#gameluster

[therogerclarkfanclub]

Roger has been nominated 'Best Lead Performance' for his role as Jack Leary in Fort Solis in GameLuster's 2023 GOTY Awards! It is so richly deserved. 👏👏

Other nominees include:

Ben Starr as Clive Rosfield in Final Fantasy XVI

Nadji Jeter as Miles Molares in Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Neil Newbon as Astarion in Baldur's Gate 3

Xalavier Nelson Jr. as James Savage in El Paso Elsewhere

[questioningespecialy]

The Mass Effect series was originally released to widespread acclaim, with praise heaped on its story of intergalactic war and survival against all odds. However, Mass Effect also tells a story about human colonisation and expansion across the galaxy – a far more complex and fraught topic. (…) It’s important to note that Mass Effect’s whole narrative discussion of colonisation is explored through a colonial lens – and one that represents the act with positivity. For players that do not treat the idea of colonisation with kindness, this narrative can be distinctly alienating.

Aside from Ashley, people were also noticing how dated the dialogue and story felt by today’s standards, and just how problematic it had been. (…) She’s an incredibly uncomfortable character whose views represent most of the human colonists that are expanding their reach through the galaxy. In some respect, it makes the option of leaving her out of your story so much more meaningful – but that decision also comes with its own issues. (…) But where the portrayal of each side differs is in how the aliens are depicted: as the problem. (…) For me, in exploring and saving these human colonists I began to wonder: ‘Are these the people I really want to save?’ For the most part, the answer was ‘no’. (…) Playing Mass Effect years later, I’m irritated with how this series constantly wants you to go along with the actions and dialogue of racist, xenophobic behaviour in order to mine depth and meaning from the plot. The game keeps illustrating the expansion of the human colonies across the galaxy as a good thing, despite those human colonies being filled with racists who want Aliens dead. It makes it hard to root for the humanity portrayed in Mass Effect to survive. I feel as though Mass Effect would have a far more interesting story to tell if we were anything but human. Though it does dabble in the ideas, Mass Effect as a series struggles to portray any meaningful anti-colonialist, anti-expansion narrative, because it simply does not want to. Mass Effect champions a colonial struggle against the threats of an expansive galaxy, and in returning to the game, I realise just how little room there is in this story to find myself and my values.

—Mass Effect’s colonisation narrative isn’t pretty, ten years later by Nich Richie, GamesHub.com (8 Nov 2022)

[educationaldm]

The storytelling in TTRPGs like D&D is chaotic and crazy, but it does encourage us to create interesting characters and develop realistic relationships. Some writers swear by it, others don't.

[ggnewsvietnam]

Các Gamers nghĩ gì về sự ảnh hưởng của Sweet Inc đối với ngành game?

Sự tồn tại và hoạt động của Sweet Baby Inc. đã khơi mào nhiều cuộc tranh luận trong cộng đồng game thủ, đặc biệt khi các tựa game mà công ty hợp tác phát triển có những yếu tố gây tranh cãi. Dưới đây là phân tích sâu hơn với các ví dụ cụ thể để minh họa.

1. Những ý kiến ủng hộ Sweet Baby Inc.

Thúc đẩy sự đa dạng qua các nhân vật và câu chuyện

Trong God of War: Ragnarok, Sweet Baby Inc. tham gia vào việc tư vấn phát triển nhân vật Angrboda, người được mô tả là một phụ nữ da màu trong bối cảnh thần thoại Bắc Âu. Đây là một quyết định gây tranh cãi nhưng cũng nhận được sự hoan nghênh từ những người ủng hộ sự đa dạng, cho rằng nó giúp mở rộng khả năng sáng tạo trong game​ That Park Place .

Assassin’s Creed Valhalla là một ví dụ khác khi đội ngũ sáng tạo, bao gồm Sweet Baby Inc., tập trung xây dựng một cốt truyện có thể chơi với cả nhân vật nam và nữ, cho phép người chơi tự do chọn cách họ muốn trải nghiệm câu chuyện​ The Chicago Thinker .

Chương trình hỗ trợ các nhóm ít được đại diện

Sweet Baby Inc. tổ chức các hội thảo và cố vấn nhằm giúp đỡ các nhà phát triển trẻ và các nhóm yếu thế trong ngành công nghiệp game. ��iều này được đánh giá là một nỗ lực quan trọng để cải thiện sự đại diện không chỉ trong game mà còn trong cả đội ngũ sản xuất​ GameLuster .

