#I should replay… but I never actually beat the games after 1 I just got close to it and quit cause I’m a loser LOL

[no1ryomafan]

I’m always in and out of mega man circles and lore is a subject I’ve come to loathe sometimes as I enjoy the lore in this series but the gatekeeping was unreal over a series that didn’t have anything planned out-like most old video games trying to establish lore-so alterations to canon should be acceptable next to “aus exist for a reason” but maybe it’s just cause the fandom as is doesn’t like/give star force a chance, I wish low key people would be more accepting of the idea of “turning the FM-Ians into robots akin to the Stardroids” because that would be such a raw concept for them to still exist in the robot timeline but as more space alien robots we never saw but I know people would get hissy at this idea not being “canon” when this doesn’t invalidate the network timeline, it’s just saying “what if these aliens both coexist” (cause I also fuck with the stardroids also being FM-Ians or space Navis if duo.exe can exist, but I feel like someone would’ve done that by now but definitely hasn’t done this idea)

[drkineildwicks]

So we went and saw Sonic 3 in theaters....

Did it because my uncle paid for it

For context the very last movie I saw in theaters until this one was Sonic 1 so this was functionally the triumphant return

My honest thoughts:

*Crush 40 voice* YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

I've been singing Sonic music, specifically Shadow's songs, ever since going that movie was excellent I loved it and Mom had to stop me several times from vibrating apart in my seat XD

Also Sonic movie 4 is confirmed??? 2027 let's gooooo

Seriously I was all excited for the new Palworld expansion but after this movie that one has to wait I'm replaying SA2 XD

And it beating Mufasa into the ground is absolutely hilarious to me XD

Now that I've seen it I'm listening to podcasts covering it and the fact that Sonic 3 is showing in fewer theaters and making double the money HA!

And disney trying to lie and getting completely trolled by the fans

Three d's or whatever the lady said that got her arrested but Sonic is handing broke disney its head and I am here for it

Spoilery stuff under the cut, if you haven't seen it yet go see it

Also fair warning this gets long

Okay let's open up by saying that whoever makes these movies are MASSIVE GameCube era fans

Because they were pulling from Sonic Adventure 2, Shadow the Hedgehog, and Sonic Heroes

And Eggman's final outfit was his Sonic 06 one!

Was Gerald's Nega-Robotnik from the Rush games? IDK I only played the second one

They finally gave him his theme song as his ringtone!

I was elbowing Mom and pointing out what was from which game I did this with Sonic 2 as well

Sonic 1 when we came home from the theater I sat her down in front of the TV and booted up SA1 and SA2 and showed her the bits that the movie had pulled from

The guy in the Prison Island control room reminded me of the computer nerd from White House Down but Mom and I can't confirm yet

But he did have Omega on his computer console X'D

Shadow escaping from Prison Island

SHADOW MEETING TEAM SONIC AND BASICALLY REINACTING THE OPENING TO SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG

SONIC 3 WITH A CHAO GARDEN SEGA COULD NEVER

Listen I LIVED in those gardens with SA1 and SA2 I was able to identify every single one of those Chao types XD

THEY HAVE CHEESE THE CHAO!

Me spending 90% of the movie pointing like Leo DiCaprio in that one movie like they did the thing! They said the line! and the rest just vibrating apart

I warned my uncle before going in, multiple times, that I would not be normal about this movie

I am not normal about this movie

And I keep joking with Mom that these movies were tailor-made for her XD

Reason being she liked movie 1 and ever since then they've been adding stuff she likes like Uptown Funk, Shemar Moore, Keanu Reeves, etc.

Now they added the Beach Boys X'D

Also Shadow joining Knuckles on the TV women deserve more respect couch

Seriously was that bit with Shadow and the telenovela a reference to Ghosts of the Future? Did they actually reference a fancomic???

Gerald Robotnik still being alive is interesting and framing it with him having one of Shadow's quills makes me wonder if that energy was what kept him alive

It would explain how Ivo Robotnik survived the end of Sonic 2

And with the fourth movie confirmed and Jim Carrey saying he loves the character, I'm left wondering if he's somehow going to come back again

Like realistically there should be no way but I said that about Sonic 2 as well

Also I love that he's retired but for playing Robotnik at this point X'D

That also makes me wonder if Sonic and company are rubbing off on Tom, Maddie and even Wade the same way

Like realistically Team Sonic was only gone for maybe two days? HOW did they get all that done in two days if they aren't operating at Sonic's speed honestly

Also SONIC HEROES REFERENCE

MULTIPLE Sonic Heroes references because when Tails carries the others it's how they do it in that game, Tails throws Sonic like he does in that game, Knuckles throws Tails like he does in that game, etc.

So I was wondering if they were going to bring in Silver so they could go into Sonic 06 but with introducing Metal Sonic and AMY ROSE they look like they're heading for a combo of Sonic CD and Sonic Heroes

More the latter because they've got like half the main cast of that game by now XD

Oh give me Team Chaotix

Also I'm glad they're evidently going with Amy's later characterizations of being a competent fighter instead of just running into danger because she's boy-crazy

Although when Knuckles was trying to talk Sonic down from using the Master Emerald in his enraged state (coupled with the Chaos energy Shadow could generate) I was wondering if that was leading into Chaos coming out of the Emerald and a SA1 adaptation

Also me telling Mom "he left it with Wade" for the movie to immediately hard-cut to Wade X'D

Knuckles series reference!

That show was good y'all just out here acting like it stole your firstborn you'd have never survived the 00s era

BLACK DOOM REFERENCE

I never finished Shadow the Hedgehog but him using a device that summons a black hole makes me think that was Black Doom tech

Shadow coming down in a meteor that looks like the big eye thing that follows you around if you take the evil route

And I find it interesting that they softened Maria's death from getting straight-up shot

I did not tell anyone in my family how she goes out until after the movie, btw

But arguably being that close to an explosion is worse and there's probably good reason she was in shadow in those scenes

GUN having to account for rings being able to take you anywhere you can visualize was a nice bit of worldbuilding

Didn't like the one lady tho

Don't know who the actress is but I don't think I'm fond of her either so that didn't help

I will say that I agree with Mom on the pacing of some of the jokes, I had that problem with the first two movies as well where a joke went for too long

But in listing the parts I would trim down (the two Robotniks dancing, the first telanovela scene, the bits in the gravity scene, etc.) it's all stuff that couldn't be thrown in because of all the work that had to go into it

Like Jim Carrey had to sit in a chair for hours with the Gerald makeup and then had to film it all twice

On that topic, the line with them hanging a lampshade on him playing two characters didn't need to be in there and made the scene run too long

Look, the biggest thing about comedy is that it has specific timing and if something runs too long or too short it throws the whole thing off

Although I kept expecting Stone to come up to Space Colony ARK with one of the Robotnik vehicles to save Robotnik

Eggman ends up broadcasting like he did before and it's to talk directly to Stone

And to be fair to Stone: after three movies of Robotnik saying he hates organics and only needs his machines, being upgraded to syco-friend is the best those two can do

Like dang Robotnik's out here like help me Max, I'm FEELING!

Robotnik's heart grew three sizes that day

They still managed to destroy the moon with the Eclipse Cannon XD

Shadow hurting so badly from what they did to Maria that he was willing to die firing said cannon and he was actively egging Sonic on and telling him to kill him...ouch

I do want to question them being able to have a whole chat on the moon considering there's no air and no atmosphere

Legit my first thought when they were doing that was Stitch and cousins from Lilo and Stitch: the Series because they didn't need suits either

And when I was picking it apart with Mom over breakfast this morning I eventually reasoned that the levels on Space Colony ARK towards the end of SA2 all do the same thing since if you miss a landing there you go, plummeting towards earth in a fireball

I love that of the three of them, Knuckles was the one who could handle the stress of reentry

My boi is as tough as he says

So is Tom apparently dude should not have survived that

Getting hit in the chest like that can stop your heart, as we found out with that football player a few years back--dude is very lucky his plot armor is thicker than the general's

I also like that Shadow, for all his planning to destroy the world and everything in it, looked like he felt genuinely bad for hurting Tom by mistake

And him and Sonic having that heart-to-heart

LIVE AND LEARN INTENSIFIES

Like they teased the song through the whole movie to have it BLARE OUT IN THE CLIMAX

Me trying to resist singing along in the theater X'D

Also petition to have the scene where Sonic and Shadow shake hands and clasp the others before going super be the new handshake meme

HAVING GUN ROBOTS COME OUT OF THE ARK

"Don't tell me you have your own catchphrase" X'D

Shadow with his motorcycle, casually doing a Ghost Rider straight up Tokyo Tower

Me elbowing Mom when Sonic follows: "I told you he could have run up the side of the Trans-American building in the first movie!"

Mom: "Oh yeah!"

They had the same posters in the background of the Tokyo shots as they did in the game YES

Also I noticed during one of the close-ups that Shadow's gloves have that same little smartphone-friendly patch that most modern gloves have??? In the seventies??? Dang Black Doom made sure he got the good gloves X'D

Like seriously I could pick apart this movie for YEARS it makes me so happy it was worth all the hype :D

I wasn't even expecting the first movie to be any good but three great movies and a TV show Sonic fans are eating good and apparently we're not done yet

I am SO ready \.o./

Anywho *goes back to running outside belting "Live and Learn" at the top of my lungs*

also good stuff for that one BH6 AU

[trumai-jpg]

A Beginners Guide to Night 8 in FNAF 1

Hi! Okay so recently with the movie and Help Wanted 2 I've been sorta coming back into my old FNAF phase, so me and a friend decided to replay the older games - 1-6 mainly and then maybe the others if we were up to it idk - but after beating Night 6 in the first game I was talking to my friend about the night Scott added after FNAF 3 released and apparently people just don't know about this...?

Honestly I'm surprised people aren't more aware of this (they even done a GT live stream about it) but it makes sense since nit a lot of Big YouTubers went back to play it. You can unlock Night 8 by inputting '2023' in the custom night selection screen. From there it'll take you to a normal 'Custom Night' but with the addition of Springtrap from the third game and none of the other animatronics!

Springtrap will always start the night just out of sight from Cam 7. His AI is set to around 11-13 at the start of the night but by the end will reach 20. The gimmick with him is he's (typically) hiding somewhere in the camera but luckily I went into the files and got the images without any of the UI or static! He can go other directions (for example: Cam 7 to Cam 18) but this is usually how it goes.

What's important about going against Springtrap is you need to keep a constant watch on him. If you hold a camera open that he's on for 3-4 seconds you'll be able to either hold him back or straight up make him go back to a previous camera. (if you choose to just do nothing and wait by the doors he'll rush to you and jumpscare you after about 40 seconds of inactivity.)

CAM 7 - Restrooms

You can usually point Springtrap out by his eyes, and with this usually being his starting point you should Hopfully be able to catch him in Cam 7 hiding in the boys bathroom. His eyes will usually point him out but the static can make it difficult.

CAM 4A - Right Hallway

This is probably one of the hardest spots to find him in. It's practically impossible to see him in here under normal means BUT he'll always make his way through the kitchen first, and like Chica he'll make some noise when he does, so if you're quick to it you can catch him here after and push him back.

CAM 4B - Right Corner

If you see Springtrap here then he'll be just one stop outside of your office, and he doesn't give you much time to breath either. At his first movement opportunity he'll make his way to your office but I'll get to that in a bit.

CAM 5 - Workroom

After reaching one of your doors, Springtrap's position will reset to either the restrooms, or here. There's actually two positions he can have in this room. Catching him in the doorframe will send him back inside the room at his next movement opportunity but he barely stays there for even a couple seconds so it's pretty hard to catch him.

CAM 1B - Dining Area

He's pretty hard to miss here, but what's important is that he can move here from either the Restrooms or the Work Room and ge can change his route from either of them.

CAM 3 - Supply Closet

This one isn't that complicated. He'll come here after leaving the dining room if he decides to come to your left door.

CAM 2B - Left Corner

Springtrap will up and ignore CAM 2A, and go straight to the corner. If he's here you should follow the same advice as the Right Corner since it's pretty straight forward from here.

The Office

Sooner or later you're going to stumble and he'll make his way to your office, but fortunately because of his glowing eyes you technically never have to use lights to see Springtrap. that aside, you should close the door immediately if you see him through either window.

If you don't manage to notice him or close your doors, then you'll have one more opportunity (albeit an easy one to miss.) If you put your cameras down and see Springtrap's eyes then close the door straight away. Any other movement like lights or the camera will cause him to jumpscare you and end your night.

Past that you should be all set! Just manage your power and try to get through the night. I should say, although the other animatronics are out of commission for the night, there's still a minor chance that Yellow Bear or Sparky can make an appearance on certain cameras. Just don't stare at them too long or put your camera down too quick, so have fun and good luck beating Night 8!

