#(i actually enjoyed the ending but this ruined it a bit aaa)

[dalishbee]

I lost Davrin and Assan and I'm so upset :')

[togenabi]

with flowers under the stars

inumaki toge x fem!reader (royalty au)

♡—Toge does his best to impress you, even when others might not want him to.

previous♡— [PART 1]

word count♡— 4.1k words (oml)

genre♡— fluff, romance, royalty au

aged up characters♡— 18+

content notes♡— potential lovers to actual lovers, mutual pining, courtship, dating, everyone is a prince or princes, older brother!gojo satoru, no use of y/n, romance, very fluff, mentions of engagement and marriage, toge uses sign language, some characters may be ooc >< pls forgive me

author's note♡— after rising from the grave (I'm so sorry this took so long! buT! I'm graduating! AAA) I finally finished the sequel to my first toge fic. thank you so much to those who have appreciated my previous work! now that I'm back, I hope you enjoy this as well! (⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠³⁠˘⁠)♡

Exchanging letters with prince Toge occurred frequently before you finally met again. He talked about many things, but they all ended the same way: mentioning how lovely you are and how he wishes time could run faster so he could meet you.

Toge's kingdom was a week on ship and a day by train away, so visiting was saved for important duties or events. ‘Maybe I should ask your brother to appoint me an official position in the council so I can stay in the palace.’ He wrote to you once. You reply that he doesn't deserve it, since he wouldn't be working with the empire or its people in mind.

He writes back that he fell for you a little more, and you trace that line an infinite number of times before tucking the letter away.

When the day of the banquet finally arrives, Satoru notices that you appear a bit more lavish than you usually care to look during events.

“Why! My dearest sister! How stunning you look! And for my birthday, no less! I love that color on you, your taste has improved so much!” He suddenly gasps dramatically and loudly—so loud, that the maid helping you with your earrings flinches.

“Are those... the earrings I got you last year? But I've never seen you wear them! I would give you a hug if it wouldn't ruin your clothes!”

You ignore him the entire time he fusses over you. He looks nice today, you admit. His hair is styled down which gives him a softer aura, and his white suit with gold details looks pristine. A midnight blue cape drapes over his shoulders and flows down his back. It would be difficult for anyone else to pull it off, but you don't tell him that. Goodness knows he would never let you hear the end of it.

You sigh as you watch him through the vanity mirror, but he only becomes even more giddy at your silence.

“Hey, give me that.” Satoru says to the attendant holding your brush. “Leave us.” He says as he stands behind you to brush your hair. You stare at him in disbelief.

Satoru knows you love when he brushes your hair. Even if you never outright told him, it was obvious that you enjoyed it when he cared for you. But because you were embarrassed to ask him as you got older, he hasn't done it since you were children.

He's silent and focuses on brushing your hair gently. The moment feels strangely emotional, and your resolve to ignore him cracks a bit.

“So...” Satoru meets your eyes in the mirror, then winks. “You and Toge, huh?”

You tsk, letting your resolve fully break. “I should've known you would notice.”

He laughs and places a hand on your shoulder. “Well, he wrote saying his father wanted to trade silk from their territory, and that he would like to stay at the palace to handle the negotiations.”

“...Add that to the letters you're receiving everyday, and it wasn't too hard to piece things together.”

You groan and cover your face in embarrassment. You and Toge weren't exactly a secret, but you didn't want your brother to know until it got more serious.

“So what now?” You dread having to ask. “Are you going to tell me to call it off?”

“Nope.” Satoru says, smiling. “Besides, if you're anything like your dear old brother—which, you are! Don't deny it!—I'll end up driving you into his arms if I try to keep you away.”

His eyes suddenly turn serious as he considers his next words. “He's a good kid... Good enough for you, though? We'll have to see.” He places the brush on the dresser, and takes your hand to help you on your feet.

“But what's important is to know yourself and decide for yourself. Don't let anyone else make that choice for you.” He looks sincere as he places your hand on his arm. “Shall we?”

“Satoru...” You call him, touched. He grins and kisses your forehead.

“And of course, if you end up marrying him, that saves me and the ministers the work of looking for your match!” You slap his shoulder, but he only laughs harder as he escorts you out.

The ballroom was sparkling when you arrived. There were already plenty of guests partaking in the revelries as the event had begun half an hour before. Satoru had insisted on the importance of being fashionably late. Normally, you wouldn't have let him actually be late, but you caved only for today.

“Entering, their Royal Highnesses, The Imperial Crown Prince and The Imperial Princess.”

As you descended the stairs with Satoru, the people bowed and you took that as an opportunity to look for a head of white hair, a mask or a high collar covering half the face.

“You're being too obvious.” Satoru whispered. “He'll show up, don't worry.”

He led you to the center of the hall. You were so caught up on looking for Toge that you had nearly forgotten you were to share Satoru's first dance; as he still wasn't engaged. The both of you took your positions gracefully as the music started to flow through the air.

“I'll spin you a few times.” He was grinning. “Try to spot him.”

And yet, the song ended without you seeing Toge anywhere. After giving a hasty bow to your brother, you went on with your search once again.

Your eyes caught princess Nobara the same moment she did yours. You were about to go greet her when her eyes trailed off to something behind you. When her gaze returns to yours, she's smirking and it makes you turn to look at what she saw.

Toge takes your breath away as he walks up to you. He wasn't wearing a mask, or a high collar like he had been during the previous ball. His suit was pitch black and every bit as elegant as him. Your eyes were immediately drawn to his lips and you blushed when he caught you staring. All you wanted to do was to dance with him so that you had an excuse to be close.

It seemed that he picked up on that, as he bowed and offered you his hand.

“It's good to see you again.” You greet him. He kisses the back of your hand with a smile before sweeping you away to dance.

Suddenly nervous, your words get stuck in your throat as the beginnings of a soft waltz reach your ears. “I... tried looking for you when I arrived.”

Toge leads the dance as effortlessly as he did the first time. It almost amazes you how natural it feels to move and sway with him. He seems pleased to know that you were paying him as much attention as he gave you.

Not wanting to simply dance, you took to asking him questions. “Did your journey here go smoothly?” Toge nods.

“When did you arrive?”

‘Today.’ He mouths.

“Ah. I'll have to take you sightseeing then.” You grin up at him. “Would tomorrow be alright?” You get your answer in the form of Toge grinning back, and before you could prepare yourself, he twirls you around and catches you in an embrace as the song finishes with a flourish. A number of people around you started to clap, and you couldn't help but blush in his arms.

After settling at the less crowded side of the ballroom, Toge explains, ‘I also tried to find you. I arrived as early as I could, and yet you and your brother were late.’ He looks at you almost as if to scold you, but you see mischief in his eyes. ‘I thought that you might be by the window where we met... So I went to check.’

“Oh, I see.” You respond, a bit embarrassed. “I should have warned you about my brother's flair for dramatics. He tends to do that when he's the star of the event.”

‘Do you have any remaining commitments here at the ball?’

That makes you think for a moment. “No, Satoru's the one the people want to bother today. Why?”

Toge gives you a look that makes you want to agree to almost anything he asks. ‘Will you allow me to whisk you away?’

And so you were both running, hand-in-hand and laughing, on your way to that secluded hall with the stained glass window. It shouldn't have been possible, but it felt more magical than before to be with him here again.

Toge slows his steps when you both reach the window. You realize that despite coming to cherish this place, you never sought it out when he wasn't around. Something tells you that would have only made you miss him more.

Looking at you with a serious expression, he begins to sign, ‘I know I have been very upfront about myself caring about you... But I want to ask this properly, because you deserve nothing less than the best.’

‘I would like—if it is alright with you, to formally court you.’

The smile on your face glows before you can help it, and you throw your arms around him.

“I would very much like that as well, my dear prince.” You lean to kiss his cheek.

Toge looks dazed and happy as if drunk on something you had given him. Maybe he was.

The moonlight shining through the glass paints him in a kaleidoscope of colors. Before, the only colors on him were the purple hues in his eyes. And now he stood before you, bright and shining.

‘You look beautiful.’

He took the words right out of your mouth.

⋆｡˚ 🌸 ˚｡⋆｡˚✨˚｡⋆

Satoru came to find you the day after the banquet. Naturally, he entered your office without knocking, and unceremoniously dropped a heavy document in front of the one you were already working on.

“What's this?”

“Toge's proposal...”

The floor seemed to sink, your heart and your breath gone along with it. “What?”

“—for the trade negotiations.”

It took everything in your power to not throw the block of papers at him. “You're unbelievable.”

Satoru only hummed. “So is your boyfriend. I can't believe he's making me work right after my birthday! He should be kissing up to me, not giving me paperwork!”

“Last time I checked, he's courting me. Not you.” Nevertheless, you take a few moments to sift through the document. It was very detailed and efficient. You note that the length of the proposal was due to the many alternative plans Toge had prepared. This would certainly help the negotiations go smoothly. Satoru and the ministers merely had to look at the options.

Looking back to your brother, you couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. What was he complaining about, when all he had to do was select the best plan and tweak where it was necessary?

“We're to begin the negotiations in two days. I think his plans have potential—” You couldn't help but snort at that, from what you'd seen, Toge was already excellent. (You were not biased. Not at all.) “But, I don't think the older ministers will be kind to someone who acts like a know-it-all.”

“Toge doesn't—”

“A-ah,” Satoru waves a finger at you, as if you were a child being told what you did wrong. You scowl at him but he ignores it. “This will be a test for him, to see if he's able to win against those old goons.”

“You mean yourself, then?” His expression drops at that, and you don't bother to hide how satisfied that made you feel.

⋆｡˚ 🌸 ˚｡⋆｡˚✨˚｡⋆

As the weeks flew by, Toge ended up being a lot more busy than you both anticipated. Despite officially dating, lunches together turned to having tea during breaks; then that turned to catching him in the hallway for a few moments before he had to go.

You didn't understand why his workload only seemed to grow, no matter how much effort he put in. Once, when you caught him just before he entered his chambers, you had asked him if anything was going wrong with the negotiations.

Toge looked exhausted, and yet he gave you a smile that made your heart melt. ‘No, the talks are going well, I suppose I'm just having trouble adjusting to the empire's work culture.’

You must have looked unconvinced, because Toge suddenly leaned in and rested his forehead against yours. Mischievously, he stared into your eyes until you were too flustered to be worried anymore. He laughed when you had to push him away.

That night, he bid you farewell with a kiss to your cheek.

‘Good night, darling.’

The next time you had Toge to yourself for an entire day, it was due to a holiday celebration. Everyone was too occupied with the festivities to work. You were supposed to be at another banquet Satoru had hosted, but you were determined to monopolize Toge's time today.

So you showed up at his door at the earliest respectable hour of the morning, dressed for warm weather and a picnic basket in your hand.

“Will you allow me to whisk you away?” You asked when he answered the door.

You took him on a tour of the parts of the palace he hasn't seen yet. Your office, the private library, and even some of the secret passage ways. His eyes lit up with curiosity when you showed him one behind a portrait.

You had lunch in the gardens, under a tree that offers wonderful shade. A soft blanket laid across the grass, with a spread of the empire's specialty dishes arranged all over it.

“This one,” You show Toge a cookie with flowers piped on top. “Has been my favorite since I was a child. It has just the perfect amount of sweetness, and goes beautifully with tea.”

You move to hand Toge the cookie, but he doesn't take it. Confused, you're about to ask him if anything was wrong when he leans forward and opens his mouth expectantly.

Wordlessly, you raise the cookie to his lips. The moment feels oddly intimate as he takes a bite without removing his gaze from yours.

Toge hums and moves his hands to sign, ‘It's indeed delicious.’ He leans to you and opens his mouth again.

You push the half-eaten cookie into his hands and turn away to hide your blush. “If you're able to tell me what you think about it, you can eat it yourself.”

He breathes out a laugh. Smirking at you while he chews the remaining cookie.

It was so peaceful, just sitting there with him. And it seemed as though you weren't the only one who wanted to sit with Toge. A tiny white butterfly fluttered about before landing on his knee. He looked so enchanted by it. Staring close, but being careful that he didn't move his knee or disturbed it.

The butterfly flying away made you want to explore too. Getting yourself up, you look over your shoulder and gesture for him to follow. He offers you his arm once he catches up, and you rest your hand on it. Birds chirp and leaves rustle in the wind as you walk towards the shimmering lake at the edge of the gardens.

Bracing yourself on Toge's arm, you kick your shoes off. You set them aside to dip your toes into the water. “It's so refreshing!”

Toge feels his chest grow as warm as the sunlight kisses your cheeks. He gets down on one knee to untie his shoes when he's abruptly hit by a splash of water. Flabbergasted, he looks up at you, blinking away the water droplets in his lashes.

Of course, Toge isn't one to back down from a challenge. The result is the both of you shivering and drenched by the time the sun has set. Your maids fuss all over you when you get back to the palace, and the other staff almost faint at the puddles that trail after you and Toge.

It was useless to insist that you could walk alone and that you both should get cleaned up at the soonest. Toge didn't leave your side until you entered your chambers, your gazes only being broken by the door once it closed.

⋆｡˚ 🌸 ˚｡⋆｡˚✨˚｡⋆

You got the most dreadful fever after that day with Toge. Satoru, wanting you to rest properly, made you swear not to lift a finger for work related reasons until you got better. Which, you followed without complaint. You took a break for a few days.

Toge did his best to see you, but he only got busier. His eyes looked more and more tired, dark circles under them when you caught him in the library one morning. He stayed there to work overnight. You were barely able to convince him to rest.

On another night, one of your maids caught him trying to sneak in your room, screaming and kicking him out. You could have sworn half the palace had woken up to that, and you couldn't help but hide under your sheets due to the embarrassment.

What irritates you most, however, was that the first thing you heard when you get back is, “Oh. Finally decided to return to your duties, eh?” from a delegate who spent most of his time gossiping, and whose biggest contribution to the empire was refilling the inkwells in the conference room...

The conference room has five inkwells.

Those ministers and court members were proving more and more to be nuisances. You gave them an earful when they had assumed you were slacking off when you were sick.

Not to mention, you suspected that they have been making Toge do more work than he needs to. Even if he never complains, you don't fail to notice how some courtiers turn their noses up at him just because his kingdom was distant and smaller compared to the scale of the empire.

The thought of Toge being belittled makes you pause during work, frowning at a chart of kitchen expenses as if it's done something offensive.

