#It has dynamic score timed to actions in game

[futbol16]

It’s silly • Alexia Putellas & Claudia Pina

Request: Could you maybe write a part 2 to your "Soccer Moms" story? Maybe something with Claudia getting jealous because her and Alexia are injured and can't play or y/n and Alexia being protective over her since she's injured? I loved seeing that family dynamic! Also, these are just suggestions, but anything with their little family is appreciated! Your writing is fantastic btw!

Part 1 Soccer Moms

Word count: 2k

“SÍ TANA!” you shout in ecstasy as Aitana sends a rocket into the goal, the goalkeeper having no chance to even move from her spot. El Johan erupts in joyous cheers as the young girl sprints your way and you easily catch her when she jumps on you. “Que golazo!”

“It’s all yours, the assist was perfect!” she beams as you let her down and you laugh at her humble self. With a squeeze to her shoulder you gently nudge the side of her head and send her back to her position to restart the game. 

Claudia frowns at the proud look on your face and she huffs, crossing her arms over her chest. Cata takes a glance at Pina from the seat next to her and she raises an eyebrow when the injured girl slides lower in her seat, almost sulking in her spot. 

“VAMOSS CAPITANA!” this time it’s Aitana and Patri’s voices that make her refocus on the match, only now noticing that you’ve scored yet another goal. Claudia watches on as her two friends cling to you, almost hanging off your arms as the team celebrates. She so desperately wishes to be there right now, playing and celebrating with you. 

Another huff leaves her nostrils as she brings her hand up to chew on her nails, an anxious habit of hers. Another hand swats her away from her mouth and she knows who it is before they speak up.

“Pinita, stop chewing your nails, you'll make them hurt.” Alexia scolds from the seat above and Claudia obliges immediately. A second later the full time whistle deafens her and within an instant you’re off towards your bench wanting to celebrate with your two favorite people, both who are currently out with injuries.  

The wide smile on your face is contagious and makes Alexia grin as well while the younger brunette merely musters up her own smile.

“Clau, you saw that goal? I scored the first goal for you!” you excitedly tell the girl as you gather her in your arms and press a big kiss to her cheek. Claudia’s face heats up at the action, despite it being an everyday thing, and she squeezes your hand.

“I did, it was good.” she comments as she lets you go and your eyebrows furrow in slight concern for her lack of enthusiasm. 

“Do I not get a goal?” Alexia’s teasing voice brings the smile back to your face and you move closer to your girlfriend who eagerly hugs you. Her hand wanders to the back of your head as she feels you discreetly press a kiss to her neck before you let her go. 

“The second one was for you” you inform her and she gives you a playful wink, urging you to celebrate with the other girls too.

You pull her with you, only now noticing that the team’s bench has cleared and everyone is on the field. You’re about to jump on Mapi’s back when something catches your eye.

“Pina!” you hold the girl by her arm who stares up at you rather confused until you motion at her leg “Didn’t the physio tell you to not put pressure on it?” she rolls her eyes at the rhetorical question, pulling her wrist from your soft grasp.

“I’m fine, it’s fine” she brushes your concerns off, making a show of it as she demonstrates her wobbly walk. 

“See? It doesn’t hurt. Now will you let me go and be with Patri?” there’s a certain tone to her voice that has you frowning but you nod, watching as she hobbles away from you. You wonder what could’ve upset her but before you know it, you’re roped into Mapi’s shenanigans and you forget about the little incident. 

“Come Capi, I’m sure Ale wants to celebrate this in a special way!” she barks out a laugh at your bewildered expression and you push at her when you realize what she meant. 

The next couple of days after the game are a bit more relaxing, Jona focusing on recovery and rehab for the injured players as well. You swing an arm around your favorite youngster’s shoulders as she walks into the facility. She leans against your shoulder before she abruptly pulls her head back, almost as if she did something wrong.

“How’d you sleep Pinita?” it was your usual question, the first every morning.

“Good.” the answer is rather short and though it’s not bad, it is underwhelming. Claudia usually mentioned something about what she dreamt or how her breakfast was when you’d ask that question. You shrug it off though.

“And how is that ankle of yours? Getting any better?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” she answers blankly and this time you knit your eyebrows together at her lack of - well, everything. You figured that maybe she was just feeling a bit under the weather.

“Don’t you worry bebé, you’ll be back on the pitch soon” you rub her shoulder affectionately as to punctuate your encouraging words. However, it seems to have the opposite effect from what you hoped.

“Mhmm” the brunette hums as she wriggles out of your hold, turning the corner towards the indoor gym - where she’d be doing rehab - before you get another word out. 

Your walking comes to a halt as you stare after her, slight hurt in your eyes and feeling rather helpless. You contemplate over what to do, you question why Claudia might behave towards you like this, but you decide that you’d leave her to be. You would just ask her later on.

That plan didn’t go the way you wanted it to and three days later you find yourself in Alexia’s arms in the middle of the empty locker room. Her hand softly rubs your back up and down and she lets you lean most of your weight on her. She had noticed how you seemed to be emotionally spent. 

“Talk to me, mi amor. Is everything okay?” she softly whispers, afraid to break the bubble the two of you had created. She tightens her hold on you as you let out a small sigh, humming at you in question.

“Did I do something wrong? Do you think I upset her in some way, Ale?” you mumble into her neck, your lips tickling the skin there. Alexia frowns at your deflated tone.

“Upset who? I don’t think you could upset anyone querida” you softly smile at her, a hand playing with the ends of her hair before you pull back a bit to look her in the eye.

“Claudia. She’s been avoiding me and whenever I ask her something she’s always short with her answers.” you can see the brunette in front of you ponder over your words and you continue. 

“And she also has been pushing me away- you know how much Pina likes hugs.” you reason to her, now pulling away as you gesture with your hands. 

Your girlfriend carefully takes your hands in hers instantly calming you a bit and you stare into her big hazel eyes, eyes you loved so much. 

“I’m sure she is just a bit overwhelmed, you know how I was at the beginning of my injury.” you nod as she points out and she moves your arms to circle her waist. “Don’t worry too much, I know how you get when it’s her-”

“- Or you” you interrupt her and Alexia chuckles.

“Yes, and me. Try to talk to her about it. Or I can talk to her if you’d like that better?” she offers upon noticing your distressed expression and you nod, pressing a sweet kiss to her awaiting lips.

“Sí, por fa. I don’t want her to be even more upset with me” a sad look flashes across Alexia’s face but she nods to your request. She stares at you for a moment and then she pulls you into her arms again, keeping a firm hold on you. The click of the door being opened makes you turn towards it, your expression slightly faltering when you recognize the person standing in the doorway.

Alexia clears her throat as she places a hand on the small of your back, a gentle encouragement. 

“Or you could just talk to her now” she’s out the door before you can blink, closing it behind her and effectively trapping you in the same room with the young forward. A beat of silence passes by and then another one as you stand across from each other, awkwardly shuffling from foot to foot. 

“I was at the physios” Claudia tells you in a nervous tone, somehow picking up on your worry without you having to voice it. You nod and clear your throat.

“Good, that’s good.” you wince at the frustrated huff she lets out and will yourself to look at her. 

You instantly spot the tears welling up in her eyes and the sad yet guilty expression she’s wearing. Your eyes rake over her form, the anxious lip biting and the way she’s picking at her fingers.

 You feel your heart break at the sight of her so small, so vulnerable and it doesn’t take you much thinking to, once again, gather her in your arms and cradle her close to your chest. A muffled cry breaks out of Claudia’s mouth and she lets herself melt into you - into your warmth that she’s missed so much. 

Like Alexia has done with you, you let the younger girl put her weight on you and you're careful of her foot still in her boot. 

“Pinita bebé” you whisper into her ear but her only reaction is to hold onto you even tighter. “I’m really sorry if I upset you somehow. I know my worrying can be annoying and overbearing, but you know how much I care about you.”

She frantically shakes her head at your words, pulling away just enough so that she could tell you what’s been bothering her.

“No, it’s not that. I like when you worry about me, you and Ale.” she tells you sincerely with a small sniffle and you give her a comforting smile. 

“It’s just- I wanna be out there and I want to play and this stupid sprain won’t let me” she mutters, angrily gesturing at her boot. She swallows hard and then looks up at you again, her eyes telling you more before her voice does. 

“And I guess I was jealous of you. Lo siento. It’s silly, I know but you could play and score goals and it just didn’t seem fair. I missed you, I missed playing with you and I wanted to be the one celebrating with you and- and” she exhales in frustration as she gathers her thoughts.

 “It’s only been a few weeks and I’m already so bored of this thing” she again points to her injured leg and you laugh at her wording, getting a smile out of the girl. 

“I miss you too mi pequeña, and it’s not silly. It’s okay to feel like this Pina, it is normal and we’re all here to help you.” you softly cup her cheeks and she leans into you, eyes shining with adoration. 

