#LET'S PLAY A GAME OF WHO CAN FIND ALL MY FINAL FANTASY REFERENCES

[circeius-invidioso]

👏🏻 Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay.👏🏻

Those 4 Liber books. Which ones you may ask.

These ones.

Now that we are all in the same page.

✨️Let's talk about them.✨️

Not good enough to be collected.

Not bad enough to be forgotten.

And not forget them we shall.

The tall and short of the story:

They are expansion packs to the main tabletop rpg game. And you guessed correctly it add daemons etc etc.

That etc etc is.

Liber Ecstatica : Slaanesh and horny on main cults.

Liber Infectus : Nurgle and dirty plagues.

Liber Mutatis : Tzeentch and birdy mutations.

Liber Carnagia : Khorne and angy serial killers. (No the spelling error was on purpose. Cause our boy real angy)

+ an adventure on theme with the above.

A solid 3/ 10.

Unless you are a writer and need basic descriptions of daemons and fluff then its a decent 3.5/ 10.

Now.

Now that we dealt with that.

Its time.

For the tall and longer.

And in depth analysis and my personal ice cold takes and my thesis of - this would have been lit if we played the villains pov.

I could be talking about the latest books, hell I could be talking about dnd. But no me and you we are here and we are stuck and for the next 5 minutes I am the captain and I will take you on an adventure.

🐙Liber Mutatis - feat Dj BoBo and the Mutants are Alive🐙

Nothing gets me more going than referances that weren't funny even in 2007.

What the book adds to gameplay?

Mutations. From bird beaks to tentacle limbs in case you decide to multipraise Slaanesh on the side.

Because you aren't just a chicken worshipper, you are a wizard and what best way to show it that gaining an additional 30 eyeballs for all those books you want to read.

This book is your one stop to fond some very basic mutations to add to a game.

And when I say basic. I mean basic, don't expect great stuff. But I guess this might have been part of the plan...

What's the included adventure like?

You team goes in a town to find why all those apprentices have been taking such a long unauthorized day off.

Well they were kidnapped by a cult with a ringleader being a shop keeper with a Lord of Change tranformed as a parrot named Bobo that births pink eggs.

Then they feed those pink eggs to create mutant bird people.

Your job is to stop it. Not the most original ideal... but what would it be if you played the adventure from the cultists pov?

Dj Bobo and his gang of squidmen

You heard the adventure of the heroes. But how would it be if you were the bad guy?

🐙 One player would pretend to be the shopkeeper with his pet parrot that births oversized pink eggs and you have to smuggle them and hide the fact from the people who came to stop you in the city.

🐙 The second will be the immortal nun with only her face intact in the soup house cooking for the poor and using the eggs to create mutant by trying to convince the people that those pink eggs are totally edible what do you mean eggs are not pink. Maybe you are seeing things...

🐙 The third one is squidward at the gates. Basically a war veteran that lost his legs. But jokes on them. The big bird man gave you tentacles and you will be wizzing throught the sewers like a getski.

🐙 The fourth will be the person kidnapping those student wizard kids, bagging them up and send them to the ritual site alongside your grizzled unshaven gang of pain assistants.

🐙 Finally someone can even take the role of the bird. Blasting eggs before the time of the summoning happens when they will be blasting magic and turning the whole city into a lethal rave.

🪲Liber Infectus- Grandaddy Nurgle's Black Death Clown Parade🪲

If only I was joking... stick around and find out more...

What the book adds to gameplay?

A wide selection of how you and your players can seriously get down with the sickness.

Besides that all the basic nasty descriptions about the warps most unwashed denizens. Basic. But we all start from somewhere, like how a rash develops into a mouth and eats the person living next door.

What's the included adventure like?

Evil doctor spreads a plague you are there to stop it etc etc. You can see where this goes from the words "initial symptom development".

Those sick clowns I mentioned

On the final part of the adventure a clown parade, with music and performers and everything. Pops in town and is ready to kick pc ass.

And the only thing I got to say is.

Why can't I play their pov.

The idea of five sick honk honk clowns in a cart playing music and spreading the literal word on nurgle with a mutant strapped on the back. Sounds like a wild adventure.

It sounds a lot more enjoyable than sitting around asking people "so when did the first symptom begin and how are you feeling?"

Give me the clowns. With their dancing plague and their bouncing nurglings on a wacky adventure to evade the law.

Fast and furiously popping knees and bursting shins.

⚘️Liber Carnagia- Renaming Khorne into Gandhi ⚘️

Again. Wait and I will explain this as well.

What the book adds to gameplay?

Nothing. Of value. Is it obvious that this one was my least favorite?

Whats the included adventure like?

Theres a magical angy spear and your job is to be beaten down and not kill anyone. Just sit with your thumb-tacks up your ass and do nothing.

That's what the adventure is.

In the book of Khorne what you are asked to do is not fight anyone.

The irony is so deep, I screamed that's deep bro and a lovecraftian horror responded from the chasm "I know".

Putting the K of Killer back into Khorne

A murder hobo adventure. That's it. It's a lot better than going to a besieged nun house and sitting on the grass asking those raiders to pretty please let go of the hostages.

Chaos, mayhem. If I was the dm I'd put everyone in a nonr stop 4 hour rollercoaster of blood, guts, bullets and norwegian death metal music playing in the background before they all die gloriously into a massive raid burning imperial churches.

Then go to hell, become daemons and be yeeted back into the mortal world to kick even more ass.

🪷Liber Ecstatica- And the Dick Measuring Olympics 🪷

The title will again make sense soon I swear.

What the book adds to gameplay?

Cults, anything you need to know about a basic degenerate cult. From poison chuggers to vape huffers and even vegetable shovers.

This is your one stop to make a bare bones cult for your games.

What's the included adventure like?

A girl is being chased after many eligible bachelors of the city.

And your job is to stop them from doing so.

How did this adventure start?

A rich old dude didn't like that an "average" in his eyes poor, low noble had admirers. So obviously its witchcraft.

The reason is as sound as an airplane made of shredded cheese. And the book is weidly mean about it.

Like the girl is fine. But everyone is like "she is not a busty noble that cries gold so obviously theres foul play, also have I told you that she is average".

Oh the crimes against humanity. If the adventure began and the noble was like "yeah my son flayed himself while screaming her name" then sure. I'd be calling foul play.

Busting a Nut not Busting a Move

The same but instead of having 10 men fighting over a decent, everyday girl its Danny Devito art critic and the whole team tries to complete the ritual and avoiding the witch hunters from burning their "beauty".

We are already dealing with a daemon that has magically roofied the local men in order to be freed from a magical mirror. We might as well make it into a comedy skit.

This is a game about the ultimate degenerates, extreme is the only word we must know. And you know what would be even better.

All of the players are grade A spandex bdsm supermodels and have to promote gollum as a drop dead nuke level bombshell.

[sapphire-weapon]

A few days ago I had the chance to play SW for the first time, and the look on Ada's face when she saw Ashley in person for the first time was priceless.

When I was reading those comments about Ada "hating" Ashley, I thought they were a stupid exaggeration of the fandom, but playing SW I realize that Ada is clearly jealous of Ashley. And in fact, her expression when the two meet face to face is quite significant and should be further analyzed.

So I did this with a few different outfits just to sort of give a better idea of the emotions in this scene, because certain aesthetics (vanilla, fairytale, formal, romantic) show different facets of the same vibes.

I think "hate" is too strong a word for what Ada feels towards Ashley. Way too strong. I don't think Ada hates anyone. I don't think she lets herself feel to that emotional depth -- and even if she did, I still don't think she'd hate Ashley.

But Ashley certainly puts her in her place in this scene.

Ada clearly doesn't expect to actually run into her. That's all that that first expression is. She's surprised.

And she's especially surprised to find Ashley in the stance that she's in. I've referred to this in the past as the "Final Fantasy bullshit" pose. It looks like a prayer, but it's not a "praying to god" kind of prayer. It's the "I'm sending you a message with my heart to return to me" kind of prayer that Final Fantasy heroines do LMAO it's the single moment in all of RE4make that betrays the game as being made by a Japanese studio; it's a very Japanese trope that's being utilized here. Ada finds Ashley in a state of yearning. And the embers that float around Ashley like fireflies only serve to reinforce the romantic imagery at play.

And Ashley isn't exactly ecstatic to see Ada. Despite the fact that Ada saved them in the altar room, and despite the fact that Ashley was concerned for her safety after the fact, she's annoyed when she sees Ada up on that ledge. She's annoyed because she doesn't understand what Ada's doing up there -- why is she up here on this ledge, seemingly running away from the battle, after Leon put himself in harm's way to save her? In Ashley's mind, she's doing her part by staying out of the way and calling Leon home with the power of her heart (like I said, Final Fantasy bullshit; don't shoot the messenger), but Ada isn't pulling her weight.

So she snaps at her.

And before Ada can explain herself, an explosion goes off (likely Leon hitting an explosive barrel) in order to reinforce Ashley's point: Leon needs help. Ashley is visibly stricken with worry, but Ada's still in a state of shock; she's still absorbing what she's seeing. Because what Ashley really said was: "Leon and I are in this together. Where the fuck are you?"

And Ada doesn't have an answer.

Ada's sort of known in the back of her mind that this whole mission has been The Leon and Ashley Show, but it isn't until she sees Ashley up close that she realizes just how real that connection is. Leon and Ashley are a team, and Ada isn't part of it. Luis was a part of it, and Ada's been filling in for him since his death -- but that's all she's been doing; that's all she is; she's a substitute.

And in that moment, Ada has to be a substitute for Ashley. Because Ashley can't join Leon on the battlefield. So Ada needs to.

And Ada needs to do that after spending this whole time downplaying the connection that Leon and Ashley have -- to the point where she's refused to refer to Ashley by name.

But Ada is used to being the leading lady. She's the one who's always in control. You can tell that from the way she talks to Wesker and the way she regards Luis. And to be so completely pushed to the side like that is a first for her -- especially with regards to someone who kept her so thoroughly in his focus the last time they met.

So that last shot there is Ada realizing: "I'm an afterthought."

And it's a bitter pill to swallow.

That's why she goes ahead and shoots her shot with Leon one final time at the end, only to be rejected. Though it kind of seems like she expected that to be his answer.

[leafofkudzu]

Hear ye hear ye, you are cordially invited to Verdant Shield [VS]’s third monthly community art party, open to one and all across both NA and EU servers!

