#i was talking about fortnite battle royale

[ohheyshadow]

Me, a canonically blind character, absolutely destroying everyone in a battle to the death. Water bending, fire bending, earth bending, and air bending all power i held in the palm of my hand. I took that second crown with pride, waving my hand in front of my face like john cena after killing the last man standing. I, toph from Avatar: The Last Airbender. a canonically blind character, took out so many people, even sniping a few with my Assault Rife. Imagine getting cooked by a character that can't even see, you vision havers/silly

[staticfangs]

thinking about how the majority of my newest hyperfixations within like 6 months have been because of fortnite

i didn’t even start playing until like mid ch5s1 and ever since it’s plagued my mind. the tmnt collab at the end of s1 sucked me in, then it was atla, and now marvel/x-men….. plus i’ve been listening to a band that had a song recently added as a jam track

i would be annoyed about it but it feels so refreshing to find new stuff to fixate on. like finally some good fucking food for my brain

fortnite truly is the epitome of the metaverse like damn

[spenceragnewfics]

f!reader losing virginity to spencer ? maybe as "just friends" to help her "get it out of the way" but they really like each other.

So...this was supposed to come out on Spencer's birthday but work and life got in the way...sorry.

WE’RE JUST FRIENDS? | Spencer Agnew x F!Reader | 18+ MINORS DNI

(also, yes the girl in the photo has a certain skin color but it's not indicative of the reader. I try to make these open to everyone as possible.)

TW: Smut, oral (f! receiving), fingering, cursing, two idiots in love

WORD COUNT: 2.4k

DESCRIPTION: You have told you're best friend Spencer everything...well except two things. You're in love with him and you're still a virgin. Two things you never plan to tell him...until you do.

She never understood why people couldn’t just be friends. Opposite genders can be friends and not have any romantic feelings. Is it kind of hypocritical coming from her…yeah, but not totally. 

You see, Y/N has feelings for her best friend since college but is purely platonic with all her other male friends; Chanse, Shayne, Tommy, Ian, Anthony, and all the other guys at Smosh. She knows the main reason she’s attracted to Spencer and has been for years, he’s himself. It’s hard to explain unless you know Spencer but what made her fall for him…is him.

It’s not like her feelings are so intense she couldn’t date anyone else, in fact, she’s dated a couple of guys but they haven’t lasted for vastly different reasons. One thing has been one of the constant reasons for the break up, you don’t want to sleep with them.

She doesn't know why, but she has yet to date anyone who has made her feel comfortable enough to lose her virginity to, not wanting to regret it later on. That’s something she hasn’t told anyone, not even Spencer because she doesn't know how to explain why she hasn't yet. It’s something she never thought she would tell him until one night of drinks, pizza, and gaming. A semi-regular night for the two of them, especially after a long shoot week.

It was barely midnight, the two of them had been hanging out for like four hours at this point just talking, eating, and trying to beat the other at Mario Kart or play duos on Fortnite.

The night had gotten away from them after an epic Battle Royale about an hour ago where they celebrated with an extra drink and chatting. Like everything, somehow they got onto the topic of dating, both of them being single for almost, or over in Spencer's case, a year. That then delved into talking about more intimate stuff, “Honestly, I’m so fucking happy that I lost my virginity in high school. I could not imagine still being a virgin now. Too much pressure.” He quips after he makes a joke about the movie 40-year-old Virgin.

Y/N looks at him confused and lowkey, panicking, “Why do you say that? I don’t think it’d be that bad.” She confesses, sipping more of her drink. “Dude, when you’re in high school or college it’s all just part of the experience. You barely have dated anyone so there isn’t much pressure. Now though, fuck dude!” He says, rubbing his face in frustration at the thought and she looks down.

“There would be so much pressure at this point. You’ve dated so many people and at this point, it’s probably just you being in your head.”

“Or you’re scared to give it away and regret it. Guys losing their virginity is a lot more different than girls. You have to remember that, Spence. A lot more at stake too.” She looks at him, trying to show a stoic face but Spencer isn’t buying it.

Y/N is always someone who tries to show both sides of the coin but is usually more silly about it. Now, she’s being very serious and trying to act stoic, like she’s hiding something. It’s not something he wouldn’t have noticed unless they had been friends this long.

“Hey, I didn’t mean to strike a nerve. I know you’re all about being things neutral but this seems like a bit more than usual. What’s up?” She looks at him confused, trying not to get embarrassed and say something she doesn’t want to. “Nothing, I just think that sometimes this whole thing is oversimplified.” He raises an eyebrow, “You’re acting like you’re still…” He trails off when she looks down and squeezes her eyes shut.

“Oh my god! Y/N! What the fuck! I thought you and-”

“We were but I changed my mind. Every time I thought about possibly losing it to him I felt nothing but dread. Same thing with the other guys. I don’t want to regret it.” She plays with her fingers, not wanting to look him in the eye.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She looks at him shocked, “Why would I need to tell you? It’s personal but also how the hell do I bring that up?” She says before speaking in a silly voice, “Oh, Spencer, I gotta tell ya, buddy. I’m a virgin because I get major anxiety and overthink it to where I just haven’t done it.” She does a silly laugh that sounds a lot like Goofy.

“Okay, I get it. This is a sensitive topic, I’m sorry.” He apologizes, looking at her sadly and she feels her heart pinch. “It’s not that. I just…I want to. I want to so badly but I just get so anxious and overthink everything. Sometimes I think that it’d be easier to find someone to hook up with or just get an escort or something.” She looks at him, “Or someone I have been friends with forever basically and I trust more than anything.”

Spencer looks at her confused until she raises a brow and he gets the message, “Oh, you mean me? Really?” She nods, playing with her fingers again as she gets nervous. “Yeah, I mean. I know I wouldn’t regret it with you because you’re my best friend. I don’t think there is a guy I trust more than you.” She confesses, making his face light up.

“I would be honored. Holy shit, you won’t regret this. I promise.” He says, sounding like an excited young kid who just got picked first for baseball. She giggles at his silly antics before letting out a shocked yelp when he pulls her close. “So, are you more dominant or submissive or…” She shrugs her shoulders. Spencer shrugs his as well before putting his hand on her cheek, pulling her in gently before connecting their lips.

She puts her hand on his as her other moves into his hair. He sighs into the kiss as her nails scratch at his scalp, sending chills down his spine. Gently, he lays her down on the couch as his lips move to cheek then to her jaw, and landing lastly on her neck.

He feels his pants tighten as she lets out soft sighs from his lips on her sensitive neck. His tongue licks a long stripe along it before he sucks on her pulse point. Her hand pulls at his hair in response as she mutters out his name softly, the sound making him harder by the second.

Unknown to Y/N, Spencer was slowly coming to the realization of his own feelings for her. What he would always brush off as anxiety of her dating someone new and unknown to him has turned out to be jealously. Jealous that these random guys would take you out and not him. He finally has his chance to test the waters…well test a little more than the waters.

His lips continue to work on her neck but stop when she starts to giggle. “What, what’s so funny?” He asks, moving back a little and chuckling himself. “Your beard tickles a bit. I like it though.” She’s coy about her words, he smiles at her shyness before going back to kissing her neck as she giggles again.

This is nothing he’s felt before. The other girls he had dated and slept with were all serious about sex. They didn’t want or think that sex could be playful and fun but in this moment Spencer feels his heart soar. He’s pulled out of his trance as she tries to pull off his t-shirt, he helps her take the article of clothing off before slipping his hands under her shirt.

He holds back a moan just at the feeling of her lace bra, not even seeing it in person. She giggles before slipping the shirt over her head and swears his eyes are popping out of his head. “I knew you had awesome tits, but holy fuck!” He groans as he puts his face between them.

