#when i'll get to that part in the game and encounter this issue i'll find and share the solution

[astrariums]

Nobody asked, but I saw a few people having issues running Dragon Age: Origins on PC. This usually occurs after playing for a while, then it suddenly crashes. Now, I don't know if this will help everyone, but I do remember it helping me (it was a RAM-related issue).

Steam Guide

Nexus

You can also search for `dragon age origins 4gb patch' there are a few guides there as well.

[innerfare]

Teasing or Overstimulating - Part 5

Summary: Do they tease you or overstimulate you?

Characters: Ichiji, Niji, Yonji

Genre: pure smut

CW: NSFW // oral sex, shameless dirty talk, sex toys, control freak Ichiji, Yonji might have mommy issues

——— 

Ichiji: 

He’s the eldest son of Germa, a famous prince and warrior, genetically engineered to be as indifferent and aloof as possible. He’s also the most measured of his brothers, the least likely to allow his desperation to turn him into a wild animal. But you get under his skin like no girl ever has, and when you’re behind closed doors, he has to work at remaining in control. And that pisses him of. But he loves your pussy more than he hates you, and he especially loves the taste of your pussy more than he wants to be rid of you. He usually copes with this perceived power imbalance by acting aloof and telling you how much you need him to fuck you, far more than he needs it. 

“I’m doing you a favor, you know, by letting you have my cock. I could be fucking any other girl in the world right now. You’d better not make me regret my decision with your pathetic whining.” Of course, if you do stop with your pathetic whining, he’ll experience an existential crisis. He may appear calm and collected, but it’s a veneer- please don’t call his bluff. 

He often asserts control over the situation by putting you in the most vulnerable position he can manage, stripping you naked while remaining clothed himself. You almost always end up bent over something with your exposed cunt high in the air. But his favorite way to assert power over you is to tease you, bringing you to the brink two or three times and then sending you on your way without satisfaction, sometimes not even cumming himself to drag it out for as long as possible. It’s a game he plays to feel in control, knowing you’ll feel that slickness between your legs until he personally takes care of it. He never lets you put panties on afterward, will often dangle them in front of your face and even laugh a little when you try to take them.

“What do you want these for, huh? To hide the evidence of how slutty you’ve been for me? It’s your fault you’re all wet, not mine.” 

Of course, he can really only manage to achieve this with his fingers or cock. If he dips his tongue into your tight hole and gets a taste of your juices, or even just catches the scent when he takes your panties off, he’ll end up juicing you for as many orgasms as possible, spanking you and spitting on you to punish you for making him so pathetic. 

Niji:

Niji is cold and aloof yet greedy and lecherous, which culminates in whirlwind sexual encounters that leave your body sore and twitching in the aftermath. Sure, he feels the urge to withhold pleasure from you, but he rarely ever does because that would require him to withhold pleasure from himself, and he certainly won’t be doing that, not when he’s at home in his castle and painfully erect. He finds his deeply selfish desire to feel your tight little hole clench extra tight around his throbbing cock as he fucks you into the mattress far outweighs his other deeply selfish desire to see your bottom lip quiver because he alone has the power to make you orgasm and refuses to do so with a cruel laugh the way Ichiji would. 

He knows he’s spoiling you and has no genuine desire to indulge you as much as he does, but when the door closes and he pulls your panties down, the desire to see your eyes roll into the back over your head overtakes him, and he ends up thumbing your swollen clit while his hips snap against yours, lewd sounds spilling from your lips. It’s gotten to the point that he can’t cum unless he feels you clenching around him, but he’s certainly not going to hurry things along and cum before he’s good and ready, meaning you’re just going to have to cum again and again and again until he’s covered in a thin sheen of sweat and ready to pump you full of cum.

"Give me one more. Just one more, and I'll cum inside you. Fuck, just like that."

He feels entitled to your orgasms, so much so that he doesn’t allow you to make yourself orgasm and would probably start a literal war if someone else did. He and he alone deserves the privilege of feeling you clench and tasting you after, and he’ll do anything to keep that privilege, even going so far as to lock you up in your room when he’s away. 

Yonji: 

The first few times he fucked you, he didn’t even try to make you cum. Of course, you were so desperate for his cock you almost did anyway, but that was the furthest thing from his mind. But what did weigh on his mind was how good your little pussy felt, the best he’d ever fucked. And so he kept coming back for more, slowly starting to realize you felt the same about his cock and came quite easily, embarrassingly easily, around it.  

“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised you’re cumming. You’ve probably never been fucked like this in your entire life.” 

He’s stingy and has no qualms about taking without giving anything in return, but he’s also cruel and enjoys seeing you begging for relief. Thus, he won’t allow you to cum without properly humiliating you- or, more specifically, making you humiliate yourself. He wants to strip you down and have you crawl on your hands and knees toward him, wants to sit back and laugh at you while you get yourself off by grinding into his thigh, wants to see tears fall down your flushed cheeks because you need to cum so badly but he keeps pulling back as soon as you reach the edge. 

As an aside, what he wants more than anything else (though he’s loathe to admit it) is to be humiliated by you. If you catch him off guard, tie him up, make him call you mommy or mistress, and ride his face until you’re overstimulated, he’ll most definitely be the one crawling back. He might even be a little nicer the next time he falls into your bed late at night and pulls your panties down, though the chances of an improved attitude are quite slim, especially if he thinks being a jerk will cause you to dominate him once more. 

———

Hope you enjoyed it! If you want more, you can check out my masterlist here!

[bambihrt]

Celebrating your Anniversary with Lucifer Part 2

I wasn't planning on writing a second part but after seeing how loved part one was I just had to so enjoy!

Lucifer considered himself a nervous demon. Blame his abandonment issues for that. He knew you loved him, but he couldn't help his anxiety telling him that you'd leave just like everyone else has. One night when sleep couldn't find him, he snuck into his workshop to fiddle with his ducks to distract him from his worries. All of a sudden he felt two arms circle his neck and you nuzzle to his left side.

"C'mon baby, you can work tomorrow, let's go to bed."

Though he knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep, he took your hand and let you lead him to your shared bedroom. As he crawled under the covers, you snuggled up next to him. holding him as you pet his hair. Throughout this whole encounter, he was silent and had a distant look in his eyes. You could see through this act immediately and knew what the cause of his nighttime anxiety was.

"I can't wait to wake up next to you forever. I'll always be here with you Lucifer. I love you."

After that night you made sure to always validate his feelings when he was having a moment of low self-esteem. You started leaving notes around your home for him to find at random moments. Opening the pantry he'd find a note on his favorite cereal telling him 'good morning lu!' and opening his tool box he'd find another post-it saying 'can't wait to see what you create :D'. Through these little actions, he'd learned to trust that you will be there for him.

One day while you were out to see your friends he was having a bit of a depressive episode and didn't want to bother you while you were enjoying yourself so he went into your office. He grabbed your favorite plushie knowing it would smell like you and give him comfort. As he turned the stuffed animal in his arms he felt a crinkle and pulled what was stuck on it off. A note reading 'call me love :('. This moment was when he knew.

Lucifer had to marry you. Nothing would make him happier than the honor of being your husband.

Bringing him back to the present day, he watched you try and hook a golden duck for him in the game you made. Of course, you would do something so special for your anniversary. You weren't the only one with a surprise up your sleeve. He checked his watch noting it was almost time.

"(Y/n)? My love? I've left my phone inside I-"

"Oh I'll go grab it don't worry," you immediately cut him off not wanting to make him go in on his own. As you headed inside the hotel, you were met with a trail of rose petals leading you under the chandelier. "What is this?"

Unbeknownst to you, Lucifer was walking behind you and cleared his throat stealing your attention away from the grand decor around you. He got down on one knee and pulled a box out of his pocket.

"I thought it was only fitting to do this in the very place we met and on our anniversary. From the moment I met you, I knew you were special. You showed me the light when I was stuck in a dark place and ever since then, I've loved you more than anything. You have been the best partner I could ever dream of. There's only one thing that could make my life perfect and that would be you agreeing to marry me. (Y/n) my heart and soul, will you allow me to be your husband?"

Nodding, you couldn't get the words out as you began crying. You had no idea Lucifer had been planning this. A high-pitched squeal came from behind as Charlie jumped out throwing rose petals over you, "I'm so happy you're joining our family!"

Lucifer reached out to your hand, slipping the most beautiful ring you'd ever seen onto your finger, and gently pulled you into a tender kiss. Softly whispering, "Thank you for everything, my love."

