#and i genuinely love making sims/dressing them up

[simsbitchbells]

genuinely sending out a huge thank you for all the engagement on my last few posts!!! i made this simblr as an outlet for some creativity ive been lacking in my life and i never expected i would interact with so many kind, talented people!!! i am always looking forward to seeing what yall are posting <333

[public-trans-it-deactivated20240]

i would love to hear your dark spore rant. i didnt even know spore had a sequel.

Oh anon. Poor sweet anon. I’m so sorry.

So, the thing about Darkspore is…

… it was a really REALLY… mediocre game.

Like, the moment to moment gameplay was… fine. Just fine. Not incredible. But not BAD! Really, it only had two major flaws:

The first, it was buggy as hell. One particularly nasty bug was present in the games launcher, and on certain systems the game would fail to install at all. They were unable to ever fix this bug, which I speculate was a major reason the game was abandoned by the devs so quickly and lead to it being taken down from every major digital distribution site. You could still install and play it if you already bought it though! If… it actually installed for you.

Which leads us to the second flaw. It’s right there on the box.

“Internet connection required”

The game has Always Online DRM. All the levels, enemies, loot, your entire account, was all stored server side. And servers are expensive. So, when the games bugs became unwieldy and not worth fixing, and they took it offline… it became a money sink. It was a game generating ZERO revenue, but had huge server maintenance costs. So eventually, they just shut down the servers.

It is now very difficult to obtain the game, requiring you to buy one of the few unopened physical copies remaining. And even once you do have it, it is IMPOSSIBLE to play. There is a project called Resurrection Capsule in the works, some fans trying to create a private server for it. But with so much info stored server side, they basically have to recreate entire subsystems from scratch. It’s… not going very fast, and to my knowledge hasn’t been touched in over a year.

Story

The story of the game is pretty basic. A progenitor race of alien super-scientists create a new, synthetic form of DNA, called Exponential-DNA, or E-DNA. This rapidly mutates to create new life, and can be guided to create specific, specialized organisms, condensing thousands of years of evolution to a few hours. It can also be injected into existing creatures to alter them and make them more powerful. However it also linked everything affected by it into a hivemind. So it was outlawed. The creator of it decided to respond by creating a E-DNA virus, called The Darkspore, infecting himself with it, and spreading it across the galaxy and conquering it, wiping out his own race.

You play as another member of that race, who has been in hibernation for 1000 years while that was going down. Your ship AI has woken you up because it has managed to stabilize E-DNA and also keep it disconnected from the hivemind, and needs you to go kill the guy who took over the galaxy. That is how the game starts.

…

And how the story ends. There is not really any more story past that part. You get a cutscene describing each of the games 6 planets the first time you visit it, and a final “Hey you won!” cutscene after killing the final boss which ends with the cliche “implication the villain isn’t really dead” trope, and… that’s it. That’s the entire story. Not really the selling point of this game. Its not even entirely clear if it takes place in the same universe as Spore! It’s just set dressing for “Run through these 24 levels and beat everything up”

Gameplay

Darkspore was created by Maxis. This alone was HUGE. This was a team of developers who only really made lifesims like The Sims and Sim City, taking a stab at making a diablolike game.

And I GENUINELY BELIEVE every single studio out there needs to do shit like this. Designing for something so outside your wheelhouse creates SOOOOO much innovation so quickly. You get fresh new ideas injected into the genre so quickly. The final product won’t be good! You don’t have any damn experience in the genre! But it will create something unique beautiful, and god damn I wish we lived in a world where that alone was enough and devs weren’t focused on chasing profits instead.

Genesis

Genesis is just a fancy way of saying ‘Element’. There are 5 of them: Plasma (fire and lightning), Bio (plants and animals), Cyber (machines), Necro (death and fear), and Quantum (space and time) and the way they interact is… certainly a choice I guess. Each Darkspore you face has a genesis it falls into, and each of your heroes has one as well. If your Genesis matches that of the darkspore you are fighting at the moment, you take double damage and they take half damage. If they don’t match, all damage both ways is neutral.

The system itself is kinda mediocre. The biggest part of it, however, is the Variant Skills. Each Genesis has 4 unique skills tied to it that represent the common elements of that type.

Heroes

There are 25 heroes in the game, which each have one Genesis and one Class (Sentinel which are the tanks, Ravagers which are the DPS, and Tempest which are the Casters/Support)

Each hero has 4 total variants, with the first one you unlock being Alpha, and as you level up your account (heroes do not have their own levels) you eventually can purchase their Beta, Gamma, and Delta variants, with each variant having slightly different stats, and a different one of their Genesis’ 4 variant abilities.

Each hero has a unique basic attack, which USUALLY has a little extra to it. For example Sage shoots a bolt that hurts enemies it hits, but heals allies it hits. Zrin alternates between two different punches, one of which has a short duration DoT and the other of which has a 10% stun chance. Stuff like that.

They also have a passive effect that is always active while you are playing them. Collect a soul from each enemy killed for a 5% damage boost, 10% damage bonus when attacking from behind, a stacking defense buff every time you take damage, stuff like that.

Finally, a character has 2 unique abilities. One that is unique to them and can only be used while you are playing that hero, and a second ability that is everyone in the squad can use if that hero is present.

Squad Decks

Which brings me to the first rant and something I am SO AUTISTIC ABOUT (positive). SQUADS. The game had you craft Squad Decks, collections of 3 heroes that you can swap between during your missions, for a total of 883.2k squad combinations (I think my math might be off on that). Swapping between them is on a cooldown of about 10 seconds, but otherwise is don’t instantaneously and as often as you want without penalty. You always have 5 abilities active:

- The unique ability of your active hero

- The Genesis ability of your active heroes variant

- Hero 1’s Squad ability

- Hero 2’s Squad ability

- Hero 3’s squad ability

The first two abilities change out every time you swap heroes, but the last 3 are fixed. So you have 3 abilities that you always have access to, and 6 abilities that are paired up and you can swap between which pair of those abilities is active.

Your heroes do NOT share a health/energy pool, but DO share healing pickups. Any time you pick up a health or energy restoration pickup, it refills a chunk of the respective health pool of your currently active hero, and a smaller chunk of each of your inactive heroes in the squad.

So the core loop of moment to moment gameplay becomes swapping situationally between heroes both offensively and defensively, to get access to your other heroes skills and also to mitigate damage from enemies based on their genesis or control where your healing is directed.

Loot

Loot in Darkspore is fairly standard for your average Diablolike. Item drops have 4 tiers: Common (Item Level=Account Level-5), Uncommon (Item Level=Account Level), Rarified (Item Level=Account Level+5), and Purified (Item Level=Account Level+10)

Items of higher tiers have more chances to roll on a table to gain beneficial modifiers.

Each item fell into one of a few different categories: Weapon, Hands, Feet, Offensive, Defensive, or Utility.

Each hero has one of each slot, plus an additional slot based on their class. Ravagers have an extra Offense slot, Sentinels have an extra Defense slot, and Tempests have an extra Utility slot. Any hero can equip any item you gain, with the exception of Weapons that are hero specific. Some heroes also lack Hands or Feet, in which case their weapon has extra stats and can get the same modifiers as hands and feet can.

The items you equip can then be added onto the Hero in the Hero Editor. The Hero Editor is often equated to the Creature Editor in Spore, which is BULLSHIT and was a pet peeve of mine the ENTIRE DAMN TIME THE FAME WAS LIVE. This is a FALSE EQUIVALENCE. It uses the outfit editor from the Tribal/Civilization phases of Spore instead. Importantly: this means you cannot alter the overall silhouette of your hero. It will always maintain the same basic profile and animations. However you can freely place the extra parts you equip anywhere on its body, and can also place multiple copies of them.

Additionally, old parts can have their stats stripped, converting them into ‘Detail’ parts with no stats, of which you can equip 6 different parts, each of which you can include 10 copies of on your hero. So you could get some pretty cool looks from it!

However all this loot is garbage and you likely would not use most of it outside of appearance. Which brings me to…

Cash-out Loot

Usually if you mention the word ‘cash’ in any sentence involving a game published by EA, it would be a call for concern. Luckily this isn’t that! It’s just gambling! Everything is fine!

The main progression in Darkspore comes from gear, and the best gear comes from how good your ships engines are. These come from account upgrades as you level up your account, determining how many levels you can do in a row. Every time you complete a level, you are given an option: Keep going, or ‘cash out’ and get a guaranteed piece of Uncommon gear, with a 10% chance of it becoming Rarified, as well as all the gear you picked up in the level.

If you choose to keep going, you have to complete the next level. If you die, you lose ALL the gear you picked up, including that guaranteed piece. If you make it to the end, you are given another choice: Risk it all again and go on to the next level, or stop here and get your TWO pieces of guaranteed uncommon loot, which each now have a 20% chance of becoming rarified and a 5% chance of becoming purified.

You can only go another of levels equal to the number of Engine Upgrades you have earned by leveling up your account. So at first, after the second level you HAVE to cash out. As you progress you can start to do many more levels at a time, getting a dozen pieces of gear that are practically guaranteed to be the highest rank.

But of course you have to play these levels in order, and you don’t get a chance to upgrade your character with all the cool new loot you found on the way, so you can’t just jump straight into this. You have to slowly build up to being able to push yourself this much, and once you can, you have a readily available source of some of the best gear in the game.

And that ties into my absolute favorite system of Darkspore:

Catalysts

Many diablolikes have a mechanic called ‘Sockets’. The gear you equip has its own type of equipment slot, and you put gems in there that give you small bonuses. Every game does it a little differently, but it’s kind of a staple of the series.

Darkspore uses a similar system, but utilizes it VERY differently. While you are running levels, enemies will rarely drop Catalysts instead of loot. These come in 5 colors: Purple (boosts your base stats), Red (boosts offensive secondary stats like damage or attack speed), Blue (boosts defensive secondary stats like health regen or damage resistance), Green (boosts utility secondary stats like movement speed or lifesteal), and Rainbow (can contain any of the bonuses of the previous categories) They also come in two sizes: Big and Small. This determines how big the bonus from them is.

You have a 3x3 grid on your HUD that the catalysts you collect go into. You can rearrange them however you want, and if you create a line of 3 of the same color (Rainbow is a wildcard and matches with all of them), it will double the bonus of all Catalysts in that line. This stacks, meaning if you create multiple lines over a single catalyst it could get a x3, x4, or even x5 bonus if it’s the center piece of the grid and forms a line in every direction.

