#don’t think i have EVER been so disappointed in a game tbh like what even was that

[twunkmac]

first time i went to an avalanche game where they lost today. which would be fine if it wasn’t literally the worst game i have ever seen in my life.

[personne-reblogs]

AUTISTIC SWEEP

The shouts of the crowd are fading into white noise. 

The curtains are closing. 

The lights are dimming. 

The air still feels filled with static, though. 

This is a fight Donatello had known he couldn’t win, logically. The competition had been all fun and games, but this challenger was another story. No amount of support or hype could make up for such a gap; the bone deep certainty didn’t leave room for hard feelings. 

Struggling to catch his breath, battle shell against the wall, Donatello looks up from where he’s been getting some rest - not passed out rest, mind you. More like a beauty nap.

He lets out a genuine chuckle. 

Shigeo Kageyama is simply standing there, as he has been for most of the fight. 

“Sweet Marie Curie,” he puffs, keeping his voice level. The roar of the crowd hasn’t entirely died down, but he knows he is heard. “You don’t even have a scratch.”

The one they call Mob is giving him a stare. He still seems a little out of it. 

“You fought well,” he states calmly, and Donnie giggles. 

“Oh, please. I’ve been losing tournaments at home for as long as I can remember. You don’t need to feel sorry for me.”

At that, Mob flashes a grin. “I’m not sorry,” he says bluntly, coming over in lazy steps. “But it hasn’t been easy, either.”

He sits down, legs stretched out in front of him, and Donnie can now see that his breathing is a little heavy. He feels himself get cocky. 

“Well, I wasn’t about to just let you win. If I had to go down, might as well give ‘em a show, right?”

Mob sends him a sideway glance. “You really are all about dramatics.”

“What can I say?” Donnie sighs theatrically, proving his point. “This whole competition is about being swag. I could hardly disappoint.” 

“I don’t think you could," his opponent utters. “You’re very expressive.”

Donnie raises a perfectly drawn eyebrow. This is something he hasn’t often been told. He looks over to Mob, and the tension in the boy’s shoulders makes him hum in thought. 

“I don’t know who’s next, but you are going to crush them,” he provides. When Mob gives him a nonplussed glance, he goes on. “And even if you don’t, it’s still the last one. How good does that sound?”

“... it has been getting a bit much, to be honest.”

“Yeah, this is wild,” Donnie agrees. “Anyway, what are you gonna do with your trophy once you get it?”

Mob’s smile is a little shy, but he seems happy with the distraction. “I don’t know, actually. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten one. What would you do?”

“Well, you see, there was this one time I won the Lair Games…”

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

In the next room, a very proud sensei and three worried brothers are getting impatient. 

The student and the sibling don’t seem to care at the moment. 

The crowd is gone. 

The curtains are closed. 

The lights are off. 

For now, making small talk with a former rival is just enough.

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

EDIT: there is now a sequel!

YOOO IT'S BEEN SUCH A WILD RIDE

Disclaimer: I have never read/watched mp100 and I deeply apologize for making him probably very ooc. Just wanted to celebrate this beast of a match in my own way, which is wishing I could draw and deciding to heave words on a doc instead lol

CONGRATS ON MOB!! The final match between mp100 and undertale is gonna be soooo funny but I think Mob's gonna win this thing like it's nothing tbh (he has my vote at least)

@autismswagsummit thank you for reblogging all that Donnie propaganda, I genuinely think he never would've made it this far without the signal boost!

All my thanks to the Rise fandom for these past few days! You guys have made such powerful content and there's been so much hype I'm shocked. SHOCKED I TELL YOU

[the-s1lly-corner]

An Eraser (Bloody Painter x Reader) (7MIH Ending 7)

only about four characters left and then we are done! wondering what fandom to do next hmm.... im also thinking of possibly making a quotev acc so i can more interactive stuff- having polls at the ends of these have been fun but quizzes sound so cool tbh reminder that there are polls at the ends of these to determine the next ending notes: reader is gn, admin is still trying to figure out how he wants to write helen outside of hc posts, hes got a bit of a crush on you cws: none word count: 1775

You reach your hand into the hat and pull out…

An eraser. Not the pink blocky ones you would usually see. No, it was one of those fancier malleable ones. The ones you see artists use every now and then… You didn’t even need to look around the room- there was only one person you could think of who would have something like this. You shift the eraser between your index and thumb and show it to Helen who only pats his thighs and rises to his feet. 

“Well damn, alright then.” Jeff said under his breath, seemingly disappointed that he didn’t get to delay the surprise of who you got until you were both shoved into darkness. Jeff flicked his head towards the hallway, “Closets down that way, you’ve both got seven minutes the second the door closes you got that?” His wide blue eyes darted between you and Helen- who had already joined you at your side. You didn’t even notice him closing in on you. 

You decide not to say anything, instead choosing to walk down the hallway that was motioned towards. Helen kept up with your footsteps, his own nearly perfectly matching up with your own. When you stopped, as did he.

It wasn’t until you made it to the closet door that he made his own move, and it was as simple as opening it and waiting for you to enter first. 

“Thank you,” You mutter under your breath and slip right past him. You slink into the back corner of the small space. 

The door shuts behind Helen, leaving the both of you in darkness. 

You tap your palms against the wall behind you as you scrape your head for something to say to fill the silence. Helen decided to be kind enough to break the silence for you.

“I never took you as someone who would play this game,” 

He catches you off guard. 

In an instant you’re straightening up and trying to come up with an explanation. Was this an accusation? Judgment? 

“I mean I don’t usually but-”

“I’m not saying that it’s a bad thing, I’m playing as well,” He gently cut you off. You suck some air between your teeth and fall silent. 

“You don’t seem like the type to play games like this either, you know… I mean, I’m personally fine playing… this stuff… but you kinda…” You fail to find the words. “Seem reserved to yourself?”

The air falls quiet once more for a few moments before it's broken for a second time by Helen. “I was encouraged to put myself out for tonight,”

You hum in response and move your hands from the wall to the bottom of your shirt, busying your fingers with the fabric. 

“Yeah? By who? …Pup right? I only ever really see you hanging around with him,” 

Helen nods. 

You look down to the floor and stare down at your shoes, then to Helen’s- dully noting that he wore boots… stained with paint, or perhaps blood. It was nearly impossible to tell in the darkness. 

“Well, I’m glad there’s one person here that you like- or at least enjoy enough! I remember you hardly ever left your room for anything when you first arrived here,” You give him a smile and hope that he could see it. 

“There’s two, actually.” 

You snap your eyes back up to his mask. 

“It was you who gave me the nerve to stick around for the games, if you didn’t come downstairs I’d have gone back up to my room… though I do wish I got the chance to talk to you before everyone gathered…” He paused. 

“Too many people…” He muttered under his breath. 

“But I bumped right into you- how come you didn’t say anything?” 

Helen’s head tilts to the side. It feels like his eyes were raking themselves over your body- from head to toe. You do your best not squirm under his gaze. 

“You took me by surprise… Nerves is all.” 

You hum again and clench your fists into your shirt fabric.

“How…” You start. Helen rights the angle of his head and you pull your eyes away from his mask. “How long did you…”

Was he admitting to having feelings for you or did he simply want to be your friend? You work your jaw… you could be horribly misreading this. You could make a fool of yourself. 

“How long did you have a thing for me?” 

Helen only chuckles softly- a sound that only lasts for a few seconds before its quieted. “For quite a while… months, now.” 

You open your mouth to reply but he’s already answering your question.

“I wanted to see how long until you approached first,” Helen takes a step towards you. He leans over you with a gaze still fixed right on your face. He smells of paints and iron, and you fight yourself not to scrunch your nose as the scent washes over you. “But I grow tired of waiting, and there’s no one here to steal you away- during the party, of course,” 

He stops right in front of you, leaving just enough space for you to make an escape if you wanted to. “I was hoping you would take out my eraser, even if we do not share a moment of intimacy having you just to myself for a moment is fine enough for me,” 

Your mind blanks for a split second at his words for a moment. 

You had nearly forgotten the outcomes of games like this- though you couldn’t find it in yourself to mind it all that much. You looked at his mask again to try to find his eyes, however you were only met with failure… you force your eyes to remain locked onto the mask’s sockets though as you try to find your voice again.

“I will not force anything on you, nor will I act without your word,” He softly spoke and backed up a few inches away from you. You finally release the hem of your shirt and reach forward- lightly gripping the sleeves that were folded and bunched against his wrists. 

“I… wouldn’t mind-” You grin up at Helen. It’s faster paced than what you normally preferred for relationships, but you had found yourself emboldened by the current setting you’ve found yourself in. “So long as this isn’t a trick to get my blood for one of your projects,” You teased.

…

“I’m joking of course… not giving you my bodily fluids before the first date,” You swat the idea down and pull Helen closer. He allows you to, even lowering his face closer to yours. 

