#It’s pretty stunning the upgrade that happened here

[bluewithpurplepolkadots]

Puss in Boots sequel isn’t the first time dreamwork’s second movie was better than the first: but it’s certainly the one where the jump in quality in comparison is at its most stark and obvious.

[brokenpieces-72]

Brief Stop

TF141 x Choochoocharles | Navigation

“Is there a particular reason you’ve brought us here Kate?” John Price asked. Laswell had gathered the 141 at her house in America. This was unusual as he knew Kate Laswell wasn’t a very social woman. A drink at the bar? Sure. A house call? Something was wrong. Something Kate wanted off the books which added a whole new layer of concern. At least she’d offered them a drink first.

“This is off record but it raises a great deal of concern. Few hours ago I received an email, with video footage from an island called Aranearum. Someone calling for aid with…a threat that I can barely describe and would call bullshit if I didn’t have the videos to prove it.” Kate explained, clearly a little shaken. What the fuck was on the videos?

“What exactly is this threat?” Kyle asked.

“I should first and foremost inform you that the reason I am asking for your help is because that email has reached multiple people. If we let this sit and wait other’s may try to go there and turn this threat into an opportunity. This is the threat.”

Kate opened a photo on her tablet and handed it to Price. John looked between Kate and the tablet, stunned. That almost never happened.

“Laswell you are terrible at jokes.” John stated, getting a sigh from Kate. Johnny looked over his captains shoulder, brows furrowing. There was a train with spider legs and what he guessed was a face. An ugly one at that. The tablet gets passed around as Laswell keeps quiet. Her silence spoke volumes and the four men couldn’t believe what they were be asked to do.

“There’s videos?” Simon asked, and Laswell nodded.

“This monster needs to die. Eliminated. Otherwise the other recipients are going to take full advantage and try to capture this thing and use it somehow.” Kate explained. “That being said we can’t drop much into this island without raising an insane amount of red flags, Nikolai can provide weapons but explosives need to be limited.”

“The videos.” Price said. Laswell nodded and pulled them up on her own tv. They were all home made, and this one started with the camera being set up in an old shack, with a run down locomotive, and you. You couldn’t be that old, and wore dirty jeans, a shirt and leather apron, hair messily tied back. You were pacing and looking around, hunting rifle in her hand.

“This is… entry 1, log 1, I don’t know. Uh… I’m recording these to call for aid, and to give you some insight into what is going on. I’ve included photos of Charles, yes that what we call him, in the email. But since I don’t know if anyone is going to care I’m making plenty of videos so you know what’s going on.” you said, sounding a little sarcastic.

“Behind me is another train, this will allow me to get around the island, and stay safe. For some reason Charles won’t enter or break buildings. He will attack trains and humans though. Thankfully this engine is pretty built so I can repair it with some scraps, upgrade it hopefully, and it will keep me safe while I try to get more information. You can’t see it but I intend to add a mount on the back to fight off Charles. That’s…kind of it at the moment.”

The video ended and another started up again, this one outside and pointed towards an abandoned mining set up. There were people patrolling around with hunting rifles and masks. Masks that looked like the monster but not quite. Still unnerving.

“Okay…” you whispered. “Those guys over there with the guns… psychos. They’re like cultists, and they love Charles. They hang near the mineshafts, they rarely go into any of the towns, just… they’re guarding something. I don’t know what but they are.”

Two of the cultists noticed the train, and the camera moved suddenly followed by an oh shit from you as the video ends suddenly.

Another video starts, and by now the men were shifting a little, some sitting down, others leaned against what ever was close enough.

The video starts up in a cabin with an old oil lamp lighting the space. You were setting up the camera and stepping back revealing a wall filled with papers, photos, and rough sketches. You did your research that’s for sure. It was rather impressive.

“The cultists are hiding these eggs that I think are from Charles or Charles was from… chicken and egg crap. There’s three that the cultists are protecting, which makes getting them a problem and I don’t know if they’ll hatch or not. I… I really fucking hope not, but please send help. At least send some people to take us off the island, let the issue be isolated. I just… we need help. Please.” You looked tired. Exhausted even. The video ended again, and yet another started. This time you were moving around on the train. If you weren’t tired before you were tired now. Pissed almost.

“Been out here for…way too long. Eating away at my battery and storage on my camera. Been blowing my fucking whistle just so I can prove to you that this fucker is real. Been contacted back by others with what I have so far and the authorities on mainland and all of them think it isn’t real. Getting ticked off-“

You stopped talking when there was a loud, distant train whistle. “Fucking final-shit!” The camera blurred as she turned around, before it was cut off, footage ending. Laswell paused it a moment to let them see the final frame, where there was something red just out of the corner of a frame. Not much to go on, but not something they could deny.

“Can’t fake that.” Johnny admitted. “Is there more?”

Laswell hit play and the footage opened to the train shed and on you, who looked fed up, trying not to cry. You had bruises, and a few cuts but nothing too bad. In the background was the train in the garage again, but it had damage. Damage that couldn't be faked. “The last footage fucking died before I could show Charles… you want fucking photo evidence of a giant demon train, how the fuck am I supposed to get that when I’m trying not to die!? Is this fucking evidence enough?!?” You yelled pointing to the train.

“What the fuck are those scratches from cause it sure as hell wasn’t a mother fucking bear!” You shouted. You paced for a moment before throwing a rock at something. “This is your evidence! Please just someone anyone, help us! Get this thing out of here or come pick us up!”

By now all four men knew the mission. They had a target but there would clearly be limitations. The rest was to wrap up the whole picture, to see what details hid between the lines. All four were tense, seeing the environment change again.

The view started out simple, likely with a GoPro or something of the same nature. You were walking, trudging up a hill when there was that horrible train whistle. The camera pans from side to side before turning a bolting towards a cabin. There was a leap from the hill, and a fall as something big was getting very close. There was panting and a quick desperate recovery, and a loud scream. You practically fell through the door. There was the awful gnashing sound from the demonic creature, masking a wetter sound from that was the cause of you crying out in pain. You rolled over to your back, moving as fast as you could.

Lo and behold the photos weren't inaccurate. A giant spider like limb was reaching inside through the door way. The sharp tip dragged back with red on the wooden floor, like a dip pen against paper. You crawled further back, staying low. The camera moved a little to the side, likely from her leaning back to look out a window. You whispered obscenities before moving back to face the open door.

That was when the team saw your leg, which had a long and nasty gash, reaching from above the ankle to less than an inch below her knee. There was another cut on your arms as you pulled your leg in closer to check. With a final pained, "fuck" the video ended. That final word, with hurt tears being choked back. The blood was almost caking your leg, and they had only seen the one side.

John looked at Laswell, who was staring at the screen as you were assessing your injury.

"Are they still alive?" John asked. If the next clip involved a dead teenager he didn't need to see it. To him, you were playing a very dangerous horror game. Laswell didn't need to answer him, as she started the next and final part.