However, you can’t save Catalysts. You can equip it to the grid or drop it on the ground and move on. That’s it. You have to decide now. Do you keep that Big Purple you have for the big buff to your most important stat, or do you trade it for that Small Rainbow for a mediocre stat you just found that you can plug in the middle and double everything else in your grid?

“Surely that only matters early game, and once you have good catalysts you don’t swap them out that much, right?” I hear the diablolike veterans asking, because that is how socketing works in most of those games. And normally you would be right. Except for one major change: All your catalysts only last until the end of your run. When you get to the cash out screen, and choose to keep going? You keep them. But if you choose to cash out, or if you ever die, your catalysts all vanish. Every new run you have to go through and collect them again, which results in you playing your heroes in new ways and adopting new strategies based on what catalysts drop for you each run.

It’s an INCREDIBLE easy to learn system that adds SO MUCH depth and replayability to the game. I love it so incredibly much. Each mechanic flows elegantly into the the next. The catalysts help you do better runs which gets you better gear which upgrades your heroes which lets you do better runs, the entire spiral being locked into your account level to give a quantifiable metric of how far this spiral is gone. It was so good!

And now, it’s gone forever.

Man that sure was a long post. Friends have heard me go on this rant SO many times. Thank god I never got into a second mediocre game filled with novel innovations that are ultimately lost to time and can never be experienced again due to Always Online DRM making it unplayable. Can you imagine if I didn’t learn my lesson and did that a second time? Ha!

… I never did that again. Right?

… right?

…

HEX: Shards of Fate

Hex was a digital TCG legal battle with TCG elements created by Cryptozoic. It was originally put up on Kickstarter, advertised as a digital card game with both PvE and PvP modes, a unique focus on the design space opened up by being a digital game, and gameplay damn near identical to Magic: The Gathering.

The thinly veiled truth was that this game was never meant to succeed. They had hoped it would, and it would be great if it did, but I’m fairly certain that was always a secondary objective. The first objective was to get sued by Wizards of the Coast over the similarities to Magic: The Gathering.

Now, that might sound strange to an outsider, but to anyone in the industry, they are probably nodding along and going “Yeah that tracks actually.”

You see, Wizards of the Coast is… bad. Really bad. They do everything in their power to choke the life out of the industry and have resorted to a lot of questionable tactics to do so. One of these is against anyone who develops any form of trading card game. You see, WotC has a patent on booster packs, customizable decks of cards, and turning cards sideways.

Literally.

U.S. Patent No 5,662,332 (A)

It is not a coincidence that the second two biggest names in TCGs don’t involve turning your cards sideways. Konami contested that Yugioh was different enough to not violate the patent.

WotC responded by suing them. They settled out of court.

Nintendo actually hired WotC to design the Pokémon TCG to NOT violate the patent in return for WotC getting to distribute the first few sets. WotC gladly accepted, distributed the game, got their cut of the sales, and as soon as that was over….

WotC responded by suing them. They settled out of court.

Every single other game out there ended up paying royalties to WotC. Because the cut of the sales to WotC was cheaper than going to court even if you won. WotC had their fingers in every pie, but was smart enough to make sure not to piss people off so much that refusal was ever a viable option.

Cryptozoic was a company that, at the time, was making several licensed TCGs. The big one that jumps out was the World of Warcraft TCG, which they were in charge of (though it was originally made by Upper Deck). Cryptozoic was begrudgingly paying royalties because having the WoWTCG license was too good and they didn’t want to give that up. Then Hearthstone happened and Cryptozoic was going to lose the WoWTCG license as it got discontinued.

So Cryptozoic set up their new game, Hex, specifically to bait WotC into suing them, so they could get the patent overturned.

See, the patent isn’t actually valid. You cannot patent a game mechanic. There are certainly aspects of the patent that ARE valid and CAN be enforced, but the parts about mechanics can’t actually be enforced. WotC uses it because people can’t contest it, but if it actually was used in court it would get overturned VERY easily, and WotC would be declawed.

So Cryptozoic created a game that was a clone of MtG, used a Kickstarter to build up a large amount of legal funds, and got sued by WotC! Yes! Exactly what they wanted!

… and then they settled out of court.

Sigh.

I guess I’ll talk about the game now.

Lore

The lore of the game was solid. Pretty typical fantasy setting. Humans and elves and sort of racist orcs (better than most other orcs I’ve seen at least) and extremely racist tribal coyote people make up the good guys. Undead, spider-orcs, dwarves, and also pretty racist samurai rabbit people make up the bad guys.

There are two types of magic in the world: Blood magic and Wild magic. Elves are adept at wild magic. Shin’hare (the rabbit people) are adept at wild magic as well. The Shin’hare tried to take over the world, forcing the Orcs, Humans, Elves, and Cyotle to ally together to drive them underground into the underworld.

There the Shin’hare met and allied with the Vennen, an all male race descended from Orcs. They were adept blood mages, and they procreated by kidnapping orcs and using them as incubators for spiders. I fucking love the Vennen. I’ll focus on them a lot in this. The Vennen taught the Shin’hare how to sacrifice their young for more power.

The two then allied with the Dwarves, a genderless race of sentient stone statues who excel at creating machinery, and who believe the world itself is a giant machine. Specifically, a weapon of mass destruction, and they are trying to set it off. They believe blowing people the fuck up to be their natural calling.

The underworld and overworld forces go back and forth a bit, with the Elves doing a large chunk of the work as the only overworld race that can use magic.

Then Hex happened. Hex is a massive meteor made up of Diamond, Emerald, and Sapphire. Hex punched clean through the world, scattering gems all across it, before stabilizing in orbit on the other side, becoming the worlds moon.

These gems were incredibly magical, allowing every race to now use magic. Diamonds were restorative, bringing life to things. Rubies were extremely destructive and burned bright and hot and quickly. Sapphire allowed finesse manipulation and control over water. These

Yes this is just the MtG color pie.

Eventually, humanity stumbled into one of their old crypts that was very close to the impact site of Hex, and found it CRAWLING with undead. They were taking the Diamonds from Hex and putting them into the eye sockets of human corpses, causing those corpses to reanimate. These were NOT actually undead, but an alien consciousness that existed within the gems that were using human corpses as a host.

The Necrotic sought a peaceful and symbiotic relationship with humanity as thanks for the use of the bodies. Humanity responded by getting really pissed off that the Necrotic were grave robbing, and went to war over it. Eventually the Necrotic retreated deep into the underworld and allied with the other races instead, eventually helping the Shin’hare with a second attack on the surface.

The lore has a lot more depth than that, but that’s the basic. I liked it a lot. The Orcs being good guys who just really liked tests of strength was a refreshing take on orcs. I liked them a lot. The extremely racist caricature that made up the Cyotle and the Shin’hare? Less so.

Digital Design Space

As for the actual gameplay… it was MtG. Like, almost 1:1.

Like…

Seriously.

Shards work similarly to Lands, with there being 5 basic shards, Diamond, Sapphire, Ruby, Wild, and Blood. You can only play one Shard per turn and when you do you get 1/1 Resource. 1 resource to spend on this turn, and 1 permanent resource. You spend that resource to play a card that costs 1, and you go down to 0/1 resources. Start of your turn, you would go back up to 1/1 resource.

Pretty straight forward stuff. Resources are a card type like in MtG, but once it’s played it acts as a perpetual resource like the Mana in Hearthstone, with no need to care about where the resource is coming from.

… wait a second though, this is a MtG clone. It uses the color pie. Caring where those resources come from is KIND OF a big deal in MtG.

Which is the first really cool difference between Hex and MtG! THRESHOLD! Each time you play a shard you gain 1 threshold in that color. To play a card, you have to have at least as many threshold as are displayed below its cost. See that purple dot below Murder? That means you need 1 blood threshold to play it.

Threshold is NOT consumed when you play a card, which DRASTICALLY alters deckbuilding and how feasible multi-color decks are.

For example, in MtG, if you had 4 swamps and 1 mountain in play, and 5 cards in hand that all cost R…. You can play 1 whole card this turn.

In Hex, if you have 4 Blood and 1 Ruby, and have 5 cards that all cost 1 and have a single Ruby threshold, you can play your entire hand that turn. This made it incredibly viable to splash colors in relatively smaller amounts. It also opened up cool new design space, like cards that cost 1 but still required 3 threshold in a color. Or cards that require 1 threshold of every type to activate a bonus effect (very common among Necrotic) or… for sockets!

HEY WE ARE COMING FULL CIRCLE!

Remember how I mentioned Diablolike games having sockets, but how Darkspore didn’t use it? Well Hex DOES. There was a pair of keywords called Socketable Major and Socketable Minor. Each set, there would be 10 gems (two of each color) that rotated out for Socketable cards. Cards with Major sockets could equip any gem, while minor sockets could only equip half of them. So for example the current rotation might have the Sapphire gems be “While you have at least 1 Sapphire Threshold, this card has Flying” for its Minor gem, and “When you play this card, if you have at least 3 Sapphire Threshold, target player draws 3 cards”

You chose which gem was in each Socketable card during deckbuilding. Different copies of the same card could have different gems equipped, or you could have the same gem equipped across multiple different cards. It was basically a way to go “This card was designed to be splashed in other color decks. You pick what that other color is.”

It opened up a lot of design space! This was something Hex did VERY well. They knew they were making a MtG clone, but they weren’t beholden to the same restrictions a physical card game did, and they THRIVED in those areas.

For example, REPLICATORS GAMBIT, a one cost card that creates six copies of a troop (read: creature) that just… could not exist in MtG.

Another example of this was in my favorite archetype in Hex: Mill. Now, I’m not normally a blue player. I’m not a big fan of the ‘you don’t get to play the game’ archetype. Even mill isn’t really my thing. But the way it worked in HexTCG? God I loved it. I wish I could see my opponents faces as they reached a trembling hand out to their bloated, grotesque deck, a cruel mockery of what it once was. They had started the match with only 60 cards, but now it held twice that number. Knowing every draw was more likely to bring their own skittering death out.

…

Maybe I should back up a bit.

