#fun fact i know nothing about videogames

[vasito-de-leche]

;R1999 - Self-Aware AU

Headcanons about an Alternate Universe in which everyone knows they're living inside a videogame. However, Vertin is the only one aware of the entity inhabiting her own mind, the real conductor - the "Player".

this is one of my favorite AUs to slap on whatever media I'm into so here we are <3 not sure if anyone's done this already, but PLEASE PLEASE PRETTY PLEASE link me if you've seen any other ppl write for this AU! this one and any actor AUs are my absolute fave

this is just a word vomit introduction for fun, to get the basic ideas out of my head, so I can start writing for characters individually!

Okay, okay! First of all, some context for the AU before I go deranged overexplaining my HCs!

Aside from the "Storm", there is something else that haunts the people of this world: the fact that their lives are nothing but a simulacrum, part of a game.

The requirements to obtain this "self-awareness" is unknown. Those within the Foundation believe it's related to their respective "roles", that only the main and relevant characters are given the chance to fully open their eyes to the truth. Those within Manus Vindictae claim that one must be strong enough to break through the fog of complacency and their assigned scripts, to have their full potential unleashed and obtain true liberation. Either way, similar to the "Storm", this is a well-kept secret for a very good reason - everyone wants to have the upperhand.

There is one outlier to this whole system. Vertin is not only aware of the truth of this world, but also of her duty as the eyes and hands of the "Player". She must experience it all for their sake. Or rather, whatever she experiences will be the story that the Player will see.

This applies to her suitcase, the place where the Player's influence increases tenfold, bending everything and everyone to their will through her own body and voice. The longer one stays within her suitcase - or within her general vicinity - the easier it is for them to become self-aware.

How does one become "self-aware" and what does it entail?

The requirements and the catalyst for a character to become self-aware are still a mystery. But that's mostly because I specifically wanted to keep them as vague as possible, to allow some flexibility for NPCs and other characters outside of Vertin's suitcase.

The whole process of gaining sentience or self-awareness is mostly described as waking up from a nightmare, or a very, very realistic dream. It's like a switch, something that happens in a second without any warnings whatsoever.

I like to think that most of the people who wake up are easy to spot, because it's a jarring experience and panicking is the most normal reaction - but that they're often taken care of by the Foundation or recruited by Manus Vindictae.

The levels of awareness also depend heavily on each individual - some only know that nothing is truly real, that everything they've done up until that point was just a carefully scripted lie, the most basic realization. Others can understand the rules that govern this game and use them to their advantage, either through observation and study or just inherently.

Overall, the experience of being sentient varies as well, with some describing a disconnect from their body, while others feel exactly the opposite. Again, keeping it pretty vague so that people can fill in with their own ideas!

I'll talk about Vertin's case in detail when we get to her specific bullet point, but the same way the Player is able to experience the "story" through her eyes, she's able to see the same things they do - this includes the UI, the menus and everything you can interact with in-game.

Vertin as a character and a vessel for the Player.

The most common thing I've seen in self-aware AUs in my years of fandom is to turn the player stand-in (the main character that serves for the player to experience the story through and/or project onto, depending on the genre of the game) into an obstacle, one that keeps the characters from truly interacting with the Player, capital P.

The second most common thing I've seen is to simply ignore the existence of this player stand-in and replace it with the Player themself, either through isekai methods or thanks to the customization the game allows, etc etc.

When it comes to Vertin in this AU, I know I want her to retain her role as the center of everything, instead of being sidelined by the Player. She's THE Timekeeper, after all.

There's still some details I'm trying to iron out, like whether she's always been self-aware or if she became self-aware at some point during her childhood at the St. Pavlov Foundation. But I like to think that her relationship to the Player is a parallel to her immunity to the "Storm" - neither of these two things are inherently good nor bad. Surviving the "Storm" is helpful, sure, but it's painful for her. Having an entity like the "Player" haunting her is scary, sure, but it can be an advantage. It's a matter of how she utilizes the assets she was given, since her adaptability and determination are big aspects of her character. Vertin makes up for her mediocre arcane skills with unconventional plans and strategies.

But this isn't to say that Vertin isn't affected by the presence of the Player. Ironically, she's the one person whose freedom is limited. During battles, her skills and Tuning are available to you, they can also prove to be vital to win a fight, but in the end you're still the one calling the shots and choosing when her friends get to attack. You're the one choosing the layout of the Wilderness. You're the one picking which one of her friends deserves to become stronger.

In the last bullet point I mentioned that some characters can understand the rules of the game - Vertin is the most extreme case, as she can see the same UI as you do. She learns the way you like to fight your battles, your own strategies, she can see this and more.

Overall it's a very complex dynamic. It's not as easy as saying that she likes or dislikes you, that she considers you a friend or foe. You're part of her, you influence each other in many aspects and are stuck together for reasons she can't even fathom. While you may be able to read her thoughts most of the time, she becomes invisible once you enter the suitcase - the main menu of the game. Sure, the character you selected to greet you every day is actually talking to her, not you, but she's out of your view and therefore, out of our range. That's when Vertin wonders the sort of person that you are, if you care about her friends as much as she does. Are you playing just to be entertained? Are you invested in these events? Will you be there for her until the end of her story?

Another detail I like to think about is that Vertin is the only one who knows your name. Because at the very beginning, you were asked to input a name and she was there.

[screenshot was taken from this video, since it's the first one I could find that showed this specific part of the game lol]

Well, "your name" not quite right - she knows that whatever you wrote there is the name linked to your account, at least. And that's the name she knows you as.

Those who take residence in Vertin's suitcase or spend prolonged amounts of time with her, growing closer to her and all, end up becoming self-aware. This is a direct side-effect of your presence.

I like to think that characters who reach the 100% Bond can begin to sense the Player, to see the world in a similar way as Vertin does. Maybe even feel their presence EXACTLY like Vertin does whenever there's a battle. There is someone else on the other side of this screen, the fourth wall, who watches over them.

To some, it's hard to differentiate Vertin from the Player, as they just go hand in hand - but Sonetto, for example, has the easiest time telling the two apart.

On the subject of freedom and acting out of script.

The Foundation, Manus Vindictae, Laplace... It doesn't matter if they're self-aware and acting outside of what their script dictates, because they're missing one key ingredient: you. No one else but Vertin and her group knows about your existence, after all.

They don't know that the only story that matters is the one that Vertin is part of. The one that the Player gets to see and read and experience. And because the game gives you a very limited view into the lives of these characters, you don't know what neither Arcana nor Constantine do behind the scenes. You and Vertin don't see that, therefore, it never truly mattered.

Those most likely to start "acting out" are the troublemakers within Vertin's suitcase. Characters who are too curious for their own good, who are more susceptible to supernatural entities, who are just too impulsive - they would start to test the limits and see how far they can go, how much they can interact with the Player. Can the game be broken should they end up shattering the fourth wall? Is there a way for the Player to communicate with them? What will happen to Vertin?

I like to think that Vertin probably supports this, as she's rather curious herself, prone to questioning everything. She would also like to learn more about the Player, to truly tear into the game and see the full extent of your influence and her freedom.

Sometimes, Regulus and X will change their usual voicelines, just enough to be noticeable if one pays enough attention. Characters like Sotheby or Leilani might slip up and address the Player, rather than Vertin. Lilya, Pavia, Bkornblume have new animations and different expressions, ones you've never seen before - they stare ahead, as if searching for something, and then smirk or hum to themselves, deep in thought, like they realized something you're not privy of.

Sometimes, if you leave them as your selected assistant on the main menu, you can catch them muttering to themselves - idle quotes you never heard enough, about the outside world. Diggers does this the most, it's almost embarassing how easy it is to catch him talking nonsense, followed by Sonetto. If you leave Medicine Pocket alone for too long, you might come back to a screen covered in weird scratch marks.

On the subject of these characters being curious about the outside world and all, I think that a good chunk of them are generally content with the way things are?

We have to remember that in-universe, they're arcanists displaced from their respective eras. Their best chance at surviving is siding with Vertin, and if Vertin is content with the way things are, then there's no point in trying to disrupt what they have right now. They're curious enough to prod, but only as far as Vertin allows it.

And I think that's it for the word vomit!

There are some details I didn't know where to fit in, like the possibility of the fourth wall slowly dissipating the more time the Player invests in the game, leading to some characters being able to directly hear you if you talk while playing and whatnot. Or what would happen should someone outside of Vertin's suitcase figure out the existence of the Player, let alone interact with you in some way.

Or the concept of death being meaningless, unless it was pre-established by the game itself.

In Borderlands, there's this game mechanic where you can just be revived over and over and pay a percentage of your money as a fee, even though the canon that's established is that you play through the whole story without dying a SINGLE time - because the revival mechanics aren't canon. There's the divide between story and gameplay. That's pretty much the standard. But what about the deaths in battles in R1999? The amount of times I died to 1.3's UTTU's Flash Gathering is insane. How do self-aware characters feel about this, now that they know that they're bound to die over and over and be brought back because you have to do your Pneuma Analysis or reach the final stage of Limbo?

But that's pretty much it for now, I think I got most thoughts out of my system! Thank you for reading!

[lyrenminth]

JB9 request

They are divorced and have two children together, and he is jealous that she is leaving the kids at his house so she can go on a date. but the meeting was horrible, because the guy is not like Joe

This was a very specific and I had so much fun writing in. A little bit of angst at the end.

What we used to be

The decision for filing the divorce was consciously taken. It was done three years ago, while you went to a rough patch in your marriage. The decision wasn't easy, because you share two children together, and for them was equally hard to understand why mommy and daddy weren't together anymore.

One of the main reasons was after having children, you marriage went cold and dead. He was busy playing football and you were busy mothering a three years old and a nine months old. You didn't have the time to be a couple anymore.

Currently, you decided to start dating again after your friends prompted you to do so. It was difficult because you had to coordinate with Joe (now that you were co-parenting). And of course, was during the off-season because during his seasons you had the kids most of the time. On weekends you dropped the children with Robin so she would take them to the home game. It was a messy life, because you shared a lot of things as a result of the years together. Trying to get rid of Joe was impossible having children with his face and living in Cincinnati. So you made peace with that fact long ago. You got along for the children, he was kind and always asked for your opinion when included the family. And you were polite with him, but nothing else.

You send him a text. "Hey, I'm dropping the kids early this Friday. That's ok?"

Joey B: Yeah, that's ok. Are you busy on Friday?

You: Yeah, something came up. Your home or your parents'?

Joey B: My house. Everything alright?

You: everything alright

That was the last text. After that you waited earnestly for your date. You met John through friends, he seemed like a good guy. By looks, the completely opposite of Joe. John had one child already, and worked for a big company in New York but was living in Cincinnati two years now.

You thought it would be difficult if men knew who was your ex-husband because it had happened one time and it ruin the mood for everyone. Apparently, you completely fucked up or whatever. Well, John didn't know anything about football, he couldn't care less about the Superbowl and that was a pleasant surprise.

So on Friday, you drive Mackenzie and Julian to their dad's house. They were behaving well during all morning. And since it was off-season they could spent the weekend with Joe.

You parked the car, and for your surprise Joe was waiting for them outside.

"Dad!" yelled Julian, running towards Joe who was wearing pants and a hoodie. "Mom, can you help me with my backpack?" asked Mackenzie trying to open the door. You got out of the car, and help her. She made cookies for her dad, and was so happy to share.

You help her to carry the backpack until you were face to face with Joe, who was looking handsome as always.

"Daddy, I made cookies!"

"Daddy, can we play videogames?"

The children demanded attention equally, but Joe was still staring at you. Hard.

"Have I something on my face?" you asked, almost aggressively. You put some make up on and dressed in a nice dress for the occasion.

"No, you fine" he cleared his throat "Not your usual fit"

"Mommy is going on a date" Julian shout, excited. Joe's eyebrows raised, you laughed nervous.

"Well, kids behave well. Enjoy the cookies" you said trying not to look at your ex-husband. "Is that true?" he asked, he sounded kinda jealous. Maybe you were overthinking.

"Well, yes" not wanting to discuss anything further in front of the kids "Take care, Joey"

"Please, call me if you need something" he said, "Let me know you're safe"

Your heart flipped. Why he did those things before your date? Weird. You nodded, going back to the car.

John was a nice man. You were sure he was nice, just...not to you. After thirty minutes in the date he kept talking about himself and his work that you thought you were watching a TED talk. He was good looking, but soon you realize you didn't have anything in common by what he was saying. Your mind wandered to your first date with Joe, it was in a bowling alley. Things got competitive and you spent a really good time together that you hook up in your car after the date. Would you hook up with John? Nah.

"Do you need another drink?" John's voice brought you back from your wild thoughts.

"No, thank you"

"So, you told me your ex-husband was a football player, right?"

"Yes" you said cautiously "He still plays"

"And how do you get along?"

"We talked only for the kids"

"Ummm, sure" he dismissed your answer. You raised your eyebrows, astonished. "What do you mean?" you wondered.

"Nothing. I didn't tell you about this trip I'm going to make next month..." he started talking again.

Joe bought you drinks too. You loved his smile back then. Julian had the same smile actually. After getting married you had very nice dates too, but you loved to spend time at home watching movies and resolving puzzles.

The date went on, and you have to excuse yourself or would die of boredom. After the date you missed your children so much, but it was Joe's time with them. So you went to your house and waited.

On Sunday evening, you went to pick up the kids. After a couple of minutes, Joe appeared wearing shorts and a compression shirt. He looked really handsome, his sandy hair was messy, he looked younger somehow.

"Hey" you said, nervous.

"The kids are in the pool" he explained "Come in while I prepare them"

"Oh, no. I can wait in the car" you replied, pointing at your car. He looked up-and-down, and pressed his lips. You blushed like a teenager "I bet they want to see you"

"Okay" you whispered, follow him inside the house. "How was your date?" the question made you flinch. You didn't remember John at all. "Umm, it was good"

I was bored as hell, and thinking about you. How pathetic.

Silence. By the way he was looking at you, he didn't believe you either. You reach the kitchen and he offered something to drink and you decline. "Are you going to the OTAs early this year?" you wondered, hearing music and the children screams outside.