“I did talk to Jona though and the physio, if everything goes well you can be back to playing in two weeks bebé!”

“Two weeks?!” she excitedly squeals, eyes widening in happiness and you grin at her with just as much enthusiasm. It's as if that was all Pina needed because she visibly relaxes and the sulking expression is replaced by pure joy.

“Two weeks!” Claudia jumps into your arms tucking her head into the crook of your neck and you smile into her shoulder. A pair of arms wrapping around the two of you makes you glance up and your eyes connect with those hazel ones, bringing peace to your mind. Alexia sends you a loving smile as she kisses Pina’s cheek before leaning closer to kiss you. 

“Te amo mi amor” she whispers to you in her softest voice, her eyes only softer as you blush.

“Yo también te amo” 

“Los amo a ambos” and just like that, for the first time in a week, you feel whole again with your two favorite people in your arms. 

[artdcnaldson]

Okay, okay- Dilf!Art thoughts I had since like a long time now (And this shit is long as hell and not well written🫣. I’m sorry!!):

Being yet again their plaything but also with a function. Like tennis protege, Junior PR manager, Tashi’s Assistent […]. Being a part of their relationship, motivating Art and working (+good friendship) with Tashi. A dream.

SO in New Rochelle you watch the opponents, analyzing their styles and finding weak spots which could be useful for Art. Also the half finale where Mr. Zweig plays. You’ve only seen him on a few tennis recordings with Art back then.

Super concentrated…you stop writing in your little notebook. Glancing at Patrick: His thighs. His serve. His passion. The biceps. Being in awe. And he notices. How couldn’t he? Sitting straight in the front row, eyes glued to his movements, wearing a crop top and matching tennis skirt on this very hot day, basically open mouth, never seen someone playing tennis like he does before.

He wants you. Now. Giving you his charming grin after scoring an ace. Looking at you before serving or while lifting his shirt to wipe the sweat away. And after winning the game he comes to you.

You blush and one hour later, both of you sit in a cafe. His body leaned forwards, you could smell his shower gel. The cologne. You’re a little shy, I mean you’re Tashi’s and Art’s, aren’t you? But has this triangle a future? However as aroused as both of you were after flirting, slightly touching, eating cake/ice in the most erotic way possible, you just gave him a hug, thanking him for the talk (you asked a lot about his tennis still being Art‘s girl)

And when you arrive at the hotel, Tashi and Art already on the dining table, the ofc ask you where you’ve been. The moment the name “Patrick Zweig” crosses your lips, art let his fork crash on the plate. He may have won some games but he’s under pressure. It’s fucking Zweig. He leaves the table with a tensed jaw. “It’s alright” he says with a cold undertone.

Tashi’s not angry. But kind of determined, disappointed. “There’s no excuse for this kind of behavior.” Telling you how to get Arts confidence up again. “And you better do it right”, she said, leaving the table.

AND THE NEXT DAY, now hear me out, it’s the sauna scene. Patrick and Art are the only players left. So Art’s in the sauna alone. That’s the moment you snuck in. Ofc just with a tiny towel. A cute pink one with tennis balls (cliche haha) which Art bought you some time ago.

He’s ofc surprised and didn’t want to see you at first. But you come closer, letting the towel fall off, leaning forward and searching for his gaze with your big doe eyes. Making him free, touching his thighs and telling him, he’s the only one. The best one. How he makes you feel. That he is fucking Art Donaldson. And you are his.

He can’t. He sinks his fingers in your hips pulling you in. *some hot sauna action. You probably riding him I guess. And afterwards he makes you cum again and slaps you in the ass again when you leave

Leaving just in time before Patrick arrives. And now HEAR ME OUT:

THIS (in this twisted universe) IS THE REASON ART FEELS SO MUCH BETTER THAN PATRICK IN THIS SAUNA SCENE AND IS ALSO ABLITZLW MEAN.

Yeah. So if you’ve read this till now. Wow. 🙈🥹

Can’t say enough, I love your blog cat 💘

LOVE THIS <3 Love sticky throuple dynamics >:) And thank you you’re so sweet!!

But you’re such a good little addition to their marriage— a vehicle for Art to work out his frustrations, his inferiority complex. You look at him like a god, you fuck him like he’s the best you’ve ever had. You’re so good for him, you help Tashi get information on Art’s opponents by researching or watching their matches in person— you’re their favorite toy.

It was a mistake, Tashi knew, to send you to watch Patrick’s match, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of watching him play herself, so there you were— sweet, eager to please in the front row, taking notes in a tiny notebook as he and his opponent took to the court. And of course Patrick reeled you in, it wouldn’t been remarkable if he hadn’t. He’s handsome, he’s charming, he invited you to have dinner with him, so you did.

You come back to the hotel smelling like fast food (because dinner had been sitting in the tailgate of his shitty car and sharing Shake Shack that you paid for) and axe body spray, and Art fucking knows. His girl was off with Patrick. Again. The worst fucking case of Deja Vu.

You make it up to him so sweetly, though. Bouncing on his cock in the sauna, not caring if any staff or athletes passing by hear. Proving that all you need is him— his cock, his affection, his love. All yours, the only person in the world you need. You cum so pretty on his cock, milking him, crying out and continuing to grind onto his cock, even as it softens inside of you. You give him a kiss and repeat yourself again. “I only want you, Art.”

When you tug your towel back on and slip into the hallway, Patrick’s grinning at you, and you know he heard everything. Good.

[wonderfulworldofmichaelford]

Psycho Analysis: Dee Vasquez

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

“Turnabout Samurai” was always a case I skipped on my replays, because when I originally played the game I found it to be a tedious filler case loaded with bland characters and little plot progression. On my most recent playthrough, though, I realized how wrong I was; while the case is overly long and does require some obnoxious backtracking, it’s honestly an extremely fun and funny case that really helps develop Miles Edgeworth and flesh him out as a character, which kind of makes me baffled at my initial perception of the case as pointless filler. This is no “Turnabout Big Top,” that’s for sure, and that’s all the more apparent when we uncover who the true killer is.

Dee Vasquez marks a true turning point in the killers I the franchise. Frank Sahwit and Redd White are certainly not out of place in the series, but they are both one-dimensional goofballs. Not Dee; she’s an incredibly three-dimensional villain with motivations that go beyond simple greed and an actual sympathetic motivation for her crime.

Motivation/Goals: Dee Vasquez is actually rather interesting in that her motivation for murder has one of the first twists in the series: She had no motive. The murder was an accidental one in self-defense, as the victim Jack Hammer had come to her with the intent to kill her. When he did so, she shoved him off the steps and impaled him on a fence—something Hammer himself had accidentally done to another actor five years prior.

It’s pretty interesting to think that there wouldn’t be another killing in self-defense until Spirit of Justice, and even then there’s a big twist to that too—but that’s a story for another time.

Breakdown: Fitting her terse and stoic personality, Vasquez actually has one of the single most understated breakdowns in the whole series, followed by her sadly and graciously accepting her defeat:

That really is it, and honestly, it's all she needs. Someone with her demeanor losing her composure for even a moment like that is pretty impressive.

Best Scene: Vasquez actually gets one of the most unique scenes in the franchise, as at the end of the third day of investigating she lures Maya and Phoenix into her trailer, where she proceeds to call upon her mafia goons in an attempt to “erase” them.

It’s pretty notable because the mafia goons actually get art here, and this is also the only time Vasquez’s mob connections are really brought up in any capacity as they aren’t mentioned during the trials, only getting briefly mentioned in discussions while investigating. It’s doubly notable because it gives Gumshoe one of his first “Big Damn Heroes” moments when he bursts in and saves our dynamic duo’s lives.

Final Thoughts & Score: Dee Vasquez is a really solid villain, and her case is where the series really grew the proverbial beard.

I think what’s most fascinating about her is how you only get some vague hinting at the relationships that surround the crime she committed, and the true nature of her relationship with Hammer is based entirely on hearsay from biased parties—can you trust what she says in regards to Hammer, considering she was blackmailing him and clearly had a great disdain for him for killing her possible lover? Can you trust Oldbag’s account of it being a tragic accident when she’s a Hammer superfan? It all makes her the sort of character where you can come up with multiple interpretations of her and have different levels of sympathy depending on how you view her actions. Like sure, it was in self-defense, but it becomes a lot less sympathetic if you see Hammer more as a victim of manipulation for something that wasn’t really his fault (although his willingness to frame his co-star Will Power out of petty jealousy certainly doesn’t make him look very good).

Helping this is just how grounded and low-key she is. She doesn’t really get wild, over-the-top reactions like some of the other killers, and while that may seem like a detriment in a series as silly as this, it actually makes her stand out a lot more especially with how later villains would become even more wild and wacky. It also helps build her up as a genuinely formidable opponent in court, and she’s actually a pretty tough egg to crack when you get her on the stand.

