#You can check it out over here and the tutorials they provide will get you started in no time. https://snip.ly/f3lcu8

[felikatze]

QoL as Kindness: ISAT's diagetic tutorials

This is the hopefully first of a series of posts I'll be doing reinterpreting ISAT's Loop through the lens of START AGAIN: a prologue's context. As such....

Major spoilers for both ISAT (all acts, including optional content) and SASASAP (all endings).

One of the biggest differences between ISAT and SASASAP is it’s QoL – it’s Quality of Life. QoL refers to all the little things that make a game just that little bit more playable; quick to navigate menus, quicksaving… tutorials.

It’s not really a surprise that SASASAP is as RPGmaker as RPGmaker gets. This isn’t a criticism, just an observation, and also a compliment to how much Adrienne’s skills with the engine improved between releases. Still, there’s some things that ISAT has over SASASAP.

ISAT’s QoL is absolutely essential to making it bearable. Anyone ever watch an ISAT playthrough where the player sighed in relief as the tutorial on picking where you loop came up?

SASASAP lacks a lot of ISAT’s QoL because it’s an earlier project without a studio backing it, but what impresses me is how this change ties into narrative.

Because the greatest chunk of ISAT’s greatest QoL is provided by Loop.

Even before you ever meet them, they’re already over your shoulder. Loop is the tutorial, speaking to you inside your brain. It’s genius, in that no player is ever going to question this. Hell, SASASAP’s movement tutorial is the exact same thing with less flavoring

This reframes what the QoL is – it’s not just a convenience to the player, it’s a convenience to Siffrin, too. It’s diegetic. It’s not something the game is giving you, it’s something Loop is giving you. Let’s look at what Loop gives you, and more importantly, why.

Zone Out

The first of the QoL features I want to talk about is the Zone Out function, the absolute bread and butter of not making this game a total slog.

The Zone Out feature as is did not exist in SASASAP (because Adrienne didn’t know how to do it yet) – instead, some doubled scenes let you just skip them entirely outright. There’s only two extremes: listen to all of it again, or none of it.

ISAT’s zone out system is much more dynamic, since it fast forwards dialogue line by line, letting you zone in whenever you’d like, and forcing you to zone in whenever a) something notably new happens, or b) whenever Siffrin speaks.

The way this feature is introced by Loop is kind of genius. Because Loop’s tutorial is about one thing – it’s okay to skip.

“You might miss what your party is saying, but who cares, right? If you make them mad, you can always loop back and they'll have forgotten all about it!”

It’s a cruel joke, or at least it seems that way on the surface. It’s also genuine advice. And a cruel joke at the same time. For Siffrin, freshly starting the loops, this is scandalous, but for Loop, who’s long since desensitized, it’s the same old same old.

What Loop’s doing here, by joking about Siffrin not listening to the party, is alliviate Siffrin’s guilt when they inevitably take Loop up on the offer. Because, even though Loop loves their party members…

From SASASAP, when sitting outside the bathroom:

(Will you get farther this time?) (Will you live this time?) (Or are you stuck listening to the same lines forever?) (…) (Stars, you’re so tired.)

Loop knows intimately well that Siffrin is going to drive themself insane trying to be a people pleaser every single loop, so this joke is telling the outright – don’t bother.

At first, Siffrin (and the player) still might. I really enjoyed reading the same conversations five times minimum because they’re fun and I’m deranged, but at some point I did start skipping them. And it was a relief to know there wouldn’t be anything new.

Siffrin: “Should I check everything again?” Loop: “You mean, should you check the same barrels, the same closets, the same objects on tables every loop?” Loop: “I mean, you can, but… You know things won’t change, right?” Loop: “If you really want to get a certain item again, or listen to your friends repeat something funny, you should!” Loop: “I personally would only check two or three things every loop, and ignore the rest.” Loop: “It will just make you crazy to expect something to change, when nothing will.” Loop: “All that might change is your reaction to it!”

The game is telling you, Loop is telling Siffrin, don’t drive yourself insane playing, please. The characters aren’t going to remember if you skipped something.

In the course of my script wizard activities, I’ve gotten an in-depth view of just how much that actually holds up. Pretty much all major differences are by Act, unrelated of how often you’ve done something. Minor variations apply for other things, but… those variations are minor.

And this also points out what all those variations are. Siffrin’s reactions!

Loop’s pre-empting Siffrin’s guilt, cuz they probably felt it themself. Hell, we do know they felt the pressure to perform and make sure nobody notices anything’s wrong, in SASASAP! Right up until the finale, Loop was driving themself up the wall.

(You have to act, you can't crack, you have to fake it and play it exactly as you did the first time for the whole way through so your friends don't find out anything is wrong) (You don't want to know what would happen if they knew their quest was in vain) (If they knew their quest for justice and change always ends in stillness and death!)

Acting everything out perfectly is one of the ending paths for SASASAP, which results in… complete and utter failure. Obviously.

(You acted perfectly normally, didn't you?) (Nothing out of place, nothing weird, every line the same as it might've been the first time?) (Ah…That was your mistake, wasn't it…?) (Because… Didn't your very first time… end exactly like this?) (The King throws the Housemaiden's body onto the floor again.)

Zoning out for too many conversations actually awards weird points in SASASAP, locking you out of the Perfect Ending. On the other hand, acting “perfectly” in ISAT… has no awards whatsoever. No special scene or or optional event or anything at all. You get nothing for paying attention!!!

So spare yourself the pain already, m’kay?

(On that note: I don’t think Loop not being sarcastic about it would’ve like… worked. At the start of ACT 2, Siffrin isn’t going to believe Loop when they say “Stop forcing yourself to relive the same thing over and over because you’ll start seeing your friends as disposable actors and lose touch with reality.” That all comes later, when Siffrin can look back on Loop’s words and see how right they were.)

Loop Back

The second biggest sigh of relief in any given ISAT playthrough is probably this specific tutorial.

Loop graciously shows you that you don’t need to loop back all the way to the beginning every single time. You can pick and choose where to go, even going forward by paying up with Memories of Skirmish.

This is a feature SASASAP does not possess, for the reason that it is much, much shorter, only covering about as much as one floor of ISAT’s three floor House.

But… since this is a character showing this to you, Loop showing this to you, we can ask… when did Loop learn this? After all, START AGAIN, Loop’s loops, do not have this feature.

“It'll save you time, so it's important, so listen up!”

This feature not existing in SASASAP means this is a thing that Loop did not know exists during their own time as Siffrin.

And that’s just the thing, isn’t it? SASASAP’s Siffrin does not know how to do this. They cannot pick and choose where they end up, as demonstrated wonderfully by SASASAP’s True Ending. There’s an even more wonderful implication, though –

On SASASAP’s Perfect End path, when exiting the final room before the King, Isabeau says this:

Isabeau: “…I'm glad you're feeling better, though!” Siffrin: (…?) “What do you mean…?” Isabeau: “Oh!!! Um, you were…” Isabeau: “Well! You were acting a little weird when we were way closer to the Castle's entrance……” Isabeau: “You weren't really listening to us, you were kinda smiling the way you do when you're actually not happy…” Isabeau: “…and you like, almost acted like you knew exactly where you were going?” Isabeau: “But clearly you're feeling better now! You're acting just like normal!!!”

SASASAP’s Siffrin knew how to do this, somehow managed to lock themself into the House’s last floor… and then forgot how to get back. By making this tutorial, Loop is ensuring that Siffrin never will.

“What can I do next?” – SASASAP’s greatest flaw

So, if you’ve had the pleasure of playing START AGAIN START AGAIN START AGAIN: a prologue yourself (as you should), then you’ve probably faced this scenario, or some variation of it:

I got to the end, I died to the King, but… what do I do next? The game tells me to go for the extremes, but how do I do that?

(edit: apparently some of yall just managed to speedrun sasasap in two loops. You're gonna need to stay with me here, please. Suspend your disbelief a bit, because a lot of people [including me] were dumbasses about it)

Maybe you try another loop, but just get the same ending again (or a differnet one, depending on a coinflip). You’re getting frustrated. Getting the Perfect Ending demands pinpoint precision to avoid everything weird, the True Ending demands good memorization of every single damn key in the game, and the order you do everything in. (Though, to be fair, the requirements on that one are actually more merciful than one might expect.)

Point is, in SASASAP, it’s incredibly easy to get stuck in that endless loop of “What the fuck do I do now?” It’s not uncommon to think you got it right only to get the same result anyways. What does one do in this situation?

They consult a guide, obviously.

START AGAIN’s ending requirements are frustrating. They are. When I tried to go for either the Perfect or the True Ending, I saved inside every single room, just so I could get right back to it when I inevitably fucked up five times minimum. This is both criticism… and praise. Because Loop is the major reason that ISAT does not suffer from this same problem.

Whenever you’re stuck in ISAT, Loop is just a single loop or call away at any times. And besides that, no plot requirement in ISAT demands nearly as many moving pieces all at once as SASASAP does – the “Sus Route” has been relegated to an optional ACT 4 exclusive event, instead of the game’s True Ending.

Instead of consulting an external guide on how to progress, you have one right there in the game, always ready with the next tip. They’re not infallible, mind you – enough time in Isatcord’s #game-help proves that, but Loop solved all of the moments I got stuck and frustrated in ISAT for me.