“I wouldn’t… I’ve no spare canvases as it is already… a work with your matter requires one purely devoted to it,” He mutters into your ear. A shiver runs up your spine as he rested his hands on either side of you- effortlessly freeing his sleeves from the admittedly not very tight grasp you had on them.

Helen pulled away and settled his face in front of you, seemingly taking in every single feature of your face. You’d swear he could memorize every pore if he could, if it weren’t too dark. 

He was… close… to say the least…

Helen peeled one of his gloves hands from the wall and let the finger sprawl across his mask. He didn’t take it off or slip it upwards towards his forehead. Instead he shifted it to the side, shielding his face away from the door… but allowing it to give you a full view of his face. 

He looked… tired… more than you were expecting given the hours you assumed he spent on his paintings. Despite that, his blue eyes were nearly glowing with life. Or at least carried a sense of thrill in them- a stark contrast to the otherwise neutral expression pulled across his face… there was a light dust of red across his cheeks… faint in the darkness but you could just barely see it thanks to the proximity. 

Helen remained still and unmoving in front of you despite all of this, though.

Your eyes darted across his face, before his earlier words sparked an idea in you.

You make the first move and begin to lean forward to him, and gently press your lips against his. In an instant you can feel his mouth attempting to twitch upwards into a grin before he simply started to kiss back. Helen’s hands returned to the wall on either side of you and remained. Instead, it was you that decided to begin touching him; by choosing to run your hands through his black hair and move the strays out of the way. 

You both remained that way for… you weren’t paying attention- the only thing that caught you off guard and made you pull your face away from his was light flooding into the small room.

“Woah! Damn! Okay!” Jeff chuckled as he stood in the doorway. 

You shoot a glare at him- you didn’t hear him announce how much time was left… Did he give a warning? It didn’t matter now as your face burned hotter than it had when the door was closed. 

Helen doesn’t seem to pay much mind to Jeff. He only rose to his full height and pulled his mask over his face back to its original position. Only then did he actually turn to face the doorway straight on. 

“You didn’t knock, Jeffery.” He said lowly.

Clearly irritated. 

You pull away from the wall and follow after Helen as he steps out of the closet. 

“Didn’t think you’d actually have the balls to do anything… damn…” Jeff shot back.

“I owe a Nina some drinks, damn…” You caught him muttering as you passed by. You tried to fight the urge to step on his foot as you passed, instead choosing to focus on Helen, who was waiting on the other side of the hall for you. 

“Hey,” 

Helen nods to you. You chew the inside of your cheek as things fall silent once more… How does one proceed after something like this with someone as reserved as Helen? You shift your weight between your feet.

“Do you want to go somewhere else? You’ve gotten what you wanted from the party- and game-” You sheepishly smile up at him. 

Helen studies you hard for a moment.

“I would love that,” 

“Cool… cool nice,” You smile. He takes your hand after your eyes nervously dart over it. 

You weren’t surprised when he started to lead you to the stairs, and even less when he passed by your room and to his.

[ash-arts-but-sinful]

This is burning a hole into my brain, but what if new game+ gave you the option to summon Carlo instead of Specter and he offers stupid/witty commentary for each boss you fight with him. Tbh this is just for fun, but I wanted to share in case anybody else might like it

Might have to put this one under a cut it could get long. Also spoiler warning!

Scrapped Watchman

• I never liked cops, this is going to be fun!

• Do we really need a watchman this big?

• Okay Sparky, let’s dance!

• (if he gets picked up) Shit-! -> Ugh- okay that might’ve hurt a little.

• Haha! Good riddance! Don’t know what the local kids saw in that thing.

King’s Flame

• Oh boy, a walking furnace.

• Have I ever mentioned I hate the heat?

• The floor is lava! Shit!

• (if he’s set on fire) I know I’m hot, but this is ridiculous! / Hot! Too hot!

• Sigh, thank god. I could never work alongside that… thing.

Archbishop

• Oh wow, that is… hard to look at.

• Watch the chicken legs!

• Really?! With its tongue?! Disgusting!

During phase 2

• How did he manage to get even uglier?

• You should’ve stayed in your shell!

• God chose you to be an Angel alright. Just not a living one.

Black Rabbit Brotherhood

• Some rabbit, the big guy looks more like a pig to me!

• Would somebody shut her up!

• Half of you aren’t even rabbits! That stupid bucket looks like a dog!

• You are too full of yourself, bunny boy.

• These guys need better fursuits

• Pathetic… And don’t bother coming back!

King of Puppets

• Something feels wrong about this.

• That voice…

• No… It can’t be-!

Second phase

• Romeo?!

• Romeo please! Why won’t you stop, it’s me!

• How do we get through to him?!

• No!!! UGH Why wouldn’t you LISTEN?! *shakey inhale* Damn it, just go! Get out of this damn place.

Victor

• What do you want? Are we killing my best friend in disguise again?

• I finally get to see this guy in action and I’m the one who has to fight him! Seriously?!

• This guy really is all washed up.

• That can’t be good for you.

• Yikes, those fists pack one hell of a punch!

• That Simon guy is a real piece of work. Good luck with that.

Green Monster

• Ohh this thing looks disgusting.

• It sounds disgusting too, I think I’m going hurl!

• It slimed me!

Phase 2

• Not the giant cop again!

• Would you! Just! Sit! Still!

• I can only imagine what it smells like in that puppet chassis.

• That was truly vile. If you ever need help fighting a giant slime monster again PLEASE hesitate to ask.

Black Rabbit Brotherhood 2

• Didn’t you learn your lessons last time?

• Lord, are these guys full of themselves.

• If you couldn’t beat us last time what makes you think you can this time?

• Looks like the pig wants his bacon cooked again!

• You had to mutate yourself because you wouldn’t beat us last time? Now THAT is pathetic.

• Still losers. Still pretentious. Still pathetic. How disappointing.

Laxasia

• Hmm. Big sword.

• Oh and it makes lightning too, great!

• How can she move so fast with all that armour!?

Phase 2

• Ohhhh good, now she’s even faster!

• Weakness to it or not electricity still hurts like hell!

• There she goes into the air again. Coward!

• Well that wasn’t fun, but I suspect it’ll be even less fun in that tower.

Simon

• Isn’t that the guy from the exhibition?

• This guy is a real piece of work.

• And I thought the rabbits were full of themselves!

Phase 2

• I didn’t think it could get any worse!

• Who needs this many hands?!

• God or not this guy is going down!

• The last like after Simon is defeated depends on your playthrough: Truth “Until next we meet. Which will be sooner than you think, I can’t wait.” Punctuated by a dark chuckle. Lie “I’ll see you again soon. For what it’s worth though… I’m sorry.”

Bonus: depending on what playthrough you did the Nameless Puppet will actually talk and have different dialogue

Truth playthrough/Lie playthrough

• I’ve been waiting for this for too damn long. / I didn’t want it to come to this.

• You don’t deserve that heart! It’s rightfully mine! / Please, you have to understand! I need that heart!

• You stupid puppet, I hope you didn’t think father actually cared about YOU! / Gepetto never cared for you, I wish he had, at least you could’ve known love.

• Why won’t you DIE ALREADY!? / I deserve to live too, this isn’t fair for either of us!

• You will NEVER be me, just give up already! / You may not be me, but you deserve better than this.

During Phase 2 the puppet won’t speak, but Carlo’s dialogue will be inserted along everyone else’s, tbh I want to have him say something during phase 2, but there’s already so much going on during that fight. In a truth playthrough the ending will play out as normal and Gepetto will die, calling Pinocchio a useless puppet, Pinocchio will be the one to finish off Carlo’s vessel. In a lie playthrough Carlo will finally be able to control his actions and is unable to finish off Pinocchio, he shuts himself down while giving one final line.

“Maybe in another life we could have been… brothers.”