His warm breath fans over them, sending chills down her body before his warm tongue licks her lace-covered nipple. She bites her lip as he does the same to the other before pulling her bra down to expose the flesh fully.

A strangled moan falls from her lips when he wraps his around her right nipple. His thumb and forefinger play with her left, rolling and gently tugging it. She feels herself getting wetter with each tug as her hands tangle in his hair. He continues to stimulate her nipples for a while before moving down with open mouth kisses.

“Spence, you don’t have to-”

“I want you, now sit back relax and enjoy the show.” He jokes with his sassy smirk before kissing her plush thighs. She sighs comfortably at the feeling before laughing when he playfully bites her thigh. “Sorry, you just tasted too good not to have a bite.”

Her eyes stay on him as his beard tickles her thigh before he moves to be face-first with her pussy. His finger come up to spread her lips as she feels her cheeks heat up, not used to having someone see so much of her. Her thighs start to close but Spencer stops them before they can. “Don’t hide yourself. You’re beautiful.” He assures her as he licks a long strip up her slit.

The new feeling makes her eyes roll as she breathes shakily. He continues to give long licks before moving to suck on her clit. “Holy fuck!” She moans, her hands quickly finding a place in his hair as she relishes in the new feeling.

She had used vibrators and other toys but nothing had felt like this before. His tongue swirls around her clit a few times before sucking again. He moves a finger to her entrance, “I’m going to put a finger in. It might feel weird at first.” She nods, moving a hand down to his arm. She releases a breath at the uncomfortable feeling, her hand squeezes his arm.

“Are you okay?” He asks his finger fully inside. “Yeah, just feels… different.” She confesses as she starts to feel embarrassed. “It’ll feel better in a bit, just gotta get you warmed up a bit.” His finger thrusts in and out for a moment before he adds a second. She moans softly when adds a second and whimpers as they move. “Is it feeling better?” He asks, she responds with a sweet moan that makes his cheeks heat up.

His fingers continue going in and out, stretching her out slightly. His fingers graze the spongy spot inside her, “Oh my, do that again! Please.” She begs. The feeling made her see stars, who is Spencer not to please? His finger rubs the spongy spot as she starts to feel herself get close.

“Yes, yes, just like that-Fuck!” She screams when his lips wrap around her clit again. He licks and sucks intermittently while still playing with her G-spot as she screams his name. “Spencer! Fuck! I’m gonna cum!” She yells as the knot in her stomach snaps.

He licks and sucks her clean before sitting up. Pulling off his hoodie and pants. He aligns himself with her leaking hole, “This will probably hurt, but it’ll subside. I promise.” She nods as he slowly pushes in.

While the tight feeling makes him moan loudly, having been a while since he slept with anyone, Y/N bites her lip, the feeling being intruding and uncomfortable. Noticing her discomfort, he leans down and kisses her sweetly, trying to distract her as he continues to sink in.

Spencer is just a bit above average in length but more girthy than most. The stretch is something Y/N will come to love but for the first time, it’s a different feeling than anything she’s ever felt. Her face unconsciously skews in a bit of pain when he’s fully inside.

Leaning down, he locks their lips. His hips are still as he gives her time to adjust, the feeling of her wrapped around him is making it hard to keep still though. Her hands tangle in his hair once again and gently pull when she’s adjusted, giving them the okay to move.

His thrusts start out slow, letting her body adjust to the new sensations and the starting pain slowly melts away. He intertwines their fingers as he thrusts at the same pace. The gesture is small but is enough to make her feel safe and loved by the man on top of her.

It takes about a minute before Y/N starts to moan, “Faster, please Spencer.” She begs needing to feel more. It takes everything in him not to smirk as his hips pick up speed. “Oh god.” She moans, wrapping her legs around his waist to keep him close.

Spencer keeps a steady fast pace, his tip hitting her G-Spot as he moves his hips a little. The only sounds in the room are skin-on-skin, moans, and heavy breathing. The two are eye-locked, watching the other’s face and expressions.

“Shit, I’m close.” Y/N moans, feeling the familiar knot forming. “Me too, shit,” Spencer groans as his hand moves to rub her clit. “Fuck, Spencer!” She practically screams with the added sensation.

“Cum for me, Y/N. Please cum all over me.” He moans, his thrusts getting sporadic.  She screams his name as the knot bursts in her stomach and she cums on his dick. He groans as she clenches around him, making it hard for him to not cum inside her. He continues to thrust through her high before he starts to breathe very heavily.

“Where do you want me to cum?” He struggles to get out, feeling very close. “I don’t care.” She says, her voice very breathy. He pulls out and only strokes himself a few times before he cums on her chest.

Coming down from his high, the two look at each other and then laugh. “Oh my god, that was amazing. How the hell are you still single?” She jokes as he lays on top of her. “Just haven’t found the right one yet.” He says, his eyes looking at her softly as she runs a hand through his hair.

“Maybe you just haven’t been looking in the right places.” She smiles at him and he leans in, “Or maybe I just have been overlooking a certain someone.” he says before kissing her.

[lyssophobiaa]

Scrolling through your tumblr and saw that you’ve defended the homocide sys in the past, I thought you should see this and know they’re not a good person and haven’t changed one bit since your friends with them

https://www.tumblr.com/menacing-manicotti/765457317119524864

BTW: I AM Colby

As it stands, we’re not friends. I am sick to death of constant accusations, it has happened three times last month and this month alone, all three times I have had very clear context to what I was talking about.

Examples + more under the cut

(Ex: I was talking about Fortnite and how I couldn’t just pause mid Battle Royale, just light heartedly talking about how my friend wanted me to pause the game, I even sent a VIDEO of it. Cavalry accused me of talking about them, despite both me, Lucas and my sister all talking about Fortnite and losing our kill count because of the inability to pause online games, I was sending VIDEOS of me talking to my friend and telling her I couldn’t pause the game until the match was over and asking if she could just wait for me to finish or die before we went out anywhere.

Cavalry took this as me indirectly shit talking them and only backed off when someone else said “What does Fortnite have to do with you gang” (not exact words, I’m paraphrasing)

Ex 2: My sister and I were ranting about an ex friend IRL regarding the way she constantly carries on about her mother and how she’s generally just ungrateful to everyone, Cavalry once again accused us of talking about them, I offered to SHOW them the conversation we were talking about as I had screenshotted it since this friend was a notorious liar, they refused to see it and continued to accuse us of targeting them, despite me offering multiple times to show them the text messages we were ranting about.

After this, I blocked Cavalry, as these three situations are only from this year alone, they have done this SO many times over the years I’ve known them.

Eventually they apologised, I thanked them and unblocked them and that leads to—

Ex 3: This current situation, I said approximately two things regarding prosthetic arms, as my friend Kaiden, who HAS a prosthetic arm was talking about his and how it made some things awkward. I then went to sleep because it was almost 11 PM, at 12:31 AM Lucas replied to Ryder (Who has their own prosthetic also) and spoke about how his uncle had a prosthetic leg and how people could always tell and treated him differently because of it. Lucas is also a robotics engineer and frequently talks about this stuff anyway so it was nothing out of the ordinary.

My friends continued the conversation, when Kaiden woke up he related his own experience back to what Lucas shared about his uncle, screenshots of that were shared in the post you linked me. Keep in mind that by this point, I WAS STILL ASLEEP. It was 11 AM, I had said NOTHING on this topic besides “Most prosthetics are robotic” and then “They also have their own issues because of that”

However I woke up to Cavalry accusing me and my sister of targeting them, I told them I would screen record or even screen share all of my shit since they were so adamant I was talking bad about them behind their back (again despite having no part in this discussion) and I did, I screen recorded my disc DMs, Twitter DMs and TEXT messages to finally prove I have not once talked bad about them or shared their shit around to bad mouth because I’m sick of being accused of it, but by this point they’d blocked me and left the server.)

