#I should also specify that the only mario party game I have is the one on the DS

[flowering-darkness]

Okay now I’m thinking about Mario Party with the Ashen Wolves, because of Clara posting about it with her and the other Blue Lions

Yuri is meticulous about maximising his chances of winning - he’ll try to keep his usual smooth commentary going to disguise that he’s doing something unusual to guarantee himself bonus stars, so that no-one intercepts him (Catarina is good at spotting this, though). This can often lead to him stealing the win right at the end of the game. I’m not really sure why, but I feel like he would play as Luigi.

Balthus is the most likely to do something that screws him over if it’ll also hit someone else, like landing on an event space that causes everyone in a stretch of the board (himself included) to get moved or lose coins. He isn’t quite as strategic, but can often make the best of an unlucky situation.. which is useful considering how often he finds himself in them. I can see him playing as someone like Wario or DK.

Constance is DETERMINED to win by as far of a margin as she can, buying whatever items and even throwing group minigames if it will let her bring down first place - though this does sometimes lead to her own downfall if she lacks the ability to defend herself from others’ trouble. She absolutely plays Peach.

Hapi just lets the others fight amongst themselves and mostly does her own thing, which can sometimes lead to her coasting ahead and into victory if they all sabotage each other too much. I can see her playing as someone like Toad or Yoshi.

Catarina is the one who knows the boards best, so she can take fullest advantage of the events and layout (and is prone to going quiet when she’s planning something so no-one notices her do it). She keeps an eye on what everyone else is doing so that she can adapt her tactic accordingly, rather than going in with a set plan from the start. As she’s my self-insert, and I think I usually play as either Yoshi or Daisy in Mario Party, she would do the same.

..It all sounds like a horribly toxic gameplay experience when I word it this way, which was very much not my intention >w< we do all have fun, it’s just that all of us often have quite the potential to be devious in gameplay strategies. At the end of the day, though, it all comes down to the luck of the dice!

Hopefully this makes sense ^-^

[mbtinsanity-blog]

Alright folks, it's time for a good old-fashion MBTI rant, you ready? OKAY HERE WE GO LET'S GET STARTED

So Vox put out a video who knows how long ago about how the MBTI personality test is pretty much inaccurate half the time, the theory formulators (mother Briggs and daughter Briggs Myers expanding on Carl Jung's ideas) had no formal training in psychology or cognitive behavior, the system doesn't really fit everyone, people shouldn't use the system to gage someone's professional success, and the whole thing is totally useless astrology-esque Forer Effect nonsense and should only be used for entertainment purposes.

Where do I even start here.

So first of all, they're right, your Myers Briggs personality type should absolutely not be an indicator of your professional success or leadership skills, nor should it pigeon-hole you into any particular job or role. Companies that use MBTI this way are companies I'd be skeptical of using sound practices in their organization and categorization of employees.

The thing is, there is waaay more to people than their personality type. Trying to fit someone into a "suitable" role based on the way they think, feel, and take in information is ignoring what people actually want to do or enjoy doing, which is significant data when you're trying to get someone to do a job. Just because you might be really really good at crafting/outfit-making because the way you think and interact with your environment + the culmination of your life experiences has given you the tools you need to be good at it DOES NOT mean you want to start up your own crafting business or that you want to go into fashion. It just doesn't. Yes, that's a real life example for an ENTJ in case anyone was wondering, and that also doesn't mean all ENTJs would be good at crafting or fashion design. Crafting and fashion design are activities that can play to an ENTJ's strengths (like Te, Ni, and Se), but you still need skill, experience, tools, knowledge, and interest to do them.

That said, you CAN use someone's Myers Briggs personality type to predict what they might be good at. I was playing Mario Party with a bunch of new friends and I go in knowing that my Te sucks, I have none of it, but I instantly recognized one of my friends was a Te user when we paired up for a Te-oriented mini game I'd never played before. So what did I do? I instructed him do most of the Te work and we totally owned it! Recognizing what cognitive functions people are good at does help predict what kind of tasks someone might be good (or bad) at, which is useful for anything from knowing your own personal strengths/weaknesses to effectively structuring teamwork. Even so, it's really important to consider what tasks people want to do. I know an ENFJ who is really flippin' good at math, but she also hates it. Her propensity for math might not have anything to do with her type, and her hatred for it isn't an inherent ENFJ quality either, so you can't just say "hm, well because you're an ENFJ, you must be good/terrible at math so you should/shouldn't go into a math-oriented field", we can only guess. Trying it out is really where you get to discover it for yourself! And even if you're terrible at math, that doesn't mean you can't get better at it, practice, and go into a field that uses it. You can do whatever you want to do, regardless of your type.

Once more for the people in the back: YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANT TO DO, REGARDLESS OF YOUR TYPE

