#first one is from my last sims playthrough

[sysig]

Undertale good game

[megamagimugi]

now here’s where we ✨uno reverse✨and you get a question and some praise.

What got you into the Mario fandom? And also!! Your bio says your a fan of TMNT, but which version do you like the most? The 2003 and 2012 version are pretty nostalgic to me, but I loved the 2012 one the most, their designs are personally my most favorite! ROTTMNT I know is a really good one; I started binging it last summer but never got around to finishing it :(

Now praise! I know I’ve said this in your ask for me, but I just REALLY love your art. Your redraws are on another level, you effortlessly nail the M&L style— seriously, why is it so hard for me?? I’m too perfectionist when it comes to them. 😂 I knew once I saw your drawings of Zahra’s amazing Anything for Him story that I’d be hooked. And your attention to detail is just 🤌🏾🤌🏾🤌🏾 like that water from your beach redraw I’m still not over.

And you’re always so supportive of my art, and it means more than words 🥹 especially with the anticipation of my upcoming animation, my motivation fluctuates. I want to pick up my Apple Pencil and just do it, but it’s like something holds me back. Honestly just talking about my art with people is a good source of drive for me, and you’re definitely one of the best sources of motivation ♥️ thank you for being so kind, and thank you for being you! You’re so loved 🫂

Okay, storytime it is! (This is most definitely going to be my longest answer to date; hope you don't mind).

Let me give you some background first. Unlike most people I didn't get into gaming as a little kid. My household was basically video game-free - my father wasn't into gaming, neither was my older sister and my mother was even somewhat against video games. Under these circumstances the first video game I ever played was the Sims, as my sister had a short-lived phase when she liked it. I found it incredibly boring. Sometimes I'd watch my cousins or friends play other games when I visited, but they'd never let me play xD Still, that made me realize that I enjoyed (=wanted to try) racing and action/adventure games.

At one point, when I was a little older, my still humble gaming experience led me to finally playing my first Mario game: Mario Kart. I look back at that experience fondly as I also won against my friend at the time on my first try. He wasn't particularly great at gaming either but hey, a win is a win.

Anyway, I got curious about these characters and started searching for more info, and for more games to try out. I finally got to the Super Mario Bros. series, discovering my love of 2D platformers along the way. There's a retro gaming museum in my area where you can play on old computers and systems so you bet I spent some time there playing the oldest of Mario games, which was a big step in me getting into this genre as a whole and this series in particular.

I also tend to gravitate towards brothers in media and well, Mario and Luigi are obviously brothers so I guess I got curious about their relationship and how it plays into the lore of the games. Which brought me to the Mario & Luigi RPGs, which I loved. I guess you could say I got Hooked On The Brothers™ But honestly, the carefree and fun atmosphere as well as the sort of wacky fairy tale setting were very appealing to me too.

I started slowly but surely collecting whatever Nintendo game consoles and games I could find and afford, and watching playthroughs of those I couldn't. I even played a couple fan games, such as (Mario) The Music Box - despite it being so very different from the source material LOL

And of course, the 2023 movie got me to appreciate the franchise even more and be more active in the fandom, reading more fanfics etc. Which eventually brought me here. I started reading Luigi's Escape Plan by jelly-fish-wishes and some other comics on Tumblr and the site tried to force me to register so often that I eventually gave in, annoyed. I definitely don't regret that decision though!

And look at me now, creating my own content - well, only fanart really - for this lovely fandom. And interacting more and more with other fans.

Now for the Turtles. I've been a fan since I was like 11 and first started watching the 2003 series (only the first 3 seasons were available in my country at the time, but a few years later I found the rest on YouTube). I've watched all versions other than the 1987 series and Michael Bay movies, and read some of the comics (I really love the original Mirage comics!), yet that first series still remains my favorite. My favorite animated show of all time even. You could chalk it up to nostalgia, but it's definitely more than that as nostalgia is rarely a big factor for me when it comes to genuinely enjoying things. I just really like this version of all of the major characters the most, as well as the humor, the dialogue and the action scenes (those fight choreographies were amazing tbh), and the plot overall. As well as the art style in the first 5 seasons. Sure, the show wasn't perfect due to the frequent animation mistakes and the painfully bad Japanese (the fake kanji were bad enough but the horrible pronunciation, man... the pronunciation...), but everything else more than makes up for it.

In case you're curious, overall I did enjoy the 2012 series too. Really, I enjoyed most of the Turtle media. Tbh I have a bit of a weird love-hate relationship with RotTMNT though.

And last but not least, thank you so much for your kind words! It's so interesting that some people here praise my style while it was something my old professor criticized as too generic in my digital art and animation when I was applying to college. And people like you saying I pay a lot of attention to detail when my art teachers and professors criticized me for going too abstract in my paintings and not precise enough in my drawings. It's been healing some of these old art related insecurities stashed away somewhere in my brain, ngl.

I totally get your struggle with perfectionism. It's my old frenemy that to this day rears its ugly head more often than I care to admit, especially when it comes to art. It's important to relax and do your thing anyway. I'm sure you'll make some sick animations and I'll be here cheering you on along the way. You got this, girl!

And I appreciate what you said about me at the end. If there's anyone in this world who makes me feel loved and like I'm actually worth something, it's you and other amazing people in this community. Thank you so much :))

[emilieplayssims]

Packsploration Legacy Challenge

by @emilieplayssims 

(Originally created on April 13, 2022)

(Last Updated: October 19, 2023)

GOOGLE DOC WITH UP TO DATE RULES HERE

DISCLAIMER: As of the last update the challenge has only been playtested up to Gen 4 as I’m still working my way through it; as such, the later generations might be unbalanced. If you notice that some requirements are too easy or too hard to achieve, please let me know!

If you’re like me, you tend to collect Sims packs, and sure, you use the CAS and Build items but you go on playing the game like you’re used to, barely even looking at the new gameplay the packs just unlocked.

In this challenge, each of the 16 generations explores 1-3 packs so you can get familiar with gameplay aspects you might have never used.

I know the Not So Berry challenge was built similarly, but a lot of packs came out since its creation, and the packs are spread out across the generations instead of each generation exploring one pack. 

This challenge uses all expansion packs; all game packs except for StrangerVille, Journey to Batuu, and My Wedding Stories; and the Paranormal and Nifty Knitting Stuff Packs.

My reasoning for this is that StrangerVille and Batuu both have their own storyline to playthrough and so the gameplay exploration is built in, while My Wedding Stories can be used for the various weddings you will have throughout the generations and doesn’t really warrant a dedicated generation. (You can pick Tartosa for the 13th generation’s first house, if you wish to play in it.) As for the Stuff Packs, Nifty Knitting and Paranormal are the ones that offer the most gameplay. 

Since each generation is a different pack, it should be easy for you to skip some if you’re missing a pack — you might just have to rework the generation’s backstory to have it make sense.

I hope this challenge might introduce you (and me!) to new ways to play The Sims 4! Have fun!   

Basic Rules:

Each heir must move to the specified Home World when they become a Young Adult. If the rules don’t specify a world for that generation, you’re free to live wherever you please.

Each generation must have at least one child (natural birth or adopted) to be the next generation. Other than that, all relationships, weddings, kids, and personal life events are completely up to you, unless otherwise specified.

You can use each generation’s aesthetic as a suggestion for CAS or Build Mode but it is not mandatory

Money cheats can be used, but not excessively. Suggestion: use freerealestate for your first home, but no cheats afterward.

Every generation is supposed to complete both the career and aspiration of the heir unless explicitly stated otherwise.

If more than one aspiration is listed for a generation, that heir must complete all of them.

Keep the lifespan on normal.

Occult generations can either be born occult by having the previous generation find an Occult to mate with, or they can become occult during their lifetime by various means — unless otherwise specified

The offspring of an Occult, if born Occult too, can either stay Occult or become Human by various means.

Gen 1 - Discover University

Welcome to Britechester — the perfect place for young minds like yours who love learning. In fact, you love academia so much that you don’t leave the university, even after graduation. You stay in Britechester and enter a career in Education so that you can pass the love of learning onto new students.

Home World: Britechester

Career: Education 

Aspiration: Academic 

Traits: Genius, Geek, Jealous

Aesthetic: Hipster Academia

Rules:

Master Research & Debate and Robotics skills

Must live with at least one roommate or in the dorms until becoming an Adult 

Gen 2 - Eco Lifestyle

Growing up on a college campus, surrounded by the brightest minds of our time, has expanded your horizons and sharpened your critical thinking from the youngest age. You’ve always known you wanted to make a difference and leave this world better and cleaner than you found it.

Home World: Evergreen Harbor (Port Promise Neighborhood)

Career: Civil Designer

Aspiration: Eco Innovator

Traits: Green Fiend; Maker; Recycle Disciple

Aesthetic: Mismatched Minimalist

Rules:

Master Fabrication and Juice Fizzing skills

Gen 3 - Island Living

If there’s one thing you learned as a kid, it’s reduce, reuse, recycle. So when you hear about the gorgeous island of Sulani, a tropical paradise that needs a little TLC, you know that’s where you belong. And maybe these crystal clear waters will reveal some new things about you… A mermaid tail, perhaps?

