#all on top of some aesthetic + story choices i'm not super into

[psychiclounge]

wrote up a whole rambling nonsense post but i can boil it down to two points that are still too long for what i’m saying. so far:

1. i do not like the movement and weapon controls, they’re floaty and loose and have little impact, finding it hard to adjust to considering how much i love how the first two games play + the way the camera like, tracks on garrett’s head and bobs around makes me feel kinda ill

2. i expected this to some degree but so far its been very silly. Very silly. that’s fun, but it also just keeps taking me out of it, its a really different vibe. shoutout to the shopkeeper/fence dialogue, every single one has immediately stopped me in my tracks the moment they open their mouth. bertha where did you pick up that whole shtick lkJHLKJH

[hummingbird-games]

2023 In Review (Indie Games)

Last year's! | 2021

I apologize in advance for how long this might be. As a reminder, I don't bash games here so even if I hated something with every fiber of my being...I ain't sharing. As a second reminder, my more in depth reviews and live blogging has moved to Gem's Game Gems so I don't clutter the HBG's main blog. Okay. ON WITH THE REVIEW!!

DEMOS

Diffraction (Demo)- A rainy day otome indeed. I love the quiet gentleness of this game, the two romance options, and the fact that our MC is a photographer and struggling with her art and stack of life "failures" (because...SAME!!)

Alaris - I was asleep and now I am awake: I came late for the advertised fae and dragon lore, stayed seated and waiting for Fenir zjgjdf. Oh, and I guess the mystery surrounding our MC's abilities LOL.

The Summit Library - When I say I was maaaaaad when I realized I blew through chapter 1 and would have to go back to waiting for more content??? LOL, I was very miffed. Anyhoo, check out this title for the gorgeous art, another intriguing mystery (like what is *up* with the magic in the poor library?? who or what is to blame?? 👀) and of course the lovely characters we've been introduced to thus far.

Of Sense and Soul - I'm a regency romance girl. Like after you strip away the other stuff, I am but a poor woman with simple needs: a good ass love story 🤧💛 It's about the yearning and the slow burn and the will they/won't they/PLEASEEE they...I've never been so charmed by a demo, and the full game is going to be amazing I just know it!

Made Marion - This project is a game I've been keeping tabs on for a hot minute but hadn't taken the time to sit and properly enjoy the demo. I'M SO GLAD I DID!!! It's in early access now, so I'm hoping eventually I'll be able to carve out some time to play, but guysss Velvet Cupcake is doing the Thing?!? No idea which love interest I'll go for first, but I had a fun time meeting the Nottingham peeps in the demo.

Herotome (Super Demo) - Oh gosh. Oh gosh oh gosh oh my GOSHHH. Where do I even began?? (Really the question is where the hell do I end because this is one of those projects I talk about a lot/think about a lot and surprisingly haven't run out of things to say zkjfksjd). Another game I've been following for a while, it 100% lives up to the superhero genre in its aesthetic, the characters you interact with, the music and sound design, and of course the slowly unfurling story. Jade and Mia had come out as my top faves, Warden is still there, like hovering in the backgroud, shhhh but I have a special place in my heart for Griffin too (that conversation we have with her?? I have so many screenshots just so I can go back and reread and sear the words in my brain. Like a weirdo. Yup.)

Celestial Crowns - Stats building, celestial royalty, dating sim where you fuck around and find out your choices directly affect your MC's personality?? I'm sat. I supported the Kickstarter and now I try to practice patience for the full game's release siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighh.

OTOME/JOSEI JAM

Please note this is a SUPER abridged list for my sanity and I fell a little more in love with these 2 jams with each entry I played...

Intertwine - As embarrassing as it sounds, I've never given much thought to the "red string" thing, and I consume more than enough romance media LOL!! But Van is suuuuuch a beautiful man, the UI for this game is so interactive and lovely, the music is ALSO lovely, just lovely-love all the way around teehee. (Also this game encourages replayabillity so like, do with that info what you will.)

Spring Boy [Demo] - I believe this game is going through a complete rehaul, so my thoughts and feelings refer to the original jam entry I played. The art is bright and cute and it's a super super short demo, but I was intrigued by the other student we meet on our mission to plead with our professor about our bombed exam lol!

Assignment Due: Project Blue - IRl group projects??? Suck absolute ass. Group projects with a guy name Asher?? Suddenly it's my new favorite thing in the world 😁

Cryptid Campaign Manager [DEMO] - Remember the last time I looked over a cryptid dating sim??? Remember how I was SUCH a fool?? Good thing I didn't make that mistake again!! The prologue is such a tease but you get an idea of what the full game is gonna be like, and I'm excited to see where my career involving love (and politics) goes!

Heart Cage [Demo] - Yoooooo I stay my ass far far far away from yanderes (could never get into the trope or the character type). WELP. Guess I just needed to keep searching because I really downloaded this off a whim--well, the whim being one of my fellow dev peers playing and rating-- and proceeded to get sucked in 🤧I thought being a detective would be the highlight, but I guuuueeesssss I was more into the romance options than I thought. Oops.

Evernight - I tried to explain what this game meant to me on the side blog, but words failed me. I still don't know what to say other than I loved it?? Which is like ummm I say I love everything, and yeah I'm easy to please BUT Y'ALLLLLL if you play no other game, play this one. Please. Date a werewolf. Or a vampire. Or a fae. Plz. Also figuring out the mystery of your MC's abilities and past is just delightful, ugh.

Bright Oak (demo) - Anotha one I wrote about on the side blog!!! Play this one!!! The writing is lush and atmospheric and the characters are all delightful and it's another game with a mystery to untangle!

The Faithfulness of the Universe- This one gets the award for most unique all around entry that I played. Theeeeee prettiest pixel art to bless my eyeballs, and this tasty mystery concerning Fate and witch Faustina's future (or lack thereof 👀) and what it all means. As a player I very much want to know what it all means!

A Cup For All Seasons - Another game that needs its flowers y'all. It's short but super healing and super cozy and the voice acting and music really tie the gaming experience together???

The Working Woman's Guide to Burning Bridges - DEMO - It's the way I played the demo twice and I've been thinking about it ever since 😭😭😭🙃 obviously life happens and things come up, plus this was a demo. But. BUT!!! I am on my hands and knees prayinnggg the team gets together again to finish the game. I love playing as a stressed, lowkey bitter hot mess who doesn't have her life together 😂somehow the fictional version is soooo much more entertaining!!!

Keyframes (Spring Demo) - After the game College Craze, this is legit THE college, slice of life visual novel of my dreams. I cannot wait for the updated demo next year, and the Kickstarter whenever that rolls around. And now that the developer is on Tumblr, I've definitely been stalking the account and reading each new post like it's my day/night/weekend job 🤧

Hello Counsel 💋 - Okay I take it back, Evernight is like a 20/10 but Hello Counsel is like an 100/10 👁️👄👁️ This game is necessary for my mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual health, alright? The banter ✅ the character designs ✅ the music ✅ the sizzling chemistry between Poise and Salem ✅ I wish this game had more buzz because IT'S SO GOOD!!! (also the dev, Miseri, is who I wanna be when I grow up. I've made it through almost their whole backlog of games and there are no misses and EVERY game is different from the rest and it makes it hard for a toodler dev--ME--to cope LOL)

Candied Hearts - Isekaied into a candy themed game?? Sign me TF UP!!! (Peppermint I love you dearly, you must understand.)

Fully Released & Played (at least 1 playthrough)

The Knight's Dilemma - I don't even know how I originally stumbled upon this??? I just know it had been in my backlog for a hot minute and I was intrigued enough to save it way back when. Y'ALL WHY DIDN'T I PLAY SOONER SKJFHFJFH! There's a couple different endings, I loved the voice direction, AND it's such a simple concept of a game that was just executed beautifully.

Trouble Comes Twice - If I had to make a top 5 list of romance VNs, guess who makes the list?? Guess. Guess guess guess. Have you guessed yet??? LOL! I have been in love with TCT since it's development days and with each passing month, waiting in anticipation, playing the Pateron beta builds, screaming on the main blog about every single thought I had about Jace and Hazel (shoutout to Jace for helping me figure out *me*) Lol if you're curious about said thoughts, those posts are on this blog and not the side blog.

Aelfric the Wondrous - 10/10 would love to forget my first play through JUST to have that experience fresh again 😭😭💛Cute and funny and a wonderful parody type game all around.

