#no these three games are not similar

[jimintomystery]

This algorithm is picking a fight with me that it can't win.

[princesseevee06]

so this is greenblings, right?

[ghostingink]

I need you guys to hear me out on a Mizuki, Rui, Akito and Len April fools cover of villain

[creativesplat]

Have a Dimitri because juggling hyper fixations is almost all I do now.

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

Bro I was reenacting the "Just So" clip while I was putting away the dishes and when Frank yelled at Barnaby I was gonna say "oi fuck you" y'know because I was being silly but what came out was an almost PERFECT imitation of Barnaby's voice- I couldn't even finish the "fuck you" because I broke down laughing

Btw the reason this is so funny is because I'm a 5'2" Latino AFAB with NO experience in voice acting whatsoever yet for some reason the spirit of Giant Blues Clues decided my vocal chords were the PERFECT place to set up real estate

Anyway peace and love

HAGHASBCAKJSCNAKLD I WHEEZED

[starstruckodysseys]

had a dream where zach and jess showed up on dimension 20. devastated to realize it is not real

[happy10thousandyears]

carlome 😇

[jaderavenarts]

Something I love about RDR2's storytelling is that it reminds me so much of longform television that'd have like 26 episodes a season or whatever. Like each chapter (or maybe a combination of chapters for the shorter ones) is a different season where they set up the new primary location and current goals/strings of the main plot that tie back to the overarching story. Sprinkle in stranger missions, camp conversations, exploration, and robberies with fellow gang members as "filler" episodes/scenes of episodes that flesh out the characters, relationships, world, and backstories, and at key points there'd be the hard hitting plot heavy episodes, until everything blows up at the season finale, which only get bigger with each season. And how you get to the last season of a show and look back at the first ever episode like "wow things were so simple back then."

[fatcowboys]

yall no im on team fuck wotc so i wanna plug a ttrpg ive played that is decently similar to dnd and id recommend as a cool one to check out if looking for a new system! 

13TH AGE

13th age is a ttrpg system built for a high fantasy setting similar to d&d. its got a lot of similarities to dnd (in fact i believe many of the folks who worked on it worked on older editions of dnd) like a d20 based, class based system, but with a lot of streamlining done to combat as well as fun mechanics to tie your character into the world and game.

some specific details i really enjoyed:

one unique thing: something i enjoy about this that lends itself to character creation well is that every character has ‘one unique thing.’ most of your characters probably already have that, but this is a one or two word sentence that just summarizes that. this is great for both players who get too complicated in their backstories and helps them have a core unique thing (me cough) or characters who don’t super care about backstories come up with something unique even if its not a full shakespearean tragedy of a background

backgrounds: instead of your backgrounds giving you proficiency in certain things, characters have backgrounds with certain modifiers based on the importance to the character. this then lets you use the modifier for things that relate to your background. for example, my character spent years as a thief before the campaign, so she cat burglar +4. any time i picked a lock or did sneaky thief things, i could use my thief +4. another character had a background as librarian, so she got bonuses to speed reading, finding a book in complicated libraries, etc. iirc this character also had a background as a spoken word poet which. while less widely applicable. led to some fun shenanigans with charisma checks for a character who isn’t usually super persuasive. i will note some GMs don’t love this because some players will try to use these backgrounds too broadly and it can slow stuff down since its less spelled out, so be warned, but if you have a good group, its a lot of fun.

no grid based combat: this was the main reason my GM looked into 13th age. she hated grid combat, and in 13th age, rather than specific measurements and distances for spells and moves, everything is either engaged, nearby, or far. i will say there was a bit of a learning curve for the players in this group who were used to having exact distances spelled out, but honestly it was really fun not having to worry so much about exact distances and counting out squares and such.

escalation die: this was something i loved as someone who had a hard time focusing on longer combats. 13th age uses an escalation system to speed up combat - at the end of every round of combat, the escalation die gets a +1 that keeps increasing every round and adds to your attack rolls and damage. this represents the natural tire and fatigue in combat and keeps things moving. after six rounds have passed, it maxes out at +6

there are some other cool things as well such as icons that represent powerful figures in the world, unique abilities and skills that have a similar feel of d&d but fresh and new if youve played d&d to death, but TLDR: check out 13th age if you want a system that feels similar to D&D, but hate grid based and super long combats and want more mechanical weight to your characters history. also its been a few years since ive played so. apologies if i misremembered anything but! 13th age is super fun especially if you want something that feels similar to d&d but with some cool unique features

[deepseacolors]

Branching Line

@spr-ingo April, Day 3 (ft. The Parent Trap AU Nobody Asked For)

... There's no sense belaboring the point. I'm the epitome of the Slowpoke meme.

