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thesims4blogger · 2 years

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The Sims 4: New Game Patch (January 31st, 2023)

There’s a new Sims 4 update available for PC/Mac and Consoles. PC: 1.95.207.1030 / Mac: 1.95.207.1230 / Console: Version 1.69

Hello Simmers

Following hot on the heels of the last update we have another one for you, this time we are putting a bit of a focus on the console version of The Sims 4, streamlining some key interfaces for easier controller interaction. While you can use a mouse and keyboard on both PlayStation and Xbox versions of The Sims 4, most console Simmers love to sit back with a controller; these updates are a small part of a larger ongoing focus to improve the console experience for all.

We also continue to invite all console Simmers to give us your thoughts and feedback on playing The Sims 4 on PlayStation and Xbox (especially with a controller) over on Answers HQ, where we have had some excellent feedback so far that the team is reviewing.

Not playing on console? No problem, we have some new content and fixes for everyone in this update as well. So let’s kick things off and see what’s new.

What’s New?

We have so much new stuff with this release and we can’t wait to dive in and tell you all about it. We do want to make a quick note that while we have added quite a few new assets, these are purely visual and don’t add new gameplay functionality. Now, let’s get to the good stuff.

Medical Wearables

There’s a new Medical Wearables category under Body and Face Accessories in Create a Sim.

Select the Sims face and then select Accessories to find the Medical Wearables category that contains a new hearing aid for your Toddler or older Sims. This medical wearable comes in fifteen color variants, and can be assigned to your Sims right, left or both ears.

The Medical Wearables category can also be found by selecting the Sims body and then selecting the Body category. Here you can find Glucose Monitors for your Child and older Sims that can be added to your Sims right and left arm, and to your Sims lower abdomen on the right or left side as well.

Top Surgery Scar

Under the same Body category, all players can find a Body Scars category with an option for Teen and older male Sims (masculine or feminine frame) to add a Top Surgery Scar to their Sims.

Binders and Shapewear

With this update, players can find two new assets in Create a Sim. Under the Tanks, in the Tops category, you will find a Binder top asset for your Teen and older Sims. In the Underwear category for Bottoms, there is a new shapewear asset for your Sims as well!

Let there be Light Switches!

For our builders who have long desired to complete that perfect room, a new light switch is now available in Build Mode!

UI Placement comes to PlayStation

Previously, The Sims 4 on PlayStation required Simmers to calibrate their screen settings at a system level by going to the consoles Settings > Sound and Screen > Display Area Settings and configuring the display.

This option will continue to work but now, PlayStation Simmers will be able to adjust the UI placement. The wizard will run during the initial launch of The Sims 4 or can be manually initiated from Game Options > Other .

We still recommend you calibrate your Display Area Settings through your PlayStation settings.

Cursor Scaling

Simmers can now adjust the size of the cursor on both PlayStation and Xbox when displayed in virtual cursor mode on your controller, or while you are using a mouse and keyboard to play.

This additional level of customization allows you to have a larger cursor without needing to scale up all of the game UI. This should make it easier to see even when you’re kicking back, relaxing in your favorite seat looking at the TV screen across the room.

You can adjust the cursor size in game by going to Game Options > Accessibility.

Console Build Mode Improvements

Jumping into Build Mode will feel a little different… well OK, a lot different. Now the Catalog is opened by default and STAYS open as you grab items and interact with the lot. You no longer need to reopen the Catalog and re-navigate to the menu you were in every. single. time.

Regardless of which cursor mode you’re in, you can seamlessly interact with either the Catalog or lot, which aligns our console experience more closely to that on PC.

Console Build Mode Guidance System

If you are a new player or have the Guidance System enabled, the help you received from Emily in CAS and Live Mode will continue through to Build Mode. If you aren’t familiar with building, using the tools, or how to find the right looking object and place it exactly where you want it, Emily will be there to guide you around Build Mode to help you unleash your creativity.

Controls and Navigation Updates

While we have kept the ability to toggle control methods by tapping the Touch Pad on PlayStation or View button on Xbox, we have reduced the amount of times we switch between the two modes automatically.

Since we are talking about toggling the control methods, if you have the Controls Legend enabled in Game Options > Other, we now show a prompt for Toggle Cursor at the top. Not only that, next to the prompt is a little reminder of which control scheme you are currently using.

We have also added controller shortcuts to some dialogs and screens to help simplify and speed up navigating the game. These button prompts are displayed on supported screens and can be used where usually you would have a lot of scrolling to get to the Confirm or Cancel button.

Bug Fixes Base Game

Toddlers can do strange things sometimes, but bathing with their slippers on shouldn’t be one. Now their feet will get clean, just like the rest of them.

The Venue Info icon in the top left of your screen contains a lot of useful information but it doesn’t mean it should always display as new. Now the icon flair will only show when something is actually new.

Sims made through CAS Stories with Starting Funds ‘High’ should now get 30k Simoelons instead of the standard 20k for their household fund.

Sims love a good makeover, but when switching Styled Looks in CAS it’s taking it a bit far your Sim’s appearance changes, not just their outfits. Styled Looks will now update just the outfit your Sim is wearing and not make them a totally different Sim.

When adjusting the physical frame of your Sim while using Bantu Knots (yfHair_SDX019BantuKnots) or Two Strand Twist (ymHair_SDX019TwoStrandTwists) hairstyles, you will continue to see the Plumbob icon on the thumbnail as a reminder of the fantastic collaboration we did with DeeSims to bring those styles to everyone.

The goals during the Parenting Predicaments scenario will reflect a child Sim aging up to a teen after blowing out the birthday candles and progressing the scenario.

Child Sims getting at least a B grade average at school will be recognized for their achievements by progressing the Parenting Predicaments scenario objectives.

If your Sims reach level 5 in one of Sofia and Leonardo’s skills before the goal activates in the Parenting Predicaments scenario, it’ll be accurately marked as meeting the criteria.

Also related – teenagers have aspirations (apparently waking up before noon doesn’t count) but in the Parenting Predicaments scenario teens are able to complete the teenage aspirations goal.

Some say it’s a conspiracy, some say the aliens got fed up with the parents and just sent them home, others just think it was a bug. Either way, parents should no longer return midway through the Aliens Stole My Parents scenario when traveling off the lot and back again.

Stuck in the Shadow wasn’t intended to actually get you stuck…. Completing the Scenario should now complete once the goals have been achieved.

Emily likes to help Simmers get a head start, but it seems she was a little too eager and prevented Scenario goals from displaying in CAS if she hadn’t been seen previously. Now if you haven’t seen Emily yet, and start a new Scenario you will have your goals displayed so you can create the perfect household to take on the challenges ahead. Emily will be there if you need her later.

Seasoned Simmers who don’t need Emily’s help and choose to disable the Guidance System, in the Game Options, while in CAS will no longer run into an issue where you cannot create a Sim due to the options being inaccessible.

Merging Sims from the Gallery while Emily was guiding you through CAS will no longer prevent Emily from explaining the final parts of the CAS Guidance System.

Entering CAS from the Simology option will not prevent you from creating a Sim Story.

While using the Guidance System to customize your own Sim, Add New Sim will not be available until you have completed your Sim customization tutorial or opted out of the tips.

Some tips in Build Mode prevented you from accessing features like Bulldoze and Save to My Library; all the options are selectable again.

Sims with customized frames should have a full set of fingernails to pick from, including those from packs.

City Living

Being an Interior Decorator can be tough, it’s made even more difficult if you can’t get in. Sims picking up a gig at a penthouse will now be able to knock on the door and get in to work their style magic.

If there is one main thing you would expect Illuminating Pillars to do, it’s illuminate! Well we changed some bulbs, got shocked once or twice, checked the wiring and now they should be good to go.

Get Famous

After our previous update which brought a new look to Lessons and a bigger, easier to read layout, it unexpectedly caused long Lesson titles to extend beyond the boundaries of the box in some languages. The titles should now all fit in their designated spaces and be fully readable by all.

Eco Lifestyle

The Perfect Plumbob Ceiling Fan, Sandstorm Ceiling Fan, Dizzy Palms Ceiling Fan now all come with a power consumption rating.

High School Years

Sims wearing the yfAcc_NecklaceEP12Beaded_SolidRainbowLt necklace should no longer see it floating near them when zooming the camera. We must have forgotten to remove the levitation enchantment, sorry about that!

Paranormal

Sims making a living as a Paranormal Investigator and autonomously visiting San Myshuno often found that doors were missing from apartments unless you were in Walls Up view. Doors should now show up as expected. But are they really there? Someone should investigate! Spoooooky!

Bust the Dust

Dust and Dust Bunnies will show up after a reload, now where did I put that Dust Dandy Cordless Vacuum?

Outdoor Retreat

We learned a lesson and that lesson is that our lessons should have Titles. Outdoor Retreat should show up under Lessons as expected and no longer be a mystery category.

#news #the sims 4 #ts4 #sims 4

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thestingerblog · 9 months

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Youtube & Evolving Curations of Internet Personalities

by Sam H.

Read on our website!

Like many other people my age, I grew up on YouTube throughout the 2010s, and as I’ve grown older, I’ve gravitated towards spending more of my time watching TV shows and movies. I haven’t necessarily “grown out” of YouTube, as that’s a ridiculous claim considering the insane amount of content on YouTube with enough to satisfy anyone’s niche interest; however, I found that the platform itself was growing more tedious to navigate and that I just didn’t enjoy it the same anymore. There are plenty of explanations as to why YouTube’s inner workings have shifted in recent years, including its algorithm, demonetization rules, oversaturation of content through crossposting on other platforms like TikTok, and increased accessibility to creating content. But in this article, I want to focus on how YouTube has been fundamentally shaped by the evolution of internet personalities and their presence in the online sphere.

When I was younger, I remember having a hard time trying to describe the type of videos I watched. I did enjoy a good gaming video every now and then (yeah, they were mostly Markiplier videos), and I indulged in some sketch comedy channels, but most of the creators I watched just created content generically labeled as “Lifestyle” or “Culture.” Yet, I was relatively dissatisfied with that label because I didn’t think that label did any of the channels I watched justice. These “Lifestyle” creators often created videos in which they talk directly to the camera as if talking directly to the viewer, thus fostering an intimate sense of connection. The viewer then feels a sense of trust and loyalty in the creator and, therefore, why it was far more common for people to follow certain creators rather than watch certain content as people do nowadays. Additionally, the length of the videos around the time of the “Lifestyle” creator boom of the 2010s often ended up being around 10-20 minutes, which allows people to connect to these creators in bite-sized pieces or all-at-once binge-style, all up to the viewer’s choice. Thus, this creator becomes an “internet personality,” a character larger than life and a more curated version of the person behind the screen.

During this boom, YouTube knew how important internet personalities and creators were to the platform. Popular creators were invited to be a part of the now-discontinued annual tradition of YouTube rewind, and some, such as Joey Graceffa with his “Escape the Night” series, had their projects supported monetarily through YouTube’s now-defunct premium streaming service YouTube Red at the time. At one point, there was even a Creator Store, a permanent installation in London that sold merch by British YouTubers until it closed post-pandemic.

Nowadays, there’s a larger culture on YouTube around longer video essays and commentary that doesn’t necessarily require creators to share stories about their personal lives, so the need to establish creators as an “internet personality” isn’t inherent to the success of a creator. This can also be seen through the changing cultures around supporting creators; for example, Vidcon was a huge event where attendants could meet YouTube’s biggest creators in the 2010s, but now, most mainstream YouTubers don’t attend the event or engage with it in the same way many YouTubers were doing meet-and-greets at Vidcon in its early years.

The decline of the prominence of internet personalities isn’t necessarily a bad phenomenon. The toxic side of perpetuating internet personalities resides primarily in the parasocial relationships viewers can form with creators. While most fans respected creators’ privacy, some people took their desire to grow closer to the creators much further and would often try to ship YouTubers or invade their privacy to confirm rumors about their personal lives. Though this sounds similar to how celebrities are treated, internet personalities tend to be more accessible via social media and through engaging with them directly on the videos’ comment sections, giving many people a false sense of control over these creators. It’s clear that these relationships become harmful for the creator, who can have difficulty untangling their personal life from the life they put online, especially when much of their content comes from sharing their life online. These relationships can also be unhealthy for the viewer, as the viewer builds an infallible trust in a human being who will inevitably make mistakes.

Analyzing how internet personalities on YouTube have evolved over time, therefore, demonstrates how the platform culture is changing quickly, but if anything, this proves that accessible video platforms, compared to traditional cable or paid streaming services, change and adapt with time, content, and viewers.

#YouTube #youtubers #markiplier #dnp #internet culture

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adventuresofclever · 3 years

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CleverMax: SDCC 2021 Masquerade Entry

Comic-Con@Home Masquerade Entry: Adventures of Clever Costume Title: CleverMax - Mr. Clever as a Borderlands boss Costume Description: Recreation of Mr. Clever from the Doctor Who episode Nightmare in Silver, written by Neil Gaiman, done in the style of the video game, Borderlands. Bio: They/He pronouns

Greetings all!

I realized that I never wrote about how I made my CleverMax mashup cosplay, so when SDCC posted about their At Home masquerade, I figured this was the perfect time to do so! Most of you know that I cosplay exclusively as Mr. Clever from Doctor Who, with the random mash up thrown in here and there. I’ve always wanted to be a Borderlands cosplayer, and the following is how I managed to combine the two together.

As always, enjoy the blog and if there are any questions, please feel free to contact me.

Let’s step into the TARDIS and jump back to October 20, 2009, when the first Borderlands game was released. It was my first foray into FPS (First person shooters) and I was hooked from day one. In 2012 they released Borderlands 2 which is, in my not so humble opinion, the best video game ever created. We got some of the most iconic charcters and storylines in that game. Including the best DLC ever, Bunkers and Badasses. And my second favorite villain of all time – Handsome Jack.

Jack’s sass, sarcasm and charm fits well with Mr. Clever’s personality. And in the pre sequel you get to play a version of him called the Dopplegnager. I mean, this pretty much wrote itself.

Handsome Jack from Borderlands 2 and Mr. Clever from Doctor Who

Borderlands cosplayers have aIways left me in a state of awe and admiration. The style of the game is so unique and seeing it recreated in person is nothing short of incredible. I’ve always wanted to figure out a way to be a Borderlands cosplayer. For the past eight years I have only ever cosplayed as Mr. Clever from Doctor Who. In the summer of 2019 I decided that was the perfect time to try to make this happen before NYCC.

When I initially decided to do this, it was going to be more of a mash up between Handsome Jack and Mr. Clever. I had planned on wearing Jack’s basic outfit, but in Clever’s colors with the a few add ons. Namely the bow tie and the cybernetics.

After much research and drafting, I decided against that. I ended up just turning Mr. Clever into a Borderlands boss. Same basic outfit as Mr. Clever/11th Doctor, but cel shaded and with weapons, cause Borderlands.

I made the accessories, chess set, and obviously the working cyberplanner piece itself for my Nightmare in Silver version of Clever, but I have never tackled anything this ambitious. An entire costume from scratch? Not something I thought I could do. Not knowing how to sew and being visually impaired were both challenges that I had to work around.

I started with looking around my house for various items that I thought I could use. I figured if I messed up, might as well mess up on something I hadn’t spent money on yet! I was going to toss a pair of my old paddock boots as they had some rips in the leather. Ripped leather? How very Pandora. They were the first thing I tackled.

Old paddock boots that I refurbished for the cosplay

This was my first time using leather paint and I have to say I am very pleased with the Angelus brand of leather paint. I have worn these in the rain and through puddles, and they have held up 100%.

After the boots were done, I started on the vest. I had an old black vest lying around the house that was sort of the shape and size I wanted. I don’t have a dress form, so I put it on myself, inside out, and used safety pins to make it the size I needed, then hand sewed around the safety pins. Not ideal, but it works.

I had a spare pair of black jeans, button down light blue shirt and a plain bow tie that I just ended up cel shading.

The only item that I really couldn’t figure out was the purple frock coat. Try as I might, I couldn’t find one to modify. So the coat was actually made by my friend Heather Long. I did alter the length after NYCC.

With the clothes themselves all set, for the most part anyay, it was time to paint. This was my first time trying to recreate the art style of Borderlands, often referred to as cel shading. I have a few “art of Borderlands” style books that I poured over before I sat down to attempt this.

Other than the accessories and anything leather, I used the same materials and techniques for each article of clothing. Instead of describing each seprate piece, I’ll just explain what I did to achieve the overall look.

When you look at a Borderlands character on screen, it can be a bit overwhelming. So many colors, and so many nuances of each color. I did my best to visually sift through all that, and try to establish what I thought was the base color.

Once the base color was determined, I just added blotches, blobs, shading, low lights, highlights and other variations of the base color itself throughout each piece. I recommend keeping your fabric wrinkled and using those wrinkle as guidlenes for where the lines and shading would fall naturally.

Once all of that dried, I then went over different sections of the fabric with white and black lines. To get that crisp, almost comic book looking outline of each piece I used black sharpie, and white fabric pens as well as white fabric paint.

When I sat down to do the coat, I wanted something a little different than just cel shading. During a second playthrough of Tales from the Borderlands, I noticed Rhys and other characters had interesting logos and designs on the back of their jackets. I ended up putting a chessboard pattern on the back as a homage to the chess game between the 11th Doctor and Mr. Clever in the episode.

Great shot of the chess board and my Judd Nelson pose

The materials that I used for all of the clothing items were craft paints that I had around the house. Any brand works, but I prefer Americana paints. I then added an additive that you use to make the paint water proof and used various sized brushes. Dry brushes are also very useful if you have them.

Black sharpies of different sizes and any fabric markers are also very helpful. Heat setting is required to make the paint waterpfoof, so if you mess up before you add sharpies, you can wash the clothes and start over.

A few tips if you decide to undertake cel shading clothing: Until now I hadn’t noticed that there aren’t many thing in Borderlands that are true black. Due to the art style most things that appear black are in reality shades of grey, with a grey base colr. This makes it easier to add the lines, shading, and what not. Looking back, I should have bought GREY clothes. It was a ton of work to make the pants look like they were a mixture of greys. And as a result of so many laers of paint, they are stiff, lost their stretch and feel an entire size smaller! So I would recommend grey fabric as a base for black clothing and buy a size larger.

The pants are so stiff that I think they will stand up on their own

This entire process was way more fun than I thought it would be and I’ve since become addicted to cel shading anything I can. I may or may not have started cel shading my guest room.

After the clothing was finished, I started on some accessories and props. The first being the easiet – a wee little cybermite that I cel shaded. My cosplay of Mr. Clever always has a cybermite on my lapel, so I took one of my older ones and repainted it.

You can’t have a Borderlands character without some sort of weapon, so I painted a nerf gun that looks similar to the one that Clara Oswald holds in the episode.

I have never had to carry a gun for my Mr. Clever cosplay before so weapon checks are sort of new to me. I didn’t want to go through that at NYCC so I came up with a clever, no pun intended, way around it.

