#HER LORE IS SO COOL AND SPOOKY I LOVE IT SO MUCH

[logo-ssspathosss]

team bolas rojas gas masks designs??

in THIS day and age?????

it may be more likely than you think..

this was my first time drawing a series of different gas masks, no idea if they’re accurate at all, but it was really fun!!

**notes & closeups under the cut :-D**

it’s a lot of notes so be prepared for an info dump.

NOTES:

Philza: honestly, what more is there to say than “CROW MAN!!”? aside from his goggles being glow-in-the-dark, theres not much more to the mask design. however, i decided, “hey! this is purgatory! i can fuck up these characters!” so, he has a ripped ear(?)wing and messily cut back hair. (i didn’t pay too much attention to the hair in this design, i was mainly trying to get the gas masks down, but maybe i’ll go further into later.)

Cellbit: this is definitely one of my favorites, he looks pretty scary, i would NOT stop my car if i saw him on the side of the road. its based off of a cat mask(obviously) and a painted white streak goes through his mask, inspired by his hair. i didn’t include it, but circles in the goggles are supposed to retract with different emotions (kind of how cat’s eyes do, saucer and dagger pupils.) he’s also covered in blood because he’s going through it lore wise.

Slimecicle: ngl, it was my first time drawing code charlie(other than all the wips i have that i’ll never finish),but i think he’s pretty spooky. his mask is the worst quality, like it USED to work well until he wore it out. thus, there are broken air tubes that let the gas in. (he should probably get those replaced.) the holes for his horns are kind of like an airlock, so the gas can’t enter through them (phil helped him make it.) however, it makes it difficult to take off.

Baghera: baghera’s mask is kind of built like charlie’s, except in much better quality. aside from the loose air tubes, the mask almost goes all the way around her head, not letting even the slightest bit of gas in. theres also a plastic duck beak on top of the regular breathy-thing(i have no idea what i’m doing, so, no, i don’t know the technical term for that) to give it the “bird touch.”

Jaiden: jaiden’s mask was FUN. like i kinda went overboard. i did these all on different days, and this was the night after the big egg battle day. i saw she had fnaf bonnie ears along with her bird gas mask, and said “ok cool. i’ll add that.” she has the same feather/beak thing i gave to baghera. also, hair-wise, she gets a hair bun and her brown roots showing through(we love messy haired cubitos ^^)

Foolish: foolish was interesting, not sure i like the final product, but i’m tired, so it’ll do. his mask is based off of a lemon shark. he gas glowing green eyes and golden splotches on the leather. the air tube foolish has is REALLY long. like unnaturally long. so he wraps it around his neck to get it out of the way. the other members are extremely concerned it’ll choke him one day, but foolish thinks it’s cool and will scare other teams away. kind of like a “yea, i’m crazy, i could choke and die at any minute, and i don’t care.” phil, being the protective father figure of the group, does not like this at all.

Carre: and finally, we have carre. ah, sweet, sweet carre.(he is my favorite.) his mask is based off of a snow leopard because i hc he’s half feline. carre has the lightest, and most simple mask, since it’s entirely plastic, and more so based off of skiing or snowboarding goggles.

ANYWAY, i hope these notes make sense, excuse my rambling about silly designs, i tend to doodle messily, and not really have a plan when i draw, lol.

thanks for reading, BYE!

#qsmp team red #team bolas #bolas rojas #<- do they have any other names? #q!philza #q!cellbit #q!charlie #q!baghera #q!jaiden #q!foolish #q!carre #qsmp purgatory #thats a lot of tags omg #spatcat!!art

[morrigan-sims]

Happy Simblr Gratitude Day!!

There's so many amazing people that I follow, and I know I can never name them all, so if you don't get mentioned on this list, PLEASE don't feel bad. I know for a fact that I'm going to miss some incredible people.

(under the cut for length)

@simlit - possibly the best "bachelor challenge" to ever exist. An incredible story with compelling characters, excellent writing, and stunning visuals. I binge-read all of COTS in one day, and whenever it updates, it's the highlight of my day.

@simgerale - Miranda is so incredibly talented. She makes the most beautiful sims, and her story Regal that just finished recently might just be my favorite story anyone has ever posted on tumblr. I've been following it since more or less day one. Also her legacy family is ADORABLE.

@softpine - the last of my top 3 stories on simblr. Everything Brandi writes is so incredibly detailed and filled with so much love. There is so much nuance and detail that goes into all of her posts, and all of her characters are delightfully complex. I binge-read the entirety of Camellia over two days, and it was a DELIGHTFUL experience.

@potionio - Omen makes some of the most amazing sims I've ever seen. Everything they make is GORGEOUS, from sims to builds to edits. Amazing alt fashion and spooky vibes all around. Also just an awesome friend.

@panicsimss - another amazing spooky simmer. Panic has gorgeous OCs, and I love everything she makes. Poppy and Hudson have my heart!!

@salemssimblr - Ash makes incredible renders, and is also just very kind. She's an awesome friend, and I'm so glad to have met them!!

@goldenwaves - Izzy is another incredible render-maker and editor. They also are the creator of some of the most fun and interesting dnd ocs I've ever had the pleasure of playing with and hearing about. Plus, her new story Heartbreakers is super awesome!!

@wileyfern - They post adorable gameplay, and their legacy family has been going strong for a long time now. Her current heir, Ocean, is super fun to follow!

@void-critters - Jay makes amazing edits and has some amazing dnd ocs that I love hearing about. They're also super kind and a great friend.

@warwickroyals - Ayanna's story is one of the only royal simblr stories I really follow very closely on here, and for good reason!! The level of nuance and commentary that goes into her story is very special. If you're going to follow a royal simblr, let it be this one!! Plus some very cool cc!!

@heartblobs - A very lovely historical simmer who just recently started a new decades challenge!! Ellie's current family is super cute, and I can't wait to see them grow!

@wildmelon - Lush makes some of the most gorgeous sims I've ever seen, as well as amazing edits!!! Also a critical role fan, which makes me happy.

@rebouks - Somnium very quickly became one of my favorite stories on simblr, and now Forever In Between is following in the foorsteps! Becca has adorable sims, and blends an excellent mix of gameplay and storytelling. She's also an INCREDIBLE pose maker.

@ghostputty - Ky makes INCREDIBLE edits, including those very famous eye edits. Also, their story, Deck of Fate, is fascinating, and I can't wait to read more!!

@raiiny-bay - Rai makes amazing renders, and their Monster Boys universe and lore is FASCINATING. I could read about the zombie boys for hours!

@arcanewonder - Sara's renders are on a whole 'nother level. Truly nothing compares. The fantasy vibes are immaculate! Plus, her simblreen treats from years past have saved my ass in decorating the castle for RTQ/ATQH.

@barbieaiden - Sam makes some of the most awesome renders I've ever seen, not to mention his stunning story and intriguing OCs. I love Sam and Aiden, am morbidly fascinated with Tristan and Kas, and am eagerly awaiting the day I get to hear about his pirate OCs.

@rainymoodlet - Shan's sims are all GORGEOUS, but Dan is truly the best of them all. Dan's bachelor challenge, KMIK, is amazing, and even though my boy may be out of the running, I'm very invested to see who ends up stealing Dan's heart.

@samssims - Sam is a pillar in this community. Her NSB family captured my heart right away, and her unique method of storytelling is so cool. Not to mention her poses, which are a must-have!

@laeska - Makes some of the best hairs in the community, and all totally free!! Her simblreen gifts this year were amazing, and I have all of her cc in my game.

@retro-plasma - Corn's sims are beautiful, and their gameplay posts are stunning! They truly have a talent for making things come alive!

@omgkayplays - A truly incredible simblr. Stunning builds, mindboggling edits, drop-dead-gorgeous sims, and a fascinating story are all reasons to give Kay a follow.

@seaslugsims - Their story is awesome, their cc is amazing and very useful, plus they're super kind and amazing!!!

@simandy - Ellen is literally the first simblr I followed, back when I joined this hellsite 5+ years ago. Her cc is amazing, and absolutely a must-have in my game.

I know I've missed people, but I think I've hit my limit on tagging people. Either that or tumblr's just throwing a fit at how long this post is. Either way, each and every person I follow deserves a spot on this list, so don't feel bad at all if I missed you!!! I follow over 400 people, all of whom are amazing.

#morrigan.txt #simblr gratitude day #simblr appreciation #simblr love #positivity

[yukidragon]

Hello Yukidragon, I've been following your headcanons and theories for a while, thanks to a friend I have a question and it's not about the game something's wrong with sunny day jack but about another game that will come out in the case the game, The Groom Of Gallagher Mansion .

The game will have another ghost as a love interest, but this time it's a ghost of a beheaded groom. and I would like to know if you also believe that the game will be like the movie Corpse Bride. and what is your theory about the plot of the game, do you think his death has anything to do with Elias' family jewels?

Ah yes, Elias Gallagher, the other super hot and tragic ghost male lead in the SnaccPop Studios roster. Kudos to Sauce for designing such an interesting character who instantly catches the eye with such a striking detail that tells so much of his story. Their artwork and ideas are really awesome.

