#i feel nostalgic about my art from last year :(

[atsuusaan]

wellll i can’t believe i drew this exactly a year ago, still looks fresh tbh

°.🌀🍤☆°.

[moosegbt]

Happy one year anniversary to my Over the Garden Wall VHS tape project!

I made it in both orange and black. I like black more, but orange really feels more in the spirit of the season. I used the shell from a VHS copy of the Rugrats movie.

I made the box art using various screenshots from the show, as well as some promo art. The description was taken from the DVD release, and the description title “will you take a peek?” was the tagline during the promotion of the show.

The back also has a fun little easter egg: the barcode is for candy corn!

What’s more is the tape has a special cut of the series that I made myself. I cropped every single scene in every single episode to make sure it naturally fit in a 4:3 aspect ratio, and I edited the episodes together to flow as if it were one movie (the pacing is a little like Babe). Additionally, I added trailers for movies that give me the same nostalgic vibes (The Last Unicorn, Princess Mononoke, Steven Universe: The Movie, and The Iron Giant). I also added the Warner Brothers and Cartoon Network title cards.

I printed this cut into the tape by integrating a VCR into my PC setup. If you want to see more about this project, I have a few videos about it on my TikTok @MooseGBT, or you can check out the main one right here!

The video has an earlier version of the tape, which is why the actual tape doesn’t have a real label (it’s kind of just a piece of paper slapped on upside down with tape). The content on the tape, however, is the same.

This was a really fun project, and I’ve already started working on a VHS cut of Scott Pilgrim vs The World, Steven Universe: The Movie, the Star Wars Sequel trilogy (I have 1-6 on VHS, and I also want 7-9), and the other Star Wars movies (the Christmas Special, the Clone Wars, Solo, Kenobi, and Rogue One). I also have plans to begin editing and printing the FNAF movie, the spiderverse trilogy (once ATSV pt 2 comes out), and Don’t Hug me I’m Scared.

[zarla-s]

We move forward, 'cause we can't go back...

It's the EIGHTH anniversary of Handplates, and the first one after I finished the comic back in July! I decided to dig up a very old wip that I never finished and finally do it. I've always loved WeMoveForward by The Midnight, and I think it applies not only to the comic itself but also this period after it... there's no way to go back to when I was doing it, only moving forward after it's done.

Even more appropriately, since I did this wip, these characters all moved forward even further... even as this sat in my files, they moved forward, in a sense. I don't know, the song gives me a sort of plaintive, longing, bittersweet feeling... it's hard to explain.

I had a very insistent voice in my head that always made me do a Handplates page over the years I was working on it, no matter what happened. I wasn't sure if that voice would ever stop, even when it's done, but it has! It's gotten quieter now, mostly only nagging me about other projects I should be working on (Defrag, the Ace Attorney/Frozen fic, web design, fic ideas, art ideas...) whenever I'm doing something, much like it did before I started the comic.

How I feel about Handplates finishing though is strange. At times it doesn't feel like it's over, even if I don't feel like I need to do another page. At other times I get sad thinking about it and I miss it, and other times I look back on it with amazement that I was able to do it. Sometimes I look back on it and think about what was happening in my life at that time, and sometimes when I look at it it's unreal and it's hard to believe I even did it, like someone else did the whole thing. It's like it's there but it's not, it's present but it isn't. It's a very strange feeling, it's hard to describe or pin down. I know it'll always be with me in some way, but it is strange to be able to focus so much attention on other things without that feeling of having to set aside a few days to do a page every two weeks... not bad or anything, but I'm not used to it still.

I don't know! When I read the comments on the last page a lot of them made me cry, especially those talking about how the comic had been their childhood, and now their childhood is over. It was sad to think that I had a part in something like that ending... but it ends for everyone, no matter what you do. We, you and me, everyone... we move forward, 'cause we can't go back. That line was so evocative for me that I even used it as a chapter title for the penultimate chapter on Comicfury.

I don't know, just nostalgic thoughts! I don't know if that's the right word for it... but thank you to all of you who read it and enjoyed it. Even now I hear from new people coming to it and reading through it again now that it's done. Even if it's finished, it's still new to people just finding it. It's still "living" in a sense. And thanks to those of you who stuck around even though it's done, I appreciate it. |D

(As a note, the Gaster ukagaka has a surprise if you boot him on the anniversary after seeing the brothers, if you haven't done that)

[index] [patreon]

[non-un-topo]

30, 11, and 10 for the artist ask!!! 💕

Beloved Apple, thank you for the ask!! <3

From this ask game:

(10 answered here!)

11. Do you listen to anything while drawing? If so, what

I have a number of songs I just listen to every day for like... a year fhgdg, but certain drawings call for a certain song mood. I'm a huge fan of Of Monsters and Men (and one of my go-to queer quartet songs is forever King and Lionheart). Florence and the Machine is a huge one, and I've also been listening to The Oh Hello's album Dear Wormwood obsessively for the past month.

If I'm drawing something dramatic, I usually listen to something classical, opera (like usually Dvorak, Puccini), and soundtracks! Got a lot of mileage out of the Kingdom of Heaven and LOTR soundtracks, and some Celtic music. I'm also trying to get into folk metal and am open to suggestions!!

