#i love playing with debug and it would be a fun challenge

[pigeonplaysgod]

a French country home inspired by Caryn and Connie's budget build challenge! 2br3ba, each room is a different randomly generated budget, rolled between 1k and 10k!

Budgets for every room listed under the cut, and it's on the gallery under rougarousmooch!

Exterior - originally 3559, but i had to throw that out the window because i am Not An Experienced Builder and had to edit the layout a few times to make it functional 😅

Entry/Living - 8117

Kitchen - 9423

Craft Room - 3267

Downstairs Bath - 8895

Sunroom - 6591

Stairwell/Landing - 6415

Upstairs Bath - 3125

Master Bed - 7548

EnSuite Bath - 5765

Bedroom #2 - 7548

Backyard - 5170

if the math doesn't add up somewhere, i'm gonna put in a disclaimer that i Can't Do Math

[moonlitcomet]

new pokemon fangame in my has-played list thanks to a recommendation from a discord member:

pokemon tectonic

please note this post is very long and very opinionated, but that's out of love for this game! pokemon tectonic has captured my interest and i'd like to see its devs improve in their next project.

my thoughts so far, after 21 hours of gameplay and 4 badges:

it needs a lot of polish, and a lot of QoL changes.

a lot of the choices made for gameplay in tectonic are really great and fun - every single pokemon getting rebalanced at least a little bit, all the new moves, the retypings and what not, that's all fantastic. i have no complaints there.

there are a lot of QoL features - such as easy move relearners and move mentoring - that make swapping your team's movesets around a breeze.

there is also an extremely expansive in-game documentation of everything - gameplay, battles, new moves and abilities, pokemon stats and learnsets, etc. you could make a wiki out of what's in here alone.

they encourage you to catch 'em all and actively reward you for it!

consumable held items will be automatically renewed at the end of a battle. you will never run out of gems or berries.

there are following pokemon, hgss style!

however, it fumbles in a lot of aspects.

gameplay

npc trainers will know your moves, and they will act depending on what moves are in your current pokemon's moveset- before any are made.

in the context of the game, this makes perfect sense. you are given an item that allows you to preview a trainer's pokemon before you battle. species, types, abilities, items, everything. trainers will react based on what they think you will do before have a chance to do anything.

but in the context of playing the game as a normal player, it feels either downright cheap or incredibly unintelligent on their parts. they will give you at least one free turn of setup, then get brutally swept by an attacking pokemon.

it would be a good idea to adjust this npc ai so you can disable use of the trainer x-ray for both battlers. i don't want them to know what i have just by looking at me, and i don't want to know what they have just by looking at them.

removing use of this tool for both sides would keep it fair. having to look at every trainer i fight in detail before i fight them is time consuming and removes a lot of the mystery and the fun of playing pokemon games to me.

trainers in this game will switch their pokemon as often as they can, and tectonic discourages you from doing that too.

a major part of pokemon's gameplay is knowing when to sacrifice a pokemon so you can bring in a waiting, healthy team member. a pokemon hanging on by a sliver of health is better to sack in the moment so your waiting team member doesn't take a strong hit, and has a turn to set up or retaliate.

tectonic actively punishes this style of gameplay.

trainers will constantly switch depending on what they think will counter your active pokemon. usually, this just means switching into a pokemon that resists your next attacking move. this is often at a detriment to them, and sometimes you can get caught in switching loops where you and the enemy trainer will change between pokemon every two turns -

attack, switch.

attack, switch.

attack, switch.

this wastes a lot of time.

an un-toggleable feature of this game is "trainer perfection". when you beat an average route npc trainer without having a single pokemon go down on your side, the trainer will run away and drop exp candy. this is a perfect win. by default, if you do not perfect a battle, the trainer will wait until you come by again to challenge you once more.

this can't be turned off except if you happen to have a special item called a stink bomb, which forces them to run away whether you've defeated them or not.

protip, you can open the debug menu using an application in your installation folder, and give yourself infinite stink bombs.

my suggestion for the perfection system is to allow players to disable it for average npcs, make it optional. or, at least, give us an option to *willingly* talk to npcs to rematch them. like the vs seeker in older games.

the devs intended this feature to not force you to rematch trainers multiple times, and instead plan your routes carefully. this has the unfortunate side effect of discouraging some players from fighting every trainer and exploring the game as they want, because the forced rematches upon coming across them again [unless you perfect them] waste more and more of their time.

also, some of these npc trainers are trainers that completely block your path - difficult ones at that. if you don't perfect or scare them off with a stink bomb, you'll have to go at them again when you come back around.

as of right now, the trainer rematches are as annoying as the pokemon breeders in gen 5. they are incessant unless you sweep them.

IVs, EVs, and natures are completely removed.

to most casual players, this would be a hooray! i'm personally happy about the removal of IVs, but it really starts to kick you in the teeth as you progress in the game. instead, what these things are replaced with are called style points. style points are minimal stat adjustments that allow you to set up different styles of battling for your pokemon.

think of it like skill points in average rpgs.

these are cool in theory. but the way they're set up is limiting and feels unnecessarily strict in application. for some unknown reason, both attacking stats are permanently linked, and you must raise both attacking stats at once. raising two attacking stats only removes one point from your remaining pool, but it feels pointless to have style points invested into a stat you will not use [ie, physical attack on a pure special attacker].

i can't believe i'm saying this, but i genuinely miss EV training over this. EV training feels like it has a much stronger impact on stats than these style points do, and you have far more control [with up to 252 in a given stat rather than 20]. it's a cool idea, just not particularly favorably executed in my opinion.

it is possible to have EVs and make them not a nightmare to deal with!

pokemon reborn has a system where all power items - anklet, lens, weight, etc - will increase its given stat EVs by 32 for every pokemon you knock out, regardless of the EVs the species naturally gives. with this feature in place, EV training becomes a breeze and you can have a fully trained 6 pokemon team in less than 10 minutes, rather than the potential hours it might take the normal way.

reborn's system is, in my opinion, an almost perfect way to do EV training. the only way to make it less hassle would be to turn EVs entirely into a menu, as tectonic has attempted to do.

you cannot use bag items - other than poke balls - in battles.

as a plus, enemy trainers cannot do this either. this is mixed based on how you like to play. i can respect this gameplay decision, as much as it very much isn't my style.

every pokemon is sorted into one or more tribes that have different effects on the battle.

honestly, i don't even use this feature. it's cool for team building i suppose, but feels tacked on and isn't my style. a point in their direction for making tribes a completely optional gameplay mechanic.

story

four out of eight badges in, the story is near nonexistent. you get scraps of it every now and then, teasing you for something large. you are wandering a world that has already been conquered. and honestly, i love that premise. people talk of someone who has already defeated the evil team in the past- you see remnants of what they did to the world around you.

this, to me, is very similar to what it feels like playing b2w2 without playing the original black & white, which i did as a child. i say this positively. traversing remnants of a world that was not yours to conquer is awesome. i'd love to see more of that.

however, halfway through the main story [i assume] and not having any of the story ramping up in any fashion feels slow. there's very little motivation for continuing aside from showing up your brother, which you are told to do before you even get your first pokemon.

everyone is just... so mean to you, for no reason. none of these characters feel particularly likeable, none of them are funny or kind as a motivation to fight for them.

[cain and hardy in reborn are my favorite examples for this, i would commit war crimes for them in spite of everything sucking early on. and it gets better. so much better.]

so you're just... trudging through a world that hates you or doesn't care about you, with no incentive to fix it from anyone you like. everything feels very obligatory, as if you have no choice in the matter, and there's no urgency at all to any situation. i'll reblog this post with an update if or when the story ramps up, but as of right now it's not hooking me too much outside of the initial concept.

final thoughts

Pokemon Tectonic is a somewhat long game with a very strong premise and unpolished execution. It feels like it's too big of a scope for how small it feels, and a lot of the effort in creating this game clearly went into rebalancing every single pokemon up to gen 8 [and some of gen 9].

What it suffers in the most is lack of accessibility and lack of options in terms of gameplay - a good game dev can add features that can modify or disable parts of their game that either make it easier or harder. Tectonic feels like it's trying to strongarm you into playing a nuzlocke or deathless run, with how it punishes you for letting a pokemon faint in battle.

I think this game could be made leagues better if it felt more customizable. As it stands, once I finish this game, I will probably not be revisiting it, as much as I like what it has going for it.

That is all I have for now. My favorite part of this game is that most avatar boss battles can be defeated with Fort Unfuckable.

[tanyakennedy1899]

Garage Heathen "About Dystopian Debugger." Sept 10th, 2024

tl;dr Dystopian Debugger is, for now, cancelled, because it was too difficult to make technically and gameplaywise. However, the demo for Last look along Woodward Boulevard will soon be accessible.

Dystopian Debugger after yesterday's teaser there has been some confusion in regards to a game that I have been working on before, called Dystopian Debugger.

The game was well into its development, I have arranged a Steam Page and a Public Playtest. The main systems were functional, there was a story in place as well as the main 3d assets. A lot of work and love has been poured in this project.

In Winter 2023, I've made the decision to halt the development. There were several reasons behind it.

First of all, this was a very challenging project in two major aspects - tech and gameplay. To me, making a functioning programming language and a "compiler", even with help of libraries like ANTLR was difficult task which took a lot of time and resources. I did manage to create it, but it took a lot more time than, for example, the systems in Who's Lila.

Secondly, the gameplay. The main challenge and goal of Dystopian Debugger was to turn programming into a game - not just ant programming, but debugging other people's code. Additionally, there was supposed to be several different programming languages, based on concepts like Japanese Haiku, music, probability theory, etc. What I have been too late to realise, is that these more creative languages would completely outshine the tedious c-like language.

This is where the main inner conflict took shape. I've spent an enormous amount of time making this c-like language (and had a lot of fun in the process). When you spend so much resources on a game aspect, it naturally evolves to be the central part of the experience. The most interesting, more creative languages would then become secondary. But they still needed to be implemented.

Finally, from the feedback, I've noticed that people were (naturally) much more interested in "side-content" - the story and secondary languages. Many have described the main language as "work before going to the interesting part", [of] the story.

At the time, this felt wrong. In my projects, I attempt to make the majority of [the] game engaging to play, only adding intentionally tedious bits where I feel the experience demands it. Here, half of the game felt tedious - to me as well. At the time, I was lost in this project. I wasn't sure where this should go.

There was still an enormous amount of work to be done and, before locking in, I wanted to be sure this was not going to be a boring game. It's bad enough to take a long, long time creating a game, but it'd be a catastrophe to end up with something subpar afterwards. So, I took a month-long break. Then, upon return, I've realized that I couldn't handle this project right now.

Meanwhile, all this time, the idea for another game, which is now called Last look along Woodward Boulevard has been forming. I knew it would be easier to make. Like DD, it's larger in scope than what I've been making before, but here the scope is at least visible, if that makes sense. Therefore, since February, I am focusing on this project, as it is not as technically challenging and I can be sure to give you something playable sometime this Winter.

Does this mean the end for Dystopian Debugger? No, absolutely not. I'm sure I can make these mechanics work in the future, albeit in reduced scope and different configuration.

tl;dr Dystopian Debugger is, for now, cancelled, because it was too difficult to make technically and gameplaywise. However, the demo for Last look along Woodward Boulevard will soon be accessible.

Thank you for your patience, situations like these are why I prefer not to take your money though Patreon/Boosty/etc, haha.

Take care! Garage Heathen

[polarmoon]

Hello there! How are you? Can I ask...4,9,14,17 and 18? I hope there are not to many... I would like to know!

Ps:anon because I am shadow banned.

no worries! i answered 4 here :)

9. what type of CC can you never resist downloading?

more unique clothing for masc frames, especially if they lean more androgynous. it's rough out here

14. why did you decide to start a simblr?

i started my simblr in 2014, and i was already a Tumblr Girlie long before that, but i was a sims girlie for my whole life. so when i realized there was a sims community on tumblr i immediately made a new account :) i think i found simblr through like......... 100 baby challenge blogs?? and legacy challenge blogs. and i thought the idea of keeping a chronological diary of sorts for a legacy was so fun. been here ever since!

17. in your gameplay, are you more task-driven (ie, completing aspirations/leveling up careers) or story-driven?

story driven definitely, but in a gameplay way if that makes sense. like i use the gameplay of the game to tell the stories in my head. i'm not really a Open The Game Just To Pose The Sims For The Story I Wrote player, more of a I Play The Game And The Story Tells Itself player. love a good challenge aspect but the idea of only playing the sims to minmax and hit goals makes my heart sad

18. do you use a lot of cheats?

i almost never use money cheats, but i use cheats for the sake of debugging a lot because ts2 and ts4 are both wonky like that. i dont love using needs cheats but i do use them quite often in ts4, especially when there's simulation lag, because im like... if the game was functioning properly the sim WOULD have walked to the bathroom and pissed by now. yknow? also moveobjects. ofc.

[thesecondsanctuary]

Started playing PS Outertale a few hours ago and I have, thoughts.

For the most part, geno has been a chill time. There are some tweaks I really appreciate, like the grinding being so quick and skipping dialog by holding C. Asriel was a little jarring at first, really did not like the way he talked down to Papyrus (and that bit where he's pretending Sans is still there? eugh), but once we were past not-Snowdin I really started to appreciate him. His relationship with Frisk/Chara/The Player/Whatever is really intriguing, especially how Frisk or whoever genuinely seems to reciprocate his feelings. Love the Best Friends Setting The World On Fire vibe we got going on.

I did kind of feel like the game was just, really easy? I beat Undyne the Undying without dying, and that's without knowing what the new spear attacks did. But a lot of her normal attack were just like, easier versions of her original attacks? I did like the extra attacking mechanic and how it was still loosely DDR esc like green soul mode.

Beat Mettaton on my second try. Orange soul mode was neat. A little weird to get used to but it didn't offend. Defiantly a little harder that Undyne but not a huge step up.