While I’m not going to pretend like she’s the greatest, most complex, or most tragic of all the villains (how can she be when characters like Ini Miney, Geiru Toneido, or Acro are around?) but for a first attempt at a more complex villain that isn’t just killing for the money, she’s a really solid one. A nice solid 7.5/10, I’d say. I think really her biggest problem is that the case immediately following hers features perhaps the single most sympathetic murderer in the original trilogy, as well as another stoic hardass villain who has a far more glorious breakdown, which leaves her being a bit overshadowed. Still, for what she is, she's a remarkably solid villain.

[swan2swan]

jumping off that post if you dont mind butas someone whos been watching btas for the first time recently, as an adult, I have to say that I dont really get the hype. Like theres been a handful of truly excelent episodes yes, the show looks good and it has a very easy watching vibe that good kids serials should have. But I feel like I must be missing something giving just how much its hyped up as peak superhero media when most episodes seem like stardard, if very solid, kids serial affair

An excellent question!

The answer is: you're looking at The Blueprint. The base. Classic superhero cartoons were solid, sliding action with cutaway impact frames and often played out more like read-along comic books. Dialogue was dramatic, delivered in that bombastic, attention-grabbing style of the old radio programs, meant to convey excitement above any other emotion. The dialogue between exposition also tended to sound more like when a book narrator puts on a different voice for a character.

Batman changed the game. The animation was fluid and dynamic, the visual tone dark and dreary, and the voicework was (mostly) far more suited for stage than radio. Men fought with swords, blows landed, a chair could easily be picked up and swung at any time. There was no laugh track, no silly music, not even a catchy jingle--this show was SERIOUS about its material, which fit perfectly into the exciting, action-craving culture of the nineties.

But below all of that was gravitas. Maturity and mystery spun the show into more than just gadgets and fistfights--there was emotional weight behind episodes, fear and anguish on the faces of our characters. And sometimes a laughing clown in a suit appeared to shake that up.

All of this was backed by a symphonic score, too. This led to many wordless moments that further pushed the demands of animation to tell the story.

You have to imagine this as a NEW medium. A triumphant return of comic book heroes.

[a-cloud-for-dreams]

Ok so I've mentioned this a bunch of times on my blog by now but I've been trying to speedrun all of the Choices books and I'm so glad I am because there are some underrated gems out there! I'm almost done with TC&TF Book 1 and that book had a ton of love interests so I was inspired to make a top ten list to organize my thoughts. This post will be under development as I play more books or change my mind lol

Top Ten Books/Series

Bloodbound Series - This book is literally one of the best series PB has ever put out. To be fair, it should be under Blades and TC&TF, I would argue that these three books deserve top place. But it would be harder to combine my Bloodbound explanation with the other two fantasy books so here you go. Contrary to most, I did like the first book, wasn't my favorite, but it was a good intro to the series. I like that the world slowly grew as we learned more about vampires and it felt complete and like it had something to say. Thank @gaiuskamilah for my further obsession with the series lol

Blades of Light and Shadow Book 1/The Crown and the Flame Book 1 - I couldn't choose but they're both AMAZING BOOKS ugh I can't say enough good things about them. The choices actually matter and the plot was so good. Every chapter had a purpose and the conclusion felt so satisfying. The scoring system and skills for both books was super cool, we need more books like them <33

Crimes of Passion Series - Definitely a Top Tier MC!!! I liked the mystery (Book 2's reveal wasn't great but the chaotic Thorne siblings make up for it) and Trystan is the best single LI we've had in a while, their dynamic with Rose was *chef's kiss*

Perfect Match Series - I LOVED this series and our friend group/love interests so much. They all felt like unique people with their own experiences and the plot was so amazingly intense. The finale of Book 1 was UNMATCHED we won't ever live to experience something that iconic ever again smh. It took a while for the plot to kick in, which is why it's lower on the list

The Elementalists - I'm a sucker for elemental magic systems/magic schools, and I love our friend group/family so much. Atlas is the coolest twin, and the whole sun/moon dynamic was fun! Being a powerful Sun-Att boosted my ego astronomically. I wish we got another book to see our mom more though

It Lives in the Woods - I like that the premise was relatively simple, along with the game mechanics. Your actions had real consequences and it was more immersive. The flash-forward in the last chapter was super sweet too and I like that the anthology was interconnected. This series also gave us an amazing friend group and set of LIs so I'm thankful <3

Open Heart Book 1 - Simply iconic, grounded in reality, and actually put together imao. It was one of the peaks of our fandom. This book is super nostalgic for me because I'm interested in the medical field, and it's the whole reason I'm posting Choices content here in the first place

Ride or Die - I adore this book. It felt complete on its own EVEN IF IT DESERVED A SEQUEL *side-eyeing PB* and it's a great coming-of-age story with a realistic teen MC. The ending was bittersweet and you felt changed by the experience playing the book

Nightbound - I liked the vibes and the idea more than the execution if that makes sense? I love the idea of Lamrian and how the MC is half-fae and super powerful, but the book didn't have enough time to showcase the supernatural world compared to Bloodbound, which focused on vampire lore. I can probably make a whole separate post on this but yea

The Royal Romance/The Royal Heir - I think, again, I like the vibes of the series more than the flawed execution, but because it went on for so long I kinda of got attached to the characters (mind you I didn't play or finish any of the books) but it's super fluffy and sweet and iconic for Choices history so here <3 a lot of the books like ROE, TRM, and TC&TF are interconnected so it's part of the foundation for the PB Choices Multiverse :) to be fair, it looks like they did a somewhat decent job writing the conflicts for each book?

I have a feeling when I finish Endless Summer, this list is gonna change...

EDIT: I totally forgot about The Heist: Monaco, but it was amazing! TRR/TH should be bumped down to honorable mention, I'll change it at some point-

Honorable Mentions

A Courtesan of Rome - The book took awhile for me to get through but my MC is legendary and carried the book so it's up here lol. I also liked that it felt like a historically accurate book?

Platinum - Cool commentary on the darker sides of fame and the music >>>

Veil of Secrets - The plot was interesting, one of my fave mystery books they've written! Also the characters >>>

Mother of the Year - Wholesome and felt finished, def one of the best single books. Also the antagonists were properly despicable so...good writing

Wake the Dead - It wasn't perfect, but I love zombie apocalypse stories and the idea of rebuilding our camp was so cool so idc how flawed it is <3

Foreign Affairs - The ending was rushed and the premise should have been rewritten but more on that on a later date. It was still fun for me to play

Desire and Decorum - I finished book 1 and I really liked it! it's basically the Choices version of Bridgerton, not historically accurate but super entertaining. The vibes and the LIs were amazing

Kindred - Pacing issues but still entertaining, I love the witch lore that they had in the book and the focus on building both platonic and romantic relationships so I'm not complaining

Top Ten Love Interests In No Particular Order

Trystan Thorne

Bryce Lahela

Kamilah Sayeed

Damien Nazario

Kaine Bell

Raleigh Carrera

Aerin Valleros

Jax Matsuo

Colt Kaneko

F!Hayden Young

Honorable Mentions (Again, No Particular Order)

Drake Walker (listen LISTEN I don't like that he sidelined other LIs, and I absolutely HATE how his character was a total contradiction, it was executed poorly, but I like the idea of his route if that makes sense. Some of the banter was cute and I love the whole grumpy x sunshine trope. I'm pretty sure he took a bullet for me lol)

Raydan Lykel (Solely because I haven't finished the series yet)

Mal Volari (He would have been in Top Ten but I had to bump him down because his Book 2 Route isn't working)

Tyril Starfury

Nia Ellarious

Prince Hamid

Tatum Mendoza

All of the Nightbound Love Interests are amazing I just couldn't fit them on the list

Gaius Augustine

Alana Kusuma

Rainier (Kindred)

Thomas Mendez

Flynn O'Malley

Olivia Nevrakis (she had so much potential omg)

Robin Flores and Sofia Russo (in my world, they're LIs just shush)

[itssovero]

11. Rayman 3: Hoodlum Havoc (Ubi Soft Paris, 2003)

Watch my playthrough of this game here!

The second and last proper 3D Rayman adventure we've seen in 22 years, this installment features some solid platforming, a few unique (if a bit underutilized) combat mechanics, a satisfying new scoring system, and an edgier tone than its predecessors.

Gameplay-wise, this is still more or less the Rayman you know from Rayman 2: The Great Escape, but with a few new mechanics. Combat returns to the original Rayman's two-fist projectile system, but with a 3D twist; not only can Rayman literally throw a punch, he can also arc them left and right horizontally while strafing to circumvent enemy defenses. It's a great mechanic at its core, but its implementation is clunky due to the requirement to be moving in the direction you wish to arc your punch, and surprisingly few enemy types and object interactions make compelling use of it.