Gepetto is distraught and instead of shedding tears for his father Pinocchio sheds them for Carlo

A lot of his radient dialogue would consist of laughter that borders on unhinged and the usual exertion and damage taking grunts. Regardless of what playthrough you do he wants to keep either his heart or Pinocchio alive, so if his health falls below half he has a chance of reminding you to heal. Also depending on the playthrough he’ll either compliment perfect blocks, parry’s, dodges or hits for lies and for truths he’ll be a snarky asshole, claiming he could do just as good if not better

[babydollmarauders]

MEDIA MANAGEMENT — JACK HUGHES (23-24 SZN PART 7)

au masterlist

y/ndevils00

liked by ehaula, lhughes_06, and 232,641 others

y/ndevils00 well… that’s Devils hockey

tonight we lost 3-4 to the desert dogs, losing out on the ever coveted second point in a shootout

uncle u-haula got put in timeout, but he played rock paper scissors with me while he was in there, so i’m giving him some leeway… even though he beat me 4 times 😑

my sweet blonde from ikea land got TWO goals tonight! TWO! I’M SO PROUD OF MY JESPER THE FRIENDLY GHOST!

and my favorite sandwich: ham, got a goal!! YOU GO, GIRL!! POP OFF!

we had a staggering 16 penalty minutes tonight, including 2 penalties from idiot number 2, and LUKEY’S FIRST NHL PENALTY!! CONGRATULATIONS SMUSH, YOU’RE AN NHL PLAYER!!! IT REALLY IS A BUSINESS NOW!

my boyfriend chose to disappoint me tonight, he got no penalties… thanks babe 😐

captain slut struck again tonight! bending over like… well, you guys get it 🤭

and finally, the holy duo sums up my faces during this game!

good luck on monday, boys! seems like you need it!

tagged ehaula, jesperbratt, dougieham, john.marino97, lhughes_06, and nicohischier

Load more comments

jackhughes i got an assist on all of our goals tonight…. i got THREE points!

y/ndevils00 yeah, and no penalties! disappointing!

jackhughes why do i even try

y/ndevils00 i’ve been wondering the same thing tbh

user92 someone please give me a relationship like jack and y/n!

john.marino97 did i at least make you happy with my penalties?

y/ndevils00 no. we needed you and you decided to relax for 4 minutes

john.marino97 I DIDN’T DECIDE TO? I HAD NO CHOICE

y/ndevils00 disappointing. very.

lhughes_06 i’m sorry for getting a penalty, i didn’t mean to!

y/ndevils00 don’t apologize for anything, smush! you did great! i loved your penalty!

john.marino97 WHAT?!

john.marino97 HE GETS A PENALTY AND YOU COMPLIMENT HIM, BUT I GET A PENALTY AND YOU WHIP ME WITH A TOWEL AND TELL ME TO “PULL MY SHIT TOGETHER” ?!

y/ndevils00 @/john.marino97 this isn’t about you. god, so self-centered

john.marino97 i give up

user65 y/n and john are the epitome of tough love

dawson1417 when did i make that face?! do i make that face a lot?!

y/ndevils00 definitely a fair amount

dawson1417 oops

y/ndevils00 no oops, that face was warranted!

nicohischier why?

y/ndevils00 because i can!

nicohischier well you shouldn’t

y/ndevils00 why not? :(

nicohischier oh. no sad face please

y/ndevils00 :(

nicohischier damnit. you can.

y/ndevils00 :)

ehaula it’s not my fault you suck at rock paper scissors!

y/ndevils00 i do not!

ehaula you always choose paper!

y/ndevils00 psychology class told me men like to choose rock! psychology lied to me!

ehaula i don’t think you can blame psychology for you choosing paper 6 times in a row

y/ndevils00 @/john.marino97 you’re smart! tell him it can!

john.marino97 um.. it can? i guess?

user17 john in the box… i love bad boys

dougieham i popped off! 🤪

y/ndevils00 HELL YEAH YOU DID!!

jesperbratt i’m proud of you too!!

jackhughes what are you proud of HER for? taking pictures?

jesperbratt yeah!

y/ndevils00 oh 🥹

y/ndevils00 please adopt me

jackhughes dove, you have parents

y/ndevils00 yeah, jesper and nicole now!

jackhughes i’m telling your mom

y/ndevils00 please don’t! she’ll ground me!

jackhughes you’re 22 years old?

y/ndevils00 okay, and? are you not still afraid of your mother at 22?

jackhughes NO?!

y/ndevils00 oh

y/ndevils00 just me then?

jackhughes just you, baby

[apostaterevolutionary]

Collecting some thoughts on veilguard cause tbh I really don’t know how to feel lmao so. Unstructured ramble time

I’ve watched the trailer and the demo and I feel very. Idk? Still ‘wait and see’ mode for me. It’s been 10 years. Inquisition imo was the weakest of the 3. And while I have kind of moved on from DA there is a part of me that wants this to just blow everything out of the water and be amazing. I’m just not sure if that’s what I think will happen. Right now, I just think it doesn’t feel dragon age-y enough (in terms of what I, personally, consider the defining traits of the series) but I don’t want to jump to conclusions with so little information

The trailer was. Fine. Vibes were a little off but given its Varric narrating, it makes sense (also. Unpopular opinion lmao. I love Varric but I don’t think he should be a companion again. If there’s a carry over companion, it should have been Dorian. And tbh he could still be there, considering they said 7 companions but Varric is not included in that. So did they mean 7 *new* companions and maybe a few others? Advisors again maybe? Idk. Maybe Varric is a temporary companion, but I don’t think he should be there except maybe as a cameo. Scout Harding is an unexpected but fine carry over though). I don’t really have an opinion yet on the companions themselves cause there’s just. Nothing to base an opinion on other than the character designs

Gameplay demo shows that they’re definitely going very Inquisition-y. As in, continuing further down the path it started. Which isn’t unexpected, but is a bit disappointing, though not necessarily a dealbreaker as of yet. It’s probably smart tbh to go more in an action rpg direction than back to the crpg roots given it’s going to be compared to bg3 no matter what they do - better to differentiate as much as possible. Though I don’t think that’s why they did it, probably more a happy accident. I just. Idk, I found inquisitions combat a bit boring and I haven’t been impressed by what I’ve seen yet. But a 20 minute demo is probably not enough to really form an opinion

I feel like you can still see the echoes of this being a live service game at one point too. Healing potions coming from pots found in the environment (I never got over healing spells being cut btw lmao, bring back spirit healers already), the “ability wheel” (unsure about that too, given it sounds like we can’t control companion characters anymore? Kinda really don’t like that :/), stuff like that. I still feel like DA2 combat was the perfect balance between fluidity and strategy but it is what it is. It performed badly, so they’ve disregarded it wholesale rather than consider that some aspects of it may still be worth exploring. It sucks, but that’s capitalism I guess

As for all the other little things, idk, I really am not sure what to think yet lmao. Some sound good. Some less good (why only 2 companions, I don’t like that at all - also weird that the demo shows you won’t have a tank for the initial bit of the game. That’s a weird choice). Nothing to make me go aaaaaa either positively or negatively yet. I don’t even know what to say. My feelings are just so complicated about it, but also kinda empty at the same time. Like. It’s a bit of kombucha girl meme but also muted? I would like to feel just. More about it. But I don’t yet. I’m too unsure. Not quite numb, but almost tbh

At this stage, I feel like I’m gonna wait till it comes out and see what happens. No pre-ordering until I get a better idea. It’s like. With origins, I’ve played it a lot. DA2, even more - countless times lmao. Inquisition though, I played 2.5 times immediately after release and have tried to play it multiple times since but. I only ever get 10-20 hours in before I get bored and can’t make myself continue. I’ve tried many, many times and idk why but I just can’t do it. I never even played any of the DLC, so like. I kinda need to do that first if I’m gonna play veilguard but I have never succeeded before so idk how I will now lmao. But I feel like at least trespasser is necessary and I have genuinely never played it. And I gotta play the rest of the game first to get there and I genuinely don’t know if I can sksksjs

And with that in mind like. If inquisition is that unappealing to me, a game that feels very inquisition-y, potentially leaning even more into the stuff I didn’t like about it, is. Definitely not what I was hoping for. It’s still possible it’s leagues better than inquisition and actually playing it will be a great experience. But right now I just don’t know. I probably won’t be able form any kind of opinion until it comes out and I start getting info from trusted folks that I know have good DA opinions lmao

Idk. I’m not trying to be a wet blanket or a hater, and I genuinely don’t think I am being a hater at all, but I am just. Very tired and nervous. But also cautiously hopeful. I’ve said ‘idk’ a lot lmao but I truly don’t know at this stage. I guess we’ll see. Let’s hope it’s actually amazing and the very thing we need to make the series as a whole feel like it used to for us lapsed DA fans

[mumms-the-word]

tbh i'm actually kind of pissed at larian. regardless of if it's sticking it to hasbro or not, they're leaving the game in a potentially awful state and not delivering on promises they made, like the upper city. You also have SWEN talking about shit that could have been like ketheric's recruitment and what not, which stirs the pot even more and makes me angry. Like stop talking about it. we're already upset enough.

These are all very valid critiques, anon! I have many thoughts but I’ll put everything under the cut since I got a little long-winded because I’m passionate about video games in general.

I do play a bit of Devil’s Advocate here but please note I am not attacking you personally or trying to direct any hate towards anybody at all! This ask honestly gave me space to vent some thoughts I’ve had for months about this game. I did my best to offer nuanced perspectives and acknowledge my own biases. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, including their own disappointments and praises for Larian, Swen, the actors, and all involved in the making/maintaining (or lack thereof) of BG3.

TLDR: We shouldn’t put Larian on a pedestal as the Best Studio Ever, but we don’t have to grab our pitchforks and say they’re the worst studio ever either. If BG3 is a disappointment it might be because Larian flew a little too close to the sun trying to squeeze 80% of a functional D&D experience into a digital video game package, when (in my opinion) those two game genres are almost inherently designed to not mesh well, disappointing one fan while satisfying another.

