#just giving a general update for the slog here

[seraphdescent]

i'm lurking on my rikku blog more than not but i'm still here.

i'm hopefully going to get my license renewed today. i haven't been able to work in four months due to moving states and the new state needing my birth certificate and to get THAT required a name change document and THAT had an error on it so i had to wait to see a judge for several months then wait for weeks for everything i needed to get through the mail and it's been a stressful headache. mind right now has been a bit too stressed to write more than a short burst but if everything goes well at the DMV today ( i should have everything i need ) i'll be back to working and on the road and that whole nightmare will be over.

i usually jam to Spotify while out working so i'm sure this bs behind and vibing to music will increase creative drive.

[emersonfreepress]

help i'm alive

So! Long time, no see. 2023 was a whole goddamn lot lol

I don't have a demo update to share yet, but that's because I had to scrap nearly everything I managed to write during a very, very, very bad stint of writer's block last year. I hadn't even realized it had been a block like that until I went over my work so far last month and realized it was bad -- like, trust me; a slog to read that didn't even sound like me. It's been extremely frustrating but I've finally broken free of that and it's been easy and actually fun to write again for the first time in actual years. I just hate giving updates that have no actual news in them. And I really had nothing to share other than: I deleted thousands of words and feel so much better now 😅

Anyway, little about my demo plans have changed: I'm still putting out the Chapter 3 demos in Choicescript/on Dashingdon and then will be going dark to move things over to Twine. Where I am in the process right now is... feeling like 35% done with the overhauled version of this chapter and 50% done for the next demo update.

As far as asks, I'm... not really sure what to do?? I believe I've read them all (I love you guys), but so much time has passed since getting most of them that I'm not sure if it's, like... still pertinent??? To go back and answer them?? I suppose some of them like character asks could be, but all the nice messages of support -- that feels weird since I've practically ghosted this blog since August! Idk. Y'all tell me what to do with 'em and I'll do it. Maybe I should make a poll.

Uh... that's really all there is to say regarding the game! I've added some personal stuff after the cut, but if you're done here: Thanks for reading and sticking around. It means the world, for real.

So what has occupied my time all this time? Doctor, therapy, money, and friends. And improv! But especially the first two. There was a lot of non-writing related stuff fucking up my ability to focus and write, so hopefully with my mind and body both feeling a lot better, I can get back to being present and active with the game. I didn't realize how physically unwell I was until last year and it's been like... life-long issues I've been treating. It turns out it's not normal to feel exhausted enough to sleep at any given time, at all times, for your whole life! wow!!

I also uninstalled Tumblr from my phone back in February, so you could say I'm sort of generally focused on offline life. (And what an interesting coincidence that my writer's block dissipated shortly after that...) I also just moved!! The last two weekends have been so expensive and stressful -_- But I can't even compare the old place to the new. We're basically paying the same price for idek how much more space. The cats are so happy; which means the house humans get to be happy.

My schedule is finally freed up from constant medical shit (there was a 3-month stretch this winter with multiple doctor appointments literally every fucking week 🙃🙃🙃). My mental health is doing a lot better -- literally incomparably better compared to where I was this time last year. There's live comedy now (which I dabble in, to be clear lol), but I've finally found myself able to like... balance it all. The physical and creative energy that goes into it all, anyway. The lovely thing about improv is that you kinda just show up and do your thing -- it doesn't cut into my writing time so much as it costs energy. Unless I end up in this comedy debate show thing next month, which I am very excited to give up writing time for

So like... Life is life-ing and I'm just vibing. Or something? I'll be around.

Thank you all again so much for your interest, support, patience, and readership <3

[linka-from-captain-planet]

1 month to Veilguard, here are my current Hypes and Gripes

HYPES:

general gorgeousness, style, architecture, lighting - all of it looks amazing and has so much character

CC legitimately looks fun to play with (as someone who was planning to just take a default to avoid having to slog through it)

truly cannot believe I'm actually very excited for combat and having a hard time deciding what class to play because they all look really fun

I liked the open world of DAI but am definitely glad for a more streamlined experience along the lines of DAO/DA2

not sure if I hallucinated this, but they improved looting? I don't have to click on every body to pick up 2 bucks and a piece of cloth?? I certainly have not seen an annoying looting animation which was a major beef with DAI

the missions we've seen before look absolutely thrilling and the story beats are wild

companions reportedly act like they exist outside of the player character - major key for someone who doesn't really care about my player character

Neve fucking Gallus

Lace fucking Harding

Taash

Bellara Lutare

GRIPES:

truly could not give less of a f about Solas or ancient elven lore so these major story beats are simply not for me (monster goddess can still step on me ofc)

still bummed about the lack of world state customization, mostly because I'd just like updates on previous quests and companions, but also because I expect nothing non-Solas-related to be relevant (e.g I assume my Josephine romance and the Inquisition will just be mentioned in passing) so what customization there is seems to be trivial/misleading

hoping that the facial animations are more polished (fix lip sync, get rid of cross eyes) before launch because those first 10 hours before I stop seeing it will be rough

need every character to be stretched vertically like 10% - shook to learn that Neve is supposed to be like 5'8" bc her model serves 5'4". Stylized character art needs stylized proportions

hoping (but not optimistic) that I can fix the player character's hunched/leaned forward posture in CC - tuck them shoulder blades please

TBDs:

conceptually I love the idea of companion romances as someone who is nosy and loves playing barbies, but I think pairing the spares is lame - would rather the alternative romances be with NPCs (but I AM a background character fan so I'm prob biased)

also I suspect I will not like the pre-determined ships lol

currently I find Assan and Manfred annoying (goofy mascots, dog-ification of all animals, come off like goofy disney sidekicks) but I will probably get won over pretty easily on this

[pralinesims]

Hi! I was a first-time anon who had asked about the movie theater story you were working on a little while back (I never got to respond but I always like making people happy, and I'm glad I motivated you to continue it bc I love it so much).