Fun fact - apparently the game is going to be more of a supernatural romance story and not a yandere-themed game. This suggests that Elias is only going to be scary in appearance rather than because something is twisted up inside him.

Though I’m sure there’s going to be angst and horror elements. I mean... poor guy got his head chopped off, and on his wedding day no less!

While the story of the Groom of Gallagher Mansion has had a lot less teasers about the lore, as I recall, it was mentioned that he was murdered by his bride on his wedding day because she wanted the family jewels. Of course, this was mentioned before Elias went from being an interesting OC to the star of his own game, so I won’t be surprised if that changes in the story.

But man, if the teaser tidbits of the lore stay the same, can you imagine how that might have gone down? Elias, being a sickly guy finally had someone who wanted to marry him despite his health problems. He’s giddy, thinking he’s finally found true love. Maybe he’s so excited he has to take a seat, exhausted after their wedding, when suddenly the bride he was gushing over just swings an axe into him from behind while he’s not looking and takes his head clean off! Whoever his first bride was, they had major upper body strength. Look at just how clean that cut was.

Then again, they could have used piano wire and shoved Elias through it at top speed or maybe the family has a bunch of non-jewel treasures that include a guillotine, and the bride tricked him into showing her how it works. Who knows really.

I suspect the Groom of Gallagher Mansion is probably going to be a sweeter sort of game, with a lot of fan service and some macabre touches. A game that’s all about being romanced (and seduced) by a sweet ghost with a bit of an Adam’s Family spoopy vibe sounds really cool.

Of course, this is all wild speculation at this point. It’s way too early to be sure of much of anything, but I’m curious to see whatever direction the dev team has in mind for this spooky yet charming groom.

#The Groom of Gallagher Mansion #TheGroomOfGallagherMansion #Elias Gallagher #Headcanon Ramblings #Ask #Sauce-y Art

[naffeclipse]

I’m literally shaking after reading chapter 18, I’m not kidding! All of it shook me to the core!

I have the most intense shivers and goosebumps rn I swear!!

Get ready for more of me reacting to some of my most favorite bits from the fic~ (there are WAY more, but this would be way too long and messy if I included all of them :'p)

“The detector was right all along; there is a cryptid right on top of me.”

Moon stares at you before your words bounce back and set your face on fire.

“I mean, here!” you start, scrambling, “close in proximity—”

Oh Y/N, I love your slipups almost as much as the boys do X3

“Oh,” you breathe. “It’s not loaded.”

A beat passes in the quiet cricket song of the night.

“We know.” He doesn’t sound as mischievous as before.

It would seem you’re not the only one who’s still a bit jumpy.

They’re both so jumpy oh nooooo!!!! Sweeties!!!! :’0

The LORE!!! I still don’t know what the name Paahlott might mean, but gosh I looooove the concept of her! It’s so cool how OLD all the demons are! *Looking back at my "cave art" piece and getting a strong urge to make more stuff like it*

You know how badly I wanna draw the demon glamrocks don’t you X3 (just gotta get the time!!!)

“Can I see you?” you ask carefully. The humming against your spine stops. “I want to get an accurate depiction of you, if that’s okay?”

I LOVE how Y/N asks this, hesitating at first, but so polite and carefully!! AND THEY WANT TO DRAW THEM MORE ACCURATELY!!! SAME Y/N, SAME! XD

"Light,” they grumble.

“You’re being so freaky,” you accuse but lower the flashlight.

“Can’t help it.”

They’re so silly I love them! I’m so normal about the fact that they’re so mysterious, animal and freaky while in their true form but also in general after the reveal! Even knowing that Y/N likes it when they use their demonic powers! X3

They’re so cute omg! The way they sit in the corner, I can so easily visualize them sitting there in the low light. and how they turn away, scared, concerned and so deflated after the denied kiss!

OH MY GOD THE DENIED KISS!!!! NAFF ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! I LOVED THAT SCENE SOOOOO MUCH, YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW!!!!! THEY WERE SO EAGER FOR THAT KISS!!!! THE HUNGER IN THEIR FACE?!?! HELLOOOOO!!!!!!

Oh lord poor Y/N having to explain themselves with that deep blush on their face hvbasdhvsc

"Oh.” They pull back. Your hand falls through the empty space. The towering, imposing presence of their being turns icy cold. “We shouldn’t have—that wasn’t—we’re sorry.”

Meep live reaction: *Screaming into a pillow*

There it is! They’re afraid that Y/N is scared of them when they’re actually more nervous and excited than scared! It’s starting!!!

YEEEEES GRAB THEM BY THE HORNS!!! >:D

And the chest nuzzles to reassure them oh my lord!!!

“We were a bit quick, hm?” OH YES YOU WERE JKFGHADFJKGAHDFKJ

And then the little tongue flick! WILL YOU PLEASE CONTROL YOURSELVES FOR ONE SECOND BOYS XD

“Did you just lick me?”

“We enjoy how you taste.”

BOYS!!!! Gosh I love em sdjgabfd

Ok ok, calming down from that. Man I loved that!

I love the description of Monty! HE EATS JUST BONES?!? WHAT A BADASS!!!!! Crunch crunch~

“And he has impressive claws,” you note, musing.

Moon makes a low sound, almost a scoff.

“He’ll show you those. You never have to ask.” Moon lifts a hand, shadowed by a phantom limb, and the fingers wave and clench in exaggerated flair and spookiness. In a quiet but faux-bellowing voice, Moon growls, “Look at my claws, ohhh.”

JSHAKDLFGLDFHJGDFJH I COULD VISUALIZE AND HEAR THIS SO EASILY!!

"We were too hasty.”

“We were eager but they asked for time. We can give it.”

The vivid vision of your shocked expression and hand covering their teeth plays through them. Another twitch and cringe plague their vessel.

Aaaaw boys,, please don’t worry about it too much :’) *pats them on the back*

The red sand from the desert really doesn’t wanna leave Y/N alone huh… keeps sticking to everything...

Sun pulls the curtains open with a gentle whoosh. Amber beams shoot into the room, filling it with a squint-worthy brightness. You look up to Sun as he turns back, silhouetted in the window. Before you can comment on how nice he looks, the T.V. abruptly blares out.

I’M SO MAD Y/N NEVER GOT TO TELL HIM HOW NICE HE LOOKED!!!! D’:

There’s the picture! It has come back to haunt us! Oh they knew for a long time about our little demon friend,,

Halfway through the fight with the hunters I’m crying with my face in my hands! I know they’ll be fine! But I’m soooo scared for them! Having any of them get hurt makes my soul weep and ache! Moon! his face!!! NOOOO!!! The goo dripping like blood aaaAAAA!!!

I LOVE how Moon reacted to the exorcism and how quickly it affected him, immediately turning him into a writhing feral beast. And then how quickly Y/N comes to protect him aaaaAA MY HEART!!

“Naughty,” Moon growls so harshly, you and Rowe flinch in unison.

There he is!! >:D

You cry out a warning as a silver bolt flies for Moon’s faceplate. He falls back with a mighty tear of the fabric. You stare in shock, heart in your throat, to find the bolt pinning his beloved hat to the wall of the motel.

NOOOO NOT HIS HAT!!! I wish you could have heard my loud cry as I read that fjkghdfkjg

Rip Singh knee, ouch..

In one desperate motion, you find her shoulders and shove her towards the motel wall, hard. A sharp crack echoes. Her eyes widen before she slumps. She drops to the ground, halfway on top of you.

Oh no.

I’m in awe at Y/N’s strength, and man, this moment left me speechless.

You throw yourself into his arms and he catches you, spinning around once. His grip is deathly tight.

Meep live reaction: *Breathing heavily with tears in my eyes* They’re ok!!!

“Do you want us to stay?” he rasps, so soft and quiet.

Singh’s entire expression morphs into shock, staring in disbelief.

“Yes,” you bump your forehead against his, feeling the cool sensation of demonic goo, and whisper again, “Let’s go, sweetie.”

Pale eyes flash with great fondness.

CRIES!! CRIES SO HARD!!!

That was so good! SO SOOO GOOD!!!! I cannot believe we’re already halfway through the final episode!! HOW!!?

I know I use the word love many MANY times. Please understand that I mean it every single time!

