#and then help u from there :) it's super fun and def worth playing imo. i also just love to complain bc the translation can be a big pain

[volfoss]

how serviceable is the machine translation for volfoss? it seems like you’re able to understand the plot fairly well using it if i’m right. and what is the gameplay like? i’m more interested in playing it from your posts, i’ve always wanted to but never got around to it

FUCK YESSS ok so. A few things. I am pretty used to working with machine translation and kind of working with how stilted it can be. I've translated comics this way and it can be a massive pain at times. From the last time I tried to do this with a game -> now (maybe 8 months or so?) Google translate has really upped their game with getting more accurate/good translations. I use a mix of Google translate and Yandex, and then match it with checking a Japanese to English dictionary when I need to (sometimes Google and Yandex completely disagree on something, so using a dictionary helps a lot in those cases). Volfoss itself is kind of a peculiar beast with translation solely because of names. The machine translation does not play nice with names because they are spelled odd. For example, an enemy called Iron Meiden will NEVER get translated with the proper spelling. The protagonist, Shalvas, gets translated as MANY different names, so it's kind of a pain to work with that. Places have the same issue. Where a machine translation might put Korel as Kolel or anything in that range, it rarely gets it right. One of the major locations, Caldealand, gets spelled 5 different ways and there is never any reason for it. Thankfully, the in game gallery has the English names for creatures and characters, and the map I just got has the proper English for the places. This is probably not like. A big issue for most people but it's something that I'm pretty anal about because I don't want the translations to be super bad and inaccurate. In the guide I'm working on, I have a massive glossary for the names and places due to how finicky this is.

All of that to be said, I definitely do understand the plot with this, but there are a LOT of frustrating things when you're first getting used to it. I can send you the guide as it is right now if that would help, as I think the long list of characters and the summary of the first route I've nearly completed could be helpful :) I'm also here to help anytime.

As for gameplay, it's a trpg, so you move your characters from tile to tile and choose attacks. It's kind of hard to explain but from what I understand it's similar to fire emblem (haven't ever played it but my friend who has says it's similar). It's honestly not too bad after you get used to the combat, there's just a LOT of story crammed in there if you're bothering to translate all of it. There's a lot of specific systems that from what I can tell are pretty unique to volfoss (you get gems and can make combos with them, and that's how you can make your attacks/defense have certain attributes. Not explaining that well at all but. There's a lot of weird stuff to it I think. There's also a system for getting enemies to join your team both temporarily and permanently and just a lot of other stuff that can make it complex to give a short summary of gameplay).

Tldr: machine translation is definitely viable, however, when it comes to proper nouns it is a VERY scary experience. This was my first trpg and I got used to it pretty easily so I wouldn't say it's too bad?

[coralstudiies]

sorry if this is rude im just curious '-' what made u choose triple sci and not another subject combi? what did u face aft that and what struggles did u meet? how did u overcome those struggles? did u ever regret ur combi? What did u like most abt it? if u cld go back in time and change it when u were applying for subject combi would u do so? Why or why not? Omg im so sorry this is super long im just inquisitive 😓😓😁 i love ur blog btw!

1. because i didnt wanna limit myself at sec sch level. like because honestly i knew i liked bio and chem more than phy but phy is like,,, u know what the adults say money making. plus i heard that upper sec phy not as hard ie the jump is smaller compared to chem and bio so i just take lor. anyways my strength is always science and english compared to other subjects so triple was the way to go :>

2. honestly the workload is ok. like everyone i struggled w chem at first but slowly i got the hang of it (how to answer) so i didn't face much difficulties in science. my amaths and emaths however is another case because they were damn 爛！爛到不行! ofc i was a busy student so i had to stay up late to do work and study on the go but other than that not much issues

3. for chem it was a matter of getting used to it so only time and practice cld help. for math i just sucked all the way to 2 weeks before Os when i woke up and grinded tys and practice papers. i just barely pass my amath major exams. as for studying at night if i got tired i'll eat fruits or drink smt cold or even just have some ice cubes(wtf right i know) and wash my face, play some nice music and jam out while finishing my work. sometimes it was demoralising la cos u see everyone sleeping and chilling and gg out but u have training then after training u need to mug like hell but its like DAMN i rly love my sports so i just told myself if its something i like then its worth working doubly hard for!!

