#dev response

[clumsypuppy]

thanks @chipper-smol for getting me ISAT i will be so irresponsible with the looping

[vigilskept]

bioware devs should get to kill their executives with hammers over this.

however,

it is also true that there was no point in that dev cycle at which they had absorbed the critique that their games are deeply saturated with settler-colonialism, antisemitism & a “clash of civilizations” mentality that hasn’t been unpacked.

both of these things can be true.

[bunnieswithknives]

Thinking about his brain

[scootersscooter]

"Hazel doesn't need fairies" are we watching the same show, that girl is constantly spiraling and on her best days is one comment away from cracking under the pressure of being "mature for her age"

[flightrising]

Video description under the cut!

[VIDEO DESCRIPTION] The background is of a tan map with topography markings and numbers. In the upper part of the image, a round compass lies on the map with its needle pointing west; just below it to the left of the image is a navigational compass consisting of two arms with a short pointy pencil tied to the right arm. Clouds wash over the image to reveal the Flight Rising logo and the words Saturday June 8, 2024. This teaser is set to cheery lo-fi music played on a marimba.

[mooncello]

Niall Appreciation Post

Niall Connelly is the best. Yes, I adore Dev. I talk about Dev a lot. But there's a million reasons why Dev loves Niall. He's the best.

Y'know how you wish certain characters could be real people? I wish that about Niall Connelly. Everyone should have a Niall in their life.

In advance of posting chapter 9 of more than a footnote (this Friday!), I want to nerd out a bit about my favorite nerd. 

But first: here is Niall's study playlist. Enjoy. 🩵

Niall Appreciation continues under the cut for length. Most of this is character stuff, not spoilers. But if you haven't read the fic yet, note there are some excerpts below.

Niall is such a nerd. footnote opens with Niall working on a trigonometry problem, an elective he takes because he loves math and angles. About halfway thru the fic, I had Dev call Niall "nerd" in an affectionate nickname kind of way, and it stuck.

“Hey,” I say, “stop stressing. You’ll be fine.” “Easy for you to say, nerd.” “You should give your brain a break,” Baz interjects. He caps his pen with a smooth click and slips the essay into his bag. “Cramming will only increase anxiety at this point. Decrease memory recall.” Dev’s face goes slack. “For real?” “You’ll be fine,” I repeat. “You’ve got this.” I smile at him, wide and drowsy, and flick my pencil on the tip of his nose. 

Niall loves architecture and wants to study it at university. He's a spatial thinker and loves geometry and design thinking and patterns.

The World of Mages is built upon words. I like building things with numbers. With tactile, solid materials. Patterns, angles, geometries. Where other students see opportunity in pop lyrics or Shakespeare, I see potential in space and shapes. I like that about me, despite sometimes feeling out of place at a school where you’re supposed to be obsessed with wands and words.

Niall is aspec. This has been an incredibly important part of his character from the very beginning. He's demi/gray ace, and I think he'd call himself demiromantic, too. He doesn't subscribe to relationship hierarchies or escalators. He loves Baz just as fiercely as Dev. Both those relationships are important to Niall. 

He's so pretty. And bony. All angles. I'll let Dev tell you:

His bony, gangly body makes me lose my fucking mind. I wanna bite every nub of bone, from his collarbones to his ankles and everything in between, and then suck kisses in those same places.

The half-moons of his eyelashes look dark against his pale milky skin, and his hair fluffs out around his head like a copper cloud.

Niall is flipping his pencil through his fingers, and I’m momentarily distracted by the knob of bone in his wrist. And the delicate webbing of his veins against pale skin. 

His coppery hair falls over his eyes as he bends over his notes, the cuffs of his Watford jumper pulled over his knuckles. The low lamplight along the study tables reflects a pale gold against his skin. He looks like one of those ancient scribes toiling away on the Book of Kells or some shit. Focused, illuminated, serious. Perfect.

And yet, despite being the very best friend in the world with a big beautiful brain and the biggest brownest eyes, he's got garbage self-esteem. He doesn't see himself as anything special.