A Summer's End - Hong Kong 1986 - Goodness, there's no excuse for why this took me years to finish but anyhoo, I finished, I loved it, I recommend it! It's romantic and achingly authentic and the art is soooo gorgeous I literally can't stand it 😭

The Things You Do For Love - Unhinged yandere manages to entertain and garner sympathy and laughter from Gemini. And that poly ending is chef's kiss too????

Band Camp Boyfriend - There are a handful of games I found and loved before I began my game development journey, and this is one of them. BCB is so dear to me, because of the story and characters but also because of the Dynamic Duo creators and their team behind the scenes. I was never a band kid I was a chorus kid but just as the band geeks loved this game to pieces, us normal folks do too!! Even the boys who I didn't like I STILL managed to find joy in playing their routes (still have a few more to finish at the time of this posting lol, GOTTA GET THE FINAL ROUTE YO). Anyway, this game more than delivered for me and I hope more people keep discovering it!!

Belle Automata: Chronicle I [RELEASED] - While only Chronicle 1 is out at the time of this posting, I already know that the 2nd and 3rd parts are going to be just as amazing???? I wrote about this one on the side blog, so here's my copypaste that still rings true:  

I love TNP (The Nightmare Prince) but Victor’s route hit the sweet spot for me. Maybe it’s the slow(er) burn nature of this route, maybe it’s the reserved nature of Victor and watching him slowly start to care (AND NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH THOSE FEELINGS TEEHEE) for me.

A Date with Death - I wrote about this on the side blog--again--. The demo. And then right after finishing a route. And then again where I was fully awake and still managed to sound deranged. No copypaste for that, I shall be nice. But yeah!! Another game where I was screaming at the sky about how much I love it and how I'll never know peace as long as I live.

Our Life: Baxter DLC - I need to offer an official apology to both Cove and Derek because falling head over heels, down the stairs, crashing into the parking lot, falling again but down a manhole for Baxter's infuriating ass was NOT on my 2023 bingo board??? HELLO???? I bought his DLC just to complete my OL collection. Was not expecting to love it this much. Was not expecting to be called to write fanfic and abandon all responsibilities to do this. WHILE DOWN WITH COVID TOO. Allow me to play the song of my people. *Send in the Clowns plays*

Our Cinderella - (this is so funny I'm taking about a side game before the main game LOLOLOLOL) Guys. Guysss. You guyyyysss 🥹if you're looking for a cozy, hilarious, equally oddly and wonderfully sweet short game, this is the one!! You may have your personal favorite Iggy ship (like me) but all the pairings are so amazing and just make sense lol!

Wylde Flowers - This is the only non visual novel game on here but it gets the spotlight because I did NOT spend 90+ hours on this game to gatekeep this beauty. No. It the coziest, the funniest, the funnest, the most addictive Switch game (after Teacup) I've ever played.

Fully Released (& still on 1st playthrough)

Garden of Seif: Chronicles of an Assassin - Life kicked my butt and then sat on me SO while I finally got my grubby hands on the full copy, I still have only played the entirety of the demo. But. We will return to this in 2024 and hopefully I'll have a full review for the next wrap up!

Our Wonderland - I looked back at the side blog and I can't believe it was only THIS year that I started OW??? Because I'd known of the game and the dev for longer than that??? So basically what I'm saying is that I was chicken shit for longer than I've been in love with this world that Developer Carrot has created kjzhhshggj. But OMG to get me, who is scared oh so easily to get hella invested in this clearly labeled horror game??????????????? And even with shit gets super absurd and hella disturbing, I cannot stop playing. At the time of this post, I'm only in Act 4, hence the category above, but it's only because I play each act in a sitting and lose track of space and time and myself. That's a compliment btw.

...

Okie!! That's 2023 in a nutshell! I played a looooot of really good games this year and while I would have liked to talk about them all, I think this list provides a nice overview.

Let me know if we share any favorites!

- Gemini 💛

[sapphosewrites]

top 10 ds9 fan fics you've written, ranked?

Oooh, tough question, friend! I don't even know what the criteria for this would be, because the most AO3 popular ones are not always my favorites... Okay, you know what, here we go. I'm just going to go for it and make some decisions. I'm giving myself a rule, though, that I can only chose one from a series, so I'm not just listing everything in the Terok Nor AU. I'll also try to hit different kinds of fics I've written.

10.) After the End of the World: A Survey of Seminal Works of Cardassian Post-Apocalyptic Literature from cross-posted to tumblr. 533 words, "An examination of the Cardassian post-apocalyptic literary genre before and after the Dominion War." This isn't my most popular or my best written but it's one of my favorites; I like in-world diegetic texts and worldbuilding and I'm obsessed with the idea of post-canon Cardassia as post-apocalypse.

9.) Never Have I Ever from The Game Is Afoot, 1,294 words, T, "Julian introduces Garak to the human game never have I ever." This was fun to write and is fun to reread every time! I often spend a lot of fic space on angst and identity and all the reasons why it's a bad idea for Julian and Garak to get together, but in this one we just get to spend time seeing them be clever and enjoy each other's company.

8.) Tribbles, Togetherness, and the Great River, 1,742 words, G, "In their shared quarters, Nog and Jake discuss tribbles, pets, and telling their families about their relationship." This is my only full standalone Jake/Nog fic, and it's another that was a pleasure to write and still makes me smile. It's fun to spend a sweet moment with two young people figuring out how they fit together.

7.) Del Floria's Tailor Shop, 336 words, also known as the space tumblr one. I think this is possibly the funniest thing I've ever written.

6.) Push Me Til I Break, 4,653 words, M, also known as the one where Garak interrogates Julian, and the role play goes wrong. Maybe the most tense thing I've ever written, and really leans into the ways in which two deeply hurting people can choose to hurt or hold.

5.) Growth, 45,843 words, T, "Julian and Garak grapple with their pasts and their feelings for each other at the end of the series." My super long post-canon Cardassia fic, back when I had no idea how to string a multi-chapter idea together. There's a lot I would change if I wrote this now (I've grown as a writer in many ways, including my ability to have scene transitions), but some of the conversations and moments in here are still absolute favorites of mine, particularly around ideas of self-forgiveness, the clash between values and actions, and the importance of choice.

4.) Predetermination, 22,200 words, T, Mirror Bashir arrives at the station and suddenly the nature/nurture debate has never had higher stakes. This is one of the places I think I've been most successful in using sci fi to ask big questions that hopefully resonate in the modern day, about who we are and how we become. Also, the ending takes inspiration from one of my favorite TNG episodes, and that was cool too.

3.) Especially the Lies, 13,019 words, T, "Something is going on with Garak, and no one knows what, except for possibly Julian Bashir." This is my only archive-warning-applied fic and it was really important to me to tell a story about care, for a character who I think doesn't believe he's allowed to have any, in a real world circumstance that too often people have to go through alone.

2.) Necessary Storms, 15,149 words, T, Julian and Starfleet Spouse Garak get entangled in Trill politics. I feel like this is one of the things I've written that most feels like it could be an episode of Star Trek, and is also a fairly unsubtle (though initially unintentional) way to explore populism, demagoguery, resource distribution, and revolt at a very particular moment in national politics with the aesthetic distance that sci fi offers.

1.) Old Friends: An Enigma Tale from Terok Nor AU. I'm exceedingly proud of this whole series, which started as just "what can I do with the idea of dabo boy Julian" and has turned into a sweeping journey covering how Terok Nor becomes Deep Space 9. This most recent installment is perhaps not indicative of the series as a whole, but it was a lot of fun to write and is also a dip into my other favorite genre aside from sci fi (murder mystery).

[umbral-stigmata-unbound]

A-Z Ask Meme | Open

@dezimaton asked: A-Z ask meme: O(adapted) because I'd like to hand you the song: [Gone Angels, Library of Ruina], U, X please!

Thank you! Also, I love that song you suggested, it's got an interesting vibe!

O - Choose a song at random. Which ship or character does it remind you of? This may be too obvious, but just listening to that song and reading over the lyrics, my vibe was just...Sephiroth, and then specifically Sephesis. Like, it felt like a flavor of Sephesis during their separation, during the defection--it's like they're in the middle of a dance, dealing with the loss, the betrayal, the separation, the confusion, the devastation of information, and then just the reality of the dark lies crashing down on them. It's as if they want to go back, yet they know they're stumbling forward. They want to hold close, yet they want to just toss each other away. Just, their dance.

