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rainmustfallts4 · 8 months ago

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♢ DovahSims Legacy Challenge ♢ (Gens 51-100)

This challenge was far too long for tumblr to handle so I had to break it into two parts. Find more information as well as gens 1-50 here.

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♢ Generation 51: the jester

The world is full of misfortune and sadness so your mission is to change that through the power of jokes and witty quips! Comedy has been the only thing that has helped you and your siblings since your parent wasn’t that great at raising you. That’s not to say they’re a bad person, they just aren’t meant to be a parent.

Traits: Childish, goofball, loyal

Aspiration: Joke Star

Skills: Comedy

Career: Entertainer

Goals:

Complete aspiration.

Max comedy skill.

Complete career.

Tell jokes at every venue with a microphone.

Attend every humor and hijinks festival and win for the jokesters.

Marry a coworker and have a child.

Adopt a child.

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♢ Generation 52: the shout of dismay

No one knows how you turned out the way you did and not even you can explain it. You just don’t care about cleaning or personal hygiene. There are more important things to worry about, in your opinion, but your family doesn’t feel the same. They give you the choice to clean up your act or move out.

Traits: Slob, lazy, snob

Aspiration: Fabulously Filthy

Skills: Video gaming, gardening, mixology

Career: Civil Designer

Goals:

Move to Evergreen Harbor.

Complete aspiration.

Complete career.

Change the eco footprint.

Always vote for NAPs.

Reach at least level 5 video gaming.

Unlock junk food lifestyle.

Grow at least 5 trash plants.

Have the reduce and recycle lot challenge, as well as the filthy and grody lot challenges.

Befriend two different dust bunnies.

Max mixology.

Raise beetles, create beetle juice.

After your child becomes a teen, die from drinking the beetle juice.

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♢ Generation 53: the tower

Hearing stories of how your ancestor built an army of servos makes you happy. You’ve always been interested in Sci-Fi and anything related to tech and, knowing your ancestor accomplished such a thing, you’re filled with the desire to learn and grow. Plus, you’ll do anything to get out of the filthy surroundings you grew up in. You’ve even resorted to breaking into other homes just to have some relief!

Traits: Genius, bookworm, music lover

Aspiration: Nerd Brain

Skills: Programming, bowling

Career: Tech Guru

Goals:

Break into at least 5 different houses in Evergreen Harbor without getting caught.

Reach level 5 of the Tech Guru career then move to a new town.

Complete career.

Max both skills.

Unlock the Perfect Llama achievement.

Complete aspiration.

Start dating the owner of a home you broke into.

Create your own app named “The Tower.”

Have a science baby with your best friend.

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♢ Generation 54: the cloud district

Your parent worked hard to earn all of their money, but that means nothing to you. You’re their child so their money is your birthright and you’re determined to spend every simoleon! Only, your parents aren’t happy and decide to teach you the value of a simoleon by kicking you out. Now with 0 simoleons to your name, you’re determined to become so wealthy that they will be begging you for forgiveness!

Traits: Materialistic, snob, mean

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Skills: Entrepreneur

Career: Business

Goals:

Move to a new world.

Make money by selling collectibles until you can build a house with a shower, a bed, a toilet, a stove and a fridge.

Once you have those items, join the business career.

Complete career.

Complete aspiration.

Max entrepreneur.

Flaunt wealth to five different sims.

Marry 5 different sims, move them in and take their money before they mysteriously die.

Have a child with each of those 5 sims.

Hire a nanny and butler to raise your kids.

Have a negative relationship with your kids.

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♢ Generation 55: the love of mara

Growing up in a loveless home left you feeling empty and hopeless, though you did your best to remain cheerful for your siblings’ sake. It wasn’t until you met a boy at school that your dreary life filled with warmth. With him by your side, you knew you could do anything and what you desired most was to have children, showering them with the love you never received. You also want to help others find love since you were lucky enough to find someone who changed your life.

Traits: Cheerful, neat, family oriented

Aspiration: Big Happy Family

Skills: Parenting, romance

Career: Romance Consultant

Goals:

As soon as you graduate high school, move in with your high school sweetheart.

Have a rehearsal dinner.

Have the wedding ceremony.

Have four kids.

Max romance skill.

Max parenting skill.

Each child should earn the top-notch toddler trait and earn an A in school.

Complete romance consultant career.

Have a date night or family night every saturday.

Complete message in a bottle collection.

Have a vow renewal after completing everything else.

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♢ Generation 56: the whiterun in the middle

After finding a letter tucked away in the attic, you learn of a different planet that your ancestors once inhabited called Batuu. The prospect of exploring a new world is exciting but you know your family will never allow you to go. So, you decide to leave without telling them, knowing you’d get an earful later.

Traits: Adventurous, cringe, bro

Aspiration: Hope VS Order

Skills: Charisma, comedy

Career: None

Goals:

Complete aspiration.

Max charisma skill.

Max comedy skill.

Befriend at least 10 natives.

Eat all 10 new foods.

Eat all 10 new drinks.

Woohoo in the dwelling.

Marry a local and have two kids.

Spar with 5 other sims with lightsabers.

Have a blue or green lightsaber.

Play at least 3 games of Sabacc and win at least once.

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♢ Generation 57: the apprentice of molag bal

While your parent was content to simply wander around exploring Batuu, you had a goal in mind. After meeting Kylo Ren as a teenager, you’ve been swayed to join his side and help him conquer the land no matter the cost.

Traits: Proper, mean, bookworm

Aspiration: Enforcer of Order

Skills: Fitness

Career: None

Goals:

Complete batuu records collection.

Max friendship with Kylo Ren and Lt. Agnon.

Woohoo with Kylo after completing all of his missions.

Complete aspiration.

Win 5 lightsaber challenges.

Have a red or yellow lightsaber.

Fully upgrade your droid.

Install a First Order personality chip into your droid.

Have one child.

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♢ Generation 58: the warrior

You don’t approve of your parent’s actions and, though you grew up in Batuu, you really can’t stand the place. Everyone is always at ends because of the war and money is scarce. Despite your parent forbidding you from doing so, you return to Searth as a teen to live with your aunt/uncle who had returned several years earlier.

Traits: Active, bro, self-assured

Aspiration: Bodybuilder

Skills: Fitness

Career: Football Team Member, Athlete

Goals:

Complete the football team member afterschool activity.

Graduate high school with at least a B.

Max fitness.

Complete athlete career.

Complete aspiration.

Meet your partner at the gym.

Unlock the energetic lifestyle.

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♢ Generation 59: the cultist

Unlike your parent, you’re a follower, not a leader. Life is so much easier when you have someone telling you what to do. The thought of having people look up to you and depend on you sounds awfully stressful so you go out of your way to avoid that. When you join a cult, life suddenly becomes simpler.

Traits: Mean, loyal, 3rd is your choice

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Mischief, logic, cooking, programming

Career: Criminal, Oracle

Goals:

Move in with another sim who has the criminal mastermind aspiration.

Both sims should get a villainy degree.

Both sims should join the criminal career (main sim is an oracle, roommate is a boss.)

Have your roommate create a club. Join with your main sim.

Never miss a club gathering.

Cook meals every day for your leader.

Start a club gathering every Sunday.

Help your club leader reach his goals (aspiration.)

Complete career.

Max programming.

Hack for simoleons to support your leader.

Unlock and join the secret society at university with both sims.

Marry your cult leader.

Have 6 kids.

Have weekly seances with your club members.

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♢ Generation 60: the steward

You love to decorate, often redecorating the whole house when your parents were away, which they were quite often. As you grew up, you knew you wanted to do this for a living, changing homes to suit the needs of others. Nothing is more exhilarating than seeing someone’s face light up after you’ve changed up their home for them.

Traits: Creative, art lover, neat

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Handiness, photography, painting

Career: Interior Decorator

Goals:

Complete 5 room renovation gigs.

Complete 5 room addition gigs.

Complete 5 level renovation gigs.

Complete 5 level addition gigs.

Complete 5 commercial renovation gigs.

Complete career.

Visit every secret lot (for inspiration.)

Paint on the sketchpad until you reach level 5.

Become friends with the smart speaker.

Take pictures of the before and after, upload them to simstagram.

Earn at least 10,000 followers on simstagram.

Never replace broken objects, only repair them.

Marry a client.

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♢ Generation 61: the thane

Like your grandparent, you’d much rather serve than lead. Rather than joining a cult and giving up your moral compass, you want to serve others that align with your own views. You want to be friends with the person you follow, to be companions, not master and servant.

Traits: Proper, loyal, art lover

Aspiration: Grilled Cheese

Skills: Cooking, painting, rocket science

Career: Retail Employee

Goals:

Remove all holidays from your calendar except for harvestfest.

Have a roommate that you max relationship with.

Only make grilled cheese (because your roommate is obsessed.)

Paint all of the grilled cheese paintings and hang them around the house.

Have a child with your roommate but remain friends.

Complete aspiration.

Every time you leave the house, your roommate must go with you.

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♢ Generation 62: the saturalia holiday

For as long as you could remember, you adored the holidays. Though your family only celebrated harvestfest, you grew up with friends whose family went all out each year. You learned about holidays from around the world, wanting to celebrate each one. This requires quite a bit of money, though!

Traits: Childish, materialistic, foodie

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Skills: Baking, photography, violin

Career: Style Influencer

Goals:

Add Spooky Day to your calendar.

Host and gold a spooky party the day before spooky day.

Befriend a ghost and move them in, then have them wear a carved pumpkin.

Add Day of the Dead to your calendar.

Complete the sugar skull collection and honor the dead.

Have a child with one of the day of the dead celebrants.

Add Egg Day to your calendar.

Complete the decorative egg collection.

Add at least 5 other holidays to your calendar and complete them.

Fight father winter for presents and win.

Have a child with father winter.

Fight the flower bunny for eggs and win.

Have a child with the flower bunny.

Have a pet deer (a dog that looks like a deer.)

Complete holiday cracker plush collection.

If your neighbor has a tree up on Winterfest, sabotage it.

Complete career.

The youngest child is the heir.

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♢ Generation 63: the sweetroll

You’ve always had a sweet tooth, most likely brought on by all the sweets your parent made during the holidays. If it wasn’t for your siblings constantly taking your sweets, you would no doubt have eaten yourself to death at an early age! Now you want to share them with the world by opening your own bakery!

Traits: Foodie, creative, geek

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Baking

Career: None

Goals:

Open a bakery named “Sweetroll” and sell your creations.

Bake 1 of each item.

Bake every item on the cupcake maker.

Make 1 of every jam.

Max baking skill.

Earn 50,000 selling your creations.

Marry and have one child.

Adopt a child.

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♢ Generation 64: the honorhall orphanage

When your parent first adopted your sibling, you were jealous and scared that they would be more loved than you. However, your parents loved both of you equally and, though they were adopted, you came to adore your sibling. Seeing how happy they were to be adopted, you decided you wanted to do the same for other kids, so you got a job at the orphanage run by an older woman.

Traits: Family Oriented, good, neat

Aspiration: Big Happy Family

Skills: Parenting, cooking

Career: None

Goals:

Move to a new lot and create a female elder roommate that has the mean, evil and hates children traits.

Create an orphanage with enough beds for at least 6 kids at a time.

Adopt 6 child-aged kids and raise them.

Each child should complete their child aspiration.

When a child gets a B in school, roll the dice to see if they get adopted (even gets adopted, odd does not.)

If they don’t get adopted, reroll every time they increase a skill.

Find out your roommate is mean to the kids and kick her out or murder her.

Once all kids have been adopted, fall in love and marry.

Have one child.

Complete aspiration.

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♢ Generation 65: the riften fishery

Your parent often took you fishing on the weekend because they found it relaxing. You hated it at first, just wanting to go back home and play but, as you got older, you started to see why they liked it so much. Sitting by the water for hours on end, waiting for a fish to grow hungry enough to bite… it was very relaxing and you felt all your worries melt away. It was then that you knew you wanted to do this for a living.

Traits: Loves outdoors, loner, dog lover

Aspiration: Angling Ace

Skills: Fishing

Career: Fisherman

Goals:

Adopt a dog and become best friends.

Open a store and only sell fish.

Max fishing.

Complete fish collection.

Complete aspiration.

Complete career.

Adopt another dog and become good friends.

Have your dog have puppies.

Fall in love with someone you meet while fishing.

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♢ Generation 66: the dog trainer

Growing up surrounded by dogs, you couldn’t help but grow fond of them. You learned that you had quite a talent for training dogs and your parents often called you a dog whisperer because they always seemed to listen to you. Training them was fun so you decided to make a living off of it!

Traits: Dog lover, outgoing, loyal

Aspiration: Friend of the Animals

Skills: Pet Training

Career: Any Part-Time

Goals:

Adopt 10 puppies and raise them throughout your lifetime.

Train out bad habits and teach them at least one trick.

Max relationship with each dog.

Once trained, move the dog in with a random household.

Each dog adopted out is 100 simoleons paid to you.

Complete aspiration.

Max pet training skill.

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♢ Generation 67: the oblivion walker

While your parent was happy being surrounded by dogs, you had a different interest – occult sims. You spent years studying them, reading about them online and talking to friends who had met an occult before. Your only goal in life is to meet every occult type and befriend them! Or perhaps a little more…

Traits: Outgoing, romantic, bro

Aspiration: Friend of the World

Skills: Any

Career: Any

Goals:

Become best friends with a vampire and have a child with them.

Befriend Greg the werewolf and move him in, then have a child with him.

Become best friends with the grim reaper.

Become best friends with an alien and have a child with them.

Become best friends with Bonehilda.

Become best friends with a merfolk and have a child with them.

Become best friends with Patchy the Strawman.

Become best friends with a ghost.

Become best friends with a servo.

Become best friends with a spellcaster and have a child with them.

Become best friends with a unicorn.

Complete aspiration with occult sims only.

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♢ Generation 68: the thalmor embassy

Working as a politician means you have to interact with loads of different people, especially since you’ve been tasked with hosting events for your company’s clients. Personally, you think they’re all pointless and you’d much rather not be surrounded by drunken idiots, but you’re loyal to the company and will do what they ask of you.

Traits: Mean, unflirty, ambitious

Aspiration: Master Mixologist

Skills: Mixology, pipe organ

Career: Politician

Goals:

Host every event at least once.

Earn gold on every event (the main event achievement.)

Host 50 social events with at least bronze (host with the most achievement.)

Mix 100 drinks (i’m the mix master achievement.)

Serve drinks at every event.

Argue with one person at each event.

Complete 10 whims at a single event (on a whim achievement.)

Drink until you become dazed (drunk) and then woohoo with a party guest several times (try for baby.)

Always discipline your child strictly when they misbehave.

Have a distant/strained relationship with your child.