Okay so back to why this Vox video pissed me off. First of all, it implicitly discredits the founders, Briggs and her daughter, by stating they had no background in psychology. What's that smell you say? Why I do declare it's the pungent aroma of logical fallacy Appeal to Authority, or at least it's antithesis. What actually makes a scientist a scientist? Someone who performs GOOD SCIENCE. I cannot tell you how many "scientists" there are out there with degrees in their field of specialty who didn't practice good science. Meanwhile, people without degrees (I dunno like pea-counting geneticist Gregor Mendel and legit so many other major contributors to science without degrees in their field of contribution) who have been taught scientific principles and appropriately used them are way more scientifically legitimate to me. One scientific principle is observation, and when it comes to psychology, observation is especially key! Who cares if Briggs and her daughter didn't have the scientific background, you don't need it to be a good scientist and make legitimate observations. On top of that, they came up with a testable system, which even in fields like biology and chemistry can be challenging to develop, but in psychology it is especially not easy. So trying to discredit people’s science and their systems based on professional qualifications? Yeah no, not having it. Let’s keep going with that train of thought for a sec and touch on their feelings about astrology. Now I’ve always called myself a “sucker” for astrology, acknowledging that the descriptors do tend to be both positive and appealingly general enough to ascribe a feeling of accuracy to your specified type that isn’t based on anything real (i.e. this is the Barnum or Forer Effect). But let’s challenge that for a moment, shall we? Surely from a scientific perspective there’s no way to support astrology as being a legitimate system, right? But the answer is a little more nuanced than “astrology is illegitimate”. Astrology doesn’t have any logical basis for the associations of its types with the alignment of the stars when someone was born, but what it does have is twelve distinct and cohesive personality types.  It is not inconceivable that someone out there observed various people over time and generated 12 different personality types based on the month in which someone was born by recognizing patterns in people and then assigning those patterns to individual personalities. I’m not saying these personalities were formed with “good scientific observation,” but the system isn’t as far-fetched as it might otherwise seem. Even if it’s not a good system, it’s still worth considering seriously as a system before brushing it off as total nonsense as many are inclined to do. To do so without investigation would not, in fact, be considered “good science”. So what about the idea that MBTI doesn’t fit everyone? Well, that’s kind of the point of testing the system, isn’t it? Not everyone has to fit the system for the system to be useful, but also I personally have yet to come across someone who doesn’t possess at least one of the suggested eight cognitive functions. Maybe MBTI doesn’t work the way the system currently says it works, which is why we can modify the system if the system doesn’t hold true. Theories are flexible and subject to change! If the system “doesn’t fit,” maybe it’s not a good system or maybe that’s okay and it’s still useful. Myers Briggs has wider applications than pure entertainment, and suggesting otherwise is being narrow-minded to the scope of the system. MBTI gives us a way to talk about human cognitive processes in an accessible way.  Being able to describe some of the reasons why people get along or don’t get along and how you can improve relationships is 200% useful information that we should not just discard as flimsy entertainment.  Even if a system seems ridiculous, take it seriously and then explain your reasons for why it isn’t cohesive. Be better, Vox. Be better.

[themurphyzone]

Oneshot: The Real Superpower of Teamwork!

Yes, the title of this is taken from Sonic Heroes in all its cheesy glory. I’ve been meaning to write something with Brick and Savannah and I finally got inspiration!

“If you hadn’t stood there and gaped like an idiot at that ham dinosaur, the pistachios would’ve been fine!” Brick ranted, pacing around the room. “You know what? Now that I think about it, if you hadn’t been so quick to report those bozos to Mr. Block, we could’ve defused the situation without him putting us on pistachio duty!” 

Savannah was far more concerned with the nail file in her hand. “You can think?” she asked dryly. “Shocker.” 

“At least I don’t tattletale on people even if they completely deserve it!” Brick retorted. 

“Tattletale?” Savannah scoffed. “What are you, five? Oh wait. I don’t want to insult five year olds.” 

A light buzz from the large monitor interrupted their argument. Savannah furiously hit a red button on the panel to turn it on. Mr. Block appeared on the screen, frowning more than usual. 

Well, he was always frowning. So most people didn’t see a difference. Either way, he was the type to suck all sunshine and rainbows out of the room with his presence. 

And maybe kick a few puppies while he was at it. 

“We have an emergency,” Mr. Block grunted. 

Well, second thoughts after a week was better than nothing. 

Brick adjusted his bow tie smugly. Savannah wished a truck would smack that stupid smirk off his face. “I’m glad, sir. Who requires diplomatic assistance?” 

“Nobody. The Board decided that the agents will have to attend an all day seminar on teamwork,” Mr. Block growled. “The session begins at 9 am tomorrow in the Future Convention Center. Be there or else I’ll remove you both from pistachio duty....” 

Well, they could just blow it off then. Savannah didn’t care. She could use a spa day. 

“...and put you on chimney cleaning duty.” 

Goodbye spa day. 

“Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to message Concord and Ohio. I’d like the few moments of peace I get before I have to call those idiots.”

The Future Convention Center was ‘a state of the art, taxpayer-funded facility which encouraged progress in science and the arts’. 

At least, that’s what they said. 

Most people tended to leave out the part that it was created from the shell of a haunted football stadium. 

The memo specified that field equipment wouldn’t be needed, so Savannah had stored her shield, watches, grappling gun, and jewelry inside a locker at the Bureau. She felt so much lighter now that she didn’t have to carry around all that junk. 

She was waved through the metal detector with no issues.

Unfortunately, she had to wait on Brick, who set off the metal detectors ten times and counting as he tried to smuggle his equipment past security. 

“Brick! Just empty your pockets!” she yelled impatiently. “What were you doing in the Bureau earlier while I was in the locker room?”

Brick shrugged as best he could while security grew fed up and took him aside for a full body pat-down. “They finally had an instant coffee machine installed so I took full advantage. I don’t function if I don’t have caffeine.” 

Savannah thought Brick’s brain never functioned in general. 

The security team confiscated a total of five laser watches, three tasers, a Nokia, and a grappling gun from Brick’s person. Everything was tossed on the large pile of stuff that had been taken as Brick went through the metal detectors. 

“We would’ve been in already if you’d read the memo,” Savannah muttered. 

“We could’ve snuck past security if you hadn’t taken so long in the Bureau,” Brick shot back. 

The day had barely started and she was already regretting her life choices.

There was a distinct lack of Cavendish and Dakota. As the inspirational speaker talked about friendship and teamwork and some other junk, Savannah scanned the audience for them. 