An idea migrated over from Final Fantasy XIV, art parties are basically community get-togethers where artists of all kinds can hang out, chat, and create together! Digital, traditional, mixed-media, screenshots, poetry, prose - whatever your chosen medium, these sorts of events are for everyone, regardless of skill level! Dress your best, find a character that inspires you, and create! Afterwards, you can post your creations in the party’s specific tag (ours is #VSArtParty) so others can see and spread the love around via reblogs! As I’ve said every time I’ve written one of these up - the ‘goal’ of attending an art party is not to be drawn, but to draw others, and share with the community!

After last month’s NA party spilled out of the intended locale before it even started, this month’s location will be a nice open space most should be familiar with: the Crown Pavilion in Divinity’s Reach! Host to not one, not two, but (sort of) three in-game festivals, the main grounds under those graceful eagle wings offers ample room and excellent lighting for scoping out your next victim subject with ease! The squads for each party will open approximately 15 minutes before the start time and will, as usual, not be posted in LFG in order to deter party crashers (though we’ll be way easier to spot in this location so that may be a moot point haha).

Check under the cut for extra time info, location stuff, and /squadjoin info! ♥

Ah Divinity’s Reach, land of so many excellent locations that are all very very tiny and hard to swing a camera around in. I didn’t want to accidentally steal any RPers locations and also wanted a well-lit open area after the NA Grove party’s perpetual darkness, so the Crown Pavilion it is! If you somehow haven’t been to DR yet you can backtrack into it from the auto-unlocked Shaemoor Waypoint in Queensdale or take the asura gate from the Lion’s Arch Gate Hub Plaza! The whole map is a big circle, and the Crown Pavilion takes up the Westernmost section:

I am ecstatic to report that there’s a Jade Bot terminal located right smack in the middle of this place, so zooming around to get reference screenshots has never been easier (but when will they let us launch at will like in that one instance?)!

Now, on to the real nitty-gritty stuff:

Just as last month, this month’s party will consist of two separate art parties, each 3 hours long, with a 1 hour break in between to let people rest, grab snacks, swap accounts if they want to attend both, etc etc.

The first party will be on EU servers and begin at 9pm Central European Time (that’s 3pm Eastern Standard Time for NA). I’ll once again be hosting on my EU alt, so to join you’ll want to either whisper Ashelin Falstaff for an invite or type ‘/sqjoin ashelin falstaff’ in chat to auto-join.

The second party will be on NA servers and begin at 7pm Eastern Standard Time (that’s 1am Central European Time for EU). I’ll be on my main account for this one, so to join please either whisper Naveen Sen for an invite or type ‘/sqjoin naveen sen’ in chat for that sweet auto-join action. Should there be an overflow for the NA party like last month, I’ll either rope another [VS] guildmate into hosting an overflow squad, or start shooing people who are already in the right map out of the squad to allow others to taxi in - we’ll play it by ear should the need arise!

And that’s it! Expect to see me reblogging this a few times between now and go-time, and maybe even a few times once things are rolling if any weird overflow shenanigans happen. Thanks everyone for coming out and making last month’s party such a rousing success, I can’t wait to see you all there again for yet another fun time! ♥

[tisiphonewolfe]

Writeblr Intro

Heyo!

I'm Tisiphone - or Tiss, or Tizzy, I don't mind (she/her). I mainly write SFF, but I intend to try my hand at horror and potentially espionage thrillers in the future. I also can't seem to write anything without women being very gay in the middle of it all, so I'm leaning into it.

I follow from @princessw0lf

About me:

I'm a disabled trans lesbian from the UK

What I like seeing in books? Mysteries woven through the plot that resolve satisfyingly. Characters that bounce off each other and grate against each other in interesting ways. Weird romances that don't dominate the plot, but are a key part of it. Great character development.

Favourite books? The Locked Tomb Series by Tamsyn Muir, The Unspoken Name by A.K. Larkwood, Malice by Heather Walter, The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon. And a lot of Terry Pratchett.

Fiction I probably won't enjoy? Something where the plot is purely interpersonal drama or romance with nothing interesting happening outside of it. Literary fiction. YA.

Outside of writing? By day I'm a software developer. The rest of my time is spent drawing, playing games both video and tabletop, and playing electric guitar (badly).

DMs/Asks/Tag games? Fire away!

@sam-glade is my pal and you should go check them out too!

With this blog I'm aiming to post writing updates, inspiration, and probably writing-related memes.

About my writing:

At the moment I'm primarily writing high fantasy/epic fantasy, with a view to trying out some more genres later on.

Admittedly a lot of the classic elements of western fantasy are in there, but I've been trying to get back to the mythological roots of creatures like elves, gnomes, and dwarves, and to present them as not being all white and vaguely British.

The world of The Tectomancy Saga is also, like that of my childhood writing hero Sir Terry, an odd shape. There's a reason for that, and we'll get to it eventually.

While my stories are currently third-person multi-pov stories, I intend to experiment on that at some point in the future.

My stories will probably all revolve around two things; a central mystery and a central relationship. I love a plot where you can pick at the smallest words and phrases, theorise about absolutely everything. I want to write stories where people have a thousand ideas about what the truth is, and each one of them knows there's a good chance they could be correct. I also, as a queer trans lady, want to write about sapphic relationships and include many people who are not cis.

My favourite themes to write are anti-authority, people breaking out of systems they've been trapped in for a long time, people being more important than power.

I'm definitely a plantser. I know kind of where I'm going, but let's see where the journey takes us along the way!

Finally, you can expect the tone of my writing to be trying to find that sweet spot between serious and dry humour that makes you groan, with a healthy sprinkling of subtle meme references.

Current projects below the cut

The Tectomancy Saga

On a bowl-shaped world suspended far above swirling blue mists, nine goddesses, witches, or geniuses, blessed their peoples with divine magics, then disappeared. Now, the world is decaying, tensions are rising, and people scramble to control the magics in order to shape the future.

Made with Crown and Claw

WIP Intro

High Fantasy: The classic Princess-in-a-tower-guarded-by-a-dragon story, but we see the machiantions that put her there, and what happens afterwards.

Releine Sholt is hand-picked by the heir to Tectomancy, Princess Almyra Tectus, to be her new bodyguard. The role has one ominous stipulation: nobody can ever speak to the Princess, on the threat of dire punishment.

'There was only one bed' turns out to have horrifying consequences.

Progress: Fourth draft done at 129.5k

Bound by Stone and Blood

High Fantasy: The saga continues from different perspectives, having different adventures, that will eventually conjoin.

Almyra vies for control of her kingdom. Ellimane tracks down two misfits who are being hunted by a rogue automaton. Releine visits hell. A new threat rises in the shadows of Versewelt, the decaying land.

Bitter exes who technically never dated are definitely not thinking about each other.

Progress: First draft underway at 69k

Snippets and Short Stories:

Flash Fiction Friday: On the Edge

Flash Fiction Friday: I Can't Tell

Her New Captain (Alternate Chapter)

Other

Naenia, through Murder

WIP Intro

Naenia, the reaper who is responsible for death through murder, is shellshocked when a murdered homicide detective returns to life before her eyes and promptly asks her out on a date.

Detective Carina Choudhry has an odd - very Goth - new girlfriend, who saved her from the serial killer she was on the trail of.

Progress: Complete at 46k

Fay and the Red Kite (Title pending)

Fay Orrel, a trainee mech pilot, finds that her beaten-up old training machine holds an AI that has replicated its deceased former pilot. She tries to keep the other woman secret from the PMC that owns the mech, who would be certain to wipe the AI's memories, destroying Mina forever.

Progress: Well, I wrote the prologue and some of the first chapter. Being dabbled with!

[r-rook-studio]

Writing and Rewriting Bracknell Horror

So here's a terrible secret: in 2019, hot on the heels of the original Moonlight on Roseville Beach zine, I put some notes for a little adventure called "The Bracknell Horror." I had no illusions that it was a great investigation scenario. Still, it showed off a few things about Roseville Beach, including places and people in the town as well as the queer people who lived/visited there. It went to a location inside the setting without requiring deep lore, added some jokey Easter Egg references to Lovecraft's The Whisperer in Darkness, and included some comically easy to use alien tech.

The problem was, I didn't really like it.

People at con sessions had fun, but there was nothing particularly special or interesting about the scenario itself, and any scenario would have been great in its place. Also, while I like to say Roseville Beach is a game of "horror comedy," there wasn't much actual horror here other than some Lovecraft references. That's also true of my other Roseville Beach scenario "The Haunting of Flora Bly," though the book has four more scenarios that are richer in horror potential.

But this summer, just before running it at A Weekend with Good Friends, I rewrote it. I talked about some of those rewrites on my blog just after the first run-through, but more have come up as I've continued to playtest this.

First, while the initial scenario centered around a wealthy occultist-adventurer named Simon Mathers, the revision has greatly warped him from that initial vision. In the early drafts, he was an occultist willing to give Dreamlands entities the bodies of Roseville Beach residents in return for access to the Dreamlands. In the new one, he's returning to our reality after 20+ years in the Dreamlands, hoping to find a body for himself (the temporary one he constructed is collapsing) and his two Dreamlands familiars.

In the original, the cult-like group of followers worked for Mathers and planned to keep doing so. In the new, none of them like each other, and each of them have their own reasons for working with him (and one might even try to kill him).

Third, I let some of my OSR influences show. Beyond making each of the named NPCs a faction of one, I've also added some NPC rivals (all of whom might end up becoming collaborators) who also all have their own motivations and agendas for finding out what Mathers' cult is up to.

Finally, while the original notes told GMs to pull from the PCs troubles and connections to determine who Mathers' cultists have captured, the new one includes a chance to target the PCs themselves, giving at least some of them a chance to sneak in and explore the Bracknell while the cult is setting up the ritual, adds some specific NPCs the cult targets, asking instead how the PCs and their contacts/troubles connect them with those people, giving their troubles and connections a motivation to insist on coming along whether they'll be helpful or not.

Dai Shugars, Roseville Beach's art director and visual designer, has put together some incredible maps that allowed me to spend less wordcount describing the space and more giving info on NPCs, creating news stories and book snippets that can serve as physical clues, and creating a better sense of how the Doom Clock progresses.

