#sort of depending on the thing. like an object can be worked on fixing in down time

[princessdarth-vader]

genuinely forgive me for spiralling abt this thing i just made up but the concept of rolling on the relationship track potentially giving people a stress token is making me want to see riz snap all the more. i think it would be so appropriate to the whole like "the moment he slows down he will break" thing for him to finish these huge challenges and successfully pass all of his classes for the year with flying colours and have a chance to take a breath and use that to try and, for the first time in months, reach out to his mother.

and then it just all comes crashing down and he takes a rage token and fights with sklonda and logically he knows that this rage isn't helping but he's so angry at this system that forces him to work himself to death and sklonda is just. there in the moment; a face for him to yell at. and even if it's not fair he can't control his anger. in the moment he suddenly feels much closer to kipperlilly than he ever has. who sees what she considers an unfair system, and is pissed at the people who enforce it and benefit from it.

idk obviously there are larger plans for the rage tokens as a whole (tying into ankarna, probably pushing them closer to like, being this corrupted being) but it would make so much sense for riz, after everything else has fizzled down, to just crash into a wall and break.

[ranger-jahen]

Cost of Living

A re-imagined discussion with Gale in the midst of the orb's progressing enervation. Jahen is eager to help; Gale can't quite understand why.

Characters: Gale Dekarios, Jahen (Tav)

Word Count: 1,970

- - - -

"Gale. C'mon. It's a pair of gloves." Jahen turns, then lobs the gloves at Gale with an easy toss. One thuds dully against the side of Gale's head when he turns his face away in a half-hearted attempt to dodge it, and the other lands purposefully in his lap.

Jahen is pointing at it now insistently. "That's an object. But this?" Jahen's hand raises and he presses the same few fingers he was pointing with to the thready outline of the orb in Gale's chest. His touch is firm, and he holds Gale's gaze mercilessly. "This seems like it might be your life. Or at least what your life is depending on right now. Take the damn gloves."

"Make no mistake that I very much will. And gladly. But--" Gale searches his companion's face, his thoughts still refusing to connect. "Keep in mind that this condition -- if, let's say, we were to imagine it as a metaphorical pit -- doesn't have an observable bottom, I'm sorry to say. An occasional, carefully-timed consumption of any magical artefact is all I really need to manage it. Simply throwing more scraps to the beast, loathe as I am to admit it, isn't going to be a cure. And -- not to denigrate the hardiness and talent of our merry little band -- but we could use these things, perhaps for their actual intended purposes?"

A small pile of magical artefacts dropped at Gale's feet between them is the subject of this little tiff. After the orb's latest snacking, and a mere nine words, The magic isn’t having the effect it should have, Jahen had immediately gone digging in everything they'd been stowing from their scrapes along the road; they'd been storing up quite the trove of supplies as their search continued for someone who might be able to extract their unwanted cerebral visitors. Then after at least an hour of deciphering the enchantment runes and methodically sorting, Jahen had gathered up the little bundle and come marching over to Gale to deliver the items, asking him if he thought any of them would help. 

Jahen throws his hands up in exasperation. "No one is going to be wearing gloves that will help them land a more powerful bare-handed punch when every single one of us has weapons to mind. And I'm still not sure why everyone is content to follow my lead, but if I'm going to put it to any use at all, declaring a ban on any-and-all weapons that may make the wielder go mad if you don't land enough hits with it seems like a good place to start. In fact, if you get rid of that one, I'll sleep better at night. We do not need these things, especially not as much as you seem to think we do."

"Well, they could very well be sold instead then, I'll wager. And gold is something that we can use, to great purpose even, depending on whatever else we might get ourselves tangled up in out here."

"So? Does that make it worth the pain? Tell me there's a herb we can find or a medicine we can buy to fix the problem and then we'll talk about the free market."

Gale shakes his head, his thoughts spiraling. He's trying to understand, he really is. He cannot think of any reason why it should be worth sacrificing so much to keep a man one barely knows in good working condition. Unless Jahen somehow knows about the orb's true and terrible power. Surely Gale hasn't been talking about it in his sleep?

"Well, even if this does help this time," Gale points down at the pile, which is positively radiating with magic that the beast inside is screaming for, "It's simply not sustainable to constantly throw whatever we have at this problem. We won't be finding such a wealth of useful items underneath every hay pile." And eventually, he's certain that his allies will grow to resent the cost. He'd very much rather that not become an issue.

"Look - I know you're leaps and bounds ahead of me in a lot of things, but I'm not that stupid. I know it's not a long-term solution. But I highly doubt you'll be successful at finding the long-term solution when you're bent double every night and struggling to keep up with basic conversations." Jahen gives him a dry look. "Unless this will somehow make things worse in the short-term in some way that I'm not understanding, then shove it. We keep the pain down for now with whatever we can get our hands on, and you work on finding the right solution. And we'll be choosy about it, if that makes you feel better. Things that we can actually use for good purpose will be the last things on the chopping block."

Gale finds himself lost for words, a feat that very few locked in conversation with him have ever achieved. He considers offering up that thought in good humor, but he can't muster the light tone he'd need to do so. It feels like too much to accept before he's proven himself worthy of the resources, but he's also not ready to come clean, because until -- and if -- the situation with the orb becomes dire, he very much wants to keep his place among this company as they search for a cure for the little wrigglers hitching a ride in their skulls. He's been confident about very few things as of late, but one thing he knows beyond a shadow of a doubt is that he cannot go this alone.

He focuses on Jahen, gripped for a moment by the possibility that he could dive deep into his mind with the parasite, root out the man's reasoning for himself, but a second passes and Gale is horrified he even had the thought. Here he is hemming and hawing over how much he doesn't want his companions to feel betrayed, and yet so quickly contemplating the very thing that would surely immediately turn Jahen away for good -- at least, if one considered the man's stubborn and adamant resistance to the parasite's powers thus far as any indication of where he might stand on the matter.

"...Thank you," Gale says after he cannot come up with a single better thing to say. He gathers the gloves and brings them to his chest, and notices the way Jahen relaxes and smiles. A response not particularly indicative of a growing grudge about the trouble Gale might be causing. It can only be a good sign. One would hope, at least.

The gloves disintegrate in his hands. The magic swirls like a storm and is drawn mightily into the furrows and channels carved through his being by the orb's power. He takes a deep breath as the light fades, then another. The sizzling embers that have been eating away at him from the inside start to calm. The hollow, echoing pains borne of the orb's ravages settle into stillness and quiet.

"Better?" Jahen asks when a long silence has passed. He reaches out, and Gale feels a warm hand clasp his shoulder. It's unbearably comforting. The moment lengthens, but Jahen doesn't take his hand away.

"Quite." Gale clears his throat and slowly lifts his head. His mind is clearer. The whole of his being is less burdened. Retracing his steps to a glade of calm to think seems much more manageable now.

"So this is worrying, obviously." Jahen's brow creases, and his touch lifts away as he crosses his arms in thought. "If you've been hidden away in a tower for a year now, feeding this condition with only one magical artefact at a time -- then abruptly after infection with an illithid parasite, the amount of magic needed effectively doubles... gods, I hope your body can sustain the stress if it continues to double each time you need to quell it again."

Finally. Gale can latch onto something he hopes is a reasonable explanation. Jahen is very much talking the way a healer would. He's obviously a ranger worth his salt if his herbalist ministrations towards their band are anything to go by. That's all it is, surely. He's only working to do what he assumes is his job to the best of his ability, just as Gale himself offers his expertise on magic, or Karlach offers her expertise on killing devils. It doesn't really explain the touch to Gale's shoulder, but it makes much more sense than the alternative. 

Alleviated of the burden that comes of wrestling with the idea that his relatively newfound companion is coming to genuinely care for him, Gale locates his easy smile again and straightens up. "Well! Now with that taken care of, I have quite a lot of consideration to do about possible solutions. We shall stow away the rest of these for now, and I may yet return for another sampling in good time. But as for the present moment, I believe the books are calling my name. I'm certain I can find some sense to this in all this mess. Eventually, at least."

Jahen believes him. He's so quick to, it's almost strange. He smiles again and wishes Gale good luck. Then he goes off to the other side of the camp to do whatever it is he gets up to at this time of night. Perhaps fletching arrows or weaving traps or some other sensible ranger activity.*

Gale packs away the items brought to him, his hands lingering with temptation on a few, but he resolutely pushes those thoughts away and thinks of Tara's scolding to get him through the chore. It had taken some time, before, when the orb had first entered his body, to temper his cravings for nearly every magical item locked away within his tower. But he knows well enough now that he ought to keep good discipline about this sort of thing. Best to save them for when he truly needs them. 

The various activities around the campsite gradually grow quiet. Gale reads by lantern until his oil burns low, then tries to tuck in for the night, but his mind is restless and wandering. He can't put his worries to bed quite so easily.

It's unconscionable, he realizes, to keep holding out on the truth when it could be so destructive to these people he's found himself with. Next time, he decides. Next time he finds himself needing to rip the magic from a shard of the world and devour it with his body and soul, he will gather his allies around and tell them the truth. The thought fills him with both a trepidation and a relief. He'll finally have things out in the open, but he can only hope this won't mean his swift severing from the only source of protection he's certain he'll be fortunate enough to find.

His last thought as he finally gets to sleep is of a warm hand on his shoulder. It's comforting even now, and he has a moment to hope that Jahen might be willing to put that natural leadership to use over more than just a cursed flail. Maybe if he's on Gale's side, the fallout won't be as dangerous as it would if he were standing alone. And that's really the point of all of this, isn't it? None of them can go this alone.

Gale sleeps. Unburdened by pain, he sinks into his exhaustion, and sleeps well.

- - - -

*Author's note - Jahen is probably in Karlach's tent either arm wrestling or attempting to find out who can snort the Faerûn equivalnet of a pixy stix the fastest. Having some good sensibilities to his name does not exempt him from dumbassery, a quality Gale will become more familiar with as time goes on.

[girlfriendsofthegalaxy]

tuesday again 4/22/2025

we have once again survived the wretched basket holiday

gif with cartoon rotoscoped blood and guts violence in the watching section

listening

this was playing in the background at one of the pop-up shops i visited during the bookstore crawl and i had to ask the proprietor what it was bc it’s so fun!!! i don’t know a single goddamn thing about classical music but i really like this one

this entire album kept me awake last night during a shift when all i wanted to do was sleep. you may be familiar with unloved’s work from killing eve, very swingy and sixties french pop.