U - Three favorite characters from three different fandoms, and why they’re your favorites. Not sure if this was three period, one from each fandom OR three each, three from one fandom each, so I'm going with the first lol. With FF7, it's always been Vincent Valentine. It started superficially because of just, aesthetics and primarily because his english VA in AC being a VA I was following somewhat at the time. But the love for him has just grown heavier and heavier through the years. Dirge was the first FF game I ever got, and ever beat, too. And it's the one I've replayed the most. I just adore his character, in ways that it'd take me too long to list out lol. Best way to summarize is just...his vibe from the inside in, the tragedy, the spooky intelligent badass vibes, his heart, his pain, his dark humor, just, all of it. Uuummm...trying to decide other fandoms to choose, though. I'll be honest, the top two other fandoms that have circled the back of my mind while my focus has been on FF7, feel free to judge, have been Marvel and BNHA/MHA. Though, Marvel I'm fairly disconnected from most new media and really only care for my choice of its classic MCU days. But, with Marvel, Loki was my top favorite. I was obsessed, he was my first character muse I RP'd as, and my time writing as him and investing in the content made of him was very impactful (I don't really follow anything made from Ragnarok on, that's just me, no judgment to those that do enjoy). But his story is fucked up, too, and though it may go over some peoples heads, he did try, he was something more than just a petty, mischievous jerk (he really wasn't petty or jealous to the degree people make him out to be, he was the more balanced 'Odinson' before he went too far doing something that NEEDED to be done, and it led to a devastating truth). I could go on way too long about Loki, so, I'll just leave it there XD With MHA, it's Bakugo. Again, feel free to judge. I'm aware he is an asshole and was very much a bully and needs to be held accountable for that, and I will never excuse his roof-dive comment towards Deku. But I'm of the mind that, for one he's a teenager than can learn and has learned and is still learning from his faults. For two, he can be an ass but that is technically how he's learned to communicate and if people get to know them they realize it's just him being loud and rough to express his critiques, advice, compliments, etc. But most of all, it's his character complexity and growth. I adore him, and I'm not going to apologize for that.

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom. Soulmate trope, I suppose! I'm not super versed enough to have a list to pick from, but I feel like this comes through a lot, and it's not always just romantic, though that can be appealing! Just the idea that there is someone out there that matches a character, whether it's to counter them, or to meet their energy. It could be enemies to allies, it could be best friends, it could be lovers, it could be a mix! But the idea of them being tied to one another, for better or worse, it just gets me!!

[therese-lokidottir]

Loki's costume was too distracting for the Loki series

Interview with costume designer Christine Wada had this to say

“According to Wada, the creative team was reimagining the usual “superhero format” when they imagined Loki. The decision to keep Loki in his TVA office wear was meant to allow more of the actual character to shine through. Thus we wouldn’t have our attention distracted by a dramatic outfit like the ones he has worn in the past—or the sort of over-the-top costuming imagery we so often see as the hallmark of superhero stories.

[…]

After the team got Loki out of his original costume, it was also up to Loki lead actor Tom Hiddleston to make that new, more mundane look his character’s own.

“I think it was really interesting for all of us to reimagine this sort of superhero format—like take the armor away and be able to see the magic coming from the inside of the character,” Wada explained. “What does a Loki, what does Tom do with something so benign? And so as a uniform, and turn it into something that’s so Loki, like turning up the collar. Adding [to the character] without it being some more armor that we’ve all seen.” ”

Honestly to me this feels like such a backwards mindset have when it comes to super hero films.

When the first X-Men came out in 2000 it was clear they were determined to be taken seriously and be seen as cool, and they didn't think they could do that wearing yellow spandex. Thus, the more subdued black leather costume. I don't blame this, coming off the heels of so many ridiculous 90s superhero films simpler costumes were properly the right choice at the time. But then after a decade passed, and superhero films became the mainstream, X-MEN movies realized the audience was more than willing to accept the colorful costume.

I want to give all the credit I can to costume designer Alexandra Byrne and artist Ryan Meinerding for taking all of Jack Kirby's craziness and making it a wearable aesthetic.

Yeah, I think it's quite the downgrade to go from "Loki’s collar shape was inspired by a calla lily, often representative of sacrifice and resurrection" to leaving to the actor to make something of the costume.

No other MCU thinks like that, that costume is too flashy and distracted. Wanda finally got her crown because now that the can use the title Scarlet Witch they're going to give her a costume that lives up to it.

It must be a challenge to the costume designer to make something memorable, fits the aesthetic of the MCU and is true to the comics. Ruth Carter did an amazing job with Black Panther, and it's clear how much work she put in. I'm so excited to see her work in Blade. Kym Barrett work for Shang-Chi is something I'll remember, not just the costumes but the regular civvies the characters wear are I think the most notable in recent mcu.

Again, to me it feels like they're going backwards. Oh, no, can't have Wolverine wearing yellow, people won't take it seriously. People have loved Loki for ten years. No one was distracted by his costume. His costume was used to say something about his character. If you think a superhero costume is too distracting, work on something that's not a superhero project.

[zippy-reacts]

Sonic the Comic Liveblog: Issue 85

I am now immensly jealous of some kids from thirty-or-so years ago. I wonder if any of those jackets are still around?

(Also assuming I don't change the queue scheduling, this is being posted on the 23rd, so happy birthday Sonic!

What an outfit. Smoking jacket, bright-ass shoes, and a very impractical looking cane

First sentence this guy has spoken and he's already iconic

Yeah, defininitely sounds like important information to give in advance. Also, this is a very random to bring this up now, I know, but I wonder if anyone has ever made dubs of StC with British accents. I mean, I literally live in the UK and I'm struggling to hear anything other than these character's American voice actors when I read dialouge

When Omni was first introduced he was treated like a god but now a holding cell twarts him lmao

StC hasn't really been subtle at all so far so I'm expecting this guy to turn out to be evil BUT I would love it if this guy was a bit like Mihawk from One Piece where he's just a dramatic goth who's really committed to the aesthetic

Well, turns out he is indeed evil, but perhaps more importantly, stupid.

Got a couple of thoughts so here's them all in quick bullet points:

Really nice art on that first panel.

Interesting way to depict Super's teeth though

It is so funny the entire mansion just fucking exploded without him so much as lifting a finger

Top-tier expression

Jerkyl and Hyde thing going on, nice, cool to see even the side characters are going along with the horror theme

This panel is pretty funny in it's own right in terms of timing with the previous panel but uhh… choosing to make the laser beams or whatever piss yellow also makes it hilarious in an unintended way

I don't really like the way these comic depict Sonic's quills from the back but I do gotta acknowledge and applaud the effort that went into shading them here.

OHH I really really like how Sonic is drawn in this panel. The perfect mix of cute and badass

I think the joke here might be that Frink is a made-up word because I CANNOT find any definition for it other than a few Urban Dictionary entries that I don't think quite fit

Anyway back to Knuckles. Between now and writing last issue's liveblog it occurred to me that this whole story is reference to The Wicker Man (1973), right down to the inn having the same name. Very interesting choice of reference though, I imagine that film is a bit before the time of the kids who would be reading these comics.

I should probably also mention that while I've read a plot summary, I actually haven't watched Wicker Man myself. I don't really like horror movies but maybe I might give that one a shot sometime.

The Archie comics may have microwaved Knuckles in his egg but it looks like StC is gonna roast him in one!! 👈👈😎

Also I do love how in the following panel the villagers response to this is "lmao do you really think Robotnik gives a shit?"

There were two stories with Tails and Shortfuse. I have no comments for either one.

Well, even if I think the recent Tails stories have been boring as hell, I'm glad some kid out there enjoyed them.

[whiskeyswifty]

Oh thank god, I thought I was the only one who hated the new cover lmao

you and i are not the only ones but DEFINITELY in the minority. i'll say i don't hate it, and i like a lot of the components! the photo obviously is so striking. how happy she is, mid laugh and hair in the wind. curly hair!! it's a great photo that makes me grin when i see it. i also really love the sharpie-style typography! i think it's a really clever way to stay within the aesthetic, but avoid the copyright infringement of doing it in her original sharpie handwriting. very rough and ready, diy, with the look of a Hand Crafted Human Touch, which is a very interesting way to visually portray a very synth heavy album lol. i love that contrast and that insistence that despite it's pop genre, it's a very raw and open album.

its the technical execution of it that really rubs me the wrong way. simple things like the light on the seagulls comes from the top right, and the light on her face comes from the bottom left. thats like.... art composition 101 shit. not to mention the very odd seagull photoshop job where seagulls are in focus way more than they should be for how proportionate they are to her. they should be much blurrier for how far they are, especially given the grain. and then the general composition is just.... awful. she's both too big and too small at the same time, and the album title is also too big and too small. it's this weird noncommittal size that covers her a little bit? but it's crowding the cover and fighting for real estate and attention with her photo, which is a layout issue. it creates a tension that is really frustrating. it's okay to give some more of that blue negative space for it to breathe so it has the breezy look the cover is trying to evoke.

