#i dont think i could ever develop a game. the process of that is crazy difficult outside of even just the programming itself

[prettyboykatsuki-moved]

i have no plans to go into game development because i have no artistic direction but if i ever did i'd make a magic shop simulator. there would be 3 levels of mechanics (procurement, construction, distribution) and certain items / recipes / crafts locked behind character story quests... i think of her often

[shajaah]

🚢 I’m wondering for Zack but pls don’t ask me what happens in Rebirth, I don’t have the brain cells to process it 😭

do i ship our characters together?: yes | no | not yet but maybe soon

would i like to ship with you?: yes | maybe, i'm willing to try | no

[honestly, whatever the relationship turns out between these two i am game to write with you and the amazing miss mya~ <3]

type of relationship i could see: childhood or high school sweethearts | exes | engaged | married | long-term relationship | crushes | unrequited love | fling | long distance | online relationship | just dating | new relationship | toxic lovers | friends with benefits

[i'd actually imagine them on the 'what are we even' type because you know how social butterfly zack is, he would bother mya from time to time. especially when they are on missions together or he meets her in the training room. i don't know if he will seek her out specifically but hey if she just gives him that 0.01 attention he might. and he will. and he will proceed to bother her. sephiroth was not safe from his puppy energy so mya will not, too. with my modest information on mya i can see them going from 'hey, she kinda likes me, isn't she? to wait, did she just push me away? to we're back on speaking terms? to she is giving me the cold shoulder again????' it's like little chaotic of roller-coaster of emotions because we know mya got a heavy baggage and it would take a lot of work for her to 'accept' him as an equal for her chaotic thoughts. but im also game if maybe they knew each other when he was in gongaga or something but he never realize it was her because of her make over look. though would go crazy for betrayal plot--maybe mya goes with sephy and all that and zack feels betrayed not once but thrice dkfjsfks sephy, angeal and mya...sobs. idk your thoughts?? we dont talk about rebirth too because lmao i only saw a couple of minutes then 'for later' and who knows when i will watch the playthru dkfjslkdfjs]

tropes i'd enjoy writing for them: friends to lovers | enemies to lovers | exes to lovers | fake relationship / dating | forbidden love | grumpy and sunshine | star-crossed lovers | surprise pregnancy | second chance | soulmates | amnesia / mistaken identity | forced proximity | secret relationship | slow burn relationship

[look. i am game for anything as long as it makes sense and it does not butcher anyone's character yehaw~ i am easily persuaded to try anything lmao]

would i rather plot first or jump right in and see where it goes?: develop their relationship first | jump right in | something in between ( what specifically? )

[i feel like there is a certain element of winging it which can make things interesting but i had an interesting experience in the past with shipping with an oc so i rather not wing it too much and focus on planning and plotting first.]

what now?: let's plot something | send me shippy memes | i'll send you shippy memes | write me a random starter | i'll write you a random starter

[again plotting sounds the best way of communication first]

anything else i want you to know about me / my character / my shipping habits: ( put whatever you want here )

[oh boy. i'd like to know your opinion on the same questions up there to see where we align together!!! and ngl i wanna know mya's opinion about zack's new look. also what mya thinks about zack's disappearance for 4 years? would that have changed if we plotted together? perhaps she finds him prior or even put a stop to Hojo before he experiment on him and cloud? we can make our own lore because no one can stop us yehaw~]

send 🚢 or ( 'SHIP' ) if you ever considered shipping our characters romantically and want me to fill out the following form for our muses. || accepting || @furiaei

[sociallyawkward--fics]

hi xy time for what is becoming my annual checkin! how are u! i feel like since its been abt a year i have to infodump abt all my character development hold on i'll speedrun it. my pronouns r it/its zhey/zhem or (less preferred) they/them. and i have settled on those. it/its is the only one thats ever given me gender euphoria, took 4 years but i got there. ummm realized i have autism (undiagnosed). love the stimming and the being insane abt fictional characters the rest isnt that great. got anxiety meds!!!!! oh my god xy!!!! life is so good now antidepressants r a girls best friend. also. hold on ur never gonna believe this. i have adhd meds now. the crowd goes wild. was like yea doc idk i just think the anxiety meds r not improving my ability to focus what was that u said abt adhd^__^ n she was like hmmmm ok i cant diagnose u but i can give u this adderall u dont need a diagnosis for n if its like glory hallelujah we'll just assume u have it and GLORY HALLELUJAH. ive cleaned my room like more times in the past few months than i have my entire life im WINNING. i cant rly feel if its working but i'll sit down to write or smth n i wont get distracted every 5 seconds n the mental block that keeps me from doing things is gone!!!!! life changing stuff just wish i had it before my grades fuckin woooo splat. um my gpa is 2.2 weighted im like. ok well now that i have adhd meds im working on it -H (i feel like. ok i think tumblr made it so ur asks can be longer but fuck all those liberals n their woke agenda (joke) i am all abt tradition babey i'll be back for a pt 2 rq)

ummm rly into books love books. "thats old news h everyone knows that" but like im being wonderfully unnormal abt them<3 there was this one series the ascendance trilogy n i was fucking OBSESSED w it when i was younger n i learned there was a 4th n 5th book recently so like. the trilogy thing was a fuckin lie. but i obviously had to reread the series so i could read the new books n im still so obsessed w the series its so banger for a middlegrade series. got so unnormal abt it i made a 7hr playlist for the main character bc everyone elses sucked so much ass i just had to. still in the process of rereading but yeah. also theres this OTHER series the raven cycle i read recently n im also obsessed w that these series r all like my ideal books they hit all my favorite tropes. yeah just being rly unnormal abt books thats my current obsession. also. drawing. im so good at it u wouldnt believe. next fuckin van gogh right here. n honestly i dont even care abt going off anon it just bothers me bc my ROUTINE. the TRADITION. its just not the same. but i'll go off it just for u to show u some of my banger art. at a stage where im pretty frustrated at my limitations but that doesnt mean i cant recognize that im fucking awesome ok hold on again -H but yea ok to finish up what have u been up to! tempted to just ask what shows/game/etc uve been into but also i am exerting a little of my brain power to realize some ppls lives dont revolve around those. so just liek what have u been spending a lot of time doing. how is writing going! wait what r ur drawing skills just out of curiosity draw smth for me (if ur comfy ofc n dw i completely understand if it fuckin sucks taht was me just over a year ago) -H (when i was younger i used to think that ppl couldnt be good at writing n drawing they had to choose one. exerted my baby brain power to be like. it takes too long to get good at them u can only do one. then saw a book w the cover art credited to the author n i was like woahhh this is fuckin crazy living my younger selfs pipe dream)

----------

The way I have had a reminder on my phone to answer these asks for MONTHS but my executive function has been GARBAGE i am so sorry my friend it was not intentional to leave this sitting for so long i am so sorry!!! (also between the two of us this got Long so i am putting a read more so i don't take up a big block of people's dash in my return from the dead lol)

thank you for pronouns update! congrats on meds!! i gotta get me some of those so i can Detroit: Become Functional lol. I am rooting for you with your GPA!!! Also lol, love that we are following tradition of multiple asks still even with the tumblr updates letting asks be way longer now lol, it is just Familiar To Us

I will have to look into the ascendance trilogy!! My sibling is also obsessed with the raven cycle, but i have not read it yet (still debating if i want to or not, have been for YEARS lol, because i keep hearing "author problematic" and then never remember Why because i have Goldfish Memory). I will not post your off-anon ask with the artwork unless you want me to (want you to feel comfy on the blog and sending asks and I know you prefer anon!), but i will say that your art is AWESOME, my friend!! you are SO good and you're only going to keep getting better! I am glad you enjoy it!

Also bestie. This is a neurodivergent space lol, my life also revolves around shows/games/books/etc. they are the only thing that make the monotony of life and job-having under a neurotypical capitalistic society bearable lol. I actually have been getting back into reading ACTUAL BOOKS lately which feels GREAT (because reading Actual Books when i am so tired and Non-Functioning all the time is Hard lol), i am finally going through my seemingly-endless TBR and also have reread some old faves this year. Games-wise, the only thing i ever think about is still the Dragon Age games, Alistair is the love and light of my life lol. Show-wise.... i am in Limbo because of the Exhaustion, tragically, and also just waiting on new seasons (OFMD). Witcher has a new season out, but i have not watched it yet because Energy and also i have no motivation to because the last season they put out was so bad (even if i hear this one is good, i have lost trust lol)

Writing is. Not quite going lol. I have not finished a fanfic in ages, and also have made little to no progress on any of my original work attempts either, tragically. Hopefully things look up for me soon cuz I wanna get stuff DONE again lol, this blog has become so quiet and near obsolete because i cannot FINISH anything and it is TRAGIC.

Also, I have little-to-no drawing skills, but I also unfortunately do not have much energy to apply to drawing you a picture atm :(( maybe someday. Sometimes I can draw something that makes me go "omg i am not Awful, maybe I could actually put thoughts and energy into learning this as a skill" and other times it is like "i will never put pencil to paper (or stylus to screen) ever again" lol. Maybe someday when i am doing Better again i will hopefully have the energy to draw you something!!

[indecisive-v]

NINJAMUFFIN DOING ANOTHER AMA ON TWITTER, HERE'S MORE SHIT FOR YA! keep in mind i'm just sharing the funkin related stuff, though i am including WAAAAY more than what i shared before 👍 go check out ninja's twitter profile for questions about stuff like ritz! questions in blue, answers in orange. if yall don't wanna read everything i MIGHT make a version of this post where i replace the answers with my own summaries of em (and if the questions are long, those too)

and here's a link to the ama tweet itself! dunno if it's still goin

Q: I figure the answer will be yes but do you have more plans to implement more guest appearances from people in the newgrounds community into FNF? Or are you all gunna focus on OG lore and stuff going forward

A: for guest appearances, I think we have always seen it as getting a healthy mix of both. PERSONALLY I'd like to lean towards having more OG stuff than guest stuff, BUT it's all a matter of what other boys think of that as well. I'm not the sole person working on game!

Q: Are you gonna release the full FNF game or are you gonna be releasing week after week? Like, are you gonna release week 8 or are we gonna wait some years until The Full Ass Game comes out?

A: Release plan for FNF right now is a few more updates or whatev to the 'demo' we have out right now, and then a long silence of probably no updates whatsoever until the full game is done (which will likely be a few years). That's partly why we made kickstarter for game.

Q: Hey so like, how much will Fnf cost after it's finished? And when will you ask the supporters what they want the game on?

A: It's all subject to change, but right now it prob gonna be standard 15-25$ lil steam indie game.

We will ask Kickstarter pledgers and whatnot what they want the game on SUPER close to when its released, to keep options open if we get onto anything like a console people want.

Q: 1. how was your day

2. are you releasing a week 8 song early like week 7, or are you goin full lockdown

A: I am doing GOOD today, and I think recently I've been good in general.

up to the mood, but so far we doing good about not having anything leak or whatev, so I think it'd be fun to have update come out with people not knowing what to expect at all. Build dat intrigue

Q: Will fnf ever get official plushies?? Seems like an untapped market

A: FNF plushies will prob happen some point, we have a lot of current merch stuff on our plates already though! (Mostly kickstarter type stuff, shirts, pins, posters, and all the physical OST stuff) Its a lot to sort out, but in time more and more stuff will happen. We r jus 4 boys!

Q: did you ever expect your game to blow up as it did? what was your first reaction to seeing it become super popular

A: FNF never had a humble moment, literally day 1 before the prototype even came out, the vid on twitter had like 5K likes overnight. Then when ludum dare version came out, it got 5K likes again, like it wasnt just a fluke. Was crazy, and def felt like somethin was different wit FNF

Q: Do you plan on getting other people to come in to help with the music? That seems like a lot of work to dump on one person, what with the erect mode and whatnot.

I guess the question could apply to all aspects of development. Will you be bringing on more people to help?

A: We definitely are getting help from other people. We are always keeping an eye on people for various different things. In terms of programming, already I've gotten 2 people (MtH and Geokureli) to help with certain Week 7 stuff (charting/polish, and loading stuff). Shit like dat

Q: Oh, also, will the Steam version be Workshop compatible? That'd really help streamline the process of downloading mods.

A: Steam version of FNF will likely NOT be Steam workshop compatible, because we want all the mods to NOT be spread out through different places. There WILL be modding support that is as streamlined as Steam workshop though. Mainly for non-steam versions of the game!

Q: Are there any chances that the game will have a physical release? Also any updates on a switch port? I remember one of you guys talking/joking about it.

A: Not impossible for FNF to get a physical release. We would want to see how far we could go with it though. I think it'd be super easy to do something wit people like LimitedRun games or whatev, but I think stuff like that can only go so far. I wanna see Funkin in mf Walmart!!!!!!

not that LimitedRun isn't going to be an option! Just we consider and pursue many different things! FNF release is years away, so we have time to think about everything. Whole mindset can be different just a few months from now.

Q: Out of curiosity, how are you dealing with all the popularity? It blew up so fast id barely be able to handle it if I was in your shoes.

A: The only way I've been able to handle it is having the other boys on the crew and being able to talk to them about all the overwhelmingness.

Part of it feels very lonesome, feels like NO ONE can come close to comprehending exactly how I'm feeling, except them. also other PALS!!!

Q: Do you own any of the bootleg FNF merchandise? Like any bootleg plushies or anything?

A: i dont, i genuinely think they r a waste of money, and I know any bootleg shit that gets made, we can prob go about and make it, and make it 100x cooler because we actually put effort into shit. bootleg shit just in it for the coin, so they aint gettin that from me

Q: How did you go about getting in contact with sr pelo for skid and pumps vocals?

A: Pelo i think was familiar and pals wit PhantomArcade a bit thru various Newgrounds things and collabs and whatnot.

pelo retweeted the first OG FNF posts first ever, and brought a LOT of attention to it. to pay him back, we put skid and pump in game! ask dave for more info prob

Q: what's the plan for having the full ass game open source if it's gonna cost money? couldn't people just download the source and compile the game for free?

