#gamer Ellie my beloved

[r3starttt]

GAMER! GF! ELLIE

M.list

gamer gf! Ellie who’s money goes almost completely to anything that helps to improve her setup. She’ll also somehow buy the most expensive versions of everything and keeps on buying lots of lightning products even though she only uses her leds.

gamer gf! Ellie who stays awake super late just to buy things online (mostly unnecessary shit that only she uses or would only use once)

gamer gf! Ellie who’s of course a streamer and somehow has the most nice fandom ever. But also full of people that writes the most feral things/compliments about her everywhere and adores you sm even though they didn’t even know you in the beginning.

gamer gf! Ellie who’s fans fully her for having you as her girlfriend, reminding her all the time how she’s super loser coded and how you’re the total opposite.

gamer gf! Ellie who got viral not for her gameplay but for doing a review of some random product she bought because she almost revealed her face and also because people kept saying how hot her hands were. There were tons of edits and clips about both, the small piece of face she showed and her hands, and she wouldn’t stop showing you all of them.

gamer gf! Ellie who eventually made a face reveal because somehow people were already recognizing her on public and there were pictures of her all over twitter so there was no point on being “all mysterious” (she never was)

gamer gf! Ellie who plays everything (and sucks most times) but definitely loves Minecraft the most just because she gets to play with you.

gamer gf! Ellie who has a huge world with you where she insists you should do the house and decorating all super pretty while she goes in the caves and does the “hard stuff” (she panics whenever those random sounds appear and always gets killed in the most stupid ways)

gamer gf! Ellie who begs you to do streams with her, playing with her (using her fans as an excuse bcs they genuinely ask for it) or just staying by her side (ofc you have to be there if she’s playing some horror game)

gamer gf! Ellie who’s super loud and screams a lot. Who also loves insulting everyone, specially kids.

gamer gf! Ellie who also adores fortnite and GTA (online’s her favorite ofc) just for the kids that she gets to insult and scare.

gamer gf! Ellie who only uses Instagram to let people know she’ll start streaming and overuses twitter (somehow hasn’t got canceled)

gamer gf! Ellie who reads fics of her and sees all the edits and fanart people do (exposes everyone and can’t hold her laugh if the drawing sucks)

gamer gf! Ellie who’s love language would be dedicate you every win she made (would fail most times but the effort matters more than the result ig)

gamer gf! Ellie who loves shit post duh (fills her ig stories with an exaggerated amount of it)

gamer gf! Ellie who also loves animal crossing and the sims (secretly) and does the most creepy shit

gamer gf! Ellie who also installs everything for free if she can because she refuses to spend that much money in games (she still does but whatever)

gamer gf! Ellie who’s phone never has battery and has the most broken screen ever

gamer gf! Ellie who makes a lot of random quizzes and got a high result on the iq ones while streaming (got really exited even though she’s genuinely smart)

[ashleyasha]

15 Questions + 15 Friends

Thanks for tagging me @knife-dad 💚

Are you named after anyone? Nope

When was the last time you cried? Um...a couple of days ago? I cry a lot, it's the depression smh

Do you have kids? Nope, unless you count my fur baby. My ferret Ellie 💚

What sports do you play/have you played? None...I'm not into sports really, but I'll have fun with basketball sometimes just shooting hoops

Do you use sarcasm? Not at all. Was that sarcastic? You decide.

What is the first thing you notice about people? Idk...just a general vibe I guess. I'm not good with people lol 

What's your eye color? Blue

Scary movies or happy endings? Happy endings definitely, I'm not a huge fan of scary movies there are very few I like

Any talents? Not really...I like to think I'm a good gamer? I'm not sure if that counts as a talent lol. Idk I'm pretty mediocre at everything tbh

Where were you born? West Virginia, USA

What are your hobbies? Gaming, reading, model building, playing d&d

Do you have any pets? My beloved ferret I mentioned above!

How tall are you? 5'10-ish

Favorite subject in school? Reading/English mostly, I actually enjoyed my math class in college a lot because I had a good teacher who made it all make sense, it was kinda fun

Dream job: Working at the Hobbiton set in NZ lol but more realistically, a librarian maybe. Working on video games or movies as a designer/editor but I don't have the skills for that. Editing movie trailers or designing movie posters. Idk I'm just rambling at this point about things I'd love to try but could never do lol

Tagging:

@imaginaryrobin

@mookybear12404

@savethefirecat

@liliaenbaggins

@sleepy-insomnia-bear

@agentpolarbear

@thirddagger

@notatypicaldimension

@allons-y-to-hogwarts-713

@sleepyfireball

@stochastiz

@queenofnevermore

@curioshops

@wlwdisasterr

@little---furnace

[avastrasposts]

Hello!

So I just realised about 300+ people decided to follow me and, I suppose, read my stories? And 300 is such a small number but to me it's surreal that so many of you want to read what I write!

So I thought I'd introduce myself a little, just to be polite you know, and be like those author blurbs they put on the inside flap of books. So read on if you want to know more about me and my writing, or just keep scrolling if you'd rather I remain a redheaded mystery with a thing for Frankie Morales.

Also, chapter 16 of The Pilot and his Girl will be posted tomorrow, it just needs another round of editing.

Also, again, this got long, so if you can't be bothered reading all my ramblings below the cut, I totally understand. I have a habit of getting wordy....

So, I'm in my 40's and I've been writing for most of my life, starting with embarrassing little short stories in adorable misspelled fashion when I was just wee. I aspired to be a journalist and then went on a completely different tangent career wise, ending up with a PhD in an area I no longer work in (fifteen years of higher education never to be touched again but you definitely want me on your team in a pub quiz!). I have vague memories of writing fan fiction in my early 20, I think? (I'm old, give me a break). But I only got back to it late last year as a way to kick start my imagination and discipline around writing again. I needed a creative outlet and writing is something I always enjoyed and found easy to do.

I live in England, in the amazing but fucking expensive city of London. I look pretty much like my profile picture, only more wrinkles and maybe a bit of silver in all that gingerness. I'm a very good cook and baker (Pedro, I'll teach you how to cook any day!) and I'm married to my very own sweet Latino man. He's not called Frankie but he does call me cariño. I have big chunk of family in Sweden and I speak a little bit of Swedish (it's actually where I am right now, we're over here celebrating midsummer).

I started writing fanfics for The Boys fandom and Karl Urban as I was binging the whole show after finishing season 4. Then I stumbled into the Pedro Pascal fandom as I watched The Last of Us.

TLoU has a very special place in my heart. I've been gaming since my early teens and bought a Playstation 3 after saving for months, my first console after playing on PC for years. When TLoU came out in 2013 I bought and played it straight away and I, like so many others, had an experience playing it. It's the only story, in any medium, that's made me cry after just 10-15 minutes of game play. The scene were Sarah dies, still gets me every time. And the rest of the game...I turned up at work the next week in a daze, just needing to tell people about this incredible story and experience I'd had. It was like no other game I'd ever played, before or since. And I've replayed the game about once a year since 2013. Back then, that kind of game was totally unique, there was nothing like it. Some games had explored stronger story telling elements, but not on this level, nothing came even close to creating such a bond between gamer and characters. Now days we're spoiled by powerful storytelling in video games, in 2013, The Last of Us was totally unique (sorry, I'm blabbering, but I could go on at length about TLoU and the impact it had).

So when I heard there was talks about turning into a tv-series, I was scared. Really worried. The gaming community have seen so many horrendous adaptations of video games, my beloved Assassin's Creed was butchered in 2016. But then I heard Pedro Pascal had been cast as Joel and I was carefully hopeful, and then Bella Ramsey as Ellie and I got really excited. I'd seen them both in Game of Thrones, both of their performances sticking in my mind. I even remember reading about Pedro being cast in GoT and looking him up and being disappointed because he looked nothing like I'd pictured the Red Viper when I read the books. But then he just swanned in and crushed it, he was so damn good, he won me over straight away. I can't imagine anyone else playing Oberyn.

And then of course, the first few trailers of TLoU dropped and we got glimpses of the show and I remember texting my equally TLoU obsessed friend and we squealed in delight at how good it looked! And the first time I heard the clicker sound....I shuddered, it was a very real physical reaction. If I'd been on the actual set and heard it, I think I would've run a mile.

And then, as I was still writing The British Connection, a fic set in The Boys fandom, I watched Triple Frontier, and, like so many others, fell hard for sweet Frankie Morales. So jumping the gun a bit, I decided to write something with him, just a drabble, to get used to writing him and to write in the Reader insert format. But it kind a grew in scope and when I had the idea of sticking him and the rest of the Triple Frontier boys into TLoU universe I knew I had to create something bigger.