[directdogman]

hey dog! sorry to bug you with a coding question, but i'm learning rpg maker mv for a fangame & i'm wondering how you did a couple things. if it's not too much trouble, could you quickly explain some of it? i've scrounged around as much as i can but i cant find what i need so i thought it'd be worth asking directly ^^;

how did you get the players name to show up in the message log? i know theres a plugin that adds the name windows for other characters & i've got that figured out, but i have no idea how to get the players name to show up in the history after selecting stuff

how'd you get the graphic for the route diverging choices to show & play During choices? so far ive figured out that looping the images recreates the visual but then the game doesn't progress, bc its just stuck in that loop...

how'd you disable ( + grey out) dialogue options after selecting them??

how'd you add the fullscreen option? i found a code that was supposed to add a fullscreen option to the optionscore settings but that one just breaks the plugin & i simply Don't know enough javascript to figure it out myself

i'm using all the same plugins that dialtown has so clearly these are possible without extra ones, i just don't know how to do it,, thanks for explaining your pronoun system a little while ago btw! i wasn't the one who asked but your post was super helpful when i was setting it up for myself :D

It's been close to 6 years since I started making DT, and I had to figure out a few solutions to specific issues that cropped up which I've likely forgotten now, but I'll answer what I can remember. I'm also gonna give you some advice and advise you not to use RPG Maker for projects like these.

I basically Scott Cawthon'd DT and forced the engine to yield to my demands because I wanted to use the one I knew best. A few of these solutions are over-complicated because the easier ones (which would've worked in other engines) had to be constructed differently. I'll also mention a few solutions to problems you might not have encountered (but inevitably will if you try to recreate DT.) With that out of the way...

1)

You'll want these settings for the backlog plugin. the \c[x] commands refer to standard name colours. Log special inputs set to true, followed up by this below:

\n<\c[4]\n[1]\c[0]>%1

With \n[1] being the name you want and the number after the first c being what colour you want.

I'll also save you a potential future issue: I'd actually recommend you find the backlog plugin I used in DT's files (located inside the www/js/plugins folder) and use the version I have instead of the official release if you're not already, because I made a small change to fix an error. Basically, it breaks slightly with the plugin that lets you bring up the menu during dialogue because text reloads when you leave the menu and re-enter the text box, causing text to be logged at least twice after you pause it. If you keep bringing up the menu, you'll get constant duplication. I simply added a line of code that tells the log not to have two duplicates in a row. Not a programmer, but it seems works.

2)I did it in a funny way to ensure the engine wouldn't screw it up. Basically, there's 3 steps to the event and it's kinda hard to explain (and would be annoying to reproduce without a lot of trial and error for a beginner.) It's easier if I show my code. The first thing I do is run a common event (you can also just paste this code in and run it from the event) that renders the frames used by the popup, so they're loaded into memory + ready to go.

As you can see, they're set to 0 opacity but now ready to be used. Obviously they have to be on a layer that isn't being used by anything else in the scene (and won't be during this part of the game.) I run this event ahead of time, usually 4 messages before the choice comes up or so, so even slower PCs should have time to get them up.

The 'if head' thing just switches between the files for phone/typegingi's heads. I render each frame on separate layers and toggle their opacity from one to the next on a single frame to avoid flickering (bc RPG maker's renderer is hot trash and I have to work around it. Case in point.)

Step 2 is a second command event that orders the frames to fade in.

One layer is the text (which doesn't move) and the other is the first frame of the little head animation. A switch is also turned on at the end, and this signals the animation to go, which is handled by an event on any map where a choice like this comes up.

The event page that handles the animation itself has 2 pages, one to handle the animation as it goes and the other to handle when it stops (note that you could use one page and simply use a conditional branch. I didn't.)

Set to parallel so it runs in the bg behind normal events. As you can see, every 17 frames, I command one image to fade out over a single frame and another to fade in. It loops perfectly, cycling from middle frame, to left, to middle, to right, back to middle. Finally, when you select any route diverging choice, it sets off a second switch, which activates the second event page and commands the game to dispose of the graphics and then turn itself off.

Basically, it's the same animation but with a twist. The text is faded out over 60 frames and then the same animation is played as before, except the values it fades back into go from 255, to 170 to 85. Each of those commands is also followed by a 17 second fade to the opacity of the next frame. So, frame one renders in one frame at 255. Then seventeen frame fadeout to 170... Next frame renders for 1 frame AT 170, then fades out gradually to 85. Then next frame renders at 85 during 1 frame, fades to 0. This is how i synced the turning animation to fade out convincingly.

At the very end, I turn both of the switches this event page uses off so both event pages don't continue on loop. I also have a check for the first event variable to check if the game should still think the animation is running, as a failsafe. I don't remember if this mattered.

3)It's a function in the YEP Extended Message Pack. You'll see the commands for hiding (temporarily removing) + disabling choices (greying them out) as you scroll through the help list, almost 2/3 down. The thing you have to remember though is that messages that are commanded to be hidden/disabled will STAY disabled unless you turn them back on. So, ANY time there's a possibility to make a choice with a disabled or hidden message, add this plugin command to EVERY selectable choice

ClearChoiceSettings

This will ensure the game doesn't break from having a choice permadisabled. If you use loops or labels to make the game return to a previous choice, make sure the looping point is BEFORE any logic that may disable/hide a choice so it doesn't autoenable everything if the game has to go back.

4)Make a new RPG Maker project, copy the js folder from www/data/js and open the new project alongside your other one. Then check my YEP Option core plugin and follow this path in the plugin editor

This code should work.

On a similar note, I'd also take a look at how my plugins are ordered, if your list is different. I had to meddle with the list to make sure some plugins functioned correctly. This engine is held together with duct-tape and spite, so do what this advice what you will.

Hope this helps!

[zombeebunnie]

Trembling Essence Devlog 3:💙Final touch ups to the Afternoon route!💙

Hi and welcome new followers, it doesn't feel like it's been a while month! Here's an update to progress of the game! :]

There will be spoilers if you haven't played through the [Extended Demo], specifically the afternoon route. Click here if you would like to play! :]

*To avoid confusion from my last game development post, please note that game updates about the game will be every two weeks to possibly 1 month(???) this year since I didn't clarify that correctly in devlog 2.

This post will be a little all over the place since there was week and a half where I wasn't able to work on the game mixed in with drawing practice. :,]

The cooking scene:

Outside of testing everything, this section won't be tampered with any further! Woohoo!

While I went to clean up this section with new and updated content I unfortunately had really bad writers block and it took a while before I was finally able to adjust. What caused most of this was redoing a lot of the old code and new callbacks. In the [Extended Demo] I didn't specify them correctly and tweaking it with new situations was hard to do. Once completed I went back and did a couple of test runs and there were still issues with Noah's responses. In the end I decided to just keep what I managed to fix and remove the rest. There was left over new content I forgot to take out in certain choices and pushed it further into Day 4+ to keep the pacing balanced. *Callbacks in canon with how Noah reacts to what's added into the soup are still here! :[]

The sewing scene:

Around this section is when the writers block was really getting to me. I really loved what was originally here along with the new content but not being able to go back and continue from where I left off for almost a week and a half was hard to get used to.

At some point while I was working on all of this I lost the new script I created for this scene and I thought I saved over it by accident and would have to start all of it from scratch if I couldn't find it. In very good news, I found it! I accidently saved it in a different folder. :,P For now I decided to combine the new content with the version from the [Extended Demo] which includes quality of life changes to the dialog/scenes/choices etc. This will take some time to go through and I want to be extra careful not to misplace anything this time. :P

Animated scene:

I finally got the chance to add in a animation scene! Yay! :D

I talked about this some time last year about wanting to animate this part of the game to give that immersive view of how bad the storm is outside. Originally I had planned to animate the morning, afternoon, and evening scenes too but after going over it with my play tester we both agreed that it should only be animated during parts of the game when it's genuinely needed.

Weird glitch/bug encounter solved?:

I have no idea how this happened but at some point through testing out the game, 3 CG's turned completely black, specifically CG's where the player(Y/N) would turn out the lights. I didn't catch it at first until I noticed the screen was too dark and you literally couldn't see anything. I went through the images folder and all of them were pitch black. I thought I would have to go back and remake the images but it somehow fixed itself?

More stuff was added behind the scenes BUT I'm not ready to share it just yet and I don't want this update post to be too long. I'm going to take some time out and complete everything else I didn't get the chance to work on and hopefully by the next game development post I'll be working on the morning route! :,D

If you like what I create, please consider supporting what I do on kofi [Here]! All donations and tips help tremendously while I continue to work on the game. Thank you to those that optionally bought the [Extended Demo] on itch.io. :,]

Q&A / Ask box is open:

To know and understand Noah through Asks and random posts about lore, they'll be under #Get to know: Noah ! :]

I had a lot of fun answering recent asks I've been sent!

**Some asks won't be answered if it contains spoilers but I do appreciate what I receive. :]

If you have any questions about Trembling Essence/Noah feel free to ask here or on itch.io please. This makes it easier for me to see and answer accordingly! I enjoy hearing from you guys!