Then that thought was discarded when Mr. Block and his assistant, Gretchen, plopped down in the seats next to her. “What are you doing here?” Savannah asked. 

Mr. Block sighed heavily. “Supervising officers were also required to attend. Unfortunately.” He tossed a crumpled up ball of notebook paper on her lap. 

Savannah glared at him for the blatant disrespect. Sulking, she unfolded the paper to reveal a neatly written note from Cavendish. 

We will not be in attendance due to unforeseen circumstances. Give my regards to the Bureau. 

-Cavendish

Then Savannah saw the bottom portion, which was written in a messy scrawl. 

Soy milk, grapes, frozen mozzarella sticks, wait this is the note Cavendish was sending ignore this part! 

-Dakota

She never thought she’d be envious of those two. She made a mental note to ask how they blew off Bureau company events with such practiced ease. 

Finally, the inspirational speaker finished and they broke off into groups. 

Savannah was definitely not going to survive being on a team that included Brick and Mr. Block. She withheld judgment on Gretchen for now. 

Tortured through elementary school field day events. They were getting downright diabolical. 

A mud pit and a long rope. Perfect. Just perfect.  

This was not the type of dirty work listed in her job description. 

The instructor wrote something on a clipboard. His overly cheery T-shirt was ridiculous. Bureau employees should always have at least have some level of class. 

She counted Cavendish and Dakota under ‘time traveling janitors’, so they didn’t qualify. 

“Welcome to your first team building exercise!” he exclaimed. “My name is Carlos and I’m sure we’ll be able to salvage your professional relationship with your assigned partner. So to start off, we’ll begin with tug o’war. Best out of three wins!”

Best out of three rock-paper-scissors would’ve preserved some of her dignity. 

“The rules are simple,” Carlos said. 

Savannah rolled her eyes at the pointless explanation. They knew what the objective was. 

“But there’s one additional rule. The partner in front must sing ‘What’s gonna work?’ and the partner in back sings ‘teamwork’ back. This will help synchronize you!” 

“Hold it! Since when do we have to sing?” Brick complained. “I didn’t sign up for this!” 

She had lost her taste for spontaneous singing and dancing when she witnessed Dakota’s...interesting rendition of the Bohemian Rhapsody at the karaoke night years ago. 

“There was nothing in the memo about singing,” Savannah added. 

Carlos shrugged. “The Board didn’t want us to put that bit in because they actually wanted people to show up.” 

Maybe she could file an appeal with a federal court and claim the Board was enforcing cruel and unusual punishment. 

“But enough talking! Let’s begin!” Carlos exclaimed. Savannah beat Brick to the back end of the rope, leaving him to grumble as he took he took the front end. If they lost, she could at least land on Brick and minimize the amount of mud on her clothes. On the other side, Mr. Block ordered Gretchen to take the front. “Go!” 

Savannah tugged hard, feeling the rope tighten in her grasp. She took a step back, the rope sliding towards their end. Mr. Block and Gretchen should have been no match for field agents, being stuck behind desk jobs all day. 

But it appeared they had some level of physical prowess, since the rope pulled towards them. Her feet slid forward. 

“Brick! Pull harder!” Savannah hissed. 

“I’m pulling as hard as I can!” Brick grunted. 

“I don’t hear singing from either side!” Carlos called. 

“What’s gonna work?” Gretchen said flatly. 

“Winning and not dying no matter how much we want to,” Mr. Block responded. 

Knowing it was a losing battle, Savannah decided to take this loss gracefully and dropped the rope, allowing Brick to plop in the mud pit by himself. “You did that on purpose!” Brick spat out a glob of mud, wheezing from the impact. 

Savannah shrugged. “Can’t prove it though.” 

“Gretchen, can you tell them why they lost?” Carlos asked. 

Gretchen adjusted her glasses. “Because Newton’s Third Law dictates that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” 

“Nope!” Carlos shook his head. “It’s because they didn’t sing the teamwork song!” 

“I refuse,” Savannah said. “I’ll take the losses now. Call me when the next event comes along.” She sat on a nearby bench and watched everyone but Gretchen proceed to make fools of themselves. 

Ten minutes later, Carlos was wiping mud off his hair. “Well, I’d say that was successful! Feeling closer yet?” 

Brick glared at him. “I was dropped into the mud pit twice because she bailed on me! How is that supposed to help?” 

“Better you than me,” Mr. Block said, wiping a very miniscule amount of mud off his uniform. 

Gretchen toweled herself off, not seeming to care about the situation at all. 

“Moving on!” Carlos clapped his hands eagerly. Savannah stood up, ignoring the death glare Brick leveled at her. “For the second event, each of you will learn the value of teamwork and cooperation. This way we can prevent strife within the organization and behave civilly towards our coworkers!”

It better not be another field day event, Savannah thought. 

“You’ll be playing Mario Party!” 

Certain scenes have been cut from the story because the Bureau of Time Travel wishes to cover up the carnage that ensued because some idiots fought over who got to pick Yoshi. No details shall be given about the actual game. The author has been sworn to secrecy or else be forced to listen to the 10 hour version of the Meow Mix commercial. 

We apologize for the inconvenience. 

Carlos had been sent to therapy immediately following the disastrous game of Mario Party. Poor naive man had to live with the consequences for the rest of his days. 

Savannah developed an opinion on Gretchen: ruthless, unforgiving, and Mr. Block was child’s play compared to her efficiency. How she was only an assistant was anyone’s guess. 

Without a spare instructor, there was nobody to lead them on team-building exercises, so Savannah and Brick hightailed it out of there as quickly as possible. 

On the bright side, Savannah didn’t have to put up with Brick complaining about his stuff getting confiscated anymore. 

