#but like wasn't the joker war thing their last interaction

[clownprince]

I've connected the two dots. I've connected them

[mekorausada]

Blooming Panic: Full Bloom Edition Game Review

Spoilers Ahead

May I present to you Mystic Messenger's less overwhelming counterpart.

Blooming panic was something I played a few months ago while searching for something new and refreshing to play and it really did the trick Blooming panic has

Amazing art

Beautiful Voice Acting

Great Story

Interesting and Lovable characters (Both the romancable and the non-romancable ones)

Realistic Dialogue that I would see in an actual server (And fandom) from actual people.

Blooming Panic (Or Bloomic) has sort of the same hook as MM, you are a fan of a webcomic called Blooming Panic and one day you mysteriously recieve an invite to a server for fans of the webcomic.

Bloomic doesn't really focus on how you got the invite, why links to the server keep getting deleted and such until NakedToaser's route and its really a breath of fresh air from lore-heavy, confusing stories. Bloomic doesn't shine in its great stories in my opinion, it shines in its characters and their interactions with one another. When you play, it truly feels like you're in a fan server. The way they fangirl/fanboy over fanarts, Ship wars, some of the members being more devoted to Bloomic and others. Plus the way they respond is realistic.

So I've talked too long about the dialogue and not the characters, it is an otome game after all. There are a total of 11 characters who appear and 9 are active characters who appear and interact with you in every route and 4 are romancable. Each of the characters have very diverse personalities and play different roles in each route, I'm not gonna go over them all but I am going to be going over the lis and their routes.

The first is a menace to society, a lurker in the shadows ready to pounce you with a funny quip.. this is no other than our resident troll.. xyx. Holy shit did xyx remind me of so many people I know, hes got the same attitude, everyone treats him and his jokes the same way and he has the same dilemma. xyx was the first route I did and honestly, it was a bit over the place, I think his main conflict is his cat and his injury? but he had alot of stuff. Buut, very enjoyable. The voice actor(Mike Young) is absolutely wow (kudos to him for doing the tongue twisters lol). Overall 8/10 maybe?

Our next guy is a little jealous, a college student, has a bit of a habit of staying up, blonde, 5'7 and a cutie <3

Ah.. wait a minute.

There he is.. may I present to you, Night Owl. Nightowl is a bit overwhelming ngl. Honestly he scared me quite a bit, he is very loveable but he can get really expressive and it can become suffocating to stay, especially in the videocall where he gets drunk before his exam. Still, his story was very interesting and had me glued more than xyx's did. btw still waiting for that onion videocall, please onion route robobarbie

The next guy is buff and tired dad of the server, no other than Quest. Ngl Quest isn't really my type so I wasn't really excited to play his route but it was very sweet. One thing I have to say though, fuck societyboy, all my homies hate societyboy. Fr saw the joker movie and decided the joker was his idol smh. I ended up swooning over Quest though, hes the perfect mix of promising he'll bring you home by 9 and your daughter calls me daddy. very nice...

Last boy is Nakedtoaster, don't let his name fool you.. he is.. very serious. This is the last route you'll play and it will finally address the suspicious part about all of this. This is way more serious than the others routes than a we can get over this together! type of thing.. well it sort of still is like that. The reveal of who the author of Bloomic is also here lol, much more lore focused than the other ones, I was sort of tired doing his route and I just used the max speed option alot. Nakedtoaster's good ending is VERY satisfying though, seeing everyone come back and all. It felt so relieving.

So conclusion, definitely recommend Blooming Panic, its on itch.io so go download it and swoon.

10/10 voice acting, 8/10 story, 10/10 art, 9/10 characters and 9/10 script.

[thedungeondoctor]

Creating Your Villain

Every story needs a villain, even if that character doesn't know they're the villain. In TTRPGs it's nice to have a clear adversary, someone to battle with on different levels, or maybe a secret identity that you work to reveal. Some villains are just the toughest challenge around, but other villains make a lasting impression on us. Everyone knows The Joker or Darth Vader. These are characters with a presence and story that are memorable. Not every villain needs to be blockbuster worthy, but they should always be more than the toughest fight at the end of a quest.