I have screenshots (and screen recordings) of the whole exchange starting YESTERDAY, showing that I sent two messages and then went to bed, yet my sister and I were still accused of talking shit about them. It seems like a minor occurrence but when it happens consistently over the years and you have to walk on eggshells regarding what you say when one certain friend is online, it builds up and becomes exhausting.

Each and every time I have been able to prove that I have not been nor have I spoken badly about them, however they couldn’t do the same as I’ve been shown multiple screenshots of them talking badly about me and I’m quite sick of it. I am tired of defending them and fixing their stupid online mistakes for them just to have them accuse me of shit that they’re doing over conversions I was not even INVOLVED in, they can fix this one on their own and as I said on disc, they are BLOCKED and will remain blocked until they can apologise and learn from their mistakes.

[wrongcaitlyn]

wrongcaitlyn masterlist

decided to make this for anyone coming from greatest of luxuries or new to my works in general, in case anyone wants to check out my other stuff! my ao3

my name's tawny (not caitlyn, lmao, that's actually from caitlyn kiramman from arcane), i use she/her pronouns, and i write pjo and arcane fics! i also read a lot of fanfic, so if you'd like some recs, check out my 2024 fic rec masterlist :)

asks are open, i love rambling abt any of these fics (or general fandom stuff) <3

i currently have one main wip that i'm working on:

the greatest of luxuries (is your secrets): solangelo, part of the dear reader series, popstar!nico, and a sequel to talk your talk. updates every sunday!

other ongoing wip's:

checkmate, i couldn't lose: solangelo, hs/nerds/academic rivals (sort of) au, road trip with lots of fluff

i can fix him (woah, maybe i can't): solangelo, renegades au (so like, superheroes and villains), enemies to lovers (sort of) + secret identities

and several completed fics (both multi-chaps and one-shots)!

PJO COMPLETED FICS

dear reader series - popstar au - talk your talk and go viral (i just need this love spiral) - 34 ch, 145k words, solangelo - still hoping that the fire won't burn me (just one time) - one-shot, 11.1k, valgrace - forever going with the flow (but you're friction) - 2 ch, 17.1k words, fierrochase - you don't need to save me (but would you run away with me) - one-shot, 6k words, shelper - still look at you (like the stars that shine) - one-shot, 7.4k words, rachel

keep your eyes open series - hunger games au - staying on guard (every lesson forms a new scar) - 6 ch, 40.2k words, solangelo, MCD - i've got a lot to pine about (a lot to live without) - one-shot, 2.2k words, solangelo/will solace-centric, graphic depictions of violence, psychological torture

because i'm a mirrorball series - will solace-centric, canon-verse - i've never been a natural (all i do is try, try, try) - one-shot, 10k words, will solace from pre-tlt to botl, not tsats compliant (written before that was released and my own version of will solace lore) - i'm still a believer (but i don't know why) - one-shot, 9.2k words, will solace from botl to tlo, not tsats compliant, canonical MCD - when i break, it's in a million pieces - one-shot, 1.7k words, will solace-centric, battle of manhattan aftermath, all canon/tsats compliant - i'm still tryin' everything (to get you laughing at me) - one-shot, 3.5k words, solangelo from ttc to end of boo, mostly tsats compliant - i'm still on my tallest tiptoes (shinin' just for you) - one-shot, 2k words, solangelo during toa, all canon/tsats compliant - all along there was some invisible string (tying you to me) - one-shot, 1.3k words, solangelo pre-toa, missing scene that's referenced in tsats (their first kiss), all canon/tsats compliant

god, i'm actually invested (haven't even met him) - one-shot, 5.7k words, solangelo au where nico goes to camp jupiter after the giant war instead of staying at camp half-blood, and will meets him years later when going to new rome university

so american - one-shot, 9.6k words, solangelo fame au (country singer will & actor nico)

let's go (battle royale) - one-shot, 7k words, solangelo fortnite streamers au, lots of references to the greek gods-themed season

on a wednesday in a cafe - one-shot, 2.3k words, solangelo college/coffee shop au, an absurd amount of taylor swift song references

like i'd be saved by a perfect kiss - one-shot, 1.1k words, aroace reyna-centric during toa, reyna's pov of rejecting apollo

i'm a mess (but i'm the mess that you wanted) - one-shot, 5.1k, solangelo arcane/timebomb au, nico as jinx and will as ekko but canon divergent from what actually happens in arcane (you don't need to watch arcane to understand it though)

midnights become my afternoons - one-shot, 3.3k words, aroace leo-centric on the argo II, with a bit of leo & nico friendship, canon compliant

ARCANE COMPLETED FICS

dream of some epiphany - one-shot, 1.7k words, caitlyn character study, her thoughts after she takes out the knife in the fight against ambessa and then after the battle

MARAUDERS COMPLETED FICS

reputation (regulus' version) series - celebrity au - starry eyes (sparking up my darkest night) - 16 ch, 113k words, regulus as rep era taylor swift au, james as joe, marauders as a band, background wolfstar and dorlene - baby, let the games begin - one-shot, 1.7k words, bonus chapter to starry eyes, jegulus (in between chapters 15 and 16)

clear blue waters (high tide came and brought you in) - 7 ch, 32.1k words, jegulus cruiseship au, background wolfstar and lots of teenager tonks, very fluffy

and one on hiatus!

may these memories break our fall: jegulus/wolfstar, percy jackson au, and follows the quest of heroes of olympus.

OTHER COMPLETED FICS

- overdue for a revival - one-shot, 8.6k words, harry potter au where charlie weasley becomes the comc professor in poa

[importantbusinessdinosaur]

Today in comics - Hi. How ya doing. I'm taking a break from assignments.

Let's, let's talk about DC crossover comics for a little bit. They do a lot of them. Some of them aren't Scooby Doo.

So how about this, we talk about two bad ones, then a good one.

Okay. First cab off the rank:

I will happily say I missed the boat on whatever Rwby was, but I want to make an assumption that it involves a lot of talking because boy howdy, there's a lot of that. A lot of this goes over my head.

Okay let's get to the real treat of this thing. It looks so bad.

the real treat of this is them forgetting superman has that big s on his chest

Okay so that was funny bad, let's look at just, a lot of crossovers you see and go "Why". Let me show you

Batman meets Faze Clan. Who are faze clan?

According to wikipedia, apparently call of duty streamers.

Why.

Batman needs the help of real gamers to save heroes from vr headsets

This would be fun if they weren't, well, them? It's the most someone forked out a ton of cash for this and nothing else was involved kind of thing. Anyway they kill Mister Freeze and take his imprisoned wife as a trophy

There were six issues of the rwby one and at least it was entertaining to look at, there's one issue of this and I don't even want to get through the whole thing. Let's move on to good stuff.

Which is honestly something I didn't expect to say about a fortnite comic. Let's talk nitty gritty for a minute. Zero point is written by Christos Gage, he's been around writing comics a long while,

He's written some really good comics. And on art for this, Reilly Brown.

Reilly.

Fucking.

Brown.

(Read Incredible Hercules please)

So yeah, actual great creative team. What's the deal with the comic? I'm going to give you a brief outline and then cut to my favourite part. SO. Batman ends up on the battle royale island, and no one can talk.

On top of that, he's got no memories. Every time the storm finishes its loop his memory gets wiped.

So what does batman do in this situation?

He starts to figure it out loop by loop because well, Batman. Does what it says on the tin. Batman figures out how to get out.