30. What piece of yours do you think is underrated

I wouldn't say underrated because of the notes, but I'm very sentimental about this one, "work interruptions". It's going to be a year old and I drew it right about when I started to feel comfortable with digital art, so I'm very fond of the scribbly-ness of it fdsgfh. Also their cute little faces. I miss my freehand stuff. ;_;

[thesummerestsolstice]

My Headcanon Crafts for the House of Feanor:

Nerdanel: a sculptor; about the best in all of Valinor. Many of her early sculptures were praised, but also seen as a bit strange because they looked so real, but no one could identify any model they'd been based off of. Later, it would be recognized that she'd sculpted several of her own children, long before they were born.

Maedhros: an actor. Back in Valinor, he often played romantic leads in comedies and tragedies alike. He was very dramatic back in the years of trees, but got more subdued in Middle-Earth for... obvious reasons. A few of the posters for plays he was in made their way to Middle-Earth and got passed around Himring like contraband.

Maglor: a bard. While he often composed his own songs, he was also one of those charged with memorizing the old oral history of the Quendi– the elven equivalent of like, being able to memorize and recite the Iliad. Much of this early Elvish history was almost lost by the end of the First Age, and Maglor attempted to preserve it by writing it down. Eventually, those books ended up saved in Rivendell's library.

Celegorm: a hunter in Orome's train. Was famous for his ability to hit quickly moving targets through the thick forests of Valinor, even when mounted. He also enjoyed making various things out of the pelts, teeth, claws, and antlers of his kills. He's made very nice fur coats for several of his siblings and cousins.

Caranthir: a fiber artist; mostly focusing on weaving and embroidery. He's not sure whether to feel flattered or vaguely worried by all the Miriel comparisons. He insisted on making most of his family's formal clothing because all of Feanor's kids can get at least a little craft-related hubris. As a treat.

Curufin: a smith. His father was most famous for his jewelry, but Curufin would come to be known mostly for his weapons. They were so reliable that many of them lasted until the Third Age. There are rumors he poured some of his soul into the weapons he made for his brothers. But those are only rumors.

Amras & Amrod: painters. They specialized in incredibly detailed landscape paintings. I say "they" because all their works were done together; Amrod would make the sketch and darker linework and Amras would add the colors and shading. Their work was often very nostalgic and peaceful, with bright watercolors and gentle shadows.

Bonus! Feanor saved a lot of his kids' work from when they were really young and just starting their crafts. It's all what you'd expect from a small child's art, but Feanor still acts like they're masterpieces. His kids all think it's super embarrassing but he's really proud of them.

Headcanons for Finwe and his Children, the House of Fingolfin, the House of Finarfin, and the rest of the House of Finwe. Thanks for asking about Finwe's grandkids @hyperlexia-1 :)

[black-lake]

astro observations 8

though most of us think we've learned everything about our own chart, yea we’ve seen it countless times, yet we're always learning new things because we go through experiences that activate and awaken certain parts we either forgot about or overlooked. I shared many of my personal experiences in this post of things I realized later or thought were insignificant.

——

🎻 People with capricorn placements tend to be remembered fondly after their death. The type of artists that listening to their music takes you to a different era and makes you feel nostalgic to a time period you never existed in. They also can easily bring old trends, styles or music genres back to life. Signs that are also remembered after death are aquarius and pisces. I always notice it with those last three signs or degrees of these signs.

🎻 It is said that the moon matures at 24°, so I got a degree observation with that. If you have it at 24° or close to it, 23° or 22°, you may feel like you've experienced the full spectrum of emotions and matured so much in your early 20s. In your childhood and teenage years, you may remember dealing with emotions immaturely, possibly acting out with the negative traits of the moon sign. At 24, you feel more aware and in control of your emotions, like you ended a cycle. Your emotional intelligence becomes evident. The emotional world of these natives is almost entirely internal. They do best when they can deal with their emotions in solitude. They're seen as detached no matter how open they get. They keep people guessing what they're feeling and they tend to have a wise aura.

🎻 With moon at degrees from 25° to 29°, natives may feel like they need to share their emotions with either someone close or the world in general, or even through a hobby they have. They may want to be vocal and expressive about how they feel. They tend to be relatable and make others feel heard through just expressing themselves and being open. They may also experience some heartbreaks, making them stronger, braver and and more willing to share how they feel. 

🎻 Moon at degrees from 0° to 21° tend to resonate very much with the sign of their moon degree. They might even be mistaken as having their moon in the the sign of that degree. They're seen as energetic and youthful. They often go through trials and errors in testing their emotional depth. They may have been adventurous growing up, experimenting with things and testing where they feel safest and most secure. They may cling into things, and can be codependent on others. They learn how to develop a sense of detachment as they reach their 20s.

^ if you have your moon at 0° to 21°, which I'm least familiar with cuz I don't meet many ppl with these degrees, please do tell me how it resonates with you and your experience with your moon.

🎻 I noticed that most iconic artists have significant uranus or neptune aspects in their chart, conjunction and oppositions with personal planets in particular. I associate these two planets with artistic abilities and talents. Both give visionary minds and expand the imagination. They are outer and generational planets, so whatever art these ppl create is impactful and undeniably timeless. 

🎻 Your first love or just the person you first felt really intimately connected to may have placements or degrees of the sign of your 8th house. I have an 8th house in capricorn and my first love had a cap sun and stellium and an aqua stellium. 

🎻 In my experience the 8th house is more important in relationships than the 7th. To me the 7th is about connections in general. Even though I have sag in the 7th and pluto right there, I obvs anticipated a significant relationship with a sag or something but it never happened lol. I end up having a casual and lighthearted connection with them, the traits they embody compliments my rising and it's an easy going connection that stays in the friend zone. Not with cap men, even if I want to be friends with them, there's tension that either drifts us apart fearing the friendship or it instantly develops to an intense relationship. It's because my 8th house is in capricorn, and my pluto and mars are both at 10°. So check the degrees too.