[asleepinawell]

hot off the triumph of my ng+ run of dark souls 1, i decided to finally go back to try and beat ringed city which i rage quit 2 years ago (read more because i rambled a bit) (obligatory note that this is all just my opinion, other people get different things out of the game and that's fine, etc)

i didn't quit over a boss fight, but over that stretch between the inner wall bonfire and the swamp where the devs were like okay turtle clerics, ringed knights, SIX harald knights on the stairs backed up by ranged, and then a goddamn swamp in a level that should have been a cool ruined city. and all of the hard damage sponge enemies respawn. so if you die you have to go through a ton of very slow hard fights again and it's tedious

this time i looked up where the bonfire was and just made a run for it. and then after trying the next part did the same thing again. it is just frustrating. i can't play for more than twenty minutes at a time without having to turn it off and find something actually fun to do

the whole time I've been thinking about what makes a soulsborne level actually good. i've never thought it was difficulty (and would argue that being known as "so so hard" becoming the core aspect of soulsborne has been the worst thing to happen to the series)

for me, the best levels depend on patience and observation, not extremely hard enemies spawning out of nowhere. the sign of a good level is that when you finish it, when you're out of the thick of it, you think "hey that was cool and i wouldn't mind doing it again someday". and you think that regardless of any annoyance or difficulty you had along the way

when you finish an area and just think "i never want to go through that again" then something went wrong

i think about tower of latria, anor londo, darkroot garden, tomb of giants, central yarhnam, and even the valley of defilement and yeah some of those were grueling but god were they cool and i will go back to them someday. ringed city makes me think i'd rather go mop my kitchen (which i did so i guess something good came of it)

similar feeling about boss fights. artorias and manus were challenging but i ended both fights being like fuck yeah i did it! and the fights looked and felt really cool. i felt like i was fighting a duel rather than waiting for the boss to stop ping-ponging off the walls shitting status effects so i could get in one hit

the first boss fight in ringed city (I'm up to the second one now but haven't done it yet) i was like oh good now i never have to do that again (i don't even remember it very well, just that i didn't enjoy it). i actually prefer easy fights that have neat atmosphere (moonlight butterfly) to harder ones that leave me frustrated and think the best ones combine elements of challenge and atmosphere

(artorias' primal screams still get me every time, the deceptive speed he can move with despite lurching around, his dead arm dangling, the trail of abyss corruption, the way i remembered all his attacks years later...god that fight was good)

anyway i love the series a ton and I'll just end with the fact i have beaten demon's souls about 5 times (3 ng+ iterations included), and dark souls 1 about the same number of times. i've been through bloodborne twice and am almost through a third time. elden ring i beat twice and it's kind of a mixed bag. and then there's ds3 which i beat once and have 5 new characters i never got far on (i did like it but felt no desire to replay). i don't think i ever touched ds2 again after beating it. to me that says a lot

[sdyuteiaok]

Got a neat RW deck to 5 wins--I had two Heroic Reinforcementss, plus the RW Ravnica doublestriker rare and even the landfall equipment and the rare equipment that gives +2/0 and flying and even snaps on, to help the double striker get through. He never dealt a single point of damage, though. He woulda won one of my games thanks to haste from my 2/2, but I was one land shy from being able to equip everything and cast him, pretty annoying. But I had some great games--I just needed some removal, I was just mainly banking on winning outright before my opponent can find his legs, which worked out often enough. I'm not sure if it was a trophy deck, though, since I had almost no removal outside of the 4/4 raid shocker and the rare snap-on equipment, maybe one actual removal spell I'm not thinking of. There was one, that one where my opponent was one attack from dead, where I believe I threw the game when I tried to hit the gas by moving my equipment from my token to my actual threatening guy, which woulda made my opponent dead to just about anything in a follow-up alpha. I shoulda just made the token do slightly less damage but force him to deal with it, which woulda exhausted his removal for my actual threatening guys. But I got antsy and he indeed had the removal once I blew all my mana moving everything over. I had a land for the landfall equipment, so the token woulda dealt 5 damage, which he likely couldn't spare, so he either he takes it and is in a super perilous position, or he wastes precious removal on this token, and then my other guys are ready to deal 8+ next turn, which would almost lock him out, barring another removal spell or flying blocker, which I don't believe he had. He mighta had one more removal spell, but in either case, my third, burly guy woulda closed the deal, but instead, I had to rely on the token, which couldn't hold up against his defenses. I only realized this was the crucial turn--the turn I moved my equipment over--after the game concluded, but I'm pretty sure this is the case. I was pleasantly surprised to find Untapped now has game replays, so I could probably study the tape to be completely sure. Anyway, the format is definitely not electrifying, but I like it just fine--it's, like most core sets, a nice change of pace. It does feel a little sluggish, when we often slog to the topdeck war portion of most games--there's not a whole lot of mana sinks or card draw effects, so it really does feel like an set from another era. I did have now my third total 3/3 Angel that draws when you gain life (got two in yesterday's draft), and I literally played half-on gainlands for her, plus two of the 3/1 Dogs that return permanents--one game I bounced two of my gain lands to draw cards, that's how desperate and hoop-jumping we have to be to draw cards in this format. Anyway, happy with 5 wins, but I feel like I coulda squeezed one more win, if I'd been playing just a little more sharply. The next draft is paid for, so looking forward to hopping back in the queue, which has thankfully been firing almost instantly. I'm old enough to remember these used to take forever, especially with the 8th guy in the queue, but for whatever reason, things are hopping. I'm in Platinum now, though, so I gotta stay on my toes, the easy wins are generally over, and we're consistently playing competent players now. Not to diminish the lower ranks, but it's a lot of people clearly trying out draft--possibly even Magic--for the first time or something like that. Which is great, cuz everyone should try Magic, and it's nice to get some easier wins when drafting is so expensive, but it isn't too satisfying beating them.

[rjjameshiii]

RJ's 100% Club #4: Ape Escape 2

Completed on 3/4/2023 at 12:29 PM

This game does not have a Platinum, but I was super happy to play it anyway. I was obsessed with this game for a solid year when I was a kid, even though I never actually managed to beat it completely. Still, Ape Escape 2 was one of my childhood highlights, and I decided to play it again on my PS5.

I've never played Ape Escape the first, but I assume the plot is similar to this one: An evil super smart monkey named Specter unleashes an army of intelligent monkeys on Earth to conquer it, and a boy named Hikaru (or Jimmy) must use a bunch of gadgets to capture all of the monkeys and save the world.

To get all the trophies, you first have to simply play the game. Go through each level capturing monkeys, including defeating the five members of the Freaky Monkey Five, the game's bosses and Specter's minions, and also make sure to pick up coins to try to win the three mini-games from the Gatcha Machine. By the time you beat Specter in the final fight, you should have 10 trophies!

1/14: Got One! - Capture your first monkey.

2/14: Look Both Ways - Defeat Monkey Blue.

3/14: Encore! - Defeat Monkey Pink.

4/14: Perfect Score - Earn a score of 50 in the dancing mini-game.

5/14: Robo Jimmy - Defeat Monkey White.

6/14: Tapped Out - Defeat Monkey Red.

7/14: Hat-Trick - Score three goals in one match of the soccer mini-game.

8/14: Only Way Is Up - Unlock the climbing mini-game.

9/14: Sumo-Sized - Defeat the Giant Monkey Yellow.

10/14: End To The Madness - Complete the Showdown with Specter.

You also need to win the Theme Tune music from the Gatcha Machine, but because the machine is completely random, I didn't actually end up getting the Theme Tune until after I had beaten Specter.

11/14: Jungle Tunes - Listen to the Theme Tune soundtrack.

Next up, I simply played the very first level again in order to get the trophy for getting Gold on a Time Trial. The first level is the easiest, so it makes the most sense to do it on this one.

12/14: Top Ape - Earn your first Gold Medal Time during a Time Trial.

Then you have to finish the game. Turns out Specter actually escaped after the "final battle", and you need to go back to every level and capture all the monkeys you didn't capture the first time around. Once you actually clear all levels again, you'll be able to go to the true final boss fight and beat Specter a second time.

13/14: One Last Time - Complete the Final Showdown with Specter.

And now there is only one more trophy...and that is to literally play the ENTIRE GAME all over again. Start to finish. Including doing the collection and second final fight again - but this time as Spike/Kakeru, the protagonist of the first game. It literally makes absolutely no difference, you're just replaying the game but with a new skin. But once you beat the game a second time, you get the last trophy.

14/14: Back For More - Complete the game playing as Spike.

I love Ape Escape 2 and I think it's a great game. I even think replaying it as Spike is fun! However, playing it on the PS5 is very buggy, and the controls are extremely messed up on the new engine. So that does make it a little less fun.

Rating: 8/10

[dokifluffs]

Falling Asleep on Him | Oikawa, Atsumu

Pairings: Oikawa X Reader (gender netural), and Atsumu X Reader (gender neutral)

Genre: more fluff tehe

Author’s Note: the final installmentttt and oh to sleep. 

WARNINGS! Post time skip for Atsumu!! 

Falling Asleep on Them | Kenma, Kuroo // Falling Asleep on Them | Tsukishima, Akaashi, Iwaizumi // Falling Asleep on Them | Yamaguchi, Ushijima, Osamu 

Oikawa: 

“Come on, Y/N, we’re gonna miss the introductions~” Oikawa held onto your hand as he led you through the crowd, weaving passed the families and people as they walked through the entrance of the TeNQ Space Museum

“Tooru, slow down- ah, I’m so sorry,” you called back to the man you bumped into lightly with your shoulder as Oikawa pulled the two of you through toward the planetarium, the building right beside the museum

You surprised Oikawa for his birthday with tickets to this museum, one of the many he had always wanted to go but never found the time to go

Yet here the two of you were

It took you a month to wait to present these tickets, snatching them as soon as you could, especially for the planetarium that was only open for two hours per day

With his eagerness, the two of you made it to your seats in the planetarium, making it with just a few minutes left to spare

He practically bounced in his seat seeing how they planetarium projected constellations all over the ceiling, colorful lights slowly bouncing around as people chatted away, anticipating for the projections of the universe

He stuffed his and your bags beneath his seat, out of the wait of the aisle, making sure not to block anyone

“We made it,” you huffed, out of breath

The two of you had spent all day, taking your time to go through and look at everything that could possibly looked at, taking even longer to pass time at the gift shop, buying shirts, figurines of model space crafts, little gifts and toys usually for kids

But of course oikawa told you he “bought them for his nephew”

They were totally for his bedroom and you knew it

You felt so drained sitting in the planetarium, cold as well as the air conditioning constantly ran 

The dome went silent, the voices hushing away to nothing as the lights dimmed, a calm, man’s voice sounding over the speakers all around, going through the history of space

you let out a yawn, goosebumps rising on your arms, a chill running down your spine 

but looking to oikawa, you had never seen his eyes shine as bright as the stars in the dome or in the night sky 

his smile, how the stars twinkled and reflected his brown eyes so brightly warmed you up 

As focused as he was on the stars, he could see you in his peripheral vision 

“isn’t it great- oh, Y/N, are you tired?” he asked as he turned, catching you burying your face as you let out a yawn, your arms folded over your chest, your figure balled up just the slightest 

He unzipped his sweater, draping it around you without missing a beat 

You waited a month to give him the tickets, to bring him to one of the places he wanted to so desperately go to in Japan and here the two of you were 

Though sleep last night was hard to come by with excitement welling up inside of you but by the time you slept, you had already missed a couple of your usual hours of sleep

Not to mention how early the two of you left to make it to a couple metro rides in order to get here early enough to walk around 

He wrapped his arm around your shoulder, pulling you close as the two of you relaxed in your seats, gazing up at the stars, feeling like you were worlds away from earth 

though for Oikawa, with you beside him, his world was always right there with him 

You dozed off, your eyes fluttering off, the last thing you saw were the hundreds of stars shining, it persuaded your mind further it was the middle of the night 

“Thank you for the best gift, chibi-chan,” he pecked the top of your head as he returned his focus to the stars, his heart full 

he couldn’t have asked for a better day than this 

Atsumu: 

The loud sound of the motors of the turbines on the plane became a background noise that everyone on the plane had become accustomed to, falling asleep regardless of how noisy it seemed to get

Everyone’s windows were shut, blocking out the bright morning sun as the plane neared closer and closer to the Tokyo International Airport

The Jackals occupied the first class, the team catching up on much needed rest after playing extensive games against Brazil and France in Paris, all lasting more than three sets at least

All except Atsumu and you but barely

He kept an earbud in his ear, watching recordings of all the games ever since sitting down

The special thing about the first class seats in the plane were how they could extend to mini couches, comfy enough for anyone of any age

A small divider could slide up and down between the paired seats in each section but fortunately for Atsumu, he didn’t have to sit with Bokuto or Hinata or Sakusa, watching him freak out over the seat, disinfecting every single bit of it before actually sitting

The divider was down, you sat close beside him as he held the phone, the other bud in your ear

A complimentary blanket was draped loosely over both your bodies, only one of Atsumu’s legs as he wore black sweatpants, his face leaning into his free hand balled into a fist

It felt like your body was slowly swaying back and forth as you blinked your eyes repeatedly, keeping yourself awake

Tears every now and then filled your eyes, blurring your vision of the game before you wiped them away, numerous yawns escaping you

Atsumu was focused on the video but he could also very clearly see you below him to the side, your head swaying and almost even dropping a couple times

“Ya know ya can sleep, right?’ He paused the recording, calling out your obvious sluggishness

“I wanted to watch your game with you,” you looked up to him with those tired eyes of yours, a small warmness blooming in his chest as a result of just the way you looked at him

“You can watch later, just sleep”

You nodded, moving out of the blanket to head back to your actual seat when Atsumu took hold of your arm

“Where do ya think you’re going? You got a perfectly good pillow right here,” He pulled you to lean onto him, his legs suddenly propped up so you could be laid between his body and legs

“Get some sleep,” he pushed your hair back from your forehead, making sure to rub his thumb over your head as he always did whenever you slept before him

His phone stayed illuminated, the video paused at a part replaying a certain play made by the Jackals against Brazil, beside him as he continued his ministration, rubbing the pad of his thumb over your skin

He couldn’t believe you were here; you took a flight by yourself from Japan all the way to France to see him as a surprise since he would be gone for two weeks but he never expected it

You were there right in the front on the Jackals’ side wearing a shirt that had replicated his jersey

“Thank you for being there,” he thought to himself letting the gushy warmth take over his chest and spread through his body when his mind filled with you, the features of your face and body he had seen and felt so many times, the voice and laugh he had grown accustomed to like no other

“And here.” Atsumu leaned down when you were for sure asleep, pressing a light kiss to your forehead as his hand found the edge of the blanket, pulling it up to cover more of your body sleeping on his

