#i've been playing golf video games again

[mellodillo]

tangolf

[gabessquishytum]

Not especially horny, but I had the thought of retired Dream having to learn corporeality again (like everyone, lol).

I specifically pictured him... being bad at Video games. He'd love them, they've got such beautiful stories, and it's so like a dream, the setting is something given and the player decides what they'll do.

But he's not that good, because he hasn't got the hand-eye coordination, and the buttons are just so fiddly, and so it becomes a regular occurrence for Hob to see Dream coming to him with pleading eyes, extending the controller his way.

And for every ledge he hops for Dream, for every monster he kills, he gets a kiss on the cheek. Hob loves it. He also loves watching Dream play, because even if it takes him a moment, he's so immersed, so excited about it.

After a few months Dream has gotten better at being human, but not at video games. It takes for Hob to come home early and finding Dream expertly smashing around a Zelda boss to find out that Dream has been... lying, a bit. He's very sorry about it, really, but he just likes when they do this together, and if Hob could forgive him?

But Hob just smiles and tells him about multiplayer games.

Dream is not, actually, good at those, because shortly after starting their first game together, because it turns out that kisses on the cheek for killed monsters are more difficult when you're both trying to look at the screen.

And it's even more difficult to kill said monsters when you've just discovered that apparently, your best friend/housemate is not at all against being kissed on the mouth.

This is the cutest thing I've ever read I'm literally dying!!! Also!!! I feel like we don't talk about Hob and video games enough and I think he would absolutely love them. He would spend hours staying up until 2am with his eyes aching from staring at the screen because he's so engrossed. And Minecraft!!! He would love Minecraft so much!!!!!!! So would Dream!!!!!!!! Imagine retired Dream making a whole little world in Minecraft and its like he can rediscover a spark of creativity he thought was utterly lost to him!!! Anyway.

So Dream starts out playing Kirby or something with pretty cute graphics and stories but. He does struggle with the jumping and the switching skills and so Hob is like ok. Let's try a different story kind of game. And then they try Zelda which Dream really loves but again. He's a little bad at it. Hob gets to be the hero, beats up the bosses, and Dream gets to run around doing silly little quests. Hob gets many kisses. All is right with the world.

He was a bit suspicious that Dream seems to be spending so much time on his games without his skills improving, but he doesn't exactly mind. The worse Dream is at killing monsters, the more kisses Hob gets. Except the truth is, Dream is now definitely better at the game than Hob...

And when Hob catches him beating a boss for the first time, of course he has to give Dream a kiss in return. A slow, soft kiss on the lips that makes Dream drop his controller and melt into Hob’s arms. Hopefully he saved his progress, because suddenly he's being carried off in the direction of Hob’s bedroom like Peach being carried off by Bowzer (only with a lot less protesting, and no pesky plumber coming to rescue him).

(I need you all to know that I really really really like golf games like Golf with Your Friends and Golf It so I have vivid scenarios in my brain about Dream and Hob playing together. The glitching golf balls. The bizarre courses. The rage. Hob making terrible puns about holes. Whoever wins on each hole gets a kiss. Hob absolutely loses on purpose so he can kiss his beloved <3)

[nightmare-nostalgia]

★Video Game Instruction Booklets: Gone But Not Forgotten

Ever since I contemplated on making a blog for nostalgic ramblings and thoughts, I've been wanting to discuss those weird paper books you'd get in old games.

Nowadays, console games only come with a plastic box and the game cartridge/disc inside. Why? To cut costs of course! But there's a certain art to these flimsy paper books that I've grown to love and want to discuss...

The table of contents for Fatal Frame II: Crimson Butterfly.

Obviously, the purpose of these manuals was to teach you how to play the game. Additionally, they might tell you about the story, characters, and/or the goal of the game. They were pretty much guidebooks for anyone who needed a quick reference on something.

Each and every byte counted back in the early days, so something as mundane as a prologue or a thorough explanation of the controls were put into the manual for you to read before starting the game.

Diddy Kong Racing for example, throws you right into the game, but there is actually a backstory to the game and it's characters.

These days however, games hardly require a lengthy set of exposition text to tell it's story or elaborate on it's characters. The most modern example I can think of would be the Sonic Team releasing prequel digital comics to elaborate on it's story. (See: Sonic Forces and it's digital comics). And while Nintendo offers digital and printed copies of it's old games for virtual console, you don't get them when you purchase a physical copy of a modern game these days.

