#but its more fun to work w a solid base so :p!!!

[sneakyscarab]

i cant think of a clever intro for this one, so lets just get right into it.

nina's thoughts on Touhou 16 - Hidden Star in Four Seasons

HSiFS is a solid entry with a good mix of brand new ideas and old mechanics. in some ways it almost feels like a remake of PCB in terms of the themeing and how the main mechanic works. compared to that game though, HSiFS executes its ideas in a much better way (imo).

the big new thing in this game is the dual-season system. each character has 1 main season thats fixed for that character, and each character shares the same 4 subweapon options, each also based on a season, being smaller counterparts of the main season of the same type. your main season is powered up using P as usual, but the sub-season has its own power meter that's filled by collecting season points, going up to a total of 6 options. season points come from shooting enemies and grazing bullets mostly, similar to cherry items in PCB. as long as you have at least 1 option of sub-season, you can execute a 'release' which sacrifices all (or just 1 in summer) options to create a circle of bullet-safety that acts differently depending on the season. any bullets that are destroyed by the release are converted into green-point items that increase the value of point items.

speaking of points, this game does away with life pieces, going back to the classic method of dealing out 1ups at certain point thresholds, and as drops from certain midbosses. pieces aren't gone entirely though, as bomb pieces do return, acting almost exactly as life pieces did in SA: one drops anytime you clear a boss phase without screwing up, and 5 of them give you a new bomb. you can also get whole bombs from certain midbosses or enemies.

you definitely need all those bombs and season releases cause this game is tough. not LoLK levels, thankfully, but it felt a lot more challenging than the UFO-TD-DDC trilogy. granted, thats not saying much since i still did clear the game within the day, but it took me a pretty solid chunk of runs, about 4 each per character, and i tried out a lot of different character-season combos to find what worked best for me.

without further ado, lets get into the actual characters! HSiFS has 4 playable characters, one for each season of course. we have Reimu representing Spring, with homing cherry-blossom bullets. the spring sub-season also comes with some homing shots, and the season release flashes a circle on your character that instantly clears a lot of bullets and then disappears. theres Marisa representing Winter, with a frosty beam array. the winter sub-season comes with another beam, and the season release places a small lingering circle for a few seconds and boosts your dps while active. we got Aya, appearing as playable for the first time in a main game, representing Autumn. shes got a wide fan spread, and vertical piercing while focused. the autumn sub-season has the same, although with less spread and no piercing, and the release acts like a miniature version of Aya's bomb in SA, attaching a small circle of protection to your character and boosting your speed for a few seconds. lastly is a brand-new character to the touhou series: Cirno with a Tan! i mean its just Cirno, but the game specifies her as Tanned Cirno as if shes an ultra rare gacha variant or something lol. Cirno represents Summer, ironically, having an ultra-wide angle ice blast. the summer sub-season has randomly firing ice bullets, and the release places a very small, short-lived protection circle on your character at the cost of only 1 option instead of your entire stock. of all the choices, i liked all of them pretty well, but the autumn sub-season was my most favourite for how fun the season release was to use. i got my 1cc using Reimu with Autumn sub, after just barely failing to do the same on Marisa w/ Autumn.

for the new characters, of course the top of the class has gotta be Eternity Larva! she's an insect fairy based on the swallowtail butterfly, having large butterfly wings and the signature Y-shape 'horn' found on swallowtail caterpillars. she is absolutely adorable and it is a CRIME that ONCE AGAIN the bug-type character has been relegated to a stage 1 boss position. at least, unlike Wriggle and Yamame, Eternity actually does have relevance to HSiFS's plot, since the actual incident with the seasonal chaos is caused by the fairies of Gensokyo going wild. her and Cirno seem to be buds, so i like to think Eternity becomes a member of Cirno's squad and her and Wriggle become BBFFs (Best Bug Friends Forever <3)

Aunn Komano is another really great character, shes a Komainu statue that helps protect shrines (namely Hakurei Shrine) but typically does so unnoticed. due to the events of this games plot though, Aunn is up and about, causing great confusion to Reimu who had no idea that she was ever there before, and when Aunn starts talking to her as you would an old friend, Reimu assumes that shes trying to pull some kind of scheme and beats her up anyways lol. in the other paths her interactions arent quite as funny, but shes still great. i like how for some reason her outfit is like something youd see on vacation, with what looks like a Hawaiian shirt (apparently the JP version called a Kariyushi shirt?) and wide shorts . her outfit almost looks more geared toward summer than anyone, although she's the 'springtime' boss.

my third pick of the new characters in HSiFS is gonna be Narumi, who like Aunn is also an old statue come to life, being a Jizou statue that came to life from the energies of the Forest of Magic she resides in. also like Aunn she mostly keeps to herself, only being brought into the limelight because of the big plot, although her conversation with Marisa does show that the two have met before, and that according to Marisa shes a "shut-in introvert". she apparently has the power to control life energy, and is implied in Cirno's route to have attempted to use that power to delete Cirno, but it didn't work because she was also being powered by seasonal magic at the time. lucky for her, Cirno is too stupid to realize that she just confessed to attempted murder so she gets away with it lol.

HSiFS is overall a really fun entry, and i liked both the return to form for mechanics like score-based life, as well as the weird new stuff in the seasonal releases and shared sub-weapons. plus, you gotta love seeing more classic characters show up as playable, and Aya and Cirno are both great picks, even if they already show up pretty often in other ways. I dont know if i would call this one my favourite entry, but its certainly pretty up there in the rankings! im glad that LoLK was just a weird one-off in terms of quality. tune in tomorrow where i will probably have beaten touhou 17, unless something goes wrong :P and remember, #justice4bugyoukai!

#grimoire of nina #touhou #touhou 16 #touhou HSiFS #hidden star in four seasons #touhou project

[soulfullofold]

HIHIHIHIHIHI #18, #32, #40 OF COURSE and #27 if its cathartic!

😳 writingwritingwriting

#18 Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy version: Questioner provides the passage.

Wellllll after showing up in your dms like buff garf it's been determined that my recent set of haiku will be the victims of this, specifically 457's!

So I guess overall I should begin by saying that tldr; one of the main tenets of haiku is to write from your own experiences. After doing this exercise, I agree; living the moment is the best way to condense it down to a tiny thought nugget moment in haiku. For most of my esk, this is not a problem. I already tend to base my esk where I've lived or been or from my experiences so this was a walk in the park for most of them. 457 is my first esk that really. Challenged me in that way because she's nowhere where I've been or what I've directly experienced. She's kind of still in a mutable space in my mind, I guess, with her nature features being from one place but me wanting to transplant her to another...and there was a lot of thought early on about what time period I wanted her to be from, exactly--ancient hunter or more modern? She's taken like 2% more shape since when I first got her and I really need to do more serious noodling but. I was treating her haiku as like little "obvious" or concrete notes about her personality. Sometimes that's what you gotta do to write lol. Just put something on paper. I was pretty surprised you wanted to know about these, since out of the entire set, these were some of my least favorites overall...Just because I felt they lacked the richness of others that drew on my experiences, because she's in this still-developing limbo, and...I don't think they're really haiku. I think the bitter-snark of her voice fits more for senryū but that's my onion. ANYWAY

ferns on the riverside whip-poor-will in the leaves oh, i will never return here

whip-poor-wills are migratory and I just liked the play between continually coming back to a place and 457's bitterness/sadness/angry spitting "I will never come back here". Self destructive much??? Also it's really subtle but I like the arriving bird & the play on leaves as in leaving idk just a fun thematic element. Though I definitely made a mistake and probably should have said nightjar instead of whip-poor-will bc. w-p-ws ARE in the nightjar family but I think when I wrote this I was thinking more specifically of a nightjar. IT"S FINE it's FIne please forgive me my ornithologist friends

the forest dies unceremoniously i bite back bitter tears against the sweet smell of rot

You know the Smell of a mushroom or a log rotting. Actually I got to Smell It this past week bc I just came back from a hiking & biking trip but YEAH it's such a visceral smell to me. I liked the LOOSE cutting word / juxtaposition between bitter and sweet. I also liked the um. Kind of "if a tree falls in a forest..." thing & 457 whoooo self-isolated herself in life and falls into eskhood unceremoniously. Lost into lost.

hollow as stone light as tin quiet as a thrush

a bundle of contradictions(?) here. stone can be hollow or solid. tin can be light or heavy. birds can sing or be silent. i thought it kind of fit her vibe to be both like. something that she shouldn't be, but also defiantly empty as;kdlfj hard to explain. It's the vibes. I went with tin here specifically because one of the motifs I associate with her is a tin camping mug that she drank her coffee in.

running is futile the earth still follows on the underside of my sole

Ah, I dunno this one felt so 14 year old journal to me but alas here we are. She scrambles through the forest trying to...outrun Something but she's surrounded by forest, inundated in it...isn't that what she Wanted in life? Idk she just has to be a ghost to work out what's been bothering her. I did have an adjacent experience to this where when I came back from hiking in Arizona I found sandy dirt and mud pressed into the soles of my hiking boots, No doubt from Beaver Creek that had somehow dried and stayed lodged in there even after all the other hiking around Prescott. Unlike 457 though I thought it was a delightful discovery :')

forest’s sweet solitude is only for those who refuse to hear

Another kind of eh one for me. I'm continually inspired by Richard Powers' Overstory so this is a brief synthesis of those ideas poured into 457. Aside from that, I was thinking about how peaceful and idyllic people regard forests are when in reality they're buzzing with activity and decay and communication at all times.

ANYWAYS R&R my haiku LOL

32. What is a line from a poem/novel/fanfic etc that you return to from time and time again? How did you find it? What does it mean to you?

Y'know I've never been a quote person. People always ask like "what's your favorite quote" and I literally never know what to say. I feel like I can never remember ONE line of anything perfectly vs like. The core concepts in peoples' works. I return to images / film bits WAY more often than words.

But when I was thinking about this last night, an iconic line from WTNV popped into my head. It isn't even my favorite by far, but I remember hearing it and thinking wow... it's (i think) from the pilot, about Cecil describing Carlos: "teeth like a military cemetery". Again, not even like one of the more poignant ones but it really impressed on me in 2013. I think one of the hallmarks of my writing (past & present) isssss the way I make comparisons or string together ideas like poetry. Wow that sounds super indulgent but I think that's something that always catches my attention in writing and something that I consciously or subconsciously do with my own. Just the surprising "huh!" evocative connections between ideas. Or like little details. Thinking of johnmountaingoats' lyric in Picture of My Dress about the Dallas Texas Burger King & the extra mayo. The rhythm of it too. Mil-i-tary-ceme-tary. I think of another quote hilariously. Well, not really a quote because I KNOW it's not right and I forget WHO said it. But something like "the place of poetry is on the tongue". I think the rhythm sticks with you there. Plus of course like. Being the first openly gay / queer Media (outside of fic) I ever consumed. That pilot episode meant a lot to bby me!!!

#40 Please share a poem with me, I need it.

How about... Good Bones by Maggie Smith:

Life is short, though I keep this from my children. Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways, a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative estimate, though I keep this from my children. For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird. For every loved child, a child broken, bagged, sunk in a lake. Life is short and the world is at least half terrible, and for every kind stranger, there is one who would break you, though I keep this from my children. I am trying to sell them the world. Any decent realtor, walking you through a real shithole, chirps on about good bones: This place could be beautiful, right? You could make this place beautiful.

comment for one person only but Buckle about Donny thanks

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

Hmm...I was thinking about it and probably honestly Ora. Not because she's stressful to write, but because I put a lot of pressure on myself to get her right. Mostly her dialogue I waffle on, trying to make it Sound like her but not be too curt but not be Too wordy etc. etc. Also out of all my characters, she's the one I do the most research for because of the setting and time period. I like including historical details or making a scene feel plausible for its world so I put a lot of energy into research for her!

THANKS FOR THE AAAAAASK I know it was a doozy!