2. Những chỉ trích và ý kiến trái chiều

Cảm giác bị áp đặt

Trong Saints Row (2022), nhiều game thủ phàn nàn rằng trò chơi thiếu đi "linh hồn" của series gốc, thay vào đó tập trung quá mức vào việc lồng ghép các yếu tố chính trị và đại diện. Trò chơi bị chỉ trích là không có chiều sâu và thiếu hấp dẫn, với doanh số bán hàng và đánh giá thấp hơn mong đợi​ That Park Place .

Forspoken, một tựa game khác có sự tham gia của Sweet Baby Inc., bị cho là có cốt truyện thiếu sức hút và không kết nối được với người chơi chính vì tập trung vào các yếu tố đa dạng nhưng lại thiếu sự phát triển nhân vật hấp dẫn​ The Chicago Thinker ​ That Park Place .

Phản ứng từ game thủ truyền thống

Phát ngôn của CEO Kim Belair đã trở thành chủ đề tranh cãi lớn. Bà cho rằng "game thủ nam giới da trắng là một lực cản lớn đối với sự tiến bộ của ngành," khiến một bộ phận người chơi cảm thấy bị loại trừ và công kích​ That Park Place ​ That Park Place .

Một số trò chơi bị gắn mác "chính trị hóa" hoặc "quá thức tỉnh" (too woke) khiến các fan trung thành cảm thấy mất kết nối, như trường hợp của Gotham Knights. Dù cốt truyện cố gắng đa dạng hóa nhân vật, nhưng trò chơi lại nhận điểm số thấp trên các nền tảng đánh giá​ That Park Place .

Chất lượng sản phẩm bị ảnh hưởng

Dungeons & Dragons: Dark Alliance (2021) bị chỉ trích vì gameplay rời rạc, thiếu sự mượt mà và hấp dẫn, dù có sự tư vấn từ Sweet Baby Inc. trong phần cốt truyện. Game bị xem là một thất bại khi không cân bằng được giữa câu chuyện và trải nghiệm chơi​ That Park Place .

Goodbye Volcano High, một game với nội dung tập trung vào cảm xúc và câu chuyện về tuổi trưởng thành, bị cho là quá tập trung vào các vấn đề xã hội mà thiếu đi sức hấp dẫn cho đa dạng người chơi​ The Chicago Thinker .

3. Góc nhìn trung lập và đề xuất cải thiện

Tầm quan trọng của cân bằng

Những trò chơi tương đối thành công như The Last of Us Part II và Horizon Zero Dawn là ví dụ cho thấy việc kết hợp giữa sự đa dạng và gameplay chất lượng là hoàn toàn khả thi. Tuy nhiên, để đạt được điều này, cần sự cân bằng cẩn thận giữa nội dung và cách thể hiện​ GameLuster ​ The Chicago Thinker .

Giảm thiểu xung đột với cộng đồng game thủ

Sweet Baby Inc. có thể cần điều chỉnh cách giao tiếp với cộng đồng. Việc tập trung vào các phát ngôn hòa giải thay vì đối đầu có thể giúp giảm bớt phản ứng tiêu cực từ một bộ phận người chơi​ That Park Place .

Kết luận

Các ý kiến trái chiều xoay quanh Sweet Baby Inc. cho thấy sự căng thẳng trong việc định hình tương lai của ngành game: giữa bảo tồn các giá trị truyền thống và thúc đẩy sự đổi mới thông qua đa dạng. Dù có những tranh cãi, công ty này vẫn đóng vai trò quan trọng trong việc định hình một ngành công nghiệp mở hơn, nhưng cũng cần cải thiện để cân bằng giữa mục tiêu xã hội v�� sự hấp dẫn cốt lõi của trò chơi.

[maximuswolf]

The Grammys Are Ignoring Non-Western Video Game Soundtracks And It's Frustrating | GameLuster

The Grammys Are Ignoring Non-Western Video Game Soundtracks, And It's Frustrating | GameLuster https://ift.tt/RPMLoIU Submitted November 11, 2024 at 09:04AM by TokyoDrifblim https://ift.tt/ytYHkCw via /r/Music

[cyberpunkonline]

Minds Beneath Us Review - See How Deep The Rabbit Hole Goes | GameLuster

[misha-moose-dean-burger-lover]

Free Fallin’

“Can we, uh. Drive?”

