#how can a frickin VIDEO GAME

[nightmonkeysstuff]

So I was finally able to play Jedi Survivor and……

Don’t speak to me for 5-7 business days my soul is broken my eyes are crying, call me Padme because I’ve lost the will to live.

[dreamlifebunny]

Manifestation is ALWAYS guaranteed once you've made your wish omg. Like, always always always. A few months ago I said, "Goddddd, I am sick of feeling lonely, I need a boy who I can talk to about video game music for hours. We should be able to chat about anything and everything so easily. And have similar formative experiences so we can just get each other. And he should look exactly like this. And he should be super well put together and someone I don't need to take care of. And maybe we aren't even together because I'm not ready for that, but we can just be absolute besties who have crushes on each other. Yeahhh. Okay, anyway."

Moved on with my life, sometimes thought about it, quite often felt lack about it or heartache over not having friends like this, but always just daydreamed about this imaginal person.

GIRLLLLL, when I tell you that a few weeks ago I met this guy who I used to have a tiny crush on years ago that I totally had forgotten about?? He had a girlfriend at the time that I met him, but now he didn't. We bonded over video game music (especially my current hyperfixation) and made plans to hang out. Last night I hung out with him, and he made me frickin' SOUP in his fancy apartment and we talked about video game music for FOUR WHOLE HOURS. And he played piano soooo fucking well, and had the same experiences as me with music and video games growing up. And he looked EXACTLY like how I imagined him in my mind. God, and he's absolutely adorable, but I'd also be happy if we were just friends, since he's fulfilling my little crush quota. Like, what the fuck? Ask and it is GIVEN.

Whenever I "doubt" the law or I'm feeling lack or anything like that, stuff like this always brings me right back to the reality that I am god and there is nothing that I cannot be, do, or have. It always makes me feel so silly for forgetting my power; I'm team-working with an amazing creator (who in reality is just me, there is no separation) who brings about everything I want, in the exact perfect way, and all I had to do was make a silly little decision filled with hope and fun and love. It's not my responsibility to figure out the how or when, and that makes it fun. It's always guaranteed. It will not be late. It will always be perfect.

Make a wish and let it unfold. You'll be so happy that you did.

[thechocolatearmor]

OK OK OK OK OK people talk about sniper, or pyro, or medic being autistic right?

B u t

What if I told you all of them are?

Every single one.

Engineer? He's autistic. Soldier? Autistic. Frickin Spy?? Omgsh he's so autistic

So because my brain won't stop itching about this I'm going to write up a collection of all the evidence I have for why the TF2 mercenaries possess within their beings the big tism. By the time this is over y'all are going to be very sick of the word autism.

But IDC

So without further ado, let's go through each of these silly mercs one at a time:

Scout:

Alright, first up we got Scout. Scout I would consider to be AuDHD for multiple reasons

The ADHD is more obvious but like dude trust me he's autistic too

He's hyperactive, forgetful, gets distracted easily, kind of the basic stereotypical ADHD stuff you would notice immediately. He stims, he fidgets, he struggles in social situations, he's seen as over the top and a bit annoying, he talks a lot

Now a lot of these traits are things that are common for both autistics and adhders. But I wanna point out some things I notice about him that are autism specific

He has a special interest: It's Tom Jones. Honestly he probably has a special interest about baseball too

But I mean c'mon he's literally has a Tom Jones tattoo

You could argue this is just a hyperfixation but I bet it's been going on for a while

He also has "spikey" skills. Really good at stuff like drawing, dancing, sports, but he sucks at things like reading, math, etc

Mostly what makes me see him as autistic it's how he struggles in social situations. Bro doesn't know how to flirt unless he's got a bucket of chicken on hand

Soldier:

Honestly if anyone's autistic coded it's soldier

Special interest is all things American, especially if it relates to the military

Lots of autistic people wear certain items that remind them of something they like, usually disregarding things like how it looks or even whether or not it's comfortable. Soldier's helmet is way too big for him but he's almost always wearing it anyway

In meet the spy he does "hut hut hut" when he's doing down the stairs and it makes me so happy

He has no filter, he takes things really literally, he often sees suggestions as orders (teleporting bread anyone?)

Also when he says he's been doing nothing but teleport bread for 3 days it makes me think he must've been hyperfocused on that

I don't think he knows anything about volume control since he's yelling everything

What kind of neurotypical fights bears in Siberia while naked and covered in honey

He speaks his mind rather than beating around the bush

His helmet could also double as helping him avoid eye contact

Pyro:

Tell me they don't have aversion to like every texture besides their suit you can't

A lot of their animations are super stimmy

Pretty much nonspeaking

Has childish interests

Could also have schizophrenia? (I'm relatively uninformed about it tho so I might not be a good person to judge)

I bet half of their little mmph mmmph noises are audio stims

Special interest is fire

their stim is ARSON

Demo:

I headcanon him as AuDHD too

I mean tbf a lot of how he is is more related to alcoholism but shhh let me have this

But I mean he made friends with Soldier

Special interest in medieval weapons which would explain why he's crazy about swords?

Drinking could be an unhealthy coping mechanism/safe food

Probably also depressed with how he can never live up to his family's expectations

Infodumping about bombs in his introduction video

Honestly most of my "evidence" for him is just fanon but idc I like autistic Demoman

Heavy:

Whether or not him having a PhD in Russian literature is canon, some of his in game lines show him to be very poetic and thoughtful

The fact that he only has a few food items but always seems super happy to be eating them gives me safe food vibes

He sings and hums a lot, probably as a stim

He has the Resting Autism Face™

Special interest in his gun

A lot of his voice lines also just feel really stimmy to me, especially when he's doing the "YATATATATATA" thing

Not sure he has any volume control either

Seems to genuinely enjoy Medic's morbid stories, at least to a point

He really really really really really likes the song of the Volga boatmen in particular

He's the prettiest princess it's canon, you can't be a pretty princess without being autistic /j

He has a tiny bed for Sasha. HE HAS A TINY BED FOR SASHA

Heavy is often criticized as a class because guess gameplay is relatively simple and can become a little stale for a lot of people. Yet Heavy seems to have some of the most excited voice lines in the game. I feel like this emphasizes how much he thrives in routine, since he seemingly never gets bored of just doing his thing

Engie:

He has 11 phds

A lot of his voice lines also sound really stimmy to me. Either he's going YEEHAWW GIDDY UP or he's yelling DAMNIT DAGNABIT DANGIT DAGGIT NABBIT

Probably a lot of echolalia with that too

He humanizes his buildings and cares for them like a mother bird

Just listen to his genuinely heartbroken when his sentry gets taken down!

When playing Engie sometimes I find myself smacking stuff with my wrench even though I KNOW it's already level 3 and maxed and whatnot, or I KNOW I'm out of metal, just because I wanna hear the clang noise. So this point is just me projecting but I love the mental image of Engie giving his things a few extra whacks too

He sawed off his arm for his special interest

His whole monologue in meet the engineer is so autistic sounding to me

His dancing taunt also feels stimmy

He's always hunched over, implying irregular posture

He's a NERD—

Man of many talents including playing the guitar

Never takes those goggles off

How does he turn a stressful TF2 match into a (not so) relaxing tower defense game?

Medic:

I headcanon him as AuDHD too because he seems really scatterbrained and it feels like he's working on several things at once and always

He talks a LOT. definitely an infodumper

Either he's super stern or really giggly, there is no in between

He wears gloves in battle but not while doing surgery??? Does he just like organ textures??? Wacko

Special interest is obviously whatever the heck kinda of mad science he does

Here's a heavy medic headcanon I have: medic likes deep pressure hugs

Another special interest could be his birds

He's very spontaneous which makes me think AuDHD even more

Look how excited he gets when taking about the tumors in expiration date!

He got the organ stealing autism

Is it just me or does he fixate on baboon organs in particular???