Naff, thank you so much once more for yet another wonderful chapter! I am awestruck ❤️💖💕❤️💖❤️❤️💕💕❤️💖💕❤️

AHHH MEEP I'M SO HAPPY YOU LIKE IT!!! EEEE

Ahahhaa, yesss, now that Y/N knows, all those flirts aren't gonna sail over their head anymore, including their own slip-ups hehe

I wanted a moment of Y/N reassuring the boys. They are a cryptid hunter, after all, but the cryptid boys are safe, and that's what matters. ♥

Ahhhhh, Paahlott! She is powerful, even among demonic cryptids. She's a special one. AHHH, Meep! I'd die to see a lineup of glamrock demonic cryptids from you ;-;

I'm really glad you enjoy Y/N wanting to better capture the boys in their notes! Their first impression wasn't so great pffft

YES! Y/N is used to their dear friend and is well aware of cryptid antics, but having both of those loves together in one? Mind-blowing! But Y/N does love it hehe

ALSDFJASDF YEAH THE DENIED KISS! To be fair, this is Eclipse's first romantic relationship, so there's a learning curve, but they're learning and so is Y/N. It's just a matter of time and adjusting ♥ (but they still had to get a lick in, just a little taste alsdjfasldfas

Okay, I loved writing that scene of the book explaining Monty and Moon making fun of him, like, they're so much like siblings it's painful alsdjflasfdj I'm really happy you like that part, ahhh!

Exorcism is an excruciating process for a demonic cryptid. Moon reacting like that was him restraining himself, due to the vow, but man, if this was before.... he would have done so much damage for that.

Ahhhh, Meep! Thank you so much, babe! I'm melting onto the floor, you're so sweet and I love reading your reactions to the chapter every time ♥ ♥ ♥

#*smooch ya on the head* #themeeplord #cryptid sightings #cryptid sightings spoilers

[firespirited]

Treat time! Harley head with unknown chips $19 aliexpress.com/item/1005005359370732.html She's green so I've been obsessed since day 1.

She's €55 online and her best sales price is 44 which is way too much considering none of her stock or accessories are pieces i'd use. I've been checking second hand sites and the best you get for rainbow high is 15€ for damaged Amaya (and quite a few Krystals for some reason, which is strange to me since it was so hard to get hold of her - I guess she shipped to stores better than to amazon)

She had some smudges, a pink nose and a rooting knot behind her ear. As much as the eye makeup is cool, it wasn't clicking, feeling too clown/juggalo/ganguro and that's just a personal dislike of making the eyes feel angled then they're not when you look again. With the inner makeup gone, she looked worried so I reshaped her downwards upper eyeliner with an extra lash and will probably add a teensy bit to the side of her lips to add a hint of a smile, maybe put the dark black back.

I had intended for a more punky look and I'd got a twilight teens dark grey body and a mengfan pale body ready, I tried multiple jean and t-shirt looks, punky-scene looks and what actually came together was that she's a haunted/ghostly damsel in a big gown, possibly a bog or forest spirit or witch. It might not be this body (it needs serious bleaching) or this lovely dress I bought at 13 but that's the vibe: she could be the tragic romantic or she could be the monster and she definitely could be both. Spooky but sweet. My dolls don't usually have lore but this one seems to be saying she's more bride of Frankenstein than human rock star. Could be the season!

#dolls #saf #rainbow high

[ratcandy]

random tangent here but god i wish there was more stuff of the npcs in general. in both the fandom and in game

they are in fact my Favorite part of the game ever i love them so much more than the main cast of the game. EVEN if they are interesting and whatnot, and have cool lore, i love the npcs so much.

one of my favorites ive stated before was helob. and there isnt enough fan content for him. i love that walking talking red flag of a spider, he's great. like i know he just sort of exists to sell you followers and thats it but STILL. look at him. he's so,, unnerving in his dialogue and mannerisms and i love that. spooky man-eating spider y'know.

and theres even less for the others too. like look at rakshasa, HE'S RAINBOW. i love his sort of no-nonsense expression he has. we got forneus!! cat mom! of course she gets a little more attention because of her sons but still. not enough to satisfy. i also wish there was more of monch, i think monch is cool. i like moths. theres barely anything about monch. big sad. and plimbo is a really goofy character, i like his mother-in-law jokes.

i love their designs and the small snippets of dialogue we have for them, they are so funky and colorful and weird.

I KNOW It. Drives me bonkers. But the problem is that. With canon touching on them so barely, fandom has little to go off of. Especially in the case of someone like Monch, who I ALSO really like, because Monch has exactly TWO lines of dialogue !! and he's such a random chance encounter I didn't even know he existed until I was well through the game!!

and IT SUCKS!!!! BECAUSE I ALSO REALLY LIKE THE NPCS!!!!! There's so much character in what little we DO get, and it just leaves me longing for more interactions that the devs are denying me. And that subsequently fandom is also denying me, because (and reasonably enough) fandom is too focused on the Lamb and the Bishops.

I realize I am saying this immediately after Kallamar posting but LOOK, I can appreciate both the Main Guys and the NPCs sdhgKSDJGH

But honestly even in cases like Sozo, an NPC who gets a lot more content than the others, fandom do be neglecting him too. Not nearly to the extent of ones like Monch or Rakshasa of course, but I am sTARVING OVER HERE.

If devs aren't giving us the npc content we crave why don't We start doing that more. C'mon guys. Pleas.

Anyway I think Rakshasa and Helob should interact they're literally in the same room across from each other for the entire game and say nothing about each other. I want them to have a standoff because they've just had to stare at each other from across the way for ages and say nothing while Helob's gaze is Incredibly Unsettling and Rakshasa's just like. 👁_👁 try me bitch

ALSO I WAS JUST LOOKING IN THE WIKI TO CHEKC SOMETHIN GI DIDN'T KNOW RAKSHASA FUCKING ATTACKS YOU IF YOU HIT HIS WIFE?!?!? HELP??????? he's like I don't give a fuck if you're a cult leader you come after my wife you're DONE FOR!!!!!

#I HAD NO IDEA NOW I NEED TO FIGHT HIM IN GAME NEXT I PLAY #like can you fucking imagine. Local cult leader killed by farmer shrimp more at 11. #anyway now I want Rakshasa and Helob to throw down extra hard for no reason other than it would be funny #Shrimp on spider violence #ask

[bluberimufim]

Writer Q&A Tag Game

Hello. I got tagged for this by @squarebracket-trick on this post and I thought it sounded super fun. So, here we are!

1. What motivates you to write?

I started out as an artist, but I began writing once I realized that visual art as a medium wasn't enough to tell the stories I wanted to tell - it had no way of codifying lore, defining character traits, or even just easily telling a long story. I think it's still largely that, in a way. I come up with all these stories and I "get them out" through writing because I sure as hell can't keep them inside my brain for eternity.

2. A line/short snippet of your writing that you are most proud/happy of. If not maybe share a line of someone else's work you love (just please credit them)

This one is pretty recent, from a few chapters ago in DoS, but I'm really proud of it. I just feel like it emphasizes how much Seth's experience with souls connects with the body, which is the Goddess of Time's domain. A lot of metaphors in this story centre around bodies and physicality because of this. Here's the snippet:

And yet, there was Theo, with her soul so unwound there was no fixing it anymore. The most she could do was keep healing and healing, covering the cracks of the bowl with her own hands in the hope that they'd go back to normal. Keep filling the ocean so that, no matter how many holes lined its bed, it would never be empty. [...] She held her so tight she thought her hands would fuse to her skin. As if she could cover the cracks of her soul with her own body.

Idk, I just vibe with it.

5. What part of writing do you think you are the best at? (Yes stroke your own ego it's okay)

(what happened to 3 and 4? where did they go?)

I'd say back-and-forth banter, probably because of my time in theatre, but also horror description. It creeps up on me. I keep writing horror on accident. And I always really like it. Just something about describing something weird and spooky.

6. What do you enjoy most about the Writeblr community?

Mostly the fact that there's all these other writers who have cool stuff and also wanna see my cool stuff. I already loved writing on my own, but knowing that there are people Out There who also care about my stories just feels amazing.

And also, the casual friendship between people. You interact with someone's blog, they interact with yours, and you suddenly feel like you're friends, kinda. I can only compare it to making quick friends with someone on the playground as a kid. I like it <3

7. A writing tool/device you use that helps you with writing? (It could be speech-to-text, a writing program etc)

I am a very ✨analogue✨ person, so my best writing advice in this scenario is always: put that shit on paper.

Feel unsure about a scene? Put that shit on paper. It's like a 0.5th (hehe "halfth") draft that you will copy onto your document and you will always improve it with that second look.

Worried about perfectionism? Put that shit on paper. Even pencil, at least to me, feels hard to erase. It's mostly about living with the stuff you've written and not looking back - erasing is such a pain in the ass that you might as well just keep going forward.

Wanna write secretly during class/lectures/whatever where you're not allowed to have a device? Wadda ya know, the answer is also paper.

Wanna edit? Printing stuff out helps you get some distance from your own writing and it also makes you see it more as a book than as just something you've made.

It also generally makes you feel less bad about changing stuff later in the document, because you have a solid, physical record of what you've written before.

Put that shit on paper. It works well.

(sorry for the rant sbdhagjk)

8. A piece of worldbuilding that you like in your own story? (It could be the magic system, a particular place in the story, a law etc)

I once made a post about the art movements in the world of the dystopia WIP (yes, seriously) but I can't find it anymore. I'm not gonna explain it again, it was stupidly long the first time around.

I guess, outside the dystopia WIP, I'm pretty proud of the whole Three Sister Goddesses thing from DoS. I have drawn designs, but I'll make another post sometime. I'm also proud of the relationship between the Goddesses tho.

