#On other news i cannot wait to play space marine 2 one day

[meangreennunseen]

I know vastness of Primarch lore is cool, but my first ever loves in Wh40k always were your semi ordinary Astartes.

Nothing like taking a child, brainwashing them, stuffing them with extra organs and various implants and growing them into human supersoldier in few years.

Also them just mercilessly murdering shit up always brightens my day.

[violet-t-9]

Check in on my (not very realistic) wish list for episode 140

1. Nobody in the party perma-dies in the potential battle against Lucien/the Somnovem (temporary unconsciousness is to be expected).

Jester did not perma-die! Nooo Caleb no don’t die please wow this is one of my nightmares- ok Lucien died nvm Caleb you are fine WHEW. No perma-deaths. NOT EVEN MOLLY

2. The group discovers/uses more new eye functions that we have not seen before during the combat (unlikely, but still may be brought up).

Nope, but telepathy did get used for communication a lot, so that was fun.

3. They successfully defeat Lucien, stop/destroy the city and prevent the end of the world by the end of the episode.

Well, Lucien is stopped before the break at least!

4. A glimpse of Molly is shown before Lucien is defeated (e.g. he starts to remember them, etc) due to their effort to try to reach him/trigger his memories.

They got him to lose so many legendary reactions! Lucien also clawed his own face and torn himself apart in the end, so I’m going to count this as Molly, fighting back to protect his friends.

5. Beau and Yasha battle couple moments and possibly a passionate kiss after.

They didn’t get many power couple moments in this fight. However, Beau and Yasha’s consistent damage output brought them so much closer to success! ALSO YES A POST-BATTLE KISS I KNEW IT I CALLED IT the healing hands hug too nice.

6. More mind control attempts occur in combat (emphasis on the “attempt”).

Well yes, against Essek again (thankfully failed) and Yasha with the nightmare cage. Caleb mind blank was so clutch, at least SOMEBODY cannot be mind-controlled here. No Veth got charmed oh no.

7.  Fjord and Jester healing/saving each other and some sweet moments after.

Jester healed Fjord among the mass cure wounds as well! Also the fire resistance ring still played a role! Aww the hug in the marine layer fog was so cute! Also ayy they recovered the Cloven Crystal hahaha. Nice moment!

8. Artagan/sprinkle is mentioned/makes an appearance.

The divine intervention attempt by Jester almost succeeded Nooo. Thanks for showing up at Caleb’s revival at least.

9. Obligatory wish for Essek’s fancy dunamancy or magical items (can we please stay away from Lucien for like one round and let him use dark star).

TETHER ESSENCE YAY!! Loved the description. No dark star sad (Matt WAS saving for it), but 8th level gravity fissure is still cool though! It was unfortunate because Essek had such a high initiative as well, but all is well.

10. Obligatory wish for the polymorph spell.

Look this is just a permanent feature ono this list.

11. Obligatory wish for Essek’s room in the tower.

Look this is just a permanent feature on this list.

12. Obligatory wish for Cad being a MVP in and out of combat.

Cad’s revivify on Jester THANK YOU CAD (also thanks Caleb for getting her to him so he can bring her back quickly). JESTER HDYWTDT YES thanks to path of the grave from Cad. I knew it, Cad is always a MVP. 13. Veth being attracted to Lucien’s Astral Washboard (still reeling from the “you are not my type... but maybe you are?”)

“Kind of like a minotaur” LMAO Veth I knew it. Even in the final boss battle... That aside, Veth is such a MVP in terms of damage. Rogues, man! She did so much on Lucien and had evasion which was clutch.

14. creepy but awesome lair actions from Cognouza the flesh horror city under Lucien’s control + other new moves from Lucien’s secondary form.

Summon Cataclysm?? Will Aether?? Oh no Caduceus :( Nightmare Cage?? Yasha :( LAIR ACTION WITH PATTERNS oh NO- whew everyone rolled high thank you Jester for the Heroes’ Feast. The EYES get to go?? FOLD SPACE?? The 6 bladed attacks on Veth OH NO. NO Caleb got thrown with a tower at Essek wow those legendary actions sure are pretty strong.

15. They get to the end of the combat without anyone reaching 9 eyes.

YES! This happened! I’m so glad that the timer, whatever it was, did not activate in the Lucien fight.

16. Their eyes vanish after they defeat Lucien/destroy the city.

YES! YES! I knew it! Ayyyyyyy 

17. Caleb uses more fire/customized/dunamantic spells creatively or with nice flair (what’s sexier than wizards NOTHING).

He WILLED a glaive to hit Lucien I love you sexy wizard I literally love your imagination and creativity Widogast this is why you are my favourite. CALEB WITH YOUR MIRROR IMAGE YOU ABSOLUTE TANK I LOVE YOU SO MUCH.

18. Fjord uses his vestige in battle (come on that’s a star razor you’ve got there).

I... Marine layer also works, sure. Also you know what, Eldritch blast rules anyways. Fjord has always been a perfect warlock (and paladin probably).

19. Veth successfully using the Aeorian security cannon’s feature to hit again OR Veth using a fluffernutter.

Wow did not expect ASC to succeed in the first round, but it did! I’m so proud of you ASC.

20. The city’s inhabitants get freed from their fates of perpetual screaming.

“You hear whispers in your mind” YES! They are grateful and they are freed!

21. The party’s reaction when any member goes down (give me the angst).

No Veth is down... OOF. Nooo Jester NOO! Cad was almost down (death ward clutch). I regret wanting angst I’m sorry! I mean I knew it was going to happen. No Caleb is down Nooo I regret everything why did I want angst?! CALEB NO I didn’t want angst I didn’t-

22. Yasha uses her undead barbarian superpowers to fight on 0 hitpoints forever because she is awesome.

You know what, I’m glad she never got to 0 HP. So many party members went down already. 

23. Obligatory wish for everyone to remain relatively happy and alive by the end of the episode except Lucien, and the episode hopefully does NOT end on a terrifying cliffhanger because they win.

WOW, I was right. We got it, guys. We really got it, a happy ending.

Bonus moments:

Jester’s banishment on Vigilan was nice and quite crucial. Jester and Caduceus remind us every day why having two clerics is necessary for M9. Jester willed the bag of holding back to them lol.

Fjord THANK YOU for the Fastidan kill, that eye was such a menance. 

The wizards helping each other in battle were such nice moments.

Molly fighting back and helping them until the end :( WAIT is Caleb going to raise dead with his transmuter stone YES THE RITUAL I’m about to cry from Yasha, Jester and Beau... No NATURAL 1... WAIT DIVINE INTERVENTION?? 2% WHAT THAT WAS A WHIPLASH. EXCUSE ME WHILE I GO CRY. DUDE THE IRONY OF CAD BRINGING MOLLY BACK THOUGH.

Score: 17/23 

Wow what an emotional rollercoaster oh man oh man

What a story

I love them so much

See you next Thursday!

[missielee]

Passion

Day 1&2: Fish & Wisp

Fish – such a fascinating creature

It was Olivia’s first passion as well as pet

When she was seven, her dad took her and her sister to the aquarium downtown.

It was magnificent, she said

It was like a different world, she said

Engulfed by a singular color blue, she was mesmerized by all the moving little diamonds around her

Colorful scales glimmered in the tank lights, felt like thousands stars on the sky

They moved oh so gracefully, bubbles curved along their fins

It was like a water dance.

That was at least ten years ago, little Olivia has already turned into a beautiful young woman who is passionate about the ocean life, specifically sea creatures. Fascinated by them, she indulged hours in books on her dad’s shelves and pursued her dream to become, well, quoted on quote “Fish”.

Fish is a peculiar animal. They live in water and absorb oxygen through their respiration system which is the gills. Their body is covered in scales worked as camouflage, protection and swimming aid. Their fins flutter through the current as they sway their body elegantly. What could possibly better than being a fish, swimming freely in the water blue?

“I prefer whale better” Janet voiced her opinion out loud

“What? That swimming elephant? No way!” Olivia eyed her friend in disbelief “That’s not even a fish!”

“It’s a sea creature too so it sorta counts. Also, FYI, that is super mean. That’s probably equivalent to pointing out someone is obese in fish language.” Janet rolled her eyes, continued eating her lunch

“Whale and dolphin are mammals, so not a fish. Beside, would you really want to be a whale? Big, giant blue whale?”

“Uh, whale is my spiritual animal, therefore, yes I’ll be the big giant and BEAUTIFUL blue whale” a glare was directed right back to Olivia “At the very least, I won’t get eaten by other species”

“Other than human, sure!” Olivia sipped her water “You do know that a fair amount of whale was hunted for meat and oil in the past right?”

“Whale hunting was a thing?”

“Yeah, it was like a thing back in 1800s. Products made from whale, mainly oil, are incredibly valuable. A barrel of sperm-whale oil can even went up to 1500$ per barrel” Olivia shrugged “But it wasn’t used much nowadays because many better resource appeared: like Kerosene, vegetable oil, petrol”

“Uh huh, you know a lot about whale for someone who just insult it” Janet smirked upon her “You like whale too, don’t you ~”

“Said the one who have their nose in Moby Dick like twenty times or something. I only know some of the basic thing about whale”

“Hey, that book is a masterpiece! Brave men against the nature! Battling fearlessly! Unlike you and you’re fish tank obsession.”