Alphys... I REALLY do not like this fight. As of writing this I have not beaten it and I don't thing I will. There are a just, lot of little things that just drag the whole thing down for me. For one, Screen Shake. Lasers shake the screen, the expanding rings shake the screen, hell, even the damn MUSIC shakes the screen! I can't see where I am or what I'm supposed to be dodging! Second, the obnoxious spinning background. It's distracting and bugs the hell out of me. Third, the music. It's very meh imo, gets grating after a bit and just sounds like noise now. So far my biggest issue is that her attacks are 1000 years long. Each one feels like three for four attacks in one. Sometimes I'd get most of the way through an attack and just, get fatigued and take my hands off the keyboard cause I'm so overwhelmed.

I've never felt like this before. I don't usually mind a challenge, I actually like throwing myself at a problem until I break through. I loved beating UTY geno without using any equipment (Only Rubber Bullets, the Patch and the Toy Gun. Honestly if you're looking to play UTY geno again but harder I highly recommend), and that was a grind that took weeks. But this? I have absolutely no desire to return to this. I can't honestly say the fight is even good or bad cause I just can't get into it. This is the worst time I've ever had fighting an UT boss, and I don't think that was the intention.

I don't know where I was going with this. I just had a lot of thoughts and felt the need to share them.

Fun fact u can hold alt+press left twice to open the debug menu and get temmie armour infinite hp etc etc would highly recommend using whenever a fight annoys u lol im not grinding for this game. I agree w ur alphys boss complaint so much, I almost got my ass beat WHILE using th temmie armour, the patience soul mode is just not made for a boss fight of that scale I don’t think, especially not one where it piles on what feels like 20 attacks in one turn. It’s so sad bc I was genuinely pretty hyped to see final boss alphys, seeing herself as the one to blame for everyone’s deaths in this route coulda made up for the nothingburger she was given in pacifist but it was just. Eh.

Also asriel is just very funny to me. This au really only cares abt asriel and twinkly seems to exist just to fill floweys slot which is smth I don’t care for, but I at least appreciate they let him be an edgy little shit rather than playing into the idea that having a soul would magically fix flowey/twinkly and make him a normal kid again. I like that frisk is kind of just fucking around ig, it makes a funny contrast against asriel. I wish the route used the frisk/asriel/mk trio more also. Idontknow I still haven’t fully figured out how I feel about this route it’s so weird. I did enjoy it more on average than lv0 pacifist tho so that’s. Something?

[risegamefreaks]

🎮 “Seaside Escape” or How I Got Emotionally Attached to a Virtual Beach Resort

🏝️ Welcome to Seaside Escape: Where the Puzzle is Emotional Commitment

Hey, it's Cody—gamedev by day, chaos-bringer by night. When I’m not debugging spaghetti code or surviving off black coffee and energy drinks, I do the only sane thing: I play more games. And this week? I found myself sinking way too deep into a sunny little puzzle game called Seaside Escape.

If you think this is just another beachy “match-three-and-chill” title, think again. This one comes with drama, makeovers, hotel renovations, and a suspiciously high chance of me yelling “WHY WOULD YOU SAY THAT, MADDIE?!” at my phone.

🧩 The Puzzle Gameplay Loop – Addictive, Smooth, & Just Chaotic Enough

Let’s get this straight: the puzzle games part of Seaside Escape is tight. It’s your classic match-3 mechanic, with slick animations, exploding combos, and those sneaky little blockers that make you question your life decisions.

You match seashells, starfish, umbrellas—classic beach stuff. Then there’s sand to dig through, crates to smash, and the occasional seagull-feather-shaped level that feels oddly personal. Every puzzle earns you stars, which you then use to unlock story bits, renovate buildings, or tell some snooty hotel manager that his palm trees are crooked.

It's relaxing in the way organizing your sock drawer is relaxing—until you realize your socks are secretly sabotaging you.

🏖️ The Setting – Florida Dream or Simulation of My Backyard?

Okay. As a Florida native, I feel obligated to say this: Seaside Escape really nailed the vibe. You've got the turquoise water, sun-bleached docks, bungalows that definitely aren't hurricane-proof, and the kind of weather that makes you want to grill shrimp at 9 a.m.

It’s like someone turned my actual neighborhood into a puzzle game, minus the mosquito swarms and unpredictable sinkholes. And hey, there’s something magical about escaping to a virtual beach when you're already technically at a real one. That’s peak gamer logic.

🎭 Characters – Maddie, I Love You, But You Are a Mess

You play alongside a bunch of quirky, over-the-top characters. Maddie, your best friend and the game’s renovation queen, is the kind of person who says “I’ve got this!” right before blowing up the budget on neon pool furniture.

Then there’s the mysterious hotel owner, a rival manager with a clipboard complex, and that one character who just exists to be shady and throw side-eyes during cutscenes. The drama is light, fun, and just cheesy enough to keep you invested.

And yes, I’ve had arguments with my screen. That’s how you know it’s working.

🛠️ Renovations – HGTV with Puzzles and Less Screaming

One of Seaside Escape’s juiciest features is the design and renovation system. You earn puzzle stars, then use them to repaint walls, replace furniture, and restore a resort that was clearly abandoned by a team of caffeinated flamingos.

What I didn’t expect? Actually caring about which chair went where. Like, suddenly I'm a coastal interior design expert yelling “You can’t mix coral and teal, this is a seaside tragedy!”

It’s oddly satisfying. Also, it lets you fix your mess-ups. So unlike real life, you can take back that ugly wallpaper choice.

🔁 Daily Tasks, Events, and Other Ways to Avoid Responsibilities

The game’s loaded with events, side challenges, and seasonal themes. There’s always something going on—a fishing festival, a beach cook-off, or some kind of coconut emergency. It keeps the experience fresh and gives you that “just one more level” mentality that turns a five-minute break into a forty-five-minute commitment and a cold cup of coffee.

You can also join clubs and flex your score on leaderboards, if you’re into that sort of competitive sunshine energy. (I am. I regret nothing.)

⚙️ Performance – Smooth Sailing on the Puzzle Ship

On my beat-up Android dev phone and my pristine gaming tablet, Seaside Escape ran like a dream. No crashes, no lag, and only one suspicious ad placement for beach umbrellas that made me question how well Google knows my backyard.

The UI is bright and intuitive, and the puzzle difficulty scales well. You’ll breeze through the early levels and then suddenly find yourself sweating over a level with 18 moves and 32 crates. It escalates like a reality show argument.

🎯 Final Thoughts: Sand, Sass, and Surprisingly Good Puzzles

So here's the deal. If you're into puzzle games with flair, Seaside Escape is a full-package beach bonanza. It’s got snappy match-3 action, juicy beach drama, and enough renovation satisfaction to make you feel like a sandy Bob the Builder.

It doesn’t take itself too seriously—and neither do I. But under the pastel umbrellas and feel-good music is a game that’s finely tuned to keep you playing and laughing without feeling grindy.

Will it change your life? No. Will it brighten your Tuesday afternoon and convince you to buy a pineapple-shaped chair for your backyard? Maybe.

Catch me on the sand, starfish in one hand, phone in the other. Until next time—stay weird, stay clickable, and don’t let Maddie pick the tile colors.

🕶️✌️ — Cody from Florida, still arguing with a digital beach towel

[burnedparadisesimblr]

Sims 4 Post- Apocalyptic Decades Challenge by burnedparadisesims

The year is 2030. What happened to cause the Apocalypse is up to your imagination! The goal of this challenge is to restore New Crest back into a beautiful town. 

Rules:

(will update as I play my own save)

Gen 1 starts off with either a teen or young adult married couple (ethnicity/race doesn’t matter!) in a small utility shed with the Off The Grid lot trait on any lot in New Crest. You can use the tiny house pack for the extra perks. The household starts with zero simoleons. Your sims can scavenge for plants, frogs, etc. They can also fish, knit, candle make, garden, woodwork, paint or floral arrange. Cooking can be done on a grill or the fire pit from the Island Living pack.

You can start off with New Crest near empty or filled with broken-down abandoned lots; store, restaurant, bowling alley, spa...etc. The possibilities are endless! 

Auto-aging should be off. For the birthdays, sims will roll if they survive to their next life stage. I revamped the spreadsheet @morbidgamer​​​​ uses for her Decades Challenge on twitch. Her spreadsheet will have how long a sim year is, how many days each life stage is...etc. All credit to her, She started at the 1550s. Morbid got hers from the original challenge creator. 

Each heir if they survive the roll and age into a teen, will roll to see if they can move out and start a family and how many kids they can have. If the roll is good, they can move into an abandoned lot and gradually you can either restore the lot into what it was or make it a nice home for the future generations or both.

Each family last name will have a color. If the heir is male, the color stays the same. If the heir is female and she marries, her color changes.

You can only travel off the lot to scavenge and you can’t go anywhere that will require a loading screen. The time you’re allowed to travel is between families.

No interacting with townies. For the first generation, it’s only your heirs and their children. Through MCCC, remove all the townies or just delete if they go near your lot. Gen 2 it’s okay to have townies but try to not interact with them until Gen 3.

A toilet and sink can be in the shed but if they needed a bathtub, it has to be built via the woodworking table. If your sims want a dining table or chairs, that too needs to come from the woodworking table but if they have simoleons, you can build then trade it for another table and chairs. 

If you have the Laundry Pack, only use the wash bin and clothes line.

Anything else they want that can’t be built on the woodworking table and they have the simoleons, you can get from Build Buy but it has to be something that logically would make sense for them to have; like for a bed I had my couple start with a debug blowup mattress from Eco Lifestyle and when they had the simoleons I let them get a real bed that looked like it could have been made by them.  

No set style of clothes. I just chose steampunk for the fun of it but the point of this challenge is to have fun and get creative.

How the world gets created is up to you but some dates to follow:

2030: Year started 2040: If you have Eco Lifestyle, you can put a generator on the lot and slowly phase out using the Off The Grid lot trait 2060: School reopens 2060-2080: Heir for Gen 3 discovers herbology and studies to make medicine to sell and lower the young death percentage. 

My shed:

Mods recommended:

MC Command Center (teen pregnancy on for the first few gens, pregnancy & labor notifications on)

Slice of Life (optional)

Timeless Mod (optional) 

NoMoreAutoPhone

Wonderful Whims (medium fertility) 

Tool mod (optional but can do cool stuff with it)

Better Build Buy (optional but can get to debug easier)

Cow mod (optional and probably doesn’t fit the theme but COWS)

Qahne unlockWaterPump (easy to collect water)

Teleporter & Andrew Pose Player (portraits; also need s4studio)

All Cheats Mod

No School Mod (restore a school and remove the mod when it hits 2060 for the 30th anniversary) 

Use the hashtag #burnedparadisesimsdc if you play! Would love to see how you play this challenge!

To see my gamplay lp follow me on instagram!: https://www.instagram.com/burnedparadisesims/

[yanderesleuth]

Yandere Simulator - A Sleuth's Blunt and Honest Review

Hello everyone! The sleuth is back and she is ready to give you her blunt and honest review of Yandere Simulator. I’ve been wanting to do this for SO long but I simply did not have a computer strong enough to do a fair and accurate review. Recently, I was able to get a decent laptop and the demo installed fairly quickly – perhaps 8 to 10 minutes.

To those who may be new to this blog, I started following the development in 2015/2016(?) when I first saw a gameplay by Markiplier, and I am one of many that has watched Yandere Simulator transform from bare-bones to this STUNNING atmosphere with tons of different gameplay options. I am so proud of how far this game has come, and I appreciate YandereDev and his volunteers for busting their asses every day and sticking with the development. I will be going through what is likely common knowledge, but I’m rather late to the game and I apologize.

The main menu is unique! I’m not the most knowledgeable gamer out there, but I have never seen one quite like this before. Pressing start creates a rather fast zoom towards Ayano, who is holding a love letter behind her back. After you defeat your rival, you can see a visual of the specific method you used in the background. (ie. Osana’s bloody body hanging out of the fan; I don’t want to provide a screen shot of this, so just pretend.) Last I heard, not every elimination had a specific visual yet, but I’m not sure if this is still true or not. The menu is very easy to read, and you are currently allowed three different game files. You are unable to use the easter eggs/debug cheats until you have eliminated your rival once, which is a nice touch.

The introduction cutscene is quite compelling and it grabs your attention easily. I noticed that the large flash of various images are now in a photograph format and gradually piles up in the middle of the screen (if that makes sense); I feel that the previous format, image after image, was a bit more thrilling. Though, I appreciate the current look, as it hints that you will be taking pictures in the game, at one point or another.

One question I have: It’s canon that Ryoba kidnapped Ayano’s father and tied him to a chair in her basement (as told by the basement tape.) Yet in the cutscene, it shows them under the cherry tree, holding hands. Is this simply a daydream of Ayano’s? Is she truly aware of how her parents got together?

The game runs VERY smooth overall; it is a little choppy in spots, but the performance is much better from what I remember. Out of force of habit, I adjusted my settings anyway; I’m personally not a fan of the outlines on each character. I’m not sure why; it’s just a preference for me. For the sake of this review, I chose an elimination method that I have never tried before: Expel. I believe that choosing a method that I’m well-rehearsed in would not make this a very fair review, and it would not represent the challenges in the game.

The current small town holds a variety of shops – hardware, games, lingerie, and even a small restaurant to earn money. (I’ve played it in the past and it’s pretty fun.) It has a lovely ambience to it, with perky music in the background and several familiar faces roaming the street. Despite being unable to adjust my settings or access my phone in general, the town still runs great on my new laptop. You are automatically given $10 at the beginning of the game, and I chose to buy the stealthy black underwear, to limit students’ range of sight.

I’m thrilled to learn that there are more ways to receive points for Info-Chan’s services. The bug mechanic is genius and is a lot more convenient for players. With this feature, you can receive fifty points per day. And for any other extra points you may need, you can ‘sneak’ panty shots.

The first (minor) complaint I have is the controls for taking photos. When you have a laptop with no actual buttons, and no mouse, it’s impossible to do so. I had to take my mouse from my Yamcha PC in order to take the lewd pictures on Osana’s phone, and for the vandalism of the vending machine. Aside from this, the expel method is very interesting, and I admit that I was a bit scared stealing the answer sheet. I had gotten caught once because I placed the radio too close to the door, but I was able to go back and successfully steal the sheet.