The rest of the men shifted and fidgeted seeing you. You were sitting on your bed, arm and leg wrapped, though the bandages were loose and messy. You had a dirty tanktop, stained with god knows what and shorts. There was a hunting rifle next to you, leaned up against the bed. You were clearly weak, panting, eyes barely open. No visible indications of a fever but with your dirty bandages an infection could set it. "I am...stuck. My leg is fucked, and I had to try and get to my train where my first aid kit was. By some miracle, I made it. The stitches aren't great but they'll pass for now, been switching my bandages every day or so, since I don't have enough to do every hour or however long I need to...not infected which is good I keep it clean everytime I change. If you've seen up to this point, then if you could send some medical supplies that would be great, because all I can do is clean the bandages I have." You are holding back some tears as you seem to not want to look at the camera directly for too long. Likely keeping an eye out for the monster that did this to you.

"I need help. We need help, we are stuck here, and I can't get medical help, proper medical help. I can't even fight, I've been taking sips of alcohol to keep the pain down, my body is exhausted constantly..." You buried you face in your hands, as your voice finally broke. The 141 watched you break down as you let the pain, fear, anger and exhaustion finally win. Then there was a knock on your door. You looked up, body at attention, the breakdown being shoved aside. You reached for the gun next to you, looking past the camera.

"Steven King?" You called out. There was a slightly distant muffled response saying "dark tower". You set the gun down and eased yourself up. A door could be heard at the same time. Another person came into view, with a small box. When you looked inside, you looked back up at the person, tears in your eyes now.

"Let me help." The person was an older man. You knew him well, and he had taken care of you for a bit. You sat back down, giving in to the assistance.

"Any luck?" He asked you.

"Working on it right now." You said pointing to the camera. The man turned. He had a gray beard, balding, and was a little lanky. He waved.

"Y'all mind hurrying the fuck up?" He asked, giving a hearty laugh. You gave a small laugh at that.

"Can you stop the recording?" You asked. The man nodded and came over, ending the video.

The room was silent. They're being called to help, to fight something they barely understood, gathering what little they could from the videos. Laswell looked at her men and they were each deep in thought. Extraction was not an option, likely wouldn't be until they killed the monster. They wouldn't be able to drop a bunch of soldiers without a strong chance of heavy casualties. A tank may look like a bigger shell for the creature.

"There are other teams that we can get help from. You're the best I know, and not afraid to go off the book, which you'll have to for this mission. Everything else is up in the air, I don't know how long it will take, I don't know what this thing is all capable of. If it proves too much, then what I will need is more proof and evidence. The residents can be evacuated." Laswell stated.

The last thing any of them ever expected in their careers of fighting terrorists, was to fight and hunt down a literal monster. Each of them wondered if they were sober right now.

Taglist: @yourlovely-moon @kaoyamamegami @h0n3y-l3m0n05 @sans-chara @1mommyrose4ever29 @smitten-haematite-quartz @talia-the-gemini @yuki2129 @whitetiger846 @graystorm444 @chibiduck @reaperxxxxzz @danielle143 @sobbingnshtting @cringeycookies @cryingpages @dcnocap207 @reaper-chan666 @bestbookfriends @thriving-n-jiving

[thetombedspirit]

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora - Sky Breaker: WARNING: SPOILERS!!!

1. Getting to run alongside the Zakru on Pa'li was the bomb. My GOD! THEY ARE MASSIVE!!

2. My son has made friends 💙 he's even hanging with Nopsi (a zakru!!!)

Nopsi loves him!!

3. My favourite old ladies are back!! (Love Nafiki calling Anufi darling!): side note, I ship it!

4. Ri'nela really coming into the Storyteller part of being Sarentu!

5. Mokasa's back. And he still has the balls to play victim here. Tried coming at Alma and throwing my mother's name in my face as if he wasn't the reason Alma even knew about them in the first place. Ugh! This bitch!

6. Oh don't mind me, just admiring my giant babies as I make them feel pretty💙

7. It's offical guys. Teylan is our little Anti-Gremlin 💙

(Dammit, no more photos!!)

8. The Games were so fun!! My favorite's the horseback archery challenge! And how does Eetu get to places so quickly!?!🤣

9. Teylan rode a pa'li. The both of them were terrified 😂 don't worry buddy, you'll get there!

10. The RDA are back, they seem to be taking special interest in Anufi and Alma. Guess they're not happy she's back in the driver seat as the Kame'tire's leader.

11. Was not expecting us to be knocked out for several days. Thankfully, it seems the core cast is okay. Mokasa is shooketh over Alma pulling him out of the rubble. Still a dick though.

12. They literally made a Valkyrie crash just to take out as many Na'vi as possible. Assholes.

The poor Zakru were either killed in the blast or fled in the chaos, Nesim is furious (rightfully so) and Harding's back.

13. Anufi and Alma have been kidnapped and Teylan confirmed that the brainscap machine could give someone brain damage and kill em, basically meaning that Spider could have literally died hadn't Quaritch pulled him out.

14. Was freaking out so bad during the NeroSect bit that I only got Alma out by 20 secs. And Harding was drowning Anufi in oxygen!?! WTF!!!

Also, Mokasa came in clutch, saving us at the last minute! But he got shot. Yikes.

15. Okay, maybe I get why people felt Harding's death was lackluster, but it certainly wasn't easy, so I don't know what people were talking about there.

But maybe just a cutscene of her crawling toward us with a pistol to give us that final farewell would be notch.

16. Mokasa finally takes responsibility for his actions toward the Sarentu and the Kame'tire and even has a moment of understanding with Alma. He rests with Eywa now.

17. It's over now. All those that remained of TAP are gone, so all that's left is the Secret of the Spires, DLC. And it makes me wonder who that have planned for the big bad. Surely Nor is gonna make a return, but I doubt he is gonna be the bad guy.

Pros; loved everything.

The new legendary tier weapons and gear, the development of the characters (my baby boy Teylan has grown so much) the colours of the Heartlands animals was stunning (pa'li could have been better) and the upgrade skills bonus was a clever way to spend the points you keep racking up (though that stops when you spend a final 5 points every skill bubble)

Cons; Glitches

There were a lot more glitches this time around. First, one of the Contributions Baskets isn't working and it's ironically the main camp one. I've given it like 20 seeds already and still nothing.

And then there was a tremor machine that was freaking out one of the runaway Zakru, but when I went to hack it to turn it off, nothing happened? Only when I blew it up with a grenade arrow did it work. Or maybe that was just me being a stup 😋

Either way, I loved everything about this DLC, glitches aside and it was a good addition to the Sarentu story and I can't wait to see what happens next.

And I'm almost finished with my Sarentu OC, so stay tuned for that. Buh-bye!!

[houkagokappa]

I watched Mononoke Karakasa so I now I can interact with the small handful of posts about it I have and will come across on my dash

Here are a few thoughts I have about the movie

First of all, what a stacked cast! A lot of seiyuu I really love, Tomoyo Kurosawa my beloved~ and Hiroshi Kamiya fits Kusuriuri perfectly!

Second of all, LESBIANS!! I saw one post mentioning the possibility, so I knew I could expect something, and I got more than I was anticipating so I'm very happy. I also think I enjoyed the story and the characters more due to how female focused it was

I was a little worried if 90 minutes of Mononoke would melt my brain, but I was glued to the screen the entire time. It looked stunning and was an upgrade from the tv-anime (which tbf aired 17 years ago). The new design for Kusuriuri is super hot, although I prefer the gold and white version for his transformation, I can understand why they changed it too. As always, I'm a sucker for pretty kimonos and intricate hairdo's and we got a lot of that in this movie~

Overall a very nice movie and I'm happy there will be a continuation for it. I'm a fairly new fan to the franchise/character, but it's pretty cool how far they've come, from an arc to a tv-anime to full movies. I can't wait to see what happens to these characters next!