Olivia couldn’t bother to say back. It’s true that she’s have an itsy bitsy infatuation with fish, but she couldn’t explain it why she adores them that much. Some have told her she could become mermaid like those performs in aquarium shows but Olivia refused. Even though it was her dream to become of them, she absolutely hates mermaid/merman in generally because mermaid doesn’t swim like a fish does, according to her logically research. Since mermaid have different anatomy, their swim movement is up-and-down, which isn’t the normal side-to-side like fish does. In addition to that, mermaid eats fish, explained her dislike towards becoming one. She understood that it’s normal to pray on one to another in the animal kingdom but she cannot stand the idea of feasting on such pretty shiny thing. ‘I mean people might have evolved enough to even eat gold but not diamond, right?’

It’s not the first time she realized turning into a fish is practically impossible. Despite her fascination of the marine life, she apparently have Thalassophobia, which prevents her from any activities near the open water. It was upsetting to Olivia, having to spend her life in pictures capturing a small part of the vast water part. It’s like try to play puzzles with endless pieces and they all have the same shade of color. No amount of therapy could help her reach the board of the ship, the closest she could ever get is the lightly wet sand shore. Moreover, there’s an unexplainable feeling when she reaches the ocean, she hears it whisper her name in sad serenity. And on a more frightening term, it always seems to seep closer and closer to her.

“Livvy? You’re spacing out again. Come on, we’ll be late for class” she snapped out of her daze, turn to see her friend already finished packing her belongings

Checking her phone, 2:45 and her class started at 3, she needed to hurry.

“Oh I almost forgot. You’ll come to the Jake’s party this evening, right?”

“Beach party? Not so sure, you know how I feel about it”

“It’s just on shore. I’ll be there too. Don’t worry, if anyone tries to drag you near the water then they’ll have to go through me” Janet smirked. Three years in Aikido is enough to take anyone down, not to mention she was a three times champion of the city, as if that isn’t intimidating enough but it ensures Olivia enough to have a good time by the sand.

“But this evening already? I thought it’s on 13th?”

“Today is the 13th, Goldfish. Did you fall head over heel for Jake so far that you forgot to check for the actual date?”

“I might have mistaken a Friday for a Saturday. But that doesn’t make me a goldfish! And goldfish have good memory! The five seconds attention span is a myth!” Olivia exclaimed

“I guess your attention span is probably so filled with Jake that you can only remembered that he has invited you~”

The two kept bickering as they walked each other to class, like all the other days.

  It was around eight when Olivia and Janet arrived at the party, and it sure is a lively one. The torch lit up the area but it was no match to the people’s dancing along the live music band. Sound of chatters mixed with the awry waves of the sea like a symphony. Olivia immediately spotted Jake in the crowd by the barbecue, greeting newcomers and grilled the ribs with his cheerful expression bright like sunlight. Janet could guess what millions thoughts going through her bestie’s mind as she pulled her over to the food court.

“Hey Jake, nice buns you got there. Mind if we have a taste?” Jake laughed wholeheartedly  

“Why I wouldn’t mind you two lovely ladies to have a taste of my delicious buns, of course!” A wink sent towards them as Olivia reddened

“I-I-I brought some cakes from Rosie’s! A-And I think it’s a great party!” Jake took the box from Olivia and gave both of them a small dish

“I love Rosie’s cake! This is great for desert! Thanks Olivia!”

And needless to say, Janet had to play the waitress and lead a very blush female to a table while holding two dish of steak.

“Oh Janet! Did you see him smiling at me? He’s so nice!” Janet have a gulp of soda after settling down and listening to her friend’s love rant.

“Eat your steak Olivia or I’ll help you know how it’s like to be fish”

“Alright, no need to do that. I’m not some toddler, you know” Olivia sulked and cut a piece

Olivia notice a newspaper left next to her seat, seemed like it was today’s news. Curious, she decided to have a look since Janet had went to get a second plate.

“BREAKING NEW:  SUCCESSFULLY FOUND THE ONLY SURVIVOR OF THE S.S HARVEY INCIDENT

Olivia Breston, eldest daughter of the Breston family and a bright student at Morrington University, was discovered barely breathing and unconscious on floating remains of the unfortunate ship by the fishermen of Devonne port. Lifeboat was sent immediately to revive and take Olivia to the closest hospital. 17h28 of 13th October, we received news …”

‘No way. Olivia… Breston… That’s… that’s my name!? I… I am dead?’

Janet returned back with a joyful meal in hand.

“Man! Jake sure have a knack for cooking! You’re a lucky one, Olivia!” Olivia didn’t respond, still deep in shock “Olivia?”

Olivia handed her the paper. Janet frowned before realization hit her. Surprisingly, she’s quite calm to react.

“So you found out. Any memory came back?”

Olivia shivered, shook her head.

“I survived, did I? So why… am I here? On this day, I was supposed to be found? But no?”

Janet moved next to her, sat down and comforted the confused girl.

“Do you want to know? Truly want to know?”

A silence between made the air thickened before Olivia gave a nod, reluctantly. Janet rubbed her shoulders soothingly.

“What you read is true. You are the only survivor of the S.S Harvey ship, a research ship directed by your father. You accompanied him on a field trip on 19th June when the ship got caught in bad weather, which later escalated into a sea storm. There was no news from the ship until…”

Janet pointed at the date and then at what supposedly to be warehouse, rather than what’s beside it. Needn’t to guess, Olivia could tell what Janet was trying to show her. But it didn’t explain everything that’s happening at the moment.

“I assume you’re wondering what’s happening right now. Care to take a blind guess?” Janet lighted a cig, savored that nicotine taste on the tip of her tongue before let out a wisp of white smoke.

“I died?”

“Eh, close enough. A coma. If you died, you wouldn’t be here to chit chat Livvy”

“Coma? But then, where am I?”

“Well, some might say it’s your subconscious so let just assume that it is. You didn’t die from the incident but drowning left you stranded in your brain, that’s all I could say.” Janet led her to the water. It seeped up close to their feet but it didn’t frighten Olivia no more

“I’m the fish of my own tank” Janet chuckled

“So you do remember”

“Yeah, I just got bits and bits of it. I chose to stay here, because there’s nothing out there for me, no one is waiting for me. At least I achieved my dream here, well, in a way” Olivia stepped back to clean sand, heart ached as she turned to Janet “Because in here I can see the one I held dear”

Janet tossed the burnt butt cig into the cool sand “Old habits die hard. You know, yet you still want to stay?”

“There’s no point going out there. I rather stay here”

“Alright, don’t keep Jake waiting on the dance floor.” Olivia headed back, blushed to the ear “After tonight, it’ll all be a bad dream”

“Wake up anew right?”

“Totally, Goldfish” Olivia’s shadow faded as now only Janet stood alone, water raised above her ankle. The way the ocean surging was unusual than before. There were whispers, cries lingered in the air. Moaned in pain. The thunder struck faraway on the surface warned the upcoming omen.

 “Time’s running out, Olivia”

--- Missielee ---

[onepiecefeatstuff]

Vacation | Sanami week 2020

“I need a break, I’m tired.”

Everyone stopped at their feet, and turned to their captain. Had they heard what they thought they heard? It was not possible. Never in a million years could they have imagined that Luffy, of all people, would confess that he was tired. Much less that he needed a break.

Chopper ran to him, and checked his temperature. Luffy was grinning the whole time, watching his crewmates’ pale faces. Even Robin seemed disturbed.

“How about we take a day off?”

A.Day.Off.

A day off.

“A vacation?!” Nami’s eyes lit up. She had dreamed about this moment. A day without chasing sea monsters, or without the marines chasing them instead. A day free of adventure.

“Yeah!” Luffy was smiling still “A vacation!”

 So the first official vacation of the crew began. They thought about disembarking on a desert island, but that would take too much time, and Franky convinced everyone that they didn’t need to leave the ship to actually have some time off.

A few hours in, however, it seemed like they were going through a regular day. Zoro was training at the gym, Luffy and Chopper were playing hide and seek, and Nami was casually sunbathing when it hit her: there was only one person who wasn’t resting. She was still holding the smoothie he made for her when she got up in the moment of sudden realization. Robin looked over her sunglasses to see the navigator walk a straight line towards the kitchen, moving her hips to the rhythm of Brook’s violin. A half smile formed in her lips, but she kept reading.

Nami opened up the kitchen door making as much noise as she could. Things were too quiet for the anger she was feeling inside. She saw Sanji jump in surprise and almost throw the plate he was holding.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”

Sanji was as lost as ever. He started making a list in his head of all the things he could have done to upset her, but it wasn’t even lunchtime. There were only so many hours in a day. He took off his gloves and readjusted his shirt. Whatever it was, he didn’t want to go down cleaning the dishes.