-

reading

my bestie said to me the other week “i read a book that’s like fallout but not? you might like it!” and bc our reading tastes have so infrequently overlapped recently i put everything on pause to read the first two (of six) in charlaine harris’ Gunnie Rose series, An Easy Death (201) and A Longer Fall (201).

the premise is that the economy simply never bounced back post Great Depression and the country collapsed and fractured into various regional powers, and the fleeing Russian nobility (who have some magical abilities as wizards) settled on the West Coast. cars few but not rare, depending on how much money you have, electricity and running water semi plentiful. the nineteen year old (!) heroine is someone i think geralt thewitcher would love: sharp but fair teen mercenary with a semi-fixed base of operations who loves baths. this does avoid YA territory, as she is an adult by her own and her community’s standards. she has generally adult concerns, business and otherwise.

these are kind of intense! with A Longer Fall particularly im not sure i super enjoyed the experience of reading it (it did feel very point and click video game as she and her partner kind of spammed all available object actions with all available people and places in frustration as they’re stuck in this horrible little southern town [sidebar; ms harris, southern born and raised, has a lot of very cutting observations about the south i enjoyed] ) but it does a great job of keeping you in step with their guesses and not really giving you many options to solve it ahead of them. both of these books had the same feeling as when you finish a particularly nasty vault quest: the sort of jesus christ okay i see the puzzle ive finally solved the puzzle but good god. very emotionally satisfying endings. my bestie currently has the third book checked out and i am first on the holds list so stay tuned lol

lesbian novel section coming ??? later today. the downsides of third shift is that sometimes it’s fucking insane

-

watching

Heavy Metal (1981, dir. Potterton and Bruno).

The embodiment of ultimate evil, a glowing orb terrorizes a young girl with bizarre stories of dark fantasy, eroticism, and horror.

animation anthology is usually a format i like, and this is anthology in the short story collection sense rather than an experimental animation showcase sense. almost exclusively rotoscoped (some genuinely wild traveling shots with changing perspective following people up stairs) with occasional bits of live action. almost none of which is giffed.

the singular point i can find in this film’s favor is that there’s a lot of bush, which has become a remarkable novelty to me, the 2025 viewer. a lot of reviews of this move are annoyed at how adolescent it all feels, but i think it can’t quite make up its mind to be an adult movie for adults or gross-out visuals plus boobs to sell to teen boys. i think teen boys should have all the well made gross out visuals and boobs they want, and not dreck off the floor like this. the storytelling is often incoherent.

the race and gender relations here are really not great either, in a way that was probably egregious even for 1981. little white teen (they are SO careful to say he’s eighteen) gets zwoooped off to an alien planet and into the body of a big black guy, Who Fucks!!! almost none of the female characters have names in the credits. things of this nature.

i could not make it through the 00s more traditionally animated sequel. they were both free on poob so no big loss. this is exactly the niche of film for poob unfortunately

-

playing

genshin has never made me say “what the FUCK was that” in sheer annoyance before but hey! finally wrestled through this last bit of the natlan mainline quest and not ONLY did they use a video game mechanic in a way that thoroughly irritated me, what the Fuck was that ending.

this makes it double annoying bc this new area was so fun to explore for the first time!!! significantly less fun on return trips, bc it’s not as dense as genshin usually is, but boy is it pretty. some of the most fun i had was figuring out how to get to the top of this big spire on top of the entrance hall. nothing up there btw. just some condessence crystals and a couple saurians. not even a mint :(

also got to the top of that biggest spire directly behind the ocelot girl but it’s not as picturesque. there is an indirect puzzle up there tho

the theme of this specific set of releases seems to be way less reward for poking around and being curious about both the game and the world, which is pretty diametrically opposed to the rest of the game. not sure why this nation feels so thin on the ground compared to the other ones but we will probably have to wait for a tell all memoir

-

making

BEAN ALERT

also, procrastinated so hard sunday afternoon i sorted, measured, and logged all my big lengths of fabric bc i have a bee in my bonnet about sewing again. this doesn’t count stuff under a yard bc who has the time

[dailyadventureprompts]

Homebrew Mechanic: Fixing D&D’s Gameplay Loop with Item Degradation

Normally I have snappy titles for these, but in this case I wanted to be super upfront with what I was getting you all into. 

Some people are not going to like the idea of introducing item degradation into the game, and they’re ABSOLUTELY right to be hesitant. Just about every attempt I’ve seen (includig both RAW versions from previous editions, examples from videogames, and those I’ve put together myself in the past) have been horribly clunky exercises in beancounting that only ever existed to needlessly slow down gameplay for the sake of joyless realism. 

I’ve come at it from another angle however, but to explain we’re going to need to get into some game design talk. 

The basic gameplay loop of D&D is supposed to be: 

Seeking adventure leads you to face challenges

Overcoming challenges leads you to rewards

Rewards Help you get stronger 

Getting stronger allows you to seek tougher adventures

After a while this system starts to break down specifically with regards to gold as a method of reward. Even if you’re the smart sort of DM who flouts the rules and gives their party access to a magic item shop, there’s an increasingly limited number of things to spend gold on, leading to parties acquiring sizable hordes of riches early on in their adventuring career, completely eliminating the desire to accept quests that pay out in gold in one form or another. This is a pretty significant flaw because adventures that centre around acquisition of riches ( treasure hunts, bounty missions, busywork for rich patrons that will inevitably betray you) are foundational to storytelling within the game, especially early on in a campaign before the party has gotten emotionally invested.  Most advice you can find online attempting  to solve this problem tends to dissolve down to “let them pour money into a home base”,  but that can only really happen once per campaign as a party is unlikely to want more than one secret clubhouse. 

TLDR:  What I propose is the implantation of a lightweight system that forces the party to periodically drop small amounts of wealth into maintaining their weapons/armour/foci. The players will be motivated to seek out gold in order to keep using their best stuff,  giving value to treasure drops that previously lacked it.  Not only does this system act as an insulation against powercreep at higher levels, it also encourages a party to engage with the world as they seek out workshops and crafters capable of repairing their gear. 

The System: 

Weapons, armour, shields, and caster foci (staves, holy symbols etc) can accumulate “ticks” of damage, represented by a dot or X drawn next to their item entry on the character sheet. Because you get better at handling your gear as you level up, an item that exceeds a total number of ticks equal to its bearer’s proficiency bonus breaks, and is considered unusable until it is repaired. 

Weapons and Foci gain a tick of damage when you roll a natural 1 on an attack made with them, or if they are specifically targeted by an enemy’s attack.

Armour and shields gain a tick of damage when you roll a nat 1 on a saving throw or when an enemy beats your ac by 5 or more. A character equipped with both can decide which of the two items receives the tick

Creatures with the “siege” (or any “does double damage to objects” ability) deal an extra tick when attacking gear. 

A character with a crafting proficiency  and access to tools can repair a number of ticks of damage equal to their proficiency on a four hour work period. This rate is doubled if they have access to a properly equipped workshop.  A character with access to the mending cantrip can repair ticks on any kind of item, but is limited to their proficiency bonus per work period.  

Having an item repaired by an NPC crafter removes all ticks, but costs vary depending on the rarity of the item:    5g for a mundane item, 10g for a common item, 50g for uncommon, 250 for a rare, 1250 for a very rare, 6250 for a legendary.  The DM decides the limit on what each crafter can repair, as it’s likely small towns have access to artisans of only common or uncommon skill, requiring the party to venture to new lands or even across planes if they wish to repair end game gear.

As you can see, degradation in this system is easy to keep track of and quite gradual, leading players into a position where they can ignore obvious damage to their kit for the sake of saving their now precious gold.  It likewise encourages them to seek out NPC crafters (and potential questhooks) for skills they do not possess, and encourages the use of secondary weapons either as backups or to save the more potent items in the arsenal for a real challenge. 

Consumables

Everyone knows the old joke about players hoarding consumables from the first adventure past the final bossfight, it transcends genre and platform, and speaks to a nature of loss aversion within our shared humanity.  However, giving players items they’re never going to use amounts to wasted time, resources, and potential when looking at things from a game design perspective, so lets work on fixing that. 

My inspiration came from witcher 3, which encourages players to make frequent use of consumables by refreshing them whenever the character had downtime. The darksouls series has a similar feature with the signature estus flask, which provides a limited number of heals before it must be refreshed at one of the game’s checkpoints.  When the designers removed the risk of permanent loss and the anxiety it creatures, players were able to think tactically about the use of their consumables confident in the knowledge that any mistakes were just a resupply away from being fixed.  

My proposal is that while the party is in town they can refill the majority of their consumable items for a small per item fee. Just like with gear degradation, this encourages them to seek out crafters and do quests for the hope of discounts, while at the same time encouraging them to explore new realms in the hope of discovering higher level artisans. 

The price for refills is set at: 5g for common, 25g for an uncommon, 125g for a rare, 625g for a very rare, 3125g for  legendary.  I encourage my own players to keep a  “shopping list” in their inventory with prices tabulated so they can hand out a lump sum of gold and have their kit entirely refreshed. 

Characters with a relevant skill and access to their tools can refill a number of items equal to their proficiency bonus during a four hour work period. With access to a proper workshop, this rate doubles.   ( At last, proficiency with brewers supplies, carpenters tools etc become useful) 

I encourage you as a DM to check out this potion flasks system, which I’ve found adds a delicious factor of uncertainty back into the mix.  Attached is also my super lightweight rules for tracking gear and supplies, which I absolutely refuse to shut up about.

Artist

[farenmaddox]

it's Cas!posting hours again

I’m doing a season 4 rewatch of Supernatural because I need to watch this angel fall again. And god, it’s so good. The Destiel of it all is literally from minute one and never lets up, for one thing. Like, the insane crazy eye contact and whispered conversations alone in the dark and the way Castiel constantly shows up in the aftermath of really terrible moments of Dean’s life, where the only role available to him is to listen to Dean spill emotions everywhere, and do his little angel best to provide some sort of comfort? Are you fucking kidding me?

I just finished watching s4e7 “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester��� and need to talk about it for a minute. Thee Castiel just radiating BDE. Uriel’s the specialist, but Cas is the one who gets to decide whether Uriel goes to work and gets to reprimand and threaten him. I am. Okay.

