#i must also mention that i did this while watching bluey

[wittymumbledon]

guess what? I spent new year's eve..day...doing heavy studies!

And the best part...

look what happens when ya curl the previous page

[weiss-royal-schnee]

Unravel 2 Review

Before we begin I would like to apologize for the wait on this. The editing took much longer than expected and I’m also in the middle of moving so it’s very hectic now more than ever. Other than that, there are a few things I’m changing for the reviews. I will not be continue giving games number scores. For now I will just give either a Buy, Wait, or Don’t Buy. Another thing I’ll be adding are other game recommendations. Other than that let us being this review: 

Visual/Sound/Performance: Unravel 2

Not much to say about the visuals for Unravel 2, they’re are about the same as it’s prequel counterpart on a technical level with some minor lighting and texture tweaks. However, the overall stages are much more varied and with better level design. Not to mention with better environmental hazard effects and background animations this game looks incredible. (there were some very nice subtle visual storytelling bits that were nice details, but more on that later). Another thing that was greatly improved were the model animations and physics, this time around this game's memories actually move and they’re not just still frames (this time they also have a much greater purpose for the actual plot of this game).The soundtrack in my honest opinion, is much better than the original. While there is the very nice stage music that like in the original, there were actually MANY more sound cues within the soundtrack that also added in a nice touch of detail. For comparison, here is the original Unravel ost:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HURIx0CLbH4&t=1000s and here is Unravel 2 ost: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnPF8w_Z_Sg&t=56s. Also that final stage theme is something I will always have on to just study to (I’m actually listening to it now while writing this review). Not much to be said either on this either, the game always runs at a constant 60 fps. It performs just as well here as it did with the last game.

Story/Character(s): Unravel 2

I think the funny thing is about this game is that some how, SOME WAY, it made love two characters of yarn even more. These two little dolls who don’t ever talk, who (like in the original) don’t have any character arcs. Made me fall in love with them and want to make some of my own yarny dolls. This is most likely due to their interactions with each other, and yes they can actually interact with each other even in single player mode.

So does this game have an actual plot this time around? Or is it more of the same? Well yes actually there is a plot. Unlike the last game where there was no real plot and many of the events you experienced told a story that wasn’t necessarily connected, but was mainly a metaphor for life and family itself. This time around we actually have two characters we are following on their story and what had happened to them.

The story starts off with what I assume is the original Yarny, he does look different from his original counterpart but eh it doesn’t really matter too much. We start off on a boat in the middle of the sea during a storm with Yarny trying his best to stay on. My biggest question here was why there wasn’t anyone else on the boat? Were there people on the boat to begin with? Did Yarny get tired of staying with Granny and just leave? (I’m very much overthinking things in a game where you play as a 2 walking yarn dolls) But soon enough the boat capsizes leaving Yarny desperately swimming back to the boat; however, his yarn snaps leaving him adrift. When he washes up on a shore he becomes very sad to know that not only is he alone, but he has not real way out since he doesn’t have enough yarn. Then he sees a small luggage chest slowly opens up to reveal a second Yarny but this time blue and with a slightly different head design (and for the sake of this review I’m going to call him Bluey). When Yarny and Bluey walk up to each other and as they touch hands they’re suddenly attached to one another. So from then on they must work together to restore this island to its former glory and discover mysteries along they way of what exactly has happened here.

Another interesting aspect of this story is that throughout your adventure, you’re also following along with another story that has happened. As previously stated, this game also has memories as well; however, in this version you don’t collect them but you do view them from an outsider's perspective. The other story that had happened follows two boys as they escape together to freedom from what it looks a hospital. As they story progresses you also see them doing most of them same things Yarny and Bluey are doing as well. Working together and creating trust between the two friends. I also like the fact that the boy’s wore some red clothes and the other some blue. I found that a very interesting and also very cute detail that added a lot of the visual storytelling details.

A thing that I noticed with this game’s story was how it was handled compared to the original. Not that the original was handled poorly no, but the last game was mostly a metaphor for life itself. Life doesn’t have a story the people, including you, make that story for yourself. This game however has a much more focused message on the bonds between people, as seen with both Yanry and Bluey and the boys. We see the boys have to go through so much to get to freedom and there are missteps along the way. Bonds can be fragile like yarn if you’re not careful, but if you work together with those people you’re attached to. Then they’ll never break. There is one thing I didn’t like however, I never knew if those boys were directly correlating to what I was doing. Each time you entered a stage it was through a portal and not a picture. In the last game you entered a picture or essentially a place in time. So it makes since that the memories in that game stand still. However here, I never knew if these memories were in the present or in the past. I was always asking myself; “Is this on the mainland or on the same island?” and “If these are memories, why are they able to interact with the present day background?” Again, I might just be overthinking thing about this game but it’s still something I took into consideration. I will definitely not spoil it here but that ending though just so cute. It was very sweet and heartwarming to see and it just wrapped up everything in a nice neat bow.