Nami handed over her nearly empty glass. Shit, had he forgotten to make her a new one? He had planned to, of course, but then he got distracted with the dishes and…

“Sorry, I’ll fill it up for you in a second. It won’t happen again, Nami-san” he reassured.

Nami’s frown, however, was not entirely disappearing from her face. She seemed less angry, but more confused. Was that not what she wanted? Wait… Did she not like the smoothie? His chef pride was telling him that was impossible, but maybe it was. Maybe…

“I don’t want it.”

Fuck. So it was. There went a whole career, he thought.

“I didn’t come for that, anyway.” She clarified, but that only made him the confused one.

“What is it that you want then?” Sanji tried to make a mental list of anything she could possibly request. “I’ll make it up for you.”

“I... I want you to sit down.”

That was definitely not on his list, but he did it anyway. With the automatic movements of a robot, he grabbed a chair and sat down. His eyes were now at the height of Nami’s hips, and that was not something one could ignore. He couldn’t, at least. But Nami spoke up before his imagination went too hard:

“Now close your eyes.”

He did as she said, again. However, he was starting to wonder what was going on. He wasn’t so sure anymore he didn’t do anything that could have upset her, and that this was his punishment. It had some sort of twisted appeal to him, he couldn’t deny it. He was at his muse’s will. He felt his mind drifting far once more.

“I want you to imagine your perfect day.”

Sanji arched an eyebrow. He could hear Nami’s heels clicking on the floor, and her perfume gave away that she walked by his side. She was on the back now, and although he couldn’t see her, he would have bet she was sitting on the kitchen counter. She loved to sit on anything but a chair. He loved her for it.

“If you’re gonna take much longer, I’m charging everyone with the food.”

“No, I’m cooking! I’m cooking.” he reassured, but it felt a bit like talking to a wall. Or an empty space. Or his own mind.

“Are you cooking on your perfect day?”

He couldn’t tell if she was teasing him or straight up making fun of him. Maybe it really was torture.

“I’m always cooking.” He finally said, because it was true. Even in some of his dreams, he found himself cooking, looking for new recipes, trying out some new techniques, or in the market finding tasty ingredients.

“Okay. But you don’t have to.”

She sounded a little closer this time. It was making him a bit nervous.

“I like cooking. It’s my way of being useful. And I like being useful.”

“You would cook even on a sunken ship, wouldn’t you?” 

There was a giggle in that, almost inaudible. He wasn’t sure if it was a sweet or bitter sound. It was like eating a tangerine just before it was ripen. And it brought some memories that he didn’t want to relive. He had once been, as a child, cooking on a ship when it started to sink. Nami touched his shoulder, and it gave him a shiver.

“A sunny day.” He said “I would wake up to a sunny day, and I would make a grand breakfast for everyone. Then I’d…”

“Okay, no.” her voice sounded even closer than he had imagined, and he had to open his eyes to make sure his mind wasn’t playing tricks on him. “You’re completely missing the point. And you’re a cheater!”

Nami covered his eyes with her hands. They were colder than he expected, and as soft as he could recall. Her nails were carelessly touching the bridge of his nose.

“You cannot cook. What would you do?”

“Why?”

“Because I forbid you. That’s why. Now what would you do?”

“I… wouldn’t know where to start.”

Nami had turned around, and was now facing him. She took her hands from his eyes, and sat on her heels. When he opened his eyes, he found her looking right at him. Maybe even looking right through him. It was a majestic sight that made his heart skip a beat.

“What do you want?”

Her question was purely sincere. There was no second intention in her eyes, not even the smallest shadow of a devious smile. There was no other expression but concern. And in that moment, Sanji knew he was right all along, and that she was truly an angel that had come to him by some sort of miracle. She did care about him, against all odds.

And he knew what he wanted.

 They had been laying on the grass for almost an hour, but time seemed to work differently while looking at the sky. The clouds came and went, and they tried to imagine their shape as they passed by. Nami had a bigger imagination than his, and she came up with entire islands built there. Once in a while, a quirky comeback would cross his mind, and that would make her laugh and give him a soft punch on his left arm.

The smell of tangerines flooded his senses and gave their sights comfort in the shade. The noises on the lower part of the deck seemed to be quieted, like they entered some sound-proof zone. Like they were the only people there.

After a while, Nami sat on the back of the tree and shared a tangerine with him. The citric flavor that he had predicted struck him like lightning, and Nami started petting his hair. Her hands smelled like tangerines, and it was all he could think of. It was nice, having quiet in his mind, taking a day off of the usual noise in his head. He closed his eyes, focusing on the sound of the waves and the wind caressing his face. He was about to fall asleep when Nami’s body shifted position to face him.

“On our next vacation, I get to choose.” She whispered, and gave him a slight kiss on his right cheek.

Author’s note: Day 2! I really liked today’s theme. In the world of OP it’s not really usual to have a break, and I felt like they all needed one. Even if it was a short one. Thanks to everyone reblogging, liking and commenting my contributions; and to @sannamiweek for making this happen.

[cardandpixel]

9 Board Game YouTubers I Follow & Why (plus a few others)

In the literal dim and distant past when I started boardgaming (honestly, the biggest threat was tallow wax on your board), the internet was still accessed by whatever IP address you could remember off the top of your head (there’s no place like 127.0.0.1 as they sayI) - and the only TikTok was the clock ticking, waiting for half of Louise Nurding’s left leg to download only to realise it was Anne Widdecombe and you’d hit the wrong link on a BB. Boardgames had some quiet and shady corners of the internet, in those same Bulletin Boards, there was one for HeroQuest and Space Crusade when they came out. But sadly, if you wanted to see a boardgame being played or learn the rules, you either had to go round to your friend Tim’s house where he had a new chits-for-days wargame going, or sit down and actually read the rulebook yourself. As a result, I bought some interesting games in my time, including a game called Operation Overlord - a mighty chit-tastic WW2 N African campaign monster that I bought in desperation from the Games Workshop in Manchester on the first morning that it opened in 1979 (?) as we were so far back in the queue that there wasn’t a space marine to be had for miles. But now, we have a plethora of kindly folk available on our blistering shiny Windows NT 486sx machines to inform and delight us in full 8-bit glory. Everything from reviews, buying guides, rules tutorials and even painting & crafting guides, we can be bathing in just about whatever aspect of board or wargaming we so desire in an effort to stave off the clattering realisation that it’s been over 3 months since we spent any quality time with another breathing soul outside our houses. The question gets frequently asked on boardgame FaceAche forums “What YouTube channels are worth my time and why?” so in an effort to throw my own towel into that controversial ring, here’s my pick of probably 9ish, maybe more by the end, but let’s start with 9 in no particular order..... 1) 3 MINUTE BOARDGAMES

One of the first board games ‘er across the table (TM) and I bought together was a copy of Gloom from a little games and comic shop halfway round the world in Hamilton NZ, Mark 1 Comics. As we were achingly close to moving to NZ a few years ago, we’ve kept up with many aspects of what might have been our life over there, so it was a delight to discover Jarrod (and now Stephanie) on YouTube, a friendly and familiar accent reviewing board games. But it’s not just the NZ vibe that I love, Jarrod does a great job of cutting thru the hyperbole and bloat often associated with trying to keep YouTube vids ‘long for the algorithm’ (ugh) and just gives very pragmatic reasons for a game either joining or leaving his collection. He has a great approach, and it’s nice to see him finally on camera instead of the disembodied voice. Great reviewer, and Stephanie is utterly hilarious. 2) THE BROTHERS MURPH

Mike & Nick are two of the most engaging brothers on YouTube let alone just in the boardgaming community. Their series on thrift shop finds has dredged up some hilarious and often tragic specimens from the grand days of Palitoy, MB and Parker Games.  They are also masters at ‘speed reviewing’ often piling reviews of 50 or 60 games into the same number of minutes. I think I favour the ‘don’t outstay your welcome’ approach to YouTube in general, and the Brothers Murph are at great ease with this philosophy and yet they take on simple party games thru to the heaviest euros with the same distillation equipment, and yet their reviews are never trivial or throw away. We had the chance to chat to Nick at Airecon this year and he was a lovely guy, slightly blown away by the fact that people liked his channel. He’s also an awesome artist too.