There the Shin’hare met and allied with the Vennen, an all male race descended from Orcs. They were adept blood mages, and they procreated by kidnapping orcs and using them as incubators for spiders. I fucking love the Vennen. I’ll focus on them a lot in this.

Vennen are, in MtG terms, tribal Blue/Black with a focus on control. Specifically an aggressive form of control. Your wincon is still ‘beat your opponent to death’, but the means by which you do it is… spiders.

Lots of Vennen cards work by still allowing your opponent to do the thing that you blocked, but it now creates Spider Eggs in their deck. Lock down a creature as it enters play with ‘Everytime this creature becomes tapped, shuffle 3 spider eggs into your deck’ or ‘Whenever an opponent draws a third card this turn add a spider egg to their deck’ or ‘When this creature is destroyed add a spider egg to your opponent’s deck’ and when they DRAW a spider egg… well… the effect of a spider egg is more or less ‘When this card enters your hand or graveyard, draw/discard another card into that zone and destroy this one. Your opponent creates a Spiderling and puts it in play. “

Spiderlings are 1/1 Unblockable creatures.

The Vennen win con is to just fill your opponent with spiders and then shred them apart once the spiders start hatching. It was a DELIGHTFUL playstyle.

PvE

Hex also features a fairly robust PvE mode with a point crawl encounter map that was quite delightful. There were cards unique to PvE, but all PvP cards were also legal in PvE. In general, all your staples came from PvP and were the same core staples everyone uses to win (they were very generous with handing out common/uncommon PvP cards in the single player mode, which in turn also made Pauper a very popular format), however you also had PvE cards which made up your win cons. PvE cards weren’t balanced as tightly, and allowed to just be dumb overpowered bullshit just because it’s fun to use dumb overpowered bullshit sometimes!

There were also equipment slots that would modify the cards in your deck, turning PvP cards into PvE cards. For example, Replicators Gambit made it so that EVERY copy of that card gained that text.

PvE started with character creation. You would create a character that was one of the 8 races, and one of 6 3 different classes. Warrior, Cleric, or Ranger. I think there was a late update that added Mage but I don’t recall too clearly, and it isn’t document online anymore as far as I can tell!

Each class had a unique talent tree that you could customize and change how you played. Your race determined what colors you could play, and your level determined how many of each rarity you could play.

I played a Vennen Cleric. Cleric’s whole thing was that you would gain Blessings, 0 cost cards that would rise in your deck each turn, and could be played to draw a card as well as additional effects based on your build. My blessings put more eggs in the enemy deck, to the surprise of no one.

As you went from encounter to encounter you would earn new cards to modify your deck, swapping decks between fights. Then there were dungeons, long laborious streaks of a dozen or so encounters, with branching paths and decisions to be made, earning you tons of new packs and equipment and experience to boost your character. One especially fun encounter was crossing a desert with a pack of… I think it was gnomes? There were 20 of them that needed rescuing. The way you rescued them was putting them in your deck, and then leaving the desert through a single combat encounter. Except they were AWFUL. Like 3 cost vanilla 1/1’s level of awful. The more you had in your deck, the harder the encounter became. It was a really nice way to portray the logistical challenge of trying to fight while protecting all these useless tagalongs.

There were plans to even introduce Raids, 3v1 PvE encounters, but they fizzled out as the game got sunset.

The game was good. REALLY good. It relished in the digital design space in a way I haven’t quite seen since then. A few games, like Legends of Runeterra, have come close, but always fall short, and that’s so sad! I DESPERATELY want to play a TCG with this level of customization again!

Luckily that was the end of it. I finally learned the error of my ways, never touched anything ‘always online’ again, and now can live a life without regrets! … except Legends of Runeterra a little bit like I mentioned above but THATS IT! There are no other always online games I have regrets about!

…

ToonTown Online

Okay no, not seriously. I’ve never played toontown. But honestly it looked kinda silly and like a shitpost in video game form. I think it would have been fun to try at some point with a few friends. Not seriously, just to screw around in for a bit.

Never going to get that chance. Just like nearly everyone reading this will never get to play two of my biggest influences that shaped how I think about game design.

Always Online DRM is an insidious beast. It doesn’t just kill games, it kills *archival*. All we have left of these games is a relatively small number of gameplay videos. I was planning on having a lot more pictures in this post of all the interface elements I was talking about as I talked about them, but there just… aren’t any good pictures of them. Even these details are based on my own memory cross referenced with a couple of wikis, and even those were sparse.

Some games can’t feasibly avoid Always Online. MMO’s are a big example. But by adding it into a game that has a single player experience involved, and not making that single player experience a standalone thing on its own, you are destroying any hope that your game will be remembered. It will fade into obscurity. There will never be a cult revival. Your work will be discarded and forgotten and it’s… so incredibly sad to see.

I jokingly titled this section being about ToonTown, but really this section is about Kingdom Hearts: Union X. It was a mediocre and disgustingly predatory gacha. It was horribly managed with horrible issues around localization and it was just… a mess. But it was part of the world of Kingdom Hearts, and it’s story was important and mattered.

The game is no longer playable, but it’s also not entirely lost. The devs created a new version of it, as a gallery to view the cutscenes. The single-player side mode, Dark Road, is also included. The devs didn’t have to do this. They could have gone the same route as Darkspore and HexTCG, and had their work be forgotten. They chose to save it. Not in full, but at least the parts the deemed important.

It also makes me wonder how much this happens in other mediums. Ludology is a pretty new field, and it rarely goes into specific games and their impact on the medium, mostly just focusing on the impacts they have on humanity, rather than the mechanics themselves as these beautiful pieces of art. And it makes me wonder how often this happens with say… film critics. Are there any indie film makers who are deep in the paint of indie films and critique of not just the films themselves, but the very techniques being used, just sitting there going “It’s so upsetting that this big studio managed to do something this beautiful and all of us in the scene recognize it’s beauty, but no one else seems to, and now it’s gone?”

… as I’m writing this I actually realize that this does happen there. It’s how I found out about what became my favorite film of all time, The Man From Earth. It’s a small film that flopped horribly in theaters, and only gained any attention by being pirated by a lot by indies who wanted to talk about it. It’s a good movie, highly recommend. Not for everyone though.

I don’t know. I’m sure I had a point with all this but… seeing it happen again and again and now with streaming services taking stuff down it’s just… I can’t help but seeing not just more and more games, but more and more of EVERY artistic medium ending up in this area. How many digital artists entire portfolios have vanished off the face of the earth because their tumblr got deactivated? How many movies are going to be gone forever when Netflix eventually goes out of business? We can’t even rely on piracy! Many old pieces of media is just lost forever. Just ask the Doctor Who fandom. They probably know more about that than anyone else at this point.

But mostly I just really wish more developers would consider what parts of their games are important, and what kind of legacy they want to leave, instead of just what will generate a short burst of profit, with no care for what happens after.

… I should start doing video essays with how long this got. It’s like some kind of text based video essay. A text essay. Those are a new thing I just invented.

[filmofhybe]

Return to Tiffany & Co.

💍 pairing : sim jaeyun x oc 💌 GENRE : fluff, Idol x Idol 1.1k words

warning : established (hidden) relationship , not proofread

; AUTHORS NOTES : day 12🤭 of “24 days of Christmas with Filmfohybe!!” Not do Christmasy but all I can think of is hoon and Jake’s Tiffany & Co pictures from today. And how Jake said he would leaves his ring finger for his future wife. That’s all. Goodnight.

Masterlist to my other works

Was y/n and Jake expecting the invite to the event of the new launch Tiffany & Co. new jewelry set, that’s going to be attended by A-listers and luminaries from around the world? No. But the clandestine couple and global ambassadors for Tiffany & Co., found themselves at the pinnacle of elegance as they attended the highly anticipated event. Y/n, was radiating grace in a stunning silk off shoulder gown, with dazzling bright diamond necklace on her neck, rings that Jake secretly got her for their anniversaries, effortlessly commanded attention from the flashing cameras. To Jake she was the brightest among the sea of glamorous faces

While y/n posed for the camera, capturing the essence of Tiffany's timeless allure, Jake couldn't help but wear a smile that betrayed the secret they held. His eyes held an unspoken affection as he gazed at y/n, caught in the enchanting aura of y/n’s presence, whispering endearing words only audible to those closest to him. Mostly to his manager, arms crossed hoping the kid could shut his mouth before others finds out.

"Can't believe she's mine," he murmured, his voice a gentle melody amid the glamorous chaos. "she's so beautiful in that dress, please I can only image her walking down-“, “Right, Jake you need to be quiet now…” His manager glazed at him, making him apologize with a slight laugh. The paparazzi behind Jake, with their keen senses, picked up on this unguarded moment, ready to show the world the love that blossomed behind the scenes.

The attendees, attuned to the subtle dynamics between the couple, exchanged knowing glances as Jake's affectionate words soon will become an open secret. The atmosphere was charged with a romantic energy that defied the polished veneer of the event.

When the time came for joint photographs, the Tiffany & Co. staff seamlessly orchestrated the pairing of y/n and Jake. As they stood side by side, the chemistry between them ignited, manifesting in shared laughter and exchanged glances that spoke volumes.

As the staff orchestrated the perfect frame, Y/N and Jake shared a stolen glance, their eyes interlocking in a dance of affection. Their laughter, a symphony of shared moments, echoed through the opulent venue, creating a bubble where only the two of them existed. Taking candid pictures of the loving couple, without even realizing they are one…

The paparazzi lenses, like vigilant storytellers, flashes of the cameras captured not just a partnership of brand ambassadors but a tale of genuine connection. As the night continues, y/n and Jake continued to navigate the event with grace and charm,

“Do you like this one more or this one.” Cameras flashing as Jake points to the rings he was showing to y/n. “As cheesy as it sound, I like you more.” Staffs felt like watching a kdrama unfolding in front of them as they watch the lovely couple in secret. Their shared glances and subtle touches revealing a love story that sparkled as brightly as the diamonds they represented. leaving the world enamored with the authenticity that sparkled brighter than any diamond in Tiffany's collection.