🎻 For the longest time I resonated with being way more plutonian than saturnian, because I don't have any capricorn placements or significant saturn aspects, but so many obvious plutonian aspects. But once saturn hit the highest point in my chart, conjuncting my mc, I realized how much this planet affected my life all along and I was oblivious. For instance, I have so many capricorn degrees and sun in the 10th. I was overlooking that I have capricorn in the 8th and 9th, which means saturn rules both houses, and it rules the 10th too since it's in aquarius plus at 22°. I also have a stellium in the 11th with saturn right at the cusp there, so it even influences the the house that is most active in my chart. Can't wait for saturn 11th transit 💀

🎻 Speaking of that, if you have sun in the 10th house, you probably try hard not to look or sound arrogant because people tend to think you're confident even if you're not. Whenever you speak people listen and others may hate on you for thinking you're better than them and you don't even know them lol. It's so hard to make friends with this but I don't hate it, because it gives me the strategic ways to be persuasive and get my way with authority figures. May apply to leo in the 10th or people with cap/leo mix (I bet y'all were called arrogant at least once lol).

🎻 As someone that is very influenced by pluto (square sun, trine venus, semi-sextile mars, conjunct chiron, opposite ascendant, quintile mc), I painfully understand how plutonians feel like their struggles are never rewarded, at least not the reward they anticipated. Yknow with saturn you go through hardship you learn this and that and you get tangible fucking results that you can fucking see. With pluto what is it again? your inner strength and eventual realization of "ta-daaa you went through it, you thought you couldn’t.. that's the reward". Plutonians out there waiting to be truly happy, truly loved, truly effing rich 💀 and get a damn break. 

🎻 Another aspect I overlooked was mars opposite saturn, just because I have it at 10°, but I experienced every single thing related to this aspect. I feel like I learned so much about it the hard way and I wanted to do a post sharing what I learned with people that got mars-saturn harsh aspects. If you have it, your flow of energy may be a little off, not knowing when to STOP doing a task and when to start again. Being stubborn with your work wanting it to be done instantly and perfectly like your body is some type of machine taking orders, but saturn will put obstacles in your way until you learn patience and contentment. Can be harder to deal with if mars is in a fixed or cardinal sign.

🎻 With mars-saturn harsh aspects, you may feel the urge to act on your martian qualities but if you disregard what saturn is there for, you'll find yourself back at square one. It's about listening to your body and not ignoring your physical and mental exhaustions. Taking short breaks and organizing your time instead of giving up all together in rage. You're not running out of time if you do so, in fact pushing through too hard is what's a waste of time. It's not a wise use of energy because your work won't be as efficient and your perfectionist ass will redo it. If there's an absence of a healthy work-life balance, these natives can internalize a tremendous amount of anger that can be detrimental to their health. 

🎻 I always laugh at capricorns saying that capricorn is a cursed sign because it's so true but also absolutely untrue at the same time. 💀 These natives need to understand certain life patterns, qualities and duties that once figured out unlocks so much success and tangible results that are long lasting. Cap placements especially sun and stelliums give me the sense that they inherited some of their ancestors qualities, if you believe in that, but they go through some hardships with the patterns that come with these qualities. They have a choice to cut the patterns that don't serve them, whether in behaviors or ways of thinking and utilise what they already have with persistence and strategy. 

🎻 Well it's march already, who's excited for a little pluto break? It's finally leaving capricorn and entering aquarius on the 23rd and I can't wait tbh. It's like a more intense uranus in aquarius transit, yes we will see a new sense of freedom, some drastic changes, and some said authentic people popping up, new sources of income, new values that aren't necessarily money related, systems that aren't as controlling, maybe new communities or apps on the internet that are annoyingly trendy. But with pluto we will see the shadow side of all of that, so buckle up and get ready lol. It's a gradual change tho I don't expect much to happen this year, but we can always be shocked. Also side thought, if your kids are gonna have pluto in aquarius they may be even brattier and harder to control than pluto sag gen. 

[crescencestudio]

2023: A Year of Connection

Hi everyone!

As I told you last month, this month's "devlog" will be more like an end-of-year recap. For those of you who have known me a while, you'll know that I get ~in my feels~ and Very Nostalgic at the end of the year. And this year is no exception to that.

Looking back on this year, I realize I did much more than I thought I did. The year was filled with so many waves of uncertainty, burnout, and ruts, that I felt like I wasn't accomplishing anything in the moment. Now that the year has actually wrapped up, I can see that was Once Again my imposter syndrome whispering words of sweet nothings into my ears.

In fact, this year, I find that I did Way More than what I did last year. Crazy, considering how busy I remember 2022 being. Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we?

Writing

If there is one thing this bitch did, it's fucking write LFMASODIJ. For all my complaining this year of routes taking too long, getting creative ruts, etc., I still wrote (what I consider) a Very Good amount. While I may not have hit my writing goals that I had set out, I still ended up writing around 255k words in total this year. Most of this being for Alaris, and some of it being for my dissertation (LOL) and other side games, like Intertwine and Jam Games.

This number also doesn't include deleted passages, edited passages, etc., so the amount I've spent writing, reviewing, etc. was Significant this year. Here's to hoping that momentum continues into next year and finishing the rest of Alaris!

