#anyway that was enough infant gameplay for me

[moonsyrups]

a long time ago a little baby named noah was born

[queenofthedisneyverse]

Epic: The musical game - more in depth

Me and my new mutual @mariylle have been talking and came up with these ideas for an Epic: The Musical gameplay

Ok, so to start off, this isn't the dating sim version. That'll be further talked about down the line. My ideas are red, Mariylle's are purple

Troy Saga

So basically, my idea was us from our universe, being sent to Ody's to make sure they all actually get home safely. We grow up alongside Odysseus, Eurylochus, and Polites and signed up for war with them.

Some things in the game would be inevitable. Like even if the crew didn't open the bag, Poseidon would have found them and sent them away from home anyway. So, some things could come out better but some things, like any good tragedy, would have to happen regardless.

In regard to the Troy Saga, all events happening in that are inevitable. Including the Infant incident. Y/n knows Zeus made him do it and if y/n were to step in they'd just piss of Zeus and cause more problems later on.

Imagine talking to odyssues after he dropped that baby 😬😬

To be clear, Prophet y/n is a soldier too. (side idea: y/n could have had hurt their head badly and therefore our powers don't work all too well afterwards. Hence why we see certain events but not others. This could be a way of letting inevitable events happen)

2. Cyclops saga

Y/n would probably stop Polites and Ody from going into the cave by telling them it's a trap or tell them to just quickly get in the cave, get the sheep, and get out, NO TALKING!

But they can't kill the cyclops until they get out of the cave. Or at least stop Ody from doxing himself.

One funny option should be smacking the sh*t out of Ody before he says his name (just for gags). Fully animated and everything!

But the other options should be talking Ody out of it not killing Polyphemus to the BEST of your ability. You have to be mindful of whatever text option you choose ensures the safety of the crew AND you.

If we keep the "game 1" options, you have True Endings and Good endings depending on your text. The true ending leads to the next game but Good Endings mean, for that game, you get to go home.

And the worst part is you can't even explain WHY you just b*tch slapped the king. The game should hinder you from saying anything OR you could tell him that you "dreamed" of that cyclops being Poseidon's son and therefore Poseidon coming after he's told what happened. You could be an onboard prophet if you will.

(I imagine getting the entire crew's reaction after we just slap the hell out of him. All of em are just flabbergasted

I'm sure eury would slap you too, or even kill you for such disrespect but I'd love to see it! It'd be funny!)

I like to think we should be given a chance in each saga to stop a certain event from happening. If we don't manage to get a good ending (going home) the game will continue on to the next one which would be Ocean saga.

I forgot to add but Polites should be saved in this level/game

3. Ocean saga

If you make it to Ocean saga you should be determined to keep the bag CLOSED by any means necessary. If Odysseus manages to trust you enough, he'll give you the bag so he can sleep.

So, Prophet! Y/n would be the one staying up for nine days and then when we're tired Odysseus will take it.

I was also thinking, if we don't get Odysseus to trust us in time, he'll fall asleep, and we grab it to keep it safe.

I imagine Y/n getting fed up with the antics and is just like "LOOK YOU GREEDY MOTHER F*CKERS! I WAS NOT SENT HERE JUST SO YOU ALL CAN GET YOURSELVES KILLED. WE ARE GOING HOME AND SO HELP ME ZEUS IF YOU ALL KEEP TRYING TO GET THIS BAG OPEN, I WILL RESORT TO BRUTE FORCE!"

Yes, that would be a text option.

In other words, y/n is just like a tired dad dealing with idiot sons. If we don't choose the option to fend off the boys, the bag at some point will be opened by Eury.

When Eury opens the bag...there should be a full animation of our character either cussing him out in full tears, fighting him like, literally FIGHTING him, or slapping him across the face.

Another option would be to tell Odysseus that SOMEBODY (we won't tell its Eury, we'll pin the blame on another crew member) will open the bag and we'll keep it safe so he can sleep.

A funny gag would just be us fending off crew members while trying to keep the bag closed.

imagine y/n chasing him all over the boat back and forth lmao. And the crew, including Ody, are just starring in pure disbelief.

"YOU OPENED THE BAG! YOU JUST HAD TO DIDN'T YOU?!!"

Or another option would be to keep quiet take the blame for it opening (y'know, for Eury fans)

4. Circe saga

Now, you would try to warn the men as best you could to NOT eat the food. I think it would be really angsty if you can't tell them why and all you can respond with "Just- just DON'T! I have a bad feeling about this!" Or "Just because she's a woman doesn't mean she has our best interest at heart."