Just as he thought and knew: this was where you should be- with him

~~~~~ Thanks for reading! Masterlist for more! Please do not repost anywhere else!

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[videogame1up]

Some of my favorite games of all time

If you were to ask me what my favorite game of all time is, i would probably say something like "Of all time? I don't know, depending on the day and my mood it could be ten different games" Or something to that effect. The games listed here are a healthy mix of some genuinely amazing, ten outta ten games and some "I played it a lot when i was a kid" With that said this list is in absolute no order, the #1 on this list is not my all time favorite game, just one of them.

10. Sims Bustin out

Alright starting off with a bit of a left curve, but Sims Bustin out is one of my favorite games of all time. Which is a statement i trust not too many people have said. Is Sims bustin out the best Sims game? No, that's probably Sims 2. Bustin out beats out 2 mostly for that sweet sweet nostalgia. Anyone who has played, and gotten into the Sims knows how addicting the game play is, balancing work, personal life, relationships is so much more enjoyable when done virtually than in real life. I have so many memories of booting this game up late at night when everyone had fallen asleep, excited to get a new promotion in my criminal career path. The gameplay of Sims Bustin out is purely addicting, and it's an addiction i haven't really shaken from childhood. Now I'm off to never say or type "Bustin out" ever again

Release Date- December 16, 2003

Consoles-PS2, Xbox, Gamecube

9. Donkey Kong Country

I remember the first time playing this game, my friend invited me over and about half way through i asked "So, whats the plot exactly? Like, are we trying to rescue your girlfriend or something?" I was beside my self when my friend went "Nah, we're getting your bananas back" It's such a funny premise and shows the game doesn't take its self too seriously, beneath the surface of this over the top goofy game is genuinely one of the greatest 2D platformers of all time . One of those games that has infinite replay ability because its so much fun going through these stages. The difficulty curb isn't too crazy, and eases you into some of the most challenging but fair levels from any game. Not to mention this one of the best looking games to come from the Snes, with one of gamings best soundtracks. I genuinely love this game, and believe its worth playing, even if for only a few levels.

Release date- November 18, 1994

Consoles- Snes, Switch (online snes library)

8. Kingdom Hearts

*silence* WHEN YOU WALK AWAY

The Kingdom hearts series has had its up and its downs, it has had it's Organization XIII and it's time travel (for some reason) the original Kingdom Hearts is still a pretty simple and straightforward game which i definitely think helps with it's longevity, i don't know what is going on in Kh3 and i played all the other games leading up to it. KH is a beautiful marriage between Square Enix and Disney, it should not work out nearly as well as it does. The developers really got things right off the bat, the worlds (for the most part, fun fact you can actually skip under the sea) are fun to explore or at the very least, thanks to the enjoyable combat system, they are fun to fight your way through. Each world of course has its own vibes, they have their own unique heartless and boss fights. If you want extra content KH has you covered. Two (pretty difficult) secret bosses to find in the Peter Pan world and Aladdin world. You also have the coliseum to go back to, eventually making your way up to the Hades cup filled with enemies you have fought along the way as well as a few boss fights including of course Hades him self. You can't talk about side content without talking about Sephiroth. You can beat the game, credits will roll, Sephiroth will still kill you. Or for giggles you can attempt a speed run (for me my best time is around 5 hours) Kingdom hearts was also the first game that was purely just mine, after having to share with my siblings no one but me in the house was all that interested in saving my friends and returning back home to Destiny islands. This is game that scratches that nostalgia itch, and is just a genuinely fun game

"Remember what you said before? I'm always with you too, I'll come back to you. I promise"

"I know you will"

Release Date-March 28, 2002

Consoles-PS2,PS3,PS4, Xbox One

7. Wind Waker

Link to the past was my first Zelda game, but Wind Waker is my favorite Zelda game. Wind Waker, how do i love thee, let me count the ways

The open world was vast with so much to see and explore, this is a point of contention as there are those out there who don't like the great sea. And those people are wrong. The great sea offers such a great sense of exploration. Feed the fish to learn about each island (49 of em) take on each enemy outpost you encounter, hunt for treasure, fight sea monsters, explore ghost ships, or simply watch a storm roll in. While Zelda stories are never very deep, i quite like this one. (slight spoilers for a 20 year old game) you discover what happens to Hyrule when it's hero fails to rise, for a cartoony game its story is fairly dark. And of course the game looks fantastic, even going back to play the original gamecube release it still looks very good. Some complain that this is one of the easier Zelda games, but that criticism goes out when you consider Breath of the wild is the easiest Zelda game and that's the one everyone says is perfect. Zelda games aren't meant to be dark souls, and i really do love just sailing around.

"This is the only world that your ancestors were able to leave you. Please....forgive us"

Release date- March 24, 2003

Consoles- Gamecube, Wii U

6. Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega Genesis)

A.K.A the official Nostalgia representative. The Sega Genesis was the first console i ever played, games like Eternal Champions, Phantom 2040, X-Men, Alex Kid in the enchanted castle, while i do have a soft for these games and many others that kicked off my interest in gaming, not many hold up exceptionally well today, that is of course expect for Sonic on Genesis (I'm cheating here a bit and including the three main line sonic games on the genesis ) These games represented the best that the Genesis had of offer and are still a blast to play to this day. Who wants to play as a slow Italian plumber when you can play as a cool blue hedgehog with attitude. Just try and put your controller down, he will tap his foot impatiently. It was the 90s, and being cool was so cool. Speed? Oh speed was the coolest. Race through the levels with master reaction time jumping over enemies and obstacles to race to the finish. 30 years later, and these games still hold up exceptionally well

Release date- June 21, 1991

Consoles- Genesis, and countless re-releases on nearly every console since the ps2.

5. Red Dead Redemption 2

I wanna be a cowboy baaaaby

There is no such thing as a perfect game, but RDR2 is pretty close. The Story is this game is one of my favorites. Following a gang in the dying days of the wild west, it has some twists. It has some turns. And in the end, it had an emotional and satisfying conclusion. RDR 2 excels at what any sandbox strives for, an amazing world to explore. As fantastic as the story is, the world has so much to see and do and explore. Stranger missions (side missions) scatter the world from becoming hunting friends with a war vet to gathering dangerous and exotic animals that have escaped from the traveling circus. Like searching for creepy Easter eggs? Because great, you can explore a haunted swamp, find a woman imprisoned by her own family, and follow the clues leading to the lair of a serial killer. With over 200 animals living in the world of RDR 2, it really does feel alive. The world is diverse and never a bore to travel through, in part thanks to the fact RDR2 is one of the most graphically impressive games I've ever played.

"When the time comes, you gotta run and don't look back. This is over."

Release date- October 26, 2018

Console-PS4,Xbox one, PC

4. Animal Crossing New Leaf

I bought a 3ds just for this game, i went to Gamestop the morning the game released and bought a Red 3Ds XL along a copy of Animal Crossing New Leaf. I won't get into New Horizons here, but New Leaf is still by far the series has offered. New Leaf was peak Animal crossing, it took the game several steps forward while still staying true to the Animal Crossing formula. You move to a village and become the new mayor, which allows you freedom over your town like never before. With public work projects you could decorate your town, as mayor you could set ordinances so villagers either stay up late with your, or maybe they wake up early with you. The music is arguably the best Animal Crossing has given us. Fortune cookies allowed you to decorate your home with items from Zelda, Mario, Pikmin, Starfox, etc. Forge friendships with your neighbors, try to force the ugly ones out, actually upgrade your shop all the way. Maybe the best part, no incredibly long tutorial. The game just, starts. It's easy for anyone from any age to get into New Leaf.

Release date- June 9th, 2013

Console- 3DS

3. Hit and Run

You ever wanna play gta but your mom wont let you? Just play The Simpsons Hit and Run, its sorta the same game. Hit and Run has a fair amount of flaws, like the fact you essentially repeat the same 4 or 5 missions over and over again. Race that car, follow that car, destroy that car, collect stuff the car drops (worst of these missions) However, i am a Simpsons fan and also it's a game from my youth, it was always going to make it on this list. (I see you Road Rage, get outta here) Even though the missions aren't the most thrilling, the game it self is still a lot of fun to mess around in it. Springfield is honestly pretty faithfully re-created, outside the standard missions there are plenty of extra goodies (level gags, collector cards, bonus cars to unlock, costumes such as cool Lisa, Bartman, Donut head homer and officer Marge) driving around feels good and doesn't take long before you start discovering shortcuts in each level, allowing you to absolutely smoke the computer players. For all these reasons Hit and Run is a game I'll consistently go back to and play

Release date- September 16, 2003.

Consoles-PS2,XBOX,GAMECUBE, PC

2. Pokemon Red and Blue

Is Red and Blue the best Pokemon games? Nah. Are the the only ones I'm nostalgic for? Nah. As much as i love Gen 2 Pokemon games Gold and Silver, i just can't justify having them over Red and Blue. These are the games that got me into Pokemon, i was the Pokemon generation and these games are so important to my childhood i just couldn't leave them off. I was on the playground when kids went "Hey you know you can catch a mew by moving that truck" It pained me that it was never true and Justin's dad did not in fact work at Nintendo. Red and Blue have not held up as well as many other games on this list, and even when the complaint for newer games are "Well this is nothing new" They still add onto and improve upon the original formula, however Nostalgia is an incredibly powerful force and this game like few others has the ability to make me feel 5 again.

"Do you believe in ghost? Hahahaha, i guess not. That white hand on your shoulder, it's not real"

Release date- September 28, 1998

Console- Gameboy

Super Smash bros ultimate

Each new Smash bros game instantly becomes the new best Smash game (sorry, Melee fans) at least that's the case for the general public. Each new game updates and adds onto the previous game, Smash ultimate is a rare beast in that whatever comes after it, can't possibly top it. The next smash game will more than likely be a great game, much like all old smash bro games are, but the next smash won't be able to say "Everyone is here!" The amount of characters and stages really does feel like a once in a lifetime thing. You'll never be able to say "Let's play a round of smash, you'll be Pichu, you can be Snake, you can be Ken, and I'll be Sora" Ever again. Smash ultimate is a game i have fairly regularly gone back to play since it's release in December 2018. As of writing this now i have played Smash Ultimate for 535 hours, that's 22 days of my life spent playing this game, and i have no regrets. I'll boot it up only expecting to play a few minutes but then I'll start playing as one of 80 some characters i haven't give much attention to. Figuring their move set out, figuring out whether or not i want to make them a main or not. Each character feels unique, but the controls are simple enough you never feel overwhelmed stepping out of your comfort zone and maybe trying out a little mac if you're used to playing as a Mega Man. Sakuria and his team created one of the greatest fighting games of all time, a game that will be re-visited years after it's own release.

Release date- December 7th, 2018

Console- Switch

[imhereformr]

44. I’m your new neighbour and I got locked out, help!

For Tecna x Timmy

I just think it would be funny if it happened multiple times(some on purpose) and Tecna is exasperated but also endeared.

This got out of hand... Anyways here's part 1 of 🤷🏻‍♀️

Why is it that yours are the ones that become too much for a oneshot? 

One: 

Timmy walked down the dull beige corridor of his apartment building rifling through his bag, desperately trying to find his keys. He swore he had grabbed them and put them in his pocket when he left work. Once he got to his door, he dropped the bag at his feet and searched his pockets once more. He had his wallet in his left pocket, phone in his right, a crumpled pharmacy receipt in his back pocket, and no set of keys.  

He kneeled by his bag and began pulling out its contents. There was his book, lunch, portable gaming system, an assortment of papers from work, a collection of old papers and receipts at the bottom of his bag that he really should clean out, his portable tool kit, a small pack of tissues, his reusable water bottle, and no fucking keys.

Great.

After tossing his belongings haphazardly into his bag, Timmy pulled his phone out of his pocket. When he had moved in a week ago, he’d been told to call the building manager if ever he needed anything. The building manager, a portly man with strange taste in facial hair named Mr Knut, didn’t live on site and was only there from 9am to 5pm on weekdays. He was, apparently, always available, but it was now almost 8pm on a Friday evening and there was no telling how long it would take for the man to show up.

Except that, as it turned out, the man would likely never show up because when Timmy pulled his phone out of his pocket and turned it on, he was greeted by a flashing red battery indicating that his phone was just about dead. How wonderful. He would need to ask one of his neighbours to call the manager.  

The section of the building he was in only contained three apartments. His and two others. Miss Griselda, the only of his two immediate neighbours he’d met, was a cranky old woman he was certain got joy out of terrifying ‘the damn youngins’ as she’d called them. The other was a complete stranger. No part of him felt like dealing with the old woman – he'd only met her because she happened to be getting home as he was moving boxes in, and she’d gone into a rant about how awful and unruly today’s youth was – so he would have to take his chances with the mystery neighbours.

He knew nothing about the mystery neighbours except what Griselda had told him: they were young and one of them was too loud for her liking. So far, he’d only heard faint music coming from the apartment and wasn’t quite sure what Miss Griselda was complaining for since she wasn’t directly next to them and wasn’t likely to hear the music at all.  

“Hello?”  

Shit. She was pretty. Like, really pretty. Tall with milky white skin and bright teal eyes that contrasted sharply against her cropped light purple hair. Timmy’s lips went dry and his heart sped up to the point that he thought it might win a race against a cheetah. Could this night get any worse? Lost keys, dead phone, gorgeous neighbour. What was next? Was he going to get struck by lightning? Heart attack? Have one of the giant light fixtures squash him like a bug?  

“H-hi there...” he managed to stutter.  

“Can I help you?” the girl asked after a moment of uncomfortable silence. He became exceedingly aware of the fact that he’d been standing there looking at her with what was probably an incredibly stupid look. Smooth, Timmy.  

“Right... uh... yes. I am... M-my name is Timmy. I live here. Well, no, not here here. I-I-I live next door. There,” he pointed towards his door, “and I, uh, well, I seem to have forgotten my pheys... uh, my keys, sorry, and m-my phone is... dead... and uh...” Jesus, he sounded like a bumbling idiot. He could practically hear Brandon, one of his old college roommates, teasing him about how much of an ass he was making of himself.  

“And you want me to call the building manager for you?” Oh God, she thought he was a moron. He could tell from the tone of her voice that she was already exasperated with him and, though she hadn’t physically, he was sure she was rolling her eyes in her beautiful, purple-topped head. Timmy nodded, not trusting himself to not say something stupid or ramble on like he did whenever he got nervous.  