Anyway, I’m just considering it all from Cas’s perspective. Like, what does he actually know about Dean Winchester? So little. They have spent max two hours in each other’s company at this point. He knows that Dean was feisty enough to stab him and yell at him, and he obviously thinks it’s kinda cute because he just lets him do it. Like a puppy that hasn’t learned not to bite yet. What else does he know? He knows Dean got very pissed about the rising of the witnesses, and the deaths of his fellow hunters. Understandable, maybe. Castiel is pissed about the loss of his own fellow soldiers. Makes sense.

Then there was s4e3, “In the Beginning,” and now Castiel knows that Dean loves his family and it hurt him to see what happened to his mother and why everything happened with Sam the way it did. And Castiel felt it. He felt that pain from Dean, and it wasn’t his place to stop any of this, he was just there to drive the car and make the cryptic threats. But he reached out and touched his shoulder, because Dean was in pain and Castiel couldn’t look at it without wanting to do something. That little touch is where the crack formed. 100%

Now it’s Halloween, and they need to destroy a whole town. Castiel last saw Dean about a month ago, and he’s been busy trying to stop the apocalypse. It’s difficult and his brothers are dying and he’s stressed. Now he’s here, and he has to destroy a town. And Castiel doesn’t want to, but it’s not up to him, it’s up to Dean. And Castiel doesn’t know this, because he can’t remember, but he’s been here before. He’s felt this doubt before, and they’ve drilled into his brain and pulled it out of him. He’s had all previous instances of hesitation stolen from him. So now, here, his doubts are new and frightening. And Dean Winchester gets to decide. This man whose significance he doesn’t fully know or understand. He knows he was commanded to pull him out of hell, he knows Dean feels loyalty to hunters and family, but he doesn’t know what Dean will do when it’s his life, his brother’s life, against the lives of random people he doesn’t know and would never see again anyway. Castiel will do whatever Dean says, but he knows he might be disappointed. That he might have to kill 1,214 people depending on who Dean really is.

Then Dean proves himself to be the man that Castiel was secretly hoping he was. He won’t let them destroy the town and he will put his own life on the line for it. Dean loves humanity, the way that Castiel is not allowed to remember that he does, too. Dean does what Castiel was longing to do and praying that Dean would do for him, and he makes the space where Castiel can profess those feelings safely.

Yeah, Cas falls. Of course he does. This episode makes me truly believe that he was going to anyway and Dean was just the catalyst for it this time. He’s fallen before, but this time, he gets to remember. Because Dean is the immovable object that meets the unstoppable force, because Dean is a fixed point in the universe. This time, when Cas falls in love with humanity, they can’t take it away from him because his love literally has plot armor.

[kokoasci]

hey hiii love your art and i am astonished by your background composition, is there a process behind that or maybe tips you would share ?

hi!! thank you! this kind of like depends per piece, im not a professional artist (compsci student, so take my advice as a student with no formal art studies with enough salt to taste) but i do have a kind of general-ish process that i can talk about like with this scara piece comp:

i work pose first, composition second: i.e. i draw a pose and usually refine it before i start thinking about a background lol 😭

working general -> specific is my best friend, and I think it also helps me evolve a drawing as i go, since i don't usually have an idea for a full composition when i start (that's so stressful to me LMAO) you can see this progress here (i erased the basic guidelines though so theres no facial features, but i usually leave the face for last anyway because it helps me fit in an expression better)

by the time i have a full pose THEN ill start refining to an actual composition. this is also the point at which i decide to start putting actual effort in

then i just. fill the background with objects, usually ones that have a connection to the character or vibe im trying to fit. this is a weird example because the only things i know about scaramouche is there's some sort of like connection with puppets and he also likes his vision so i played with that idea, which is kind of where those fishes and the general pose came from. (i go into more detail about this here!)

i originally wanted to have puppet strings for those objects as you can see below but it made the final piece kind of muddy so i took them out :(

then its just coloring, which is usually what takes me the longest because im so. indecisive 😭 i like to keep depth and 3d space as the like #1 thing in my mind while coloring though and how shadows will work with that, because i think it helps a piece pop out way more

and that's how i get my compositions !! i make it seem pretty streamlined here please know it's a lot of redoing whole parts of the drawing and fixing the background/foreground until im happy with the finished result

thank you for asking, i hope this helped answer the question <3

[sashiepoo]

why houseki no kuni is important

the contemporary train of thought, to nobody's surprise, is highly existentialist. more than that, it is an eternally reverberating set of waves spawned by individuals whose thoughts swing back and forth like broken pendulums swinging between ephemeral states of positivity and eternal states of negativity. everybody wants to emulate themselves as happier than they are, despite constantly self sabotaging themselves. i always think back to houseki no kuni whenever i see these sorts of thoughts manifest in any space, be it in the comments of a tiktok, a conversation with a friend, listening to a random youtube video, and frankly present in just the implications of really anything postmodern. this sense of dread permeates through everything that we exist within, and it is easier said than done to dispel it.

houseki no kuni is a dark fantasy work that centers around gems, a species with an extremely small population that inhabit a large island, where they simply focus on surviving through their relatively long lifespans. the plot is significantly pushed forth by invasions from an extraterrestrial species known as the lunarians. the work is a beautiful look into what exactly constitutes the incredible breadth of emotions experienced by individuals, as well as a retrospective on finding meaning and understanding what to make of our inherent goals and the relationships and connection-dependent bonds that make up the human conditions. this work will contain spoilers for houseki no kuni's ending and i will mostly be discussing it vaguely as a product of the story rather than something akin to an in-depth analysis or even a thematic overview

the reason i bring up the idea of existentialism as a pendulum is that i think houseki no kuni represents this exact pendulum, taken to its utter extremes, where the tragedies and experiences of phosphophyllite seem to reflect how i view my own life. briefly looking at the process of phos as a character, we see that from the very first moment they can recall, all they ever wanted was to be useful to people. they feel this inherent debt towards the people around them, some that are seemingly based in a desire for approval and others that stem from a desire to simply provide unconditionally for those around them. a lot of works look at this sort of dichotomy between self-sacrifice and selfishness, and the possibility that both are not mutually exclusive outcomes, and i think that houseki no kuni is no exception however it applies an interesting perspective to it.

the first thing that we need to understand about phos is that their desire to help others doesn't just come from nowhere. it is a product of the society that they live in, and it is not as if the gems live by rules and implied ideas that are any different than ours. when you judge a member of society, in your own world, i want you to think about what fairly objective metric you would use to determine their worth? while there are a few valid answers, i think most of them would be based on their contributions, or some extension of their character that you think is a net positive on society. in the land of the lustrous (see what i did there), there is a heavy emphasis on survival, and the value of individuals is determined by the qualities that contribute the most to the society (hardness and capability as a fighter seem to be clear determinants of the hierarchy) and if you can't fight, your other methods of contribution, such as rutile's ability to fix the broken gems. as such, phos's desire to contribute, while seemingly based in self-sacrifice is really just a product of their own desire to be acknowledged. but this is not to say that phos is selfish, because they are a genuinely kind gem, and while we see several gems that maintain this order, contribute and are self-sacrificing in similar manners, a lot of them do it out of self-preservation, whereas phos has a desire to simply just help. they want to feel as if they're a part of the greater society

part of what makes this idea of self-sacrifice inherently disagreeable and difficult to extend to a lot of people's individual lives is exactly that they feel highly individualistic. in a world where there is everybody (8 billion is not a small number) people are inclined to think that there is only them that matters. even if we consider that there are a special few that we let into our lives and view as special, oftentimes these bonds are crude and inevitable to be broken in the pursuit of oneself ultimately the plague of individualism is exactly what separates people from the ability to unconditionally view their lives in service of others as an ouroborostic ideal, where the fulfillment of ones self stems from the fulfillment of others.

the subsequent phases of the story go through phos's increase in strength at the cost of antarcticite's life, coupled with a lot of trauma and an inability to accept the position that they always desired as a fighter. this, coupled with a distrust in kongo leads to phos's deep dive into a desire for the truth, but really it is not truth that they pursue but change because they feel it as their duty, letting it usurp and become them, as the pressure of this duty breaks phos on and on.

as we move through the story, we see phos sacrifice bits and pieces of themself, both metaphorically, and literally, as they attempt to satisfy every goal and every task requested of them, and when it boils down to it, they either are unable to fulfill any of it, or fail at doing so. this slow burn through the story, while essentially exposition, is crafted in such a compelling manner. you can truly feel the disappointment the characters experience in phos, and the disappointment they experience in themselves. this manifests itself ultimately in a destruction of all of phos's ideals that they spawned in with. their shift back to individualism is viewed as a negative thing for a lot of readers, and while the context of the story does a lot of heavylifting for the viewer's frame of mind, there should be no surprise that people tend to scorn individualistic frameworks of thought.

it is not as if ichikawa is inherently disregarding phos's pursuit of the truth as a bad thing, but i think the idea that you should do it entirely by yourself is something that Ichikawa considers self-destructive, which i think is the main idea behind everything up until chapter 80ish, where phos decides to make kongo pray. this is where the rest of the story funnels into its big sacrifice for phos. the big twist, where phos is left with nothing but themself for 10000 years. over this time, phos has tons to reflect on everything that the gems did to betray their trust and good will, and despite all of this, phos still decides to pray. following this, phos even sacrifices themself finally.

i don't want to talk at length about this portion of houseki no kuni for a couple of reasons. one is that there are tons of incredibly intelligent and perceptive people that have written about phos's prayer, and shared their perspectives, the good and the bad about it, and i find my thoughts to be nothing unique and mostly a reflection of the general consensus. what i do want to touch on, is ichikawa's final thoughts. what happens after the prayer?

first thing to point out is phos's very obvious realization. they sacrificed everything when all they really wanted was to be loved. they desired change, truth, love, but never really did anything to satisfy their own craving for love, just missions that they hoped would serve as a means to that end.

phos ends up finding a new species, new people to love and people that love them. and they live out their happy years until the sun comes to envelope them. phos feels committed to their duty and decides to stay back to sacrifice themself to the sun, and this ultimate act of self-sacrifice is i think what has brought me to the core of houseki no kuni

it was one of the most raw, and rough endings of all time, and it was filled with moments that were hard to really rationalize, and an unusual explanation of a lot of the things that were inherent to the story, but in the end, all that was left was phosphophyllite

and phosphophyllite was light... really light... there was really nothing left of them besides their goal. when everything was fully erased, that inherent desire never truly left, and so they hope they can brighten someone's day.

people feel so often that they have no purpose, and that they cannot feel loved by anyone, and yet they will never acknowledge their inherent need to love, and their inherent need to acknowledge their purpose. repressing and burdening yourself over the years with all of these thoughts, only for the most fleeting, light, and authentic portion of yourself to still yearn for you to maybe get yourself out of the passenger seat and drive it yourself. the desire to be loved is not one that can be enacted passively, and the desire for purpose is not something that can be enacted actively. to be loved and to love, and to act for your purpose, and act as a means to your purpose. houseki no kuni reminds you what exactly to pursue.