The second, not-so-small complaint I have is regarding the ring theft from Sakyu Basu. I had the WORST time stealing it! I learned rather quickly that for whatever reason, I could not distract Sakyu. I could not interact with her at all. She just sat there, eating lunch. I tried bang snaps, simply sneaking up on her to grab the ring, and even joining the drama club for a mask with the intention of just grabbing it and running. Each time, I would get the ‘don’t touch that’ dialogue and never got a chance to take it again. Out of frustration, I tried stealing it while INKYU was distracted and it worked!

The third and the biggest complaint is SNAP mode; I have been anticipating this for years. First, I will say that this feature is absolutely terrifying, and the concept is everything I imagined and more. Ayano finally loses her sanity, to the point of no return and you are free to eliminate anyone and everyone in your path, within a time limit. The objective of snap mode is to obtain a knife and kill Senpai, since he has discovered your true nature and he will never love you.

Unfortunately, SNAP mode hardly worked for me and I eventually had to close out of the game. I got the game over on the roof top at lunch time, and I got the command to find the knife. I would venture through the school to try to do so, and would press the space bar to transport a little further, but I would get static and teleport to the same exact spot I was at on the roof! I learned that eliminating students in my path would buy me time to search further into the school, but eventually, I ran out of students and I was stuck on the roof.

But… I have faith that the ring bug and the snap mode bug will be fixed.

After Osana’s expulsion, I admit that I am rather intrigued by this method and may actually use it in the final product. Senpai’s sanity will be playing a major part in the game, and it will be very interesting to see when it is fully implemented.

The first of three ending cutscenes introduced Amai Odayaka. She is absolutely precious and I cannot wait to learn more about her when her week arrives! I almost had her eliminated during the Amai challenge, but I messed up and had to end the game for the night.

The newest adjustment to the students’ models are just beautiful. Have a look at Kokona Haruka!

Overall, this game is rich in lore and plot twists, and plenty to speculate on. There is SO MUCH to do in Yandere Simulator! I feel that this game has a lot of potential and I look forwards to its release, whenever that may be. Unfortunately, the pandemic has slowed a lot of things down, including the upcoming crowdfunding campaign. This is a fantastic demo to check out if you have not already. I’m planning on going back in and finishing the Amai challenge, experimenting with mission mode and pose mode.

Sound off: Which is your favorite elimination method so far?

-Sleuth

Download Yandere Simulator's Demo Here

[rpgmgames]

May’s Featured Game: Verloren

DEVELOPER(S): Choko ENGINE: RPG Maker VX Ace GENRE: Horror, Adventure WARNINGS: Flashing images, loud sounds, sudden sounds/images, full list (contains spoilers). SUMMARY: Chris Winter, find himself alone and lost in a black void filled with nothing but coldness. The only warmth you feel comes from your breath. In this void the young boy sees a door filled with light, trying to reach the door only leads to the boy to fall deep into a world filled with nothing but nonsense. Only when you find the key, then you’ll be able to leave.

Download the demo here! Our Interview With The Dev Team Below The Cut!

Introduce yourself! *Choko: Hello, I'm Choko! I'm the developer, artist, and writer for Verloren. I've been messing around with rpg maker since 2013 but finished my first finished game in 2016 which is Desolate Village. I've also made other games since then. Those being Demon Tea, Friend Hunt, and Star Detective. So Verloren isn't my first rodeo in the whole game development stuff, but it is the biggest project I've ever work on so far. Besides game dev stuff, I'm a huge rpg maker games, horror games, rhythm games, and just games with a interesting style to them.

What is your project about? What inspired you to create this game initially? *Choko: Verloren is a horror adventure game that focuses on Chris Winter, a young boy who finds himself alone and far away from home because of this he won't stop for anything to find a way home and learn why did he arrive here. During the course of the game Chris would meet others who have their own goals. What inspired me to make Verloren is a bit hard to say from what I first started to work on it back in 2017, I was mostly trying to work on another project after finishing Desolate Village. It could have been something else but I really forgot. But since I took a huge hiatus year break during 2018, I would personally say the time I actually initially started to work on Verloren was in February of 2019. Since everything was rework with a fresh outlook on everything, so the whole head space with Verloren is totally different from 2017-2018. What inspired me when I went back to rebuild/fix the game was friends, since their support made me feel I could go back to work on the game. During 2018 I would say I wasn't in the best mood while working on the game, so the support my friends gave me really helped a lot and encouraged me.

How long did you work on your project? *Choko: I've been working on Verloren for three years now. But will say 2019 to now is when actually development started/actually got going. 2018 I took the whole year off to cool down/chill. So the Verloren of 2017-2018 is very different from the Verloren of 2019 to now. If that makes sense....

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Choko: Oh boy, this section might be very long since there's a lot of games and media which inspired/ influences Verloren, though for many different reasons. Will say the two rpg maker games that inspire me a whole lot when it comes to everything they do is Mare and Akademia (I know it's just a demo still at the time writing but it's very good. Good demo, like the characters are great!! Everything is very nice!) Other rpg maker games do inspire me, mainly friend stuff but Mare and Akademia are two games I really love and wish I can make Verloren a game which has characters which feel realistic in a way they do. Like please go play them. Besides rpg maker games will say that NieR Automata, Okage: Shadow King, RE 1/RE 0, Deemo, Rule of Rose, Smile For Me, and the Kirby series are games that just really inspire me with Verloren, there's just certain aspects of them which I hope I can capture in Verloren. Other than video games, I do get a bunch of inspiration from artist I follow, comics/manga, and anime though if I mention all of them it would just lead me to ramble away, but will say Pandora Hearts and Death Parade are two series I really love and both. I just enjoy series that shows character interaction and bonds, because that's a main part in Verloren. I really just get inspire by character development if you couldn't tell..... ^^;

Have you come across any challenges during development? How did you overcome or work around them? *Choko: Besides the 2018 thing I mention earlier. There has been tiny bits of challenges, like with creating maps, since it takes me a while to get into the mood to make them, but wouldn't really call it a challenge. Since all the time I just have to take time away from the map to gain motivation to make them. Another challenge I guess would be writing cut scenes which I love, though it's a whole process of making sure the characters aren't just rambling or going off-topic since when I write I tend to get in character, as in voice act the lines or try to think how they would. Though the process isn't really a bad challenge since it just takes a while until I get it right.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Choko: There's been soooooo many changes to this game. The biggest change I would say is the characters, they had a lot of design changes and personality/motivation changes. But other than that, I would say the mood of the game change a lot, also how scenes play it, originally it just felt like stuff happen to happen. Now it makes a lot more sense and isn't just some random thing I added. Sadly I can't list everything that change because that's spoilers but trust me everything change for the better.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don’t have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Choko: At the beginning there wasn't a team, since I wanted to do everything solo. I mostly enjoy doing art, writing, and eventing the game. Though currently now there is a team, mostly with people I know, it's more so just a critique/feedback team + voice actors. Currently there are only two VAs since I didn't want to focus on voice acting before I had most of the game done, in the far future I may make a post about it. But so far the whole team is more so just a chilling area then anything else and I enjoy all the fun talk that happen there.

What is the best part of developing a game? *Choko: The best part of creating a game is to see the characters you created come to life. I just really enjoy seeing everything come together. Idk I just find it cool that when making a game all starts out as concepts/ ideas and then after days/weeks/months of work it becomes a actually thing you can look at and show others. Most cutscenes in Verloren I get super happy when I finish them up, because I can see them as a real thing rather than a bunch of ideas of "this is what I'm going to do". Also the joke/shitpost memes....they are also the best part of making a game.

Do you find yourself playing other RPG Maker games to see what you can do with the engine, or do you prefer to do your own thing? *Choko: Yep!!! I play a lot of rpg maker games, I really enjoy seeing what other people do. I just find it cool that anyone can pick up the engine and learn how to use it. Also it's a fun way to find inspiration, just seeing other rpg maker games and being like ">:O I didn't know you can do that!!!".

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Choko: This question is very hard, mainly because I relate to because a lot of characters in the game I relate to in tiny levels. For my favorite character it's Vladimir....I do like every other character in game. Chris is my second favorite I have to say (kinda a lie since ties with another character) but Vladimir number one, he's just soo much fun to write. He's maybe the one character who has a lot of scenes which gets a huge smile from me.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Choko: Not really, mainly since I was lucky to be able to take a huge hiatus which help me in 2019 to rework everything. So every problem I had with the game I fixed.

Do you plan to explore the game’s universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Choko: I would just leave the game alone after I finish Verloren, it's a game that doesn't need any follow ups because I feel it would just take away from the impact when you get to the end. There really isn't anything I would need to explore, since Verloren is meant to be a single game and that's it.

What do you most look forward to upon finishing the game? *Choko: I look forward seeing how people react to the full game, I am low key shock on how people are reacting towards the demo and all the tiny predictions/speculations. Also the warm positive feedback towards Vladimir is shocking, since I thought no one would like him because of all those jokes/puns. I hope the final game has the same positive reaction, also that other characters get a warm positive feedback towards them.

Was there something you were afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game? *Choko: The only thing that worries me is that if I mess up and people can't understand reasons why x character did that. Since one of the main things with Verloren is that characters have their own way if viewing stuff. Like morality is pretty gray because I don't want to write a black and white story.

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Choko: Main advice I'll give out is placeholders are your friend. Don't spend time making assets for a system you didn't test and you test it and it doesn't work. Just have a placeholder graphic which helps you test it and when it's done you can always slap on the asset. Following up with this, create a debug room. It would come in handy to test systems/ events than having to play through your game to test it and learn you need to fix it.

Question from last month's featured dev @cheesesteak-horror: Do you have creative processes you practice before starting development? *Choko: No, not really. I often just jump right into development and go from there. Most of my practice come from when I work on small stuff or just when I'm bored I often just mess around with things.

We mods would like to thank Choko for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved!

Remember to check out Verloren if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum

[singledarkshade]

Surprise Family

Summary: Amy, Rory and Jonas have settled into their new family life. But as Rip's past intrudes on them, Amy and Rory fear that Jonas will be taken from them. Sequel to Foster Parents, Settling In And New Grandpa, Big Sister and Meeting The Doctor. Author’s Note: I thought of this story but wasn’t sure if I was going to add it to the series but decided I had to. Enjoy.                                ********************************************* Amy smiled when she saw Jonas appear from the school doors. It was only his second week, but he had settled in very quickly.

“Mrs Williams,” his teacher, Mr Forrest said, following on as Jonas bounced over to her.

Concerned, Amy nodded, “Is something wrong?”

“No,” he assured before advising, “It’s just that we have a trip to the science centre tomorrow. It was arranged during the last term, and you should have been given the permission slip to sign when Jonas was registered but it was missed.”

“So, you just need me to sign the form?” Amy asked.

Mr Forrest nodded, “As long as you agree to Jonas coming with us. And add if he is allowed to have his lunch from their cafeteria or you will need to provide a packed lunch.”

“Could you give me a moment?” Amy said drawing Jonas to one side before asking, “Do you want to go?”

Jonas nodded.

“And you’ll be okay?” concern filled her voice, “If they go to look at the stars?”

He nodded again, “I promise I will be.”

“Okay,” Amy ruffled his hair before she turned back to Mr Forrest, “Where do I have to sign?”

Amy held Jonas’ hand, he was still quite shy outside the house and preferred to hold onto one of them. Neither she nor Rory minded, they wanted him to feel safe and if holding their hand was what made him comfortable then that’s what they did.

“How was school today?” Amy asked as they walked home.

Jonas shrugged, “It was okay. We’ve been put in pairs for maths and I’m with Henry.”

“What’s Henry like,” Amy asked, hoping this would be a friend for the little boy.

Jonas shrugged again, “He’s okay. We laughed a lot and we played together at playtime. He doesn’t like maths so I’m helping him.”

“As long as he does his share of the work,” Amy told him, “Then that’s good.”

They stopped off at the corner shop for some milk, Amy buying them both ice lollies as a treat.

Heading back to the house, neither noticed they were being watched.

 “Rory,” Jonas called the moment he opened the door.

“Hi,” Rory grinned at the little boy, “How was school?”

Jonas nodded, “Good. We’re going to the Science Centre tomorrow.”

Rory glanced up at Amy who gave him a soft nod confirming it was fine, “That sounds like so much fun. I know they added some new exhibits so you can let us know about them.”

“We’re allowed to wear what we want tomorrow too,” Jonas continued, bouncing slightly, “Can I wear the Explorer sweatshirt I got with Grandpa?”

Rory nodded, “Of course, if it’s clean.”

“It is,” Amy hugged Jonas, “I put it in your cupboard last night.”

With a grin, Jonas ran upstairs to find it leaving the couple watching him amused.

“And we’re sure he’s going to be okay?” Rory asked his wife concerned.

Amy nodded, “I spoke to Mr Forrest and explained why Jonas might get upset, you don’t need to worry.”

Rory kissed her, “Can’t help it.”

“And that’s why I love you,” Amy murmured, she kissed him again before adding, “I’ll love you even more if you start dinner soon.”

                                 *********************************************

 The line of kids followed the guide with the teachers and chaperones walking with them. Sara touched Ray’s arm and motioned to the blond boy in the bright red sweatshirt that said ‘Explorer’ on the back.

“What do you think?” she asked the man at her side.

“He does look like the picture, from what I remember,” Ray mused, “And he does resemble Rip pretty strongly.”

Sara nodded, “The moment I saw him I was sure it was Jonas. I can’t believe he’s alive.”

Ray grimaced, “Typically we find him now Rip’s gone. Poor kid.”

“We need to be sure that this is Jonas,” Sara mused, “And then find out exactly who the people he’s living with are.”

“I should be able to find out,” Ray assured her.

Sara smiled, “Now we just need to check if he is who we think he is.”

