#and honestly it is SO jarring when my peers are nostalgic because it's like... we aren't even that old!!

[uncanny-tranny]

I think as we grow up, we have to be really conscious of romanticizing the world we grew up in in order to scorn how the next generations are growing up.

Nostalgia isn't inherently bad, but especially in political spaces, be very wary of this idea that there is an Ideal Past we must Harken Back To.

It sucks to feel left behind, but such is the human condition. It isn't bad to feel nostalgic, but that doesn't mean that these new generations are inherently "lost" and "need to be saved (by you)", and I think that is very important to remember and try to be conscious of.

[daretosnoop]

The Final Scene Review:

Atmosphere/Layout:

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, the Nancy Drew games do a stellar job at placing the player within the game. FIN is often given the due credit of being one of the best atmospheric games. The artists effectively portrayed a theater that is long past its prime. Everything is tattered and dusty. Things are old and rusty. How long has that popcorn been sitting there? Or that bubble gum? Who knows? It’s gorgeous! It’s incredible how they manage to make the theater so nostalgic to the player despite it being fictional. It really reminds you of old buildings that are destroyed to make way for corporate offices or businesses. It’s one of the few Nancy Drew games that sets the tone right from the start – dangerous and fast-paced. Maya’s kidnapping sets in the urgency, but right from the start players are required to navigate through an abandoned and creepy backroom only to pop out of a closet. It’s these two scenes that really hammer into the reader that this game is playing no nonsense. It’s like that moment in all horror movies/games where the characters realize this is for real. It really makes sense for the stage rooms to have a bunch of junk lying around here and there because it’s been abandoned. Allowing Nancy to look at them just continues to hammer that in. I mean, did anyone else feel slightly grossed out at the sink with a plunger in it? You really resonate with Nick Falcone’s commitment of protecting America from becoming Generica. Despite its dilapidated state, I’m pretty sure we all can agree that the theater commanded a presence. This game reminded me of the old Scooby Doo episode where they go to the puppet theater and are haunted by that creepy puppet master. And just like the Scooby doo gang, you always felt like someone was watching you—especially in areas like the underground basement and the main theater room.

Music:

Another stellar masterpiece. I don’t think there is a single track I hated. Each title retained the jazzy elements of the theater’s ritzy days, yet there is always something creepy intermixed within it. It really set in the feeling that someone was following you around. Tracks like “Lobby” and “Maya” really brought this feeling home, especially at end game when the danger music is playing and it intermixes with Maya’s theme. OMG, when that music started playing, I really got chills and started to become frantic. I forgot that the axe and hammer don’t work on the ice cube cupboard, which made me waste time. I actually finished this game with seconds to spare because I didn’t know that time didn’t stop when you read the letters.

In terms of little noises, I loved the sound of the doors as you opened it and the rustle of the curtains as you moved them aside. The noise the key make makes and the papers on Nick Falcone’s desk!

Characters:

Nancy: I think everyone agrees that FIN Nancy is a Nancy we rarely ever see. She is taking no crap from anyone. Not only does it reinstate the sense of urgency, but it also shows a Nancy who refuses to be pushed around by others. I mean, not one character dumps their chores onto Nancy! Well Nick Falcone sort of does, but Nancy has the option of calling him out on this!

Simone Muller: Ah, who can forget the best introduction lines ever, “I’m going to have to call you back, someone just stepped out of my closet”. That one line gives you everything you need to know about Simone. She’s busy, has no time for strange occurrences, and doesn’t let anything get in the way of her plans. I love her rudeness, especially when you combine it with Brady and the book he’s reading on “being your own self”. The fact that she refuses to talk to Nancy until the end of day one enforces that “I’ve got no time for you” managerial, Hollywood attitude. One thing this game does well is in making each character suspicious. There is no object or goal the characters are trying to attain, but rather, the game focuses on the lengths they would go to in order to satisfy their desires. Simone wants to make Brady famous because that would make her rich. Thus, from her dealings with Brady’s fans and the floral card, it makes sense that she might kidnap Maya. BTW, I just want to say how amazing this game is by making all the suspicious evidence be everyday items. For Simone, it’s messages and a floral business card. In other words, the suspicion is put on the character’s motives and their personality, as in, how they would achieve said goals.