[ziperacethesentimentpuppet]

FairlyOddParents: New Wish OC

A Fanfiction that I'll never Make including more Art 🎨 of these Lovely Characters.

Here's the Size Different Between a Grown Up Fairy and the Kids all together ❤️

WARNING ⚠️ INFO DUMP!

Know here's the Random Info Dump of Each Character you see here 👀

Species

Fairies - Has inherent their notoriously fast healing & free-spirited and whimsical Personality including the abilities to touch Clouds.

[Left Round Fairy Wing]

Pixies - Has inherent their Square-Shaped Wings & Good with hiding their Emotions by talking in a dry, boring, and monotone voice.

[Right Square Pixie Wing]

Genies - Has Unlimited Wishes with Rule Free Magic & has inherent their Flight Abilities without needing Wings.

[Has No Legs unless she Transforms]

Elves - Got their Round Head & Short Stature while inherent their Knack for Building or Creating Anything including Fixing.

[Smaller than other Kids]

Leprechauns - Inherent their Pointed Ears & Dangerous Strength & their Extremely Protective of their Stuff & Territory including People.

[Sharp Ears]

CONDITION

• Autism - A developmental disorder of variable severity that is characterized by difficulty in social interaction and communication and by restricted or repetitive patterns of thought and behavior.

• Alexithymia - Lack of emotional awareness or, more specifically, difficulty in identifying and describing feelings and in distinguishing feelings from the bodily sensations of emotional arousal.

• Insomnia - People with autism tend to have insomnia: It takes them an average of 11 minutes longer (Or didn't get any sleep at all) than typical people to fall asleep, and many wake up frequently during the night. 

Some people with the condition have sleep apnea, a condition that causes them to stop breathing several times during the night.

Sleep in people with autism may also be less restorative than it is for people in the general population. They spend about 15 percent of their sleeping time in the rapid eye movement.

• Mild Germaphobe - (It depends on the situation and what type of Germs she does not like. For example, a Classmate coughed into their hands instead of in their Arms and she offered hand sanitizer to them but they said no thank you. And now I they don't feel safe and gross out at the same time including being worried.

• Memory Difficulty - Autistic people experience specific difficulties with memory and memory strengths. While memory difficulty is not part of the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it is a common symptom experienced by many autistic people.

• Birth Defects - Basically structural changes present at birth that can affect almost any part or parts of the Body (Heart, Brain, Foot). They may affect how the Body looks, Works, or Both. Birth defects can vary from Mild to Severe Depending who has it.

• Speech Impairment - Has Fluency Disorder & does Stammer Occasionally.

• Trypophobia - Trypophobia is mainly visual. If you have this phobia, you might feel anxiety, disgust, and discomfort when looking at things. goosebumps, chills, or the sensation of your skin crawling. a strong desire to get away from the image or object.

OCCUPATION

• Merchandise Creator

• Street Vendor

• Mailer

• Influencer (YouTube)

• Owner Of An Entertainment Business & Hygiene Products.

(Video Games/Bored Games/Comics/Manga/Cartoon/Anime/etc. Shampoo, Hand Sanitizer, Conditioner, Lotion, etc.)

POWERS/SKILLS

• Shape Shifting - Can Transform to any Objects or Animals.

• Reality-Bending Magic - Basically Brake Physics & Logic with this type of Magic.

• Teleportation - Basically can Transport anywhere in the World or Universe.

• Accelerated Healing - Their Body heal themselves very Fast but they still can die.

[Good Thing she has Plot Armor.]

• Flight: Can defy gravity and float in the air.

• Space Survivability: Can evidently survive in the vacuum of space without any sort of protective equipment.

• Rainbow 🌈 Magic - Instead of Farting Rainbows like Leprechauns, they use it to make Magic Runes or Marks.

• Extream Luck Magic - Use this Magic to be extremely Lucky or to Protect themselves from Danger & turn bad days into good days.

• Supper Strength & Good Stamina - Extremely Strength & Run or Fly Very Fast.

• Choas Magic - Since their Bloodline is from 5 Magical Being, their Magic is Very Strong, but also it can Easily Kill themselves as well.

[She have to be Very Carful when using Magic.]

• Crafts & Builds - Their really Good at Creating or Fixing Stuff.

• Acting - Their Very Skillful of Acting so their very good at Manipulating & Tricking People, they mostly use this skill for Good & their Shows & Games they are creating.

• Immune to Magic Influence - Yup, Don't have to worry about getting mind controlled or etc.

Weaknesses

• Armadillos: The armor of an armadillo is immune to magic.

• Sensitivity - Blake's body reacts to the environment they are in Including drugs, chemicals, or other substances. For example, a person who is sensitive to the sun may have skin that burns easily or get a rash when exposed to the sun.

• Magical Build-up - Blake will explode & turns into Magic Dust if they don't use there Magic for 3 Months of Time depending on what they do, since Blake use their Magic Offten they don't have to worry plus. If they Explode that Leftover Magic could Knock Magical Being Out or make them Dizzy or a state of Confusion which is not a good idea.

(Since they don't want to get Captured or People Finding Out about their Existence & try to use them. Also the Part that they don't want to go to Magic School since the School System in their Past Life is SMOOF UP!)

Hot 🔥 & Cold 🥶 - Blake gets Extremely Weak & Tried in the Heat while the Cold they are very Active & Strong depending on what they do & the temperature in the environment.

Laziness - Blake is Extremely Lazy & Does not want to Work Hard 😑 so they usually Hire People to do it for her unless it's something she wants to do & Enjoy or Motivated.

HOBBYS

• Reading 📚 Fanfiction or Manga & Comics

• Creating Fanmade Food

• Story Telling & Cosplaying

• Creating or Listening 🎶 to Music 🎵

• Creating Video Games & Acting

• Creating Shows & Movies 🎬

• Creating Educational Shows & Video Games

• Role-playing

• Eating Snacks From Different Countries & Shows that Exist in The Fairly OddParents Universe including Plants.

• Helping Characters to have a Happier Life & Character Development to be a Better Person In The Future.

• Doesn't care what people think of them, she just loves to be themselves, & Hopefully survive from any Toxic Stereotypes.

• Having Multiple Identity & Creating New Invention With Magic.

(Made Sure That their the Only Once, who has access to their Invention including their most Trusted Friends who is their Counterpart.)

GOALS

• To Have Good Security on Everything.

• To Live a Happy & Confortable Life.

• An Extremely Clean & Safe Environment.

• Healthy Body With Good Hygiene.

• Make a Safe Workplace for Staff.

• Destroy Gender Stereotypes.

• Create Badass Female Characters & Feminine Male, characters can relate to while slowly Influenced the new Generation of Kids not not make the same mistakes from the old Generation.

• Secretly Be Extremely Rich while Having All My Money Safe 💰 In a High Quality Bank 🏦

• Make Friends While Creating My Fake PERMANENT RECORD for my Backstory.

• Change The Past & Future for the Better.

• Make Sure any Wish Timmy or other Kids make won't Effect themselves and their Friends at all just to be Safe.

DESCRIPTION

No Magical Being or None-Magical Beings knows about their Existence and only a few select people knows. ✨️ Florian Blake Harper lives in their Fanmade Country that became Reality once she got Reincarnated into their Merge AU Universe they wanted to Live in.

Blake's Home Country is called "GenvesFepre"

It kinda works Similar like "Hogwarts" we're Magical Beings are allowed to know their Existence while Muggles are ignorant.

But in this Reality, Magical Being who are Born in that Country are not allowed 🚫 to tell people outside of their Home Country. Only a Few Select People are allowed to know and can visit this Place 🏡 and Experience their Culture.

It's a Country we're Magical and None-Magical Beings are Living Together in Harmony like Humans, Fairies, Pixies, Genies, Elves, Leprechauns and Surprisingly Anti-Fairly live Among them Perfectly Fine without Causing Trouble and Living their own Lives.

If a Foreigner somehow got Accepted into "GenvesFepre" is literally a Utopia to these people because how Perfect it seems, but the problem is... it is Perfect! Since the System in Place is Flawless. NO WONDER why these people who are Born in GenvesFepre are Perfectly Happy and Content with their Lives.

Of course there's a Few Bad Apples and People who are not Content with their Lives, but Lucky the System deals with these type of People Perfectly Fine, after all "GenvesFepre" made sure the that these People who are Born in their Country are Unaware of their Perfect and Flawless System in Place, to help them Grow and Learn and Find their Purpose in Life.

But it really depends on the Person because the System can't Reform every Bad Apple or Save People who doesn't want to get Saved, since it's there Lives and Actions they Decide to make. And they have to Deal with the Karma Bitting them Back or be Sented to Death.

INVENTORY

Blake made their own Magical Phone 📱 since they don't want to pay any Bills or have anyone tracking them down, please they can change their phone to Camera Mode to take better Pictures 📸 while being able to print 🖨 Stuff Out.

It also Works like a Magic Wand, even though she doesn't need a Wand in the First Place to make Wishes come Ture, but she can use her Phone as a Wand if she wants to.

Sapphire is Lively, Vivacious, Intelligent, and Affectionate. They can make for great service dogs with adequate training and are best suited for mental and intellectual disabilities rather than physical ones.

Blake legit Befriended Star Stial because it's Cool to find another Hybrid other than themselves.

Flake's Help Deal with Yugopotamia Customers since Blake is too Germaphobe to Deal with them.

[littlemoonastrology]

All About: VIRGO ♍︎ - The Zodiac Signs

This post will cover all the basic information needed to understand Virgo, the sixth Zodiac Sign!

Take a look at my other posts to see more information on: Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer and Leo!

The next one coming is Libra, the seventh Zodiac Sign.. keep a look out!

If you feel like this post has helped you feel free to Follow, Reblog or Repost (as long as I'm credited! I'm relatively new to Tumblr so I'm still learning about how all this works)!