But anyways, I wanted to ask this because I was genuinely curious: if each of your OCs had a Letterboxd, what would be their four favorite movies? Some might be bigger movie buffs than others, probably, but for the ones who are obsessed with them, is there a way they would organize their favorites, or do they just go with vibes?

HIYA and welcome back aaaa ;_; MWAH thank you so much!

Emilio: is totally into action movies, especially loves stuff where he can identify with the main hero. Laughs tears when watching movies like Hangover or other bromance comedy typa shit.

Vale: Give him anything sci-fi, horror or thriller and he'll be happy. For example I feel like he'd be obsessed with The Thing. Also probably enjoys stuff like Mad Max.

Luca: MAJOR MOVIE BUFF ALERT. Enjoys watching indie movies, even if they're a total slog. Also loves the classics from the golden age of Hollywood and things like comic adaptions, think of Batman and such. He'd probably be a very active Letterboxd user. I truly feel like he'd watch every movie out there.

Sharon: Hmm I don't really see her watching much movies. I'd figure she'd rather be into documentary typa things.

Aaron: I think he'd watch stuff like The Matrix, The Godfather, and similar movies which are rather hard hitting? Enjoys a good plot twist. Also The Lord of the Rings and such, he'd love adaptions of his fav books. Genres wouldn't matter much to him I feel like, but he'd DEFINITELY cringe at romcoms.

Gina: Something she can cry her heart out to. I'd figure she'd love dramas. Titanic and other tearjerker kinda stuff. And anything Ghibli!!! I'd believe she'd like the animated kinda type of movies a tad more.

Devyn: Hmm, I feel like he'd be a Fight Club and American Psycho typa guy. Prolly always rewatching critically well acclaimed classics. But also does not say no to sillier movies, and sings along to musicals.

Kaia: She's that kinda girl that probably almost exclusively watches horror movies. Has built up a heavy tolerance over years, so nothing is really shocking to her anymore. Yet she still can't be assed to watch another type of movie for once.

Maggie: Regularly watches the most disgusting, goriest splatter movies you can find, and laughs out loud when people die. Besides these, she's totally into sillier, lighthearted movies, like romcoms or stuff like Mean Girls.

// some whining from me + extra explanation under the cut:

...and to be frank, but THIS is one bigger aspect I kinda struggle with assigning to my OC's, only rarely I directly know which movie fits, bc I simply don't know enough ones. I do know what THEY like. Just no very specific examples usually. But generally, I am able to assign their preferred genres or type of movie. But really like. oh man. forgive me. I am the absolute WORST person to ask when it comes to movies because I very rarely watch some?

So here have my vague answers bc with this theme, I legit have to base it just around my general feel for it, cause my movie knowledge barely is developed. Nor do I know anything about Letterboxd, but I might update some answers once I remember specific movies I felt like were right assigning to? But so far please have these ones ok!

[feather-dancer]

February is drawing to a close which means it's time for the round up again. Being a shorter month, continued cold weather and a week getting wiped out it's been sluggish. Still, it's not all bad as I'm happy to report:

As long as there are stars in the sky - Chapter one has been scrubbed

A Heart of Glass - Chapter one has been scrubbed

Focusing on Heart of Glass first, that chapter didn't need all that much fixing up outside the expected paragraph with dialogue issues and run on sentences. The opening had remnants of when it focused exclusively on Douxie meeting Morgana (If via Claire) again so this was cleaned up to flow a lot better. Otherwise it's been slight tweaks in wording, the odd typo, tense changes, removing redundancies and a surprising amount of right sentence, wrong place. There's been a few little additions here and there though nothing too dramatic, more pointing out Archie a smidge sooner as an example.

When these chapters are scrubbed will be putting the pov character in the chapter name just to make it clearer much like the Writing Memes have.

Ended up gaining another half a page and because I was curious, screenshot the before and after word count when it was updated:

Vs.

As long as there are stars in the sky though that was as expected: A slog. This was the third attempt to clean up that chapter and boy did it need it. As well as paragraph fixes, odd typo, removal of so so many redundancies and run on sentences, did a lot of other things as well. Did you know past me never bothered to put Trollish translations IN THE FILE? Well for chapter one they're there now plus some alterations! Sometimes I couldn't figure out a paragraph's original intent so had to strip it down and rebuild the thing. Not too often but Enough. Been some random pov switches that needed correcting which did mean some Archie dialogue was lost though saved it on discord. Quite a bit of dialogue in general has been tweaked to help with flow and just generally make more sense in the context? Smidge more Archie at Zimroc to further push the three of them get on so well given how important that will be. Did find a moment where time was a bit out of whack which has been fixed.

A very minor plot element has also been changed, specifically to put the amulet in the box sooner. Doesn't affect anything whatsoever just meant having to change a bunch of stuff because of it.

Back on the Trollish a moment, the most annoying part is without a doubt the html. If you caught me while doing that throughout the day there would be the updated version of the chapter, Trollish then the old version. It's much easier to put the html around existing text as you can double check it's working correctly... And also doing that as you reach it when scrubbing like this because it's such a pain to refind. If you were someone who did, sorry! Couldn't think of a way round it.

Ended up with bang on two pages with all the changes and here's the before and after word count comparison:

Vs.

Currently the Shame Chart is looking like this:

Please note: These thoughts of you is not included on the above due to being an already posted oneshot but will be scrubbed as well.

As per the polls both Stars and Heart of Glass chapter 2's are my next targets! I may temporarily wander off to chuck words in something else to give me a change from edits given I've been doing it non stop for a smidge over two months now. We'll see.

Also weather please warm up I am fed up of being chilled this is getting silly now.

[drdiabolical]

Hellooo, hope you are doing well!