I get why, of course.

If games are getting more advanced and thorough, the budget is gonna keep going up. And the game itself does all of the explaining for you, so why invest into a thick wad of paper? I don't necessarily think that games should get back into the habit of investing their triple A funds into printing books again. The trees have had it enough as it is. But I do think that instruction manuals of the old days were quite fun and charming to look at! Even for games I've never played.

Many video game manuals have been scanned and preserved forever thankfully, allowing anyone to read them at any time. Vimm's Lair has an entire project dedicated to preserving them, so I insist you give your favorite games a quick read if you're ever bored. I'll be taking screenshots, sharing them here, and discuss my thoughts.

Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour is a surprisingly complicated game.

This explains the controls of this beloved (and agonizingly hard imo) Mario sports game, and I love how colorful and precise the manual is. If you've played this game, you should know that bar depicted in the image fills up rather quickly. So, it's nice the designers took their time in trying to explain the preciseness required to perform a good shot. The game also does feature a tutorial mode, so you can also watch it in person, perhaps making the guide obsolete and a waste of paper. But I still really do admire it.

Next, I want to show you all the character introductions pages.

These pages were missing on Vimm's Lair, so I had to find them the Video Game Museum's PDF archive.

These three pages feature the renders for the playable characters in the game, as well as advertising that Mario Golf: Advance Tour (GBA game) would have support for the game and allow you to connect and develop your character in that game too. The quotes next to each character are what they say to you when you challenge them in a Character Match.

I think there's something just so charming about it, but maybe that's just me? Maybe I'll make a separate post featuring these pages exclusively.

Sometimes though, guides were more than just an explanation of how things worked. They were tools to be used for gameplay progression, which is genius.

The original Legend of Zelda for the NES gave you a map that you could use to reference where you might've been. You can also check off where you find certain items. This page was also not on Vimm's lair, but was found on Nintendo's website.

Of course, by the time the internet became more accessible, walkthroughs on GameFAQs and Youtube became more and more popular. And you were able to follow a guide, making the need for such a tool hardly of use. Not to mention, games by then had evolved to accompany tutorials and maps where you could mark your locations ingame. (See: Etrian Odyssey). Guidebooks were steadily on their way out, but games were still being published with them. And sometimes, with advertisements.

An advertisement for some figurines of Rinoa, Cloud, Vaan, and Yuna from various Final Fantasy game, found within a The World Ends With Us booklet.

I also loved how the books had notes on the back too for you to make reference of. Of course, most collectors would've probably preferred you not touch them, but did anyone else fill them in ever?

At the end of the day, instruction booklets are a thing of the past. We can easily look up the controls in-game, read about the story online, watch walkthroughs for explanations on how to fix our controls, etc.

But the novelty of these physical items and the thought put into their design are fun to read through and see. And even if you don't have them in your hands, it is a collector's job to preserve the item and share it with everyone.

At least, in my opinion.

[jamisonwritestf2trash]

hey dude, love the writing! your characterizations are so on point for em :0 what do you reckon the merc's hobbies are in their downtime? like knitting, golfing, stuff like that.

TF2 Mercs and Their Hobbies!

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I'm glad people think I'm good because that justifies the fact that this is what I do with my spare time 😭 (kidding) Also again mandatory mutual appreciation, love ya for that 🫶🏻 and ty for loving my writing, I really appreciate it <3

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This one's definitely got me smiling and kicking my legs bc something about the idea of these guys being happy and doing normal human things makes me happy.

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Demo knits! He also sews and crochets. This man is just a little grandma (affectionate). His mom taught him, and he just always liked it. It's calming, has definitely given the other Mercs blankets, and just claimed, "Oh well, I found it somewhere." Like it isn't in their well-known favorite color or subtly customized to them. I think he'd also be into most art. Painting and wood carving are two I think he'd fine interesting.

Engie- This man loves Legos. He has at least ten finished sets and about six unfinished ones lying around. He buys the adult sets for himself but has bought Pyro smaller sets so they can build together. Also isn't opposed to going fishing.

Heavy- Did you know he likes rock climbing? Turns out it's a lot easier to get into that hobby if you're strong. He's also a fan of hiking and swimming. Also very good at chess, he and Madic play a lot.