"No, I'm going to spend time with the kids" you nodded, pleased. Joe was a great father, you never doubted that.

You locked eyes, and your stomach made weird things. His eyes softened, and he got closer to you.

"Y/N can we talk about us?" he requested.

"What?" you were in panic mode "About what?"

"The divorce. I thought were struggling but I never listen to you" he said, seriously "Until you fill in the papers" Your heart sank. His lips were still pressed, the wrinkles on his forehead let you know he was stressed too. "I feel like we never had the time to stop and think what we're doing" he said softly.

The bump in your throat didn't let you speak properly. You tried anyway. "I try to speak to you, Joey. I tried to do many things to save our marriage. It didn't work, you were focused on football, and I felt utterly alone" you wipe a treacherous tear "We weren't a couple anymore. I didn't have a partner"

"Mommy! Daddy!" Julian got into the house all wet and hugged you. "Do you want to see how I jump into de pool?"

"Julian, mommy is here to pick you up" Joe explained "Go and tell your sister" Julian nodded and went happily to his sister. Joe attention was on you again. "We should speak about this with more time"

"Why? Are you trying to marry me again?" you joked frustrated he wasn't listening again. "Yes, I never wanted a divorce" he replied ardently. The confession hit you. "Then, why did you fill the divorce?"

"Because I was scared..." the footsteps didn't let him finish "I'll send you a message, please"

You left Joe's house confused and heartbroken. Even though, you couldn't avoid the hope growing in your chest.

Let me know if you want a second part. I think it would be cool.

[obeymeasks]

Ok, for the x reader requests

Brothers finding out that Reader's biggest fear is demons? Maybe a few months into the exchange program, after they're friends/dating, it just comes up someway and MC's just like "oh yeah I'm terrified of yall"

Like, nothing in particular caused that, they were just always scared, even before the exchange program.

Ty :) also drink water

haha this is cute! thanks for the request, please enjoy~~

Lucifer

Lucifer would have already gathered from your reactions/side comments/looks of terror that demons were one of your fears. In fact, he would definitely use it to tease you until you realize that he knows. And even when you find out that your fear is revealed, he wouldn't stop. Maybe it's because he knows that, despite the fright, you care deeply about them all.

Mammon

When you casually mention to Mammon that you've always been scared of demons, he tries to act like he knew all along. Of course he didn't, but it's fun to watch him try to act tough and scary. Still, you notice that after that point, he gets a bit more protective of you - pulling you closer when you two are walking around the Devildom.

Leviathan

Levi doesn't bother to take his eyes off his videogame when you mention your fear of demons. Instead, he kind of huffs out a laugh, and asks why you would be scared of them, since most demons are 'super lame'. You laugh along with him, and go back to playing your game.

Asmodeus

"Is that so, dear?" Asmo asks as he brushes your hair back. You had just confided in him after a rather difficult day that your fear of demons has been acting up lately with all the walking you have to do alone to and from the Academy. When you tell him, he immediately drops his lip balm and hair brush, grabbing your hands and consoling you. He tells you that that won't do, that you're too beautiful to feel anything but confident as you're strutting through the streets of the Devildom. After his comments have you laughing off your worries, you two go back to your spa day.

Satan

You had planned to tell Satan about your fear of demons later in the day when you two were going on a picnic date. It had been something you were meaning to tell him for a while, as your anxieties truly flared up when Satan would get angry at his brothers, start screaming, and turn into his demon form. You knew that if you told him about your fear, he would try to act more reasonable around you, but you just kept putting it off, worried that he may get angry, or yell at you or make a rude comment. But when a stray cat ran up to him, and he crouched down with the brightest smile on his face, petting the kitty as it purred under his hand, you knew that he had a truly good heart, and that your fears were unwarranted.

Beelzebub

Beelzebub nodded intently when you mentioned to him that you had always found demons terrifying. It had just casually come up in your conversation, but he had immediately started listening when you broached the subject. With a look of sadness in his eyes, he told you that he was sorry if he ever scared you, and even when you told him that he didn't, he promised to always protect you and treat you gently. Then, he asked if you wanted a bite of his chips.

Belphegor

Belphie chuckled to himself when you told him you found demons scary, almost as if it was a joke. "Really?" he asked, and when you nodded seriously, he leaned in closer, his sleepy eyes and crooked smile calming you. "We aren't that scary, you know. Most of us are pretty stupid, anyway. I mean, you've met my brothers." You two laughed, and he grabbed your hand as your worries drifted away.

[acaplaya-musings]

Voiceplay Visuals - Party Of Your Lifetime

Man I'm so happy to have one more video to visually dissect and delve into before the year ends! I really do enjoy making these posts!

VoicePlay's cover of Party Of Your Lifetime was released on the 13th of December, 2024 (or the 14th of December if you live somewhere like New Zealand, or Australia like myself). This was done in collaboration with the developers of the videogame Warframe, who reached out to VoicePlay after seeing and loving their cover of Sleeping In The Cold Below, another Warframe song. This song, however, is not a space shanty like SitCB was, but instead a song "performed" by the in-universe 90s-style boy band "On Lyne", whom VoicePlay are basically portraying for this video!

Many other things to say, (and if you wanna wanna hear my thoughts on just the vocals/arrangement/music, go HERE), but it's time for me to rewatch the video and start grabbing screenshots! Lets Get Into This!

I wasn't prepared for the "ad" at the start, ngl 😂

(Also in case you don't know the On Lyne band members, Geoff is Zeke (and Zeke is Geoff), Eli is Packet, Layne is Harddrive, Omar is DJ RoM, and Cesar is Drillbit)

"BIG BYTES PIZZAAAA!" (god they're such dorks, I love them)

Actually I might as well spend a bit of time talking about their clothing now, since there's gonna be even more costuming (and makeup) stuff to talk about quite shortly.

Geoff is wearing a key around his neck again! (Idk whether it's got any story significance or just meant to be a 90s fashion thing, but this is like the third or fourth time Geoff has worn a key necklace for a video if you count both VoicePlay's channel and his). Eli's got glasses on again! (First time since 2022 if you don't count Jingle Bell Rock or the Jump In The Line Mini). Also I like Cesar's necklace! (It's part of the character look)

(Also I kinda love the "a memory in every byte/bite" tagline)

I'm a little sad that the CDs they're using have the original On Lyne visual graphics, i.e. before Zeke's design got updated (to look more like Geoff), but oh well.

...I'm Sure It's Fine. Nothing to worry about, guys!

(Also fun fact: part of that was done in editing of course, but part of that was also just done by Kathy off to the side flicking the light switch off and on again! 😆)

Now we get to the bit that was seen in the teaser video! (And man I hope I don't hit image limit!)

It does bug me just a tiny bit that there are four spotlights in the back and not five, but oh well, teensy nitpick, it's not really that big of a deal.

Actually, while I'm talking about lights, I gotta shoutout Eli as usual, but also a guy by the name of Anthony Baldwin for both working on lighting design!

Lights up! I'll get to costuming again in a moment, but let's talk about set design!

I didn't actually fully register it until I was watching the BTS, but the floor is wet! (Or like a thin layer of water mopped over it anyway). Like with VP's Running Up That Hill video, it gives a cool (and even creepy/otherworldly) vibe to the scene thanks to the reflection effect, but I guess it also helps with some of the footwork, like doing easy spins and stuff (but be careful not to slip!)

There's also empty pizza boxes strewn around (shoutout to Kathy for doing a lot of work with those!), and there's even a metal lighting rig(?) thing at the back left of the shot that's tipped over in a way that implies that stuff has been wrecked!

(Oh boy getting clear screenshots from this is gonna be a Challenge huh).

Okay so like all of the guys' outfits are visibly dirtier and "tattier" than they were in the intro clip (more indication of whatever infection/infestation they've fallen victim to). But like while the others have clothes that are like moth-eaten, or have small holes, or rips in the hem and sleeves and stuff, Mister Geoffrey Castellucci has now had his shirt ripped open all the way down to his midriff/stomach area. I literally had to pause a couple of times to be like "wait are my eyes deceiving me?" No. No they were not. (definitely a "new record" for a YouTube video!)

Anyway the design thing on his forehead is cool, if you look past the fact that it makes it look like he's got no eyebrows!

Oooh I like this shot. Also maybe the four background spotlights are alright after all without needing a fifth.

This video was directed by both Layne and Tony (Tony helped out a lot with choreography and stage direction during the shoot), and Layne also did the arrangement for this one (though Eli is also credited with "additional arranging", funnily enough)

Even when infected/infested, Cesar continues to slay! Love the lipstick, love the fishnet arm thing! Also his left eye looks kinda purple in this shot and I'm guessing it's just the lighting, but it could be a contact lens, idk

Look how cool Eli looks! He had a relatively simple outfit compared to the other guys, but I guess that just means more to work with for the "post-transformation" stage! Look at the things on his shirt! (Claws? Plant tendrils? Alien things? Idk!) And the designs on his head!

Here's where I give credit where credit is due to Rick Underwood and Renette Feren, but also a woman named Jacqueline Coleman, as all three of them helped with makeup and prosthetics for this one! And of course Rick and Renette always do a stunning job.

The very first hint that any of us got pertaining to what VoicePlay was up to was when Omar posted on his Insta story when he was getting this makeup/face stuff put on him! Some people thought it looked kinda dragon-y, and yeah it still does! Like half a face of dragon scales! Cool!

Cool brief black-and-white "glitch" with distortion effect!

Okay but why does that picture low-key have such a vibe to it honestly

And can't forget a couple shots of Layne! He's got a kinda sorta "dragon-scales" thing on his face too, but yellow and wrapping from one cheek to another, up over his forehead (and blocking his eyebrows like with Geoff's face thing)

Oh I like that shot actually

(He's not getting a "he's so pretty" for this one, but I will give a heart emoji! 💜)

"DJ spins the track!"

Eli going over to Layne as Layne imitates being a "disc jockey" and doing the kinda record-scratch movements was honestly kinda cute? Also funny because the "DJ" of the group is DJ RoM, who's being portrayed by Omar, but of course Layne is your best bet for being able to make all those turntable noises by himself!

Omar does a very smooth spin on "the boys are in sync...", and in fact you can briefly see a bit of water 'splash' out from his feet as he does so!

A better shot of the side of Cesar's face! Also lighting colour change for the bridge(?) section!

Omar still has his portable CD player that he had in the intro clip, love that.

Also this is a better shot of some of the dirt, rips, and tears in some of the guys' clothing (but no one got a super low v-neck except Geoff, pfft)

...Alright fine, he's so pretty!!

I guess once you've seen videos like Thriller and Classical Chaos and Kidnap The Sandy Claws and stuff, makeup looks like this really aren't too hard to "get used to". (Also is it weird of me to say that the yellow-green stuff on his forehead kinda brings out his eyes a little bit?)

(And I can tell by the glimpse of the two necklace chains I see here that Geoff is, as always, still wearing the necklace that he always wears as well as the key necklace! <3)

Okay that's definitely a coloured contact lens

Does this count as an old-timey video effect? I think it does - I'm gonna have to start a running tally for VoicePlay videos honestly (and/or an idea for a new screenshot compilation maybe?)

Wait is Geoff doing air bass guitar?

And the screen closes back in for the end pose! (Also rip Geoff being the one most in shadow)

And that's Party Of Your Lifetime! Honestly it's just a really fun video with a really upbeat, energetic song, and I'm so happy for VoicePlay that they got this cool opportunity! They deserve all the recognition and more!

Got plenty more stuff lined up for this blog before Christmas, but in terms of visual analysis, that's it till January at earliest! Until next time!

[reactionimagesdaily]

REACTION IMAGES BLOG PATCH NOTES (aka the 10k follower celebrations got out of hand)

Hey everyone!

So it's been a hot minute since I announced that we passed 10,000 followers on here! I'm sure... well, I'm actually sure that most people won't be TOO fussed either way, but I did say I was gonna do some stuff, and I wanna stick to my word if nothing else xD

So! Let the celebrations begin! Firstly, I'm announcing a new QnA (I love those things) that'll last,,,, I'll say 2 weeks and go from there. Feel free to ask me about whatever you want!! If you want to cater to me specifically, my current big interests are Baldur's Gate 3, Cyberpunk 2077, Mass Effect, and uuuuh Halo. (Also Bionicle remains a constant.) (Lots of scifi videogame stuff at the moment...)

[IK there's still some stuff in the inbox I need to answer/respond to you - I promise I'll get to those as well <3 thank you so much for your patience, if you've been waiting]

Secondly, here's a new song cover! IDK how many of you have played the game Divinity: Original Sin 2, but here's me singing Lohse's song; Sing For Me.

Thirdly: here's a new gimmick blog! I Was Not Joking. (Though, for my sanity, it's gonna be weekly instead of daily.) I'll be posting the images I have saved in my folder called 'feral screenshots' - it'll basically be a collection of cursed images/images with strange auras. I wanna say y'all know the ones, but if you don't, then here's an example of what we're dealing with:

[Image ID: a person floating in a rubber ring in a swimming pool. On their head is what looks like a life-size Lego head.]

Introduciiiiing the Weekly Weird Images blog!

And Fourthly! It is my great pleasure to announce that we're adding alt text to all the images on this blog! Sorry it took so long to get round to T_T

And yes - I do mean we! To write out all the alt text for these images, I've on-boarded minion-in-chief/court jester aplomb @tizzytinkertilly! I (the reaction images guy) will still be handling every other part of the blog - she'll just be doing that bit. For the sake of my sanity xD

This is kind of a big change - both the addition of alt text, and the fact that this blog is no longer a single-person operation - so for the foreseeable future, the queue's been tweaked so that we only post 2 images a day instead of 4. (Fun fact! 2 images a day was the original MO of this blog, and then covid happened and I was like "I'll make it 4 a day because it'll be a nice thing to do for everyone while they're miserable in this pandemic :)" and then I never stopped (although you could argue that the pandemic never stopped either).) Maybe if/when we fall into a good routine and feel like we can do more, we can bump the rate of images back up, but right now this is a teething phase and I'm keen to slow things down for a little bit. :P (Tumblr has made some WEIRD mechanical choices for group blogs, I'll be honest.)

