#I really miss my 3DS :( I wish I knew where it was

[sysig]

Today: Teeth hurt, batteries are sold exorbitantly but only in person, and I think I have Tamagotchis now

[riansdiary]

IT'S NOT MANIFESTING, IT'S HAVING AND BEING NOW!

Hello my dearest gentle readers! 💎

Did you miss me? I am back with another epiphany! I had it last few weeks ago and it was when I realized that we f*cking over complicated the law of assumption too much. When I started manifesting with the help of Hyler's videos, there was no stress or worrying or over complication about it at least for me. That is because I knew that all I needed to do was assume that I have it now, there was not too much focus on the 3d because why would we identify with the old story?

Let me give you a simple analogy for this. It's just like changing batteries or having a new phone or erasing the board for a new lesson. When you need to change the batteries of your remote, you just put in the new ones (new story) and that's it. You forget and toss the old ones (old story) in the trash! That's how simple it is. There's no "why is it still not working?" or "what if it doesn't work?" when manifesting because that is being in the middle!

You're hanging in the balance and your subconscious is gonna be confused so go straight to the end. Manifesting is that simple. You either have it or you don't but you're not just pretending you have it either. You know you have it. I don't even like calling it manifesting that much because that implies a process or waiting time. It's just having it or being it now and not looking or identifying with the 3d or the old story.

You just choose a story and stick to it. Heck, I didn't even affirm that much before to manifest things. I wanted to make the two vaccines I'm getting to be completely painless, what did I do? I relaxed and affirmed only a few times and lived in the end. I didn't worry because I knew it was done. I wanted a specific food I'm craving? I affirmed a few times in the state of the wish fulfilled and forgot about it. Later on, I get the very thing I affirmed for. We must remember that the 3d follows us. Okay so what do you think will happen if you're saying stuff like "Where is it? I've been affirming for x amount of time!" or "I've been listening for so long to subliminals but there's no results!"

You are now reacting and you're pulling yourself back to the old story. There's no problem if you rant or cry it all out. We're human and we can do that but we keep staying in the new story. The problem is if we give up. The only thing that is stopping you from having it is exactly those thoughts about the 3d. That is keeping you in the old story. If you're really living in the end then why oh why do you spiral and think thoughts like that? If this ever happened to you, you can just go back to the new story. Reject and cancel your reaction. I reject negative thoughts or anything I don't want. Yes, you can do that. Do not forget that you are the operant power.

Let me tell you how to really do it in the easiest and simplest way possible. This is how I used to manifest effortlessly when I started learning about the law. Now I over consumed and yeah you know, took too much info when I already knew what worked for me even before. Now, I'm not saying that this is the only way or the best way to manifest. I'm just recommending this. What works for me might not work for you but that's okay. We all have our own special way.

Now without further ado, let me tell you how to do it. Try it for two weeks or however long or short you want. Just trust me and try this out.

1. Think of what you want to manifest. Anything you want. Go crazy.

2. Either pick an affirmation or multiple ones to say in your mind when you think of it. That's option A.

Option B: Rampage a.k.a just say whatever you think if you have that already. It's just naturally whatever comes to your mind about it that is in the past, present or future tense. You pick what you want but personally I like the present tense the best. Let me give you an example and yes, this is what I used to affirm for the things I mentioned above. Let me link the video I got this from!

Example 1: For my painless vaccines, these are the thoughts I had. All in the wish fulfilled state.

"Oh goodie the line's moving so fast now! The vaccines I'm getting are gonna be painless. Yup it was painless, it felt like an ant bit me. That was nothing! I literally finished so fast and I'm ready to go home with Mom!"

This is what I thought to make the lines go faster which honestly helped so much because the line was so long but it started moving faster and faster after I affirmed. I also thought in my favor about making the vaccine painless. I made sure to affirm that I won't have the side effects that people are talking about. I did it like that, very naturally but I also repeated each sentence at least just three or five times. It changes a bit as I think but it's just the same sentence simplified or just another form of it. Let me show you what I mean.

"I got the vaccine and it was painless. It didn't even hurt. I got the vaccine so fast and we can go home now. Oh the line's going faster. Why is the line suddenly moving so fast? Oh that was fast!"

Something like that! It's just like my natural way of thinking!

Option C: Just decide you have it and keep deciding whenever you think of it and know that your words are law. That means that when you decide, it is instantly done.

3. Always replace the old story with the new story. Take the old story and chuck it in the trash. It's in the past. You now have whatever it is that you want. That means whether you see it or not, think that it is done and it is here now. Yes, full on delulu mode but not really delulu because it's just being in that mindset of having it. That also means that you don't need to find it in the 3d. Why would you? That's the old story and it's trash. Do not even think about it. Aha, do not even try. You accept that it is here now and it is done. Remember that what you focus on stays in your reality. It is that easy. You don't want to be broke? Okay forget about that. It's in the past and it's not true anymore. Accept that you're rich now whether you see it or not. Have faith in the law of assumption. Acknowledge your desire to be in your reality now. Acknowledge that money you now have in your bank account. I acknowledged that croissant that I wanted. Yup I know the croissant is right in front of me now. Instead of finding your desire in the 3d, SPAWN THAT SH*T! MAGICALLY MANIFEST IT OUT OF THIN AIR. Um, excuse my french 🤭

4. All you need to do now is to know that it's done. RELAX. Why would you worry about it when you have it now? Be in the reality where you have it now. What would you think now that you have it? How would you feel? You'd feel relaxed and you can kick back and watch movies! Know that it is truly done. Would you count how many times you affirmed if you had it already? No. Would you worry about it if it's already here? No. That is still being stuck in the middle and making it a process! What would you do if it's already here? Do that. Do what makes you happy. Watch some Disney or Ghibli movies and just chill because you have it now whatever it is you desire. Let go of the 3d and the old story because it's in the past. Please. Manifesting doesn't really include the 3d. It's just a mere reflection of your thoughts or state. That's all it is. And please do not wait for it. There's no waiting. You just need to know and acknowledge that your desire is here, you have it now and it's done.

Here's a little summary of that:

1. What do you want? Okay you have it now. Congrats! 🎉

2. Affirm in whatever way you want for a few times or whenever you think of it.

3. Live in the end/state of the wish fulfilled. The old story is in the past. Focus on the new story. What you focus on sticks/stays in your reality.

4. Know it's done now. Do what makes you happy. Acknowledge your desire being here now.

Before I end this post, let's do a little fun exercise. Shall we proceed? Just a little extra thing!

Okay this is the situation: You were rich all your life. You've always lived a lavish life and you are spoiled with gifts on the daily. You literally can always afford and get the latest Iphone or whatever else you wanted. You have always gotten whatever the heck you want.

For the first two, it's gonna be an acting exercise. More like try being this character and embodying them.

First is improv acting. Be this character and rampage or naturally say lines that you think they would always be saying. Think Audrey Hope, Blair Waldorf, Nate Archibald or any rich spoiled characters you know!

Fun fact: Audrey is my fave character in the Gossip Girl reboot! She's so cute! My inspo when it comes to being classy and demure! Idk I also really like her personality! That's why I used her gifs!

Something like: "Oh I really want those compact mirror cameras! It's small so it's easy to put in my bag and it looks like makeup! It gives Totally Spies vibes so you know what... I'm gonna place my order now! I always have money anyway and it's so cheap so why not?"

The next thing is a line that you can say. I asked Chatgpt to make me a random rich character monologue. It's like a vaunt basically! Imagine it's Blair Waldorf's opening narration line. Be it, Embody it and say it in your mind like it's just normal for you. You can read it everyday if you want to!

"I always get what I want. That’s just how it works for me. I don’t even have to think about it—if I want something, it’s mine. No questions, no doubts. It’s like the world bends a little to make sure I have exactly what I need, when I need it. And why wouldn’t it? That’s just how my life goes.

I walk into any room, and I know I belong there. I don’t have to prove myself or explain why I deserve it. I just do. Everything I touch turns into something special. When I want something—whether it’s an invitation to the most exclusive event or a last-minute trip halfway around the world—I make a call, and it’s done. Effortless.

People think money changes things, but it’s not really about that. It’s about knowing that everything is always within reach. I don’t chase after things—I attract them. Opportunities, people, experiences—they all come to me naturally. It’s just how my life flows.

And the best part? I don’t even have to try. It’s just who I am. I live on my own terms, and the world just fits itself around that. Everything always works out for me."

Here's the next exercise. This is something more specific. This is inspired by one of Hyler's videos that I will link here.

Think of a thing you're manifesting right now and imagine it right in front of you. For people who can't visualize, find a picture of the thing (if possible) in Pinterest or Google and look at it as if it's in front of you.

If it was right here in front of you, what would you think, how would you feel and how would you act? This has helped me immensely after I watched Hyler's video. I realized that I would feel relaxed now that it's here and my thoughts would align with it being here now. I would take a deep breath and feel relieved.

Now I want you to do this for your desire. I want you to always ask yourself these questions to remind yourself that it's here now and it's done. Whatever is in the 3d is old news. What you focus on sticks so focus on only what you want. The 3d is not included in manifesting. It's just the effect while the 4d a.k.a your mind is the cause. Live in the reality where you have it now, live in the 4d and embody the version of you who already has it. Don't do things to manifest or get things. That will happen naturally but that should not be our focus. The basics are to assume/decide/know you have it now. If you have it now then why would you identify with the old story? Do not identify with the old story. You're not there anymore. It will just stay in your reality if you pay attention to it and give it power.

That's all I have for you in today's post but I know or at least I am now assuming that this will help everyone and make it easier for you! I hope you're having a good day or night!

Yours Truly,

Lady Rian Whistledown 💋

[thesensteawitch]

Which World Did You Come From?🌼🍂

And Who You Were?🍂🌼🍂🌼🍂

Pick A Pile Reading

(Left to Right--- Pile 1, Pile 2, Pile 3)

Hey, Senstea Souls!

This is a collective reading that will tell you about the world from where you came and most importantly your soul's traits. This reading will give you some nuance about your present traits too. Choose a pile intuitively and enjoy reading.