Sniper:

I'm pretty sure all of you know why this man is autistic but I'm going to list some reasons here anyway

My main evidence tho are his Halloween voice lines: https://youtu.be/2WDljNAslys?si=JP25VOGGDWwwoCI7

Exhibit a, look how much he enjoys having an owl head

Exhibit b, lots of those voice lines make him sound really freakin' overstimulated

He probably wears the hat and shades for sensory reasons as well as because they look cool

Obviously the most socially reclusive of the mercs

I love his backstory where he learns he never felt like the other kids because he wasn't actually Australian, but what if he also didn't fit in with the other kids because he's autistic?

Also throwing rocks at people as a kid screams autism to me

No neurotypical would ever throw jars of his own piss at you either

I think he just wants to live in the woods somewhere and never come back to society and honestly that's based

I feel like he would be the type to bite his own arm when stressed (just like me fr 😭)

Extremely meticulous in following his own life rules (ie being professional and having standards, driving safely with the turn signal and everything)

Spy:

Ok just hear me out for this one

Smoking because stim reasons

He's literally and figuratively masking

He's very suave and probably really good with social things, but I feel like it looks like he's just practiced really hard, again MASKING

Who knows he might not even actually be French

Who collects photographic evidence for a ur mom joke

I see him as either being hypersensitive or hyper insensitive to pain depending on the day (his screams + "I do believe I'm on fire.")

Mad butterfly knife tricks as a stim? (Notice he couldn't help but fiddle with them even disguised as scout in meet the spy)

He sucks at dealing with relationships and that's one of the reasons he's a bad dad

He actually really cares about his team and you can see it especially in expiration date but he's not very good at expressing it

Do you think he wears the ski mask for sensory reasons too?

Probably has his suits tailored to not give him any sensory issues, which could be another reason he likes them so much

Believe me I could go on but I think this is enough to get my point across

THEY ARE ALL AUTISTIC >:00

[eponymous-rose]

So I've been playing Baldur's Gate 3 like everyone else and had An Incredibly Wild Combat Experience just now...

(spoilers under the cut for an early-game fight; if you don't care about the game, this is 100% parse-able as a d&d fight)

So there I am with my character Amisra (elf fighter), and a party consisting of Karlach (tiefling barbarian), Astarion (elf/vampire-spawn rogue) and Gale (human wizard). We venture into the lair of a hag to try to rescue this woman she's kidnapped and I'm getting a little blithe when it comes to spell slots and short rests - everyone's starting to look pretty rough, and then there's a long stretch of having to navigate carefully around traps, mostly via jumps that I actually remember to have Feather Fall on this time. "No problem," I think like every D&D player before me, "I'll simply take a long rest before the boss battle." And the game, in its DM-ish wisdom, says, "No, you can't long rest in the lair of an actively hostile enemy, what were you thinking???" and that's how I get into a fight that's way, way over my head.

I'm giving it my best shot, dealing with illusory hag-enemies and complicated terrain, but it's clear this is going to be my first total-party-kill of the game. Several characters have been knocked down and brought back up, and we've been in enough of a bad state that all of our healing potions are gone (leading me to the realization that you can craft in battle, which then leads to all of the crafted potions also being consumed).

The stage is set for disaster: the hag still has half her health (60-something points), and my whole party is out of all spell slots and fancy tricks. Astarion and Karlach are knocked unconscious on the other side of the room via Ray of Sickness, making death saves. Gale and Amisra are in some sort of necrotic zone that's dealing damage every round.

The immediate turn order: Gale, Hag, Amisra. Gale has 1 HP and will be unconscious from the necrotic damage after his turn. Amisra has a whopping 7 HP but is being held in the damage-over-time area by a Hold Person spell she cannot seem to save against. The hag has a perfect shot on everyone in the room.

So I'm sitting there like "well, it was a fun run while it lasted" and trying to remember when I saved last. At this point, I figure I might as well go for a little roleplay flair and try to think of what Gale would do for this, his final turn. Well, he'd look to magic. But, uh, sorry, those cantrips aren't going to deal 60 points of damage and get you out of your current predicament. Too bad.

Hang on. I've picked up so many scrolls, surely there's something there that might be a fun finish. Scroll of Flying? Nah, then I'll just die in midair. Scroll of Ray of Enfeeblement? Yeah, I'm sure she'll be real sad that her melee attacks do marginally less damage as she annihilates us with ranged attacks anyway. Scroll of Feign Death? Who's ever even used that spell successfully in a video game? What would you even--

Wait. Scroll of Feign Death. Resistance to all damage types except psychic, puts the target in a comatose state. Gale's going to be unconscious next round, but Amisra still has 7 HP...

So Gale, very dramatically, pulls out this scroll and casts the spell on Amisra, who Feigns Death very convincingly considering she's frozen on the spot and slowly taking damage. And Gale takes the last burst of damage himself and falls unconscious.

The hag absolutely doesn't stop there and keeps hitting Karlach, Astarion, and Gale until they're dead... but she never targets Amisra. She thinks she's dead. She actually thinks she's dead! And she might be right, as Amisra takes 2 HP and 1 HP of damage each turn, frozen in place...

And the hag just... stops. Everyone is dead, right? Yup, four bodies on the ground. Time to go and do whatever it is hags do for fun. She leaves the battlefield.

And Amisra finally saves against the damage-over-time with One. Frickin'. Hit. Point. Remaining.

I as the player have about 1 HP remaining myself as I fumble frantically to move Amisra out of the dangerous area and manage to remember how to use a mouse in time to cast a Scroll of Revivify on Gale. Two of us, each stumbling around at 1 HP, no other healing available, no idea where the hag is in her lair, the rest of our (very dead) party on the other side of the giant room, and a huge path of traps and treacherous drops to get back to the surface. What can we do but press on, deeper into the lair?

In the next room, which I have never seen before, I am shaking. If there's a trap, we're probably done. I'm too nervous to try looting anything in the room - what if she comes back? And then I see a sparkly fairy circle of mushrooms, looking an awful lot like an exit. No way. NO WAY.

I click that fairy circle so many times and just hold my breath as the two remaining party members stumble to the exit... and promptly appear back in the (slightly less dangerous) bog. The bog where, in its infinite DM-ly kindness, the game finally allows us to make camp, where I can resurrect Karlach and Astarion in peace.

And that's how we avoided a Total Party Kill with the most situational spell scroll use imaginable!

Edit: Also, a tip for when I did go back to fight the hag - a 2nd-level Magic Missile auto-hits up to 4 targets, so if you position Gale toward the middle of the room you can take down all 4 illusory hag-clones in one turn. Ahh, it was nice to have spell slots again.

[asksythe]

FGO Fes 2024 "CHALDEA Treasure Hunting" Experience Video - Introduction Section (Earphones recommended / Low volume recommended) Original Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dElTAHf0m0

Disclaimer: the translation is rushed, so there's probably room for improvement. I'm just posting this here for personal keeping since similar videos have been taken down from Youtube in the past.

Note: The context for this part of the event storyline is that Ritsuka is sent on a treasure hunt for a lost Holy Grail (as it goes) by Goredorf. She gets to choose one among several servants (Aesclepius, Takasugi, Tiamat, etc...) to go with her. Only one though. This video is the introduction section with Goredorf. Yes, it is very otome game-esque. 😁

I plan to (pester and rope my husband into helping me) translate the other sections, too, eventually. And then link them all back to this introduction video.

--TRANSLATION--

My! You have come a long way here.

This is Chaldea Base on the far end of the Chaldea Pavilion. As the one most responsible for the Chaldea Pavilion, I am unifying it into one! Chaldea Pavilion’s crown jewel is our Technical Advisor’s specially crafted Holy Grail! This Grail is the fruit of our advisor’s efforts in giving it polish!

I’d like as many people as possible to enjoy it while they can!

Witnessing that grail is the number one reason why you came here. Naturally, your selection is due to my good graces as the caretaker… You can be grateful and I accept your respect and admiration. If you encounter any troubles then you should forward your complaints not to me, but rather to management. Got it?

With that, let’s take a look shall we!