And, uh, yeah, that's all! Let the QnA begin- Hope y'all enjoy the song cover- Hope y'all enjoy the additional blog- A big welcome to Tinks and to alt text! Happy 10k followers, everybody!

[ryuichirou]

Is there any Styx headcanons for the six overblot boys? I would do one ship ask for that hcs but couldn't pick much so have six of them together.

Anon! Sorry for the late reply.

Even though there aren’t a lot of characters there and it shouldn’t have taken this long, I wasn’t sure how to approach this list but also really didn’t want to skip it?? I think it ended up being partially about the six overblot boys in general or with each other, and partially about their interactions with the Styx staff. Some are more neutral, but some are surprisingly specific lol

Thank you for your patience, and I hope you like it.

Riddle – kind of post-Styx so idk if it counts?? But he really wants to continue playing videogames at least sometimes after experiencing them for the first time, and he really wants to ask either Idia or Ortho or, god forbid, Azul or Floyd, but every single option is bad. In result, he just looks longingly whenever Ace or Deuce play anything, waiting for someone to suggest him join them, so he could refuse, act like he is above it, but still sit down and play.

Leona – despite constantly complaining about wanting to sleep and “falling asleep”, Leona didn’t sleep at all during the whole Styx thing. He was just listening to whatever everyone was talking about… and contemplating the fact that Ortho basically called him a cute little kitty cat lol which affected Leona more than it should have.

Azul – the moment he was left alone in his room after an entire day of testing and all kinds of stress, the frustration seriously hit him: he couldn’t believe he was so close to a person of such high and powerful status and knew nothing about it. He misdirected his frustration at Idia at first, cursing him in his mind, but then started thinking about how powerful of an alliance they could have… in short, he ended up thinking about Idia and him getting married, and had a dream so sweet and nice that he woke up with drool all over his face.

Jamil – he is probably having the best time out of everyone here. Of course, he is super worried about Kalim, but at the same time for some reason he isn’t…? He’s just chilling. He even entertained the idea of joining Styx because a lot of their technology looks pretty convenient, and it would probably make separation from the Asim family possible… but ah no, I guess joining Styx would mean he won’t be able to travel, so he still ends up losing his freedom. Whatever then. Also, there is one staff member who got a crush on Jamil, but this isn’t surprising at all.

Vil – there are some Vil stans in Styx… there also are people who aren’t necessarily Vil stans, but enjoy being close to a celebrity. As the result, some of the staff ended up taking advantage of his vulnerable state and watching through a lot of his private memories. This violates Styx regulations, but if no one finds out, it’s all good right? Ah yes, some of them also stole Vil’s underwear.

Idia – he is kind of disappointed that Azul didn’t like his super quick shower thing. He thought that Azul, who appreciates efficiency over anything, would appreciate how quick and effective it is. What also got him a bit annoyed is the fact that Azul has some gaming experience and he didn’t tell him >:(

Ortho – since he probably has full access to every camera in Styx, he could’ve easily peeked at whatever the overlbotted boys were doing alone in their rooms. He even thought that it would be a fun idea: to see who’s watching anime, who’s just sleeping, maybe someone’s being naughty! >:3c But as we all know, Ortho had a lot of other things to do and to think about that day…

[samandmaxmansionplay]

Mansion Play hiatus + discussion of story

If you didn’t know, this project is currently on hold due to the fact that I’m making my own videogame, unrelated to Sam&Max. In fact, I have a lot of different projects I want to work on, and there is also the fact that I have a personal life, so you can see why Mansion Play might take a very long time for its release. This was always a project made for fun, and it is not abandoned forever, I would like to come back to it from time to time, and maybe one day I’ll have something worth showing.

However, it’s true that there is a lot I would like to talk about this ‘game’, and I tried not to talk about it too much when a closer release was possible. But now that it isn’t, I think I would like to discuss a lot of the ideas, events, characters, ect I have for this game. There will be spoilers ahead, but nothing too big, I won’t reveal who the murderer is or a bunch of other twists, but I will still talk a lot about the story, show a couple of art I’ve drawn and a bunch of the script!

This will be long, but I’m excited to talk a lot. Enjoy!

-Early Development

Mansion Play was my idea for how Sam&Max would handle a murder mystery, I thought it was an extremely fun idea and I’m still surprised they’ve never done it before. I had a lot of very clear ideas since the beginning. I knew I wanted the murder to take place in a glamorous party with celebrities and rich people and I knew I wanted the story to take place in a snowy day, which is why one of the first decisions I made was to give Max a more blue-ish white than usual.

I always liked the idea that the cancelled Sam&Max game ‘Freelance Police’ had, that it had a lot of minigames that made the story flow better. The telltale games tried to do that a couple of times, but it was clearly not the same. A big idea for this game was to revive that concept, aside from the usual puzzles, you would have to go through the occasional minigame to progress the story. It’s one of the reason why this game is called ‘Mansion Play’! Just not all…

I and many others were big fans that the Devil’s Playhouse let you play as Max, so this ‘game’ was going to present a Max feature as well, but only on certain rooms. He doesn’t have psychic powers, he’s kind of useless, but we love him for that!

Overall the idea I had for this game was very vague, but it started to develop further and further and I really liked where it was going. I decided who the murderer was very very early on, it was not a last minute decision, it could not be someone else other than that character and the moment I came up with that idea I was so excited to continue with this project.

(^ actual notes I wrote.)

-The Characters

The game features new side characters and tons of NPCs. These are a bunch of them!

They will help you with puzzles, with the mystery or maybe they won’t and they just give you a bunch of fun dialogue.

But then there is the secondary characters, who have a lot of protagonism and are very important for the story and mystery.

One of the characters has a fun game mechanic, and that’s the fashion designer, who is enjoys reading murder mysteries and would like to solve this one just for fun. She features an Ace Attorney-like mechanic where you can present her objects and she can tell you something about them, or even reveal something you hadn’t seen before.

-Mansion and Game Structure

The game is divided in the different parts of the mansion you can explore, although the game does allow you to walk around freely most of the time.

The mansion is very luxurious but seems to have a lot of toys laying around as well, given the fact that Manny Money, the owner of the mansion, is also the owner of a big Toy company, which is the reason why he’s so rich in the first place.

In the different areas, there is an important character you’ll need to interrogate, but they won’t let you interrogate them that easily, you have to earn it!

Aside from that, there are a lot of secret rooms, some you will need to find to progress the story, others you can find if you want, to learn more about the sam&max mansion play lore.

The game starts outside the mansion and you proceeds to a couple of different areas: the entrance, the main party room, the restaurant and even a kid’s play area. Then a murder happens, whoops, and now it’s time to explore the rest of the mansion!

You start with the Casino/VIP play area. There you will find the capitalist pig character, who is too distracted playing poker and having a good time to waste his time with you two.

Then you will go to the Pool/Aquarium area. There you will find the fish character, they are very anxious and you need to find a way to calm them down.

Then you will go to the library/computer area, you want to talk to the fashion designer character but it seems she has questions for you too. She is a reporter after all, nevermind if it’s for a fashion magazine.

After that you go to the theater area, to talk to the theatrical skeleton supervillain character. But he wants to enjoy some good theater, you shouldn’t bother him, he has minions and a gun. You should find another way to convince him to talk.

After that well… a lot happens! Keep exploring the mansion, maybe the mystery will start to make more sense. Or maybe it will make less sense, which means you’re doing a good job!

Aside from the mansion. Each chapter begins with a short flashback with Sam and Max as kids! It will make sense later.

-The Demo

Maybe I can’t talk much about the rest of the game… but I think we can talk about the first chapter! In fact, I would like to summarize it. I want to share some of the story already, I don’t mind if it’s just the beginning. There will be spoilers though!

You have seen the opening already. (And if you haven’t, here it is!)

After that you already know (another video!) that you need to convince the body guard that you’re totally one of the guests of the list. You collect a bat in the process. After that, you enter the mansion! You get to briefly talk to a woman with a gossip podcast and to one of the butlers of the mansion.

---

Sam: This sure is a nice party, huh?

Gossip Lady: Oh, you bet! I can’t believe how fast Manny Money has organized it despite the short time… and the break up, and his company crashing and burning as we speak… I guess he really needed this party, huh?

Sam: You know normally my partner and I go through a dialogue tree and a tedious amount of object hunting to get the information we need, but you’re just giving us those unfortunate news about Mr Money like an old classmate in a highschool reunion.

Gossip Lady: What can I say? That’s my job.

Gossip Lady: By the way, did you know Mr Money is actually 46 years old? A whole. year. older. than what he says he is!

Max: Scandalous!

Gossip Lady: I know right?

---

You go use the elevator (or the stairs, in Max’s case) and arrive to a hallway. Suddenly, the capitalist pig shows up and shoves Max out of the way, what a jerk.

---

Sam: You okay, Max?

Max: I will be when I break that guy’s legs!

Pig: Mhm? Oh I’m sorry, I’d say that was an accident…

Pig: But it wasn’t! I just like pushing people inferior than me!

Max: Well how about I push YOU down the stairs?!

Pig: Hah! I’d never use such a commoner thing like the stairs! Good luck trying to push me off a high class elevator, though. Now, I must leave, I hope you think about this experience tonight, crying helps you fall asleep easier!

Max: Grr!!

Sam: Just ignore him, Max, I’m sure that guy will get enough punishment in the afterlife

Max: I’ll gladly help him get there as soon as possible.

---

You walk down the hallway, there are two doors: the kid’s area and the main party area. But outside the kid’s area there is a kid playing with an electric toy car. The toy works with a mic, which you might need later. For now, you talk to the kid and find out he’s Manny’s nephew. And he’s a jerk too!

---

Max: Sam, I normally love kids who are massive jerks. Why do I wish for this kid to fall down the stairs?

Sam: He’s rich, Max.

---

You make your way to the main party room, and you see all of the main characters having… a conversation? Not a super pleasant one, though. Here shines the personality of each one of them.

---

Manny: It’s about time you show up. I was starting to get excited you were not coming!

Pig: Ohohoho, Manny, your attempts to embarrass me in front of so many people are pathetic, even if it’s working.

Manny: Forgive me, old friend, I know you’re not good at comebacks

Pig: … Heh.

Manny: Before you interrupted us, we were having a bit of a predicament. I was wondering if someone else would like to give a speech by my side.

Mysterious Woman: Why would you want that?

Manny: It’s yearly event, dear! We are all busy important people, when is the last chance we’ve gotten a chance to all meet together?

Mysterious Woman: Don’t call me ‘dear’.

*Skull shows up* Skull: What is this I heard about a speech?

Manny: Ah, hi Skull…

Skull: I would love to join you, Manny! You know I love a good audience. I give speeches all the time to my enemies- That is to say, to my business clients.

Manny: Right.

Manny: That is… so kind of you-

*Fashion designer shows up* Fashion designer: Mr Money, hi, can I have a few questions?

Manny: Oh! Is this an interview? I’m great at those too! Gossip magazines love me, I’m great at creating conflict, right Mr Pig?

Fashion designer: No, fashion magazine. So, what are you wearing? Tell us.

Manny: Ah. Well, a… beautiful expensive blue suit.

Fashion designer:…

Fashion designer: Mr Money do you know anything about fashion?

Mysterious Lady: He doesn’t.

Manny: Ah! Hahahah! You got me! I suppose this old man knows more about kids toys.

Fashion designer: It seems he does, yes.

---

Manny then reveals that this is going to be his last party! But why? Oh well, it seems his mic is broken and can’t make his speech, so if you want to talk to him you might need to help him out with that. But before that, you have characters to talk to! Like a talking goat that just became a millionaire for winning last week’s lottery, a fun music band that is excited to play in a billionare’s party for the first time and both the fashioner designer and the fish characters!

---

> Magazine

Sam: This is a big party, a good opportunity for your magazine, right?

Fashion designer: Yeah I guess, but it’s all what I expect… I wish there was something interesting in this party this year…

Max: Like what? A robbery? Oooh or maybe someone stealing some celebrity’s jewelry, creating a big commotion!

Fashion designer: That’d be cool.

Max: We can make it happen if you ask us to!

Sam: Maybe later, Max.

Max: Ooooh what if there is a murder?!

Sam: Don’t scare the nice lady, Max. Forgive him, he’s always like this, so I’ll keep him away for a while-

Fashion designer: No, that’d be cool too! You know a bit gruesome, I would not want to see the body, but I’ve read a couple of mystery books lately so you know, it’d be a fun coincidence, I guess.

Max: Let’s cross our fingers and wish really really hard!

Fashion designer: Looking forward to it!

Sam: As long as it isn’t me, sure.

Both Max and Fashion designer, at the same time: Spoilsport.

> Manny Money

Sam: How much do you know about Manny Money?

Fashion designer: As much as anyone. He inherited his father’s toy company, the company was successful for years but lately it’s getting close to bankruptcy and for whatever reason Manny keeps making more and more toys, even if it will probably be his downfall. Really weird, but I do like the company’s mascot, it’s cute.

Sam: Well, we didn’t know any of that.

Fashion designer: ...

Max: Stop giving her perfect set-ups for insults, Sam

Fashion designer: It’s fine, I won’t say anything.

Max: To our faces.

Fashion designer: Yeah, you might not want to check my magazine this week.

----

> Life of a celebrity

Sam: How is it like being a celebrity?

Fish: Stressful.

Sam: Yeah, I guess most jobs are.

Fish: Most things are for me.

Sam: But it’s worth it if you have fame right?

Fish: Oh no, I don’t really like being famous.

Max: What? I always thought the main objective was fame! And the ability to be a complete jerk with no consequences!

Fish: Not me, I just really enjoy acting. And making fans happy is nice too… I’m not great at talking with fans but I’m not that good at talking to crowds in general. I’m just glad to inspire people or make them feel emotions with my performance.

Sam: That’s nice, kid.

Max: If I was famous I would ask my fans to make an altar of me and pray every night to give me enough power to become a god.

