#I've been turning off the screen for the most hype parts

[amygdalagustd]

I love bts to pieces but they do not make very long covid appropriate concerts

[ravenclawlass]

I've been processing ROP S2 finale and I must say that I found it quite disappointing.

I think S2 had an overall pace problem, and that reflected on too many plot lines turning out flat in the finale. It seems the show goes back and forth all the time without actually advancing the plot. Like for example Isildur's plot was completely pointless: meets Estrid, falls in love, realises she's a traitor, new twist she's actually good, back to being in love, new twist ups she is bethroted, heartbreak again, another twist she wants to leave future husband, back to love, twist again only one can go aboard the ship back to Numenor, farewell. In sum waste of time. But this could also apply to many plots during S2. Numenor suffered from the same issue like we see the dimwit peasants choosing Pharazon to be king based on a Eagle that actually showed up for Miriel's coronation, then they change again in a blink of an eye after sea trial, then once again after a letter which we don't even know the contents claims Miriel associated with Sauron, and this shows up out of nowhere with no proof to back it up and Pharazon is king again. Basically turning Miriel's plot of being blessed by the Valar completly pointless. I have no idea where they're going during S3 but it made sense to me that afterall that went down at least she wouldn't die drowning but at this point I have no idea.

The most shocking plot though, was Adar's. He was probably one of the few compelling OC of this show. His whole plot served no purpose he died and we still don't know who he was. Probably not even the wrighters knew. So they just killed him off because they had no idea what to do with his plot.

The only good plots that I actually think were good this season were Annatar and Celembribor, the dwarves and Elrond's arc. Even Galadriel's screen time felt plotless, basically no alliance with the uruks was accomplished, she held no special part in Eregions battle, she took the nine rings with her only to lose them again. I mean give her some proper plot what the hell was this. Her scene with Sauron in the end, was completely mid after all the hype built throughout the season to their meeting rendering that scene pointless in the end. Don't even get me started on the whole Gandalf shenenigans because that shit was hilarious at best, here is your staff now you're officially a Wizard you can now go to Hogwarts. Also the pseudo hobbits are leaving him now for some reason.

So yeah bottom line, either the storytelling gets way better next season or this show seems more and more to be going in a downhill trajectory. So much so that I have no idea what to expect for S3 except some Game of Thrones plot for the dwarves.

[anja-the-sane-panda]

An Over Analysis on Jack's Facial/Body Language in Locked out of Heaven

Note this is all my take on the map and my brain is literally broken so take this all with a fist full of salt.

Also this is SUPER LONG, so I apologize for giving y'all a collage essay on this.

VERSE ONE:

First let's talk about the face where he stares into the player's soul

It's pretty much a poker face which makes sense with his background. He probably perfected it over the years to just keep his mother quiet and not jump on him for not liking her plans. (Too much anyway)

But then he does the first move and his cocky side comes out in a blink of an eye. Like it's almost scary how quick he went from stiff and expressionless to sassy and confident. He's hyping himself up for the performance like how other performers would do quick vocal exercises or doing a quick shake to get their bodies and mind ready. Especially since this takes place after Witch where he looked both depressed

Now the pre-chorus

He is so happy to perform

this entire pre-chorus you see him grow a true smile that just gets bigger until he gets to the top when he goes into his full routine. You can feel his excitement right through the screen. He is ready to give the people what he wants and he is going to love every moment of it Hell he even winks to us. I mean that doesn't add much but I feel the need to point that out for the Jack Rose fans.

Now in the chorus we get to see full Jack Rose, complete with sassiness and confidence. Though we also can see the same smile from the pre-chorus, which makes sense! He is having the time of his life performing and he obviously loves his fans with how he is constantly pointing and smiling at them any chance he gets.

Now the second verse/pre-chorus are pretty much the same as the first except the fact that he seems for focused than cocky when in the room of mirrors (Most likely due to his mother watching him from the reflections) And he seems more excited the closer he gets to the stage.

But now we get to the juicy stuff in the bridge hehehe

Now this part is a little obvious with him pointing to his fans during the "Can I just stay here? Spend the rest of my days here?" He is pleading to whatever deity is listening to just let him stay on that stage with people who actually love him and he loves them back, even if it's just because of his voice/performances he is taking whatever love he can get. That's his heaven, but a certain ✨slaying✨ witch only lets him bask in it for a little while before locking him out it again and again.

K in the final chorus

Small detail I didn't notice the first time but at this part it looks almost like he's reaching for one of the helicopters whilst singing "I've been locked out of heaven" (Yeah this isn't beating my theory that those copters were sent from Night Swan to watch her son during his performance)

Now that Swan tower has lit up behind him and has even taken over the screens in the stage Jack is facing the complete opposite direction, with the most he goes towards it is when he faces the player completely and a few spare glances to the crowd behind him

He knows what's behind him but he doesn't want to think about it. Also at these last few repeats of the chorus he seems to almost be belting it in some spots. Like he's trying to drown himself in the song and stay in the zone forever. But alas, it has to end

That face when his mom waves him off tells us all we need to know. He's used to her actions and distain, but it also stings a lot for him.

Also while it isn't noticeable at first you can actually see him sigh after his hand goes all the way down and he looks at the floor.

In conclusion: Jack needs a hug yesterday and this sets up his reaction to seeing Wanderlust and his fans get turned in majesty. Is he cocky? Yes. But does he love what he does? Well when it comes to performing, yes

thank you all for coming to my Ted Talk, cookies are in the lobby

[hopeymchope]

I HOPW YOU ENJOY IT I LOVE THAT GAME

I'M HONESTLY WORRIED BECAUSE IT'S SO INSANELY HYPED LOL

Plus I'm worried about playing FF7 for... many other reasons that I'm now going to ramble about at EXCESSIVE LENGTH.

UNPOPULAR OPINIONS START!

FIRST: It's been, what, 27 years since this thing came out? And I've probably played a lot of stuff that took whatever FF7 did that was so groundbreaking and iterated/improved on it already, y'know? I doubt this game can ever be the earth-shattering experience it was for people of that initial release period.

SECOND: In my own opinion, the worst-aged generation of gaming (outside of the very first one) has to be the N64/PS1/Saturn gen, a.k.a. "fifth-gen." Pixel art from the older retro systems is kind of timeless-looking to me, and 2D game mechanics got locked down pretty quickly for the main titles of the day. Plus and the sixth-and-later generations still look fine and hold up on some level—by seventh-gen, we were already in HD! But fifth-gen polygonal graphics and pre-rendered assets are just... WOOF.

Get a load of those overworld character models in FF7 — they ain't got no alibi. And that's to say nothing of how awkward things typically were while we were first figuring out how to transition into 3D. Camera controls/angles, save structures, etc... it's all a fit fumbly.

So yeah, I don't have a lot of nostalgia/fondness for this gen, personally. My favorite games from this time period are typically the ones that dared to stick to 2D: Symphony of the Night, Mega Man X5, etc. And the exceptions are usually best experienced via latter-day ports that made big quality of life improvements or visual enhancements. I adore Ocarina of Time... but I'd definitely recommend that anyone new to it play the 3DS version.

THIRD: I ALSO don't like random battles. I know they're an RPG staple for many old-school titles, but like... I strongly prefer being able to see the enemy on the overworld before I enter the battle screen. Or at LEAST being able to tell where I can walk to either avoid or trigger potential random battles ala Pokemon games. I'd GREATLY prefer to not be jump-scared by a random battle every few steps. And although the modern FF7 ports have a trigger to supposedly turn off the random battles, it (A) doesn't seem to work half the time, and (B) using it will just leave me under-leveled in the long run.

And ALL OF THAT is why, for a long time, I waited for the FF7 remake. I figured that'd probably be my best introduction to the story and characters—bringing them to a new generation with a new presentation. But when the remake finally arrived, it wasn't a remake at all. Not only is the gameplay radically different, but even the story is heavily based in how it diverges from the original! Familiarity with the original game appears to be highly recommended.

And so... here I am.

I've only been playing FF7 for a couple nights now. Tuesday night was day one. And so far? I'm pleasantly surprised by how much I didn't already know in the story — I thought that cultural osmosis from years of Remake/Rebirth trailers and general gaming YouTube channels and overall gaming chatter would have spoiled every single story beat already. Certainly, the most famous event/twist in the game is something that was spoiled EVERYWHERE for years and years. But right now—having just swung away from a huge explosion on a big old crane-hook—I'm like "Huh, I didn't know that'd happen" pretty regularly!

Plus a general "Huh, I didn't know the overarching evil in this game was corporate capitalism." That last part has certainly aged like a fine wine. :)

[stuffyflowers]

Started playing PS Outertale a few hours ago and I have, thoughts.

For the most part, geno has been a chill time. There are some tweaks I really appreciate, like the grinding being so quick and skipping dialog by holding C. Asriel was a little jarring at first, really did not like the way he talked down to Papyrus (and that bit where he's pretending Sans is still there? eugh), but once we were past not-Snowdin I really started to appreciate him. His relationship with Frisk/Chara/The Player/Whatever is really intriguing, especially how Frisk or whoever genuinely seems to reciprocate his feelings. Love the Best Friends Setting The World On Fire vibe we got going on.

I did kind of feel like the game was just, really easy? I beat Undyne the Undying without dying, and that's without knowing what the new spear attacks did. But a lot of her normal attack were just like, easier versions of her original attacks? I did like the extra attacking mechanic and how it was still loosely DDR esc like green soul mode.

Beat Mettaton on my second try. Orange soul mode was neat. A little weird to get used to but it didn't offend. Defiantly a little harder that Undyne but not a huge step up.