Yall this is a fantastic read. Anyway. On to the best part. So the people running the island and all that stuff catch on that batman is going to get out. They need to stop him. So they do the thing that makes the most logical sense:

They send Snake Eyes after him.

It's really cool. And they keep fighting every loop. To the point where everyone catches on, and the battle royale stops. Entirely.

Because everyone wants to watch Snake Eyes fight Batman. This is one of my favourite pages in recent memory. It's so freaking dumb.

So thanks for joining me on this, why talk about this now? Well there's a multiversus one going on and it's being written by Bryan Q Miller, so it's exceptionally dumb and maybe take a look I dunno.

Anyway what was I getting at? Oh yeah read plastic man.

[mariacallous]

On December 12th, 2024, The Game Awards had its annual awards show, and the award for Game of the Year was presented by Larian Studios head Swen Vincke. Vincke, coming a year after his own studio made the award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3, prefaced the award by giving a short speech in which he claimed to know who the next winner of the Game of the Year award would be. In that speech he extolled the virtues of the gaming industry and claimed that the next game of the year was shown to him by an oracle, and here I will quote his own introduction:

“The oracle told me that the game of the year 2025 was going to be made by a studio who found the formula to make it up here. It’s stupidly simple, but somehow it keeps on getting lost. The studio made their game because they wanted to make a game that they wanted to play themselves.”

This speech got shared a lot by people who love video games afterwards because… well, why wouldn’t they? The whole speech is a love letter to the game industry and to all of the things that we want to be true. You can look it up if you’d like to, but it contains the points that you’d like, wherein the developers just made a game they wanted to make that was a work of passion instead of profit and cared about making the best game possible. It was a nice speech.

It’s also complete bunk.

Now, my point here is not to drag Swen Vincke personally; by all accounts he’s a fine person, and I don’t blame him for wanting to have a moment extolling the virtues of making games for the love of games and critiquing business-focused decisions that hurt the industry. The problem here is not the sentiment but the fact of treating it as if these truths are self-evident. And I feel relatively confident that Vincke knows this because despite his speech talking about how the next winner wouldn’t be making a game to serve a brand, you know who he is because he made a game to serve a brand.

Even if you pretend to not know that Dungeons & Dragons is a brand, you know that Baldur’s Gate 3 is serving a brand because there’s a number at the end of the title. It was absolutely a passionate project made by passionate people who really, genuinely wanted to make a sequel to a series of titles they didn’t originate. And it was great! But it was, in fact, in service to a brand.

But you already know this because you can’t watch The Game Awards without being awash in advertisements for Fortnite. I don’t think it’s really a huge debate over whether or not Fortnite is a passion project for its creators, especially since the part of the game that was a passion project was the horde defense game that has been sidelined in favor of the hastily assembled battle royale that makes all the money, hand over fist. Fortnite makes money.

It is, perhaps, the purest visible example of making a game just to match key demographics; it launches spinoff modes and the like whenever there’s a whisper of “maybe we can lump this in and make more money from it.” And it does indeed make scads of money. Ruinous amounts of money. This game is a license to just print money without an ounce of passion beyond “I want to make money.”

Do I think that every single person working on the game is a soulless automaton that cares nothing for video games? No, of course not. I think the game is made by people who like video games and are happy to work in the field, and this is a good way to build the resume and get paid. It’s fine. It’s whatever. But you can’t look at that and say, “The secret to success in this industry is passion, not aiming to increase market share.” It’s just not true.

It would be nice if it were true. It is, in fact, a great aspiration. But it isn’t the reality of anything in the industry.

Do you remember The Wagadu Chronicles? There is so much evidence that the team behind that game were working on exactly the game they wanted to make. They had put together a team that was absolutely committed to their ideal game. Beyond making money, beyond increasing market share, this team was working to make the game they felt strongly about. And then the game hit early access.

People did not like it.

We tend to associate passion and drive as being good things because in the abstract, sure, they are exactly that. But being passionate about the thing you are making does not mean that you are making a thing anyone else will enjoy. Or – even worse – it doesn’t mean that you are making a thing that’s any good. It is possible to be very passionate about a project, but then the actual playable version of the project isn’t fun to play.

Yes, I know you just thought of four or five recent titles I could be talking about here. That’s the point! I don’t doubt the developers were passionate about pretty much any of them. I don’t think you spend time and effort making an MMO of any scale without really loving the idea of what you’re making. But you can really love a thing and really want it to exist and just… do a bad job! Or even do a good job that isn’t profitable. Or profitable “enough.”

So why am I upset about this? If I agree with the sentiment, why am I spending a whole column pointing out that this speech was bad? Well… for a couple of reasons. The first is that it’s important to puncture the fiction of the game industry and the idea that this industry is some kind of perfect meritocracy where you would have been successful if your game were actually good or passionate or whatever. It’s an ideal, but it doesn’t bear any resemblance to reality.

But the second reason is more insidious: It’s because the idea creates the image that there are the Good People making Real Games for Good Reasons and then all of the Bad People. By that line of thinking, the villains of gaming as an industry are the Bad People, and it’s all of those secret villains that don’t deserve to get into the winner’s circle because they just wanted to make money.

That’s why I made a point of using Fortnite as an example, and it’s why it’s not just wrong but destructive to think of “the best game will be the product of genuine passion” as a truism when, not coincidentally, all of the winners of Game of the Year have been massive blockbuster productions. It’s easy to look at your own win as the result of genuine passion, and that’s great, but passionate and earnestly made games of all scales fail all the time.

Heck, Final Fantasy XIV’s original version was made by a team of people who were passionately striving to see a vision realized. And that vision was so hated that the person Square-Enix brought in to save it said he wanted to blow the whole thing up.

There is no secret to making a good video game people enjoy. If there were an easy formula to follow, people who made one good video game would just keep doing that forever. It’s comforting to think that might be the case, sure. I can understand wanting to imagine that if a game failed, it must have been because of the Bad Reasons. But that doesn’t make it the truth, and talking about it as if the right motivations automatically lead to making game of the year does a disservice to a real industry full of real people.

[briceterry]

A little bit of a life update:

Way back in 2022, My senior Year of highschool happened, The Mario teaser trailer was released and I gained more Marieism and it's still going strong. But I know something bad was going to happen... Losing all my friends. Worse thing? I made a new friend who was into the same stuff as I was (Splatoon, Kirby, Super Mario, Sonic, TMNT, etc), and I didn't even know I was gonna graduate in 2023 until the school told every student about the graduation stuff. But then I fully panicked because I didn't want to lose my friends I made, what's worse is that I didn't get their social media accounts so I can talk to them (But unfortunately for the new friend I made, I didn't have Tumblr, but they did), and after I graduated, I was blind sighted about everything, I was sad about losing my friends, but I didn't have to be near students who bullied me for my autism and my interests. Many months goes by, and I celebrate the end of 2023 with praise...

Then January of 2024 brought a lot of shit that blocked my way and actually done damage to my mental health. The Chuggaconroy drama, One of my dogs passing away, and one thing that's been fogging up my mind is not having a job. I didn't attend college because that costs way too much. And also, I can lash out at people easily in public who try to piss me off or make me cry. And with the bullying I've been through throughout 8th grade through 12th grade for hating Fortnite: Battle Royale, It can easily happen if one of my bullies from Highschool finds in a place I wanna work at (I wanna work this gaming store in West Virginia I love). Also with everything that has been happening with current events, my mental health has been hitting the gutter, I'm suffering with Smile Depression because of the current events in the world, the looming threat of AI, and the biggest reason of all for my masking depression... is being lonely. Although I have my family (which I feel like I make things worse for them) are the only people I have and none of them have the same interests as me. Also we don't get along sometimes. And I wanna find some friends who has the same interests as me... And I did, with my followers and the people who like my stuff on Tumblr. Although we haven't introduced ourselves yet, You guys have made things in my life a little bit less sucky. I'm so glad you answered my questions, I'm so happy you like my incorrect quotes, my art (even though it's mid at best), you guys are friends to me. I am planning on going to my therapist this year to get my mental health really better.