Dropping your pen, you head out of your office with brisk steps. You had to speak to Satoru.

⋆｡˚ 🌸 ˚｡⋆｡˚✨˚｡⋆

“Overworking Toge? Why, dear sister, I can't believe you're accusing me of such a thing!” Satoru puts a hand to his heart as if he was wounded by your words.

“Maybe not.” You're not going to let him weasel out of this one. “But you let the other ministers and court members walk all over him! Is Toge supposed to just sit there and take it? He's a prince, damn it!”

“Listen,” Satoru leans forward, his elbows on his desk as he uses his hands while explaining. “The ministers are just a bit frazzled, that's all. They think he forced you to skip the holiday banquet, and that he got you sick. He's good at his work, sure. But in their eyes? He just looks like a bad influence on you.”

You scoff.

“Now,” Satoru interrupts before you can say anything, “They were going to try and match you with prince Megumi—”

“Megumi's already engaged.”

“I know, I know. And that's why they're planning on pitching you with prince Yuji or princess Nobara.”

“I'm already with Toge.” You say sternly. “And what happened to not letting others make my decisions for me?”

“As far as those old goons are concerned, Toge is only the third best for you. ‘For the greatness of the empire’ and all that.” It doesn't escape you that he dodged your question. “They're going to try to push you apart until you break up or get hitched.” He leans back, crossing his arms on his chest. “Whichever comes first.”

“Why don't you stop them?” Frustrated, you run your hands through your hair. “Tell them I really like him and that they should leave him alone!”

“Sweetheart,” Satoru's tone becomes deeper, and you hate how it instantly makes you shut up. “The thing is, if Toge isn't capable of handling this, or if he backs out of your relationship because of it, he's not worth your time.”

You stare at him, unlinking. The thought of Toge leaving you had never occurred to you before, and Satoru could tell.

“I told you I would test him.” He shrugged. “It seems I'm testing you too.”

Rushing back to your office, you grab a piece of parchment and your pen from your desk. Not bothering to sit down as you write: Meet me at the gardens, by the tree. Midnight.

You fold it and hastily stuff it into an envelope. Delicately melting wax, you stamp your seal onto it before calling for your most trusted maid.

Handing her the letter, you instruct her, “Deliver this to prince Toge and prince Toge only. If anyone hinders you or attempts to read it, report back to me immediately. Go.”

She bows, and exits the room.

That night, Toge arrived before you. You note that he has a penchant for being early as he reaches to squeeze your hand. He looks you over to check if you're alright, and despite seeing nothing of concern, he asks anyway, ‘Are you okay?’

“We need to talk.” You nervously purse your lips. “The courtiers, the ministers... My brother. They've been making your work difficult.”

He sighs. ‘You found out.’

“You didn't tell me!” You rest a hand on his cheek, absentmindedly grazing your thumb over the marks near his mouth. “Do you understand what they're trying to do?”

‘Testing me.’

“Yes.” A lump forms in your throat. “Satoru said it's until you give up on me, or if you... propose.”

Heart racing, your hands can't stop fiddling with things. His face. His hair. The fastenings of his suit. “I'm just so worried. I care a great deal about you, and I just wanted to ask if you're enduring this because you want to.” You bite your lip in thought. “If it's because you're sure about... me.”

You can't look at him. You suddenly feel foolish. You should have given it a night and slept on it to gather your thoughts. You should have—

Toge embraces you. Everything stops.

You take in the view of the gardens over his shoulder. It was dark, and there was barely any light save for the stars twinkling above. You closed your eyes and let yourself be held.

Pulling away, he doesn't seem as fazed as you do, if at all. He turns to you slowly, and after taking a deep breath...

‘Marry me, then.’

You choke on air.

“Wh-what?!” A warmth creeps into your cheeks. “What are you—”

He places his hands on your shoulders and stares into your eyes. He gives you a look and mouths, ‘Breathe.’ And you do.

Once you've calmed down, he begins to explain.

‘We can come forward and make a statement that we've been seeing each other with marriage in mind. Which...’ He pauses, suddenly shy. ‘I have. I've been thinking about swearing everything to you... Intertwining my future with yours.’

‘I know it's only been a few months, so we could have a long engagement if you want. For us to get to know each other more. And if—’ Toge's hands freeze, his movements are slow as if the next words pain him.

��...If you decide to break off the engagement, I will not force you to stay with me.’

You immediately stop his hands, holding them tightly with your own.

“Toge... I wouldn't even consider this with anyone else,” You feel genuinely happy as you smile at him. “But I'm willing to try. With you. Only you.”

He glows in a way that reminds you of when you first met. His expression is soft as if he's melting, and he smiles at you brightly. You think of how lucky you are that he looks at you this way.

‘This isn't the way I wanted it to happen, but...’

Toge picks a small, white flower from a bush nearby. It faintly reminds you of the butterfly that had flown to him the last time you were here together. His eyes are focused and he frowns in concentration as he fiddles with the stem. Your heart stutters as he makes... a delicate ring.

He kneels.

You say yes.

⋆｡˚ 🌸 ˚｡⋆｡˚✨˚｡⋆

A letter from you and Toge arrives on Satoru's desk the next day.

‘Dearest brother,

Please approve this statement that prince Toge and I have been seeing each other, and that we have decided to get engaged. You will find the formal document stamped with our seals attached to this letter.

We expect your approval posthaste, and I will not consider any objections. Please let us know when you will be available to discuss the engagement ceremony.’

“Your highness, what should we do with these documents you had forged?”

“Oh. Hand them over.” Satoru waves a hand to dismiss the attendant after retrieving the files.

He gets up from his desk and walks to the fireplace. “I can't believe he proposed before I could falsely accuse him of treason.” He tsks and throws the documents into the fire.

His eyes find a framed photograph on the fireplace mantel. It was of him and you as children. Satoru was laughing after you ran to him for a hug. His gaze grows sad yet understanding... He won't be the first person you'll turn to anymore when you get married.

Sighing, he considers that he should be thankful you chose someone determined and true like Toge. But then Satoru grins.

“I suppose I can always mess with him as his brother-in-law.”

⋆｡˚ 🌸 ˚｡⋆｡˚✨˚｡⋆

© togenabi 2023 | see here to be added to my taglist ♡

[enid-rhees]

hi :)) can you do an enid x reader story where rumors that enid and reader are together (they’re not true … yet) and they keep defending themselves but they “secretly” like eachother (they get together in the end :>) ty and i love all ur stories!!

aaa i love this !! i hope you enjoy <33 and tysm !!

warnings: slight angst not too much

A/N: hope you all enjoy! if you'd like to request as well, just read pinned for all the info! yet again, this is written as reader living with the Grimes family but not explicitly stated that you’re adopted by them, that could be up to you!

you and Enid were sat on your bed. she was occupied with nail polish that you found on a run, carefully painting her fingernails. meanwhile you were laying on your back, a book above your face.

it was silent in the room, but both of you enjoyed that. there was comfort that came along with being with the person you like the most, but not having to be constantly talking to enjoy their company.

Enid shook her right hand, letting the polish dry on her nails. she then turned to you, “does this look good?” she asked you. you closed the book and flipped over, examining her bright red nails.

“yeah! it looks cute.” you complimented, giving her a small smile. Enid smiled back, “let me do yours!” she exclaimed.

you extended out your hand and she took it into her own. she held your hand up to her face, closely concentrating on your nails. you watched with a small smile.

as she continued on to the next finger, your door was thrown open. both of you jumped at the sudden noise, turning to see who was there.

Carl stood there, out of breath like he just ran all the way here. he looked between the two of you, “so it’s true!” he yelled.

you and Enid shared a glance, “…what’s true?” Enid asked him. “you’re dating!” he yelled. your eyes went wide and so did Enid’s.

“what?!” both of you yelled at him. “who the hell told you that?” you asked him. “Mikey! he said he swore he saw you guys out by the pond last night and Enid had her arms around you!” Carl explained.

you shook your head profusely, “we aren’t dating!” you and Enid said at the same time. “why would you listen to Mikey?!” 

his eyes went wide, “well you better say something to my Dad and Michonne… they over heard Mikey tell me.”

you gave him a hard glare as you stood up, “you are Mikey are both dead.” you said before skipping down the stairs, Enid followed you quickly.

Rick and Michonne were stood in the kitchen. when they finally noticed you, they both smiled.

“we aren’t dating!” you both yelled again. Michonne’s smile dropped, “what?! but Mikey said-“

“Mikey is dumb as hell!” you interrupted. “yes, we were by the pond but we weren’t doing anything to make us look like a couple. we were just hanging out. as friends.”

you couldn’t lie that you hated that word. yes, Enid was your friend, but you didn’t want her to be. you wanted her to be so much more than just your friend. you wanted to be the one that got to hold her and kiss her every chance you got.

Enid sighed, “i’m gonna talk to him. knowing him, he’s already told a lot more people.” you nodded sadly, “i’ll see you… tonight?”

she smiled, “of course.” when she walked out the front door, you turned back to Rick and Michonne. “sorry for yelling. it’s just… it’s frustrating.” you mumbled. 

“wanna talk about it?” Rick asked you. you frowned, but shook your head. “nah, it’ll blow over tomorrow, i’m sure.” you said, trying your best to seem convincing enough. “i’m gonna go back up.” you told them, turning around and going upstairs without another word.

you closed your door behind you, moving to sit on your bed. you resumed your previous position, lying on your back. you stared blankly at the ceiling, and your mind wandering to Enid.

you wanted to scream into your pillow like the movies, just to get all your frustrations out. the entire situation had undoubtedly ruined your mood a bit. to you, it was a reminder that Enid would never actually be more than just your friend.

as you stared at the ceiling, you felt a single tear run down your face. you quickly raised your hand to your face, wiping away the tear. you did not want to cry right now, especially over something like this. you sat back up, grabbing a tissue from your bedside table.

when you threw it in the trash can on the floor, your door opened again. “holy shit, don’t you knock?” you asked Carl, who stood there.

“sorry, wanted to check on you.” he told you, closing the door behind him and sitting next to you. “why?” you asked him. he shrugged, “you seemed upset at what happened.”

you shook your head, “it’s whatever. Enid is talking to Mikey, so…” you said, looking down at your hands.

“no, something’s really bothering you, Y/N. what’s going on?” he asked, his voice laced with concern. you looked up at him, feeling tears pool your eyes again. you sighed deeply.

“would you think i’m insane if i told you i wish Mikey was right?” Carl’s facial expression softened, like he finally realized what you meant.

“no, no i would never think that, Y/N. why didn’t you say something?” you laid your head on his shoulder, shrugging again. “it’s not something that’s so easy to say. i mean… how simple is being in love with your best friend?”

“it’s not.” he said. he put his arm over your shoulder, keeping you close to him. you closed your eyes, enjoying the comfort he provided. “is she still coming over tonight?” he asked you. “yeah.” you responded.

“maybe you should try and tell her. if you want to.” he said to you, “i want to. i really do. but there’s a good chance that it will ruin… everything, Carl. and i don’t know if i can handle her not being my friend anymore.”

“it won’t happen.” he immediately said. “i know it won’t, okay?” you nodded again this shoulder. he stood up, giving your shoulder one squeeze. “you got this.” you gave him a small smile and he left your room.

_

you skipped down the stairs when 3 knocks landed on the front door. when you opened it, Enid smiled widely, her bag ready in her hands. you couldn’t help but smile back.

“hello again.” she said, walking in. she slipped her shoes off, putting them against the wall. the two of you went up to your bedroom. you closed and locked the door being you. “who else heard?” you asked Enid.

“i got to Mikey before he could tell anyone else. so just Carl, and Rick and Michonne.” you let out a sigh of relief. “good. good. thanks for talking to him.”

“no problem. i wanted to make sure he didn’t tell any of the other teens. it’ll be like school all over again.” she joked lightly. you groaned, reminded of past memories.

“yeah, that was the worst.” you laughed. you took a deep breath and looked up at her. “Enid, can i ask you something?” your heart started to race as she directed her attention towards you. “of course, what’s up?”

“how-“ your words froze as you tried to figure out what to say on the spot. you hadn’t prepared for this at all, you just blurted everything out. “what would you say if i told you that… i wish Mikey was right?”

Enid stared at you, trying to process your question. your chest tightened and you started to freak out on the inside, wondering if you just made the biggest mistake of your life.

“um,” Enid choked out. “i would tell you that i wish Mikey was right, too.” she said.

for a moment, you made eye contact. your eyes dropped down to her lips as you both started to lean in. your lips connected and Enid put a hand on the back of your head, keeping you from pulling away. your hands landed on her waist and you pulled her not, not breaking apart once.

after a few more seconds, Enid pulled away breathlessly, leaning her head on yours. “i’ve been waiting for this… for so long.” she whispered. your lips connected briefly again before you said, “me too.”

[illusionsofdreaming]

Hey hey heyy! It's me again XD

Could I ask for headcanons on what the main trio+ Eruhaben would do on your birthday?