Side Games

Something completely unexpected, but that I'll forever be grateful for, was my decision(s) to join game jams this year. It all started with Otojam, a visual novel jam I'd wanted to join for a WHILE.

Intertwine was, without a doubt, one of my most memorable moments from this year. The friends I made/grew closer to during that jam. The people I connected with because of Intertwine. The people I got to work with. Everything about the experience surpassed my expectations, and Van and Summer 2023 will always hold a very special place in my heart because of it. Thank you to everyone who enjoyed that game. It was my first full game I ever released, and I couldn't have been more nervous about it (no literally. I wasn't sleeping and I was nauseous for a week before release).

Knowing there was no "revision" afterwards that I could hide behind or promise that there would be a "better"/"enhanced" version made the release terrifying. But the reception you all gave to it and support from so many friends made me feel so connected and grateful for the community.

The other three side projects were... well, Unexpected. LOL. Before these jams, I'd never wanted to work in team settings, mostly because I have Mad Imposter Syndrome, and I've always imagined I'd be dead weight in any given game dev team. My skills on writing, art, and/or coding alone aren't "exemplary" enough for me to think I, well, deserve to be on a team. But when a couple of short jams were being held by a friend, and teams were being made filled with other friends, I thought maybe I could help, even if it's just to QA/playtest. But I've walked away from each of these experiences learning so much from other talented people and with very dear friends.

Each of these side games truly tested my chops in terms of writing, narrative design, and coding. But I'm glad I challenged myself to take part in each of these experiences because I've walked away with so much more than I would've expected.

Alaris

My Heart. My Soul. And at times, My Worst Enemy.

As much as I may have talked about how I Wasn't making progress on this baby. I, in fact, made A LOT of progress:

Art: 15 CGs, Updated Sprites, Kickstarter Artwork

Commissions: 20 BGs, Complete GUI, Personality/Affection Indicators, Editing, Voice Acted Lines, Complete OST (8 Tracks!)

Writing: Three Finished Routes

Shipped Kickstarter Merchandise

I'm going to be Real with you all. I'm not in the mood to recap everything for Alaris in the way I did with everything else LAFKMSDFOIJWOEI. Main reason being, I do that Every Month, and at this point, I would feel like I'm repeating myself for no reason. But let me tell you, when the Enhanced Demo comes out, you will see what I'm talking about with progress made. And I'm excited for the next year when I start getting to show things off (read: Demo Release and Route Beta Releases) now that assets have really come together ^^

I will say, thank you for sticking with this project for so long. It's easy to get bogged down in development when a project like this is as big as it is. It's just as easy to think that no one will care about this by the time I release, or people will start losing their patience with me as development goes on. So I'm forever grateful for how kind, supportive, and patient you all are, especially this year <3

Connections: The True Theme of 2023

If you've made it this far, I'm extremely impressed with you. And to reward you, I'll give you a moment of honesty and vulnerability which, to be frank, I Don't Do as a person and especially with my dev persona LMFAOO ((Before I do, let it be known, CW: mention of death, grief, alcoholism, chronic illness, suicidal thoughts))

Something I don't talk about much is that for all of 2022 and most of 2023, I was not in a good place mentally. At the beginning of 2022, I lost three very important people in my life back-to-back (I'm not exaggerating when I say back-to-back it was within 2 weeks, three separate deaths lol). That, on its own, was hard to deal with. But on top of that, I soon found myself having to cope/help with a family member's chronic illness and another family member's mental health (read: alcoholism, suicidality).

While this isn't a particularly unique situation, it was one that I found myself struggling with pretty severely on top of a pretty demanding work life. And it was a situation I found myself in until about midway through this year. Things have lightened up. I navigate a new life with some pretty severe triggers, and without the presence of some of my most loved ones. But overall, I at least feel like I can breathe and function, which is a state I didn't feel like I could exist in for over a year (and started to believe I may never exist in again).

Because of this new room in my life, I was able to connect with people again, in a more genuine way. I've grown closer to a lot of dev friends, to the point I consider some of them genuine close friends. And IRL, I've been able to reconnect with some of my dearest loved ones. The main reason I bring all of this up is because this year, I felt unbelievably connected to people, whether that was dev friends in the community, people who support my games, and IRL people.

And sometimes, when you interact with people solely online, it's easy to think they don't care as much about you as you do for them. But this has been disproven to me time and time again this year. And I've found myself in a state of appreciation for so many of the people I've been blessed to meet and befriend <3 I felt this especially so during some of the game jams, with the Secret Santa gift exchange, and with my recent Holiday Tree.

So thank you for everyone who has let me take up some space in their life. You literally Do Not Know how much it means to me and impacts me. This year, while I started it in a state of slightly hopelessness and numbness, I find myself ending it with gratitude and connection.