I think the components actually look awesome in other formats, like the IG story and here:

this is nice and balanced here, her and the title of equal height and we got a thirds situation going on, with the title occupying 2/3, as it should since it's the point of interest. and then she occupies 1/3 as she should as the complimentary image. soooooo pleasing to the eye and very legible design, you know where to go first and then second.

i love so much of it's individual pieces, i'm just soooo frustrated with it's layout choices. i totally get that i'm just being super nit-picky with it and most swifties don't care at all and that's totally fine. 2 of my friends texted me this morning to gush how much they love it and that's great! I'm just really picky when it comes to this stuff, but it's nice to know that me and some of my other buddies on here share the same frustrations with it!

[plagued-blight]

what are your top ten favorite bugs 🐛

OK SO IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER (note that i'm not an entomologist and know shamefully little about actual insects ......... i'm rlly into character/monster design and mostly just think they're aesthetically pleasing in that regard though i'm trying to learn more !!)

10.tarantula hawk wasp

i used to have a wasp phase back in the day cuz in the specific northern brazillian area where i live wasps are super common around river areas (so anywhere around my city basically) and id get stung all the time as a kid when i'd visit beaches or floating restaurants but as i grew up i grew a lot of appreciation for these little guys also (if u hate any animal for defending itself thats a skill issue tbh). anyways tarantula hawks specifically have nothing to do w this story (i never saw one up close) but i think they're super nice looking :]

9. emerald wasp

I LOVE YOU PARASITOID INSECTS !!!!!!!! i'd watch videos talking about this little guy as a kid and how terrifying it is weirdly endeared me to it more.

8. sabethes cyaneus

banger character design + helped me get over my fear of mosquitos despite being a pretty nasty disease carrier. i think it's neat when bugs looks like birds

7. bombyx moth

kind of a basic bitch choice but what can i say !!

6. scolopendra paradoxa (pic by centipede_oboro on twt)

i follow a lot of centipede care accounts on twt (theres lots of japanese ones for some reason) and a lot them are blue legged centipedes! that endeared me to these guys a lot

5. common rose swallowtail

im just biased cuz i love this specific shade of red + its patterns. i think a character design based on this would look crazy

4. japanese emperor caterpillar

another basic bitch choice but like. look at this thang (it also turns into the japanese emperor butterfly and that makes me biased cuz purple fav color.....most blightcoded creature)

3. californian swallowtail

you probably read somewhere about the guy who helped repopulate their endangered species on his backyard. cute heartwarming story + more gorgeous patterns

2. spiny flower mantis

PEAK CHARACTER DESIGN i see these guys on japanese bug twt a lot too !!

baphomet moth

ABSOLUTE NASTY FREAKS insane that there's an actual existing animal out there that protudes tentacles from it's back that secretes pheromones and yet i've seen monster & horror designers do nothing w it. a letdown honestly

[nitrosodiumfmp]

Other Ideas

I'm actually really lucky to have a week of half term to think about multiple ideas. We remember the early days of Overdeath - stressing about making a super-fast mech combat game or a slow, creeping survival horror game. It was the worst case of deliberation (second to Sweat Pursuit) because I was prototyping for one game, before deciding I wanted to go in a different direction. Remember that grimy, drained-out canal, leading you towards a gigantic, ominous building, the logo SPARKLER CORPORATION lit up with spotlights like something out of a twisted neo-noir film? Scrapped. It looked so cool, and it took a while to make, but it didn't make it in. This time though? I'm not making a single asset until I come across something I LOVE. Trippy industrial city is cool, but I don't want to Doubt myself. Plus, I need multiple game ideas for the FMP.

This is the only one with images by the way, since I'm reusing from my preliminary research. Obviously I want exploration as the primary thing in all my ideas, because that's the game I want to make. But the themes can be applied differently. Sinister City is all about the dread of the environment, and the mystery. Dark alleys bathed in purple light, a scintillating orange sky, and mysterious green glow emanating from high-up windows. Rickety buildings are practically stacked on top of each other; their walls covered with strange machinery. Gears grind, pulleys clank, and pistons hiss - the whole city is alive with a mechanical hum, all while huge clock towers stand ominously in the distance, far out of reach, and trains rumble along overpasses to ferry passengers who will never arrive. The story is that you're trying to find The Man In The Hat, but you'll need to explore every corner of the city to get clues on where he is. You can follow the minor stories of other people in the city, and their stories may tie into the greater narrative. You may have to trespass to uncover the truth, and that may make you a target of whoever - whatever - enforces the law in this dark metropolis.

No images this time around. The idea this time is a fantasy setting, mostly inspired by games of the 2000s. Stuff like Dark Souls, Dark Messiah, Morrowind, Oblivion, and of course, Limbo of the Lost. Its low quality charm is something I'd love to replicate, and it could probably be done in a relatively small setting with over-the-top details for every piece of the environment. The influences are similar, though there is a greater emphasis on applying them via the narrative and basic game ethos. You are a destined hero or villain, which adds to the idea of choice. I might have a sort of "plundering" system where if you're spotted robbing, you'll be attacked. Taking inspiration from Morrowind, dreams will be a key part of the narrative. This could also be cross-faded with demons such as Mares or Alps from Germanic folklore, which choked people in their sleep and created nightmares. I'm thinking the core of it will either be hack-n-slash or a more puzzle-based magic system like Graven, where you use earth magic to conjure up a rock-bridge, or water magic to put out a fire in your path. There'd be multiple ways to go in a level, so whatever discipline you choose, you're good to go. The dark fantasy aesthetic should also make it interesting and unique - tombs, dungeons, et cetera.

I still love zombies - I especially enter a zombie phase around spring, so by coordinating this project during the spring, I'm ensuring that I'll enjoy making this. Essentially, it plays more like a prototypical survival horror, wherein you don't have too many ways to defend yourself and running is your best bet. I'm thinking I might implement some limited method of combat, like throwing rocks or maybe some sort of blade. The King Midas link is more allegorical this time around. If you think of Midas' curse as being something that spreads to whatever he touches, it is a sort of virus. The character of Midas, in this setting, could be the first zombie, and him washing his hands in the River Pactolus would spread the disease to the rest of the population. Either that, or you've been sent to open the sluices, flooding the town and cleansing it of the infection. Another key part; the primal fear of being chased. I love running; there's something undeniably human about it. After all, it's how humanity began as persistence hunters, chasing their prey until they gave up. With zombies, humans become the prey once more - we tire, and the undead do not. That's another interesting philosophical angle of it. If there is going to be one thing that renders humanity extinct, it will almost certainly be a pathogen.

[knightbloomings]

Cap gets into Sonic

I miss liveblogging/keeping a record of my interests as they develop, so I'm gonna list which Sonic stuff I've seen so far and what stuff I'd still like to see.

Stuff I've seen:

IDW Sonic:

Very good! Seeing Scrapnik Island at work was what made me interested in Sonic in the first place, and I'm super glad I decided to read the comics! The artwork is gorgeous and the storylines are so fun! I really like the running theme of owning up to your decisions and sticking to your principles for Sonic, and my fave arcs are probably the Metal Virus arc and Surge's arc. Super excited to see what happens next!

Sonic the Hedgehog (2006):

First saw this game from the snapcube dub (which I still love) then watched brutalmoose play the full game on stream. It's objectively a stinker of a game, but I can see a lot of what they were going for and I like a lot the concepts. I think Sonic and Elise's relationship could've worked more if she were a child (or, a younger child), but at its core I love the idea of Sonic encouraging Elise to feel free. I also love Team Dark's loyalty and friendship to each other in this game, wish I got to see it more in others.

Sonic and the Black Knight:

One of my top faves! I loved every bit of stylization and story telling this game had, and Sonic's characterization was peak! The combination of Sonic characters and medieval armor is also so fucking good too. Overall a really simple but solid narrative with great characters and cool as hell aesthetics.

Sonic Unleashed:

I'm surprised how much this game sticks in my mind, I think it's also in my top faves (tho watching penny play it is probably a bit why). There's something about it that has so much heart that just seems so Sonic, despite the lackluster visual novel-esque segments. The Werehog is such a fun concept and a fun role reversal for Sonic, and a lot of the little moments of humor were really good, like Sonic taking pics for Chip while Eggman monologued.