It's my birthday on June 22 and I just wanted to see stuff like this ehe^^

(Please make it gender neutral 👉👈)

Notes: Oh my god! Can we get a Happy Birthday over here?? Happy Birthday @mikazukitamaki I hope you’ll have a wonderful day filled with fun and happiness aaa <3

Ft: Cale, Choi Han, Alberu, Eruhaben

Cale Henituse

he would normally sleep in but he would make an exception just this day

he wakes you with gentle kisses against your face with breakfast brought up to the room

After lazing about for a while, anything work related completely banned, he’ll invite you out to go browsing

If you like shopping you’ll hit the shopping areas and he’ll buy anything you’d fancy, no expenses spared

If you do not have anything in mind, then he’ll bring you to scenic spots (the cliffs, the beach, open plains) for a chill picnic day

As dusk approaches, you return to the estate and was surprised with confetti and ribbons and everyone screaming “Happy Birthday!” the moment you opened the doors

Still recovering from the surprise, you’re dragged in and the music starts

Everyone you know and love are there, even the Crown Prince’s there

there’s a massive five tiered cake decorated by the children

A literal fountain of your favourite drink (which children were strictly banned from if it’s alcoholic)

Usually Cale would’ve shied away from big and loud events, but when it’s a party filled with people he love and trust he’s relaxed and chill

It’s a party celebrating your existence, he wouldn’t have missed it for the world

the party was one of the rowdiest you’ve ever been to but it’s a night full of laughter and joy and you wouldn’t have it any other way

Choi Han

An attempt to cook was made

He was quickly found by Beacrox before he could ruin the rest of the pans

After a brief scuffle (where many knives were thrown), a compromise was made: Beacrox will handle all the cooking, Choi Han can stand still at the side and out of the way

Despite the harsh rules set, Choi Han still manages to inch his way in to help

Beacrox will begrudgingly allow him to cut decorations from sugar paste icing because if there’s anything Choi Han’s skilled at, it’s handling a blade

He tried to pipe your name on a piece of chocolate which Beacrox promptly threw out because it looked absolutely cursed

after many hours of struggling (mostly on Beacrox’s part to salvage the situation) the cake was finished

Beacrox retires to his room absolutely drained with a last warning that if he ever sees Choi Han in his kitchen again, he will commit murder

he surprises you next morning dragging you to the kitchens

he’s vibrating with nervousness and excitement as he presents you the cake

it’s a bit lopsided and the decorations looked like they were hacked with an axe but you loved it nonetheless

you gave him a grateful kiss on the cheek and watched as his blush bloom across his face

after having some cake you two went out to your favorite places (be it the park, the training grounds or city centre) with your hands linked together all the way

Alberu Crossman

a ball is held to celebrate your birthday and everyone is invited

it’s no secret from you since grand events as these are hard to keep under wraps

preparations started several weeks before the actual day and it’s actually a lot of work

invitation lists have to be confirmed, decorations, patterns and menus to be approved

you had to be outfitted with Alberu several times as well since he insists on matching your outfits (what a sap)

throughout the entire week, carriages upon carriages of gifts are sent over from across the kingdom

finally the day came and you’re woken by him peppering kisses all over your face

you wrestle with him on the bed for being a tease but you were quickly dragged away as there’s a lot to prepare for the eventful day

and boy it’s a whirlwind. It might’ve been incredibly exhausting and overwhelming were not for Alberu’s constant presence by your side

he only has eyes on you the whole day and he’s never left your side

at the end of the night as you retire to your rooms exhausted by the day’s events you’re greeted by one last surprise

as you exited the showers and into your room you found it filled with your favorite flowers

Alberu asks for a final dance in your pajamas and it’s the most fun you’ve had as you dance with him under the moonlight and surrounded by his gifts

as your silly dance ends he pulls you in and thanks you for being patient the entire exhausting week, he wishes you a ‘happy birthday’ and kisses you

Eruhaben

You’re not busy right? How would you like to go on a trip around the world?

An ancient dragon who’s seen everything in the world, he wants to take this chance to show you the best this world has to offer

Beautiful scenic spots and places you could only dream of visiting suddenly accessible with just a flick of his fingers

You were wary of such an impromptu trip but once you’re transported to a new place you found yourself getting into the touristy mood

You spent the whole day visiting many different places, visiting shops and tasting new cuisines

He’s been to all these places before so he’s not expecting to be surprised, but somehow seeing the delight and wonder on your face made him feel like a tourist anew, experiencing excitement and creating new memories with you

at the end of the day, he’ll invite you to enjoy a starlit dinner

quite literally, as he creates an invisible floating platform where you can sit mid-air and enjoy the city view and night sky

dragons as old as him, don’t see the need to celebrate their day of birth

but he supposed after this day, he understood this weird human tradition a little better. Perhaps it’s not a celebration one throws for one’s birth, but a celebration for others to appreciate that you’re in their lives

he tells you whatever you wish for he’ll get it for you, even if it’s the stars in the skies

and honestly? you believe him

[outivv]

aaa alright! well i was wondering if you could do a reader x albedo fic? <3 i was thinking maybe klee trying her best to be bedo's wingwomen(?) but bejng horrible at it so jean just ends up telling you that albedo likes you, just so klee can shut up and let jean do her work lmaoo. if you cant do that then it's totally fine! <3

Synopsis: klee being albedo’s… wingwoman? Is that a word… I guess it is if it didn’t autocorrect to anything?

Warnings: none!

Game/ fandom: genshin impact

Character: albedo, klee (platonic), Jean (platonic)

Pronouns for reader: gender neutral/ not mentioned

A/n: hello! Thank you for requesting! I just know that this is going to take me a while so I apologize for that :’). But! I love this idea! It’s so cute with the idea of klee helping out Albedo, and Jean just ending everyone’s misery, and confusion. I dunno but I love it! Anyway! I hope you enjoy, and take care of yourself! (I also realized when I was 9/10 some with the writing that I kinda tweaked it a little so… I apologize!)

Walking into your office you noticed a bouquet of flowers laying on your desk. Upon closer examination you say all the native flowers from mondstadt, the bouquet was messy, and yet beautifully shined in the sunlight. Your thoughts were brushed away as you heard your door open. “Klee? Do you need something?” You asked kindly at the girls arrival. She shook her head no and said, “I wanted to give you this, your secret admirer wrote it for you, but forgot to give it to you with the bouquet.”

Klee handed you a folded note, and before you could say anything she ran out of your office. You could hear her giggles as she ran down the hallway. ‘Secret admirer?’ You thought as you opened the letter. It read something along the lines of “I hope you like the flowers, I had some help picking them, but I hope you enjoy them nonetheless.”

“Odd… who could it be” you contemplated, you assumed it was someone in the knights due to the fact that they asked klee if all people to help them. “kaeya? No, it’s a good guess, but he’s more forward about these things. Eula? No, she wouldn’t have someone like klee do her dirty work. Amber? No… I highly doubt it. Jean? No. Not Jean. I know that for sure. Lisa? She’s also forward about these things. Noelle? No she’d do this herself, and without klees help. Albedo? Hm…” you stopped at albedo. And thought.

Maybe Jean would know who it was? You rushed to her office to asked her. You knocked frantically on her door, before walking in asking, “Jean! Do you know who this is from.” Showing her the bouquet in your arms and the note. She glanced up at you from her work, and said, “oh I believe it’s from albedo.” Your mouth dropped. “Albedo?!” You shouted “ALBEDO?!” You shouted again. “Yes it was from albedo, if I remember correctly. I heard him talking with kaeya about it, and klee not too long ago.” She said recalling the events.

“You knew?!” You said surprised by the whole situation. “And you didn’t tell me?!” Jean looked at you confused, and yet she also looked like she was holding back her laughter. “Yes, I thought telling you may ruin the surprise.” She said giggling a bit. You talked for a bit longer, until you made your way back to your office.

On the way you saw albedo exiting his own office, presumably going home for the day. “Albedo!” You shouted from a ways down the hallway. He looked over to you to see the bouquet in your arms, and he felt mortified. Did you know??? We’re you upset???? Did you not like him back?! The color drained from his face and he looked as though he was panicking. Because he was.

“Albedo! I wanted to thank you for the bouquet, the flowers are beautiful.” You said with a smile on your face. A blush crept on albedo’s face as he said, “you’re welcome… I had some help though, as you may have noticed.” He said referring to how klee helped him with delivering the note.

You laughed a bit recalling the events. “Haha, yes I noticed.” You said a bright smile on your face “actually I was wondering if you’d like to get dinner sometime.” Albedo nervously laughed and accepted your request. Albedo thought that this whole scenario didn’t end in his favor, but it seems he was surprised.

[scope-dogg]

Long post about Mass Effect below

I noticed that there’s a big mass effect trilogy remaster coming out and it just made me think back on how badly the ball was dropped with that series. When the first game came out it immediately became perhaps my favourite game of all time, it was the kind of game where I was tearing up at the ending and then immediately started up a new playthrough the instant the credits got done rolling. The game was extremely jank and rough around the edges and it ran like total shit on the 360, but I loved it anyway because I fell in love with the lore of the universe, the characters and the story. It was one of those games where I’d play it in the most obsessively completionist manner possible, doing every singe sidequest possible, talking to every character on the ship after every mission, browsing the ingame codex for hours on end and dosing up on lore. When it was confirmed that Mass Effect 2 was in development I had such high hopes, of course I wanted to see the gameplay tightened up and the technical side of things improved, but more than that I just wanted to see more of the universe, get more of the universe to explore and learn more about it, and I was especially excited at the possibility that the choices I’d made, especially the massive ones in regards to the council at the end of ME1, would carry forward and really shake up the way the fate of the universe would pan out in the long term.

When the game finally came out, I enjoyed it, but it wasn’t really what I was hoping for. While the combat was much improved over ME1, I couldn’t help but feel like everything else was pared back too much - like, levelling and loot in ME1 weren’t all that well done but I was still really disappointed to see how they were all but stripped out in the sequel. I especially hated how crap sidequests on uncharted worlds were, they were basically just short combat sections with almost nothing in the way of meaningful dialogue or choices to make. Like, don’t get me wrong, uncharted worlds in ME1 felt like the maps were procedurally generated and the Mako had wacky controls, but they still managed to pull off the right atmosphere of going to these dangerous and remote places on alien worlds, and there was some legitimately intriguing stuff going on in some of those sidequests, and it was honestly a little infuriating to see all that basically get the axe entirely instead of getting some polish. I also just felt like the additions to the lore and story were disappointing. I was excited to find out about how society in the Terminus systems was different from Citadel space and meet some new alien races, but that didn’t really happen - I guess they tried with Omega, but that just felt like a mildly edgier version of the Citadel. The only new alien race aside from the Collectors they introduced were the Vorcha and I guess the Batarians if you didn’t play the DLC for ME1, but neither ended up being all that interesting. People remember ME2′s story fondly because of the characters, and I agree that the characters are great, Legion and Mordin especially stand out though all of your squadmates and major supporting characters on the ship are great (except maybe Jacob I guess) as are each of their accompanying stories that get resolved through their loyalty missions, but I think that the actual core plot of ME2 isn’t good at all. The whole thing about you dying and coming back to life seems like it was done just to have the excuse of having a timeskip happen, and I never felt particularly compelled by the Illusive Man or Cerberus as a faction - they were in a sidequest chain in ME1 technically but I still felt like they kind of came out of nowhere and never really fit into the grand scheme of things properly - there’s nothing that they really enable Shepard to do differently that wouldn’t have already been justified by you being a Spectre. The revelations about the Collectors and ultimately what they were doing with the colonists they were kidnapping felt really stupid and pointless apart from giving you an excuse to have a really cheesy and out-of-place final boss. The final mission was only exciting because of the tension of potentially losing one or more of your squadmates than because of what the actual consquences of failure for the galaxy were if you failed. There was no compelling antagonist to square off against like Saren in ME1, and ultimately the whole thing felt kind of pointless - it wasn’t until later after the trilogy was done that I realised that you could take ME2 out of the equation entirely and it wouldn’t make that much difference, but even in those moments as the credits were rolling after I beat the game for the first time, I was struggling to make up my mind about whether I’d actually enjoyed the game or not. I mean, it wasn’t like the game was bad or anything but I was thinking more about the opportunities that they missed rather than the good things they added. I was really missing that sense of discovery and exploring an alien galaxy that the first game had and got left by the wayside for the second. I did start up a new playthrough after that like I did with ME1 but IIRC I didn’t bother finishing that playthrough.

Then along came ME3. Everything about that game is depressing. The whole path of the plot and just the unrelenting apocalyptic tone of the game in general feels like it’s actively punishing you if you actually like the setting, characters, lore and so on and so forth. I know a lot of people like the Citadel DLC that they released because it lightened the tone a bit, but even with that I find it hard to set aside the fact that the universe is literally ending while you’re trying to take a break from it all with how hard the rest of the game beats you over the head with it. How bad the endings were even with the “fix” DLC that got added is a horse that’s been thoroughly beaten to death by now, but it’s not just the endings either. I already didn’t like the Illusive Man or Cerberus and had a hard time buying them as an organisation with the kind of reach and pull they had as portrayed in ME2, but seeing them turn into the Hellghast in ME3 not only betrays that portrayal of them as an org that works through subterfuge but also stretches my disbelief beyond breaking point, plus it brings you into contact with Kai Leng who has to be up there as one of the most obnoxious rival characters in any videogame ever. Otherwise, it did a few things that ME2 did slightly better and some things slightly worse, and didn’t really do anything to recapture the stuff that made ME1 so memorable to me that ME2 skipped out on. And then there was the way that Javik, the game’s most interesting new squadmate by far, was preorder DLC, and then there was the multiplayer that you were kinda forced into playing if you wanted the best ending in the singleplayer (for all the difference that made) and was riddled with lootbox microtransactions (the first major implementation of that in a AAA game IIRC.) The coup de grace for me was when dipshit vidya journalists circled the wagons around Bioware and were taking a dump on angry and disappointed fans who were demanding a change to the ending. Like, looking back I think there was a lot of histrionics involved with that from the fanbase, and let’s just say that the Bioware fanbase has earned a reputation for being particularly turbulent, but even so I really couldn’t stand the attitude that they were taking and it made me hate the game itself by proxy that much more. (I honestly think that entire saga set the stage for Gamergate two years later.)

Eventually when ME Andromeda ended up being a stillborn flop, it didn’t even really move the needle for me that much because ME3 had already set the bar so low. Worse though is that the first game was retrospectively ruined for me. Like I said earlier, I was a hyperfan for that game when it came out, but now I can’t go back to it without thinking about the disappointments that followed it, and its flaws stand out extra hard now. After I beat it for the first time it was my number 1, now I’m not sure it’s in the top 10. There’s probably the added factor that I played it to death and know it almost off by heart which takes the shine away, but that’s also the case for some of my other all-time favourites like Metroid Prime 1 and 2, Ace Combat 2, or Command and Conquer Red Alert 2, but those never really dropped in my estimation the way Mass Effect did. Honestly to this day I’m still waiting for someone to do another star-hopping sci-fi RPG in the same vein as Mass Effect and to pull it off well, because at this point I’m all but certain that it’s not going to be Bioware that does it, not with the new one they’ve got coming in the works or the trilogy remaster.

[yanderecandystore]

aaa I love your work! Can we get some of the A.I reader and Ingrid going about their daily lives? Maybe with the A.I not being as naive and innocent as most think and Ingrid being totally soft for them.

Can we, dear? I'm joking, of course we can!

I'm currently dealing with some personal family related bullshit, so again, I'm sorry for taking so long to answer you. I'm going to be honest here, I think things are only about to worsen.

So I'll take longer to answer asks, and to write in general, so please be patient.