Home World: Sulani 

Career: Conservationist

Aspiration: Beach Life

Traits: Child of the Islands, Child of the Ocean, Loves Outdoors

Aesthetic: Island

Occult: Mermaid

Rules:

Must reach level 3 of Clean Environment by performing ecological activities on the island of Mua Pel’am 

Must become a Mermaid

Must become Good Friends with a Dolphin  

Gen 4 - Outdoor Retreat + Jungle Adventure

You spent your childhood playing outside and discovering one of the most beautiful places in the world. Why would you ever leave? The only thing that can get you off this island is your dream of exploring every secret the world has to offer. Dark woods, exotic jungles, cursed relics — the world is your oyster!

Home World: Sulani

Career: n/a

Aspiration: Outdoor Enthusiast; Jungle Explorer; Archaeology Scholar

Traits: Loner, Noncommittal, Bookworm

Aesthetic: Adventurer

Rules:

Master Herbalism; Selvadoradian Culture; Archaeology skills

Must take vacations to Granite Falls and Selvadorada

Cannot have a Career; can only make money from selling fish they caught, plants they harvested, or various collectibles

Must stay in their childhood home for their entire lifetime, even after their parents passed. (You may redecorate as you wish.)

Gen 5 - City Living

Your childhood was not exactly the clean, stable life you would have picked if you had a choice. Creepy crawlies, sleeping on the ground, outhouses? No thank you. As soon as you’re of age, you leave the not-so-great outdoors behind and move to the big city. Concrete and steel, noisy neighbors, all that hustle and bustle — that’s more like it.

Home World: San Myshuno

Career: Your pick between Social Media or Critic

Aspiration: City Native

Traits: Unflirty, Squeamish, Self-Assured

Aesthetic: Modern Sleek

Rules:

Must live in an Apartment with one of the City Living Lot Challenges (Quake Zone, Cursed, Grody, Gremlins, Filthy, Spooky) as a Young Adult

May move to a Penthouse with no Lot Challenges as an Adult

Master Singing and Charisma skills

Must attend all San Myshuno Festivals at least once (Geekcon, Humor and Hijinks, Romance Festival, Spice Festival, Flea Market)

Cannot own a pet

Gen 6 - Cottage Living

Concrete jungle ain’t all it’s cracked up to be. You long for some peace and quiet, some grass beneath your feet and a pet companion or two. (Or three, or…) Sounds like you’re headed to the countryside, where you can find a simpler living.

Home World: Henford-on Bagley

Career: n/a

Aspiration: Country Caretaker

Traits: Animal Enthusiast; Cheerful; Perfectionist

Aesthetic: Cottagecore

Rules:

Master Cross-stitch and Baking skills

Must live on a lot with Simple Living and Wild Foxes lot challenges

Must fulfill at least 10 village errands

Successfully grow 1 Oversized Crop of each crop type (Aubergine, Lettuce, Mushroom, Pumpkin, Watermelon)

Have 1 Llama, 1 Cow and at least 4 chickens

Meet the Creature Keeper and acquire at least 1 outfit for each type of animal living on your farm

Cannot have a Career; can only make money from selling what they produce on their farm, as well as anything you can sell on Plopsy

Gen 7 - Cats & Dogs

As far as childhoods go, yours was pretty great, and there’s not a lot you’d change about it. You just wish you weren’t so far away from everything and everyone, and you’re a bit tired of all the responsibilities that come with a farm (all that feeding and cleaning and gardening gets tiresome). A vet clinic in a cozy neighborhood: that’s more your beat. You’re probably gonna surround yourself with just as many pets as your parent did, just, smaller ones.

Home World: Brindleton Bay

Career: n/a

Aspiration: Friend of the Animals

Traits: Cat Lover, Dog Lover; Vegetarian

Aesthetic: Colourful Cozy

Rules:

Master Veterinarian and Pet Training skills

Must own a Vet Clinic and earn a 5 star rating

Cannot have a Career; can only make money from the Vet Clinic

Gen 8 - Get To Work + Parenthood

You’ve always been very inquisitive, with good deduction skills. Everyone has always said you would make a good detective, and you intend to be the best there is. You’re not willing to sacrifice your family life for it, though, which is why you aim to reach the top of your career as soon as possible so you can retire young and dedicate yourself to your family.

Home World: Oasis Spring

Career: Detective

Aspiration: Super Parent

Traits: Ambitious, Family-oriented; Bro

Aesthetic: Suburban 

Rules:

Master Parenting and Logic skills

Must reach the top of the Detective career and retire before having a kid so they can spend as much time with their offspring as possible

Gen 9 - Seasons + Nifty Knitting

You were raised by a supportive, present parent, who did everything they could to make sure you were as happy as possible. They nurtured your creative and outdoorsy sides and encouraged you to build a sweet, cozy life for yourself. You hold all your wonderful childhood memories close to your heart, and you love to make them live on by keeping up family traditions on every holiday.

Home World: Willow Creek

Career: Gardener (Floral Designer Branch)

Aspiration: Lady/Lord of the Knits

Traits: Creative; Romantic; Neat

Aesthetic: Plant Loving Granny

Rules:

Must reach level 5 of Scout before becoming a Young Adult

Master Flower Arranging and Knitting skills

Must celebrate all holidays successfully

Gen 10 - Snowy Escape

Ever since you attended the Festival of Youth in Mount Komorebi, you’ve been really interested in the local culture and you knew you wanted to move there some day. You were an excellent student, and you landed a serious, stable job, all to fulfill your dreams. It’s a lot of pressure, though, so you need an outlet. That’s how you discover extreme sports — the thrill of rushing down a mountain with the wind in your hair is the best antidote to the strict routine of your everyday life.

Home World: Mount Komorebi

Career: Salaryperson

Aspiration: Extreme Sports Enthusiast

Traits: Adventurous, Proper; Active

Aesthetic: Asian Minimalist

Rules:

Master either Skiing or Snowboarding skills

Master Rock Climbing skill

Must attend the Festival of Youth at least once as a kid, and once with their own offspring

Must attend the other Mount Komorebi festivals at least once (Festival of Light, Festival of Snow)

Gen 11 - Get Together + Dream Home Decorator

You’ve always liked being surrounded by people. As a kid you had a ton of friends, and as an adult, you like to go out and party with your pals. You even start a club so you can meet more people who share your love of music, dancing and the nightlife. During the day, however, you use your impeccable sense of style to work as an Interior Decorator. Your personal touch is sought-after all over town.    

Home World: Windenburg

Career: Interior Decorator

Aspiration: Leader of the Pack

Traits: Dance Machine, Insider; Music Lover

Aesthetic: Edgy meets Midcentury

Rules:

Master Dancing and DJ Mixing skills

Make a mix tape

Earn an Excellent Reputation as Interior Decorator (Not to be mistaken for the “Public Image” Reputation that came with the Get Famous Pack)

Gen 12 - Get Famous

You were raised around your parent’s big crew of friends, and you thrived under their attention — even as a toddler you were an absolute charmer. Growing up, you know you have the it factor and you will do anything it takes to see your name in shining lights.

Home World: Del Sol Valley

Career: Actor

Aspiration: World Famous Celebrity

Traits: Self-Absorbed; Materialistic; Art Lover 

Aesthetic: Maximalist Glam

Rules:

Master Acting and Media Production skills

Become a Global Superstar and place your Celebrity Tile on the walk of fame in Starlight Boulevard

Be good friends with at least 5 Celebrities and throw a Gold Medal dinner party for them

Gen 13 - Spa Day + Paranormal + Realm of Magic

Being the child of a global superstar is exhausting to say the least. Red carpets, paparazzi, hordes of fans — all while you’re trying to do your homework? You need a break. You find some long-awaited peace and quiet in the world of mindfulness — yoga, massages, inner peace. Unfortunately, the peaceful nest of zen you’ve built for yourself turns out to be haunted. You take it in stride and discover you have quite a knack for paranormal investigation. Before long, ghosts, ghouls and spirits have no secret for you. Nothing can stop your curiosity about the supernatural — when you hear of a mysterious world where you can learn to become a Spellcaster, you know that’s where fate wants you to be.

Home World: Any, then Glimmerbrook as an Adult

Career: Paranormal Investigator

Aspiration: Inner Peace; Self-Care Specialist; Zen Guru; Spellcraft & Sorcery; Purveyor of Potions

Traits: High Maintenance; Clumsy; Good

Aesthetic: New Age Hippie 

Rules:

Master Wellness and Medium skills

Must first live on a Haunted House residential lot (Any world except Glimmerbrook) 

Must start out by offering services as a Massage Therapist/Manucurist/Yoga Instructor out of your own house

Must then become a Paranormal Investigator and take jobs of all three levels

Become good friends with Bonehilda 

As an Adult, move to Glimmerbrook and ask a Sage to train you to become a Spellcaster 

Must reach Virtuoso level of Spellcasting

Gen 14 - Dine Out + Vampires 

Your parent was a Spellcaster. You’re a vampire. It’s like something out of a YA novel. Unfortunately, the life of a YA hero, with all its drama, is not for you. You’re a sweet goofball who just wants a normal life. Chill with your friends. Work at your diner. Hope nobody’s weird about going to a vampire’s restaurant. Yeah, people will talk, but you’re happy and that’s all that matters.

