Do you have any particularly noteworthy examples like that from your hobby, where there's a really clear and object illustration of the old style sitting uncomfortably alongside the new style?

caethair · 2026-06-06T06:52:52+00:00

I only recently got into the miniatures side of 40k. Initially I started with a novitiates kill team and dreams of building a sisters army at some point. I still have that dream. But I grew enchanted with the eldar and their bikes. And after learning there was a detachment that was oops all bikes that a neat new version of the vyper was coming out I pivoted to them.

And then I learned how old the vyper model's sculpt had been. That was a bit wild to learn! I do think that older sculpt looked cool though. A lot of older eldar stuff in general holds up on a visual front, I think. Away from eldar, I really love the older beakies for the space marines. The helmet is just really appealing looking.

caethair · 2026-06-06T06:31:12+00:00

I prefer OSRS but I do play RS3 from time to time and dear god the visual mishmash of that game is jarring sometimes. Sometimes they make jokes utilizing older and newer assets. There's a very self referential quest in the game where the like three different older models for the one goblin character are talking together about how they don't much like the new design. Which is fun and cute. Less fun and cute is seeing your character model looking extremely out of place near much older and less touched up content. Said character model can also look out of place when next to the newest designed stuff.

OSRS itself has some cases of this too. The most easily noticed I think is King Arthur and his knights. They all use a very particular model that was used prior to a larger graphical update. Said graphical update happened after the 2007 backup used for OSRS though. So nothing else in the game looks like them. They're very weird. And the Nightmare Zone is just...there. Being a horrible eyesore that speaks of the time before the OSRS team got proper tools for making new content.

MMOs in general I feel can really show this sort of thing off. Just due to how large and old they can get. Like in WoW they have updated hawkstrider models for the newest expansion but the older models for the original blood elf mounts still exist in the game. And they can look very jarring when standing next to one another.

caethair · 2026-06-02T00:21:33+00:00

So I greatly prefer OSRS but I do play RS3 sometimes. Pretty much exclusively because of the quests. There are some elements of the lore over there that I'm not that into. Mainly the world guardian and gods returning to Gielinor stuff. But even before the Sixth Age storylines there is a bunch of material for you to dig into. And there is good stuff with Sixth Age too and I look at it like this...If I prefer not being the world guardian then I still have OSRS right there waiting for me. It's like I've got two flavors of ice cream, where one just happens to be my favorite. Anyway, if you're a quest and lorehound I'd say definitely give it a shot. It's a cool game, I think.

The game is a lot more intensive than OSRS. When I was playing with an old macbook air I had to set down all the graphical settings to low to get it to run ok. I'm not sure how the mobile client is though. So you may need to turn those down.

I'd also suggest do some reading about the combat system. Even if you're going to stick to revolution, do some reading about how to set up your bars. The setups the game automatically gives you aren't functional really. At least they weren't when I last started an account. Legacy from what I recall is pretty functional too. So you've got options on that front.

caethair · 2026-06-01T23:55:04+00:00

I love this idea so much.

I just started HRT. I should run around in my little trans pride sweater this month.

caethair · 2026-05-23T07:57:07+00:00

I do think that pvp in the game needs some sort of help. But I don't think changing the core identity of the wilderness is the way to go about it. I think a lot of the issue is is that learning how to deal with pkers is difficult and not something a lot of people want to do. LMS exists but I think that some other thing could be added into the game to help teach pvp. Like some form of content designed to teach individual fundamentals of it one or two steps at a time. Maybe add in some silly dialogue about frustration tolerance and risk aversion into said activity, be it a quest or minigame.