Brady Armstrong: Total Hottie, am I right? Oh wait, wrong game. Out of the 4 suspects, Brady is the weakest because he really has no reason to kidnap Maya. Even if it was a publicity stunt it wouldn’t be him doing the kidnapping, Simone would make sure of that! But the plot twist they gave to his character was really cool and unexpected. It did bring some new questions, but within the context of the game, it was really great because it took the character with the lowest suspicion rate and made him super suspicious! I know some people might feel like it’s random and came out of nowhere, but I disagree. Brady is shown to have qualms with the amount of control Simone has over his life, not to mention his own fears of a waning career (which btw, nicely ties in with a theater past its prime theme). After Joseph, he shows the most amount of concern for Maya but it feels superficial, like it’s for a press. Later you see him reading the assert yourself book which builds his confidence not only to get out of Simone’s grasps but to go down a different path. Finally, he keeps everything in an office briefcase. It’s a subtle growth, but it’s there.

Nick Falcone: Probably the person the game wanted you to think is the most suspicious because Maya’s kidnapping falls right into his plans, and his past borderline illegal activates to preserve the theater. Honestly, even knowing the true criminal, I think the game did a good job at making Nick suspicious. He gives off the aura of one of those people who make you feel included and then next thing you know you helped someone out in a crime. One of those I’ll be nice and make you trust me, but I have ulterior motives and don’t trust you types. And yet, the game did something so clever with his character that connects him to the real criminal. You see, Nick is relatively nice to Nancy and actually works alongside her a bit, kind of like someone else we know. It’s a clever trick to make Joseph’s eventually reveal seem less jarring because the game has already shown a nice character who is extremely shady.

Joseph Huges: One of those tragic yet scary villains. You really sympathize with his desire to save the theater and his desperation. I felt really bad when the note about his brother’s death was discovered. He’s nice, but the game uses his niceness against you. He’s always there when you need help (he’s watching you). He tries to help you find Maya (he’s making sure you don’t find her before the demolition is due). He’s definitely one of the more dangerous villains because of his desire to be your friend. And yet, I kind of felt like they weren’t intentionally trying to hide this side of Joseph. One of the most obvious things about Maya’s kidnapping is that it would require someone to have intense knowledge of the theater’s layouts, and out of all the characters, Joseph has the most. So from the start, the finger was already on Joseph, but either his “kindness” makes you forget it or makes you deny it because it’s hard to believe. I still wonder if his denial confrontation is intentional or not, or a mix of both. It’s hard to say, he’s definitely a villain that’s exhausted. But it certainly made him one of the best, if not the best, villains in the series.

Puzzles: This game had a nice balance between the puzzles and game. The puzzles weren’t super complicated but they nicely integrated with the theater. I mean, it really wouldn’t make sense for a theater to have complicated puzzles here and there. I think the most complicated puzzle would be the one to get access to the magician’s room. The only puzzle that was a disappointment was using the keys in the attic to get past the door. There were so many keys and they were of similar colour which just made everything chaotic. The end game puzzle was hilarious because it wasn’t a puzzle at all. It was just a magic trick, yet it worked because of the setting! Simone’s phone was a little daunting because I didn’t know what the objective was. I knew you had to put the number from the lipstick card, but where and how wasn’t clear. I kind of guessed a few times then got it.

This game really hammered in the magical phrase “Appearances can be deceiving”.

One funny thing was with the electric door. I forgot to look into the chest to get the rubber gloves, so when I came to the electric door I started to improvise. Instead of going back to get the gloves, my brain went “Well, wood isn’t a good conductor of electricity so if we use the magic wand which is most likely made of wood as a stick and press the numbers with it, we should be good”….. I had to hear Nancy’s scream 3 times before I remembered the gloves.

There were a lot of phone calls, but I like talking to people and gathering bits of clues here and there and having to put everything together. Also, I loved Houdini’s cousin’s morbid humour, LOVED IT!

Graphics:

They show their age here and there, but like the theater, sometimes old is gold. This game doesn’t have little animations that are unique to the character. You could argue for Simone and Joseph as they both had something that was related to their work, but neither revealed much about their character. Graphics is something you can only talk about with the later games, but this game still provided unique angles like Joseph’s head peering into the trap door/magician’s room area.

