#and the result is a really fantastic little collection

[onlyonetifosi]

Clapping, clapping, i see ya' falling

got the gifs from @matlillard (love the recompilation)

author note1: sorry for taking longer than I expected, been busy

author note2: sorry for the possible bad german, Im spanish, i used google translate

author note2: i hope you like it

"Mick, Schätzchen, have you ever thought about joining TikTok?" Yn asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"TikTok? Really?" Mick raised an eyebrow, not entirely convinced.

Yn chuckled, "Warum nicht? (Why not?) It's a fantastic way to connect with fans. Let's create an account together!"

After some convincing, Mick reluctantly agreed. Yn set up his account, and soon they were ready to post the first TikTok. Little did they know, it would become an internet sensation.

His first TikTok featured the two of them attempting the viral clapping challenge. The idea was simple—clap their hands while crossing one leg, all while navigating different locations on race weekends. However, the process wasn't as smooth as it seemed.

In the first clip, Mick and Yn found themselves in a hotel corridor. As they started clapping and crossing legs, Mick tripped over his own feet, and they burst into laughter. The genuine moment of joy captured the hearts of fans, and the comments flooded in.

"Okay, Micky, let's try this again. Clap, laugh, leg cross!" Yn said giggling

"This is harder than it looks!" Mick responded laughing on the corridor floor

"Komm schon, Mick! (Come on, Mick!)" Yn encourages him as they are running late because of his discordination.

"Ich versuche es, Liebling. (I'm trying, darling)" Mick defends himself.

As they attempted multiple takes, they stumbled, bumped into each other, and laughed uncontrollably. The outtakes became just as popular as the original video.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

In Melbourne, as they stood in their hotel corridor, Mick began the routine with a confident clap. Yn, however, struggled to keep her balance and ended up colliding with a housekeeping cart, sending cleaning supplies scattering.

"Verdammt (damn)!" she laughed, helping Mick collect the fallen items.

The duo's next stop was Imola, where Mick's Australian Shepherd, Angie, joined in on the fun. With her wagging tail, she managed to mimic the leg cross move, leaving the couple in stitches.

"Angie wants to join the TikTok too!" Yn giggled.

"Angie, du bist so süß (Angie, you're so cute)," Yn cooed, ruffling the dog's fur.

Mick petted Angie, "You're stealing the show, Frau"

Throughout the season, Mick and Yn continued the clapping challenge, showcasing different locations, from the paddock to picturesque cities around the world. Each video brought its own set of challenges and hilarious moments.

Encouraged by the positive response of the bloopers she uploaded on instagram, Yn had an ambitious idea – to get Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff involved. She pleaded with him in his office.

"Toto, please, it's just a quick video! The fans would love to see the boss having some fun."

Toto sighed, "Fine, but just this once. What do I have to do?"

Yn grinned, "Just clap your hands and cross one leg while walking. It's easy!"

Toto chuckled, "Ah, the things I do for social media”

The resulting video showcased Toto's serious demeanor breaking into a smile as he awkwardly attempted the trend. Fans went wild, and Toto's unexpected charm won over the internet.

"You owe me for this, Mick!" Toto playfully threatened him.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Their TikTok journey continued, featuring special guests like Sebastian Vettel and his wife Hanna. In one video, the four attempted the clap-and-cross routine together, struggling to coordinate their moves, well mostly Seb and Mick.

" Mama, Papa, come join us for a TikTok! It'll be legendary!"

Sebastian raised an eyebrow. "Really, Yn? TikTok?" but she knew he was joking from the playful grin on his face, adn he agreed.

The genuine laughter that followed made it even more endearing. Mick hugged his friend, saying, "Who knew Seb Vettel could be a TikTok sensation?"

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

At the Silverstone GP, Esteban Ocon, Mick's bestie, couldn't resist joining the trend. The two friends shared a hilarious moment when Mick accidentally stepped on Esteban's foot, resulting in a fit of laughter that echoed through the paddock.

"C'est vraiment drôle!" (This is really funny) Esteban laughed, clapping along.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Taking advantage that Mick's sister, Gina, was with them during a race weekend, Yn decided to involve her as she is very fond of the older Schumacher sibling.

"Come on, Gina! We're going to create a masterpiece!" Yn encouraged Gina 

Gina, always up for some fun, joined them in a hotel lobby. Yn and Gina having planned a prank on Mick were ready.

"Bereit, ihr beiden? (Ready, you two?)"

"Ja, let's go!" Yn said mischievously to her.

As Mick started clapping and crossing his leg, Yn and Gina coordinated their push, causing Mick to stumble dramatically.

"Autsch! Ihr seid gemein! (Ouch! You're mean!)" Mick told them faking a hurt expression.

The three burst into laughter, Mick, with a mock hurt expression, turned to Yn for comfort. Seizing the opportunity, he pulled her into a sweet kiss, knowing it would irk his sister.

"I never thought making these videos could be so entertaining. Danke, Liebling" Said Mick kissing his girlfriend as Gina fake gagged behind them.

Gina groaned, "Ugh, you two are insufferable."

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Yn convinced Mick to approach other drivers for collaborations. In the paddock at Hungary, they found themselves persuading Lewis Hamilton to join the clapping craze.

"Come on, Lewis! It'll be a blast!" Yn exclaimed.

Lewis, with a grin, agreed, and soon the trio filmed a TikTok that transcended team rivalries and showcased the camaraderie among the drivers.

In Hungary, they even managed to convince Max Verstappen to take part in the viral trend, breaking the mold of fierce competition. The resulting video, featuring Mick, Yn and Max, became an instant hit, uniting fans from different corners of the racing world.

—----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Mick and Yn continued their TikTok journey, their infectious laughter and genuine moments brought joy to fans worldwide. They uploaded the video and promised to repeat it next season as they had so much fun during the making of it.

They uploaded the video, and soon, the comments flooded in, praising not only the couple's chemistry but also Mick's newfound style

She turned to Mick, who was sitting beside her on the bed in their hotel room, scrolling through his own phone. "Mick, isn't this amazing? Our TikTok is blowing up! "

Mick chuckled, his eyes lighting up with excitement. "Ja (Yes), it's pretty cool. I didn't expect it to become so popular" And they started reading some of the comments.

One said "Is it just me, or did Mick's fashion game level up this year?" some others said "Mick's style transformation is giving me life. Thank you, Yn!"

Another fan said: "The 'girlfriend effect' is real. Yn, spill your fashion secrets!"

Mick looked from her phone to her girlfriend, who layed across their bed, raising an eyebrow "The 'girlfriend effect,' huh?"

Yn, smiled grinning, proud of herself "Guilty as charged. But admit it, you look great!"

Mick, looked at her grinning "Looks like I owe it all to you, liebling"

taglist: @love4lando@gcldtom@im-mi @hiireadstuff @celesteblack08@reblog-princess@sunf1ower16@janeholt3@athena-artemis-dorian-gray

[theresattrpgforthat]

THEME: Bittersweet Futures

Today’s recommendation is all about games that bring us into speculative futures, from the highly plausible to the completely fantastical. You’ll find giant bugs, machine animals, and eco punk anti-fascists in this collection of games.

Autostede, by Kettle and Clock.

You are a Drover. Your mechanical companion, your “Autostede,” is all that keeps you safe against the deadly plants and roving wild stedes in the wilderness between towns. And you keep them running. Together, you can take on the world, which is good because the world is a dangerous place and its your job to keep the small, separated towns safe and connected.

Autostede is a tabletop roleplaying game Illuminated by LUMEN in which you play as Drovers, the few who choose to modify their Autostedes into weapons capable of surviving the harsh wilderness between towns. 

Actions taken with the ‘stede interact with their wishes, turning every roll into an ongoing conversation with your companion, where you come together to find the best solution to a problem. 

Autostede feels very much inspired by Horizon Zero Dawn, with a bit of a western twist. Character creation involves two parts. First is Drover Creation, which is attached to your mask, an air filtration device that also grants special skills and points towards one of the three main stats as a strength for you. The second part is your Stede, a character sheet with a 4-section hex grid, with each hex representing attribute bonuses, passive abilities, and modules that can serve as weapons, power generators, extra limbs, and so on.

While the game is based in LUMEN, there’s definitely pieces of it that feel unique, such as your mechanical steeds, and the way skills are used in the game. Each character has access skills that are generally useful, but also can do things that feel a little unhelpful, such as “bewilder” or “consider”. These are Recovery skills; most skills are Spent when you use them and can’t be used right away again after you’ve used them, but Recovery skills can be used to refresh your options, in a sense. These balances of skills feels like a great way to introduce pauses into what might otherwise feel like a hectic game, encouraging your characters to demonstrate weaknesses or narrative moments that are more about the character than what the character is doing.

If you love building custom mechs but still want a lightweight set of rules, I definitely recommend Autostede.

Paratype, by megasomamars.

"The world ended long ago. It doesn’t matter how; pollution, nuclear fallout or some cataclysmic event, no one really knows. What they do know is that it didn’t take long for the bugs to show up. Giant insects terrorize what remains of humanity, leaving survivors scrounging for what little resources they can get.

For most, life in the wasteland has become fast, dangerous and insectile. Thanks to science, some individuals have even found a way to splice their DNA with that of these mutant invertebrates to develop strange new adaptations of their own. These hybrids are humanity's newest area and last hope. Now all that’s left is to survive."

Paratype is an interesting little hybrid of a game. The basic rules involve rolling to hit a difficulty level, with rules for both advantage and disadvantage. However, the game also includes a special roll called the Risk roll, which involves rolling 2d20 and taking the result that is the farthest from 10. This is great for situations where you want either a fantastic success or a deadly failure.