I took a photo of each side of the gun. Went to Staples and had them printed on heavy cardstock. Then I cut around the guns, glued them together between a piece of cardboard then added some black electical tape around the edges. Viola. Instant weapons check approved gun that is lightweight, and also acts a fan when it gets hot. It was a huge hit at the con. A few security guards were like “ we have to check your…wait..is that flat?” And they proceeded to play with it. I highly recommend doing this!

Gun and its flat counterpart

I am holding the flat gun in this picture from NYCC

In the actual game, you can equip your characters with mods that give them certain abilities and bonuses. In the Pre-Sequel, you can play as a Dopplganger of Handsome Jack so I searched for some of his mods and found one in purple which seemed perfect. I made the mod with cardboard, covered it in craft foam, modge podge to set, and installed led lights. The first time I wore it I put it on my belt which didn’t work. It kept falling off. I eventually put it on my lapel and wore it like Jack does. Unfortunately, someone glomped on me at a con and broke it, so I recently had to remake it all over again.

No Borderlands costume would be complete without cel shading on yourself. This was a huge challenge for me for a few reasons. One, I’m visually impaired so doing line work like this was challenging. Two, I am highly allergic to so many materials and ingrediants that finding a make up brand that I could wear was a trial and error process that ended up with many break outs and rashes before I found the perfect combination.

I used mostly eye liner pencils and liquid eye liner to achieve the look. The Wet n Wild liquid eye liner lasts forever, and is actually difficult to remove, but that is not a bad thing as it stood up to the heat of a very crowded venue.

As for the cel shading itself, I relied on many refernce photos of various characters in the game. I started with the eyebrows first as that seemed to frame the face nicely and give me a nice mischvieous look. I then just outlined the bones of my face, adding some random lines here and there. It never looks the same way twice, but that’s ok. Playing with different angles, lines, shading etc is half the fun!

The only real challenge were my hands. The make up didn’t last that long on my hands so I had to touch it up throughout the con. I also eventually started to use band aids that I cel sahded to cover up a tattoo on my inner wrist.

Figuring what to do with my hair is an on going process that I still haven’t 100% mastered. I opted to not use a foam wig as I have over heating issues on a cool day let alone trying to wear one if it gets warmer. I have had adverse reactions to craft foam in the past, so I don’t want it touching my skin, and lastly, I think a wig AND a facial prosthetic would be too much for me. So I decided to just cel shade my hair.

This takes forever to do, and I’m still figuring out better techniques every time I wear it.

I have a really great brand of colored gel, called Mofajang which I apply with a baster brush that you would find in the kitchen gadgets aisle. I also use a clean mascara brush to add some finer lines here and there. Set with way more hair spray than I ever used in the 80’s and it becomes fairly waterproof.

I have learned that due to how hard the make up and hair color is to remove, I really need to wear this on the LAST day of a con. I made the mistake of wearing it on day one of Long Island Who one year, and spent hours scrubbing my skin and hair for the next day. Far better to just leave the con with a tad bit of left over cel shading. Which makes it very interesting when you stop at a roadside bathroom on the trip home.

With the entire costume done it was time to work on the actual cyberplanner appliance.

Next time I make a variation of Clever, I will make this FIRST. Making these pieces is the bane of my existence – I love wearing them, hate making them. It’s a long process.

I am allergic to latex, silocone, scuply, most clays, and so many other things that seem to be every cosplayers go-to. When I made my first cyber piece back in late 2013, I spent weeks trying to find a substance that would keep attached to my face all day without causing a rash. Like an alchemist in a fantasy novel, I submerged myself into creating the perfect concoction. It took 22 days to finish the final product.

I admit that I rushed a bit on the Borderlands one. As a result, it doesn’t quite fit as well as my others, and is a bit heavier than I expected. I only added two working lights, instead of the usual four, to hopefully balance the piece out. It lasted through two full days of a con, despite the heat of a crowded venue, but I did end up tweaking it a bit after. Even with the tweaks, it still doesn’t fit as well as I would like. It is too heavy and brings down the entire left side of my face, making it difficult to keep my eye open at times. I really need to sit down and force myself to make a new one.

There are a few more things that I would like to add to this costume eventually. Like a belt of grenades, and maybe another gun. But aside from that, I am incredibly pleased with how this costume turned out. It is by far, my favorite Clever variation that I have done.

I hope this post gives you the inspiration to go off and cel shade something, and possibly even play some Borderlands!

#doctorwho #misterclever #mrclever #nightmareinsilver #cosplay #borderlands cosplay #doctor who cosplay #comic-con #comic-conathome #comic-conathome2021 #comic-conathomemasquerêde #cyberplanner #borderlands

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fireberryarts · 4 years

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So because of my current... set up I couldn’t try the clean-line animation that I wanted, but I tried to fix up issues where I could. See below under the cut for a more detailed explanation of this process (which also serves as a record for my own future reference so it isn’t really complaining. It is, but it isn’t really. Kind of).

I’ve never actually tried animating lighting and shading like this. I think it came out better than I thought it would.

Originally it was a 32-frame animation, but I fixed the pacing and it became a 49-frame animation.

Here is the first as a comparison

Considering.... below... I am very happy with how it came out.

Now I die in peace xD

Also the compression for Tumblr is terrible. Here is a larger version (remove brackets and spaces bc Tumblr don’t like outgoing links apparently);

https [://] 1drv[.]ms/u/s!AiJ2rEKcRHVihDJxgCnxVeVD4S7G?e=T1o6yC

I hope you guys like it and I sincerely thank you for all the lovely comments on my work. Thank you! You guys are great!

Okay so a little bit of an annoyed rant but;

The laptop I am using has issues. I have BSoD often which really slows down progress, even if I DO save often. I also don’t trust it with my data. This problem came about during uni so I bought a new laptop - a gaming laptop so it could handle the things I want - but I ended up with a dodgy one. It got to the point where I’d struggle bringing up the task manager and it’d take up to an hour to boot up. I stopped shutting it down entirely.

Couldn’t do anything because I was living in halls and I NEEDED a laptop for work. I couldn’t just send it off to be fixed. We (me and my brother) tried everything to diagnose the problem. It turned out to be a hardware issue.

After uni I sent it back to be fixed, and they swapped out the hard drive and the wifi card and gave it back. It declined again proving the issue isn’t the hard drive. It was most likely the motherboard. I sent it off again, and they just formatted it and sent it back. Ofc I was upset over that so I sent it off again and explained in detail why it’s not a hard drive issue, not a virus, please check the motherboard.

They formatted and sent it back.

This was over the course of months. In the end I asked for a refund.

With the refund I bought parts for a PC to build. Have almost everything except a mouse, keyboard and my own monitor (I salvaged one). I can’t use the PC with just the on-screen keyboard (you NEED a keyboard and mouse with TVP you have no choice) so we hooked my older laptop up to it for remote access. I installed TV Paint, but the lag from the PC, over the internet, to my shitty laptop and into my dodgy tablet is a bit much.

I could connect the tablet directly to the PC but the cables are not long enough and I have no comfortable chair, unless I want to end up with a sore arse for the end of time, it’s not a good idea to be doing work such as this without a comfortable seat.

We’ve ordered longer cables, a mouse, keyboard and speakers, but it’s just waiting for them to arrive now. I’m sure there will be just as much delay as the PC parts due to the current pandemic.

What I’d do normally, animating, is have the initial sketchy-sketch (that I had already posted) then build a skeleton atop of that to ensure certain things (like head size) don’t change throughout. I wasn’t able to do that because that process absolutely requires an animation software to complete. It can’t be guesswork. It has to be watched in motion.

Atop that I clean-line from what I’ve already done. More talented animators can animate in one go, but I can’t do that so I’m stuck doing it in a few layers.

What I had to do this time? Well the keyframes were drawn in Paint Tool SAI, transferred to TV Paint where I did my best with in-betweens. Fixing animation isn’t going to be a thing I can do in TVP so I tried it in SAI. Tried.

After every few frames I’d export and transfer them to the PC and import them into TVP to watch them in motion. More often than now I’d fuck up somewhere and have to go back and fix the new issue.

Shading and highlighting was done in SAI also. I had to do the base colour, export as a PNG as to lose the layers, then import them back so I can clip shading and highlighting layers ontop of the flattened image.

It was... a process.

After all was said and done (including a background and foreground shading / highlighting layers), I imported them into TVP to watch the motion

I do NOT recommend animating this way.

Just don’t.

Don’t.

I’m just desperate to animate something after a literal year of being unable to do anything at all lmfao

#red dwarf #rimmer x lister #animation #2020 #fanart #my art

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daeyeolss · 4 years

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how I make my gifs: a tutorial

Hi everyone! Just in case someone asks in the future + for those curious, I'm here with a tutorial on how I make gifs! If you have any questions whatsoever, please do send me an ask! I’ll be glad to help! The gif I made with this tutorial is the one right here!

So... let’s start this tutorial with the programs I use.

Adobe Photoshop 2020 - To make the gifs, majority of the work is done in this program.

TopazLabs (Topaz DeNoise 6 and Topaz Clean 3) - To "denoise" and "clean" the gifs, as the names would suggest. Links for download: Topaz DeNoise 6 & Topaz Clean 3

KMPlayer (an alternative would be PotPlayer, or any other video playing program that allows you to capture the frames) - To capture the frames. - I use an older version of KMPlayer, though I don't know which exact version that is.

Now let’s continue onto how I use these programs to create gifs!

Step 1: After you’ve downloaded the necessary programs, download your video. The way to get the best gifs? Quality videos. That’s the first step. For K-pop performances, I recommend this website (the hq files are in .ts form, KMPlayer should be able to open these). Bookmark it! It’s really handy :) Get the video you want to make a gif from and open it in KMPlayer (or PotPlayer or any other program, but for this tutorial I’ll use KMPlayer). Open your video in said program and look for the part you want to make a gif of. Then press CTRL+G (I apologize because I cannot for the life of me remember if this was a standard shortcut or not)

Step 2: After pressing CTRL+G, you’ll be met with this screen:

I’ll briefly explain the numbered parts, but before that, these are my standard settings and just make sure you have them all the same and it should be good!

1: This is where your captured frames will be extracted to. I have them extracted to the standard folder, but you can change this if you want to. You’ll need this folder later when opening the frames!

2: Like it says, this is the image format. I use PNG in the highest quality, as the name would suggest, for the quality.

3: These are the amount of frames the program captures. Say you put in every 2 or 4 frames, you’ll get more choppy gifs. To get the smoothest gifs, put “every frame” (this in turn will increase the gif size as the amount of frames will obviously be bigger).

Once you’ve put in the correct settings and you’ve put the slider where you want the capturing process to start, press “start” (now, before you do this I recommend putting the video on mute as the audio will start to get kinda demon-y the longer you record lol save your ears pls). Then, when you’ve captured all the frames you need, pause the video, press CTRL+G again and click “stop” and close the pop-up/program.

Step 3: It’s time to open up Photoshop! Then go to File > Scripts > Load Files into Stack... (for older versions/another version I used in the past this one didn’t work and I had to use the “Load Multiple DICOM Files...” instead. It should work similarly though, if I remember correctly).

You then get a little pop-up that looks like this:

All you have to do here is click “browse” and navigate to the folder where your captured frames have been saved in. Select all the frames you need, wait for them to load in and then click “OK”!

Step 4: Depending on the amount of frames you’ve selected to load in, as well as the beefiness of your PC/laptop, the frames loading part might take a little while. Photoshop is importing every frame as a separate layer into one file, so just... grab a drink or something and wait a bit! When you’re done waiting, if you haven’t already, go to Window > Timeline. This will show you the animation timeline. For older Photoshop versions this is slightly different (I believe it’s called animation). Then click “Create Video Timeline” and click the 3 squares on the left bottom side (in older versions it’s on the right bottom side, not sure).

Step 5: After you’ve done all that, you’ll want to select all your layers. You can do this by pressing ALT+CTRL+A or going to Select > All Layers. With all the layers selected, you have to go to Layer > Arrange > Reverse. You only have to do this if you used the “Load Files into Stack” option!

Step 6: After reversing all your layers, you’ll want to go to the three lines you see in the following screenshot, and click “Make Frames From Layers”.

As the name suggests, this turns all the layers into frames. I don’t know why but the first frame will always be 5 seconds long, so to make it easy on yourself when you want to check your gif while editing, just put that on 0 for now. You can do that by clicking the seconds under the frame and clicking “No delay”. After this, check to see if you have the right frames and if you need to delete some (you can do this at any point in the process but I didn’t know where to put it in the tutorial oops).

Step 7: Time to crop the gif to the correct size! For this gif I’m using as an example, I’m making it specifically for Twitter, so the sizes aren’t that obvious (for Twitter I usually use a width of 850 px to keep it sharp, for long size gifs (more height than width for example), I add a background so that it eventually still becomes 850x850 pixels). There’s many posts on Tumblr about the correct sizes for gif/photosets, but a brief rundown of my most used sizes: one gif spanning the entire width of the post has to be 540 px in width. Two gifs next to one another need to have a width of 268 px. I use these dimensions the most! For others, you can Google!

Step 8: After you’ve cropped the gif, you can do either of two things: either you first add the coloring of your choice and then sharpen the gif OR you do it the other way around. I usually switch these two around depending on how sharp the gif already looks before sharpening because I can’t stand looking at 2 pixels while coloring (lmao). For this one I’ll do the sharpening first.

The whole sharpening process is actually quite simple but you need to make sure that you do the following little steps in the right order or else it won’t work! Select all the layers (CTRL+ALT+A or Select > All Layers) and then click this little thingy:

Then you’re going to Filter > Convert for Smart Filters

If you don’t do it in this order, your gif will end up... well, not being a gif and not moving. If that happens, track back in your history to see if you did it in the correct order! :)

Step 9: The actual sharpening process! After clicking the “Convert for Smart Filters”, you’ll want to go to Filter again and find the Topaz Labs tabs. Personally, I usually do it in the order of DeNoise first and then Clean, but this is a personal thing, really.

I recommend playing around with the settings to see what fits the gif but here are my go-to DeNoise settings (tip: save these as a preset so you only have to click that for faster giffing!):

And my Clean settings:

Press OK when you’re done with these and then go to Filter > Sharpen > Smart Sharpen. These are my SS settings (just copy these, and again, save as a preset!):

Depending on how sharp you want the gif to be, you can input the same settings or go to this in the layers and change the percentage.

Now that we’re done with these... it’s time to flatten it! Just follow these little steps:

And then you wait. Again. I know.

Step 10: After playing the waiting game, you’ll click the three little squares again and do the same thing you did earlier: “Make Frames Into Layers”. Delete the first frame. Add a coloring of your choice (can be a PSD, can be your own coloring, etc. this is honestly just... playing around with things and see what it can do). After you’ve done coloring, select all your frames (same lines as previous screenshot except now you’ll see a “Select All Frames” option, click it!) and change the time to whatever you like (I usually go for 0.05, 0.06, or 0.07. Again, just play around with this!! Try different things!)

Step 11: Final step! Saving :) I use shortcuts a lot to make things faster so either press ALT+SHIFT+CTRL+S or go to File > Export > Save For Web. Not much to do here, just copy the following settings and save the file!

!!! NOTE: After making a new gif today I realized there’s a weird dotted border on the top of my gifs, it’s a bit difficult to explain but I had no idea what it was. Turns out that the reason why this showed up was because, as shown in the screenshot below, I had “Transparency” selected. If you’re experiencing this too, UNSELECT the transparency and it should be all good!

Also make sure that the “Looping Options” is set to Forever, or else your gif will play only once and then stop!

Tip: While making gifs for Twitter I at one point noticed that if I added in a white background, no matter what I’d do, it’d show up as yellow-y in the preview box. After googling I found that going to the options (1 in the screenshot) and then clicking “Sort by Luminance”, then double-clicking the lightest color (not the transparent one, 2 in the screenshot) and selecting white (or FFF) will get rid of this! This likely won’t be that useful for Tumblr gifs but just in case you ever want to have a white background...!

Then just... save, and upload to Tumblr! :)

Final note: Tumblr has a mix gif size of 3MB. If you have a gifset of 4 gifs you want to upload, all 4 gifs can be max 3MB each. Keep this in mind! If you’re over 3MB, delete a few frames and try again, or resize/crop your gif!

As it turns out, Tumblr has increased their gif size to 8MB, however, the quality tends to get compressed with larger gifs like that so per recommendation: keep them below 5MB! (thank you @yeoli for letting me know!)

I hope this helped! If you have any questions, feel free to send me a message and I’ll try my best to answer them.

#tutorial #gif #gif tutorial #kpop #gif making #gifs #idk what to tag this lmao

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jasperwhitcock · 4 years

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05. FAMILY FEUD

surprise, bitches. bet you thought you’d seen the last of me. why do i update my fic always a month apart. sorry!! i’m always working on it, i just write really long chapters... anyways, here is chapter five of my bella as a vampire and edward as a human fanfic inspired by an au that @bellasredchevy posted. you can read the new chapter on AO3 or here. i post updates on AO3 or on tumblr using the #equinoxjw tag.

i've incorporated some quotes from midnight sun because obviously this is still something of a parallel to midnight sun & i wanted to stay true to some of the reactions. also, you may recognize a little blurb imbedded here that i've written before about the bookshelf hehe. hope yall enjoy ♡♡♡

The weight of the battle I was fighting within myself was beginning to surpass the previous toll it’d taken on me. Every moment since I met Edward, it seemed I was falling further down into an abyss that I couldn’t climb out of, and every time I felt like maybe I’d found my grip, I only fell further. Again, I was frustrated as I sat outside Edward’s house in Carlisle’s Mercedes, watching the hazy, obscure sun slip further away behind the blackened clouds, leaving me shrouded in the darkness of a midday storm and the cover of pouring rain. I felt partially guilty for not returning Carlisle’s car. He wouldn’t mind running home, but Esme might not be too pleased about the puddles his drenched clothing would leave on her newly installed flooring. Although after today, it might not matter anymore.

I wondered what I’d return home to. Would they have already finished packing up our belongings? Would they be waiting to confront me about the consequences of my actions? Carlisle was forgiving, but would the rest of my family be?

For those reasons, I wasn’t ready to return home yet. But mostly, I was hesitant to drive away because I knew the moment my tires left Edward’s street would be the moment I’d be leaving him behind in Forks. I felt unprepared for the finality of such a moment.

When I heard the soft purr of an engine turning onto the street around one in the afternoon, I sighed, shifting the car into drive and moving forward to the end of the road in case it was Edward’s father returning home. I watched in my rearview mirror as the silver vehicle confirmed my suspicions by pulling into Edward’s driveway. Although the darkness of the thunderstorm’s gloom brewing in the clouds did little to obscure my eyesight, the torrent of rain pounding down relentlessly onto the green earth was too thick for even my eyes to catch a good glimpse of his face.

I could stay and listen – hear the voice of his father and compare it to the quality of Edward’s low, soft timbre, see if Edward’s sincerity in sticking to my version of events was genuine, check if he was truly as alright as he insisted – but maybe I was only looking for reasons to avoid heading home. Or maybe I was just being unforgivably invasive.