And this def isn't unique to this Sonic game alone, but the music Slaps. Most of my fave music comes from this game, including the werehog's boss battle theme. I play that shit on loop sometimes at work.

Sonic Riders & Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity:

I prefer the fandub's spin on some of the story elements (and the Babylon Rogues's relationships, and just Storm in general), but I still enjoyed this game, especially the ideas behind the Babylon Rogues! I'm still not super clear on their lore (these two games felt like they lacked a lot of explanations for who/what/where) but I like the idea that these three are technically heirs to this long lost civilization and technically have this responsibility to it but they're super into being pirates instead. It's charming! Makes me wish I saw more of them in a serious capacity in IDW.

The Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog:

Played this game on my own and I loved how fun and bright it was! The art was absolutely gorgeous and the music was fun too! I super adore seeing characters "outside" their roles in a more relaxed setting, where we get to see more of their personalities, and I felt like I got to know all the characters a bit more in this game. My only gripe is that the "Think!" sections had some god awful color choices for the tiled runway, it made everything blur together really badly. But otherwise, another top fave!

Stuff I still need to see:

Sonic Adventure 2

Sonic Heroes

Shadow the Hedgehog

Sonic and the Secret Rings

Sonic Forces

Sonic Frontiers

Sonic Prime

Will probably reblog this post with additional thoughts as I finish watching other stuff!

[jewishsimming]

I hope you don't mind me asking, but do you have any recommendations how to modify the decades challenge to be more Jewish? I'm still in the early stages of conversion and still doing tons of research. I want my personal gameplay to be somewhat accurate though. If you're too busy/don't want too that's okay as well!

Kol hakavod! Way to go on beginning your conversion. It's a long journey but a rewarding one!

I guess it really would depend on how realistic you want your gameplay to be, and also where you're from (I assume the US?). I'll put it under the cut as it's quite long.

The original Decades Challenge rules are, from my perspective, quite goyische (Christian-centric), seem to be based on social mores of the middle to upper class and seem inspired by the aesthetics and life of the American frontier. That's not a criticism per se, as the fandom is US-centric by nature (and US is majority Christian religiously and/or culturally), so it makes sense that the rules and gameplay would be US and Christian-centric.

@strangetown-hotel made some really good points on how their family lived in a tenement (apartment building) when emigrating to the US. I'm not super familiar with the history of Jews in the US, but I do know most emigrated through Rhode Island beginning from the late 1800's - early 1900's, and that most were middle-class or working-class.

You could have a Jewish immigrant couple living in an apartment. If you wanted to do a 'rags to riches' type story, you could make them working-class and put them in the cheapest apartment, with lot traits like 'Creepy Crawlies', 'Filthy', 'Grody' etc, and have both work. The idea that all women were stay-at-home mums/homemakers is inaccurate; only upper-class or some middle-class women could afford to stay at home, and richer women could afford to have hired help. Poor women had no choice but to work in addition to taking care of the house and children.

There are a couple of issues with apartment living that might crop up if you're doing a historical gameplay. You might want to choose an apartment with a balcony so you can buy a clothesline, because dryers were not on the market until the late 1920's, off the top of my head. Or don't put the laundry basket in until you can work your Sims up to getting an apartment with a balcony.

@antiquatedplumbobs​ literally JUST released an awesome apartment build which you might want to check out!! HERE.

Many immigrant families did live in apartments, but it would also not be inaccurate to have Jewish families living in a rural setting. Historically, we are farmers - we have the holidays to prove it. Three of our main festivals are agricultural festivals - Pesach (Passover), Shavuot and Sukkot, celebrated in early spring when the crops begin to ripen, late spring during the harvest and autumn when crops are gathered, respectively.

(Living in the Southern Hemisphere, those festivals are reversed for me, but it's about the spirit of the holiday).

Basically, Am Yisrael (the nation of Israel, ie the Jewish people) live all over the world in all climates, all settings, so don't feel like you have to constrain yourself to a specific setting.

For CC, I suggest downloading pandorasimbox’s excellent Judaism Stuff pack, found here - especially the mezuzah, challah and dreidel. You can affix the mezuzah to your front and back doors (on the outside of the house) or if you’re in an apartment, on the inside. If your Sims are ultra-Orthodox, you can add one to each room, but usually just front and back is fine.

For the challah, it’s decorative only, but maybe could be made into a custom recipe if someone is willing to do that? (Note to self - check how difficult that is). You could set it in the middle of a table on Friday nights when your Sims have Shabbos dinner, along with a couple of candlesticks. I use the candlesticks here (plasticbox’s candlesticks updated by me, excuse my self-plug). When they’re not on the table, I put them on the mantle.

For holidays, I've set up my holidays as follows:

My Sims' families are traditionally Orthodox, but they themselves lean towards Conservative, so they celebrate most but not all holidays.Because each Sim "day" =/= a real world day, I've approximated the time between holidays, so feel free to adjust as you see fit.

Rosh HaShanah

Autumn - Day 5

Traditions: Grand Meal, Thankful Spirit, Attend Holiday Ceremony, Invite Guests

Yom Kippur Winter - Day 1

Traditions: Attend Holiday Ceremony, Fasting, Remembrance

Chanukah Winter - Day 6

Traditions: Grand Meal, Light Menorah, Open Presents, Tell Stories

Purim Spring - Day 2

Traditions: Baking, Drinking, Party Spirit, Wear Costumes

Pesach Spring - Day 4

Traditions: Grand Meal, Invite Guests, Tell Stories, Thankful Spirit, Cleaning

Shavuot Spring - Day 7

Traditions: Attend Holiday Ceremony, Tell Stories, Baking (suggestion: make something with dairy)

Sukkot Autumn - Day 2

Traditions: Grand Meal, Attend Holiday Ceremony, Gardening, Go On a Vacation (suggest going camping !)

Sorry that got so long but hopefully it’s helpful! If you have any more questions let me know.

[flufffysocks]

let's talk about andi mack's worldbuilding

sorry this took forever to make! i've been pretty busy with school stuff and i kind of lost my inspiration for a bit, but i ultimately really enjoyed writing it! i wish i could've included more pics (tumblr has a max of 10 per post), and it kinda turned from less of a mini analysis to more of an extremely long rant... but i hope it's still a fun read!

i've been rewatching the show over the past few weeks (thanks again to @disneymack for the link!), and i’ve been noticing a lot that i never did the first time around. this is really the first time i’ve watched the show from start to finish since it aired, and it honestly feels so different this time - probably a combination of the fact that i’m not as focused on plot and can appreciate the show as a whole, and also that the fandom is much, much smaller now, so there’s a lot less noise. so the way i’m consuming this show feels super different than it did the first time, but the show itself doesn’t - it’s just as warm and comforting to me as it was the first time around, if not more so.

i think a lot of that can be attributed to andi mack’s “worldbuilding”. i’m not quite sure that this is the right word in this context, to be honest, because i mostly see it used in reference to fantasy and sci-fi universes, but it just sort of feels right to me for andi mack, because you can really tell how much love and care went into constructing this universe. for clarity, worldbuilding is “the process of creating an imaginary world” in its simplest sense. there’s two main types: hard worldbuilding, which involves inventing entire universes, languages, people, cultures, places, foods, etc. from scratch (think “lord of the rings” or “dune”), and soft worldbuilding, in which the creators don’t explicitly state or explain much about the fictional universe, but rather let it’s nature reveal itself as the story progresses (think studio ghibli films). andi mack to me falls in the soft worldbuilding category. even though it takes place in a realistic fiction universe, there’s a lot of aspects to it that are inexplicably novel in really subtle ways.

so watching the show now, i’ve noticed that the worldbuilding comes primarily from two things - setting and props, and oftentimes the both of them in tandem (because a big part of setting in filmmaking does depend on the props placed in it!).

one of the most obvious examples is the spoon. it really is a sort of quintessential, tropic setting in that it's the main gang's "spot", which automatically gives it a warm and homey feel to it. and its set design only amplifies this:

the choice to make it a very traditional 50s-style diner creates a very nostalgic, retro feel to it, which is something that's really consistent throughout the show, as you'll see. from the round stools at the bar, to the booths, to the staff uniforms, this is very obvious. the thing that i found especially interesting about it though is the choice of color. the typical 50s diner is outfitted with metallic surfaces and red accented furnishings, but the spoon is very distinctly not this.

instead, it's dressed in vibrant teal and orange, giving it a very fresh and modern take on a classic look. so it still maintains that feeling of being funky and retro, but that doesn't retract from the fact that the show is set distinctly in modern times.