Plot: It was fantastic. Everything is high stakes and instead of receiving help, Nancy receives reluctance and incompetence. No wonder she tags alongside the villain, he’s the only one who tries to help.

The only thing that I don’t completely get is why Brady felt threatened by Maya. So what if she exposes the fact that he’s the owner of the theater? How does that affect his popularity? If anything, planet Tinseltown would make a bigger dent in it.

Overall, loved this game. 10/10

[couldnt-think-of-a-funny-name]

A Brief Recap of My Vacation Thus Far

- Yesterday, we accidentally took the wrong route and ended up on The Bad Bridge, everyone was panicked and our travel time was increased by an hour

- We still somehow made it here before the rest of my family. I get so much shit but honestly? None of us are capable of being on time

- There was a guy innocently dancing at a gas station, my grandmother called him a 'nut' and he heard and started laughing with us. This innocent interaction somehow sparked into a 30 minute race debate where I was told "It's bad to be PC. You're being too PC." All I did was say "Hey, maybe don't refer to non-white strangers as 'foreigners'". Help me.

- My Grandmother, like, completely unprompted, started denying the fact that the world has a growing population that's a bit of an issue??? Still confused

- I forgot. To pack. My headphones.

- My mother peer pressured me into drinking at dinner (omfg the waitress asked me if I had an id and literally before I could move to pull it out she goes 'who am I kidding, I can't fucking see it unless you hold it all the way over the ocean). Despite my usually high tolerance, I hadn't eaten all day so while I wasn't acting drunk or tipsy I could not make my legs function properly rip

- I came home and slept for like six hours before my mother's monstrous snoring woke me up at 2 am. Was never able to recover. I'm so tired rn

- The whole family, in true form, spent the morning ignoring me and then left for the beach without me. It took me over an hour to dredge up enough willpower to walk there myself

- I had to leave through the garage, in which you have to walk through the Hillbilly Murder Showers and struggle with The Very Small Yet Astoundingly Heavy Door. Despite pressing the button a total of six times, it still had to be essentially pried open

- This lead me to under the Boardwalk, which was covered with orange construction cones and had a huge gaping hole with Very Worrying Noises emerging from it, new feature this year. I almost took it as an omen to head back but trekked on anyway, managing to not fall into the hole.

- My family was found under a flag for the country of Montserrat, a place none of us have even heard of, but apparently my cousin kept getting emails that he had been promoted to the general of their military, and found the flag on complete coincidence and thought it fate. There was also an Eagles flag, because we are quite literally never allowed to forget that this is a Philly Family(tm)

-  My mother learned the hard way that you're supposed to Goddamn rub in the spray on sunscreen

- My hair got caught in my sunglasses so badly we almost had to consider using scissors to cut them out

- The Moon Was Apparently Out, But Only Eileen Can See It For Some Reason

- My younger cousins have a profound misunderstanding of what an undertow is

- The water was so rough today it was alarming tbh like HUGE waves hitting in the shallows, I was getting a little worried

- Even though alcohol has like, never been allowed on the beach, this year they apparently decided to Care About The Rules, so police officers were milling about. My family decided the best, least suspicious way to hide the beer was solo cups.

- I ate my weight in resses cups because I literally have no concept of self control

- Every time I pulled out my book, Jenna popped up going "did you know that movie sucked?". She wouldn't stop. I was there for three hours and barely made it to chapter 2

- Me, stuffing my face with cheese and sliced ham "idk veganism sounds kinda neat"

- My cousins three month old baby was there and my mom had to keep this child in her sight at all times like she was so convinced something was gonna Happen

- Also, the baby's grandmother was holding her while she napped and she went on this little tangent to my mom like "My mother taught me how to put a baby to sleep-" like she kept going on in this nostalgic tone about her mother and finally mom was like "Kathy we're literally sisters and mom is sitting right there you don't have to do this no one cares"

- Megan took a nap and her seven year old woke her up to ask her where his shirt was and she got. UNREASONABLY mad at him. The whole 'God forbid I can rest I do everything' spiel but like. Megan. Megan. You were asleep for like two hours. He's seven. Megan he's literally a baby he can't exactly be independent all the time.

