#anyway happy may 4 even if its already may 5 in est

[bossuet-lesgle]

it’s still star wars day in at least three time zones, so here’s some courferre flavored star wars au for your consideration:

It’s supposed to be a routine supply run. Red Squadron has been sent for a quick trip over to Crait and then back, no more than a few hours. Enjolras is taking his shift in the Command Center, watching intently as the holographic ships make their way through space. The pilots are chattering over their comms, Courfeyrac’s voice bursting in and out as he jokes with his squad.

Enjolras looks us as the door opens with a soft shush, and Combeferre steps through. Enjolras knows he went off-shift hours ago and should be resting, but Combeferre settles himself down beside Enjolras. He clearly hasn’t slept, but not, apparently, for lack of trying. His glasses are askew, his hair puffing out slightly at the back. Enjolras doesn’t have to say anything for Combeferre to shrug, looking sheepish.

“I couldn’t quiet my mind. Figured I’d come be useful instead.”

Enjolras sighs but doesn’t try to argue. If Combeferre isn’t going to sleep, then watching Red Squadron blip across the screen is as restful an activity as any. Enjorlas knows he gets like this with Grantaire – hates for him to be offworld and in danger, no matter how necessary. (Not that Combeferre would ever admit to Courfeyrac that he cares for him in this way, but in Enjolras’ professional opinion as their best friend, Courfeyrac would have to be blind not to see it. Must be blind, actually, and Combeferre must be too, for all the lingering glances and shy grins. Somehow, they’ve fallen in love with each other and are the last people in the entire Rebellion to notice). The mission is easy, it’s something they’ve done countless times, but Combeferre knows that. So Enjolras won’t offer that kind of logic. He can, however, offer a distraction.

“Well,” Enjolras says as he pulls a datapad over. “I actually wanted to ask you about one of these maneuvers.”

They discuss tactics for a bit, mapping routes and scanning formations for any weaknesses. They’ve had some reprieve while on Hoth, but it is foolish to think the Empire isn’t right around the corner.

Courfeyrac’s voice crackles through the comms. “Red Leader to base. We’ve got the supplies and are heading back.”

“Excellent, Red Leader,” Combeferre answers before Enjolras gets the chance. “We’ll expect you in 0200 hours.”

“Is that Combeferre? Ferre, you’re not on shift, go to bed.”

“Just focus on flying, alright?” Combeferre shoots back, but there’s warmth in his voice.

“Yeah, Courfeyrac,” Bossuet cuts in, laughing. “Focus on your flying.”

“Whatever, Red Four,” Courfeyrac grumbles. “Alright, we’re en route. See you in 0200.”

Enjolras confirms, and then he and Combeferre turn back to their work. Combeferre’s shoulders have lost some of their tension, but his eyes dart to the holos every so often, assuring himself that Red Squadron is still somewhere out there in the black.

They’ve come out of hyperspace just past Sullust when Enjolras notices the small red blip on the edge of the map. In the time it takes for him to press his comm, four more have appeared, moving steadily toward Red Squadron.

“Echo Base to Red Leader,” Enjolras says, “you’ve got incoming.”

“Kriff. Yeah we do.” Courfeyrac mutters before he begins shouting orders.

The shrill twang of a blaster sounds through the comm and the ships disperse. This is always the worst part for Enjolras. He’s not a starfighter, so any aerial combats are out of his control. He has to trust Courfeyrac to lead his squadron – and he does, he trusts Courfeyrac with his life – but it’s hard. From the tense set of Combeferre’s shoulders, Enjorlas knows that he feels just as helpless.

Courfeyrac is good at what he does – he wouldn’t be a commander in the Alliance if he wasn’t. Enjolras watches the holo ships move, hears the shouting and the blasters. Within seconds, Courfeyrac is able to reconfigure the squadron, protecting the supplies and engaging the enemy fighters. The supply freighters make the second jump to hyperspace, one by one until all that’s left are a handful of X-wings.

It looks like they’re all going to make it when there’s a crash, a small explosion, and Courfeyrac lets out a string of curses. On the map, his ship is flashing as it lists toward Sullust below.

“Red Leader, status report,” Enjolras barks into the comm.

Courfeyrac ignores him completely, keeps calling out orders to his squadron. Enjolras tries to call to Courfeyrac again, and then watches a light on his comm blink out as Courfeyrac mutes his end of their connection. There are protests from the pilots as Courfeyrac orders them into hyperspace. The supplies are safe, and there’s no need to risk losing anyone. The else goes unspoken. One by one, the rebel ships blink into hyperspace until only Courfeyrac and Bossuet are left.

“Red Leader, what’s your damage?”

“ Make the jump, Red Four.”

“How bad is your ship?”

“You’ve got three Ties on your six, Red Four, go to hyperspace!”

“Courfeyrac, I’m not going to leave – ”

“You need to go, Bossuet. My engines are kriffing fried. I’m going to try to land but I need you to get back to base. Please.”

Bossuet is silent for a moment as he weaves between Tie fighters, but he can hear the slight edge of desperation in Courfeyrac’s voice just as clearly as Enjolras and Combeferre can. He mutters an affirmative, a stay safe, Courf, before jumping to hyperspace. Enjolras watches his ship blip off the map, and then Courfeyrac is alone with five enemy ships.  The comm light blinks back on.

“Courfeyrac, what’s your status?” Combeferre asks softly.

“Oh, you know. Just another day.” Courfeyrac laughs but it’s strained as he weaves through the Ties, trying to reach the surface of Sullust.

“Send us your coordinates when you get somewhere safe on Sullust,” Enjolras says.

“Of course. Wouldn’t want to get stuck down there.” Another explosion sounds, much louder this time, and Courfeyrac lets out a pained gasp.

“Status, Courfeyrac!” Combeferre calls as he and Enjolras watch the X-wing hurtle toward Sullust. There is silence for a few tense moments.

When Courfeyrac speaks, it’s pained. “I need to tell you something.” Another explosion, a hideous crunching noise. “Combeferre, specifically. Not that I don’t value you as well, Enjolras. I have plenty of things I’d like to tell you too, but this is important. Ferre, you need to know I – ”

There’s a horrific noise of metal rending, a litany of colorful curses from Courfeyrac, a muted grunt of pain, and then nothing. Courfeyrac’s ship blinks off the map entirely. Enjolras stares down as the swarm of Tie fighters disperses and can’t quite catch his breath. Beside him, Combeferre is shaking. Enjolras presses against him, sits beside him and breathes with him. It’s all he can do.

*

It takes ten hours to find the wreckage of Courfeyrac’s X-wing. Enjolras and Combeferre are both part of the search team, are the first out of their shuttles to start looking. The hull of the ship is twisted, his astromech crushed completely, and the engines have all been blown out. The cockpit is a crumpled mess, but Courfeyrac isn’t in it. They find him two miles away, tucked into an alcove between buildings. He’s barely conscious, but he blinks up as Enjolras approaches.

“Took you guys long enough,” he laughs, and there’s blood in his teeth. There’s blood most places, actually, and his eyes are glassy and his leg is definitely broken, and probably his ribs too, but he’s alive. Enjolras kneels next to him and breathes properly for the first time since the Ties appeared on the map. He raises his comm to his lips and calls Combeferre.

*

Courfeyrac spends several days in a bacta tank as the worst of his wounds heal. Then, he spends another few days sleeping. Enjolras stays with him when he can, but there’s still an Alliance to run, a war to win. He and Combeferre spend time at Courfeyrac’s bedside, ensuring that someone will be there when he wakes.

Enjolras finishes his shift and makes his way to medical. As he approaches the open door, he hears laughter. Combeferre’s. And Courfeyrac’s. Enjolras stops in the doorway. Courfeyrac is sitting up, grinning at Combeferre. Bruises are still smudged across his face, but he looks healthier than he has in days. Combeferre does too – the drawn, anxious expression that has haunted his face replaced by a soft, warm gaze.