Fish: W… why?

Max: I need to have something to do after I retire!

Sam: See? It’s a good thing he’s not a celebrity.

Fish: Maybe.

---

You leave the room and ask Manny’s nephew to lend you his mic, but the kid won’t share. They both enter the kids area, and there are a bunch of kids really really bored. It seems like the entertainer is not here, apparently his suit burst into flames or something, so you feel kind of bad for the kids. Maybe you might be able to help each other. They ask you to bring them a bag of candy that is in the kitchen and they will help you with the toy car problem, they hate Manny’s nephew anyway.

When you go back to the hallway to take the elevator, suddenly you see Pig grumbling something to himself about Manny. Weird.

You make your way to the kitchen, there are a couple of NPCs here as well: a grumpy but passionate chef, a celebrity couple that really do not want anyone to know that they are dating (but they totally are), an influencer girl too busy with her phone to talk to you, a kind bartender man and a sad depressed horse. It seems like Mysterious Lady and Skull are here as well.

You try to enter the kitchen, but the chef is strict, if he thinks his food is not ready then it’s not ready, you don’t rush art! You might need to find a way to enter the kitchen without him noticing but how?

---

> We don’t care.

Sam: You’ve got it wrong, we didn’t mean to bother you or find out about your relationship

Celebrity man: W-what relationship?

Celebrity woman: Wait, you’re not paparazzis?

Sam: Huh? Why would you think that?

Celebrity woman: You keep interrogating people and picking random objects. That’s what paparazzis do.

Sam: No no, we’re detectives!

Max: And we’re nobodies! We have no one to tell gossip to. Except each other. Hey Sam, did you hear? These two might be a couple!

Sam: No way…

> So are you two together?

Sam: So are you really dating?

Celebrity man: *sigh* Yes, but it’s meant to be a secret. I’m sorry, honey…

Celebrity woman: It’s fine, I was nervous too, I would have probably panicked too!

Celebrity man: *gasp* Sweetie…

Celebrity woman: Honey…

Celebrity woman: Um… platonic honey!

Max: Platonic honey should be a thing.

----

> The chef

Sam: Do you know the chef personally?

Bartender: Yeah, you could say I do.

Sam: How much do you know?

Bartender: Well, I’m married to him.

Max: That doesn’t answer the question!

Bartender: I know plenty about him.

Max: That’s better!

Bartender: Why? What is he up to right now?

> Candy.

Sam: A bunch of kids have asked for the bag of candy in the kitchen, but your husband seems to have strict rules about the kitchen.

Bartender: Oh yes, he is extremely passionate about his culinary job. Which I find endearing, since I’m passionate about mixology.

Sam: I bet dinner time in your home must always be paradise

Bartender: I don’t like to brag. But yes.

Max: One time I tried to make Sam dinner and the food became sentient

Sam: I appreciated the gesture, little buddy.

---

Skull: Gah! You two!

Sam: You know us too?

Max: Wow, two guests in total! It’s a new record

Skull: What are you doing here?!

Sam: Well, technically we’re only here for a mission. But we should probably tell people that we’re just regular invited guests.

Skull: Ugh, unbelievable… Well… Even though we share a deep rivalry… For the sake of the guests and this party, we should postpone our personal missions with our destinies. For now, we are but strangers sharing a nice evening, but don’t believe this will last. For next day, we’ll be back from the very beginning.

Sam: … Huh?

Max: What’s your name again?

Skull: Hah. Very good, you’re already in character! Anyway, strangers, you’re bothering us, please leave.

Max: Wait, we haven’t said anything yet!

> Manny’s friends?

Sam: We don’t really know much but in some way you seem to know Manny.

Skull: Manny and I have met in plenty of occasions. We both have a large amount of wealth, we both have our own companies, … Things we have in common brought us together, so in a way, you could say we are friends. Although I prefer the term ‘business partners’. Our accompanies are completely unrelated from each other though, I just simply prefer the business title.

Sam: Fascinating. What about you, mam?

Mysterious Lady: …

Mysterious Lady: Yes, I know him.

Sam: …

Sam: Great, thanks.

---

You find out that the chef always gets distracted by a good performance, especially a singing performance. He appreciates other people’s art, but it has to be good! So now you have to find someone that can give a good performance, you start asking around, but you might need the help of the gossip lady to know whose celebrity here is really good at singing.

Sam and Max can perform a song together, it would be a silly optional minigame, but the chef is not impressed. You can also ask Skull to perform and he will read a chapter of his memoirs. It’s quite impressive to everyone except the chef.

---

Sam: That didn’t work at all.

Max: Well it certainly wasn’t for the lack of talent, I almost weep like a baby watching that!

Sam: Yeah, as overdramatic as he is, I feel like a different person after watching that.

Max: Me too! If I didn’t know I like men already, he would have definitely made me realize it!

Sam: I can see that.

Max: We should buy his book! Or at least wait for the movie adaptation!

---

You go talk to the gossip lady, she shares a couple of interesting information about the main celebrities of the story. You find out that the mysterious lady is a famous singer, so you go ask her to sing. She doesn’t seem to want to. But suddenly, all the lights start flickering and the floor starts trembling a little. But just in a couple of seconds, it stops. What was that? Everyone seem a little scared and suddenly the mysterious woman gets on stage and starts performing, to calm everyone down. The chef goes out, he seems to love the performance! Now it’s your chance, you take the candy and go back to give it to the kids. The kids are happy but still bored, so you get a little cute scene of Sam and Max playing with them. After that they all go right next to Manny’s nephew and the kids take his toy car and threw it off the window. Now he has no toy car to play with so you get the mic!

---

Nephew: My- my toy!!!!!

Kids: There you go!

Sam: We could have done that ourselves.

Max: No way, his uncle would have sued us.

Kids: Yeah! So you’re welcome!

Sam: Thanks kids, you are the true life of the party.

---

After that, the entertainer shows up, with another entertainer following. One of them seems to be extremely energetic, the other one is really tired. They give you a map of the mansion as a thanks for taking care of the kids while they were gone. Now it’s time to give Manny the mic!

… Then when you are back, a butler gives Manny a new mic. However, Manny noticed all the effort you did for him, so he wants to thank you! He offers you to go on stage with him for his big speech. And well… I’ll just let the script talk for this final part.

Manny: I wanted to give a speech with someone tonight, but alas, all my friends have left me… Why don’t you two join me instead?

Sam: Uum… are you sure? I mean, this is a pretty important event and you wouldn’t want Max to say something inappropriate that would disturb or disgust your guests.

Max: Yeah!

Manny: Just one of you two is fine, and I suppose you’re right, not all my guests have as good of a sense of humor as I do, hahah! Sam, right? I’d love to have you there with me!

Sam: Oh, I don’t do well with crowds…

Max: Come on, Sam, just imagine everyone naked or something.

Sam: I’m kind of used to that with you as my partner. Manny: Oh oh! It’s starting! Come on, Mr Sam!

Sam: Oh brother…

- All the guests gather in the party room, Sam and Manny are at the top of the stairs. Max is in the crowd and is soon joined by the Fashion Designer. -

Fashion Designer: Oh hey

Max: Hi!

Fashion Designer: You got that mic in the end?

Max: Yeah, but- eh, we shouldn’t have bothered. Sam just likes puzzles too much

Fashion Designer: …

Fashion Designer: Say, be honest…

Fashion Designer: Have you been on this mansion before?

Max: Huh? No, it’s the first time Sam and I have ever been here

Fashion Designer: Okay then, have you been here on your own?

Max: I don’t really go anywhere without Sam, so, no. Why?

Fashion Designer: …

Fashion Designer: I have a friend who thinks they saw you last year.

Max: Mmm… Oh! It was probably that rich guy that looks like me!

Fashion Designer: … I don’t think so.

Max: Um…

Fashion Designer: Sorry, I’m a reporter, I’m just curious about things.

Max: But you’re a fashion reporter.

Fashion Designer: Yeah, so?

Max: You ask strange questions, but I like you!

Manny: Good evening, everyone!

-We switch back to Manny and Sam.-

Manny: Thank you for coming once again to my annual party. Seeing all of this support is what motivates me to make each year better than the last!

-audience cheers-

Manny: This year I’m joined by a new friend, Sam!

Sam: Um… hi.

-audience remains silent-

Max, in the audience: Woooo!! That’s my best friend!!

Manny: Sam and his friend helped me, a complete rich stranger, in a time where I needed it, even when my closest friends were not there for me.

Pig: [Bleep] you, Manny.

Manny: Hahah! But back to my guest. Sam! How did you find the solution to the broken microphone?

Sam: We made a kid cry.

Audience: …

Max, in the audience: Just kidding! I don’t know this guy!

Sam: Mhm.

Manny: Ohohoho! Splendid! What a hilarious guy, right everyone?

-audience cheers-

Manny: But now I wanted to get serious for a second… Everyone, these events have always meant a lot to me. They have helped me through rough times, they have helped me disconnect from all my hard work. Lately it’s been especially difficult, you’ve probably heard some bad news about my toy business.

I don’t know what’s going to happen, but I for one, I’m not scared. Folks, it’s possible that this might be my last party, but not for this reason I want to end things on a sad note

This is not the end, but merely a new beginning.

-The audience gets emotional, some seem to be crying, probably fake tears but who cares. They all give a polite clap.-

Manny: So what do you say, everyone? Let’s have one last joyful party! And let’s find out together, what the next chapter of Manny Money’s life will be like!

-Suddenly, you hear a strange sound. Sam and Manny look up, but before Sam can react, Manny pushes Sam out of the way. Something has fallen from the ceiling. The screen turns to black.-

Max: Sam!

-Max makes his way to the top of the stairs-

Max: Are you okay?!

Sam: Yeah, I’m fine.

Max: Phew that’s good. Sam: But I don’t think Manny... Mr Money are you okay…?

-We see that Manny’s body is laying inert under a big chandelier lamp.-

Sam and Max: …

Max: Well… this is bad, right?

---

And that’d be the end of the demo!

-Conclusion

Hope you enjoyed reading this! This is a very fun project that I wish to continue someday, and I will! For now, let’s hope we get an actual real new Sam&Max game one of these days (that isn’t VR this time).

[zankagi]

hey!! i've been thinking about a specific kyman scenario that i wanted to share here. i lowkey suck at speaking english so sorry if there are terrible grammar mistakes teehe. also, it's not really organized because i literally thought of this at 3 am last night, this is just me vomiting words.

⚠️ WARNING ⚠️: it has a little of nsfw. nothing explicit really because it isn't even important, but if you're uncomfortable with please be mindful of that. also, if you don't like or hate kyman, please don't read. just scroll past this.

ok so !! a highschool au where the boys are in the last year of highschool, and they start thinking about college and their adult lives. it's cartman's last year in south park bc he already decided to move out to another place (far away, i don't really know abt us states but you go imagine some place far from colorado). he applied to a prestigious college and he actually got accepted, so it's a huge opportunity for him. although there is another reason for him to leave south park apart from the fact that he doesn't like the town; and that is kyle. he's been in love with him for years now and he knows kyle would never like him back, so he wants to leave all his feelings behind and have a fresh start. he wants to forget kyle, or at least all the years he spent yearning for him.

the guys know, not about his massive crush on kyle of course, but about him moving out. at fist kyle thought that he would finally be free from cartman for good, and he didn't even have to do anything at all! but, the more the year progresses, the nature of their relationship changes. maybe it's because eric wants kyle to at least have a few good memories of him before he leaves, or maybe it's because deep down kyle can't imagine what his life without cartman would be. he isn't accustomed to not have cartman around, and he doesn't know what future holds for him (i imagine kyle would go to a college near south park, let's say it exists because i need it for the plot), so he's actually a little scared to lose his friends... even cartman. whatever the reason is, they start to grow closer. they start going out more (as friends, of course), they hang at each other's houses, they start laughing a lot more, and even though they can't stop fighting for absolutely everything, they find they start enjoying the fighting too (more like kyle finds out, eric has always enjoyed them in his own way).

kyle knew there was good in eric after all. he had lost hope at some point on trying to fix him, but he found that they could actually get along and they had a lot more in common than he realized. he remembered that there were some rare occasions in his childhood when cartman wasn't antagonizing him and they were actually on the same team. he remembered how fun it was back then, and he actually missed it. it was really fun. though weird, eric understood him in a way that kenny and even stan couldn't. it really was weird, but he was sure it was the same for eric too.

at some point in the year, this change in their relationship got kyle doing a lot of thinking. some random night, after a day spent laughing, arguing and playing videogames with eric, kyle came to the conclusion that he actually liked eric. he freaked out and was weird for a week or so, being especially weird with cartman. after a lot more of thinking, he got his head around the idea that he liked cartman, and wasn't as freaked out and weird anymore. he realized that this wasn't really news to him, he'd been obsessed with eric since they were kids, always trying to make him change for the better or trying to stop his schemes when he didn't really had to. he just never though much about it because it was "the right thing to do", but it all made so much more sense now. he wasn't telling anybody, though. not even stan. never.

so, the year goes by and he doesn't say a word and never acts on it. it would be stupid since eric's moving out in a week so whatever. the four boys decide to spend that last week together in a sort of farewell to eric. they have a really good time together laughing, having sleepovers and doing dumb and dangerous things together like when they were kids. everything is like the old times and there are no worries, no pressure, no uncertainty, no anxiety... just them being kids all over again.

the night before eric's trip arrives. he's leaving early in the morning and kenny, stan and kyle had already said their goodbyes to him. kyle is having dinner, but he can't stop thinking about eric leaving. he's leaving for who-knows how long to a really far distance from colorado... and, hell, he'd probably not come back anymore because, who would want to come back to fucking south park? the little, boring and stupid town that caused trouble to anyone living there? eric would probably start a new life, meet new people, far from anyone he knew before, he'll probably fall in love with someone else and make a good life away from everything and everyone. all of it while kyle is still in colorado and being miserable, probably.

that's when kyle can't take it anymore and when his family is asleep, he sneaks out from his house and goes to eric's. he climbs up to his window (just like eric did a lot of times when they were younger, entering to kyle's bedroom unannounced) and knocks lightly. eric was already in bed and was really confused when he saw kyle outside but opened the window for him anyway and helped him into his bedroom. they sit in eric's bed and the brunette looks at kyle for a few seconds before speaking.