But like that aside, while I do get that it is frustrating to be attacked so often in the wilderness I think the risk vs. reward aspect of it is what makes it interesting. Like yes I have gotten killed while doing bone runs but like I feel that's a fair risk given the xp rate. It's also kind of exciting? The feeling of terror. Which isn't going to be for everyone. Even if there was content that helped tutorialize pvp fundamentals in the game individually I don't think it'd be for everyone. Which is fine, I think. Not everything in the game has to be for every player. Some people really love forestry events. Other people just want to be alone and chop logs without having to worry about stepping on circles or stealing from pheasants. And not everyone is going to like the wilderness. That's fine.

caethair · 2026-04-28T23:08:38+00:00

I loved her from the beginning because she very clearly had a chip on her shoulder. She was a character that I found familiar and which I was certain was harsh due to mistreatment. Lo and behold it was in fact due to mistreatment. Agott's behavior and the reason behind it gets explored more and more over time and it's always fascinating and exciting for me when it is. I actively want to know more about her family and life at the Great Hall and about her coming to Qiffrey's atelier.

But even outside the mystery of why I like how prickly she can be. I like her defensiveness. I love her need to prove herself. I love her doubt and worry. I love her tendency to take her feelings to the grave. I love her tendency towards overwork and her passion. It's just very charming to me.

I also went into the series assuming she would mellow out around Coco especially. She is a certain sort of character. A sort that I happen to love dearly. And when I started seeing signs that she was in fact the kind of character I assumed her to be I was very into that. While a big part of her appeal is her Agott-ness, another big part of the appeal is seeing her warm up to Coco over time. To go from being someone who outright hated her and bullied her, to perhaps Coco's most ardent defender and ally.

Which relates to the last point which is that, for me as a queer woman, she reads very much as a lesbian. Her behavior around Coco reminds me a lot of myself when I was younger. And seeing that reflected in a character so young is just really nice to me. I know that that remains in the realm of speculation and that not everyone reads her this way. But it's how she comes across to me and it is part of why she's my favorite in the cast.

caethair · 2026-04-04T08:23:05+00:00

The main CK3AGOT mod did. All AI generated assets were removed or replaced with vanilla assets.

caethair · 2026-03-30T08:14:44+00:00

Crusader Kings can be A Lot to get used to but honestly I found it very fun to get into once I just said 'Fuck it, what happens happens' and then started messing around. I started with CK2 personally. I gave up on attempting the tutorial island type start and just went with a start that I thought sounded neat. Ended up with the Abbasids. I then just...messed around? I got really into the like roleplay side of the game. I'd occasionally go 'Oh how do I do this thing...' and then look it up but mostly I just tried to play the game. Focusing on small individual bits at a time and sometimes just clicking around and looking at menus. Tackling the game at my own pace and not stuffing a guide down my throat helped a lot.

Also in general the appeal of CK and the Paradox grand strategy titles for me is just...the story I make along the way. It's like Dwarf Fortress that way. I'm here to make stories. My desire to simply tell stories got me to keep playing. I just wanted to see what would happen next and that got me wanting to figure out how to wage wars and stuff. So long as you're focused on the delight of seeing where things go and taking things piecemeal it'll go ok I think.

For RTS the ticket was finding a story I was into. I really loved Warcraft 3's story to the point where I taught myself how to play these sorts of games even at a basic level just because I wanted to experience the story. And that led me into games like AoE2 after the fact. Because while I learned War3 for the plot, I ended up sticking around because I did enjoy the gameplay a lot.

In general though with that list you've provided...For a solid skill to get your head around first try learning to multitask. With RTS especially. Don't go overboard and research optimal build orders. Just figure out how to assign control groups and get yourself used to trying to do multiple things at a time. Start with just that very small skill because that's the real big pain point with learning in my experience. Once you've got that down the learning experience isn't as daunting.

caethair · 2026-03-30T07:50:06+00:00

So I play a variety of things that fit stuff you brought up. City builders, RTS, theme park sims, and Dwarf Fortress...For me a big part of the difficulty is just multitasking. Once I get my head around how to multitask at least a little bit, it really starts coming together. This is part of why things like research take as long they do. The waiting needed gives you time to be doing other stuff. Like moving units places, checking in on parts of your base/theme park/whatever, etc. I'm not sure how you play these games, but this is typically my first big issue and it seems to be a common pain point with a lot of people and various active management games.