(Primarily that one time you need to figure out that a photo is similar to being stuck in time. That moment in particular is actually commendable, as you need to ask Loop about it twice before they tell you, leaving you a last shot to try and figure it out on your own.) Loop is a feature that nullifies SASASAP’s greatest flaw in its successor, and they choose to do so.

Memory of Keys

In my humble opinion, Loop does this because… they do not want Siffrin to suffer as they did. They want Siffrin to escape. And there is no greater example of their kindness than how Loop treats keys.

First of all, all keys in the game have a sparkling effect on them if you’ve picked them up at least once before, making it immediately clear where in the room they are. This means you don’t need to search every single room top to bottom for them, as you had to do for any keys and Star Crests in SASASAP. It’s some nice QoL that just means you don’t have to re-search the same area if you happened to forget which specific cupboard the key was in.

Key point being: SASASAP did not have this feature. In SASASAP, you did have to memorize where all the keys are, and doing so is expected if you want the True Ending.

Loop does not want Siffrin to have to do this. Because…

From SASASAP’s True End:

(The torch in the infirmary? That’s important!) (The key in the book? Soooo important.) (The names of your friends, that have been by your side throughout this entire adventure?) (Not worth remembering.)

Compared to ISAT’s ACT 2:

Siffrin: “How come I can see where the keys are?” Loop: “Whaaaaat? You caaaaaan? How can that beeeeeee?” Siffrin: “Is it thanks to you?” Loop: “Maybe.” Loop: “I figured you'd have other things to worry about than where a stupid key is.” Loop: “No need to thank me.”

To Loop, that they memorized the House’s layout over their friends’ names is a defining moment to their own failures. After all, in all likelihood, the True End of SASASAP is the last loop before they called it quits. It’s a traumatic experience from them, one that came from having to remember all the dumb fucking keys.

They do not want Siffrin to experience this. They do not want Siffrin to have to memorize the House, to push away what actually matters in favor of efficiency. So Loop is directly, personally, giving them a boon, so that Siffrin does not have to.

Conclusion

There’s probably more tutorial things I could talk about, but I feel like you’re seeing the pattern now, even if I don’t bring up saving level ups or keeping equipment or the “You’re stuck” signifier, least of all cuz they don’t have direct points of comparison with SASASAP like my other examples do (SASASAP has no changeable equipment, and saving levels doesn’t matter if you only have one floor, and you can’t softlock either.). So.

Loop’s tutorials all belie a fundamental kindness to their character. Everything that made their own experience trapped in the timeloop just that bit worse, they’re choosing to do away with it for Siffrin. They are choosing to make Siffrin’s time here easier.

Zoning out too much lead to them never paying attention to their friends, forgetting their names, so they make sure that Siffrin can still zone back in whenever something new happens.

Loop trapped themself for years on the final floor, locking themself out of progress that might lie further back, so they’re ensuring Siffrin knows exactly how to loop forwards and backwards so it doesn’t happen again.

Loop lets Siffrin keep equipment across loops to cut down on time spent doing the exact same thing over and over.

They are saving Siffrin time, and they are giving Siffrin comfort. At every single turn, Loop is saving Siffrin from the same pitfalls they fell into without anyone to guide them out.

It's honestly incredible to transform an increase in skill into an actual narrative element. Yes, SASASAP sucks more to play. But ISAT sucks less, because Loop wants it to. It's the perfect marriage of real world circumstance and storytelling. I could... probably pull another comparison here, saying it's like a game and its remake - overhauled graphics, expanded story, and loads and loads of QoL, because the makers of the remake realized something. They love the original, but parts of it do suck, and there's so much that can be done to make a new player's experience smoother. Metanarrative commentary,,,, woah,,,,,

Every single one of these QoL elements I’ve mentioned function as a crutch for a player’s failing memory, but also Siffrin’s (similar to what I talked about in my previous essay on ISAT’s ludonarrative - the player and Siffrin are always in sync, even in how tutorials benefit them). Loop doesn’t know the player exists though (only the Change God does), so they do everything for Siffrin.

To keep Siffrin from forgetting. To help Siffrin focus on what’s important. To make Siffrin’s journey just a little bit less miserable. Loop directly improves ISAT’s QoL. For you. For Siffrin.

From Loop’s introduction:

Loop: “See, I’m useful! I’m very useful! That’s why I’m here, helpful Loop.” Siffrin: “Why are you helping me?” Loop: “…” Loop: “Because I think you should be helped.” Loop: “I won’t always have the answers, but… I think having someone on your side to talk to is better than dealing with this alone.” Loop: “Right?”

From Loop’s hangout:

“But it’s fine.” “Whether you believe me or not, I’m here to help you.” “So you can escape this loop.”

And finally, from the start of ACT 3:

Siffrin: “Are you really here to help me?” Loop: “Stardust…” Loop: “…” Loop: “Yes.” Loop: “If you can believe anything, believe that.” Loop: “I asked to be here, so I could help you.”

And I do believe them. Loop’s feelings on Siffrin are… complex, to say the least. They love Siffrin, and they hate him in equal measure. They’re jealous, and spiteful, but underneath everything…

In SASASAP, if you die to a Sadness thrice, you get this monologue:

(Sometimes, when you loop back here…) (In the corner of your eye, you can sometimes see someone that looks just like you.) (Is it a you from another loop? Remnants of your past failures?) (Are you going crazy?) (May they succeed where you cannot.)

[patheticbatman]

I haven't seen any posts about this yet but l've seen some fan art that makes me feel this needs to be said:

Don't forget Leah Sava Jeffries has darker skin when making Annabeth Chase fan art!

She is much closer to Lupita Nyong'o than Zoe Kravitz when it comes to shading, reflection, and complementary color usage :).

Lighting for dark skin is different on light skin. Light skin gets changed by lighting, and dark skin reflects the lighting. Below is a lovely shot of Nyong'o's character from Wakanda Forever in mourning. The filmmakers emphasize the umber qualities of her skin in contrast to the funereal white and (arguably harsh) light across her shoulder below.

Try to pick spots that aren't directly in or near the light, and try mixing 3 or more! You can put it into a color mixer online, or even color pick, lower the opacity, and lay the shades over each other until you find one that fits. And of course, the more 'realistic' you want to go with shading and lighting, the more shades you're going to want to be able to explore vivaciously :D.

Let's take a look at the same 3 beautiful actresses I mentioned at the beginning, with a bad color picked area and a better-ish color picked area. (Please keep in mind, these are not perfect comparisons, as I was not able to find pictures of all 3 actresses under the same kind of lighting.)

Kravitz's has a clear difference between the two, but they aren't too far apart, in comparison to Nyong’o’s and Jeffries’s. Note the dullness in the poorly picked shades as opposed to the better ones. Also keep in mind that while Kravitz has a rosy undertone (at least in that picture - it’s from The Batman, which has stylized coloring) Nyong’o has a slight cool undertone (I can’t pin down quite what, but the picture is definitely not stylized like Kravitz’s).

Jeffries runs more ochre or russet, but neither of those are pink. They are more red than terracotta or umber, but to call Jeffries’s face rosy would be wrong. Err more towards the golden when drawing her.

^^saved an image from a writing tutorial long ago, but can’t seem to find it. If someone recognizes it, I’ll link it. EDIT: it’s from this post. Thanks @autumnrowancollector ! <3

And also, the darker skin gets, the less likely warm undertones are going to appear. Don't be afraid to use blue or purple or even green on occasion!

Additionally, cool lighting on dark skin is always a win imo.

(I was going to use that picture of Jeffries as Annabeth by the lightning bolt, but then I realized the lighting on her face doesn’t quite match up with where it should hit from that angle, and I realized they kind of just turned everything bluer, so screenshot time!)

(Also if you want another really great live action example, check out anything Aldis Hodge is in, like Leverage and Black Adam)(and of course there’s Spiderverse <3 but I want to post pictures of Hodge)

Now, to here’s a list of more experienced people’s advice:

Black facial features & hair

Shading digitally for a (somewhat) monotone Black character

Stylistic choices and places to start looking for inspiration (besides a search engine).

Coloring Black people’s lips

A better coloration tutorial

Also a nice tutorial for Indigenous skin tones, just in case yall want to draw Piper or use this information for other dark skinned characters :).

EDIT: Some actresses who are closer in skintone to use for Annabeth, provided by the lovely @blackfemmecharacterdependency ! If you can’t find a reference for Jeffries in a specific lighting, maybe check out these ladies’ pictures! It’s a reblog, so scroll down.

TLDR: Don’t make Annabeth pink and pale, make her dark and golden.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

02/23/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; How To Help; Rotten Tomatoes Reviews/GoggleBox; Cast & Crew Sightings; Taika; Rhys; Leslie Jones; New Watch Party: These Thems; Save OFMD UK Billboard; Transparency policy; RhysDarbyFaction; We'reWolves; Fan Spotlight; Podcasts/Youtube vids; Articles; Love Notes; Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika

Hey all. I'm starting out with the how to help section tonight because there are some things we'd love to see happen to try and help with the renewal.

== HOW TO HELP ==

= Rotten Tomatoes Reviews =

Okay all, this is a big one. It's been brought to my attention by @bzy_hands on twitter, that there are less than 1000 reviews on rotten tomatoes for Season 2. They have an excellent point, Con DID screenshot Season 2. If you haven't already, please go over to Season 2 and review it to help get over that 1000 review mark.