That's all I have to share right now. Thank you everyone for the support and patience! :,]

[sylvaridreams]

Could be drawn and quartered for saying this but I'll risk it. Genuinely I love Livia. She's so unbelievably funny to me. My first encounter with her was actually last spring bc I didn't get to play that part of lws3 until 2023 (wow) and I thought she was soooo fucking funny. She's trapped in a bloodstone puzzle and needs your help to escape but I STRUGGLED with this puzzle and could not for the life of me figure it out and if you take too long she starts MOCKING YOU for it. It's so funny. Trapped by magic and she's like (snidely) "oh do you need a hint? For this simple puzzle for children? Do you need a little help? Is that what the great Pact Commander needs is a little help with a puzzle for babies? Maybe let's get some disadvantaged uneducated orphans in here and they can show you." And then you work with her through the end of lws3 and she continues to be hilarious. And I'm certain that a lot of people dislike her for that reason. She doesn't bathe in your excellence. She spends some fair amount of time treating you like a fool and a nuisance that she grows mildly warm towards.

Like when this bit dropped in SotO and people rushed to be like NOT MY COMMANDER! DOESNT APPLY TO MY COMMANDER! No? Alright, tell me your thoughts about why you hate Livia. ^_^ ohhh cuz she's rude and disrespectful to you? Oh noooooo... oh noooo is that why...!

Like it's not actually an issue to me. I don't care if people have differing opinions on a character, I don't care if the reason for disliking her IS "she's disrespectful and rude and I think I/my Commander deserve respect" like alright go off! I just find it funny. And a bit sad that she then gets trashed as like WORST CHARACTER IN THE GAME! WE ALL HATE HER ASS! Well I talked to Livia just yesterday. And she didn't even mention you. You didn't come up at all. And I texted her just now to ask about you and she was like "who?" So I think this might be a one way thing you have here. Sad!

And I'm sure for some percentage people it's also her combined race + gender! Black woman who talks down to you a bit and comments on your ineptitude. I'm sure that sits poorly with some players out there. Especially those seeking escape as the flawless genius loved-by-all hero of the story. It's not dissimilar to the years-long grudge some players hold against Braham for (checks notes) cold-shouldering you and pushing you away while grieving his dead mother as a teenager, and daring to make a stupid choice or two in the decade to follow. And for not basking in your excellence during. Whilst black. Idk. I'm no expert. I'm just the guy who enjoys things. The enjoyerrrrrrrrrr.

[valle-de-sombra-de-muerte]

Homestuck Reread: Act 4, Part 2/4 (p. 1523-1668)

Read the previous post here. Read the next post here.

Time to finish the first half of Act 4. I can't believe how long this is compared to the previous ones, and the upcoming Acts will only get more expansive from here on.

Rose has to be doing this on purpose. Using big words she knows John won't understand. She's stroking her own ego by acting intellectually superior to someone who might genuinely be mentally impaired.

Rose is still seething about Dave. John clearly has no idea what's going on between them and thinks she's perturbed by Dave being able to watch her constantly. But yeah nah, she's still bitter about how she barely survived entering the game (and jealous that Dave is schmoozing with Jade).

In Terezi's first appearance, she has nothing but animosity toward the humans. She even goes as far to say that she'll be pissed at them even when the rest of the trolls warm up to them. Uh huh. Strange how that part of her personality gets quickly swept off to the side.

Terezi used to be such a nasty, annoying edgelord and I kind of miss that about her. Her character progression is honestly all over the place, which I'll get into deeper as we move along.

Rose drinking the martini is framed as her making an "important decision [...] without supervision." There's something to be said about how one of the first things she decides to do as an independent person is try to emulate her mother. As the only adult presence in her life, Mom is her only frame of reference for how adults behave.

PM's brief encounter with Jack is fun. Jack is no-nonsense and knows his job inside and out. He's also determined to pursue every opportunity to avoid actually doing said job.

So much suspense is being built around this package. It's so important that PM is willing to betray her own kingdom for it. Of course, this all amounts to probably one of the worst reveals in the whole comic. There's no satisfaction upon learning what's in the box and as soon as the reveal happens, it's swiftly forgotten about. Yet there's so much narrative weight being assigned to it that I cannot even begin to fathom what Hussie's thought process was when writing this.

Dave and Jade spend several pages combining the alchemiter with the other Sburb devices. This is to condense everything into one space so the characters don't have to scurry from the different devices to craft items. But we haven't been seeing much scurrying lately since Hussie has been skipping over the crafting process anyway, probably because it's lengthy and repetitive. It may be convenient "in-universe" but I don't see what use this has from a storytelling perspective.

There's a reason "John do what I say" is a bit of a meme. Because he will follow commands no matter who's issuing them. Even if it's someone as unpleasant as Terezi.

Terezi is transparent in her motives. She is uninterested with what the rest of the trolls are doing and just wants to spread chaos in the kids' session, basically fucking around and finding out. John still decides to follow her directions because ????????

I might as well screencap the entire conversation between Dave and Rose here because it's great stuff. Rose puts on a sanctimonious act about killing the ogre she had just mercilessly thrashed, all to annoy Dave. This is the kind of back and forth I love to read.

Also note the metaphors Dave uses at the beginning. "whipping that ogre like a rented mule"? "sailing that ogre down the mississippi with a runaway slave"? Again, not to bring race discourse here, but I don't think he'd say that kind of stuff to Rose if she was black. If anything, he'd probably be more tasteless about the metaphors he's using. You know how teenagers can be.

Did he just call himself Rose's pimp? 😳

Hmm I wonder what might motivate Dave to give Kanaya bogus advice about winning over Rose. Between this and his earlier log where he turns the tables on Tavros, I do think it's interesting how Dave is shown to consistently out-troll the trolls. The key must be to not give a shit.

Dave calls Kanaya "bro" twice in this log and seems to mistake her as a man here. John will repeat this mistake later on. Kinda odd that the troll the fandom depicts as sultry and feminine is actually super stoic and awkward to the point where multiple characters think she is male.

I love how Rose is making passive-aggressive remarks about Dave to a total stranger. And calling him "that guy" as if he isn't living rent-free in her head.

Rose is getting a lot of joy out of using Tavros as a proxy to annoy Dave. She even offers to help him out in writing disses (because of course she'll jump at any opportunity to write).

I really love the ending of this log too.

Kanaya is a total dork in case it isn't clear already.

Tavros puts so much effort in his diss rhyme against Dave, but Dave's completely ignoring him to draw more SBaHJ. Tavros never attempts to troll Dave after this which, again, is a fucking disgrace.

Where is the version of Homestuck where Tavros is Dave's bumbling pupil in the slam poetry arts, constantly brushed off until Dave eventually (and reluctantly) decides to take him under his wing, if only to stop him from embarrassing himself? It would be a good role-reversal where Dave inherits Bro's position of the master instead of the student, and maybe get some perspective for why Bro was so dismissive and distant from him all the time.

I guess this kind of obvious character growth is too much of an advanced writing technique for Hussie to implement, so he didn't.

I like how Karkat starts off being a jerk but stops in his tracks because he too is a fan of cheesy movies. Also, I liked Serendipity. It's not great, but it might as well be a masterpiece compared to a lot of the garbage John likes.

Terezi's reaction makes it seem like she really wants to see Karkat's "bone lump." I can't imagine Karkat being outwardly flirty at all, so the idea that he may have expressed any kind of fondness for her must be something she has to read herself.

As a sprite, Jaspers' personality is like a cat voicing thoughts relating to his natural instincts. He focuses mostly on food and expressing affection toward Rose. Anything else he says, like information about the game, is stuff he says without any comprehension of what it means. It's like the game placed that knowledge in his mind and he just thoughtlessly repeats it. I do like that.

The closure Rose expected from Jaspers is about what one would expect (or at least, until her dream self awakens). I wonder what she really expected from asking a cat what it meant by meowing at her.

It only took over 1300 pages, but John has finally responded to one of Dave's messages. He does this in a very detached, oblivious manner, not mentioning the previous messages Dave sent him that he missed. He wants to skip all that time when Dave was in distress and ask only about the recent happenings upon his entry.

I feel bad for Dave, considering his "best friend" is pretty much a plank of wood. And not the fun kind of plank like in Ed, Edd n Eddy.

In what might be the most poignant page of the comic in my honest opinion, Dave and Rose have been trapped in this doomed timeline for four months. Dave is keen to stop wasting any further time and to go back to the past to reverse the actions that led to John's death, but Rose seems very reluctant to let him go. Her words are chosen to imply Dave might be too hasty and to suggest that he should stick around a little while longer "to gather information."

But that isn't the real aim of why Rose wants Dave to stay. She knows that as soon as he leaves, she will die. Trapped in a universe where she's the sole surviving human, it's a cold and lonely death she'll experience. Dave seems to know this too, but tries to assuage her worries by telling her not to think about her impending doom. Perhaps he also doesn't want to think about it, and that's why he wants to leave quickly so as not to dwell on how he's essentially condemning her to death.

But really, four months alone together as the last two humans in existence? That's a lot of off-screen time we aren't shown. And yet it's treated as this brief afterthought, a scene only used as a means to bring Davesprite into existence. I wish we could've seen more of this doomed timeline, more of Dave and Rose realizing their hopeless situation and the harrowing choice they ultimately need to make to set things right.

Yes, it's only a brief page that never gets brought up again, but it's one that sticks in my mind and refuses to leave.