“I have an idea for that,” Ray grinned, pulling out the miniaturised ATOM suit from his pocket.

 Sara waited for Ray to fly over and check the roster that the teacher held on his clipboard, so they knew if this was Rip’s son. She knew she could get Gideon to do a search, but their AI was currently doing a full diagnostic system check as well as helping Cisco debug the Star Labs systems. Besides there was always a strange reaction by the AI whenever Rip was mentioned, and she didn’t think it was a good idea to let Gideon know until they were sure and had Jonas settled in his new home. She didn’t want the Waverider to appear all guns blazing to rescue the little boy.

Waiting for Ray, Sara mused over the people she’d been following the past few days who the little boy was now living with. It was uncanny how much the man looked so like Rip but, although she thought it might be another Phil situation at first, the DNA scanner she’d taken from the ship confirmed that the man was not the former Time Master.

It was good they’d taken the boy in, but Sara knew that Rip would want someone he knew and trusted to care for his son, as well as someone who would understand what happened to the boy, which was why Ray and Nora were the perfect choice.

“The register has the name Jonas Hunter,” Ray reappeared at her side, “And I overheard him telling one of the other kids Amy and Rory brought him here a few times. Assuming that’s the couple he’s living with.”

Sara nodded, “That’s good to know. Let’s get out of here.”

“What’s your plan?” Ray asked.

“I don’t want to scare Jonas,” Sara explained, “So once he’s home from school tonight, we’ll talk to them and explain the situation.”

Ray nodded, that makes sense.

                                 *********************************************

 “And then we went to see the new exhibit about the moon,” Jonas continued his stream of words as he told them what he’d done that day, “It has a bit that lets you bounce across the surface as though you’re on it.”

“That sounds amazing,” Amy chuckled, “We have to do the moon bounce when we go there next time.”

Rory nodded before asking while the little boy had paused, “Are you hungry, Jonas?”

Jonas paused and frowned before nodding, “A bit.”

“You’ve had a busy day,” Rory chuckled.

“Can I call Gideon after dinner and tell her all about today?” Jonas asked.

Amy hugged the little boy, “Of course. She will want to know how you’re doing at school too. And you can tell her about your new friends.”

Jonas beamed and bounced slightly.

The doorbell rang and they all frowned confused.

“Isn’t your dad in Paris?” Amy asked Rory who nodded.

“It could be Kate,” Rory noted.

Jonas piped up, “Could it be River or the Doctor?” excitement filled his voice.

“They would have called ahead,” Rory frowned as he headed for the front door.

Opening the door, he frowned in confusion to find two strangers standing there. One a tall good-looking guy, taller than Rory with a pleasant smile on his face, the other was a shorter blonde woman who instantly raised Rory’s hackles.

“Yes?” Rory said coolly, seeing Jonas nervously move to Amy’s side.

“Mr Williams,” the blonde said, “I’m Sara Lance and this is Ray Palmer, we were friends of Jonas’ father, Rip.”

Rory frowned, and glanced back at the little boy who curled closer to Amy, “Okay. What can we do for you?”

“Can we come in?” Ray asked.

Turning to check with Amy, she nodded and took the little boy upstairs before Rory nodded, “The living room is there.”

Ray took the lead and walked through the door followed by Sara, Rory closed the door and took his phone out of his pocket, fixing it so Amy could listen before he joined their guests.

 Ray looked around the room while Sara took up position waiting.

“What can I do for you?” Rory asked again.

Sara stepped forward, “We are very grateful to you for caring for Jonas but we’re here to take him somewhere safe.”

Rory stared at her, before stating, “No.”

“I understand,” Sara said consolingly, “That you don’t know us, but Rip was our friend and we made him a promise. Ray and his wife, Nora are willing to give Jonas a home.”

Rory continued to stare at her.

“There are things you don’t know or understand about Rip,” Sara continued when she realised Rory wasn’t going to say anything, “And we’re just looking to do what is best for Jonas, to keep him safe.”

Rory folded his arms before finally stating, “Jonas has a home, he is happy, and he is safe here. I have no idea who you are, and you may claim to have known his father, but I have seen absolutely no proof of this.”

“We’re not leaving without Jonas,” Sara stated sharply.

“So, you’re going to try to abduct a little boy from his home then force him to live with people he doesn’t know and doesn’t trust?” Rory challenged, his voice colder than before and with an edge to it that sent a chill through Ray’s spine.

Stepping forward, Ray moved to Sara’s side, “We understand you’ve been looking after Jonas, but we only want what’s best for him.”

“What’s best for Jonas,” Rory stated, “Is for him to remain with us, people he knows and trusts. And,” he cut off Sara as she opened her mouth to argue, “The only way I would let anyone take that little boy from this house is if an actual relative he knows came here.”

Ray winced worried, stunned when Sara smiled slightly.

“Fine,” she stated.

“I’m glad we understand one another,” Rory told her, “Now get the hell out of my house.”

Ray followed Sara to the door and outside, hearing the door slam behind them. He waited until they were far enough along the street before he asked.

“What are you planning?”

Sara smiled, “We get an actual relative Jonas knows.”

 The moment Rory closed the door, he locked it and ran upstairs to where Amy was sitting holding a terrified Jonas.

“Rory,” the little boy cried, running to him.

Hugging Jonas close to him, Rory sat beside Amy so she could be a part of the embrace.

“It’s okay,” Rory soothed, rocking Jonas, “They’re gone, and they know you’re going nowhere.”

“What if they come back when I’m at school?” Jonas whispered, “What if they take me away?”

Rory glanced at Amy who looked as angry as he felt at these people for not only scaring the little boy but also undoing all the work they’d done in making him feel safe with them.

“I promise you,” Rory said, making Jonas look at him, “No one will ever take you away. Amy and I will never let that happen.”

“River and the Doctor will never let that happen either,” Amy added.

 They made the little boy some dinner, Jonas hardly ate anything and was quiet nervously watching the door.

“Jonas,” Amy said softly, “Why don’t you put your pyjamas on, and we’ll watch a movie?”

“We’re right here,” Rory assured the little boy.

After a moment, he ran upstairs and they could hear him moving around. It sounded like he was changing as fast as he could.

“You okay?” Amy asked Rory.

“I’m so angry at them,” Rory breathed, “How dare they come here and demand to take him. They must have known they would terrify him.”

Amy rubbed his arm, “Is the Centurion close to the surface?”

“Yes,” Rory replied, “It took me all my self-control to keep him locked down because I don’t want Jonas to see that part of me.”

“I know,” she hugged him before sighing, “They’ll be back though.”

Rory nodded, “We should be fine tonight. Tomorrow I suggest we go to my Dad’s to ‘check the house’ and call Kate as well as Gideon. I don’t want to get River or the Doctor involved unless we have to though.”

Hearing footsteps on the stairs Rory kissed Amy quickly before he went to make them all some hot chocolate. Amy motioned Jonas to sit beside her, not missing the fact that he had Gideon the dog once more. Wrapping her arm around the little boy, hugging him close as Jonas wrapped an arm around her holding on tightly.

“It’s okay,” she soothed, holding him close, “I promise.”

                                 *********************************************

 Rory grimaced as he woke up feeling Jonas attached to him. He’d been too afraid to go to bed alone the night before and finally Amy allowed the little boy to sleep beside them. It had been a long time since he’d needed them during the night.

Normally he would slip away and leave Jonas to sleep with Amy while he made breakfast but right now Rory knew staying where he was at the moment was a better idea. For the first time in a while, the Centurion part of him was awake and ready to fight for the people he loved.

Amy rested her hand on his arm, “We’ll be fine.”

“I know,” he whispered, “I just wish he wasn’t so afraid.”

“Me too.”

They lay together, waiting for the little boy they’d taken in to wake up. Hoping he’d feel safe wrapped in the small bubble with them. It was about half an hour later, Jonas began to wake up. He smiled relieved to see them and the small family cuddled together, Amy telling Jonas stories from when they were children back in Leadworth making him laugh.

They finally got up and had breakfast, doing their best to make it feel like a normal Saturday morning. It was almost lunchtime, they were all dressed and Rory was about to suggest they go to check ‘grandpa’s house’ while he was away, hoping Jonas would feel safe enough there to play allowing them to call Kate and let her know what happened without him listening in.

Suddenly the doorbell rang, Rory and Amy swapped a worried look. Amy caught Jonas as he flew at her and held on.

Leaving them in the living room, Rory headed to the door and opened it. The blonde woman Sara was back, this time with an older woman with short brown hair and sharp eyes. She took a small intake of breath when she saw Rory, but Sara spoke before anyone else could.

“You said you would only give Jonas to an actual relative,” she stated smugly, “This is Mary Xavier, she’s….”

“Grandma!!!!” Jonas excited cry finished the sentence and Rory was stunned to see the little boy run to the woman introduced as Mary.

She crouched down and caught Jonas, hugging him tightly as tears filled her eyes. She pushed him back slightly checking him and stroking his hair affectionately. Rory glanced at Sara who smirked at him, and when Amy joined him, he caught her round the waist so she didn’t smack the blonde woman. No matter how much he wanted to at the smugness radiating from her.

“Grandma,” Jonas pulled away and grabbed her hand, “This is Amy and Rory, they’ve been looking after me.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Mary said softly, turning to Sara whose exterior became more polite anticipation, “Miss Lance, I am going to speak with Mr and Mrs Williams for a bit. I’ll let you know when I’m ready to leave.”

“But…”

Mary held up her hand, effectively cutting the other woman off, “Don’t let me keep you.”

With that said she walked into the house and Rory closed the door in the other woman’s face.

 Amy gripped Rory’s hand tightly as they watched Jonas with his grandmother, bouncing happily to have her with them.

“Can I get you some tea?” Rory offered, falling back on the manners his grandmother had instilled in him.

Mary smiled, “That sounds wonderful,” she shook her head slightly, “It is incredible how much you look like Michael.”

Amy asked, “Michael?”

“Oh,” she chuckled, “Rip was the name my son took for his job but to me he was always Michael.”

Nodding understanding, Rory explained, “A DNA test showed that we are distantly related.”

She nodded.

“Take a seat and I’ll get you some tea,” Rory said softly.

Amy turned to the boy, “Jonas, can you keep your grandmother company while I help Rory? Tell her about school.”

Grinning Jonas bounced to the couch to sit with Mary who hugged him close. Amy joined Rory in the kitchen, watching as he mechanically filled the kettle and pulled out everything.

“Hey,” Amy hugged him, “It’s going to be okay.”

Rory nodded, “I’m just…” he sighed, “It’s amazing Jonas still has his grandmother, but I’m terrified she’ll take Jonas and have him live with people he doesn’t know.”

“Just make the tea and we’ll do everything we can to persuade her that Jonas staying with us is the best thing if she can’t look after him,” Amy said.

Rory sighed again, dropping her head onto her shoulder, as they held onto one another. As the kettle clicked off, Rory shook himself, “Grab the good biscuits. Let’s make as good an impression as we can.”

 Mary Xavier had been stunned when Sara Lance had appeared at her door that morning. The last time she’d seen the woman, she had been delivering the news of Mary’s son’s death. Being told Jonas was not only alive but safe, had been amazing. Sara had explained that although he was living with a couple, one of who resembled Mary’s son, they felt that Rip would want someone he knew and trusted to care for Jonas.

Mary was almost completely convinced, having met Ray Palmer knew he was kind but would be able to keep up with Jonas’ questions. That was until the door opened and she saw Jonas holding onto the redheaded woman and seeing how attached he was to her.

Listening to Jonas tell her about the school he was attending, how he’d made a friend and his trip the day before Mary was torn.

Rory brought in a tray with a teapot, several cups, a small milk jug and plate of biscuits, “Jonas, do you want juice or milk?”

“Milk please,” Jonas beamed up at him.

Rory nodded and headed back into the kitchen, he and Amy returned with milk for Jonas before they took a seat on the chairs across from her.

 “It appears that Jonas is very comfortable here with you,” Mary said as she fixed her tea the way she liked it, “How did he come to be staying here?”

Rory smiled, “I’m a nurse and one day near the end of my shift I found him in one of the rooms. He thought I was his dad for a few moments, but he noticed I wasn’t because I didn’t have a scar above my eye.”

Mary chuckled, “Michael was very proud of that scar, it came from the first fight he truly won.”

“Due to the circumstances surrounding Jonas’ appearance,” Rory continued carefully, not sure how much this woman knew about time travel, “I thought Amy and I would be the best people to care for him while his parents were looked for.”

“They time travel too,” Jonas spoke up instantly removing any and all concerns about what they could tell Mary.

Mary frowned, “You’re not Time Masters.”

“No,” Amy replied, “We used to travel with a man called The Doctor.”

“A Time Lord?” Mary said in amazement.

Rory and Amy nodded.

Mary mused for a moment, “That particular Time Lord as well,” she chuckled, “Well that explains your relaxed attitude to Jonas’ sudden appearance.”

“Did Gideon not tell you I was here?” Jonas spoke up suddenly.

Amy and Rory frowned in thought at the question as Mary frowned, “You’re in touch with Gideon?”

“Jonas constructed a homemade communication device,” Amy smiled at the little boy, “She sent a way to contact her properly and has been helping us.”

Mary turned to the little boy, “Jonas, can you give me a minute to talk to Amy and Rory alone.”

“Why don’t you get the t-shirts you bought on your adventures with grandpa to show your grandma?” Amy suggested.

With a slight bemused look, Jonas nodded and disappeared.

Once he was gone, Mary smiled, “It is very like Gideon to skirt around the edges of her programming to protect Jonas,” at the bemused looks she received from the couple she explained, “As an AI, Gideon’s primary allegiance is to her Captain, which is currently Miss Lance, however Michael was smart and added subroutines to ensure that she would always protect Jonas and Miranda.”

Rory finished his tea and stated, “Miss Xavier, you are Jonas’ grandmother, and we understand that you have the deciding vote on what happens now, but we love Jonas. He is a part of our family.”

