prancing nougat in the meadow

sings a song of satisfaction to the world

[prancingnougat]

Orbquest: Lowen has reached 100 orbs! I started around 40 orbs when I decided to embark on this journey for the cavalier of my dreams.

Here are a few details to how I'm going about saving up for Lowen's eventual arrival in Askr:

- Very casual, free-to-play collection. Daily orbs, basic quests, and monthly quest refreshes will be the bulk of how I save.

- I have a *huge* backlog of story and paralogue chapters I need to clear. We're talking easily 200+ maps.

- I'm letting myself redeem free summons on new banners and gleefully using any summoning tickets in order to keep myself sane.

- I currently have no characters that are tempting me too badly. I have my 2 favorites +10'd (NY!Panne and Lapis). Seeing characters like Velouria and those great Sonya alts pop up can be tough, but they're all pretty low-merge and the investment would take a ton, I will remain steadfast for my boy.

I'll update occasionally but I promise not to spam these tags too much! This is about as casual a quest as it gets, but my relationship with this game isn't as serious as I took it in the past. I still have fun with it and I hope anyone checking this out gets the unit of their dreams someday soon!

[prancingnougat]

ORBQUEST: LOWEN - holding out for a hero!

Today, I am beginning ORBQUEST: LOWEN - my way of saying that I will be saving all of my Fire Emblem Heroes orbs until they finally put Lowen into the game. Why? Just look at him, look how cute and friendly! Look at that hair! Look how much his cute horse loves him! I've been playing FEH since launch, and have been waiting for seven years (!!!) for my favorite sandwich-loving mop of a cavalier... to no avail! I'm 100% F2P and have amassed a barracks with some of my favorites, with a handful of +10 units (NY!Panne being my favorite). Blazing Blade was my very first game when my cousin let me borrow it way back when it came out. I was definitely way too young to really know what I was doing, but it made me basically a lifelong fan of the series. Having played it again (as well as every subsequent game), I still have such a soft spot for the Elibe characters and their designs. Lowen also basically set my personal parameters for how I set up characters in RPGs; for whatever reason, RNG always gives me a super lucky, super defensive version of him - and that mix has never led me astray! Love that guy. I am convinced he'll get added eventually, and when he does I will be +10-ing him and feeding him every ridiculous skill I can get my hands on. We stan a lhasa apso of a man here in these barracks.

[out-of-jams]

REVERSE TROPE WRITING PROMPTS

Too many beds

Accidentally kidnapping a mafia boss

Really nice guy who hates only you

Academic rivals except it’s two teachers who compete to have the best class

Divorce of convenience

Too much communication

True hate’s kiss (only kissing your enemy can break a curse)

Dating your enemy’s sibling

Lovers to enemies

Hate at first sight

Love triangle where the two love interests get together instead

Fake amnesia

Soulmates who are fated to kill each other

Strangers to enemies

Instead of fake dating, everyone is convinced that you aren’t actually dating

Too hot to cuddle

Love interest CEO is a himbo/bimbo who runs their company into the ground

Nursing home au

[prancingnougat]

Creative Development, Characters + Worldbuilding!

Creative Development Discord Server!

Have you been building up a fantasy world in your mind and on paper for god-knows-how-long and are looking for others who can relate?

Are you maybe hashing out details about new characters for stories, roleplaying, or other creative projects?

Do you kinda just need a community where you can chill out, listen to music, maybe try a writing sprint, or just talk about anything to get your creative gears turning?

I help run a Discord server with channels dedicated to discussing all parts of the creative process. It's open to anyone at any skill level, from those just starting out to people on their way to publication. Right now, it's a cozy level of chatting and very casual, with writers coming in from all over the internet.

We're an LGBTQ+ and disability friendly community of fiction writers, roleplayers, dungeon crawlers, fanfic authors, and general creatives. We're mostly in it to encourage each other to put our voices out there and be heard, so there's always someone there to listen. Sections for NSFW content are available to those who need it, as well. Some events we run are: - Workshops and office hours, where your work can get another set of eyes reading your work. Grab some tea or coffee, enjoy some music, and get some dedicated focus on your latest work. - Writing sprints! Use our handy-dandy bot to track your time and progress and join in with others who are looking to crank out some work on the fly. - Nanowrimo check-ins, including a dedicated server where you can set up your own sub-thread for discussing projects. - DJ Night! Once a month we get together to all listen to music together. We try our best to encourage and practice constructive criticism, never destructive. There are also plenty of general discussion channels for everything from books, to TV, to games... and also #flavorton-abbey for all your random needs.