Looking back I would've made the story tighter, less lengthy, had I known from the start that's where it was going to go. But part of the fun of fan fiction is posting as you go, I think. I get feedback from you guys and it makes me think of other elements to add to the story. There isn't always a set road map for how a fic is going to develop.

If you've made it this far, congratulations and thank you, I'm impressed you read all that rambling from some stranger on Tumblr! The Pilot and his Girl has a set plan now, I have chapters drawn up and although I'm not sure how many chapters I'm going to end up with, I know where the story is going. You'll find out what's happened to Pope, Will and Benny. And Joel and Tommy will of course come back to the story later on. There will be more trauma and angst as the story continues but there will be a happy ending, of sorts, in the end.

And again, thank you all for reading, commenting and reblogging! I love you all!

[rivangel]

Since you also love the last of us (wow we love taste) were you a newer fan that played tlou1 and 2 back to back or did you play tlou1 around the time it came out, waited like 7 years just to have **spoilers** a beloved character die within one hour of the game in such a brutal way. Ill admit i was PISSED and so sad like i never cried that much over a character but then i simmered down and realized that ellie was always the center of the story not joel. And absolutely love how complicated and how it tested us and catapulted these discussions like whos in the right? Is anyone right? There’s no heros or villains it’s just people in awful and hostile environments who are used to resorting or seeing extreme violence in order to survive or to even cope.

OMGGGGGG u have no idea. joel was actually my surrogate father figure hahaha

the first game i got for ps3 was gta5, followed by the last of us. i have a CORE memory of playing the building level (after leaving the boston QZ) for the first time on the lightest difficulty shaking like crazy bc runners were so scary😭😭 (i was like 11 okay). and yeah this was 2013 when it came out

favorite game i’ve ever played. i was MYSTIFIED. my daddy issues?? cured whenever joel showed up on screen!! the scene after the david fight where joel calls ellie babygirl is an instant tearjerker for me TO THIS DAY

tlou1 is still my favorite game of all time. it’s the best. when i heard about the second one coming out (this was 2020 i think…?) i was excited but scared. this was also around the time aot season 4 was announced, and i was scared about that too bc😭😭what if the new content isn’t as good or ruins things. i tried to keep my expectations low

i think a week before it dropped, there were the leaks about joel dying. and whenever i get spoiled for anything i just gaslight myself into believing i was misremembering a joke, or it was proven to be a troll💀

brooo this is a core memory too. i was sitting on the edge of my bed playing in the dark like a foot in front of my tv and was crying just at the beginning sequence with joel singing to ellie. (happy crying)

the death scene was traumatizing and shocking at first more than anything and yeah i felt soooo betrayed😭😭but i was like ‘okay this is a rly ballsy move. JOEL? one of the most iconic characters in gaming atp? the game has to be exceptional’

ugh i can’t remember my opinions from back then. but it was easy to get on the hate train that was IN FULL FORCE back then. i remember it was so fucking sad to see the reception. ppl were saying the 10/10 reviews were paid off, laura bailey who played abby getting just BULLIED off social media with death threats. horrible times

god you’re so right. you know it’s extremely similar to aot in several ways, with tlou telling a story that holds no punches and completely reflects the complexities of actual real people, what morals are objective and subjective, how far can you take revenge before it destroys you, stuff like that. a story expertly told and a game expertly designed, also.

i’m so worked up rn lol oh god i could write an essay about the themes of tlou.

i love the last of us 2 these days lol. ofc there’s what everyone agrees with - it’s a technical marvel, the graphics are unbeatable, voice acting, sfx, the accessibility options established what should be an industry standard (i’ve seen reviews from blind gamers who enjoyed tlou2).

i love the story. it’s SO much more than ‘revenge bad’. I ARGUE that the first game was about JOEL’S revenge on humanity for taking away his only daughter, but.. i’m getting sidetracked.

it’s not perfect. some things should’ve been more deeply established or scenes reordered. that is to say it’s not tlou 1, but it’s pretty damn close to perfect for me haha!!

a highlight that’s on my mind right now is how the game is protected in a way by its politics. dina being jewish and openly bisexual, LEV A TRANS BOY AND HOW THAT WAS HANDLED BY THE GAME OH MY GOD LOML, ellie a lesbian, the gay flag and crosswalk in seattle, stuff like that. the edgy right wingers just hate the game on principle, and it being very very dear to my heart feels nice lol. ie, the way 4channers fixated on the rattler guy to hit lev in the garage door near the end.

[jaakey]

BABYGIRL 😭😭😭

[queerpuff]

Discussing the TLOU2 leaks.

Obviously do not read this if you want to remain spoiler free for TLOU2. 

I have looked into these leaks and what they mean, and have a few thoughts to crystallise so I have done below. This is mainly a way for me to express my feelings and get them off my chest, I’m not looking for any responses, I just needed to rant. If you have something to say though, feel free to DM me & I’d be happy to chat. :) 

So, in all honesty, the whole news about the leak - the reasons why it was leaked, the fanbase reaction, as well as other speculative elements to it - have upset me. 

Ellie is important representation. The Last of Us is one of my all time favourite games, for a variety of reasons. However, one aspect of the game which will always have a place in my heart is Ellie. I’m sure so many of you feel the same way, but as a lesbian, seeing myself represented in a video game in such a casual, yet beautiful way means a lot to me. Especially seeming as the video game industry as a whole is still massively tailored to the male audience - seeing Ellie written as a lesbian in a non sexualised and normalised way is quite groundbreaking for the LGBT community (feel free to correct me if you think I’m wrong of course, but this is my opinion.). I have always had a deep respect for Naughty Dog for including such representation in their games - as well as portraying characters which aren’t hyper sexualised/unrealistic. 

However, the leaks have really hit close to home due to many factors. The storyline leak/spoilers to me weren’t that bad - I couldn’t escape them as most of the angry fanboys have taken to all forms of social media to spoil everyone who’s still looking forward to the game. The storyline to me isn’t awful, from what I’ve seen it could be an opportunity to tell a fantastic story about revenge and hate. However, there’s been some speculation about [SPOILER] Ellie’s fate in the game, as well as the main story antagonist Abby potentially being a trans character.

Bury Your Gays Trope As we all know, the bury your gays trope is something which has plagued the LGBT community for years. It’s exhausting to see yourself finally be represented in a form of media, only to have our characters killed off in haste or poor writing. I sincerely, sincerely hope that this isn’t the case with TLOU2. Joel & Ellie are the most beloved characters in the ND franchise, and killing them without justification is hard enough. The spoilers haven’t officially leaked Ellie’s or Dina’s fate in the game, only that they get hurt pretty badly. It could go either way honestly. But in deciding their fate, ND are potentially adding to a trope which has hurt and upset the LGBT community for years, as well as leaving the fans completely hurt and unresolved after losing one of their favourite characters. Using the ‘it’s an apocalypse, anything could happen’ excuse would boil my blood. It would be an incredibly stupid move on their part, and I’m curious to see whether they were hasty enough to make it. I have faith that they won’t.

Abby + trans representation On another note, there has also been a lot of speculation on Abby’s character being trans. Although I have not seen proof of this myself (to me she just looks v muscly - something I am very much here for!), I also sincerely hope this is a path ND have chosen not to take. Although trans representation in the media is scarce enough as it is, especially within the video gaming industry, deciding to introduce their first trans character as the main antagonist who [SPOILER] kills one of the main characters and potentially kills the other too - is fucking DISGUSTING. It is actively inviting the players to dislike her and hate her, something the gaming community has proven to do fantastically already, but by the same token, they’re enabling so many gamers to use this as an excuse to be heavily transphobic. Which disgusts me to my core. Which brings me to my next point...

The toxicity of the gaming community The gaming community is quite frankly one of the most uneducated, narrow minded and frankly disgraceful communities that exist around popular media today. It has been largely dominated by straight white men up until more recently, something which has caused a shift in the representation we see in the games. Something that will continue to anger me, is that these men still fail to see value in anything which doesn’t feature their ‘kind’ as the main characters. The minute the representation strays away from this at all, agendas are being pushed, and ‘SJW’s are taking over’. It’s completely mind numbing to see men freak out over a fictional character being anything but a white cishet. What’s unfortunate though, is that this childish attitude is often coupled with these men refusing to invest any of their time or money into these franchises. Which in turn, will be detrimental to the companies who chose to feature this representation. Naughty Dog is going to suffer a lot from these leaks. I have seen a vast array of hateful comments from people saying they’re outright refusing to buy the game, etc, which I know will affect the company in the future. It is unfortunate that a company who actively tries to give us more representation is going to be punished for attempting to break the norm a bit. This statement only stands if they decide to keep Ellie alive, and if Abby is not a transgender character - if not I will also refuse to invest my money in any of their future projects.