Supplementing the combat and platforming both is the new "laser detergent" system in which you can equip a timed power-up from stationary points in each level, temporarily enabling Rayman to do things like gradually electrocute enemies and swing from hanging hooks, deploy guided missiles, or knock enemies off stilts and retract tall platforms. Some types are more fun than others, but generally it's a neat way to add some dynamism to the gameplay.

This goes hand in hand with an additional layer known as COMBO MODE, an excellent addition to the gameplay which adds a score attack element to landing hits on enemies and picking up the game's collectable jewels; doing these things in quick succession nets you scaling additional point yields which factor into a ranking at the end of each of the linear stages (each of which have a "par score" of sorts to shoot for). Tagging power-up cans also doubles points earned throughout that power-up's duration. High scores in individual levels contribute to a game-wide cumulative score, and meeting certain total score thresholds unlocks a smattering of minigames. This simple addition adds an engaging new layer to the gameplay, as it encourages the player to consider how to chain actions together and the order in which to perform them. As it's implemented, I feel that the game could stand to feature more ways in which to keep these combos going, and the fact that some secret point caches (in the form of small creatures you need to either focus on in first-person mode or slowly sneak up on) require you to slow down enough for your combo to time out feels kind of counterintuitive to the design, but it's a fascinating system for a platformer nonetheless. Honestly, a lot more games in the platforming space should feature something like this.

Aesthetically, the game continues with the mystical runic aesthetic of Rayman 2, but with the antagonistic hoodlums' presence adding an additional layer of splintery wood and ramshackle structures I can only half-jokingly describe as "outhousepunk". The overall tone of the game leans far more into raunchy comedy than scenic whimsy, and whether this is a good thing or not will differ from person to person. Personally, I think it has its moments, but a handful of contemporary pop culture references stick out like a sore thumb and really date the experience. That said, the ramblings of Billy West in his performance as Murfy the flying tutorial frog and his spiel about "cahmbo mode" in the game's opening chapter have permanently wormed their way into my braincase over the years.

Rayman 3 is a bit of a mixed bag, but it's still got enough charm and interesting ideas to make for a good time. That said, there's a lot of untapped potential in its combat and combo mode mechanics, and more than two decades later, I still long for a new, more polished 3D Rayman title which iterates on these systems further. With Ubisoft reportedly having begun the exploration phase for a new Rayman project in 2023, perhaps Murfy's tongue-in-cheek promise of a proper "Rayman 4" will actually come true in the next handful of years.

[y2klostandfound]

Bust-A-Move 2 (aka Bust-A-Groove 2) on Dengeki Playstation magazine Issue 101 (Japan)(26/03/1999)

Scanned by kitsunebi

Translation in English:

Bust-A-Move 2 Dance Tengoku MIX

The second installment of the popular dance game is finally here! Show off your dance technique in a cooler, more spectacular way! This time's "Bust ~" is not going to be a muscle!

4/15

-ENIX -5,800 Yen -MC (1 block)

More and more

Funky and power up! This guy is the new dance heaven!

The sequel to the dance action game, in which unique characters engage in exciting dance battles, is finally here. The basic system remains the same, but is packed with new elements such as the "Luck Only" system that makes players more passionate! In addition to many new characters, the characters from the previous game also appear with improved costumes and dance moves. Check it out before it goes on sale.

-The entire screen is inevitably more dynamic and fiery than the previous game!

-The character select screen is displayed with pop illustrations and icons!

And the jammer Power UP!!

-The jammer that interferes with the opponent's dance is also powered up.

Finally, the big reveal!

CHECK 3 new elements! !

New Face - Tsutomu

He is an 11-year-old fifth grader with a father who is a professional baseball player and a mother who is a goverment official. His specialty is Latin house dancing.

Part 1 Hiro's groovy dance! - "Combination Dance"!

In the previous game, if you get a high score and clear the stage,"FEVER TIME!" will occur after the dance battle ends under certain conditions. There was a show where the character who won the battle danced solo. This time, if both characters in a 2-player match can perform "FEVER TIME!", a "combination dance" will begin in which the two perform a grooving fever dance!

-If you keep dancing COOL and win well…. -You start "FEVER TIME!" as the star of the show!

If we both look good together.

It's even more amazing!

New Face - Bi-O

GAS-O's father who appeared in the previous game. He (Bi-O) was turned into a zombie after being poisoned by his father during a quarrel. The Zombie-like dance is very cool!

Part 2 Shorty's cool and combo - The "Luck Only System"

This time, the "Luck Only System" has been newly added. Three rows of three blocks (blue, red, and green) in the lower center of the screen represent slots, and you can arrange any three blocks in the first, second, and third rows. The stage's special gimmick will start moving! Each block has green "COOL!" (6 combos) and red "CHILLIN! (7 combos)", blue indicates "FREEZE!" (8 combo), and if you decide on a specified combo, the blocks will pile up.

-Not only do you get a bonus for matching blocks, but a special gimmick will appear.

Part 3 Strike's timing life! - "Perfect System"

Command branching?

The dance changes when you press the decide button. Master the right timing to dance more advanced and cool.

STAGE branching?!

Depending on the victory (score difference with the opponent) when clearing the stage, the stage ahead will diverge one after another! If you go with the best branching …

Go to Next Stage!

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale reviews: Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Alright so I FINALLY saw the movie and after an ordeal with the AMC

I can finally give my thoughts on this movie.

So in order to properly rank this. I will put the following Categories.

Animation

Plot

Characters

Music

Fanservice

Lesson

And I will give my final score at the bottom. I will try not to get too spoiler heavy but spoilers below

And for those that dont want ANY spoilers. I will say it is a great kids movie go watch it

______________________________________________________________

Animation:

This movie is Absolutely Gorgeous. Every mushroom, every brick has been lovingly crafted. I LOVE the attention to details, I love how hard each hit feels in this movie. The Choreography in this and flow is incredible. Illumination's eye for visual slapstick is still on a league of its own and it fits very well with the movie.

The character expressions all flowed great and you felt sucked in by the expression. It was like watching a Mario game. Brooklyn, The Mushroom kingdom, The Dark Lands, The Ice Kingdom, The Kong kingdom and Rainbow road ALL felt distinct and flowed. I am IN LOVE with this movies asthetic. The action was perfectly paced, I would even say it matched and surpassed the flowing animation of Puss in boots Last wish.

10/10

____________________________________________________________

Plot

So its pretty straight forward, Bowser tries to take over the kingdom, and he needs to be stopped. Mario and Luigi end up sucked into the mushroom kingdom trying to make a name for themselves as plumbers and get separated.

Mario ends up meeting Toad, Peach and Donkey Kong and the crew end up fighting Bowser and Saving Luigi. It starts as a trip to get reinforcements to fight the koopa army, turns into a race on rainbow road, then turns into a fight at a wedding and then finally a showdown in Brooklyn.

Mario and Luigi save the day and end up finding a connecting route to the the Mushroom kingdom and Brooklyn.

Now there is a LOT that happens in between these plot points and I will say it does feel a bit fast at times. But It is entertaining, Mario and Peach bond. And the scale and excitement never decreases. It is solid.

7.5/10

I wish more time could be spent in some places but thats mainly a pacing thing. and its the only real gripe I have.

___________________________________________________________

Characters

I think I will break this up into multiple sections.

Mario: I will say it, the previews took all the worst bits of Chris Pratt's VA work. Because he actually did a bang up job, I didnt hear Chris Pratt, I heard Brooklyn Mario (And the Accents are explained to be part of the commercial which has Charles cameo AMAZINGLY done)

I liked Mario's character, he was a guy that wanted to prove himself and doesnt know when to quit. Mario also doesnt like mushrooms, it was funny. He can get down on himself, but push comes to shove he is Mario and will do anything for those he loves. He has some cute bonding moments with Peach and they have a good chemistry, which I can say could be romantic or not, both are fine ways of interpretation. His goal and lengths he is willing to go to save his brother are great and I love it. Mario is great in the movie.

Peach: I will admit, I was worried on how they handled peach here. I knew they were going to make her a girl boss. And I do think that she is not as Feminine or Charming as what one would expect from Peach... BUT she has the good heart and cares for her subjects. Which Peach will be self sacrificing to help her people, but also will do what she can to mess with Bowser. As shown in her fight at the wedding. She and Mario got a good dynamic and I enjoy the roll. Though I do like that she isnt invincible, she can be outmatched and there are things even she thinks are too risky.