Characters have four general stats, with sub-stats that represent specialties, which reminds me of World of Darkness or Genesys games. The inventory system takes inspiration from Mausritter, consisting of hexagonal shapes that can be filled with different size items. If you buy a backpack, your inventory expands!

Finally, the Health of your character is measured in both Hit Points and Stress points. You lose hit points, and gain Stress points. Running out of HP = death, while hitting max SP leads to your character going “feral”, which makes your character virtually unplayable. I think the explanation in the lore for this is a DNA splice that has changed your character to make them better survivors. I also feel like it carries echoes of Trauma in Blades in the Dark, or Corruption in Urban Shadows, except that in Paratype, SP can be healed a little easier.

Light Eaters, by blindink.

An interstellar encounter brought a Light to the earth, corrupting reality and leaving humanity in ash. The last city stands against the inevitable, remnants of the pre-existing mortal Authority desperately clutching for power. Degenerates stalk the wasteland with insatiable hunger, encircling the dying carcass of order. You are the misfits, the should-not-bes, the first and last signs of apocalypse. Born from the end, you are Light Eaters. In your wake, nothing will ever be the same. 

Light Eaters is a campaign-style role-playing game for three or more players, telling the story of the last city hurtling towards an inevitable end. Players take the role of Light Eaters, near immortal post-human beings watching helplessly as humanity as we know it comes to an end, fighting back against the Authority and the effects of their own Degeneration. They decide for themselves what matters, and what they take with them into this new world.

Light Eaters uses 6-diced dice as resources, which you can place on slots in 4 different move categories in order to set yourself up for action scenes. You can only assign 4’s, 5’s and 6’s: 2’s and 3’s can be re-rolled, while 1’s inflict conditions or allow something called Chaos to rise. Your characters can work as a team, sharing dice and distributing Conditions evenly, and you can also oppose one-another, attempting to disrupt each-other’s rolls by spending personal resources.

The general game play appears to consist of an over-arching problem, with various levels framed as scenes. Each scene will include an obstacle, often in the form of opposing NPCs. These NPCs carry Facets that can be damaged through the actions of the PCs, and each Facet consists of descriptive words that represent powers and personalities that will affect the NPC’s choices. Over time, Chaos will build, triggering new events every time you reach a new level. When Chaos reaches level 4, the game is over; narrate what happens based on the events that have happened so far.

This game looks like a great option for players who want stakes that raise higher and higher, and plenty of ways to interpret their special powers; You can get a taste of this game by checking out an ashcan scenario, called Light Eaters: Thunderfuck, a scenario with pre-generated characters and a problem that each character is motivated to solve.

Bug World, by alfie meyer.

Maybe the apocalypse could have been averted, but it wasn’t, and here we are, in a brand new world. this isn’t your cold, nuclear winter, sparse and dead kind of post-apocalypse. the end sent the world on a new course, brimming with life - just not quite as much human life as before. ok, barely any. in the super oxygen-rich atmosphere of the earth today, insect life has thrived. it only took a few decades for bugs to reach incredible sizes, and now, about a century-and-a-half after the disaster, gargantuan insects are a normal sight.

from a ladybug the size of a dog, to millipedes that might as well be trains, to horned beetles with skeletons big enough to use as shelter. bugs are huge and they are everywhere. the remaining humans have domesticated some, trained others, made wary peace with some intelligent groups, and carved themselves out sections of the world to live.

Bug World is a Powered by the Apocalypse game in that mechanically, it carries a lot of the hallmarks: playbooks, stats that add modifiers to moves, and graded success. It’s also literally a post-apocalypse: the world is broken and dangerous, and the players are scavenging to survive and learning about the past in the process. However, I think in comparison to Apocalypse World, the moves and goals of the characters are less integrated; in Apocalypse World, a character is motivated by lack of resources to intimidate, insinuate, and barter with the other inhabitants of their settlement for more. In Bug World, you are instead motivated to work together to go searching for the things you need to survive.

The Distant Shore, by The Ignis Court.

Transhumanity's empire has been sundered. The Machine Minds they had relied too heavily upon have left them, and Earth too has disappeared. The Settlements across the Sol System have been left scattered and isolated in the black. As megacorp, fascists, and Psionic Tyrants begin movement to take advantage, an entity known as the Distant Shore has manifest from Ceres, and its caustic light has begun tugging at the psyche of every thinking being. 

Lucky then that the Machine Minds saw fit to offer you a parting gift: an Ancile, fragment of the Machine Minds. Their nature symbiotic with your own names you Psion, and one capable of great and terrible power. 

This is the Distant Shore. 

The Distant Shore is a very interesting example of how your characters’ backgrounds and the lore of the game are built into the process of character creation. For example, you must choose a character background that will place you on the outside of the system of power, and each character must also contain an Ancile that gives them incredible power while also makes them dangerous.

The system itself uses d20’s, with a 10 as a threshold for success. However, how well you succeed is determined by your character’s skills - if you are Untrained in a skill, a success is still partial, and if you are Trained in a skill that aligns with your background, you cannot fail. Your training also determines critical points of your backstory. For example; if you are Trained in Engage, name a fight you didn’t win and what it cost you. I love that these kinds of tie-ins ensure that the players will learn what they need to know about the setting without overloading them with information.

The designer also has an adventure document for this game called No More Tourists, if you need a place to start.

Why We Fight, by Stop, Drop & Roll Games Studio. Why We Fight is a solarpunk narrative TTRPG where you play a crew of eco-punks fighting fascism to build a brighter, greener future.

Your Crew will journey through the remains of a post-civil war country to save lives, reclaim nature, create a community of compassion, and beat back the oppressive forces that threaten the chance for a new start.

But most of all, it’s about learning about each other, and the things that inspire us. It’ll take close co-operation and a diverse set of skills, but together, we can make change!

Why We Fight can be played solo and GM-less, with the elements that would normally be GM-ed attached to randomizers to help the group construct missions together if that is what you so desire. The game is focused on a post-apocalypse that highlights many concerns about the consequences of an increase in fascist-leaning governance, which means it isn’t necessarily escapist, but it might give your table the space to talk about elements of the future that cause them anxiety. It might also give you a chance to demonstrate agency in situations where you normally don’t.

Character specialties are distributed among mental, physical and social categories, and feel pretty standard when it comes to a list of character skills. The group works together to construct a mission, using dice to determine elements such as opportunities, locations, and various situations that may cause complications. Play happens over the passing of a day, with different modifiers attached to specialties according to the time of day. I think this might be interesting way to add complexity that encourages strategy when it comes to plotting out your next moves.

Finally, travel between conflicts and other scenes serves to flesh out the world and add depth to your character’s experiences, using roll tables to describe how small changes in the world give your characters reasons to hope.

For Further Reading...

Post Apocalyptic Community Recommendation Post

Nuclear Radiation Recommendation Post

Fallout Recommendation Post

[f1haaland]

Hey babes, can I ask for something fluffy with a little angst perhaps with fernando? I loved your Instagram au with him 😩

𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 / 𝑭𝑨𝟏𝟒

pairing: fernando alonso x verstappen!reader

summary: fighting for the drivers championship has been the most challenging thing to ever happen in your career, especially when your #1 enemy is your own brother. fortunately, fernando is there to lend you a helping hand.

author's note: this got longer than I expected.

word count: 2.9k

warnings: teammate!reader, friends to lovers, mentions of cars crashing, family issues, slight daddy issues (no mention to j*s), max being a dick, google translated dutch, suggestive description but no actual sexual stuff, significant age gap (reader is 28, fernando is 41), probably more warnings but I don't know what else to put here.

reblogs, feedbacks and likes are appreciated. support your content creators!! 🫶🏽

➜ 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐚 𝟏 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥��𝐬𝐭

· ┈┈┈┈┈┈ · ༓  ༓ · ┈┈┈┈┈┈ ·

Media used to say you and your brother got your passion for racing from your parents. The fans used to say you got the beauty from your mother, and Max got the anger issues from your father. That could be true, but you inherited the anger issues as well.

Even though you were older than him, Max always came first. He got into karting before you, he got into Formula before you, and he became world champion before you. Male privilege, perhaps? Yeah, but when you are born female and you were raised to be a racing driver, you need to be better than every male on the grid. Even if that means competing against your own family.

And Max never had a problem with that. He crushed you every chance he had. Every track you both raced on, from karting to Formula 1, you'd see him in your rearview mirror, and then in front of you, finishing first. Until he wasn't there anymore, and would leave the champion title for you to take.

Two years after he made it to Red Bull from Toro Rosso, you finally got to Formula 1. In your rookie year, at Renault, you made your first friend on the grid. You and Daniel had excellent chemistry, and he gave you such help that you never got from Max. That was until he signed to McLaren and left you all alone.

Not long after, you signed with Williams, and beside Alex, you made great results. You scored great points, but you still wanted the podium. You wanted to stand there and raise a trophy. You wanted a taste of the glory.

And two years later, you drove alongside Sebastian Vettel, when you signed to Aston Martin. After Mercedes' fall from grace, it was a really good year for your team. You finally got your first podium. And you tasted it, the glory. You stood there and raised the trophy. That's when you got greedy and wanted more.

Things only seemed to get better when Sebastian announced his retirement, and Fernando Alonso became your new teammate. The team got you a new car even better than last year's. Your trophy collection became bigger after every race. And you were finally, after so many years, racing against your brother for the drivers championship.

Fernando was the best teammate you could have asked for. He was not only a good friend but an emotional support as well. He helped you through your anger crisis and often would take you to ease your head away from the tracks.

Even though he was competing against you too, it never seemed like it. He often said he already had his wins, and he was there to help you have yours. Fernando was racing because he loved to do so, great results were just the consequences of being a fantastic driver.