3) ACTUALOL

There are many reviewers on the web who have cost me a fair amount of money, the worst being Zee Garcia, however, a close second is Jon Purkiss aka Actualol. Jon has a terrifying gift for finding games, and especially ridiculously affordable games, that I buy on spec and then end up absolutely loving. Jon has a light and breezy style which is instantly engaging - I also really want his comfy chair (surely in exchange for a nice review on here Jon???). His videos are tidy and concise and yet still convey a deep enthusiasm and joy for games. His reviews very clearly portray what the setting of the game is and what you’ll be doing, without getting embroilled in the rules. He always has great footage of the game on the table (please reviewers - look at the ratio of your face to the game you’re talking about - less than 10% game and i’m walkin’) and often favours the less pricey end of the market which suits me fine. Brilliant games I love thanks to Jon include: Second Chance, Magic Maze and Ninja Academy

4) OUR FAMILY PLAYS GAMES

There’s not much to be said about Mik & Starla Fitch that cannot be gained from watching a mere 3-4 minutes of their channel. For sheer exuberance aimed squarely at a love for bringing families together via our glorious hobby, you cannot top these guys. If you are ever - EVER - feeling slightly lacklustre about gaming or losing your mojo for whatever reason - heck if you are just feeling slightly down, treat yourself to 10 minutes in the company of these two excellent human beings. Their reviews and playthru’s have all the humanity you need in a game and after five minutes you are thinking “Is the US too far to go just for a gaming evening?” We’d both utterly love to sit across the table from these lovely people and just play, and I can’t say that about every reviewer, I’ll be honest. Their reviews are often centred around unloved classics (watch their vid dedicated to why they love Catan as an example - you’ll be clicking Buy Now before your know it) and also some great quirky unknowns that I’m trying to hunt down even now. They’ve just had a brilliant couple of boosts from both a spot of Good Morning America recently, and becoming reviewers for the mighty Dice Tower. I’m immensely grateful for a tweet by Rodney Smith for pointing me in their direction, my social media is a much brighter place with the Fitch family in it.

5) RAHDO RUNS THROUGH

“Heeeeey Everybody”. One of the first board game reviewers I ever caught on YouTube was the inimitable Richard Ham aka Rahdo. And I’m so glad I did. I would genuinely never sit down and try and learn a game from one of Rahdo’s playthrus, they are what I imagine being in a wind tunnel full of 50 tonnes of feathers is like. BUT and this is crucial - if I want an idea of what a game is going to feel like to play, there is no finer deliverer of the remote game experience than Mr Richard Ham. His unique ability to explain how a game is going to work, turn by turn; the decisions you will make; the things you’ll have to consider; the short and long term goals; are all brilliantly covered in one of Rahdo’s videos. His ability to make different choices for his ‘ghost partner’ Jen (who does exist in real life, we have bought jewelry off her, she’s lovely) also adds a real dynamism to the games, showcasing the flexibility in a design for different play strategies. Rahdo tends towards 2 player games and usually at the heavier end of the scale, but if there’s a game you are thinking of buying, check Mr Ham out first! 

6) WATCH IT PLAYED

It’s often been said that Canadians are some of the politest folk on the planet, but when it comes to ranking Canadians, well, I’m sure they’d be too humble to rank each other so I’ll have to. Rodney Smith is the loveliest man in the world. There, end of article. But it’s true. We’ve been watching Rodney since we first got confused about the rules for Mice & Mystics (which we still got wrong but that wasn’t Rodney’s fault) and his ever chirpy, ever positive approach to his rules rundowns is utterly remarkable and frankly, enviable. And it’s his attention to detail and clarity for explaining rules that have rightly made Rodney one of the most important resources in the gaming hobby. If you have ever struggled over a rulebook and haven’t raced to Watch It Played, I will guarantee you will have spent far longer on that rulebook and lost way more hair than you ever needed to. We had the great honour of playing Rajas of the Ganges with Rodney at Airecon in 2019, and I mugged up on the rules sooo much. Regular imbibers of this rag will know my sloth for reading rulebooks is legendary but fortunately ‘er across the table (TM) loves them. But, for the 3 days running up to our trip to Harrogate, I did nothing but read that rulebook - this was THE Rodney Smith, you can’t get a rule wrong with Rodney. But of course, nerves kicked in and I could barely remember the rules of Snap, but the nicest man in the world could not have been nicer. Really, quantum mechanics has proved it. He was just the same man off the computer telly. Funny, engaging, warm and happy to chat as well as play (which I was also really nervous about doing!), if you don’t watch Rodney, are you really internetting?

7) TABLETOP MINIONS

“Pachow” From boardgames to wargames. As well as my slight addiction to cardboard, my other opiate overlord is 28mm plastic miniatures. Specifically those involved in tabletop skirmish games like Malifaux, 7TV, Fallout Wasteland Warfare, GuildBall and a smattering of others. Though recently more focused on the frankly insane amount of content being released by Games Workshop, Tabletop Minions is presented by the splendid Uncle Atom. (In fact, I identify his content so much as Uncle Atom’s stuff that I honestly had to double check the name of the channel for this article!). My plastic habit uncle (sounds so wrong, but so true) has possibly the gentlest delivery of anyone on the internet. It’s not so much content, as therapy. I know the net is awash with AMSR channels at the mo, but if you don’t want to listen to some overmonetized southern californian with some bubble wrap and a large capsule condenser mic, just hop over to TTM and listen to the Uncle for 5 minutes. He’s like a soothing bubble bath of content about painting figures, philosophy of the hobby, general art & design principles, and great life advice. He also wears a fez.

8) GIRL PAINTING

“Hello Tchoobies!” I painted my first 28mm figure when i was about 12ish - it was, ironically, a space marine of some sort - the old clunky Ral Partha ones. It looked terrible, but each model got a bit better till I stopped for some reason a few years later. When I got into Malifaux a few years ago (ie decades, several of them, later), I knew I was going to have to get back into painting; heaps of grey plastic does not a skirmish game make. (Little did I know I would have to revisit my microscopy days either when assembling damn Bayou Gremlins!)  Two channels were recommended to me, the Esoteric Order of Gamers (more later) and Girl Painting. EOG put me on the path to believing I could paint again, but Alexandra at Girl Painting actually made me believe I could learn to do it well. GP’s approach to painting figures, terrain and vehicles is based on solid art theory. Her explanation of colour relationships and the colour wheel is something I can quote to this day. All of the techniques that I lean on so heavily in day to day painting both for table and display I learnt from Girl Painting. Correct use of washes, wet blending,  non-metallic metals, shading, drybrushing, highlighting, model reading, all of it from studying intently, often with a brush actually in my hand while watching the channel. I cannot recommend GP enough if you want to put paint to plastic. Whatever your ability, you will learn something from this hidden gem of a channel.

9) ESOTERIC ORDER OF GAMERS

Another dang fine antipodean and another slightly unusual channel. I have a terrible, terrible memory when it comes to rules. In our early days, we also had a a lot of games with seemingly very over-bloated rulebooks - FFG games basically. I suddenly realised what I wanted was to lift the lid of a box and find in the lid, a summary of the important stuff i needed to remember about the game. Apparently I was not the only one. In 2013 a chap known as Universal Head started publishing an amazing series of rules summaries which condensed down some of the bloatiest rulesbooks down to often one or 2 pages of A4. It was a (pardon the pun) gamechanger for me. I can’t count the number of games in our collection that have a friendly sheet of A4 now as the first thing you see when you open the box. They are brilliant. And he’s still doing it to this day. I would argue that the more useful leg to his activities is the website rather than YouTube channel, but his channel does have the aforementioned brilliant figure painting tutorials, unboxing videos and some crafting stuff. The website is definitely the place for the rules summaries and also a fantastic resource for build-it-yourself foamcore box inserts. Though Folded Space have now made box inserts pretty affordable, there’s still no feeling like the satisfaction of building your own, and I would argue that some of EoG’s designs actually make more sense than some of the Folded Space ones anyway. AND THE OTHER ONES (Who probably don’t really need the exposure, but hey, only 11 people probably read this so......)  Why aren’t these on the list above? Just because I wanted to highlight some of the more marginal channels above or more specialist rather than the pure reviewers. SHUT UP & SIT DOWN Possibly my favourite channel on YouTube, whose name sounds more like a menacing Yorkshire greeting than a boardgame channel. SU&SD seem to be a real Marmite issue on the board game communities. And I genuinely don’t understand it. Yes, their reviews are often really funny but honestly, if that’s all you take away then you are missing some amazingly detailed and thought provoking work. Quinns and crew’s reviews are some of the most measured and balanced reviews in the gameyverse. Their reasoning for the conclusions they come to are incredibly well thought through and often very surprising based on the tone of the rest of the review. They have steered me to some games I would never have looked twice at and steered me away from some very shiny games that I might have blown a lot of money on otherwise. Flagposting great alternatives is also a signature of their reviews, and that again has often lead me to some fantastic games. We don’t always agree (their recent review of 10 Oink Games was savage imho) but we always disagree for the right reasons. Again, I would argue their website is actually a better overall resource, especially their podcasts which are superb, but all their content is fantastic.

