#i think it actually renders gifs better than my old version but time will tell

[vladdyissues]

[novamortem]

[ future-self event thread with mods of @arcanacouncilrp  - tw: death ]

At first glance, the room is the same as it looked when he left. Clean lines, no surface too cluttered, neatly made bed. For someone as observant as Aeron, though, that isn’t enough to put him at ease. There’s a presence in the room with him when he enters. If he tries, he can catch the faintest scent of ozone lingering in the air. Perched on a curtain rod half obscured in shadow is a crow with haunted eyes. It watches Aeron carefully, distrustfully, like it knows him but does not anticipate what he will do. After several heartbeats, it opens its beak and speaks in a perfect recreation of Aeron’s voice:

“I’m here to warn you.”

he’s never been great at birds. the crow though, is the easiest.  perhaps it’s something to do with being an omen of ‘death’ or… some other mystic type shit.  this one though, is not a random bird.  it’s ‘his’ bird.  ‘his’ form.  something he recognises quite intimately.  but this version seems… polluted.  the sleek blue black of those wings looks - greasy - dirty oil slick staining a puddle on a filthy street.  like it… he… has spent his time pecking eyeballs out of corpses.

assessment: 1)  it’s him.  or an apparition of him.  or something like that… impostor ( irony coming from someone who’s entire basis of magic was changing his appearance ). 2)  there’s a flicker of doubt.  he’s pretty sure this is reality.  there’s no gunfire echoing in his ears, no blood that he can see.  he’s not relapsing or having a flashback. 3)  he doesn’t trust it.  he doesn’t like it.  he’s pretty close to throwing the lamp from his nightstand at it.

❝ uhuh. ❞

shrugging off his jacket and tossing it onto the bed, as though the - other him - is nothing more than a blip.  curbing the instinct to act, to react… for now ( though the lamp is still a viable option ).

❝ very ominous. ❞

there’s a hike of brow, tongue pulling over his teeth with a click.  if it is – him – then he would know that he’s not a fan of pissing about.  less about pulling punches, more about getting straight to the damn point.

❝ so…? ❞

The crow watches with one beady eye as Aeron absorbs the information. The warning, as it were. If a crow can look indecisive, this one does, but eventually he spreads his wings and descends from the window, dropping neatly to the floor on human legs. It’s a quick transformation, one that speaks of mastery over his talent, though he hasn’t used that apparent skill to hide time’s ravages to his appearance. His eyes are sunken, his face gaunt. Under his ragged black great coat he wears only dark colors, though none of them are dark enough to fully conceal telltale stains splashed across them. He might as well be wearing his old uniform. His hands shake every so slightly. If not for the haunted expression in his eyes, he would be a perfect mirror reflection of Aeron. Time had clearly not been kind to this version. 

“War is coming,” he says, holding Aeron’s eyes with a look that says your suspicions are true. 

“Like none you’ve seen before. I’m here to warn you, because…” 

He clenches his teeth, a muscle in his jaw jumping. 

“I tried to stop it, but I couldn’t. I only made things worse. You deserve to know what’s coming.”

oh. so that’s why he was the one to get the death card. he might not be the traditional apparition of a reaper, but what aeron gazes upon now couldn’t be anything but… d e a t h.  when the ‘other’ aeron retakes his human form, it’s a cracked reflection through that oil slick shimmer.  distorted and fractured.  stained and broken.  he imagines that if he looks closer, he might even see hairline cracks in his counterparts skin, a porcelain vase filled with nothing more than a haunted, bloody void.

but he got what he wanted.  – straight and to the point. even if it’s not what he actually ‘wanted’.  the soldier who sought nothing but peace.  who had seen enough bloodshed to last him more lifetimes than he’s had reincarnations.  the spectre of himself delivers the one message he doesn’t want to hear – one that sends a chill down his spine, cutting at each and every nerve along the way.

❝ war is always coming. ❞

but the words sound weak, even to him.   he lacks the one thing he so often relies upon in front of the others – conviction.  but if this is truly him ( and his doubt in that fades with the haunt in the others eyes ), then there’s no need for the soldiers charade.  it’s one thing to think of a happenstance.  it’s another entirely to look upon the aftermath of something that hasn’t yet come to be.