A: when FNF is fully released, the full source code will be released as well.

the game will be DRM free so it will be way easier for people to redistribute the released/offical .exe instead of compiling it, so that's not the issue anyways. people will pay for things if they like it

Q: What are the chances of it getting on consoles like switch or Playstation, ps5 would definitely be my preferred way to play

A: it'd be a matter of hiring someone to build out backend stuff for those specific consoles. someone who knows their way around all the wacky code stuff, AND knows console hardware stuff. Then its just a matter of hittin up those console manufacturers (Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo)

the CLOSEST one is SWITCH. pretty much all of that backend is already made, so it just a matter of gettin all that access and shit.

i think in any case though, there's a lot of NDA stuff required, i dunno how much we'd be able to talk about it even IF we get that stuf sorted

Q: any ideas of releasing it on epic store or another platform?

A: Right now, the only thing that is 100% confirmed and WILL happen is a Steam version, itchio version, and mobile versions on respective app stores. Other storefronts aren't out of the picture though, but we don't want to spread ourselves too thin with it.

Q: Will you continue using HaxeFlixel to make the rest of FNF?

A: yes, because it is what I'm the most technically proficient in, and generally is VERY flexible. just a matter of ME becoming a better coder. It's ALL open source, so if I need something done a certain way, either I can do it, or we can hire someone to do it.

Q: have you seen game theory's videos on your game yet and if so, what do you think about them? (not talking about his predictions because i dont want spoilers. i like mystery)

A: it is always good silly fun to watch the Game Theory vids about Funkin with some pals, and see what matpat thinks of the game. i lov the vids, but wish he used my face less! Or at least used a cuter pic of me like this one!!

Q: Ok so: What does the future of FNF look like to you?

A: future of FNF is a rhythm game that not only exceeds every expectation that people have of it, but subverts most expectations and conventions as well.

Q: Do you plan on retouching on older weeks once the game is fully out? Like reanimating sprites, redoing some charting, updating the background, etc

A: retouching and probably overhauling certain aspects is almost definitely gonna happen. Everything is fluid and can be changed (and should be changed when necessary). i dont think anything should be too attached to, especially this early on in development

Q: I honestly do not care if the answer to this is vague as hell to keep surprises and shit lol but… Since Week 7 was the closest we’ll get to a playable girlfriend (still bf controlling tho), do you have plans to make girlfriend playable in spin-off things or just freeplay?

A: wouldnt be out of the picture for a playable GF, i don't think we've had some hard thing AGAINST it. just a matter of what we want out of the game, and what sort of story or whatev we could do with that concept

Q: How do BF and GF manage to meet famous newgrounds characters (such as pico, tankman and the others to come) like is this all in one universe/ timeline or are they being brought in?

A: i think they are all just there existing. i think there's a lot of wacky things in other media that try to justify crossovers, like MULTIVERSE bullshit or TIMELINE shit, but i dunno, its like subspace emissary. Captain Falcon and Olimar from Pikmin just hang out. Shit like dat

disclaimer that all lore shit is in phantomarcade head pretty much and maybe there is wacky dimensions or somethin

Q: Will the game have dlc?

A: its not too unlikely that we'd have expansions of some sort, but i mean right now we plan on packing in as much as we can into base game, and trying to make that as pure as possible.

if there is ANY dlc, i would personally want it to be 100% free updates

Q: How did you meet Phantom Arcade, Kawai Sprite, and EvilSker? And what do you think about the community and its controversies?

A: me and phantomarcade been fukin around NG for years so years and years ago we naturally crossed paths and became pals

about 2 years ago i found kawaisprites music on NG, and started talkin wit him, made Ritz wit him and we fell in lov

and evilsk8r i met cuz of FNF!!!

quik elaborate on evilsk8r, wanted artist for gamejam FNF was for (ludum dare), and OG person i asked wasnt available, so he referred me to evilsk8r, who I have never met or talked to before ever.

[another-sonic-blog]

Some Silvamy? I dont see much of it :p

Star-Crossed

It was very unusual for the Resistance to have gatherings such as a ‘party’. However, this was the last time they were probably going to see each other.  Eggman was defeated, Sonic the Hedgehog had embarked on a new adventure and the Restauration had just begun. It was the first time Silver had ever been invited to a party less been to one. He was really excited to greet and give thanks to everyone on the resistance. As he entered the ballroom he saw old and new faces. Everyone greeted him and he awkwardly smiled. He really wasn’t used to be called a ‘hero’ nor being compared to the legends he would hear as a kid, like Sonic or Shadow the Hedgehog. He was extremely honored and happy to be able to call them ‘friends’. Or at least Sonic. She walked some more until he noticed Amy Rose standing next to Knuckles as he grabbed Rouge by her waist. He went in closer to make his presence noticeable. The trio looked at him and smiled.

“Hey Silver, glad you decided to come,” Amy said as she smiled to him. Silver had to admit that Amy was looking more pleasant to his eyes than usual. He had to admit that he was also way more clumsy around her than usual. It was weird for him and he was still trying to figure out the reason why.  So far, he had come to the theory that he indeed might have a small, tiny, crush on-

“Oh, Amy, have you seen Shadow?”, Knuckles asked the pink hedgehog as he noticed that the white one wasn’t responding to Amy’s comment.

“Oh, you know he ain’t one for parties. He is probably out there maintaining his motorcycle or something.” Amy took a sip of her soda, she wasn’t angry at the black blur. At the end of the end, she was used to this kind of situation and she didn’t want Shadow to feel uncomfortable either.

“Seems like good old Shadow to me.” Silver responded and then everyone let out a small laugh.

“ITS TIME FOR A GAME!”

“A game?”, Rouge said questioning the red fox who stood in the middle.

“Yes, basically we pick two people and they have to say a number between one and three. If they both say the same number at the same time they have to kiss!” Nobody wanted to admit it but they all were lowkey excited about the outcome of the game. Possibly some ships could come out of tonight.

“What’s the name of this game?” Rouge said as she sat down on the chair next to Knuckles who followed her.

“I don’t remember, I was too drunk the first time I played it.”

Silver then felt a pair of hands move him to the chair next to Knuckles. Amy was standing right behind him, still not wanting to participate in the ‘123 Game’ as she mentally called it. She was just a viewer, happy to see that maybe Silver would be the one to find some type of love tonight. And so that happened, the guest would choose random people or people who low key wanted to pair with. Some kiss some didn’t, and then it was Silver’s turn. Everyone was ready to see who would be the lucky one to kiss the White Prince.

“Well, well, Silver…who would be the lucky one?… Oh, what about miss Amy?”

The entire room went with an ‘OooooOoooOO’ as Silver blushed and Amy denied with her head.

“Oh, come on Amy. Have some fun!” Rouge said she tapped on her shoulder teasing her.

“But what if we do end up kissing?” Amy said still denying it. Rouge slowly got closer to her ear and whispered. “Don’t worry Knuckles and I have it all planned. He is telling Silver to say number 1 and you will say number 3…just don’t look like a coward in front of everyone.”

Amy sighed in relief and smiled at her. “All right! Silver, let’s do this!”

“Yeah!”, He said confidently as well after hearing Knuckles’ smart plan. “OK, READY, SET, GO!”

“3!”

“3!”

They both turned around to face their blushing faces and then once again their two friends who betrayed them. Or at least it looked like it because Knuckles had received a punch on his head from Rouge. The room once again was filled with people screaming but this time the word 'Kiss! Kiss!’ was more prominent. Making the two feel completely under pressure.

“Hahaha no, I can’t do it…I mean its Amy! She’s not it!” Silver said nervously as he heard the crows said 'Kiss’ louder and louder.

“What do you mean by like that?” Amy said a bit offended and SIlver noticed this.

“No, what I mean its that- uh-its its wrong cause you are you!”

“What? are you saying you won’t kiss me because it’s me?”

“Yes!”

“Well, I am sorry I am not a model-looking hedgehog!” Amy turned her back on him and Silver panicked even more.

“No! That’s not what I meant! Like Shadow would kill me if-”

But Amy wasn’t listening at this point. Her feelings were hurt and once she was like this there was no point on making her go back to logic. Silver sighed and rushed towards her, still not believing he actually had the guts to do what he was about to do. He grabbed her by her shoulder and made her face him. And on an instant, their lips were touching. Amy had her eyes opened and Silver’s were closed. Trying his best to hide the fact that he had never kissed before. It was simple. No tongue, and no intentions of going further. Just lips touching. After a few seconds, Silver parted ways and instead of expecting, clapping or the typical 'Oooo’, he found silence.

And he sounds found out the reason why as well.

Shadow the Hedgehog had entered the room, looking at the two with uninterested eyes. He was leaning on the edge of the entrance door, one leg touching the wall and the other touching the ground. Hands folded and he was just looking, and suddenly the room was empty.

Everyone knew that Shadow had his range moments. And nobody dare to imagine how would he react if anyone dares to even think of touching Amy Rose.

“Seems like the party is over.” Shadow then just walked away. Everything happened so fast that Amy didn’t process still the fact that that happened. When she realized, however, she walked towards the door but Silver stopped her midway.

“I’ll talk to him.”

...

Silver found Shadow training.  Well, more like just kicking a tree. His faced looked calm. He wasn’t completely kicking the tree either. He would kick and punch just right next to it. As if the tree was a person he didn’t want to hurt.

“Hey, Shadow”, Silver said shyly and Shadow just bothered to give him three seconds of his attention to go back to training.

“So, what happened earlier. Please don’t be angry at Amy, it was me who did it and-”

“I am not angry at her, nor at you,” Shadow said as he stopped to finally take a rest. “Well, maybe at you…just a little.”

“If you want to kill me. Do it fast please.” Silver closed his eyes ready for Shadow to lay a punch on his face.

But that never happened.

“To be honest with you…I am angry that you never told Amy how you felt about her.”

“What?” Silver said as he popped opened his eyes. Shadow took a sighed and continued.

“You stopped yourself from telling her about your feelings when I told you I loved her…and I knew you would.”

Shadow had a disappointed look. Nonetheless, he didn’t seem to regret anything at all. “Sometimes I wonder if Amy could be better off with you. Once, I wanted to let her go and see if she would go to you but…I found myself incapable to do so. And so I wonder…If you had confessed, would she be happier?”

“So right now, when you saw us…you were regretting your decision?” Silver said as he walked closer to the black hedgehog.

“I don’t regret dating Amy…I regret not giving you the chance to confess…I would have saved myself a lot of self-doubts…” Shadow looked at the white hedgehog as he took a sit on the grass next to him. Shadow turned his head and whispered as low as he could. “And of course…I hate feeling like I betrayed a friend.”

Silver looked at him surprised and although he couldn’t see Shadow’s face, he knew that at the moment he was blushing at his own comment. The comment that was heard loud and clear by Silver.

“You know…I don’t think you are a bad person for expressing your feelings to Amy even if you knew how I felt. It takes a lot of courage to do that, especially for someone like you. I think you did the right thing because I had never seen Amy as happy as when she’s with you.”

Shadow was baffle by Silver. He could see now why a lot of people liked him. He was a pure-hearted boy who put others before himself. Who cared deeply for people and for all life. Shadow didn’t want to admit it, but this young boy had gotten all of his respect now and always.

“But what about you? Don’t you ever think about the possibilities? That may be Amy could be with you if you had confessed before me?”

“For me, Amy is someone who I admired deeply. She’s probably the nicest person I have ever met and to me, she’s…like a hero. I do have a crush on her…like a big crush. I don’t think it has developed more than that.” Silver said convincingly enough.

“…You are going back to the future soon, aren’t you? I think she should know about it before you leave.” Shadow advised him.

“No, hehe, I don’t think I can, haha.”

“Well, there’s no need. I think she already knows.”

They seriously need to stop doing that. Maybe it was a couple thing, to appeared in the wrong time and at the last minute.

But there she was, Amy Rose, standing behind Silver.

At first, everything was blushing and awkward moment between the three. But soon, it was small laughs and jokes between each other. And the day continued just like that.

Between laughs, Silver took a moment to appreciate the two lovers in front of him. There was no doubt that they were made for each other. Their contrasting personalities mixed perfectly, the way Shadow would look out for Amy’s hands unconsciously in order to feel her warmness. Amy’s subtle flirting that made Shadow crazy.

And Silver too. It wasn’t just a crush. It wasn’t just him being a fanboy for her.

He was in love with her. He knew it deep down that he was jealous of Shadow. He was the one regretting never having the guts to tell her how he truly feels like Shadow did. That’s how he knew that he shouldn’t get involved. Shadow was the best one for Amy because Shadow was able to do the things Silver never would.

And so that’s how the story ended. With a bittersweet ending, with two star-crossed lovers and one that just happy watching them dance in the dark sky.

.....

A/N: I hope this satisfies your taste. Some SilvAmy for the masses never hurt  <3

I also posted this as ShadAmy because well, it has a lot of it!

[deuce-duce]

CROOKS

Today is Mike Pinto day! It explains so much in such a short song that I really dont need to say anything else! Other then one side shoving something down your throat saying you have to eat this! And the other allowing you to eat what you want. That being said the Bible states you will know my children by their fruits... while one side defaces property and projects their truth destroying the community the other does things that truly promote growth and change.

Is my mind geared differently...? I'd say, but does that make me wrong... idk I'm just anonymously prijecting my truth. With so much effort money and power pushing one direction and agenda leading you away from spirituality and righteousness you kind of have to think why... if something isn't real then why put so much effort into making others believe that it isn't real? It would be like me saying "look there's an apple..." and them saying "no its not its a peach!" were all just animals living a biological experience, right?! Thats true but animals aren't conscious beings with logic reason morals and beliefs and the ability to decide. Animals are instinctive and only know 1 way 1 set of skills. Do you think i could teach algebra to a lion?? Asking for a friend!! The whole biolohical approach is qhat I believe to be the easy way to go! Perfect excuse to justify doing anything and everything i want wheter it's right or wrong... I think i may have mentioned my platform only a couple handfuls of times but has grown exponentially. Thats what is foretold about planting a righteous seed.

Im just me and always have been! I let myself get swept up in the chaos that was being shoved down my throat but have come to the realization that what you 👀 is usually not real! Or a way to lure you down a road you might regret later. Same goes for the things that you hear! Its all about what you feel! Life is a feeling process! Thats how we connect to the holy spirit and gives our lives true meaning.

Now my belief or theory about why sex and other worldly pleasures are becoming more and more popular to younger and younger crowds, and promoted to the masses is because by fulfilling your human desires you slow down the development of you emotional growth. Not to mention that some emotions are fopaw or frowned upon to even experience in todays society. A man shouldn't cry so on and so fourth... i love crying and it usually happens not when I'm angry or sad about my life... but when I see something truly inspirational or moving, or see someone going through something truly saddening. By inhibiting emotional growth it leaves us relying on our minds to decipher good and bad and the unfortunate part about that is our minds are easily tricked or manipulated.