The woman walked away, leaving the door partially open behind her. Timmy waited outside, trying not to seem like the awkward person he knew he was. He forced himself to stand ‘casually’, so he crossed his arms and stood there, staring straight at the door.  

No, that was a weird thing to do. He let his arms fall loose and his eyes wander to, well, look normal. The only interesting thing in sight to observe while he waited for her to call the manager was the inside of the apartment. He knew it was creepy, but it beat having to stare at a beige wall.  

The door opened up on the living room that was painted a light grey and offset with a teal wall that matched her eyes. Geez, had he really already memorised the colour of her eyes? He’d not even been able to meet them while he made a complete moron out of himself. The back wall had what Timmy was pretty sure was several electric guitars, acoustic guitars and maybe a bass or two hung up. A dark grey couch sat in the middle of the room facing the west wall and a large flat-screen TV.  

The TV in particular is what caught his attention. She was playing a video game. Timmy had never been one of those jerks who would gatekeep the gaming world and claim girls weren’t ‘real gamers’ because all they played was Super Mario; he prided himself on letting people enjoy what they enjoyed and welcoming them into the gaming world. This girl, though, was clearly a serious gamer. The game she was playing – one of his, if not his actual, favourite games – was a beautifully designed, complex game with so many quests, possible outcomes and hidden details that it had taken him close to a month and a half of near-fanatical gameplay to complete. It wasn’t a game that a casual gamer would take to.  

The only thing was... he didn’t recognise the scene that Elora – the main character – was in. He was certain he’d played out every possible scenario the game had to offer – he'd obsessed over it so much and had replayed it multiple times since its release. In retrospect, sheer curiosity is the sole reason that he could figure why, when the girl came back, he managed to say Hey, I don’t recognise that scene, did you find another quest? without stuttering or stumbling over his words.  

“The manager will be here in about 10 minutes” she replied bluntly before closing the door in his face. Timmy stood there dumbfounded, blinking at the closed dark beige door for longer than he cared to admit. Great, first pretty girl he’d met in a new city, and she thought he was no smarter than a panda. “Nice meeting you.”

[originalcontent]

Aww heck, I never posted about Marble Nest! Let’s talk about Marble Nest. We played it, we got all four endings, there were a couple things I maybe wanted to try but we didn’t but that’s okay, it would be pretty easy to replay. A couple thoughts.

As a player character, Daniil makes for a very very different playstyle than Artemy. It’s wild how all the actual mechanics of the game can be the same and yet such slight tweaks can change the feeling of the game so much. Like how everyone talking to you but how almost no one trading with you makes the whole town seem completely different.

Daniil sees the town as a chessboard and Artemy sees it as a body. This Daniil seems to know a lot fewer people than Artemy knew.

The pacing is also very interesting. The whole “time to make your nightly rounds” thing, is that something Daniil does? Is that part of his gameplay loop?

Coming out of having just finished Pathologic 2, wherein everyone’s constantly bitching at and/or trying to kill Artemy every four seconds, playing as Daniil felt like a fucking power trip. People are like “hey can you do this please” and I’m like “...wait can I do this? I can just do this??” 

I think overall I prefer playing as Artemy, although maybe I was just more accustomed to it.

Daniil is a BITCH.

No seriously, when playing Pathologic, I felt kind of bad about continually dragging Daniil because deep down there was always this little part of me that was like “you know he’s just trying his best, same as you, he doesn’t deserve all this shit you’re throwing at him” but now that I’ve gotten to walk a mile in his shoes I can definitively say that he absolutely deserved all of the shit I was throwing at him, and also I think Artemy deserved to punch him once. (After that they can go back to being friends/lovers/colleagues, however you interpret them, but he should get to punch him once.)

Okay enough about Artemy, he’s didn’t even appear in this game.

Wait one last thing, in the list of townsfolk it showed Artemy as having a name rather than being called “Haruspex”, but in the main game Daniil was listed as “Bachelor���? 

God, that list. Seeing so many dead kids. :( Daniil you did not protect my children. Oh, Mark Immortell was there and was in danger, in the Bachelor route am I allowed to let him die from the plague, is that a thing I can do, please? My besties Lara, Bad Grief, and Victor were also dead, but Stakh was alive! I tried to visit him but I couldn’t, the game doesn’t let you cross the river even if you go alllllll the way around it. I tried to find Aglaya too but couldn’t.

Seeing the town map was so heartbreaking. Quarantining the stone yard and letting everyone else die is a pretty pragmatic decision bUT ALSO!!!!!! My KIDS.

The loop was neat, how everyone kept saying you were dead and how you didn’t know why until the end, and I loved how the town kind of was your body. (Do the fires mean you’re feverish? Does the cold mean you’re dying?) This game has always been excellent about how it nests themes within themes and symbols within symbols, and Marble Nest was no exception.

Kind of hilarious tho how the ultimate theme is “if you don’t want your favorite character to die, just stop reading the book, or maybe start over and reread the parts where they’re still alive forever.” Turns out you really can beat death Daniil, good job. :)

(“But wait! I may be a fictional character, but the disease which kills me is also fictional! AU in which it’s not real fuck you” Honestly what did I expect coming from the same people who had a plot-critical messenger murdered offscreen by the understudy of the protagonist.)

This character’s themes seem to be very lofty. Again, I think I vibed more with the more grounded side of things, but I love metafuckery so you know.

That time I was in that house and I was like “I might need to check out some rooms” and the other guy was like “here, I have the master key” and hands me a lockpick, I actually laughed. Incredible.

The PANTOMIME. God that was such a vibe. Compared to everything else in Pathologic, it was so animated! I do love the “you’re heartless, come back to me when you have a heart” and then in the next loop I hand them a human heart and they’re like “.....dude, have you ever heard of a fucking metaphor, holy shit why are you giving me this.”

The CLOAK. The MASK. The S A N D A L S. Hhhhhhhhhhhhh.

Wearing the ensemble and literally being immune to the plague zone, I was like “wow this is fucking op how is this even allowed” although I guess Marble Nest was also written so that you can last the whole game on literally one piece of toast.

It was so weird to go around places where I know twyre grows and not hear any bugs. I did take a nice incredibly long walk through the steppe just to see how far the game would let me go though, because it was nice and pretty and who the fuck has time for that while in Pathologic? 

I didn’t really talk much before with Georgiy Kain, but fuuuuuuck what is wrong with that guy? If Daniil’s been hanging out with him, I can fucking understand why he became obsessed with the polyhedron at the end.

And Aspity, oh god I have so many questions, what are you, I don’t think we ever cleared that up.

And Shrew! What’s her deal?? There were actually a lot of very memorable NPC’s who didn’t even have their own custom designs.

I don’t know much about Pathologic 1 but I think Eva killed herself in the Bachelor route? Does that mean she’s going to die in this Bachelor route if it ever comes out? I mean presumably Marble Nest already deviates from that game quite a bit since I don’t think Artemy dies in it (and I don’t think Daniil does either.)

Gee Daniil! How come your mom lets you have two funerals?

A little sad Changeling never came by to say hi, I would have liked to see her. Although I guess she’s busy trying to save my ass irl. I know I remembered seeing the steam page for Marble Nest earlier and being like “huh that’s sort of a strange poster for the game, isn’t Artemy supposed to be dead?” And then I played it and I just took a moment and turned to my sister and was like “hey look at this” and she was like “...yup that’s literally the game.”

Overall it was a fun time. Very short comparatively, very clever. 

[vocalyunho]

Losers

Part 2 of bad boy! Yunho, part 1 here

pairing — bad boy! Yunho x reader (fem)

genre — angst with a sprinkle of smut, fluff.

word count — 4k

warnings — explicit language, lots of kissing, (almost) handjob, talk about inner self and emotions.

synopsis — After the night of the dare, Yunho has to cope with his new -to him- self. Realizing that getting you out of his head was impossible, he decides to visit you. However, you misunderstand the reason he came to see you, but he needs to make himself clear.

A/N: first of, thank you all for appreciating the first part & sending me so nice messages! Secondly, I noticed (once again) that I can’t write angst to save my damn life, so I’m sorry again if this one’s messy or doesn’t reach your expectations. Your feedback is very much appreciated, please don’t stay silent :’)

Everything was spinning around him. The lights, even though dim, seemed too bright for him and his red eyes, the music was too loud and bothersome, the accrual smoke was choking him,  Yunho’s head was throbbing but his thoughts were clear in his mind. You. That green poison he’s been smoking and all the alcohol he’s consumed, did nothing. You’re still living, rent free, in his mind and he can’t do anything to get you out of there. The way your lips had nibbled on his neck and the way you’d looked at him, that night, when his hands were under your shirt were still in his mind. You looked so innocent, yet so confident. So helpless, yet so determined to win the game and he was just the conduit for that, nothing more.

Yunho walked slowly towards Hongjoong’s crowded living room and flopped on the couch clumsily. His legs spread in an attempt to feel his body and his hands rested on each side of his body as he swallowed a few times with effort. The aforementioned man has been gone for a while now. Last time he saw Hongjoong, was when a girl was dragging him into his bedroom, both probably too drunk and ready to relieve all the accumulated sexual tension built through drinking and dancing on each other. His eyes couldn’t stay open anymore, he let them fall shut as his head rested on the back of the couch. He needed some quiet for once, maybe he should leave but only after he feels ready to walk to his own apartment. He knew this would happen and he was wise enough not to ride his motorcycle that night. Every time he’s in Hongjoong’s, he always ends up like this, high and fucked up, but not like tonight. Tonight, he went beyond his limits, he was determined to get you out of his mind but all he succeeded in, was thinking of you more.

He almost felt peaceful for a bit until he felt someone straddling him and as he opened his eyes, a girl with too revealing clothes was sitting on his lap, already grinding on his crotch. He gasped at the sudden pressure on his cock and looked at her with heavy eyes “how about we go to the bathroom and you fuck me on the countertop, like this one time, remember?”, she whispered snuggling against his neck “I want those inked arms around my throat so bad”, she moaned but he couldn’t even remember who she was, let alone the fact that he was inside her in the recent past. In any other situation, he’d already be on his feet and up for some fun but now he only turned his head the other way, “I need to leave”.

“oh c’mon”, she tried to hug him but he was fast to break free from her embrace “I said I need to leave”, he moved her on the seat next to him and stood up, heading for the door.

“dude, are you leaving already?”, Wooyoung shouted from the other side of the apartment but Yunho only wore his leather jacket and moved his two fingers, gesturing goodbye to him.

Once he was home, the bed seemed more captivating than a hot shower. His legs couldn’t keep him up longer, after all. Everything was still spinning, except now he’s in the safety of his own home and random girls aren’t coming up to him asking for sex in bathrooms. He fell asleep in a matter of seconds and, maybe, these little hours he slept where the only ones you weren’t wandering around his mind, in the conscious part, at least.

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

Waking up early everyday to study isn’t the easiest thing, especially when you work late every night. If you wanna keep your health you’ll have to quit that job, but for now you need the money it offers.

Lately all your days are either spent in the library or in a cafe, studying for the upcoming exams and the nights...they’re always spent in the bar, moving around filled glasses and taking them back empty. And that’s exactly what’s happening now and you still have an hour to go till you can get back to the warmth of your sweet home. 

Bars are...lovely. Well, not your favourite places to be, but considering that most youths spend their time in clubs, bars are much more preferred. The music is low enough to share a good conversation with someone, but still loud enough to enjoy the melodies themselves. The decoration is much more genteel than clubs and cafes, the clients more kind and free to come in dressed in anything they find pretty or comfortable. The vibes are more chill, collected, nonchalant, if you will, and there’s a balance in everything that’s hard to find in other places. 

You’ve been moving around beautifully decorated cocktails all night and if it wasn’t for the -not so high- heels you’ve been wearing, you’d be enjoying doing so. You can feel your heels and ankles starting to burn but there’s only an hour left, you can do it. 

Once you were back to take the newly made drinks from the bartender, the door of the bar opened fast and a male entered. Usually, you know who enters. The bar is small and by far not one of the famous ones in the city, so the clients are pretty much the same and especially on weekends. But this one…no, you didn’t know him. He wore black jeans and a black leather jacket with a white t-shirt underneath. You noticed the brown timberland shoes, not many people around you wear those, and his features…you couldn’t identify them due to the sunglasses he was wearing and his head that hang low. This man really entered a bar which already had dim lighting, at 2AM, with sunglasses on. Your eyebrows furrowed and the bartender gestured for you to take his order once he was sat. A helmet hang from the man’s right hand and moving slowly, he found a table on the very back of the place to sit. It felt like you were in a movie, where a stranger enters a pub, and everyone stares at him until he takes a gun out and starts shooting.

You moved to his table with your mind still on how your feet hurt and spoke politely “hello, what can I get for you?”

“you”

“excuse me?”

He raised his head and your insides felt like they twisted…not in the bad way, actually exactly the opposite. Yunho stared at you, you assumed, but after he took the sunglasses off you were sure he did. But he wasn’t the same. Even with the dim lighting of the place you could see how his eyes were red, he must’ve been (crying) smoking something. It wouldn’t be beyond belief, if he did.

“I wanna talk to you”, he spoke with a deep voice and it reminded you of his voice the night of the dare.

“I’m sorry, I’m working. Now what can I get for you?”

“when’s your shift over? I’ll wait”, he spoke fast as he rested his elbows on the table, moving his upper body forward. His body language proved tension spreading in his system and his voice sounded desperate, but you couldn’t figure out why.

“what can I get for you?”

“please”

“is a whiskey fine?”

“it’s important”

“is a whiskey fine?”

“…yeah”

He stayed there, drinking and following you with his gaze. Truth is, there was nothing for you to talk about, even if you really wanted to, too. The only real interaction you had was that night and you had made it clear to him that it should be forgotten and especially not be told to anyone. Yet there he was now, wanting to talk to you and God knows how he found out you worked there.

When it striked 3AM, you headed for the ‘employees’ only’ room to change the uncomfortable outfit and the even more uncomfortable shoes. Your mind was still on Yunho though who was out there waiting for you and a million questions flooded your mind. How did he find out about the bar you’re working for? What is the important thing he wants to talk to you about? Will he follow you to your apartment? And what- “hey”, you flinched at the sudden voice and turned your head fast only to see him right in the entrance.