John is being unreasonably (and uncharacteristically) obstinate here. Normally he has no problem following orders unless they place him in direct harm. Why does he trust Terezi so much over his supposed best friend? He ends the log suggesting that he'll listen to Dave, but the next page shows him blasting off anyway. What a prick.

People want to portray Terezi as some master strategist, but she really isn't. She's very single-minded and only ever considers outside information if it aligns with her set goal.

Remember when Terezi said she intended to stay pissed at all the kids forever? That didn't last long. And now through the power of memes, Davesprite has turned Terezi into a good guy now.

Considering how weak most of Homestuck's villains are, it's a real shame we lost out on one who was genuinely effective, engaging, and menacing so soon.

Oh, so I guess the Frog Temple really was "planted" when the meteor first hit Earth ages ago. I'm not sure how satisfied I am with this explanation.

[S] Jack: Ascend not only serves as a big flash to mark the midpoint for Act 4, but it also celebrates the fact that Homestuck turned one year old at this point.

Anyway, Jack's "Joker moment" is when the Queen force-femmed him. Just thought everyone should know that.

So if John's big "awakening" moment was about learning that his dad isn't really a clown, Rose's moment was triggered by being left all alone in a dead timeline and just waiting for the universe to extinguish her life. These are very comparable events! The fact that Rose's future dream self is shown to merge with her present self means that she likely remembers the events of the doomed timeline as well. What a nice load of trauma to be shouldered with!

Here we get the only time the box's contents have any real use: when it turns the Black Queen into soot and blood. Good to know that this MacGuffin only ever serves the villain in a meaningful capacity.

This part of the comic had some good moments, but I'm conflicted. When I revisit these "high points" in the story, I'm reminded of how Hussie never expands upon them and how they just end up as wasted potential. I fear this will set the mood for the remainder of this reread, which kinda sucks honestly. I'd much rather talk about more positive stuff and things I like, but they're few and far between with all the negativity surrounding them.

[yanderes-galore]

The Legion (Frank) vs Ghostface from DBD rivalry-romantic concept?? I just like the idea of two shits being rivals over a Darling that wants nothing to do with them cause they're a survivor lmao

R.I.P, sure! I'll write something for them!

Yandere! Frank Morrison Concept

Yandere! (DBD) Ghostface Concept

Yandere! Frank Morrison vs Yandere! Ghostface

Pairing: Romantic - Rivalry

Possible Trigger Warnings: Gender-Neutral Darling, Obsession, Jealousy, Possessive behavior, Sadism, Blood, Marking, Manipulation, Violence, Forced relationship.

Frank would be Possessive, Sadistic, Cruel, Manipulative, Forceful, and Obsessive.

Danny would be Obsessive, Possessive, Sadistic, Forceful, and Narcissistic towards you.

Danny's original concept didn't have the Forceful trait but I added it after rereading his concept.

In this case, both yandere killers share the Possessive, Sadistic, Forceful, and Obsessive traits.

They are very similar to each other although Danny is the one who's more self-absorbed.

Frank likes to manipulate his darling into situations with words and actions while Danny is primarily just one for forcing you into a corner with minimal words.

The fact they're so similar to each other with their darling may actually cause more issues than benefits.

This is because their mix of traits is not meant for sharing.

Which means this'll cause a destructive rivalry.

One you, as a survivor, want no part of.

You'd think they'd fight amongst each other.

They do, you just never see it.

Killers are never in the same trial together.

Which means you'll only see them take their jealousy out on you at the end of the day.

You don't have to dread one trial now, you can now dread two.

Although they primarily end the same.

It doesn't matter too much who you get stuck with, their actions still cause you torment.

They'll pin you to a wall in a trial and take their time making marks in your skin in one way or another.

They use your pain and blood to satiate their possessive desires.

They want nothing more than to show their rival that you belong to them, not that other killer.

It's upsetting you mostly see the aftermath of their fights.

But let's be honest, you were not expecting compassion from a killer in this realm...

So did your situation really change?

You can only catch a vague idea of what's going on.

Usually you hear it in the words they grunt out or whisper while they play their little "game" with you.

While they play with your blood they mention who they'll prove something.

They may even blame you for "seducing" someone... which you don't understand.

Through many trials you'll learn based on how they talk and act they're fighting with another killer.

Supposedly over you, for reason or another.

Behind the scenes the Entity is thrilled at this new development.

It has never seen such a spectacle.

The Entity takes pleasure in watching the two killers tear each other apart when they encounter each other.

They two fight each other like rabid animals.

The air is filled with pained hissing and screams along with taunting...

Their blades and bodies are drenched in blood by the time the Entity pulls the two way.

They hate each other.

Which gives the Entity an idea.

Double the trial, two predators and eight prey.

The Entity lives for the suffering.

As a result, Frank and Danny are put in the same trial.

Among the eight survivors, there's you.

It's set up like a final showdown... but everyone knows this isn't the last time this will happen.

This is the only way you can actually see their fighting.

Plus... think of the tension when they both find you?

You'll be pulled from a generator, meeting one of the killers you despise.

Only for the other to step in front of them, their expressions unreadable due their masks...

But you can feel their tension radiating off of them.

With a rivalry like this you could probably cut the air tension with a blade.

The thing that's also an issue with a rivalry like this is it doesn't matter who wins in the end.

The rivalry may not end because neither of them can die plus the Entity will just encourage the rivalry.

Even if it did end somehow, they're both just as bad as each other.

You aren't winning in this rivalry.

No one is winning in this rivalry.

You just hope the two keep each other occupied for most of it...

You would rather not feel their possessive wrath anymore than you have to.

[crystalelemental]

I've been hitting a mild rut with Pokemon, while simultaneously retreating into familiar comfort games that won't really challenge me much, but I'm also feeling kinda stagnant.  My initial thought was "I should pick up another Etrian Odyssey game!"  And then I didn't.  But while looking for options, I realized...while I'm doing better with the Switch, I really do not branch out at all.

For clarification: the entirety of both my DS and 3DS library of physical games?  Pokemon, Etrian Odyssey, and Fire Emblem.  That is literally all I own, barring like two games.  Even the GBA carts are all just Pokemon Gen 3 and Fire Emblem 7.  I barely owned Wii or WiiU games, with most of them just being Zelda.  I think I have maybe five WiiU games total.

The Switch catalogue has a lot more variety going for it, more than I've probably ever had in my life.  But I still find it hard, sometimes, to branch out.  Part of that is finance, I don't necessarily want to spend on new games.  There was one that the art caught my attention in the news, and when I went to check it out it was fucking $80.  I am not paying that for a game.  It also went on to talk about your male protagonist despite all the box art being female characters, so honestly just fuck that.

With Echoes of Wisdom, I do think I've kind of identified part of the problem as "not wanting to feel stuck."  One streamer I watch talked about how the mobile market and console games competing directly with them has led to a higher rate of instant gratification and people can't sit with discomfort and frustration anymore, and...there may be some truth to that.  Granted, I was never particularly good with it, but I can feel when I'm playing an unfamiliar game and encounter something I don't immediately understand, my instinct is to jump straight for the guide.  I did that around four times with EoW, but there was one situation where I didn't and figured out the puzzle and felt super clever.  It's more rewarding, but it's time consuming, and I am covetous of my time, even if I don't do the most with it.

And what this results in is an aversion to trying out something new.  That's potentially going to eat a lot of time and what if I don't like it?  I wasted my time then, didn't I?  Because that's never happened before.  I certainly didn't have a phase playing and reading stuff I knew I would hate just to get mad at it.  So what's the issue taking a chance on something that might be good?  It is the lack of assurance?  If I know I'll hate it, at least I went in knowing what to expect, I guess.

In another direction, part of the issue is not really knowing what I enjoy.  Genre in games is already hard to define, but it makes it incredibly challenging to know how to articulate what I like, and what might land well.

Like, okay, I like Pokemon.  Maybe other monster catching games are good?  Nexomon was a knockout success (though not entirely because of monster catching), but I didn't care much for Cassette Beasts, and every Digimon game has been a resounding miss for me.  Nexomon was just a fun story, and Pokemon is nostalgia so it succeeds in spite of its horrid flaws.

But hey, that streamer calls Pokemon an adventure game primarily.  Maybe what you need is more adventure games?  Maybe.  But that's Zelda, and modern Zelda I do not like at all.  The open-world approach isn't fun, and I don't actually like tricky or punishing combat systems I have to be good at in real time. I wouldn't know what else to look for, considering my dislike for active systems in most scenarios. Do not test my reaction speed, it is bad.

Well, what about Fire Emblem, then?  Maybe you really like tactics games?  Maybe.  But if it weren't for Unicorn Overlord, I'd say the entire genre outside of FE sucked.  Triangle Strategy was awful in pretty much every direction, and even Tactics Ogre, which I had on good authority is one of the Big Names for strategy, felt so slow and offputting that I put it down after maybe two hours.  I know the ongoing joke is that FE sucks and even its fans hate it, but I legitimately think they're the only tolerable strategy games to me.