Naughty Dog & their ‘disgruntled employees’ A last point to be made, is spoilers aside, the message behind these leaks seem to root from a sentiment of unrest within the Naughty Dog company. I understand to some extent the overwhelming pressure of releasing a sequel to TLOU due to it’s massive success, but this in no way justifies the ‘crunch culture’ of overworking and underpaying your employees. It’s barbaric. It’s deeply saddening to see a company such as ND neglect their workers in such a manner, and I sincerely hope that these leaks will hopefully cause some sort of upheaval in the way things are run there. There seems to be many issues to address - being silenced out of fear of opposing any of the main ideas, the whole concept of bonus pay 6 months after the game’s release etc, it all needs to change. I want to continue to support ND, but I will not if they don’t change things around. 

This franchise has mattered to me since it was released, and ND has been a company I’ve respected and praised since 2009. So naturally my opinions on it are very strong. Nonetheless, I am still looking forward to TLOU2, and I will purchase it as normal - not buying it at all will affect the neglected workers far more. It’s sad to see such negativity spread from something everyone used to be so excited about. It’s also heartbreaking to see so much transphobia and homophobia stem from this too. It’s only cementing the idea that video game companies need to push through with this rep despite all of the braindead fanboys opposing to it. It’s important to a lot of people. 

[elizabethtbl]

The Last of Us: Part II SPOILERS ALERT

I have been thinking for too long: to write this post or not. And one thing has persuaded me to do so. And I just want to calm down already on this subject. Nobody will read this anyway. But first of all I want to voice my opinion on Abby and the whole situation. I love Joel and I love Ellie. And it broke my heart what Abby did to both of them. But. There is a huge but. What she did...who was Joel for her and other former fireflies? That one dude, who killed everybody, every obstacle, on a way to save a girl. A girl who is a key to save millions of people. And for Abby herself, he killed her FATHER. The only thing(well, person, but you got it) she had. And. Let’s not forget that Ellie herself later will say that she wanted to be “the cure”, and even hated Joel for not let her be so. The main thing is I DON’T get all the hatred Abby gets. What would you do, if you were her? Would let it go? Would find Joel and Ellie and kissed them with big hugs? I don’t thinks so. I don’t want to kill anybody, but who knows what future holds for all of us? I’m sure that I would do the same thing Joel did, but I’m not sure that I wouldn’t do the same thing Abby did. It’s like an eye for an eye. It’s bad, but we’re all just human beings here. It’s not even so, because there was a father and Joel wasn’t that for Ellie and would never be. Unfortunately, I don’t have a PS4 and I have to “play” some games on YouTube. So there was a guy with no commentary walkthrough. And there was a moment in the theater, when we were playing for Abby. And Ellie started to shoot. And that guy did nothing. He let Ellie killed Abby. Well no, he did. He went right at her. And it’s like was fun. People in the comment section were laughing. And I found out that other gamers did so too. What the FUCK, people? You think death is fun? Killing is fun? Fuck you, guys. Abby isn’t an antagonist here. She is just a girl too, a little bit older than Ellie. She went through a lot too. Just a person, who makes mistakes. And the MOST FUCKING “COOLEST” thing is this. Laura Bailey, the actress who voiced Abby, got hatred as well AND even was threatened to be killed...Seriously. Is this a civilized society of XXI century? Jeez, in such moments I recall once again, why I get sick from people and media. This is too much. It’s sorrowfully how some people can be so stupid and so mean. Oh, and yes, I like Abby and I sympathize with her. You can hate me as well, I don't care. Peace for all and protect your beloved.

[angelo-thoughts-and-stuff]

Playing the Last of us part 2 just showed me why I hate and love the gaming community.

In my life, it goes anime, games, and depression. The first game I ever played was Lara croft on ps1. And I can't forget the feeling of being absolutely enthralled in this universe. This medium became my way of experiencing a world of fantasy, gore, love, and amazing storytelling. The reason I loved this medium is because even though I could fail over and over again I could still try again and not have the constant fear of someone telling me I was a failure. It's a medium in which I could have fun and relax and escape the horrors of the world. And last week one of my favorite games that I enjoyed the last of us came out with a sequel which I was really excited by. And the gaming community is going to war. I never realized until recently that gaming had such a toxic environment around it. You can just watch a slaty compilation on YouTube to see what I'm talking about. And this critique can also be directed at me. I fucking hate it when I play online games and it's just a lagy game or when I'm playing a fighter and I can't land a hit on the AI or when I'm playing PVP. It scares me sometimes on how much such a trivial thing can angry me, but it's cause I care about this medium, maybe too much sometimes. But I have never seen community hate on something so much, to clarify I read the leaks and I fucking hated them. I tweeted a pretty bigoted post on Twitter about and I vowed not to get the game. But I got it anyway and I loved the game. One of the best storylines I've experienced in my life. That doesn't mean that the game doesn't have a shit ton of things wrong with it cause it does like a lot. Like any medium there aren't perfect movies, books, or music all of our opinions are subjective. I don't think the game is a 10 out 10 or a 0 out 0. I really don't like scoring things but I know that it's important when it comes to critiquing art. In my opinion, it's a 8 out of 10 I absolutely love Ellie's storyline because it's believable and to honest Joel dying was not pointless, he's death is the reason why the story gets going.  I really didn't like Abby's storyline it wasn't done well. A lot of the side characters aren't really that well fleshed out. The first game primarily focuses on Joel and Ellie's storyline and both their character arcs are really well done but with some many characters in part 2, it's really hard to connect with them. A weird thought that I had I was if they splint this game into two-part like what they are doing with the final fantasy remake which I really hate but in the context of the story it would have helped. The people that are sad the Joel died and say it's a bad story really loss me. I have learned not to become a Stan of the things I like cause it really clouds my judgment on the things l like. As an example, Naruto is my favorite anime and I thought there was absolutely nothing wrong the story at all but going on social media and seeing how crazy people are about the things they love it really opened my to see that just loving something doesn't make it perfect and I don't want to a have a cult-like love for anything l like. Joel is one of my favorite character in gaming but he isn't a good person he's human and that's why l love he's character. I love it when writers create characters that are believed. A lot of times as fans we want the people we lot up to be perfect and obviously if we knew their flaws we wouldn't like them as much as we do. But there are anti-heroes who we love Deadpool, Vegeta and Joel falls into this category. Joel's story is sad, the world he lives in is sad losing your daughter in the beginning of an apocalypse is sad. Joel had to become a monster to survive in this cruel world. The ending of the game really left me  conflicted cause it really shocked me how selfish Joel was but he's decision made sense. I felt sorry for him throughout the game. But when you see him becoming a happier person in this depressing world it's such an amazing story, to see a character have hope in a hopeless world is compelling storytelling. It's very rare that we see our characters deal with their consequences, I really liked the risk that they took, it wasn't executed perfectly but I appreciate the risk.  The last of us part 2 isn't a story about "revenge is bad"  it's a story about forgiveness. It's about both Ellie and Abby learning how to forgive. I honestly haven't seen one positive review of this game anywhere and I'm going to to make a massive generalization but it seems they hate the game for either the following reason 1.) they killed Joel a "beloved character" 2.) you had to play as his killer 3.) they don't like the second half of the game. These are reasonable critiques but the ones I constantly see are "trolls" who are just hiding behind the really stupid defense of "it's just trolling or I'm joking" to hide behind their bigotry. And this why I sometimes hate the gaming community, it's the people who are saying homophobic and transphobic things about the game and making "jokes" about people that like the game. And there are people who say if you don't like the game that your bigot these two extremes are also going to be a part of the conversation it's just said that they are also going to be the loudest voices in talking about this game. These two sides are really infuriating when they talk about the game its just sad that this is how we as community react to things we don't agree on but this is who we are and I don't why I'm surprised about the war going on. Now, time to talk about Ellie's character arc I really loved it. It's her descent into revenge that makes the story believable. Here goal is to kill Abby it's pretty straight forward. And one quick side note I really didn't mind the violence cause I don't see how it's different from the first game violence. There are casual gamers that will find the violence disturbing but I've seen game reviewers and journalists who loved doom eternal and think this game violence is too hard to deal with like really dude?  I'm gonna make another post talking about Ellies' characters arc cause I really wanna flesh out my argument.