ANYway! I came up with this concept a... year? two years ago? And this felt like a good excuse to play with it.

I actually got it mostly done on time, but got too embarrassed to post it because it felt like an odd AU... but then I posted that OTHER AU for May 3rd's prompt, which is a way way weirder premise, so now I don't feel quite as silly! It's still not completely finished, but it's close enough and I'm tired of looking at it!

Anyway! Onwards!

----

Though it is early summer, Bertha and Ingo arrive at the Canalave docks early enough in the day that they beat the worst of both the heat and the crowd.

Nonetheless, she grips his hand and keeps him close as they move towards the boat that will take him to Johto. At nine years old, he’s still small enough that he could easily be swept away in the clamor, and the last thing either of them want is for him to miss his ride and lose his spot at summer camp.

Ingo himself is absolutely buzzing with excitement and nerves alike, clutching her hand like a lifeline. They had done all they could to prepare for today, for his first big trip alone; but all the preparation in the world likely means little compared to the wide open world before him now.

It certainly means little to Bertha.

But this trip will be good for him, she tells herself. And for her as well. He’s almost at the right age to leave on his own Gym run, and a few weeks away from home in a structured environment will help him adjust to the idea of a longer journey when the time comes.

And it likely doesn’t hurt that he’ll get to spend those weeks next to one of the world’s most advanced railway systems.

The only times he’s ever been up close and personal with his beloved locomotives were during vacations to other regions, which are sadly few and far between when a single mother must budget for not only a growing boy, but also the seven Pokemon between them.

So when she caught wind of a summer camp in Johto taking place near the Magnet Train’s railyard which touted it’s own railway program… Well, what else could she do but start saving up?

The look on Ingo’s face when she showed him the brochure made it worth every penny and then some.

At the moment, he is tapping an uneven rhythm on the handle of his rolling luggage, eyes taking in all the hustle and bustle of the growing crowd. He’s already on edge, and it’s only going to get busier. If he gets wound up now, she’ll never get him grounded.

Best to get him talking, then.

“What do you think, Ingo? Are you excited?”

Ingo is pulled from his thoughts at the sound of her voice, and beams up at her (not so far up as he used to, though—it won’t be long now until he surpasses her height. A bittersweet thought).

“Yes, I am!” He exclaims. The volume is enough to net them a few stares and annoyed glances, but Bertha pays them no mind.

Ingo, however, flushes when he notices the looks. He hunches his shoulders a bit and looks down, suddenly seeming to find his shoes very interesting.

Bertha squeezes his hand. When he looks back at her, she gives him a warm smile. “It seems that they have a lot of fun things planned. I’ll want to hear all about it when you get home!”

Ingo relaxes a little, and squeezes her hand in turn. “Of course, Mother!” He says, at a more even volume this time. He stops, letting go of his suitcase and reaching into his pocket for the brochure, now soft and wrinkled despite his best efforts.

He points at the bulleted list on the back. “There are many fascinating activities planned for us! Such as…”

Bertha is already very familiar with the camp’s itinerary; even if Ingo hadn’t chattered excitedly about it every night at dinner, she herself had done plenty of research before ever bringing it up.

But as Ingo regales her with all that information and more, she finds that his enthusiasm is as infectious as ever.

--

Reviewing the itinerary does the trick. Now much calmer, Ingo carefully replaces the brochure in his pocket. But when he goes back to pick up his bag, he seems taken aback by an unexpected weight. “What? It feels heaver now than it did a few minutes ago...”

Something inside the bag shifts.

Ah, so that’s it.