We’re still organizing the preparations..

Just a little..bit..more..

Which one…Now where did I put that thing…?

Uh? Oh?

How can there be nothing here? No way! It was here just a minute ago!!!

Oh oh oh…this is this is bad!

I’m going to disappoint the Technical Advisor so much!

There’s no way around this…

Think man, think! And frickin DO SOMETHING already, Goredolf!!

…Ugh.

Oh right! Oh right! Oh yes, that’s right!

You!

You! You!

How about it? How about taking on a little job for me? “The Search for the Holy Grail!” sound good to you?

The highest caretaker must attend to his tasks here you see. He can’t be reckless and go outside.

If you please, knowing the magical powers of our Technical Advisor, you should be able to sketch out its whereabouts. And wouldn’t that be splendid news!

For the sake of the exhibition hall of our “Chaldea Pavilion” I have assembled the greatest class to find all of these treasures.

Our Chaldea Treasure Hunting Unit will aid you in finding our booty!

I did have in mind for you to help me with preparations on this end, but these are grave and unavoidable circumstances.

The Servants will be standing by at their respective locations outside of here. You must go out and call for them. They will certainly aid you on your journey.

So get ready and get out there!

I wish you happy hunting! (Lit. Praying for good health)

[raccoonfallsharder]

not an ask more paying respect lol, i did the ask abt showing rocket more terran references/ goth music and you did it amazingly thank you so much. i like how it made me think differently too! i bet rocket wouldn’t like too much horror thinking abt it now but stuff like supernatural/ creepy sound better than gore for him. i bet stuff like the toxic avenger is right up his alley lmao. i love how you included reality tv and video games and just showing rocket other genres. i loved what you did with it! i feel like rocket would like rupaul too for the drama and art. i feel like like they could make their own drive in/ outdoor theater on knowhere and can watch anything in the galaxy lmao😭. and i loved how you wrote rocket w music he is the definition of listens to everything <3. i completely loved this thank you <3

you are SO fucken kind (˃̣̣̥ᯅ˂̣̣̥) holy shit i will cry now. like, just how sugarsweet are you? thank you bby ♡♡ also i am going to just take a moment to cosign your drive-in/outdoor theatre idea! this was absolutely EXACTLY what i was imagining in the second bulletpoint on this #marvel critique post. i want a whole stupid disney+ show of this, mst3k style

also, you are so right about rocket loving drag and you should fucken say it.

that furry bastard is such a dramatic little punk in his own way. you just know he likes shiny gems and glittery shit far more than he says (i have a ton of headcanons about this but it comes down to — rocket craves lovely, luxurious things and also doesn't believe he deserves them. and also believes most people who have them don't deserve them, and thus, he has few qualms about stealing them. but also never trusts he'll be able to keep them. look, our lil guy is so conflicted.)

the first time you take him to a drag show, i hope you keep it a surprise. let him gripe and complain the whole way there until the uber driver looks like he wants to scream. look, it's not rocket's fault. he frickin told you he'd had a shitty three cycles since he'd seen you last, and now he just wants to crash on your couch with you and order in sushi and rewatch edward scissorhands (you're not sure how that last part's supposed to help — he always ends up silently crying into his fur two-thirds of the way through). he gets even grumpier when you have to wait outside in the relative cold. once you're finally seated at a small table house-left, he's still sulking and snarking, to the point that you almost wanna wring his furry neck yourself.

but then the music starts. maybe a little aretha franklin. gloria gaynor, or some classic cher. yeah, i'm guessing the show stars with cher. slow, silky, low notes pouring out over the stage. strong enough, maybe. when the first queen steps out, rocket's jaw actually drops. by the time the bright pop of disco-synth hits the song, you'd swear the mirrorball is reflecting little stars and hearts into his candied-apple eyes. he's drinking it all in: the drama, the sly and exaggerated winks that put his own oversized winking habits to shame — the gowns, the sequins, the feathers, the heels. the long lashes and sultry stagecraft, the pageantry, the snark, the fun. the music, the theatre of it all, the spotlights and the perfections and the imperfections — and the brightness, like staring into the spiritual equivalent of an anulax battery explosion.

you leave him at some point, just for a moment —making your way to the bar, bringing back the sugary tequila cocktails he's lately taken to liking so much — and he doesn't even touch it. maybe takes a sip, but forgets it's there. it's probably the first time you've seen rocket ignore an opportunity to get at least slightly buzzed (hey, he's made progress in recent years). but this time, the temptation isn't even present. he's staring at the stage, swaying and bopping to the lip-synced lyrics — completely glitterdrunk. he's fixated on the satin corsets and the braying laughter and the ribald jokes, the irreverence that somehow feels like coming home, and all the while he’s wondering what his own long claws would look like if they were painted that color.

it's not like rocket hasn't seen theatrical gender performance before. it's a common-enough phenomenon in deep space, where there are as many expressions of identity as there are stars in the sky. a lot of cultures are far more chill about crossing gender lines or leaning into extreme caricatures, for a kaleidoscope of reasons. some planets don't even have lines to cross, either because gender is a nonconstruct or because it's so extremely flux that it might as well be superfluid helium.

but there's something about this kind of performance that just hits different for rocket. he probably doesn't know enough terran history to understand what he's picking up on. sure, in the far-reaches of the galaxy, diverse gender expression may be the norm — but here on terra, there are conservatives and bioessentialists and police raids and worse. what rocket sees — folded in between the blade-sharp eyeliner and the spun-sugar wigs and the gunmetal-glint of sequins — is rebellion. it's the core blazing fire of demanding the right to be exactly who you are or who you want to be, even if only for a moment. it’s throwing fists when you have to and protecting your people when you can. it's the freedom to give an acrylic-tipped middle-finger to anyone who ever thought they had the right to reinvent you according to their idea of perfection.

it's a fuck-you to every high evolutionary out there, herbert e wyndham or otherwise.

and — maybe more importantly — it’s not just the struggle. in the face of every hostile neighbor and violent lawmaker, it’s taking back some fucking joy.

rocket can taste it.

which is probably why he doesn't want to leave, even after the show draws to a close and someone's yelling about last call. by the time you finally convince him to go out to the sidewalk and wait for your uber back home, a small number of the queens are departing as well — clustered on the sidewalk like gems snatched from taneleer tivan's jewelry box. you don't think you've ever seen this damn raccoon treat an adult-humie-stranger with anything softer than semi-polite suspicion — yourself included — but suddenly, he's turning up the charm, sidling up to the ladies to thank them for their performance.

the queens, of course, are immediately smitten. who's this handsome fucking dreamboat, and how’d he get those biceps, and does he want a selfie? rocket lets them coo over him with exaggerated, syrupy delight — not even snapping when one of them scritches his ears. he shrugs and juts his thumb at you and gives one of them your goddamn phone number, and they squish in for the aforementioned snapshot. he's got big ol' lipstick-prints in his fur already and when someone raises a paint-arched brow and comments suggestively on the many possible uses of his tail, rocket finally sinks into that familiar shit-eating smirk.

you breathe a sigh of relief when you see it. for a couple seconds there, you’d barely even recognized him.

the uber pulls up and the queens pout — how did the surly jackass who steals your pillow and eats all your lucky charms manage to dazzle them all in less than five minutes? — and when rocket gets in the vehicle, he immediately goes quiet in that way he does — suddenly pensive. thoughtful.

your phone buzzes. it's the selfie of him and the goddamn queens. you lean over and show it to him, and he nods, the corner of his mouth curving faintly. His tail flicks on the seat between you, and his ears twitch as he turns to look out the window.

thanks.

you startle when he speaks, despite the fact that you usually can't get him to shut up. but the quiet gratitude sits between you on the bench like a third passenger in the backseat of the car, studded with distant stars and the receding lights of the city.

no problem, you say slowly. i knew you'd like it — i just didn't know how much. you tilt your head. maybe trust me the next time i tell you i wanna take you somewhere.