#asked and answered #ask box meme response #1ore #twwm #457 #denora walker #not really but it's fine i'll tag her :)

[princeanxious]

What art are you most proud of? And please show us a pic if you can! <3

Not gonna lie, this was actually p hard to answer. I’m honestly proud of any piece I get done, especially any full body, full color, full background pieces, and I refuse to let myself out-right hate anything that I draw in general now-a-days, unfinished or no. I draw for fun, always have, so I try not to put too much worry on how good something looks so long as it gets my idea across in a way that I like, or that I tried?? (And ik being proud of a piece doesnt have to tie into what the end result looks like, im just covering that base) I looked through all of my recent digital art on my ipad(that i’ve had what, 3-4 years at this point?) and found myself about just as happy with each finished piece-

-Except one. There is one piece that I forget about constantly but I’m honestly super proud of the amount of effort it had put in to reach the end result. It probably sees a number of glances infrequently(due to my sporatic activity on said blog) but isnt posted to this blog’s art tag.

It’s the blog banner I drew for my @thelostguardianau fic, of the(at the time) whole cast in the au. You can find the post to reblog it from here but i’m also adding it below for reference. (* and honestly I’ll mention every other art piece in this au posted to it’s blog stands at having this same proudness, as each individual characters complicated design fed into this big banner, each one having a giant set of uniquely drawn wings, complex body markings, and unique clothing and features. And I would not have been able to complete this banner without having those singular character chart pieces finished first, except for Thomas’s design, who has yet to be posted for ✨reasons✨)

This fricking Banner was and still is(for now, *wink*) the most ambitious piece I’ve managed to finish. It took me so long, my wrist hated me, my ipad hated me, my ipencil hated me, medibang hated me, this piece pushed the limits of the poor app. Every time I try and open this piece up on the app it takes a solid couple seconds to open, save, and close.

From sketching to lining every single character, to having to uniquely match up Their Wing Sizes and Heights, because Guardians are fucking Tall, so Wing size and Height size was hell to calculate and portray. Why, you might ask?

Because I was limited to the proportions that would actually fit into a tumblr mobile banner. Which, funfact, is much smaller than you’d think!

I had to make sure they’d all fit, wings and all. And they didnt fcking want to. But I made it fit, because I wanted a full body + wings cast banner and goddamn it that was going to happen. And I did. And I lost a fuck-off amount of detail-space for it.

Coloring it wasn’t exactly difficult, but I will once again point back to this app hating this piece and it draining my battery because of it. I work in layers. My lineart will have 5-6 different layers in color before I combine them and set the hue to black, but I still keep my lineart seperate in that each character has their own lineart, and the background lineart is seperate.

I had their lineart, and probably still do, seperated into Seven different layers, one per character, each one w/ an extra masking layer for their wing glow. Each character got their own folder for colors, and had multiple layers for each colored section: clothing, skin, skin blush + eye whites, hair, wings, body markings, marking glow. And then there was the background layers, and the glowing affects, ect. The whole piece stands at having about 80 total layers having been used over the course of making it.

So yeah, Medibang does not like this piece when I try to open it. xD

But really, setting aside fighting and babying technology thats being pushed close to its limit, the real pride comes from the fact that this piece has Seven fully colored, near-full body characters drawn, all touching and interacting and accurate to the scale that I made. It is the most amount of characters in one piece that I’ve ever drawn, colored, and finished, and I’m pretty fricken proud of it.

Which makes it all the more daunting that said banner is going to get an upgrade, because it’s a Character Cast Banner after all, and its going to have four more fully designed and full winged characters added into it.

And by upgrade, I mean I get to redraw the whole dang thing. Because I gotta rearrange ✨everyone’s✨ positions. And at this point, the only way thats possible is by starting over.

wish me luck on that. o_o;

#sanders sides #luka draws #thelostguardianau #luka answers #ask to tag #tw long post #kinda #luka rambles

[inventors-fair]

Two guilds, one cause group commentary

Super sorry for being super super late.  Here’s the commentary about the guild colab cards.

@dumbellsndragons First of quite a lot split/aftermath cards for this contest! I was quite surprised! Beast is not much but it’s an honest spell. The real deal is Breakfast! It essentially doubles the power of your board, by splitting it to 2/2 bodies that can in turn trigger various etb effects. Temporary buffs, (bloodrush anyone?) can play a huge roll on how many tokens you can make!

@i-am-the-one-who-wololoes​ Misjudged this one, took it for an Izzet Simic spell, while it’s actually an Izzet Gruul one that plays into the destroy to create mentality of the two guilds. While witty and creative, this spell feels a little too specific. It definitely has a fun side but I fear people would use it more as a combo piece.

@abzanhero​ Sel-gari was a very popular combination and Rotweaver is a very nice example on how those two guilds could interact. It fills the graveyard, cares about the graveyard and has the potential to make HUGE tokens for you to populate. All that in the expense of immediate impact on the board, but I asked for kitchen table EDH cards, and this fits the category very well.

@helloijustreadyourpost​ I love the throwback to popular EDH cards like Savra and the first print of Teysa that care about the color of creatures you control.  That said, I am not a fun of the limitations on the card, as I view more like a Yu-gi-oh design than an mtg card, where usually the only limitation is the cost of the card.

@bioodprice Great control card but the two triggers feel conflicted as the one taps a creature, and the other punishes the players for having untapped creatures. Either way, it has good pillowfort potential as it can hinder both voltron strategies and punish token based decks.

@dimestoretajic​ Great tempo card, would do wonders in limited enviroments. Lorewise, it’s sad to see that guilds consume their messengers. If this trend continues, Vivien will surely pay Ravnica a visit XD

@ghoulcaclulator64​ First of all, congratulations for going the extra mile and made your own artwork for the card! It’s really cool!

On to the ability of the card, its very well stated and it has great combo potential with all the copy effects of blue and red that can help you create an army of deadly blasters. I am not sure whether you wanted the trigger to work with spells any player controls or not, but all in all I find Whip-Walker an interesting design!

@kytheon4-4 Great flavor text that fits the theme of the design challenge 150%! Also a quite impactful card on a tri colored creature deck of all shapes and sizes. If mentor returns, it could definitely appear on Green creatures, or creatures of any color, like Exalted

@hypexion​ When you’re a Gorgon with a Biology major, there’s no need to stay in the undercity XD In general I like the use of ability counters, and this applies here as well. The +1/+1 counter would serve as a reminder for the deathtouch counter, though I must complain that Mila herself doesn’t have deathtouch but has to work for it like a guildless peasant.

@yourrightfulking​ For GGUURR you get two cards and at least a 2/2 body plus 2 damage wherever you want. This is an insanely good deal, and this being an instant means that you can also mess up combat big time. I wouldn’t call the card broken in any way but I feel there should be some moderation, maybe the damage affect players and planeswalkers? But that’s me nitpicking, all in all pursuit of perfection was a very nice entry for the contest.

@nine-effing-hells​ In a similar vein, from a mechanical standpoint, chorus of battle offers +4/+4 , with the additional trample and lifelink. Comparison with Titanic Ultimatum is inevitable, and it offers a lot more for an additional mana. I think here it should be safer if the play was asked to offer a single R and W to get the bonus and not the double colors which add a lot of weight to the card without clear benefit.

@misterstingyjack​ The design challenge was meant for you to design tri colored cards. There were a few color matters submissions, but this is the best “rulebreaker” and who’s a better rulebreaker than a goblin gang that pays homage to Shattergang Brothers A really cute card whose effects are relevant  in an EDH game, especially the green one. Death to the mana rocks! 

@grornt​ Great revisiting of Graft and I love the fact that with haste, the total damage you can do to the opponent doesn’t change as you pass around your counters! Interestingly, Riot and Bloodthirst also operate with +1/+1 counters so this beasty truly unites Simic and Gruul!

@hiygamer​ If there’s one thing “cannon” in this challenge, it’s that the Selesnya and the Golgari will rebuild Vitu-Ghazi! The abilities and the overall flavor of the card are super sweet, but I think we should be wary of lands with the potential to generate tons of mana. For example, as much as I love symmetry in design, the graveyard matters part of the card shouldn’t be on equal ground with the other ability as it’s easier to produce more mana with mill shenanigans.

@col-seaker-of-the-memiest-legion This pricey enchantment is so splashy, Kiora would probably try to steal it. Good thing you considered planewalkers on the second ability, because then you would have certainly crossed the line. I don’t know what kind of deck is the true home for this card, but even one turn with this card on the battlefield will decide the course of the game.

@dabudder​ For 2WUG, you get a 5/5 flyer and you draw one card. It’s not much, in EDH at least, but it’s definitely an honest play. Again, the fate of Vitu-Ghazi is on the spotlight, and here we see the Azorius care about it! Who knew Ravnicans love Selesnya that much?

@koth-of-the-hammerpants Scavenge 6 for merely two mana is a tremendous deal. The Second activated ability takes an A for creativity and flavor, as we see the pinnacle of recycling in this combined Simic Golgari project. I feel a few balance tweaks are required here and there but the idea of a creature “reforming” itself through +1/+1 counters is damn cool.

@narkis24​ Puns and memes are always appreciated but the abilities, while interesting, they have me wondering whether this is too oppressive for your opponent. The free treasure token every now and then is pretty innocent and it may be the token of an unofficial alliance made on the kitchen table. However, the potential of multiple counterspells with little investment  seems a bit scary. I would rather it somehow required self sacrifice in the ability so people don’t gang up on you.

@thedirtside I love the name and its connection with the bouncing nature of the card. While overall this spell feels weak or requires a lot of mana, I feel there are decks out there that would appreciate the utility this card offers.

@bread-into-toast​ Selesnya and Orzhov is a wild combination from every perspective but as the flavor text suggests, all woodshapers are welcome XD

The 5 toughness guarantees that you will make a good number of tokens before this thrull enters the soil, and it might deter a couple attacks while on the battlefield because it can potentially make 10 or more tokens with a good block. An Abzan token deck will have dozens of ways to utilize this small army, and the deat trigger gives you yet another one if there are not any available at that time. All in all, a stellar design. I didn’t do a runners up post this time, but this could be easily included.

@gollumni​ A solid utility 4 drop that shines more at late game than on curve because as the challenge suggests we’re playing kitchen table edh. For the full colored cost you disable three potential blockers. I love the tiny detail that unlike other creatures in the original ravnica that cared about different colors of mana when you cast them, Enlisted Banisher represents all three colors for the sake of devotion and color matters cards, like the beloved Knight of New Alara.

@shakeszx A very unique design that encourages different tribal strategies in an attempt to unite everything under its glorious pincers during combat. I feel a deck with Gedj as a commander would be both fun and challenging to build. I suppose it would contain a lot of Slivers and Allies. If anybody makes this deck please let us know!

@wolkemesser​ A wild project uniting Gruul and Izzet. This is probably the most intricate design I’ve seen in a while, utilizing XYZ, three colors, two kinds of tokens. But what about the kitchen table? The options this card offers are insanely good, so much that I think it’s undercosted. The red ability, essentially lets you save up mana, and treasures can also help you generate mana for the other two options of the card.

And while the power level is definitely high, I have to commend you for considering when the player is allowed to do these crazy mana sink shenanigans. Having a specific time window is important and setting it on main phase 2 means that you give both yourself and you opponents time to figure things out.

@teaxch​ Excellent build around potential and I like that the optional copying trigger as you can utilize a deck with both buffs and single target removals. The spiciest thing about this card is that it has the highest cannon potential because actually Izzet and Boros collaborate to create advanced soldiers. It’s Captain Amrica all over again :P They even got the right colors

@masternexeon​ I love the irony of a card that obstructs your opponents playing cards during your turn has flash itself. It’s a real solid hate bear. The haste hating is more of a trinket text than a relevant ability, but it’s better to have a rare ability than not having it.

@partlycloudy-partlyfuckoff I don’t know why this doesn’t have a straightforward adapt X ability, let’s move past that. Any numbers of counters are always welcome, but in this design it’s easier to get a good amount of counters early game, for example going for 4 on turn 4 is a really nice play and you can swing for 7, which will have a long and memorable impact on the kitchen table. On the other hand, if you topdeck this late game, there’s a chance you won’t be able to pay 11 for the 11 creatures you might have in the graveyard.