[iam-back]

Mega Man 11 playthrough diary - Impact Man

If he claims to be Block Man's brother, shouldn't he have been DWN-082 rather than 087? But whatever the gamedevs say, goes, so...

But harder than the steels Impact Man is made out of, is his construction yard - see what I mean when I said "of doom" last night!? 3 game overs! And then I realized that if you use a Beat Call, DO NOT PRESS A UNLESS OVER A PLATFORM. He'll drop you.

To make matters worse, you need to consult Auto for permanent upgrades, and I'm sorry, I do NOT like his voice in this game, made even worse by the awful voice filter that, while not as obvious as Astro Man's voice filter, it's still annoying.

The triplets will try to slap you a bunch throught certain points. It's doable if you jump and dodge and slide and stuff, but I was trying to get pictures, so I got slapped.

Not to mention that THIS JIMBO-FORSAKEN CONSTRUCTION YARD IS SO FULL OF TRICKS AND TRAPS AND GABBITYGOOBERS AND MISSILE CONES ETCETERA. Dethroning the Monkikkis that plagued Mars and Uranus's domains, the Pickman and Missile Cone have taken a spot as the #1 hated Mega Man enemy in personal experience from me. Harmless alone (you just have to lead their shots), but awful and can and will result in a death or two if 3 or more at once congregate in the same room, which happens a lot here.

Behold, Jesse Merlin's amazing manly overacting! It's a kind of overacting that I like, where it fits the character - in his case some kind of loud-and-proud construction boy... er, boys, cuz he's 3 littler robots combined.

The boss fight is a pretty good challenge, as I'd honestly forgotten about the "he makes the ground rumble and shake, stunning you" part. And when he becomes big with a Power Gear? The astral Impact Bro Archetypes actually count as a hurtbox!

Tomorrow should be much easier, I hope - Bounce Man's stage looks colorful and fun, and shouldn't be too hard, despite being on the longer side, possibly dethroning Uranus for "longest Classic stage that isn't a Wily Fortress".

[tobiasdrake]

Episode 7 - The Water Flowers of Cerulean City

Second Gym, here we go. Pikachu's kind of a reverse Squirtle as "difficulty selection" goes. Gets stomped by Brock's Gym, rolls Misty's. Let's see how Ash handles this.

I like Brock's professional courtesy. "Yeah, I know all about the Cerulean Gym, but obviously I can't tell you shit. That'd be unfair."

Man, they are really hyping up the other three Pallet Town trainers. Those three strolled through Cerulean and broke the Gym. The three sisters running the Gym are just like, "Yeah, they kicked our asses so hard that all our Pokemon are hospitalized and we don't want to fight anymore. Just take the Badge."

I hope we get to fight them at some point.

Ash is offered the Badge and refuses, but then they tell him to take it again and he accepts. Just like with Brock, Ash has a sense of fairness about him but a weak will. His pride can be persuaded. But Misty has other ideas, giving us our iconic Cerulean City Misty challenge.

Pikachu refuses to fight. That's how we're getting around that plot hurdle. XD Ash's Starter is so inconsistent. He refuses to fight obstacles he could easily solve and then bulldozes through insurmountable hurdles.

Butterfree vs. Staryu. That's a pretty even match. Butterfree is OP for the start but we're out of the start now, so Misty's Staryu nearly rivals them in stats. Still, Butterfree does have an edge in Special attacks.

Ash goes for Tackle, a move he frankly should have dropped. I don't think he knows that Butterfree has Confusion? This is the second time he's made that error, and it costs him the match. When Butterfree's weak Tackles prove too ineffectual, he tries Stun Spore and Sleep Powder, but Misty takes advantage of the water to wash off the spores. That's cheap, Misty.

Pidgeotto inexplicably does better despite Misty upgrading to Starmie. Starmie wrecks Pidgeotto in stats and Misty's Starmie in particular traumatized a generation of Charmander players. (Fun fact, you don't actually have to fight her until after S.S. Anne!) But I guess RNG was mad at her today so somehow Pidgeotto comes out on top.

But then Team Rocket shenanigans happen. So, where does that leave the match? Well, that's complicated. The sisters call it a draw, which is fair. Misty still had Staryu and Ash still had Pidgeotto. But they give Ash the Badge anyway on the grounds that this was stupid and Pikachu would have bodied Misty had the plot not demanded he sit out. That's also fair. This whole match was basically just thumb-twiddling.

[monkmain2]

Alright so I decided not to get RPG maker because I’m pretty sure the game I had in mind is impossible to create on there

So if anyone knows of any tools that would work for the kind of thing I have in mind please enlighten me

Here’s the game I had in mind:

Earlier when i mentioned having an idea for a game and asked if RPG maker was worth the $75 i was talking about a game based on Lucas and Lucille’s story

It would start with a cutscene where Lucille gets fed to the Each-uisge and turns into a ghost, possesses the taxidermied dragon, then wakes up Lucas. Then she exposites all the stuff that happened and what he should do before the cutscene ends and the game starts.

The gameplay itself would be part stealth part combat. First you sneak through the big communal building that everyone lives in, grabbing a knife from the kitchen on your way out. Then you have to run through the forest and fight off all the dangerous magical creatures that are awake at night. It would be a one-hit ko, but creatures take a moment to attack, so you can get in close and stab them. Creatures would die in 1-4 hits depending on the size, and some would run away after one hit. There would be a couple areas, and the last would be another stealth level where you wade through a swamp and avoid various hostile entities in the water horse category.

Lucille would follow you and act as a tutorial. She read more books than Lucas when she was alive, so she knows a lot about the entities of the woods. Every room with a new enemy, she would have a line of dialogue explaining how much health the new entity has as well as its abilities. She would also tell you about beneficial plants that you can find that give you an extra boost in stuff like speed or damage. Sprite-wise, she’s locked to Lucas’s sprite, perched on his shoulder. She nestles on his head during the stealth sections.

You could upgrade your knife with items you find in the woods as well as things creatures you kill drop. Every save is an abandoned campsite. At an abandoned campsite, you can upgrade your knife by interacting with the firepit. In order to upgrade your knife, you need to use skill points, which you get by killing hostile creatures. The more health the creature has, the more skill points you get.

There are two endings (and two secret ones). Ending 1 happens when you don’t fully upgrade your knife. You reach civilization, but you’re too scared to go back into the woods to show anyone where the cult is, so they find it themselves and take care of it. Ending 2 has you getting all the upgrades, making it back to civilization, then leading people to the cult so you can personally watch their downfall. There isn’t necessarily a “good” ending, since both result in the same thing in the end, but the canonical ending is ending 1.

Alright here’s some examples of descriptions of entities Lucille might give: (oh yeah also enemies can’t travel between rooms so exiting the room is enough to lose a pursuer.)

(Not-Deer) That’s a not-deer. Not-deer are annoying as fuck. Fast, smart, tough. You’ll have to get at least four stabs in, and they’ll retreat. If one sees you, it’ll charge. Try luring it into something hard- you can stun it, and it’ll give you enough time to hack at it or make a run for it. They can’t die, but they’ll run away if you deal enough damage. Don’t try to outrun them or hide from them, yeah? They’re super fast and super smart. Only run if you know for a fact you can lose them.