Need help on how to review on RT? @lowrahh Was kind enough to make a tutorial for us, check it out on the repo: Review on Rotten Tomatoes and IMDB

== Let's Get OFMD On Gogglebox ==

Our crew-mate @queerly-autistic was kind enough to have written up a How-To on on getting OFMD on Gogglebox!

"One of the biggest things we can do to try and get Our Flag Means Death picked up by another network is keep making noise about it, and so I had a wild middle-of-the-night idea about one way we could do this: try and get the show on Gogglebox! For anyone who doesn't know, Gogglebox is an extremely popular and successful show in the UK on Channel 4, where ordinary people (and sometimes celebrities) watch and react to television shows, pop culture moments and films."

Wanna give it a go? Please check out their tutorial here!

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

==Taika!==

It's been a minute since we've seen Taika! But he's out with Rita at the Taylor Swift concert.

= Rhys Darby =

Well, even though Rhys is taking some time off until March, we still have some Cameo's coming in from prior to him closing cameos!

= Cameo 1 - Cryptids! =

Thank you to @iamadequate1 for sharing this fun little cryptid video +

Tumblr / Twitter Links

= Cameo 2 =

Our friend @blackcravatart over on twitter was kind enough to share a birthday video for her (edited for names). I don't know if it's anywhere else and I didn't get permission to download it, so I apologize I'll try to do that and get back to you if we are allowed to share it elsewhere! Cameo Video on Twitter.

= Red Dead Redemption 2: Episode 3 =

The next exciting episode of Rhys playing Red Dead is up!

= Leslie Jones =

I really don't post enough about Leslie, who is my absolute idol. She's out doing comedy at the Hawaii Theater in Honolulu tonight with @lennymarcusnyc! Just wanted to give a shout out her way since she's a BAMF and deserves all the love.

== New Watch Party ==

Join @adoptourcrew on Friday 3/1 for a watch party of #TheseThems! Times haven't been secured quite yet but mark your calendars!

Watch Party Hashtags:

#TheseThems

#These Gems

#AdoptOurCrew

Wanna see what other watch parties are planned? Feel free to visit the repo for Watch Party Events.

== Save OFMD Billboard Campaign ==

Some of you may have noticed that there's been some suspicious pictures going up across multiple platforms regarding a billboard with the hashtag #WatchTheHorizon from our SaveOFMD Crew. There's definitely some Billboard planning in the works and the crew has provided a bit more transparency on the situation this time. All links in the images will be listed below.

Links:

SaveOFMD Crew Transparency Policy

Team HAVEN

Trans Lifeline

RainbowYOUTH

Outright International

Full Twitter Thread

== SchadenFreude ==

Just a little karma for WB.

== Rhys Darby Faction ==

So for those of you not on twitter, there was a bit of fun had with a random film poll guy who posted a poll that included Rhys Darby on Twitter.

It was found by OFMD twitter, and immediately started being retweeted, which, is how twitter works, right? His Response to this was:

So several of our OFMD Twitter group decided to OWN that lovely little name, and put together an actual hashtag #RhysDarbyFaction... and start polite menacing and trying to boost engagement for #AdoptOurCrew and #SaveOFMD Which triggered a meme factory, here's a few:

#RhysDarbyFaction is now a trending Hashtag on Twitter, and the Faction is using that to help support the #SaveOFMD and #AdoptOurCrew effort as well as spread positivity and love around Rhys Darby works. There's even a discord server if you're interested in joining: https://discord.gg/r7db78j4 There's been talks of putting together some events for a Cryptid Scavenger hunt, but in general it's just a small safe space to try and promote little guys and support the ofmd renewal effort. You don't need to join the discord to be part of the crew, just use #RhysDarbyFaction and be a polite menace/positive force!

== We're Wolves ==

So according to the #WellingtonParanormalPodcast's tiktok, it sounds like Jermaine is finally in talks for writing "We're Wolves"! A sequel to the 2014 What We Do In the Shadows movie. I know we've all been in a Vianton mood since that one Rhys Cameo, so just wanted to make sure you'd heard if you hadn't! SRC: Tiktok

== Fan Spotlight! ==

Getting close to the end of the month so gotta catch up! More collages from our friend @wnderngnomad on Twitter!

Day 23: The Cinematography

Day 4: Nat Faxon

Day 5: Vico Ortiz

Day 6: Leslie Jones

== Podcasts / Youtube Vids ==

Speaking of podcasts, checkout some podcasts from our fandom!

= Citizen Dame =

First up! @celluloidbroomcloset, has a podcast that’s called Citizen Dame. While it doesn't specifically discuss OFMD in this episode, they do discuss Taika, and you all know how much we love that man. So give it a listen and support a fellow crew-mate! Podbean Link / Patreon / Spotify

= Never Left Podcast =

Another fan-podcast I'd like to add tonight is Never Left! More podcasts and discussions on all things OFMD -- give them a listen if you feel up for it! "Welcome aboard our Safe Space Ship! Your Co-Captains, Ariana Perry and Amanda Catron, will be hosting this completely spoiled, totally unofficial, deep dive into Our Flag Means Death." Podbay / Linktr.ee

== Movies With Marty ==

Marty has a new First Watch video out! If you haven't watched Marty's vids yet, feel free to check them out! He's a hoot and is a HUGE supporter of OFMD!

== Articles ==

What to watch on Netflix and BBC this weekend?

Keeping promises of queer representation

== Love Notes ==

Today has been a long day lovelies, and I'm out of spoons so I'm gonna take a night off from writing out love notes and spread some from someone else. Just know I'm very proud of you for everything you did today, I hope you're doing well and feeling safe. <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Idk if these really go together tonight, but here we go. Both of them were on tenor with no srcs? Sorry! Hope you all enjoy!

[simplyrecources]

How we decorate our simply plural profiles!

In this tutorial we will be working on a profile page for a fictive of Yukina Minato.

Also I won't be showing how to input the markdowns into simply plural! If you want to see them, they can be found here! If you've ever made a rentry, simply plural uses most of the same ones!

If you want any other tutorials or have any questions linked to this then feel free to ask! With this out of the way, here is our tutorial!

Step one: Figure out a template for the information

This is the hardest step- Personally because we are polyfragmented we use the same template for all alters on pluralkit and simply plural.

Making a template can be a pain, however there are many blogs on tumblr who make templates! Just search 'simply plural templates' and you should find accounts that do them! If you want to request, be sure to check their request status and be patient.

However, if you want to make your own, I would recommend this website for finding symbols to use and this one for emoji combos. I would also say that you may want to have your template link to your system name(s) or headspace (ie if your system has links to forest maybe a nature themed template) but obviously it's up to you what you do.

Personally we have a 'basic' template which we copy and paste but change the emoji's/decor of depending on what the alters likes.

-

Step two: Choose a profile picture.

This will help us decide what colors to change certain assets to and/or which ones will look best with the profile. My recommended sites fir finding icons are: Google images, Pinterest, Tumblr.

Searching things like: '[aesthetic/theme/character] icons' or '[aesthetic/theme/character] [color/aesthetic/theme] icons' does tend to bring up results.

But if you don't know what you want '[anime/aesthetic/theme] icons' or '[twitter/tumblr] icons' will bring up results as well.

In the end we settled on making an icon because there was nothing that fitted our alters needs.

-

Step three: Find decor

This can be very hard to do due to the fact that typing in different names for the same assets will give you different results and recourses are constantly being deleted. However, tumblr and personal websites such as carrd and rentry, are good for finding them.

However, if the website (including carrd, rentry or neocities) gets deleted then the image will become blank and won't exist. Discord also now deletes images after 24 hours, so it's not a usable site anymore. Personally, we use tumblr because if the blog gets deleted the assets remain for some reason. We've tested this a few times so far none of the images have broken and we have some from over 6 months ago- But this is subject to change.

Another thing to note is that size does matter, and some images may be too big to fit into the boxes provided by simply plural.

-

These are our recommended ideas, of course this is different for everyone, and we didn't go in depth about certain topics. However I d hope this is useful.

[amelias-zelda-calamity-quintet]

MoaH Dungeon Design Principles

I know I talked about this over on Wattpad, but I haven't talked about it here. I'm gonna copy paste a chunk out of the post-GoS update I did on why MoaH is absolutely massive first, and then I'll add more.

Ok. So. I might have been a little overly ambitious with MoaH. When I first drafted MoaH's arc, I was trying to offer a response to BOTW's dungeon design, which I, as a classic LoZ enjoyer, did not think lived up to reputation. TOTK also didn't really address this problem in my opinion, but was an improvement, that came out after MoaH was on hiatus. I have a lot of thoughts on how classic and Wild duo dungeon design differ and why I prefer classic design, but to summarize those thoughts, BOTW/TOTK design focuses on the world as an interactive landscape, classic design focuses on the importance of location. I felt like a reasonable compromise to the shrines vs dungeons discussion was to have a number of shrines working together to explain a dungeon's core puzzle before you did that dungeon, along with the smaller number making the dungeon locations more integrated into the settings they were in, bridging both location and landscape. The BOTW/TOTK tutorial sections do this and the Ballad of a Champion DLC also does this, and those were the elements I applied to MoaH's dungeon design. I also, quite frankly, wanted to see if I could do a bigger setting than BOTW, and now, TOTK.