💚Just to let you guys know, I'm really glad to have you guys as a friend and as followers.💚

Thank you for reading this very long post and liking the stuff that I do, guys.

Now I gotta go to sleep, it's like 3:31 AM.

[arkus-rhapsode]

So I was thinking about making this a "Gaming Hot Take of the Day," but can't really do that when basically everyone is in agreement on this-Multiversus shutting down really just goes to show how a great concept with an okay execution, can result in terrible things when Live Service greed is involved.

So instead of making this a straight forward explanation of my take, I think I'd like to make this sort of a general overview of my disappointment. So lets start from the start, for those unaware I was actually a big BIG Smash bros fan and while I was never talented enough to play professionally, I still got involved in my local scene (though I gradually did drift away after the fanbase became very toxic to be around). So believe me when I say I am a massive fan of the concept of the crossover platform fighter. Platform fighters are often one of the most accessible types of fighting games for newcomers, and it allows a level of variety you just wouldn't normally get out of say a Street Fighter stage. And while its very VERY easy in a post Fortnite world to talk about how crossovers are becoming very cynical corporate cash grabs that dilute the original value of the work each one originates from, I can't deny that there will always be a charm to the crossover. And those who love these properties making use of them through the lease of a fighting game often shows.

And thus, we get to the real core of why platform fighters are often so under explored even with the success of smash. Getting a game that actually plays well that both professionals and casuals can enjoy, and having enough IP appeal to get casual audiences to try this game in the first place. A lot of smash clones seem to fumble one of these two things. Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl is clearly made with IP a bunch of people love and are no stranger to crossing over, but it was made as cheaply as possible. Then you have Rivals of Aether which absolutely offers a competitive alternative to Smash, but due to starring almost all original characters, it lacks the gimmicky hook of familiar characters duking it out.

So then we get to Multiversus. The WB crossover platform fighter. Not a DC platform fighter. Not a Cartoon Network platform fighter. Hell, not even a Midway All-Stars Battle Royale. But all of Warner Bros was allowed to converge in a single game. From various genres, mediums, and franchises this had the potential to have enough variety to rival Smash. But that's just IP, what about gameplay? Well while I think Multiversus was always too floaty and had way to many characters that could just combo infinitely, I do think the developers at Player First Games genuinely brought a unique, but not too unfamiliar, spin on the platform fighter. Add on the fact that this game is fully voiced with unique interactions and full on banter, you get something that isn't in Smash. They even managed to make the echo fighter concept interesting by having skins for characters like Joker be the Batman who Laughs that despite playing the same, the added voice lines actually do truly make this character seem like a new character even if its the exact same move set. So with all this going for it, what could go wrong? Welp, Live-Service.

That's right, instead of doing what most fighting games do of having a base package with a rollout of DLC, we went with a free to pay model where cosmetics, skins, backgrounds, emotes, and characters would cost fake currency you could exchange for real currency. Now this type of payment model isn't unreasonable in the world of online multiplayer games, and offering them for free then charging for features is common. This way the companies make money, while giving you the option to play the game for free. Well the thing is, often times, all those fun stuff like cosmetics, emotes, and characters are linked to how you play a game. You could conceivably play the game for free, but you'll never be able to play the full package of the game unless you were willing to spend so much time on the game or just spend money nickel-and-dime-ing everything.

And for me, that was the most disheartening thing. Part of the fun of smash bros is having the best toy box in video games. I might ever main Mario, but guess what I can play Mario whenever I want in whatever dumb resin he has. Taking away that option makes it feel less like you have a complete game than just having the bare essentials to complete the game. And that's when this game feels less like fun and more making a game where I am trying to extract enjoyment out of the pieces I can afford.

So the gameplay is not the tightest but passable, and the actual ability to play the game is extremely hamstringed. So hey, at least they had a great roster right? Now look, I want to make it clear, I don't hate the roster, I think Superman, Bugs, Steven Universe, etc. all deserve to be in one big crossover as the Super Warner Bros. But the fact that we were basically getting a new DC character every seasonal update, when this company owns franchises like The Matrix, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Conjuring, Clash of the Titans, ThunderCats, Austin Powers, Babylon 5, Rush Hour, Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Ben 10, and Mortal Kombat, it feels lacking. There's been plenty of data leaks, and I think there could be a legitimate case made for a few characters not showing up, Emmet and Ruby because WB doesn't own those franchises any more. Gandalf and Harry Potter are ones where the IPs have a lot of outside influence and become a bit of a tangled web. But then some being held off on like the Wicked Witch of the West (who would even be prominently featured in the comic adaptation of Multiversus) feel so bizarre.

The one that hurt me the most was the rumored Scorpion playable character. Scorpion-the mascot of Nether Realm and the last surviving Midway Franchise. The character who has already shown up in other WB fighting gams-wasn't included. I don't even mind the idea some are advertisements like Beetlejuice coinciding with the second movie or Black Adam for... well Black Adam. But You'd at least have to give us something fun or unique that does get the hype going.

"But if it wasn't live service, could we even have the hype cycle?" Some may wonder. The answer is yes. Smash bros at this point has DLC announcements that literally make people devolve into full-blown speculation storms and glass-shattering soundoffs. So it is totally possible to make this game at a set price of lets say 49.99USD, with every post beta character included on it with some customization options , then offered seasons and cosmetics as dlc? That in my opinion would be a hundred percent reasonable.

But no. WB just had to have their own Fortnite. They couldn't be satisfied with just making WB Smash. They needed more of that money. With the victims of this is a game with a lot of potential being cut down after a year, the employees at Player First Games who did the best they could and clearly had plans who now are likely fearing for their jobs, and the players who did spend money on this only for it to become inaccessible. Was it worth it? Well, frankly no.

This news put in a bit of a mood as now I feel like I'm seeing the same story play out over and over again in the video game world. A team of developers have an idea for a cool thing, the publishers and owners want to extract as much value as possible of that thing as the can to the detriment of the experience, and then everything gets shutdown because it failed to meet projected sales.

Hopefully, whoever takes a stab at making the next Smash competitor learns from these mistakes.

[creepylittlelady]

can we honestly e date? you’re so beautiful. You always make me laugh, you always make me smile. You literally make me want to become a better person… I really enjoy every moment we spend together. My time has no value unless its spent with you. I tell everyone of my irls how awesome you are. Thank you for being you. Whenever you need someone to be there for you, know that i’ll always be right there by your side. I love you so much. I don’t think you ever realize how amazing you are sometimes. Life isn’t as fun when you’re not around. You are truly stunning. I want you to be my soulmate. I love the way you smile, your eyes are absolutely gorgeous. If I had a star for everytime you crossed my mind i could make the entire galaxy. Your personality is as pretty as you are and thats saying something. I love you, please date me. I am not even calling it e dating anymore because I know we will meet soon enough heart OK I ADMIT IT I LOVE YOU OK i hecking love you and it breaks my heart when i see you play with someone else or anyone commenting in your profile i just want to be your girlfriend and put a heart in my profile linking to your profile and have a walltext of you commenting cute things i want to play video games talk in discord all night and watch a movie together but you just seem so uninsterested in me it hecking kills me and i cant take it anymore i want to remove you but i care too much about you so please i’m begging you to eaither love me back or remove me and never contact me again it hurts so much to say this because i need you by my side but if you dont love me then i want you to leave because seeing your icon in my friendlist would kill me everyday of my pathetic life.