Alphys... I REALLY do not like this fight. As of writing this I have not beaten it and I don't thing I will. There are a just, lot of little things that just drag the whole thing down for me. For one, Screen Shake. Lasers shake the screen, the expanding rings shake the screen, hell, even the damn MUSIC shakes the screen! I can't see where I am or what I'm supposed to be dodging! Second, the obnoxious spinning background. It's distracting and bugs the hell out of me. Third, the music. It's very meh imo, gets grating after a bit and just sounds like noise now. So far my biggest issue is that her attacks are 1000 years long. Each one feels like three for four attacks in one. Sometimes I'd get most of the way through an attack and just, get fatigued and take my hands off the keyboard cause I'm so overwhelmed.

I've never felt like this before. I don't usually mind a challenge, I actually like throwing myself at a problem until I break through. I loved beating UTY geno without using any equipment (Only Rubber Bullets, the Patch and the Toy Gun. Honestly if you're looking to play UTY geno again but harder I highly recommend), and that was a grind that took weeks. But this? I have absolutely no desire to return to this. I can't honestly say the fight is even good or bad cause I just can't get into it. This is the worst time I've ever had fighting an UT boss, and I don't think that was the intention.

I don't know where I was going with this. I just had a lot of thoughts and felt the need to share them.

Fun fact u can hold alt+press left twice to open the debug menu and get temmie armour infinite hp etc etc would highly recommend using whenever a fight annoys u lol im not grinding for this game. I agree w ur alphys boss complaint so much, I almost got my ass beat WHILE using th temmie armour, the patience soul mode is just not made for a boss fight of that scale I don’t think, especially not one where it piles on what feels like 20 attacks in one turn. It’s so sad bc I was genuinely pretty hyped to see final boss alphys, seeing herself as the one to blame for everyone’s deaths in this route coulda made up for the nothingburger she was given in pacifist but it was just. Eh.

Also asriel is just very funny to me. This au really only cares abt asriel and twinkly seems to exist just to fill floweys slot which is smth I don’t care for, but I at least appreciate they let him be an edgy little shit rather than playing into the idea that having a soul would magically fix flowey/twinkly and make him a normal kid again. I like that frisk is kind of just fucking around ig, it makes a funny contrast against asriel. I wish the route used the frisk/asriel/mk trio more also. Idontknow I still haven’t fully figured out how I feel about this route it’s so weird. I did enjoy it more on average than lv0 pacifist tho so that’s. Something?

[gwydionae]

Ok, serious question for One Piece fans.

Here's the TL;DR:

I'm at Fishman Island in the anime. I know lots of future spoilers for WCI and Wano. I love pre-time skip Sanji and WCI Sanji. I hate Fishman Island Sanji. The question is, as a Sanji fan, how much disappointment should I prepare for in Punk Hazard/Dressrosa/etc until WCI? Is he going to stay this obnoxious until then?

And here's the rather long explanation rant because sometimes you just gotta vent:

I started reading the manga, like, 20 years ago, but I dropped it during the Fishman Island arc. There were many reasons for this (some unrelated to OP entirely), but a big one was Sanji. He had always been my favorite character, and while there had been moments pre-time skip that I didn't love (see: Clear Clear Fruit and it's improper uses), I found he became downright insufferable after it. I don't have to love everything about a character for them to be my favorite, but FI pushed me past my limit.

I have since skimmed through Whole Cake Island and bits of Wano due to seeing spoilers that made me believe that may have changed over time, and I did really like the parts that I read. Well, most of them, anyway (see: invisibility and it's improper uses, Sanji). So between that and hype over the live action version, I went back and started watching the anime for the first time.

I am once again in the early goings of Fishman Island, and I am STRUGGLING. Every time Sanji is on screen my brain is warring between remembering what I like about his character and what I'm seeing play out currently. He used to be overly fond and protective of woman, to the point that his inability to fight them hindered the crew. Now he's an active pervert drooling in the face of every pretty woman who is hindering the crew simply by bleeding to death at the sight of any woman including his own crewmates. Had this happened, like, once, MAYBE twice, ok, it's a dumb gag, but whatever. But it's not a one off gag. It just keeps going, to the point where it doesn't feel like a gag anymore so much as an actual character trait. It's like his flaws (which can make for interesting character drama, like his inability to physically harm Kalifa) are now his core personality, and everything I liked about him isn't even there anymore. Heck, part of his training was to learn to cook foods to help his crew, and he hasn't even cooked anything yet, and he was separated from his crew for two years!

(Ugh, don't mind me, just unearthing feelings buried real deep a decade ago. ANYWAY)

I know he gets better. He'll never feel quite like his pre-time skip (especially pre-Thriller Bark) self again, but I know that WCI adds in some really interesting layers to his character, and while Wano still has his perviness turned up a bit higher than I'd prefer, there's real depth to his character to keep him from sinking back into the one note gag that is Fishman Island. He will get growth. He will go back to being an enjoyable and rounded character one day.

I just really need to know exactly how long I have to wait for that to happen.

Sanji is (obviously) not the only thing I like about One Piece. I like nearly all of the Straw Hats, I've gotten attached to more than a few side characters over time, and the fact that it's so long and hasn't (to my knowledge) felt like a mad scramble of retcons is highly impressive.

But here on good old tumblr, I expect people to understand about the blorbos. They're different. They're special. And feeling like I wish one of them would finally succumb to death by nosebleed is, to put it mildly, not ideal.

And thus the question at hand. Because if I have to put up with this Sanji all the way until WCI, I might just scream. But at least if I have the warning ahead of time, I'll know to expect it rather than fruitlessly hoping he gets better before then.

Just give it to me straight, doc. How bad is it?

(The one thing I know of him between now and WCI is that his mind/soul/?? gets stuck in Nami's body - not sure for how long or what all he... does... in there, though. So please spoil that for me. I do not want that kind of surprise.)

[caelumsnuff]

I don’t get people being like “you all are only disappointed about how the Quinn storyline went because you were theorizing/had headcanons” or “Erik never hyped up Quinn” and it’s like people are being obtuse on purpose. With the former, theories and headcanons have been a part of fandom culture since before they were called fandoms. When Erik was still in the Discord, listeners used to be *rewarded* early on for discussions on theories with like a specific title or something back then. How does ‘oh it’s your fault for getting hype over this plot line enough to wonder what will happen?’ make any real sense?

And “Erik didn’t hype up Quinn?” Like come on. And this is coming from someone who did not even get to hear Bright Eyes’ storyline, but even without it like…constant talk of how dangerous this character is when he came up, Asher cancelling a dinner date over this character’s presence, Sam concerned about Darlin’ living alone because of Quinn, him bringing up how dangerous a blood bond is, all the murders off-screen, the multi-year build up and references to this character, the Shaw pack being apparently the most renowned and powerful pack in the area needing to call in for help from another pack to get him. He didn’t need to say ‘this character is a big deal!!1!’ explicitly to us when he narrative choices over the past two years have done so. And this is, again, without ever hearing the Bright Eye storyline (which made this even more disappointing because I never got to hear of a single thing *on-screen* that made this character so terrifying. It was all completely secondhand. Instead of ever being *shown* that a character is terrifying and a Big Bad. I was only ever *told* so).

I don’t even think everyone wanted Quinn to crash the weddings or the monarchical summit or for Sam & Darlin’ to go Batman on him (though of course some people did). Even without those potential plot lines, I feel like if Sam and Darlin’ had been active participants in *someway* in the actual plot to get Quinn into custody, if things referred to as big deals previously like the blood bond that was set up had ever come up again at all, and/or if literally *anything* about finally getting this character (who has had so many of our main characters walking on eggshells) had happened on-screen instead of in the background for minor and unnamed characters we do not know to handle then maybe there would be less disappointment. I didn’t need a massive spectacle. I just wanted to see the main characters being the ones driving the plot.

oh god this is so good, especially that last part about wanting to see the main characters being the ones driving the plot. I think, personally, perhaps one of the reasons that it was so disappointing is because none of the characters on screen really did too much to move the plot forward. Everything with Quinn being caught happened off screen. I mean, it's not the way i would have loved for it to happen, but if Sam and Darlin aided in getting Quinn captured and turned in i don't think i would have been quite so infuriated with the way this plot went.

Also yeah lol it was very funny to hear people say that he didn't actually hype up Quinn and whatnot because, exactly like you listed, he did it A Lot. I think perhaps it is people being obtuse on purpose, or just like... *waves vaguely*..... you know the way that this fandom is. Redacted fandom moment.

I don't have much more to add onto this unfortunately (i feel I've stated my thoughts on this whole debacle thoroughly), but i agree with you wholeheartedly. Thank you very much for the ask and your thoughts <3

[webbymom]

So, on the way to the bookstore...

Just popping on totally randomly and after many years to say a couple of things sims-related. Well, really to rant a bit, about a couple of things sims-related... ;)

I just spent over $100 CAD on a couple-or-so kits, and the two newest TS4 EP's - High School Years (since I'd passed on that earlier, and, of course, Growing Together). I was very excited for the new worlds, the new gameplay, and getting some more clutter in my game. FINALLY. After a couple of years of not really having much interest left in TS4, I was excited to get the whole, intense, deep, family mojo going - baby, infant, toddler, child, teen with high school, young adult with Uni, young adult with job/marriage/kids, start all over again...

I'm sorry to say that I was disappointed. Not really by the kits, they are what they are, but by the EP's. I played through HS Years while awaiting the arrival of GT, and it was OK, I guess. To be honest, I was hoping to explore more with a new "legacy" type of family once GT came out. But I suffered from MANY crashes once I'd finally downloaded it.

To be fair, I struggled with the game crashing due to mods - but I didn't put them in until they'd been updated. I spent four days starting over and over, testing and testing, with mods that were supposedly updated, but obviously something was wrong... I literally started FOUR FAMILIES in that time, ended up chucking all mods out the window (ooooh, the pain of build/buy without cheats!), and starting again.

It went OK - but I was so DONE by then. Sad, really.

None of THAT was EA's fault. Not at all. But here's the thing I noticed whilst starting over and over and over...

San Sequoia is barren. Empty. Lifeless. Like, you can't even search for frogs or fish there. There are no collectibles that I am aware of in the world AT ALL. (correct me if I'm wrong...)