Cas turns to Dean Winchester, amused, yet not entirely surprised. The hunter’s standing in the doorway, the line of his lips slant. But he’s got his eyebrows raised in a pleading stance, his posture as unsettled as pinkening, flustered cheeks. He is, in spite of the hesitation, to the core of his being, endearing to Cas.

But Cas rallies to stay serious. There’s a chance Dean needs that right now. “If you’d really rather. Of course.”

If you really want to avoid this. 

Dean seems uncomfortable, still, though Cas just gave him an out. Cas can feel the restlessness in his guilty stare. 

It hadn’t been long since Castiel got his wings back. And this was the first chance he was going to have, post completely healing, to fly - trial runs (flights?) didn’t really count, because they didn’t have any destinations, and he’s actually been looking forward to flying with someone, because it’s been a bit of an eternity since he’s done it. Been of use, like that. So ever since the case popped up on their radar, courtesy of a small-scale hunter in Maine, who acceded to keep them updated, he’s been waiting. 

It’s too far away to drive, if urgency strikes. They’d have to fly. Especially now that they could.

(Sam set off for Texas with Jack six days ago - a newspaper article leading them to cremated ghosts with elite, mysterious family members, and a whole lot of them. It’s fairly tame, as far as salt-and-burns go, and Castiel trusts both Sam’s intelligence, and commitment to keeping Jack safe, enough to not have decided to follow, three days in.

Which means it’s just Dean and him.)

Cas knows he’s never been more enthusiastic on a personal level about the discovery of a vampire’s nest. And he doesn’t pin it to a hunter’s heart dripping gamelust - because he’s aware that the idea of flying across the country with Dean Winchester, after so long, is significantly more appealing than the intricacies of pretending, and ridiculous badges, when they get there. 

So alright, Cas’s been waiting for this. Packing, planning and leaving. With Dean, and Dean’s familiar duffel, and his wings - it’s been an exciting thought. No matter how little time it’d take, and no matter how many times he’s flown around the vast Milky Way in the entirety of his life as an angel - this had felt like something monumental for Cas to suggest, and for Dean to agree to, through a mouthful of dinner, and several thoughtful nods. It had felt like something special.

But now, if Dean’s in enough discomfort to come out and audibly hint at it, it’s harder for him than he let Castiel believe - in the past, or even the night before yesterday. Cas knows he’d never impose on Dean. Or reinforce the multiple, exceedingly valid arguments he hadn’t had to use the first time, in favor of flying versus driving. Dean has the right to retract his agreement, his consent at any moment, and Cas instantly resolves to not let it show that this had meant something, because Dean would end up shouldering all the guilt Cas had no resolve to create, and absorbing it to the deepest crevices of his mind, to let himself fester in it.

Cas stays impassive. Ever proficient at dormancy. 

Still, Dean picks up on it. Guarded walls come up to shelter something akin to fear. “You wanted this.” It borders on inflammatory. A tinge of accusation, but it doesn’t feel pointed at Cas. 

“I did.”

“I’m sorry, Cas.” Dean grimaces, entering the room with a streeled step. It’s as if Cas’s earnestness knocked a few layers off his shield - and reduced the distance between them, literally and metaphorically. Truly, honesty is the strongest axe Cas swings at Dean’s unhealthy defenses, with.

“Dean, you needn’t be.” Cas assures him, and he means it, although the disappointment within him is giving way to a sullen sense of despondency he doesn’t wish to indulge in, so he deflects by concentrating on Dean instead. 

Dean shifts, raises his eyes from the floor to meet Cas’s, and they linger in a stare of depthless confessions. 

It’s unlike them.

So when Cas tries to render a small smile, because it felt like the silence needed to be reacted to - needed one of them to pull off, there’s no way for him to know that it’ll push them over the edge. Dean wrenches away from him, and Cas sees the strings holding him stoic, snap.

“Sonuvabitch, Cas -”

Dean storms up to him, glaring. He’s angry, it almost radiates off of him - just not, per se, at Cas. 

“- we’ve all come such a fucking long way!” He growls, and Cas meets his stare uncertainly, thrown off. This is unpredictable, to say the least. Dean’s positively glowering at him - except it’s through him, like he’s been hollowed out. “We saved the goddamn world, man. Died a combined total of a hell of a lot! Sam’s gone from being an angry teenager to a kickass, new-age Bobby Singer. Dammit Cas, we lost your wings and got them back.”