Never marry or enter a relationship.

Unlock the workaholic lifestyle.

Move in a sim to be the child’s caregiver.

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♢ Generation 69: the golden hills plantation

It was obvious from the day you were born that your parent never wanted you and they have even told you that you were a mistake. They aren’t fit to be a parent, unable to properly raise you. Not even the nanny offered you love, too afraid of being fired or reprimanded by your parent. Because of this, you decided to drop out of highschool and run far, far away. During a thunderstorm, you find yourself hiding in an abandoned plantation.

Traits: Vegetarian, loner, gloomy

Aspiration: Freelance Botanist

Skills: Gardening

Career: None

Goals:

Fight with your parent until your relationship is negative.

Drop out of high school and run away to Henford-on-Bagley.

Grow all your own food.

Your lot should have the spooky and simple living lot challenges.

Reach level 10 cooking then cook 15 meals.

Write and publish a simple living cookbook.

Raise at least 2 chickens.

Have a golden chicken.

Have an evil chicken.

When your parent comes over, have the evil chicken attack them.

Fall for one of the ghosts haunting the plantation.

Bring them back with ambrosia and have a child.

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♢ Generation 70: the hall of the dead

Growing up on a haunted plantation, you’ve befriended many ghosts. You find most of them to just be understood and you’d like to find a way to help them out. People say it can’t be done, but you’re determined to give these ghosts a second chance at life!

Traits: Genius, self-assured, outgoing

Aspiration: Friend of the World

Skills: Cooking, nectar making

Career: Any

Goals:

Stay in Henford-on-Bagley.

Befriend at least 10 different ghosts.

Bring back a ghost with vitality nectar.

Bring back a ghost with ambrosia.

Add a ghost to the household and have them brought back with the wishing well.

Become a spellcaster, learn the dedeathify spell and bring a ghost back to life.

Woohoo a ghost.

Fall in love with one of the ghosts you saved and have a child.

Complete friend of the world aspiration with ghosts only.

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♢ Generation 71: the hero of the people

Seeing your parent helping people by bringing them back from the dead made you want to help others, too. You wanted to do things differently, though, so you decided to start by running errands for the people in your town.

Traits: Generous, outgoing, good

Aspiration: Neighborhood Confidante

Skills: Cross-stitch

Career: None

Goals:

Complete all 15 errands in Henford-on-Bagley.

Earn a 5-star rating doing odd jobs in Sulani.

Successfully complete 10 odd jobs after reaching 5 stars.

Max cross-stitch skill.

Unlock all cross-stitch patterns.

Earn enough from errands/odd jobs to move into your own place.

Complete aspiration.

Have two kids.

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♢ Generation 72: the temple

Just like your parents and grandparents, you wanted to help others. However, times have changed and you had your own way of helping people. Namely, you wanted to become a content creator and share videos with others, teaching them how to do different things!

Traits: Cheerful, creative, goofball

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Skiing, snowboarding, media production

Career: None

Goals:

Build/buy a cabin-like home in Mt. Komorebi.

Max skiing skill.

Teach 10 different ski classes.

Max snowboarding skill.

Upload 10 different snowboarding videos.

Unlock the single and loving it lifestyle.

Create and upload skill videos.

Max media production skill.

Donate 50,000 to charity.

Purchase all upgrades for the video station.

Your child’s first trait should be ambitious.

When your child becomes a teen, both you and your partner should die on the same day.

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♢ Generation 73: the forsworn

You weren’t born this way. You grew up feeling quite ambitious, looking forward to your future. You thought you were ready for the world until both of your parents were killed. The cops claimed it was a freak accident, but you were positive they had been murdered. For years, you demanded they reopen the case but they refused. Now, as you sat behind bars, writing your thoughts in the journal they had given you, your view of the world darkens more each day.

Traits: Mean, ambitious, evil

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Writing, mischief

Career: None

Goals:

As a teen, move in with your aunt/uncle.

Reach level 8 mischief before aging up.

When you become a young adult, be “arrested.” Move into a lot with a jail (or a basement.)

Add 2 guard sims that can roam around the jail freely. Add 5 other prisoners who each have their own cell. Lock each door/gate for everyone but the guard sims.

Each cell should have a toilet, bed, sink, journal/diary and a cooler. Also add one skill item.

Become enemies with both guards.

Every 2 skill ups, you have the chance to fight a guard. Roll the dice (even is a win, odd is a failure) or spin the wheel to determine the outcome.

You must beat both guards 5 times each to earn your freedom.

If you max your skill item before gaining your freedom, you can change it for something else.

Once free, you must become enemies with and fight every sim you come across.

Once you’ve won fights against 5 more sims, you finally escape to a different world.

Settle on an isolated lot near the woods. Forage and collect until you have enough money to build a small wooden cabin.

Fight every sim that you come across.

Never enter a populated area such as the city or a venue.

Meet your partner while out foraging. You can’t bring yourself to fight this sim and, instead, you woo them.

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♢ Generation 74: the wood elves

People have ruined the nature around you, destroying entire forests to build cities that pollute the air. Animals have lost their homes needlessly and you can’t stand how terrible things are becoming. With every year, the pollution rises, infecting the woods you once called home. If no one else is gonna do anything about it, it’s time for you to step up!

Traits: Vegetarian, green fiend, loves outdoors

Aspiration: Eco Innovator

Skills: Fabrication

Career: Civil Designer, Green Technician

Goals:

Convert every world and neighborhood to fully eco.

Don’t build a home until all worlds are completely eco friendly.

Use only eco friendly items/appliances.

Every lot you live on should have the reduce and recycle lot trait.

Max fabrication skill.

Complete career.

Complete aspiration.

Have a pet that you max your friendship with.

After reaching your goals, settle down and have kids.

Befriend the birds and add them to your lot.

Befriend the rabbits and add them to your lot.

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♢ Generation 75: the giant farmer

Your parent taught you that the world is a blessing and that mother earth will provide if you nurture her. Now that your parent has made the world a greener place, you’re able to settle down and start your own farm of giant crops!

Traits: Cheerful, loves outdoors, recycle disciple

Aspiration: Country Caretaker

Skills: Gardening, baking

Career: None

Goals:

Grow only giant crops.

Grow at least 5 of each oversized crop.

Have at least 1 of each oversized crop reach excellent quality.

Earn a first place ribbon at least 2 times for your oversized crops.

Have at least 2 cows and max relationship with them.

Earn a first place ribbon at least 2 times for your cows.

Bake every type of pie at least once.

Earn a first place ribbon at least 2 times for your pies.

Complete aspiration.

Max gardening.

Max baking.

Marry and have kids.

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♢ Generation 76: the hearthfire oven

You adore food in every way, shape and form. Your dream is to learn every dish from all over the world and cook it at least once. More than anything, you want to open your own inn, providing food to all the people in the world!

Traits: Foodie, art lover, creative

Aspiration: Market Magnate, Master Chef

Skills: Cooking, gourmet cooking

Career: None

Goals:

Complete market magnate aspiration.

Purchase a restaurant and name it “The Hearthfire Oven.”

Unlock every recipe in the game.

Cook every dish at least once.

Max cooking.

Max gourmet cooking.

Complete master chef aspiration.

Reach 5 stars at your restaurant.

Complete experimental food prints collection and unlock the recipes.

Marry one of your customers.

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♢ Generation 77: the radiant raiment

For as long as you could remember, you loved fashion. Inspired by your parent who opened their own restaurant, you decide you want to open your own store to offer fashion to all the fashionless people within your town.

Traits: Snob, materialistic, creative

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Knitting

Career: Style Influencer, Stylist

Goals:

Reach the stylist branch of your career then quit.

Buy a store and name it “Radiant Raiments.”

Sell only clothing.

Earn 50,000 selling clothes.

Earn 30,000 selling clothes you’ve knitted.

Max knitting skill.

Earn five stars for your business.

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♢ Generation 78: the clothes fit for a jarl

You admire your parent’s hustle, but opening a clothing store is quite old fashioned, something your parent denies. You know better, though. These days, everyone shops online so you’re determined to prove to your parent that you’re right by making more money than them!

Traits: Self-assured, snob, high maintenance

Aspiration: Fabulously Wealthy

Skills: Entrepreneur

Career: Simfluencer/Style Influencer, Trendsetter

Goals:

Complete simfluencer career.

Complete style influencer career.

Create outfits and list them on trendi.

Take pictures of you wearing the outfit and post them on simstagram.

Reach 100,000 followers on simstagram.

Max entrepreneur skill.

Complete aspiration.

Your heir should have the erratic, goofball or childish traits.

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♢ Generation 79: the madness of sheogorath

You’re not sure how it happened, but you’ve always been considered mad by your parents. Is it really your fault that you find amusement in the suffering of others? So what if you don’t follow the set path? So what if you’re a little off? Everyone tries to be “normal” and you find that dreadfully boring. Life is more fun with some unpredictability and a little madness!

Traits: Erratic, childish, goofball

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Any

Career: None or Any stay at home

Goals:

Move your sim into a home with 8 bedrooms.

For the first week, focus on adding sims into your home. Each one must have the erratic, hot-headed or childish traits (you can edit this in CAS if needed.)

No one can have a job unless it’s a stay at home job. No one is allowed to leave the lot at any time for any reason.

The exception is on Sunday when you are allowed to leave but every sim inside the house must be brought with you.

Become best friends with one of the sims in the home.

Become enemies with one of the sims in the home.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, spin the wheel or roll the dice to choose a sim. You can only play that sim for the whole day. Every other day, you must focus on your own sim.

Each sim must reach level 5 of any skill and complete at least 1 milestone of their aspiration (including your own sim.)

Each time a sim completes these two items, move them out until only your sim is left.

Start a romance with the sim you became best friends with.

Have a child who you have a strained relationship with. They drop out of school and run away as a teen.

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♢ Generation 80: the nightingale

Growing up locked inside a home, only allowed to go out on Sunday, really messed you up. You grew to hate locks, wishing they didn’t exist. When you finally broke free from your home, you learned how to pick locks. This gave you some control back in your life. As an added bonus, you were able to fulfill all your needs despite being broke.

Traits: Loner, kleptomaniac, nosy

Aspiration: Seeker of Secrets

Skills: Any

Career: None

Goals:

As a teen, drop out of school and run away from home.

Break into every single occupied home in the game (it’s only considered successful if you don’t get caught.)

Blackmail at least 10 different sims.

Learn all 31 secrets.

Complete aspiration.

Survive by using other people’s homes to fulfill your needs.

Steal one item from every home you successfully break into. You cannot sell these items as they are considered “trophies” for your success.

Have a one night stand that results in a child.

Never marry, never build a home. (you can use a roof to build a small shelter for your child.)

Never let your child attend school.

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♢ Generation 81: the land baron

Growing up without a home was difficult and you honestly hated it. You just wanted to be normal, to go to school, to have a home and a warm bed to sleep in. When your parent died, you decided you would build your own home! One wasn’t enough, though, and you just kept building.

Traits: Creative, maker, loner

Aspiration: Mansion Baron

Skills: Handiness (woodworking)

Career: Any

Goals:

Earn enough money to buy a small plot of land.

Build a basic home with a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and entryway.

Add one skill-based room and max that skill. Add a skill item outside and reach level 5 in that skill.

This home should be worth at least 50,000.

Move to a medium plot of land.

Build another basic home.

Add two skill-based rooms and max those skills. Add a skill item outside and reach level 5 in that skill.

This home should be worth at least 100,000.

Move to a large plot of land.

Build another basic home.

Add three skill-based rooms and max those skills. Add a skill item outside and reach level 5 in that skill.

This home should be worth at least 350,000.

Complete aspiration.

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♢ Generation 82: the landowner

You thought it was pretty cool that your parent built houses, but all three were sitting there unused. In your opinion, it would be much cooler if they had built the houses for others. So, you’ve decided to take on that role yourself. Newcrest has been abandoned for centuries and, now, you’re determined to bring life back to it.

Traits: Maker, ambitious, practice makes perfect

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Any

Career: Any

Goals:

Move to an empty plot in Newcrest.

Choose your main skill that requires you to make something.

Slowly build your own house by selling collectibles and items you craft.

Every time you make something of excellent quality, travel to a different plot of land.

Roll the dice or spin the wheel to determine the lot type and build that type.

You’ve been given money from the government to do this!

The budget for large plots is 90,000.

The budget for medium plots is 60,000.

The budget for small plots is 30,000.

If you go over budget, you must pay with your own money.

Once every plot of land has been fully built up, settle down with your partner and have kids.

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♢ Generation 83: the thieves guild

You watched your parent break their back building for the government only to get paid nothing for their efforts. They were happy to do this because they were “helping” others, but what about theirself? What about you? It annoyed you to no end! Because of this bitterness, you turned to crime in order to survive, something your parent does not approve of.

Traits: Kleptomaniac, mean, self-absorbed

Aspiration: None

Skills: Fitness, mixology

Career: None

Goals:

Leave home with 0 simoleons.

Move into an existing family and build a secret basement/sewer that the family can’t access.

This basement should have nothing inside except for a sleeping bag.

Steal or sell collectibles until you have enough for a bed, a shower, a punching bag/training dummy, a sink, a bar and a table.

Never have any electronics.

Control only your sim and never be found by the family.

Join or create a club for kleptomaniacs.

Steal at least 50,000 in items.

Max fitness skill.

If you get caught stealing, you must fight whoever caught you. If you win, keep the item. If you lose, delete the item.

Meet with your club once a week at a public venue and steal something from this venue.

After maxing mischief skill, fight all adults in the home. Once you’ve won against all of them, take their home and kick them out.

Move in at least 3 club members, one of whom you will marry and have kids with.

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♢ Generation 84: the arch mage

After looking up your genealogy online and learning that you had spellcasters in your family tree, you couldn’t help but feel excited. To you, magic is so much cooler than being a thief, much to your parent’s annoyance. You want to reclaim the glory of your ancestors and become the best mage in the world!

Traits: Creative, self-assured, cat lover

Aspiration: Spellcraft & Sorcery

Skills: Any

Career: Writer, Journalist

Goals:

Look up your genealogy on the computer.

Move to Glimmerbrook.

Adopt a cat and become best friends.

Follow another sim to the magic realm portal.

Become a spellcaster.

Make your cat your familiar, travel everywhere with him.

Befriend all three sages.

Unlock every spell, including the ultimate spell.

Unlock all spellcaster perks.

Win 10 different duels.

Win 5 duels against each sage.

Use every spell at least once.

Duel for ingredients, recycle those ingredients and make at least 10 different candles.

Complete career.

Have a child with a co-worker.

Marry a spellcaster who dies from overload when your kid ages up to a teen. Have your teen see this and plead for them.