he scoffs quietly, but the sound is only made of soft camaraderie and old habit. and then — slowly, like the words are hard to find between stoplights and midnight shadows — he adds, this was... special.

you can hear him swallow. his head is still turned to peer out his window, but you can see the ghost of his reflection in the glass: eyes red as lollipops and sour candy, sometimes turning flat-gold with the passing light. His eyelids flicker shut, then reopen.

some asshole once told me— he starts. stops. swallows again. clears his throat. some asshole once told me we all had this — this sacred fuckin' mission to — to take a cacophony of sounds and turn it into a song.

you can hear the words he's quoting, and his voice drips thick with disdain — and also maybe some uncertainty. some vulnerability. whoever it was who'd said this thing to him — it had cut deep, and put down venomous roots. but you don't respond. not yet. you've learned to wait in moments like this — to let the silence curl around you both, low and comforting as old quilts.

but this, he says finally, four blocks later. this was like... taking songs and turning them into a cacophony. but of — of good things. his brows crease in his reflection, and you an see his eyes flick back and forth, searching the darkness.

a cacophony of liberation, you suggest quietly. and of — joy, and reclamation, and — togetherness, i guess.

he lets out a breath so heavy that his shoulders drop when they're free of it. you stretch across the bench-seat, and you know he's watching your hand reach for him in the window's reflection — but he doesn't draw away from you, not even when you card your fingers through the soft fur at the base of his ears, tousling a soft cloud of pixie-dust sparkle into the air.

and of glitter, you add lightly. you hear the uber driver muffle a grunt of dismay.

but rocket just smirks out the window.

yeah, he says, and it takes a second for you to realize that even though he's agreeing with you, he's also confirming something he's been turning over in the privacy of his own head — all night, maybe. when he repeats himself under his breath, it sounds — it sounds like a soft new bandage, almost. like he’d gone to check on a wound he’d thought had turned to rot, only to learn the the scar’s looking clean and smooth and healthy, and healing up just right.

yeah. that fucker was frickin' wrong.

as per frickin' usual.

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raccoon & star dividers by @/thecutestgrotto support banners by @/saradika-graphics

gotg rocket

[big-low-t]

@ourladyofomega posted this several days back and I thought I would toss my answers out there as well for it.

A game of First, Last, Next, and Favorite.

First concert: Rush, 3/29/1983, Signals Tour. I was in my teens, met up with some class mates that were going with me. They decided they wanted to go drink, chase girls and/or smoke. I was already a music geek, music nerd or music snob... any of those titles fit me... so I went in and sat down. John Butcher Axis was the opening band. I seem to remember they had one song that was pretty decent. I can’t describe how good Rush was. I really believe this was them at the top of their game. They opened with The Spirit of Radio and it just got better from there. Stuff like Tom Sawyer, La Villa Strangiato and YYZ and the incredible Neil Peart drum solo. They had a huge video screen in the background. When they played the song Countdown they had the Space Shuttle launch film playing in sync with the song. Truly amazing to see so much talent on one stage. And THAT was my first ever concert. I never did see my so-called friends during the show, and to be honest, I didn’t care once the music started.

Last concert: It’s been a while since I saw a show (mid 2000′s maybe?) and I can not remember which one of these shows was my last... but I saw a group of bands all one one record label. ALL, Someday I, Wretch Like Me and I thought another band, but I can’t remember who (Armstrong? Maybe?). The other possible last show was the bands From Ashes Rise, Breather Resist, Challenger and I think Strike Anywhere. 2004 I think? Damn I need to start going back to shows. Kids, marriage, work, life... all sort of got in the way for a while I guess. That and the lack of anyone to go with me back then. From those shows Someday I, From Ashes Rise and Challenger stood out to me as being really good. Most people probably haven’t heard of most of these bands.

Next concert: No idea at all, but it needs to happen!

Favorite concert: This depends on when you ask me. The first time I saw Fugazi was an amazing experience. Second time was awesome as well. Rush was fantastic (see above). Iron Maiden frickin’ ruled, especially when Eddie came out on stage. Ramones were super cool and fun to see. Lallapalooza 92 was great with Lush, Ice Cube, The Jesus And Mary Chain, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Ministry and RHCP. I got hit by a flying cheeseburger during the Ministry’s set. Still wrapped and everything. No, I did not eat it. I have seen some amazing bands and some great shows.

I would ask @zelphafrost, @deliberatecontrarian, @pyretic-perfect-storm and really anyone else to do this too, but only if they wanted to and had the time.

Have a great day everyone! Stay safe, stay cool!

[lets-try-some-writing]

Oooh, can we get a directory’s commentary on the Blind Starscream AU and the Starscream Knitting AU? I know they are small AUs, but I enjoy rereading them from time to time. Plus they involve my favorite (troubled) Seeker. Also maybe one for Broken Record too because that one was just so gosh darn good! Please and Thank you!

I got you! I love giving my thoughts on the writing! Also I seriously adore the Starscream knitting AU and I have fun with the Blind Starscream AU too. I just ran out of ways to continue them. Any ideas for them would be gladly accepted :3

Blind Starscream

It was born of a request, and honestly I wasn't the most enthused with it because I had no plot to give the AU. It was a concept game rather than a story for me. Not a bad thing from time to time, but I like having a story to follow to write for. However with that said, it is a fun one and I recall having a great time thinking about how frickin funny it must be to watch Optimus yeet water at Screamer because he's scared of the bugger.

Extra tidbit about this AU: Starscream actually thinks its super funny to pretend he can see, but ONLY around ST3V3 the Vehicon. Starscream will act as though he can see perfectly and stare with lightless optics right into the Vehicon's visor. ST3V3 is terrified, but not a spark believes him when he says Starscream can see and absolutely can end their lives. Well, they believe the second part, but most don't question Starscream's blindness.

Starscream Knitting

It has been a VERY long time since I last looked at this AU. I hardly remember where it began, but I know it was made when I still didn't know how to format anything in visually pleasing and rational way. I don't go back and read my old work for a reason. (lll￢ω￢)

That said, I have had one image in my head since I learned about how running a small business works. Starscream, with stupidly colorful packaging, slowly and carefully getting every package done with his giant frickin claws. Oh! And those nails are absolutely manicured so that he can take videos and pretend he's just a really stylish knitter. He will never admit he enjoys his claws being painted a vivid red.

He secretly watches manicure videos online and asks Knockout to do him up every now and then.

Broken Record

Oh boy. The emotions were STRONG with this fic. It was the week before midterms and I was STRESSING. So of course I gave my baby some trauma to make me feel better. I was actually at work most of the time while writing Broken Record. I listened to City of the Dead on repeat the whole bloody time because it set the mood. No escape. No victory. No hope. Only loss.

Tidbit about Smokey in this fic: He did absolutely everything under the sun to make things work, and while not shown super closely in the fic because I enjoy being somewhat sane, he had a DEEP relationship with the team. He came to see Arcee as a sister in a sense. He adored her and looked up to her for many long loops before he had to pull away and then grew to see how badly her grief was hurting her. He wasn't the closest with Bulkhead and Wheeljack, but he shared many long nights alongside them, talking about the slightly happier aspects of war. Bumblebee he saw as a brother and eventually a ward as time dragged on. As he matured, he felt the need to watch over the scout, just as Optimus did. This was never fully expressed in the fic, but if given the chance, Smokescreen would take up a parental mantle if only to honor the fallen. He was especially close with Ratchet, that with the medic being the closest mech he ever had to a father.

Surprising right? You would think he's see Optimus that way. However he can't see Optimus like that. In his optics, Optimus is like a ghost. He learns from the mech, but Optimus is a strange thing for Smokescreen. A living dead mech. As much as Smokescreen bonded to the Prime, it was all a very solemn thing. But him and Ratchet? He loves Ratchet as a son would his father. Ratchet was always there for him, always offering comfort instead of the cold conformation of loss that Optimus gave. I didn't have enough time to write it, but I really wanted a scene where Ratchet tucked Smokescreen in after a long day and even managed to get the truth from him. I wanted to write one loop where Ratchet knew, and all he could do was hold Smokescreen's servo and weep as the loop came to an end.