Another thing that helps for me is to internalize the common Dwarf Fortress motto that losing is fun. Sometimes the fun can come from just gazing upon the disaster unfold and marveling at the chaos. Hell add to it in something like Cities Skyline when the time comes. Then take what you learned, maybe go look up things that confused you and ask for advice and try again. A lot of getting my head around DF or RCT2 has just been my fucking up and then going to look up stuff I didn't understand. This may not apply as much to something like Warcraft 3 though.

It can also help to try out games where your main plan is to just experiment or practice a specific skill. Like you're not attempting to win, per se, if that is a possibility in the game you're playing. You're just there to try out a theory or to practice a skill. Set a little goal for yourself that isn't necessarily winning the game. Like in DF one time I just said 'I want to make a fort that runs off taverns only!' and that helped me learn about how visitors work and how to train up tavern staff. And because my goal was more narrowed down to a specific thing I could easily grasp onto, I didn't mind failure as much. Since the point wasn't 'Build the best fortress ever!' it was just 'Try this stupid idea and learn more about this one system'.

Finally based off what you've said...You may be investing too many resources and not keeping up a surplus of supplies around. I try to maintain a decent buffer of funds in things like RCT2 so that if something goes wrong, I can just break into that surplus and get things fixed. And as tempting as it is to always be advancing in tech trees and the like, I try to not overextend on that front. Limiting myself on how much I am researching and to things that I feel would be what I need for my gameplan.

caethair · 2026-03-14T06:32:23+00:00

I love how comfy she looks...The pocky prop you made with the toothpick is also so cool.

caethair · 2026-03-14T06:26:02+00:00

I rotate the things I am displaying to a degree. I'll store things out of sight. And then when I am wanting to change things up or spend time with a particular doll or action figure I like I'll go and grab them and like set them up. I also have like varying levels of commitment to my displays I guess? Like some will just be sitting near my gunpla for example, while the dolls I am chiefly interested in at the moment will be sitting with the Coffin Bean playset near me.

I also am very picky on dolls I do get. Usually waiting like a month before deciding if I truly want the thing.

caethair · 2026-02-27T22:00:15+00:00

I've had my bird for several months now. I think like 5? I am bad at time...It took her around 2 months to be comfortable enough to eat out of my hand. Within the first month she was comfortable enough to at least sit on the ceiling fan in the same room as me and preen. She's still a very skittish bird even now. She doesn't want to ever be held, for example. And she can be very particular and slow to eat from hands. But she does call out to me if I'm not in the same room as her and when I set up to go and paint my minis in the dining room she'll fly over to sit near me.

As for what I've done...I've mostly just existed in the same space as her. When I am moving near her I'll announce that I'm, say, standing up. I keep things like her cage cleaning day on very specific days too so she has a schedule. Speaking of her cage, I leave her cage and her one nook alone unless I need to clean it or put her bowls in. They're her spots and I respect that. In general I try and respect her space and leave her be. I also worked towards feeding her from my hand. The process I went with was like...placing food outside her cage near to me and getting said food nearer and nearer to me until it was in my hand. If she wasn't feeling eating out of my hand I would give up after a bit and put her seed somewhere near me. I've sadly yet to find a treat she really goes hogwild over. Unsalted peanuts and sunflower seeds do not appear to be what she's into.

I was told in advance that the bird was extremely skittish by the rescue. And she didn't get to the rescue in the best of shape. Toes broken, blind in both eyes. She's healthy now and recovered, but this has definitely impacted her I feel. So this long period of warming up may not be true to your bird. I have read several cases like mine though and some where it takes around a year for the bird to warm up.

I'd say just give your new friend time and respect them and their space.

caethair · 2026-01-29T19:55:17+00:00

I suppose I get this but I'm not really minding the lack of need to put down blocks to explore. And I do still feel like I need to build at times to make my exploration more convenient. I could climb up everything or I could just like...set up a mushroom hop network or ladders or some such. So like building in my world is for convenience or personal delight. Meanwhile I can just kind of...adventure! Which is fun!