4. No i never regretted my combi. ppl always say triple is hard. i took like 9 subs (incl ECL for o level during sec3) and i got 9 distinctions and i still managed to train, have fun and enjoy myself and learn a lot and rly challenge myself to step outta my comfort zone. if anything its not as scary as ppl say it is because if u plan ur time well (i didnt rly but still) its definitely manageable and pretty fun imo. for my SS+egeog, i struggled w SS cos of a shitty teacher and honestly i still dislike the subject la but learning geog was so much fun so it didnt hurt much. tbh i think ppl say 3sci is hard cos of pure bio but bio was my strength so it never rly mattered. also memorising isnt painful if u like the subj HAHAHA anyway if u listen in class and watch videos it sinks in pretty fast:>

5. i liked that if u ever got bored about one subj theres always smt else to study lor. like imagine u cant understand circuits, ok move on and do organic chem. tired of your acids and bases then go study DNA lor HAHAHA ppl say its a heavy workload but for students like me with short attention span, its good cus i can keep studying diff things without getting bored.

6. nah i wouldnt change. i think this is the right combi for me. cus ppl like me (ahem indecisive libras) take damn long to decide but when i decide i make sure i've made the best possible choice lor. no huge regrets la. amath was compulsory (bleh). hcl was painful but i stopped hating chinese cus i made a couple of cool friends from china, taiwan and hkg (esp the taiwanese were so supportive and willing to help me with my work and i could help all of them with their english HAHAHA) which made learning more fun (plus since we all played the same sport u can learn sporting terms in chinese HOW COOL HAHAHA) then trisci was def the best part of my combi cus i love science man. for my sch if u take trisci u have to take ss + elective humans and out of elit hist and geog i'd still take geog (altho i fared the worst for geog in lower sec) cus its my interest and i rly love it :> so yeah i wouldnt change anything!!!

okies thats all, dont worry about the length HAHA it was fun sharing all that. this reminds me i prolly need to set up an about me for this blog lol HAHAHAHA i initially didnt do that cos idw to be doxxed or smt but aiya forget it man. all the best in ur studies and 新年快樂!!!

[oswednesday]

 omg i got the feel that is was like, absolutely plan z just from how its not a timed ending and how the patients, residents feel collected more than happenstance like two dads (one with a common interest) who care about their kids in a subjective, clumsy way but much better than his own dad and like children who are like I Love To Yell And Break Rules and also my name is like flower teeth, like he was building a perfect world, like the way nat’s line at the starts like you got here too?? made it sound like you were snatched off the highway or smthing fgh, like people go there willingly but how much is that and how much was it him finding people somehow? like omg did he develop his cork-board before getting everyone or only after they started to interact with each other? people connected to each other are less likely to leave, questions,,,

but OMG i completely agree with that! i think that falls in live with the cult vibe they were going for like a pg13 suicide murder thing, he does!! even though the windows got dont punch signs hes like, prepare for it and omg!! also like the shift in his speech like, he accepts hes the villain and is ready to be defeated by calling You the protag in that moment,,so either way you Do help him, imo its like this utopia falls apart, he’s vaguely aware that what hes doing is,,wild,,and it like just ready for it to be over? im thinkin about the way his speaking style changes in that moment from like his fun to like, just normal flat talking

i def think that falls in with the cult aesthetic like heaven’s gate stuff where nothing was Really planed until stuff fell apart--OH YOURE RIGHT like, he could at any time be like YOINK but never does until like there’s nothing left but to do that to salvage what remains, like thats true! how much is plot intention and how much was just like it being an experimental art focused Game with a small team and stuff, but the lack of any real deadline when the games mechanics are timed based feeels like something, that i want to connect together! tbh i was legit surprised there wasnt a cut off point! like you could play the last day into infinity or just push even getting to that point off? (i wonder how many days are actually coded in? can you even go days without solving puzzles? that would change my feelings a bit if it was like u have to go play u basd ard)