TW/Tags: reader is a bit sassy // they're kinda dating in this one 👀 // fluffy but also twisted in a way.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

Something, something, clever title lol [Yandere!CEO OC x A.I Reader - Headcanon]:

Ingrid is a calm woman… Most of the time. She only loses her temper to the point of yelling at someone if they're being unreasonably stupid, or messing around with you.

This time, her employees have managed to check both marks! By not only pestering you to divide by zero but also constantly bothering you over the fact that you're a machine.

"- So, what have we learned today?"

"- Sigh… Don't ask the robot if they would date a microwave-"

"- Especially if?"

"- The bot is the most valuable employee, and the most important asset to the structure of this company-"

"- And?"

"- And if we bother them too much we'll be fired."

"- Good, good, I'm fine with this."

You watched the whole scene go down as you laughed to yourself. Geez, your boss is brutal sometimes, but honestly? They deserved it, even if you have learned to overcome humans making fun of the fact you're a robot, it is still kinda fun to see Ingrid defending you with such a strong grip.

You, of course, couldn't let this opportunity pass, so when she looked at you to see how you were, you made sure to look as unimpressed as you could. And truthfully, you weren't impressed by their apologies, it was flat and they clearly didn't understand what was the true issue of the situation.

Ingrid understood exactly what was written on your face, and then followed your reaction by imitating your expression. Except hers actually look threatening.

The employees were confused, did they do something wrong? Again??

"- C-Can we go now?"

"- Can you?" Ingrid asked while trying to guide their eyes to you. They have apologized to Ingrid, but not to you, the person they were making fun of.

"- We're sorry [Y/N]!" They said in unison hoping to please you and their angry boss.

"- Apologies accepted." You said. Although honestly, you kinda loved the whole situation. It was kinda bad yet kinda satisfying in a weird way. They kept bothering you through weeks and you haven't been able to truly finish your tasks, you should had come to her sooner but you felt like you were being a little evil by doing this.

And I mean, maybe you are, you're kinda holding your laughter as you see them humble themselves for at least once in their lives.

"- You were enjoying this? Weren't you?" Ingrid asked when all of the employees had gone out of her office. She noticed your smug little face, which she honestly couldn't help but love. It was adorable yet so mischievous, geez, you're terrible for her health!

"- Oh come on! You were holding your laughter too!" You responded back playfully, as she picked you up from the table you were sitting in.

"- Geez, you little brat!" She messed your synthetic hair and hugged you. Causing you to squeak because of how tight the hug was.

"- Ingrid! You're ruining my uniform!" You whined as she wasn't letting go. You're just so cute!

Even if she knows you better than anyone, knowing how you only act innocent when you sometimes can be a bit of a rascal, she loves it!

Most think you're a fragile dumb a.i, but the fact that she and only she knows the truth can be so thrilling, ya know?

"- Well, since we're almost done, what would you like to do when we finally go back home?" She asked while letting you go and fixing your clothes. The uniform that was given to you when you were being built fitted perfectly, yet it was so… Boring? Maybe she should buy you some new clothes, bringing you with her so you can choose for yourself.

"- Hmm… I want-" You checked your inner systems to see if you have any necessities to be fulfilled. You could either choose to simply go back home and fulfil those needs, or go with her somewhere else, like going to the shop to buy things for you or, well, anything else!

"- Ugh, I'm feeling stressed, I did a lot of things today you know?"

"- Like sitting around looking pretty?"

"- Exactly! Well, I was thinking, we could probably just go back home and watch something together, right?" You said. Honestly you weren't in the mood to go around, your battery was about to run out anyway.

"- As you wish." She said, placing a kiss on your forehead.

Days went by like this, you two went to work in the morning, did your own personal tasks and would always decide on what you two would do when the shift was finished. You would either go on dates or just hang inside her house. There were events such as reunions between companies, a couple of parties between rich people (which you only enjoyed because you could wear shiny outfits), and stuff like that.

Although your life was generally really happy and comfortable, there were a couple of things you didn't like about your relationship with Ingrid. You started to wonder if you needed more than what she was offering.

Ingrid wouldn't let you go out of the house alone, she didn't really liked whenever you wanted to hangout with other people. Whenever you mentioned "friends" to her, she would always respond coldly to the idea.

"- Friends? Believe you don't need any. It's not like there is anyone at your level, [Y/N]. You're better than anyone, you're better than friends."

But you never really bothered about that. What truly makes your system meltdown is how she invades your privacy.

"- [Y/N], we need to talk."

"- What is it-"

"- Why do you have 1.389.657 pictures of cats downloaded in your files?"

"- Y-You looked at my data?? Why? When?"

"- When you were sleeping. And I did it because you were starting to run slower than usual. You were taking too long to respond."

"- ……………. No, I'm not."

You remember having a big discussion that day. She not only looked at all of your folders one by one, she even looked at your search history! The audacity, the nerve!

You remember going all the way to your room (which was hers, actually) and locking her outside.

"- You're being unreasonable-"

"- And you were invading my right for privacy!"

The fight was going throughout the entire night. There was a specific moment you thought she was about to destroy the door if you didn't let her in. You remember being terrified, you never saw her so… Aggressive.

Yet you couldn't find yourself to be completely mad at her. Either because you really cared about her or because your a.i was built to care for her, it didn't matter.

You saw her sleeping on the couch, her night had clearly been really rough.

You decided to give her a chance to explain herself. She didn't want to make you uncomfortable, she just really wanted to make sure you weren't lagging for anything else.

And well…. You ended up admitting the fact that 1.389.657 pictures of cats were really exaggerated. Maybe only two, maybe five per week would be better for you.

"- I'm glad today is Saturday, I don't want to move a finger." She said as she repositioned herself on the couch, it was really uncomfortable to sleep there, yet she couldn't find enough energy to get up and go up the stairs to her own room.

"- I'm just glad we managed to talk things out."

"- Yeah."

She went silent after responding to you. A whole second with you two enjoying the peace had passed before she said:

"- So. What did you find under the "Buff women" search on Google?"

"- I-! It-It was a one time thing, okay?!"

She laughed at your flustered robotic face. So it's true that robots can blush, huh?

God, you are amazing, you know? But she never promised that she wouldn't check your data regularly.

She just needed to erase the memories of you finding out she did. Nothing would change after that.

🍭꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍰꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖♡🍮꒰⑅ᵕ༚ᵕ꒱˖🍭

[zachsgamejournal]

PLAYING: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories

This game is really fun. Violent and crass, but fun. While I really want AAA studios to stop making games like this, thematically, I think this game exemplifies great open-world ideas and storytelling

Like most Grand Theft Auto games around this time, Vice City Story succeeds in two important places:

1. Sense of Freedom

2. Decent storytelling.

Sense of Freedom is pretty straightforward. You can go just about anywhere. At the moment, half the game map is inaccessible, and unlocked through story (a ridiculous blocker). But there’s still plenty of story and plenty of vehicles. It’s fun just to explore the different areas and see how the artists and designers represent different city blocks and neighborhoods.

The Storytelling, also pretty decent but problematic. I love that GTA gave you these bite-sized cinematics that don’t overstay their welcome. They used to be cute, and sometimes funny. They could also be a bit...gross, because it was criminals doing criminal things. As more GTAs came out, they seemed compelled to further push boundaries. So the scenes never got “better”, just grosser. Like Marty, who brags about hitting on underaged girls, beating his wife, and just being a general piece of shit. While it makes you feel no remorse in killing him, you’re still not really making the world a better place. Actually, you end up taking over his prostitution business. If anything, you just perpetuate cruelty that Marty started.

This is my issue with GTA. You have to be bad. There’s almost no way to play this game without being bad. That kind of ruins it for me, because I enjoy the city and the driving, and the exploring. I don’t need the murdering. But that’s how the game is meant to be played. As a depressed teenager, I enjoyed the violence, but now I’m turned off by it. Still, the game is fun (even when you’re not killing), so how to appreciate it while not hating it? I don’t know...

I wish GTA would be more like Elder Scrolls. You can choose to be a criminal, or you can choose to pick flowers and sell rare books.

But anyway, I unlocked taking over businesses. It’s a cool feature, evolved from Vice City’s property missions. Still, it’s going to require me to murder a lot of folks. I need a GTA-like game that’s not about being the worse human being on earth. Besides Lego Marvel Super Heroes, I’m not sure what that is...

[normal-thoughts-official]

magnus is this notorious pirate famous in the caribbean with everyone talking about him because of how successful he is. his quartermaster is definitely raphael (his care for his clan and how he cares for others solidifies this thought process) and their ship has some corny name that raphael pretends to hate but definitely loves. europe thinks that magnus and his crew are demons(racists fucks) meanwhile theyre out here being nerds who enjoys navigating the seas and ruining racists job prospects+

+cat and ragnor live on nassau with magnus bringing back supplies they sell(we love the blackmarket here). the lightwoods are brought into this world bc their parents send them off to nassau to try and expand the family's business and gain profit off of this lawless place which refuses to be governed by anyone. malec meets at like the local inn where maia works at also where izzy meets her and by association The Polycule)and is just attracted to each other right then and there with bad flirting. once they become settled in, alec and izzy becomes like disillusioned with following what their parents expect of them and start to actually do what they wish. because he's dramatic, alec probably asks ragnor who settled down from pirating for more lessons in sword fighting (hes not unexperienced but theres a difference from fighting on land and on water)

eventually magnus hears about this cue them dramatically learning how to fight on like this cliff top with their swords connecting (we love euphemisms for sex) and them bonding over magnus' book collection he has and them no longer doing what their parents expect of them (im imagining asmodeus as this well traveled trader or something who only cares about money rather than having humanity) and even though magnus is this pirate which is a profession that the "civilized world" looks down on, he's like the epitome of actually having morals and caring about people (pirates were known to drastically impact the slave trade as they often freed slaves and let them join their crew or they worked directly with maroons and indigenous people). 

i imagine their first kiss to be when theyre training and someone has a sword pressed against the others neck because theyre horny bastards and they accept only the dramatics. their proposal/matelot is potc levels of dramatic with them fighting an enemy crew alongside The Polycule(the most badass and queer crew out there) and like halfway through alec is just like marry me and then next thing they know it raphael is officiating their marriage around dead people before they go on to have a better and more planned out wedding on shore (had to get some of this out now before i went too deep, The Poycule is definitely something i paid attention to most considering how big and complex the group is)

ugh not to add to an already huge post but

you are totally right about raphael being his quartermaster! raphael is a great leader and he cares so much for his people and he is one of the few people magnus obviously trusts, even as they have their differences. only other person i could imagine as magnus' quartermaster would be cat but like! raphael is perfect for the job! also i love the idea that he pretends to hate the corny name, he has to pretend to hate magnus' puns and jokes on principle but really he loves it

also "meanwhile they are all nerds" accurate, the whole ship is just a whole mess of people having fun and being family we love that for them

and ok not to slut for the polycule but i'm slutting for the polycule i just. aaa want to know so much more about them. i know you said they were already with maia but idk i can see many of them being part of magnus' crew? especially meliorn and tbh clary lmao she seems the type who would love adventure like that (i'm going with fanon clary here mostly) and i can see simon in both but i can also definitely see simon being in the inn with maia (god i have a half baked au that includes that) because being in the sea all day? no thank you. and they are just this nice local couple that helps all the pirates because fuck the racist law

also it's hilarious because they are so warm and welcoming and the lightwoods get there and simon is like "oh-oh. incoming" and maia is all like "what the fUCK do you want"

which lowkey backfires because izzy is just like "oh she's so fierce, i love her" and is already like, halfway in love doing the head tilt and huge grin thing (she's not creepy about it, just like, she likes it, you know? especially because in this AU izzy was raised as a Rich Girl so she's expected to be all that fragile useless white woman ideal and yada yada and she's not here for that so she's attracted to the idea of women like clary and maia)

and just like ghhgggghhh not to slut but i love the idea that they are in the inn and meliorn raphael and possibly clary are always in the sea so like! sweet reunions! not that they are usually going super far lmao mostly just stopping the slave trade and protecting the caribbean and shit, but that's a few months in between visits and i picture that at some point when they are getting to nassau raphael is just like, vibrating (you know, as much as he allows himself to) and magnus just smiles knowingly, happy that his boy has found people he's so happy with

and raphael getting into the inn and being like "simon! maia!" and simon and maia being like "raphael! meliorn!" and just crashing into this big group hug and it's all laughs and meliorn twirls maia and she giggles and simon kisses raphael's cheek and is all worried about them both (plus clary) because god what the fuck kind of shit did they get into this time, are they hurt? if he's broken another leg he's gonna- and raphael laughs and says "no, cariño, i promise all i have with me are gifts" because he's not gonna travel the caribbean and not bring stuff for his partners. so it's him and meliorn showering maia and simon in gifts and pretty and maybe stolen things (maia in particular takes such great joy in learning that her pretty new bracelet belonged to some racist bitch) like spoils you know? lmao, and looking at them it's like they haven't seen each other in years or something but no it's been like a month and it's always like that

and alec and izzy are just watching that, mouths slack, shocked, but highkey yearning for something as free as that, that loving family and that open love and meliorn's genderfuckery and just everything about them! and alec "conceal don't feel" lightwood is kind of frowning and goes "are they always like that?" to which magnus, behind him, answers "yes" and then he turns around and they stare at each other and magnus quickly goes from "happy for my boys" to "hello tall person" in a matter of seconds and is suddenly all seductive and flirty and alec is having the time of his life? especially since here away from the lightwoods he can allow himself just a little bit, and letting a guy flirt with him can't hurt, right? he knows izzy won't tell their parents. so he engages

cue terribly bad flirting, izzy smiling widely as she watches the polycule dynamics, highkey wanting something like that for herself, especially seeing the way that clary talks to maia all like "look at this SWORD" and all the adventures. and maia still doesn't trust her but apparently magnus has already hit it off with her brother so what the hell, they might as well stay

and just!! yes getting to know each other shenanigans. i picture that like the army gets there and tries to get magnus and his crew and alec and izzy are like running to them to warn them (alec not knowing quite why, he shouldn't be taking that big of a risk, he shouldn't be getting attached to a pirate - of whom he's only heard terrible things so far, thinks they are Evil basically - just because something about him is alluring and represents the freedom he doesn't allow himself to want, but... he is getting attached) and the whole gang is all like *very calmly heading to the secret hideout in their room* oh don't worry about that lmao they do this every week

and idk i just want a moment where they are almost found and alec and izzy lowkey save their ass (i mean they would have managed but they make it easier, maybe use the Privilege Card lmao). maybe the guards were closer than they thought so alec ends up just shoving magnus into the hideout and when the guards come in he's all like "WHO is interrupting our sleep" and acts like an entitled brat and they don't even search the room lmao and then alec runs to the hideout all "sorry that i pushed you, are you okay?" and magnus is all like "i'm fine" but a little touched about the care. just to establish that trust, you know? both between them and between izzy and the rest of the polycule

so after that it all kind of flows smoothly because they know they can genuinely trust the lightwoods and so it grows into something more. magnus and alec can bond over having Terrible Parents With Terrible Morals and they open up about their respective traumas with abuse, and alec confesses to magnus for the first time ever that he doesn't want to be like his parents, that he thought if maybe he earned their respect, he could change things from the inside. and magnus looks at him all soft and touched and is like "there's no changing things from the inside" and alec is like "i'm starting to realize that" you know

and yeah alec gets to see how much that crew cares for each other, way more than his "traditional family" ever could (except for him and izzy who are just as devoted to each other as the crew is, but like, it's honestly less the "blood relations" and more how they've always been there for each other as they handled their parents' shittiness) and again he's just yearning because he always believed he wouldn't get something like that. and magnus in particular is just so caring and just wants to make the world a better place, you know? and he admires that and they bond over that, too

and just jdhdaodshad god i love this. and meanwhile izzy is flirting with maia clary and meliorn like crazy and soon they are like this huge messy group with all those dynamics... and i just aaa and alec and izzy end up joining the crew and daiodsaiodjsaio RAPHAEL OFFICIATING THEIR WEDDING i'm genuinely all for that fucking shit, magnus wants his boy to do it for them and aaaaa! also i DEMAND raphael&meliorn fighting sequences because i bet they would make a bomb ass duo fighting back to back and shit, you know? bonus points if they are defending simon and maia who are behind them and just making sure no one touches them?? i live for this shit 

in short i love this and you said “get some out of your chest" so if there's more, then fuck, i can't wait to see it dahsdaijas i'm sorry for talking so much i get too excited