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♢ Generation 85: the night mother

The first time you saw the grim reaper was when you were a teenager. Your step-parent died from spellcaster overload and you were unfortunate enough to witness this. When the grim reaper appeared to reap their soul, you pleaded for him to spare your step-parent. Whether he chose to listen or not was of no consequence to you, you just wanted to speak to him. From that moment on, you became obsessed.

Traits: Loner, romantically reserved, creative

Aspiration: Successful Lineage

Skills: Gemology, gardening, knitting

Career: Any

Goals:

Knit all of the grim reaper toys.

Find the reaper snowglobe.

Summon the grim reaper with the skull shaped jet gem.

Befriend and marry the grim reaper.

Summon 4 more reapers and add them to the household.

Grow and gift a death flower to each reaper.

Have max relationship with all of the reapers.

Have twins, they will be your heir (the next gen starts when they age up to child.) Both should have the mean trait and the mind and body aspiration.

One name should start with I and the other should start with S.

The twins must have the top-notch toddler trait when they age up.

The twins can only interact with each other in mean ways.

Complete aspiration.

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♢ Generation 86: the war hero

Before you were born, you remember fighting your sibling in the womb for space. No matter how hard your parent tried, the two of you just couldn’t get along. You hated each other and neither of you cared who knew it. Whether it was fighting over grades, friends and even your own parents. As the two of you aged, the tension only got worse. It was only a matter of time before things escalated.

Traits: Mean, jealous, hot-headed

Aspiration: Mind & Body (child), Goal Oriented (teen), Bodybuilder (adult)

Skills: Fitness

Career: Secret Agent

Goals:

You will take turns controlling the twins. Start with one twin on Monday, play the other twin on Tuesday, etc.

Have a fully negative relationship with your twin.

Both twins should reach an A in middle and high school. (+50 points for both grades, +50 points for whoever gets it first.)

Both twins should complete their child aspiration. (+50 points completing it, +50 points for whoever completes it first.)

Both twins should complete their goal oriented aspiration. (+80 for completing aspiration, +50 points for whoever completes the aspiration first.)

Both twins should complete their bodybuilder aspiration. (+80 for completing it, +50 for whoever completes it first.)

Both twins should max fitness skill. (+100 points for maxing, +50 points for whoever gets it first.)

Both twins should make as many friends as possible. (+10 for each friend, +20 for each best friend.)

Both twins should join the Secret Agent career. The I twin should join the Diamond Agent branch. The S twin should should the Villain branch.

+100 for maxing out career, +200 for whoever maxes it first.

+10 for maxing relationship with 1 parent or +20 for maxing relationship with both parents.

+100 for each maxed skill.

Add up all the points. Whoever has the most points is the winner and will produce the next hair. Whoever loses must be killed.

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♢ Generation 87: the sofie flower shop

You are a flower child, through and through. Seeing them just makes you feel at peace and takes all of your worries away. You live by the motto of stopping to smell the roses and the money it provides helps, too. Your parent tries to toughen you up and make you exercise, but you just refuse. You don’t care about being strong, you just want to be happy.

Traits: Loves outdoors, creative, good

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Flower Arranging, gardening

Career: Gardener, Floral Designer

Goals:

Move to a different world.

Grow only flowers and grow at least 1 of each flower.

Max flower arranging skill.

Complete career.

Collect one of every flower in the game.

Open your own small shop (sales table) and sell flowers/flower arrangements.

Earn 50,000 just from selling flowers/arrangements.

Your home should be filled with at least 20 flowers you’ve arranged.

Gift flowers to every date you go on. You can’t marry someone who doesn’t appreciate your gift.

Gift a rose-scented arrangement to the person you plan to marry.

Name your children after flowers.

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♢ Generation 88: the hardworker

Despite being a bit of a clumsy person, you’re willing to put in the work and do whatever it takes to get the job done! Maybe you’re just trying to make up for your own failures throughout your life or maybe you’re just trying to cover up the fact that you lack confidence in yourself. Either way, you will work hard in everything you do, aiming for the top no matter how much you stumble on the way.

Traits: Clumsy, cringe, ambitious

Aspiration: Renaissance Sim

Skills: Handiness, cooking

Career: Part-Time

Goals:

Max handiness skill using only the woodworking table.

Unlock forgotten grotto and take a selfie there.

Max cooking skill.

Collect all metals.

Collect all elements.

Reach the top of every part-time job.

Complete aspiration.

Propose to your partner in the forgotten grotto.

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♢ Generation 89: the artificer

Like your parent, you’re a hardworker that just wants to create things. Doesn’t matter what those things are, you just want to use your hands and make things!

Traits: Maker, jealous, insider

Aspiration: Master Maker

Skills: Handiness, fabrication, gemology

Career: Handyperson

Goals:

Craft every piece of furniture (woodworking.)

Craft every piece of furniture (fabrication.)

Unlock all fabrication recipes.

Craft jewelry 10 times.

Craft potions 10 times (you can become a spellcaster temporarily to do this and then return to a sim.)

Complete aspiration.

Own two llamas (male and female) and max relationship with both.

Breed your llamas at least once.

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♢ Generation 90: the master criminal

You know all about your ancestors. There have been quite a few criminals and thieves in your family tree, something you feel quite proud of. Screw working for a living, that’s boring! You want thrill, excitement. You want to feel as if your life is on the line!

Traits: Evil, adventurous, animal enthusiast

Aspiration: Public Enemy

Skills: Fitness, mischief

Career: Criminal, Boss

Goals:

Move to a new world with a child of the family llamas.

Make 5 enemies and fight each one.

If you win, spin the wheel to determine how much your bounty is. The options should be (50, 10, 1000, 20, 10, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500, 50, 10, 10, 20, 30)

Once your bounty reaches 1,000 simoleons, move to the next world.

Do this until you have a 1,000 bounty in every world, including vacation worlds.

Every sim you meet must have a negative view of you (minus co-workers who you may befriend.)

Earn the atrocious reputation.

Bind five different voodoo dolls to five different sims.

Summon a bound sim to a lot with a bonfire before throwing the doll into the fire.

Complete career.

Max mischief.

Marry a co-worker.

Your child should have the top-notch toddler trait.

Right before your child becomes a young adult, both you and your partner need to be killed during a job.

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♢ Generation 91: the golden touch

Only one thing matters in life – money. If you have money, you have power. And if you have power? No one can touch you! The problem is that most people spend their whole lives slaving away just to live paycheck to paycheck. When you first started out, you felt hopeful. The world was your oyster and you were ready to leave your mark. Then you realized just how hard life could truly be. Your parents are dead. The cops have repossessed your home. Now, you have no money and you’re just struggling to see tomorrow.

Traits: Gloomy, glutton, ambitious

Aspiration: Musical Genius, Fabulously Wealthy

Skills: Violin

Career: Salaryperson

Goals:

Move into an empty lot with 0 simoleons.

Do not sell collectibles to make money.

Reach level 5 in the salaryperson career.

Complete 2 milestones of your aspiration.

Max violin.

Go through a life crisis and quit your job. Change your ambitious trait to evil and your aspiration to fabulously wealthy.

Create a dungeon beneath your house and kidnap 7 sims (add them to your household to keep them from disappearing.)

Hire a maid and a butler.

Add them to a cult (club) and give them multiple skill items.

Earn 200,000 simoleons by selling their creations.

Complete aspiration.

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♢ Generation 92: the skill master

Jaded by life, your parent decided to have everyone do everything for them. How they can live that way is beyond you. You want to learn and grow, to try many different things! You don’t want to just experience them, you want to master them!

Traits: Overachiever, perfectionist, bro

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Multiple

Career: Any

Goals:

Use dice or spin the wheel to determine which 10 skills your sim must master.

Get all 10 skills to level 10.

Focus on one skill at a time.

Read volume 1 of every single skill book (until it says reread.)

Complete one aspiration.

Every time you start working on a new skill, visit a venue and find someone there to date (so it should be 10 different partners.)

The 10th partner will be the one you marry and have kids with.

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♢ Generation 93: the words of power

Some people believe that words are very powerful, while others believe words only have power if you give them power. Either way, your words are sure to hit people hard. You don’t beat around the bush, you tell people how it is and, if you don’t like something, you won’t hesitate to call it trash!

Traits: Snob, art lover, foodie

Aspiration: Food or Art

Skills: Cooking, painting, writing

Career: Critic

Goals:

Choose which branch you want to take in your career.

If you choose art critic, max painting and paint one of each emotional paintings. Hang them in your house.

If food critic, max cooking or gourmet cooking. Unlock 10 different recipes from food stalls.

Complete career.

Complete aspiration.

Reach level 5 writing.

Eat at a restaurant once a week.

Visit the museum every weekend and meet your partner there.

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♢ Generation 94: the werewolf mastered

After visiting a fortune teller at the pier, you learned that several of your ancestors were werewolves. This knowledge might scare some but, to you, it was the coolest thing in the world! You made the executive choice to regain what your family has lost, learning everything you can about werewolves.

Traits: Freegan, goofball, active

Aspiration: Werewolf Initiate

Skills: Fitness, charisma

Career: Tech Guru

Goals:

Become a werewolf.

Unlock all werewolf perks.

Never join a pack.

Read every werewolf book.

Befriend 5 werewolves.

Befriend the leader of each pack.

Befriend a vampire.

Complete moonwood relics collection.

Complete aspiration.

Complete career.

Max fitness.

Fall in love with a vampire and have at least six kids. If none of them are vampires, keep trying until you get a vampire. That will be your heir.

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♢ Generation 95: the vampire mastered

Though you love both of your parents, vampires are so much cooler to you! You want to learn everything you can about the fanged creatures. More importantly, you want to become the best vampire you can be! Not just that, but you want to be a famous vampire, teaching others about them, as well.

Traits: Genius, proper, romantic

Aspiration: Master Vampire

Skills: Pipe Organ, Piano

Career: Social Media, Internet Personality

Goals:

Become a vampire.

Unlock all vampire perks.

Collect and grow all vampire plants.

Max pipe organ.

Max piano.

Max vampire lore.

Complete career.

Fall for and marry a spellcaster. Move to Glimmerbrook and have at least 2 kids.

Try to make the heir be a spellcaster/vampire hybrid. If this fails, simply being a spellcaster is fine.

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♢ Generation 96: the hidden knowledge

Since your grandparents and parents have dived into the family ancestry, you decided to do the same. It seems your family tree has been all over the place! Werewolves, vampires, aliens, even grim reapers! It’s quite fascinating but you don’t really know where you belong. Not quite a vampire, not quite a spellcaster… do you even have a place in this world?

Traits: Gloomy, squeamish, perfectionist.

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Any

Career: None

Goals:

Attend university (any degree.)

Join the soccer team afterschool activity.

Visit the magic realm with your spellcaster parent.

While they are shopping, meet one of the sages who encourages you to practice magic.

Learn all of the spells but only learn spells via tomes (do not practice magic or ask the sages for spells.)

Complete the magical artifacts collection.

Duel for artifacts. The first broom, wand and familiar you collect from these duels will be the ones bound to you.

Befriend 5 different cats.

Win 100 duels.

Be best friends with one of your siblings. Move to a different world with them.

Date but never enter a relationship.

Have two kids, a boy first and then a girl, with one sim.

Have another kid, a boy, with a different sim.

The next gen starts when all three age up to the child stage. After this, you must die.

Child 1 should be a loner with the rambunctious scamp aspiration.

Child 2 should be mean with the creative genius aspiration.

Child 3 should be erratic with the artistic prodigy aspiration.

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♢ Generation 97: the three siblings

Being the oldest of three isn’t easy. They look up to you, always bothering you, and your parent encourages you to be a good older sibling. The last thing you want to do is babysit those brats. You just want to do your own thing! When your parent dies, however, and you’re left with their sibling, you have no choice to step up. If you can’t prove to the government that your aunt/uncle is fit to be a parent, the three of you will be thrown into foster care.

Traits: Listed below

Aspiration: Listed below

Skills: Listed below

Career: Any

Goals:

Complete all three child aspirations.

All three should get at least a B in middle and high school.

Child 1 should be self-absorbed, a loner and childish. He should have the drama llama aspiration.

He should have bad manners and irresponsible.

He should max the mischief skill.

Child 2 should be self-absorbed, high maintenance and mean. She should have the admired icon aspiration.

She should have uncontrolled emotions and argumentative.

She should max the acting skill.

Child 3 should be mean, a loner and erratic. He should have the live fast aspiration.

He should have insensitive and irresponsible.

He should max the dance skill.

Complete all three teen aspirations.

Once all items are completed and child 1 becomes a young adult, give them the career of your choice and reach at least level 5.

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♢ Generation 98: the jewelry merchant

Gems are gorgeous. You’ve believed that since the moment you first saw one. You also believed that they were magical, offering a variety of boosts to your life. Your goal is to discover all of those properties and fill your life with those beautiful, shiny gems!

Traits: Creative, perfectionist, cat lover

Aspiration: Crystal Crafter

Skills: Gemology, gardening

Career: None

Goals:

Craft every piece of jewelry.

Own at least two cats and max out your relationship.

Max gemology skill.

Complete aspiration.

Complete crystal collection.

Plant and grow 3 gem trees.

Charge every crystal at least once.

Sell your jewelry via a sales table.

Find your partner during a date while wearing fire opal jewelry.

Try for baby with your partner while wearing shinolite jewelry.

Have four kids.

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♢ Generation 99: the bards college

While your parent fell down the rabbit hole of gems, you fell down the rabbit hole of music. You grew up constantly listening to music and practicing with your favorite instrument. Your dream is to start a band and, thankfully, your siblings also love music!

Traits: Music lover, creative, lactose intolerant

Aspiration: Musical Genius

Skills: Media Production

Career: Entertainer, Musician

Goals:

Attend university for a fine arts degree.

Create a club and add your siblings.

Assign one skill to each sim, including your own (guitar, piano, violin or singing.)

Host practice at least once a week where all sims play together (club gathering.)

All sims should max their chosen skill.

Graduate university.

Max media production skill.

Record band practice each time and upload it.

Reach fame level 3.

Complete career.

Complete aspiration.

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♢ Generation 100: the historian

What are we without history? Without it, we could never grow or learn. Our ancestors teach us important lessons through their failures and their successes. To learn from them, you only have to listen. You have read the book about your family, heard stories of your ancestors, and you’ve decided to try out a few different things to get a sense of what it must have been like to walk in their shoes.

Traits: Creative, cat lover, loves outdoors

Aspiration: Any

Skills: Multiple

Career: Freelance Fashion Photographer

Goals:

Live in a tiny home.

Adopt at least one cat and become best friends.

Have an orchard with at least 1 of every different type of tree. They are apple, lemon, plantain, coconut, money tree, pear, crystal, cherry, pomegranate, growfruit, plasma fruit, emotion berries, tentacle, avocado, forbidden fruit.