“So,” Combeferre begins tentatively. “I’ve bee wondering.”

Courfeyrac studies him curiously. “Wondering what?”

“What were you going to tell me? Before you went down.”

Courfeyrac’s cheeks color and he ducks his head. “Sorry,” he mutters. “A dying confession wasn’t really how I wanted to say it, but desperate times, you know?”

“Say what?”

Courfeyrac squeezes his eyes shut and takes a breath. He reaches over and tangles his fingers with Combeferre’s. “That I love you?”

Combeferre smiles and pulls Courfeyrac into a gentle kiss. Enjolras turns to go, to tell General Lamarque that Combeferre will likely be taking some time off, and is startled by a loud whistle directly behind him. Courfeyrac pulls away from Combeferre only slightly, raising an eyebrow at Grantaire.

“Glad you finally worked it all out,” Grantaire laughs, slinging an arm over Enjolras’ shoulders.

“Me too,” Combeferre says softly, fondly.

Courfeyrac shoos them away, and Enjolras shuts the door with a chuckle. Grantaire clasps his hand and pulls him down the corridor toward the hanger. He’s made some upgrades to the Farouche, he says. Mostly to the ship’s liquor cabinet. Mostly through the acquisition of a pretty nice bottle of Corellian whiskey he won off Bahorel in a game of sabacc. Enjolras allows himself to be pulled along and thinks that the Empire doesn’t stand a chance. Not really. Not when the rebels have each other. Not when they have things worth fighting for.

[lacharcutiere]

still [sawamura daichi]

1,6k words

previous | masterlist | next ➪

part eight of i’m gone i’m gone i’m gone miniseries. you can only put these things off for so long.

JST: japanese standard time (GMT +9). EST: eastern standard time (GMT -5). EDT: eastern daylight time (GMT -4).

tings // fluff, a little bit of angst, kinda suggestive at the end ?? // i swear this søng is abøut eating øut my best friend's pussy - cøzybøy // dm, ask or comment to be added to taglist ! minors dni.

☾𓆙𓂻

— JAPAN, SUMMER 2024.

the summer passes like this: you and daichi laughing too loudly in busy restaurants and train cars; having arms around each other in the back of taxis on the way home from clubs; making instant udon at three a.m.; walking up and down the neighborhood a hundred times; laying silently side by side and not needing to say anything. it's a routine, it's familiar—it's home.

a couple weeks before you're set to head back to new york, daichi asks you a question as you lay next to him on a blanket in your driveway, staring up at the stars.

"have you decided what your plans are after college?"

"i'm gonna come back here."

"i thought you wanted to go to grad school? you can do way better in the states, especially with a degree from columbia."

you roll onto your side so you can look at him better. "i know. but i've been away too long already. i miss you."

he gives you a little smile. "but i'm right here."

"right here is pretty fucking far from america."

"hm."

"hm."

that's the end of the conversation.

— 2 AUGUST 2024. 23:09 JST.

everything happens the exact same way it has for the past three years: he takes you to the airport. you try hard not to cry; you say your goodbyes. check-in, security, buy some candy to eat at the gate. board the plane. sixteen hours later, you're in america.

one thing was different, though.

when he said goodbye, his lips touched yours.

you don't stop thinking about it for weeks.

☾𓆙𓂻

— AUGUST TO NOVEMBER 2024.

slightly relieving is the fact that amid thesis writing and too many classes and working an internship under one of your professors (that one's nice, it even earns you enough to get a small apartment a few blocks from campus), there proves to be little time to be spent missing daichi.

you finesse your schedule to fit weekly facetimes on friday evenings (new york time) and shoot random texts back and forth about your day between classes and during meals, and without much space for anything else, it's enough. good things are worth waiting for, anyway.

— DECEMBER 2024.

but then winter sem break rolls around and there's no school so it's back to having too much lonely alone time with your thoughts. you write daichi a christmas card and drop it off at the post office. it's early this year, but oh, well.

☾𓆙𓂻

a week before christmas you receive a call from an unknown number. the phone speaker crackles when you accept the call.

“hello?”

“hey.” the voice on the other end is bright, smiley, accented. it’s tōru.

“tōru? what’s up?”

“i’m outside,” he says, “come down and meet me?”

you’re a little confused, but you decide to humor him. “uh, okay, give me a minute… do i need anything?”

“bring a coat, it’s cold out. i’ll be waiting down here.” the call ends.

a few minutes later you push through the doors of the building to be met with a brisk wind and tōru standing by a payphone, grinning.

“do you have your subway pass?”

you feel inside your pocket for it and nod.

“good,” he says. “come on, we’re in a hurry.”

“where are we going?”

“downtown.”

“ohhkay?”

he laughs. “‘s not anything you won’t like, promise.”

you follow him into the nearest subway entrance, lost in thought as you push through the barrier and step onto the train. it's only when he nudges you and says, "this is our stop," that you realize you've been looking at the ground the whole time.

tōru notices how absent you seem to be and asks, "are you okay?"

"i would be if i knew what was going on," you respond.

"yeah," he says, leading you up the stairs and into the terminal, "yeah, i think you will be."

you're in grand central. tōru asks if he can borrow your phone for a second. when he hands it back to you, he doesn't say anything, just takes you by the arm smiling widely and leads you into the fray of commuters that fill the station.

"tōru!" you groan, "can't you just tell me where we're going?"

"magnolia," he replies simply.

"we came all the way here just for coffee?"

"mhm."

"tōru!" he stops walking and turns back to you, trying and failing miserably to stop grinning for a second. "what the fuck?"

"come on," he says, "you'll like it."

"we've been here before! what's so special about—"

"you'll see."

☾𓆙𓂻

coffee in grand central is surprisingly good. it's also surprisingly expensive. ah, well, it's new york. new york has much more to offer than just overpriced cafés.

such as... this. such as a laughing man that leads a remarkably pissed-off looking girl by the arm, towards this stupidly good, stupidly overpriced café.

the pair are weaving through a stream of people, almost there, and then they're there, and the girl is looking much less agitated now. she looks somewhere between crying and wanting to run in the opposite direction. thank god, she chooses the former.

he loves you. so much.

☾𓆙𓂻

"daichi?" you mean it to be a scream but your voice cracks a little and it comes out airy.

he has the exact same look on his face that tōru's had this whole time. "hi."

"oh my god, what the fuck?"

"you said it was lonely, tōru told me maybe it would be nice for you to have a date for new year's, i had some extra money saved up. so i came."

"you— what?" you look back at tōru. "you planned this? just? last minute?"

"nah," daichi laughs, "no, i meant to come visit you for christmas a while ago. i already had tickets and everything, i was gonna tell you but then i got your card and figured it might be more fun if it were a surprise."

"oh my god." that's all you can think to say.

— CHRISTMAS 2024.

you can't even explain how good it feels to wake up and walk into the living room to find daichi asleep on your couch on christmas morning, how good it feels for it to not just be you. the whole time he's been here, though, you've forced yourself not to think about the fact that he's going back home in a week and a half, forced yourself not to do anything just yet. soon, though. just a few more months.

☾𓆙𓂻

when he wakes up, you're making coffee for the two of you.

"merry christmas," he says, wrapping one arm around your shoulders. he places a card on the counter in front of you. "open it."

its message is simple.

you do as it says.

"i, uh, haven't gotten you anything yet, but—"

"daichi," you laugh, "it's okay. and um, i may have also not been able to get you anything. also because i didn't know you'd be here."

"wait, wait, i'm not finished."

"okay?"

"what do you want to do after you're done this year of school?"

"i already told you," you say, "i'll move back home."

"no, what do you want to do? you want to go to grad school, right? continue studying here?"

"no, i just want to stop waiting." you sigh, a little frustrated. "i don't wanna have to keep putting this off, it's been—"

he cuts you off. "i'll be here."

"huh?"

"i'll be here. or wherever."