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Pile 1

Tarot Cards- The Hermit, The Hangedman, 3 of Pentacles, 9 of Pentacles, 4 of Swords, The High Priestess, Death, Queen of Pentacles

Pile 1, I see that you come from a world that was all about ebbs and flows. Maybe a world of water. In that world, you ruled the sign Scorpio with the spirit of a lion. Your world had seen the extremes of everything possible that was there. You were somebody who shook the world's core. I hear, “Just because I miss you doesn't mean I want you back. And just because I almost called doesn't mean I wish I had.” You were so bold pile 1. You were somebody who knew the depths of emotions and you weren't ever ever ever afraid to choose one extreme and then switch to another extreme. No, you weren't like a chameleon. It just means that you were so fierce that it didn't bother you to go to the depth of the situation and reach their bottom. You could look longggg back in the past and too far into the future. People around you who ruled other zodiac signs were surprised to see such a gesture of yours. They wanted to know the secret behind your genius and capabilities. Indeed you carried the secret on your sleeve but no one had access to it even if it was in front. You were definitely a teaser. You loved teasing others. You have seen relationships and have also been alone. You know the ultimate sacrifice that hangs in between the choice of being alone and being with someone. You took a deep rest before emerging as a destroyer. You knew destruction and would wholeheartedly do it. Not because you were a sadist but in the hope of re-establishing a better world. You were the change maker. Others may even fear you but because they knew your merciful side they also pleaded for mercy. You only gave mercy after weighing the scales of justice. Don't take this negatively pile 1, it's like cleansing the whole system of toxins. You had a great belief in a creator. You never for a second thought yourself to be God though you were performing such trembling tasks on God's demand. You were the catalyst that brought boon after doom and doom after a boon (but that was a blessing in disguise). Your ways were extreme but needed. You first mastered yourself and then became the master of the depths of order and chaos. Only a few knew you personally. People may easily be intimidated by you even in this life. You had a small circle though everyone knew you. But you knew only a few intimately. Your heart just wanted to see more growth and more depth. It never settled. Your world never settled for less either. It was an ever-changing and ever-growing world. You had EVERYTHING comfortable yet you weren't afraid to build from scratch over and over again. Some great figures on Earth came from the same world as yours.

The zodiac signs I feel intuitively in this pile are Leo and Scorpio.

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Pile 2

Tarot Cards- 6 of Pentacles, The Hermit, The Chariot, Ace of Wands, 7 of Cups, Knight of Swords, Justice, The World

Pile 2 you come from a world that focuses on preparing for Earth. You were the souls who didn't know how to handle the ways of Earth. The souls that would change their minds at the last minute regarding coming to the 3D world. You ruled the zodiac sign Capricorn. So it's obvious that you worked really hard to make sure that you achieve your goal. But you were someone who would get depressed easily when their goals weren't fulfilled. You always thought for others. You felt responsible for learning as soon as possible so that you could fulfill your duties on Earth. You preferred spending time alone and avoided unnecessary drama. You had big visions regarding Earth. You just wanted to finally enter the 3D world. You had your desires under control. You had everything under control. There was no place for chaos in your heart and that is exactly what you wanted for your world too. But when has it ever happened that we wanted something to be a certain way and it remained that way? Sometimes your ambition took the best of you. You made decisions in a hurry to come to Earth you made the wrong decisions that brought chaos. You were a perfectionist and the chaos pissed you off. You were just and honest but couldn't wrap your head around the phrase, “There must be room for making mistakes.” Your so many desires and ambitions took the best of you. You were easily manipulated emotionally because you felt responsible for everyone around you. Because you were honest and pure-hearted you entered the 3D world but the journey had its ups and downs despite your wish. You were the light when everyone around you felt scared of coming down to Earth. You gave them hope and assurance. But sometimes you lack that for yourself. You also needed someone who could motivate you but that didn't happen. You helped others but you also kept absorbing others' fears. This may be a challenge for you even in this lifetime. Overanalyzing is something you may be fond of doing on Earth too. Mountains or hills were quite prominent in your world. Climbing high on the ladder was important to everyone eventually. So that each one of them can find the courage to enter Earth. You were training others and yourself to come out of the cycles of karma by finding the courage to face the challenges on Earth. I feel that this pile has strong earth placements (Taurus, Virgo, and Capricorn). Slow and steady wins the race. Your journey was slow no matter how hard you tried to quickly reach the end. Too much hurry only backfired at you.

I hear, “I should not be left to my own devices. They come with prices and vices I end up in crisis (tale as old as time) I wake up screaming from dreaming. One day I'll watch as you're leaving 'cause you got tired of my scheming”. I also hear, “Sometimes I feel everybody is a sexy baby and I am a monster on the hill.” You were the one who set the rules so it was obvious that some even talked behind your back. That made you feel lonely at times. It's easy for especially Capricorns to feel, “It's me, hi, I am the problem it's me.” Well, I guess it was exhausting for others to keep rooting for the anti-hero. Because you showed them the reality and showed them the path they must follow. Some of the residents of that world wanted to be freed and not face the Earth. You were amazing pile 2. Believe me. If you still feel the same on this planet then I am sending you hugs and love. You are perfect just the way you are. Not everybody needs to like you. We aren't meant to be remembered forever but certain people make you think that you'll be. And you'll find such people in this lifetime.

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Pile 3

Tarot Cards- The Fool, The Tower, Seven of Cups, Two of Swords, Nine of Cups, The Empress, Nine of Wands, Five of Pentacles

Pile 3 you come from a world of dreams and wishes. You were assigned the zodiac sign Pisces. You do not have many resources to work on making dreams come true. I hear, “Something I am not, Something I can be. Something I wait for, something I am made for.” Perhaps in this lifetime, your objective is to find that something. Because in your world just with faith you built towers but also saw them churning down to nothing. But you never backed down you kept moving ahead. The only thing you did wrong was carry the weight of your failures when you had so much to achieve to be grateful for. Your world literally sold dreams. You were the master of that shop. Though you created some masterpieces of dreams you didn't know which dream to give whom. The mantra of your world was simple, “as you wish.” You created heaven for yourself. You knew what you wanted for yourself but not for others. Perhaps you faced destruction only to learn the emotions and qualities of others around you so that you can guide them well. An artist can only understand human emotions deeply. But after fighting the tough battle to reach your dream you left the battlefield just when you were about to win with perseverance. You settled for less. In this lifetime you are advised to dream big. Find inspiration from others and gather the courage to dream as big as you possibly can because the Universe wants you to show that no matter how big you imagine the Universe will always have something bigger to give you that you could have never imagined in your wildest dreams. I hear, “I was running far away would I run out of the world someday? No, take me home where I belong.” You, my pile 3, need to find your way back to the source, to the creator. You are beyond creative. You have the capability to create masterpieces in your work only if you allow yourself to explore the 3D world. Eventually after looking in all the wrong directions you will find the true purpose of your life. Life moves in cycles for you. Your destination is right at the beginning. You lost your faith while fighting for your dreams. The faith with which you started. And that is exactly where you need to land. So many dreams may feel like a trap to you. Then the advice is to take it slow like a snail. You don't need to rush. Though I see water signs (Cancer and Pisces) I also sense earth signs (Taurus and Capricorn) in your charts. Find a balance between these elements. Life is calling you to tap on your unawakened creative potential. I see it in you. Believe me. Now is the time to begin this journey of self-discovery, pile 3. Let go of the self-doubt.

Book Your Divine Feminine/Divine Masculine Reading At $10

[remcycl333]

Hi, I really enjoyed reading your indepth post today on how to fulfill ourselves. I really admire you and the “states girlies” a lot because you guys really know your stuff!

I have a bit of a scenario that i’ve been “stuck” in and in my own head about, if you have time i would really appreciate some advice.

So i’ve been “manifesting” my sp for a little over 2 years now using law of assumption, but in reality i’ve only TRULY been manifesting him using states for the last 8 months. I have a really good understanding of states thanks to you and twitter pages, edward art and neville. I promise I don’t focus on time (until recently when i was making plans for my future which i always assumed my sp would be here for) and I never intended that manifesting takes a long time. I’ve experienced many quick manifestations and I know sp is no different but im not sure where im going wrong. I always catch myself when im out of the state and redirect myself back and have been doing this daily for the last 8 months. I do feel fulfilled in my mind with him since I no longer have a “longing” for him nor do I expect him to take any action in the 3D because thats not my true world. I dont even feel bad/sad when “opposite” things seem to happen (such as him unfollowing me out of the blue) and I give stuff like that NO meaning because it GENUINELY doesn’t affect me since I know in imagination im happily married. I know you’ll tell me that im not truly fulfilled if the 3D is making me feel some type of way, but Im not sure how else to explain that I don’t know why not even the tiny bit of movement has happened (I dont want movement, I want my whole desire, just trying to say how in my physical senses there has been nothing experienced).

I keep up with your posts weekly and I know you’ll tell me that if im noticing the absence im not in the state, that im dominantly still in lack, etc but I truly felt like I was fulfilled. I never check the 3D, I never even have “opposing” thoughts (since thoughts are an indicator of my state) so I thought for months that everything is fine. Even now I am prioritizing my state because I know that by writing this, I am being in an unfulfilled state, but im not sure what else to do. After a while it gets a little weird noticing it hasn’t reflected even though im fulfilled within. Am I doing anything wrong? I dont have a strong desire for my sp anymore because I worked a lot on myself and no longer need him, but I do wish to be with him still.

Thank you rem.

hi love! so im not in your brain, so i don't know every little thing you think/do throughout the day, so im gonna give u some examples of things i was accidentally doing whenever i was manifesting an sp that was keeping my 3d from reflecting, even tho i was sure i was 100% fulfilled. maybe you'll realize you're doing something similar and be able to stop it?

i'd prepare myself for what i'd say to my sp when he finally reached out, or i'd daydream about yelling at him when he did bc i knew before we got back together we'd have to talk about our past issues. this was contradicting the fact that i was manifesting already being in a relationship with my sp. why would i be identifying with those thoughts when i was already with my sp?

i like to daydream in order to fulfill myself, but sometimes i'd stop paying attention and accidentally slip into a state of longing without even realizing it. like i'd be daydreaming about something bc i desperately wanted to experience it in my reality, not because i was experiencing it in my 4D, if that makes sense. what i like to do to combat that is while im daydreaming i just like to tell myself that im re-living a memory and that im so happy this thing already happened/is happening. it helps me think from my desire instead of thinking of it!

my friends have shared that one of their mistakes while manifesting an sp was still wanting their sp to be missing them/obsessed with them/constantly thinking about how badly they wanted to be with them, daydreaming about scenarios of them being jealous, etc. this was making them identify with separation, when they really wanted to identify as their sp's partner.

similarly, an issue i had was focusing way too much on how my sp was feeling about me, instead of focusing on how i was feeling about them. when i'd daydream or imagine, i'd imagine them loving ME or confessing their feelings to ME, but then i realized that how i feel matters more than how they feel, because this is my reality! so instead i'd focus on how much i loved them and how amazing i felt being loved by them. that's why, as i mentioned in my most recent post, i changed from affirming "my sp loves me" to "i love my sp."

while manifesting my sp, i knew the first step of us getting back together would be him texting me, so every time i picked up my phone and i saw he hadn't texted me yet id feel sooo discouraged. what helped me with this was telling myself things like "ofc my sp didn't text me, he's literally in the same room as me why would he text me lol?" this would help me feel like we were already together!

i was still PISSED at my sp. idk what your story is with your sp, but mine was an ex, and i was mad at him for breaking up with me still. i had to forgive him because i was constantly holding onto that anger and fantasizing about yelling at him over it. this one might not apply to u depending on your relationship with your sp idk!

similarly, i'd find myself getting mad at my sp for not "conforming" to my affs? even tho he didn't even know i wanted him back? so once again i focused on feeling positively towards my sp and imagining how much i loved him. once i started focusing on the version of my sp that was such a good and loving and attentive boyfriend, he started showing up that way in my reality. remember, there is NO ONE TO CHANGE BUT SELF! focus on changing how YOU feel about your sp instead of how he feels about you!

i know you say that you never feel negatively about your sp or your situation, but as i've mentioned in other posts, sometimes the feeling of knowing feels like nothing. so while you're noticing nothing is happening in your 3D, you can still be accepting the fact that nothing is happening without it giving you any negative emotions.

my advice would be to implement the distraction technique. this is what helped me finally manifest my sp. i had a favorite person attachment to my sp (bc of my bpd) so i was thinking of him ALL day long, and sometimes i wouldn't be paying enough attention to know if i was thinking of him from the state of the wish fulfilled, or from the state of lack. so instead, every time i thought of him at all (negatively or positively) i'd say "it is done" (which instantly shifted me into the state of the wish fulfilled) and then force myself to think of something else. so many of my followers have had success with this technique! this technique isn't necessary at all (you're 100% allowed to think of your sp) but i found it rlly helpful for my adhd brain. it can also be really helpful for you if you can't pinpoint what you're doing wrong!

i really hope this post was helpful to you!! <3 let me know if anything helped!