© filmofhybe on tumblr — do not copy , translate or share.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

ari i’m curious do u have kenny hcs

RIKO U HAVE NO IDEA THE MONSTER UVE UNLEASHED.....

i do have some kenny hcs <333 take a seat here's a snack we’re gonna be here for a while 🧁🧃 (THANK YOU FOR INDULGING ME <3 this man genuinely makes me feel ill im sooo delusional abt him)

okok so first of all; general hcs !!

he likes art!! loves art!! this one is canon to me i just think he is so interested in any and all of humanity’s creative outlets and ofc art is the most prominent one. he loves all different forms of art — from sculptures to paintings to writing to video games (HEAVY on the latter btw i think he's so entranced by new technology) and so on.

and on that note!! i think he paints and writes himself :3 hes been alive for so long, learned so many languages, there's no way he didn't have time to pick up a paint brush. i think he paints to release stress!! and his styles vary but there's something mildly macabre abt all of his pieces. tends to gravitate towards expressionism above all else, especially the abstract kind.

i also feel like he sincerely enjoys ”bad” art like low budget movies and modern romance fiction and goofy video games…… he just thinks they're fun. def gets a good laugh out of them (this man canonically had a whole comedy phase he just wants to have fun!!)

and and and!! this is self indulgent as hell but i also think he cooks. there's just so much to learn when it comes to different cultures and their cuisine and i think they all interest him. but i hesitate to say that he's a good cook bc i feel like he’d make really weird fucked up food combinations just for the hell of it…. he's a freak. 100% the type to mix orange juice w black coffee just to see how it tastes.

i also hc that he has a soft spot for children, seeing as he literally carried and birthed one of his own LMAO... i just think he admires the innocence of childhood !! that childish and simple hope that adults tend to lose. he's very good w them too!! gentle and patient. and in geto’s body he has the softest nicest voice so i feel like kids gravitate towards him (i'm just thinking abt that One scene where he blows bubbles at a playground and all the kids chase them… they love him i just know he's a regular at that park)

OH AND……. idk if i’d call this a hc exactly but i just wanna see kenny in more feminine clothing. he literally has All the genders i don't think for a second that he cares abt gender norms. one moment he's in that tacky middle aged divorced father core hawaiian tshirt (he's so Me), the next he's wearing a purple floral dress or a puffy turtleneck <33 i just think he could pull anything off.

NOW FOR THE GOOD STUFF……. relationship hcs <33333 hes a whole red flag but hes also my silly pookie bear just trust me on this

FIRST OF ALL he's huge on quality time. if he's in a relationship w u then that means he sincerely enjoys ur company and therefore has a tendency to just bring u with him wherever he goes. otherwise he gets bored and starts whining abt it (silly silly man) hes a lonely guy ok </3 i feel like he gets very sudden urges to explore new places / do new things and he’ll make sure you’re right there w him !! you’ll wake up in his arms only to find you're in a snowy forest or some shit and he just WILL not tell u where he's taken u bc its ”a surprise ^_^” LMAOO

he also takes on a teaching role in the relationship and i think that's where hes happiest !! gets a kick out of it but it's also kind of special to him. especially if you haven't seen much of the world, or if you're just a naturally curious person — preferably both. he just enjoys teaching you new things, leading you towards new sights, drinking in your expressions and reactions. it's precious to him. something to cherish.

ON THAT NOTE i think he has this unquenchable curiosity that gets temporarily sated when he tries to like . Dissect you. see inside your mind. it's like hes solving a puzzle that never runs out of pieces. hear me out riko but i see him as somewhat similar to makima, he's detached and has trouble connecting w people and handles you almost like a math equation….. but since he unlike makima is a human being, i think he still has the capacity to grow to care for you and treat you like an equal (or something close to an equal). he genuinely does love you, but he's rusty. kenjaku just wants to know all there is to know about you — every single thing. he’d dig into your brain if he could, but he’ll settle on just brewing you tea, listening to you speak about your fears, hoping it’ll give him the same insight.

he's a little possessive . kind of a Lot. idk i just think he feels a pang of jealousy when he sees u laugh and have fun w someone else (he's like a preschooler getting pouty bc his bestie is playing w someone else LOL) and that makes him Uncomfortable so he just waltzes in and steals u away w a smooth smile and a hand on ur waist. pretends like it doesn't bother him in the slightest but if u tease him too much he drops the smile and gives u a Look (it's scary as hell so u immediately shut up LMAOO) and god forbid someone else is like… teaching u something… a subject they're knowledgeable abt while u sit there listening happily to their rambling……..... ohhh he gets so jealous it's funny. researches that particular subject in frightening detail JUST so he can correct your little friend and teach u abt it himself <33 weirdo. freak.

also (this is extremely important to understanding kenny's character) he's both mother coded and father coded but in the worst possible ways.

he's mother coded in the sense that he's a smidge controlling, good at coaxing you into doing things outside your comfort zone, an expert at making you feel guilty by acting especially sweet and gentle, has the ability to make you cry w one disappointed look etc etc

and he's father coded in the sense that he's easily offended but pretends not to be, wants to see you succeed so bad that it's almost more for him than you, forces you to have really deep onesided philosophical talks at 2am when you just want to sleep, sucks at voicing his love for you out loud so he just buys a bag of your favorite fruit, cuts them into slices and calls it a day. etc etc. he's awful actually. i need him

but !!! as for more soft hcs i think he's honestly an affectionate guy deep down… like deep deep down but it's there. he just likes having u close. preferably touching him. not constantly bc that’ll annoy him but he wants you to stay near so he can pull u into his lap whenever. loves reading to u while u rest ur head on his thigh, playing w ur hair and lulling u softly to sleep <3333 (it's the geto kinnie in him) AND idk why this came into my mind but i think he likes nose kisses. just bc ur face scrunches up and he thinks it's cute. he can be sweet !! probably.

OHHH AND he loves playing board games w u <33 everything from chess to monopoly. he thinks it's fun + a good bonding activity but it's only fun in the beginning. he's condescending if u lose and petty if u win but he’ll still ask u to stay up w him all night just so u can finish the game (he's insufferable actually) if u decline he’ll huff and play by himself while shooting u petty glares until u feel bad and join him. then he's back to being all suave and calm and mature ohhhh i hate him

he wants to be the mature stoic indulgent person in the relationship sooooo fucking bad but he’s plagued by silly impulses day and night. he’s just good at hiding it. but deep down he is and always will be a silly nerd <33

and finally; i think that in a no curses au he's significantly less of a freak but still weird and obsessive and a lil mean. bullies u just a tinyyy bit and acts condescendingly sweet but he cares for u a whole bunch. probably struggles w showing it in a way that isn't too overbearing or mildly alarming… maybe through writing. poems and paintings of u… sculptures…. just wants to portray the beauty he sees in u (can u tell artist!kenny makes me go a little crazy)

overall hes a weirdo hes a freak (def wants u to kiss his brain just to see how it feels) and he may or may not be a bundle of red flags but i love him dearly <333 hes a silly goose. i want to study him in a lab

[abysshare]

My OC post is blowing up... you know what that means.

Show me your OCs

If i don't tag your fandom, or if you don't have a fandom oc, or self insert, thats totally okay, you can still join.

Sonas, self inserts, OCs, give me all of them. I cannot guarantee I'll get to reblog all of them but this is your chance to show them off ( picrews, dress up games, sims etc are ALSO valid. Don't have any pictures of them but fiction? ALSO valid )

I'll go first:

I'm very proud of how the shading and colors came out on his clothes and the patterns on their skin!!! I improve all the time so my art is all over the place but i genuinely am proud of this one.

Edit: to be clear since i got an anon misunderstanding ( which was very funny ), by OC post i mean this one:

( link )

I'm very aware my art posts do not get more than 12 likes and thats okay! ^_^

[onegirllis]

So, about the new LIS trailer

It took me some time, but forgive me for the delayed response. I had to dig myself out of the fandom grave to actually look around and notice what the hell was going on. I spent another moment pondering if I still care, and with the answer "barely," I came here to write this post.

1) For whatever reason DickNein (yes, I didn't miss the scandal, who is the nazi now?) still doesn't understand what made LIS 1 so successful. It wasn't the diversity; it wasn't the same copy-paste lines; it wasn't the murder; it wasn't the superheroes from small towns with different powers. It wasn't even the lesbians (I know, shocking!). There were merely a few elements that made LIS special: - Magical Arcadia Bay with its residents - The rewind time superpower, which was one of the best mechanics in narrative games since the genre was born - Max, Chloe, and Rachel (not necessarily in that order), and you need at least two to make it work, preferably with Chloe at least somewhere there. - the specific art style and saturated colors (butchered a bit in BTS but then going full SIMS 4 for the rest of the games) - and most importantly - the soul Sure, DontNod could get away with alteration, to no fanfare and sometimes to no success, but their experiments came from the right place. This shit ain't it.

2) For whatever reason, Chloe is now a dog. I know. I know. I understand. Listen, my fellow comrades, I know how it feels when the devs pull put shit like, "Oh, they were just friends and grew apart, but now she named her squirrel after the love of her high school life".

3) Max had plastic surgery. She also decided to be entirely anonymous so that she looked like everyone else. Every model looks the same, and I hope they will have their names spelled above them as they walk around. Otherwise, I have no idea who is who. Frankly, she looks a little bit like Steph had a lot of fun with the entire cast of Sims 4 and then had a baby.

4) On top of everything, the new Max, however, probably now goes as Maxine, is teaching her Polaroid skills at a university. Now we know we are in an alternative universe all along. I hope the tuition matches the useful photography skill set you obtain there.

5) For any other reason unknown, she can dress up as Chloe, who can be dead (see the Ultimate edition). I know Max has a long tradition of dressing up as dead people, but I hoped it would go away with her Botox and other plastic corrections. But hey, we survived Chloe dressing up as Rachel and cosplaying as her dad, too, so I guess I shouldn't even be surprised. Not that it's a low-budget movie, and they have a limited wardrobe. It's a video game, but the tradition of having a mental stroke is still strong.

6) Oh no, another murder I gotta solve! I shall use my powers. Why now? Is it another girlfriend who is into printing photos? Or is it her student? Or both? Max becoming Jefferson would be a nice twist, even if not loved among the community, but I don't think it would get anywhere that dark. It just will get stupid.

7) This is supposed to be a fanservice a little too late and on the wrong foot. I know y'all missed Max. I didn't, but I understand the hype on seeing her on the screen. Although following a teenager in Arcadia Bay was interesting, simply by the shot of nostalgia with every step, here we are following a middle-aged single art teacher (or someone who looks middle-aged to the point that they decided on fixing their face). NO ONE WANTS TO FOLLOW THEIR ART TEACHERS WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.