Complete 100 whims.

Publish three books (one must be a biography.)

Write and publish 3 songs.

Create 2 items on the woodworking table.

Collect the tiger plush from the tiger sanctuary.

Max photography skill.

Become best friends with the creature keeper.

Create a movie hangout theater in the basement and invite your friends/family over.

Light fireworks outside because you’ve completed the challenge!

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25 notes · View notes

lazerv4 · 11 months ago

Text

Thoughts on Game Changer (Seasons 1 to 5)

Just my raw thoughts not a review or anything

A.K.A. a small love letter to dropout.

One day you are a simple person scrolling through shorts/reels/tiktoks, just mindlessly looking for something entertaining to watch for like a minute at a time, suddenly you stumble upon a weird game show with ridiculous stipulations and incredibly funny rants in the middle of it, you think to yourself wow I really wanna watch the full show but then you find out it’s exclusive to a streaming network called Dropout and you don’t really want to spend money on it, but you keep stumbling upon the shorts and suddenly you start getting other shows like Um, Actually, Dirty Laundry and Dimension20, your curiosity gets the better of you and you subscribe on either the main page or become a member on their youtube channel and boom, your world has been turned completely upside down by a new hyperfixation that might be some of the best and highest quality streaming every made, a community of people that truly care for each other and feel like they are creating things they really love, this is about one of those, the darling of CEO and host Sam Reich, the always entertaining Game Changer the only game show where the game changes every show, my favorite show on Dropout and just one of my favorite shows of all time. But as we know the only way to learn is by playing, the only way to win is by learning and the only way to begin is by beginning.

Season 1 is short but a swat and beautiful little beginning, it starts with the iconic Lie Detector episode where a lot of the popular clips come from, a brilliant idea by Sam to bamboozle his players with the twist that the robot indicating if they are lying is really their partners in the next room just pressing a button, a very ingenious and funny concept that would be fully perfected in season 6 but for now it starts the show with the right leg with both concept and contestants as this is also the debut of all time favorite Brenan Lee Mulligan, one of the most fun to watch comedians in general be it improv or not. The episode is followed by a 3 time game samer that would eventually turn into its own show making some noise which I will probably explain further if I cover the full show. Being two for two is fantastic but the show still hit us with some other great episodes such as a Game of Prizes which sees the contestants guessing what prizes are real and which are just made up words put together to sound appealing, Whodunnit which is a who would have thought a whodunnit and finally Nom Nom Nom a flavor guessing game with a big disembodied mouth approving or disapproving their choices. The selection of Season 1 was small but a strong start for the show and setting what we would come to know as the game changer formula plus it gave us a lot of the shorts that we still see promoting it to this day even 4 years and 6 seasons later.

Season 2 begins with a game samer that being the previously mentioned second part of the segment that would turn into Make Some Noise which is a little strange of a start but the waters where still being tested and Dropout was still CollegeHumor which was owned and operated by IAC, a company that expected ridiculous profits from the young streamer that even with its high quality programming was nearly impossible. Episode 2 in a way is revenge against IAC as Sam very clearly is just giving away money for making the contestants do ridiculous challenges testing the good old phrase, how much money would you do that for to it’s full extend, this is follow by Sleeper Agents, one of my favorite underrated episodes where the contestants must go outside and talk to random people trying to trigger a response from a set of questions to see if they are hired actors playing the titular sleeper agents or just normal people walking down the street. Another banger and progenitor of some of the other popular clips is A Sponsored Episode were in a fun twist the contestants must become infomercial hosts and sell Sam on some ridiculous and stupid products like the iconic only p keyboard or flavored toilet paper for eating ass it’s just hit after hit and even with all that it’s not the best episode this season. Next we get another underrated episode with The Everything Factory where contestant most essentially become workers with an assembly line and construct different contraptions all to the glee of Sam and his wicked imagination but as fun as it is being sandwiched between the sponsor and the finale is a tough spot as the grand ending to season 2 brings us possibly the most iconic Brendan moment and by extension the greatest rant in the history of game changer with the episode Yes or No which I implore you to watch before I spoil the twist. The episode is simple, Sam will keep asking continuously yes or no and awarding points with seemingly no rhyme or reason with the objective of figuring out the rules of the game and why he awards points, at first it seems completely random until something weird starts to come to our attention, Brenan isn’t scoring points, which in game about 50/50 you would think would be impossible and you would be right as it is slowly figured out by everyone and finally by Brenan himself that the rule is simply that he cannot win anything which trigger the mother of all monologues as he compares himself to Icarus flying too close to the sun as a competitor and a statistical wonder before delivering the punchline at the end and wrapping this season with one of the greatest moments in the show’s history as the ending theme kicks in and Sam says goodbye until season 3 arrives.

Season 3 was heavily affected by the covid19 pandemic as episodes had to be filmed remotely via zoom or an equivalent, a lot of is a little forgettable as the struggle to make the show work was front and center but still a few gems came out of it like the premier Tell Us About Yourself in which they have to figure out the identity of a secret masked individual (who turns out to be Tony Hawk), the game samer Sell Outs which is a repeat of the sponsored episode, the always fun Secret Samta duology in which well they do a secret santa spin on a competitive game to a really hilarious extend, a personal favorite in Make It Fashion which is about well making outfits out of nothing, Tome of Terror follows as a horror story maker and the finale Next Slide Please which weaponizes random ted talk slides to create funny presentations in a very Jackbox way that is still very entertaining regardless. Overall Season 3 struggled but it did the best it could with the hand that it was dealt and Sam should be commended for his handling of the situation and the way he still made the show work and be fun while people needed it most, it hits a little different now that it’s all over but it is by no means a skip and has the same classic laughs even if they are from different points in the map.

Season 4, one of my favorite preview graphics of all time that I really really want as poster Sam please I need this. S4 gives us many many iconic episodes, possibly the highest number of them to date and some really special episodes so this section might be a little long as I want to talk extensively about this season. First off it starts with Sam Says that while pretty tame this time around grows into possibly the single best series of game samers in the entire show with the ways it twists such a simple game as simon says into pure chaos and fun which is then followed up by another progenitor for a game samer with Like My Coffee which birthed some incredibly iconic clips like the green virginal one from Grant and was just incredibly funny the first time around and also when it came back again, now we just need a third one to wrap up the samer. Noise Boys follows which at this point I’ve explained enough and you should know what it is and then another game samer (are you getting tired of reading game samer yet) with the last and possibly greatest Secret Samta which just ups the ante by making it happen in the actual studio this time and works wonders on giving this samer a proper closure. Filmed Before A Live Studio Audience is one of the most interesting and experimental episodes yet with essentially a clap and boo track slowly leading the contestants into a sort of sketch action by action and thrive on their bewilderment at the situation they are in. Then comes one of my favorite episodes with The Official Cast Recording and this one is special, the sheer amount of talent being shown by improvising an entire musical even with it’s wonky story is fantastical, the numbers are all so incredibly good and the ongoing jokes make me laugh every time, it is truly a wonder that it was even possible to create this entire game which also spun off into it’s own series with Play It By Ear. The episode is just a marvel to behold and while not a recommendation to introduce people to Game Changer it is an incredible showcase on what makes this show unique and interesting so enjoy your temporary stay on Mounport. We then reach one of the most beautiful displays of love you can ever see with Don’t Cry, the episode starts of as a seemingly normal challenge about not crying with some games but as it goes on it starts to get really emotional and lovely till it reveals itself to be a tribute to Jess Ross their friend who had a really rough pandemic that canceled her wedding. This episode is so special, it never fails to make me cry and just makes me feel like so incredibly happy. I won’t spoil much more because it really is an experience you should have but I do wanna say that if there is anything I can ever ask for in life it is to be loved by the people around me at least a little like how everyone at dropout loves Jessica Ross.

Resuming the normalcy in this random collection of words I’ve been rambling on for a while now we have Race to the Bottom which also turned into a game samer, can you tell this season is good? it’s basically a reverse bidding war with the twist that the contestants have to unionize to win the game, which is kind of a really cool and interesting message that was somehow given through a game show. It’s a great episode and will hopefully turn into a great trilogy when the third one drops. Then we have the final two parter, another progenitor of game samer and of technically it’s own mini season during season 5 Survivor which puts the contestants in a game of well Survivor, a simple but really fun idea since Survivor the actual show is an incredibly entertaining reality but with the unhinged cast of dropout anything can go so further beyond, particularly because Brenan is in this episode and it turns out he really loves Survivor so he will do anything to win and the twists and turns this creates are so mesmerizing and shocking you won’t know what to expect until the season ends and you are watching the extra episode on the things this season Cut For Time which is a new addition that has Sam talking you through everything that happened during the episodes and what they couldn’t show, think of it as extra features on a DVD/Bluray. It is quite short but it wraps an incredible season just reminding you of how great of a run it was as you see small parts of all previous episodes and at this point you can just smile as Game Changer has been fully realized and shown that it is one of the greatest pieces of TV to ever exist.

Now it’s a little awkward to go into Season 5 after how I ended the last segment but rest assured the momentum didn’t stop and it will never stop as we kick off the new season with Sam Says 2 a game samer from last season that is as funny as it was previously with new running jokes and some incredibly smart and weird prompts from Sam to keep the contestants on their toes even in a game as simple as simon says. If you are watching this in a playlist you’ll immediately see this season’s new feature in the BTS videos which are short 6 to 10 minute episodes about well the making of the episode with Sam explaining the origin of the game and the why of the selected contestants which in general is just very interesting ad a cool extra feature that we got along the Cut For Time at the end so it’s a general gain plus it’s pretty good. A game samer into a game changer it’s Karaoke Night a kind of spiritual successor to my beloved The Official Cast Recording but with pop music instead of musicals and there is no structure it’s more about impersonating styles of several musician correctly and well this is another incredible display of raw talent and a very fun episode that while it starts a little slow it wraps up magnificently into a crescendo of it’s own making which drops us off into the next episode, another game samer with Like My Coffee 2 a funnier and stupider evolution to a very simple concept that somehow keeps finding ways to entertain and just bring me joy whenever I click on the video on dropout. So far we’ve had two samers and one changer which means that we need a changer and what a game changer we got with an absolute top 5 Name A Number which comes with an all time cast rivaled by few in Becca Scott, Izzy Roland and Erika Ishii bringing in pure chaos to a game that at first seemed simple with just prompts that they had to name how many times they could perform until midway through the game the prompts become unknown until the number has been named, the absolute diabolical connivingless of Sam has been fully realized and deliver some of the absolute funniest of laughs and some incredibly hard to watch cringe. I hope Becca got her money for the feet stuff. A Game Most Changed seems to be a somewhat divisive episode that people either really like or don’t seem to care for at all, it’s an improvised shakespearian play with random prompts throw in about the topic and things that need to be mentioned which just in the raw concept you should know if that appeals to you or not so moving on to the next episode which is another instantly iconic one As A Cucumber which in case you can’t tell it’s an episode about remaining calm but with Katie, Brennan and Carolyn onboard you know shit is about to go down. The way this episode works is by attaching heart rate monitors to the players and by maintaining their resting heart rate below 20 above they can score points and hence win the game. The approach taken by each one of them was varied with Katie’s not so good attempt at just remaining cheerful and normal, Brenan’s competitive enlightenment and Carolyn’s laid bad chill switch we see all kinds of reactions and ways people can be driven to madness, particularly in what might be the peak of all Game Changer clips is the name that bird segment in which Brennan completely loses his temporarily acquired enlightenment in a sort of calm rage as he gets more and more upset as the segment continues before it’s revealed to be roose to upset Brennan and break his streak. This episode is just great, I hope it become as samer with season 7 later this year and so we move to the next episode which happens to be a double parter, the first non finale one which is The Bi Bachelor a show that does well The Bachelor with Grant O’Brien being the contestant and having to choose from a pool of candidates to go on a trip to Cabo San Lucas.

The game has so many twists and turns that covering it would just be a retelling of the entire thing and you don’t need that, you need to sit down and watch this great parody of trashy tv with an ending you are just not ready for. The finale not finale is Escape The Green Room, why finale not finale well because the true end of Season 5 is an extended semi season that will get it’s own spot after this but now Escape the Green Room, Game Changer’s take on the escape room. The episode begins with the contestants on a room that is not the normal show floor awaiting the order to go proceed downstairs and begin the episode, Sam is there with them until he is called downstairs mid magic trick and then the door locks and the screen turns on, the game begins. Secretly the entire room has been customized and modified around the classic escape room concept that if you’ve ever been to one you know how the episode will go with the exception that Siobhan, Brenna and Lou just really don’t give a shit and will tear through everything to get out in another banger of an episode that had my laughing the whole way through, this one also has one of the most interesting BTS videos as it goes into the making and design of what was basically making a escape room from scratch. I would love for this to be made into an actual place I can visit but at least I got to see it happen and it was wonderful. This sort of ends the season as the next few episodes are kind of it’s own thing but the Cut For Time episode is after them in the playlist but it also has its own playlist so I’ll just handle it like a limited series sort of event that will be talked about as a single episode instead of the 5 episodes it is.

Game Changer Battle Royale a 3 hour plus spectacular semi samer to the original survivor episode that takes all that made that episode great and dials it up to 11, as the show is longer, the totems are harder to find, the challenges are harder and there is more on the line than ever before. Everything about this mini series is gold with it being incredibly funny and sometimes even impressive in what it’s capable of doing and a very funny surprise guest that showed up out of nowhere, the one and only fault I can think of that is not even a fault is that Ana Garcia who was making her debut in Game Changer got injured on episode one and we missed out on her antics since she has proven to be an incredibly funny comedian in every other show she has show up on dropout. Battle Royale was just so much fun and reached the apex of the reality idea for Game Changer which I’m not sure if it can be topped but it can for sure be iterated upon and I do hope we come back to see it again every few years.

Now to wrap up this massive massive post I just wanna say that I love dropout, they are a wonderful set of people that truly do care and deserve all the support they get, a lot of entertainers and comedians have been recently trying to leave youtube and copy the dropout system without getting what made dropout great to begin with, it is the charm, the effort and pure love they put into everything they make that makes it so great, not the production values or how much money they spend on it, it’s about the people it gives a home to and what they are able to accomplish when you give a genius free reign to make whatever they think is best, dropout is a special place and Game Changer is a great signature show to lead the brand, I will always love it and be here to support it, it is as Brennan once said to Sam “You’ve made a home where my favorite people get to show the world how brilliant and amazing they are.”

#dropout #game changer #tv shows #rambles #ramblings

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prolix-yuy · 2 months ago

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Get to know your moots!

I was tagged by @songsformonkeys and this looked like a really fun one! Let's dive in friends!