We lost your wings.

Cas nods, faintly. He still isn’t sure where Dean’s going with this. 

“Back then? You would’ve put two angelic fingers on my forehead, and zapped me the fuck to India, or something.” Dean grits out, edging towards his worst temper. Cas can hear him trying to restrain himself. “But now, you won’t - now, you listen, and you try - because you’ve grown, Cas. You’ve become family, and I -”

Cas doesn’t think about the fact that if Dean isn’t angry at him, there’s no reason to be yelling. Instead, he thinks about the rare haziness in intense, green eyes, and the pain in his crushed voice.

“And I haven’t fucking changed.” Dean ends abruptly, inflicting a scornful glare at the floor, and -

Oh. 

“Dean,” is all Cas says, because he isn't sure Dean’s done yet. They’ve always jumped to conclusions, and realized they were wrong later, but Cas really doesn’t want to interrupt right now. 

“Ten years, we’ve known each other.” Dean looks up again. There’s too much in his eyes. “Forty years, I’ve been hunting. And I’m still the goddamn same, Cas. Angry, pissed-off, worthless. The hits just keep on coming, and all I do is bury myself in the losses, and then Sam or you screws my head on straight and we pull a miracle out of our asses, but end of the day, I’m this fucked-up, hurting piece of shit, and -”

Emotions shine at the corner of Dean’s eyes; years of keeping it all down, finally overcome. With the surfacing ruinness, Dean lets out a strained sound, and lets his head fall. Chin buried in his chest, at last, he forces out. 

“- and I’m still too afraid of flying.”

“Dean.” Cas loses what remained of his reticence, and if Dean has more to say, he can say it with Cas close, hovering near with his hands featherlight along Dean’s arms, wanting to comfort, but not knowing how. Cas wants to be there - but he’s never gotten a chance before. He has no idea how. “Dean, look at me. Please. It’s not like that, Dean, you’re not those things - Dean, you’re one of the best men I know, just, please -”

Cas knows he isn’t doing the most articulate, or efficient job of reassuring the volatile, shaking hunter - almost - in his arms. None of it seems to seep through, however hard he tries. It’s years of repression. Like the other shoe dropping, the facade of being okay just crumbled - and it’d been the most convincing one yet, one Dean’s been hiding under since God was sent away. 

Instead of listening to Cas, Dean’s lost in his head. He scrubs his face with his hands, and then fists them in his hair, screwing his eyes shut. It hurts Cas to be so helpless right now - because no words seem to make a difference.

“I’m scared of it, Cas.” Dean repeats, voice breaking mid-sentence, and the heels of his palms pressed to his eyes.

Cas looks at him, terrified. He wishes he could hug Dean - wrap himself around him in a tight embrace, and not let go until Dean stops shaking, because right now, he’s trembling, but Cas has no idea if he’s allowed to do that. Dean is - well, from what Cas interprets of the situation, he’s having a panic attack, and Cas doesn’t want to cross boundaries. 

Cas just wants to brush off Dean’s tears, which have never been there before, and run his hands through his hair, and caress his temple, and he wants to soothe Dean’s knuckles with his thumbs, and he wants to tell Dean how wonderful he is, again and again until he believes Cas, and then calmly, he wants to take Dean’s hands, and -

That’s probably exactly what Castiel needs to do. 

Dean’s too out of it to register Cas gently plucking Dean’s hands from his face, freeing his hair of their assault - or maybe, he just can’t comprehend Cas holding his hand so tenderly, like it’s some kind of a precious thing, and Cas’s hands curl around his fingers, pushing Dean’s palm against his. 

Dean’s hands are colder than his, so Cas squeezes till Dean’s feel warm, and he looks at Dean as he does it, and Dean’s noticed now, and he’s staring at their hands, held between their chests, and he’s looking such awe - this delicate, beautiful wonder which makes Cas demand from himself why he hasn’t done this before. 

Somehow, as the seconds pass, Dean quietens. 

And as Cas holds on - simply holds on, running the pads of his thumbs on Dean’s skin, Dean’s chest stops heaving. He still looks dazed, and is breathing heavy, when Cas moves insufficiently closer, swaying into Dean’s space. 

“Will you let me try again?” Cas asks, in the same voice he’d have asked, do you trust me, and Dean understands it. 

