#(the AI part came after the “AI craze” started to pick up)

[starrysharks]

i know this is an unpleasant memory and you dont have to answer ---- how the hell did that racist edit of your mlp art even reach your eyeballs in the first place

someone actually sent it to me to let me know about it (not with bad intentions) - there were actually two edits and the one that came first was a whitewashed edit (i had drawn twilight sparkle as brownskinned in the original piece). i tried to ask people to report the post to take it down, but that didn't work, and the blackface edit came a day-ish after. in the end the website basically removed the options to report the post for the specific racist stuff and i don't think it ever got taken down lol... it's been over a year and it's not as bad to talk about now, but it still pisses me off a bit

[talk-geek-to-me]

Stolen Kiss Part 2

Pairings: Peter Parker x Stark!Reader

Warnings: a bit of angst, mentions of anxiety and panic. 

Disclaimer: You’re gonna be confused if you haven’t read the first part. Which! I have here. Song is Rise or Fall By Hidden Citizens. School is also starting in 2 weeks and I figured i should get this out before it starts up again. Please, enjoy and send feedback!! it’s always appreciated!!

Tagging: @parkerpuffwrites

---

“Ready Y/N?" Peter asked cladded in the famous red and blue suit while you were in your favorite ripped jeans and his favorite dark purple sweater of yours, matching converse covering your feet. Yes, You're Tony's daughter. But that doesn't mean you can't wear comfortable clothes.

The view from the top of the Empire State Building was breath-taking. Blue skies, no clouds, slight breeze. But it's about to get windier.

"Uh. Yes and no. I've done free falling, but not. Ya know. Swing through the city." You shook your hands out just for them to get clammy again.

"What? You free fell? When?" The eyes of Peter's suit widen.

Your brows furrowed in confusion, and pulled out your phone.

"Yea? Dad hasn't shown you? Cap and Thor were there, he showed the rest of the team this a while ago as a don’t-do-this-or-i’m-taking-the-suit type thing. He was livid after I did this. It was super fun though." You typed away on your phone, pulling up the video you had Friday record.

---

"Friday? Are you recording?" You asked

"I don't think this is a good idea Miss. Tony isn't going to be happy about this." The AI stated, worry filling her voice and your ears.

"Play my song." You flew over the Hudson River. Rise or Fall by Hidden Citizens came through the system.

“You’re off course. Princess, where are you going?” Tony asked.

"Uuhh. No where, just taking a detour. Friday, are you ready?" Avoiding your fathers curious eyes, you scanned the water, and the numbers crossing your screen.

There was a pause. Your brows pulled together, eyes danced around the screen to look for her status in the suit.

"Yes." 

"Y/n, what're you doing?" Steve ran up the stairs of a near by building in hopes he’ll make it before something bad happens.

Fight till the darkness is gone, I am reborn. Either you rise or you fall.

"Drop me." Confidence coursed through your veins, a smile stretched across your face.

Rise or  You Fall

The bass dropped and Friday opened the suit dropping you.

You were falling. Nothing holding you back, the wind shooting your hair back, clothes becoming skin tight against the front of you when it flapped in the breeze in the back.

Terror gripped Tony, laughter filled the comms.

Steve burst through the roof door in time to see you eject yourself from your suit, his heart stopped. 

"No! Thor!” Tony changed direction, heading towards your falling form.

"Lady Stark!" Thor launched off the ground, flying towards you. He grew closer, and you fell passed him. His fingers grazed your shirt. You pulled your limbs together, making you dive faster towards the water.

Tony’s mind raced over the thought of you hitting the water wrong or too fast. Panic began to settle in his heart and spread throughout him like the Palladium Toxicity that was killing him back in 2010. Your cheers of excitement were the only comfort he had that you were still alive.

"Friday! Pick me up!" You called when you realized getting closer to the water.

You felt the suit start to put itself together on your backside, with every part you started to rise, along with the beat of the music that now filled your ears. Adrenalin was set in your system, and you shot up further in the sky.

"Kill the boot thrusters." You huffed. Once they were out, you arched your back sending you into a flip and activated your hand and boot thrusters again, sending you to the closest building to you.

You stumbled out of the suit, a triumphant smile was casted on your features, it quickly vanished when you were greeted by the enraged face of your father when he landed infront of you. Steve and Thor stood behind him, sporting worried looks.

"Friday, stop recording." You mumbled.

---

You slipped the phone in Peter’s backpack, and slide the backpack on your shoulders.

"And you're nervous about swinging through the city?" Peter pulled off his mask, hair becoming crazed "You fell hundreds of feet before your suit got you!"

"I know, I know. I've never fallen without my suit. But I have you! You'll catch me if you drop me!" You stepped closer to him, hands on his chest.

“What? No, no. I’m-I’m not going to drop you.” Peter scrunched up his nose, his arm rested on your waist, pulling you tight against his chest.

“Promise?” Your arms slid up around his neck.

“Promise.” He lifted you by your waist so you could wrap your legs around his waist. A safety precaution, he had told you about before you agreed to this. “Ready?”

You nodded, the muscles in your thighs tightened around his waist. Peter drew in a quick breath before jumping off the building. The wind pulling your hair up as you plumped towards the ground, the wind was loud in your ears, but your screaming was louder in Peter’s. You had hidden your face in his neck, and your grip was iron tight around him.

“It’s ok! I got you!” Peter shouted, his grip tightening around you. It didn’t ease your mind as you felt him begin to maneuver through the city, your stomach dropping in the process.

You glanced over your shoulder in search of a safe landing, to find that you had infact landed at the Avengers Tower. 

“When did we-”

“A couple minutes ago.” Peter had one hand resting on the back of your head, while the other was under one of your knees that was still around his hips.

“Y/N, baby.. Let’s go inside.” He didn’t move until he felt you nod against his neck. He slowly let go of your leg, feeling the pressure of them subside as they straightened out.

Once you were fully on the ground, or rather the landing zone of the tower, you wouldn’t let go of Peter. Your arms were still wrapped around his neck, and Peter’s arm had wrapped around your waist, rubbing little circles in your back.

“Baby.” He mumbles against your hair.

You look up at his face, frowning when you’re greeted with the Spider-Man mask. Your hands slid up his neck, thumbs finding where his mask met the rest of the suit. You pulled it up far enough to get it over his nose, eyes flicking down to his lips and back up to his mask covered eyes.

Peter watched your every move, subconsciously licking his lips when the masked was lifted. Air filled his lungs when your eyes met his. Every time you looked at him, he was given another reason to keep living, to keep fighting for the little guys. Goosebumps littered his skin in the wake of your touch as your fingers brushed against his jaw, pulling his lips to yours. Lips moving in perfect sync.

Tony had seen you and Peter land and was waiting for you to enter the tower. After a couple of impatient minutes, he decided to go greet you at the door that led to the landing pad. 

Upon opening the door, he found you and Peter holding onto each other as if the other was going to disappear. Smiling to himself, he pulled out his phone and captures a picture. It was a perfect picture really. The sun was setting, mixing blues, oranges, pinks, and at the center of it was you two, arms wrapped around each other, soaking in each others presence. 

Quickly sending the picture to Rhodey and Pepper with the caption “Remember how well these two got along? You owe me $20 Rhodey ;)”

[j-shute]

Creating a new edible: A Take a Stand/ Iron Man 2 tribute fic.

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AN: Hey there, heard it was a certain handsome Foxxo’s Birthday yesterday, so I thought I’d write him something for it. This is an idea for a Take a Stand/ Iron Man 2 parody I’ve had for a while, so hope you enjoy it, and both your birthday and Christmas. Stay awesome ;)

.

Ceartais Bunker.

3.45 years after the Doom incident.

.

“I cannae believe this… I cannae believe this!”

All eyes looked on at Olivia, their helpless expressions doing nothing to sate the small mouse’s rage. Nobody knew what to say or how to act, or how on earth they would all get out of this unscathed. And then the two little rodent sized eyes landed on team member Alice Kirabito, the scarred and battle hardened bunny feeling a shiver of dread and fear flash through her. “Tell me,” Olivia said, closing her eyes and her paws scrunching up. “How could ya…”

“Olivia…” she tried to say back.

“I mean how could ya…”

“Please, madame…”

“I mean how could ya cope with these cravings!” she yelled out, before collapsing in on herself in a pile of hormonal angst. A few months ago she’d finally married her old boyfriend Blake, their love rekindled ever since she quit the superhero life. Not soon after came the news that she was pregnant, carrying baby rat-mouse hybrids, or her little rice as she called them. Sadly, while a mouse pregnancy was only twenty days, it seemed that every single high, low, swing, urge and craving felt in a longer term had been concentrated down into that short period.

“I ate taco’s,” Alice said, recounting her own pregnancy.

“And you don’t think I haven’t tried that!?” Olivia screamed out, her paws up and grasping into the air. “My boyfriend is the best chef in Zootopia, and not even he can cook what I want! He says that to get the right tastes, I’d be breaking the laws of food.”

“Listen, I know it is tough,” Alice offered again, “but I know you can stay strong.”

“I don’t think I can…” Olivia confessed, looking forward with a thousand-yard stare and shaking her head. Alice stepped back, looking at the others in the room before shaking her head. Her wife, noted surgeon, socialite and fellow vigilante Luna Wilde, shook hers too. So did team leader Kodi Jones, not even sure his skills at the mystic arts could mollify the insane sounding demands of his predecessor. The other team members: Clara Bloom, Robyn Wilde-Savage, Hannah Wilde-Savage and the AI Bella had no idea how to help. Heck, even their intern, Esso Reese, had no idea. Then again, she mainly worked for them so that they could monitor her mental health, all part of the special insanity plea that they’d helped organise for her after the whole Doom incident.

So, that night, the gang left Olivia with promises to try and think of things to help her out. She left and did her best to keep it together for her husband, putting on a pretty face even as her body demanded the impossible. It was all a bit taxing though so, next morning, she left early, wandering around the base’s labs and store rooms.

It was there that Bella noticed her. “Good Day Olivia,” it chirped, making her groan. “Given your current state, I have scanned through your archive and picked out something that might be of interest for you.”

“Right. Whatever,” she mumbled, hankering after whatever it was again. “Just hand it over.”

To her surprise a screen across the room fizzled to life and, to her shock, a foreign yet familiar face stared out. It was her father. Not Dave or Basil, no… Her old Pa Flaversham, taken so long ago by the villainous Dr Padraic Rattigan. Her turmoil was briefly ceased, cut through by the sad shock as the grandfather her babies would never know twiddle about on screen, talking about how he’d innovated here and there when practicing his hobby of designing toys. And then he looked forward and spoke to her. “Of course, everything’s possible if you put your mind to it,” he said. “And I think that’s true of you too, my dear Olivia.” He cracked a little smile. “I have a feeling that you’re going to be a special little mammal, one who won’t take no for an answer. One who will push through the wee laws that others say exist. One who’ll make the impossible possible. For that, I’ll always be proud of you, my little Olivia.”

Far in the future, Olivia cleared a tear from her eye before breathing in. “Bella,” she shouted, a sudden determination rising from within her.

“Affirmative.”

“Break out the hardware and cue the music, it’s time for a major remodellin’!”

Within minutes heavy rock was blaring out as a whole set of spare spitfire suits assembled. Each one grabbing a heavy sledgehammer, they swung it down on the concrete floor, soon following orders to do it in tune with the base line. Safety goggles on, Olivia marched along a table edge, surveying the work as dust filled the ever vibrating room. She then frowned. “I can do better than that.”

.

(1 minute later)

.

“CLEAR!” she shouted, before pushing down on a plunger. The whole bunker shook as the rough holes that had been hammered out were blasted open, a central ring of concrete falling through and crashing onto the floor below. The little mouse smiled, rubbing her hands with glee. “That’s how ya do it.”

With that done the mech’s were soon at work again, hauling out equipment and parts from old storage containers, running power lines and supercoolant tubes to where they needed to be and carrying her around so she could see it all. She was with them as they assembled a complex set of magnet arrays, alongside a glass vacuum sphere, an airlock system and several large tanks of compressed deuterium. It was as she held on to a shaking mech suit, busily breaking a new hole through the floor with an electric jackhammer, that Bella notified her of a knock on the door. “Miss Reese is here with the items you requested.”

Ordering her mech to stop and removing her ear defenders, she turned to see the lynx in question just finishing her mocking of Bella’s announcement. “Here’s your stuff,” she grunted, handing over a shopping bag before looking around, her head cocked as she tried to work out just what on earth was going on.

Olivia, having checked that a certain black wrapped item had been provided, laughed. “You have no idea what I’m up to, do you?”

“Yeah, I don’t,” she muttered, pausing as she saw a mech carry a crate to the hole, dropping it down into the arms of one below.

The mouse gave her a wink. “Don’t worry, I’ll be sharing this with everyone once it’s done.”

…

An hour later, the crazed creation was finally coming together. Out on a table, Olivia and one of the mechs were following a set of recipe books and mixing together some kind of batter. Despite the heavy music and the sound of other mechs working, she still heard someone coming down the steps, turning to see Kodi enter the room.

The wolf looked around, then up at the ceiling. “I heard you broke the floor.”

“Yeah,” she shrugged. “Honestly though, that was three hours ago. Where ya been?”

He looked down at her and shrugged. “You know, doing stuff,” he said, turning to give a nosy at the contents of some of her crates.

“Yeah, me too,” Olivia chirped, gesturing around. “I’m fixin’ that whole cravin’ problem, right here and now. I’m gonna be outta all our furry freak brothers fur for the rest of this pregnancy, as long as ya let me finish here of course.”

She smiled and looked over at the wolf, just as he peered into one of the crates and backed off in shock. In he leant again, pulling out a racoon sized thief’s cane, the ancient wooden shaft tipped with an angular bronze coloured hook, before looking her dead in the eyes. “Olivia. What’s this doing here?”

The mouse looked down at the item in his paws and couldn’t help but smile. “Oh, that’s it! That’s what I need for this. Take it over there.” One of his ears flopping down in confusion, Kodi complied, moving over until another spitfire mech held on to it with him. “Good, now right over there, there…”

He looked up at her sceptically. “You know what this is?”

“It’s exactly what I need to make this work,” she said, as her mech slid it under a large pipe like thing, levering it up between two large drums. “Now drop it.” It all sunk into position, the mech scanning it and giving Olivia a thumbs up. “Get in! Perfectly level! Anyway, as you can see I’m busy, so whatya need?”

“Nothing,” he said. “Goodbye. Hannah, Robyn and I are being reassigned. Director Winters wants us in Sahara square.”

“Fantastic, land of enchantment.”

His ears went down. “If that ‘mummy’ gets its way, yes.”

“Oooh, magic stuff?”

“Potentially,” he said, before giving one last look at her equipment. “Good luck.”

“Yeah, not that I’ll be needing it,” she said cheekily, as she turned up to shake his paw.

“Stay safe,” he said, turning and starting on his way out.

“Tchhh, of course I will!”

Kodi gave a sidelong glance to the cane. “Just be careful around any angry racoon-fox hybrids wanting their heirlooms back.”

Olivia gave the remark a grunt, before getting back to work.

.

“Initialising magnetic containment system.”

Olivia, black welding goggles covering her eyes, nodded, waving over one of her mech’s to turn a huge valve. It touched it before a loud clang rang out, several screws flying out onto neighbouring magnets as the machine jittered and stopped responding. The mouse frowned, before ordering over another mech. Keeping its distance, it gently picked up the crippled mech’s legs and lifted them up, using it as a lever to pull open the valve. Up in the vacuum chamber a purple glow began to form as the fusor came to life.

“Approaching maximum power.”

Pressing a large red button, Olivia rubbed her paws in glee as a set of super strong magnets began elevating a batter coated object out of the batter tub and up into the airlock at the base of the fusor. None of it was dripping, instead all held perfectly flat on all sides as the bottom door closed, air quickly pumped out. Then, it rose again into the fusor as the magnetic fields began interfering. Lights began dimming as more power was drawn while the equipment began shaking in place. There was a short spark, then a large one, then a larger one, a blast of lightning suddenly arcing out from one of the superconductors. Downstairs the emergency generator came on, the whole building rumbling, all while nuts and bolts began flying about in the coursing magnetic fields.

Most of the mechs held their positions or backed off, but the one that had first gripped the wheel was torn off, smashing into one of the superconductor banks as the emergency siren began going off. It got louder and louder and louder, the machines smoking and hissing with fire, and then…

It powered down, Olivia shrugging. “Tha’ was easy,” she said, moving her mech to the base of the fusor as what had gone inside dropped out. A rectangle covered in foamy, even, crispy batter, and with a smell that nobody had ever smelt before…

Except of course in the craving addled mind of the mouse looking at it now.

“Congratulations. You have created a new edible.”

Olivia licked her lips. “Cannae change the laws of cooking my ass. One plasma fried mars bar, served right up!”

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 237: Ai

I’ll never be able to resist the wild and freaky prog, psychedelia, and space music that came out of Germany during the 70s. It was this perfect convergence of psychoactive substances, futuristic electronics, spiritual mind expansion, and rock’n’roll shamanism that produced some of the music I cherish most and while there are many great examples of artists exploring this sound in the modern era, very few have overwhelmed me with krautrock and kosmische perfection like Ai. The collective of Matt Flores, Frank Bauer, Andreas von Hillebrandt, and Shunsuke Oshio first appeared on Slowboy Records’ Kingii comp in 2012 and followed that up three years later with “Anima Itako” on Theme for Great Cities’ third Mogul release. This track then appeared later in 2015 when Ai issued their debut self-titled full-length on Hauch, which was deep and far-out trip into motorik trance rhythms, space riff percolations, kaleidoscopic synthesis, and amorphous starscape bliss outs that could equally  soundtrack post-rave chill-out rooms and planetarium laser shows. For their second album II released at the end of 2018, Ai explore these same sonic spaces, but a slight change in personnel has augmented the sound in new and surprising ways. As opposed to their debut, Shunsuke Oshio only appears on four of II’s seven tracks and much of the guitar work has been transferred to new member Nima Moussavi, who brings a muscular 70s space rock riff energy as well as an even more pronounced level of interstellar prog majesty and funk and fusion fire. And in the shimmering “Amberica,” Amber Pine’s whispered vocals lead an etheric float down a river of dream-pop radiance.