What's the origin of your blog title? Well, it was after watching The Mandalorian, reading most of the fic on AO3 of The Mandalorian, venturing onto Tumblr to find more Mandalorian fic and finally getting the irresistible urge to add to the beautiful sea of Mando that the blog name came to me - Mando Made Me Do It!

OTP(s) + Shipname: I had to pull deep for a few of these because I was only very casually in fandoms before the Pedro one. The Doctor (9 and 10) x Rose was one of my favs for a long time. Sherlolly for a bit (I identified too much with Molly). If I'm not reading xReader I love DinCobb.

Favourite colour: Yellow!

Favourite game: Apples to Apples but with Cards Against Humanity rules. It's more challenging when the cards don't help you!

Song stuck in your head: I had Pink Pony Club stuck in my head for three weeks straight, followed by Noah Kahan's No Complaints.

Weirdest habit/trait? It's hard to think of one when you're so used to your own quirks! I like eating frozen mixed vegetables cold as a snack. I build pillow fortresses around me but only actually sleep on one. I bite my nails too much. My whole face turns red when I laugh too hard.

Hobbies: Cooking (and finding new recipes), cocktail making (and trying new ones!), sewing/altering clothes, writing, learning new animation/editing programs.

If you work, what's your profession? I create marketing videos for a software company.

If you could have any job you wish, what would it be? I like my current job a lot, but if I could have a dream job it would be someone who funds indie films and helps produce them.

Something you're good at: I'm a very good cook and baker. I used to do improv, so I think I'm pretty quick-minded.

Something you're bad at: Motivation to start new habits. Procrastinating.

Something you love: My family, my friends, this weird little part of the internet that lets me be weird along with it.

Something you could talk about for hours off the cuff: Films! I love talking about how they're made, the cool new tricks and behind the scenes, people's favorite movies and why, storytelling in general.

Something you hate: Being in a one-sided conversation. Getting talked over. Needles!

Something you collect: Tiny shells from the beach. Magnets from different places we've visited or our friends have visited. Silly pens I give to my mom.

Something you forget: If I don't write it down I forget things people ask me to do. I have a crappy auditory memory but once I see something written down I can remember it much better.

What's your love language? I guess acts of service?

Favourite movie/show: Oh, favorite movie, wow. I mean, that is, that's one of those questions that's impossible to answer! Because, you see, one hundred plus years of rich cinema - you can't just limit it to one! It depends upon your mood, the seasons...

(you see what I did there? ;P)

Favourite food: Fried eggs on toast with fruit

Favourite animal: Anything that lets me pet it.

What were you like as a child? I was pretty quiet, independent and enjoyed playing by myself, making up my own stories. Kind of makes sense now right?

Favourite subject at school? I always loved writing and literature classes but I also loved a good funky course. I took a nanotechnology class in undergrad that was pretty interesting. Plus film school means half the classes I took were absolutely ridiculous. I did a whole semester on Cronenberg films which was as trippy as you'd imagine.

Least favorite subject? TERRIBLE at math, especially geometry. I struggled hard in those classes.

What's your best character trait? I'm interested in the people around me, so I like to talk to them and learn more about them. I'm thoughtful and I like making people laugh.

What's your worst character trait? I can be passive-aggressive and play the victim when I feel wronged. I'm stubborn to a fault at times. I assume I'm not thought of by my friends and therefore don't always reach out, even though I want to.

If you could change any detail of your day right now what would it be? I'd like to get on a better daily schedule that makes me feel more fulfilled. There's a lot of wasted time in my day that I'd like to spend doing things I enjoy and that make me happier.

If you could travel in time who would you like to meet? God I have no idea, can I travel forward and meet some aliens or something?

Recommend one of your favourite fanfics (spread the love!): Forever in my heart and always on my mind is Echoy'la (on AO3) by @pajamasecrets. I'm laughing at tagging her on this because I don't think we've ever interacted on Tumblr (I'm not even sure she's still in the Mando fandom whoops) but I reread that fic once every few months because it gives me the perfect Mando emotion and longing and care. I think it was pretty soon after that I decided to try writing for Mando, and I have to credit that story for helping me take that first step.

No tags for this, come play if you want!

#tag games #a long one!#come learn way too many things about me!

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linkemon · 8 months ago

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Two player game (Kozume Kenma x Reader)

Friendly reminder that English is not my first language. You can check my Masterlists both in English and Polish here. Consider supporting me on Ko-fi. You can also check out my commissions if you’re interested.

Other oneshots can be found here.

ᴋᴇɴᴍᴀ ɪꜱ ᴛʀʏɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴄᴏᴘᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɢʀᴏᴡɪɴɢ ᴜᴘ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰɪɴɪꜱʜɪɴɢ ꜱᴄʜᴏᴏʟ. ʟᴜᴄᴋɪʟʏ, ʜɪꜱ ꜰᴀᴠᴏᴜʀɪᴛᴇ ɢᴀᴍᴇ, "ᴡᴀꜰꜰʟᴇꜱ ᴠꜱ ᴘᴀɴᴄᴀᴋᴇꜱ", ɪꜱ ɪɴ ʜɪꜱ ʟɪꜰᴇ. ᴛʜɪɴɢꜱ ɢᴇᴛ ᴄᴏᴍᴘʟɪᴄᴀᴛᴇᴅ ᴡʜᴇɴ ʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴇᴛꜱ ᴜʟᴛɪᴍᴀᴛᴇʙᴏꜱꜱ63…

Additional information: 1. This is a Youtuber AU (although in theory Kenma canonically became a YouTuber, just much later). 2. All comments under Kenma's stream are part of the fun game with my readers. They made them up for the purpose of the shot. 3. Game Waffles vs Pancakes was completly made up just for the purpose of this oneshot. Originally it was a different kind of food but I couldn't translate it to sound good.

— Honey, please lock the house. — Kenma’s mom stuck her head out the door. — And don’t play all night!

The boy grunted something like an confirmation. She always said the same thing when she left for the night shift. He shuffled after her, turned the key in the lock and ran back upstairs as fast as he could.

He put his books back on the shelf. He had studied enough. His class probably hadn't even memorized half of the material. Kozume sighed in satisfaction. He finally had the evening to himself. He stopped by the store on his way home from school. He bought snacks especially for the occasion. Kenma took them out of the cabinet. He also turned on his computer. He had only had a new PC for a week. He was still as happy as a child when he turned it on. He had chosen the parts himself, including the graphics card. All so that he could play games in even better quality than before. He sat comfortably in his old armchair (he didn't have enough money for a new one but the seat was fine).

He threw in a notification about the stream, then checked to see if the program was capturing the image. All that was left was to put on the headphones and he was ready.

He double-clicked on the icon he already knew well. A quiet, cheerful melody rang in his ears. The words Waffles vs Pancakes appeared on the screen. He smiled involuntarily at the sight of the login screen against the background of the red and white tablecloth.

Password: ******

His nickname pretty much reflected the way he ran his business. He didn't talk much. He was aware that he had a talent for being a gamer. Quick reflexes and well-developed strategic thinking were his strengths. However, he never really shined when it came to interpersonal relationships. Because of that, he couldn't talk like many famous YouTubers. But that didn't bother him. For some reason, people found it an interesting way to break away from the mainstream. They came to him to watch him play. He enjoyed it. As long as there were people who enjoyed him, he was going to continue.

He glanced at the clock. Kenma had plenty of time. He had planned a challenge for today and intended to play a hundred matches. He thought it would be a good way to motivate himself. There were some interesting moves since the recent update. He hadn't learned all of them yet.

He liked this game. The idea itself seemed very cute to him. At the beginning, there was a lucky draw. There were two options — a waffle or a pancake. New skins were added all the time but he liked the black version of the dough with cat ears the most. He almost always chose it. He loved cats. Plus, going to Nekoma meant something.

After the introduction, it was time to choose the mode and an opponent. For now, there was only the option to play against a friend or someone selected by the system. The creators announced additional possibilities but they were only a small team. Everything took time. Besides, he didn't expect miracles from a completely free game.

The condition of victory was to defeat the opponent in the battle for the plate. There were many attacks and special items. Despite this, the fight itself did not have complicated rules. It was both friendly to new players and challenging to more experienced ones. Pleasant, pastel graphics and short turns made it hard to tear yourself away from it. It was incredibly addictive.

That's how Kenma spent a few hours in the company of his (newly) favourite game. He didn't even notice when it got completely dark outside. The only light besides the monitor was the colourful keyboard. He pressed pause. The fiftieth game meant a break. His bladder was showing signs of its weakness. It was all because of how much Sangria and energy drinks he had drunk.

He glanced at the chat. It was chaos as usual.

cekoladowyjogalik: First in the comments!

tykmiocienieruchawy: Wake the fuck up Cat , we have a pancake to burn!

AgusiaSzczygie: I wish everyone who reads this a nice day/evening <3

CzwartaFata: Remember to stay hydrated, my dears

ksiadzpedophile-: ratJam KIWKA ratJam KIWKA ratJam KIWKA ratJam KIWKA ratJam KIWKA ratJam

tapsychopatka: TATAKAEEEEEE

tykmiocienieruchawy2 : Mmm pancakes <3

CzwartaFata2 : Respect for waffles!

Gimper : If you do a somersault I'll give you 5k ¥ via donate

ksiadzpedofil-numer_2: When will you play Haikyuu?

JojoSiwa: Shit

sewing.machine: Show us your socks!

The comments were coming so fast that he found himself tearing away from them. He wouldn't have been able to keep up with them all.

Before he knew it, the hundredth match had come. His eyes were sore from staring at the screen for so long. He rubbed his eyelids. It was well after midnight. Tomorrow, at the Japanese, Kuroo will have a hard task — keeping him awake. He already felt sorry for his friend. If only Yaham-sensei didn't get the idea to quiz him on the last lesson. Nothing will save him. He yawned, realizing that the system had finished the drawing.

Player Found — UltimateBoss63

He hadn't lost a single game in ninety-nine games. He felt proud. He was aware of the matchmaking system's flaws. He had more than one account, so his ranking didn't reflect his skill. Still, the hours he spent practicing were his. The effort and work were real.

This time he became a pancake. The figure twitched its ears and went on the attack. Kenma used his favourite dough kick but the attack was repelled. Similarly with his signature pistol and karate chop combo. He tried three different strategies. The combos didn't help. He had enough time to defend himself but he couldn't land a punch. Kozume felt the thought of defeat slowly forming in his head. He was counting on some miraculous reversal of his bad streak. There was half a minute left and UltimateBoss63 was still on the plate. Stupid nickname, he thought angrily. The guy on the other side of the screen was probably laughing at him now.

He rarely lost his composure. But if anything could do that, it was the games. He slapped the keyboard angrily. He felt bad. He felt like he had been unnecessarily happy at first. If he hadn't set his mind to it, the disappointment wouldn't have been so great. He hadn't planned to win every time but since he had come this far, he could end the night with a win. Instead, he had lost five to one.

UltimateBoss63: gg

Good game? He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. Someone was mocking him harshly. The overwhelming advantage of his opponent was undeniable. He tried to find positives but it only came out that now he had to learn a dozen new combinations and counterattacks. He had picked up a few things from him.

UltimateBoss63 sent a friend request.

He threw the mouse on the table. Now he was really pissed…

He looked at the comments. The chat had gone crazy. Both because of the loss in the last match and because of the opponent. He noticed a few hateful statements and some spam. It was high time to recruit moderators.

Linky-chan: Will you ever get back at them?

This caused a ripple. Everyone was clamoring for another fight. For the sake of peace, he chose Accept Invitation. Because how else would he find this person again?

— I’ll get even when I get a million subscribers — he replied sourly.

By that he meant never. He didn't see his future in YouTube or Twitch. It was a hobby he devoted his free time to outside of volleyball but he didn't see it as a source of income. Especially since his audience was tiny. The market giants set trends. He wasn't one of them.

— Kenma, you're still awake? — the father called, drawn by the light outside his son's door.

— That's all for today. Thanks for your time. Silent Cat signing out!

He turned off the recorder and the monitor and got into bed in his clothes. He pulled the covers up to his chin, trying to breathe evenly. Dad went into the room. The creaking panels made themselves known. The man stood for a moment, listening, then walked away.

At that moment, Kozume thought that this would be the end of his acquaintance with Boss. End with an accepted invitation to be friends at Waffles vs Pancakes…

Kenma made a basket with his hands, softly bouncing the ball. He and Kuroo still came here to practice. Even if technically they didn't have to do it anymore. Force of habit.

The spring break was looking good. There was young green everywhere. The grass was growing thicker and thicker. The cherry blossoms danced in the air, giving off a pleasant scent. The sun was slowly setting below the horizon. The slight chill made him glad he had brought his jacket. The crickets were chirping, filling the silence more and more boldly. There was something calming about the sight of the familiar stairs and the old netting. As well as the mechanical movements that came so easily after years.

And yet this spring has somehow not been peaceful at all. Quite the opposite.

— Are you going to play volleyball in the future? — Tetsurō asked.

— I haven't decided yet — the boy replied. — From what I've read, there's a team at the university, but...

It won't be the same. He didn't have to finish the sentence. His friend understood what he wanted to say. Nekoma would always be their true team. The people they had created memories with. They had shared victories and defeats together. They had shed sweat, blood and tears. They had achieved so much. At the thought of everything slowly falling apart, he felt sorrow in his heart.

It might not happen right away. They would definitely meet up a few times to play a few games. They would still write to each other from time to time. Maybe they would even invite each other to important functions when the opportunity arose. But over time, the bond would weaken. He knew that but it didn't make the pain any less.

His family and friends kept telling him it was normal. After all, it wasn’t every day that you graduated from high school. Letting go of so many things that meant so much to him was hard. He didn’t like change. The idea of having to rebuild his life from scratch terrified him. Becoming an adult brought a bit of excitement but not enough to completely eliminate the fear.

— If life doesn't work out for you, you can always become a YouTuber! — Kuroo laughed.

Moving away from home. New people, new places, new things to learn. Just the thought of it made something inside him turn.

— Maybe I would if someone wanted to watch me — he sighed.

For some time now, he had been having moments of doubt. He had invested a huge amount of time in games and related activities. On one hand, it brought him joy. On the other hand, however, there was no tangible benefit. Something he could brag about. He wanted to feel that it was worth doing. Preparing for exams took him a lot of time. Because of this, the channel had been stagnant for some time. Streams appeared less often than before. He tried to upload videos regularly but he didn't always manage. He wondered if it was worth continuing.

— Poor Kozume-chan. — Tetsurō pretended to wipe away a tear. — The fame has gone to his head and a hundred thousand subscribers aren't enough for him.

— What are you talking about now? — He caught the ball, interrupting the exercise.

His friend looked at him with a piercing gaze. The Nekoma captain really did resemble a cat sometimes.