"Don't go in there, she'll turn you all into pigs. Let me talk to her and just explain that we mean no harm". And then you would talk to Circe about everything, Including the pig thing. I'm sure she would be shocked as to how we know this, but we can tell her we are a future-seer who was sent to this world to ensure this crew gets home safely. We were "sent by the gods to undo catastrophic events" if you will.

"So, please just give us non-pig transformation food and...can you help us get to the underworld?"

Keep in mind, you don't remember much about the prophet except Odysseus is supposed to see him. And you got hurt during the war, so your memory is still a bit off.

5. Underworld Saga

If we, prophet! y/n, make it to the underworld saga our character should feel a little distraught and hopeless. Because no matter what we did we still ended up there despite all our attempts not to. Insult to emotional injury is if we didn't save Polites and see his spirit.

6. Thunder saga

We still do not survive the thunder saga. But I also kinda like the idea of Zeus being like "Hmm. You're not supposed to be here. You can stay. I'd like to see what you'll do."

Yeah, what if Zues KNOWS why y/n is there but also knows that we failed to do our task, so keep us alive just to let us live with the fact that we didn't stop anything from happening no matter how hard we tried.

Miscellaneous ideas

Another cool idea I had would be Y/n being a god themselves but a small scale one. Our power/strength can only do so much, so our power maxes out quickly.

Hence why some events would happen, and others wouldn't. We would have dealt with the cyclops but too tired to stop Poseidon.

One life changing event per game. It's a limited recourse and you can't wear yourself out

IMAGINE ZEUS GAVE YOU THE POWER. Like he notices you've been dropped in and is like "hmmm. How can I mess with mortals today? APOLLO give this man the power to change destiny, even just the slightest."

But we would use all of our power to save the men in thunder saga. Imagine an epic battle between you and Zeus. Like, imagine he's about to zap everyone into dust but you catch the lightning and absorb it, then using it against him.

If you play your cards right, and not get hit so many times, you'll save the crew and yourself. But if you get hit a lot, you'll only be able to save the crew and not yourself.

But this sounds like a whole other game LOL but semi-prophet y/n in a dating sim would still be so fun. It's like "which route would you like to take"

Absolutely! It could be a cute cartoon style while dating one of the boys but turns into 3D fighting style sequences for the canon events.

Amazing. Star stunning. Nothing I love more than dating sims with a hidden element to them (horror or action)

I think the time between after the war and before leaving on the boat should be when we can start dating them. Because all of you are done with the ten-year war in troy and are about leave. I think some moments before "Open arms" should be moments where we talk to our lover as well.

-

Text is from other post:

A Tragic Tale Dating Sim

First off, Odysseus would be off the table (that man loves his wife). As well as Eurylochus because he's married to Ody's sister, Ctimene.

HOWEVER, they could be dateable, but you guys would have to be already married. You are married to Odyssues and platonically or romantically married to Penelope/ You are married to Eurylochus and platonically or romantically married to Ctimene.

(I don't think the sim would/should delve on whether you platonically or romantically married their wives. It should be up for interpretation by the player)

Some others would be Polites (of course), Perimides, and Elpenor just to name a few.

Seeing as Ody had 600 MEN in his crew, you’ll have to a male player for this sim, if that wasn’t obvious.

You guys could already be in an established relationship (either private or public. Though with Perimides' character it might be private) and are so gushy over each other it’s sickening. They are simps for you like how Ody is a simp for Penelope.

Idk, reblog with your ideas (And before anyone comments, yes, a dating sim would be pointless but Tragic tale dating sims aren't common and one in Epic style would be interesting...and sad)

And yes, like in the musical, you die with them. I'm not sure if you should die with the others if you chose the "Married to Odysseus option" but...wouldn't it be more angsty if ya did?

I female version could be where you play a nymph on Circe's Island. And from what I've read in this post with ideas from Mariylle.

So, I think the romance would be short lived I suppose? OR this could be a wlw situation with Circe or the other Nymphs.

But another version would be where you are a female sailor on Ody's ship and end up at Circe's island. I think it would be kind of difficult . for you to romance the ladies. I don't think female sailors were allowed back then either.

So, a storyline could be you were a nymph that was friends with Ody since childhood. And because of that (and probably your navigation/fighting skills) he let you on the ship because it's always been your dream to travel.

Then you come upon Circe's island, but you don't know what happened to the other men until Eurylochus comes along and spills the tea.