Ai - II (Hauch, 2018) “Ai Theme” sets the stage with sweeping filters and sea blue hazes swirling above a balearic dreamscape. Downbeat electro-drums pound majestically through aquatic cloudrealms and vaporous pad washes smear together with romantic guitar atmospheres, with everything slowly phasing from one ear to the other. Chiming bubble melodies drift towards a sunburst sky while searing static waves swoon through romance motions and as we move towards the end, outerspace voice transmissions are surround by ever-evolving layers of oceanic mesmerism. At the other end of the A-side sits the gleaming pop of “Amberica,” which starts with a radiant soudbath of deep space filtering and chittering feedback. A dopamine drumbeat enters and cruises on light kick taps and air cracking snare smacks as dreamy vibraphone synthetics melt down from the sky. Heatwave brass layers swell around vibrato guitar weavings that at times evoke some sort of futuristic recollection of patriotic Americana, but this vibe is soon worked against by Amber Pine’s subversive and feminist beat poetry spells, which are delivered via sensual breaths and ambivalent whispers. She’s surrounded by immersive layers of shoegazing bassline funk, all subterranean sustain and riffing vibrations moving beneath wavering currents of guitar shimmer. I’m reminded of Amp, Bowery Electric, Jessamine, very early Spiritualized, and so much else from the golden age of pop-kissed 90s space rock, especially as Shunsuke Oshio radiates golden guitar magic that vibrates in tune with the universe while misty-eyed bassline lyricisms swim upwards through glowing reverb hazes.

In between “Ai Theme” and “Amberica” sits “Aruki Ikura,” where wind blown chimes and rustic guitars give way to riffing bass guitar heat and a mutant breakbeat riding on dazzling snare rolls and sizzling hat patterns. Frank Bauer’s ethereal prog organs descend and blistering noise waves swell while a spellbinding synth sequence works through the sky…starting subtle but slowly growing into a vocal strand of space acid magic that snakes continuously through the mix. After a rhythmic pause, the track erupts into pure motorik perfection with fat-bottomed basslines chugging beneath tight hypno-riffs and drums locking into an energetic krautrock stomp. The vibe sits somewhere between Neu! and Hawkwind, all pastoral psych magic intertwining with chugging space rock fire while phaser morphed organs fly through the sky. The Michael Rother airs are all the more pronounced when vaporous wah-wah licks enter, setting the stage for Nima Moussavi’s molten fuzz solo magic. Dreamy wailing guitar leads trail polychromatic tracers as the ultra-tight jam underneath threatens to explode, with massive drum fills and snare rolls surrounding liquid basslines as they slip and slide through LSD groove motions. Then the song fractures and fades into mist, before snapping back to life with a downbeat stoner funk jam out. Crystalline clean guitars underly moaning fuzz leads that play themes for majestic cloud kingdoms and eventually, Matt Flores works his rhythms back into a sunshine kosmisch glide while interstellar keyboard layers float the soul. And as we work towards the end, epic harmonizations and dueling leads locking together and climb towards a starscape horizon.

The first track on side B is split across three parts, with “Akai Indigo” seeing insectoid oscillations locking in with a fusion breakbeat jam-out. Snares skitter around tight kick and hat patterns while guitars drop deep blue shadow swells over exotic bass guitar walks. The panning oscillations grow ever more intense as they swim through distorted synth dream weavings and eventually the drums work into an upbeat gallop with off-beat snare flourishes and rhythmic clacks cutting through futuristic melody hazes and phaserwave oceans. Moving into  “Akai Indika,” chugging bass riffs, technoid kraut-disco rhythms, and percussive dial tones slam through a black haze nightscape and evoke Heldon soaring at hyperspeed. Shakers pulse ecstatically as alien oscillations chitter and laugh and there’s so much magic in Andreas von Hillebrandt’s basslines…like Jannick Top locked into a hypno-groove disco ritual. As clanging chimes lock into an Afro-folk starscape, layers of resonance grow in strength, causing the synths to sound like glowing balls of energy bouncing through a galactic tunnel. And after dramatic horror-prog chords flow down from dark skies, we transition into “Akai Indigo (Reprise).” It’s a return to a world of jamming psych basslines and splattery swinging drumbeats, though it’s all somehow more lo-fi than before…like far-out garage rock blasted onto the surface of the sun. Burning waves of guitar sorcery melt over the mix and eventually move through rippling wah-wah motions and reality tearing phase-shifts and near the end, galactic synth solos bring dark funeral enchantments before it all disappears into self-oscillating smoke.

Reso-filtered machine cymbals and paranoid percussion energies give way to dubwise basslines and phaser-blasted hi-hat chaos in “Aleister Instamatic,” while melodic electro-tom cascades circle overhead. Unintelligible voices beam in through shortwave radios as a sped up break beat enters, with switching and smacking snare magic intercutting deep bass drum thuds. Sequences flash overhead and recall the crazed lines dominating “Akuri Ikura”…as if playful electro-spiders are crawling across the mind…while skronked out guitar chords sit beneath cymbals splashes that are increasingly shrouded in galactic static. We then sweep upwards into a swooning robot romance chorus with Frank Bauer’s melancholic vocoder melodies melting the heart until the track cuts into a wild guitar passage filled with wah-wah trance vibrations, violent flanger and phaser oscillations, and bubble-form delay clouds. Everything eventually breaks down into crazed plastic crinkles and metallic liquid noise, with bass guitars chugging through a nightmare landscape. But as kick drums push dark clouds of reverb, the basslines are progressively reduced to abstract picking sounds and acoustic string vibrations before fading away almost entirely, leaving guitar mirages flashing side-to-side while incandescent hums emanate from deep space. Angry screams and cosmic wind gusts surround crazed guitar loopings and everything stretches and smears out, with heatwave noise blasts growing in strength as the skittering beats return. And after a sharp pause, we explode once more into the climactic vocoder chorus, now with sweeping string synth orchestrations raining down from the heavens and leading into a gemstone piano solo coda. 

“Anikulapo Immortal” starts in a world of smokey lounge jazz as basslines wander apart from tapped cymbals and midnight guitar chords. Anxious synth repetitions, floating aqueous hazes, and clattering rimshots move thorough air-sucking delay and reverb fx and Von Hillebrandt and Flores are in spiritual communion, with pulsating basslines supporting funked out tom-tom tribalisms. And as vocal breaths are spectrally morphed while deep space guitars shimmer like stars, I’m reminded of the ethnological forgery freak outs of Can and Amon Düül II and the side-long epics of Earthless. Galactic drone waves enter while the ecstatic groove motions flail ever forwards and there’s a growing sense of anticipation leading to a slow-burn explosion of dreamworld psychedelia and underwater jazz, wherein gemstone guitar strands are woven from liquid arpeggiations and spaghetti western slides. Then we transition sharply as low-down bass riffs stomp through a solar ascent, with palm-muted echo riffs, synth squiggles, and zany e-pianos floating on water waves. Flores revels in ride cymbal fire and revolving tom majesty while trancey pad smears and staccato riff bursts interlock with thunderous bass riffs….the whole thing evoking the hypno-prog and NWOFHM of Circle. Eventually the jam transitions from militant cosmic ritualism to post-rock majesty as Von Hillebrandt’s bass climbs through lyrical fantasias and leads us again into a passage of joyous pop-psychedelia and aquatic jazz, where haunted pad gases, e-piano vibrato weavings, chiming percolations, sliding guitars, and swinging cymbal and snare rhythms sit below distorted piano notes that seem to decay across the galaxy.

The track then shifts into a patient kick drum march with airy hi-hat taps fluttering and bewildering tom fill madness building in from the depths. Smoldering guitars riffs and shimmering cymbal taps cut through fogs of synth chaos, galactic reverb blasts, sci-fi chime cascades, and blistering filter weirdness and there’s so much ecstatic percussive energy as polyrhythms fly out in all directions. The bass guitar stomps and storms through the sky as the melodic layerings seem to devolve into clicks and scrapes. Then all of a sudden, a blazing guitar solo rips through the fabric of spacetime with bridge pick-up western twang and surf blues spiritualism smothered in slapback echo and white light vibrato fuzz. Breaky drum beats ride on golden cymbal taps and hypno-snare smacks while tambourines jangle joyously and wah-wah clicks flash across the spectrum. The rhythm guitars vibe out with bluesy hammer-ons and interstellar funk wiggles and Von Hillebrandt’s bass locks in and harmonizes with the sun-soaked psych soloing as the mix grows ever more anarchic and free, moving especially far-out once mind-melting organ drones blast in…their longform chordscapes drifting over the mix like muted rainbow light. And there’s a thrilling sense of transition, with the spirit being surrounded by aquamarine crystal hazes, searing feedback spirals, and crashing and thrashing cymbals as Ai work miraculously back towards that irrestible dreamwave psych and ocean jazz sway…a seamless transition from shamanic and shambolic psych bombast to instrumental pop enchantment. 

The album closes with “A Huge Structure Far Behind the Sun,” which earns the Orb-ian evocations of its title by foregounding a pulsating sequence that is continually worked through otherworldly filter and envelope modulations in a way recalling “A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain that Rules from the Centre of the Ultraworld.” All around swirl primordial drones, UFO whooshes, ethereal washes of static, and hovering angel atmospheres as twinkling synth-pianos radiate webs of crystal. Warm swells of distortion break free from the rhythmic swirl of planetarium phase-shifters and the soul glides eternally on soft feedback pulses, filter morphing wave fronts, and layered strands of electronic fire…all while the hallucinogenic lead sequence morphs through long flowing decay trails and sharp staccato percolations. At some point, the bubbling yet subtle currents of rhythm give way to amorphous mermaid dirfstscapes, whale song oscillations, and deep sea lullabies that bring to mind Michael Stearns, Tangerine Dream’s Zeit, Seahawks, and Anna Själv Tredje. It’s pure psychoactive ritualism submerged within an underwater dreamscape where infinite webs of shimmering jewels are constructed from e-piano fractals and electro-bubbles. Mind-melting cymbal swells move into the mix then fade into ether and the Orb-ian galaxy sequence continues weaving polychromatic strands while sometimes overtaking the mix with transcendent blasts of spectral sonic vapor. And beneath it all, heavily treated guitars are transmuted into temple bells.

As we go along, the track continue to spread out and submerge itself within a sea of LSD tracers…as if the mind is being wrapped around by vibratory threads of every possible color. Sparkling melodies, screaming fuzz arcs, and blinding synth solos intertwine while all throughout the mix float the sounds of electrified marbles rolling through echo-caverns. The dreamscape lead sequence swims through modulating waves of distortion and slow motion oscillators accelerate into hyperspace spirals while interstellar resonances create droning clouds of warmth. And as we move deeper into the otherworldly electronic miasma, I am increasingly reminded of Experimental Audio Research, especially Beyond the Pale and Mesmerised…just a joyous celebration of the possibilities of analog synthesis to evoke neon jungle environments on emerald planets or seas of intergalactic gas crashing upon diamond shores. Overt rhythms are abandoned, as are MIDI-sequencing and programming, with Ai instead reveling in human manipulations of crazed alien electronics.  Starlight keys add further layers of cosmic shimmer while swelling currents of cymbal metal push the spirit towards ecstasy and moving towards the end, delay trails and reverb tails start merging together…like lapping ripples of feedback spreading outwards on a surface made of glass.

(images from my personal copy)

[rainsonata]

Beneath the City

Fandom/Shipping(s): Elsword, none Rating: K Word Count: 2,305

Summary: It’s already weird talking to a younger version to yourself. It’s even weirder knowing that they look up to you and Lunatic Psyker isn’t sure if he can handle that kind of pressure on him. He and Psychic Tracer search for spare machine parts when they were attacked by nasods.

Christmas present for a friend.

“Wow, an underground laboratory!”

It was a wonder it was still standing beneath Elder after scavenging it many times with his counterparts. The endless material it offered made it useful when Psyker was out of parts needed for his recent projects, which was why he was here today. Going alone wasn’t an issue, so he was surprised to learn that Psych wanted to come along with the eagerness of a puppy. This being Psych’s first time seeing it, it was natural to hear the tracer’s surprise of its existence.

As long as Psych stayed close to him, he had no issue letting his younger self follow him to what has become a glorified junk yard with punchable minions. Psyker wouldn’t have brought Psych if he thought it was too dangerous. He had faith that the tracer would know how to avoid getting hit by stronger enemies. If not...well, that was what the trip was for, a learning experience and maybe a few new battle scars to prove himself worthy.    

They stayed at the entrance for easy access to an exit if security was heavier than usual. It appeared that the facility was just as quick to fix their fallen security nasods as soon as someone knocked them down. Having their power source limited to the core of the building however limited them to that area, so there was no worry on if it planned on invading the city as it did before, or at least Psyker hoped so. With precise aim, he demonstrated a Quake Buster on a security nasod that sent its wrecked limbs flying across.

“Don’t act like you can’t do that either,” Psyker said when he caught Psych gasping at his display of power. “I’ve seen you do it.”  

“Yes, but your Nasod Armor enhanced it.” Psych’s chatter bounced around the confines of the laboratory. He beamed, “The way it formed around your body made you stronger and faster reflexes to hit before it sees you!”

“It’s not just the Nasod Armor.” He looked away, “It’s still not perfect.”

Not yet.     

Psych’s praises turned him pink with pride, but his emotions were mixed with embarrassment when the tracer looked at him like he just dismantled one of Elysion’s highest nasods. It was already bizarre acknowledging that he could interact with a younger version of himself, although at this point, Psych’s future was likely deviating from his. No, what was strange was that for the first time, Psyker feel unsure of himself, an anomaly when he spent years knowing what kind of person he was and what he wanted.

Being with Psych made the brawler gain sudden awareness in all the things he said and did. When did he start worrying about how people viewed him? He didn’t have that sort of patience or concern when around the younger members from Elgang, was it because he was afraid of how acting around Psych would affect the tracer? It has only been a few months and Psych was already picking up his speech pattern and tried dressing like him.

“Psyker!”

Too late to rely on his reflex, he only had time to look up to see a nasod swing its bulky arms at his direction.

Getting hit by one of the smaller nasods, how pathetic. There were more of them, maybe three or four. Perhaps he gave Wally too little credit in working with nasods that he had the luck to be placed with one of his creations yet again. He never did learn his lesson about meddling with idiots, did he? He should have been able to avoid getting hit, but he was caught up in his own train of thoughts that he let his guard down. What a fool he was.   

With the help of Dynamo, Psych launched himself into the air to grab him by the hand and threw him over his shoulder. Psyker grunted in surprise, but it was enough for him to do a flip in the air before landing on his own set of dynamos. Electricity charged at his fingertips when a blur of black and purple storm past him. What was Psych doing?

Psyker opened his mouth to yell at the boy for being stupid when he heard Psych cursing. The Psychic Tracer was shoved across the floor by the nasod as soon as he approached it, tears threatening to fall when he growled.

“I’ll make you regret that,” Psych bit down his lips in anger. “Eat dust!”

Activating the incomplete Nasod Armor and enveloping himself with static, Psych threw himself back at the nasods with a series of punches and kicks that barely left a dent on them. Energy blasted from the tracer’s dynamos when he saw that physical brutality didn’t work, unfazed on facing a stronger enemy. The tracer laughed when they failed to hit him with a big blast of lasers until changing their minds and setting off homing missiles. His smile wavered to an alarmed expression when Psyker had enough of this foolishness and stepped in between them to divert the nasods’ attention to himself.

His dynamos protected their user like a shield when the missiles hit Psyker, sending them spinning across the room to hit the other nasods that were unfortunate to get in the way. Hmph, that would cut some work and free scrap metal for them. Plasma surrounded him as Psyker forced the nasod into a tunnel to hold it, charging forward with punches and kicks before pulling it back and away from Psych.

While it was stunned, he turned to check on Psych and saw that the kid was had scratches and a couple of opened wounds bleeding out. This wasn’t a safe place to wrap his wounds. The nasod should be almost at its limits. He gave it a final kick from behind and watched it fall over as it exploded. He pulled Psych to the side to wrap his arms around the tracer to shield him from the explosion, letting the dust and debris hit him. They needed to leave before security decided to reassemble themselves in their presence.  

They resurfaced from the underground laboratory to rest at the outskirts of Elder. Psyker let the tracer rest underneath a tree with his back leaning against the trunk with his face scrunched up from the pain.

“I’m dressing your wounds.” Psyker said with firmness that stopped Psych from arguing back.

Rubbing alcohol and bandage wraps were the first thing he searched for in his bag. He had his own fair share of injuries from fighting tougher enemies, which showed when he expertly clean and dressed Psych’s wounds without much thought. Psych said nothing when Psyker asked him for his other arm once he was done with the first one. The tracer had wounds on his legs and back too.

   Why did he let Psych tag along? If he was by himself, he had only himself to blame and perhaps be angry at himself for a few scratches and bruises. Psych wasn’t like Mastermind or Esper, who had years to develop their weapons and have a better understanding on how to fight stronger enemies. Psych was weaker in comparison and had an incomplete Nasod Armor that didn’t leave beyond a scratch mark on the enemies earlier.

Because of his reckless behavior, Psych was hurt and it was his fault. The tracer should have looked up to Mastermind instead of him. At least Psych could trust Mastermind to be careful and always have his drones out to look out for potential danger. Psyker wasn’t as cautious and always rushed into battle to finish them off. It looked like Psych wasn’t so different from him and did the same, except unlike him, he couldn’t afford to do at his current experience level. 