(Vetala) That guy over there? The one who looks like a zombie? That’s a vetala. They’re not actually zombies, they’re vengeful spirits possessing corpses. You can’t kill ‘em, but one good stab should spook ‘em right outa their vessels for a bit. Around three minutes, I think. If one grabs you, they’ll rip you apart. Luckily, they’re really slow, so you'll have plenty of warning if they try.

(Stymphalian birds) That’s a Stymphalian bird. If you sneak up on it, you can get the jump on it and kill it with one hit. But if it sees you, it’ll take flight and start chasing you. They can shoot their feathers at you as well as poison you by pooping on you. If they start flying, run. They won’t land again until they lose you.

(Bugbears) That’s a Bugbear. They won’t pursue you as long as you don’t get too close. If you do, try to outmaneuver them.  They’re slow, but if they lunge at you you’ll have to dodge to the side. They can jump really far. Three stabs is enough to scare ‘em off, but a fourth stab’ll do it in if you really want to. Don’t let their appearance fool you- they’re animals, not humanoids.

(Hellhounds) You know what that is, right? Lucas: a hellhound… Yeah. Those things are forces to be reckoned with. Don’t even try fighting them unless you have holy water.

(Bunyip) Well, that… that’s such a confusing and abnormal hunk of meat, it’s probably a Bunyip.  They, uh… they’re weird. No two look alike. The only way to tell is from its cry, and there’s no way to tell if it’s friendly or not unless you reveal yourself to it. If you have to fight it, two hits should do it, but I wouldn't recommend it. (Bunyips’ sprites all look the same in-game, but in-lore they’re all wildly different. All bunyips in-game are hostile, but in-lore Lucas and Lucille encountered other non-hostile bunyips during their journey.)

(Hoop Snake) Ah, a hoop snake. They’re pretty easy to deal with. Once one sees you, it’ll get close and charge. Dodge, and it’ll get its tail stuck in a tree, then you can chop its head off while it’s stuck.

(Hodag) …that’s a Hodag. just… Sneak around these guys. It would be wrong to hurt them.

Various items you could find include upgrades for your knife, one-use projectiles, armor, stat boosting items and items that provide light.

One-use projectiles: killing monsters that use projectiles will sometimes result in one dropping. The easier the monster, the less common the drops. These projectiles can do things like stun creatures, kill certain creatures that can’t be killed with a knife, knock things down from high places and distract creatures that hear or see it hit the ground. None of them deal actual damage, since Lucas doesn't have the strongest throwing arm. (except holy water, which is the only thing that can damage demonic creatures)

Upgrades for your knife: upgrades for your knife include items that are of a certain element, like poison or electricity, and magic plants that can improve things like your speed, range and damage. Only one upgrade can be applied at a time, and some upgrades are required to proceed, such as a stronger knife to cut down vines that are in the way. Upgrades can be swapped out for no cost once you’ve bought them.

Armor: sometimes, you can find a discarded item on the ground that you can wear as armor. Things like pots and pans can be worn on your head to shield you from any attacks from above, and things like metal plating can be worn to use as a temporary extra hit point. These can be equipped at campsites.

Stat boosting items: certain plants can be combined with an empty container to create potions that up your speed, strength, etc. for a short time.

Lighting items: you start with a flashlight, but the flashlight eventually runs out of batteries after the first level, and instead you must use fire as light. Discarded lanterns can be found on the ground, and the remnants of fire-based creatures can be used to light them. Bigger lanterns give off more light and last longer, but they make you easier to spot.

Also, holy water can be made by using a glass full of water on a “holy altar,” a structure found throughout the various levels. (a glass specifically, it won’t work with any other container)

Additionally, at a campsite, a Valravn will occasionally appear. He is the only intelligent creature (besides Lucille) that poses no threat. He will offer various materials for drops of your blood in order to slowly consume enough to turn back into a human without killing you. If you give him enough blood, which means buying everything he sells you, you get secret ending 1, where he turns back into a human and escorts you through the forest to civilization. This ending is slightly sooner than other endings, since the place you last see him is just before the final level.

If you take a hidden path in the swamp, you will find a pile of bones, and interacting with them will initiate secret ending 2. The ensuing cutscene reveals that the skeleton on top is Lucille’s, then the Each-uisge will attack from behind and rip you apart, and the screen will fade to black. It will then fade back in to show a new skeleton on the pile, embracing Lucille’s skeleton.

[exilederdrick]

Path of Exile 2 – Day 18: The Final Push to Endgame

Platform: PC Controls: X-Input Controller Class: Titan Level: 67

Skills: Rolling Slam L15 with Overpower, Splinter, and Aftershock Boneshatter L14 with Execute, Impact Shockwave, and Magnified Effect Volcanic Fissure L14 with Fire Infusion, Ignition, and Persistence Shield Charge L14 with Stomping Ground, Second Wind, and Momentum Armour Breaker L14 with Martial Tempo, Break Endurance, and Break Posture Seismic Cry L14 with Premeditation, Murderous Intent, and Dazing Cry Hammer of the Gods L14 with Brutality, Fist of War, and Fast Forward Attrition L14 Overwhelming Presence L14 with Precision

Content: Jiquani's Sanctum to Endgame

I'm here!

I love how you handled that transition! I'm very interested to see what the actual transition to Act 4 will be. For now, it's time to finally start mapping!

What's working:

While I'm still noticing and finding more warts in the campaign, it already feels like the combat is continuing to ramp in speed and energy. I had several moments when I was dancing with Vaal warriors and/or their constructs in some pretty adrenaline pumping action. My new favorite game is when they play keep away. Remember how I mentioned your AI seems to know to protect certain mobs in these mixed unit engagements? Well it's definitely made my Boneshatter clearing a lot of fun, as I chase, dodge, and pursue my targets to keep my chain going. I'm still worried that Boneshatter is eventually going to break because my attacks will just stun the enemies instead of prime them, and I already have this happen quite frequently. I do hope we'll eventually get a support that improves stun magnitude without letting the skill actually stun.

In the mean time, while I'm worrying about my upcoming clear speed for maps. I seem to have created a bosser. When I successfully pull off my full combo, I do massive damage! It does take a bit of build up, but it's so satisfying when it all connects.

I've also been eyeing the DPS numbers for my basic attacks. Currently I'm following up my Hammer with more Rolling Slams. But I'm thinking I can make the chain stronger by having my basic attack for the final beat down. Now that I've got a second Spirit spender, I have room in my buttons for it.

What I'm Struggling With:

Yeah, it's still loot and crafting. I honestly don't think it's just bad luck either. It really seems clear that every tier of mod remains on the table, so getting the rolls you need starts getting challenging. My damage is fine, but I'm struggling to upgrade my armour. So despite trying to make a thick and tanky warrior, I feel like I'm made of paper. Despite spamming currency and purchasing armour from Alva, my most recent upgrade is yet another weapon upgrade. I won't lie. The thought of going into maps like this is making me nervous.

Also, I caved and went back to Resolute Technique. This is more of a pet peeve then anything else. But since I need the Dex for Attrition, it would be nice to try and balance things and keep my Accuracy up. But despite the “average chance” being at 100, many monsters just keep slipping my attacks. Now that I'm using Hammer instead of Sunder, I decided reliability was better than the occasional crit. It even stops my crits from stunning enemies I'm setting up for Boneshatter. As a build choice, it's probably the right one. Just . . . you know . . . another attack build with Resolute Technique . . .