Bertha covers her grin with one hand. “Whatever could be the matter, Ingo?” She asks, not able to fully hide the laughter in her voice.

Ingo sighs, heavy and dramatic, kneeling down and unzipping his bag. Neither of them are surprised when a pair of pointed purple ears immediately poke out.

“Gligar,” Ingo scolds, crossing his arms and giving his best stern look at the little bat. “We have already discussed this.”

Gligar pins his ears back and tries to dig further into Ingo’s bag. He must have gotten impatient when he felt them pause and tried to pop out of his smuggled Poke Ball to get a better idea of what was happening.

“Ah, no--!” Ingo dives in to fish out his errant Pokemon. “Do not move things around! I already packed them just right!”

After a struggle, Ingo stands, holding Gligar aloft. Very seriously, he tells him, “You know I am only allowed one Pokemon on this trip. I understand that you are unhappy,” he yields, when Gligar starts to pout, “and I am truly sorry. But those are the rules we must abide by. You have to stay home with Mother and everyone else.”

Gligar scowls, and points a claw at Ingo’s belt, where a lone Poke Ball rests. It wiggles a little, but it’s occupant wisely decides to stay out of the discussion.

Ingo sighs. “This is also something we have discussed.” He sets Gligar down on the ground, and kneels in front of him. “We drew straws, remember? And since Litwick emerged victorious, she is the one who will accompany me on this trip.”

Gligar hisses softly, turning away. Bertha has to cover her mouth again to suppress a laugh at the little bat’s petulant expression.

For now, she opts to simply stands back and watch. If Ingo intends to become a successful Pokemon Trainer—and she knows with all her heart that he will—then managing a Pokemon’s difficult temperament is one of the challenges he will have to overcome.

Still, though. She’s watching the time, in case she and her own Gliscor need to cut the negotiation short with some motherly intervention.

Ingo’s own expression is not quite as amusing as his little Gligar’s. His lips turn downward even more than usual, and his brows knit together.

“Gligar,” he says, and his solemn tone is enough to catch his Pokemon’s attention again, “I promise that I am not playing favorites.” Ingo leans down a little, to be on a more even level with his Pokemon. “How about this? The next time I go on a trip and I only am allowed to take one Pokemon, you can be the one who accompanies me. Okay?”

Pinning his ears back again, Gligar seems to consider this. After a long few moments, he sulkily nods his assent.

Ingo’s shoulders slump in relief. “Thank you for your understanding, Gligar.” He reaches a hand out, and when Gligar doesn’t pull away, rubs the smooth chitin between his ears. “I promise, I will only be gone for a few weeks. You will hardly notice!”

Privately, Bertha doubts that. She herself is already dreading returning to the apartment, certain it will be too large and too quiet without her precious child.

(One of her precious children. The other--)

(--She can’t think of that now. Not when she’s about to see Ingo off, bound for another region, headed so far from home. Even if it’s only for a little while.)

For now, Bertha says, “he’s right, Gligar. I promise, we’ll have a lot of fun together at home!”

Gligar regards her and Ingo with open doubt, huffing.

Well, it was worth a shot.

Ingo glances up at her for just a moment, before waving Gligar over. “Actually, Gligar, there is something else I want to tell you.” He looks up at Bertha seriously. “But I am afraid it must be a secret between the two of us. May we have a moment of privacy, Mother?”

With a soft laugh and an “oh, of course! Excuse me, you two,” Bertha steps a few feet away, keeping her back turned to the young trainer and his even younger Pokemon. She is the very picture of minding her own business, don’t mind her.

Ingo nods, satisfied with her distance, and waves Gligar closer.

Gligar, ever curious, forgets his bitterness for the moment and approaches.

“Now, Gligar, I have a very important job for you to perform while I am away from home,” Ingo whispers, solemn, leaning down once again to his level. “It is incredibly vital, and you are the only one I can trust with this task.”

Interest piqued, Gligar’s ears perk up, and he leans up into Ingo’s space.

“While Litwick and I are away, I need you to look after Mother, okay?” Ingo’s already-serious expression is downright grave now. “I am concerned about leaving her alone while I am in Johto, so I hope that I will be able to count on you and the others to watch out for her in my stead until our return. Can you do that?”

