#and I still have new games I haven't even beaten yet

[akkalawilds]

I'm constantly in the middle of replaying games

[the-corpse-regards-you]

fucked up that astarion came into my life during these two months of ABSOLUTE PURE TRAUMATIZING HELL and significantly helped keep me sane via escapism, like if he wasn't already So My Type It's Painful now he's gonna be imprinted on me forever i'm never going to escape

[baldursgate3tempobsessed]

Your stories have definitely scratched that Astarion itch that I've had since I started the game!

One thing that's diffently not sat right with me at the end of the game, is how tav and the gang don't run after astarion after he loses his immunity to the sun. I would imagine that if the player character was romantically involved with the guy they would atleast try to shield or comfort the poor guy. A short drabble on that would be awesome!

That's so sad, I heard that's what happens 😭😭 I'm in act 3 and haven't had to see it for myself yet so yes, let's do some preemptive therapy there! And just warning since I haven't beaten the game yet I'm sure this will be inaccurate as fuck, but also with spoilers somehow ~

~

It was an exhilarating feeling, to win against all odds. One that Astarion had never been confident he would experience. It felt good, final. The official beginning of his new free life, even if it was bittersweet.

This was the bitter part, the end of his illithid protection. The sun was barely peeking over the horizon, and the burn was already starting. He was being an idiot, standing there with the rest of you like he belonged, waiting for the last possible second before he had to scuttle down in the darkness. But he wanted to see this out. Hadn't he earned that right?

According to the laws of reality, no. No he hadn't, because you had barely opened your mouth before the pain started to overwhelm him. The others would be able to hear it, the sickening sound of his skin crackling.

He was out of time. But before he could make a break for it, you happened. Astarion had been a little preoccupied with his impending doom to pay close attention to what you had been mumbling. But then sudden blackness was blanketing above your heads, opaque enough to make it as dark as night.

Astarion's eyes widened as the pain subsided, surprised beyond belief.

You were looking at him with concern in your eyes, gesturing to the think cloud of darkness above your head, "Will this be dark enough? Can it still get through?"

Astarion stared at you, momentarily confused on why you would do something like that. Before he remembered, oh. Yes. The extended care for his well-being was probably included in the whole love thing. Of course. Obviously.

That was definitely going to take some getting used to.

But the reasoning didn't stop an idiotic smile from blooming on his face.

You grinned back at him, somehow still managing to read his mind even without the tadpoles, "Did you really think I would forget about you?"

He had, but through no fault of your own. One of these days he was going to actually remember that he was worth the effort to keep alive.

"Thank you darling," Astarion said, ignoring the quested as he waltzed up to you. He grabbed your hand in his, bringing it up to his lips to kiss, "Just what would I do without you?"

"Speaking of," You turned to the Emperor, a question in your eyes as you vaguely waved upward, "Is there anything we can do about this particular problem?"

"The astral tadpole is still-"

"I'll pass on that, thank you very much," Astarion interrupted, cringing at the very thought of willingly letting another worm into his brain, "But I appreciate the thought."

There were worse things than living his life in darkness. And Astarion was counting becoming a mind flayer in the top three.

He watched, participated even in everyone's final goodbyes, always eyeing you at of the corner of his eye. It's not that he thought you would leave after you both declared your eternal love for each other, but... the two of you hadn't exactly talked about the specifics of the future either.

But that didn't stop you from leaving together. Astarion hadn't expected you to keep the dark cloud above his head as you walked the streets, startling nearly every passerby. But hells, the heroes of Baldur's gate had earned the right to a little strangeness.

You both had decided on going to the nearest, most windowless inn that you could find. Astarion wanted nothing more than to scrub the brain viscera from his skin and sleep for three days. Preferably with you in his arms.

But before all that... he had to know something.

The question was out of him as soon as you both were behind closed doors, "So what happens next to the great hero of Baldur's Gate? I'm sure you have something in mind."

He was just praying those future plans still involved him.

You blinked at him, head cocked like he was asking a silly question, "We go and find you a cure so you can walk in the sun again of course. What else would we do?"

That took Astarion aback, "I-Do you think that's really possible?"

"Well," You started, counting off on your fingers, "We know that illithid powers can do it. As well as devil contacts and ritualistic demon sacrifices. If that's all possible then that means there has to be something else on the other end of the spectrum, right?"

Astarion didn't exactly share your blind confidence. But you did have a point. The two of you had managed so many impossible feats in such a short amount of time. What was one more?

"I suppose there's a chance," Astarion said, hope fluttering in his chest with every word, "And if there is a chance no matter how small, I'm going to take it. But..."

He didn't want to ask, but he needed to know, "Are you sure this is what you want? I would... understand if you wanted to go your own way."

In all honesty, Astarion would not understand. He'd be absolutely furious. Especially after everything you'd been through. This was more of a confirmation for his waning self-confidence than anything else, versus a sincere to desire to let you go your own way. He had no intention of letting you go, not if he could help it.

But his near certainty in your feelings was the only thing that gave him the confidence to ask the question in the first place. And you did not disappoint.

"No, this is what I want," You insisted, reaching out to take his hand in yours, "You're what I want."

That was exactly what Astarion needed to hear. He used your joined hands to tug you closer, face to face.

"Good, because as selfless as I am, I really did not want to let you go," Astarion smiled, leaning in to lightly press a kiss to your lips, "I hope you realize that my love has made me a tad bit obsessed with you my dear."

"I'm sure it's no worse than me," You sighed, resting your forehead against his own, "You've really ruined me for anyone else haven't you?"

Astarion grinned, leaning in for another kiss. He had every intention of making it stay that way, for as long as you would have him.

[twignotstick]

Broken Brothers (and How to Fix Them)

Part 2 💙 | <- Part 1 🧡

Note: This story is based on @cupcakeslushie 's Empyrean Weeping au. These characters are not my own, and this story is in no way canon to the main story. I wrote this as my love letter to the story and the characters. Especially April :)

Tags: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, ROTTMNT, Leo & April, NOT MY CHARACTERS, Empyrean Weeping AU, recovery (i have a sneaking suspicion that will apply to the whole fic,,), talking it out because we're adults, movies, comics, they're becoming friends

Warnings (if there's anything I should add here, tell me please!): Mention of violence (its one sentence, but figure I should still put it here :P)

Words: 1,588 (there's less setup this time)

Summary: April was able to figure out her first brother easily. Now, she gets three more, with a couple more issues to worry about.

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

As soon as she even saw Leo for the first time, she knew he wouldn't be as easy to get along with as Mikey was. Mikey was always so open, so bright, so bouncy. Leo, in comparison, was still, dull, and closed off. He had just come from a terrible ninja clan, beaten by his own master. It was kind of warranted.

Any time April would enter the medbay where they were keeping Leo, he would silently stare a hole in her soul. His face had hardly loosened from the scowl he had adopted, and any time April would get near, it would just harden more. Even so, April kept trying to get close. Despite Raph's concerns for her physical health. (And with Mikey's encouragement, because he was happy to enable the potentially dangerous behavior.)

One afternoon, she decided to bring a ton of her Jupiter Jim comics to read. The boys needed a break from watching their somewhat-volatile-yet-severely-wounded brother, and April knew he wouldn't talk to her. So, once she settled down in her chair a few feet away from the bed where Leo was scowling, she pulled out the comic she'd left off on: Jupiter Jim Breaks Newton's Fourth Law, Volume 8.

After a few minutes of reading, April couldn't help but notice a change in Leo out of her peripheral vision. He wasn't staring at her anymore, but at her comic. This glare wasn't full of discontent and uncertainty. Instead, it was filled with emotions he was trying (and failing) to hide- curiosity and excitement.

“You read Jupiter Jim?”

Leo was surprised by the sudden question and whipped his gaze away, a slight flush coming to his cheeks. “No.”

April's journalism senses were kicking in. There was a story here. “Why not?”

“Things like that are…” Leo's posture tightened, almost as if the thing he was about to say wasn't what he believed, “useless distractions.”

“I don't think so,” April said, shifting her chair a little closer to the bed. “I think it's important to have distractions sometimes. Y'know, during finals, when you're sick, when you've got a broken arm…” Subtly, April started slipping the comic in her hands to the bed. “You can read it, if you want.”

“No. I can't.”

Leo looked surprisingly aggressive when he responded. He seemed to catch his unwarranted anger and mumbled, “I still haven't read 6 or 7.”

“Oh!” April sat up straight and grabbed her bag from the floor. “I've got the whole arc up to 9 in here, I thiiink-” Once she had fished out the comics she was looking for, she placed them on the corner of the bed by Leo's feet.

The slider stared at the comics like they'd offended him.

“...well?”

“I-I can't. I can't hold them with my arm-”

“I can hold it for you!” April said. “I can turn the pages whenever you need.”

Leo finally looked back at April with that trademark scowl he always had. “What's your game, woman?”

April smiled. “No games, just trying to make you feel comfortable in your new home.”

Leo huffed. “This isn't my home.”

“It's where your family is, isn't it? Isn't that what matters?” April asked genuinely.

Leo looked back down at the comics. His eyes softened while the rest of his expression remained, and he picked Volume 6 up with his good arm. He opened it and silently began to read.

They both sat and read for a while. April noticed Leo struggling to turn pages sometimes, but she didn't dare try to help him. She thought he might bite her hand if she did. He was still scowling at the comic as he read, but it looked less like a scowl of anger and more one of concentration.