The text will come to Itch for slowfunding next Tuesday, and the final zine will include the adventure, pregens, new strange events that tie to this mystery, and the basic rules of play, so you can try it out even if you don't already own Moonlight on Roseville Beach. Think of it like a horror-comedy investigation version of a Fighting Fantasy Game Book, but maybe gayer.

This is my chance to draft and preview some of what's coming. You can pick up Moonlight on Roseville Beach (Itch | DriveThru | Spear Witch | IPR) and the current two-issue zine bundle (Itch | DriveThru), or just follow-along with the zine project that will get bundled up in Dim All the Lights. Or you can back our upcoming reprint and hardbacks Kickstarter!

[wicked-witch-for-hire]

Literary references in Gale's selection remarks

I. Theatrical plays (Shakespeare & Walter Scott)

- A rough tempest I will raise. - Shakespeare - Tempest, - this is a mash-up of two quotes:

In Act V, Scene 1, Prospero uses the phrasing "when first I raised the Tempest". In the same scene, he recites a soliloquy about the great works of magic he has accomplished, before finally renouncing magic altogether: " ... But this rough magic I here abjure ..."

This is an incredibly apt sentence for Gale - one can interpret this tempest as his magical capabilities or just the calamity of the orb, or even his end game choice. The whole play which begins with a shipwreck might be compared to the plot of BG3.

- What fools these mortals be. - Puck - A Midsummer Night’s Dream

- All the world's my stage and you're just a player in it. Shakespeare, again. As You Like It Link

- Oh, what a tangled Weave we web! - riff on a quote from Sir Walter Scott's play Marmion.

The original quote is "Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!"

II. Pop-cult

- Swords, meet sorcery!

This is a reference to the term "Swords & Sorcery" which was coined by F. Leiber (author of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series) in 1961. Quoting from wiki: Sword and sorcery (S&S) or heroic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. Sword and Sorcery tales eschew overarching themes of 'good vs evil' in favor of situational conflicts that often pit morally gray characters against one another to enrich themselves, or to defy tyranny.

- Gone with the Weave.

I think this is just a reference to the term "Gone with the wind" but not infamous book, lol.

- No gloom, all doom.

Riff on the popular expression "gloom & doom".

III. Religion

- Seek and you shall find me.

Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Matthew 7:7–8 "Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened.

While I don't think Gale is our Lord and Saviour, this is an interesting line. I would not be surprised if the writers had also remarked on his peculiar resemblance to someone...so I think this is an inside joke.

- Let me recite their demise.

This alludes to the custom of reciting prayers for the dying and the dead (a common practice in Abrahamic religions).

IV. D&D homages & references

- Don't make me go all Edwin Odesseiron on you.

So Edwin was a possible companion in BG1 & 2. A lawful evil red wizard of Thay. If you have seen the new movie I don't need to explain further, but for those who don't: basically Lorroakan as a companion. He greets the protagonist with this: “ Greetings. I am Edwin Odesseiron. You simians may refer to me merely as "sir" if you prefer a less... syllable-intensive workout."

Gale basically threatens to go all power-hungry wizard on us - mind, this is a funny line you can only hear if you select him in combat over and over again (spamming).

- I hope Halaster takes good care of Tara while I'm away.

Halaster Blackcloak was was a notorious, ancient, and utterly insane wizard who resided within his lair, the infamous Undermountain ( located deep beneath the city of Waterdeep) and died in 1375, so circa 120 years before BG3 takes place (late 1492). As part of his many preparations to escape death, Halaster created a number of clone-bodies to receive his consciousness, which he kept locked in protective stasis and located throughout Undermountain and the lower reaches of Waterdeep. When Halaster died prior to the Spellplague, it was possible that one or more of these clones was activated and set free by 1479 DR, although this is not confirmed.

I guess this must be a joke in wizard's circle in Waterdeep :-) This is also a spam line, so one can only hear it if they really like to click on Gale.

- Coliar, Karpri, Anadia... So many worlds still to travel. One day. (looking at the astrolabe)

Coliar, Kapri, Anadia - are all planets in the system (Realmspace). Toril is the third planet, where Faerun is. To reach these places you need to use spelljammers. Gale needs to hitch a hike from Lae'zel I guess.

[fantasyfantasygames]

Living Prism

Living Prism, Hebdomad Press, 2013

Living Prism is a modern-day game of supernatural conspiracies. You'll find a lot that's familiar here - a hidden society and low-end supernatural power in the depths of a city's underbelly - so I'm going to focus on what makes it different.

The name of the game refers to your character's ability to split themselves into multiple "facets", presumably because "rays" sounded a little weird. (I, personally, can split myself into Ray Stantz and Ray Terrill, so that's pretty awesome.) Each facet has only a fraction of your abilities and being, which doesn't sound great until you find out that you get to define which specific fractions. You can make a facet that holds your tangibility for you, letting you pass through solid matter. You can create a facet that doesn't have your sense of pain so that it can fight for you. Really, they're all you, so you're the one fighting for you, but you generally just play a gestalt self rather than individual facets. Re-merging your facets requires physical contact.

Living Prism is a Fate derivative, which I think is a great choice of system. It uses Aspects to handle the many different ways you might assemble a facet. The game encourages you to be creative but stick to low-level powers. Tucking all of your weight into a facet will not give you the ability to fly, but you might float on the wind. However, giving away the fact that you reflect light in order to become jet-black and hide in the shadows is perfectly ok. It's very much driven by GM-party consensus. Skills include Exploration, Investigation, Subterfuge, and Athletics.

Your society revolves around a strange pool of light found deep within the hidden subway tunnels of Amsterdam. The first Living Prisms were unhoused people and urban explorers some forty years ago who found the pool and were changed by it. Since then, they've worked their way into all kinds of strange situations, discovering ghosts, angels, demons, mole-men, dimensional shifters, and my personal favorite, naturally-evolved AI-like organisms that live in communications networks.

There are several factions to belong to, each with a strong central thesis that guides their actions. One of the weaknesses of the setting is that there's no good reason for these factions to work together unless it's a "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" kind of way.

Living Prism went through several incarnations before becoming what it is now. It started as WoD netbook "Digger: the Invisible", shifted drastically into modern-day Battlelords-inspired "Matrix Runner" (well before the Maze Runner books), settled back toward urban fantasy as the homebrewed "Urban Light", and finally became the Fate adaptation it is now. It's a wild journey. If you have copies of any of the earlier versions, send them my way - I'd love to review Matrix Runner, but all I have right now is memories of a long-gone tattered copy that somehow found its way into the public library.

[silver-wield]

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Review Chapter 6 & 7

Okay, this collection of posts will be filled with spoilers, including clips and screenshots, so if you don't wanna see things, then don't look. Some of the things I'm gonna highlight will include references to Remake and other sources to link with the overarching plot. This is a straight path playthrough with no sidequests or extra content.

Time to hit the beach!

But first we run into some friends. Johnny's been scammed into running a hovel of a hotel but he gives us rooms for free.

The whole Johnny bit was kinda much, but it could've been worse.

Literally can't go to the beach unless it's in the right clothes, so Cloud does a few fun activities to earn tickets and then joins sailor Barret. Boi gets in his feels over soldiers degrading and then it's time for a pov change.

As fun as all the other possible scenes are, I think this is the most plot relevant. Aerith and Red talk about the white materia, the whispers and what was stolen from her.

And then it's right back to the fun doing stuff to earn swimwear! Tifa gets to play her theme in a concert at one of the hotels and we hear how the original person ran off with their lover. You can find them both at the Cosmo Canyon hotel.

After everyone's changed, Cloud indirectly calls Tifa hot and there's some mild flustered flirting.

And then Hojo shows up. Honestly this still seems so freaking random having him lie on a lounger while girls fawn over his wrinkled skanky ass.

Eventually we hit a boss fight, and weirdly enough it's Yuffie and Johnny to the rescue!

After that comes some conversation where Tifa speaks the line in her profile.

After a night's sleep we meet Yuffie again and you can choose how to answer her a bit like her OG recruitment, but no matter what she's coming with.

And it's a trek up the mountain. Literally.

Aerith is the slowest. Literally.

The party splits into two. Yuffie, Barret and Tifa go first. Yuffie leaves drawings on the cliffs to direct us and tell us a lil story.

Yuffie winds up Barret, who yells at her and makes her cry. Tifa tells Barret off and makes him cry. They all make up and become good friends.

Anyway, while we're climbing we get a moment with Rufus, who tells off the board for letting Midgar get ruined and not stopping his crazy father from dropping the plate. The weapons are talked about briefly, but overall, Rufus has different priorities than his dad.

Then we get another interlude with Zack. Elmyra comes to take Aerith home, and Zack comes along with Cloud.

Then it's back to Mt Corel and Yuffie explains the interim government in Wutai and we see more hints about Glenn and his team.

They find a weapon in the reactor, then head to the bridge, which needs lowering. Cloud has a funny turn so it's left up to Yuffie, Tifa and Barret to do the thing.

Yuffie's level is mostly swinging and throwing her star at stuff, and culminates in a boss battle to protect three baby chocobos. There's a super cute part after where Tifa says the baby bird looks like Cloud but cute 🤭

We take a trip on a minecart with more throwing star and shooting things and reunite with the group at the bridge.

And in Corel, Barret finds a less than warm welcome.

Cloud has another funny turn. Sephiroth can't have Cloud feeling confident about Tifa having a scar, so distracts him when Tifa finds doc Sherain, who saved her life after Sephiroth's attack. He says someone from Shinra helped too, so maybe we'll find out in part three.

Barret gives us a brief history of Corel and the reactor and his part in it. We're heading into the start of one of the most emotional character arcs of the game.

If you don't cry over Barret's story you have no soul!

Honestly, Costa del Sol has always been filler material. And I seem to be saying that about a lot of chapters so far. Tbf Corel and the prison give us true meaty storytelling and Barret's arc has always been one of my faves and remains one of my faves. John nailed every line ❤️😭

[lyssala]

The Sun & The Moon: On the FFXVI Ending

Throwing my thoughts on the ending into the void.

Aka I keep seeing posts about the ending so I need to type out my thoughts to validate myself.

For reference, we played on release and did two full play throughs.

First of all, I am a happy ending person. I want desperately to find the happiness because there was so much suffering so much loss. Saving the world or not, the thought of Clive having come so close to his own happy ending, of having the family and the love he never got to have, so damn close and then still ending up dying alone on a beach leaving the people waiting for him wondering if he would ever come back to them seems so cruel.