Gameplay: Unravel 2

The gameplay is very similar to the original Unravel, jumping, climbing, and lassoing onto different ledges. This time around though you have some new features. Like wall jumping and wall sliding. What made this game more enjoyable to play however where not only the improved physics of Yarny and Bluey, but how you had to use both characters to solve puzzles and find secrets. This game is also entirely playable in local co-op as well, so if you have a friend to play with you can do that. Since I don’t have friends who live near me or who have time to hang ( :’) ) I just played it by myself. Though I’m happy to inform you that if you’re like me who doesn’t have anyone who can play with you. This game is also designed around single player so no crappy A.I. or extremely complicated platforming segments.

An interesting mechanic in this game is that you can also combine both Yarny and Bluey into one character model so you can play it like the original game. What I really like that was improved with this game is just have fast and fluid everything feels. Yarny/Bluey don’t feel as sluggish as the original Yarny handled. An adorable little feature in this game that also adds so much character to both Yarney and Bluey is that after they accomplish a puzzle or a difficult platforming section, they’ll hug each other. There are also animation emotes you can do that is also just as cute. There is also a hint and even a time slow down for those who have trouble with any of the puzzles or platforming sections. However, for my playthrough I turned them off since the game isn’t particularly hard but it is still there for those who desire to have it. There are also more secrets within a stage that are much harder to find and collect since they can be located on paths that have a higher risk factor. But since you start off where you came in from dead isn’t really that bad. Another interesting thing about this game is that you don’t have to collect the wads of yarn anymore. This time around your partner is all the yarn you’re going to need to the game. Checkpoints are now signified through little balls of light that you follow through the game. Like the last game is a new game plus where you can go back into each stage a collect the secrets you didn’t find. A new feature in this game are the optional challenges where you can do essentially speed runs of increasingly difficult stages. All those challenge stages are optional however and are not required to finish the game.

While I loved that this game added new mechanics and better physics, this game still doesn’t do anything particularly new either when it comes to platformers. What I didn’t like was how you can't grab onto ledges. While wall jumping is a thing, ledge grabbing is something that wasn’t an issue with the original so why take it away? It’s not a huge problem it’s still something they could’ve left alone and it would’ve been fine.

Conclusion: Unravel 2

Like with any friendship it’s not always perfect, you will come across bumps along the way. In the end however, it’s totally worth it to always cherish what you hold dear to you. Unravel 2 is like that for me. For me it reminded me of my best friend who had to move away for her job. While she will be back she won’t be back for a while and communication between us is very very limited. But this game reminded me that if I always do everything in my power to communicate with her, our bond will never break or wear down like yarn.

Buy, Wait, or Never Touch: Buy

Alternate game recommendations:

Inside: Within the same genre of Unravel as a physics based platformer. Made by the same people who created Limbo are back with another very dark and disturbing take on the genre. With lots of visual storytelling and brilliant sound design. This game is great for those who loved Limbo and/or Unravel this game is for you.

Claybook: If you’re looking for a weird and unique platformer with clay physics. This game is for you. Something very lighthearted with no story and just pure gameplay. This game is not only gorgeous as well but is a staged based game too with great open-end level design. This game also has online play co op and I believe local co op is memory serves right.

[fanficshiddles]

I Own You, Chapter 1

Here we goooo! Another new fic. Will get all the warnings out of the way, for the duration of the fic: Kidnapping! Rape/Non-con! Mentions of sexual slavery! If anything else pops up as I go along, I will warn at the start of chapters. It’s going to be a dark, twisted fic. 

AU!Tom is the leader of a ‘gang’ who deal with kidnapping girls and selling them on. But Tom comes across a girl that he grows rather fond of, so decides to keep her for himself. 

Also in this, for faces: Michael Fassbender, Luke Evans and Chris Evans. I might add more as I go along.

I know this is a short chapter, but it’s just to get going. 

They had waited months for this moment. Lots of careful planning and calculating. Going over and over everything more than once. They couldn’t afford to slip up. One mistake and their entire plan would fall apart. But at last, they had everything in order.

And it was time.

Darkness fell and as usual Raven went out for her evening jog. Putting in her headphones she made her way down the street, walking to the nearest park. It helped clear her mind and settle her down for the evening after a day of writing.

She had a successful first book, but now everyone was expecting a sequel. As she knew there would be demand for it she decided to go ahead and write another. But it was proving to be a lot more difficult than she first thought it would.

When she reached the park, she stopped by a bench to do some stretches before she started to jog laps around the perimeter. Setting her watch, she finally set off.

At the other side of the park there was a row of trees with a quiet dirt road at the other side of them. As the park was at the edge of the town. Whenever she passed by that side of the park, she always felt a little uneasy as it was darker and further away from civilisation.

But she pressed on and as usual nothing happened apart from her over active imagination.

Raven was on her last lap, starting to feel tired and sweaty. She planned to have a shower when she got home before going to bed… But she wouldn’t get that far.