[vioncentral-blog]

Cyprus FM Tells Sputnik About Island Reunification Talks Prospects

https://www.vionafrica.cf/cyprus-fm-tells-sputnik-about-island-reunification-talks-prospects/

Cyprus FM Tells Sputnik About Island Reunification Talks Prospects

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Ksenia Shakalova — Cyprus expects the talks on reunification of the island to resume immediately after January presidential elections, Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides told Sputnik.

"I don’t expect that there should be movements from the Turkish Cypriot side in that regard [Cyprus settlement] because they have declared that they want to wait [until] our [presidential] elections [scheduled for January 28]. They have elections as well, most probably in January [parliamentary election] and we are having elections in the end of January. So, immediately after the elections, I think we will resume the efforts," Kasoulides said.

According to the top diplomat, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Cyprus were still working out the details and the date of appointment of a new special adviser on Cyprus depended on the elections on the island.

"When we will finish the reflection which is going to be after the election then most probably he [UN Secretary General] will appoint somebody and we will resume the efforts," Kasoulides said.

According to the foreign minister, all parties to Cyprus negotiations should follow the example of Nicosia and accept the latest UN six-point settlement plan in its entirety.

The minister recalled the fact that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had proposed a plan made up of six items, including the need for new security regime, end to right of intervention, replacement for the 1960 Treaty of the Guarantee and impartial monitoring, at the latest round of settlement talks in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, in July.

"So [Cypriot] President [Nicos] Anastasiades, after Crans-Montana in order to prove that he was ready to accept [the plan], he went to see the Secretary General in September and told him that our side is ready to accept the six parameters of his proposals as a package and not a la carte. So if all the other sides, if they are sincere that in Crans-Montana they wanted to agree as well, they have nothing else to do but come and say to the Secretary General the same thing," Kasoulides said.

The talks on the reunification of the country, divided between Turkish and Greek Cypriot communities, resumed in 2014 after a two-year pause, but the sides have not been able to reach an agreement so far. Treaty of Guarantee, signed by Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom, urges all parties to guarantee independence and territorial integrity of Cyprus.

READ MORE: Cyprus Ready for Peace Talks Renewal Within UN Framework – Foreign Ministry

In September, leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community Mustafa Akinci said that a new round was unlikely in the run-up to the neighboring community's presidential elections, while Greek Cypriot government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said that there was no time frame set for the resumption of the talks.

Post-Brexit Cyprus

The next round of negotiations on the post-Brexit status of Cypriot citizens, living and working at the UK military bases, will be held in November, according to the Cypriot foreign minister.

"We had only one round of the negotiations. It seems, that the intentions of what we are going to do, are good… [The next round of negations] will be [held the] next month. All negotiations will be taking place in Brussels," Kasoulides said.

"For us, I think the same status, that exists now and existed during the time when the United Kingdom was within the European Union, to be continued with a reciprocal agreement between the treatment of the European nationals in the UK and the British nationals in the EU countries," Kasoulides said, when asked what he considers the most beneficial solution of the situation around the rights of people working at the UK bases.

The Cypriot foreign minister continued by calling for the deals on financial settlement as well as the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to be reached between London and Brussels during their Brexit talks.

"We, Cypriots, are very much connected with the United Kingdom. We’d like to see a Customs Union or even a participation of the United Kingdom in the single market. Something that will make the preexisting situation as smooth as possible, creating legal certainty for companies to continue their business, as before," Kasoulides outlined.

The talks are dedicated to the application of the provisions, stipulated in the Protocol 3 of 2004, clarifying the legal status of the UK military bases in Cyprus after the country’s EU accession, following the United Kingdom's withdrawal from the European Union, Kasoulides explained. The protocol states that the Treaty establishing the European Community will not be applied to the UK bases in Cyprus.

© REUTERS/ Francois LenoirUK Parliament May Not Vote on Brexit Until Deadline to Leave EULast week, UK Prime Minister Theresa May said that the EU and British authorities were closing on a pact that would guarantee the rights of EU citizens living in the United Kingdom and UK expats in EU countries. The top diplomat also ruled out the possibility of a no-deal scenario of the UK pullout from the European bloc, adding that such a result is not in the parties' interests.

Since Cyprus became an independent nation in 1960, there have been two UK Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) on the country's territory, namely at Akrotiri and Dhekelia. The bases constitute UK sovereign territory under London's jurisdiction.

Drilling in Mediterranean

The top diplomat has also commented on a statement made by Turkish Energy Minister Berat Albayra, who confirmed that Ankara was intending to begin hydrocarbon drilling in the Mediterranean this year.

"How we are going to react? We will see first of all the sort [of] the violations they are going to do. But we will do one thing that we have not done last year, but we have done this year, we will play it cool. We are not going to play their game," Kasoulides said.

"That is what we did during the drillings of Total in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus in July. We did not pay much notice to them. And, of course, it passed without repercussions," Kasoulides explained.

© REUTERS/ Murad SezerTurkey to Conduct Oil, Gas Drilling Studies in Black, Mediterranean SeasThe large natural gas deposit off southern coast of Cyprus has been the source of contention, with Turkey strongly opposed to the exploration efforts approved by Nicosia. In July, Turkey vowed to respond to the exploration operation carried out by France's oil giant Total in the Aphrodite gas field in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone with the permission of Nicosia.

According to Kasoulide, Cyprus may consider building an onshore liquefaction station and selling natural gas to any market in the world using tankers if the estimates show that the country's gas field has the required capacities.

"The possibility, if the quantities [of gas] are big enough… about building an onshore liquefaction power station on the shore of Cyprus and to sell natural gas through gas tankers to any markets everywhere in the world," Kasoulides said.