in a highly similar vein I would add NO PUN INCLUDED. Efka & Elaine produce some of the most thoughtful and intelligent boardgame review content today, and often for some of the deepest and most complex games. The joy of boardgaming is that it is highly subjective and there are lots of times when NPI like/dislike a game that I do/don’t, but they are engaging and warm enough as presenters to hit you with a gentle subtext that says “It’s ok - I know we like this game, we get that you don’t, it doesn’t make any of us bad people, just people y’know, have a sandwich with us”  Efka criticising a game reminds me of when Dennis Healey once described an argument with Geoffrey Howe as being ‘savaged by a dead sheep’, though not in the cynical manner of the original. The criticism is loaded with that crucial dose of ‘hear me out’ that is sadly lacking in 90% of all other reviewers out there. Efka & Elaine are no GoggleBox reviewers, they are the real deal - they genuinely understand how games work and why. The sheer moral turmoil that Efka expressed over the cultural issues in Rising Sun was some of the most thoughtful YouTube content I have ever seen. I just wanted to do a little shout out to Johannes & Sunniva at BOARD GAMING RAMBLINGS - I don’t have as much to say as they are relatively new on my radar, but I have really enjoyed their content so far and find them to be like one of those adorable gaming couples that you might see every once in a while at your gaming group and have a blast with, and then not see for months and go “Awh - I really miss Johannes & Sunniva - where’d they go?” that feeling, you know the one. Adorable, with a hint of the esoteric. Also, a quick but important mention to the other titan of boardgame rules explanation that is Paul Grogan of GAMING RULES!. Like Rodney Smith, Paul is meticulous about rules explanation and is really clear and simple to follow, even for very heavy games, which Paul tends to do more of than Rodney, which is probably why I end up watching Paul slightly less, but certainly not for any less quality. Paul has such a reputation in the industry that he now works closely with many designers and publishers to help craft the best rulebooks around as a consultant. So that’s it - congrats for making it through folks. Didn’t think it was going to run this long, but turns out.... I quite like a lot of the YouTubers I watch - who knew? Until next time... happy gaming y’all.

[50shadesofmittens]

Eqippable Ally AU

SO during my recent conversation with coaxionunlimited I got a lot of my vague AU’s fleshed out. As in, I finally put down to words some of the insane ideas I’ve had bouncing around my head for ages now.

Here’s the Equippable Ally AU, the first one we talked about and one of the longest

More under the cut, ‘cause this gonna be LONG

So to start, ideas of each Primarch in this AU

Like Corvus winding up Equippable Ally with Sly Marbo bc why not and also Marbo equipped with a Primarch-powered weapon is SCARY

ALSO Ferrus Manus still alive kinda equipping Kitten during a moment of High Tension when Magnus for whatever reason can’t be the equippable ally- cue Magnus jealousy even given full understanding of the intense circumstances

And possibly the first thing Fulgrim does once somebody gets his soul free of the paining and his body back from the daemon inhabiting it is become an Equippable Ally to one of the Space Marines in the area- proving that he’s on the good guys side for real but also that’s he’s willing to let someone else take control of it means getting better results, and maybe also that he’s traumatized to the point where he can’t make very good decisions for himself but he recognizes this flaw and is willing to take measures to work around/through it

Also Mittens makes a powerful pair because the two can work together directly in combat- Kitten taking over the physical aspects while Magnus handles all the magical ones working in the battle- and as the two learn to work together they combine their strengths into more powerful combos

Btw I like to imagine all the Primarchs have In Love With Your Carnage literally hardwired into their DNA to some degree, which affects the crack pairings I had for the Equippable Ally AU

Like apart from Mittens, you have:

Corvus and Sly Marbo (which the Void Dragon approves heavily of as an example of Rescue Romance)

Russ and Ygrainne (ie the badass Eldar who cannon thinks is Guilliman’s girlfriend- in this AU they met in Commoragh’s fighting pits and now have UST from both considering the other inferior while also being able to hold their own against each other)

Dorn has Karstodes (and that one is explicitly They Won’t because it’s based on Dorn being unable to deny that Karstodes is a very good fighter and he finds his technique and strength in battle arousing while hating his personality, and Karstodes being an Abhorrent Admirer)

Then comes the mechanics behind the Equippable Ally bit, ie How It Works

The Primarch literally turns into a sword of some kind

Like all swords are based on the Emperors flaming sword, but some minor details causing differences between them

As for the power, there’s three ways this could work

One; swords have energy blasts, a la Zelda or Bleach. The power behind these blasts is roughly 3-12 times the amount of power a Primarch would put into the same kind of swing if it was used by his own hands

Two: if the sword can be incorporated into any other battle style, the sword will glow, possibly cause the person wielding it to glow, and then the attack will have the same power as though the Primarch performed it but with 1.5-8 times the power the Primarch would’ve had

Three- Primarch can use his Psyker powers within the sword by using the weirder as a conduit. This has a bonus of 2-10 times its usual power, but the caveat is that the weirder cannot be mind-controlled and has the ability to drop the sword at any time, meaning that the Primarch can’t force someone to be a conduit for a spell they don’t want to be part of

A Primarch-as-weapon weapon is FAR more powerful than the Primarchs-as-people are

IE the weapon they turn into can do more damage than a Primarchs alone can

That’s why any Primarchs would agree to it- the end result is more powerful than what they could create alone

Biggest downside is that using that power is hard- using it effectively is double hard

See, the power modifier the wielder gets is tied to the Primarchs ability to do that any specific move. Throw a knife while holding Konrad-sword is much more powerful than throwing a knife while holding say Sanguinius sword, because the former can throw knives much better than the latter. Of course being Primarchs they’re pretty good at anything- this is more of a way to note that some Primarchs will supply bigger bonuses than others

The other thing- and this is the big one- is that the Primarch cannot guide or directly control the movements of the weirder, and the overall strength of an attack is reflected by if the WIELDER’s exact actions were taken by a Primarch- so if someone swings a Primarch sword with horrific form, it’ll have a lot of force but if they would’ve dropped a normal sword with a move like that, they’ll drop the Primarch sword. What’s more the power output increase adds even more destabilization because people really arent naturally good at handling more power than they’re used to- kickback is still a thing, and even with the defenses of a Primarch being added, Primarchs also have enhanced pain tolerance, so what a Primarch might consider mild soreness will be shocking and difficult to handle for a normal person experiencing the same thing

TLDR; it takes a lot of skill to handle Primarch Weapons well. Hence why it’s pretty useless unless the Primarch has someone he trusts who understands him very well and can fight on or close to his level

It’s like handing a civilian an automatic gun- they theoretically have the ability to use it just fine, they know how to press the trigger and point away from themselves, but they still aren’t fully qualified to use it

Then there’s a really stupid scene with Magnus and Russ throwing a limitless supply of soft silk shoes at each other at 400km/hr, Thanks to magic arbitrary rules and/or the bs of a powerful Mars dragon or a god

So I figure this might be a good time to explain where my own Equippable Ally AU was going- it was largely based on fairy-tales and the parody and exploitation thereof

Like the basic idea was that the Void Dragon A) is alive B) has a grudge against Emps and C) is still/also very much into medieval fairytales like the one of Saint George, largely because Emps was obsessed with them when he fought it

Only the dragon doesn’t really ‘get’ gender so it decides that the traditional fairytale setting where a prince or a princess is trapped and must be freed/rescued by their One True Love is a good narratively-sound way to seek Revenge- it casts the Primarchs as the “princesses” of the tale

Mainly Ferrus Manus, who has been trapped with the dragon for 10,000 years while they both waited for someone to try to rescue him, not knowing that almost all of the Galaxy thinks he’s dead. This has given the dragon much time to play dress up with Ferrus

So when the dragon learns of the Equippable Ally thing, it decides “Ah HA! This is how I identify the One True Love who is to try to rescue the children of my enemy! My greatest threat (according to all the tropes I know)!”

Only there’s more than one Equippable Ally bond, so the dragon doesn’t know which one is, narratively speaking, the Hero/Heroine.

So it decides to make all the people bonded to a Primarch in this manner fight to the death, and the winner will obviously be the Protagonist that the dragon seeks

(I realize I failed to mention this, but the dragon has cast Emps in the role of Good King whose Kingdom is threatened and who must rely on the Hero/Heroine to save the day. This is in fact the way the Dragon seeks revenge- it believes the narrative will not LET the Emperor face it, so when it defeats the new protagonist it will have won)

(The void dragon is kinda insane and believes fairy tale logic is an actual force of nature)

Anyways, the dragon decides the best way to force the Potential Protagonists to fight is to hold their True Loves hostage- good thing it’s got millennia of practice keeping Ferrus from running away

And both Russ and Magnus wind up kidnapped for this tournament.

And the dragon doesn’t just believe in fairy tales, no it wants these battles to LOOK heroic and fairy tale like.

So it dresses all the Primarchs in medieval dresses (it’s other reason for doing this is that it enjoyed playing dress up with Ferrus and would like to try with his brothers now)

When the “tournament” goes down all the Primarchs are put on display so their “true loves” can be reminded what’s at stake

Which just means Magnus and Russ see each other and try to kill each other. The Void Dragon has them separated and magic blocked to avoid this.