You were two points behind Max, and knowing that a single little mistake could cost you the championship, it wasn't needed much to trigger your anger issues.

After staying out of Q3 because you crashed into your brother's car, you left your car and tossed your helmet on the floor. You groaned loudly, processing what had happened;

Max crashed into me.

In the middle of a corner, Max crashed into me.

On. Fucking. Purpose.

When you started walking away from your garage and going straight to Red Bull's, Fernando, who had dnfed after engine problems, came towards you.

"Y/n!" He tried to call your attention, as the cameras started to follow you, "Y/n don't do this!"

"Hey, klootzak!" You shouted out loud as you reached the Red Bull garage and your eyes met Max's. (Hey, asshole!)

As the cameras — and Fernando — came right behind you, every eye on the pits was on you. Your teammate held you by the waist, stopping your movements.

"Y/n, don't do this. You're going to get penalized. Please..." He muttered into your ear, making you shiver.

You stared at Fernando as he frowned, silently begging for you to stop. You wanted to listen to him so badly... but then you remembered why you were there.

The championship. The crash. Max.

Your gaze became darker as you turned to your brother, "He should be the one to get penalized!" you yelled.

Switching to dutch, you spat, giving more steps towards him, "Je deed het expres, nietwaar, Max? Verdomde klootzak!" (You did it on purpose, didn't you, Max? Fucking bastard!)

Max tilted his head to the side, smirking. You clenched your fist, ready to do something you would regret.

"Waarom geef je mij de schuld? Leer autorijden, idioot." Max teased, looking down at you being face-to-face with him. (Why are you blaming me? Learn to drive, idiot.)

You pushed him as hard as you could, neverminding the cameras shoved on your face. Max fell onto the ground.

Fernando held tight to your waist this time, as Christian and Daniel got in between you and your brother.

Hours after your meltdown, you received the news of your penalty; Tomorrow, you would be starting off from the pits, while Max would be starting at the back place of the grid.

"Starting off the pits is so much worse than P19. That's unfair." You mumbled, still pissed off with everything that happened.

Fernando snorted. Fortunately, he was there to help you ease your mind. You both were at your place in São Paulo, waiting for your Chinese takeout while pretending to watch a tv show.

You scrolled through your Twitter page, reading the fans reactions to your meltdown. Max had his moments before, but this was your first time getting caught on camera during one of your anger episodes.

And most of the things you read online didn't help with the situation. Weird men were calling you hysterical, some people were excited to see how good this would look on Drive to Survive, and some fans were... shipping you with Fernando?

You frowned, deciding to watch one of many videos where you attacked your brother. From different angles, you saw the way Fernando held onto your waist. Unintentionally, you remembered how he begged, so close to your ear, for you to stop. How it sent shivers down your spine.

And just now, you noticed how close you were to him in your personal life. It has been such a crazy year for you, you never realized you and Fernando were more than a just friendship. He was by your side at every single moment. He often took you out to dinner, you would invite each other to your houses in Monaco. Sometimes he would take you to his place in Spain.

And you listen to him. Most of the time at least, you thought. But the thing is, you usually don't listen to anyone but yourself. No one is right but you. You don't have anyone to trust but you. But that's not true, as he's there proving you wrong. You just never realized, until now.

"Nando, I–" You started, but the sound of your doorbell got in your way.

"It's our food. Let me get it." He patted your thigh, before standing up to answer the door.

After your realization, even his touch felt different. Your whole perspective of him changed. You liked it. It felt different, but also it felt normal, like it was simply meant to be. Like the things you did with each other, the things you shared, things that mostly only couples used to do, it fitted your relationship — if you could call it that way.

You both ate your noodles and watched the tv show, quietly. Your head lay comfortably in his lap as Fernando's fingertips danced around your scalp. You sighed, comfortable in the position you found yourself in. It felt too domestic. You could close your eyes and sleep right there, because you trusted him enough to do so. You trusted him more than anyone.

"What is this?" You asked.

"What is what, cariño?" Fernando murmured, still caressing your head but focused on the tv.

You lifted your upper body from his embrace and sat by his side.

"This." You gestured towards him and yourself, "Us. This is not normal, Fernando. It feels like we're a couple, without the whole things that make a couple... a couple."

"It... does, doesn't it? I came to that realization a while ago." he confessed, "Turns out I like what we have. I never said anything because I didn't want it to end. I thought it would bother you."

"It doesn't. I like what we have. Fuck, I love what we have! I love the way you come to my place, mostly unannounced, and eat all the stroopwafels my mum sends to me. I love the way you invite me to Spain every free week we're not racing. I love the way you listen to me and help me understand my anger, and work through it. I love that I know I wouldn't win half the races I did this season without your help." You blurted out so fast you didn't quite process your own words.

"Fuck, I love this. I love what we have. I love having you around. Fernando, I–"

"I love you." he said, finishing your sentence, "I truly do. I can't describe my feelings the way you did but just know I feel the very same for you."

You smiled, stunned. Your breath echoed to your ear, competing with your heartbeat to see which is the loudest.

You raised your hand to meet his face, where your digits laid gently on his skin. Fernando's eyes closed to your comforting touch. You got closer until his warm breath reached you. His soft lips brushed against yours.

"I love you." You whispered, before losing yourself in his arms and his touch.

The following morning, you woke up alone. You were used to that feeling, but that was you before Fernando. Now, there was you after him. You felt brand new.

So you didn't hide your disappointment when you reached for the side of the bed where he was supposed to be, and found it to be empty. Not only it was cold, but he made it before he left your room. To your surprise, when you got out of bed, you noticed his shirt was still on your floor from last night. You didn't hold back a large smile.

That it quickly disappeared the moment you remembered what day it was: Sunday.

You grabbed your phone to look at the time. You still had a few hours before heading to Interlagos.

You left your room, and as you were walking downstairs, you could hear soft humming and music echoing through the house. The scent of fresh coffee didn't go unnoticed by you.

When you reached the kitchen, you found a shirtless Fernando, scrambling eggs in a pan, and singing to a spanish song. A huge smile emerged in his features when he noticed your presence.

"Buenos días, corazón" He pecked your lips when you got closer.

"Goedemorgen, schat..." You grinned, hugging his waist from behind.

"Go sit. I'm making us something to eat before we hit the paddock." Fernando pecked you one more time before you went to sit by the kitchen island.

"Ah, yes, the race..." you rolled your eyes, "Can't wait to start from the pits."

"It's not so bad... I've won a race where I started from the back of the grid..." He shrugged.

"Really? Singapore 2008? If you want to go there, I have a lot of things to say about that race" You cocked a challenging eyebrow.

The spaniard snickered, "Yeah, I know. What I'm trying to say is that it's possible."

"You were the only person to do so, Fernando. It's not possible. And for you, it's easy to say that. You're on pole!" You chuckled.

"We have a great car, you're an awesome driver, and it looks like it's not going to rain today. Maybe the odds are on your side." He tried to cheer you up.

Scoffing, you rolled your eyes in disbelief, "Yeah, with Max having such an advantage, there's not much to believe in the odds." you smiled, and grabbed his hand across the island table, "But I appreciate your confidence in me. I know you're not a very optimistic person. It's really cute..."

"Eat your eggs, Y/n. You'll need extra energy for today." He dismissed the subject when you mentioned his softness.

The paddock wasn't a huge place. So when gossip flew around and the people talked, eventually it would reach to you one way or another. And you couldn't care less about it. It didn't stop you from driving Fernando to the track on your convertible Aston Martin, even if the photographers caught the moment you left the parking lot with him. It didn't stop Fernando from reaching out for your hand and hold it in front of everyone while you walked down the paddock together, even if the Netflix cameras were there. Different journalists from all around the world were talking about you in their language. No one was talking about yesterday's crash or your angry meltdown. Just you and Fernando.

Fortunately, no one had asked. Yet. You were preparing yourself for the race, and no one was allowed to take your focus away from it.

You were watching the pre-race program from the garage. Unsurprisingly, your father was at the race to prestige Max. Well, that's not true. He was there for the prestige of having a world-champion son, but not to prestige him.

He never came to your garage. Not once.

You and Fernando parted ways to prepare for the race. You didn't see him again until it was time for him to go to his car, and you stayed at the pits, where you'd be starting.

When the lights when out and the starting grid became a mess as the cars tried to overtake one another, Max overtook three cars in front of him, taking place at P16. Fernando started amazing on pole, leading the race, with only Checo and one of the Ferrari's close behind him.

As the laps went by, you overtook car by car, climbing your way to the points. At lap 34, you overtook both Mercedes in an incredible move.

Fernando was still leading the race, Max was P4, and you had just reached the sixth position. As if a miracle could've happened, the Ferrari in front of you started to slow down. One of its tires had exploded. You recognized the driver's helmet, and couldn't help to feel kinda bad for Charles.

The cars behind you were 20 seconds away, so you made use of that advantage and pitted for new tires.

Max's position was ahead of you, but he was still far away. He watched as Checo and Carlos, who were currently P2 and P3, fight for position. Unfortunately, in a tight corner, they crashed each other. It was nothing serious, so the physical safety car came in, and everyone went to the boxes to get new tires. Except for you, who had just got new ones.

Unintentionally, you became P1.

When the safety car left the track, Fernando and Max were behind you, respectively.

There were two more laps to go, and you could feel your sweaty hands squeezing tight on the steering wheel as the nervousness started to rise in your chest. You tried not to focus on what was happening behind you, and pay attention to the way ahead. Fernando tried his hardest to keep Max behind him until he couldn't hold it anymore. Max overtook him on the last lap, where he was only 1 second behind you.