They're at war with each other, but they're just doing it for entertainment. They kiiiinda hate each other but not as much as their desire to have fun. Like, they will send their daughters to decimate each other's armies, but they'll also hang out together in the Plane of the Gods. The war is kind of like a decades-long game of Monopoly they're having at the family function. And I just think it's cool. Goes into that whole thing about mortals being like ants to uncaring gods that I like.

9. What piece of advice would you say to encourage others to write if they are having a rough patch?

Kinda cliché, but I'd say this: it happens to everyone, dude (gender neutral). Everyone has periods of time when they feel bad and can't write. Or where they feel like their writing is terrible. Doesn't make you less of a writer.

Even if you're not as productive as other people: who cares, honestly? As long as you're having a good time and doing something you love, it doesn't matter how much time you need or don't need to finish something. Even if you never finish anything. And if you feel like you're not as good as other people: who cares either, you know? Everybody starts somewhere. And everybody has different strengths. You'll get better. You always do.

At the end of the day, we're all just doing this because we love it. Don't force yourself. The time will pass anyway.

Ooooookay that last one was a bit more serious than the rest. Anyway, I wanna tag, no pressure, @fleurtygurl @stesierra @cheeto-flavoured-pasta and @sarandipitywrites

#writeblr #writing #tag game #ramblies

[wheelie-butch]

Lupa Howl OC Lore Dump

Typed up all this for the monprom server so thought I might as well share it here too :) it's some basic background on my monster prom Oc Lupa and her main relationships.

Lupa Howl (23) is Scott and the Wolfpack’s *other* cousin. Her werewolf mum has her in prison and her human dad ran off, so she grew up passed around various mostly human relatives on her dad's side. This gave her strong abandonment issues and a shame attached to being a werewolf, as whenever she got passed onto a new family member she assumed it was because they couldn't handle how unruly she was or her monthly transformations. Growing up, she'd occasionally spend parts of the summer staying with her grandma + Scott + The Wolfpack and though she didn't know them well, those weeks were the highlight of her childhood.

She loves boxing and hoped to go pro, but those dreams were scuppered by an injury to her hand which limits her motor control. She's taken up kickboxing as an alternative, but she's lost her ambition. Her new disability is part of the reason she's come to live with her grandma + cousins now as she needs a bit more support at home, but she's so far hidden her disability from her cousins and everyone at school. Her abandonment issues contribute to her really valuing independence and seeing relying on anyone else as weakness, so it's difficult for her to ever admit she needs anything from others.

Now she's started at Spooky High, she's had some trouble fitting in. She doesn’t make friends easily, but she's hot-headed and competitive. The biggest issue is she's an incorrigible womaniser and serial heartbreaker, deliberately stringing along girls until they fall in love with her, then abruptly ghosting them. It's a coping mechanism for her abandonment issues (cant get abandoned again if you abandon everyone else first!!) but it pisses off a lot of people.

Her main friend is Dahlia, who she was unable to successfully ghost after seducing due to Dahlia's friendship with Scott and the Wolfpack so they're always running into each other. Dahlia doesn't seem bothered by their one night stand being a one time thing, she's just happy to hang out and do gym stuff together, and her constancy as a friend has led Lupa to start falling for her for real.

Lupa has a sometimes turbulent relationship with her cousins. She's only a month older than the Wolfpack but has always acted like she's much older and growing up she basically seemed like this super mature super cool awesome figure to them all. She had a fake ID first, bought the wolfpack their first beers, told them about dating girls, basically any cool teenager thing she did first and better and bragged to them about it. In the same way Scott looks up to the Wolfpack and thinks they're cool and wants their approval even though they're sometimes mean to him, the Wolfpack think Lupa rules and want her approval a lot even though she's often pretty mean to them. She often makes fun of them for being losers, not being able to date anyone, and especially she thinks they're very babyish for wanting to be a pack and not doing anything along. Since she sees relying on others as weakness, she thinks they're very lame and weak and that by bullying them she's actually helping because they 'need to toughen up' etc. Despite this, she does love them (will never admit out loud) and they have good times together too. Being closer in both age and temperment she can often get on better with them than Scott.

With Scott her relationship is difficult in other ways. He loves her and thinks she's great, and she thinks he's much more grownup and cool than the wolfpack (since he doesnt have the abandonment issues making him so pack-minded, he dates, and has hobbies beyond football), but she does still mostly see him as a kid. She doesn’t fully respect him as an equal which means he's easier to be around, but they cant be truly close yet. She'll often tell the wolfpack to be more like Scott and he's uncomfortable being put in the middle of their arguments. They share a room now she lives with him which he's happy about but it also puts strain on things. Lupa also slightly resents that Scott got to grow up in a werewolf household with his grandma and cousins and seems to love being a werewolf, as she was told when she was little she couldn't live with her grandma because she had her hands full with the Wolfpack, yet when Scott came along and then got abandoned he ended up with her. So sometimes Lupa compares herself to how cheerful and loveable Scott is and thinks maybe her grandma would have taken her in sooner if she was a better grandkid like him.

#lupa howl #my ocs #oc stuff #monster prom #scott howl #the wolfpack #dahlia aquino #monster prom ocs #i love her shes my special guy ever

[cobwebcorner]

Overall I enjoyed the Separate Ways DLC. This is not a review so much as a series of disconnected thoughts.

It is now obvious to me that the reason Ada likes Leon so much is that she, too, is secretly a giant dork. Muttering little one-liners to herself as she snipes ganados off the gondolas and such. It's adorable. She keeps trying to be playful at Wesker, but unfortunately he's abandoned his original chillness and is in irritable hardass mode, which makes me sad. I'd have liked to see at least a little banter in the beginning, before Wesker started getting impatient.

Ada's character kind of vacillates between low-key goofy like this and shutting down into a cold machine. I want to give the writers credit and say it's on purpose, like maybe she's forcing herself to change modes because Wesker chewed her out too much or the stress of her situation is getting to her, buuut. I dunno.

There's some weird inconsistencies in the writing between SW and the main campaign, like they weren't written at the same time originally, and SW doesn't quite fit at times. The Ada you meet at the start of SW is quite different from the one you first see in the main campaign.

One of those inconsistencies is the way information gets repeated between characters as if they're having the conversation for the first time. The clearest and least spoilery example is near the end, when Ada reports to Wesker that she got the amber...and a little later, gets into a helicopter and tells him that she got the amber again. He reacts as if she didn't call him the first time, or possibly hit his head and forgot about it. I know it's a minor thing but I do find it annoying.

Now to Gameplay!

Unlike the original Separate Ways, this time we get a fully functional merchant. You can fully upgrade weapons and buy a few different guns. Ada doesn't get quite the variety that Leon does, but for a 4-6 hour dlc it's sufficient.

It's fun to me that Ada gets to do little side missions too, so that means Wesker is watching me fuck around hunting for blue medallions like 'Ada. Ada I told you to find the amber. What are you doing. Now you're picking up clothes and selling them? Do I not pay you enough?' No wonder he's so grumpy.

The level design is a great improvement (which let's be honest, the original felt very rushed and low-budget), incorporating some cool new areas plus using a lot of the areas from the original RE4 that didn't make it into the campaign. There's some good new spooky parts, and I loved the new U3 (I don't think it's a spoiler at this point to say you fight U3). The way they added the hookshot to combat is fun, and I'm going to be ruined for new attempts at the main campaign when I try to melee from far away.

Can I say how much I love the music, by the way? The original pretty much just reused a couple mercenaries tracks if I recall correctly, and it got really repetitive and irritating after a while. The music in the remake uses a lot of Ada's themes from the og RE 2 and it's beautiful.

Now a couple SPOILERS

There is no new lore or information about Ada's background, which I appreciate (no seriously I don't WANT to know. let her stay mysterious. Also, why are people upset about this? Don't you know that if capcom's going to reveal information about a major character's backstory, it'll be in a random japan-only magazine or a stage play?). However, we have been given one hint. While examining the body of the burnt cop she comments on the smell of burnt flesh and how she thought she left that life behind. Which is. Dark! That's very dark, capcom! Unless she used to work in a crematorium.

Minor issue, but I'm confused why Luis seems to know Ada well (well enough that Ada's ok with him touching her) and yet have no idea who she works for or what people are helping him out. How did they meet? In the original she intercepted an email he sent to a dead colleague, and you didn't get a sense that she really knew him personally. So now I have more questions that will probably never be answered.