Another tidbit: I fully intend to write a prequel with Orion and his trial. And let me tell you, what I have envisioned is ROUGH. It will take me a hot minute to write I think, simply because writing Broken Record required me to have a VERY off mental state to make it happen. However when I write it, let me say now that Orion Pax will have no frame of reference and do far worse things than Smokescreen in an attempt to get out. There could have been other ways to get out, but after so long? He just wanted to be free, no matter the harm it caused to Megatron at the Council chambers.

[sariel626]

Interrupting a Stream

So in this reader is a YouTube Streamer and being honest, I got inspiration for this while watching shxtou twitch vods. Yes I know twitch is very different from YouTube.

Oh, and your Streamer name is Seranisin, Chat calls you Sera for short. The first game is called Night of the Consumers, the second is Mr.Hopps Playhouse

TW: cussing

———————————————————————

“Stupid frickin’ customers! I was one shelf away from beating the game!” (Y/N) screamed at the screen which showed the words ‘You’re Fired’ in a blood red colored font. The chat was blowing up at the streamer’s rage, mostly ‘LMAOOO’s and some offering strategies to help the female when she began her 17th attempt to stock the grocery store shelves without running into any customers.

Right as (Y/N) was calming down, the front door to her shared home opened, Chuuya had finally gotten off work and he was ready to see his partner after a long day. When he didn’t see (Y/N) in the living room or the kitchen (probably eating an entire bag of chips again) the ginger walked over to (Y/N)‘s gaming/streaming room. The door was closed. Of course she’s streaming right now.

Chuuya went and grabbed a bottle of wine while contemplating if he should order takeout or cook something. While pouring his glass, a victory scream rang out, “TAKE THAT YOU WRINKLY MANAGER! I AM COMPETENT ENOUGH TO STOCK SHELVES!” It came from none other than (Y/N) herself. This made Chuuya chuckle to himself at how immersed his girlfriend could get in a video game.

Unable to decide on takeout or cooking at home, and since he figured that scream meant the stream would be ending, Chuuya waited a few minutes before going to (Y/N)’s room and opening the door to find…her still streaming. He concluded it’d be a good way to scare off any simps from the chat (he’s wrong, we never back down) so he asked what she would prefer for dinner while leaning against the door. (Y/N) snapped out of her surprised stupor and replied, “uh…takeout. You are aware that I’m streaming, right?” “I thought you ended it after that victory scream” this made the female streamer blush from embarrassment, was she really that loud?

Meanwhile, the chat was blowing up

Cryos3267: Who’s the hot guy at the door?

Gumiberry: Is he single?

Kawaii-Chan: if he is, can I have his number

XXJuliusXX: Is he Sera’s boyfriend?

Seweit42: He can’t be, he’s too short for her

Chuuya was going to leave to order takeout for them both until (Y/N) saw that in the chat. She smiled sweetly with malicious intent hidden behind it and called her boyfriend back in. Chuuya, hearing the sickly sweet sound from his girlfriend, walked into the room, silently praying you weren’t about to kill him for interrupting the stream.

(Y/N) looked directly at the camera, “Seweit42, if you really think short guys can’t land hot girls…” the girl pulled Chuuya down by his shirt collar and kissed him, making sure the monitor could see them. Chuuya gladly returned the short kiss until (Y/N) pulled back and looked at the camera “Then explain that.” If chat wasn’t already blowing up, it was now. The female turned back and said, “If you want, you can go order takeout now, I’ll join you after Mr.Hopps Playhouse” but Chuuya just wrapped his arms around her waist, “After that? Like hell I’m leaving.” The girl rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless, “Well then, get on the chair, but this is a horror game.” “Like a game could scare me. Who do you think I am, dove?”

Ten minutes later, Chuuya’s trying to convince you that Mr.Hopps is not cute while you’re collecting tapes

Chuuya: it’s a demonic bunny rabbit probably the size of that blond ponytail fucker from the Agency. He’s got the eyes of their doctor when she’s gone batshit

Y/N: Chuuya, don’t you see those adorable, very pettable ears? And those eyes aren’t screaming murder, they’re begging to be loved

Chuuya: quit fucking summoning him with the toys!

Y/N: (proceeds to trigger every single toy) it’s not like he’ll catch me anyways, I’m too good for-

Proceeds to get jumpscared making Chuuya cling to the gamer and spin the chair around, “Fuck that!” (Y/N) looked at her boyfriend, blinked a couple times, and laughed, spinning the chair around while laughing. The short-tempered male was quick to retaliate, “I was trying to protect you from the demon bunny! Don’t laugh at me!” “It’s just…it’s just a video game. Mr.Hopps isn’t real.” The female wiped a tear from her eyes. She was right, he’s just a piece of code in a video game. There wasn’t anything for Chuuya, a mafia executive, to be scared of. It was still funny that he was though.

Soon enough, (Y/N) beat the game and ended the stream. Standing up and stretching, she asked, “So what food are you in the mood for?” But Chuuya was still recovering from the ending, he looked up at his girlfriend, “Y…You pick” “Aight, Chinese sound good?” “Sure” To be honest, Chuuya wasn’t thinking about food, he was still caught on the ending and how you barely flinched at the Giant Mr.Hopps, is it a streamer thing?

“Yo Chu, you good? …Hello? …Oh well, guess I’ll just help myself to the best wine in the cellar!” That snapped him out of it. “Don’t you dare” “Welcome back to planet Earth, Chu. I’m gonna order the food and if you want, we can play Mr.Hopps 2~” (Y/N) whispered the last bit in his ear and Chuuya tensed, “Count me out” He walked to the living room and sat on the couch, flipping through the tv channels.

After placing the order and getting the food, (Y/N) and Chuuya were cuddling on the couch watching Iron Man 3. It was clear that both of you were beginning to get drowsy and so out of nowhere, Chuuya says, “You know, you were really sexy today when you kissed me in front of your fans.” “Thanks Chu, you were really cute today when we played Mr.Hopps. Your reactions were adorable and *yawn* I wouldn’t mind having you join me again.” (Y/N) closed her eyes as she began to doze off. The mafioso smiled at his cute girlfriend, turned the tv off, and carried her to their shared bedroom before crawling in next to her. “I wouldn’t mind it either.” And with that, the ginger fell asleep with a smile on his face.

———————————————————————

This ending was way softer than I expected it to be. Kinda derailed from my original idea

It’s fine though, we all need some Chuuya fluff in our lives

[marsmarvel02]

So, I played Princess Peach: Showtime! last night, and I have some thoughts.

Warning: Spoilers for the entirety of Floor 1 under the cut.

Opening

Wow, the music is good.

I love Grape's design! So... unique!

Grape's name, however, is ... ehh. It could be worse, but I'd still prefer something a bit more intimidating.

Why does Stella have to make crying baby noises when she's upset? It makes it hard to take her seriously and it's honestly just really grating to listen to.

Stella's design, while not the worst thing in the world, just seems a bit... off to me. I can't place it, but something about her just looks... weird.

Why is light magic named "Sparkle"? It just sounds a bit... goofy.

Swordfighter-1

Wow, the loading times for levels are... a bit much.

Why does the "level loading" music have to have that long, low horn that sounds almost exactly like the noise older Nintendo games make when they crash? The first time I heard it, I freaked because I thought there was something wrong with my copy of the game.

Why did they make B the action button and A the jump button? In every other game I've played, B is jump! That button switch has actually made me die a few times in a later level, and generally made me bad at parts that require jumping with quick reflexes.

Wow, this game IS easy.

The pre-transformation sections of levels where you just run around swinging your ribbon at stuff are honestly kinda boring.

Oh man, Swordfighter Peach looks AWESOME!

Again, the game is still really easy, but blasting your way through hordes of Sour Bunch members makes you feel INCREDIBLY powerful.

And I love the acrobatic and flashy dodges too.