You wouldn't let him take the win away from you. Not anymore.

And then it happened.

"Y/n Verstappen, you are the champion of the world!" Your engineer yelled.

And you couldn't believe your ears.

You. World champion.

You became a world champion.

You parked your car on the 1th place marked spot, but you didn't get out. You couldn't. You tried to process everything that happened, the climbing, the moves, the safety car, the checkered flag... it felt surreal.

Someone pulled you out of the car, bringing you back to reality. You didn't have to look at the green suit, same as yours, to realize who it was. Fernando's presence always reached out to you before the sight of him.

He hugged you, as tight as he could, lifting you from the ground and swaying. His voice was muffled by his helmet, but you didn't have to know what he was saying, you just felt it. You felt loved.

He placed you on the ground and you took off your helmet, as he did the same. You glanced at each other and you saw the pride in his brown orbits. You smiled, sobbing with the feeling of happiness. He took you in his arms once again, and kissed you, deeply and lovingly in front of everyone to see.

Your intimate moment was interrupted once the cameras and the journalists reached you.

"Y/n! Congratulations on winning the championship!" The reporter exclaimed, "How does it feel to be world champion?"

You chuckled, still being held on the waist by Fernando.

"It feels fucking fantastic! I couldn't have done this without our amazing team." You smiled, biting your lip to stare at Fernando, "And my boyfriend, who has been looking out for me ever since the start of this season. He has been not only my teammate, but also my therapist, my cook, and my best friend. He is everything I needed. Thank you, Fernando..." You kissed him one more time in front of the cameras.

[ynsryr]

As I decorate the Christmas tree in my parents house once again for the thirtieth year I've decided to rate all of the surviving Christmas ornaments I made as a child that we still use. For your viewing pleasure the Adelaide Christmas collection

First on the list is of course, foil angel. Or ghost. Not really sure. The simplicity of the design and eye catching materials are a wonderful experience but the creativity is somewhat lacking.

Charm: ✓✓

Craftsmanships: ✓

Next we have Ball Santa. I really enjoy the cotton ball beard merging directly into his hair creating a wild mane of white fluff. A rugged Santa who seems more at home in the woods than in an armchair by the fire. The charming eyes and hat showcase the fantastic design though the big red nose feels out of place. Points taken off for being the ornament my mother protests the least.

Charm: ✓✓

Craftsmanship: ✓✓✓

"Festive" Beaver, an easy source of laughs even today. My naive younger self deciding to secure the poor ornament's hanger from its neck birthed a joke that's stayed strong for decades. However the pipe cleaner aesthetic unfortunately suffers and the candy cane is simply too large.

Charm: ✓✓✓✓

Craftsmanship: ✓✓

"decorated" sand dollar. Not much to say here. The oldest of the ornaments I made as a child unfortunately has little to offer in fun or interest. I only hang it to annoy my mother. But I still put it on the back of the tree.

Charm:

Craftsmanship:

"Beaver Ball" you may notice a continuing theme here most of these ornaments were made in Scouts Canada's youngest age group, Beavers. This ball is simple but the caroling book is cute and I like the miniature eyes.

Charm: ✓

Craftsmanship: ✓

Non-denominational Christmas Wizard. The result of a school project to make a ceramic angel and an obsession with bad fantasy novels, non-denominational Christmas Wizard has enchanted the whole family and is a seasonal highlight. The Simpsons yellow skin and pink trim and flames on the back of the robes are a talking point.

Charm: ✓✓✓✓

Craftsmanship: ✓✓✓

The Hot Glue Snowman is the star of the show. Pulled from the Christmas box with aplomb and greeted with cheers, this charming fellow never fails to bring the festive spirit. Made entirely of hot glue pooled onto parchment paper with foam and felt accoutrements. This is a marvel of low cost ingenuity even if he's slightly mishapen

Charm: ✓✓✓✓✓

Craftsmanship: ✓✓

[inexplicifics]

Hi the fashion designer in training again, you posted my og ask and it got me thinking about it again (as if i ever stop) and I was thinking about how different monsters would be categorized and how that might change the fashion sense of things too. For example, theres humanoids, animal adjacent, insect adjacent (broadly), and plant adjacent.

Humanoids, to me, would be creatures/monsters that have little to no animal, insect, or plant otherness, such as trolls, drowners, bruxa, even sirens (even though they overlap into animal). Witchers obviously have magical uses from their kills but from a fashion/mundane perspective a lot of what these creatures provide would be equivalent to that of what a human might. Now, there is a lot of real world history that is sensitive and triggering about the use of human remains, especially in recent times of widespread slavery that has a lot of themes of cannibalism, farming practices, and lack of humanity even after death, such as leather tanning for clothes, the use of human remains in parchment (as parchment is made from animal remains and not wood or plants, that’s what differentiates it from paper), and more. This is why anything that leans more human than monster (such as a bruxa, vampire, succubus, etc) I don’t think I’ll touch with a ten foot pole unless it is to deal with their unique remains. Creatures that lean more monster such as trolls get thrown through the wringer though.

Trolls specifically have really thick skin, which in a tanning process would take… forever to turn into leather but the results would be potentially amazing. Thick strong leather would last for centuries if treated right, I have no doubt in my mind that troll leather would make fantastic saddles, boots, furniture — awful clothes but the other implications mean a lot to me because it might just make excellent armor.

Sirens, as the middleman between humanoids and animal adjacent, would be excellent to discuss scales. There is a company that currently helps with fish scale waste and uses them to make clothes that are naturally soft and have added benefits of being moisture managing (helps with retaining moisture in skin in dry environments) and also is naturally anti-odor! This is incredibly cool for the fashion world and I could see it being a real thing for the witcher world… if they had the time to do it, as I fear modern technology would need to be replaced with magic and I’m not sure mages, researcher included, would be interested in going out of their way to collect siren scales to create fabric (unless they could imbue it with magic? 🤔 A potential concept to long lasting charmed clothes) So very interesting but not as plausible in a fantasy world.

But! Reptilian scales are highly sought after in fashion designs and are not as wasteful as fish scales. The Witcher basilisk is reptilian in nature, which would make for excellent clothes, anything in fashion you can think of in scales you can bet it exists. Scales are widely loved and used even today, so basilisk skin? Oh yeah, it’s up there for fashion. Even says so in various wikis 😉.

Animal adjacent clothing will look a lot like what we have for animals now, adjusted as needed. Basilisks are large so their hides would be easy to convert to many items, whereas snake skin is small and you would need several to make a significant piece of cloth. This would make it far more valuable. Not to mention the claws, claws which are used in various forms. From clasps on just about everything, to jewelry, to decor, to piercings, I know a basilisk claw would be on a noble’s cloak or belt, I just know it.

This translates to, as mentioned before, wargs and other furred animals. The larger, the better, the more you can take, the better, the more *dangerous* to prove your worth, the better. A bear claw is nothing compared to a warg fang, and so on and so forth. I haven’t even gotten started on the length of griffin feathers and what that would do for fashion. No one understands what length in natural materials means to me except for other people who’s special interests are fashion, fantasy worlds, and survival skills. I cannot explain *length of feathers* in gowns. In cloaks. In *jewelry.* But that’s a post for a little old me who isn’t up at 1am on a school night.

Enjoy my midnight ramblings, I realize that this got out of hand and is uh… not really well connected in terms of thoughts but I hope it made sense to people who aren’t deep in the trenches like me lmao

Please imagine me sitting here with my chin on my hands, staring at you with hearts in my eyes as I listen to your interesting and informative midnight ramblings.

[christian-oc-tournament]

Please vote based on the picture AND the description!

Doc [Myth @kazeharuhime]

Otherwise known as the infamous Eustin Rickard, Doc once worked under the king of Bronzenore as a medical researcher. However, one day his research led him towards something closer to alchemy. He began journeying to remote locations and collecting mythical ingredients. Water from a mysterious spring, leaves from an ancient tree in a deep wood, fruit from a tree on a high mountain, and more. At last he found just the right ratio of them all and concocted the Myth serum, capable of transforming a human and giving them any variety of fantastical abilities, for a cost. His first subject was his assistant, who, while she didn't change her appearance much, gained the power of plant manipulation. The cost, however, was that she aged each time she used this ability. The serum had unpredictable results, both in gain and cost, varying from person to person. In trying to fix these negative side effects, Doc then created an even more potent serum, one that produced flashier results--giving people more animal-like appearances, sometimes that of mythical animals, accompanied with strange or heightened abilities. A frog boy, a panther youth, a phoenix woman, a faerie girl, centaurs and mermen. Though some costs went away, or became slower, they still remained. Degradation of mental capabilities, loss of sanity, negative physical side effects of ability use. Again Doc tried to fix this and the results became even more impossible: a girl made of water and a woman made of glass. In the midst of all this, the Doctor absconded with his research and subjects into the woods. Many of his subjects were young children when they came to him. There in the woods, he formed many of them into loyal subjects while their mental and physical capabilities remained. Others, especially those that came after the Doctor had established his little group in a cave in the woods, were harder to convince and took the form of prisoners. And there he is to this day, still luring unsuspecting travelers into the woods with his subjects and using his serums on them to create more what came to be called the Myths.

Domitius Lockhorn [Moonshiners (D&D campaign) @provider-of-guardians]

Born and raised to be a shepherd in the tiny village of Mapleshire, Domitius always wanted to explore the far reaches of the world, beyond his small, safe hamlet. After losing one of his legs to a vicious wolf attack and his best friend/love, Elysia, was banished from the village, the faun who was once jovial and lighthearted became bitter and depressed. Even so, he set out from the village as often as he could to search the surrounding woods and towns for Elysia, hoping to bring her home. It wasn't until he was chosen by a god to become a champion and save the world from an eternal winter that his journey really began.