I do want to expand on the nature of MoaH's dungeon design though because when this is being written, the second "shrine" is going out for book 1. And I want to discuss that some more. And I promise this isn't going to be a shit on the Wild duo hour, but I am gonna be critical of the design for a bit.

To expand on my thoughts on BOTW/TOTK dungeons, I know a huge part of why they are the way they are is because of asset limitations. Nintendo made 120 shrines and then the dungeons, and there's only so much memory the Switch can handle. And in looking at the Wild duo by design, so much of those games focus on the concept of "Ma," which is a Japanese concept on the appreciation of empty space. And that's so much of the Wild duo. Navigating the Wild duo is about experiencing the wilderness of Hyrule. In an example of the exploration of landscape, of the appreciation of nature and Ma, it excels, in spades.

But. I think that comes back to why it feels so strongly off from classic design. Because classic Zelda dungeon design is about the importance of place. About how this location being cursed/taken over directly impacts the world, on multiple levels (grand quest, regional quest, personal quest). To which you might say, that's there too in the Wild duo, and you're not wrong but the framing is different. Let me provide an example:

In Wind Waker, the first full dungeon you go to is Dragon Roost Caverns. Progressing through and solving the issue in Dragon Roost hits all three. Grand quest, you gotta get Din's Pearl. Regional/local, Valoo being upset means that the local Rito can't get the scales they need to get their wings. And then there are multiple personal levels in which that affects; Komali getting his wings, Medli being an attendant, and the relationship between the chief and his son.

Let's compare that to the regional quest in TOTK with the Zora. Seems like it would check off the boxes: need to get to the temple to find Zelda (grand), get the sludge to stop (regional), and help Sidon uncover his role as a Sage (personal). But, there are two other elements that I think these stories fail on.

One, the temple itself isn't impactful to the world because of how removed it is. This is better with the Divine Beasts, but they're still not quite the same kind of impact. The rain and the sludge negatively impact the Zora, absolutely, it's a hazard to them. But the loss of Dragon Roost Caverns impacts the Rito's culture, part of their identity. The temples in TOTK are all so ancient there are barely stories about them. Dragon Roost Caverns is part of the Rito's ongoing lives. It doesn't have that same impact. I get a few temples being like that, but all of the dungeons are like that in the Wild duo, removing some of that connection between the two. It makes it feel too game-y and less connected narratively.

Two, in making the games open world in the way they are and taking out the metroidvania of Zelda games, it also takes out the interconnectedness of the world. One of the joys of Zelda is getting new items and then going back and seeing an area recovered. Better, it's seeing how the people once affected are engaging with the world now. Less in big identifiable NPCs, more in "Oh, we fixed the Dodongo Mines, now the Gorons are scattered around the map." The Wild duo made the peoples so regional that, outside of Lookout Landing, we don't see them interacting with each other as a kingdom. It made sense in BOTW why that would be. By TOTK, it made less sense. It also removes the impact of you as the player's successes in overcoming the dungeons. And personally, because I wasn't faffing with Korok seeds, after I got the shrines in a region, I found very little motivation to go back to areas because of how big the world was. The size of it all actively made the world feel more disconnected and there was no real reward in the world that made completing the dungeons unite it more.

Look, again, I'm not saying that it's bad design. I am saying that it is a hard shift from pre-existing Zelda design. And the series has done more open world settings before without this being an issue (both Wind Waker and A Link Between Worlds I think are better examples of open world Zeldas). I said this before, and I feel less strongly about it now, but if you took out the Zelda names, how easy do the Wild duo maintain their identities as Zelda games? How easy would it be to change them to a new IP? That doesn't make them bad games. It does highlight I think that the jump from where the franchise was to where the Wild duo games took it was a huge leap. All of that to say, this is where MoaH's dungeon design starts its iterations.

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

Break because that was a lot. I said in the earlier blurb that I thought a good bridge to that design choice was something halfway: a handful of shrines that teach the mechanics of a dungeon OR a bunch of buildings connected together to collectively make a dungeon. I'm leaning towards the former because of MoaH's scale and that would be tedious if it were gameplay for the setting.

I know technically this is spoilers, but also technically going into a Zelda game one will assume there are dungeons. The fun of it is seeing what they're like. The Hyrule arc/book 1 has three shrines, a dungeon, and a bonus dungeon/shrine (scale here is smaller than a dungeon but larger than a shrine). The three shrines (Farore's, Nayru's, and Din's) all serve as examples to the puzzle mechanics that will be in the main dungeon (for now, Hylia's Temple). For book 1, easy puzzles, it's the first dungeon. That's where we get to explore more in the further books.

I also wanted to change how the characters interact with puzzles as they go through the world. That's why each of the shrines has a mini boss and an item (side note, MoaH Link is gonna be kitted to the nines, there are over 40 dungeon relics planned, not counting ordinary items he gets too like the bomb bag and lantern). The expanding arsenal changes how the party is going to be able to tackle problems. I imagine that, fitting for the D&D comparisons, each of the characters have two item slots for relics they can easily carry on top of their own weapons. So the dispersement of that kit across the party changes how the characters are going to be able to confront puzzles and monsters moving forward as they get more. But more kit, more problems, bigger monsters. This is why the moblin comment is in the early chapter. I had to watch my power scaling early. Moblins are serious threats in this Hyrule.

You will also note that most of the shrine arcs are proceeded by chapters on how the situation in the shrine is troubling the locals. And there are always local named "NPCs" affected. Further, NPCs come back. Book 2 has an arc resolution that requires a character from book 1 to come back. The stories of people being affected are not forgotten for the main quest. Now, MoaH also has to balance the party's interpersonal stories as well as the three levels I already outlined, that's why some of the shrine arcs don't all have very in depth NPC stories, they're going on setting assumption that there is a monster there that needs dealing with (and they're right). But all of the temples are still attached or are places that losing directly affects a local area.

On top of all of that, I can't keep this stale. You'd assume after a bit, three shrines, one dungeon, bonus dungeon, that's the formula. You'd be wrong. Not only does the order need to change, but the number of shrines changes when we get into the local religions and how they choose to honor the pantheon (now that 40+ number is adding up).

Further, original mini bosses and bosses for every single one. My creature creating has never been more flexed. And so far y'all have only seen mini bosses. I'll let you ruminate on what that means for bosses.

Look, I'm not trying to toot my own horn here. I'm not saying MoaH is the perfect response to this problem I've outlined. It is a response, and I don't have asset limitations like a console does. But this is the basis for which MoaH design begins. I'll leave the rest for y'all to discover. That's part of the adventure too.

[rstarsims3]

Hi! What tutorials helped you learn how to mesh clothes in Blender? Or what tutorials or tips would you recommend? Thank you

Hi,

I've watched a lot of character modelling videos on YouTube to get better acquainted with Blender. What I can recommend for you to watch is this 10-part tutorial by Darrin Lile. The creator even provides the images he's working with which makes his workflow easier to follow. The notions you'll learn here will help you create basically anything in Blender, from a bed to a crop top to a bridge.

Another good series you can watch -and specifically made for creating clothing in TS3 - is this one by Lyralei.

Once you're more comfortable with Blender, you can search all kinds of tutorials (like how to mesh flowers, coats, skirts, pillows, etc)., if you're interested and need further clarification.

What I strongly recommend is for you to export the EA game meshes and break them apart in Blender to see how the dev team has approached the category you're interested in. At the beginning, I wouldn't look too much at anyone's meshes except EAs because every creator has their own style and views over what a reasonable polycount is (you can have the same skirt at 2k or 4k- for instance, depending on how much detail you want to add to the mesh). But it is useful to look at other creator's meshes when you deal with transparency, for example.

You can also try to convert CAS stuff from TS4 if you have the possibility. This helped me a lot in getting used to meshing in general because, while being similar to TS3s, their meshes are a bit more detailed (a belt is often painted on the mesh in TS3, but in TS4 the belt will be meshed).

Another important process in Blender is UV mapping. Because it's TS3 and you can't get away with wonky and stretched textures -as long as you make your stuff recolorable, that is - you need to pay special attention to this part.

In general, for Blender I'd say:

keep your polycount in check; too detailed/high poly meshes will "explode" in the game;

close the openings on a mesh (where the sleeves, pants or skirts/dresses end); I also UV unwrap these and find them a spot on the UV layout to make the textures more cohesive.

avoid using the "subdivision surface" modifier as it increases the polycount too much;

try to delete as much of the body under the clothing mesh as possible (I'm also doing this part in Blender for a while now and it's a lot better, easier and more precise to crop it; it helps a lot with avoiding clipping too);

for baggy clothing you can use a plane or cylinder to start with; for skin-tight clothes you can use the EA body meshes ((like in the second link);

If you're really set on creating custom clothing -and sharing your stuff- I'd get used to some good practices from the beginning (because we humans tend to get used to do things one way and keep at that from there on):

create all the LODs required for your item (if it's clothing you'll need all these three: HLOD, MLOD and LLOD) and load them into TSRW. This way your carefully crafted blouse won't change into a t-shirt when zooming out in the game.

in TSRW leave only the maps/images you created for your item. Delete everything else.

for every LOD in TSRW, go to Mesh -> HLOD (MLOD, LLOD)-> Material and load your maps by using Browse. Don't import over the same map again.

textures are really important and the more time you spend working on them, the better your item will look. It's very useful to know how to create normal maps as they add depth to your mesh.

never export packages directly from TSRW as it doesn't compress your file the way it does for sims3pack files. Export as sims3pack, use S3RC to compress it further, then use the Sims 3 Pack Extractor to convert into packages.