Let's take a look at what makes a quality villain and how you can create yours. First, we should ask ourselves what villain left a lasting impression on us and why. I like Spiderman villains, because most of them were good at one point. Something drove them over the edge AND gave them the power to take their rage out on society. Maybe you want a pure evil like Sauron. There is something about a character with no glimmer of good that rouses us to action. Maybe we prefer a more complicated villain that sees themselves as the hero, and some may agree with, such as Magneto. It can be helpful to choose a known villain to partially emulate.

Agenda

Personally, I always start with my villain's agenda. What the villain wants and why they want it shapes your game and may be the most memorable aspect of the villain. This will dictate what problems they will cause, what your players goal will become, and how your characters view the villain. Money and power is always on the table. They are super cliche, but often accurate to real life. What makes the Joker so exciting as a villain is that he doesn't want either of these things, therefore he's unpredictable. Something I think that always makes a villain interesting is when they have an agenda that's very personal, yet destructive. There was a Star Trek episode where Riker encountered a man that had a time ship that could rewrite the timeline of space in their area. The captain of this ship could erase whole civilizations off the map by shifting the timeline. He did this for decades just so he could find a timeline where his wife didn't die in their war. That's a compelling Villain.

My suggestion to anyone is come up with a very personal agenda for your villain. Make their goal something that interrupts everyday life and requires throwing out notions of morality. A villain like this is not only compelling, but dangerous! A singularly obsessed villain that has abandoned morals is the most dangerous. As long as you keep giving your villains their own agendas they will never be boring.

Personality

Whether your characters get to interact with your villain directly or not, you should have a firm grip on their personality. Their personality is big part of how they carry out their plans and how they justify them. You can give your characters glimpses of their personality through NPC who have been unfortunate enough to have come face to face with them. I love to arrange the occasional meeting between players and my big bad. Give them a taste of who they are after. Sometimes the villain's personality can be the shocking and terrifying quality. Let's compare Thanos and The Joker. Thanos had an agenda that put a chill down your spine, but his personality wasn't especially compelling. On the other hand, The Joker had virtually no structured goals, but it's his personality that shakes people to their core. Which will your villain be?

Here are some practical tips to creating your villain's personality.

1. Try to picture your villain in action and take note of how you portray them in your mind. What does their voice sound like, what mannerisms do they use, do they do anything unique. You can get a start from envisioning your idea. Jot down what comes to mind and then move to more structured creation.

2. Start with the basics: Is your villain happy or depressed? Manic or somber? Serious or detached? Coherent or a mess? These basic questions are at the foundation of their personality. Depressed on somber can signal that they are hurting and troubled by their backstory and their agenda. Happy and manic says they are detached from reality and unreasonable.

3. Is your character intelligent or dull? Do they need intelligence for their agenda? Or is their agenda due to them being ignorant and hateful? Do they speak eloquently or do they grunt out answers? Can they even explain why they're doing what their doing? Intelligence can alter personality greatly, so figure where your villain stands.

4. Does your character care about anything? If so, what are those things? Does their agenda revolve around one thing they care about? Are their actions or motives restricted at all by emotions? Even the most twisted villains have a soft spot somewhere, may a romance or their hometown. Decide if your villain cares about anything and how if affects their personality.

5. Now work on their appearance! Obviously, we all express ourselves through our clothing and villains are no different. Use your imagination, look through some art online, or use a character creator like Hero Forge. Hero Forge is my go-to way to bring a character to life.

6. Finally, ponder unique personality traits, ticks, habits, gestures, sayings, and all the little things that players see. If you do some searches, I'm sure you can find writer's resources that give lists or tables for these types of features.

Background

A creative background is always important to any character, but it's one that you players likely won't have access to right away. For this reason, I make a detailed background my last priority. You may work it out after playing a couple sessions. That's okay. There are just two basic ideas that you need from this category to bring your villain together. The first is to have a reason for your character's agenda. This doesn't need to be fully fleshed out, but it will help you understand your villain much better. The second is a vague reason for their personality. For instance, if you said you wanted a serious and somber personality then what triggers this somberness? Is it a loss, a tragedy, their own sin, a dark philosophy? Get a category in your head and you can fill out the details later.

When writing your villain's backstory, remember that hurt people hurt people. Anakin didn't become a villain because he just decided to be evil, his natural anger was pushed over the edge because he believed his love died. He "lost it." Harvey Dent (Two Face) was a good man! He was hurt over and over by a system and characters who he felt powerless to change, so he changed. Unless you're dealing with a supernatural evil, most villains don't start that way. There are a million different tragedies that can happen. Pick one that fuels your villain's agenda.