“We didn’t make it to the core.”

It was the first word that came out of Psych since they left Wally’s Underground Laboratory. The crazed look in his eyes from the fight inside the facility was gone, replaced by a somber one with the tracer straightening his back to look at Psyker.   

Psyker shook his head, “No, we didn’t.”

They didn’t even pass the entrance to be greeted with more security and crossbow archers inside. Perhaps that was for the best. Even he didn’t appreciate dodging their arrows in hopes for a few scraps of metal if he was lucky.  

Psyker checked to make sure he didn’t miss bandaging a spot and asked, “How are you feeling?”

“Like hell,” Psych mumbled. “It hurts when I move my arms.” He rotated his wrists and ankles to crack them, but winced when he twisted his arms to test them out.  

“Then don’t,” a curt smile formed on Psyker’s lips as he chuckled. “Just focus on healing and let’s get out of here.”

Expecting Psych to protest, he wasn’t surprised when the tracer tried standing up by planting his hands into the grass to push himself up. The brawler almost yanked his arm back down until he remembered that the kid had a bandaged arm.

He blocked the tracer from moving by placing his hands back down and growled, “We’re going home. Now. We’re done today.”

“Teach me how to fight.” Psych said with pleading eyes. “I want to be strong like you.”

“No, you don’t,” Psyker scoffed.

Was failing to pull out Psych in time to avoid injuries not enough to convince the tracer to avoid becoming him? Psyker was almost frustrated how starry eyed his younger self was with him. Maybe he was exaggerating because he wasn’t used to being in the spotlight, but it made him nervous. If he failed to live up to Psych’s expectations, he wouldn’t just disappoint the tracer, but himself too.

“Nasod Armor has human limits,” the brawler said. “You have to watch what you eat and keep your body in shape, or else it will fall apart. I’ve seen you stuff your face with chocolate with Arc. If you want to live that kind of life, go ask Mastermind how to code AI.”  

“I’m not going to become like that nerd, Arc.” The tracer glared at him, “I’m doing this my way.”

“Why do you want to be like me?”

Wanting to be strong… The brat really was him, Psyker closed his eyes with distress. Not only was he foolhardy, but stubborn too. If he was anything like him, he could take a gander to his reasons. After all, they were the same person, weren’t they? It was strange that he was becoming more accepting of that concept over time.   

Taken back by his question, Psych wasn’t as quick to answer as before. He looked at his bandaged arms and frowned, knowing that he wasn’t going to be fighting or training for the next few days.  

“You always look like you know what you’re doing,” Psych said. “Everything you do is calculated and you never doubt yourself. Your Nasod Armor still has room to improve, but it’s almost perfect. You can go anywhere you want because you have nothing to be afraid of. I want all of that.”

His answer had Psyker’s eyes widen. Was that how Psych viewed him? He was careful to paint a facade as an aggressive brawler, but was astonished to learn how efficient it was. All of that self doubt and loath for himself, it did exist, but he fought to keep it hidden away from outsiders. Never again did he want someone to see him as the weak kid who wandered Elrios aimless without a path or resolution.      

“Psych,” he sighed and placed his hand on the tracer’s shoulder. “I do get scared. There are things out there that can crush us like ants, so we always have to train to get stronger. I’m still don’t know what I’m doing and neither do most of Elbrat and his friends.”  

Psyker watched Psych’s shoulders slouch in learning the truth, but the other frowned, “But you’re also nice, like when you let me come with you today. Arc told me Mastermind promised to help him with his codes and Esper sometimes help Time, so I thought you could do the same.”

Now Psyker was the one speechless. It looked like he was wrong in thinking he knew everything Psych. Strength wasn’t the sole factor in having interest for him. He scratched the back of his head with embarrassment of being praised again.  

“Is that so?” He saw Psych nod and mused, “I suppose a little training can’t hurt. We’ll have to work on your posture first. Those cute little punches and kicks aren’t going to work if you do that to every enemy we meet.”

“Hey!” Psych protested, but laughed when Psyker helped him up to walk.

Their trip back home was going to be a long one, but that wasn’t a bad thing. That meant more time listening in to Psych telling him the time he and the other tracers were stuck in Bethma because of the lizardmen or when he encountered the nasods in Altera. It was entertaining watching how animated the tracer was, always waving his hands back and forth as he talked.

Despite the age differences between them being a mere year apart, seeing a less experienced version of himself made him nostalgic, or maybe it was another emotion. It was an emotion he recognized between Elbrat and his sister, the redhead.     

Being an only child, he always held his parents’ full attention more often than not. Now that there was someone who looked up to him and even relied on him, Psyker wondered if this was how it felt to have a little brother. They were the same person, but yet he was protective of him when he was injured as if he was a blood relative.

Huh, Psyker rubbed his forehead. How interesting.  

Author Notes: Arc and Mastermind had their one to one bonding fic, so it’s time for Psych and Psyker to go on a #LifeChangingFieldTrip. I love these two nerds I want them to be happy with Psyker accepting Psych as his student, sobs.

[fairymadnessyeah]

What do I do with all these Freedom

Sequel to Birthday Boys   ----> https://archiveofourown.org/works/22242565/chapters/53109988

Chapter 1: Oh No, He’s Hot! ----> https://archiveofourown.org/works/23310700/chapters/55833763

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"Yessss, Yessss, YES, YES! I AM YOUR GOD! BOW DOWN TO YOUR CREATOR YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!"

Shigaraki heard as he laughted maniacaly as he digitally burned down a city he had created with this new game he had tried. This was his least favourite part of his job, editing his material so it looked as crazed and deranged as he wanted it to. As soon he finished editing his lunatic rant, he heard the door open and three pairs of footsteps enterring his place. He saved what he had done and got out of his studio to see his boyfriend leaning against their kitchen counter. The muffled voice of Toga could be heard from their bedroom, as she excitedly ordered somebody to put thing on.

"Hey Babe..." Dabi greeted him as he noticed his presence in the room. "Were you recording? Did we interrupt?" He asked as he raised his arm to strech. Tomura got close to Dabi and as the lowered his arms and held onto the smaller man. Tomura shaked his head as he nestled into his boyfrieds arms. With a low chuckle, Dabi began to leave small pecks on Tomura's neck making the other giggle. This was the scene to which Toga came out to but stopped once she was with them.

But she barely noticed, since she was still bossing around whoever was inside the bedroom. "...Once your done changing, come out. I want to see how it looks once it's on you." She shut the door and stared at it intensely. She was still in her white salon uniform and she was buzzing in contained excitment as she kept staring at the door. Tomura looked up to Dabi, silently asking what was going on.

"Shouto had his hair cut today." The raven explained easily. "When he mentioned it clashed with his clothes, Crazy over there, dragged him up here to dress him up in my old clothes" Tomura snickers at the image. "Speaking of which, hey Stabby, how did you know where my old clothes where?"

Toga turns around to face them, and with a grin told him: "I snooped around your closet when you let me stay in here."

"What?..."

"C'mon Shou-chan~," Toga ignored Dabi, as she turned back to the door and started knocking impatiently on it. "Aren't you done yet?"

The door opened up slowly as Todoroki Shouto, Dabi's youngest brother, came out, fully transformed from the last time Shigaraki had seen him. He had an old black tank top with a faded band logo and ripped black jeans. All the clothes looked snug on him, probably because Dabi was skinnier than him. Instead of the bowl cut he usually had, his hear was in an undercut with his white hair pulled to the side, trying to cover the red half and his scar. He stilll had on his white sneakers, but once Toga noticed them, she kneeled and covered them with the old pants. When she finished, she jumped up again and took a picture with her phone in one whole movement.

Shouto stood there awkardly as he rubbed the back of his neck. Toga was smiling and cooing at her phone as she went on about putting make up on him. Dabi and Shigaraki were still silent but while Tomura looked at Toga, keeping an eye on her, Dabi caught his gaze and have him a small smile. Shouto returned it with a shrug.

It had been a couple of weeks since they reconnected. Dabi now went to see Rei when he could, Shouto worked with him on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and they had had family dinner with both Dabi and Tomura two times already. There was still a sort of barrier between them. Touya had done a lot of thing he knew non of his sibblings would be proud of and they were aware of it. He would change the topic everytime.

Their relantionship wasn't one out of a fairy tale, it may never be. But the Todoroki sibbling were nothing if not stuborn. They knew their relantionship was stranded but they also were determined enough to save what they had. Althought, it wasn't easy.

Natsuo still holded a little of resentment, Fuyumi still repressed everything that wasn't a happy emotion, Dabi was secretive with a lot of his life and Shouto was still an emotionally constipated mess.

They also had a life outside of their family, so they couldn’t spend all their time together. Natsuo was still attending college and had a girlfriend, Fuyumi had a job and took care of their new home, and Shouto, after ghosting his friends for three weeks, had a lot to catch up on and a lot of homework piled up. It had been a really busy month, but things were starting to look up from Shouto's point of view. He had started his second year at UA this week, his mom was getting better everyday, he had all of his sibblings and friends in his life, and he was starting the new school year with a brand new haircut and look. Which he had never been allowed to before.

Dabi, noticing his brother's growing sheepeshness at Toga's ramble, patted Tomura's hip asking for space, and moved to put Toga in a headlock. "Okay, Psycho, that's enough..."

"But Dabiiiii...." Toga complained "With a little bit of mascara and..."

"No, you had your fun, leave..." He told her and playfully pushed her towards the entrance. Toga pouted and blew him a raspberry before skipping out of the place. Tomura and Dabi chuckeled at her antics. "C'mon, Shou, I'll drive you to UA." Shouto nodded and headed back to their bedroom. "You can keep the clothes if you want..." Dabi told him as he reached for the door.

"Really?" He asked hopeful and Dabi nodded.

As the young one started to pick up his things, Dabi went back next to Tomura and told him he'll see him later at the bar. Shigaraki hummed in agreement and kissed him quickly before going back to his studio. As soon as Shouto came out of his room, both brothers left the place, taking Dabi's High End.

When they reached the school's front gate, it was getting dark. With a wave, they said goodbye. Shouto was already inside and checking out his notifications on his phone when he was stopped. He was answering his brother, that was making fun of him, saying he was coping Touya style (They had sent him and Fuyumi a picture of the finished haircut) when he was blinded by a flashlight. Two figures, one tall and one small approached him.

"Hey, you... Wait... Todoroki?" A high squicky voice asked confused, and turned off the flashlight. Todoroki blinked the white spots off his vision and recognise the two people in front of him. Kuroiro and Komori from class B, they were holding a flashlight, some plastic bags and a spay-bottle. The two were staring at him with wide eyes and absolutly speechless.

"What were you two doing out at this hour?" He asked them after noticing they weren't going to say anything.

"Um... we were looking for luminescent mushrooms..." Komori said, still speechless by his new look. "What- what were you doing out?"

"I just came back from work" He said, feeling awkard from all the staring. "Is something wrong?"

"No!, no,no,no,no" Both class B students said. "You just caught us off guard." Komori admited while Kuroiro grumbled something. ("He is ready for a night in the abyss")

"Alright, have fun with your fungus" Todoroki told them and went his way. 'Wierd' He thought as he continued messing with his phone on his way to the 2-a alliance.

As he was arriving, he noticed Midoriya, Iida, Aoyama, Tokoyami, Ojiro and Shoji outside. They were all sitting in the porch's stairs, chatting away. Midoriya, always the observant noticed him first. The others, noticing Midoriya had stopped mid-rant, turned their attention to what had stopped him and finally noticed the dual coloured boy. They were just as surprised as the other two students.

Not because they didn't like it. But Todoroki hadn't told anyone about his makeover. He had only told his close group of friends (AKA The Dekusquad) about getting a job. Shouto had figured it might raise some unwanted and unnecesary red flags if he told them that he was working for his stranded brother that had been a criminal and was dating OFA ex-apprentice and adopted son. He didn't want them to worry. He didn't need a repeat of his father's trial.

Even if Fuyumi had waited for Shouto to be out of the city and at camp to report him, everybody found out. For a while it was the only thing people talked about. Every magazine, news paper and media of comunication was talking about how his Dad, a famous boxing champion and well respected athlete was being charged for marital and domestic abuse. People discussed if it was true, and people were just afraid to say something; or if it was false, and Fuyumi had only pressed charges to earn money. (When he heard that, he almost punched a hole in a wall).

Since they were in the middle of nowhere, his class and teachers at the campsite didn't find out imeadiatly. Midoriya that already knew what was going on had stayed by his side in silent companion, not pressuring him into anything, yet being there if needed. When the rest of the class found out, they were given an entire free day to do what they wanted. During that day, his classmates and the other class had done a two step dance he knew very well.

First people would apologise, saying they were sorry they hadn't noticed before or that he didn't deserve something like that happening to him. Second, people would offer companionship, saying that if he ever needed anything he could count in them or something like that. He was mostly okay with people doing that, it was nice of them to offer help.

But this was class 1-a and b of UA. After they found out and they completed step one and two, they didn't leave him alone. Which Todoroki guessed was okay. But suddenly he couldn't be alone. He was always with someone, either because they wanted to do something with him or they just wanted to be with him. And the teachers didn't help either. Kan Sensei and the camp counselors, the Wild Wild Pussycats treated him as if he was about to break and needed some sort of constant vigilance. And Aizawa Sensei, even if he had helped him by telling the others to leave him alone, had also said to be sneakier about keeping an eye on him.

(He had also found out later by Shinsou that Aizawa was trying to make it up to him. Appearently, Aizawa had noticed something was wrong, but was waiting for Todoroki to come to him. Trusting that if it became too much for him, he knew his homeroom teacher's door was open. But before Aizawa even recieved news about the trial, Toshinori, (a new teacher at UA and Izuku's step dad) had called to tell Aizawa to keep an eye on him just in case, since Fuyumi had filed the report. When Aizawa questioned him on his criptid call, Toshinori told him what was going on. Which lead to Aizawa feeling pretty bad because 1 One of his students may be in a very difficult situation, 2 He had noticed and said nothing, and 3 Tdoroki had told the new gym teacher instead of him)

Bakugou, that had appearently known since the Sport Festival, noticed how much of a nuisance his clasmates were being, helped him escape into the woods for a while. By the time they had come back from the camp, his classmates calmed down a little. Nowadays they would occacionally asking if he was alright, if his dad was mentioned or if he seemed particularly gloomy.

"Wow, Todoroki,... you look..." Ojiro started speaking but got interrupted by Tokoyami when he got quiet.

"Ready for a night in the abyss" Tokoyami said as the raven pearched in his shoulder croaked after him.

"Thank you...?" He told the bird-lover as he looked at the others for a clue if it was a compliment or an insult. The other guys shrugged except for Iida, that was looking at a small book and reading it in a fast pace. "Iida, what are you doing?"

"I am checking if any of the changes you have done to your person are breaking the rules of the schools wardrove policies" He told him as he kept reading.

The boys shared a chuckle, because of course their class president would have a pocket size school rule book that he takes everywhere. "Does it look bad?" Shouto asked his responsable friend.

"I never said that, Todoroki, but the rules are there for a reason and we need to follow them" Iida said as he made his robotic arm movements and continue reading.

"I think it looks good." Shouji told him over his mask.

"It needs more *~Sparkling~*" Aoyama told him.

They stayed there for a couple of minutes, mainly waiting for Iida to finish checking if Todoroki had to change something. While they waited they talked about school, up coming exams, what they would have for dinner. Sudenly, Iida stood up and while doing his hands movements, told Todoroki his outfit abided to the school rules. Once Todoroki was in the clear, the rest stood up and went inside the dorm room. Indoors, the girls, Uraraka, Yaoyorozu, Hagakure, Asui and Jiro were studing and drinking tea, while on the other side, Shinsou, Kaminari, Bakugou, Mina, Kirishima and Sero were playing a videogame. Koda and Sato were in the kitchen, Sato trying out new cookie recipies, that he would give to the girls once they were done, and Koda feeding his bunny and keeping the baker company.

"Holy Crap, Todoroki!!" Mina shouted as soon as she saw him. She wasn't currently playing, but waiting for her turn. "You look Amazing!" Her enthusiam made everyone turn to them and pause what they were doing.

Today, when classed was over, Todoroki had left looking like he usually did, a minimalistic rich boy. Now that he was back with his new haircut and his brothers old clothes, he looked like a punk bad boy. It was sight to be seen. Todoroki was one of the most grounded and put-together guys of the class. That with his quiet and monotone demeanor, let off a 'respect me' vibe. But now, that silent and unemotional aura holded some kind of danger that radiated around him. Like this was not a person you would mess with. Not to mention that, now that his hair didn't cover his ears, his piercings were displayed better.

Hagakure left the girls and Mina jumped over the sofa to get closer to him. The two complimented him as the rest of his class, mostly the girls from the table and the 'Bakusquad' from the sofa. "Man, you even look as more of a Bad boy than Bakugou" Kaminari said in a moment. Bakugou, that had been glaring at him since they paused the game, suddenly got really quiet. And then he surprised everyone with his response.

"Aren't those things going to get in the middle of fighting?" He asked him gesturing to his ears. Then his face changed with a sadistic smile. "They are going to hurt like a bitch when I pull them off your fucking ears as a victory trophy!"

That made a few laught of them laught while the rest worry. That was such a Bakugou thing to say. But Todoroki felt uncomfortable about it. Fighting, boxing and joining the schools fighting club didn't bring good memories to him. Those had all been things his father had made him do, and he had very recently discovered how much his father had bee prohibiting him. And while Fuyumi wasn't as liberal as some other parents, she wasn't as strict as his father had once been. Without him, he was dicovering he liked different types of music and take out; he could use the clothes he wanted and not those he had bought for him. Now, Shouto didn't need to be Todoroki Shouto, prodigy son of Endeavor. He could be Shouto, just Shouto. And he had no idea who that was. As Iida was lecturing the blond over proper sportsmanship and fighting ethics and Midoriya and Kirishima pleaded with him to think it over, before he was expelled from another competition like last year, somebody screamed.