❝ i don’t deserve anything.  i think we both know that. ❞

but he’s not about to deny what’s in front of his eyes right now.  while he might not deserve it, he goddamn wants to know.  even if the tremor in the others hand isn’t in his right now - he can’t help but feel that… fear… a knot deep down.  a lifetime of trauma unravelling.  

…keep it together.

❝ okay.  if you made it worse, then tell me how i can make it better.  if you came to warn me… us… then there has to be the possibility to – change something.  otherwise… why would you… i… we…? ❞

The reflection, if that’s what he really is, averts his eyes when Aeron speaks, instead looking off into some memory of his that renders him visibly nauseous. As if Aeron’s as-yet-untarnished situation pains him. Perhaps the pain comes from remnants of hope, or perhaps there are none at all. 

“You’ve already seen lines being drawn,” he says, surety in his voice like he remembers being there in Aeron’s place. 

“Salma, Daniel, Kian - you know the tension in the air. So much more waits in the wings.” 

He clenches and unfurls his fists. 

“Plenty of other Councilors have more fight in them than they let on… And that’s before the rest comes.” 

He looks to Aeron again, his eyes half wild. 

“There’s so much to magic you don’t know. We didn’t, either. It tore us apart by picking at our desires and fears. Everyone wanted more. More magic, more power. I tried… to reason with them.” 

He shakes his head at his own misguided decisions. 

“Interfering only made it worse. You can’t fight this war, Aeron. It’s coming no matter what you do, and it’s safer for you - for everyone you care about, and so many others besides - if you just… Don’t.”

he’d thought, at times.  that he was truly ruined.  by the things in his nightmares.  the flickers of flashbacks in his waking moments.  but he isn’t.  not compared to the spectre of himself that stands before him now.

–You can’t fight this war, Aeron

it’s all he’s ever done.  fight.  so what does he mean… they can’t fight?  or they can’t win?

❝ when were we ever – safe? ❞

there’s no turning this off.  no ‘not being’ what he is.  

❝ and when did we ever just – not? ❞

moments.  plenty of them.  when he could have walked away.  turned his back on people, places, promises.  could have shimmered into a crowd and never returned.  be somewhere else.  become someone else.   but there’s nowhere you can go.   and no one you can be.   to escape yourself.

one hand swipes over his face.  almost surprised that he can’t feel the sharpness of his own bones beneath his skin.

❝ and if we don’t fight.  what then?  it happens anyway?  people don’t stop just because there’s no one standing in their way.  you know this.  i know this.  you’ve seen something - you’ve done things.  you made choices.  and you know that i can’t choose that… i can’t just… walk away.  i won’t. ❞

❝ so either - help me - make better choices.  help me - understand what’s coming… or… i guess i’ll be here at some point, looking at myself.  through your eyes. ❞

“I’m trying to help you.” 

He sighs, all the fight in him long gone. He looks the part of a soldier but the set of his shoulders, the trembling in his fingers, all point to a man made captive. 

“There is no stopping this. Everything is outside your control. The Council aren’t the only ones fighting, and when the others come… They will make you choose.” 

He shudders. His voice drips with guilt. 

“Join the war, even only to stop it, and you will be forced to pick a side. Some of the Councilors are still barely more than kids. Standing opposite kids in war? The only thing that makes me feel less damned is the hope that they suffered less by my hand than they would have otherwise. All in the name of power and magic beyond their wildest dreams, or some shit.” 

He looks at Aeron, broken, beaten, ghostly. 

“There’s nothing you can do, Aeron. Just leave while you can. Your only other option is to submit.”

there… in that moment… he truly doesn’t recognise the man in front of him

❝ it’s never been about ‘control’.  it’s always been about doing the right thing. ❞

a bristle - an anger - something bubbling up inside as the spectre brings up kids at war…

…how old were they when they first were sent into battle?  sixteen.  younger still by almost a decade than most people in the lair.  how old were the fighters they came face to face with then?  the footsoldiers.  the cannon fodder.  no older than him.  maybe younger.  with as much fear and fight in them.  and he had killed them.  lives cut short with the bloody roar of war in his ears, the screams of the wounded and dying.  the subtle silence in the aftermath.  only then realising that you were still breathing - hardly believing it… the guilt, the terror, the eternal stain on a soul - no matter how old… of taking anothers life.

it’s a strike - a hand shoved into his gut, grabbing his insides and twisting cruelly to think that he’s the one who brings – d e a t h.  to them.  the people he might call friend.  somehow, he isn’t surprised.  