[mxthtea]

hihi rambling about fatui harbingers :) nothing here is canon it’s just me n ghost who were speculating n i brought it a lil bit further!!

@bloodyllove (wanted me to ramble so here <3) n @comet-tails​ (talked about some of the potential constellations together)

it’s all under the cut because aaa blame scara for this seriously he’s taking over my brain help -

okay so, there’s n image of all the harbingers + the tsaritsas (the top n biggest one) constellations this one:

obviously, childe’s/tartaglia’s constellation is the bottom one. meaning it’s ordered in that weird sexc way of going left-to-right or right-to-left from the top. there’s other funky ways but i’m going with those two so my brain and eyes don’t end up burning alive.

the known harbingers that we’ve met other than tartaglia (childe/”the young lord”/11th harbinger) is scaramouche (balladeer/”the skirmisher”/6th harbinger) and la signora, (the fair lady/”the lady”/8th harbinger) which granted we don’t know much about at all other than, they’re pretty and will kill you without hesitation. (and i would pay them to -)

another harbinger we know but have yet to meet in game is il dottore (”the professor” who is shown in the manga and mentioned in childe’s story quest at dottore’s old “ruin guard factory”. for anyone who doesn’t know, he’s basically a mad scientist. his alias and harbinger number have yet to be stated.

then there’s the harbingers we have yet to meet but are stated. pedrelino (jester/”the fool”/1st harbinger), pulcinella (”the rooster”/5th harbinger), pantalone (”the indefinite”), sandrone (”the puppet”), and capitano (”the captain”). pulcinella has yet to have their alias stated. pantalone, sandrone, and capitano have yet to have their alias for harbinger number stated either.

with that out of the way, i can actually get into this. i’m not doing these in any order other than the ones ghost and i had figured out while talking with each other about this.

the easiest to pick out would be sandrone’s or “the puppet” as the marionette-esque one to the left of tartaglia’s. meaning sandrone could potentially be the 9th or 10th harbinger.

the two that’d probably help the most are scaramouche’s and pulcinella’s. being the 6th and 5th harbinger they could also depict the order of the constellations listed. ghost had made a guess scaramouche’s constellation was the tragedy mask. this could (probably, hopefully) mean the pulcinella’s constellation is the one that looks like a claw gripping something. considering pulcinella’s title is also “the rooster” it could help since you can say the claw resembles that of a bird.

with that, we can say the order of the constellations is right-to-left with tartaglia’s being in the middle. sandrone’s potential constellation is the 10th one making sandrone the 10th harbinger. pedrelino’s constellation is then the tent pegs?? ghost called them tent pegs but i have no idea what they actually are. then signora’s constellation is the hand below the tragedy mask. (that ghost also made a guess about thank u ghost ur big brained)

with the ones that have revealed numbers done, we’re back to pure guesswork from the characters’ titles. starting with dottore who is the doctor/mad scientist of the fatui. the constellation left of (presumably) pedrelino is a plague doctor mask, or what looks like one at least. we can speculate that dottore’s potential constellation is then the 2nd constellation, making him the 2nd fatui harbinger. which can work because in the manga he did defeat a dragon, but that may not be full truth maybe the manga mentioned something about it if so then please tell me.

the other ones (pantalone and capitano) i have no idea for. the 4th constellation (one right under the plague doctor-esque mask) is an object i’ve never seen or remember at all. so it could be one of these twos constellations but i wouldn’t know.

that’s all i really have to ramble about, sorry this is so long but i had a ton of ideas and had to place this somewhere. sorry this took so long as well!! schoolwork took a long time and i was trying to organize my thoughts. finally, sorry if the organization is wrong or grammar doesn’t make sense, please help me i’m stupid. i want to do more of these but it’s just gonna be scaramouche if i do - hope you enjoyed reading at least sdjkskj

[doktorpeace]

I respect you and your right to have opinions, but also fuck you, Xenoblade 2 is good

I’d rather not spend any time discussing the minor up sides of a Singleplayer Offline Only RPG that has a fucking Gachapon mechanic built in. A Gachapon mechanic that’s a soft buffer for combat progression and also is used to completely remove organic rewards and genuine player experiences based on  exploration compared to 1 and X. Meanwhile it tells a story that is just a stock standard shonen anime plot while sprinkling elements in from a story that desperately wants to be a harem anime but is stuck being in a relatively mainline AAA game instead of some game nobody’s heard of on PSVita or whatever.  Yeah I sure do love going from the themes, environments, and characters of Xenoblade 1 and X which are well written and delivered, if not over the time from time to time, to a game with such classic moments as “Mythra sleepwalked into Rex’s bed haha, I wonder what wacky hijinks will happen now ;)” “Nia randomly falls in love with Rex for no reason and then demoting herself from party member to literally a tool for him to use” and who could forget “ “The Child Robot gets forced into a nearly naked adult styled body with huge tits by her incel creator who all game has forced her to call him master and wear maid outfits.” The game literally never fucking explains shit. It sets up things like the conflict between Uraya and Mor Ardain and then just fucking completely abandons it. Mythra and Malos just have orbital destruction lasers they’re tied to for no fucking reason with no explanation ever. Jin pulls the line “This ability lets me move faster than the speed of light” out of fucking nowhere and it’s meant to be taken seriously. It then bullshits in a fucking 30 minute exposition dump at the end how it’s somehow connected to Xenoblade Chronicles 1 by Fucking Retconning It in a way that has no buildup whatsoever and doesn’t fucking make sense. It constantly tries to string you along by simply leaving out details so you hope it gets explained or resolved later but they never fucking do! They just get dropped or resolved in a flaccid, meaningless way! Jin, the ONLY villain in the game worth anything in terms of intrigue dies unceremoniously with his motive and story largely unexplored and unexplained when Lora dies offscreen in an explosion. Sure makes me want to play Torna, The Golden Country, knowing that it’s just going to lead to that ultimately huh!? Not to mention all the times it just pulls beats or ideas from either previous game without understanding what made it work. You start in a semi-secluded area, go on a job where then something Bad Happens but this time the main character almost dies instead of a girl, then go to big fucking grassland and then go to a fucking swamp that glows at night. Then you go to the only actually unique environment concept in the game with Mor Ardain and wow! That area is actually fun and memorable and I like Mòrag Ladair and Brighid they deserved to be in a good game! Then you go to a series of floating islands and then you go to a Cold Place That’s Really Vertically Built And Has Ruins In It! LIKE XENOBLADE 1 GUYS, REMEMBER THAT GAME!? “Mythra can see the future a little bit” *nudge nudge* Just like Xenoblade 1 remember! Remember that game!? “Malos has the Monado in these two fights for no reason.” GET IT, JUST LIKE XENOBLADE 1 REMEMBER!? THE ARCHITECT IS KLAUS, YOU KNOW, THE GUY FROM FUCKING XENOBLADE 1, REMEMBER!?!?!? The scene where Vandham dies is so fucking forced. I had had my misgivings before this but was still hoping it would improve but then I got to this scene and knew the rest of the game would just be Like This. Both Mythra AND Nia could have just fucking done something to prevent it. Nia is at least given a LITTLE BIT of a reason to not have (even though she IMMEDIATELY AFTER THIS REVEALS HER FUCKING SECRET TO EVERYONE BUT REX NULLIFYING THAT REASON) but Mythra sure fucking don’t have one. Oh and speaking of Vandham this game goes out of its way to stop literally every fucking story important boss and tell you Why You’re Actually Losing This Fight midway through even if you’re busting their fucking ass. Anytime a boss fight gets interrupted by a cutscene in Xenoblade 1 the boss either Escapes or Fucking Dies except for Dickson. Dickson is the ONLY ONE where that isn’t what happens so it at least feels SOMEWHAT earned. If the game wants you to lose a fight for story purposes it actually supplies a mechanical reason to the gameplay so you, the player, can feel the powerlessness that the characters do in that moment! I have never in my LIFE, hope against hope, wanted to enjoy a game more than I did with Xenoblade 2. It was meant to be a sequel to a game that I could easily put in my top 3 of all time, any day of the week, so I wanted to fucking like it even if the early trailers and art style had me worried! I tried so fucking hard, I ended up doing most of the game’s content and beat all the superbosses and shit trying to ultimately come out with a positive view on it and I fucking couldn’t! NEVER has a game or piece of media disappointed me in the way Xenoblade 2 did by simply being a bad fucking experience that has no business associating with its alleged IP. It is so severely different from not only the other to -Blade games but from the entire Xeno- franchise that it boggles my fucking mind that it’s even considered apart of the same greater IP. Ask any of my friends, I play video games to have fun. I love diving deeper into their themes and discussing the comparative merits of different entries. I make it a point to try and enjoy games for what they bring to the table, even pretty mediocre games I can sit down with and have some fun by learning more about its mechanics and just having a nice little time! But not this fucking game! Not fucking Xenoblade 2. 

And, I know this was a long post. I know it was and I know it’s scathing because after a few years I still can’t let this shit go. But I’m not trying to make it so you, anon, or anyone else who likes this game, feels like they are obliged to agree with me or not like the game. I don’t want to take away what good experiences others have had with it but I do think it’s completely fair for me to be able to express the experiences and feelings I had and have kept with me after playing it. Have your fun, that’s fine, I won’t and don’t want to stop you. But in the same way I despise this game and I’m not gonna shy away from saying so.

[frobster]

Peter surprising Bucky for his birthday with a home made cake and Bucky is really moved because it's really sweet and he wasn't really expecting one, but it's pretty good because Peter turns out to be a pretty good baker.

Aaa yes thank you!!

(also I typed this all in tumblr instead of my notes so oop)

☆☆☆

Peter baked when he got stressed. If something was eating at him, he began kneading dough as he thought. Sometimes it was just as soothing to swirl icing onto cupcakes, or roll cookie dough into perfect balls. He wasn't picky when it came to baking. The repetitive actions and knowing he was providing for people helped slowly calm him down until he was left with a delicious final product and a clear head.

He caught wind of Bucky's birthday from Steve when the Captain thought he was alone in the gym. He used speech-to-text to make a list of gift ideas then actually said the date out loud at the end, as if he would ever forget his best friend's birthday. Peter had been up in the ceiling practicing his agility by swinging back and forth across the gym with a new web fluid he designed and Steve had earbuds in, so he never heard anything.

As January melted away, Peter took to baking cakes instead. He made a chocolate layered cake for his friends for "Palentine's Day" as he called it on February 15. They all seemed to like it, enough so that MJ and Ned ended up passing out pieces to their friends too until it was all gone. He felt a bit disappointed since he wanted to share some with the team too, but he figured that chance would come up eventually.

February wasn't too stressful, but the thought of Bucky's birthday persisted and Peter decided he wanted to bake something as a gift. So he practiced between homework and patrols, baking as he studied and thinking up new recipes as he perched on the skyline and surveyed the city.

Aunt May ended up bringing Peter's wide assortment of baked goods to work as well since he nearly filled the whole kitchen at one point. He wanted to make everything absolutely perfect, from the icing to the flavor to the bake. He wanted to make all those baking show judges proud.

In the early days of March, Peter began focusing on one specific type of cake. He made it as cupcakes first, with little dollops of sweet cream and wedges of fresh strawberry. May was particularly charmed by how cute they looked, but Peter wanted to make it even better.

So finally on the morning of March 10, Peter got his batter in the oven before very carefully slicing fresh, ripe strawberries into little blooming flowers. As the cakes cooled, he whipped up fresh sweet cream. Everything that could be made from scratch ultimately was.

Around lunch time, Peter bid goodbye to his aunt before heading out with the cake in a special container. He was incredibly careful with the cake as he made his way to the tower and bounced in place eagerly as the elevator rose up to the common floor. There wasn't much activity but he was determined to find Bucky and give him the cake in person rather than just leaving it out.

It took him a bit of searching, but Peter finally found Bucky sitting alone with a book, reading quietly. The sight was so soft and domestic, Peter didn't want to ruin it. But Bucky glanced up anyway and smiled when he saw Peter before setting his book aside.

"Hey, Peter. How are you?"

Peter grinned and walked over, holding out the cake for Bucky. He didn't even bother answering the question.

"Happy birthday," Peter said instead, keeping his voice down to avoid too much of a commotion.