I will suck Elon Musks’ toes right in front of you and then hit a Fortnite Battle Royale

[bisexual-space-cowboy]

watching popular media is good because as many people engage with it, its easy to find discussions and talk about it

but its also terribly awful because the average person is dumb as hell and has 0 reading comprehension

i like to critique everything there is to critique, especially in stuff i like and enjoy, but most of the complaints are solved by... paying attention. its the same as skipping paragraphs in books

"in squid game it makes no sense for 400 people disappear! the police would notice" its explained in the first season

"this game is too hard and the leveling is bad" you skipped quests/rushed it. read this on people discussing rpgs like fallout or baldurs gate

"i intentionally min/maxed every aspect of the game and it turned too easy". that's because you min/maxed. thats... the purpose of doing it. no one forced you. heard about "infinite" games, like mimecraft or fallout 4 that have no hard ending

"the story is terrible" thats because its a live-service battle royale. story its very much not why the game was made. heard about *fortnite*, of all games, and apex

its also an issue when people use something in a way that was intended when it was made. "dnd 5e is bad for purely social/roleplay games" because its primarily made for combat. there are a million ttrpgs for social intrigue. play those. like i agre 5e is terrible but that not one of its problems

[ksfnmoments]

Chapter 5 Stuff

Heyo! So I haven’t done review type stuff in a while and I’ve been rather inactive but I just want to say I LOVE CHAPTER 5??? The lore and the story??? The characters??? Even battle royale I’ve been having a blast these past two seasons. As much as I liked Last Resort and OG Fortnite and didn’t mind the rest of Chapter 4 I haven’t had this much fun and HYPE since Resistance/Vibin’.

For season 1, The Underground vs The Society and all the characters involved have my whole heart. I already miss the bosses and I’m glad Hope is still sticking around to tell us the aftermath and all that. We typically never get actual closure following a storyline, as usually the characters and everything just ends up being abandoned after the season is gone or any information we get is so small. I feel bad for Hope honestly, her first dialogue is “how are you after everything?” And girl how are YOU??

also all the bosses can have me honestly especially montague and valeria

The map is so pretty and I genuinely love every location from both seasons (though Pleasant Piazza has the same effect as Pleasant Park where every time I go there it is most definitely NOT pleasant). The new mythics from this season are so fun, but they took away my glorious P2X optic and now i have to use the dumb holo and i don’t like them on my nemesisisisisisis rifles😔

Also for this season, I’m sure you can guess what my favorite part is:

THEY’RE BACKKKKKKK

my beloved agents i have missed you so MUCH

like i mentioned in a tag before, i had this thing where every season i would find the smallest connection to it and go “hey epic this season has [blah blah blah] this would be perfect for a skye npc” and IT FINALLY HAPPENED, not only that but THE ENTIRE CREW??? (minus maya they forgot about her :()

I’m so excited to see where the story goes with these guys, we’ve had them as npcs bit by bit with meowscles, kit, brutus, and jules, tntina FINALLY has some relevance and then of course SKYEEEE. Now we just wait for our favorite golden mastermind to make his dramatic entrance :)

anyway thanks for coming to my ted talk, to close this off here’s an epic dive bomb win I got the other day :)

[ziipzeepzop-eez]

hey zeepie! HIHIHIHII!!!!

ermmm

irl bestie headcannons? why the hell not, happy Valentine's season (or smt) a lot of this is purely imaginative, as im cautious about ppl online. I hope you feel better ❤️

if we were irl besties, I would prolly be afraid to text you a lot. id send u shitty memes and funny shit id find on Pinterest and think you would judge me about it, before seeing you happily text me back.

we would text about things happening, like gen alpha slang, or about our future. lots of intrusive thoughts from my way with frightened commentary from you

while I may be busy often, I try to fit my friends with my schedule, even if they don't match often (they go to public school) so youd be invited to Mexican parties, bday parties, skating hangouts, or even the once-in-a-life-time boy girl party.

and other times, I just want to spend time w/ you. sometimes I would invite you to the park to simply interact, or we would visit each other's house for a self care day. Everytime I see you, I just tackle you in a giant hug, as you struggle to hold me a bit.

id bring all of my favorite masks, along with the best snacks possible. you would prolly have the blankets and towels. imagine me loading up fortnite on my Nintendo as I make you an account for your tv 💀💀💀

like the 'its my first time' adult x 'imma protect you no matter what' 16 yr old trope. you'd call me cringe as I finish setting you up, and invite to my party for 3 rounds of battle royale.

we lost all three 😭.... but! but- we did get at least 9 kills on average per round, that's a win for me 👀 the opps were too strong for us 😞🫴🏾

id steal your remote as i press the tubi app, choosing some trash iteration of the monkey king. you'd laugh so hard about it the whole time, while id be rambling about the quality of CGI and the differences between modern movies.

while we talk I may poke you a bit, you swatting my hands threatening to fight. it's just smt abt tickling that makes a blk person wanna throw hands 🫠 👊🏾💥👊🏾💥other times id sooth through your hair in a spaced out silence, not really minding anything.

you'd ask about my locs sometimes, and my haircare routine. (thinking abt it now, I haven't gotten my hair done in almost a month 💀) so you'd prolly ask why my roots are so fluffy instead of rolled up. a smile would com across your face as I continue to explain, telling you about the palm rolling + clipper process, the dangers of water, and oil buildup. you laugh as I tell you about my dream to dye my roots neon green, keeping my tips pink.

(fun fact: [and this could apply to every hair type, but especially locs] when you leave water in locs w/o drying properly, you could literally grow matted mold. it can become very smelly and strong, because hair in general ESPECIALLY CONJOINED HAIR soaks up water like a fuckin towel. and if you arent careful about the products u use/what products you use, and how often you wash your hair, it can cause oil buildup pretty easily.

im not sure why, but when I add water to my hair, my scalp dries up and it starts to shed 😭😭 I SWEAR I USE OIL-)

and sometimes ill disappear for a month. it won't be on purpose of course! as soon as I get my phone in my hands, I'm racing to send you my entire meme bank, making you cackle during the early hours of the morning.

and when we can't meet up, well just ramble to each other over call, or play shitty Roblox obbies on discord. throw writing ideas, communicate, au's fictional and irl, existential dread, carpet fuzz. anything really!

and we would be really good friends too- like, top tier verbalization, positive affirmations, and happiness all the way ❤️

the only thing I could think of you and me arguing about is the use of my n word tendencies for stupid things. or my procrastination-

but other than that, being your irl bestie would be awesome! id make sure of it ❤️

ohh uhym

just, uh, aha- gimme a second? chippy?- babe– ,,

[scampers away behind a conveniently placed bush, curls down into a squatting ball so only the back of my head is visible] Guueuuueeeeeeeeghehehgehegheeeghhhh,,, gaaaaasp– ghhhhhuuuuuuueeeerrrrrghhhhgehegeheeeeghehhhnngh 😭😭😭

THIS IS!! SO!! 😭😭 THIS!! 💥☝🏾 CHIP. 😫 CHIP. 😭 CHIPPY?? CHIPPYYYYYY 👹

I read this groggily after waking up from my sadness-induced nap and it immediately, IMMEDIATELY !!! ... made me smile. Like, so so big. SO, so BIG!!!