———

Point #1, Idk how much Larian is sticking it to Hasbro but Hasbro IS a greedy corporation who has no idea how to make video games and I very highly suspect they’ve been making demands of Larian’s team that are impossible to meet without destroying the work ethic (and health/mental health/financial stability, etc) of Larian’s team. Hasbro just sees dollar signs. Larian isn’t necessarily as interested in milking BG3 for all it’s worth.

If they were, we’d be paying for Upper City in a DLC, and we’re not. Instead they’re choosing to pivot to a fresh new project that isn’t beholden to Hasbro or the demands of WOTC. Does it feel like they’re abandoning the game? Yeah, kinda. But if Swen says that his team looked visibly relieved to move on to something new, that gives me warning bells. Not against Swen, but about the crunch standard of games industries as a whole and possibly against Hasbro or WOTC. I’d much rather his team take care of their very human selves than grind themselves to ultimate burnout working on a game that is functionally complete, if buggy in places and not satisfying for some players because they didn’t get the content they wanted.

There is no perfect game, after all.

And honestly I’d say the same of any AAA studio too. I am consistently frustrated with game studios firing whole departments for the sake of retaining profits and treating their employees like content robots. Games should not be made at the expense of anyone’s physical or mental health, but unfortunately that’s The Industry Standard. (And personally I think Larian or at least Swen is uncomfortable with that.)

(Also I think people forget that making a game the size of BG3 requires the talents and hard work of hundreds of people. Larian was working with, what, 400 people? And that was after they hired like 250+ to even rise to the challenge of making BG3. Who are we even pointing the finger at for all these issues? Swen? He’s one man.)

Should they have promised something they couldn’t deliver? No. But also, I have no idea what issues led them to cutting the content, either. What’s done is done.

BG3 will be an obsolete game in a year or soon anyway, not because Larian isn’t working on it anymore, but because the games industry is just So. Freaking. Big. and pumps out thousands of games a year. Like, I hate to say it, but people are already dropping BG3 for other games like Dragon’s Dogma 2 because DD2 is shiny, new, and has a bonkers character creator.

And there’s nothing wrong with that! We’re not built to play (or work on) a narrative-focused game for 5-7 years, regardless of what any die-hard Destiny fan tells you (note: multiplayers without narrative get a pass purely because the focus isn’t on the narrative, but on collaborative play).

If a game is no longer fun to play, move on and find something that scratches your itch. Go back and play old games! There are so many things out there to explore. I have a To Be Played pile literally right now, a backlog of games I haven’t tried out yet. I’m sure many others do too.

Point #2 (and here I could be wrong, if I’m not already wrong in my opinions above), but they’re not entirely abandoning the game like…at the drop of a hat. They’re still promising at least a handful of hotfixes and at least one more patch with new evil epilogue endings (among other things).

Does that get us Upper City? Likely not. Does that add enough content to give Wyll a more well-rounded storyline, elevate all the romances to Astarion levels of cutscenes and dialogue, and finish Karlach’s questline with an actual solution for her heart? Also likely not. Is it precious to be mad about these losses? No! Be mad!! Wyll deserves justice!!!

I’d love to explore Upper City. I’m a huge advocate for Wyll getting more/better representation. If I could save Karlach without throwing her into Avernus I would in a HEARTBEAT. But these things aren’t in the game, and they likely won’t be. Larian made decisions to meet a (self-imposed? Hasbro imposed? Industry-relevant?) deadline that are ultimately disappointing. We can absolutely acknowledge that we’re disappointed.

But I don’t necessarily think Larian is just being lazy about these decisions, though. At the end of the day we have no idea what contracts Larian is under, what hell the developers have been through, either from the game industry, Hasbro, rabid fans, or excessively cruel critics, or what technical/gameplay/scheduling/financial issues they ran into at various parts of development.

Like the Ketheric thing (Point #3). Was it bad PR to bring up that Ketheric was a “kill your darlings” decision late in development around the same time you’re openly promoting the end of your relationship with BG3? Yeah. Totally. But I’m not surprised they had to cut something like that. Games, movies, books do that all the time. How many deleted scenes from movies have we seen where it could have changed the whole narrative (maybe even made it better) if it had just stayed in? I can think of a handful. It sucks, but trust me, it hurts the writers and developers way more to cut content they’ve poured money and time and heart and soul into than it hurts us, the players who would never know the wiser if they hadn’t said anything.

But also, the game is ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE. On PC you have to have 150GB free just to install it. Can you imagine how big it would be if they had shoved everything they wanted into it, even if they had delayed the game a while to make it happen? 150GB is a lot.

For perspective, that puts it on par with a very, very, VERY tiny sector of PC games at about the same level (or higher) of GB requirements, including Red Dead Redemption 2 (a fantastic open world game that still holds up in 2024), Microsoft Flight Simulator (which requires 150GB because it’s literally just flying through high quality renders of actual Earth), Forspoken (everyone says all the GB went to graphics here and I believe them), Star Wars: Jedi Survivor (which only has about 50 hours of playable content, allegedly), basically any VR game, and ARK: Survival Evolved which comes in at a whopping 400 GB mostly because of DLC. In other words, games that big get that big either because of graphics or like a hundred DLCs.

BG3 manages to fit in gorgeous cinematics, a super complex spell-combat system, a more or less streamlined video game build for complex D&D combat rules and mechanics, 10 potential companions, 8 romances among those companions, several large maps to explore, and branching narratives that would take you days to read every scrap of dialogue for (I’ve downloaded the datamined files for Patch6, and there are whole leagues of dialogue, encounters, and bits that are in the game, unbugged, that most of us pass by because we don’t explore enough). You want to know where most of the GB goes? It goes towards sustaining a D&D combat/narrative structure that was originally never built with video game constraints in mind.

Do you know how many conditions/status effects there are in the game? Over 1100. 1100+ unique descriptions and titles for conditions that debuff or buff your character or your enemies, granting hundreds of actual gameplay affects. Do you know how many spells there are across the 12 playable classes and all unique spells for enemies and allies? Like 400, if we’re getting picky and splitting hairs over stuff like Rolan’s Magic Missile being different than the usual Magic Missile or if we’re splitting out something like Disguise Self into its 32 different variations. Each spell needs a different icon, a different graphic effect, and it needs to do the right kind of damage and cause the right kind of condition or effect, some of which are immediate, others which linger.

We can speak with dead with hundreds of characters. That’s a lot of dialogue. We can talk to ANY named NPC. That’s a lot of dialogue! We can talk to any animal, with or without speak with animals enabled. That’s a lot of dialogue!!

A single playthrough where I try to explore as much as possible takes me 150 hours or more. I have 500 hours in this game and I’ve only got 4 characters and I’ve only finished 2 of them. This game is mind-bogglingly big. Even if it’s not the biggest game in history ever, or even the biggest game by the time of its release, its BIG.

The biggest critique I would have here is one that I’ve had since I first started playing the game, and it’s that D&D systems and video games don’t mesh comfortably well. I think that Larian got distracted trying to make the ultimate D&D experience, catering to a demographic that is known to ignore plot and pursue shenanigans, and Larian felt the need to build in a lot of shenanigans.

I think they got a little overzealous about it, and that’s where we have missing content, and a lot of fluff that isn’t always plot-relevant. If the game feels unfinished, it’s because Larian started too many threads, and while there are endings to all of those threads, many of them feel rushed or unsatisfactory. Why do they feel unsatisfactory? Because we’re offered so much freedom early on, only to be pulled back into the much more limited narrative constraints of a video game at the end. Because the game has to end eventually, unlike a D&D campaign which could go on or explore many other possibilities. But by act 3 in a 150 GB game, we’re running out of time and space.

And yes that’s disappointing as hell and Larian could and arguably SHOULD have made different decisions on what to focus on.

But ultimately, you just can’t fit a full-on, any-choice-goes D&D experience in a game that needs to be packaged neatly enough to run on most PCs or consoles, and Larian was ambitious as hell to try. Contrary to popular belief, I think they did pretty freaking well given the challenge, and no, it isn’t perfect, and no, to confess to my own bias, I don’t have the same complicated history with the game that early access or release day players have because I bought the game like 2 months after it was out and patched twice. But they’ve clearly built a game that people love so much they’re upset there isn’t more of it, or at least upset it isn’t the best it can be.

But sometimes we have to be realistic too. I can only imagine how many more bugs or render issues we���d get if they did try to shove in Upper City at this point. Games can only be so big before they start to become too much for the systems that try to run them and I don’t want the games industry veering towards making games an elitist hobby for only the rich and elite who can afford expensive rigs and $100 games.

(And also, I’m not at all upset that for $70 bucks I got 500 hours of gameplay and I’m not 100% sick of it yet. When EA and Activision are getting players to pay hundreds in micro transactions and DLC and dangling extra maps and new missions behind paywalls? Bish, please, I’m good. You want to talk about an unfinished experience? Dragon Age: Inquisition made us pay for our epilogue content as a DLC. At least Larian built theirs in for free from the start.)