But, Lyssa, you played XV too, and Noctis legitimately sacrificed himself in the end to save the world. You’re right, he did, and that ending still makes me ugly cry because I also didn’t think it was fair that he had to do that. The thing were XV and XVI differ is, we see Noctis in the after with Luna, in their wedding attire, finally together. It’s immensely bittersweet, but we see them at peace. We do not get that in XVI SO point by point let’s GO.

(Warning for spoilers, including character death, in other Final Fantasy games as well)

Why I Don’t Think We Can Assume Any of the Three are Dead

1. The Ancient Rule of Storytelling: No body, you say? THEY AIN’T DEAD.

Usually used when a villain “is defeated” but then they can never find a body - guess what, Luffy is going to have to beat their ass YET again. Final Fantasy has never shied away from character death. From Minwu (FFII) to Tellah (FFIV) to Aerith (FFVII) to Zack (FFVII:CC) to Haurchefant (FFXIV) to Noctis (FFXV), heck even other character death in XVI.

Dion to me is the iffiest one, and I say it with a heavy heart because I loved Dion. He fell early and he had death flags on him BUT we didn’t even see him hit the ground so I still standby that if Clive could survive falling from Origin, Dion could too.

Joshua we actually did see die, and it was terrible - both when it happened and when Clive went back to mourn his brother (again for that matter and thanks I’m crying again). The thing is, we also explicitly watch Clive use Phoenix’s power to heal Joshua. Yeah we don’t see him wake up, but literally what was the point of that action if Joshua was just gonna…you know still be dead. They could have just left him as he was. The whole purpose of showing that action, imo, was to finally give Clive the chance to save his brother, which was all he wanted for so much of his life. I don’t believe that was done as just “well you tried but he really dead, bro.” To me it was to show, no, Joshua has a chance to live the life he always wanted too.

Clive, despite all his dang death flags, is still the most secure to me because the last time we see him, he’s still alive. We know he survived the fall, we know he was conscious on the beach, we only saw the curse spread to his hand. If they really wanted to hint he would die there, we easily could have seen the curse spreading to his face. We didn’t though. He was tired, and weak but he was alive. They made an effort to show him alive. If they truly wanted an ambiguous ending they didn’t even need to show him on the beach, just showing Origin fall would be enough. They didn’t though. They showed the man alive, calling out to Jill, not as apology for breaking his promise but a “I can see the moon same as you, I’m still here.”

2. The Ding Dang Themes of the Game

We spend the whole game determined to fight fate, and while yes, fate was defeated when Ultima was defeated, because the human will won…then didn’t because the man who was determined to fight and escape those binds still ended up lost those everyone who loves him…which was part of the fate he was trying to escape? Final Fantasy games have had dark elements before, and they’ve been heartbreakingly sad. They’ve shown loss of all sorts some self sacrifice, and some because the world can be just so cruel. However, once thing Final Fantasy isn’t is loss without hope.

Noctis got to say goodbye to his best friends (yes I am crying again don’t you dare mention Stand by Me in my presence) because he knew what was coming and they knew what was coming. It gutted me, but they all knew and had come to terms with it. It was Noctis’ choice to walk in there knowing he was not coming back. Clive was not the same. He didn’t say goodbye, he said, I’m coming back. While everyone knew there was a risk which is why it was so emotional to say goodbye, he had a life he wanted to return to, one he spoke of returning to. It was never, “You’re coming back right?” And then they skirt around giving a firm answer because they just don’t know. Clive was firm about it, he was coming back, it was his will to come back and guess what won against Ultimia? You guessed it, human will.

Having Clive die alone on a beach after all of that? After all he went through and after all he still wanted? That to me is just cruel, and Final Fantasy has never been cruel. Ren also made the good point that if Clive was to die, Joshua would have fallen with him, so it ended in a reversal of beginning with Joshua watching Clive die instead of the other way around. That didn’t happen either though. He was on the beach, again, still alive (see point 1 as a reminder), additionally, if he thought he was dying, I’d imagine he’d be apologizing to Jill for breaking his promise. In fact that’s what I SWORE he was going to do, but he didn’t. His will to survive was still intact when we left him which to me fits far more with the theme of this game then dying alone on a beach.

3. The Sun and the Moon (It’s Clive and Jill, It’s Just Literally Them)

So yeah I know that the sun and moon imagery is usually used to describe star crossed lovers, never meant to be as the sun and moon rotate. The game already proved that was untrue, they were always meant to be. By all odds they survived and somehow found one another again.

Jill, the moon of course, always said it was because of her prayer to Metia, that every time she prayed for him to return to her, Metia granted her prayer. I say this as someone who grew up religious but now am not, Jill believed it I’m sure but I think it was Jill. Love has also been a huge theme in Final Fantasy, and Jill’s heart filled prayers to keep Clive safe, always had. Not necessarily because a god deemed it so (again, defying gods a huge Final Fantasy theme lol) but her complete and sincere love for Clive, that always kept him safe to come home to her. She prayed for him as he was leaving for origin, just as heart felt as she always had. Why would that fail now the time she probably desired it more than any other time? That also seems so cruel. For him to be torn from her when they were so close to finally being able to have the life they dreamed of together. What purpose does that serve? It wouldn’t except for Jill to have yet another thing in her life to break her heart and leave her to pick up the pieces. I think she would, for Clive’s memory, but again, it feels like loss for no reason but loss. Jill deserves her happy ending too.

You find out later on even more so why Jill cherished the moon, because it brought the sunrise (or you know Clive in the metaphor here) and with the sun the promise the Clive would always come for her. One he never broke. They literally went out of their way to say “the sunrise meant you’d always come for me, I know this.” It was a direct setup for the ending. It was her seeing the star she always prayed on for Clive flicker out, and in that moment I think she did lose all hope because that was the one thing she could always count on to bring him home (to which again, not a god, but her love that brought him home). She is distraught (and so was I so we have that in common LOL) but then, the sun rises, and she smiles. It’s hope. It’s her hope because Clive has never broken a promise to her, and the sunrise has always brought him to her. I have no reason to believe the sunrise didn’t bring him home to her like it always has. Not a single point in this game has given me reason to believe it so why would I?

4. They Did the Thing! The Name of the Game!

A smaller point but one none the less. I sure hope you all played every single side-quest. One particular one, leaves you with a quill to add to Clive’s wall of treasures; one with the sole purpose of when (not if) Clive puts his sword down, that he writes his story. What do we see in the after credits? Literally, a book that is telling his story. Idk how more clear they gotta be that Clive is gonna be okay (tbf I WISH they would have just told me he was gonna be okay too LOL)

Granted, Joshua Rosfield is the author to which, it really could have been him writing Clive’s story in his absence or it could have been Clive and using the name to memorialize his brother’s name. Or it could have been the both of them and they used Joshua’s name because Clive is content living his life behind the scenes. He’s never wanted attention or praise. I don’t think he ever would have used his own name.

Additionally, the ending lines that equates to as my journey ends another one begins to me never meant journey = life. His journey was over, he did what he set out to do. The new journey? Traveling the realms with his wife in a world without the burdens of magic and doing what they do best, help the people who need it.

5. Doggy Knows Best

And finally, my last point is, Torgal knows what’s up. Technically, this is Ren’s point so I give him the credit here but animals, especially Torgal who is more than just a dog (literally an Eikon himself bonded to Jill and Clive, something acknowledged in the game), know when their master is hurt or worse. We’ve seen Torgal when one of them are hurt or in danger or not coming home. Yet at the end of the game, when Jill is absolutely breaking Torgal simply howls.

You know where else he did that? When he was trying to find Clive after Phoenix Gate and he would sit and howl. They were already bonded, he knew Clive (and Jill) were alive but he didn’t know where so he howled for his people until he could find them. It’s the same thing he does at the end of the game. He knows Clive is alive out there, and they are just separated but they’ll find another again because just like Jill, Torgal has no reason to believe otherwise.

And honestly I’m going to believe the dog.

Final Thoughts…For Now Cause I Always Have Thoughts its the ADHD

If you read all this, I hope it brought you some peace <3 I don’t believe a cop out everyone died ending is indicative to the wonderful storytelling this team has brought us in FFXIV. If anything, it reminds me of the ending of A Realm Reborn when you are convinced all the Scions are dead and then ope nope they’re fine just scattered and we’ll find them yeah SOUND FAMILIAR LOL I think they left it open to let people come to their own conclusions but in my heart of hearts I believe they had no intention to let Clive die on that beach because nothing in the story leads me to that conclusion.

If they try to tell me otherwise, well then I’ll go full denial LOL but unless Yoshi-P calls me up and says girl stop you’re wrong, I’ll continue to push my Clive finally gets his happy ending and travels the realms with Jill like he promised her <3 (ONE MORE THING: why the heck would they have Jill just be like mmmm think I wanna leave this realm when its over, lets see the world if they had no future content planned YOU CAN’T FOOL ME she could have easily said anything but she said something that would directly give us more content okay I’m done lol)

[igniting-quill]

6 10 and 16 for the oc ask game! any character

Great Questions! I’m going to switch up the characters for this one because some of them will be boring if I just stick with one.

6. Is there any significance behind their eye color?

I answer this question with Émilie Eye, my D&D character for @silly-goofy-mood‘s survival campaign.

For Émilie, not necessarily? She’s got brown eyes naturally, but because blue contacts exist, she wears those and presents as someone as blue eyes. So there’s a part of me being like NEARSIGHTEDNESS IN FANTASY MEDIA LETS GOOO, and c’mon Émilie, you really had to do us brown eyed people like that huh.

The Orange eye is that way because it’s the colors of her Patron, Chegg, which is based on the “educational” company behind many a college (and high school) plagiarism/cheating scandal LOL. I don’t think it’s orange most of the time,  just when she casts spells and uses aspects of her Warlock power.

I have yet to play this character. We’ll see if anything changes about this!

10. If they have an LI, how much of their character is tailored to be compatible to that person?

I answer this question with Luxury Quartz, my D&D character for @theccrowsnest‘s WAAX college campaign.

Lux had not just one, but two love interests in this campaign. One was the toxic abusive boyfriend, Vaughn Morelli, and one was the true end game lover, Angel.

I thought mostly about Lux’s relationship with Vaughn, so yes, she was incredibly tailored to Vaughn. The incredible emphasis Lux puts on looks/appearance (especially as someone who works and theater and wants to be a performer) and finding Vaughn hella attractive for example. Also, Lux kinda going hand in hand with being a performer as Vaughn’s significant other.