@davriel-canes-tea-supplier​ Another aftermath card. You surprised me there! Get down is a slightly more expensive freeze two spell, but that’s customary for dual purpose cards like this. On to business, we got a selective wrath effect. It’s more disruptive than an actual sweeper because odds are the opponent sees it coming (except if you discard it on purpose to head straight to business) Overall I feel the whole card could be a bit cheaper but I appreciate the impact it can have in the game, and it also helps me create an image of the Ravnican lobby that’s in the hands of Orzhov with the assistance of the Azorius

@reaperfromtheabyss​ Ending, with a flashy comeback of Fuse! Both halves are great cards in their own right, Body is a tad better than life’s legacy because it also gives life at the price of one black mana instead of any mana, and Soul can produce a respectable amount of flying tokens while wiping a player’s graveyard. The combined effect isn’t as explosive as other fuse spells, but the utility it offers is much appreciated. And while the card frame for fuse isn’t flavor text friendly, I really like the story it tells, about how the two guilds care about death and how they utilize it for their advantage.

#Two guilds one cause #mtg #magic the gathering #custom Magic card #Ravnica #group commentary

[curechocolattymilk]

I am in a sorta rambling Skyrim mood again so if you want lists of my mods i have/want to keep for Skyrim Extended Cut’s release/want to get for a fresh save under S:EC uhh here you go??

MOD LIST IN GENERAL/AS A WHOLE (might be a long one)

Immersive Citizens - AI Overhaul

USSEP

Alternate Start

Cutting Room Floor

The Paarthurnax Dilemma

Khajiit Speak (disabled atm, only on for a Khajiit character I plan on remaking)

Wet & Cold SE

Static Mesh Improvement Mod (SMIM)

BarenziahQuestMarkers SSE

Immersive Patrols SE

Apocalypse

Ordinator

Horns Are Forever SE

Wildcat

Inigo

DigitigradeKhajiit_ArgonianRaptor

Falskaar (disabled & prob gonna be uninstalled. Wasn’t satisfied w the mod so i went back to a save before installing it that wasn’t too far back)

Run For Your Lives

Enhanced Lights & FX

True Storms SE (+Compatibility patch for W&C)

Civil War Aftermath

Hearthfire Multiple Adoptions & Custom Home Support SE

Derkeethus Dual

New Beginnings- AS Extension

No More Stupid Dog

D13 Faster Get Up SSE

Amazing Follower Tweaks SE

DWC Player Werewolf Replacer

Diverse Werewolves Collection

Dominions More Argonians

Immersive Good Boy

Skyrim Sewers

Convenient Horses

Fast Travel Ambushes & Consequences

Interesting NPCS/3DNPC (& with it, Cyb’s Overhaul) SE  Patches/Hotfixes

BAT- Bigger Argonian Tails SE

BS: Bruma SE (and patches)

Vigilant SE + Voiced English Addon SE

Cinematic Dragon Soul Absorption (disabled)

Shout - Immersive & Dynamic Overhaul

SkyUI SE + Flashing Savegames Fix

Destructible Display Cases

Dragon Stalking Fix

TK Dodge SE

Immersive Movement

Hun Lovaas & the mod authors other music replacer mods

Hoth

More Tavern Idles

Ultimate Combat SE

Library of Paarthurnax SSE

Dawnguard as vampire (didn’t want to lose part of my sould for the DG quest lol, turned right back into a werewolf)

Real Bosses (Light File)

Immersive World Encounters SE

Better Jumping SE

Kaidan 2

Race Menu

Miraak DB Follower + Dialogue Plus

Monster race crash fix (for the Play as a Dragon mod)

Lucien Flavius

Racial Body Morphs SE - Diverse body types & height

CWN - Civil War Neutrality SSE

Alt Conversation Camera

Guard Dialogue Overhaul SE

Deadly Dragons

Werewolf Feral Run

Bigger Tails for Werewolves

Predators - Werewolf & Vampire role playing tool (Lite version currently disable)

3DNPC Talkative Followers

Masque of Argonian Vile SSE

Talkative Dragons + Enigma Series

My Little Hatchling SSE + Adoptable Argonian Hatchling

Play As a Dragon

Growl - Werebeasts of Skyrim (I definitely recommend this for werewolf playthroughs! It doesn’t have Moonlight Tales’ features but its still balanced/fun & barely buggy in my experience)

Death is Highly Overrated redone 2020

SKSE64

MODS IM FOR SURE KEEPING/MAYBE KEEPING

To keep the bulletpoint list hopefully short: Patch/QoL mods that fix vanilla issues (i.e. USSEP, D13, SMIM, the like), follower mods (save for Miraak since S:EC seems to have something planned for him), mods done to tweak the Werewolf experience, combat & boss difficulty mods, Mods that overhaul NPCs dialogue/AI (guards, citizens in general), weather mods, music mods, & mods that make Argonians & Khajiit look a bit more fun are for sure staying! Any civil war mods I have might be trimmed off, debating on how S:EC approaches reworking the secondary story quest. That being said:

BarenziahQM - For the sole fact it makes that quest soo much better

Paarthunax Dilemma - a solid maybe? S:EC is also gonna do something bout this part of the Blades quest if I read their reddit post correctly, so I might just leave it disabled & see what happens first

Hearthfire Multiple Adoptions - yes pls let me make Tei a papa to every Skyrim also I need it to make Kaidan’s home available for the kiddos

Derkeethus - makes him a more decent follower but eeeh idk i rarely take him out often so it might be snipped itsa maybe

Destructible Display Cases- sometimes i’m too lazy to lockpick

No more Stupid Dog/Immersive Good Boy- Meeko is a good boy I should be able to tell him & also my kids + housecarls shouldn’t call him stupid >:(

More Argonians- I just like these funky reptiles (used to have More Khajiits too but it always would CTD at a certain inn w it installed. F)

Alternate Start- Makes things more spicy

CH- Sorta QoL for the skyrim horses, for sure staying

FTA&C- Again, makes things more spicy, but in the event of some group jumping you while traveling

Vigilant- Maybe?? It’s fun as hell but not really in character for Jeer-Tei. Perhaps re-enabled later as an end game thing alongside BS: Atmora whenever that comes out?

Shout- makes cooldowns more bearable so itsa keep

DSF- also a QoL mod

Immersive Movement + More Tavern Idles + Better Jumping + Immersive Encounters

AFT- big traveling groups are always fun/it makes it easier to horde keep all of Skyrim’s dogs

Race Menu + Racial BM SE- falls under “makes Argonians more fun” like some other argonian focused mods I guess? RBM plays around w everyones height and RM just lets you go buck wild (in a sfw way! unless...yknow you got nsf/w mods i guess) doesn’t hurt to specify tho lol

Alternate Convo Camera- Really fun!! Despite it pointing out how short my LDB is

Deadly Dragons- Makes fighting the Dovah much more fun w all the (honestly not as canon) diversity in looks & abilities! Can recommend, not too harsh on older devices either from what I know

Death is Highly Overrated

Play as a Dragon + Monster Race Fix- another hard maybe because well...you turn into a dragon which isn’t too immersive I guess?? Probably another “end game” mod for Tei

MODS IM EYEING/WANT TO GET (this post is so long so far I’m sorry)

Survival Mods!! (iNeed is one I’m looking at & maaaybe Frostfall?? idk i’ll have to see about that one i heard its not too fun for the Argonian gang) P much looking for something that’ll make exploring the wilds of Skyrim less of a bore

Camping + Hunting based mods! I’ve been eyeing Campfire & Hunterborn specifically, but open to any other suggestions. Same reasoning as survival mods, makes it more fun to travel! Plus, I’m going for an in character experience, it would fit Tei!

Khash & Auri follower mods. I’ve been eyeing these two for a bit, but from my experience w adding Kaidan & Lucien late game, I miss a lot of fun stuff D: So I’m planning on nabbing them for a fresh playthrough under S:EC (or at least, Khash! I uh...don’t know how to download mods manually/always mess it up & Auri doesn’t have the option to let Vortex do all the work unfortunately, but we’ll see!)

Maybe some nice armor mods?? Again nothing too heavy to handle but just to add some flavor(tm)

Saw a mod that made Animal AI a bit more realistic, might nab that

long shot but a mod that lets everyone refer to your LDB via they/them pronouns would be cool too but idk feel like it’d be a nightmare to attempt modder wise. Honestly i’d love the idea of having a mod or two that’ll let me confirm that Tei is trans themselves in game (3DNPC has a quest where you can say your character is, but that’s about it to my knowledge)! Buuut I’m unsure to search for any cause: 1) I don’t want to deal w transphobes ruining my searches & my day on Nexus & 2) Any curious google/bing searches keep bringing up Lovers lab & mmmm no thank you.

and uh...so far that’s the base of it? idk im still looking around & I might have to add/drop some things depending on like...how much my current computer can handle, Not grabbing any fancy graphics mods, that’s for sure lol

#skyrim #rambling #i actually have more stuff in the modlist according to vortex but its mainly older disabled versions of enabled mods i've yet to get rid of #also disabled/uninstalled mods i have yet to drop #speaking of fun argonian mods can...can we get one to extend the dragonpriest masks for our snoots please #i feel bad for my guy everytime i put on one of them.....their poor nose.....

[swordbreakerz]

✨ for all of them, 🎥 for treasure planet and guardians of gahoole, 🍀 for 9-1-1 and penumbra, 📃 for unicorn chronicles, 🏳️‍🌈 for howls, treasure planet and legend of zelda, and 💎 for any ones you have facts for lol

you spoil me uwu

🎥 - ok for treasure planet, gotta be the 12 years later scene in the beginning and the zoom in to the spaceport, the way it transitions from jim reading under the blankets to him flying on his solar surfer is so chefs kiss, and just like. everything about to the spaceport lmao, fr guardians definitely the scene where soren flies through the fire and then blows up the pulley system to get rid of the flecks energy, bro when hes flying above it all holding the lantern before he dives down to save them? chills

🍀 - you know im on that projection shit w/ juno steel, ive truly never like connected with a character like that before and he’s really really helped me thru my recovery and transition lol, fr 911 uhhh ig buck or eddie? i havent Thought About It or like consumed it enough times yet to rly settle on someone but fr now,,, they

🏳️‍🌈 - ok for howls, Everyone Is Bi/Pan, howl is trans and autistic and i will die on that hill, fr treasure planet jim and cpt amelia are both trans and both of them + doppler are autistic, fr loz link is trans, autistic and semi nonverbal and communicates primarily with asl, post twilight princess zelda says fuck it and finds a way back into the twilight realm and she midna and link hang out, most of these boil down to everyone i love is trans gay and autistic because i say so lmaooo

📃 - OK SO. without like, spoiling too many plot points, our main character is cara and she lives with her grandmother. her mom is dead and dad is out of the picture. one day theyre getting chased by these people that her grandma knows and cara gets thrown into an alternate realm full of fantasy creatures using her grandmothers amulet. she meets a unicorn named lightfoot and a bunch of other rad people and basically, starts a journey to save that world from the Hunters. the Hunters are an organisation who specifically hate unicorns and want them all dead, led by Beloved, and cara and her friends have to try and stop them from entering the world and wiping them out. its sooo so so good and i highly recommend it cause i have no one to talk to about it please god

✨ - oh boy uh, well. im just gonna like list them out lmao

unicorn chronicles: i loved unicorns as a kid and read it when i was in elementary school, and over the years its remained just as compelling and well written as i remember and like. god the whole concept is so godamn cool and all the subplots that get introduced are fuckign fantastic and like all the different creatures are amazing i literally cant sing its praises enough

howls moving castle: must i have a logical reason? is it not to vicariously live my fantasy of running away to the countryside with a wizard boyfriend, his demon and his apprentice?? for real though, its such a fantastic story with beautiful visuals in the movie and wonderfully compelling prose in the book, and esp in the movie the whole time travel subplot with sophie seeing howl and calcifer in the past and then howl finding her in the future makes me go feral

penumbra: gays in space. need i say more? im a huge slut for gay found family and especially in futuristic space, and im a huge big fan of the lgbt utopia its created. like yeah capitalism sucks but at least im not gonne get misgendered in space starbucks, u kno? all the writing and dialogue is so incredible and the SOUND DESIGN GOD, alex i know u specifically can relate when i say i would kill a man for sophie and her incredible sound design skills, like dude the dance scene in man in glass p2 you can hear every single individual step they take and every swish of junos dress and i jusT !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! god its so good, plus the whole the characters help me work through my trauma and repressed anger haha

911: this one is entirely your fault. so obligatory horny on main everyone on that show is so hot i want oliver stark to cradle me gently in his beefy arms oh my god. other than Men, the way it drives home the whole ‘you can’t save everyone, and it will kill you to try, so just focus on what you can do and keep living’ makes me so emo. the way it tackles big bureaucratic issues as well as closer to home interpersonal ones is amazing and i love how it shows people going through and dealing realistically with trauma.

treasure planet: again, who doesnt want to live in Cool Steampunk Space Travel Future? i really really love jims story and his arc, the way he deals with his trauma is uhh very familiar lol and his relationship with silver is like the ideal. the story is just the coolest concept and i love all the wonderful character design and animation, plus the soundtrack SLAPS and everything is beautiful

legend of zelda: ive been associated with this series from a very young age due to my name and as soon as i gave into my fate and looked it up for real i just kinda fell into it lol. i cant really tell you exactly what draws me to it besides ‘wow fun game!’ and ‘god i wish that were me,’ but like the absurd amount of detail thats put into each installment and the creative ways they retell essentially the same/similar story over and over is incredible

guardians of gahoole: so i had the same experience with this and treasure planet which is i remembered ‘oh hey this is a movie that exists and i cant clearly remember watching it, ill look it up :)’ and then it consumed my life for a solid 3 months. firstly this movie is absolutely gorgeous, the animation and framing is fucking stunning and the way they handled owls talking like people as far as the movement of their very inflexible beaks was amazing. it sort of has the same draw for me as warrior cats? secret animal society ft incredibly traumatic experiences and the characters dealing with it. like, the whole concept is just so fuckign wild and it works so well, i rly enjoy this niche genre.

