath and a quick glance at deacon yoo then to jimin, looking at him so intently. “i know because i’ve been pretending. only for a few months, but it sucks.”

“yeon…” he’s being careful with his wording - not to cause mayhem in the small chapel. one that would make everyone question life and the little town that is kwangya.

“what sucks more is having to pretend to be - not you - your whole life.” that was directed at you, only yeonjun and rei know about it. 

“my whole life, i thought there was only one way to love, but there’s more. so many more - and i don’t wanna be the guy that stops someone loving… the way they want to love.” the yeonjun you first met months ago wasn’t like this. you knew him as the tall guy with pink hair and dances every now and then. he’s matured, understood where you were coming from, and he accepted it.

deacon yoo cuts him off, assuming this whole fiasco is done and getting ready to bring the attention back to jeno, the star of the show, the golden boy of the town, the one who everyone believed jimin is destined for. within years of observing, you learned one thing from yeonjun and jeno; fuck it, we ball.

“i also have been pretending…” gasps throughout the chapel, deacon yoo has given up at this point.

“i know where this is going, naoi y/n. i’m flattered, really, but you and i wo-”

“jeno, for once in your life - can it. i’ve been writing your assignments for the entirety of high school so stop acting like the hero in this story.” he shuts up, backs away and sits down next to father lee. taking a deep breath, you look back at jimin who has been looking at you for a while now.

“if you’ll forgive me, i will just rewrite you one last time.” you look at yeonjun who finally looks up at you, a sad smile, teary eyes, and flushed cheeks - nodding to let you continue on.

“love isn’t patient, kind, humble… love is messy, deceiving, selfish, and… bold.” jimin is confused as you walk down the stairs from the balcony. rei recording everything that is happening and you just let it.

“it’s not finding your perfect half. it’s about trying and reaching, and failing - despite the effort you put in with no promise of success. love is being willing to try something new.” a quick glance at yeonjun, he smiles at you, urging you to continue on.

“love is admiring your favorite art, despite it being overrated - but despite everyone looking your way and admitting that you are no different from the rest. yet, you are. the good thing about being different is that no one expects you to be like them.” everything finally clicks to jimin, from the letters, your actions, how different yeonjun is compared to the letters and conversations she had with him.

“love is accepting them for who they are despite the deception - making them fall for the idea of you.”

“you.”

“... yeah.”

you hold your breath, jimin makes her way. assuming she’d go after you - slap you, scream even, but no. she walks towards yeonjun, somewhat apologetic eyes and a loud smack was all you heard as she leaves. everything goes into mayhem. you started this.

“AMEN!” father lee shouted as everyone started screaming, fighting, having some bits and pieces of realization. yeonjun and his father talking, you couldn’t hear it but all you could is them hugging each other then the sudden scream from mr. choi.

“ARE YOU INSANE?!” yeonjun turn his head away from his father smacking him in the head, a smile towards you and a thumbs up. mouthing we good? you nod as you sign him to cover his head for another smack from his father.

“come on, let’s get going. that’s enough of this chaotic mess.” rei pulls you out of the chapel, letting the noise die down as you walk out and head on home.

taglist [CLOSED]:

@1luvkarina @beawolfbealionbeyou @pandafuriosa60 @txtbrainrot @rinapomu @limbforalimb @yoontoonwhs @noascats @thefckghost @petruchiosstuff

[hn-undercover-9503]

going through my backlog documents again and I uncovered this, it's from a project I honestly don't know if I'll ever finish but I thought I'd share some of it anyway bc I liked the concept of this fic a lot

The atmosphere in the holding cell was a far cry from what it normally was.

On a normal day, he would get to laugh and tease the pretty sheriff until there was practically steam coming out of his ears and he was too flustered to even speak. But today, Tango could tell that wasn't the way to go.

"Yo, uh, Sheriff? You…wanna tell me what's going on in that big beautiful brain of yours?"

The sheriff looked upset, except not in the usual I'm pretending to be angry to try and intimidate the prisoners kind of way–no, he looked actually upset. He kept jumping from paper to paper and shelf to shelf, never really focusing on anything. After about an hour, which was usually the point at which Tango would have made the slip already, he finally decided he couldn't ignore it anymore.

Immediately, he was given a harsh glare, which was quickly followed by a loud groan and a sigh. The Sheriff dropped the pen he'd been pretending to work with and tossed his head over the back of his chair.

"It hasn't got anything to do with you."

Tango shrugged, leaning back with his grip on the bars keeping him upright. "Oh, I dunno, maybe I could help. Just thinkin'."

The Sheriff sighed again. And just when Tango was sure he wasn't going to respond, he mumbled, "It's my ex,"

Tango did a double-take. "Your…ex?"

"Yes,"

"As in, ex-partner? Ex-romantic partner? A person you used to be in a relationship with?"

He rolled his eyes. "No, my ex-brother–yes, my ex-romantic partner, or my ex-boyfriend I should say."

"You have an ex-boyfriend?" He exclaimed, genuinely surprised. How had he never heard of this before? And here he thought he knew everything about his favorite sheriff.

"It's a long story. But recently, I heard he started seeing someone else, and I'm…oh, forget it, this is stupid."

"No no no, s'not stupid!" Tango pushed aside the slight sting at the implication that his sheriff still had feelings for another guy, caring more about how he could make him feel better. "What's his name?"

"His name is Scott."

Tango's eyes widened. "Scott? As in Scott Smajor, the owner and proprietor of the underground black market?"

The Sheriff shot him a dirty look. "And how do you know about the black market, huh?"

"Hey, I'm not the one who dated him." He raised his hands in surrender. "Besides, he's got a reputation for being a bit of an ass."

"He's not–just because he doesn't take people's garbage doesn't make him rude." He groaned. "Oh great, I'm defending him now! I really am pathetic."

“Aw, you're not pathetic, Sheriff.” Tango leaned back against the bars. “I think it's cute.”

“Cute? You think being hung up on an ex who's clearly moved on already cute?”

“Well how do you know he's moved on?” Tango asked.

The Sheriff sighed again, slumping down in his chair. “I got a report that he was seen slipping around with some guy.”

“That doesn't mean anything–maybe it's a new customer he's got.”

“Slipping around corners to make out with his customers?”

Tango shrugged. “Well, I dunno what he's got going on! Maybe it's a special service or something.”

The Sheriff groaned. “Okay, gross. Why haven't you left already, anyway? We both know you could've been out of here hours ago.”

Tango put on his best pouty face, reaching through the bars to brush a finger over his sheriff's arm. “Aw, but I love our time together, Sheriff. Why would I wanna give that up?”

He glared, clearly not feeling up to their usual bantering. “I'm going to go get more coffee.” He said tiredly as he stood from his desk and made for the door.

Tango watched him go with a frown. When the door clicked shut, he reached into his back pocket and produced the key to the cell, unlocking it and scaling the wall to get to the window. It popped open just as easily as it always did. As he looked back at the office and holding cell, a cold, heavy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

He needed to do something.

[bellysoupset]

Hey up! I FINALLY have an idea for Lucas as the sickie and bell as the caretaker! (Well it’s more of a small request) maybe He’s been running errands with bell all day and just kinda suffering in silence for the whole day until he finally gets home and it all kinda hits him at once and kinda topples over in pain and of course some Emeto but please feel free to make changes etc etc !! 🌙 peace out 🌙🌙

oh heheeh, time to torture this cutie again.

------

Lucas had been spending the majority of his time at the hospital. As the only one who didn't work, that meant he could spend most of the time keeping Vince from breaking bed rest.

Still, that had been taking a toll on him and also, generally, in his personal life. Normally Bella left the house obligations to him, since he had more free time than she did, and with the renovation of their new condo, his list of errands had all but doubled in a quick amount of time.

Bella: did u pick up the new lamps?