With these three categories you can make a quality villain. Sure, there are many other factors you could consider, but these are the ones everyone will see and are the most crucial to your character. Approach villain creation through these three and you'll always have something substantial to work with.

As usual, you can contact me if you have any further questions. If you'd like to see me write a post on a specific topic. I am a GM supplement writer for hire. I will talk to you about what you're trying to create and put your ideas into a design to improve your campaign.

You can find me on Twitter @flayer85

Facebook: Dungeon Doctor | Facebook

My main blog: https://dungeondoctor.blogspot.com/

[vole-mon-amour]

OTP tag game.

Tagged by @captainjowl. You know for sure than I'm struggling to pick only 10 & fit them in here. But hell, that’s fun, thank you <3

Rules: Choose 10 OTPs BEFORE reading the questions, and then get to answering

1) Harry James Potter & Sirius Orion Black

2) Daniel Le Domas & Grace (Ready or Not 2019)

3) Samuel & Nathan Drake (Uncharted 4)

4) Corvo Attano & The Outsider (+probably Emily Kaldwin; Dishonored series)

5) Steve Grant Rogers & Bucky Buchanan Barnes (Marvel)

6) Tony Edward Stark & Peter Benjamin Parker (Marvel)

7) Handsome Jack & Rhys (Borderlands video game series)

8) Damon Salvatore & Elena Gilbert (TVD Books & a tv show)

9) Batman & Joker (in every universe, really)

10) Adam Jensen x Francis Pritchard (Deus Ex video game series)

1. Do you remember the episode/scene/chapter that you first started shipping 6?

I believe it didn't hit me before Spider-Man: Homecoming. Civil War was about Steve & Bucky for me, but when I saw that growing up Peter with Tony, their dynamic, chemistry. Tom & Robert are really just like that.

2. Have you ever read a fanfic about 2?

Lmao. I've read like 50% of the tag on AO3, I wrote my own & started a few wips on them. They are amazing. Plus, with that shitty canon? We didn't get enough of them & they deserved better, so it's only logical to save yourself with fanfiction.

3. Has a picture of 4 ever been your screen saver/profile picture/tumblr screen saver?

I was living with The Outsider icon on my twitter & tumblr. That one is still my Google profile picture I believe. Don't remember about having an icon with the two of them. Also had The Outsider as my lockscreen on my smartphone for a while.

4. If 7 were to suddenly break up today, what would your reaction be?

Funny how it fits canon, lmao. Rhys literally tried to erase Jack's AI in TFTBL, so I guess another day on Pandora, nothing new. They torture each other, they kiss each other, they kill other people in the process. It'll be fiiine.

5. Why is 1 so important?

I love them since the first time I met them, which was much more than 10 years ago, I don't even remember when. At some point they were the reason I was waking up & forcing myself to eat just to read more fanfiction & feel something. Even if I was drowning in pain (I was extremely depressed), it was still something. I read every fic I could find at that time. The depression that Harry went through, all these feelings, his love for Sirius. I was living through it, I could relate.

I'm currently drowning in these two again, though in a much healthier & happier state. I see their flaws & I know as much as I can. I see them differently as an adult. They saved me, they keep being my number one, I still consider making a tattoo of Padfoot/Sirius or of both Harry & Sirius together. I have many headcanons, ideas, I write fics about them. They are everything, you see? They were my choice when there was nothing, no one. They are HOME.

6. Is 9 a funny ship or a serious ship?

Both. There goes the dynamic of Jack & Rhys: torture, fighting, flirting, a lot of trauma. I'd definitely say that they are wild and comical sometimes, but they are definitely serious. With the Asylum, the mental health issues. There is so much more to it, the complexity of their relationship. The struggle of loving who you probably shouldn't (but hey, when does it work like that?) Thinking about Tettlate's Batman, about Batman: Europa & how Joker was: "You must be crazy, putting me in charge of the plan, letting me decide. Okay, well..."

Nah, they are entertaining, but this is a serious ship.

7. Out of all the ships listed, which ship has the most chemistry?

Are you kidding me? They are all the definition of CHEMISTRY. I'd say 5, but then go 2, 6, 7, 8. Come on. I'm not choosing. Most of they are WILD.