When he got done with Volume 6, April spoke. “So, who's your favorite character?”

“...JJ, obviously.” Leo slowly reached out and grabbed the next volume.

“Seriously? That's so basic.”

Leo scoffed. “Really? Then who's your favorite character?”

“Atomic Lass, obvi,” April said, flipping her hair for emphasis.

“Atomic Lass?! Her personality is literally just ‘woman’.”

“Uh, yeah, and that's the point?! Atomic Lad is just ‘man’. Haven't you watched Jupiter Jim on the Atomic Sub-Moon?”

Leo's shoulders lowered. “...watched?”

April sprung up and put her arms on the bed, looking down at Leo in shock. “YOU'VE NEVER WATCHED A JUPITER JIM MOVIE?!”

“NO?! THEY MAKE THOSE?!”

“THAT'S IT!” April grabbed her bag from the floor and moved it over to the side of Leo's bed. “You, keep reading. I'll get one of the boys to watch you. I need to head home and get my box set. We are having a movie night. Understand?!”

“Y-yes ma'am!”

“We can start with Last Trip to the Moon 1, but then we are watching Atomic Sub-Moon, I DO NOT care if the context is lost, you'll figure it out.”

“O-okay?!”

“RAPH!”

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

“So… the real Atomic Lad and Atomic Lass are dead?!”

“Yes! And the Atomic Lad and Lass we know are-”

“People carrying on the legacy, who the Atomic people believe are still the originals?!”

“YES! That's why they never use their real names, that's why-”

“Why they act like Barbie and Ken for space…”

“Now you get it!” April leaned back into her bean bag and put her arms behind her head. The movie night had gone way better than expected. They had to set up the best pillow pile they could, since they didn't have a sofa big enough for everybody. In the end, April and Leo stayed in bean bags and watched the movies while the others went about their day. It took a minute for Leo to get into it, but once the moon buggy showed up, he was hooked. For the first time, April saw a child in Leo. 

“So, have I won you over with an emotional, heart breaking backstory?” April asked slyly.

“Uh, no.”

April's eyes snapped to the slider. “WHAT?! What do you meeean?! I don't get how you like JJ more than Atomic Lass!”

“Well, he's the main character for a reason, for one.” Leo took another bite of the pizza slice he had been eating. “And second, he's the one who always gets everyone out of the bad stuff. He's the hero, and he isn't scared to sacrifice for his crew.”

“But, consider this, Atomic Lass has a giant rocket powered hammer, Leo.”

“JJ doesn't need a weapon. He's got the nerve pinch technique.”

“They never use the nerve pinch technique, though!” April whined.

“That doesn't mean he doesn't have it!”

“I never thought someone could be as dorky as April,” Raph said from where he stood a few feet away from the bean bag setup. “And yet, here we are.”

“Wh- dorky?!” Leo scoffed, looking at Raph incredulously.

“Yeah, dorky!” Mikey popped out from behind Raph's shoulder. “Y'know, nerdy? Geeky? Criiinge?”

Leo's face flushed and he curled in on himself, stammering.

“Hey, y'all are just jealous that we're bonding,” April defended. “If you gave JJ a chance, you'd like it too.”

Raph and Mikey both shut up quick. April waved them off, and they hurried out to the kitchen again, saying they were “getting more snacks”.

Now that they were alone, April looked over at Leo again. “They're stupid. Can't appreciate good media.”

“Good media?” Leo asked. “You mean B-Movies and old comics?”

“Yeah, man.” April grabbed a blanket and tossed it over at Leo, making him fumble to keep it off his face with his good arm. “It makes you feel good, doesn't it?”

Leo looked down and contemplated. “I mean… yeah. But I-”

“Shouldn't?”

Leo took a deep breath. “Yeah.”

“You don't have to worry about what you should or shouldn't do here, Leo,” April said, sitting more upright to look at Leo better. “You do what you want. What makes you feel good. That's all you should worry about when you're home. Doing what you want and feeling good.”

Leo turned away, looking at the TV, paused at the end of the credits.

“If it means anything, this really made me feel good,” April said. “It's cool to have somebody to talk about ‘nerd stuff’ with. And I'm glad you liked the movies. Atomic Sub-Moon is one of my favorites. Not as good as Pluto Vacation 4, but good.”

“There's more?” Leo asked timidly.

“Oh, there's loads more!” April grinned. “There's like a jillion Last Trip to the Moons, there's Jupiter Jim and the Overly Complicated Magic System, Jupiter Jim Squared Minus One, Jupiter Jim Breaks into Federal Prison, there's tons! We can have more movie nights, if you want.”

Leo looked at the blanket laying over him, grabbing it and rubbing it between his fingers. “I think… I think I want that.”

April pumped her fist. “Sweet! This means I've still got time to win you over to the Atomic Side.”

Leo let a single laugh escape his lips. “Yeah, not happening. Jim is the best, I don't care what you say. Even Red Fox is better than Atomic Lass.”

“AH! HOW DARE YOU?!” April stood up and looked down at Leo. “Just you wait, nonbeliever. Just wait until I show you the Atomic Lass spinoff comic. Or the Atomic Lass movies. You will change.”

“I wouldn't bet on it.”

“Oh YEAH?! I will bet on it. I'll bet on it so hard, you can call me Troy Bolton.”

Leo's eyes nervously shifted from side to side, centering back on April. “...who?”

“...YOU'VE NEVER SEEN HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL?!”

“NO?!?”

“RAPH!”

○●○●○●○

Yippee! Part 2! Part 3 is giving me more... issues... so it might take a minute to come out. But its coming! 🟪🐢

I really leaned into Leo's inner dorkiness here. I just thought him and April bonding over their obsession with an insane astronaut man was so cute. <3 (This is also why I'm so excited for the rest of Leo's arc in the actual comic! GAH!!!)

Congrats to everyone who won the first round of @tmntaucompetition voting! Very excited for the next round coming up :)

Part 3 -> 💜

[gornackeaterofworlds]

for the ask game? 10, 23, 30, 33, 54, 57, 75?

Hi hi!!

10. What is the last beverage you had?

Cranpineapple Juice!! Still drinkin

23. Are your eyes the same color as your dad’s?

Nope. I have a grey-green, his is dark brown. I don't even have my mom's eye color lol. I had a really good picture a year ago, a beautiful albeit grainy pic of my eyes in the sun, and I lost it>:/

30. Does everyone deserve a second chance?

Yes. Ofc it depends but there are times people get second chances that others don't realize, like just the passage of time. For example, some random person's mother has had years and years to become get better and more mature and apologize for the damage they've done, yet every day they scream and say things like "I can be as immature as I want to", I'd hate to be that lady's kid haha. On a separate note, I was given a second chance in a way. I used to be a disgustingly conservative young teen and had disgusting online circles. I got TikTok, I got educated, realized how awful I was. Made new friends that didn't know me, new good people. I'm not eternally kicked and beaten for my old ways, even when I thought I should be. I'm glad I was given TIME

33. Are you one of those people who never drinks soda?

Ehhh. I just don't have access to it. It's expensive

54. Ever eat a pierogi?

Nope. Ik its crazy, I'm in Pittsburgh, but I am an extremely picky eater. Hate any kind of pasta, ravioli, etc

57. Do you believe in ghosts?

Yeah, most of the time

75. Do you study better with or without music?

I wish I could answer this properly, but I haven't studied in over a year. I study best in pure quiet I think? I liked the classroom ambience of just pencil scratches. It's also currently very loud, which taints my feelings. Thinking more, when I really focus I kinda zone out. Like with art. Sometimes if songs I like are on I do fine, but when I really need to lock in I turn it off

[z0-ne]

Christmas time (Fish eyes! Uncle illumi x child reader! platonic)

Dead dove: do not eat - Mentions of emotional abuse, physical, scars, suicidal thoughts kidnapping and isolation. Read with caution!

It's a Holiday. A Holiday I should celebrate, or at least I should be celebrating. I should be happy I've finally found my way out of that wretched room.

My nails are bent and some hanging onto the skin by a thread, but I am free of that cold dark room.

My feet may be bare, the snow stings at my toes, freezing my nerves and causing me to shiver, but I don't have to worry about the cruel gaze of those empty black eyes. The ones that stare at me, unblinking, unfeeling as I am whipped for failing to win his sick games or the games of his accomplice.

I'm alone, but I am alive. I am older than I was when I was brought here. I am no longer that small child, sobbing their days away with a grumbling stomach. A ten year old child stands in their place.

I have learned my way around that house, but it was easier in the summer to track a way out. With the snow piling, nearly reaching up to my knees with every step, the wind harsh and unforgiving as more snow covers my line of sight.

Winter is cold and merciless.

I keep going. I'm not sure what I am really looking for at this point, I want a way out. But I cant tell if I'm closer or further from my goal. What will I do once I think I'm safe?

Will I run? Will I simply hide away? If I hide where would I hide? As far as Im concerned there isnt another sign of life for miles, and the winter is much to harsh for me to make it to town just to get others killed like....

Like I did all that time ago. The memories of her dead corpse, her lifeless body hiting the ground, how she painted the grass red with her blood. It haunts me to this day, and I know it should.

He's told me, so many times. Nothing would've happened had I simply stayed where I was told to be. Had I not let my curiosity- no, my stupidity get to me, I wouldn't have led her to her death.