Was just wondering if you have any crumbs to give us from IR,TSWAT. I love love love that fic sm and soooo want an update 😁😁

Hi, I'm sure doing .

Just joking. Thank you for the well wishes, apologies it took me so long to get back to you. I've been inactive for a reason which I may talk about in greater length in a different post on another day. For now, however, your wish is my command.

In Retrospect, The Signs Were All There - Unreleased Chapter Nine Excerpt

"Village Spirit Team is a lame name," Kakashi said after the assembly of forgettable civilians shuffled out of the Hokage’s office. 

Minato hummed and shuffled his papers into a neat pile. "I think it’s endearing."

"I don't see why..." Kakashi trailed off as Minato's eyebrow rose. "It isn't... clear to me why my presence is needed at this... village... party."

Minato's eyebrow lowered, and Kakashi exhaled a quiet breath.

When Minato gave his signal, Kakashi stretched his tight muscles and put his eye to rest. The snapback was predictably awful, and he braced himself preemptively. For a moment he considered the low thrum of his drained chakra slogging through his system and wondered when it'd become a forgotten ambiance.

"It would be best we rested well, we have a long day ahead of us," Minato said and Kakashi rolled his eyes out of sight - every day was long - and then immediately cringed because what if Minato knew somehow. 

He risked a glance back. Minato's face was as serene as ever, his signature look. Phew. 

On the day of the Village Spirit Team announcement, the extensive production of the event smacked any snide comments from his slack-jawed face. Shinobi and civilians alike adjoined in a temporary cluster of gazebos destined to be replaced with a permanent structure, a building they would call the village hall. 

Ridiculously portioned canapes floated around with civilian caterers. Servers offering champagne flutes patterned and intersected their movements at equal intervals. Kakashi couldn't help but draw up mental schemes as if he were cataloguing guard rotations. 

Fairy lights entwined with the skinny wooden support beams, linked up to a generator half hidden by table cloth sewn together from doilies. A lone chūnin stood guard on the off chance an enterprising idiot blew the thing up. Besides him, the rest of the guards were far less visible and light on the body count. Likely due to the heavy presence of infamous hidden leaf shinobi mingling with the rest of the guests.

Kakashi stood in one corner of the largest gazebo, adjusting his position as needed to keep his comparatively small stature hidden behind the crowd. Minato had originally deposited him by the punch stand in full view of several bored guests fishing for conversation. The moment the fishmonger turned his eyes to him, he fled. 

The crowd quieted and rippled towards the stage. Kakashi couldn't see Minato, but he could hear his voice. He'd forgone a microphone but his audience were captivated and his words projected. 

Privy to the script, Kakashi slipped out and headed to the smallest gazebo, home to various spare supplies and, most importantly, the generator.

Read Chapters 1-8 here. Hopefully, 9 will join them soon.

[littleshysheep-at-da]

here with my report on master of the labyrinth, 27 days post-launch. it's just below average.

it's a slog to get through dailies, and it takes and hour or more to level up each day.

the longer i look at the events, the more i realise how predatory they are.

it's easy to see the P2W aspects, especially when i, a ~7 million powered little spider, am being beaten by 3m power spiders with skill not fitting their power.

i'll continue playing, just to see how far a free to play can get. i'm level 91 right now, and i need level 100 to get arachne. at my current pace of 1 level a day, i'll be there soon enough.

Tumblr has seemed to have a weird delay with Notifs cause I saw this in my inbox before seeing the Notif for it? So sorry is this replay is late.

Thank You for the Report!!! 🫡 I’ve actually been keeping up with Playing it myself (though I’ve only just passed Level 60 cause there isn’t really Gameplay and gets a bit boring so your patience is quite impressive!) and I did actually mean to give an Update on it after Playing for a Month but my complete lack of sense of time means I have no idea how long it’s been lol.

And on the actual Report, you are SO CORRECT. It’s just very light on Gameplay and the Gameplay it does have is kind a slog (I do get… weirdly into the mining though). It’s like still super cute, though I still think some of elements are too generic and not actually related to KumoDesu, but yeah it’s just kinda… it.

I still Play because Blorbos On Demand tm (and I never get that for KumoDesu!!! I still need someone to rip and the Chara Models and Assets fr), and I’ve actually have been keeping up with it Daily but I haven’t been trying to max things out or anything. I’m lucky to be VERY resistant to FOMO so their Paywalling hasn’t gotten to me and I’ve also remained F2P (aside from the literal 1 cent to Bind Account). I mean I do admit to not really understanding the point of AFK Style Games (which I’m pretty sure Laby is lit just a Re-Skin of a Previous Game) but it is weird that it both has so many tabs but also not much to actually do.

Also you said it but yeah PAYWALLED AF. I mentioned this before but KumoDesu had a Collab with The Ants: Underground Kingdom fought before they Released Laby (interest check maybe?) and it is also a Ridiculously Paywalled Game. I will say The Ants has the benefit of being geared more towards being a Resource Management Type Game (which does make sense for running an ant hill honestly) so it has slightly more Gameplay than Laby (but not as many of my Blorbos…). But yeah in both you can’t go 2 seconds without them Advertising SOME Pack for Blah Blah Blah (but in The Ants I Cheated it by jointing a high Ranked Gulid with a lot of whales who are also super nice). Like bro… I just want to Scout my funny Characters and put them Ships together😭 I literally Play Laby just to try and get my Babies…

I did manage to get Halloween Fei as a F2P! But I haven’t got any of the other Event Outfits/Charas thus far! Ganbatte homie! We’re in this together!