Note: When I say TS3 and TS4 meshes, what I'm referring to is meshes from the games, not CC. Also what you're going to learn here is how to make Maxis-Match content for TS3, which I do 90% of the time. The only differences is that my textures are usually more "alpha" looking. I've got a similar ask a while ago if you want to check it out.

The most important thing is to keep at it and don't get discouraged. All this info might seem like a lot now but with practice you'll get used to it. Start with something easy like a tube top and see how it goes. If you have any more questions you can contact me again, either through ask or through DM if you feel comfortable.

Hope this helps!

[userjohndeacon]

hi! i'm a huge fan of your gifs, especially the queen ones and i was wondering if there's any tips you use, any programs? i want to start giffing but have no idea where to start 😅

aw that's really lovely to hear 💚 i'm still a baby gifmaker really so there isn't a lot that i can provide in terms of advice that hasn't already been said but here's what i got:

the biggest thing to start out with is finding HQ videos, 4K if your computer can handle it but 1080p is still good (it's part of the reason i gif a lot of montreal and budapest because the video quality available is so good). i mostly get my videos from torrenting (like TV shows or movies) or downloading from youtube at the highest quality available (just search "download youtube videos" and use one of the sites)

i've been torrenting since i was like 15 so i've been doing it for awhile, but get yourself a client like bittorrent and a VPN and just dig through the internet. torrent host sites are always being taken down and being put back up so sometimes ya gotta just trial and error it to find the files you're looking for

for screencapping these days i use MPV and a .conf file. here is a good tutorial for that

for the actual editing i use photoshop which i also torrented but if you don't feel like dealing with that process or paying for it outright, there's photopea. my wonderful friend @miwtual started a photopea source blog for tutorials you can check out here

if you are using photoshop, there are like a bazillion tutorials out there on how to upload your screencaps, how to color, how to sharpen, etc etc and those are my lifelines. follow blogs like @pscentral @usergif @gifmakerresource etc and just like dig through all of their tutorials

my biggest advice is follow other creators and share their stuff. you can get lots of inspiration and support from other creators. plus other gifmakers leave the best tags on your edits, like it's pure serotonin

the number one thing to remember is your gifs might be ugly at first and that's so normal and okay. when i was moving blogs and reblogging my old edits over to this blog to have under my edit tag, i fully didn't include a lot of my older edits cuz they were just bad. you'll only get better with practice!!!!

i hope this helps! sometimes the best thing to do is google "gif tutorial tumblr" and just scroll through all the amazing tutorials folks have created over the years. i hope you have so much fun on your giffing journey!!!! 💖💖💖

[atwas-creations]

With the insanity that Unity's recent decisions have caused, I, as an aspiring game dev/designer, am looking to see what else is available. We all know about RPG Maker, GameMaker Studio, Godot, and Unreal. But if you're like me and have little to no understanding of code and limited finances, here are alternative indie engines I've scrounged up:

Idle Game Maker, the one I'm currently working with, built by Orteil of Cookie Clicker fame

Bitsy, and an associated pixel art tool called Pixsy

Pocket Platformer, similar to Bitsy, and code-free

Rogue Engine- requires download, but apparently, there's a tutorial

GDevelop- both 2D and 3D engines, has tutorials, and even has an option to playtest games in development and provide feedback (I am definitely trying out this one in the near future)

Heaps.io-requires download, and this honestly looks a little over my head right now, but might be worth checking into when I get a better understanding of code

Stride- 3D games, requires download, has docs and instructions so you can learn quickly

Bevy- 2D games for browser and mobile

LibGDX- now we're getting into engines that can make REAL games, some of the games in their showcase are on Steam

Defold- according to their showcase, this was used to make that mobile game Family Island that you've seen in so many ads

Love- don't be fooled by the childish font on their home page, the games in their showcase look amazing

HaxeFlixel- apparently used to make Friday Night Funkin'???

Armory3D, which apparently uses Blender

Solar2D, and here's their showcase- looks decent enough

Solarus- I didn't recognize the name, but I know I've heard of this, I've seen Zelda fans use this one. You have to download their launcher to play the games on PC.

DOME, which uses its own programming language

FNA, which calls itself a "reimplementation of Microsoft XNA"- if you remember, XNA no longer exists, but Eric Barone used it for Stardew Valley. FNA has been used to make games like Rogue Legacy (it's a real game, I got it on Steam).

Monogame- a direct descendant of XNA, being used for Stardew Valley's updates, and used to make a whole host of other popular indie games including 2 of my favorites: Axiom Verge and Celeste (so yeah, I'm definitely checking into Monogame if it's still around by the time I learn C#)

RPG in a Box, which looks really blocky and rough, but appears to be a cheaper solution than RPG Maker, especially for those new to the field. I already paid for RPG Maker, so I don't know if I'll use this one, but I'm putting it here for anyone else who may want to try it.

Adventure Game Studio- not sure how difficult it will be to use, but I'm seeing some decent-looking games in their showcase

RPG Paper Maker, which, I guess, makes 3D games out of pixel art? Says it's free to use, but if you want to sell your game, you'll need to buy a license. Fair enough, I suppose.

Narrat, another one I am DEFINITELY going to try, at least while I'm still learning. Has its own, very simple, easy to read script that is a step above Idle Game Maker's script, but not quite as complicated as "real" programming languages. Make RPG's and put them on Itch.io.

Ren'Py, for visual novels (apparently Doki Doki was made with this!?!)

Decker, can be used for various kinds of applications, not much for game-making, but maybe with a little imagination....

Engine.lol- I'm, uh, not sure what this is, but could be good for generating ideas.

EbitEngine- describes itself as "dead simple," used to make Bear's Restaurant.

Raylib- no tutorials, no built-in assets, you MUST know how to code- but it looks like a no-frills engine if you do know how to code. I don't, so I won't be using it, but if you do, go right ahead.

PyGame, which apparently uses Python coding language.

And this article listed all these and a few more that I didn't list here because they looked too expensive or too complicated.

There's also a Pixel Game Maker on Steam. It's 90 bucks right now (ouch!) but if you can get it, it looks like it'll be worth it.

[eddiemonth]

FAQ

When does the event begin?

The first day to post is October 1st, and it will run through the entire month, until Halloween (the 31st).

Where are all the prompts?

We’re releasing them a little at a time, so they don’t overwhelm you all at once and to give you a little something to anticipate ;) There should be a new batch of prompts posted every 5 days—so the 3rd, 8th, 13th, 18th, and 23rd of September. The masterpost is here, to see the most recent update!

What can I make?

Anything that could be considered a fanwork. Fanfiction, artwork, gifsets, edits, moodboards, playlists… canon ships, reader inserts—so long as your creation features Eddie Munson, have at it!

How do I make sure you see my work?

Put @eddiemonth in the caption!

Is NSFW allowed?

Yes, so long as all characters involved are over 18. Just be sure to tag it with #eddiemonthafterdark, and put any explicit content under a read more. You may also consider using Tumblr’s community labels, and artists might prefer to host their art elsewhere. That’s perfectly fine!

What should I tag?

Use #eddiemonth, and if it’s NSFW, #eddiemonthafterdark. Do please make sure to properly tag individual ships as well, or x reader fic as #xreader, for people’s blocklists. We will also be tagging diligently, so anything that slips through the cracks should still be filtered out on this blog. We’re here to celebrate Eddie, not get into ship wars!

Do I have to do every single day?

Boy, what an undertaking that would be! No, you do not have to do all 31 prompts this October, unless you enjoy the sort of challenge that provides. You can pick and choose which prompts you are most inspired by, do every other day, one per week—it’s up to you!

Can I use a prompt, song, or trait on its own, or do I have to use all 3 at once?

You can pick and choose which you take inspiration from! We tried to coordinate the tone of each so they can be used in tandem, but if you don’t like the feel of one or another you’re welcome to omit any part and just use whatever you are most inclined to.

Are late works accepted?

Yes, no need to worry about lateness, we’ll keep checking back a couple weeks after the event is over!

Is there an AO3 collection?

Yes, here it is! If you need help posting your work to it, we have a tutorial here. You’re welcome to post your works to it, but it is in no way required.

Is there a playlist of every song?

We’ve got one we’ll be adding to as the prompts come out, here!

[retailtherapyvn]

July 24

Figured I’d start posting here more regularly due to the imminent but also uncertain collapse of the bird site.

If you’re just finding this blog, welcome!

Retail Therapy

is a visual novel I’m working on whose first build I hope to release before the end of fall. It’s primarily about dealing with deeply held insecurities, coming out of the fog of loneliness, learning to connect with other people even when they’re annoying, and finding purpose and comfort in a chaotic world. There’s also gay furries who comprise the main cast. Info under the read more.