So I'm very glad he has Dev to remind him that he's extraordinary.

Niall is pragmatic and rational. He keeps Dev grounded. (And Dev takes Niall on much-needed side quests.)

He's the king of sweatshirts. Dev likes to wear them. 

I stand and remove my jacket, dress shirt and trousers, and toss them on the ground by my dresser. Joggers go on. Then my favourite sweatshirt—soft and stretched out, with TOUCH GRASS printed across the chest. It used to be Niall’s. A charity shop find in Camden last summer. I kept stealing it to sleep in, and he eventually gave it to me so long as I promised to stop complaining about his morning alarm. The only downside to this exchange is that the sweatshirt no longer smells like him. And, y’know, the alarm thing still sucks, but, yeah, worth it.

Niall also likes oversized shirts, denim, soft sweaters, cozy joggers, and his sherpa-collar corduroy jacket. Natural fibers and lots of earth tones. He looks amazing in green, devastating in indigo blue.

His magic smells of forest and rain. 

Niall loves to read horror. Mysteries, too. (He likes to see if he can solve them before they're revealed.) In footnote, Dev enjoys manga, and Baz reads poetry. I like each of them having their own favorite genre. They're cute.

(For any superfans, footnote Niall and lost boys Niall have some points of connection. Both love video games, horror, and electronica.)

Niall may be rational, but he has a mischievous streak and doesn't have a problem with breaking certain rules. He's the one that started the trio's tradition of smuggling dessert onto the roof of Mummers, for example. He's also besties with a chaos demon. You just know the two of them got into so much mischief when they were 11. And 12. And—

One of my favorite Nialls is high Niall.

Niall is still looking at me. A soft smile takes possession of his mouth. “Your eyes are pretty.” My heart slams against my chest.  I know he doesn’t mean it like that. He’s hella high and just saying whatever comes to mind. He says it like any other kind of neutral observation. It rained last week. This hospital blanket is green. He won’t remember any of this in the morning.  I don’t have a chance to respond to his comment—or even breathe—before Niall follows up with, “And your hair is, like, those volcano rocks. The shiny dark kind. Ig…Ignatius.” “Igneous.” I’m not sure how I know that. His smile stretches wider. “Yeah, that.” His gaze returns to my hair. “Like obsidian. Volcanic glass.” He says the word again, stretching it out. “Glaaasss.”

But perhaps my favorite thing about Niall is that he sees to the heart of a person. He sees the heart of Dev, beneath the chaos and anger and irreverence.

Underneath all his swagger, he’s deeply good. And sincere. Annoyingly, he’s one of the most brilliant people I know; he just never applies himself. Says he’s already a disappointment to his family, and it’s easier to keep disappointing them than, I dunno, trying, I guess, which is utter bollocks. He’s so much better than the mould they cast for him. I wish he could see that.

And he sees Baz, as a best friend and a teenager:

Baz giggles at this, and he’s suddenly eighteen. Not the 40-year-old he holds himself to be so much of the time, stuffed with familial duty and self-loathing and enough existential angst to fill a philosophy textbook. Just a teenage boy who studies hard, loves poetry, and has a secret sweet tooth. “C’mon, let’s dance.” I stand and tug at his elbow. “No,” Baz whines. The song shifts, and the bright melancholy of The Cure fills the hall. My grip on his arm tightens. “Oh, come on. You love this shit.” He heaves a large sigh but he’s smiling again. “I do,” Baz says as he stands. Then he’s twisting his hips and lifting his arms above his head, eyes closed as he dissolves into the music. I grin and follow him to the dance floor. He’s such a dork.

He even sees Simon. Not as some heroic Chosen One or tragic story, but as the guy who just maybe loves his best friend.

To be loved is to be known. And Niall knows how to love. He does it selflessly. He does it with his whole heart.

I fucking adore him.