[kennedyslvr]

YOU'RE THE CLOSEST TO HEAVEN (THAT I'LL EVER BE) — CHAPTER 30 (AO3)

rahhhh finally at the 30th chapter mark. i hope u guys haven't been bored by how long this fic is haha. but i promise something is coming. if you've been waiting and silently shipping this main couple (which, i have. of course i have.) then something's gonna happen in the next chapter that u may love... but im not saying a word about it. wait until tuesday, guys.

as always—just a snippet! ao3 is here :3 don't forget to leave a kudos and/or a comment if you haven't already. lmk if you're still reading despite how long this fic is (i promise later fics won't be this much of a slog)

48 Hours Earlier

I leaned back in the metal folding chair, hearing the soft creak of metal as the chair adjusted to the change in weight. There was a slight chill against my skin from the hard, cold chair, the back of it brushing up against my skin through my charcoal vest top and cargo pants.

It was currently five in the morning—I was running on barely any sleep, having had a later night than usual after my gym session had run a little late. My eyes were unfocused as they stared at the steam rising from the little slit in my coffee’s to-go cup, which helped to give me some kind of buzz. The sound of my boot tapping rhythmically against the corrugated metal floor as we sat and waited in the mission briefing room echoed around the small private room.

I didn't want to be here—but we had an update on the mission we’d been working on for the past few days. Apparently, they'd located Baby Eagle. So, the operation was a go—we were to bring her home, hopefully safely.

From across the room, Leon’s glare pierced into me. When I looked over at him, there he was—glowering at me, those nostrils flared as his head tilted at me with scrutiny. Those ice-blue eyes winked with ire. I sneered at him—for the past six months since I'd been assigned as his partner, all he ever did was glare at me. It was his main form of communication—when he wasn't grunting or barking orders at me like I was some kind of feral mutt.

It was annoying. He was annoying.

I didn't know what I'd done to him to warrant this kind of hatred. But all I knew is this—if he wanted to be an asshole to me, I was gonna be a bitch to him right back. We’d see how he liked it then.

Leon leaned back on his chair, which also creaked beneath his weight as he held eye contact with me. His arms folded over his broad chest, making the tense muscle pop more through the sleeves and across the front of his black compression shirt. A muscle in his jaw feathered. He oozed masculinity—toxic masculinity that is.

As a wise sage—Britney Spears—once prophesied: he’s toxic. And I could feel myself slipping under. I hated that I was—I hated that I found him attractive. I hated that he was there, irritatingly beautiful and totally unavailable. I hated that I felt like we’d perhaps have the best fucking sex known to man if we just put aside this hatred for each other—or maybe even leaned into it more—and—

“Got a staring problem?”

My eyes snapped up to his, away from my ogling of the way his veins popped and his muscles feathered. One eyebrow was quirked at me, those eyes narrowing like lasers focusing on a target. I frowned immediately, though my face grew hotter as I folded my arms tight across my chest, blustering beneath his stare. Luckily this meeting room was quite dark, save for the small square of light coming in from the hallway that was dimmed through the frosted glass.

“Have you?” I shot back, a weak way to make it seem like I wasn't staring—accuse him of doing the same thing.

He scoffed, sneering. I wanted to slap the smirk right off of his face. “You have nothing for me to look at.”

“Don't I?” My lips quirked up slightly as I saw the opportunity to spite him. I unfolded my arms, bending forward ever so slightly and inviting him to look at my chest. I thought that I had quite nice tits, if I could say so myself—my chest, in general, was one of the few things I liked about myself, the scar that ran through the valley of my breasts was worn like a badge of honour.

Normally I wouldn't have shown off like this. I wouldn't have presented myself in such a way to invite him to leer at me. I loathed the thought of him perceiving me, much like the rest of the men here in The Pentagon. But, at this moment, I felt rather emboldened by the thought of pissing him off.

Though why I wanted to remained a mystery to me. He hardly gave me a second thought—half of the time my half-hearted attempts at ‘seduction’ failed within seconds. He’s not interested in me at all.

Good. “Stop that.” He scowled, his eyes ever so slightly dipping downward before flitting back up way too quickly.

I hummed low, intrigued by that little display. The way he shifted slightly, the chair creaking and shifting with him, was telling. Mission success. “Stop what?”

[owlf45]

when it comes to unfinished fics, i actually found i prefer instead of a writer forcing themselves to slog through and finish the fic, just a chapter summarizing the way the story was going to end. like where the plot was going, what was going to happen to the characters. it could even just be a bullet point list tbh.

a couple people made this point. i think it's definitely a good middle ground for sure

not to be contrary, i really do enjoy when authors do that, but ill give my own perspective since i complained about no one giving theirs and i have yet to contribute to my own conversation.

for my smaller projects, especially the ones that only got a chapter or so in and could easily be read as ambigious/open ended— leaving those unfinished worked fine.

for my longer projects, like imaginary and indefinite, even if its like pulling teeth, it is fulfilling to return to them. I'm not as passionate about the works, but also being in the middle of passion can instill paralysis— you cant write because you're too damn excited. writing now can be exhausting, but it satisfies that little version of me that dreamed about updating the last chapter so many years ago.

of course, i dont think this would be possible if i didn't have my notes and a rough direction i was heading. some stuff still slips past me, but generally the direction is the same. i don't think my writing and execution is as strong, but most people don't seem to notice or don't say as much, to be honest. even if my grasp on the characterization isnt as strong, even if my passion has cooled, as long as i have that direction i intended so many years ago, i feel good about what I'm posting.

i used to be deathly afraid of mediocrity and disappointing people, of not capturing that original glow that made my work so fun to begin with— but that saying 'either do it, or do it scared' holds true here. and i can add something aged and different to my work. also, i think focusing so hard on quality makes you lose yourself in creation rather than creativity.

but of course, that's only my journey, navigating with my 5 year-old-fics. they're old loves. i think if you're sick of a work, or if you're coming back to a work with genuinely no direction, it can be very hard to write and you'll be lost and frustrated. old-me already did all the heavy lifting, i just have to do my job and put words on paper.