Creative Development Discord Server!

[squirrelstothenuts]

Ce petit coeur qui ne bat pour personne Ce petit coeur qui ne bat que pour lui À peine si ce petit coeur s'étonne D'avoir pu changer ma vie Ce petit coeur ennuyeux, monotone Qui ne sait rien faire que pleurer sur lui Tout juste si ce petit coeur frissonne Lorsque le mien lui sourit Peut-être qu'un jour il souffrira Mais ce ne sera pas pour moi Et ce jour là il m'oubliera Ce petit coeur que je n'oublierai pas

[prancingnougat]

Francoise Hardy, 1944-2024

"I would love to fall asleep in the sea— magical, original, in its essential rhythm. I would love the sea to take me back to be reborn— elsewhere than inside my head, somewhere other than the earth, where without my love I can do nothing."

[prancingnougat]

Baila Bolero - Fun Fun

This video has everything I love: 1) catchy af are you kidding me?? 2) premium introvert x extrovert energy, both absolute queens of their own respective vibe 3) this kind of choreo was rad in 1986 and really takes me back to my first dance recital 4) Music itself sounds like a Wild Arms dungeon, these girlies really out here fighting for their lives in the Thunder Lion Cage

[prancingnougat]

Unicorn Overlord Side Quest: Backdoor Treachery

Josef: "My prince, several members of the Liberation have raised issue with one of our hired swords. I beseech you answer their request for an audience." Alain: "Of course, I would turn no grievance away. Who is it they speak ill of?" Josef: "A sellsword from the city of Adopti, by the name of Jeremy." Alain: "Hired steel of Drakenhold - I am familiar. And the Liberation is to call his character into question?" Josef: "Aye, my prince, with grave ubiquity. Of late, he has been making obscene moves upon all manner of allies, man and bestral alike. But it is his chosen verbiage that brings disgust to our otherwise amicable camp."

Alain: "Rare have I heard such reticence in your voice, though I know what has been said must be relayed. Haste, Josef, lest this matter pains you further." Josef: "He comments on the buttocks of our allies. Lady Yunifi has heard tell of herself referred to as 'The Bastorias Dumptrucc'. But it is his choice of the term 'shittoris' that has drawn deadly ire." Alain: "... and his words of myself?" Josef: "He speaks not, my prince." Alain: "... I fear this marching has stolen me of my former Palevian juiciness. Time is not with us, Josef - bare your steel, less your cheeks are made to face the sun."

[prancingnougat]

Game Tracks That Have Absolutely No Right Going As Hard As They Do, Vol. 1: Harvestella - Those Who Continue to Resist Destiny

fight me in the philosophical hypocenter at 3:00

[prancingnougat]

Picking up the Proshades

After clocking 100+ hours in both FF7 Remake and Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth, I'm currently going back for my second replay of Harvestella and finding myself enjoying it just as much, if not more than my first run.

I really want to plan my farm out better, use different classes and party members, and marry someone else (you had your turn, Cres!). Also, maybe not get so fixated on unlocking that last class... cool idea, but I had barely any use for it at the end.

After feeling not particularly satisfied with the story in Rune Factory 5 (not saying it was bad, just wanted a lot more of it), I played Harvestella and was blown away with the way it handles certain topics, and I'm especially fond of all the character substories. I just played two 10 outta 10 games, but this one is up there for me too based on all of the memorable factors.

I mean... hello, Heine's story? Facemeltingly romantic. I'm comin' for you, sub boy. I mean submarine boy. Submarine man.

Or maybe, someone else? I'm open to suggestions.

[prancingnougat]

Gondawara

Never in my wildest dreams would I think a story with the line "assload of dipes" would make me cry, but here I am, crying...

[prancingnougat]

Turncoat Titillator

I am concerned that the real Infinite Wealth is the friends we've made along the way and not the 1.5 million yen I just made for beating off a crowd of trenchcoat perverts.