Apart from collectibles, there also aren't that many people around to befriend/romance/marry - like, they're all adults or older and already paired up, for the most part. I don't know how I'd start a single, YA sim out and find someone to make a life with! I really don't - I tried! I had to move them to Willow Creek!

Literally, I gave up and moved my last sim from my last attempt to Potter's Splay in Willow Creek. Frick San Sequoia, I said. I can always visit the rec center just as easily by a loading screen from Willow Creek as I can from down the frickin' road!

My sim met Zoe Patel - she was serving drinks at the local bar. He romanced her REAL FAST LIKE and they got married within 24 hours and very quickly had a baby. Which then turned into my FOURTH infant in this fiasco. And we are on the way AGAIN to making some milestones.

(Poor little gal still hasn't gotten to the high chair yet, as did 2 of my other infants in this journey... )

Life was better - Zoe could trot around her neighbourhood, even while pregnant, and gather flowers and mushrooms and dug up stuffz to make a bit of side cash while hubby was off at work... And I realized that the RICHNESS of those two original neighbourhoods were never really matched in later EP's - except for Windenburg, they did a pretty good job on that one. Again, still early on.

I've heard that they are all worried about computers and how more worlds means more resources used and how they have to keep all those stats down for those who play on lower-end machines.

Well, folks, here's the thing. I've PAID for a higher-end machine. I know not everyone can, I get that. But I have one. And, for once in the last two years, I was looking forward to a pack that I now feel was hyped up beyond what it would do or give me, which was dumbed down, specs-wise, so that everyone under the sun could play the game. In the end, this long-time simmer feels shorted. I wanted to like the world. I wanted to play in it long-term. But you can't even get a decent-sized lot to build on, let alone one that faces the sun for the right times of day so you can bloody well see what the frick you're building or living in! The life has been sucked right out of it, which is sad, being as all the screenshots were so pretty. But why have an entire wharf when you don't even have a fishing spot on it? Why have parks and "empty areas" when there are no collectibles to find? No secret portals to other places to discover? Oh, and the "secrets" of San Sequoia are just folks telling you about their gender preference or how to be OK with some bad news you got???

Seriously. I can't even.

Know what I did? I opened up The Sims 3. And guess what?

So. Much. Better.

I'll write a new post about that later, since this one is long enough. ;)

[seokjinsonlyone]

Idk if you’ve been asked this before but what is your favorite song from each members solo projects so far? Lol the astronaut is the exception 😂

omg!!! we must have some sort of connection bc i was just thinking about this earlier and i'm gonna assume this is in our hiatus era bc the rapline just has so much history it'd be impossible to pick just one LOL so imma go in chronological order of when it was released!!

for hobi it's safety zone like that song just really hold a special place in my heart like the sound of it is soooooo i can't even describe arson is a close second tho

for joonie it's closer hands down when i first heard that track i literally started vibrating on the frequency of bees

for mini it's it's actually hard to pick but his lil ep hit so freaking hard and was so unexpected for me and listen i am not really a lyric girly like i will listen to a song in english mind you could know all the words and sing it but not really pay attention to what it's saying at all like there's this one song i love and i swore by that song listened to it on repeat for hours wanted it played at my wedding that's never gonna happen and everything and like a year later i realized it was a breakup song all this to say that the english version of like crazy makes me soooo insane specifically the line "emotions on ice" like that one line right there changed the trajectory of my life BUT THEN there's alone and like i said NOT really a lyric girly so the way that this song sounds and just the composition is SOOO clever like in the chorus part where he's like "day and night fall" and when he says fall there's that voice effect that literally drops and the overlapping "mayday, get me out of here" that's literally a cry for help like that is so freaking genius and caught me from the beginning and it's just so it's a song i really like to listen to even tho it's really sad LOL BUT THEN there's set me free pt 2 which i realize now i could've just led with bc it really does have both those elements like it has that sound that makes me vibrate and the lyrics that alter my brain chemistry (especially when he's like raise your hands for the past me i'm just head in hands about that line AMONGST MANY OTHER PARTS) AND THE PERFORMANCE MY GOD i don't even know where to start talking about that one so i won't so let's just say set me free pt 2 is king for me

for yoongi i literally decided on my way into the house after getting off from work that dday was my favorite from the album like i was going back and forth between dday and sdl and decided that what takes sdl to the top for me is adora's adlibs like she really snapped but if i was picking my fav from yoongi bc of yoongi it's dday like y'all don't understand the way i be blasting that song everyday on my way to work it be like 5am and i'm in the car volume turned all the way up talm bout time for some paycheck and i'm riding downtown 😭 it's become my ultimate hype song me thinks

and i know my seokjinnie only has the astronaut but it's SO good like "when i'm with you there is no one else and i get heaven to myself" is such a wonderful and lovely line and when he starts belting about how much he loves me god my heart is so full i am at peak military wife whenever it comes on

and the babies haven't released anything yet but i will use this opportunity to say that i am forever changed by taehyung's jazz covers like that festa video that dropped had me listening to jazz for the rest of the week and like you can tell how much he has improved as a singer his voice is just like honey and i gulped it down with a cup of tea fr like i've probably watched it five times by now i love it so much and for jk can i just say that i miss when he was in his silk sonic phase like i was literally screen recording that one live when he covered leave the door open for the first time honestly i have most of that concert screen recorded LOL like baepsae hip thrusts and all but i think of all the songs jk has covered and my god there has been plenty his cover of leave the door open is my favorite and i'd like to hear more of him with that sound there's also this one other song he covered once it was during one of his morning lives it was a korean song and he was imitating the singer but i have no idea of the artist or the song but just know that there's a section in my brain that holds that one specific cover dearly

i have no idea how this got to be so long i didn't expect to have this much to say on this topic BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING

[claire-starsword]

The Guardiana Magic School Run - Part 8.5

Look, a proper screenshot of Narsha's stat screen! I have never failed to take one, ever!

Unlike last battle we have little room to prepare at the beginning, I'm hoping her 20 attack will do something without a boost, cause i'd like to not waste a turn spellcasting.

It is EXACTLY enough. I love this woman.

Yeah. She's just Max no. 2. There's only one worry left before I declare this battle a cakewalk.

First it is more of an actual walk cause we can grab these chests without a single enemy around.

Now, the problem. Everyone say hi to Shining Force's most recurring creature!

The Kraken here isn't as cool as it is anywhere else, but still has some chonky stats as you can see by its HP here. It can get up the bridge and block your path, in which case I'm usually toast, but I've never leveled up Narsha this much before, so maybe we can take it today? We'll see, I'm not sure what triggers it to climb the bridge or not and I don't wanna risk too much upon being able to do these interludes deathless.

But it would be so cool. In preparation, I finally cast Attack. This takes out half her MP and cuts her away from using a second Aura this battle, but she's full of healing items so I'm hoping it won't matter.

Worth mentioning, besides the Kraken there's like, two more Outlaws waiting to ambush us, so yeah, there's myriads of ways we can get blocked on the bridge. It never happened to me, but I'm wondering if they and the Kraken can work together to surround you on both sides. Sounds bad! I don't know what to do besides advancing though, and I'd rather have the Outlaws in front than the Kraken.

We're dead.

I can't even try using the Defense Potion she found because it went to the Item Box, it would do wonders for our survivability here. As it is we're just toast, unless I can bait the Outlaws one by one back to the start where the Kraken can't reach.

They took the bait, there's hope. I'm not touching that Kraken ever.

Oh that +2 defense is so appreciated.

I finally heal and attempt to hit this beast. This could be a mistake as I don't know if it can counter, but that's exactly it, I really wanna see its stats.

That's a valiant effort from our queen, if I could use Zuika I could see us defeating this thing. It's not worth the risk though.

Apparently it does have a chance to drop a better mace for her, which is peculiar. And I guess it can't counterattack after all. Valuable information.

More importantly the Outlaws continue to be suckers so let's keep up with the plan.

F-

Aaaaaaaaah I should have dragged the Outlaw further back, shouldn't I???

Shoo. Go away. There's nothing in bridge. Out.

…It is not leaving.

Okay. Panic over. We have three healing items so I think we can do this, it's just a massive waste, and will give me a heart attack if this thing gets a critical hit.

She's trying she's trying so hard go Narsha go!

Oh this would have been so useful to cross the bridge. Step is another Narsha exclusive spell which raises a character's movement by 2. Will be beyond useful in forest/mountain battles.

WE'RE SO CLOSE I'm gonna be careful though and heal before finishing it off.

YOU DICK YOU CAN WALK ANYWHERE???

GET WRECKED

GET MURDERED

I WAS TOO HYPED TO SCREENSHOT IT BUT THIS THING GIVES 2000 GOLD. Also dropped the Heavy Mace, I don't know if that's guaranteed.

God this is so incredibly satisfying I always wanted to kill this thing.

I also thankfully did not have to waste a Healing Seed in this foolishness, and am now much more prepared for murder.

It's a joke to deal with the remaining Outlaws after that. All that's left is Gobgovitch, but I'll heal first with Aura just for paranoia. I doubt he's stronger than a whole Kraken.

LMAO

Tumblr is bullying me with the image limit but, he had 20 HP.

Well, Aura gave her some extra exp, that was definitely the best move. I love being good at games intentionally.

We finish the battle only to be again disappointed by naval services, as they're too dangerous here. Next time we, well, we get back to the Shining Force for all of Chapter 3, but then we get to Narsha's greatest challenge yet, and I am very hyped.

With that said, updates to this will slow down if not halt completely in the next months, because Shininginktober is coming! It's, tomorrow actually, I totally thought I had more time, but I expected to be late for most entries so whatever. That's why I'm saying months plural. As you can see I did get some warmup though :) So see you soon for that!

Losses: 0 Deaths: 2 The expected deaths on Narsha interludes: 0/3!!!!!!!!!