[juiceboxscans]

Helloo! Thank you for all your work, I just had a question (hope I'm not being a pest or adding any pressure by it ಠ⁠ᴥ⁠ಠ) what is your guys release schedule? Like, how long does it usually take you to translate and post a chapter after it's been released? It depends on one's free time ofc but I was just wondering roughly how many days so I can forget about the chapter until then and check only after. Thank you again ♡

Heya! Appreciate you and we know you’re anxious to see boob so to keep it simple: It depends on the content* and any unforeseen IRL events, but generally about 2-3 weeks from chapter release date to upload date. Turning on your Tumblr, Twitter, Mangadex notifs so you'll know when to check is probably your best bet because we do give status updates here and there.

Speaking of which, next chapter is coming (very.) soon!

♡＼(￣▽￣)／♡

*’Depends on the content’ like Chapter 31 with Azami and the bathtub was 54 pages full of SFX and pain and that was… a slog.

[getvalentined]

Ever Crisis: Final Overview

Okay so my final verdict on Ever Crisis as a whole is that it's worth playing! This is particularly true if you're the kind of person who is into micromanaging equipment and the like; if you enjoyed the junctioning system in FF8, the sphere grid in FF10, or the crystarium in FF13, EC's various systems will probably be fun. (Once you get them unlocked. It's a bit of a slow start in that.)

After finishing certain sections you get access to "criterion dungeons" which are kinda like other segments of the original game (playwise, not storywise) that were cut from the main portion of EC; they have limitations and prerequisites that mean they generally can't just be immediately cheesed by the autobattle system, making them difficult in a way that I personally consider highly enjoyable. A fun challenge with a little more free movement, albeit still not as much as I'd like.

Being able to look at it as a whole, I really think that this is a good way to handle it. The main story portion of EC is designed to carry you through the story so you can experience it firsthand without too much difficulty, broken into bite-size portions that you can clear in about 5 minutes a pop; criterion dungeons, enhancement material missions and multiplayer battles are for people who want more controlled gameplay on top of what the main story provides.

I do still think that the OG story section is the weakest in terms of gameplay, but once you get out of Chapter 1 it's actually not that bad! I think this is because the story doesn't really properly kick off until Cloud falls into the church anyway, so that whole first section is a bit of a slog—and it was probably quite difficult for the dev team to break it down into a period shorter than the 2+ hours it took in the original version. It's very clearly abridged, but actually not bad.

Still not a fan of the cast of First SOLDIER. I'll get through that with gritted teeth.

There are some fairly egregious graphical issues and artistic inconsistencies, including an actual visible erasing error in Aerith's portrait, but those are mostly things that can be fixed between now and the proper launch.

The biggest graphical concerns for me were with regard to screen flashing. The screen flashes to black in between each wave of a fight, and then flashes back to life when the new wave has loaded, which is a huge issue for photosensitivity and is something I commented on extensively in the official survey.

Likewise, I experienced some pretty severe shader flickering, which is a big accessibility issue—I sent in a video, which I will not embed here because y'all don't need to see that. In spite of stating that I didn't expect a response to the inquiry in question, I received a clearly-not-canned reply within about eight hours stating that it is in fact a serious issue and that they would be working to rectify it as quickly as possible, although they were sorry that they probably wouldn't have an update to fix it before the end of the beta. That was a pleasant surprise, and gives me a lot of hope for cleaning up those issues and making the game more accessible.

Overall, as a whole game with all titles and systems taken into account, I'd give Ever Crisis a solid 7.5/10.

[l3rking]

Indie Game Recommendations from a Destiny Player for a Destiny Player

So between the AAA videogame industry being a nightmare and Bungie being on fire I thought it'd be nice to make some indie recommendations if you're trying to get that Destiny fix but feel like stepping away.

RoboQuest

RoboQuest is an FPS roguelike that is currently in Early Access but goes live with its 1.0 release on Nov. 7th. The gun feel and movement in Roboquest should be studied. It feels so good to play. The rougelike elements are pretty bog standard (pick a class, start a run, random items and weapon drops, on-the-go buildcrafting, meta progression via upgrades) and the artstyle, story, and music isn't groundbreaking. But it all ties in so well with the different classes, weapon variety, item vareity, and stellar gunplay that it just works. I've put in ~60 hours with the Early Access build and can't wait to jump into 1.0.

2. Deep Rock Galactic

Because OF COURSE I'm gonna bring up DRG. Everyone knows how it good it is. But if it's the camaraderie and teamwork that you enjoy from Destiny, I can't think of anything better. Every class plays distinctly from the others and meld together in such a way that solo play just can't even touch. The sheer variety of missions, modes, and modifiers has sucked hours away from my friends and I. It's still getting updates and content drops. And it's currently (10.31.23) on sale for $10 on Steam.

3. Deadlink

Another FPS roguelike. This one is moreso for the Doom fans. The movement is a little slower at first until you really get use the movement ability mechanics of the separate classes (grapple, blink, etc.). It reward weapon swapping. Like any other roguelike its loop centers around on the fly buildcrafting, random upgrade and items, and meta progression via upgrades and currency that can carry over into your next run. The music and aesthetic get a special mention. It oozes with style and polish. This one's a little harder to get into compared to RoboQuest but I still highly recommend it.

Honorable Mentions:

Borderlands (any of them)

I love the Borderlands games. I'm currently playing through 3 for the first time and having a great time. It's probably the closest to the Destiny formula as far as loot and gameplay loop goes. It's not an indie title so it gets downgraded to an honorable mention. Seriously, if you've never play one go for 2. I understand the writing is polarizing and the world building is kind of weak. But if you love it you can never be convinced otherwise.