9. How many times have you read/watched the 10’s fandom?

The fandom itself? Idk. I found one of my favourite artists through this fandom. If it's about the characters themselves, I played the first game with the DLC from start to beginning, looking around every corner. Spent more than 60 hours in there. Watched a second game (my laptop can't run the game) and the DLC (obviously), since Francis is in the DLC & not in the main game. I have a tag for them on tumblr, I read fanfiction, I tried to write my own. I still follow Elias & want a third game. Elias liked my tweets about Adam and Jensen being an actual couple a few times. I'd say I interacted with all of this a lot? Still do, actually.

10. Which ship has lasted the longest?

5. Best friends since childhood, fought & died for each other, still found their way back to each other. "It would break your Captain's heart, to see what they did to you." That only the MENTION of Steve can pull Bucky out of this brain washing(ed?) state, distract him in the middle of a fight. When Steve died in the comics because of Sharon & Tony sent Natasha to take Steve's shield from Bucky because even Tony knew how much Steve means to Bucky. And Bucky was like: "Oh, I see what he did. Not happening!" Fought Natasha (that is his ex in the comics) & kept going for Steve's sake.

Well, you see the point, I can go on and on.

11. How many times, if ever, has 6 broken up?

They're not actually canon so none? They had a few fights: In Civil war (the comics), in Homecoming (the movie).  That only means that they’ve got history & love each other.

12. If the world was suddenly thrust into a zombie apocalypse, which ship would make it out alive, 2 or 8?

As fierce Grace is, they wouldn't stand a chance against Damon & Elena. Those two had to deal with worst thing than brainless stupid zombies. On the other hand, if there were no alive humans to drink their blood... It's either an animal diet that Damon hates so much or I don't know? Still, they're faster & more powerful. Their bodies have advantage of healing the wounds as well.

13. Did 7 ever have to hide their relationship for any reason?

From some people, yeah. Don't tell Athena, don't tell Vaughn, don't tell Fiona. Though Rhys wasn't very subtle about it & Jack just doesn't give a fuck. You will probably end up dead if you disagree or bore him, or if you're useless.

"I can take you to the top, but you gotta know where the top is" & Rhys doesn't tell anybody until Jack makes him the President for like whole 20 minutes lol.

Fiona & Sasha: "This can't be happening." Sure it can, darling.

14. Is 4 still together?

I have a headcanon about The Outsider finding Emily & Corvo after Billie frees him from the Void. He doesn't have anybody & they are his only friends aside from a potential friendship with Billie. And if we don't consider TOTO dlc, they definitely are! The Outsider visits them both when they sleep & takes them to the void sometimes. How could he not?

15. Is 10 canon?

Not really but also sort of? Let's say that they really care about each other in canon, despite Adam pushing Francis away because of his trauma & fear that Megan caused him. :/

16. If all 10 ships were put into a couple’s Hunger Games, which couple would win?

Can you imagine wizards fighting extremely powerful vampires? Superheroes with venom in their bodies that make them super strong with people that made a deal with the Devil himself (hi Le Bail)? 5000 y.o. God and his lover that share his powers and an augmented human protecting his tired IT guy? Combine mental health issues to that, Jack and Rhys with Batman and Joker. Corvo & The Outsider would probably slay them all as Corvo and Emily did in both games with entire islands, though it will still be a slaughter anyway.

17. Has anybody ever tried to sabotage 5’s ship?

All the fucking time, lmaooo. I’m not even talking about it.

18. Which ship would you defend to the death and beyond?

I feel like I already did with Steve & Bucky after many Marvel movies (we're not even mentioning Endg*me, I fucking died & was dead for full 4-5 months).

19. Do you spend hours a day going through 3’s tumblr page?

I used to do that a few years back, but not anymore. There is not much content since the trilogy is finished.

20. If an evil witch descended from the sky and told you that you had to pick one of the ten ships to break up forever or else she’d break them all forever, which ship would you sink?

1 already went through it & fandom lives, so I'd say maybe 7? Rhys will find a way to bring Jack back & they are both so wild. It’s what happened in canon anyway. Jack kidnapped Lilith & forced her to do Angel's job, so I'd like to see that witch try at first. Jack is an immortal bastard. <3

Now that I think about it, Corvo would also deal with her in seconds as she waits to curse them.

As a conclusion: no one breaks up forever, we're killing the witch.

I tag: @ianmillkovichgallagher​ & @aledbr​

Whoever else wants to join the game, please do.