[steve-rambo-leaks]

ＺＩＮＥ　ＣＯＮＴＥＳＴ　（ｗｉｔｈ　ｐｒｉｚｅ）（≧▽≦）

Ｉ　ｈａｖｅ　ａ　Ｚｉｎｅ　ｃｏｎｔｅｓｔ　ｆｒｏｍ　ＮＯＷ　ｕｎｔｉｌ　Ｆｅｂ　２４ｔｈ　（ａｕｔｉｓｍ　ｈｏｌｉｄａｙ）．　Ｐｌｓ　ｒｅａｄ　ｍｏｒｅ　ａｂｏｕｔ　ｈｏｗ　ｔｏ　ｓｕｂｍｉｔ，　ｔｈｅ　ｐｒｉｚｅｓ　ａｎｄ　ｗｈｙ　Ｉ＇ｍ　ｓｏ　ｈｙｐｅｄ．　

This is for BOTH people who consider themselves artists and those who don't. It doesn't have to be a comic. A ZINE CAN BE ANYTHING :D It can be a tech tutorial, it can be a comic, it can be flash fiction, it can be a local history guide, it can be Street Fighter II Turbo strategies printed out to be left in arcades, it can be anything!

The video below explains the process better than I could probably in text (I suck at conveying thing through text). My video also has a tl;dr that I would appreciate everyone read before submitting.

There's some other stuff below, but if you're more visual, like not the reading type (like me) then feel free to skip and just head to the video description to jump in.

Also, you may know me for my "Raspberry Pis are for paypigs" video where I try to advocate for the upcycling for ewasted Chromebooks.

I've been into the idea of leaving around Zines for a while. Every time I walk into a coffee shop or local business, I think "wow, I really would wish there was something cool to read." So I started making things to put there: 8 small 2.5 inch panels, folded into one 2.5 inch square for those interested to unravel. I put them inside of these origami boxes that a learned how to make, ones with a logo printed on them.

So far I've made: a zine template (I call it a dog ear zine for some reason), a template for the box to put them in, a zine about using yt-dlp, a zine about a reindeer working IT (along with a collaborator) and (coming soon) a zine about a monster in a cave doing stuff. All of the odg LibreOffice Draw template files to make your own zines or print out mine are on my archive.org page (linked at top of my Tumblr). I'd really like other people to try this 8 panel 2.5 inch zine format, and I'm willing to bribe people with sweet, sweet Gabe Newell bucks to do it. You can submit as many zines in this format as you want. Just make sure they're printed out and have pictures of both the front and back (plus other pictures if you want) . In the video I mentioned you can use my submit page, which is probably the easiest for me to keep track of. You can also use the #dogearzine hashtag to enter. Please read the video description before entering, though (which includes Youtube's and Tumblr's terms of service, though this is more of a youtube thing).

Also, and this is completely unrelated, there's a lot more to me than just the faux-clickbait Wojak thumbnails. I like doing tech, wrestling, japanese, vidya and other videos, but I love to throw art in whenever I can shoehorn it in. Like, the video where I go over inchworm, butterfly, colors 3D and flipnote sudomemo - colors 3D on a hacked 3DS was my sister's first experience with digital at (she's moved up to an iPad and Procreate). So, it hold a special place in might heart, as a lot of the things I talk about do. I made a Whomp video because I miss Ronnie. I made a Rockbox video because I wished more people used dedicated MP3 players and knew where and how to download music. I want to help people do interesting things. And I also want to thank anyone who read all of this. You are cool. I hope everyone who's able to can compete in this contest and challenge themselves to get out of their comfort zone, to try something new! Also, also, thanks for liking these posts, people on Tumblr. You all have cool blogs. (^o^)丿

[pulkitoki]

Substance_D. I started this piece sometime ago around the release date of Cyberpunk 2077 and given that CDProject Red has finally finished the game(which I knew they eventually would), it made sense to finish off this piece. And I have to say, it's a fun game with interesting characters, non-linear levels, quest lines, and fantastic voice acting. And ofcourse the visuals. Holy shit! It's insane how CDPR has been able to merge so many of Cyberpunk influences from Blade Runner, GITS, Akira, Dredd, PKD's work, Gibson's work especially so much from Johnny Mnemonic! In most open-world games, I find myself using the fastest means of transport to just get to the objective but in this case, I found myself walking around and later double-jumping and dash around the world. I'm really glad that CDPR was able to deliver this even after the debacle. I would highly recommend the game in it's current state.

Now for some spoilers- Certain interactions and choices just made no sense, like V's reaction to seeing Reeds kill the twins. My version of V had made people commit mass suicide on overdrive for an NCPD sidequest. I wished the game incorporated more roleplay-based elements in there. Near the end I almost played like a Cyberpyscho but without the consequences. When I started the game, I missed the 3rd person cinematics cos in most games they add that character-player familiarity and actually make you care a bit more but then I played the Temperance ending which I think is the best ending of the game. Without spoiling much- playing this ending had me eat my words- you see your V for the first time in the 3D world(not counting mirrors or when riding bikes) creating this out-of-body experience as you play as Johnny now, it's harrowing, especially to see your V begging Johnny to make a decision and anyone who has paid attention to Johnny's ramblings throughout the game, it only made sense for him take the body. I know a lot of people are going to disagree but man, it's been ages since I played a game where I had to actually think about my decision.

[rachelsnotebook]

A Look Back At The Games of 2023

There's always too many games and not enough hours in a year, but I refuse to let that stop me from celebrating the games that were important to me over the course of 2023.

The Games I LOVED in 2023:

(In no particular order)

Atelier Ryza: Ever Darkness & The Secret Hideout (released September 26, 2019)

This game spoke to me on so many levels: the lonely childhood, the frustrations at home, the desire to prove myself, the dreams of adventure, a craving to learn, an enchantment with magic.

How could I not fall in love with these characters? I wish this game came into my life so much sooner.

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney (released October 12, 2001)

Now, this is a game series that missed me entirely. It wasn't until I was an adult with internet access that I was briefly introduced to Phoenix Wright. Right away I knew I liked the style of humor, but I still didn't feel compelled to give the series a try any time soon.

Flash forward to 2023... I picked up the available Ace Attorney games on the 3DS eshop before it died. So, when I found myself on an airplane for the first time I decided to keep the ball rolling. I booted up the first Ace Attorney, and I get it now. This game is an experience. And I love it dearly!

A Date with Death (Dec 7, 2023)

Now, an important note here is that I still haven't played the full game. I had planned on it by the time I finished getting this massive post written, but I put my focus into playing the other submissions in the Velox Turbo Jam.

The demo though... that I played. A lot. The concept, game mechanics, the art, everything is simply amazing to interact with. How do you not fall in love with this game? Grimmy is so funny (and HOT). I'm looking forward to exploring this game fully in the new year!

Sonic Frontiers (released November 8, 2022 & story dlc September 28, 2023)

I've been playing Sonic for as far back as I can remember, and Frontiers might be my personal favorite of the bunch. It was a joy to explore and experiment with the new mechanics. And I know it's far from perfect. I'm not blind, but I'm not heartless either. Sometimes all you can do is laugh and move on. Over the course of my experience playing, every mechanic and level was accessible. That journey was where I fell in love with Frontiers.

The story dlc was everything I wanted. I'm so happy we got to play as Amy, Tails, and Knuckles! The controls again, aren't perfect, but I'm grateful and thrilled that this content exists at all.

Xenoblade 3 DLC Future Redeemed (released April 25, 2023)

Future Redeemed is my personal game of the year. No question.

If you have a spare hour or two, I do highly recommend looking up on youtube the journey and evolution of the Xeno games. The story of creator, Tetsuya Takahashi, is really cool!

But in short: he kept striving to tell an incredibly complex RPG that would span several games and thousands of years of in game lore. He had a vision that publishers just didn't share. That led him to form his own studio, but he couldn't bring his original IP with him. He had to start again, and one more time after that when Nintendo finally acquired his studio.

The Xenoblade Trilogy is actually six games in disguise. The dlc story content for each game exists as it's own game. The campaigns are significantly shorter, but they're games that stand on their own, 100%.

Future Redeemed was released as the finale to the overarching plot (the Klaus Saga), and this marked the first time that Tetsuya Takahashi was able to bring one of his Xeno plots to a close on his own terms. Xenoblade is still going to continue, but this plot can rest easy.

For the most part. FR still left plays with tons of questions, but it did it's job beautifully. It honored the past games and looked to the future, and I loved every piece of it.

And most remarkably, it also kicked the door down for Tetsuya Takahashi's older IPs to return to the story. It's unclear right now how and when, but the future is so very bright for some incredible games to get another chance to shine.

Splatoon 3 (released September 9, 2022)

I spent a lot of time playing Splatoon this year. Am I good at it? No! But I love this game with my whole heart.

Intertwine (released July 2023)

Will I ever shut up about Intertwine? Hopefully no! I highly recommend checking out the post I made going into detail on this game.

Intertwine stole my heart. It's a fun game that feels deeply special. You'll laugh, you'll cry, and most of all... you'll fall in love with Van.

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog (Mar 31, 2023)

A small team put this game together for April Fools and I owe them my life! This is one of my favorite things that happened this year.

If you missed it, for April Fools Sega dropped an entire Sonic the Hedgehog visual novel. And it's AMAZING.

Coral Island (Nov 14, 2023)

The children who grew up on Bokujō Monogatari are rapidly creating their own farming games. Stardew Valley is the most famous game to come from that group and it's inspiring even more people.

Now, as someone who has likely spent years of their life playing their favorite farming games again, and again... I tend to be picky about what I want from a farming game. I have a clear vision in mind for my dream game.

And Coral Island is really close to that dream! There's a ton of love and careful thought put into the art, the story, and the characters. I can't wait to keep playing and discovering new mechanics and secrets.