She was passing by the trees again when a man dressed in black, with a mask covering his face, jumped out from behind her. He grabbed around her middle and clamped a chloroform covered rag over her mouth and nose.

She swiftly went limp and the man easily carried her through the trees, towards his van on the dirt track. He placed her in the back and slammed the doors shut.

Raven’s eyes fluttered open. She had a banging headache and her eyes took a while to focus. She felt exhausted, like she had been hit by a bus. Her bearings quickly came to her and she realised she was in the back of a small van. There was no windows and she could hear gravel under the tyres as it drove along.

She had no idea how long she had been in there for and panic set in, but she took deep breaths and tried to calm herself down. She tried to think back to any of the kidnapping films she had watched over the years. But she knew they were fiction so probably wouldn’t help her even if she did remember.

Feeling her way around the van, she tried to open the side door but it was locked. The back door was the same, as she had expected. She attempted to kick the door open, but it wouldn’t budge and as they went round a corner she went flying into the side of the van, knocking her head against the side.

‘Shit.’ She hissed as she put her hand up to her head. She took her hand away and she could feel there was a little blood, making her feel even more nauseous.

Deciding it was better to sit down, she made herself as comfortable as possible in the back corner. She noted that the driver wasn’t going fast, so she had a feeling they were well off the beaten track. She cursed herself for being so careless, she should have known going out at that time of night in the dark was risky.

Her phone. She suddenly remembered about her phone. It had been in her pocket while she was jogging. But as she reached in for it, it wasn’t there. She scrambled all over the van floor, trying to feel for it, but there was nothing at all to be found.

She curled herself up into the fetal position and cried.

‘About time you got here.’ Michael said as Chris pulled up in the van.

‘Traffic was a nightmare on the motorway. Some accident or something.’ Chris grumbled as he climbed out.

‘Never mind. Let’s get her inside.’ Michael said as he moved to the back of the van with Chris.

Chris opened the door and grinned when he saw Raven cowering at the back. She was shaking badly out of fear.

‘There she is.’ Chris said mockingly.

Raven felt like she was going to pass out, she was that scared. Even more so when another man came into her view, though his face was softer than the one that had grabbed her from the park.

‘Jesus, Chris. You’ve injured her. You know Tom doesn’t like the girls to have even a scratch on them.’ Michael hissed.

‘It’s not my fault if she decided to try and bust out.’ Chris shrugged.

Michael rolled his eyes and climbed into the back of the van. He crouched down by the girl and pulled out a handkerchief. As he reached towards her head, she flinched and covered her face with her hands.

‘I’m not going to hurt you, darling. You’re bleeding.’ He said as he moved her hands away by grabbing her wrists, even with her reluctance.

He pressed the handkerchief to her wound and she let out a hiss of pain as more tears fell from her eyes. She was so confused and hurt.

She noticed that Chris had disappeared from the back of the van. Thinking it might be her only chance, she elbowed Michael out of the way and bolted. But she didn’t get far, as soon as she stepped out of the van a strong arm grabbed her around her middle.

‘Shhh, shhh, shhh. Calm down, beautiful. There’s nowhere to run, you are miles away from anyone and hundreds of miles from your home.’ A smooth, velvety voice whispered against her ear.

She looked up at the man to see handsome features, he had bluey green eyes and sharp cheekbones. She was momentarily distracted but soon realised what was happening. So she tried kicking and screaming, trying to kick at the man’s legs. But he was much too strong and he towered over her, making it even more difficult for her.

‘Aren’t you a feisty one?’ He chuckled at her and then looked over to Chris, his face hardening. ‘I can’t even leave you to get this one girl. And why is she injured?’ Tom demanded as Michael came out of the van and Chris looked really sheepish.

‘Sorry, boss. I heard her banging around in the back of the van, she must have been trying to get out.’

‘You know I don’t like them harmed. Such a pretty little thing too.’ Tom purred as he looked down at the little captive girl still trying to escape from his vice like grip. ‘We better get you inside and cleaned up.’ He said and nodded to Michael.

Michael pulled out a needle from his pocket. Raven’s struggles were renewed when she saw him come towards her with it aimed at her arm. She tried to move her elbow round to hit the man holding her, but Michael was too quick and injected her in her upper arm.

‘NO!’ She cried out in a blind panic as the little prick on her arm felt agonising.

‘Hush now. Just relax. You’ll feel much better soon.’ Tom whispered and stroked her hair back from her face.

That was the last thing she heard, and felt, as she fell completely limp in his arms.

‘Get her inside and cleaned up, now. Prepare her for inspection.’ Tom said to Michael as he handed the girl over to him.

‘Yes, boss.’ Michael nodded and hoisted the girl up over his shoulder with ease.

‘And you! If I find another mark on her, you are in trouble. Now go get the other girl. But take Luke with you. I don’t want any more slip ups. Understand?’ Tom glared at Chris.

‘Yes, boss.’