Aaaand I am so, MAD, that we don't know each other irl because?? I need this?? In my life??? I've,,, ALWAYS needed someone like this??????? & to finally have her!! But she is not here IN FRONT OF ME FOR ME TO HAVE AS THE BESTEST BESTIE EVER??? IT SHOULD BE A SIN PUNISHABLE BY INSTANT LIGHTNING STRIKE DEATH FROM GOD HIMSELF JKHHJHJHDJBSHDJHJ 👹😭🤬💔💔 LIKE I AM- FEENING FOR THIS ☝🏾 FRIENDSHIP EXACTLY GRUUURAGAHAGAAAAAAGHHHH

Like why are you not here in front of me rn?? WHy, *chokes* do you not live across from me in my lil ghetto ass neighborhood where the only thing that'd motivate me to go outside is you calling to me from my window?? Like it's not fair it simply isn't fair as a matter of fact, i think it's racist that we aren't irl friends like and ALL OF THIS DURING O U R MONTH likeeee. *sucks teeth* seems sketchy to me bro 😤💔 [I continue to ramble if only to shield the sounds of my heart shattering quite loudly in the background]

THE TUBI PART DID IT FOR ME 😭😭 HOW DO YOU KNOW I'VE SEEN THE CRUDDY REITERATIONS OF THE MONKEY KING??? I'd palette it MUCH more easier if it were you watching it with me instead of my parents :'')) I'm the type to crack up obnoxiously during movies and shows - our chaotic energy would bounce of e/o seamlessly and we'd be our own movie fr 🎬🤣

I ain't no gamer but I'd do it for you bookie. even if the opps did get us in the end. we did our best, trust 😞✊🏾 magic of friendship always prevails, feel me?

And !! Girl !! Black girl hair knowledge 😍💅🏾✨ AAAAAAAAAA!!! FROTHING AT THE MOUTH FOR IT SJDKDJ (/ns btw ksjsjsj just as a forewarning 😭😭💀 you get me girl) PLEASEEE I don't have thoroughly kinky hair, since i'm mixed so i never got the whole concept of it and anytime I'm bein made aware of afro-centric hair care i EAT THAT ISH UPPPPPPP. u're my new knowledge plug. like, this was edumacational. AND HONESTLY I THINK YOU HELPED ME TOO??? 🤣 I get reeeally bad buildup sometimes but I think it's because I air dry my hair, not really much at all!! :')) yes yes i know, cue the screams of horror. 💀 I SWEARRRR I'M LEARNING AND GROWING I JUST NEED TO USE MY BLOWDRYER JKJKS

AAAAAAAA we'd dye our hair together!!! 😍 that's honestly such a cute color combo, wholly underrated !! my tenderheaded self, but I'm a sucker for people stroking my hair/head bcuz it rarely happens nowadays 😭

sitting in comfortable silence? casual healthy platonic affection? posting up when you tryna start somethin with them pokes and tickles?? 😔✊🏾 yes please yes to all of it.

fr tho you can catch this fade if you keep tryin me bbygirl i be screeching like a banshee jsjsjsjss

UGHGHHHHHHHGGGGGGHHHHH the ✨positive reaffirmations and 🩷verbalization of love🩷✨

Like this a whole dream.

,,,real images of me caught in 8K UHD surround sound 32 Gigs ram, HDR GEFORCE RTX, TI-80 texas instruments, Triple A duracell battery ultrapower 100 Cargador Compatible iPhone 1A 5 W 1400 + Cable 100% 1 Metro Blanco Compatible iPhone 5 5 C 5S 6 SE 6S 7 8 X XR XS XS MAX GoPro hero 1 2 terabyte xbox series x Dell UltraSharp 49 Curved Monitor - U4919DW Sony HDC-3300R 2/3" CCD HD Super Motion Color Camera, 1080p Resolution Toshiba EM131A5C-SS Microwave Oven with Smart Sensor, Easy Clean Interior, ECO Mode and Sound On/Off, 1.2 Cu. ft, Stainless Steel HP LaserJet Pro M404n Monochrome Laser Printer with Built-in Ethernet (W1A52A) GE Voluson E10 Ultrasound Machine LG 23 Cu. Ft. Smart Wi-Fi Enabled InstaView Door-in-Door Counter-Depth Refrigerator with Craft Ice Maker GFW850SPNRS GE 28" Front Load Steam Washer 5.0 Cu. Ft. with SmartDispense, WiFi, OdorBlock and Sanitize and Allergen - Royal Sapphire Kohler K-3589 Cimarron Comfort Height Two-Piece Elongated 1.6 GPF Toilet with AquaPiston Flush Technology:

......,,,, SOmeone should hELP her. 🧍👀

[clears throat and composes myself]

Ahhh, my Chippy Choco Chip girl. You are already such bestie material online, I can only imagine how viscerally that translates to in person :'')))

If I can get a little personal here?? Ever since I was young, I wished and prayed and begged, for a friend. Like, a GOOD friend. A best friend. Someone who'd be there for me and actually want to spend time with me; oh you have no idea how much you healed little me typing this out, Chips (´；ω；｀) Tumblr, our moots as a whole have also healed the little Lilo in me and have simultaneously become my Stitch. :'))

This is the bestest thing I could've received for Valentine's (and yes I'm considering it as my valentine's/galentine's gift from u 🤨 problem?? *chkt chkt* ???..... yeah i didn't think so 😌. thank you.) and I am just. BLESSED. 🙏🏾😫

THANK YOU JESUS. JEHOVAH. GOD. ELOHIM. FOR, AT USER ITSYAGIRLCHIP. MY CHIPPY CHOPPY GIRL.

I love you pookie. ❤❤🫶🏾🫶🏾 Thanks for making me smile so hard my face almost stayed permanently that way today.

[faint-kitten]

Apex S:22 infodump

Talking about this season so far:

Apex apparently is letting us earn this first battle pass for free, I think the Premium+ bs is just 2 skins and some of their green bs currency. At the moment I'm not looking to support this change, but I've found myself liking the Revive mode, I actually might prefer it to normal Apex? TDM is too much of a meat grinder, and normal Apex is too based on chance, and too sweaty in modern days to meaningfully get anything out of it.

Keeping the characters and guns and just adding Fortnite Reload on top of it, has definitely made people more confident of pushing, and allows a quick escape, while having your respawns go up or down based on how much you're actually fighting really makes this mode pop for me. I think this mode is a nice middle ground and I think I prefer it to both Fortnite Reload and 3 strikes. I like battle royale but there's too many people who are either too good at Apex, or not good enough and the gulf becomes apparent really quick. After you play for a long time all you want is the rush of fighting, and Apex is so unforgiving in it's player base and meta that it's hard to find a way that encourages you to push in, while also giving you a second chance if you fuck up. I think Revive is fantastic.

The new map is...okay. There's a very heavy emphasis on "you land in one of these 6 locations, or you're not finding shit for loot." Which is great it pushes everyone together. I like that there's a lot of care and thought into making Controller Legends have a comeback. I've been having so much fun as wattson, this map feels like it's specifically designed to allow controllers to fence, and fortify, and trap as need be. There's lots of opportunities to fence zip lines, or spike doors, or gas bag buildings. There's a few things I wish teams would stop doing.

First don't push in while the other person is respawning. I'll get into like an out of sync cycle with my team, where two of us are respawning, while one of us is dying. Someone keeps pushing as soon as they come back, and they get downed while we're in the air coming back. Or Two team mates will keep pushing while I'm in the air and by the time I hit the ground, they're downed again. It's like: If I die, we're dead, so I can't fucking do anything but they saw me drop, and they kill me as you're falling, but then you push immediately so by the time I'm respawning you're hurt and bleeding out and I can't fucking come push the whole team by myself. Like it's stupid. If half your team is respawning regroup before pushing a fight again. Also learn when a team is just better equipped than you. Like we'll get our asses kicked 5 times in a row, and these nuts will rush the exact same building. Like they think "THIS time we'll totally get them." Like no, land somewhere else grab something, and maybe fight them later in the ring. Maybe they're just holding that building too well, maybe you're fighting with stuff your team isn't as skilled with. Like give yourself a chance to backout.