2. Warframe

Warframe is such a unique game. It oozes style. But the economy and some recent dev decisions have driven a few people away. It's also HUGE. Trying to get into it now makes Destiny looks like a 4 hour CoD campaign. There are so many complex systems and currencies that have piled up after years and years of updates. It can feel like a slog but there's a real gem here. Honorable mention because if you're deciding to take it on you know what you're getting into.

3. FF14

Another obvious one. Way more MMO than either Destiny or Warframe. I, personally, am not a FF 14 player but if you're less of an FPS gamers and more into the MMO aspects of Destiny, I genuinely can't think of something better. They also have a very generous trial program so there's literally no harm in giving it a shot.

5. Witchfire

This is an Early Access title only available via the Epic Store so I can't give it a full recc. The devs have specifically said that they've modeled the gameplay straight off of Destiny. The movement, gunplay, and abilities are all very very D2. It feels phenomenal. The artstyle is also incredible. Like if Bungie made Bloodborne. It combines a lot of elements from a lot of different games and right now it feels pretty shallow. Just a couple of distinct areas and weapons/abilities that you choose from before embarking on an expedition. The only thing you bring back after a successful run (which you can end at anytime by finding a portal on the map or beating the area boss) is currency akin to Dark Souls' soul system. You lose them on death but you can reclaim them by visiting your deathspot in the next run. Use them back at your base for meta progression such as leveling stats or crafting new items. Really looking forward to a full release in the future.

[amberavaava]

Enhancing Employee Engagement through Innovative Tools

Alright, let’s take this up a notch and really dig in.

So, Sapient HR Solutions isn’t just tossing out a few shiny apps and calling it “innovation.” They’re overhauling how people actually interact at work, and honestly, it feels overdue. We’ve all slogged through jobs where the only thing “engaging” was the countdown to Friday. This set of tools is basically the cheat code to make work less soul-sucking and—dare I say—almost fun?

Let’s zoom in on the feedback system for a sec. Most places will hand you a “How are we doing?” survey once a year, and then…crickets. Sapient flips that on its head. The real-time feedback thing means you can speak up about the stuff that’s bugging you (or stuff you love!) right when it happens. Not only is that cathartic, but it gives managers a real shot at fixing small problems before they snowball. Plus, because it can be anonymous, you don’t have to worry about those weird “I know what you said last survey” vibes. That kind of transparency? Game changer for trust. No one wants to feel like their voice goes into a black hole.

And you know what? That feedback loop does something sneaky: it gives people a sense of control over their work life. When you know your thoughts actually matter? You’re way more likely to bring your A-game. It’s not just about griping; it’s about making things better for everyone.

Now, the gamification part is honestly brilliant. Don’t roll your eyes—everyone loves a little healthy competition, even if they pretend they’re above it. Leaderboards, badges, milestone rewards…suddenly, “just another Tuesday” feels like a mini-Olympics. It’s not just about gold stars, either. This stuff gets people talking, teaming up, and actually caring about hitting goals. Plus, let’s be real: sometimes you need a little nudge to plow through the mundane stuff. If a digital trophy is what gets people moving, why not?

Personalized learning is where it gets really interesting. Companies love to talk about “growth opportunities,” but half the time, it means sitting through yet another irrelevant webinar. Sapient’s tools ditch the generic junk. They look at your job, your ambitions, and your actual skill gaps, then serve up workshops, certifications, and resources that make sense for you. It’s like having a career coach, minus the cheesy motivational quotes. Employees see a path forward, not just a dead-end desk. And when people see a future at work, they stick around longer. Win-win.

Let’s not forget the comms hub. If you’ve ever lost an email chain or missed a project update because it was buried under a pile of “reply all” chaos, you’ll get why this matters. Sapient throws everything into one place—chat, video, updates, you name it. No more guessing who’s doing what or where the latest version of the report went. It’s smoother, faster, and honestly, just way less stressful.

And here’s the cherry on top: the data. It’s not just for show—managers can actually see what’s working and what’s flopping. Participation rates, satisfaction scores, whatever—they can tweak stuff in real time, instead of waiting for the annual review post-mortem. Employees feel heard, leadership looks proactive, and the whole company keeps evolving. Not just surviving, but thriving.

At the end of the day, Sapient’s approach isn’t about gadgets or empty buzzwords. It’s about making work not just bearable, but—dare I say—pretty darn good. People show up, pitch in, and maybe even enjoy themselves along the way. Imagine that.

[solfegekiss]

LAA-KEY.BLOG HAS UPDATED!

SOLREMI♡KISS is set to release their third mini album on July 3rd, 2025, titled LOVE GAMESSS. As with their previous comeback, MAKE NOISE, the group will promote with two tracks off their new four track album.

♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨  ⠀  ⠀  STATS !!

RELEASED⠀⠀⠀♡⠀⠀⠀july 3 2025

PROMOTIONAL PERIOD⠀⠀⠀♡⠀⠀⠀3 weeks (flying get love!) + 2 weeks (love game)

WINS⠀⠀⠀♡⠀⠀⠀3 (flying get love!) + 1 (love game)

♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨  ⠀  ⠀  TRACK LIST !!

Flying Get Love!

Suddenly You Love Me

Love Game

can’t understand you

♱⠀ ꕀ ︵˖ ‿̩͙୨  ⠀  ⠀  WHAT'S EVERYONE POSTING ??

KPOPVREVIEWS.COM HAS POSTED!