💎 - alright trivia time, so guardians of gahoole is based on a book series and the movie only covers part of the first arc i think idk, BUT theres another series set in the same universe called wolves of the beyond that i devoured when i was younger! i didnt know they were connected for the longest time and when i found out i was :000, i still rly love wolves of the beyond and wanna reread it, as well as read the actual gahoole books. in the howls books, sophie is a redhead! also, markl is named michael and like a fully functioning young adult who ends up marrying one of sophies sisters. treasure planet is, obviously, based off treasure island but its so much better than the book dont bother reading it lol i tried and it was boring. there was plans for a treasure planet sequel that was fully scripted and cast but it was cancelled cause disney sabotaged treasure planet from the start with the shitty release and advertising and tldr we were ROBBED, also amelias concept was much more octopus like and while that wldve been rad im p glad she was switched to a cat for. several reasons lol. uhh i dont have a lot of Fun Facts abt the unicorn chronicles but for the longest time i thought there were only 3 books and then last year i found the fourth book by chance in a kitsch store and nearly had a breakdown i was so happy, like full on i started shaking and crying cause there was so much joy in my body i cldnt contain it.

thats all i can think of tysm ily, to anyone who read all of this bless u please watch guardians of gahoole and read the unicorn chronicles i will love u forever

#IM LOVE U #friendos #alex #and z answers #astrallouis

[beardyallen]

Well, that went quickly...

What day is it? I’m starting to lose track of how long I’ve been here...

Well, it’s been a week since my last post, and it seems that a lot must have happened, but honestly I feel like I’ve just been cranking through a bunch of comic books.

But I do know that Friday and Saturday involved a good deal excitement, so I guess we had might as well pick up pretty much where we left off!

Last Friday was Orientation for ICB, which meant getting all of the 35-40 instructors, 10 staff members, and the 6-8 people in charge of this program together in a room to introduce us to...basically what we’d been doing all that week. Also, aside from a couple study-abroad-undergrads and my officemate and me, everyone there had probably already heard the spiel.

It was scheduled from 5p-6p with a buffett afterwards, but a bunch of the Communications people from my floor were going out to eat (again?) afterwards, so I made plans with NR. She wanted to try this Mexican restaurant in what I’ll describe as the “international district” of Beijing. Most everything around us when we got there looked like it belonged in literally every metropolitan area in the world. Every major brand you can imagine had a store. Multiple. Too many...

But the Mexican restaurant we visited is owned and managed by a Mexican expat, apparently. He even stopped by our table to ask how the food was, and let me tell you: that quesadilla was the BOMB!!! And the margarita was pretty good (not as good as MHO’C’s, though!). By the time we finished up dinner, it was kind of late, so we wondered around the shopping center, found a bookstore. You know: the usual.

Fun fact: when a store or restaurant wants to indicate to their patrons that they are getting ready to close, they play smooth jazz and turn the lights down. Like for real. Had their not been windows open to the pavilion outside with it’s hundreds of light displays, I would have been seriously concerned when the lights in the place just went out and Kenny G popped up on the speakers.

We entertained the idea of finding the cinema nearby to see Alita Battle Angel, but during the 15 minutes that we spent wondering around in search of the complex, it seemed to elude us. Plus it was getting close to that time when the subway shuts down, and I wasn’t exactly hankering for a taxi ride this early in my stay....if at all.

The next morning, I got up early to meet back up with NR at the National Museum near the Forbidden City. Now, for the most part, the stairs I get don’t bother me. But I will say, if you’re going to stair at the pasty white guy with a hard-to-describe-its-color-accurately-beard, maybe don’t do it when you’re going 15 mph on a bike, facing in the wrong direction! *sigh.....Some people’s kids...

But what really bothered me, especially at the time, was the father-of-three who straight-up filmed me on his phone from 5 feet away for a solid 6 minutes, three hallways, and two escalators! I get it, I’m funny looking. But I really think I a picture would have done just fine...

One of the things that bothered me the most about that experience was that (a) he had a shit-eating grin plastered on his face, (b) his daughters seemed rather embarrassed, (c) he filmed me with the screen aimed at me so I could watch myself on his phone, (d) there was text on the screen, and (e) it went on for a solid 6 minutes.

In hindsight, I was wearing sunglasses and a hat, in a subway system, in the morning, heading to the center of Beijing. Maybe he thought I was a celebrity? I had spoken to a Communications graduate student the other day who happens to be black, and he told me the story of how a citizen here pull out their phone with a picture of Samuel L. Jackson on it, and gestured to him as it to ask if it were him...even though SLJ is for sure at 70 years old and this kid is no more than 35. And he looks 25. #smh

Anyway, after dealing with whatever the hell that was, I got to visit the museum! They, for whatever reason, were not allowing people to bring their charging blocks into the museum (external battery that you can use to charge your cell phone and other devices on-the-go), but more surprising to me was just how many people carried one with them! At least, it was surprising until I took a moment to think about it. As I’ve mentioned before, basically every payment made in Beijing is through WeChat, which needs internet access, so I guess it shouldn’t be too surprising. You also really can’t navigate through the city with some sort of Maps app; there are just too many bus routes, train routes, terminals and stops to keep logged in your head.

As far as the museum itself goes, the gifts to China from foreign governments exhibit and the Ancient China exhibit themselves took most of the day. Also, no surprise: the gift that took up the most floor space was given by a U.S. President. I also got a refresher in 8th Grade Social Studies. Too many small countries to remember all of them, and that space made me feel somewhat moronic.

The Ancient China exhibit was exceptional, though. They broke up the last, oh...750,000 years of human-ish life in China into 8-10 separate eras, the first few cataloguing the life and evolution of Homo erectus pekinensis into Homo sapien, while the latter eras were segregated dynastically. I’ve never seen the progression of human evolution laid out in such detail! The rock tools became better rock tools, then pottery and paper, stamps, buildings and so much more! There were even ceremonial helmets that would put the Juggernaut to shame!

It was strange, though, to have all of this knowledge just beyond my fingertips both literally and figuratively. The literal sense isn’t too shocking, as I’ve been to a museum before and know not to touch the pieces, but to have placards written in a language that would take years to learn was frustrating. Fortunately, NR has a never-ending supply of patience, and she translated much of the text. She even quizzed me on several of the characters. I’ve worked out how to write “rock” for sure.

After the museum, we wondered over to a nearby mall that, honestly, puts the Mall of America to shame. No joke. This place was huge! It just kept going and going and going! There was a particular alley that has all of the “exotic foods” that you might see on The Amazing Race, which I haven’t tried yet but intend to, but the rest is mostly-outdoor shopping center. Our reason for being there was to find food (we had been in the museum for a bit over 7 hours), and then sit our fine asses down in a movie theater to watch Alita.

We found a restaurant that served food traditionally found where NR grew up. It was exceptional. And the beer just made it better. :P

The movie experience was something else entirely. I’ve gotten used to watching television and movies with subtitles so that, when people decide to talk to me, I can follow along with both bits. Or if people are just talking near me while I’m watching television, I don’t have to rewind the show. That helped a lot; the movie was still spoken in English, but there were Chinese subtitles. I recognized the Chinese character for “1″ frequently enough, but that was about it.

The movie itself was way more than I expected. I shouldn’t be surprised, given that one of the primary characters is played by Christoph Waltz. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should definitely consider it.

Also, additional fun fact: I’m thinking that most (if not all) showings of major motion pictures here are in 3D. *shrug* Side note: we’re going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow and I’M SO FREAKIN’ EXCITED!!!!

After the movie, we wandered back to the subway station and parted ways mid-subway-ride to head home. The next day I spent playing Kingdom Hearts 3 and sipping some beer in the 3rd Floor Lounge. All day. It was blissful.

This workweek has consisted of four main things: teaching responsibilities, a bit of dissertation work, trying out another one of the cafeterias on campus, and reading comic books. Oh, and beer. But that kind of goes without saying, doesn’t it? There’s a convenience store on the other side of the building in front of the Guest House that has cans of beer. You can buy them individual for 3 yuan, or roughly 45 cents. I won’t lie to you: I bought 12 of them and it didn’t cost me more than 6 bucks. And it’s really not bad, and even more convenient than the liquor store I lived by in Denver.

Anyway, as I said, I’m going to see Captain Marvel tomorrow, then to “W-Town” (originally Watertown...so glad they shortened it...) in northern Beijing, which sits at the base of part of the Great Wall. More than 20 people from ICB will be heading up to their on Saturday, so I imagine one of them will take pictures. Probably ML or S. So you’ll have those to look forward to since you know I won’t be taking any!

Oh!!! I almost forgot the biggest thing that happened this week! Actually, it might be the biggest news of my entire stay!!!

I did laundry.

And I washed my slippers. I’m not convinced that they’ve stopped smelling, but I’m holding out hope that I’ve finally figured out how to resolve an issue that I know humanity has been seriously struggling with for decades. I’m on the verge of a breakthrough, people, I swear!

Anyway, time to finish this beer, read a bit more of Scott Lynch’s Republic of Thieves (WE FINALLY FIND OUT ABOUT SABETHA!!!!), and head to bed. Big couple of days ahead...

Sláinte,

BeardyAllen

P.S. I bet you thought I was gonna forget! After class on Wednesday, I worked out how to make a phone call from here to the States to wish my Mom a Happy BIrthday. Caught her at work, and we got to chat for a good long while. It really put a nice cap on my evening, and it seemed it gave her a good start to her day. Anyway, I hope you had a great evening, found something nice at C&B and enjoyed that glass of wine you mentioned! Love you!!