Home World: Forgotten Hollow, then Copperdale when you have kids

Career: n/a

Aspiration: Good Vampire

Traits: Good; Loyal; Goofball

Aesthetic: Colourful Retro

Occult: Vampire

Rules:

Must own a Restaurant and earn a 5 star rating

Master Cooking and Vampire Lore skills

Cannot have a Career; can only make money from the restaurant

Can only have kids by adoption, to make sure they aren’t occult

Must move to Copperdale when you have kids to give them a normal life

Gen 15 - High School Years + Werewolves

Your parent was a Vampire. To ensure you’d have a normal life and not the life of an occult like them, they adopted you and raised you as normally as possible. They didn’t expect you to get bitten and become a werewolf on your Teenage birthday. You make the most of it: you’re a real-life Werewolf on Campus and you get super popular for it! It’s a fun way to be, so you keep it up into adulthood: Simfluencer-slash-streamer by day, climbing the ranks of the Moonwood Collective by night! Who says you can’t have it all?

Home World: Moonwood Mill

Career: Simfluencer and Videogame Streamer

Aspiration: Admired Icon (Teen); Werewolf Initiate; Emissary of the Collective

Traits: Party Animal; Outgoing; Self-assured

Aesthetic: Pastel Pop

Occult: Werewolf

Rules:

Must become a werewolf as soon as possible after becoming a Teen

Must accept every invitation as a Teen 

Master Entrepreneur Skill

Reach the top of the Cheer Team after-school activity

Work both Simfluencer and Videogame part-time jobs as an adult

Must become Rank 5 of Werewolf ability (Apex)

Gen 16 - Growing Together + Horse Ranch

Being raised in a werewolf pack makes for a strange childhood. Maybe that’s why you became a horse girl (gender neutral), as a way to escape. Either way, as soon as you can, you move to Chestnut Ridge to become a Championship rider. You mellow out a bit when you get older and you decide to move closer to civilization and try your hand at nectar-making. Through it all, nothing is more important to you than family, and you give your kids a stable life like you never really had.  

Home World: Chestnut Ridge, then San Sequoia

Career: n/a

Aspiration: Championship Rider; Expert Nectar-maker

Traits: Rancher, Horse-lover; Family-oriented

Aesthetic: Modern Ranch/Craftsman

Rules:

Must have at least one horse, one mini-sheep, one-mini-goat and one child (not necessarily all at the same time)

Master Riding and Nectar-Making

Your horse must master all the horse skills

Your infant must learn to crawl and try at least three baby foods

Your child must complete one of the four multi-skill childhood aspirations (Creative Genius; Mind and Body; Playtime Captain; Slumber Party Animal)

Must throw a Ranch Gathering or a Ranch Animal Day while living in Chestnut Ridge

Must throw a Baby Shower when pregnant and a Family Reunion 

Credits for inspiration: 

Dream Farmer Challenge by Simarchy

Not So Berry Legacy Challenge by lilsimsie & alwaysimming

[ferallester]

okay so I didn’t have the motivation to do Appreciation Week at first, but seeing @yonpote do it all in one day has inspired me so let’s do it! (but with screenshots and stuff bc Yeah LMAO)

for @dpgdaily’s Dan and Phil Appreciation Week!

post is under a break so that it doesn’t just break tumblr

Day 1 - Favourite Dan and/or Phil quote:

the entire opening from the pinof 7 bloopers is hilarious but by far one of my favourite quotes (one that has continually haunted me since 2016, when I watched it for the first time) is:

D: Stand still!

P: Stencil!

D: … I’m gonna hit you. [laughs] Shut up!

I quote this weirdly often in my fics. In fact, I’m pretty sure two of my recent published fics use it as a reference. I didn’t realise until now that I was partially misquoting it XD

I also can’t not mention, from Basically I’m Gay (the entire part from when Dan starts talking about Phil is linked, quote starts about twenty seconds later):

D: We are real best friends, companions through life, like actual soulmates […]

maybe he was trying to be ironic, but there’s something intensely poetic about his body language when he describes them as actual soulmates

I’m obsessed with it, but in like the way people don’t shut up about Pride and Prejudice, maybe, idk I’m just bisexual and hoping that I get half as lucky as the boys have

there are many more moments tbh I could say LMAO

Day 2 - Favourite Dan and Phil Series:

OUGHHHHH THIS ONE IS ACTUALLY REALLY DIFFICULT—

what is now called Season 1 of the Sims 4 and the Undertale playthrough are VERY close contenders, but I think my favourite series is actually the DITLs! (there’s no playlist for this one rip)

you can easily split them into two or three sections (depending on if you count any of The Making Of videos for TABINOF, the calendars, or the prep for II as DITLs), and each section has something wonderful to enjoy!

the ‘local’ DITLs (Manchester and London) are incredibly domestic, with the boys just going about a semi-typical day, and the Festive DITL honestly just turns that up to a hundred, I love the domestic ones so much

the ‘holiday’ ones too (Japan and Australia) are also super fun, because we get to see the boys doing silly touristy things like holding koalas or hanging around one of the busiest intersections in Tokyo (I also keep hearing conspiracies about the Australian one LMAO)

the ‘making of’ videos are their own unique source of slice-of-life entertainment, because They’re Getting Important Stuff Done but they’re making it entertaining for us too

my favourites are the original DITL and Festive DITL <3

Day 3 - Favourite Dan and/or Phil Outfit:

used @phanoutfitsblog’s screenshots for most of these, with the exception of Dan’s initial look in the baking video (also I’d be lying if I said that Sister Daniel wasn’t high up on this list hhhh)

can Phil stop being pretty for FIVE MINUTES JEEZ— it’s actually incredibly difficult to pin down favourite outfits for him bc he just. Keeps. On. WINNING.

his red shirt in the red carpet roasting video is probably the most iconic so far but it could really have been literally any other outfit he’s worn in the last several years

and Dan’s no slouch, either! this man is gorgeous and he ROCKS it! he wore this particular shirt (?) to an interview (or at least it was framed like one) and he looks INCREDIBLE in it but I can’t remember where I found the other screenshot so I won’t post it lmao

his initial appearance in the Halloween baking video before he changes into Sister Daniel is also equally pretty bc of the makeup and honestly? gimme your gender Howell

other honourable mentions include a recent magazine shoot that I’ve forgotten the name of (some phan I am LMAO, shame on me for only remembering the pink), and his dystopia motorcycle twink shirt from the red carpet video

Day 4 - Favourite Joint Content

oooh, difficult question, that’s like choosing a favourite child! still, the answer to this one is a lot simpler than Day 5 below, because it’s the original PINOF, as well as the photobooth challenge!

while PINOF wasn’t my initial introduction to the boys (that goes to the Sims 4), it’s one of the earliest things I watched of them, and almost certainly what got me to stick with them! (along with the Sims 4… LMAO)

Dan says he was being ironic when he said ‘this is the most fun I’ve ever had, and maybe it’s the tism kicking in, but he doesn’t sound sarcastic or ironic when he says that

it’s pretty clear from the get go that they’re two boys (boys in love, even) making a silly video, having absolutely zero idea that it’s going to change the world <3

the pb challenge, meanwhile, is just incredibly funny, I remember almost hurting myself from laughing so hard the first time I watched it XD it hasn’t aged perfectly, but that’s most things from ten years ago

the honourable mentions list is VERY long so I won’t put all of them here LMAO, but the Get Down video is one of them XD

Day 5- Favourite DanAndPhilGames video

oooh, another difficult question, here, because more often than not, the answer is yes! I could say the Halloween baking video one day, and the Katamari video the next, and one of the Sims 4 building videos because I’m a sucker for renovations (also, the GAY WEDDING and the RETURN in general!), and honestly there’s so many videos I’ve forgotten over the years (LOVE NIKKI!) but I think I’m gonna say the finale of Undertale!

it makes me cry every time I rewatch the series, and it’s such a beautiful story, and yeah I’m a mess just thinking about it, because the fact that they chose to be pacifists from the get go is one of the genuinely sweetest things I can think of

Day 6 - Favourite Solo Video(s)

oh no I don’t actually know how to fully answer for Dan, but at a guess… yeah who am I kidding, it’s BIG and We’re All Doomed! :D (yes I know WAD! isn’t a video (yet, hopefully) but it overrides literally everything else bc I loved that night so much)

BIG, as a queer person, is just honestly so incredibly important to me, because being able to listen to other queer people — very successful ones, too — and how they’ve struggled in ways I’ve been fortunate to have never suffered, and how they overcame it all, and are still dealing with it to this day? yeah I’m still so proud of Dan for it all, he deserves the life he’s made for himself <3

WAD is in a similar vein to this, but with the addition of me being able to actually MEET Dan and then watch him on STAGE as he did his comedy show! I made him laugh with a joke about Australian summer being hell, and that’s probably one of the best things that has ever happened to me <3

honourable mention goes to his Keep On Movin’ video, bc that’s just damn impressive

Phil, meanwhile… I have so many videos to choose from, and while Coming Out To You carries the same importance as BIG, if not more since I watch it more (I love them equally, but COTY is only eight minutes long okay), I am actually struggling to choose a favourite outside of it!

mostly because all my favourite Phil videos… are joint content videos!

that being said, his fourth ACNH video is incredibly sweet, and I think I might go rewatch the series!

also his house review videos (the apartment one and the expensive house one) are pretty iconic

AND the sleepless night series— can you see why I’m struggling? :’D

Day 7 - What do Dan and Phil mean to you?