Also! I wanted to make a thing about beauty causing you to be doomed (especially if you’re fem presenting). I was watching D20′s Neverafter when I was creating Lux’s concept, and that was a huge thing that got me thinking about fairytales and how oftentimes the “pretty woman” is the one everyone is jealous of, pursued without concent, etc. etc.

Additionally, I researched a bit into some toxic couples in media so I based Lux a little off of Maddy from Euphoria: someone who seemingly has a lot of power and control while simultaneously being powerless to a toxic partner.

There’s more that’s all I remember off the top of my head.

16. What is something about your OC can make you cry?

This is gonna be weird, but I’m going to choose Damien Wang from the masks campaign. This character is heavily based off of Damian Wayne from DC, which I have never consumed any canon media of! I already pinged crow, same DM from the prev question.

I’m still crafting this characters backstory, but I have things I want to talk about!

The first thing: what does it mean to be a child assassin and brought out into the real world? You have been used to dehumanizing people your whole life, trusting only yourself and your crew. Now, you’re a kid that has to... socialize? Make friends? Behave “normally” while making references to things you’ve never known about until now? I had this idea for a fic I have yet to write of just... Damien playing Animal Crossing and learning about what it means to have neighbors and a community, especially in a scenario where those no game mechanic to kill any of them. Some people annoy him sure. But also, he’s just, sobbing when someone moves out for the first time.

The second thing, I wanted to talk about a story of loss: losing your heritage, losing your friends, and losing your purpose? These are things that happen when he leaves the cult, also known as the Assassin’s Secret Society.

Heritage: is on Damien losing his language, his culture, and his Chinese mother (who is still part of the cult-like society). Friends: is losing on all the fellow child assassins and members of this society. And finally purpose: when you’re in that mindset you have a goal, get the most kills. Now, what can Damien do? Homework? School? Games maybe, but it all feels aimless.

And maybe that’s why he’s so goddamn angry all the time, you little gremlin.

[lumeha]

@eiriee (a beautiful new post for you)

My confusion did indeed come from the fact that the very simply titled Fire Emblem on the GBA is FE7, and more comonly referred to as Fire Emblem Blazing Blade now (thanks to FE Heroes, the mobile game). And, uh, Fire Emblem First Of Its Name (Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light) is (was ?) also available on Switch and somehow my brain went "yeah of course this is totally about FE1", having apparently forgotten that FE7 is. just. named. Fire Emblem. in the West

'cause it's the first game we ever got !

And it was also my first ever Fire Emblem !

With this out of the way...

Do you like strategy ? Do you like cool pixel art ? Do you like a story that is a lot more personal in scope than the usual fantasy story ? If yes, then Fire Emblem is the game for YOU !

... More seriously, Fire Emblem GBA was my first introduction to Fire Emblem as games, and despite some potential criticism of the changes to Lyn's Story, it makes for a great introduction to the game and how it works. In the Western version, the game forces you to go through Lyn's Story as an easy mode tutorial, to teach you the ropes through her personal quest after she finds you, tactician, just. yeah. you were out there. She had to help you. And you decide to help her when you get attacked by bandits.

And that tutorial does give you all the tools you will need to play the game, when, once you are done with Lyn's story, you get introduced to Eliwood, main Lord of the game. And once you've done that, you can go through the story from another point of view, with Hector's mode. Which is a huge plus for me - Hector's mode is harder than Eliwood's, but they didn't just decide to give you the same old, same old - there are a lot of scenes that reveal more of what happened in the story, things you didn't get to see during Eliwood's side of the game.

So you get one really well made tutorial, especially if you don't know how Fire Emblem works as a game (only downside is that it's not skippable for people who know how that all works), and then you get two versions of the same story, from different point of views, with a cool difficulty slide. I like that personally ! that really grabbed me !

An interesting thing about Fire Emblem Blazing Blade, to me, and something that absolutely grabbed me as a teen, is that while the story does end up having beats of saving the world... it is not as grandiose as most of these stories. It starts about a son searching for his father, and it always stays somewhat in the shadows, partly because FE7 is the prequel to FE6 and its much more open war. People just kind of. Don't know what happened. And I think that's compelling.

Another cool feature you can enjoy with FE7 : having so many little guys and gals to pick from and become obsessed with. While most characters don't get a lot of dialogue, you can and will find Your Special Boy Or Guy (mine's Kent he's a boring stick in the mud and yet I love him <3 but also shout out to Renault and Vaida). Fire Emblem is often known for its support system, that allows unit to build relations and let you get fun dialogue between those units, and it has always been one of my favourite feature ! and I really like the FE7 cast and the supports ! Having so many guys and gals to pick from is just a plus for me :D

And finally : ... a bit like the point I made about NES FE, I have to say, but... it's worth checking FE7 just for the pixel art. I find myself loving it, not only because it's really pretty, and I think there's a lot of reason why people make GBA FE Style pixel art, but also because it's a genuine asset for the game as a strategy game. I always find it really easy to read and a really solid asset for the gameplay : the maps can be large, but it's usually easy to spot ennemy units VS your own, and get a sense of what's going on where !

... and yes, the game makes the calculations before combat for you, unlike FE1, which definitely makes it easier to play and find your own favoured strategy :D

So... I hope I've sold you on it ?

[awritingcaitlin]

About me!

My name is Caitlin! I love cats, and they're my writing buddies often. When I'm not writing, I'm curating one of dozens of playlists, making aesthetics for my WIPs, or playing a video game. Currently it's still Tears of the Kingdom because there's just so much to do!

More under the cut!

I've been writing since sometime in elementary school. I completed my first manuscript in high school (a YA magic school novel) and tried to query it. It did not go over well, largely because I didn't actually edit it! (But also because I was floundering with no idea what I was doing with subgenres, similar titles, if my opening pages were the issue, if the query was the issue, if the agent I queried actually repped that category and genre... etc.) (Do not be me.) I may one day return to it, but for now I'm content to let that one stay on the shelf.

I ended up burning myself up over the project unfortunately. After that, I was in college where most of my writing was fanfiction for one of five different fandoms. (Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasies 7 and 8, Dragon Age, and Undertale.) I did NaNo a couple of stories, but never actually made it as far as querying again until much later.

Currently, my co-writer and I are revising an adult epic fantasy about marines on a mission, magical brainwashing, and a sorceress who walks the line between trying to stop the religious fanatics but also not painting a target on her back.

I had been trying to revise that alongside my fantasy heist novel, but there's too many different plotlines (not to mention characters that are in both but 5 years removed from each other) to keep track of for that to work. I can do edits and draft at the same time, but I can't draft two things at the same time unless they're a different genre. Or heavily revise two things at the same time.

I first dipped my toes into writing in elementary school. I would take composition notebooks lying around the house and fill them with stories. I vividly remember my first written story about two girls from a medieval time who got sent to the present day, but they kept trying to go back in time so they could save their mom. I've since lost that composition notebook, but if I ever wanted to rewrite that based on vibes alone I probably could.

My mom always supported me and wanted to read what I wrote. It was really easy to share stuff with her as a kid and a teenager who didn't feel particularly embarrassed about my work. Even as an adult, writing adult books with adult themes, I kind of just go "fuck it." She's an adult, who makes her own choices.

I've always been drawn to writing fantasy. I love the appeal of swords and magic (mostly magic.) I like writing epic motifs where the characters are up against seemingly impossible odds and are able to overcome. I like interweaving "real world" issues into fantasy too. Because queerness and disability is not something that only exists IRL.

I love writing characters who are bigger than themselves - people who find their magic spark; people who rise to the challenge; power so deep it's barely understandable but people try anyway; a pantheon of gods who doesn't know what they're doing and end up as characters in their own right. I love weaving in storylines, making connections, dropping in references. Etc.

I am really good at dialogue. I love writing it and it shows. Exploring how characters interact with each other is honestly one of my favorite things to do and dialogue is one of the biggest extensions of that.

To be honest, sometimes, all I have is dialogue that I throw up on a page and have to fill it out with actions and descriptions later. Sometimes, it all comes at once. A lot of it depends on where I am when the dialogue strikes me. If I'm on a bike ride or in the shower, I'll get a back-and-forth dialogue in a vacuum that I have to flesh out. This can also happen when I'm on the computer, but usually, if the dialogue is coming to me while I'm already at my computer, it's also coming with actions.

As far as outlining and researching goes, I usually start drafting and then come up with an outline of where I want it to go or plot points I want to include. At one point, I did an entire zero draft for a YA contemporary, which contributed to me writing 80k in five weeks. Still not 100% sure how I manged that in the end. But, for the most part, I have an outline that I'm drafting from, then I get a shiny idea and work to include it, so I adjust my outline and begin writing again... and then this process repeats near-on indefinitely until the end of the book. So my project folders start looking like this:

I'm one of those people though who, more often than not, will come up against a question I have while drafting, and be unable to continue until I've answered the question. I probably should get better about putting notes in brackets or footnotes and coming back to it, but at the same time, I don't think it's terribly detrimental to my process to take an evening off as a research evening. I've learned some pretty interesting stuff this way. (That said! I'm better about footnotes this current draft as me and my co-writer figure things out.)

One of the best things about writing is when I have readers telling me that they loved it. Or that they laughed. Or that they felt things. I might enjoy drinking readers' tears as they tell me I'm a terrible person for doing horrible things to their favorite character.

Writing scratches that creative itch. It makes me feel whole and complete. On the flip side, when I'm having trouble writing because of real life... I feel upset and anxious.

If I could manifest anything into the publishing world, it's a nine-book series out of this with spinoffs to expand the world indefinitely. (Why worldbuild more than once?) It might not be the most feasible thing ever, but I can dream.

If you've made it this far, have some writing advice. Which is basically... find what advice works for you and do that. Also, what works for you might not work in six months. Don't be afraid to change it up. If writing 2k words a day is super feasible because you cleared the whole month of November, great! But come December if you're feeling burnt out, it's okay to only write 100 words a day... or even take a break altogether and let your creative juices refill. If writing in the mornings works great in the summer but writing in the afternoons is better in the winter, do that! You, the writer, the creator, is more important than some arbitrary goal. (Unless you have a contracted deadline, in which case, may all the motivation be at your disposal!)