“you’re not allowed to be in here”, you said calmly as you tied your second shoelace.

“I need to talk to you”

“we have nothing to say, now please leave. Only employees can enter here”, you stood up, heading for your locker to take your forest green jacket as he remained silent. You wore it fast and took your backpack, ready to leave but once you turned around he was there, right behind you with his head bent forward to reach your eye level.

“fuck, you scared me”, your back hit the locker and your hand reached for your chest where your heart beat faster at the abrupt presence.

“I felt something”

“I told you to leave, I’ll call the manager”

“I’ve never felt anything before…for anyone”

“YUNHO, LEAVE”

“you still remember my name”, he smiled and let his eyes fall on your lips and you really thought he must be high on something.

An awkward silence filled the room and his words got replayed in your head “ask that one more time and I’ll make sure you never forget it again”. He had achieved it…you couldn’t forget his name ever again. You couldn’t forget anything that happened that night ever again.

You looked anywhere but at him until he grabbed your chin with his thumb and index finger and forced your head up to look in his eyes. The inked thumb played with your bottom lip, lightly pulling it down to expose your bottom teeth as his eyes remained glued on yours. You fought the urge to suck on it, but your knees weakened just at the thought. He looked good, like a god in your eyes.

“You made me like this”, he pointed at himself.

“like what?”

“look at me, I’m a wreck!”

“I did nothing!”

“I can’t get you out of my fucking head! I keep trying and trying but-!”

“Yunho, please leave”, you pressed your eyebrows together, raising them at the same time. If he continued you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep your thoughts locked inside your mind for long.

“You’re ruining me!”

He widened his eyes and his voice got higher at that, like he just realized. If only he knew he was ruining you, too…but you thought he was ruining you in a completely different way. You had succeeded in winning the dare, but not in what he had warned you about. Not one day had passed without thinking of him and you were so mad at yourself for that, yet you couldn’t stop it. And every time you’d randomly see him on campus, your mind would go back to the dare and how he held you and how he had stopped his hands from moving when he realized you weren’t comfortable and how you so wanted to know him more than that, to know the real him. You were falling for him but, of course, you wouldn’t accept it. It’s not logical, you can’t fall for someone you don’t know. However, it all felt familiar. It felt like you were, again, reading one of those -way too corny- romantic novels in which the girl fell for the bad guy. They always ended with the guy taking the one thing he wanted and the girl having a broken heart and right now…you feel like you are the protagonist in one of those novels and he…he’s only there to take that one thing he always wants (however, me as the omniscient writer, I can guarantee you he meant you were ruining him the same way he ruined you).

“fuck, I need you”, he crashed his lips on yours fast, still holding your chin and now his other hand found your waist and held on it tightly but still loosely enough for you to break free if you wanted, but you didn’t. Your eyes fluttered close and you gave in, in an instant. How could you not? All you’ve been thinking about is him, but you knew it wasn’t right. He is Yunho, he’s a player, he’s nothing like you, he’s not for you. But the sweetness of the awry is too captivating not to give in. Your lips moved against his in an open mouthed kiss, your tongues danced together and your saliva got mixed with his, until he groaned and broke the kiss in need of air. You rested your head against the locker and looked up at him, his head hang low again…

“don’t you have anything to say?”, he spoke softly and you realized it was the first time you ever heard him talk like that, without anger or sarcasm in his voice.

“what do you expect me to say?”, you were too stuck to your mindset to notice the little things “that I’m glad you can’t forget how well you fucked me or to thank you for coming back for a second round?”, it hurt to say these. But Yunho was always a player, he always slept with girls and never spoke to them again and you obviously were one of them now.

“what? No”

“then what?”

“don’t you understand?” his eyebrows furrowed as he took a step back to take all your features in “I’ve never felt anything like this before. It was all about sex to me…always! I only cared about that. I only wanted my needs to be taken care of but that night…of the dare, I felt things for you and I got so fucking scared…that wasn’t me!”, a vein on his forehead was visible “I’ve warned all the girls I’ve ever been with not to catch feelings for me because I won’t be there for them. I’m not the type to get in relationships because attachment, that shit scares me! Yet, after we…did it, it hurt me to think I was only your way to win a game, a fucking game!”

“maybe it was your turn to feel how the girls you’re playing with, really feel”

That hurt.

He stayed silent for a bit. His mind was hazy and he couldn’t lie to himself, he had thought that this was the revenge that had been waiting for him.

“I’m a fucking asshole and I deserved it and maybe…this was a lesson for me but-” his expression proved pain “I can’t stop thinking about you and I hate myself for that…”

“…because I wanted to be more than just a dare to you…”

Your heart felt like it’d fly out of your chest and your breath got caught in your throat.

  “…but I know I can’t change your mind about me, goddamnit!”

His fist hit the locker next to you, before turning around to walk in the room. Your heart clenched, realizing the meaning of his words. You weren’t the only one feeling differently. His head looked towards the ceiling and the new silence that filled the place gave you the chance to think and, maybe, now you know why his eyes have been red and it’s not from smoking something.

He’s hurting…and it’s the first time he’s feeling something like this, this type of pain.

He is finding himself, the self that’s been hiding under the tough, bad guy image he’s exposing to everyone. He needed this pain to finally see inside him and find the real him.

But he was wrong about one thing. You never had a complete opinion about him, therefore there was nothing for him there to change. There was only empty space where he could build the image about him in your head, and you wanted him to do that. You wanted him to put the foundations of his real image.

“Yunho”

“I’ve never let myself get attached to anyone but I only now realized that it’s uncontrollable. All this time I wasn’t controlling who I’ll get attached to and who not, it just didn’t happen…until I met you”. He, finally, turned to face you again.

He walked close to you again “and I know this will make me sound like a loser and, maybe, I am but…I think I’m falling for you”.

Your heart skipped a couple of beats, you’re sure about that, but his eyes were the most genuine ones you’ve seen in a while “Yunho-”

He shushed you by inhaling, ready to speak again but you were fast to prevent him “no, Yunho let me talk”, his eyes seemed sad but you got a hold of his hands that hang on each side of his body, to bring his attention back on you.

“I think I’m falling for you too”

You said fast and his breath got caught in his throat. Of course he didn’t expect to hear that. Your mind was going crazy at the moment with all the things you wanted to say but decided to only speak the important ones.

“…but I don’t think it’s right. You’ve been playing with girls all your life Yunho, maybe it’s in your nature, I don’t know…”

“but I can’t lie, I can’t stop thinking about you either…”, your eyes flickered between his.

You wanted him and he wanted you, it was obvious by both parties by now. You were willing to help him discover his real self and you were especially willing to let yourself fall in love but you were too inexperienced too to bear the pain it could cause you, if it didn’t work out.

“…I felt things too you know but you don’t know, even a little, how love feels and I can’t just be your lab rat, just one more experience for you. I can’t let myself fall deep and then have my heart shattered, I can’t take it!”, your eyebrows raised sympathetically and tears threatened to wet your cheeks.

“I know how it is to feel loved and now…I think I’m ready to be the one who loves, I’m ready to learn and-”

“I’m scared, Yunho”, your eyes met the marbled floor between your bodies.

“I’m scared too”

Both of you weren’t the most experienced people when it came to love and, especially, Yunho. But you wanted to try and learn and, even, fall for each other and Yunho didn’t want to give up on the first strong feelings he’s ever had. This meant something.

“but we can…”

“…discover ourselves together…just give me a chance-”, he held your hands in his. His eyes were glistening, like a million pieces of hope were in them.

“I don’t know, Yunho”

“let me make this work out and, maybe, if everything turns out well…I can call you mine”

Those tears that had been threating to fall, did wet your cheeks now as you looked at him again. No one had ever told you something like this before and you never thought you’d hear it for the first time from him. Yunho isn’t the guy everyone thought he was, he is much more than that. Maybe, he’s the meaning behind the saying: don’t judge a book by its cover. Yunho had never let his real emotions take over him and even if those emotions tried, he had his self locked up. It’s like his hidden self couldn’t take it anymore and when he met you the real him broke free from the cage Yunho, himself, had him locked up. If you connected all the dots, it made sense now. Yunho isn’t just a player, he’s an unexperienced boy who only wants to feel real attraction, instead of just the physical one. And maybe if you gave him the chance, he would.

“and I want to call you mine, too”

You’re indeed the protagonist of your own romantic novel but, no, this one won’t end like all the others.

“hell, I so wanna call you mine”, you shut your eyes tightly and exhaled…and your next words got Yunho dumbfounded.

“…let’s take it slowly…”

“…let’s start by being friends”

Yunho’s heart had never clenched so hard before. He thought he’d lose his balance right then and there and collapse like a child who had just found out that his brother had eaten the very precious sweet he’s been hiding from everyone. A soft frown found his lips as he spoke the first words that came to his dizzy mind.

“can friends do this?”

He cupped your cheeks and you felt his thumbs rub your apples, but you were the one to lean in this time. You kissed him hesitantly but he kissed back with no second thoughts. You didn’t wanna be his friend…you wanted to kiss his neck and his lips and his cheeks and all his being and, maybe, love him too. He took your arm and threw it over his shoulder and you wrapped them both around his neck. This kiss was slower than before, more passionate like there was meaning behind it. A tingling feeling was sent down your spine when you noticed none of you rushed to make it deeper. It was just enough to feel how the emotions he was experiencing were new to him and you were sure now, you’re willing to help him welcome them.

“because, if they can, I don’t think I’ll be able to call you friend for long”

“friends don’t do what I’m about to do either”, you said and let your hand slide down all the way from his neck, through his t-shirt, and to his jeans and rested it on his soft member. You didn’t know why you did that, but you knew the vibe was so different from the last time you had touched him there, more endearing, if you will. He stiffened sensibly and let his head hung low as a small moan left his lips. His hands found the hem of your t-shirt and, letting them slip underneath the fabric, he grasped your sides with the whole of his large palms.

Your lips found each other’s again in a sloppier kiss and with eyes flattered shut and heavy breaths against the other’s skin, your hand slipped under the jeans and the thin material of his boxers. You caressed him slowly, receiving a hum turned into a groan from him.

“yeah they don’t…but losers who fall for each other, do”

He said and pinched your sides making you take your hand out of his jeans. You stared at him for a while. Maybe if you both tried, you could learn together and you could fall together and you could help each other find your real selves.

Collecting his thoughts, for the first time after a long time, Yunho took your hand in his. You walked out of the ‘employees only’ room and the bar, with him guiding you like you didn’t know the place.

“Let me take my friend on a friend date for friends”

“I would accept if it wasn’t 4am…”

You wouldn’t be able to call him friend for long, either…

[radramblog]

Some thoughts on Deltarune Chapter 2

I’m going to try to avoid being effusively praising of this game…demo…chapter. I’m sure there’s plenty of people doing that already, and I am more than cognizant of the platform I am presenting this post on. That’s going to be tough, yeah, but I’ll make it work.

I’m also going to try to avoid spoiling the thing too hard, even though there are spoilers everywhere and certain supposed-to-be obscure things are widespread at this point. But, someone could still end up reading this before they play it, so I’m going to hold my tongue a fair bit as a result.

With that in mind: new chapter is obviously out, so how does it stack up?

…I think it might be better than the first one. In my opinion.

Undertale 22 over here is a continuation of the first chapter, released about 3 years ago, taking place literally the next day in-universe. Chapter 1 coming out was a Huge Deal, not in the least a result of how it was announced. Despite the distance since the release, the Undertale fandom was still simmering along, and with an announcement that appears tied to one of that game’s biggest mysteries, it was no wonder that it was going to make some waves.

Chapter 2’s release was a surprise for different reasons. I believe at the time of the first demo, Toby stated that the remaining chapters would release as one, but that it would take a long time on account of the game being so much more complex than Undertale and not playing as much to his strengths. Of course, a lot happens in 3 years, especially with the last couple being as they have been, so Chapter 2 got its own release about a week ago.

I suppose I should stop beating around the bush and explain why I think Ch.2 is better than Ch.1, huh? I think there’s three main factors that swayed me.

Prologues and introductions always have to do one thing, and that is to familiarise the audience with the setting and characters. Despite sharing many side characters with its pseudo-prequel, Deltarune Chapter 1’s main cast are all completely fresh, and those side characters are in an unfamiliar form, and so much of the game is spent establishing cast dynamics. We have to learn who Susie, Kris, and Lancer are, and how the dynamics between them will be working for the stories to come.

However, there is the slight difference that Deltarune Chapter 1 is kind of a complete story. It’s like the pilot to a tv series- you have to establish characters, yeah, but you still have to get the plot spinning, and those characters still need to have small arcs over the course of the story. Susie and Lancer are kind of the only ones to go through actual arcs across the first chapter, given Ralsei’s currently kind of static character and Kris being a blank slate entirely.

By contrast, Chapter 2 has these dynamics in play from the get-go, and we get to more deeply explore them as a result, making the character work overall stronger. And while there are new characters at play, two of the three (arguably four) new players are already established in Chapter 1, and so we don’t need to spend as much time getting to know them. Character interactions are at the core of many styles of storytelling, and with the quirky characters we have to work with, getting more time seeing them do that is great!

The second of why I like Chapter Two better is just the gameplay. A fair few little tweaks have been made to make the whole thing cleaner- enemies now have a parallel meter to their HP bar to show how close to sparable they are, so pacifistic players have a better idea of their progress in longer fights. For those players, actually having Susie and Ralsei get ACT options is great, seeing as it makes them substantially more useful (especially Susie). When I replayed Chapter 1 in preparation for playing Chapter 2, I found myself just Guarding with them over and over while Kris did most of the work.