“I can see that,” Mary assured, “And I can see how much Jonas adores you both.” She paused for a moment taking a sip of team, “Miss Lance wants me to remove Jonas from your care and at first I thought it was a good idea. Michael did know Mr Palmer and spoke highly of him. But from what I have seen, I agree that it is for the best Jonas remain here with you.”

Relief covered the couple’s faces and Amy hugged Rory tightly.

“Thank you,” Amy breathed.

“I have one condition,” Mary told them, continuing before either of them panicked, “I want to be able to spend as much time with my grandson as possible. So, we will set up times for me to visit.”

“You’re always welcome here,” Rory assured as he held Amy close, “Always.”

                                 *********************************************

 “Do you have to go, Grandma?” Jonas asked tearfully as he held her.

Mary kissed the top of his head, “I do but,” she wiped away his tears, “I will be back next weekend to go with you all to the zoo.”

Delight filled Jonas’ eyes, “You will?”

She nodded.

“You can meet Grandpa,” Jonas beamed, “And we can show you the lion we adopted.”

Mary chuckled, hugging him again, “That sounds wonderful. Now be good for Amy and Rory. I love you, my little one.”

The doorbell sounded and Mary turned to the couple watching, “It looks like my ride is here.”

Rory opened the door to find Sara Lance standing there, he turned to Mary who smiled at them.

“I will see you soon,” Mary stepped outside seeing surprise in Sara’s eyes.

“Bye, Grandma,” Jonas waved happily before the door closed.

Sara stared at Mary, “What happened?”

“I decided that it is best Jonas remains where he is,” Mary replied as she started walking.

“Hold on,” Sara caught up with her, “I thought you agreed that it was best that Jonas live with someone Rip knew and trusted.”

Mary stopped and turned to Sara, “At the time, yes that made sense but after meeting the couple he has been living with I feel that uprooting Jonas would not be good for him.”

“You’re serious?” Sara snapped.

Mary stared at her, “My grandson is my priority in this, not your ego nor assuaging your guilt for your part in my son’s death, Miss Lance. Mr and Mrs Williams are not only a wonderful couple, but Jonas is happy living with them. They have made him a part of their family.” Before Sara could open her mouth to protest, Mary cut her off, “I have made my choice and I suggest you adhere to my decision, or you will not like the consequences.”

With that said she continued to the ship to return her home.

[wildlyminiaturesandwich]

The Sims 4 Realm of Magic - Early Access Build/Buy Review

Huge thank you to the EA Game Changer Program for providing me with the opportunity to play the Realm of Magic Game Pack early!

I feel like I always say this about new packs, but the build/buy stuff in this pack made me completely forget about the things I was disappointed in with CAS! Don’t get me wrong, build/buy has it’s issues as well, but... well, it kind of worked in this pack’s favour when it comes to the buy objects. That’ll make sense in a minute, I promise lol

Anon will be back on for the next few days so if you have any questions about Realm of Magic, feel free to send me an ask! ✨

See a preview of all the new Build/Buy items here

✨The Build

There isn’t really much to say about the build catalogue that I haven’t continued to say with pretty much every early access review I’ve ever done. The stuff is great, amazing actually, but there needs to be more variations. Most of the doors are for medium height walls, but most of the windows are for shorter walls? I know you can use shorter windows on taller walls, but they look too small next to doors made for those taller walls.

One day I would love to see the Sims team actually release a FULL set of build items. Like doors and windows made for all wall heights, in three, two and one tile variations, fences with matching stair railings, columns that not only match the rest of the build set but also the new spandrels and friezes that come with them. I just wish whoever was in charge of making these things thought a little bit further than “Ooh pretty door! That’s finished, now onto the one window; I’m gonna make it a different height completely and not matching colours at all.”

Speaking of not matching colours... the biggest pet peeve I have — that you guys are probably getting sick of hearing me go on and on about — is that nothing matches!

With this pack we get four new walls and two new floors... NONE of which match! You would assume that the wood floor matches the wall with the wood paneling on the bottom, but it doesn’t, the swatches are completely different. Or maybe you’d assume the brick floor goes with the two brick walls? You’d be wrong there too; again completely different swatches and the two brick walls don’t even match. And as for the tiled wall (the one with the half blue top), there’s no new tiles and it doesn’t match with anything else we currently have available in base game or any of the the packs. It’s almost like all of the floors and walls were made independently of one another and weren’t actually supposed to match... So that’s neat, and yet not at all unusual when it comes to the Sims.

Oh and before I forget, there’s a weird double-sided glitch happening since the release of the last patch where either columns aren’t reaching the full height of the walls, so you get a gap at the top of them, or they’re reaching too high and clip through the bottom of the next floor. If this is happening to you, check out this tweet from SimGuruNick for a temporary fix until they can figure out what’s happening and fix it in an upcoming patch 😊

✨The Buy

Listen, buy mode is definitely not without it’s issues either. Once again we don’t have a cabinet to match new counters, there are SEVERAL swatches missing or wrong from many different objects, some of the furniture swatches don’t match others that it’s supposed to (eg a dark brown swatch on all but one display case which has a black swatch instead), the big bookcase has a slot (which it doesn’t need) that is for some reason three tiles behind it, you can see ambient occlusion shadows through one of the living chairs (like CC lol), the list goes on...

BUT

There are objects that came with base game that work perfectly with all of the new stuff, which I have NEVER used before, that I found myself using as I was building with the new pack! And even though no cabinet came with the new counters, a stove and fridge did! And the cabinets from the Vampires pack that I love but never get to use work really well with them too!

Also, look at the preview pics up there, look how many different wands and brooms there are to collect! THERE’S A MAGIC MOP TO RIDE! And all the new books! And the portals, that you can use like elevators to get around your lot! And a “magical” bassinet that would also work perfectly for anyone playing historical challenges too! And the familiars (the things that look like crystal balls)! OH THE FAMILIARS! You’ll see more of them in my gameplay pics, but trust me, LeafBat alone is worth buying this pack! And don’t even get me started on all the cool things that are in the debug menu! Broken building shells with spooky floating furniture anyone?

✨The Verdict

Once again, a pack is saved in my eyes by build/buy (and gameplay but I’ll get into that when my story starts posting lol)!

I looked at all the CAS stuff the very first day we got early access and after a few hours I closed my game and went to play Minecraft feeling a little disappointed because of all the things I mentioned in my CAS review. But the next day when I opened the game back up to check out all the build/buy stuff... Omg I had SO much fun building and decorating my very first witchy house in Glimmerbrook for a very special sim and I can’t wait to show it off to you guys a bit more once my gameplay starts posting!

All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own. I am not paid by EA to “hype” their games; I am given the opportunity to review their games early in exchange for an honest review.

Click here for my Create-A-Sim Review

[audreycj-things]

[𝓫𝓵𝓸𝓰 𝓽𝔀𝓸]   My Top Five I.T. Career Choices

Are you a current or aspiring student of the information technology department? Are you having trouble with what job to take once you’ve completed your four years of torture college? If that’s two yeses, you’re in luck because in this blog post, I’ll be sharing with you the possible careers I’m considering on taking after I graduate.

But before that, let me share with you how I became a part of the Computer Studies department in the first place!

A Back Story of My Career Dilemmas  

Roughly three years ago, upon approaching my senior high school years, I was dead set on taking the path towards becoming a lawyer. Hence, I enrolled under the Humanities and Social Sciences strand. (I no longer remember why I wanted to take up law though.) A few self-evaluations later, I realized I wanted to become a medical professional, specifically a neurosurgeon. I can attribute this to familial expectations, the many Korean dramas I watched, and my desire to improve the country’s healthcare system, to help people, and to be one of the few doctors with nice handwriting. And so, I shifted to the STEM strand up until I graduated.  

During my last few months in senior high, I underwent personal dilemmas on what I really wanted. Amidst my extended family’s career expectations for me, my wise mother constantly reminded me the reality of medical professionals’ work. She emphasized the importance of your college program being a product of your own choice rather than everyone else’s expectations. And so, I was no longer sure of what program to take in college. At this point, I was already panicking, especially after seeing how confident my peers were with what career they had in mind. All I knew is that I was completely clueless of what to become and that I am a fairly versatile individual who always tries her best in whatever situation and opportunity she’s thrown in. (I’m known to be a jack-of-all-trades type of person.)

Seeing my struggle, my mom recommended me to consider the I.T. field. As a college professor and her university’s official representative to local and international seminars, she has witnessed and understood the potential and significance of professions under this field. Although hesitant at first—mostly because I haven’t been too exposed to opportunities that allow me to acquire advanced computer-related  skills (not including the ones I learned in my basic education’s computer classes)— I gave her suggestion some thought and decided that I shall take up the challenge.

And so, here I am, enrolled as a Computer Science student in the tech savvy Malayan Colleges Mindanao.

My Top Five I.T. Career Choices

Before anything else, allow me to explain briefly about the I.T. field that I plan to be a part of. This is for you to be able to catch up with what I’m trying to say, especially since there are going to be various technical terms from here on. And who knows? I might spark your interest in giving this career path a try!

According to Computer Science Online, the information technology industry operates across a range of industries, such as healthcare, finance, education, and entertainment. Broadly, information technology can be defined as the use of computing via various components (e.g. hardware, services, software) to develop, manage, transform, share and store information in different forms. Careers in information technology deal with the design, creation, management, and maintenance of the varied components of the system, including software, hardware, networks, systems integration, and multimedia.

     [1]   COMPUTER PROGRAMMER

The number one thing that I absolutely want to become is to be a computer programmer.

Following Technopedia’s definition, a computer programmer is a skilled professional who codes, tests, debugs, and maintains the comprehensive instructions known as computer programs that devices should follow to execute their functions. Computer programmers also conceptualize, design, and test logical structures to solve computer issues. Programmers make use of specific computer languages like C, C++, Java, PHP, .NET, etc. to convert the program designs developed by software developers or system architects into instructions that the computer could follow. They often refer to code libraries for simplifying their coding and might build or make use of computer-aided software tools to automate the coding.

I’ve always been awestruck of how coding works. It amazes me how a series of words and symbols arranged in a definite order will result to apps, websites, and other various software—even this word document I’m using under Microsoft Office! It’s surreal how each element of this software functions in such a smart and creative manner, especially when you know it as merely words and symbols in its raw form. I want to be able to do this by developing and learning all the knowledge and skills a good programmer should possess. Afterall, one should aim for excellence first; success will follow.

     [2]   SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

Another career that I would love to have is to be a software developer. 

According to CollegeGrad, software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device. Others develop the underlying systems that run the devices or that control networks. Software developers oversee the entire development process for a software program, including testing and maintenance. They design the program and then give instructions to programmers, who write computer code and test it.

Admittedly, I prefer doing the back-end job of a programmer. I don’t really love leading a team in a somewhat creativity-based project. However, the idea of initiating and facilitating the coming-to-life process of a computer program seems incredibly fulfilling. If ever I do become a software developer, I would probably create a computer program that will be of use to hospitals and schools. In fact, my mother encourages me to consider developing an enrollment system someday. No pressure.

     [3]   DATABASE ADMINISTRATOR

My third option is to become a database administrator.

According to Learn How to Become and Wikipedia, database administrators are responsible for establishing databases for organizations in all sectors of the economy in accordance with their specific needs in order to ensure that data is readily accessible for efficient and effective use by anyone with permission to use it. They use specialized software to store and organize data. Their role may include capacity planning, installation, configuration, database design, migration, performance monitoring, security, troubleshooting, as well as backup and data recovery.

A database administrator’s job appeals to my perfectionism. The idea of being in-charge of keeping everything organized is a huge but ultimately fulfilling challenge.  

     [4]   CYBER SECURITY CONSULTANT

Another career I have in mind is to be a cyber security consultant.

Top Universities emphasizes that maintaining cyber security in the modern world has become increasingly important, so a cyber security consultant’s role focuses on understanding the risks to the security of information or data. I would have to analyze where security breaches may occur or have occurred, and restore or reinforce systems against such breaches, to ensure that confidential data is protected. This role could include ‘ethical hacking’, meaning deliberately attempting to hack into my employer’s network to expose any weaknesses. Alternatively, I could work as a computer forensics analyst or investigator to combat the increasing phenomenon of cyber-crime.

I can attribute my attractions towards this career to the movies I’ve watched that portray hacking (or anything of the sort) to be cool. In several action movies, I always felt excited when seeing characters getting out of a tight, life-and-death situation with their cyber security-related skills. Although now I know that there’s more to this job than hacking—which they only do for testing reasons, otherwise it would be a crime—it still appeals to that part of my self that craves for thrill. In hindsight, the chances of coming across serious cyber security situations (like a government cyber security breach) here in the Philippines is quite low compared to other countries, so I guess my thrill-seeking self won’t be too satisfied if I work locally.

     [5]   GAME DEVELOPER

My last and fifth career choice is to become a game developer.

According to Top Universities, game developers produce games for personal computers, games consoles, social/online games, arcade games, tablets, mobile phones, and other handheld devices. This role splits into two main parts. First, there’s the creative side of designing a game and dealing with the art, animation, and storyboarding. Second, there’s the programming side, using programming languages such as C++.

I fit into the second part of developing game—the programming part. Although I’d rather invest on computer programs that are of use to the community, helping create a game seems like a fun way to apply coding. In hindsight, games are not just limited to the “fun” aspect because they offer more benefits than entertainment, so I guess I’m still helping the community in a way. I play games myself, especially the MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game called League of Legends. I understand and have experienced that one can learn, acquire, and hone skills (like strategy planning, enhanced reflexes, analysis) from playing games, especially complex ones. Furthermore, one can create and maintain friendships with games, as well as improve their self-confidence.

OVERALL...

Computer programmer, software developer, database administrator, cyber security consultant, game developer… whatever my career will be, I hope I’ll love what I’ll do and contribute something to the betterment of the community.

I also hope to prove some family members wrong about IT-related jobs being insignificant, that graduates under this program just “end up in computer shops.” While managing and maintaining a computer shop is a noble job, there’s so much more to the professions under I.T. that are constantly being overlooked and taken for granted. We are literally living in the digital age, yet many people still don’t appreciate this field enough. Hopefully, I’ll be able to enlighten and inspire people to try this career path and be a part of the tech savvy community.