He keeps looking at their hands. 

“Will you let me take you flying?” Cas says. “And we can hold hands, or if you’ll let me, I can hold you, and I promise it’ll be alright.”

There’s nothing, for a while. 

And then, Dean’s right thumb twitches, tracing the second knuckles of Cas’s fingers, and Cas feels a shadow of solace go through him, nervousness mingling with grace in his veins. 

“I’d let you take me anywhere, Cas.”

Cas feels his heart swell. Dean looks up slowly, seeking out Cas’s eyes, and Cas holds his gaze, and just like that, they’re back to saying things without any words. 

You fell from Heaven. Pulled me out of hell. We’ve been to purgatory together, so believe me, I’ll go to the corners of the world with you. 

“Maine?” Cas ventures, with growing confidence, for a smile - history assures him that Dean’ll join in, and he almost does. Only a wisp, but it’s there. 

“Yeah, but fucking hold me, okay?” Dean huffs, and it’s such a relieving sound of mild exasperation, more than a reach for normalcy, and Cas adores it. He knows Dean isn’t alright - not yet, and he doesn’t know how long it’ll take in the long run, but he knows he’ll be there for Dean. Through all of it, and on the other end. 

This is the farthest they’ve gotten, too. Dean’s hinted at these issues before, but he’s never had a breakdown in front of Cas - or anyone, and he’s never not backed off into a shell, after. This Dean is trying, and it’s wonderful. And it’d be growth, if Cas had ever looked at Dean Winchester, through the lens of an all-knowing immortal, like he’s not the most incredible being in the world, but a specimen, an experience - a phenomena to be analysed. 

Cas looks on, trying to dissect the way Dean’s eyes stay glued to his, unconsciously, and trying to read Dean through them. He can sense faith, and hope, and his resolve is renewed. 

“Well, we’d have to let go, first.” Cas points out, slow, and Dean tentatively does it first, ending up with his arms on his side again. Circling back to awkward, and adorable in his nervousness. But Cas doesn’t let him fold in, and retreat into himself, because now that he’s got Dean saying yes, and Dean asking him to, of course he’s putting his arms around him. 

Of course, he’s putting a hand on Dean’s hip - and drinking in the subtle responses of his body to Cas guiding him closer, and his other hand goes to rest on it’s eternally demarcated place on Dean’s left arm, as he looks up at Dean with all of the admiration and reverence he feels inside, trying to coax it into his eyes, and it’s not even a fraction of a millionth which makes it there, but Dean still blushes, so maybe for now, it’s enough. And then Dean’s hand grazes against Cas’s elbow carefully - because Cas hasn’t asked Dean to touch him yet, (so he doesn’t), but oh, how he wishes he would.

“How are you, Dean?” 

“I’m going to close my eyes.”

“How would you know you’re not scared if you closed your eyes?”

“How do you know I’m not going to be scared?” Dean throws back, still vulnerable, but a lot more himself. It’s a challenge, a flame disguised as a rhetoric, but Cas treats it like a question. And answers, as plainly as he can.

“Because now, you believe in me.”

It’s not a lot of words, and not the most eloquent Cas has ever been, but it conveys so much that it almost stuns Dean again. He nods, jerkily.

I’ve always believed in you.

Dean waits.

Trust is not the same as belief.

Cas decides it’s not worth this moment wasted, to stop for supplies or guns. They can circle back for them. This is it. Dean’s ready right now, and Cas wants to show him how beautiful it can be - and how with Cas, Dean never needs to fear flying.

Castiel would, and has given up his life for Dean Winchester. He’s charred, ruined, and lost his wings. Yet now, the angel shall show him how to live, on those very wings. Life is a string of poetic ironies, threaded together by choices. Love is the first pearl, and courage is the last.

“Cas.” Dean breathes out, as Cas starts to dissociate, focusing himself deep within. Dean stares openly, for Cas’s eyes are closed now, as he reaches through the realms to gather himself. “Of course, I believe in you.” Falls from his lips in an awed whisper, and the sound of his voice is still too much for the frailty of the moment.

That’s when it happens.

“I love you.” Cas lets out, because it seems far too important that Dean knows, and there’s limits to implications which can’t hold him back anymore. They’re going to fly together. 

Dean’s eyes widening is the last thing he sees, before he needs to concentrate his grace again. It feels like giving in to an old habit you’ve had to live without, more than a lover you’ve moved on from - and Dean’s hands grabbing onto him don't even register as they take off. His grand, celestial wings flap, and time hurls them out of their reality. 