You attempt to convince Circe yourself to let the boys go/or distract the other nymphs so Ody can talk to Circe himself. A later option would be to stay with the Nymphs because Circe wants you to stay where you belong.

it's the first time you've come upon other nymphs (besides your mother of course) so of course you'd want to stay. And what if after you stay and "a few years pass" and Ody comes back to the Island...but only to tell you that your other childhood best friend Eury and the rest of the crew is dead. He just wants you to come back to Ithica for the funeral.

He conveniently leaves out how they died. You, the nymph, grew up with Ody so you know he's leaving something. You are given the option to ask but he will just deny it/reflect it.

And like... knowing your friends died it's not even like you really want to know right now anyway.

Yeah, being told they died is already a bit much. But on the bittersweet side, you get to meet Ody's son, Telemachus, because the last time you saw him was when he was a baby.

Ody's mom is dead too and she was like an aunt to you so...yeah, more trauma.

Your nympha mom is still up and running though, she is Ody's mothers age but physically only looks 40 or 50.

-

This is all we have so far let me know what ya'll think.

[veronasunmademods]

Occult Children

There's... not really a lot for children in the Sims 4, occult or not. But nothing has bothered me more than the fact that even if you make an occult child, you won't see any effects of it until that child is a teenager. From my experience, anyway. So, a bit of an idea to how one might change that.

Spellcasters

Accidental magic. I'll say it again and again, Spellcaster children, toddlers, and infants should have accidental magic. Especially when they're experiencing big moods.

It could be any mood other than "fine" for a toddler and/or infant; turns objects into flowers when happy, bubbles when playful, makes an earthquake when angry, makes it rain when sad, etc. Not every time or that would impede gameplay and be annoying.

Children instead would do it only during the extreme emotions. Hysterical, mortified, enraged, scared. Sadness as well, but that one doesn't have an "extreme" version. They'd have pretty much the same as the toddlers and infants as what would happen.

Potions stations would level up the potion making skill. That, or they have their own mini cauldron. Or both. One of the potions would be turning the giant stuffed animal toy into a proper Sim if the friendship level is high enough.

A few simple spells available to them, with Mischief the most accessible seeing as kids as mischievous.

Bring back the hair dye prank, but make the child have to craft it at with their potions skill.

In tandem with a boarding school mod, a magical boarding school just for Spellcaster children. Maybe two. One so they can learn to hone their powers, and one to hide them.

Spellcaster parents gain the option to inform their partners they are a Spellcaster if the other parent is not. Or not reveal. It's not mandatory.

Also an option to automatically hide heritage or reveal heritage to children, in case all children are normal Sims. Can later reveal Spellcaster heritage as desired.

Sims raising Spellcaster children and not knowing about it because they were not told can have different reactions when they find out. Anger, fear, excitement.

Spellcasters or normie parents could send child Spellcasters to the boarding school to free them of their abilities if they're trying to hide it or simply can't stand the magic. (Inspired by a throwaway line in the Children of the Lamp series where djinn children were sometimes put through such rigorous education it basically killed their magic)

Child sized broom that's closer to a rocking horse because it can't be used for travel. It just goes in a circle and can do loop-de-loops and other small trick shots if the motor skill is high enough.

Candies like those ones from HP that make you sound like different animals.

Mermaids

Obviously, let them be mermaids.

For toddlers/infants make them stay in whatever form the birther had when going in labor. If starts giving birth while mermaid, toddler/infant is full mermaid and has to learn to take human form. If human, has to learn to take mermaid form.

If in mermaid form, there could be special items made for an underwater nursery for them. If a mod can't do it on its own, it would probably require cheats.

Like, think a large lilypad floating in the water for a newborn, giant shells for infants and toddlers.

Mostly just everything found here, The Expanded Mermaids from SpinningPlumbobs. I like it, it fits what I want but can't have because I can't use the computer. 😭

Just wanted to add my own two cents about younger than children.

Vampires

Full vampire children should age slow, just like their parents. Half vampire children can stay the same when it comes to aging.

A breastfeeding parent to a vampire baby should occasionally get bit and get moodlets about uncomfortable bleeding.

On that same note, while I hate Twilight, I think the pregnancy and vampire children thing would work well with the Sims. Weakness during pregnancy (Sims can't die while pregnant, but a general higher need for sleep, apathy, a dazed mood, puking, etc), craving for more raw meals, normie sims able to digest plasma without getting sick.

Child vampires can eat both regular food and plasma but start finding regular food unappealing.

Toddlers and infants can eat both as well, but tend towards regular food. But if they get a craving for plasma and they don't get it, they'll go bite anyone and everything, including family and pets.