What's Not Working: Despite trying to push to finish Cruel tonight, I tried to work hard to play with Hammer and find its break points and targeting issues. Even with my best attempts, it still frequently made odd targeting choices. I'm was literally facing a pack with a rare and trying to keep my character pointed at it, and he still turned around and cast it on a mob in the background.

As for animation break points, I don't know. Like with all skills, being able to Dodge Roll out is crucial. But it's so easy to raise my shield or start my slam a moment to early. I don't know if there's anything that can be done to fix that. I know from my main combo that I can roll out of Rolling Slam at any time, but I have to time my Boneshatter just right to cancel out of it. So it feels like there are animation systems you can use to keep most skills from interrupting the Hammer too early.

Tomorrow I think it's time to explore some trading.

[wuorija]

Convert Your Social Media Game with iFoto's Free Profile Picture Maker: A Quick and Fun Guide!

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First things first, let's address the elephant in the room: what's the big deal with profile pictures, anyway? It's true, it's just a little square in the corner of your screen. But hold up, it's your chance to make a first impression! And guess what? iFoto's Free Profile Picture Maker is the secret sauce to leaving a lasting one.

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Now, you might be wondering, "How does iFoto do it?" Well, it's like magic, but not that kind of magic where a rabbit appears in a top hat. It's more like a digital wizard's workshop where every photo gets a style upgrade. From vintage flair to cartoonish charm, and even a dash of 80s nostalgia, iFoto's got you covered.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's talk about the nitty-gritty. Have you ever spent hours searching for the perfect profile picture? Yeah, us too. It's like a treasure hunt in the digital realm, and let's be real, it's a bit of a drag. Enter iFoto's Free Profile Picture Maker, and voilà! You're the treasure hunter, and the treasure is right there, waiting for you to claim it.

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[scrion7]

MH Wilds Trailer analysis part 2: Movesets

Go read part 1 here for more story and character stuff, and here for the official website. Anyway, now for the FUN part.

The Doshaguma rears up for a big, delayed, probably tracking slam with its forearms. This slam in particular is practically begging to be countered by just about anything.

The hunter draw slashes with his greatsword, backrolls, turns around, then front rolls. The hunter is then hit, resulting in what might be a new falling over animation.

also it looks like hunter expressions got an upgrade. lol.

The Doshaguma bodily throws the corpse of a Ceratonoth at the hunter, Deviljho style, and then Jojo poses. This move was actually in the previous trailer as well, making it seem like something that happens fairly often. It would not surprise me if a charged Ceratonoth inflicts thunderblight if it hits you.

The hunter successfully superman dives the throw. In the background, a Ceratonoth with "big spikes on its back" (Alma the Handler's words, not mine) absorbs a lightning strike, getting staggered in the process.

Next, what is almost assuredly the intro cutscene for the Chatacabra plays. Moving on to the gameplay part:

The Chatacabra rears back, tongue flailing, for a 270 degree attack. This attack has rather short range and could be avoided with smart spacing. It also leaves a trail of saliva on the ground, possibly implying it's a waterblight attack.

The hunter wide sweeps with the greatsword, and gets tripped by the tongue without getting knocked back. The fact that it's a trip attack means certain weapons can just tank through it and keep attacking.

This is almost assuredly the enrage roar of the Chatacabra. The amphibian scrapes its forearms into the ground during this, leaving them covered in Garangolm style rock fists. It probably also works like Golm's enrage, in that knocking off the rock fists causes a special flinch/down.

The hunter is charging up a slash from neutral, and notably doesn't get flinched from the roar. Judging from the Chatacabra's size and place in progression, it probably doesn't need earplugs to block.

The hunter gets hit with a classic charge attack from the frog. This attack probably only occurs when the Chatacabra has its rock gauntlets.

During the time when the hunter is ragdolling (NOT AFTER), the hunter whistles, then is bodily picked up by the Seikret mount. The fact that the whistle occurs after the hunter is hit but before he lays on the ground, this might be a Wirefall-esque quick get up option. It is very possible some harder monsters might have Rise/Sunbreak style juggles require this technique to escape, and I for one can't wait for that.

Meanwhile, froggy boi ends his charge attack, shakes his head, and then launches immediately into an advancing double tongue sweep that kinda reminds me of Magnamalo's double bite. Maybe roll away from the first sweep, then roll forwards to get past the second? Anyway, this move may or may not require rock gauntlets/enrage to come out.

Next, frog man gets jumped on by the resident raptors, which have INCREDIBLY cool jaws that they use to latch on to large monsters to get a unique stun. The hunter here just watches, but this is a prime damage opportunity.

Going back to the bear gang, the pack alpha goes for a jumping bite (that I'm pretty sure is different from the one at the beginning of this post, then does a silent roar. Side note, one of the smaller Doshagumas does this same exact roar in the above image.

The hunter calls his mount, circles around, and then switches weapons from greatsword to heavy bowgun and starts blasting rapid fire ammo, which I thought was a light bowgun exclusive. Side note, firing heavy bowgun while on the Seikret is awesome.

Meanwhile the alpha Doshaguma CANCELS his silent roar into a shoulder charge, without going into an idle stance. Note that the smaller Doshaguma couldn't combo out of the fake roar, and instead went straight to running after the hunter. It's unknown whether this is an alpha exclusive combo, or if the hunter just got too far away from the smaller bear.

Next, the hunter dismounts the Seikret with a cool jumping attack in which he twirls around in the air to land in what looks like a neutral stance. Cool, but the hunter is in the wrong stance to go into a charged attack. You might be able to do a leaping slash (wide sweep after charged attack 2) like after an aerial charged slash in Rise, but I'm not sure.

Meanwhile, the monster kinda just walks forward, then looks back annoyed. Something's up there, as there is no way a regular monster would just. you know. walk past the hunter without doing anything.

And then, the main theme starts blasting, the cool shit starts happening, all with the introduction of what the website calls Focus Mode. Part 3 Here.

[greaves-construction]

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[angrycheesegirl]

Meltdown is the start of my personal favorite stretch of this game: the levels where you're progressing your arsenal, upgrading your suit, finding new mods, etc. It's the most non-linear level yet, giving you three loosely connected paths to follow, which you can do in any order. You have to do all three to open the final arena and get to the end of the level, which is fair enough. It's the most "Classic Doom" level in the game when it comes to backtracking and crossing paths. Although it's the second level in a row to end with a long first-person cutscene that the player is locked into. Thankfully those are going to be getting less frequent from now on.

Our only new weapon in this level is found in a secret, laying very casually on a shelf: the Rocket Launcher. The splash damage radius on this thing is way bigger than it looks, so it's easy to blow yourself up by accident before you get used to it. It's best used on tight groups or heavier targets for now, as it isn't great for crowd control yet. That's better served by the Micro Missile attachment for the Assault Rifle, which shred Fodder demons and lay some decent damage into bigger ones. Its counterpart is a scope that lets you zoom in slightly. Needless to say, the Micro Missiles are better. The Plasma Rifle's attachments are both pretty alright though. The Heat Blast lets off a wave of energy that rips through fodders but has to be built up while using the primary fire; while the Stun Bomb lets you freeze enemies in place for a second. That second one is very useful here. I've also fully upgraded my Explosive Shot mod by now. The mastery was "Kill 20 Imps with direct hits." It wasn't hard.