I hope the rest of this year (the very few couple of days we have left LOL) treats everyone well. I'm excited for how we get to start 2024 and what we'll get to experience together <3 Thank you again for the memories and support, love you all very dearly ^^

[balvana]

Draw this again ~ Yuri On Ice

Sooooo 😆 This is ~6 years of art development 😱✍✨ See the old version from 2016 and some of my thoughts down below 👇

Yaaaay!! I'm back from some very much needed holidays and a convention I attended last weekend 🥰✨💪 . It was such a lovely experience to finally meet people face to face again and have some chats about anime, art, music and have some fun together 🥰🥰 And it also inspired this artwork 💖👌 . I hardly ever look back on my really old drawings. Mostly it happens by chance. But for cons I usually bring my big folder with me that contains everything I ever had as a print, so while people are browsing this at my booth I also get to see a lot of stuff again, that might be 6+ years old already 😳😆 . And this kind of experience is always a bit "special" 🤣🤣🤣🙈 I won't say that those drawings are bad, but I can clearly tell that, back then, the vision in my mind and the outcome that my skills allowed did not align most of the time 🤣🤣 (still happens nowadays as well sometimes but yeah 🤪) But seeing some older stuff motivated me to try out and see what has changed in all those years in direct comparison. How much closer I am now to really bring my vision to the canvas. . So.. for the very first time actually 🙃 I am doing a ~ draw this again ~ post. And I have to say this was a very interesting experiment for me 🧐 I really tried to keep the pose the same because I wanted to see the changes 🤔 And yeah, there is a lot of development that happens in 6 years 😱✍✨ . I remember being so proud of this back then 😆🙈🙈 And it brings back some bitter memories as well, because this was the first artwork that was stolen from me and sold online 😭😤🔥 But it was also the reason why I decided to try and go to conventions and sell stuff myself 💪💖 This art work will forever hold a very special mix of nostalgic and also melancholic emotions for me. . I think the biggest takeaway for me is, that I feel a lot more confident nowadays concerning the gap between my vision and my drawing skills 💪💖✨ And also that there is always something I can and will learn if I continue practicing.  It might not be huge changes from month to month or from year to year, but they will keep on adding to the big picture ✨✨👌 . Anyway, I hope you enjoy what you see! 😖 What are your thoughts on artists posting their development and revisiting old drawings? 🤔🙂 . . My PATREON

[shima-draws]

Hi Shima! You have a lot of Pokemon content on your page and I’m sorta curious about the like, world of Pokemon, so would you have any recommendations on what like game I should start with or what I should watch first? Thanks!

!!! YOOOOO OKAY I GOTCHU ANON. Buckle up bc my 20 years of being a Pokemon fan is about to kick in

As for where to start with the games--this is all really depending on how your own personal playstyle! Do you like games that are more easy going and light on plot? Or do you like ones with heavy amounts of story? Or do you prefer games that are a perfect blend of the two? Pokemon's got a mixed bag of all of the above so you really can't go wrong

If you're into that really nostalgia feel I'd recommend starting out with the first Pokemon game I ever played as a kid, which was Pokemon Emerald! You can actually play this for free by downloading a Gameboy Advance emulator and the Emerald ROM. I have a lot of fond memories of Emerald and it's still one of my favorite games to date. I actually even prefer Emerald over its remakes (Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire) bc it just doesn't quite hit the same lol. I think even without having played Emerald as a kid it'll just spark that nostalgic feeling? It's that kind of game, at least to me :")

Going off of that if you REALLY want to hit nostalgia central and start where it all began, Pokemon FireRed/LeafGreen is also a good game to start out with. It's a remake of Pokemon Red/Blue, which were the first ever Pokemon games that were made. Personally I'm not a super huge Gen 1 fan bc I feel like it's been WAY overdone at this point (it's had two remakes already) but if you've never played a Pokemon game again it's definitely a good starting point. It's barely got any plot so it's really a game you can just dive into and enjoy without focusing too hard on the story. AND as an added bonus, Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver is the direct sequel to Gen 1 (and a remake of the original Gold/Silver/Crystal) so I'd definitely play that one as well, it's lots of fun!

Of course I will also recommend Pokemon Black/White and Black 2/White 2, which is generation 5 and my FAVORITE mainline Pokemon games of all time. BW released right before the transition to the 3D games so it still has sprite art. It's a GORGEOUS game honestly and I think it's really well balanced with story VS gameplay. It's got great characters and fantastic design elements (with everything honestly like the Pokemon designs are great, the character designs are great, the city/town designs are great, etc) and the most KICKASS soundtrack ever (looking at you Driftveil City AKA Toothless dancing meme music). I could go on and on and on about Gen 5 for hours lmao I really hold it near and dear to my heart. Also it's one of the very few games that actually has a sequel which I LOVE. BW2 takes place two years after BW and I love the story and character progression 🥰

Shouting out Pokemon Platinum as well, I know it's a huge fan favorite and honestly I also love it very much!! Platinum came out before BW did so it's got that early DS era feel to it. It's got a decent plot and classic fun gameplay elements. Also Pokemon Legends Arceus which ties directly into Platinum as its prequel (but you should play Platinum first? I know it's confusing lol). PLA is SUPER fucking fun, it's got a completely different gameplay style and mechanic than regular Pokemon games, and it ties in with Platinum so well.

And to my last few recommendations -

Pokemon Sun and Moon!! There's mixed feelings about this one from a lot of people but it's one of my personal favorites...I think people dislike that it's so plot heavy, there's a LOT of dialogue even when starting the game so if you're not into that I wouldn't go with SM. But I LOVE games that are heavy with plot and SM just does it so well. The characterization is really well done and I love watching Lillie go through her development arc 🤧 But yeah it's SM NOT Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon which are like. The same games but Worse. USUM took SM's plot and stomped all over it so I would not go for those lol

And, of courseeee. Pokemon Scarlet and Violet! These are the most recent mainline games to release and ohhh my god. Is the game laggy and bugged out as hell? Yes. Is it also fucking FANTASTIC and has made me cry multiple times? ALSO yes. If you don't mind occasional shitty graphics then please please PLEASE play SV. The open world aspect is a ton of fun, the new Pokemon designs are so charming, the characters are wonderful, and the STORY??? The plot literally blew my socks off the first time I played it. SV endgame you will always be the king of my heart. It's definitely heavier than any previous Pokemon game and it had me reeling for DAYS after. The story is just. So so so good. And we get a continuation of the story kicking ass in the DLC. I love SV to death it really redeemed Pokemon after the disaster that was gen 8 for me (and it's REALLY fun to shiny hunt in).