If a child vampire has a high enough relationship with a normie child, the vampire can offer to turn the normie.

This turned vampire child does not age. Is stuck in the child state. Insatiable hunger, all the time.

Born child and under vampires don't die in the sun, but they'll get a nasty sunburn. Perhaps some rashes, like they're allergic to it. Turned children will die from sun exposure.

Turned children can only eat plasma.

Child sized coffins decorated with stickers, with colorful fabric and pretty wood designs. Open casket that's styled like a princess bed with a canopy.

Teething toys for infants that will occasionally burst and get them messy.

Plasma bags made to look like cute juice boxes.

A randomly chosen trait for how the vampire child comes across. Unsettling, enchanting, strange, etc.

Werewolves

Wolf form, wolf form, wolf form

Toddlers and infants can sleep in pet beds

Another situation where toddlers/infants/newborns are whatever the birther was at the time of birth. If in wolf form, they're born like a puppy. Switches uncontrollably human sometimes, but default is dog. Same for the reverse where the birther was in human form; human default, uncontrollable wolf.

Kids can dig holes with their hands in the backyard.

Can play with dog toys like dog.

Chase cats

Dogpile older Sims

Ability to chew on toys when not in wolf form

Excitement, playful, and embarrassment will turn children into their wolf forms

Can learn to control the wolf, but only that perk

Can "pack bond" with friends. Good things like raising skills, better moods, etc will be easier when packmates are around, but will feel distressed when they're not around for a while.

All of them could probably have the ability to "reveal or hide heritage" honestly.

[alice-in-strangetown]

Sims Tag

tagged by @nervosims

1. What’s your favourite sims death?

Hm... it might be the satellite in TS2. It’s really rare but not rare enough that it doesn’t happen. And it’s so sudden when it does happen!! I’m always a little bit afraid of letting my sims stargaze or cloudgaze because of it, especially if I’m really attached to them.

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match?

Definitely Maxis Match, but sometimes I like to lean a little bit Maxis Mix. Maxis Mix is kind of what people mean when they say “Maxis Match” for TS2 anyway and you have to call it “True Maxis Match” or something if you’re actually matching TS2′s style. I think the “True Maxis Match” style is really cute too if only because it’s really nostalgic. I kind of hate most of the Maxis hair but I’ve been trying to lean into more of a True Maxis look for clothing in TS2 lately.

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight?

No, I wouldn’t even think to do that! I do think the rate at which sims both gain and lose weight in TS4 is a bit ridiculous so I have a mod that slows them both down. In TS2 and TS3 I just let whatever happens with their weight happen but the “fat” body type in TS2 hardly looks different from the thin one anyway, which is a bit of a shame.

4. Do you use move objects?

Does anyone not?

5. Favorite mod?

I want to say Lazy Duchess’s Autonomous Proposal/Break Up mod because I really, really love that mod but it actually might have to be Midge the Tree’s edit of simler’s Romantic Standards because that’s really what makes all of the incredible romantic drama in my neighborhoods possible and I would miss it terribly if I ever had to play without it!

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got?

Hm... I guess it must have been Livin’ Large since that was the first one that came out. (Not to brag or anything but I’ve been playing The Sims since the year 2000~ 💅)

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing?

It’s pronounced like “living” and I will die on this hill! The three game modes are all verbs!! The one you build in, the one you buy in, and the one you live in!!! Making one of them randomly be an adjective throws the whole thing off grammatically!

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made?

The sims that I get attached to are usually born, not made. I really rarely actually make sims in CAS. Um... you’re not going to make me choose a favorite child, though, are you?

9. Have you made a simself?

Oh lots of times! I used to make sims of myself and my family all the time when I was younger. I think it would feel a little weird to actually play with my simself now (at least in my usual play style) but sometimes it’s fun to see if you can recreate yourself!

10. What sim traits do you give yourself?

Like Sims 3 traits? Maybe clumsy, friendly, frugal, good, and absent-minded? I would hate to actually play with that sim though because the absent-minded trait is SO annoying in gameplay! In Sims 4... maybe clumsy, gloomy, and outgoing?

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color?

I don’t think I have one. In TS2 they’re all fine and in TS4 a handful of them are really bad but the rest of them are fine. I don’t think there’s any that I particularly like.

12. Favorite EA hair?

I used to really like shortperm when I was younger and I still think it's cute. That’s what my hair looked like when I was in high school.