❝ you seem to have gotten real good at talking about what i can’t do.  not what i can.  so if you want to avoid this - if you want to change my future, your past.  then tell me what’s coming. don’t tell me to run.  don’t tell me to surrender.  tell me what the fuck it is and – S T O P – ❞

❝ – with the fucking pity party.  because while you might have given up on yourself - no matter what, what we have to do, what it does to us - we have never - EVER - given up on them.  ❞

“What if the only right thing there is to do is go?” he asked, a sharper edge to his voice. 

“I’m not saying it’s admirable, or good. I’m not saying anything I’ve done is good. But when your options are that limited? Doing nothing is better than bowing under pressure.” 

He clenches his fists at his sides. 

“Things not of this world are coming. I can’t tell you much more than that.” 

He looks almost apologetic, like he wants to tell. Like he knows it would make all the difference, but the words won’t come. 

“They know of magic you cannot fathom, and they shared that knowledge with the others - and some took the bait. Fell prey to mistakes our originals made. I didn’t want to give up on them, and truly, I never did. Maybe… Well. I have no proof things would go better for you if you did, so I won’t tell you that.” 

He shakes his head again, his eyes darkening under the shadows of his memories. 

“Run. Surrender. I don’t know what else there is for you to try. Seize the magic before anyone else, I suppose. Try to fight the fight all on your own. But I don’t see that as anything other than suicide.”

❝ – what if?  uhuh, and ‘what if’ it’s not. ❞

he’s irritated.  he’s fed up of people not pulling their goddamn weight and right now, the main culprit seems to be himself.

❝ – then what’s the point?  really?  why are you here?  who exactly do you think you’re helping?  what do you think you’re changing?  because so far you’ve given me a grand total of jack-shit to go on.  other than ‘run away’.  which, if you are me, you know won’t happen anyway so… what.  is.  the.  point.  of.  this?  ❞

his tongue clicks across his teeth, he can’t even feel sorry for this supposed other version of himself.  because he never has before and he doesn’t understand when the hell that might have started.

❝ – timing is impeccable by the way.  you couldn’t have made it a few weeks ago?  because if there are things coming.  as you say.  then now might be just about the perfect opportunity to sow a few seeds.  plant a little doubt.  start a wheel spinning in a certain direction. ❞

less convinced.  if this is really a future version of himself then he doesn’t understand the aversion.  even with the guilt of death on his hands ( something neither of them are unfamiliar with by this point ), then he would know the only way to plan a counterstrike is with some kind of viable intelligence and so far, there’s nothing… concrete.  just vague references to horror and war… again… not unfamiliar.

❝ – if you really want things to be different.  then give me – something. ❞

…or take your own advice.  and run.

He's silent for several beats, the quiet stretching between them, separating them. They are not the same, that is apparent. This version of Aeron couldn't look any lonelier if he tried, though, and that's probably for the best. Wallowing is not helpful for either of them. 

"There's more to magic than just our powers," he says at last. 

"Magic is part of this world. Everyone should be able to access it with the right tools. But... The Council can't handle that kind of free power. Justice, Nadine, Marcella, they need to be checked with it. If you see them dabbling in old ways or dealing with creatures that promise them more, you've come upon a choice." 

He shrugs one shoulder. 

"Stop them. Learn the new magic for yourself. Leave. Whatever you think is best. I couldn't help myself, so... maybe you have a point. I may not be of any use to you." 

With that he heads toward the door, his eyes downcast. He's broken, caved to the monster he thinks he is, or to those who attack from the outside - who's the say which is worse? At the door he stops, his voice low. 

"I never tried to take charge. Never thought myself worthy of leading or organizing them or, whatever it is they wanted. I doubt you want that. I guess the only other option I see is to try to intervene in the magic yourself, before it can worm its way into their minds and poison them... But it's a tough thing, to work alone."

[attract-mode-collective]

It’s Still (Pixelated) Hot Dog Legs Season

Fall should officially be in full swing by now, yet here in NYC (and many other parts of the US), it still feels like summer. Which I’m not thrilled about, though at the very least, I don’t feel so bad for sharing the above (by Robert Penney) so late into September.