- Seanie came over and was sitting on the big wheel of the wagon next to me so I asked him what he was doing and he went "Well, apparently I can't sit in a chair without people annoying me" and gave me a VERY pointed look so I just went back to my book so as to not invoke a 12 year old's wrath

- Can I just say: Seagulls need to stay THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME

- I cowered in fear most of the day

- A man with a chair strapped to his back and very dark sunglasses wandered into our site, head tilted toward the sky and arms out in front of him, wobbling and almost fell into multiple holes my cousin's dug. He didn't seem to notice us as we called out to him, and eventually tumbled out of our site and plopped his chair down some ways away, which he collapsed into. The Elders and The Youngins' were convinced he was blind and was whispering amongst themselves, if he's blind where's his cane? Why's he here alone? Is he really blind. To which one relative finally quipped "Well, I'm sure some alcohol can MAKE you blind" and I was cracking up tbh like how HADNT they smelled the booze coming off him when he passed by?

- Danny, 12 years old, sitting calmly in the sun, drinking a large mason jar of pickle juice. When I politely asked him what the fuck, he turned and held eye contact with me for a solid three minutes, still drinking the pickle juice.

- When you're scared about getting arrested for drinking a bottle of beer but someone can apparently start Blazing It(tm) feet away from the police with no repercussions

- Also...random observation but all the police officers, firemen, and various other In Charge people I've encountered down here over the years seem to be younger than me? Why is this place being run by 18 year olds?

- Intense debate about why there's been so little promotion for Sharknado 5, airing this Sunday.

- Holy SHIT okay so I started leaving the beach right

- I'm having trouble trekking through the thick sand. My hair looks like a literal nest, I am unevenly pale and tan, a chair and bag are threatening to knock me over in the winds- basically I look outside like the mess I've always been inside.

- AND THIS FUCKING

-THIS FUCKING GREEK GOD OF A LIFEGUARD

- YOUNG, FIT, SHIRTLESS, BLINDING SMILE, EFFORTLESS HAIR, LITERALLY THE MOST FLAWLESS TAN I HAVE EVER SEEN

- HE FUCKING PULLS UP TO ME IN HIS SAND ROVER

- REMEMBER I LOOK LIKE A HERMIT CRAB THAT JUST EMERGED FROM THE SEWERS HERE

- AND HE JUST CHEERFULLY CALLS "MOLLY! HOP IN, I'LL GIVE YOU A RIDE!"

- HOW

- THE

- FUCK

- HOW DOES THIS GORGEOUS ENTITY KNOW MY NAME? WHY WOULD THIS IMMORTAL BEAUTY CHOOSE TO ASSOCIATE WITH ME.

- He said "Molly" one more time and I'm not kidding or exaggerating. I felt my name in his voice IN MY UTERUS.

- We did not speak the entire ride, but he somehow knew pretty much exactly where to drop me off and told me to have a great day before rovering off into the fucking sunset

- I am still so SHOOK right now who was this man????? I know for a fact I've never met him before so HOW DID HE KNOW MY NAME. Why did fate bring us together when I looked so authentically me???? Who is pulling these strings I Would Like A Word With Them

- I need to lie down it's been far too long since I was this attracted to a person idk what to do goodnight

[clownfall]

the jalepeño-popperfic: chapter one

cred to @actualbird​ and @hurricanesunny​ for the concept and storyline *finger guns* i’m not capable of having original ideas so i steal other peoples’ and write about them without asking ;)

On their way to a wedding rehearsal for their exes’ marriage, Michael Mell and Chloe Valentine were taking a break from pretending to be head over heels in love.

“I kinda want McDonalds,” explained Michael, “because I highly doubt that Rich is responsible enough to remember to hire a caterer, and I don’t want to get super hungry.”

Chloe nodded, fixing her hair in the mirror. “Yeah, dude, I respect that.”

“But here’s the thing..” He glanced at her before shifting his focus back on the road as he eased forward into the intersection. “I sorta want Taco Bell, too. But I can’t have both.”

“Why the fuck not?"