— Are you asking seriously?

He was answered by a nod.

— Dude, what have you been doing for the last three days? — He pulled out his phone and started typing something into the search engine.

You could see some thumbnails. He must have opened YouTube.

— I was doing everything.

There was nothing specific behind that phrase. He went shopping and to the cinema. He went out for cake with friends and helped his mother around the house. The same as always but in a different way.

— Everything but Internet?

— Yeah — he agreed.

He did a detox. He had never tried it before but the timing couldn't have been better. He decided to try it mainly because of the uncertainty of his future life. If he had a few things to think about, he didn't want to get distracted.

— That explains a lot — his friend said.

He shoved the phone under his nose. Kenma pushed his blond hair out of his face and looked at the small screen. It was showing a video from the biggest YouTuber on the market — Pewdiepie. He was about to ask what he needed it for when he suddenly understood. At the end, there were thanks to Silent Cat. To him! He got a huge compliment for his series of guides to Waffles vs Pancakes. The channel was linked. The time stamp didn't lie. At least a dozen million people must have seen it.

— You’ve hit a hundred thousand and you don’t even know it! — Tetsurō slapped him on the back.

He was laughing his head off, holding his stomach. A mother with a child passing by on the road looked at him like he was crazy.

Kozume tucked the ball under his arm and ran towards the stairs.

— Where are you going? — the boy called after him, trying to control his laughter.

— That's the end of my internet break! I'm going to check it out!

He sped home at a speed he never thought he could muster. He had trained with the rest of Nekoma but endurance had never been his strength.

He fired up the device, put on his headphones and began to review the statistics. In recent days, interest in his channel had increased. He was pleasantly surprised to see that these were not empty numbers. Many comments were being left.

The more he watched the whole thing, the more he noticed the success of his favourite game. It seemed that the popularity of the war between the dough characters was growing at an alarming rate. And his channel, which was largely built on it, was rising along with it.

He felt his motivation return. His doubts had given way to euphoria. He was going to stick with his newfound determination. He would use the time before moving to central Tokyo. He would develop the channel and then see.

There was only one thing left for him to do — play Waffles vs Pancakes.

And so his gaming night began. He couldn't remember the last time he spent so much time in front of the computer. His eyes protested because he forgot to take breaks but he didn't give up. This was the time to polish his skills. Besides, the new people on the stream gave him strength. He didn't want to waste the opportunity. Many of them seemed to be having as much fun as he was.

It was only his father who called him to order.

— Kenma, it's five in the morning. Go to sleep.

— I’m an adult — he replied, rubbing his eyes.

— First of all, you will always be my child. Second, as long as you live under my roof, you go to bed at normal hours. — With that, he left.

The boy sighed. His father was right. As always. He wondered what would happen once he became a student and his support disappeared. Would he turn into a sleep-deprived, living corpse? He almost shuddered at the thought. Cooking, cleaning, bills… Soon, all of this would become a daily occurrence.

— Last match — he whispered into the microphone.

He chose to connect with a random friend. He had a full list for a long time. It was faster to search like that. It also made it easier to match people of similar level. Even if official updates had long since patched up bugs in that regard. Force of habit.

Player Found — UltimateBoss63

The teenager racked his brain. The avatar looked familiar. He scanned the profile for the last time they played together. The date went back three years. The ranking was in the top hundred (just like his own). Only then did he realize who his opponent was.

He briefly considered canceling the game but who would he be if he didn't try? He wasn't going to chicken out.

To say the fight was fierce would be an understatement. Neither player wanted to give up even a scrap of the plate. They traded blows over and over again. The late hour and fatigue did not work in Kozume's favour. He decided to pretend to be worse than he was, so that he could attack later with strong weapons. The strategy seemed to work but he failed to gain a significant advantage.

He thought the guy must have some nerve. He played recklessly. Seemingly recklessly, putting a lot on one card. In the end, however, it always turned out as if the whole thing had been planned. He had come up against a difficult opponent.

The summary screen appeared before his eyes. He tied the score at three to three. Better than last time but still not perfect.

He was just about to log out when a female voice came through his headphones:

— [Reader], what do you want to eat today? Waffles or pancakes?

He hadn't expected that. It seemed to him that they had been playing without voice communication.

— Mom! — There was a slight crack.

The microphone was turned off at the speed of light. He noticed it by how quickly the icon changed color.

He laughed. Whoever was on the other end wasn't a man. And they were speaking Japanese. That in itself was a huge surprise to him.

As he expected, the chat went crazy. Everyone was quoting that one spontaneous sentence. He had a feeling the clip would hit the web and go viral. The first memes were already being created in his group. He should have been happy but he felt a little guilty. Maybe someone didn't want such a stupid mistake to be the subject of laughter.

He chose direct message. He wasn't sure what he wanted to write. He had an apology in mind. That's how he would normally react. For some reason, however, he sent something completely different.

— Sooo, waffles or pancakes?

He hit his forehead. Why did he do that? Had the late hour gotten to him so badly?

When he saw the three moving dots, he was hit with heat. He wasn't prepared for the answer. He hadn't considered at all that the girl could still be active.

— Hi, sorry for this situation…

Thus began the strangest relationship he had ever experienced. It cost him a day without a drop of sleep but it was worth it.

The boy glanced nervously around the convention. There were booths everywhere. From where he was standing, he could see the colourful otaku zone. Manga, dakimakura, pins, keychains and figurines. There were a lot of cosplayers milling around there. They were posing, preparing for a photoshoot. Across the street, a section of general fantasy was set up. Through the open doorway, he saw the speaker and a crowd of people in a circle. Their loud laughter carried far away. He checked his phone. She should already be there. When he looked up, someone approached him, shyly asking for a photo. He agreed. He still felt a little uncomfortable but he tried to overcome it. He accepted it as part of the job.

The whole place seemed to overwhelm him. That's why he decided to stop by the dining area. It was a bit quieter here. Maybe not completely but still something. Besides, the smell of ramen enticed him. He ordered a bowl of the steaming dish and headed to the table. The warm broth effectively lifted his mood. The rich taste of the thick liquid spread pleasantly down his throat. It also helped to calm his nerves.

He adjusted his blond hair, making sure it was in place. He glanced at his clothes for the second time that day. Should he wear something else? Maybe the sweatshirt and skinny jeans that were torn at the knees were a bad choice? He tightened his fingers around the strap of his backpack.

—Do they sell waffles and pancakes here? — The question sounded from right above him.

He lifted his head. She was standing in front of him. After three years, she had finally come to Kantō. He had wondered many times what their first meeting in person would be like. They had seen each other on cams and knew each other's voices but it wasn't the same. He felt strange. Nervousness was making itself known but her smile made it disappear.

He would never have suspected how it would all turn out. It started with losing in his favourite game. Then there were conversations, stupid memes and cooperative games together. Slowly, they moved on to talking about everyday life. They called each other and sometimes they sat on webcams. Sometimes until late at night. Then they saved each other with coffee. After all, the lectures didn't pass themselves.

They helped each other get through a new, difficult phase of life. The adversities of adult life hit him hard. Terrified by the amount of responsibilities, he wanted to give up everything. His friends went their separate ways. And he was far from his family, their advice and constant care. As an only child, his task was additionally difficult. If it weren't for her, he definitely wouldn't be here. YouTube gave satisfaction but it took up a lot of time. At times, he wanted to give it up to devote himself to his studies. It was she who convinced him to persevere. She showed him things he had stopped paying attention to. People, comments, fanart, animations, gifts — the community he had created was thriving. Taking away what he loved would be unwise.

He treasured every moment he had with [Reader]. He didn't want to lose them. He was afraid if the image he had created in his head so far was real. But the girl dispelled all his doubts. She was as talkative as ever.

He stole glances at her, wondering if she could possibly seem even more perfect in his eyes. He imagined what Kuroo would say. He would probably tell him to propose to her right then and there. He smiled to himself.

The sun was slowly disappearing behind the horizon, so they headed towards a specially prepared room. The attraction to celebrate one million subscribers was held with great pomp. Usually, he didn't make a big deal about round numbers. Now, however, he felt obliged. Someone pulled an old recording from a stream, in which he promised to get even with UltimateBoss63. On top of that, he was invited to the largest Japanese convention. He asked the organizers if they would let him organize such a game. They agreed. After all, there were many people interested in the already iconic game. As a leading content creator in this field, Kenma was quite an attraction. Especially since he rarely appeared at such events.

He tied his hair back with his lucky black hairband. He didn't want it to get in his way. He also let the makeup artist apply powder. The sponge tickled his face pleasantly but he refused to do more. The woman seemed to notice his reluctant expression when she suggested lip gloss.

He sat down at the station prepared for him. Someone had even made sure that Silent Cat had cat headphones. He put them on and checked the sound. The mouse and keyboard seemed fine as well when he launched the test game.

The entire game was to be broadcast on the internet. He was used to streaming at home. However, he had no experience with television appearances. The broadcast on one of the smaller channels stressed him out a bit.

[Reader] noticed his nervousness. He wondered if she noticed his shaking hand.

She got up from her chair and went over to him. They had a minute. Everyone was telling her to sit down because she wouldn't make it but she ignored them.

— You can do it — she whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder.

He took a deep breath. If she believed in him, then he could do it. He would perform in front of the cameras.

The entire match went by on autopilot. Despite that, he enjoyed it. As always, the girl was a challenge for him. He used everything he had learned from her over the years. Dodges, attacks and combinations that he had practiced for hours. He knew he was good but proving it in front of so many people was something else. He felt proud when he pushed his opponent off the plate. He won four to two. Even if he didn't register it right away.

The lights shining directly at him were blinding. Someone even threw confetti. He stood up from the computer and bowed.

— Thank you all for supporting my channel and [Reader] for this gameplay.

He didn't add anything else. There was no need. He had already recorded a video for the occasion. He had posted it yesterday. Empty words were not his style.

He then stepped out of view of the cameras. He warned them that he wouldn't do an interview. He had limits. This was way beyond his comfort zone. [Reader] didn't have that problem, though.

The reporter quickly introduced herself and the girl. He had the impression that she didn't take a breath between sentences.

— How do you feel about giving Silent Cat first place? — she asked the first question.

The girl looked at him. He smiled slightly. He hoped it would give her courage.

— I'm not sorry. He definitely deserved it. We've known each other for a long time, so I know he worked hard to win. Kozume-san is a very hard-working man in general and I admire him for that...

He didn't hear the rest. The sincere compliment knocked him off his feet. He considered his success well-deserved but hearing it from someone who knew him so well was something else. His parents were skeptical about his career. He didn't blame them. They imagined their son in a completely different place. They got used to the idea of him being YouTuber but they never fully understood it. They preferred him to focus only on his studies. The boys from Nekoma congratulated him at the class reunion. However, they didn't know anything about games and the industry related to it. Their conversations were mainly about volleyball. Even Kuroo, despite being his best friend, didn't understand everything. So this praise had great meaning. He felt a pleasant warmth spreading inside. He blinked. He couldn't fall apart among so many people. Besides, today was too joyful for tears.

He shook his head, his mind returning to the small broadcast screen set up backstage.

— What are your plans as a developer after the success of Waffles vs Pancakes?

He replayed the sentence over and over in his mind, trying to figure out if he had lost the thread. But it seemed he hadn't. The people in the studio and on the live chat seemed as baffled as he was.

The reporter looked at the clipboard with questions. She was met with a moment of silence. She bit her lip slightly. It seemed that this topic was to be kept a secret.

[Reader] regained her composure, however. There was nothing left for her to do but to press on.

— We plan to continue adding new updates. Since we started earning money, we've been trying to expand the team with talented people. I think we're doing quite well. Our brand new project is already in the work. We hope you'll welcome it with enthusiasm.

— Where did the idea for such an original game concept come from?

— My mother, whom I want to greet from this place — she waved — she likes to experiment with Western cuisine. She often asked if I preferred waffles or pancakes for breakfast and that's how it all started.

— A wonderful genesis. — The woman bared her teeth as if to cover up her previous mistake. — We won’t keep you any longer. Is there anything you’d like to add?

— Yes. — She nodded. — I hope no one judges my ranking based on who I am. Aside from managing the company, I'm only responsible for graphics. I don't program moves or design the combat system. I'm just a player like anyone else. However, I won't be participating in ranked matches anymore. The company takes up too much of my time. Thank you for the interview. — She bowed.

She approached Kenma a little hesitantly, as if in contrast to the cheerful, feisty version of herself from the entire day.

— I hope you're not angry. — She scratched the back of her neck.

— What for?

— That I didn't tell you about my second job. I was a little afraid that if I did, you'd feel embarrassed to play with me or stop speaking honestly about the game. — She looked away. — And your opinions have helped us a lot these past three years.

He would never have guessed that she was the one behind his favourite game. Of course, many other people had a hand in it but without her, his life could have been completely different. He probably wouldn't be standing in the studio now. Maybe he would have even quit YouTube and never met her.

— I'm not angry...— he sighed quietly. — Just a little worried.

She didn't answer, waiting for him to elaborate.

— That we'll talk less often because you won't have time to play anymore.

He knew how much time it would take to build the company. It was never easy in this industry. He couldn't help the dark thoughts that were swirling in his head. He didn't want to be separated from someone he cared about again.

— Hey, what are weekends for? Besides... after all this time, I don't think we're friends just because of the Waffles vs Pancakes, am I right?

How did she do it? She always knew what to say to make him feel better. Even if it wasn't anything big. Sometimes a conversation or a simple, hackneyed phrase and other times a simple funny message with a stupid emoticon. Even that had a big effect.

He walked her to the train. She had a return ticket booked. She couldn't stay in Tokyo. The exam dates required her to be a dozen or so hours away tomorrow. It was the distance between them that they had only just met for the first time.

He breathed in the cool night air. When they reached their destination, the first stars were already twinkling in the sky. Their glow was lost in the yellow light of the lamps. Mosquitoes buzzed persistently above his head as he helped the girl with her small luggage. He suspected it was because of the unmown, tall grass behind the rail fence.

He stood on the platform, crumpling the sleeve of his shirt. The proposition he had been considering had been on his mind the entire way to the station but saying it seemed incredibly difficult.

The conductor was already looking around for stragglers standing outside the marked line.

The girl stood by the open window, smiling slightly. She had had a long day full of excitement but she seemed just as happy as he was. So he decided to ignore the little voice that said it was pointless and do something spontaneous.

— [Reader], shall we meet after the exams?

She leaned out from behind the window, ignoring the displeased look of an elderly lady. The passenger had chosen the floor in this spot to place several large bags.

— Are you serious? — She beamed.

He nodded, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks.

— You could come to me. Or I could come to you. — He nervously tugged at the strings of his sweatshirt. All of his clothes were stretched to their limits. He should definitely stop doing that.