Oh yeah, the new lamps. Lucas groaned, rubbing his temple and across from him Vince glanced away from the old rerun of Friends he was watching.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Luke shook his head, "just forgot to pick up some stuff. In fact, I'm pretty sure I forgot to pick up a lot of stuff."

Vince snorted, "that's because you've been babysitting me, even though I said five times already that I don't need a baby sitter. Wendy is in the hospital, Jon too. Casey the nice nurse is here and Tony the hotter nurse and Claire the one that I'm pretty sure spits on my food. I'm fine."

Lucas let out a chuckle, lowering his forehead to the hospital bed mattress, only to feel Vince's fingers in his hair, petting it lightly, "get out of here, Luke."

"Uhmm, okay," Lucas nodded, but didn't move from his position, "in a second, as soon as I get the energy."

Vince hummed, tapping the top of his head, "you good, Luke?"

"Yeah, just... Just tired, I guess," Lucas shrugged, straightening up. Now that he had a second to assess himself, he realized he wasn't actually feeling all that well.

His stomach hurt, but Luke chalked it up as hunger. He hadn't eaten since morning, because unwillingly, his own meals had synched up with Vince's mandatory ones. He also felt lethargic as hell.

"I don't want to see you here tonight," Vince shooed him with his good hand, "I'm serious, I'll ask security to ban you. Get out of my hospital room."

Luke rolled his eyes and got up, "sure you will, you love my company... But yeah, I think I need to rest, your couch is comfy but not nearly as comfy as my girlfriend's bed."

"Bet Bella also doesn't snore as much as you do," Vince grinned, "get out of here."

Figuring he should tackle the first issue first, Lucas headed straight to the hospital's buffet before even running his errands. People said hospital food was garbage, but what people meant was that the severely sick patients with different amount of sodium intakes allowed were served horrible, unsalted food. The cafeteria one, though, Luke had learned through his teenage years, was awesome. No one wanted nurses and doctors unhappy.

He piled on his plate with food and then sat down at a little table on the corner, taking his time to answer all the texts he had left for another time. Vince's mom had gotten his number and she was just as chatty as her son. He had a backlog of at least ten texts from her.

Bella had texted him too, although hers were less conversation and more her utilizing one of their many group chats to dump on their list of chores. He sent her a saluting emoji and "on it boss". She texted back with an eyerolling emoji and then, "you're coming home tonight, right Lucas?"

How could he ever even say no.

Lucas: ofc, i miss my girl.

He saw her little bubble pop and disappear twice, before her answer appeared.

Bella: and here I was thinking I'd have to fight Vince

He snorted at the mental image and pocketed his phone, turning his attention to the food. He hadn't managed even half the plate, but his stomach already felt full. It was unlike him, he was the type to have seconds and thirds.

Luke pushed the meatballs around his plastic plate, trying to figure if he should overdo it or risk throwing it away and being hungry later. Deciding he really didn't want to derail his day by having to eat again, he mechanically chewed the remaining meatballs and got up.

As soon as he was up his stomach jumped to his throat, in a nasty belch that he had no control over. He slammed a hand to his mouth, catching the tailending of it, but far too late. On the table next to him, some nurses wrinkled their noses and glared in his general direction, causing his cheeks to burn.

He made his exit quick after that.

Home Depot wasn't his natural habitat. In fact, it was almost an alien landscape, snob kid that he was. Lucas felt like every worker there was deeply aware how out of place he looked, even if common sense actually told him he looked like he belonged.

He spent more than thirty minutes trying to decode whatever Bella had meant when she typed "eggshell mud green paint" and eventually decided that fuck it, grabbing the ugliest shade of green he could find and putting it inside his cart.

The more he walked around, confident that he was picking every single piece wrong no matter how hard he tried to decode the instructions, the more it hit him that he had been wrong. His nausea earlier hadn't been hunger.

Lucas grimaced, pressing his stomach against the horizontal cart handle. It caused his stomach to let out a gurgle and he muffled another burp, blowing it out under his breath.

His phone buzzed and he picked it up, squinting at the screen. The queasy sensation spreading all over him was making everything else too much. The bright white lights over his head, the store radio, his clothes clinging to him.

Bella: can you buy me tampons 😭I forgot

He groaned then nodded, only to realize a second too late that Bell obviously couldn't see him.

Lucas: yeah. that green brand with the pink things?

Bella: sí.

He pocketed the phone again, then groaned as a horrible taste flooded his mouth. It made him shiver, his hair glueing down to his forehead.

Giving up on home depot, Lucas paid - even though he was pretty sure he'd have to return - and headed to the parking lot. He barely got to load all the packages in the backseat, before his stomach churned again and Luke ended up bending in half, retching to the gravel between his sneakers.

Nothing came up, but his nausea jumped up a notch. He spat the bitter taste in his mouth and rubbed his stomach, sweat running down his forehead and his shirt glued to his back, even though it was a pretty chilly day out.

He rasped out, trying to catch his breath and keep his lunch down at the same time, which was proving to be a challenge. Another wet burp rolled up and Lucas groaned, pressing his forehead to the leather of the seats in front of him.

He palmed over his belly button, where he could feel some angry gurgling and pressing. Another sickening belch made past his lips, offering not an sliver of relief, but pushing the nausea back enough that Luke could straight up. His lips were covered with drool and Lucas grimaced, wiping his mouth and his forehead.

Well... fuck.

He still had to stop by the pharmacy, so despite his whole body aching and the contents of his stomach sloshing every time he so much as breathed, Lucas got to it.

The pharmacy was brighter than home depot, causing him to squint the entire time as he picked up the package of tampons, grabbing the cramps medicine with one hand and planting it all over the counter with a groan.

"Good... Good evening...?" the cashier sounded horrified and Lucas sighed.

"Not really," he took a step back to avoid breathing in their direction.

"Do you have our loya-"

"No, please," Luke groaned, "just... Please."

Catching the memo, the blonde before him scanned his itens as far as possible, flinching in sympathy when Luke's stomach gurgled.

"I also get super nauseous on my period," they said and Luke frowned, confused.

"I'm not... It's not my-" his stomach cramped again and the pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, gulping down and deciding not to clear up anything, "yeah, it fucking sucks. I'm sorry for-" he gestured to his general self, "keep the change."

"Feel better!" came a squeal behind him, followed by "ginger helps!"

He wasn't sure ginger or anything could help. Luke felt drunk by the time he pulled up in front of their place and he couldn't insert the fucking key.

His stomach was crawling up his throat and he gagged, liquid splashing on his tongue and puffing out his cheeks... He swallowed it back down, dropped the key and then slammed a hand against the door, "BELL! Open-" he gagged and slammed the door again, "BELL!"

He heard a distant squeal and then footsteps, followed by "Luke? Did you forget your-"

As soon as she opened the door, his stomach turned again and the only thing he could do in order to not throw up on her was grab his girlfriend by the arm and push her to his side, as vomit covered the very spot she had been standing on.

He crumbled down, falling to his knees and Bella let out a curse, barely avoiding the puddle of sick and holding his shoulders, "hey- Hey, Luke- Lucas-"

He was far from done. His stomach was still burning, bubblying with sick and he retched again, bracing against the floor and gagging as his hand met hot chunky vomit.

Bella planted a cold hand on his forehead and supported his head, a good thing she did because the next heave was productive and if it wasn't for her holding his head, he'd have covered his shirt with it.

Red sauce sprayed all over the Welcome In mat and Lucas groaned, wrapping an arm around his stomach and turning around, dizzily falling on his ass, head meeting the open door.

"Joder, Luke," Bella cursed, hands cupping his cheeks and gagging softly as her knee met the puddle that was impossible to avoid, "what the hell, baby...?"