[darthstitch]

Castlevania Netflix Season 2 Review: All My Bloody Tears

Yeah. Uh. SPOILERS. MASSIVE GINORMOUS SPOILERS. Consider yourself warned.

I'm kind of a complete mess as I write this because PAIN! PAIN AND SUFFERING! TEARS! BLOODY TEARS!

While it's not without its flaws, the second season of Netflix's Castlevania is incredible and lives up to the promise of Season 1. This, gentlebeings, is how you set up a sequel and leave the audience wanting more, but still walking away satisfied with what we've currently got.

The Good Stuff

The thing about Castlevania - as the game series by Konami - is that it's pretty much a patchwork quilt of everything goes. Think your favorite fan fiction peeve on AO3, the ones with the ten million tags before you even get to the goddamn story. So on one hand, it's got its clear inspiration from the classic Hammer and Universal Horror renditions of Dracula. But the game series is Japanese, so you have your beautiful anime-esque artwork by Ayami Kojima and the obvious anime influences.

I've played a few of the games, but I'm not going to claim gamer-god status. I just play for the fun of it and I don't hesitate to use walk throughs as a map of sorts, basically figuring out where to go, because the general castle layout is set up like a labyrinth and it is INSANE and FUN at the same time. So far, I've played and finished Symphony of the Night and two of the GBA ones: Harmony of Dissonance and Aria of Sorrow. I'm still trying to master the ones on the NDS. But basically, the premise is the same: You're the hero/heroine, you need to enter the big spooky castle, gather weapons and/or spells to make you stronger and add to your abilities, take down monsters and Major Bads - including Death Himself - and hopefully prevent Dracula from resurrecting and covering the world in Eternal Night. The main timeline basically has Belmonts, assorted Not-Belmonts who also hunt vampires and of course, pretty, pretty Alucard.

Then, there was your AU timeline in which Gabriel Belmont goes to defeat a Big Bad and becomes DRACULA ... and Trevor Belmont is his son, a.k.a. Alucard. Yeah, wrap your head around THAT one.

In short, Castlevania canon is fucked. To quote our Trevor, "Snake-fuckingly insane."

So Warren Ellis does the smart thing and basically picks up what works from the "canon" and crafts a damn good story out of it.

The Disaster Trio that is Alucard, Trevor and Sypha, end up bonding even closer together and spend much of this series in the Belmont Basement...er.... I mean, "Hold," trying to do the game equivalent of gathering spells and weapons to storm the castle with. We learn a few more interesting things about the Disaster Trio. Trevor actually ended up losing his family at a way too young age. Sypha and her people have some pretty "interesting" views about God. Alucard has artistic talents and basically acts his real age, which is a traumatized snarky 20 something year old, who's barely holding on to his composure with his shiny fangs and claws. There are epic moments such as "Treffy" and I would absolutely LOVE to hear the Belmont family story that explains how the hell a book of "penis spells" ended up in the Belmont Family Library.

Seriously. Fan fiction writers, don't fail me now!

Also, Lisa gets a few more minutes to shine and break our hearts at the same time. This is the woman who managed to charm and get one Seriously Scary King of Vampires wrapped around her tiniest finger. She's snarky and sassy as before, but so real, so kind and just basically trying to be a decent person in a Crapsack World. She loves her husband but she knows he can be monstrous. She loves her son but as Alucard himself puts it, she wants him to be able to be himself, be happy and not be overshadowed by his father. Seriously, as long as each season gives us something more about Lisa, I'm gonna be content.

We also get introduced to a few more new characters, who basically make up Dracula's Court of Evil. Hector and Isaac are humans but sociopathic enough to despise their own kind and willing to take part in their death and destruction. They both have their requisite tragic and abused pasts. Hector, however, has an element of naivete that makes him an easy target for the machinations of Carmilla, the only general in Dracula's court who's figured out which way the blood's flowing and wants to make sure she comes out on top. Isaac, however, is somewhat the mirror of Alucard himself. This is the guy who gives his unconditional love and loyalty to Dracula and refuses to abandon him no matter the personal cost to himself or his remnants of a conscience or whatever he has that passes for a moral compass. I figure that it's there, it's just not one that I would recognize. Isaac is a scary, scary mofo and it looks like he and Hector are gonna be back for season 3.

In fact, if Isaac ends up becoming "Death" in this entire series, I'm gonna be evilly delighted.

And then, there's Godbrand, who is basically the vampire equivalent of YOLO. Basically, all he wants is to fight, fuck, drink blood and make boats out of things he shouldn't make boats out of. Generally, he just wants to have a good time, rule the world like a king and make sure the humans know their place.

So okay, let's give Carmilla her due. Evil? Check. Manipulative? Check. Sadistic, vicious and cruel? 10 across the board. In the absence of a Certain Fanged Someone taking a more active role in what should be "The War on Humankind," Carmilla wants to make sure she's keeping things moving, spinning her webs of intrigue and plans upon plans, thinking she's going to come out the winner and make herself the new Queen of the Damned.

Here's the problem. Dracula figures that out, easily enough.

Here's the OTHER problem. His Fanged Nibs is all out of fucks to give. He's done. Finito. Finished with everything.

Yeah, about that.

While the humor of this series is a gift that keeps on giving, the drama and the feels will DESTROY you.

You know that moment when you realize Dracula isn't just waging a war on humanity, he's waging a war to destroy all vampires too? Because in that moment when he lost his beloved Lisa, he hated not only humans, but he also hated HIMSELF. He hates the fact that his life of evil, wanton death and destruction, wrought this price on the person that he loved. And she damn well didn't deserve that treatment. He hates the humans who killed her but he also hates his own kind, who are just as monstrous as he is.

So when Godbrand basically asks him, "If we're killing all the humans, what are we going to EAT?" Dracula basically tries to fob him off with some excuse or the other. Yeah, His Fanged Nibs is a LYING LIAR WHO LIES. Also, this lying liar who lies is actually spending most of his time sitting, brooding and being HUNGRY. Because he's not drinking blood. At all. Any blood drinking we see from His Fanged Nibs is in flashbacks.

Let that sink in for a second.

Aluard accuses his father of basically doing history's longest suicide. Yeah. It is - Dracula wants to take EVERYBODY down with him.

The fight scenes are worth the wait. I was screaming when the classic "Bloody Tears" started playing in Episode 7, an episode that I'm gonna watch like ten thousand times more, because OH GOD THE EPICNESS OF IT. The sheer badassery. The fact that Alucard is actually the secret identity of Moon Moon.

And then, the final fight between Dracula and our Disaster Trio is just as epic as expected. Even when he hasn't drunk blood, the trio is outmatched and outclassed and this is where you remember that if Dracula had only roused himself long enough to give a flying fuck about something, Carmilla's head would have been rolling on the floor a long time ago.

But then: "My boy.... I'm killing my boy. This is your room. Your mother and I painted these walls, made these toys. Lisa.... it's our boy. Your greatest gift to me. And I'm killing him. I must already be dead."

GDI WARREN ELLIS HOW VERY FUCKING DARE YOU.

The only way they take down Dracula is because he basically wants to die. So he lets his son kill him and end his misery. And when his rotting, decaying, corpse seems to be reaching out to his son for some kind of last embrace, Trevor, thinking that Alucard's going to be hurt, takes Dracula's head off. Sypha burns off the remains.

And it's done.

Castlevania is a game with numerous endings, all depending on how you played the game and whether you got this artifact or what not. The series pays homage to it because Trevor bequeaths the Belmont Hold to Alucard and asks him to be the last defender of it and his father's Castle. It's not going to be Alucard's grave, but his home now. Trevor and Sypha wander off into the sunset, for more adventures and mischief and Alucard lovingly sends off his BFFs with a fond "Fuck you."

We check in with the villains who survive and of course, we know there's gonna be sequels, because, hey, that's kind of the point of each and every Castlevania game. There's always gonna be a new Big Bad coming around. And trust me, Dracula's gonna be back. He's not just going to lie quiet in his grave.

And just when you think you can end this series with a satisfied sigh, our very last moments are spent with Alucard. Who is haunted by the ghosts of the parents he loved so much. Who gets to relive one happy memory with his mom, who loves him with all her heart. And she's so proud.