[doloresdisparue]

A while ago (and I’m talking a while ago) you posted a quote from Nabokov in an interview where he refers to Delores as “his poor girl” (“his” being Nabokov’s). It has stayed with me since I’ve seen it, and I was wondering if you had the link or screenshot to the post? I’ve tried to find it with no luck! :^(

Not to worry, I have most of Nabokovs banger quotes and their sources memorized. I believe you are referring to this quote from an interview with Herbert Gold where he was rebuking Golds statement that Humbert was touching:

"I would put it differently: Humbert Humbert is a vain and cruel wretch who manages to appear “touching.” That epithet, in its true, tear-iridized sense, can only apply to my poor little girl."

The source is here (Paris Review)

There are a few more similar instances in "Think Write, Speak" which is a collection of letters and interviews with Nabokov (these are all separate occasions through the years):

Lolita came out in English in August this year, published by Putnam. It’s my favorite book. The story of a poor, charming girl…

Most critics have failed to stress the pathetic side,” said Mrs. Nabokov. “It’s really a tragic story. Here, in the hands of this maniac is this poor girl—.” “And a very ordinary girl—” Nabokov put in….

One of my favourites for the viscerally horrible and fantastical imagery:

[S]he’s also a very touching character. Toward the end of the book, the reader and the author pity her, this poor child who has been sacrificed on the altar of motels.

This bit from the quote I have pinned:

Lolita isn’t a perverse young girl. She’s a poor child who has been debauched [... n]ot only has the perversity of this poor child been grotesquely exaggerated, but her physical appearance, her age, everything has been transformed...

And one that some people on this website should take to heart:

Q: How, then, do you explain the “Lolita cult”? How do you explain all these girls who move, act, dress, and talk like Lolita?

VN: I wouldn’t know. Perhaps it is a result of the way the popular press has distorted my poor Lo. It has come up with something that has absolutely nothing to do with the book or Lolita the character. Lolita is the story of a sad little girl in a very sad world. The “Lolita cult” is something completely different.

Hope this helped!

[madelynhimegami]

To my knowledge, you like Puyo Puyo! But what do you enjoy most about it?

Honestly, it might be easier to explain my intoduction to the series. Ideally we'll get there in the end either way. You ever seen one of those "What I Played/What I Expected/What I Got" memes? My story is pretty much like one of those.

I don't remember when I started learning bits and pieces about it, or when Dr. Robotnik's Mean Bean Machine went from being itself to a Puyo game in a trenchcoat in my mind. But by mid 2017 I knew the aforementioned (I called the CPZ boss in Sonic Mania a Puyo boss on twitter when I played it), recognized Carbuncle, recognized Draco Centauros (thanks to a friend who is still a big fan of her), and had heard that there was some sort of story to it, but didn't know a lot of details.

Then in September of 2017, a friend of mine mentioned that he had been playing Puyo Puyo Tetris lately as his go-to "pick up and play" sort of game. I looked it up in the eshop, saw it was cheap, and thought a pick-up-and-play game was what I needed and bought it. Not that I knew shit about playing Puyo well, but I at least had some basic competency at Tetris to balance things out.

And hey, at least the story mode would be a good way to learn! So I dove in to the story and started playing.

I was expecting the story to be inconseqential to my enjoyment of the game. Something either generic or corny, with characters that ranged from "tolerable" to "painful anime cliche."

The thing that knocked me on my ass almost immediately was that the writing was actually funny, made better with the English cast's fantastic delivery.

Those are all from just the story's first chapter! The first one is from the prologue! The other two are from the third scene (couting dialogue before and after a round of gameplay together as one scene)! And it kept going!

For the record, even though I was picky with what to include, and stitching lines from the same scenes together, I still had almost fifty (50) funny moments I wanted to drop out of context, in a game with a rough total of two hours of story material collected to write this post. And then I had to narrow it down further just so I wouldn't hit the image limit too quickly.

Was it a little corny and awkward at points? Sure. Several voice actors had to grow into their roles. Plus, the impression I always had from the script-- an impression that's only gotten stronger the more I learn about this series and then come back to this game-- is that someone on the development team was not expecting this to be all that successful overseas. And not for no reason, since Puyo Puyo's tried to get its foot in the door in the west several times by this point. But the end result of this lack of faith was a localization team that tried very hard to make this game stand on its own merits with as little understanding of the games that had come before as possible. Which, honestly I think they did a pretty dang good job of! Especially since it didn't shy away from the hard-hitting stuff when it came. Which I'm going to intentionally leave even further out of context so as to not give away all of it.

There was also this line here, which was what first clued me in that the writing's quality wasn't an accident, that the writer is actually thinking all this stuff through:

Fun fact, the only people you will see in your dreams are people you have seen while you're awake. The parts of the brain responsible for dreams can't make up new faces, or throw together composites of preeviously-known ones. Hence, this question, which does in fact get answered in the next scene, in a way that made me go, "Ohhh, that's really smart, actually!"

But yeah. That was just this one game. It took me a few more years before I tried other games that had been translated, fan or otherwise, but the more I've played and the more I learn about these characters and their worlds, the more engrossed I get. It's a hyperfixation now. It seems like there's always something new I'm learning about it, but it's not overwhelming, it just feels like I'm knowing a good friend better and better. The modern artstyle is deceptively simple and very endearing, and so many of the characters are interesting and fun. And the current writer is just so galaxy-brained, I'm not even kidding.

The characters in the Puyo Puyo series are all morons. They're all crazy. But at the end of the day, they care about each other, no matter how little they want to admit it. And they all have their own theming to the magic they use. It's a lot of fun. From your standard-fair RPG spells, to cosmic forces, to math terms,

I can't recommend this series enough, no matter what your skill level with puzzle games is! There's something in it for everyone.

Unless you're looking for genuinely evil characters, I guess. Like, there are characters that are intimidating or sinister or threatening, but almost none of them are actually evil. Fraid the closest to that this series has is a(n as-of-now) gender-ambiguous Elon Musk with better hair in the Japan-excusive gacha game.

Further reading from the author (that isn't already on their tumblr):

[1]

[2]

[3]

[unicornjoking1111]

Success story from Neville Goddard's book (The Law and the promise) (chapter: there is no fiction)

*this is not my work but a copy paste from Neville's book*

Spoiler alert!!! *this story is really amazing! its about a 19 year old dancing teacher who didn't believe in imagination but took up the challenge to owning a studio (Arthur Murray dance studio franchise) to making it much bigger and meeting Arthur Murray himself*

As my story begins at the age of nineteen I was a mildly successful dancing teacher and continued in this static state for almost five years. At the end of this time I met a young lady who talked me into attending your lectures. My thought, upon hearing you say ‘Imagining creates reality’, was that the entire idea was ridiculous. However, I decided to accept your challenge and disprove your thesis. I bought your book ‘Out of This World’ and read it many times. Still unconvinced, I set myself a rather ambitious goal. My present position was as an instructor with the Arthur Murray Dance Studio and my goal was to own a franchise and be boss of an Arthur Murray studio myself! “This seemed the most unlikely thing in the world as franchises were extremely difficult to secure, but on top of this fact, I was completely without the necessary funds to begin such an operation. Nevertheless. I assumed the feeling of my wish fulfilled as night after night, in my imagination, I went to sleep managing my own studio. Three weeks later a friend called me from Reno, Nevada. He had the Murray Studio there and said it was too much for him to cope with alone. He offered me a partnership and I was delighted; so delighted, in fact, that I hastened to Reno on borrowed money and promptly forgot all about you and your story of Imagination!

“My partner and I worked hard and were very successful, but after a year I was still not satisfied, I wanted more. I began thinking of ways and means to get another studio. All my efforts failed. One night as I retired, I was restless and decided to read. As I looked through my collection of books I noticed your slender volume, ‘Out of This World’. I thought of the ‘silly nonsense’ I had gone through one year ago before getting my own studio. GETTING MY OWN STUDIO! The words in my mind electrified me! I reread the book that night and later, in my imagination, I heard my superior praise the good job we had done in Reno and suggest we acquire a second studio as he had a second location ready for us if we desired to expand. I re-enacted this imaginal scene nightly without fail. Three weeks from the first night of my imaginal drama, it materialized — almost word for word. My partner accepted the new studio in Bakersfield and I had the Reno Studio alone. Now I was convinced of the truth of your teaching and never again will I forget. “Now I wanted to share this wonderful knowledge — of imaginal power with my staff. I tried to tell them of the marvels they could accomplish, but I was unable to reach many although one fantastic incident resulted from my efforts to tell this story. A young teacher told me he believed my story but said it would have probably happened anyway in time. He insisted the entire theory was nonsense but stated that if I could tell him something of an incredible nature that would actually happen and which he could witness — then he would believe. I accepted his challenge and conceived a truly fantastic test. “The Reno Studio is the most insignificant in the entire Murray system because of the small population count in the city itself. There are over three hundred Murray Studios in the country with much larger populations, therefore providing greater possibilities to draw from. So, my test was this. I told the teacher that within the next three months, at the time of a national dance convention, the little Reno Studio would be the foremost topic of conversation at that convention. He calmly stated this was quite impossible. “That night when I retired, I felt myself standing before a tremendous audience. I was speaking on ‘Creative Imagining’ and felt the nervousness of being before such a vast audience; but I also felt the wonderful sensation of audience acceptance. I heard the roar of applause and as I left the stage, I saw Mr. Murray, himself come forward and shake my hand. I re-enacted this entire drama night after night. It began to take on the ‘tones of reality’ and I knew I had done it again! “My imaginal drama materialized down to the last detail. “My little Reno Studio was the ‘talk’ of the convention and I did appear on that stage just as I had done in my imagination. But even after this unbelievable but actual happening, the young teacher who threw me the challenge remained unconvinced. He said it had all happened too naturally! And he was sure it would have happened anyway!