Why does the very imposing knight with the hammer go down in one hit? Seriously, all you need to do is jump over his shockwave once and oop, down he goes.

The end boss is CRAZY! Who'd've thought that a Mario (spinoff) game would have you fight a giant killer plant that ISN'T a piranha plant! Also, wow, this random spinoff gets original bosses and Mario Wonder doesn't.

Jokes aside, though, I love the thorny flower bud boss. Does it have a name?

Ninja-1

Normally stealth levels in games are the ones that everybody hates, but honestly this one is GREAT!

Again, the game is still pretty easy, but stealth-attacking enemies and taking them out in one hit also feels POWERFUL.

I love how the guards can't tell where Peach is when she has a freakin' SPOTLIGHT shining on her. Or when she's pressed up against a wall and her GIANT YELLOW PONYTAIL is sticking up above her camo paper.

Why does being spotted make Peach turn into a log and then teleport to just before whatever stealth section you failed? I mean, I get sending you back to try again, but what's with the log? Is it a reference to some ninja trope I'm not familiar with?

Oh man, the chase sequence is SUPERB. Especially the wallrunning bits, and

When the enemy drops one of the scrolls, and Peach somehow uses it to summon a giant wave to ride. It makes no sense, but it's FRICKIN AWESOME.

Honestly, I'd really like it if the wave chase had ended with the enemy dropping a second scroll, and Peach using it to summon another crazy setpiece. (Hey, I just realized, that wave is a "dramatic setpiece" both in-universe and in the video game sense.)

Patissiere-1

Once again, the section before the transformation is... rather slow.

Honestly, I was expecting this to be the "annoying gimmicky minigame level", but I'm pleasantly surprised. It's a gimmicky minigame level, sure, but not an annoying one.

While getting above the minimum required to advance in the cake-decorating and cookie minigames wasn't too hard, I can see that I'll have my work cut out for me when I come back to get all the Sparkle Gems.

This isn't too bad, but it's annoying how in the cookie minigame there isn't any visual indicator that you're about to overmix something.

Cowgirl-1

One word: AWESOME!

Again, the ease at which you can lasso enemies and throw them around makes you feel powerful.

Oh, and that barrel-throwing fight sequence manages to simultaneously be both awesome and hilarious. I don't know why, it's just funny in the best way.

Crazy Thought: Cowgirl Peach tests her barrel-lassoing skills against Donkey Kong.

That horse chase sequence is pretty fun, but it's also where I died a few times because I lassoed when I meant to jump.

And, to top it all off, the boss fight against the leader of the robbers is epic. My only disappointment is that, when he's charging around the arena after you, you can't matador him into those piles of gem boxes landing the first hit revealed. I understand why you can't, but I still wish you could.

Floor 1/First Main Boss

It appears that Peach understands as much as I do that, while forcing open the door that's obviously full of dark magic might be a bad idea, it's also the only way to progress the game.

I'm not sure what to think about the fact that you need Sparkle Gems to open the Spooky Floating Door. I mean, the cost was low enough that it wasn't a problem for me, but I could see it frustrating someone who isn't very good at the game (especially since doors on later floors will probably use the same mechanic), and speedrunners are probably going to HATE it.

Why is the evil version of Sparkle named "Darkle"? It just sounds stupid.

WE'RE FIGHTING A GIANT DISCO CHICKEN!

Oh man, Disco Wing is awesome. Especially the part where THE GRAVITY FRIGGIN' FLIPS UPSIDE DOWN!

It's funny how the only time Disco Wing does that giant rolling attack is when the arena has been changed in a way that makes it possible for Peach to dodge it. Disco Wing, you could've won easily if you'd just done that attack a few times at the start of the fight!

Crazy Thought: Disco Wing meets Hole Punch from Paper Mario: The Origami King.

NINTENDO, I WANNA REFIGHT THE DISCO CHICKEN! LET ME REFIGHT THE DISCO CHICKEN!

So, after fighting Disco Wing I finally checked out the dress shop, and THERE'S A DISCO DRESS! That is DEFINITELY what I'm wearing for the rest of the game (or at least until beating the next floor boss unlocks another crazy dress pattern.)

Disco Wing's boss theme wasn't very disco-y for some rea- WAIT, I JUST CHECKED THE OFFICLIAL SOUNDTRACK AND ALL THE MAIN BOSSES HAVE THE SAME THEME?! Nintendo, WHY??! Now I won't be able to hear Juno Songs make covers for each individual boss!

In conclusion, Showtime! is definitely a straight A of a game so far. If it keeps on being as good as it was, I might even consider pushing its grade up to an A+.

[bitemedotmp3]

🌀 for a random number instead.

26. — protection

"No, that's not the download link," Uzi sighs.

"It says right there, 'Click here to download'!" protests Oliver.

"I know what it says, but it's a lie. That one there" -she points to the screen- "that's the download."

"But they look the same!"

"It's a learned skill. Look, do you wanna watch Bleach or not?"

The boy bites his lip, frowning. "Yeah, I do. You made it sound super cool."

"It is super cool, but we have to dredge the bottom of... What'd they call their browser again?" She leans in and nudges Oliver out of the way, frowning at the screen. "SpiralWeb? What a lame- Anyways, we need to find a place to download it online, because I'm sure as hell not paying for streaming. Lucky for you, I've been doing this for years."

Uzi leans in and takes hold of the mouse again, navigating through pages. Oliver looks over at her, a note of concern on his face. "This pirating you mentioned... It sounds like stealing."

She shakes her head. "It's not."

The concern vanishes. "Oh. Okay."

"Look, I just wanna show you how it's done so you can do it on your own if something catches your eye. You just have to be smart about this stuff or you'll brick the system. Or maybe just download a virus-filled office assistant, but either one is pretty bad." A download symbol finally pops up on the browser, and Uzi nods. "There, got it. Should be the first few arcs, just need to find the others..."

"Can I give it a try?"

She shrugs and steps back. "Knock yourself out. It's not my machine."

It's kind of nice to know that even here in Spirale, there's a thriving community of illegal anime and video game downloads. And while it's easy enough to find what you're looking for on the website Uzi'd found, the real trick is to make sure you're actually downloading it and not some virus-filled .exe. She watches as Oliver makes his way through the search function and manages to avoid any overly suspicious links.

"Should've installed an adblocker or two before we started," mumbles Uzi. "Security widget, something like that..."

"Hey Uzi, this thing says I won something, is that-"

"Not real."

"Figured."

Uzi's phone buzzes, so she looks away to pull it out of her jacket. Another text from V, with a picture of- is that a skull? It's captioned "lol look what i found in yesteryear." Uzi's about to reply that it's metal as hell and to bring it back with her when a tinny voice plays from over her shoulder.

"Hello! I'm OfiPal! Your new virtual assistant! I can send emails, tell jokes, and more!"

Immediately, Uzi whirls around to face Oliver. "What the hell is that? What did you do?"

The boy's hands are splayed out above the keyboard, and his eyes are wide. "I-I don't know, I thought it was the download link! I was pretty sure!"

"Ugh, that's just some stupid piece of spyware- move, I'll handle it." As she approaches, Oliver rolls his chair away and watches over Uzi's shoulder. "We'll just run an anti-virus, and-"

"OfiPal's not a virus! That hurts my feelings. I'm going to steal your credit card info now."

"Oh my robo-god. Don't even have a frickin'... Could take a bit, Oliver. Just sit tight." She gestures for his seat, eyes still focused on the computer screen, and the boy dutifully slides her the chair. Hard to do tech support when you're barely taller than the desk.

He leans in, eyes glancing between the girl and the computer. "So, are you gonna, like... jack in?"

"What? No I- Why does everyone think I can do stuff like that just 'cuz I'm a robot?"

"They probably wish you would leave, stupid!"

"Bite me, malware," says Uzi, slapping the side of the monitor. "Oliver, just go... do whatever it is humans do when they're bored. I need to kill this thing before we can watch anime."

"Don't kill OfiPal! I was just born! You're killing a baby!"