The “gimmick”, if you can call it that, is that you assume the roles of each of the four main characters over the course of their shift at a convenience store. You’ll interact with at least a dozen unique customers who each have their own branching dialogue trees, and will be required to provide excellent customer service if you want to earn the best ending. While you’re doing that, narrative events will force you to choose how the crew treats one another, and during your breaks, you’ll get to know each character more intimately. Needless to say, it’s quite involved! I have a lot of work cut out for me before I’m ready with the finished version, but I’m proud of what I have so far.

Whenever I do more work on the project, I’ll update this blog first. You can check the Twitter account (@RetailTherapyVN) for quicker, shorter updates, but I think I’ll stick to Tumblr for now for obvious reasons. Details for this update below.

Added CG for Aaron’s introduction

Created customer interaction screen

(Unfinished) Created CG for Aaron’s introduction

Finished beginning monologue

Created first bumper animation

Finished “tutorial” break conversation & first break conversation from list

Created title cards

Added sound effects to menu buttons

Redid UI

Still need to...

Finish other vignettes (break room banter, special scenes, title chapters)

Finish character sprites

Create customer sprites

Add sex scenes

Create title screen image

And more

For your viewing pleasure:

[satoshi-mochida]

Some thoughts on my last Gamefly rental, No Straight Roads(Switch version).

Mayday and Zuke are two musicians in an indie rock band named Bunk Bed Junction. They’re practicing for an audition at NSR, a company that provides order and energy to Vinyl City. Heading out to stage, they perform for the judges(which is the game’s tutorial), but get completely rejected by all the judges. Not helping matters was Mayday mouthing off to the head judge, Tatiana, over her distaste for rock music or their audition in favor of EDM.

After the rejection and heading out to look over the city, on the way they see promotion for NSR touting their ‘Order’ for the city and their contributions to using music as energy to power it. Passing a shop with TVs broadcasting their auditions show that their rock music actually did generate a large amount of energy, despite the judges’ distaste for their performance/music.

While they’re overlooking the city, another blimp with NSR propaganda flies by, broadcasting Tatiana bashing their band and announcing the ban of rock music at further auditions, causing Mayday to rage at them while Zuke attempts to calm her down and reason with their choice to do so. Just then, however, the whole city blacks out, with only the places for the elite/NSR getting emergency power. Seeing this, Zuke relents, and May convinces him to lead a musical revolution against the NSR.

They start off by taking down one of the NSR artist’s clubs and claiming it for themselves. With help from a fan of theirs gained from their audition named Kliff, they plan to take over down each of the NSR’s artists to gain more territory against them and increase their own support fanbase.

Without getting into spoilers, I liked the way the writing went at certain points, keeping the story from being simply black and white with Mayday and Zuke VS. the NSR, having more nuance and being smarter than that. There’s also plenty of funny moments, too.

The game flow has Mayday and Zuke going to where each NSR artist is performing, hijacking their venue, going through it(fighting enemies with platforming along the way), and beating the artists, one by one, and unlocking the next section of the city, repeating until the end. You can also explore the parts of Vinyl City you’ve unlocked, using energy canisters you find called Mini Qwasas to power up bits of the city that are out of power(which gets you more Fans), use Mayday/Zuke’s Transform ability to unlock some areas for exploring and stickers/Collectibles, and examine parts of the city.

The two have a base of sorts in the city’s sewers. Here, you can:

Check information on your next target and look at Collectibles, some of which contain information about the artists you fight.

Use fan power as Skill Points to learn new Skills for Mayday, Zuke or both of them(the amount of fans doesn’t go down as the power is used, it’s just used as the measure for how many Skill Points you have available).

Use mods or stickers on their weapons to learn Attack Skills and boost stats, respectively.

Have an interview with a pirate radio DJ and answer questions that can increase your Fans.

Have Zuke feed an alligator, which, somehow, eventually unlocks a helipad to fast travel with. Who also pilots the helicopter.

Here are Mayday and Zuke’s actions:

Attack with Y. You can do combos(Zuke being able to do more), finishers by holding the button(once unlocked), and do a diving attack while jumping(which is B; a double jump and Air Dash can be unlocked from the Skill Tree, though there’s no aerial attacks). 

Roll with A. You’re invincible while doing this(same for the Air Dash, I think).

Parry with Y. Only attacks that flash purple/white can be countered, most of which are projectiles. The timing for this may take a bit getting used to.

Fire musical notes that you’ve collected with R(this is the only way to hit enemies that have a targeting reticle on them)

Use Skills that are assigned to ZL/ZR once unlocked(they activate once the button is released, though, not just pressed)

Switch between Mayday and Zuke with L(they won’t change places when this is done; you’ll be in control of them from wherever they happen to be when switching). There’s a cooldown after switching, so it can’t be done multiple times at once.

Transform objects or unlock areas on the field with X. What they change into depends on how high the level it gets to(up to Level 3 can be unlocked), and what boss you’re fighting.

Finisher Skills gained from the DK West fights that are used by hitting both ZL/ZR with full energy for both characters.

Showstopper, which is only used to finish Boss fights, by pressing both control sticks

Boss fights can be repeated to get a better score and raise your Fanbase amount. They rank from C to S(if you retry a Boss, it’ll lock at C for that run), you getting more Fans for a higher score. With a couple exceptions, you can also replay the Approach to each Boss(the parts with normal enemies and platforming). There are several difficulty options for each Boss that can be unlocked after beating them and talking to an NPC with an ! above him nearby, and finishing the game.

Normal

Hard

Crazy(finishing on this difficulty gives you a Collectable that tells you a bit more about the artists)

Parry(can only do damage via parries)

Perfect Parry(same as above but you can only take one hit)

Mayday and Zuke have a different ‘feel’ when playing as them. Mayday moves faster than Zuke, for example.

There’s no lock-on option for melee strikes, so you’ll need to adjust attacks for that.

I really grew to like Mayday and Zuke, as well as other characters. Those two have great camaraderie together. The Boss artists were all unique and fun, too. 

The art style and character design is really nice, and the animation for the models and character portraits during dialogue is well done. There are also 2D animated scenes and in-universe ad videos that look good, too. The music is also nice, and some tracks are pretty catchy, one that stood out being the track for the Malaysian(I think)-themed rap battle between Zuke and DK West.

Speaking of DK West, his boss battles are optional(aside from the first time), and then they get pretty difficult. The gameplay changes for them: 

You need to guide symbols of Zuke and Mayday’s hands through enemy symbols by using the control sticks(Left for Zuke and Right for Mayday), and taking too much damage ends the attempt. 

Once you guide their hand symbols to the end, an easier section starts where you just need to move Zuke and Mayday to hit the hands of a minotaur creature(that seems to be a ‘wayang kulit’)  that rises above DK West. After a few hits, they’ll disappear, the wayang kulit collapses, and you keep attacking until it goes back to the previous gameplay section. This will repeat until the rap battle is over. 

You can heal during the first part when hamburger health items spawn, but it doesn’t seem to happen too often, and the three rap battles go on for a little while. There doesn’t seem to be any way to make these easier aside from practicing and getting better until you can win.

I tried my best with the second DK West rap battle, but couldn't beat it. It’s probably much easier with two players so each only has to focus on dodging one set of enemy symbols. Zuke gets some good character development from these, so I’m kind of disappointed I couldn’t see them on my own. ^^;

I did have a couple glitches occur while playing(one time causing the boss I was fighting to stop attacking at all), and had it crash on me twice, though thankfully, the game autosaves often. I heard this version wasn’t the best to play, so maybe try a different one if that’s the case if you plan on playing it.

Next game being sent is: Maglam Lord.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

02/28/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Cast&CrewSightings; Rhys;Taika; HowToHelp; Guardian Survey; Ranker; AdoptOurCrewAnalysis; 50DaysInTheGravyBasket; New Watch Parties; Pirate Radio and Yes Man; Watch Party Reminders; California In Person Events; Fan Spotlight; Articles; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

Another VERY eventful day crew. There's actually more but I needed to get some permissions to share so hopefully I'll have them up tomorrow! Hope you are all having a lovely day/night! <3

= Cast & Crew Sightings =

== Rhys Darby ==

Rhys is out here being silly and thoughtful on his IG Stories again!

== Taika Waititi ==

Rita has been so kind to us fans by providing us footage on her IG Stories! We get to see our silly guy being happy and silly!

== How to Help ==

= Guardian Survey Link =

The Guardian would LOVE to hear your feedback! If you have a few moments to help, feel free to fill out the survey! Survey Link

= Ranker =

Great job all! Looks like we're already up to #1! Thanks @_irene_adler on IG for capturing this!

== Adopt Our Crew Analysis ==

Our friends over at @adoptourcrew have put together some awesome data regarding our Captain Rhys Darby!

== 50 Days in the Gravy Basket ==

@saveofmdcrewmates posted this video today marking "50 days since the cast, crew and fans of Our Flag Means Death were plunged into the Gravy Basket."

@giulianaazr has created this video to remind us that there is a way out! 🏴‍☠️🥹

Tumblr / Twitter / Instagram / Youtube

== New Watch Parties! ==

= Pirate Radio! =

More details coming tomorrow!

= Yes Man! =

Join us for a Yes Man Watch Party!

Graphic by@ICouldBeFamily

Where: #RhysDarbyFaction Discord When: March 10th 12 Noon PST / 3PM EST / 8PM GMT Who: Need Access? Reach out to @AspirantAbby42 on twitter, or @gentlebeardsbarngrill here on Tumblr!