I believe the reason my thought process is so different is because of what I have experienced through fudemental growth and development periods in my life. Does that make me wrong dumb or stupid not by any means. A message from my big bro said hey man don't be shame for who you are or your sexuality... its probably because of all the opiates and drugs you did during puberty that have made you think the way you do... and have changed you. These are Kind of lies he projects and believe me they sound good until you actually look at someone who really has done drugs their whole life... because in reality i spent the majority of my childhood either locked up or going through what I have explained to you. Barely smoking weed or drinking. I didnt start using drugs until I was 20. I definitely went hard though, it started with ex then dilaudids then coke and mushrooms didn't do acid until i went to a concert and discovered the Dirty Heads! My twin flame was trying it for the first time as well and she told me she saw my aura an orange is pink color. At this point ill never do another drug other then hallucinogenics they are here to raise our conciousness and open our eyes. Best advice is go with one or two people you trust to a concert or out into nature! AMAZING!! just think about what's being shoved down your throat... you can always hurl it up most just regurgitate it though... Everybodys got choices!

Now something i touched on in a conversation I had the other day was i have been told that all of this happening because im a rat or a snitch and you know by accident I guess was when i was 14. does that deserve a life sentence?? I don't think so... but my clarity of a rat or a snitch is... if you and i go rob a bank together or some type of dirt and I get caught, me giving you up to save myself is what I would consider a snitch or a rat... kind of like 69. but if someone or someones went out of their way to lets say beat up your mother or little brother or... lets say kills someone in your family or even burned your house down... would notifying the authorities be snitching... especially if you didnt know who did it?? Thats for you to decide.

Now unfortunately I have more then 1 reason to say fuck 12 but its crazy to know that where one is supposed to beable to go for help, there is none. So if playing this 🎮 the same way the opposing side does, just with a little more tact and creativity makes things worse for me then so be it! I know I'll lead my life alone and don't want to get anyone involved while this is in full swing. after experiencing the Darkside meerly by happenstance, everything i have ever built or created being taken away from me by unnecessary pressure to chase after women and or contantly be toyed with mentally and physically id have to say my growth game is strong! Now is it growth into what society sees as growth..? I guess not ill probably never beable to chase again sadly enough... it sucks. Just because I accel in certain areas of life doesn't mean I can rise above whats occurred. And what your actually capable of and whats expected of you are very different things. Which is why i have my own set of standards and criteria. unless someone is going to teach me in a way i know im not going to get in trouble or get the shit kicked out of me, which is going to require a lot of communication between thw two parties, then "ill just keep making the same mistakes... hoping that youll understand" (anyone know those lyrics)?

One song that i just listened to that relates to this along with Mr. Pinto, is Revolution by The L81s.

Have a great day everyone!

P.s. just an FYI I know i have left it up to to believe what is you want but if i were lying then why do I face so much adversity... the other thing is if i die because what I've written then I guess you'll know whether or not i was lying im just some religious kook right?! If they haven't figured it out yet... i save my posts as drafts on purpose... why you might ask... idk... just know I do end up realizing who the good people are. It has nothing to do with what color your wearing but something you do or don't do after i walk by...

One song to close with is Money 🌳 Kendrick Lamar

And if your still having trouble figuring out who to believe... ask my brother to see his chest tattoo!! Oh and also you want to see some shit pop off have anyone that likes to show off and brag about tappin this... approach me during the day when I'm not sleeping and I guess we'll find out whats real or not its probably a big group by this point but I've always wanted to die!

[transhumanitynet]

The Future You That You Least Suspect

The other night my teenage boys asked me what was on my mind (likely looking for material to make fun of me. Just kidding, they’re thoughtful kids).

Instead of trying to “kid proof” my thoughts or rush the conversation, I wrote them this letter. First, to explain that I’m consumed by how we think about and where we look for answers to the biggest questions of our time (listed below), and second, to propose an alternative way of finding answers (hint: I found inspiration in an amoeba).

How are we going to address climate change before it creates global chaos?

What jobs will be available for my kids when they finish school? What should they study?

Over the next few decades, how will we re-train ourselves fast enough — again and again — to remain employed and useful as technology becomes more capable?

Can the human race cooperate well enough to solve our biggest problems or will the future simply overwhelm us?

Most importantly, where do we look to find answers to these questions?

Hopefully I didn’t ruin the possibility that my kids will ever again ask me what’s on my mind 🙂

##

Boys,

There is an old joke where a man is looking for his keys under a street light. Another person walks by and inquires, “Sir, are you certain you lost your keys here?”

“No” the man replies, “I lost them across the street.”

Confused, the stranger says, “Then why are you looking here?”

The man responded, “The light is much brighter here!”

Credit

This comic is as humorous as it is true. All too often, we each do this when we’re trying to solve something. It’s where our brains naturally take us first.

Our imaginations are constrained to the familiar (under the light), so we have a hard time finding answers to difficult questions and problems because the answers often lie in the unknown (or in the comic above, the darkness). Staying in the light is natural, easy, and intuitive, but this limits our discovery potential.

I. How to look in the dark?

History can give us some hints about how others found interesting things in the dark. For example, we discovered that:

the sun is the center of our planetary swarm

the earth is round

the physical world is a bunch of tiny, uncertain pieces governed by quantum physics

Before these became accepted truths, they were very difficult to imagine. This is part because they are non-obvious and also counter-intuitive to our everyday experience.

It’s also because we can’t know what is not known, which means we’re blind to what is yet to be discovered. Don’t believe me? Try to think of something you don’t already know. It’s impossible! That is, until you know it, and then it’s obvious.

Going back to the 5th question, how and where can we look today to find new unknowns (the dark) that help us solve our biggest problems? Where are today’s insights that are equivalent to the sun is the center of our planetary swarm?

I think the most exciting and consequential place to explore is not looking outside ourselves, but looking inside; in our own minds. This is where I see the most fruitful answers to the questions about your future and mine.

What if the next reality busting revolution happened to our very reality and consciousness? And if that happened, could the future of being human be entirely unrecognizable from our vantage point today? I hope so, because the answers to our challenges don’t appear under the lights we have turned on so far.

You’re probably thinking, c’mon Dad, this is crazy talk.

Well, it’s happened before.

II. Thanks Homo Erectus, We’ll Take it From Here

Our ancestor Homo erectus lived two million years ago and wasn’t equipped with our kinds of languages, abstractions, or technology. Homo erectus was possibly an inflexible learner as evidenced by the fact that they made the same axe for over 1 million years.

Imagine trying to explain to Homo erectus a complex phenomena of our modern day society, such as the stock market. You’d have to explain capitalism, economics, math, money, computers, and corporations — after extensive language training and the inevitable discussion of new axe design possibilities (of course, trying not to offend).

The supporting technological, cultural, and legal layers that enable the stock market to exist are the engines and evidence of our prosperity. It’s taken us thousands of years to develop this collective intellectual complexity. The point is, our brains are incredibly capable of evolving and adapting to new and more complicated things.

That our cognition evolved from Homo erectus demonstrates that we have radically evolved before.

III. Amoeba, You’re So Smart!

A few months ago, Japanese researchers demonstrated that an amoeba, a single-celled organism, was able to find near optimal solutions to the following question:

Given a list of cities and the distances between each pair of cities, what is the shortest possible route a salesperson could take that visits each city only once and returns to the origin city? (image credit)

This is known as the Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP), and classified as an NP-hard problem because the time needed to solve it grows exponentially as the number of cities increases.

Humans can come up with near optimal solutions using various heuristics and computers can execute algorithms to solve the problem using their processing power.

However, what’s unique is that Masashi Aono and his team demonstrated that the amoeba’s solution to the TSP is completely different than the way humans or computers have traditionally solved it.

That’s right, this amoeba is flexing on us.

(Note: it’s worth reading about the clever way they set up the experiment to allow the amoeba to solve the problem.)

This got me thinking: when we’re confronted with a problem, we use the tools at our disposal. For example, we can think, do math, or program a computer to solve it.

Professor Aono found a different tool for problem solving: a single-celled organism.

I know what you’re thinking, can the amoeba do my homework or take tests for me? It’s a good question!

Also, kudos to Aono and his team for searching in the dark — this experiment is non-obvious.

IV. Why Am I Telling You About Amoebas?

I strongly believe that we need a major cognitive revolution if we are to solve the global challenges we face. Our species evolved before and we can do it again, but we can’t wait a million years; we must accelerate this evolution.

What I’m saying is very hard to understand and imagine, because it’s in the dark. But bare with me.

The amoeba gives me hope because it didn’t evolve to solve the TSP. We augmented it with technology to accomplish something pretty amazing. Similarly, we haven’t evolved to deal with cooperating on a global scale, battle an invisible gas that warms our planet or retraining our brains every few years as AI takes over more of our work. How can we augment our own minds to allow us to take on these challenges?

Imagine a scenario where you are dressed head-to-toe in haptics (think Ready Player One) that allow you to experience and understand things by feeling changes in vibrations, temperature, and pressure.

Also imagine that you have a brain interface capable of both reading out neural activity and “writing” to your brain — meaning that certain communications can be sent directly into to your brain — the kind of stuff I’m building at Kernel.

Let’s call this a mind/body/machine interface (MBMI). It would basically wire you up to be like the amoeba in the experiment.

Now, what if you were given certain problems, such as the TSP, that your conscious and subconscious mind started working to solve? Imagine that instead of “thinking” about the problem, you just let your brain figure things out on it’s own — like riding a bike.

Would you come up with novel solutions not previously identified by any other person, computer or amoeba?

If we actually had the technology to reimagine how our brains work, over time, I bet that we’d get really good at it and be surprised with all the new things we can do and come up with. To be clear, this is not just “getting smarter” by today’s standards, this is about using our brains in entirely new ways.

Maybe that means that your school today would be in the museum of the future.

People would likely use these MBMIs to invent and discover, solve disagreements, create new art and music, learn new skills, improve themselves in surprising ways and dozens of other things we can’t imagine now.

When thinking about the possibilities, hundreds of questions come to my mind. For example, could we:

minimize many of our less desirable proclivities, individually and collectively?

become more wise as a species?

come up with original solutions to climate change and other pressing problems?

accelerate the speed someone learns (i.e. you get a new kind of PhD at age 12 versus the average of 31 today)

I wonder, is this what you will do at your job in 20 years? Would your mind change so much that it would be hard to recognize your 15 year old self?

Ultimately, for our own survival, we are in a race against time. We need to identify the problems that pose the greatest risks and respond fast enough so that we avoid a zombie apocalypse situation. The most important variable to avoid that: we need to be able to adapt fast enough.

I’m sure at this moment you’re thinking, woah, Dad, calm down!!

V. Your New Job — Being Really Weird (in a good way)

You’re right in wondering what jobs computers will take — if not all of them. They’ll do the boring things that adults do to make money, except far better and for far less money. But imagine a scenario where AI relieves you of 75% of your current day-to-day responsibilities, and is much better at doing those things than you. (I imagined what this world could look like)

A lot has been written, even movies made, about this scenario (e.g.Wall-E). If this happened, would you play fully immersive video games all day? Or live a life of pleasure and be work-free? Certainly possible, although those are linear extrapolations of what we are familiar with today — meaning that’s simply taking what we know today and mapping it into the future. The same thing as looking in the light.

What if millions or even billions of people could build careers by exploring new frontiers of reality and consciousness powered by MBMIs? These types of “weird” thought exercises may be breadcrumbs that extend the considerations we’re willing to make when thinking about our collective cognitive future.

These may be the starter tools that empower us to become Old Worldexplorers setting out for the New World, and journeying on the most exciting and consequential endeavor in human history — an expedition, inward, to discover ourselves.

Dad

  orginally posted here:

https://medium.com/future-literacy/the-future-you-that-you-least-suspect-18cf63bd0061 

The Future You That You Least Suspect was originally published on transhumanity.net

[bestillmybeefyheart]

As an amateur "pro level" photographer who shoots film, I live and play in a pretty crazy world where my competition is 50x better then me and I am surrounded by 200x the people with nicer digital cameras. Reading the news every morning, which I have tailored to show photography news as well as tech, it's like a punch to the balls each day. I see more and more people taking photos and more and more getting recognized and awarded and featured, and I'll be honest it kind of pisses me off. It's partly my fault, I don't shoot for awards or accolades, I don't shoot for money, I do it because I like old cameras and film. And In years past I shot hundreds of rolls a year, all developed by me and shared them on Lomography, competing with a lot of really great "nobodies" like me and a few one-gimmick shooters who everyone oohhhs and aaahhhs over their 5 shots they post a year that are the same damn thing over and over. That and the big names in the Lomography world make it hard to compete. THen of course the Lomography magazine features a lot of digital people (on a film site) shooting their lenses, usually people who arent even Lomographers, and then there's more competition and "Why didnt they let ME shoot that new lens/camera?". Of course I get to shoot protoytypes and unreleased gear too but I can't tell anyone or share my work. But it seems like I am slowly losing my grip on what was once an area of hobby and fun for me, one I was in the top of, all because of 2 things... I got sick and couldnt shoot film to post or like others pics. And digital keeps getting better. I have shot a TON of Instax Mini using my LomoInstant Automat this year, it's easy, quick, and for a sick person, much easier then trying to go out and walk and shoot.. esp when walking is painful, and for a few months my GI system was not happy so even getting out was nearly impossible. Ive still managed to keep shooting. I also think my style is one of the reasons I am not a top rated photographer. I don't shoot perfect photos every time and only share the best of the best of the best like some do. I snap anything and everything and share EVERYTHING. Seriously, if I take 28 pics and 2 are great, 15 are soso and the rest suck, you see them all, all together. Because I shoot for the heart and soul not to win some award or competition. When I scan film, I crop and straighten to compensate for the scanning process (my film scanner doesnt exactly hold film straight sometimes) and I sharpen a tad to compensate for loss from scanning, but minus an occassional dust or spot removal, and maybe a tiny exposure bump if I screwed up when developing (or the film was older then I shot for), I dont mess with my shots. Vs many of those out there, esp the digital pray and spray generation, they edit the **** out of their works. And because digital has gotten so good and so affordable, its getting harder and harder to stand out. Anyone with a modern mobile phone has a class A camera now, and anyone with a few hundred $$$ can buy a really nice digital DSLR or mirrorless even used, and do amazing works. The mirrorless ones especially since they can also use inexpensive adapters to shoot vintage lenses, giving the pack yet another edge. I have 2 digitals myself in addition to my 80+ film cameras and hundred plus lenses... one is a mirrorless which I literally have every adapter for every kind of lens made for. Even though I have 2 perfectly good native lenses, I shoot M Mount, M42, Nikon F and G, Pentax, Canon, LTM, and many more kinds of lenses on it when I do use it. Ironically, my most used lens on that particular body is their cheapest more barebones native lens. And that body is 3 years old now I think, very outdated and not even fullframe, so it's showing its age. And yet I keep going back to film. I have loads of the stuff filling my freezer, fridge and office, camera bags filled with it and cameras and lenses to grab and go for shoots at anytime, and I still don't get out like I used to due to my leg/foot. I've considered selling most of it, getting a nice new mirrorless, and doing mostly digital, but I cant help but hold onto the film. Even if I am a nobody taking nothing photos at this point... I still treasure that process from picking a camera and some film, to going out to shoot it, coming home and developing and then scanning it. I could pop off a few hundred digital shots. Sure. But 1 roll of film is worth 1000 digital shots to me. And I am learning to face and accept the fact that I am not nor will I ever be a super star in photography. And I am trying to learn not to be pissed when some rando pops off some shots that get awards when I think the shots are just soso at best. I keep reminding myself its not a game, its an experience. It's just an experience. And I have to keep my eye on that fact because Im never goingto be Ansel Adams and I dont want to be. I just want to have fun.