There's also two new enemies to mention: the Hell Razer, and the Hell Knight. The Hell Razer is the toughest of the Fodder demons, keeping his distance and firing a laser beam at you. He's easy to deal with once you know he's there. The Hell Knight on the other hand, is back with a vengeance. He looks much like his Doom 3 counterpart, and is an absolute UNIT this early in the game. He's fast, tanky, and likes to leap and you and do AOE damage when he lands. Priority Target #1 as of now, thank god for the Stun Bomb and Rocket Launcher.

This level also has the introduction of combat tracking, which means killing everything gives you more points to upgrade your weapons. There are also challenges that let you do this, but I haven't felt the need to mention them before now, as they're fairly easy this early on. There's one that usually gave me trouble in this level back in the day, where you had to kill 3 zombies with a single explosive barrel. This used to be extremely tedious, but this time around I managed to get an entire horde of seven in the usual spot, making it a cakewalk. That's all I have to say about it though, I won't mention the challenges unless something interesting happens or one of them is bullshit *wink wink nudge nudge*

I've decided to replay Doom (2016) for the first time in years due to a variety of factors. I haven't really gone back to this game since Eternal came out, but it was a formative experience for me and I want to give it a fair shake and see if I still love it like I used to. I'll be live-blogging my thoughts as the game goes on if anyone's interested.

[scarletxvision]

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness: Spoiler Review

Right, let's get into it. I have actually seen this movie twice at this stage, and I still don't know if I have truly wrapped my head around what played out to be honest. I wouldn't go as far as to say I hated it, but I definitely didn't enjoy it either.

We'll start off with some positives. The cinematography was beautifully executed, the horror aspects were fresh and exciting and the use of magic got a much needed upgrade as well. Overall, it was a stunning film visually, and every single person gave the performance of their lives, particularly Elizabeth Olsen.

Moving on to the elephant in the room... Wanda's character and storyline. Oh boy, there is a lot to unpack here. Now I now there had been rumours circulating since the end of WandaVision that she was going to be the villain, but I had figured it was going to be clear cut that she was acting on instinct to protect her children, or even during my first watch, that she was merely being manipulated by the Darkhold.

However, what we got instead was a slightly OOC Wanda who has no problem in killing another child to be with her own. It doesn't sit right with me that after all of her speeches about being a mother, after her own experience as a young girl discovering powers she didn't fully understand and couldn't control, she unapologetically wanted to kill America, a girl in the same position that she had been in.

What bugged me the most was the lack of continuity following the ending of WandaVision. The whole heart of that show was Wanda getting through her grief, and by the end, she had pretty much come to terms with everything that happened and even felt remorseful for holding everyone in Westview. Of course she had never truly finished grieving, no one ever does, but her moving out to her little cabin for some peace and quiet showed promising signs of her overcoming the first few stages of grief.

The main thing I immediately noticed had been forgotten about or discarded was the whole "MOM! HELP!" end scene. It would have been more realistic for Wanda's character if she had reason to suspect Billy and Tommy were in some kind of danger and therefore would be safer with her as their mother. Having her blatantly try to take them away from her variant self simply because she wanted her happy ending with them seemed so off and untrue to Wanda's character, regardless of the influences of the Darkhold.

In fact, they completely missed the mark by not having her look for Vision at all. I mean, she hardly even mentions him! Look, in one way I understand she has had more time to get over his death - WandaVision told that story beautifully - and now she has a new wound to heal with the loss of her children, but come on, we got like three references to him in the whole movie! You can tell that she still loves him dearly with how hurt she sounded in her conversation with Strange about sacrifice, so why not use that and the ability to travel the multiverse to reunite with her husband?

I was actually expecting a mention of White Vision, but surprisingly there was nothing. I do understand that it is primarily a Doctor Strange film, but with the amount they dived into what happened in Westview, I was hoping for some hint of where he has gone and what his deal is.

On the other hand, I loved seeing the full might of Wanda's powers, and there was something strangely satisfying about watching her single handedly take down the Illuminati. I want to point out that Wanda was never defeated, in fact, no one was even close so *cough* strongest Avenger confirmed *cough*. She had some powerful lines and as I said before, Elizabeth really put her heart and soul into her performance.

Overall, villain Wanda is not the direction I wanted her character to go in, and the poor execution makes it even harder to swallow. It was the most detached I have ever felt from her, and Wanda has been my favourite since I watched Age of Ultron in the cinema - she practically got me into Marvel movies. It felt like I was watching a completely different character, like I was watching 'The Scarlet Witch' and not 'Wanda Maximoff', as if they are separate beings. Watching her sacrifice didn't mean much because we know the rule that if there's no body, she didn't die, but it's still nice knowing that as far gone as she was, she still turned around and did the right thing in the end.

Getting away from my feelings on Wanda, I wasn't sure about Doctor Strange's character arc and development. If anything, he just proved Wanda's point of "You break the rules, you become a hero. I do it, I become the enemy." The plot reeked of hypocrisy, and I couldn't pinpoint how Strange grew from the start of the movie to the end.

I don't even want to get into Christine's character, whose only use seems to be as Strange's tragic love. In fact, their whole story resembles Steve and Peggy (I won't get into how much I dislike them here, that deserves it's own essay) and it's disappointing that Christine never got to evolve past male lead's love interest.

I enjoyed the Illuminati cameos, especially John Krasinski as Reed Richards - I literally gasped so loud when the camera cut to him. I thought they would do more with the characters, but watching Wanda pick them off like it was child's play was quite entertaining, I won't lie.

I want to say that, for the record, I think the whole Doctor Strange's third eye thing is so freaky and I am not here for it, but the first end credit scene introducing Clea is exciting and I'm looking forward to learning more about her.

I'm going to wrap it up there for now, but I could go on and on about this movie for days. All in all, it wasn't completely horrible, but I definitely didn't like it and won't be rushing to watch it again. I have no idea where they are going to go from here with Wanda's character, so I guess I'll have to simply stand by and hope for the best.

I'm curious to know what everyone else thought of the movie - do you agree with me or did you like the direction it took? I'd love to know! ❤💚

[its-real]

I was going to wait until I had finished doing all the concept sketches for this but uh, I’m lazy so here take it as it is I’ll keep adding surely surely.

-LONG POST-

AU where the hermits fall into the boatem hole with no way to fly out because of some event that happens - maybe an apocalypse, maybe everyone just goes apeshit, who knows - and they all get messed up heads from falling in the void and passing out n fun stuff like that. They ‘land’ - idk how this would work without them dying lol - in a semi futuristic city which for now let’s just call it Boateqm (silent q). The hermit crabs would also fall at different rates therefore appear in the city at different times. So where do they end up?