And LAST but certainly not least. My favorite Pokemon game of all time period ever in the history of Pokemon. Not a mainline game but a side/spinoff game--Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky!! If you want the classic Pokemon experience I probably wouldn't start with this since it's so different from the mainline games but I'd 10000% play it after finishing your first Pokemon game. It's a dungeon crawler, you get to BE a Pokemon, the music is phenomenal, the gameplay is phenomenal, the story is PHENOMENAL, everything about it is incredible and I will love this game until the day I die. I CANNOT recommend it enough. It's so so SO good and it means so much to me I can't even. Please play PMD Sky this goes to everyone who hasn't played it I prommy it's worth it

So basically:

Easy games with no/light plot: FRLG, Emerald, HGSS

Games with a perfect blend of actual gameplay and plot: BW/B2W2, Platinum, PLA

Games that hit HEAVY with plot/storyline: SM, SV, PMD Sky

Honestly you really cannot go wrong no matter where you start out. Even if it's with one of the games I DIDN'T personally recommend, all the mainline games have their own unique charm and each generation has its die hard fans (UNOVA GANG RISE). I've played all of them and they're all enjoyable!

As for the anime, my personal recommendations are the XY saga and the SM saga! The SM saga is my ultimate favorite, it's really cute and charming and fun, with some heavier plot arcs sprinkled in so it's a good blend between lighthearted stuff and more serious story. XY is VERY plot-heavy especially in the latter part, there's a lot of character development and crazy stuff going on, so I'd go for that one if you want to get hit hard with Feels. I haven't watched as much of the anime so I'm sure other people would recommend other seasons (I know the original saga, the Hoenn saga and the DP saga are fan favorites).

I'd also recommend watching the sub instead of the dub,, especially if you haven't grown up watching the Pokemon anime like me the dub is VERY hit or miss. I prefer subs as well bc the dub actually cuts out a LOT of stuff? I know for SM they had fun extra little bits at the beginning and ending of each episode that the dub just. Didn't include. For some reason? Like they'd cut out entire scenes. Idk. It's up to you either way tho ^^

And that is my introduction to Pokemon list.........if anybody has anything to add feel free! These are just my personal recommendations based off of what I like so naturally not everyone will agree lol. If you have any questions anon don't hesitate to ask, I'm always down to talk Pokemon. And I hope you have lots of fun playing whichever game you decide to go with!!

[namjhyun]

MOVIE REVIEW | The Boy and The Heron (2023)

This is rumored to be Miyazaki's last film, his decision to retire or not is still unclear. Every story he brings to life it's special but if this is truly his last then he goes out like the absolute master of his craft that he has proved to be over and over again through the years.

It took me watching this film twice and some serious thinking before I could even write about it. This is complex story that will required some deep introspection from its viewers. I also recommend watching it in the original japanese language because it goes better with the tone of the story, mind you its original title it is "How do you live?" and you can expect that level of thought process in the storytelling.

The Boy and the Heron is animation in its highest art form. It will challenge you, it won't waste unnecessary time in exposition and it will ask something of you as an audience member. You will connect to this story on a level that you won't realize leaving the movie theater but perhaps will click a few days later because this story doesn't immediately give you all the answers.

I went into this film knowing absolutely nothing about the plot because I trust Studio Ghibli's work and like to be surprised by them, and I got just that when I realized this is perhaps Miyazaki's most personal film to date. If you know something about his personal life, you will find similarities between him and the protagonist, where he lives and his family.

It's clear to me after much thought, that this story is an allegory about the creative process. It could be creation from the point of view of a child building worlds to learn how to let go of grief, an old man trying to hold on to his creation, a young girl challenging time and space to reunite with a loved one, or even small souls floating into space to become creatures in other realm. All of these aspects and other related themes are explored in a narrative that, at times, can feel convoluted and disjointed but you need to trust the process.

Also, I loved the fact this film is entirely hand-drawn and it made me feel nostalgic for this type of art. The animation is stunning, visually astonishing, with a mixture of techniques, that makes each frame a painting I could easily hang on my walls and stare at for hours.

I have a feeling this is the kind of film we will be talking about for many years to come because that's the entire point of the film: it presents you ideas, thoughts and themes so you can go and build your own understanding of the world and life.

Rating: 10/10

[glitchyko]

So I was feeling a bit nostalgic for an lmk au I made when I first joined the fandom/discovered lmk last year, and had a lot of ideas and art/redesigns made for it, but didn’t really post about it(and the tumblr I first posted about it on is gone)

I called it the fallen cicada au, and it was an LBD possesses Tang au, and if I remember correctly it was one of my first lmk aus

The plot of this au generally followed the plot of the show, with some changes in the season 2 story, but there was some big changes in the season 3 plot, but it still ended with LBD being defeated, Tang is freed from her, but he’s not doing so good-

[alexissara]

Alexis Sara's Top 10 Most Anticipated Games Of 2024

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

Gales Of Nayeli

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

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

Fields Of Mistria 

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

Rune Factory: Dragon

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

Mahou Senshi Cosplay Club

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

Beastieball 

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

Love In A Bottle

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

Fantasy Life I

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

Princess Peach Showtime 

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

Our Life Now and Forever 

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

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

Izrand Allure

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

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

[orkbutch]

A Gender Feelings Dump bc i have my semi-public diary back now :)

I came back to tumblr because I got immediately obsessed with BG3 and knew I wanted to do it Proper Fandom Like. Possibly because its been a surprisingly nostalgic experience and the last time I was into something like this, I was on tumblr doing fandom (DA, fallout, ect.) so maybe its all regression, idk. But it has resulted in me drawing and writing the most I ever have in 6 years, since I left my bachelor of illustration and decided I couldn't do art as a career and I needed Real Work (tm) to live and meet my goals.