I glanced at the digital clock. 1:05. If they had stayed in their classes after the accident, there was still another hour and forty minutes before my siblings would be released from school. If they went home early, then Carlisle still wouldn’t be home for another two hours and twenty five minutes. I decided I’d rather not be there without Carlisle, so I lifted my foot off the break, slammed on the gas, and headed for Port Angeles before I realized where I was going.

As I left Forks behind me, the rain softened to a more consoling pitter patter on the roof of the car, and the clouds, although still grey, were lighter, hinting at the hidden sun. I made it to Port Angeles in under half an hour, luckily finding the roads to be mostly empty.

I drove at an appropriate speed once I reached the city. It was surprisingly beautiful scenery for such a disastrous day. It had snowed the night before here as well, but the melted snow hadn’t refrozen into ice. Instead, the tops of the buildings were covered in a thin layer of fluffy white snowflakes. The clouds above were thick enough to conceal me from the sun but held no implications of oncoming rain.

I located a parking spot near my favorite old brick building and paid the meter for the next few hours. The air was even more wintry here than in Forks as the harbor air brought in fresh, freezing ocean spray. There was a bookstore I liked to go to here in Port Angeles. Even as a child, Forks didn’t have an adequate library or bookstore to satiate my needs. My previous grievances with the rainforest of a city aside, there was always the silver lining of the bookstore.

If there was one thing that I looked forward to when arriving in the otherwise detestable small town of Forks in the rainy state of Washington, it was returning to the familiar mahogany of the sturdy bookshelf in the tiny living room of Charlie’s small, two-story house. It had been a gift – a homecoming gesture – in hopes to put me in better spirits when I was forced to spend my summers with my father. He knew how I had disliked his gloomy town just as my mother had. A friend from the reservation, Billy Black’s, young, cheerful son built the bookshelf himself. Billy had dismissed Charlie’s offers to pay his son for the service, insisting he accept it as a present in return for all the nights Billy stole away to the Swan Residence (Swan, the last name I held as a human) to watch the game on Charlie’s much larger – though not by much – television screen. When he hadn’t been looking, Charlie slipped a small wad of cash to Billy’s kid who excitedly accepted it, eager to save for some other projects.

Over time, the book shelf became a home for some of my favorite classic novels. On his days off, when his friend Harry Clearwater was unavailable for a fishing trip, he’d picked up books of all kinds, hoping I would find at least one I liked in the overflowing collection. The bookshelf was stuffed with paperbacks and hardbacks, lining each ledge edge to edge with books piling horizontally on top of the other books as space began to run out. It was a gesture that moved me in ways I was unused to and ways I couldn’t find the words to express.

When I was in town, Charlie drove me to some of the larger cities surrounding his small town and waited patiently as I perused the shelves of second-hand book stores. Smart as he was, he wasn’t a very articulate man, struggling to convey the depth of his emotions through words. But something in his eyes betrayed the way his heart overflowed with pride and adoration watching his small, gangly daughter enter into a world of her own as she searched for her next favorite story to add to their beloved bookshelf. It was a look I caught that sometimes made me feel embarrassed and shy by the profundity of the love in it, but now a look that I’d always remember. A look that would always make my unbeating heart feel somehow full and empty at the same time. Intense feelings of love and sadness for what I’d once had and since lost. This bookstore was our favorite, and therefore, it would always be my favorite. It still held the aged charm of the past, but they made some modern improvements in desperation for relevance today. I’d made sure to keep the store open with anonymous donations. Too many independent bookstores suffered in such a competitive, unfair market full of large online distributors.

I listened to the familiar hum of the glowing red neon sign in the window as I reached for the door. A bell above let out a peal of rings as I entered, and the clerk behind the wooden counter looked up beneath her large glasses. Her skin was deeply tan with olive undertones and her dark hair was cropped in a perfect line above her shoulders. Her eyes registered shock upon seeing my face, her heart rate picked up, and she stuttered over her words. “W-welcome!”

“Thank you,” I smiled softly, though finding the politeness to be difficult today. I didn’t want to come across rude or threatening, but feigning anything resembling joy was especially exhausting. I kept my voice gentle and even so as not to alarm the woman.

“Let me know if you need any help!” She called after me as I passed the counter, heading deeper into the store.

The shop was unpopulated at this time of day. Only a few people loitered here and there examining the shelves or curled up on loveseats with hot coffee cups to recover from the chill of the outdoors.

I crossed over the entirety of the first floor, finding the concealed narrow staircase that led to the upstairs. Tasting the air, I could tell there was nobody immediately near me, so I flew up the staircase at a more reasonable speed though I was in no hurry. The second floor was a brown labyrinth, the bookshelves placed in a way to create an intimate maze with countless little crevices to slip into and hide away from the rest of the world. Hardbacks and paperbacks piled the shelves and walls from the floor to the ceiling. The air was filled with the scents of crispy paper, aged ink, and the sweet, musky smell of older books. The lighting was warm reddish-orange, dull, and not ideal for reading despite the setting, but a miscellaneous mélange of lamps in all shapes and sizes embellished the spaces tucked between the bookcases, generating enough brightness to read in tiny, personal pools of light.

I weaved a path through the maze until I reached a dead-end corner with a single, wine-colored armchair in a faded leather. An ornate wooden plaque spray painted gold with eroded edges was drilled into the shelf behind the chair, the words “For Charlie” engraved into the pallet. Well, my donations were mostly anonymous.

No matter how many times I rounded this corner, every time my eyes fell on the empty chair hit me like a wrecking ball with nearly unmanageable grief. Any attempt to decipher the thoughts that came with this always led me to simplistic statements because that was all that I could ever handle. It was too much emptiness, too much numbness, too much complexity. It was always simply too much. And that was about all the conclusions I could come to no matter how much gentleness and coaxing Esme, Rosalie, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Carlisle comforted me with. It was always easier to push away the thought, to avoid thinking too much than to acknowledge the hole in my chest. Some days I almost forget, and some days it becomes seemingly ever present. It was always easier to ignore the gravity of the grief.

But in this life with the absoluteness of what we are, all we can do is to go on. One next step at a time. As much as I felt so much stronger and accustomed to this life, there was no denying the simple truth – there is so much loss in immortality.

I sighed. Even with all of our physical resilience, the extremities of our emotions in this form was enough to be tiring. I took steps forward and turned to sink into the chair, feeling very small. Looking out at the warmth of the bookcases and the endless array of novels, I thought of what it would be like to be Charlie sitting here, watching his awkward daughter run her finger along all the spines or disappear into the maze only to be found on the floor somewhere surrounded by piles of books.

Sometimes being here I could feel the ghost of Charlie’s love. The intensity that he couldn’t quite always communicate and that I didn’t always understand the extent of. But here, I could feel it. And I felt the same love for him in return. I missed him. His thick mustache, the sudden youthfulness in his warm, brown eyes when he smiled, the endearing crinkles that reminded me of his age. The coffee rings on the table, and the snow chains on my tires. The flush of red under his translucent skin when he was angry or embarrassed. Just like how my skin had been. Like father, like daughter.

I wondered what he’d think of my life now, and what he’d think of what I’d done today. Knowing the circumstances of the secrets I was meant to keep, would he have thought I’d done the right thing as Carlisle had? Or would he have thought I interfered and placed my siblings at risk like the rest of my family might think? I think that despite the consequences, he would have said something like, “you did the right thing, kid.” And maybe he’d even uncomfortably ask me about whether or not this boy was someone he should be keeping his eye on and would be immensely relieved when I reassured him that the answer was no. The thought almost made me smile. So then, I couldn’t bring myself to regret my decisions, and I wouldn’t allow myself to.

I sat there in the weathered leather of the chair for some time, listening to the subtle dragging of pages sliding off of shelves, the whoosh of air and the crispy rustle of paper as someone turned a page, the heaviness of footsteps on dead pieces of floorboard, the twinkle of the bell above the front door, and the whisper of the frozen wind rushing inside. After an hour, I stirred, rising from Charlie’s chair to trace my finger along the edges of the shelves, the action stirring up some dust particles to leap into the air like dandelion seeds, the warm light catching them in astonishing ways as they floated along. I left my little nook briefly to find the right section that would hold the book I was suddenly searching for.

When I located it, I plucked the gently used novel off the shelf, vowing to officially mend my own copy at home since it was the same story that Emmett had destroyed the morning of the first day I saw Edward.

I returned to the armchair, once again sinking down into the burgundy, and flipped through the aged pages until I found the place I left off at.

I’d have read until closing time, but eventually something in the unreliability of initial appearances in Pride and Prejudice began to bother me in a way that it never had before. I gave up on the book and instead sat unthinking – or attempting to, at least– quietly for a few hours.

Again, I longed to sleep. I’d never needed an escape as much as I did now as my mind was becoming too tiring a place to consciously be.

After some time, I heard creaky footsteps on the ancient wood up the stairs and the jingling sound of keys hitting each other. I waited patiently as they approached, imagining where exactly they may be in the labyrinth as they turned corners and hesitated to quietly shove stray books back onto shelves. They drew closer, closing in the distance between them and my little nook, finally rounding the corner.

“Oh!” The clerk from downstairs gasped in surprise, dropping the book in her hand. I stopped myself from saving it to not startle her any further with sudden movements, allowing it to clatter noisily to the floor.

“I’m sorry,” I murmured, only then rising from the chair to lean down and collect the novel after an appropriate amount of reaction time. “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

The clerk’s heart boomed loudly in her chest. “No, no, it’s alright!” She laughed breathlessly, a hand fluttering to her heart. “I just didn’t think anyone else was here... We’re, uh, sorry, we’re closed!”

“Oh, I’m sorry again,” I laughed softly as well to relax her, extending my hand to offer her the book she’d dropped. “I must have lost track of time.”

“That’s okay! It happens more often than you think...” she laughed again, her heart rate slowing down to a more regular place, though now that she recovered from the shock, her face was mesmerized by the oddness of my jarringly perfect appearance.

“I’ll leave now,” I smiled politely, pushing the book forward to her hand, careful not to touch her skin. Without processing, she took hold of the book. As I began to pass her, she clumsily turned.

“Oh, uh, wait! I’ll unlock the door to let you out!”

I allowed her to pass me up and leisurely followed her through the maze down the stairs. Her blood had a sweet smell, but it was still unappealing in comparison to Edward’s.

Once we’d reached the door, I could see how much time had passed whilst I hadn’t been paying attention. Through the large windows, night had fallen in a blackened cloak over the port city.

“Here we are,” she shyly chirped in a very intentionally favorable tone – something she probably reserved for customer service – and fiddled with the keys. Her hands shook slightly, and I felt guilty for how it must feel to have her back turned to a predator. Of course, she couldn’t know the difference, but her body recognized the threat. Finally, once she’d found the right key, she jimmied the rusty metal into the lock – missing the narrow fissure twice at first – and opened the door.

“Sorry about that. Thank you so much for coming,” she turned, gesturing with a shaky hand towards the outside world. The bitter wind blew in through the opening, making her shiver.

“Thank you,” I smiled again for her sake. Her eyes were peculiarly light compared to the rest of her features, making them extremely prominent. They were lighter and more hazel, yet the shade of green made me think of Edward again. I sighed. “Have a good night.”

I stepped out into the darkened street, looking down at the strange way the red light from the neon sign in the window washed over and illuminated my skin. Tiny bugs flew around the street lamps up above, casting irregularly moving shadows on the frozen sidewalk.

The heavy door shut loudly behind me, and she clicked the lock. It was unusually quiet, though that could be due to it being a weeknight. The bulbs in the streetlamps hummed and the bugs buzzed in response.

I strolled along the sidewalk, taking my time before returning to Carlisle’s car. I should have paid the meter more generously. It expired two hours ago. I’d received a parking ticket. Oops.

I removed the frozen slip of paper and unlocked the car, sliding into the driver’s seat. I had no desire to drive fast at first, deciding to return home at the speed limit. After about forty minutes, suddenly the anticipation to get the confrontation out of the way overcame me, and I drove 200 miles per hour the rest of the way home. Within minutes, I was turning onto the miles-long driveway.

As I raced for the garage, I listened for any movement from the bright house. There was none. I wondered how long they’d been sitting still, waiting for me. I groaned aloud in greeting.

The garage door was open so I pulled into the blue fluorescence and parked beside Rosalie’s day car. I sighed once before determinedly exiting the vehicle.

I slammed the door a little too hard before catching the handle before it hit the body. Perhaps I’d reached my quota this morning when it came to destroying car doors.

I ran through the small section of woods separating the garage from the house and braced myself for the impact of the meeting.

“Hello,” I said sheepishly. I wanted to sound stronger and more confident, but my nerve wavered as I entered the dining room to see everyone waiting for me at the long oval table. At the eastern head of the table, Carlisle and Esme sat side by side, their hands resting together atop the mahogany. I felt some of the resilience I’d mustered in the last few seconds return upon seeing the intensity of Esme’s golden eyes. They were full of concern and overwhelmingly forgiving. It was reassuring.

Rosalie sat directly opposite from Carlisle, very intentionally avoiding eye contact with me, her arms crossed firmly across her chest. I could feel the tension and coldness emanating from her. I was unused to feeling spurned by Rosalie. She always tenderly cared for me, always taking my side… My actions must have truly offended her today. A twinge of guilt twisted my abdomen.

It was unfair to feel any sense of betrayal considering the danger I’d placed my family in, but still with Emmett wrly seated beside Rosalie, and Jasper standing behind them, leaning against the wall mirroring Rose’s crossed arms, I felt some irrational anger at the lines being drawn. Of course, I should have known better than to think Emmett would have my back as if he wouldn’t undoubtedly support Rosalie.

Alice sat beside Esme, her eyes focused on something other than the room. I wondered if her visions made her support waver, if in all the hours I’d been gone, she’d been moving back and forth on either side of the room. She always chose the winning side.

“I’m sorry,” I breathed. “First, for this,” I crossed to the other side of the table to sit beside Carlisle, placing the parking ticket on the wood and sliding it over towards him. His lips curved into an amused smirk, and I felt encouraged by the expression.

“And more importantly,” I turned to face Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper. “I’m very, very sorry for this morning. It was incredibly selfish, irresponsible, and stupid of me to put any of you at risk. It’s all my fault… I take full responsibility for my actions.”

Rosalie’s exquisite face finally looked up at me, her expression full of hurt. “And what does that mean, Bella? Are you planning on fixing this?”

The implication behind her words filled me with sudden indignation, and before I could calm myself down, I snapped, “not in the way that you mean.”

Of course, something had to be done about the accident, but what was the point of going to such idiotic lengths to save his life only to end it later? Didn’t she realize I’ve been fighting to keep him alive since the very moment I’d met him?

Rosalie took offense to the harsh accusation of my words. “You say that as if I’d advocate for this under normal circumstances.”

“I had planned on leaving before, and I will leave now if it makes things easier.” Rather than keeping my voice calm and even, the words again came out in ways I didn’t intend. Unnecessarily punitive. I knew it was ridiculous to be so angry with Rosalie’s anger towards me when she was entirely right, but I couldn’t tame my passion in defense of Edward’s silly little life.

“Oh, no, Bella,” Esme murmured. “Please, you can’t leave.”

I reached to squeeze my mother’s hand.

“It’d have been helpful prior to this morning,” Jasper spoke up. “Now, it’s irrelevant.”

“Jazz is right,” Emmett agreed. “There’s no point in leaving now. If anything, that’d look more suspicious.”

“I agree with Emmett, Bella,” Carlisle nodded. “For you to disappear, perhaps it’d make the boy more inclined to talk. Either all of us leave or none.”

“Edward won’t say anything,” I insisted.

“You can’t know that,” Rosalie argued.

“I trust him,” I disagreed, surprising myself at how true the statement was. I thought back to the biology lab when he’d jokingly asked if I trusted him. It was in response to his identification of the stages of mitosis, and I had said no. Now, I suddenly entrusted him with the secrecy of my vampire abilities. I was really unintelligent. She scoffed at my words. “Alice, back me up.”

“I can’t see what will happen if we just ignore this,” Alice rubbed her temples before shooting an accusatory glance in Jasper and Rosalie’s direction.

“We can’t ignore this. Bella, I have always supported you, and of course I love you dearly. But clearly, this isn’t some minor mistake. You were right – it was incredibly selfish and irresponsible and stupid! And it’d be even more irresponsible and stupid for us to allow the human the chance to say anything about it. Carlisle, you must see that,” Rosalie turned her attention to our adopted father.

“It’s not like we haven’t left rumors behind before,” I reminded her. “And I don’t recall anyone else’s first offense putting them on trial like this.”

She ignored the second part of my statement. “Rumors, Bella. Today, you’ve provided eyewitnesses and evidence! It’s not enough that you were perfect prior to today. You’re no more a saint than the rest of us! We have to be perfect always! This was a massive mistake!” Rosalie stood up from her chair. “And I know that!” I stood up as well.

“Then you should agree with what’s the right course of action! It doesn’t have to be a big production. So he seemed alright after the accident. Every mortal goes to sleep with the chance of never waking up. Say Carlisle missed something far more serious than it looked. I don’t delight in this, Bella, but the rest of our kind would expect us to take care of this. Technically, you should be the one to clean up after yourself.”

“Rosalie, the Masen boy is completely innocent,” Carlisle gently disapproved.

Rosalie frowned. “It’s an unfortunate consequence to Bella’s mistake in favor of protecting us all, but a consequence nonetheless”

“Rose, I am sorry-”

“Sorry doesn’t matter anymore, Bella!” She interrupted.

“I never wanted this. I never wanted to place you or Emmett or any of us in this position. I know my actions have affected you. But I couldn’t just let him die that way!” My chest sunk at the thought.

“But it wasn’t your place to meddle with fate. You’ve already interrupted his life with your existence alone. Why let him survive? So that you could slaughter him later?”

I winced at her words, but a low hiss escaped my throat as well.

“Rose...” Emmett reached up for her hand to placate her, but she pulled away.

“No, it’s the truth. Our existence and your fixation on his scent posed a threat to the boy. His time came, but you interfered. Now he poses a greater threat to us. So what was the point of that then? You couldn’t help yourself from cutting into his life? It seems the universe provided you with an easy way out, and you went out of your way to make things not only more difficult for yourself but for us as well. I don’t always love this life, but excuse me for taking it personally when you’ve threatened the tiniest piece of happiness I have here! You should have just let him die! It seems you’ll end up killing him anyways!”

The room shifted completely. Suddenly, everyone was on their feet, Rosalie leaned towards me in defense, Emmett uncomfortably but faithfully crouched by her side, Jasper’s stance was more confident and relaxed but poised to strike as well. Carlisle and Esme were both by my sides, holding me in place by my arms. Only Alice remained in her seat, not at all concerned by the change in atmosphere. It took me half a second to realize what had triggered everyone’s response – to process the vicious growl that erupted from my throat and the tenseness of my body as it coiled to spring at my own sister. I was too stubborn and furious to feel any shame yet. I scowled but eased my stance, allowing Carlisle and Esme to gently coax me back to my chair. Everyone else loosened their defensive posture. Emmett made Rosalie sit down, her golden eyes narrowed in a harsh glare of which I was the recipient. Jasper stood straight again but remained stiff. Once we’d all relaxed, Carlisle began speaking again.