Promising to show two sides of the same bright saturated candy coloured pop vomit, SOLREMI♡KISS' LOVE GAMESSS fits right into their mess of a discography. Like every other project NONFICTION LABS has released, it is difficult to pinpoint a thorough-line within the limited four track run. Their pre-release, Flying Get Love!, seem to promise an album fit for the summer, with a Latin rock-like sound that starts with the samba rhythm reminiscent of a carnival, the track promises to usher the world into a heaty mid-summer. However, one wonders how long will SRMK hang on to this outdated sound? Nostalgia can only take one so far! To their credit, Flying Get Love! seems to have captured the hearts of the general public, generating yet another TikTok hit in SRMK’s discography through the catchy chorus, easily replicated hand movements that make up their ‘choreography’, and the refrain of NANANAs or cat NYAs. The creative integration of the mic stand is a standout of the (per usual) poor choreography. We give this track a 4 out of 5 stars. Suddenly You Love Me is Flying Get Love!’s chiller cousin or younger sister. With a familiar sound, SRMK and NONFIC LABS was wise to leave this in the album and forget all about it as it is a slog to get through. For what it’s worth, it is a catchy and fun b-side in some eyes. We here, however, will only eek out a 1.5 out of 5 stars for it. Love Game is their third track and another promoted track. With the members trading lines between breaths and seconds, it is our team’s favourite track off the album. The flashy song leads to an easy trendy performance from the group and shows off their more mature and less lovey-dovey side. The unique choreo created for the group has yet to be reproduced perfectly by any of it’s challengers, and has led to the only K-pop TikTok challenge that only people who have friends can do. Sora’s voice is especially bright on this track, proving once again why she is the god chosen center of the team. Another 4 out of 5 star track in our eyes. can’t understand you is the only song to not feature the word LOVE, and also seems half-heartedly shoved onto the album last minute. What is possibly the group’s worst vocal performance also gives us a heart-pumping piece that would not feel out of place as the ‘hot-blooded’ opening to a shounen anime. Somewhat related to Love Game through their erogenous use of the electric guitar and pumping drum beat, can’t understand you is an abrupt end to the album that leaves you asking “is that all?”. A 2 out of 5 stars seem fitting to end this album, we can’t all be winners. From us at KpopVReviews, we give this album a solid 3 out of 5 stars.

@ SORASUNNYSMILE HAS POSTED!

ANALYSING LOVE GAMESSS ERA OUTFITS CUZ IM OBSESSED! number one with fgl!!!! like yes give me song of the summer, beach, collecting seashells on the seashore! so easy greasy breezy freezy if you will!

number two with the srmk twist on cyber core for love games! love how i can hand you a colour palette of just bright colours and you will be like yes that is srmk. that dior ad campaign was def on the inspo board! also their cosplay stage of ulala from space channel five was soooo iconic i can’t believe it. also when sora said the main point of the outfits were the shoes she truly meant it! wtf did nonfic labs have them dancing in LMAOOOO

@ LUVEGAMESSS HAS POSTED!

yes yes yes to both mvs. WHEN MIMI SAID IN THE FGL BTS THAT HSM2 WAS THE INSPO…. with that fuckass saturation i thought so. mimi’s contacts were as blue as zac efron’s baby blue eyes. they’re such geniuses like the next lava springs heiresses are sora rena and mimi fosure! 

watching the creative director explain in the bts is so fun like yes of ofc the inspo for love game is fruitger metro… srmk is the only group in kpop rn that can pull that aes off rn and it’s like sooo srmk too! SRMK YOU WILL ALWAYS BE A STAR!!

@ SRMKTAROT HAS POSTED!

srmk + nonfic labs currently going through rough times. antis are amping up criticisms for their choreo and untalented allegations (talking like their favs aren’t dancing to flying get love on tiktok rn). bright festa rumoured broke as fuck so not surprised! between rena not posting on wvs to mimi not speaking to sora to sora’s breakdown like five months ago im scared the girls are not on good terms. hoping they can sort this out and continue as a group!

[cherokeegal1975]

Amazon.com: Eden Symbiotic: 9781493766444: Smith, Meriah Renna: Books

Unexpected Cargo: Smith, Meriah: 9781537355238: Amazon.com: Books

Just Designs: Smith, Meriah Renna, Smith, Meriah Renna: 9781537627557: Amazon.com: Books

Running Horse Creations: Meriah Smith: 9781714245598: Amazon.com: Books

The Art Journal by Meriah Smith: Meriah Smith: 9798210728616: Amazon.com: Books

These are the links to my books on Amazon. All of them are very nice. In my opinion, Eden Symbiotic, Unexpected Cargo and The Art Journal are the best three. I know the cover arts are a bit on the plain side, but hey, don't judge a book by its cover! LOL! I even updated the cover arts for the novels. Now the spelling mistake I didn't notice at first is gone from the paperback version of Eden Symbiotic and I fixed the cover art for Unexpected Cargo, so the flap jacket doesn't reveal too much in the description. The Kindle version of Unexpected Cargo got a facelift with a cover art done by Alicia Louma-Renalds. I would have used her art on my paperback version too, but for some reason Amazon wouldn't let me.

Anyway, I'll get better cover arts when I can. I personally think they're okay, but I've learned that people like flashier cover arts.

Well, I am looking for work and it's been a long hard slog. Barely getting interviews and the two I got recently turned me down. It'll be likely months before I get another interview. I'd be starving if it wasn't for my mom...dying too. I can't survive homeless.

I need these sales even though I'm not homeless or starving. I have online access thanks to my mom too. We don't get along, but the love is there.

Anyway, my goal here is to sell enough books I can buy my own pants, underwear, socks and a couple of practical shirts with no holes in them. My mom keeps forgetting to help me and she can only do so much. I'm not her only expense. It's killing me that I'm so dependent on her. No joke, I've made myself quit it, but for a while there, I had a real death wish I hurt so much between the stress of home life and not being able to take care of myself, which I desperately need.

Not much of a sales pitch, but I don't know how to do those. I know that my work is good, even though I keep asking for feedback because I'm starved for it. I really want to know what you think about my works. On the rare occasion when I do sell a book, it's usually Unexpected Cargo and I've only received two reviews and I don't think the first one counts that much because that's my paternal grandma. She'll want to be nice instead of impartial and very honest. I like the second one better, because even though Pam has written me off and on at DeviantART, she doesn't really know me, so her works are more honest. After that, nothing. Nothing at all. Zip. Zero! Common people! I do drop by once in a while to see if anyone left me one.