OMG NO i love superjail and im like FLOORED OVER NOT having thought about it while i was watching and now im like omg why wasnt it?? (cause i kept thinking about beyond the black rainbow (which i suuuper recommend if you havnt seen it, tho its terribly heavy, its like smile for me,,,but evil)and how the day loading screen was petscopy) you’re super right its like, very the same aesthetic, a lot of like, the og design aesthetic before habit became green too, what with the background even the final design is kinda reminiscent and like, habit’s Deep publicly accessible on the roof top Lore, the habitat is def like an extension of that, himself with his worth tied into it, 

omg i feel like the biggest in game support for that is like like workers like, none of them have to stay there after they quit or want to quit but are around out of like, emotional ties? fear? theyre not really residents but feel controlled and obliged to stay there, i mean! i guess no one really does, you really just spend the game convincing people to leave just, put on your glasses and go, on god this is no joke sdfghj, everyone knows the flower delivery person? so they’ve must have been around long enough not as a patient to be like this,,,is wack? omg character speculation

but no yeah i totally feel that! like with the psas, curfew and the personal posters, like this is His habitat and he’s just like, a disembodied presence making sure everyone stays put, cause one way or another he needs them 

[swainlake]

Hello! So now that got has ended I'm looking for some tv shows that I could watch after I'm done with my exams. Do you have any suggestions? I'm not looking for anything specific, although if you have watched some good period dramas, I'd love some recommendations. Also wanted to add how much I love your blog, it's really beautiful

tysm that’s so sweet!! i love giving recs so i’ve got a bunch that you might like under the cut; i’ve put a ♡ next to my favs

period dramas:

NEW WORLDS (2014)this one is a mini series, only 4 episodes long, but please don’t let that stop you! it’s about anti-monarchism and rebellion and forbidden love in the 1600′s & is set in both england and america. i cried more than once but the ending is so bittersweet and hopeful!! 

POLDARK (2015—)i have a love/hate relationship with this one tbh. i started watching because of the main relationship but i ended up really into it for the side relationships instead?? the actual political plot doesn’t interest me but i love the drama between the family members. also i adore the women in this show, every single female character is well-written and realistic and you’ll love them all (even if at times you hate them). the men tho? the men are pretty much collectively the worst. “what’s wrong with the women in this family?” “the men.”

SPARTACUS (2010—2013) ♡i started watching this before i ever got into game of thrones but if you like the fight scenes in got, you’ll enjoy this! great characters, great fight scenes, great friendships. this one is based on gladiators who are fighting for their freedom.

THE WHITE PRINCESS (2017) ♡okay firstly and most importantly: jodie comer stars in this so you know it’s good. it’s also got michelle fairly (catelyn stark) in it though tbh she wasn’t my favourite character in this and i didn’t find her likeable at all. it’s not very historically accurate ofc but the relationship between henry/elizabeth is honestly the perfect enemies to lovers rep & always lowkey reminds me of book!sansa/jon possibilities

PAN AM (2011—2012)this one isn’t like game of thrones at all but it’s only one season and it’s super cute and has a lot of famous actresses in it like christina ricci & margot robbie. based on the adventures of a crew of pan am stewardesses, this is a good combination of lighthearted fun and chilling cold-war drama. an old favourite. 

THE MUSKETEERS (2014—2016) ♡i’ll be gushing over this for years to come tbh it’s really just that perfect. the relationship between the musketeers is so lovely, the personification of ‘brotherhood’ really, but also the romantic relationships are really good too?? which for some reason i personally hadn’t expected. my fav couple is aramis/anne (anne is played by the actress who played roslin frey!) because the forbidden love & the respect and adoration between those two is just perfect but really every relationship (even the ones that don’t become endgame) are written very well

OUTLANDER (2014—)i haven’t watched every single episode of this one but from what i have seen it’s very good, and has some similar themes to game of thrones!! the sex scenes are epic, the main relationship is lovely, and overall its a very realistic show that features supernatural elements!