[mbrokenheart93]

Confessions

Character: Marc Spector (Mentions of Steven Grant)

Pairing: Marc Spector / Steven Grant x Fem!Reader

Mentions: DID and Sleep Disorders

Warnings ⚠️: Smut (nothing explicit), only mention some things. Spicy. Mentions of Egiptyan Gods. Site in London. Fears. Mentions of Death. Fluff. Very fluff. Angst a little bit. Memories. Insecurities. Romantic fluff. Mentions of others characters. Post!Endgame.

Inspired by: Para el Amor - Camilú

Author's Note: Hello everyone! I hope you're all ok.

I'm here tonight with a different fic... I'm trying to write new things (You see in the warnings a new hashtag, that's smut) and this is my try about it.

This isn't the fic that I posted a sneak peek a few days ago but this just came to my mind yesterday and end it a few minutes ago.

I need a little of the romantic side of Marc Spector.

So... I'm hyped about the next episode of my beloved, and I hope that this fic makes your wait less hard until the episode's out.

Thanks for the likes, the comments, the corrections and reblogs. Means a lot for me ❤️❤️❤️

Ps: It's long. A little bit long fic.

Enjoy the reading an welcome to my new followers! XOXO 😘

🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸

Lo único que espero de los dos, es que lo incierto no nos llene de dolor. Que las palabras sean honestas y que contemos sin darle vueltas para lo bueno para lo malo y para el amor. Para lo bueno para lo malo y para el amor...

Para lo bueno para lo malo y hacer el amor.

I blink a couple of times at the small rays of sunlight that enter through the window. I barely manage to cover my face with my arm, blocking out any speck of light that might dazzle my eyes, and stare up at the ceiling of Steven's apartment.

I feel the space next to me, hoping to find the warmth of Marc's body, but all I find is emptiness and cold, a clear indicator that he hasn't been in bed for a long time. I sit up slowly feeling the pain in every part of my body reminding me of everything we did last night and I smile as I see our clothes on the floor.

Until then, there is not the slightest trace of Marc in the vicinity.

“Surely he had to leave. As always, without even saying goodbye"

I still wasn't used to him disappearing even though we'd been together for two years, but I knew that was his job. One day he arrives and the next, when they need him or he needs him, he leaves without warning.

I close my eyes before the annoying noise of the alarm and as soon as I move to turn it off, I see that the screen lights up showing me a small white sign:

“10:00 a.m. Breakfast with mom”

I sit up suddenly taking the sheet with me and when I see that Steven's wall clock reads 11:40 I feel the air escape from my lungs as if I've been hit in the stomach.

Shit. I fell asleep.

My eyes search for the most important parts of my clothes but I stop when I see that Marc or Steven, depending on who is currently in control of the body, walking towards the bed with a steaming cup of dark liquid in his right hand and another of amber liquid on the left too concentrated on his slow walk and on the fact of not spilling a minimum of liquid on himself.

I let out a giggle as I put my hand to my mouth so as not to distract him, but he seems to ignore me completely. He is frowning at the concentration of his movements as his shoulders are tense beneath his fully unbuttoned blue shirt.

I curse the moment when he just decided to wear the black boxer shorts under that shirt.

I let out a sigh as I watch him carefully and without a hint of embarrassment until I see his lips curve into a smile and with the slight movement, a couple of his curls fall onto his forehead.

- Are you watching something interesting, darling?

The low, soft tone of his voice sends a shiver through my body and I press the sheet tighter than necessary against my chest, as if it were some kind of armor that could protect me from his scrutiny.

- Marc?

- Yep, it's me. Steven says hello. He's a little upset that I'm here with you and not him.

He laughs as I watch him set the cups down on the little table next to the bed and watch him sit on the edge of the bed leaving only a tiny distance between us, which shortens when he lifts his hand up and caresses my face. I sigh as I surrender to his soft caresses.

- How are you? I know I barely let you rest last night - The memories of the desperation to feel the other, the moans, the screams and our synchronized movements as if we were one person come back to my mind and I can't help but blush - Haven't I hurt you?

- You would never do it, Marc. You are too careful… even in that aspect. Effusive but careful.

He laughs and more curls fall onto his forehead, making him look more cute and seductive than usual. He drops his hand gently down my neck to the edge of the sheet that barely covers the valley of my breasts and traces little doodles on my skin and the fabric.

- I really missed hearing you laugh.

- And I miss hear you say my name - I give him a slight push with my free hand which makes him laugh more openly. I know I'm his personal fun and I love it. Especially when this facet of his personality is kept just for me.

- Leaving jokes aside, are you okay sweerheart?

- Yes, of course - I look at the cell phone again and let out a sigh as I take his hand, move it away from my body and kiss his knuckles, a movement that makes him tremble, almost imperceptibly - I know you won't like to hear it , but I have to see my mother. I made an appointment to see her for breakfast and fell asleep… Besides, she must be upset… I have to go.

Marc just gives me one of those “know-it-all” smiles and indicates my cell phone.

- I already talked to her a while ago. She told me to let you know not to worry, that she will see you on Saturday afternoon.

-You didn't hear me, Marc, she will be up… - My words stopped when I processed his words - Did you say you talked to my mother?

- A charming woman like you - The tranquility in his voice makes me see him with a frown, as if a horn had grown on his head- Now I understand where that charm that has me so captivated came from.

Marc Spector. Former mercenary. Avatar of an Egyptian god. London superhero against his will… Talking to my mother as calmly as if he were talking about robbing a tomb?

- It's a joke?

- No sweetie. I talked to her less than an hour ago, while you were sleeping. I told her that last night you came to my apartment to help me with some tasks at the museum and that you had slept very late – The false innocence of his story makes me laugh that catches his attention - Needless to say, she was very happy knowing that a man answer your cell phone.

- I had no museum duties. You lied her.

His laugh disappears completely and his gaze becomes darker, more enigmatic and even more mischievous.

- Of course I lied to her. I couldn't tell her that I spend the whole night buried in you, making her little girl scream with pleasure and lust who only begged for everything I had to give her - I refrain from spitting the tea in front of her words and I feel that his hand rests on my leg, where the fabric of the gray sheet does not cover - And what I still have to give you.

I feel the heat start to rise up my neck and as soon as I put the cup down on the table, Marc pushes me against the bed making me shout and climbs on top enough so that I can feel his weight on mine, while resting his lips against mine in a soft and possessive kiss at the same time. I let out a sigh through his lips and feel his smile as I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him closer to me.

I missed that intimacy so much, that moment where it could only be the two of us, away from the world that I enjoyed every moment that I had the chance.

- Do you know something? I missed you so much - I separated from him enough to caress his hair and in response, Marc leaves a kiss on my neck.

- Me too darling. You have no fucking idea how much we miss you.

- I know, but I can imagine it – I try to surround him with my legs but with the weight of his body he keeps me still against the mattress, making it clear who is in control.

- When I woke up I saw that your cell phone said something about your mother, I assumed it was important. But I didn't want to wake you up because all of you, disheveled, blushing and sleeping as if there were no problems in the world could with me - Marc leans on one of his arms and begins to draw circles on my chest, which go up and down my neck as they play with the edge of the sheet - You had to rest even for a while. I only let you sleep for an hour.

- I don't regret it - I take his face and kiss him again, feeling that warmth and the smell of mint that his clothes give off and that reassures me so much. I play with his hair for a few minutes, I bury my hands in his curls and feel the kiss deepen, as if something about my movements aroused him more than usual.

- Damn, you don't know what you cause in me when you play with my hair - I let out a laugh as soon as he pulls away and falls next to me while he removes the sheet and gets under it, I automatically curl up on his chest and start drawing circles on it, while his arm closes around me and I feel his lips against my hair - You don't know how I miss feeling you around me, hearing my name from your lips while I put all my care into make you mine. Make it clear that you are only mine.

His voice now sounds agitated, while my heart races at his words. I play with the buttons on his shirt and climb up until I take between my fingers his little gold Star of David pendant that he hasn't taken off since he was a little boy. One of the few things that kept him tethered to reality.

- Stop talking about it, please….

- Why? - A smile mixes with the tone of his voice and brings me even closer to him, almost leaving me sitting on his lap.

- You know why. Don't play the innocent boy with me, Spector.

- With you I could never be innocent, darling. With you I commit even the most ordinary of sins without even regretting it.

- You know very well that I'm not going to say no, but now I want to talk.

I feel him tense under my hands and look away to one of my hands, more precisely the one that holds the small pendant of the Jewish religion and nods while he sits up a little until he is almost inches from my face. His expression is worried and I see that he hesitates at his movements but after a second, he rests his hands on either side of my hips and heaves a sigh.

- I do not.

- Marc…

He snorts softly and when he looks at me with those beautiful brown eyes I see the reality in them: he's scared. I give him a small smile as I move away a little and link one of my hands with his.

- I know it's difficult for you to talk about emotions and about what happened in Egypt, but – I hesitate to talk about my feelings, much more when I know that maybe they are too much for him and he wants to run away or avoid the conversation. But I need him to know what happened to me when he wasn't there – I thought that this time, you wouldn't come back. I thought of all the possibilities and none of them seemed to bring you here again.

- Dear…

- No, no. Let me finish. I need it - I stop him by putting my fingers on his lips and he just nods while I hold the sheet under my arms as best I can - I thought I lost you when Layla told me what had happened to you in Egypt. But I was more afraid of losing you when she told me who you had become.

- Layla managed to find us only a few months before you found us – His voice sounds a few decibels lower as if she was whispering in case someone was listening to our conversation – And the truth is, doubting for a second if coming back with you was the right thing to do was the right time hardest of my life.

- Why?

- Because I didn't know if being with me... would be dangerous for you or not. Shit, I didn't know if I'd be able to be by your side being fully aware of my actions – He curses again and I feel him tighten his grip on my hand – I was so afraid that Khonshu would want… If being with me would make you in his sights, that was going to kill me.

- And yet, here you are.