"Sorry," his voice was completely gone and Lucas ducked his head, belching to his lap and spreading his legs apart so he could spit on the already destroyed mat, "sorry, I-"

"That was frankly the most impressive Exorcist imitation I've ever seen," Bella teased lightly, leaning in and planting her lips to his clammy forehead, "I think you're running a fever, Luke."

"Kill me," he groaned pitifully, muffling another burp against her band t-shirt, "my stomach hurts, Bell..."

"Okay, uhm..." she ran a hand through his hair, then down his sweat covered shirt, "you need a shower... I'm gonna-" Bella grimaced, glancing at the mess on their front door, covering the mat, running down the brick step, "Yeah, I'm gonna trash that mat and wash this down, alright?"

"Sorry-"

"Shh," she kissed his temple, "are you done?"

"Fuck no," Lucas groaned, "I had a large lunch."

"Well, you couldn't have known-"

"I knew," he grimaced, leaning back against the door and rubbing his stomach, tugging at the shirt and sighing as his girlfriend helped him strip it off, despite the fact they were sitting on the front step, facing the street, "my stomach was already hurting, but I thought it was hunger..." he burped, pressing on his belly, "I was wrong."

Bella let out a disappointed sigh, "clearly," she rolled her eyes, then used his shirt to wipe down his mouth and glanced at his belly, "okay, can you stand?"

"Give me a minute."

"Sure," she cringed, stroking his cheek, "let's sit here with the puddle of vomit."

"Uhm," Lucas smiled, tiredly and rubbed yet another wet burp up, "I got you the tampons."

"...Ah puta mierda, Lucas, you didn't have to go to the pharmacy when you were sick!" Bella exclaimed, "no wonder you couldn't make it home."

"I did make it home," he glared at her in a lighthearted manner, then gagged as another churn warned him his stomach was done with his silly teasing. He burped in his fist and then patted Bella's hip with his free hand, "move-"

She almost fell off the step in her rush to move out of the way and Lucas groaned as he felt her hands on his shoulders, keeping him from leaning too forward. He gagged, no longer bothering to aim anywhere. It was already a horrible mess.

Bella's thumb was rubbing lazy circles on his nape and Luke tried to focus on it, but it was to no avail. With another belch, he coughed and a gush of chunky vomit joined the previous mess, some of it covering the hem of his jeans.

"Gross," Bella mumbled, "take a deep breath, Lu-"

He heaved, loudly, and another watery amount rushed up, stinging his nose, mostly pink instead of the cartoonish red from before, "I think..." Lucas burped, spitting the thick saliva pooling in his mouth, "think I'm done."

She let out a humm and kissed the top of his head, "alright, then hold on me. Let's get you in a shower... Or to a priest."

Lucas groaned, hugging his stomach, "don't make me laugh, my stomach is so sore."

Bella opened a smile, grabbing his arm, "up, up, up."

He allowed her to pull him to his feet, swaying on the spot and grabbing on the door handle to keep him from toppling over her, "this isn't fair, my first night home in three days."

"You might consider where you picked this stomach bug in the first place," Bella said, gently maneuvering him around the cramped house, towards the bathroom, "I'm going to tell Wendy."

"About me hurling?" Lucas blinked, confused as Bella pushed him inside the shower and turned the water on, his jeans and sneakers be damned.

"Yeah, it's worrying if you got this in the hospital," she said, then gestured to the water, so he'd get in.

"Okay," Lucas sighed in relief as the water washed down the clammy sweat, hands fumbling with his jeans that were getting heavier and heavier with the water, "this wasn't very smart- Ow!" he jumped as Bella slapped his hand away and promptly undid his pants, "watch those claws, Bella!"

She snorted, crouching down to peel them off his legs. She grabbed his hip when Lucas swayed and moved up, balling the ruined pants in her hand, "I'll be back in a second. Don't fall and hit your head."

"I'm a better patient than Vince."

His girlfriend rolled her eyes, "not by much, baby. Not by much,"

[syrupspinner]

i just beat Half Minute Hero: Super Mega Neo Climax Ultimate Boy

at least i think so? i beat princess and evil lord 30, and ive been told thats supposed to unlock knight 30, but it just kinda didnt. i wanted to do more of the side modes but i guess since i completed the main campaign i can say its beat? whatever i cant play any more

so yknow how xbox won the 7th gen console war right? the wii focused on a casual market, so its only competition was with the ps3. fortunately, the ps3 cost 599 us dollars (my internet is fucked right now but i promise thats over $1000 today) and was built in such a roundabout bullshit way that yeah you could technically get higher specs, but 3rd parties had no idea what they were doing, so all commercial comparisons made it look bad. i bring this up for irony's sake, because considering that the ps3's fatal flaw as inaccessibility, the psp was a hotbed for indie games. it was popular enough to attract creative devs, but not popular enough to attract shovelware, and digital distribution taking off right about then means that its off to the fuckin races

enter half minute hero, which would later be released as half minute hero super mega neo climax ultimate boy (which ill be calling HMHSMNCUB for short) on steam. congrats on landing the lucrative supermega sponsership!

the main mode is called hero 30, and it works like this. each level is basically an ultra-condensed jrpg. random encounters last like one second, you can usually cross the entire levels map in like 15 seconds, and itll usually that about half a minute to level up enough to beat the levels boss. which is great because every level has a time limit of 30 seconds. theres like a statue you can pray to for more time, but it costs more money each time, and you usually only need to use it like twice max

yeah, the first thing that tipped me off to this being a handheld game is the level structure. you ever notice how few handheld/mobile games there are with long levels or open worlds? the exception is genshin-style gachas, which only really took off to keep up with how phones are powerful enough to emulate a ps4 now. if you ever wondered why luigis mansion dark moon was the only one in the series with a short mission structure, its because its the only game in the series native to 3ds. its to match the ethos of "play a little then move on" that most in-your-pocket games find success with. itd be awkward if you were in the middle of a triple-a cinematic moment when your bus got to your stop

anyway! the game is fun enough. it fulfills the niche its trying to fulfill pretty well, i think. i can imagine busting this out on a steam deck (i dont have a steam deck) on a road trip or something, busting through a few levels. a lot of the levels near the end (im talking level 30 out of 31) took way too long in my opinion, the punishment for failure being that you lose like 20 minutes of gameplay is like a jumpscare in a game that was so fast-paced until then. but other than that, target hit, congrats game

it does a lot for replayability too, which was super important when it came out and still underappreciated now. i was a pretty poor kid, so i ended up just replaying levels in mario 3d land over and over again. games with seemingly endless content like final fantasy tactics a2 were like a godsend, you can just keep playing and playing forever! nowadays i feel like people value shorter games more then ever, but that might just be that im an adult with spending power, so ive got a life with errands and shit AND ive got like a million other games on my backlog.

but i digress. there are titles that you can earn based on your performance in a level, some of which are mutually exclusive. they mostly exist to point you towards scenarios they accounted for and dont want the player to miss out on. like, theres a title for if you reach a village before lava is meant to destroy it, which gives unique dialog. theres also a bunch of equipment in each level that you usually have to go out of your way to grind for, and you dont have a lot of time to waste in this game so it asks for juuuuust enough strategy.