(oh god I am so sorry for this monster)

I don’t remember 2016 being a particularly rough year for me, despite the many star-studded losses (rip Anton Yelchin especially), and maybe it would’ve been that way even if I hadn’t found Dan and Phil, but finding them at what could be considered their initial peak of fame was probably one of the best things that could have happened to me, because I was just a year into my experiences with internet fandom, and what better way to do that than get yeeted into the chaotic world of two British dorks on the net that everyone and their cat shipped?

I may have missed out on the radio shows, sure, and I missed out on pretty much every YouNow and Rize show and whatnot because I’m a goose, but I came into the fandom just in time to see TATINOF live, even though I couldn’t get a meet and greet ;w; one day I’ll catch Phil

I distinctly remember being at the Gold Coast Eisteddfod, which was an hour south of Brisbane, on the same night as TATINOF, and absolutely booking it back with my mum to Brisbane, stressing the entire way even as we got McDonalds and I got changed out of what was either my school uniform or my performance uniform (I can’t remember) into something more normal for a night at QPAC

and yet, once I was there, I had probably one of the best nights of my life, because TATINOF, in my opinion, is the best thing the boys have ever done on stages (II and WAD! are very close tho don’t get me wrong)

someone helped me draw cat whiskers on my face, I remember chatting happily to other phannies around me (what about, I have long forgotten), and I remember how loud it was, and how much I didn’t mind that, for the first time in my life

I bought more merch at II and WAD!, because I was either given more money or I actually had money to spend since I got my job by WAD!, but, even when disappointed by the fact that I couldn’t afford much, I have cherished my TATINOF lanyard since that fateful night in August 2015, because it symbolises just how much I love the two gay dorks who are now two of my biggest queer role models

the fact that they chose us over fame and fortune in the entertainment industry? I’m so grateful for that, because it means, even though we gave them utter hell (I wasn’t quite one of them, but I probably did a few minor demon things as a teen LMAO), they cared, and still care, about us, the audience

this is getting SO long and waffly, oh my GOD, this is why my current fic is eleven k long already, uhhhh tl;dr they’re weird and queer (affectionate), I’m weird and queer, and I am so glad I found them, because having them in my life is one of the best things that’s ever happened to me, down to graduating from high school and university and having their videos to watch <3

okay that’s enough sappiness this took me like three or four hours love y’all <3

thanks @dpgdaily for hosting!!!!

[manonamora-if-reviews]

GONCHAROV - THE MAFIA HIGHSCHOOL DATING SIMULATOR by Monday

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game See other games by Monday or follow @mondaysandwich

============= Synopsis

A very, very short highschool dating simulator snippet based on the Tumblr meme Goncharov (1973).

============= Other Info

G - TMHDS is a Twine (SugarCube) piece, submitted to the Goncharov Game Jam.

Status: Completed Genre: Dating-Sim, Unreality, Mafia, Goncharov

CW: Drug and alcohol use, References to gang violence and organised crime, Unreality, Mild internalised homophobia

============= Playthrough

First Played: Dec-2022 Last Played: 31-Aug-2023 Playtime: around 15min Rating: 3 /5 Thoughts: Parody on parody, in an alternate universe

============= Review

I think this line summarises the game best: Your name is Goncharov. You are fifteen years old, and today is your first day of mafia school. G-TMHDS is a very short datim-sim game, dabbling with the Goncharov "lore". Dipped in humour and sarcasm, the game gives the player a short introduction of the main players of the "movie" and their relationship to one another... if this was a Highschool AU.

Spoilers ahead (not so many, but this is a template). It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

Due to its short length, the game feels more of an introduction to a larger dating-sim, rather than a fully rounded story. You wake up, get ready for school, meet up with a friend (Joe), and try to talk to your crush (Katya) and be jealous of her friend (Sofia), before the game ends with a hint of a dark attraction (Andrej). There are a few choices throughout the story, each giving some humourous variation (try ditching school).

From the start, it is clear the game is not to be taken seriously. It will treat your not-so-smart question with disdain, and your doubt with deprecation - an attitude many would have towards teenagers or very naive individuals. The narrator is not afraid to call you out for stupid decisions (or as-stupid thoughts about doing something). "Teresa Maria, Goncharov, don’t be such a square." had me wheezing.

Honestly, I still haven't decided whether this was meant as a parody of the meme or of the highschool dating-sim genre. It makes fun of both mafia tropes and of those dating-sim (as much as it can with the limited passages), juggling between the two without missing a beat. While reading through it, it reminded me of that KFC dating sim game from a few years back - I Love You, Colonel Sanders! - it is of the same tone: frivolous, humourous, and plain stupid (the hahaha this is so dumb kind). It just hits all the right notes.

I think this game might work even better in a VN form...

[the-fae-tricked-me]

···🧚‍♂️·✧·•°♡·✧·∞·✧·♡°•·✧·🧚···

Hello! Welcome to my blog!

I've learned my lesson about giving my name— considering the fae tricked me, stole my attention AND executive functioning too! The nerve!— but you can call me Vue if you want! (⁠ ⁠◜⁠‿⁠◝⁠ ⁠)⁠♡

Some things about me:

I'm 20f, and my pronouns are she/they ♡

I got diagnosed at 6 years old with ADHD which is very uncommon for my demographic as we tend to present more inwardly, but being the little anomaly I am— I present outwardly, so I matched the "boyish" description the psychologists were taught to look for

My Myers Briggs is INFP I know it's pseudoscience but it actually describes me pretty well. Not perfect by any means but it's still a pretty solid description

I'm a Leo, my Sun is in Leo, my Moon is in Aquarius, and I'm a Capricorn rising! I don't know what this shit means but I'm gay as hell and queer people love knowing these for some reason. I mean I don't think I'm gonna find the future love of my life on Tumblr or anything, but hell, I won't complain

I'm pan-romantic and demisexual (⁠｡⁠•̀⁠ᴗ⁠-⁠)⁠✧

My favorite number is 2, but my favorite angel number is 333

My favorite animal is an elephant, but my favorite baby animal is the baby hippo if you have not seen a baby hippo I swear to the GODS you must look them up this INSTANT!!!!—

My favorite colors are pink, green, yellow, and blue ♡

I have a multitude of collections that include but aren't limited to: rocks/crystals, quarters, old coins/coins from other countries, buttons, feathers, and other discarded or lost bits and bobs I've found at some point or another that I just loved and wanted to horde keep. yes, I'm a magpie. Stuff like cute tiny screws, bent nails, assorted small plastic shapes/things, pendants and charms, pins, worthless coins, lost or broken earrings, and other shiny/pretty little knickknacks and doodads (⁠.⁠ ⁠❛⁠ ⁠ᴗ⁠ ⁠❛⁠.⁠)

I love listening to music/singing along off key, and writing poetry. I also really love reading, but mostly fantasy, sci-fi, and romance novels, preferably ones with two or more of those themes/side plots(⁠◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕⁠✿⁠)

Despite all my other hobbies and interests, playing videogames is probably my favorite one— or at least very close, depending on the day! I'm a PlayStation girly, (no hate at ALL to Xbox players, it's just the PS4 was my first and only console, and I don't like how the Xbox controller is laid out! ♡) and my favorites include: Mass Effect Legendary edition, Red Dead Redemption 2, Days Gone, The Last of Us 1 & 2, The Ghost of Tsushima, Skyrim, Life is Strange remastered & Life is Strange Before the Storm, God of War & God of War Ragnarok, Untill Dawn, The Sims 4, Minecraft, and Splitgate. I also really love Balders Gate 3 but exclusively by/from watching different playthroughs because I can't afford a PS5 lmao </3

If you made it this far, wow!

I wasn't expecting to see you through! Now you know a little more about me. (⁠✿⁠^⁠‿⁠^⁠) If you like what you see or what you read, rather, you should follow me! Or, ya know, follow me because you like my posts/reblogs, I'll like that too! (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)♥

[hummingbird-games]

2022 IN REVIEW (VN/INDIE GAMES EDITION)

(Missed last year’s?? Check me out!!)

This year had lots of personal high highs and lower lows, so I’m glad I had games to distract from things 😂Without further ado, here’s my year in review:

DEMOS

Pivot of Heart - I’m unsure of the current status of this one, but I played it earlier this year and fell in love with the MC, the art, and was intrigued by the tarot inspired gameplay!

My Alien Roommate - I will 100% be supporting the Kickstarter the MOMENT it’s live. I was actually upset when I reached the end of the demo knowing good and well it was only a demo so that’s how you know I had a fun time 🤣 also, how can you not wanna romance an alien?? That’s what I thought. 

Our Life Now and Forever - On one hand, if you’re plugged into the VN scene, you’re already aware of this game and there’s no need for me to draw attention to it. On the other hand, to quote Billie Stevenson, “I do what I want.”