13. Favorite life stage?

I think teens in TS2 are really fun so it’s a bit of a shame that the lifespan I use cuts it a bit short. I’ve also quickly grown really fond of the new infant lifestage in TS4. They’re just too danged cute I can’t stand it!!!

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay?

I mean, I’m absolutely in it for the gameplay but I also have fun building!

15. Are you a CC creator?

Sometimes! Mods more often than cc but I rarely find time and energy to work on them so I haven’t made much.

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad?

Yeah, I’ve definitely got some friends here 💜

17. What’s your favorite game? (1, 2, 3, or 4)

It’s definitely Sims 2. I think all of the games have their strengths though (even Sims 4)

18. Do you have any sims merch?

Is it kind of a crime that I don’t? Maybe I should.

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims?

I do! This one is for edited Let’s Plays (so far just The Sims 2 for PSP. I haven’t uploaded there in a while but I have some recordings on my computer so I should be active again soon. We are going to finish this game!). And this one is for stream VODs. I stream The Sims 2 every Monday and Friday on Twitch and for the month of June, we’re fundraising for the Transgender Law Center so we’ve got some extra fun stuff going on~

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing?

I can’t really remember what my sims used to look like when I was younger but my play style has definitely changed a lot! When I was younger, I used to micro-manage my sims so much I might as well have turned off autonomy! I prefer to let my sims shape their own lives now and I actually hate having to make decisions for them.

21. What’s your Origin ID?

It’s batsandbabydolls! I have a few builds up for download there.

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator?

Um... obviously everyone at @the-crypt-o-club. No I’m not biased! 😉

23. How long have you had a simblr?

I guess I first made it in 2016 but I didn’t actually start using it until late 2019. I usually just shove everything on my main blog so it’s a miracle I have one at all.

24. How do you edit your pictures?

I use GIMP. The edits I do are usually pretty minor though because I use reShade when I take pictures I care about enough to edit.

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next?

I haven’t bought High School Years yet, but I might have to because teenagers in TS4 are boring as hell without them! I’m just really irritated that they released it separately from Growing Together since it feels like that pack fleshed out every life stage except teenagers and they definitely worked on both at the same time because they were released one right after the other and EPs take a long time. Everything from that pack other than the active high school feels like it could have been part of Growing Together if you ask me! (If you mean what pack do I want them to release next, none. Please let Sims 4 die already 😌)

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far?

Sims 1: Makin’ Magic Sims 2: Uh... Nightlife? (they’re all really good is the problem) Sims 3: Late Night? Generations? idk man not a single one of them is bad!! Sims 4: Might be Growing Together tbh. Or maybe Parenthood? Vampires and Paranormal are definitely up there too. They obviously don’t flesh your game out as broadly but I do really like them.

I’m tagging @blairmace, @baticeer-sims, @deathpoke1qa, and @livinginalandfill​

[fallgyrl04-blog]

Sims 4 Future Packs Discussion

Hey y'all, haven't been very active recently (busy with work and boredom) but I have accumulated many screenshots of my gameplay over the past few weeks so there will be a post dump once I have access to my pc!!!

In the mean time, since I rly wanted to post something I thought I'd open a discussion about future packs that could be rly interesting to see!

For me I think my number 1 wishlist pack is a bands gamepack. It would include more instruments like saxaphone, drums, electric guitar/base, clarinet, flute, other string instruments like the violin (blanking on names rn lolll), etc. I would also love for it to have the ability to start your own band with other sims with a cross pack compatibility with Get Famous to gain fame from performing, be a fan girl/boy or have fan girls/boys (maybe some that go too far...), be able to be a part of band club if your sim is in elementary or highschool, performing in concerts/ going to concerts, being able to write and release music (not attached to the music making machine thing from Get Famous), new careers that have to do with the music industry (i.e. working at a record label or being a bands agent), and band drama (i.e. someone wants to leave the band).

I think children should also be able to learn most of the new instruments and have children based bands. There could also be set famous bands that come with the pack that you can be a fan of and listen to their music or even watch music videos on tv or the computer!

I feel like they could do so much with a band pack even as a game pack (I don't think it would work out as an expansion pack and would be half assed done like the horse pack).

I would also love to see a hotel/resort pack with a waterslide/roller coaster park, an infant stuff pack (similar to the toddler stuff pack), a hobbies game pack with pottery and more actual sports (not just kicking a soccer ball around but with actual teams/groups of ppl you can play a game with), a pack that surrounds elders (not sure what could be included but I feel like elders are rly forgotten), and a funeral pack (apparently a death pack has been teased but honestly all I want is a funeral event and graveyards where your sim cn visit dead loved ones. I also rly don't want it to be an expansion pack, a game pack would suffice (like My Wedding Stories)).