And the creativity with the fights is ramped up a whole bunch. This is another Not Being The First Part thing, but now that the player is used to how fights in this game are going to go, the complexity gets to increase to match, and the characterisation of the bosses and even generic enemies can better be expressed in the gameplay. I remember being genuinely shocked at how much was going on with the Ambyu-Lance enemy’s highway bullet pattern, especially when combined with other enemies in the fray.

I very much enjoyed the secret boss. Oh come on, that’s not a spoiler, everyone knows about Jevil at this point, and you get hinted at it super early on! And it’s way easier to find than Jevil was!

Anyway. My final point is just that I do like the characters in Chapter 2 better- particularly the antagonists. As fun as Lancer is, the sort of annoying whacky child characters are never something I’m particularly fond is. Even though he’s written really well, it took a lot to sell me on him. As well, as sicknasty as the King’s boss fight was, as well as the scenes surrounding it being an excellent summation of the point of the game as a whole, he’s not an especially interesting character.

And while I suppose Queen isn’t particularly deep either, everything about her is so unbelievably fun. I was pretty much sold on her immediately, with that regal “ohohoho” laugh followed by just absolutely shitposting for the entire length of the game. Her presence makes so much of this game an utter blast. Her presence reminds me a lot of the characters in Undertale who were mostly just there for one area, Alphys in Hotland and the skeletons in Snowdin, constantly popping in to keep things moving, giving each area its own little arc, and generally be fun and amusing along the way. And since each chapter of Deltarune is a lot longer than one arc of Undertale, it’s for the best that Queen manages to make this much of a good impression about the whole thing.

As I’ve stated, I think most of the reasons why Deltarune Chapter 2 are a simple result of being a Chapter 2 rather than a Chapter 1, rather than being any fault of Chapter 1’s (and the last point is basically personal preference). Both are obviously still excellent, and I’m happy to wait patiently for the series to continue if it keeps up this level of quality. At the end of the day, like, this game is currently free. And it provides a better and longer experience than a lot of actually paid games I’ve played. Toby Fox has managed to be a big shot after literally releasing one and two sevenths of a game, and it doesn’t seem like he’s going to be slowing down anytime soon. Here’s hoping that the assistance he’s apparently getting for future chapters works out such that it doesn’t end up sacrificing quality, but I don’t see this happening quite yet. I suppose only time will tell, but I’m optimistic. Filled with determination, as some would say.

no that’s cringy cut that one sheesh okay let me out of here im done

[harristops]

Yanno it’s really shitty for Ashlyn to always have so much hate in her mentions but also imagine how it is for ali to always see ash being torn down and overlooked… like ali sees first hand the blood, sweat and tears that ash puts in and alis been there for so many moments of disappointment and injury. Like ali has to see the person she loves fight through so much adversity and never get the credit she deserves. Ashlyn can’t even win save of the week or save a freaking PK without someone coming at her and saying she’s overrated or trash or some shit…. Im just tired of it and ali and ash deserve so much better. I wouldn’t blame them if they took a step back from SM because the ‘fans’ and trolls have just gotten out of hand, it’s so awful and it needs to stop

Honestly, I never even thought about how much it would affect AK. Like, Ash has learned to brush it off/block out the noise, etc., but I can't imagine how much anger and hurt AK feels watching her wife get torn apart over every little thing she does (and even things she doesn't do). Like to be the woman who stands beside Ash, day in and day out, watching as she throws everything she has into the game, from her body to her mind, and never get the recognition or appreciation from anyone, regardless of whether they're the federation or "fans". She's given the national teams (youth and senior combined) more than half her life, given everything to the Pride even when other players fail to show up or do the same, keeps her head down and doesn't complain or get mad (unless at herself), and she is grateful and humble in every opportunity she does get on the field.

I especially think back to 2016, when distance came into it and Ash was becoming lowkey concerning with how many depressing tweets and IG posts she would make, and I remember that one post AK retweeted which was like "you matter to me" or something after Ash posted that long post about her self-worth and mental health. She's always worn her heart on her sleeve and it's taken advantage of by so many people (again, the "give an inch, take a mile" phrase Ash mentioned really sticks with me here). She is so selfless and has a massive heart under her hard exterior, and people love to paint her to be this self-indulgent, vain, supervillain that is shit at soccer. Not to mention, Ash could barely celebrate her best season because those were the years AK was kicked off the roster and she put herself aside to help AK train, supported her coaching career, and picked her up (literally at times) to get her through every day. She wasn't the nicest person to Ash back then either, and I doubt Ash minded, because at the end of the day Ash cares so deeply about her family, about her relationships, that soccer takes a back seat for so much of it. She's said it so many times that this is her career, but it doesn't bleed into her family life. I feel gutted for her in every interview when she beats herself up with the "I've failed miserably" or the "I haven't been the best daughter/sister/friend" or even "I've disappointed a lot of people". She is so hard on herself and yet is still so kind to others. This is the same woman who's faced countless criticism, countless struggles from poverty to addiction to injuries to mental health challenges, and she still treats every day like a gift, not a burden.

I think the thing that gets me the most about this Ash slander is how no one has ever stood up for her. She's gotten all this hate, all of this criticism, but when AK was dropped from the team, she got support. When Hope said what she said, Carli spoke up for her. Whenever a teammate gets down in the dirt, Ash defends them. She spoke out against H*nkle and the homophobia. She defended AK when she was left off the roster (though more subtle and more professionally). Like she's always standing up for others, being the big guy for the little guy, and yet no one really extends the same thing back to her (except now AK, and again in a very professional way). Should Ash be #1? No, things happened and she got injured at the wrong time and it was all a mix of different things, but she made her peace with it. She doesn't tell the media that it's disrespectful she got snubbed - she instead supports the crap out of Alyssa/AD/Jane and wants them to succeed because she's a team player, not an individual player. She cares about them as humans and would do anything for them in that supporting role. You could genuinely not ask for a better teammate than Ash.

I don't know how AK does it, watching the woman she loves get bullied on social media and be cast aside from opportunities with no valid reason. Every achievement Ash has is overshadowed by rabid fans either "defending her" and making things worse by making her look out to be an untouchable God of some sort, or the anti-Ashlyn "fans" who are just out to replay that same clip of her conceded goal from that Romania game, or outright saying disgusting and nasty things to her (and tagging her?? Like why the fuck are you tagging them in it, what bullshit). Both ways it's terrible; the people defending her so violently only make her look worse and it only encourages people's hatred of her or disrespect of her actual ability.

It's so funny people weave all these storylines and narratives for her but Ash remains unbothered (at least publicly) and I think this irritates those morons into posting more frequently with the intent to grab her attention or get her to talk back (which she is far too professional and compassionate to do). It's a shitty situation all around, but it's truly depressing to watch her get taken apart when she's done absolutely nothing wrong to any of those people.

[spellbound-banshee]

And You Kissed Me - Peter Parker

Summary: You’re the one to make the first move after MJ tells you that Peter likes you. Of course she would be the one to tell you.

Warnings: lots of fluff, unwanted flirting, some physical violence

Pairing: Peter Parker (TH) x Reader

“You don’t know what you’re talking about MJ.” You waved her off, anxiously eating your lunch as you processed the new - and probably false - information.

“I always know what I’m talking about,” her response seemed effortless, “he’s definitely into you, have you noticed the way he ogles over you? It’s like a 90s movie where everything just sort of slows down and there’s a love song in the background.” You chuckled at the somewhat specific reference, but nevertheless continued to deny it internally. “You have to face the facts and make a move, it’s honestly a sin that you guys aren’t together.”

“Who said I liked him?” You asked, your mouth halfway stuffed with food as you saw the boy in question begin to walk over with his tray.

“You didn’t have to.” MJ just smirked and took a bite of her apple as Peter got closer. “Face it, he’s not going to make a move. And what’s the worst that could happen if you just... make one yourself?”

You were about to respond but just as you opened your mouth Peter set down his tray with a bit of a suspicious glance. “Are you guys talking about some girl stuff because I could just... walk away.” You just smiled and shook your head, hearing MJ chuckle at the chemistry you two clearly had. 

“Not at all, please do sit.” Peter smiled sheepishly and sat down in front of you, where he always sat. You weren’t aware of the fact that he sat there just to look at you and feel like he was actually having a conversation, but Peter and MJ knew. Which is why as soon as Peter looked back at his tray, MJ mouthed ‘make a move’, and you responded with a harsh glare.

-

“Hey, Peter?” You walked up to his locker as he was taking out the last of his things. He seemed surprised by your voice and shut his locker a bit so he could see you - you seemed to grow increasingly beautiful each period.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Are you doing anything right now? Like after school?” He swallowed harshly, he wasn’t sure what your intention was and he could literally never say no to you... but with his patrol he wasn’t sure if- “I was just wondering if you’d want to take the bus with me. There’s this dude on there and he’s... been kinda freaking me out but I don’t have any other way home.”

Peter didn’t hesitate to be your hero. “Oh, yeah, of course. Who is he? Did he like... touch you or hurt you because I’ll-”

“Easy there, tough guy.” You chuckled, putting a hand on his shoulder. Though you weren’t showing it, your heart was literally beating out of your chest as you replayed your plan over and over in your head. “It’s fine, he’s just overly flirty.” Peter let his guard down a bit but he would make sure he didn’t make you uncomfortable today. His chest swelled with pride in knowing that you felt safe around him, and his smile brightened at the thought.

Once you got to the bus, Peter was on guard. And you could definitely tell based on how stiff he was. “Okay Superman, listen.” His eyes darted to your face at the sound of your voice, his features softening as he looked down at you. “It’s okay, relax. I can handle myself I just feel like... maybe he’d leave me alone if I actually had a friend with me.” Peter felt his heart sink at the mention of ‘friend’ but once again, he nodded and tried to relax.

And your bus finally arrived, where you led Peter to the back of the bus, you usually there sat by yourself with a book and a pair of headphones. You smiled back at him as he walked shyly behind you, not having been on a bus for a while since he could literally swing himself home and take the sub in the morning. Peter sat with you in the back, taking the aisle seat as he figured he could potentially block you from... he didn’t know what, it just felt better.

That’s when Peter heard it: “Hi again, hot stuff.” He felt you shift in your seat as his friends behind him laughed and practically egged him on.

“Bradley, not today please.” You rolled your eyes, continuing to look out of the window as the bus started to move. Peter looked up at the senior, his dark hair was pushed back into a snapback and he wore a letterman jacket with school colors. He wanted to say something, but he bit his tongue, figuring you could handle yourself until it got too uncomfortable.

“What’s wrong baby girl?” Ugh, even he felt uncomfortable hearing that. “Come on, let me bring you to one of my games and you could... watch me win.” Peter cringed a bit, not wanting to sink into his seat but seeing you there just brushing it off made him feel like he could too.

“Yeah, I’d love to see you wrestle around with a bunch of dudes in the dirt.” You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose, knowing it wasn’t going to stop even if Peter was there. “Please just... leave me alone.”

“If I do will you let me take you out?” Peter felt his body heat up, clearly this dude didn’t know what the word ‘no’ meant or how to properly talk to women. That’s probably why he couldn’t land one, the thought almost mode him smirk but he kept it down. “Oh come on, baby. Lemme take you out, I’ll show you a good time during...” He reached over his seat and started to reach for your hair, “and after.”

“Hey man, she said leave her alone.” Peter said, smacking his hand away before he could touch her - he also stood up so he could be level with Bradley, even though he stumbled a bit due to the motion of the bus.

“Don’t touch me, geek. She knows she wants it... she’s just in denial.” The way he looked at you nearly sent Peter into a frenzy, and you could tell from the way his breathing started to pick up. “Get out of my face.” The jock shoved Peter against the wall of the bus, and it didn’t hurt that bad due to his strength but it still startled him a bit. Now some heads were turning.

“Don’t fucking touch him.” You stood up, putting a hand in front of Peter as you saw him getting ready to launch at the jock. “Let it go.” You said softly, and from the way you were looking at him, he let out a breath and tried to calm down. “Come on, we can just walk the rest of the way.” Taking Peter’s hand, you began to lead him down the aisle with wobbly footing, knowing it would be worth it.

“So lame, the geek needs a girl to protect him.” Before Peter could even turn around you shoved past him and slapped Bradley directly across the face, hearing some cringes and ‘oohs’ from around the bus.

“Peter doesn’t need anyone to protect him. If anything I was protecting you from a fucking broken nose.” Peter just felt himself smile, seeing the jock having to recover from the force of the slap. His eyes also widened from seeing this new side of you, this defensive side, especially over him - it managed to be cute and hot at once. Stop it, now isn’t the time.

“I know you don’t actually need this bus to get home, but I do. So the next time I get on this bus, your ass better be walking to your fucking house.” Peter just stood there in sort of an awkward position, but unable to keep his eyes off of you and your angered figure. “And if I hear any more complaints about you harassing women on this campus, I will literally kick you into next Sunday, got it?” Bradley didn’t need to say anything, you knew it was more of a rhetorical question, so you grabbed Peter’s hand and practically stomped down the aisle. 

Your ears were ringing from the energy that rage took to get out, but you swore you heard some claps and cheers emerged from the bus seats.

-

“Thanks, by the way.” You said as Peter walked you to your house, even though you insisted he didn’t have to do that. It was a stupid insist for many reasons. 1, of course he wouldn’t leave you to walk alone. And 2, where else would be go?

“F-For what? I didn’t do anything.”

“I don’t think I would’ve done that if you weren’t there. And when he touched you I just... something clicked.” Peter just nodded, holding on to the straps of his backpack as he walked slowly beside you towards the complexes. It would be a long way, but it was worth it if he got to talk to you. “Sorry for making a scene. I just... I get defensive.”

“I’m just happy you stood up for yourself,” Peter smiled at you, “you don’t deserve that. Nobody does, but I’m positive you scared him, so it should be over.” You nodded, smiling sheepishly back at him, and once again he refused to make eye contact. “And uh... if it doesn’t and you.... want help I can... help you, y’know if you want.” You thought it was cute, the way he seemed to get nervous around you, and of course you just thought it was his natural awkwardness, but MJ made it apparent that’s not what anyone else thought.