“Rosalie, I know you mean well, but every life is precious. To murder a blameless child poses an even greater risk to us. The occasional accident or lapse in control is a regrettable part of who we are, but to bring harm to the boy would make ourselves unworthy of the protection you so lovingly wish to give us. If we make exceptions to protect ourselves, we risk something much more important. We risk losing the essence of who we are.”

I couldn’t help the tiny smile that pulled at the corner of my lips.

“Carlisle, it’s about being responsible when Bella was so horribly irresponsible.”

Being on the receiving end of Rosalie’s inflexibility and anger was not at all pleasant.

"It's being callous," Carlisle corrected softly before repeating himself. “Every human life is precious.”

Rosalie sighed heavily and turned her head to again avoid looking at me, making it very apparent where the two of us stood.

“The question is whether or not we should move on,” he continued.

“The last thing I want is to unroot any of you. I don’t think that’ll be necessary, Carlisle. I feel confident about Edward’s silence,” I insisted again.

Rosalie huffed loudly, and I turned just in time to catch her rolling her eyes.

“Well, we certainly don't have to decide now. Perhaps we wait then,” Carlisle nodded.

I turned to face Alice, searching for some reassurance about the future but instead following her accusatory gaze to where Jasper stood leaning against the wall again. They were having another one of those silent conversations they shared that the rest of us were lost to. It was almost as if they could read each other’s minds.

“What?” I asked.

“Jazz seems to feel he’s above this conversation,” Alice gritted her teeth. “He seems to think he should set things right.”

My eyes flashed between her and Jasper, whose face was expressionless and unmoved. It took me a moment to piece it together.

“Jazz,” I warned as I began to feel irrationally overprotective again. “I won’t let you punish him for my mistake.”

“So he benefits from it then?” He raised his eyebrows.

“I won’t allow it,” I repeated.

“And I won’t allow Alice to live in danger. You can’t understand, Bella. You don’t feel about anyone the way I feel towards her.”

“That’s irrelevant. I’m not just going to stand aside as you murder him,” I hissed. “I will not let you hurt Edward Masen.”

We stared at each other. I knew he was measuring the opposition and sampling the depth of my determination.

“Jazz,” Alice interrupted us, cutting through the tension in the air.

“Don’t bother telling me you can protect yourself, Alice. I already know that, but-”

“That’s not what I was going to say, but thank you for the assumption,” she rolled her eyes. “And it’s true, I can. I don’t need the backup, you overprotective fool.”

She said the last words playfully, her voice full of affection, as she stuck her tongue out. The action was out of sync with the mood of the room. “What I was going to ask for was a favor.”

Jasper’s eyebrows raised at what was seemingly an inappropriate time to make any requests. My eyebrows knitted in confusion at where the conversation was heading.

“I know you love me, but I would really appreciate it if you didn’t try to kill Edward. First, we all know how headstrong Bella is, so you shouldn’t doubt how serious she’s being right now. I don’t want the two of you to fight. Seriously. Secondly, Edward is my friend. Yours too. At least, he’s going to be.”

“What?” Jasper gasped. Even though we were all very much accustomed to Alice’s ambiguity and the bizarre certainty she spoke with about things only she had seen, this was not a statement that could so easily be digested. I couldn’t tear my attention from Alice, staring intently at her face as if the meaning behind her words would suddenly be written on her forehead. What had she seen in that little odd head of hers?

“I’m going to love him��” as she said this, I nearly choked on the air whistling down my throat “–someday, Jazz. I’d be very put out with you if you don’t leave him be.”

I was locked into place, my eyes still boring deeply into my sister’s face. I could feel the pucker on my forehead etched into my expression as I tried to make sense of what she was saying. I kept expecting Alice to explain, but every time she opened her mouth she only confounded me more.

“Ahh!” Alice sighed, smiling brightly. “See, there’s nothing to worry about! Edward won’t say anything at all.”

I could not see.

“Alice,” I whined impatiently. “What are you saying?”

“I don’t know, Bella. I told you something was changing in your future.”

“In my future? What did you see?”

“Hmm… I don’t think I should share quite yet,” Alice locked her jaw, and I growled, exasperated.

“Oh, clearly, Bella can’t be trusted lately to not act on her impulses! You should give her whatever warning you’re hiding,” Rosalie sighed, annoyed.

I was still feeling illogically irritated with Rose’s resentment, but I couldn’t disagree with her. “She’s right, Alice.”

“I really don’t think-”

“Who votes that Alice shares what she knows?” I asked restlessly. “Raise your hand.”

It was juvenile, and this was not how we came to decisions ever. Of course we’d discuss differing opinions, but never so bluntly did we vote in this manner. The way I approached the subject was rude, but still unanimously, six hands shot into the air including mine.

“Fine,” Alice huffed, scowling. “But I’m not obligated to share anything just because the rest of you voted. That’s silly. I’m only sharing because I can see that Bella won’t let this go.”

She paused and we waited, staring. It was as if we were awaiting the results of a reading from some fortune teller at a carnival, anxious to see which tarot cards she had pulled. Anxious to see what this would mean for my life.

“My vision keeps becoming clearer. At first, it was just hazy, and I couldn’t make sense of it or of who I was seeing. Every minute it’s like Bella’s more decided,” Alice began. Six pairs of eyes flickered to me, but I had no idea what she was referring to, nor did I know how this related to the boy. Alice frowned a little as if she knew what she was about to say wouldn’t be received well. “It seems there’s only two ways left for Edward now. Either Bella will… end his life or… he’ll join us.”

Esme gasped as my mouth dropped open.

“Join us?!” I choked out once I recovered. “I…. I have not made a decision anywhere in that realm at all. That has never ever crossed my mind. Why in the world would I turn him?”

“Maybe you don’t. Maybe I do it because I love him too or at least, I will. I don’t know.”

“Love him, too?” I gaped, convinced Alice’s abilities were broken somehow. “What does that even mean? Who else are you talking about?”

“Who do you think, Bella?” Alice rolled her eyes again, impatient at my lack of clairvoyance. “Clearly not Rosalie.”

“Love him!?” Rosalie questioned incredulously, eyeing me as if I’d completely lost my mind. Maybe I had.

I then realized what Alice meant as I watched Rosalie’s face and processed the other baffled pairs of eyes.

“You mean me!?” I gasped.

“Woah! What the hell...” Emmett almost laughed in surprise, then decided it was indeed actually funny and broke out into real, booming laughter. “Damn! That’s rough. Of course, Bella would fall for a human!”

“Fall for a human?” Esme asked, completely astonished. “Fall in love? With the boy she saved today?”

“Nobody is in love with anybody,” I stood up. “That’s completely absurd!”

“Ooh, touchy subject,” Emmett snickered. I glared daggers at him.

“What exactly do you see, Alice?” Jasper asked.

“I already told you. It depends on Bella’s strength. Either she’ll kill him herself which would really destroy you, Bella, not to mention how very irritated I’d be with you–” she gave me a stern look through narrowed eyes as if I’d already committed the murder then returned her attention to the rest of our family “–or he’ll be one of us someday. There’s not much else to say; the visions are finite but not detailed. It will require a great deal of self control…”

As she continued to muse, I was still frozen in place on my feet, completely numb and completely bewildered.

“...Greater than even Carlisle’s capability maybe. I wouldn’t have put it past her prior to this, but now… It’ll be extremely close as to whether or not she kills him. The only thing she’s not strong enough to do is stay away from him. That’s a completely lost cause.”

The room was entirely quiet.

“Well, this complicates things greatly,” Carlisle murmured.

After another moment of silence, Rosalie piped up. “I can’t believe it. In love with a human-”

“Oh, you’re one to talk, Rosalie!” I snarled, returning to some clarity.

“Girls, please-” Esme began to plead.

“Ooh, she got you there, babe,” Emmett interrupted, chuckling as Rose growled at him.

“Emmett,” Esme warned sternly. He held up his hands in surrender but winked at me, grinning widely.

I couldn’t even appreciate the realliance. I was still too lost in the sudden upheaval of my entire life.

“I suppose the plans remain the same, though," Carlisle said thoughtfully. "We'll stay and watch. Obviously, no one will...hurt the boy.”

“Of course not,” Jasper agreed, nodding his head once. “If Alice only sees two ways, then it’s unnecessary to take matters into-”

“Shut up, Jazz,” I said numbly.

Everyone’s eyes flickered over to me.

I was just loving being the center of attention these days.

If Alice only sees two ways...

“You’re wrong,” I whispered. For the first time in my life, I was betting against Alice.

My psychic sister opened her mouth to protest but stopped after seeing either in her head or on my face that I wasn’t finished.

“I hardly know Edward. I don’t see how it could be possible for me to… develop any kind of… feelings for him. That’s entirely ridiculous. I mean, he’s… human! The only scenario that could potentially ever happen – which again, it’s absolutely implausible – would be if I were to accidentally change him. And even then, I mean, why would I-... He’s so… Ugh, just nevermind! That would be a complete mistake. A mistake greater than the one I made today. And I’m very sorry to you all for how I’ve mutilated the future with my actions, but I’m going to fix it. I’ll leave-”

“You can’t,” Alice and Esme interrupted at the same time. My sister’s tone was one of annoyance while my mother’s was one of concern.

“You’re right,” I nodded, but my agreement wasn’t for the reasons Alice meant. I wasn’t considering my capability to leave based on my own will power against leaving the boy behind. That was something too complicated to unpack here in front of my family. Something that’d be better dealt with on the floor with my arms wrapped around my knees. I wouldn’t leave because it’d be more crucial for me to stay now. The responsible thing to do. “But I’ll try to...I will stay away from Edward–” suddenly, I felt a desire to begin to distance myself from him and referring to him by his name felt too deeply personal, so I corrected myself, “–from the boy, I mean. It’s not right to condemn him to either fate. I won’t allow that to happen.”

As I spoke, Rosalie’s face softened and she materialized by my side, taking my hand.

“I’m sorry for how I’ve behaved today, Bella. I only spoke out of love for our family. But you’re right. It’s not right. And I’m glad you’re choosing to do the right thing by staying away. I still don’t feel as though trusting him is responsible, but if what Alice has said is true-”

“I’m sorry, too,” I cut her off quietly, not wanting to hear the rest. I was feeling sorry for so much more than just how I spoke to Rose.

Esme appeared behind me as well, placing her hand encouragingly on my shoulder. “We are here to support you, Bella.”

“Thanks,” I murmured unenthusiastically.

Nobody moved again as they waited to see what I’d do next. I felt like a zoo animal.

I sighed, releasing Rose’s hand and shaking off Esme.

“If you don’t mind, I think I’d like to be by myself.”

“Of course,” Carlisle responded.

I crossed behind the west side of the table. Emmett let out a low, cartoony whistle of relief to break the tension, and I punched him on the arm as I passed. As I exited the room, Alice called, “wait!”

She was by my side in an instant.

“This is from the accident. It’s Edward’s. I thought maybe you’d want to return it to him.”

I looked down as she pulled my unresponsive hand away from my body to place the thick, chestnut journal I’d seen Edward reach for in his backseat right before the accident. I stared at her, impassive, so she sighed and wrapped my fingers around the worn leather to force it into my grip.

“Thanks,” I mumbled, turning and disappearing out of the house into the forest.

As I ran, I felt the weight of their eyes on me.

27 notes · View notes

chekovs-fuckup · 4 years

Text

100 Homestuck Headcanons Of Mine

Both Meulin and Nepeta say “hewwo” unironically. They can also replicate the OwO and UwU faces near perfectly.

Roxy loves Five Nights At Freddie’s, Undertale, and Minecraft.

The Striders and Lalondes have a group Minecraft server.

One time Roxy convinced Rose to play Halo with her, Dirk, and Dave. That was when they found out Rose was surprisingly good at it, and Fortnite.

The trolls all love Animal Crossing

Actually, everyone loves Animal Crossing.

The Mayor is the only one who had Raymond. That is because Dave gave him Raymond.

Everyone else wants Raymond.

Vriska stabbed someone for Raymond. She didn’t get Raymond.

The Harley-English-Egbert-Crocker family have a group Minecraft server, and that’s it.

They tend to spend their free time seeing what whacky things they can alchemize.

At one point they managed to alchemize Captain America’s shield. No one is sure how, but it works.

Roxy and Dirk can both eat whole ghost peppers. Rose and Dave both hate spicy food.

Jane doesn’t mind spicy things but prefers sweet stuff instead. John and Jake are fine with a little spice but not as much as Roxy and Dirk. Jade can’t have anything spicy or she will get extremely sick.

Spicy peppers, and peppers in general, are lethal to trolls, due to the capsicum in them. The first time Karkat and Kanaya saw Dirk and Roxy eating peppers they freaked out.

Dirk and Roxy have occasional competitions to see who can eat the most peppers in a minute. It’s hilarious.

Karkat learned the Alternia equivalent of an Earth ukulele before the game. He remembers one song from it and occasionally borrows Jake’s ukulele to play it when he’s sad.

Jake, Jade, Jane, and John have every musical instrument you could name, and some you couldn’t.

Jake can play the ukulele and bagpipes. Jane can play piano and keytar. Alongside bass, Jade can play the trumpet and otamatone. John can play guitar and saxophone.

Dirk can play the otamatone. That’s it.

Roxy keeps requesting that Jade alchemize cats. She has about 30 by now.

Roxy gave Dave a cat. He named him Skittles, and claims it’s completely ironic.

Dirk also has a cat, named Twilight Sparkle

Rose has a cat named Cthulhu.

Jake has a parrot named Indiana Jones

Jade now has a corgi named Thor.

John managed to get Jade to help him alchemize a dragon. It’s name is Fluffernutter.

Jane is a master at anything kitchen-y. Jake and John both burn water. Jade can cook stuff but prefers take out.

Roxy knows how to make grilled cheese and soup really well, and Dirk is good with a grill but that’s it.

Rose makes the best hot chocolate, tea, and coffee. Any drink you want, she can make. She can’t cook anything though.

Alternatively, Kanaya is an excellent cook but thinks that mixing Dr. Pepper, Sprite, and Faygo together is good.

Kanaya has mixed every soda the kids could find together before. Dirk paid John $30 to drink it. John did.

“If you open a banana from the bottom you are a disgrace to the world and we all know you’re a top who can’t find a bottom.”- Rose, Kanaya, Jade, Vriska

“Opening a banana from the bottom lets you have the most banana without eating the weird thing at the end of it”- Dirk, John, Jane, Karkat

“Why bother peeling bananas when you can just eat them whole?”- Jake, Dave, Terezi

One time John used the Mayor’s cuteness to get Jane to bake him a cake. Dave found out and was pissed.

Dave convinced Rose to knit the mayor a sweater.

The mayor loves Doritos. He always gets the last one in the bag.

Kanaya loves mixing different types of one kind of food or drink. She has mixed all the candy in the house, much to the delight of most everyone, has mixed all the soda (it now lives in the back of the fridge for when they play truth or dare) and has mixed all the cereal in the house, much to the irritation of Roxy and Rose.

Dave ate a handful of Kanaya’s cereal mix because Dirk said he wouldn’t.

Has read Twilight: Rose, Roxy

Hasn’t read Twilight: Jade, Jane, John

Doesn’t know what Twilight is: Mayor, Calliope, Karkat, Jake

Hates Twilight: Dave

Vocally anti-twilight but secretly wrote and published a 100k fanfic: Dirk

Can swim: Rose, Roxy, Dirk, Jake, Jade

Can’t swim: John, Calliope, Jane

Hates bodies of water: Dave

Trolls don’t have grey skin, they have grey fur.

Said fur poofs up when the trolls are scared as a defense mechanism, like a cat. But instead of being fluffy, it’s spiky and sharp. Trying to punch a fluffed up troll ends badly.

If you mix Faygo and sopor slime you get the troll equivalent of weed.

Calliope found archery and axe-throwing, and is wonderful at both.

Dave convinced Rose to knit a sweater for the Mayor.

Cereal before milk: Rose, Roxy, Jane

Milk before cereal: Jake, John, Jade

“Just eat the cereal dry, cowards”: Dave, Dirk

Dave had a popular Vine account

Karkat does not understand the term Yeet.

Instead of saying “Yeet” Rose says “defenestrate”

Roxy has a Tumblr account filled with things their group has said.

Kanaya has designed outfits based around pride flags for everyone.

Dave likes Mindless Self Indulgence and My Chemical Romance

Calliope likes Fall Out Boy

John listens to twenty one pilots a lot

Dave also likes cavetown

Kanaya loves girl in red

The beta trolls ancestors can change their size.

The Grand Highblood and the Condesce shifted to a larger size permanently to intimidate other trolls.

Some don’t use it as much, or at all, like the Dolorosa, the Signless, or Neophyte Redglare.

Dualscar uses it to ease travel or to win fights, and will grow to extreme sizes so he can get through the water faster. It’s also ten times easier to sink ships.

The Psiionic couldn’t use the power once he became the Helmsman.

Darkleer uses it to grow smaller, so he can work on the small, delicate parts of his inventions.

Carapacians grow weed as a crop. For them, it’s their main source of food. For humans, it’s weed. It’s poisonous to trolls.

Sea dwellers’ lusii die more frequently (possibly due to the eldritch being at the bottom of the ocean), so they started letting older sea dwellers adopt sea dwellers that aren’t really old enough to survive without a lusus.

How many sweeps a troll is can be equated to human years, but when compared to other blood castes it becomes very skewed. A sweep equals roughly two human years, but different blood castes view this differently. Rust bloods, bronze bloods, and gold bloods all live fairly short lives, so 7 sweeps is roughly half their life span. Lime bloods and jade bloods all view 7 sweeps as being a bit like their early twenties. Teal and cerulean bloods would consider 7 sweeps to be roughly 13 or 14. Cobalt and purple bloods would see 7 sweeps as maybe being 6 or 7. Violet and fuschia bloods live for thousands of years, so legally and when comparing life experience to other fuschia/violet bloods, 7 sweeps is basically a very young toddler. This is just how each caste views age internally, given that they have different lifespans. 7 sweeps is roughly 13 or 14 in human years. This is explained badly but it’s also an alien concept put into English.

Teal and cerulean bloods have the closest lifespan to humans.

Dealing with eldritch beings shortens your lifespan because of the toll it takes on your body. This means that if Rose never reached godtier she would have died earlier than she was supposed to. This also means that if Eridan wasn’t chainsawed in half he probably would have had the lifespan of a purple blood or blueblood.

An ahab crosshairs or whatever can be really deadly in certain situations, but outside of that it’s basically useless.

The one time Dave met Kankri, he decided to put all of Mindless Self Indulgence’s songs on shuffle and play whatever came on first to Kankri. It was ‘Stupid MF’. Kankri flipped his shit and Dave is no longer allowed near him.