of course, this could just be a one-off quirky set piece, but this idea of modernizing and novelizing "retro" things is a really common motif throughout the show. take red rooster records. i mean, it's a record shop - need i say more? it's obviously a very prominent store in shadyside, at least for the main characters, but there's no apparent reason why it is (until season 2 when bowie starts working there, and jonah starts performing there). a lot of the time, though, it functions solely as a record shop. vinyl obviously isn't the most practical or convenient way of listening to music, but it's had its resurgence in pop culture even in the real world, mostly due to its aesthetic value, so it's safe to say that it serves the same purpose in the andi mack universe.

the fringe seems to be nostalgic of a different era, specifically the Y2K/early 2000s period (because it's meant to be bex's territory and symbolic of who she used to be, and its later transformation into cloud 10 is representative of her character arc, but that's beside the point). to be honest, exactly what this store was supposed to be always confused me. it was kind of a combination party store/clothing store/makeup store/beauty parlor? i think that's sort of the point of it though, it's supposed to feel very grunge-y and chaotic (within the confines of a relatively mellow-toned show, of course), and it's supposed to act as a sort of treasure chest of little curios that both make the place interesting and allow the characters to interact with it.

and, of course, there's andi shack. this is really the cherry on top of all of andi mack's sets, just because it's so distinctly andi. it serves such amazing narrative purpose for her (ex. the storyline where cece and ham were going to move - i really loved this because it highlights its place in the andi mack universe so well, and i'm a sucker for the paper cranes shot + i'm still salty that sadie's cranes didn't make it into the finale) and it's the perfect reflection of andi's character development because of how dynamic it is (the crafts and art supplies can get moved around or switched out, and there's always new creations visible).

going back to the nostalgia motif though, the "shack" aspect of it always struck me as very treehouse-like. personally, whenever i think of treehouses, there's this very golden sheen of childhood about it, if that makes sense. i've always seen treehouses in media as a sort of shelter for characters' youthful innocence and idealistic memories. for example, the episode "up a tree" from good luck charlie, the episode "treehouse" from modern family, and "to all the boys 2" all use a treehouse setting as a device to explore the character's desire to hold onto their perfect image of their childhood (side note: this exact theme is actually explored in andi mack in the episode "perfect day 2.0"!). andi shack is no exception to this, but it harnesses this childhood idealism in the same way that it captures the nostalgia of the 50s in the spoon, or the early 2000s in the fringe. it's not some image of a distant past being reflected through that setting; it's very present, and very alive, because it reflects andi as she is in the given moment.

some honorable mentions of more one-off settings include the ferris wheel (from "the snorpion"), the alley art gallery (from "a walker to remember"), SAVA, the color factory (from "it's a dilemna"), and my personal favorite, the cake shop (from "that syncing feeling").

[every time i watch this episode i want to eat those cakes so bad]

these settings have less of a distinctly nostalgic feel (especially the color factory, which is a very late 2010s, instagram era setting), but they all definitely have an aura of perfection about them. andi mack is all about bright, colorful visuals, and these settings really play to that, making the andi mack universe seem really fun and inviting, and frankly very instagrammable (literally so, when it comes to the color factory!).

props, on the other hand, are probably a much less obvious tool of worldbuilding. they definitely take up less space in the frame and are generally not as noticeable (i'm sure i'll have missed a bunch that will be great examples, but i'm kind of coming up with all of this off the top of my head), but they really tie everything together.

for example, bex's box, bex's polaroid, and the old tv at the mack apartment (the tv is usually only visible in the periphery of some shots, so you might not catch it at first glance) all complement that very retro aesthetic established through the settings (especially the polaroid and the tv, because there's really no good reason that the characters would otherwise be using these).

besides this, andi's artistic nature provides the perfect excuse for plenty of colorful, crafty props to amplify the visuals and the tone. obviously, as i discussed before, andi shack is the best example of this because it's filled with interesting props. but you also see bits of andi's (and other people's) crafts popping up throughout the show (ex. the tape on the fridge in the mack apartment, andi's and libby's headbands in "the new girls", walker's shoes, andi's phone case, and of course, the bracelet). not only does doing this really solidify this talent as an essential tenet of andi's character, but it also just makes the entirety of shadyside feel like an extension of andi shack. the whole town is a canvas for her crafts (or art, depending on how you want to look at it. i say it's both), and it immensely adds to shadyside's idealism. because who wouldn't want to live in a world made of andi mack's creations?

and, while it's not exactly a prop, the characters' wardrobe is undoubtedly a major influence on the show's worldbuilding. true to it's nature as a disney channel show, all of the characters are always dressed in exceptionally curated outfits of whatever the current trends are, making the show that much more visually appealing. i won't elaborate too much on this, because i could honestly write a whole other analysis on andi mack's fashion (my favorites are andi's and bex's outfits! and kudos to the costume designer(s) for creating such wonderful and in-character wardrobes!). but, i think it's a really really important aspect of how the show's universe is perceived, so it had to be touched upon.

[^ some of my favorite outfits from the show! i am so obsessed with andi's jacket in the finale, and i aspire to be at bex's level of being a leather jacket bisexual]

and lastly, phones. this is a bit of an interesting case (pun intended), because the way they're used fluctuates a bit throughout the show, but i definitely noticed that at least in the first season terri minsky tried to avoid using them altogether. these efforts at distancing from modern tech really grounds the show in it's idealist, nostalgia-heavy roots, so even when the characters start using their phones more later in the show, they don't alter the viewer's impression of the andi mack universe very much.

so, what does all of this have to do with worldbuilding? in andi mack's case, because it's set in a realistic universe and not a fantasy one, a lot of what sets it apart from the real world comes down to tone. because, as much as this world is based on our own, it really does feel separate from it, like an alternate reality that's just slightly more perfect than ours, which makes all the difference. it's the idealism in color and composition in andi mack's settings that makes it so unmistakably andi mack. even the weather is always sunny and perfect (which is incredibly ironic because the town is called shadyside - yes, i am very proud of that observation).

the andi mack universe resides somewhere in this perfect medium that makes it feel like a small town in the middle of nowhere (almost like hill valley in 1955 from "back to the future"), but at the same time like an enclave within a big city (because of its proximity to so many modern, unique, and honestly very classy looking establishments). it is, essentially, an unattainable dream land that tricks you into believing it is attainable because it's just real enough.

all this to say, andi mack does an amazing job of creating of polished, perfect world for its characters. this is pretty common among disney channel and nickelodeon shows, but because most other shows tend to be filmed in a studio with three-wall sets, andi mack is really set apart from them in that it automatically feels more real and tangible. it has its quintessential recurring locations, but it has far more of them (most disney/nick shows usually only have 3-4 recurring settings), and it has a lot more one-off locations. it's also a lot more considerate when it comes to its props, so rather than the show just looking garish and aggressively trendy, it has a distinctive style that's actually appropriate to the characters and the story. overall this creates the effect of expanding the universe, making shadyside feel like it really is a part of a wider world, rather than an artificial bubble. it's idealism is, first and foremost, grounded in reality, and that provides a basis for its brilliant, creative, and relatable storytelling.

tl;dr: andi mack's sets and props give it a very retro and nostalgic tone which makes its whole universe seem super perfect and i want to live there so bad!!

[armoricaroyalty]

so sorry to bother you but i have one more question lol: how do you dress your sims??? i have *such* a hard time coming up with good, unique outfits for all my sims (male sims especially) and i think i need a lesson from the expert hksjdks

anon you are being TOO NICE to me, this is illegal! I hope you enjoy mostly stream-of-conscious bullet points, because that's what you're getting

I'm also not a fashion expert! Please don't take anything I say too seriously, I'm mostly operating off half-remembered episodes of TLC's What Not to Wear from the early aughts.

GENERAL THOUGHTS

clothes convey a LOT about who a person is -- culture, social class, personal style, etc. I like thinking about the items that my specific sims would wear based on their personalities (I'll break down a few characters' wardrobes later on)

I simultaneously LOVE dressing my sims (because I love making wardrobe choices based on character) and HATE dressing my sims (because I am a fashion coward). I generally try to keep my sims' outfits pretty simple

In general, I dress my sims pretty conservatively. This usually means longer sleeves and higher necklines(except for women's evening wear), no shorts/skirts that fall above the knee, no bold patterns or super bright colors

In terms of palettes, I tend to look for recolors in @serindipitysims Academic Palettes (Scientist and Historian) which work nicely for my purposes. Plenty of colorful options, but in subtler shades that don't read as too modern/on-trend.