Luigi: I feel robbed. Not because Luigi's performance was bad, FAR FROM IT. I wanted MORE Luigi. Luigi was captured for most of the movie and had the funniest bits. He also had his big hero moment and really helped drive home one of the big lessons. I am glad that he is supportive of brother and he thinks he is the coolest guy. The characterization of Luigi was PERFECT. But as mentioned before, I wanted more of him

Toad: He was a delight. I think he has great comedic moments and I love how he just claims Mario as his BFF. He gets really funny jokes and the bits are usually out of left field. My favorite has to be how he distracted the guards, I wont dare spoil it, but it involves a Frying pan.

Donkey Kong: I thought I would hate DK. I still am not sold on the voice... THAT BEING SAID. Donkey Kong being the show off big shot that cant see past his own ego and just wants his dad to be proud of him was not what I expected but enjoyed. He also has some good moments. One moment you think he is gonna bond with Mario over Dad issues but then left turn, he goes "Well your dad's right, you suck"

It just sort of works for them, they have this frenemies vibe that I love.

Bowser:

Bowser steals the movie. He is the funniest character. He is the best character. HE WROTE A LOVE BALLAD FOR PEACH called "Peaches". He is goofy yet Intimidating. Jack Black's voice for him was perfect and the Character acting was on point. Jack Black NAILED BOWSER. He is DEFACTO Bowser. I cant say enough of how amazing his bowser was. It was just so perfect.

The others: From Mario's extended family, The Koopas, Kamek, kranky, the Luma, The Penguins. I LOVED all the side characters. I cant name one I didnt enjoy. Shout out to the Blond Kong in a sports Blazer who casually caused a kart crash of a By-stander

Now Aside from Bowser I cant say the characters are deep, but they were not meant to be. They were what they needed to be. I enjoyed all the characters on screen and never felt myself loathing not seeing a certain character for longer.

solid 8/10 (Jack black and bowser are 10/10 tho)

______________________________________________________________ Music

So I wanted to give this a 10/10, but I cant.

I found some of the random 80's rock songs a bit out of place. It is Illumination.

But outside of those songs, when they are doing the mario music and themes they ARE GLORIOUS. Bowser's fury theme and the Remixed Star theme were my personal favorites

All of the mario music is beautifully crafted. You know papa nintendo made sure they did it justice.

Overall, 8/10

The 80's songs werent the worst pick but they werent needed. Should have just stuck with the mario stuff.

But... it is illumination.

______________________________________________________________

Fanservice

ALL OF THE REFERENCES,

FOREMAN SPIKE

Pauline

CHARLES Martinet AS MARIO'S FATHER AND GIUSEPPE

PUNCH OUT PIZZARIA

the musical references,

The princess is in another castle joke.

The sound effects.

The entire movie is CRAMMED FULL of references and jokes that I am sure I didnt get all of them.

This movie was CRAFTED from Fanservice.

Is the Sonic 2 movie is a love letter to the fans,

The Super Mario Bros Movie is a full on Love Biography to them.

I am so full of the fanservice I was squealing

10/10

___________________________________________________________

Lesson

I wasnt expecting the Super mario bros Movie to have a lesson, and to my surprise it had 2 lessons.

Never give up. Mario shows throughout the entire movie his grit and determination no matter how much people look down on him or underestimate him. He got back up and kept fighting.

The power of Brotherly love. Luigi had faith in his brother who was always there for him. And he knew that things will be alright as long as they were together. And Luigi took it to heart, learning that what his brother said was true. Brotherly love made them invincible (well actually it was the power star, but it was because of that love they were able to get it.)

I am not gonna put it at the level of Puss in Boots the last wish. But its some good lessons

7/10

_____________________________________________________________

Overall, this movie, if you arent a Super Mario super fan, Is a solid 8/10

It has good characters, funny/hilarious slapstick and moments, fun action, and great for kids with a good lesson.

If you are a mario super fan (Like me)

Solid 9.5/10

I would watch it again no questions. I do wish it had more Mareach and Yoshi

[coruscantide]

✔

► MUSE PREFERENCES

Do I know your muse(s):  yes | no | a little | tell me about your muse

Setting: our verse | my verse | your verse | modern | alternate universe | other

Pre-established relationships? yes | no | depends on the relationship

Possible relationships: friends | classmate | co-worker | roommate | family, real or adopted | dating or blind date | married | friends with benefits | unrequited love | lending a hand | teacher - student | rivals | allies | partner-in-crime | enemies | protecter - guarded | business partners | spy - infiltrated | manipulator - manipulated | star-crossed | first meeting | other 

I’m in the mood for: fluff | angst | horror | romance | humor | crime | hurt / comfort | action | supernatural | slice of life | crack | dark threads | light threads | any genre | multi-para | shorter para | one-line | any length | plotted threads | unplotted threads | other

Feel free to: message me ooc | message me ic | tell me your ideas | write a starter | answer one of my opens | send a meme | reblog this with your preferences - let’s find common interests!

canon likes to not focus on the kairi and riku dynamic but i remember. nomura you can't make me forget kh1 to kh2 and all the shit riku endured for kairi and the clear same level of care she has for him even if you only let her show it for like five minutes at most or have pieces of it mirrored in their relationships to other characters and barely acknowledge it otherwise. i'm not gonna delve too deep into this here because i'm already in the middle of doing a long ass post about what riku means to kairi so time to put a pin in that and onto plot ideas!

maybe threads were they talk about what's on their mind? they clearly do off screen. and let them tease each other oh my god. let them support each other while also being able to drag each other for little things. meeting riku exponentially increased her snark capabilities. just like how riku was protective of kairi, she is protective of him, though it tends to usually manifest in different ways, and they both could take it a bit too far unintentionally or not ( side eyes kh1 ). and a background element i vibe with? right person wrong time missed opportunities but echoes of it still there on both ends (*cough*orwecoulddosomethingwiththat*cough*).

sparring sessions! riku did visit her while she was learning under merlin so let them take a moment to train. the master can show her the ropes lest she run off into a crowd of heartless wildly swinging the keyblade around again.

you know, one thing they can have is their own long running score over anything and everything. from arcades to those table games like air hockey and soccer to who manages to bean a specific branch the most times with a rock to surfing to fishing to card games like triple triad to who can catch the most peanuts in their mouth to whoever can stomach the most donuts. just random things they do together and turn into an impromptu competition, and because it's been going on so long they sometimes get the current tally wrong and insist they're the one in the lead.

next time riku goes to destiny islands someone ( selphie? ) should really hand him the stack of sealed letters addressed to him by kairi but were never really intended to be sent since he had been mia off the islands for over a year. i wonder what they say...

oh, ha, maybe, one day, they're talking and kairi just casually mentions something in conversation that riku picks up on though she breezes past it without much thought like it's common knowledge but it isn't. because. because he thought she didn't know about it and the only time he mentioned it to her was during that time in kh1 when he had her empty body and implications are there now and

au time. *looks at your dark route* *looks back at you* p,,, please.

i too have an au or two you can peruse *trips and a bunch of aus falls out of my pocket* altered memory kairi living with namine during com and completely forgetting her former life and friends and can't recognize them when they find her, kairi winding up with her keyblade and clashing with sora over the better way to help riku who was missing his heart, sora not quite saving kairi in remind and being booted to quadratum leaving kairi kinda dead to haunt the narrative from the final world as a formless star and riku is the only one she can connect with, crossover verses- *scrambles to shove them back in my pocket* anywaYS I'm down for anything! Just hit me up! Or I'll hit you up.

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Gladiator 2

I believe the greatest burden of any sequel to an already successful original film, is the task of trying to make a successor worthy of the name that can surpass the original and meet all expectations. The all too easy trap of relying heavily on the nostalgia bait of reminding you that the sequel is connected while running through all the greatest moments and repeating their beats is prevalent in most. We all know that original Gladiator was a perfect film that is still used as a verb to gauge the quality of spectacle and storytelling and rightfully so. Like you, I asked the most important question once this film was announced: Why? Why make a sequel to a film that did not need one? Yes, there are more stories about the gladiatorial games and the many times Roman has fallen, rebuilt itself and fallen again, but is it necessary to frame this story in the confines of an already untainted legacy? Well I'm here to tell you that not only does this film fall into the trap formally mentioned, but it does show the fragility of the political landscape of Rome at the time. I just wish this film followed another path or different set of characters not related to the first film. It does deliver on what I've sorely missed in cinema and that is the epic feel of large scaled sword and shield battles that are dirty and blood soaked fun.

