Ask Lyra

Video games, yes. But I also like thinking of ways I could make a game better. Rebalancing, new mechanics or systems, alternative ways of playing. Call them thought experiments. Includes this.

Music playing, duh. I also like listening to music. Also duh, but somehow I didn’t mentioned it. I also like watching musicians perform, especially off-stage where the spectacle is the artist themselves, not on a bunch of lights or a booming bass. Basically, this. I wish I hadn’t been so selective about reblogging things with this tag early off. There were some good ones I remember on my dash I let slip away.

Writing, yes. In fact I’ve been doing a bit more technical writing on Reddit lately (Warning: Explicit Language). Reviews, specialized retrospectives, and this one style-emulating/spoofing a professional news columnist. Some strict, but self-imposed, timetables to be relevant has forced me to work more consistently. I think it’s been good for me.

Family, of course. I love to hang out with Bon-Bon and I do what I can to help her. And while I might not have much to impart to Liza these days, it’s nice to hear her talk. Simple loves his scratchers and face lick’ems (but not in the nose).

I love to see people being happy. My favorite thing on tumblr is to see other people enjoying themselves (without any level of vindictiveness or spite).

I love seeing people’s drawings (that aren’t violent or sexualized), or talk about something happy, or share a photo. To me, this is what the Like button is for. If you put in your own effort to make some original content (rather than reblog someone else’s) then I want to let you know I appreciate it. Even if it’s just talking about a good day. And if I don’t like your original works, it doesn’t mean I don’t like you. Not all content is made to be consumed by everyone.

I love memes. Off-model Knuckles singing the theme song to M.A.S.H. (which was originally designed to be the stupidest song ever written)? So ridiculous it’s hilarious. Tuesday again? No problem! Wednesday my dudes? aaaaAAAAAAGGGHHHHH (Volume Warning)!

I like to drink sodas. I like food with cheese on it or in it (and Vanilla Strawberry pasties/ice cream). And I like candy corn! In fact I’ve eaten half a bag in less than 24 hours and I need to stop because I’m starting to feel sick.

There are a lot of things that make me feel happy. And things that make me happy are my favorite things!

Note to self: redo last post. Focus on lots of things. Do not dwell on single things.

Keeping things above the waist, of course:

I like video games. Shocking I’m sure. My favorite games typically fall into two categories. Cartoony-style action games, like EDF, the Dynasty Warriors series, and Portal Knights. And then just really by-the-numbers rpg/strategy rpgs where half the battle took place before the fight ever even started. That’s games like SMT: Nocturne, Final Fantasy Tactics, the Front Mission series. And yes, to a lesser extent Pokemon. But really more on the Etrian Odyssey side of things. Like, if Etrian Odyssey 3 didn’t pad its game so terribly with mandatory grinding, that would have been one of my favorite games (and, I mean, the grinding didn’t even make sense it was already a really long game). Pokemon’s largest issue with me is the one-on-one combat. Like, if the series focused on doubles matches I’d own all of them.

Then on very rare occasions you have your customized, environmental puzzle-via-navigation games (which is, like, a sub-genre I just made up). This is where your Deus Ex and Shadowrun series fall- and what makes them so great. Your skillset creates the path forward and not only is there no right answer, you can double back and take a different path too.

Music, of course. I can just jam out and, you know, even if recording it would prove that it sounds awful, I can fill in the gaps in my head and it’ll sound good to me at the time at least. And I might not like practicing a song over and over again. But if I get it done and people like it, then it feels worth it. And I get that’s kinda shallow, you should be doing it for yourself, but isn’t other people liking it the whole point?

Same thing with writing in a more professional format. I don’t like sitting there and checking the first word of each sentence and making sure I’m using varying sentence lengths. But if I post it and people like it then it feels worth it. And then I can go back and reread sections or relisten to sections and go “Yeah! You know what? I did do a good job! I’m proud of that work!“ Instead of wondering, “Was it just posted at a bad time? Did I offend someone? Does it really sound that bad?“

So, as shallow as that might be, I guess that’s my favorite thing. To be appreciated for my work. For the time I spent on something to result in a feeling of accomplishment. And that’s probably why I play video games. To get that feeling when I can’t get it anywhere else, even if it’s just from a group of pixels saying “You Won“ or watching a meter go up.

I like spending time with my family.

On a lark, I tried to see if I could find the html I lost using The Wayback Machine.

And it worked! I even got the page hit counter back!

So, yeah! And if anyone else has a similar issue, try using The Wayback Machine and F12 to poke around the html on the page.

I changed my avatar for the day and it ruined all the html on my sidebar and I am very upset.

I literally can’t replace that page hit counter. It’s just gone.

asksirlintalot:

Trick or Treat set #2
Tricked: Cakepony the headless horse, Spacemare the siren, Lyra the cultist
Treated: Light King the space cadet, Th77fg the haunted tablecloth, Frau the pirate
[if any of you would like an isolated picture of your above character message me and i’ll send a separate image to you uvu]

What is it? Something new? Something… primeval? Something more than reality can contain? It will consume us all if it is released!

.

I MUST RELEASE IT!

Alternate dimensions are weird.

Bon-Bon: Oh, I forgot to ask you yesterday. What kind of pie did Pinkie Pie give you?

Lyra: Apple.

Bon-Bon: Really?

Lyra: Yes. Why?

Bon-Bon: Well, I got an apple pie too.
Lyra: Hey! We got the same… Wait a minute. You got an apple pie? Not, oh say, chocolate fudge?

Bon-Bon: What a strange question. Are you accusing me of lying?

Lyra: No no. It’s just that Pinkie Pie made everypony their favorite pie. I thought yours was-
Bon-Bon: Chocolate fudge- I’m flattered you noticed. Upon reflection I believe you are right and it was a chocolate fudge pie. So then, your favorite pie is apple?

Lyra: Yes.

Bon-Bon: I see. I wonder how she makes apple pies for you. I’ll go ask Pinkie Pie how she makes hers.
Lyra: Go ahead.
Bon-Bon: Yes. I believe I’ll say “Pinkie Pie, how do you make Lyra’s favorite pie?“

Lyra: Wh- That’s a strange way to word that, isn’t it? You wouldn’t just ask how she makes apple pies?

Bon-Bon: What if she does something special for your apple pies? I’d like to know for your benefit, after all. [Pause] Or is there some even more specific way I should ask? [Pause] Maybe you have something you’d like to share?

[Pause]

Lyra: ALRIGHT IT WAS STRAWBERRY VANILLA CREAM!
Bon-Bon: I KNEW IT!

I finally beat Poni Island and the rest of Pokemon Sun! Actually I beat it about a month ago. Whoops! Thoughts after the break:

Keep reading

i love how it appears you are WRONG!!

It was me… It was I who Turgled all along…

nejamin:

INKTOBER DAY 11:

I love how the stick person appears to be holding the gun with both hands BY THE TRIGGER!

nejamin:

inktober day 6 part B: lyra’s gonne die-ra
didnt even give u the satisfaction of having a fresh marker with the correct amount of applied pressure, LOOK at you….. pathetic
@askly

#hey I tagged you look #look at me DUNK on you

Who dunked whom?

nejamin:

asklyra:
nejamin:
INKTOBER DAY 6: Haha Napkin Loser Lyra
That hurt. That hurts a lot.
Is what I would have said but you drew that on a paper towel! O~H!
JFGDSKFSDKJ SON OF A B. I WAS REALLY HOPING YOU WOULDNT NOTICE
Listen i DID draw it on a napkin but then i messed up on both sides and went to get a new napkin, then i saw the paper towels and i was like Hey Same Thing, she wont NOTICE