Anyway, Ik I rambled a bit (I could've gone into more detail about my idea for a hobby pack but I decided explaining the band pack (since it's my #1) was enough) but let me know what you think and what packs you want to see in the future!

[dazd-dreamr]

my queue runs out on wednesday and I don’t think i’m going to continue with the weiss legacy. I haven’t opened that save in like a week or so and I feel completely disconnected every time I do and go to a different save within a few minutes. there’s obviously a pattern in my gameplay and how, once a baby is a toddler/infant, all my interest is lost and quickly. i think it stems from a lack of gameplay options on the game’s part but also a lack of creativity on my part. i always play the same type of gameplay over and over; start with a single sim, have them fall in love, have babies, get bored. i want this to change. over the next few days i’m going to be trying to work on a sim that sparks joy and inspiration in me, that fuels a gameplay idea that i’m genuinely excited to play. i know this might not be interesting to many people but i want to voice my concerns with the game and my lack of enjoyment when playing so others who feel the same don’t feel isolated.

i’m also playing around with the idea of doing a sim dump of any sims i make that i choose not to use idk though, let me know if anyone would be interested in that. anyways, enough talking, sorry i’m cancelling yet another gameplay on this blog. hopefully i can find a groove.

[storm-driver]

Oh boy, you wanna know? It’s gonna be a lengthy one, but I’ll do my best to make it entertaining, heh

Under the cut because L O N G P O S T

So first things first, it’s best if you know how old I am. As of March 2019, I am 17-years old, and I’ll be 18 by the end of Summer. Kingdom Hearts 1 came out just 7 months after I was born, so I wasn’t into it from the very beginning. 

Right around 2009, I found myself getting a PS2 from one of our neighbors because they were buying a PS3. And among the games they gave us with the PS2, Kingdom Hearts 1 was in that batch. My sister played through and completed the whole game, but little 8-year old me couldn’t get past the Chameleon boss in Deep Jungle. So I put the game down for a year or so, never thinking about it since. I went back to finish the game, got stuck on the legendary ‘THERE’S NO WAY YOU’RE TAKING KAIRI’S HEART’ boss fight, and I eventually beat the game! Go me!

I got a Nintendo DS and my sister bought me Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days for the DS because she realized I actually liked Kingdom Hearts. However, I hadn’t played KH2, nor did I retain too much of the information from KH1. My sister got KH2 for the PS2 a few months prior and assumed that the other save file was mine. Turns out she just accidentally saved twice >.<

So I played through 358 until I got stuck on one of the ridiculous bosses, I think it was Leechgrave? And I didn’t retain any of the plot, so I kinda just forgot it. Then... I actually played KH2. 

And I had SO much fun! I played on Beginner because I was 9-10-years old and I needed to if I ever wanted the hope of beating it. And around that time, Re:coded came out. So once I beat KH2, my sister bought me Re:coded and I played that... before getting stuck on a boss again. I can’t remember which one though, heh. 

I eventually went back to beat 358, did so, cried a lot because Roxas was immediately established as my favourite, and by then I was maybe 11-years old. Dream Drop Distance for the 3DS came out and I had become invested in the games at that point. So I was about to start watching the cutscenes for 3D... when I realized I was missing something... 

I never played Birth by Sleep.

I had seen a few of the cut scenes out of BBS by that point, but I didn’t actually know who the characters were. Surprisingly enough, when I saw Ventus for the first time, I didn’t associate him with Roxas at all. I don’t think I even processed that they looked the same. To me, it was just Ventus. Maybe that’s why I can see their nuances so well, I don’t know. Anyways, I went and watched all the cutscenes for Birth by Sleep, lost my fucking mind because OH THAT’S WHY ROXAS- OHHHHH and then I went to watch 3D. 

And lemme just say, by that point, it was all over. This game was now apart of my life. You could tell ‘cause suddenly all the references to Ventus in all of the games clicked for me and I WAS LOSING IT so much. I love that kinda stuff, I dunno why, but I doooo. 

And then the year after... 2013.... y’all know what happened. KH3 was FINALLY announced to be in REAL development, even if it was development Hell. I remember watching the livestream for the first ever KH3 trailer as it was happening and I was crying. Lil’ 12-year old Storm Driver sitting at their father’s cracked and broken laptop, crying over one minute of pre-rendered game footage. It was real. I was going to play KH3. 