Amazon won't let me give a preview of my art journals. I would like to so people would see what's in them. But you can see what I have in them if you go to here:

CherokeeGal1975 - Hobbyist, General Artist | DeviantArt

In My Drawings folder, and maybe what's in my Design Dump folder will give you a good idea of what's in my books.

If I sell enough books, I'll be able to buy clothes. But it will have to be hundreds, I don't earn much per sale.

Give me a chance to earn my own money. It'll be worth your while. You can even get a preview of my novels on Amazon.

[burningfeathersx]

"Won't it just the same? Keyboards and such?" Retorted with all the enthusiasm of a dead fish for this change. Casually ignoring the knowing glance he'd gotten. Man, the fact you just fucking SCOOTED HIM IN HIS OWN CHAIR without getting sent to space is incredible shit.

He sat back in his chair when it was moved. May as well. Rubbing a hand into the back of his neck. Honestly? Forgot the cuffs and hook were down there. Rook hadn't been using it as his 'office in the office' for a little while now. So he looked up a little confused before it dawned a second later.

A very arrogant and smarmy grin split across his face. "You really have no idea." About where Lucifer was on the kink scale. He'd been…marginally tame with Vox. Most he'd gotten around to was some power play. Granted, a lot of his deviance was power play related, but…sometimes that involved more than pinning a naked overlord down and fiddling their port while fully clothed himself. "Val's a horn dog chasing dopamine and cum." Little dismissively with a flick of hand upward. "I've got taste."

He sniffed once and scooted his chair back into place. Eyeing the computer with some sort of…end of era sadness. Did he really want to update his methodology. Looked so…cold and impersonal…

- "Eh, this has a touch screen," he added with a tap tap that let for things to be more easily accessed and moved about. As for the whole kink thing he snorted. Didn't doubt it for a second, though. "Yeah, taste for cum." Such a clever joke applaud for him.

But he groaned at that look. Come on, Lucifer, don't be like Alastor. That's fucking laaaame as shit. "Look, at least use this when you're backlogged like you are right now. You know how many days I stay up fixing shit and doing numbers? You're falling apart at six hours in. I was doing twice as much in the 50s!" And it killed him, so! Hand motions at self!

- Stuck his elbow in Vox's side to his crass joke at his expense! So rude!

The comparison was bad. He was a nigh-immortal First Fallen. He could have kept working. It would have been a miserable slog, but he wouldn't catch a fucking heart attack or whatever had killed Vox when he was human. Gave him a look to that effect before he threw up his hands. "Fine."

"Sure Rook will be thrilled at my new free time." Grumbled all the same. Pushing sunglasses up onto his forehead to see the screen better. Fiddling it. Wasn't like it was his first time with technology. He merely didn't like to bring it directly into his work space. "Regi'd probably be happy to give you a blowie for succeeding where he hasn't." Added.

- Vox snickered at being elbowed and was all the more amused when Lucifer finally complied. Good. Now he wouldn't have to stress over Lucifer's work habits nearly as much. "Bet he would be," he commented about Rook, snorting. "Among others." Though he certainly rolled his eyes about Regi. "He's not my type, sorry to say."

- Paused and looked at Vox. "You met Reginald?" Clearly he'd forgotten or Regi had been doing independent nonsense. Then again, cameras. Hum.

He finished sifting the computer and pulled over the scrolls pile. That HAD to be done by hand. By nature of being Deals that required ink and blood.

- "I gave him the soul contracts I owed you, remember?" Vox raised an eyebrow. Though he supposed that was several weeks ago. "And Stan either made me see him on the monitors or he was in your office one time."

Speaking of contracts. He peered over Lucifer's shoulder at some of those just out of curiosity. "Well, seems you've got it all handled from here." Shoulder pat. "I'll probably head back to work myself unless you have any questions, old man." A light tease.

l- "Fuck! Right." He swears his memory is getting fucked a lot more than it used to be. Hhh. He didn't like it. "He comes around my office when it's empty, often. Bit nosey. I let him. He's generally been trustworthy." He didn't think much of it.

To the question, as he started to unroll one (this one in extremally archaic Welsh for some reason). "Think you'd fit if I bent you over the desk? No reason." If Vox was going to try to undercut him with an 'old man'.

- Vox was going to stare real hard into the back of Lucifer's head for that comment. Narrowed his eyes real quick afterwards. Definitely was not purple. Wasn't thinking about the incident with Pride in here either, nope. Or whoever used those cuffs before. "I mean, you certainly would." Testing Lucifer here, he knew.

"Uh huh. I'm not most people, though." Vox gave a knowing glance in Lucifer's direction with a smug grin before he returned to physically feeding the papers into the digital screen. Faster that way. Tech demon magic, don't question it. Also, it was much faster.

"If you want to continue with busy work, you can sort things to your heart's desire. But it's going to not give you fucking carpel tunnel at least." Less than subtly moved Lucifer's chair out of the way to kneel down to start adding more wires into the pc input core, to finish setting up the rest.

Took him a moment to realize what some of what he was staring at. Had to really squint in a mix of disbelief and complete understanding all in one. He really, really shouldn't be surprised. His screen was a bit of a troubling fit as he couldn't get fully under the desk but he SAW THAT, Lucifer. Who the hell did you chain up down there???

Totally calm and collected as he stood back up and dusted himself off, turning on the monitor and motioning for Lucifer to set up the rest.

"You're a real kinky fucker, you know that? No wonder Val took a liking to you so quickly after you busted his balls." Figuratively. Probably? Squinted back at Lucifer.