Everything fades, and with the sounds, borders, and colors, so does Castiel - once again, heavenly. Everything goes away, stripping their hearts bare and momentum flickers on their skins, as ethereal, sky-like wings render the only one who remains, speechless.

Beholding the magnificence of his angel, love resonating through his ribs, Dean keeps his eyes open. 

*

It never takes too long.

Dean holds on to Cas, with arms clinging around his neck, until the end. It feels like he’s gliding - but somehow also like he’s driving hands-free in the clouds, though he’s surrounded by too much of everything for it to be the sky. He’s not terrified, but he’s overwhelmed, and he’s goddamn living- hell, he’s never lived this much in a breath, because the second he’s trying to replace the oxygen in his lungs, he finds the chasm of warped space start to dissipate. 

The ground under his boots returns, just like that.

He breathes in air - cold, real air, in the middle of a field which is certainly not Kansas, with a full-blown smile on his face which he’s not even thinking about. It still feels like he’s floating, to some imaginative part of his consciousness. It makes his heart slower, and shoulders lift, and he’s unjustifiably happy, and peaceful, and to hell with being afraid, he feels content.

Dean Winchester feels brave again. 

Maybe it’s because of Cas’s words. Maybe it’s because his arms are still fastened around him. Or maybe it’s because, Cas. He’s everything. Dean's been an idiot to have been trying to ignore the things he feels, because if he’d gotten here sooner, he could’ve had more of Cas looking at him like that, and Cas’s hands planted warmly on his sides, and Cas just smiling at him from this close. 

Now, he’s determined to make the most of the time he’s got. 

When Castiel slowly opens his eyes, looking composed again - and a little proud, definitely pleased, almost too lovely, Dean doesn’t hesitate. Doesn’t wait for the voice in his head to catch up, and start second-guessing what he’s wanted to do forever. Dean just lurches forward, grabbing the trenchcoat lapels to reduce the gap, and kisses him. 

Cas responds almost right away, pushing back into the kiss, and Dean, with all of himself, and letting both arms circle Dean’s waist and shoulders, ending up impossibly close. Dean cups Cas’s face, tilting it towards himself, as he kisses him with everything he’s ever felt. There’s gratitude, and apologies, and need, and want, and then there’s the love, and that’s where he stops thinking. 

“Cas, I -” Dean pants, running out of breath. They’ve stopped kissing, and are simply paused in the moment with their foreheads leaned into a reassuring touch. Dean’s waiting to hear himself say it, and he hopes Cas is, too. “I - god, Cas - I love you too.” He takes a full breath. “I love you so much.”

And then Cas breaks into a smile, chest heaving as well, with the corners of his eyes wrinkling, and lips pulling up, and Dean gets to lean in and kiss him again, and he gets to tell Cas he loves him, and tell Cas he loves him every morning, and every time he feels like it’ll burst out of his chest if he doesn’t, and he gets to want Cas to hold him, as they fly, and -

Goddammit, he gets Cas. 

And that’s a happy ending, if Dean Winchester’s ever dreamed of one. 

[newsmutproject]

Chloe Spencer on “Breathe”

He kissed me again, wrapping his arms around my waist, pressing his body against mine. He opened his mouth and nibbled on my bottom lip.

“Hey,” I said, laughing. “Why are you . . . ”

He silenced me with another kiss, his tongue mingling with mine. He tasted like . . . cinnamon? Must’ve been from the snickerdoodles that he baked last night.

“You taste good,” I murmured, opening my eyes again.

Petey smiled. “I do?”

“Yeah.”

“I like how you taste more.”

“What?” I giggled. “Why, what do I taste like?”

“Mint.”

“That’s just toothpaste, dude.”

I laughed and kissed him back. The more we kissed, the more aroused I became. I could feel Petey’s erection poking at me, grinding against my leg. It sent little jolts of electricity tingling up my spine. He reached his hand beneath the waistband of my underwear, and I shuddered.

“Oh, sorry,” he whispered, stopping. “Is that okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. Please keep going.”

About the story:

This piece serves as a spiritual predecessor to my novel, All the First Times, which was released over the summer. I wanted to write a story about two best friends exploring their sexuality, and how one of them uses intimacy to help him work through his trauma. I realized that the situation and the characters described in Breathe were very similar to Ale and Edd, two previous characters from my RPG, Grunge. So, “Breathe” is the piece that inspired me to explore that character dynamic and love story more.  