Anyway.

All that said, I’m sure if Larian could turn back the clock and start over, they’d make different decisions about what to keep, cut, and refine. But we’re here now.

If I want to see anything from Larian right now, it’s a dedication to fix ongoing bugs that make the game unplayable or that block the narratives that they have built so that they play correctly (like with the Minthara romance). IDEALLY I’d like to see them add more content for companions other than Astarion, to equalize the romance experiences, but I’m not holding my breath (again, considering things like game development, actor schedules, contracts, etc).

While I’m sad about the permanent loss of stuff like the Upper City and disappointed by all the rushed questlines, I’d rather them fix the bugs that make the game un-fun to play and bow out gracefully once they’re sure the game won’t need constant supervision.

Besides, they’re working on cross-platform mod support, and mods are gonna add and mess with the game for many years to come, so we can pivot to support them instead while Larian works on its next game (and hopefully learns from its mistakes with BG3).

[the-inheritance-games]

Ok with the vault opening tomorrow here are my final predictions:

- Grayson is one of the pov characters, I think we all know this by now. He is the character most connected to this new book. He is the only one, besides Avery, named dropped in the synopsis and is apparently “amisdts” it all, plus the whole “if you've ever wondered what it's like falling in love with Grayson hawtorne” thing in the interview. So yeah I'd be surprised if gray WASNT one of the povs

-Phone girl is another pov, ik this is being debated right now and that we've all really been in our delulu era coming up with these headconons lol but I really think this is going to be her book. Mostly bc of ALL the calla lilys on the cover. she is the only character tied to those. Jlb said there was easter eggs on the cover and in tbh for tgg. Why else even include this mystery girl at all. Plus she would have her own reasons to play the game and she could give us the pov as a player

Now those are my willing to bet a Hawthorne sum of money on guesses

Now I have a few options for the third pov

1. Eve- she’s obv up to something evil and I feel like jlb really wants to give eve a redemption arc much to most of our disinterest

2. Slate - if eve is going to do some evil shit but jlb doesn’t want to give us her pov then she might give us slate pov and make him a player and have him be the tie to eve w/o making her a player

3. Another completely new character/ or a character introduced in tbh but as a player in tgg, idk just feel like it

I don’t think any of the characters from og tig will be pov characters here, Ik disappointing but idk it’s just my gut feeling

Now for two main side characters

1. Avery- I just can’t see her NOT in this book, it’s her game she’s going to be IN it

2. Jameson for the same reasons

other options:

Gigi and Sav- I feel like they will DEFINITELY have a part in this series I just don’t know how big, plus the whole potential love with slate and Gigi and the cliffhanger about eve and Sav (one of them could also be pov characters but I just don't see that happening rn)

Slate- if he isn’t a pov then I still think he’d be a player on eves part

Xander- PLSSSSSSSS

Now for the secret :

Idk man we could find out that Tobias Hawthorne is alive who tf knows

Maybe PG is a Rooney, maybe Alice Hawthorne already showed up, maybe the Hawthorne money is at stake, maybe we'll find out that “eve inows”

Its the wild card but I for sure know it will be the last card revealed

Now one last crack theory about grays role in the game:

Grayson might be a player in the game. If he is “amidst it all” he might actually end up IN the game. I thought maybe he was running the game at first or coaching but if anyone would be coaching it would be jameson and it says Avery is running the game. THEY are the gamemasters, so idk what Grayson “vital role” is but maybe he’ll be a Donatella Dragna, he’ll be there right alongside the players, maybe not a “player” but player adjacent idk it’s just a thought me and my friend had lol

But yeah, what do y’all think?

[outivv]

Fuck it black person gives their thoughts on Rappa

Even if she's Japanese and is part of the Japanese hip hop scene I still feel uncomfortable. Bringing this character out when we're supposed to return to Penacony is a recipe for disaster.

Penacony is notorious for fucking up race related plots or making them uncomfortably realistic with their history. The Aventurine lore the Boothill lore the Halovian lore its all just....a lot.

And that doesn't touch on the fact that Penacony is Jazz Age which would've been my people's time to shine and instead it's a conglomerate of every other race ever and then we get this Japanese wannabe rapper as what our last character to round out the cast? Not to mention her design being godawful. It's not streetwear which I think was what they wanted but those fuckass shorts they give every woman ruins it legitimately. Pants would make her so much more street.

Anyways I just have zero faith in her writing tbh. I feel like she's gonna be full of racial stereotypes and I'm just tired. Hell I won't be surprised if she has a blaccent atp despite looking like someone from Punklorde like Silver Wolf......

Ohhhh yeah- when I talked about rappa I also talked about how notorious penacony is for just stealing cultures and stories, because you’re right!! They make them uncomfortably accurate to real!! Life!! Events!! Like events we read in our history books, and then they don’t give any representation, and it’s disgusting. It’s disgusting, it’s disrespectful, it’s fucking gross. Don’t use real people’s pain, and history, and stories just for a silly little sci-fi fantasy game omfg.

Rappa in penacony is great lore wise, but everything else-wise? Omfg I’m so like… I’m nervous too, because they’re gonna make it weird somehow istg.

Penacony is just honestly disappointing with its character lineup in my opinion, because imagine all the characters we could’ve gotten if hyv actually based the characters off of the jazz age. Like. Penacony is like Los Vegas, Hollywood, fucking Disney land, just all put together, there’s very little jazz age influence in a lot of it I feel,time you can see the influence but it’s so like… fleeting almost. It’s disappointing, because they could’ve done so much more, especially cause music seems like such an important thing in penacony- so then make more jazz-y music!! Girl represent black people who MADE the jazz age happen. But no, they decided to be boring. And racist.

I like rappa’s design… but I’d like it more if she had pants, like y’know what I mean? Like oh yes I love the colors, love the hat, but she needs pants. Like Acheron would look better with pants, feixiao would look better with pants, even if you already I feel can’t see her shorts too much, like most fem characters would look better with pants or just things covering their legs more, not a weird one leg covered the other fully bare like they do A LOT.

If she has a blaccent I will omfg. M. No, because that would actually make me explode. IT’D BE SO BAD GOOD GOD- LIKE ITS ALREADY BAD DONT MAKE IT WORSE

[bitemedillweed]

4, 23 + 25 :3c

hey coma 😏

4. What were your thoughts when you first saw Bully?

i was genuinely very intrigued bc 1. rockstar games usually go hard and 2. early 2000s media usually goes pretty hard! i’m also a big fan of trying out media that i’ve never heard of before as opposed to like… what’s popular at the time. so yea 😁 i went into it with high hopes/expectations and was not disappointed!! pretty damn good considering when it was released

23. Any favorite or memorable quotes?

i always have peanut’s lines in my brain. “what does lola see in johnny that i don’t?” or “what can i do next to please johnny? i mean lola! i mean…” i love him.

lately i’ve also been a fan of gord’s lines when he’s watching a fight. “SHOW SOME SPIRIT, MAN! 🗣️” or just the iconic insult “you’re poor. and ugly.”

hal’s line “after i’m done hitting you, i’m gonna sit on you!” is also a good contender.

also hal: “i think you broke my ovaries.” WHAT??? might be my new favourite!

also just generally, the bullies’ conversations are always so funny to me. and their insults too!

25. Who’s your least favorite character?

oh man. the awesome thing abt bully is that i actually do love most of the characters which doesn’t happen a lot for me so this is hard. probably mr hattrick tbh LMFAO because… gestures to him. or probably mr burton also because… gestures to him. no one will ever make me outright hate any of the kids (yeah even earnest. i still enjoy him even though he’s him)

[kemendin]

Just some Veilguard… venting I guess? Because I’ve ended up in a peculiar spot mentally with this game and I don’t like it:

I was pretty obsessed with Dragon Age about eight or nine years ago. Played through the games, read some books, cosplayed from it, wrote a fic that I never finished, all that. But then I found new obsessions, and DA took a backseat aside from reblogging things I liked (and my eternal, ever present love of Cole).

So with that fixation semi-dormant for a number of years, I didn’t go into Veilguard with any particular hopes except that I’d be able to use Caspian as my protagonist (yay!) and a Cole cameo (alas). I was just ‘ooh, new DA, awesome!’

And you know something? I had a great time on my first playthrough! I loved exploring the new environments, meeting new characters, re-experiencing the DA vibes with a new spin. To be honest, I wasn’t particularly invested in the plot, or in any of the companions - my enjoyment was primarily coming from plopping my lad Cas into a setting I had speculated about years ago and seeing how he developed in this universe. The role of Shadow Dragon Rook suits him so well, and I really want to continue delving deeper into that.

There are things I didn’t like about the game, of course, things that felt clunky, or disappointing, or shallow. In a lot of instances I was left just wanting MORE. But for what WAS there - I can’t deny I enjoyed it.