oh yeah, the dialog. this game has a pretty irreverent tone. it likes to parody jrpg conventions, with the villains pointing out that their apocalypse spell will kill them too, and npcs in distress snork mimimimimi snork mimimimi. sorry i dozed off for a sec, im just kinda sick of irony. i feel like i dont have to tell you that it kidna sucks when something is afraid to take itself seriously. that said, i feel like the game does a good job at keeping the tone consistent and keeping it from being annoying. believe it or not, this game doesnt wanna waste your time, so it keeps the quips brief. also the skip button is lightning fast. all in all, not to my taste, but it does what it sets out to do well, so its hard to really insult it for that

theres also, allegedly, a ton of additional modes to unlock when you beat the main game. they shake up the gameplay WAY more than i was expecting, they have totally different fundamental mechanics. evil lord 30 is about summoning different minions suited for different tasks to defeat enemies, like a real-time strategy instead of a jrpg. i love the magic circle mechanic, its so simple but it does a great job of building risk/reward when the time limit is still a major factor. then theres princess 30, which is a fucking shoot em up? theyre all complete with 30 levels and stories that are just as fleshed out as the main campaign (for what thats worth), although there arent the same depths of branching paths and optional equipment. i was VERY presently surprised

but uh... thats where it ended for me. theres supposed to be knight 30 but it just kinda didnt unlock, even though it says online its supposed to show up after you beat the first three modes, which i did. its a shame i couldnt play around with it, but im not unsatisfied with the experience i had. it used to go on sale for like 3 bucks but it hasnt budged from the full $11 since last year, so... i guess i lucked out? personally, i think thats a prefectly acceptable asking price if youve got some space change on you, especially if youre more of a completionist type and you know youre gonna squeeze the extra value out of getting all the titles and shit. for everyone else, its worth a shot if you dont mind more repetitive gameplay loops. if you dont die and skip all the cutscenes and everything you could probably beat this game before the refund window is up, so there ya go

half-minute verdict. i had fun, but i dunno if i would buy it for 10 bucks. humour was meh but i liked the gameplay gimmick and i really like the replay value. wish it didnt screw me outta knight 30

[gamersonthego]

GOTG Review: Pokemon Emerald Rogue

This is the next game in my Backlog Roulette series, where each month I spin a wheel to randomly select a game on my massive backlog that I must play (though not necessarily to completion). These wheel spins occur on the monthly preview episodes I co-host with my friends on The Casual Hour podcast.

Pokemon is a series that is near and dear to me, but since X & Y, it feels like the direction Game Freak has gradually taken the franchise in a direction that diverges from what I want out these games. The move to 3D was inevitable, but it has also made the games clunkier and less vibrant as a result. And while the transition to more open-world gameplay elements has been intriguing, it’s added an aimless quality to exploring the environments that often leaves me cold. 

I know, Pokemon Scarlet. I know...

If you like the new style of Pokemon games, that’s great. I’ve played both Sword and Scarlet and found them to be generally decent times. But I rarely think about them outside of their initial playthroughs, and for the first time in my life, I decided to skip the new mainline content with the release of Scarlet & Violet’s DLC. 

Look, you can't say I didn't give the new games a shot.

Instead, I’ve found myself thinking more and more about the Pokemon romhacking community. Pokemon romhacks primarily take place in the third generation of Pokemon games, those found on the Game Boy Advance (there are also quite a few hacks from the Game Boy’s Gens 1 and 2, and a handful from the DS era of Gens 4 and 5, but the GBA games appear to be the sweet spot for hackers). These romhacks experiment in all sorts of ways, from difficulty mods like the “Kaizo” games, to games with brand new stories, regions and Pokemon like Pokemon Vega. There are games that attempt to recreate the Pokemon anime or manga, and others that flip the concept of Pokemon on its head, like in one hack where you play as a member of Team Rocket and steal other people’s Pokemon. Many of these hacks incorporate more contemporary ideas from Game Freak’s work — Mega Evolution, new forms and types, Z-moves, etc. — but keep them within the general framework and design space of the Gen 3 games, which gives them all a strong foundation upon which to build (also, using the GBA games as a base means these romhacks play perfectly on my Analogue Pocket.)

Pokemon Emerald Rogue is probably the most extreme and interesting romhack I’ve played yet, totally upending the formula of Pokemon by converting the game into a roguelike similar to titles like Hades or Rogue Legacy. 

Emerald Rogue (I played Pokemon Emerald Rogue EX v1.3 in case any of what I’m about to say changes in future updates) spits you out in an empty hub area save for three buildings — a config house where you can change some settings, a lab where you can choose your first Pokemon and a building to the north where you can start a run. 

The three Pokemon you have to choose from are random. My choices were Omanyte, Squirtle and Clampearl. Knowing survivability and flexibility were probably the most important things for a roguelike, Omanayte and its dual typing of rock and water seemed to be the right choice. Then I went on my first run. 

A run in Emerald Rogue starts you in a weird-looking overworld. This is essentially a decision tree on where to go next, like in FTL or Slay the Spire. The choices in front of you have names like “average gloomy route” or “mighty wet route.” These names correspond to the challenge of that route and the general preponderance of Pokemon types that you’ll find there — a mighty sharp route for instance will have more trainer battles and feature more steel-type monsters. 

Once you choose a route, you’re put into a modified version of a route you’d see in a traditional  Pokemon game. There are grass patches, items strewn about and trainers looking for battles. You start with five pokeballs and the catch rates appear to be much higher than usual, making adding new team members relatively painless. Like in a typical Pokemon game, catching a Pokemon adds it to your party, but if you catch more Pokemon than your team of six can hold, you must immediately release one — there’s no PC box with which to hold extra creatures in runs. 

You’ll also notice that when you defeat wild Pokemon, you gain levels FAST, and the exp all item makes sure your whole team is leveling speedily as well. There’s very little grinding in Emerald Rogue. Instead, the game introduces level caps for each area, asking you to make quick decisions about your team’s movesets as they learn new abilities rapidly, then challenging you with trainer battles you can’t just overcome by outleveling them. And if in one of those battles, you happen to lose a Pokemon, it doesn’t just faint, it’s automatically removed from your team at the end of battle, losing any items and investment you put into that Pokemon, but leaving you with a slot open to add another ‘mon as you continue.

Once you complete a route by getting to the end, you advance on the overworld tree and pick another route. There are also various other stops along the way, such as healing stations, shops for pokeballs, TMs and battle items, a lab where you can find your previously defeated Pokemon (though picking them back up often leaves you with a burden, like having to pay 10% more on items at shops during that run), tough trainer battles where you can win special items and take one of their Pokemon if you win or dens where a rare Pokemon is available to be captured (either legendaries or Pokemon with hidden abilities, like a Heracross with Moxie — a passive ability that raises its attack after every Pokemon it defeats in a battle). 

At the end of an overworld tree is a gym battle, where you can quickly raise all your Pokemon to the level cap if you haven’t done so already, or heal up (free at first, but gets expensive quickly,) before facing off against a random Pokemon Emerald gym leader. These gym leaders keep their type affinities — Wattson still uses electric types, fire for Flannery, etc. — but their teams have been enhanced with competitive movesets and overhauled AI. These are tough battles, and while they’re not Kaizo-level difficult, they are meant to trip you up. Also, the battles are on “set” mode, so you don’t get the advantage of a free switch anytime you defeat an opposing Pokemon, furthering the strategic bend of these battles. 

Beating a gym leader permanently nets you an HM, which work a little differently here: You don’t have to teach these moves to a Pokemon to use them outside of battle (and even if you do, they can be deleted freely in favor of other moves, unlike traditional Pokemon games,) and they’re mostly used to access shortcuts or alternate paths in the routes. Then the Pokemon that survived the battle will get fully healed and you’ll be put on a new overworld tree to do it all again. Beating the game requires you to defeat all eight gym leaders, all four Elite Four members and two champions, meaning 14 loops total in a single run, and the difficulty ramps up with each loop.

If and when your team gets wiped out, you’ll be taken back to the hub area, and you’ll lose all the items, money and Pokemon you had on your run (save for the HMs you were able to unlock as well as your starter, though it’ll be back to its original level 5 state without any of the moves you taught it). Then you’re given money and items proportional to how far you got in your run. This is where the roguelike becomes less like a Spelunky and more like a Hades — anything you do with this money and these items in the hub is permanent. Shops that open in the hub will sell you TMs, so I could buy Ice Beam and equip it to Omanyte for use in all future runs (protip: don’t teach your TMs in the hub world. Instead, hold them until you start a run, and then teach it, so you have the option to teach it to something else later). They can also sell pokeballs, potions and battle items so you’re better stocked for any and all future runs.