Gligar’s eyes widen at the gravity of this request, before he nods enthusiastically and salutes as best he can.

Ingo straightens up and returns his salute, crisp and practiced. “Thank you, Gligar! I will be counting on you, so please do your best!”

(Several feet away, Bertha is covering her face with both hands. It’s taking everything in her power not to melt on the spot.

Despite his best efforts, her darling son’s volume control still leaves much to be desired.)

[BOAT CALLS FOR BOARDING; Ingo kisses Gligar goodbye, hands him to Bertha, and kisses her goodbye before rushing to board.

He hesitates, looking back to Bertha, suddenly overcome with nerves. Bertha knows what’s happening, and waves encouragingly.

Ingo gathers his courage and boards.]

[zarvasace]

Wind and Koholint sun!

This one was really hard, actually. I cheated with both versions a little—on the left, the lines are a darker green than the palette has, and the lines on the right are a very dark purple. I like both versions but I could have held back a bit with the shading, it doesn't exactly make sense in most spots XD

[zeroducks-2]

It's hard to decide on just one hmmm but for the Three Word Sentences I'd love to see sladick with number 7

7. "Feel my heartbeat."

The grip on his arm hurts, it hurts as if a mechanical press was clamping down on his muscles, because Slade is enhanced and is not controlling his strength right now. Dick doesn't care, pushes the pain in a corner of his mind where he can't feel it, and with a titanic effort pries Slade's other hand off of the concrete he's scratching and clawing at, nails growing bloodier and bloodier. «Slade, I know you can hear me.» Dick says, his voice unreasonably steady. «I know you can hear me. Look at me.» The man's only eye is wide, pupil down to a pinprick and looking around wildly, seeing who knows what. He says something in a language Dick doesn't understand, but apologies and pleas sound similar in every corner of the world. «Please.» He adds in a comprehensible fashion, jerking his head on a side and then the other as if trying to ward off a touch to his face. «She's my child.» Dick doesn't know what fear-gas induced vision the man is having, what he knows is that seeing him so terrified hurts possibly more than the fire licking up his arm as nails dig into his muscles. «Slade.» He calls again as he climbs on top of him, pressing the man's palm on his own chest. Slade might very well carve out his heart bare handed at this point, but it doesn't matter. Given the dose of gas he took, he risks going into cardiac arrest and Dick is not going to let it happen. «It's not real. Focus on me, feel my heartbeat.» He leans down and presses their foreheads together. «I know you can hear me. I'm right here with you.» For a minute nothing happens, and Dick can only hear the gritting of the man's teeth as he clenches his jaw. He keeps muttering things which don't mean anything to Dick, but he must have heard him or felt him because he's clearly trying. Slowly the antidote starts working and his breathing stops coming so fast, his heart rate slows down. The hand on Dick's upper arm relaxes just so, and Dick lets out a slightly shivering breath. «Feel my heartbeat.» He repeats. «You're okay. You're going to be okay.» Slade seems to finally see him if for a brief moment. Then his eye rolls up and closes, and Dick breathes out in relief, pressing a quivering caress to the side of his head.

Thank you so much for the prompt Ana! Here's the prompt list for whoever wants to peruse it, or send me another prompt :)

[recallback-art]

Did my third and possibly final run of Shadows Over Loathing, so here's my final pc! She's a pig-skinner and it was a no shadow-taint run, I went and did a LOT of secrets I hadn't found before, it was really fun.

Obie and Barker are the best companions period. I love them. I cannot believe I never knew we could get a fucking doggy

[gl1tchxr]

[elliewiltarwyn]

For the ask game: Ellie’s thoughts on Urianger?

(this shot's a repost from Roevember's "elezen pal" but I mean, it's relevant!)

Ellie and Urianger get along shockingly well, to everyone's surprise including their own! One would think the most direct, straight-to-the-point Scion (at least up there with Alisaie) and the wordiest beating-around-the-bush playing-both-sides-so-he-always-comes-out-on-top Shakespeare-ass nerd would get along like a house on fire... but they have more in common than they realized at first.