So I finished my first run, and unblocked the tags, and was prepared to sit on the edges of a revived DA fandom and dangle my feet in the pool of everyone’s experiences, and that, I think, was my mistake.

Because on the one hand, I’ve seen so many people going feral for the game, especially the companions, and I’m genuinely delighted for them - but I’m not there. I liked the companions, the dynamics, the factions, but I’m not obsessed like I have been over other companions/games.

But on the other hand, I’ve scrolled through so much critical analysis of the game, so many people saying how poorly executed this that or the other thing was, and in hindsight I even agree with a lot of it! This game could have been so much more! And then I actually feel guilty or silly for having enjoyed my playthrough, because gosh how could I have been blind to all its flaws, right?

The TLDR is obviously that I need to not let anyone else dictate my experiences. But it’s hard, when the DA community has been waiting ten years for a new game, and I was waiting there too, albeit not as hungrily. I want to be able to experience that community I found when I first played the games almost a decade ago. But I feel like I just don’t fit into the Veilguard discussion, and when I wade in I almost invariably come away feeling irritated at best, and at worst like a fool for having enjoyed the game at all.

I started a second run with Cas as a mage this time, but it’s been really hard to want to play again (for other reasons too, just general weariness/not enough hours in the day etc). I might reblock some Veilguard tags tbh and just step back and give myself some leeway to enjoy what I want to enjoy about the game.

(Compounding all of this is also an unfortunate envy of people who can play on 2k or 4k rigs and take glorious screenshots. This is the first game I’ve played recently where I can instantly see the difference between my little laptop shots and higher res ones and it’s making me a grump, but eh that’s a me problem and I’ll get over it.)

[melodiousoblivionao3]

I just finished Trin's CHD interview, so spoilers if you haven't managed to find the time.

One thing that kinda stuck out to me was when she was talking about how her relationship with her dad has affected other relationships and how she has seen a tendency to try to hold on to romantic relationships as hard as she can(I'm paraphrasing). What stuck out for me is I can see that as also her relationship with soccer in general. Not to arm-chair analyze but I was disappointed in how she responded in that one interview about KA and now, I dunno....maybe it's all tied up in a big messy knot. Not to excuse anything, but I personally can maybe understand a little bit. Soccer is something she loves and being 22 and having to answer for a shitty teammate and she wants to keep this good relationship with her coach and US Soccer....

Maybe I'm reading too much into it or completely off the mark.

“Tied up in a big messy knot” is how I look at most things tbh.

Trinity’s life has been one of insane upheaval and a lot of betrayal and abandonment and it’s hard not to also look at the ways in which that has also unfortunately bled into her professional career. She came onto the Spirit as a baby rookie (like even more of a baby than any other rookie. She is still younger than a lot of spirit rookies.) and the team was chaos, upheaval, and betrayal. She’s had 7 coaches for the Spirit, and only one of those was for a full season in 2023 which was also her first major tournament and the USWNT crashed out at that and the Spirit crashed out in getting into playoffs.

Soccer itself seems to have been the one thing for her that remained solid and could be somewhat uncomplicated in the most pure sense of just playing the game. And it shows when you watch her. She plays with love and passion and that’s also a big part of what she discussed in the podcast, how she wants that to be her legacy.

There’s a line that reminds me a lot of her from David Foster Wallace: “everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it.” I think she’s figuring a lot of things out, and this interview is part of it, and hopefully we continue to see more growth from her as she continues to unpack everything in her own time. But I also don’t blame her for holding on so tight to what she can.

[ode-to-odes]

RPG Review: Journey of 1000 Zips

Well... if it's listed on itch as an RPG, then that's what it is... right?? In any case, this was one of the evenings I've ever had. Truly spectacular.

To play this game, you open 1000 nested zip files. Every file is numbered, so you can see how far you have left to go, and occasionally Elliot (@morebluebs) has left a comment in a file name. It's a dialogue between two people slowly losing their minds, in a way.

I spent two hours of my life on this game, and to be completely honest, I wish I hadn't. I also think Elliot wishes he hadn't made it, so at least all's fair in love and zipped files. This "game" is only for those with immense hubris and a growing to-do list filled with tasks they don't want to complete. That said, I'd rate it a 10/10 if I were a rating type of woman, which I'm not.

In order to keep myself sane, I took notes on the thoughts going through my mind as I played this game. Read under the cut to witness my descent into madness. Perhaps that will be enough to deter you from playing it yourself.

File 999. Let's do it.

950. I appreciate the title. Hoping for more of these as we keep going

900. No, it wasn’t that bad. I don’t know why I’m not listening to music while I do this. Perhaps I intuitively understand that this needs to be done in as boring an environment as possible.

899. okay

819. AH!

801. wouldn’t open. I’ve been opening these within each other, so I assume 200 nested files is the limit on my laptop. I moved file 802 to be by itself in my downloads folder and tried again. 801 opened. Huzzah, and the journey continues.

I also can’t believe this took Elliot over a year to make this. I assume this was a boredom and procrastination project. Kudos for ever finishing it tbh

800. I know. I’m doing it anyway

750. doesn’t have a comment in the file name. I didn’t realize I’d started to look forward to the names ever fifty files. Disappointed, I carry on.

743. I see we’re being unpredictable. Does the creator know that by making the opening of each file a gamble, opening these becomes more fun? Belatedly I realize that the opening of file 750 marked a quarter of the journey. Am even more disappointed op didn’t say anything to commemorate this moment.

700. I lost the ability to quit when I opened the first file. I’m committing to the bit. Fuck you.

650. once again, no mid-hundred title. I’m taking this moment to comment that as I do this, my sister is sitting next to me watching a frankly terrible horror movie. I am, I think, ashamed to say I find this activity more enjoyable.

627. Divisible by three, but not by nine.

608. Huzzah! My sister has decided to skip ahead in her movie because it’s boring her. I cannot do the same for my chosen entertainment tonight.

607 is empty. I tried opening it again. 607 2 is also empty. Migration attempt incoming.

Second migration of the night worked. continuing on. While I can’t say I’m enjoying this anymore, I’m glad that this does in fact appear to be 1000 nested files. I would never forgive Elliot if it ended prematurely

600. Don’t ask me to explain my decisions.

564. Elliot, do you feed on the part of my soul that I’m losing while playing this?

525. What does carpal tunnel feel like?

499. I feel nothing.

492. My sister asked me what I was doing. I explained to her. She asked me why I was doing this. I told her I didn’t know. She said nothing and then left. About as much of a response as I could’ve hoped for

461. Hey now. I could have done any number of things to procrastinate. You’re not special, Elliot.

432. Also divisible by three. Obviously I’m not listing every number divisible by three. But it just occurred to me here. As long as I’m taking a break from clicking, I’m going to move from the kitchen to my bedroom now that my sister has finished her movie and gone to bed. My wrist won’t stop cracking.

40 minutes later and I’m back at it.

425. In anticipation of the next file failure, I migrate this one earlier. plus if there’s a comment on 420 I can enjoy it unimpeded by the 200 file limit

407. A number that feels like it should be prime but isn’t

351. This isn’t getting any easier. However, it isn’t getting harder, either. That forty minute break did wonders for the one wrist muscle I’m using to do this.

333. Roughly 2/3 of the way there, although obviously not exactly. I think it would be an interesting psychology study to see how different people react to having to do this.

321. favorite one so far, definitely made me smile

294. Some people could probably find it in them to quit now.

284. I believe it. Why would you make this. Just to prove you could? Was 1000 the maximum files you could nest, or could you have kept going? Maybe one day we’ll have a sequel and it’ll just be 2000 files. I’d probably play that too. I don’t know why. But I think I would.

260. Another migration. This was definitely less than 200 files, but whatever. Will migrate again at 100 for the auspiciousness.

250. 75% done. I started this an hour and forty minutes ago. 100 minutes ago. So probably half an hour left. It feels like it should be less.

219. If I told my mom about this, she’d probably tell me that downloading things like this off the internet is a one way trip to getting malware on your computer. While I trust itch.io strangers much more than she does, can you imagine explaining that to the person you hire to fix your computer? “Yeah, I downloaded a file off the internet. It contained 1000 zip files nested within each other. I opened every single one and then the last one had this gnarly virus.” Like,,,,, you’d really be bringing that upon yourself. My friend hopes the last file contains something; he predicts the game of thrones shame gif. While I’d appreciate a fun little image, I fully expect there to be nothing except the last file just being called something like “you did it. Congrats on the most pointless accomplishment ever” well. Back to it

198. Elliot, if you had to go through the pain of making this, some of us might as well go through the pain of playing it.

175. I realized I forgot to point out 197, which is the Pokédex number for umbreon, my favorite Pokemon. home stretch.

135. I’m obviously tired. I did the math all wrong. Forgot to subtract the forty minutes I spent not doing this. This began at roughly 8:40 PM. It’s 10:34. So 1 hour 54 minutes minus forty. 74 minutes to open 865 files. Those numbers aren’t nice enough for me to do mental math, but I think I’ll be done in like ten minutes. Lets go!!