Suika game (December 9, 2021)

I love puzzle games! And I was sold on this game instantly.

I may have also bought it from the Japanese eshop some time before it was even announced for a North America release...

Titan Arum (released August 2023)

This game came into my life at a time when I badly needed a distraction. And Titan Arum delivered!

Titan Arum is a visual novel with three love interests, and nothing is as it seems. It's so incredibly cool, and I can't believe that I get to be friends with the devs. This game is a massive home run.

The art, the UI, the story... omg we could be here all day discussing everything. There's a ton to chew on and I don't want to spoil a single thing. Trust me on this, just play it.

Yakuza 0 (released March 12, 2015)

I'm still working my way through this one. Yakuza games are known for their length and I'm not interested in rushing any part of it.

My journey so far has been a ton of fun. There's so much detail injected into the world and the characters that I sometimes find it difficult to put the game down. I love the balance of seriousness and silliness. We need more of that in games.

I can't wait to keep on fighting with Kiryu in 2024.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (released May 12, 2023)

Tears of the Kingdom is easily one of the best games of 2023, and in general. The mechanics they got working are incredible! I'm perpetually in awe by my own puzzle solutions and the clips I've seen of others. It's a truly amazing game.

There's little I can say that others haven't. And to be honest I'm still after all these months, collecting my thoughts on this game. I love TOTK, but I do have a few issues with it. So stay tuned for that post in 2024...

Games that released / released a demo in 2023 that are on my RADAR:

Again, I wish on every star that I had more hours in a day so I could play every game that catches my eye. These are the ones I'm jumping on the opportunity as soon as possible!

-Baldur's Gate 3

Yominokuni

Slay the Princess

Curse Crackers: For Whom the Belle Toils

Thirsty Suitors

In Stars and Time

Dicentra

Little Goody Two Shoes

Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope - DLC 3

Other Game related media from 2023 that I want to acknowledge:

Sega has been really knocking it out of the park with their Sonic the Hedgehog content:

(There's too much to link to directly so I'm posting my personal favorites)

Tails Tube

Dr. Eggman takes over Lego

Sonic Symphony events

The added Frontiers content:

Sonic Superstars animated content

Sonic Dream Team animation

The incredible announcement for The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog

I also must emphasize this praise is for the hardworking teams at Sega. If you haven't been following their unionizing efforts I recommend checking this out:

The IDW Sonic Comics! They're a ton of fun and I look forward to them every month.

Atelier Ryza had a big year of added content. The trilogy wrapped and I'm still emotional watching this video they released to visually recap the story.

Ryza also received an anime adaption of the first game. I'm in North America and I watched all of it on crunchyroll. It was a really well done adaption of the first part of the game. I hope it comes back for a season 2, because there's a ton more I want to see animated.

I'm a huge Fire Emblem Heroes addict and I'm always shocked how much original content in that mobile game flies under the radar. The movies for each new story milestone are often really cool.

[I hit an insert video limit so please copy and paste, and check that playlist out!]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5bIw5CyOLE&list=PLqP2A2xeRzdS3MjLNZvmZnWFYf_zwZqwq&ab_channel=NintendoMobile

I almost made it to the end before I hit the limit!

I can't thank you enough if you made it down to this point. This post spiraled out of control... and somehow this is still it reigned in.

It's almost 9pm on New Years Eve and I just want this post done. So if there are errors, I'm sorry. I tried. I fell into writing as if I'm talking to you directly and I like that level of comfort for a fun post like this one.

Have a Happy New Year!!!

[remimibanana]

Nintendo 3DS Retrospective Part 3: A System's Function Continued

I hit the image limit on the previous part, and there's so many more screenshots I want to share with you all! I won't let the limit stop me from blabbing on!

Here is the third part where I continue on about all the system functions and other software I didn't have a chance to show in the other parts. This retrospective was originally one part, and then it became two, and then it became three....

Part 3 is under the cut!

Nintendo 3DS Camera

For the DS/3DS line, one of the main features is the dual cameras featured on the inside and outside of the system. To go with the camera, you need a camera application!

It is a simple application that lets you take photos and videos, and view them all. I used to spend a lot of time here, messing around with all the effects you could set and recording random videos here and there.

You couldn't record any videos on the DSi, so I went a little crazy with it back when. I still have all the old photos and videos I took, although the quality of the photos aren't that great.

It honestly feels like a downgrade from the Nintendo DSi Camera, as there are less effects and ways to edit your image. I miss distorting my images!

But it still was pretty cool to use.

Nintendo 3DS Sound

The DS/3DS line also had a microphone, so of course we need an application that lets you record voice clips and listen to music!

I loved recording myself. I would record the most weirdest of things that makes me wonder what I was thinking back then.

Let me list some of the highlights:

Me swearing very intensely for no real reason in particular, I think I just wanted to say “god damn piece of shit” while emphasizing the last part.

Me singing the beginning to Dragostea Din Tei because I really like this song.

Me singing the entirety of the English cover of A Female Ninja, but I Want To Love because I was really into Yandere Simulator for a bit.

My brother saying “asshole” over and over.

Me recording myself saying a garble of words when reversed, would sound like me saying “moving on the ground”, like Mario.

A whole bunch of calls from Stevo, my quail I used to have.

There is Streetpass, but I never knew how to use it back then. I still don’t know how to use it in fact, it won’t let me add anything to the Streetpass playlist in order for me to turn on Streetpass for this application.

Perhaps one day, I’ll be able to try it out.

Nintendo eShop

Even though it shut down a while ago, you still can use it at the time I post this retrospective.

I really love the eShop a lot. It had soul and our little shopping bag guy. I was there when the shutdown occurred, downloading any last games or demos I wanted.

It looks rather empty without everything...but I'm glad we still can access it and listen to the banger BGM! I always have a smile on my face when I come on here.

I used to spend a lot of time on here as a kid when I had access to the internet, downloading a whole bunch of demos and exploring what games there was!

One time, my dad put $50 into my account since he saw I was on it with his card. I remember being so grateful, he didn't have to put in any money!

I could have bought a single game, but I bought multiple smaller games since I went a little crazy. You can't blame kid me, $50 was a lot of money to me!

From memory, I bought:

Colors 3D

Pokemon Dream Radar

Crystal Monsters

A Shaun the Sheep Episode Set

I wish I could go back to the heyday. It's crazy to think I bought these things over 10 years ago....

I love the Other Settings menu. I used to spend my time here scrolling through it all, seeing what each of the options did. The BGM makes me really emotional when I hear it.

Before the shutdown occurred, I spent over five minutes on this screen trying not to cry. It feels like a part of my childhood got stripped away without my consent. I know we still can use it, but one day....they will stop it too.

Thank you, Nintendo eShop!

Face Raiders

I liked this game a lot! I'm surprised people didn't, I think it's rather charming!

This is my favourite opening animation, the faces sing in a row but the last one messes up and the others gang up on that face.

I used to play this a lot back when I got my red 3DS, since it was one of the only games already on the system. You take a picture of someone's face and then hit the shit out of it with balls over and over in various stages.

My favourite mode was "Share the Fun", especially the underwater stage. I know it was meant for someone else to try out the game, but I used to do it for myself!

Every time it would say to pass the system over to the other person, I would pretend to pass it to myself.

In the underwater stage, you hit someone's face over and over before it falls down onto the floor, with a new version of the face appearing when you destroy it.

I used to always challenge myself to beat my record.

I've never actually beat the final boss in this game, surprisingly. I have the Final Stage unlocked, but I never understood how to beat it. The whole laser thing went over my head, and I think it still does to this day.

I vow to beat it at some point!

Internet Browser

A very simple browser that had limited functionality, especially on the original 3DS line.

I didn’t really use it much when I was a kid, since I had no internet. I did like going on it anyway to get nowhere. I think I tried to use Youtube on here a few times, which didn't load any videos as you might have guessed.

I did log into Twitter before they removed the legacy support since it would have been a missed opportunity otherwise!

You can download images from here, which is what I used it for mainly! You search up the image on Google, view the full sized image and click on "Save Image"!

Not all images could be saved though.

They had to 480 x 480 or below and even then, it might not work for some reason. I used this feature a lot when I drew on Colors 3DS, so I could colour drop the colours I needed for an artwork.

You could put the image you need on the SD card, but if it doesn’t appear in the Nintendo 3DS Camera, you can’t use it in Colors 3D. I wish it wasn't so complicated.

It’s tough drawing on the 3DS.

Colors Gallery

Speaking of Colors 3DS, this is my opportunity to show the Colors Gallery I was talking about in Part 1! Tumblr limit will always be my enemy.

I love this gallery so much. It's a shame we won't ever see it on the 3DS again after the shutdown, but luckily...it won't completely disappear!

There is the Colors Live gallery online which has all of the 3DS artworks! It’s nice to see that nothing will disappear, although no new artworks will ever be uploaded to the gallery from the 3DS.

It's rather unfortunate. I did make my own account and uploaded some of the artworks I was proud of!

Click here to see my profile!

Here is one of the Tokyo Mew Mew artworks I saved when I was a kid in all its glory. It still looks the same as I remember all those years ago....

Friend List

You're probably wondering, why is the Friend List here?

I really like this part of the system, despite how small of a part it plays. You always go on it to see all your friends, add new ones and set your favourite title!

The BGM is a banger, I could spend hours listening to it without being bored of it. I love how they used your Mii inside this card, they would move and even have their own 3DS while you were playing a game!

I remember trying to add people as a kid but the other person didn’t have my friend code so I would be left with these blank cards while waiting for the other person to be my friend.

Once I realised they would never become my friend, I deleted them after a while. If you have a modded system, you can actually put homebrew software as your favourite title which I find really funny.

“I love the FBI manager so much that I should let everyone know!” - someone probably.

Game Notes

You're also probably wondering, why is the Game Notes here too?

I think it’s one of the functions people often overlook, but I used to use it all the time! You only had three colours you could use and only sixteen notes to draw on which was a bit of a shame.

As you can see above, I used it to draw whatever I felt like. Mostly just Splatoon and Pokémon.

Miiverse

It really is too bad it shutdown.

I didn't get to use it too much back in the day, but I'm glad I was able to use it a bit! I remember looking at everyone's posts and admiring all the wonderful drawings!

I even posted on there too, but I don't remember what I drew. There was an offline mode where you could make a post and save it for later to upload. I wish they kept it, just so we could experience it all again like before.

Swapdoodle

The lovely note application we all know and love!

I decided to make this my last title I'll talk about since I have a lot of memories with it. I used this to draw little notes for myself and my friends, sending them when I felt like doing so.

Nikki is the mascot who writes notes to you and teaches you all the things you can do, unlocking new features as you go. You can put up to four badges as an example, which I like to use a lot since I have many of them.

There was a store you could buy more pencil colours and new note backgrounds, but that stopped working with the eShop shutdown, unfortunately.

I regret not buying a pack or two.

We will never see this little notification appear again. I think it's a shame, but what can you do?