The minister added that this option might be considered this or next year, as the drilling continues and fuller estimates become available. Kasoulides stressed that Cyprus would act based on the amount of natural gas discovered.

"Regarding carriers in transportation area we do not exclude any company. We are open through tenders and may the best win. We will be happy to have Russian companies," Kasoulides said.

According to the minister, another option would be building a pipeline from Cyprus to liquefaction plants in Egypt, either in the ports of Damietta or Idku.

READ MORE: With Oil at $100 a Barrel, Drilling in Eastern Mediterranean 'Worthwhile'

Yet another option is an Eastern Mediterranean gas pipeline project, which would connect Israeli and Cypriot gas field to the European Union through Greece. In June, the leaders of Greece, Israel and Cyprus agreed to speed up the development efforts.

Cypriot Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Marios Demetriades said in early October that Cyprus has the potential to become an important energy center in the Mediterranean Sea because of already emerging cooperation in offshore oil and gas exploration and shipping industry. Cyprus has already given oil and gas exploration licenses for several offshore blocks to French Total, Italian Eni and US ExxonMobil.

Talks With Putin

Commenting on Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades October 24 talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the foreign minister has said that five out of seven planned agreements had been signed.

"Finally, there were five agreements [signed] because the one about justice has not been signed as the attorney general was not there and the other [agreement] for technical reasons on evacuation and other measures has been postponed. But the other five have been signed," Kasoulides said.

READ MORE: Cypriots Should Decide on Dispute Settlement Themselves — Putin (VIDEO)

The foreign minister specified that the documents that were signed included "the common action program for 2018-2020, an agreement on merchant shipping, an agreement on international road transport, an agreement on communication and IT technology and declaration between the two countries for cooperation in the field of modernizing the economy."

Kasoulides added that the two presidents discussed "the whole spectrum of relations between Cyprus and Russia," and this allowed the two sides to have a better understanding of many issues and to be able to further improve the "traditionally and historically good" relationship.

PACE

Stella Kyriakides, a Cypriot recently elected president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), may work on the rights of the Russian delegation in the Assembly and is also likely to focus on the issue of ethics, according to the country's foreign minister.

"I know from what she has declared that she is going to work on the issue of ethics among members of the Assembly, in having open books on behalf of the members, some of them have been accused of bribes… So she is going to work first of all on this and all other issues confronted by the Assembly. Most probably the credentials of the Russian members," Kasoulides said.

© Sputnik/ Vladimir FedorenkoStrasbourg to Continue Dialogue With Russia to Seek Way Out of Deadlock in PACEThe minister added that Cyprus was proud of Kyriakides for being elected to this office on October 10.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) stripped the Russian delegation of its voting rights and ability to participate in the work of its three key bodies in 2014 amid the crisis in Ukraine and Crimea’s reunification with Russia. The Russian delegation left PACE in 2015 and did not renew its credentials ahead of the assembly’s 2016 and 2017 winter sessions.

[androidappsnews-blog]

New Post has been published on http://androidapp.news/super-mario-run-review-auto-runner/

Super Mario Run Review - free to play auto runner

Super Mario Run is a free to play side-scrolling auto-runner made by legendary developer Nintendo. This is Nintendo’s first mobile game which has already received over 50 million downloads since its March 2017 Android release. Known for their classic, critically acclaimed Mario games that are praised for their amazing level design, let’s see what Nintendo has managed to pull off with this mix of platforming and auto-running.

Super Mario Run Introduction

Upon launching the game you will be given the option to link to a Nintendo Account. Linking to a Nintendo Account allows you to restore your user data, give you access to special features only available to those with an account and you will be able to set your Mii (your avatar from Nintendo consoles) as your icon. If you don’t link your account then you will be unable to use the same user data on a different device. After that you select your country and enter a nickname and icon for your profile.

Once you finish all that you receive an invitation from Princess Peach, who asks you to come to her party at the castle. You then see Mario and hear his great voice, along with another old enemy that just about everyone knows by now. That’s right. It’s Bowser. As you hear his roar he appears and says that he’s taking Peach once again. He’s taking the cake, too! No, not the cake! If you played any Mario game, then you probably expected this to happen, as it always does. Bowser kidnaps Peach, and your goal is to save her.

Super Mario Run Game Play

Now the game begins with a quick explanation of how the game play works. It’s really simple. In this game, Mario automatically moves forward, collecting any coins along the way. The upbeat music and colorful graphics are a joy to see and hear. When he comes up to a small obstacle, Mario automatically vaults over it and continues his journey. He will even automatically jump over small enemies. I think this may be a bit too much, as in any Mario game you get to control when Mario jumps. I feel as if there’s a bit too much hand-holding here. Later on in the game you may not notice this as much because you still end up doing a lot of manual jumping, so that’s great.

When you come across a big gap, Mario won’t automatically jump. If you do fall in one of these, Mario will be put inside a bubble which will float in the air. Simply tap on the bubble so you can continue near the location you were at before you failed. You have a limited number of bubbles and a time limit to finish the level. To jump, simply tap on the screen. The longer you hold onto the screen, the higher you’ll jump.

As in any Mario game you collect Coins throughout the level. Here you also have 5 Pink Coins which are hidden throughout the level. When vaulting over an enemy you can try and tap on the screen to make some stylish moves. You can even do wall jumps. To pull off a wall jump, jump onto a wall and quickly tap again to jump to the opposite direction.

In the main screen, known as the Kingdom screen, you can see what Bowser has done to this one beautiful kingdom. Now destroyed and barren, it’s your job to rebuild it back to its former glory. Here you can choose to play one of the 3 game modes Super Mario Run offers. These game modes are: World Tour, Road Rally and Kingdom Builder.