8) The Nazi problem (well, well, well, the turntables). I know DeckNein had to do some cleanup among their staff. I hope they did, but somehow, I doubt it was done for the right purpose. Therefore, I'm uncomfortable giving them any of my money, now or ever. I know, there are worse studios. I know it's stupid, but LIS was always special, filled with this little genuine spark. It just doesn't feel right.

9) The game has the worst UI in the history of modern gaming.

10) And to finish my rant on something even worse, LIS4 is coming just before DontNod's new game, most likely to compete with it on the market. A bit sus, don't you think?

Anyway, dick move, my friends. All of it. Actually, waving dicks around in the air all along. Despite our differences, this ain't right. And God knows how much worse it could be.

[vani-candy]

After a number of personal tragedies, a young woman named Mitty leaves her home in Highwind to properly kickstart her career as a Builder in Sandrock. While she's still unsure of herself and hampered by her low self-esteem, she begins to find true happiness again as she meets the people around her. Someone who catches her eye in particular is the town's only doctor, Fang, a young man who seems just as lost as she is, if not more so. Feeling he needs companionship more than anything, Mitty vows to bring happiness to his life, little by little. However, she won't be able to suppress her growing feelings for him forever...

Swan's Treasure is my ridiculously ambitious blatantly self-indulgent personal fancomic series for My Time at Sandrock starring Fang and my OC, Mitty. I very much simply make this for fun, but this series grew much bigger than I was expecting, so I decided to make this index page to make it easier to navigate to each comic, especially since they're becoming less and less self-contained as I continue!

It is highly, highly recommended that you have played My Time at Sandrock before reading, as it is necessary to better understand the characters and story more. (I will die if i try to adapt every last piece of lore in the game, lol). That, and it is genuinely a fun game and I highly recommend it if you enjoy crafting sims + RPGs + both! As such, these comics will contain major spoilers for the game, so proceed with caution!

I may hop around to tackle story beats I may have missed or skipped over, so these are listed in chronological order.

Pushing Forward [part 1] [part 2] - Mitty leaves Highwind and moves to Sandrock to begin her career. She meets and makes several new friends, including the town's only doctor...

Earrings and Diagrams - Mitty continues to work for the people in Sandrock, which leads to her crossing paths with Fang again when X steals her earrings to try to impress CoCo.

Cheery Picnic - With some ideas from X, Mitty and Arvio invite Fang to a picnic to get to know him better. (The one that started it all!)

Mapo Tofu Weekend - After she and Fang get into a bit of an argument during a sandstorm, Mitty’s convinced he won’t want to see her again, so she’s surprised when he visits her and asks her to try the Mapo Tofu he made for her.

A PSA in Overwork (And Also Interfacing With Your Bestie's Boss) - Mi-an faints due to overwork and is ordered to take a week off by Fang. Yan uses the opportunity to shove all the commission work onto Mitty.

Doctor's Orders, Don't Interfere - A short follow up comic to A PSA in Overwork, Mitty and Fang go for a walk on a particularly hot day.

Shiny Hunting - In an effort to get them together, X and CoCo go out looking for jewels for Fang and Mitty. Things go downhill from there.

Season 2 Episode 36a Graveyard Shift - At Mort’s request, Mitty helps Fang tidy up the cemetery.

I Still Love You, Even Though I Miss You - Fang and Mitty spend the Day of Memories festival together and talk about their passed loved ones.

I’d Love More Dress Options - Fang wants to gift Mitty something, but doesn’t know what.

Painful Memory - A certain bandit attack in Sandrock triggers a harsh memory for Mitty.

She Clearly Feels Better, Doctor - A short follow up comic to Painful Memory, Mitty finishes sewing her new work outfit and shows it to Fang.

The Validity Test - Mitty gets a surprise visit from Nia. However, she seems pretty suspicious of Fang...

Regrets That Don't Disappear - Elsie asks Mitty to ask Fang about the incident that led to Logan becoming a bandit, but he won't say a word, even to her...

Bird Cage - Mitty tries to check up on Fang after their last meeting, but he seems to be doing even worse than before...

Things Changed While You Were Gone - Trudy comes back to Sandrock, noticing something has changed while she was away.

Don't Lose Your Patience - Fang listens in on a fireside meeting that quickly goes south.

Mahjong Break - Fang goes to check up on Mitty and gets roped into a Mahjong match at the Game Center.

That Legendary Mission - Mitty helps Fang with a couple errands...which also involves talking to a certain talkative rancher.

The Turning Point - Everyone gathers for a photoshoot to commemorate Little Woods, but things go south quickly...

[lesbiandanhowell]

Sam reacts to: THE GAY WEDDING - Dan and Phil play The Sims 4: Season 2 #6

- OKAY FINALLY MY WIFI IS BACK TO WATCH IT

- Okay I wasn't a fan of the boncas suit when it got leaked yesterday but lowkey obsessed with their fits. The tie and bow tie have me weak because they look so proper, if a bit boring.

- Not the sex noise neighbours at 4am, not the lore I needed.

- I like that they reflected on the whole Devan storyline, that was very cute because Devan really have been a long time coming and are a true childhood friends to lovers arc.

- THE LIGHTING?!

- Them saying pink eyeshadow would work for a gay wedding, hell yeah embrace the makeup 🥺

- They literally look like proud parents in their suits overseeing Dabs commercial awww

- THE MAKING OUT WITH THE DIRECTOR AND PHIL SAYING IT IS JUST ACTING SOBBING THAT WAS SO FUNNY

- Them choosing wedding over computer means a lot to me... I know it's just a game but they've related it to themselves so much it feels bigger.

- "Cake is the most important bit" Ah Phil please never stop being you.

- Phil liking the pink suit... I know who else wore a pink suit... in a certain cat calendar video...

- I don't care how much they give an anti-wedding speech Phil's level of being flustered and giddy and passionate, he wants that. I am more on wedding hill than ever and I am going fill demon: I think they might actually already be married, they got eloped and just had a get together with friends and fam but not an actual party. They aren't people who do that but they are emotional and nostalgic people who would want to commemorate what they share.

- Phil having been to FOUR WEDDINGS and still not knowing how it works, did he even pay attention?

- Them being so supportive of Bob showing up in a wedding dress.

- They are so proud of their Sims makes me understand why I love their games, they relate to all stories they tell so personally and get genuinely invested in characters. It elevates their gameplay so much and it is why their gaming is so fun to watch.

- Phil has gorgeous hands, noticed this because he keeps putting them in the face cam and they're pretty.

- MY GRIN DURING THE CEREMONY IS SO BIG

- "Hubbies", yMgmgmgmgmgm

- Dan and Phil look so happy it makes me fucking emotional, more than the Sims itself seeing Dan and Phil so effected gets to me.

- I saw Dalien dancing and thought it looked like Dan and Phil dancing and then Dan said it looks like him.

- JAPAN HONEYMOON IF I SPEAK, IF I FUCKING SPEAK Genuinely think that Japhan 2023 was their honeymoon, I might elaborate.

I will in fact binge gamingmas after this when the withdrawal sets in in the coming days due to no more daily videos. This was a fun season of daily reacting, I can't wait to see what 2024 has in store for us!

[alexissara]

Alexis Sara's Top 10 Most Anticipated Games Of 2024

We're about to enter 2024 and with that we have all the lists, lists I am not immune to making because I slowly build them up all year. Last year I played a fuck load of games and so this year I wanted to talk about 10 games I think look really fucking cool that are coming out in the next year or two. Some of these games are likely to release in 2025 instead but it'll be fun to see if they remain on the list next year then. I mostly just wanted to spotlight some art that looks cool to me outside of the context of a Sapphic Games Guide or a Review and maybe get others on the hype train with me. This list is not in order and just 10 games I think look like they could have an impact on me, I may not even buy every game on this list but there the 10 that look like I am most likely to check out.

Gales Of Nayeli

So this is one of two games on the list I've already purchased. I backed the kickstarter of the game a while back and I thought "it looks alright and when I asked if there was gonna be any sapphic content the creator told me in depth what content he had already made so sure I'll back it. What was more if a thank you for being so kind and responsive so fast has turned into my most hype game of the year. Blindcoco and me have become friends over time so I am biased but I was actually sold on the game before me and him became buddy buddy when I played the demo and saw the amazing work that went into it. Then the extremally positive response from him and the community towards my desire to focus in on women and sapphic women only added to my excitement for the game.

The game genuinely seems to be raising the bar for SRPGs and really feels like it is a step above Fire Emblem and not an emulation of Fire Emblem. I loved the demo and the concepts in the game so much it inspired me to start working on my own SRPG studios game knowing what is possible at the high end of investment in the system can really be something special and really cool. I love that there is a focus on trying to cast voice actors who match ethnicity to the diverse cast, I love that there is a wide range of diversity in the revealed cast, I love the amount of queer women I am aware of in the game, I love the animations and sprite work, I love the gameplay, I am really really excited about this game and I think this game has a high shot at being one of my favorite games.

Fields Of Mistria 

I make fun of farming sims a little on my lists and stuff but only because I actually love farming sims especially in concept. This game probably has my favorite art style of the whole lot of games today. It's lovely 90s anime style sprite work is just AHHHHHHHHHH so good. I do in fact want to kiss the women in this game very badly and I would enjoy playing the game for the sake of dating them alone.

Rune Factory: Dragon

Let's bang out the second farming sim while we're at it. We don't know a bunch about this game but it really just has to do two things for me to be into it. One, let you be gay like the newest RF and Story of Season games already let you do and Two, keep up the art direction and bam, I'm in. My biggest problem with the last Rune Factory game was that the art style made every woman look like a 12 year old and not in the like chibi story of seasons way like they just looked like they were kids. This however, has a much better set of art direction and it makes me think there might actually be women I'd want to gay marry.

Mahou Senshi Cosplay Club

I really love Behold's previous game Chroma Squad but when I got this demo I had no idea they were the Chroma Squad people. The mix of dress up and RPG gameplay is a dream come true kind of game and the outfit customization is leagues beyond a game like Fashion Dreamer despite likely being made on a much smaller budget. The PSX style graphics actually work here with them evoking nostalgic graphics while also not actually being restrained by a Playstation One's issues. I just really loved the process of making the outfit and character in this game and honestly that alone is a potential game seller. The gameplay element was solid and I really want to play more of this.