On that note, time for a way overdue game culture round up! It’s been a while, and a LOT been going on. And not to be a downer, but the chaotic weather has been in the news, obviously.

Here’s a pic from Gamer Geek Nation on Facebook, who shared the aftermath of the Hurricane Harvey, along with: “… This is a time when we collectors need to remind ourselves that ultimately, this is just stuff, and our lives are more important. And make sure your collection is insured properly.”

Elsewhere in the world, the Tokyo Game Show just wrapped up, and not to repeat the obvious, but yes… the biggest, most exciting news was the Sonic X Hooters collab…

Though the one between Hello Kitty and Game Center CX is far, far better (photo courtesy of Kotaku)…

You also have this comically large Rockman doll, which apparently was available on Amazon but is now out of stock…

Though I mostly wished I had been there to pick up some primo looking attire, like this Mega Drive track jacket that miki800 gave the heads up on before show time (there was also a Dreamcast hoodie that I personally don’t think looks as nice, hence why I’m skipping it)…

I also really like this Pac-Man shirt…

This Galaga shirt as well…

Also taking place in Japan was an exhibition held by the JARGA (Japan Retro Game Association); miki800 was there and captured some interesting bits of hardware, with the highlight being (IMHO) this Mega Drive clone that resembles a perfect mix of the model 1 MD and the original Wondermega…

There’s no preview of the music yet, though may as well share the recently unveiled cover to the third (and final) installment of 8 BIT MUSIC POWER…

Meanwhile, according to Original Sound Version, Mitch Murder has released yet another soundtrack to another game that never existed. In this it didn’t come out for the Mega CD and doesn’t involve mecha…

Remember that Jet Set Radio figure I showed a while ago? Well, it's finally available for pre-order! Alas, it's not cheap, at least over at Big Bad Toy Store...

BTW, videogamesdensetsu shares with us what Beat looks like, sans-cel shading…

Sticking with VCD for a tad bit; here’s what Pulseman looked originally looked like, and he sure was cute!

Whereas NiGHTS looked goofier… as well as more menacing….

Am confident most people will not give a rat’s ass about seeing hand drawn Virtua Racing track designs, but as a massive fan of the series, oh man, oh man, oh man...

Two never before seen Saturn prototypes that must be: “[taken] with a grain of salt!”

Apparently Looney Tunes X The Matrix was actually a thing? Somehow this does not surprise me…

The work of Hideaki Kodama was recently highlighted, which was also recently auctioned; I wonder how much this painting of various PC Engine hardware went for?

Yet another Kickstarter mention? Yup. And this one is Jed Henry's third crowdfunding campaign: this particular variant of the Ukiyo-e Heroes concentrates on boss battles, with perhaps my fave piece being his depiction from The Breath of the Wild...

Am particularly fond of this image from the Street Fighter 25th Anniversary art book that grease-howard spotted, of old Chun Li chumming it up with her younger self...

Any and all BoJack Horseman fans out there may want to pick up this piece by Jude Buffum...

legendofnes reminds of that time Batman visited New Donk City…

It's just a bunch of cyber kids, all just hanging around, by sanigo...

Speaking of the gang, here we have the kids from Persona 5, by @aranciart…

Apparently, if Jedah (from Darkstalkers) ran a juice stand, it wouldn’t be the best, according to dreaminerryday…

The individual who runs SPLENDID LAND describes SLN-003 Gacha Man as a: "vendor robot who dispenses toys. even he doesn’t know what’s inside the capsules, so he always gets excited to find out"...

Meanwhile, here’s official artwork of Mario and Peach, courtesy of the thevideogameartarchive’s catalogue of the Mario Golf N64 manual; am pretty sure I’ve seen images of Mario looking distressed, though never to this degree…

The above is something Super Mario Broth would normally deliver, and speaking of, may as well share some recent faves on that end! Like these photos from a promotional campaign with a Japanese sports drink when promoting Mario Sports Superstars…

Instructions found on the arcade cabinet for Vs. Super Mario Bros (which I remember so distinctly, and fondly)…

From some Japanese video guide for the same game (am assuming the home Famicom version this time)…

A greeting card (am assuming a Valentine’s)...