Meenah turned it into a game to see who could get the loudest reaction from Kankri by playing an MSI song. So far the winners have been 1. Vriska with ‘Faggot’, 2. Cronus with ‘Bitches’, and 3. Meenah with “Fuck Machine’. Honorable mentions include ‘Get It Up’, ‘Big Poppa’, and ‘Dickface’.

The honorable mentions change constantly

The game is ridiculously easy to win, given that most MSI songs are A) about sex, B) have slurs in them, C) are just really offensive in general, or D) all of the above.

To win the game you record Kankri’s reaction to the song and upload it to a forum on pesterchum.

Kankri is unaware there is a game.

Cronus repeatedly hits on everyone he meets. There are two people who he’s stopped flirting with, though.

The first one is Vriska. The first time he flirted with her she kicked him in the balls. The next time she stabbed him. He stopped trying after that.

The other one is John. He kept comparing Cronus to people from late 20th century movies with greasers in them.

Roxy loves riot grrrl bands.

Roxy, Sollux, John, and Karkat started a coding club. Roxy and Sollux help Karkat and John get better at coding, and also challenge each other to break into more and more ridiculous places.

At one point, using the codes that let Roxy and Dirk talk to Jake and Jane, Roxy and Sollux were able to hack into different government websites in different universes.

This includes the Pentagon, the FBI, and the CIA. They figured out how to get news live from the other universes, so occasionally they invite their friends over and watch a different world panic.

They end up doing internet troll stuff once in the websites. They’ll leave things equating to “aliens from another universe were here” and shit. They’ll make it so every time the website is open the screen turns pink or red and blue.

One time they left a picture of a message in Alternian. When the feds decoded the message, it just said “2ollux and Roxy were here. 2ucker2.”

One time they replaced all the photos of people with badly photoshopped versions of the photos where all the faces had been replaced by either Nic Cage’s face or Danny Devito’s face.

When they aren’t breaking into government websites, Roxy and Sollux will set up firewalls for the other to try and get past.

Aradia and Federico bleached Eridan’s hair while he slept, and cut it short. They also put pink bows on his horns. Just because.

Because Sollux can hear voices of the imminently deceased/is basically half dead, and Aradia has a strong connection to death, they were able to manipulate this so they could communicate telepathically. It takes focus, but they can do it.

Dirk knows Japanese, and can understand Damara. He is the only one who can.

They have inside jokes about everyone they know

Vriska found 5 or 6 doomed versions of herself and brought them back to life. They live in a shared hive and use the fact that they are all various Vriskas to prank people to an extreme. The only one who know whats happening outside of them is Terezi, because A) seer, and B) the one who gave John the list of things to do was brought back as well and told her.

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fuse2dx · 4 years

Text

August ‘20

Ruiner

Ruiner frames its action at an isometric tilt. There’s a lot of red; in the game’s interface, as the prominent colour of the neon lighting that adorns its stages, and in the blood that is frequently spilled. Its cyberpunk setting isn’t anything particularly new, but as a unifying aesthetic, the glitchy effects, and out-there personalities doing their best to cope in a dystopia do well to build a convincing and intriguing world. Stages are action packed and throb with electronic noise and big loud industrial bass hits, with the play being akin to an arena shooter; enemies surging at you in bite size, minute-at-a-time waves, with each of these closing out with a grading screen serving as the pat on the back to keep that dopamine rhythm pulsing. It’s a pretty hypnotic cocktail.

These stages evolve out of a singular hub city, and while it’s not particularly big, there’s just the right level of hubbub, and it has a lovely Hirusawa Susumu track acting as an excellent, melancholic mood-setter. Based on the size of its world and the the quick-fire action being split between a very small number of stages, it’s not surprising to say it’s fairly brief - I mean, how could it get so big? But what is important is that it’s plenty of fun and and has style by the bucketload. I got a good kick out of it.

Carrion

On one hand, a horror game where you play the horror is just the kind of flip on a genre that’s needed to freshen things up a bit. On the other, it’s one straight out of the spoof ‘Peter Molydeux’ playbook. What a carri-on.

... I’m sorry. After your initial escape from a lab, Carrion centres around a hub world, with individual stages then breaking off to allow for more specific themed stages. What you’re trying to do within these is to spread your big, goopy self around, where certain spots will act as save points but also count toward unlocking an alternative path back to the hub and opening up new routes in the process. What’s unique to this particular metroidvania take is that while there are new skills that open up new routes, your movement in general is uniquely freeform - point in a direction and off you go, free of any worries about platforming and the gravity that’d otherwise bind you. While it may not be the most precise movement given the size to which you grow - and boy does this become a point during some forms of combat - it does remain responsive, and quite fun to simply shamble about like a giant congealed blob of bloody, multi-toothed sinew-y mess. Everything scales up nicely on both sides of the fighting, with distraught pistol-equipped humans turning to shielded folks with flamethrowers, all the way up to drones and mechs that are just as mobile and / or deadly as yourself, even in spite of your own upgrades that allow for more ranged, varied, and sharper extremities. It’s not especially long, and is never so taxing as to demand too much expertise of you, but it is fun and importantly, quite unlike anything else out there.

Yoku’s Island Express

Pinball continues to feel like a lost art form to me, with the nuance of skilled play being more like a foreign language than another type of game you can easily pick up. Yoku, newly-appointed postmaster, is but a tiny little bug, and as such is indebted to these skills in his efforts to travel and clamber about an environment much larger than he. Flippers are casually littered about to shoot you from one area to the next, but there’s also plenty of sections you’re led to by the story that are small yet just detailed enough to play like a neatly sectioned off area of a complete table - complete with requirements for precise shots to move forward, and those inevitable moments where you have to sit back and watch as your ball falls with miserable, exacting precision between the flippers. Failure typically sets you back a few pickups, but given these are just as quickly re-earned, you’re never punished too hard - there’s certainly no three strikes and out mentality here. It’s a very friendly interpretation of pinball’s mechanics, and there’s a decent enough story layered on top, with its characters and art demonstrating enough pleasant charm that you can definitely see this being a great way to introduce pinball to a younger audience. That’s not to say it’s not enjoyable from an older player’s point of view - just that you know what’s being presented is a wisely palatable version of a classic hobby, rather than the arse-kicking ordeal you may be used to.

Rime

I am certain that Rime would love me to compare it to a certain Fumito Ueda PS2 game. There’s the ultra-minimal scene that’s set as a boy washes up on an island; a sparse, beautiful, somewhat Mediterranean set of landscapes, and with very few ways to interact with it all that don’t involve clambering over things or shouting out in wordless desperation. But as you’ll have noted, I haven’t found it in myself to justify using that game’s name here.

As much as I wanted to give this a chance, it often felt directionless, uninspired, and at worst, slow and tedious. The puzzles are derivative of any number of games I’ve played before, and the biggest danger is that you might assume as to their difficulty and over-engineer your approach, rather than not be able to tackle them. The platforming is simplistic and regularly drawn out with ledges, ledges, and more ledges to climb across and dangle from; even if you were to find a way to fall to your doom, as is tempting, it is unlikely to take you back much further than a few seconds. Crucially, there’s really very little to sink your teeth into on any front, and even when the game does finally start to weave some plot threads into the game’s canvas, it’s well into the latter half - long after I’d already racked my brains for any hint of an allegory that’d fit, and given up on expecting one. Sadly, to the point that the actual story felt like a cheap afterthought when it did finally start to unravel. This bounced off me much harder than I’d expected - I came away wishing it had forged a bit more of an identity and a purpose rather than just an aesthetic strung together with some weak elements of play.

If Found

As far as interactive elements in visual novel-type games go, If Found has a different approach to most. The story’s primarily told by means of a diary - one that’s full of witty observations, personal reflections and enigmatic sketches - that you actively erase as a means to push events along. The diary belongs to Kasio, a trans girl returning to their small Irish hometown after a stint away at university in the city; a return that’s not met in the warmest or most understanding fashion. As a mechanic, the erasure of this diary is loaded with meaning; peeling back layers of a scene often matches a more poignant set of observations, and the scrubbing of such personal details away offers a painful reflection on an identity being chipped away at. It’s very much a story about finding one’s self, about coming of age, and as it rides these highs and lows it does an excellent job in making you ride along these alongside the characters, and it does one hell of a job to make you think about the compassion that you both see and offer in the world outside. I’ll put my hands up and say that there are some elements of the story running in parallel to this main one that didn’t gel with me quite so well, but this is a minor footnote to an otherwise highly enjoyable play through. In a short space of time, Annapurna have done a great job in winning me over with their publishing choices - particularly in holding up the kinds of voices and ideas that fit these smaller titles so perfectly.

Double Kick Heroes

It’s a rhythm game. I like rhythm games! It’s about a zombie apocalypse. Oh no. It’s... a heavy metal rhythm game? Ok, maybe we can work with this.

After a trailer name dropping a bunch of familiar artists - Jinjer, Carpenter Brut, Gojira - what surprised me straight off was that none of these licensed artists featured in the game’s story mode. They’re all sectioned off in a separate menu, and while on the bright side they’ve each given a unique stage with a visual theming in keeping with the bands in question, it feels like a bit of a missed opportunity. Instead, all tracks throughout the story were composed by just one person, and with only a small handful of featured musicians being included to diversify things. It starts with more (arguably) palatable hard rock numbers, but goes up to and includes grindcore, death metal, black metal and the like, meaning that not only is it going to put a lot of folks off right away, but that it’s asking a heck of a lot for one composer to cover all of these sub-genres with the appropriate care. While it was refreshing to hear some types of music I’d normally not expect to hear in a game, some tracks inevitably grated, and while I enjoyed some others, I wasn’t ever bowled over too strongly either.

The story itself is fairly by the numbers. It sees an on-tour band fighting back against a zombie uprising, and has unsubtle references to any number of heavy artists, albums and songs shoe-horned in at every opportunity. It also bears the hallmarks of its dialogue being written by someone that has a very particular sense of humour which personally all fell very flat. While the team undoubtably do love music, the over-enthusiastic style rubbed me in a similarly uncomfortable fashion as Jack Black does regularly, with his half-comedian, half-musician schtick. The gameplay itself is based around the drum parts of its songs also corresponding to different weaponry on your car that holds the hordes back, and while this on its own can prove tricky, higher difficulties also mounts other expectations - like steering your vehicle, or alternating pedals to shoot different parts of the screen. Some of my frustration with all of this is likely my own fault for having chosen to play on the ‘Hard’ difficulty, but traditional wisdom feels a little bit lost when you can still get damaged when your combo meter is racked up well into triple digits.

In all, Double Kick Heroes presented some pretty unique gaming scenarios; like having to work out the best controller configuration to play blast beats with, or asking out loud “did I just hear the words ‘we are Genital Absolution’ coming from a Nintendo console?”, and it’s clearly a small team working on something they really care about. I respect that. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I was hoping, but I hope they’re proud of what they’ve created.

Manifold Garden

A puzzle game taking significant inspiration from the works of M.C. Escher is a pretty good starting point in my eyes. It being presented in a wonderful manner certainly doesn’t harm either; from the UI all the way into the game, it’s beautifully clean and defined, opting for delicate shading rather than messy textures, and with its intricate, recursive geometric patterns, you’ll likely find cause to stop and take stock on a regular basis.

One button looks after your basic interactions with the world (pushing, picking up, and so on), with your other crucial way of interacting with the world being the ability to approach a surface and then assign it as ‘the new down’ - spinning everything about an axis, planting your feet to it, and changing your perspective on everything. There’s a nice steady introduction of puzzle pieces as you ease your way in, but they all stem gracefully from these simple mechanics. That I - not the world’s greatest puzzle gamer - was able to enjoy this without every getting too stuck may hint at it perhaps not being as complex as some puzzle fiends might desire, however this amounted to me coming out the other side with great waves of satisfaction, and nought but positives to say. I would go so far as to say that it’s the most fun I’ve had playing a puzzle game in a long, long time, and to boot it’s also perhaps the game where I’ve used the screenshot button the most copiously. Wonderful stuff.

#ruiner #carrion #yoku's island express #rime #double kick heroes #manifold garden

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gamersonthego · 5 years

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Matt Giguere’s Top 10 Handheld Games of 2019

Handheld gaming is in a weird spot. Beyond the plethora of mobile devices running iOS or Android and the app store fronts they offer; the handheld market has now been distilled down to one major device in 2019. Lo and behold, Nintendo, once again sits alone on the hill. While the Switch has seen great gains in maintaining a constant flow of software on its platform, the vast majority of their releases are either mobile ports or older games from generations past. It is amazing on how much has been released so far, but what makes a handheld game a “handheld game” now anyway? When your choice can be a small bite sized game like BOXBOY! + BOXGIRL! or a massive single player game like Tales of Vesperia, there really isn’t much of a difference what a handheld platform can offer compared to the home consoles for the types of games that can be played. As the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PlayStation Vita sunset into their legacy years, there seems to be a wider line on what can be considered a handheld game.

Nintendo did release a portable only version of the Switch this year, dubbed the SwitchLite. Considering that most of my playtime has been in handheld mode, I picked one up shortly after release. After a few months of playtesting, I think this will be my go-to system for the foreseeable future. I adore the form factor size. The original Switch still works great for quick pick up and play in my home, but I find the new model easier to hold in my hands and store away when I’m travelling. The dedicated directional pad, as opposed to separate buttons because of the nature of the detachable joy-cons, is a big selling point for the myriad of 2D platformers now on the system. I sometimes miss the “HD Rumble” feedback that had to be cut, but that is a small gripe. If you don’t care for playing games on the big screen in a higher resolution and varying framerate, I highly recommend picking this dedicated handheld up.

Admittedly, a lot on my best of 2019 list are games that can be enjoyed on the big screen, especially with the convenience of the Switch’s hardware. Of the games I played this year, I think this smattering represents a healthy dose of what managed to present a case that gaming on the go is still well alive and ever changing.

Top 10 of 2019 or the Hollow Knight Memorial List*

*Sometimes when making a top list our favorite thing came out in a different year or is so clearly ahead it is a lock of number 1 across every critic. This year Hollow Knight from Team Cherry captivated me like nothing else that released this year. Alas, this game came out in 2017. So instead of placing it on my official list for 2019, it takes the honor of being my list’s name. This Metroidvania style exploration platformer is full of surprises, sometimes subverting my expectations when I thought there wasn’t anything left to uncover. If you have a Switch, I highly recommend checking out one of my favorite games in the genre since Metroid: Fusion.

10. My Friend Pedro (Switch, Xbox One, PC)

An action, score-based shooter that I’ve had my eye on for years since seeing the gif put out by publisher Devolver Digital and developer Dead Toast Entertainment. The nature of this very tricky to pull off and even harder to master game lies in its focus on style. Moving across short levels on a 2-D plane, you must, roll, spin, flip, kick, skate, and, of course, kill combo as many enemies to place a high score and a top rank. While there is a story to keep the drive of the game moving forward, I wouldn’t say that should be the guiding factor to check this out. Rather, I found the quick get up and quick play of a level or two perfect for on the go gaming. Once the controls click, this game really delivers on its promised “Bananas” style.

9. Untitled Goose Game (Switch, Xbox One, PS4, PC)

“What if Hitman, but a Goose?” is probably the most quoted pitch heard for this small, but very charming game by developer House House. In it you play as, well, a goose who terrorizes a small town from every front. From untying shoes so people trip to locking helpless victims in garages, no one is safe from this feathered menace! Okay, so the Hitman comparison is apt, minus the extreme brutality, for this sandbox-lite adventure. The best I can compare it to is an interactive toy; one that is unique in how the player can approach a situation and explore the possibilities of what can and will happen within the rules of the program. It might not have the deep experimentation of a larger game of its kind, but I found its calm and lighthearted nature makes this a very stress-free experience, especially when you are the one dealing out all the harassment.

8. SteamWorld Quest (Switch, PC)

I don’t normally go for card-based RPGs, but when Image & Form provide a new adventure in the SteamWorld universe, I had to check it out. This might be the one that changed my mind, because after several turns, I was hooked. The adventure itself keeps things relatively jovial with plenty of jokes and wit to keep the story moving forward. It can be easy to stick to one group of characters, a limit of three per battle, but I find more enjoyment in the battle system when different combinations are put into play. The battle system also provides linked combos that offer bonuses and stringing cards together in a row also adds more to the strategy. Building a potent strategy is where I found the most engagement in this RPG, and all the trappings around the edges made this one stand out in my mind. A good starting point in the genre for those curious.

7. Baba Is You (Switch, PC)

A tough logic puzzler I think goes the extra mile with its charm and style. You play as Baba. Or, rather, Baba is you, or a wall, or section of water, or a skull, or... well you get the point. The goal in each stage is to reach the “Win.” What is the “Win?” Most of the time it is a flag, but really it can be anything. Using a simple push function mechanic that many top-down puzzlers have used before, the twist comes in that you can have these sentence blocks to push around and affect the game’s logic. For example, if the winning object is out of reach by a wall that forces you stop (“Wall is Stop”) you can push one of the sentence blocks away so you can pass through the wall. Even making a sentence to “You is Win” will also result in a victory. The difficulty can be a bit stiff, but I would often find myself just thinking about a stuck puzzle while out and about and think of the solution as a sort of epiphany. Even when getting stuck on a tricky brain teaser, the game offers multiple paths so you can keep progressing through. Certainly, Baba Is You has been on my mind since first playing it.

6. What The Golf? (Apple Arcade, PC, Switch TBD)

If Desert Golf is the pinnacle zen of the golf sport genre, What The Golf? embodies its “party mindset.” Yes, it is golf, and yet, it becomes something more than just golf. Sometimes you will find yourself having to hop across a very familiar level. Other times you will have to coordinate trick shots while being an exploding barrel. And sometimes, there’s just good old-fashioned bowling. What The Golf? will keep you on your toes, especially if you are fond of video games released prior to this. I won’t spoil some of the surprises in store, but some of them had me in stitches from laughing so hard. It would be nice to fully outright buy this game on the iOS App Store, but for now, a subscription to Apple Arcade is the only way to play this on the go.

5. Sayonara Wild Hearts (Switch, Apple Arcade, PS4, PC)

Another Apple Arcade exclusive for mobile (you can also buy it on the Switch at this time), this one showcasing music and style. If there is one thing that counts in making an impression on me, it’s presentation. Sayonara Wild Hearts is described as a pop album video game; one you experience as much as you listen to. The format seems simple at first. Guide your character along the track and collect different items for points to rank a high score while also dodging obstacles. Soon though, things start to mix up as fast as the soundtrack’s BPMs start to pump up. While the touch controls are adequate, I think for certain spots, a physical controller would have been nice. However, there are movements that are far easier to pull off using a touch interface, such as time hits reminiscent of music games like Elite Beat Agents. This gem of a game needs to be experienced at least once, not only for the wonderful soundtrack, composed by Daniel Olsen and Jonathan Eng and featuring Linnea Olsson on vocals, but also to see the twists and turns the game takes. This little game surprised the hell out of me, and I think it will be one that I will revisit again based on its production.