"what are you doing here?" he asks.

kyle doesn't answer immediately, but looks around the room that was only illuminated by the rays of the moon entering from the same window kyle climbed. he sees eric's suitcase and various boxes with almost every decoration of the room inside them. he notices how the bedroom he knew for practically all his life and that was witness of so much memories was now cold, lifeless and felt strange and unknown. he feels his stomach sink uncomfortably and it's all he needs to muster up the courage to look eric in the eye and say "i wanted to see you." with the most sincere expression in his face.

eric tries (and fails) to suppress the blush that spread through his cheeks, and coughs to cover it up.

"you saw me yesterday." he replies, and kyle rolls his eyes. he doesn't appreciate being questioned because he feels exposed.

"yes, but you leave tomorrow morning and i don't know if i will be awake to see you go."

eric shrugs it off and they start chatting, laying on his bed, looking at the ceiling. they talk about everything, but mostly about memories together. they laugh together at some of them, and fight about other ones because they really can't stop arguing and antagonizing each other. the only difference is that now fighting seems more fun and friendly than before, and they both enjoy teasing the other and rile each other up. at some point they stop talking and enjoy the silence for a little bit and maybe it's the fact that it's kind of late and he's nostalgic, but kyle breaks the comfortable silence, whispering;

"even though i hate you with all my heart.." that was a lie. this year they grew closer and kyle realized not only that he liked eric, but that he actually never really hated him. "... i'm gonna miss you, man."

eric huffs a laugh. if kyle could be sincere with him, he could too.

"i hate you too." he lies. "but i'll miss you." they fall in silence again, and now is eric's turn to break it, feeling specially sincere that night. "hey," he starts. "remember that time when you moved to san fransisco?" he doesn't wait for an answer before speaking again. "that made me realize that nothing was the same without you... it wasn't as fun as before." he moved his head to look at kyle, who was already looking at him. fuck he thought. he looks beautiful. before embarrassing himself, he continued speaking, looking at kyle. "i can't believe i'm telling you this because i thought i would take this secret to my grave but... i did a plan to bring you back here. with butters, i mean. we did a plan to bring you back."

"really?" he asked, his green eyes gleaming.

eric explained him everything they (he) did and didn't miss any crazy detail. he told him everything they went through just to bring him back, and added that trying to replace him with butters ended up being more boring than originally planned. soon, he had kyle laughing at the anecdote. he couldn't believe eric did that for him, the ridiculousness of the situation and the fact that eric tried to replace him with butters of all people. and okay, fuck, kyle was beautiful laughing like that, eric couldn't hide his own smile.

kyle stops laughing and looks at eric, smiling at him. every coherent thought left his brain instantly, so he simply exhales and closes the distance between them, giving eric a short peck on the lips.

he immediately flinches and almost falls out of the bed with how quick he distanced himself. he blushes and starts frantically apologizing to eric, saying that it was an accident, that it was inappropriate and blah blah blah.

"shut up." says eric, grabbing kyle's cheeks with one hand, managing to make the ginger stop taking. he copies kyle's action, and gives him another chaste and short kiss. he stops squeezing kyle's cheeks and they separate again. they lock eyes for a few seconds before leaning in again and now kissing properly.

they make out for a while, one thing leading to another and well... they are boy. hormonal boys. i don't imagine that they fuck, i think they just masturbate together or maybe give the other a bj but you know what? i'll leave it up to you. you can even pretend this didn't happen. when they finish cleaning up (lazily, because eric doesn't want to be apart from kyle) they fall asleep together.

a few hours after, lianne knocks on eric's door and tells him that breakfast is ready. kyle and eric wake up and eric tells lianne that he would be downstairs in a minute. they look at each other in silence for a few minutes, kyle looking pensive and eric too sleepy to say anything.

that's when kyle has an idea, and he starts stripping eric off his shirt. eric starts panicking and tries to keep his shirt on. "wait, kahl." he says. "last night was great but i really need to go now."

kyle rolls his eyes and shuts him up with a kiss. one kiss becomes two, and three and four. kyle presses their foreheads together, eric looking confused but willing.

"i'm not going to do anything, dumbass." he explains, putting some distance between them. "i just want to keep your shirt."

"no." eric declines. "no way, this is one of my favorite shirts."

"i know." kyle replies, matter-of-factly. "that's the point. i will keep your favorite shirt so you have a reason to come back."

eric smiles at him, and concedes. "don't get too comfortable with it jew." he says, tossing the shirt at him, and searching in his suitcase for another shirt. "i will come back to get it."

they share a last kiss before lianne yells from the kitchen that the breakfast was getting cold. eric helps kyle get out from the same window and watches him go back to his house.

a few minutes later, eric and lianne are carrying the boxes and the suitcase in lianne's car. kyle couldn't go back to sleep, so he's watching them from his own bedroom. he watches as they get inside the car and how lianne starts driving, the car becoming smaller in the distance. he looks down at the shirt in his hands and clutches it. he wanted to put it on, but it had eric's smell on it and he didn't want it to disappear so soon. that shirt represented the promise that, some day, eric and kyle would see each other again.

AND THAT'S ALL!!!! well not all all. in my original idea they see each other again but many years later. eric comes back to south park and kyle has the old shirt forgotten in the back of his closet. he has a girlfriend now and they've been going out for a few years now. after eric left, stan kenny and kyle's friendship wasn't the same, they stopped seeing each other frequently and became good acquittanances (i hate that word) but do not fear because when eric comes back they start rebuilding their broship. the only thing that doesn't go back to normal is that now kyle has to fight his demons (bisexuality) and realize all over again that he's still in love with eric. he has a whole conflict with himself because he made a life without eric and now he has feelings for him again but he feels abandoned !! and also he is in a long-term relationship and he's happy !! but he hasn't talked to eric in years (let's say he changed his number or stopped reaching out at some point or whatever) and even if they spent YEARS apart, kyle had always had eric present in the back of his mind in some way or another (in the form of a shirt that has been forgotten) and now eric is back and his whole world and everything he constructed without him is upside down !!! but don't worry they figure it out and they end up together. this is not the official ending because this might as well end when eric leaves and have an open ending or it can end with eric not leaving, or him coming back as soon as possible, there's so many options... i'll leave it up to you, i like a little bit of drama and angst so i thought really quick about that last part that's why it is not as developed as the rest of the idea but !!!! who knows who knows everything is possible.

i just wanted to share my thoughts here because it's been DAYS and i can't get them off my head, it has been a while since i had kyman brainrot and now it came back at full force. blame the not suitable for children special for that (ik it didn't have kyman but it had eric and i love that little bastard so it all started with the eric cartman worms for brain and now here we are)

ANYWAYS I'M RAMBLING SORRY I LOVE TALKING hope you liked this any suggestions thoughts and or comments you may have are totally welcome !! have a nice day / night depending on when you are reading this hehe 🫶🫶

[then-ponder]

Bean and nothingness

I watched Patricia Taxxon's video on Bean and nothingness. I haven't played the game, but now it's on my list. I would have Clicked off earlier, but I accidentally skipped to phase 2.5 in an attempt to avoid solutions - there is nothing more annoying than a spoiled solution set on your first go. But there I found myself encapsulated by my own pursuit of study: Math. It was here that I pushed forward because well, no one talks about this subject and its worth hearing people out even if they need to hand you a solution set.

Both of these videos Patricia Taxxon's and a prerequisite video by Owen Maitzen serve as an introduction to the world of math in videogames. Not the math used to make the videogames. Not the animation math or the math that gives physics. Not even math that gives you those god tier minecraft graphics. They detail the math that describes the games themselves.

Owen's Work does a bulk of the mathematical heavy lifting. It's the fundamental building block that Taxxon Needed to start this essay because - An assuming that Taxxon doesn't have a math background - the hidden piece for so many students is that math is "useful" Because we made it to be, but this isn't math's nature.

It's here where Taxxon really come into its own because she is able to see through the numbers and actually describe what about beans and nothingness was inspired by the act of mathematics-ing. At 28:30 In Its video, Taxxon talks about how she solved a specific puzzle by building up familiarity with small pieces enough to build a solution to that problem while also going back to see if that solution was unique[that there is one and only one solution] and then find the others. So much of the video talks about the structure of mathematics. Its components, and how and why mathematicians do what they do. it [both the video and Taxxon] loves math and even without numbers it[both the video and Taxxon] knows math. I really can't express how much I love this video or how much I adore Taxxon for seeing all of this and putting it all into words.

One of the things about being a mathematician is that people inevitably ask you why are you doing this. Why Is there a difference between an answer and a solution. Why do you have to generalize everything. Why does it matter that the question isn't defined for numbers greater than two? And mathematicians are pretty grizzled from the fact that they have had hundreds of years to come up with a good answer to the question "why be a mathematician?' and we still come up with nothing, because people respond to "I want to study math because I love math" with comments about usefulness and money and capitalism and all sorts of things. Patricia Taxxon was right about academia and thus math a form of art, but I think we can expand that a bit. Math is an act of creation and discovery. That is the fun part. Sometimes you play with other people's constraints and sometimes you play with your own and when you get stuck you work through it. It ties into A mathematics lament by Paul Lockhart. math gets really weird when you go off of the beaten trail. Not all arithmetic has to work like it does. Some arithmetic can be non-commutative[ab does not equal ba]. Arithmetic has other properties that we can take for granted. so much of what we perceive as math, is the math we have taken for granted or allowed ourselves to think of as the total math and not a subset.

What makes Patricia Taxxon's video Imporant is the fact that she is so kind and cheerful about it all. This is a new discovery. It loves the math and wants you to join in that participation as well. Taxxon has a glee about this that I don't think I could muster even though we both share a love of math. I don't think I want to talk about "what is math?" anymore with younger college students because what every expression of love for math I can scrounge up will ultimately come with harsh, reductive tones even when I truly love the subject I talk about. and its important that people see this and talk about it.

If you want to start learning math I recommend the Book of Proofs by Richard Hammock. Trust me its a book that only requires arithmetic to get started. there is algebra, but early on it's skippable. youll find a copy of the pdf free on his website and at low cost through normal sources.

Just remember to skip chapter 3 on your first go around (or don't) and then possably the chapter covering calculus proofs.

[stardustandash]

Well, I'm finally playing BG3 and I have thoughts. Keeping them below the cut since I don't want to invite Discourse lol

Its.... not great. Everyone told me it would be just up my alley and I'd love it and it's just so... meh. It's not awful, but it's not interesting. I'm 20 hours in (or thereabouts) and it just hasn't gripped me at all. My metric for loving a game is wanting to read, or writing fic for it. Nothing about this game compels me to do either.

People raved about the character creator and I don't know why. You get like 6 preset faces you can't change. You have 2 options of a male or female body type. Sure, they have lots of skin, eye, and hair colours, but that doesn't make up for the fact that all the Tav's just end up being cookie cutters. If I get to make my own character in a game, I should be able to MAKE the character. Sure, a lot of RPGs only let you do the face, but at least they let you actually make the face!

The DnD system doesn't vibe for me in a videogame. Let me be clear, I play DnD. In fact, I am a dungeon master for most games I'm involved in beyond oneshots. I like DnD. It's fun! I love it! So every time I'm playing BG3 all I'm thinking about is how much I'd rather be playing actual DnD. I'm also not a fan of turn based games, and when there's 5+ enemies on the battlemap it feels like every battle is a boring slog.

As well, I know why Tav is voiceless in cutscenes, but with the amount of voicelines the other characters seem to have, I can't help but feel it brings the game down. Especially when paired with the fact that Tav is expressionless. You'd think with a preset face it would actually move, but no. I laugh out loud during scenes where the camera cuts to Tav for a reaction shot and they're just stone faced. Its hard to actually feel like I'm roleplaying when the character doesn't feel alive.

Where the game does shine is the party outside of Tav. At least they all have strong personalities, if very archetypal. DnD is a game built on archetypes, so I let that pass. They comment on every little thing, they're good at dragging out the mysteries of their backstories, and they're the only things keeping me playing the game because the main plot isn't very interesting.

... that being said I was expecting more conflict between the party members, especially after seeing lots of people saying that Veilguard's companion conflicts were so miniscule in comparison and I... didn't feel like there was any more hostility than that betwen Lucanis and Davrin. Sure, Shadowheart had a knife to Lae'zel's throat, but like one dialogue from Tav and they made up. I'm not against having a party that meshes together even while holding different ideals, but it was sold to me as a "be careful who you have in your party! They might argue and fight about stuff" kind of game. Maybe there was more before all the patches? I wouldn't know.

I have more nitpicky negative thoughts (why tf is party banter subtitles in the year 2025 above the party member's head and not just across the bottom of the screen. I lead. I can't see it half the time so I keep missing it) but since they're more nitpicky I will refrain.

I will say the armours are pretty and the fact that we can dye them is super nice. I am obsessed with Scratch and the Owlbear, and also Withers. There's fun NPCs in the world and some hysterical dialogue choices. I just don't think this game lives up to the hype.

I'm really hoping that it improves once I'm out of act 1 and into act 2. Because otherwise this is probably gonna be a dnf from me.

[herearedragons]

6, 11, and 15 for the end of the year writing asks!