~

Virgo ♍︎

Date (Only applies to Sun Signs): August 23 - September 22

Symbol: ♍︎ - The Maiden

Associated House: Sixth

Associated Degrees: 6°, 18°

Associated Energy: Feminine

Planetary Ruler(s): ☿ Mercury (Modern and Traditional)

Element: Earth

Modality: Mutable

Keywords: Strategic, Ethical, Intelligent, Selfless, Analytical, Honest

This placement can make someone very strategic, intellectual. analytical and ethical! Whilst Virgo placements have a reputation for being very conservative, organised or traditional, you'd be surprised by how unconventional and creative they can really be. This sign makes for someone very realistic and grounded, taking into consideration every little nuance in order to understand a situation and make a decision. When they dedicate their time to something they can become highly skilled before moving onto the next thing, sort of like a Jack of All Trades. However, whilst a Virgo might be skilled in practical things - they may have some issues socially and find they can be quite awkward in certain settings (unless they have developed this skill, they can become extremely charismatic!) and shy. These signs are deeply emotional, amazing at giving practical advice and great during a debate! A Virgo also loves to serve those that they are closest to, and will do their best to make sure their close friends are happy and healthy.

However, getting close to a Virgo is quite difficult and takes a lot for them to trust you - in some aspect they may be quite anxious and read into what you say... Or if you have bad intent they will easily snuff you out and make sure you won't get close to them. Maybe in some aspect of their life they had been taken advantage of at some point, been in a controlling environment or something else which resulted in them using their intellect to solve problems or develop trust issues.

When a Virgo feels incapable or worried, they might get defensive and completely refuse to open up at all - focusing on their hobbies as a way to distract themselves and feel less anxious. On the other hand, they may give in too easily and sort of become a "people pleaser" or try to be the peacemaker in a situation, only to sort of feel like they've been left the short end of the stick. They may start to overthink... a lot. In some cases when a Virgo closes up or feels tense they may even resort to methods of control over their environment (such as keeping objects neat as it allows their brain to focus on something else) or become quite snappy.

When Virgo feels safe and capable they can really develop anything, but the issue is they may not see something through long enough to fully reap the rewards, maybe become somewhat careless in what they do. When it gets to this point, it is important for someone with this placement to maintain some sort of discipline, stick to what they care about and remain grounded.

~

Notes/Keywords/Phrases

Zodiac Sign

Each of the Zodiac Signs are a constellation. The Zodiac Sign shows how a Planet/Asteroid/Fixed Point/House is being represented and expressed. Once a Planet/Asteroid/Fixed Point/House falls into a Zodiac Sign, it adopts the energy of it.

For example: if Mercury falls into the constellation Sagittarius, Mercury adopts Sagittarian traits. If the 6th House falls into the constellation Aquarius, the 6th House adopts Aquarian traits.

Associated House

The Houses in Astrology are dependent on the time and location of birth in a Natal Chart and there are 12 different ones. Each of these 12 Houses are then assigned to a Zodiac Sign and 1 or 2 Planetary Rulers. The Houses in Astrology show you what area of life the energy of the Zodiac and Planets/Asteroids/Fixed Points is appointed to and helps provide depth into the chart.

For example: Capricorn's Associated House is the 10th House.

Associated Degrees

When a Planet/Asteroid/Fixed Point/House falls into a Zodiac Sign constellation, it will be appointed a Degree. This Degree shows how far along the Planet/Asteroid/Fixed Point/House is in a Zodiac Sign. Each Degree is also associated with a Zodiac Sign, meaning when this Degree comes up it can nuance the way the Zodiac Sign of a Planet/Asteroid/Fixed Point/House is being represented.

For example: Mars is 6° in the Zodiac Cancer, 6° represents Virgo - therefore the Cancer Mars also takes on Virgo traits. The 2nd House is 23° in the Zodiac Scorpio, 23° represents Aquarius - therefore the 2nd House in Scorpio takes on Aquarian traits.

Planetary Ruler(s)

This phrase refers to the Planet(s) that rule a Zodiac Sign. When a Planet falls into the Zodiac Sign it has rulership over, the energy of both the Planet and the Zodiac Sign is amplified.

For example: Pisces' Planetary Ruler is Neptune.

Modern / Traditional

These words are associated with two kinds of Astrology: Modern Astrology and Traditional Astrology. Traditional Astrology refers to Astrology that was practiced before the 19th century, whilst Modern Astrology refers to Astrology that is practiced now. Some people choose to practice Traditional Astrology, some people choose to practice Modern Astrology, whilst some others might practice both types or combine them together.

Element

Each Zodiac Sign/Planet/House/Degree is associated with an Element and this covers certain traits which are unique to the Zodiac Sign/Planet/House/Degree they correspond to.

These Elements are: Fire, Air, Water and Earth.

Modality

Much like an Element, each Zodiac Sign/Planet/House/Degree is associated with a Modality. The Modality describes what the focus of a placement is and how the energy is expressed.

There are 3 different Modalities: Cardinal, Mutable and Fixed.

[friendsfan04]

Blog Post #6

How are humans increasingly becoming more similar to cyborgs in this day and age?

Humans are definitely becoming more like cyborgs every single day. We all depend on technology to help us on a daily basis, even if it’s just completing a simple task. People also spend a lot of time on their phones and other electronic devices each day, and it’s like we’re attached to our phones now. Some may feel like they can’t live without their phones and that they would be completely lost without this small piece of technology. We are so dependent on our devices nowadays that it really makes us wonder what the difference is between us and cyborgs, and quite frankly, there isn’t much of a difference. 

2. Why are cyborgs usually thought of as feminine or having a female voice?

Cyborgs or people that are designed for video games are usually imagined as women because it’s more appealing to the general population, or men in particular. For example, when we looked at the Mavis Beacon documentary in class, we saw that this sort of cyborg was modeled after a woman. This is because she presents a more motherly figure when teaching people how to type. To take it one step further, when we think about our early school years, most if not all of our teachers were female because teachers are seen as more of a mother figure. So when developing the Mavis Beacon typing software, the creators thought it best to make it a woman that teaches the typing program because it’s more comforting. 

3. Why are men favored in most fields of work, and what does this have to do with the concept of white supremacy? 

Men are thought of as stronger and more able and willing to work hard and provide for the family, which is why they are often favored in most fields of work. Women are seen as weak in terms of labor and are thought of as stay-at-home mothers. Taking this back to the days of slavery, black women were made to stay in the house and do laundry, cook, clean, and take care of the children while the men did the hard labor. White men, specifically, would usually be the head of the household and would be wealthy and powerful, which would put them even higher than black men. So there’s sort of a class system in a sense when looking at our history when it comes to labor and white supremacy. 

4. Why is the feminine presence so popular in today’s gaming culture?

The feminine presence is so popular, specifically in video games today, because women are sadly seen as objects sometimes and often not taken seriously. For example, in GTA, women are seen as prostitutes and are not really seen as tough. I’m not one to play video games, but from what I’ve gathered, a lot of other games are like this, in that they portray women as something to be earned or some sort of object, while the men are doing all the “manly” things such as driving the cars, acting as soldiers, defending the land, etc. 

5. Do you think female figures being created for video games through the male gaze is similar to how facial recognition software fails when looking at people of color?

I think female figures being created through the male gaze is sort of similar in some ways to how facial recognition software fails to correctly identify people of color. In both scenarios, one party is being disadvantaged because they are seen as “less-than” citizens. The designers of the facial recognition software failed to fix the errors in the codes that mistakenly convict the wrong people of color. Like I mentioned before, women are often seen in the eyes of men as “objects” or some sort of prize to be won, which makes it even worse when women in video games are designed by men because the women they design are oftentimes inaccurate. Both of these issues can have big consequences, and problems continue to arise in terms of each of these situations. 

Daniels, Jesse. (2019). Gender, White Supremacy, and the Internet. 

Haraway, D. (2019). A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781912453269

Jones, Jazmin. Seeking Mavis Beacon. (2024). [Film]. United States. 

O’Riordan, K. (2022). Gender, Technology, and Visual Cyberculture. Critical Cyberculture Studies, 243–254. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814708903.003.0025

[rabbitindisguise]

hi! 🔥📚 for the fic writer ask meme?

Oh hey! Ty for the ask :D

📚: What are some of the favorite things you've learned while doing research?

I think the stuff I learned about barrel making is my favorite, but tbh I'm not a huge researcher? I find it just procrastinates the process (like picking fonts/names/etc). Sometimes I'll do it if it's important to the character, but otherwise it doesn't really compel me these days. I think of it as a problem to fix in edits. Then again I read something that included lots of epic world building I really liked, so maybe I should do it more . . .

🔥: What's a piece of writing advice you consider bad advice?

Oh man. I think show don't tell is the big one ^^'

Before I'm pelted with tomatoes, I think there's a couple reasons why this fails people:

It depends on the narrator, which can be a character that would more naturally talk about things in a specific way that showing hinders. I think writing advice should never get in the way of what sounds correct. If it works it works and if it doesn't it doesn't.

It leaves little room for contradictions between objective facts+character bias+character interpretation+narrator interpretation and bias+characterization/"localization"+multiple cultural interpretation+memory issues+lying. If a character says one thing, the reader observes another, and later there's a key piece of backstory that gives greater context for why the character made the wrong assumption, and on top of that there's multiple ways a statement can be interpreted in a fictional culture. . . telling is extremely important. Without it it's incredibly hard to pull off that arc in a single paragraph (which can be done).

It's helpful for like, first graders, who still say things like "sue cried a lot. She was sad." but for most people who are reading writing advice columns it's more confusing than not. It's more helpful to say what you specifically mean by show don't tell. Do you mean include more examples of world building like having lots of swords in every living room depicted rather than having the reader trust you when you say it's a war obsessed culture? Do you mean that characters often don't notice specific emotions in themselves and that physical signals are more appropriate? Do you mean that saying characters are friends is more flat than describing interactions that are friendly? Then saying that is more helpful. That way the writer can decide to exclude the swords because it's lies, contradict stated emotions with physical signals, make it flat to show an uneasy relationship between characters, etc etc.

It's sort of seen as this silver bullet of writing, when what people need to work on sometimes is totally unrelated. Like: consistency? World building? Character development? Strong side characters? These are all really important things that can't just include showing instead of telling. Sometimes having a bigger vocabulary, more examples of archetypes, deeper understandings of story structure, etc are the things that help. Emphasis on more examples. Mostly I think people need to read more, and break down texts with a highlighter to see what they like or don't like about it.