Infinite Blue - Oh man did I have fun with this one! To say I’m excited for the full game is an understatement! (review for this one is on the blog too btw)

Error143 - Seeing people simp for Micah Yujin has added 10 years to my life because a dark-skinned love interest getting THIS much attention??? Players be ready to risk it all for him and I love it. Also yeah he has my attention too, I am not immune, TF you thought this was???☠️

Garden of Seif - I’m not much help in selling this game because I just straight up inhaled it?? Everything was on point, from the characters, to the unraveling story, to our LIs and supporting cast, and of course, can’t love a game with loving the MC (at least, that’s how I work)

Fully Released & Played (at least 1 playthrough)

Gilded Shadows - The brain rot for this game is so real??? So. Damn. Real. It got to a point where after I played so many routes and unlocked multiple endings that I had to stop playing so I could work on my game! And there’s still content on the way?????? Oh to live at the same time as GS 🤗

Sifting Thyme - I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t my favorite high school otome game.  And I thought long and hard about the many other games I’ve played. And I have played a lot of high school romance/dating sim games ☠️ But this one takes the cake!!--and because food is involved, pun intended. If I could have played this in one sitting I totally would have.

An Everyday Love - Check the tags on this blog. I never shut up about this game. Seriously. 

Butterfly Soup 2 - Sequel’s only been out for like 2 months and I’m already begging for a third.  

Blanket Cat & Teacup - The first is a cozy visual novel that gives storybook/ younger me watching Reading Rainbow vibes, and the second is a puzzle, point and click narrative about an introverted frog girl who needs to get tea ingredients for her party, and both these games reminded me of the healing power of gaming. 

Still Shinning - Simply and lovely in its execution. I need to check out this dev’s other titles as well!

Portrait of a Texas Family - If you play no other games on this list, play this one. I don’t have any better words other than “I love it” and “this family and their love and their worry stick with you”.

Dusk & Dawn - SFHJSHFJSEJE THIS WAS SO GOOD LIKE WHAAA??? Black female MC, demi rep, superheroes, 2 dating options, multiple endings/dead ends, ughhh this game had it all. The only thing stopping it from being perfect is a sequel. And no, there’s no announced sequel so we can sulk together...

Fully Released (& still on 1st playthrough)

Wylde Flowers - I suck at farming sims in general, but this game has a special place in my heart. It’s the definition of charming + cozy and it was made to be played in bed so shoutout to the Switch port!!

ValiDate: Struggling Singles in your Area - I want to go in depth about this game when I’ve played all or majority of the routes, but for now just know I also believe this game was made for playing in bed LOL.

Gemi’s Gushies

(a list within a list of games that have devs trucking along in the background and I want to spotlight for y’all)

Band Camp Boyfriend

Ise and Kai

The Closet Door

Herotome

College Craze

Trouble Comes Twice

[pushing500]

I found your posts from the rimworld tag and I'm really enjoying them! A lot of playthroughs I've read wind up either too anime or grimdark for my tastes, it's really great to see someone with a similar playstyle to me (essentially, sims with guns). Irwin is probably my favorite of your pawns, but Andy is also adorable.

Also, if you don't mind me asking, what expression mod do you use?

Hello! I'm so glad you're enjoying my Rimworld colony. I'm relieved people seem to like my play style. Sometimes I worry that people will expect more of the oft-memed Rimworld War Crimes to take place, but I can't even bring myself to be mean to Wookshys in the game, let alone the colonists I actually like.

I like your description of "sims with guns". That's very accurate!

The facial animation mod I have active is "Vanilla Textures Expanded - [NL] Facial Animation", which takes one of the more anime-esque mods and makes it a little nicer to look at (in my opinion). It adds a lot of character and makes it much easier to project fun personalities on the pawns. I highly recommend it if you're looking for a mod that stays a bit truer to the Rimworld art style!

Fair warning, the mod does clash with some modded xenotypes, though. For example, the T'au xenotype in the "Tau Armory" mod (Candlelight's xenotype) and the Kroot xenotype from the same mod are supposed to have specific facial designs, but they don't work with the facial animations. I was a little frustrated by this at first, but I already know how to draw T'au and Kroot, and I'm more than happy to extend my imagination when drawing faces for Yttakin, Saurid, and all the other xenotypes too.

Irwin is one of my favourite colonists, too, and I agree that Andy is a very cute kid :D

I drew them hanging out as a thank-you for your lovely message. I hope you have a wonderful day! <3

One last thing, if you're hoping to avoid any darker/unhappy subject matter, you might want to skip over the next post about this colony...

[fiery-emblems]

(Same anon) Oh yeah, I’m DEFINITELY with you on the whole four playthroughs of the game suckkkkkkkk angle. My controversial 3H opinion is that I just tell people to play the BL route and maaaaaaybe GD after but really they can get the same experience from watching all the cutscenes on YouTube. lol. I do genuinely have extremely fond memories of my first ever playthrough of 3H which I think in part is because of the route I chose (BL. I won’t pretend I’m not biased lol) that keeps you in the dark about a lot of story elements and makes you wonder. Which I found genuinely intriguing when revealed in the other routes but the execution definitely left something to be desired…

Really I think 3H is a tragic case of ambitions too great for the modern video game industry release date grind. It had so much potential and I will gladly hold its fragile skeleton close even if others want something with a bit more meat on its bones, even if much smaller in scale. I often wonder what we could’ve gotten if the game had another year in the oven but then I wonder that about most games that come out nowadays LOL.

Anon

Lemme tell you a secret

I also played BL first and it's the one route I still kind of have fond feelings for. 😔

I agree with you on all of this and perhaps my feelings on the game are just really intense because, like you, after finishing BL I was really looking forward to all of those secrets being revealed. Instead of there being this big puzzle to complete though, the game just ends up feeling like a bunch of individual puzzle pieces that don't fit together.

And to top it off I just didn't find the game to be that fun to play. I played it 4 times because I was so looking forward to that puzzle coming together and my hopes were dashed. I was let down. 😔

I do think there was an element of rushing to get the game out, but I also get the distinct feeling that the writers lost the plot/forgot what point they wanted to make. It feels like the writers ended up being more concerned with making sure the player always feels like they made the right choice than they were with committing to any greater themes or ideas. (Maybe a drawback of banking SO HARD on the dating sim elements??)

I do want to say though, BL was the route I enjoyed the most but I don't think that even my least favorite route was really that much worse than the others. I suspect that my dislike of my "worst" route was literally just because it was the last one I played. Like I said before, I enjoyed the game less and less the more I played it.

[bloodsbane]

Hello, Happy (late? Its 1 am so I think technically late) birthday :) I just saw in yer tags that you decided to play Slay the Princess on your birthday, and I wanted to ask what you thought of the game :)

thank you~ ^^ i'm more than happy to talk about it!

short answer is that yes, i did play, and i had a really good time! I did one "full run" of it. for those curious, i got these in order: the Fury, the Razor, the Damsel, the Prisoner, and the Adversary.

it's a game i'd definitely recommend to anyone who's at least slightly interested in it! and that it's absolutely one that's the most fun going into as blind as possible, BUT by its nature, you'd still have a lot to discover on your own even if you watched someone play part of most of a run ;)

(more concrete commentary and vague spoilers below)

(and of the routes i got, I think Fury and Adversary are my favorites, though I did the Godkiller branch of Fury so I'm really curious to get that again and try going with the Broken's suggestions heh)

I ended up getting what I think could be called a 'middling/Neutral' ending, which was fine, I was playing to explore and pick what felt right in each moment rather than get something more definitive. I think I got a lot of insights by the end of my route so I'm eager to get back into it and play the game at least like 2 more times.

I REALLY enjoy the game, I think the ideas behind it are so cool and I love how it has so much replay-ability. like, I watched Joseph Anderson's playthrough of it (which was super funny, though I didn't finish watching the end of it bc he got a different Ending than I did and I didn't wanna see every detail of that), and it was really interesting to see not only what other routes he discovered, but how when he encountered routes that I'd also run into (Razor, Damsel), he managed to get slightly-to-moderately different versions of them! Like, his version of the Princess at the end of his Damsel route was totally different from mine!

The presentation is perfect, too. I'm already quite familiar with Jonathan Sims' voice talents of course, since I've been a huge fan of The Magnus Archives for the last ~5 years, and he wrote/voiced in that podcast. He does a phenomenal job acting out all the Voices in STP, and it was really nice to hear him performing again (even as I'm keeping up with the TMA sequel podcast, where he also voices, just not as predominantly!)

The voice acting for the Princess was amazing too, I LOVED hearing all the different variations of her vocal presentation. I thought it was such an immediately cool detail... especially since I chose to take the knife down with me on my very first go at it, so my first impression of her was the much more dangerous and stern delivery, which I wasn't expecting - I anticipated the writing to have her play innocent at first, but of course I know now why that wasn't the case, hehehe.

and of course the artwork is amazing. i LOVE how it's kept to a more sketchy, work-in-progress feeling style, i think it conveys the fragility and impermanence and transformative nature of the game and where it takes place. and of course all the ways the princess is stylized, both more subtly and obviously, in each route, is one of the most fun elements of discovering new versions of her. a lot of the compositions are great and i love her expressions a ton!! uhg just really great artwork all around

and speaking of art, the ost is fantastic, really perfect ambiance as well as tracks that convey the feel of each route, like, i'd call them each uniquely textured in a way perfectly suited to each. i'll probably throw the ost on by itself at some point to try appreciating the music on its own a bit more

overall great game!! im excited to play it again and im curious just how many variations of paths and endings there are!