6. did you make any new writeblr friends? give a shout-out! if not, it's time to praise one of your old besties <3

@curiouslavellan I know I've tagged you in like 3 of these at this point but (gestures wildly to the question)

anyway everyone please go read Elly's fics I'm very fond of her Bulavellan one-shot and of her cured Tranquil Trevelyan longfic (Aurelia I care you) and also shoutout to the Hawke/Anders/Justice soulmate AU that's putting some really fun twists on the "your soulmate's first words to you are written on your body" trope from a Thedosian perspective and in general. also if you like Pillars Of Eternity and Pacific Rim go read Where There's Water RIGHT NOW

also @solas-backpack-mug @apeirotilio I've interacted with you guys as readers more than as fellow writers but I do want to shout you out for being a constant presence in the comment section. if no one else got me I know Tilio and Backpack Mug got me. thank you for being excited and observant and really funny in the comments of my stories

11. which scene was harder/easier to write than anticipated? why?

writing my Secret St. Waidwen gift was A RIDE.

there is NO comprehensive guide that I know of for writing the Hylspeak dialect of Iselmyr from POE. it seems to borrow from Scots and from Old English but there is NOT a comprehensive dictionary and she doesn't have THAT many lines ACROSS THE ENTIRE FRANCHISE so even after literally scouring the game files and compiling all of her dialogue into a doc I was still scared of writing her.

making her have a simple conversation in a 1000-ish words long fic and not completely fumbling it felt like defeating a videogame boss

15. time for shameless self-promotion! answer with a piece of writing you want others to see/read! (if you have nothing posted/published this year, any other year is fine too ^^)

I haven't shut up about The Hanged Man ever since I started writing it and I will not shut up about it in the coming year either.

Pillars Of Eternity people please read my Edér x Watcher murder mystery. or if you've already read it please tell me what you think. I love that fic dearly and I would LOVE to hear people's thoughts. in fact hearing people's thoughts directly fuels the pace of production of new chapters. like I'll keep writing this anyway because it's For Me but also it's a piece of media I love (made by me) and as with any other media I love I Want To Discuss It

Dragon Age people check out my fake party banter series. it's pretty fun

[soyouareandrewdobson]

Nintendo-vember Level 2: Howard and Nester: How you are not supposed to pay tribute to a comic

Ahhhh, Nintendo Power. Published by Nintendo of America from 1988 till August of 2012, this magazine was part of the childhood of many Nintendo fans. A magazine that functioned as a gaming guide, advertisement for new games and just fun overall for people enthusiastic for Nintendo.

While we did not have Nintendo Power like that where I am from, we had a similar magazine called “Club Nintendo”, which ran from the 90s up till the early 2000s (2002 to be precise), after which it unfortunately got unceremoniously canceled. I had access to these issues thanks to relatives who enjoyed them a lot and honestly, I enjoyed them too. Very informative, highlighting many games and filled with some really fun comic stories here and there.

Now, Club Nintendo wasn’t entirely like Nintendo Power though. For example, among our comics in the magazine we did not have the subject of today’s post: Howard and Nester.

Now for those unaware who they are, a short explanation: Howard and Nester were the characters of a short series of comic strips from the very early days of Nintendo Power. Howard was an adult business man with a bow tie that Matt Smith may like, while Nester was a ten to eleven year old redhead NES player. In other words, he was a little shit.

Howard himself btw was based on Howard Phillips, initially a warehouse manager for Nintendo of America, who at a very young age (he was only in his 20s when he started working for Nintendo) joined the company and would play a major role in the marketing of the NES launch in America. He was also an avid videogamer of the “olden times” so to speak and was Nintendo of America’s spokesperson number uno. Liked by many within the industry, he did however eventually leave Nintendo in 1991 (at only 32 years old), to pursue careers in other companies. Which did not work out quite as well, according to Wikipedia. Though he is still hanging around, kicking, playing and working in the industry, for some german firm no one really knows about.

Man, he even looks kinda like the eleventh Doctor.

Anyway, back to the comic itself: The comic strips were essentially just meant as short, two page fillers ad would feature the caricature of Howard Phillips and Nester, the later supposed to represent Nintendo fanboys, finding themselves in environments related to a current videogame and dealing with whatever situation. Most of the time just ending in some comedic pratfall for a rather impatient Nester to suffer.

Then, after 25 strips, Howard, in relation to Howard Phillips leaving Nintendo, also left the comic, resulting in the thing ending and Nester going on some mini adventures on his own.

Now honestly, reading those strips I don’t think they are really bad. Howard as a character is rather supportive, there are small hints to games they thematically integrate in the comics here and there and some of the scenarios are kinda fun. Plus even the linework is okay for this sort of comic.

However, I genuinely think that Nester is a little bit of a shit. Especially in his first two strips.

He just comes off as smug and a bit of a know it all. Believing he is better than Howard, not grateful for any advice and trying to come off like he is an expert in the eyes of younger, impressionable kids.

Oh god, he is Dobson!

Though that may be what adds to the pratfalls he suffers then. In addition, I am a bit baffled by what games they supposedly star in or how some of the games they talk about are executed in comic.

I mean, the Ducktales comic for example has nothing to do with Ducktales really aside of the moon duck enemy thing kinda being in it (though that may have been related to Disney telling them not to use Scrooge)…

And then there is the fact, that a comic based on the Golgo 13 game was made.

You know, THE Golgo 13? The game based on the famous manga about an assassin for hire?

I mean, what next? A comic based on them in the setting of Home Sweet Home? Though that may have been cool.

It is just, I can see how the duo left some impression on early readers, but I can’t see how they could get quite the appeal, that back in 2008 Nintendo Power would release THIS comic, featuring a now adult Nester talking to his son about the good old days. A little manga-esque like tribute, some people enjoyed.

Not so much You know who though, who decided to draw instead THIS comic in order to “honor” the two and the style of the comic. And in doing so just ended up showing that he kinda never understood the character of Nester, nor the concept behind the original tribute in the first place.

So, why does the comic suck? Because it is just an excuse for Dobson to project his own shitty opinion about how Nintendo “dishonored” the origins of the characters he claims to love onto Nester. All while making also both characters accidentally come off as losers and creepy. Particularly Howard comes off as horrible in the comic. After all, based on the set up established via the first two panels, I can only assume that the guy kidnapped a ten year old boy against his will and put him into cryostasis. Separating him from his family and friends, only to thaw him up again twenty years later. And for what? To show him how far games have come since then?

I get that the comic is supposed to be a joke (though I see nothing in it that makes me laugh), but… well..

For that set up is rather unfortunate and feels more like it should be part of some existential horror story about someone finding themselves completely displaced in time and seeing, how their disappearance tore apart their loved ones. I for one rather ask myself, what happened to Nester’s parents? Were they accused of killing their son and send to prison? Did they commit suicide? Did Howard just kill them to get to Nester in the first place?

And the “motivation” to freeze him -I want to show you how games are played in the future- is just… that doesn’t even feel like a plan. I am genuinely at loss for words to explain the “logic” that Howard must have had and how none of that helps “the joke”.

Like look, the idea that Howard would e.g. pull out some magic item or machine to show Nester how in the future games are played and giving him a bit of a cultural shock only to return back to the present, feels like a set up that could have worked. But this is not the set up of this comic. This comic has Howard use an extreme measurement to achieve his goal, that comes just off as psychotic.

But hey, why bother elaborating on the ramifications of Howard having tortured a child like that (which feels like a great disservice to the real Howard Phillips), when there are games to play.

Or rather, complain about, because that is the only thing Nester does, starting from his shock at seeing Link now having blond hair.

Which is stupid as shit. I am sorry, but considering the kid had been on ice since the late 80s according to this comic, I think his first reaction to seeing game graphics from around 2008 would be “holy shit” as a result of a cultural shock. Not the fact that Link now has blond hair.

Also, way to prove how Nester is only a phony Nintendo fanboy, because he calls Pit by the name of Kid Icarus

See, little trivia bit here: The tendency of calling little Pit (btw, one of my favorite characters in the Nintendo canon ever since I played Uprising. I love that little shota) Kid Icarus, came mostly because of the awful Captain N: The Game Master cartoon from 1989, which named him by his game title. All while the game was a stable of the NES library since 1987 and Pit’s name was a stable in its freaking manual

Look for yourself: Page 7.

Also, getting riled up over Mario not being from Brooklyn when that was NEVER a point in the actual games anyway or Link’s hair color?

Hm, doesn’t that sound familiar…

Look, I am not much a fan of Nester based on the strips I saw, but it would be obvious even to Helen Keller, that Nester here is not himself. He is a stand in for Dobson and his shitty opinions on how Nintendo “betrayed” the old NES fans by making Mario and Co more marketable and ignore their “true and honest” origins. The “real” Nester based on the strips comes off to me more like someone who would freaking geek out at seeing his favorite game characters being these detailed, cartoony badasses fighting equally great villains.

After all, playing as Link who can ride on a horse and fights a giant sized pig demon? Mario throwing planets at Bowser? Mario and Link duking it out with other heroes? Seeing Pit and Palutena in Smash Bros Brawl? Which btw came out in January of 2008, so Nester complaining about not seeing Pit- oh I am sorry “Kid Icarus” would be inaccurate too.

The point I am trying to make is, that if you grew up with the bare minimum presentation some NES games had, you would be gushing over anything “modern”

Heck, considering the sort of stuff Nester played or was into in the comics, he would likely drop the Wii once he learnt about stuff like God of War, Ratchet and Clank and other “badass” and “cool” games other consoles can offer.

But no. Nester is simply overwhelmed with the concept of 3D and “realism”. Though lets be real here, I think realism in videogames is an oxymoron, independent of what console we talk about. I mean, what is e.g. “realistic” about Mario, Sonic, God of War, Final Fantasy, Resident Evil etc? I know at least half a class of biologists who cry each time a new Resident Evil scientist comes off with a new variant of the virus.

Anyway, he is so overwhelmed, he simply just wants to go back to the old days and the game he used (or rather “use”. Btw, great job at even failing at simple past tense) to play.

Only loving the Nintendo Wii once Nester tells him about the online shop and that he can play on it the same shlock he already likely has memorized before Howard put him into cryostasis and as such deprived him of a proper childhood.

Meaning that Howards “plan” to show Nester the future of gaming failed, because instead of embracing the new while also loving the old, he simply rejects the former and embraces the later even more tightly, putting it on a pedestal the same way Dobson does.

Which frankly, is one of the aspects I find the most annoying about Dobson in general when it comes to Nintendo. I get it. He grew up with the NES and I admit, the console had some really great games that build the corner stones of many franchises and the Nintendo empire.

But, and you can crucify me for saying that, by modern day standards (or heck, even standards set up by the follow up console, the SNES) the NES era was kinda bad and many games, even a lot of the classics, can’t stand the test of time as much anymore than they once did.

Before you burn me on the stake, let me explain: I myself grew up with the SNES and GameBoy as my first consoles, so I never played the NES games, even though I was aware of them through Club Nintendo. Only in recent years, thanks to the NES mini and some game collections I downloaded on the PS4, I got to play some of the classic games. And frankly, I think a lot of them suck in some regard. Like the technical limitations of the time, the at times unfair programming to make certain games extra hard and how quick you can actually get through the game once you know what to do, make some games a bit of an underwhelming experience.

Granted, unlike Dobson I will admit, that my opinion is very biased. Coming from my own love of the SNES, as well as decades of playing other games too, including sequels to many of these starter games that managed to polish up things in term of gameplay and presentation. And there is no denying, that there have still been many great games on the console by Nintendo itself, but also third party publishers such as Capcom, Squaresoft, Enix or Konami.

Kirby, Mario Bros 3, Megaman 3 up to 6, Ducktales, Castlevania 3, Contra, Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Earthbound are at least some titles that come to my mind.

But it was also the console that gave us stuff like the LJN published videogames, got a shit ton of unnecessary equipment like the Power Glove, established the term “Nintendo Hard” and frankly, I find myself unable to genuinely play the NES Zelda games or Kid Icarus without feeling them quite underwhelming and a bit flawed. So bottom line, I think it was important, I think good stuff came out of it, but it was only the first steps into the right direction. The NES learnt how to walk, so the Switch could run.

Dobson meanwhile worships the era like it was the greatest thing ever, never topped and shoves his opinion into Nester’s mouth. Resulting in the strip’s entire message boiling down essentially to the following:

The past was greater than what we have now and is the only thing I love. Oh, and fuck you for making me try new things.

Which is ironic, coming from the person who among other things would claim that such a behavior is toxic years later. Going onto rants how Kylo Ren is such a nostalgic nerd and criticism of “toxic fans” when he ranted about Star Wars – The Last Jedi and that critics of it are all Nazis. Even though Kylo is the one saying “let the past die”.

There is also just the fact, that the comic obviously misses the idea behind the original Howard and Nester tribute comic from Nintendo Power.

Like sure, the comic in the magazine was flawed. The manga inspired art work wasn’t that great and Nester felt like he grew up into the sort of young adult who made videos on youtube in the late 2008s, trying to emulate the AVGN by reviewing old NES games and acting like he is hardcore for enjoying “The Wizard”. All while being in reality more of a dork, especially in the eyes of a son that actually comes off as way older than he likely should be if Nester is only in his late twenties or early thirties.

But I think that was kind of the point. Making Nester more a caricature of the “gaming nerd” of the time period, while also indirectly playing a decent tribute to the old days and showing Nester having gotten older, though not necessarily wiser. But considering his kid seems to be doing okay, I doubt he is that terrible of a dad.

Which begs the question though, what is it about the comic that pissed Dobson off that much? The “manga” style? Granted, I think they could have gone more with a style akin to what the original comics had, which is the only thing Dobson has going for his page, that I can actually appreciate. But it could have been worse.

Is it the idea of Nester actually changing as a person, growing up? I mean, considering how allergic Dobson was often times to the idea of change (except when it was related to dumb reboots that may piss off republican strawmen in his head), I could actually believe that.

But if that was what pissed him off and his idea was to make a comic doing a tribute to these two the “right way”, Dobson failed miserably. Because all he did was make Howard come off like a psychopath for freezing up a kid to show him some games and Nester like a moron who can’t appreciate positive change in the media he consumes. All because Dobson was rather focused to vent his own frustration about Nintendo through their mouths, rather than respectfully draw a story with them. Something he even admitted

The artwork may be decent here, but the writing is a failed assignment.