— Sure! We'll work out the details when I get home!

The train made a prolonged sound.

Kenma watched as the girl closed the window. He waved at her for a long time. It wasn't until she was out of sight that he came to. He didn't move for a moment, staring into the dark distance. He knew they'd see each other again soon but he already missed her.

He pushed his hair back from his forehead and shoved his hands into his pockets. When he got back to the dorm, he would read the new comments and render the video for tomorrow. Plus, he had a lot of material to review. He should be tired but he felt as if he had more energy. He adjusted his backpack, then pulled up his hood. He chose a street with little traffic and slowly walked toward his apartment.

And as he walked down the street, the thought occurred to him that maybe growing up wasn't so bad after all...

#kozume kenma x reader #haikyuu x reader #oneshot x reader #haikyuu!!#kuro tetsuro #youtuber x reader #youtuber au

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taysanimaladventures · 10 months ago

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Just gonna. Bitch a bit lol. I'm sorry I don't have anything positive to share on here anymore. But I think prospective keepers need to know the shit that happens in this field.

Trigger warnings for animal neglect and death.

I was let go from a job. When I was working part time at my local zoo they underpaid me severely. I needed to take part time because my grandma was dying. I lived with my husband but the pay was so bad and hours were limited to 16 a week so I was forced to get a second job.

I quit the zoo last year which is a whole story in itself, but we are keeping it simple here. I think once I am a but cozy I will share that story and all the other stories at some point. Anyways I stuck with this second job for the past year while processing my grandmother's illness and eventual death to at least earn some income. However after my grandma passed I decided for certain I wanted to leave the industry. I learned the hard way that changing careers is not easy so I was sticking with them only for cash during this frustrating job search.

This second job was taking care of ambassador animals for an educational program. Nothing fancy, just a collection of small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, inverts, and an owl. My boss acted like she worshipped the ground I walked on because I busted my ass trying to help them rebuild their animal collection after their old one was lost to a wildfire.

I did a lot for them. A lot. I found reliable breeders to purchase from, set up the entire animal care work room, wrote care sheets for every single animal, created schedules, deep cleaned, did research and gave advice, and more. All of this while juggling a nasty sleep issue, depression and anxiety from my grandma's situation, and mental health issues up the wazoo from changing around medication.

Now while I bust my balls for my animals, over the years and years of exposure to terrible situations I have not been the most..... palatable person. I had a breakdown when my boss brought in a new bearded dragon and made little effort to quarantine it. I was irritated after the 4th time I come back from the weekend to empty water dishes and dirtier-than-normal cages. I got huffy with the people who take animals for making stupid mistakes, such as leaving a lamp on the edge of a snake enclosure causing it to melt. I had repeatedly requested my boss re-train staff so mistakes were minimal. She always said she would but I never saw a change. She even admitted to me she noticed staff were in deep conversation while handling animals which is probably why the mistakes were happening. And she wonders why I got pissed off at them??

My patience eventually ran dry after like 4 months of this shit and my boss -appeared- to be understanding that I have extensive trauma and I act the way I do because of it. It's not like I ever called anyone a mean name or bullied them, like I was the victim of way too many times when I first started out. I was outwardly unhappy, did not want to converse with anyone, and had a tone and was short sometimes. People still walked on eggshells around me. And you know what? I didn't give a shit and I still don't. I was a lone wolf in my duties and I wasn't required to converse with anyone except my boss. Plus no one here matters except for the animals. When you are careless with my animals, I am going to be pissed off.

But apparently my (now former) boss showed what really matters to her. She gave the keeper who forgot to refill water bowls a million chances to do better and never let her go. That keeper was the reason I even wrote those care sheets. But me? I'm grumpy and I challenge the status quo. Got to go. After blowing smoke up my ass for two years, saying I'm amazing and valuable and I can share anything with her and giving me a stupid piece of tape with stars on it for handling a sick animal.

I snapped from the stress.You should take a break. Ok, I'll take a fucking break! And then, a few days after my grandma's funeral which she knew about, I get an email: Oh so you can't come back this isn't working out anymore.

Sorry, what?

So I am here to shame the other shit this job did. Of course I spoke up, but it did not change anything.

-Two male rats kept in this cage. They were separated because they were fighting. They now live in two of these cages. I asked for a bigger cage. Blown off. I asked if the DIY guy could fuse the cages. "There's no point if we are getting a bigger cage." A year later, still the same cages. Btw they have diarrhea often.

-Rescued bearded dragon was brought in underweight. Boss said feed her insects every day (she was at least a year old, young but not a baby). Beardie starts getting chunkier and chunkier. I say hey we need to cut back in the notes. Ignored for a few weeks. She is morbidly obese. Only then the boss says cut back. She is also dead now and I only know this since I checked records while on "break." Wanna bet that was the morbid obesity?

-Another bearded dragon not feeling well. Eyes closed, black bearding. I'm hollering for him to be seen. "Oh it may just be because it's cooling down." Eventually sees the vet, the fucking quack says he's trying to brumate. I've never owned beardies but I called bs. Nothing was done except blasting more heat on him. Nothing changes. A week later, he vomits blood and dies. It was kidney failure.

-Leopard gecko not eating and slowly losing weight. In the notes several times over the course of a few months, "he is not eating and losing weight." I guess it was my bad for putting it in the notes I assumed were getting read instead of verbally telling my boss. Got ignored until I verbally told her. Gecko needed to be put down.

-Rabbit taken to programs way too often. He comes back and looks worn the fuck out. I bring this concern up to boss. "Yeah, we need to get a third rabbit." But otherwise nothing changes.

-Accepts a hermann's tortoise in a glass enclosure that nonstop runs into the glass, promises a tortoise table but here we are again a year later.

-Says yes to a frilled lizard from the quack of a vet as an apology for what happened with the beardie. Takes the vets word that his enclosure (a horizontal, not vertical enclosure with newspaper only and a red lamp and heat pad) is correct and it's "just like caring for a bearded dragon." The poor thing stops eating and the skin of her frills is dead from being unable to shed. Their solution is force feeding her. Fed up with leadership, I research the species and learned that everything we did was wrong. I set up proper lighting and substrate for her (can't do much about a vertical enclosure). She bounces back.

-"This animal doesn't look good, it shouldn't be taken to programs." "Okay" -2 days later they are back at programs- "Sorry we needed it."

I get that I was not necessarily a great person in this story, but I truly feel justified because this was such bullshit to deal with and now I am truly free of this hellish industry. I am unemployed and it's uncomfortable but it's better than dealing with this bullshit.

To my husband, friends, and family helping me get through this: thank you.

To Stephanie: fuck you.

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askbensolo · 1 year ago

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Hey Ben!

I first found your blog when i was 13 years old and i just turned 18! I’ve been watching (or rather reading) as you’ve grown, and I’d like to say that you seem to have turned out to be a pretty great person. Even though I hadn’t faced the same challenges as you, it was really comforting to know that i was not alone with personal struggles, and just how hard growing up is. Thank you for being you and sharing that with so many people! I head off to university when my planet transitions to fall, and since you’re out of school now do you have and recommendations for college/university? It seems like such a daunting change, but you seemed to have handled it well. (I mean you did graduate so that’s a pretty big success!) Again I’m super proud of you!

-P.S.

Im glad that you’re getting back in contact with Fannie! You should totally invite her on a day out (go to a park, hang out in a market, etc.) I think those are great ways to better connect with someone if they feel a little distant. (plus that could be a perfect opportunity to ask her if she would like to move in with you)!

Thanks! Stay Awesome Ben!

Hey anon! Congrats on becoming an adult! It’s okay if you don’t feel like one yet, haha—Force knows I didn’t when I was eighteen. I’m glad I could share my growing-up experiences with you and everyone! And I'm glad you think I'm a decent guy. I try. Well, usually.

Congrats on getting into university! Oh, what? You're asking me for advice? Well, yeah, I guess I did graduate, heh. Sure, I'll give it a go.

Don’t freak out about not knowing how to do stuff—like not knowing how to buy groceries, or sign a lease, or navigate local speeder lanes, or apply for a job, or any of that. I used to not know how to do any of that. I was freaked out. But somehow, I learned. And now it’s no big deal. Older students and the holonet are your friends when it comes to figuring that stuff out!

For the love of the Force: take care of yourself. Whoever was taking care of you when you were a kid isn’t there anymore. The seven-year-old in you is gonna think that means you can eat ice cream for dinner and stay up till 2am every night. Don’t. Do. That. You’re gonna need to be your own mom now. Or, you can pretend my mom, the OG Space Mom™, lives in your head and lovingly judges your life choices.

Question the things you’ve been taught. And when professors tell you to question the things you’ve been taught, question their questioning too. But don't question things forever. You need to decide what you believe about things, 'cause otherwise someone else is gonna decide for you.

You don't have to choose certain classes (or even an entire major!) just because they line up with your interests. For example—I tried taking a poetry class. Hated it. I didn't like having my creativity cramped by assignments, and I didn't learn anything I didn't already know or couldn't learn on my own.

Don’t feel pressured to date in college. I didn't date anyone (yeah, I know, you're so surprised). Sometimes I felt like I was being left behind, 'cause I saw so many of my friends get into relationships...but, I saw some nasty breakups, too. Things happen when (and if!) they're meant to happen, so there's no need to stress about it. You know?

Try new stuff! Yeah, it sounds cliche. But I let my roommate drag me to the gym when I was a squishy noodly boi, and now lifting's my thing. You never know what you might be into!

Always keep the big picture in mind. Sure, it may feel like the end of the galaxy when you flunk an exam or fail a class. But do you really think you’re gonna care about that when you’re like, fifty? Nah bro. Keep it chill. And sometimes that even means dropping out of a minor or an honors program, if you look into the future and realize it won't really make a difference.

Don't do deathsticks. If anyone offers you deathsticks tell them to go home and rethink their life.

That's all the advice I can currently think of, though I'm always happy to share more from my infinite (not really) stores of wisdom! And thanks for your advice, too—those totally sound like things Fannie would be into.

Thanks for reaching out! You're gonna do great at college, little buddy!

#askbensolo #written #:') hiii #thank you for saying hi! i'm glad you've enjoyed this blog!

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tech-insides · 11 months ago

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What are the skills needed for a data scientist job?

It’s one of those careers that’s been getting a lot of buzz lately, and for good reason. But what exactly do you need to become a data scientist? Let’s break it down.

Technical Skills

First off, let's talk about the technical skills. These are the nuts and bolts of what you'll be doing every day.

Programming Skills: At the top of the list is programming. You’ll need to be proficient in languages like Python and R. These are the go-to tools for data manipulation, analysis, and visualization. If you’re comfortable writing scripts and solving problems with code, you’re on the right track.

Statistical Knowledge: Next up, you’ve got to have a solid grasp of statistics. This isn’t just about knowing the theory; it’s about applying statistical techniques to real-world data. You’ll need to understand concepts like regression, hypothesis testing, and probability.

Machine Learning: Machine learning is another biggie. You should know how to build and deploy machine learning models. This includes everything from simple linear regressions to complex neural networks. Familiarity with libraries like scikit-learn, TensorFlow, and PyTorch will be a huge plus.

Data Wrangling: Data isn’t always clean and tidy when you get it. Often, it’s messy and requires a lot of preprocessing. Skills in data wrangling, which means cleaning and organizing data, are essential. Tools like Pandas in Python can help a lot here.

Data Visualization: Being able to visualize data is key. It’s not enough to just analyze data; you need to present it in a way that makes sense to others. Tools like Matplotlib, Seaborn, and Tableau can help you create clear and compelling visuals.

Analytical Skills

Now, let’s talk about the analytical skills. These are just as important as the technical skills, if not more so.

Problem-Solving: At its core, data science is about solving problems. You need to be curious and have a knack for figuring out why something isn’t working and how to fix it. This means thinking critically and logically.

Domain Knowledge: Understanding the industry you’re working in is crucial. Whether it’s healthcare, finance, marketing, or any other field, knowing the specifics of the industry will help you make better decisions and provide more valuable insights.

Communication Skills: You might be working with complex data, but if you can’t explain your findings to others, it’s all for nothing. Being able to communicate clearly and effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders is a must.

Soft Skills

Don’t underestimate the importance of soft skills. These might not be as obvious, but they’re just as critical.

Collaboration: Data scientists often work in teams, so being able to collaborate with others is essential. This means being open to feedback, sharing your ideas, and working well with colleagues from different backgrounds.

Time Management: You’ll likely be juggling multiple projects at once, so good time management skills are crucial. Knowing how to prioritize tasks and manage your time effectively can make a big difference.

Adaptability: The field of data science is always evolving. New tools, techniques, and technologies are constantly emerging. Being adaptable and willing to learn new things is key to staying current and relevant in the field.

Conclusion

So, there you have it. Becoming a data scientist requires a mix of technical prowess, analytical thinking, and soft skills. It’s a challenging but incredibly rewarding career path. If you’re passionate about data and love solving problems, it might just be the perfect fit for you.

Good luck to all of you aspiring data scientists out there!

#artificial intelligence #career #education #coding #jobs #programming #success #python #data science #data scientist #data security

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seyoonlgc · 7 months ago

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TEAM UNKNOWN - final meeting solo (697)

what was the hardest part during these five weeks? what about the easiest part?

"Learning a language from scratch was pretty hard. Unlike Japanese, which was another language that was part of my training schedule some months ago, Mandarin is completely unfamiliar to me. I had to take a lot of time outside of the workshops to practice on my own and asked my Mandarin-speaking friends for their assistance. I know for the evaluation, we only had to learn one song, but Mandarin is such a complex language with multiple tones that even one song was a lot of effort to get right. The easiest part must be the acting workshop. I tend to have pretty vibrant expressions in general and am not shy about presenting myself."

what have you learned about yourself during this time?

"I learned that I am smarter than I expected. Academically, I mean. How do I put this...Everyone's born good at some things and not so good at others. I was always great at sports, had fantastic stamina, and was overall socially competent...But like, I failed tests before. My handwriting was so ugly in elementary school that it made my homeroom teacher squint as if she needed a new pair of glasses. The point is, I really didn't think I could learn languages but I am totally doing it. Korean, Japanese, and now Mandarin. You guys are probably used to seeing smart kids who can pick up everything super fast like, but I am kind of proud of myself. Just a little. Guess you can do anything if you just try really hard - the impossible can be done, huzzah!"

how do you see yourself in the current type zero lineup if you are given the chance to debut? what do you want to accomplish from here?

This question sounded familiar. Kind of like the one he answered for NKND. It was so easy back then - words really just flew out of his mouth because he felt so comfortable trying for that opportunity. The reason? Well, they were all trainees. Seyoon didn't think any of the kids in NKND were necessarily way better than him and in fact, to this day, still believed himself to be a better fit than some.