[twistedtummies2]

Top 12 Goblins

Apparently, last week on Tumblr was “Goblin Week.” I…didn’t even know that was a thing, hence why this post is so belated. XD However, once I learned that fact, I thought it would be fun to do a little list related to the little devils. Goblins are one of the most omnipresent and perennial magical races in all of folklore and fantasy; if you’re making some kind of fairy-tale or fantasy universe, it’s practically a requirement that one includes goblins somewhere. But, like many other such beings of fiction, goblins are something that can change from writer to writer, and artist to artist. Sometimes they are cunning and shifty tricksters, otherwise they are dull-witted near-feral brutes; sometimes they are nasty and nefarious, other times they’re actually not that bad. I’ve always liked seeing how goblins are reinterpreted for different worlds and stories, so…for really no reason, I decided, what the heck? Let’s cover some of my favorites!

Now, before I start this list, I just want to say that there will be some rather well-known and popular forms of goblins NOT included here, such as the ones from games like “Dungeons & Dragons,” or the Final Fantasy franchise, not to mention the anime “Goblin Slayer.” Why, you may ask? Very simply, because I don’t really know much about the goblins in any of those universes, and that, in turn, is because I’m just not very familiar with any of those franchises, in general. So my apologies to anybody who takes a peek at this countdown and feels disappointed those options are not listed here. With that said, these goblins can come from just about anywhere: movies, video games, books, comics, the list goes on. So allow me to show you some of my favorites! These are My Top 12 Goblins!

12. Babes in Toyland (1997).

It is mostly stubborn nostalgia (and a very minor kink crush on the Goblin King, pictured above) that gets these goblins on the list. The 1997 animated version of “Babes in Toyland” is a rather “meh” outing, altogether; not the worst thing in the world, but nothing all that special on the whole, either. In multiple versions of the “Babes in Toyland” story (which changes with just about every retelling), the main villain - Barnaby the Crooked Man - joins forces with a group of dark monsters in the climax, leading to a grand battle as the man-eating beasts attack Toyland, planning to devour every man, woman, child, and sentient cookie or action figure there. In the 1934 film, these monsters were called “Bogeymen.” In 1986, they were called “Trolls.” In the 1997 version, these gluttonous, predatory demons are referred to as “Goblins.” They live in the Goblin Wood, not so far beyond Toyland, and those who enter their domain never return as they are “gobble-ined up” by the hungry beasts. Their king is a powerful, massive, muscular monster with a deep, mighty voice, who longs to find a way to bring his fellow goblins to the magical land for a TRUE feast…however, due to an enchantment of some sort, the goblins can only enter Toyland if they are invited by one of its own residents, which is where Barnaby’s help comes into play. The goblins in this universe are allergic to some forms of light, which can melt them much the way water can melt certain Wicked Witches. I say “some” because sunlight, flashlights, and other such things hurt them…buuuut apparently fire is nothing to them at all. Like I said, this movie isn’t exactly the greatest ever, but I have fond memories of it, and these goblins have always stuck with me.

11. Spiderwick Chronicles.

In both the book series and the film adaptation, Goblins are frequent, pesky antagonists. Carnivorous, treacherous beasts that resemble something of a cross between a toad and a cat, they appear in several stories in various roles…basically all of them evil. Perhaps the most infamous of goblins is Wormrat: the second-in-command to the beastly ogre Mulgarath. Wormrat is a Redcap: a particularly intelligent and nasty breed of Goblin distinguished by their blood-colored headwear. Wormrat has a fairly minor role in the books, but is a major player in the film adaptation, being the secondary antagonist after Mulgarath himself. In the movie he is played by an uncredited Ron Perlman, who, needless to say, brings a lot of fun and ferocity to the vicious Goblin General.

10. Tales of Arcadia.

In this franchise, made up of three separate series - Trollhunters, 3Below, and Wizards (along with a TV movie) - Goblins are the lesser minions of the evil Gumm-Gumms: man-eating trolls who wish to turn the entire world into their personal buffet. Goblins are just as carnivorous, but thankfully, these little devils are nowhere near as large, nor as clever. This, however, does not necessarily make them less dangerous, as goblins are both very fast, and always come in hordes. They rely heavily on strength in numbers, the head goblin in a group - humorously enough - marking their status with a phony moustache. Goblins are formed in bunches from a strange, green gooey substance, and have a strong familial core. Not only are they usually chosen by greater beings to nurture human babies replaced for Changelings (a job they seem more than happy to undertake), but if one goblin is killed - ESPECIALLY the leader - they will not rest until they have literally ripped apart the person or device they believe to be responsible. Goblins can be funny, but one should never underestimate them; they are attracted to the smell of fear, which apparently they find quite appetizing...and while some trolls may be big enough to swallow you whole, you can be certain goblins will be nowhere near as easy in their feeding.

9. That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime.

Throughout this wonderful anime (and the light novels it is based upon), Goblins are a near-constant presence, and they are really the ones who seem to solidify one of the major themes of this series’ story: “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Many of the races and creatures our main character, Rimuru, encounters are ones you would typically expect to be unpleasant or dangerous creatures, such as orcs, ogres, dire wolves, dragons, and demons. However, while there are bad eggs in every bunch, it’s made clear that no one race is totally wicked, anymore than any one race can be totally good. One need look no further for this example than with the goblins and hobgoblins who inhabit the Goblin Village, which is where our story really properly starts and where most of it is ultimately based around. The goblins here are just simple forest folk who simply try to eek by and survive; they’re really not awful creatures, and in fact become the first allies, even a family, to our main character. Some of them, such as Elder Rigurd, his son, Rigur, and the young Gobta are all major players in the series, and it’s always fun seeing them interact with Rimuru and the other main members of the cast.

8. Sly & Gobbo from Noddy.

In direct contrast to the previous options, Sly and Gobbo are about as stereotypical as Goblins get. These twin menaces are the main antagonists of the “Noddy” series: a UK-born children’s franchise that talks about the adventures of a living bobblehead doll, Noddy, and his friends in the charming little world of Toyland (no, not THAT Toyland, we talked about that earlier). Sly and Gobbo - who live in the Goblin Woods (not THAT Goblin Woods, frankly that’s a very overused phrase) - are a couple of fiendish mischief-makers who are always up to no good, causing chaos for Noddy and his friends. They are the sworn nemeses of the local constable, Mr. Plod, and while they’re more a couple of muckle nuisances than TRULY evil, they’re still as sneaky and tricky as goblins can ever be. Gobbo - the one with the long nose - is the brains of the operation, while Sly - the one in yellow - is a dullard who can barely tie his shoes; their interactions are a lot of fun. I used to watch Noddy a lot growing up, and I have very lovely memories of these two goofy pranksters. It’s not enough to land them higher in the ranks, but they’re definitely deserving of some praise.

7. The Harry Potter Series.

While Goblins are a mainstay race in the Harry Potter universe, generally speaking, they don’t really DO much. At least, not within the core canon of the books and films alike. Goblins are here depicted as the masters of the Gringotts Wizard Bank, and they take their work VERY seriously. They’re described as being very clever creatures, especially when it comes to matters of money and metalworking; they not only guard the accounts and vaults at Gringotts, but they are the ones who actively make the money itself. However, for these same reasons, goblins are not always especially trustworthy beings. They can be ruthless, treacherous, and extremely selfish. Part of this comes from the sort of backhanded philosophy goblins have when it comes to their work: in their minds, they make the money, so it SHOULD belong to them, not to the people it’s being provided for. Naturally, others don’t quite share this viewpoint. The result is that dealing with goblins is always a tightrope walk: they’ll do their job, and do it with pride, and you can be darn sure your money and your assets will be secure…but do anything to cause them trouble, or give them any reason to turn against you, and they will happily (and possibly literally) stab you in the back. The only reason these goblins aren’t higher on the list is simply because, again, they don’t really do a whole lot; the most notable goblin in the series is Griphook, a minor character in the early stories who later became an antagonistic presence in the last installment. Griphook is a wonderfully wicked goblin, but even with him there’s not a whole lot to say.

6. Blix & Pox, from Legend.

“Legend” is one of my favorite 1980s-era fantasy films, and a big part of the reason why comes from its villains. Not only do you get Tim Curry as the Devil himself, here referred to as the Lord of Darkness (or, more simply, “Darkness”), but you also get a few nasty goblins as his chief henchmen. One of them is named Blunder, who later turns out to not ACTUALLY be a goblin at all, but a dwarf who - for some not-fully-explained reason - disguised himself as a goblin. (I never really understood what was going on there, to be honest.) The other two henchmen, however, are pureblood goblins through and through. First, there’s Blix, played by Alice Playten, whom Darkness refers to as “the most loathsome of [his] goblins,” with a heart that is “black, and full of hate.” Blix is a typical goblin, with green skin, a long nose, and pointed ears; his voice is a snide cackle, and he loves to speak in rhyme. Joining him is the less typical Pox, a dunderheaded buffoon who resembles an anthropomorphic pig, In a way, I see these two as sort of the darker, more adult versions of Sly and Gobbo: similar relationship, but much nastier in comparison. The only downside to both these characters - and especially Blix - is taht, about halfway through the film, they just…sort of disappear. Despite really being the secondary antagonists after Darkness, and being responsible for a lot of the bad things that happen in the first half, their story just doesn’t get any real closure. Apparently, there WERE plans for Blix and Pox to reappear in the final act of the film, but those fell through the proverbial roof. A pity, really.

5. The Princess & the Goblin.

Widely considered one of the most influential fantasy novels of all time, George MacDonald’s “The Princess and the Goblin” is the cornerstone of many modern goblin stories and portrayals. The tale takes place in a mountain kingdom, where a band of troublemaking Goblins have been banished to the depths of an ancient mine. Determined to get revenge, they formulate a devilish plan to kidnap the Princess Irene (who shall be forced to marry the Goblin Prince) and flood the castle of her father. It is only through the cleverness of a young, miner called Curdie that the goblins are foiled in their crooked schemes. The Goblins in the story are depicted as being an odd mix of both clever and rather dim. They are smart enough to come up with rather elaborate traps and plans, but in direct confrontation, they are not quite as dangerous, and rely largely on their sheer numbers to overwhelm their foes. While the story is mostly a comedic fairy-tale, it does have a few dark moments, as well as many absurd, bizarre moments, which have been likened to the nonsense of Lewis Carroll’s “Alice” stories. The story was adapted into an animated film by UK animation company Cosgrove Hall in 1994. The movie featured several notable English actors and comedians of the time, including Rik Mayall as the Goblin Prince. I only saw this movie once when I was very young, and remember little of it; I’m not sure of the reputation it has, but I do know that the film was a box office failure. This may at least in part be due to the fact that it came out around the same time as Disney’s epic “The Lion King.” Whatever the state of the film, the book is a classic for a reason, and is just as amusing and entertaining a read today as it was years ago.