Super Mario Run World Tour

Super Mario Run World Tour is your regular campaign mode. It’s divided into 6 Worlds and each World features 4 levels to play through. The levels are greatly designed and a lot of fun to beat. Unfortunately only the first World is available for free. To play other Worlds, you have to buy the full game which costs $10. That’s quite expensive for a mobile game as even the full game will only take an hour or two to fully finish. Nintendo should have made a lot more levels to try and justify this high price tag.

Super Mario Run Toad Rally

Toad Rally is the multiplayer part of the game. Here your goal is to collect as many Coins as you can while competing with another player. The amount of Toads that come to cheer for you also impacts your chances of winning. You have to make stylish moves in order to get more Toads to cheer for you. As I mentioned earlier, you do stylish moves by tapping on the screen while you are vaulting over an enemy. Doing certain things fills up the Coin Rush gauge. Fill it up all the way to activate Coin Rush mode. In Coin Rush you earn double the Coins than usual.

Each race lasts 60 seconds. Once the race ends you get to see who has the highest score. The Toads that cheered for you also end up joining for your Kingdom. You have 5 types of Toads: Red, Blue, Green, Purple and Yellow. Keep getting as many Toads as you can in order to level up your castle. Unfortunately, only one Toad color is available in the free version. You have to buy the full game in order to unlock more Toad colors. To play a race, you need to have Rally Tickets.

Super Mario Run Kingdom Builder

In the Super Mario Run Kingdom Builder you can buy, move and place buildings. You unlock buildings as you play and then you have to buy them in the Shop. To buy a building, you need to have a sufficient amount of Coins. You can place a building on a few specified spots. Tap on the building to interact with it. Some buildings are called Bonus Game Houses. When you tap on these houses you will be taken to a bonus level where you can earn Coins and Rally tickets. You can play a bonus level every 4 hours.

Some buildings in Super Mario Run belong to a specific character in the game. When you place this type of building, the character associated with the building unlocks and becomes available for you to play with.

Super Mario Run Conclusion

The Good

Simple, fun game play.

Upbeat music.

Colorful graphics.

Toad Rally is a fun game mode.

The Bad

Limited content, World Tour only features 1 free World.

You can’t collect all Toad colors.

Expensive price tag for the full game.

Full game is really short.

Super Mario Run: Download

[aurimeanswind]

*Death Intensifies*—Sunday Chats (5-28-17)

I’ve got some hot tea, my new computer won’t be here until June 9th (delayed from May 30th), my voice is pretty much gone, and there is a ringing in my right ear right now and forever. Let’s chat.

That Sick, Sick Feeling

So yeah, I got sick again this last week. I hate complaining on Twitter, but as any not-so-secretly self-obsessed human, sometimes I can’t help but tweet out that I’m feeling not-so-great. Then you get all those lovely well-wishes, and I feel bad because I feel like I’m asking for them, I also feel all warm and fuzzy because all you sweet people out there are the best. So thank you all, you’re awesome.

Luckily I have someone quite lovely (the loveliest) in my life that makes sure I don’t do anything dumb when I’m sick and is checking up on me, helping me get better. Thanks to her, I’ll probably be okay on my trip this coming week, and I’m incredibly grateful.

But boy howdy do I have some luck, huh? On Wednesday of this past week I felt like I had the flu. On Thursday I was incredibly congested. Friday morning my right ear felt like it exploded and I was in so much pain I only got about an hour of sleep and had to go to the doctor. My hearing still isn’t quite better there yet, and they gave me the strongest antibiotic I have ever been on. 

It’s also a good thing I went to the doctor when I did because if I had flown out this coming Wednesday with an ear infection I may have caused some serious damage. But my doc told me the risk should be minimal by Wednesday, and got me some medicine to help alleviate the pain.

I have had a really, really rough month personally, and even though I just said I hate to do the thing where I share that somethings wrong because I feel like I’m passively asking for sympathy, Sunday Chats is all about that honesty. 

If you couldn’t tell, from my casual over-thinking of literally everything, my depression has been in one of those low ruts, and I’ve been definitely dealing with more feeling-like-I’m-crazy sensations in my head than normal. And it’s been a lot to handle. And I almost always get this before I go on a trip. I think it’s an anxious tick, in a sort of way, and my brain just goes a little haywire. That, coupled with being sick, feeling so helpless, and personal troubles has just been a massive trial. And I just wanted to take a moment to thank all my personal friends for putting up with me when I know I can be ever so frustrating, and my wonderful internet friends for sending positivity, being supportive, and also putting up with me.

Many days this month I’ve woken up and felt like I’m just the worst human (because that’s how it is sometimes) and when that’s coupled with the sensation of imminent death from actual physical sickly pain, it’s a bad cocktail, but I think I’m in a strong position to really enjoy this coming week.

To put it less esoterically: thank you all. <3

Twin Peaks is Something, Huh?

On a more light hearted note, i started watching Twin Peaks this week! I finished the eight episode first season, and my curiosity comes from all the video games that have notably been inspired by Twin Peaks, such as Alan Wake and most notably, Deadly Premonition. It’s crazy to finally have the revelation of seeing where both of these pieces of media get their inspiration.

It’s really rad to see something that so immediately recognizable as an inspiration for other things you love, and that thing not seeming redundant or unoriginal. Twin Peaks is still very much its own thing, with its own twists on the hooks that it would go on to inspire, and it’s ability to live in its own right is very impressive. It’s also a merit to the media it inspired.