- But hell, at first he was terrified of me. I couldn't sleep, I heard the voices in my head and Steven who wouldn't shut up, who complained about the silence, the pain, and the loneliness... And just thinking about not being able to control it and the possibility of hurting you made me sick. Steven, who didn't know about you at the time, didn't understand my torture. So when you met us at the museum and Steven was just quiet, I knew, I knew that he had recognized you from some of my memories that seeped into his head and that's when I wanted to run.

He laughs as I pat his head and Marc lets himself be petted for a second before continuing to speak.

- You running from fear? That is new.

- It's not new if it's about you.

My heart sank at his words and as soon as his eyes met mine, I wanted to cry. He was the same man she had met in New York years ago but it is as if he was discovering a new facet that was very well hidden from the outside world.

- Steven helped with this – He moves his free hand between us, indicating both of us and leaves it on the empty space – He kept talking over and over again about you, that we would do things right, that we wouldn't hurt you. That we could protect you even from Khonshu if it became necessary…. I never want that day to come.

- Do you want to not think about an improbable future for a while? - He shakes his head and looks away, but I take his face with both hands and make him look at me again - Marc? Steven? I am here and you both are here with me. We are good and side by side. What could be more important than that right now?

Something in his eyes changed. I don't know if it was my words, something in his head or maybe he was taking dimension of reality, but his eyes became brighter and his gaze became softer.

- I don't think I've ever told you, but I feel like the most damn lucky man to have met you that afternoon at the Natural History Museum.

I let out a laugh as he hugs me and pulls me close until I'm straddling his legs, taking much of the sheet with him in the motion.

- I love you too, Marc - He just smiles at me as he presses his lips against mine and we lose a minute in each other. In the caresses of his hands on my stomach, in my hands tangling in his hair, caressing his neck, seeking to bring him even closer than possible. He pulls away from him somewhat shaken and drops his head until he feels his lips against my collarbone – I love you both. Steven too.

- But Steven is not here - Marc smiles against my skin and I feel a chill run down my spine - I'm here. Steven couldn't do even one of the things I did to you last night, and I will do to you again in a bit. Get used to it because I won't let you out of here until Saturday.

-Marc… - I let out a sigh when his lips continue to descend to the top of my breasts, where he leaves a trail of kisses as if he did it carelessly - Marc?

- Hmm?

- Don't underestimate Steven.

Marc suddenly pulls back as if my body is cast iron against his lips and frowns in annoyance. I laugh out loud as I see how upset he is, but the only response I get is for him to push me back onto the bed and kiss me with that passion and possessiveness that he knows I love.

- Did you just compare me to Steven?

- I never said that, Spector - I let out another giggle when he rests his arms on either side of my head and looks at me defiantly.

- I'm going to show you that Steven has no comparison with me, darling - He moves away just a little to take off his shirt and once he gets back on top of me, he asks in that seductive tone that he knows I won't be able to say no to anything - Do you let me make you mine again?

- Do what you want with me, Moon Knight.

[savrenim]

hi hi hi. so I just got into the Hamilton fandom, I swear I am four years late where did everybody go, and, well. I am apparently a hamburr shipper. bcs that is my life now. anyway I saw your fic ifmlam and I swear it is my favourite of all the fics I've ever read (and trust me I've read literally thousands). I love it so so much, how do you write fics like that??? I cried about four times during the whole thing, I stayed up till 4am reading it even when I had to wake up at 7 because it is just. that. good. I could not stop thinking about it for days afterwards and ifmlam has just ruined me. I can't think of listen to Hamilton without thinking of ifmlam anymore.

on to my qursttion: is it abandoned? of course it's perfectly FINE if it is. don't let anyone tell u differently, your fic is YOURS and u are amazing.

but pls I really need closure from ur fic, it has been haunting me if its abandoned or ongoing and I've read ur other fics and they are just chefskiss and thank you so much for writing them all. thank you thank you thank you, I will never be able to thank you enough for writing this fic and for everything it's done for me. I am probably thousands of miles away but I am sending you virtual jugs through a co.puter screen right now.

(don't feel pressured to reply to this or update it flam, I know how overwhelming it can get with so many messages and after a while u get desensitized to it. u can literally reply "thx. itfmlam is abandoned" and I would still be amazingly star struck. anyway has gotten way too long and I need to sleep and I'm sorry u probably won't see this so I'm just talking to myself right now but bye!!)

and thank you so so much for writing itfmlam.

aaaah hello anon!

thank you so so much???? I am so??? honored??? that ifmlam rates so highly to you, and also that you've read my other fics??????

the answer to the "is ifmlam abandoned" question is probably the worst possible one, which is pretty much "I do want to finish it, both for the folks that still want closure as well as it bothers to me have abandoned projects that are in the public eye/ already partially published, but also, it is last on my current writing projects list"

my current actually active writing projects list, kind of in order of priority, is

I'm literally three chapters away from being Actually Fully Done with the not-quite-first-not-quite-second let's call it 1.5th draft of an actual?? full?? original?? novel?? Opus which of course then goes out to beta readers and then gets who-knows-how-much edited and then maybe beta readers again if a lot does change and then a copyeditor my mom, my copyeditor is my mom, and maybe my little brother he's one of the betas but is very good at catching typos and then I!!! get to publish it!!!! which is the single thing I am most excited for!!!!!!!!! this should be closed up in the next week or two, and then take a while for people to actually read the draft and get back to me.

I really desperately want to finish my open-but-like-90%-written fic, which means we raise it up, the final chapter of to the bottom of the river bc I realized that it was kind of incomplete, and the second chapter of a buried and a burning flame because any more work there will need to wait until the author publishes the next book in the series. this should be closed up in the next month or two.

Speedwrite the draft of the second book of the Opus series so that hopefully by the time book 1 edits are happening, I have an almost complete draft of the second book. this is mostly me side-eyeing myself about taking nearly four years to write the first book, but that is solidly in part because I had so many other open projects which point 2 is about clearing that docket. this should be done in the next year.

And then just have my major projects be, at least until books 1-5 are written and published, books 1-5 of that because that is arguably the first major 'plot arc' of the series, so if I'm looking for a pause point on writing, that's probably where to stop.

There are two or three other short side projects (a weird fun second person short story tentatively titled witch-queen, a collection of four short stories Memoirs about a not-so-evil necromancer and the shenanigans he gets up to trying to rule a kingdom, working title Perfectly Normal Recipe Blog which is a collaborative project about a perfectly normal recipe blog that definitely doesn't include anything out of the normal) that will happen when they happen

There are other projects that are on the backburner -- The Numanok Files, a series of probably 12-15 short novellas about a mercenary/ bounty hunter esque person in space whose specialty is dealing with hauntings, but, like, 80% of their jobs is actually "you are effectively a space home inspector pointing out faulty wiring reacting to solar flares/ there's a weird alien fungus/ it's carbon monoxide okay change your atmosphere filters" and 20% of it is punching ghosts; there's a post-post apocalypse novel that I want to write that I know characters and general pacing and half the setting but need to work out the other half and figure out how much aesthetic I want to commit to; there's Strangeside7 aka spacerace book that is my reaction to how much I love how Redline the anime movie commits itself to "no we are about a race, like 60% of the screentime is just fully going to be an utterly ridiculous sci fi space race"; there's even a ridiculous YA trilogy that I would have to completely transplant the setting but might end up writing because the interplay between angel-physics and physics-physics was one of my favorite things in the world. and I guess the weird ridiculous technically a sequel series to ifmlam that was going to be published as original books that was basically me having fun with 'okay I fucking love star wars prequels old rotting space bureaucracy galactic republic style' except with seers and that also still might happen because it does have some of the coolest sci fi concepts and honestly I thiiiink that's all?

but the tl;dr of that timeline is I'm trying to finish a punch of projects Right Now, so that I can write books 2-5 of Opus, and then when I'm done that (which honestly, my average fiction-writing output is close to 100k a year. if I'm concentrating purely on one project, and writing books that are about 100k, we are talking four years. although my job situation is super up in the air in that period and writing might get put solidly on the backburner as I try to make it in academia, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) I will re-evaluate which projects go next, and that's when ifmlam is likely to come up for review.

I do not have any expectations that I will make it as an original author. I'm planning on posting all of my stuff online for free, but, like. it is incredibly difficult to convince people to try out even a piece of free and easily accessibly original work even if one has a huge following, I am a very small fanfiction author, and from what I can tell the majority of the people who are interested in my work are mostly interested in me finishing ifmlam. writing is a hobby for me, and while I'm writing mostly for me--and hence the for me bit at least for the next five years is pretty solidly going to be this series that I am deeply excited about and have sunk my heart and soul into every single aspect of--I'm human, and I don't really like shouting into the void, and I expect if I spend five years publishing to absolutely no response I will either stop writing for a while and do other things gods know my life is busy enough, return to fandom in general to write some other fanfic about whatever I get deeply into, or return to a work that I actually get response to. so ifmlam will probably start getting worked on a bit at that point one way or another. unless, of course, we are in the incredibly rare timeline in which I do make it as an original author, there are people who are deeply hyped for my original works and an actual demand for them, in which case as you may have noticed there are enough ideas there to keep me busy for a decade or two, and they will just get my full attention instead of fanfiction*. in this timeline, I will do what I was considering doing a few years ago, which is officially declare ifmlam otherwise abandoned and make one more giant chapter update which is a full and cleaned up outline of what I was going to write, interspersed with the scenes already written, and have ifmlam be given at least that closure.