THE LAST KINGDOM (2015—) ♡i’m not going to lie: i started this series by skipping straight to 2x7 because i’d seen gifs of the relationship between aethelflaed and erik but it was so good i ended up going back and starting from the beginning! this show reminds me of ‘vikings’ more tham game of thrones but it’s not as gory and the characters aren’t all assholes. side note: if you love sansa stark as much as i do you’re gonna love aethelflaed, lady of mercia! she’s actually a real person but this show is based on a book series that looks super interesting! honestly the main character also kind of reminds me of jon snow

HARLOTS (2017—) ♡oh my gosh how do i describe this show?? the family dynamics are so! intricate! and! beautiful! honestly just stunning. everything about this show is s t u n n i n g. the costumes are colourful and vivid and honestly i’d recommend watching just for that but the storyline really does keep you hooked!! also: liv tyler and jessica brown findlay are love interests in this which is honestly a dream come true

BLACK SAILS (2015—2017)okay full disclosure; i haven’t actually seen this but i’ve heard very good things and it’s on my list!! it’s about pirates, i think there’s some queer rep (can anybody confirm??), and there’s lots of amazing women. again, allegedly. 

dramas:

THE SOCIETY (2018—)i literally watched the entire first season in a single night so it must be alright, right? basically all you need to know about this is that a town full of teenagers go on a field trip & then return to find all their parents mysteriously missing and their town closed off from the outside world. it’s basically lord of the flies but modern! with some kick-ass friendships! and amazing young women (one literally teaches herself to be a doctor can you believe?)! 

SHARP OBJECTS (2018)if you haven’t heard about this one yet idk what rock you’ve been living under but welcome back! this one is a m a z i n g but also hella chilling and the ending is such a shocker if it hasn’t been spoiled for you yet!

THE BOLD TYPE (2017—) ♡i always describe this one as ‘sex and the city for millennials’ but i’ve never watched a single sex and the city episode in my life so i honestly don’t know how accurate that is?? but it’s about a group of 20-something year old women who are best friends and work mates and they love each other so much?? the relationship between the girls is my favourite thing about the show but the show honestly tackles a lot of relevant issues; trump, age gaps, queer rep, immigration, racism, etc. i can’t recommend this enough!

CODE BLACK (2015—2018) ♡you know those episodes in greys anatomy where everything is life-or-death and you’re on edge for the whole episode? that’s basically every single episode of code black. this is hands-down one of my most rewatched shows ever. i love medical dramas and this one balances well written characters with action-packed medical miracles so honestly what’s not to like?? 

A DISCOVERY OF WITCHES (2018—)okay admittedly the only reason i watch this show is because of the main couple but i can’t help it when they’re just so gosh-darn cute!! they love each other so god damned much! i wasn’t completely sold on this straight away but by ep 3 i was HOOKED. if you like supernatural romances/dramas that are more mature than your usual cw show, this one is a good choice!

THE OA (2016—) ♡i can’t even put into words how much i adore this?? but also: it will confuse THE SHIT out of you. no matter how smart you are, this one will leave you scratching your head. basically: a group of people who’ve had near-death experiences get kidnapped and experimented on. it’s not as brutal as it sounds, in fact the show is exceptionally beautiful, but it does deal with some hard themes and the good guys don’t always win. 

12 MONKEYS (2015—2018)do you like time travel? do you like forbidden and yet totally-still-devoted-to-one-another-anyway love? then this is the show for you! this one is dark and gritty and deals pretty realistically with the concept of time travel & self-sacrifice and what people will give up to create a better world. it’s got a happy ending & you wont regret watching!

THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (2018)oh this one will make you cry. in a good way though! long story short a family grows up in a haunted house and it affects them in ways they cannot imagine. it’s hauntingly beautiful and poetic and everybody should watch it at least once imo

comedies:

THE MARVELOUS MRS MAISEL (2017—)okay so this one counts as a period drama as well but it’s about a COMEDIAN so i put it in the comedy section lol. okay so long story short, a woman is left by her husband, she’s worth 1000 of him & everybody else knows it because you seriously can’t help falling in love with this woman but ofc there’s period-typical sexism she has to face as she struggles with being a single woman, a single mother, and an up-and-coming comedian. def recommend.

SANTA CLARITA DIET (2017—2019)drew barrymore is a zombie!! who lives a normal life but also eats people!! it’s only weird for the first couple of eps. the family dynamics are snarky and witty and they manage to make gore funny?? honestly this entire show is legit laugh-out-loud darkly hilarious.

[dorianpavus]

hi katie! i've seen looots of ppl talk abt critical role and i reeeally wanted to start watching it but i have no idea how it works. AT ALL. and i know there are LOTS of eps out there and do i have to start from the 1st one or is it something like season 1, season 2, etc? please guide me i'm really looost aaaaa thank u

omg omg!!! hi i’m so excited for you i love critical role so much!!!! :’)

so yes, there are currently like 96 episodes out… and most of them are 3-5 hours long. holy shit. it’s definitely a commitment, but super worth it imo (i love my family…. they are my family… so pure…. so positive). plus, you can watch it kind of like a podcast and just listen to it if you like, since so much of it takes place verbally. 

(though i actually prefer to watch it cause i love seeing their faces and their cute interactions and reactions and acting and just… ya know. to each their own :3)

BUT OKAY

there aren’t actually seasons!! i know on the critical role wiki they list episodes as in “chapters”, but it’s mostly just a fan construct to help group and organize the episodes. the game itself isn’t actually designed in Chapters/Seasons/Whatever, not exactly… 

THAT SAID there are a lot of story arcs and plotlines!!! that have clear beginnings and ends, and those are really helpful in dividing up and discussing the show. (usually the “chapters” of which ppl speak – they just take the story arcs and roughly group them together into “chapters”, though i think that tends to lump episodes together that don’t always belong together ya know)

in any case you don’t necessarily have to start from episode 1 – i mean, the cast members even played together for 2 entire years before ever starting to stream their games on twitch, so EVERYONE who watches the show is still kind of getting thrown into the middle of their journey. plus tons of fans start watching from like…. any given episode, and most of them turn out okay. :P

however, episode 1 is designed intentionally for people who are new (duh). it starts the Very First Arc of critical role, it introduces all the characters (for the first 20ish? episodes they have a little character-introduction video they play at the start of the episodes and during breaks that helps you familiarize yourself with the characters and their brief backstory & info).

i’m only on episode 66 myself (OUT OF 90 SOMETHING) but that’s partially because i’m determined to watch them in order…  because i love them and don’t want to miss out on anything. even though i’ve been watching for over a year, lmao. i mean, i’ve had a lot going on in my life!! ya know!!! (ok… but really i’ve been watching so much lately so i feel like i’m gonna catch up pretty soon lol).

ANYWAY

i can break down some of the arcs for you and give you some recommendations on where/when you might wanna jump in and why, without giving away spoilers! 

dun dun DUN

ARC 1 - KRAGHAMMER (ep 1-16ish) - so the first arc of critical role is designed intentionally to introduce viewers to both Vox Machina (the party) and dungeons and dragons. it’s a very traditional dungeon crawl where the party was tasked with rescuing an npc from a dungeon, so… story-wise, the plot isn’t the most interesting, and there’s a pretty fair amount of combat. but it’s vox machina! and you get to fall in love with them from the first time!! this is also most of the time you’re going to get to see Tiberius, a dragonborn sorcerer played by Orion Acaba. orion leaves the show around ep 27 i think, (which… to be perfectly honest i was really happy about because i kinda disliked him as a player… ahem… but other people LOVED tibs and orion so that really depends :P). all that to say, if you want to get tiberius content, if you want to truly get the whole Critical Role experience, if you want to get familiar with the group as they play and fall in love with their fans for the first time as you fall in love with them for the first time, arc 1 is the way to go. i do think it’s the most boring arc by far, and because the show was just starting out the production quality is by far the worst, but i still loved it, so. :P