So then the next few years were me establishing my love for the series. Right around when I turned 12 was when I’d actually been introduced to social media. I’d played games like Toontown and stuff on the computer, but I’d never used Instagram or anything before... I actually pride myself over still having my first ever IG account. I think I made it after the first KH3 trailer came out. Interesting. 

I managed to get one of my at-the-time close friends into the game, and they let me borrow their 3DS so I could play Dream Drop myself! But we had a falling out the next year and we didn’t talk or communicate that whole time. Fun little anecdote, the name “Storm Driver.” I chose that name after I’d played 3D because it was the name of the track for one of my favourite songs. Except... the name was mistranslated. It’s supposed to be “Storm Diver.” But in pure spite, I kept it as it is today. 

And that was how that friend of mine contacted me again, years later! They found my Tumblr and realized I was the same Storm Driver from the years prior and we reconciled and made up over what had happened. We still don’t talk much, just having each other added on Snapchat. But I’m happy that they reached out to me. 

Years passed and my love for KH didn’t die, but it did settle a bit. It spiked again in 2015, when the gameplay trailers were finally being released. But nothing really dragged me back towards it. Until 2017. The orchestra tour...

OH FUCK MAN, I WENT WILD. I fucking lost it. I did not calm down, for three or four whole months, this exact Tumblr blog was busting out frickin’ KH posts and all the like. And it has not stopped at all. ‘Cause soon after that, 0.2 was confirmed and released and I was losing my god damn mind over it all. I was so hyped for KH3, words cannot properly describe. During those months, I came to meet some mutuals on Tumblr that I now consider very close friends. Even if we’ve never met, I still feel a lot of joy just seeing their names and icons pop up in my notifications feed.

I started playing KHUX after the orchestra tour trailer came out. I used to pride myself over having (at the time) ridiculously strong medals that pushed me forward through a lot of the Proud Mode content without spending a single dime on the game. But of course, those medals are outdated now. My KHUX character is probably just average at this point. But that’s okay. I don’t really play it anymore, heh.

And in the months leading up to KH3, I just did my best to stay relatively calm. I joined a few Discord servers for KH, but I found myself feeling out of place. I started getting interested in other things, and with no one to talk to over those things, i started to talk in the KH servers. I was asked not to and it eventually led to me go and create my own server. It was initially a Voltron server, but as VLD has ended, I changed it to be a community server, where people who just wanna talk can talk. It’s a “private” server at the moment, because I don’t want to overwhelm myself and my two friends who moderate it. I’ve opened it a few times, to help get some more people in who just wanna hang out. 

My experience with Kingdom Hearts took a weird turn when KH3 was around the corner though. Someone kept making one-day accounts on Tumblr and DMing me the leaks of the game, including the ending. Lucky me, I hadn’t seen a whole lot of the plot-related stuff. But my impulse control is weak and I’d click the links just from the sight of them. So I knew what would happen to Sora at the end of the game before I’d even seen the final boss. I didn’t know how Roxas ended up there in the ending and I was REALLY happy to see him and Ventus and Xion standing together in frame. So I guess it kinda hyped me up to see how the game handled him and his return.

At the end of it, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed KH and I will continue to, I’m sure. I’ve also played TWEWY for the DS, so I’m sure that the tie-ins it’ll have with the future of Kingdom Hearts are going to be amazing. This game latched onto me when I was an infant, and it’s been nine long and incredibly fun years so far. I’m happy that we’re not done yet ^^

[lord-rosenth0rne]

Pokemon Sword Review

Sorry, this took a little bit but there were some announcements that kind of changed my opinions toward the game in general and kind of opened my eyes to a couple of things. I’ll put everything under the cut so no spoilers for those who haven’t played it yet.

All in all, I adored the game despite the issues with it. The characters are great and well written. I did have an issue with the story, mainly Rose’s story for the fact it seemed a little out of place for him to do such a thing. However, once I thought more about it, I realized that I do know people who would make mountains out of molehills so it’s not all that Farfetch'd.

I do love watching Youtubers who play through just fall all over Sonia the moment she shows up. It’s absolutely adorable. Nessa and Bea weren’t far behind for them. My favorites were Kabu and Piers, Fire and Dark. I did like Raihan and Leon and still think Leon looks like a toddler who dressed himself for the first day of school. HOWEVER, in the battle tower, just- I want that outfit...