[cheswirls]

i thought abt sy for an extended period tonight and like always i have a lot of mixed feelings that i am choosing this tim eto.. write down, instead of overthinking solely in my head. this might get long jsyk

its p set in stone now that im gonna rewrite sy. the immediate problem is if i start now, or at any point before ive finished it once through, then ill jus run into the same problems im going thru rn. i dont know when i started thinking srsly abt this besides some point last year, but its made me so unmotivated to even touch sy. im constantly teetering between 'yea this is solid, or at least, good' and thinking its such a giant mess. sometimes the messy aspect overrides my ability to see the good points entirely. sometimes this leaves me thinking, well then, why should i even continue?

but not in a im-done-w-it kinda way, i love sy so much. its more like. like ive decided this version is so unfixable and i need to start over, and ive held myself back for a long time bc, again, its not gonna work unless i know exactly whats gonna happen from start to finish, and bc i dont outline (and esp for sy, when i jus go w the flow and write what i want on the spot, in large chunks, too) that points only gonna come when i get around to finishing sy, which is still a long time off.

i guess ive jus bogged myself down w this. knowing that im writing for smth that im gonna go back andf scrap/change. i didnt think it mattered bc i have so much fun writing sy, but over time ive come to realize thats probably the main reason i havent really written anything for it in a long time. i keep telling myself to embrace that sy #1 is gonna be messy and imperfect and written how i want in the heat of the moment but i havent fully accepted it either.

like. its bc im the author, and im so glad ppl love sy like i do, but every time i look i jus see so many problems. i keep wanting to try and fix things in successive portions and this leads to a Long process of me having to read the entirety of sy before i start writing to refresh myself, and sometimes i spend so long doing that that when im through the motivation is gone.

im gonna jump all over the place here but. so basically i write whatever the hell i want for sy and make it cohesive to the overall plot. thats why theres so many "fluff" scenes that rly hold no base value?? bc i could remove a whole lot and still have to read well, and by "fix" i dont mean get rid of/condense, bc at the end of the day im writing sy entirely for me like its self-indulgence to the absolute max. and i wanted a fic that showed a lot of 'down time', like everyday life, like nothing, normal scenes that dont matter in the grand scheme but are fun to write and cute to read bc I Care Them and also like. if you ship sa youre already desperate for content so why not More??

thats part of the self-indulgent, it-doesnt-matter mindset ive adapted for this version of sy. if i want to condense, i can do it in another version. right now i am having fun

but also i know its a mess. ik i started posting chapters around oct 19 and i started rewriting initial scenes early that summer and ive had a very old gdoc i think didnt/doesnt even have a proper title (like sad sa or smth) even before that, like this fic is very Not old news. i started a tumblr draft that is now suuuuper long for notes on scenes and w/e i want to add eventually, i think back around the end of 19 again, and its sorta in chrono order but its also Not an outline. i delete scene drabbles/notes from it once ive written them proper to clear space and there is So Much happening between each one. the last time there was a good 40 or so pages between one scene id thought up n jotted down points for and another that was a sentence or two of explanation. i dont have smth to follow where i go down the list n knock each off. i rly only reference the top few from that draft when im writing so ik what, theoretically, i should have happen before another, and if i vibe w it ill write it between what im writing in the moment. sometimes i know the beginnings of the next scene and start writing and then come up as i go and never look at notes or anything and then i have 5-10k. outlining wouldnt work. but that also means when i get stuck w what should happen next i Rly get stuck and end up letting it sit for forever.

i keep saying this and never get to why so heres WHY i think sy is, not bad necessarily, but jus messy. i write in the heat of the moment and dont follow up. or i forget abt it. or i dont forget but i dont know how to resolve so i ignore it. except i dont rly ignore it bc its like a nagging, like i want to let it alone but my minds like uh eventually you gotta address this plot point you brought up

sy is also a major fic where i am super critical while writing and then once i let it Sit n read it back over im like oh, wait, why did i have a problem w this?? this looks good. then icoe back again (usually after ive. posted it online hrgrigwr) and am like Oh my god why does this not make sense/not read write/why didnt i edit/change this like. im so guilty ESP in sy or writing smth i KNOW isnt good jus to move on n promise to fix it later and then i Dont fix it?? ig what im saying is im guilty of not editing as harshly as needed, which rly only matters to me in the end since, again, sy is pre self indulgence. i have been typing for over half an hour wow okay i thought this was gonna take like 10m.

i kinda have/have not accepted that i have things i introduce that i wont think abt following up on, and part of that is irritating bc i want this version of sy to be unforgettable and not such a giant mess and my opinion since 2019 has jus changed so entirely. i thought i was going in knowing what i wanted, and now im like, oh well, i can figure out what i want when i rewrite. if i decide to cut, like, some underlying symbolism that needs to be addressed more than once or twice to stick/make sense, then i can! in vers #2. basically im trying to accept that current!sy is going to have loose threads and not be this amazing thing like i want it to be. im basically writing a rough draft and posting it for the world to see. when i get done im sure ill b supr excited to Be Done but also i know when i have everything written, when i have an ending, when i have everything on the table, that its gonna be so rewarding to piece together every little subplot and symbolic thing and repetitive stuff and tie it all together so concisely. i cant do that w sy #1. sometimes i get so excited to write sy #2 and think of how far off it is or the fact that i gotta get thru #1 and then i am not excited anymore.

but i do think abt it. when i came up w a new title (poss the same day i decided on a new scene 1?? poss diff day iunno) was when i p much solidified, alright, this is happening. that was last year. i was thinking tonight that i havent touched sy seriously since nov 20, or at least the end of that year, but then ik ive written so much for this one giant chapter and ik i took a break between thanksgiving and starting to write it bc unnecessarily i hyped myself up that when i finally got to the point i could start it, it was jus so daunting. like i couldnt believe id finally reached that series of points from my notes.

that was def before my surgery, so its probably almost been a year since ive actively written anything new for sy. i have struggled So Much w this chap bc i have to get to to a midpoint and its feeling like a chore to work my way up to it. while still making everything make sense. which is another thing. when i first started i told myself sy was gonna be like soul eater in the sense that i wanted everything from the past to be explained by actions in the present. lmao that didnt make sense basically for those that dont know se, there are no flashbacks. yoiu learn abt characters thru what they actively do in the story and what they choose to explain to others and what ppl comment abt them. i dont think its been hard per se but i rely a lot on flashbacks in my writing so w/o them its been harder to define things. ive already broken this rule a couple times n i have notes on a few other scenes in the past already which again ties into the whole, why dont you jus rewrite it how you want to??

the problem w that also is. wait ill get to that so no flashbacks. to go along w this i told myself that if i didnt wanna explain smth i didnt have to. a good example of this is ace's major, which i didnt specify bc it Wasnt Relevant/Didnt Matter, right, and if it doesnt matter then why should i waste time thinkin abt it? (it actually does matter now, surprisingly. i dont think its a plot point but its v touching n theres sentimentality behind it n its gonna b good) another example is a combo of these two, where im like okay so, im not writing the past n it doesnt matter bc theyre living in the present n im gonna have them work thru things in the present. xcept im not??? im not good at this ig. im realizing more and more that it matters, that i need more of a backstory than i think even if it never gets brought up if only for the fact that ill know more abt sy!sabo n sy!ace at the end of the day. like i keep saying, sabo does this and thinks like this, and has for a long time, but theres not a Reason attached to it. thats a big thing i decided to leave to sy #2 while also thinking i need some form of it in #1 as well. things i decided didnt matter suddenly Matter, now.

i feel like i say things then take them back, or have someone act this way and do things another. like there is no In Character. again this is ONLY gonna be fixed when i have everything written. im not gonna b so wishywashy in #2. but its killing me that i am now. and its making it difficult to write scenes when i dont know what a char should be doing, or when i end up writing them doing smth that doesnt make sense for them, and then that bypasses the Lite Editing. i am confusing myself and im the Author, like i know what happens next, at least in the long run,so i Know im leaving others hella confused and i dont like that either.

its been an hr and im still not done god what is life. maybe i needed to do this more than i thought

i love sy and i want this to be the op fic im known for, but if that doesnt happen until the revised, 2nd version, that is absolutely okay. ive had a new title for a bit, after being wishywashy abt it and deciding i prolly needed to distance myself from sy after getting thru it. tonight after thinking again abt how weird the new abb was gonna be i had a Thought and now i have a sub-title after going so long thinkin i wouldnt, for the new version, and the entire thing is an acronym that i am super excited to be able to share one day. for now i feel like i gotta put it somewhere besides my phone so heres to sy 2 one day: sys(tem) [for future ref this was gonna be (to even me) but then i thought of smth even Better that actually reads well n makes sense so!! hahaha now instead of calling it sys i can call it. system. if i end up changing it i will absolutely share this title]

i said when i first posted ch1 that i didnt have an ending but i knew sy was gonna b super long and that still holds. i know in theory what the last thing i have planned is but i dont know if thats where the storys gonna end. i jave a lot to address and i wanna do sy justice in some capacity which means tying up some of the main loose ends. i cant say for certain if they (all) will be at that point in the story. i wasnt kidding when i said sy was gonna b a thing for a long time

ill make this official (or maybe ill change my plan entirely by then) when i post the last ch of sy on ao3 but. putting here for posterity also since im rambling abt system thoughts maybe if i get it all outta the way i can leave it alone for a while. my plan is to finish uploading sy. then write system entirely. all of it. before posting. maybe in parts?? by that i mean breaks between updates. maybe all at once. when i do im gonna private sy bc that keeps comments intact while still hiding it from public view since itll basically be the same story as system, jus under a diff name. so the order is finish system>private sy>post system. i do not know how long this will take so sy could be up years before system is ready. i jus felt like i should warn ppl so if anyone wanted to like, download or save or w/e before its gone, or like jus generic warning before sy disappears. ik system will be the superior vers but also sy isnt bad n i dont wanna withhold it from ppl that wanna read it while system is in circulation

also ive decided none of this short chapter stuff. i dont even write sy divided at all n have such a hard time figuring out where to break sections for ao3 chaps. i thought it was gonna be fun naming chapters too but it was for for all of 2 maybe 3 and then it got to be such a chore. system chaps re gonna be massive and there will be far less of them. the first scene is going to be new content. the 2nd scene will be the 1st of sy. i feel like i can post the entirely in one go and be done? but also there will be SO much in each chap that i can also get away w spacing them out a lil. system isnt gonna be Just Like sy, but Rewritten, so i might not wanna post all at once bc that gives the impression that its basically the same?? at least i feel. system is gonna be sy Improved. if that makes sense. i feel like when ppl (n me) do rewrites its updating everything to newer writing. like rewriting the same thing you wrote 5 yrs ago is not gonna be different fundamentally but it will read a lot better bc youve had 5 years to grow/improve. system is not going to be like that. its the fix to sy. its making things more comprehendible. i started before 1 and its 230 :'c

i am. glancing over the draft bc i have no self control so one more point. i have a 'slowly reveal over time' list and Half of these ar things i dont know how to address properly. or where theyre going at the end of the day. so like, when sy is done, i can go back in system and introduce them properly AND THEN carry them properly throughout the story. theres only One on here thats gonna b one of those unforgettable twists that im p sure defines the midpoint of the fic, and thats gonna be a spoiler for system but also i think its gonna be one of those fun things where youll catch all the hints if you know going in, so its gonna be fun too. otherwise the others are all gonna benefit from being handled better the 2nd time around.

ok if i do have prelim stuff for system its somewhere else n i dont have time to dig (nor do i want to) - if you read thru this whole rant bless you. heres a reward: the next chap of sy is the first big turning point of the story. i am super excited to post it. i am still going to wait n hold myself to finishing the 2nd half before posting the 1st half. i feel like writing the 2nd half in full will contextualize things better and ill end up going back to change things in pt 1 so i dont wanna post it then say Sike, Read It Again. i am so excited tho. i think? ive been away for long enough that it wont be so hard to start writing it again, i jus cant now lmao. i kept myself from touching it during school and overloaded myself during winter break and thats spilled into spring term. i write so much all at once n i cant rly afford to write for sy now so its still gonna be prolly until summer/may, but like i think the length of pt1/2 back to back will make up for it.

this is all jus throwing out my struggles n why things have been so slow. there are so many things i cant wait to get to in sy. my interest hasnt died at all. (and then even after its done, ill still have more to look forward to)

also im highkey not tagging this w anything if u find it n its relevant to u good for u i guess

[bigbrothernetflix-st]

EPISODE TWO

“I'm starting to feel more comfortable with my position in the game.” - dem

HOH: Josh C UPSIDE DOWN: Nick & Joshua NOMINEES: Emma & Nash POV: N/A FINAL NOMINEES: N/A EVICTED: Dem (Expelled)

EMMA

I been struggling in this game which is sad i want to have fun but yesterday made me feel like maybe having a meltdown and leaving 90 percent of servers was a good idea for me i really hope not i just really want to have fun and win for some reasons i always have trouble prejury in games trying to find my footing but at jury and late prejury i always know how to rise ASDFGH the people i really like rn are Jakey loml jev loml aria queen saira queen and also joshua is easy to talk too!!! nathan is also great

DEM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSgjyUhGTng

NASH

i simply think men should stop winning hoh and trying to nom me. its week 2 go target someone else j*sh. jev and i are cool now though <3 love him

DEM

I'm starting to feel more comfortable with my position in the game. I think I'm not in anyone's bad graces so far, which is good. But I really need to win one of these next HoH's so secure my social relationships. My plan moving forward is to see win HoH's. I want to win the next to HoH's I'm eligible in back to back. I also want to try to secure my relationships with Gina, Jev, and Jake. Those are three people I want to be close with in this game. Also maybe Joshua? He's pretty cool and chill.