[simstryingtheirbestok]

Sorry this week's been kind of a wash with the Sims posts. I was able to get Taslin and Tierney home from university on the first try--

--or so I thought. Like, everyone showed up in the portrait panel and everything was fully functional, but there was that little message about missing objects. I ignored it at first, but it turned out it wasn't one or two little objects that no one with my (lack of) attention span would ever notice.

It was lots and lots of missing objects. It was things like, most of the stuff inside Mick's Master Karaoke, where Carlos was due to play a gig, was missing. Among the missing items was the exterior door. 😂 Poor Carlos literally could not get inside to play his gig. When I teleported him into the building, I found that there was no stage, either.

This glitch also robbed the Estrada's home lot of every last tree and shrub, and I had placed so, so many of them. I loathe doing landscaping and I refuse to redo it! (I went into an earlier save and stashed the current version of their house in the library so I won't have to.)

So yeah. The whole town is wrecked. I think what I'll probably do is move them into a fresh Hidden Springs save. But these are the things that can make playing this game kinda tedious.

My save files weren't this finicky or temperamental on PC. I could usually get through 3-4 generations before anyone had to move. This playthrough, it's been at least once a generation and sometimes oftener. 64-bit really is the worst.

[dandelioncasey]

15 questions, 15 mutuals

tagged by @aspecbuddie (i never get to do these so thanks for the tag!)

1. Are you named after anyone?

Kinda wish I was, but no 😔 I did create my name out of my deadname though, so technically I guess i'm named after myself?

2. When was the last time you cried?

Well, i just got done watching yet another playthrough of What Remains of Edith Finch, so about five minutes ago

3. Do you have kids?

Don't have, don't want

4. What sports do you play/have played?

Don't play any sports anymore because my joints are buggered, but I've done basketball, netball, fencing, horseriding, archery, and probably loads more that I'm forgetting

5. Do you use sarcasm?

All the time

6. What's the first thing you notice about people?

Probably how close they are to me - my policy on personal space is that if i can hit you with my walking stick (accidentally or on purpose!) then you're standing too close lmao

7. What’s your eye color?

Brown

8. Scary movies or happy endings?

It depends honestly - I can't stand the kind of 'happy endings' that you get in romcoms (or any film with a romantic subplot, which is most of them these days!) but I also have yet to find a horror film that actually scares me (mostly they squick me at best)

9. Any talents?

Like skills or like party tricks? I can play violin, I'm very good at paperwork and pub quizzes, and I can count to ten in five languages and do the alphabet in BSL (and I can put my foot on top of my head thanks to the aforementioned buggered joints)

10. Where were you born?

Kettering! It's a town smack bang in the middle of the East Midlands (and no I am NOT from the North as one of my classmates accused me last year!)

11. What are your hobbies?

Reading fanfiction, playing the Sims and Slime Rancher, and watching so so many documentaries about the weirdest niche topics

12. Do you have any pets?

My sister has a German Shepherd who I unwillingly dogsit far too often for my liking (given that she doesn't pay me for it!), but I don't really have the energy to take care of myself let alone another living creature 😔

13. How tall are you?

177cm, so about 5'10"

14. Favourite subject in school?

This is so dumb but my school had electives which you would change every term and they took the PSHE spot on your timetable, so I can legitimately say that my favourite subject was, for one whole term, magic tricks 😂😂 but in all seriousness, probably history or sociology

15. Dream job?

Something working with children, like an LSA or a tutor - I just finished up a master's degree in developmental psychology, so something researchy which uses that would also be good!

no pressure tags (don't think I have fifteen mutuals lmao i'm just dragging these out of my notes!): @snarkymuffin @the-young-girl-of-casterly-rock @saryn-prime @i-am-unoriginal-posts @thatrandomautist @who-the-hell-even-are-you @ellie-you-idiot @emotional-water

[manonamora-if-reviews]

Pageant by Autumn Chen

============= Links

Play the game See other reviews of the game See other games by Autumn or follow her @cyberpunklesbian

============= Synopsis

Your name is Qiuyi (Karen?) Zhao, and you’ve just been signed up by your parents for a beauty pageant. You’re not ready, not even close, but you don’t have a choice. But perhaps you can make the best of it. Maybe it’s the one opportunity to create a “hook” for your college application. Maybe you can reinvent yourself, get rid your anxiety and become someone new. Or maybe you can find true love (or some approximation thereof).

============= Other Info

Pageant is a Dendry* game, first published in 2018 and completed in 2020. *Autumn is also an unofficial maintainer of the Dendry format.

Status: Completed Genre: Dating-sim, Slice-of-life, LGBT

CW: / Note: homo/trans-phobia, talks of suicide, passing out from exhaustion, anxiety.

============= Playthrough

First Played: Some time in 2022? Last Played: 27-May-2023 Playtime: around +2h(-ish) - two proper playthroughs Rating: 5 /5 Thoughts: Winning the pageant is not everything, but the journey is worth the anxiety.

============= Review

Pageant follows Qiuyi (Karen) Zhao (mentioned as Karen below), a Chinese teenager living in the US, as she navigates through school and extra-curriculars, relationships and identity, family expectations and community, and the pageant her parents signed up for. Through limited storylets choice, you can carve Karen's priorities and relationships.

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

Did I once again read the Post-Mortem before writing this? Yes. Couldn't help myself. Also this is a bit more eclectic, tried hard to put my thoughts in order, didn't workl...

Pageant was created with Dendry, a storylet narrative program, where the player get to experience linear side-stories in fragmented way. Every week, the player can pick up to three options from the storylet lists to start or continue a path. As the list is often longer than three options, the player is forced to make choices and prioritise a certain path (a recurring gameplay type in Autumn's games). This makes for great and interesting replayability!

The story start with Karen being summoned by her parents, revealing that they signed her up for a pageant, happening in three months. There is no bargaining no quitting (it's good for college apps!). In three months, Karen will be on that podium*. During that prep period, she still needs to balance school (a full AP curriculum), the Science Olympiad, doing an understudy with a college professor (also set up by your parents), having dinner with your family, going to bible study on the weekend, and etc... Doesn't this sound like too much for a high school student? And was it yet mentioned that Karen is a socially awkward mess, who has trouble making relationships, is full of anxiety and self-loathing, struggling with her identity as a Chinese teenager in the US (her used name not being her birthname, and having the option to butcher your name's pronunciation) and a closeted lesbian (or something like that says the game). *well, there is a way.

Along the way you are introduced to a handful of characters: Emily, a trans woman still in the closet, Aubrey, a girl Karen had a crush on also part of the Science Olympiad team, and Miri, Karen's only friend. There is also Karen's parents and her little brother, Kevin; Professor Chen and his grad student; the rest of the Science Olympiad Team; and the other families attending the Church. Through out the game (and your choices) you get to learn more about these characters, like how Emily deals with her family's trans/homophobia, or Miri's feelings towards you, your family's history...* The storylets really shine here, giving you crumbles here and there, forcing you to piece those back together (and forces you down a certain path to learn everything). *Even after playing multiple times, I have yet to found all variations.

And at the centre of it all, Karen, the very flawed teenager. Yet, even with her self-deprecation and anxious spirals, with the awkward way she interacts with other people, with dealing with different cultural values and expectations about her life, or with her inability to stand up to herself (partly because of her guilt of "having it easy" compared to older generations), Karen stays a character you want to root for. You want to help her win that pageant and be more sure of herself. You want her to be more confident in her identity (and get a girlfriend). You want her to find her passions (in science?) and win accolades. You want to pluck her from her stressful world, wrap her in a blanket, kiss her on her forehead, and tell her that everything will be ok.

The whole game is filled with such genuine interactions, with teenagers blurting out their deepest secrets to strangers, declaring their love to one another even after but a few meetings, being self-loathing with a self they don't recognise or don't want to be anymore but unable to leave that shell, trying to handle the stress and anxiety of the expectations of others and not being able to reach those. And those are made all the more vibrant through Karen's inability to react "properly". Faced with bad and worse choices, you get to experience that anxiety of what would happen if I say or do the wrong thing. It feels genuine, because it feels real and lived through.

As the ending came around, and you get the rundown of Karen's actions, it felt like, while winning the pageant is definitely one/the goal, the journey was much sweeter than the destination. And that's what keeps making me want to come back to it...

Some other notes:

The visual of Dendry is quite reminiscent of ChoiceScript games, with its simple and contrasting colours and choice box or its achievements list; as well as Ink games in the story/storylets parts, as the text linked to the chosen option is appended to the main body, breaking only when the storylet ends and you need to pick another one or the story needs a break. It's honestly fun to see how two program can be merged (visually) and work this way.

There's kind of a fun parallel between Pageant and Great-grandmother and the war in the way the characters of Karen and Emily are portrayed similarly to Zhang and Yan. The first is socially awkward, introverted and filled with anxiety; the second is out-going, harbouring a secret, and yearning to live their truth. But this is only obvious if you do interact with Emily in this game.

[beyondthetower]

"People you'd like to know better" tag game!