Each of my characters has an associated color (I'll get more into that later), which helps give them a distinct visual identity. I tend to use and reuse a lot of the same pieces across my sims, so assigning each sim a particular shade helps keep the outfit repeating from being too noticeable.

In general, I'll give my sims one neutral item (black, brown, navy, khaki, white) and one colorful item. Usually, it's a colorful top and neutral trousers, but it's also fun to switch it up and go with more colorful pants/skirt and a plain top.

Most American men tend to prefer slightly oversized clothes (and a lot of EA clothes reflect that preference for bigger, boxier silhouettes). More fitted clothes tends to read as a bit more polished and fashionable.

This might be a weird idosyncracy of mine, but I pretty much always give my sims socks and/or stockings, depending on the outfit. Again, this is something that just helps create a slightly more polished, finished look.

I tend to stick with simpler jewelry: small studs, plain metal, no colored stones during daytime events (except for engagement rings). My women tend to wear a lot of pearl jewelry, which is another thing that reads pretty old-fashioned/conservative.

OKAY let me get into some specific character stuff so I can kind of walk through my thought process and the way that I use clothes to suggest character. I don't put a ton of thought into every outfit, but I try to give most of my sims a distinct visual identity that helps readers tell them apart and clues them into their personality, role in the story, and current outlook/mental state.

JACQUES

Jacques is a jock (rhyme not intended), so I like to pick items with a bit of a sporty vibe and/or emphasize his athletic physique. Generally, he should always look like he might be on his way to or from a yacht.

Aesthetic touchstone are evil rich kids in 80's sports movies

His color is purple, which isn't generally regarded as a conventionally masculine color. I let that inform some of the rest of his fashion choices -- he's the likeliest dude in my current gen to bend or break gendered fashion norms. When he's dressing down, he'll go for necklaces, deeper necklines, eyeliner, and lip gloss.

He's also generally the only guy I'll put in big, noticeable florals!

He wears a watch

He's more likely to wear brown/earthy neutrals as opposed to black

FREDDY

Freddy has less of a defined/unified style than Jacques. I try to keep a really sharp divide between his on-duty and off-duty outfits: he has more oversized/looser fitting clothes than his brother and wears jeans more often

His color is red, which is meant as a contrast to Rosalind's green.

He's more likely to wear black than brown/earthy neutrals

He always wears his glasses except with his most formal outfits. This is both because I thought it was kind of funny to make a fuckboi look like a nerd and because it's another contrast with Roz (who only wears her glasses while off-duty). Freddy wearing his glasses is meant to signify his desire to be recognized for his authentic self, as opposed to the polished public persona his family pushes and the fuck-up the tabloids paint him as

ROSALIND

Honestly I love dressing this girl, although I've only hit on some of these character details recently so there's inconsistency in older posts b/c I was still figuring out her dress sense djhdjhk

Her color is green! No deeper meaning on this one, it was just one of the few colors not in use when she was born so she got it lmao

She's intensely image-focused, so she tends to be very preppy and polished in public. She only wears her glasses when she's off-duty or otherwise dressed down. Very often, I pick the same items that I picked for her great-grandmother in the first run of this story, which is meant to reflect that character's influence on her, as well as her conservatism and strong sense of duty/tradition

However, Roz also has a bit of an earthy, bohemian streak that tends to express itself via peasant skirts and blouses (she'd never pair both of those items together). This is meant to go in a couple directions: 1. she very much considers herself Of The People even though she's the heir to the throne and doesn't know how to operate a dishwasher 2. she has a more relaxed personality somewhere deep inside of her.

Roz keeps her fingernails very short. You know why ;)

OTHER CHARACTERS

Elise is a bisexual woman and a classic futch, but when she married Andre, she was forced to change up her gender presentation and dress in a more conventionally feminine style. Recently, she's cut her hair off, which is meant to represent her mounting frustration with the royal apparatus. For thirty years, she suppressed her unhappiness and dissatisfaction (while being the target of a lot of press harassment) for the good of her kids, and the scandal with Jacques and Vivi's pregnancy pushed her over the edge. What's the point in sacrificing her self-expression and becoming the royal scapegoat if her "good" kid is going to fuck up and entangle himself in scandal, anyway? I've also been putting her in black and white outfits with high collars (I get a lot of mileage out of accessory turtlenecks). This is meant to make her look very severe and suggest judges' robes or a clerical collar. She has a strong sense of moral clarity and she's passing judgment on the members of her family who are uncritical of Armorica's class system.

Vivi is fun! In my original story, Vivi came from a family of spell casters (her name is a nod to the Lady of the Lake and her sibling is an expy of Morgyn Ember) so I've tried to keep a little bit of that witchy influence in her dress sense. She was a Hot Topic teen when she started dating Jacques (here's an old-ass screenshot from my deleted blog), and the press still makes fun of her for being "unfashionable" even though her style has evolved a lot since she was 15. Her personal style is kind of a mashup of bohemian and goth/emo influences, but like Elise, she's had to make herself over to join the royal family. I've been trying to keep her style sweet and a little retro with some Dark Academia influences.

Oh my god this post got so long I hope this was interesting and at least a little helpful? I will try to do some dude lookbooks with items that I use a lot for my dudes, that will probably be more helpful!

[writingquestionsanswered]

Hiya! I'm a new writer, aside from an odd bit of fanfiction here and there. I'd like to finally begin an original story. What are your initial actions when beginning a new work? Aside from that, do you have any more tips for me to adhere to? I'm not looking to publish or anything, this is purely for fun.

Guide: Starting a New (Long Fiction) Story

Whether you’re writing for practice, publication, or fun, the process for writing a new original story is different for everyone and often depends on the project itself. Here are some things to consider as you start to prepare and get started on your new story.

1. To plot or not to plot?

The first thing you’ll want to do is decide how much you want to plot out the story before you start writing. Some writers are avid plotters, planning out every detail of their story before they begin. Other writers prefer to take an idea and wing it, and some people plot as they go. At the very least, it’s a good idea to make sure you know the following before you start writing:

Who is your protagonist? What do they want, why do they want it, and how are they going to get it?

When and where is the story set? What parts of this setting will play the biggest role in the story and how?

Who or what is the antagonistic force? Every protagonist needs an antagonist to work against them, creating obstacles they must overcome as they try to reach their goal. An antagonistic force is anyone or anything that creates those obstacles, whether a super villain, overbearing but well-meaning parents, a disease, a natural disaster, or a plague of zombies.

Know your beginning, middle, and end. Before you start writing, it’s a good idea to have a mental picture of how the story starts (your character’s normal life before everything turns upside down), what’s happening at the midpoint (what happens to raise the stakes and give the protagonist a big push toward the “final showdown” with the antagonist), and how the story ends (does your character defeat/survive the antagonistic force? Do they reach their goal? How does your character or their world change as a result?) 

2. Research and Inspiration...

Whether or not you decide to plot, you will probably want to spend a little time doing some research and looking for information. If you are choosing to plot, you may want to do this afterward or during your plotting phase. Ultimately, you’ll want to consider whether there are any elements in your story that you need to know more about before writing them. This might include things like learning what it’s like to be deaf, how castles are laid out, or what kinds of plants and flowers typically grow in forests. If you’re setting your story in a real place, or are using a real place as inspiration, you may want to learn more about that place. If your story takes place in a particular era or involves a particular event or type of event, you will want to research those. For inspiration, you may want to look for pictures of everything from characters and clothing to buildings and places. Some writers enjoy putting together pinterest or tumblr galleries to house inspiring pictures. You may also want to put together character, setting, and story aesthetics (collages), put together a writing playlist that has the right feel for your story, or even travel to places or do activities that are related to your story.

3. Planning, preparation, and organization.

If you’re going to wing it, you’re pretty much ready to get started with writing now. However, if you’re going to plot your story, this is the point where you might want to do a little more planning and preparation before you start writing, and depending on how much stuff you accumulate through these early stages, you’ll probably want to do a little organization, too.

When I start a new story, I always do three things:

-- purchase a three-ring binder and dividers for keeping track of my story plans-- set up a story specific folder on my desktop with necessary subfolders-- set up a story specific folder in my browser with necessary subfolders

I like to decorate my binder with a printed out aesthetic picture and a pretty title on the side. The divider tabs for my binders usually contain sections like: characters, setting, outline/scene list, notes, rough draft, etc. If there is more than one major setting, sometimes I’ll give each setting their own divider. It really just depends on the needs of my story, and sometimes I re-organize my dividers as the story progresses and my needs evolve.