Wesker shows up in the flesh a few times, which is…odd? That's a lot of trouble to go to, Wesker, unless you're running around for your own separate (ways) nefarious purposes…maybe planting bombs? IDK. Not sure why he even needs Ada there, if he's on location himself. I was convinced he was a hallucination, until Ada fixed that problem and he still showed up again. In the end I don't mind, because the interactions he has with Ada are really interesting (if a bit weird) and I'm going to be spending a lot of time dissecting them. You get the sense they have known each other a long time, and Ada doesn't put up with his shit but that doesn't stop him from trying to intimidate her. (I laughed out loud when she just finished his sentence and hookshoted away from the conversation. Queen behavior)

Ada's infection is honestly just weird. It doesn't match the way plagas have been established to work, and feels very contrived, like it's there just so they could keep certain gameplay mechanics and to give an excuse why Luis couldn't just give Ada the amber once he got it. Once those pieces are set up, the infection is neatly disposed of in a way that doesn't make a lot of sense and is never mentioned again. Here I was assuming Ada could direct Leon to the plaga-removal lab because she'd been in there herself. Nope.

Ada and Krauser never interact at all. Not even a tease of a miniboss. Not a line of dialog. Two ships passing in the night (or, one ship running away from the other comically fast). This saddens me, even though I know their dynamic would have been completely different if they did meet, since Krauser's no longer a bitchy coworker. There's a lot of buildup in the section where you chase Krauser, like you expect that Ada is going to GET HIM for what he did to Luis (or at least try), and then it just fizzles out into nothing.

(and I would like everyone to know that I CALLED IT about her disguising herself as one of saddler's handmaidens)

In the end her arc wasn't really believable to me, I'm afraid to say. She seems to just follow along where the story pushes her until the very last moment, when Wesker makes one ominous comment too many and she decides to start defying him. The original version, where she was playing 3D chess and working for another mystery player all along, was much more satisfying.

And finally: it's very interesting to me that Wesker chooses to save/spare her twice in this game, despite being mad at her. Obviously she has plot armor, but it's almost like he's got a soft spot or something. Yes yes I'm sure people can come up with plenty of canned villain motivations for his actions; "he thought she was still useful" or "he's underestimating her resolve" or whatever. That's the boring option. I think it's a lot more fun to look at his actions and go 'wow wesker you not only hauled Ada to safety and a bed out of the rain, but spent at least an hour or so watching over her while she was unconscious to give Leon time to get to the cabin fight. attached much?'

Edited to add: a friend and I have been lightly going nuts trying to fit the Ada and Wesker in the cabin bit into the timeline of the main game, because if Leon chooses to go back to the chief's house to raid his attic once he has Ashley then uh. He really should have run into them? Ada doesn't wake up until the cabin fight, after all, and they both passed out around sundown. Unless Wesker shoved Ada under the bed and then hid in the wardrobe?

#oops I guess I never actually posted this #just found it in my drafts #so here's my thoughts many months late #verb rambles

[readingrobin]

Ooof this was probably my roughest month when it came to reading, Didn't really get a lot read since my schedule was jam packed and I didn't get as much reading in as I thought I would during vacation. To top it all off, the things I did manage to read mostly fell on the meh side of things, so I can't even say it was worth it for a few good reads. Oh well. I think I'll have better luck in November.

Total Books Read: 5

Total Pages Read: 1,713

Books Read:

Nightshade by Andrea Cremer (2.5/5) -

This book has been collecting dust on my bookshelves since the great vampire/werewolf YA fiction boom of the early 2010s. Really the only thing that's been keeping me from reading it has been circumstance and a deluge of other things I'd rather be reading. Big note to self, if the synopsis describes one of the teenage lead characters as "sexy," there's a good chance that I, an almost thirty year old adult, will get one of those ick feelings along my spine. It's one thing if it's coming through the perspective of a teenaged character, and another when you know it's more than likely coming from some middle-aged editor in a publishing office cubicle.

Now if I had read this over a decade ago, odds are I would have loved it. Awesome werewolf mythology that seemed very unique, a badass lead character that's not here for your girly dresses or makeup, sarcasm galore, oh yeah teen me would've eaten it up. While I can still appreciate the lore aspect, there are some qualities of the book that just tire me out.

Love triangles are always going to be some dodgy ground, particularly when you don't care for them or either of the love interests. Shay seemed so irresponsible and okay with constantly putting Calla in danger, even if it had the intention of trying to get her to see the truth behind the Keepers. Rey, though slightly better, made some comments here and there that set my teeth grinding, but at least it felt like he actually respected Calla at times. Pretty sure with how the story is going that Shay is ultimately going to win out in the end, which doesn't really encourage me to read any of the sequels.

At least pour one out for the gay werewolf representation in a time where queer characters, even queer side characters, were in short supply.

While I really liked the werewolf lore, the book also reinforces my least favorite werewolf trope, which is reinforcing incorrect "facts" about actual wolf pack dynamics to explain the weird sexism of the werewolf packs. I know it's all to make the term "alpha wolf" look cool and intimidating, but they literally do not exist. Wolf packs are made up of a mated pair and their kids/extended family. There's very little dominance involved. I know bringing actual reality to this werewolf book means absolutely nothing, but they did it first.

There's also an absurd amount of sexism, misogyny, and slut-shaming going on here and yes, I know it's all for us to realize that werewolf society is corrupt and has this weird propaganda thing going on to keeps the wolves in line, but god it's overbearing at times. It's really just a me thing, but I had to visibly cringe when one of the adults told Calla to "keep her legs shut." I don't know, maybe it was too much just because all the characters are like 15-17 years old and I'm entering my "old person yells at YA for being YA" era. God help me.

So yeah, lots of emotions with this one and I'm not sure if I want to continue the series just to get closure or not.

Don't Turn Out the Lights: A Tribute to Alan Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark edited by Jonathan Maberry (3/5) -

Seeing as I was a giant scaredy cat as a kid, I didn't really grow up with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark. I tried once, but Stephen Gammell's haunting illustrations proved to be too much for little me who already had an overactive imagination. Now that I have a little more stamina when it comes to horror and spooky pictures, I figured to give this collection a try to find some worthwhile middle grade horror. There are definitely strong contenders in this collection, some that'll even unnerve some adults. Others, well, they're there to give a little variety when it comes to the type and tone of the stories.

My favorites would have to be:

"The Carved Bear" "The Golden Peacock" "The Neighbor" "The Bottle Tree" "The Tall Ones"

I don't know if the collection decently balanced between the light spooky stories that were more humorous and the more traumatizing tales. There are two that sort of stick out like sore thumbs, those being R.L. Stine's and Sherrilyn Kenyon's contributions. Stine is known for his off the wall twists, but this one being a little bit more silly, yet typical for his kind of work, doesn't really make it mesh well with the majority of other stories that want to leave you with a shiver down your spine. Kenyon's poem has the same effect, having more of an innocent, playful tone that sets it apart from the other stories, but not in a memorable way. I think if the collection offered a few more stories like these it wouldn't be so noticeable. Each are completely fine on their own, but not when integrated into a collection that aims to leave lasting scares.

Also, it's REALLY noticeable that some of the writers are writing stories centered around certain cultures that aren't their own or that they have done very little research on. I may be as white as winter snow, but even I know that the Devil has nothing to do with Dia de los Muertos. 

The Ravenmaster: My Life with the Ravens at the Tower of London by Christopher Skaife (3/5) -

I have such a great fondness for corvids, be they crows, ravens, magpies, or even blue jays, so I figured this book would be right up my alley. Skaife delves into the history behind the ravens' presence at the Towers, which I was surprised but maybe not too much that it holds a legend that may not be as old and revered as once thought.

I've been to the Tower of London, which helped me visualize some of his stories. The ravens there are definitely a quirky bunch. I remember one that graciously allowed a seagull to peck a bit at their raw chicken lunch, only to shoo them off a few seconds after. This cycle would actually repeat itself a bit, a little nibble and then a shoo, it almost seemed like a sort of game. Anyway, they are very amusing birds and Skaife really does make their personalities shine in this book.

There were moments where the book lost a little steam or included something that seemed a bit superfluous. The chapter on ghosts around the grounds seemed a little out of place in a book about the Tower ravens and the stories get a little repetitive once you edge closer to the end. But if you have an interest in the Tower and its inhabitants, I recommend picking it up.

The Oddmire: Changeling by William Ritter (2.5/5) -

I'm not sure if this is a case of me reading this book at the wrong time or I'm just getting more picky with my middle grade fantasy, but I never really felt very invested in this one. It's a great setup for a story, two brothers venture into a dark magical forest to learn which one of them is human and which is a changeling left by a goblin one long ago night. They meet various friends and threats across the way, culminating in a wonderful depiction of family bonds and loyalty. I appreciated how involved their mother was in the story, who had absolutely no qualms about going into the dangerous forest to save her kids. I love seeing more competent parents in fiction, if only just to show kids that some grownups are capable of being helpful at times.

But, other than that, I didn't really get much out of the story. The brothers seemed very interchangeable, not really having distinguishable personalities so that ultimately it doesn't really matter who is human and who is the changeling. They both have the same worries and fears, the same goals, so there's nothing really to set them apart.

The writing style didn't really pull me in either, to the point where by the last couple of chapters I was doing more skimming than actual reading.

I will say that it is a decent fantasy for younger readers looking for a bit of adventure and magic. It twists some fairy tale conventions just enough to feel fresh while holding onto a few just for good measure. I've probably just read too many at this point to really appreciate it.