4. Ape Out (Switch, PC)

Sometimes we all need to get out. Especially when you are an ape stuck in a cage. That’s the conceit of the top-down, twin stick, hyper violent, and super stylized game, Ape Out. There is one goal: Be the ape and get the hell out! The concept is very rudimentary which I feel allows the game to shine. You will have to run, dodge, grab and toss enemies to reach the exit while the only advantage is being able to take three hits before going down. Enemies have guns that the player can’t use in the typical way. Instead, grabbing a foe allows one immediate shot to be fired from the grappled target. Used strategically, it can get you out of a lot of close calls. Other enemies can have bombs or body armor to keep this from being too repetitive and thanks to the game’s art style, they all look distinct so there’s no confusion on who you are fighting. Levels are procedurally generated as well, so even thinking on memorizing enemy patterns doesn’t always work. The fluorescent color palette and very minimalist style, like that of a Saul Bass movie poster, highlights the chaos and violence without making it too gross or unappealing. Even the soundtrack is minimalistic, utilizing only jazz percussion that plays out dynamically as the action plays out in real time. A feast for the eyes and a challenge on the thumbs.

3. Katana Zero (Switch, PC)

Taking a page from one hit kill action games like Hotline Miami, Katana Zero plays out at first like a typical note from the genre, right down to its ‘80s aesthetic. You clear room after room of enemies, slashing with your katana, wall jumping to high points, and focusing time to slow down and either dodge or reflect projectiles. A lot of this game is a throwback thanks to its choice of graphics, 2D platforming and story points from movies like Drive and Leon: The Professional. It is thanks to the presentation that makes this game shine for me. The story, music, graphics and gameplay presentation are what makes Katana Zero so high on my list. Clearing rooms is fast paced and quick, with messing up only taking several seconds to get back into the fray. While the loop of the game can get a bit repetitive, there are plenty of surprises that change up the standard formula of the game as you progress. The story does a nice job of not only driving things forward, but also tying in gameplay concepts into the narrative. The music is a healthy blend of synthwave and some very heavy and experimental electronic tunes (one that I’ve had on repeat most of the year). The overall games is fairly short and ends on a bit of a cliffhanger, but there are speedrunning modes and secrets to uncover from replaying. Katana Zero stands as one of the best independent games this year.

2. Fire Emblem: Three Houses (Switch)

There was a time when Fire Emblem was on the ropes, becoming a lagging franchise that was not connecting with strategy enthusiasts on the home consoles. Then in 2013, things changed with the release of Fire Emblem: Awakening on the 3DS. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems had intended that game to be the last in the series. Instead, we got another 3 (and 1/2) games released on the 3DS this past decade. Now it’s time to pass the torch onto the Switch and boy did they deliver on a packed adventure! Instead of just following one or two paths like most FE campaigns, Three Houses offer up to four different story playthroughs that each roughly takes about 50 hours or more to complete. There is also a vast amount of customization thanks to the setting being centered around a military school and teaching classes. If you love watching meters and bars fill up, there are tons of those to be had in Three Houses. Even though not every aspect is well thought out (the amiibo gazebo comes to mind, even though it is the best named mechanic), the cast of characters and support conversations (all fully voice acted) provide some rich storytelling from a character development standpoint. Do check out this game as it is one of the best in the series.

1. Tetris 99 (Switch)

“Where are we dropping, Blocks?” In a personal first for me, a multiplayer game has taken my number one spot. Tetris 99 is just that. Tetris. However, it’s you versus 98 other players in a battle royal style completion. Released as a free download to Nintendo Switch Online subscribers, it now has multiple versions that can be bought as well. Thanks to constant updates and weekend tournaments, the online community is still strong, so finding matches is quick and painless. Playing against such a wide number of challengers turns the typical Tetris strategy on its head. Racking up combos instead of quickly clearing lines, for example, is one way to secure victory, but leaving too many gaps and holes can prove disastrous if you suddenly become the target of a handful of players. Even though I have yet to secure a 1st place finish, the nature of Tetris keeps me coming back for more. Whether it’s facing against bots, friends, marathoning solo or playing the featured battle royal, this is a fun version of Tetris to be had.

#matt giguere #goty #gotggoty2019 #my friend pedro #untitled goose game #steamworld quest #baba is you #what the golf #sayonara wild hearts #ape out #katana zero #Fire Emblem Three Houses #tetris 99

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gataela · 6 years

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Progress Update - 4/1/19 - 79.2% Complete

Completed:

Final Overworld Maps - 14.2% in progress; 71.7% complete

Worked on adding new music

Worked on updating the UI

Worked on updating and adding new animations

Worked on updating older maps

Worked on a new website

Optimized the new shaders

Added Battle Screen Transitions

Revealed more new characters

Added a file version number to save files

Added location popup information to some maps

Added shadows to Wynoa houses in the overworld

Add a dev mode that will identify objects which will cause the player to be stuck into on map load/spawn (i.e. this shouldn’t happen anymore)

Changed the run button to be a toggle between running/walking for hand comfort

Changed Pharyon and Klatchez town layouts completely

Modified some of the opening sequence changes back to the original

Set the max number of file saves for the game to 10

Worked on updating more dialogue for older cutscenes

Fixed a bug where the new opening cutscene would lag on computers with 8GB of RAM or less

Fixed a bug where loaded skills would be drawn off screen except in certain situations where they were on screen

Fixed a bug where switching between the main menu and the overworld would have roofs, water, grass effects, house shading and other effects disappear

Fixed a problem where some cutscenes would freeze

Fixed a shader issue which caused more complicated screen transitions to draw incorrectly

Coming up next:

Bug fixes

Graphical Update

This past month focused on optimization, bug fixes, updating older maps, new music, new art, and some much needed polish.

Also this update is unfortunately very late due to a lack of internet.

2018 in Review

Now that we’re firmly in 2019 land, I wanted to talk a bit about 2018 and how much we actually got done!

I know for a lot of people who have been following the development for a long time that it doesn’t feel like much has happened the last couple of years. As you may or may not be aware, due to family situations I had to stop all work in 2017 shortly after the Steam greenlight.

When I started up work again in 2018, I spent a lot of time thinking about the feedback from everyone from the demo, how to make the game better, and how to finish it faster. Most of this year was putting everyone’s feedback into the game.

So 2018 was a really big transitional period. I’ve been working a full-time job since that time in 2017, so all my work on Gataela has been part-time since then, not to mention most of the Gataela team work part-time to begin with.

And with all that going on, here’s how 2018 went for the game:

468 commits; 284,735 additions; 260,291 deletions; 1 programmer

328 programming JIRAs completed

Finished all of the skit/debate images, including updating older ones

Changed all of the animations to be 8-frame+ instead of 4-frame

Changed the turn-based battles to be from the side view instead of top-down

New pixel art style for the characters!

Added new character battle animations

Re-did over half of the battle skill animations, and all of the character battle animations

Re-did all of the overworld sprites

Re-did all of the UI (25+ screens)

Added a new screen for summarizing known debate facts

Went to two conventions (Anime North, Otakuthon) and showed off a sneak preview of the new demo

Added run animations + the highly requested run button

Doubled Gataela’s soundtrack (~70 minutes long now)

Added a screenshot function to the game

Added a unit test framework (i.e. more future stability)

Added more polish to debate battles: a countdown sfx, debate images with more expressions, the character profiles will animate more based on what was said

Updated Vuni’s layout to make it easier to get around

Redid Pharyon and Klatchez, and other in between maps

Created a new opening sequence, with new animations and music

Moved beta testing to Steam

Optimized the heck out of the game, including reducing textures, switching to using shaders, optimizing shaders, etc.

Saving is now instant (1 second or less)

Map transitions for larger scenes are now almost instant 1-3 seconds

Converted older methods of map making to shaders, added new cool shader effects such as walking through grass, time of day, etc.

Download size for the game is stable around 250-300MB. (Final game size was originally estimated to be 2GB)

RAM usage down, i.e. lower end devices can now run chrome, OBS and Gataela at the same time.

Reworked a lot of dialogue and debates, removing a lot of it, adding new scenes

Debate system was upgraded from strictly being talk-to-npc based to include facts, testimonies and evidence gathering (i.e. a little bit more detective-like)

Revealed new characters!

New logo

Fancy battle screen transitions

New Quest pop-up and Location pop-up was added to the overworld

So TL;DR a super busy year.

2019?

So what’s up for 2019? I’m not going to promise anything in particular, but there’s a few high-level goals which I will touch on below:

New Website: We’ve been working on a new website for a little while that will give us more support for writing longer-form posts, and act more of a hub of information for the game which will be easier to search through. We really want to post more technical posts, like the shader work, how we approach the level design or some of the changes we’ve made and why, etc. Tumblr is a site focused more on micro-blogging, which makes posts, particularly with code, difficult to organize nicely.

80% Hump: We’ve been at 79% completion for a long time. Let’s get past that.

New Demo: There will be a new demo published this year showing off all of the above work. It will be the same length as the older one, but with all of the improvements, and obviously the new dialogue/story segment.

Beta-Testing Schedule: This year I would like to get to a point where every quarter (after the demo comes out) there is at least one new beta release to the beta testers.

Other than that, we’ll see!

Happy New Year everyone!

#indie dev #game dev #game development #gaming #jrpg #progress

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pharaohsparklefists · 7 years

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Episode 100, part 3! Continuing the story of how two emotionally damaged young boys somehow turned into two high-functioning but emotionally damaged teenagers. (While somewhere else, Yami has a really terrible duel.)

While we’ve been diving deep into the Kaiba brother’s traumatic past, you may have forgotten that a suspiciously similar genius boy is watching them on his array of floating screens and making smug genius-boy pronouncements about the illogical nature of emotions

excuse you this is SETO KAIBA we’re talking about, he only lets like maximum THREE emotions control him and no sentiments

(the emotions are disdain, anger, and DUEL)

Nah, like, for real, Kaiba has a LOT of emotions that he doesn’t like talking about and they do, for sure, control his (often outlandish) behaviour (and it’s damaging bullshit to conceptualise emotionality as the “opposite” of logic or intelligence btw) but more to the point...

YOU SURE DO SMILE A LOT FOR SOMEONE OSTENSIBLY EMOTIONLESS, you little bastard

Anyway, back in the apparently-accurate simulacrum of the not-yet-Kaiba brothers’ past, tiny!Seto sees the award ceremony of a chess tournament somehow being broadcast on actual television on the slowest news day imaginable, and not-so-tiny!Mokuba remembers how the next chapter of their lives came to pass, which he blames for...

seriously how is this chess tournament on the news?

... YEN ARE NOT EQUIVALENT TO DOLLARS. That’s ... I mean what even is that? That’s just a strangely-sized piece of paper. It’s smaller than a novelty cheque but much larger than an actual cheque. And it has a rosette on it?? ... IS IT YEN OR DOLLARS CAUSE THAT’S A HUGE DIFFERENCE! In 1995 (which is as far back as xe will go), $100,000 was ¥10,216,277. Which would presumably do a lot more for an orphanage.

ANYWAY.

Seto immediately comes up with a reasonably straightforward plan.

And then specifies...

And I would just like to point out, no, Gozaburo did not turn Seto into a ruthless, ambitious, goal-driven, emotionally-unhealthy person with a desire for power. Seto IS a ruthless, ambitious, goal-driven, emotionally-unhealthy person with a desire for power and that came pre-packaged. If he wasn’t that way when living (presumably happily enough) with his alive parents, he was that way after a short period of time in the orphanage.

Look, Seto knows he’s smarter than most of the adults around him and is supremely confident in his ability to manipulate or force someone into adopting him and his brother. And not just anyone; a powerful person he’s never met before. That means Seto knows he could trivially identify a potential adoptive parent/family and “make” them adopt him and Mokuba. He could have chosen anyone, and he would have been confident in his ability to do this. So firstly, it isn’t a friendly, innocent way to think. He goes straight from “I want this” to “I’ll force someone to give it to me” with no “maybe I’ll ask nicely”. Secondly, his choice of target is the wealthiest, most powerful person he’s had access to while at the orphanage. If Seto had wanted to, he could have had him and Mokuba adopted by their friendliest, sweetest, most emotionally well-balanced teacher by the end of the first week. He sees Gozaburo Kaiba, targets him, researches him, manipulates him into what he wants, and forces his hand. He could have done that to anyone. Seto didn’t want a loving parent, or a stable parent, or a happy parent. He wanted a rich, powerful parent.

Although when we see Gozaburo in the orphanage, it’s briefly believable he might actually be ... nice.

y’know, while he’s doing his best Santa impression

That kid in the greenish hoodie totally got off-brand Duel Monsters cards.

On the way back out, billionaire CEO chess-grandmaster Mr Important is accosted by two orphans who didn’t bother participating in the distribution of (apparently off-brand) toys. They’re after something much more valuable...

“Huh, yeah, that’s what I thought you said. Weird.”

Seto immediately follows it up with...

“If you win, we won’t bother you anymore. But if I win, you have to give me a mouth, I’ve lost mine.”

NATURALLY there has to be conditions? The “condition” is actually a bet or a game: beat me at chess or you have to adopt me. Seto is about to tell us, in a few minutes, that he’s exhaustively studied Gozaburo’s chess strategies. He did so between seeing him win the prize money and him showing up and distributing the gifts bought with the prize money, which is anywhere from a few days to a few months. I’m convinced Seto also spent time in this period studying Gozaburo as a person, and is deliberately framing his demand in business terms, because he’s determined that Gozaburo is most likely to respond to a proposed business deal, as opposed to a bet or a game or a plea.

Gozaburo, on the other hand, has no idea how much research and preparation went into this, crediting Seto’s boldness to ignorance...

BABY SETO SMIRK

... And it doesn’t even make sense. I guess they were all previous winners? Or he’s using “world champion” to mean “world-class chess player”.

Gozaburo considers refusing, but something about Seto impresses or intrigues him...

The orphanage guy, meanwhile, is about to expire from embarrassment, totally out of his depth, not even the first idea of what is proper orphanage etiquette when an orphan brazenly challenges a billionaire visitor to a chess game to determine legal guardianship for himself and his younger brother.

... I don’t even think that’s legal. I don’t think you’re ALLOWED adopt an orphan just because the orphan beat you at chess.

I mean, Duel Monsters, sure, their whole world would probably accept that as legit, but CHESS?

Gozaburo agrees to this legal-minefield of a challenge, but says he won’t go easy on Seto. Seto responds like a stone cold boss...

OOOOOOH boom.

not-so-tiny!Mokuba turns to not-tiny-at-all!Seto at this point and says, essentially, “you had this all figured out, didn’t you?”. At the time, tiny!Mokuba looks worried and unsure, but older!Mokuba knows his brother well enough to know that even tiny!Seto wouldn’t have done this if he hadn’t been absolutely sure of his strategy. And giant!Seto confirms it...

Good thing there was so little on TV that chess matches were apparently televised. He must have caught all the re-runs...

So Seto and Gozaburo sit down for an intense chess match to decide the not-yet-Kaiba brothers’ whole future....

... which would be a lot more dramatic if it wasn’t for the wonky Eevees and giant-headed dog and hot pink elephant drawings as the backdrop.

The game begins and giant!Seto remembers how he won...

... is this how chess works? I don’t know much about chess but I’m SURE this isn’t how chess works. Is it?? Like I know it’d be off-putting to see your own preferred strategy employed as an opener by a 9-year-old you’ve never met, but would that really be enough to beat a world champion chess player? I’m dubious.

Anyway, it’s at this point, about to watch his brother beat his adoptive father at chess and confirm the direction of their very traumatic childhood for a second time, that Mokuba gets upset. He thinks if Seto had just lost this chess game...

And he suddenly, irrationally, grabs the door handle, wishing to intercede, to somehow step into the actual past and prevent this from happening. Seto tries to stop him, pointing out that this is just a virtual illusion, a replica of memories and nothing more, but Mokuba yells back at him...

Which is ... not rational. Mokuba says that this change, from Seto “always smiling” to “losing his smile” happened when Gozaburo adopted them, but we’ve just watched their memories of the time between their parents dying and Gozaburo showing up, and Seto does smile, but certainly not all the time, or even a lot, or with any particular warmth or happiness. In fact, he specifically told Mokuba (apparently multiple times) that he was forcing himself to appear happy to spite the people who’d ruined their lives, and even at that, he’s frowning more than he’s smiling in these memories. Furthermore, post-Gozaburo, Seto DOES smile, and he smiles at Mokuba more than any other time (if you don’t count maniacal DUEL laughter, which I don’t). He smiled at him just a few minutes ago, reassuring him in the forest!

We tend to take Mokuba at his word about their childhood, because of the two brothers, he’s a lot more open about the past, but being willing to talk about something doesn’t mean you’re right about it (as any academic discussion session will teach you...). I think once they were in Gozaburo’s house, and things were worse (emotionally), and the only joy at all they had was in brief moments alone together, Mokuba idealised this time in the orphanage, when they were alone together all the time. He remembered every (anxious, faint) smile of Seto’s and in his (very young, unhappy) mind, those smiles were big and bright and all the time. And he probably doesn’t really remember the time before the orphanage very clearly, because he was so young, so the orphanage seemed better than it was, whereas Seto probably does remember pre-orphanage so remembers the orphanage phase more realistically as not-super-fun. I think Seto maybe did smile more in the orphanage than at Gozaburo’s, because Seto smiles to reassure Mokuba and let Mokuba know he’s in control, and he was desperately clinging to that role in the orphanage.

Which means Mokuba, Seto’s only family in the world, wants Seto to “go back to being” something he never was. Mokuba says he “knew” the brother who was “always smiling”, but that version of Seto is a fiction, someone Mokuba built out of biased memories while unhappy. Mokuba does know that version of Seto, but that version of Seto was never the real Seto. Seto can’t go back to being someone he never was. He never was a smiling, happy person.

He was, however, always always always there to hold Mokuba’s hand.

awwww so sweet WHAT THE FUCK

#if you die in the virtual world do you die in real life #better safe than sorry I suppose!#Yu-Gi-Oh!#sparklefists watches ygo #seto kaiba #Mokuba #Gozaburo Kaiba #episode 100

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yukipri · 7 years

Photo

Main Home Floor Plans

(of the poly family in my YOI Future!Verse ABO AU)

So! Here they are the floor plans of the big poly family's main home.

NOTE: I know jackshit about architecture or real floor plan drawing, and this was meant to just be a fun imagination exercise/reference for myself for my comics, so just roll with it ^ ^;;

Headcanons beneath cut! Also full view to see the teeny ass text...

For an easier to view version of this post + my earlier draft of their home, please check out my Patreon!

IF YOU ARE NEW TO THIS AU: It’s a Yuri!!! on Ice AU, Yuuri-centric with end-game polyamory in an ABO setting, Yuuri gets married to four mates (Victor, Yurio, Phichit, Minami) and they have OC kids.

BASICS and timeline of this AU

INTRO to how ABO works in this AU

A SUPER DETAILED world-building headcanons post on ABO+ in this AU

OTHER POSTS (comics + illustrations) in the Future!Verse ABO section of my YOI Masterpost.

Please keep ship bashing out of the comments/tags. Don’t like, just skip <3 Thank you.