As a reader, I was frustrated by how a lot of erotica doesn't seem to talk about the "funny" parts of intimacy; how it's awkward and doesn't always go the way that you would expect. A lot of times, everything seems to fall so neatly and nicely into place, and this doesn't reflect the reality of a lot of sexual experiences. It also tends to hyperfixate on how attractive the characters are and make them appealing to a wider audience, rather than just capture the thoughts and feelings of the two characters that are having sex with each other. Rather than criticize the awkwardness, I wanted to fully embrace it, and have that awkwardness bring the two characters closer together.

About Chloe Spencer: 

Chloe Spencer is a videographer, comic artist, and game developer whose work has previously been published in Gender Terror, GameLuster, and with JMS Books LLC. She’s also a screenwriter whose script, VFXX, recently placed as a finalist in the Los Angeles International Screenplay Awards—she’s pretty much a jack-of-all creative trades. When not working on stories or scribbling away comics, you can find her reviewing and playing queer indie games on her YouTube channel.   

COMING OCTOBER 24

Erato: 50 erotic short, short stories with a diversity of characters and settings–all of them breathtakingly seductive and memorable. Expand your erotic imagination and discover the pleasure different bodies, relationships, and play with language can bring us.

[pinesquest2d]

PQ2D Update #45 Part 2: Extended Demo Version 0.8

!!! IF YOU HAVE DOWNLOADED A PREVIOUS VERSION OF PINESQUEST 2D, YOU MUST DELETE ALL DATA FROM IT INCLUDING SAVE FILES BEFORE INSTALLING THIS NEW VERSION !!!

DOWNLOAD THE NEW VERSION ON GAMEJOLT OR ITCH.IO!

Changelog:

Enemy HP is no longer displayed to the player during battle. See here for the full explanation as to why.

All non-boss enemies have had their agility notably reduced, alleviating the issue of players rarely ever getting the first move in battle.

The effectiveness of magic spells which inflict status ailments has been raised from 50% to 75%.

A. Tad Square's shop has been adjusted to where more expensive weapons do not appear as soon as before.

Stan's knuckleduster weapons, which previously raised his attack very little, now raise his attack significantly as intended.

The Lucky Egg and Fortune Coin have been replaced with different items, as the original items were not functional.

The Cosmic Hourglass now functions differently.

Upon entering the graveyard in the first dungeon, you are no longer immediately placed on a specific tile on the map. The player may now explore the graveyard and examine the tombstones freely.

No matter what cryptogram puzzle box the player encounters first, they will now always be given a tutorial on how to solve them if it is their first time activating one.

The appearance rates of certain enemies have been adjusted.

"Mysterious Page" items now appear as full images instead of text boxes.

Some abilities have been renamed.

Many magic spell and technique descriptions have been edited for clarity,

Various graphical fixes and changes.

Various dialogue and text edits.

Unless a major game-breaking bug is discovered and a patch is required, this will be the final update to the (extended) demo version before the release of the full game. I'd also like to give a huge shout out and thank you to Chloe Spencer, writer for website GameLuster, for recently featuring PinesQuest 2D on her 1Game1Minute video series! Enjoy the update and as always, thank you for following the development of PinesQuest 2D and of course, stay weird! 

[taimoorzaheer]

Bandai Namco's Apparent E3 Appearance Re-sparks Elden Ring Rumours

Bandai Namco’s Apparent E3 Appearance Re-sparks Elden Ring Rumours

News of Bandai Namco’s presence at this years E3 has rekindled rumours surrounding an impending Elden Ring announcement [via Gameluster]. Could This Be It For Elden Ring Fans? Credit: FromSoftware Bandai Namco’s E3 attendance was originally confirmed on the official E3 website. While the webpage has been taken down since reports initially surfaced, the list can be viewed thanks to archiving…

[ourayan111]

Review: Socketeer – Hacked to Pieces – GameLuster If a brand... https://ift.tt/2C67cHo

[mingoboys]

Tweeted

The latest Mingo Boys Nerdstuff News! https://t.co/SucQfUUpHR Thanks to @Cryptoandgamers @gamelust @pruzmani #gaming #videogames

— Mingo (@MBNerdStuff) June 8, 2018