And this is why I don't usually say show don't tell u_u too much room for interpretation and doesn't fix everything by itself. I am someone who focuses on detailed characterization and creating unique voices though so maybe it's simply too redundant to think about though so your milage may vary with that one

[thescribblings]

Question; if this's your future leo after war what about the rest of his brothers? Are they dead? Alive? And what are they doing?

Ooo, you're asking the big plot related questions 👀

I haven't gotten into this part of my AU yet due to, well, not being able to properly tell the story. But since you asked so nicely :]

LORE INFODUMP TIME!

(Seriously this got out of hand so fast-)

Here's a bit copied and pasted from my personal notes

*ninpo, he's more practiced than leo due to his portals vanishing at age 20-30, he doesn't need his nagamaki to portal anymore, and is very skilled with his portals all in all.

-can create countless tiny apple sized portals as long as he has enough focus to plan the trajectory of the apple, he can do tricks like that with little difficulty, and loves using it in battle

-he can phase his body between reality and the portal dimension, letting him pass through physical objects, and people

-he can summon his nagamaki, but he can also summon Leo's swords, depends what mental state he's in, along with which is closer. Same goes for teleporting to his, or Leo's weapon

-

*his inability to portal wasn't due to having lost his ninpo, per se, he had just used it up, kinda like being burnt out, but on a whole nother level

-his ninpo vanished due to his body using it as a life source, keeping him alive, at the very least. It did have severe side effects, his ninpo making up for skipped meals, dehydration, lost sleep and more.

-ninpo side effects consisted of being severely underweight from his habit to skip meal after meal, his scales dry and dull from his lack of water, and a constant wear and tear on his body from the lack of sleep for nights on end. When he'd finally crash due to his energy literally running out, he'd collapse on the spot, passing out and finally getting some well deserved sleep

-after appearing in the past, his body was so used to its survival tactics that he couldn't sleep, despite the undeniable safety. he couldn't eat without a trashcan in arms reach, and after his third time violently upchucking his food he avoided eating entirely, having to get iv fluids and a feeding tube with the lightest nutritional liquid they could manage, instead. He did still drink water, after marveling at how clean it was

-to combat the previous point, they slowly started introducing foods easy on the stomach more and more, eventually deciding to have him snack throughout the day instead of full meals. To help with his sleep issues, they tried giving him a small dose of a drug to knock him out, he didn't like it but it worked for the most part, casey would often spend the night in the medbay with him as a comfort for them both.

*His brothers, after meditating and talking with karai for the first time since his portals vanished, he saw three pairs of eyes staring into his, across from him. his brothers signature colours were swirling around him. He then passed out, and the colours shot out in a multicolored shockwave of sorts, wrecking his surroundings. his recovered ninpo completely drained from his body in mere seconds. In this scenario his ninpo had been drained despite his brothers ninpo having fused with his own, this however means that when he recovers his ninpo, it's as strong as the four of them combined, along with being multicolored from then on.

-he wasn't aware of what happened, afterwards, not remembering the encounter with his brothers

-his ninpo started recovering four times as fast, which wasn't a lot, but it was an improvement

-the stronger his ninpo got, the more his brothers could interract with the world. They were completely invisible, and not really there physically for the first few weeks, but as their ninpo grew, they started doing things around the lair, Akari (donatello) going into his counterparts technology, leaving notes on how to fix coding, improve tech. Michaelangelo helping everyone out with aches, illness, bad moods etc, giving them a mental and physical boost. Raphael protecting them by redirecting projectiles, acting as a shield if necessary, and even helping them find things they misplaced.

-eventually his brothers are visible to mikey, but the transition from invisible to visible was freaky, seeing glimpses of eyes, tall silhouettes around corners, feeling watched, the horror movie experience. Unlike mikey, the others needed to activate their ninpo to be able to see his brothers, but the latter are always capable of physically interracting with the world

-later on donnie and Akari work together to create cloaking brooch esque pendants that let his brothers be visible to the naked eye

-his brothers can still use their ninpo seperately, but they're usually careful, as they could easily drain nardo if it got out of hand

Here's just a bit of clarifying info ig?

Orions brothers are dead, they're tethered to him, in a way, but they're not stuck to him. The further away from him they are the less of their ninpo he has access to, it causes them no harm to wander around and he encourages them to live their lives the way they want to, and not just stick around him because them leaving affects him, it just so happens to be that they want to be around their brother, their family.

Like i said, it causes them no harm to wander, including Orion. Physically, at least (more on that later). Ori is just fine with just his own ninpo, he's still as powerful as he needs to be to protect himself and those he loves,

Their fused ninpo works kinda like a tracker, if Ori were to lose his brothers he could search until he felt more of their ninpo, and then follow that until he finds them, so on and so forth.

when they're all together, everyone can feel the others ninpo, Ori is just the vessel when they're together. This does however mean that one of, or all of Orions brothers could accidentally drain all of their ninpo, so they usually stay out of petty fights and let Ori handle them, but if there's something that needs a bit more teamwork? You'll get to see what they can *really* do when they fight as a unit

If their ninpo were to be completely drained, Orion would pass out and his brothers would fade and be put into a foggy dreamlike state, they won't be solid or visible anymore until their ninpo recovers. By the time he wakes up again he'll be exhausted, dizzy, and suffering from a horrible migraine.

This dreamlike state is how they first came to be in the present, after he spoke with karai and triggered the explosive reaction in the training room, The little bit of ninpo he'd recovered was completely drained. Which led to him collapsing on the spot and waking up a few minutes later, dizzy and with the worst migraine he'd ever experienced. After this, his ninpo recovered four times faster than before, but he wasn't aware that his brothers were with him again

As his ninpo recovered, his brothers became more tangible and aware, their perception growing clearer by the day. Eventually they started kinda haunting their family, in their own unique ways

Aaaand here's a whole set of notes on Orion and facts under the cut :p

(All words btw, it is split up a bit and i think i made it okay to read?)

*specifics

-weight, 230 kg

-height, 7'4, 223cm

-age, 40

-calorie intake, 6377, eats 1600cal meals, usually getting the last 1500 through snacking

*Will throw out food (especially meat) the day after it expires, the smell of rotted meat is too reminiscent of krang/sickness. Any and all leftovers are eaten within days most times, often not more than two as he has nothing against eating the same food for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

*often very resourceful, knows survival tactics and avoids wasting food (the previous point being an exception), is usually a very efficient meal planner, he's an omnivore, but he likes to lean more towards a carnivorous, protein rich and high fat diet. occasional keto meals

-any type of meat, often favoring red meats

-most fruits, berries, favorite is peach (sliced)

-any and all nuts, common snack, but he does also like incorporating them in meals

-vegetable enthusiast, loves trying different combinations and adding them in smoothies and the like

-has a sweet tooth, usually satisfies it with fruits, rather than candy and the such, although he does eat the occasional pastry, in moderation

-He avoids overly sugary foods, as they affect his more feral state, making him jittery, paranoid, and anxious, similar to being overcaffeinated

*basically immune to spice due to tastebuds being obliterated by the atrocious sensations he had to put them through

-figured this out when he had no issues eating one of mikey's extra spicy meals, leo tried a bite and struggled with the sheer amount of spice mikey had crammed in there

-it's a 'can handle spice' scenario, rather than a 'can't feel spice' scenario, find something outrageously spicy and he'll still have the typical 'ate something too spicy' reaction; reclined, fanning face, sweaty, flushed, panting with a slight grin, the masochist.

-he likes spicy food, since it scratches a masochism itch in his brain, though he rarely goes over his spice tolerance

*coffee enthusiast, his energy levels are on an all time low, so he can rely on the stimulant a bit much. Around five cups on bad days, though he tries to limit himself to max three, most days

*stress stims

-clicking in back of throat, very common one, usually represses it

-scratching at self, pants, furniture

-rubbing prosthetic thigh, often when phantom pains flare up

-compulsive hissing, uncommon, usually if he feels threatened, rather than stressed

-bursts of growling, more common than hissing, usually used as a "back off" sound, also if he feels threatened

-fiddling with clothes, nearby object, bracelet, nearby person

*sometimes, to comfort someone he'll start humming very quietly, not to be heard, but felt. The vibrations of his voice a comforting sensation to his family

-he started doing this in a desperate attempt to quiet casey down as a kid, when they couldn't afford to make noise, then it stuck

*has his occasional 'off day' where his feral tendencies are greatly exaggerated, memories of off days tend to be foggy. Easy to trigger episodes during off days

*despite his over all lack of energy, he loves exercise and is borderline a workaholic at times, the others having stepped in on numerous occasions when he starts getting too close to 'won't be able to walk tomorrow' territory.

-his favorite thing is running, will often go on early morning, late night, midnight, mid day runs, sometimes multiple a day, but usually just his daily ones

-enjoys the peacefulness of yoga, flexibility training, compared to his other interests

-weight lifting multiple times a week

*ninpo, he's more practiced than leo due to his portals vanishing at age 20-30, he doesn't need his nagamaki to portal anymore, and is very skilled with his portals all in all.

-can create countless tiny apple sized portals as long as he has enough focus to plan the trajectory of the apple, he can do tricks like that with little difficulty, and loves using it in battle

-he can phase his body between reality and the portal dimension, letting him pass through physical objects, and people

-he can summon his nagamaki, but he can also summon Leo's swords, depends what mental state he's in, along with which is closer. Same goes for teleporting to his, or Leo's weapon

-

*his inability to portal wasn't due to having lost his ninpo, per se, he had just used it up, kinda like being burnt out, but on a whole nother level

-his ninpo vanished due to his body using it as a life source, keeping him alive, at the very least. It did have severe side effects, his ninpo making up for skipped meals, dehydration, lost sleep and more.

-ninpo side effects consisted of being severely underweight from his habit to skip meal after meal, his scales dry and dull from his lack of water, and a constant wear and tear on his body from the lack of sleep for nights on end. When he'd finally crash due to his energy literally running out, he'd collapse on the spot, passing out and finally getting some well deserved sleep

-after appearing in the past, his body was so used to its survival tactics that he couldn't sleep, despite the undeniable safety. he couldn't eat without a trashcan in arms reach, and after his third time violently upchucking his food he avoided eating entirely, having to get iv fluids and a feeding tube with the lightest nutritional liquid they could manage, instead. He did still drink water, after marveling at how clean it was

-to combat the previous point, they slowly started introducing foods easy on the stomach more and more, eventually deciding to have him snack throughout the day instead of full meals. To help with his sleep issues, they tried giving him a small dose of a drug to knock him out, he didn't like it but it worked for the most part, casey would often spend the night in the medbay with him as a comfort for them both.