SAIRA

I'm still getting a sense of how the game works but I feel pretty good, there are some people that are much easier to talk to than others but everyone is still so nice! i feel good about josh c as hoh! we get along pretty well and I don't THINK im in any danger but you never know! imma be honest, I don't have an actual plan, i'm mostly playing this by ear, just talking to people, bullying beck when the chance arises, and being myself! 

JOSH C

HELLO GIRLIES!

well, we won HOH and that's really EXCITING. i probably didn't need to win this week but i figured that i'd get a win under my belt while nominating people would still be EASY. i can establish trust with some people and get a "i didn't nom you, please don't nom me" situation going on. i also feel like the two people i'm going to nominate would have NOMMED me anyways because we just haven't talked..

who those people are? nash & emma. (vl don't hate me for only nominating women i didn't want it to come to this either)

but i just.. both of them have really only put in any effort to talk to me now that i'm HOH and i don't really LOVE that tbh. i've already told a few people that's who i'm thinking so i kind of accidentally locked myself in on these noms because there isn't any sense in throwing out more names than i have to!!

i have an alliance with kiki, brianna, jacob, jake, and aria. (i think that's the people in it? i wanna say that's right. LKFMSDG love this game for me) and i feel pretty good in that because i like all of them enough and they're people that will watch out for ME and each other. but i know my social connections go beyond that so i'm feeling pretty good with my spot in the game? i have a solid relationship with almost everyone in the game and i think i should be able to play a cute lil utr game for a few weeks. i don't think that i'll get targeted first if my alliance gets outed and if so.. i have ENOUGH faith in my comp strength and relationships to save me against MOST of the cast.

people kind of want me to nominate DEM because apparently he starts drama with people and has been a bit inactive. he's talked with me more than other people so im not super keen on throwing him on the block RIGHT AWAY but i'm thinking he's a good replacement nom because if people think he's MIA then no one other than him will be upset with me. maybe a backdoor? could be spicy..

i don't really know what else to say here so.. i hope this is enough! love u guys <3

BRIANNA

https://youtu.be/mJw3qxsZ-Bg

JEV

Okay so I feel like pretty comfortable this week because me and Josh have gotten pretty close and bonded over our mutual love of Lucas HOWEVER he's just let me know he's gonna be nominating Nash and Emma which isn't GREAT since I'm in alliances with both of them and they're the only 2 alliances I have so I really wouldn't want to see either of them go home this week, this SUCKS ASS

JAKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2xRQqqax8

ARIA

how is it ONLY week 2 i feel so hecking exhausted fhsabfd, but that might also be the fact that is 2 am so,,,oop. Um okay recap time!!!! Recaps are so hard because theres minor details that i still want to note without seeming super annoying so heres a minor list of things im noticing 

-Dem wants to "start playing the game" I told this to Jake (wish i could bold names ugh)

-Gina & dem told me they were gunning hard for hoh- i told nathan/monty/nick/,,,,and someone else this

-emma feels unconnected from cast

-Jake doesnt like Gina

-Josh likes Me Jev Kiki (told joshua)

-emma knows alliances are starting to form

-joey can get pwr hungry and chaotic + good comp ability

-told gnia my thoughts on the sides being "connected v unconnected" and other tidbits of info

-GIna (potentially joshua) doesnt like nash

-Nathan/Nash ARE CLOSE!!!!! WEE FUCKING WOO!!!!

-Told Jake that Jacob has the power (and the bs excuse he told gina pretending he doesnt have it,,,sure jan)

-jake is GREAT at lowering his threat lvl im sick

-Jev-Josh-Nathan-Nash all bonded p well on vc potentially an alliance

-jake tried to get gina nominated

-Emma Nash noms

-Jake doesnt want emma to leave

So,,,thats what you missed on GLEE! Honestly glee sucks but yeah thats all my info i would weave everything together with cute transitions but im TIRED and lots of this information doesnt really connect well so,,,have a bullet list! 

okok nvm heres some general thoughts bc JUST a bullet point list is so boringgg im honestly not too sure what i want to do this week bc i think emma doesnt have a lot of people (although she has jake apparently,,,she might just be putting up a front of being unconnected ffs) so i would rather keep her around based on our relationship alone esp compared to nash whose been busy w/ irl things to reply i think (nash would prob do gr8 in old school bb,,,but new school is a whole other beast) HOWEVER!!! I need to protect gina who isn't the best conversationalist (sorry bb ily but its true <3) and keeping nash around ensures people have another "inact" target besides her but also nash is such a god connection for people like nathan and jacob and i would rather get her out sooner than later before we have another renee on our hands ...

Also i havent talked to the pasio peeps (omg if we ever make an alliance,,,that should be the name hehe) in a while and idk if theyre distancing themselves or if theyre just busy fndsjafd god im too paranoid for this game its awful. Also i think i mentioned the alliance with josh kiki bri jake jacob last time and it still isnt made and im PRAYINGGG it never gets made bc i have SUCH an awful feeling like SIX FUCKING PEOPLE??? S I X?? THAT IS GOING TO FAIL AND BLOW UP!!!! but i cant say no to an alliance so here i fucking am :/ also im trying to think of my longevity in this game and like,,, idk im nervous. I mean ive mentioned going to the end with multiple people but i have such a bad feeling im gonna go out 9/10 as a big move and i REFUSE to let that shit happen, not on my fucking watch no sir!! Not sure what to do about it yet but i feel like monty in particular doesnt trust me and i need his ass OUT! or maybe not if he comes around but like??? sir pls talk to me- i mean this phase of the game is early im setting up the pawns for later, but before later theres gonna be a couple explosions of my game which i'll have to deal with,,, or maybe not actually i mean in my first org i did a really well mastermind game with it- nvm it did explode on me once FDBSHFDS yeah so theres gonna be an explosion period but i think im getting good at dealing w/ the backlash from it and reintegrating myself..

oh also yeah im safe this week lol

anyway sorry for rambling so much LMAO have a trust ranking!

1.Gina (MY QUEEN!!!!!!!! i LOVE her!)

-BIG BIG FUCKING GAP-

2.Jake (listen,,,my thoughts go back and forth but he did tell me the noms so,,,have some rights)

3.Saira (we never talk game but i dont think she talks with anyone about game beyond maybe nick and also shes nice and im a sucker for nice girls)

4.Emma (if this isnt all just a front shes gonna make a great number for me,, might need to fact check some of her statements tho)

5.Joshua (honestly? i love him hes so funny and i think he has my back although he could be more act)

6.Nathan (literally havent talked in 3 days but also i have a soft spot for him <3)

-GAP-

sorry the Js are just kinda scary lmao JFNSDKF

7.Nick (!! we gotta an actual connection folks!! heck yeah!)

8.Josh c (im safe! but he D E F trusts others more than me such as Joshua and Jacob)

9.Jev (honestly a king but hes a little quiet although his reccs are the BOMB)

10.Jacob (i know youre being sneaky,,,idk what youre being sneaky with but im getting the vibes)

11.Dem (might be weird but i think he trusts me? at least a little bc he ranted about losing to me so O.0)

12.Brianna (youre adorable and deserve the world but everyone likes you,,,is this how people view me omg fhsabfhds)

13.Kiki (youre SO hecking sweet and actually u probs have a connections to nash but we havent talked ANY game yet)

14.Nash (p,,p-please talk to me uwu)

15.Joey (i dont trust you at ALL! Why? good question-)

was that mean? sorry in advance ilyall but also its 3 am brain empty no filter

NASH

i think jev and nathan might end up being good allies of mine (inb4 betrayal)! despite the mistake he made nomming me, talking to jev has been lovely so far he's getting me into loona LMFAO. and i just love nathan's energy & i feel like as the season goes on i can see him winning comps. i'm excited :3 hope josh c does not end my existence this week

JOEY

I feel FANTASTIC about Josh being HoH. I’m making sure that others are coming to me about gameplans, and I’m making sure I don’t come off as too pushy or aggressive in PMs. With most of the players, I’m trying to give them all the same energy and hype. It seems kinda weird to say this, but I’m not concerned about being nominated at this point. What I need to ensure is building my social relationships with people outside the “Crackhouse”, and yes that big ol friend group moved to Discord in 20 minutes like 6 months ago. 

This is the first major game I’ve ever played with Skinny Nick(yes, I’m absolutely confused as to what to call them, I’m so used to calling Nick “Eve” that its going to take time to adjust.) Speaking of Nick, my social relationship with him is actually surprisingly similar. In the past, I felt as though it would be as “on-sight” as Tom & Jerry, and it actually isn’t turning out that way, which is surprisingly refreshing. Every day, I’m making sure I send Nick something different to diversify my social game with them. Yesterday, I asked Nick about his preferred streaming services for music and TV, and I discovered we have the same music service(Apple Music).

I’ve played one game with Monty before, but it was a disaster. We were in pairs, and it felt like we were on different planets. I did tell him to not worry about personal feelings when it comes to this game, because I compared the relationship of BB Netflix and the Crackhouse to the separation of church and state. I made that comparison because the two entities of church and state should never cross, but when they do it becomes disastrous, and I feel as though that same principle applies to this game.

Overall, I feel good, Emma may be going up on the block, but it shouldn’t affect me that much. We’re in the early stage, I want to make sure I’m good with everyone.

ARIA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFeox7LM1-E

JAKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLkZ-BIIjTU

HOUSE MEETING

https://youtu.be/BZMorvWvyKY

HOST WEEKLY CAST ASSESSMENT WEEK 1 & 2

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vc-iMpkfrdw&list=PLFEwPPy8j010XXwntq80VSU0qLNTNpSIN&index=3&t=0s

#bbnetflix st

[f-nodragonart]

I was wondering what you thought about heavily stylized/cartoon dragons that are done well. Are there any in particular that you applaud? Cartoons are meant to be a little loose with anatomy so I was wondering which dragons caught your eye.

in general, I fuckin ADORE stylized dragons done well! despite what y’all may think, I actually prefer well-executed stylization over strict realism– I’m just strict w/ anatomy on here b/c that’s kinda my job, haha. I’m a lot more lenient when it comes to things I’m just enjoying in my personal time

now lemme think, specific examples….

I think Toothless specifically from HTTYD is a rly good example. I know I’m biased for him, but I rly do think he’s an excellent, unique design. I also say Toothless specifically and not HTTYD dragons in general b/c he differs from a lot of the other designs in certain respects that make him a lot more realistic/reasonable and generally more aesthetically pleasing to me. for example, his eyes are set solidly in his skull rather than sticking out like in the Monstrous Nightmare, and his teeth are reasonably pointed for a fish-eating creature rather than curved in all sorts of absurd directions like in the Deadly Nadder. also, since his claws are rly small and don’t seem to be used for much in the way of prey capture or climbing, it’s easy for me to just read them as stubby claws, unlike w/ other dragons’ longer “claw-toes” that obnoxiously bend on their own. beyond Toothless, I think the next-best design in HTTYD is Cloudjumper (as far as I can remember w/o looking up a whole list of all the canon species anyways, lmao)

Jake Long’s dragon forms in American Dragon always struck me as decently well-executed. I gave some deeper thoughts on them here, but basically they could be improved in terms of mass distribution and some slight consideration for underlying anatomy (hips specifically), but I still like the designs a lot

I absolutely ADORE that one style featured in Dragonology– y’know, this one. something abt the gangly bodies, loose-skin decorative frills, swoopy-swirly designs, hatch-work shading approach– it’s all so appealing! I’ve still got my gripes abt the anatomy, but I can’t help but love the designs anyways

the Wings of Fire dragons were always very pretty to me, tho I still have yet to read the books aha. that solid/sharp linework, and those vibrant palettes?? to die for honestly. while they do have some problems, something abt their designs makes it easy for me to miss their mistakes at first glance

despite how wonky the designs are, I kinda love the Dragon Booster designs. again, nostalgic bias may be at work here, but I rly do think they’ve got some fun, unique designs

scrolling thru some of my past reviews, I’m reminded that these dragons from BOTW are fuckin excellent, I’m still in love. this dragon from DOTA is also super pretty. the Dragonadopter designs were, to quote myself, surprisingly decent, and rather cute. THESE GUYS FROM WALLYKAZAM ARE ADORABLE I WOULD DIE FOR THEM. Mushu from Mulan is also p well-executed, though he doesn’t totally fit the style of the rest of the movie..