"MOMO!" Jirou shouted as her friend filled up a cup of tea too much, that it spilled out of it.

Yaoyorozu, that had been distracted until now, snapped out of her trance and put the tea pot she was holding down. Her face was red as a tomato and was quietly getting more red. She started picking up her notes and the girl's, so they weren't ruined by the spilled tea. Sato and Koda were soon next to the girls with towels and napkins to help them clean up the mess. The rest went back to what they were doing, with the boys going back to their games and the girls helping Momo clean and check her pottery.

"Everything alright, Yaomomo?~" Mina said as she grinned.

"I-I was- I was lost in thought" She explained as she cleaned and tried to not blush anymore.

"Might of been quiet hot a thought, kero" Asui said as she went to the kitchen to throw away the wet napkins.

Yaoyorozu blushe even more after the coment, and made Mina and Hagakure giggle. After the mess was cleaned, they all ate together and went to sleep.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The place was nice. And retro. A bar for smoothies and booths were everywhere. In different tones of red, white and silver, it was the picture perfect of an old restaurant, like in old movies.

The outfit she had on was nice too. A long red skirt with a white top and a big cream belt. Red shoes with a tiny heel and her hair tied with a red satin ribbon. She looked around the `50's looking place, noticing how clean and shinning it appeared. And then her gaze fell in him.

Black leather jacket and boots. Black pants and sunglasses. White T-shirt. Double colour hair in an undercut. He was leaning against the junk box with one arm and chewing gum. She knew she was staring and that she should stop, but she couldn't keep her eyes off of him. Out of nowhere, he takes his sunglasses off and throws away.

He holds her gaze intensely. His eyes were of two different colours, one silver like a shinning diamond and the other as deep and blue as an ocean. She didin't know how long they had been staring at each other, but she felt as if that gaze alone was penetrating her soul. The boy blew a bubble with his gum and once it popped, hit the top of the junk box.

The machine lit up in an asortment of colours and he started to come closer to her. She couldn't move from her place and a soft music started playing, filling the place in it's sweet lulluby. He got closer and closer and when he was a step away from her, he offered his hand. Without hesitance she took it.

She was spined around once and then brought closer to him with a gasp. His hand in her waist, her hand on his shoulder while the other two were interlocked with one another. Chest against chest, they got even closer to each other. Their distance lowered until their noses were touching each other.

"All good boys go to heaven, but bad boys bring heaven to you" He whispered to her, and she left a breathless sigh.

They continued to lean into one another, their lips barely gracing together. Just a little bit more.

Then the junk box let out a PRIIIIIIIIIINNNNG!

And Yaoyorozu woke up.

With the dream fresh in her mind, her eyes wide, her cheeks flushed, her hair a mess; she left out two words that summerized her situation and state of mind perfectly: "Oh No"

[namingthebadguysismyjam]

It’s Them

A/N: It was well thought out and then I kinda rushed the ending. I’ll probably fix it later. But yeah first imagine and there’s probably errors(super tired). Hoping to put a Cisco one out soon. This was supposed to be in the 40s but I listened to Death of a Bachelor and then this happened. 

Pairing: Nate Heywood x Fem!Reader Words: 1,381 Summary: The Team must go back to save F. Scott Fitzgerald from The Legion of Doom. Along the way, Zelda brings up a good point to (Y/N). Will she run with Zelda’s words or keep waiting for some day?

-3rd POV- After the news of another aberration, this time in 1925, the team had gathered in the main room. (Y/N) was excited because it was the big band era and F. Scott Fitzgerald had published The Great Gatsby. It was one of her favorites. It kind of inspired her to be who she is, it was a part of her.

“Gideon,” Sara started, “When exactly was that time aberration?”

“It was April 10th, 1925,” The AI responded. Everyone looked at Nate, waiting for his response.

He looked to everyone, “I can only think of the French Prime Minister resigning. I’m drawing a blank beyond that.”

“That was when The Great Gatsby was published,” (Y/N) responded with knitted brows. Everyone gave her questioning look. She shrugged, “It’s one of my favorites.”

“It appears F. Scott Fitzgerald was murdered the morning of the 10th,” Gideon intervened. “His death and the unpublished book cause many to grow out of the big party craze and eventually The US would lose World War 2.”

“So, we have to save some nerd and his book?” Mick asked as he ate a sandwich. (Y/N) gave him a glare.

“Fitzgerald and his wife were attending a party the night before. They wanted to celebrate his book being published,” Nate stated. (Y/N) glanced over at Nate and then to the screen in front of her. He was so gorgeous. She loved the way he would light up when he talked about his passions and how he smiled when someone made a joke. He was amazing in every way.

“Okay, Nate, (Y/N), you two will pose as a couple and get close to the Fitzgeralds. The rest of us will keep perimeter.” Sara told them. “Strap in.”

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(Y/N) walked down the hall to the fabrication room with a bounce in her step. They were going to meet the author of one of her many favorite books. Well he was also one of her favorite authors too. She also loved the roaring twenties. The big bands, the parties, and the fashion, it was beautiful.

It was besides the point though. She finally changed and met with the team in the main room. There was a time aberration, most likely caused by The Legion of Doom, that they had to fix. (Y/N) was sure it was the Legion of Doom but she wasn’t jumping to conclusions just yet. She finished changing and met up with Nate. Her stomach did a flip flop when she saw him.

It wasn’t long until Nate and (Y/N) were making their way to the Fitzgerald household. (Y/N) was too entranced to notice Nate gazing at her. He thought that she was entrancing. The way she moved in battle was graceful, hell she could trip and it would graceful in his eyes. When he first joined the team, they hit off. He loved talking about history to someone who was genuinely excited about history like him. Sure there was Ray but he couldn’t place it, it just was nice.

They walked around the party looking for the married couple. (Y/N) gripped Nate’s arm when she them.

“Oh my God,” (Y/N) breathed out. “It’s them.”

Nate glanced from the author to his friend, “Maybe we should introduce ourselves?” Her eyes met with Nate’s. She was excited and damn, he found that adorable. He led her over, keeping a slight grip her just in case she would faint. Nate cleared his throat before speaking, “Mister Fitzgerald?”

The author turned around with his wife on his arm. He smiled as he spoke, “That was my father, please call me Scott. This is my wife, Zelda.”

Nate and Scott shook hands as he spoke, “I’m James, and this my fiance, Ethel.”

They all shook hands and greeted each other soon getting into conversation. At some point during their time, Zelda had invited (Y/N) to go get a drink with her. Of course she accepted, this was Zelda Fitzgerald, literal queen of the twenties. The two women conversed about make up, life and finally their men.

“Oh you know, they always have to be right, “ Zelda laughed as she took another sip of her drink. (Y/N) laughed along with her, still amazed she was in the presence of Zelda. (Y/N) then glanced at Nate and locked eyes. He gave her a smile before talking to Scott again. Zelda spoke again, “Anywho, when’s the wedding?”

“We’re hoping for a spring wedding next year, that’s when all the flowers will be gorgeous,” (Y/N) replied flawlessly. She had really practiced on this type of situation so she wouldn’t sound surprised.

“Oh, I’m sure that’ll be beautiful. If your remember to send me an invite? Or pictures? I’d love to see,” Zelda smiled. She picked up on (Y/N)’s constant glancing at Nate. “Honey, doesn’t he know how you feel?”

“Hm? I said yes, so yes?” (Y/N) responded.

“Apparently not. Tell him how you really feel. Do you love him?” Zelda asked.

“Yeah, I do. I love him so much. I want to be with him. He’s perfect in every way to me, I wouldn’t want him any other way,” (Y/N) admitted. Zelda smiled and squeezed her hand.

“Then, tell him. Communication is important in every relationship. I listen to Scott and he listens to me, we know each other, you know? If we didn’t talk, we wouldn’t know when the other is upset, happy, or in need of a drink. I’m sure James would appreciate you telling him. He proposed, so he should want to listen to you,” Zelda spoke. (Y/N) looked at her in awe. Never in her life did she think she would get relationship advice from Zelda Fitzgerald.

Time passed and eventually morning came. It wasn’t long until Merlyn, Darhk, and Rip all showed up ready to kill Scott. (Y/N) quickly got Zelda and Scott out of the living room as fast as she could. Before she could get out of the house, Rip stopped her. As he was about to shoot, Nate appeared and protected her as Steele. She thanked him as she continued to the Fitzgeralds out. Scott led them to the basement where they hid until it was safe.

After The Legion of Doom left and the Fitzgeralds were safe, the team made their way back to the ship. The Fitzgeralds stopped (Y/N) before she left.

“Ethel?” Scott started, “Zelda told me about you. I agree with her, you should tell James how you really feel. If he loves you, and we’re pretty sure he does, he’ll be more than happy. Good luck, and thank you.”

(Y/N) walked back to the ship with goofiest grin on her face. Scott and Zelda were right, she had  to tell Nate how she felt. And that was exactly what she was going to do.

“Gideon,” (Y/N) started, “did we save them?”

“Yes. The Great Gatsby was published on April 10th, 1925. F. Scott Fitzgerald passed away December 21st 1940. In some of his last notes he wrote about an Ethel and James and how he hoped they stayed together.” Gideon stated.

(Y/N) nodded before going off to find Nate. Which wasn’t too hard, he was in the library. (Y/N) looked at the book he was reading and smiled before sitting on the desk in front of him.

“Have you read The Great Gatsby before?” (Y/N) asked him. He looked up and set the book down smiling.

“Yeah, in high school. I wasn’t too into it then but, it’s actually not that bad. Jay is over dramatic but it’s good,” Nate replied. He stood so he was at eye level, but still taller than her though. She let out a light laugh.

“Oh, Jay is so dramatic. That’s kinda why I love that book.” She admitted. “Anyway, I wanted to talk to you.”

Nate nodded, “Of course. What’s up?”

“Well,” she took a breath, “for a while I’ve had feelings for you and after the Fitzgeralds, they told me it was better to tell you than never. I-I mean if you don’t feel the same-”

She was cut off by him kissing her. “Thank God. I feel the same way.”

[daleisgreat]

Dale’s Top 36 Gaming Experiences of 2018

Greetings dear readers and welcome to my annual top gaming experiences/moments/favorite games I played in 2018 that may or may not have released in 2018 round-up!!! Consider this my personal greatest hits compilation of my year in videogames that was 2018! Buckle up buck-a-roos because I am going to take you on a several thousand word journey as I count you down my handpicked top 33 gaming ‘experiences’ of the year! This is not going to be any other ordinary quick scroll through of listed top games of the year because almost anything I did gaming related qualifies for a ‘experience’ in 2018. That experience could be my overall time I invested into a certain game or series of games I decided to lump into one list item, or it could be a certain other piece of gaming memorabilia, news item that really struck me or a memorable gaming session with friends and family that makes it perfectly eligible for the list! So if you have not by now then use your favorite bookmark app (I recommend Pocket) or ‘control + d’ to manually bookmark this page to revisit this feast of words because it is going to take some time to consume! For optimal experience I highly recommend a big cup of coffee and blaring one of those 10-hour YouTube videos of ambient rain because that is exactly what I did to craft this beast! Speaking of YouTube videos I linked to a whole boatload of them throughout the rankings from trailers for most games I discuss and moments that really popped for me if you so desire to click them for a reference to the corresponding footage. If you managed to finish this monster and dare to seek out my similar takes on previous years of gaming experiences then I triple-dog-dare you to check out my write-ups for my best of 2017 and best of 2016 gaming spectaculars. Enough with this intro, to the list we go! ---Recommended – This is Bonkers Long So Please Read This in the Suggested Installments--- Part 1 - Rankings 36 through 31 Part 2 - Rankings 30 through 24 Part 3 - Rankings 23 through 18 Part 4 - Rankings 17 through 14 Part 5 - Rankings 13 through 10 Part 6 - Rankings 9 through 4 Part 7 - Rankings 3 through 1 PART 1 - RANKINGS 36 THROUGH 31 36) Telltale & Prima RIP I hate to kickoff this list with a downer, but that is why this is at the bottom of the list. The saga of Telltale announcing its closing in 2018 was quite the affair with all the misguided reactionary hoopla. It initially leaned towards fan outcry of Telltale now being unable to finish the final season of its acclaimed Walking Dead line of episodic games it was in the middle of releasing getting more attention over the developers who lost their jobs and benefit plans. Things were getting heated in the wrong ways real quick, but there was a modicum of redemption with fellow videogame developers reaching out and picking up many of the laid off and publisher Skybound Studios picking up the rights for the remaining episodes of the final season of The Walking Dead and following up that announcement with good news of Skybound being able to re-hire most of the original developers who did not already land jobs elsewhere.

I feel I wronged Telltale this year by having 2018 be the first year in several years where I did not complete a season of a Telltale game. Tales of the Borderlands and both seasons of Batman are in my massive ‘want to play’ stack, and now with The Walking Dead being on its way to being concluded I now feel obligated to pick up where I left off after finishing season two a few years ago. Prima closing up surprisingly resonated with me. They have been the constant major publisher of videogame strategy guides for what seems like an eternity. Part of me is surprised Prima hung around this long with how easy it is to reference GameFAQs and other online guides, wikis and YouTube playthroughs for free in an instant. I prefer to go that route too, but I would occasionally pick up a Prima guide and would prefer their more detailed layouts and maps when playing Fallout 3 and Skyrim than compared to what an average text GameFAQs guide can offer. I will also give a shoutout to their supplementary NES & SNES Now You’re Playing Power/Super Power guides/nostalgia books that launched alongside the NES & SNES Classic. Both feature lots of vintage scans from Nintendo Power alongside new interviews with developers, pro speedrunners and creators of fan art, music and website communities. When I heard of their closure I went out and ordered Prima guides for other Bethesda games like Fallout 4 and New Vegas. When I went to file them away I hung my head in shame to see I already procured the Fallout 4 guide awhile back, so now I have two copies of that one. Backup copy! There will still be other specialty strategy guide publishers (major props to FanGamer’s guides!), but none with the presence or outreach of Prima established. 35) Non Virtual Boy VR Last year in the round-up I stated how I have too many reservations about getting on board with the VR craze that has swept up a segment of the gaming world and that I will stick with my Virtual Boy for my VR needs. My Extra Life friends Chris and Lyzz have a Playstation VR headset and had me try it out at their place in 2018 and after trying out a couple games in PSVR…..I was impressed, but still not sold on it overall. I played one or two of the mini-games on the PSVR Worlds mini-game collection that came with the peripheral. I then played about a half hour of London Heist. That experience was a memorable one as I got to admit it was cool looking around the gangster hideouts while being tied up and taking in the unique 360 camera of my surroundings that is only possible in a VR experience. The gameplay was on the money too in some shooting gallery segments and eventually a car chase portion that was the highlight of my time with London Heist.

I was relieved I did not suffer from any of the motion sickness I heard wide varieties of minor and severe reports of from VR players. Then again I only played PSVR for only an hour. I have kept up with the games hitting PSVR since its launch and in its first couple years it has built a library of several games that appear to hold their own as premiere VG single player experiences with bonafide hits such as Moss, Astrobot and Farpoint. After some legit hands-on time with PSVR I will maintain my reservations on VR in general. The price entry point is way too high and I would rather spend the money needed for starting off a proper PSVR experience in upgrading my PC instead. It requires a lot of cumbersome setup, it is a safety hazard by completely blocking off your surroundings and finally after playing for a mere hour my face felt like it was sat on for many more hours after removing the headset. I may try out VR down the line at friend’s places or wherever I run into it at and will likely enjoy my time with it, but as far as owning VR goes I will continue to be happy with my Virtual Boy and reliving the complete Virtual Boy experience in 2019 with Jeremy Parish’s Vitual Boy Works line of videos. 34) Hadoken 2018

If you do not have it already on last-gen systems, I still would recommend Ultra Street Fighter IV as it collects nearly all the DLC characters and costumes and goes on sale digitally frequently. It was a hit revisiting with Chris, but the surprise SF hit among us online was Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection. Aside from collecting 12 of the earliest SF games, it made four of them online and Capcom had a slick online lobby system to make it quick and seamless to jump from playing one version of SF to another. Chris and I got lots of fights in throughout the year and I also did about 20 fights in online ranked lobbies against random opponents in hopes of getting just one win to get a trophy. That proved to be a brutal endeavor as my assumptions of my meek hadoken skills hoping to get lucky once were foolish as I lost every time (thought a couple of times I won once out of three…yay?). The worst was when higher skilled opponents would sit there and wait for me to come at them before schooling me with counter attacks. That happened even worse in Mortal Kombat X online against randoms, but as they say, practice makes perfect. 33)Mass Effect Andromeda Novels I have seen nobody talking about these…probably because of how lackluster Mass Effect Andromeda was received. I was a huge fan of all four novels published concurrently alongside the original Mass Effect Trilogy and they helped fleshed out the story between games and gave a ton of back story to characters I was thrilled to see finally appear in the third game. I had no idea publisher Titan Books were releasing novels set in the Andromeda universe until about a year after the first one hit. Just a few months ago they released the third of the planned four books set in the Andromeda timeline.