So okay, what about Etrian Odyssey?  Maybe you like dungeon crawlers?  This...might actually be the dead ringer, depending on difficulty.  I haven't played many, but I really enjoy EO (games 3 onward, anyway), and the one attempt at another in Class of Heroes did land favorably for CoH2, at least, despite some chatter about how the games don't get tolerable until 3.  I dunno, I thought it had personality.  I'd play 2 again.  I think it's just a question of how difficult others would actually be, because consistently, I hear feedback of "The game is super hard and will kick your ass," and I am admittedly easily intimidated by the prospect of difficulty I can't adjust.

But there are other aspects.  What about the Atelier games, you loved them even if you fell off after Shallie.  Ryza is rare and expensive so I've had some trouble there, but we tried Rune Factory 5 and it was...fine?  More importantly, the structure of these games gets me so obsessed that I'm in an actively worse mood when I am working.  I can basically only play them during breaks, or I am Miserable.

What about Final Fantasy?  Maybe you need more story-centric RPGs?  ...actually, maybe I do need more story-centric RPGs, post cancelled, anyone have Switch recommendations?  Bonus points if it's a female lead.

I think I just.  Struggle.  Sometimes.  To find things that I feel like would be to my taste.  I want to branch out, but I think I am often intimidated out of trying.  I don't really know what I want.

[aqours]

What do you think is Curse of Strahd's biggest weakness as a module?

oh there's so many potential answers for this. the racism that they tried to fix later by trying to erase the concept of minorities? the fact the layout of the book is a disaster? that's one of them but i've already talked about that. i think Curse of Strahd's biggest issue, by a very huge margin is:

D&D 5E is inherently a really bad system to use for a horror game and especially the horror that CoS wants to be

i think Ravenloft and it's many spinoffs worked better in 2E because things were different back then. you started off as a somewhat above-average person and became stronger over time. 5E, however, is a power fantasy to it's core. even at level 1 you are an extraordinary person much more powerful than any regular commoner could ever be. and CoS doesn't handle this well. you are extremely resource deprived, you can go from levels 1-10 with that same +0 longsword you have from character creation. it's about becoming more skilled with what little you have over time.

which is fine. but CoS's resource deprivement is atypical for 5E module design. it's about depriving players of the typical power fantasy that D&D usually is for the sake of atmosphere and tone... which is fine, but the game doesn't offer much in compromise. let me use Warlocks as an example. one of (imho) the best spells Warlocks can have is Shadow of Moil. it is an amazing spell. once i am getting near that level one of my priorities in playing a Warlock is finding an undead eyeball encased in a gem worth at least 150 gp so i can cast it. it's amazing.

good luck finding that in Barovia! your DM will really have to work with you if they want to run the game RAW which is also not a bad thing no matter what anyone says so you can use that spell. this is an issue with spells in 5E that require expensive spell components... it's not available.

if i can use something else from D&D as an example, i want to tlak about Masque of the Red Death. Masque of the Red Death was an official 2E gothic horror thing made by people who wanted a more "realistic" gothic horror by making the setting basically a grimdark earth. you can ONLY play humans and are told you use specific classes. it was kinda killed in 2E before the internet made looking up these things easier. it received a fan revival on 5e you can purchase in the link (or i can give it to you), but part of it is you are expected to use it's character classes instead of the standard 5E ones. that's because they fit the setting more thematically, and thus are scaled to the dangers and expectations better. 5E Curse of Strahd tries to achieve this by throwing extremely difficult combat encounters combined with resource deprival, but doesn't give a lot to compensate back for this. the sunword and holy symbol are cool, but that does not compensate for not being able to do a lot of 5E usual power fantasy stuff?

i think there are better systems for what CoS wants to do. if you want extremely deadly combat, some PBTA d6 game probably suits you better. someone on r/curseofstrahd mentioned Hunter: The Reckoning might be good, and HONESTLY one day when i'm more familiar with playing WoD games i'd fucking LOVE to try to a full conversion for Hunter at some point. a lot of people really love making CoS western themed, to which I say if you also want to play as vampires consider checking out Bloodbeam Badlands actually! personally, i think you could even pull off CoS's story using Call of Cthulhu or Pulp Cthulhu for extra power: the SAN mechanic might make for something really great in this game too! one of my issues with Masque is that while i like it i just can't help but think Call of Cthulhu/Pulp Cthulhu is still better for what that setting wants

i'll play CoS using D&D bc it is made for that, but i think rather than trying to stay super true to the horror themes all the time, a DM should consider adjusting it's tone or item distribution to meet the group's fun. i love CoS, a LOT, and I love Ravenloft, but i think there's definitely better systems for what it wants to be, and CoS as it is (especially for when it was written somewhat early in 5E's life) has never been quite the story right for a 5E story

[jamiedc-they-them]

All for one and one for all (Platonic)

Requested imagine: Yes. Requested by @kaymerx

Summary: While trying to survive on Canto Bight, you encounter a girl called Kay. A friendship for the ages begins...

A prequel type story about Kay and Reader's friendship, covering before the game, the prologue, and a few contracts as I'm only a few hours in :))

Having Kay Vess as a best friend...oh boy. It's a ride, that's for sure.

You meet her in Canto when you're both young, with you being an orphan. No idea if she has parents, but she doesn't ask you that either. In your mind, that gives you your answer.

You meet while both trying to do a small job.

You hold your hand out, moving objects to steal from their place of origin to you. You could never explain it, you could always do this. You never told anyone, knowing where it could get you.

“Nix, be careful!” a voice says. You hear something fall, instinctively holding your hand out to catch it. You hear a gasp.

“Whoa.”

You go back to your issue, trying to pick a lock.

“Hey, wait,” a girl says. She moves you gently, pulling something from her hair, “let me help.”

You realise that neither stopped the other, yet you could've easily.

Eyes wide, she spots something behind you. You spin around, seeing someone who has spotted you. You hold out your hand in desperation, begging them not to rat you out. Their face goes blank and they...comply.

"How did you do that?" she asks you, in awe and slight fear.

"I don't...I don't know."

You then look at one of the items you took. It looks powerful, if small. You feel something, telling you to use it. Like an instinct.

You flick a switch, and a blade comes out of it.

The creature that was with the girl, one you've never seen before, looks at the light with glee.

You feel the hum and weight of the blade.

"I'm guessing you were sent for this?" You ask the girl, looking at the blade.

"Not anymore," she says. You look at her in confusion, "looks like a nifty bit of kit. That, and you did make that guy leave us alone. I got some credits and some other valuables should be enough to get him off our track."

"'Our'?"

"Yeah, I mean, you helped us out. We owe you one."

The creature nuzzles itself against you again. Looking to the girl, who nods, you pet it.

The girl chuckles, "he likes you."

You stand up, "thank you. For the cut."

She nods, "You're welcome. Maybe next time I need someone for you witchy know-how, I'll find you."

She does.

You go on more and more jobs together. Each one has some kind of pay, but not enough for you to get off the streets of Canto. Still, you never tell her, feeling like a burden.

You use your sabre when things are loud, stabbing into safes and doors as she covers you with her blaster.

You start to grow your abilities, using them to influence people and pull objects towards you and your new heist partner.

Trust starts to develop.

You never tell her about your living conditions, however. Sure, she's in the same boat in terms of work, but you don't wanna seem a liability in terms of your credits only buying yourself parts to help modify your weapon, along with food. Shelter is wherever you can find it.

You find a way to have your blade turn into a nunchuck, moving the crystal up allows for it to split for you to use it in that way.

You show Kay, excited to show her your new weapon.

"Nifty," she admits. Nix squeals at it.

"No. No, Nix. You can't lick that - Nix, no!"

In one particularly nasty job, you use your blade to deflect some shots. You aren't the greatest with it, but it does the job. At least, until you feel a burning sensation when you get out.

"Kriff!" Kay says, seeing a blaster shot near your stomach.

"It's nothing --" you say, trying to pass it off.

"It's not nothing, Y/N," she says. It's her first time using your name. There's worry in her voice.

"Here, I'll give you some bacta when we get back home."

"No. I'm ok, really -"

"I'm not having you die. You're like the only one on this planet that Nix and I actually tolerate."

There's an attempt at bite to her words, but the softness comes through as well.

You've both gotten into more scrapes than you can count. You've got each other out of it though, always.

"This'll sting a little," she warns, before injecting the bacta into you, "just, rest a minute. I'll go get some things from downstairs."

You do rest and find yourself falling asleep. It's the most peaceful rest you've ever had. The world is quiet. You aren't on high alert in case someone tries to move you or rob you.

"Morning," Kay says, eating some food. She's sat on the floor, you realise, "kept you one, there. If you're hungry, that is."

You are, and for once you let yourself be vulnerable. You eat it quick.

"Had a feeling you haven't had anything good to eat in like...ever."

You nod, agreeing.

"You got any place to call home."

"Aside from the planet?" she rolls her eyes at your words, "wherever I can find for the night."

Part of her feels for you. At least she has this. That, and Nix. You just have you.

"Maybe you can help pay rent, here. Been behind a few times," it's a half-truth, you can tell. That instinct again.