Watership Down: The Graphic Novel by Richard Adams, adapated by James Sturm, illustrated by Joe Sutphin (5/5) -

I stumbled upon Watership Down a little later in life, knowing full well of its status as one of those "Top 10 Films that Scarred You As A Child." At some point, I had seen the glorious intro to the film, where Frith bestows various gifts to the animals and El-Ahrairah displays his tricks and cunning, and that immediately sent me to the novel. It's a beautiful story, with lush descriptions of the downs and adventure that, while coming from so humble a place, keeps you interested from beginning to end. By some magic, James Sturm and Joe Sutphin managed to capture everything about this story that has delighted readers for decades.

Sutphin goes for a more naturalistic style, keeping the rabbits and other various animals expressive, but not too cartoony. It mostly keeps to a certain realm of reality, with colors that are more muted, but never do any sort of disservice to the setting. While I am a fan of styles that bush boundaries, this style is perfect for Watership Down that, while seemingly fantastical at times, is a very down to earth tale. There's a certain charm to it that comes from the simplicity of its setup, that is a group of animals just trying to survive.

Of course, not every plot point and character makes it through the process of adaptation. I am thankful that Sturm was able to include some of the folk tales of the rabbits, which was one of my favorite elements of the story. Naturally, to keep this story to a single volume and maintain a sense of flow, things would have to be reworked and shifted.

In my opinion, this graphic novel is an exemplary transfiguration on the original story that will please fans and hopefully entice new readers to the book.

Rating Average 3.2

#robin's book log #reading wrap up #monthly wrap up #nightshade #don't turn off the lights #the ravenmaster #the oddmire #watership down #books #reading

[eaglefairy]

Today was yet more sidequesting for about an hour until my roommate decided to throw all of you people following along with this a bone and go tackle more of the main plot after a few failed attempts at Breezy Zolos (Deinos Sauros, questionable party comp, and plain bad luck). She was committed to fighting Zolos with Melia, Sharla and Shulk, and she actually had a chance the first time before Deinos Sauros Moment

ldisjfdgfldsjfdgefhdgkfj GOD her voice has been up an entire octave for like 3 whole minutes because of Riki's cuteness. She adores his whole family and is ready to fistfight Dunga to end capitalism in Frontier Village so Riki doesn't have to be in debt to feed his kids. He's now beaten Reyn to become her favorite character

I saw Lorithia in the cutscene and wanted to start snarling. Roommate saw Lorithia and said "what the fuck", which is an eminently reasonable reaction to Lorithia. (really I think it was more a reaction to the dark and spooky atmosphere considering she immediately wondered if this was at Prison Island, but still. very reasonable reaction to Lorithia)

We got to Eryth Sea and spent a solid 30 seconds just looking around and listening to the music :) It's her favorite song from this game

And then she spotted one of the Andos and we had a nice little chat about history and lore and worldbuilding! Man I love this game. I love it so much

She obviously knows that Lorithia and Yumea are evil but she thinks they're involved with the Mechon somehow which is. lol. lmao even

dhsfdkjsdfnhgkd ok I just know we are having two very different experiences of Alcamoth right now. She's looking around at all the grandeur and loving the music and joking about how we don't talk to unnamed NPCs and I'm sitting there on the couch feeling deeply emotional about seeing Alcamoth at its height again (ESPECIALLY after xc3)

At first she was like "eugh Kallian is so condescending I don't like him" but thankfully she did a 180 once I started wailing about how much I love him and he encouraged Melia to feel emotions

re: that last bit, I think Melia and Sorean exchanged like 2 lines before she turned to me and said "so this is a very emotionally repressed culture, huh"

adkhfgrkdfjefskhudgr "[Lorithia] is evil, she wears black and red and has boobs!"

"This game is a bi woman's fantasy. There's so many attractive people here!"

We ended with a short discussion of what the last affinity area might be. I ran a little interference by pointing out that we haven't been to the shoulders or arms yet; her theory is that the last region is near the feet of the BIonis, and we'll go there to find the place where the Homs found the Monado. I get her logic because it seems to her that the Bionis gets consistently warmer and warmer near the upper regions, so a cold snowy region would be near the bottom

"Okay, WILD theory: the last area is for the Mechon. It'd be hard to make connections there though, since we're at war..." and "It'd be cool if in like the later games we make friends with the Mechon somehow"

Just going to. gonna let those stand by themselves

#xenoblade chronicles #roommate chronicles part 1 #listening to her theories is so fun because she's played jrpgs before so she has an idea of the genre's tropes #but xc1 ends with such a buckwild paradigm shift that it's IMPOSSIBLE for her to predict what happens in the future games in the series #every time she talks about things from this game appearing in the sequels I'm like hm. well. I'm just going to nod along here

[marvel-starwarsfangirl]

"Ahsoka" Review

Lars and Eman were perfect as Thrawn and Ezra. They are those characters and I will not take criticism. More of my thoughts below.

Overall, I give this show an 7.5/10. I enjoyed it more than Mando S3, BoBF, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, but not as much as Andor or the first 2 seasons of Mando. As a Rebels fan, I was overjoyed to see my fave characters like Hera and Sabine return. Just seeing them warmed my heart. When Thrawn showed up, my heart leaped out of my chest. I could not believe that I was seeing Mitth'raw'nuruodo himself in live-action.

Okay, I'm just going to put my Thrawn takes out there (please do not come after me. This is my opinion and I respect anyone who disagrees):

I love Canon Book Thrawn so much. I admire him. I relate to him. I love him. Thrawn in the Canon books is amazing. I enjoy his relationships with Thalias, Eli, and Ar'alani. I love how he mentors Che'ri and Eli. I love that he seeks to protect his people. I love how he is an art nerd and has the craziest plans.

But in "Ahsoka," every time he said "long, live the empire," I wanted to toss my screen. I understand he was closer to his Legends counterpart and I am still excited to see where his character goes I just miss his canon book version.

That being said, I LOVED Lars as Thrawn. There is no doubt in my mind that he IS Thrawn. Voice aside, everything from his mannerisms to composure was perfect. I can't picture anyone else in this role nor do I want anyone else. Lars is able to capture Thrawn's subtle expressions so perfectly and I had a blast watching him every time when he was on screen.

Moving on

Of the new characters, Baylan Skoll was my favorite. Ray Stevenson portrayed him with such grace and elegance. He was mysterious and much welcomed addition to Star Wars. I thought his philosophy was unique and I appreciated that he wasn't an all-out bad guy. I do hope they continue his story and not drop it completely. Rest in peace Ray.

Honestly, I felt that Shin wasn't explored enough for me to really enjoy her. I think she is interesting and there's a lot of potential regarding her inner conflict. I hope season 2 really delves into that. Why did she join Baylon? What power does she seek?

Morgan and the Nightsisters were just really cool to me. The magic they utilized was awesome and the rise of the zombie troopers was spooky.

Also, the music! The Kiners really popped off. I genuinely loved the end credits theme so much. That and the integration of themes were great.

However, I am not a fan of Sabine being force-sensitive. It doesn't make sense in my opinion. It was never hinted at in Rebels and her relationship with Ahsoka feels kinda shoehorned in. I wish we saw what led to her becoming Ahsoka's apprentice. Sabine is already a cool character. Why does she need the force?

Ahsoka in the earlier episodes also was kinda bland. But after episode 5, she felt more like herself. I get that she's not going to be the same as her younger self, but she always had a warmth to her, even when she was serious and I missed that. Rosario still killed it though. I really enjoyed episode 5 with the Clone Wars live-action representation. I know some people really want that but I think it should stay animated.

The lore with the new galaxy was also really cool. It opens the doors to so much storytelling and I love the impact it will have on our heroes. It seems that the Nightsisters and the Mortis gods came from there.

Action was cool, I miss my space husbands, Mon Mothma was cool, and I do think they should stop using the dome for many shots.

Overall, a fun time and I'm excited for what comes next.

#star wars #star wars rebels #ezra bridger #hera syndulla #sabine wren #ahsoka #grand admiral thrawn #ahsoka show #baylan skoll #shin hati #nightsisters of dathomir

[nmfergus]

So, Spooky did a thing a while back where she talked about how amazing people are, and I was inspired to do that as well! So, here are some of my rambly thoughts on a handful of people in the Superstar Daycare server, starting with Spooky herself!

@spookyuu

Spooky is an amazing person. Hands down. She is always willing to listen to whatever crazy rambles pop up. I first interacted with Spooky when I scared her by suddenly disconnecting from a call and I apologized for spooking Spooky lol. Her art is just to die for and I always feel supported when I talk to her. She’s always there to pick someone up if they’re feeling down. Oh, and Spooky is the one who drew my amazing profile picture!

@suokumi

They are slowly becoming the parent of the group, I swear. Suo is always there to make sure you’re taking care of yourself and to help you if you’re having a problem. They are so full of love and always willing to share it! If you say hi, good chances are Suo is there to greet you with love! Suo is also such an amazing artist who loves to make drawings for others. Their style is so pleasing and shaped, seriously.