MINI ARC - VASSELHEIM (ep 17-23, ***NOT*** including ep 22) - this is where critical role really starts to hit its stride. the players are more comfortable on screen, everyone relaxes, the story is funny and it’s kind of an In Between mini arc – the events of Arc 1 have finished, but the next arc hasn’t really started yet. you could call these “filler episodes” but they’re some of my FAVORITES, more lighthearted and goofy and fun as the party sort of takes a breather from the intensity of their previous arc. this also features the Slayer’s Take episodes, a series of 4 episodes that SPLITS THE PARTY!!!! and features guest characters for the first time, including my beloved Zahra (i’m lov!!!! her!!!!!!) played by mary elizabeth mcglynn. also featuring felicia day, wil wheaton, and will friedle. honestly these episodes are… fun. i love them so so much.

STANDALONE - EP 22 - keyleth-centric episode - episode 22 isn’t included in that above mini arc; it’s kind of a one-standing episode that features a moment in keyleth’s overarching character development and plot. it wasn’t my favorite episode, but it features some cool elements and if you like keyleth you’ll def wanna watch it.

ARC 2 - PERCY’S ARC - (EP 24-36) - yehhh boi!!! PERCY’S ARC. THINGS ARE REALLY HEATIN UP FOR VOX MACHINA. okay, some of my favorite episodes happen in percy’s arc, and you get a LOT of no mercy percy. there’s intrigue and danger and delish combat and just like… what more could you ask for? the stakes have really raised for vox machina in arc 2. i love it, and my personal recommendation would be to not skip this one. :P

ARC 3 - (ep 37/38, REALLY starts ep 39 and goes way past where i’m at right now so i haven’t even finished it yet) – so the first two episodes of this arc start of really slowly (eps 37 & 38); they’re setting up for the shit that’s about to go down, which pretty much starts in ep 39. this is sort of the BIG BIG BIG arc that spans like 30+ episodes. i mean, don’t get me wrong – there are a billion smaller arcs within this arc alone, but i’m grouping it together because… it’s a big overarching plot unlike anything we’ve seen before in critical role.  i mean, the majority of episodes of critical role have been about this arc, haha. even if you skip everything else (… though i don’t think you should :^)…), you’ll probably still want to watch from here on out. some episodes are better than others (my god, the Planning episodes…. rip) but like… this is sort of Modern Critical Role™.

ALTERNATIVES - of course, you could really skip that arc. you could jump right in right now to ep 96 if you want and just watch from here on out, as you slowly go back to watch older episodes (even though that gives away so many delightful spoilers and plot twists, it is efficient). or you could watch from wherever that big arc ends, which is probably around like ep 90 or something (i don’t know!!! i’m not there!!! i know it’s roughly around that point haha). wherever you want to start watching is up to you. critical role is a commitment. but since you did ask me my opinion, i’d say either start from arc 1 (even though it’s a little more boring/combat-oriented than the other arcs because it’s The Introduction, it’s really nice to have that background and not be missing out on great moments and episodes and stuff), OR skip the first arc and start with the MINI ARC beginning on ep 17. it’s gonna be a little less cohesive for you, and the cast doesn’t focus on explaining their background/what’s going on quite as much for you, but the stories being told are just kinda more fun, haha. OR start with percy’s arc. but i’d recommend not just starting on Arc 3 (aka The Big One) because you’d be missing out on a lot of fun and history and the important moments won’t mean as much to you because you won’t be attached to the characters and their world.

tl;dr either start from the beginning (which is what i did and i don’t regret it), or start from the mini arc or arc 2. or do whatever you want. :P

GOD I KNOW I WROTE SO MUCH 

I’M SORRY

just… i wanted to be…. helpful. lol. ahem. ANYWAY 

I HOPE THIS HELPED

even though i wrote a book D:

i hope you really enjoy critical role friend!!!! and thanks for asking!!! and calling me by name cause i melted!!!! :3