Paul Mescal stoically leads the familiar story branch of this multi-layered plot as Hanno. I liked his tenacity and raw intensity within the confines of the many fight sequences he expertly handles. He was a driven man and I loved his attitude and unwavering conviction. Paul brings the right amount of strength and compassion as the film progresses. Pedro Pascal delivers a great and more reserved performance in many ways as General Acacius. I loved that he was a reluctant combatant and leader in the Roman campaign to conquer all. There is a weariness in his eyes that was expertly explored many times and I loved that he got a moment of repentance with Hanno. Connie Nielsen continues to exude her regal and elegant nature from the first film, but now as a more seasoned and plotting Lucilla. She repeats the same plot again in this film, but there is a caveat this time around that has been seen many times in other stories. There is an emotional reunion in the film that I liked and Connie delivers a stellar performance in it. Joseph Quinn and Fred Hechinger were fantastic as the twin Roman Emperors Geta and Caracalla. Geta was the more unchecked ambitious one while Caracalla was more debaucherous brother that wasn't all there mentally. Their dynamic kept the tension of the political game alive and showed why they were never really fit for their roles as Emperors. Denzel Washington delivers his most slippery and slimy performance as Macrinus. It has been a long time since I have seen Denzel dive deep back into the villainous role and he was ever so riveting and playful. He was the pure definition of "taking advantage of a fragile situation and navigating how to come out on top". He was quick, efficient and devilish in his smile.

The score by composer and long time collaborator, Harry Gregson-Williams, was fantastic and as epic as it should be. It comes to life in the action sequences and especially in the more emotional moments. The gladiatorial fights are a highlight in the film as they provide story and spectacle, but also you see the many references to the original film. As I said before, I love the sword and shield genre of film and very few can handle it with grace like this director can. Where the film falters for me is the constant reminders of a better film that I just rebought on 4K Bluray Disc. The reunion story was a weaker part for me as I was more interested in how the politics of Rome were being executed. There are multiple vengeance plots happening and it all kind of felt clumsy in toward the end as we rush to the finish line. In the end, I was entertained by it, but not floored by it at all. Director Ridley Scott is a master at creating epics, but this is one film in his filmography that I wish he never touched. Let me know what thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[tilbageidanmark]

Movies I watched this week (#179):

71 Fragments of a Chronology of Chance, my 10th film by Michael Haneke, and the last part of his early 'Glaciation Trilogy'. Tense, murky and uncomfortable fragments of miserable and detached people, moving on with their daily chores without passion. All the while the television newscasts in the background drone on about wars, and massacres and other disasters. Unpleasant!

By now, I've seen all of his feature films, except of the two 'Funny Games' which, even as a completist, I have no desire to do.

🍿

1958 Côte d'Azur X 2:

🍿 My 6th melodrama by Otto Preminger, Bonjour Tristesse, and another where he collaborated with Saul Bass on the fanciful title sequence. A nearly-incestuous connection between suave cocksman and playboy David Niven (strutting most of the time in short shorts) with his spoiled and alienated daughter Jean Seberg. Based on the semi-biographical novella by Françoise Sagan, which she also had published at 17. Lifestyles of the carefree High-society on the French Riviera of the '50's, and the sensuality of the coast, the sun, the water. Tragic Manic Pixie Dream Girl Seberg, a disillusioned gamine with cropped short hair, disenchanted and confused.

🍿 "All the fashionable woman are wearing blue. (Except the English)..."

My 16th by Agnès Varda, Along the coast. If somebody has a hard-on for the notion of a coast vacation in the '50s, then this is for them Pure nostalgia straight into the veins, with impossible score by George Delarue, breezing through empty tourist spots of Saint-Tropez, Nice, Toulon, Monaco, Menton, Fréjus, Èze... Imagine if it was you, and you didn't know what you know now.... Simplement merveilleux! [*Female Director*]

Best film of the week!

🍿

“Are women magical?…”

More from The French Riviera, and another of my favorite re-watches ♻️: Truffaut’s meta-film 'La Nuit américaine'/Day for night. A perfect perfect film about movie making. There has never been a better one about the deep love for cinema, not '8 1/1', 'Contempt' or 'Singing in the rain', nor 'Sunset Boulevard', 'Get Shorty' or 'Boogie Nights'.

With another of George Delerue's sweeping scores, and with Nathalie Baye as Truffault's real-life script-girl Suzanne Schiffman, the one who kept it all together. And the cat. 10/10.

🍿

2 thrillers by Spanish Daniel Calparsoro:

🍿 To steal from a thief is a sophisticated heist story, with a crisp-sounding, exciting opening. Dynamic and drenched in heavy rains, it pulled me in. But as it continue, I came to realize that it's an exact copy of Spike Lee 'Inside Man', mixed with Jason Statham's 'The Bank Job' - but in Valencia. Too bad! I started to like it a lot.

🍿 Because he is considered one of the best 'Action' directors in Spain, I tried also his latest All the Names of God, but it was even worst. A taxi driver has to survive after being kidnapped by a Muslim suicide bomber in Madrid. But again, it just copied previous plots (Tom Cruise's 'Collateral', Dennis Hopper's 'Speed', as well as the surprise explosion at the beginning of 'Children of Men') without adding much else to it. 3/10.

🍿

The Gang's All Here (1943), directed by Busby Berkeley. My first joyful experience with Carmen Miranda (here in her famous The Lady In The Tutti-Frutti Hat number). Full of sexual innuendos from Brazil and cultural appropriations, still a wonderful entry to this world.

🍿

2 more movies about the Holocaust:

🍿 Toyland was the short German Oscar winner in 2009. A dark & moving story about 2 boys in 1942, who are best friends. When the Jewish family is being deported, the other boy decides to join his "blood brother", because his mother explains their moving, as 'they are going to Toyland'. 9/10.

🍿 "They'll have to drag me out of here. You know that."

My first re-watch of The Zone of Interest; This is not about mass murder, but about a family that lives on the other side of a wall. A father reading good-night stories to his daughter, a wife who pushes her husband to take her back to their favourite vacation place in Italy. The mundane as a chilling metaphor, with distant sounds as the only reminders. 9/10. ♻️

🍿

Legendary Thelma Schoonmaker X 2:

🍿 The Key to Reserva (2007) was a Martin Scorsese joke, constructed as a faux Hitchcock homage. In it he claimed that he discovered a previously-unknown script for an unproduced Hitchcock movie, and he went and filmed it "as the master would have done it today". But in reality it was just a fucking slick commercial for some cheap champagne brand! Very much like his other meta-film 'Goncharov'. Featuring Thelma Schoonmaker as herself, and suave Simon Baker as Cary Grant. 9/10.

🍿 My third by Spanish director Isabel Coixet, Learning to drive, a standard movie about simple connections. Patricia Clarkson is a literary editor whose husband left her, and Ben Kingsley a Sikh driving instructor in Queens, NY. With a surprising and funny tantric sex scene at the end of Act 2, and music score by George Harrison's son, Dhani.

I often think that Schoonmaker doesn't get enough credit for her work for Scorsese. Here there's no bravado, just clear and thoroughly enjoyable editing. [*Female Director*].

🍿

David Ehrlich X 2:

🍿 Talking about great editing, I saw David Ehrlich’s annual Video Countdown The 25 Best Films of 2023, again♻️. It was brilliantly edited by him. So far I've seen 13 14 of these 25 films, and plan to see most of the others (especially 'The boy and the Heron', which he rated as 'The best movie of the year').

🍿 From his list: La Chimera, my second by Alice Rohrwacher, and one of many starring her sister Alba Rohrwacher. A slow, interesting mood piece about some rustic Etruscan grave robbers in the 1980's. I couldn't get into it initially, until I realize that it was an Italian Magical Realism dream. Divination gets into the picture, and treasure hunting, and nostalgia for the past and for the dead. I didn't expect it to end like the Dutch 'Spoorloos', not even metaphorically, and maybe it didn't. [*Female Director*].

🍿

First time watching: While waiting for his 'Megalopolis', the chronicles of Coppola's wife from The Philippines, Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse. Documenting a self-indulgent genius, megalomaniac visionary, stubborn Macho Man, building an insane universe out of dreams. [*Female Director*].

🍿

3 by Slovenian Špela Čadež:

🍿 Boles is a dreamlike stop-motion tale about a young author with a writer's block. It is based on 'Her Lover', a sad short story by Maxim Gorky. It's depressingly Russian, and stylistically brilliant.

🍿 Steakhouse (2021), an uncomfortable and original masterpiece. Like Studio Ghibli FoodPorn, but where the sizzle signifies fear. An impatient husband prepares a steak for his wife's birthday - WOW!

🍿 In Nighthawk (2016) a drunken badger steals a cop car and goes on high-speed joy-ride that starts blurry and end up completely abstract. [*Female Director*].

🍿

All 3 of Ellie Wen's shorts:

🍿In the intimate little documentary Single Mother Only Daughter, a young woman calls her mother in Hong Kong, after she had nearly died in a car accident. It hits much too close to home for me - 10/10.

🍿 Share (2018) is about a very young 'influencer' who struggles with coming out to his family. Not too original.

🍿 The missfits are an all female high school robotics team from San Francisco. A PBS documentary. [*Female Director*].

🍿

"This country is not built for another civil war. It's going to be the first time in history that you'll see fat refugees..."