“Oh come on, you know I have to watch my weight. I can barely fit in this suit as it is.”

“Ha yeah,” she smirked. “You are getting kinda thick.”

“Okay, come on, that’s no way to talk to your fiance, now is it?” he snickered, trying to stifle his laughter.

“Oops.” The brunette chuckled, batting her eyelashes. “Sorry, ‘babe.’”

“Jesus christ, I’m never gonna get used to that, am I?” he muttered, loosening his tie. “Being straight is hard.” He ran his fingers through his dark hair, lighting a cigarette and taking a puff before rolling down the window and exhaling it.

“Tell me about it,” she sighed, tossing her own russet locks and wrinkling her nose at Michael’s habit. “That’s gross, though. No guy’s ever gonna want to stick his tongue down your throat with all those chemicals rotting it. You know, it coats your lungs. In tar.”

He frowned down at the cig. “I’m trying to quit..” he flicked the ashes away and took another drag before putting it out and tossing it into a mason jar. He peered up the road, his face lighting up with recognition. “Hey, we’re here. Guess it’s too late for Taco Bell.” He paused, raising an eyebrow. “Stop messing with your hair, it looks fine.”

“Fine,” she sighed, discarding her sunglasses with a flourish and patting down her pale scarlet dress before glancing at her fiance with her lips pursed.

He met her eyes as the car slowed to a stop in a parking place. “What’s up?”

“Oh, um.. I was just wondering.. you cool with seeing Rich like this?” She tilted her head to the side sympathetically, her hair tumbling over her shoulder in the process. “‘Cause I know I sort of roped you into this whole fake engagement thing so the Dillingers would leave me alone about Jake and stuff, but I’ve been thinking about you and Rich and how close you two were in college..”

“Chlo, relax. Rich and I broke up ages ago, and we’ve been friends for nearly two years. Everything romantic between us ended a long time ago,” he chuckled, opening his door and strolling around the car to let Chloe out. “You and Jake had the longer relationship, remember? You guys were already together when you introduced Rich and I.”

“Oh, right!” she remembered, stepping delicately out of the car in her stiletto heels. “Ha, yeah. We all went bowling. And Rich spilled nacho cheese all over himself.”

“Haha, yeah. And while we sat there laughing and pointing at him, Jake was the one to actually grab him some napkins and help him clean up.” He shook his head, sighing nostalgically. “They were meant for each other from the beginning.”

“Yeah,” Chloe agreed, nodding as she hobbled up the steep steps to where the wedding would be held. “So it’s in this mansion place? Jeez, when did those boys get so classy?”

“No clue.” Just as they made it to the top, the door swung open, revealing a very stressed party planner.

He was stuttering a hundred miles a minute into his phone, his blue eyes frantic. “Hm-wha-what? No, no, no, Christine, we c-can’t possibly have jalepeño poppers as the main course! Chrissy, they’re an ap-appeziter--attepizer--whatever. Who-wh-what.. Well, of course he asked for them to be the main course..” He managed a quick nod and an apologetic smile at Chloe and Michael before hurrying onwards. “What did Jakob have to say about it, then? ..wow. I can only dream of finding a husband as tolerant as that..” He paused, waiting on the steps and peering down the road when he stiffened and shook his head. “W-woah. Slow down. No way.. I said no, Christine. Teppanyaki uses fire. I don’t c-care if it’s cool, I said NO FIRE..” His voice faded as he sped off, his head down.

With one shared glance, Michael and Chloe cracked up. “That poor, poor man,” Chloe snickered, wiping her eyes with laughter.

“Wedding planners don’t get enough recognition. This guy’s juggling renting out this mansion, scheduling the ceremony, organizing the afterparty, and jalepeño poppers.” Michael shook his head in astonishment, grabbing the door and holding it open for Chloe.

“The true heroes,” the brunette agreed, stepping into the building and looping her arm through Michael’s.

They were ushered to the main hall as soon as they walked through the doorway, barely having enough time to figure out how they got there. It was honestly a miracle Chloe didn’t trip with those shoes. “I am this close to wearing pumps for the wedding,” she grumbled, glaring down at her precariously balanced feet.

“..Chloe? Is that you?”

ok i know it’s short shh it’s ok it’s ok