“I did not mind his attitude because his challenge had given me another opportunity to prove, at least to myself, that Imagining does Create Reality. From that time on, I continued with my ambition to own the ‘largest Arthur Murray Dance Studio in the world’! Night after night, in my imagination, I heard myself accepting a studio franchise for a great city. Within three weeks Mr. Murray called me and offered a studio in a city of one and a half million people! It is now my goal to make my studio the greatest and biggest in the entire system. And, of course, ‘I know it will be done — through my Imagination’!” …E.O.L., Jr.

[uniquexusposts]

Her || Charles

Main characters: Charles Leclerc x OC Genre: fanfiction, fluff  Story type: novel  Part: 13/? Word count: 1456 Co writer: @mistrose23

Story summary: Matilde Jørgensen, the new Scuderia Ferrari team principal, faced the nerve-wracking challenge of reviving the team's fortunes and aiming for a championship. Leading a historic team as a 'newbie' and separating her work and personal opinions posed a significant challenge. The big question: is she capable to do so?

Previous chapter

Chapter 11. Home

"Nothing beats the Monaco Grand Prix," Charles said while collecting his stuff. His family and friends were sitting in the living room. "It means I can sleep in my own bed, and leave the house as late as possible... The dream."

Arthur, his little brother, smirked. "Yeah, but it's also known as: the cursed home race."

"Arthur," multiple people groaned.

"I wish he was lying," Charles chuckled. "But hopefully, we can break the curse. Everything is looking fantastic, we have been working really hard and we might have a chance."

It was silent in the living room; everyone admired his comment.

"What?" Charles looked around, not liking the silence.

"You sound so optimistic," his mother said. "So I assume everything is going well at Ferrari now?"

Since the beginning of this season, since the moment Matilde got introduced as team principal, Charles had doubts about Matilde. She was young, barely had any experience and seemed like she had no idea what she was doing or how she had to lead a team. But over the weeks, Matilde adapted quickly and showed that she had potential. Charles had shared his opinion on her, so his family and friends knew about his vision.

"Yes, everything is going fine now," he replied. "After Miami, she openly talked about the incident with the entire team, and she listened to everyone who had to say something. I think she's the first team principal I ever had who is really part of the team, instead of the leader of the team." Charles showed a smile when he realised how much the team had grown over the weeks. "She even hired an external coach and things have changed, suddenly everyone is communicating with each other."

Charles' family and friends listened as he spoke about the changes happening within Ferrari under Matilde's leadership. His family and friends began to see her in a new light. She was clearly actively working to create a more collaborative and open environment within the team.

"An external coach?" Pascale asked. "What does it do?"

Arthur couldn't help, but laugh. He imitated his mother, it lightened the mood. "'What does it do?'"

Charles shared a smile as a reaction to Arthur. "He is some sort of a psychologist, he helps to get new insights within the team, like our weaknesses and strengths, observes how things are going, improves the weaknesses by giving advice," Charles explained.

Lorenzo nodded impressively. "I'm a fan. This should have happened way sooner." He, too, was beginning to see the positive impact of Matilde's leadership. He was hopeful that these improvements would lead to better results on the track.

"Maybe the curse will finally be broken this year," Joris, Charles' best friend, chimed in after hearing the optimism Charles had. And he also saw how things turned around under Matilde's watch.

Charles chuckled, a glimmer of hope in his eyes. "That's the plan. With how things are going, I honestly think we have a chance of winning races, maybe even the championship."

The group made their way to the track. It was only a ten-minute walk, but due to the fans, the family and friends decided to take the car. Charles, Joris and Andrea decided to take the bike. Charles loved this race, and he wanted to take the opportunity to interact with his fans. As they rode through the streets of Monte Carlo, the excitement in the air was present.

The streets were lined with enthusiastic people, all hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite driver. Charles smiled as he waved to the fans. He stepped off his bike to sign autographs and took some photos with fans. The support of the Monegasque crowd meant the world to him, and he cherished these moments.

Charles, Joris and Andrea arrived at the paddock. They were welcomed by the press. The family and friends of Charles were already waiting on the inside of the gates. They met up with Charles and they made their way to the Ferrari hospitality. It was the first time his family was about to meet Matilde. Approaching the hospitality area, they spotted Matilde seated outside, eating one of the two tangerines and reviewing documents. She looked up, her gaze meeting Charles' and his entourage. A warm smile came on her face.

"This is Matilde," Charles said to his family.

Matilde set aside the papers, and she gave them her full attention. "Hey," she said, standing up. "It's a pleasure to meet you," she said and shook everyone's hand. She knew Joris and Andrea already, but only by name.

Charles' family and friends, particularly his mother Pascale, expressed their delight at finally meeting Matilde in person. "We've heard a lot about you," Pascale mentioned with a warm smile.

A conversation began between the team principal and Charles' family. In the meantime, Carlos had arrived at the hospitality as well. He noticed how Matilde was chatting with Charles' family, so he decided to greet her by only padding her on the shoulder when he passed her. Matilde looked at him and gave him a nod. Then Arthur mentioned he had to go, he had to go to his team to prepare for qualifying. His family and friends wished him good luck, just like Matilde. It became clear to Charles' family that she was not just the team principal, but also just a human and an approachable team member.

"Is this your first time in Monte Carlo?" Lorenzo, Charles' older brother, curiously asked.

Matilde nodded. "It is, actually."

Charles raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. "Really? I had no idea."

She nodded again. "I had a 50% travel contract at Red Bull. I've been to almost every circuit at least once, but I have never been to Monte Carlo, so this is an exciting one."

"Wow," he perplexedly mumbled. "If I had known, I would have given you a tour... only if you wanted to, of course."

Matilde blushed a little bit, and Charles' cheeks also turned a bit reddish.

"We still can do it!" Arthur excitedly shared. "After this weekend, when there's time."

"Sounds like a plan," Pascale agreed. "Just let Charles know, and we will plan something."

She showed a promising smile and looked at her watch. "If you will excuse me, I have to attend a briefing. Please, make yourself comfortable here and have fun this weekend," she mentioned, collecting her documents, the tangerine and the peel of one of the eaten tangerines. She walked away, leaving everyone behind.

"What a lovely woman," Pascale mentioned. "She's doing her best, and it shows. You should cherish this within the team." She padded Charles' shoulder and kissed his cheek. "Perhaps invite her for lunch on Monday and then go out for a tour. It's tradition. And that way I can meet her properly. I want to know who your boss is."

"I will let you know about it."

"Let me know on time so I can do some groceries."

Charles looked at the Ferrari's hospitality, following Matilde with his eyes. She was talking to her assistant, smiling and listening carefully. 

A frown captured Arthur's face; tradition? His eyes met Lorenzo's, who shared the same look. 

Only Lorenzo dared to say something about it. "Tradition?" 

"Yes, from now on," Pascale grinned and winked, looking at Charles for his reaction. However, Charles wasn't listening. And perhaps it was better for now. 

* * *

The free practice sessions on Friday turned out to be a perfect day for Ferrari. The iconic streets of Monte Carlo presented a unique challenge for the drivers, with narrow twists and turns, demanding precision and finesse.

Charles, with his deep familiarity with the circuit, set the pace during the first practice session. His laps were nothing short of masterful, as he expertly manoeuvred his Ferrari through the narrow streets. He delicately pushed the boundaries, skirting with the barriers but never crossing the line into mistakes. His lap times remained consistently impressive, putting him at the top of the leaderboard.

But Charles wasn't the only notable driver that day. Carlos also demonstrated his skill and adaptability. Just like Charles, he pushed and delivered consistent lap times. His feedback to the team was invaluable, helping them fine-tune the car's setup to suit the tight layout.

Inside the garage, the engineers and mechanics worked hard, making adjustments based on the drivers' input. The people back at the factory in Maranello, followed every movement and worked along with the people on the track. Matilde watched with a sense of satisfaction as both the drivers performed flawlessly.

The faultless performance didn't go unnoticed by the other teams, the media or the fans. The team had clearly done their homework, providing Charles and Carlos a car that responded impeccably to their commands.

Nothing could go wrong... right? 

Next chapter

Taglist: @itsjustkhaos @crashingwavesofeuphoria @maryvibess @chocolatefartstrawberry

[borninwinter81]

Collage box collection

After discovering that I had a reasonably big stash of interesting flyers, greetings cards, guidebooks and other bits of ephemera, and seeing this tutorial, I was really inspired to use it all for something.

This was helped by the fact that recently I've found a lot of really nice wooden boxes in charity shops for very cheap - all the ones pictured here were £2. Either I've been extremely lucky, or these things turn up very often and I just haven't been looking for them.

I've posted about some of these previously (here and here), but they were only half done and these pictures are better! Plus there is one new one.

First was this wooden chocolate box. Before...

And after!

You can tell this is my first one as I oversatured the paper with Mod Podge, leading to it bubbling and creasing, but for a first attempt I don't think it's bad at all.

All the pictures I used were taken from an exhibition guide for an event I went to called "Exploring the Gothic" which contained a lot of beautiful pictures. The floral parts were from a pad of scrapbooking paper, which I also used to make the individual compartments (they are origami boxes, see a tutorial for how to make them here) and I then filled them with pieces from my collection of beads, charms, and broken jewellery.

I also had a guide to a William Blake exhibition I'd been to, and since there was an entire plate from "The Marriage of Heaven and Hell" I had to make it into a miniature wall plaque.