Type Zero, though...That was a group of debuted idols. He'd be trying to cram himself into the big-boys league. What if...what if they hate him? What if Type Zero's loyal fans didn't approve of him? With an older group, the audience already had an expectation. What if he didn't fulfill it? What if he couldn't fulfill it? Maybe the coaches there would be really hard on him too because they'd be used to working with more talented, skill-honed boys and be less sympathetic toward his struggles.

Seyoon was kind of scared and usually when something made him nervous like this, he'd...run away.

But then again, they wouldn't be having this meeting with him if they didn't think he was good enough to have a go, right?

Right?

Ahhh, could somebody just reassure him? Anybody! God? Stepmother? The ghosts of Christmas past?

"I think skill-wise...I am a pretty good fit as a vocalist." He started off somewhat lamely. "I feel like I have proven myself to be a fast learner and as a part of Legacy since 2022, completed all tasks and challenges thrown at me. I am adaptive and can adjust to a pre-existing team dynamic." Probably. If the current Type Zero members would enjoy the company of a loud, overly energetic, hyper-extroverted dude who did not know how to do his own laundry. "Also, I think Coach Changbin mentioned something about Type Zero members needing to be...more entertaining. When it comes to that, I feel like I have a lot of potential. I just started doing more variety and hosting stuff recently, but I think I can become great at it! Maybe I can be on more programs where I am just showing off my personality and making sure everyone's having a good laugh. That would be fun, wouldn't it?" In the end, he just wanted to amuse everyone. Plus get a nice, heavy-ass wallet. Mmmyes, Burberry. Valentino and Givenchy.

#lgc:tumission #this is a solo full of honesty #especially the last sentence #wc: 697

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studyinglogic · 3 months ago

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[Continued from above]

Mistake 1: Asymmetrical Studying

Assuming you don't just want to do a single activity in a language, or are learning a language like ASL, a language requires 4 parts to be studied: Speaking, Listening, Writing, Reading. While these have overlap, you can't learn speaking from reading, or even learn speaking from just listening. One of my first Chinese teachers told me how he would listen to the textbook dialogues while he was biking to classes and it helped him. I took this information, thought "Yeah that's an idea, but sounds boring" and now regret not taking his advice nearly every day.

I think a lot of us find methods we enjoy to study (mine was reading) and assume that if we just do that method more ™ it will eventually help us in other areas (sometimes it does, but that's only sometimes). Find a method that works for you for each area of study, even better find more than one method since we use these skills in a variety of manners! I can understand a TV program pretty well since I have a lot of context clues and body language to fill in any gaps of understanding, but taking a phone call is much harder—the audio is rougher, there's no body language to read, and since most Chinese programs have hard coded subtitles, no subtitles to fall back on either. If I were to compare the number of hours I spent reading in Chinese to (actively) training my listening? Probably a ratio of 100 to 1. When I started to learn Korean, the first thing I did was find a variety of listening resources for my level.

Fix: Find a variety of study methods that challenge all aspects of the language in different ways.

A variety of methods will help you develop a more well-rounded level of mastery, and probably help you keep from getting bored. Which is important because...

Mistake 2: Inconsistent Studying

If there is one positive to a language app, it is the pressure it puts on keeping a streak. Making studying a part of your everyday routine is the best thing you can do. I benefited a lot from taking a college language course since I had a dedicated time to study and practice Chinese 5 days out of the week (and homework usually filled the other two). Memorization is a huge part of language learning, and stopping and starting is terrible for memorization. When I was in elementary school, we had Spanish maybe a couple times a month. Looking back, it seems like it was the first class to be cut if we needed to catch up on a more important course. Needless to say, I can't even speak Spanish at an elementary level.

However, I'm sure many people reading this don't have the time to do ultra-immersion 4-hour study sessions every day either. Find what days during the week you have time to focus on learning new vocab and grammar, and use the rest of the week to review. This can be done on your commute to school/work, while you do the dishes, or as a part of your morning/evening routine. Making this as realistic as possible will help you actually succeed in making this a habit. (Check this out for how to set realistic study goals)

Fix: Study regularly (ideally daily) by setting realistic goals. Avoid "binge" studying since remembering requires consistent repetition to be most effective.

Mistake 3: Resource Choice

This is really composed of two mistakes, but I have a good example that will cover them both.

First, finding resources that are at or slightly above your level is the most important thing. Easy resources will not challenge you enough and difficult resources will overwhelm you. The ideal is n+1, with n as what you know plus 1 new thing.

Second, getting distracted by fancy, new technology. Newer isn't always better, and there are often advantages that are lost when we've made technological developments. I often found myself wanting to try out new browser extensions or organizational methods and honestly I would've benefitted from just using that time to study. (Also, you're probably reading this because of my DL post so I don't think it has to be said that AI resources suck.)

A good example of this was my time using Clozemaster. I had actually recommended it when I first started using it since I thought the foundation was really solid. However, after long term use, I found that it just wasn't a good fit. The sentences were often too simple or too long and strange for memorization at higher levels or were too difficult at lower levels. I think that taking my textbook's example sentences from dialogues into something like Anki would've been a far better use of my time (and money) as they were already designed to be at that n+1 level.

Fix: "Vet" your resources—make sure they will actually help you. If something is working for you, then keep using it! You don't always have to upgrade to the newest tool/method.

Mistake 3.5: Classrooms and Textbooks

A .5 since it's not my mistake, but an addendum of caution. I think there is a significant part of the language learning community that views textbooks and classroom learning as the worst possible resource. They are "boring", "outdated", and "ineffective" (ironically one of the most interesting modern language learning methods, ALG, is only done in a classroom setting). Classrooms and textbooks bring back memories of being surrounded by mostly uninterested classmates, minimal priority, and a focus on grades rather than personal achievement (imagine the difference between a class of middle schoolers who were forced to choose a foreign language vs. adult learners who self-selected!) People have used these exact methods, or even "cruder" methods, to successfully learn a language. It all comes down to what works best for you. I specifically recommend textbooks for learning grammar and the plentiful number of dialogues and written passages that can function great as graded readers and listening resources. (Also the distinction made between "a youtube lesson on a grammatical principle" which is totally cool, and "a passage in a grammar textbook" is more one of tone and audio/written than efficacy).

Classrooms can be really great for speaking practice since they can be a lot less intimidating speaking to someone who is also learning while receiving corrections. Speech can be awkward to train on your own (not impossible if you're good at just talking aloud to yourself!), and classrooms can work nicely for this. Homework and class schedules also have built in accountability!

Fix: Explore resources available to you and try to think holistically about your approach. CI+Traditional Methods is my go to "Learning Cocktail"

Mistake 4: Yes, Immersion, But...

I realized this relatively quickly while learning Chinese, but immersion at a level much higher than your current level will do very little for you. What is sometimes left out of those "Just watch anime to learn Japanese" discussions is that you first need to have a chance at understanding what is being said. Choosing materials that are much higher than your level will not teach you the language. It doesn't matter how many times someone at HSK 1 hears “他是甘露之惠，我并无此水可还”, they will not get very far. Actual deduction and learning comes from having enough familiar components to be able to make deductions—something different than guessing. An HSK 1 learner, never having heard the word 老虎 will be able to understand "tiger" if someone says “这是我的老虎” while standing next to a tiger. This is not to say you can never try something more difficult—things should be challenging—but if you can't make heads or tails of what's being said, then it's time to find something a bit easier. If mistake 2 is about the type of method, this is about the level. If you wouldn't give a kindergartener The Great Gatsby to learn how to read, why would you watch Full Metal Alchemist to start learning a language?

Side note: Interesting video here on the Comprehensible Input hypothesis and how it relates to neurodivergence.

Fix: Immerse yourself in appropriate content for your level. It's called comprehensible input for a reason.

Mistake 5: On Translation

I work as a translator, so do you really think I'm going to say translation is all bad? Of course not. It's a separate skill that can be added on to the basic skills, but is really only required if you are A. someone who is an intermediary between two languages (say you have to translate for a spouse or family member) or B. It is your job/hobby. In the context of sitting down and learning, it can be harmful. I think my brain often goes to translation too often because that's how I used to learn. Trying to unlearn that is difficult because, well, what do people even mean when they say "don't translate"? They mean when someone says "thank you", you should not go to your primary language and translate "you're welcome" from that. You should train yourself to go to your target language first when you hear the word for "thank you". A very literally translated "thank you" in Chinese "谢谢你" can come off as cold and sarcastic. I don't tell my friends that, I say "谢啦～". Direct translation can take away the difference in culture, grammar, and politeness in a language. If there is a reason you sound awkward while writing and speaking, it's probably because you're imposing your primary language on your target language.

Fix: Try as hard as you can to not work from your primary language into the target language, but to work from the structures, set phrases, and grammar within the target language that you know first.

Mistake 6: The Secret Language Learners Don't Want You To Know...

...is that there is no one easy method. You are not going to learn French while you sleep, or master Korean by doing this one easy trick. Learning a language requires work and dedication, the people that succeed are those that push through the boredom of repetition and failure. The "I learned X in 1 year/month/week/day!" crowd is hiding large asterisks, be it their actual level, the assistance and free time available to them, "well actually I had already studied this for 4 years", or just straight-up lying. Our own journeys in our native tongue were not easy, they required years and years of constant immersion and instruction. While we are now older and wiser people that can make quick connections, we are also burdened with things like "jobs", "house work", "school work", and the digital black hole that is "social media" that take up our time and energy. Everything above is to help make this journey a little bit easier, quicker, and painless, but it will never be magic.

I find that language learning has a lot in common with the fitness community. People will talk about the workout that changed their life and how no other one will do the same—and it really can be the truth that it changed their life and that they feel it is the ultimate way. The real workout that will change your life is the one you're most consistent with, that you enjoy the most. Language learning is just trying to find the brain exercise that you can be the most consistent with.

Fix: Save your energy looking for shortcuts, and do the work, fail, and come back for more. If someone tells you that you can become fluent in a ridiculously short amount of time, they are selling you a fantasy (and likely a product). You get out what you put in.

For those that made it to the end, here are some of my "universal resources":

Refold Method: I don't agree with their actual method 100%, but they've collected a lot of great resources for learning languages. I've found their Chinese and Korean discords to also be really helpful and provided even more resources than what's given in their starter guides.

Language Reactor: Very useful, and have recently added podcasts as a material! The free version is honestly all you need.

Anki: If I do not mention it, the people with 4+ year streaks with a 5K word deck will not let me forget it. It can be used on desktop or on your phone as an app. If you need a replacement for a language learning app, this is one of them. Justin Sung has a lot of great info on how to best utilize Anki (as does Refold). It's not my favorite, but it could be yours!

LingQ: "But I thought you said language apps are bad!" In isolation, yes. Sorry for the clickbait. This one is pretty good, and more interested in immersing you in the language than selling a subscription to allow you to freeze your streak so the number goes up.

Grammar Textbooks: For self-taught learning, these are going to be the best resource since it's focused on the hardest part of the language, and only that. If you're tired of seeing group work activities, look for a textbook that is just on grammar (Modern Mandarin Chinese Grammar is my rec for Chinese, and A Guide to Japanese Grammar by Tae Kim is the most common/enthusiastic rec I've heard for Japanese).

Shadowing: Simply repeat what you hear. Matt vs Japan talks about his setup here for optimized shadowing (which you can probably build for a lot cheaper now), but it can also just be you watching a video and pausing to repeat after each sentence or near simultaneously if you're able.

Youtube: Be it "Short Story for Beginners", "How to use X", "250 Essential Phrases", or a GRWM in your target language, Youtube is the best. Sometimes you have to dig to find what works for you, but I imagine there is something for everyone at every level. (Pro tip: People upload textbook audio dialogues often, you don't even have to buy the textbook to be able to learn from it!)

A Friend: Be it a fellow learner, or someone who has already mastered the language, it is easier when you have someone, not only to speak to, but to remind you why you're doing this. I write far more in Chinese because I have friends I can text in Chinese.

Pen and Paper: Study after study, writing on paper continues to be the best method for memorization. Typing or using a pen and tablet still can't compare to traditional methods.

The Replies (Probably): Lots of people were happy to give alternatives for specific languages in the replies of my DL post. The community here is pretty active, so if this post blows up at least 20% of what the last one did, you might be able to find some great stuff in the replies and reblogs.

I wish you all the best~

Language Apps Suck, Now What?: A Guide to Actually Becoming "Fluent"

The much requested sequel to my DL post that was promised almost a year ago.

I'm going to address all of the techniques that have helped me in my language learning journeys. Since 95% of these came from the fact that in a past language learning mistake, they are titled as my mistakes (and how I would/did things differently going forward). For those that read to the bottom there is a "best universal resources" list.

Disclaimers:

"Fluency" is hard to define and everyone has their own goals. So for the purpose of this post, "fluency" will be defined as "your personal mastery target of the language".

If you just want to pick up a bit of a language to not sound like a total foreigner on vacation or just exchange a few words in a friend's native language, feel free to ignore what doesn't apply, but maybe something here could help make it a little easier.

This is based on my own personal experience and (some) research.

Mistake 1: Asymmetrical Studying

Fix: Find a variety of study methods that challenge all aspects of the language in different ways.

A variety of methods will help you develop a more well-rounded level of mastery, and probably help you keep from getting bored. Which is important because...

Mistake 2: Inconsistent Studying

Fix: Study regularly (ideally daily) by setting realistic goals. Avoid "binge" studying since remembering requires consistent repetition to be most effective.

Mistake 3: Resource Choice

This is really composed of two mistakes, but I have a good example that will cover them both.

Fix: "Vet" your resources—make sure they will actually help you. If something is working for you, then keep using it! You don't always have to upgrade to the newest tool/method.

Mistake 3.5: Classrooms and Textbooks

Fix: Explore resources available to you and try to think holistically about your approach. CI+Traditional Methods is my go to "Learning Cocktail"

Mistake 4: Yes, Immersion, But...

Side note: Interesting video here on the Comprehensible Input hypothesis and how it relates to neurodivergence.

Fix: Immerse yourself in appropriate content for your level. It's called comprehensible input for a reason.

Mistake 5: On Translation

Fix: Try as hard as you can to not work from your primary language into the target language, but to work from the structures, set phrases, and grammar within the target language that you know first.

Mistake 6: The Secret Language Learners Don't Want You To Know...

For those that made it to the end, here are some of my "universal resources":

Language Reactor: Very useful, and have recently added podcasts as a material! The free version is honestly all you need.

Pen and Paper: Study after study, writing on paper continues to be the best method for memorization. Typing or using a pen and tablet still can't compare to traditional methods.

I wish you all the best~

#language learning

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