*I want to make it clear that I very much love fanfiction and am proud to have been a fanfiction author and in my heart of hearts would keep writing it forever, I just also have a lot of ideas for characters and settings and magic systems and Aesthetics and I have been biting at the bit to write something that is //mine// and all mine and only mine for a while, I don't see original work as superior so much as there are a dozen fandoms that I am currently in and bursting to make content about except oops these fandoms currently only exist in my head, and I want to correct that

of course given how much as writing is my vent activity and I write what I'm in the mood for, there's a chance I'll feel ifmlam cravings before then, just... expect it to take a couple of years for an update, but also for there to be an update one way of another in a couple of years? but as for right now, I'm turning to original writing, because that is what brings me joy.

but I am really deeply honored that it brought you so much joy!!! and while I will never publish spoilers in a public place, if you message me off anon I am perfectly happy to give a run-down of my current plans for the ending, bc I know "wait a couple years and see" is not the most satisfactory of answers! and hey maybe you'll be like me and once you've given Opus a try you'll decide you like it better too, it does have Seers although they are deeply different Seers than in ifmlam but imo it's very gay and fun and at least politics on one side

[vlovers19]

je t'accueille,

I appreciate your blog and your opinion so I would like to ask you something. I've been very confused about Vmin for a while (actually about Jimin). I love Vmin but I don't know what to think.

There are moments, very sensitive little things that show me how sweet Vmin relationship is. Those are quiet little things what the two do; the way Taehyung takes Jimin's hand inadvertently, or that sweet "agyo" from Jimin's side. It's all so subtle and real.

I love 4oclock, Promise, Winterbear, Sweet night (that's Vmin, I can find it there)

 But then Jimin goes to the JK. Jimin is almost always with JK, very rarely with Tae or other members. Jimin can be carried on his shoulder, sending him "seductive looks" (which I really can't understand in connection with what Jimin said about JK, namely that Jk is like his younger brothers) The way Jimin does it makes me almost sour; what he is doing this show for, he builds such an "erotic tension" (I don't know how to describe it at all), hangs on Jk's neck, lets himself be carried and his ass is touched by Jk, ears nibble etc etc ... .

Normally that wouldn't bother me at all; I'm not into shippe (I don't take Vmin as a Shipp) and I wouldn't care, but with a connection with Taehyung, I am surprised by Jimin's behavior. It comes and goes! Are months where you hardly notice Jimin and Jk and then it comes back. we see Vmin in love together and then suddenly everything is gone.

I don't understand Taehyung either; why does he stay with Jimin when he sees that Jimin is actually into JK and likes to have fun with him? (or do I just get it wrong?)

So please can you help me in any way? I don't want to give up Vmin ..... Maybe something is what I don't know, maybe I don't understand shipping at all?

I've been in the Army for almost 5 years and until now, due to lack of time (studies), I've only dealt with music. I saw Vmin in Paris at a BTS concert and since then, Vmin is my "everything" ..... "Vmin is mine" .... you understand.

Au revoir

Marie

****************************

Hello Marie! No doubt, this is quite a concern to most shippers but since you are not a shipper as you said so you might not really be versed with Vmin, then it's normal for you to feel confused but this kind of thing shouldn't bother people or cause ship wars.

I think there was a time I wrote a post advising people to enjoy whatever content Vmin was giving us back when they were a unit because it wasn't going to last and I was not wrong. Now, no one's talking about Vmin being soulmates. All they are talking about now is how Jk carried Jimin with his hands on his butt. My eyes nearly fell off but I also clearly remembered this was something Jk also did with Suga in bon voyage but no one seems to remember that because it's Jikook that's doing this.

By the way, this was something that happened quite a long time ago and as we all know, before Friends was released. A lot has changed between Vmin recently.

As for Jimin spending a lot of time with Jungkook, i'm not surprised because I've noticed that Taehyung seemed quite distant from everyone especially in 2018/2019. If we examine the previous Taehyung with the person who he is now, there's little wonder why Jimin would prefer hanging out with Jungkook than with him.

The most puzzling part is why would Big Hit officially show such videos that no doubt seem quite 'gay' especially after the whole hype about Jimin and Taehyung's song soulmate, giving shippers reasons to fight ship wars with each other debating who is more closer than who? Giving antis and solo stans room to attack each other. They showed it all. Why do I think so? Because they are aware it will cause a reaction and things like this keeps people talking about Bts. Almost like they're flashing it right in front of everyone's faces so people notice it. It's like, there's no way you can't notice it. It's right in front of you so no doubt, people are noticing it so well, it's creating tensions on social media and before you know it, it has become a hot topic. Even the ear nibbing thing, Jungkook did with Jimin on stage is something i've noticed Jungkook used to do with Taehyung and some idols have done with each other especially the one where they swallow the other person's shoulder with their whole mouths.

Besides, I'm also quite surprised how they can act like this in front of so many cameras. It's puzzling. In public, Jimin can behave this way with Jungkook yet when in an interview, Bts was asked who he does most of his Aegyo to, the members agreed that it was Taehyung shocking even me because I was asking myself, we see him being cute with JK in cameras all the time yet how come he gets cute the most with Taehyung? Where? How? When does it happen? Proving that most of their moments aren't shown in camera.

The fact that i'm seeing all this Jikook flirtations on camera leaves me with no words. No doubt, it's stirring but it's too into your face and I don't even understand why the editors displayed everything for us to see. It's almost like they are showing the interactions of two of the famous BTS members being lovey dovey on camera. The two of them had quite a lot of screen time together.

It's obvious, it's what a lot of people wanted to see and they have gotten the reaction they expected. Jungkook no doubt gives Jimin the attention he wants whereas Taehyung seems like his head is always in the clouds. Like he's not energetic or has time to spend with Jimin so you can't really blame him.

Despite how active Jikook are, Taehyung was still the one Jimin sang a song with where they called each other soulmates. People heard the song and it was surprising because in public, they didn't seem close enough to call each other that so there was a lot of disbelief.

Taehyung didn't initiate that song, Jimin did and even personally produced it himself. As friends, Jimin naturally should be hanging out more with Taehyung like he used to especially before 2016. But why has the tables turned? Instead of being close, they seem quite distant. I guess you already know what I'm thinking. Something is very fishy somewhere.

However, like I said, this was something that happened quite a while ago and now, it's no secret to us that their relationship wasn't perfect. According to an interview they both had, they still need to work out a lot of things with each other. One moment, they are friends, the next they are enemies so it's not surprising when during such times, they would prefer to hang out with others.

But now, we are seeing a lot of changes. With Taehyung posting things related to Jimin on Social media since last year, things like 95z is love, being more vocal in his admiration for Jimin and so on. Releasing sweet night and scenery which I suspect is about Vmin. Things have definitely changed for the better between them.

However, for the fact that i see Jikook doing all these in front of several cameras doesn't convince me because in my opinion, if they really had something going on, they should be a bit more reserved in their relationship rather than being very public about it where all eyes are watching causing viewers to talk about them and indirectly provoking ship wars.

Jimin likes to show affection, Taehyung doesn't so obviously, their behavior is bound to clash. This little action of theirs in Bts 2019 showed the disparity

From the above, Jimin wanted to hold Taehyung's hand but he was reluctant. Without saying anything, Jimin continued putting out his hand looking quite serious until Taehyung let him hold his hand but in the end, he only let Jimin hold his fore finger.

it looks like they both really aren't on the same page about what to show and what not to show. It's like a confusion. Personally, that's what i think it feels like to have something secretly going on whether it's a secret relationship or having secret feelings.

Anyway, this is my opinion, if i look at Jimin, I see it as him wanting to be close to someone who actually accomodates his flirtations but as for Jk, he would do the same to any other member especially Jin. Jimin wouldn't be an exception. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Anyway, that's all I can say about this. Nothing else, only that it's really hard to ship Vmin and you need to have a lot of will power and analyze things deeply because if we look at what we see on camera, we are just going to keep on getting confused.

Anyway, have a great day and remember that 95 liners is love and they are soulmates.

[madphantom]

The Sound of Life - Chapter 13

During that time they also spent a few days on the set of Phantom. Jessica Harper, who played Phoenix, showed them around. William Finley was busy with his headaches. Winslow met him in the cafeteria where the actor was sitting with an ice pack on his head. He was wearing the leather outfit, but no make-up and his hair was messy.

"Hi," Winslow greeted him.

"Hi," William replied with a weak smile. "Jeez, how did you survive that helmet?! It's killing me!"

Winslow laughed. "I didn't really pay attention to that."

William chuckled. "I can imagine that." He put the ice pack down and sighed. "So, how you been doing?"

"Quite well. I met Michael Jackson a while ago."

William raised his eyebrows. "Really? Awesome."

"And you?"

"Yeah, well, most of the time I've been shooting the stuff here." William laughed. "I hope I'll get it right. I tend to act rather dramatically."

"Well, I am drama in person, so don't worry about that." Winslow grinned. "What are you guys shooting today?"

"The Beef scene. Kinda controversial stuff."

Winslow raised an eyebrow.

"Of course we're all rooting for you, man," William quickly assured him.

Winslow smiled. "I haven't met your Beef yet. What's his name?"

"Oh, it's Gerrit. Gerrit Graham. Funny guy." William laughed. "The cast gave him the plunger as a Christmas present. We painted it gold."

Winslow laughed as well. "A golden plunger?! How many times did you shove that thing in his face during the shower scene?"

A smile spread on William's face. "Six times."

"Six times?!" Winslow laughed. "Oh dear."

"It was a lot of fun."

"Oh, I believe that." Winslow chuckled.

The door opened and Phoenix and Jessica came in. Phoenix was holding Melody.

"A baby!", William squealed as soon as he spotted them.

"You mean me or Leach Junior?", Jessica asked.

"The cuter one."

"That would be me," Phoenix said and sat down next to Winslow. She smiled. "Hi William. Cool costume."

"Thanks."

"You look like my Pa," Melody said.

William laughed. "I hope so!"

The door opened and another actor walked in.

"Hi Gerrit!", Jessica greeted him and Winslow turned around.

Gerrit did not quite look like Beef, but Winslow was secretly happy about that. He wasn't sure whether someone who actually looked the same wouldn't have triggered something in him.

"Stay away from me, I'm having a cold!", Gerrit announced. "Hi Mr Leach, Mrs Leach. I'm Gerrit Graham."

"Hi."

"Hi."

"Brian asked me to tell you guys to buy some junk food."

Jessica jumped up and did a little chicken dance. "Junk food night!"