The Void Dragon doesn’t want Magnus and Russ killing each other in the Equippable Ally AU bc it’s all like “No no no, you two are Princesses, your heroic knights are the ones meant to be proving themselves and fighting to the death, your role is to be the pretty trophy they win, this is not how the story goes. The HERO is the one who proves their strength, the love interest can’t die in a fratricidal duel while the Hero is fighting for his life- that would be an awful story! Here just- just stay separate, you two, at least until the tournament is over”

Thing is, at least one of the kidnapped Primarchs wanted to get out of the dress he’s in, and discovered that the dresses are self-repairing, and any pieces of the outfit lost or thrown away will be replaced instantly

Magnus and Russ take this to mean “we have infinite ammo to throw at each other”

They start with jewelry bc it’s hard and might theoretically do a tiny scratch of damage if thrown fast enough, but that gets taken away. Then they find that the shoes, which are fabric and soft, cannot do damage and do not get taken away when thrown

So Magnus and Russ ignore the entire death match going on around them to throw shoes at each other at 500 km/hr, in the futile hope that it will do some damage to the other

The entire thing has been me getting the idea for like a 30-sec scene animation, but as you can see it has WAY too much backstory behind it

I can’t remember if I started with Fairy Tale parodies combining with Equippable Ally trope, or if I just wanted Magnus and Russ to throw shoes at each other and the rest built itself around that

(Also Also, Russ and Magnus eventually do get tired of not getting anywhere, and Corvus celebrates their seeing reason and stopping their pointless (albeit commendable on Russ’ part) attempts at homicide with weapons that clearly cannot kill the other

Then Dorn points out the shoes could theoretically be used to kill a Primarch if you literally smothered a Primarch in shoes so that he had no access to air and then kept him there for the full three standard years it would take for him to suffocate.

Russ and Magnus immediately begin throwing shoes again)

(Corvus Facepalms)

[thesocialiberty]

Motivational Quotes and Captions

Motivational Quotes and Captions

Push yourself because nobody is going to do it for you. Don’t limit your challenges. Challenge your limit. It does not matter how slow you go as long as you do not stop. “Your time is limited. So don’t waste it living someone else’s life.” – Steve Jobs If you believe in yourself, anything is possible. Be a voice, not an echo. When you feel like quitting, think about why you started. Don’t wait for the right opportunity. Create it. “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” – Steve Martin Do not compare your insides with someones else’s outsides. “When you stop chasing the wrong things, you give the right things a chance to catch you.” – Lolly Daskal The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do. Every morning you have two choices: continue to sleep with your dreams or wake up and chase them. Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning to dance in the rain. We stopped chasing for monsters under the bed when we realized they were inside of us. Mirror mirror on the wall, I’ll always get up after I fall. And whether I run, walk or have to crawl I’ll set my goals and achieve them all. “Stay away from negative people, they have a problem for every solution.” – Albert Einstein Always deliver more than expected. “Tough times never last, but tough people do.” – Robert H. Schuller Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re probably right.Motivation quote for Instagram Mindset is what separates the best from the rest. The best view comes after the hardest climb. Look into the mirror… that is your competition. Be the best version of you. “You just can’t beat the person that ever gives up” – Babe Ruth In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure. The key to success is to focus on goals, not obstacles. If you can dream it, you can do it. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up, show up and never give up. When life gives you a hundred reasons to break down and cry, show life that you have a million reasons to smile and laugh. Stay strong! It’s going to be hard, but hard does not mean impossible. Be fearless in the pursuit of what sets your soul on fire. Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star. Nothing is impossible. The world itself says “I’m possible”. To live a creative life we must lose the fear of being wrong. Good things take time. There’s nothing wrong in being a beginner. No one starts at the top. You are your own limit. Sometimes we are tested not to show our weaknesses, but to discover our strengths. If you do not go after what you want, you will never get it. If you do not ask, the answer will always be no. If you do not step forward, you will always be in the same place. Life is not about how fast you run or how high you climb, but how well you bounce. In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on. The direction is more important than speed. “Beauty is power; a smile is its sword.” – John Ray The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power. Fall seven, stand up eight. “Good, better, best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good is better and your better is best.” – St. Jerome “The ladder of success is best climbed by stepping on the rungs of opportunity.” – Ayn Rand A smooth sea never made a skillful sailor. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to always try just one more time. There’s only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self. Don’t be pushed by your problems. Be led by your dreams. My biggest fear is being in the same place this time next year. Be brave. Nobody remembers a coward. “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” – Mark Twain Old ways won’t open new doors. It is often in the darkest skies that we see the brightest stars. All progress takes place outside the comfort zone. You may get the things you wished for. But you will surely get the things you worked for. If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door. A year from now you will wish you had started today. “If you haven’t tried, how will you ever know if there’s any chance?” – Jack Ma “Challenges are what make life-threatening and overcoming them is what makes life meaningful.” – Joshua Marine You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one. Either you run the day or the day runs you. You don’t get the same moment twice in life. Never let the things you want make you forget the things you have. You only fail when you stop trying. “I am not here to change the world. I am changing the world because I am here.” – Lisa Wilson Be you instagram quote Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Be crazy enough you know you can make anything in life. There is always a reason to smile. Your potential is endless. One year = 365 opportunities I tried to be normal once. Wort 2 minutes of my life. Don’t look for excuses look for results. “Things work out best for those who make the best of how things work out.” – John Wooden “Entrepreneurs average 3.8 failures before final success. What sets the successful ones apart is their amazing persistence.” – Lisa M. Amos “If you are not willing to risk the usual, you will have to settle for the ordinary.” – Jim Rohn Good things happen to those who hustle. Experience satisfaction, but never be satisfied! Believe. Achieve. Succeed. Your best teacher is your last mistake. The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it. If it would be easy, everybody would do it. Successful people are successful because they do more than the rest. When you are at the bottom, they laugh about you. When you are on the top, they are jealous. You cannot please everybody, So stop trying and focus. “If you can dream it, you can do it.” – Walt Disney “There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.” – Beverly Sills Never discourage anyone who continually makes progress. A negative mind will never give you a positive life. Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. Treat the janitor with the same respect as the CEO. Don’t be afraid to lose people. Be afraid of losing yourself by trying to please everyone around you. Love is no what yo say. Love is what you do. F-E-A-R hast two meanings: Forget everything and run or Face everything and rise “Opportunities don’t happen. You create them.” “It takes two flints to make a fire.” – Louisa May Alcott “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” – Henry Ford “The road to success is dotted with many tempting parking spaces.” – Will Rogers “Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.” – Will Rogers Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life. Appreciate where you are in your journey. Even if it’s not where you want to b. Every season serves a purpose. There are no limits to what you can accomplish, except the limits you place on your own thinking. Falling down is an accident. Staying down is a choice. “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decided to be.” – Ralph Warren Emerson It’s up to you to find beauty in the ugliest days. Sometimes it takes a good fall to really know where you stand. Good people are like candles; they burn themselves up to give others light. Sometimes the smallest step in the right direction ends up being the biggest step of your life. Tiptoe if you must, but take the step. Some people will only check on you just to see if you have failed yet. Nope, I’m still winning! The trophy is earned in the hours that no one is watching. Your life is a result of your choices. If you don’t like your life, it’s time to make some better choices. One small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day. Sometimes when you’re in a dark place, you tend to think you have been buried; what if you’ve been planted. Throw kindness around like confetti. Failure is the condiments that give success to its flavor. Storms make trees take deeper roots. Trust that when the answer is no, there is a better yes down the road. When it comes to motivation, Gary Vaynerchuk is the master. Business and entrepreneur genius you want to listen to when feeling down. “Skills are cheap. Passion is priceless.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “There’s no reason nowadays, to do shit you hate. NONE.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “I’m just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backward” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Legacy is greater than currency.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “You need to spend all of your time and energy on creating something that actually brings value to the people you’re asking for money!” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Stop whining, start hustling.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “There is never a bad time to start a business – unless you want to start a mediocre one.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “We are in control of the one asset that we all give the most f#%ks about, and that is time.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Know the philosophy, know the details, and ignore everything in the middle.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “We only get to play this game one time…one life.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Whether you’re 9 or 90, stop trying to fix the things you’re bad at, and focus on the things you’re good at.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “When it all comes down to it, nothing trumps execution.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “Your legacy is being written by yourself. Make the right decisions.” – Gary Vaynerchuk “A penguin cannot become a giraffe, so just be the best penguin you can be.” – Gary Vaynerchuk Prince Ea is also a famous filmmaker and creator who shares many life tips on Instagram. He has been featured on Forbes and he claims that love is his religion. Don’t rush things. They will happen when they are supposed to. Let things fall into place. Your mental health should be a priority. No matter how old you get, never stop holding hands, never stop dancing, and never stop saying ” I love you”. Anything that costs your peace is too expensive. If they act as they can live without you, let them do it. Good relationships don’t just happen. They take time, patience, and two people who truly want to be together. Decide what is what you want. Write it down, make a plan, and work on it every single day. Sometimes you have to unfollow people in real life. When you can tell your story, and it doesn’t make you cry, you know you have healed.” – David Wolf Happiness looks gorgeous on you. Be who you needed when you were younger. Physical attractions are common. A mental connection is rare. Three months from you, you will be in a completely different space, mentally spiritually and financially. Almost nothing you’re worried about today will define you tomorrow. Love is about appreciation, not possessions. Forget the past, but remember the lesson. The most valuable gift you can receive is an honest friend. Love is a verb, not a noun. You didn’t come this far to only come this far. “Hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.” – C.S Lewis When life gets blurry adjust the focus. No one ever injured their eyesight by looking on the bright side. Don’t stop when you’re tired. Stop when you’re done. The harder you work for something. The greater you’ll feel when you achieve it. “If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way.” – Martin Luther King, Jr. The goal is to be rich. Not to look rich. Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and think of what could go right. The one who falls and gets up is so much stronger than the one who never fell. Not all positive changes feel positive in the beginning. You should tell people how important they are to you. Good conversations with the right people are priceless. The best revenge is no revenge. Move on. Be happy. Stay close to people who feel like sunlight. Sometimes it takes 10 years to get that 1 year that will change your life. Wasted time is worse than wasted money. Give yourself some credit. You’ve come pretty far. Hang out with people who make you forget to look at your phone. Be the reason someones believes in the goodness in people. Never underestimate the power of good morning texts, apologies, and random compliments. It only takes a few seconds to hurt someone. But sometimes it takes a year to repair that damage. Self-care is how you take your power back. You don’t gain anything from stressing. Do what scares you. You will never change someone. They have to change themselves. Integrity is doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you. Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation. Good friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, impossible to forget. Read the full article