There's a nasty habit of just getting stuck with crap guns. Because there's no downtime between fights, so you can't just look through a box. You're kind of grabbing shit without looking. And there's a really bad habbit of just not being able to switch to something you're more comfortable with, so you can get stuck with a weapon a whole round and just not have the juice you need for your specific mojo. (this is why I said maybe they're just better equiped in the last paragraph) like we won't have cells, or heals, we do get ammo when we respawn, I think keeping everything on respawn is a great decision. Keeps the game flowing. Dying hurts because it resets your tac and Ult. That's a good punishment to have, it also sucks ass if you're like, a Loba and want to shop.

I dunno between being absolutely burned out on everything else and the promise of working toward a new Loba skin, I think they got me, but I'm still not buying their 20 dollars of battle pass.

But also like...

They're adding Gwenpool to Fortnite in 11 days and I absolutely will not rest until I get her. So I might be back on FN before I know it. I'll be pissed if she's the mid season event.

[my-fortnite-blog]

Epic Games is reportedly laying off 16% (approximately 900 people) of its employees.

Según se informa, Epic Games está despidiendo al 16% (900 personas aproximadamente) de sus empleados.

Yesterday it was reported about the price increase in B-bucks (PaVos) and bundles in different countries in Europe, Japan, the USA, among others.

El día de ayer se informó sobre la subida de precios en los B-bucks(PaVos) y en los bundles en diferentes países de Europa, Japón, USA, entre otros.

And today we are given the news of the dismissal of around 900 employees at Epic Games. Through the following statement, Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, reports the reasons and problems that Epic Games is going through.

Y hoy se nos da la noticia del despido de alrededor de 900 empleados en Epic Games. A través del siguiente comunicado, Tim Sweeney, el CEO de Epic Games, informa los motivos y problemas por los que atraviesa Epic Games.

All employees who were laid off will receive "six months severance and health benefits” (according to @jasonschreier on X)

“Todos los empleados que fueron despedidos, recibirán 6 meses de indemnización y servicios de salud”( decuerdo a @Jasonschreier en X)

In summary:

Epic is spending more than it earns to invest in the next evolution of Epic & Fortnite.

Fortnite: Creative is now more popular than Fortnite: Battle Royale, in terms of playtime

Fortnite is growing again, but because of Creative, which is a lower margin business than Battle Royale.

Epic has been spending less on marketing & events in an effort to reduce costs, which wasn't effective enough in the end, so they decided to lay off employees.

En resumen:

Epic está gastando más dinero de lo que gana para invertir en Fortnite y otros proyectos

El crecimiento en el modo creativo es mayor al esperado y el margen de ganancias es menor en ese ámbito ya que las ganancias se reparten entre los creadores de contenido.

A pesar de los esfuerzos para reducir gastos y costos ( está la principal razón por la que no hayamos tenido eventos) no fueron suficientes por lo que se tuvieron que despedir empleados.

Epic confirms that they are focused on the following projects:

The next season.

Chapter 5.

Del Mar (Racing Mode)

Sparks (This is unknown what it is)

Juno (Collaboration with Lego)

Epic confirma que están centrados en los siguientes proyectos:

La siguiente temporada.

Capítulo 5.

Del Mar (Modo de carreras)

Sparks (Esto no se sabe lo que es)

Juno (La colaboración con Lego)

Donald Mustard…

At the time I did not talk about this because when I wanted to do it, the news had already been spreading around the web for several days, but it is a fact that the departure of Donald Mustard as creative director of Fortnite was already a warning of the problems that are happening with Epic Games.

En su momento no hablé de esto porque cuando quise hacerlo la noticia ya llevaba varios días circulando por la red, pero es un hecho que la salida de Donald Mustard como director creativo de Fortnite ya era un aviso. de los problemas que están pasando con Epic Games.

However, I never imagined that the problem was so big. Many people lost their jobs and now the future of games like Fortnite and Fall Guys is uncertain. Let's trust that they can solve it, for now, if you really love Fortnite, play and consume Fortnite, it is the best way to support.

What do you think about all this? Leave me a comment!!

Thanks for reading me, Haru out !

Sin embargo nunca imaginé que el problema fuese tan grande. Muchas personas perdieron su trabajo y ahora el futuro de juegos como Fortnite y Fall Guys es incierto. Confiemos en que podrán solucionarlo, de momento, si realmente amas Fortnite, juega y consume Fortnite, es la mejor forma de apoyar.

¿Y ustedes, qué opinan de todo esto? Déjame un comentario.

Gracias por leerme, Haru fuera.

Credits to:

@Jorge_Most_ and @ShiinaBR on X

[cooledtured]

The Ultimate Grand Prix

Fortnite. Pubg. The Hunger Games. What do all of them have in common? That’s right, they’re all battle royals. The concept of a battle royal is something that we’ve all seen plenty of times in entertainment. And while it can be fun when done right, it can also be a drag when done poorly. So allow me to introduce you to one that knocks it out of the park.

Kamen Rider Geats is the second latest season of the series Kamen Rider. The best way I can describe Kamen Rider as a whole would be ‘Power Rangers’ if it centered on just one ranger and was Japanese. Each season stands alone, so you don’t have to worry about watching previous ones to understand everything. In my opinion Geats is one of the best seasons to watch if you are interested in getting into the series.

In Geats, normal people are chosen to participate in the Desire Royal as Kamen Riders. The prize for winning is to have whatever wish you want come true. This can range from simply being forever rich to having the world come to an end. To win, they participate in various games centered around defeating the monsters known as the Jyamoto, with the last player left standing at the end being the winner. Our protagonist is Ukiyo Ace, aka Kamen Rider Geats, the reigning champion. He uses a combination of wit, skill and charm to defeat his enemies and come out on top.

When it comes to Geats, people like to talk about three things: the story, the suit design, and the choreography. While I can’t go into detail to avoid spoilers, I can say with confidence that the story of Geats is top-tier. The show makes sure to focus on all of its characters in order to make them compelling. Characters are fleshed out and often given their own story arcs. If you're not careful, you might even find yourself rooting for the villains as they are just that charismatic. The story is also broken into ‘arcs’, making it so if you ever need a break, you’ll immediately be able to jump right in.

Another thing that Geats (and Kamen Rider as a whole) is known for is its incredible suit design. I mean, just look at them. Despite the simplicity, the suits are very well made. Each one follows a sort of motif that goes with that character. And due to the nature of the season, these suits are interchangeable, allowing you to see different styles on different characters. As the show goes on, the level of detail also evolves, creating absolutely beautiful suits.

I’m sure that you are used to seeing the sometimes cheesy fights in Power Rangers. However I can assure you that you’ll find none of that here. The choreography and cinematics are at times movie level. Each fight looks like great care was taken into directing it with camera angles being used to always get the best possible shot. When watching these scenes you might sometimes forget that what you’re watching is supposed to be a “kid’s show”.

Kamen Rider Geats is considered by most if not every fan to be one of the best Kamen Rider shows. With an incredible story, great suits and amazing fights anyone who watches it is bound to be a big fan. If you yourself are interested in watching it, then you should go to Shout TV and look it up. You can watch the whole season there for free. And who knows, maybe you’ll figure out what it is that you desire.

Logan Floyd-Mcgee | Writer POP-COOLEDTURED SPECIALIST cooledtured.com |  GROW YOUR COLLECTION