PLEASE DO NOT REPOST, EDIT, TRANSLATE, OR OTHERWISE USE MY ART. More detailed rules available on my Rules & FAQ Post.

Headcanons below!! VVVVV

I say "Main Home" here because they do have multiple homes, at least one in each mate's home country (pretty hugeass ones in St. Petersburg and outskirts of Bangkok), but this is their "home base" so to speak.

It's located in Hasetsu, and without researching too much into Karatsu's actual layout in rl, I'm placing it somewhere within long but manageable jogging distance to both the Ice Castle and Yuuri's parents' inn. A lot of Japanese rural towns (including my own hometown) have slowly been losing their traditional single storey homes and ricefields and have been turning them into apartment complexes to maximize money yield. In this AU, I HC that Victor and Phichit bought one of these lots and turned it into a huge ass fancy mansion for their family. Again, in this AU those two are filthy rich (though Minami also comes from money), and given the very rural location of their home, the location should be comparatively affordable. Given their family's fame and the amount of frequent travel they do, I figure it's okay for them to want their main home away from big cities and in a place harder for fans/paparazzi to stalk them.

In general, their home is modern but homey, more cream and natural wood colors over pure white, with areas that are more traditional Japanese. Each personal area is customized to its inhabitant’s liking.

While I think most of the rooms are pretty self-explanatory/I haven't thought that much about them myself, here's a floor by floor breakdown of some of the important rooms and what they're used for.

F1 (G) - Ground Floor

Main Entryway - Is traditional Japanese style, very large area where people can take off shoes, big ass shoe cubies on both sides where both family and guests can store their shoes. Inside the home, in general no shoes except in the basement floors.

Living Area - Main area to entertain guests/chill. Tons of couches, super plush carpets to roll around in, huge ass glass doors with a great view of the back yard to watch kids through. Small movie theater screen can descend from the ceiling in front of said glass doors.

Kitchen - Pretty big but manageable domain, everyone considers it Phichit's domain whenever he's home but Yurio spends a lot of time in there too. Also has a small corner for kids to watch parents cook/help if it's a task that requires some extra table space.

Bar - Victor and Chris especially like chilling here, another great guest entertaining spot. Tons of alcohol beneath counter.

Dining Area - Has a huge round table that can fit all of their main family members and a few guests. Because it's so large and therefore impossible to reach around, it's Chinese dim sum table style, with a center that can rotate. It's fantastic because plenty of room for everyone, but it can also be pretty lonely when a lot of people are away, in which case the present family members may choose to dine in another area.

Chill Area/Music Area - Another place with lovely carpet and nice couches, also a grand piano bc every Rich House needs one of those right AHAHAH (of the kids, Arisa plays most).

Study Room/Library - Has lots of tables and computers and books in every language. A good place to chill, but also where Minami likes to tutor the kids. Sitting at the tables gives a great view of the back yard.

Back 2nd building (with kitchen/dining/living) - Second entirely unnecessary smaller building in the back, most important feature is the elevator, which goes through all the floors.

Back yard - Lots of pretty lawn and nice cobbled paths. Is completely enclosed by a stone wall high enough to discourage trespassers but low enough to not feel cut off from the rest of the world (and allow in neighborhood cats, but keep the dogs safely in when they're romping free). Yurio is half-assedly attempting a vegetable garden in the corner with varying levels of success. They like having barbecue parties in the summer, followed by mini fireworks <3 Victor and Chris like skinny dipping in the pool in the middle of winter, Yuuri and the others will watch from the balconies thanks. There's also an area in the back that has a retractable cover, which can look down into the giant communal bath in basement 1.

F2 - 2nd Floor

The "Parents' Floor," also has open areas that look down into the 1st floor and up into the 3rd floor, makes the ceiling feel super tall in those areas :'D

Nest - The biggest main feature of this floor. A huge room with an enormous round bed, it's heavily padded and shaped a bit like a very shallow and plush bowl filled with blankets and pillows. Any of the family can sleep there, and it's usually the favorite place to sleep. Can fit all the main family members including the kids when they're a bit older comfortably. Also has some nice lil tables and desks and a huge veranda overlooking the backyard if people just want to chill. Absolutely no sex allowed in this room because kids can come in at any time.

Other Communal Sleep Room - Also known as "The Icky Room" by the kids, aka the communal room for when the adults are feeling frisky >.>; If people are doing stuff in that room, it's okay for the other adults to assume it's an open invitation to join. Also has a very big bed that can comfortably fit most of the adults at once, and also a very large jacuzzi bath for cleanup...The kids have all had their own Experiences TM, but in general have learned to steer clear if they hear Noises.

Yuuri's Room - All bedrooms are the private domains of the individual, and everyone needs to knock and get permission to enter. Most of the time people prefer to sleep in the Nest, but it's important to have a private space too. Also holds personal belongings, personal closet, etc.

Yuuri doesn't have as many belongings as some of his mates (other than merch of Victor which he absolutely won't get rid of HAHA) and has a relatively small closet as someone who doesn't particularly care for fashion. That being said, he's the most likely to invite a husband or more to come join him, so his private bed is the biggest.

Phichit's Room - While he can't be at home as much of the others especially when he's younger, he needs access to all of his work when he happens to be home, so has a decently sized office attached to his room. Has a big walk in closet and shares a bathroom and veranda with Yuuri, reliving their good ol days as roommates. Also has 3 enormous glass tanks for his hamsters, which Yuuri and the kids take care of when he's away.

Victor's Room + Yurio's Room - These two honestly don't spend that much time in their own rooms except to access their huge ass wardrobes, but again having a private place to retreat to when needing space is important. They share a bathroom and veranda.

Minami's Room - While he assumed he was a guest, he intentionally asked for a room close to the nursery so he could sprint in to take care of the kids before they bothered their parents. He, like Yuuri, has comparatively little in personal belongings (except for Yuuri merch, which he also stubbornly refuses to let go of). Has his own private bathroom, which is nice because he frequently stains it with hair dye...

Chris's Room + Otabek's Room - While technically "guest rooms,” they stay so frequently and for so long that they more or less naturally became "their" rooms. They're across the wing from Victor and Yurio and mirror their rooms in most ways.

Nursery - Easily accessible to both Yuuri and Minami, though the kids weren't there often as they often sleep next to their parents in the Nest or their respective rooms. Also partially taken over by cats, who think the cribs make excellent cat beds...

F3 - 3rd Floor

The "Kids' Floor," pretty much has the same cut outs looking down into the first floor as the 2nd floor.

Big Chill Area - Directly above the Nest and is very open, with a veranda that overlooks the veranda of the Nest. Good place to chill and roll around in. Also connects to several other pretty big rooms for specialized activities for the kids.

The Twins' Rooms - Were offered separate rooms but they asked that the wall be torn down so they could share the space. They have a hugeass walk-in closet honestly bigger than any of their parents' because they haven't learned moderation. They also like having their beds pressed together into one larger bed. Their veranda overlooks Phichit + Yuuri's. Share a bathroom with Arisa and Yuuji.

Arisa + Yuuji's Rooms - Relatively moderate rooms, Yuuji has to go through Arisa’s room to access the bathroom but they don't mind.

Play Room + Study Room - More places for the kids to chill, though adults are in there sometimes too.

2nd Kitchen/Dining Room - Because sometimes the main kitchen is occupied and it's easier to go up a floor? Arisa also likes experimenting with baking here.

Corner Chill Area - 'Nuff said, why you rich people need so much space, gods.

Big Guest Rooms - Some nicer bigger guest rooms, including a fancy one with access to a jacuzzi bath. For Important Guests like Yakov and Lilia.

Window Glass Hall - Big hall with all glass walls that goes over the back yard. A refreshing place to practice dancing, but if anyone wants to do anything there they generally have to shoo off the occupying mass of sunbathing cats.

R - Rooftop

Rooftop Ice Rink - Because of course they freakin' have one. Generally only iced during the winter, and they can skate right up to the edge where they can look down on the back yard and also Hasetsu and probably the ocean. In the summer is a nice flat field for other things.

Track - "Go run some laps on the track," Victor can command and they don't even need to leave the house...

Living Area - Another nice place to chill.

Dining Area - How much do these people eat...

Misc Room - Why do rich people have so much space.

B1 - Basement 1

Aka, Exercise Floor

Ice Rink - The indoor one, available all year round because of course they have one. Not nearly as big as a full size rink, but large enough for some decent solo practice, is great for when weather sucks and they don't want to go out to the Ice Castle. Yuuri especially loves going to it at bizarre times of night when he can't sleep and wants to meditate on the ice.

Weights/Mat Room - 'Nuff said, gym at home keep those muscles ripped yo.

Cardio Room - All them runnin' machines. Also has access to a multi-stall bathroom.

Dance Studio - Pretty darn big, honestly bigger and nicer than Minako's ballet studio. So Minako teaches the kids here. Walls can change between mirror mode or multiple solid color modes, and door seams are near invisible. Also has drop down poles.

Sound Proof Practice Rooms - For all your deafening screaming and instrument shrieking needs...

Communal Bath - Because apparently being jogging distance to an actual free onsen wasn't enough. Big ass bathing area, sure most of the bathrooms come with baths but why bother when you have this masterpiece in the basement. Has a changing room and multi-stall bathroom for after various exercise, opens into a cleansing/shower area, and then nice big private communal bath. The main bath area has a section of the ceiling that can roll back so they can bathe beneath the open sky/let the snow fall on them which is honestly the best type of onsen experience. Even has a small waterfall that Victor can sit under in comfort however long he wants. On the other side, there's a small area with even hotter water and a sauna, along with a pretty lil rock garden.

*Note, while some people wear shoes on this floor because of the various exercise rooms, they all have pairs of shoes that they only use here. In other words, it's relatively clean, no outside dirt, and people generally also feel comfortable padding around barefoot or with slippers only.

Heat Room/Emergency Room - Where Yuuri goes when his heats are strong and he wants more privacy than the 2nd floor rooms. Is separate from the rest of the house and has multiple pheromone blocking doors that keeps his scent mostly inside. Has a big bed, a fridge, and a bathroom for his mates to care for him. They clean up really well after each heat, and because of how isolated the room is, how well equipped it is with sustenance and a bathroom, and how sturdy the walls are, it can double as an "emergency room" in case of threat. Built so it can survive a bombing, and the hall door can close seamless. Helps that only family members know this room even exists, as heat rooms aren't usually openly talked about ^ ^;

EDIT, added: Washing/Drying Machines Room - BECAUSE IT WAS DRIVING ME INSANE that I forgot to add one in the first time round because yes it's a small detail but NECESSARY. It's a big room that has a ton of machines so everyone can do their loads separately, with plenty of counter space for folding and racks for things that can be air dried indoors. It's Japan though so they like to dry their things outside when it's nice out. Located conveniently right next to the elevator.

B2 (P) - Parking/Garage

Ramp - Leads down from the ground floor, is very wide and can comfortably fit 2 large cars side by side.

Parking Lot - Can hold all the family cars (Victor's hot pink convertible, Yurio's custom tiger-print Jaguar convertible, Phichit's cutesy hamster-themed Volkswagen, Minami's painfully plain but honestly most useful family van, Yuuri's also very normal energy efficient car, and a handful of motorcycles courtesy of Otabek and Yurio's growing collection) plus that of guests.

Basement Recreation Room - Called that, but honestly mostly a garage/tinkering area. Generally considered to be Otabek's domain when he's around, he likes bringing in bikes and sometimes cars through the big ass doors they can drive through so he can fiddle with them. Nice couch area for people to watch.

Boiler Room - Bc every bigass house needs a bigass one right? *squints* IDK ARCHITECTURE MAN, just say it works 'kay...

Aaaaand that’s it folks! Thanks for reading ^ ^ I may or may not draw how it looks externally bc I freakin’ HATE drawing buildings but eh, this should be a decent enough reference for now imagining where they live ^ ^

#YukiPri art #Future!Verse ABO AU #YOI #Yuri!!! on Ice #Polyamory #Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics #Omegaverse #long post #longpost #AHAHAHAHA SORRY GUYS it took way longer than expected to type up all the text orz #I worked on this for so long and went through so many drafts you have no idea #i mean there's a chance this'll still change too but #for now it's good enough i tell myself #yeah i know my lines are crappy and skewed all over the place #and my understanding of architecture or rich people houses is nonexistent #shhhhh just roll with it it's supposed to be fun #I also had a last minute job today teaching at the Japanese school that pretty much killed my whole day #we'll see if i can crank out the comic for tomorrow orz #at least I finished this tho sobs #I TRIED GUYS #also please don't ask me for the sub-homes' floor plans bc man this is enough for my lil brain #all their other houses are like Big but Not This Big and Probably Don't Have Internal Ice Rinks

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dipulb3 · 4 years

Text

iPhone SE review: Apple's $399 iPhone lives up to the hype

New Post has been published on https://appradab.com/iphone-se-review-apples-399-iphone-lives-up-to-the-hype-3/

iPhone SE review: Apple's $399 iPhone lives up to the hype

There are a lot of ways to think about Apple’s new $399 iPhone SE. One is that it’s a more affordable option than the iPhone 11 ($699 at Amazon), with surprisingly similar camera specs, which it is. Or that it’s the 2020 sequel to the original SE from 2016, which it also is. Or, at 4.7 inches, that it’s the smallest and cheapest iPhone you can currently buy (though it’s not that small). Or — and this is my favorite way to think about it — that it’s an iPhone 8 with the brains and power of an iPhone 11. In fact, the new iPhone SE is all these things and that’s why I’m enamored with it.

Affordable price

Long battery life so far

Great rear camera

iPhone 11 Pro-level performance

Don’t Like

Old iPhone design

Selfie camera is mediocre

The new iPhone SE has the classic design that defined the iPhone for its first 10 years. The design, the body and the camera lenses are all the same as 2017’s iPhone 8. But Apple performed a clever brain transplant, replacing the nearly 3-year-old processor with the A13 Bionic processor used in the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. This goes well beyond a simple spec bump by majorly improving things like the cameras and battery life. The new processor not only runs faster, but it will likely future-proof the phone through years of iOS updates.

Read more: iPhone SE 2020 is proof that Apple won’t actually bring back the tiny phone

But a $399 (£419, AU$749) iPhone comes with compromises, which Apple chose wisely. The SE has only a single rear camera, it doesn’t have Face ID and it lacks camera features like Night Mode, Slofies and Deep Fusion processing. The selfie camera is OK but not as amazing as the one found on the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.

When you look at the complete picture, the iPhone SE represents the most value for your dollar of any phone Apple sells. It has an attractive price, fantastic battery life, great rear camera, A13 processor, water resistance and support for wireless charging. The SE is not only a wonderful iPhone, but one of the best budget phones you can currently buy.

iPhone SE (2020) specs compared to iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2016), iPhone 11

iPhone SE (2020) iPhone 8 iPhone SE (2016) iPhone 11 Display size, resolution 4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334×750 pixels 4.7-inch Retina HD; 1,334×750 pixels 4-inch; 1,136×640 pixels 6.1-inch LCD Liquid Retina; 1,792×828 pixels Pixel density 326ppi 326ppi 326ppi 326ppi Dimensions (Inches) 5.45 x 2.65 x 0.29 in 5.45×2.65×0.29 in 4.87×2.31×0.3 in 5.94×2.98×0.33 in Dimensions (Millimeters) 138.4 x 67.3 x 7.3 mm 138.4×67.3×7.3 mm 123x58x7.6 mm 150.9×75.7×8.3 mm Weight (Ounces, Grams) 5.22 oz; 148g 5.22 oz; 148 g 3.99 oz; 113 g 6.84 oz; 194g Mobile software iOS 13 iOS 11 (can update to iOS 13) iOS 9.3 iOS 13 Camera 12-megapixel 12-megapixel 12-megapixel 12-megapixel (wide), 12-megapixel (ultra-wide) Front-facing camera 7-megapixel 7-megapixel 1.2-megapixel 12-megapixel Video capture 4K 4K 4K 4K Processor Apple A13 Bionic Apple A11 Bionic Apple A9 Apple A13 Bionic Storage 64GB, 128GB, 256GB 64GB, 256GB 16GB, 64GB 64GB, 128GB, 256GB RAM Not disclosed 2GB Not disclosed Not disclosed Expandable storage No None No No Battery Not disclosed Not disclosed Not disclosed Not disclosed Fingerprint sensor Home button Home button Home button No Connector Lightning Lightning Lightning Lightning Headphone jack No No Yes No Special features Water resistant (IP67); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging Water resistant (IP67), wireless charging Apple Pay; Haptic Touch Water resistant (IP68); dual-SIM capabilities (nano-SIM and e-SIM); wireless charging Price off-contract (USD) $399 (64GB), $449 (128GB), $549 (256GB) $699 (64GB), $849 (256GB) $399 (16GB); $499 (64GB) $699 (64GB), $749 (128GB), $849 (256GB) Price (GBP) £419 (64GB), £469 (128GB), £569 (256GB) £699 (64GB), £849 (256GB) £359 (16GB) £439 (64GB) £729 (64GB), £779 (128GB), £879 (256GB) Price (AUD) AU$749 (64GB), AU$829 (128GB), AU$999 (256GB) AU$1,079 (64GB), AU$1,329 (256GB) AU$679 (16GB); AU$829 (64GB) AU$1,199 (64GB), AU$1,279 (128GB), AU$1,449 (256GB)

The iPhone SE’s iPhone 8 design

Physically, the SE is an iPhone 8. The front and back are made of glass, the chassis and sides are aluminum. The only physical difference between the iPhone SE and iPhone 8 is that the Apple logo is now centered on the back to match current-generation iPhones.

The new phone has Apple’s old-school forehead and chin bezel above and below the screen. This makes the SE look, well, old. This is the one of the few things that I’m not too thrilled about. It’s not ugly, it’s just dated. And that might appeal to some people, but not me.

Welcome back, large bezels.

John Kim/CNET

Having used Face ID for the past couple years, it’s a strange and familiar feeling to set up and use Touch ID. It’s like going from an automatic transmission back to a stick shift. But in the right car, stick shift can be a blast.

I forgot how much I missed the home button and how it makes interactions and navigation less fussy than swipes and holds. I tap and hold to pay for purchases instead of angling my phone to get Face ID verification. A speedy double-tap shows recent apps. Though Face ID has its own benefits, the home button is still as satisfying to use as it was back in the day.

For tiny phone lovers, the iPhone SE’s 4.7-inch LCD display isn’t as small as the original SE’s 4-inch screen. But it’s still smaller than most phones out right now and is enough to be portable and comfortable for most people.

The screen on the SE is similar to the one on the iPhone 11, especially in terms of quality and resolution. Text looks sharp, colors are accurate and it’s bright in sunny conditions.

The iPhone SE is rated IP67 for water and dust resistance.

Patrick Holland/CNET

The iPhone SE is rated IP67, meaning it can withstand being submerged for 30 minutes at a depth of 1 meter (about 3 feet). I wasn’t able to test this claim, though I did submerge it in a liter of water for 30 minutes and everything worked fine. This level of water and dust resistance isn’t something you normally find on phones under $400, so it’s particularly noteworthy that the iPhone SE has it.