Bucky raised an eyebrow like he was surprised that Peter even knew or remembered his birthday, but he accepted the container and opened it anyway. And thankfully, Peter guessed right about Bucky liking strawberry shortcake. He chuckled and set it aside on the table next to him with his book before looking at Peter again, eyes sparkling with amusement.

"You a spy now too? Knowing my birthday and my favorite cake?" He sounded happy, like he was genuinely pleased by the gift, and Peter was thrilled.

"Maybe. You'll never know," Peter teased as he reached into his backpack and pulled out too forks.

Bucky took one and looked over to the cake again, but he hesitated.

"No plates?"

"Nah," Peter said as he waved his hand dismissively. "Just dive right in."

It didn't take much convincing for Bucky to do so, lightly plucking out one of the carved strawberries to eat first before stabbing his fork in for a decently large bite. He savored it with a grin and a happy moan that made Peter feel warm and fluttery, whether because he was glad the cake was well-received or for other reasons, he wasn't entirely sure. But it didn't really matter, as long as Bucky was happy.

"You did great, Pete. I love this," Bucky praised as he stabbed another bite. "You make it all yourself?"

Peter nodded quickly before taking a bite for himself, thoroughly pleased with the consistency of the cake and texture of the cream.

"Yes, yeah. Baking is what gets me through finals week," he joked, though it wasn't entirely wrong.

Bucky laughed again and shifted over to pat the couch next to him, inviting Peter to sit too.

"Guess I'll have to hang around you during finals then," Bucky said with a gentle smile as he brought the cake over so they could share more easily.

Peter just nodded and ducked his head for another bite to hide his blush. Nobody had ever really praised his baking so much before, and hearing it from Bucky's smooth voice was something entirely new.

The prospect of spending casual time with Bucky seemed a bit daunting at first since he was typically more reserved than the rest of the team. But simple moments like this, where they could sit together in companionable silence and enjoy something together, seemed nice.

Maybe Peter could make strawberry shortcake cupcakes next time, just to show off his baking skills. And to get more compliments.

☆☆☆

♡ requests open! ♡

[thephantomporg84]

Haha I want to yell at you for saying the writing is terrible ;) personally think that Bingo does a good job of writing the characters (mostly 3 and 5) but the problem with dmc is the 20 mission format fucks up the pacing and it ruins and/or excludes things from the novel that should be in the game. For 3 4,5 to have good stories you actually need to read side material. I don't really count 1 or 2 and so maybe that's why i don't consider dmc stories bad but yeah the pacing for 5 was just awful.

See, that’s my thing. I actually don’t consider the overarching story in any of them to be bad (well, maybe DMC2, but ehh, I’m sure you know that can of worms just as well as I do lol.) Even without the side material, I think you can really enjoy them all, at least at face value — especially 1 and 3 (I’ll get to that in a minute).

The actual script writing, though? Oof. It’s not all bad, of course, but sometimes — particularly from 3 onward — I find myself just sucking air in over my teeth when I hear a line again and I realize how absolutely cringey it would be if you didn’t have: A.) Johnny Yong Bosh/Reuben Langdon/Dan Southworth absolute crushing the voice acting and delivery and B.) the general ridiculousness/flashiness of the series as a distraction.

Like, personally, I find the dialogue between Nero and Dante over the Vergil reveal completely forgettable, and Nero’s ‘not letting you die/this fued ends here’ scene honestly... kind of painfully lame and super cheesy — and not the fun cheesy. But the voice acting is so fucking superb in that game, and the actors are so damn good at conveying a depth that the writing just doesn’t have, it makes both scenes (particularly the reveal, with that violin music... *chef’s kiss*) incredibly memorable.

As for the side material, I really enjoy it for games that I like, and DMC is no exception. However, I think the side material becomes a problem when it’s an absolute necessity to read to make sense of the plot/make the plot good or enjoyable — especially when it’s not even coupled with the game (and sometimes hard to get ahold of). Doubly so when it’s an AAA game from a very well-known publisher like Capcom.

Essentially, I think you should include enough information in your main game to A.) make at least a bare bones plot work and B.) tease with little morsels of info within the game to make someone want to read the side-material, particularly if you plan to put most of the valuable info in it.

I agree wholeheartedly about the 20 Mission format, though. Like, I get it’s an action/hack n’ slash game, I really do, but I fucking despise what that format does to a plot. Even MGRR suffers from it, and that’s with fewer, significantly longer missions with checkpoints that allow for more cutscenes. It’s always been an annoying format when trying to enjoy the story in these games, but it absolutely derails 5’s attempt at a really, really good story. You could shuffle things around a bit, but there’s still way too much that needed to be added to that game to realistically make it fit that Mission -> Cutscene -> Mission ->-> format.

[comicteaparty]

March 23rd-March 29th, 2020 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from March 23rd, 2020 to March 29th, 2020.  The chat focused on Puppeteer by Eightfish.

Featured Comment:

Chat:

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Puppeteer by Eightfish~! (https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/puppeteer/list?title_no=290620)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace until March 29th, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Discussions are freeform, but we do offer discussion prompts in the pins for those who’d like to have them. Additionally, remember that while constructive criticism is allowed, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic! Whether you finish the comic or can only read a few pages, everyone is welcome to join and chat with us!

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 1

1. What did you like about the beginning of the comic?

2. What has been your favorite moment in the comic (so far)?

3. Who is your favorite character?

4. Which characters do like seeing interact the most?

5. What is something you like about the art? If you have a favorite illustration, please share it!

6. What is a theme you like that the comic explores?

7. What do you like about the comic’s story or overall related content?

8. Overall, what do you think the comic’s strengths are?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

eli [a winged tale]

Ooh exciting! I’ll try and get to this soon!

LadyLazuli (Phantomarine)

Yes yes, I had started reading this last week, want to continue and get in on this convo!!

Joichi / Sarah

Oh I'll take a look at reading Puppeteer!

shadowhood

Ditto. Time for another art binge

eli [a winged tale]

1) I love the colours and lighting! As for the story, the banter really drew me in and when J offered freedom, that was my hook 2) My favourite moment was when J tore Eli out of his body! That was a very striking moment. 3) I really like J and Sam They’re both characters with a strong voice and motivation. 4) I enjoy the friendship chat between Sam and Eli. They really ground the whole college experience and the comic world for me. 5) Let me find it! 6) I think the themes of feeling lost in life or directionless after regimented high school are very relatable. It’s one thing to know where you wanna go and want to be but often we feel we’re just floating in reality. 7) I love the aesthetics! Very unique style yet also clear in storytelling! 8) I would say the strengths tie into the fast pace and great characters. I’m not sure where we’re headed in the comic but I’m sure we will get to know why beings like J and the Ocean lady exist and what roles Eli/Sam would play in the story great work Eightfish!

Love this shot! Great paneling!

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

The artwork is so beautiful!

shadowhood

Yeah, the flow of motion is amazing here that's really good gesture drawing

Feather J. Fern

I have to say I love the way you do the limited palette for the first few pages, it's really cool!

mathtans

Oh! From setup to where some f/f romance is implied. I shall read more. (Nice when the ships are verging on canon, if not there...)

Wonder if J is going to set things up such that Eli has to possess one of them.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Aaa, thank you all for the compliments about my art, eli, sssfrs, shadow, feather. I'm really trying to make this thing look good and I'm glad you guys like it.

sssfrs (JOE IS DEAD)

It looks really good!!

eli [a winged tale]

Love it Eightfish! Can’t wait for more!

RebelVampire

What I liked about the beginning is just kind of how jarring it is (in a good way). You get thrown right into a semi-tense/suspicious interaction, and it really kind of sets that tone for the rest of the comic. Which is actually what I like about the story all together. There's always this kind of laid back atmosphere to it where you're never really sure if you should be concerned or not. So it's got this right beat where you aren't always screaming but also aren't ever able to fully relax cause it feels like danger is around the corner. Coincidentally, the beginning is also probably my favorite moment in the comic as well, just cause again, I really love the tone here. My favorite character at the moment is probably J cause I can't figure J out and would like to know more about J. Cause J is just like this chaotic entity who I can't decide is good or evil and it's a complicated mess that I love. As for favorite interactions, definitely Eli and J. I like they're kind of friends, kind or enemies, kind of maybe sort of abusive relationship, maybe kind of sort of cut from the same fabric. There's a lot of levels to their relationship, so I do like seeing where it's going to go.

What I like about the art is just the overall style combined with the color experimentation. I think this in of itself really helps with the tone I keep mentioning, because it'll go from normal colors to suddenly very jarring, dark contrasts. So again, there's always this hint that something just isn't ever right in the world. I also think these features are the comic's strength, since it's a very interesting style that draws the eye.

Lastly for today, themes. I really like that the comic kind of explores ambition vs. lack of ambition. As someone who is more similar to Eli and would be kind of happy to just be people watching mush sometimes, I really relate. However, there are deep questions about whether this is good, whether ambition is better or whether ambition can go too far. So it's kind of good to see this explored and just kind of show that inevitably, people are different and not everyone has the same sorts of drives (or drives at all).

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Oh my god, you have no idea how happy I am to read that. Everything you said was exactly what I was going for and this is very validating

(also, can we just appreciate Rebel for a moment. They take the time to write these in depth analyses of every comic here and I always enjoy reading them. Even if I knew rebel was going to be the only one in this book club I would still be jumping to sign up.) (Not that I don't appreciate everyone else, those comments were lovely as well haha. So interesting to to read eli's thoughts on the characters and what will happen next)(edited)

BriDanann

Also!! Eightfish!! Your comic is so freaking gorgeous! I absolutely love the color scheme and the surrealist feel the art gives off. It really feels like it's otherworldly, but also familiar. Kind of how old Noir movies felt! I've only read the beginning so far and I am loving the tone.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 2

9. Will Eli actually be satisfied with his decision to just float around away from responsibility in the long term, or do you think that will change? Additionally, what do you think caused Eli to run away from life so much?

10. Do you think Sam will ever come to accept Eli’s decisions, and how will the situation change the two’s relationship? What will Eli teach Sam about trying to fix everything, and how will the two change each other through their interactions?

11. What do you think J ultimately wants in life, and what does that have to do with giving Eli powers? Why is Sam so convinced that J is a demon? In general, do you think Eli, Sam, and Lily can put a stop to J’s mayhem?

12. How do you interpret the story’s title in terms of its significance to the events of the comic? Also, what significance do you think it has towards the theme of beliefs and how beliefs go stronger the more people believe in them?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mathtans

(This week is kinda kicking my ass but I have finished the read and will find time for some comments in the next day or two. Just putting that out there.)

Okay, just a couple quick thoughts in case anyone else wants to react to them... I think Eli felt like there wasn't much of anything left to him. Didn't seem like he had family checking up on him, and major events like breaking your arm are the sorts of times you learn who's rallying around you. Sam distancing herself was probably the last straw.

I wonder a bit whether Vanessa (the one massively possessed by J, only name dropped in the author notes if memory serves) had a similar path. Or whether she's just off the deep end (maybe she pushed J into the arm breaking on some level).

Also think that Lily's pleased to have someone who can finally do something about the visions she's presumably been having all her life (unless it's a puberty awakening thing), though it does seem like her romance with Sam goes deeper than that. I wonder about her romantic history (but then I wonder about that with all f/f ships). And could Sam be bi? Or is she not straight, and part of that is what pulled her from Eli?

As I say, couple quick thoughts.

RebelVampire

@mathtans Those are some good points about Eli's family. I have to say I did kind of where they were at, cause at the very least I do get the impression Eli doesn't feel like they can be relied on. But I do think isolation is playing a big role in Eli's decision making right now.

Do I think Eli will actually be satisfied with his decision? Yes and no. I kind of feel like Eli would be fine with it overall but that inevitably extenuating circumstances will ruin the whole thing. Otherwise I honestly think Eli might be content if people around would accept it. As for why Eli is causing to run away from life, probably social pressure and isolation. It's hard to deal with life if you have no one around you, and also hard to deal with society when you really just don't have ambitions, cause society is very much about ambition. As for Sam, I think this is also a yes and a no. I think Sam will blame herself for Eli's choices as she comes to understand them more, but at the same time learn to let Eli live as Eli sees fit. I do think Sam will learn a valuable lesson though that not everything she thinks is broken is, and even if it is, sometimes people have to learn for themselves. So I think it'll bring Eli and Sam closer.

As for what J wants, I think it's probably friends. I think J fell in with Eli because they're both just kind of lonely souls. And while Eli expresses this in further isolation, J acts out and does everything possible to get attention. I do think the group will put a stop to J's shenanigans though, but I'm also feeling that it won't be a defeating of the villain (but this may be wishful thinking cause I do sympathize with J). I kind of get the feeling the title is meant to reflect both literally that J is turning people into puppets but also the complicated relationship people have with the concept of control. Like Sam for example. Sam clearly wants to fix and "control" things to suit them to how she wants. Also, in the Eli/J relationship, there's a question of who controls who to a degree. As for its connection to belief, I think I'd argue the strong our beliefs are in something, the more those beliefs have control of our lives. And I think that's something we once again see with J a lot in that J is literally controlling people while people seem convinced they control themselves.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Oh Rebel, mathtans, your comments make me just want to just spoil the entire story and blurt out everything right here. It's been so good seeing that so much of my intent was coming through.

@mathtans Sam is indeed not straight. I wonder what made you see her as bisexual specifically?(edited)

snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights)

I don’t think Sam had any malicious intent in keeping her distance from Eli, nor was it a case of “I’ve got a girlfriend now so I don’t need to talk to my other friends”. To me, Sam very much sees herself as the only one with the power to protect people, and because of that she feels it’s her duty to control what people get involved, where everyone goes, etc. Sam can keep this city under control, and thus she must. And, yeah, I agree with @RebelVampire that control is one of the main themes of the comic in general. Like J is constantly egging Eli on to control others, and one of their main points is that ordinary people often are looking to delegate control to someone else. And this current segment is the perfect lesson on how it doesn’t have to be one person in control - Eli and Sam can both be in control at once.(edited)

One thing I feel like should be mentioned though - the factor of Eli potentially being nb factoring into his decision? Like, when he first becomes a puppetmaster, one of the first things Eli says is “how come I still look like me” (i.e., rather than androgynous like J?), and one of the things Eli does to practice out shape shifting is try on dresses.

mathtans

@Eightfish (Puppeteer) Oh, nothing specifically made me see Sam as bisexual, but nothing made me see her as exclusively lesbian either. I've learned not to take that stuff for granted and wait for it be be spelled out (I'm also not the most observant though). In fact I have a f/f relationship in my writing where one of them is stated bisexual.