At first, I was in denial, I tried to push away my thoughts of accountability, burying them under false thoughts that I was simply a child.

Excuses. Thats what it was, and I am much to old for those now. So where can I go? What can I do? I can not go to another, for the fear of killing someone else for my own selfish needs is far too much for me to bare.

The snow grows taller, and my body grows colder. However I keep walking, for some reason I don't stop. Its like my body won't let me.

The body that should be dead, but stays alive only by taking from others. I should've died that day. Not her, not my Nanny, such a kind selfless soul, even in her last moments she did nothing but give while all I did was stand by and take.

I took her chance of life away once I ran, I took it away once I stayed still instead of running back to her and pleading to go home.

'Home.'. I think to myself, my breath hitches as my heart stops for just a moment. What is that at this point? Is it the place where I am beaten for allowing my steps to be heard in the halls?? Where I am told I should feel guilty for being alive when if given the chance I'd gladly fix my mistake?

Is it the place where I thought I'd be happier, surrounded with my siblings, my parents, in a warm area with a fire infront of me to keep me warm. Food on the stove, the smell of it enough to make my mouth water and my stomach grumble.

A place where my birth was a blessing instead of a curse. Where my life is celebrated and I am not punished for every breath I take.

Do I...even deserve such a place? I've taken from them, a life. Its no wonder they haven't come for me yet. It has been four years, and not even a single sign. New scars, deeper and more painful are placed upon me everyday, and they're likely joined together by the fire enjoying its gentle warmth.

While I am suffering in the rough hands of the cold. The snow at my knees, my eyes squinted, I can hardly feel my face now. If I were to cry, my tears would likely freeze.

As I continue to drag my feet through the snow, I see something in the distance- no not something. Someone, it is...my fathers shadow? All the way out here?

I hear his distant call, his voice so familiar it has to be him. 'No, I shouldn't waste his time...my uncle...says I'm a nuisance to them.' I think, attempting to remind myself that I no long have a place there.

However, I hear his voice call out to me once more, and my body reacts despite my mind screaming for it to give up. My legs picking themselves up as they force themselves through the snow.

A loud crunch as I stomp through it, only to trip over my leg, I fall forward but that doesn't matter, my body keeps moving, my arms flailing around aimlessly to keep moving despite knowing I shouldn't bother.

He's there, he's so close and I see it. I imagine the warmth of his hug, how it felt to be engulfed in his arms and swung around as if it was a miracle to see me and i longed for that love again.

So I kept going. I got closer, and closer, squinting my eyes as the wind grew more harsh. Once close enough, I reached out yelling at his back, hoping to grab onto the fabric and catch his attention. So he'd lift me into his arms and hold me once more.

"Dad!" I call out but I an disappointed, my eyes opened wide, my vision clears as the wind stops-- no time itself seemed to stop. It wasn't the back of my father, nor the shadow of Gon or my mother

No, it was but a lonely tree. No lights. No ornaments. Nothing. Its trunk was buried into the snow, and only the green is visible.

In an instance, I feel my heart shatter, and I fall to my knees as the wind blows once more, gently moving the leafs of the tree, swaying back and forth.

Another case of denial. Why would they come for me? Why would they ever even for a moment consider bringing me back when I've only caused problems in their lives?

Even when I know I don't deserve a home, even when I know I don't deserve their love, or their warmth. I still have those selfish thoughts, those pointless wishes.

I look down, my hands numb and covered in snow. I'm so cold...but I deserve it. I don't deserve the warmth. I look at my arms and wrist, covered in welts and bruises from my punishments, atoning for my actions.

A little pain in comparison to my Nanny loosing her life... I have been far too lucky.

My eyelids are growing heavy, and so is the rest of my body. I shiver as I loose feeling in my trembling bones. 'I should've...died that day....I should die now...' I think to myself as I lay in the snow, underneath that lonely tree.

While my vision has gone black, I can hear footsteps approaching in the distance. As I wish for death, I know a fate much worse awaits me once he arrives.

The winter may be cruel and merciless, but it can also be beautiful and kind unlike my Uncle.

Illumi, more cruel than winter, and anything I've ever known, and as my mind fades. I can only hope to be selfish one more time and not wake up the next day.

(BONUS! [Just in case you want a kinda happy ending])

Honestly, I've only dealt with two children as... stupid as this one.

What child, would run off in the middle of a blizzard and in the dead of night none the less?

I have been walking for hours, questioning why I am doing this for some child who isn't really my responsibility. I never said we should kidnap them. I was done with raising children after their mother.

Alas, their potential did catch my attention, not to mention the odd sense of dejavu I get when I look at them.

I have a coat, and clothes to cover up, but I didn't think I'd be hunting down a preteen so late at night, by myself nonetheless.

'Being left to babysit and I've lost it in the middle of a blizzard. How lovely-' I think to myself, before I pause. I see them, just as they fall face first into the snow.

I sigh, shaking my head as I walk through the snow, it crunches beneath my feet as i get closer to them. Once close enough, there they are. Curled up in the snow,, trembling.

Again, I get a sense of dejavu. Its the worse times when they look most like their mother to me. They're just as troublesome as she was, I grunt as I bend down, picking them up by the scuffle of their shirt and hoist them over my shoulder.

"You should be lucky that Illumi didn't find you." I say with a chuckle, the child is unconscious, although if illumi had found them instead of me a punishment would await them once they wake.

"Take this act of mercy as your "present" from me."

However, judging by their frozen skin, and trembling body I'm sure the winter was punishment enough.

[falciesystemessays]

a very fun fact about final fantasy xii is about its New Game- mode that locks every character to their minimum possible level. so vaan is level 1, balthier and fran are level 2, basch/ashe/penelo are level 3, and guest characters are level 5. you can still use the license board and equip better stuff, but you can't level grind anymore.now i actually really like this mode, it adds a lot to the game, but that's not what i want to say about it.

i want to talk about Prime Level Death.

and also generally about the Zalera fight. this is an optional boss with a lot going on, but the main thing about Zalera is that he casts aoe spells that target specific levels. if you fought that one boss in the ivalice raids in ffxiv, you're probably getting flashbacks. he has Level 2 Sleep (so any even number), Level 3 Disable, Level 4 Break, Level 5 Reverse, and Prime Level Death. again, these spells affect all player units with those levels.

so balth and fran can get slept, basch/ashe/pen can get disabled, and any guest character can get reversed. and then Prime Level Death affects... everyone. except one. yes, except 1. vaan, by nature of being locked to the absolute lowest level possible, is immune to ALL of zalera's shenaniganery. the only other levels to have this blessing are 49, 77, and 91, and zalera himself is level 40. i haven't beaten new game minus yet, but i have beaten this fight, and it was so fun to realize that vaan, by nature of being the worst, was actually the best against this one boss.

[icbiwf]

It's Reaping Day! May the odds be ever in your favor.

Do you think it’s significant that the Reaping is on USA's Independence Day? Why do you think Suzanne Collins choose this date?

Do you think Reaping of 74th Hunger Games is rigged? Yes/No? Why?

If the Reaping could be rigged. Who do you think participate in this process?

Thank you.

@curiousthg

Oh boy @curiousthg this is just asking for all my spiciest takes. Buckle up.

Now, I haven't read TBOSAS, so take all of this with that grain of salt, but I kind of hate that Reaping Day is July 4. It's just a little too cutesy of a reference for me. Like, if the first Hunger Games were taking place in like the year 2050 and the cartoonishly evil government made Reaping Day July 4 that would be one thing, but THG takes place far, far, far into the future. After an environmental collapse that led to a societal collapse that led to a population collapse. Or maybe an environmental collapse that led to a population collapse that led to a societal collapse? Whatever, that detail isn't super important right now.

There was a collapse of nearly everything - governments broke down, social systems broke down, wars were fought over the little that was left to fight over. Eventually things stabilized, and then eventually something new rose from the ashes. And then that status quo existed for a while before the Dark Days rebellion. That doesn't all happen in a decade or two, that takes hundreds of years. When Katniss recounts the history of Panem she refers to the land as "a place that was once called North America." The United States isn't even a memory for her. And yet the date of July 4 is still important enough that they made it the new Reaping Day? I'm sorry, that's a flying snowman moment for me. It's like the book is breaking the fourth wall and winking at the audience.

Anyway, enough of me insulting a detail in a book I haven't read, let's move on to the part where I insult my fellow fans! "The 74th Reaping was rigged" is one of the worst fan theories I've ever encountered. Seriously, "Katniss should have become the new president of Panem at the end of MJ" is a better idea. In fact, "The Reaping for District 12 in the 74th Games was rigged" placed second on the recent poll of terrible THG takes, beaten only by "Katniss isn't really in love with Peeta, she settles for him after the war." So I guess I'm not the only one who thinks this is a terrible theory.

We're supposed to believe that the rebellion was powerful enough to rig the reaping, but weak enough that they still needed a figurehead before they moved against Snow? And as their figurehead they pick a girl of no consequence from District 12? Because the rebel leadership in the Capitol and District 13 are aware of a particular girl of no consequence from District 12? And even then they don't rig the reaping for her, they rig it for her sister? When Katniss herself says people don't volunteer for their siblings? Do they also rig the Games, to make sure she survives? (When they couldn't even successfully protect Peeta in the 75th Games even with the help of the Head Gamemaker and half a dozen rebel operatives inside the arena.) Do they also somehow force her to treat Rue and Peeta the way she does, the things that actually make her stand out to the audience?