[ramblyravingnnjashark]

Nier Automata - Genius and Madness

the works of Yoko Taro are something that have eluded me for most of my life, and that I have given very little attention to. Probably for good reasons because from the outside, the gameplay of his games range from Mediocre to Average at best and I consider myself a very "gameplay First" person. Some of my Freinds would rave about Drakengard and how weird it is but that didnt quite convince me to look into them much further. However, one Fateful Day a little game called "Nier Automata" was announced, a sequel to Yoko Taros Xbox 360/PS3 game Nier with a little line of Text that would change things in an instant

                                   "Developed by PlatinumGames"

now friends of mine will know that, PlatinumGames is one of my alltime favourite Game Devs for their Crazy High skill Character Action Beat em up titles, containing Larger than Life characters and great and tight Gameplay that owes their roots in the Arcade games of old, which is something I have a appreciation for.

So, with a combination like this I finally decided to take on this series, by means of watching Youtube essays about it because goddamn, the gameplay in these games can get rather mind numbing sadly but honestly? Yoko Taro mighta earned himself now a nice cushy place as one of my favourite Directors, right next to  Hideki Kamiya and Hideo Kojima themselves.

But there is one thing I realised from watching these Essays and actually playing one of them it is one thing to watch a guy sum this series up for you, its a whole different thing to watch the Insanity for yourself

because the works of Yoko Taro arent stories about Heroic Knights slaying Demons and Evil Dragons, or Loving Fathers/older Brothers trying to survive the Fall of Humanity with their Daughters/Little Sisters

they are stories about Love, Hate, War, the meaninglessness of the Universe and the Hope growing from it, what it means to be Human, and what it means to lose all reason and go complete and genuinely Mad

(there will be spoilers, so be warned if you wish to expirience these games yourself!)

so originally, this was gonna be a brief recap of Drakengard and Nier, but then I realised I couldnt do these games justice so I just link this and this recap of these games that should give you a good idea what these games are about but to keep it brief

Drakengard is essentially to RPGs what Evangelion was to Mecha Anime, and thats a fairly approviate comparsion when you just look at, this

its also notable for how it handles its different endings, usually referred to as Ending A, Ending B etc, Ending E of the first Drakengard game was a Joke ending that nontheless became the basis for the setting of Nier, a ruined Planet Earth set hundreds of years after the Fall of Humanity about a Father (in the Western Releases) or a Older Brother (Japanese release) having to fend for himself and his Daughter/Younger Sister in a world under constant threat of creatures known as Heartless Shades

both these games are interesting, because their gameplay is nothing special, in the case of Drakengard its outright terrible,they got mediocre reviews and poor sales and yet these games have a dedicated Cult following and  tons of Novels, Audio Dramas, Manga and even Stage Plays that expand the Universes of these games and its lore

and thats for a simple reason: these games may have mediocre gameplay but, their Stories, their Characters, their Art Direction is actually of fairly high quality featuring intriguing Characters and worldbuilding that makes you invested in them regardless I mean, theres a entire exchange in Nier thats entireley between two Magical Talking Books for cryin out loud, and its one of the best parts of the game!

however, these games have thus far had a life as just that, Cult Classics, that didnt manage to garner a mainstream audience due to its aforementioned quirks, the Gameplay just could never stand up to the well written stories of these games

this is where PlatinumGames comes into play

now, the gameplay of Automata I honestly felt like was more on par with what Revengeance offered: there is stuff you can do with it but all in all its below the likes of Bayonetta and Devil May Cry 3 but thats not to say its poor, of course not, it doesnt encourage you to try anything other than just Mash about, but thats Fine, theres also Chips that your characters can even equip Chips that enhance their abilities and giv e them new ones such as a Bayonetta style Parry and Witch time or give them Heals upon Killing the enemy and while the actual enviroments can be a bit of a chore to go through (until you get Fast Travel), it still felt good to Parkour your way through them, nice snappy and smooth which gives me hopes they take a cue or two from this game for Bayonetta 3 in that regard at least

another thing I loved is the Soundtrack itself. Now I dont consider myself a musical person, however I can tell when a Song is used perfectly, and in Automata? Every Song is used to actual perfection. Music to me can be the deciding factor wether a Area or Scene in a Game or Movie is Garbage, Forgettable or Legendary, and for Automata, every song makes each area fall niceley into the latter fortunatly. One Standout track for me is Birth of a Wish (Become as Gods) a retake of an earlier song that adds in additional Chorus, and the Theme for Pascals village which is a cute Melody involving Children singing.

now onto the game itself, Route A puts you in the sexy and Lucious Thigh High boots of YoRHa Unit 2B, whereas Route B puts you in the cute Boy shorts of her Partner and mostly Good Boy YoRHa Unit 9S both tasked with ridding the world of Machine Lifeforms and making Earth inhabitable for the Humans stuck on the Moon again Both Routes play out roughly the same, 2B plays like a Standard Character Action Heroine with Lights and Heavies and such, whereas 9S is mainly focused around his ability to hack enemies and engage into brief SHMUP segments.

of the two I felt like 2B was a little more fun to play all in all, the Hacking was fine but also felt a teeny bit like a pace breaker but not too much, at least until late in Route B the game throws curvebals and unique hacking segments into the mix

a thing Yoko Taro games have been very good at showing, is showing the process of a Person losing their mental stability and throwing it all away to become a one track minded Mad Man and I find that interesting.

Drakengard had a good example when the Character Inuart completley loses it and becomes obsessed with bringing back his Dead Love interest, causing here to turn into the monster posted above. Automata meanwhile, shows this also but with Machines, being that shouldnt even go mad in the first place but become Insane with concepts like Revenge, Fear or other. Now I am not a Psychology Major or anything but I cant help but feel "this is Intriguing", not sure if thats a bad thing or anything but thats how it is.

now, Route C is where officialy the PlatinumGame ends and the Yoko Taro game begins, in that things become utterly, utterly Bleak. Not to say it was happy funtime before, many of the sidequests end on a very sour or outright terrible note, but here? Shits gon Bad!

YoRHa falls, everyone on the Protagonists homebase dies or becomes infected with a Virus that makes them go insane, 2B dies and 9S is severeley wounded and has his mental state utterly ruined by seeing 2B, his Love interest, die. from this Point onward, you play as Either A2, a former YoRHa gone Rogue and 9S as he tries to kill every last Machine Lifeform, and as hes utterly loses his mind. Focusing entireley on his one Goal so that maybe, he can find Death and be with 2B in the Afterlife.

this is where the game really became interesting to me. Gradually 9S goes from this sweet pure boy to a Violent Mess that only wants to Kill and Kill and Kill, Over and Over, its a Interesting Development for such a Character I feel. A2 meanwhile, while still a Great Character and a Blast to play, I felt like was severeley underutilized, getting very little playtime compared to 2B and 9S, with most of her greatest character Development limited to a Japan only Stage play that got a short text recap on a terminal. and it just goes from there and it keeps going, plot twists happen, reveals happen, callbacks to the first Nier and Drakengard 1 happen, its just this huge Mountain of themes and stuff to uncover and analyse. references to old Philosophers and the Concept of Nihilism itself ebing explored, little details that popped up in the early game and now have much greater meaning, its....actually incredible?

I dont think I ever played a game that had so much going on, the last time I think I did was, Metal Gear Solid 3, maybe?! I think....this might actually be one of the best written games I ever played?

and there is still so much content I could go through, the Stage Plays, the Novels, theres probably a buncha Audio Dramas for it too already its like, Jesus christ. and then theres Ending E, which while rather difficult (and probably causes at least 4 people to fucking hate my Guts) was probably one of the best ending sequences I seen in recent years, I'm not gonna go into detail what it is because, it needs to be seen to be belived, but I find it genuiley incredible.

I dont think theres a single game in the Drakengard and Nier series I would actually consider my "Favourite Game", maybe Nier Automata but thats up for consideration still, but I think I can safeley say that both games story as a whole is easily up there with Metal Gear as  one of my favourite Game stories out there, and friends and followers of mine would know by now how much I love that Franchise and its wacky insane story, Drakengard and Nier are special little series that you dont see enough of these days, but maybe thats for the better

I'm not gonna say "Nier Automata rekindled my love for video games" or anything, but I am glad I got to expirience these two series.

[blueneonlightshow-blog]

Starco vs Janco

Star sat at the table with her head leaning against her hand. Students passed by with their trays of food. Her friends sat with her, talking about their lackluster class, TV shows they saw last night, the amount of homework they were assigned, and other various topics Star didn't care to pay attention to. Today was one of the rare times she chose not to engage in conversation with her friends. She was too busy mindlessly doodling in her notebook, not because she grew bored of the topic. In fact, Star always had something to contribute to the conversation. She loved talking! It's just that… well, she just had her mind focused on something else.

Or rather, someone else.

Star's been developing feelings for her best friend since that Mewberty incident, and it didn't take her long to realize what was going on. She denied feeling anything for Marco other than a platonic friendship in fear it would ruin their very unique relationship, but as time passed by, her crush for Oskar shifted to her best friend. She laughed it off at first, thinking how silly the whole situation was and that she'd be over Marco in a few days. Star tried to pretend it wasn't there and forced herself to look at other boys and see if she could form a crush on one of them, but none of them impressed her. Not even Oskar. It only made her want to be with Marco even more. It annoyed her because she wasn't ready for that kind of relationship with her best friend. She was afraid things wouldn't work out and their status as best friends would disappear and they would never talk to each other again. So instead, she suppressed her feelings for Marco, and only wrote about it in her secret journal. Of course, during class, she'd start going off in her own thoughts and start drawing or writing about the possibilities of a Starco relationship. She'd be extra careful to keep those close to her and not let anyone see-

"How about you, Star?"

Star jumped in her seat, covering her drawings with her arms. She met with two sets of eyes staring at her. "Huh?"

"I said do you think you can make it?" Jackie asked.

"..."

"This weekend?"

"..."

"...Movies?"

The princess seemed confused for a moment before coming back to reality. "Ohhhhh! Uh- yeah, movies! Um… That sounds good! I can totally do that! Haha…"

Jackie smiled. "Alright, sweet. Guess we got ourselves a plan."

"You sure are getting distracted, Star. You okay?" Janna asked.

"Yeah, everything alright?"

Star scoffed, waving her hands. "Pfft, yeah of course! Why would you think something's wrong?"

"Well, for starters, you're clearly hiding something in your notebook..."

The princess looked down to see herself covering the book with her entire body. She blushed a bit, sitting comfortably back in her seat, bringing the drawing closer to her. "Well…" she started. "You never know. A monster could come out of nowhere and steal my wand like they usually do! They might destroy my notes!"

Janna spoke up. "I don't know, Star. No offense, but you don't usually take notes during class. Or… try at all, really."

"Wha- I try!"

"You drew cats on your math test."

"You handed in a paper on Mewni corn for biology."

"You tried to go to another dimension in the middle of class."

Star opened her mouth but had nothing to retort. "...Uhhhh…. I was bored?" she answered with a shrug.

Jackie chuckled. "Well, you can say that, but still doesn't explain why you're hiding your notebook like that."

"...Orrr maybe you're talking about your little crush in that notebook," Janna suggested.

Star felt her face turn hot as the attention turned to her. A crush? She can't tell them about how she felt about Marco! That'd make things way more complicated than it has to be. "I-I dont know what you're talking about. You guys are probably imagining things. I don't have a crush."

Jackie pointed to her cheeks. "Your glowing hearts say you do."

She quickly brought her hands to her face, cursing at her birthmarks. "I'm telling you, I don't have a crush on Marco!"

"Who said anything about Marco?" Janna pointed out.

The princess's heart stopped. Oops. "I-I didn't- I mean… I- that was- well-"

Jackie tilted her head. "Ohhh, so you admit it? You guys are dating!"

Star waved her hands, trying to defend herself. "No no no no no! I don't! Really! Besides, he likes you after all-" She covered her mouth. Oops again. She didn't mean to spill Marco's secret like that. Both Jackie and Janna looked at each other. "Please, don't tell Marco I said that!"

The two human girls seemed confused, keeping silent for a moment before Janna started, "I think you have it wrong, Star."

"What do you mean?"

Jackie chimed in. "You do know he's over me, right?" she said with a hint of sadness. The girl didn't seem too bothered by it though. She accepted the facts and moved on.

"He… is?" Star asked in disbelief that her best friend didn't tell her something as important as that to her. She felt a bit betrayed. Marco told her everything! "I'm… sorry to hear that." Star genuinely meant it, but she couldn't help but feel a bit of happiness at the same time.

"Yeah. No big deal though, so don't worry about it."

"So… who does he like now?"

The two girls glanced at each other again before looking back at the princess. "You're… joking, right? I mean…" Jackie trailed off, unsure of what to say.