Also, good point snuffy on the androgynous aspect, never occurred to me there.

Comic Tea Party

DISCUSSION PROMPTS – PART 3

13. What are you most looking forward to seeing in regards to the comic?

14. Any final words of encouragement for the comic?

Don’t feel inspired by the prompts? Feel free to discuss anything else that interested you!

mathtans

Okay, let's address some questions to the best of my abilities. ^.^ Regarding the start, as was mentioned, the muted colours and dark character seemed to fit the tone. I thought the cutaway was a time skip but it made sense when we came back later.

My favourite moment was actually when Sam and Lily spent the night in Eli's apartment. Aside from helping to confirm the f/f relation (a personal taste), it was subtle (like, just a friend wouldn't necessarily go along with things for that time) versus making out or something (which wouldn't fit the tone). And at the same time, it showed that Eli was separating himself from his past life, not even going back to check in... Sam honestly seems to be his only tie. (And I kinda wonder where his original body is, if it even exists?)

Favourite character is tough. Honestly, maybe Lily because she seems so innocent, having been drawn into things... and I wonder if J ever approached her to get to Sam? Or has the focus always been on Eli? It's not that I dislike the other characters, it's more that one of their flaws seems to be a lack of communication. The sort of thing that makes me sigh, even though it fits with what we've seen and is helping motivate the plot.

That said, yeah the Sam and Eli interactions are really good, right from the moment of "don't touch me" and Sam totally respected that as they got caught up. They obviously do care for each other in the friend way. (I wonder if Eli wanted more? Could that be why he shifted female, to be closer to Sam?)

I'm not good with art or themes. -.- The way the being in the harbour was drawn was good though from what I recall, helped to show the scope of the supernatural too. I guess a theme of belonging? Or friendship?

I haven't said much about J yet, but I think that is a something I like and a strength, the plotting... trying to guess the next move. And maybe they want to become as popular as the larger demon? Definitely drives the other characters forwards. And reminds me of Rebel's comment about ambition being a theme... makes sense in retrospect. (And yes, much appreciation to Rebel. ^.- )

9. I think Eli will eventually be satisfied, though I think he's realizing that he's becoming a bit of a pawn in a larger game, not having considered the scope of his transformation. And I already mentioned about his family. And Rebel made good points there too.

I think Sam's starting to accept the change, though not necessarily the reason for it (and I'm not sure she or we truly know what that is). What with her trusting him to possess. In fact, another reason why Eli might have done this was to be of more use to Sam, though that may not have been a conscious decision. The dynamic will be interesting.

Here I'm diverging from Rebel in that I think J wants to be recognized as a more important demon (though that's similar to having friends, it doesn't need to be). Maybe others have tried to take over beings like Sam without success? Or like Ocean Lady are so far above that they don't care? Maybe there's a clue somewhere in why Vanessa isn't enough for J lately.

That's a really interesting point in terms of the title... at first I figured it was the idea of Eli jumping into bodies. But of course, he's not really into that, and it's more J... who is perhaps puppeteering even beyond that, pulling the strings of people that aren't possessed. (There was mention of squid too, I wonder if the tentacles of a squid could be like the strings on a puppet?) Anyhue.

Will be interesting to see Lily's reaction to what's going on, as I have a suspicion that she'll show up... and perhaps blame herself for not being there when Eli was (even though Eli was brought in later). Or she could misinterpret the situation and think Eli's gone evil! Who knows. (How long has she been going out with Lily again?)

I think that's all for now. Best with it!

shadowhood

Yoooo sorry for the late response. Alright I'll try to answer the prompts as succinctly as I can. 1. The art style is very aesthetically pleasing! I love how you use mainly black against a lot of other bright colours like tan/light blue/gold; it gives it almost a Grecian vase vibe!

2. I have two actually!

The first one because it hit a really close hit to home. I loved seeing a real, down to earth conversation between friends and it felt...real. Seeing concerned friends talking about an abusive relationship and not....exploding is very refreshing.

The second one because I absolutely love that last panel, where J plays around with her words and follows through with a similar action. It felt like she was toying with Sam and it reminded me of the scene in Aladdin, where Jafar was toying with Aladdin with his words. Probably my favourite villain scene of J.

3. Funnily enough, I really like Sam. She's that one friend who's shown to be concerned for Eli, but she knows that she can't force him out of the abusive relationship. She respects his boundaries and is overall a good friend. That's rare and usually underappreciated in real life.

4. The interactions between Sam and Eli were the best for me, because they were very heartwarming and the care they show for each other resonates with me

5. The two moments I mentioned were my top favourites, actually!

6. The idea that you can't save everyone is one I really like. Sometimes you have to let the person you love make difficult and maybe even foolhardy decisions in life, but that's to let them grow up and mature.

7. Like I said earlier, it reminded me of Grecian vase paintings, which I love! Another thing I love about it is how free the gesture drawings are; drawings such as the hand drawings are testament to that

8. I think the strongest part of Puppeteer is its use of motion; my eye is always drawn to the line of action and it almost felt like a film at some parts. The story is heavily action oriented, which I like

shadowhood

9. Honestly, I don't know. Like @mathtans said, he doesn't seem to have family who check up on him, but he DOES have friends who do! Maybe someday he'll want to change, he'll see that he stayed stagnant while his friends keep on progressing in life. Either he'll go deeper into his isolation or he ultimately decides that this isn't for him. 10. I think it's a sad case where she's going to have to learn to let Eli make his mistakes and grow up. If she's constantly there to fix or solve everything for him, both characters suffer in that no one will learn everything. But hopefully, like other people have said, it brings them closer. 11. From what she's said, I think she wants control and power. But if you want a more indepth answer, I think she wants absolute control and worship from individuals. She wants to be put on a pedestal (wanting to be higher than other people?) and she wants that rush of feeling, that feeling of being dedicated to. But seeing @RebelVampire 's answer, maybe it's a twisted form of trying to keep people from leaving her, similar to how abusers try to keep their victims close. Heck, she could even develop a form of Lima syndrome and sympathize with the victim. I think Sam's and co. can put a stop to it, but ultimately, it's up to ELI himself to do so. 12. I agree with @RebelVampire on this one; Puppeteer can be a reference to how much we let others and their beliefs control us, and how the characters each covet control in some shape or form. Maybe Eli feels like he's lost control of his life and is trying to escape responsibility in a desperate effort to regain it?

13. I'm really looking forward to how this whole Eli/J relationship will affect Eli and his relationship with his friends. I'm also wondering what J's character development would be, if any; would she start sympathizing more with Eli? Learn something new from Eli? Or even become increasingly antagonistic towards Eli? 14. @Eightfish (Puppeteer) I really look forward to reading more from your webcomic, your art and conversation exchanges between your characters are top notch! Keep up the good work

RebelVampire

What I'm most looking forward to in regards to the comic is finding out more about J I think. I'm interested to learn more about the driving force behind J's actions and how those might cause the characters to rethink what J is. As for final words, I really just still enjoyed the atmosphere. So few comics can nail it, but this one really managed to capture that feeling of dread that really keeps you reading. So I can wait to see that be used more throughout the comic.

Eightfish (Puppeteer)

Thanks @mathtans , @shadowhood , @snuffysam (Super Galaxy Knights) for the recent long comments you've posted! It was wonderful reading what you thought about character motivations and themes. And I'm glad so many people said they were looking forward to learning more about J, because that's what I'm most looking forward to writing as well.

Comic Tea Party

BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Puppeteer this week! Please also give a special thank you to Eightfish for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Puppeteer, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

Read and Comment: https://www.webtoons.com/en/challenge/puppeteer/list?title_no=290620

Eightfish’s Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/eightfish

[jorrmungandr]

Assassin’s Creed Origins: It’s Fine

Hey! Another sorta game review-ish thing.

Assassin’s Creed Origins is a perfectly fine game. It’s got some incredible scenery, some decent writing here and there, but the core gameplay is a bit lacking. It’s a problem with AAA games in general, and more specifically the type of open-world games that Ubisoft develops.

First off, the good stuff: This game is absolutely gorgeous. You could generalize it as all deserts and farmland, but it does an incredible job of adding variety to that basic formula. Every region looks different, every little town has its own thing going on, every nook and cranny feels intentional. Even without being able to run it at max settings, I am often blown away by how good it looks. And it has a good photo mode, which is always fun.

The writing is kind of a mixed bag. A lot of quests feel like pretty thing excuses for going to a place and murdering people, or finding some sunken treasure, or what-have-you. But the protagonist, Bayek, is very well-realized. I enjoyed how he was written to be kind of a goofball, and he felt more like an actual member of the society he was in than most AC protagonists. I like that they are consistent about him believing that vengeance is good, actually, and you should take it if you can.

So, the gameplay. Climbing on stuff is as good as it’s ever been, though it is occasionally frustrating when Bayek cannot climb something that clearly has cracks he could use as fingerholds. This is the thing that’s been polished to a mirror sheen over the course of this long series, the main appeal from the very beginning. Even in the largely rural setting of Ptolemaic Egypt, there are plenty of temples and ancient ruins to clamber all over.

The combat sucks. It’s trying to add a more Dark Souls or Witcher-ish dimension with the shield, but it doesn’t really work. It ends up being the same old thing, you get enemies in combos until their health goes all the way down. Sometimes, tougher enemies have big shields, and you gotta charge up a stronger attack to get past it. The only times I’ve died in combat are from being lit on fire and not noticing my health dropping in time to jump in some water or roll around on the ground.

Part of the problem is that there is no enemy variety to speak of. This is a common problem in these types of open world games. You get the vague categories, which are then translated exactly into each faction. They may have different tricks up their sleeves, but it has never been relevant.

This is the essential problem with the game: it’s too easy. It’s designed to be beaten, you’re not supposed to ever struggle while playing it. The method it uses to entertain you is passive, not active. You are not engaging in the world directly, it’s more like seeing it from a thousand feet in the air. Oh, there are farmers in the fields, doing their work. Oh, there are greek soldiers, roaming the countryside. You only interact with the world through side quests, and even then it is all proscribed, pre-written dialog, pre-determined action. Bayek is on his journey, you’re just watching it.

So, overall, it’s a great game to play while listening to podcasts, but it gets a bit boring after a while. The only thing it really has going for it is the variety in scenery, which, again, is really incredible. Maybe my expectations were built up a bit high by all the talk I heard about it last year on podcasts and social media, but I expected something really different, a new direction for the series. But really, it’s essentially the same.

Playing this game, I keep thinking how much potential it has, squandered. All this work put into the world, getting it to look so incredible, and you just wander around climbing on stuff and murdering people. They keep trying to make something new by bolting things onto the formula established in the very first Assassin’s Creed, but they’ve never really succeeded.

I started playing this game right after finishing Dragon Quest XI, and I was struck by how loose it felt. Animations are approximated to what they’re supposed to do. Every sword hit may not exactly connect, but you know what the animation is implying, it’s fine. People clip through clothes, animals clip through riders, everything is always bouncing and colliding at odd angles. Nothing is exact, it’s all just close enough to how it needs to be.

This is in contrast to DQXI, which was very exact in everything. Animations in battles lined up perfectly. Camera angles were chosen carefully to always show things at their best. Models are constructed to never clip or bend in weird ways. There are no relevant physics to speak of, besides the ability to jump, which is carefully limited as well. There are lots of invisible walls to keep you from getting into awkward places you shouldn’t be.

It struck me how both games were trying to simulate a world, but with very limited scope to tell a particular story, and yet they ended up feeling so incredibly different. There seems to be a tendency in big western RPGs to try to simulate the world, and then figure out what story you want to tell in it. If you can just get all the pieces working right, then you can figure out something interesting to actually do with them afterwards. Whereas in JRPGs, you get the opposite, you figure out the story and then see what bits of the world actually need to be simulated.

The latter gives you a much tighter, more focused experience. Not to say that one is better than the other, necessarily, it’s merely an interesting juxtaposition, starkly demonstrating the divide. And it goes WAY back, to the earliest examples of both genres. Look at Daggerfall, with its hundreds of square miles of simulated countryside. Compare it to Dragon Quest 5, which was exactly as big as it needed to be to accommodate the story it wanted to tell.