I did this one at the same time as the first, and again you can kind of see that I oversatured the paper which caused it to tear slightly, however thankfully it wasn't in an area where there was any writing.

(BTW, if anyone is interested in the meaning of this section, Blake is describing his creative process, albeit in a fantastical way. This blog post gives a good analysis)

The next one was a beautiful little cabinet with a broken handle.

And here is what I did with it. I kept the collaging to a minimum, only on the inside, though I might add something to the outside in the future. The replacement "handles" are a pair of my earrings!

I used some more of the gothic exhibition guide and scrapbook paper, and also a flyer for a ballet version of Dracula. I need to find some more interesting things to fill it as it currently only contains my resin crow's skull and a miniature book of Tennyson poems. Also my Cthulhu candle gets to sit on top and be worshipped by the skeleton on the right door.

I did much better with the collaging process on this one. I was a lot more patient, used less Mod Podge for each layer and allowed them to dry fully in between, resulting in no tears, bubbles or creasing.

The final and most recent is this plain box. I noticed it originally came from somewhere called "Palmyra Hardware" which instantly made me think of the Palmyra Wolves (I'm a fan of MrBallen and saw him tell the story on his YouTube channel) which gives a pleasantly creepy angle to this one before I even did anything to it!

After collaging

The central image on the outside is another William Blake painting, an illustration to Dante's Inferno, which includes the famous quote "Abandon All Hope, Ye Who Enter Here". The writing saying "The way, the truth, the life" came from a religious leaflet that a friend of mine was forcibly given, and which he ripped to shreds, but I saved this part because for some reason I liked it.

Inside we've got a very famous Blake painting called "The Ancient of Days", the praying skeleton again as this image was reproduced several times in that guidebook, and a block printed demon from a handmade birthday card that a friend gave me several years ago. I'm very pleased to have finally been able to use him for something!

I've enjoyed making all of these immensely and no doubt I will do more in the future as I collect more papers and find more nice boxes 😊

[theresattrpgforthat]

This is slightly off-theme for you, but: *not* horror fantasy *adventures* by small companies, for systems with combat? (Compatibility doesn't really matter; creatures can be tweaked from existing and/or created.) Finding games has become easier than adventures, and most adventures I find are on the horror side of things (The Isle, etc.). Thanks/apologies for going off theme!

Theme: Non-Horror Fantasy Combat Adventures.

Hello there! I have less familiarity with adventures, but I follow some folks on Itch who compile some very useful collections. I noticed that in many cases these collections included dungeon crawls or system agnostic settings, so I hope you find these to be useful!

Mount Zorgoth, by Highland Paranormal Society.

Zorgoth, the Cyclops godling rules from the highest peak. His star magic keeps the world below shrouded in darkness! Can the spell be broken?

This is a one-page mountain-climbing adventure with a goofy look to it and a light-hearted tone. There is no named system for which this adventure appears to be designed for, and as a result there aren’t any stats for the monsters that show up - such as the Slug Shepard and his 2d4 spider goats. But for a one-page rpg there’s certainly a lot you can glean based off of the different locations you can go to. I think this might be a fun game to try with Brave Zenith, as tone-wise both games feel a little bit goofy.

Welcome to Candy Mountain, by cog5games.

Created centuries ago with dark magics informed by gluttony, cast by a wizard who has since lost interest, Candy Mountain stands as a blemish of sweetness protruding from an otherwise bland countryside. The inhabitants of the mountain, who were also affected by the strange enchantment, went about their daily lives. Until…

Side with the Candy Crone and summon a gargantuan Lemon Titan to crush the Sugar Queen. Or! Bow to the Sugar Queen and stop the Candy Crone from exacting her revenge. Or! Forget all that and seek out a source of pure sugar crystals for Doctor Xaraqus and complete the lens of the temporal telescope.

There are honestly a lot of Troika supplements that you would probably find interesting to flip through in your search for non-horror adventures. Troika is a science-fantasy multiversal ttrpg, so there doesn’t have to be a lot of cohesion in terms of setting details. This also means that while not every Troika supplement may work for you, there’s bound to be something out there that does! If you want to check out more troika adventures, you could also look at the Troika! Pamphlet Adventure Jam that this game was submitted to.

Flowers Beneath The Mountain, by BPB Games.

A Casual Stroll Through a Wondrous Locale. Time to Hit the Road!

Flowers Beneath the Mountain is a licensed adventure for Ryuutama. Designed as an evocative introductory adventure for new players who want to explore a region that has more magic and whimsy than the standard setting, Flowers Beneath the Mountain is a simple adventure that provides useful information to help veteran or first time Ryuujin to fill out sheets on their own.

I know Ryuutama has a reputation for being a bit on the cozier side, so I expect this adventure to be fantastic and cute, even if there are monsters for you to fight. The game also comes with tokens for you to use on a Virtual Tabletop of your choice, if you are looking for that to add to your game!

Almanac of Lost Places, by Fantastic Jean.

A mountain coveted by rival kingdoms. A city where information is not a synonym of truth. The ruins of a civilisation far from being abandoned. A valley bending reality to protect itself from exploitation.

This is a loose outline of a number of places with conflicts waiting to be expanded upon. The Almanac holds story seeds: how you describe people and places, and how your players decide to respond will determine what conflicts they find themselves in, which allies they make, and what powers they will bear witness to. There's potential for horror, but I don't think this setting is beholden to it. I’m also wondering if perhaps combining this with something like the Big List of RPG Plots would give you enough to get a story in motion.

Overdue! by seedling.

In this system-agnostic game in a fantasy world, the players are all agents of the Library, sworn to carry out its will.  In this one-shot they can become entangled in book-themed royal intrigue, outwit a dragon who has taken control of all scientific journals, save the kingdom, and, most importantly, retrieve an overdue library book.

This is a system-agnostic dungeon-like adventure that looks to be less focused on combat, but I have a feeling that if you wanted to involve some combat, you could likely change some of the encounters within the game without necessarily having to change the core premise of the adventure.

[aita-blorbos]

AITA for trying to play God? (OC)

I (who the fuck cares) was a scholar. a few centuries ago, me (24 at the time) and my.... ahem, colleagues (both male, both also 24 at the time) started a little project. it was SUPPOSED to be purely theoretical, as the original intent was to research the inner most fundamental workings of our world. the three of us were all naturally curious souls, and I'll admit that the three of us also connected with each other over having. not-fantastic childhoods. looking back on everything, I don't think the project was started out of curiosity, like the three of us originally thought. each of us had suffered horrible injustices, and I think we wanted to know if it was possible to right every wrong we had to go through

the project devolved as we all became obsessed over uncovering everything, and I mean EVERYTHING, about how the universe works. the three of us each ended up finding out our own individual ways of cheating death.

so this is where things get weird. in our world, our Souls are the source of our magic, and our Souls are stored in our Hearts (as in the literal organ that pumps blood around the body). I had a... thought, about the nature of the Heart. what if I ate one?

so I killed my father and ate his Heart. don't worry, he deserved it, he was the source of all the misery in my and my sister's lives. that's not the part where I feel like an asshole, though you are free to judge me for it. I don't care.

what I DO feel bad about, though, is everything that came after. after eating my Father's heart, I had a really strange experience where I like. absorbed all of him into my own Soul. and then I was in this void where I spoke with this weird Entity/God/Eldritch thing that offered me a deal: I can become a god myself and right every wrong there is in the world, if I can find and consume six pieces of my Soul that split off of me when I committed the ultimate sin of eating another's Heart.

so I started my search. along the way, I may have. cannibalized a few other people, and I reached the conclusion that eating another's Heart results in you assimilating everything in their Soul into your own, including their magic and abilities. I also found out that I stopped aging, and my body's regeneration is pretty much limitless. unfortunately, I didn't get that far before I and some bystanders were murdered.

IT TURNS OUT THE GOD THING I MADE A DEAL WITH GAVE ME THE POWER TO MAKE MY OWN DEALS WITH PEOPLE. so I asked another person, the one in the group most desperate to survive, to eat my Heart and continue my mission. they did, and it turns out that I don't get almagamated when I'm eaten. all the people I did eat were transferred over into my... host's (???) Soul though.

at present, I've inhabited multiple hosts at this point, and I managed to find 5 out of the six required pieces. we've collectively cannibalized too many people to count. my most recent host, Ine (18NB), is... the person I feel the worst about roping into this mess. they're the most recent piece of my Soul I've acquired. they accepted the deal I gave them out of sheer desperation and fear of death, and now they have to navigate resisting the fascist nightmare that is their country (WHICH ALSO HAPPENS TO BE A REGIME LED BY ONE OF MY FORMER COLLEAGUES. ONE OF THE COLLEAGUES I STARTED THE ORIGINAL PROJECT WITH.) in their last year of high school. they're not doing very well, especially since we discovered that the last piece we need is someone they care about. A Lot.

Ine spent that night having the worst breakdown I've ever seen. and thanks to absorbing so many people's experiences, I've seen a lot of bad breakdowns.

we can only stall for so long. sooner or later, things will come to a head. someone will die, and I will be complete.

I've had a long, long time to reflect. I still want to eradicate all injustice from this world, but after seeing the level my former colleague has sunk to in the name of the same goal... I don't know anymore. I want him dead by my hands so badly. I want to rewrite reality to rid this world of him, of everyone like him, I will do whatever it takes to get there. and honestly, I don't think that makes me any better than him.