There’s also a Safari Zone that eventually opens up, allowing you (for a price) to go in and permanently catch Pokemon that you’ve caught on your runs before (though legendaries won’t be added to that pool until you progress much further into a run). While you can only take one Pokemon with you into any one run, you do get a PC in the hub area, so you can keep all the Safari Zone Pokemon you catch and swap them out as you please (for my second run, I benched Omanyte and brought in Houndour instead). 

That is essentially what Emerald Rogue is all about. Now, you may have been thinking of a question during all of this, a question I asked myself many times as I played Emerald Rogue — isn’t this just basically a Nuzlocke, where you play a game of Pokemon that incorporates permadeath and other self-imposed rules? In many ways, yeah, that’s exactly what it is, a Nuzlocke where instead of imposing the rules on yourself, the game automatically accounts for and streamlines those rules for you.

But I think there’s something more at play here. Nuzlocking a traditional Pokemon game is often about mastery of that specific title. When playing FireRed, you know you have to come up with a counter to Brock or Misty or the trainer with two Geodude and a Graveler who likes to spam Self Destruct in Rock Tunnel. You know that if you can just get past this next part, you'll get the TM for Psychic. And you know exactly where you can find a Magikarp to evolve into a Gyarados. In Emerald Rogue, you don’t know what the next trainer or gym leader will bring, so the mastery required is of the pure battle mechanics themselves. The items and TMs and Pokemon you have access to are random (or curated by you in the hub), forcing you to make do with what you have or what you can scrounge up. It’s a game about anticipation and reaction, not one of planning and strategy. That’s why I think while they play in similar spaces, each of these ways of playing Pokemon is valid and interesting in their own ways. Emerald Rogue has innovated on the design of Pokemon is a way Game Freak would almost assuredly never do. It goes against the philosophy of contemporary Pokemon games (hell, Nintendo and The Pokemon Company barely acknowledge the existence of Nuzlockes in the first place, and recent games have made design decisions that make that style of play almost impossible.) If you have become disillusioned by modern Pokemon games, if you’re looking for an interesting challenge that isn’t Kaizo-level impossible or if you want to remember just how damn good Pokemon can be, Emerald Rogue is a triumph of the form and well worth your time. Now excuse me, I just caught a Galarian Zapdos in the Safari Zone and I can't wait to try it out on my next run.

[tarmac-rat]

Nine..."Ship" Songs

Tagged by the ever so lovely @ghostoffuturespast who is so patient with me as I get through my tagged backlogs thank you as always for thinking of me ❤️❤️

I put "ship" in a very loose sense because my V and Johnny's relationship is platonic and it really does show in a lot of the songs that I think represent my take on SilverV-- a lot of songs about hate and anger but still managing to find the twisted parts of love even through it, and a lot more focused on a vague sense of devotion rather than explicit love. That being said, I do really like my selections for these two and had some struggles narrowing it down...I had a lot to choose from lol.

I'm a little late to the party on this one. Is there anyone that hasn't been tagged and wants to do it? Please feel free if so!

Anyway here are my 9 songs (I think Spotify previews are broken on this site now? So I linked YT versions, but you can find all these on Spotify as well)

Conversations With My Friends by X Ambassadors

I keep having conversations with myself Because I'm not friends with anybody else I'd like to think I'm independent, but I'm just fucking lonely It may be time for me to get some help

Beings by Madeon

These will be times that I won't miss Don't blame me if I don't come through I've spent a lifetime on this But I would give it up for you

Icarus & Apollo by Ripto

I remember when You told me you were afraid to die And then you grabbed my hand Just above the kitchen table

Hopefully by The Royal Foundry

I say, change in your pocket so close, you can reach it But you won't give change to the poor, 'cause you need it Force out the fears of being lost and afraid You cover your eyes and your ears, but you scream out hate

The Descent by Bastille feat. Lily Moore, Moss Kena, and Jacob Banks

I looked up to you Oh, I trusted you I put faith in you-- guess that's what you do Now I'll stare you out as you pass me on the way down

The Killing Kind by Mariana's Trench

What if I was wrong by never moving on, I Didn't realize who's gone The ghost of me was true, but you were haunted too, just Didn't see it all along

Say Yes to Life by Gang of Youths

I was furious and dumb, lighting fires through the town I'd play the fiddle and forget whatever I was pissed about I know that most of you relates to some extent And god, I know how lame it sounds But I'm glad I became more human

Devils by Amelia Curran

But God's no rebel, he's a handyman Quartz and coppers and law of the land And you won't hear me in the harmony The way you listen to your devils in the minor key

Where The River Goes by House Phone

I go back to the river, and I don't think it means anything at all I've been withered bone-deep; I keep heckling your ghost See, I gave everything I've left and let it sink And now there's nothing but to drink

[theprofessionalpromptmaker]

Would you mind creating some prompts that involve a circus? I don't have many specifics for exactly what I'd like besides it being fantasy, but the circus can be something on its own or it can even be a cover for something else. You can take this whichever direction you want! Feel free to get to this whenever you do. No rush and be sure to take care of yourself! 😘

(I am working through the backlog at the moment, so for anyone curious: REQUESTS ARE STILL CLOSED. But these are my requests from years ago, that I am finally answering now that life is marginally less bad.)

Person A was conceived and born in a pocket dimension that housed a circus, with a portal that leads to the outside world. The pocket dimension allows gravity to act differently, as well as other laws of physics to be bent or broken. Person A knew their parents ran away from their homes to join this circus and stay within the safety of it’s dimensional boundaries. But when Person A sneaks out with their friend, Person B, who joined the circus later and the two go to visit the real/full world, Person A finds their body can’t easily withstand being in that reality too long, as it puts great strain on them. Person B ends up having to carry them back, and Person A is forbidden from leaving again by their parents, which only makes Person A want to travel outside more. The ringleader and head of the circus, Person C, promises to help Person A find a way to cure their strange condition from existing entirely in the pocket dimension for their entire existence.

Person A was raised by a parent who always told Person A that they had no extended family, that their parent was an orphan, and their other parent had never been in the picture, and so it had always been just the two of them and no one else. But their parent always tell Person A about a circus that comes to the rescue of scared children when they wish really hard for it, and if Person A is ever scared and alone, they should pray for it to come to them. One day, their parent doesn’t come home for a few days and Person A starts to panic, and, in a moment of fear and desperation, they pray for the circus to come, like their parent always told them. A moment later, an airship painted in circus-like designs flies over their apartment and a ladder falls down to their window/balcony level and a stranger dressed in circus gear knocks until Person A lets them in. The stranger, Person B, recognizes Person A, saying they look just like their parent. When Person A explains their parent is missing, Person B promises to help them, and invites them up into the airship.

Person A always wanted to run away and join a circus, but was unable to find one near their area and none ever stopped within range of them. So when they stumble upon a great deal of money through inheritance/a stroke of luck/etc. They decide to create their own circus. But when struggling to find performers, they decide to not let their good fortune go to waste and summon a demon to help. Person B is a demon and amused to be given their strangest request yet - to help get a circus up and running.

Person A has dreamed of running away to the circus throughout their entire childhood and young adult years, and follow the path of a corporate job and financial security that their parents set up for them and pushed them along. But while in college they meet Person B, someone who can seemingly perform real miracles and magic, and the two grow close and, upon hearing Person A’s dream, Person B offers to help them. Person B is a demon who hangs around the college, granting wishes in exchange for the souls of mega rich college kids who are going into careers that they won’t need a soul for. But Person A’s wish is the first one they think might be fun for them as well. And, since they think Person A will want to keep their soul, decides to compromise and make Person A promise to pay them a soul a year for the success of their circus.