But I don’t write about TV often, and I’m not necessarily sure what to say, other than I love it. I love a good small town mystery, and Twin Peaks is one of the progenitors of the genre from what I understand. It’s exhilarating, weird, and super engaging. It’s the kind of show that has tons of small details, but when you pay too close attention, you kind of feel like either you’re going crazy or everyone on the show is fucking insane. I just watched the first episode of the second season last night, and I’m not sure what the hell happened between seasons, but that shit got EXTRA weird pretty much instantly. And it’s great and super intimidating all at the same time.

The chemistry between the two leads, Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman, is super cool too. I didn’t expect to have a bit of that Sherlock/Watson feel to the show, but it’s undeniably there. I also love that Cooper is simultaneously super competent, and also super quirky. It makes him standout as a protagonist a lot, and is another badge of honor in how unique and original the show feels.

What I’ve Been Working On

5/21 - Sunday Chats

5/22 - Shovel Knight Specter of Torment Review

5/23-25 - Nier-related Secret Piece

5/26 - Secret Project Piece

5/27 - E3 2017 Predictions

Much of my time this week was dedicated to writing about Nier, which I’ll talk about a little bit more in a second. My new project that I’m working on, again, is very focused on things that I like quite a bit. But playing through Nier for this has been quite the trip.

I also wrote out a big long thing that essentially equates to my E3 2017 predictions, and hopefully I’ll be about to get that up as a full written piece and article before E3.

What’s on Tap

Nier

So I finished Nier this week... Well, I got “Ending A” of three endings at least.

What a trip this game is. I don’t think anything has really changed in some big sweeping way since last week, but that game sure does get pretty weird at the end.

It’s very much a little out of left field in where it concludes, but the thrust of its story in its final moments really do follow through the mature tone it establishes throughout its journey.

And also holy crow does that game get fucking depressing in the second half.

Very excited to be able to talk about this cult classic at some point.

Child of Light

I just started this one. I was in a bit of a terrible mood on Thursday and couldn’t figure out what I wanted to play, so I settle on this old Games with Gold game I had: Child of Light.

What an enchanting game this immediately turned out to be. The dialogue being written all in rhyme, the way the characters dreamily flow through the hand drawn world, the music and the piano themes, it’s all quite dreamy.

And it is literally a dream, so this makes sense.

I’m really digging the game and hopefully I’ll have time to knock it out. I know Alex Van Aken loves Child of Light, and hearing him recently mention it via his GsOTY for the last five years tweet, I’m very curious to see where it goes.

Mario Kart 8

Genuinely blown away by how much I fucking love this game.

I played so much of it on Wii U so my concern of getting bored of MK8 is totally justified, but the passionate group of friends I have been playing with really add a spark to this game that was just never there before.

Absolutely adore Mario Kart 8. While I think I still ultimately love Double Dash more, MK8 is truly a phenomenal game.

Questions

As always, if you want your question in Sunday Chats, find my tweet on Sunday afternoons (eastern time) with “#SundayChats” in it and reply to it. And boom. You’re in!

Thank you so much for your questions everyone! You’re the best.

I’m not sure, honestly. After hearing that Wonder Woman is allegedly good (!!) I am actually pretty excited to be seeing that. I’m pumped to go to Wing Wings on Wednesday because I just really love Wing Wings. I love going to the Foundry, and that’s happening that Thursday, so that’s really exciting too.

But KFL itself is very, very exciting. It’s a great show, the line is always a party of people all standing talking, and in my case, hugging, and I can’t wait to see my friends get up on stage and put on an amazing show.

I’m gonna hug you real hard Brandon.

Hrm. Probably two? I’d guess two. 

I don’t know if any will be within range of me at any point? So probably none, I’d bet. I’ll guess that I’ll go to Underdogs twice, and those will be my two burritos. 

I do not want to help you and your brother build planter boxes, no.

When I was growing up, my house had a deck attached to the back of it, and there were these planter boxes built into the deck. Me and my brothers would have to mulch and fertilize and plant in them every spring/summer and it was the worst.

Though I have dreamed that maybe some day in the future I could have like, a cute little garden, and have fresh vegetables to cook with.

We can dream.

But yeah I will see you soon buddy!

No, I don’t think studios are afraid of original ideas, I think if anyone is its publishers. I know it’s just a sort of semantic thing there, but it’s important to specify. From what I understand, it’s usually publisher pressure that comes down and makes more protagonists plain ass white dudes, or things along those lines. You have to appease that parent company.

But I think developers and studios really want to push the border and have more diverse directors and ideas in their games. But they are usually beholden to not only a franchise, but those well-establishes studios work within franchises and have a lot more going on.

Making interesting mechanics takes time too. Look at something like MGSV, which is built around weird and innovative mechanics. That game took forever and way too long, and it really frustrated Konami. It’s rare to see a director have some leeway over a publisher’s pressure, especially in Japan I feel, but Kojima did, and it still wasn’t enough time for that game. It’s no wonder things ended so sour there.

But indie debs have as much time as they can give since they’re not really beholden to anyone but themselves? And they also don’t have that pressure to straight/whitify their protagonists. It puts them in a cool spot to do cool things, and since they usually have limited resources, they almost always do it in a cool way at that.

I think there is a balance, and there are some studios out their either with the leeway to get what they want/need from a publisher, or just sheer talent and skill to do it the hard way, and those are the studios to keep your eyes on.

It’s weird with these too games, because I don’t think the way they were announce implied they were at all or remotely coming soon. 

Take Kingdom Hearts 3, an announcement near and dear to my heart. When it was announced it was just said it is “Now in Development”. There is lot of ridiculous and clearly distorted rhetoric around the development of Kingdom Hearts 3, but I firmly believe that game entered development in early 2013 when it was announced. Deluding yourself to believe that game was actively being worked on anytime before that is absolutely ridiculous. So if you look at it that way, the game has now been in development for four years, which is still a long time, but within range for something as ambitious and license-heavy as a Kingdom Hearts, especially since its the series’ first outing in HD at all.