"It's… kind of obvious, isn't it?" Janna asked.

"He kinda said it outloud one time."

Star grew slightly annoyed at the seemingly obvious answer that everyone already knew. "What? When? Who does he like?"

The girls were silent. They weren't sure what to say next, but a subtle smile appeared on Janna. "Oh? Getting curious, are we?"

Star's cheeks grew more red, her hearts glowing even more. "No! I mean, yes. I just… want to know. As his best friend, it's my duty to make sure he's as happy as can be!"

"Right. 'Best friends'." Janna said with a smirk.

"Janna!"

Jackie laughed. "Don't worry, Star. I don't think you have anything to worry about. The point is, Marco's available. So a certain someone could make a move," she suggested, hinting at Star.

The thought of her and Marco together as a couple filled the princess with joy and excitement. Maybe it could happen!

"But…" Janna continued.

Star's daydream was cut short at the sudden catch. "But?"

"Well, you got some competition. And you know what they say about love and war."

Star didn't quite understand what Jackie was trying to say. "No. Competition? Love and war? What does love and war have to do with each other?"

Janna responded. "Love is a battlefield. Do anything you can to win. And sorry to tell you this, Star, but I plan on winning. Friend or no friend," she said with a smirk. She held out her hand to Star.

It took a second to process what Janna meant before the princess understood what she was saying. "Ohhhh…. Okay…. Well, sorry to tell you this, Janna, but I also plan on winning," Star accepted the terms she was offering, shaking her hand.

First to Marco's heart wins.

"Yyyyeah, I think I'm gonna sit this one out, but good luck to both of you," Jackie said as she watched her friends begin their competition.

Star went back to her drawing, making her subtle depiction of her and Marco more refined when it dawned on her. Star slowed her pencil to a complete stop as the realization set in her mind. She had to confess to her best friend.

She had to confess to her best friend.

"Uh-oh…"

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

"Stupid stupid stupid stupid Star!" The princess scolded herself as she trailed behind the very boy she was supposed to win over. The two walked through the halls as the final bell rang, signalling that the day was over and the students were free at last. She felt her heart race at the challenge she just accepted from Janna. "Am I crazy!?" she muttered to herself. "I already decided not to do anything like that! I might not be friends with Marco anymore if it doesn't work out! I can't live like that!"

"I gotta say, Star, your angry whispering is kind of making me nervous. You're not trying out that new spell Glossaryck showed you, are you?" Marco asked as he looked behind him to see why Star seemed so distracted.

Star looked up, making eye contact with his chocolate colored eyes. "O-oh, no I'm fine. Just… uh… thinking about that one history class! Ugh, so boring."

Marco smiled. "Yeah, it's not my favorite class either. At least you stayed awake this time."

"Thanks to that extra sugar pack I had. I'm telling you, Marco, you should try some sugar burritos! It's totally the best thing ever-"

"Yeah, no thanks. I like my food pure and holy."

Star scoffed. "Please, Marco, It's hardly the worst thing in the universe to eat."

"No, but it is-"

"Hey, Marco. Star." The two friends stopped to see a certain beanie wearing girl leaning against the lockers. "Fancy meeting you here."

Marco sighed. "Hey, Janna."

Star was cautious. She recalled their challenge and decided to keep a careful eye on her friend. She chose her words carefully, hinting at an underlying message with each question. "Hey, Janna. What's up?" What are you up to?

Her rival had no trouble understanding the message. "Not much. Just thought I'd say hi to my friends." I'm here to see if you made your move yet.

"Awww, that's so sweet! We're actually going downtown to eat grab some food, right now." No, I didn't. Don't interrupt my attempt!

"Ohhh, that sounds fun. Better hurry, though. I hear they're gonna close early today." Better do it fast, or else.

Star feigned a smile at her friend, who simply smirked at the princess' reaction. She began to understand the 'all's fair in love and war' idea. Janna would try at Marco's heart, even if Star was in the middle of her attempt. She assumed that this was Janna's way of warning her of how she's planning on playing this game. Fair enough. Star accepted the challenge.

"Are you sure about that Janna?" Marco asked. "I don't think there's anything special going on at the store," he commented, completely oblivious to what was going on.

"Eh. Just a hunch. Anyway, I should get going. I hope you guys get what you need." I hope you win him over, or else I will.

With that, the dark haired girl left, leaving the two best friends in the middle of the hallway.

"You know, I was kind of expecting her to mess with me somehow… like she usually does…" Marco said with both relief and annoyance.

Star nervously laughed. "I'm sure Janna was just saying hi." She cleared her throat and skipped ahead, pulling Marco along. "C'mon, let's go get some food!"

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

Attempt 1

"Ooohhhhhh Marcoooooo~!" Star sang aloud.

"Ohhhhhhhh Staaarrrrrr~" Marco responded in kind.

"Come heeeerrrrrreeeeee!"

"Okaaaayyyyyyyyy!" The boy entered the kitchen. "What's up, Sta….aaar….." He scanned the room, seeing what looked like a warzone of food splattered everywhere, from the floor to the ceiling. "Starrrr? What did you do?"

"Look, Marco! I made something for you!" She ignored his question and presented a bowl of…. something edible… possibly… Needless to say, it definitely didn't look very appetizing.

"Um… w-what is this?" Marco asked, taking a step back from the bowl of 'food'.

"It's pizza!" the princess proudly answered.

Marco looked at her in shock. "Pizza!?" The mass of ingredients looked nothing like pizza! Why does it look like everything from the refrigerator mashed into one lump? Why did she suddenly have the urge to make pizza when they could've ordered it? WHY DID SHE MAKE PIZZA IN A BOWL?

"Weeellll? Aren't you going to take a taste?" Star asked excitedly. She was sure this would win Marco's heart. After all, food is the best way to get to a man.

The boy gently pushed it back. "Uhhh… you know, I'm really full from lunch still, and I should really save my appetite for dinner-"

"Awww, Marco, pleeeeaaaaase?" The princess gave her best puppy eyes.

Marco hesitated before giving in, taking the bowl and spoon from her. "...Well… here goes nothing."

Star's eyes widened as he brought a spoonful of her pizza into his mouth. "Weeeellllll? What do you think? Pretty good, right?"

Marco was frozen in place, the spoon still in his mouth.

"...Marco?"

"..."

He collapsed.

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

Attempt 2

"Star, we went through twelve different dimensions. What are you looking for?"

"Uhhh, just… you know, something…"

"That's specific…" Marco muttered. "Maybe we should-"

"RAWR!" Suddenly, a poorly crafted monster suit jumped out of a nearby bushes.

"Ahhh, don't worry, Marco! I'll save you!" Star said in a somewhat monotone voice. Her previous attempt didn't work out very well, considering her meal left Marco unconscious for several hours. This time, she would have a monster come and attack the two, she would save Marco (again), and possibly have him fall in love with her. Of course, she didn't want Marco to actually get hurt, so she asked one of Marco's friends.

...It's bound to work better than her pizza idea, right?

"Back, you monster!" She swung at the fake monster, not using any real magic.

"RAWR- ow! Hey that hurt."

"Shhh! Be quiet, Ferguson. You're going give it away!" she whispered anrily. "Don't make me use my spider with a tophat, you beast! Get out of here, Marco! It's too dangerous!"

Marco waved. "Hey Ferguson."

"Hi Marco- Ow!"

"Ferguson!" Star glared at the boy. He shrugged, smiling apologetically. She sighed. Time for a new plan.

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

Attempt 3

Star opened her locker, pulling out the books she needed for the next class. She had some trouble thinking of what her next move would be. Cooking was out, dimension hopping wasn't as romantic as she thought, monster fighting was a no…

"Why can't I think of anything! We do everything together! It should be easy!" She stopped herself. That's right… they did everything together. They talked, ate, and adventured everywhere. Never once have they done something without the other. Well, there were a few special cases, but there was no room for a romantic attempt. There was nothing unique she could do… except tell him the truth. Star began to panic. "Oh no… no no no no no, that's too direct. Gotta be something else I can do…"

"Make any progress, Star?"

She jumped at the sudden question. She closed her locker to see Janna standing behind it. "Janna?"

"Hmm… by the way you're panicking, I'd say no."

Star sighed. "It's harder than it seems, Janna."

The girl chuckled. "Yeah, I know. I do it all the time, remember?"

"Uuugh, I can't get anywhere with Marco! We already do everything together so I can't make things special!"

"Well, you better think of something fast, or I'll have to take charge," Janna threatened.

That caught Star's attention. She moved closer to Janna, her eyes pleading her not to do anything yet. "Pleeeaaaaaase let me have some more time!"

"Mmmmm… no."

"But Janna, we're friends! I just need a little time to-"

"Love and war, Star. I already gave you plenty of time to do it yourself, remember?"

The princess grew more annoyed at her friend's stubborness. "Why do you like him anyway?"

Janna thought for a moment before shrugging. "I dunno."

"Janna!"

"What? I just do. I think that's reason enough."

"That's not a reason!"

"Sure it is. And you're gonna lose this game soon if you don't get a move on." Star didn't appreciate Janna's reminder. She knew she had to move quick or Janna was going to do whatever it is she needs to do to win Marco over. Janna's eyes widened before giving a mischievous smirk. "So, why do you like Marco? Because he's cute?"

Star's hearts began to glow on her cheeks. "U-uh… I'm sure you can imagine…"

"No, I don't. Why do you like Marco, Star?" she repeated.

"Well… he's kind, he's funny, he's lovable, he's… ahem… handsome… he's the best friend I ever had… and after spending so much time with him, I just… kind of… started to like him. More than a bestie should… That answer your question?"

Janna smiled. "I think it does. How about you, Marco? You get all that?"

Star's heart nearly jumped out of her chest as she turned around to face Marco. "M-Marco! I- we- Janna and I were just… just… playing a game! Yeah!"

"Oh, we were playing a game alright," Janna snickered, trying to contain herself.

"Um…. sooooo….. how's your day going?" Star asked innocently, trying to keep herself composed.

Marco was unconvinced. "What were you two talking about…?"

"Yeah, Star. What were we talking about?" Janna chimed in, still laughing.

The princess tried to think of a way out of this mess, but couldn't think of a plausible excuse. "We… were… talking about… uh..." She continued to postpone the answer, dragging every second out.

Janna finally stopped her laughing and answered for her. "We were talking about how she has a major crush on you and everything."

Star stared at Janna, shocked that she actually said the truth.

It was over. Now Marco knew. And he probably won't want to speak to her again.

So ends the best friendship she ever had.

"That's all?" Marco asked.

Star was… surprised at his response. "What do you… what- but… I- you just found out that I like you, Marco! What do you mean, 'that's it'?"

Marco shrugged. "Well, I didn't just find out. We're already boyfriend and girlfriend, aren't we?"

Star stared at Marco, both in confusion and shock.

"...We… are boyfriend and girlfriend, aren't we?" he asked again, this time more concerned that Star was having second thoughts.

The princess was utterly confused. Her… and Marco? Boyfriend and girlfriend? She turned to Janna who couldn't stop laughing. "I-I can't take this anymore, hahaha! I'll leave you two lovebirds alone!"

Janna walked away to her next class, leaving the two best friends behind.

"You and I… are together?"

"Remember? I confessed to you and asked if you'd be my girlfriend?" Marco started. Star simply stared at Marco in disbelief. "...Star, were you listening to me when I said all this a week ago?"

"Uhhhhh…."

"When we were in that mirror dimension?"

"..."

"We were being chased by a monster and I confessed because I thought we were going to die?"

"..."

Marco sighed, a slight blush appearing on his face. "Well… lemme try again… Star… I really like you and… would you be my girlfr-"

He was cut off by a pair of lips. He was stunned to see Star kissing him so suddenly, but quickly melted into it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him with all her bottled up emotions.

Finally.

They parted, their faces red with embarrassment. They stared into each other's loving eyes, coming closer once again. As they were about to kiss again, Marco quietly spoke up…

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"...You really don't remember me saying any of this?"

"Oh, be quiet, you."

[svtskneecaps]

im actually curious now... ive never played the game myself but ive seen ads floating around... why Are you so heated abt hogwarts mystery if u dont mind me asking?? --💕

OH BUD, YOU'RE GONNA REGRET ASKING

i've ranted before on here and i'm too lazy to read it over and make sure i don't repeat points so if you want to hear me say the same stuff a different way then this post is the main rant i did before (although some bits are out of date, like the stats rant; they fixed that some), basically i have a few big problems

gameplay is frustrating

energy is required to do almost all things story related, except like. the occasional duel.

energy recharges one point at a time, every four minutes. there is an energy maximum that you can increase at certain points during the story. as far as i can tell, everything is divided between things that are "1 hr", "3 hr", and "8 hr". this goes for classes, story moments, etc. you use the energy to tap highlighted shapes and fill a star meter and if you collect all the stars you need, you pass

the 1 hr stuff requires a full energy meter, no matter how big your meter is, as far as i can tell. my meter is 33 max energy. it takes me 2 hrs to fill this meter. THE ONE HOUR STUFF TAKES ME TWO HOURS TO COMPLETE. SO NATURALLY, I THINK THAT'S FUCKING BULLSHIT.

either way, waiting for the energy to recharge is fucking boring, especially when the story is progressing at a snail's pace (it's a mobile game, they're trying to make you pay money to complete the game faster, which i GET. i play idle games. i have the patience of a god. BUT AT LEAST FUCKING BAKERY STORY MAKES ME FEEL LIKE I'M ACCOMPLISHING SOMETHING)

duelling used to be worse (it uses a rock-paper-scissors mechanism and it used to be if you lost the rock paper scissors you just didn't get to go, so you could get stunlocked by the enemy and lose just because you suck at random chance rock paper scissors, which was fucking frustrating. now the rock paper scissors just decides who goes first, which i'll admit is better)

i guess they've been trying to fix it and make it less. shitty. so a while back they added "clubs" which is pretty much just another incentive to complete events. the highlights you tap on to fill up the meter to complete events are a different color sometimes and it gives bonus club exp that gets you rewards sometimes. clubs aren't terrible, like they're a bandaid fix but i mean they did at least add some measure of satisfaction to the experience. even if it's like. not enough.

they also added a "memory log" which i guess the idea was that it would be fun to revisit scenes from past years and quests and ~view your memories~ but. it doesn't work. like i try to play a memory and it loads for infinity. so. that's a useless feature

they also added "pages" which are just. pieces of paper you can bind into a notebook (used as a form of special currency in the game; you buy animals with it). apparently you can also use them to buy another chance at the timed quests but i hate timed quests very deeply so they're useless to me. not sure if that feature works but considering it's triggered using the memory log it's really anyone's guess. so that's pretty. awful.