117. marks the first time the zipped file had a comment. Before this you had to unzip the file to see the comment. Which begs the question, is this something Elliot changed partway through, or will this be the only time it happens? I guess we’ll see.

I also realized 111 will be the last time we have repeating digit in a 3 digit number. 999 was the first… how far we’ve come.

111!!!! I feel like Elliot a bit. Is anyone going to read this? Am I screaming to the void?? Par for the course, I suppose.

100. Zipped file also has the comment. Clearly Elliot didn’t know how to do it differently at first. Anyway. Time for the final migration!

85. Seeing 2-digit numbers is jarring after all this time.

69 nice.

40. You know what would be so fucking funny? If we got to file 1 and it was labeled 1000 and then there were 1000 more files. I know Elliot didn’t do this - he doesn’t have it in him. But it would be so fucked up. I think that would make me quit. 1000 is enough

19. My favorite number. I can’t believe this is almost over.

2. This is it.

[the-bi-space-ace]

for the Bad Batch ask game: 8, 24, 31, and 49! (or just a few of those if you’d prefer :D)

I AM GOING TO ANSWER ALL OF THEM THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THESE!!

8. What song(s) do you associate with the Bad Batch?

I love this question bc I associate a really weird array of songs with The Bad Batch and I am beyond excited to list them.

I Got You by Devon Cole (tears 🥹)

Mr. Know-It-All by Young The Giant (mainly a Tech song for me)

The Less I Know The Better by Tame Impala

Brother by Kodaline

Don’t Leave Me Alone by David Guetta & Anne-Marie (acoustic)

Human by Jon Bellion

Burn The House Down by AJR

everything i wanted by Billie Eilish (mainly bc it gives me Calling Me Home series Echo vibes tbh oof)

This Was A Home Once by Bad Suns

Older by Alec Benjamin

Bonus Tracks:

Going Home by The Aces

Don’t Freak by The Aces (This one is a bonus bc in my head when I hear this song I have always imagined baby Fives and Echo going to 79s for the first time and Echo not being totally sure how he feels about it and Fives basically going ‘hey, don’t freak out. I’m here, you’re smart and capable. A bar is the easiest mission we’ve ever been on.’ idk I get so much inspiration from music tbh.)

^ The Aces are so feel good and endearing and give good fluff inspiration

24. Do you have any hot or controversial takes?

Oh yeah plenty of them tbh lol

My hottest take? Honestly? I’m super disappointed in how cruel people were to people with Tech Lives theories on this damn site. Not just in the way that I’m sad about *gestures to everything* but I have seen some really nasty takes and have blocked people over them even though they were never directed at me. It shows me who you are when you’re cruel to a stranger over simply *checking my notes* wanting their favorite character to be alive. Some people in the Star Wars fandom are mean as hell. Maybe it’s because I’m fandom old (mid 20s) so I’ve been around for over a decade in fandom spaces but I can say that Star Wars fans can be really really mean compared to other fandoms. That’s more of a problem on reddit (never again) but it happens on tumblr and twitter (which I don’t have any longer but have heard… stories.) My little corner is GREAT. No complaints about this little corner I’ve found myself in but every time I venture out I see some shiiiiiiiiit and it takes me a minute to remember that this fandom can be really volatile. This is supposed to be fun. I say my piece, I agree or disagree with other people’s piece. Then I move on. I won’t argue. It ain’t my style. I get really upset when I see people being downright nasty to each other over fandom stuff. Stop it.

Also. Listen. I started in the Teen Wolf and Merlin fandoms in high school. There’s a lot of great stuff to use from those shows but canon was rarely awesome. I got used to letting the fandom do the work, fans shipping everything under the sun, and making up wild plotlines that wouldn’t actually make sense because who even knows what’s going on in the actual show anymore. Fandoms are wild and I like different opinions and different content and everything coming together in a way that is both weird and wonderful. Sometimes people want the entire fandom to like exactly what they like and get really aggressive with other fans over it. That is not my vibe. If I see something I don’t like then it isn’t for me and I move on! Enough said.

Instead of moving on, blocking tags, or blocking users many fans straight up call people names! Start arguments! Post cruel things! It’s stupid! I’ll say it, it’s stupid as hell! Just block shit, man! You can’t control other people. Protect your peace and block stuff you don’t like. I promise it’ll feel better <3

(that was so long I’m so sorry I needed to get that off of my chest so bad lol)

31. What other Star Wars characters (regardless of the timeline) do you think would be BFFs with each Batcher?

(This’ll be fun bc I know very little of the greater Star Wars Universe so some of these are based just on ✨vibes✨)

Omega and Leia Organa! I loved the Kenobi show and I just think these two would get along SO DAMN WELL.

Hunter and…. I’m going to be honest I thought about this over night and I STILL can’t pick somebody. I need to watch more Star Wars

Tech and Luke Skywalker. Flying! Ships! Podracing! This is the only thing I know of Luke Skywalker! They’d bond over this and make ships go faster together so they’d be besties.

Crosshair and Merrin. In the way that I think he’d look at her like she hung the moon and the stars because she’s so cool and she’s scary and Crosshair appreciates intimidating people and would want to see all of the things she can do with her magic even though he’s kind of terrified of her. (I’m projecting, I love Merrin.)

Echo and Cal Kestis. This is an inspired choice, I feel. Cal has a really big connection to protecting people and Echo WOULD LOVE to work with him to protect people from the Empire (play Jedi: Fallen Order 👀)

Wrecker and Chewbacca. Wrecker really thrived in that episode with the wookiees and I think he’d have a great time with Chewbacca.

49. What has been your favorite part about being in the fandom?

All of my friends!!! I’ve made a lot of great friends in the past two years and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. It’s not very easy for me to make friends, if I’m being honest, so having friends that I talk to about the clones and star wars and fic ideas means a lot to me. It is the ultimate draw for me. I love talking to people about things I love, hearing everyone’s opinions, seeing everyone write and create art and do deep dive analysis. I love seeing people run role play blogs and come up with ask games. I love love love the fun parts of fandom just existing. Seeing people get excited about ideas and share them with others and create gifs and have fun. That absolutely has my heart. We’re all just here trying to express ourselves and that is something I think gets overlooked sometimes. This is something we do in our free time. We’re here because we want to be, not because we have to be. It’s a beautiful thing, to find connection over a shared love of something, and I love that. It’s kind of the same thing I love about concerts. Concerts are a unique place where it’s acceptable to have big emotional reactions with other people over the shared love of the music being played for you. For one night you aren’t just a fan of a band standing in a room listening to some people sing at you. You’re a part of the crowd, experiencing a million different emotions all in the same moment but not one of you is feeling the exact same way as the person next to you. It’s a wonderful thing to experience. This fandom, my little corner of it at least, feels about the same. We’re all experiencing life differently, different day to day things, different upbringings, different opinions, likes, and dislikes. But we’re all here, watching the same thing, and coming away with different emotions and opinions.

I think that’s beautiful.

Link To The Ask <3

[piratebay]

do all of the music ask prompts (if u want!)

the ultimate music ask game

i DO ! i'm not gonna do the one's where i need a color or song of your choice tho but if you wanna ask those with something in mind please do! thank you for asking! also putting it under the cut because it's so long lmfao

1. are you an albums person or a singles person?

maybe mostly singles? most of the time i hear a song & i like it & am more picky about the album on the whole, but there are some albums that are so integral to my being they'd have to be ripped from my soul, you know? x

2. do you still buy cds (or other physical media)?

i do still have cds! i don't often buy them because honestly i often don't have the funds to, but when i can i do! my car still has a cd player thankfully & i have an external drive for my laptop :] the last cd i bought was rachmaninov: piano concertos nos. 1 & 4

3. do you listen to more oldies or more current stuff?

i would LIKE to think there is a balance but i'm afraid it's mostly oldies lmao

4. is there a song you love but don't like its music video?

oh god recently i was watching music videos with my cousin & my mom & my mom was like "put duran duran on!" so we watched the music video of rio & she was so disappointed & said "this seemed so much better back in the 80s" 😂

5. is there a song you don't like but like its music video?

i can't think of one at the moment but i'm sure there is one. tbh i don't watch a Lot of music videos

6. who's an artist you really like but are embarrassed to admit it?

kiss 😭 i don't like them like i used to, though

7. would you wear a t-shirt of a band you're not into?

no, i don't think i would. unless i really liked the design? i still don't see myself doing that though

8. is there an artist or song that you like, despite being of a genre you don't usually like?

i'm not SUPER into reggae, despite being into its adjacent musical genres, but utu bang bang by ka'ikena scanlan HITS.

9. do you have a favorite band?

i dooo.... it's the beach boys 🥲

10. favorite solo artist?

i've been into sza for a while now

11. favorite songwriter?

stevie wonder!