“Thanks, Parker. I can always count on you.” And then there was a short pause, where all you could hear was passing cars and the sound of your shoes clicking against pavement. “Are you okay?”

“Me? Oh yeah, don’t worry about me. It didn’t hurt that bad, for someone so big and labelled as ‘tough’ you’d think he’d shove harder.” You laughed, throwing your head back against the wind and Peter just admired you with a loving glance. He almost couldn’t stand how beautiful you were, there wasn’t one thing to fixate on, everything about you just stood out to him and it was blinding.

“You’re funny, I think I’ll keep you.” Now it was his turn to laugh, and yours to admire. You had to admit he was one of the cutest kids at your school, which made you wonder why girls weren’t practically throwing themselves at him. Sure, he was considered ‘nerdy’ and he was pretty awkward, but he didn’t deserve the pushback he got for it. Peter liked Star Wars and building computers, and cheesy pop culture references, but he was one of the smartest people you knew. He was also the sweetest guy you’d ever met. He seemed like the whole package.

By the time you actually got to your house nearly an hour had passed, but it felt like nothing since it was filled with laughter and unknown loving glances. You spent most of it gaging how you should continue with your plan... how and if you should continue with it.

“Okay, this is me.” You smiled, guesturing towards the upper floors of the tall apartment building you lived at. Of course he knew, he’d been over a few times to help with homework where nothing ever got done, you ended up watching movies together on the couch and eating May’s awful cooking. “Thank you, honestly you didn’t have to come with me.” 

As you pulled him in for a hug, he chuckled lightly against your shoulder. “It was my pleasure honestly, I love hanging out with you.” You smiled at that, your heart pounding in your chest as the internal battle of thoughts began. “Thanks, by the way.” He said, pulling away from you and you gave him a curious tilted look. “For calming me down. It’s hard sometimes with me but you always manage to do it and i never properly-”

You kissed him. You were barely paying attention to anything he was saying you just... kissed him. As quickly as you had pecked him, you pulled away with a look of shock on your face, attempting to apologize profusely but the words were stuck in your throat. “...and... you kissed me.” He was just as shocked as you were, and you stood there in heavy awkward silence for a couple of seconds before you blurted:

“Yeah I uh... I’m sorry. I just... I like you. A lot.” You regretted the words the instant they came out, seeming to turn pale as the embarrassment and shame washed over you.

“What?” There it was, the inevitability of rejection - you felt overwhelmed with emotion, all of the worst thoughts beginning to take over your mind and heart. You were about to start crying until he uttered: “(Y/n)... I-I really like you too.” Your head shot up at his words, and he was almost surprised at how shocked you were. “(Y/n) I’ve literally... had a crush on you since... god, since elementary school.”

“Y-You have?”

“Yes! I-I thought it was obvious but... I figured you didn’t like me back so I didn’t say anything about it when we actually became friends because I didn’t want to mess anything up but...” He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, once again unable to make eye contact with you. “(Y/n), can I kiss you?”

Without a response, you just closed the distance you’d created by drawing back and pressed your lips against his. He was a bit surprised at the sudden contact but he tried not to hesitate, returning the kiss as softly as he could. Your hands grabbed both sides of his face, you could cry at how much raw passion and emotion you had bottled up inside. 

Peter felt your sudden urge grow and he felt himself beginning to match it, years and years of frustration, pure adoration and... love just pouring out at once. You opened your mouth and Peter felt your tongue slide into his, nearly pulling back at the sudden surprise but something about it just felt right. This was Peter’s first kiss, but he didn’t know - and couldn’t tell - that it was yours as well.

You pulled back for air, both of you wide eyed and staring at each other before breaking into giggles. Peter didn’t want to let go of you but he gave you space, you both needed to catch your breath. “Do you uh...” You chuckled at yourself, deciding fuck it and just going for it, “do you wanna get something to eat?”

Peter smiled endearingly, still love drunk from your lips and unable to focus on anything but you and your blinding glow. “Like... like right now?”

“Fuck it, right? Let’s just... let’s just get something to eat.” Peter chuckled at your state bliss, the love in his heart for you just growing more and more with each second he looked at you. “Yeah?” You asked, hopeful when you saw him smile.

“Yeah! Yeah, l-let’s go.” You two didn’t have a plan, but that’s what he liked about it - you lived in New York so you could basically stop anywhere nearby and get something cheap. And you felt alive, with Peter any moment felt new and rousing, and even though you didn’t know where you stood label wise, you decided to enjoy this moment.

Peter’s hard practically stopped when he felt your hand take his, smiling down at you as you showed him your brightest smile. He already felt so comfortable around you, as if you’d been dating for many years, and even though he didn’t know where you two stood label wise, he decided to enjoy this moment.

He hoped for many more years by your side. If you’d have him, of course.

-

taglist: @averyfosterthoughts

[retphienix]

Alright, this is gonna be tough because I desperately want to say so much for the game's sake and my own, but it's just so much.

At least the playthrough as a whole exists to show a lot of those things, and there's no shame in some of the impacts the game had for myself going unsaid :)

LONG POST INCOMING, NO 'READ MORE' BECAUSE IT'S RELEVANT TO THE POST AND NOT AN AFTER-THOUGHT

CLICK 'J' ON YOUR KEYBOARD TO SKIP. (Sorry mobile users)

8:48 - Do you have any idea how good a step forward it felt to smash the repressing bulb?

9:50 - So I'll get ahead of myself because this fight shows a lot of the visuals that play into this: Something being the manifestation of guilt for Mari is so incredibly visualized.

Between the base 'Something' being extremely close to the shadow she cast and including the one visible eye that bore down on Sunny and Basil after the hanging, to the stairs incorporating into the design.

The seaweed and spider are more general anxieties though they do circle back to Mari since she saved Sunny, but those two forms don't feel as directly related as the stairs (heights) and base 'Something' forms and what they represent for his repressed guilt.

Could be wrong ;) Tell me what you saw in the forms of 'Something' if you'd like to expand on them :)

12:39 - Just to prove the point before you get to fully see the truth- Something morphs into the figure of Mari hanging. It doesn't fully demonstrate the "eye" aspect yet, but still I just wanted to say kudos on the way 'Something' is shown visually. Formless for a reason, and that form becomes more defined as you understand what it is, exceptional damn thing.

15:43 - Basil's part in all of this makes me so damn sad. Plenty to say later (obviously), but he harbors so much guilt, wants forgiveness so much, and is so (not shown yet) desperate to believe in Sunny's innocence while knowing but not comprehending the truth. The fact he harbors his own 'Something' due to the guilt of all this is heartbreaking, these kids endured a hell no one should. Losing someone so important to you and harboring the guilt and fault of it when nothing of the sort was intended. A childish fight with raised emotions got out of hand and all this came of it.

Hell.

16:30 - I absolutely adore how the photo album is used for this reveal.

Absolutely incredible execution that's specific to this story and its characters and makes piecing (literally) this together tense and grim.

22:27 - I NEVER SPOKE TO OR INTERACTED WITH THE THING IN THE CENTER OF THIS ROOM AND I'M A NORMAL AMOUNT OF UPSET ABOUT THAT >:( lol

29:41 - Okay.

So this reveal as a whole is so unbelievably well paced and incredibly hard hitting.

All game long there's a weight of having lost Mari. Repeatedly it's told that she killed herself and no one can understand why and everyone (MYSELF THE PLAYER INCLUDED) is looking for meaning in little moments, seeking out hints that maybe she was suffering or depressed or this or that.

And while that has gone on FOR THE ENTIRE GAME there has also been this uneasy weight surrounding Sunny/Omori. Visions of Mari twisted and deformed into phantoms of horror.

For the most part I assumed it was just him coping with having lost his sister and maybe a dialogue on how when she was alive he was in her shadow (in his mind) and now that she's gone he remains there?

That was the best I could figure, more or less. But it continued to seem more and more malicious in design and MUCH more 'heavy' in how it's presented as a shadow behind Omori/Sunny throughout his adventure and life.

The weight and 'overshadowed' looks of the scenes felt more and more foreboding and less like a simpler "I'm living in her shadow" story, but I couldn't figure out what it was.

Then these pictures come out and piece things together.

The final result:

Sunny and Mari fighting. (Context appears to be his growing disdain towards playing. It's stated he loved playing, but it's also shown that he begins to dislike how much Mari is dragged away for classes and the like up to and including playing. So my read was that Sunny was upset that their fleeting time together was dedicated to the recital and broke his violin in an emotional blur and the fight occurred.

Alternatively it was accidentally broken and both of their emotions were running high as it happened)

Mari falling to her death.

Sunny and Basil carrying her upstairs and tending to her.

Sunny breaking down as it sinks in.

The visions having Basil say "It's going to be okay" by the bedside. (I perceive that as a memory of what Basil was saying as he tried to manage his emotions during the event)

Sunny and Basil carrying her back downstairs and to the backyard.

The makeshift noose.

And finally the sight that burned itself into Sunny's eyes of her hanging after it was all said and done.

Just holy shit to it all in how it's revealed and handled.

Stories have twists all the time, and I ain't gonna make some bold claim like "Most unpredictable!" "Best twist!" "What a twist!" or whatever, though that'd be funny.

I just want to say this twist worked BEFORE the reveal as a foreboding sense of unease and curiosity- it lent itself to intentionally vague and easily misconstrued explanations, basically- instead of it outright misleading you beyond the characters that believe the lie repeating the lie, it allowed you to mislead yourself.

It did the twist the right way! And well! YOU trick YOURSELF! The people repeating the lie are being lied to or have motivation to repeat the lie! The GAME isn't lying (as so many twists handle it) the game is giving the world reason to mislead and allowing you to be mislead!

Now am I yelling affirmations for the way things SHOULD ALWAYS BE! YES! BUT THAT'S BECAUSE IT'S NOT AS NORMAL AS IT SHOULD BE! lol

31:40 - All the "You will really miss them"s hurt :(

33:25 - Right out the gate, a spoiler for what isn't here:

I looked up the alternate endings of the neutral route and my heart hurts to know Sunny doesn't stick around and Basil dies :(

34:00 - BASIL BEING OVERWHELMED WITH DENIAL AND GUILT AS HE ATTEMPTS TO MENTALLY PROTECT HIS VIEW OF WHO HIS FRIEND IS BY INVENTING A SECOND PARTY THAT DID THIS IS SO FUCKING REAL AND AMAZINGLY DONE.

And it explains the name behind the 'Something'.

'Something' behind you did it. There's 'Something' behind you, isn't there.

'Something' all around us, that potentially being the truth comin' in.

When 'Something' ruined my photos, Basil repressing protecting Sunny by destroying the proof.

Just expertly done.

'Something' being repression of the memory and impending guilt. Dannnng.

36:26 - It's 24 hours after I beat the game as I type all this so here's a gag.

Here's the part where Basil beats some sense into his friend, because after this Sunny gets knocked out and wakes up 200% improved and ready to save Basil from his own guilt by releasing them both from the secret.

So basically Kel dragged us out of bed, then a couple days later Basil beats us up, and that's how Sunny gets better :^) Game Over.

38:46 - This fight made me feel utterly terrible, a highlight being the energy bar saying "Everything is going to be okay".

or at 40:17 - when Basil pokes out Sunny's eye and the screen does this? That's an underutilized but always awesome visual.

41:12 - I THOUGHT I WAS DEAD AT THIS POINT :)

Because just before entering Basil's home on this night you see his Grandma's ghost here. So seeing Sunny here told me "WELL. YOU FUCKED UP!"

42:25 - Like I said, beat some sense into Sunny.

Here's the mental side of things where Basil's beatin' told Sunny to go remember the good times and confront his inner self and I'm being partially facetious because there's plenty to say about what's coming up.

43:15 - Goosebumps every time due to the sincerity and hope of this.

43:40 - Hug for anyone needing that.

51:11 - I could cry again and I just might before this post is done being put together.

This accident was never meant to be.

55:09 - Timestamp is arbitrary, I won't go over every flashback but I do want to say what a beautiful way to use these photos. To relive the memories? To find the strength to overcome and all that? After all these years of suppressing memories? DANNNG I love this game.

1:04:09 - I stepped in poop.

1:04:15 - Barefooted.

1:04:22 - I embraced my failure.

1:12:00 - The violin.

1:13:00 - "The anxious feeling-" "They believed in you" "No matter what you didn't want to disappoint them" I'm filled with love and gonna cry about it.

1:14:00 - So an important theme in the game, as if it has just one, is Sunny suppressing emotions and demonizing himself.

Obviously the ending shows him breaking free from both but I think it's important as hell to look at how he builds up to being able to.

After all the dark moments show him as a bloodied monster, demonstrate a perceived lack of remorse for what he's done (as in he sees himself so poorly that he says "I must not have felt bad about it, I'm a monster", not that he actually doesn't feel bad about it, that he thinks he shouldn't because he's bad), have him stab dream Basil to protect his repression of the memory, the build up to breaking free from that is him remembering the good in him through the lens of his friends.

Both in the real world and in revisiting the memories within the photos.

He hears about the good in himself that he has pretended isn't there and finds the power to overcome this deadened shell he's made.

He learns how to forgive himself by finally remembering he's worthy of forgiveness and is more than his mistake, that even the person he grievously harmed would want him to forgive himself and would understand the mistake didn't define him.

1:15:15 - Just because you did something bad doesn't make you bad, to put it more eloquently than my rambles. He had to learn that.

1:19:20 - I've done this fight 4 times.

You may be wondering why 4 times, it ain't like I replayed the game a ton or anything.

The short of it is:

1) For the good ending :)

2) To see what happens if you go "up" in the hospital- it's a dead end- I assumed it'd be a bad ending. So I got the good ending again :)

3) For the bad ending.

4) FOR THE GOOD ENDING TO WIPE THE HORRIBLE FEELING IN THE PIT OF MY STOMACH AWAY FROM THE BAD ENDING :)

In doing so I did get one layer deeper on the BG of Omori in the fight, here it is:

And I learned on the fourth run that the fight is simpler than I gave it credit lol, Cherish refills your juice, so there is no reason to use Encore. You can get to the end (and deeper more easily) by just using the triple attack and Cherish and Calm down when necessary.

1:29:00 - A summary of the fight is that it's extremely impactful emotionally, but very obviously isn't a "Fun fight". It's great mechanically and story wise for what it's trying to do :)

I'll just say it here: I'm surprised there wasn't an end-game "Omori" fight, you know, in dream world? Because combat is SO good in this. I am lead to believe that the Omori route where you never go outside in the real world has more bosses and zones and would fill what I just implied I wanted- but you're also railroaded into the Neutral endings which are both sad :(

And honestly? That makes sense and I applaud the decision :) Embracing the fantasy world for more 'fights' isn't exactly the path to recovery. Also and I know someone will be bothered I say this because *I'm* bothered I'm saying this- it makes sense since a big predecessor did the same thing lol.