4. The Goblin Wood.

While not as popular as The Spiderwick Chronicles or the Harry Potter series, “The Goblin Wood” by Hilari Bell is nevertheless an exciting and slightly morbid story that lovers of fantasy (and obviously goblins) should definitely read. The story focuses on a young but generally good-hearted witch called Makenna. After her mother is killed by suspicious townsfolk, Makenna first floods the town in vengeance, then goes into hiding. While seeking shelter in the woods, she encounters a pack of goblins, among them a particularly grouchy little scoundrel called Cogswhallop. After sparing his life, she accidentally ends up forcing him into a life-debt to her (which, for the record, leads to one of my favorite curses ever, as Cogswhallop shouts “May your children be devoured by ducks!” in frustration), and the two begin to form an unsteady bond of friendship that grows closer over the course of the story, as it is revealed that the church is planning to wipe out all “unholy” magic from the land, and that the roving goblins who live in the forest are next on the papalcy’s hitlist. Makenna thus joins forces with Cogswhallop and his people, as they begin to form a rebellion to knock the church down a peg. Cogswhallop and the other goblins are a lot of fun; while they can be vicious little blighters, they are by no means villainous. They’re a bit like the ones from “Reincarnated as a Slime,” except with more “bite,” so to speak. Makenna is a fun heroine, too, and the other characters are all engaging, if sometimes on the simple side. Apparently the first book was so popular it led to two sequels, becoming a trilogy simply called “The Goblin Books.” I have yet to read the second and third book of the series as I type this, but if they are anything as good and as interesting as the first, I can safely say it won’t be too long before I pick them up…

3. Green Goblin & Hobgoblin, from Spider-Man.

I actually might have given these characters the number one slot, except that (unless you count the Ultimate universe), they aren’t TECHNICALLY real goblins. Instead, these are a couple of supervillains with a sort of goblin theme. The Green Goblin, of course, is Spider-Man’s infamous arch-nemesis; the identity was first adopted by Norman Osborn, a scientist and industrialist who developed a dark and deranged alter-ego while experimenting with unstable chemicals. Other Green Goblins would follow in his stead, including his own son, Harry; Peter Parker’s best friend who would eventually redeem himself by sacrificing his own life trying to save the people he cared for most. The legacy would continue further with the mysterious Hobgoblin: a brand new villain with similar abilities whose long-running career of crime was filled with numerous twists and turns, as Spidey tried to figure out who the Hobgoblin truly was beneath his hood and mask. The culprit turned out to be the power-hungry Roderick Kingsley, who adapted Osborn’s gear and methods for his own evil ends. Both are classic Spider-Man villains with large fanbases, and while they may not be ACTUAL goblins (at least not typically speaking), it’s hard to think of the word “goblin” or “hobgoblin” and NOT think of these two. For that reason above all else, they’ve earned their right to a spot in the top three.

2. The Lord of the Rings Series.

Alongside “The Princess & the Goblin,” perhaps no other take on goblins out there has been as influential as J.R.R. Tolkien’s versions of the nasty brutes. Alternately referred to as both “Orcs” and “Goblins,” these are very different creatures from most takes on the fairy-tale beings that came before them. And yes, before you Tolkien fans start yammering at me, I know that goblins and orcs are TECHNICALLY two different races, but…let’s not be pedantic, okay? They are basically the same thing, and I’ll get to that in a bit here, as it is. ANYWAY…goblins, prior to this were often described as fairly small beings. The typical depiction of goblins as long-nosed, pointed eared little rascals we see in so many versions was a long-standing tradition of much folklore and fantasy up to that time. Tolkien completely shattered that image, transforming the goblins into monstrous beings that were more like ogres than evil elves (though, apparently, elves and goblins are somehow related races). These burly, man-eating monsters were not very bright in most things, but were extremely skilled in the arts of violence, war, and torture. Middle-Earth seems to be crawling with these hideous monsters. They constantly pop up to torment our heroes by the thousands in the books, and in various factions; from the Goblins who live in various underground reaches, to the warg-riding Orcs who march from Mordor, to the Uruk-Hai; essentially man-made “Frankenstein Orcs” who serve the evil wizard Saruman. The dull but war-loving Goblins found in many video games, RPGs, and even some cartoons and comics nowadays probably owe much more to Tolkien’s cruel and ever-hungry monsters than to the scheming imps of MacDonald and earlier storytellers. These are “buff type goblins” at their most elemental.

1. Labyrinth.

No, the magnificence of the late, great David Bowie as Jareth the Goblin King is NOT the only reason. Of course, it is a major, MAJOR part of why this movie takes the top billing, but it is not the only reason. Containing some surprisingly subtle coming-of-age-story subtext, this cult classic fantasy film tells the absurd fairy-tale of a teenage girl named Sarah Williams, who ends up accidentally getting her baby brother kidnapped by Jareth the Goblin King and his monstrous minions. Jareth challenges her to get through his mystical labyrinth to reach the center of the Goblin City. If she can face him there by a certain time, she may have a chance to save her brother, before Jareth transforms him into one of his goblin goons. Thus Sarah embarks on her whimsical adventure, while Jareth and his goblins, along with many other obstacles, seek to impede her progress with all sorts of traps and puzzles. Though not especially well-received when it came out, the film has since been hailed as one of the best fantasy films to come out of the 1980s, and is widely regarded as one of the best works of many of the people involved in it, including Jim Henson, George Lucas, and of course David Bowie as the central antagonist. It’s never explained in the film why Jareth is so drastically different from the other goblins, but he lives a rather lonely existence, and appears to have a rather odd and sometimes chilling love-hate relationship with Sarah. Exactly what Jareth REALLY wants, as well as what he might represent, is left up to interpretation, but one thing’s for sure: he’s easily one of the most fascinating and fun villains of any film, period. The other goblins in the film are fun, too; all handled through masterful costuming and puppetwork, they have certain similar attributes, but also have a lot of variety in their designs. While perhaps not as influential on other interpretations of goblins, the way MacDonald’s or Tolkien’s have been, they are nevertheless unique and fantastic, and with Jareth at the head of their devilish band, it’s no surprise why Bowie and his little imps from Labyrinth take the top spot as My Favorite Goblins. Case closed.

[mrslittletall]

Well, here are my thoughts for Final Fantasy 14 Endwalker, so of course there will be spoilers for people who still want to play this game or are in the middle of it. First, I got told that the expansion was meant to be two but thanks to Covid got condensed into one and wow, you can FEEL that. I still don't think the expansion is bad, but it doesn't reach Heavensward or Shadowbringers and I think even the story of Stormblood is more coherent. Now, let's get into the different zones. I thought the expansion started a bit slow, with us going to Thavnair and the Labyrinthos. Thavnair at least had the goal with the talismans but Labyrinthos was pretty much "Hurr durr, the council is up to something but we won't find out what." At least we had the hilarious "Estinien is bad with money" scene and the thought of him having to take care of three very motionsick friends was fantastic. I also had a good laugh at Urianger just collapsing xD Okay, after we got the introduction out of the way, it was time for Garlemald. Wait what, already?! We had like one tower dungeon and we are already going against the big one? Yeah, that is where it is obvious they had to condense the story. The whole thing with the towers could have been its own expansion and end with a final boss against Zodiark and then they could have used another expansion for the Dynamis stuff. More on that later. Garlemald was... difficult. Mostly because of how close to home it hit. The garleans are pretty much fascists and well, I am German. It always stings to be reminded of the crimes of our past. However, I also figured that the garleans are kinda brainwashed and that the rift between Garlemald and Eorzea is just that high. It felt pretty powerful honestly. And then got ruined by Alphinaud and Alisaie being completely ooc! Like when the legatus asked us "Why don't accept garlean rule?" all my thoughts flashed to Stormblood, to Fordola and to Yotsuyu and what garlean rule means. Of course it can be argued that the twins just thought it was just pointless to discuss, but they looked like they legit thought Quintus had a point and I really really wanted them to at least say something. For Alisaie to go "Damn you, I have seen what garlean rule does" and for Alphinaud to stop her. Or for our WoL to have a little chance to say something and even if it was just "angry glare." And I also think the character of Jullus was underused. Yeah, you can feel in the Garlemald part that the story was condensed. We then go fight Anima as a dungeon boss instead of a trial. It was a damn good dungeon boss, but having freaking Anima as dungeon boss felt really bitter. And then the whole thing gets cosmic and we hit the moon. The moon had massive nostalgia, but it felt pretty stretched out to be honest. I figured out in five minutes that Sharlayan helps the Lopporit and well, there was not a big reveal or anything, it was played completely straightforward and I don't know... Oh forgot about Zodiark. Great trial, felt a bit anti-climactic. Nuff said. I liked the optional quests there though. The Lopporit are kinda wholesome and I loved how much they tried despite failing a lot. I also ate the blue carrot and got a reference to Douglas Adams which came back in the very last zone! Amazing! Then we had the second half of Thavnair. That was fire actually with the apocalypse and all! I also liked how the weather reflected it and how the theme was "Don't give into despair" but of course it was a violent cycle. I liked this part. Okay, so Elpis. First thing first, I don't consider the time travel to be a copout. It was clear it was difficult, there was no chance it would work and we wouldn't be able to save the source of the first final days.