Beastieball 

BeastieBall seems to be a really fun take on the Monster Taming genre. Having the monster friends play a sport and naturally be inclined to play the sport makes for a very cute and wholesome premise to which you become more a coach than an owner to these little cuties. It's a pretty simple concept in the demo but it's promising and cute and I do like that the monsters you collect build relationships with each other, I think that is something really special and neat and something I'd like to see more monster tamers do.

Love In A Bottle

 There is a lot of nice looking visual novels coming out but Love In A Bottle is dating sim that is really capturing my eye. You play as a demon girl, bam okay I am sold. You date other monster girls okay I'm sold. And it's got more then the basic one outfit you expect from a standard visual novel dating sim type deal for characters that is yet another sold factor. It seems really cute, seems fun and I hope I can smooch all the women at once.

Fantasy Life I

While I said we were done with farming sims, I didn't say we were done with sims as we have Level-5's Life Sim, Fantasy Life. I won't be buying the game if I can't be gay in it but I really loved the first Fantasy Life on the 3DS and I think if it can keep up the charm and fun of the original game and add a homosexual seasoning on top it'll be a perfect cute and fun time. I love the wide array of jobs and how these all build into each other, it's a very one of a kind experience and really fun.

Princess Peach Showtime 

This is the true triple A game of the list and the only one that has captivated me in all the shows of all the consoles and developers I've seen of late. Peach is barbie now and I am here for it, let her have a million jobs and have a game based around her doing these different roles and being an icon in each of them, sounds good, I'm in, it's a really cute and fun concept. It looks really fun and the art style looks great.

Our Life Now and Forever 

There is no other games like the Our Life games and getting to be sapphic in this one means I finally get to go ahead and experience the series I have been curious about for a while now. This game will let you be polyamarous which is the only game on this list I can say for sure will allow you to do that and that alone is something that would keep me engaged. However, getting to grow up with characters, change your pronouns, your name, anything about yourself as you do and having the characters change with you is amazing. I love the concept of this game and the wild reactivity the games demo has always provided just to a simple thing like me choosing to be trans in the childhood phase is amazing, it is truly such a considered and thoughtful game with such masterful crafting that the act one demo alone is probably worth money. So I did back this one on kickstarter as well so this is my other pick up.

Unlike other games on this list I am fairly confident this is a 2025 game and not a 2024 game but I want to talk about it now because people on the Patreon will be getting to play updated versions of the game over the course of the year akin to early access. I think the game is for sure worth a look.

Izrand Allure

After playing the previous game in the series I am totally sold on wanting to experience Izrand Allure. Luxaren Allure was a really special experience I had this year finally checking out the game after I think years of putting it off and beating it I really want to play this follow up. This game seems far more in depth and far more artistically masterful then Luxaren as well so I really want to see everything this game has to offer. I love a good job system and this game boasts one. I really want to see this lesbian RPG and I hope I get a chance to play it very soon but obviously Unity the dev should take her time to make it. Regardless, I am just gushing every time I see the game and I think this has potential to be a massive game of the year type hit for me.

If you enjoyed this post, I got a lot more end of the year lists coming up when it's actually next year so I can tell people what I enjoyed in December. You can also support me in making cool queer art by checking out my Patreon and Ko-fi.

[lutethebodies]

I genuinely love how this game lets you break so-called “canon” or “coded” assumptions about gaming/characters/lore/rules/whatever. Other players’ hangups or biases or headcanons don’t matter and never will.

Real-world stuff can be as relevant or irrelevant as you like. So can longtime gamer tropes or tabletop traditions. Nobody can snobbily say “ur doin it wrong” with any credibility, and if they try, their petty, judgmental gatekeeping will always fail.

Roleplay how you want. Romance how you want. Create your own hero. Make them a person. Or make them a stat-block. Play dress-up or dating-sim or murder-hobo-mania. Explore. Make mistakes. Break the game. Save, restart, try again.

Nobody will ever have a claim on your imagination or creativity or how you use either when playing this game, making art about this game, or writing fic about this game. So do your thing. You’ll have fun and they’ll die mad.

[proxythe]

some of my fav p3 hcs:

☆ junpei takes on a big brother role with ken. lending him manga and video games rated teen/mature that he knows contain content that is okay for his age. taking him out at night to the arcade/for "secret" menu items. sneaking fun snacks into his room so he has something to feast on besides milk. this makes ken feel seen as an equal rather than as a child bc junpei is so genuine in his antics that it doesn't feel belittling/mothering.

☆ mitsuru begins truly seeking out her own style after she + yukari deepen their bond in november. at first, this results in some truly horrendous outcomes bc yukari wanted mitsuru to select what she liked for once instead of a stylist choosing for her. it comes to a head when mitsuru walks out one sunday wearing a red leather jacket, tan cargo pants, a retro graphic tee, and crocs. she eventually lands on a casual alternative style under yukari's strict guidance.

☆ akihiko is prone to forgetting about things outside of his goals or the people he cares for. this leads to many situations where he finds himself standing head empty, no thoughts in the middle of the grocery store or during casual conversation with family/friends/acquaintances. his tell that he's forgotten something is the tips of his ears turning bright red. when younger, he'd steal shinji's beanie to cover them out of self-consciousness. his notes app is clogged with dozens of nonsensical ramblings such as "milk" or "sun outside" in an attempt to remember such things.

I LOVE THESE 😭😭😭

junpei (along w yukari, minato/kotone, fuuka, n aigis) being older siblings to ken is so important to me… idk how to explain but it just hits different …!!!! i love when ken shows up and junpei wants to be his older brother so bad lmfao. i feel like him (and the other second years) being closer to ken’s age makes it easier for them to understand him so it’s way easier for them to get along. only downside is junpei cannot help ken with any of his work. it could be the easiest problem youve ever seen and junpei will be like “sorry i cant help you”

the thought of mitsuru not having any sense of style is so funny bc i’ve always just been like “yeah i mean she can probably dress decently on her own” but it would b cute to think she just picks out whatever she likes without thinking if the outfit will actually look good together or not. she sees a funny little cartoon on a shirt and is like This is delightful!!! and grabs it and pairs it with the most expensive and beautiful pants you’ve ever seen. then she wears a hideous pair of shoes to top it all off. without yukari, i imagine she wears her ugly ass outfit to go out to eat w like. aki or something. she shows up n akihiko (who knows how to dress) is just like what the hell are you wearing

now that u say this… akihiko is kinda sim coded. does workouts anywhere he goes. forgets what hes doing the second he enters a room. & omfg. him blushing to the tips of his ears is something i put in my drawings all the time idk if it’s noticeable but i love it so much… + the notes app thing so real but also imagine him sending texts to ppl to remind himself of certain things. mitsuru waking up in the morning to see akihiko texted her “Water” at 3:42 AM. shinji picks up his phone and has 12 notifications from akihiko within seconds of each other (its a grocery list). ken doing his homework and akihiko texts him “Koromaru” and nothing else (he needs to take koromaru for a walk later)

[introinjected]

i had a conversation with @shatteredapotheosis today about what each bg3 companion would be like as a modern day, capital G Gamer tm and this was what we settled on -

karlach - only really plays fifa and madden, but once someone shows her party games like mario party that's alllll she plays and gets super into it. she HATES playing games on her own but loves multiplayer stuff and is a delight to play with

shadowheart - everyone thinks she plays edgy stuff, horror games, and shooters, but actually she exclusively plays stardew valley and has put hundreds and hundreds of hours into her farm and takes it really seriously

gale - only plays old pc games from the 80s and 90s, and talks about it constantly like people won't know what he means (we all know what myst is gale, jesus). also has to bring up rogue whenever someone mentions a game being a roguelike.

astarion - plays really old games, master of pong and tetris (his high score is unbelievable) but has trouble wrapping his head around newer games. when someone shows him stuff like dress up doll games he goes wild and makes a million little astarions (he discovers picrew and has a field day). when he finds out you can be a vampire in the sims, he makes a picture perfect recreation of himself and the rest of the party and goes around turning them all.

lae'zel - LOVES fighting games and is TERRIBLE at them. she wants everyone to play them all the time and makes a big stink about losing but wants a rematch anyway and genuinely has fun. she's genuinely really good at grand strategy games but no one will play them with her because they take ages and she always wins.

minthara - plays nothing but dudebro shooters and is a horrible rager. calls teenage boys slurs in the chat and has a permanent visible spackle spot on the wall from throwing her controller. she is genuinely really good at them though, and she has a twitch following.

wyll - only really plays story heavy rpgs, but he gets really into them. he can never make the evil or morally questionable choices and he takes pride in it. he romances the same person on every run of any game with romance options.

jaheira - everyone thinks she's an old person who doesn't get video games, but she actually plays a lot of narrative indie games and is really good at old point and click adventures

minsc - terrible at all video games anyone tries to get him to play EXCEPT pokemon. he picks his team based on how cute they are and somehow kicks ass even though he has a horrible team comp. he prefers to play traditional board games and he's also really good at those, but he insists on playing with boo sometimes and ALWAYS loses if boo is playing.

halsin - candy crush. BUT he loves when everyone else talks about their games and hobbies and listens intently, so he knows a LOT about games, even if he only ever fiddles around on his phone.

[spectermansion]

taylor swift legacy challenge 🦋✨☔️🧣🕊️🐍💕🌲🍷🕰️

— SURPRISE!!! hi!! welcome to my very first written out legacy challenge. it’s no big surprise that i love taylor swift AND the sims, so here i am, combining the two. she has ten albums, legacies have ten generations, there you have it. the hashtag for this will be swiftlp because i cannot genuinely think of anything better. let’s get into the…

rules below the cut!

- this legacy will require most packs other than batuu and the kits - aging must be turned on, but you can have it at any length you wish (normal/long recommended!). i'd recommend pausing aging during generations three and seven's university runs. - each goal must be met before the new heir takes over. - as for partners, they can have random aspirations/traits unless specified! they don’t need to complete it. - don't give the sims dramatic makeovers or personality adjustments (again, unless specified). slight changes to the appearance are fine but leave their facial features be! - there should be no need for money cheats other than like…freerealestate. there will be plenty of opportunities to grind for those simoleans. - if you do this challenge, tag me or use the hashtag swiftlp! i’d love to see it!