And that's a wrap!

With that, my 3DS retrospective is complete! It was a lot of fun reminiscing. Thank you for all the wonderful memories you have given me, you wonderful handheld.

I wish Nintendo would keep supporting it, but all good things must come to an end. I never thought we would reach this point.

To the next console and beyond!

[timothylawrence]

finished the Handsome Jackpot, thoughts below!

-by far one of the most lovingly piece of borderlands content i've seen from the devs since tftbl. from the story to the characters to the dialogue, it's all so wonderfully woven together that I couldn't help but hope it never ended! which is saying a lot considering how the main campaign went!!!

-to start, all the characters are so wonderfully written and feel so real. Ember stood out to me as not another femme fatale or Girlboss(TM), but a real woman who's fighting for better things, for her friends, and for freedom. She has a cute quirk with fire and frankly her whole personality is amazing. Freddie, my god, he was so funny and cheeky. I knew he was going to betray us by the pretty boy's one line but i really hoped he wouldn't! he was written with so much personality and quirks, i actually felt for his robots :(. pretty boy is a funny type with sick intentions that only got worse as time went on and the mayor of Trashapolis (???) was SO COOL. i loved his design, just wish we got a name! Getting to FINALLY interact with Moxxi on a more personal level... ugh i love her so much. she's so human and funny and her revenge is justified, you go girl! I missed her proximity to the main campaign so it was nice to get level with her :(( Everyone in this dlc is a victim in one way or another and I think that's what makes everyone's dynamics work so well together.

-onto timothy, since that's one of the main points you guys are probably looking for LOL, his dynamic with all these characters is truly what makes him so... alive? the way he talks about his regret with Ember, his "im not as weird as Freddie" process, and his overall pining crush on Moxxi is just. so good. He feels 3D and isn't just a "sad, pathetic meow meow" as fandom portrays him to be. He's crass and rude and frankly selfish at points, but then he has moments where he is so, so sad and you realize that behind the mask (sorry), there's another victim of Handsome Jack's that you get to help. Just like Moxxi. Seeing him juggle between himself and jack is also so unique to him and frankly, it tugs at the heart :(

-Man. the story. this DLC is exactly what BL3 was missing all along. A sense of fucking connection. This whole story you're jumping from one character to another but they're all connected in such intricate ways. You hear Moxxi talk about her trauma from Jack and you feel sympathy, you find out Timothy thinks about her still and then you meet Ember, who despite being burned (sorry again) by Timothy, comes through to help him. Freddie, albeit a "new" addition, is just as much a victim to everyone else. The scene where they're all standing at the table coming up with a plan felt so, so good. I felt like we actually played a purpose in the story and getting to see everyone together like that? it was a genuine connection between the player and the story. It felt like we were back in Sanctuary standing beside Roland, Lilith, Brick and Mordecai. The characters made the story for sure, but being able to see everyone gathered like that? brought together for a good cause and better loot? that's what borderlands is fucking about. When you spend the entire main campaign forgetting the point of a mission, running from one place to another, never actually being together, it just... feels empty. and this DLC rectifies that so, so well. There's no more "talk to lilith on the bridge".

-the narrated plan scene has got to be one of the best scenes i've ever played. i laughed and it was still action packed and it was just, so, so good. instead of idly sitting back watching a character make a dumb decision, or being mocked, the player is IN on the game, invited to join and actually feel like a part of the plan!

-The UI deserves a praise for the dumb mission names, the silly names of the parts of the map, freaking casa de Timothy made me laugh. It's the silly humor that kinda tied a nice little wrap on a good story and great characters.

-The bosses, oh my god, that was SO FUN!!!! the claptrap revenge/zombie thing literally threw me back to COD zombies days, the JACKBOT was SUCH a cool multi-level boss- even Freddie was great! Just like Krieg's DLC, there was a lot of fun with these levels.

-The design of the Jackpot frankly felt like we were back in BL2 Pandora, which was such a nice refresher sorry! I really enjoyed running through what felt like opportunity again :,). all the jack stuff was CREEPY! I didnt realize the jack tower moved and then it did and i was like OH.

-bugs of course put a tamper on the fun, had to restart twice 'cause the audio bugged and then Timothy just... didn't show up to hack the forcefield LOL . Not exactly the DLCs fault.

-the ending music was the bow on the masterpiece, sorry!

Overall, this DLC nearly makes up for the awfulness that was the main campaign. there was heart to be found in every corner, love crafted in every piece of dialogue, and genuine FUN in each mission. I almost wished i didn't play 'cause now im longing for another GOOD BL thing to play. open to talking about it as always hehe <3

surprising from me, a peak 10/10

[loveforpreserumsteve]

A Whole New Ballfield: "ALN" Post (Pre-Serum Omega!Steve and Alpha!Bucky Modern Domestic AU)

Nineteen:

"They look like an alien," Cori commented, looking at the 3D ultrasound picture.

"I'm definitely never having kids," Bitsy claimed, face scrunched up in displeasure at the odd photo of her unborn nephew.

"What are you talking about?" Kit asked, taking the picture from their sisters. Crossing the room to where Ollie was sitting, they held the picture up to the pregnant omega, "He looks just like his pops."

"Ha," Ollie deadpanned, snatching the picture from his younger sibling. "So funny. And just for that, you're not godparent."

"Way to go, loser," Leigh-Anne good-humoredly teased, affectionately shoving Kit.

The alpha simply rolled their eyes before wrapping Leigh-Anne into a headlock, rubbing their knuckles along her freshly shaven head. Steve simply rolled his eyes at the display. Increasingly, it was a common sight to behold.

Not even Tony was surprised by the scene as the short omega punched Rhodey's arm, whining, "I thought that I was going to be godfather."

Rubbing at his sore arm, Rhodey loudly scoffed, "What made you think that?"

"I was told that I was," Tony pointed accusingly at his pregnant childhood friend, "Directly from your husband."

"Hey," Ollie was taken aback. Denying that he did such a thing and corrected, "I said that Pepper was godmother."

"And she's my wife, so I would clearly be de facto godfather," Tony argued.

Handing the riled up omega some of Natasha's infamous Grinch mocktail, Pepper assuaged, "We just won't make them godparents to our future children."

"That's not fair," Oliver pouted, marking over his protruding bump.

"Definitely not fair," Rhodey agreed, attempting to appease his mate and his unborn son who started kicking harshly from inside his womb.

Clearly uncomfortable, Ollie huffed and pushed himself from his seat. After Rhodey helped him, Oliver turned so he could give his spouse an appreciative kiss. Then, he pivoted his current core strength and headed for the kitchen where the older adults at the baby shower were hanging out.

"Ya hangin' in there, papa?" Tibby asked, strategically playing her UNO card.

"If I could –" Oliver started, ladling some of the popular Grinch punch into a festive winter themed disposable cup "– I would remove him right here and now."

"Been there," Mandy said, playing a reverse card.

Ivy's wife, Paige, continued the saying, "Done that."

"Three times," Auggie's wife, Tula, added, rearranging her hand of cards, trying to plan her next move.

Steve assured the younger omega, "By the time he's here, you'll miss it."

"Yeah?" The pregnant man asked, taking a drink of the non-alcoholic punch.

Nostalgically, the older guests glanced at their kids. Sure, Auggie and Tula's youngest daughter, Twiggy, was only four. But Steve knew all too well how fast time really flew. After all, it had seemed like just yesterday, Oliver was sleeping on his bladder and causing him pain as he outgrew his petite womb.

Clearing the emotion from his throat, Steve nodded, "Yeah."

"Kinda makes me wish I didn't get my tubes tied," Tula half-joked before calling out, "UNO!"

"Damn it!" Tibby complained, just like every other time they played a game that she wasn't winning at.

A soft grin on his face, Oliver gazed down at his bump, admitting, "I guess it's not so bad."

Steve nodded, agreeing. As the kicking continued, Oliver stretched, shifting his weight, in hopes of getting more comfortable. Meanwhile, Steve extended his hand, but didn't dare touch the omega without permission. Son or not, Steve understood a person's boundaries. Especially from his children.

Huffing out another breath, Ollie conceded. Letting his omega father feel the baby kicking and wiggling about. Steve just couldn't believe that any of this was real. The life that he had planned for himself before he met Bucky never paid close attention to a family. He had been a lonely man who distracted himself enough to never realize just how lonely he was.

The only thing that he'd change about his life was to have it include little Roo's great grandma, Sarah, and his namesake, Aunt Flora. They deserved to be there in person. And it was the only thing that truly broke Steve's heart when he looked at his life.

Beneath his palm, Rory gave him a particularly hard kick, and Steve hoped that that was confirmation. Almost as though Rory was assuring him that Sarah and Flora were with him. Guiding him. Loving him. Making sure that he made it safely to them.

"Thanks, bub," Steve softly told him while gently caressing that spot where Roo's tiny foot remained pressed against Oliver's womb. Seeing how uncomfortable Ollie still was, Steve lifted his other hand so he could cup the younger omega's face and assured, "Just a little bit longer. It'll fly right by."

[bahamutgames]

SAGE 2023 Postin'

Yay!! SAGE 2023 has started! Last year I didn't make the time to play much of anything despite having a year to do it lmao, and that really bummed me out so I really wanted to get ahead of the curve and go ahead and play some stuff! Idk how much I'll play from this year's showing cause there's a LOT of great stuff! But I'll make however many posts it takes. Here's what I played tonight that I think YOU should check out!!

Dotty Game - by Wootinaboot

A game from a friend of mine! This is a SUPER cute Megaman like where you play as an ADORABLE little bug and blast mushrooms! This demo is really neat cause it's actually a gameboy file that I had to play through emulator! Although, you can just play it in browser on their itch so that's nice too! Controls are tight, sprites are great, music is REALLY nice and I was surprised by how challenging it could get with some of the bosses. There's also a LOT of hidden stuff to find so be sure to play it all the way through! You do NOT want to miss the special surprise let me tell you!

The Wingless Bee - by Ryansil

Another game from a friend and famously, the creator of Pac-Man as you all know. This game I was not expecting at all, it's actually very similar to Frogger! Though it is kind of gloomy and sad. But it's cool and the demo really shows some neat stuff like perspective changes and boss fights. It's simple but I genuinely had an out loud "AHA!" moment when I figured out how to fight the boss. Cool stuff!

Sonic McOrigins Plus - by Difgue

FINALLY, GAMING IS GOOD AGAIN! I have SO MUCH nostalgia for these old Sonic McDonald's toys! I tried to collect all of them but obviously couldn't (I didn't even realize there were SO many!) But I can relive wonderful memories of Shadow Grinding, Shadow vs Omega Hockey, AiAi Banana Catcher, Amy and Rouge Tennis ect ect. I knew there were efforts to archive these types of game & watch styled games but I hadn't really tried any before myself. This feels great and even works great on my dinky phone!