"i don't get it?"

you've always loved the way daichi's nose scrunches up when he smiles. "you're the one planning on studying more, not me. not immediately, anyway. i'll go with you."

"daichi."

"what?"

"you're fucking joking."

he laughs; you look so confused right now. "i'm not. promise."

"i don't even—"

"hey."

"hm?"

"think you can handle long-distance for five months?"

"uh—" you inhale sharply. "yeah."

"good," he says, "then we don't have to keep putting this off."

it's been five months since you last let your lips touch his. it still feels just like the first time it happened.

— 31 DECEMBER, 2023. 19:36 EST.

he tries not to let you pay for dinner, but in the end, you slip the waiter your card while daichi's in the bathroom. it's his birthday; it's your treat.

and after dinner, there's that new year's eve party that tōru's been going on about. it feels good, so good, not to be there alone. it feels good to watch the broadcast from downtown and count the seconds to midnight as daichi's arms are wrapped around you from behind. the clock reaches zero; daichi kisses you hard. you're both drunk on champagne.

you watch him smile across the room at tōru, who's got his girl on his arm. the two of them look happy, too. everything is warm.

— DEPARTURE: 3 JANUARY 2025. 08:15 EST.

daichi's asleep next to you when the alarm on his phone goes off. you'll miss not waking up next to him for the next five months, but at least that's all it will be.

he makes faces at you in the mirror as you both brush your teeth; keeps trying to tug your sweater off when you get dressed. you spend these thirty minutes laughing with him until it hurts. the two of you take the subway back to grand central; make out in a corner of the terminal while he waits for his train to jfk international to arrive.

"see you in may."

— 21 JANUARY 2025.

taglist: @sakruisin-thru @softetsurou @oligbia

[lihikainanea]

Vibe of the Week 06/08

First off, I am happy to announce that the very second Live Tarot Hour will be this Friday, 11 September. It’ll start at 8PM ADT, 7PM EST, 5PM PT, and gah just figure out your time zone from that. I really enjoyed the last one we did, and it’s great practice. I’ll post the rules later on this week, most will be the same as last time but this round I’ll be accepting questions in advance--that was selfish of me last time, for all my bubs in wayyyyy different time zones who weren’t awake when it started and couldn’t submit a question.

As always, you can blacklist #tarot or #Lei does tarot if you don’t want to see.

Now, on to business.

Ah, dat Full Moon vibes from last week. Real talk it gave me some crazy energy, just some weird things I couldn’t shake, and kicked off a whole week’s worth of odd dreams and weird premonitions and dug up a whole bunch of shit from my past and threw it at me.

Including Photographer Boy, if we can count him as being part of my past? He seems to stay pretty...current. And he was being real sweet to me over the weekend, and just being the Good Dude I know he can be, and like a moron that somehow erases all the copious times he was a dick. Ugh, Lei you’re smarter than this.

Double ugh, I’m mad at myself.

In any case, last week we spoke about action, but also about the need to kind of....hold off. That maybe now is not the time to go after that big thing, because there are too many little things happening for you, maybe you’re not in the frame of mind or heart that you NEED to be in to go after what you’re going after, and have it work out. The universe works in many ways and often times if she sees us running headfirst into a wall, she might hold us back a bit. It’s for our own benefit.

You may have noticed, too, that in English I tend to have trouble with homonyms. Nose and knows. Seize and cease. I know the difference between all the there/they’re/theirs but the apostrophe one still fucks me up because I think it’s possessive instead of they are. In any case, I ended the reading last week on a resounding note that what is truly meant for us will be there, waiting to be...ahem...ceased. Oops. I obviously meant seized (I think?) and I’ve corrected it now.

LE SORRY.

The decks this week: Moonology for Oracle, and the Wheel of Fortune for Tarot.

The Oracle of the week is the Supermoon:

I didn’t pull this one, it jumped out at me as I was shuffling.

Look, can I just say that it does wonders for my confidence as a reader, as the granddaughter of a great woman and a steward of part of the great family history, when I FEEL my intuition tell me something is off, and then it gets proven right? Look, intuition is hard. My intuition is hard. I just tend to think very differently from the masses and it’s incredibly frustrating, because I’ll see something and observe it my way and everybody else seems to be on a different page and it’s just...you feel crazy. I feel like I spend at least 1/3 of my life going “Are you all PRETENDING not to see this? This is a joke, right? Or shit, you really think that? Oh fuck...”

I KNEW something was supercharged with that damn moon last week.

The affirmation: Emotions are running high

Words to meditate on: emotional balance, yin and yang, peace, quiet mind, look closer at the obvious, opportunity.

That thing last week, that the universe told us to back the fuck up on for a sec? This may be the week we’re allowed to charge forward and pursue it. The Supermoon is supercharged, emotions are high but they’re positive--this is a rare moon, one that tells us that the answer is right under our nose. There’s opportunity here, rare opportunity, whether that’s the solution to your challenges or something new and exciting altogether. The Supermoon is when a new moon or a full moon happens at the moon’s closest point to Earth--so the universe is rooting for us, she’s with us on this. Don’t blow anything out of proportion, don’t fucking ignore the obvious in search of something better, and just keep putting one foot in front of the other because your path now leads you to something real exciting.

HAHAHAHAHAHA. Everybody say hi to my grandmother, kids. Because she’s definitely smirking over my shoulder for this reading. Hiiiiiiiiiiiii Lei’s grandmother, definitely the HWIC and one of the most powerful matriarchs of the Stregoneria in Sicily.

Good to see you again, Nonna.

1) Ten of Wands

2) Eight of Wands

3) Five of Wands

4) Queen of Wands

5) Knight of Wands

Overarching theme: the Moon (Major Arcana).

Hahahahahaha oh god I’m still laughing.

All Wands this week. Wands are the action cards, the “go out and get’er done” Suit, the fire Suit in all its glory and horror, so it looks like the universe has opened the barriers that she put around us last week. Not only did she open the barriers but she gave us a one hour pep talk, she brushed our hair, she told us how pretty we were, she poured 397587568458 tons of sugar down our throat, blasted gangsta rap, got us all ragey, showed us the target, slapped our ass--and then she opened the barriers.

Full steam ahead. 

Look, keep the overarching theme of the Moon in mind. Keep your fucking eyes open, and--like the Oracle says--look for the obvious, it’s right in front of you. The Moon speaks of deception, of hidden ways, of secrets, of dual personalities. Of trickery. Bear in mind that interactions you may have this week, people you may encounter--they may be trying to trick you, they may be trying to deceive you. Don’t let this hinder your interactions and don’t close yourself off, just keep this tidbit in the back of your mind so that there are no surprises.

I think the reason why the universe held us back last week is simply because we just had too much. The ten of Wands speaks of a need for reduction--reducing workload, reducing emotional stress, in general just....letting things go. Let it go. It’s too heavy, there’s too much, and it’s just impossible to carry. Trim the fat and just bring it back to the basics--surround yourself with a few people who make you feel good. Reduce your amount of stuff. Know when you’re beat at work, and ask for help. Reduce the space in your mind that you give to worry and anxiety and increase the space you give to things that make you feel good. We had too much last week, and the universe saw that we were just too exhausted to go after what we wanted but we are too stubborn to not go after it, because we are taught from a young age that opportunity is rare and we need to take it.

Opportunity is only as rare as you make it. When you look for opportunity, you will find it. Stop looking, then you stop finding.

And you know that old adage, that an arrow needs to be pulled back before it is launched forward? That’s where we’re at. The Eight of Wands is the most dynamic card in the deck, moving forward at fast speeds. It bears in mind the need to keep lines of communication open--and the Five of Wands, a battle, warns us of the consequence if we don’t. The Five of Wands is the bar fight that we don’t know why we’re in. The Five of Wands is us getting drunk and belligerent as shit, starting something with somebody who didn’t even look at us funny but we thought they did. Calm down--emotions are high, remember? Don’t start shit. It’s not worth it, and you’re likely wrong in the situation anyway. 