I finished the first two books and enjoyed both of them. I gave more thorough reviews on my GoodReads account and will link to them here. For the quick breakdown though Nexus Uprising deals with a crisis of the Nexus mothership arriving at Andromeda attacked by a mysterious ‘scourge’ and the hysteria that results with its limited crew in charge of a ship barely hanging onto survival. Nexus Uprising leads right into the start of the Andromeda game. Initiation has a new Andromeda recruit fresh off her seven years of Asari training traveling for one last mission before journeying to Andromeda where the new recruit encounters a hostile VI/AI in a facility she must now survive and rescue as many survivors along with her. The latest book, Annihilation, I am only halfway through and I regret to report that I am just not feeling this one. Annihilation explains why about a third of the original Mass Effect races are not in the Andromeda game as it goes into detail why they all took a separate ship there that wound up having a disastrous journey. I enjoyed the peripheral races in the original games in nice little spurts, but having a book focusing entirely on the volus, elcor, drell and a couple other races so far has been a slog to get through. I will keep my fingers crossed it picks up in the second half. 32) HDMI Cables for Retro Consoles The past couple of years have seen an emerging trend of either having deluxe HDMI conversion kits for older systems to display at their proper resolutions on newer TVs or having third parties re-release older systems like the NES and SNES with new HD capabilities. Those are great options to have if you want a pristine picture on your HDTV for retro gaming goodness, but they cost a premium and 2018 saw manufacturer Pound release their HDMI cables for SNES, Dreamcast, Xbox and PS2 all for around $30 each. I picked up the Dreamcast and PS2 cables, but have only had time to test out the DC cables so far. I dug out the Dreamcast and tested out several games with regular cables and then the Pound cables and noticed a definite improvement in the graphics! They no longer have that washed out ‘muddiness’ look when I would ordinarily run a SD system on a HDTV with composite/RCA cables. There was a minor caveat where I noticed a minor background graphical effect in menus and only when I took the time to squint and stare during gameplay, but other than that this was a much affordable alternative. I found out about these from YouTuber, MetalJesus and you can see his coverage of it by clicking here with plenty of before and after comparisons to see if they may be what you are looking for. 31) Father’s Day Gaming I have nostalgic memories of the many long gaming sessions I had with my dad and siblings while spending weekend visitations with him. We went all the way back to the original Pong and Atari 2600 in my childhood years through the NES, SNES and finally N64 during my high school years. While I have wonderful moments of many games with the family in each era the N64 years were the ones I cherished the most because of the ease of four player multiplayer with its four controller ports which was perfect for my dad, my brother Joe and either my sister Ann or another friend that would be over to helm the fourth player spot. Almost a couple hours of every visitation during that time we played countless hours of competitive N64 multiplayer.

That was many years ago though since we regularly played, and while thinking of ideas for what to do for Father’s Day this past year instead of going out for dinner and catching a movie like we would usually do I threw out the idea of staying in and having pizza and doing an N64 gaming day. I was delighted to hear my dad and brother were both up for it and thank goodness the games still held up and were just as much fun to play as they were around 20 years ago. My dad loved New Tetris and was a total pro and would be in a trance when he used to play it all the time so I was mighty curious to see how well he remembered it all these years later. We were all a little rusty, but we all got back into the rhythm of things after a few minutes and it was like we did not miss a beat. I am always disheartened to hear New Tetris get overlooked when I was hearing multiple discussions of past great Tetris games when Tetris Effect took the gaming community by storm in 2018. New Tetris was the first 3-4 player console Tetris game and also the first home console game to debut the incredibly handy ‘hold piece’ which is why New Tetris ranked right up there with Tengen Tetris, OG GameBoy Tetris and Tetris DS for my favorite versions of the legendary puzzle game. We also played a hefty amount of Mario Kart 64 and GoldenEye 007. I have heard the countless debates over the years, and I will forever contest the N64 Mario Kart as the pinnacle of the series. I have also heard the many people proclaim that GoldenEye is an outdated mess all these years later. Every two or three years I bust out GoldenEye and the same thing happened here as before, after a few minutes of adjusting to the graphics and controls the game had its hooks in us again and we were having intense rounds of deathmatch with muscle memories suddenly kicking in of our favorite map and weapon presets. The three of us went on to have many rounds of fun blowing the crap out of each other! I have been watching Giant Bomb’s line of recent Die Another Friday videos where they try and run through the campaign in Perfect Agent difficulty. Instead of the expected jokes about how dated the graphics were I was relieved to see that most of the GB crew eventually were legit surprised at how fun GoldenEye still is. ---YouTube Break From This Already Way Too Long List--- A semi-decent laugh should be had at this point for a breather. Behold, the greatest Family Feud moment of all time! Now witness Always Sunny’s blatant ripoff tribute to that legendary game show when the cast competes on the exact same style of show they call Family Fight! PART 2 - RANKINGS 30 THROUGH 24 30) Videogames in Theatrical Form Longtime followers of my work may recall my podcasting days where my co-hosts and I would go out of our way to track down and cover almost every major and obscure videogame licensed film that hit theaters or direct-to-video. Minus a few exceptions, they were usually painful experiences. Even though my podcasting days are behind me I still like to keep up the tradition of catching any new film that hits the theater or video that is based on or around videogames. 2018 I managed to catch four new films that fit the criteria. The new Tomb Raider featuring Alicia Vikander as the one and only Lara Croft was solid, but nothing spectacular. It had a handful of memorable stunts and captured a few of the moments I recall from the acclaimed self-titled reboot game in 2013 so on the videogame film curve I would categorize that as a ‘win.’ Rampage featuring The Rock totally surprised me how they were able to get a fun movie out of a straightforward arcade smash-em-up from the 80s. Within a half hour I was feeling for the monsters and Rock’s connection for them was surprisingly powerful. Really good stuff that you should not dismiss!

Looking back on Ready Player One several months after its release I can safely recommend it. I loved the book when I read it shortly after its release several years ago and I was somewhat conflicted coming out of the film. This is because of how far it strayed from the book yet essentially maintained a similar over-arching plot on how a world full of gamers playing the same VR game are tracking down the creator’s hidden ‘easter egg’ in order to inherit his riches and become his heir. Avid game player I am I could not help but keep my eyes peeled for as many as ‘blink-and-you-will-miss-it’ cameos from the beloved mascots of videogames and pop culture from over the years. After hearing how the author wrote the screenplay and gave his seal of approval for the changes I eventually was won over by them especially since the changes were entertaining and since the film came out only four or five years after the book it could have been a slog to see the movie play out 100% the same. To close off 2018 a few weeks ago I took two of my many nieces and nephews to see Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet. That was a unique experience because my middle-school aged niece and nephew were ecstatic to point out a couple of YouTubers they follow that have cameos in the film. The sequel had a similar structure to the first where the first 20-ish minutes circle around Ralph and Vanellope loving life in their arcade they reside and visiting other arcade classics of gaming lore. I love how Tapper got a lot of love in the film with Ralph and Vanellope making that game setting their late-night watering hole of choice! Eventually though their arcade gets hooked up to WiFi and it was fun seeing Ralph and Vanellope take a journey in Disney’s CG version of the Internet with lots of real-life companies like Google, Amazon, etc. having their own fun representations in the film. This sequel was a big hit with me and once I got past the welcomed videogame references in the first 20 minutes I enjoyed Wreck-It Ralph 2’s overall plot exponentially more than the first film. 29) Yippee-Kay-Yay-Mutha….. For readers of this blog who may or may not also keep up with my film reviews here, I recently reviewed Die Hard in honor of it being a Christmas film classic (yes, I am one of those people). It should go without saying that Die Hard is one the all-time greatest action films, and after watching it again a few weeks ago I recalled how there were a few PSone and GameCube games I had vague memories of fairly decent receptions at the time and after discovering how low they were priced on eBay I decided to take a chance on them. I loved the arcade game, but do not own a Saturn so I did not hunt down that version, but got the two PSone Die Hard Trilogy games and Die Hard: Vendetta on GameCube. I have not had a chance to play them yet, but I have since watched a few entertaining Game Informer Replay videos on them revisiting these ‘gems’ to varying degrees of quality all these years later that will suffice for now until I get around to them. Here are a few links so you can check them out and do the same! 28) ….And Raging Justice….For All

I referenced in these round-ups before how every few years my friend Matt and I would marathon several random beat-em-up classics usually consisting of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and X-Men variety. The last time we did that was around 2015, and the current gen systems have been flooded with a quality amount of re-releases of classics and obscure releases and all-new installments in the genre that we have been neglecting for far too long. Just a couple weeks ago Matt and I finally got around to playing through one of them on the PS4 called Raging Justice. It had a similar look and feel to Final Fight, but with a slightly pastel-esque touch to the graphics that made the late ‘80s punk ooze right out of the game! The story had all kinds of goofy street punk gang warfare that we both ate up and we were really gelling in our playthrough and we were surprisingly not eating up that many lives. As a matter of fact we only went through one continue between both of us! After plowing through it within two hours we made a list of other similar new beat-em-ups that hit PS4/XB1 over the years so hopefully we will do better at sticking with this genre in 2019. 27) Now You’re Playing With a Power……ed Up NES/SNES Classic

If you do not want to go down the route listed above by hunting down HDMI cables for a system you do not own or a pricey HD-capable 3rd party version of a NES/SNES than there are a couple of grey-area alternatives. I talked about the RetroPie in last year’s round-up, so this year I want to focus on what people are calling ‘modding’ your NES/SNES Classic. I am not going to give you a step-by-step breakdown, but a quick Google/YouTube search will point you in the right direction. Once it is done you can add up to as many games that will fit in the Classic’s internal memory. If you stick with just NES games you can fit a majority of the NES’s library on the internal memory, SNES game sizes are noticeably bigger and if only going that route with ROMs you can fit roughly 200 of them on there…..that is if you in good faith own the original copies. There is a nice benefit to the NES/SNES Classic compared to the RetroPie and that is a friendlier user interface complete with upbeat background music and the ability to upload your own box art which ostensibly delivers the nostalgic sensation of browsing the shelves at a videogame rental store and thus is more appealing than scrolling through a large text box of games on a RetroPie. Since the NES/SNES Classic is HDMI it provides an excellent HD picture for these classic 8 and 16-bit games. This resulted in busting out both the NES & SNES Classic several times throughout 2018 for some free spirited gaming nights. 26) Tabletop/Pen and Paper Madness

I referenced last year how I started to get into semi-routinely board game nights with my friends Derek, Ryan and Brooke and we managed to keep the board game nights churning throughout 2018. Derek & Brooke have amassed a hearty collection of board games and we were able to rotate a fair amount of games from last year and new ones to try out this year. One of the board games we revisited often was Betrayal at House on Haunted Hill, and they release a spin-off called Betrayal at Baldur’s Gate we were all eager to try throughout the year. We finally busted it out on a day where my brother was able to join us and it was a great medieval themed take on the original game that did not disappoint. Another new board game we tried out was Elder Signs. Thank goodness Derek, Ryan and Brooke are awesome tutors because the game had an elaborate setup with many pieces and by about halfway through our session I was familiar enough with the play style that yielded a fantastic end to that round when all of us were able to mount an insurmountable comeback that resulted in an unlikely, thrilling win for us all! Shifting from tabletop gaming to pen and paper gaming, I have always been a fan of the SNES/GEN versions of Shadowrun. I always knew a group of friends that have been roleplaying the pen and paper RPG it is based on for quite a few years now and they reached out before to get me to play, but with my gonzo work/sleep schedule I knew it would be impossible to routinely play with them every week. I still had that itch to want to at least give it a honest try all these years later so I reached out to them and asked if I was able to commit to playing at least once a month with them and if they would they find a way to squeeze me in? Thank goodness they found a way to create random characters and place me into their campaign for the three times I made it out there to play with them. Mike is an awesome storyteller and ran a fun campaign, and I will also give props to Justine, Ron & Robb for being very welcoming and tolerant of my noob-ness and by being quite gracious sharing their infinite Shadowrun wisdom unto me. Unfortunately I fell out of the routine of playing with them after a few times, but I am glad to finally tried it out after all these years and would be down to make random cameos in their future sessions. 25) Kicking that Early Access Bug

I am going to cheat a smidge on this one because in December of 2017 through 2018 several games I invested lots of time into and/or have been majorly anticipating finally left Steam Early Access (SEA) and got official releases. Some went onto have official releases on console of well. Gang Beasts has always been silly goofy wrestling/brawling fun with creatures made of a silly puddy-esque substance and it was fascinating watching that game evolve over the several years Gang Beasts was in SEA until its official December 2017 release. I had fun times with friends in that game, and especially witnessing countless Giant Bomb sessions of its madness. FirePro World was another wrestling game that came out of SEA in December of 2017, but it was only in SEA for several months…not years. I have loved previous FirePro games for their faithful representation of a wrestling match and endless customization options, and was thrilled to see it get a physical PS4 release which wound up being the first physical wrestling game I picked up since…..wow…WWE 2K14. Road Redemption was another game that spent a few years in SEA and I was stoked that it finally got an official release in 2018, with later digital versions that hit PS4 and XB1 in the following months. I raved about it before in previous year-end round-ups, and it is long overdue to finally have a motorcycle combat racer that is finally worthy of being deemed a successor to the heralded Road Rash series. There is a lot more to Road Redemption than being a Road Rash clone, so stick with it as its bizarre rogue-lite nature of its career mode and bonkers weather and weaponry will unleash mayhem you likely did not anticipate coming in. Distance is another driving game that was in SEA for far too long, but after four years Distance emerged a fleshed out release. It is a driving game like nothing else, and the best way I can sum it up is a ‘trippy neon platforming Trials-esque’ driving experience. Its standout feature is a platforming ‘adventure’ mode which was rebuilt for the official release and went on to add so much other tracks and customization features since I last played Distance in SEA that I hope my meek PC can still handle it when I eventually revisit it!

Not done yet because two more driving games trapped for years in SEA also fully released in 2018. Jalopy is another adventure-esque driving game where you take your uncle on a trek across Eastern Europe in the family’s run-down lemon of a vehicle that needs constant attention and repairs and not to mention other tomfoolery the duo stumbles into amidst their travels. I have had my eye on Jalopy for awhile and was relieved to hear when its long SEA cycle also concluded. Finally, Bugbear’s project formerly known as Next Car Game released in 2018 as Wreckfest. It is the spiritual successor to Bugbear’s FlatOut line of demolition derby racing games that I have so many fond memories of. Wreckfest looks and feels like a current-gen FlatOut and I was glad to see it retain its excellent physics engine the series was known for. I was bummed to see the console release get a delay into the second half of 2019, but for those with capable PCs, Wreckfest is fully out now to consume in all its destructive glory! I do have two quick honorable mentions for this category. Super Indie Karts is an adorable Mario Kart-clone featuring mascots from many hit indie games as drivers that has also been in SEA forever. The developer keeps regularly adding content though and it just released a fresh batch of tracks and drivers (featuring the not-so-indie ToeJam & Earl) to the build a few days ago. I have nothing but super-fun memories of my time with Super Indie Karts so I hope it gets its long-awaited official release in 2019! Finally, while Shaq-Fu 2: A Legend Reborn never was officially in SEA when Shaq accidentally leaked it out in an offhanded interview four years ago shortly before its Kickstarter campaign premiere, it feels like it never left there once the game released to worst game of the year-caliber reception. I own two copies of the 1994 original Shaq-Fu, so I felt obligated to purchase the sequel when I recently stumbled upon it in the clearance bins for $6 just a few months after its release. 24) Good ‘ol Fashioned Videogame Couch Multiplayer

I will also give a quick mention to the videogame nights I was glad to be a part of with Derek, Brooke and Ryan! While 2018 saw us hit up more board game nights we managed to sneak in a few couch videogame multiplayer nights of some old favorites like Sony’s take on the JackBox Party Pack that is called That’s You where the four of us chuckled away the night at its irreverent trivia and doodling nonsense on each other’s faces. We also mixed in a couple other games into the rotation throughout the year. I heard great things about Towerfall before, but finally playing it was a rush and a half with its fast intense bouts of bow-and-arrow deathmatches with sudden death animations that left us in stitches! Derek introduced us to the bonkers four player game called Ultimate Chicken Horse where users play several quick rounds trying to reach a goal but insert random objects of torture between each round that makes getting to the goal near impossible by the end of the game. It was a big hit with our group. Finally it will behoove me to include the crazy night we had with the 360 game, Cloudberry Kingdom. It is an absurd runner game filled with all kinds of deathtraps just waiting to obliterate our adorable avatars. Cloudberry Kingdom has literally hundreds of levels, and as expected each one got procedurally more nuts but was still a blast to attempt to complete! After a couple hours of the madness and many attempts on one particularly troublesome stage we all had this priceless defeated look on our faces after we finally finished it and we all knew in that instant that we were DONE with it for the night! What a fantastic runner I hope we get to revisit again one day! ---YouTube Break #2--- Time for another breather! You do not have to be a fan of wrestling to enjoy these! ‘Bawdy Bawdy, We Like to Party’ legendary ECW tag team Public Enemy elucidates to rookie Mikey Whipwreck how championship wrestlers train in the mid-1990s. While we are here reminiscing about the Public Enemy, click here for their EPIC WCW theme song that was unavoidably catchy to sing-a-long with! PART 3 - RANKINGS 23 THROUGH 18 23) Wanting More Time to Dedicate to 2018’s Top Indie Games