Hospital gang:

Etho wakes up in a hospital bed with no memories - most of them will wake up with no memories btw - his doctor/nurse (this hospital may be understaffed) Tango asks him a bunch of questions then has to go see another patient. Etho is seen by a certain Bdubs who had just finished visiting his buddy Scar -will get to him next- in the bed next door. Bdubs walks back to notify Scar, a fashion designer, that the guy in the bed across would make a great model, just look at the striking hair! And the red eye! He opens the curtains on the side and Scar gets a look. He asks if Etho would like to be hired. Etho is to say the least very confused and on the verge of a panic attack that never quite seems to happen so he’s in a weird kind of limbo anyway it is now that his doctor/nurse Tango comes back and having overheard the conversation suggests it would be a good idea. The hospital can only take custody of Etho for so long, might as well start earning money now so he doesn’t become homeless. Etho is still very confused. So Tango just agrees to the job for him as his caretaker lol, and besides Scar comes here kinda often so Tango trusts him. Anyway Etho’s true passions he discovers are synthesisers, breeding horses with Bdubs and finding elaborate ways to do tax evasion. A simple man.

Scar is in the hospital because he got SCAR (hehe) from walking into a glass door in his super fancy house, which he owns because he’s a super fucking rich fashion designer of his own label Scara (this is not the first time he’s walked into a glass door). Scar refuses to go to a rich people hospital tho cause 1) he cares about healthcare and wants more funds to go to lower grade hospitals 2) Tango is his mate, and needs a goddam raise. But yeah, very successful, ran for mayor once but someone really didn’t like that which resulted in another hospital visit. Mans in the wars. One hospital visit he got really inspired by the fabric and stuff there so he had a line of clothes that were hospital inspired one time, in turn making hospital inspired garb very trendy for a bit. What a mad lad. Ideas man. Some would call him a genius if he didn’t keep on walking into glass doors n shit. Scar woke up in the back room of a small tailoring shop owned by a nice old couple who took him under their wing. He thanks them in every award speech, and whenever he’s in the area make sure to stop by and give them presents. His side hobby is gardening.

When Tango came to, he was lying on the footpath of a quiet street in the suburbs just out from the main city. Gorgeous day, golden hour, pretty houses, very aesthetic. He also had a leg injury, fuck. So Tango did what anyone would do: hobbled to the nearest house, asked in the nicest way he could under a lot of stress (so he kinda yelled) for a first aid kit, and performed surgery on himself atop the nice families dinner table. The nice family turned out to have called the police and an ambulance, who showed up just as Tango was wrapping up his leg with a bandage and took him away to the police on a stretcher. This debacle got him a leading story on the local newspaper: ‘Man performs surgery on himself after waking up with no memories and a leg injury’. After being questioned by the police, they decide they can’t really charge someone with amnesia and no money with anything like breaking and entering (he did knock and they did let him in) or property damage (blood on the carpet). The paramedics are stunned at his surgery, so they tell the police to take him to the nearest hospital and get him hired there, he could save so many lives. He gets hired by the head doctor after an examination of the surgery. The head doctor doesn’t really care that Tango doesn’t have any records or anything, the hospital is understaffed and Tango seems like an Angel sent down from the heavens to him. Tango is very very good at his job. So good that he gets offered a job at a far better paying hospital which he takes, then soon drops because he prefers the chaos of his old job much better.

Tango found Impulse extremely dehydrated, looking like death, wandering outside his flat one night, so he carried the man inside and saved his life. Now they are flat mates, and Impulse works in a tech store - an upgrade from working at a service station previously.

Bdubs woke up in an inner city park at night, homeless, broke, and in the company of other homeless and broke people. He built his way to success, got luckily hired by some rich asshole to mow their lawns plural - the rich asshole didn’t ask much questions, he just saw a poor man criticising the way a park had been landscaped to an old guy in a caravan and though it was good enough, seeing as the last one quit - and Bdubs didn’t mind too much, because the rich assholes property was really gorgeous. Once Bdubs was able to say he had work experience and wasn’t homeless he started babysitting the kids in the neighbourhood, pretty good money. Plus the kids love him, and everyone he meets loves him, he's just a nice guy. He met Scar because he had to purchase a suit for a kids birthday party, so he went to the cute little tailors shop he always walked past on the way to his favourite cute little gardening supplies shop. By now Bdubs had been promoted to part time gardener - the job is shared - and started working on and off at a building firm. They become besties, turns out Scar is also really into gardening etc etc. Eventually Bdubs becomes an architect, mainly designing for city contractors n such but occasionally designer homes, like the one he did for Scar.

Mumbo and Grian wake up in the hospital around the same time that Etho is still there, however Etho has been awake longer, and should really find a place to stay soon now that he’s got a steady job. Since - ok plot point here - the two are in the exact situation that Etho found himself in, he starts to feel like something weird is going on. Mumbo and Grian take a lot longer to recover than Etho did, and the two become hospital bed neighbor buddies. When they finally recover Scar offers them a temporary place to stay at his house while they find work. Tango gets Impulse to put in a good word for Mumbo at his work.

Nomads:

TFC is an old man who lives in a caravan off the money he made being a very successful miner, he now collects pretty shiny rocks and gems and stuff to give to kids. He’s like an all year round caravan Santa and wise old mystical figure. Dope.

Joe is a humble man who likes to wander. He’s never had a home, but if he needs anything he’ll go to TFC’s caravan or a homeless shelter or something. But he isn’t sad or anything, he really likes the freedom of being a simple wanderer.

Others:

Keralis is a business partner of Bdubs. Kerlalis is mega stonks. He was one of the first to land, had a big diamond in his pocket, bought shares in a company that blew up soon after and now he is really fucking rich.

Doc and Ren are the only ones who remember anything, and they arrive at the same time. Doc manages to keep his cool, but Ren loses his shit and gets thrown in a mental institution. Doc spends some time trying to get Ren out, and after a final success and laying low for a bit the two seek to bring all the hermits together.

Pearl ends up working in Bdubs building company.

Beef works in a music shop -sells records and instruments- and he starts up a record label out back after his boss retires and passes the shop onto him.

And yeah I don’t really know the other Hermits that well was hoping some of ya’ll could help me find places for them in this city :) don’t really know how to format this either so maybe some input would be nice, just wanted to get the idea out hehehe

[starlightswitch]

Least Replaceable

@flashfictionfridayofficial Definitely influenced by packing for a move, although for us it's more "what will we be living without for a week?"

“No! What? Mom…”

“I do not want to hear it. Everyone gets one bag.”

“You and Dad get more than one bag,” Peyton argued, even though she knew what the answer to that was going to be.

“The things not in our bags aren’t Dad’s and mine, they’re for the whole household. Your birth certificate is in the fireproof box too.”

“I’m just asking for one extra thing.”

“A large thing.”

“The most important thing in my life.” Peyton didn’t realize what the answer to that was going to be until after she’d said it. At that point all she could do was wait for Mom to say it.

Mom didn’t say it. She just looked at her over her glasses.

“Thing. I said thing. Not including people.”

“Mm. People do have to fit in the cars, you realize.”

Peyton gave the biggest sigh she could muster. “Okay, so to you stuff is just stuff. You don’t get–”

“I do get it,” Mom said firmly. “There are many, many things in this house I am not happy about leaving behind. It would be faster to count the things I don’t mind leaving behind. And hopefully it will not matter, and the house will still be standing for us to come back to. But in case it is not, there are certain things we need to prioritize, because some things are less replaceable than others.” The ‘end of discussion’ tone would have been recognizable even if Mom hadn’t resumed packing her bag.