Communicate instead. You know people may be trying to deceive you, which already gives you the upper hand. You don’t need to smash a pool cue over their head.

Balance, kids. The Queen of Wands is there to reinforce that message. Dis bitch--I love dis bitch, she’s so much better than the Queen of Cups--love and sensuality, fire and ice, the balance of fiery passion and emotional balance that results in this incredible, never-ending burning ember that will just keep smouldering. And the thing with an ember is it can turn into a full fledged fire at any second, and it can also light other fires. You’re on the right path, kids. And not only are you on the right path, people are watching and you’re inspiring them too. Be loyal to yourself, know your path, and off you go.

And remember--dat Moon Major Arcana Energy, echoed here in the final card of the Knight of Wands--do not seek vengeance over those who deceived you. But don’t forget, either.

TL;DR: Deception is at play this week, evidenced in the Moon and ending in the Knight of Wands. Be aware--don’t let it make you bitter, but be aware. Communication is key as you surge forward here, and it can help you avoid a lot of conflict that doesn’t have to happen if you’re just open and honest. Don’t ignore the obvious, make sure you create an environment where you can succeed, eliminate that which you do not need--and rage on, you fucking flame of awesomeness.

[survivorgalaxysedge]

Episode 5 | Forgive Me Cowtown For I Have Sinned - Ari

ohhhhh i found something JUICY tonight!!! so yesterday the hosts got tired of me constantly asking how many fuel i have and gave me the command to view it, and i knew i was outta points so i was like ok cool we'll check it out tomorrow. TURNS OUT the scorekeeper bot shows you not just your personal points.... but the points of everyone in the game.... and WHOM is number two on that list with 36 entire points? that's right. my best friend keegan. my first thought was wtf ew how did he already recover from my sabotage, i feel zero percent guilty about doing that now! and then my second thought was WAIT...... this is PERFECT. so you can bet i ran right to all three of my allies to be like "hey omg i found something shady :0 didn't keegan say all his fuel got blown up the other day? well i pulled some receipts and it turns out he still has all of it! why would he lie about that??? so sus!" and now i'm laughing because there could not be a more perfect excuse to get him gone!!! i'm not gonna push it any more than that right now - for all i know, we'll prob win the next challenge again - but i've tucked the ammo away in my pocket, planted the ari seed in jonathan and zoe's heads, and i'll let it sit pretty there until i need it. also, i ended up telling ali what i did to keegan simply because he is 100% not going against me and i needed someone to tell me i'm funny, so i also let him know about this plan o mine and that we could use this against sir keegan, which he's so down for. god. i cannot wait to tell mj about all this shit.

Jacob being voted out of NuTrian is the second best thing that could have happened. Preferably Nathan but my OG Andro and Jessie are safe so that’s very good. Now we’ve got a Guess Who challenge which is okay. I don’t care if we get first or second, I just really really don’t want to get last. Let’s keep the good vibes going and be safe for a fifth straight tribal council. Ali told me he scored 11 points, I scored 10. I hope Zoe can whip out her survivor magic with a score of 8 or 9. And then hopefully Jonathan can pull out a good score as well. Nathan and Zach have both scored 12 on this challenge before, so I can only hope they keep up with that and score high again. Gotta make sure those other tribes flop. I’m still incredibly uncertain about how to play this steal a player advantage. It’s possible we ride this 3 tribe split all the way to merge. My guess is merge at 11 or 10. That would be quite a few tribals to go without another swap but it’s certainly possible. Though I could absolutely see a swap now at 12. Two tribes of six, and then merge at 10. A final 3 with 7 jurors perhaps? Either way, I think I’ll hold on to this advantage until it seems likely that I’ll need it. No sense in causing some chaos if it isn’t necessary.

ok so i'm doing well in challenges rn, as best as i can at least, and i feel like that's the only thing keeping me alive bc.... nobody talks to me. i feel like i'm starting every one on one conversation and desperately trying to keep it alive and not be left on read. idk if they're like this with each other or if its just me but !!!!!! it doesnt make me feel good abt potentially losing a challenge. so i will just keep carrying my weight and keeping my cute little head down and pray im just being paranoid<3

WELL We lost the immunity challenge which is the first loss after four straight immunity wins. That was a nice little break while it lasted. The obvious choice right off the bat is to vote for Ali. Keeps the OG Andro tribe fully intact, and avoids the most possible drama. However, I worry he might have found the Circi idol from his original tribe. Plus whatever advantage he may have gotten from the first challenge of the season. So the alternate thought is to maybe vote for Jonathan or Zoe. I adore Ari would not want to vote them out. It's tempting to throw a vote on one of them in the event of Ali playing an idol, just to keep myself safe. But if Ali doesn't have an idol, that could cause a whole world of issues. On the flip side, I wouldn't be entirely surprised if some or any of my tribe mates decided to throw my name under the bus. I haven't been the most social person and while I have definitely pulled my weight in the challenges, I could see them having their own little group that's willing to throw my under the bus and make things as painless as possible for the rest of them, especially considering they've all said they like Ali a lot. Ahhh this is all so much worse considering I have the hidden immunity idol. I don't want to waste it, but I also don't want to pull a Kellee Kim and go home with it in my pocket. 

it's kind of ridiculous how well this is all going???? why havent they voted me out yet i am running this shit -talked to ali, told him he's gonna be fine we just need to get people to vote for keegan -talked to jonathan, convinced him keegan is the most logical vote "because he's shady" and because it also means we can vote ali easily next time (versus going down to andro 4 and having it get much more messy) -jonathan was like "should we tell ali right before the vote?" and i was like i think you should call him and see where his head is at and we can go from there, jonathan said ok good point, if he says he wants to vote keegan and he also tells you that without any prompting from either of us we know he's real about it -yeeted myself into ali's dms the very second jonathan hung up like OK LISTEN HERE IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU HAVE TO SAY WHEN HE CALLS YOU, HE CANT KNOW I TOLD YOU ANY OF THIS -ali called me half an hour later like "omg we had such a good talk i love jonathan now deadass, i told him exactly what you said to say and he's so down" -presumably in the morning jonathan will call me and say "wow had a great talk with ali he seems cool and great and he said he'd vote keegan, what did he tell you?" and i can say "yeah same he mentioned keegan so i think we're good!" and jonathan will feel like we Did This Together and ali will feel like i Did This For Him and everyone will be in love with me -all i have to do tomorrow is make sure zoe is on board & that she doesn't feel pushed, and prob call keegan and make him some vague promises about working together long term, and then cross my fingers that i don't get blindsided during my editorial meeting at 9pm est i am having so much fun

i just keep thinking about how funny it’s gonna be when we get to merge and mj tells me to vote out all these people i’ve been making f2s with and i’ll be like “okay!!!!<3”

Not to go back to INV this round, but not much has been going on. I've been keeping up socializing but since we're not going to tribal it's been more quiet than it has been last round. I'm really glad we won though bc I feel vulnerable if we go to tribal again. Cindi seems close to Nathan, and Nathan and Jessie seem closer to each other than they will be to me so I'm worried I'd be an easy vote. So I'm really hoping for a swap or merge tonight, or at least a challenge we can excel in. Don't want it to come down to one point again.