The whole point is that Katniss isn't special. We get to know three people from the Seam - Katniss, Gale, and Haymitch. All three come from single-parent homes, having only their mothers. All three have younger siblings they take care of. Katniss isn't special.

Katniss meets Gale in the woods, because Gale is already out there. Gale learned survival skills beyond the fence from his father, just like Katniss learned from hers. Katniss isn't special. Unusual, but hardly unique.

What makes Katniss special is what she does after the Reaping - starting when she volunteers. How she takes care of Rue after she dies, how she takes care of Peeta after the rule change, the way she forces the Gamemakers to let them both live at the end - those are the things that make her special, and none of them were known to anyone before the Reaping, not even to Katniss herself. And even after, the people in charge of the rebellion - Plutarch and Coin - still didn't understand what made her special. They still treated her like a chess piece they could use however they wanted, when the thing that made her stand out was when she acted against authority. They still put her in a studio with fake smoke effects when the thing that endeared her to the public was how she instinctually reacted in the middle of things.

These people who even in the middle of Book 3 still didn't understand her appeal supposedly singled her out as important before Book 1? These people who never understood how she reacted to things, right up to the very end when she killed the wrong President, supposedly knew her reactions well enough that they didn't even reap her directly and trusted her to wind up in the Games anyway?

No, that's ridiculous, the very idea is absurd. "Peeta made up the crush and was just using Katniss to survive" is a more coherent theory. "The toastbabies were actually Gale's" is a more coherent theory. "Katniss's father was rebel operative and abandoned his family to starvation as part of a rebel plan and was secretly living in Thirteen the whole time" is a more coherent theory. Actually, now that I think of it, that last one is often part of the "rigged the Reaping" theory.

The 74th Reaping was not rigged. Katniss is not the super special Chosen One who was selected to be the savior of Panem. She's just a girl who was too compassionate and too stubborn for her own good, who was used and exploited by nearly every adult in her life, and wound up paying an enormous price for those things. There are 10,000 other stories about people who have A Destiny and must become The Savior. THG is a story about people making choices.

[c7thetumbler]

Quick Game Reviews: April through July 2024

I fell behind and now I wanna catch up. Also, I have not installed illustrator on my new computer yet, so no new banner for you

Backloggery launched their site remake, which is the website I use to track my games. If you haven't checked it out yet, here's my page: https://backloggery.com/c7_the_epic

Unpacking (Steam)

Logo is from the Steam Page

I actually played this one at the end of March but forgot. That's not an indictment in anyway on this game, I actually quite enjoyed it. I'm just forgetful AF.

This is an organization game with a plot where you follow the life of the person whom is moving throughout their years and help them unpack during these moves. You don't directly hear much about their story, however through the clues as to where they moved and what items continue or are left behind they manage to convey a really compelling narrative.

As someone who has gone through several moves myself, including some of the same move scenarios in the story, this one really resonated with me. The gameplay is fun if you like puzzles with multiple solutions and the aesthetics of decorating, but I found myself constantly wanting to open the next box to see what items made it or move onto the next stage so I could learn more. There's not much replay value to someone like me, but I'd still recommend it myself.

Mario Golf (Switch NSO GBC)

Screenshot from my Switch

This was one I had as a kid and decided to revisit, since even though I was really bad at video game golf, this game has a lot of charm. The world around golf, with challenges, secrets, and a level up system that adds to it all and makes it feel like even failure is progression.

That being said, this game is hard. I'm glad I played it with the NSO rewind and save states; I never would've beaten this normally and it still took me a long time. Like the Game & Watch Gallery games, it has a lot of really great visuals that are iconic for the GBC era. Unlike Game & Watch Gallery however, you can beat the game without ever interacting with any Mario characters! They don't show up until you've done everything in the main world, and then suddenly you get an invite letter that takes you to Peach's castle where you can participate in a final tournament with the Mario gang.

The charm and effort put into this game makes it an iconic entry in Nintendo's history, however don't go into this if you don't already like video game golf or expecting a lot of Mario specifically.

Seal World (Steam)

Screenshot is from the promotional screenshots on their steam page

My steam wishlist has a lot of Indie 3D platformers on it, so occasionally I check it and something goes on sale and I pick it up. This game looked very silly but cute, something that could've had a lot of love underneath it like Lil Gator Game.

This is however a pretty straight-forward game. Not really any challenge or depth with its platforming, the collectibles are for the most part pretty easy to find, and it's a very linear experience. Really its draw is it's humor, which is fine but gets pretty stale by the end. It's not a long game by any means, and while it's not a bad game I can't say I'd recommend it as anything more than a silly experience for a couple hours at most.

OpenRCT2 (PC Download, requires owning RCT/RCT2)

Logo from their fandom wiki

Youtube recommended a Roller Coaster Tycoon expert (MarcelVos) who releases incredibly in-depth video about mechanics and challenges in the original Roller Coaster Tycoon games and it made me want to revisit them. I didn't spend a whole lot of time with it (only beat the first round of scenarios for each) but it was very fun to look at it with improved features and a new light on the mechanics that make the game a lot less stressful.

OpenRCT2 streamlines both games to play better on modern PCs and fixes a number of bugs, as well as offering improvements on the number of guests, options for scenarios unlocks, and a scenario loader/maker as well. Plugins also allow you to change the game more to your liking, ie if you're like me and have played scenarios dozens of times over your life you don't really want to worry about micromanaging things to ensure the money flow optimally enough to do the things you want to do. For that, there's plugins that automatically adjust price based on the scenario and the best you can offer, adjusting for variables like ride age and park value.

If you've not played the original RCT games or haven't played in a long time, I'd give this one a shot! Marcel Vos is also a great watch on the side as well, really opens your eyes on some of the deeper ways that the game worked that were a complete mystery to me when I played them originally. Mainly that mowing grass does absolutely nothing, and that Security Guards ain't worth it.

Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door (Switch)

Screenshot from my Switch

I was so excited to replay this one! I was definitely one of the people who pointed at the screen and gasped when this was announced, and I picked this one up right away.

As a remaster, this game is great! The additional reactions, back sprites, and new/altered music really helps bring it all together more than the GC release ever could.

If you've never played TTYD, it's the best Paper Mario and you should go pick it up!

For those who haven't played in a while and don't have access to a way of playing it and want to, this is also pretty good!

What I'm going to go into now is what I wish the remake addressed, fixed, or added to. One of the biggest problems with the original, the massive amount of backtracking, hasn't really been solved in any meaningful way. They were definitely aware of it as they have changed part of Rogueport underground to allow for more easier transport between different hubs in the chapters. This existed already in the original, but has been streamlined to have more pipes in a single room to fix it. The rest of the backtracking the game was known for however is still there.

One solution would've been to bring back spinning from the original Paper Mario, as the ability to move pretty quickly and in a way that was more interactive did a lot to cover the backtracking in that game. Being able to take on more than one trouble at once would also help, maybe expanding how shops work so that common items that are able to be ordered from any shop. There are just some parts that are built into it that were made to pad it with backtracking, like Chapter 4 and the start of Chapter 7.

Speaking of chapter 4 though, I am so happy they finally made Vivian actually trans rather than shy away from it. It makes her story really come together in a way that I feel robbed for not having this in the original 20 years ago. The whole chapter is about identity, and centers Vivian and her struggle with her sisters that's been going on since the first chapter. It also really paints Beldam as a much more evil character than she was in the original. Ultimately this was a great update and I'm very happy they did it.

As for actual new content... As far as I can tell there's not much. An extra recipe to address a weird thing from the original, and 2 optional bosses. Both are nice, but even SMRPG added a lot of cool things post-game and I would've liked to have seen that in this remake.

Ultimately, I'm glad I picked this game up again and it's a lot of fun, but the backtracking and stretching of existing sections really grates on you in the modern day. I would've liked to have seen a few more updates that tried to fix that.

Rusty's Retirement (Steam)

That's just a screenshot of a golden pumpkin from my farm. It grew before the update where you could harvest them.

I had a weird obsession with this one for a couple weeks. Like this isn't supposed to be a game you focus on optimizing, but one you have on the side that you can progress in and make your own. Boy was I focusing hard on getting all the achievements and making everything perfectly optimized.

That's not to say I don't like it. Just that my brain is wired to want to hyperfixate and optimize even things not designed to be actively cared about, and then weeks later discarded and never thought of again. Wonder if there's something to that.

... Anyway, The game is a fun distraction, but if your brain is wired similarly to mine and you need to focus on it and optimizations, you can easily pass on it. You can do pretty stuff with it, but that always comes at the expense of space that you could use to grow more plants ore place more automation. To me, it's like how I spend hours on end figuring out how to automate craft-ables and macros in FFXIV and then leave it running and crafting while I do other things.

Modern Modern Chef (itch.io)

Picture from the itch page linked above

This one's a treat! I love the Game & Watch Gallery games as they added in a lot of cute Mario sprites and interactions, more context for what were previously the black/white Game and watch games. This is a fan-game made with Hand-drawn graphics that shows a specific minigame, Chef from Game & Watch Gallery 2 (the only one I owned as a kid), a lot of new love.