Person A is a being that drains the life force of everything around them over time, so is forced to move frequently or risk making the places they live in barren of all life (plant/animal/human/etc.) and even if they let themself live in the dead zone they created, people would become suspicious and come to slay them, as humans historically did to their kind. This also causes Person A to struggle to hold onto relationships due to not being able to be around others too long for risk of draining too much of their life force. One day, they meet the owner of a circus, Person B, who is impressed by Person A’s abilities that their supernatural heritage gives them, and offers Person A a spot in the circus - since it’s always moving town, Person A won’t have to worry about moving around rentals and overhauling their whole life every few years but can just travel with the circus.

[ombrellica]

Greetings! Since I've last updated this space I have returned to my hometown. The boiling point was that the house I was living in had signs of being cased. Most people who I shared some of the incidents with thought that this wasn't normal. Including the landlord's mum. Unfortunately the landlord themselves didn't think it was a big deal. They cried and whinged about how it's money out of their pockets (to upgrade security) and that it will be a 'some day' task.

There was a very unnerving incident in mid March last year which made me think I could be getting into danger if stayed any longer. So by the end of April I was gone. It seems like fate in way. Towards June my dad became more ill than usual and was in and out of the hospital for the rest of the year. My brother is my dad's primary carer and it became a too big of job to do alone. So I've been helping out my family. I won't lie, I had been feeling down for the rest of 2024.

Instead of working on my art career I spent the rest of the year distracting myself with video games. I began working on my backlog of games. Thankfully I am at a better place with everything now. In future I see myself only buying games when I actually want to play it. It's more expensive (and stressful) for me to buy a bunch of games on sale and have them waste around compared to buying one thing full price and really savouring it.

Now that it's 2025 and I am back on track emotionally I want to do an updated room tour! This is the current environment that I am creating art in:

My Xie Lian wall scroll makes a return near my door nearby I have my bookshelf and a drawer.

I haven't thought about what to put in this drawer yet. But since we are on the topic. This could be a great space to store vitamins yeah? Next I'd like to share is how I am storing things:

I am using the space under the bed to store things I don't really need on a daily basis. I bought console boxes to store the old consoles. It took many months of shopping around to find the right boxes in decent condition with my preferred budget. I am proud that I accomplished this.

I bought some drawer dividers and instantly the space was so much organised! I keep my art tablet pen in there whenever I am not using it.

Finally the square shelves made it with me to my hometown. It's actually sitting on top of a desk. I covered it with a cloth. Under the cloth I have a plastic container storing random things. There's also a basket for dirty clothes. In the cubes itself I have more random things. I don't know if you recall the larger shelves I had in my last house but that is now helping my family store things in the store room. Also on top are my rocks/crystals:

My favourite is the one that looks the Van Gogh's Starry Night. I also have a lot of love for the crystal rabbit. The acorn is the newest addition which I bought in my last house. Finally we have my desk:

This is my cozy area! I have a pretty desk mat and a Venti mouse pad. A small Venti figure that my friend gave me keeps me company while I draw. I decided to use a calendar this year! I guess I got the fomo when people I was talking to were telling me about their new calendars. Calendar Club had them on half price after the new year. Probably trying to finish of their stock. I also store my tour box away when I am not using it:

I also decided to display one of my dolls. It's a different doll from the other two in the last house. I still have them. I actually have a total of five dolls and I rotate between storage and display. Yeah that's probably too many dolls. ha ha. It kind of just happened over the last twelve years. That's like a doll every 2.5 years no? Anyways here is Hong Lee:

And that about wraps out my room tour! I hope you have a beautiful February and I'll be out here hyper focusing on art. I shall have more to share with you and send the post off I wanted to share this old picture of a galah and pink cockatoo perched next to each other. What great friends 🌷

[mumms-the-word]

Please don't be scared, Hot Mess was a fun fic written by the author to go alongside a much heavier one they were working on. I don't think it was expected to breach the Bloodweave fandom containment lol

The Bloodweave fandom is doing fine, but we love our fun fanfictions in between the angst and smut.

If you do decide to read Hot Mess it is funny. Gale is loved and cherished, Mystra is rightly bashed. Don't let the tags put you off.

At over 3000 fics, I don't think there is anything Bloodweave hasn't covered 🤣

💖

haha it does look like a ton of fun. I’ve got a huge backlog of fics I needs to catch up on (plus my own that I need to finish) but I’ll keep it in my back pocket for when I need some bonkers humor and hot sauce satire!

[jerricocreates]

All right. I've been thinking about this for years now, and I'm not going to be okay until I write this diatribe somewhere. If you see this, please ignore it. This is purely to get it off my mind, like a parasite eating away at a corner of my think centers.

In recent years, there have been a lot of opinions on Paper Mario, many of them lacking in nuance. You either love X and hate Y with some love for Z along the way. I, personally, don't think there is any game without some kind of merit, even the ones I hate. So, I'm here typing about a theory for a game I don't like and how I would like it more in a different world.

This isn't exactly an uncommon opinion, but I do not like Paper Mario Sticker Star and the subsequent games that continued in its footprint. To those who enjoy it, I wish you the absolute best and I'm very pleased you are able to find joy in something I do not. I hope you continue to enjoy it forever more. That said, I think Sicker Star has poor game design, mediocre art direction, and its choice to forgo any sense of story in favor of eventually becoming an admittedly funny joke machine was a poor decision. I'll say this right now, as much of a fan I am of Thousand Year Door, I do not think turning Sticker Star into another one was what it needed, even if I would have enjoyed it. Sticker Star was another attempt to try something new with a formula after it had already reached what I think is its peak, and I respect that. However, I think there is a world in which the game and its next entry wouldn't be so hated if it had a better battle system. That is what I wish I could fix.

I saw in an interview somewhere that when they made Sticker Star, they wanted to try an RPG battle system that does away with Experience Points and combine it with your money. Okay, let's take that and run with it. Your money is now your progress in the game. Mario is now Mr. Moneybags and uses his coins to solve all his problems. This comes to us in the form of purchasable consumable attacks in varying degrees of flavor and damage. As you play through the game, your bottom screen inventory fills up with these consumable stickers and you use them to earn coins to also buy more stickers. However, what this works out to be is a horrible case of inventory hoarding. Players in every game hoard the strongest items in their inventory in case they may be more useful later, and then show up to the final boss with 99 max heals and revives and doesn't use them or use them to steamroll the boss. Their minor fix to this was to give bosses stupidly long health bars and obscure weaknesses that you need to prepare ahead of time. Add in the fact that you can run away from battles with no penalty and enemies disappear if you do this. This turns into players with too many stickers, too much money, who only fight bosses, that are frustrating to figure out.

Here's what I think. I don't think they took this Coins are now Exp far enough. I think they should have pushed this to its logical extreme. Would it be befitting of Mario to Scrouge McDuck his way through the world? No, but it would make a better game, so let's imagine for a moment.

Big Step 1. Change the bottom screen from an inventory that holds all your collected stickers into a shop. Is there a reason Mario holds a shop in his pocket? No, it's Mario, don't question it. Now instead of pulling from your backlog of stickers you've harvested in the fields it's directly spending your money that you've collected from prior fights and found in random bushes along the way. This changes the game balance from, how do I get away with keeping my sticker collection into how do I win this fight by spending as little money as possible. Enemies give coins when beaten so winning replenishes your stock.

Have the weakest stuff be dirt cheap but the strongest stuff unlocks as you get further in the game for more and more money. That way, if you're struggling, your not screwed. There's always an option to attack, but beating enemies more efficiently drains your wallet. I've even considered making it so that you can sacrifice health for coins in battle if you somehow run out of money. Maybe have a loan spot back at town that gives you a set number of coins to get back on your feet if you're failing.