Both spent much of their childhood with their nose buried in one tome or another. Both needed someone who legitimately just cares for them as a person to withdraw from that shell. After ARR, both have lost those dearest ones to machinations beyond their control...

That all being said, none of this means that they hung out together all that much before ShB, or started out that way; they only really started talking after, of all things, the showdown with the Warriors of Darkness -- after Urianger revealed both the depths of his duplicity and his unwavering commitment to the Scions' cause. After Urianger's manipulations that offered up Minfilia's life -- Ellie's aforementioned dearest one -- as the coin to pay to save two worlds, though by his own admittance, 'twas not his to give.

Ellie probably did punch him for that.

She just didn't stop there; they got to hashing it out, and Ellie found herself truly listening to him for the first time, and she realized that the grief he felt over Moenbryda and Minfilia both is just as strong as her own. She gets him some ice for his face and asks him about them, and lets him drone on for the next several hours about how incredible they were. (She also gets him some wine partway through. She politely declines to share it with him.)

They keep talking after that night and keep sharing in that grief, and then start sharing other discussions about other subjects beyond that which initially connected them. Things like Sharlayan, like favorite books. Like where he picked up his manner of speech. Like her own failed ambitions to study at the Studium, and the subjects she had wanted to research while there. By the time she, the twins, Lyse, and Tataru get on the boat to Kugane, she feels fairly confident in calling Urianger a good friend, and she's willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

It's tested, admittedly, when he gets up to similar shenanigans later. But she can tell his apology is earnest and from the heart and that he really truly means it when he says he doesn't want to lie to her anymore, that if he had a choice he wouldn't, so she just claps him on the shoulder and smirks at him before dropping it entirely. (Besides, it's not like it was his idea to hide the truth of his Eighth Umbral Calamity vision. Though in the end she doesn't have it in herself to begrudge G'raha either.)

(And gods, seeing Bloewyda hug him in the sort of way she's desired to help cope with her own losses? She's happy for him but there's a slightly bitter taste in her mouth at the same time.)

She might be slightly trying to push him and Thancred together, especially after she sees how they dote on Ryne. But she's also content with the bromances they all share with each other.

or broemances. eh? ehh? ehhh--[i am yanked offstage by the neck with a shepherd's crook]

[aha-chuu]

I'm mentally ill about Kavetham but

Genshin artifact leaks incoming!!!

Okay so the artifact designs for 3.6 have been leaked, but we do not yet know what their set bonuses will be, nor do we know which region their domain will be placed in. Here are the designs:

I think it's fair to say they have visual similarities to Alhaitham and Kaveh, specifically the colour schemes. The darker teal set for Alhaitham and the red/green combo for Kaveh. Now, it doesn't actually matter whether or not these artifacts will be specialised sets for Alhaitham and Kaveh (I seriously doubt they will be), because all I care about is the design. Also, it would make more sense for these artifacts to be for Dehya/Baizhu, but it's not so odd for artifacts to not match their intended user (see Xiao's signature set lol).

Look at these artifacts on the red/green set:

(excuse the tiny poor quality). Those earrings are very similar to the ones Kaveh wears:

(using this image with cosplay props cos my guy refuses to stand at the right angle during quests for his earrings to be visible).

The gold outline, the red and green, the three green squares in a mosaic pattern - the similarity is evident. Pictured also is the goblet for this new artifact set: a wine glass. Kaveh does really like his wine.

Which brings me to the other set:

More zooming is necessary. In Alhaitham's "good morning" voiceline he complains about needing coffee so early in the morning, and we know from the message boards that he frequents Puspa Café. So I find it quite amusing that the goblet in this set is a mug, like you'd traditionally drink coffee or tea from.

There's also smaller detailing on these artifacts:

They look a bit like mini primogems, or like the diamond shaped mirrors Alhaitham generates as you fight with him. In fact, every artifact in this set comes with three teal diamonds. In case anyone isn't aware, three mirrors is the maximum and optimum number to maintain while Alhaitham is on-field.

Is there a point to this little analysis of blurry artifacts that are still 1.5 patches away from releasing? Uh, no. But I'm not crazy drawing these connections, right?