My lovely friend @sun-marie tagged me and I love games yay!

three ships: 

(Yes these are all the same game. I know I've shipped plenty of things in the past but none of it feels like it hit quite as hard as this stupid game)

Felix/Annette (FE3H): These two are genuinely changed my brain chemistry. It was the ship that brought me into the FE3H fandom, it was the ship that got me writing fan fiction again. It was the ship that gave me so many wonderful mutuals in this space and I love them for it! They are the perfect grump/sunshine ship, but they also have so much genuine connection that I feel like they were just written for each other. I love Annette bringing out the softness in Felix, and I love Felix being so head over heels for Annette that he has no idea what it is or how to deal with it.

Sylvain/Ingrid (FE3H): My perfect angsty pair 💕 This one fell into place so naturally for me that I genuinely can't see either of them with anyone else. And I've tried because there are fun options! I know there's a lot of baggage there, but I genuinely feel like Sylvain has just been in love with Ingrid for his entire life even when she was engaged. And I also have a lot of feelings about that but I'd be rambling. But what can I say! I am a sucker for childhood friends to lovers! I'm a sucker for Sylvain wanting to be a better person and feeling guilty about what he put her through cleaning up after his shit! I'm a sucker for him being a bumbling idiot around people he's crushing on!

Ashe/Marianne (FE3H): Two fairytale princesses that deserve their happy ending✨ I think I've said it before, but I started shipping these two by accident when I was writing a set of one-shots. I needed someone to pair with Ashe and no one had really jumped out at me my first playthrough. When I looked up a list of his supports I was like "oh I like Marianne, maybe that would be cute". And now here we are: five chapters into a love-letter to their gentle, loving relationship that has spiraled into a character study on Ashe with plans for a sequel that will go further into Marianne's backstory. Someone help 🙃

last film :

I weirdly haven't watched a single movie in over a year, but last week I got a sudden urge and watched three. The last one was Pride & Prejudice (2005). Like a true fan-fiction obsessed girly. It was great.

currently watching :

Sims 4 youtube videos. More specifically a Plumbella video where she plays only the highest rated packs. If there's one thing about me it's that I love watching other people play video games ✌️

currently reading :

"25 Icelandic Ghost Stories" by Jón R. Hjálmarsson. My friend brought it back for me from her trip there. I love ghost stories! And anything folklore related.

currently consuming :

Honestly....nothing 😳 I've been in a lull lately where I'm not playing anything, not really writing much and not watching anything of note.

currently craving :

Harvest Moon Tree of Tranquility - For the last year all I've wanted in the whole world is to play it again. My Wii hasn't worked in years so that's out but I WANT TO PLAY IT SO BADLY.

Also I want a donut from a very specific bakery near me.

I shall tag @pathetic-gamer and @sevarix-blogs if you are at all interested in playing too :)

[alexplayssimsnstuff]

so, I came with some theories about TS2/3 lore...

You think Mathilde could be Bella's and Skip Broke's daughter? I always link their 'deaths'...

On the other hand, I think Dina had a baby with Mortimer: Gloria Goth, the maid from Isla Paradiso. Gloria is an hispanic name (like the paternal branch of the Calientes) and she's a gold digger just like Dina

And about Mortimer... I'm starting to think that he and Michael travelled in time when Morty just became a young adult or even when he was a teen. They travelled to the future (like years after TS2) with their first invention, the PlasmaPunch Gyroscopic Conductor. If you use it in TS3, your sim will discover that Bella Goth will become the empress of all aliens, who live in ruined cities. When playing, this adventure always end with "(Sim name) found themselves in a crystal and gem paradise where they saw a fleeting reflection of Bella Goth as the dimensional gate faded away. That last glimpse that they saw will always remind them that Bella is still out there...somewhere."

So I think that Morty, even if he loved Bella at the beginning, was deeply changed after discover this and dedicated his life to fulfill some kind of role. Also, this time travel would explain the mismatch of Mortimer's and Michael's ages with Bella in later games.

Any thoughts about these crazy ideas I came when I should be studying? hahaha

“You think Mathilde could be Bella’s and Skip Broke’s daughter? I always link their ‘deaths’…”

It’s an interesting thought, but I doubt it for a few reasons.

For one, it doesn’t really match up with the given timeline. And there’s just a whole other can of worms with the Broke Family. There’s a giant discrepancy between the scrapbook memory screenshots and the actual memories that Brandi and Dustin have—for example, according to the scrapbook, Skip was there for the birth of Beau, however, according to the memories, he was dead by then? And furthermore, it says that Dustin was a teen at the time of Beau’s birth. Which is contrary to Dustin and Brandi’s memories—according to their memories, Skip died BEFORE Beau was born, and Dustin was still a child when Beau was born.

Either way, Skip’s been dead for a while. Beau ages up to a child the night that you start their household, so he’s been dead for at least ten sim days, where as Bella has only been missing for seven. This is important because Bella is newly pregnant and likely not even aware that she is pregnant when she’s abducted—as in within the last twenty-four hours. Given the obvious math that ten days minus seven days is more than one day, I don’t think she is. I’m fairly confident that she’s Mortimer’s child, as well. Fun fact: if you bring her back with the tombstone of life and death and make her pregnant with Mortimer’s child, she ALWAYS gives birth to a girl. Every single time.

“On the other hand, I think Dina had a baby with Mortimer: Gloria Goth, the maid from Isla Paradiso. Gloria is a Hispanic name (like the paternal branch of the Caliente’s), and she’s a gold digger just like Dina.”

I actually think you might be onto something with this one—with the disclaimer that I have never owned Island Paradise and have no experience with Isla Paradiso, nor do I have any idea where on the timeline Isla Paradiso is (each world in the Sims 3 is on its own place in the timeline, it’s Sunset Valley, the world that came with the base game, that establishes the 25 years before Sims 1 precedent.)  She certainly looks like Dina. In my current Pleasantview playthrough, Dina and Mortimer did have a daughter, but I named her Noel.

“And about Mortimer…I’m starting to think that he and Michael travelled in time when Morty just became a young adult or even when he was a teen…”

No. Cool thought, but no.

For one, Mortimer’s claim to fame is the age reversal serum, Cassandra’s the most likely candidate to bring time travel into the game.

For another, the Plasmapunch isn’t a time machine. According to the description, it reads:

“Jummp in and hold on tight because this may be the ride of your life. Like its predecessor, the Electro Dance Sphere, the PPGC harnesses the power of a thermofusion cell that is strong enough to generate an Einstein-Rosen Bridge. It’s really out of this world!”

The key words here are “Einstein-Rosen bridge.”

The Einstein-Rosen bridge is not about time travel, but rather, deep space travel. Hence the last sentence, “it’s really out of this world!”

TLDR, Einstein-Rosen bridges are wormholes, and that a black hole’s surface works as a bridge that connects to a different patch in space—the density of a black hole is the accumulation of all the mass between the two patches occurring in one spot. Yes, there is the concept of how time would pass in a wormhole, but time travel via wormhole would be like eating soup with a fork—you could do it, but it takes more effort than is really necessary with the proper tools.

Which means that when your sim gets that rabbithole text prompt, they’re not seeing the future, they’re seeing another place entirely on the other side of the universe. Which means that the empress of the aliens looks like a fully grown, Sims 2 Bella Goth. I’m not exactly sure when Starlight Shores takes place, but if it takes place the same time as Sunset Valley, then it’s impossible that it’s actually her. Meaning that the aliens could have targeted Bella in the Sims 2 because of her resemblance to their empress.

“Zelda Mae and Dustin Langerak are Mary-Sue Pleasant’s birth parents, and Kaylynn is her sister.”

I honestly have no knowledge of the Langeraks, or the Sims 3 Oldie’s (I ALWAYS placed them in Pleasantview in 2, though.) So I can’t comment on that one.

[doubledash7]

The Sims 2: Uberhood Playthrough - Round 1 (Lothario/Caliente)

We are back with the Lothario and Caliente household this week! In my game they start off together in one household, so we'll get to see how they ended up together and a bit more of Bella's abduction story. I feel like this is a big part, so settle in and let's get into it!

Don made a name for himself shortly after moving to Pleasantview, but not for his charity or for being a good neighbour. He lived up to his name, breaking girls hearts across town. But there was one girl who managed to see the man beneath the name. Nina and Don grew up together in Riverview before Nina's mother died and she moved to the city with her father and sister, Dina. They stayed in touch though, and their bond was a special one.

Don was very excited to hear from Nina when she told him she would also be moving to Pleasantview after the death of her brother in-law, Michael. Dina had suggested moving closer to Michael's family and it meant Don and Nina could also be closer together too. Don was more than happy to have both of them over the night the moved in, and he found himself attracted to Dina. She had certainly changed since he last saw her and the Don that the town knew had just seen his next conquest. Unfortunately, Nina had also seen it.

While Dina seemed like a worthy trophy, Don first needed to finish his current project: Bella Goth. He had been seeing her as friend for some time now, sensing some trouble in her marriage that he could exploit. Although this night would change Don's life forever. All he remembers from it is a bright light, Bella screaming, and then she was gone! Don could not explain it, and was even heavily questioned by the police. It did not look good for Don, until an unlikely ally stepped in...