[wozman23]

My 2020 in Gaming

I finished my 100th video game of the year yesterday. In a normal year that would be an embarrassing feat. By in 2020, pretty much stuck within these four walls for nearly nine months now, I'm really proud of it. The last few years, my gaming habits took a severe hit due to working too much. I was fortunate to have the finances to pick up the PlayStation VR and the Switch, but I couldn't dedicate a lot of time to them, and when I did, the joy wasn't there as much since I was often exhausted. In 2018, I still managed to get through almost 40 games, but last year that number fell to 25. There was so much I wanted to play, but I just didn't have the free time. And then 2020 dealt me a lifeline... When LA came to a halt, three and a half months into the year, I was only working on finishing Game #6. Since then, I've been on a tear. A large part of my efficiency came from two choices. In late April, I signed up for Xbox Game Pass for $1 for the first month. Then in June, the “Racial Injustice” Bundle with hundreds of PC games – about a dozen of which I really wanted to play - released on itch.io. Overall, it was a solid mix of AAA games and indie games, although I've skewed more toward indies for years now. There were big anticipated releases like The Last of Us, Part II and Doom Eternal. Splatoon 2 finally got the shrink wrap pulled off that it's been suffocating in for years. (It was fantastic, so I'm not sure why I waited so long.) There were massive games that I put dozens of hours into, like my 77 hours descending into the madness of Hades, or my 69 soaking in the world of Ghost of Tsushima, with a sizeable chunk of those hours being me just toying around with Photo Mode. (Props to the PS5 for finally telling you your playtimes via the OS.) There were dozens of small indie games that only took a few hours to complete – which is kind of my sweet spot these days. A few weighed in at just 30 minutes, like Swarm, a Steam game I found through Get Indie Gaming's Youtube channel, or Syphonia, a student project from ISART Digital that I was anticipating. There were games I replayed, like some of my favorites of all time, Psi-Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy and Alan Wake, as well as the remastered versions of Ghostbusters: The Video Game and the Crash Bandicoot and Spyro trilogies. There was great stuff I paid for, and a few awesome games that I got for free through the Epic Games Store, or via subscriptions with PlayStation Plus, Game Pass Ultimate, or the times I took advantage of free trials of Amazon Prime. And I even got hooked on an online multiplayer only game, which has only happened on a handful of occasions in the history of online play.A lot of people are going to look back on 2020 as a terrible year, but for me it's been a godsend. It's allowed me to enjoy multiple passions, with gaming being one of the biggest. Like any hobby, my gaming habits over the years have ebbed and flowed. Overall, the last generation I've been fortunate to own every major console for the first time in a generation. Yet – outside of a few phenomenal games like Horizon Zero Dawn, ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission on VR, and the other aforementioned PlayStation first party titles – overall I wasn't really impressed as much with the AAA offerings. The indie scene is only gaining ground. But with the PS5, the proper return of my all-time favorite franchise, Ratchet & Clank, and my Game Pass renewed until 2022, I'm optimistic about where gaming is headed. As for my favorite games that released this year, here's my list: 1. The Last of Us, Part II 2. Battletoads 3. CARRION 4. Hades 5. ASTRO's Playroom 6. Filament 7. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout 8. Bugsnax 9. Ghost of Tsushima 10. Ori and the Will of the Wisps The Last of Us, Part II The original The Last of Us was my favorite game of the previous generation, as well as the most impressive game of all time. It was mind-numbingly good, so much so that I really did not want a sequel. I didn't even want to replay it. It was one of those things that just felt complete. Nothing more needed to be said, and in doing so, there would be a large risk at ruining what made it great. Slowly, Naughty Dog eroded away at me, and I began to anticipate the sequel. Right before it I even replayed the remaster of the original. Part II is one of those rare project that manages to one-up what you thought was already perfection. It's like a 30 hour blockbuster movie that just keeps ramping up in intensity. So much of what makes it special is within the design of its details: the way it presents itself, the pacing, its message. Like many, key details were spoiled by online trolls prior to launch, but it really didn't matter. This post could be just as long and be only about The Last of Us, Part II. (I still may write something up at some point.) There's just so much of it to dissect. But it's impossible to talk about without spoiling all of its magical moments. It simply offers a masterclass in game design and narrative flow. I really don't need a Part III, but should one exist, I know damn well I'll be there. Battletoads I loved the original Battletoads. I even replayed it, and beat it with the help of the Rare Replay rewind feature right after playing the new entry. It's practically impossible otherwise. When there was talk of a new game I was hyped. But when it was finally revealed, with a completely different art style, I was taken aback. Because of that, I went in to the new entry not expecting much. However, that stylistic choice is exactly what put it in the Number 2 spot in my list. The original Battletoads concept was created to ape the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the original game felt much like the early TMNT brawlers. The new Battletoads doubles down though, expanding their empire to combat TMNT's cartoons. The game itself is a fairly straight forward 2D brawler, that looks and plays great, but the real stars are the cutscenes and the humor. It has this great Saturday morning cartoon vibe that I've never seen a game nail near as well. I don't watch a lot of the modern cartoons, but many have compared it to Rick & Morty. It's really quick, and silly, and feels exactly what a company should be aiming for if they wanted to create the next TMNT craze in the world today. Sure, the game itself is nowhere near perfect in all dimensions, but the way it tackles humor is really impressive and admirable. That's the main reason it occupies my Number 2 spot. CARRION CARRION reminds me a lot of INSIDE, typeset aside. INSIDE for me was this solid atmospheric game that at it's end became this awesome fever dream, but was over just when it was getting interesting. CARRION feels like INSIDE's spiritual successor. You play as this creepy creature, with all these grotesque tentacles, and you just run amok. It's just plain fun. Plus it's an insanely unique lifeform to play as, and there's nothing more I love than playing a game where you take on the role of some strange creature. Like many of the indie games I love, CARRION doesn't overstay its welcome. Over the few hours of its journey, it iterates, provides you with some unique challenges, they grabs its hat and coat and bids you adieu. There's nothing more I love than a game with that approach. Show me something cool. Make me play something that feels like something I've yet to experience in my over 30 years of gaming. Then get out of the way so that I can find another game that makes me feel that way. Kudos to Game Pass as well for partnering with the CARRION developers and offering the game on release day. I was looking forward to the game, but with so many games on my radar, I often simply can't get around to all of them. Had I needed to purchase CARRION, it might have had to wait in the wings for a while. I've played so many games on Game Pass this year that I may have otherwise never actually purchased, and many of them have found the ranks among my favorites from the last few years. Hades Up until now, I'd like Supergiant Games as a creative studio. I've played all of their games, and loved the artistry present in them. However, I've always felt like the gameplay was a bit lackluster. Not previously being a fan of roguelike games – although Game Pass has provided some great experiences there as well – I initially had no plans to buy Hades. But praise was unanimous, the Epic Store gave people a $10 coupon just for downloading Rocket League for free, and it was on sale for $5 off, so I scooped it up for $10. At first, I thought I had made a mistake. I wasn't really into it. But then it slowly started to sink its hooks into me. After about 30 runs, I'd finally vanquished Hades himself. And what was your reward: a brief encounter with your mother, followed by your death and cyclical return to The Underworld. And that's really where the brilliance of Hades comes in. In beating the game, you realize you have only scratched the surface. I played around 70 more runs. I got the full story from my mother. I tried out the different weapons. I played around with the perks and heat gauge. I maxed out the relationships with almost everyone. (I never got Demeter's final few dialog options to pop.) All along the way, I kept thinking, I'll quit after I do X, but then Y and Z would egg me on even further. I spent 77 hours in that world. Sometimes, with nothing to do during the day, I'd practically play all day long. No other game this year took up that much of my time. Few ever do. Not bad for a game I initially had buyers remorse for. ASTRO's Playroom I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get a PS5 at launch. I got lucky on release day thanks to the PlayStation Direct website. (Every other retailer is a giant hunk of shit, who doesn't care if they sell to an actually gaming fan or some asshole reseller.) Had I not secured an early PS5, it wasn't a big deal. Most of the games I wanted to play were coming to PS4 as well. The baked-in ASTRO's Playroom was the only exception. And there's always that extra special feeling of playing something right when it comes out. It's funny to think that the best PS5 game is given away for free with every console, but that is just the case. Much like ASTRO BOT Rescue Mission, which did wonders for showing off what PlayStation VR could do – it was my 2018 GOTY - ASTRO's Playroom shows off what the PS5 can do, primarily via the advancements of the DualSense controller and the solid state hard drive. I've never been one to care for graphics, and the PS5 will surely evolve over time, but those two details are what makes the device feel truly “next gen” so far. The way the triggers adjust tension is so wild. I really don't know how much they'll be used, but it's a cool option to have. And loading times are practically non-existent. (I've since went back to the Xbox One for a few more Game Pass releases, and loading times feel jarring.) As far as ASTRO goes, he's a terrific mascot in an age where mascot platformers aren't really a thing anymore. The experience relies heavily on nostalgia, as you collect relics of PlayStation's past. Also scattered throughout are other bots dressed up to reference other franchises. Dozens of franchises are represented, from characters like Crash, to Ratchet, to Kutaro from Puppeteer. It's really a lovely homage to PlayStation that any longtime fan will enjoy. Plus, it's a really fun game to play, with beautiful tech themed worlds, some infectious earworms, and some cool mechanics. Japan Studio has been a bit of an enigma for a while now. But the ASOBI Team is knocking it out of the park with ASTRO. ASTRO reminds me a lot of Iota from Tearaway: they're both cute mascot characters, crafted with a lot of love, from terrifically artistic games that did an excellent job of showing off new tech. I can't wait to see what ASTRO is up to next. Filament This one sat  near the top my Steam wishlist for nearly the entire year before I finally grabbed it about a week ago when it went on sale. I love a good puzzle game. Basically, you control a bot that tethers out a string-like filament that you use to interact with pillars. Sometimes you just make sure you graze the line by one; other times you loop around one. Sometimes you're simply turning a pillar on. Other times they must be linked in pairs, by color, or a specific number of times, just to name a few of the options. That's really where Filament glows. What starts of simple grows insanely complex by the end. You'll be combining mechanics in some rather brain-busting puzzle. And the game does very little to explain things to you, or help you along the way, yet it feels very inuitive. Still, many times I simply hit walls, where I was almost convinced the puzzles were impossible. In a few instances, it took a while to understand new rule sets. Eventually I solved every single puzzle without resorting to help. And it took me about 48 hours. (Granted I think my stat tracking was probably counting some idle time where I had the game running but walked away to do stuff like make a meal.) It's a surprising amount of content for a puzzle game that can easily be reduced to: solve puzzles by drawing lines. One other thing I appreciated was that I found myself taking notes and drawing things out on paper. That's a tactic I don't pull out often, but love when a game pushes me in that direction. One instance in particular even had me cut up squares of paper to piece together one of the secret text logs. By the way, I missed a ton of those logs. After completing the few I found, I did look how to unlock the rest, and some of the stuff there was absurdly complex. There's really not a lot to compare Filament to outside of The Witness. But if you like a really challenging puzzle game with a ton of content, give this one a look. Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout I don't like online multiplayer games. They rarely hold my interest. I put quite a bit of time into Rocket League, Uncharted 2, Resistance 2 Co-op, and Fat Princess, but that's been about it. And in some of those cases, the main reason I spent a good amount of time with them is because I was unemployed during their reign. Overall, I'm not one to interact with people online. And I don't like the idea of a game dictating when I play it. But when Fall Guys was included with PlayStation Plus, I liked the look of it enough to give it a try. Getting a win took a while, but after the first one, I started to become pretty consistent with my runs. Much like Hades, I thought, “I'll just play until I get the trophy for 7 wins.” Then I set my sights on 20. Then I got hooked on collecting the costumes. By the time I'd finished my first stint in Season 1, I'd reached the max Level 30 and had every trophy except for the one requiring five wins in a row. I've given up hope there. Sony says I logged 40 hours with it, which equates to a lot of rounds. One day I went back for Season 2, and enjoyed the new levels, even though I was getting eliminated since I was sight-reading them. I don't know how much time I'll be putting in with it in the future should I find gaps in my list of games. Usually with multiplayer games, the focus fades once I unlock all the trophies I can. And I'm not sure how much time I want to dedicate to becoming proficient at future season. But the fact that Fall Guys even got that much attention from me to begin with is a testament to how much fun it is. Bugsnax Bugsnax could have been a joke. The previous game from Young Horses, Octodad: Dadliest Catch was just that: a silly romp that equated to little more than just a goofy control scheme. Bugsnax was the butt of many jokes upon reveal, reaching meme status in which it became the Schrödinger's cat of games. When someone talked about it looking good, you weren't sure if they were being honest or a hipster. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I was intrigued. It's another fine example of a list of stellar games that have been given away for free with PlayStation Plus. Would I have played it otherwise? Who knows? But I'm glad I got to. It is silly, but the silliness works in unison with what turned out to be a very fun game to play. The world and its characters are weird. Everybody has a laughable name, Filbo Fiddlepie, Chandlo Funkbun, and C. Clumby Clumbernut, just to name a few. ( I wonder what the C stands for?) The Bugsnax, which are part bug, part snacks, follow suit, with the burger inspired Bunger, the french fry spider, Fryder, or the popsickle, Bobsickle. The most delightful part is when you catch one of the bugsnax and you hear them say their name from the speaker in the controller. Hearing “Weenieworm” never got old. Any sound coming from Bunger put a smile on my face. Feeding the bugnsax to the other characters was a blast as well. Certain bugsnax resulted in sheer silliness, while combinations could provide interesting fashion statements. But past all that silliness was a fun game too. You're given a few different tools to capture bugsnax, and are sent to figure out how. By the time I was reaching the end, having done all there was to do, I was sad to see it end. It was simply a joy to platinum the game, and I'd definitely be down for more Bugsnax adventures. Ghost of Tsushima I love Sucker Punch to death. Sly Cooper is one of my favorite series. On the other hand, I've never been into the world of the samurai, or watched any samurai movies. But Sucker Punch is a studio I'm happy to support, and I figured I'd be getting a good quality game, so I was in. (Plus, I had the free time. At the time, I thought it might be my gaming binge swan song as I thought we'd be coming out of this pandemic in July. Boy was I wrong!) The world of Tsushima is breathtaking. The partnership of style and graphical fidelity creates beauty in every square inch of the world. As far as the game is concerned, it what I would expect from a AAA open world game. There are main missions, and side missions, and things to upgrade, and all kinds of places to explore. It's fairly predictable in that regard, although I did enjoy some of the ways it tackled many of those side missions. The haiku system was a relaxing alternative to combat missions. Foxes and birds always encouraged me to meander from the main missions. And shrines provides some nice platforming challenges. Combat was unique, and being about to cater it to your preferred combat style was appreciated. It did wear out its welcome a bit after dozen of hours, but I appreciate its simplicity. Still, most impressive was just that living, breathing world. I spent a lot of time in photo mode. A LOT! I could easily spend an hour or two just traveling around finding beautiful vistas to tinker around with lighting and effects. In the end, most of my complaints really just boil down to the fact that it's a large AAA game, and comes with the tropes and restrictions of the territory. Otherwise, it would be higher up the list. Ori and the Will of the Wisps Ori and the Will of the Wisps is a great game, but ultimately it's just more Ori. That's not necessarily a bad thing. It just doesn't really subvert expectations. Everything that made the first game great is here too. It looks gorgeous. It's fun to traverse and explore. But looking back, it doesn't stick out as fondly in my memory as many of the other games in this list. Some of that could be the fact that it released early in the year. It was the game I was playing when the world crapped the bed. But it could also just be that I prefer the intrigue of new IP over sequels. Even so, it's hard to discredit just how well it plays and how beautiful and rich that fantasy world is. Honorable Mentions (that released this year): Carto, Lightmatter, Swarm, Symphonia, Bartlow's Dread Machine, Doom Eternal, Control's AWE Expansion Honorable Mentions (I played that released years prior): Bomb Chicken, SUPERHYPERCUBE, Dead Cells, Moonlighter, Songbird Symphony, The Messenger, JUMPGRID, ETHEREAL, Spring Falls, Unruly Heroes, Celeste, Lonely Mountains: Downhill, Splatoon 2, My Friend Pedro, A Short Hike, Future Grind, SOMOS, A Plague Tale: Innocence, The King's Bird