That has changed. I've realised I have been fighting my nature; I've wanted to be an artist since I was a child, and I was Always solely fixed on that goal. And one thing 6 years of drawing and creating a lot less did was... cut me off from a gender experience I have! Which I lowkey forgot about, and am now rediscovering? And its an odd (but also not odd at all) one that I gotta ramble about.

My name is Emmanuel Josephine [Redacted], and I picked Josephine because its my favourite name and because I was aware that sometimes, I simply am not... in Emmanuel headspace. Emmanuel is a Tom of Finland rough-housing cowboy priest. Which are often my vibes. But lately I have been a lot more Josephine, whose vibes are more ... 15th Century nun troubadour secretly in love with their fellow nun. Am I making sense? These are just vibes. Gender word association.

Anyway, I've realise these track to whether I'm more preoccupied, at that period of my life, with the outside world or my internal world. I phrase it that way because I don't want to imply that Emmanuel is just "Face", a social performance; I can be and am Josephine with other people. These aren't personality changes (Important to specify that because I have DDNOS lol), but maybe... the temporary moving of my perspective and perceptions.

I think when I'm feeling very creative and making a lot of things, I become very introspective; for me, art is always a conversation with myself. My Perspective and Perception inevitably shifts to be more internal. That makes me less responsive to social contexts, which is obviously a massive part of gender identity. And I just become a lot Less Gendered... I think?

Perhaps thats why Josephine is best described to me as a cloistered nun. I become less dysphoric about my body (because I think about it less) and I become fairly disinterested in having sex (though I am still just as interested in sexuality as a subject). I experience this broad, internal landscape that feels so intricate and distinct from the external world that it feels almost divine, or I guess metaphysical, even though I don't believe in anything spiritual. That is the shift in perspective; the internal world becoming the focus over the external.

Which, like... is this dissociation? I genuinely don't know. I have a dissociation disorder, so it would make sense. The separation from my dysphoria and libido, and the turn inwards, thats pretty dissociative stuff. I don't know. I feel pretty present. Its just weird.

I can't tell if this is an alternative experience that is gendered, what you may call A Gender Experirnce, or a dissociative episode (are the two really that different?), or more specifically, a regressive episode. Idk. Brains are wild.

[yaoi-reading]

I could write a huge list of thing that russians took away from me.

And one of them is desire to do anything at all. It is fun to write about the most interesting you've read in 2023, because part of it is anticipation to look back at this post years later and compare with your current taste, interests and so on. I can no longer do it. I am not sure will I be alive at the end of this year, or will my city be free and unoccupied, or will Ukraine still exist, or will western politician not push us to sign some agreement with russians-terrorists-occupiers which equals death sentence in the future to all of us. And those ruminating thoughts are quite exhausting. But nonetheless I decided to make the list of the manga that caught my attention in 2023. Previous versions you can find here (2021) and here (2018).

4-gatsu no Tokyo wa by Haru - ok, I've got nostalgic feelings from this manga, the mood, the tropes and the vibe reminded me bl manga of early 2000s but with updated setting and more modern. And I enjoyed it so much.

Play After Call by Ohtako Mame - not a fan of dom-sub universe stories but the art, storytelling, characters and chemistry between them are top notch

Ao no Flag by KAITO - coming of age story about friendship (and love)

Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai by Yoneda Kou - at some point i started unironically to wonder maybe the only valid reason not to die is to read next chapter of my favourite manga. Love love love it to pieces.

Bokura no Micro na Shuumatsu by Marukido Maki - ok, i love Marukido Maki, I could read anything written by her. Maybe it is not the best but I remember reading this story about the end of the world before going to sleep and wondering if I wake up next day and continuing to read it during russian massive missile attacks while hiding in the basement and hearing explosions outside.

Ore wo Shiranai Kyou no Kimi by Tonda Moko - time loop and time travel

Totsukuni no Shoujo by Nagabe - gem from Nagabe and once again manga that I read mostly during air raids in the basement. This manga is licensed and translated into Ukrainian. And I am so happy about it! Great story about loneliness and isolation.

60-okubun no Futari by Denzou - dark and twisted, not something you would usually enjoy but it was rather interesting and reminded me a little bit of Harada's twisted stories.

Joy by Etsuko - somehow I was laughing out loud while reading this manga, got a nostalgic feeling from reading it because somehow it reminded me fluffy shojuo stories of 2000s (though it is bl)

Contradict by Ooshima Kamome - rivalry among students firefighters written by Ooshima Kamome? yes, please. I will read anything by her and will ask for more

Ginmokusei no Shitateya by Mamita - men in suits!

Wizdoms by Nagabe - school of magic with anthropomorphic animals, should I say more?