There are a few websites and podcasts I follow that have tons of game of the year coverage, and it is a great place to get a reminder of those indie games that slipped through the cracks and I completely forgot about or neglected throughout the year. I heard enough praise about three of them that seemed up my alley and before the end of the year I was able to put in a 20-30 minute session with each of these. I wish I had more time for each, but my initial impressions were high for all three and I know I will put more time into them throughout 2019. Yoku’s Island Express is a hybrid of a pinball game and a MetroidVania that somehow delivered on both fronts as I unlocked more paths through an island by flipping my character and ball through a variety of colorful environments. My love for both genres makes me want to return to it ASAP. Minit is a roguelite RPG with an dastardly hook where each session has a one minute timer, but you retain all the items collected on each session that unlocks other paths on the map. I did about 20 sessions and as I got familiar with the game world I already was starting to plan my next steps ahead for my next minute run. Many jovial curses to the developers who intentionally programmed the NPC W-H-O-T-A-L-K-S-T-H-I-S-S-L-O-W to keep me in a nail-biter of a moment to hit the next checkpoint with literally a single second to spare! The last indie game I snuck in some time with was the Super Meat Boy-esque platformer, Celeste. This comes from the same developers who made Towerfall that I just got done shedding some love for above. The instant restarts and checkpoints make its fair-yet-punishing platforming worth the challenge to get through and I can already see its addicting ‘just-one-more-try’ instant respawns reminding me of the longer-than-intended sessions I had with the Trials games and I look forward to them in Celeste! I am only about a half hour in, but have heard nothing but the best of acclaim for its narrative about overcoming personal struggles to make it to the top of a mountain! 22) Fans of Gamers Who Crave Limited Runs

I imagine you have heard of them before, but if not then both Limited Run Games and FanGamer have both been great sites I have been persistently coming back to for primarily physical copies of smaller indie games and top-tier quality gaming memorabilia. I am happy to see Limited Run expanding in 2018 by finally starting to publish games on Switch and landing their more anticipated games in a limited window preorder program so everyone has a shot at getting a copy. It was also encouraging to hear that some of their games will be shipping in smaller quantities to Best Buys across the country so people who do not order their games online have a shot at getting some of their titles the traditional way. Some of the titles I ordered this year from them that I was stoked to get physical copies of include Late Shift, Read Only Memories and Golf Story. That is right, I do not own a Switch yet but ordered Golf Story because I loved the GBC/GBA RPG takes on Mario Golf that Golf Story is the spiritual successor of and I kept hearing how it hits all the right notes for fans of those handheld classics. I anticipate I will get a Switch within the next year pending the inevitable smaller redesign of the system. My only qualm with Limited Run now is with their growth their shipping times have significantly increased. I recall my first few Limited Run games I ordered taking 2-4 weeks to ship, now the last several I got all took 3-5 MONTHS each. Step it up guys! I will also tip my hat to FanGamer for their plethora of must-have merchandise. I loved their meticulously detailed strategy/companion guides for Earthbound and Mother 3. It is awesome they are collaborating with Jeremy Perish to publish deluxe hardcover books of his transcripts for his excellent Works line of anthology retro gaming videos. FanGamer has a ton of artistic shirts, posters and other memorabilia for many top-rated indie games. I ordered my first shirt from them recently with this design that perfectly captures the spirit of WindJammers. I am also perplexed with their sudden infatuation to the classic run-and-gunner, Sunset Riders, FanGamer recently obtained the merchandising rights for. They celebrated the occasion with a unique cosplay promotional video that almost convinced me to order their Sunset Riders branded wallet….almost! 21) 25 Years of the Real-est Interactive Multiplayer in the Room!

Guys, the 3DO is a pretty neat system! Seriously! Of course I did not spend the obscene $700 when it first launched 25 years ago, but I got it for a bargain in 2007 and went on to hunt down many games that I always wanted to try for the platform. Not all of them were winners, but there were several that wound up as worthy inclusions in my library. My recommended games for the 3DO include the awesome party game Twisted, its mascot platformer Gex and the original Need for Speed. 3DO also has excellent versions of Super Street Fighter II Turbo, Family Feud, Madden and arguably the best version of the classic motorcycle racer, Road Rash! Nearing its 25th anniversary and just in time for Halloween, the good people at Your Parents Basement Podcast invited me on to guest host and commemorate one of the 3DO’s spooooop-iest games, the Tia Carrere FMV thriller, The Daedalus Encounter! I busted out my 3DO from the closet and booted up my old save and came pretty darn close to finishing it before the puzzles got to be too much of a brainbuster for me! Riveting times were had breaking down and dissecting the game with the YPB crew which you can check out and download here. 20) Shmuppreciation 2018

One of my favorite podcasts I have been a listener to for over 13 years now is Super-the-Hardest. They use to be primarily videogame-centric, but have since evolved over the years to focus on whatever topics pique their interest such as craft brews, board games and jamming out to vinyl records! One of their longest traditions has always been dedicating March to shmup/space shooter games. I am not a pro shump player by any means, but always am down to pump in a few credits and blast away for as long as I can survive. They have a small, but tight-knit forum community I have always been a part of and when March hit the hosts were asking there if anyone was playing any shmups yet. A couple days went by with little response, and knowing how big shmup-month was for that community in previous years I was suddenly inspired to start up weekly high score chases on the forums there with the focus this year being on three random NES shmups each week. I tried to have a consistent rotation of the three games being one common/popular shmup such as Gradius & 1943, another lesser known domestic release like Alpha Mission & Zombie Nation and finally a imported Famicom game that never saw a stateside release with picks this year including Parodius Da & Gradius II. At least a few us participated each week posting our scores and exchanging tips and breaking down how good/awful that week’s selections were. It was a heck of a month and somehow I managed to keep up posting selections each week and got in time with every game! No idea if I will do it again for 2019, but if I do I think it may be time to upgrade to 16-bits! 19) The 3DS Soul Still Burns!!

I somehow managed to sneak in an hour of time into my 3DS each week. I was ecstatic to track down an English translation for Ace Attorney Investigation 2 that never saw an American release. I loved the first game and always wanted to play the follow-up and got most of the way through the first case. I finally played my first Fire Emblem game by putting in several hours into Fire Emblem Echoes. Hearing that Echoes was a good entry point for the series having played Advance Wars many years ago the gameplay was not that difficult to pick up. It has that same addicting strategy gameplay as Advance Wars, but with a medieval theme and a far richer narrative than what I recalled from my Advance Wars days. Just the couple of sessions I had with Echoes I was already starting to get attached to the cast. Hotel Dusk and its sequel, Last Window are my favorite DS games. They are mystery visual novels, and when I found out earlier in 2018 that some of the developers at Cing who worked on those games went on to make a bite-sized spiritual successor to it on the 3DS eShop called Chase: Cold Case Investigations - Distant Memories I knew I had to get it. I bought this around when it released in 2016 and neglected it until John from the Super the Hardest podcast recapped it earlier in 2018 and inspired me to pick it up. It is essentially a more stripped down version of Cing’s earlier games as it revolves around two detectives interviewing suspects for a hospital blast. Graphics and style remind me of Hotel Dusk and the lead detective in Distant Memories looks quite similar to one Kyle Hyde. It was a decent little visual novel that can be finished in less than three hours, and I hope it gets a follow-up, but it appears this one came and went because I have heard nothing since. I finally started up Theatrhythm 2: Curtain Call. In case you missed out on it before it assembles the protagonists from past Final Fantasy games and makes a fun battle system/rhythm game of over 100 songs from the rich history of Final Fantasy soundtracks while somehow fitting in a intricate narrative too. Wish I had more time to get into it and I think I will have to restart it I manage to deep dive into it because I spent the bulk of my 3DS time once again this year with Dragon Quest VIII. My save file is currently approaching 110 hours in DQVIII. However, the last 15-ish hours have been spent grinding from levels 40-65 for most of my party members for the final boss. To say the boss is a pain is an understatement. I failed multiple times at vanquishing him, thus the hours at grinding away. I will never forget my time with DQVIII, but am looking forward to finishing it on one of my next sessions so I can finally put more time into other games. The 3DS still had a strong 2018 from Nintendo published games and I wound up picking up Captain Toad, Detective Pikachu and WarioWare Gold which I desperately want to dive into! 18) ‘Get Ready for a Cruise Missile!’

I use to play a ton of sports games until several years ago. I took a long hiatus from them to focus on more narrative-driven games. Madden NFL ‘18 premiering its story mode dubbed ‘Longshot’ got me curious at giving the acclaimed football series another go for the first time in five years. I surprisingly dug Madden’s take on a story mode and loved playing as the fictional Devin Wade working his way through the reality show challenges and playing in flashback high school games with lighthearted local announcers providing the unintentional best sports commentary out there. Longshot also had a well-rounded cast filled with some surprising moments I never thought I would get invested in such as getting them sports feels flowing for the Longshot acoustic sing-a-long! The story mode only took a few hours to play through and even if you are not a fan of football games I would recommend giving it a shot as the football parts are few and far between and the story mode is primarily QTE/mini-game focused. Story mode aside, I managed to play a few rounds online against my friend Steve I use to play countless sports games with over the years and it felt good to reignite that rivalry. Madden still plays as good as I remember, and one thing I want to point out from the core game is the new NFL commentators they brought in for ’18 & ’19 with Brandon Gaudin & Charles Davis easily being the best announce team in Madden history that added a ton to the presentation unlike any Madden announce team before them! I did pick up Madden NFL ‘19 recently because it has ‘Longshot Part 2’ which promises to conclude the storyline for Devin Wade and his buddy Colt Cruise, but other than a couple rounds online with Steve again I have yet to dive into it. After catching a couple scenes online I am psyched to see how Longshot concludes and plan on blitzing through it around Super Bowl time like I did with part one in 2018.

If you are not a fan of sim-football and prefer arcade style action in the vein of NFL Blitz than I will instead point you towards Mutant Football League which I played nearly a full season of off-and-on throughout 2018. It is the spiritual successor to EA’s awesome Mutant League Football on the Genesis, and part of me is still surprised how the team did not get a cease-and-desist from EA with a slightly altered name change and bring over so much of the look and feel of the original game. It modernized all the things I loved from the first game with a game engine that plays like a amped up version of Blitz, and retains classic elements of the Genesis game like being able to kill your adversaries in all types of gruesome ways and introducing awesome powered up attacks that can be used once per half to up the brutality. And yes, you can still bribe and kill refs! I was a little bummed Mutant Football League did not get that much of a buzz when it finally released because it had a successful Kickstarter campaign and a follow-up to the Genesis game has been long demanded in the sports gaming circles I follow. A physical copy released later in the year with a new Franchise mode included so hopefully that will bring some new eyes onto the game. If you want more over-the-top arcade-like gameplay out of your football games then by all means give Mutant Football League a try! I also got really into my first basketball-sim in many years. I dabbled with a couple arcade-hoops games over past couple years and really dug the Neo-Geo Arcade Archives re-release of Street Hoop on Xbox One, while the free-to-play Xbox One hoops game, 3-on-3 Freestyle…..not so much. I always stuck with NBA 2K games as my NBA sim of choice since their debut on Dreamcast and picked one up every couple years and played them regularly through 2K11. Early in 2018 however a super cheap digital sale on NBA Live ‘18 convinced me to give it a shot. I have solely been playing its create-a-player story/career mode ‘The One.’ I have been digging it and loved the first several games I played in ‘The One’ proving my worth in street games of 21. Every few games there would be these hilarious FMV updates from a First Take set with Stephen A Smith and Max Kellerman being over-the-top versions of their already over-the-top personalities which convinced me that my created player was going to dominate the street leagues and become the #1 draftee in the NBA….it did not turn out that way, but I am having a blast so far proudly representing the Timberwolves while dishing out far too many three-point attempts than I should be. ---YouTube Break #3--- Re-watching that NBA Live ’18 clip of Stephen A. Smith got me to dig up this compilation of clips of Mr. Smith at his zaniest. Here is the final version of the full Longshot song of which I have no shame having it in my running playlist! PART 4 - RANKINGS 17 THROUGH 14 17) The End Day is a Lie!

I was going to say a couple entries earlier when covering all those NES shmups that I have not played that much NES in years, but that statement would have been false because mere weeks before that I played through the entirety of the post-apocalyptic, action-RPG Crystalis on NES! It was the featured game on the first of two Your Parents Basement podcast episodes I guest hosted on for 2018. I picked up both the NES and GBC versions a couple years ago after hearing countless years of love from the staff at GameCola about it. I managed to play through most of it by the time we recorded that YPB episode and finished it off a few days after that. All these years after its original release, Crystalis is still a fun action-RPG to plow through. I loved the accessibility of the combat, and while the options to choose from to level up seem quaint now, I can imagine how they were top of their league at the time. After beating the NES version I put an hour into the GBC port to see how it held up. I heard the GBC version get a fair amount of slack over the years, but from my initial time with the handheld port it seemed noticeably cleaner and had some useful tips at the opening town that would have benefitted my first time through. I had a great time sharing my experience with the YPB crew and if you are interested in hearing our takes on SNK’s 8-bit RPG then click here to check out that episode. It seemed only fitting that the NES original got its first retro re-release later on in 2018 on the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection on Switch. 16) Pinball Quest 2018

Welcome to my yearly blurb all about feeding my addiction to videogame pinball. In case you skipped around this year-end round-up (I do not blame you!) I will refer you to entry #23 for some quick thoughts on Yoku’s Island Express. I only got a few rounds of my favorite PC-exclusive pinball game, Hyperspace Pinball in 2018, and the last time I played it a couple weeks ago I had a great run and was briefly ecstatic until the leaderboard indicated I missed my personal high-score by a smidge! I also gave a couple runs to what appears to be a mobile pinball game ported to Xbox One in Quantic Pinball. It is a fine little pinball game, but its mobile roots are too apparent and not many upgrades are present to make the console release feel warranted. 2018 was a strange year for Pinball Arcade. I wanted to make the switch to primarily playing it on PS4 in 2017, but that proved difficult upon discovery of my dozens of tables I purchased on PS3/Vita not being import-able to the PS4 version like I was able to for the dozens of tables I acquired for Zen Pinball 2 to work on Pinball FX3. So that meant I would have to buy the tables all over again. I held off for a long time, but I wound up spending roughly $200 on all of the DLC for it upon hearing midway in 2018 all of Pinball Arcade’s collection of tables under license from Williams/Bally would no longer be supported for purchase with only a few weeks notice to be able to buy them and add them to your Pinball Arcade library. Plopping down around $200 all at once for that DLC was a punch in the gut, but ultimately I do not regret it because there are some minor, but noticeable enhancements to the visuals on the PS4 version of Pinball Arcade and it has a slightly cleaner feel to the gameplay too. Additionally the developers at Farsight now have a separate game called Stern Pinball Arcade so the newer Stern tables have a flashier place to reside. I perfectly understand the idea to make the Stern tables pop more on their own platform. The Stern tables purchased theoretically work in both Pinball Arcade and Stern Pinball Arcade, but doing so requires reactivating the purchased license in the clunky Playstation Store interface and it once lead to me to inadvertently purchasing the same table twice.

A couple months later I was stunned to find out that Zen Studios gained the license for the Williams tables and by the end of the year would have their first seven tables from the Williams/Bally collection available for download to Pinball FX3 (PFX3). I have mixed feelings about this. I do like Zen’s optional upgraded graphical enhancements to the tables, but the overall physics for the ball movement does not feel like the authentic movement that Pinball Arcade faithfully represented. There is an option in Pinball Arcade for ‘classic mode’ which kind of slows down the speed of play and leans the gameplay to marginally feel like an authentic pinball experience, but it simply does not cut it overall. Hopefully Zen can take the feedback and continue to improve in future DLC tables. Gripes on the Williams tables aside, I enjoyed the rest of my time in 2018 with PFX3. I have heard the criticism for Zen Studios’ unrealistic style of pinball, but I have always been a fan of theirs and feel there is room for both authentic digital pinball from Pinball Arcade and faster physics with the more fantastical tables from Zen. I finally started to grasp PFX3’s initially intimidating ‘mastery’ system of each table. The mastery system is topping off essentially an experience meter for each table by achieving score goals in each gameplay option available and maxing out several stat meters. I did this for The Infinity Gauntlet, Back to the Future and almost all the way for Medieval Madness. I also got into the weekly online scoring ‘matchup’ league play where PFX3 randomly picks four tables and scores posted by three random players in three skill levels for three minutes of play each week. By toying around with trying to master tables and online score chasing in matchup play it lead to a lot more time invested in Pinball FX3 compared to 2017. 15) Sega Channel 2018

In the summer of 1996 I spent about five or six afternoons a week at my friend’s place playing Sega Channel. No memories of it? Here is some vintage archival footage of its menus of the Sega Channel experience. It was Sega’s sweet-at-the-time service where in coordination with cable companies from 1994-98 you would pay $15/month to have a rotating monthly selection of 40 games playable from a special cartridge that hooked up to the household cable line. Games would download to a temporary internal memory on the cartridge from the cable line over a minute or two and save states were also available. It was the current Netflix streaming of gaming and was way ahead of its time. It was also how I discovered countless Genesis favorites I hunted down at local shops and online after I got my first job a few years later. It took 20 years after Sega Channel shutdown to get a faithful reincarnation of it, but only far better in every way. GameTap sort of brought it back to the PC for the few years it was around in the 2000s. However, Xbox brought it back in full force with its excellent Game Pass service for Xbox One it introduced in 2018. Instead of 40 games available to play each month there are 100+ rotating games for Xbox. Add on Microsoft’s bold move of making all their first party games available on Game Pass on day one of their release and it would be insane not to recommend it, especially for new Xbox One owners. I actually am that insane though and do not have it because of my massive backlog and lack of time to commit. However for new Xbox One owners and/or game players on a budget like students or parents looking to save lots of money getting games for their kids they would be in an ideal position going with Game Pass and a Games for Gold subscription which additionally nets ownership of four games each month to their Xbox games library. 14) Ride or Die

Like pinball games, I also have a yearly blurb on my experiences with racing/driving games for the year. I felt my year in driving titles slightly nudged out my pinball times, thus it being a couple notches higher ranked. If you dear reader are randomly bouncing around this list then I will refer you to entry #25 where I touch on driving games coming out of Steam Early Access such as Road Redemption, Wreckfest, Distance, Jalopy & Super Indie Kart. There were a few driving titles I dabbled this year in that I wish I had more time to plug away at. As you will see later in this round-up, I am a nut for the Sega 80s arcade driving titles like Hang-On & OutRun, and the PS4/Switch release of Horizon Chase Turbo is the best spiritual successor to that type of racer I have seen over the years. They brought on the same composer from those games and the visuals have a nice modern HD look to them that capture the spirit of those 80s greats. It has been a great while since I played a snowmobile racing game and Ski-Doo Snowmobile Challenge was a limited, but fun budget title racer on PS3 that reminded me of a fond time when all I wanted was a no-thrills career mode with a few dozen races and simple stat upgrades to deal with in a career mode. Drive!Drive!Drive! was the final racer I put some minor time into, and that was an extraordinary title where I would have to bounce around multiple cameras to control simultaneous races. At the beginning of the year I was wrapping up the last dozen or so races/events in the 360 version of Forza Horizon 2. I had another good time with it like its open-world predecessor and took advantage of that rewind button to avoid retrying the same track over and over, but looking back I preferred the experience of the first FH more as the sequel seemed more of the same, but in a less spectacular backdrop. Friends are telling me to skip three and jump to the new fourth game in the series getting a lot of buzz online now, but the third game has that tempting Australian outback setting I froth to explore and on top of that the unique Hot Wheels DLC pack I heard nothing but superb things about. So I will continue to be extremely behind on that series and plan to jump into FH3 later this year.