^_^ Okay, so no important updates with this tribe! It's freaking QUIET. I haven't talked to Zach or Silver at ALL since being with this tribe. I've talked to Jules a lot and Asya some, though. I'd like to work with the two of them if possible and if we ever go to tribal here, which I don't want to do because uhhh it's worrisome! Anyway, the only actual update I have is that I found the legacy advantage!!! Randomly at like 2AM I found it. I don't remember what I was doing exactly... I think I just went to watch the Circi round 3 tribal and then the Trian round 4 tribal... and then I think I went to watch the Tribe Swap video to see if there was some sort of announcement made regarded the Oxygen Tank amounts because I was confused why that number was changed more than double. I guess I was also thinking that since the hosts didn't make an announcement that the adventure was resetting at the swap then MAYBE there would be a new twist/advantage inserted elsewhere for this next phase of the game? Now, being the crackhead that I am, of course back on original tribes, I SEARCHED everywhere on the blog that I could think of. Extenders URLs, the source code, hidden hyperlinks - everything. Nothing was there. But in this case, my brain said, hmm, let's just scroll down and see if there's anything in the description of the Tribe Swap Youtube video...and... there was!! I didn't really know what it was at first but when I opened it everything CLICKED! Finally the Reem Cameo from launch night serving a bigger purpose made total sense. After seeing this link in the description though and realizing it was calling back to something we were told about night one, I went back and checked to see if this had been hidden all along, and of course it's literally in the description of the Cast Reveal video!!! and every other video after that!!! Keeping in mind that I found this 11 days into the game, I was like, oh there's definitely some nerd that found this instantly on night 1 so I'm probably just gonna get a message saying nothing here or something like that. Obviously that wasn't the case though. I think nobody found this because I lot of people operate via mobile in these, and Youtube descriptions require an addition click to reveal what's there. Alternatively, for desktop users, who the hell is scrolling down for any reason while you're watching videos from your ORG?? It's nothing something anyone does naturally. So that explains that. Anyway, I'm happy I found it even though it has absolutely no use until Day 39. I will say though that having this and knowing that, it has really motivated me to get to the end of this game. Coincidentally, HOURS before I found this, I had a conversation with Jules about how quiet this tribe has been and that I'd like to start working towards bettering our positions moving forward seeing as there are people here with more/stronger connections than either of us. I just love that I found an advantage that motivates me to start playing this game, exactly how I'd voiced to Jules about feeling a desire to start doing SOMETHING. We love a live narrative!!!! Anyway, I'm not gonna tell Jules about the legacy advantage because it's an advantage that incentivizes people to vote out the owner and have it passed on. I trust Jules, we go YEARS back and have to successful runs as allies under our belts, but this is just something I'd like to keep to myself. Earlier today I also decided that I'm probably never gonna tell Ari about it either if our paths ever (hopefully) cross in this game. I wanna surprise my bestie! At any rate, Jules did tell me that Zach and Asya seem like the type of players that only play on tribal days (at least in this case of this game) which is fine, but I've played a few super intense, intimate, and high-stakes ORGs in the past couple of years which has made me prioritize personal relationships with people over barebones game relationships. This makes dealing with people who aren't that interested in getting to know me or revealing themselves to me a SUPER off-putting experience and a drastic change of pace from what I've become accustomed to. But I'm totally capable of adapting to this environment... I just don't necessarily prefer it. I feel like I have room to connect with Asya on a personal level if given the chance. Zach and Silver I don't know. Although, I do think that if we ever lose immunity here I could for sure spit some game to Silver that would make him believe I want to work with him. I already have an idea of how that conversation goes, and the potential negative consequence of it is practically non-existent on this swap tribe, whereas it could have backfired on me if original Trian lost that third challenge. Anyway, I'll get into that whenever we lose or if I get bored and initiate that chat just to feel something lol

No tribal ever again until merge or swap please. Jessie would be the one I'd want out and I assume Jay would as well but she has Nathan's shard so, like, he'd lose that and then I lose my hope of getting both their shards and misplaying my first idol because I'm not good at survivor

Yayyyy we won immunity. Idk what much else to say except that I got 40 fuel tanks

today i am mad and sad. lost the challenge, was my fault bc purple not pink. no i will not elaborate. now ari jonathan and i have decided to save ali and vote out keegan. i hope it goes well. i am filled with anxiety. i don’t even want keegan to go, we just have to make the decision based on the fact that we don’t want to be seen as a tight alliance going into merge, and keegan can make it look like there was a crack therefore not making us look strong. but he is just sacrificial unfortunately. but we’ll see how it goes. i’m still anxious

Wow we won what a concept See what happens when we don’t throw comps ? Anyways yeah that’s it I guess lol

Honestly I I'm done with these hoes I'm ready to vote off Keegan 

This is definitely a very stressful and emotional tribal. I hate that we’re voting for Ali because he is a genuinely fantastic person and under different circumstances I think we could have worked really well together in this game. But when there’s a 4-1 tribe swap and the four of us have absolutely no beef with each other, there’s not a whole lot that can be done. None of my other 3 OG Andro players come across as big move players either. So unless I’m being straight up lied to and am about to get completely blindsided, it’s looking like a unanimous Ali boot. Which is incredibly sad. I really wanted us to win out until merge so we wouldn’t have to vote him out. But such is the game. Keegan signing off (hopefully not for the last time)

[mamanpanda0809-blog]

Chapter 1

How to be French when you are not

What comes to your mind first when you hear the word "France"? Most likely Paris with its massively famous tower. Or if you're more into gastronomy it might be their incredibly tasty pastries and dairies. Oh also you shouldn't forget the vineyards… And the historical buildings. Not to mention that half of the fashion industry is practically based in Paris. 

These were just some of the examples we can possibly mention when we are to describe France itself. The so-called "clichés" are everywhere. However, is France really like that? Can one take a step without bumping into a "boulangerie"? Do you really feel obligated to wear your (in my case, non-existent) pair of Louboutin every time you leave home? And lastly, is it really true that they do not speak a word of English? 

I'm here to give you a bit of an insight into the raw and real side of living in the South of France. I'd like to emphasize the fact that I only visited the southern part of France so I would rather avoid forming an opinion in general about the whole country. 

To begin with, when I arrived in France, I promised myself that I am not going to use English while being out and about. Only French! Big words from someone that can barely speak and has never learned French from an actual teacher. But I knew that I would most likely put myself into several uncomfortable situations while struggling with not understanding a word of what my beloved Frenchies say. 

Surprisingly, it happened just like that! :) 

As soon as the plane landed in Marseille, I immediately switched to my " French mood". The only problem was that my "French mood" was not enough to ask a security guy at the airport about the buses going to the city. So I made up the second rule immediately, which was that rule number one will only kick in after I leave the airport. Desperate times call for desperate measures… :) Because let's just face it, the airport is so international, no one's gonna give me the look if I start speaking in English. 

As I've already returned home, I am proud to say that I only said twice that I didn't speak French during my two months over there. Once on a train, and another time in a shop. My objective was not to say it at all, but sometimes it was just so inevitable. However, times like this will teach you certain tricks and tips on how to pretend that you are perfectly fluent in French. (But beware of the fact that once they do not work, they can get you into some real embarrassing situations…)

Here are some advices that can help you make the French think you understand them, what is more, you have a response to add to the conversation! 

1. Always start with bonjour and smile!!! 

Cliché, but the it's for the better. Although I have no idea what kind of reaction you would get if you didn't say it. But I'm sure it's no good. 

2. Use your words! 

Even the most basic word could be the game changer! If you got some French vocab, don't be shy to show them! You may end up sharing a laugh on the ridiculous mistake you've made, but believe me, it will just make you even more sympathetic to them! 

3. Listen carefully!

Once you're lost in the flood of unknown words, just keep reacting! Nodding and smiling is always a good idea, but if you want something more challenging, you can always say "Ahh ouii?" when you feel like some kind of response is needed. Except when they say something rather negative, then you can just react by saying: ouulalaaa or when the situation seems to be reaaal bad you can add some lalas to it. So easy! :)

4. Ça c'est vrai??! 

When someone tells you a story you don't really get, you can still get the astonishment from the tone of their voice. By saying "c'est vrai???" you just made it clear that you are just as surprised as the story-teller is and are so aware of the story he or she is telling you. 

5. D'accord………

If you have absolutely no clue what you were told at the bus stop, on the street or at any other place where it does not really matter (well, if they're telling you you've just missed the last bus… embarrassing) you can just go with "d'accord" which can be translated as "alright". (This is my least useful tip, only use in case of emergency!) 