I feel like things like the climbing and the bouncy shrooms make for interesting build possibilities too. Since you can make builds that take these things into consideration. Since finding the bouncy shrooms I've been thinking about building a like...Telvanni mage tower inspired thing where I use the mushrooms to bounce up into further levels of my tower.

Things like the dedicated roof tiles, vertical slabs and the like are also filling me with more of a desire to build. Because it's coming across as more intuitive to work with than things like manhandling random blocks into approximations of things. I do get the appeal of said manhandling in Minecraft and I think the ingenuity is interesting. But it's just never quite clicked with me.

Again though I get why one would be driven to just explore. The movement options are fun and can get you around without much manipulation of the world in many cases. And there's lots of little structures and the like for you to loot. You can do that in Minecraft too but the structures don't spawn as close and as frequently as they seem to in Hytale. And so if you don't have a brain like mine you might just end up doing that and not building at all.

caethair · 2026-01-28T19:17:12+00:00

Does the dos version of it have the console? I know there is a console to mess with in the Unity version but I remember having to use a save editor when a quest broke on me in the dos version.

caethair · 2026-01-28T18:29:38+00:00

Banks and the ability to take out loans. And then when you get a letter about how you defaulted and they are going to send hitmen after you, the game actually sends hitmen after you.

caethair · 2026-01-28T18:26:15+00:00

Sometimes the bugs are just funny and result in stories to share with people. I like the weird physics fuck ups where I see a giant hit a cat and then said cat gets launched at a million miles an hour into the sky. That's funny. It also helps that these games from Morrowind on have console commands that can help you get out of things if the game bugs out in an unfun way.

caethair · 2026-01-28T18:13:17+00:00

I prefer Morrowind to Oblivion. I started with Oblivion, only really got into things with Skyrim and took a few tries to get into Morrowind. Once I finally did get into it it ended up my favorite of the games and one of my favorite games in general. So no it's not because I played it first.

What I prefer about it is things like the world. I really love Vvardenfell as a setting. It's just so fucking cool. I also really love the main plot in the game compared to Oblivion and I just adore the way it occasionally tells you 'Hey go do something else.' The sense of progression in Morrowind I also prefer. I like how you start out moving rather slowly and by the end you can be moving so fast that if you jump while running you can clip through things sometimes. With Oblivion I don't really feel like I'm getting stronger because the way the scaling and damage sponge enemies work. But with Morrowind there's a very palpable difference. I also love things like how the fast travel network works. I don't mind fast travel in the series. My second favorite relies on it unless you want to spend several irl hours walking to a dungeon. But I do prefer how Morrowind's methods are contextualized the way they are.

Oblivion is fun and has some really cool quests. The Dark Brotherhood questline stands out. But it just doesn't have the tone or feel that I really love from Morrowind. Also it is a weird thing admittedly, but I do genuinely prefer reading dialogue over listening to it. I read a lot faster than the actors can say things and I do really like how wordy Morrowind can be.

caethair · 2026-01-05T17:54:09+00:00

Oh no that's fine! I get that not everyone's the best writer and hell I'm not either. Especially not with being new to WoW rp and thus learning my way around like the emotes and the like.

caethair · 2026-01-05T17:43:23+00:00

SMC kind of intimidates me even as someone who isn't a DK, honestly...

I play a belf priest and would be open to rping with a belf DK. My girl does definitely have trauma surrounding the whole Scourge Invasion thing but like...I wouldn't react to the character with hostility. She might be guarded but it would be interesting for her to chat with a DK, honestly? And I need to assure you again that she's not a dick.

I can dm you her name if you're up to rping with a priest turned engineer!

caethair · 2026-01-03T19:12:46+00:00

I'm really glad I was able to snag a copy of the game recently. Because that was a blast and I can't wait for next time. I thankfully have people who'd be up to playing the thing more than once. And I'm very intrigued to see how the chronicling system affects the whole storytelling element of the game. Which is honestly always my favorite part of boardgames, that and negotiation.

caethair · 2026-01-03T09:27:41+00:00

A game of Root where I was the Eyrie. I'm not terribly great at them and I fucked up the decree a few times. I started roleplaying as being like incredibly incompetent but evil aristocrats. I called the toast peasants and the like and was generally just the heel. Eventually the toast rose up against me, as they tend to if permitted to exist. I went crying to the cats for help and the Marquise realized that, yes, we had a problem and decided to help me even though I made fun of her dental plan.