Another thing that russians took away from me is economical stability and it is quite challenging to support and buy works of my favourite mangakas (the death of bookdepository didn't make it easier) and my plan to finish my collection of Saezuru Tori wa Habatakanai is down in the dumps. But if you can please-please-please support mangakas buy their works, merch, etc.

I also want to say thank you to the Armed Forces Of Ukraine. It is the only reason I was able to return to my home last year and continue to live here as normal as possible.

[3d-bear]

My main internet hangouts in my early internet days were oekaki image boards, deviant art chat rooms, and the Doodle page on the now defunct Bennetonplay website. That last one I am feeling very nostalgic for in the moment. It was such a specific thing in a specifc time that hasn't really been recreated.

Benntonplay was an online game website that was made by the fashion brand as an experimental protosocial gaming space. They had a variety of games, that they called toys, that invovled collaborative creation in some form.

The one I spent my time on was simply called "Doodle" How it worked is that you were given a square to draw in and small smattering of colors to use. Once you finished your drawing you would send it and it would go into a big chronological image board along with other people's drawings. You could copy someone else's drawing to edit or add to it. Here is a very old video of it in action.

It was intended as a form of exquisite corpse but it became something else entirely for a small group of people, of which I was included. For about 2 years it became a sort of drawing based online chatroom. You would have an OC that represented you. You would draw them with speech bubbles of text to communicate. You would copy someone else's drawing and add your OC to it so you could interact with other OCs. It was all pretty innocent and mostly us talking about movies, comics, TV shows, that kind of thing. Here we're my OC's -- I don't have any art of them from the time so I redrew them.

It was a bit rude of us to monopolize this space like that -- since there were no other "rooms." There was only one Doodle. Some people would come in and leave once they realized it was being dominated by middle schoolers RPing with their OCs. Sometimes though people would see what was going on, make their own OCs, and join in.

However, eventually some of us moved on. A few would say official say goodbyes, but mostly we stopped showing up one by one. Sometimes a few of us would check on Doodle and see if anyone was around, sometimes two or three of us would check in at the same time and catch up. Eventually though, we all stopped coming back for good. Then the site was closed down.

That is really not much else to say about it. It was a fun time I am remember fondly. Just wanted to wax nostlagic!

[neuroticbookworm]

Current Tag Game

Tagged by my dear friends/mutuals/incoherent scream sesh partners @twig-tea (here), @colourme-feral (here), @blmpff (here), @telomeke (here) and @waitmyturtles (here)

Current Time: nearly 5:00 PM

Current activity: Doomscrolling on social media (not recommended), writing this post (highly recommended, please interact on Tumblr, that's what makes this hellsite fun!)

Currently thinking about: Just watched the IFYLITA finale this morning with my bestie @lurkingshan, so my brain is currently ??????-ing all the different iterations of Yai we got to see (I like that Commander Yai looks more self-assured and confident than our widdle-20-something-lost-and-confused-baby Yai, but, DEAR LORD, The Mustache has to go. Just.. nope. Get that man a razor, STAT). Oh, and also, thinking about dinner.

Current favourite song: I recently watched Utsukushii Kare / My Beautiful Man (Season 1) a few days ago and I have the song from the opening credits stuck in my head on repeat: Caramel / カラメル by Mosawo / もさを。(Original MV with English captions)

(I'm also gonna link the Utsukushii Kare Lyric MV from MBS because I want Kiyoi's pretty face on my post)

I've also been feeling nostalgic lately and listening to some decade-old bangers from my teen years (ah time, thou art a cruel wench)

Patakha Guddi lyrics, translated from Hindi, here

Mogathirai lyrics, translated from Tamil, here

Currently reading: Nothin' but meta posts from the lovely big-brained folks of Tumblrville

Currently watching: Oooooh. I actually wrapped up a lot of live watches and caught up on some incredible shows last week, so lemme do 3 mini-lists:

Recently Watched: Only Friends, Utsukushii Kare / My Beautiful Man, If It's With You / Kimi to Nara Koi wo Shite Mite mo, I Feel You Linger In The Air

Currently Watching: Midnight Diner / Shinya Shokudo, endless reruns of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Community

Next-Up on the Watchlist: I Cannot Reach You / Kimi ni wa Todokanai, Shadow, Dark Blue Kiss, Middleman's Love, Last Twilight, Playboyy, The Whisperer

Current favourite character: Ryuji from If It's With You.

< mild spoilers ahead for If It's With You >

This show did an incredible job portraying two people who have different levels/intensities of desire for one another and I was *floored* when Ryuji responded to Amane's confession in episode 4 with so much care, thoughtfulness and respect for both Amane's desire and his own boundaries. "Please make it one sided for a while" will live in my head rent free for the foreseeable future.

And Amane and Ryuji's conversation at the beach in the finale was another heartfelt and expertly written moment. I deeply adore how Ryuji basically went "I miss you and want to meet you whenever I feel like it, and if that means being a lover, then so be it. Let's date".

So yeah, I'm in love with this highly articulate, fictional, Japanese teenage boy

Current WIP: Ohhhhh man, SO MANY. The most pressing one is a retrospective meta on the Only Friends finale, which I must release into the wild before people move on from the show

Tags: I'm epically late to this one, so I might tag folks who have already done this, so if I do, apologies, friends!

@bengiyo, @italianpersonwithashippersheart, @sunshinechay, @syrena-del-mar, @ranchthoughts, @troubled-mind, @sorry-bonebag, @so-much-yet-to-learn and anyone else who wants to participate. No presh!