Watch Party Hashtags:

#HellYesRhys

#RhysDarbyFaction

#AdoptOurCrew

#SaveOFMD

== WATCH PARTY REMINDERS! ==

= People of Earth S2 =

People of Earth S2 continues tomorrow Feb 29 at 9 pm GMT / 4pm EST / 3pm CST / 1pm PST. Need access? Reach out to @iamadequate1!

#PiratesOfEarth

= Uncle Season 2 Watch Party! =

Wed 28th + Thurs 29th GMT - 8pm / ET - 3pm / PST - 12 pm Streaming on I-player! Outside the UK? Follow this VPN tutorial to learn more. 

#ForTheNewUncle

== In Person Events ==

Nothing Moves Without The Crew!

Thank you to @WGA_fandomLove on twitter for letting us know about this meet up in Los Angelos California! Please visit their twitter and follow for more information!

Gay Pirate fandom friends in the LA area - let’s rally in solidarity with @IATSE on the eve of their negotiations with the AMPTP. They represent Hair & Makeup, Costumes, Grips, Set Decorators, Props, Camera Operators - basically all the magical people that made OFMD shine!

== Fan Spotlight ==

= February Love Collage Fest! =

Thank you again to @wndrngnomad for these collages!

Day 28: The friendships of the cast and crew!

= Cast Cards by @melvisik! =

Our wonderful crew-mate @melvisik has been kind enough to share their trading cards of the cast members with us over the last several weeks! These are super cool because you can see some other shows they've been in as well! They've said it's okay to print them out, use them as trading cards, or anyway you'd like :) Wanna see more? Check them out over on the Repository!

== Articles ==

"The Best Series In March" - German Article ty to @Addie__H for the translation of the title.

== Loves Notes ==

I apologize lovelies, I think the last few days are finally catching up to me so I'm going make this short tonight. HOWEVER, I WILL SAY -- I saw so much Safe Space Ship today and it warmed my heart so much. So many of you are reaching out to crew-mates and giving encouragement and I'm so very proud of you <3. Seriously, I don't know of a better fandom out there (and I've been in a quite a few in my day) where there has been so much acceptance and support. I know we're all struggling a bit with disagreements/concerns over renewal efforts, but you all are still just out there giving love left and right. You really are just the most amazing group of individuals and I'm so honoured to be here with you. I've probably said this a thousand times, sorry but it's what runs through my head whenever I see the love you're sending out. I am going to take advice from @thelatestkate and sign off and go get some rest. See you all in tomorrow-world, love you dearies <3

== Daily Darby / Tonight's Taika ==

Just some goof for tonight. Nothing too similar except I know quite a lot of us look at Taika like that all the time (respectfully).

Tonight's gifs are brought to you by:

Rhys: @fandomsmeantheworldtome

Taika: @ofmd-ann

[lifestyleandfashion101]

Buying Stylish Men's Apparel Online: A Beginner's Guide

In the age of digital convenience, shopping for men's apparel online has become a go-to option for many. The online marketplace offers many choices, whether you're looking for a sharp suit, casual wear, or accessories. However, navigating this vast online fashion world can be daunting for beginners. To help you out, here's a comprehensive guide to buying stylish men's apparel online.

Know Your Measurements

The first step to successful online shopping is knowing your measurements. Unlike shopping in physical stores where you can try things on, buying clothes online requires a solid understanding of your size. Measure your chest, waist, hips, inseam, and sleeve length. Most online stores provide a size guide, so having your measurements handy ensures you choose the right size. If you're unsure how to take measurements, many websites offer tutorials, or you can visit a tailor for precise measurements.

Understand Fabric and Material

When shopping online for men's apparel, you can't feel the fabric, so it's essential to understand the types of materials used in clothing. Cotton is breathable and perfect for casual wear, wool is great for warmth, and polyester is durable and often used in sportswear. Pay attention to product descriptions to know what to expect. This step is crucial if you have sensitive skin or preferences for certain fabrics. Some websites also offer zoom features on images, allowing you to get a closer look at the texture and details of the fabric.

Start with Basics

If you're new to online shopping, purchase basics like t-shirts, jeans, or simple shirts. These items are generally easier to size correctly and are less risky if they don't fit perfectly. Basics are also the foundation of any wardrobe, so investing in well-made essentials is always a good idea. Look for versatile, neutral-colored pieces that can be easily mixed and matched.

Read Reviews and Ratings

One of the biggest advantages of online shopping is access to customer reviews and ratings. Before making a purchase, take the time to read through the reviews. Pay attention to comments about sizing, quality, and customer service. Reviews can offer insights into how a garment fits, feels, and holds up over time. Look for detailed reviews from customers who share your body type or style preferences, as these can provide the most relevant information.

Check Return Policies

Even with careful planning, sometimes items don't fit or look as expected. Before making a purchase, always check the return and exchange policies of the online store. Some retailers offer free returns, while others may charge a fee. Knowing the return policy in advance can save you time and money if something doesn't work out. Make sure to keep all tags on the clothes and save the original packaging if you need to return an item.

Shop from Reputable Sites

With so many online retailers, shopping from reputable sites is crucial. Look for well-known brands or retailers with strong customer service reputations. Avoid deals that seem too good to be true, as they often are. A quick Google search can reveal any red flags or common complaints about a site. When in doubt, stick to trusted names or check if the retailer is listed on verified platforms like Trustpilot.

Experiment with Style

Online shopping is an excellent opportunity to experiment with new styles. Browse through different categories, check out lookbooks, and even follow fashion blogs for inspiration. You can explore new trends, try different fits, and gradually build a wardrobe that reflects your style. If you're unsure about a bold choice, start with a single item rather than an entire outfit to see how it fits into your existing wardrobe.

Utilize Filters and Search Tools

Many online stores offer filters and search tools to narrow down your options. Use these features to sort by size, color, style, and price range. This saves time and helps you find what you're looking for. Filtering by price or checking out the sale section can help you snag great deals if you're shopping on a budget.

Shopping for men's apparel online can be a rewarding experience if you approach it with the right strategy. By knowing your measurements, understanding fabrics, and starting with basics, you can make informed decisions that enhance your wardrobe. Always read reviews, check return policies, and shop from reputable sites to ensure a smooth shopping experience. Finally, don't be afraid to experiment and have fun with your style choices. With these tips in mind, you're on your way to becoming an online shopping pro.

[reviewrating]

Vesta Review - World’s 1st Money-Making WhatsApp Channels.

Vesta Is The  New 'Set & Forget' A.I App Exploits WhatsApp™ For FREE Traffic & $1,272/Day In 60 Seconds Flat!

Vesta Review – Introduction

Welcome to my Vesta Review. As a genuine user of Vesta, I'll provide an honest assessment of its features, upgrades, costs, bonuses, and demo. I’ll also share how Vesta can benefit you and my personal thoughts on the software. With just one click, Vesta promises to leverage traffic in 60 seconds. It's the world's first ChatGPT-powered, set-and-forget money-making website—a true goldmine for generating passive online profits.

Official Sales Page/Website: Click Here To Visit Sales Page

Vesta Review – What is Vesta?

Vesta App is the new 'Set & Forget' A.I tool that leverages WhatsApp™ to generate free traffic and up to $1,272 per day in just 60 seconds! With over 2 billion active users—almost 30% of the world's population—WhatsApp has become a powerhouse platform. Every day, more than 100 billion messages are exchanged, showcasing its enormous reach and influence.

Vesta taps into this potential, transforming WhatsApp’s massive user base into a revenue stream. The app is designed to simplify the process, making it easy to connect with users and drive results, even if you don't have specialized skills or extensive experience.

To learn more about how it works and the detailed process, check out my Vesta review below.

Vesta Review – Vesta Overview

Vendor: Billy Darr

Product: Vesta

Launch Date: 2024-Aug-25

Launch Time: 11:00 EDT

Front-End Price: $17(One Time Payment)

Official Sales Page/Website: Click Here To Visit Sales Page

Niche:  Software

Bonuses: YES, Huge Bonuses

Skill Level Required: All Levels

Refund: 365-day money-back guarantee!

How Does Vesta AppActually Work?

Vesta™ uses the latest cutting-edge A.I…

That knows exactly how to make a channel go viral…

You see, billions of people use WhatsApp every single day… The traffic and buyers are already there… But we needed a way to figure out how to drive them into our channel…

And that’s where our A.I app shines…

It knows how to promote our channel to ONLY targeted people… Without paying for anything and without waiting…

I mean it takes a few hours… To get our channel from ZERO to hundreds if not thousands of subscribers.

Not just that…

We make money from the channel SAME DAY.

You’re 2-Clicks Away From Exploiting

WhatsApp’s™ Latest Feature, “Channels”...

( Resulting In FREE Daily Visitors & Sales… )

We Turn A Brand New Channel From Zero To Hundreds Of Targeted BUYERS In Seconds…

Click #1 Purchase

Click on any of the buttons on this page…And create your  account with Vesta in 15 seconds… and then simply login…(ZERO RISK - You are protected By

Our 365 Days Money Back Guarantee)

Click #2 Activate

Connect your WhatsApp™

account… And let our A.I build you an automated channel in any niche you

want… With hundreds of followers That result in money like this for us.