The SE comes in three colors: black, white and red. The iPhone 8 had its own red version too, but it had white bezels and damn if the iPhone SE doesn’t look more striking in red with black bezels.

The iPhone SE’s battery life is longer than the iPhone 8

Apple’s website says that the iPhone SE’s battery lasts about the same as the iPhone 8, but my testing showed it lasted much longer. I played a looped video on Airplane mode at 50% brightness and the iPhone SE lasted 15 hours, 45 minutes. That’s hours longer than what the iPhone 8 and iPhone SE lasted in the same test when they were new. Anecdotally, it made it through a day and a half without a problem, and a couple times it went two days straight without a charge.

In our early battery tests, the iPhone SE easily outlasts the iPhone 8 and original 2016 iPhone SE.

Patrick Holland/CNET

I should note that I have more battery tests to run (including streaming video tests), so check back when I’ll update the results.

The iPhone SE has wireless charging, which is another feature not found on most budget phones. There is also support for fast-charging, which replenishes the battery to 50% in 30 minutes. But the iPhone SE doesn’t come with the necessary 18-watt charger and instead includes the slower 5-watt one. Again, this is likely to keep the cost of the device low.

iPhone SE has A13 Bionic processor performance

The longevity of Apple’s iOS support for “older devices” is a quiet but significant appeal of owning an iPhone. The iPhone 8 and its A11 processor are now two-and-a-half years old and will likely stop receiving iOS software updates a couple years before the iPhone SE and its newer A13 Bionic processor.

In performance tests, the iPhone SE was consistently better than the iPhone 8 and (no surprise) the original iPhone SE. It scored similar results to what we got on the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max.

In real life that meant app launches were peppy, playing games like Sky: Children of Light and Doomsday Vault were a breeze. Editing photos was easy and I could even use graphics-heavy AR apps such as Wonderscope, which transformed my bedroom into a training ground for ghosts.

Geekbench v.5.0 single-core

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

Geekbench v.5.0 multicore

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Slingshot Unlimited

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited

Note:

Longer bars indicate better performance

iPhone SE cameras have Portrait Mode, Smart HDR

The rear camera on the SE has the same specs as the iPhone 8, but when combined with the A13 chip and iOS 13 it transforms the camera into something that can compete with the best phone cameras, and even go toe-to-toe with the main rear camera on the iPhone 11. It has a slew of features, including Smart HDR for photos, Quick Take filming and Portrait Mode — these are impressive features and a first for a $399 iPhone.

The iPhone SE has a single rear camera that has SmartHDR and Portrait Mode for photos.

John Kim/CNET

The rear camera on the SE has a 28mm f1.8 lens while the iPhone 11 has two rear cameras: a main wide-angle camera with a 26-mm f1.8 lens and an ultrawide-angle camera with a 13mm f/2.4 lens. I do enjoy the ultrawide-angle on the iPhone 11 but I didn’t miss it during my time with the iPhone SE.

When I compare photos taken with each phone, it’s hard to distinguish between them unless you bring them onto a larger screen and even then the differences are subtle.

In good light, photos from each are similar in terms of image quality. Look at the pictures below of a tree I took in my backyard. Can you tell the difference? You see my point. The most obvious difference is that the iPhone SE photo is framed tighter than the iPhone 11.

Here are a few other photos from the iPhone SE.

The iPhone SE is great at capturing accurate colors.

Patrick Holland/CNET

Smart HDR is impressive in keeping the sky from blowing out and the shadows relatively free of image noise.

Patrick Holland/CNET

In this photo of wood slats, look at the amount of detail and texture the iPhone SE captured.

Patrick Holland/CNET

A nice snap of my breakfast taken under medium lighting.

Patrick Holland/CNET

Both phones have portrait mode and produce excellent results. The 11 can capture portrait mode photos of both people and pets. The iPhone SE, like the iPhone XR ($599 at Apple), can only do people. It’s not until you look very closely at the photos below that you can see that the iPhone 11’s portrait mode captures just a bit more detail and less noise.

In the picture below of my shoulder, you’ll notice the quality of the falloff from in-focus to out-of-focus areas looks more natural on the iPhone 11 than on the iPhone SE.

Below are photos of my bike trainer taken indoors in medium lighting. The most obvious difference here is the framing is tighter on the iPhone SE. But the iPhone 11 captured more detail, which you can see on the wall outlet. And if you look at the bottom right side of the trainer, you’ll notice the iPhone SE suffers from noise in the shadows. That said, there isn’t a huge difference between the photos. For indoor and medium light photos, the 11 has a thin edge.

As for video, both phones are similar. The iPhone SE and 11 can shoot 4K 60fps video, but only the 11 takes advantage of the extended dynamic range at that resolution and frame rate. The SE has extended dynamic range for video, but only up to 4K 30fps. Take a look at my iPhone SE review video to see samples of videos captured with the iPhone SE.

The one place where there’s a big difference between the two phones are the selfie cameras. The iPhone 11 has a wider front-facing camera, and it’s capable of shooting 4K and slow-mo videos. The iPhone SE only shoots 1080p video and no Slofies. Both have Portrait mode for selfies, but photos from the iPhone 11 show more detail in my skin.

Now playing: Watch this: iPhone SE reminds us how much we missed the home button

12:32

Current iPhone models and prices compared

Model and storage US price UK price Australia price iPhone SE 64GB $399 £419 AU$749 iPhone SE 128GB $449 £469 AU$829 iPhone SE 256GB $549 £569 AU$999 iPhone XR 64GB $599 £629 AU$1,049 iPhone XR 128GB $649 £679 AU$1,129 iPhone 11 64GB $699 £729 AU$1,199 iPhone 11 128GB $749 £779 AU$1,279 iPhone 11 256GB $849 £879 AU$1,449 iPhone 11 Pro 64GB $999 £1,049 AU$1,749 iPhone 11 Pro 256GB $1,149 £1,199 AU$1,999 iPhone 11 Pro 512GB $1,349 £1,399 AU$2,349 iPhone 11 Pro Max 64GB $1,099 £1,149 AU$1,899 iPhone 11 Pro Max 256GB $1,249 £1,299 AU$2,149 iPhone 11 Pro Max 512GB $1,449 £1,1499 AU$2,499

From left to right: iPhone SE (2016), iPhone 8, iPhone SE (2020).

Patrick Holland/CNET

First published on April 22.

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elizabethcariasa · 4 years

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Best Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-2

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I wanted to share with you all of the most used items for Otis at this age. He’s currently 23 months (OMG!!!!!!) but I started writing this at 22. But basically most of this stuff we have been using over the last year till now. Sharing a variety of things from toys, feeding, to home stuff. Hope you enjoy this break down!

INDOOR TOYS

Disney Pixar Cars Mini Racers Mack Transporter: Otis already had these mini cars and one day Blake came home with this truck. It stores the little cars and also makes for a big fun toy to push around.

IKEA 20 piece basic train set: My sister gave us some hand me down IKEA train set pieces and Otis LOVES to put these together himself. It’s been a great toy for independent play and we plan to get more for his birthday.

Magna-Tiles 32-Piece Clear Colors Set: These are epic! They were great for when Otis was closer to 1 because they were easier for him to grab and pick up. Obviously you need to monitor your play because of the magnets but this is something he has loved especially during quarantine. We have a metal coffee table so he uses it to stick the magnets too. Or the fridge. Or the garage door. Basically anything metal he will put them on.

LEGO DUPLO My First Number Train: For his first birthday he actually got this set and he has become OBSESSED with Duplo legos. It’s been a great toy for independent play and I love how creative he gets with them.

toy dyson vacuum: This was another first birthday toy that he still loves to this day. Every time I get out my adult sized dyson, he runs and grabs his and “helps” me clean the house.

Mega Bloks First Builders Classic Big Building Bag 80-Piece Set: This was another first birthday present that keeps on giving. I keep these with the Duplo legos and he plays with both. These are better for smaller kiddos and easier to put together closer to age 1.

Playskool Explore ‘N Grow Busy Gears: We bought this after watching him play with something similar at his Oma and Opa’s house. The gears move when you push the button so this is a good toy to keep them occupied.

Plan Toys Baby Walker: This was actually a first birthday gift from Oompa Toys and I am telling you he still loves it and he is almost 2. It’s pricey but its a 2-in-1 toy. Both a push car and you have all the blocks. Otis moves this from room to room and then plays with the blocks either inside or takes them out. He’s going to be using this for a while. He loves to build.

Tegu 24 Piece Set: These blocks are fun and different take on a magnets toy.

LEGO DUPLO Disney Frozen Toy Featuring Elsa and Olaf’s Tea Party: You know how obsessed Otis is with Frozen so we had to buy him Frozen Duplo lego set.

Magformers 30-pc. Rainbow Set: These magnets have also been a very popular quarantine toy for Otis. He uses them on our metal surfaces but also lines them up on the carpet. Again, we monitor closely because of the magnets but this is a MUST have toy.

Buckle Toys Buster Square: We call this toy, “Mr Buckles” HA! When we were actually going places, we would bring this in our diaper bag or in the car. I sometimes bring it on our walks so he can play with it.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Count & Rumble Piggy Bank: He has recently rediscovered this toy and it’s so cute.

Fire HD 8 Kids Edition tablet, 8″ HD display: This has been a recent game changer. Since Otis is now into screen time, it’s been fun to let him play on his own kid friendly tablet. What I love is that he can literally click anything in kid mode and he’s all in approved kid content that we load on there. A fun feature of this tablet is you can also use it in adult mode if you want to tap into apps like netflix etc. This one also comes with a great warranty incase you kid chucks this down the stairs and it breaks. I also love this case with it.

OUTDOOR TOYS

Evenflo Versatile Playspace Indoor/Outdoor Gate: This gate has been incredible. We actually bought 2 so it can stretch across our garage and have our garage door open and use our garage as a playroom. We have also used it in the backyard as a barrier for some social distance hang out during quarantine. It’s awesome because it modular so you can always buy more pieces or make it as big as you need it.

HEDGBOBO Music Bubble Lawn Mower Electronic Bubble Blowing Mover: This was a gift from a friend and I am telling you Otis is obsessed with this thing. He walks down the sidewalk with this little lawn mower and love that the bubbles can be turned on or off. You can take the handle off so it’s easy to store.

Fisher-Price® Lil’ Snoopy: We use this toy every day. Since Otis always wants to walk Lola and that is not always very productive… we put a regular dog lease on this toy and let him “walk his puppy” down the street and it allows him to have his own responsibility and gives him something to do so we can also successfully walk Lola to do her business. Love this toy so much.

Step 2 Up & Down Indoor Outdoor Roller Coaster Toy w/ Car: We got this for Otis’ first birthday and now, he’s really enjoying this for independent play time. He pushed the car up, pushes himself down. Slides down on his stomach… you know. The normal ways of using it. HA! SUCH a great bigger gift idea. These are hard to come by in stock.

Mickey Mouse Glowing Bubble Wand: We actually bought our bubble wand at Disney On Ice but this one looks identical. It has both lights and bubbles for when the bubble inevitably run out. Lol. Anything Disney can go no wrong.

Veer Cruiser: I often get asked if this wagon is really worth the hype. My honest answer is that yes it’s VERY expensive but we have gotten incredible use out of it. It has very rugged wheels which allows us to easily bring to the park, on grass, and even in the sand. Yes it’s still hard to pull on sand but the rugged wheels make it easier. A plus is there are so many really unique attachment options. We recently got the additional storage bucket to add on. If you are looking for something splurge worthy, I 100% cosign this. Another thing that is great is you can add adapters to add a car seat. So if you are in a two kid family, that could come in handy. It folds down super flat too so we easily stow it in our trunk. We love it! Also the snack tray is EPIC.

Little Tikes Toy Sports T-Ball Set: This is a newer toy because obviously we love baseball in this house and this is a bigger boy toy. He has been having fun and it doesn’t take up that much storage space.

Little Tikes Cozy Coupe Kids Pretend Play Fun Grocery Store Shopping Cart: I bought this at the beginning of quarantine and it’s an epic toy for walking around the neighborhood. It’s nice to give Otis a task when we are walking to keep him focused and moving in the direction I want him too. Toddler problems am I right!??! It’s great because he can throw another toy or two inside and it’s big enough if he abandons it, I can easily just pull it with one hand.

Step2 Whisper Ride II Kids Blue Ride On Push Car: One of daily used toys. Each day we take a walk together. He loves to ride in it and we have used it since he was 1 and will get even more use after 2.

BEDTIME

Halo Sleep sack: We have tried many sleep sacks and this is still our favorite. We have ones in different materials for different seasons but since we have A/C we like to use the fleece one since it’s nice and cool in the house. We put it on him backwards which at least helps a little in terms of him not taking it off. It’s been the best one we have found. They are just hard to find in the larger sizes. He is in the biggest size right now.

Slumberkins Sloth Snuggler: This is Otis’ prized possession. He calls his sloth his “love love” and he sleeps with it everynight. We introduced this when he was an infant for car seat rides etc before he started sleeping with it. I can’t say enough good things because they wash in the washing machine so well and I let them air dry and they are good as new. My recommendation is to buy 3 of any lovey you want to get for your child. So if you lose one you aren’t screwed. HA! Also keep cycling them so you can wear them evenly. I did not do this. Learn from my mistakes

Playskool Sesame Street Cookie Monster 10” Mini Plush: Cookie Monster is one of his loves in bed with him. This one is nice because its small.

Jellycat Bashful Turtle Stuffed Animal, Small: Otis loves his little turtle. The jellycat toys are so soft and I got him the tiny size since it’s easier to carry around and snuggle.

Hatch Rest + Sound Machine: By far one of my must haves from the newborn phase till now. I love this thing so much I have 3 of them in my house. 1 in his room, 1 outside of his room in the hallway to drown out any noise in the house, and 1 in our bedroom on my night stand because I got so used to the sounds when Otis was in his bassinet in our room. This newer version is pricer than the older but what is EPIC about it is that is has some reserve battery in it. So for instance, if the power goes out, the sound machine will stay on. EPIC. I have convinced many people to buy this including my sister. I had forgotten it at her house and her sons borrowed it and loved it so much she bought them. It also has time to wake functionality which we have not used yet but hope to in the future.

EATING

Skiphop Zoo 11 oz. Insulated Food Jar: Love these insulated food jars when toting around lunch or dinner for Otis.

Summer Infant Pop ‘N Sit Portable Infant Booster Seat: This is a must have item! We have gotten so much use out of this portable high chair even just in our own house. We use it for outdoor picnics and the detachable tray makes it great to kind of contain them in one place when you don’t have your highchair etc. It’s easily washable and it also can be attached to another big chair to serve as highchair height at a table. I have a slightly different version but buy this if you like it it’s been sold out.

Skiphop Zoo 7.5 oz. Snack Cup: These snack cups are like gold in our house. I constantly have at least 2 filled with goodies for Otis and love that they have a cap that closes so things are leaking out everywhere.

Inglesina Fast Table Chair: This is our current fav high chair. I LOVED my large high chair from stokke but one day Otis started fighting us to sit in ANYTHING. We were able to eventually get him to sit in this clip on chair so now we have two. One on our kitchen island and one on our dining room table. The best thing is that while the instructions don’t recommend it being machine washable, I was reading a couple blogs of people that put theirs in the washing machine. I tried it and holy crap it looks like new after! I just let it hang and air dry. We also used to take this to restaurants when Otis was too young to sit in their highchairs as well as taken to hotels etc.

Inglesina Fast Table Dining Tray: You NEED to get this tray if you buy the chair. Keeps clean up easier so food doesn’t cake under the handles. It’s easy to loosen and clean under but this helps prevent that as well as being something we can easily remove when mealtime is over. Otis tends to want to rip his plate up when he is saying he is all done so its easy to just remove this tray and get it out of the way.

UNICOO- Bamboo Height Adjustable Kids Learning Stool: I always get asked about this kitchen stool and the white is sold out right now but here is the wood version. What I love about it is that it is pretty compact because we have a pretty small kitchen. It’s been epic for Otis to be at the counter and help prep meals, have a snack, help make my morning coffee etc. It also allows him to be a menace and mess with literally everything but I love this tower so much. No regrets!

OXO Tot Transitions Straw Cup: We tried a bunch of sippy cups and this is the one we have used and loved when we transitioned him off the bottle to a sippy straw cup. It’s relatively easy to clean. But let’s be honest, any straw is annoying to clean. They do leak if there is milk in the straw but it’s the best option we have found so far.

Lollaland® Lollacup 10 oz. Sippy Cup: This is our #1 water cup. With the handles it’s easy for Otis to grab one handed when he is filthy eating dinner. Lollaland makes such great kids feeding stuff and we own quite a few of their products. This is by far my fav and most used water cup.

Bumkins Disney Silicone Grip Dish, Suction Plate: I love all the bumkins suction plates. They REALLY stick. You know we are Disney obsessed so this Mickey plate is in heavy rotation.

Bumkins Baby Fork and Spoon Set: These are the forks and spoons we are using for Otis right now. They are short enough to make it easy for him to eat.

Shop toddler favorites below:

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The post Best Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-2 appeared first on eat.sleep.wear. - Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kimberly Lapides.

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kurtwarren54 · 4 years

Text

Best Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-2

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INDOOR TOYS

toy dyson vacuum: This was another first birthday toy that he still loves to this day. Every time I get out my adult sized dyson, he runs and grabs his and “helps” me clean the house.

Tegu 24 Piece Set: These blocks are fun and different take on a magnets toy.

LEGO DUPLO Disney Frozen Toy Featuring Elsa and Olaf’s Tea Party: You know how obsessed Otis is with Frozen so we had to buy him Frozen Duplo lego set.

Fisher-Price Laugh & Learn Count & Rumble Piggy Bank: He has recently rediscovered this toy and it’s so cute.

OUTDOOR TOYS

BEDTIME

Playskool Sesame Street Cookie Monster 10” Mini Plush: Cookie Monster is one of his loves in bed with him. This one is nice because its small.

Jellycat Bashful Turtle Stuffed Animal, Small: Otis loves his little turtle. The jellycat toys are so soft and I got him the tiny size since it’s easier to carry around and snuggle.

EATING

Skiphop Zoo 11 oz. Insulated Food Jar: Love these insulated food jars when toting around lunch or dinner for Otis.

Bumkins Disney Silicone Grip Dish, Suction Plate: I love all the bumkins suction plates. They REALLY stick. You know we are Disney obsessed so this Mickey plate is in heavy rotation.

Bumkins Baby Fork and Spoon Set: These are the forks and spoons we are using for Otis right now. They are short enough to make it easy for him to eat.

Shop toddler favorites below:

Turn on your JavaScript to view content

The post Best Toys For Toddlers Ages 1-2 appeared first on eat.sleep.wear. - Fashion & Lifestyle Blog by Kimberly Lapides.

from Wellness https://www.eatsleepwear.com/2020/07/29/best-toys-for-toddlers-ages-1-2/ via http://www.rssmix.com/

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