I went on an odd Monster Truck binge in 2018. The Xbox One digital store had Monster Jam: Crush-It available for dirt cheap one week, and having a modicum of nostalgic memories of past entries in the long running budget title series I wound up taking a chance on it. After spending far more time than I should have with it, ‘budget’ is a generous description for Crush-It, because this racer is full of absurd physics, bizarre collision detection and endless other bugs. After a ton of bugs causing too many rage-inducing moments I beat enough tracks and finished all the challenges to make Crush-It of all games to have the dubious honor of being the first Xbox One game I unlocked the full 1000 gamerscore in. After wrapping up my time with Crush-It I stumbled into picking up a copy of Monster Truck Madness 64. Microsoft was developing the series at that point on PC for awhile, but ported it to N64 and had a pre-GTA Rockstar Games publish it for them. Unfortunately the Rockstar branding could not have saved MM64 as it too was also rough around the edges with terribly loose steering that had me dreading every corner. It did feature the nWo muscle trucks at the time though that brought back memories of the old WCW Motorsports advertising. The racing game I put the most time into in 2018 was The Crew. Not the sequel that came out later in the year, but the original game. I got around halfway in it via staggered play over the previous year or two, but with the release of the sequel approaching I grinded away in the couple of months leading up to its release to finish the avenge your brother’s death storyline which I actually kind of dug. There was a surprisingly gripping cinema building up to campaign’s final race where I was legit getting behind protagonist Alex Taylor. I had fun just messing around and cruising around UbiSoft’s condensed open-world of the continental United States and tracking down their take on iconic landmarks. I messed around a little here and there with their instantaneous online coop/versus multiplayer reminiscent of Test Drive Unlimited, and had a few fun online moments but I enjoyed most of my time in the single player. Gameplay wise it is not five stars by any means, and I would prefer Forza Horizon any day, but there was something about the gritty underground nature of The Crew and its car-culture-gang-warfare story that kept me sticking with it. I eventually picked up the sequel recently on a bargain bin digital sale for the ultimate season pass edition being 60% off so who knows, I likely see myself in 2019 playing The Crew 2 and Forza Horizon 3 concurrently at my regular on-and-off pace. ---YouTube Break #4--- I am always a sucker for when a racing game injects a storyline to its single player campaign, especially if it is completely ridiculous! Hey, you know what other racing game had super-cheesy-yet-awesome cutscenes? The original Need for Speed: Most Wanted in 2005. Here is a link to its entire half hour of cutscenes. Eat your heart out Tokyo Drift! They came a long way from EA’s DIY live-action cinemas from the original 3DO game that you can see right here. EA tried to recapture the glory days of their cornball cutscenes with 2015’s Need for Speed. It has some moments like first person fist-bumping and energy drink chugging that you see in their entire bro-ness right here, but 2005’s Most Wanted will always reign supreme in my book! PART 5 - RANKINGS 13 THROUGH 10 13) Spoooooky Gaming For Halloween I brought up to my board game/videogame night friends Derek, Brooke & Ryan about doing a spooky gaming marathon. They did me one better and recommend I bring over my copy of Hidden Agenda on PS4 to binge through that I have been occasionally throwing out for an option over the previous months. Hidden Agenda kind of snuck under-the-radar towards the end of 2017 as it came from the same team that made the critically acclaimed teenage spooky thriller, Until Dawn. This is another spooky-thriller, but designed to be played with your friends and finished in one session within three hours. It is a game that requires a smartphone app to play, and luckily it came close, but did not deplete our entire charge by the time the credits rolled. The app had some clever functionality that kept tabs on case notes and presented us with options to vote on which way to take the story next like having to choose which part of the case to investigate, or which path to split off into. While the story was a little all over the place it managed to get us riled up and jumpy a few times, and was still a blast to play through in its entirety in a single night on Halloween weekend. Now I need to replay it on my own to have complete control over the story so on my calendar this October I am going to write a big reminder to replay Hidden Agenda and finally bust open and plow through Until Dawn. 12) Back-to-Back!!!

I have been avoiding most co-op gaming that cannot be finished in a single session like Hidden Agenda for a few years now due to lack of time to finish lengthier co-op games. I made one exception this year where my same friend Matt and I met up twice to persevere through A Way Out. It is a coop game clocking in at around a whopping six hours. That is a lot for me nowadays. Matt and I absolutely loved our time with A Way Out. Spending the first couple of hours getting to know the prison system and plan our escape was a rush and it reminded me of the equally awesome first few hours of Xbox’s Chronicles of Riddick. Crawling up the air shaft with that back-to-back mini-game will go down as one of my favorite moments in co-op gameplay. The plot I found myself getting into where two would-be fugitives found themselves teaming up to escape prison and get back to their loved ones. It kind of disappointingly unravels in the final moments with some bold narrative choices the developers made that I am still processing in my mind on how I feel about the final hour of play. The ‘must talk to everyone’ extremist in me was addicted to talking to nearly all NPCs and have brief choice-based conversations with all of them. The developers at Hazelight Studios cram in diverse gameplay throughout with plenty of exploring, interrogating, QTE segments, platforming, gunfights, intense car chase sequences and a big highlight being a hospital chase sequence where A Way Out seamlessly bounces back and forth between the two characters as they get split up and must evade the police. If you are looking for something fresh and different than the infinite amount of co-op shooters available, then give A Way Out a chance. 11) ‘This is a No-Smoking Flight!’

If you do not recognize that quote it is from the adorable master of cooking eggs, Sunny, at the close of one of the numerous lengthy cutscenes that Metal Gear Solid 4 was known for. The ending cutscene is literally the length of a movie, and the cinemas between each of MGS4’s acts are right around an hour each and I would not want it any other way! MGS4 was the first MGS game I finished nearly 10 years ago and I decided it was only appropriate to revisit it after finishing the first three MGS games in the past couple of years. I got so much more out of MGS4 this way by actually getting the countless past references to the core trilogy of games this time around. I loved that MG4 also had memorable debuting characters like the aforementioned Sunny and the soda-chugging gun-runner, Drebin! Since I last played MGS4 Konami has also patched in trophies so it was worthwhile to hunt down those and look into some that swayed me to approach gameplay in a different fashion which yielded a refreshing second go-around. After finishing MGS4, I continued my ritual of view that installment’s complete gameplay commentary from Dan and Drew at GiantBomb to get essentially a third playthrough experience out of MGS4. I did not make major progress in the rest of my Metal Gear quest otherwise throughout the year. I did get a little ways into MGS5 at the beginning of the year, but then felt compelled to drop it and play through MGS4 before it instead. That was probably a wrong decision in hindsight, but at least it gives me an excuse to restart it and experience one of gaming’s grandest opening missions yet again. I did pick up the GBC version of Metal Gear Solid last year for a decent price at a local retro shop, so if I ever do finish MGS5 I would like to play the GBC title along with the MSX versions of the original two games. 10) Better Late than Never

I have no idea why I held off seven years on getting around to the highly-touted Saints Row the Third, especially after loving the first two games and finishing them in quick fashion right around their release. The third game in the open-world crime action series upped the zany factor the series debuted in the second game with some of its activities by introducing all kinds of over-the-top elements in the story missions and into the weapons, upgrades, you name it. Here are a few examples so you can see for yourself. Saints Row the Third gave the franchise its own satirical identity when before it was only a pretty solid GTA-clone. Waiting seven years to get to this classic made certain parts of the graphics seem a little long in the tooth, but for the most part the visuals and core gameplay held up nicely. Experimenting with the huge variety of weapons and vehicles available made cruising through the open world a lot of fun. Same goes for the series trademark offering of mini-game ‘activities.’ The developers at Volition pushed every button to get the most out of that M rating to make its missions standout like no other as they go in places you will not believe. I went on to play both pieces of the story-based DLC content which take the Saints in filming their own Gangstas in Space movie and chasing down an evil mutant clone of series mascot, Johnny Gat. If you missed out on this landmark achievement in open-world gameplay then consider this synopsis somewhat timely since THQ Nordic will be releasing Saints Row the Third later this year on switch. ---YouTube Break #5--- Grab a glass of water dear reader for still sticking with me through this unbelievable amount of words! If you stuck with last year’s round-up to the very end, then you will remember this video I will treat you to a little early. That is right it is time for the epic John Cena animated prank call of doom! Speaking of Mr. ‘You Can’t See Me’ here is a fun clip I recently ran into John promoting his recent BumbleBee film where he chats up Matt McConaughey about old school Texas wrestling. What is that? You want a non wrestling-related video, fine I get it, then enjoy this take from James Rolfe as he breaks down two childhood favorite video game themed game shows I grew up with in the early 90s, Video Power & Nick Arcade. PART 6 - RANKINGS 9 THROUGH 4 9)Discovering my Favorite Gaming Blog

Early in 2018 I was scouring the webs digging up info on the must-have import games for the Super Famicom/SNES. I came across this top 50 list ranking the most obscure SNES imports from a blog called RVGFanatic. It is a blog primarily dedicated to covering SNES/Super Famicom games, but also has the occasional feature covering a game on another system or a random personal life story. The site has been around for over a decade and RVGFanatic continues to publish a few new entries a month. His writing and coverage reminds me of the writing style dominant in gaming magazines from the 90s and RVGFanatic stated in various articles that was his intention with the design in the blog. I spent a good chunk of the year revisiting his site and perusing the archives there because there is an earnest quality to his writing that captures the sheer joy of growing up with those games. He manages to be both reflective and current with his writing recognizing pros and cons the games have been known for, while also recapturing the experience of playing that game for the first time. A prime example of this is his recent review of Clay Fighter. It perfectly encapsulated my memories of the much hyped fighter looking wicked cool with its revolutionary graphics which helped hide its haphazard gameplay. His occasional personal blogs were metaphorical page-turners too as I related with him perfectly to his excellent write-up of rental store memories as well with his piece on wrestling nostalgia of the Hulk-a-Mania years of the then-WWF. I can recommend so many more of his articles and reviews, but instead I recommend you dive in and get lost in RVGFanatic’s archives like I did! 8) My Handpicked Top Gaming Videos of 2018 I have been scouring the YouTubes and GiantBombs throughout the year and have some of my highest recommendations of my favorite videos to add to your watch later q! Without further ado, here are my top picks of 2018… GiantBomb - Die Another Friday| Winter Games 2018 | Gaiden the Ring & Get in the Ring| Mario Party Party 11 | Quiet Man Quick Look | Wreckfest Quick Look | Detective Pikachu Quick Look Jeremy Parish ‘Works’ Videos - Too hard to pick just one all of them are so informative and comprehensive. Pick a system of Works videos from the playlists indexed here MetalJesus - Game Pickups with Reggie | Vinyl Record Pickups | Wii and PSP Hidden Gems |PS2 Hidden Gems Gaming Historian – Story of Punchout | Story of Tetris Game Sack – Star Trek Games Up Up Down Down - E3 Live – Elite vs New Day Street Fighter V Challenge | Edge and Christian NHL 95 Faceoff No Clip – History of Bethesda AVGN - Earthbound | Home Alone games with MaCauly Caulkin Same Name, Different Game – FirePro Wrestling | Punisher | Street Fighter Alpha Classic Gaming Quarterly - Let’s Read TurboPlay | Nintendo Power | Game Pro | Official DreamCast Magazine Scott the Woz - Wii Ware Chronicles | Devils Third | Madden NFL 08 That list there is days full of quality videos to last you throughout 2019, I hope you dig them as much as I did! 7) Videogame Vinyl

How the hell did I go down this whole!? I recall first getting clued into the world of emerging videogame soundtracks on vinyl from this music primer episode of Retronauts. Later in 2017 a friend gifted me his old record player since he recently upgrade along with a couple records. Since I had the record player in my possession I figured I had to had to track down a just a few records for it and I heard good things about soundtrack vinyls from Mondo and I went and ordered several records from them. That was the first domino tumbling right there, and from that point it was inevitable to prevent the rest tumbling after them. Throughout 2018 other websites I follow like Limited Run, Data Disc and FanGamer started to offer videogame OSTs on vinyl and I made several more purchases throughout the year. I do not have hundreds of vinyls mind you, but I finished the year with around 15. I made sure to track down some iconic videogame soundtracks like a few from the Castlevania series, Earthbound and Snatcher. There were also a few oddballs that still boggle my mind why they got a vinyl release like Windjammers and Mortal Kombat I & II that I convinced myself I had to have. I am not buying these to sit on the shelf though as I have been getting some quality use out of my record player jamming out to soundtracks while cleaning the house and doing DDP Yoga three times a week. 6) Hey-a Fellers

It was practically impossible to avoid getting sucked up by the whirlwind of hype in the months leading up to Red Dead Redemption 2’s release. I also loved its predecessor so much that I knew I had to be there day one to be in on the conversation going around the gaming press zeitgeist about RDR2’s opening acts. South Park got in on the RDR2 hype train too with a couple episodes where the whole town is addicted to it. Rockstar does not disappoint with their narrative and audio/visual presentation. I will not bore you with the details you have likely read elsewhere by now, but rest assured the open-world, cast, narrative, visuals and especially the score and voice acting is aces all around! Not all is aces though as RDR2’s multi-faceted control scheme has been divisive among many in the gaming media. Bottom line, there are too many functions for every button on the controller, and at points I completely forgot certain controls and had to do a quick online search for a refresher on how to do specific abilities like dual wielding and changing coats. Those gripes quickly washed away after extended sessions with RDR2 where I cannot help but get immersed and lose myself in the world. I spent so much time looking forward to getting distracted by whatever quick instant side mission or event that popped up traversing to my next checkpoint. According to my progress I am 36% the way through RDR2 after what seems roughly that many hours in the game, however I am only in chapter two because I keep having so much fun clearing out whatever side missions get accumulated in my checklist. I easily see many more hours to come in RDR2 throughout 2019. 5) The Hidden Beauty of Shield Snow-Surfing!

2017’s #1 pick, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild took up so much of my playtime in 2018 that it managed to eeek its way into my top five of 2018! There is simply so much to explore, see and do and I am insane at refusing to take advantage of fast travel due to fear of missing out on seeing cool stuff. The photo I attached here showing my 133 hours of total play time was taken shortly before Halloween and I have put at least several more hours in since then. I will give a shoutout to my co-worker Mike who has been awesome to trade tips and stories with since Breath of the Wild’s launch. He gave me a ton of great pointers and his advice has made my experience with BotW a better one! Mike filled me in all about the wondrous technique that is shield surfing! I later discovered more about it when my random traversing lead me to a corner of the wintry mountainous region of the map where I was taught shield surfing and how that lead to the thrills surfing through the snow blanketed mountains of Hyrule. I have made so much progress this year! I am down to needing to unlock only two more parts of the map where my one last divine beast to conquer lies before finally taking on Hyrule Castle and Ganon! I loved my time in the Lost Woods and Lomei Labyrinth Island that was a hoot to find my way out of. I finally got the Master Sword. I took some stabs at the DLC trials for the Master Sword which is reminiscent of the extremely tough-but-fair challenge that is Eventide Island. I failed after several attempts, but would like to conquer them to increase the Master Sword’s power! Speaking of DLC I waded around with a handful of the DLC quests available and unlocked the Korok mask from the DLC quests which looks funky as hell, but it has helped me amass at least triple the amount of Korok Seeds I would have found on my own. I want to jump into the DLC quest that unlocks the ‘Master Cycle Zero’ (aka Hyrule Motorcycle) as footage I have seen so far looks straight-up rad cruising through Hyrule in their trippy looking hot-rod. Mark my words, Breath of the Wild, in 2019 I will finally finish the core quest and vanquish Ganon and unlock the Master Cycle Zero! 4) Eeeeeeelsss Oxenfree was my game of the year in 2016. I loved its art style, mysterious narrative and especially its script where the teenagers would one second be trying to solve this multi-layered mystery on an island and the next have a heart-to-heart chat about stereotypical teenage drama. Night in the Woods was receiving a lot of the same buzz over it also being a Narrative Exploration game with a relatable 2D art style and similar plot hooks to the point that among the gaming press it was generating buzz of being 2017’s top Narrative Exploration title. After looking into Night in the Woods I could not help but be reeled in by its plot where a failed college student drops out of college two years in and returns to her small podunk town of Possum Springs to try and recapture her days of chilling with her high school friends but only for them all to be later caught up in local town superstitions proving not to be so superstitious.