🦋 gen 1 - debut

“oh, i'm just a girl, trying to find a place in this world…” ever since you were a little kid, music has been your biggest dream. now, you’re a ditzy, daydreaming, young adult who is out on your own for the first time in your life. life is full of adventure in your humble opinion. you’ve always wanted to make people smile, so the only logical choice is to establish a music career before you dream of settling down later in life. - traits: music lover, cheerful, ambitious - aspiration(s): musical genius, big happy family - career: entertainer (musician branch) - world: any non-city objectives - master the singing, guitar, and charisma skills. - reach level ten in the entertainer career before you finish adulthood - date around during your young adulthood before marrying your best friend when you become an adult. have two children after you get married. - finish the musical genius aspiration before having your kids. then, switch to the big happy family aspiration. - optional: have a garden!

✨ gen 2 - fearless

"but with you, i'd dance in a storm in my best dress, fearless." you grew up in a perfect, loving family. you believe in all of those fairytales that your mother told you, even though what they consist of is fake. there's one thing that's real in them though: love. you want nothing more than to grow up and fall in love. yet when you grow up, you discover that real-life love isn't all it's cracked up to be. - traits: bookworm, romantic, childish - aspiration(s): soulmate, best-selling author - career: freelance writer - world: any, copperdale objectives - meet a sim in your teen years that you have an on-and-off relationship into adulthood with. break up twice and get engaged. break up and after this, stay apart. - have a great relationship with both parents until the end of your teenage years and move away from home. they don't approve of your relationship. - master the writing skill. write mostly romance novels. - have one child with your rocky romance. move them into your household as this will be the heir. - never finish the soulmate aspiration. switch it to best-selling author after you break off your engagement. - move to a secluded part of copperdale (or any woodsy-ish world) to raise your child. you don't need them getting hurt! adopt as many cats as you want. go nuts. - optional: have a dog named white horse

☔️ gen 3 - speak now

"you learn my secrets and you figure out why i'm guarded. you say we'll never make my parents' mistakes..." after the life your parent had, they are extremely overprotective of you. they just want what's best for you, right? you don't know much about their life before you except that they had a rocky relationship with your other parent. oh well! that's their business. you're off to college in a new town and ready to mess things up. you're only young once! - traits: genius, cat lover, outgoing - aspiration(s): friend of the world, serial romantic - career: social media (any branch), critic (food branch) - world: britechester, windenburg objectives - get all a's until you graduate high school. - attend college at either school you'd like and complete your degree. i'd recommend turning aging off during this time. - never date until you are in college. your parent forbids it. once you can, date around all throughout your young adult life. - master the charisma and mixology skills. - reach level 5 in the social media career before switching to the critic career in your adulthood. mid-life crisis! - marry the fling you had the highest relationship with at the end of young adulthood. have as big of a family as you'd like! they're your soulmate! - ...until you have an affair with someone during adulthood. have a child with them. this will be the heir! - optional: have your sim master the guitar skill.

🧣gen 4 - red

"ugh, so he calls me up and he's like, "i still love you." and i'm like, "i just, i mean, this is exhausting, you know? like, we are never getting back together, like, ever..." you are the black sheep of your family, but you could never exactly figure out why. as soon as you're old enough, you get out of there to make it big in life! it's your dream to make it as an actor. school was never really your thing, so you drop out early and move to del sol valley to find yourself. - traits: creative, gloomy, perfectionist - aspiration(s): master actor, mansion baron - career: actor - world: del sol valley objectives - participate in drama club until you drop out. - master the acting, wellness, and violin skills. - date two people in your lifetime. the first is a relationship so bad it ruins your perception of love. stay single until you meet your second love interest on set. have a big white wedding! - reach level 10 of the acting career as an adult. - have as many kids as you'd like with your spouse. - move to tartosa to settle down before you retire. - optional: have your sim wear red lipstick with every outfit besides sleep. no one wears lipstick to bed.

🕊️ gen 5 - 1989

"heartbreak is the national anthem, we sing it proudly!" you grew up in the spotlight and LOVED it. heck, your parents are famous celebrities! they were humble people who loved their family as much as they could. you got everything you wanted and more. you might be spoiled, but you deserved it, right? what do you mean you have to be a responsible adult all on your own now? - traits: outgoing, high maintenance, non-committal - aspiration(s): city native, party animal - career: simfluencer (teen), style influencer - world: san myshuno objectives - move to a nice apartment in san myshuno as soon as you turn into a young adult. your parents love you so much that they bought it for you! - attend every festival - go out at least twice a week and throw parties once a week! you're a social butterfly for a reason! - oh no! spend all of your money and move to a needs tlc apartment. - date around until you get pregnant from a one-night stand. marry them, but never have a high relationship with them. cheat on them with hired help. - master the singing and charisma skills. - move to a penthouse once you're back on your feet - only have one child. - optional: have your sim's favorite drink be wine

🐍 gen 6 - reputation

"but i got smarter, i got harder in the nick of time. honey, i rose up from the dead, i do it all the time." you never had a real connection with either of your parents; everything in your childhood was superficial. all you ever wanted was a real family. if you weren't hanging out with your butler, you were on the streets of san myshuno late into the night. darkness called your name, so you abandoned everything you knew for another life...the life of a criminal. - traits: active, evil, family-oriented - aspiration(s): public enemy, super parent - career: criminal - world: any objectives - have a non-existent relationship with both parents, but a high relationship with the live-in butler. - master the fitness, mischief, and parenting skills. - reach level ten of the criminal career (either branch). - have a relationship with a sim that has the exact opposite personality as you (good, friendly, etc.). marry them as an elder. - adopt one child and be very close to them. give them the best life you can. - optional: throw a party every new years eve if you have seasons

💕 gen 7 - lover

"and there's a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you dear. have i known you 20 seconds or 20 years?" you may not have had much growing up, but you had love. love, love, love. this love showed you that the world is a good place and nothing bad ever happens, right? wrong. when your parent tells you that they're a criminal, your world comes shattering down. everything else sucks outside of your little bubble. can you make the world less cruel? - traits: good, overachiever, romantic - aspiration(s): academic, soulmate - career: law (private attorney branch) - world: any objectives - have a high relationship with your parent until your late teenage years. - meet a sim during childhood and become best friends, later high school sweethearts. marry them after you finish college. - pursue a distinguished degree in history as soon as you finish high school. - master the charisma, logic and research and debate skills. i'd recommend starting early so you can get that distinguished degree. - reach level ten of the law career - have as many children as you'd like. - reconnect and become best friends with your parent before they die. even have them move in! - optional: have a child named betty be the heir!

🌲 gen 8 - folklore

"i want to watch wisteria grow right over my bare feet 'cause i haven't moved in years." you grew up in a chaotic but loving household where there wasn’t a moment of quiet. of course, you love your family, but you are a loner by nature and always preferred to spend your time with your pets or doing art. you come out of your shell during your teen years, but are you making the wrong choice? - traits: loner, creative, loves the outdoors - aspiration(s): country caretaker - career: sustain yourself off of your farm and royalties from painting and writing - world: henford-on-bagley objectives - have the highest relationship possible with your pets. even higher than your siblings. - make one best friend as a child. - during your teen years, date a sim you meet at school. break up when they cheat on you at the beginning of your young adulthood. woohoo with them one last time and “surprisingly” end up pregnant. - immediately move to henford-on-bagley after you graduate. have no contact with anyone except your best friend. you can play off the grid if you’d like. - master the gardening and painting skills. if you’re feeling funky, master cross-stitching and writing, too. - publish books and sell your paintings in addition to running your farm. - marry your best friend as an adult. - only have one child. - optional: have three cats!

🍷 gen 9: evermore

"long story short, it was a bad time; long story short, i survived." you grew up on a farm isolated from the rest of the world. even though you had loving parents and all the animals a child could want, you wanted nothing more than a big family. as soon as you could, you knew you'd have the picture-perfect family you'd always dreamed of...or so you thought. - traits: good, foodie, proper - aspiration(s): big happy family, master chef - career: culinary (chef branch) - world: any objectives - as soon as you become a young adult, move out of your parents' house and to a new world. - get a job in the culinary career to support yourself. - become romantically involved with the first sim you meet. have a whirlwind romance and get married only to find out that they have the hates children trait. - reach level 5 of your career before quitting to focus on family and saving your marriage. - have four children with your spouse. - when you become an adult, divorce them and move your family to a new world. your spouse gets weekend visits. - rejoin the culinary career back at level 5 and continue to level 10. it is okay to cheat to get here! - master the cooking and knitting skills. - marry a coworker and have two more children. - optional: open a restaurant called olive garden!

🕰️ gen 10: midnights

"i'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror...it must be exhausting, always rooting for the anti-hero." your family is a big, blended mess of people who aren't exactly the best, but they tried. and now it's your turn. you always wanted to be better than your siblings, but your parents always preached that all of you meant the same to them. can you prove your worth as the best to them and yourself? - traits: self-absorbed, ambitious, adventerous - aspiration(s): extreme sports enthusiast - career: part-time barista - world: mt. komorebi objectives - have low relationships with each of your siblings. - master the skiing, snowboarding, fitness, and rock climbing skills. - meet and date a sim you meet on the slopes. - have a family after you master one of the winter skills. - reconnect with your siblings - optional: decorate with midcentury decor!

[lazarish]

No wait I want all the backstories in every AU pls

Well if you INSIST

School AU:

This is basically a kdrama

Misty's parents die in an accident caused by the Sage corporation, she gets a full ride scholarship to the country's best high school so she doesn't go to the media (so she's orphaned at 16 instead of as a child)

Ends up in a love triangle between the heir of the Sage group and "King" of the school, Nadir, and the son of the Sage group's biggest rival, Atlas, who has just returned from ✨abroad✨ after some scandal no one will talk about

Selene is initially a bystander when her classmates bully Misty but eventually she stands up for her and uses her own reputation to protect her new friend

The only kdrama in history where she ends up with the second lead

Was nadir inspired by Gu Jun Pyo? We may never know

Historical AU:

Setting: a nation on the verge of a revolution

Misty goes to the castle to become a maid in hopes of making a better life for herself, ends up befriending the sheltered princess and helping her understand how bad things are for the kingdom

Things get complication when the revolution infiltrates the palace in the form of the formerly exiled (Im gonna say Duke? Hell if I know how royalty works) Atlas

Nadir probably gets guillotined, sorry kit

Idol AU:

This was the song stuck in my head when I was doing their outfits

Misty and Selene debut together in a group that's named after butterflies somehow because I have a brand™

Atlas and Nadir were in the same group but Atlas got kicked out (probably because of Nadir)

Misty eventually steps away from the spotlight and produces for Selene

Selene just. Becomes berry IU because that's what she deserves.