I did have a bit of an issue with Hop stopping me every time I took two steps and him commenting the same thing each time in battle (like the type advantage thing. Dude, I know. You’ve been saying that since the first battle. I KNOW about type advantages.) Past that, I find Hop charming and wanted to shove Bede into a locker for what he said to the boy halfway through the game. Speaking of Bede, I did like his development during the game. I just wish all that didn’t get washed away in the endgame when he insisted on you battling him when you had more pressing matters to deal with.  Bede was a pretty effective rival, one that gave me Silver vibes if Silver was adamant about being crammed up Giovanni’s butt (his father, for those who don’t know) like Bede was with Rose. Hey, at least Bede got his for making Hop feel bad. Marnie is now my baby and anyone who tries to hurt her will answer to me and Sword Doggo (who I named Skol. I will name the other one Hati when I get it.).

The handholding wasn’t all that bad in this game, not like how it was in Sun and Moon, but it could have been better. I felt like when you answered that you knew how something worked, they went ahead and told you anyway. It’s like your answer didn’t matter at all. I really wish they would bring back how Pokemon games used to be. There was the introduction and all, but once that was over, you were let loose and had to explore a bit. Sure, all Pokemon games are linear but when you’re being treated like an infant out of the gate and it’s constantly being beaten into your head that you’re ‘just a kid’, it loses its momentum for me. It takes me out of the story.

The story itself felt a bit touch and go in a couple of places as well. Like, we’d go a little without hearing anything before getting a slap in the face with a lot of information about the lore which seems will expand in the DLC. Won’t surprise me if a lot of things get either explained better or explored when they release. 

Speaking of the endgame, I wasn’t a fan. Don’t get me wrong, I ADORED seeing more of Piers and his personality and fighting alongside Kabu (they’re my faves from this region so far, though Kabu gets points from being from my all-time fav region), but the twins annoyed the living shit out of me. They reminded me of the twins from Super Jail if one got his head stuck in a vacuum cleaner and the other stood too long in front of an industrial-sized fan. They were excruciatingly annoying and really didn’t get what they deserved for nearly destroying the region. I hope that will change in the DLC or SOMETHING will be mentioned about it.

Okay. The DLC is something I wanted to talk about too. Before I had gotten my hands on the game and found out Absol wasn’t in either, I had a hunch that this generation was going to be treated differently than past generations, mainly for the fact that they cut down the Poke dex to 400. In hindsight, it was kind of obvious. The Switch is a new frontier for many games and it seems much more powerful than previous handhelds. Because the Switch is going to be sticking around much longer than the DS line, some developers are going to try to stretch the longevity of their games with DLCs. It might be extra money, but I see it as being better than buying a different rendition, such as how Sun and Moon had Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon that didn’t offer much more content for the money shelled out for it. Game Freak has had things planned out for years now and, though they’ve been under fire for a couple of things recently, I feel they know what they want and what they are doing. 

Of course, The Isle of Armor and The Crown Tundra have already been announced for June and November (like I said, game longevity) but I have seen rumors floating about for two more DLCs that, if not abandoned, should be announced later on and would possibly be released around the same times next year, after the remakes of Diamond and Pearl. And I am getting ALL OF IT. I’ll probably even reach out to anyone who didn’t want to get the expansions and send them the reintroduced pokemon or send them out in surprise trades. I know a lot of people don’t like this new system but I’m excited about it. I haven’t been excited about new games/DLCs in ages, actually. Not since the Hoenn remakes.

As for graphics, I don’t have much of an opinion. As long as it doesn’t affect my gameplay, I’m usually not bothered by it. With that said, this doesn’t make any complaints about the graphics by anyone else any less valid. 

One thing that has me pissed off is the Y-Comm. There is so much that should be done to it. The fact I can’t hide Link Code Trades or filter them out has me irritated to the point I have to take a step back and remind myself that the individual using LC is not the one at fault here. It’s Game Freak. I even use the LCs for trades with my friends but they take forever to load and connect. I have a very hard time connecting to Raid Battles when they aren’t linked and run into so many errors that I want to scream. I have to disconnect and reconnect constantly just to get it to show new Raid Battles and hope by the time I get to them, they’re still valid. Those RB cards don’t disappear soon enough. 

I really wish they would bring back the system they had for X and Y. I was in love with it and felt it was very well planned out with all considered. The Y-Comm is just one massive disappointment.

I think that’s it. I’m replaying it under a different user on my Red Rose (decaled) Switch Lite so I might notice more this time around. I already got a Shiny Wooloo within 30 minutes of starting my new journey so here’s hoping it’s a good one! I’m going to try to get to sleep but if you wanna talk about it, just either send me a message on here or DM me. I’d love to know what you guys thought of it.