Final Fantasy VII is also an odd case. They had just done all the stuff with the Final Fantasy VII PC port to PS4, and that had angered a ton of people. But then after they announced it they went and showed that gameplay trailer at the end of that same year, and that was clearly a very early prototype (at least, I think) and that was weird. That game was also clearly very early on, but showing any gameplay at all the way they did, at an event like PSX, I think led people to believe something that just wasn’t true. But it was a trump card for SE and I think they needed that shot to the arm, especially at the time.

So overall, no I don’t think so, but I think you just have to be mature and recognize when Square Enix of all publishers say “Now in Development” they really fucking mean it.

UM, AMY, YOU CAN HAVE AS MANY AS YOU WANT.

You’re the best Amy and I cannot wait to see you.

Aguman. Look at this cute lil fucker

If I had to bed it’d be some kind of Smash Deluxe with all the 3DS stages from Smash 4 reimagined into it. To be fair, if you consolidate all those crazy additional stages in 3DS, add all the DLC characters, a few more characters, maybe some kind of story mode, that’s a really great package. I think they are going to add more to it then they did for MK8 Deluxe and show it next year though, since that way it can at least feel a bit different, but I think the base game will just be that Wii U version again.

Really? I have no idea what’s going on in motorsports, but cheers.

Honestly, as a very much not-a-driving-game-kinda-guy, Mario Kart and Twisted Metal are the only games that come to mind. I don’t think there has ever been any kind of driving game that I’ve ever really liked. I’ve always wanted to try Forza or Gran Turismo, since they’re so popular and well liked they have me curious, but I’ve never taken the time for it.

I do not watch any auto racing. I really am the opposite of a car-guy. Like, I have no affection or affiliation for cars. I like a nice car, sure, but there is no attachment there except to my own car, which is an old-ass Camry that I’ve had for years. I also really just don’t like racing that much. Like, the competition of racing is probably my least favorite kind of competition. It can be great, but the standard car race doesn’t sure draw me in.

But more power to you Harold!

I’d bet zero. I’m always surprised that Greg really keeps it together in the moment. I’ve seen him get up there and do a show and just kill it so many times, and he gets emotional, but he has kept it together at the last couple of Kinda Funny Lives. I think in the podcast environment, it’s a lot easier to get emotional. It’s the time and place for it, and it’s far more intimate, but with us the listener, and him the host. So I think that’s why the tears come flowing on shows more frequently.

*Googles Custom Robo again*

Hmmm, if they really do make another one of these for Switch, maybe I’ll give it a shot!

And if they bring over the GameCube one as a downloadable, hell I’d try it.

Personally, I am most excited for Microsoft’s E3 conference, because I feel they’ve got the most to prove. With nothing but Crackdown on the horizon, they need to give people literally any reason to care about their new console+, because right now “True 4K Gaming” is kind of a shitty one.

Plus, they have put on stellar shows two years running now, and I think they can go for the hat trick. They’re really great at presenting now that they’re into the “Phil Spencer” era, and I just adore that dude. He gets it. When he gets up on stage and talks, I want to listen. 

So while my expectations are high, I truly think they’re going to kill it.

I mean, I’d love to, but I’ll be in San Francisco, and I don’t think it’ll be very possible. Sorry buddy. Another time <3 

Gonna get your sweet ass on that post-E3 IPP though.

The Checklist

With all of the Far Cry 5 announcements going on, my interest rose. Not everyone is excited, and some people are. Here are two perspectives:

When American militia and religious cults become marketing - Brian Crecente - Polygon - https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/26/15700944/far-cry-5-marketing

‘Far Cry 5′ is About Living Under Fear in America - Austin Walker - Waypoint - https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/far-cry-5-is-about-living-under-fear-in-america

I found it super valuable to see both sides of the Far Cry 5 story. Personally, I’m hopeful, and obviously Austin Walker is one of my all time favorite writers, and I’m happy to see him hopeful too. Crecente’s piece is well told, and though he sees this as a marketing gimmick more, and I don’t know if he is giving the devs at Ubisoft enough credit, I totally see where he is coming from.

Emily is Away Too Review - Logan Wilkinson - Irrational Passions - http://irrationalpassions.com/review/emily-is-away-too-review/

Okay yeah, sure, pimping stuff from my own site is a bit much, but Logan really killed it with this review. I edited, I loved it, you should read it, and I should probably play this game.

The Star Wars Prequels - Barrett Courtney - The B List - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUJOd2uOdh0&feature=youtu.be

Barrett is obviously a very good friend and good fuck is he so good at everything and it makes me so mad. This is no exception. Boy do I hate the prequels, but he does such a good job forming his point here you have to give him some credit..

Whats Good Games Podcast - http://whatsgoodgames.com

You should check this show out. Started listening this week, and it’s just a great show with varied, critical, and intelligent personalities and opinions, while also acting as a super big breath of fresh air in games. It also kind of reminds me of Weekend Confirmed for whatever reason, and that makes me happy.

Well, at the close of this I’m very tired, feel all exhausted, and still have to make dinner. All my roommates are gone for the night, so for the first time ever, I am gonna be all alone with my cat in my big ‘ol house. That means I’m watching a lot of Netflix and making some popcorn.

I don’t know if there will be a Sunday Chats next week, since I’ll still be in San Francisco until Tuesday of the following week, but if you follow me on Twitter I’m sure I’ll figure it out at some point and tweet it when I do.

If you read Sunday Chats, thank you. I don’t deserve you, but I sure as hell appreciate you. <3

keep it real.