My desktop folder usually contains the following subfolders: drafts, storage, notes-ideas, character stuff, setting stuff, inspiration, and then sometimes I do additional subfolders... like my “character stuff” subfolder might have subfolders for each character or characters in each specific setting.

My browser folder is usually kind of a mess. I will sometimes do subject-specfic subfolders, but usually I just bookmark whatever I need to and make sure the bookmarks I access the most are at the top of the list.

Again, you will probably add to all of this as you actually get into the plotting phase. I consider this phase and the plotting phase to go hand-in-hand. This is really just about getting everything set up and ready to go.

This is also a good time to figure out things like a writing schedule (if you need to set one), daily or weekly word count goals, and get your writing space organized if you have one.

4. Plotting...

There are many different ways you can plot your story, all depending on what works best for you and the needs of your story. Some writers simply like to come up with an exhaustive summary of events from beginning to end. Others like to do some sort of outline. You may want to do a timeline and a scene list as well. My post how to outline a plot will walk you through some of the different options, and my plot and structure master list has lots of other posts that may be useful to you during this time.

5. Start writing!

Once you’ve gotten your story plotted out (or not, if you’re choosing not to plot), it’s time to sit down and start writing. Here are some things to keep in mind:

-- This is the very first draft of your story and it’s going to be ROUGH, which is why it’s often referred to as the “rough draft” or “zero draft.” This draft isn’t going to be perfect. It’s going to be messy, ugly, meandering, and kind of awful, and THAT’S FINE!!! This is just the rough sketch or mockup. You’re going to improve upon it later.

-- Because this is the first draft, now is not the time to worry about word choice, sentence structure, word play, grammar and punctuation, flawless story structure, etc. Just get the story down to the best of your ability. You’re going to make it pretty in the later drafts.

-- Also, because this is the first draft, don’t be afraid to go a little hog wild. You don’t have to worry about word count and having a tight story now. Feel free to go off on tangents, delve into fluffy scenes, and follow weird threads. Dive in and explore your world and its characters. This exploratory process allows you to kind of throw everything at the wall and see what sticks. A lot of the time you’ll end up discovering gems you hadn’t considered initially. Again, you can figure out what to cut out later on.

-- AGAIN... DO NOT EDIT AS YOU GO. I mean, look... sometimes, more experienced writers develop a process where they do edit as they go, and that’s fine. But until you’ve written enough stories from beginning to end to know what works for you, don’t trouble yourself with editing as you go. The most important thing right now is to write this story from beginning to end. Once you get to the end, you can go back and make it pretty.

-- It’s okay to feel frustrated and have days where you need to take a break. You may have days where you just want to delete the story and move on, but don’t do that. If you need to, walk away from it for a few days or a week and come back to it later. If the story still isn’t working for you, save everything and start on a new project, but never delete what you have no matter how much you feel like you hate it now. You never know when inspiration will strike and you’ll decide to go back to an old project.

Good luck with your story!

[spaceaas]

Hi! I'm still in awe at that post about me! ❤️❤️❤️ So for the pride asks... Some random numbers (my favs!): 8, 2 and 16

Of course, my dear! You deserve all of the love!

2. How did you discover your sexuality, tell your story?

I actually discovered I was asexual before I discovered that I like girls/enbies. I have so many memories of all my friends talking about boys, and how hot they were, and I just didn’t feel that. So I realized the lack of sexual attraction a year or two before I realized that I was romantically attracted to girls/enbies (up until then, I just kind of assumed I was romantically attracted to boys bc heternormativity). I also have a really bad habit that I developed in middle school, but still have to this day wherein I forced myself to have crushes on people that I didn’t actually like (as in, like-like) so that I would have a boy (or more recently, a girl) to talk about with my friends. Do you know how awful it is to get all blushy and embarrassed by a person like a schoolgirl with a crush, except you’re a schoolgirl without a crush? But I also didn’t realize I had forced those crushes until I realized I was queer, and I didn’t realize that I’ve kept doing it until this year.

8. Describe the style of clothing that you most often wear.

I like to look queer. I honestly don’t know how else to describe it. In terms of specific garments, I wear a lot of flannels (typically open over tank tops), jeans (pants and shorts), and vans. I wear skirts/dresses if a) it’s hot and I need to dress formal or b) it’s a normal day but I don’t feel like putting on pants (or on occasion c) I feel like wearing a dress for formal wear instead of slacks). It’s not clothing, but I do have a shaved head, and I feel like that is an important part of my aesthetic.

16. Who is your favorite LGBT+ icon/advocate/celebrity?

God, I don’t know. I honestly don’t know of enough to really make a choice, you know? But I also am not super involved in celebrity culture and what not.

Out of curiosity, @azaharperezoso why are those your fav numbers?

send me numbers for the lgbt+ ask game!

[morinokunikara]

Those are some rockin' choices!

My very favorite Disney princess would have to be Mulan. I've just thought she was beautiful and strong and clever, and all of my life I wanted to be like her. I guess I just really understand the not really belonging thing, but I just love her so much.

2. Would definitely have to be Rapunzel. Like you said, she's just a lot of fun, and she was also the first 3D animated Disney princess (and the best, currently, IMO), so she's a big deal overall.

3. Is Tiana. I liked that she was a hard worker with a dream, and, again, I really liked the Louisiana representation.

4. Jasmine. I really relate to her character a lot, and I think she's awesome.

5. Belle. I really identify with Belle a lot. She's sweet and does her best to see the good in people, while being a bookworm who doesn't quite fit in.

(Wowie, our lists are so similar!)

Honorable mentions, since they're not actually p

Princesses but I really like them:

Megara, as said earlier, is a total mood. She's really sassy.

Esmeralda, I really liked her character and how she looked out for other people and fought for them, even when she was looking at tremendous hardship because of it.

Princess/Queen Kida. I honestly don't understand why she's not an official princess. I mean, it's not like with Nala or Giselle* where it'd be hard to cast someone to play her at Disneyworld.

*oh, and also Giselle, she's awesome.

How about non-princess Disney movies ranked?

(Disney is also a bit of a hyperfixation for me...or, rather, part of it. I'm obsessed with animation in general (all kinds, not just traditional or CG, but also claymation and Jim Henson Puppetry). They're just so fun, and the history behind all of it is fascinating)

Quite honestly, I'm just enjoying the chance to geek out and talk to somebody about this stuff, and it's always super cool to see someone else's opinions and what they like about it, you know?

GISELLE AAAAAAAAAA I FORGOT HOW MUCH I LOVE ENCHANTED AND HOW IT DESERVES A BETTER REP THAN IT HAS!!!

Jim Henson puppetry good...I recently watched a bunch of out of context muppets vids and they're so good

And ye it is!!

As for non princess movies...if we're counting Pixar here my absolutely FAVORITE (and all time top movie) is Soul. Advertising did it SOOOOOO dirty but holy fuck it was fantastic. Black led with very few white characters which like. Yeah white characters are fine but it's AMAZING to see a deviation of the norm of all white cast with one or two poc (and honestly the joke about the white barber? Got one of the top biggest laughs from me of all time). It has SUCH a good message that I fell can speak to ANYONE, especially in the modern day.

Next would be Alice in Wonderland. I've always loved the weird aesthetic of it and the live action movies are one of the few gritty reboots of something that actually WORK and work WELL. I ALWAYS visit alice when I go to Disney parks and go to the restaurant where you can meet her and the mad hatter at breakfast.

Third would be the toy story movies, with 2 being my fave (though I STILL have not seen 4. God.) They're so charming and fun and cute. The characters are all wonderful. The attractions at Disney world are so fun (coming from a competitive family, midway mania is our JAM. The buzz lightyear one not so much bc I'm the only one that actually understands it so everyone but me hates it lol)

Fourth would be emperor's new groove. Shout out to kuzco gotta be one of my favorite genders. (wait I made that joke already). The humor is ON POINT. I cannot believe I forgot yzma in the villain convo bc she's FANTASTIC. Kronks new groove and the animated series are so on point too. Favorite episode of the series was when they called out their own repeatitive nature (even though the show made the formula work well, its hilarious) They're fantastic and HILARIOUS but also hello?? Found family???

Fifth would probably be inside out. As someone sturggling with mental illness/a mood disorder in particular it just??? Speaks to me?? Also Riley gives me SUCH big nb vibes. I think it's a great movie for people who may have any form of emotional trouble. Just...I put a lot of Pixar on here but pixar always does such a fantastic job