Medic- He loves music! He's good at it too, (I've seen others hc that he plays violin and please I love that, I love violin.) Along with the violin he kills on piano. It's actually really nice to hear piano coming from the lab and not screaming. Who knew? THIS. MAN. LOVES. TO. DANCE. He knows how to and loves to teach people. He specifically likes ballroom dancing, he can waltz, he can swing, if you can think of a dance he probably learned how to do it at some point.

Scout- Sports are probably the most obvious hobby I could pick for Scout, with video games coming in second. But I am a man who deviates from the obvious. He likes to bake and cook! Like I've seen people say this man can't boil water, and that's an insane take to me. Sure, it's funny, but this man loves his mom. Do you think he didn't bake and cook with her to help her out? He has a box of recipes that have been in the family for years. This man is killer when it comes to food, and I will die on this hill. (When he's baking, though, Pyro comes out of nowhere to "help." If any fellow bakers know how annoying it is to have a partner in the kitchen, you'll know how patient Scout has become, but he aurally doesn't mind Pyro baking with him after a while.) Don't ask him to do paintball with you! He loves it a bit too much.

Sniper- My man loves plants. He loves to garden. He has a little windowsill planter in his van. He grows little fruit plants sometimes and has a few cacti scattered around. He also has a bonsai tree, which he is meticulous with. You'd think this man would take up these hobbies to relax, but no. He is also insanely good at poker.

Spy- Really in to calligraphy, origami, and wine tasting. (Also, not really a hobby, but I hc that he can bartend if need be). He's just really into the "fancier." Hobbies that can also show off his art skills, also he likes wine so yk.

Soldier- Like Sniper, he's a really good poker player. He's definitely more into it than the other guys. He hates losing. He also does the traditional suburban while dad hobbies. He watches football and likes to grill. He's just a silly little American man.

Pyro- For the most part, they don't have a singular hobby they really do by themself. Scout and Engie just tend to include them in theirs, so they've never really had to figure out what to do in their downtime. But that doesn't mean they didn't find one eventually. They get into collecting! Specifically, bugs! They have at least two orchid praying mantis and one normal green one in a shadow box. Plus, they have a small collection on honeybees and even some scorpions and spiders (I know they aren't bugs, but I feel like most bug collectors have them too.) Engie went into Pyros room once because Pyro wanted to show off their collection and nearly fainted when Pyro showed off their favorite spider, it was a camel spider. (Look them up if you want but good God, they're so gross 😭)

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One of my favorites to write, super cute and wholesome idea. I smiled the whole time writing this.

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[circusgoth-dotcom]

an idea for an official wr.eck it r.alph s/i potentially?? i've never been able to peg down a solid idea until now;

name: minos the (trans*) bull game: farm olympics (ehh still workshopping this title...) game premise: a compilation of sport mini games in which the gimmick is the playable characters and npcs are anthropomorphic farm animals. i imagine the arcade cabinet would be set up similar to "rampage," with three joysticks and sets of buttons so that three people can play at once.

minos' description from the game's official "rules & facts" booklet: specialty: golf power move: "seeing red" - 99% chance of getting a perfect score in any mini game, can only be used once per game class: heavy hitter minos is a strong-headed bull who tries to act like competition doesn't interest him, but when he loses, watch out! as they say, mess with the bull...

other ideas:

the game was installed in litwak's around the same time as f.ix it fe.lix jr. & tur.botim.e, albeit not in close proximity to the two games

minos and tu.rbo/king c.andy are exes- as one can imagine, the relationship was incredibly unhealthy

sgt. calh.oun is the first person since turbo to spark romantic feelings in minos again, though fel.ix is quickly grouped into this as well (i really want to write something about fel.ix discovering minos' crush and them bonding over it, in turn developing their own feelings toward each other)

*i imagine minos' transness isn't "canon" to his game, but future fans discovered he was initially intended to be a cow and ran with the headcanon

minos' game had at least two more installments with updated graphics and gameplay as video games progressed in quality, one of which was called "farm olympics 3D" and was briefly installed in litwak's, leading to a "who are you" "i'm you but better in HD" situation between classic!minos and new!minos

[wolvereaux]

So what games do YOU like??? (if you play games)

I am a gaymer at heart and video games are my favorite media alkjsdflkj Destiny 2 is my main game these days, it's a live service sci-fi looter shooter that's about (quote) "hope manifested by human achievement." I use the #D2 tag to archive posts about it on my blog if you wanna trawl it! My blog title is one of my favorite quotes from the game, btw XD

I've also been bitten by the Vintage Story bug again. If I understand correctly, Vintage Story used to be an environment overhaul mod for minecraft, and at some point the mod team decided to make their own game. It's very similar to minecraft in that it's a survival game that functions with blocks, but the lore and crafting systems are very different. I can't play minecraft because it makes me motion sick, but I have no such issues with Vintage Story. I'd recommend giving it a try!