(it's much harder to get genuinely heated when i'm taking the time to list the faults i take with the game one by one in an essay like format but this game sends me into rand mode 90% of the time i'm just apathetic to it right now, i'm being clinical)

it's ugly

this game is more glitch than graphic. i cannot count on my appendages how many glitches and weird moments and gross graphical choices there are. maybe this is just because it's a mobile game and it's a hardware limitation, i have no idea. that's probably the case. doesn't make me hate the game any less. doesn't make me hate how ugly it is any less.

now i don't record the quidditch matches so i don't have many examples of that but those cutscenes are glitchy as all fucking get out and that's one of the things you can use to grind stats, energy, etc. there's not a quidditch event going on so i can't get images of the tail end of my broom EXTENDING OFF INTO THE TREELINE FOR FIVE MILES OFFSCREEN in certain cutscenes so you'll have to take my word for that one, but it's a thing that happens in two separate cutscenes and it's fucking bananas that it's still a thing that exists and hasn't been FIXED or NOTICED do they not have quality assurance????????????

AND WHY DOES MY WRIST LOOK LIKE THAT. WHY. I WANT TO HOLD MY FROG. I LOVE MY FROG. BUT GOD, IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY HAS TWISTED MY WRIST LIKE A WET TOWEL. WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THAT???

I'M PRETTY SURE THE QUAFFLE IS SUPPOSED TO BE UNDER MY ARM, WHY IS THIS WHAT'S HAPPENING. THIS CLIP PLAYS IN EVERY QUIDDITCH MATCH I EVER DO.

WAIT THERE'S NOT EVEN A FUCKING BROOM THERE I LITERALLY NEVER NOTICED THAT THERE'S NOT EVEN A BROOM. I WAS SO DISTRACTED BY THE QUAFFLE I DIDN'T NOTICE THERE'S NO FUCKING BROOM.

THEY'RE HANGING OFF THE BACK END OF THEIR BROOMS. THIS PLAYS EVERY MATCH. WHAT THE FUCK. (don't mind the image quality that's coming from me screenshotting a screen recording)

i don't feel like editing video clips right now just for a shitty rant post about a shitty app game so you'll have to take my word for it that there is more shit and it is egregious and barely a scene goes by where something ugly doesn't happen. half the time they're like "cast this spell!" and i cast it and there's supposed to be a sweet little animation of your character casting the spell but every time i do it, the game glitches and my character freezes, and then the spell has been cast. no animation. which is awful. half the time it loads in such a way that you think you blinked, but no. the screen just glitched everything into place. i don't know how to describe it honestly. it's awful.

it's boring

the story COULD be good, if it wasn't fed to you in tiny chunks over the course of several years. it's an okay plot, the usual harry potter chasing after some mystery (in this game it's the Cursed Vaults, usually there's a specific vault you're chasing in every year to hopefully find your brother and save hogwarts from the curse in the process). that's a pretty solid start

but there's so much FILLER. like there's a bit in year 3 where you go fucking around trying to make an extra sweet butterbeer for madame rosmerta while she's trying to track down your brother's journal in her back room (which is apparently as organized as my fuckin bedroom) and like. it takes so fucking long to actually progress with ANYTHING related to the story after that. like the entire plot STALLS while you try to make the butterbeer. LIKE IMAGINE IF A HARRY POTTER NOVEL STOPPED FOR A CHAPTER TO DESCRIBE HIM DOING SOMETHING SO FUCKING BORING. like at least in there you might get some character development or something, there's no shit like that in this fucking godawful shit of a game. hell there's barely character development, for you, for your friends, for the professors, fuckin NOTHING

they bloated their cast out. there's way too many characters and they waste their time on filler rather than actually developing the characters (for reference, i'm halfway through year 4). ben's personality is "cowardly gryffindor". rowan's personality is "books and socially awkward". tonks's personality is "prankster" (which, incidentally, i've heard is also the entire personality of another character you meet later). they aren't developed. i think they're blowing their character development budget on the "enemies to friends" arc they're trying to pull (i'm guessing that based on a christmas theme side quest and her uncharacteristically spilling her tragic backstory, that's a prediction)

year 1 was entirely wasted time. they could have done so much more with year 1, and they just. didn't. year 1 is disproportionately short and it only involves three friends (rowan, ben, and penny) plus your main enemy. it lays the base bones for your rivalry fairly well, all things considered, and starts the chase for the cursed vaults, and lays some bases for your friendships (wish they would have done more, since the characters are still a little one-note), and then they fucking drop the ball in later years. like i haven't seen ben since year 2, but there was SOMETHING going on between him and the vaults, what the fuck was that? why is no one acknowledging that?? there is a mystery that they're just fucking ignoring and i'm going to go fucking crazy

i went into greater detail on this in the other rant so i'm not going to do it again but it pisses me off. that and how useless the house is. and the fact that it presents you with choices like they'll do anything, but they don't really affect anything (at least not where i'm at in the game). like, i've been presented with the option to take different characters with me, but the friend i took with me didn't get any meaningful dialogue at all so what even would the difference be if i'd taken someone else?? what was the point?? it's stupid. it's dumb. i hate it. i hate it.

anyway there's 1600 words on it. the only reason i'm still playing it is because i plan on reworking the whole damn thing using the "each house gets a different storyline with a few constant story beats", but to do that i need to know the plot of the stupid fucking thing. so that's what i'm doing for the moment. it might take me a couple years to finish though. this game sends me spiraling into burnout at speeds only rivaled by public school, even when it's NOT forcing you to stop and wait eight straight hours.

[shotgunstrength]

Why Diets Don't Work

Why Diets Don’t Work

One of the biggest scams ever successfully pulled on the American public is – somewhat appropriately – a 4-letter word. That word is, of course, Diet. By now you have seen advertisements for more diets than you can easily remember, and have also most likely seen an article or television show debunking some of those diets. Unfortunately, the art of shooting holes through the credibility of a diet plan is normally done by ANOTHER diet company, solely for the purpose of getting you to use their product instead. Well, this article has nothing to sell, nor really anything to gain, save the knowledge that hopefully the reader – that’s you – will put down the Diet Madness Menu, and get a real world point of view on why diets don’t work, and what you can do about it. Eating, the Lost Art If you are considering a diet, or have in the past, your primary motivation was most likely to lose weight. What if I was to tell you that in order to lose weight, you actually need to eat MORE than you have in the past? You would probably shake your head at that crazy idea, and think that it was some new fad that could in no way assist you in your weight loss goals. Of course, the fact that every diet you’ve ever heard of was at one point “some new fad” would probably never even cross your mind. Nonetheless, the fact remains that most people do need to eat more than they presently are in order to lose weight, but the trick comes in eating the right kinds of foods, in the right ratios of nutrients, and at the right times of day. Sound tricky? Perhaps, but I assure you, it is really quite simple. However, the purpose of this article is not to inform you of the benefits of eating, but merely to let you know that eating is indeed a very effective way to lose excess bodyweight, and to explain how diets keep that from happening. Stating the Obvious Although most people do not think of the “latest diet” in these terms, hopefully the following question will make you consider what is pretty obvious if you stop to think about it. If the new “Last Diet You’ll Ever Need” was really that good at making you melt away pounds while sitting on the couch munching “Carbo Craze Chips” or was even remotely effective at burning off your spare tire while inhaling the sweet scents of “Aerospace’s Aromatic Air Baubles”, then why isn’t everyone already thin?? Seriously – think about it. Every time you hear about the latest diet or the most up to date exercise device that only takes 20 minutes per day, they always say that you will never need another system! The advertised system – no matter how logical or even outlandish as it may seem – is always touted at being better than ever, and the last system you will ever need. Well, if that were true, don’t you think that the manufacturer of that system would not only become wealthier than anyone in history, but would also become famous as the person who FINALLY solved the obesity problem in our world? Don’t you think that person could also afford to advertise their product during prime time on TV, instead of late at night? Don’t you think that system would become known throughout the world – throughout history itself – as a turning point in human development? So, I’ll ask you the same question again: If the solution is already out there, why do we need to keep coming up with new solutions?? The answer is, of course, very simple – these systems don’t work, and the human populace is simply looking for a non-existent quick fix to getting rid of too many late night excursions to the local burger joint, or to the fact they should have taken stock in beer while they were in college. Then what does work? Human physiology. Metabolism Metabolism is defined as the rate at which your body processes food. In other words, how fast your body burns calories. The faster your metabolism, the more food you can eat without gaining weight. How do you control your metabolism? By eating a nutrient-dense meal every 3 to 3 ½ hours. This practice “stokes your internal furnace”, for lack of a better analogy. Think of your body as an old-style locomotive that had coal shoveled into the combustion chamber one shovel at a time. If you didn’t shovel in coal fast enough, the locomotive would slow down, and your body is no different. If you don’t eat often enough, your metabolism slows down and you don’t burn through calories very quickly. In addition, not only does your rate of calorie consumption go down, but your body starts storing almost everything that you do eat as bodyfat! So, in essence, every time you starve yourself in your honest effort to “stick to your diet”, you are actually slowing down your metabolism as well as making your body more efficient at building padding for you to sit on at baseball games. Muscle “I don’t care” you say. You believe that in order to lose weight you need to starve. Okay, that’s wrong, but I’ll explain why that thinking is flawed. Your body needs energy so you can live through any given day. The amount of energy that you need is determined by your Basal Metabolic Rate, and by your activity level for that day. For most people, this amounts to between 1,500 and 2,500 calories per day. Well, if your calorie-restricted diet doesn’t allow you that many calories, your body will find a way to survive anyway. It does this by breaking down your muscle tissue and using it for energy. “So what?” you say. You don’t care, as long as the scale says you are losing weight, right? What if I told you that the ONLY place on your body that you can burn bodyfat for fuel is your muscles? What if I told you that the more muscle tissue you lose on a calorie-restricted diet, the fewer calories you can eat after the muscle loss? What if I told you that after losing 20 lbs on a calorie-restricted diet, your total bodyfat level will have dropped very little, if at all? What if I told you that by using muscle mass for energy, you have literally crippled your body’s ability to burn bodyfat in the future, and that by the laws of Nature (which we can’t change, by the way), you will absolutely put the weight back on, and probably gain more weight than you ever had before? If I told you all of that, would you still want to burn muscle tissue for energy while starving yourself to stick to your diet, paying $8 a bag for Carbo Chips, and $20 a session for Aromatic Air Baubles? On the other hand, perhaps the laws of Nature don’t apply to you. In that case, be sure to tune in tonight – I believe the “Lose Weight While You Eat Butter Fried Bacon” diet is going to be featured on a new infomercial. It is, after all, The Last Diet You Will Ever Need!

source https://www.shotgunstrength.com/why-diets-dont-work/

[toomanysinks]

Facebook wants up to 30% of fan subscriptions vs Patreon’s 5%

Facebook will drive a hard bargain with influencers and artists judging by the terms of service for the social network’s Patreon-like Fan Subscriptions feature that lets people pay a monthly fee for access to a creator’s exclusive content. The policy document attained by TechCrunch shows Facebook plans to take up to a 30 percent cut of subscription revenue minus fees, compared to 5 percent by Patreon, 30 percent by YouTube which covers fees, and 50 percent by Twitch.

Facebook also reserves the right to offer free trials to subscriptions that won’t compensate creators. And Facebook demands a “non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use” creators’ content and “This license survives even if you stop using Fan Subscriptions.”

Distrust of Facebook could scare creators away from the platform when combined with its significant revenue share and ability to give away or repurpose creators’ content. Facebook has consistently shown that it puts what it thinks users want and its own interests above those of partners. It cut off game developers from viral channels, inadequately warned Page owners their reach with drop over time, decimated referral traffic to news publishers, and most recently banished video makers from the feed. If Facebook wants to win creators’ trust and the engagement of their biggest fans, it may need a more competitive offering with larger limits on its power.

“Facebook reached out to offer Hard Drive early access to a “fan subscription” product” tweeted Matt Saincome, who also runs satirical news site The Hard Times. “I asked my editors about it and the complete distrust amongst our team was kinda funny. We read through the terms and found a couple things that were hilarious when compared to Patreon’s 5% . . . Up to 30% and the rights to all our stuff? From the people who let us build an audience on their platform before pulling it out from under our feet? Hilarious. Here’s a crazy alternative: let people who signed up to see our content see it and then we can monetize that hahah.”

Instagram is refocusing on creators too. Instagram’s Android app reveals the prototype of a feature that lets users switch their profile into a Creator Account, similar to the Business Profiles it launched in 2016. Instagram first told The Hollywood Reporter about Creator Accounts in December but now it’s showing up in the code. Reverse engineering specialist Jane Manchun Wong generated this screenshot showing the option for Creator Accounts to hide their contact info or profile category. Fellow code digger Ishan Agarwal gave TechCrunch an exclusive look at the Instagram code that shows the Creator Accounts are “Best for public figures, content producers, artists, and influencers”. Creator Accounts give users “more advanced insights and reach more people with promotions”, “more growth tools” and “a new inbox that makes it easier to manage message requests and connect with fans.”.

Trading Control For Subscribers

Facebook began testing Fan Subscriptions a year to give creators a financial alternative to maximizing ad views after watching the rise of Patreon which now has 3 million patrons who’ll pay 100,000 artists, comedians, models, and makers over $500 million this year. This month Facebook expanded the test to the UK, Spain, Germany, and Portugal to allow users to pay $4.99 per month to a creator for exclusive content, live videos, and a profile badge that highlights them as a subscriber. While Twitch owns gamers, YouTube rules amongst videographers, and Patreon is a favorite with odd-ball creators, Facebook may see an opportunity to popularize Fan Subscriptions internationally and turn mainstream consumers into paid supporters.

The terms for Fan Subscriptions are not publicly available, and only visible on Facebook’s site to Pages it’s invited to test the feature. But TechCrunch has published the full policy document below.

Thankfully, Facebook isn’t taking a cut of Fan Subscription revenue during the test phase, and creators get to keep 100 percent of the money paid by any patrons it signs up before the official launch. Facebook tells me that it hasn’t finalized its percentage cut, though the terms permit it to take as much as 30 percent. That would qualify given Facebook tells me its rake will be in line with industry standards and creators will retain the majority of their earnings.