This is a great recreation of that recreation! A lot of effort was put into recreating the mechanics almost-perfectly, and even though the game is simple there's a lot of depth in timing and interactions with Yoshi that gets explained and fleshed out in this remake. The "Modern Modern" version isn't particularly for me; I'm pretty bad at timing the flip, but it was a blast playing the game again and seeing the little easter eggs.

I highly recommend giving this mini-game a try! It won't be a long experience, but it's fun nonetheless.

Honestly, Nintendo should hire this man and should release all the Game & Watch gallery games like this. Would make a nice collection.

Cavern of Dreams (Steam)

Image from the preview screenshots on their Steam Page

Another 3D platformer, but unlike Seal World this one takes it mechanics seriously. Definitely Inspired by both Spyro and Banjo-Kazooie, you play as a small dragon collecting his siblings (dragon eggs) and a number of other collectibles as you get a few new abilities and travel further into some strange worlds.

Aesthetically it owns that N64 sharp polygons and Banjo-Kazooie esque characters, with the second non-hub world even being a flying Clanker from Clanker's Cavern. It's definitely pretty within that aesthetic, with its later levels adopting a more unsettling (in a good way) wild aesthetic.

Mechanically, the movement is pretty standard for the most part. You get a jump, you can double jump for slightly more height, and you can roll to gain momentum and cross large gaps and I'm sure that leads to some wild speedrunning tech. Rolling around definitely helps cut the rather slow pace your character normally walks at.

This is a pretty decent game! The platforming puzzles and challenges were pretty straightforward, with some strange exceptions where you need to search a desert for a single egg or some placement puzzles that took some looking up. I'd definitely recommend it if you're craving a simple 3D collectathon to scratch that itch.

Dead Estate: Axe to Grind + Assignment Anya (Steam)

Image from the wiki

I finally hopped back onto Dead Estate after putting it down for the better part of a year, so I had two updates to catch up on. To be clear: these updates are free, adding a large amount of content to an already very fulfilling base game.

Axe to Grind adds in a new character, Axel, who was starring in a zombie film set in the mansion before everything went south and he had to flee to a secret hideout before going through the mansion now filled with real zombies and monsters. He uses axes, which can be charged and thrown, and that hideout gives him some bonus items at the start of each floor. His gameplay isn't too different, and indeed the update mostly is just him + his curses + some balancing changes. It's all still fun, but not much new in terms of content.

Assignment Anya on the otherhand took it to a new, different level. In terms of additions to existing gameplay, You now have a "challenge" mode, where each character has a set of restrictions and must complete some form of challenge or un in order to win. These can be quite difficult, but are for the most part a lot of fun and a welcome addition.

The real meat of this update is in the Assignment Anya sidestory, where you play as one of the extra's in the movie from Axel's side-story and find yourself in a zombie mask surrounded by real zombies and no weapons. Anya doesn't have the ability to jump or attack, and the mansion now has a set layout with maps and puzzles strewn across it like a Resident Evil game. You must progress and solve the puzzles with limited health and inventory space to ration, solving some of the mysteries of the place and finally escaping the horrors within it. At the end, you're graded based on how long you took and how many times you had to heal, as it's possible to beat the story in half an hour or less without getting damaged once you know it.

It's a lot of fun your first go around, but unfortunately lacks the replay value I enjoy out of the rest of the game. Trying to optimize for time without a guide is a very long and tedious endeavor, made all the more frustrating because healing takes off from your final rank and achievements so you have to be extremely patient and well practiced to get the good ranks. That being said, it was a welcome change of pace and very interesting twist on the story which at this point players are intimately familiar with.

I still highly recommend giving Dead Estate a try

Final Fantasy XIV: Dawntrail (PC)

Pic from the steam page because all my screenshots that are funny with my WoL contain spoilers

Took a while to get back into the swing of things and actually focus down on this expansion, but I eventually got into the groove of it. I'll go from a story perspective first without trying to go too hard on spoilers.

I'll start positive as well: they had an incredibly hard act to follow given that the Shadowbringers/Endwalker story combo both unified and resolved FFXIV's storyline in a way that, while a little convoluted, was incredibly well done and brought tears to my eyes. This story had to then take the WoL (your character) to a whole new land where the stakes by necessity are much lower than they ever could've been in EW, and honestly I think they did a pretty good job. The story has you following Wuk Lamat on her journey to complete her father's (the kings') challenges while competing with her brothers and a challenger that one of the societies in Tural sees as the chosen ruler to the throne. They clearly took a lot of time to define these different societies and cultures within Tural, going from the long histories of each of the peoples on the continent to even focusing on the importance of how their food is supplied, flavored, and the political issues associated with that. This is something they struggled with a LOT in this games history, and I think they nailed it with grace here.

In the back half of the expansion, things take a turn into the high stakes you're much more used to, and uses your newfound familiarity with the peoples of Tural to contrast again that of their "foes". The villains can get comically evil, but that's not really a huge deal in my mind. My biggest "problem" is that when the biggest bad is revealed, they spend a lot of time explaining why they're doing what they're doing and Wuk Lamat spends a long time making it very clear that we as the player should understand the big bad has very good reasons for doing what they're doing. And then never condemns them for doing it, which given the stakes is like, not a great message to end on. Even through the end of 7.0, Wuk Lamat continues to yell "you're a good person" at them when they're actively trying to execute their huge, inarguably evil plan. This could've been really easily remedied with some dialog tweaks, but the devotion to making it clear that Wuk Lamat didn't think the big bad was evil while leaving the condemnation unsaid is a bit of a mistake, in my mind.

Gameplay wise, it's just about the same old FFXIV I remember. I appreciate the new trend of allowing you to run the MSQ dungeons with NPCs that are with you on your journey at the time continuing, and even being expanded to trials. Classes continue to get more and more streamlined, with my preferred class (Monk) continuing to get less complicated and more deterministic with each patch. I don't really like that trend; I do appreciate when classes feel distinct from one another and can even fall into other roles in dire situations, and while yes some abilities and classes could use less buttons, restricting all of them to have a near-identical burst windows and movements within roles is very limiting. I liked being able to off-tank as Monk for a little while, now it's missing its buff and DoT maintenance as well and it just feels like a faster Dragoon.

FFXIV is also showing its age here. A few years ago when I first started I was mildly annoyed but fine with the gameplay essentially being "travel from point A to B and watch a lot of cutsenes for 8 hours and we'll give you enough EXP to do the dungeons", but I didn't get to the first Dungeon in Dawntrail for like 3 days of playing the game and reading all the dialogue. And dungeons are like 30 min to an hour if you bring in the NPCs. That's really just the gameplay loop: run around from quest marker to quest marker, cutscene to cutscene, until the game graces you with one of only a few instances, dungeons, or trials and you get to repeat another few hours of quest marker chasing.

FFXIV is a big game with a lot of very entertaining content to do, but for a big expansion that adds a lot of areas there isn't a lot of like crazy new and fun things to do. All of the things like Hunts, Fates, Role Quests, Side Quests, Leves etc are all still there and added in for the level 91-100 range, but it all feels the same despite how good some of the stories in there are. To me, the game really shines when they try and do something really unique and new with their new stuff, like Bozja, Eureka, The First's whole aesthetic, and even the recent variant dungeons, but all the new content here just feels like the old MSQ content with not a lot of gameplay variation in it. Dungeons are all corridors because they're run in daily roulettes and need to be queued for, so that can't be interesting or else people will be frustrated at each other for not going the optimal path. Once you get to the new City and Sub-city you can immediately identify all of the same things present in every other expansion's equivalent to those and where you know you'll spend the next 2 years grinding out materials for to most optimally interact with your retainers and shopkeepers.

Basically despite how pretty the new areas are, how well written its setting and stories are, and how focused the design of the content is, it falls short of what I was hoping for as an experience in the expansion. I'm optimistic that the patches will bring their more unique content I'm a fan of, but it feels weird to wait for that after completing a brand new expansion. I highly recommend giving FFXIV a shot because it's a great game, however if you grew tired of the gameplay by the end of EndWalker you'll be in for more of the same here. My perspective is not one of a hardcore player though, and I understand that's a huge component of MMOs like these.

As for my personal expansion tierlist:

ShB > EW > DT > HW > StB > ARR

Metroid: Zero Mission (NSO, GBA)

Screenshot from my Switch

This is the only Metroid game I hadn't played-

wait, Prime Pinball and Federation Force. Dang.

Okay well the biggest one I haven't played. It's weird because while I enjoy a Metroid game I don't feel like as attached to the series as a lot of people are. That being said, I know this is one of the best ones in a series filled with bests so I was overdue for giving it a try.

This game "modernized" the original Metroid NES game into a much more approachable version with cutscenes, a better map and UI systems, and a lot of improvements found in Fusion as well. It's a very good game! A great entry point into the series if for some reason Super Metroid wasn't for you.

The challenge is still there but not in a way that makes you feel stuck or confused, the cutscenes are great, and the bonus content added onto the original story is definitely welcome. I'm glad I finally got a chance to pick this up, and I feel like it's usurped Fusion as my favorite 2D Metroid. And I'm aware about how much that last sentence invalidates my Metroid opinions.

Super Princess Peach (Nintendo DS)

Art from Nintendo's Website

This one's one I've always wanted to play for years, even though at the time I passed it by because it was a "girls game." My sister actually got it for me for my birthday, and I was finally able to play through it all. It's pretty fun!