Wish me luck in my journey!

[girls-scenarios]

Girl Group Fic Rec

A/N: Because I feel bad that I’m not going to be posting much this week. Please enjoy these fics while I suffer through the last week of classes and four major papers. - Admin Kiwi

Twice

Bedside Manner - Nayeon/Jeongyeon - T - Jeongyeon ends up breaking the record for most visits to the hospital in a month. She claims she's doing it for the challenge, but her friends are pretty sure it has more to do with a certain nurse she keeps running into.

Actions Speak Louder - Nayeon/Jeongyeon - T - Fate normally sounds romantic, but Nayeon is beginning to think that it's a curse in the form of this damned mystery girl in her class. College!AU

in the mood for love - Chaeyoung/Tzuyu - Chaeyoung often laughed as if nobody were watching, and Tzuyu now understood when Teresa Teng sang of smiles being comparable to flowers blooming on a sweet, Spring day.

louder - Nayeon/Jeongyeon - jeongyeon marvelled at the way nayeon made her feel like everything was alright with the world.and even if it wasn’t, that’s fine too. because they could take on the world someday, so long as they were in this together. (based on jeongyeon's part-time job at the bakery that she had while she was a trainee.)

get off free. - Nayeon/Momo, Mina/Sana - M - placing the bloodied knife down onto the oak table, nayeon blinks once, taking a deep breath in. well, fuck. serial killer au.

The Great Fog of 1893 - Jihyo/Tzuyu - T/M(?) - Vampire!AU - The last dairy entries of Miss Park Jihyo, regarding the events leading up to her disappearance, in 1893.

points and theories - Chaeyoung/Tzuyu - G - chaeyoung loves math, and, although tzuyu doesn’t always understand, chaeyoung finds a way to make it simple

sugar, we’re going down - Tzuyu/Jihyo, Nayeon/Jeongyeon, Dahyun/Chaeyoung, Momo/Sana - M - "look!" nayeon's mouth is right at her ear. tzuyu doesn't even need to back away, because the volume's just right. "the purple-haired one, right at the front. apparently she's part veela."

Afterglow - Mina/Chaeyoung, Nayeon/Momo, Sana/Dahyun, Jihyo/Tzuyu - T -Twice/X-Men AU. After discovering she has the power of hypnosis, Mina is sent off by her parents to a hidden school for the gifted in Korea where she will be safe from anyone attempting to harness her powers as a weapon. There, Mina befriends eight other girls, each with extraordinary powers of their own, that will help her to come to terms with being a mutant, as well as help her learn to control her powers, which can be detrimental, even deadly, to those around her.

Another Pretty Face - Nayeon/Mina - G - Nayeon’s used to imagining herself in healthy relationships with beautiful strangers she sees on the streets. Mina’s an interesting character who keeps showing up in her life from time to time.

Nightswimming - Nayeon/Jeongyeon - T - Nayeon is first. She's the best. She's always the best. Until she's fourth. 2yeon swimming AU; in which Nayeon is the star of the college swim team and Jeongyeon is her roommate.

Compliment - Momo/Sana - G - Three times Momo complimented Sana thinking she didn’t know japanese and the one time Sana returned the compliment

Game - Nayeon/Jeongyeon, Sana/Dahyun, Momo/Mina - T - It's finally Jeongyeon's year. She's finally the starting pitcher and she's got this. At least she thinks she does. But the opposing team's head cheerleader, Im Nayeon has different plans.

A guide to handling the girl who makes you write Batman on her coffee cup. - Jihyo/Momo - G - In which Jihyo is a barista and Momo has way too much fun coming up with weird names.

Green Tea - Jeongyeon/Sana - G - Jeongyeon needs to focus on her essay for class buts it’s pretty hard when her crush is looking sad and ill in the next room. Jeongyeon can’t act on it they’re unwritten rules about falling in love with your housemates. Right?

LOONA

On That Day, I Wished It Would Blossom in the Sun - Kim Lip/JinSoul - T - In which Jungeun is the local florist and Jinsoul is the tattoo artist down the road whose smile renders Jungeun speechless, leaves her desperately searching for wherever the air in her lungs went. She thinks Jinsoul took it with her.

the coloring book - Yves/Chuu - G - sooyong was never good with children, and although she loves her niece yeojin, she wasn't particularly happy to pick her up from kindergarten. little did she know she'd meet someone really, really special there.

Drowning In You - Kim Lip/JinSoul - lifeguard jungeun saves popular girl Jinsoul from drowning. feelings may or may not have ensued.

Goal - Hyunjin/Choerry (rare pairing!) - G - Friend asked for Hyunrry AU, and this is what happened. Soccer! and Highschool!AU

Wake Up Call (It's Like Holding Hands) - Hyunjin/Heejin, background Haseul/Vivi, Yves/Chuu, Kim Lip/Jinsoul, Olivia Hye/Go Won - G - “Happy Halloween, hoes,” is the first thing Yeojin says at exactly twelve midnight, before dumping a box of spiders onto Chaewon’s head. Or, Hyunjin is in love with Heejin. Yeojin tries to "help". Just another day in the LOONA dorm.

if you were also looking for me - Yves/Chuu (and background ships) - T - The annual talent show auditions are being managed by none other than Jiwoo's mortal enemy, it's snowing in September, and Jiwoo may or may not have vague magical powers. But hey, it's junior year: anything may as well happen, right? Featuring: teenage angst, social media, bathroom graffiti, magic-induced fainting, unhealthy amounts of obliviousness, truly awful pickup lines (courtesy of one Heejin Jeon), and the worst recorded snowstorm in history.

But My Heart is Like Paper (You're Too Good To Be True) - Go Won/Olivia Hye - Hyejoo looks at the little paper crane, spies the telltale pencil markings on its wings from where she had written her algebra work down before folding it. Gingerly, she picks it up, smiles to herself as she pinches its neck and tail, pushing and pulling, watching the paper crane’s wings go up and down. A light bulb flickers on in her head .Or, Hyejoo just wants to brighten Chaewon's week, so she folds her origami every day and hopes it's enough to bring a smile. Highschool!AU

Truth//Dare - All popular ships - G - All Jung Jinsol wants to do is take the train home after school. But when it breaks down, leaving her and 11 other girls stuck in a compartment, what's a girl to do but play a few rounds of Truth or Dare?

stole my napkins and my heart - Haseul/Vivi - G - Haseul wonders what exactly it is about the napkins at the cafe she works at that makes them worth stealing, and wonders what exactly to call the little leap her heart does when she sees the napkin thief.

Gonna fly now - Go Won/Olivia Hye - G - Truthfully, the boxing club had been their very last hope. Hyejoo had tried everything from football to swimming along with a impressive number of martial arts but after each she’d shrugged her shoulders and said she didn’t felt like playing it again and her parents had sighed and said let’s try something else then. But then Hyejoo enters the boxing club and while her parents starts chatting with the coach her sight immediately settles on the tiny girl with the long black hair who’s hitting a punching bag in a corner of the room like she wants it dead. She can’t seem to be able to stop watching.

tempting - Haseul/Vivi - T - Vivi hated this part of her job. Angel/Devil Au

what stays below, what flies above - Haseul/Vivi - Story behind Queen Vivian's favorite painting.

you make loving fun - Haseul/Vivi - G - Kahei desperately needs a date take to her parents’ company event so they won’t set her up with another “appropriate suitor”. Of course, she does what everyone in their right mind would do—she talks her long-time crush into being her fake girlfriend for the weekend. What could possibly go wrong?

cheating - Haseul/JinSoul - T - Soulmate AU where whatever your soulmate writes on their skin, it appears on yours too. And Haseul's soulmate loves to cheat on her exams.

there's sunshine in your smile - Chuu/Kim Lip - G - “She has the hots for Kim Jiwoo. Ran out midway to get her flowers and everything,” Sooyoung reports, flinching when Jungeun glares at her and raises her fist. Haseul has to step in between them to break up the impending fight. With Sooyoung cackling this much, it wouldn’t be long before Jungeun actually punched her anyway. Or: Jiwoo sings like an angel, and Jungeun runs out mid-concert to get flowers for the girl who moved her with just her voice.

steal my heart, too - Kim Lip/JinSoul - G - At first, Jinsol isn’t quite sure what to think as she watches a chubby Shiba Inu walk into her small pet store via the motion detector door because… well, the dog’s owner is nowhere to be seen. Jinsol just stares as the tiny dog struts up to one of the shelves, taking hold of a small bag of treats in its mouth. Amused, Jinsol just keeps watching as the dog walks out of the store. Wait, Jinsol thinks, I’ve just been shoplifted by a dog.

santa baby - Olivia Hye/? - G - it’s not until the fourth time that hyejoo gets suspicious. or,on the first day of december hyejoo finds a small present packed neatly on her desk. and the gifts keep on coming.

Red Velvet

Debugging - Irene/Seulgi - T - Irene is a game developer struggling to analyze what everything meant. Seulgi is a barista who thought she knew it all. Very loosely based on the web drama Game Development Girls.

Let’s Fall In Love For The Night - Irene/Wendy - T - Wendy catches the eye of a certain senior after a performance and a fall.

parties, smiles, and ice cream - Irene/Wheein (Mamamoo) - irene finds herself interested in a girl who owns a sketchbook, likes oversized sweaters, and doesn't mind strawberries at a not so interesting party.

a game is better when played by two - Irene/Seulgi - G - Kang Seulgi always sits beside the same girl on the bus ride home. Or where in Seulgi and Irene are two grown ass women who are passionate about playing mobile games.

Inside This Place is Warm - Irene/Seulgi - G - Irene is a barista at her university's coffee shop, and she just so happens to be the object of someone's affection. The only problem is that no one is quite sure who that "someone" is. This is where Seulgi and her friends come in. Or, in which Irene's a senior in college and she loses her mind over her beautiful neighbor, who she talks to far too often for it to be healthy.

IZ*ONE

it was such a sight, but it was just fluorescent high rises - Chaewon/Minjoo - G - minjoo discovers something about chaewon she shouldn't haveor in which it took her quite the time to get used in seeing her smile. highschool!au

of spells and potions - Chaewon/Minjoo, Yujin/Wonyoung - G - In-progress - Everybody in Hogwarts thinks the same of Yujin, Minju and Chaewon.They want to be friends with Yujin, want to date Minju, and want to never cross paths with Chaewon. /aka that hogwarts au no one asked for

Just Who the Hell Do You Think I Am? - Yena/Hyewon - G - Hyewon starts to regret so much about her life when her tinder date gets bundled into the back of a police car before she sets foot inside the restaurant.

Flavour of the Month - Hitomi/Nayoung (Produce 48/Banana Culture) - G -  Nayoung suffers a heartbreak and someone makes her heart race

i told you so - Eunbi/Hyewon, side Chaeyeon/Sakura - T - “Why are you guys arguing over the last condom if you’re both lesbians?” Yena asks. Eunbi and Hyewon both go beet red, avoiding eye contact. “Well, I mean, it’s always good to be safe,” Eunbi tries, but a lightbulb goes off in Yena’s head and she says “ohhhhh,” very loudly, wiggling her eyebrows. “I don’t get it,” Chaewon says. Eunbi thinks she might die of embarrassment. Or, Hyewon is a figure skater and Eunbi is an ice hockey player. They meet at the Winter Olympics in a rather unconventional way, but it turns out alright.

Stay Right There - Eunbi/Hyewon - Eunbi could only wish to be as carefree as Hyewon, instead of being the next CEO of Kwon Enterprises.

Mornings - Hitomi/Chaewon - Hitomi would always sneak up to the other dorm just to cuddle with Chaewon after their schedules.

Sweeter Than Fiction - Yena/Yuri - In-progress - Right in the moment Yuri met Choi Yena in that chat room, she knew the girl was gonna be someone important in her life or, Yuri being absolutely whipped by Yena since the first time they talked to each other and her rollercoaster ride going through feelings while being a broke college student with lots of responsibilities

Zone Wars - G - IZ*ONE's gamer line plays games to mixed results. Sakura taunts, Hyewon wins, Yena complains, and Minju just wants to be included.

BlackPink

And Fall - Jisoo/Lisa - G -  Her eyes, behind the lenses catching the veiled sunlight that must be blinding her, are so unguarded, glittering like quick little honey droplets. A gentle, thoughtless smile remains on her lips, even in the absence of an answer. It was hard enough resisting sweet underclassman Lisa, with her bleach-damaged hair and limbs far too long, movements far too sharp, for her body. But this? A gorgeously content Lisa, grown into herself and oblivious of the effect she has on the world, smiling at Jisoo so tenderly it must be a crime? Damn near impossible.

From every Sunday evening to every Sunday night - Jennie/Lisa - G -  Lisa wants Jennie to know the way she feels about her, so she writes her a note every day of the week.

CLC

Pumpkin spice with an undecent ammount of cream - Sorn/Seunghee - G - Seasons were only the background for companies to ask for money: “hey! Do you want to be like that girl, long curly hair, perfect make up, that is looking through the window as autumn settles in? Then come buy here! Everything is orange, red, maroon and brown and it tastes like pumpkin!” Seasons could suck Sorn’s toe for all they were worth. “And what would you like today?” “A pumpkin spice latte, please.” Or where Sorn has this big crush on a barista.

like a cat - Yujin/Yeeun - G -  Yeeun is a very, very tired college student. She doesn't believe her eyes when she sees a large cat dancing in the middle of a shopping centre. She didn't even know cats could dance. Yujin works at a cat cafe and sometimes has to wear a cat costume to advertise the cafe at the mall. One day, a very tired and loud girl stops to watch Yujin dance.

late groceries - Elkie/Sorn - G - sure it was too late for that, but still, they really needed their groceries. it was Urgent.

unexpected - Yujin/Yeeun - G - yeeun entered the building waiting for a job, and left with a soulmate.

Dancing with our hands tied - Sorn/Yeeun - T - A bet, an unforgettable night, and a really regretful Yeeun.