@opudontdonut

Opu is full of fun and mischief, in my humble opinion. Whenever you’re talking to them, you’re going to have a fun conversation! Also, seriously, they are another amazing artist to add to the ever-growing list. HAVE YOU SEEN THEIR ANIMATIONS???? SO GOOD! I swear I can watch his stuff over and over again. 

@madame-mongoose

Honestly, where would we be without Monnie and Sy? There is so much I can say about how awesome Monnie is. Her art is just- chef’s kiss. She is the queen of shapes. I swear, Monnie has made me fall in love with bugs like no one else could. Now I actually get excited when I see one and my immediate thought is to send her a picture. Her love of Ghost Busters and Frankeinstien is so infectious, I swear. And have you seen her OCs??? Go ask her about them because they are amazing, from Cassia to Barry! 

@sycopomp

Like I said earlier, where would we be without Sy and Monnie? I haven’t been able to talk to Sy much, I can tell you that Sy is an amazing writer, and they have a great sense of humor! Sy’s writing made me feel feelings. So many feelings. I’m so glad I got to listen to OOIE be read out the day it was published.

@ari-fire-arts

Oh boy, I have so much to say about Ari and how awesome they are. A coder, an artist, a great voice for reading; I could go on. Ari is another person who is always making sure we take care of ourselves, from making sure we drink water to getting enough sleep. Ari is also a very hard worker, and is so talented! They were also kind enough to explain a bit to me about how coding works, which is so nice of them! Ari deserves all the love, just like everyone else here lol.

@okapikookie

Okapi is so cool! She is a kind and caring person who is great to talk to. She’s there to listen and is another hard worker! Okapi gives off a motherly and calming aura, if that makes sense? She and a few others have been coming up with an AU that is super expansive and so cool to read! I love talking to her so much.

@skittlewaffle

I will never stop giving Kay the praise she deserves! Kay’s art and creativity is just off the walls, and they are such an awesome person! Kay is so much fun to talk to. Kay is another really kind person, too. I love interacting with them and just overall feel relaxed when we’re chatting. I think Kay is one of the first people I really bonded with in the DCA fandom along with some others on this list.

@paper-lilypie

Gah, Lily is so so incredible! She was one of the first people I started following for DCA stuff. Lily is so cool and stunning, I love talking to her so much. Lily is both an amazing artist and an amazing writer. I could probably write a 5-page essay on how much I love her and her work. Lily is also great at giving us little clues to solve mysteries around CCRT, and just out of nowhere she’ll drop lore for us to unravel and I love it! It’s always a good time when Lily is around and just- gah she’s so cool!

@spaciebabie

Spacie is totally feral in a good way, honestly. Talking with them is an adventure that I love. I think they pretty much have everyone beat in the humor department and I will die on that hill, sorry. You’ll never be bored when you’re talking to them, and who can forget how they started the great Sunasspocolypse? I’m so glad they did, too, cause that’s part of how I found them on tumblr lol. Spacie’s art, OCs, ideas; they’re all stunning and I love them! Not to mention their singing voice cause damn, Spacie has the voice of an angel!

@sleepyjuniper

Oh June, such an awesome person! She is so kind and supportive, always willing to help! Visions is such an amazing fic and I still need to catch up on it and I will hopefully get to that soon. But everyone should go read it cause it’s amazing! Her art is also to die for and I swear she is going to kill me from the fluff she writes. June is so nice and everyone should go spam her and her fic with love.

@honiegoo

Goo needs all the hugs. They deserve hugs. Goo is such a cool person who is so supportive of everyone! Everyone gets excited when Goo appears. Goo is honestly such a great person that I wanna give all the love and affection to cause seriously, how can you not love them?

@nefariouslydinkle

Dinkle is so cool. I envy her expressions cause like, they convey so much with just a simple drawing! Please, teach me how you draw expressions like that! They are such an awesome person and everyone would benefit from having Dinkle in their lives!

@daunsun

I wanna give Daun the biggest hug! She is such a sweetheart (with some hilarious sass) who has made an amazing Flowershop AU that you guys need to check out! Her drawings are amazing and I wanna consume them all, respectively. Daun is also a great writer! She is just overall amazing and deserves lots of love.

@crazedauthor

Crazed? Gah, there are so many things I could say about her! She is wonderful, hands down! Her writing? So cool! I consume it all! Have you guys read 404: Personal Space Not Found? No? Well, you need to! They are such a fun person to talk to and have so many fun ideas! Go and give her love!

@certified-handler

There are so many good things I can say about Certified! She has so many cool ideas and they’re all so amazing. Her Fire Dancer AU? Dealer’s Choice? The Night Shift? They’re all so awesome and I have consumed them all with love and affection! The talent in Certified is off the charts! She is also great to talk to and I just have so much praise for her!

@cakesfunhouse

Cole is the master of dad jokes. Like, no one can beat them. Do you think you’re good at dad jokes? Do you think you’re funny? Well Cole probably has you beat. I know I said that Spacie beats everyone in humor but if they did have competition it would be Cole. Cole is such a great writer too! They love to hit you with amazing fluff when you least expect it and seriously, they are just a great person to talk to.

@derpygirl-draws

Jackie is the server baby, all praise the server baby! She is a bit of a chaotic gremlin, but in an endearing way! Her art style is adorable and I stand by it. Jackie is great at spreading cheer and positivity and I swear things would be so different without her.

There are honestly so many more people I wanna talk about but I am running out of time lol. Even if they aren’t on this list, there are so many wonderful people I’ve gotten to interact with that I could write pages of praise for. Frankly, there is so much more I could write about the people I talked about! I’m thankful for all of you, and I love you.

#Nikki Rants

[aerodaltonimperial]

I know Julia, Anna and Toni, but what other women wrestlers do you like? I wanna know about them!!

So I actually enjoy a lot of female wrestlers!! I just end up not having a STORY to work with for them because in general, the women's division is really lacking in long-form stories. We are seeing some changes, I think, though!

I love Skye Blue! She's normally a really spunky tomboy-esque wrestler who is a real work horse and also gives us BANGIN' matches. Recently, she got misted by Julia and seems to be succumbing to the mist (the mist is what originally pulled Julia out of being a happy cheerleader into our spooky goth princess of the House of Black), and I'm really excited to see this Skye heel run go because I hope she teams up with Julia. She really deserves a good story.

I also love Willow Nightingale! She is an absolute ball of sunshine and every time the crowd pops for her and her entrance song I get really excited. She is so strong, like wicked strong! She recently won the Owen Hart women's championship in AEW (over the summer) and it was great to see her win. She also got misted by Julia, only she seems to be fighting the corruption, and so she is a huge part of the story running right now.

I really like Penelope Ford and the Bunny, and I want them to do more together. This is one of the reasons I wish there was a tag team belt for the women's division because they are a great team, just being sexy and cool and kind of unhinged evil haha. Bunny was out for awhile with an injury, but she wrestled a month or two ago and I hope she's back for good now.

I also really like Nyla Rose! She is a real backbone for AEW and has been around since the beginning. She's great and strong in the ring, but more than anything else she's hilarious outside the ring. She's very funny on social media and offers some good looks backstage sometimes. Like if there was ever an intervention happening, it would be Nyla. She is also totally here reading fic LMAO.

Those are probably the people I'm most excited to watch, but there really aren't many I don't like. The women's division has some fantastic wrestlers and I wish they were given more than one match a night. We could see so much more by way of stories and feuds and get way more in-depth. I tend to be someone who gets most attached to wrestlers with strong characters or lore, and unfortunately, Julia is really one of the only ones with solid LORE behind her character (and she did it herself), but this Skye and Willow mist story is showing it can be done even with limited time! Between that and Toni, they finally have some more character work going, and I'm just really hopeful we get more.

[professionallyunprofessional]

The 7th Guest VR

If you've been following me for any length of time, you know that The 7th Guest is one of my most favorite games ever. I have talked about pretty much every iteration of it on here, except for things like the mobile 'Infection' game and the T7G board game (which, sadly, I don't own). It is time for me to talk about it again. :D

This past year, a VR remake of The 7th Guest was created by Vertigo Games. It was teased both on its own Facebook page and on Trilobyte's pages as well. The game was released on October 19th, 2023. I would be lying if I said that I didn't want a VR headset just for that game. I got both a headset and the game for Christmas.

As always, spoilers below the cut. But the TL;DR version of this review is thus- This game is very good. 4/5 stars. From the moment I first started it up, it already had the gloriously spooky vibes of the original. For this review, I'm going to break it down into parts, wherein I'll be talking about both the good and bad of each.

The Gameplay

When I first heard that a VR remake of T7G was being made, I was excited. I had such fond memories of the original, and it was an absolute treat to revisit the Stauf Mansion. Experiencing it now is a whole new level of amazing. Not only are the graphics much sharper, of course, but you can see so much more of the house. Instead of a still frame backdrop like the original, you’re able to freely wander around the rooms and interact with objects. A few rooms were scrapped (the art gallery and laboratory were removed entirely, and the maze/catacombs were reworked into a storage room and basement), but I feel like it doesn’t take anything away from the game. If anything, the removal/revamping of certain areas streamlined things.