If you're still reading, you're a legend. And you probably adore Niall, too. Thanks for loving him. He deserves it.

technically this isn't a wipsday but I'm tagging y'all anyway:

@whatevertheweather @artsyunderstudy @cutestkilla @valeffelees @bookish-bogwitch

@drowninginships @rimeswithpurple @iamamythologicalcreature @leithillustration @alexalexinii

@fatalfangirl @larkral @orange-peony @hushed-chorus @run-for-chamo-miles

@brilla-brilla-estrellita @theimpossibledemon @fiend-for-culture @emeryhall @j-trow-95

@you-remind-me-of-the-babe @ileadacharmedlife @best--dress @confused-bi-queer @messofthejess

@roomwithanopenfire @shrekgogurt @stitchyqueer @monbons @youarenevertooold

@blackberrysummerblog @thewholelemon @skeedelvee

[cutiesigh]

「Demo WIP」 Can y'all watch my plant real quick? 🍈

[micia-posts-stuff]

THE FINAL DEV-ELOPMENT part 17

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Masterpost

[strawblemon]

I bought Sorry, We're Closed on Steam and in the community section people were talking about it being "forced diversity equity and inclusion..."

That game is literally made by a queer interracial couple, and I thought us minorities had to "make our own games instead of forcing our identities on gamers" so why are people still complaining that that one random game is "woke" when Steam has a million hentai games called like Vagina Warriors 17: Barely Legal Edition - Ultra Perv Simulator - Return of the Cuntessa. Go play that you fucking gooner.

[qwertyprophecy]

Boss vs Player

– The core story design of The Dark Queen of Mortholme –

A game about being the end boss of a game. A hero comes in to challenge you, and even after you mercilessly destroy them, they return. That's because they're the player character, and each time they become stronger as they figure out your mechanics, upgrade their armour, find health potions, etc.

That's what it says in my old design notes, and although the idea's gone a lot further than that, it's still pretty much on point. The game starts with the final boss fight with the slight adjustment that you're playing as the boss. The so-called hero you're facing dies in one hit, unceremoniously. A pathetic attempt against your vastly superior power.

But you've barely made your way back to your throne when they're at the door challenging you again. They might be immortal, but also clearly an idiot. Except this time, they dodge out of the way of your massive weapon. No matter, you crush them on the next swing.

They come back and prickle you with their sad toothpick of a sword. First it was funny, now it's getting annoying.

They keep coming back. It feels too ludicrous to admit, but you're getting a little nervous.

---

It's a story about someone who's been given no room to grow and no ability to learn from mistakes trying to understand someone who has nothing but that. It's the stubborn force of change versus the might of the status quo. The unstoppable force against the immovable object, except the immovable object starts to notice she's crumbling.

If you were a boss facing down your inevitable death after a long dance with your ever-improving opponent, would you begrudge the them for dealing it to you? Would you be proud?

[bloodbrown]

Cutscene gallery & a rudimentary photo mode (or at least a pause button for cutscenes) would make Lies of P the eternal game for me

[starcurtain]

Oh, so when IIIII make the "mutual" joke it's delusional, but when Hoyo makes it--

(Actually, since that Youtube end card tried to gatekeep it, here's Ratio's tsuntsun sweatdrop as he tries to think up a good excuse for going on TV to talk about some guy he's definitely not "friends" with:)

[nessacousland]

Well, I finally finished Dragon Age: Friendship is Magic and that is *my* biggest regret.

[flightrising]

Video description under the cut.

[VIDEO DESCRIPTION] We’re back at the ocean, but the waves are growing choppy and dark clouds are rolling in overhead from the left. The wind is low and strong. The video fades to black and as it does, we hear seagulls faintly in the background. The Flight Rising logo comes into view followed by the words Saturday June 8, 2024.

[aliturean]

nothing says sibling bond more than getting tangled up in mind boggling supernatural shit and escaping death but maybe that's just them

willow and my mc, dev agrawal from @thelonelyshore-if !!

[therestofmyfandoms]

its great to see that Sunraku's cheese strats are still plentiful. and how accurate this anime continues to be about how video games are.

his exploit for farming crystal scorpions by quickly teleporting in and out and making them kill themselves gets patched out? easy, just figure out a way to make them fall off a cliff instead, using a double-jump ability to negate the fall damage for himself.

god i fucking love this show