"Where's the damn mic on this machine...?"

[lilybug-02]

i would LOVE to hear more about your thoughts on the player-game relationships (and player-kris relationships, and player getting along w others!). frickin ADORE the concepts in the comic and would love to hear your thoughts on everything.

Well I guess you asked for it.

One of the most prominent things I have learned in literature, the arts and even video games is just how attached I can become to the main character(s), as well as the other characters interacting with this character.

It's an interesting phenomenon that many articles have written about. I was skimming through one after I read this ask, titled "A Feeling for Fiction" by Keith Oatley, and I think it analyzes this feeling really well.

"When we watch a film or read a novel, we join ourselves to a character’s trajectory through the story world. We see things from their point of view. These feelings are familiar to us as readers or viewers... When we examine this process of identification in fiction, we appreciate the importance of empathy"

Empathy, I think, is such a vital part to many stories. UT/DR are great examples of this and this theme definitely influences my comic. You can say that it is all technically code and/or lines on a page, but that doesn't matter! What matters is how you feel and how your empathy and humanity bring them to life in your mind. And in someway, on a some level, by empathizing with them you can become apart of that world too.

[thelovesickbakery]

i hope it's ok to send im forms rn!! if not just disregard this :3

♡ ⸺ Name: alice

♡ ⸺ Birthday: 09/09/2003

♡ ⸺ Age: 20

♡ ⸺ Gender Identity & Pronouns: transgender male, he/him

♡ ⸺ Sexuality: homosexual polyamorous

♡ ⸺ I am (Yandere/Non-Yandere): i'm a yandere and a darlin, currently just lookin for a yandere :3 i do love reciprocatin emotions so!! u will not be without my love nd affection <33

♡ ⸺ Looking for (Friendship/Romance): either works!!

♡ ⸺ Looking for a (Yandere/Non-Yandere): yandere preferably but non-yanderes are cool too!! ^.^/

♡ ⸺ Thinking of a friend/romantic partner, I am looking for: i'm not vry picky but. men/masculine-aligned gender identities only pls!! unless u just wanna be friends, also pls be willin to play video games together that's how i bond best!!

♡ ⸺ Small details about myself (interests and love language, for example): i rly like minecraft and stardew valley, i watch a lot of rick and morty, family guy, lucky star, etc. i msotly just play video games nd i'm currwntly in full-time therapy (mon-fri 9:00am-2:30pm)!! i'm an alter human (specifically undead vampiric fallen angel) nd i'm a system of 13 alters!! my love language is usually thru words, but i frickin loove physicalt affection/roleplayed affection!!

♡ ⸺ Extra information: i included a lot in the last bullet point so idk what to add here!!

♡ ⸺ Contact information: message me on here (@urdarlingangel) or shoot me a message on discord (urdigitalangel)!!

—♡—

[There are no closures on the period in which forms can be applied, so feel most free to submit them at any time, as I will publish them as soon as possible!]

[ageless-aislynn]

Yay, I’ve finished my second Mass Effect: Andromeda playthrough, this time romancing Peebee! I was just going to do the - ahem - Zero-G no strings option and quit there but it turned out that the save point I jumped in at was literally right at that part so I decided to keep on playing, just to do more of the flirting etc. Then I got to the scene where we - AHEM - locked in the romance and that was so near to the end of the game by that point that I decided to finish it so I could get to the movie night, because that was something I loved in my initial playthrough with Jaal!

I really think they should’ve let Lexi (the blue Asari lady on the right for those who don’t know 😉) sit next to Drack (the big Krogan fella on the left). Nobody’s ever going to convince me that she’s not at least a little bit sweet on him, d’aww. 😉

Sadly, you don’t get your honey with you during movie night when you romance Reyes but I guess that much sexy sitting on a sofa would’ve caused a spontaneous combustion! 😇😉

D’aww, and here’s Sara and Peebee! And Vetra behind them on the left who seems to be napping, like Cora is on the right, lol! Well, the crew of the Tempest had a hard day, after all. They don’t need a nap, they need a full-on good night’s sleep! 😴😇😉

Now, for my next trick... I want to do a playthrough with Sara and Vetra before I switch over to Scott. I haven’t gotten into modding so all of my Sara’s looks are basically just changing the color and style of her outfit, though I did think to give her a different hairstyle with Peebee. I honestly love her look with Reyes, I think the outfit and red and black coloring really suit her! 💖 (My Sara x Reyes vid ‘cause I really love them a lot, your honor 😉)

I’m not sure if I’ll keep her hair red (I really do like the red hair, though, so I’ll probably just try for a different style) and then may do a different color variation on the red and black outfit. I want her to be all spiffy for our best Turian girl, after all! 😇😇😇

For Scott, I actually like the default look for him, so am not planning on changing his face like I did with Sara. The Sara default face is one of those that can look nice from one angle, then a little weird from another, so I went with preset 5 or 6, can’t remember which at the moment, (edit: I went back and looked and that is NOT preset 5 or 6, I’m not actually sure which preset she is, oops) and made some minor makeup changes between all 3 romances.

Scott and Sara’s default looks. Annnnnd now I feel bad for dissing her default look. Okay, new plan: I’ll do a playthrough in her default look once I’m done with my Vetra romance. I wanted at least one more playthrough to romance Suvi, so... here’s my chance! *pats default!Sara*

Anyway, Scott is definitely going to romance Cora first for his full playthrough, then we’ll back up and switch to Gil because holy moly, I really ended up caring about Gil and I’d love to see how it’s going to work out with Gil having a baby with his friend Jill once he’s in a relationship with Scott! 🤔 Scott also needs to romance Avela because, as I love to remind y’all...

I know it’s just a tiny little quasi-romance but it’s KATE KENNEDY and if I can romance Kate frickin’ Kennedy in a video game, then, by Jove, step back and watch me get my romance on, yeahhhhhhh mannnnnnn!

(I feel like Vannak is representing every single person reading this right now... 😮😂😂😂)

This playthrough took me about 60 hours instead of 120 like the first one because I dropped several of the side quests this time. I also knew to place the forward stations right away so you can fast travel and such. I honestly think I can cut the time in a half again just because I have a better idea of which quests you need to do and which you don’t. I’m still really loving the game, even more as I get more comfortable with everything.

Ahhh yeah, look at how comfortable Sara is with her Pathfinder duties now! 😂😂😂

[jorality]

I need to play Poppy Playtime for myself cuz even with all the videos I've seen I'm still confused, BUT what if people who HAVE played the games are just as confused as me? So here are my spoiler filled thoughts.

Warning it's long but hopefully coherent.

First off, the thing that's been bothering me since chapter 2.

What the FUCK was Playtime Co.'s plan once Elliot died? Like it's been posited that Elliot wanted to immortalize a child he lost by putting their consciousness into a toy. Y'know, like a crazy person.

Like the idea was immortality, but did the toy company sell the meat toys to the public? Why were there so many of them? Who would want a toy that used to be a person?! Who signed off on that?

When it comes to PlayCo's overarching goal I just wanna understand what it was. They put people into the meat toys to save their lives, but did they sell the meat toys? Can someone just give me an answer? I need to know.

Then there's the frickin' civil war between Poppy and The Prototype. Several people have pointed out that CatNap, while terrifying, doesn't really do anything to you until his boss fight.

But, we also get told that he will stalk you throughout the chapter, and he does. Mans will be right behind you, or next to you in the shadows. It's a game of cat and mouse. Others have pointed out that Huggy also was more of a stalker who didn't bother you until the end, and Mommy was hands off too, but she was by far the most antagonistic of the three and I think that's because Huggy and CatNap were for sure followers of the Prototype while Mommy was her own faction who didn't care for Poppy or The Prototype.

I mean if we go by the idea that The Prototype just wants the PC to leave then why let Mommy ruin the PC's chances of getting on the train?Mommy was just chillin' in her area full of death traps.