"Hyping us up before the Life at Last scene," Gerrit explained.

"Sounds like Brian," William laughed.

"Put on your shoes, Will, we're going shopping!", Jessica yelled.

What followed was a bizarre scene that could have been straight from a comedy movie. The cast, still in their costumes, and the Leaches marched out of the Majestic. People turned around in surprise. Somebody yelled "Hey, look, it's Winslow Leach!" He signed a couple autographs and the squad entered the supermarket. They marched straight into the candy aisle.

Five minutes later they left with five bags full of crisps, popcorn, chocolate and cookies.

They watched the final product a couple weeks later in a small room with a projector at Paul Hirsch's. Melody was at Lucy's. Phoenix and Winslow didn't think the movie would be suitable for a seven year old. Brian brought popcorn. Gerrit brought Pepsi. They all sat down comfortably and Paul Hirsch clicked play.

The movie started with a narration about Swan read by Rod Serling. Winslow raised an eyebrow. "Wow. You actually got the guy to do this?"

"He loved it," Brian replied.

The black background with the white bird then faded into the Juicy Fruits performing Goodbye Eddie Goodbye. It was obvious they were enjoying themselves a lot. Winslow had a good laugh at William's face in the poster scene.

"The Juicy Winslow Leach at the piano," Phoenix commented and the crew laughed.

The movie proceeded with Philbin and Swan discussing some evil plan in their box.

"I actually have no idea what they were talking about," Winslow noted. "Might as well have been the weather."

"Probably not," Jeffrey commented.

Everyone agreed that the shot with the camera circling around William playing the piano was great. They had a good laugh about his dramatic headbanging.

"I was lucky my glasses didn't fly off," the actor chuckled.

The next scene was Philbin stealing Winslow's music. George Memmoli played his part really well. And Winslow laughed like crazy at the way William pushed "Philbin" against the wall and the sound of shattering glass in the background.

What followed was Winslow being thrown out of Death Records. Brian complained about the Swan Song fiasco with Led Zeppelin. Then came the scene in which Winslow met Phoenix. Both leaned forward.

"This is gonna be interesting," Phoenix commented. This was followed by a "Jessie, your singing is amazing, by the way."

"Thanks," Jessica smiled.

"Your chemistry is on top," Winslow noted during the scene. "Ten of ten."

Phoenix laughed at Jessica's confused face after William flashed her with "I would never let my personal desires influence my aesthetic judgement". "Yes, I probably looked like that!"

"You did," Winslow confirmed.

Later they had another good laugh at William in a flower dress trying to sneak in. "I wish I'd witnessed that happening!", Harold yelled. Then Paul appeared.

Winslow was honestly impressed. The friendly little man had perfectly embodied Swan. This guy who was frequently referred to as the Human Muppet had captured the evil spirit like he'd been destined to play Swan. Winslow shivered. He wasn't the only one.

"Was that really acting?", Archie asked.

"Hopefully," Jeffrey mumbled.

"I don't want to know what ancient evils we unleashed," Harold said.

Paul just laughed. "Who knows."

The next scene was the cops finding a beaten up Winslow. This was followed by William dramatically yelling into the camera that he was innocent.

"That was brilliant," Winslow commented. "Perfectly on point!"

"You have no idea how many shots this face took me," William replied.

Next up came some evil little man announcing that Winslow's teeth would be pulled. The real Winslow bared his teeth and pulled a werewolf number which caused some giggles.

The scene then faded into Winslow's escape from Sing Sing prison. William quickly told an anecdote about all the times the scene with the box had gone wrong while Winslow's on-screen counterpart raged through Death Records.

Winslow knew what was coming up now and so did Phoenix. He suddenly felt her hand in his and turned his head a little to see her giving him a little reassuring smile. He was well aware that she was afraid that the following scene would trigger something in him.

It didn't. William saved the day. As soon as he realized what a bomb was about to hit he burst out dramatically explaining how the scene had almost gone wrong and how he almost became Winslow's "Exact Doppelganger". Winslow objectively admired William's remarkable acting skills and secretly wondered why the actor wasn't famous yet.

The next scene caused Brian to explain why the split screen he'd used was a stroke of genius. The crew listened in amusement until the bomb exploded.

Next up came a bit with Swan in his office and then Winslow confronting him. The height difference between William and Paul was utterly hilarious. The scene was followed by Jessica singing Special to me for the audition. Everyone marveled at how similar her voice was to Phoenix'.

Then came the scene in which Swan adjusted Winslow's voice box and made Winslow sign the contract. Next up Paul singing Phantom's Theme with montages of William and Jessica with a black background. It looked wonderfully dramatic.

The next trigger came up now. It was Beef.

Thanks to the fact that Gerrit didn't look quite exactly like Beef Winslow relaxed again. However, he had to admit that accent and attitude were on point. Gerrit blushed when he told him.

There was the epic scream scene which caused Winslow's to have a laughing flash at the drama of William's acting. During the shower scene Gerrit mentioned that he did not recommend snorting powdered lactose. His acting in that scene and the next one were hilarious. Then Harold performed Somebody Super Like You followed by Life at Last and during Life at Last Winslow excused himself for a few minutes and left to prevent himself from getting a panic attack. He came back in to George Memmoli yelling "Somebody get a fire extinguisher!" and thoroughly enjoyed the Old Souls and dressing room scene, as well as the first rooftop scene. During the second rooftop scene Phoenix wrapped herself around Winslow, who made it a point to marvel at William's acting and compliment him on it until the actor was blushing.

What followed was Paul confronting William. Again everyone was crazed at how this human muppet played Swan. Then came the tape room and the wedding, and after a very dramatic death scene for Swan they got the ending which was slightly differing from reality: Winslow's death.

Phoenix laughed at how Jessica managed to look so desperate. "I just thought of school," Jessica commented. Winslow was delighted by the dramatic ending scene with the flaming bird sealing William's doom. "Awesome. Perfect. Like, really perfect. Great job."

"Release?", Brian asked.

"Hell yeah, release!"

[whiteladyofrohann]

You've seen The Last Jedi? It's not out where I live at the minute. What did you make of it? I've heard mixed reviews

I’ve had this in my inbox since Saturday but I left it because I knew I was seeing Star Wars again so I thought commenting after the second time would be better.

SPOILERS FOR THE LAST JEDI UNDER THE CUT!! (Also note that these are my own opinions. People may not agree with everything I say, but this is what I thought)

I have very mixed emotions with this film. It was very disappointing considering the hype around it, but is nowhere near the most disappointing movie I’ve seen. There were some great parts but they were often overshadowed by poor directing and script writing. I’m going to start with the negatives, because it’s always better to end on a positive note.

I hate what they did with Luke Skywalker and I really feel for Mark Hamill. Before I saw the movie and I saw all his interviews, I thought he was being a bit of an arsehole (uncharacteristic for Mark), but after watching it, he was absolutely right and I truly feel for him. He has been Luke for 40 years and in one movie they managed to go against everything he stood for. Rian Johnson ignored Mark’s advice, despite the fact that Mark knows Luke better than anyone ever will and I’m gutted with what they did with him.

Luke IS Star Wars. Everyone loves Han Solo and Princess Leia but for me, Luke Skywalker is THE Star Wars guy. I was more hyped about seeing Luke again than I was the rest of the movie tbh, but it was incredibly underwhelming. It’s not even the fact that he dies that annoys me. I actually thought his death was emotional and quite well done (though it should’ve been in episode 9). But I did see someone say that Luke deserved the kind of final movie that Wolverine got in Logan, a sendoff that truly means something.

I completely agree with Mark Hamill. Luke was the most optimistic Star Wars character but he refuses to go back. In my opinion, knowing his best friend was dead and then having Chewbacca and R2-D2 come for him, saying Leia needs him, should’ve been more than enough for Luke to give up his exile. Luke faced worse odds than this and never gave up and never allowed the Empire to rule, but in this film he seems fine with the idea of allowing the First Order to reign.

Luke spends the entire of Return of the Jedi absolutely convinced that the most iconic and evil film villain of all time has some good in him. Luke refuses to kill him when he has the chance, because he knows that despite all Darth Vader has done, deep down there is good there. Luke cannot kill him because he is his father, his own blood. In this film, Luke takes one look into a young Ben’s mind, sees the possibility of what he will become, and rather than working to stop Ben turning evil, thinks about killing a child, his own nephew. This was a major point for me because the original Luke would NEVER hurt a child, let alone his own family.

I’m sorry but ‘it’s time for the Jedi to end’ should’ve been a Snoke, Kylo Ren or Hux line. Luke should never have said that. Ever.

Luke bashing on Obi-Wan and the Jedi Order for their role in creating the Sith. Again, out of character for Luke. He practically worshipped Obi-Wan.

Snoke’s death. I actually thought the death was well done. I like the thought of Kylo killing Snoke, but again it should’ve been in episode 9. It felt like a waste of a character. We’ve been led to believe Snoke is the most powerful person alive, and the only glimpse we get is a tiny bit of force electricity and getting information out of Rey. Massive waste of a character and massive waste of Andy Serkis’ talents. Unless he’s not actually dead which is entirely possibly. But very anti-climactic.

Speaking of disappointing deaths: Captain Phasma. Another waste of what could’ve been a great villain. Hardly any scenes in TFA, one scene in TLJ, and gets for me, one of the worse deaths in Star Wars. It would’ve been so much better if Finn actually killed her. Terrible death.

I was so excited to see Rose in the movie, but she was disappointing. I kind of feel that if she wasn’t there, the movie wouldn’t have altered at all. I felt like her story with Finn was an entirely different movie and to be honest, bored me, which made me feel gutted because I adore Finn and wanted to love Rose, but I felt her part was very underwhelming. 

The entire casino plot was the most boring part of the film and links to the point above when I said it felt like a different movie. Did not enjoy it at all, any part of it. The three actors did the best with what they had, but it was just a bad plot point.