And then... freaking Emet-Selch and Hythlodaeus in their original Ascian form! Fanservice? Yeah sure, but I don't mind it, Emet-Selch was fantastic here and I loved loved trolling him. Seriously, speak to him each time he just stands around, it is glorious ^^ I also liked to see the world of the Ascians and what and how they were. Meeting Hermes and Meteion... and the puzzle slowly being set together. Honestly, I think Elpis had the exact amount of time it needed to set up and let you figure out what the final days really are. And I had to do the dungeon with trusts and I don't regret it ^^ Loved that they discussed the second boss as if it was their work. However, that Venat solo duty?! Too difficult! I had to put it on very easy and I STILL struggled. Sure, I am not a pro at playing my class, but I at least can get enemies down in proper time and do my part in dealing DPS in trials and dungeons. The orb phase was just cruel and evil, they should nerve that. Even on very easy Venat got to like 67 % and people who bested it in normal said she is getting to 87 %. And that means they couldn't beat like 8 or 9 orbs. Yeah, that is a lot. So, we are done with Elpis, we know the truth and honestly, I don't think Meteion was pulled as the villain out of the ass. She had a proper build-up and it was more a concept. EW made this very clear. Hope vs. nihilism kinda. The second part of Labyrinthos was.... not good. That they changed the upbeat normal music with a song that felt like powering up and we had to listen to it on loop was annoying and it felt so stretched out... I agree with the people who hate the quest where you have to find eight scholars with fakes thrown in. Uuugh... I liked the dungeon there though. And I died a lot in the Hydealin trial.. sorry for failing you Venat. And then... Ultima Thule. I enjoyed this part, especially how the music was building up. However, after the second scion "sacrificed" themselves, I was figuring out it was a fake and they would be back. It still made me feel, so much that at the end I told the twins to not do it! Not you too! Because sure, I, the player, could see what was coming, but my character has no guarantee they come back... I liked the three civilizations on Ultima Thule and what happened to them. The Ea were especially interesting and apparently their truth is a truth for us as well? Eh, I don't think we should just sit and wait for the end and besides, I want to die one day. I want to live a good life and then go when it is my time until I can live another life, even though I won't remember this one. Then the trial. It was a fine one, but I was more touched by the cutscene after that. "Let's go home, Meteion." Just a child having to search for an answer that was too much for her... at least we could give her a flower. And that Zenos solo duty? It felt a bit like "Oh wait, Zenos was there, wasn't he?" At least the fight against him was amazing and not as frustrating and difficult as Venat's. I had fun dodging all his attacks and fight him to the death and even though at the end it was a simple fist fight, as a monk main I had to laugh. I am still good without weapons! Hm, now I forgot to talk about the Dynamis. I kinda liked the concept of "hopes and feelings" as energy. And that is what I think they could have used as a whole expansion. It could have started with the final days happening and then travelling to Elpis and it could have been... more.

But meh, I won't complain too much. I enjoyed the story still. The music in this? I actually prefer the zone music of Shadowbringers. Not that it was bad, but it didn't have the same impact as Raktika or Ahn Areng. The battle music however, THAT was fire and a lot better than Shadowbringers which was too samey. I really liked the dungeon mid-boss and final boss themes and the trial songs and the solo duty songs. Okay, I think that was it. Feel free to ask questions or give your own opinion. If I would have to rate the expansions and ARR, I would go like this... A Realm Reborn Stormblood Endwalker Heavensward Shadowbringers (pure perfection)

[thetoxicgamer]

Alan Wake 2’s gameplay demo is a complete mind f*ck

Alan Wake seems like someone I know. actually, truly know him. As a result of that realization, I get a vaguely uneasy feeling that I'm a member of some sort of exclusive club. It seems too personal. In the first Alan Wake, I didn’t feel a particular connection to the brooding, troubled writer. He felt like a stereotype come to life, but his mission to find his wife and unravel the mysteries of Bright Falls clearly had an impact. It subtly laid the foundations for the sequel and let me into Alan’s psyche in a way that pays off dividends in Alan Wake 2. To date, however, developer Remedy Entertainment hasn’t shown us much of Alan, instead focusing on the game’s other protagonist, FBI agent Saga. But, during a behind-closed-doors demo for Alan Wake 2 at Gamescom, I finally got to see 40 minutes of Alan’s side of the story–and it’s as bleak as you’ve been imagining. The Dark Place For 13 years, the famous writer has been trapped in the Dark Place, which has manifested itself as a nightmarish version of New York that’s littered with references to Alan’s life, past, regrets, and even some Easter Eggs that tie into the connection with the Control universes. The demo started with a somewhat confused Alan in the green room of a TV talk show. In front of him is an old television set showing a live-action version of himself. By clicking on the set, he is transported to the interview with Mr. Door, who is asking about Alan’s new book that he doesn’t remember writing. The interview acts as a clever way of explaining what is going on, with Mr. Book explaining the book is about a fiction writer trapped in a nightmare, trying to find the manuscript of the book he’s attempting to write but also referencing how this writer has an evil double. Mr. Door heavily hints at the meta aspect of the narrative, almost catching players up on the premise of this game without battering them over the head with it. After finishing the interview with Mr. Door, we get to see the nightmarish New York Alan has been living in. Imagine a more messed up Gotham, if the Joker’s worst crime was covering every wall he could with graffiti. The Dark Place is a lot to take in because it is dripping with references to Alan’s life. Everywhere I looked as the camera panned, I saw something that pinged a sense of recognition deep in my brain. The Oceanview Motel in the background, an ‘OD Diner’ sign, a billboard for a new series of Night Springs. It’s a feast for both Remedy and Alan Wake fans, and simply having that recognition made me feel more engrained in Alan’s troubled psyche. Alan Wake 2 is certainly dark, over a decade in a nightmare city is bound to shift your perspective. But this darkness feels more fitting, more mature. Alan has adjusted to this new existence and I quickly found myself settling into this black and neon fantasy world alongside him. Shifting darkness Exploration has also matured. Gone is Alan’s battery-eating torch, instead replaced by an Angel Lamp, which pulls light from a chosen source and stores it, allowing you to throw the light to another source. Light still plays a key role in Alan Wake 2, keeping the shadowy figures at bay, or exposing them so you can shoot them, but it’s also used to reveal paths that aren’t visible in the darkness. In the demo, Alan used light to throw light onto a broken lamp, revealing the entrance to a subway station that was previously hidden. When he pulled the light from the lamp again, the entrance disappeared. A kind of heavenly shimmer appears when this is an option. It’s worth noting, however, that unlike in Alan Wake, not all the shadowy figures you come across are actually out to hurt you. Some can be triggered into combat, others will straight up be out to get you, and some just want to get on with their shadowy day. Remedy’s creative director Sam Lake says this is to create a sense of paranoia and uncertainty within the player. Just in case the overall setting wasn’t enough to put you on edge. In addition to this slight alteration, the overall mechanics have been changed quite drastically. Instead of simply running along, finding manuscript pages, and shooting at ghostly figures, Alan now is actively able to change the world around him. He can pick up plot elements and locations from exploring which combine to make new paths leading deeper into the story and altering the dark place. These plot elements can be tracked in Alan’s writer room, which is essentially his version of Saga’s Mind Palace. He has a kind of case board that tracks different stories, the plot elements within them and their locations, and then in the game itself you can pick the element that best helps you progress that situation. For example, Alan picked up a plot line about cultists and used it when in a normal, boring room. Using the plot element made the room transform into a cultist base, offering new paths that previously weren’t available. Essentially this new mechanic turns Alan into a kind of prophetic detective and it has me intrigued, especially when I consider how this will overlap with Saga’s story. Living nightmare I have never watched a gameplay demo and been completely baffled by whether what I’m seeing is live-action or CGI, until now. I have pondered for 24 hours about whether certain scenes I watched were even partly computer-generated but, frankly, I don’t want to know. Either way, the transition between the two is seamless. This seems to be what Sam Lake is going for, as he tells us that he wanted to “use the dream-like nature of the Dark Place to do something interesting in it.” He’s certainly done that. Alan Wake 2 looks like a mind f**k and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Read the full article

[misssakuramochi]

Hello ! I'd like a persona 5 matchup please :)

Personality: I'm an INTP, I'm intelligent, unbothered, calm, curious, easy-going, charismatic and stubborn.

I'm very often bored and I love to have fun, I move on from things very quickly, I love detective games (I'm basically a detective 😜), I enjoy researching topics and theories, l'm able to pick up on things very quickly.

Hobbies/interests: I'm a dancer ( I do any style of dance, contemporary, hip hop, openstyle, voguing etc), I love video games (Ace attorney, Danganronpa, Omori, Sally face, Final fantasy, Hades etc), reading, writing and I play the electric guitar.

I like philosophy, history, astronomy and Greek mythology. I like entertaining people who can make me laugh, and who I won't die of boredom being with.

I'm someone who if I feel comfortable with someone will talk their head off about all of my interests. I think you're cool 🤔 here's what I think about this philosophy concept, you like video games 🤔 here's why you should play (whatever game), you like animals 🤔 here's why I think the nurse shark is the best shark, you mentioned an apple 🤔 did you know there's 7,500, and here's why I think the red delicious is the best one.

Fun facts:

- It's very easy for me to guess plot twists in an instant and piece thing together.

- I love burgers with my whole life, I can eat at least 3-5 big burgers in one sitting.

- I love handshakes and making up little raps/rhymes

- My favorite artist is Tyler the Creator

-I'm very flexible and double jointed

- I like experiencing and learning new things

- very un organized

I don't mind be matched up with anyone

That's pretty much it, I hope you have fun writing my matchup and have a great day <3

I match you with...

FUTABA

○ Futaba is something of a mystery to new people. This catches your interest instantly. It takes a stubborn detective to crack her code, and let her get to know you. Stubborn and intuitive, you manage to do what most people cannot and get Futaba to open up to you.

○ While your easy going nature can sometimes make Fitaba worry, it more often pits her at ease. If your relaxed maybe she can believe it will be ok. You make her feel safe.

○ Futaba is super funny and has so many interests and things to talk about - it just takes some time to pull it out of her. You can go back and forth in conversarion about your favourite things for hours

○ Gamer couple extraordinaire, you have a common interest in that thay really roots your conversations. Its how you first get to get Futaba to talk to you more than a peep, and something you can either debate or agree on endlessly!

HEADCANONS

○ Futaba would never tell you but she spends hours researching fun facts about things you like to try to impress you. You like nurse sharks? Here's a cool.obscure fact about them she found. Dancing? Here's a super cool new dance she found a video of. She remembers the little things and tries to show it whenever she can in her own way.

○ Futaba is a light eater. You like the same goods though, which is your gain, as you always get to finish her burgers.

○ Detective movies become games on whi can guess the plot twist faster. Or, Futaba will show you old obscure mysteries to see if she can finally find a movie that will stump you. Movie nights are frequent.

○ I feel like you're a memey person, and so is Futaba. You have 100 inside jokes and references that only some people ever get but they make you two laugh all the time