6. Pardon….? 

This is the better version of tip number 5. By saying pardon you can pretend that the reason you don't understand a word is because you couldn't hear it correctly. But good luck with the rest of the conversation…:)

7. Ouais… 

Oui is probably the most regularly used word in French. Of course the French have developed a looser way of saying it. It's hard to express how "ouais" is pronounced, I think it's like saying oui but with zero articulation. Also you can say "bah oui" instead, so much more French!

8. Ça va?

Ça va (how are you? ) is someting you should always say in almost every situation. When you meet someone, it's never enough to only say bonjour. And the best thing is that the answer is pretty simple. In case things are going well for you, you go with "oui" or just say the same thing without raising your voice like "ça va". If you don't feel very well, say ça va anyway, unless you want to explain your problems in French. :)

9. Ça c'est drôle ça

Okay, this is probably the funniest thing in French. They LOVE to add the pronoun at the end. Honestly, you'll hear it everywhere! So you can basically say "Il est content lui" which can be translated as: he is happy, him. This is so ridiculous and SO FRENCH! Don't be afraid to use it, it's gonna level up your French game. 

So here we are, my go-to tips for all the people wanting to visit France with no or little French knowledge. I think these tips will also allow you to learn something from each conversation you get yourself into. The best advice I can give you (which I'm also struggling with) is to be brave enough to make mistakes. That's the key. 

Hope you enjoyed reading my first post about how to speak French when you actually don't, I will continue covering topics like this one and break the stereotypes about France and its people. 

In the next post, I'd like to form my opinion on the quote below, it's from the movie "Vive la France" . If you're interested, don't hesitate to follow me. :) 

"When the world was created, God decided to invent the most beautiful country of all and put all of the world's wonders in it. He called that country… France. But so that other countries wouldn't feel deprived, God decided to fill it with the French."

[entergamingxp]

DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Iyane’s Top 10

December 31, 2019 12:00 PM EST

2019 had a lot of cool mecha related games, but a lot of other great games from other genres too. Here are my top 10 from this year.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

I assume anyone who clicked on this wishes to read me talking about myself and my Unneeded Opinions (one of my favorite sentences of 2019), so I’ll do just that. 2019 was another year that went by in a flash. I’ve reached my first anniversary writing on DualShockers in September, and I’ve been pretty busy overall. As such, there are multiple games on this list I actually didn’t finish yet.

There are many games released in 2019 that I was really hyped about but didn’t have the time to try out yet either, and I’d like to start by listing some of them:

We first have games I’d consider mainstream, such as Devil May Cry 5, Judgment (I actually bought it in Japanese) Astral Chain. Then you’ve got more niche things, like Daemon X Machina (I’m waiting just in case a PC port gets announced), the Grandia remasters, SaGa Scarlet Grace, and Friends of Mineral Town Remake.

Lastly, we’ve got some visual novel games: Berubara Gakuen, Gnosia (Japanese outlets hyped up this game in a similar fashion that what happened with Disco Elysium in the US and Europe), Ciconia Phase 1 (the thing I was actually hyped for the most in 2019), Eve Rebirth Terror (idem), and the Yu-No remake.

I’m on a quest to play everything that Hiroyuki Kanno wrote after getting my mind blown by Eve Burst Error. Yu-No is one of these things, but the character design in the remake is bland as hell. Ryou Nagi is a great artist, and you can see that with Heavy Object or Ar Tonelico, but for some reason, everything remake-related he touches turn into the blandest thing ever. The same thing happened for the newest Langrisser I&II remake; it’s like some huge conspiracy. As such, I’ll probably grab the Yu-No remake in Japanese, as that version includes a port of the original.

Anyway, that was just a small intro to show my tastes and what to expect in this ranking. Here are the games I’ve enjoyed the most in 2019, and note that it’s not only games released in 2019. Also, note that the top 5 are all pretty much my top 1.

10. Cyber Troopers Virtual-On Masterpiece 1995-2001

I suck at Virtual-On. But I love it, especially Oratorio Tangram, and being able to play it remastered on PS4 is nice. The only thing these ports of the three Virtual-On games sadly lack is local multiplayer split-screen. Virtual-On is the originator of Gundam Vs like games and all the anime 3D arena battlers of varying quality releasing each year, and it’s the best one there is.

Other games I considered for this position were Destiny Connect, Shenmue 3 (which I didn’t play myself and watched an online friend’s playthrough), and Zanki Zero (I was supposed to review that but ended up never finding the time to finish said review). I picked Virtual-On because it didn’t require me to write 2000 words to explain my mixed feelings about it.

9. Space Engineers

According to Steam, I’ve played 47 hours of Space Engineers with my online friends. I’m pretty sure at least 20 hours of that was us trying to figure out how the game works and being annoyed and how counter-intuitive many elements are. This includes reading wikis and only to realize it’s outdated info, looking for Uranium only to realize you can’t find any on planets, or trying to design vehicles, copying blueprints and recreating them block by block. And a lot of other dumb stuff.

Besides all these frustrations, Space Engineers is my favorite multiplayer game I’ve tried out this year and I’ve made some great memories with it, as an online friend streamed some of our adventures too. I’ve tried making the Senegalese flag with wind turbines (too long to explain): we managed a trip to a moon and putting the Algerian flag on it (a French joke too long to explain) and we did a MASK opening sequence parody with a vehicle parade.

8. Ocarina of Time Randomizer Version 5.0

I actually put this on my list last year as well, but seeing that the game’s meta has changed since then, this is fine. Again, I don’t have the time to play this myself and enjoy watching races instead, This year, ZeldaSpeedRuns held the OoT Randomizer Season 2 tournament, which ended in June with the victory of Marco against WTHH.

Now, the Season 3 tournament bracket matches just started in early December, with the version 5.0 0f the mod, changing the meta. We’ve already got a surprising upset, with first tournament winner and 2nd qualifier ATZ losing against 31 qualifier Killerapp23. Getting into detail would take too long and be incomprehensible if you’re not already into OoT rando, so I’m just gonna say this is the most interesting esports thing to watch ever. And like I said last year, it’s incredibly fun.

7. Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom

Wing Commander IV is one of the many games I’ve played in my childhood which left me with a huge impression. Along with things like Shenmue 1 & 2, this is one of the games I used to regularly quote until my high school years or so. I’ve finally got the time to rediscover the game this year. I didn’t end up replaying it myself though and watched a full playthrough of it. It was really interesting; I remembered many iconic scenes from the game and some characters, but I had no idea what the overall story was about anymore.

It’s surprising how anime space opera the story is, and I wouldn’t be surprised if something Japanese inspired the story. It all comes to Japan. This also made me realize, in a sense, that Wing Commander IV is pretty much one of the first visual novels I played and what made me enjoy well-written stories and choices. This is also what made me both love and hate draconian choices, multiple routes and characters’ deaths. I hate not being able to save characters.

6. Romancing SaGa 3 Remaster

Back in my childhood I tried playing Romancing SaGa 3, as it was among the various SNES roms I had at disposal. I quickly realized that it’s completely different than most RPGs and unlike many games in Japanese such as Super Robot Wars 4: I couldn’t trial and error my way through.

Around 18 years later, Romancing SaGa 2 Remaster comes out in 2017; it’s awesome, and a masterpiece. And then in 2019, Romancing SaGa 3 Remaster is finally out and it’s even more awesome. I’m currently in the final area of the game after playing as Sarah, because she has a fluffy afro ponytail. I just wish the game had a turbo button.

Tie-in 6. Persona 5 Royal

This is a tie-in as that’s an enhanced version of a really recent game, which was my 2016 favorite. I purposely played through Persona 5 only once, only maxing the coops and not doing much of the other side content, in case such an enhanced version ever released.