And Alucard finally breaks down into heartbreaking sobs.

We grieve with him.

The Bad Stuff

Yeah, okay, so I need to get this explained. Why bother to have all these interesting character designs for Dracula's other generals AND NOT HAVE THEM TALK? I'm serious. Not one of these fascinating-looking vampire bastards HAVE ANY GODDAMN LINES. Netflix, FFS, DON'T WUSS OUT ON YOUR CHARACTER ACTORS. YOU CAN'T BE THAT POOR. GIVE THEM VOICES. PAY YOUR CHARACTER VOICE ACTORS. OMG.

They basically just get killed off in the end, but while we know they were pretty scary and formidable, we don't really know anything about them other than: Vampire, Scary, Dracula's General. They were just pretty much Red Shirts, because the heroes never did get to confront Carmilla, Hector and Isaac directly.

There was evidently so much story to be told here, like they seem to have come from all over the world, even as far off as China AND THEY'RE. NOT. TALKING. The only ones with any dialogue are Carmilla, Hector, Isaac and Godbrand and none of these guys even get to share screentime with the Disaster Trio. Godbrand doesn't even make it to the final battle.

I mean, if these guys were just going to be cannon fodder, then let's just use any of the voiceless Major Bads from the games. Put some requisite scary music and sound effects and let the Disaster Trio take care of them. Let them speak in mysterious archaic languages or whatever, since we're not going to care about them anyway.

The Conclusion

Apparently, this is gonna be a pattern for this series. It's going to be good, it's going to be GREAT but there's always going to be that ONE THING that would drive us batshit crazy. But not enough to wreck my enjoyment of it.

The best parts of this series is the faithfulness to character, the layers upon layers of motivations and feels you're going to uncover as you rewatch it, the fact that it's not afraid to put tongue in cheek and leave canon at the door, while still being true to the source material.

So. "What is a man? A miserable little pile of secrets. But enough talk! Have at you!"

[explosionshark]

look choice based RPGs are and have always been one of my favorite styles of game and traditionally those have been the only games where it's possible to see gay characters. and i love them for that, i love that freedom and that agency. but there's something distinctly powerful about the way more traditional, linear narrative games work, about seeing ourselves in them now, finally.

ellie is gay in the last of us 2. she was gay in the first game as well, and it was still powerful, but it was something that a lot of people can and did overlook. They don't have that option anymore. Ellie's gay and it's such an important part of her that they made it central to a massive trailer at the year's biggest video game event.

The protagonist of one of the gaming world's most hotly anticipated new games in one of the most beloved franchises by one of the most prestigious developers is a lesbian. And if homophobic gamer bros want to play the last of us they'll have to deal with that. And they won't be able to deny it

But more importantly I'll play it and so will people like me and we'll finally feel like something more than an option

[rachelannc]

THE LAST OF US: PART II (Naughty Dog/Sony PlayStation).

All I could say by the end of The Last of Us: Part II was, “Wow. My heart hurts so much right now.”

Touted as a tale of revenge, the game arouses conflicted feelings — and that’s what Naughty Dog, the studio that brought this long-awaited sequel, planned to do all along.

Warning: Spoilers ahead.

They want you to feel cheated. They want you to feel just as hurt, angry and driven to madness as a young girl would be upon seeing your father figure die right in front of you. They want you to hate the enemy from the get-go and make you play 15 or so hours walking in their shoes, while every piece of you bites your tongue as you know the game is emotionally manipulating you to gain your sympathy

It’s a complete mind f**k. And it wouldn’t be good storytelling if it weren’t.

From the output, I have to say, this is some of the most incredible gameplay and cinematic masterpiece of a game I have ever seen to date. The graphics are insane: from the way the characters’ faces, hair, clothing and movements are so real; the way their backpacks move so accurately; the way weapons are wielded and strapped onto your back; how your hair looks in the rain; how the grass moves when you walk and crawl through it; to the astonishingly impressive sights of snow, Seattle rain, beaches by the coast, green forests, horses, dogs and even babies. The transitions from cutscene to gameplay are so seamless (a lack of loading screens), and the soundscape created pulls you from periods of complete isolation and quietude in a quarantine, to the pulsating horror and screams that happen when you’re spotted by an infected or enemy.

THE LAST OF US: PART II (Naughty Dog/Sony PlayStation).

I have to add that, although I did grow up a bit of a nerd/gamer girl due to two older brothers, I do not have any video game systems and did not play the game myself (thank you TheRadBrad for his 50-part series playing the game through on YouTube, with no annoying comments, fuss or shrills, and for offering an entertaining and fair play through that captured all our thoughts).

As the game takes us through nearly 30-said hours of gameplay, the way it immerses you within the world — taking you through different narratives and timelines and flashbacks — gives it an entirely different level of depth and scope of understanding that gives the game so much life and richness.

THE LAST OF US: PART II (Naughty Dog/Sony PlayStation).

You start the game off with Ellie and Joel, the beloved duo from the first game. Ellie is our famed heroine. We learn the guitar from Joel with her. We explore Seattle through her eyes and begin to understand her world and the people around her. Her cheeky behavior and ultimate badass-ness is pleasant and we love it. The love between Joel and her is always at the forefront, which leads us to the first half of the game when we play through three days of Seattle, on her journey seeking revenge for Joel.

I won’t get into the itty-bitty detail of how the game continued to play out (as I’m assuming you’ve already seen and played through the game yourself if you’re reading this), but as we are forced by the game to play as said “enemy” Abby and see and experience the past three days of hell we had just witnessed through Ellie, we’re given some of the game’s finest moments: her weaponry and missions are far more interesting and fun; the storyline with the Scars is enticing; she makes friends with the enemy who saves her, by taking in Lev and Yara; we see her own hurt and anger being thwarted into sh*tty situations; we see her almost die multiple times; and she gets her own weird love story.

When Ellie and Abby fatefully meet, it almost feels as if these two girls should have been friends in another life (they deal with similar hurts and struggles, are contained by their environments and outside factors, and seem to be driven by the same values — love for their fathers, family and protecting their loved ones).

As we play as Abby trying to kill Ellie, we feel so messed up. We obviously don’t want to kill Ellie because we love her and she’s our gal. And the game doesn’t make it easy — we see just how swift and agile Ellie is, as we felt when we played her, and when Abby spares Ellie and a pregnant Dina toward the end of their feud, we see Abby have her own awakening.

Conversely, when we get back to Ellie and her life on the farm after their meet, she seeks out revenge for Abby again — this time putting her relationship with Dina and a nice, simple life on the farm on the line, when her battle was clearly already long-gone.

THE LAST OF US: PART II (Naughty Dog/Sony PlayStation).

Yet, the way the game shows Ellie’s continued PTSD and trauma, with flashbacks to seeing Joel’s face covered in blood, and even seeing her own blood, pretty much drives her to insanity and lose all judgment, only to seek pure bloodthirsty revenge.

The game definitely isn’t afraid to push limits. And it also isn’t afraid to show brutality, blood, and pure horror.

That last scene, I have to say, was so difficult for me to watch. It made me uncomfortable. It was horrific to witness. To have to beat up a physically worn-down and pretty much dead Abby on that ocean beach post, with all “swole-ness” gone and not even wanting to fight, it seemed like Ellie had already won. What was the point?

But that’s life. And life isn’t always so pretty. It can drive to insanity and desperation and darker parts of ourselves.

If Ellie or Abby had died, would it have been good?

Ellie is our heroine, yet we saw and played through her as she committed some of the most heinous crimes, literally turning her into a bloodthirsty monster. Abby is our villain and, although we didn’t have to like her, the game showed her through mostly a positive light, fighting and saving the kid Scars, fighting alongside the Wolves and supporting her community and friends, even as she went rogue.

If it weren’t for Ellie coming back for Abby, Abby would clearly have died. Ellie just wanted the option to kill Abby, and she could have.

A few lighter points

I’d be miss to not point out the fact that Ellie and her guitar are featured pretty prominently throughout the game (and I’d be a fool to not feel extra connected to her because of it). The guitar is a clear connection Ellie has to Joel, and one of the few things she has to remember Joel by.

I was a fan of Ellie singing “Take On Me” to Dina, and Joel teaching her “Future Days” — a song so telling and timely to their relationship (“If I ever were to lose you/I’d surely lose myself”). (I even covered both those songs on my Instagram/Youtube lol).

THE LAST OF US: PART II (Naughty Dog/Sony PlayStation).