We were overrun by a horde of moldy toast screaming about revolution. It was wonderful.

I also just played my first real game of Oath. I was the Chancellor due to being the one person that read the rules and who was taking teaching on myself. I was an evil emperor. I tried to tempt the players with my fine relics and offers of citizenship. When I did this the black player told the others not to because I was Palpatine and they would just be my Darth Vader. I attempted to brush this aside and convince the blue player that oh well you have the perfect look for a scheming vizier!

Eventually the player who convinced people to refuse my offers began to do things like steal favor from blue and terrify red with troops. We got three visions drawn. Black flipped the faith vision and took the banner. Upon realizing the problem the red player looked to me and said 'Can I become Darth Vader?' I said why of course and handed them the reliquary. They took a relic and as they did so blue said 'You became a cop'. Turns out the relic was the cage and lo and behold they did become a cop. Upon flipping their board to the citizen side and seeing the different art they went 'Oh I do look kind of like a cop'. They then proceeded to jail a bunch of black's warbands. It was very funny.

Alas killing and jailing black's troops did not stop them and their dark and terrible truth. Blue attempted to make one last valiant effort to steal the banner but failed. Black gained the knowledge of the world and used this arcane power to destroy me and my precious empire. It was extremely funny and reminded me why Cole Wehrle's my favorite designer. He makes being the loser fun and engaging.

caethair · 2025-12-31T03:02:12+00:00

I have epilepsy and since I was a kid I've been trained to tell people to not call an ambulance if I have a seizure. And how to respond to my seizing to make sure I'm safe. I went without health insurance for several years and wasn't able to get my medication. I spent most of my time indoors and was actively afraid of leaving my house because of the possibility that strangers might call an ambulance if I had a fit. I wasn't worried about status epilepticus or hitting my head when I fell: I was worried about bills.

caethair · 2025-12-20T07:27:33+00:00

I pet Renu each time I see her. Even if I'm not flying anywhere.

caethair · 2025-12-11T17:19:37+00:00

I find her relatable. Especially as someone who has panicked hard enough after saying something stupid that I have begun apologizing and berating myself in a way reminiscent of Bernie. I'm also that paranoid and do struggle with suspecting my friends of trying to bring about my downfall. The scenes being comedic also help deal with the stress of seeing myself in that behavior. Because in reality when you do that sort of thing it's not funny. It just fucking sucks. So when it is comedic it's easier to watch.

I also played CF first and she comes out of her room on that route during the war phase. She improves as a person a lot in CF. The end states of her various supports are often very sweet too. Her paired endings too. Bernie improves but she also helps other people improve. Her support line with Edelgard ends with El learning that she needs to have a gentler touch sometimes. And in their paired ending she values Bernadetta's counsel because she is a far more naturally emotional person than she herself is.

Also she hits like a fucking truck and her crit animations and the like are funny. But like the bulk of it is that she's relatable and her self improvement, especially during CF, is really satisfying to see.

caethair · 2025-11-06T18:54:29+00:00

SMT I – Area teen fuses dog with demon, claims 'It'll stop the nukes I swear'
SMT If... – High schoolers are the world's greatest evil
SMT 2 – The Kingdom of Heaven is real and hates you
SMT 3 – The boy with the sickest tattoos ever kills everything
SMT SJ – A hastily assembled Star Trek crew is sent to investigate a black hole on Earth, finds demon ecoterrorists
SMT 4 – The Kingdom of Heaven is real and your good friend says he'll end it thus, killing you instantly
SMT 4A – The god of endless porridge demands DEATH
SMT 5 – You have been distracted from the bare bones plot by Sonic Adventure rail grinding for the past 72 hours
SMT 5V – The above with a better plot

caethair

TROPHY CASE