[jandjsalmon]

Fic Reading Challenge Stats

Happy New Year, friends! I come bearing my last post of reading stats and fic recs for 2024. I hope you’re able to take some time and enjoy some of the stories that kept me company this year. 🖤

I always slide in with December numbers before I hit the pie charts for the year… I read 743,608 words and 208 chapters in December. I completed the @fanfic-reading-challenge Tasks on December 1st so I spent the month mostly rereading old favourites. We also had a very busy holiday season (my middle son got engaged!) so there was generally just less reading done. Ah well. New year, new goals.

Annual Stats

In 2024, I read (or reread) nearly 17.1 million words (800 stories). This number is WAY down from last year (by nearly 4 million words!) and while I didn't read as many different authors, I did branch out into 132 fandoms (as opposed to 114 in 2023) and I read 170 various ships (a slight uptick from the 162 unique ships in 2023).

The 2025 @fanfic-reading-challenge is out now (I posted about it a few days ago) - so I hope some of you will sign up and join the fun. It's going to be very challenging this year, but there is no correct way to do it and you can read a little or a lot. It’s just a twist to something you’re all doing anyway. And the discord is very busy and fun as well.

And of course, thank you to everyone who gave me suggestions for stories and pairings and fandoms and who shared their favourite stories with me. I could not have gotten through this year without you and I’m SO grateful for you. 🥰

Looking at this year's pie chart, I knew I'd read a ton of Wednesday/Xavier fics. In fact, every single one of the 43 fics I re-read more than once this year were Wenvier and my #1 reread fic was What's Not to Like? by @babygotbooks - which was a comfort fic for me this year and you should read it! Anyway, I expected the Wenvier results - but I was more surprised at the 160 random pairings that I read. The fic challenge really got me reading pairings and fandoms I maybe wouldn't have been interested in otherwise. A few I will never read again - but there was more than a small handful of pairings that I tried out for the challenge and then enjoyed enough to seek out more fic. Folie à Deux by @cypresssunns is an example of this. I never would have thought about Marta/Ransom at all, but now I have a little collection of fics I quite enjoyed this year (you should also read Knives Out, A Novel by Dodge Wetsfield (aka, Ransom Drysdale) by fodforever if you like Knives Out and if you also like fun).

Here's a fun fact - I read The Dragon Cub by alperez - and it had the second most number of words for a single pairing all year and it was a single fic (1.9 million words of Jon/Margaery). It was fantastic, but it took me almost the complete month of January last year. Super well done.

I also randomly got very into Fallout (April) and Twisters (August) this year. Both wildly different but both seriously enjoyable. You should read the The Ghoul and the Vaultie series by @klouwolf and Something by @wonderfulcastrophe or even Or You Could Just Stay by HopeAlchemist if you're interested in either of these - which you should be because they're extra fun and awesome.

One thing I like to look at is the Author stat each year. I have several faves who pop up a lot but the nature of this fic challenge is to find new fandoms/authors/pairings. This year, 82% of the authors I read, wrote ten or fewer stories but that other 18% was full of only 6 authors who wrote many more than that so I wanted to single them out. Four of them are Wenvier authors (which is a fun fact)! Extra love to @babygotbooks @drollicpixiefanfic @clairenovaking @pollydoodles (and Agmo and the_retro_witch - neither of whom have tumblr). Thank you for sharing your talent with me this year! 😘

Anyway - this is probably enough recs for now but if you every are looking for something interesting to read, hmu. 😘

Thanks for being here, friends.

Have a wonderful 2025!

[7grandmel]

Rip of the week: 08/07/2024

Riki Ricch

Season 4 Episode 2 Featured on: Summer-Colored Smiles ~ The SiIvaSummer All-Star Festival Collection

Ripped by Knay

While I've now settled into this new rhythm of posting pretty nicely, it has come with a bit of its own unexpected baggage. A big part of why I was hestitant to make this switch to weekly posts was the expectations of having each of these posts feel worth the 7-day wait, a sort of pressure that daily posts didn't really have. If I found a really simple but effective rip that I just enjoyed enough to want to share, akin to Imperial Touwer or kirby will never have drip *spits out cereal*, it felt fine to make a smaller-scale post about them - the big, significant-to-the-channel stuff would just be a few days away. But in starting this whole thing with The Legend of Cage: Staff Roll and giving each post more buildup, it started to feel like I was obligated to ONLY post about these insanely large-spanning parts of SiIvaGunner. Yet doing so would, of course, be ignoring part of the channel's core appeal - that rips of all kind, big, small, simple, complex, predictable, unpredictable, and everything inbetween, are all welcome so long as their quality comes from the heart. Today, we're scaling things back and talking about nothing but a single rip and its sheer vibes: Riki Ricch.

Or, well, I still think it might help to set the stage at least a little bit first. Hell, part of what even motivated me to start this blog, and to keep talking about SiIva's history in general, has been to get new fans to realize that the channel has a stage to set to begin with. Each season of the channel, and many times periods within said seasons, come with their own sort of vibe: be it the chaos of Season 1, the lower, more tense energy of Season 6, or the ongoing pure Silliness of Season 8. Uniquely with Season 4, things were split into two halves - the sheer excitement and magnitude of Episode 1 driven by the King for Another Day Tournament and its extensive pre-release period, followed by a somewhat more laid-back vibe, of gleeful celebration, in Episode 2. The tournament was over! Everyone, the SiIva team, the fans, the in-universe characters, were all just happy to have wrapped up such a gargantuan, season-spanning event at last! And if I had to hazard a guess, I'd probably say that Season 4 Episode 2 was, by extension, the least irony-filled season in the channel's entire life even up until now - the set list for much of the year, at least in my memory of it all, had a vibe of grateful sincerity, which brought us rips like Locked In The Underground, vs SAYU (Based Version), Beyond the Floating Isles, and many more.

And right in the midst of all that sits Riki Ricch, the rip in focus for this week. In execution, it's a very simple rip - mashing up Frontier Village from Xenoblade Chronicles with Roddy Ricch's Down Below to create a fantastic example of patented SiIvaGunner "rip-hop". It's a term I've used before which loosely describes rips like Noonsummer Madness and God's PS2: Rips that leverage the emotional connections and nostalgia that binds us to video game music, and elevate those feelings further through being mashed up with low-tempo rap music. The end result puts a fresh spin on what we'd otherwise only consider background music - with Riki Ricch in particular, it takes the soothing stillness of Frontier Village, a tune that oozes comfort and hominess out of every corner, and just makes those vibes hit all the more through Ricch's personal lyrics. I've said it in many posts before that I'm hardly a connoisseur of the music world and even less so the hip hop world, but I really don't feel as if I need to be for Riki Ricch to hit home for me - I've spent so many hours taking it slow and steady in the world of Xenoblade Chronicles to where its music is already bound to cause a reaction, and giving it the smallest of twists such as this is enough to get me vibing in a whole new way.

That sort of returns to the musings from the start of this post - how much can I truly write about rips this simple but effective? Knay is a ripper with many sides, most notably for this blog being the mind behind CG Man HD Remastered Edition and its non-remastered counterpart, but otherwise contributes to the channel at their own pace with whatever they seem fit to make on that day. And I think that's awesome!! Like many of Knay's other rips, Riki Ricch, whilst not necessarily the most multi-layered rip ever made, feels like a completely original idea pursued to its natural endpoint by a ripper who genuinely cares about both pieces used to create it, a "I wonder if that would work" made into something for all of us to enjoy.

At little over 20K views, the rip is far from a runaway classic on the channel - yet, really, that only means there's many more people out there yet to have found it for themselves. And if you take anything from this post, other than the sheer quality of Riki Ricch itself, it's that I encourage all of you to really go hunting for quality rips that are similarly - unjustly - left in the dust, simplicity be damned. Season 4 Episode 2's celebrations may be far behind us, but its spirit of joyous good ought to still be upheld by us in the audience for as long as we can muster.

[archoneddzs15]

Sega Saturn - Cotton 2: Magical Night Dreams

Title: Cotton 2: Magical Night Dreams / コットン ２

Developer/Publisher: Success Corp.

Release date: 4 December 1997

Catalogue No.: T-9904G

Genre: Horizontal Shooter

Cotton is back yet again in search of more Willow sweets to satisfy her craving. Featuring 2 modes, Saturn and Arcade mode, Cotton 2 is going to keep you going for quite some time. The game even makes use of the 1MB RAM cartridge just to make sure it's arcade perfect. To be honest, though you don't really need it since all it adds to the game are a few little bits of extra speech here and there. Hardly noticeable to be honest. So, if you don't own a 1MB RAM cartridge don't worry. The game will still play just as well without it.

The gameplay in Cotton 2 is pretty much like all the other Cotton games as far as power-ups are concerned. You shoot enemies to drop crystals then you collect them to give you a certain power depending on the color. However, in this game, the level of the weapon is built up by collecting the yellow crystals rather than multiple crystals of the same color. There's only one character to choose from at first being Cotton but once the game is completed you can find an extra option in the Config mode that will allow player one to control Appli rather than player two controlling her. Weapon-wise you have a choice of ice, wind, or fire with each being accompanied by their own special attack that can be pulled off by hitting the bomb button. As well as the special attack and normal shot, you can also pick up enemies and throw them across the screen to cause some pretty nice combination attacks that can result in you recovering some energy as well as a whopping big point bonus.

Graphically Cotton 2 is very nice with some pretty sprite and transparency effects. The audio is a little weak but seems to suit the game. Between the two modes, the only noticeable difference I saw was the actual level colors. The Saturn mode seemed to look a little richer than the arcade mode. There may have been one or two different enemies as well. Overall though they are pretty much the same.

Cotton 2 is a fantastic title that's well worth picking up unless you own Cotton Boomerang.

Below you can see the lovely card calendar that comes with Cotton 2. My thanks go out to Sega Retro for providing these scans. God only knows where my calendar has gone.