Have each sticker show clear damage numbers. Sticker Star as it is doesn't tell you what kind of damage you'll do, so you just kind of have to throw stuff until enemies die. Showing clearly to the player how much health an enemy has and how much damage you'll do when you hit it helps players be strategic with their resources.

Running away costs money and enemies don't disappear from the field when running from them. I think later games fixed this point, but they still didn't make battling fun to do so it's oddly more tedious.

Swap out all the stickers littered through the world with hidden coins and other stuff that is secondary to the main battle system. In this hypothetical game, I'd love to see a badge system similar to the first two, but I can see they were trying to get away from those comparisons. Even still, you need secrets to find in the overworld and goodies to collect, but you don't have an inventory to hoard stickers in, so you've got to come up with something secondary to put out there. Giving out too many coins in every shrub you risk making the game too easy. Health upgrades, items that let you use more stickers in a turn.

Balance your game. Look, I'm not a game designer. I've never made a game in my life. I'm just a passionate DnD Dungeon Master with a love for studying game design. I know in a game like this, if your players have too many resources, you've got to drain them. If your players are dealing too much damage, you've got to give enemies more health. Make sure it's possible to beat, not possible to cheese. Give the weaker enemies diminishing returns on coins as you unlock stronger stickers. Could you grind for money in this hypothetical coin game? Yeah. Is it going to be more fun to go through a well-paced game without the boring act of grinding? Absolutely.

Toll booths. Alright, this one is a long shot, but I'm imagining a game like this would be hard to balance. At some points where to think players might have too much money, you're just going to have to put a toll booth. You don't get in to Bowser's Castle unless you pay X amount of coins. Every player is going to play a little differently, so having a variable on the toll so that it evens out your wallet is wise. Players struggling with money it takes less from while players that are having it too easy have some of their riches removed. That way, for bosses, everyone has an similar playing field. Just don't abuse this concept too much or your players are going to develop a hatred for the toll booth and its operator.

As stated in the balance section, I'm not a game designer. Does all of this make sense to me? Absolutely. Are there oversights in this hypothetical system? I'm certain. Would this "fix" the game? Possibly. It would at least make it fun for me. Most importantly, does any of this make sense for Paper Mario? Overall, I'd say "No". There isn't a world in which I can see Mario, nor Paper Mario, solving all the problems with money. Bare in mind, I don't think the Coins = Exp was a smart idea in the first place, but when I heard the idea while I was lamenting the loss of a Paper Mario I enjoyed, I thought about a world in which I could enjoy the gameplay of one I didn't. I had this idea long before the remake was announced. It was a shower thought back when Origami King came out, a game I also didn't enjoy because it's battle system has its own heap of problems. If for some bizarre reason an actual game designer sees this post, you can have it. It's yours. Don't even worry about crediting me. This hypothetical "good" Sticker Star has been plaguing my thoughts and occasionally dragging me away from my DnD planning for so long. I want it out of my life. Just tell me if you do make it a game because I'd genuinely love to play it.

[evilminji]

I mean? If we think about it? That fuckin Tree? WAS a parasite? It probably messed up the natural flow and self regulation of that planets Ectoplasm pretty hard? Only to THEN filter it through a person, then a DIFFERENT person, Then AGAIN given sentience and split etc.?

The Bijuu are as close to "ghosts" as Danny is gonna find.

They're ALSO basicly Ancients, who's jobs were "hey maybe regulate the ambient Ectoplasm on top of everything else you're doing, since this region of the planet still kinda has a gaping hole punched into it's metaphysical Ectoplasm field".

But then the tiny monkeys were all "wah wah wah, big energy people scary! We gonna stuff um in one of our people!" And we're all, "hey maybe, don't?" But then they DO ANYWAY and... yeeeeah....

That's probably why Danny is there in the first place.

The Summons/Local Death are just? HARD day drinking and sobbing at each other like "w-why do they? Keep fucking with our system? We're TRYING TO KEEP THEM ALIVE! *sobs into cup*"

But also like?

Holy shit?

The BACKLOG of Ghosts? Yeah, some folks move on. But so, SO many of those fuckers have Unfinished Business and weird Obsessions in life. Chakra... which is "Spritual Energy" that let's them do ALL SORTS of crazy shit. And the more they have, the weirder they tend to get.

It's been going on since the fuckin TREE.

With like? ONE(1!) Reaper guy who is severely overworked. Trying to keep up and fix the damage. AND keep up with the exploding population. AND figure out how to get his superiors to actually ANSWER his urgent messages.

Like? The whole ass Clan Wars. Just... battle fields of dead ninjas milling around like ( >.>)(<.< ) soooo.... uuuuh.... what now? Do... do I stab you again.. or? Cause I got cards in my pocket... we could play a round?

And then! This scrawny lil white haired Uzumaki shows up and? Yooooo! People can see me now! Sweet! I can finally go tell my descendant he's a disappointment! How DARE he study the spear, we're a blade family! *passes on peacefully*

Where as OTHERS?

Fuckin CHAOS. It's actually? Somehow WORSE then the Zetsu. It's World War Z but with Ghosts. World Peace through fuckin DRAUGER. Just?

*near endless enemy ninja flicker into being, just outside the gates*

All your Sins(tm) come back to haunt you. Every teammate you betrayed, every villager you burned, every victim you assassinated. All the nasty secrets your village tried to bury behind your back. Floating, furious, and POWERFUL at your gates.

And they don't need to sleep. They don't need to eat. Take breaks. Heal. Rest. They can fight FOREVER. Or? Just until, you? Can't anymore.

They DID say you would pay.

And your gates can't even slow them down! The only thing that CAN? Is YOUR dead. Those loyal to YOUR side. Did you do enough good enough, to earn the loyalty you need, to save you now?

And sure, some bloodlines can fight them off. But for how long? Can you do so forever? Does your Clan have no angry dead of their own? Willing to take you down?

All the while? Danny is just? 😬😬😬😬😬

While the poor Reaper is standing next to him, his district on FUCKIN FIRE, like?

YOUR MAJESTY!!! WHY!?!?

W...Would you believe him... if he said he didn't know that was gonna happen? His bad, man.

Could... could a well trained ninja kick Danny's ass?

Like? In MOST scenarios? You drop a spooky Boi in that environment, he gonna curb stomp the locals. But in NARUTO? They DO be throwing around moons and giant sentient energy nukes. So like?

He might blend in?

Sorta?

They can't HIT him. But! And most importantly! That's ONLY if he decides to go intangible. It's not his default state. A fast enough ninja could one shot him while he's eating dinner or distracted, game over.

And if they can seal away a Bijuu... what is a mere GHOST?

Granted, most of that was Uzumaki tech, as it were. And that shit is GONE. But? Could be reinvented! And honestly? I think it would be? Kinda funny.

Not for Danny obviously. No, he's having a living nightmare of a time. HE is in "happy snappy murder ninjas land of Too Many Knives" and everyone here is certifiably insane. There are child soldiers running around. Terrorist groups trying to kill and/or recruit him.

The MOON might be talking to him.

And possessed.

Ha ha.... whaaaat the fuuuuuck. Yeah. NO THANKS. He'd like to go home now, please! There HAS to be a natural portal SOMEWHERE around here! He can probably make a sensor. He just... has... to..

Oh fuck.

He has to STEAL the parts doesn't he? From the crazy Ninja people. D:>

At least these "summons" dudes are cool. He's pretty sure they're weird ghosts. And! He's found this island of crazy redheads who remind him of him mom. Who seem to be under the weird impression that? Redheaded asskicking lady= probably one of ours. So? Welcome, baby cousin! Sucks you're dead, but glad to meet ya!!!

And? Honestly? They're practically Fentons. He'll almost miss um.

[paxesoterica]

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury reminded me that I actually do enjoy watching anime, and since I have a bit of a backlog of ones I’ve either watched a few episodes or haven’t started at all, I was inspired by this post to make a scorecard of anime that I intend to watch over the course of this year.