Even then, and even considering how much of a masterpiece that Persona 5 is, clearing such a long game again is annoying. Most of the new scenes I’ve seen so far, most notably Kasumi’s and Takuto’s scenes, are all incredibly nice though. The renewed dungeons and bosses’ designs are fun, and Joker is even more Lupin The Third-like with the wire hook, but there’s nothing groundbreaking either. I’m far from reaching the new part at the original’s ending, as I’m just about to reach the Hawaii part. Hopefully, it’ll be a nice ride.

The five games below are all my actual number one.

5. 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim

I’ve been waiting for 13 Sentinels since when it got announced in 2015. I could even say since 2013, as I hoped a game related to the Vanillaware Happy New Year 2013 Geroge Kamitani artwork above would come out someday. I had incredibly high expectations for it and none of it were betrayed as of now.

It’s awesome. It’s fully-voiced. It’s got giant robots. It’s the most beautiful (2D) game since forever. It’s like if an old Japanese adventure game got made with current technology. It’s a shame the game bombed in Japan. If you’re interested, I’ve written more about the game, and I’m recording myself translating the game as I’m playing through it.

4. Ys IX: Monstrum Nox

Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is amazing on all points. I’ve rarely had so much fun walking around and exploring a city in a game. I think what makes the game the most amazing is how it’s pretty much the culmination of the Ys series since it switched to the party system, and as if one of the first versions of the first Ys games were transposed to 3D. The verticality of the environments is used so well you can still feel lost despite having a map. Falcom might pretty much be one of the smallest, penniless studios in Japan despite its longevity; they still make the best action RPGs ever. What I’ve seen of the story so far is particularly amazing too, and Toshihiro Kondo is a good writer along with being a good company president.

I’m currently taking a break from the game after reaching what I guess is around 1/3 of it. I was so hyped I had to play it at launch, but I want to do all the other Ys games I didn’t do yet first, even if it’s absolutely not necessary to understand the story. I like being able to understand every single reference in a series like this. I’m the kind of person who wishes to know exactly how many times Kazuya and Heihachi threw each other out of a volcano/mountain.

3. Super Robot Wars T

I didn’t play Super Robot Wars V nor SRW X as they initially didn’t release on Switch. If we don’t count SRW OG Moon Dwellers, which was on my top ten 2018 list, SRW T is my first SRW game since the SRW Z3 finale on PS3 in April 2015. It’s pretty great, be it the story, its cast list, or the animations. Everything about it is nice. Having things like Cowboy Bebop, Gunbuster, Rayearth, Gun x Sword, and Captain Harlock together feels incredible. It’s extremely sad that Captain Harlock’s seiyuu Makio Inoue passed away right after he finally got in SRW.

A new OG anime directed by Obari and a new OG game would be nice. I’m happy the series seemingly won’t get a new game in 2020, so the development teams can take their time.

2. Fire Emblem Fuukasetsugetsu / Three Houses

This game has my favorite cast of characters in a Fire Emblem game, along with Fire Emblem Seisen no Keifu/Genealogy of the Holy War, and I could write a 1000 word article on every single character on this picture (if I was paid adequately for it). This is only one of the many reasons why I like this game. In a nutshell, I’d say I love the fact that I find it very innovative and yet similar to the other Fire Emblem games I’ve played and liked so far, and how it’s true for every aspect of the game.

Check out DualShockers‘ review for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.

1. Project Sakura Wars/ Shin Sakura Taisen

This opening sequence has over 1.7 million views, and half of these are all me. While I’m not done with Shin Sakura Taisen yet, I fail to imagine how the game could even disappoint me so far, seeing how amazing it is. Before the game launched, I wasn’t concerned about the battle system change, but whether the new cast would be interesting or not. If there was a world Guinness record for most baseless worry of 2019, this would get it. This game got everything that makes Sakura Taisen so awesome. The strong female characters, the cool mecha, the great worldbuilding, the comedy. It’s a great new start in the series and I hope we’ll get more. I shared a few impressions on the game and just like 13 Sentinels, I’m recording myself playing the game, translating at the same time.

That’s it for my top ten.

If you’re wondering about my expectations for 2020, the game I’m looking forward to the most so far is the Seiken Densetsu 3 remake: Trials of Mana. Then we also have things like FF7R, Rune Factory 5, Space Channel 5 VR, Brigandine…I’m also eager to see KOF XV even if I won’t play it. Lastly, 2020 will also mark the tenth anniversary of the Pretty Series franchise. The Pretty Rhythm anime seasons and its King of Prism sequels were my favorite anime of the decade, so I’m looking forward to what Avex and Takara Tomy have in store for the anniversary, and if we might get some games other than arcade games out of it.

I’m planning to stay on DualShockers and keep writing about Japanese games in the new year. I don’t have the time nor the paycheck to cover every single news as fast as possible, but I always try to bring to the table as much info as I can, along with relevant translations and observations. Hoping you’ll keep reading us in 2020.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor  December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager // Kris Cornelisse, Staff Writer December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 31, 2019 12:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-iyanes-top-10/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=dualshockers-favorite-games-of-2019-iyanes-top-10

[ladyofmind]

May Month’s End

Wow, this month went by so fast! In the end, I only really stuck to 2 hashtag games.

First up I LOVED playing WIPWordSearch. Little snippets from all that I have written in the Red Letters Series, called my Red Letter Teasers...

1- "You know just how much I like animals, may want to stick around all day if you can, who knows what I might do before the day's done."

2- "I'll show ye music." Setting his mug aside, Frost got up, rooting around until he found the extra speakers from under the bar, and plugged his player in.

3- The waves melted into the sky, the darkness washing onto the lightness in the sand, meeting it in white curling foamy waves.

4- As Remmy started to move, he gestured for Nira. "Thank you for your time Gus, Nira here should have the answers you want on the business end."

5- "Mom and I used to go once a week and the waitress got to the point that she almost didn’t ask anymore."

6- Tweet mentally stretched her muscles, trying to discreetly work out the dull aches in her body, while jumping back into the sea of conversations as if she hadn't stopped at all.

7- The sound of the air rushing from his lungs, on a cuss cut short, was covered by the nearly shrill squeals of Bebe. #amediting #alliterationhabit

8- Troublemaking women with weapons; and a sweetly adorable, yet commanding, woman controlling things, reminding him of home.

9- The salty sea air started to reach her nose, and she squeezed his hand. "We're getting close!"

10- Tweety already dressed, and finishing notes she'd again fallen asleep on, when she heard it. That familiar scratching sound that announced she had company.

11- Ally and Mys came over, and ordered a set of drinks for all of them, a sheepish look on both faces. Tweety felt the wave of nervousness from them, and strived to ease it, thinking it was related to their relationship.

12- Arrogance, since no Arrogant. Woods wasn’t a hardcore musician in that way of life; he didn’t sleep around every night, nor did he have an inflated ego or sense of arrogance.

13- That was a risk he took now, but that rewarding kiss made it worthwhile. Woods would be more than willing to kiss the steam out of her ears, and more if needed, being such a magnanimous gentleman.

14- Another done up lady settled on the stools, and Tweet went through the standard welcome and order spiel. "I'll have something… sweet but sour too."

15- Tweety hesitated, but Roger nudged the door wider and strolled inside. Of course it was Deej's room, and she winced when she saw the shadowy flight of a rather large mass jump for about where the beds were in each room.

16- High fives and cheers shared until Martin reminded them that the band had a short time and spring would be here in an instant.

17- About to launch into another speech, Woods wanted to fill the silence and babble on if need be, his mouth opened to do just that when Tweet stood and tossed the cat ears and tail near her bag.

18- It could very well have been the ghost in her, playing just the right notes to haunt her memories. Yet, they still had this open wound, his distrust of her had turned a pet name and sign of his admiration into a piercing pain in her chest.

19- He hadn't expected that when he came to check out what the buzz was here. More often than not, as he wandered the towns at night, they were weary places full of silence and darkness.

20- Tweety woke with a cold start, living the nightmare she dreamt. Except in her dream she managed to scream, not in reality.