Then there's the player character and how everyone knows they used to work there. The PC missed the Hour of Joy even though they were supposed to be at the factory. We don't know why they didn't come into work that day.

In the video 10 Things You Might Have Missed in Poppy Playtime Chapter 3 by Tericho on YouTube, Tericho points out that the CCTV footage the PC has been shown throughout the games has been tampered with. Meaning that the PC still hasn't been given the whole truth.

Which Tericho pointed out by showing footage of Kissy Missy being transported via the train only for there to be a sharp cut to PlayCo workers lying dead around her while she's perfectly still.

HOWEVER!

There is footage we the audience have been shown that Kissy Missy did in fact kill those people during the Hour of Joy.

So then, that brings back the age old question, should the Player Character trust Poppy?

Survey says No.

Kissy Missy and Poppy are allies, besties even.

Poppy makes it sound like the Hour of Joy was all the Prototype's doing. She says he's the one who put her in her case from Chapter 1. So then why would her bestie participate in the massacre? Why would Kissy have aligned herself with The Prototype even though her best friend was imprisoned by him?

At the end of Chapter 3 something happens to Kissy, presumably she gets attacked by the Prototype and what happens to big toys that the Prototype gets his umbrella skeleton hands on? ASSIMILATION!

But why?

Why are Poppy and the Prototype at odds? Is it simply because Poppy doesn't condone the Prototype's murderous habits? Every other toy was aligned with the Prototype. But what the hell does he want?

Poppy repeatedly says that she needs the PC's help to save lives. Whose lives? All the humans in the factory are dead, most of the meat toys are dead (especially the Bunzos) are we supposed to believe that The Prototype is going to be a threat to the outside world? Why? All the people who did him wrong are dead. I don't think The Prototype wants to bother the outside world, I think he wants PlayCo and everything about it to disappear.

But what does Poppy want? I've been turning it over in my head and while I can come up with a few motives for the Prototype such as revenge, solitude, maybe find a way to die. Poppy though? I mean if I were her I'd want to go home with the Player Character and leave the horror of PlayCo behind.

What is the beef between Poppy and The Prototype?

On one hand I want MOB to follow through on the prototype being the big bad he's been hyped up to be, but I also think there are a few ways this could go.

Okay hear me out. Here are some ways I think the saga could end.

(PC ending) The player character burns the factory to the ground after killing both The Prototype AND Poppy.

(The Prototype's ending) The PC finally comes face to face with The Prototype, and they recognize each other. "You didn't deserve this." the PC says looking up at what was once someone they cared for. The Prototype hands the PC a tape, it's a compilation of the truth, it's confessions from the scientists, it's Elliot Ludwig's last words. The public has to know, the factory has to be destroyed. "What about you?" the PC asks. The Prototype reaches out his um without the brella hand, the PC hands over Poppy, who is now motionless blood staining the back of her dress, her artificial spine severed. "We die with the building." The Prototype says Poppy is silently crying unable to speak. The PC leaves and we cut to the credits. It's a news broadcast detailing every crime committed, the death toll, the aftermath. There's a press conference and the PC is finally revealed to be Rich from that one tape in Chapter 3.

(Poppy's ending) The Prototype has been slain, but it feels wrong somehow. "You did it!" Poppy cheers as she walks over to The Prototype's convulsing body and she starts kicking it. "This is all your fault! I never wanted it to be this way! We could've done something good but you ruined it! All I wanted was a family! And you took that from me, TWICE! WAS IT WORTH IT? TELL ME!" Poppy's pathetic little kicks should seem comical, but she's screaming and crying. It's so uncomfortable. Soon the crying stops. Poppy takes deep breaths and turns to face the PC. "The threat is gone. Thank you for helping me stop him. Now there's just one more thing to do." The PC carries Poppy to a bank of computers and she types something and a secret elevator arrives, a small Cat-Bee toy sitting in the middle of it. "Is it over?" The little toy asks. "Yes Ollie, it's over." Poppy says. "Once I flip this switch the factory will self destruct." The PC picks up Ollie and gets in the elevator. Poppy flips the switch and the PC grabs her with the grabpack. They go home.

Those are just the ones that I came up with, I REALLY want to see what MOB comes up with. Because truly what is the end goal? What do Poppy and the Prototype want?????

And also, whom the fuck is Ollie? This lil guy came outta nowhere! (Well almost nowhere there's a chance we met them in the ARG in the form of a tape) but why? What is Ollie's purpose, other than to give MatPat heart palpitations?

[fandommemequeen]

my 2023.

yearly retrospective time LETZ GO!!!

last year i said 2022 sucked but uh,, 2023 was definitely worse :'o)

with the rise in queerphobic legistlation, school getting progressively harder to stay on track with, my dad dying, and just everything else that ive had to endure this year, its been difficult. but.. i somehow made it.

and you might be wondering how i got through everything. did i touch grass and magically everything was sunshine and rainbows? buy some overpriced self help book or online course that changed my life? No <3

i just,, did what i normally do. i played video games, talked with my friends, watched youtube, brainrotted over fandoms, listened to music, came up with cool outfits, somehow made it through skool, drew, wrote, cosplayed, roleplayed, made kandi and crafts, and just overall found ways to find joy in the small things, which goes a long way when youre trans in a world where your joy is an act of rebellion.

i also had some cool fandom moments this year! season 7 of siivagunner has been AWESOME, return to dream land deluxe was great even if it fricked with the lore a little, THE TOH FINALE WAS SO FRICKIN GOOD, marios madness may be my new fave fnf mod, NPMD THREW ME BACK INTO MY HATCHETFIELD FIXATION, i FINALLY got the kirby planet robobot soundtrack cd and the limited edition quiznos training game physical edition, i found ways to actually enjoy WDY again and leave behind itz toxic fandom, i got into pokepasta, tintn, gogos crazy bones, playtime with percy, inside job, tadc, i started listening to mal blum and against me and chonny jash, im currently being dragged into eggotama as we speak and im getting back into mpdsap,,

but the fandom that had the most impact for me this year was the june archive and restoration project. getting into TJA led me to discover bowlbys other works and get into one of the best fandoms ive ever been in, thanks in part to the june archive and restoration project fanserver. ive met so many cool people through that server, and getting to chat and VC with them has always been a blast. [yknow what? shoutout to all my friends that ive loved talking with all throughout 2023 yall are awesome]

back to life stuff for a moment here, i got to do a lotta cool stuff this year! i FINALLY homebrewed my 3ds [with a bit of help from jaco xd], GOT TO SEE THE HAUNTING OF NIGHT VALE LIVE, put together some awesome cosplays for gencon and halloween, im getting better at rhythm games, i got SECOND PLACE in my skoolz national cybersecurity codebreakers competition, i had an awesome bday, i went to go see barbie [my first movie in theaters since lockdown] and fnaf and both were AWESOME!! all of this despite everything thats happened in 2023!

and as for my creative projectz,, DIGIVERSE REBOOT EPISODE 3 FINALLY RELEASED BACK IN MAY!!!!!! holy frick i was SO PROUD of that,, in addition, ive been doing character reveals for gamerz epic megamix take, i created the doomed timelines awoken au, and ive strengthened my artstyle into what it is today while learning how to use my drawing tablet :3

in addition, getting into TJA and watching bowlbys animation legacy made me think about my past as a creator, and i started work on giving my old book ocs from my days in the TWOW fandom the care and attention they deserve, even if it means some slight redesigns or rewrites. speaking of TWOW, EWOW IS OUT AND IM GETTING BACK INTO TWOW AFTER YEARS!! feelz good to be back, and im hoping i can maybe properly host a minitwow at some point in 2024!

overall 2023 wasnt great, but i stayed silly and had fun despite it and i think thatz very swag of me!

now, every time i do one of these things, if i do an overconfident "bring it on" type message at the end i almost always end up regretting it, AND i am absolutely terrified about 2024 so i am not taking my chances!

so i leave u with this sentiment towards 2024 instead:

i gotta survive The Horrors anyway, might as well stay silly and do what i like while im doing it :3