Enter Dina. Before he knew it, the police cleared Don of any suspicion thanks the statement of his new neighbour. Don couldn't believe it. He still felt bad that something had happened to Bella, but now he had more pressing matters on his mind. He had to find out why Dina vouched for him. Attending her house, he found her alone. Dina explained to him that she saw Bella leave his condo that night. Don was very confused. He had so many questions. Did she see the bright light? Why did she see what happened to Bella and he has no recollection? It seems that Dina was not one for questions though, pulling him into a passionate embrace. Dina quickly turned on him though, letting him know that Nina would be heartbroken and never want to see him again if she knew they kissed. Dina also reminded Don that it is because of her he is not in jail, and to remember that should she ever come to him for help. Don could not believe what he was hearing, but his fear made him her slave.

It was a few years before Dina called on Don for a favour. She wanted him to keep Cassandra Goth distracted from her father's life. Don had noticed that Dina had dug her claws into him. Despite Mortimer's on feelings towards him, Don felt sorry for the poor guy, having no idea what kind of woman he was with. Don did as he was asked and shocked everyone by not only starting a relationship with Cassandra, but proposing marriage as well (Dina's suggestion of course!). On the day of the wedding, Don's conscience got the better of him, and he realised this has gone too far. He didn't care about Dina, and ditched Cassandra at the altar. Surprisingly, he was never questioned by Dina. He ended up going to meet her instead, and he was shocked to see that she seemed...scared. Maybe someone gave her a taste of her own medicine for a change. Don felt more free than he had for years. No longer under Dina's thumb, he could get back to dating. Unfortunately for him, Nina had some surprising news....

But before that, we need some background on the lovely Caliente twins! Their parents, Flamenco and Nighat, had struggled for years to start their family. They had nearly given up when Nighat finally fell pregnant. It was a risky pregnancy given her age, but she welcomed Dina and Nina into the world.

Both girls were adored by their parents and treated equally, however, Dina often missed the attention from her father, as he worked long hours. Dina craved attention, and what she got was never enough for her, believing no one truly loved her. It only got worse when Nighat passed way when the girls were eight years old from illness. Flamenco moved them to the city and they were often left in the care of a nanny while he worked. Nina was always able to adapt, but Dina was not so lucky. Trying to find acceptance, Dina fell in with the wrong crowd, and soon her harmless petty theft turned into a career.

One of her targets became Michael Bachelor. A wealthy businessman, Michael had never been married, leaving a lot of time for work. Dina was ordered by her boss, Bert Alto, to marry Michael for the money, with further instructions to come. Further instructions? Surely she was just marrying him until she could score his fortune. They were together for a just a few months, and Dina developed genuine feelings for Michael. Dina had finally found what she had been looking for all these years. Unfortunately, Dina's boss finally decided to share the reason he wanted her to marry Michael: to get close to Mortimer Goth. Mortimer was Michael's lifelong best friend. Mortimer was working on a scientific breakthrough, and it would be worth millions! Dina could not believe it. She had everything she wanted, and it was all based on a lie, and this lie was going to hurt those she cared about. Dina decided then and there that she was out. She could no longer lead a double life and wanted to become a better Sim. Dina was going to tell Michael the truth.

Dina told Michael everything: Her life of crime, the plot to marry him for his money and finally the end goal of scoring Mortimer Goth's scientific discovery to profit off of it. Michael seemed shocked and hurt, but promised he would help her put an end to it. Bert found out about Dina's plans, and decided to send a message. He sent one of his goons to the apartment Dina and Michael shared with Nina. Michael was unfortunate enough to come across him and was killed. Bert advised Dina that she would always be under his employment and there was no way she could ever leave. If she ever pulled a stunt like this again, Nina would be next. Dina was devastated, but this act of violence only made her determination stronger. She would find a way to outsmart Bert and bring him and his organisation down for what they had done.

Bert decided to use Michael's death as an excuse for Dina to move to Pleasantview and start getting close to Mortimer Goth. There was another obstacle to overcome though: Bella Goth. Bert told Dina that he had a plan to "remove" her. It turns out that Bert knew of Dina's unusual ancestry. Dina and Nina's paternal grandfather was abducted by aliens and ended up pregnant with Flamenco. He had some connections with other aliens and they could remove Bella completely (they couldn't follow through though and just placed her somewhere "strange"). All Dina had to do was ensure that the fall guy, Don, was well protected so that no further investigation would take place.

And so Dina carried out the plan. She had not found a way to escape Bert's employment yet, so she had no choice, if she wanted to protect Nina. It all went off without a hitch, and Dina was then able to comfort a grieving Mortimer. The situation got worse though, when other witnesses to Bella's disappearance, Skip Broke and Darleen Dreamer (who both saw Bella that night), died in mysterious circumstances. Dina knew she had to act and thought that maybe Mortimer would be able to help her, and she was very shocked to find out that he let her get close to him! He knew all along that someone was after his life's work, and with Michael's death and Bella's disappearance, he was able to work out that Dina's intentions were not genuine. Despite this, he wanted to help her. Mortimer and Dina worked with the authorities following Don leaving Cassandra at the altar, and they were able to expose the truth, even finding and freeing Bella in the process.

The entire time Dina and Mortimer were working to expose the truth behind Bella's disappearance, Nina had some shocking news for Don. She was pregnant. As the news was spreading around town that Bella was alive, Nina was screaming in pain as she had gone into labor. Luckily for her, Don was by her side. They had decided to live and raise the baby together. Nina had grown to know what kind of man Don was. Despite her own want to be with him as partners in life, she knew this would be unlikely to happen.

Little Diego Lothario was soon born! With all the drama going on in Pleasantview, he was a welcome distraction. Nina was very upset that Dina could not see her new nephew. At this point in time, Dina was in custody for her own protection. Dina eventually met Diego just before his first birthday, before moving away from Pleasantview for good.

Things soon returned to normal. Don recovered quickly and was soon picking up girls at the bar. This one should look familiar. Daniel has already made Vicki a conquest. Will she be seduced by Don too?

While not related to Don, Gabriel Green from Belladonna Cove was visiting and decided to sit in the hot tub in a thunderstorm. Let's hope he doesn't do that again!

While Don settled back into his Casanova lifestyle, Nina spent her maternity leave cleaning up after him. Don sure is a slob! Half the bathroom floor is covered in water.

Nina really needed a decent meal after all that cleaning. Too bad though, as her cooking skill isn't that great!

Since she burnt dinner, Nina decided that they would have birthday cake instead. It was already time for Diego to grow up to a toddler.

Diego has a very strong personality! Very neat, outgoing, active and playful. Too bad he is not that nice. A Pisces means that he will end up as Knowledge sim, which seems strange given his parents are Romance and Pleasure.

Don was very happy to get started on Diego's skill training right away, even rolling a few wants in that regard. I always find it strange when Romance sims roll Family related wants.

Beforte bed, Diego was playing with the Jack in the Box, and I was hoping to get a screenshot of his fear when it popped out. Instead, this was my first time seeing this reaction.

Don managed to invite Vicki out for a date. He picked her up in his car and took her to the One-Twenty-Five Café. This is Don's least favourite part of the date: talking and listening.

Still, he knows he has to put in the effort. The date was a dream date! Unfortunately, it ended rather abruptly as when he invited her home, she decided then to say it was late and she should be getting home. Poor Don was expecting a different ending to the evening.

Nina even got lucky when Joe Lee walked past while she was playing with Diego out the front with the butterflies. They had a nice conversation and made plans to meet up again soon.

It was then time for a ROS roll. Number 1! This one affected their computer, TV and both stereo's. What will their visitors keep turning on now??

Before the ROS came into effect, Don and Nina actually had some "friends" over for dinner. Vicki and Shea joined them in the hot tub after dinner and Shea was a little too comfortable. The girls didn't seem to mind, but it looks like Don is a bit put out by the nude Sim next to him.

The ROS took effect overnight. Don decided to try and repair the TV himself. Despite his low skill, he was actually successful.

Another birthday party! This time for Diego to grow up to a child. Dina decided to travel back to town for the party. Brandi sure is shocked to see her. Parker Langerak (another Romance sim), is probably hoping she is single!

Dina moved to Belladonna Cover after leaving Pleasantview. She soon met and married Geoff Rutherford. He is loaded with cash, but Dina married for the right reasons this time. Love is what supports this adorable couple. Geoff was even able to take on Dina's son, Cameron. Whoops! I think I missed that earlier, didn't I? You see, before Michael died, Dina found out she was pregnant. Seeing what Bert was willing to do to, Dina knew her child was in danger. She managed to hide the pregnancy and once she gave birth, she gave the baby to her father, and faked her father's death. Only her uncle, Tango, knew of this plan. Once Bert's crimes were brought out in the open, Flamenco was able to return with Cameron. The family also uncovered that Nighat was in fact, alive as well. Nighat was part of the same organisation that Bert ran and she was actually working with the authorities to expose him. While Nighat was indeed dying, Bert was able to provide doctors who could save her, if she faked her death and became his prisoner. She agreed, and had to watch as Dina fell down the same path as her. Flamenco and Nighat were reunited and moved back to Riverview. Anyway, back to the party!

Vicki and Kaylynn Langerak also came along to the party. There was definitely potential for some ACR. Dina and Don, Dina and Parker, Kaylynn and Don, Nina and Parker. I'm getting dizzy!

Diego grew up into a cutie! I wasn't a fan of the man bun, but I think he looks good with it, so he'll keep it for now!

And with that, another household has completed round one. I hope you enjoyed this post. It is one of my favourite households because of the involved backstory for the Lothario's and Caliente's.