Mario without his hat, as he appears in a Game Boy controller test cart that Nintendo service reps used to calibrate buttons on a the handheld…

And he we have a shortcut in SMB3 that I had no idea existed, and it’s a safe bet that most don’t either: “In Super Mario Bros. 3, the rock between the path to the first fortress in World 4 and the Spade Panel can be destroyed with a Hammer item, allowing the player to bypass the fortress. There is no obvious indication that this rock is destructible, as it is surrounded by decorative rocks. In fact, many guides for Super Mario Bros. 3 do not mention this shortcut.”

As for Super Mario Broth’s counterpart, Sonic the Hedgeblog has seen plenty of action as well… largely pinpointing all the obscure references found in Sonic Mania, So head over for that if that sounds like fun to you! Otherwise, there’s also the Mario Bros having a Sonic Panic…

A reminder of how Sonic looked at one point as he was being prepped for the Dreamcast; it would appear that at a certain point, in Sonic Adventure, he was going to look a lot more realistic…

And this issue with EGM featuring a sneak preview of Sonic 2 is the very first video game magazine that I ever picked up!

Meanwhile, oldgamemags recently posted a page from an issue of GamePro, circa 2000, on a peripheral that allowed the Game Boy to play mp3s. Am sharing it cuz I really want a GB-looking mp3 player…

So someone on Twitter (who has since protected his account, so I’ll have to refer to nintendolife they snagged the pic before it was locked down) cracked open a electrocardiogram measurement instrument and found... a GBA? It’s theorized: “perhaps earlier revisions of the unit had different screens, and once the supply chain dried up MiE was forced to source the next best thing?”

vice-s-assistant sez: "OK Guys, I’m ready to hack."

According to bunney: "i was working at a convention arcade this weekend and some guy cosplaying ryu was playing street fighter with a blunt in his mouth"...

Can anyone tell what's being played here? At the very least, it's a nice shot (via rekall)...

Much like Arcade Crusade, I have no idea what’s going on, and I agree that whatever it is, it looks intense...

If you’ve ever wanted an artist’s rendering of the Raspberry Pi, then look no further than the work of retronator…

rasec-wizzlbang states: “those square cross sections of the human skin layers you always see in biology books but as like, a minecraft block”…

Courtesy of Arcade Crusade once again comes a very tender moment…

Is it just me or does this promo image for Food Fight sure does look like a Norman Rockwell painting? As seen on thedoteaters...

Here we have a flyer for a really old SNK arcade game (we’re talking really old; almost a decade before the Neo Geo was a thing) that looks like it was made with today’s sensibilities, doesn’t it?

Also via obscurevideogames is a moment of pathos from Hacchake Ayayo-san 4 - Sexy Olympics - Ayayo’s Live Affection. It’s… pretty obscure alright…

Yup, that's Hieronymus Bosch-styled Tetris all right (via freeindiega.me)...

crashcarnival presents: "true facts of the Ice Age"...

Hey, it’s the Ninja Turtles playing Pong (via rewind01)…

Behold, Fighters Megamix version 2017 (via lonelyfrontier)…

Yup, that is definitely a Chu Chu Rocket skirt  (via radicalhelmet)...

For those who have ever wondered what their Sonic character’s political leanings are, in relation to the rest of the crew (and can’t be bothered to sift through DeviantArt; via erratticusfinch)…

Face to face (via futureisfailed)…

It’s been out for a while, though it’s not too late to pick up this Xenogears tribute zine, right?

Just a friendly reminder of how bat-sh*t insane Sin & Punishment is (via n64thstreet)...

Zimmerit.moe has everything you need to know about a game by Square involving mecha that you’ve probably never heard of. And no, am not talking about Thexder; it’s even more obscure than that (am talking about Cruise Chaser Blassty BTW/FYI)...

Meanwhile, Michael “Kayin” O’Reilly discusses the “Barrel Distortion” look that emulators use to recreate the look of playing something on a CRT display and why it’s total crap…

And… that’s  it! You’ve made it to the end! Enjoy a cool, refreshing drink with Pac-Man (on the behalf of arcade-crusade)...

Don’t forget: Attract Mode is now on Medium! There you can subscribe to keep up to date, as well as enjoy some “best of” content you might have missed the first time around, plus be spared of the technical issues that’s starting to overtake Tumblr.