#i'm a seasoned rpg player but between this and dragon age i'm just not very good at these particular types of rpgs. if that makes sense

[pokemonruby]

also i love my mc for baldur's gate (godwyn) because their design is basic ass pretty androgynous forest elf (with dragon ancestry! so that's unique at least) but they're the absolute epitome of chaotic evil, like this isn't even because i'm shooting to romance astarion, if a game lets me be an asshole i'm gonna be an asshole because it's funny LMAO

[skatehepburn]

💗 Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Spread the self-love! 💗

okay i famously am not a joiner so i don't know that i will reciprocate (but open call to @skyirons my fandom hopping bestie ilu) but thank you for asking!

i think most people on here followed me originally for hacks but i am a bit of a fandom hopper and a rarepair lover so this list will run the gamut:

"Til Sunbeams Find You," Dead to Me. Jen/Judy summer camp counselor AU.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/2526286

I don't love this fic for the writing, but for the fact that someone hopped into the comments and asked me if i was on stan twitter (i was not, but i made a fuckin' account), and thereby introduced me to some of my now very dear friends. Was DTM fandom a hot fucking mess? Yes. Do we ever need to talk about s3 Again? No. Did my DTM standom give me MS? Inconclusive. But this silly show and trying to make these two characters kiss got me through some hard times and i'll always be grateful!

2. "5 Times Mary Jo Shively Almost Kissed Julia Sugarbaker (and One Time She Did)," Designing Women, Mary Jo/Julia (natch)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21707404

Just what it says on the tin! Someone commented on this fic recently so I reread it (love to never recall anything I've ever written) and it was fun! THE SUBTEXT IS SO STRONG in canon and yet there's not near enough fic imo. Due for a DW rewatch, is what I'm saying. I always enjoy getting to write southern characters as someone who's lived in Appalachia all my life 🫡

(this fic is also one i could show my twin without having to redact the smutty bits lmaooooo)

3. "who's gonna lay in your lonely bed, who's gonna love you like me?" Dragon Age, Bethany/Isabela

https://archiveofourown.org/works/36349606

I'm sure Dreadwolf will get me back into the DA trenches but Bethany/Isabela has gotta be my rarepair otp. I seldom want to read a player character fic for an RPG (with the exception of maybe FemShep); I'm always drawn to pairing off the sidekicks. There's just so much AFFECTION between Isabela and Bethany in the party banter, and Bethany gets such a short end of the stick by the narrative that I really had to let her get her world rocked by the swarthy sailor with a heart of gold.

4. "in the morning i will sing," Baldur's Gate 3, Jaheira/Karlach

https://archiveofourown.org/works/55430185

Most recent fic is always gonna be on the fave fic list, that's just the way it goes. In my first playthrough of bg3 my character pined for Jaheira unrequitedly and in my second I'm romancing Karlach as Shadowheart, so why not combine the two into some smut with a side of party banter! And I clearly have a thing for a bit of an age gap/hero worship dynamic as evidenced by *gestures at ao3 account*

(also tr*cy w*les's chronically online era is not helping my jaheira fixation... love that she ships her with everybody tho we stan an absolute icon)

5. "ring the bells that still can ring," Hacks, Deborah/Ava

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32184166

firstly: i wrote this fic so i could make that shrek/leonard cohen joke. i'm sorry, or you're welcome, as appropriate.

secondly: i wrote this fic before so many things happened! hacks season 2, developing an incurable progressive chronic illness, getting married myself!

my wife rarely reads my fic (they support it fully! including meeting fandom friends on our honeymoon lmaoo luv u [redacted]). but i will occasionally gently ask if they'll take a peek at something, because, well, they're the person that taught me everything i know about love, so it goes into the writing!

it took them a long time to read this fic (or it at least felt like it), but when they did, they sent me a notesapp full of annotated reactions... 6 months later , after a decade together, they proposed in a drivethru.

which is to say: i'm pretty sure this fic is the reason i'm currently married, so it will always be my favorite <3

[landgraabbed]

hi! i was wondering if you had game recs for someone that has only played sims and stardew on pc! im the person and i want to start playing more stuff but i dont want to start with something too difficult i hope that makes sense 🐣 thank you and i hope you enjoy your weekend

hi nonners!! sure thing! a huge chunk of my childhood gaming was harvest moon and sims so let's see! my gaming tastes are very unified yet all over the place so don't take this as gospel and something you will For Sure enjoy! feel free to follow up if any game/genre piques your interest!

if you never did so, i would recommend giving the sims handheld games (namely, sims bustin' out, urbz, and sims 2 on the gba/ds). they're still in the universe of the sims so you take care of your lil sim/urb but they're adventure games where you're given tasks and progress through the story. the writing is silly but good, and the characters are fun, though the games may feel grindy at times. feel free to hit me up if you'd like, i can hook you up with them!

in the farming sim/resource manager sim, i can recommend you the harvest moon games, now story of seasons. story of seasons: a wonderful life just came out on the switch, and i think other platforms, and it is a remake of the iconic a wonderful life. just keep in mind that it might feel like a step down from just how much content is in stardew valley! there's also the rune factory series, my time at portia (and the upcoming my time at sandrock), ooblets, graveyard keeper, calico, and animal crossing. oh!! and kynseed. kynseed is lovely and it looks gorgeous and it is a life sim where you play as successive generations, with lots of fae elements. it can get a bit grindy but i've greatly enjoyed my time with it.

(and i just started wylde flowers since i got it on sale this week, and i've been really enjoyed it so far, but can't provide a full recommendation since i've had so little time with it)

if you enjoy the decorating part of the sims, i can recommend you the tenants. it's a game where you play as a landlord, decorate houses, find renters, and most importantly do renovation jobs for clients.

if you're in the mood for something sandbox-y, other than animal crossing i think that no man's sky could scratch that itch (you can fully customize options such as resource availability, combat difficulty, etc) and, of course the legend of zelda breath of the wild (and i can only assume tears of the kingdom, but i haven't started that one yet)

if you're wanting to dip your toes into different genres, such as rpgs, i can recommend you the elder scrolls series (especially skyrim is more streamlined and thus, more beginner friendly) and dragon age. both series have difficulty settings you can change as you feel more or less comfortable. if you're interested in party-based, turn-based rpgs, you can't go wrong with the final fantasy series, golden sun, and octopath traveler (which is a recent favorite that i wholeheartedly love, with the caveat that if someone is looking for a large, overarching story it is not the game that will provide that)

edit to add story-based games. there are many but i won't cite what maybe most people would recommend bc i either haven't played it or dislike it. i really enjoyed oxenfree, not tonight, road 96, and most importantly of all, kentucky route zero. my sibling adores the dreamfall chapters series and i really enjoy watching them play it! and my wife (a much more casual player than me but whom i love watching play and has great taste) loved playing strange horticulture, the sexy brutale, eastshade, and coffee talk (episodes 1 and 2)

please keep in mind there's some overlap between categories! and i think that most games will be approachable to beginners. nobody was born knowing how to play games and i find that most games do a good job of bringing players up to speed.

sorry for the long reply!! gaming is just a bit of a big interest for me since it's my preferred medium and i'm a rambler haha. as i said, feel free to hmu again on or off anon!! and hope u too are having a great weekend