The game tested us, pushed us to our limits and told the story in a beautiful, compelling, f**ked up and non-expected way. It was beautiful and brutal and played with our emotions. And that last scene absolutely killed me.

The terror of trauma, panic attacks, and what it can cause one to do, is one of the most lasting impressions this game will leave on me.

And to hell if a story doesn’t have the power to affect you, that much.

What are your initial thoughts? What would you have liked to see? And what would you like to see if there is a Part III?

Also, I enjoyed this look at understanding more of the thematic elements of Part II, in this video by Girlfriend Reviews below (thank you friend for forwarding this to me):

‘The Last of Us: Part 2’ Review: A dark and emotionally brutal masterpiece of a game All I could say by the end of The Last of Us: Part II was, "Wow. My heart hurts so much right now."

[entergamingxp]

The Walking Dead’s Lee and Clem Brilliantly Cosplayed by Father and Daughter

July 20, 2020 9:00 AM EST

Super wholesome content incoming…

Telltale’s The Walking Dead has been a beloved part of many gamer’s life since being released episodically between April and November 2012. Even though the awful demise of TellTale Games took the gaming community by shock in September 2018, people still hold a special place in their hearts for the characters Clementine and Lee. After losing the people closest to her, Clementine becomes hardened in her outlook, but still bravely overcomes the dangers of a post-apocalyptic world head-on and tries her best to maintain some of her previous faith in humanity, hanging on to what her father figure Lee has taught her. What could be a more appropriate way to honor this pair than a real-life father and daughter cosplaying as the unstoppable duo?

Welcome into the DualShockers cosplaying family Lex, a Black and Chinese trans-non binary cosplayer, actor, and musician from Vancouver who after years of being told that Lex and their father should cosplay as Lee and Clem, they finally bit the bullet and what an amazing end result. To achieve this look, Lex firstly dyed a bunch of clothes to make it look as dirty as possible because hey, it’s the apocalypse after all. Regarding any cosplaying that comes from games such as The Walking Dead or Borderlands, cell-shading is key so Lex painted along anywhere that had a seam or crease in the garments. Of course, with all the zombie killing there has to be blood at least somewhere on the clothes, too. You can check out Lex’s video below on how they made Lee’s clothes for the cosplay.

Lex also describes what goes into Lee’s makeup. In a tutorial video, we can see Lex’s father sitting patiently about to get his Walking Dead makeover applied, and to do this Lex slaps some foundation on to highlight his face with a little contouring thrown in for good measure. Next Lex again highlights their father’s features to make them stand out and to give it that cel-shading vibe, adding in also Lee’s stubble beard. Like Lee’s clothes, Lex applies some dirt and dried blood to his face and hands using Skin Illustrator’s zombie palette that has been used on movies like Dawn of The Dead (2004). To finish it all off, Lex sprays their dad with setting spray so that all the makeup stays in one place (hopefully). You can check out how Lex’s father achieved “the Lee” look in the video below which also includes some more cosplay pictures of the adorable duo towards the end.

Just look at these two! Here we see Lex as a child and their father on what looks to be Christmas morning and below that, Lex and their father as Lee and Clementine. It’s pretty clear that these two have a great relationship and it’s brilliant to see families get together to celebrate cosplaying but most of all, creating special lifetime moments that can always be looked back on.

You can follow Lex and their cosplaying adventures over on Instagram and also Twitter where you will see Lex dress up as other characters like Katsuki Bakugo from My Hero Academia, Cassandra from Dragon Age, Ellie from The Last of Us plus many, many more.

If you fancy a worthwhile game to play on your PSVR, maybe you’d like to give this year’s release of The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners a go. Our very own Allisa James got to check out the game last fall and shared her impressions on Saints & Sinners as a VR-driven first-person experience. If you enjoyed Lex’s cosplaying endeavours, check out this article on Alexandra Seryogina who steps into the shoes of Clementine from TellTale’s The Walking Dead with so much accuracy you’ll almost think it’s Clem herself!

The Walking Dead: The Telltale Definitive Series which includes all four seasons including updated visuals for seasons one, two, and three is available on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You can purchase the Definitive Series over on Amazon.

This post contains affiliate links where DualShockers gets a small commission on sales. Any and all support helps keep DualShockers as a standalone, independent platform for less-mainstream opinions and news coverage.

July 20, 2020 9:00 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/07/the-walking-deads-lee-and-clem-brilliantly-cosplayed-by-father-and-daughter/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-walking-deads-lee-and-clem-brilliantly-cosplayed-by-father-and-daughter

[enterinit]

New Xbox One Games for December 10 to 13

New Xbox One Games for December 10 to 13.

Fishing: Barents Sea – Complete Edition (December 10)

Experience life as a fishboat captain, starting out with a small boat inherited from your grandfather, earn money doing fishing with longline, net or trawl, buy upgrades, bigger and better fishing boats like trawlers and a lot more. Make your grandfather proud!

Eternum Ex (December 10)

A retro platformer with the look and feel of classic ’80s arcade cabinet games. With simple core gameplay mechanics, an increasing difficulty, and exciting gameplay, and with a very precise control, Eternum Ex is great for retro hardcore gamers and for those who want to get a start in retro games.

Terminator: Resistance (December 10)

There is no fate but what YOU make. Experience the events leading up to the decisive final battle for the fate of mankind in the war against the machines. Terminator: Resistance, is a first-person shooter set during the 'Future War' scenario that was only glimpsed at in the iconic films, 'THE TERMINATOR' and 'T2: JUDGMENT DAY'. The machines are destined to lose, but at what cost? Run and gun or sneak and hack through Skynet’s defences! Level up your skills and explore a post-apocalyptic world for scraps to trade and craft! Interact with a motley group of survivors and change their fates! Features: Focused, Single-player, First-Person Shooter ExperienceUse Skill points to develop your character from a nameless soldier and into your ideal action heroGather and trade resources with other survivorsFace off again iconic enemies from the films including HK’s and Infiltrators

Avicii Invector (December 10)

Belt up and blast into the rhythmic regions of unexplored space in AVICII Invector. Created in collaboration with the late superstar DJ, AVICII Invector is a pulse-pounding, frenetic rhythm-action experience. Soar through vocal melodies, sweep each fade and attack every beat in 25 of AVICII’s biggest hits, including global chart toppers: Without You, Wake Me Up and Lay Me Down. Fly solo or recreate the party feeling of an AVICII concert with heart-thumping, competitive gameplay. Each track is built to perfectly match the on-screen visuals taking you through a musical odyssey of serene exploration. Find your rhythm, feel the beat and keep the musical journey flowing. https://youtu.be/u1xrJdUF2qI

Jurassic World Evolution: Return to Jurassic Park (December 10)

Following the events of the iconic 1993 film, you’re invited to return to the island where it all started. Reclaim the park from the dinosaurs,rebuild beloved locations, and overcome new challenges guided by Dr. Alan Grant, Dr. Ellie Sattler, and Dr. Ian Malcolm in an original narrative voiced by the film cast.

Rift Keeper (December 10)

Embark on your journey, travel through rifts and restore the balance as the Rift Keeper in this handcrafted 2D roguelite platformer with challenging, fast-paced action gameplay. Duty called and the Rift Keeper woke up from his deep slumber. The little town he was summoned was silent as if it's the end. He opened the church's rusty old door and four old men wearing red robes greeted him with a grim smile. One of the priests stepped forward and said, "The Gates are open". Features: Embark on your journey, travel through 30 different dungeons! Grow powerful as enemies keep getting harder. How far can you go?Loot epic gear as you progress through the dungeons. Find new weapons and accessories, grow your power!Unique enemies to fight with and many more to come!30 handcrafted dungeons!

Metaloid: Origin (December 11)

A fast-paced, run ‘n’ gun 2D platformer. Take on the role of one out of three android warriors and dash through nine different levels in order to save their planet from a robot army led by Lucian Corp, whom invade their planet and exploit the planetary resources to fuel their galactic war efforts.