"There's something else," you deduce.

"Right..." she says, "you and your little mind thing."

"More instinct and just being good at reading people...and a bit of the mind thing."

She snorts, "Fair enough. There are. People here, I've seen looks they give you. They don't much like me and my friend here," she says, scratching Nix, "but there's a scary look in their eye when they see you."

"Guess it has something to do with the mind thing."

She nods, "maybe. But, I think I'd sleep easier at night if my heist partner was safe, too. That, and Nix thinks highly of you," Nix proves it by coming up to you and nuzzling against you. You pet him, "what do you say? I'm not saying it'll be easy. But, I have some ideas for that blade of yours. Think I have enough parts to make it shoot, too."

You look to Kay, seeing her be genuine, guard completely down.

Your instinct, or mind power or whatever it is, tells you you're safe. There's no instinct to run.

"When's the first rent due?" is all you ask.

And so, like before, it goes like that for a bit longer: you do jobs with your new friends, get into scrapes but always make it out the other side ok.

But, something is different now.

Less and less credits for jobs.

That and your instinct that you have get slightly corrupted

You lash out more and danger, once even choking a guard

Kay was scared both of and for you

“Where you go, I go. You're my friend, I'm not losing friends.”

She almost cried. She's never had proper friends before, and never someone be as open as you in saying it.

“You're my friend, too.”

She teaches you how to shoot. You're a decent shot but not up to her level.

You try to teach her how to use your blade, she almost kills you

Whenever one is hurt, the other only sees red, using bacta

Although there is a time when you have run out. It's a local job, but the underworld - especially on Canto - isn't forgiving

“Hold on, just hold on,” you say to Kay, looking through her bag

“There isn't any bacta left….” Kay mumbles

“I am not letting you die!”

“Y/N…please”

You put your hand on her burn mark. You feel something inside. Something inside you leaving you.

Kay gasps. You pull your hands away, and the wound is no more.

Kay hears the gang members yelling about their gifts. It's partly why she takes the job that gets you both marked.

She doesn't show it, but there is a guilty feeling. Now you're running around, who god knows who else knows about your ability.

“This ain't Canto, Kay, I know. I'm not using it here, at least not so people can see.”

You are careful, but now the jobs are more dangerous, even taking you against the empire in some cases. Double crossings and such leave you doubting your abilities.

It's a fight for survival like you've never seen.

In desperate situations do you use your abilities? The empire seems to catch on.

ND finds you one time on the ship when Kay has turned in for the night.

“I haven't seen abilities like yours in a long time.”

You look to him, “There are more people like me?”

“Were,” he says, blunt as always, “there were. Now, I'm not so sure.”

“Oh.”

“Jaylen doesn't know about this, does he?”

“Nope,” you say, matching his bluntness.

ND doesn't answer, but there seems to be some kind of conflict within him.

The empire seemed more interested in you than they do Kay, something which unnerves you both.

“Stay outside, Y/N. Just in case…”

That feeling of being a burden weighs on you.

It almost destroys you when fighters surround you.

“Give up the Jedi and the rest of you may live, though scum is scum,” an imp voice tells you over the comm.

“Kriff, they're everywhere,” Kay swears. You are indeed surrounded.

"Guys, maybe we should --"

"No," It's Kay who says, "You're not worthless Y/N. I meant what I said, you're my friend. You've never left me behind, we're not gonna leave you behind. That's not how this works."

You look to the other two - Nix and ND; Nix chirps, and Nd just looks at you, awaiting orders.

You have a family now.

Kay puts a hand on your shoulder, "just trust that instinct. You've got this. I know you do."

You look at the rest of your crew and realise that they all feel the same. Hell, ND hasn't even made a sarcastic comment.

You shut your eyes, letting your instinct drive you. You feel it. You open your eyes.

"We able to divert power in this thing?"

"Affirmative," ND says.

"Maybe if we put enough into Hyperdrive, we can jump faster, right?"

"Theoretically."

"Well, that'll have to do," you say, flicking some switches.

"Can we add the comms to that, too?" Kay asks, "Kind of don't wanna listen to that imp rattle on."

You chuckle, doing just that.

You look at Kay, "you ready?"

"All the way."

And so the legend continued to grow. A force user and a scoundrel, working together. Having a genuine bond, and loyalty isn't something the underworld sees a lot of.

But it's why you survive. It's why you win.

[game-boy-pocket]

Today I beat Super Mario Sunshine.

So, first of all, I played the 3D All-Stars version. It's not my ideal version. Yeah the analogue triggers are gone, but I don't actually care about that. I think the original Sunshine has kind of a blurry look to it that looks amazing on CRT TVs. It's meant to smooth things out, and it kind of wavers a bit so it makes it look like a hot day out. But the effect doesn't look quite as good in HD... but, I think I just prefer playing anything newer than N64 on my most modern hardware, unless there's some super glaring issue with it, so I took a pass on the Gamecube version for now.

This is the first time I have ever completed the game. I had to use a guide for all the blue coins, and there was no way I was ever going to find all the blue coins without one, because some of them are obscure as shit and only appear in specific chapters and may require Yoshi.

I actually also discovered a sub area in the game I never knew existed. It's kind of unreal, it was a grassy field area where you had to look for red coins, and it almost felt fan made to me. There was a red bird that I hadn't seen before that turned into a red coin when sprayed. Weird stuff.

I greatly enjoy Sushine, but it has all kinds of issues. Progression being tied to Shadow Mario encounters rather than the number of shines collected kind of renders all the bonus shines meaningless. That, on top of some frustrating design choices makes for a game that's hard to say I love as much as other 3D Mario games.

When it first launched, I didn't like it much at all. It was the first Mario game where graphics were good enough that it didn't require some degree of imagination on the player's part, everything looked like the artwork. But we weren't in the Mushroom Kingdom, and most of the enemies were unfamiliar... at the time, it wasn't what I wanted, but now that we've had a few decades of Mario games in the mushroom Kingdom with the same enemies in every game, I appreciate Sunshine more in retrospect.

It's also a game that kind of screams "Summer Time", intentionally so. I'm not the kind of guy that can just go take vacations whenever I want, so I appreciate this game for kind of giving me a taste of that. Summer is pretty much here in California, we don't really get "Spring" anymore. So it was good timing on this game.

So that leaves me with two more 3D games. I'm not playing Odyssey until I get my Switch 2, I want that free update. So that only means Galaxy is next. And instead of starting a fresh save, I'll be continuing one I left off, because if you remember right, you have to play the whole game twice to get the true ending, and when I got my copy of 3D All-Stars, I only played it once. But for now, i'm taking a break from 3D Mario.

[color-cacophony]

I was going to make a Big Official Review Post about Rayman in the Phantom Show but I don't really have enough complete thoughts to make something comprehensive and organized, but I still want to share some points from my experience with it so uhhh without further ado, here's a bunch of thoughts on what dazzled me and what I thought could have been done better.

Here I go...

I'll start with the stuff that bugged me first because I don't like to end on a bad note:

I think the biggest issue is that giving the player the option to complete each set in any order diminishes the opportunity to have a linear story. Without a series of events building up to the finale, the actual climax doesn't feel as grand or substantial as it should be (it definitely feels like a few lines were cut from the moments before Phantom's first verse with how abruptly it starts). It would have felt more immersive to see actual scenes of the heroes trying to play their roles and have more varied quests based on puzzles or even characters and dialogue (like the search for Sweetlopek's stolen axe), all whilst gradually putting the pieces together that they were led into a trap.

Speaking of putting the pieces together, it would've paid off to have Beep-0 learn from his own arrogance in the past instead of repeating his assertion that he knew what Phantom was up to all along. That part made me kind of sad because I really like Beep-0 and it seemed like they were setting him up to eventually become less uptight and more open to admitting his mistakes, which would be more satisfying and obvious!

As we all know, Beep-0 isn't the only one who repeated himself. I remember an exchange I had with @randomrabbidramblings about our predictions for what would happen in the climax; they were hoping the final showdown with Phantom would not be redundant with his first encounter, having the same battle gimmick as before. Unfortunately that is, in fact, what they ended up doing. While framing it as Phantom being unoriginal or making a callback helps it a little bit, ultimately it made me feel let down (although I love Beep-0's delivery when he reiterates his line from Kingdom Battle. he means business).

As for the aftermath of the battle, I want to know where Phantom went. There doesn't seem to be any sign of him anywhere in the studio. It's really odd, given how this was supposed to be his grand comeback (alongside Rayman, of course), but we don't get even a simple explanation of what happened to him after he was defeated for the second time, unless I missed something. I presume this is his last major appearance in a game (unless they decide to do something completely different with him in the distant future??? wishful thinking but not ruling it out!), so it's a strangely underwhelming and mysterious send-off to our beloved ghostly diva. I would have been bummed that we didn't get lore paintings for him, but the memory entry summarizing his surprisingly short-lived career actually made me laugh and honestly, the thought of him only releasing one album and becoming so well-known just because he's notoriously a huge jerk and a producer of incredibly terrible films is so in-character for him.