[isakthedragon]

Super Sonic Thieves Chapter 20

Chapter 20- Kung Tsao Rooster

The Set-Up:

Sonic, narrating: “Wait, hang on, who’s left for us to defeat again?”

Sly, narrating: “Unfortunately, it just so happens to be the terrible General Tsao. To put it bluntly, he is very sexist to women, thinking he can force them to marriage and be his *ahem* ‘wife’, which is more like a servant. We fought him when we helped Panda King rescue his daughter from marrying him, and he’s definitely tougher than he looks. He’s strong, brazen, and will do anything he can to get what he wants. He even found our safe house and took Bentley’s computer right out his hands, just in an effort to stop us. Since he has left prison though, I’m guessing he’s looking for someplace to conquer and make his home. And he kicked a puppy supposedly.”

Cream, from afar, but hearable: “NO! Not the puppy!!”

Sonic, narrating: “Don’t worry, Cream, we’re going to teach him a thing or two. He seems to be visiting a part of our world that looks more Chinese than anything and take over there. We are going to stop him before he harrasses anyone else.”

-----

Zone Layout: The first two acts here take place in the daytime, crossing the Great Wall, long and winding dragon statues, and large lines of pagodas, and even going across the river the dragon boats cross on. The last two Acts take place at night, following along the river of Chun-nan’s village, which is being terrorized by General Tsao.

Enemies:

Pig-bots: Robot replicas of General Tsao’s pigs. Similar to Tsao’s original pig guards, they will either try to karate chop you or send a missile shaped like a dragon head at you that needs to be avoided. Carries 22-24 coins and has a 10% chance of treasure to pickpocket.

Monk-keys: Robotic copies of Tsao’s monkeys with all the downloadable knowledge of kung-fu. But since these are Tsao’s guards, they still aren’t very smart. Carries/drops 26-28 coins and has a 25% chance of treasure to pickpocket.

Tigerots: Eggman’s robotic copies of Tsao’s impressive tiger guards. Be careful around these robots, as not only do their punches hurt, they also carry spears that they can throw and poke you with.  Carries/drops 26-31 coins and has a 50% chance of treasure to pickpocket.

Mantis Vampires: For once not robotic duplicates of Tsao’s guards by Eggman but the real deals, Tsao managing to strike a deal with the mad scientist to keep. The Mantis Vampires were servants of General Tsao’s ancestors that, upon their deaths, were reanimated into undeath by the Tsao family’s dark magic, becoming hopping vampires. Fortunately, given the nature of vampires, they cannot appear in the day, but at night… The Mantis Vampires move slow, but they come in large numbers and explode upon death. Ranged attacks recommended. They drop any amount of coins when they explode.

Egg Launcher: These missile happy robots will send their payloads after you relentlessly until they are destroy. They can fire horizontally, vertically, or both. Drops 26 rings when smashed.

Egg Fighter Knight: They’ve come back bigger and tougher, and will fight to the bitter end. Though, since these knights don’t play fair, back attacks are fair game. Drops 28 rings when smashed.

Egg Cannons: They fire cannonballs at you in an effort to trip you up. They’re built strong so a few hits are going to be needed to take these out. Drops 30 rings when smashed.

Dark Master: The wizard force of Dark Gaia that can heal its friends and attack with a ball of energy at you. Drops 32 rings when defeated.

Deep Nightmare/Nightmare: The big grunts of the Dark Gaia force, they use their stretchy arms to attack at different ranges. Drops 34 rings when smashed.

Titans: Equal to being the Dark Gaia commanders, they carry around wooden clubs and swing them, but can also create shockwaves to unbalance enemies. Drops 36 rings when smashed.

Treasures:

From Guards:

Bronze Coin: Worth 125 coins and 63 rings.

Silver Coin: Worth 145 coins and 73 rings.

Gold Coin: Worth 165 coins and 83 rings.

From Pedestals:

Legendary Hot Dog: Found in one of the pagodas in Act 1. Worth 2500 coins and 1250 rings.

Golden Dragon Fangs: Found on one of the islands in Act 2. Worth 2600 coins and 1300 rings.

Ageless Scroll: Found in a temple in Act 3. Worth 2700 coins and 1350 rings.

The coins have a dragon for the design on them.

-----

Dragon Road Zone Act 1: Espio and Sly tackle the first act here, in broad daylight. Hmm… Anyway, the player runs and sneaks across the Great Wall that Sonic used to run on before. This then diverts to large pagodas and dragon statues that span across the water, with plenty of guards keeping watch for the player. The act ends when Sly and Espio have to divert by jumping off a bridge to the water and little islands below.

*At the start.*

Sly: “Huh, this place looks quite similar to our China, but it’s not China…”

Espio: “We call this place Chun-nan. From what I saw in your world, it is safe to say this place is just our world’s version of your China.”

Sly: “Well, that makes things easy. Well… I never thought I’d be thieving in broad daylight.”

Espio: “There’s still plenty of shadows from the cliffs, and I know you can just make yourself a shadow.”

Sly: “Yeah. Well, time to get sightseeing, and thieving.”

*After a lot of running from dash panels and twisty roads.*

Sly clutches his head, which has the ‘Dizzy’ stars floating around: “WHOA!!! God… that was really fast…”

Espio chuckles: “It’s a nice workout for the legs.”

Sonic, over the binocucom: “Sounds like you guys are having fun over there.”

Sly: “Yeah… minus the sore legs and spun head.”

*Near the end of the act, on the bridge.*

Sly: “Hmmm… no enemies.”

Espio: “Is that a bad sign?”

Sly: “Since this is General Tsao we are after? Yeah. This is leading to a trap.”

General Tsao, over a speaker as enemies start appearing from the ends of the bridges: “Stupid Cooper and Gang! You are trespassing on my property! Prepare to die by my forces!”

Espio: “We’re surrounded.”

Sly: “Not quite. Looks like we’re going swimming.”

*The player jumps off and lands on an island below to end the act.*

---

Dragon Road Zone Act 2: Sonic and Dimitri hydroplane and swim across the Dragon Boat river channel in an attempt to find a sneaky way in and get the drop on General Tsao. Thankfully, Sonic can’t drown here and will just end up under the water, where there some rings for lucky lookers, but he’ll have to find a new landmass to hydroplane on again. The act ends when they find the fishing area for Chun-nan.

*At the start.*

Dimitri: “Finally! Some water I can take a dip in. Now so swift and agile like a fish!”

Sonic: “I hope you can keep up with me when I hydroplane across the water.”

Dimitri: “I can keep up. I got speed, bro. I aint no slowpoke.”

*When passing by some Dragon Boats.*

General Tsao, on loudspeakers: “Be on the lookout for the Cooper gang and any friends of theirs. Don’t think of being a hero.”

General Tsao: “In fact, I am offering to spare the life of whoever brings me the head of Cooper, dead!”

General Tsao: “Also, all women in Chun-nan are forced to attend to a wedding ceremony to be entered into marriage to me!! Anyone who disobeys or abets to hiding will be killed instantly!”

---

Dragon Road Zone Act 3: For Bentley and Vector, night has fallen as they trek their way to the main village itself. Unfortunately, General Tsao has brought his hopping, exploding Mantis Vampires to act as an extra guard to any trespassers. And even worse, his dark magic influence seems to have awoken the Gaia forces, and they’re prowling around too, though they seem to just be attacking anything that’s passing by (I mean, how would you like it if someone just brought their dead to your land?). Bentley and Vector will have to keep their wits and strength together to fight their way up the cliffs and into Chun-nan itself. The act ends when they reach a familiar night temple…

*At the start.*

Vector: *Sniffs* “Mmm, fishing village. Delicious. I believe we are at the lowest point in Chun-nan.”

Bentley: “So we’re going to have to follow the cliffs up to the village itself?”