*His brothers, after meditating and talking with karai for the first time since his portals vanished, he saw three pairs of eyes staring into his, across from him. his brothers signature colours were swirling around him. He then passed out, and the colours shot out in a multicolored shockwave of sorts, wrecking his surroundings. his recovered ninpo completely drained from his body in mere seconds. In this scenario his ninpo had been drained despite his brothers ninpo having fused with his own, this however means that when he recovers his ninpo, it's as strong as the four of them combined, along with being multicolored from then on.

-he wasn't aware of what happened, afterwards, not remembering the encounter with his brothers

-his ninpo started recovering four times as fast, which wasn't a lot, but it was an improvement

-the stronger his ninpo got, the more his brothers could interract with the world. They were completely invisible, and not really there physically for the first few weeks, but as their ninpo grew, they started doing things around the lair, Akari (donatello) going into his counterparts technology, leaving notes on how to fix coding, improve tech. Michaelangelo helping everyone out with aches, illness, bad moods etc, giving them a mental and physical boost. Raphael protecting them by redirecting projectiles, acting as a shield if necessary, and even helping them find things they misplaced.

-eventually his brothers are visible to mikey, but the transition from invisible to visible was freaky, seeing glimpses of eyes, tall silhouettes around corners, feeling watched, the horror movie experience. Unlike mikey, the others needed to activate their ninpo to be able to see his brothers, but the latter are always capable of physically interracting with the world

-later on donnie and Akari work together to create cloaking brooch esque pendants that let his brothers be visible to the naked eye

-his brothers can still use their ninpo seperately, but they're usually careful, as they could easily drain nardo if it got out of hand

*protective over his leg port, when his prosthetics are detached

-often growls if someone comes to close, bites if you're unlucky

-only lets leo touch it without arguement, even his donnie always got growling during check-ups

-rarely goes without a prosthetic, if his leg is gone he'll use the built in spare, reminiscent of an endo skeleton

*The colour pink is traumatic, for obvious reasons, will trigger episodes, but he comes back quick when the colour is out of sight again. Not without agressive hissing, growling, and possibly pouncing if you're unlucky. If you're very unlucky he might go straight for the 5'7 nagamaki blade that he can summon on demand

-donnie designs contact lenses that cancel out the colour pink, until the exposure therapy pays off

*Recurring flashback dream, vividly relives sister krang torturing him as slowly as she can, slowly snapping his arm off before tossing it to some krang hounds as a treat, but mainly carving off most of his thigh, cutting into his femur from hip to a bit below the knee, before reaching into his leg and excruciatingly, slowly twisting the bone out of its socket, doing the same to his knee joint. Then ripping the last bits of flesh keeping his leg even remotely attached before holding up the femur as if in amusement (cue his screaming)

*dissociates quite often, can be completely gone, or barely there at times, other times he's just a bit out of it

*michaelangelo helped him teach his brain to wake up to certain triggers due to their special circumstances, words, patterns, etc

-krang

*when a panic attack is triggered he will flee, running as far away as possible (kilometers) before hiding somewhere quiet, dark, and secluded. Tends to scratch at neck, thigh, nape etc as a form of unintended self harm, the pain helping him stay somewhat grounded

-this can result in deep gashes from his nails, but due to his healing factor, they heal within days, and rarely ever leave a scar. If there is a scar it's usually barely noticable

-

-

*when an anxiety attack is triggered he'll likely dissociate, along with a lot of stress stimming

*neat freak due to being forced to live in filth for two decades, keeps the lair spotless, always does chores in time, daily showers at least, just feels most at home when everything is tidy and genuinely enjoys the process of cleaning

[theblackshit]

Every now and then I am reminded that we spend the vast majority of our time indoors: at home, at school, at the office, in shops and retail spaces, in bars, clubs and restaurants, in the apartments of friends and relatives, in train stations and moving vehicles, in hotels, venues and theaters, in museums, churches and hospitals – big boxes and little boxes with varying ratios of functionality to ornament.

Every now and then I am also reminded that we live in an air-conditioned dream/nightmare. In standard hotel rooms, split AC units are now as common as bedside bibles used to be. In most cases, these units are fixed to the wall above the entrance door, so that upon entering the room, guests can briefly enjoy a view unencumbered by the sight of the bulky appliance – a sort of icon corner in reverse, since an icon corner is usually located to be visible when you first enter. Once you lay down on the bed and gaze up at the familiar yet bewildering piece of engineering, you might begin to wonder: what’s the optimal temperature? Will I get sick if I sleep with the AC on? Is this thing more ugly than it is convenient? Would natality rates suddenly drop if these machines didn’t exist? Is this a tool that “brings energy home” as Ursula K. Le Guin would have it, or one that “forces energy outward?” How does it work? What’s inside the box? Is it good, is it bad? Where is the remote control for this thing?! 

Although the overhead placement of these split units is clearly a matter of practicality, I can’t help but overthink and ask myself if we also tend to place them at such heights, along with other physical objects including speakers, curtains, wall reliefs and friezes, because they pertain to immaterial realms such as temperature, sound, light and narration. As a “unit,” this compact object is at once whole and dependent upon an unseen network, which suggests a hidden elsewhere beyond the confine of the room. While its boxiness could bring to mind minimalism’s so-called “specific objects” (objects that can be apprehended on a phenomenological level), the idea that it contains unseen parts and is linked to an unseen system constitutes a conceptual or even metaphoric opening. Philip Seibel’s quietly baroque Gehäuse sculptures consciously play with this dichotomy. 

In borrowing some of the formal qualities of these units, Seibel paradoxically empties them out, thereby turning what first appears to be an enclosure into a container or a vessel where other ideas can get on board like stowaways. Looking up at his Gehäuse makes us aware of the many other vessels and boxes that create and sustain the conditions for our lives, those that shield us and our belongings, or again, those which act as receptacles for our fears and aspirations. Like ships made of reeds, there is something sensible but absurd about Seibel’s encasements. Their sleek finish seems to conceal something that is beyond our reach; or at least, it blurs the line between the manufactured and the handcrafted, the real and the fake, the readymade and the not already made, the functional and the decorative, the office, the hotel and the gallery. 

Emile Rubino

[withlovelunette]

Hey! do you have any tips on assessing your own writing better? Im fairly new so I can't tell if what i write sounds decent or amateur (I am an amateur so it probably does sound that way but still)

Hello there! A perfectly valid question regardless of skill, this can be tricky for anyone if you ask me :,)

Read it out loud!

This is definitely my number one tip to check if my writing sounds clunky and if it flows well. In my experience, when I’ve been working with my own writing for long amounts of time, there comes a point where my internal monologue kinda just skims what I’m reading. I don’t pause as much when I come across punctuation when I read it in my head vs when I read it out loud. Try to read it out loud as if you’re reading it to someone else (or even read it to someone else if you’re comfortable with it!). If you find yourself struggling to get through a sentence out loud, then chances are that something about the word-choice or sentence structure is clunky and wordy (though I’m also the type to just stumble in general when I read out loud; but this is an intuitive thing you’ll be able to pick apart with better accuracy as you learn!)

Take a break!

Step away from your writing!!! How long you choose to step away from your writing can really depend on preference and how much you intend to edit. If I find myself stumbling through my writing but I can’t quite figure out exactly what’s wrong with it, then that’s usually a sign for me to take a break from it for a day or two. A lot of times you’ll be able to troubleshoot your own writing much more objectively when you approach it with a fresher pair of eyes, because you’ve detached yourself from the writing a little bit.

Have someone else read it!

If you’re comfortable and want an even fresher pair of eyes to look at your writing, have someone else read it! Whether they do so out loud to you or just for themselves is a preference thing, I’ve found both to be very helpful in different ways.

When someone else reads your writing out loud, you get to experience what it’s like for someone to read your writing without your voice influencing it. (When I say your voice in this instance, I’m not talking about your literal voice, but rather your “writing style”, preference in sentence structure, word choice, etc. Even when you read your own writing out loud, there’s a chance that you can miss clunky writing because it’s in a “voice” that you’re already accustomed to!) But I understand that it can be scary to have someone read your writing, especially out loud to you, so it's definitely not a method I turn to all too frequently :,)

Focus your nitpicking!

It can be very easy to get caught up with fixing every little problem, especially because there's almost always something that can be improved. However, I think I usually get more out of my own assessments by focusing my nitpicking instead of nitpicking... Everything. That isn't to say you should ignore problems that you come across if it's not part of your primary focus (especially if it's a relatively easy quick fix, like readjusting sentences a little bit). However, when tackling larger issues, like story structure, themes, character arcs, environmental descriptions, etc., it can be helpful to focus on only one thing in the editing process, or you'll easily find yourself lost and disorganised in the process, at least from my own experience ^^;

Read books!

And finally, I highly recommend to read! This is sort of a redundant tip to give, but this really does help me for a variety of reasons. The main thing is that it helps me "escape" my own voice, so when I come back to my own writing, it feels fresher and easier to approach objectively.

The second thing is that you can pick up on a bunch of advice whilst reading without even realising it! It's much easier to assess your own writing if you have something to compare it to, particularly if you're new to writing and might not be as "conscious" of the various writing choices you're making.

Outro

I won't make a very fancy outro, as this answer is long overdue, but I hope these tips were helpful! If there's anything I missed or you want me to elaborate on something, don't hesitate to shoot me another ask and I'll do my best to answer :,D Can't promise it'll be super timely considering my health situation, but I'll try to get to it as timely as I can manage :,) Thank you for the ask and good luck with your writing! <3

[catonator]

Addendum: Game Engines

The post about Unity I wrote yesterday was the longest one I’ve published so far, and even then I feel like I left out about a hundred things. One of the most important ones I wanted to talk about was complexity.

When I first moved away from Game Maker in 2018, I really couldn’t imagine actually writing my own games without using a premade engine. I mean, Game Maker is a massive tool that’s been developed for decades, and the source must have thousands of lines of code, right?

Well, yes. But you don’t need to recreate Game Maker. You can make a lot happen with something called MVP; Minimum Viable Product. Let’s look at a practical example.

Super Mario Bros.. Released in 1985, for the Nintendo Entertainment System. Somehow I doubt it ran on Unity.

Objects!

Let’s start with the most important part: the stuff that moves around and does things.