Another choice I found unusual was the lack of any explanation as to how he got his voice back, since it's been established that he screwed it up by overdoing it. Although, they must have dismissed it knowing that not everyone is going to find the mural containing the only source of that detail. His voice could have healed over time anyway, but it just doesn't entirely make sense that they don't acknowledge it at all (I did see @bramble-scramble 's post mentioning a detail @randomrabbidramblings pointed out where a gramophone can be seen in a box in the studio's control room and it is supposedly the one Phantom replaced with a new one when he messed it up, but even if that's true, it's still a bit easy to miss).

I understand that a lot of these issues were due to restraints since it's only a DLC and they could only fit so much in, but that goes to show that this concept is a little too big for a DLC, but not quite big enough for a full game.

Now, for the things I loved...

I must give massive props to the artists and animators for taking reference from multiple Rayman games and essentially making the pinnacle of his goofiness. Rayman was HIGHLY entertaining to see (and listen to, thanks to David Gasman) and very lovable in this! And the way his dynamic with Rabbid Peach and Rabbid Mario changes up until the end where he becomes friends with them and realizes that he can work with the Rabbids now instead of against them it's just 🥺 awgh... It feels cheesy to talk about it but it really does make me happy now that Rayman has a chance to be an equal to the Rabbids and have something resembling a mutual understanding.

I appreciate them bringing back characters from the main game and giving them their own sets. Fittingly enough, it's like a curtain call for the final installment of SoH.

The return of Beep-0's swearing. SERIOUSLY IT'S SUCH A SMALL THING BUT IT DELIGHTED ME

The studio's lobby is gorgeous. Absolutely STUNNING I love all the details and the music notation motifs on everything.

Honestly the rest of this is just going to be me gushing about Phantom hehehe...

First of all, I was completely awestruck at the decision to give him a swing/jazz sequence because I love the aesthetic of the whole sassy big band musical number kind of thing so when I saw that Phantom was going to do that I went INSANE. The animation in the song sequences is absolutely top tier. Phantom is ALL OVER THE PLACE, very charming, very energetic. The swing bit made me realize just how unbelievably coordinated he is. Like when he's zipping and spinning around the stage and it doesn't affect his singing at all? Holy crap. Then, I went even MORE insane when rock/metal Phantom showed up. I would have wanted a verse in that style too, but I get that it was cut because it would mess up the pacing of the battle.

I love Phantom's inability to contain his excitement at the start of the battle, his annoyed lines when you destroy the lights, his smug remarks even when he's taking damage. He's just so- I'm just gonna say it- so freaking cute in this! His line deliveries in general made me fall so hard for him, especially "were you EVER a thing, Rayman?". The way he drops his voice sounds so cool...

Regarding his abilities, I thought they were going to explain why he could turn people to stone in Kingdom Battle, but they simply took that detail away. I don't have a big problem with this, as the Stone Deaf ability could have been part of the Megabug's influence (and it makes him at least a bit less OP lol). I'm also satisfied to finally know that he can indeed phase through things like any other ghost and isn't limited to just teleporting.

His death acting has definitely improved since last time, in that it's silly and makes me smile instead of just making me feel embarrassed lol.

So uummmm yeah that's all the noteworthy stuff I can think of! Overall I thought the DLC was delightful during my playthrough, but after I finished it I felt kind of sad because it just didn't feel "thorough". However, given that Sparks of Hope generally improved on so many aspects from the last game, I'm confident that they'll keep adding and experimenting with more characterizations and scenarios and make something even better if they decide to continue with Mario + Rabbids. And even if they don't, we'll always have the amazing fans to continue the story and put even more wonder into this wild crossed-over universe!

Anyway, thank you for reading through this highly disorganized rant/gush! And while I'm at it, thank you to everybody in the Mario + Rabbids community for making such amazing art and just being here to share our love for the series. That means thank you to @randomrabbidramblings @bramble-scramble @salamifuposey @hostess-of-horror @phandrow @pastelprince18 @critterzone13 @hostdoozy @majorpepperidge and more! You guys are super cool and I appreciate you even though I've never directly interacted with all of you, hehe. I suppose all I have left to say is goodnight, so goodnight/day everyone! Until next time I decide to dump more nonsense onto your dashboard :D

[deityofforsakenfates]

Position talk ;p

Okay so I truly feel like only a handful are viable. No karma sutra craziness here lol no pretzeling.

I'm just gonna shoot from the hip and you can add and discus as you'd like <3

Doggy is always a good go to for alot of reasons. I'm a lover of the body and it gives me a wonderful view of ass, back muscles, movements I soak up the little details! Plus being able to put my body weight down and really rutt into someone is other worldly. Not to mention the things they/I can do from the bottom (disclaimer I have yet to have the pleasure of bottoming or really ventured into that space unfortunately). I'm a sucker for matching the rhythm of the thrusts, pushing back onto them ugh!!! Reaching back and feeling them up, making out from behind all of it!

I'm also a big sucker for being ridden like just letting me lay back and be used and enjoyed while I get to absolutely admire and worship your body! Like I said details details details I'm looking at all of them, also hip grabbing no matter the position is the best thing to ever be ever. Reverse isn't something I've had any real experience with outside seeing other people do it but fuck if it wouldn't absolutely melt my brain. I'm a horny mess as it is so you give me anything and I'm absolutely addicted.

Oh oh oh big fan of bigspoon, littlespoon cuddleducking oh gods do I love that!!!! Cuddling on the couch and watching TV and suddenly pulling your bottoms down and slowly fucking them while hands roam bodies gods take me now lol. I truly am a slut and will match your horny energy as best I can!

Anywhere for the most part is game for me I'm not super shy when we get me to that comfort level. Whatever position we need to pull off to make whatever space we are in to work I'm 100000% down. Hell I know alpg of people consider 69ing to be impractical but holy hells do I absolutely love someone putting their weight down on me and letting me enjoy a full meal! Head is something for me that is so interesting to me, I haven't really had it done much at all to me. The partners I have/had just didn't have the want to reciprocate or even the desire to give me that solo pleasure. So I have this sorta obsession with it lol.

Mim a service switch so I'll do what you want me to lol.

Throwing legs over shoulders is always super fun! Like full mating press! (Breeding kink goes burr) I really tiptoe into the few sexual encounters I've had because I can become so ravenous with partners. I love sex so much and if you have that same energy I can't keep my hands off you. I just lose myself in it.

Oh another one that just came to mind but any form of standing/carrying positions!! While difficult at times oh gods does it do something to me. Like I always imagine someone standing behind me or vise versa perking me off and whispering just the dirtiest things.

Speaking of dont let anyone tell you hand stuff isn't worth doing! I use to be on that boat but I was fooling myself. Touch me, kiss me, lick me, suck me, bite me I do not care just as long as you make me yours!! Like if you actively show me that you want me physically I'm over the moon!

Not a position per se but texting, pics, phone sex definitely counts in my book. Super into it! Long distance relationships are something I have no issue with whatsoever, I will make time for you as much as I can :p. Finding ways to keep that flair alive is so so fun! You just get so innovative with ways to please your partner!! Ugh I'll for sure have to do a part 2 to this or if people respond I'll just continue talling there im on Like 2hrs sleep in 48hrs (sleepy sex is my favorite as well lol)

[foxys-fantasy-tales]

hi hi! what can you share with someone who's new to your blog?

This is a VERY wide net, but I'll do my best to be thorough yet succinct as possible. -Deep Breath- I am in my 30's and self published my debut book just over two years ago. Arigale: Spite in the Spirit, and the rest of the upcoming series I'm working on, is very dear to me as these characters have followed me since college for the most part. I also have another four projects brewing with some closer to completion than others. The second of the Arigale series and the first Made to Taste book should be out this year after having to have been delayed throughout last year due to my chronic health issues. As for what I post, it's mostly about my WIPs listed above and re-blogs for other writers in the community, though I do also post about some of my interests like anime, DnD, cosplay, and gaming less frequently. I just like my page feeling personable and relaxed if I can help it. Links section! I have my own website and (usually forgotten) newsletter you can get to at ArigaleFantasy.com. Here you can find a lot of info about the Arigale series in particular, though when other WIPs get closer to release I will be putting a section for each of those up as well. You can get character art and bios, book summaries and links to purchase, and some free short stories. I also had the first five chapters of Arigale right here on Tumblr, but since the recent link debacle with this site they aren't showing. Sad. If you want any sent later just let me know and that goes to anybody who sees this really.

There is also a trailer!

Made to Taste will be getting a trailer at some point too, though it probably won't have so much nice art since my artist is having trouble with her health and a deep backlog of art. I'll likely find a way to manage something still on Canva I hope. WIP Summaries Section! Arigale: Spite in the Spirit Judith and Chit are called to the lonely tower outside their city with little explanation. The one who summoned them is an old, elven wizard named Maleth, who will send them on a quest to lower their floating city of Arigale to where it once resided. Maleth is intrigued by Judith’s strange form of necromantic magic, yet he is also certain of the anxious young man in training to be a spearman and scholar.