Vector: “Yeah. It’s quite a beautiful night.”

Bentley: “There certainly is a beauty here… but something worries me, and I can’t put a finger on it.”

*When they enter an open space, Mantis Vampires appear first…*

Bentley: “Whoa!?! General Tsao brought his hopping vampire?! This is going to be way harder than we thought!”

*...Soon followed by Dark Gaia forces.*

Vector: “Oh, no! Not the Dark Gaia force too! Those monsters are even harder to kill than Eggman’s robots!”

*Thankfully, they both start fighting each other that culminates in defeated Mantis Vampires, then defeated Dark Gaia minions once the corpses explode.*

Bentley and Vector: “Huh?”

Tails, over the binocucom: “I think I can answer why, but first, is General Tsao’s vampires brought by dark magic?”

Sly, over the binocucom: “Yeah, they’re his past servants weaved with dark magic to be his loyal force.”

Tails, over the binocucom: “Hah, he’s a fool! Both his vampires and the Dark Gaia forces are trying to occupy the same magical space, but since the Dark Gaia were here first, they’re attacking the foreign entities from entering their home! This is the perfect distraction to get by!”

Bentley: “Nice. I see General Tsao didn’t think too far ahead in his plans. He’s brazen, but dumb, and dumb won out here.”

Vector: “Still, we better be careful when a victor emerges. We’ll have to fight what’s left to get by.”

*Once in Chun-nan proper.*

Vector: “We’re in Chun-nan village now. Where is General Tsao?”

Bentley: “I am calculating that he might be in that temple?”

Vector: “The Gaia Temple… yeah, that’s a good stronghold.”

---

Dragon Road Zone Act 4 (BOSS): Rouge, Amy, Blaze, Marine, and Carmelita arrive outside the Gaia Temple, where General Tsao has cockily made his stand…

General Tsao sees the ladies come his way. “What the? Where the hell are Cooper and his gang?”

Carmelita: “They decided to help on the villagers, and they thought it was a good idea to send the girls to fight you.”

General Tsao: “Hah! You girls dare to challenge me? You pathetic women are too wimpy to even be able to damage me! Go back home and call the men over, who are looking just as pathetic for letting the females fight.”

Rouge: “No! You’re going to fight us!”

Amy: “We’re not as weak as you think we are!”

Blaze: “Let’s see you call us weak when we burn you!”

Marine: “Argh, this fool is too crazy. Even ladies make good Cap’ts!”

Carmelita: “Besides, it was Sly’s idea to have you fight us, just to piss you off. And I specifically remember making fried chicken out of you when you ‘married’ me, thanks to Sly.”

General Tsao: “Grr… it still burns... Fair enough. Prepare to die, worthless women!”

Boss: General Tsao

General Tsao is just as dangerous as he was before, what with his kicks and his spike shield, and magical dragon heads, and his undead Mantises trying to pull you into the ground. He’s going to go all out on you, and there’s no bamboo to save your life. But, then again, when you have Rouge’s flight and kicks, Amy’s hammer, Blaze’s flame aura, Marine’s hydrokinesis and Carmelita’s shock pistol, General Tsao may just have met his match… or so you’d think…

*Once ‘defeated’*

Carmelita: “You better give up, Tsao, before we do more than just rustle your feathers.”

General Tsao: “Grr… you ladies are a bit more powerful than I expected… but let’s see how you are…” *He jumps down to the river below, but then comes back up on a Clockwerk bird that looks to be a mix of his dragon from Sly 3 and Clockwerk birds from before.* “... My Dragon Clockwerk!”

*He flies into the air, and just starts attacking the village with fire.*

--

*Meanwhile*

*Sonic and Cream have entered the inner sanctum of the Gaia Temple.*

Cream: “Why have you taken me in here, Sonic?”

Sonic: “So you talk to somebody to provide extra help to our friends outside. Hey, Chip!”

*A small green ball appears from the back wall, then approaches them. In a flash, it turns into a ghostly image of a friend named Chip.*

Chip: “Oh! Hey, Sonic! Long time no see! Well, since you defeated Eggman in that orange bandicoot’s world whose name escapes me at the moment.”

Sonic: “It was Crash, but that’s not important. We need some help to defeat someone outside the Temple.”

Chip: “Ah… that General Tsao that the locals have been mentioning in their prayers recently. But I can’t really do much though… least not directly.”

Sonic: “Well, you control the Phoenix here, right?”

Chip: “Again, indirectly, but yeah. Why?”

Sonic: “Perhaps Cream might be able to control it?”

Cream: “Oh? Me?”

Chip: “Hmmm… I do sense that happy, bubbly, pure of heartness in her. Maybe you’re right, Sonic!”

*Chip calls the Phoenix, which appears in a burst of flames.*

Sonic: “Go ahead, Cream. Say hi to it. I fully believe you’ll be okay.”

Cream: “Okay…”

*Cream walks up to the Phoenix, which takes notice of her by dropping its head down to examine her. After a couple seconds, the Phoenix drops the flames surrounding it, showing it respects Cream, and even drops its head further enough that Cream can pat and scratch its chin. The Phoenix chirps to the affection.*

Chip: “Whoa! How did you know, Sonic?!”

Sonic: “Well, if the Chao like her, it doesn’t seem like much of a stretch any beast would like and be tamed by her.”

Chip: “Ah… hmmm… so that means your going to let Cream take the Phoenix out to eliminate General Tsao?”

Sonic: “If that’s alright, Chip.”

Chip: “Well, it’s indirect help… and she’s definitely going to take good care of it… ah, go ahead, Cream. He’s yours whenever you visit Chun-nan.”

Cream: “Thank you, Mr. Chip!”

Chip: “Heh, don’t mention it. Well, I better get back. Just return him once your done. Back to the ether with Dark Gaia.” *In the same green flash, he returns to a green ball and goes back into the temple wall.*

Sonic: “Okay, Cream, go get General Tsao!”

Cream: “You got it!”

--

*Soon, Cream gets the Phoenix flying after the Dragon Clockwerk as Sonic rejoins the girls.*

Blaze: *Gasp* “The Phoenix… but how? Not many are allowed to see the gods.”

Sonic: “I had an in with Chip. And guess who’s controlling it?”

*The Phoenix flies by and a faint voice of Cream can be heard saying hi to them.*

Amy: “Wait, Cream is controlling that thing? That’s dangerous!”

Sonic: “The Phoenix likes her. Even wanted to be petted by Cream.”

Blaze stammers: “W-what?! L-likes her?! I-i-i…”

Amy: “Well, she is a pretty sweet girl. Guess even gods can tell a good caretaker from the bad and neutral.”

Blaze: “I-i-I suppose…” *In thought: “She’s very lucky.” *

Sonic: “Well, let’s watch the show, heh he.”

Boss: Dragon Clockwerk

With a little help from Chip, Cream’s good hearted nature has awoken both him and the Phoenix that resides here. With his blessing, Cream is allowed to jump on and control the bird as they fly into the sky and take out General Tsao’s Dragon Clockwerk. Since the bird is literally on fire, just contact will damage the Clockwerk already, though it may not be smart to stay too close as it can still use its claws to return damage back. Of course, you could use the Phoenix’s ranged quill missiles to do greater damage, but that can only be used so many times until it needs recharging. The dumb Dragon Clockwerk still spits fireballs, which can be used to both heal and restock the Phoenix’s quills, though the fireballs still have momentum enough to push you back a bit. Just keep on the attack and General Tsao will soon be stopped for good.

*Once defeated, the Dragon Clockwerk crashes and explodes and knocks General Tsao back to the ground, where he is immediately arrested. The Phoenix lands and Cream joins them again.*

Cream: “Yay! The Phoenix and I did it!”

General Tsao, before losing consciousness: “The mighty Tsao… defeated by a little girl… so much shame…”

Carmelita: “You’re a shame already. She’s just rubbing it in your face.”

-----

The Getaway:

Sonic, narrating: “We returned the Phoenix back to Chip, and sent Tsao back where he belonged when Penelope gave some good news.”

Penelope: “Good news, everyone! I’ve figured out where and who the signal is coming from!”

Bentley: “That’s awesome, Penelope! I knew you could do it. Greatest hacking mind right here.”

Penelope: “Aw, shucks… *Ahem.* Any way, I’ll start with the where. It seems to be coming from; drumroll please…”

*Murray does a drumroll on his belly.*

Penelope: “Space! Heh… specifically, from the exosphere!”

Bentley: “Huh? That should be impossible.”

Sonic: “Not quite. I think I know where he is. But, moving on, what about who?”

Penelope: “Using DNA provided by INTERPOL, along with Science, and a healthy dose of Supernatural, I have determined our dead guy to be… Arpeggio!”

Sly: “But he died and was quickly eaten by Clock-La. I saw that.”

Sonic: “Again, it’s possible, and it means a machine of his is better than ever. We better hurry and find Eggman.”

Next Time: It’s time to deal with the big Eggman himself. Quick, to the new and improved Eggman’s Incredible Interstellar Amusement Park!