As attractive as the plot was I could not help but, I would not say be turned off, but rather mystified about the decision to go with humanoid-structured animals representing all the characters. First impressions watching initial gameplay of Night in the Woods made that choice in character style difficult to suspend my disbelief and maintain my focus on checking out the game. I am not saying that is a bad thing, I am simply stating that is what was perplexing my mind. There must have been others who felt similar to me because there was also a harsher vocal contingent who was upset with people avoiding the game due to the art style who wrote a few articles stating that if you were avoiding playing this because of animals as characters than to F off. That led to me not wanting to get caught up in all that hoopla so I decided it was best to avoid that controversy. It was only around game of the year time at the end of 2017 where I heard friendlier supporters of the game rally behind it with high praise that convinced me to give it a chance and start it up at the beginning of 2018. I am relieved I did because Night in the Woods is a kickass Narrative Exploration game! The writing is right up there with Oxenfree as all the characters captured that local post-high school angst and rebellion of trying to make it in the real world and things not quite working out. I settled into a convenient routine of daily life gameplay where the player character Mae would check in with her parents and of course with me being me, make sure to talk to every local I would come across because they had something different to say every day! The dialogue for every major and minor character was so spot on that it made going out of my way to talk to everyone worthwhile and random spots in town had special one-time moments going in with periphery characters that if I did not check out I would have completely missed out on such as a poetry reading contest, breaking light bulbs behind a corner store and checking out the stars with your old teacher.

There are a lot of singular moments that really stuck with me in Night in the Woods. Every day in the game you are presented with the option of going out on a side-adventure with one of Mae’s two best friends Gregg or Bae. I chose to do all mine with Bae so if I do get around to playing through this again I will do Gregg’s side stories on my replay to have at least a little bit of new content playable in each day of gameplay. Bae has some priceless moments with Mae where the two have serious chats about their most personal feelings that few other games I have seen dared, and they also have some priceless lighthearted moments where the two get mischievous in a dilapidated mall, complete with a mini-game on trying to steal from a Hot Topic-esque store. The most hard-hitting moment that I vividly recall was when Mae’s mom has a bad day and does a 180 heel turn on her daughter! It hurt so much! Mommmmm!!!! I was thinking once Night in the Woods was going to focus more on the supernatural mystery it would take away from Mae’s personal drama that was so irresistible to get caught up in. Thankfully, that was not the case as it was doubly entertaining to watch Mae’s crew come together and discover the truth behind the superstitions plaguing Possum Springs. As you can tell I got so into Night in the Woods’ page-turning narrative that within about a half hour of starting the thought of the characters being animals did not cross my mind, and looking back on it the designs of the animals corresponded appropriately to the personalities they were representing. Minus the handful of over-ambitious dream sequences that were a little bit of a chore to get through and I might have given this a nod over Oxenfree. That split hair aside, Night in the Woods is a spectacular Narrative Exploration game and hangs in the upper elite tier of them with Oxenfree, Firewatch and Gone Home so if these games are up your alley make sure you do not make the same mistake I did and hold off on Night in the Woods for this long. ---YouTube Break #6--- Holy hell, I did not intend to turn my listing for Night in the Woods into a full-on review, but I could not help myself! Good news though dear reader, we are finally at the last YouTube break as we approach the final three entries of my Top 36 Gaming Experiences of the Year!!! So let us cleanse our palates from games for a moment and grab a Yoo-Hoo from the fridge and mix it with a shot of Rumchata as we watch my last YouTube recommendations. Cinemassacre started a new line of videos on their channel in 2018 that I got into called Rental Reviews. Those reviews are four guys gathering around and breaking down a new or classic movie they watched earlier that week and it reminded me of going to films with a few friends and hanging outside the theater for awhile rambling on about how much we loved or hated that movie. The Cinemassacre crew has some fun with the episodes with mini sketches introducing the episodes and random mid-episode gags. My favorite episodes from their first year that I recommend the most are for Star Trek V, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Rental Store Memories, Street Fighter, Die Hard & Commando. Now that we got all that movie criticism out of the way, let us proceed with the final three entries for the year. Thank you all to have hung in with me so far on this one-of-a-kind game of the year journey! PART 7 - RANKINGS 3 THROUGH 1 3) Returning to the Midwest Gaming Classic

From 2007-2013 one of my favorite times of the year was attending a local retro game expo, The Midwest Gaming Classic. Many great times were had there hunting down retro games, hanging out with an awesome forum community I once frequented, classic sessions of late-night karaoke and checking out tons of arcade machines and game consoles set up on free play. Unfortunately the timing of it always fell in a rough time of the year for me and it grew increasingly difficult to make time for it each year until it came down to where I had to stop going for four years. I was not going to make it this year again until a couple of my online gaming friends who I hung out with at MGC before and still keep in touch with asked if I was making it and that convinced me to pull some strings at work and manage to split up some vacation days I had coming so I was able to make the 12-hour drive out to Milwaukee and back home with a couple hours to spare before my first shift back at work. Bear with me as I give yet another shoutout to Glenn and Jeff for reaching out and asking me about MGC because it resulted in an awesome weekend with some wicked weather to dance around to make it there and back. Wound up hanging out and touching base again with tons of great people I had not seen in four or five years. We had a blast hanging out late night after the show playing SNES games on a projector until we were zombies and watching the spiritual successor to King of Kong in Man vs. Snake. It also helped that MGC has moved to a bigger and nicer venue from the last time I went with room to grow. It was like MGC got revitalized by having adequate room for the mammoth vendor halls, game museum, free play arcade and conference rooms for speakers and panels. I caught a few panels on retro gaming and hung out with On the Stick’s Joe Drilling talking wrasslin’ and retro gaming after his panel. I succeeded in my game hunting quest in the vendor hall to hunt down the last couple of NES PowerPad games I did not own, and accidentally came across a homebrew bag toss game I never heard of before called Tailgate Party that I picked up to complete the collection. It proved to be a epic time that I was barely able to pull off at the last minute, but I do not regret it because it was yet another classic MGC weekend for the ages! 2) Forklift Races

It is kind of hard to place how much I love both Shenmue I & II. I got a theory from 1997-2000 for people who played either Final Fantasy VII, Metal Gear Solid or Shenmue fresh off their release. For those three games, people would be so blown away by their then-groundbreaking new standards set for their cinematic cutscenes and ambitious narratives that they would remain forever loyal to that particular game and swear by it forever no matter how credible the negative criticism is out there for those games. That is exactly what happened to me with Shenmue as it was the first of those three games I played, and I have seen people react in near-identical fashion to the other two games. I am aware of the criticism for Shenmue and I will not deny it, but there is so much else going for it that won me over that it made me overlook it and enabled me to have one of the best single player experiences in a game ever. These last few years I was getting the itch to replay the original Shenmue when the Kickstarter was announced and funded in record time for Shenmue III. I was pleasantly surprised Sega quietly announced they were releasing a HD remaster of the first two games for current platforms to cash in on the upcoming sequel. As soon as the remaster collection hit in the summer of 2018 I dropped all other gaming and cruised through the first Shenmue within a month. I was initially trepid that the unique controls would be so outdated that Shenmue would be near unplayable. It was indeed a clumsy control scheme to get reacquainted with for my first 10-15 minutes, but after that I was whisked away back to 2000 again when I first experienced Shenmue and I was reminded how much I loved the setting of Dobuita. There are plenty of cheesy characters filled with so-awful-its-great voice acting that it was a treat reliving it all over again.

Like Night in the Woods I developed a regular daily routine while in the process of hunting down clues to find out more on who killed Ryo’s father so he could avenge his death. I would start off the day going to the local corner vending machines and grabbing an iced coffee and capsule toy. Ryo has got to have his morning coffee with the absurdly drawn-out drinking animation every morning like any other ordinary person! I would talk to as many regular shopkeepers I would about finding the latest clue and occasionally would have to battle off some street thugs for information or chase them down in a QTE sequence that Shenmue helped institutionalize among games. A guilty pleasure was visiting You Arcade nearly every in-game day for a round of a perfectly emulated version of Hang-On that I kind of was starting to ‘get gud’ at the checkpoint-based racer by the end of Shenmue. Eventually I got Ryo his infamous job driving forklifts as the plot came to a boil with Ryo hot on the tail of his father’s killer! Every day at work started off with a forklift race that had a catchy theme song I made up lyrics to nod along with for momentum. There was an achievement for winning a race…..it was the only achievement I failed to achieve! The penultimate 70-man mega-battle leading up to the final boss fight was a rush and a half to experience all over. Again, there was some outdated controls and other quirkiness that was noticeable, but it did not get in the way from my unabashed love for the series resulting in my replay of the orginal Shenmue being my second best gaming experience of 2018! I cannot recommend it for everyone as I have seen the nature of that game rub some people the wrong way and my only answer for that is Shenmue is not for everybody. My spirits were riding high after finishing it that I started watching GiantBomb’s endurance run of it recently, and I went out and tracked down the vinyl OST for Shenmue and additionally the vinyl OST for Hang-On as well. Yup, I am kind of into Shenmue just a hair or two. I did not start up Shenmue II yet off the remaster set and plan to plow through it before Shenmue III’s currently planned August 2019 release. 1) Oh my God, You Killed Connor!

After 16,000 words we are finally here at #1! I know Detroit: Become Human has some hot-button controversies around it and if you decided to avoid the game I totally get it and respect that. Now that I got that out of the way let me start by saying I have been a huge fan of Quantic Dreams going back to Indigo Prophecy and Heavy Rain. I even dug Beyond: Two Souls regardless of that title getting messy at a few points. I know each game has their fair share of nitpicks, but the thing Quantic Dreams nails is how they branch out their stories with its multitude of choice-based gameplay having actual impactful results in the narrative. This is not like most Telltale games where the greater arc stays the same, but the journey is slightly altered. No, characters can abruptly die when presented with a sudden major decision or major paths can be altered to skip entire levels. That is what I loved about Quantic Dreams’ games is these major chances they take on their games and Detroit absolutely kills it in these departments. Quantic also lives up to their past precedents set by moving the bar for Detroit being a true technical marvel and one of the best looking games this generation of consoles. This is coming from a person playing on a slim PS4 and not a 4K Pro system so I can only imagine the improvements if I were to play on a 4K setup. Like Heavy Rain and Indigo Prophecy, Detroit follows the story arcs of several characters. All four are androids at different states of becoming ‘deviant’ and thinking for themselves. Each character path has major moments where I had to pause the game and think over the imperative decision I was presented with. Quantic Dreams is clever at masking some choices as right or wrong that created some moments that I will never forget. Android Detective Connor and his human partner Detective Anderson were my favorite characters to follow throughout the game. Connor can get killed off like other characters in the game, but unlike other characters he is always instantly replaceable from the agency. I did not know that when my Connor perished in a jaw-dropping way I did not see coming. I instantly debated on rewinding my last save to play it differently, but I sternly stuck to my decisions the whole game no matter how they played out. I was relieved to see Connor come back and continue his love/hate relationship with Anderson, and eventually became amused by the inadvertent ways my decision making kept getting my Connor killed.

The other characters all had nearly equal major moments to get behind with a few examples such as saving a daughter from her abusive father in one of the most intense escape sequences in Detroit, rescuing a bunch of experimented androids from a psychopath, leading a android-rights revolution to trying to stealthily escape from the madness to the Canadian border. Quantic Dreams always has had Quick Time Events (QTE) button prompts handle the majority of their gameplay, and they have evolved it with each of their games to have the best implementation of QTE in gaming. Minus a few key moments they almost never result in a instant game over if one QTE prompt is missed and there usually is a few chances to correct a mistake in order to recover and win the scene…or you can intentionally fail and flub through a fight or chase scene like a dummy to hilariously disastrous results. Depending on how you succeed through the prompts and the narrative based decisions made results in an ostensibly infinite amount of endings for each character. Quantic Dreams introduced a remarkable new feature at the end of each scene where a branching tree of decision options is displayed showing the choices made and blank boxes representing other options available and the percentage of the connected PS4 users that picked each option. From this same dialogue tree box checkpoints can be selected to pick up right from there in the gameplay scene to change a decision you were unsatisfied with. After finishing Detroit within two days I took advantage of this and hopped into one key part of the plot where Connor is presented with a choice that essentially gets the ball rolling for the final two-to-three hours of gameplay. I replayed that final chunk of scenes three more times within a week to see big differences in the endings for each character. Some did not survive, others endings all my characters made it to the end while others wound up skipping out on some of the most pivotal scenes in the entire game based on earlier decisions. I knew two other coworkers who were on the fence on picking up Detroit who were fans of Quantic’s previous games and I insisted on borrowing out my copy and we later went on to thoroughly breakdown how we handled key decisions and our various endings. It is insanely rare for a game to cause me to replay it multiple times that soon and that is saying something special about Detroit: Become Human and why it is my #1 gaming experience of 2018. ---The End?---

My word tally count is now tipping over 17,000 words so I think I better end this. It took me nearly 10 days to write this, and I do not blame you if it took that long to read it. That said I hope this proved to be a best of the year list/round-up like no other you experienced! Once again, if you liked what you read and want more of my end of the year ramblings then I will refer you to my best of 2017 and best of 2016 top gaming experiences features. So until next year…..oh wait I almost forgot it would be inappropriate of me to suddenly end this without rewarding you with a few more YouTube recommendations! I failed in unearthing my all-time favorite SNL sketch of Sports Center with Ray Ramono and Tim Meadows, so this sketch on the origins of the iconic NBA on NBC Theme will have to suffice. Need a refreshing beverage after getting through this list; Dusty Rhodes has the answer for you! These sparring kickboxers needed some beverages after getting bombarded in their training session by a acapella group. Mr. Worf wants to drain his sorrows in other beverages after witnessing this montage of his fails. Finally, here is a nice compilation of background music for your home with the top 100 ranked N64 songs of all time. Ok that is seriously it for 2018, thank you again everyone for riding this out with me! If you want to send any feedback my way I would love to hear it so reach out to me on my Twitter @Gruel or email dkulas @ hotmail.com.

[allardstrijker]

Facebook's artificial intelligence robots shut down after they start talking to each other in their own language * Andrew Griffin Monday 31 July 2017 16:10 BST [han-robot-hanson-robotics] Facebook abandoned an experiment after two artificially intelligent programs appeared to be chatting to each other in a strange language only they understood. The two chatbots came to create their own changes to English that made it easier for them to work – but which remained mysterious to the humans that supposedly look after them. The bizarre discussions came as Facebook challenged its chatbots to try and negotiate with each other over a trade, attempting to swap hats, balls and books, each of which were given a certain value. But they quickly broke down as the robots appeared to chant at each other in a language that they each understood but which appears mostly incomprehensible to humans. The robots had been instructed to work out how to negotiate between themselves, and improve their bartering as they went along. But they were not told to use comprehensible English, allowing them to create their own "shorthand", according to researchers. The actual negotiations appear very odd, and don't look especially useful: Bob: i can i i everything else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alice: balls have zero to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to Bob: you i everything else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alice: balls have a ball to me to me to me to me to me to me to me Bob: i i can i i i everything else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alice: balls have a ball to me to me to me to me to me to me to me Bob: i . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alice: balls have zero to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to Bob: you i i i i i everything else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alice: balls have 0 to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to Bob: you i i i everything else . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alice: balls have zero to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to me to But there appear to be some rules to the speech. The way the chatbots keep stressing their own name appears to a part of their negotiations, not simply a glitch in the way the messages are read out. Indeed, some of the negotiations that were carried out in this bizarre language even ended up successfully concluding their negotiations, while conducting them entirely in the bizarre language. Gadgets and tech news in pictures They might have formed as a kind of shorthand, allowing them to talk more effectively. “Agents will drift off understandable language and invent codewords for themselves,” Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research division's visiting researcher Dhruv Batra said. “Like if I say ‘the’ five times, you interpret that to mean I want five copies of this item. This isn’t so different from the way communities of humans create shorthands.” In 60 seconds: The dark side of the sex robot craze That said, it's unlikely that the language is a precursor to new forms of human speech, according to linguist Mark Liberman. "In the first place, it's entirely text-based, while human languages are all basically spoken (or gestured), with text being an artificial overlay," he wrote on his blog. "And beyond that, it's unclear that this process yields a system with the kind of word, phrase, and sentence structures characteristic of human languages." The company chose to shut down the chats because "our interest was having bots who could talk to people", researcher Mike Lewis told FastCo. (Researchers did not shut down the programs because they were afraid of the results or had panicked, as has been suggested elsewhere, but because they were looking for them to behave differently.) The chatbots also learned to negotiate in ways that seem very human. They would, for instance, pretend to be very interested in one specific item – so that they could later pretend they were making a big sacrifice in giving it up, according to a paper published by FAIR. (That paper was published more than a month ago but began to pick up interest this week.) Facebook's experiment isn't the only time that artificial intelligence has invented new forms of language. Earlier this year, Google revealed that the AI it uses for its Translate tool had created its own language, which it would translate things into and then out of. But the company was happy with that development and allowed it to continue. Another study at OpenAI found that artificial intelligence could be encouraged to create a language, making itself more efficient and better at communicating as it did so. Update: This article has been amended to stress that the experiment was abandoned because the programs were not doing the work required, not because they were afraid of the results, as has been reported elsewhere. The Independent's bitcoin group on Facebook is the best place to follow the latest discussions and developments in cryptocurrency. Join here for the latest on how people are making money – and how they're losing it. * More about: * Facebook [https://www.independent.co.uk/sites/all/themes/ines_themes/independent_theme/img/reuse.png]Reuse content Met vriendelijke groet, Allard Strijker SLO Nationaal expertisecentrum leerplanontwikkeling Postbus 2041, 7500 CA Enschede T +31 (0)53 484 0267 E a.strijker@slo.nl www.slo.nl | LinkedIn | Twitter Per 1 juli 2017 zit SLO Utrecht aan de Aidadreef 4, Kantoorgebouw Forum II (naast station Utrecht Overvecht). Zie https://ift.tt/2KmhqmR. Het adres van SLO Enschede blijft ongewijzigd.