I always loved Colin Quinn. His 2019 stand-up Colin Quinn: Red state, blue state is one of funniest political shit since George Carlin died. Sharp observations, relentless pessimism, cynical solutions. 10/10!

🍿

2 From British director Adam Butcher:

🍿 Internet Story (2010) is a clever horror mystery, an early entry in the 'Screenlife' genre, where everything is revealed via computer and phone screens (Like 'Searching' and 'Missing', Etc.). It's a treasure hunt of old internet lore, which may or maybe not be true. Art imitates Life. 8/10.

🍿 The prevailing wind (2016), an ominous tale about a woman who's searching for her missing sister on some mysterious wind-swept moors, while a deadly chemical spill threaten their lives. Atmospheric, but a bit thin.

🍿

I'm going to continue watching even more short films (Found via this massive Letterbox list):

🍿 "Those who eat their fill, speak to the hungry Of wonderful times to come."

Dinner for Few (2015) is a harrowing Greek metaphor about the "Elite", 6 fat cats, actually fat pigs, who get to feast on all the food, while the cats milling between their feet gets only crumbs. 'Orwell's Animal Farm' on bad acid! The cycle never ends. 9/10. (Full Movie Above).

🍿 I am so proud of my 94 year old mother! I introduced her to James Joyce, and she is going right now through his 'Dubliners' collection, trying to figure it out. I haven't read it for many years, but I might pick it up again. Meanwhile, it seems that many of the Dubliners stories had been filmed [John Huston's 'The dead' was magnificent], so I started with James Joyce's the Sisters (2017), a faithful, somber and literary adaptation. This was Joyce's first published story.

🍿 Hunger, a bizarre Canadian animation short, that was the very first computer animated film nominated for an Oscar (in 1974). A guy can't stop stuffing his face.

🍿 Buster Keaton’s 2-reeler One week, his first independent production (1920). Newly-wed Keaton builds a modernist kit house. It includes a risqué scene where his half-naked lovely wife takes a bath and drops her soap. Before getting out and retrieving it, she breaks the 4th wall, motions to the photographer, whose hand appears and covers the lens. Astounding! 8/10.

🍿 My second by Norwegian André Øvredal (after ‘Troll Hunter’ which I couldn’t finish), The tunnel (2016) is a terrifying science-fiction short. A family returning from a day at the beach and getting stuck in a massive traffic line. Must be seen to be felt. 8/10.

🍿 Widdershins (2018) a weird Scottish steampunk animation about an orderly gentlemen who falls for a free-spirited sky-biker. Blade Runners via Wes Anderson.

🍿 Music for One Apartment and Six Drummers, a wordless comic musical about 6 percussionists who break into a Swedish apartment when the occupants leave, and who play rhythmic melodies using everyday objects they find there. Re-Watch from 2001. ♻️

🍿 The giving tree (1973), an animated version of the classic story, narrated by Shel Silverstein himself. Still not clear if it's about selfless love, or an abusive relationship.

🍿 Pitalev (2018), a fat teenager works at an Israeli 'Shipudiya' (fast food grill stall), and tries to score a date.

🍿 Papers, Please, an interesting Russian story about a border patrol officer sitting in a small booth, and having to decide on the fate of the people in front of him; Should they be allowed to enter this fictional country of Arstotzka, or denied? Apparently, it is based on a famous computer game!

🍿 Chuck Jones’s Duck Amuck (1953) was voted as the second ‘greatest cartoon of all time’ (after ‘What’s Opera, Doc’, also by Jones). It contains some serious 4th wall breaking.

🍿 Rhapsody in blue, the 3rd movement from 'Fastasia 2000'. 1930 New York City animated in the style of Al Hirschfeld.

🍿 More, Disney's Once Upon a Studio (2023), a 9-min. commemorative compilation for the company’s 100 year anniversary.

🍿 Also, Ghibli Studio's short Zen, Grogu and Dust Bunnies, a meditative crossover clip about Baby Yoda and the dust bunnies.

🍿 See Saw - A guy wakes up to discover that his personal information had been leaked all over the internet.

🍿 First watch: Adult Swim’s 2014 parody Too many cooks. Makes me regret that I’ve never watched sit-com television - Not!… 8/10.

🍿 Your mother and I (2016), based on a story by Dave Eggers. Another off-tone father-teenage daughter relationship, where the father talks and talks, mostly spinning bullshit stories about the mother which apparently is not there any more. 2/10. [*Female Director*].

🍿

(My complete movie list is here).

[spewagepipe]

Dev Pipeline: Determined, née Drama-Not-Fortune [Pt. 2]

I spent a fair amount of time searching for a game that answered my question, but I came up empty handed. The OSR was rife with games that would talk about immersive, realistic strategy in one paragraph, and then be explaining hit points and attack rolls in the next. I couldn't find a single rulebook – not even Matthew Finch's own Swords & Wizardry – that described general procedures for conducting a scene like the trap-finding one from the Quick Primer. This was all seemingly handed down from person to person like a kind of oral tradition. Rules supporting this sort of play appeared to be simultaneously very popular, and yet nonexistent.

At a loss, I started to establish my own list of the dynamic and aesthetic goals for a hypothetical OSR game.

First, the critical benefit of the OSR approach is that the players are empowered to creatively engineer novel solutions to the problems they face. The system would need to be able to extrapolate the consequences of any proposed action, no matter how outlandish, or else it would just become the equivalent of a text adventure or CYOA book.

Guideline number one: no pre-codified actions.

Keeping the players focused on the diegesis means keeping them focused on strictly diegetic mechanics. They should be thinking about the situation, not the contents of their character sheet or other abstract generalizations. There can be no "hit points", "armour class", or "dexterity score" that would have them distracted from, and glossing over, the important diegetic details.

Guideline number two: no stats.

At the same time, it needed to remain a game of pure player skill – and this part would be tricky. One of the most common ways that RPGs decide whether or not some player's crazy scheme will work is just by rolling dice, but in that case, random chance, and not the quality of the scheme itself, is what is being tested.

Guideline number three: no dice.

But now the real challenge: the typical alternative to dice is to have the Game Master simply decide, but that wasn't going to be adequate for my purposes. Countless OSR and FKR games ultimately advocate for what I call Captain May I? gameplay – but for that to happen in this game would completely undermine the "skill-testing" premise. A player's idea must succeed or fail on its objective merit, not because one GM or another merely thinks that it has merit at the moment it is suggested.

Guideline number four: no GM fiat.

With my set of design goals in place, I set about creating a testable prototype. I also gave the project a codename: Drama-Not-Fortune, from the old RPG design jargon where "drama" mechanics are ones that decide how story progresses by having participants discuss it, whereas "fortune" mechanics are ones that decide what happens next by rolling dice (or using other randomizers).

Click here for Part 3

[dimalink]

Carnivores – walking around warm tropical green forest with a dinosaurs

While, I was sitting at the village house.  It is cold, now. It is true cold. And at winter it will be even more cold. But it is, already, cold. In a forest. I played in Carnivores. It is a game about dinosaur hunting. In ancient tropical forest. It is all about science there. It is ancient made by scientists island. And it is different dinosaurs. And, you can hunt them. And, even, better – to use a gun with tranquilize. To not to destroy dinosaurs. For this you will get more scores. And game catch me because it is unusual. Of course, it is action, but it is not as dynamical as Quake.

Here you need to watch dinosaurs. To move slow, and to run at some places. It has its own way of control. More for simulation. Then for action. A and Z - it is to go. Mouse is for rotating a direction. And shift for run. Push shift - you run. Push again - just walk. It is like a simulation of not evil hunter. You collect some data for scientists, saying short. So, this way I describe all this for myself. Game was made a lot of time ago.  Also, there are two video modes. Usual graphics and 3dfx graphics. In a folder with a game, it was a separate launching exe file.

So, I get warming. And, while, it is cold, so, I play this warm game. And, I use weapons with tranquilizer.

So, what the way to play it – I do not understand. And, in theory, you can complete this game. You are sending at the ground. At the island. It is big open landscape. And you are walking. You have only five patrons. And you need to shoot very carefully. And, as I understand, you need to shoot and send to sleep dinosaurs for some time, for all patrons you have. So, maybe, level will be completed.

It is such interesting videogame. But, I play – for my own interest. I walk here and there. I walk around green grass. Through trees, I go up to the hills. A little I go in a water. It is such a game travel. And shoot a little. Action, dynamic, I can say.

So, I can recommend this game for free time. To watch a green views, in age of three dimension acceleration. And a little to shoot at dinosaurs.

Dima Link is making retro videogames, apps, a little of music, write stories, and some retro more.

WEBSITE: http://www.dimalink.tv-games.ru/home_eng.html ITCHIO: https://dimalink.itch.io/ GAMEJOLT: https://gamejolt.com/@DimaLink/games

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[catastrophic-crisis]

SHE KNIGHT ON MY BEWITCHED CUZ THAT DRAGON IS A LIL BITCH (dragon not depicted above)

We've defeated Knight Bewitched, and lesbianism has won! (For now. The forces of evil may arise again. Perhaps they, too, will embrace lesbianism.)