F-ZERO POCKET - by Linky493

This was such a neat one! F-ZERO on Gameboy Color! It has a TON of characters and tracks, I was actually seriously shocked by how much was in here. It's a little difficult to play though but weirdly enough I feel like that's authentic to how a GBC F-ZERO would be. If you're a fan you gotta check it out the novelty of this one alone is so good!

Toree Saturn - by Siactro

Probably the least surprising thing I've ever said by this point: I love Toree! I've played the whole series and I think at this point I've S ranked every stage in the series??? Maybe? It's been a bit since I looked. So of course I had to try Toree Saturn! I hadn't seen gameplay prior to playing this so I figured it was just gonna be another level pack. But to my delight, no! It's actually a Toree Sequel! A brand new game! New models, new moves and mechanics! Now I am BEYOND excited for this game! I still have to play Kiwi 64 but it looks amazing and Siactro hasn't missed once yet. This was a lovely surprise!

Dono's Tale - by Super Item Studios

WOW! WOW WOW WOW! This one absolutely blew me away! I've had my eye on this game for a bit (I'm so sorry I missed the kickstarter, y'all, I WISH I HAD MORE MONEY I'D FUND SO MANY INDIE GAMES!) But I finally got to try it with this demo and just WOW! This game is SO good! Absolutely GORGEOUS artwork that looks so authentically SNES it's amazing. Super cute music and designs, this was an absolute treat! My favorite powers were fire + wings! I wish you had more use for the other powers, though I do assume a full game will have levels soley based around each of Dono's abilities. This game rules!

Bub's Big Blowout - by Miles' Games

DUDE THIS GAME LOOKS REAL!? FAN GAMES JUST STRAIGHT UP LOOK LIKE OFFICIAL GAMES NOWADAYS THIS IS NUTS!! Bub's Big Blowout is a 3D Platformer translation of Bubble Bobble and honestly, it rules! I genuinely think Taito should give them the resources they need to make this a real game cause this is SO high quality and it's just the demo! I don't even think the game is done. This seriously looks and feels amazing! Only issue is I couldn't get my controller to work with it, but if it did I think this would feel almost 100% official

Sonic Battle Rush - by FreeGilio

A 2D Sonic Fighter? Using Sonic Battle Sprites? And Shadow has a Mephiles alt? YES YES YES!! A 2D Sonic Fighting Game is basically one of my dream games, but surprisingly I haven't tried any of the dozen fan attempts at the concept... Until today! This demo only features Sonic and Shadow and 3 stages, but it absolutely RULES! Both characters feel fantastic and unique and have fully fleshed out movesets! I was even able to string together some goofy little combos by myself and overall it felt super satisfying to play. Also there's a ton of modes and even ways to loadout your characters such as having 2 at once or taking turns. So the demo has lots to do! I'll absolutely be keeping up with this game going forward!

---

Today I just played some stuff that caught my eye from the SAGE 2023 trailer but I will try to play some more stuff as the year goes along! So if you have anything you think I'd like or if YOU submitted anything to Sage that you want me to look at just cause you want people to see your game? Why not, send that to me too!

There's so many amazing indie games it's genuinely hard to keep up with all of them. But SAGE is seriously becoming my favorite place to just discover new stuff or finally get to try things I'm excited for! Again I'm bummed it just kinda slipped my mind to try anything from last year but already we're not repeating that mistake. I encourage you to go try some stuff too if you have the time! Or at least just take a look at what's available! Everyone put in a LOT of hard work on these games!

[feeprincessexo]

Family

I envy people when they talk about their family. To be close with your cousin’s, having conversations with your aunts, and visiting your grandparents on Christmas. I truly envy that. 

I recently cut ties with my mother today and had a breakdown. This opened my eyes to how lonely I really feel. I don’t have anyone. I don’t have family I can call. I don’t know most of my family. It’s hard to fully comprehend what i’m missing out on since I’ve never connected with my family. This also made me realize... I don’t understand relationships. Most people are connected tot their family whether it’s good or bad. I don’t understand the commitment and investment in relationships. I don’t understand the “community” aspect of families. 

I’ve always been an outsider. I don’t know my dad’s family... I don’t really know my dad. My mom’s side is a faint memory from when I was a child.. yet she somehow remains in contact with them. My mom’s boyfriend family wasn’t my family technically. My God family isn’t technically my family. The only blood relatives I felt close to were my grandmother, grandfather, and uncle who all died  before I was 8. Everyone in my life seemed to come and go or die. So what is family? 

Being an adult and hearing people talk about their families so frequently, or visiting and hanging out with them. Or seeing them get gifts and help and going to birthday parties made me really feel lonely. Granted i do have my mom.. Did ..

I think that’s why it was hard seeing how toxic our relationship was because she was the only consistent relationship I had, even then I didn’t feel a real bond with my mom. It felt like a role I was told to play. I truly don’t think I know how to connect with people. The last time I felt genuine love and a true connection was with my grandparents. Even though it was so long ago and I barely remember their faces... I remember feeling safe. I felt loved and safe. I felt like a belonged and not a burden. It felt like family. 

Come to think of it.. my whole life I felt lonely. Like I genuinely had no one that truly had my back. I didn���t feel like I had someone that was obligated to be there for me. I wish I had someone what was obligated to be there for me. Someone I know I can go to. THe last time i felt that was when they were here. I feel like a guest everywhere I go. I don’t want to sound like I’m not grateful for my friends.. I will forever be grateful. But it’s not the same. I feel so much envy for people who have someone that feels obligated to be there for them.

Every single person in my life feels temporary to me. Every person feels like they can just walk away at any moment or leave at any moment. I wish I had someone where I knew they had to be there. I know i sound selfish but its just so hard. It’s hard feeling like you’re really just on your own. I wish I had someone to cry to and they were just obligated to listen. I wish I didn’t feel like people are doing me a favor by having me in their life and i shouldn’fuck it up. I know this is selfish but I wish someone just had to be there for me. I don’t want to do everything myself. 

The concept of spirit guides and guardian angels had become such an attachment to me because it made me feel like I wasn’t alone. If i don’t have family here then I have to have family outside of the 3D. I have to because this can’t be it. I have to have something to turn to. There has to be angels with me 

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Sable

To quote one of the best Star Wars movies of all time, "Now this is pod racing!"

I saw a screenshot of Sable, and it was the character riding a hover-bike through a vast desert with an 80's cartoon vibe and I knew I was going to love the game. What I saw in the early screenshots and videos and is what I expected and what I'm getting: a peaceful, but emotional exploration-heavy adventure game. It's exactly the type of game I love and this is hitting all the notes perfectly.

The game is reminding me of both Wavetale and AER. Also a little bit of Roki, Borderlands, and Omno--but never mind, we're getting distracted. The Wavetale involves a spirited character traveling around a unique, open, post-apocalyptic world. And similar to such, involves some platforming!! Aer comes in the form of simple but effective graphics, "flying" to destinations, and exploring mysterious temples and zones.

I love it!

So, the beginning of the game has it "praying" at a temple. Sable, our main character is a woman--which after playing something a little more male-centric like KOTOR is nice--and she lives a village of nice people who are also mostly women. Cool.

Everyone wears masks. I assume that's an art decision to avoid making and animating faces. But they make the masks story relevant, so no worries--we'll pretend not to notice. Sable is about to start her..."Gliding"? She basically wonders around trying to figure out what she wants to be/do with the rest of her life. Sounds a lot like what college kinda is, but totally should be. Or really, what one's 20s should be: a chance to explore, make mistakes, and gain worldly knowledge/wisdom.

But first, she needs a bike. They give you a clunker. Partly as a joke and story element, but I suspect it also makes you appreciate your decent bike later. You're tasked with exploring some zones to find parts to your bike. One part is stolen and hidden by a local trouble maker, but we learn that she was really just nervous about the change brought about Sable's leaving. She may never see Sable again and that's a lot to contend with.

Interestingly, the game is really hooked into its emotions. Every character interaction has a blend of excitement and sorrow for the journey. This is an important step for Sable's culture, but also a scary and sad one--as you miss people as they go off to find their place in the world, and you may never see them again.

I think this works--because many games/movies/books make the adventure a bad thing. Take Lord of the Rings, Frodo wants to live a life of peace in Hobbiton. It's against his wishes to set out on a journey across the country to drop a ring off with the elves. And then it's against his will to commit to carrying that ring to a volcano deep within the territory of a magical and powerful enemy. So there's this weird conflict where in order to have adventure and fun, we must almost endure pain and horror. Sable says fuck that. Adventure is good! Exploring is good! Doesn't mean it's not sad to be away from your friends, but it's not something to be feared or done out of fear.

The game is relaxing. I've moved from the starting area, which is about as big as opening World of Warcraft areas (and if you know me, I love any time a game gives me WoW vibes). Now I'm in a larger area. The game has "towns" wherein one can claim quests. Usually it's go here and get this, but some have some interesting elements: such as using seeds to lure and catch beetles, or using a puffy thing to convince a giant beetle to unblock a tunnel. The game isn't original, but it's good. Like a Cohen Brother's movie, it's using the tried and true methods of game design to make an interesting and unique experience.

There's no fighting, so far, and I appreciate that. Fighting is boring. It's just an excuse to slow you down or insert drama when one has no creativity. But my favorite part of 3D adventure games going back to Mario 64 is the exploring. Sure, combat can be fun sometimes, but I can be entertained for hours just exploring. Like WoW, I love seeing this cool world the developers crafted. And I'm inconvenienced by all the mobs I have to cut through to do so. I'd be just as happy to play WoW with no combat. Wouldn't fit well with the title I guess.

Sable is exactly what I needed though. i tried to play Jak & Daxter for my family recently and no one was into it. For my wife, there isn't enough story. Sure, they gave you mission objectives at the towns, but once you're out in the world it's just exploring (which I love). With Zelda games, there tends to be a bit more story happening mid dungeon and exploration. Or clever puzzles to overcome. But also--the game is pretty cynical. It was made by unconsciously sexist men thinking that being mean and grumpy was funny. And in truth, i found it funny when I was younger. Now I find it cringe and uninteresting. I still love Jak, but it's not the "story" experience I want nor what I want to expose my kids to. Sable is much more interesting, and it's possible my family would dig it too.

But Sable is just for me right now. We still haven't beaten Kingdom Hearts and need to get back on that program. And i'm really enjoying Sable. I have many games I hope to get through--but I'm going to try to take my time with Sable and play it my own pace.

[asuraid]

aid’s collection of neat art tricks

aka I wanted to compile all the neat things I’ve learned and picked up over the years across various sources; I wish I knew some of these, but they’re scattered across a variety of social medias and some from conversations.

of course, these are not a must and just have helped me! I just wanted to put them all in one place in hopes that maybe it’ll click something in someone like it has for me. c: I’m not the best at explaining, but I hope it makes sense!

some may use Clip Studio assets but can be replicated through other methods (or done by hand in the case of how I do my lineart colouring), but do keep in mind all of these are written with CSP in mind.

this is pretty heavy in images and gifs, and is quite long.

how to quickly fill your outlines (CSP tool)

this is a CSP specific method, but this tool has been my absolute saviour for making colouring so much easier for me (even if sometimes it still does require me to manually fill in some holes or erase sections). the bulk of how it works is explained in the tool as well, but I’m going to show a gif example for myself!

you have to make sure your lineart is set as the reference layer to ensure this tool does work; with messy outlines (like my own) you may need to manually fill in holes as can be seen in the gif above; with cleaner outlines, you don’t need to worry as much, but you may have some bleeding out of the lines for places that are a bit too close together (as you can see below, those areas would need to be erased). 

the tool can also help to close ‘gaps’ between colours!