Judith, a bubbly yet mysterious young woman, is eager to accept. Chit remains withdrawn and cautious, a remnant of being raised by the Order that presides over their land. Soon, both discover their meeting with the wizard carried dire consequences. Can they accomplish what has been asked of them and save Arigale by exploring the land below, no matter the lengths they must go to? Arigale: Bond in the Blood (2024) Judith and Chit's journey across the seas to Galavarn was not as smooth as they had hoped for. The standard of living here is much different than what they encountered on the mainland, and the newfound bond between them will be tested. Enigmas run rampant here, along with a woman from Maleth’s past who claims to hold the key to defeating them for good. Unfortunately, this woman has an unruly and strangely apathetic nature to her, along with a profound hatred toward their distant companion on Arigale. 

Meanwhile, back on the mainland, those left behind must bear their own struggles as a stranger appears and insists on taking one of their number with him. This man with red, sunken eyes bears a sharp grudge against Stemoss and worse obligations to a certain deity. 

Secrets of the past will come to light on this desolate isle, and the friends left behind will struggle to not become a cog in a plan devised long before they were even born. Made to Taste (2024) When Lyra Morley accepted a rough and tumble new hire from her bar, she didn't think he would end up her new roommate in a week. Noel Akatash brings his own debts, and the people holding the accounts aren't to be trifled with. Magical home invasions aside, Lyra is more worried about her business serving the city nightlife any food she can handle all made to order.

Cooking with a halfbreed's sense of smell comes with its perks, and one of them is that she can hide her skills in the kitchen so no one is any wiser about her true nature. The night-only diner called Made to Taste is meant to be a haven for those the city would rather keep buried. Lyra, the pacifist and abstinent dhampir, would fight to keep it safe. Good thing Noel knows a thing or two about being scrappy. Dream Escape (2025?) Emma Reed, 26, has a Master of the Arts and no place to put it but in her desk drawer. Once proud of her accomplishment, the lights quickly dimmed when she ended up living back in her old childhood bedroom at her parents place and flat broke. Helping Adrien with graphics for their streaming or Sarah with banners for her pet business is all well and good, but it's not at all how she imagined scrapping by. When her newest piece is rejected from the gallery she had finally convinced to give her a chance, Emma hits a downward spiral.

When she awakens, she finds herself in a strange new world with a strange man hovering around her. He calls himself Jasper, a dream painter, and quickly proves his prowess at sculpting others' dreams. Emma was in his care, but though he's petitioned her to wake up, she can't. Neither knows how she ended up in this place, but surrounded by the dreams of others quite literally brought to life around her, Emma makes the decision to stay.

Jasper won't let her. For one, if she stays there is no telling how badly that could go for her, or for his hopes of a promotion. Emma goes along with his plan to cart her across this new place, more as a sightseeing tour than the arduous task he finds it to be. Along the way, a bit of the light comes back into her eyes, and he can't help but remember how bright they both used to shine. Dulled and muddied palettes that they both became, can they start over? Bloodlines (2025?) Blood was her first memory. Not many can recall birth, but Gwyar is a special case. Though she looks like any old elf and had once been instructed to act as such, in her heart she knows that isn't true. Elves aren't born fully formed. Elves don't have memories spanning hundreds of lifetimes or more. Elves surely don't have her terrible taste in company. Until one does. A half-elf, half- orc bard shows up in town going by a name she would choke trying to pronounce. After he follows her and she threatens him and forces a blood oath of silence about her little vigilante hobby, or perhaps because of it, he sticks to her like glue. A vicious songstress with an even more intimidating old tree in her backyard meets a half-blood who loves sweets and suppresses his own inner rage. Together perhaps they can take on the mysteries in her heritage, whether Gwyar wants to or not.

Otherly (Future Trilogy only in planning stages) Daphne Bennet has been waiting her whole twenty-two years for someone to notice the strange events that follow her must be more than just her imagination. She’s never caught a cold, can follow the wind to find lost friends, and the one time she was in a photograph only her area of the picture bore smudges in the background. Believing she may be haunted afterwards, her parents take her to the witch at the edge of their town, only to discover their daughter is not their own. 

No, Daphne is actually a fae. Shocking revelations of child exchanges aside, now Daphne is enlisted at once to upend her life and attend a prestigious magic school to learn to control her burgeoning powers before they control her. Upon initiation day, Daphne is given a bitter drought with all the new students, which will prevent any of them from wandering off school grounds. Everyone is also given a diary to record their thoughts and experiences as a daily exercise, which will magically respond to provide advice and companionship. However, Daphne’s diary seems to be more on the condescending side. As she reluctantly writes, the diary begins to sound as scared as she feels. Every teacher looks less than enthused to be there. Strict rules for curfew, magic containment, and other safety precautions often hinder learning. When her snooping leads to a thinly veiled threat from staff, Daphne resolves to uncover the school’s mysteries within the pages of her diary. Only to watch the words “I’ll help” appear.

All in all, I have a lot going on and need to be more frequent posting on here and getting the word out. I like ask and tag games, but sometimes it can take me a bit to get to them. I hope all this helps and let me know if I fudged it or if you have any other questions! <3

[hydropotato]

thinking about people who drop warframe

So first of all, Youtube is silly. 500 subs to enable monetisation?? twitch only asked for 50 follows. But whatever, I'll get there in due time. I much prefer YT anyways just cos my vods immediately get saved. I mean I have some issues with video quality but I'm not sure what the bottleneck is (bandwidth?).

HydroPotatoVODs aka HydroPotato Live on YouTube btw, if you wanna support me.

It's certainly interesting reaching the part of gaming where you're all caught up, and just playing day to day. I'm up to date with Warframe, there's new story content coming up in a day or so but I know I'm going to accidentally get it all done on day one. When I play I just log on, do whatever, log off. The thing is, this is a perfect opportunity to explore the game's playerbase sustainability.

Thankfully I don't have to talk about another academic sustainability thingy. This is about their player retention. I think warframe's an off-and-on kind of game for a lot of players. I think people will hop on, do the new content, then hop off. The issue is some people leave for ages and it's kind of odd. So I've been observing and listening to different people's behaviours, not only of the leavers but also the current gamers. So here's what I see:

The passionate current players tend to be engaged in some form of warframe fan media. There's loads of warframe fan artists and they're good at a variety of styles, subject matter, and tones. As with any fandom, we got the memers, the renaissance painters, manga artists, and everyone in between. From what I can understand, their creativity enables them to find ways to have fun. One artist, ibumuc, has figured some pretty awesome ways to use the atomicycle (basically a motorbike) to traverse huge distances across maps. Others play around with their drifter and operator and basically make entire OCs out of them. I love this energy. Engaging in media also includes making videos & streaming. Or watching them! I think having community gives you a reason to enjoy the game. Even if you may think yourself introverted, by playing a multiplayer game and interacting with its playerbase, you are in some form socialising! I think that social aspect really helps.

On the topic of Warframe in a social context, it's amazing how sociable the Warframe developers are. I think it helps a lot that you can feel recognised, even generally speaking, by the people who are providing you with this game. They talk about their poll results, they read stream chats, tweets, etc. They feature fan content in Prime Time like fan art, Captura (Warframe's photo mode), and Clan dojo decorations. I think being involved in a community that has its own creators involved is awesome. I don't need any of them to ever contact me directly; I already feel seen when they transparently address community concerns and note their backlog of issues to cover.

Now to the leavers. There's a few levels to this, but is kind of funny when I first mentioned joining and a few of my friends went "oh huh, I used to play that." Some even resumed playing! And currently, almost 300 days since I first began, some of them have put it down again.

I think this partially comes from a lack of personal involvement. Some people aren't interested in being part of the fandom, or just don't have the time for it. These two friends of mine are still happy to chat about it and talk smack about the silliness I encounter, so they definitely don't hate the game. They just weren't really part of the fandom in the first place, and they didn't feel like playing more.

The other kind of leavers are those who complain about the grind. To me, the game doesn't feel too grindy. But I'm a patient lady. Impatience causes people to play the game because they want the reward. The process isn't that interesting to them. When I look at the Wukong Prime Magistar Torid Laetum players who are rushing through sorties, and the Wisp Shedu players sitting in one corner begging everybody to stay at that one spot to fire down a hallway, I see impatience. A desperation to get the job done with minimal involvement in gameplay, either by getting everything done fast or getting it done with minimal gameplay input. How do I say this... this sucks. It's a video game. Have fun or don't. In some way, I am kind of glad for these leavers, because if you're not enjoying the process, if you aren't finding fun in every mission and exploring the variety of build options you have, you're missing the point of playing: to enjoy the game.

All in all, I think Warframe itself is in a good spot. The team isn't doing anything scummy (as far as I can see), they're transparent about working to right wrongs, and they're involved in their community. I think players who leave are valid in doing so because they tend to just lose interest or lack involvement, and I'm glad it's not because of something dramatic. Those who stay tend to enjoy the media within and surrounding the game and its playerbase, and that's great.