Stone (December, 2020)

G’day, I’m Stone. Here’s our Xbox page. Play this single-player third-person movie length interactive story and see what happened. Yeah it was rough, but a good life lesson. Enjoy, and remember don’t do this at home ya bunch of crazy animals. By the way this story really isn’t going to be for everyone. So enter at your own risk, mate. Plus this was created by a global team including the narrative designer of QUANTUM BREAK, CONTROL and VFX artist from GRAVITY, PROMETHEUS & more. You're in good hands, mate. FLAMING FEATURES: 3rd person so you can rotate a drone cam around me and move me like VoodooDeep, reference heavy interactive story never told, mate.Drinking, dancing and smoking for your pleasure.Map based free roam so you can explore the world at your own pace. Here’s some tips:Echo for great techno, Smoky Possum for some liquid gold and my flat. It’s comfy mates.A cast of my mates. Like Les, weirdo and kanye lover and my gorgeous chookie Alex.BTW if you see Cockie, tell her I’m sorry again. If you see Devil, run, run, run!Amazing licensed tracks from sick up and coming indie musicians at the Record Shop.Like Ryan Little, Luchii, Ilkka S, Warchief, James Tottakai & MoreSeriously the music is great. There’s hip hop, trap, stoner rock and heavy techno!Also THERE”S CLASSIC MOVIES!!! Yeah you can watch film classics likeSentimental Bloke, Night of the Living Dead & Story of the Kelly Gang ( CONVICT REPRESENT )Hang out with me.It’ll be bonza and hell, I think you’ll be a better person from it too. Your mate, Stone Features: Interactive StoryLicensed SoundtrackClassic CinemaStoner Noir

Headliner: NoviNews (December 11)

WHAT IF YOU CONTROLLED THE NEWS? A stack of news article sits on your desk, two stampers on each side - green to approve, red to reject. Your reporting team is hacking away in the background as corporate music plays through the loudspeaker. It's time to make decisions. Will you endorse nationalized healthcare, even though your love interest is worried about increased wait times? Will you demonize the new synthetic alcoholic drink, even though your boss stressed they are an important investor? Will you support current government, as tensions grow between the neighboring country? After work, you emerge on the streets of Novistan, shaped by the very news you publish. Perhaps you will see more graffiti, angry bums or even a riot? Or perhaps you will turn the nation into peaceful utopia, filled with cameras and drones watching your every step? How will your channel address tragic events about to happen? Will you agree to meet the clandestine group of truthtellers, or stop to watch the Prime Minister's speech? On the way home you meet with three main characters: Evie, your co-worker and immigrant, worried about her health and growing xenophobic sentiment; your brother Justin, an aspiring comedian struggling with impostor syndrome and social anxiety; finally Rudy, a single father trying to provide for his little girl and keep his store afloat, while a mega-mart opens up next door. Each day provides a glimpse into their life and how the media shapes their beliefs. But every Headliner deserves to relax at home from the stress of the job. Listen to the radio and unwind on the comfy couch bought with hard-earned cash, as you watch the city burn outside the window. Perhaps splurge on treats to feed your doggo? Adopt a drone? Have your brother over for dinner? Or maybe keep your doors locked, hoarding every penny, as your apartment slowly fills with piles of cash? After good night's sleep, it's time to once again face to boss, new articles, a growing sense of responsibility, and.... power.

Ultimate Racing 2D (December 11)

Ultimate Racing 2D is the ultimate top-down racing game, with 35 racing classes, over 45 visual stunning tracks, multiple career modes, championship mode and offline multiplayer mode. Make your way from Karts to Formula Racing in the extensive career mode, play local multiplayer with up to 8 players or create your own custom championship. Race on 45+ international tracks from all continents. Besides Road Courses the game contains Ovals, Dirt Ovals, Historic Tracks, Karting Circuits, and Ice Speedway Tracks. Choose from a variety of racing disciplines like Open-Wheel, Oval Racing, Dirt Racing, Historic Racing, Touring Cars and Sports Car Racing. Drive your favorite vehicles, from Formula Cars to Motorbikes, Trucks, Supercars, Stock Cars, Tractors, Quads, Karts, Forklift Trucks, GT Cars, Speedway Bikes and many more. Experience thrilling top down racing in one of the best-looking 2D racing games. Features: 35 racing classes300+ different cars45+ tracksLocal multiplayer up to 8 playersCareer mode, Championship mode and Quick Race modeUp to 20 cars on trackCustomize teamsPit stop, qualifying and boost optionsRealistic car physics and sound effectsFun gameplay with exciting AI fightsVisual stunning 2D graphicsWeather effectsSpectator mode

SuperEpic: The Entertainment War (December 12)

Join a racoon and a llama in their quest to save videogames as we know them! SuperEpic is a Metroidvania style action-adventure game filled with humor and satire. The gameplay is nonlinear and fast-paced, with exploration and combo-based combat the weapon of choice against the evil Regnantcorp!

Pathologic 2 (December 12)

Pathologic 2 is a narrative-driven dramatic thriller about fighting a deadly outbreak in a secluded rural town. The town is dying. Face the realities of a collapsing society as you make difficult choices in seemingly lose-lose situations. The plague isn’t just a disease. You can’t save everyone. The plague is devouring the town. The chief local healer is dead, and you are now to take his place. You’ll have to look for unexpected allies. The local kids are hiding something. Try playing by their rules. You only have 12 days. 12 days in an odd town ravaged by a deadly disease.Time is of the essence: if you don’t manage it carefully, it’ll simply run out. You’ll have to choose how to spend the priceless minutes you have.Survival thriller. You’ll have to manage your bodily functions, offsetting hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and so on. It doesn’t boil down to scavenging resources. Surviving on your own is hard; you’ll have to win over allies.An uphill battle. Managing your bodily parameters may seem bearable at first, and as time goes by, it becomes harder and harder. Your own body is only waiting for an opportunity to give up and betray you. Things are changing from bad to worse and the odds are stacked against you.A duel with an enemy you can’t kill. Your main foe is the plague itself, an incorporeal and malevolent entity that you have to defeat… without having the means to. It’s more powerful and more treacherous than you can imagine.Loot, murder, mug, steal, barter, beg… or don’t. You need resources to survive, and it’s up to you how to obtain them.The fights are short, ungraceful, and vicious. They’re not always lethal though. Many people—yourself included—would prefer to exchange their wallet for their life.

Cardpocalypse (December 12)

On her first day at Dudsdale Elementary, 10-year old Jess accidentally gets everybody’s favorite collectible card game banned. Troubles arise when mutants from the game invade the real world, and it’s up to Jess and friends to stop them. Make friends, play cards, twist the rules, become a Mega Mutant Power Pets master, and save the world in this single-player RPG about being a kid growing up in the ‘90s.

Dreamwalker: Never Fall Asleep (December 13)

In a small tourist town, a young girl, the daughter of the town’s mayor, falls in coma due to an accident. The inability of the local physicians’ forces Mrs. Mayor to seek the aid of a psychiatrist, who is rumored to possess a unique ability to traverse people’s dreams, a Dreamwalker.

Aborigenus (December 13)

A small adventure platformer with RPG-elements in a primal world. Hunt the aggressive fauna, learn new abilities and fight with the whole enemy army. Choose who you are – a shaman, a warrior or a hunter. Can you save the flying islands from the evil?

Dead End Job (December 13)

Take on the role of Hector Plasm, a worker at Ghoul-B-Gone, the Number One expert in paranormal pest control, as you’re tasked with heading to haunted offices, restaurants, and other everyday buildings before freeing them of unwanted guests. Enter this madcap, whacky world to bust up ghosts in this procedurally generated, couch co-op, twin-stick shooter. Read the full article

[cakesexuality]

I know you said you weren't assuming anything but you wouldn't be wrong to. I won't get into it just bc I don't think this thread is the place for that, but maybe there is something there about David and a few experiences in my past, idk. Those particular events weren't really traumatizing for me but they're still connected to a person who very much did traumatise me in other ways.

But maybe me liking David is just about the game's themes of morality. Like, the game ends with it being revealed that Ellie has to die in order for them to make a cure/vaccine for the zombie fungus (and Ellie knew the whole time that she would likely die), her godmother greenlit the surgery for it, but her pseudo-adopted dad killed the doctor who was going to do it bc he'd already had his biological daughter die and refused to go through that again, which creates a question of who the bad guy is -- Joel, who stopped something that could potentially save humanity? Or Marlene, who promised Ellie's mom to keep her safe but was letting her die anyway? (I think there's no real right side here bc I don't think there was a guarantee of a cure/vaccine so her death could have been for nothing but it's also what Ellie wanted and she was okay with dying if it meant saving everyone else)

And the second game asks the same questions, by having you watch a cutscene where a woman brutally murders a beloved character (elaborating in the tags bc spoilers) and then you spend several hours playing as that woman, to make her motivations sympathetic and let her redeem herself by showing her be a big sister figure to two kids who've been chased out of a religious cult after one came out as trans. You even get into a boss fight where you play as her while fighting Ellie.