12. who’s the most obscure artist you listen to?

probably hui ohana lmfao they're soo nostalgic for me but idk how far their reach outside of hawai'i & hawaiian households are...but probably not much...

13. who’s the most popular/mainstream artist you listen to?

rihanna?

14. a song or album from the 50s or earlier:

black is the color of my true love's hair by nina simone

15. a song or album from the 60s:

and then...along comes by the association

16. a song or album from the 70s:

out of the blue by electric light orchestra

17. a song or album from the 80s:

thriller by michael jackson

18. a song or album from the 90s:

nevermind by nirvana

19. a song or album from the 2000s:

white pony by deftones

20. a song or album from the 2010s:

we are young by fun. & janelle monáe

21. a song or album from this year or last year:

unholy by sam smith & kim petras

22. what’s your favorite song or album from the year you where born?

the boy is mine by brandy & monica

23. do you and your partner/best friend share a special song? One you’d call “our song”?

amor prohibido by selena 😭

24. do you play any instruments?

i mean. i can fuck around on a keyboard & bang on some drums?

25. is there a song you used to like but can’t listen to anymore because you associate it with someone you don’t like?

YES. ALL STAR BY SMASH MOUTH 😔 it's tragic

26. have you ever pretended to like an artist/song just to fit in or please somebody?

ummmmm.... no i don't think so. but i pretended to like harry pothead even though it made me deeply uncomfortable before it became a habit to hate jk for her rampant transphobia 🙄 you know, as if it wasn't obvious before that she was a raging bigot...

27. do you enjoy making playlists? if so, are there any you’re proud of and would like to share?

i do! i really kind of like this playlist i made while reading dorohedoro

28. have you ever made/got a mixtape as gift to/from a friend?

ofc oh my god. that's actually most of my cd collection are burned discs. i've also gotten some spotify mixes ❤️

29. songs you love to dance to:

omg so in my early 20s i used to get really stoned off my ass & dance & paint in the backyard to long youtube compilations of disco/funk/r&b/house hits from the 70s, 80s & 90s. i can't find which ones were my go-tos at the moment but they were something like this:

30. songs you love to sing along to:

I LOVE SINGING yay yay! i made a whole playlist actually that i sporadically add to sorry it's sort of lame & also should be played on shuffle!

31. who’s your favorite fictional band or artist?

uhhh lol i can only think of löded diper from diary of a wimpy kid

32. when was the last time you cried when listening to a song, if ever?

sooooo my dad used to really like michael mcdonald & on the day i went to my first pride after he died what a fool believes came on the radio & i had to like snuffle my face in to stop from absolutely bawling, i.e. it occurred to me that he would've loved to have gone WITH me actually oops now i feel bad even talking about it sorrrryy

33. your favorite artist from your city/state/country?

green day lmao

34. your favorite song in your native language (if it isn’t english) OR in your second language (if english is your first):

escándalo by la sonora dinamita

35. a song you like in a language you don’t speak:

intermission: flower by zayn malik

36. a song you like with lyrics in two or more languages:

the girl from ipanema by stan getz, joão gilberto, & antônio carlos jobim

37. if you could travel in time and go to a concert of an artist who’s no longer alive or a band that’s no longer together, who would you choose?

i would go see the gap band!!

38. which was the first concert you went to?

hall & oates lmfao

39. which was the last concert you went to?

fa// out b*y 😔

40. which was the best concert you’ve ever been to?

leslie odom jr.! followed closely by system of a down

41. have you ever been to a music festival? if not, would you like to go?

i have not, i feel like it would be too stimulating for me, but i'd like to try it at least once. well wait. i am going to be in a big gala event in minneapolis & kansas city, but i feel like that's different from attending. also it will be my first time touring! :D

42. your favorite(s) “no skips” album(s):

wonder what's next by chevelle, fresh cream by cream, & dirt by alice in chains

43. do you enjoy musicals? if so, what’s your favorite?

i DO lmfao, i would say the phantom of the opera since i practically memorized every part in high school

44. have you watched any musician’s biopics? do you have a favorite?

um i have, i wouldn't say that i have a favorite but whitney houston's was profound

45. a non-musical movie or show with a soundtrack you love:

wellll... a tv show..... cowboy bebop's soundtrack is one of my favorites for sure

46. do you like comedy songs? if so, do you have a favorite?

i think i used to when i was younger. i mean, weird al still hits tbh

47. is there an artist you used to dislike but learned to like because of a friend’s influence?

ummmm, jethro tull?

48. who’s an artist you think is criminally underrated & deserves more recognition?

oh i wouldn't know, i don't think i can make decisions like that, i can only recommend stuff to people

49. is there a cover you like more than the original version?

oh YEAH controversial opinion but i really can't listen to bruce springsteen sing at all but juanes' cover of dancing in the dark is excellent

50. is there an artist you used to love as a child/teenager but now are embarrassed to have ever liked?

i mean... besides kiss? 🤣 probably the beatles. i realized i really just liked psychedelic rock in general

51. is there an artist you used to love as a child/teenager & still like, even if you don’t listen to them as much?

the black eyed peas probably? i mean i don't actively seek their hits but if they come on i'm like. transported back to being a middle schooler

52. do you make playlists to be listened to in a specific order or in shuffle? or both?

both! this one's meant for shuffle:

& this one's meant to be played in order:

53. is there a song you hated the first time you listened to but then loved after listening to it more times?

i tend to keep my preferences for a long while, maybe big time rush? i don't remember HATING their music, i just wasn't a fan, but boyfriend is still good to me

54. an album you loved since the first time you listened to:

i mean... pet sounds by the beach boys 😳

55. an album you learned to love after listening to it again & again:

umm after laughter? i wasn't a big paramore fan in high school unfortunately but later i found them & learned to love them

56. a song/album/artist you wish you could forget so you could have the experience of hearing it for the first time again:

dream a little dream of me by the mamas & the papas

59. do you listen to music when it's raining or do you stop to hear the sound of the rain?

i listen to erik satie when it rains :D very low so i can still hear the rain

62. artists/bands you think have an impeccable discography, with no bad albums:

oh i don't have one. i'm a little picky in that sense, i guess

63. do you prefer live recordings or studio recordings?

whatever sounds better!

65. are there any songs you know the entire lyrics by heart?

i am CHRONICALLY bad with lyrics now i don't know quite what happened but i'm really forgetful. i think too much of my brain is occupied to other things :(

66. share your favorite playlists that you or someone else has made!

here are some i've enjoyed greatly!! :3

[djscloud]

Fast Forward

So, I moved. With Janie, Danielle, and Ethan here in Newark. Its been such an adjustment. I’m yet to understand how I am still sane tbh. There is so much I need to do before this. And everything happened so fast. Mainly, I wish I was able to pay off my credit card debt. Now it’s taking twice as long. But thats on me. I’m doing therapy now. Not to sure how I feel about it yet. 

My therapist said that I have a shield in my brain that's making me lose my train of thoughts when we talk. Apparently that “shield” is there to protect myself. But I lose my train of thought when I talk to my family and Janie. I felt like I am an open book. Still trying to figure it out. 

So usually I post on here when something difficult is going on in my life. And Janie brought up this idea of typing out my feelings. So lets keep it going. To let my thoughts take me away. 

Work has been tough. Being the only dental assistant to the office. With an additional doctor. Janie says she understands what I’m going through. But I don’t feel like its enough. But what can I expect. She can’t help me with all my issues. But I wish I was good enough. She deserves so much. She loves so hard. I wish that came out naturally. She’s so good at it. 

Tonight 4/7/2023 has been one of the toughest nights since the move. Yesterday, I did not communicate what I plan on doing that night, after telling Janie that I needed to sleep early for work. But I ended playing games for like an hour after dinner. And once I came back to the bedroom, she was upset and disappointed that she was a second thought. Understandable so. So we had our normal conversation of my faults and what to do moving forward. Man, I’ve gotten so much better at expressing my feelings in a non negative and understanding way. But that night and the next was pretty tough. 

The next night, I buy her flowers. A size she has talked about, and not roses. Especially the ones from Safeway. And my intentions were those flowers were to be a part of my apology. And it just snapped. Something I did not think I would ever do. Let me remind my future self of this moment. She says to me, Honestly. why did you give me flowers when I’m mad. Where were these last week. Why do you have to wait till I get mad. I chose delicately what I spend on. So my intentions were not expected to make her feeling 100%. But her past of me and my broken promises is understandable why she feels this way. But it sticks.  So I take the flowers and as she is telling me not to touch the flowers and I grab them and place them outside near recycling. She thought it was comical and upsetting to see them. I was so hurt. I may not have the most money, and not the smartest with them. But I do things those are my ways of showing my love. And a part of myself felt so lost. I acted how my dad or mom would be, either breaking things are taking things away. But I was so sad, upset, angry, and defensive. I don't believe things are actually fixed. My mind is so scrambled right now. I cant even think straight. Be safe DJ. I love you.