[prancingnougat]

Like a Dragon: Infinite Hype

I have never been more ready for a game release. T-minus one day until I drop out of reality and wash up in Hawaii.

I have a single prediction: I'm feeding someone to a shark. Dunno who. Dunno when. I mean in the game, not real life.

I mean if I had to feed anyone to a shark, it'd be myself, because I'm nothing if not a kickass statistic. But I'm not doing that until I play this game.

[prancingnougat]

— DAYDREAM BELIEVER

You’ll find no real ratings, rhyme, or reason here - only recommendations for really good music 2023 was a banner year for personal stabil

Here it is - my favorite albums from 2023!

It's a quick read and mostly positive. Shoegaze, pop, disco, jazz, OST, and more... but a lot of shoegaze, tbh.

I'm not a professional music reviewer, just a casual listener who wants to celebrate her favorite stuff. These aren't really reviews, just recommendations for anyone looking to catch up on 2023's great slew of records.

Thank you so much if you read it, it means a lot!

[prancingnougat]

My pet bunny would make such a good Yakuza 7 Poundmate.

Skittering onto the battlefield. Tripping everyone.

Thumping on their chest with a slow-mo, Mortal Kombat-style x-ray of their ribs cracking.

¥1,000,000 to summon - Kiryu tier.

[howwnowbrowncoww]

Been working on this for a few months now but I finally got it done! I've seen a few Yakuza/Like a Dragon x Animal Crossing crossovers and really wanted to do one too, and I'm super happy with how it turned out:) Seeing all of the Dondoko Island comparisons to AC right before I finished this was HILARIOUS though😂 Gonna put some loose notes under a read more if you want behind the scenes stuff. Let me know who your favorite design is if you want:)

Adding what animal everyone is (just in case it's hard to tell and because I want to talk about why I made some of them certain animals)

Ichiban: Lion (he has a very loud personality and very loud hair)

Adachi: Bear (I will restrain myself from making any bear jokes but he does look like he'd give great bear hugs)

Nanba: Koala (okay, weird reason, but my sister used to have this webkinz koala named Snoozer (he was the mayor of our imaginary town but that's not important) and he was obvs always sleepy, and Nanba is the KING of convenient naps in battle)

Saeko: Deer (i really just thought she'd love to paint her hooves)

Joon-gi: Wolf (typical lone-wolf-type with white hair who is dragged into the found family). He also gets the bar bg because he never got his own karaoke song and he deserves to have fun:)

Zhao: Tiger (i specifically remember him having a tiger in his restaurant that kicked my ass, and I also wanted to base him off of one of his martial arts moves. Since Snake and Mantis aren't AC types, and Crane was already being used, I thought Tiger was fitting. Also his shirt was a pain to make!! I couldn't replicate the actual pattern, so I went with ginkgo leaves for something that was still gold and sort of ornate)

Eri: Crane (inspired by her move (called 'Flying Crane' or something like that; i'm too lazy to boot up the game and check lol) Plus I think birds would really enjoy the crackers her company sells:)

[prancingnougat]

I Finally Beat Yakuza: Like a Dragon, and...

... and I had no idea these games were anything like this.

And I loved it!

I loved everything about it, from the gameplay to the story. It is absolutely, positively one of the best character-driven games I've ever played.

I love all the side weirdos we meet. I love Seong-Hui. I love Nancy-Chan, Megumi, Ono Michio, Omelette.

I love calling upon adult diaper enthusiasts to help me fight construction equipment. I love having a chimpanzee as the manager of my luxury hotel. I love having a homicidal roomba on the board of directors of my holdings company.

I love Nanba. I love Adachi. I love Saeko. I love Eri. I love Joon-Gi Han. I love Zhao. I love Ichiban Kasuga. It's been a while since I've felt so connected to a cast. They're endlessly funny, adorable, fascinating, chaotic, and lovable.

Oh, and I had no idea there was a SEQUEL coming out one day after my BIRTHDAY next year! These are the sort of games that make getting to that next birthday so very worth it. What a strange amalgamation of so many wonderfully weird ideas that work perfectly, all to tell a really thoughtful, touching story that earns the right to be taken seriously because it is so willing to wear its heart on its sleeve while never losing sight of the humor driving it all.