Maybe capital-G Gamers just don't like redemption arcs or something bc the response to the fact you have to play as someone framed as a villain was piss poor and there are absolutely things to criticise the game for but that's Not It and I feel like a lot of those people are the same people who were being transphobic about Abby bc she's a woman with lots of muscle and about Lev bc he actually is trans and oh my god I could go on about the controversies around this game for a very long time

"You like villains bc you see something of yourself in them and use them to vicariously imagine yourself doing bad things you wouldn't be able to bring yourself to do irl"

Well then please explain why I love Habit from EMH and David from TLOU bc I see nothing of myself in them

[iamspok]

Top 10 Video Game Sidekicks

Modern day gaming is a much more collaborative experience, geared towards often fast-paced, multiplayer or co-operative gameplay, whether you like it or not the days of the story mode is in it’s twilight with many of the bigger developers now opting to either forego the traditional single player experience or incorporating it into an overall online mode (see Destiny, Titanfall, Star Wars Battlefront) and while gamers have pushed back, there is no doubting that the further into the future we get, the more integrated we are.

But for many years, there have been characters who were designed to help you on your path and simulate that collaborative experience, some of which became beloved heroes of the gaming community and some, well, not so much (I personally still have nightmares about Natalya from Goldeneye and her casual stroll through a hail of AK-47 gunfire)

This article is dedicated to the characters that made the game a better experience, whether it be for gameplay or purely for the story, they live on with the legacy of each game on the list.

Dogmeat (Fallout)

The idea that dog is man’s best friend always seems to have been prevalent in everyday life but never has it been more important than in the post-apocalyptic world of Fallout.

Dogmeat would do anything to protect you, he would attack anyone or anything at anytime, he sniffs out valuable items that aid your survival in this unforgiving world, he will follow a scent for miles and he is your only remaining family, if that’s not enough to earn this dog a place on this list, then you obviously aren’t a dog person.

Cortana (Halo)

Cortana is the first blockbuster sidekick on this list that was introduced to the world in the incredibly successful Halo.

The supercomputer would assist you by hacking rogue alien systems, providing tactical assistance and decoding transmissions essential to your mission and gives Master Chief his only human link (ironic) in the entire game.

To put into perspective how successful this sidekick would become, she now resides on tens of millions of PC’s around the world as a virtual assistant that helps operate the Windows system, if that’s not a sign that you’ve been important, I don’t know what is.

Otacon (Metal Gear Solid)

‘’Snake, you of course know the saying ‘one for all, all for one’. It’s from ‘The Three Musketeers’ - the book, not the candy bar’’

In one of the most intense gaming series of all time, often with cut-scenes that were obscenely longer and more detailed than anything that had come before it or since, Otacon brought a lighter tone to the world of Metal Gear Solid.

With his often ill-timed explanations of totally random subjects (see pre-ripped jeans, daylight savings, Chinese proverbs) he became a cult favorite amongst hardcore MGS players, the fact that he used to help Snake through various missions with his codec updates is only an added bonus that gets him on this list.

Weighted Companion Cube (Portal)

‘‘It’s just an object..it doesn’t even do anything’’ said absolutely no one who has ever played Portal. This little cube was pretty much your only ally in the entire game, starting out as just a lump that you would use to hit switches or complete a puzzle it eventually became a friend (yes, I said a friend) and as the game presented more challenging obstacles it became invaluable.

Then came the incinerator, I struggle to think of anything else in pop culture that felt as crushing a blow for the loss of something that was not even alive in the first place (maybe Wilson from Castaway)

Godspeed trusted companion cube, we will meet again.

Yoshi (Super Mario World)

Step aside Luigi, because Yoshi is the one true sidekick to Mario.

First introduced in 1990, Yoshi first came about simply as a mode of transportation for the famous brothers but soon became very useful on their adventures. You could ride him (which was cool as hell anyway) you could sacrifice him to get over obstacles or just throw him away when he wasn’t needed, he would help you take care of those pesky enemies and I defy you to name any other sidekick that pooped out power-up’s at the rate he did.

He’s stuck with the series over the years and has even managed to get a few game’s of his own (Yoshi’s Island, Yoshi’s Story, Yoshi’s Wooly World to name a few) which is something that only one other character on this list has managed to accomplish, impressive.

Claptrap (Borderlands II)

Let's be honest, usually when you have a sidekick whose main purpose is to provide comic relief it falls flat on its face, but in the world of Borderlands, it is exactly what you expect and what you need.

Despite the fact he raised an army and tried to kill you at the end of Borderlands, by the time you come across him in Borderlands II all is forgiven after a few minutes, mainly acting as a guide through the wastelands of Pandora, the game quite literally would not have been the same without him. Not just satisfied to be the life and soul of the party, Claptrap will also open doors for you and help you open those magical loot chests that you lust after.

Leonardo Da Vinci (Assassins Creed 2)

Assassins Creed 2 was an excellent game, ranking as either many gamers favorite of the franchise or most important, it overhauled the game mechanics from the original which had been hailed as a storytelling master stroke, but showcased cumbersome climbing and fighting physics that often made the game feel like a chore, it’s hard to put into words just how much this installment lit a fire under the series that has since become a juggernaut, reaching as far as Hollywood.

Among the riveting missions, the outlandish, often villainous supporting characters and mysterious storyline set in the various visually stunning cities of Italy, you had the chance to meet the one and only Leonardo Da Vinci.

At first you’re excited about how he fits into the narrative of the story but when you realize that he’s building you item’s that the game hasn’t presented to you before, the real fun starts. First, there was the hidden blade, he then introduced you to some new fighting techniques, which in a game like Assassins Creed is very important to keep things fresh, along with the ability to poison enemies (honestly, is there anything more satisfying than poisoning just one guard in a group and seeing him go crazy? no) but this all lead up to arguably the best mission of the game in sequence 8...WHERE YOU FLY OVER THE ROOFTOPS OF VENICE IN A GIANT DAMN WOODEN BIRD!

Tails (Sonic Series)

There may be no more important entry into this list than Tails. In 1992 when the beloved character was first introduced, gaming culture was still in its relative infancy on the mass market and was about to take a big upward swing over the next few years and Sonic The Hedgehog would play a major role in its development.

Sonic would become one of the most popular games on the Sega mega drive and its marquee title, with its addictive side scrolling action and it’s fast-paced boss fights, it was in the rarefied atmosphere only shared by Super Mario Bros at the absolute crux of the gaming community, but where Mario had his trusty Luigi, Tails would be a more useful sidekick to Sonic, his power of flight would occasionally be invaluable for successfully completing a level and without him, there would be no biplane to take down Dr. Eggman’s wing fortress.

I’m sure anyone reading this article who had a younger sibling and had to share a mega drive would also agree, Tails is the best!

Ellie (Last Of Us)

Although being a playable character later on in the game and spawning a spin off (Left Behind) there could have been no list without the incomparable Ellie from The Last Of Us.

This is widely regarded now as the greatest video game of all time and the character of Ellie provides a huge reason for this, as you navigate the post-apocalyptic world following an outbreak that ravages the United States, you lose your family and your hope for a new humanity until you are introduced to Ellie, the 14-year old girl who could potentially hold the fate of humanity inside her.

A connection with any character in a video game this intense is incredibly rare as she becomes increasingly important, not just to the story but to you as the player and explains the mixed emotions at the end when Joel would essentially rather see the human race die then have Ellie taken away from him, totally fair in my books.

Elizabeth (Bioshock Infinite)

The best AI sidekick of all time? I would say so.

Bioshock has always been an immersive story-driven experience, through the underwater steampunk world of Rapture featured in the first 2 installments, gamer’s were presented an extremely dark, often terrifying experience as we learned to deal with the psychopathic enemies that lurked in the shadows, by the time Bioshock:Infinite was released, we were ready to ascend to the clouds of Columbia.

Often times, ’escort’ missions in video games are incredibly tedious so if I were to tell you that Infinite is basically one, long escort mission, many would simply not bother playing it but Elizabeth proves to be the most helpful and one of the most interesting sidekicks in video game history.

She keeps herself out of the way of danger, she tosses you supplies and ammunition when it’s needed most, she can find money and open locked doors and if you played the game on the hardest difficulty like me, she is absolutely necessary.

I can still say to this day that the feeling of accomplishment I had upon completing Infinite is unparalleled and Elizabeth is the very definition of what a video game sidekick should be.

[roxieblackmon10-blog]

Consuming Monster Dinosaur Of Liaoning, China.

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