Weki Meki

trying to find an island in the flood - Doyeon/Yoojung - G - It is not the first time Yoojung has climbed into Doyeon’s bed, but it feels different, when Yoojung sticks her feet under the warmth of the blankets and Doyeon’s arms wrap around her almost instantly. “Sometimes,” Doyeon begins, absentmindedly tucking a strand of hair behind Yoojung’s ear, “I feel like I’ve already met my soulmate. But other times, I’m not sure, you know?” Something twists uncomfortably in Yoojung’s stomach and she swallows.

it's my favorite business interaction - Rina/Lucy - "Doyeon unnie, as much as I appreciate this, I'm seventeen. When am I going to need this?" "Interviews," Doyeon says offhandedly. "What… kind of interviews…?" "Like your date with Hyojung," Yoojung helpfully supplies. "That's sort of an interview." "Who said I was going on a date with Hyojung?"

Win Again - Doyeon/Somi (i.o.i, soloist) - G - High school heartthrob Jeon Somi's taekwondo team gets a budget cut for the cheerleading team's new uniforms. She has mixed feelings about their future captain, Kim Doyeon.

ten reasons why - Lua/Rina - G -  Soeun lists down ten reasons why she hates Sookyung.

fromis_9

the dazzling you, the angelic you - Saerom/Gyuri - G - Beautiful, breathtaking, alluring. That’s what Saerom was. And Gyuri couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off of her, ever.

despacito - Seoyeon/Jiwon - G - it’s this moment, seoyeon thinks, that her idol training has been preparing her for. that is, singing an extremely romantic song in front of the girl who you’ve liked for several months, who also happens to look extremely attractive right now.

the sun was in my eyes (the sun was in her smile) - M - Saerom/Gyuri, Saerom/Hayoung  "So, how did you and Gyuri meet?" Hayoung asks.Saerom should be more prepared than this. She has an email in her outbox sent to gyuljang@gmail.com with the subject line important backstory details for a reason. "Through Chaeyoung, the intern?" "Well, you guys look cute together," Hayoung says, giving Saerom an enthusiastic nod. (a buzzfeed AU)

Finding Solace - Saerom/Gyuri - G - Forest sprite Gyuri keeps finding a girl going back to the forest.

Pristin

all my nights taste like gold - Eunwoo/Rena - G - yaebin looked around quickly, but no one was looking at them. "you shouldn't call me that. if they hear you--" "you're always gonna be kang yaebin to me, dummy," eunwoo interrupted. "if they don't like it they can answer to me.”yaebin felt a rush of warmth in her chest, like she was comfortable in her own skin for the first time in years. she had almost forgotten that eunwoo always made her feel that way.

I'm Your Girl ? - Rena/Roa - T  “Do you want to know what’s on my mind right now then?” Minkyung asked slowly. Yebin looked back at her and nodded. “It’s you. It’s almost always you,”

falling, falling, falling (for you, you, you) - Kyulkyung/Eunwoo - it's like everything in jieqiong's life shifts into place, while also simultaneously crumbles, within five seconds.

Another Halloween - Yuha/Eunwoo - G - Kyungwon and Eunwoo spend their Halloween together, like always

WJSN

of course the snake would hate the lion - Luda/Eunseo - T - son juyeon, a muggleborn, was incompatible with lee luda, a girl that grew up with her parents telling her that muggles were inferior than them. when she sees herself being target of juyeon's jokes and attention, she thinks she's in hell. she really hates the younger girl, she's pretty sure of that, but when juyeon's get involved in a quidditch accident, luda started to care more than the normal about the other's well being.

Dreamcatcher

Summer Dream - Yoohyeon/Dami - T - Ever since she was little, Yoohyeon has spent her summers lazing away at the country club pool. Funny enough, despite spending so much time there, she never learned to swim. This summer there’s a hot new lifeguard in town who Yoohyeon is helplessly crushing on. When Yoohyeon’s genius of a best friend flings her in the pool in order to try and catch her crush’s attention, another girl ends up saving her from drowning and stealing her heart in the process…

close to you - Yoohyeon/Siyeon, SuA/JiU - T - Kim Yoohyeon has two goals for this school year: to get the solo at the school concert and to enjoy her life alone in her new apartment. Both of these goals are crossed by Lee Siyeon, Yoohyeon's biggest rival since middle school, when unfortunate circumstances lead to them having to share more than just their passion for singing...

A Date in Stilettos - Yoohyeon/Dami, SuA/Siyeon - Blind dates aren't supposed to be amazing.

Traffic Duty - Yoohyeon/Dami - T - Officer Lee Yoobin has the most boring shift ever, or she thinks she does.

One Of The Nightmares  - Handong/Yoohyeon - T - Yoohyeon often has nightmares while sleeping and while awake. Handong is always there to bring her back from them.

half my bones - JiU/Siyeon - T -  when siyeon wakes up, she finds herself in a garden of lilies. Hanahaki Disease.

i want it, i got it - Yoohyeon/Dami - E - Yoobin has quite a few feelings about Yoohyeon's outfit from the performance of 7 Rings.

[thetonecontrol]

Interview with Electronic Audio Experiments

Righteous Ryan: When did you decide to become a builder and what motivated you to do so?

Electronic Audio Experiments: Even before I taught myself how to play the guitar I was always interested in what makes instruments work, so naturally I was a pedal nerd as soon as I learned what they were. After studying electronics for fun on the side (took a couple extra courses during undergrad and then read books on my own) it became a natural progression of my interests to start tinkering with my own. I did a few tagboard clone builds before I realized I wanted to have more control over the design process. And that's still my primary motivation: I love the design process with all of its challenges and room for artistic decisions.

EAE as a company formally started in approximately winter/spring of 2015. In February of that year, Boston was slammed over 5 feet of snow. I spent a lot of time in my crummy basement apartment eating frozen pizzas and breadboarding what would eventually become the Longsword V1. I used it on a couple records I was a part of (Perfect Moments by Tiny Fractures and the Native Wildlife s/t - both on bandcamp, for the curious) and that generated enough interest to do a release that summer. The rest has been a whirlwind!

RR: What motivates you to create original circuits?

EAE: Short answer - it's really satisfying to me, basically my favorite pastime.

Longer answer - I love the challenge of making something from scratch that hopefully lets my personality come through. I should qualify; I am not reinventing any wheels here. Designing "from scratch" is like building something out of legos. You can't really design new pieces (which leads some of the more cynical folks out there to say there's nothing new under the sun) but there are lots of building blocks and lots of ways to arrange them. The artistic merit is in the details, and the fun is in the thrill of the chase. It's an obsessive process but endlessly gratifying.

RR: Are you currently working on anything new?

EAE: Oh god, too many things. Here's a sampling:

Halberd - this is a drive which started as the preamp block of Sending, but heavily mutated into its own thing. It features pronounced treble attack/clarity, stupidly high output, and a strong second harmonic response. Been "finalizing" it for a while but I'm trying my damnedest to release it this summer. (If you want to hear a rough demo of an earlier iteration, check this video out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpGgzl3lOgs)

Sending V2 - I'm trying to add some features while I do an SMD conversion - mostly modulation and CV control over delay time. Currently on the back burner while I get the Halberd sorted out.

Hypersleep - this is my weird multi-tap chorus/vibrato/reverb-ish thing (nb: this is also in Ian's video linked above). It's also on the back burner while I get the Halberd sorted out. I really want to put it to production but it depends fully on whether I can source enough MN3011 BBDs to make it happen. If I can get enough to build 50 I'll do a limited run, but I'd really prefer to do 100 if at all possible... so we shall see what happens.

Super secret collab with Electrofoods Pedals - stay tuned, I am very excited

Surveyor - IVP side of the Dude Incredible, will be released later this year. It's ready to rock.

Various contract designs - Caroline Somersault (just wrapped up), Caroline Megabyte (working on the second round of prototypes), Dunable Eidolon (close to done, just needs some code fixes), another 2 or 3 projects all TBA.

RR: What is your design process like?

EAE: Whenever I design something new I have to answer two questions. 1) does it exist already? and 2) does it address a need or want in my own sonic pursuits? For instance, drive pedals will reflect my tone in whatever band I'm currently in. If it's already been done I can go buy it. If it hasn't been done then the work can begin.

If the design is simple or contains simple building blocks I often go straight to the circuit board layout and if necessary, debug from there. I can often turn a project around pretty quick if that's the case. If I'm not sure whether or not a building block will work, I can try simulating or breadboarding. Circuit simulation is extremely powerful but requires interpretation of the results, which also sometimes differ from reality. Breadboarding is great for audible characterization of a new idea, but the added parasitic capacitances can dramatically alter the frequency response of a circuit - especially a high gain drive or something with lots of complex filters. So there's usually a loop of steps where I move between a breadboard, circuit simulations, and a working prototype until everything works out. Sometimes I just have to resort to plain old math to get what I want.

The first pass of design is a go/no-go check. Does it work? Once it does, I refine it until it can produce sounds I truly like. This is also the step where I do the most work to address noise, oscillation, unwanted artifacts, etc. The final step is to identify which controls I want to keep, and then I determine the tapers/ranges of those controls.

Once there's a working prototype I do extensive beta testing with friends, local musicians and engineers, etc. When testing at home I can lose sight of how good (or not good) a prototype sounds. So a sanity check helps! Once this feedback is incorporated into the process we can go to production. At that point we get the artwork done and start working with our local SMD shop to get boards going.

RR: What's your setup (guitar, amps, pedalboard)?

EAE: I've been awful about maintaining a static setup. I realized that when you're not in a band you can just buy whatever sounds good instead of worrying about serving a song or particular mix. I have a wide assortment of guitars and amps that I use to test pedals during the R&D phase but listing those won't really tell you a coherent story. BUT I started a new band and we're tracking a record (we just did guitars + drums at GodCity) so I can tell you all about the gear I used for that. It's a post-metal sort of outfit so there are lots of heavy sounds but lots of unique mid-gain tones as well. This is also a great chance to plug some work by my friends...

Guitars - Travis Bean TB1000S, which is essentially vintage correct after some restoration work at Electrical Guitar Company (new bridge + pickups). Sounds like a piano. A very angry piano.

My very heavily modified Classic Player Jazzmaster with EGC JM500 pickups and a Robot Graves neck. It can do pristine, chimey cleans or a savage clang depending how much gain you use.

Amps - Traynor YBA1 MKII - Basically a marshall-ish amp with really big transformers. I modded the preamp to roughly superlead specs, but it's got way more bandwidth than a typical marshall.

Traynor YBA3 - not mine, lives at GodCity. Was extensively modified by my friend Scot from SnK pedals, who is also a gifted amp tech. It's loud and clean with a sound that's almost like an ampeg.

For cabs we mostly used an emperor 6x12 with an assortment of speakers. The mic was placed on a Texas Heat.

For my own use I have a pair of Joe's TL806 cabs (Thiele 1x12 design) with EVM12Ls.

Pedals - Halberd proto - great for slamming tube amps!

Electrofoods Oprichniki - the highest gain big muff variant around. I don't even know if it should be called a muff variant because of how twisted and souped up the circuit is. It is an absolute beast.

Dr. Scientist Frazz Dazzler - another extraordinarily high gain fuzz which sounds like absolutely nothing I've ever heard. It's a nice contrast to the more scooped flavor of the Oprich.

SnK VHD - a high gain distortion, used extensively for lead parts especially. Super tight and clear.

Sending V1-ish prototype - also has a tone control. It works ok I guess. Still very much a work in progress!

Lastgasp Misty Cave - weird drone-y reverb/flange thing? Hard to describe. Sounds heavenly.

Hypersleep proto - for room-ish reverb

Red Panda Tensor - Used for a particularly glitchy "solo"

Dirge Slowly Melting - I saw the end of the world, and it was terrifying

Lots of other stuff - I forgot!

Other - Yamaha FX500. The ultimate digital pad machine.

Roland RE-501 Chorus Echo - my drummer owns this, holy hell it is magic

My modular synth - a whole goddamn mess of its own

[snarky-sims-witch]

Ask Pileup

It’s finally here! The asks that have been collecting dust in my inbox! Doing them in one post just because it would be hella spammy if I did them all individually.

Don’t see your question here? It’s probably because it’s a 100BC ask that I’ve either answered before or is already clarified in the rules.

@simvanglade:  I love your sims medieval posts! I've never put that much effort into it before but you make me want to!

Aw thank you! I assume you mean the ones I was posting in the Sims Community Facebook group? I don’t think I’ve posted a lot of Sims Medieval to my tumblr, but I’m super happy you love them so much! I’ve wanted to do a Sims Medieval story for a long time on this simblr. Remind me when I finish one of my current stories. ;)

@consultingpolymath:  I have a question about the 100 baby challenge!! When my matriarch is an elder and ready to move out, is it ok at that point to make her immortal, or is it still against the rules? Even if she's not in the house anymore, I wish she could live to see some of her grandchildren, instead of just dying of old age after a week.

So I don’t typically answer a lot of 100BC questions anymore but this is kind of an interesting question that I don’t actually think I ever thought to address??? Yeah, it’s fine. You can basically do whatever you want with moved out kids and elderly matriarchs as long as it doesn’t break any rules that would in any way affect your active household. Moved out kids and matriarchs aren’t technically part of the challenge anymore.

@darkgrungemusic:  Hiya I just saw your answer to the ask of your text color on your blog and I wanted to let you know on Mod the Sims there's a mod to change the load screen and the main menu so its like normal, and there's one that lets you pick the colors instead. Just letting you know in case you didn't. Love you and your blog! Have an amazing day!

Thank you so much! I’m so happy you love my blog! I knew about the mod but since I knew a darker load screen was coming soon, anyway, I didn’t really want to bother with another mod that I’d just end up uninstalling again in a couple weeks, anyway. I appreciate the help, though!

@hotcocomash:  [i swear this isnt a 100baby ask] I found you from the buzzfeed 100 baby videos and got hooked on your not so berry story! ive kinda been reading it backwards cause of how mobile works but im still loving it. when i have time im gonna sit down and read everything chronologically. thank you for making so much interesting and fun content!