21- Tweet's hushed hiss gave Roger pause, a look passing between them, almost a stand off to test limits. Roger stopped wiggling, and looked to Tweet, pawing the air behind Deej.

22- She was still breathing, shallowly, with a pulse that he took to be returning from the weaker state, established on first examination.

23- The least he could do was return the favor by making her a quivering puddle of a person. He didn't stop until she looked much more alive, and likely to melt and drip right out of the car.

24- She didn't want to start by admitting to be one of those girls that didn't know which hand a regular ring went on, and which was for engagements only. She wouldn’t get the chance to speak, at least not in the store

25- That= 520 times in a 55K+ #WIP

Freddy started laughing at the upset Vinny, who repeated that he wanted Queen, not Bob Seeger.

26- Just= 175 times in a 55K+ #WIP

"Just you Frost, just you." Laughing, Woods patted Frost on the back.

27- So= 278 times in a 55K+ #WIP

He was so much taller, even in her boots she wasn’t close enough.

28- About= 169 times in a 55K+ #WIP

They didn’t get much time to talk about this friend, because Tweet heard her name in the microphone.

29- Very= 32 times in a 55K+ #WIP

Tweet started to thump on his back in earnest, getting very dizzy.

30- Really= 31 times in a 55K+ #WIP

"If you really must know that secret that isn't a total secret, it was your arse."

31- As= 409 times in a 55K+ #WIP

A particularly excellent beat had her shimmying her hips as she cleared the floor, which she turned into more of a sway again as she neared Martin's expanded table.

As always, I love playing CharactersTell! Not only do I have a surprise coming, but this was my first interview too!

1/5- "Happy Worker's Day! First round on me, since it is my lovely nightclub. Just ask for Tweety! From future Red Letters fame, of course, that journey starts today, with an awesome interview on the #GCnetwork as the MC featured this week! Thank you so much."

2/5- "When I started out, I was just a waitress. Now I work 24/7 in Soulful, usually the hostess with the most-est. It's not for the money any longer, this place is more than a home for me, it's my life I choose to live."

3/5- "Love this job, so much fun! I didn't exactly have a dream job growing up, but this is darn close to one. Maybe I wish I could find a little time to read books and take up better hobbies, like the writing one Sly suggests."

4/5- "Occupational hazards have names here. Collar's man thong, and Bebe come to mind. Poor # 14 is still recovering from being a giant red duck shaped pool float for a night. No one but Bebe knew there was a person inside and played a bit rough with the evil duck"

5/5- "We get along well here, occasionally I might participate in the shenanigans, if they aren't that harmful. I mean what's a party without shots? Just not body shots off me. I leave that to Bebe. After all, the bouncers have to have fun too."

6/5- "I don't get many free days, and there were plenty of times I wasn't allowed out of the bar anyway. But now? I like to catch up on my rest, do some shopping, love being fashionable."

7/5- "Same way I greet every day. The big ol' kitty scratches my door to pieces, until I get up and give him the coffee flavored milk Deej thought to send me round his neck. Too bad its not really coffee and Roger drinks it all anyway."

8/5- "Hi, I'm Greg, and I'm not sure I'm in the right place. I don't think I'm all that bad and Grandpa Gus loved me enough to leave me a third of his business. At best it's all just miscommunication…" Always are until feelings come into play, aren't they?

9/5- "I've practically finished my business degree, because I've known about my inheritance since high school. So, I don't. Not yet… Dad paid for everything, and there is an account in my name from my future share of the club. Not sure how much is there…"

10/5- "Dad doesn't like me working, as he wasted a life doing that and made more than enough money to last us. Grandpa Gus thought I had a good head on my shoulders and encouraged me to work, and I've managed a few places before. Nothing solid or permanent tho."

11/5- "I've sneaked a peek at Soulful's books. It's not a bakery business, but there are these cake supplies… Enough to make an 8 tier wedding cake a week, on top of what they make/sell, or at least that's what I've been advised it's for, based on the quantities."

12/5- "I never did, until I went to college. Now I do, and I am not great at it, but I can shop and feed myself something a step up from college diets."

13/5- "In other jobs, I am a workaholic. But in my new role? I'm slacking off terribly, partly because I do not see a role here for me, and because, of course, there's a woman involved. Might be easier to just sell it to this guy that found me first…"

14/5- "Worst part about my job? Hearing an important woman complain about this absentee owner while needing comfort. If I comfort her, I can see something happening there; but I think she'll be ticked off to find out who I really am, and what I might decide to do…"

15/5- "Hello, I'm Woods' sister. I have a few name options, but my author will decide when I'm written about in book 3? Or is it 4 now? What's in a name anyway, when you know who you are? You all love Woods aka big bro Woodson and don't care what you call him."

16/5- "My parents and I get along fine. Mr. Rockstar still thinks I'm too young, even though we're only like 5 years apart. He's been too busy to know the adult me, but we're still family, still friendly."

17/5- "I was shy, and they worried more about Woods and his aimlessness. Then when he became famous and in the tabloids, well, they didn't notice as much if I was troublesome or not…"

18/5- "Oh, sometimes I was too blunt. Or used words I read in books. Really young me didn't understand why people felt the way they did about certain words or the concept of walking on eggshells."

19/5- "I'm not even 25! And I'm not seeing anyone. As is, I'm trying to help my idiot brother find someone, while dealing with Remmy, his bodyguard friend. If I can watch them, I think I can survive being a mom, someday when I'm older and more settled."

20/5- "Of course! There was a group of us that were really into Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mysteries. Group grew and changed from there. Who knew being mysterious could get you so much attention?"

21/5- "I loved English, History classes had fascinating facts. After all, history does repeat itself if you learn nothing, and reading makes you smarter than someone who learned nothing. yes, I *may* be referring to my genius brother and his annoying friend again."

22/5-A Lynx cat, frosting on his fur crosses the stage, licking himself.

A man in cat ears follows, "Roger, tell me you didn't raid the cupcakes without me? You know what happens when you make a mess I don't know…"

"Deej!! My kitchen!"

Roger smirks, licking more.

23/5- As a chef comes to yell at Deej, Roger shakes all his fur and heads off for a couch, hoping up on it and nudging his cub with his nose. The cub cutely reaches out a paw and stretches it's sleepy form.

24/5- "Aww aren't yew bloke's cute." Malta passed by, stopping to pet both lynx cats. "Are yew hungry? I'll ge' yew some meat."

25/5- The cats ate, while people talk. They were rare wild cards, & handfuls when in trouble. Yet Deej raised them well, these lynx were domesticated, like overgrown cats, who sometimes act like dogs, but always have attitude & a way of finding suckers to purr at.

26/5- Roger nudged the cub, and they jumped off the couch. The cub moves to the bar's end, while Roger stretched on a stool to see over the bartop. Tweety noticed him as she moved "Hey Roger, are you boys looking for a big dish of milk? Coming right up!"

27/5- Roger backed off the stool and stepped to the side, waiting near the cub, as Tweety set down a bowl of milk. "How about a snack for my favorite furry friends?" Cupcakes were set in front of the pair, causing Roger to purr and lick Tweet's leg in thanks.

28/5- Deej huffed, hopping on a stool "Tweets don't support them! The big lug alrea… aahh!"

Deej landed on his back, Roger shaking his paw.

"Roger, haven't we talked about you knocking Deej over?" Tweet tried not to laugh, or else it would encourage Roger further.

29/5- Tweet bent down to pet Roger, who returned the attention by trying to knock her over and cover her in his furry scent. "Our paths cross all the time, at least once a day when this lug brings me coffee and guards my door."

30/5- Side sis- "First off we don't know each other, but no one yet knows what I do with my smarts. Are you looking at a pool shark?" 😇

Antag Greg- "Confession, I don't play pool. But I have made out on a pool table before…"

31/5- Woods' sister- "I think so, I have read the book on Tweet's bar life, and I see so many similarities. I'm annoyed that my brother didn't introduce us sooner. I would have skipped a little high school to meet this woman before now."