Undertale Genocide has new bosses and a harder end game challenge (Sans) while being the worse ending, while the good ending has a flashy and story/emotionally impactful final fight that isn't as challenging because challenge isn't the point of the morals being explored.

I just bring it up because it's interesting, has a parallel, and after fighting Omori 4 times I really REALLY wanted to do an end-game fight in Dream World.

1:30:00 - forgive me as I cry again. goosebumps and more.

OH NO~!

DRAT!

So I use a cheap video editor and I use the free format of it which limits to 720p and I didn't think twice of it.

I recorded at max, but downgraded after editing.

At 720p you can't see the detail that made me break down crying!

At 1:31:55 Sunny's eyes go wider as he sees Mari as they finally get to experience the duet in this dream state (White Egret Orchid, this is real and happening, I'm taking this to my grave :'( ) he sees her smile and that smile made me break down, but in the 720 it's blurry :(

That's on me, I could have posted the scene raw in HQ but I didn't know it'd compress just enough to be invisible :(

still. that duet scene can make me cry on command. just because of that alone, but also the entire thing.

1:33:42 - Sunny breaks from his shell and feels his emotions again.

1:37:07 - I wish every game would end with a mirror to see yourself.

The 'Despite everything, it's still you' vibe just cements all the growth and experiences that have happened as so much more real when that happens. Bonus points because mirrors in Omori are a time bomb where you can be reminded of the guilt following you- and this one is safe. This one is pure and clean. You did it.

1:37:50 - As I said earlier, going up does nothing. Dead end.

1:39:00 - I have to tell you something.

Simple ending. And yet slams me like two trucks. I'm so proud.

1:41:00 - Post credits scene.

This is so heartwarming and their smiles are the purest thing in the entire world.

1:42:50 - BAD ENDING RECORDING.

All I'll say on that is the bad ending made me feel terrible inside. Give up, live in your bubble, and subconsciously end it all so you never have to confront reality again.

My gut felt heavy to be honest.

And the fact that THAT is when Bo En Time is played is INCREDIBLE.

Having the sky shift like that gave goosebumps and cemented my dread.

Just seeing it now has me feeling very poorly.

Okay. Video done.

Now for general thoughts.

First off this White Space cycle has been going on for YEARS with Sunny only getting worse as he suppresses things more and more and the reason he found the strength to overcome is because of his friends and I'm gonna yell about it.

THE REASON SUNNY IS BREAKING FREE CAN BE DIRECTLY POINTED AT KEL THINKING "FUCK IT, I'M ABOUT TO LOSE A FRIEND, AND I DON'T WANT TO"

And I just think that is sweet as hell. The strength was inside himself, but the problem itself caused Sunny to demonize and not trust himself- he needed someone to break him free and help convince him that he's not irredeemable. And boom.

The way this game handles Denial and even gives it physical form with the 'Something's that both Sunny and Basil harbor is just awesome.

I touched on it but combat in Omori is very, very good.

I've said it here and there as I played and I feel like going at length in the finale post is pointless because this isn't a review but to put it concisely.

Types changing mid-combat, the character archetypes being so well defined, the follow up system, combat in Omori is some top notch turn based RPG stuff.

Like up there with the greats, the timeless masterpieces. This is GOOD fighting. So it was surprising the good ending didn't emphasize it- I explained why that makes sense, but even still! It'd probably be lesser for it (as explained previously) but it's interesting they practiced that restraint for the message they wanted to send.

Repeatin' that Mari's smile in the recital made me cry. Burned in my brain.

I'm still surprised I got the post credits scene because I DID water the plants a lot but when the game showed me them all dead I assumed that was the fail condition.

I genuinely do want to try the Omori route some time down the road. I hope I get around to it.

I am slightly dissuaded just because the Omori route only gets the neutral endings which are not Good To Be Blunt :(

But I want to see what dream content there is and I hear there are other bosses!

Other small bits from my notes:

Replacing denial (the black bulb) with hope (the white bulb) was good as heck.

The imagery of the 'Something' is so top notch- using the shadow of her body combined with the piercing gaze of her single eye- MY GOD.

The fragility of life being so present- between memories of near death experiences, to the way in which Mari dies, to the ease at which either Basil or Sunny can end the game. It's tense and heart-wrenching.

The way the 'Something' behind Sunny almost always shadows over him like an ever present weight.

Tearful, hopeful, pure, kids enduring a guilt metric tons heavier than their bodies could ever handle and finally, finally moving beyond it.

I said more in a personal post, and I'll reblog that.

Honestly, just timestamping through the video took it out of me and got the point across.

Omori is a wonderful game.

It's definitely a favorite for me, high up there on my list.

Between the themes, the gameplay, the humor, the ending.

This is a good one.

And now I get to end having experienced all the care and love in this title, that's such a sweet thing.

Now I know this finale post is a mess, illegible even. I have gotten sloppier as I've begun embracing just 'experiencing and rambling' and perhaps my formatting with change yet again until I find something more easily shared.

Despite that. I want to thank any who popped in on this playthrough.

This was a good one, a highlight of the blog for sure- and I'm always happy when I see some people enjoying the absolute mess I toss online when I do one of these :P

So thank you for your time, and thank you to any ridiculous enough to read my nonsense here.

Have a good one :)

And just as expected I feel I've said nothing and barely touched the surface as the post-game-head of mine does a poor job lol. Even still :P

[maskydoolovesmasseffect]

Mass Effect Tag

Wellio, I’ve been tagged by @berryshiara. Passing this on to @grummel83

Gunna answer my questions now. Y’all feel free to tell me what you think of these answers. ​

I’m a fan since: 2008. I was just out of high school and still not over KoTOR. I was fresh in the army and got to talking to some other dude fresh to the army about video games. He asked me if I played Mass Effect. I said no. By the next day I just about totally forgot about him, then he suddenly appeared out of nowhere sat in front of me in the chow hall and pulled a copy of ME1 for Xbox 360 out his pocket like he was a magician doing a magic trick (ACU pockets are huge.)

Anyway turns out that guy was a romance option and I must have picked the right dialogue options. I’m still with him, too.

Favorite game of the series:

Mass Effect 2. It seemed like that’s the one where choices mattered most and you really got to know your squaddies. Also MAJOR gameplay improvements over the first game. And that game gave me the most freedom to do basically whatever I wanted and wasnt afraid to give me consequences for it.

MShep or FShep:

FShep. Nothing against MShep, but for me the real Shep is FShep. Can’t beat Jennifer Hale’s voice. 

Earthborn, Colonist, or Spacer:

Colonist. I like having the background of knowing just how dangerous the galaxy can be and how the Alliance can’t be everywhere at once so sometimes you need to manage your best on your own.

Biotics or Tech:

Both.

Paragon or Renegade:

Paragon, mostly. I tried being renegade but some of the actions are just so pointlessly dickish, or even outright unhinged in a way that would make it impossible to believe the Alliance would ever promote Shepard as an officer or even keep her in the Alliance at all, especially in the first game.

That said, there are times where a renegade action is more expedient and practical than a paragon one, like in 2 when you stab a dude in the back to prevent him from repairing an enemy gunship, so even with a paragon playthrough, my Shepard will have no issues taking that opportunity. She’s already seconds away from betraying all those guys anyway.  

Paragon in treatment of others, renegade in combat pragmatism.

Favorite Class:

I play as infiltrator and vanguard.

Infiltrator is great for using a sniping and opening loot, and then for going invisible, and if I remember right AI hacking too. That’s cool and I wish there were more genuine opportunities for stealth.

Nowadays I play as Vanguard in my playthroughs mainly just so my Shepard can be canonically biotic for story reasons. From 2 on when looting no longer needs a special skill and I get to charge around the map. I don’t really care much about using biotics (that’s what the squadies are for) but the movement is super useful (when Shepard actually does the thing instead of just standing out in the open soaking up bullets until the ability decides to actually work.)

Favorite Companion:

Garrus. I like to set him up in sniper positions. When he actually STAYS where I put him instead of running straight up to enemies to try to snipe them at point blank, he’s great.

Also his quips in 2 on are pretty entertaining.

Least Favorite Companion:

Garrus, Oh my god. Go back to the sniper position where I put you. Leave tanking to krogan; you do not have the HP for this.

Also Kaidan in ME1. He can not shoot to save his life - literally.  

My Squad Selection:

For all ME1 playthroughs after my first one, Ashley and Kaidan, just of their comments and because... well... I only have so much time with them.

Apart from that I mainly just pick my team based on who’s likely to have the most interesting commentary on whatever the mission happens to be, squad balance be damned. 

Favorite In-Game Romance:

Garrus X Shepard is my favorite love story. They are just so adorable together and always supportive even when they disagree.

But my cannon romance is Kaidan X Shepard for the drama and angst.

Favorite NPC:

In ME1 there’s this random Turian on Noveria who randomly has like a New York accent and I absolutely adore him. He plays basically no part in the story other than some minor information but he’s just so pleasant to speak to.

“If you need anything, I’ll be here.”

Favorite Antagonist:

Morinth, the Ardat-Yakshi daughter of Samara. Yes, she’s a murderous vampire who will absolutely kill you given the chance... but like, it’s a medical condition. And I really can’t help but feel for ardat-yakshi in general when their only options are to spend their whole lives on the run from justicars out to execute them, or waste their entire 1000 year lifespan imprisoned in a monetary unable to experience the world at all. Yeah, Morinth is evil, but Ardat-Yakshi don’t exactly have a good deal.

Favorite Loyalty Mission:

Grunt’s loyalty mission is the best. I get to help my baby boy, reunite with Wrex, enjoy krogan society being fleshed out, have a kickass battle against a thresher maw, and get a breeding request. It’s nice to have a quest that isn’t about family drama and genuinely gets a happy end.

Favorite Mission:

Despite Citadel DLC requiring everyone to have a deathgrip on an idiot ball, and also basically gloss over some really dark stuff, the whole clone storyline with the whole crew is an absolute ride all the way though, with lots of interesting and unique scenarios, a ton of replay-value, and funny party banter that feels like it came straight out of a Marvel movie.

Favorite DLC:

Again, Citadel DLC. Not only did it come with the story above, it also had all those interactions with past and present crewmates, including a memorial for Thane (finally!), a cool apartment to hang out in, a party, an arcade, and an awesome battle arena. It really added a TON. Also, it’s nice to see Bioware figure out that DLC needs characters - I’m remembering back in the DLC to ME 1 the party never had a single thing to say, no matter what was going on. The fun and wacky Citadel DLC is a far cry from the serious and somewhat dark space opera Mass Effect started as, but as the final DLC capping off the end of the series, it gets to do a silly victory lap (and get the taste of the ending out of our mouths.)

Control, Synthesis, Or Destroy:

No.

Favorite Weapon:

Sniper rifles, whatever I have that’s fast and has high damage output. Also that one pistol that shoots tiny energy grenades. Pew pew.

Yeah I wasn’t really big into the weapons so much. I’m here to get my story on. 

Favorite Place:

The presidium on the Citadel. It bothered me a lot when I couldn’t explore it in the second game. I know it would have been terribly impractical, but as the presidium is just a huge ring, it would have been cool to be able to explore the whole thing, going past all the little park areas, shops, monuments and so on until you loop aaaaall the way back around to where you started. Like, how cool would it be if the ring had a running track? Maybe C-sec  academy trainees would be spotted jogging together along it in formation. And can you imagine grabbing a coffee (I was going to make up a space-related name for Starbucks but it’s already STARbucks...) and taking a nice stroll along the water before finding a nice bench to alien-watch from? Other locations in the game are like great places to explore and do gameplay stuff, but the presidium seems like a nice place to just be.

Favorite Quote:

"Stand in the ashes of a trillion dead souls and ask the ghosts if honor matters. The silence is your answer." - Javik.

This is such a fucking raw damn line. It makes me think a lot about Cerberus. When ME3 wasn’t out yet, I thought maybe the plan was Shepard would at some point choose a side, Alliance for paragons and Cerberus for renegades. It would have been so cool to have morality not merely be good vs evil, but idealism vs that ruthless calculus Garrus mentioned. How fucking raw would it be if Cerberus wasn’t just generically evil for no reason and suddenly indoctrinated but really were embodying that ruthless calculus, determined to defeat the reapers at any and all cost. Maybe Cerberus actions’ were more likely to do terrible things for the sake of ultimate victory, doing whatever it took, whereas the Alliance would be less willing to make the terrible choices and ultimately be less likely to succeed.

Now obviously, that’s not what happened, as it would have required Bioware to basically make two entirely separate games. But that line from Javik makes me think of that concept, and a universe where like Dragon Age party members can approve or disapprove of actions not merely as good or evil but along the lines of their personal values. I think Javik would sit at victory at all cost.

Also that one mission in 2 where some random NPC catches Shepard sneaking around and is all like ‘what are you doing here?’ and Shepard is like ‘What am I doing here? What are you doing here? Get out here before it blows!’ and the guy’s freaking out like WTF and she says ‘RUN!’ then laughs to herself as he flees from an imaginary bomb. Shep you troll. 

The thing I like the least about the entire franchise:

The misogyny and objectification that crept its way in, epically from the second game on. Really didn’t like those ass-shot camera angles, or female characters being slut-shamed in-universe for the clothes the designers made them wear. Yikes. 

But the biggest yikes for me in that regard is actually the reveal in 3 that the prothians guided asari development. That was fine and all, but the part that bothered me was the characters commenting “ooooh, so that’s why asari are so advanced,” as it was ever any kind of mystery before that exact moment. For one thing, asari aren’t really shown as being more advanced than anyone else, apart from having discovered the citadel first, and for second, why wouldn’t asari be advanced? All the way from ME1 it’s established that 1: Asari live for a really long time, and 2: can instant transmit information directly from brain to brain. That means they have long lifetime in which to accumulate knowledge and experience, and also can easily spread and preserve that knowledge without even the need for books. That ALONE should put them ahead. And even with all that, they only barely beat the salarians to discovering the Citadel first. But no one asks for an explanation for why salarians, who live only a few decades and can’t do mental data-transfer, are so advanced. No, only the success of the all-women race needs explaining. It was just one moment but it still bugs me. 

Also the general loss of realism after the second game. First game everyone gets armor, including full-face helmets automatically on in environments that need it. After that, people can apparently just wander the battlefield half-naked and even somehow survive in a total vacuum if they just put a plastic cup (that isn’t even connected to anything) over their mouth and nose. In the first game they at least made up some reasonable-sounding science fiction explanation for things, but after that it’s like F-it everything is just space magic now. 

Oh, and those repetitive unlocking stuff minigames. I use a mod to just skip those.