Just a little bit of history on this one: this is one of the few Games Nintendo likes to pretend doesn't really exist for some reason. I can guess as to why; in a world where not falling into gender stereotypes is important, having the only game until very recently led by one of like 3 female characters in your top franchise be based around getting superpowers from her emotions is not a great look. From that perspective they actually could've flipped it around and made it a very powerful story in retrospect. The message shouldn't be able to be construed as "girls are emotional and that's Peach's thing" but rather be clearly about being able to express and handle your emotions in a positive way. This could've been done both figuratively through the plot, or literally through the platforming.

Instead it's a story about Perry, the parasol Peach carries, and how weird it is that he's a powerful umbrella. And then you beat Bowser. Peach isn't really even "present" in the story; she could've swapped places with Mario and it would be an identical game about saving Princess Peach but with weird new emotion abilities. Peach doesn't really say a word or even react to Perry in the few cutscenes there are, which is a shame. Hell, even the emotion abilities could've been something else entirely, like just normal elemental abilities, and it would've been the same story. Because of that, it's very easy to come to the conclusion that they were workshopping ideas and were like "Girls are emotional, and the protagonist is a girl, so she has emotion powers."

But also, it's a really fun and pretty game so they should've made it available digitally somehow anyway. At least when 3DS and WiiU were around and DS games were easily emulated.

I digress though. I really liked this game and recommend it for fans of games like Yoshi's Island. Beating it requires getting every Toad, so be prepared for that, but there's a lot of bonus levels and content as well that make it a good time. You can definitely tell it wasn't made by Mario's typical team but by the Starfy team though; there's a few "guess the door/pipe" and similar design tedious choices that would not fly in games made by the usual teams.

Nintendo World Championships: NES Edition (Switch)

Screenshot from my own Switch

I got a bone to pick with this one. But I'll try and compliment sandwich it.

To start: I love the premise. They did a really good job of getting that 80s aesthetic for the games while making the challenges fun and user experience approachable for people who are not intimately familiar which each of the 13 games.

The unfortunate part is: NES Remix 1+2 did this with more games and had more creative gameplay to it. This game costs $30, and what you're getting for that is ~150 challenges spread across those 13 NES games. That sound like a decent amount, but when you begin unlocking them you start to realize that a lot of these challenges are very short or contained in hard challenges later down the line. Additionally, you will likely only be playing the start of the games contained within; the entire NES games are not included and playable. The "exception" is that the NES Donkey Kong Legend challenge is to win all 3 stages, and the SMB challenge has you beating the entire game via warp zones. The rest of the legend challenges usually are "Beat a single level/dungeon."

The championship mode is cool, and it's fun to see how your stats rank with other players and even within your birthyear, but there just is not enough to go on here. These games are all available via NSO, the normal version, and I have personally purchased versions of each of these games at least 4 times over the years so it's kind of a scummy move to be like "Pay for them with slight modernization again". Nintendo seems to perpetually not understand that while their NES games were culturally valuable, their monetary value is 0 given how readily available they are, even if you repackage them as challenges.

Also 13 games isn't even that many, and there's some glaring omissions. Mario Bros, Punch-Out, Donkey Kong Jr, Clu Clu Land, and Wrecking Crew are all conspicuously absent, and while I understand that puzzle games like Wario's Woods, Dr. Mario, and Yoshi wouldn't have good challenges to them, it would make sense to have them fully integrated with high scores to compare and contrast with friends on leaderboards.

So I don't think it's worth your money, despite how addicting and nostalgic it is. It's repackaging games that you likely already have access to legally with a nice skinner box challenge UI over it. Now, I have two suggestions that would make this game worth it.

All 13 games should be fully playable within this game, and have leaderboards or time trials associated with them. Additionally, other games that don't do well for arcade-style challenges should be included as bonus content.

This game has built in glitch detection, so if anyone uses infinite points glitches, they can flash "Strategy not allowed" on screen and void your score if you go for those, or even have an "advanced strategy" toggle that separates those runs. To allow for easier practice, you could also have your normal NSO functions like save states and rewind that are only usable when not in challenge mode.

There are a few benefits to doing it this way, one would be you now have access to these games without needing an NSO subscription and can participate in the challenges locally. Another is it could breathe life into these games, and allow official leaderboards for games that are still speedrun to this day. I don't know if I'd call that a $30 value still, but it'd definitely be closer to worth it

2. This is free with your NSO subscription, similar to Super Mario Bros. 35 and F-Zero 99

This just makes the most sense to me. Without the NES games themselves included, the sole purpose of this is the online leaderboards and self-contained tournaments mode, which means that while you can play it offline, there's not really a point to. This would make it good supplemental content to the NES game library NSO subscribers already have access to. This option makes the most sense to me, as this game honestly feels like that was designed to be that way in the first place. The main menu always flashing the current week's challenges and your progress feels identical to the style F-Zero 99 has, and the ability to buy more challenges and avatars with in-game coins feels like the kind of padding you'd put in a free game. It would also make it more reasonable to update with new challenges or even additional games, as now it's not behind a paywall. Erm, new paywall.

And to end this compliment sandwich, I really like the variety of avatars and coin bonuses that added in, it feels very satisfying to my collectable crunched brain.

[asleepinawell]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

[autonomousxselves]

//Blog update regarding changes to my muse list

Muses:

Kyouka Sayama: I have found a FC icon set for her! I may begin tossing her out soon for both 1999 and later times. A:TFM muses finally coming to fruition -v- I do have to pick a social link arcana for her but she does not have a Persona (for now?). Currently accepting asks.

Yu Narukami: I really just have to get icons from the manga I already have saved for other P4 characters and to add his name to the list, he is also pretty much ready to go. Currently accepting asks.

Erina/Eri Natsuhara: I really feel like I need a FC for her/them since there's no official P5T manga that I know of and there's not exactly a lot of images of them in the game beyond portraits. If anyone has a good match please do share!! Currently accepting asks.

Souto Aizawa: Still not entirely sure whether I'll add him as well but I would like to. No new FC yet. I'll toss some things in later. Needs a social link arcana, probably Hierophant. No Persona (also for now?).

Labrys: I've beaten the first part of Arena Ultimax and have links to some icons others made for her(as well as for Shadow Labrys and even for #024!), as soon as I'm ready I'll be reblogging those and officially adding her. ^^

Test Muses: May accept asks.

Goro Akechi: Idk WHAT changed, I did not originally have a muse for him (I do like him as a character) but something recently is possessing me to reconsider. If I take him then he will also be ready and just need some icons from manga I have saved.

Zen and Rei: While there's a fairly limited time pool to write them from, I would also be willing to write them in any time period. Would have to discuss the circumstances with you beforehand if so.

Hikari: If I keep her out, I would prefer her to be starting at 14 or 15 around 2007. I refuse the canon ending of PQ2 post credits lol. Of course since I'm breaking that rule if you really wanted, I could have her be 15 in 2009, 2011 or 2016 as well.

Maki Sonomura: My poor P1 muses have had exactly 0 interactions and that's all on me, but also now I'm tentatively adding Maki to the list after replaying it. Also willing to write her in any time period at her correct age.

Spot changes:

Muses moved to secondary position due to inactivity or having less personal interest: Minako, Maiko, Bebe, Metis, Teddie. Still accepting asks.

Muses I may remove due to losing the feel for them or reconsidering: Maya Amano, Shinya Oda

Verses:

S.E.E.S Ryoji Mochizuki: He's literally ready to be written I'm just too lazy to write a short verse intro in the character doc and haven't had the time to make a "like this for a starter" post just quite yet. But... Currently accepting asks.

Persona User Nanako Dojima: She might have a FC now, still needs a Persona and perhaps more story. If you're reading this and have suggestions for her Persona please lmk! I would prefer Japanese mythology for her considering the P4 team but it's not a strict rule.

[thedragonagelesbian]

sending you 1, 4, 14, 17 & 18 for cyrus :) sorry for the zillion questions but im so curious 👀

I'm always happy to answer a zillion questions about Cyrus!!

Pathfinder WOTR Knight-Commander Asks

1. Do they think they're going to make it out alive?

Beyond a shadow of a doubt. Cyrus is generally optimistic and confident in his capabilities, and this version in particular has realized that he wants to live more than he wants to sacrifice himself, so whatever Act 6 and the finale throw at him, he's going to fight to make it out the other side.

4. What did they do before they became a crusader? Did they have a job, an occupation?

I adapted DA2!Cyrus' backstory for this, so the Hawke family was living near the Worldwound, sometime after Malcolm's passing they had to flee the town and demons killed Carver in the process, and Cyrus, Bethany, and Leandra became refugees. Somewhere. Cyrus worked odd jobs and mercenary gigs to build up enough wealth for his mother to live comfortably in their new city.

(Absent Kirkwall's acute disastrousness, the Worldwound weighed on Cyrus, even before Areelu got her hands on him, and he eventually decided that he could not sit idly by while demons preyed on the world.)

14. Which companion is their closest friend?

Woljif & Arueshalae! Cyrus is so instantly soft on Woljif-- immediate endearment for his fellow tiefling, does not recognize the bullshitting for what it is, thinks he can do no wrong and only starts worrying after his reappearance in Act 3. But he's so proud of Woljif for rejecting his grandfather in Act 4!

And Aruesahalae............... gosh, Cyrus loves her and the beauty and freedom she's trying to embody, and he never once doubts her ability to overcome her demonic nature. It's such a tender and intimate relationship, to help someone become a new self. It's almost a romantic relationship too, but Cyrus worries it'll be too hard for her and ultimately keeps things platonic, even as there's definitely a part of his heart that belongs to her.