My self-imposed rules are I will not start any other anime before I have finished these 16 (with the exception of Witch from Mercury, see below), I will be watching them with Japanese voice acting and subs, and that, gvien my experience with watching Witch from Mercury on a weekly basis, I won’t try to binge and instead watch an episode or two each day, since that will fit better into how busy life can get, and also give me more time to really think about what I just watched before moving on.

The shows above are listed in chronological order of release (1979-2023), but not the order I’ll necessarily watch them in (I like having the freedom to pick and choose), with additional notes below:

1.) Mobile Suit Gundam (1979; dir. Yoshiyuki Tomino): A more experienced Gundam fan who is also fond of Revolutionary Girl Utena recommended this and War in the Pocket (see below) if I was curious about other Gundam shows. Since I’ve been meaning to watch some older anime for awhile anyway, this seemed like a good series to start with, especially with its historical importance to the medium. I have previewed the first episode and I think it holds up well so far. I will only be watching the 43 episodes of the original anime at this time, so not the movie compilations or the sequel series like Zeta or ZZ (yet).

2.) Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989; dir. Fumihiko Takayama): I mentioned that I would permit myself freedom to choose the watch order, but since War in the Pocket is a side-story set around the same period as Mobile Suit Gundam, I feel it would be better to watch the former after the latter, so that I’ll have a better understanding of the setting.

3.) Goldfish Warning! (1991; dir. Junichi Sato): Goldfish Warning! has an interesting history, in that it’s something of a predecessor to Sailor Moon: the latter would reprise the former’s timeslot, much of its staff (including the director and his assistants, among which was a young Kunihiko Ikuhara), and a similar style of slapstick comdey. As a bonus, I’m 99% certain that one of the leads, Chitose Fujinomiya, would serve as inspiration for the Revolutionary Girl Utena character, Nanami Kiryuu. I will be watching both the 45 episode anime series and its accompanying film.

4.) Neon Genesis Evangelion (1995; dir. Hideaki Anno): The thing that piqued my interest in this show was a short review that I read years ago (don’t remember when or where), and that may have been translated from Japanese iirc. The review talked about how gender roles in Eva were inverted compared to mecha shows that came before it, such as how Shinji acted more like stereotypical female characters from such shows, while Asuka acted like what you’d expect from stereotypical male characters. I don’t know how true that observation is, but it stuck with me, and I’ll be keeping an eye out for that. I will be watching the original 26 episodes as well as the End of Evangelion film. I’m debating if I also want to include the Rebuild of Evangelion films, but I’m currently leaning towards watching those sometime later.

5.) FLCL (2000; dir. Kazuya Tsurumaki): I watched the first four episodes at a con, but never finished, so I’ll be doing a rewatch from the first episode. I’ll be watching the original OVA series, but leave the sequel seasons for another time.

*6.) Princess Tutu (2002; dir. Junichi Sato & Shogo Koumoto): I needed to watch this anime after watching an amv of it titled Dance of Death (it’s got spoilers, including for what I’m assuming are the last episodes, but if you don’t mind that or have already seen it, I highly recommend giving it a gander). I watched ‘til around episode 16~ until real life interrupted, so I’m starting over and watching it from the beginning. This is the first of the three shows I’m currently watching, and up next is Ep. 02.

7.) Michiko & Hatchin (2008; dir. Sayo Yamamoto): Multiple reviewers I trust said it was good, the setting and premise sound pretty different from anime norms, and I’m intrigued by the bit of trivia that apparently the director made it explicitly for office ladies to enjoy after coming home from their shift.

8.) Star Driver (2010; dir. Takuya Igarashi): Pretty sure I learned about Star Driver from this chart tracing the work of some of the members of Be-Papas (not *everything* anime-related comes back to Revolutionary Girl Utena, but a lot of it does, yeah  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ ). I’ll be watching the series, but I’m not sure about the movie since apparently it’s a compilation film, so I’ll have to think about it.

9..) Penguindrum (2011; dir. Kunihiko Ikuhara & Shouko Nakamura): I’ve heard mixed opinions on this one, but it’s an Ikuhara-directed anime so I want to watch regardless, and form my own opinions about it. I’ll watch the 24 episodes, but I’m not sure about the Re:cycle films that came out recently.

10.) Mob Psycho 100 (2016; dir. Yuzuru Tachikawa, Takahiro Hasui): Someone made a vhs recording of the show’s first OP that ran on loop, and that was apparently enough to lodge itself in my brain. I watched the first season and a couple episodes of the second, until real life interrupted, so I’ll start fresh and watch all three seasons, plus the two OVAs that were apparently made.

11.) Sarazanmai (2019; dir. Nobuyuki Takeuchi & Kunihiko Ikuhara): Another Ikuhara-directed anime. I was halfway through before real life interruptions, but watching 11 episodes should be relatively easy.

12.) Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle (2020; dir. Mitsue Yamazaki): In retrospect, I slept on this show, as I hadn’t realized it was another comedy by the director of Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun, not to mention that the premise is a nice subversion of a classic fantasy trope.

13.) Shadows House (2021; dir. Kazuki Ouhashi): I dug the gothic fantasy vibe I got from the review I read. I will be watching both seasons.

*14.) Bocchi the Rock! (2022; dir. Keiichirou Saitou): Repeatedly saw the protagonist compared to Suletta Mercury due to social anxiety, and am staying for the show’s willingness to experiment with animation. This is the second of the three shows I’m currently watching, and up next is Ep. 05.

*15.) Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury (2022; dir. Hiroshi Kobayashi & Ryou Andou): The whole reason I started watching this show was this post. And now I have brainrot am perfectly normal about this show. Starting with Ep. 02, I watched this show every Sunday it was out, and intend to resume doing so in April. It is possible that I might not be able to finish this show in 2023, since previous Gundam shows have run about ~50-ish episodes, and this show’s predecessor, Iron-Blooded Orphans, was initially slated to run only 25 episodes, only to reveal that the show length had been doubled in what would have been the last episode. So, I’ll finish Witch from Mercury in either 2023 or 2024.

*16.) The Magical Revolution of the Reincarnated Princess and the Genius Young Lady (2023; dir. Shingo Tamaki): Another lead compared to Suletta, this time due to rescuing a bride from her jerk fiance and being really gay. This is the third of the three shows I’m currently watching, and up next is Ep. 04.

[rockybloo]

something to keep Weasley from getting antsy

would nevermore and weaslsy be good allies with each other both having psychological trauma from being stuck in monotonous loop for a good majority of their life so they have common interests or are their differences too great for it to work

how does weaslsy feel about fans of his shows and by extension due to his target audience kids

(also something from me but I like the fact that ruth has the more extreme personality out of the anvil wings pair. haven't seen the leading lady being the more out there of the two when it comes to parings around here. (then again there a lot I've haven't seen in the old backlog yet))

Wesley doesn't necessarily get antsy. He's rather laid back...which is very unsettling for a variety of reasons.

Nevermore and Wesley behind the scenes get along great. Both have god complexes and a talent for manipulation. Plus they love making jokes so there's that.

Wesley does enjoy having fans...especially since it helps with luring in some victims to see what colors they make. Kids are avoided though. Even Wesley has a heart.

As for ladies being the more "out there of the two", that's a thing I imagine a lot of new people think is rare around here. Truth be told, the OG couple is Red Beans and Nana is the most out of pocket gal around here. She is VERY into her farm boy.

Nova can also be very extreme and out of pocket. She's way more expressive than Pluto for sure.

Glitter and Guilt is def an outlier story in the Rockyverse which is lowkey funny because so many people see it and go into my other stories expecting the same sort of themes. BUT NOPE-Sweetheart and Bitterbat are pattern breakers.