We've talked about A LOT of games that have released or are about to be released very soon. Why not start a new adventure today from this large and diverse selection?

(The Plucky Squire just released today! A storybook hero leaps off the page with his friends, action-adventuring between the worlds of 2D and 3D from a team co-founded by James Turner, an artist whose work you might have seen in the Pokemon franchise.)

(UFO 50 is a passion project years in the making releasing tomorrow, offering up a diverse library of games from a fictional 1980s video game company, ranging from co-op titles to JRPGs to golf, some of them quite large.)

(Witching Stone is a chain-casting roguelike with a nostalgic looking cast of gals that released yesterday. It has a 15% launch discount.)

(Lorn's Lure, an atmospheric first person platformer inspired by titles like Blame! where you can climb any surface with your pickaxe, is releasing this Friday.)

(I Am Your Beast, a speed-running revenge thriller FPS from Strange Scaffold, has you "Hunt the military-industrial complex" in this release from last week. It has a 10% launch discount until Tuesday next week.)

(Judero is a hand animated stop-motion action-adventure based on the folklore of Scotland and scored with a British folk soundtrack. It released yesterday, and has a 10% launch discount.)

(Starstruck: Hands of Time is more than just a Guitar Hero controller compatible, story-rich rhythm game. Wreck the diorama-style town as a time-traveling giant hand; this game has the air of a creative little title that would have released a few console generations ago. 10% launch discount, it released yesterday.)

(Hollowbody is a tech-noir survival horror title reminiscent of PS2 horror games with its artstyle and dynamic fixed camera angles (and optional tank controls). It has a 10% launch discount, and released last Thursday.)

(The Marvel VS Capcom collection just released. Go get beat by the Wazzler.)

The game of the day is The Last Humble Bee, a survivors-like with a dodge-rolling pixelated cartoon bumble bee that descends into hell to save the bees!)

[miloscat]

[Review] Rez Infinite (PS4)

Style over substance.

Next on my rail-shooters list is this remaster of Sega's 2001 Dreamcast/PS2 cult classic. The updated rerelease brings the game into HD but also adds VR support (not applicable to me) and a substantial new level.

Part of the original development team on Rez had previously created Panzer Dragoon, and there's a similar lock-on mechanic in play here (the shifting camera angle is also familiar). Rez is stripped-back for a shooter though; the lock-on is your only input aside from a limited smart bomb, the health system is simple... you can't even move! It's more about the sensory experience than deep gameplay.

Everything about Rez's story and setting is abstract. Supposedly you're in cyberspace infiltrating an advanced AI or something, but it's not really important. The point is flying through a dazzling dreamscape surrounded by glowing, low-poly wireframes while trance music plays. It's like an interactive planetarium show. Part of the pitch is that your actions affect the audiovisual experience; for example, blowing up an enemy results in a beat that contributes to the soundscape. I found this didn't really work for me in creating a pleasing, cohesive aesthetic, though.

Worse, the game can become so visually busy that it affects the gameplay experience: I would sometimes be caught off guard by an attack that was lost in the noise. The health system corresponds to the "evolution" of your character from a sphere to a humanoid wireframe to a shiny person, but it's slow to build up between forms and one hit instantly reverts you. There is a mode that eliminates game overs though, which is nice.

With only five levels, the game is over quickly, but it's meant to be replayed for better scores or just to re-experience the light show. The extras menu has a boss rush and a couple of bonus levels, but I couldn't get a good enough score in the first to unlock the second... bummer. However, a headline feature of this release is Area X, a new level of similar size to the others which adds movement mechanics and a new visual style reminiscent of Tetris Effect (the remaster devs' next game) with myriad dancing particles, and new music that ends up landing on a nice techno-pop track.

Area X is an odd inclusion, as its new look feels very next-gen and shows the age of the original included game, technologically speaking. Adding in freedom of movement too felt like it really opened things up, and I enjoyed this a lot. The new doesn't sit comfortably with the old, making the package feel disjointed; maybe they could have let Monstars and Resonair just make a whole new full-length game in this style? Why limit this to just one level? To bring it back to the series that spawned Rez, maybe an expanded Area X should have been the main point of this release and the remaster a bonus, the way Panzer Dragoon Orta had OG PD as an extra.

So much for what might have been. As for what we have, it's a decent update of a landmark experimental game for its time, toying with rhythm-action dynamics and a nice abstract cyberspace feel. Rez does feel dated to me though since we now have games like Thumper and Sayonara Wild Hearts, and the gameplay isn't as crunchy as my favourite rail shooters. The aim was to create a sense of synaesthesia but it didn't really get there for me. Supposedly Area X takes some inspiration from Rez's sequel/successor Child of Eden, so I'll play that next and see how they upped their game.

[arphemorve]

That’s certainly an opinion you have. There’s no reason to sell Balde, he’s young and even if he has had a poor start to the season, he’s still developing and is showing he has the makings of a future world class left-back. Besides, it’s not Barcelona’s fault that they sold Alba, Alba was the one who chose to leave. I’m sure that if Alba thought that Balde wasn’t ready to succeed him as Barcelona’s left-back, then he would of stuck around, but he didn’t, which means he must believe that Balde is more than capable. We can’t judge players too harshly on poor performances when we don’t understand why they might be underperforming, there’s probably a lot more pressure on Balde now that Alba is gone and we have no good alternative left-backs. Not to mention that the entire reason we got Cancelo is because Kounde wanted to stop playing out of position and actually play in his natural position as a centre-back. Like I said, we can’t judge players too harshly especially when Balde proved last season that he deserved to start over Alba. It’s like with Son Heung-min, last year he had the poorest season of his entire career and people kept saying that Tottenham should sell him, and look at him now, Tottenham’s top of the table and Son is the Premier League’s second highest goal-scorer after Haaland. Never judge a player too early, if we sell Balde now just for having a bad start to the season and then he goes onto become one of the best left-backs in the world, Barcelona would regret it. Also, Cancelo is only here on loan and there’s a huge question as to whether Barcelona would have the funds to make the move permanent, so it’d be an awful idea to sell Balde and replace him with someone who’s only here temporarily, because if Balde is gone and Cancelo goes back to Man City, who’ll play left-back, Marcos Alonso? I certainly hope not, if anyone is deserving of being sold, it’s Alonso.

HIII, YES YOU'RE RIGHT! Balde is still young, and he will definitely continue to develop. and yes, Alba is too old, that's why he chose to leave Barcelona and apart from that, Barcelona needs regeneration.

one of Balde's biggest strengths remains his speed. Xavi is aware of this, but maybe too aware of it. why do I say like that? because it looks like he doesn't pay enough attention to his shortcomings.

Balde was good last season, but this season is still in the beginning, and we still have a long way to go, and it's also my fault that I don't have to judge players so quickly, but throughout the game I saw that Balde still had many shortcomings.

and it's clear that Balde will be the future world class left—back, but for now I think that he still doesn't have the vision mision and he has more to learn it.

1. when balde is doing cross, he often forgets, which ends up the results in Balde stalling & by the time he does cross, space inside the box has been closed & everyone marked tightly. or sometimes the crossing ends up going towards the opponent.

I forget what match it was in, but what I remember was that Balde left his position and Gavi covered him.

2. and we need like a winger, so that balde can blend with it. such as alba and ferran. giving Balde most space to carry into but also putting him in better positions to more effectively cross into the box, and for this season I see Balde associating outside of laying off a pass and running in-behind, and made backpass.

3. I'm sorry for saying this, but when he is in front, he is often selfish in wanting to score goals even though there are many opportunities that can be given to his teammates.

this season a lot of Balde's best actions have been dribbles that don't lead to anything. he needs to become more dynamic, and improve his final pass.

and I think Balde should have competitors in his position, so he can develop. for now he hasn't. and you're right I shouldn't judge a player quickly, because we don't know what's going on with him. but girl, we can't wait too long, or football will leave Balde behind.

and yes, you're right bout kounde and cancelo, and i'm forgot that cancelo is only our loan player.

and yes you're right too about Son Heung-min, he is the top player and he is one of the best Asian players.

perhaps balde could learn more with cancelo, about dribbling crossing trivela final decision.

HAHAHAHA alonso 😭 I think he is good at crossing, but lacking in speed. they all have their own advantages and disadvantages. and I also think Xavi should have more variety in training, know the best placement for the players, and strengthen their physique so that players don't get injured easily.

THANK YOU MUCH ANON FOR CORRECTING MY OPINION AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR OPINION, I'm so sorry any wrong in my opinion and I'm happy to have friends to discuss this matters with. ❤️