Now, I’ve looked at SMB1’s engine code, and it actually kind of sucks, so I’ll instead focus on a high-level version of a system that matches what SMB1 has, but doesn’t recreate it one to one. Remember, I want to encourage you to get something made yourself, in your own chosen language and framework, instead of getting stuck looking at hex and memory address behaviour.

We can define an object as something that’s interactable, and can change its state. This locks out stuff like the background bushes, clouds, mountains and also the ground (since it remains constant). However, this means that something like brick blocks and question mark blocks are objects.

In its simplest form, an object base would have a few parameters that every object in the game have: X and Y coordinates, current object state, and whether the object is active or not.

Most of the objects in SMB1 are either very boxy or actually just boxes, so for collision we’ll simply use an axis-aligned bounding box.

How you make the object do, you know, object things, probably depends on what language you’re using. In C I’d use some sort of overcomplicated function pointer array to point to object state functions. In more modern (and reasonable) languages like C#, Java and even C++ you’d probably just inherit the class and make the language figure out what to do with the object.

As for actually managing the objects, well that’s quite simple. The camera in SMB1 moves to the right, and never backtracks, so in essence you just have to worry about objects that appear from the right side of the screen. If you spawn objects only as they’d appear on the screen, and despawn them as soon as they disappear off the left side of the screen, you can easily get away with just a fixed-size array of say, 32 indices, and a for loop to update the active objects.

My very first game was quite literally just this. It’s as basic as it gets, and it totally works!

Level creation!

Generally speaking, one of the most frustrating parts in game development are level creation tools. Without a level, you don’t really have a game, and if your tools suck ass and level creation is a pain, your game won’t turn out so good. As of writing this, I’ve spent about 3 months writing a pretty comprehensive level editor for Radium. However, your first game (super mario) won’t be as complicated. We’ll use something tangible as an example again!

Let’s look at world 1-4, the first Bowser castle. At first glance it looks rather complicated, there’s floor, a ceiling, both change height at several points, there’s pits, all sorts of traps. It looks like a cohesive place.

But remember, video games are all smoke and mirrors. Ultimately all of this is just numbers in memory.

With that in mind, if you stare at the stage for a while, you might start noticing some strange details. Ignoring all enemies and simply looking at the ground, you might notice that the level never features any overlapping geometry. Bricks and question mark blocks may occasionally form platforms, but as far as the ground and ceiling goes, there are never any overhangs, tunnels, multi-layered passthroughs… it’s simply all solid blocks.

SMB1 constructs its worlds by defining a floor and ceiling height. The level itself is constructed by placing markers along the stage that change the floor and ceiling height from that point onward. If the floor is 0 grid units high, it’s a bottomless pit. Therefore, if you simply wanted to make a clone of the world generator and Mario’s player controller, the collision detection would at its simplest be whether or not Mario’s feet are below the ground level. For walls, you can scan the stage forward by Mario’s width and see if the ground level changes at all. If it does, you can check if it’s again higher than Mario’s feet level.

Thus, we have a level creation toolset that doesn’t even require tiles. It might not be suitable for a WYSIWYG approach to level design (for that I’d recommend Tiled or similar), but for a starting position you can quite literally just hardcode a list of ceiling/floor height change instructions separated by N amounts of tiles. Level design without an editor.

Conclusion

That’s not all I could talk about, but I already feel like this is a lot to swallow. Stuff like sprite batching, tile rendering, texture atlases etc. are all topics you'll probably encounter sooner or later. I'd really love to go on about stuff like this, but I'm trying to avoid writing a book. My hopes with this post are to showcase that making games outside of the carefully curated toolsets of modern engines isn’t always as difficult as you’d imagine. The likes of Unity and Unreal have made us believe that game engines are gigantic, unscalable mountains of code. In truth, a game engine is simply something that runs a game.

When I started my engine journey in 2018, I hadn't really realized this. I jumped to MonoGame because I thought custom engines were rad, but I didn’t really know how to actually make an engine, let along a game in one. It didn’t take long to figure just how many corners you can cut to just make something work in the most basic of senses. For every challenge, you have infinite solutions, far beyond the templatized ones provided to you by online Unity tutorials.

I made the source code for my first ever custom game open when I finished the game. It was written in about 2 weeks, and during the production I learned MonoGame, C# and engine design philosophies, all for the first time in my life. You can take a gander at it here and witness it in all its hacky glory. Despite that, it’s a game that you can play.

I’ve also opened up the questions page on my Tumblr, so maybe I can assist with some issues you may have when starting out. I hope I’ve at least inspired you to give a shot for outside the box thinking. The game you want to make may be a lot simpler than you initially imagined.

Happy carefree programming!

[keratinstraighteningperth]

Nanoplastia Hair Treatment

Nanoplastia Hair Treatment: The Dynamic Course of action for Frizz-Free Hair

If you’ve been on the chase for a cutting-edge, non-toxic course of action to tame your unruly, fluffy hair, nanoplastia hair treatment might be the reasonable answer. This innovative hair correcting and smoothing procedure is picking up colossal ubiquity around the world, checking in Perth, Australia. Known for its ordinary fixings and long-lasting comes approximately, nanoplastia has gotten to be the go-to choice for people looking for smooth, sparkly, and sound hair without hurting chemicals.

Nanoplastia Hair Treatment

At Keratin Settling Perth, we pride ourselves on giving surprising hair medications, checking nanoplastia, that cater to all hair sorts and needs. This article explores everything you require to know roughly about nanoplastia hair treatment and why it’s a must-try for anyone looking to alter their hair.

What is Nanoplastia Hair Treatment?

Nanoplastia hair treatment is a dynamic hair care course of action that combines common proteins, amino acids, and vitamins to reestablish, smooth, and settle hair. Not at all like routine keratin medications, nanoplastia is free from harmful chemicals like formaldehyde, making it a more secure and useful alternative.

The treatment works by entering significant into the hair’s cortex, repairing hurt from the interior, and coating each strand with a cautious layer. The result? Smooth, frizz-free, and reflexive hair that keeps going for months.

Benefits of Nanoplastia Hair Treatment

1. Chemical-Free Condition: One of the standout highlights of nanoplastia is its formaldehyde-free and non-toxic condition. It’s an ideal choice for individuals looking for a more secure alternative to ordinary hair-editing methods.

2. Long-Lasting Comes almost: Nanoplastia offers come around that can last up to six months, depending on your hair sort and back routine.

3. Frizz Reducing: Say goodbye to frizz and hello there to smooth, sensible hair, without a doubt in sticky conditions.

4. Adaptable Application: Fitting for all hair sorts, checking wavy, wavy, and color-treated hair.

5. Made strides Hair Prosperity: The typical fixings utilized in nanoplastia bolster and repair hurt hair, making it more beneficial and shinier.

6. Diminished styling time: With smoother, straighter hair, you’ll spend basically less time styling in the mornings.

Why Select Keratin Settling Perth for Nanoplastia?

As the driving provider of hair solutions in Perth, Keratin Amending Perth is your trusted objective for nanoplastia hair treatment. Here’s why our clients revere us:

1. Experienced Specialists: Our bunch of skilled beauticians has wide association with nanoplastia and other advanced hair treatments.

2. Customized Courses of Action: We tailor each treatment to meet your specific hair needs and goals.

3. Premium Things: We utilize them as the highest-quality nanoplastia things to ensure perfect results.

4. Loosening up Environment: Appreciate a rich and stress-free experience at our state-of-the-art salon.

5. Comprehensive Meet: A few times as of late in the treatment, we offer a nitty-abrasive dialog to ensure you get the comes around you desire.

How Does Nanoplastia Hair Treatment Work?

The nanoplastia handle incorporates a few key steps to fulfill stunning results:

1. Assembly: Your beautician will assess your hair sort and look at your goals to choose if nanoplastia is the right choice for you.

2. Cleansing: Your hair will be inside and out washed with a clarifying cleanser to remove any buildup and arrange it for the treatment.

3. Application: The nanoplastia condition is associated with your hair and cleared out to enter the strands deeply.

4. Warm Sanctioning: A level press is utilized to seal the condition into the hair, ensuring long-lasting smoothness and shine.

5. Flush and Mold: At final, your hair is washed, dried, and styled to reveal the amazing transformation.

Top 10 Watchwords for Nanoplastia Hair Treatment

To ensure this web diary is SEO-friendly, we’ve solidified the best 10 catchphrases related to nanoplastia hair treatment:

1. Nanoplastia hair treatment

2. Hair settling in Perth

3. Chemical-free hair treatment

4. Frizz-free hair solution

5. Characteristic hair smoothing treatment

6. Long-lasting hair straightening

7. Secure hair amending method

8. Amino destructive hair treatment

9. Capable hair drugs in Perth

10. Best salon for nanoplastia in Perth

These catchphrases highlight the key points of view of nanoplastia, making this article teachery and open for readers.

Is Nanoplastia Right for You?

Nanoplastia is a cure for anyone looking to make strides in their hair’s prosperity, appearance, and sensibility. Here are a few scenarios where nanoplastia can make a basic difference:

• If you fight with bunched up, unmanageable hair

• If you require a chemical-free elective to keratin treatments

• If you need long-lasting straight and smooth hair

• If you have color-treated or hurt hair that needs repair

Maintenance Tips After Nanoplastia Treatment

To draw out the impacts of your nanoplastia treatment, take after these direct back tips:

1. Utilize Sulfate-Free Things: Select for sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners to expect stripping the treatment from your hair.

2. Keep up a key and remove from Over the beat Warm: Minimize the use of hot styling disobedient and persistently utilize a warm protector when necessary.

3. Ordinary Trims: Keep your hair strong and split-end-free with standard trims.

4. Hydrating Covers: Utilize hydrating hair covers week by week to keep up clamminess and shine.

5. Take after Stylist’s Admonishment: Take after any additional proposals given by your beautician for best results.

What Clients Say Roughly Nanoplastia at Keratin Settling Perth

Our satisfied clients can’t end raving nearly their nanoplastia inclusion at Keratin Settling Perth. Here are a few testimonials:

• “I’ve endeavored unending hair solutions, but nanoplastia is by far the best. Never before has my hair felt so healthy and silky!

• “The bunch at Keratin Setting Perth is surprising! They made me feel so comfortable, and the people who come around are incredible.”

• “I revere how low-maintenance my hair is directly. Nanoplastia has completely changed my routine.”

Book Your Nanoplastia Course of action Today

Ready to alter your hair with nanoplastia hair treatment? At Keratin Settling Perth, we’re committed to making a contrast you finish your dream hair.