Peyton went back down the hall in a way that Mom would probably have referred to as ‘galumphing’ if she hadn’t been busy. To her sister, who was standing in the doorway with her bag already packed, she grumbled, “How replaceable does she think my computer is?”

“Well, you did build it yourself,” said Josie. “Can’t you build another one?”

“Is she going to give me the money for that? Is she going to let me get a job? I spent my entire life’s savings on this one!”

“I’m pretty sure Mom and Dad’s insurance gives them money if a natural disaster happens to the house. I assume she’d give some to you to replace your computer. Since, you know, it’s one of the things in the house covered by the insurance.”

Josie had it easy. The biggest thing in Josie’s life was basketball. The equipment wasn’t that expensive, and the school gave it to you anyway. “Well, if they give me how much it cost, that’s not going to replace it. Do you know how much the cost of a graphics card has gone up since I built it?”

“Well, can you take the graphics card?”

Peyton stared at her.

“Is that a dumb question?” said Josie, staring back. “Is the graphics card, like, enormous? It doesn’t sound enormous.”

“I have to take my computer apart,” said Peyton, still stunned by the obviousness of the solution. “Duh. Do you know if we have any bubble wrap?”

“Hall closet. Like always.”

“Don’t let them leave without me.”

“Are you packed at all?”

Peyton didn’t want to answer out loud in case Mom was listening.

“I’ll pack you.”

“Thanks.” She had no idea what Josie was going to pack. She didn’t really care. Anything she didn’t pack would be cheaper to replace than that graphics card.

Screwdrivers, bubble wrap. She should have grabbed tape to tape the bubble wrap but didn’t want to waste the time. She couldn’t go too fast or she was going to drop or break something. When she’d put the computer together, methodically, Dad off to the side in case she needed help, she would never have guessed she’d take it apart only a couple years later, in a barely-contained rush, in the path of a natural disaster.

Hard drive, too, since she was here. She wrapped them both up and left the rest, and the case, on the floor. Good thing she’d never gotten around to upgrading the monitor.

Josie met her at the door of her room, Peyton’s duffel in her hands. “Jeans, shorts, socks, underwear, like half your shirts, and that dress you really like. And sandals. We should wear sneakers since they take up more room. The side pockets are empty– Oh.” She had seen the size of what Peyton was carrying. “Which isn’t going to help, clearly.”

“That’s okay,” said Peyton, grabbing the duffel to find things to move to a side pocket. “I really appreciate it.”

“I’ll go grab your sneakers. I actually packed your bathroom stuff when I packed mine so don’t worry about that.”

“I really do appreciate it,” said Peyton, looking up this time.

Josie gave an open-handed shrug. “I hope it turns out not to matter.”

Peyton took a breath. “Me too. Can you get the tape too? I’d feel better if it was taped.”

“Yeah. Good idea.”

Mom came out with her bag as the sound of the garage door signaled that Dad was home with the other car. Finished reorganizing and figuring she could tape the bubble wrap later, Peyton quickly zipped her bag and stood up. “Turns out I didn’t need more space.”

Mom looked warily behind her as if Peyton was five years old and badly hiding something.

“You said one bag. I have one bag.”

Mom looked down at and back up at Peyton. “Okay,” she said, light disbelief in her voice.

Peyton lifted the bag to her shoulder. “I’m ready to go.”

[kravkalackin]

Kravitz had answered the listing as a joke. He had assumed that said listing had been a joke. Now he was wondering if this was going to be the thing that got him murdered.

Reading it over again, it hadn't changed from when he looked at it five minutes ago.

Listing: Fake Boyfriend To Avoid Jogging With Roommate Serious Responses Only

Additional details: my roommate keeps trying to make me go to the gym with him, so I told him I couldn't cause I have a date that day. It worked the first six times but now he's starting to get suspect. Especially because the dates are at 6am. Need a cute boy to stand in as a fake date. If you have a job that would require you to go on dates at fucking sunrise that is a plus. Will pay for breakfast, just need a few photos to throw off the scent

Kravitz wasn't sure what possessed him to reply, other than the picture the user had posted was um, very nice. And it was funny.

The person, Taako he mentioned once they started talking, had asked for a picture of him back. Almost as soon as he sent it he was starting to make plans for a fake breakfast date, and at that point Kravitz felt too far gone to back out.

So here he was at 6am on a Friday, inside of the earliest opening coffee shop they could find. Kravitz was starting to think he got stood up (which somehow felt almost as bad as being murdered) when he saw Taako come in. He didn't have to scan around long before he caught sight of him, the place nearly empty.

"Oh good you're here and don't look like a murderer, things are looking up on cha boy's end," Taako said. Despite how early it was he certainly seemed to be dressed for a date.

"The murderers we were probably supposed to run into doing this are going to feel pretty awkward when they end up trying to kill each other at the same time," he joked, getting a surprised laugh out of Taako.

"Shit yeah, that's gonna lead to a lot of awkward exchanges at the annual cyber killer convention," he said, Taako giving him a very nice smile. "But yeah, thanks for doing this, lemme spot you breakfast and a cuppa Joe and we can grab some pics," he added. Kravitz nooded, following Taako up to the counter. Once they ordered they sat back down and Kravitz hadn't actually thought any of this through. He kinda figured he'd be dead by now.

"So uh, Taako, if you don't mind me asking, " he started, Taako nodding along, "why can't you just tell your roommate you don't want to go to the gym?" he asked, a little surprised when Taako groaned dramatically.

"Ugh, because he gets all sad and whiny about how we never hang out together and how it'll be fun and naturally I have a heart of gold and will eventually give in and fucking take him for his walk like the overgrown golden retriever that he is," he explained. Their food was called up at the counter at this point and Kravitz quickly jumped up to grab it. By the time he got back Taako already had his phone out.

"Ok that's fucking Instagram worthy right there," he said, taking a picture of Kravitz as he held the platter.

"You're not actually going to put that on Instagram are you? I mean you can if you want to, I have no idea how to use the site," he said. Taako seemed to think it over for a bit before shaking his head.

"Nah, these'll be for private use only," he said, winking for good measure. Which was certainly something.

As they ate Taako snapped a few more pictures, including one of a very cutesy kiss on the cheek. It was all a little ridiculous but by the end Kravitz was actually having fun.

And when they parted with Taako thanking him profusely again for the help he almost regretted not asking for a possible real follow up date.

He was pretty delighted when Taako called him back the next day, although he wasn't expecting him to sound so panicked.

"So uh small problem, nothing to freak out about," he said, immediately freaking Kravitz out.

"And uh what's that? Did your roommate not believe you?" he asked.

"No uh, he believed it a little too well and he showed a picture to my sister who showed it to her husband and uh do you happen to work with a Barry Bluejeans?" Taako said, the words all coming out in a rush. It took a few long moments for what Taako was saying to process in his head, but when it did he felt his eyes widen.

"Oh, um, yes. Yes I know him," he said.

"Yeah so my brother in law and sister are demanding I bring you over for dinner and I figure I should warn you before you get bombarded at work," Taako said, and Kravitz had to take a moment to take a deep breath before he responded.

"Should I bring a dessert?" He asked. There was a moment of stunned silence on the other end before Taako burst out laughing.

"Fuck, keep that up and I might have to upgrade you to fake fiance," he said, and Kravitz couldn't help but grin at that.

This was fake, he knew it was fake.

But at least it was fun.