I think that’s abt all I can think of rn. other mods have any thoughts?

sidenote: before anyone asks me why Flight Rising wasn’t included, I actually don’t think I can put FR on this list in good conscience? yes, I absolutely love the FR designs, despite all their faults, but in terms of well-executed stylization? I rly can’t give them that. I think part of it is the fact that they’re stylized in a “realistic” manner– it’s easy to excuse anatomical mistakes/warping in a flat/cartoony design, but it’s a lot harder to ignore anatomy mistakes when the dragon in question has detailed muscular definition.. not only that, but even putting aside comparisons to real-world anatomy, FR just isn’t consistent in its own setting? some dragons have wings above their front leg shoulders while some don’t, some dragons have improper foreshortening while some don’t, etc. etc. thus, I can’t even rly judge it based on its own arbitrary anatomical rules

-Mod Spiral

#ask #mod spiral #reviews #kinda #anonymous

[tsgmainlinephiladelphia]

HOST: YOUR LOCAL HOME FURNISHINGS DESTINATION WHERE IT’S ALL IN THE DETAILS

Indulge with me for a moment and take a step back in time down memory lane. I vividly recall being a child and my parents packing my sisters and me in the wagon, and heading off for weekend adventures to go “furniture shopping.” I use the word adventure, because that is what it was back then. One year it would be the family room that we would refurnish, another year the living room, then slowly each bedroom and beyond. But with each excursion it was always about going to the local furniture stores where we knew the associates by first name, and they knew us. It was about relationships. It was about understanding my parent’s sense of style and interests. It was about educating us on quality and all the intricate details that went into each piece of furniture that my parents would purchase. I loved every minute of it, and I still do. It’s why I love being the editor of a publication that solely supports local businesses and local business owners who are still creating authentic and unique experiences for us to choose to be a part of within our communities. In a world where we have the choice to either shop online, or look for the best “deal” at a big box store, or support our local businesses to keep our communities thriving, I will go with our local businesses each and every time. One of those businesses that truly brings me back to those vivid weekend adventures is HOST Interiors. A stunning furniture store located in both Chestnut Hill and Ardmore. From the moment you walk into their showrooms, you are warmly greeted by a lovely staff of highly experienced associates to help guide you in whichever direction you are in need of with ease and comfort. I had the opportunity to sit down and speak with Sarah Ries, owner of HOST, to learn more about what makes her business so special and why we should all continue to support the local footprint of our main street businesses such as HOST.   

What is the most rewarding element to being a local business owner in both Ardmore and Chestnut Hill?

I have deep roots in both communities. I grew up in Mt. Airy and moved to Villanova when I was in high school. The first apartment I shared with my husband is right around the corner from the Ardmore store, and our home is now around the corner from the Chestnut Hill location. It has been very rewarding to contribute to the business districts in both of the communities that have been such an important part of my life. I am proud to be a small business owner and of the services we provide to our customers. The support and loyalty of the communities has been absolutely key to our success, and we are so grateful to be part of the fabric and vitality of “Main Street”.

What kind of experience do you strive to create for each of your customers who visit HOST?

We really want our customers to enjoy the process of selecting furniture for their home. This should be a fun and an exciting endeavor. It is important that they feel comfortable, relaxed, and inspired by the surroundings of the showroom. We offer assistance that is friendly, professional, knowledgeable, and most importantly, low pressure. So many people dread furniture shopping because they have had experiences with pushy, overbearing, and generally unhelpful sales people. At HOST we aim to make every customer who walks through our doors feel welcome and supported in whatever stage of shopping they are in, whether they are just beginning to look and gather ideas or if they are ready to finalize their choices and order. Purchasing custom furniture is a process that can take time and requires multiple decisions. Having someone to guide you through that, with patience and knowledge, and who will truly take the time to help you discover your style while pulling together something exceptional that your family will love for years to come is our ultimate goal!

What are some of the top pieces that you are carrying in the store right now that you simply love?

The Cole Swivel Chair is our most popular chair, and people are just wild about the swivel right now. Customers simply love this chair due to its great proportions and comfort, along with its beautiful appearance. It is a smaller scale chair but it comes standard with a down seating package so you get that big club chair comfort without the oversized look. The Cole Swivel chair has simple, classic styling that looks fantastic in any fabric such as prints, solids, stripes, leathers. This chair can mix seamlessly into a more traditional or more modern room that creates a versatility that our customers love. Available in a stationary version if anyone so desires. 

The Soho Sectional is another favorite from our upholstered collection. The Soho has lots of interesting configuration options. If you need something on the smaller size it will work, or you can grow it into a large piece to maximize seating. This piece also has simple, classic styling but with the addition of a shelter arm and an exposed wood stretcher base you really get a very distinctive and refined style. It comes standard with a bench seat which is something our customers are really gravitating towards right now.  It gives you a nice clean look that is not chopped up by individual seat cushions. Topstitching on the cushions in place of welting adds to the clean, tailored appearance. Like the Cole Swivel Chair this piece can also live happily in a more traditional home or a more modern space. There are many custom options for the cushions on the Soho so it is easy to get the perfect comfort level for each individual customer.  

Why shop at HOST rather than the big furniture stores?

We believe that we give our customers an experience they will not be able to find with an online retailer or a big box/national chain store. The first and most basic reason to come into HOST when you are shopping for furniture is that we are offering two showrooms filled with classic, stylish, comfortable pieces that you can sit on and try out. We have many customers who have purchased furniture online only to find themselves out shopping, trying to replace it because the comfort and quality were not as expected. We will help you get it right the first time, so that you don’t waste time or money.

Beyond that you are going to find the staff at HOST are knowledgeable and passionate about home furnishings and design. We are going to give you a true boutique shopping experience that you will not find in a box store, as we have your best interest at heart that doesn’t involve working off of commissions. Since HOST mixes furnishings from several different manufacturers we can help you get a more unique and custom look for your home than you will get at a national retailer who is only interested in selling their line. Our goal is to help you find your interior style, what works for you and your family, and for the way you want to live.  With all the custom options we have access to, we will make your home a true reflection of you, not a cookie cutter catalog page with no true heart and soul.

We have carefully selected our lines for their quality and craftsmanship. All of our custom upholstery is made in the USA by skilled artisans. We have toured the factories and seen the people who are building our furniture. We have seen the care and the expertise that goes into each piece. Mass produced items do not have the same level of quality or the end result of such high levels of tailoring, beauty and comfort.  

The other thing that is very important to HOST, which you will not find with our competitors, is the environmental impact of what we are doing. When you buy furniture that is mass produced overseas with less regulation and lower standards of construction, you will find yourself replacing it frequently. Our furniture is built to last, and all frames are lifetime warrantied. You will have your furniture for years to come, reducing your environmental footprint. In addition to the overall longevity of the pieces, our manufactures are at the forefront of eco-friendly manufacturing, utilizing soy based technologies and reducing petroleum based products. Additionally, they are focused on eliminating toxic chemicals from the manufacturing processes using 100% recycled fibers from plastic bottles for back and throw pillows, and springs made from recycled metal and frames sourced from certified sustainable forests. We want the furniture we sell to be passed down through generations, and we want the planet to be a healthy and safe place for those generations to live!

Thank you Sarah for highlighting the various elements as to why we should all choose to shop at a business such as HOST over the alternatives online or big national stores. Trust me, visit HOST the next time you have any interior furniture needs, stay a while and I assure you it will be your first of many visits to come.

P.S. – Check out HOST at this year’s Philly Mag Design Home in Villanova!  Open until November 3rd.  

Your Editor,

Laurie M. Wightman

HOST

Ardmore Location - 58 E Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore

P: 610.645.7755

Chestnut Hill Location - 7908 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia 

P: 215.967.1196

W: www.hostinteriors.com 

IG: @hosthomefurnishings

#interiors #homefurnishings #style #tsg #livelovelocal

[momiijisohma]

satoshis hands a rly big with thick fingers and calloused skin, short neatly trimmed nails that he is constantly picking soil out of. he has a binch of tiny scars from his years of yardwork and cooking bc hes stubborn and insists that gardening w gloves isnt as fun and cooking q gloves on is Weird?????? hes like a walking forest of human hair and his hands arent an exception, the backs f his hands and his knuckles have thick black hair. The way he touches things w his hands tho is suuuuuuuuper gentle?? he touches people like they were made of glass, and his fingers are rly nimble?? he used to play the piano a lot (one of the reasons masa got into music lol) and he cracks his knuckles only when he's stressed. he only wears the finest leather gloves bc hes bougie

milagro does just as much manual work as satoshi does but her hands are Significantly nicer, bc shes always putting on lotion lol. her hands arent small but theyre like. fat. and the softest hands on the planet, probably. she always has a rly nice manicure done, and she clicks her acrylics on surfaces all the time w/o realizing it?? she bites her knuckles a lot when shes mad or stressed and shes managed to break skin more than once and shes prone to getting paper cuts all the time??? she never fucking learns how to properly hold paper?? her hands get sweaty rly rly quick and its kinda gross but masas never even Once complained abt it.

hiroki bites his nails, but not to the nub, and hes always wearing chipped nail polish. instead of removing old shitty polish he'll just paint on top of it (which is why masa paints his nails for him for y e a r s). his nails get grimy rly quick but he never notices it and its Nastyyyyyyyy. his hands are rly bony and he has short kid fingers and he hates how hs hands look bc they make him look like a child (i mean, his baby face and tiny build dont help But). his hands are rly dry and cold and masa says they feel like Death. hes got torn cuticles and picks at them until they start bleeding and its rly painful but he wont stop!!!!!! hes also got big callouses on his knuckle where his pens lay

yasus hands are big for her frame and she doesnt like that so she hides them behind rly delicate frilly girly gloves?? she's a seamstress and her finger tips are calloused and the skin there is so thick she can stick a needle through it w/o feeling anything and masa h a t e s when she does that bc it makes her want to Die, but yasu thinks its super cool. she has rly long natural nails and repaints them every other day (or gets masa to paint them for her bc masas 10000000000x better at it) and she overuses alcohol hand sanitizer wayyyyyyy too much so her skin gets rly dry and irritated, so she like. fucking bathes her hands in heavily perfumed lotions?? she pops her knuckles all the fucking time and wont stop until her fingers ache

catriona could be a hand model if she wanted to. her fingers are long and elegant and shes never had to do physical labor a single day in her life so her hands are flawless?? she never moisturizes but her hands are still nice and supple and beautiful. and always covered in ink. she only gets her nails done when she has a social function to attend, and she just does basic french tips or solid colors. when her hair is down she is constantly combing through it w her fingers, and she gently picks out all the knots every morning instead or ripping through them. she clenches her hands a lot and when shes rly pissed she leaves deep marks in her palms.  her grip is strong and she throws things around carelessly, and she tends to pinch izzy a lot w/o realizing it?? like whenever she wants to get izzys attention she just. pinch the back or her arm or smth and izzy hates it.