Lol I don’t actually mind answering 100BC asks. I just don’t like repeating myself. I’m so happy you found me through Buzzfeed (which is kind of surreal, wow) and I’m even happier you like my Not So Berry Challenge so much! I hope to get back to the Sweet family soon! They’re lots of fun.

@tekimimotaku: So I've only just found you. By looking up the only challenge I knew: the 100 Baby Challenge. But I'm looking through your blog and I'm captivated by the other challenges so far. Some aren't to my taste, but I can still appreciate the thought put into them and that others will enjoy them. Had I not already made my matriarch, I'd say F it and do a different challenge of yours. I can't wait til I'm done with this one so that I can start on the others! I wish I could think things through like that!

Aw thanks so much! I hope you’re having fun with the 100BC and it’s totally fine that not all my challenges appeal to you. :) I try to create different challenges that appeal to a wide variety of players so for most people, some of my challenges won’t be all that fun for them, but there could be others that they love so much, they just want to play over and over. That’s always sort of my intention when making a new challenge; trying to engage a different group of Simmers.

@mmfinch: I know that you're completely tired of the 100 baby challenge questions. I went back and read your Midford series as an apology of sorts and thoroughly enjoyed it. Your creativity in storytelling is amazing. I read through all the Q&A but this hasn't been asked. Is show hidden objects allowed to get a birth certificate for non hospital births? The have baby option was clicked by accident and couldn't be cancelled. Show hidden objects is a cheat, but the object is decoration only.

I’m so happy you love The Midford Legacy! As for your 100BC question, there are definitely a LOT of objects in the debug menu that I would consider cheating and not allowed, but the decorative birth certificate isn’t one of those things. Go ahead and buy it if you like. :)

@bipolarrrbearrr: Hey! I know you’re not super into this page right now, but I’ve been keeping up with your not so berry story and I love it. I haven’t been able to go past peppermint because I’m on safari and can’t get the app right now. I wish you could have streamed or recorded it because that would have made the story so much better! You’re awesome 😎

I have kind of a personal loathing for the YouTube/Twitch scene for... many, many reasons, some of them valid and some of them petty, lol, so I don’t think I’ll ever take up YouTubing again. I like the written word too much and the freedom of being able to stage my shots, but I appreciate the sentiment! I hope you get to read the rest of the challenge soon!

@sim-sizzlin: I did originally follow you cause you are the 100 baby (and many other cool challenges) OP writer, but it's really cool to see an active simblr making sims medieval posts it makes me want to reinstall my old copy it was YEARS AND YEARS ago ty

Aw, thank you! Yeah my Sims Medieval content is surprisingly popular. I think I need to make one of my next storytelling projects a Sims Medieval one. Thanks so much for the feedback!

@yennibelle: Hello there, I have an inquire about your unnatural genetics for children and toddlers in the sims 4. I just re-downloaded it, due to this months patch and was wondering if you have added Island Living hairs? Or did I miss them? And if you have not, will you? Either way, I appreciate your mod/CC :)

Hi there! I’m so sorry, but I haven’t updated the hair for Island Living, yet! All my files and palettes I used for those hairs is on my old laptop and I haven’t gotten around to transferring everything I need onto my new one, yet, but thank you for reminding me that’s something I need to do. :) In the meantime, all the hair should still work fine in your game. You just won’t have funky varieties of the IL hair (yet). I’ll be sure to post when I take this on but it may not be for a while, yet.

[antitheticalsymbiosis-blog]

Beginning the long journey... (Year 0, Day 1 [sorta])

As I begin down this long and arduous path, I figured why not catalog all of my progress (and failures) in a blog for the world to see! 

All memes aside, I should probably begin with an

INTRODUCTION:

I’m Manuel; my friends call me Manny. I’m a recent graduate from a bachelor of music (B.Mus) program in southern California where I was fortunate enough to meet some great friends, mentors, and professionals who helped guide and inspire me to create some awesome aural artwork. I’ve loved music for as long as I could remember, and it was always something that drove me to be my best. I’ve aspired to play many instruments from a young age and always sought perfection trying to master their intricacies. I studied both composition and saxophone performance in college, while frequently freelancing as an audio engineer (my current line of work).

But wait, isn’t this a game development blog?: Yes, yes it is.

Due to a variety of circumstances and personal interests, I’ve decided to jump ship from one extremely difficult creative field (concert/classical/experimental music) to another (game development), leaving behind a life I feel indebted to and, honestly, still love very much. I’ve been thinking of making this jump for quite some time (a year or so), with a long, loooooong history of engaging with the video game medium on a deeply-infatuated level, which ultimately backs up this decision. Throughout my life, video games always played a pivotal role in my own forms of expression, happiness, leisure, and community. From my very first Gameboy Color to the now flourishing Nintendo Switch, from Pokemon to Monster Hunter to Bioshock and more, I’ve been hooked. Honestly, I’ve always considered these worlds my second, third, fourth, and n-th homes. Because of this, I’ve felt like I have a duty to give back to the community however I can. After five years of collegiate study and ridding the struggle bus, I realize that there’s no better time than the present to chase this dream. THE NOW, or WHERE TO START:

In firmly deciding on this change, I didn’t necessarily know where to begin. Hell, I didn’t even really know what careers or roles existed in the game development community. After finding scouring the internet and finding some helpful resources, I was blown away at the sheer amount of readjusting I’d need to do to even think about entering this field. 

For example, this messy bundle of terms flooded my brain while trying to get a grasp of the industry:

Senior-level

Lead

Technical Director

Junior-level

Temp

Frequent moving

Designer

Level Design

Mechanics

Game Design Document

UX/UI

Programmer

Game Engine

Systems

Game Engines:

Unreal

Unity

Doom

Quake

C++

Python

Scripting

Engineer

Architecture

Audio

Tools

Networking

Artist

Environment Artist

Concept

3ds MAX

Maya

Autodesk

Animation

Skeletal Meshes

QA

Automated Scripting

Debug Databases

Localization

Producer

Disengaged from content creation

Overseer

Independent

Freedom to create vs automated jobs in AAA

AAA companies

Subsidiary studios

Outsourcers

Art

Animation

Publishing

Audio

First-Party Studios

Publishers

Outsourcing

Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs)

Marketing

Analysts

Free-to-Play

Microtransactions

Community

Blogging

Twitch

Streamers

Issues

Pay Disparity

Poverty

Under-appreciated

Sexism

Representation

Minorities/POC

And this list over-simplifies the complex web these roles create with each other. That being said, the last month or so has consisted of me scouring the internet for resources, deciding on what my long-term and short-term goals are, and orienting myself towards taking on Goliath.

MOVING FORWARD:

After being bombarded with this information, I decided that the best course of action for moi was to shoot for a game engineering/programming role, as I also had a brief two-year stint in astrophysics research and STEM coursework during my undergraduate degree. Another one of my passions, the STEM fields have always held a dear place in my heart and I picked up a lot of programming skills/languages in college, notably Java & Python. Intensive music study has also done wonders for the technically-oriented work I currently do, so I figured it would be fun to challenge myself with STEM-oriented work once again. So far, I hold a great, great admiration for lead game designers like Hideo Kojima and others, so design is also something I’m looking into. RESOURCES:

In doing my research, I’ve found a variety of extremely helpful resources that provided me with the insight to start this journey. I’ll post the most helpful ones below: GameDevUnchained (Podcast/Website): 

This podcast, hosted by Brandon Pham & Larry Charles (both established AAA game developers), explores the current state of affairs in the video game industry. Their conversations are filled with wit, charm, and tons of information, from wage negotiation and employment to indie development and technical direction. No topic is missed* (well, except for the exact technical aspects of being an artist, developer, or programmer). Despite this slight oversight, it’s still worth its weight in gold due to the fact that they bring in a new guest every week who touches on a specific topic. I’ve gained most of my working knowledge about the industry’s complexities from this source. [Currently on episode: 26] Game School Online (GSO): 

This revolutionary piece of pedagogy is an online game development school that is ENTIRELY FREE. Founded and ran by the hosts of GameDevUnchained, GSO’s main focus is free game development education with a focus on artwork, modeling, and technical artistry done through the Unreal 4 engine. The school is optionally supported through Patreon and provides special benefits to subscribers; however, a subscription isn’t necessary to enroll. Enrollment periods happen 4 times a year, with heavy waitlists for non-subscribers due to the need to keep class numbers down. Their educators consist of “Scholars” who teach and monitor the courses, all of whom are active AAA/Indie developers. Notable Scholars include Brandon Pham, Larry Charles, Leo Gonzales, Olaf Piesche (my mentor!), Matt Brown, Tai Chen, and many others. For subscribers, there’s the option to interact 1-on-1 with scholars, serving as lessons and mentorships to poise the budding student to enter the field. I’m currently a $40/month subscriber, which gets me a 30-minute session every month with Olaf. I’d like to stress, however, that at its current state GSO seems heavily oriented towards artists, with the art-oriented roles overshadowing the engineer/programmer roles 8-to-2. In addition, all classes are oriented towards art or design. This means Olaf & Matt are only doing 1-on-1 sessions. -_- *Oh well, better than nothing.*

The next two are both variations on the paid-online-schooling trope, but they seem alright nonetheless... 

Coursera:

Coursera is a platform that hosts specialized “certification” courses that were designed by universities around the world. These certification courses are essentially a compilation of videos, assignments, and online templates that are moderated by online staff (and presumably not monitored by the actual course instructors ever). Each certification consists of about 4-6 classes and takes anywhere from 6 months to a year to complete. Each class runs an average of 1-2 months and has about 1 assignment due every week. There is a peer-grading system which can be iffy at times, but it’s worked out well for me so far. The only downside is that these courses can be EXPENSIVE; however, there are financial aid options for those of us *ahemmeahem* that can’t afford the costs. Luckily, my cost for the first class was waived completely. I’m currently enrolled in the Game Design certification course created by Cal Arts. I’ll be updating you all on my progress every week as I work through this course. Something odd I’ve noticed is that the videos for the Intro to Game Design course are astoundingly short; I’m surprised this course costs anything at all given the kind of information I’ve received out of it so far.

Udemy:

Like its quasi-academic counterpart, Udemy hosts courses created by content creators (I’m not too sure on the qualifications these creators have...) that consists primarily of video tutorials. The beautiful thing about Udemy is that, unlike Coursera, their courses often times cost very little if you go through the right channels! This means promo codes from websites like IGN or your favorite tech reviewer, etc etc. I was fortunate enough to grab the Unreal Crash Course course for $10 through an IGN promotion last month. Also unlike Coursera, there are no assignments or grading systems in place for your work. Instead, there are often forums that host dozens and dozens of posts from current and past students of the course. This feature has felt surprisingly fresh and fun; however, not receiving a lot of direct feedback has its downsides. I’ve been slowly chugging away at this course, having finished 1/4th of it so far. I’ve also found that there tends to be much more technical work to be learned from Udemy as opposed to Coursera (in terms of game development); however, this may just be my limited scope, as I haven’t looked around too much more.

Game Engine Architecture, Third Edition by Jason Gregory 

(Naughty Dog Lead Programmer):

This book is AMAZING for the aspiring game engineer, as it’s filled to the brim with a detailed analysis of common game engine architecture as told by the lead programmer at Naughty Dog (go Uncharted/Last of Us teams!!!!). I’m currently in the second chapter of the book, but to give a brief overview of its entirety along with my own descriptions below each heading:

Introduction

“discusses the ins and outs of the industry

Tools of the Trade

“an in-depth look into programming tools”

Fundamentals of Software Engineering for Games

“development cycles and tool usage”

Parallelism and Concurrent Programming

“the title says it all”

3D Math for Games

“3D geometry and Linear Algebra, along with programming algorithms” (go STEM!)

Engine Support Systems

“a look at memory and systems”

Resources and the File System

“how to handle game assets”

The Game Loop and Real-Time Simulation

“graphics rendering loops and gameplay loops, along with dealing with time”

Human Interface Devices

“dealing with I/O”

Tools for Debugging and Development

“the title says it all”

The Rendering Engine

“rasterization and rending pipelines”

Animation Systems

“skeletal meshes and processing”

Collision and Rigid Body Dynamics

“physics systems and other collision systems” (go STEM!)

Audio

“Dealing with sound design and 3D audio” (go music!)

Introduction to Gameplay Systems

“dealing with data, game objects, and world editors”

Runtime Gameplay Foundation Systems

“dealing with all of the constituent parts and updating the game”

You mean there’s more?

“more to be learned”

As you can tell, there’s a whole lot of information to be gained by reading a textbook like this. Jason states in the Foreword that this is really meant to be used to teach a three-class series on game programming at the university level; however, I find that you’ll be able to understand a lot of this pretty well so long as you have an ample amount of programming experience (preferably with C++). That being said, it’s a perfect springboard for me and I’m so eager to continue that I sort of want to finish writing this entry already so I can get back to it! *o* It cost about $85 for a physical copy and $47 for a digital copy (Kindle).

So, that wraps up my currently used resources list! I hope it can serve as a starting point for some of your own deep-dives into the world-wide-web for resources! CONCLUSION: Thanks for sticking with me this far everyone. I know I didn’t dive into my past that much, but I hope it gives you somewhat of an idea as to who I am. In starting this journey, I’ve realized the importance of documentation and reaching out to build a community with others, so I hope that we can all interact and take this journey together, in some form. Tomorrow I’ll be delving into my current projects that I’m aiming to work on and some of my personal inspiration for taking the game development plunge, as well as discuss what I’m currently working on in terms of study/development. I hope you all have a good day, and never feel like it’s too late to start chasing your dreams again! - Manny Extra: Game of the Day - Disgaea 1 Complete on Nintendo Switch I’ve loved this game since I first played it way back in the early 2000s, so when I heard this was coming to Switch as a slightly remastered port, I couldn’t wait! The updated artwork looks great and I’m eager to get all of those extra scenarios completed! ;) GO SRPGs!