The most ridiculous thing about that being, that either some time later or before, Dobson made a way better comic starring NEster, that actually gets the vibe of the original

And before someone claims I can only complain and not bring some alternative to the table how to execute the comic, here is what I may have done:

Start the comic as Howard and Nester in the Back to The Future NES game, supposedly having just finished it. Only for Nester to end up playing with the controls of the DeLorean and in doing so transporting him and Howard into the future. Materializing in 2008, they then learn about the actual positive things happening to videogames ever since , though Howard may also learn to some degree about the bad stuff whe he reads up an article titled “Rise and Fall of videogames” or something related to Jack Thompson). Have Nester for example geek out about Smash Bros, question what a Pikachu is, hitting himself in the head accidentally with a Wii Remote, but overall try to also give a positive message to it all.

Like Nester befriending  bunch of kids via Wii playing. The comic then ending with the two travelling back to 1988, Nester all pumped up about the prospect how great videogames will turn out in the future -perhaps also being a bit impatient at the prospect to wait 20 years to play Smash Bros Brawl again- while Howard muses about the things yet to come. The final panel perhaps being set in 2008 with an older Nester looking over a little brother who befriended by accident his younger self, challenging the younger one to a rematch he had “lost” in the past.

I know, sounds corny as fuck, but it at least would nullify the entire “I kidnapped you and froze you up” implications of the original comic by Dobson.

Now, unlike Dobson, I do not intend to leave a bitter taste in the mouth of the readers, so I want to end this post on a sweeter note by informing you about the following:

When Nintendo Power eventually ended on issue 285 in December of 2012, someone at the editorial team must have remembered Howard and Nester, because they decided to have this little two page comic in it.

Nester, drawn in the classic style, as a way more well adjusted adult than in the 2008 comic, reminiscing about the magazine that he owes his existence and had brought him many hours of joy. His son helping him accept that it may be over for the magazine, but that the enjoyment will never 100% go away. Even adding a little framed bow tie in the background of the last panel, symbolizing that in hindsight Nester likely came to appreciate Howard as more than just an annoying mentor sort of figure. All before heading out to play a new Mario game with his son. Leaving the past behind but close, while embracing the future.

A comic, that in my opinion hits on the sweet “bittersweet” spot of such things as Fullmetal Alchemist or Amphibia. Giving the “story” a proper wrap up and assuring people that it is over, but that the characters themselves in a way are -unlike Dobbear- never gone.

And if you want to read all the strips of Howard and NEster, here is a link to the archive I found for this post.

Level 2 is done. Time for some bonus round and then the next level soon. Cause now we are really going deep into his whinning over the superiority of the old Nintendo canon

[ciaossu-imagines]

I’m back to writing for Tony Hawk: The Anime! All kidding aside, Sk8: The Infinity is such a fun show, with great characters, and I enjoyed using number 4 from prompt 3 on day 16 for the a couple of the S Skaters! I hope any fans of the show enjoy the little, general headcanons for the characters.

Do all their things have their own place?

With Reki, the answer is kind of a no. It’s not a super-hard no, but the boy can be a little scatter-brained at times and he has a habit of setting something down while thinking that he’ll remember exactly where he put it afterwards. Spoiler: he often doesn’t remember exactly where he put the thing, at least not initially. He would eventually find it, mostly by retracing his steps, but it’s not an automatic that he’ll know where everything he wants is. The fact that he’s not super-ambitious when it comes to keeping everything in his personal living space tidy and organized also contributes to that. However, I want to tack on here that this is mostly about his personal living spaces. When it comes to his workshop, Reki works a lot harder in keeping things at least somewhat organized and clean. It might appear a little crowded or somewhat untidy to others, but Reki has everything where he wants it, he can find anything he needs, and the workstation is always surface level clean at least.

Langa embraces very minimalistic living, in all honesty. He’s not someone who wants or needs a lot of stuff. The things he does have, he does try his best to take care of, so his personal spaces are always pretty tidy and clean. It also helps that he actively thinks about doing things like chores. Even if he doesn’t consider them the most fun, he understands the importance of tidying up and cleaning and he appreciates the sight of a clean living space. That being said, it’s not so much that everything has its own place. He’ll often leave things in different areas, such as setting a leaving his board leaning up against a wall, as long as those things will still be visible and easy to find. He’s pretty relaxed on organization – as long as he can find things, it doesn’t really matter if they’re always kept on this or that shelf, etc.

Miya has always had his mother to do his chores for him. Legit, that woman does all his cleaning, his laundry, everything so he’s never really learned how to keep his living space for himself. He’s the type who, even as a late teenager or even as an adult with his own space, would take his laundry home for his mother to do and she might even pop over to clean up for him. He’s never had to learn how to stay organized and how to make sure that his things are easy to find because it’s always been done for him. When he moves out on his own, it becomes harder for him and he does lose track of this or that and has to really struggle to find it before he starts learning how to do the basics of organization. And it really will be basic organizational skills that he utilizes – commonly used things closer at hands, less used things more tucked away. However, this doesn’t apply to his skating gear or his videogames. Both of those things are always kept exceedingly neat and well cared for, since they are both things that he’s really passionate about. I think he’d really enjoy using storage furniture to show off not just his gear and to keep his video games together, but to display awards and merch.

If you only knew Shadow from skating, I think his living space would really confuse and astound most people. It’s actually really clean and exceptionally well decorated. Balancing out his two personalities, there’s a mix of darker elements, like framed pictures of his favourite rock and metal bands (there’s definitely a framed Kiss concert photo), skulls and skeleton motifs, but they coexist and somehow beautifully intertwine with more delicate and feminine details, with fresh flowers in pretty crystals vases, the light and pleasant scent of room sprays, plush fabrics like velvet, and nothing is overly crowded. His things are largely well kept, without showing a lot of damage or wear and tear and he knows where almost everything is. The only spot where this isn’t true is within his kitchen. While he definitely can and will cook, it’s his least favourite of his chores and while he’ll clean up after himself, he does it as quickly as possible and is guilty of just chucking a pot into the cupboard he thinks it goes in or just setting ingredients in whichever cupboard is closest at hand.

[shuxiii]

Everyday pt.3

Hanni Pham x reader pt1, pt2, pt3, pt4, pt5, pt6, pt7, pt8, pt9, pt10, pt11, pt12, pt13

a/n feeling generous today so double update!!! still, credits are all given to the real author ''every day'' by David Levithan

Day 5996

All I get is tomorrow.

As I fell asleep, I had a glint of an idea. But as I wake up, I realize the glint has no light left in it.

Today I’m a boy. Yang Jungwon. Soccer player, but not a star soccer player. Clean room, but not compulsively so. Videogame console in his room. Ready to wake up. Parents asleep.

He lives in a town that’s about a four-hour drive from where Hanni lives.

This is nowhere near close enough.

It’s an uneventful day, as most are. The only suspense comes from whether I can access things fast enough.

Soccer practice is the hardest part. The coach keeps calling out names, and I have to access it like crazy to figure out who everyone is. It’s not Jungwon’s best day at practice, but he doesn’t embarrass himself.

I know how to play most sports, but I’ve also learned my limits. I found this out the hard way when I was eleven. I woke up in the body of some kid who was in the middle of a ski trip. I thought that, hey, skiing had always looked fun. So I figured I’d try. Learn it as I went. How hard could it be?

The kid had already graduated from the bunny slopes, and I didn’t even know there was such a thing as a bunny slope. I thought skiing was like sledding—one hill fits all.

I broke the kid’s leg in three places.

The pain was pretty bad. And I honestly wondered if, when I woke up the next morning, I would still feel the pain of the broken leg, even though I was in a new body. But instead of the pain, I felt something just as bad—the fierce, living weight of terrifying guilt. Just as if I’d rammed him with a car, I was consumed by the knowledge that a stranger was lying in a hospital bed because of me.

And if he’d died … I wondered if I would have died, too. There is no way for me to know. All I know is that, in a way, it doesn’t matter. Whether I die or just wake up the next morning as if nothing happened, the fact of the death will destroy me.

So I’m careful. Soccer, baseball, field hockey, football, softball, basketball, swimming, track—all of those are fine. But I’ve also woken up in the body of an ice hockey player, a fencer, an equestrian, and once, recently, a gymnast.

I’ve sat all those out.

If there’s one thing I’m good at, it’s video games. It’s a universal presence, like TV or the Internet. No matter where I am, I usually have access to these things, and video games especially help me calm my mind.

After soccer practice, Jungwon’s friends come over to play World of Warcraft. We talk about school and talk about girls (except for his friends Sunoo and Jake, who talk about boys). This, I’ve discovered, is the best way to waste time, because it isn’t really wasted—surrounded by friends, talking crap and sometimes talking for real, with snacks around and something on a screen.

I might even be enjoying myself if I could only unmoor myself from the place I want to be.

Day 5997

It’s almost eerie how well the next day works out.

I wake up early—six in the morning.

I wake up as a girl.

A girl with a car. And a license.

In a town only an hour away from Hanni’s.

I apologize to Ahn Yujin as I drive away from her house, a half hour after waking up. What I’m doing is, no doubt, a strange form of kidnapping.

I strongly suspect that Ahn Yujin wouldn’t mind. Getting dressed this morning, the options were black, black, or…black. Not in a goth sense—none of the black came in the form of lace gloves—but more in a rock ’n’ roll sense. The mix in her car stereo puts Janis Joplin and Brian Eno side by side, and somehow it works.

I can’t rely on Yujin’s memory here—we’re going somewhere she’s never been. So I did some Google mapping right after my shower, typed in the address of Hanni’s school, and watched it pop up in front of me. That simple. I printed it out, then cleared the history.

I have become very good at clearing histories.

I know I shouldn’t be doing this. I know I’m poking a wound, not healing it. I know there’s no way to have a future with Hanni.

All I’m doing is extending the past by a day.

Normal people don’t have to decide what’s worth remembering. You are given a hierarchy, recurring characters, the help of repetition, of anticipation, the firm hold of a long history. But I have to decide the importance of each and every memory. I only remember a handful of people, and in order to do that, I have to hold tight, because the only repetition available—the only way I am going to see them again—is if I conjure them in my mind.

I choose what to remember, and I am choosing Hanni. Again and again, I am choosing her, I am conjuring her, because to let go for an instant will allow her to disappear.

The same song that we heard in Minji’s car comes on—And if I only could, I’d make a deal with God.…

I feel the universe is telling me something. And it doesn’t even matter if it’s true or not. What matters is that I feel it, and believe it.

The enormity rises within me.

The universe nods along to the songs.

I try to hold on to as few mundane, everyday memories as possible. Facts and figures, sure. Books I’ve read or information I need to know. The rules of soccer, for instance. The plot of Romeo and Juliet. The phone number to call if there’s an emergency. I remember those.

But what about the thousands of everyday memories, the thousands of everyday reminders, that every person accumulates? The place you keep your house keys. Your mother’s birthday. The name of your first pet. The name of your current pet. Your locker combination. The location of the silverware drawer. The channel number for MTV. Your best friend’s last name.

These are the things I have no need for. And, over time, my mind has rewired itself, so all this information falls away as soon as the next morning comes.

Which is why it’s remarkable—but not surprising—that I remember exactly where Hanni’s locker is.

I have my cover story ready: If anyone asks, I am checking out the school because my parents might be moving to town.

I don’t remember if there are assigned parking spaces, so just in case, I park far from the school. Then I simply walk in. I am just another random girl in the halls—the freshmen will think I’m a senior, and the seniors will think I’m a freshman. I have Yujin’s schoolbag with me—black with anime details, filled with books that won’t really apply here. I look like I have a destination. And I do.

If the universe wants this to happen, she will be there at her locker.

I tell myself this, and there she is. Right there in front of me.

Sometimes memory tricks you. Sometimes beauty is best when it’s distant. But even from here, thirty feet away, I know that the reality of her is going to match my memory.

Twenty feet away.

Even in the crowded hallway, there is something in her that radiates out to me.

Ten.

She is carrying herself through the day, and it’s not an easy task.

Five.

I can stand right here and she has no idea who I am. I can stand right here and watch her. I can see that the sadness has returned. And it’s not a beautiful sadness—beautiful sadness is a myth. Sadness turns our features to clay, not porcelain. She is dragging.

“Hey,” I say, my voice thin, a stranger here.

At first she doesn’t understand that I’m talking to her. Then it registers.

“Hey,” she says back.

Most people, I’ve noticed, are instinctively harsh to strangers. They expect every approach to be an attack, every question to be an interruption. But not Hanni. She doesn’t have any idea who I am, but she’s not going to hold that against me. She’s not going to assume the worst.

“Don’t worry—you don’t know me,” I quickly say. “It’s just—it’s my first day here. I’m checking the school out. And I really like your skirt and your bag. So I thought, you know, I’d say hello. Because, to be honest, I am completely alone right now.”

Again, some people would be scared by this. But not Hanni. She offers her hand, introduces herself as we shake, and asks me why there isn’t someone showing me around.

“I don’t know,” I say.

“Well, why don’t I take you to the office? I’m sure they can figure something out.”

I panic. “No!” I blurt out. Then I try to cover for myself, and prolong my time with her. “It’s just … I’m not here officially. Actually, my parents don’t even know I’m doing this. They just told me we’re moving here, and I … I wanted to see it and decide whether I should be freaking out or not.”

Hanni nods. “That makes sense. So you’re cutting school in order to check the school out?”

“Exactly.”

“What year are you?”

“A junior.”

“So am I. Let’s see if we can pull this off. Do you want to come around with me today?”

“I’d love that.”

I know she’s just being nice. Irrationally, I also want there to be some kind of recognition. I want her to be able to see behind this body, to see me inside here, to know that it’s the same person she spent an afternoon with on the beach.

I follow her. Along the way, she introduces me to a few of her friends, and I am relieved to meet each one, relieved to know that she has more people in her life than Minji. The way she includes me, the way she takes this total stranger and makes her feel a part of this world, makes me care about her even more. It’s one thing to be love-worthy when you are interacting with your girlfriend; it’s quite another when you act the same way with a girl you don’t know. I no longer think she’s just being nice. She’s being kind. Which is much more a sign of character than mere niceness. Kindness connects to who you are, while niceness connects to how you want to be seen.

Minji makes her first appearance between the second and third period. We pass her in the hall; she barely acknowledges Hanni and completely ignores me. She doesn’t stop walking, just nods at her. She’s hurt—I can tell—but she doesn’t say anything about it to me.