17. Which non-companion NPC do they really like?

He really likes the Hand of the Inheritor. Lol.

Cyrus is also quite fond of Anevia and Irabeth. Anevia always provides good, level-headed council, and Irabeth is a fellow paladin in turmoil. It meant a lot to Cyrus to help her through her crisis & in turn she supported him through his own, understanding the loss of his oath and the emptiness it comes with in a way no one else could... and he is devastated to have lost her in Iz. He squarely blames Galfrey for this, furious with her for leading Irabeth and so many others on this suicide mission. I haven't yet seen the full fall-out for that, but I'm so curious/preemptively heartbroken.............

18. If they survived, what is their life post crusade?

With the caveat that I haven't beaten the game with him yet, I assume he's going to survive, for the reasons laid out in #1. First order of business, of course, is the wedding. I imagine Count Arendae spares absolutely no expense when it comes to planning The social event of the season. Cyrus is impatient--he wants to be a husband so bad--but he secretly likes having an excuse to indulge in the extravagance.

After that? I'm not 100% sure yet. When I first started conceptualizing the ship, I assumed that Daeran would be eager to return to life at court, but knowing that he hated it and outright tells Cyrus take me with you wherever you go afterward, I kind of like the idea of them doing like. The adventuring equivalent of glamping. Lots of traveling, sight seeing, do-gooding, on this plane and maybe beyond, but with. Whatever the Pathfinder equivalent is of Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion. And frequent trips back to cities for spa days & theater trips.

(As for the Hand of the Inheritor, he dutifully stays at Cyrus' side, but the question inevitably comes of what duty means for him--if anything--once the Fifth Crusade is done. Still too far fallen to return to Heaven [and according to the wiki replaced by Galfrey as Iomedae's herald???], it's a slow recovery process with lots of fits and starts and existential despair [and I think lots of support from Arueshalae as an extraplanar entity who has herself spent lots of time as not-quite what she was before]. Cyrus is supportive through it all while also wary of becoming just a direct substitute for the Hand's divine purpose & devotion, wanting him to be able to Be on his own too. It is in that spirit that the two eventually go their separate ways, but the Hand will forever be his guardian angel, ready to come to his side should he ever call. And Cyrus does, regularly and lovingly.)

[yuurivoice]

Hi! I don't know if this counts as profound but I got stuck in my creative feels so figured I would share. I create a different kind of media to your awesome work, but writing's still involved.

When I start out with a story idea, I often find it being completely derailed by the characters, the more I write them, the more I get to know them, until they eventually start writing the story themselves.

Does this ever happen to you? And if so, how do you stop them from running away with it a little too much?

That's a great question, and I've talked about it a bit before because it is definitely not the way I think most people expect writers to write, I think. lol So for me, BitterSweet is a great example of how sometimes I let my stories reveal themselves to me as I go. I may go into it with a rough idea and an outline, but BitterSweet started off as "Rival for listener's affection arrives in town, creates conflict, leads to two different routes people can listen to." and we ended up nowhere NEAR that.

As I was writing Seth's introduction to the listener, it was the first time I was sinking my teeth into him and getting to know him. Up until that point it was just "he used to do crime with Alphonse and he feels like he got sold out" but I'm big on motivations, set ups, and payoffs...and his arrival didn't have enough stank on it. lmfao

As I approached the "I don't hate him, I love him" reveal gears just started turning and ideas started flooding into my head and it was exciting. Writing, sometimes, is sorta like playing a rogue-like game for me. Never know what loot you're gonna get, or what is behind the next door. At least, when establishing the story and characters.

Once I got to BS3 I was much more deliberate and my process was outlined pretty thoroughly. I made some detours (background on Charlie wasn't planned, but people's interest in him made me pivot to an entry with the Al/Seth/Charlie story) and ran into some massive decisions, but those were all primarily choices left up to me vs. letting characters show me the way.

I don't think I've necessarily ran into any character running away too much, or straying so far off the beaten path I felt like I had to wrangle them. Even if sometimes it's inconvenient for me, they haven't led me astray yet! The issue I find is that sometimes I am too ambitious in scope, or underestimate the time and effort required to see things through to the end. Sometimes that's just on me being exhausted and struggling mentally, sometimes I just get bored, sometimes I need to move on to other stuff because of timing.

So, when I'm first learning a character and discovering what makes them tick and how they fit into what I'm trying to do they definitely get in the driver's seat for a while. Once they're well established in my head though, I'm much more likely to outline, write, perform, and post without having to make many adjustments.

Now, in terms of structure and plot, that also changes as I go sometimes. For example with the spooky season AUs, I outlined three parts for each boy, and basically after the first script in each I was like...yeah okay so this needs to be tweaked. It wasn't entirely because of character, more so I didn't really know what I wanted to do with those stories until I was in the thick of things. I might go in with a plan, but as I discover what characters really want to say, how they want to act, etc. it might not necessarily reflect what I thought the plan was. Thankfully it's never TOO far off from where we were trying to go, so it's just a matter of shuffling and planning. The AUs probably didn't help a ton because while they're familiar characters, they're also entirely different in terms of motivations and situations so I have to familiarize myself with them as if they're new.

tldr: Yeah I'm changing and adapting all the time to what the characters want to do vs. what I thought we were going to do. From little things to massive things like...oh, they were lovers, oh they were best friends, oh he nearly killed someone for him, oh he's terrified of who he was and has a shitload of trauma, oh he's healing because he's been shown unconditional love, oh he's learned how to show that love to others, oh they're like a little family now.

It's beautiful because it's coming right out of my heart and soul, rather than my brain. The deepest parts of me wanted to tell that story and I didn't even know. That's art, and I didn't even know I could do that.

[the-lightest-shadow]

Have you played Pikmin 4? If so, what did you think of it?

I have played the game! And am pretty darn far! I haven't beaten it fully yet. Got to the ending credits and even beat one of the post-credit areas, but I'm not fully done.

I actually really like it! I don't think it tops Pikmin 2 for me but nostalgia might be a factor there.

It's really nice to have access to all pikmin in the actual main game, and it's managed to be kinda challenging in areas but still pretty easy. I also love not having the day limit in the main game.

I do have my gripes, though. The fact you gotta do high-level challenges to get the white and purple onions rubs me the wrong way, and I don't like the 3 pikmin type limit when we have... 8 pikmin to choose from... Couldn't they have brought it up by one? I'm also not actually fond of the fact none of the enemies seem to respawn, meaning once you take out all the enemies and gather all the treasure in an area, you have 0 reason to go back to the area. Which is kinda depressing because the area designs and maps are great!

But bringing back 2's caves and lack of day limit is amazing and some of the new (as well as returning!) enemies are fantastic! Even if some returning ones are easier now and the Creeping Chrysanthemum looks and acts nothing like the original version once out of the ground.

I have a lot of thoughts about Pikmin as a whole jowiefjeo

Ask box is always open! Send whatever questions or w/e you like!

[blackhakumen]

Mini Fanfic #1129: Building Up the Mushy Courage (SSBU X Sonic)

1:34 p.m. at the Smash Central Park.........

Jr: (Watches Sage Peacefully Reading a Book Alone in the Distance While Sighing) Geez......Even as a egghead, she looks pretty.....(Turns to Ludwig) Are you sure I have what it takes to talk to her, Luddy?

Ludwig: (Reads his Book as Well) Refrain yourself from calling her "Egghead", you'll do just fine, Junior. (Turns to His Youngest Brother) That being said, why exactly haven't you come to me for help in the first place? It could've save you the trouble of being nervous to talk to her for this long.

Jr: Yeah, but I asked Roy for help first. (Start Rubbing the Back of his Head Back and Forth) And well.......

Flashback

Jr: (Takes a Look Around at the Black Leather Jacket, Boots, and Blue Jeans He's Wearing With a Bright Smile on his Face) Wow!~ I look so cool in these clothes! (Turns to Roy) You think Sage would think so too?

Roy: (Happily Nodded) Hell yeah. Chicks digs guys with a bad boy image and you don't look too shabby yourself, little runt. (Grabs his Chin While Thinking) Now all we need to do is put your rebellious side to the test. (Starts Looking Around the Mansion Till He Finds and Points Jr Towards his Target) Try swooning her over.

Jr: (Eyes Begins to Widened in Fear at Whom Roy is Pointing at) You want me to sweet talk Ashley, are you CRAZY!? That's suicide AND she's already taken!!

Roy: (Turns to Jr Woth his Brotherly Glare) You think I didn't know that, you twerp! She's the only girl in your age I can find for now. Just go out there, pretend that she isn't taken, and rizz your game up like i taught you before I knock you out into next week, capisce!?

Jr: ('Sighs in Defeat') Fiiiine. It's mine funeral....(Walks Over to Ashley) Hey there, good looking, how's it-

'BOOM'

Jr screams out of his lungs as he gets sent flying to the other side of the room by one of Ashley's magic spells.

'CRASH'

Roy: (Turns to His Now Beaten Down Brother) You good, Jr?

Jr: Is this a new week yet?

?????: Royyyyyyyy.