I usually tend to have a ‘base’ colour that I just clip a folder of flat colours to, so it doesn’t bleed outside of it, but I’m also a nested folder freak to make sure everything is cleanly separated and doesn’t get ‘destroyed’ while I work on it. this tool just makes it so much easier to get that base down and just jump right into adding flats.

adding a little pop of depth

this one is thanks to a clip studio article itself where I saw it from, and I’ve been using it in practically all my drawings so far; all it is, is a simple blue-ish overlay layer with some muted yellow/red shading to give it a bit of a “3D” effect, for me I enjoy more that it adds a bit more colour variation underneath (usually lowered to 20-50% opacity, depends on the drawing)

the article definitely explains it a bit more nicely, but this is an example of having it at 50% opacity over one of my drawings

making your lineart feel less ... boring?

of course, boring is subjective from person to person, but I’ve always found my lineart to be too boring by itself 

like this is fine, but it’s missing some kind of oomph. there are two tricks I use when it comes to sprucing up my lineart: using the watercolour edge effect in CSP, and a combo of coloured outlines + black outlines

first things first, the watercolour edge option: by default it’s a bit too strong, so I usually find the sweet spot to be at 1 range and with an opacity of ~20

this can be replicated through duplicating your lineart, and if the option is available, using gaussian blur on the duplicated lineart to achieve around a similar effect.

coloured outlines!

when it comes to colouring my lineart, truth be told I do use a wonderful auto action for it which can be found here, and there is this alternative one as well (which i’ll be trying now!!!). 

it is a little different since it uses the flats, vs the one i use which just requires you to have the lineart selected, but as you can see it is a very quick way to colour your lineart ... this isn’t perfect by itself and will require you to have your flats finished.

this is my process: outlines done, autoaction, cleaning up by adding black outlines where they’re required and fixing up sections where the colours don’t quite make sense (like the sleeve area).

as you can see with the last drawing, I also tend to add a black outline around the outside of the piece, I personally found I really enjoy the contrast of the dark outside and coloured interior lines, as you can see in this little sample; it just adds a bit more visual interest for me!

unfortunately, outside of manually doing it, I cannot think of alternatives for this specific action (perhaps duplicating + flattening all your colours and placing it on top of the lineart may be a start)

crunchy textures and pretty colours ...

the texture i use on top of my drawings can be found in this CSP asset pack (though the marker brushes themselves are very lovely, and I’ve used them myself). this can be replicated through adding perlin noise, but I just find this texture to tickle the good spots in my brain, and it’s why I use it on pretty much all my drawings for some additional visual goodies.

yes, i am also a person who uses gradient maps. I usually tend to use them as finishers and more subtle ways to add more colours and variations to keep my shading from looking too flat, but they do have to be handled with care lest they become overwhelming. vampbyte does a wonderful introductory thread on gradient maps, how they function, and how they can be used.

they can be found through layer > new correction layer > gradient map -- or at least that’s how i usually access mine!

i often place mine at 20% opacity on the colour mode, though soft light and overlay also do their own fancy things! really depends on which you like most and works with your piece.

an example of my chibi w/o texture and colour gradients vs the texture + colour gradient ... as you can see it does change the colours quite a bit, so usually it does take me a bit of playing around to find a colour gradient I like (I’m a gremlin who has downloaded a lot of them) and to play with opacity values.

and to top it off, here’s the combination of all of these vs one with them all off.

how i personally shade (multiply layers)

i usually tend to either go for multiply shading over the whole drawing using one colour (and a few lil tricks to add more depth) for smaller pieces, or hard light shading for bigger and more complex pieces since it has more value depth.

my multiply layers are usually just one or two layers using around the same off-purple shade (though i shuffle it around pending on how it looks on the drawing

the second layer is a duplicate of the first, and i usually use an airbrush to either erase or expand areas to give it a softer shade (as you can see in the gif, the second layer is definitely missing chunks), or to add a different colour to the shading that isn’t the off-purple

how i personally shade (hard light mode)

this one’s a bit more of a mouthful, and thanks to a friend who introduced me to it! my second method is hard light shading, which, at its simplest, is greyscale shading and feels like it leans more into ‘painting’ your shades (as it works best with a brush that blends colours).

although I’m obliterating my own art here, it’s to show that most of your work will be in the greyscale/muted colours! it is inherently a non-destructive method of shading, so any changes to the colours underneath will maintain the shading regardless. normally I do have to duplicate the layer a second time since I don’t go too close to black shades, and it gives me a bit more control over how ‘hard’ I want my shading to be.

the middle is your ‘neutral’ shade, aka what you want to fill your entire hard light layer with, then your lighter greys will be your highlights, and darker greys your shading! 

alternatively, you’re looking for this when you want to find your ‘neutral’ shade.

once you got your hard light layer filled with your base/neutral shade, grab your favourite painting/blending brush and go ham!

as a heads up: when it comes to skin or warm colours in general, you may need to get out of the greyscale range otherwise it will look too desaturated and grey, as you can see below. for any other tones, the greys usually work well.

as of the moment, I think that’s all the little tricks I use when doing art, I hope it helps you guys!

(unless I somehow remember something else, but these are usually my default tricks I use for everything)

[english8muffin]

Vogue morning routine

Y/N Y/N/L’s guide to effortless natural makeup

Summary: you are asked to do the Vogue Beauty Secrets video and your two boys decide to join the party

Word count: around 2000

Warning: none, just pure floof!

I apologize in advance if there are any spelling and/or grammar mistakes, English is not my first language (+ this is my very first fic)

HEADLINE Henry Cavill’s new girlfriend, designer Y/N Y/L/N reveals her everyday morning routine in recent Vogue video: Y/N Y/L/N shows off her secrets to the perfect fusion of European and Asian beauty.

You stood in the spacious bathroom of the hotel room, only wearing a big, fluffy, white robe, that was actually Henry’s. But since the man was in the gym, you took the opportunity to lend it and bathe yourself in his musky smell, that calmed your nerves. Last night you started panicking, thinking you would probably look stupid for the entire world to see, luckily Henry and Kal tried to calm you down with cuddles and kisses.

This was the first ‘interview’ you would do, being such a young, successful entrepreneur really caught the attention of the media. When you first started your small online shop, you never would have thought you would end up here. Five years later, with a steady income, the job you always wished for and the man you had a crush on since the first time you laid eyes on him. Being a creative, it really made your heart soar with happiness, seeing all your products, your babies, in new homes where they would make others happy.

You were really proud of yourself. Henry was as well, and he made sure you and everybody around you knew. You were apprehensive at first, being with such a well known actor, who was also much older than you, it made you nervous of what people would say, what the media would say. You didn’t want to tarnish Henry’s image. You knew there were people with a much bigger age gap, but still, people were ruthless. So you both decided to take it slow, being careful with going out in public and social media posts.

You stand in front of the large mirror, which had a camera attached to it and open up your makeup bag. Right before you went into the bathroom, you made yourself a nice cup of tea, trying to stay calm. “Hi! I’m Y/N and today I am going to show you my everyday makeup routine,” you say with a smile, “I am not a dermatologist so please don’t take what I say too seriously.”

You grab a small white washcloth and hold it up, so it was in the frame, “First, I am going to wash my face and put on a few drops of serum,” You dampen the cloth and wipe it over your face and neck. You put a few drops in the palm of your hand and pat them into your skin. “Now I going to use my jade roller to massage the serum into my skin. It’s quite funny seeing so many people use these nowadays. In ancient China they were mostly used by the elite to keep there skin ageless. They would call jade the Stone of Heaven. It’s really helpful for the people who wake up with a puffy face like me,” you chuckle.

Somethimes you’d wake up with puffy cheeks, which led to Henry calling you his chubby bunny in the morning.

“Just a quick tip, and this is for everybody, make sure you always use SPF. I personally use SPF 30 and this one is shine control, since I tend to get an oily skin, but you can also use a regular one or a foundation with SPF in it. Believe me when I say your skin will be thankful.”

You grab the small tube of sun cream and show the amount you’ll use. You even convinced Henry to wear SPF everyday. At first he said he didn’t think it would make such a big difference, but when he realised you were going to be the one to put it on him, he was convinced about its benefits and adamant to wear it everyday. After working the thick cream into your skin, you put on some lipbalm and rummage through the pouch in front of you. When you find the product you’re looking for, you hold it up. “Now, I am going to put on a bit of concealer, this one is from Maybelline. After this, I will use a lighter shade under my eyes and on my acne scars that I have here,” you point and circle around the small cluster of scars on the sides of your cheeks.

Before blending out the concealer, you smile at the lens and put in two bright yellow hairclips, to keep your dark locks from falling into your face. “I probably should have done this at the start,” you laugh. The nerves creeping up a little. It wasn’t that you where a shy person, but knowing thousands of people will watch this, did something to you. You were always a very easygoing person, who could talk with pretty much everybody. But knowing people were going to watch you do something so intimate in a way, and would probably comment on it, scared you a little. While you would be 100% yourself, doing something as mundane as getting ready. If they didn’t like you now, then they probably won’t like you later. And that was what made you so afraid.

The bathrobe falls a bit down your shoulder, but you ignore it, since your hair fell down your shoulders in big waves. “Okay, brows. I used to block them in really dark when I was younger, but now I try to keep a light hand. I’ll use this Got 2B Glued as a brow gel afterwards. The tails of my eyebrows tend to move if I don’t use a strong enough gel. If you’re Asian you will understand the struggle.”

You quickly finish your brows, put some bronzer on your face and eyelids and take out your liquid eyeliner. “Am I the only one that acts like I’m a beauty guru whenever I do my makeup? Like, I’m just acting as if I’m used to this, right now, but to be honest, I was really nervous to do this video for Vogue,” you admit, “they will probably regret asking me,” you chuckle. You finish your eyemakeup with curling your long lashes, thanks to your mother’s genes, and add a coat of mascara.

You take in a deep breath, excited to show everyone the product you had been waiting for. “The next thing I am really proud to show you guys, because I designed the packaging. This is the new limited edition blush and highlighter palette from Dior, which they created for Lunar New Year!” You beam with pride, holding up the elegant looking palette. It had a darker toned glossy finish and the borders were the traditional Chinese looking frames, which were 3D and were surrounded by a wild variety of peonies. In the middle of the lid was your Chinese calligraphy in big golden brush stokes that said ‘year of the Ox’, the clasp was designed so it resembled an antique Chinese coin and on the side hung a jade charm.