But whatever cut it takes will be after processing fees and the 15 to 30 percent tax Apple and Google levy on iOS and Android in-app purchases. We’ll see if Facebook tries a workaround that pushes users to their mobile browser where it can take their subscription money tax-free. And if Facebook decides it want to give users a free one-month trial or discount to any creator, they can’t stop it even if that lets people download all their exclusive content and then cancel without ever paying.

But what’s sure to raise the most hairs is the clause about “Supplemental Data” that gives Facebook a license to display a creator’s content as they might expect, but also a royalty-free license to use it however they want, even after a creator abandons Facebook Fan Subscriptions. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that Supplemental Data does in fact cover all content provided by the creator. They claim it’s so if a creator made a custom fan sticker, a subscriber could use it in their own Facebook post, but the rule gives Facebook vast power beyond that. Patreon has a similar clause, but gets the benefit of the doubt in a way Facebook doesn’t after so many scandals.

Facebook’s spokesperson claimed that the Supplemental Data terms were similar to Facebook’s standard terms, but the normal Facebook terms say “You can end this license any time by deleting your content or account.” Not so with Fan Subscriptions. I don’t expect Facebook is going to try to outright steal and resell creators’ content, but it will have jurisdiction to use their art however it wants to fuel its war with Patreon, Twitch, and YouTube.

Creators will have to decide whether access to Facebook’s 2.3 billion users is worth the platform risk of building a following somewhere they don’t control and that has other business priorities. If Facebook’s strategy suddenly veers away from Fan Subscriptions, it could be hard for creators to score new signups or retain their old ones. At least with a dedicated site like Patreon, creators know the platform can’t abuse them without the threaten of ruin.

Here’s the full Terms Of Service for Facebook’s Patreon competitor Fan Subscriptions:

Fan Subscriptions Creator Terms

The fan funding feature (“Fan Subscriptions”) allows Facebook users to support their favorite pages, creators, group administrators, gamers, or others (“Pages”) through a monthly subscription with Facebook (“Subscription”) that gives those people (“fans”) access to digital content offered by Pages, such as exclusive digital content, fan recognition, and merchandise discounts. These Terms (“Terms”) govern how Pages use Fan Subscriptions.

With regard to your use of Fan Subscriptions, you agree to the following:

Your use of the Platform with respect to Fan Subscriptions is subject to, and you agree to comply with, the Platform Policy currently available at https://developers.facebook.com/policy/.

Your use of Fan Subscriptions to offer digital content and/or services to Facebook fans is subject to, and you agree to comply with the (a) Monetization Eligibility Standards currently available at https://www.facebook.com/help/publisher/169845596919485, and (b) Content Guidelines for Monetization currently available at https://www.facebook.com/facebookmedia/get-started/monetization_contentguidelines. You agree to follow any additional instructions and/or technical documentation we provide to you for Fan Subscriptions.

You will provide accurate information to fans in connection with your use of Fan Subscriptions, including but not limited as part of any digital content or services you choose to offer to them. You must clearly and conspicuously disclose all material terms regarding your offer and the nature of content or services you will provide to fans once they choose to subscribe. You agree to comply with all laws applicable to your use of Fan Subscriptions.

You confirm that the content you offer via Subscription does not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of any third party and that you have secured all rights necessary to distribute, copy, display, publicly perform, or otherwise use the content.

You will not use, incorporate, or provide any music or physical goods in connection with your use of Fan Subscriptions without FB’s prior written approval (email is sufficient).

You will not offer discounts on physical goods that exceed 80 percent of the offered goods’ retail value.

Your fans’ Subscriptions may be processed as payments to Facebook via Apple’s In-App Purchase or Google’s In-App Billing services, which are subject to Apple’s and Google’s separate payment terms and conditions. Apple and Google may charge Facebook a revenue share and/or other fees for such payment services according to their respective terms and conditions. FB will pay you a revenue share calculated as a percentage (“Your Share”) of what’s left after deduction of those fees/charges and of any other fees or taxes incurred by Facebook. As a the date of these Terms, Your Share of that net revenue is 100%. However, Facebook may in the future change these Terms such that Facebook keeps a revenue share of up to 30%. We will give 30 days’ notice of any such change.

Facebook reserves the right to offer discounted and free trials for fans from time to time in our discretion, whether to incentivize Subscription sign-ups or otherwise. Where we do so in relation to your Fan Subscriptions, your revenue share will be reduced accordingly: we only pay you a revenue share based on the amounts fans actually pay (less fees and taxes we incur).

If you have accurately completed and timely provided to FB any forms or documentation that FB reasonably determines are required to set up payment to you, and subject to and only in the event that you are in compliance in all respects with these Terms, payment of any net amounts FB receives from Apple and Google for Subscriptions made by your fans during your use of Fan Subscriptions will be on a monthly basis, within approximately 60 days after the end of the applicable month. Facebook will not be responsible for any subsequent fees applied by your financial institution to complete payment of the Monthly Fee to you. Furthermore, in the event the payment due to you would be less than One Hundred U.S. Dollars ($100.00), Facebook reserves the right to roll such payment over month to month until such payment threshold is met, at which time Facebook will make the applicable payment to you. Facebook also reserves the right to set off and/or withhold any amounts that Facebook reasonably considers are or are likely to be payable by you to Facebook under these Terms (including under any indemnities).

If you are providing (or allowing us to access) any data, content, or other information in connection with your use of Fan Subscriptions (collectively, “Supplemental Data”), then you grant us (and our affiliates) a non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, royalty-free, worldwide license to use such Supplemental Data. This license survives even if you stop using Fan Subscriptions. You are responsible for obtaining the necessary rights from all applicable rights holders to grant this license.

You are responsible for paying any applicable taxes owed with respect to any amounts you receive through your use of Fan Subscriptions. Facebook will charge you taxes with respect to such amounts if it is required to do so under applicable law.

Facebook can terminate or suspend your use of Fan Subscriptions at any time in our sole discretion, and we may change or stop offering Fan Subscriptions at any time in our sole discretion. In no event will we be liable in any way for terminating or suspending your use of Fan Subscriptions, for the discontinuation of Fan Subscriptions, for the removal of or disabling of access to content, or for the withdrawal of the content or Fan Subscriptions.

If you change what’s included in a Subscription in a way that could be considered material, you must give fans reasonable prior notice such that they have a reasonable opportunity to cancel their Subscriptions if they so choose, with the change only taking effect after their next Subscription fee payment.

If you are using Fan Subscription on behalf of a third party (including, but not limited to, as an agent or representative of a Creator), you represent and warrant that you have the authority as agent of such party to use such features on their behalf, agree to these Terms, and hereby bind such party to these Terms. You agree to indemnify and hold Facebook harmless from any claims, suits, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses resulting from your breach of the Terms. If you are accepting these Terms as admin of Facebook Business Manager for your business, these Terms shall apply to Content on all Facebook Pages and profiles owned or operated by your business at the time of acceptance and thereafter.

By using the Fan Subscriptions feature, you agree that we may communicate with you electronically any important information regarding your use of Fan Subscriptions, including without limitation as to Your Share and any payments. We may also provide notices to you by posting them on our website, or by sending them to an email address or street address that you previously provided to us. Website and email notices shall be considered received by you within 24 hours of the time posted or sent; notices by postal mail shall be considered received within three (3) business days of the time sent.

Facebook reserves the right to update these Terms from time to time. If any change to these Terms will materially disadvantage you, or materially affect the availability of the Subscription, we will provide you with notice before the changes become effective and you can choose to cancel your Subscription. Your continued use of this feature constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Fan Subscriptions is part of the “Facebook Products” under Facebook’s Terms of Service(“Facebook Terms”), and your use of Fan Subscriptions is deemed part of your use of Facebook Products. In the event of any express conflict between these Terms and the Facebook Terms, these Terms will govern solely with respect to your use of Fan Subscriptions and solely to the extent of the conflict. These Terms do not alter in any way the terms or conditions of any other agreement you may have with Facebook. Facebook reserves the right to monitor or audit your compliance with these Terms and to update these terms from time to time, and your continued use of Fan Subscriptions constitutes acceptance of those changes.

source https://techcrunch.com/2019/02/26/facebook-vs-patreon/

[adambstingus]

The NFL’s New VR Highlights Take Football to a Whole New Level

Deep in the second quarter of the New York Giants’ win over the Chicago Bears on November 20, Giants quarterback Eli Manning slunga short pass to running back Rashard Jennings, who was forced out of bounds at the 28 after a five-yard gain. Nothing about the play, which lasted all of six seconds, stood out as particularly noteworthy. Except for one thing: Safety Deon Bush and linebacker Danny Trevathan shoved Jennings out of bounds right in front of NextVRs bug-eyed sideline camera. Watching the play on a VR headset made you instinctively want to get out of the way. The “you-are-there” sensation was strong.

NextVR is all but ready to flip the switch on live football.

OK, time out. You’re rolling your eyes, with good reason. Video on aVR headset is usually pretty disappointing. The novelty ofwatching something from a cool virtual vantage pointerodes quickly. There’s a screen door effect when seeing pixels on a magnified screen, shatteringthe illusion of being there. The content typically lacks narrative, offering nothing to direct your attention or provide urgency or drama.

But NextVR’s remarkable work with the NFL and the NBA provides a virtual experience that is far more engaging and dramatic. The slick highlights packages they produce for the NFL are released after the games, but NextVR is uniquely equipped to do live VR video. The company uses the same crew, gear, and processes to broadcast one live NBA game each week. They useeight camera rigs, hopbetween camera angles, and include onscreen graphics and play-by-play announcers.

We aren’t talking 360 video, either. There’s no confusion about where to look, as NextVRs rigs use a 180-degree field of view to record only the action in front of them. The hardware is more 3-D camera than VR camera, with processing tricks that add depth and boost the sense ofrealism. Each double-barrel RED rig captures 6K video for each eye. That’s tens of millions more pixels than any headset can display now, but NextVR wants to future-proof its content.

The result represents the dawn of a new kind of VR video, an experience that truly combines the best parts of watching a game on TV and being in the stadium.

Monster Truck

Tim Moynihan

The on-field cameras each use a pair of super wide-angle 8mm lenses to send two fisheye views of the action to the production truck, where the producers watch it on the monitors. You’ll find several Gear VR headsets in the truck, but no one is wearing them during a game. They’re there just so the crew and on-air talent can give the NFL VR experience a spin before blasting it out to the masses later on.With the NBA, it just goes out live,” Earl says.

The barrier to live NFL coverage goes beyond inking deals. The execution is already as polished as anything you’ll see on TV, but NextVR is still feeling its way through some details of shooting sports. Something as simple as panning is a no-no, because it may make peoplesick. Zooming is also off-limits, as it chops off the field of view. Both limitations make it tough to capture fast breaks in the NBA and long bombs in the NFL. When switching between cameras, NextVR producers favor a slow fade between angles, often when the action slows down.

The company has optimized its NFL field coverage by mountingcameras under each crossbar, placing manned cameras on the sideline of each end zone, and having four camera operatorsroam the sidelines. The setup favors action in the red zone overplays between the 30s, where each team has its bench. “The hard part about doing football is that with the 8mm cameras, you need the action to come to you,” Earl says. It’s a bit easier with basketball, where most of the action happens in front of the NextVR camera under each hoop. Anything that happens, we have a great angle of it,” he says.

That said, NextVR is all but ready to flip the switch on live football. The crew essentially produces complete games already, they just don’t broadcast them.The reason we do the NFL highlights the way we do it is because we want it to be exactly the same, says VP of content Danny Keens. We dont want there to be any loss of quality, any loss of resolution, any of that stuff. Itd be easier to just piece that show together and record it bit by bit. But we go start to finish and do live graphics and replays in real-time.

3D + VR = OMFG

VR is only now moving into the mainstream, but NextVR has been at it for two years. What started as a simple one-camera setup at midcourt during an exhibition game evolved into the current multi-camera setup with all the fixins. Earlier thisyear, NextVR announced it would carrylive NBA gameseach Tuesday as part of NBA League Pass. It marked a huge step forward for virtual reality.

For the first time ever, we announced a production schedule, says company CEO Dave Cole. We had more than 500 hours of live VR production under our belt before the NBA deal, but they were all one-off productions. Thats not the type of thing you can get viewers to schedule. I liken it to going to Best Buy and buying a television and the salesperson saying, ‘Well, theres probably going to be a broadcaster for this device someday.

NextVR’s secret sauce is its3-D effects, which date toits origin in 2009 developing 3-D television transmission tech. The company’s video-compression technology shrinks files by removing redundancies between each rig’sleft camera and right camera. Because that process involves detecting the edges of objects in a scene, the same technology can create wireframe replicas of everything the camerasshoot. When the video is rendered in a VR headset, it overlays stereoscopic video on top of those wireframes, creating the illusion of volume. It’s a mix of video and video-game tech.

It sends a hugely impactful message to your brain that youre actually in this environment, Cole says. Right now, the mesh, the number of vertices in the wireframe is quite low. In the next generation camera, which is rolling out in the middle of the season for the NBA, we are quadrupling the resolution of that mesh. That sense of presence is what were amping up.

Hacking Your Memory

NextVR outpaces the VR competition with the quality of its tech and scale of its deals, but it’s already eager to refine the experience. We will have done our job right when people cant remember whether they actually went to the game or watched it on NextVR, Cole says. I think thats an achievable goal.

Crazy as it sounds, that actually could be an achievable goal. At least in part. My answer to whether or not that could be possible is … sort of, says Julia Shaw, a memory expert, criminal psychologist, and author ofThe Memory Illusion. Shaw hasn’t studiedVR’s effect on memory, but she has successfully implanted false memories into the brains of test subjects.Because our memories are unreliable, convincing VR experiences could fool our brains. But only to an extent.

“Reality is multi-sensory,” she says. “When youre looking at something, no matter how high-def it is, if you dont have things like proprioception, your sense of space, you dont have smells, you dont have taste, you dont have temperature. These are things that we generally rely upon as markers to let us know weve experienced something instead of just imagined it.

So if Cole is serious about taking NextVR to that level, he’ll have to figure out how to infuse the experience with a lot more sensory input. Things like smart thermostats synced to the action and stadium-smell simulators.