By the time we get to math class, the fourth period, the day has turned into an exquisite form of torture. I am right there next to her, but I can’t do a thing. As the teacher reduces us to theorems, I must remain silent. I write her a note, as an excuse to touch her shoulder, to pass her some words. But they are inconsequential. They are the words of a guest.

&n

bsp; I want to know if I changed her. I want to know if that day changed her, if only for a day.

I want her to see me, even though I know she can’t.

She joins us at lunch.

As strange as it is to see Hanni again, and to have her measure so well against my memory, it is even stranger to be sitting across from the jerk whose body I inhabited just three days ago. Mirror images do no justice to this sensation. She is more attractive than I thought, but also uglier. Her features are attractive, but what she does with them is not. She wears the superior scowl of someone who can barely hide her feelings of inferiority. Her eyes are full of scattershot anger, She posture one of defensive bravado.

I must have rendered her unrecognizable.

Hanni explains to her who I am, and where I come from. She makes it clear that she couldn’t care less. She tells her she left her wallet at home, so she goes and buys her food. When she gets back to the table with it, she says thanks, and I’m almost disappointed that she does. Because I’m sure that a single thank-you will go a long way in her mind.

I want to know about three days ago, about what she remembers.

“How far is it to the ocean?” I ask Hanni.

“It’s so funny you should say that,” she tells me. “We were just there the other day. It took about an hour or so.”

I am looking at her, looking again for some recognition. But she just keeps eating.

“Did you have a good time?” I ask her.

Hanni answers. “It was amazing.”

Still no response from her.

I try again. “Did you drive?”

She looks at me like I’m asking really stupid questions, which I suppose I am.

“Yes, I drove” is all she’ll give me.

“We had such a great time,” Hanni goes on. And it’s making her happy—the memory is making her happy. Which only makes me sadder.

I should not have come here. I should not have tried this. I should just go.

But I can’t. I am with her. I try to pretend that this is what matters.

I play along.

I don’t want to love her. I don’t want to be in love.

People take love’s continuity for granted, just as they take their body’s continuity for granted. They don’t realize that the best thing about love is its regular presence. Once you can establish that, it’s an added foundation to your life. But if you cannot have that regular presence, you only have the one foundation to support you, always.

She is sitting right next to me. I want to run my finger along her arm. I want to kiss her neck. I want to whisper the truth in her ear.

But instead I watch as she conjugates verbs. I listen as the air is filled with a foreign language, spoken in haphazard bursts. I try to sketch her in my notebook, but I am not an artist, and all that comes out are the wrong shapes, the wrong lines. I cannot hold on to anything that’s her.

The final bell rings. She asks me where I’ve parked, and I know that this is it, this is the end. She is writing her email address on a piece of paper for me. This is goodbye. For all I know, Ahn Yujin’s parents have called the police. For all I know, there’s a manhunt going on, an hour away. It is cruel of me, but I don’t care. I want Hanni to ask me to go to a movie, to invite me over to her house, to suggest we drive to the beach. But then Minji appears. Impatient. I don’t know what they are going to do, but I have a bad feeling. She wouldn’t be so insistent if making out weren’t involved.

“Walk me to my car?” I ask.

She looks at Minji for permission.

“I’ll get my car,” she says.

We have a parking lot’s length of time left with each other. I know I need something from her, but I’m not sure what.

“Tell me something nobody else knows about you,” I say.

She looks at me strangely. “What?”

“It’s something I always ask people—tell me something about you that nobody else knows. It doesn’t have to be major. Just something.”

Now that she gets it, I can tell she likes the challenge of the question, and I like her even more for liking it.

“Okay,” she says. “When I was ten, I tried to pierce my own ear with a sewing needle. I got it halfway through, and then I passed out. Nobody was home, so nobody found me. I just woke up, with this needle halfway in my ear, drops of blood all over my shirt. I pulled the needle out, cleaned up, and never tried it again. It wasn’t until I was fourteen that I went to the mall with my mom and got my ears pierced for real. She had no idea. How about you?”

There are so many lives to choose from, although I don’t remember most of them.

I also don’t remember whether Ahn Yujin has pierced ears or not, so it won’t be an ear-piercing memory.

“I stole Judy Blume’s Forever from my sister when I was eight,” I say. “I figured if it was by the author of Superfudge, it had to be good. Well, I soon realized why she kept it under her bed. I’m not sure I understood it all, but I thought it was unfair that the boy would name his, um, organ, and the girl wouldn’t name hers. So I decided to give mine a name.”

Hanni is laughing. “What was its name?”

“Helena. I introduced everyone to her at dinner that night. It went over really well.”

We’re at my car. Hanni doesn’t know it’s my car, but it’s the farthest car, so it’s not like we can keep walking.

“It was great to meet you,” she says. “Hopefully, I’ll see you around next year.”

“Yeah,” I say, “it was great to meet you, too.”

I thank her about five different ways. Then Minji drives over and honks.

Our time is up.

Ahn Yujin’s parents haven’t called the police. They haven’t even gotten home yet. I check the house phone’s voicemail, but the school hasn’t called.

It’s the one lucky thing that’s happened all day.

Day 5998

Something is wrong the minute I wake up the next morning. Something chemical.

It’s barely even morning. This body has slept until noon. Because this body was up late, getting high. And now it wants to be high again. Right away.

I’ve been in the body of a pothead before. I’ve woken up still drunk from the night before. But this is worse. Much worse.

There will be no school for me today. There will be no parents waking me up. I am on my own, in a dirty room, sprawled on a dirty mattress with a blanket that looks like it was stolen from a child. I can hear other people yelling in other rooms of the house.

There comes a time when the body takes over the life. There comes a time when the body’s urges, the body’s needs, dictate the life. You have no idea you are giving the body the key. But you hand it over. And then it’s in control. You mess with the wiring and the wiring takes charge.

I have only had glimpses of this before. Now I really feel it. I can feel my mind immediately combating the body. But it’s not easy. I cannot sense pleasure. I have to cling to the memory of it. I have to cling to the knowledge that I am only here for one day, and I have to make it through.

I try to go back to sleep, but the body won’t let me. The body is awake now, and it knows what it wants.

I know what I have to do, even though I don’t really know what’s going on. Even though I have not been in this situation before, I have been in situations before where it’s been me against the body. I have been ill, seriously ill, and the only thing to do is to power through the day. At first I thought there was something I could do within a single day that could make everything better. But very soon I learned my own limitations. Bodies cannot be changed in a day, especially not when the real mind isn’t in charge.

I don’t want to leave the room. If I leave the room, anything and anyone can happen. Desperately, I look around for something to help me through. There is a decrepit bookshelf, and on it is a selection of old paperbacks. These will save me, I decide. I open up an old thriller and focus on the first line. Darkness had descended on Manassas, Virginia.

…

The body does not want to read. The body is alive with electric barbed wire. The body is telling me there is only one way to fix this, only one way to end the pain, only one way to feel better. The body will kill me if I don’t listen to it. The body is screaming. The body demands its own form of logic.

I read the next sentence.

I lock the door.

I read the third sentence.

The body fights back. My hand shakes. My vision blurs.

I am not sure I have the strength to resist this.

I have to convince myself that Hanni is on the other side. I have to convince myself that this isn’t a pointless life, even though the body is telling me it is.

The body has obliterated its memories in order to hone its argument. There isn’t much for me to access. I must rely on my own memories, the ones that are separate from this.

I must remain separate from this.

I read the next sentence, then the next sentence. I don’t even care about the story. I am moving from word to word, fighting the body from word to word.

It’s not working. The body makes me feel like it wants to defecate and vomit. First in the usual way. Then I feel I want to defecate through my mouth and vomit through the other end. Everything is being mangled. I want to claw at the walls. I want to scream. I want to punch myself repeatedly.

I have to imagine my mind as something physical, something that can control the body. I have to picture my mind holding the body down.

I read another sentence.

Then another.

There is pounding on the door. I scream that I’m reading.

They leave me alone.

I don’t have what they want in this room.

They have what I want outside this room.

I must not leave this room.

I must not let the body out of this room.

I imagine her walking the hallways. I imagine her sitting next to me. I imagine her eyes meeting mine.

Then I imagine her getting in her car, and I stop.

The body is infecting me. I am getting angry. Angry that I am here. Angry that this is my life. Angry that so many things are impossible.

Angry at myself.

Don’t you want it to stop? the body asks.

I must push myself as far away from the body as I can.

Even as I’m in it.

I have to go to the bathroom. I really have to go to the bathroom.

Finally, I pee in a soda bottle. It splashes all over.

But it’s better than leaving this room.

If I leave the room, I will not be able to stop the body from getting what it wants.

I am ninety pages into the book. I can’t remember any of it.

Word by word.

The fight is exhausting the body.

I am winning.

It is a mistake to think of the body as a vessel. It is as active as any mind, as any soul. And the more you give yourself to it, the harder your life will be. I have been in the bodies of starvers and purgers, gluttons and addicts. They all think their actions make their lives more desirable. But the body always defeats them in the end.

I just need to make sure the defeat doesn’t take while I’m inside.

I make it to sundown. Two hundred sixty-five pages gone. I am shivering under the filthy blanket. I don’t know if it’s the temperature in the room or if it’s me.

Almost there, I tell myself.

There is only one way out of this, the body tells me.

At this point, I don’t know if it means drugs or death.

The body might not even care, at this point.

Finally, the body wants to sleep.

I let it.

[lambda-core]

Every time I see some post about how children have lower tech literacy, and the comments are all from nerdy types my age and above going "kids just need to develop technical hobbies!", I want to bang my head into my desk.

There are still kids with technical hobbies. My sibling is 15, built his own PC, and spent most of middle school hopping between Linux distros. His friend circle is full of kids who code and mod games for fun. These kids got into technical hobbies because they was naturally something that interested them--and because their families had the resources to encourage them to pursue them. These aren't the kids who are falling behind in technical literacy.

Your average adult doesn't seem to understand how many social barriers there are to getting into a nerdy hobby, especially when everybody around you acts like it's common knowledge but you've got zero background in it. When was the last time you picked up a hobby you knew so little about, you didn't even know how to estimate how much you didn't know? I don't mean the last time you, someone who's dabbled in making videogames since you could type on a keyboard, learned a new engine or language. For a kid who's only ever interacted with the web through mobile apps, telling them to forego all the tools they do understand how to use to like, learn how to code a raspberry pi, is like telling them to fly to another country and learn the language on the fly. Some kids will enjoy that! I think most will think you're insane.

And that's not even getting into the fact that from the kid's perspective, you aren't some angel parting the clouds and lowering to their level to save them from a life of tech illiteracy by being the first and only person to have told them "just switch to Linux lol". You're some lame grown-up telling them their hobbies suck and they should get a new one they know nothing about. Would you have taken that advice in high school? Or middle school? Be fr.

This isn't even getting into the fact that your average child these days isn't less technically literate; they're also less literate. I've heard anecdotes from teachers across the education system that students lack fundamental reading comprehension skills as far up as university. Personally, I would argue that learning a technical subject may be a useful way to teach students to read and retain detailed information from a text. But you have to understand that these students are starting from a lower level of reading skills than you would have been at their age. So telling them to just figure out how Linux works? Or game modding? You're throwing a kid who can't read to the wolves here.

I think there is something to be said for reaching kids where they are and showing them how using technical tools can help them accomplish things they already want to do. But most of these people don't want to put in the effort to figure out where they are and work from there. They just want to yell at kids these days for having deficits in their technical knowledge so they can feel better about themselves and their own relationship with technology. Who does that help?

[silverloreley]

I'm kinda in a pinch here.

I am demiace, sometimes I am wholly sex repulsed, some are sex indifferent.

As long as I was single, this didn't matter, save for the occasional boring same "you'll find someone someday" and the likes. But I have a boyfriend now, since the end of December actually, and even if I was very clear about my orientation since our second date (and dropping hints in the first) he keeps trying to lead me to sexual activities. Gently and respecting when I say stop or no, but still it's much too clear he wants that.

The thing is, I get it, humans tend to want sex and closeness, and I did make an effort for the sake of the relationship, tried a few things (I'm a virgin so I thought maybe I could learn and try and see how is it...) some of which were vaguely pleasant, but I keep thinking of other stuff and how I'd rather do anything else but that. Even when we kiss I'd rather not. In fact, I had to stop him several times while we were in the street and he gets too handsy because I'm a very private person and I can't stand PDA save for very mild ones.

And yesterday we had one of the best dates so far, at least for me, in which we had lunch at my home (no money wasted to go out, don't judge me, I'm poor) and then we worked on the stuff for the next cosplay contest (our first together, he volunteered since he already had the cosplay, so I added him to my idea) and we made a prop + tried the scene and dance, I had a whole lot of fun and finally felt I wasn't wasting my time.

He didn't. He said it was fun but he still preferred walks and talking (and trying to have sex, that was implied) and I was hurt by that. It was the best for me that we did actual things together, real tangibile stuff and nice activities, when I always felt kind of off any other time.

Also, there's the thing he doesn't seem able to do even half the stuff I do. I can dance, cook, sew, do anything a household can need including painting or doing minor repairs, I make props and I'm learning to prep wigs, and many other things, I write and have a somewhat extensive (though not as much as I'd like) culture... He has a good job and he's sweet, that's it, nothing else. He can't keep up when I speak of complex topics, he has nothing to add to a discussion, he always speaks of the same topics in the same way (his job, videogames, movies, his past relationships and trauma) or gives me compliments that point out how great I am that always feel more like he wants me to give them back or raise him up.

I don't know what to do. I'm very confused because I don't know what I want, if I want to try more to make this work or just wait until the competition is over and break up, but then I'd come off like I wanted to use him for a goal and that's not the truth, I like him but the issues are there and I can't ignore them forever.

I thought I'd give us time until October (the last competition is at the beginning of September) to see how things evolve, if I can make him understand I need different things and see if there are compromises we can make, but still I worry this won't work, not if I'm unhappy with the things he likes and wants, and he doesn't enjoy the ones I like.