Vanilla AU:

It's just the same. Genuinely it's just the same. They might have different names?

You can take the girl out of the pink but you can't take the pink out of the girl

Cyberpunk AU:

This one would need the most worldbuilding but I imagine it's the same berry world just a few hundred years in the future

Selene's family is extremely rich and influential, so she lives completely sheltered and ignorant of what the world is really like- until one day she accidentally sees her brother's files and realizes she isn't really Selene Elysian

The real girl died young because of a genetic disease, and she's a highly advanced robot created to replace the real daughter so no one ever knows.

She has an identity crisis, runs away, and is taken in by Misty who at this point is making a living off salvaging valuable materials from discarded tech

Misty teaches Selene about the outside world, and together they realize that Selene can do a lot more than any other robot on the market, meaning her family is hiding some kind of dangerous and advanced technology

I'm not good at making pets in the sims but you get the Vibes

Selene is the fluffiest possible cat

Misty is a King Charles Cavalier because my friends have a cute KCC named Nell and she's one of my favourite creatures

I genuinely had more ideas for this edit but I had to stop myself lmao, I could spend forever dressing up my girls and giving them happy endings

[travelingneuritis]

kinnporsche ep. 10: Collateral

-vegas doesn’t try very hard to convince porsche that they are “running away together” in the usual, romantic sense: his pitch largely hinges on their shared responsibility to protect the theerapanyakul family from tawan’s machinations. his one feeble “no matter how bad i am, i would never hurt someone i love” doesn’t seem to make much of an impression on porsche; vegas barely seems to expect it to.

-costume note: vegas in his porsche cosplay is a delight, if rather obvious: he (temporarily) swaps his trademark slutty silk shirt for a white crew-neck tee and plain gold chain, some version of which is what we see porsche in any time he’s not in his work uniform. this was presumably done in an attempt to come off more approachable and trustworthy. though i honestly doubt the costume change made much of a difference to porsche, maybe it helped vegas get into the right headspace?

-porsche saying “you have to trust me” and running off leaves this gutted look on kinn’s face and i think it’s because kinn just realized that he’s being asked for a level of trust that porsche can’t match-- that is, porsche doesn’t trust kinn to trust him. kinn wants porsche to look at him and just know, but they are so far from being on the same page that all he can do is let porsche go and hope that conveys some measure of his faith in porsche’s loyalty and integrity. and this is after kinn came here already knowing porsche’s innocence & planning to free him anyway. this scene just held a mirror up to kinn’s face and he is not liking what he sees in it.

-i know i gloss over a lot of the kimchay stuff but chay’s “i’ve always thought i was an unlucky person but it turns out i was saving all my luck for you” is like. god. porsche loved and protected and sacrificed everything for his brother all so he could have a shot at this; absorbed so many of the shocks of life so that chay could grow up to be this free and open and fearless with his heart. KIM YOU MUST GUARD THIS BOY’S HAPPINESS WITH YOUR LIFE I’M NOT FUCKING PLAYING (narrator voice: He Will Not)

-i wish chay had been conscious to at least note kim’s intervention. the “person b fights hard for person a but due to circumstances person a never finds out” trope stresses me out too much to actually enjoy any of the drama it generates. 

-pete’s vote of confidence is especially touching (and clear-sighted!) coming right after porsche beat him in hand-to-hand & escaped with a traitorous miasma trailing visibly after him

-pete casts spell of “no one notice me” (aka: dress as a laborer) and what a surprise, it works perfectly-- all the guards at the compound are too concerned with the contents of pete’s suspicious-looking crate to pay any attention to where he goes once they take their eyes off him

-tawan’s “the thumb drive full of evidence is really a virus that will knock out the main family’s systems!” play makes me, just. SO embarrassed for our guys. like my computer is riddled with disease but that’s because i’m watching thai bl mafia dating sims on dodgy websites; arm has NO excuse. WHY DIDn”T ANYONE LISTEN TO SEXY, DISTRUSTFUL BIG WHEN HE TOLD THEM THE “EVIDENCE” WAS A TRAP??? (porsche running around this echoing warehouse shouting and giving away his position also embarrasses me, but at least he has the excuse of He’s New Here and also that’s his baby brother tied up on the floor)

-very interested in vegas’s behavior in this episode but not sure i have the critical thinking skills to parse it all. he’s been manipulating both porsche and tawan this whole time; if his plan had worked, would he have picked one of them to like, keep around? i sense that at different points he’s had some genuine liking for both of them (or at least that he’s such a method actor that he has a tendency to catch feelings for whoever he’s manipulating at the time).

-there was a brief sour look on vegas’s face when porsche demanded they check on chay before making any other moves; later, in the warehouse, vegas gives it a voice by explaining that he quite actively despises his cousin and doesn’t understand why porsche thinks “but family???” counts as a compelling argument. i feel sorry for porsche in this moment, but i don’t blame him for having been manipulated by vegas. he’s willing to look for the good in even the scummiest characters (see: the uncle he supported for years despite a gambling addiction that threatened the entire household; kinn’s whole... everything), and vegas exploited that weakness handily.

-BIG!! NO!!!! (he looks so offended when tawan fatally shoots him. rest in peace my bitchy king) (seriously though: his split second choice to bodyguard porsche as if porsche were a theerapanyakul... not because he cares abt porsche [he Fuckin Doesn’t] but because porsche’s survival benefits the family.........it hurts me so much)

-pete, earlier in the episode: “if i get caught wiretapping vegas, the minor family will torture information out of me and then kill me.” pete now that he’s been caught wiretapping: >:D

there’s a look of like, breathless anticipation on his face as he’s naked & tied up & waiting for vegas to decide what to do with his spark plugs of torture, but i’m not 100% sure it’s. totally a sexual anticpation? i think at this point pete is just in a bit of a daze & waiting to see what’s going to happen to him-- and to learn how much of it he can handle. tbc, the sexual nature of his response to all the torture must be embedded in there somewhere, but i think it’s still far below the surface. all he knows is that he is feeling everything, so much right now, his body filling up with sensations too big for him to process.

[kissyck]

hiii besties!! it’s been a hot minute since i’ve been on/posted on here and i’ve missed y’all <3 i did some cc shopping and finally opened sims yesterday for the first time in months. made this lil simmie and did a quick edit to post! i’m going to start getting caught up on reblogging and replying to asks, sorry that it’s been such a delay! (also am currently working on some new nails *wink* *wink*) love and appreciate all you lovely humans so much <33

more in depth update below the cut for those interested :)

so i genuinely have no idea how to do quality update posts, but i guess i’ll just go in order of events.

i would say july was fairly eventful. i finished my infusion treatments at the hospital, which ended up making me feel SO much better (i had severe anemia). i genuinely didn’t realize how bad the physical and mental toll that it was taking on my body. i gamed a LOT, just had lost pretty much any interest in the sims. fall guys had become my fixation, and i had started a perfection save in stardew which also became the only thing i wanted to do. i bought more squishmallows. i got another piercing in my ears, and that same day i got fitted and met with a physical therapist so i can start the painfully long process of getting a new wheelchair. i saw a rainbow while driving home from my dad’s house. i took wayyyy too many pictures of my puppy who’s literally ginormous now, and taking all the pics of my kitties!! july ended with a mini road trip to see a comedy show, and i took pictures of clouds the whole way there.

the beginning of august was bittersweet, but was followed by one of the best days i’ve had all year. august 1st i hung out with my best friend in the whole universe before she moved 13 hours away. we’ve dealt with long distance before and talk every day, but this is definitely the farthest we’ve ever been from each other. i’m soo happy for her and am so excited to see all the amazing things she’s gonna do in the future. a few days later, i went on another road trip to nashville!! another bestie of mine was having a concert that i could not miss. plus i love nashville, so i will take any excuse to go. this trip was one of the trips EVER!! i got to see a lot of my internet friends too that i never get to see and i love them all so much. the concert was SOOO good <3 ugh i wish i could go backkkk. i also bought more squishmallows in nash lmaooo. they’re addicting. the rest of august was pretty much uneventful. i played stardew and fall guys with friends, animal snuggles bc they’re all terrified of storms and we had some bad ones, and i bought myself a fancy new mechanical keyboard (the new logitech one from the aurora collection!!) it’s so beautiful, i literally cried when i first opened it.

september was eh. i started a new animal crossing island, which i spent a lot a time playing. that and any animal snuggle i could get. the end of september was a bit rough, i was in pretty low spirits. i lost a close friend of mine earlier this year and it was her birthday. i couldn’t stop thinking about her, which was also making me think of my dog that i had also lost earlier this year (both happened on the same day). there was also some other family stuff, so i didn’t love the end of september. good things did happen though! my furbaby niece came to live with us again. i missed her so much. she’s the cutest lil peanut ever. and i went to the movie theater which was fun! also prepped for my birthday trip since we were leaving the first of october!

and now we’re in october. this month so far has been good! it started with another road trip for my birthday (i turned 23 on oct 4!) this was hands down one of the most fun trips i’ve ever been on. we went to austin for a concert two nights in a row and they were both just so magical. i dressed up fun and went shopping too (yes i bought more squishmallows) honestly that trip would have to be it’s own full post bc so much happened. have just been chilling ever since. was supposed to go on another mini road trip yesterday for a concert but pneumonia went through our house (i didn’t catch it thankfully) so that kind of threw a wrench in our plans. oh and dr. ms. taylor alison swift released an album and it has such a chokehold on me it’s not even funny. i literally cannot describe how much i love her. every time i’m listening to it, my puppy runs in and comes to listen too. she’s got TASTE :) oh and omg i almost forgot, i reached perfection in stardew!!!!!!! this is the first time i’ve ever done that and it was so fun.