“You can pre-order this palette now, I think they will put a link-thingy in de description. I wish you all a happy and blessed Lunar New Year, 祝农历年新年快乐牛年大吉!”

Just as you’re about to add some blush to your cheeks, the bathroom door creaks open and a curly-headed, sweaty Henry pops his head in. Fresh from the gym, and were you thankful for his new intense workout, because he was truely a sight to behold. A cheeky smile graces his handsome face when he spots you in front of the mirror, only wearing his robe, which made his grin widen.

“what are you doing in here? Are you hiding from me? Playing hide and seek is it?” he teases and rakes his large hand through the tousled curls, but just as he’s done speaking, he sees the camera behind you, and blushes. “Oh, I didn’t know you were filming, I’m sorry darling,” he smiles and gives a small wave in the direction of the camera. You led out a giggle, cheeks turning red already, if he’d keep this up, you wouldn’t need to add blush. You couldn’t focus anymore, he looked so attractive, only wearing his black gym shorts and a tight dark blue tank top. Damn that camera, otherwise you would have jumped him. Henry, thought the exact same thing. Seeing you, only wearing his robe and your hair still a bit wild from this morning’s cardio, made him hold back a moan. Those two cute, yellow clips in your hair could have fooled him, because you were anything but innocent.

Before he’s about to close the door again, he blows you a kiss. But his actions are stopped when a big bear makes his appearance. Bolting past his dad’s legs, Kal comes into the bathroom. Henry tries to catch him but misses. The black and white akita excitedly sniffs his head around the sink, trying to see what you were up to with all the stuff lying on the marble counter.

“Kal!” Henry whisper-yelled, trying to stay hidden behind the door. But you could still see his massive body crouched down behind the wood. It was rather funny, seeing the large man so panicked about getting his dog to listen. It kind of reminded you of that one video from BBC were a professor was being interviewed and his baby and nanny showed up in the background. While Henry tried to get Kal’s attention, the dog just sat next to your legs, and smiled when you pet him behind his ear. He was your good boy.

You both knew there was no other option but to keep Kal here, once he saw you do your makeup, he wanted to watch and get his ‘makeup’ done as well.

Henry also saw the look in Kal’s eyes and let out a sigh. Might as well stay with his two loves. He stood up from his position and walked to you, wrapping his sweaty but oh so save body around your figure, and placed a prolonged kiss on the exposed skin just by your shoulder. So far for taking it slow… He pressed himself thighter against your back, hiding his face in the crook of your neck and intertwined your hands, slowly rocking you two back en forth. “You look beautiful, my love,” he whispered, so only you could hear it, at least you hoped the camera wouldn’t pick that up. You let out a little giggle, like the inner schoolgirl you were whenever he was around you.

“Kal loves when Y/N does his makeup as well, don’t you boy,” Henry explains with a smile and looks down at the bear by your bare feet. Kal gives a small ruff and sweeps his tail eagerly. “Did you show them what you made,” he asked you with a wide smile, and looked straight in to the camera, “she worked really hard on that design, so I hope you all like it,” he declared proudly.

You ended up doing your makeup routine with your two boys in the background. Henry left for a few minutes to shower in the second bathroom your hotelroom had, and came back clad in a pair of light jogging trousers and a sweater. Even though you were inside, it was still a bit too chilly to walk around in short sleeves, being mid-winter and all. He just sat on the small wooden bench by the door, still in frame for everybody to enjoy and behold. His hair now damp. He was reading in a book and patiently waiting for you to get ready, occasionally looking up and laughing when you would wet your hands or Kal’s special makeup brush in the sink and pretend to do his makeup. The dog would bark excitedly and give you kisses. “Wow Kal, you look so pretty,” Henry told the big floof with the chuckle.

“Okay, this was my -somewhat- everyday makeup routine! Thank you guys for watching this chaotic mess, hope you laughed a bit, bye-bye, 再见!” How do those vlogger end their videos? Smash like and subscribe?

Behind you Henry looked up from the pages of his fantasy book and arched his brow, “Hey! No shout-out for your special guests? See you all next time!”

WOOHOO!! This is my very first fanfic, I really hope you enjoyed it. Liking, reposting and commenting would mean a lot to me! If you do repost this, please do not edit or copy my work. I worked really hard on this.

Much love, Nahmi xxx

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[completeoveranalysis]

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Warning! This post contains spoilers up to chapter 170 of Tsubasa (and Chapter 71 of xxxHolic). Please skip this if you have not read that far.

Please also make no comments about what happens after that point in either manga.

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SO here is the other splash image that really stuck out to me:

This time not because of the Seresu arc but because of how the Infinity arc itself ends.

Here's the link to the original post the image is from if you'd like the full context, but the particular quote from that post I want to use as a reference is here:

"Syaoran also sits on the throne - which as far as I can tell, isn’t his. ... The only one ever wearing the crown they’re all wearing [on their clothes] is Sakura. Now, does it make sense that Syaoran has usurped her throne? Heck yeah! He’s stolen everything from her. He’s stolen her journey (they’re following him now, always a step behind), he’s stolen her feathers, and he’s stolen the person she’s in love with."

Where I was kind of on the right track but couldn't have possibly guessed what all the chess imagery was ultimately feeding into. Looking back now the initial liveblogs for all of these Chess-related splash images are such a big mix of different iconography, so it’s very fun reading through all my old guesses back then. I think I did a really good job of trying to decipher some of it, especially the Cinderella and Snow White imagery in Chapter 140, but the Chess was a bit trickier.

Which, like, understandable, because the chess game that was happening in the chapters was stressful as heck and did not end well, but there is a nice conclusion to it with this image which is easier to read now - especially in regards to Sakura. Because it's made very clear to the viewer that the symbol of the Queen piece is in reference to her; both in these splash images (where she wears the crown at one point, and every character wears the symbol in ways that reflect their allegiance to her) and in the plotline, where she functions as the Queen of the battles taking place. Here is another good example of the symbol being used for Sakura with it right there on her throne, and the two Syaoran's wearing the symbol in smaller ways to represent their relationship to her. But with that all in mind? I had no idea what it was really getting at with Syaoran on Sakura's throne here.

BUT NOW I DO.

If you go back to that example I just gave with Sakura sitting on her throne? It's a different throne! It still makes it very clear that she's undeniably the Queen piece, with the symbol in gold actually being a key part of the throne itself.

And the throne Syaoran sits on? It has the crown symbol as part of the decoration, but it's not representing him, it's just a small symbol to show that matches Sakura's throne. This throne is his own.

He's the King piece.

(And, important distinction; the throne is not Lava Lamp's, but our original plotline Syaoran who is now in Autopilot mode.)

This wouldn't have occurred to me the first time through because I was focused so much on what this might mean for Sakura, and how she related to everyone else, but the way the Infinity Arc ends really hammers this home. After all, Sakura is the mastermind in this arc - everything that happens is according to her plan. She's not playing chess just during the literal chess matches, but during the entire plotline, moving every character and circumstance into place to enact her final plan; to activate both Chi's at once, absorb both their feather's, and trigger Fai's curse - resulting in her pseudo (if purely physical) death. But like we see in the plotline, this isn't a loss - it's a win. It's exactly how she planned things to unfold, and it will lead her to winning the game.

Just in case anyone isn't familiar, in Chess the queen is the most powerful piece capable of the widest variety of moves - but the queen is not the endgame goal. You can lose the queen piece in any game and (besides losing a powerful piece) it's not the end of the world. You can still win the game without the queen piece. It's the King piece that's the Win/Loss condition. The King is the piece you have to keep safe at all costs, even if you lose other pieces in the process. The second the King dies, the match is over. You've lost.

And this matches exactly how Sakura played the series events. She was the Queen in control of every move, and Syaoran was the Win condition she was focused on. She foresaw Fai killing Syaoran in the future - which, for her, is the Losing Scenario. She planned everything to avoid this, and she succeeded! She lost the Queen piece (ie, her physical body) but won the ultimate goal of keeping the King safe. She won the 3D future chess game that she was playing by herself, and positioned herself in the place that would have the most benefit for the victory at the end. (Which I still haven't seen, but she was VERY confident about this having a better result than Fai killing Syaoran.)

I'm also super happy that this ties in really well with the fairy tale allusions I talked about back in Chapter 140, but in ways I wasn't aware of back then either.

I talked about Snow White and how the apple (that shows up in a lot of the splash images in Infinity) may have been referring to Sakura's tendency to sleep a lot. What I didn't realise was that Sakura was essentially about to pull the Big Brain Snow White maneuver on herself to ultimately win her chess game. While in Snow White the poison apple is a trap, here Sakura sprung the trap intentionally. Fai is the apple she bit into deliberately - she arranged it so that killed her body, breaking his own curse, and sent her to the World of Dreams (and thus, she is asleep) which also placed her in a Glass Coffin (aka The Jam Jar of Dreams - Im sorry I have no memory of what it's really called). So the Snow White metaphor is now complete.

But also Cinderella! In the image for 140 Sakura is trying on a glass slipper - so she's Cinderella figure as well. But at this point in the plot the clock hadn't struck midnight just yet - like Cinderella, Sakura knew the exact time limit she had to work with, and for her the timing had to be PRECISE. She spent all of Infinity stressed out of her mind about this plan she couldn't trust anyone else with, knowing full well that if she missed the window even slightly it would ruin absolutely everything and they would all lose. Which, funnily enough, makes Yuuko the fairy godmother, since she provided Sakura with the magic she needed to make her plan happen (via wishes). This also means that Fai stabbing her with the sword is the exact moment the clock struck twelve - and like the spell finishing, Sakura could finally drop the act and explain what she had done, even as all the magic disappeared (ie, her luck being traded away). There's even a detransformation sequence of a sort, with her body and soul going in two different directions. But either way, the Cinderella metaphor is also complete!

And with all that done the last part I want to talk about is back in the image of Syaoran on the throne. He's framed on either side with the curtains that portray the chess board, and they're tied back by chains with him in the very centre. He is visually chained to the board - which, like, of course he is. With his Autopilot programming in place he's essentially just a chess piece without any will of his own - a winning piece, for sure, but he's still being moved around without his choice. He's playing the game on auto, making the moves that will lead him to the winning gambit, but without his individual soul he has no choice but to keep playing until the game is over. The goal he's working towards isn't even his - it's Evil Wolverine's. So in the same way that everyone else was a chess piece in Sakura's strategy (if, sort of, willingly), including Sakura herself, Syaoran is a piece being moved around in Evil Wolverine's favour - though if he dies, it's game over for Sakura's side as well.

I'm unclear if Syaoran dying would be a game over scenario for Evil Wolverine, but at the very least it would end the game he is currently playing.

So, in the hyper future 3D chess game that Sakura was playing by herself she couldn't properly win the game for her side by taking out Syaoran because he's her king piece too. Syaoran is the piece at the centre of everything, and will be the key to winning the game for either side. We just have to wait and see if Sakura's gambit will pay off in the way she thinks it will.