Roy: (Turns to See a Livid Ashley With White Hair Glaring at Him) Okay, I know what it looks like, but I-I can explain you see-

Ashley: Prescasterous. (Summons a Giant Red Devil Looking Beast Behind Her, Growling at Roy)

Roy: Waitwaitwaitwait-

'WHACK'

Back to the Present

Jr.: (Grimace at the Thought of What Happened in that Flashback) It didn't worked out all of that well......

Ludwig: ('Sigh') Not surprising considering Roy's track record in romance. (Casually Turns to a Page on his Book) One time he tried asking almost every member of the cheerleading squad only to get struck our and reject by all of them at once.

Jr: (Eyes Widens) Ah what!? I knew I should've come to you from the start, that's so lame!!

Ludwig: Yes, well, mistakes were made to be fixed and improve upon, so no harm fowl. (Takes a Sip of his Coffee) Now, do you remember the advices I gave you earlier today?

Jr: (Starts Counting Down Ludwig's Advice By Using his Fingers) Take deep breaths, be kind, respectful, and....uhhhhhhh-

Ludwig: Be yourself and everything will go smoothly from there. I know you what it takes to talk to her, Junior. Father didn't declared you as his second in command for nothing, you know?

Jr: Yeah. (Starts Smiling Confidently) T-That's right! I'm the Second in Command, I got this! (Smiles Falters Down into a Bit of a Worry Frown as He Turns Back to Ludwig) You're.....still not mad at me for taking that away from you, are you?

Ludwig: ('Sigh') I would be lying if I say that it didn't effect me in any sort of way. But that was back then, this is the present, and right now....(Smiles Softly at Bowser Jr.) I couldn't be anymore happier to have you as my little brother.

Jr: (Heart Begins to Melt as He Quickly Rushes Over to Ludwig and Hugs Him Lovingly) I love you, Big Bro.

Ludwig: (Hugs Junior Back) I love you too, Junior. Now, I believe you still have a girl to talk to.

Jr.: Oh, you're right! (Lets Go of Ludwig Before Rushing Off to Sage While Waving at Him) Wish me luck!

Ludwig: (Waves Back at Junior) Will do, Junior. (Resumes Back to Reading his Book) Here's hoping you have better luck than Roy this time around.

Roy: (Glaring at Ludwig at the Mid Distance) I cam still hear your smart ass from over here, ya- (Gets Hit in the Back of his Head By a Football Before Grumbling in the Ground) That doesn't count as bad luck, by the way!....

Ludwig: (Casually Turns to Another Page) Keep telling yourself that, Roy.

Meanwhile

Jr.: (Makes his Way to Sage While Talking Himself Out Loud) Today's today, Junior. Just talk to the girl of your possible dreams and everything will go smoothly like Luddy said. (Closes his Eyes While Chanting to Himself) You can do this, you can do this, you. CAN. DO-

Junior's running has suddenly comes to a screeching halt as he trips over a small pebble and roll himself down on a hill before coming to an eventually stop.

Jr.: ('Groans in a Bit of Pain') Why are we not in a new week yet......

????: Oh dear.

Junior opens his eyes to see his crush, Sage Robotnik, looking down at him with concern in her eyes.

Sage: Are you okay?

Jr: (Starts Blushing Slowly Before Quickly Getting Himself Up From the Ground) Yeah! (Clears his Throat Before Waving his Hair Back) I'm good. Meant to do that as part of my new attacks I'm working on, called uh.....K-Koopa Rollout! Yeah.

Sage: I see, very interesting. But please, do be more careful next time. As vibrant and pretty as this park this, there's a fair amount of hazards to be cautious of.

Jr: ('Sigh') Now you tell me.....B-But anyways! Your name is Sage Robotnik, right?

Sage: Sage Ivo Robotnik, yes. (Suddenly Let's Out a Loud Gasps Before Taking a Look at Junior In Front of Her) The green shell, slightly sharpen claws, the red and short ponytail, the impressively hand drawn bib!

Jr: (Lifts his Finger Up a Little) It's a bandana actually.

Sage: Oh right, bandana. (Quickly Bows at Junior) Apologies for my sudden change of attitude, but....are you really Bowser Jr? The youngest of the royal Koopa Family?

Jr: (Starts Rubbing The Back of his Head Back and Forth) I wouldn't exactly call us the most royalist of families out there. But yeah, it's me: Bowser Jr at your service! (Smirks Smugly While Rubbing his Finger Under his Noses) I take it everyone in the Snash Family told you a lot about me?

Sage: (Smiles Brightly) Of course!~ Every time I asked your friends about you, they would always tell me how bratty and obnoxious you are.

Jr: Yea- (Eyes Starts to Widened Again) Wait, BRATTY AND OBNOXIOUS!?

Sage: (Happily Nodded) Mmhmm. And also full of yourself.

Jr: (Starts Gritting his Teeth and Balling his Fist Up in Pure, Fiery Angry in his Eyes) Those stupid jerkfaces.....I'll make them pay for bad-mouthing meeeeee!

Sage: (Giggles Softly)

Jr: (Hears Sage Giggling Before Turning Back to her With a Pouty Look on his Face) And what seems to be funny you, Little Miss Robotnik?

Sage: (Starts Dying Down her Giggling for a Bit) Apologies again~ I didn't mean to laugh to suddenly. Your cuteness has managed to put me a bit of a laughing fit.

Jr.: Yeah, well- Wait. Cuteness?.......(Eyes Widened Yet Again at the Realization as Bright Red Blushes Starts Appearing on Both is Cheeks) Y-Y-You think I'm cute!?~

Sage: (Happily Nodded) Mmhm. Granted, I think you're more handsome if anything, but your cuteness levels does have no bounds.

Jr: (Couldn't Believe What He's Hearing Right Now) Ha-Haha.....Handsome......(Suddenly Felt Something on his Forehead as the Blush Starts Disappearing) Hm? (Notices Sage Flipping her Hand on his Forehead) Uh.... What are you doing?

Sage: (Takes her Hand Away From Junior's Forehead as She Sighs in Relief) Oh thank goodness you're not coming down with a fever of any glad......

Jr: (Raises an Eyebrow in Confusion) You think I have fever?

Sage: (Frowns a Bit Worryingly) For a while now I did. I've been wanting to properly meet you for some time now, but you would always run off before I could even say hello. So I figured you were sick this entire time. Or.....maybe that....you have little to no interest in being friends with-

Jr.: No no! Of course not! I didn't run off because I didn't like you o-or cause I was sick! (Starts Rubbing The Back of his Head Again) I get nervous every time I see you, so I ran and junk. Dumb I know.....

Sage: Oh you poor thing. There's nothing wrong with feeling anxious and shy.

Jr: You think so? Cause I don't think the words "shy" and "Bowser's son" should be allowed on the same sentence.

Sage: (Giggles Softly) I'm positive. It normal for anyone to get nervous when it comes to meeting someone for the very first time. But I guarantee you that talking to them will help build your confidence up immensely so long as you stay calm and vigilant.

Jr.: (Starts Nodding in Agreement) Yeah, that's true i guess. So.....does this mean you're not mad at me for chickening out into seeing you for this long?

Sage: (Happily Shakes her Head) I was never mad at you to begin with. I'm just happy we finally have the opportunity to meet one another at last, let alone spent time together, if that's alright with yo-

Jr: YES!- I-I mean! ('Clears Throat') Yeah, sure. I don't mind us hanging out or whatever.

Sage: (Smiles Brightly While Pulling Junior into a Loving Hug) Spendid!~ I'm so happy to know thar this is start of our beautiful friendship together and hope it could last forever~

Jr: (Smiles Back at his Newly Found Friend) Yeah, me too. (Starts Blushing Yet Again) Maybe we be even more than that someday........

Sage: You said something, Junior?

Jr.: (Eyes Widened at the Realization of What He Just Said Before his Blush Starts Getting Bright Red Again) NOTHING! I didn't say anything! Just that you're that you're pretty- W-W-WITH THAT HAT OF YOUS YOU'RE WEARING!

Sage: Oh you like?~ (Takes Off the Black, Wide Hat She's Wearing) Father gave me this not too long ago. He says it's always important to keep your head protected from the heated temperature outside, lest you get yourself sweaty and pass out. (Smiles Brightly) I can ask him to get a hat for you to wear as well if you like!~ Or better yet.....(Places her Hat on Top and in Between Both her and Jr's Head) We can share mines together!~

Jr: ........Cool.

@bestpony666

@albion-93

@cyber-wildcat

@caleb13frede

@keyenuta

[blazehedgehog]

Regarding Sonic Frontiers Update 3, how do you think new content will be added to the game? I mean, will we have to start a new game+, or will everything be compacted into a new mode accessible from the main menu (like Episode Shadow of Sonic Forces)? Or something else?

Given that it seems to be inserted somewhere towards the end of the game (or even outright replacing the end of the game), I imagine it will possibly go like this:

A new option in the Extras Menu to enable/disable The Final Horizon if you want to fight Supreme on Ouranous island and experience the original finale as shipped. (I don't know if they'll do this, but they should)

Everyone who starts a new game with The Final Horizon enabled (and it will be, by default) will simply experience it as a natural part of the experience.

Everyone at the end of the game (with Final Horizon enabled) will simply load their save on Ouranous Island and the final chapter will begin as if they haven't beaten the game yet. Internally, the game will keep a new, separate save file branch for the revamped Ouranous, so you can turn off The Final Horizon and still go back to your old progress if you want.

You won't need a separate menu option if it's just The New End Of The Game Now.