Official Sales Page/Website: Click Here To Visit Sales Page

Vesta Review – Key Features

WhatsApp™ Channels In 60 Seconds

Built-In A.I Powered Video Creator

100+ Templates To Choose From

Intuitive Drag-and-Drop Interface

Works With Voice Prompts Or Keywords

Hundreds Of Stock Assets Included For Free

Newbie Friendly Interface

App Works On All Popular Devices

All Major 3rd Party Integrations Supported

Automatic WhatsApp™ Channel Creation

Automated AiTraffic Feature Built-In

Built-In Monetisation Included

OpenAI & ChatGPT4 Integration…

1-Click Content Creator

Auto Like/Comment Campaign

Share WhatsApp™ Channel To 100+ Traffic Sources

Biz-In-A-Box Commercial Licence Included

No Monthly Fees

Vesta Review - Can Do For You?

Tap Into Set ‘n’ Forget Whatsapp Channels…

Get Unlimited Free Traffic In 1-Click...

No Tech Skills Or Previous Experience Needed…

Our 3-Figure A Day Tutorials Included...

Get Real Human Visitors Who BUY…

Stop Wasting Time & Money On B.S. Methods..

Finally Get Traffic So You Can Make Sales Today

Be Amongst The First To Ride This New Wave...

The Price Is Rising, If You Wait You’ll Pay More!

Vesta Review - Conclusion

Vesta is a powerful AI-powered platform that  can smooth out the video creation process. Via computerizing a significant number of the errands engaged with video creation, it can set aside you time and cash. In any case, gauging the advantages and disadvantages prior to settling on a choice is significant. In the event that you're searching for a helpful and reasonable method for making recordings, Vesta might worth investigate.

Official Sales Page/Website: Click Here To Visit Sales Page

[jcmarchi]

How developers can use OpenAI's SearchGPT

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/how-developers-can-use-openais-searchgpt/

How developers can use OpenAI's SearchGPT

OpenAI is testing SearchGPT, a “temporary prototype of new AI search features that give you fast and timely answers with clear and relevant sources.”

SearchGPT combines AI with internet data to provide better search results. OpenAI claims its new prototype delivers clearer, faster, and more accurate answers to user queries.

To refine the SearchGPT experience, OpenAI is conducting a limited test with a select group of users and publishers.

Want to find out more about GPT’s new search engine?

Keep reading as we cover everything you need to know about SearchGPT, its main features, and how developers can use it to help build better products.👇🏼

Table of contents:

How SearchGPT works 

Source: OpenAI

As we all know, finding credible and relevant information can sometimes be time-consuming and frustrating. SearchGPT makes the entire process smoother and more efficient by combining the “conversational capabilities” of ChatGPT models with real-time web data. 

Using SearchGPT is easy. Type your query, and it’ll provide quick and direct answers to your questions, backed by up-to-date information and cited sources.

One of its stand-out features is its ability to hold a conversation. This makes it easier to get information as and when you need it.

You can also ask follow-up questions like you would during a regular back-and-forth conversation with another person. SearchGPT will then answer your questions with the understanding and shared context built from previous queries.

Video source: OpenAI

If you’re a researcher or publisher, you’ll appreciate how SearchGPT cites sources (with links) in searches. These sources will appear in a sidebar (see image below).

Source: OpenAI blog post

More control for content creators and publishers

OpenAI is launching SearchGPT alongside a new system for publishers to manage their presence within the search results. If you’re a content creator or publisher, this will give you more control over how your content appears.

Here’s what’s important:

SearchGPT focuses solely on search and is completely separate from OpenAI’s generative AI models.

Websites can still be included in search results even if they choose not to participate in generative AI training. 

How developers can use Llama 3.1 to build advanced models

With enhanced knowledge, flexibility, and multilingual prowess, Llama 3.1 empowers developers to explore uncharted territories in AI research and development. Keep reading for a deeper dive into Llama 3.1, its features, and how developers can use it to build advanced models.

How developers can use SearchGPT 

If you use it properly, SearchGPT can be very useful for developers and software engineers. It can boost project efficiency, streamline workflows, and keep you ahead of the curve.

Want to learn more about how developers can use SearchGPT?

Check out these top use cases:

1. Find specialized GPT models

Need to use a GPT model for a specific function? Try using SearchGPT to find GPT models specialized for specific tasks such as natural language processing, code generation, data analysis, and more. 

2. Perform comparative analysis 

Comparing model performance can be a time-consuming task. But you can make the process a lot more efficient by letting SearchGPT do the heavy lifting for you.

For example, you could use it to conduct in-depth comparisons of different GPT models based on factors such as speed, accuracy, cost, and specific capabilities. With this info, you’ll have a better idea of which model is the best for your project. 

3. Assist with product development

When developing a new product, you can discover methods and techniques to optimize your product’s performance. You can also use SearchGPT to quickly access guidelines and tutorials to help you integrate your models into existing systems and applications. 

4. Improve application features

Use GPT models to add advanced features like natural language understanding, content generation, and user interaction improvements to your software products. Another great way to leverage this new GPT feature is for bug detection and code assistance. 

5. Custom GPT model development

Developers can leverage SearchGPT to discover resources and tools for building custom GPT models. This includes finding suitable training datasets and learning effective fine-tuning techniques to tailor pre-trained models to specific applications and industries. 

6. Product testing and quality assurance

SearchGPT can help you test your products by providing access to test cases, benchmarks, and performance evaluations of things like GPT models. Plus, you can leverage user feedback and real-world testing results to improve your product’s integration and functionality. 

How to use GPT-4o mini to build AI applications (10 tips)

In a major move towards making artificial intelligence more accessible, OpenAI has unveiled GPT-4o mini, its “most affordable and intelligent small model” to date.

How do I get access to SearchGPT?

Since SearchGPT is currently in a limited testing phase, it’s not openly available to everyone. If you want to test it, you need to join OpenAI’s waitlist.

To join the waitlist, you can visit the OpenAI website and sign up.

Note: There’s no guarantee of immediate access, but it’s the only way to potentially get early access to SearchGPT.

Join our AI Accelerator Institute Pro Membership

The all-in-one platform for AI enthusiasts dedicated to continuous learning, networking, and career progression.

Our Pro membership is your AI career accelerator. Get exclusive access to expert insights, practical tools, and a community of AI professionals. 

Plus, you get to rub shoulders with some of the brightest minds in AI at companies like Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and Microsoft Azure. It’s all about getting you those hot-off-the-press resources and linking up with a community of peers who share your passion for leveraging the power of AI.

Like what you see? Then check out tonnes more.

From exclusive content by industry experts and an ever-increasing bank of real world use cases, to 80+ deep-dive summit presentations, our membership plans are packed with awesome AI resources.

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[thewikihidden]

Exploring the Hidden Wiki: A Gateway for Ethical Hackers

Today, I want to share my latest deep dive into the mysterious world of the Hidden Wiki. If you've ever been curious about the darker corners of the internet or just want to enhance your hacking skills ethically, you're in for a treat. Let’s explore together!

What is the Hidden Wiki?

The Hidden Wiki link is your gateway to the darknet, a part of the internet that's not indexed by traditional search engines. It's a treasure trove of information, ranging from forums and blogs to marketplaces and more. But as ethical hackers, we’re only interested in the educational and legally permissible aspects, right? 😉

A Brief History

The Hidden Wiki has been around for years, serving as a directory for Tor hidden services. It’s kind of like the Yellow Pages for the darknet. Over time, it has evolved and changed, but its core purpose remains the same: to provide access to a plethora of hidden services.

Why Ethical Hackers Should Care

You might be wondering, why should an ethical hacker care about the Hidden Wiki link? Here are a few reasons:

Research and Education: There’s a wealth of information about cybersecurity, hacking techniques, and encryption methods.

Networking: Connect with other ethical hackers and cybersecurity professionals.

Staying Updated: Keep up with the latest trends in the hacking community.

Key Sections to Explore

Let’s break down some of the key sections of the Hidden Wiki link that are particularly useful for us ethical hackers:

1. Educational Resources

This section is a goldmine for learning new skills. You can find tutorials, eBooks, and forums discussing various hacking techniques—all meant for educational purposes, of course.

2. Forums and Communities

Engage with like-minded individuals. These forums are great for discussing the latest in cybersecurity, sharing tips, and getting advice from experienced hackers.

3. Tools and Software

Find links to legitimate tools and software that can aid in your ethical hacking journey. Always ensure that you download from reputable sources to avoid malicious software.

Navigating the Hidden Wiki Safely

Safety first! Here are a few tips to ensure your exploration of the Hidden Wiki link is secure:

Use a VPN: This adds an extra layer of security to your connection.

Stay Anonymous: Use Tor browser to maintain your anonymity.

Verify Links: Always double-check links before clicking to avoid phishing or malware.

Ethical Considerations

As ethical hackers, we have a responsibility to use our skills for good. Here are a few ethical guidelines to keep in mind:

Respect Privacy: Never use your skills to invade someone’s privacy.

Avoid Illegal Activities: Stick to the legal and educational aspects of hacking.

Share Knowledge: Help others by sharing your knowledge and promoting cybersecurity awareness.

Final Thoughts

The Hidden Wiki link is a fascinating resource for ethical hackers. It’s like a hidden treasure chest waiting to be explored. Just remember to always stay ethical and use your skills for good.

Happy hacking, and stay safe out there!