I enjoyed a little bit of comedy, but there was too much in it and parts of it ruined moments. The bit where Luke rubs his shoulder as if flicking a flea off his robes kind of took away from how much of a badass moment it was.

I will be super annoyed if Rey’s parents are simply ‘no-one’. I feel like I was expecting a lot into Rey’s backstory and they gave us nothing, only disappointment. I refuse to believe the daughter of scavengers can hold herself in a fight against a very powerful and well trained Kylo Ren, can pilot the Millennium Falcon and can speak every language under the sun. I don’t think Rey is a Mary Sue, however, if she is simply no one and can do all of them things, I can see where people are coming from when they call her that.

Not enough R2-D2, nowhere near enough. And not enough Chewbacca as well. I understand that there’s new characters now, but the original characters are what made me excited for Star Wars. I wouldn’t have been as interested if none of them were returning.

I was annoyed when I heard that Lando wasn’t going to be in the movie, but perhaps it was for the best so they couldn’t fuck up another original character (probably best Han Solo was dead too so he couldn’t be messed up, but that’ll probably happen in his movie next year).

On to the positives:

For me, the standout character of the film was Poe. He had genuine character development that you could see from the start to the finish. He actually had a storyline that I could follow and didn’t really have anything to complain about. Some of the other storylines seemed a bit wishy washy.

Finn and Rey had more chemistry in that one hug than Finn/Rose and Rey/Kylo did in the whole movie. 

Obviously once more the music was absolutely spot on. John Williams sure knows how to save a movie. Stunning music from start to finish and my favourite bit of music was the force theme for Luke’s death. Beautiful.

Daisy Ridley was very good, portrayed the confused, needing help student well. Shame her backstory was forgotten, could’ve added a lot more depth to Rey’s character.

My absolute favourite scene was Luke and Leia’s scene. Very beautiful to watch, incredibly emotional. After all the years, Mark and Carrie’s chemistry suppressed every other actor’s chemistry on screen. It was also incredibly touching because Luke is essentially saying goodbye, and this was the last scene Mark would’ve filmed with Carrie, so it was a perfect way for Luke and Leia to say goodbye.

Adam Driver is a fantastic actor. He portrayed a conflicted Kylo Ren extremely well. Showing emotion through the eyes for an actor is such a tough thing to do, and he managed to do it well. You can see he’s torn over killing his father. The silent speech between him and Leia is fantastic, and again you can see in his eyes everything he is facing. Brilliant acting and a convincing villain.

Domhnall Gleeson was brilliant as well. I find it easier to commend villains on their acting because I think they have a harder job. Every scene Gleeson was in I found him captivating.

Visually I think it’s the best Star Wars film to date, even better than TFA. It was an incredible visual spectacle in IMAX and I’m sure the visual effects will win awards.

Was nice to see a familiar face in Yoda. The scene seemed kind of unnecessary, but it did make me smile.

Fantastic fight scene with Rey and Kylo taking on Snoke’s guards. Wonderful two minutes of action and for me, the best Star Wars fight to watch since Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon Jinn vs. Darth Maul.

While they messed up Luke’s character, it was wonderful to see him on screen once again and I hope he comes back as a ghost or something (while they’re at it, get Anakin to kick some sense into his grandson)

It wasn’t the worst Star Wars movie. It is by far better than anything the prequels had to offer. However, it is certainly not the best. All the critics saying ‘the best since ESB’ or ‘the best ever’ is not something I can get behind. My Star Wars ratings are ESB, TFA, ROTJ, ANH, TLJ, ROTS, AOTC, TPM, so I rate it in the middle. The highest I’d give this movie is a 7/10.

I think as a non Star Wars fan, the movie would’ve been very good to watch. But as a Star Wars fan, someone who knows the movies, it was incredibly disappointing and I hope episode 9 is done a lot better

[zorualesbian]

i've been wanting to play the pokemon games but there are so many and i don't know where to start. do i have to start from the first ones? if not, then where should i start/what order should i play them in?

you don’t have to start with the first games. each game is its own self-contained story set in the same universe, so you dont need the context of the previous games and the tutorials in the beginning always go by the assumption you’ve never played a pokemon game before. there are typically some references to previous games made by nameless npcs, but it’s never anything major and if you really wanted to understand them i think it would just take a quick google search to get the full context, you wouldn’t have to go back and play an entire game or anything.

there’s not really a suggested order to play them in, but i definitely don’t mind making recommendations. ive played through all these games several times, and with the exception of firered/leafgreen, diamond/pearl/platinum, and heartgold/soulsilver i’ve played through them within the past 2 years. so my memory is relatively fresh.

first of all, i’m not going to recommend you anything that’s had a remake. i love the classic games and i feel like they were a wonderful starting point for a fantastic series, but theyre not a great starting point. i play them for the nostalgia because i grew up playing pokemon since the first generation, my wife didn’t really play pokemon until the fourth generation and only enjoys the classic games because she already loves pokemon. compared to newer games, theyre just not that fun if you don’t already have a lot of nostalgia/love of pokemon in general. 

also a quick note about which versions you should pick--it honestly doesn’t matter. they’re the same game, but there’s a small handful of pokemon that’ll appear in one version and not the other. sometimes i choose by which pokemon on the box art i like best and sometimes i choose by going to serebii and looking at the version exclusives list. its really up to you and your preferences, and it doesn’t matter that much either way

Sun and Moon/Ultra Sun and Ultra Moonthese are definitely the ones i’d suggest starting with, they’re the most beginner-friendly by far. there’s a new feature that tells you if your opponent is weak or resistant to your moves if it’s a pokemon you’ve fought before, which is great because now you don’t have to mentally keep track of the type matchup chart and the individual types of 800+ pokemon! your pokedex also shows you if a pokemon is part of a pair or has evolutions, so you won’t make mistakes i made when i was a kid where i assumed some of my pokemon didn’t have evolutions and didn’t train them and missed out on some cool pokemon as a result. story-wise, they’re my favorite so far and have done the best job of fleshing out and developing their characters.

as for whether you should play sun/moon or ultra sun/ultra moon, i’m not sure. the ultra versions have a few new pokemon, new areas, new moves, and an “enhanced” story, which is basically the same as the old story but deeper this time (and while i haven’t finished it, i’m enjoying it a lot). but the “new” things aren’t that many and i think whats giving me so much appreciation of the ultra story is the fact that ive already played through sun/moon, but that might just be me. it’s probably better to go with the ultra version because it has much more content for about the same price, but original sun/moon are still good choices if you have your heart set on those.

Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphiretheyre remakes of the third generation games ruby/sapphire and imo they lived up to the hype. ruby/sapphire were fan favorites and so are or/as. they aren’t really difficult because the games that came out right before this introduced an item that lets your entire party gain exp from a battle even if they didn’t participate, and while or/as are more balanced for this item than the game that introduced it, they still arent quite all the way there. personally i don’t mind it, i think these games are enjoyable regardless of if they’re challenging or not, but you’re free to turn the item on/off as you want to make it as easy or as difficult as you want.

X/Yhoo boy. i actually don’t like x/y. they had bad pacing, the story barely held itself together, and this is the game where the exp share was introduced and if you never turn it off, your pokemon get way overlevel and you can effortlessly breeze through the game. but they’re pretty, and i think the fact that theyre ridiculously easy might make them more enjoyable for new players because it’s the perfect chance to just build a team of pokemon you like instead of worrying about strength or team composition. plus, this is the first game to have character customization and you get enough money through the course of the game that buying all the clothes is easy.

Black/White and Black 2/White 2black and white are by far my favorite pokemon games, and black 2 and white 2 are the only direct sequels to a previous game so you should probably wait until after playing b/w to worry about b2/w2. i really enjoyed the story and this was the first time i actually got heavily invested in the characters because until this point, most characters in pokemon games felt pretty flat and one-dimensional. the one complaint i have is how exp scales based on your level. the concept itself is fine, but it feels like the scaling is extreme and there’s a lot of exp you start to lose just by going up a single level, which makes grinding a massive pain. but grinding isnt really required, so it’s nothing to worry about unless you’re determined to be overlevel.

HeartGold/SoulSilverremakes of the second generation games gold/silver and another huge favorite of mine, but arguably also a direct sequel to red/blue. they don’t lean heavily on red/blue but when they were initially designed they were called pokemon 2 and were intended to be the last games, so unlike other games it begins with the assumption you’ve already played the previous game. but the tutorials are still available and neither gold/silver nor red/blue are very story-heavy in the first place, because this is when the series was still finding its footing. i think theyre perfectly fine to play through with no context, but i can understand if you’d prefer to skip them for now. i very much enjoyed having my pokemon walk around with me all the time, the environments are beautiful, and hg/ss has the most useful use of the DS’s bottom screen.

Diamond/Pearl/Platinumok i know i listed diamond/pearl but that’s just because they deserve a mention. platinum is the enhanced version, and unless you see a pokemon thats exclusive to diamond/pearl and you REALLY want it, you should play platinum. that being said, i don’t actually like these games that much. they made improvements to the gameplay that have stayed through the current generations and provided deep lore about the pokemon universe and had a killer ost and a fun underground mining mini game, but outside of those the game always felt really lackluster to me and even as a kid i had a hard time getting invested in it. i think it was level design and difficulty curve that put me off so much but since i havent played them in so long i can’t say that for sure. overall, i’d say they’re worth playing at least for the lore because it’s very good and very important, but probably only if you already like pokemon. theyre not great first games.

FireRed/LeafGreeni’m only listing these because they’re currently the most updated way to play the first generation (red/blue) but they’re older than anything else on this list. stat calculations are different. movesets are different. and both of those are a bad different, not good or even neutral. they did a good job of providing extra tutorials, but overall theyre just completely outdated and suffering from red/blue’s bad layout and level design. i’m hoping these are the next games we get remakes of (remake of a remake sounds ridiculous, but these games are seriously getting close to 15 years old) but until then i’d really only suggest playing them if you already love pokemon and just want to see older games in the series.