VRs Biggest Challenges

NextVR has some more important technical hurdles to clear first, but they likely won’t be barriers for long. You can only watch its programming on the Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream, but Cole hints you’ll see NextVR on PlayStation VR soon.1 And NextVR is talking with other sports leagues and entertainment companies about getting more content in the pipeline. Cole says 4k-capable phones will make the viewing experience that much better within the next year, and 5G connectivity will make accessing content easier on mobile devices.

NextVR

All of this begs the obvious question: Willviewers embraceVR as a first screen option for sports? Already, watching a game on NextVR is a better eyeball experience than watching it on TV. But here’s the thing: VR is a solitary pursuit, one that requires clamping a headset on. Watching sports is a social endeavor, one that revolves as much around the camaraderie of the experience as it does the game itself.

So there are compelling reasons to strap on a VR headset to watch a game, but it’ll likely only happen if you’re home alone. Duncan Stewart, director of technology research for Deloitte Canada, says the solitary viewing experience is just one mainstream adoption barrier. According to his research, a few trends are shaking out in these pioneer days of VR: The medium still appeals primarily to males, hard-core gamers, and those with deep pockets. Deloitte’s global surveys show that more than 95 percent of people dont own a VR device and arent interested in buying one.

“There are indeed some people who are interested enough in the VR perspective to watch sports and wear a device on their head that blocks out their wife or husband, kids, parents, friends, pets and smartphone for hours at a time,” Stewart says. “But not many.”

There are other impediments, not the least of which is VR’sillusion of immersion is shattered every time you need to use the bathroom or grab a snack. And then there’s the simple fact that watching a game isn’t as simple as flipping on the TV, popping open a beer, and flopping down on the couch. You’ve gotta hook up the gear, launch the app, and find the content. NextVR’s incredible videos may represent the future of VR, but sports fans may determine the future of NextVR.

1UPDATE 12/12/2016 at 5 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include information about NextVR’s recent launch on Google Daydream VR.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/the-nfls-new-vr-highlights-take-football-to-a-whole-new-level/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/182945578062

[allofbeercom]

The NFL’s New VR Highlights Take Football to a Whole New Level

Deep in the second quarter of the New York Giants’ win over the Chicago Bears on November 20, Giants quarterback Eli Manning slunga short pass to running back Rashard Jennings, who was forced out of bounds at the 28 after a five-yard gain. Nothing about the play, which lasted all of six seconds, stood out as particularly noteworthy. Except for one thing: Safety Deon Bush and linebacker Danny Trevathan shoved Jennings out of bounds right in front of NextVRs bug-eyed sideline camera. Watching the play on a VR headset made you instinctively want to get out of the way. The “you-are-there” sensation was strong.

NextVR is all but ready to flip the switch on live football.

OK, time out. You’re rolling your eyes, with good reason. Video on aVR headset is usually pretty disappointing. The novelty ofwatching something from a cool virtual vantage pointerodes quickly. There’s a screen door effect when seeing pixels on a magnified screen, shatteringthe illusion of being there. The content typically lacks narrative, offering nothing to direct your attention or provide urgency or drama.

But NextVR’s remarkable work with the NFL and the NBA provides a virtual experience that is far more engaging and dramatic. The slick highlights packages they produce for the NFL are released after the games, but NextVR is uniquely equipped to do live VR video. The company uses the same crew, gear, and processes to broadcast one live NBA game each week. They useeight camera rigs, hopbetween camera angles, and include onscreen graphics and play-by-play announcers.

We aren’t talking 360 video, either. There’s no confusion about where to look, as NextVRs rigs use a 180-degree field of view to record only the action in front of them. The hardware is more 3-D camera than VR camera, with processing tricks that add depth and boost the sense ofrealism. Each double-barrel RED rig captures 6K video for each eye. That’s tens of millions more pixels than any headset can display now, but NextVR wants to future-proof its content.

The result represents the dawn of a new kind of VR video, an experience that truly combines the best parts of watching a game on TV and being in the stadium.

Monster Truck

Tim Moynihan

The on-field cameras each use a pair of super wide-angle 8mm lenses to send two fisheye views of the action to the production truck, where the producers watch it on the monitors. You’ll find several Gear VR headsets in the truck, but no one is wearing them during a game. They’re there just so the crew and on-air talent can give the NFL VR experience a spin before blasting it out to the masses later on.With the NBA, it just goes out live,” Earl says.

The barrier to live NFL coverage goes beyond inking deals. The execution is already as polished as anything you’ll see on TV, but NextVR is still feeling its way through some details of shooting sports. Something as simple as panning is a no-no, because it may make peoplesick. Zooming is also off-limits, as it chops off the field of view. Both limitations make it tough to capture fast breaks in the NBA and long bombs in the NFL. When switching between cameras, NextVR producers favor a slow fade between angles, often when the action slows down.

The company has optimized its NFL field coverage by mountingcameras under each crossbar, placing manned cameras on the sideline of each end zone, and having four camera operatorsroam the sidelines. The setup favors action in the red zone overplays between the 30s, where each team has its bench. “The hard part about doing football is that with the 8mm cameras, you need the action to come to you,” Earl says. It’s a bit easier with basketball, where most of the action happens in front of the NextVR camera under each hoop. Anything that happens, we have a great angle of it,” he says.

That said, NextVR is all but ready to flip the switch on live football. The crew essentially produces complete games already, they just don’t broadcast them.The reason we do the NFL highlights the way we do it is because we want it to be exactly the same, says VP of content Danny Keens. We dont want there to be any loss of quality, any loss of resolution, any of that stuff. Itd be easier to just piece that show together and record it bit by bit. But we go start to finish and do live graphics and replays in real-time.

3D + VR = OMFG

VR is only now moving into the mainstream, but NextVR has been at it for two years. What started as a simple one-camera setup at midcourt during an exhibition game evolved into the current multi-camera setup with all the fixins. Earlier thisyear, NextVR announced it would carrylive NBA gameseach Tuesday as part of NBA League Pass. It marked a huge step forward for virtual reality.

For the first time ever, we announced a production schedule, says company CEO Dave Cole. We had more than 500 hours of live VR production under our belt before the NBA deal, but they were all one-off productions. Thats not the type of thing you can get viewers to schedule. I liken it to going to Best Buy and buying a television and the salesperson saying, ‘Well, theres probably going to be a broadcaster for this device someday.

NextVR’s secret sauce is its3-D effects, which date toits origin in 2009 developing 3-D television transmission tech. The company’s video-compression technology shrinks files by removing redundancies between each rig’sleft camera and right camera. Because that process involves detecting the edges of objects in a scene, the same technology can create wireframe replicas of everything the camerasshoot. When the video is rendered in a VR headset, it overlays stereoscopic video on top of those wireframes, creating the illusion of volume. It’s a mix of video and video-game tech.

It sends a hugely impactful message to your brain that youre actually in this environment, Cole says. Right now, the mesh, the number of vertices in the wireframe is quite low. In the next generation camera, which is rolling out in the middle of the season for the NBA, we are quadrupling the resolution of that mesh. That sense of presence is what were amping up.

Hacking Your Memory

NextVR outpaces the VR competition with the quality of its tech and scale of its deals, but it’s already eager to refine the experience. We will have done our job right when people cant remember whether they actually went to the game or watched it on NextVR, Cole says. I think thats an achievable goal.

Crazy as it sounds, that actually could be an achievable goal. At least in part. My answer to whether or not that could be possible is … sort of, says Julia Shaw, a memory expert, criminal psychologist, and author ofThe Memory Illusion. Shaw hasn’t studiedVR’s effect on memory, but she has successfully implanted false memories into the brains of test subjects.Because our memories are unreliable, convincing VR experiences could fool our brains. But only to an extent.

“Reality is multi-sensory,” she says. “When youre looking at something, no matter how high-def it is, if you dont have things like proprioception, your sense of space, you dont have smells, you dont have taste, you dont have temperature. These are things that we generally rely upon as markers to let us know weve experienced something instead of just imagined it.

So if Cole is serious about taking NextVR to that level, he’ll have to figure out how to infuse the experience with a lot more sensory input. Things like smart thermostats synced to the action and stadium-smell simulators.

VRs Biggest Challenges

NextVR has some more important technical hurdles to clear first, but they likely won’t be barriers for long. You can only watch its programming on the Samsung Gear VR and Google Daydream, but Cole hints you’ll see NextVR on PlayStation VR soon.1 And NextVR is talking with other sports leagues and entertainment companies about getting more content in the pipeline. Cole says 4k-capable phones will make the viewing experience that much better within the next year, and 5G connectivity will make accessing content easier on mobile devices.

NextVR

All of this begs the obvious question: Willviewers embraceVR as a first screen option for sports? Already, watching a game on NextVR is a better eyeball experience than watching it on TV. But here’s the thing: VR is a solitary pursuit, one that requires clamping a headset on. Watching sports is a social endeavor, one that revolves as much around the camaraderie of the experience as it does the game itself.

So there are compelling reasons to strap on a VR headset to watch a game, but it’ll likely only happen if you’re home alone. Duncan Stewart, director of technology research for Deloitte Canada, says the solitary viewing experience is just one mainstream adoption barrier. According to his research, a few trends are shaking out in these pioneer days of VR: The medium still appeals primarily to males, hard-core gamers, and those with deep pockets. Deloitte’s global surveys show that more than 95 percent of people dont own a VR device and arent interested in buying one.

“There are indeed some people who are interested enough in the VR perspective to watch sports and wear a device on their head that blocks out their wife or husband, kids, parents, friends, pets and smartphone for hours at a time,” Stewart says. “But not many.”

There are other impediments, not the least of which is VR’sillusion of immersion is shattered every time you need to use the bathroom or grab a snack. And then there’s the simple fact that watching a game isn’t as simple as flipping on the TV, popping open a beer, and flopping down on the couch. You’ve gotta hook up the gear, launch the app, and find the content. NextVR’s incredible videos may represent the future of VR, but sports fans may determine the future of NextVR.

1UPDATE 12/12/2016 at 5 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include information about NextVR’s recent launch on Google Daydream VR.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/the-nfls-new-vr-highlights-take-football-to-a-whole-new-level/

[kaleidoscopedude]

all of them

‘all of them’ anons back at it again and its curing my depression

if someone wanted to really understand you, what would they read, watch, and listen to?watch game grumps and vine compilations and youll know where i get 99.9% of my vocabulary and humor

have you ever found a writer who thinks just like you? if so, who?uh there was this one fic write all these years ago that really captured my thought process to canon (unintentionally obviously) and i cannot find them now and i miss them

list your fandoms and one character from each that you identify with.bnha- tsu maybe? i feel that ‘take no shit’ vibe shes got goin ontaz- Lucretiahiakyuu!!- definitely Suga  critical role- nott!! 

do you like your name?  is there another name you think would fit you better?my birth name sucks mondo ass. its super common and everyone i hate calls me it. that being said my name is Emory and thats literally 2 letters away from it so. I go by Em as well and its like,, i cant escape my stupid ass birth name lmao

do you think of yourself as a human being or a human doing? do you identify yourself by the things you do?this sounds like something our whack ass shrink from my childhood would ask ngl. i think i AM what i do. it doesnt matter what you say, if your actions betray you later. i try and stay to my word and i am who i am because of that.

are you religious/spiritual?i dont necessarily disbelieve in a higher entity but its what comes with believing that turns me off. so no, for simplicity’s sake, im not

do you care about your ethnicity?no. my dad doesnt, so i never really had to care about Guatemalan culture or Hungarian traditions. i just lived my life never really knowing what that side of me was. i still dont. i think thats why i like giving my characters ethnically-rich backgrounds. 

what musical artists have you most felt connected to over your lifetime?jon bellion’s a big one. p!atd too

are you an artist?yes i am! this is my art blog

do you have a creed?yeah its called “Be Fucking Kind because Nobody Has Time For You to Be a Bitch” i also believe that so long as it does not involve hurting a real human person, people can do what they please and ignore what they dont. its an unpopular opinion but one i hold close. 

describe your ideal day.i wake up and see my friends. i eat good food and spend time with them, no worries about my weight or my other responsibilities. i go home and shower and draw before sleeping soundly (preferably next to someone i love). im a very simple man 

dog person or cat person?dog person bc im allergic to cats

inside or outdoors?hhhh outdoors but nothing crazy

are you a musician?nah. i used to be able to play ‘tribal drums’ as my school called them but i dont really have the skill anymore

five most influential books over your lifetime.harry potter, percy jackson, mary shelly’s Frankenstein, a raisin in the sun, les miserables 

if you’d grown up in a different environment, do you think you’d have turned out the same?ohhhh definitely not!! i dont wanna get to deep but 99.9% of my problems could have been solved by having non-physically-abusive parents growing up

would you say your tumblr is a fair representation of the “real you”?eh. its not that i lie on here or anything im just funnier irl. 

what’s your patronus?a big Forest cat if i remember correctly

which Harry Potter house would you be in? or are you a muggle?hufflepuff. tbh id be the WORST student at hogwarts lmao

would you rather be in Middle Earth, Narnia, Hogwarts, or somewhere else?hm. my initial response is middle earth bc i love high fantasy but middle earths a fucking shithole without homebrew-type tweaking so Hogwarts just bc i like the idea of levitation spells and using them on myself

do you love easily?yea. not just romantic love either. 

list the top five things you spend the most time doing, in order.texting, daydreaming, drawing, studying, walking around

how often would you want to see your family every year?once or twice, a max of four including funerals

have you ever felt like you had a “mind-meld” with someone?yeah

could you live as a hermit?hhh no i like my tech too much

how would you describe your gender/sexuality?gender: ‘fuck im just a shape floating in space who needs gender’ sexuality: ‘if you hard then you hard’

do you feel like your outside appearance is a fair representation of the “real you”?nope! heres the thing about ugly people: we dont have a choice but to develop a shiny personality bc thats the only way well be seen positively. im big and rotund and have terrible skin and yes im an asshole but if you get to know me well enough to see my asshole side then chances are your not really judging me by my looks anymore anyway

on a scale from 1 to 10, how hard is it for someone to get under your skin?its either a 3 or a 10 depending on the person

three songs that you connect with right now.machine by imagine dragons, teenage heartbreak queen by palaye royale, and vanilla twilight by owl city 

pick one of your favorite quotes.listen to the adventure zone and pick literally any line and youd be right