A new mechanic added to the remake is the lantern your character walks around with. With the lantern, you can spawn in items, see hidden messages on the walls, and get hints for some of the puzzles. It took some getting used to, but I thought it was fun. The original game was point-and-click, so it was cool to see something new added to it.

Slightly less successful, at least for me, were some of the spooky effects in the remake. The original game had the occasional cutscene that wasn’t necessarily plot relevant, but they were still fun. Hands coming out of a picture, floating table settings, a clown ghost appearing in the game room, the Woman in White beckoning you to follow her, etc. The remake's spooky effects come in two ways- One is blink-and-you'll-miss-it moments of shadowy figures appearing in rooms and hallways. Another is paintings that change when you shine your lantern on them.

The Story

Both the original 7th Guest and the VR remake tell the story of one fateful, bloody night at the mansion of the disgraced toymaker Henry Stauf. Six guests were purposely invited, and a seventh was very much in the wrong place at the wrong time. The original game had an opening blurb about the events leading up to the story of the game, but the VR remake takes it a step further. Not only does the story of Stauf’s childhood slowly unfold throughout the game, but each guest’s room has bits of information about them and their backstories that gives insight as to why they accepted the invitation to come to the house. Frankly, I love this. Especially because the expansion of Stauf’s lore gives clarity as to why he chose those six people specifically.

The Characters

The six guests from the original game make their glorious return in the VR remake. In the weeks leading up to the game’s release, Vertigo Games put out various teaser images and video from the game. At first, I was skeptical (a few of the characters seemed not quite right for their parts), but I think most of the actors did a fantastic job. In particular, I adored both Temple and Elinor. I wasn’t particularly wowed by their choice for Henry Stauf, though. To me, Carl Wharton didn’t have quite the same oomph that Robert Hirschboeck brought to the role.

The Music

The soundtrack for 7th Guest VR was composed by Jonathan van den Wijngaarden, and I think he did a fantastic job. His score has the same delightfully spooky, but still strangely beautiful quality to it, especially with several of the tracks including familiar tunes from the original. George ‘The Fat Man’ Sanger himself even contributed to the piece of music that plays when you enter the chapel. I honestly have no complaints about the music. It was my favorite thing in the original and it might be one of my favorite things about the remake.

The Puzzles

I was very curious as to what the puzzles would be like in the remake. I have to say, I’m impressed. They have been reworked entirely, with each puzzle now being distinctly themed to whatever room it’s in. Temple’s puzzles all have to do with stage magic tricks, Julia’s puzzles are about either drinking or her fear of getting old, the kitchen puzzles involve things like finding ingredients for soup, etc. The only one that hasn’t changed is the puzzle with the 8 queens in the game room. If I had to nitpick something, it would be that it’s not always easy to spot the puzzles. Unlike the original game, there is no pulsing brain icon to show you what’s a puzzle and what isn’t.

The Easter Eggs

The 7th Guest VR is full of delightful nods to the original 7th Guest. The achievements you can unlock are all named for bits of dialogue from the original game, the dining room has a few glorious nods to the original dining room scene, and there was one particularly delightful music-based Easter egg I stumbled upon purely by accident (pro-tip: Explore every wardrobe, cabinet, and closet).

All in all, this game is fantastic. Not quite perfect, but almost.

#The 7th Guest #The 7th Guest VR #professionally unprofessional #Video game review #VR games #Meta Quest 2

[purplekoop]

oh yeah if they put Witch Kiriko in the Credits shop for Halloween then. well uh. RIP to her mythic skin as far as I'm concerned.

I mean I'm not like a super frequent Kiriko player, I'll usually just pick her in my rotation of not getting bored playing the same support too many matches in a row, but uh... yeah her Mythic is kind of the worst one so far by a decent margin in my book.

Also while the rest of the Season 7 pass from what we've seen so far looks kinda... mneh, gonna be honest the western gothic creepy theme isn't really landing with me, at least the (kind of unrelated besides "dark and spooky") Hanzo Mythic actually looks pretty solid. Bad news is that it's... uh... Hanzo... so uh. huh.

I'm so mad I'm not missing this one but I missed Cyber Demon Genji and Knight Tracer AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH I'm so so eternally enraged I missed that one. Genji's is just cool and Tracer combines my favorite DPS character with an awesome fantasy knight theme, while Hanzo is. one of the few characters in this entire cast of nearly 40 that I don't like all that much.

I guess to get out my other Mythic thoughts (since I have all the others):

Zeus JQ: Grinded the hell out of Season 2 to just barely get this one in time and it was vaguely worth it. Gonna be stiff competition replacing this one, the effects are cool but to be honest the main appeal is just the big muscley lady getting to show off. Not a fan of the red/pink coloration but that's my only complaint.

Amaterasu Kiriko: Again, the worst Mythic so far imo, and honestly one of my least favorite out of Kiriko's skins in general. Better than her Season 1 BP skin at least, but really this one just doesn't play into Kiriko's design in any interesting ways for me, it just makes her generically fancy. The options don't really do anything for me either, all of them just slightly change the amount of "meh" it makes me feel.

Emperor Sigma: A bit mixed on this one honestly. Still like it overall, but it's got a few shortcomings that make it my second least favorite. The overall design is slick, but it's another one where the variants are a bit of a letdown. The ugly beige color option just does nothing for me, but the default black and purple is a combo I don't have much issue with sticking to. The shoulder armor options are kinda whatever, and while I love the M Bison hat plus eyepatch head, the other options are just... eh. Also, while the overhauled visual effects are fantastic, especially the tractor beam ult, there's a change I'm oddly not super fond of in this skin, that being his voice lines. This is petty, but like... I don't like how mean this skin makes him. I mean, I get that's the point, the space dictator isn't meant to be friendly, but Sigma being a calm, likeable goober most of the time despite being on the bad guy team is part of why he's such a fun character to me, so the flattened characterization is kind of jarring. let me be the silly floaty space man without all my voice lines telling my teammates to get on their knees. Overall great skin, but I have enough reasons to unequip it sometimes. Sigma's got some phenomenal skins, and even some of his Epics like his OG Talon skin are fantastic, at least to me.

Wargod Ana: Of the ones I own, this is definitely my favorite. Just in concept I adore it, of all the options to make the Null Sector mechanisation gimmick into a Mythic skin, Ana was such a cool choice. She's not a super "grandiose" character normally, but the subtle theming of this "ultimate war machine" makes her feel so cool and plays with her aesthetic in such a distinctly cool way. Shoot, the dubiously canon lore for the skin is cool too. The idea of a Null Sector bot that was made in an attempt to copy Ana's combat skill, but got corrupted because of her memories is such a cool way to reflect on Ana as a character that I'm almost a little mad Wargod isn't her own character?? This shows in the voicelines too. While Sigma's personality deviation put me off there, for Ana it feels a bit less... conflicting? Instead of taking a morally complicated but friendly character and turning him into a simple bad guy, this takes a slightly jaded but thoroughly good-hearted and good-acting character, takes her good parts away, and leaves the ruthlessness that was still there in the original. Plus, the voice lines aren't as outright mean, but feel effectively menacing. The change to "You're powered up, destroy them" is so simple and almost goofy, but feels so cool in practice. But that's not even going into the skin itself. While some other Mythics have some neat reference point for their style, Wargod Ana is just a perfect medley of the Null Sector suite of aesthetics. Each of the color variants is something used by existing PvE enemies. The designs also just feature bits and pieces of Null Sector bots too. Not only that, but the armor variants also serve as iterative upgrades. The first variant looks almost like a slicer that grew into gangly human proportions, with exposed, primitive-looking limb mechanisms. The second variant meanwhile, while my least favorite, now actually looks like a Null Sector mini-boss unit. The third one meanwhile feels like a proper character on par with Ana herself, with actual cloth over her legs and a more complex and organic-looking design overall, almost like a bride of frankenstein counterpart to Ramattra. Speaking of, her rifle options also directly reference the man himself, with the first variant having the claw-and-orb part of his Void Accelerator towards the back, while the second has a ribcage-like design reminiscent of his torso. Also points to this one for being arguably the highest percentage of variants I'd actually consider using, the middle body design is a bit meh, and looks actively kinda bleh with the third color option, but aside from that they look great. It's hard for me to swap off the default purple and white, but combining the red color with the third body variant is a hell of a combo too. There's even more great details! The audio effect changes are great as ever, especially for Nano Boost, but her gun also just sounds super satisfying to shoot too. And like!! With her beach ball emote, the beach ball is replaced with a Null Sector bomb guy's bomb!! Come on, how is this not the best Mythic yet.

...this post was just me hoping I could get Witch Kiriko without paying money and turned into an essay about Wargod Ana. oops.

anyways the next mythic skin should be King Dedede Reinhardt.

#overwatch #overwatch 2 #overwatch 2 season 7 #wargod ana