izzys hands are actually a Very Normal size but shes so fucking Huge And Beefy that her hands end up looking like baby hands in comparison to the rest of her. her fingers and knuckles are rly calloused bc she exerts all her frustration via housework or punching things lmao. shes got a lot of freckles on the back of her hands but only a few on her palms??? she can count them. her nails are super super short but bc she cuts them, not bc shes a nail biter. izzy doesnt wring her hands but she like, interlocks her fingers and squeezes them rly hard when shes stressed. she doesnt rly touch people, unless she feels super comfortable around them?? one of her favorite things in the world is holding hands w people???? like catriona, she constantly runs her fingers through her hair, even when her hair is shorn off. she tends to hide behind her hands a lot?? when she smiles, when shes sad, when shes mad, etc. also whenever she DOES touch ppl shes super delicate?? shes ready to pull back her hands at the drop of a pin. also her hands have always just. been super fucking strong. she packs a lot of punch, literally. shes also super dexterous?? she never played an instrument in her youth, but in the empire she picks up the guitar and is p good at it rly quick?? and she is A Master cake decorator?? her piping is Amazing and she makes it look absolutely flawless. she Absolutely sucks at hand jobs tho bc shes always too rough bc shes Too into it. as an adult shes wayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more touchy touchy Especially with her children?? shes always touching them, always fixing their hair and gently squishing their cheeks and poking their bellies and tickling them and trying to pry small toys out of their grimy disgusting mouths. and shes SUPER hands on in the military, she v quickly learns how to handle a wide range of weapons, but if theyre ever torn out of her hands she is Ready to use her Fists and She Will Win. also special note, she cannot stop touching her wife. she  subconsciously reaches out to touch her at all times, even if its just a light fingertip touch

masas hands are rly big and shes got long sturdy fingers and her hands are calloused bc of all the hours shes spent playing the billion instruments she owns. she shaves off every single hair on her body under her nose, and that includes the hairs on her hands, and she takes foreeeeeeeeevvvveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr shaving bc she takes her Sweet ass time with one of those lil eyebrow razors carefully taking every hair off her hands. her nails arent v long but theyre v well trimmed and maintained and Clean. whenever shes not at school she paints them and shes a Pro at it?? she hasnt had shaky polish on her right hand since she was 5 lol. and she pushes back her cuticles and puts fancy oils on them and everything her hands are always Super warm, and they get sweaty rly quick?? she hates it. shes super texture sensitive and that goes Double for her hands?? but even tho she KNOWS shes picky abt textures, shes still gotta touch Everything. her favorute textures are smooth or soft or fluffy or velvety textures, but that sure as hell isnt gonna stop her from sticking her whole hand in a jar of smile or poking at a snail trail or jacking off and getting jizz all over her hands bc shes a godless heathen masa also only ever touches people who she rly likes. but even then, shes not toooooo touchy w people???? she touching rly reach out to touch her parents or husband or even her children later on, but shes always fucking touching her wife. Always. izzy is her favorite texture. also masa wears a lot of full face make up bc the moment shes bare faces she starts picking at her pimples and its The Worst. she doesnt have tooooooo many scars bc she is very dedicated to her skin care routine, but. its still bad. also she washes her hands a billion times a day bc she h a t e s having her hands feel grimy. Also she gives The Best handjobs, no question abt it. tho she always kills the mood bc she HAS to go wash her hands immediately afterward. And shes super picky abt the lotions she uses too, she only ever uses unscented water based lotions bc oil based ones make her wanna cry i Really love talking abt hands i spent a whole fucking hour talking abt hands oh my god

#oc stuff #vicky rambles #i love hands!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they say so much abt a character!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[ichijikanme]

You said you got out of an Ni-Ti loop bc of hanging out w/ friends more-- utilizing ur time more efficiently; but my best friends cant hang out often; and other people are just fake to me :((( i mean theyre fun but its just tiring and i cant share my thoughts with them bc theyre honestly so stupid and fake lmao--- like they look at things like black/white when its more complex..... idk im so stressed and PPL R ANNOYING >:(

This is such an amazingly late response (sorry, these past few months have been extremely exhausting and I don't have the brain to think much of the time). Honestly tho? What I have to say to this is communication is a two way street. If you think people are fake, you gotta look at yourself first. If you are not close to someone, you can't expect to talk about deep emotional stuff with them. Some people open faster than others. Along the same route, if you're that Fe "nice" kind of person, you'll get nowhere too. And hell, if there are only those kind of people around you, learn to work with it. I can't say this for ever Pi-Ti loop, but verbally debating and whatnot helps me to reaffirm my Fe judgments to myself. See when I loop, it happens because I am unsure of how to process something in the realm of values. When something traumatic happens, my Fe disappears and I'm stuck in this never ending, "Am I in the wrong? Am I in the right? Do I deserve to get treated this way? Should I be treated worse...?" Fe holds the answer to my questions, but the loop keeps me in Ti mode and that can never come to a solid value based conclusion. To get out of a loop, at least imo, you don't exactly /need/ an emotionally positive atmosphere. You need a way to get Fe out /verbally/. You can talk to your friends about your feelings and get their feedback, but you can also debate with people. At least for me, once I start speaking, Fe will start running free. And by speaking, able to reach my own conclusions regarding the questions that plagued me. I come to terms with objective reality. Anyway, I hope this makes sense. And if it doesn't, sorry. My brain is p blegh today orz

#mbti #at least for me and the isfjs i know we like #we have a difficult time coming to terms with Fe reality #we can apply fe in a good way to everyone but ourselves

[kobikoachman]

Men’s Shoe Formality Guide and Scale : How Shoes Rank From Formal To Informal

From dress shoes cut from plain leather to shoes cut with intricate designs to non-dress shoes, there are many options to choose from when it comes to men’s shoes. Our men’s shoe formality guide will help you in picking the right shoes for the right occasion and dress code.

  A lot of men don’t know the right shoes to wear with different outfits. Sadly, in my day to day life, I always come across many men who make the same mistake of wearing their right shoes with the wrong outfit.

They are so focused on what they wear on the upper body clothing – their jacket, shirt, necktie, watch, etc.

And overlook the details down below, such as their shoes and how to take care of them. They wear the wrong shoes or a pair of old shoes that have seen their glory days.

As a stylish gentleman who is conscious of his style, who understands how clothing and style choices can influence his image and success, you must make every effort to project the right image by ensuring your appearance is dapper from head to toe. This includes understanding, the importance of wearing good shoes.

When choosing your footwear, the following considerations must be made:

  [su_list icon=”icon: check-circle” icon_color=”#792331″]

Are they the right type, style and color?

Does it enhance my wardrobe?

Are they suitable for the respective occasion I am getting it for – from formal to informal?

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This shoe formality guide will school you on how choose the right pair of shoes based on the formality of the occasion you need it for. If you want to learn how to choose a dress code based on the formality scale of the occasion, check out the link below.

RELATED: Dress Code Formality Guide on Dressing Up or Dressing Down A Look

  Now, there are varieties of shoes based on style, color, and type which can really be a bit overwhelming, especially when it comes to knowing which is which and what shoes to wear with what get-ups.

So gents, let’s break it down as simply as possible. Below is a hierarchy of the common dress shoe styles, ranked based on type, color, and style with tips on how to pair them appropriately. Enjoy!

  SHOE FORMALITY GUIDE: BY SHOE TYPES

Most Formal

Pump → Oxford → Derby → Monkstrap → Chelsea → Boot → Brogue

Semi-Formal

Venetian Loafer →  Penny Loafer → Belgian Loafer → The Horse Bit or Gucci Loafer → Tassel Loafer → Chukka Boot

Casual

Driving Shoe → Boat Shoe → Desert Boot → Motorcycle Boot → Espadrille Sneaker → Sneakers

    MEN’S SHOE FORMALITY GUIDE: BY COLOR

If you are curious about how to pair shoe colors with the right outfits, here’s a comprehensive guide to help you. You’re invited to take a look!

Most Formal

      Black Shoes are the most formal shoe color. They are the only classic option for Tuxedos and commonly worn with business suits.

Semi-Formal

Dark Brown is less formal than black shoes and they pair with everything black shoe pair with, except black. They can be worn in any season as they are quite versatile. 

Cordovan refers to a brownish burgundy shoe color. They pair with whatever dark brown shoe pair with but are less formal due to their lighter shade.

Navy Blue is rare as a shoe color but is relatively dressy due to its dark shade. In a dress shoe situation, navy blue shoe pairs well with navy and grey trousers. Don’t forget to wear an exact shade of navy blue belt.

Charcoal Grey is another rare shoe color, they are also less formal as navy and pair with the same color trousers – navy and grey trousers.

Casual

Medium Brown is informal due to the lightness of the color. They are extremely versatile and pair with just about any trouser you can think of. While they can be worn to work in many offices, you should opt for a darker shoe if going to a job interview or funeral.

Tan shoes are casual and should only be worn on warmer days. They pair beautifully with medium blue and light grey suits, great options for warm weather weddings.

White shoes are worn in the most casual of situations. It’s also helpful to wear them once in a while, as white shoes get dirty very easily and require particular steps to clean.

  Non-standard colors (red, green, purple, etc.) other shoe colors like red, purple, green, or orange are the least formal available on the market. Essentially novelty colors, these are great for casual wear with denim and chinos. If you’re wearing a suit just for fun (not for business), a dress shoe in one of these colors can really take your ensemble into the stratosphere, stylistically speaking

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MEN’S SHOE FORMALITY GUIDE: BY STYLE

Wholecut or Plain

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Wholecut Oxford Shoe

Plain Derby Shoe

These are Oxfords or Derbies that are either completely void of extra stitching, perforations, and other design elements, or darn near close. You should already know the difference between an oxford and a derby with their different lacing styles. 

A whole cut is a shoe with an upper that is cut and fashioned from one single piece of leather. As a general rule of style, the less detail a shoe has, the more formal it is.

For Oxford, you can wear Tuxedos/Evening wear. For both dress shoes, you can also pair with suits such as; blazer or sports coat, well-fitting cotton dress pants, a dress shirt, and tie.

  Cap-Toe

Just to remind you, unlike oxfords, Derbies have open lacing which makes them a little less sleek, and therefore, less dressy. Meanwhile, a simple cap Oxford or Derby has a line or two of stitching that accentuates the front of the shoe, giving the toe a bit of a capped look. These are the most simple, sleek dress shoes.

You can wear them with Suits made of more casual fabrics like tweed, linen, or cotton; wool trousers; cotton trousers and jeans.

  Semi-Brogue

They have lots of holes and decorations, the holes used to help the muck and water drain out since they were originally used by those walking through marshy fields. Today, they’re considered one of the dressiest shoes in fashion, what a turn of events right?

Semi-brogue shoes have a cap-toe with perforations, layered leathers, serrated edges, and usually a lot of perforations adorning the toe. They are quite sleek regardless of the busyness of the design which makes them less serious and more flashy.

Wear them with wool or cotton trousers or dark blue jeans. I’d advise against wearing them with a business/office suit because of their flashy designs, business casual would be a better fit.

  Wingtip/Longwing

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Wingtip Oxford Shoes

Longwing Derby Shoes

This style has a classic decorative “M” shape at the cap toe that extends about halfway back to the heel. Oxford-style lacing makes it much easier to dress up than the open-laced style.

As for the long wing, it has a wingtip that doesn’t terminate midway down the side of the shoe but instead wraps all the way to the back of the heel. They’re very versatile, the longer wing has an almost sporty, racing-stripe feel to it.

You can wear the wingtip with suits, business casual with dark wash denim and sports coat, they are perfect for weddings and office wear. For the longwing, smart casual wear of all kinds and you’re good to go.

  Suede

Suede – from the French “gants de Suède”, which literally means “gloves from Sweden” is a type of leather with a napped finish commonly used to make shoes and other clothing items. They are less casual than plain leather styles.

They can mostly be worn with cords, chinos, and jeans as they are highly versatile with business casual and smart casual wear. 

Velvet

Velvet is a type of woven tufted fabric with a distinctive soft feel. The word velvety means “smooth like velvet,” it can be made from either synthetic or natural fibers. You will mostly find them in loafers and other clothing items.

  Final Thought

Now that we’ve crossed the Ts and dotted the Is, you can see the different shoe styles and types and how they are classified as formal and less formal. With this men’s shoe formality guide, you now know the right shoes to wear with the right outfits and to the right occasion.

We hope you found this guide helpful. If you have other questions on this topic, please let us know.

Thanks for reading. Until next time, continue to do well, live well, and dress really well. Stay Classy.

Yours in Style,

Kobi O. Mbagwu (Mr. Kobi) Founder, KOBI KOACHMAN Connect with me

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Men’s Shoe Formality Guide: Most Formal Vs Least Formal Men's Shoe Formality Guide and Scale : How Shoes Rank From Formal To Informal From dress shoes cut from plain leather to shoes cut with intricate designs to non-dress shoes, there are many options to choose from when it comes to men's shoes.