I tend to drift towards open world, puzzle, coop puzzle, side scroller indie, and RPG games the most (tho I'm not above playing more chaotic multiplayer games like Golf with you Friends). I haven't played handhelds in YEARS, but I grew up on tetris, pacman, and super mario bros 3 :3

[thommi-tomate]

Thomas and the fan of the month

There is already a lot of music in the new season. Three wins, new faces in the team and even a new golf partner with Harry Kane. In this issue, I'll take you on a trip again and we'll also indulge in a healthy treat, this time cold as ice🥶 But before we start, of course, it's time again for our Fan of the Month....

At 19 years old and having just passed the Abitur (congratulations 💪), Raphael plans to study psychology.

Raphael has Munich roots through his parents and has been a diehard Bayern fan since the age of eight.

When he's not watching Bayern games or reading in the membership magazine "51", he's busy playing football.

Thank you very much for the support and only the best for your future and your studies. There is a personal greeting from me in the video 👋

Translation :

Hi guys, it's that time of the year again - the beginning of September, just in time, comes the Müller mail.

A lot has happened in August, above all the Bundesliga has started again, so I'm really looking forward to it and I'm already fit again.

I'm back on the training pitch, I've already made some moves with the boys and celebrated my debut in the starting eleven - otherwise things are going well too, as our dog Murmel can see, and here we are with the Fan of the Month.

Dear Raphael Siebert, Raphael thank you for writing to me, you are a long time Bayern fan, you live in Freiburg, a beautiful city and a super football club, but you have chosen the right one, that is us, Bayern, and I think you owe that to your parents, especially your father, who are both originally from Munich, I am glad that you yourself play football as well as being a fan, and you have reported an interesting CV. and accordingly I wish you all the best and wish you and me a little that the next few weeks will be really exciting, the Champions League is starting again, the international matches are coming up we can watch them and keep our fingers crossed for our national team and otherwise have fun , see you soon I also have a little gift of health on cooling off, well see you soon, tschüss (bye)

[sunstonespells]

an appreciation post for my partner, because i don't get to brag about him enough:

- he video calls me every day on his way home from work because he misses me and doesn't want to wait until he gets home to see me

- keeps our house clean and organized better than anyone i have ever lived with

- never wants me to help him carry the groceries in cause he doesn't want me to be uncomfortable

- indulges in my interests to the extreme, and buys me just about any sanrio or squishmallow treat i find

- always tells me not to rush or get hung up on prices (within reason) when we're shopping, combatting a lot of my guilt complexes

- plays my favorite board game with me even though it's a word game and he's not a words person

- watches musicals, reality shows, and documentaries with me even when they aren't in his wheelhouse

- will play games with my family without me if we go to visit them and i need to go rest, but always comes to check on me

- cooks dinner for the family from scratch multiple days a week

- will build furniture, re-arrange a room, spend hours decorating, and always completes a project. has endless patience while doing so and stays calm and not frustrated even when the process is super irritating or tedious

- says "we" did it when he accomplishes something, because i support him and hold things down at home so he always gives me credit when he does well

- does jigsaw puzzles and builds lego with me; he gets the star wars sets and i organize the pieces for him to build, and sometimes we take turns doing pages, and he buys me the botanical sets for holiday gifts

- takes care of all of the laundry, and he works retail so he folds everything perfectly

- left me fully in control of making decisions during my pregnancy, even though he already has two kids. he would tell me his experiences and things to consider, but empowered me pick every baby product and make every medical decision

- i've never heard him raise his voice except to yell "HEY" to break up the kids when they're arguing and getting loud, before bringing it back down

- talks every day about marrying me, our plans for the future and the quality of life he wants to give me and our family and what he's willing to do to get us there

- coordinates his outfits with me and the kids when we go anywhere, has matching shoes with me, lets me wear anything of his that i want, wears my necklaces

- will let me go off for hours about my special interests while he asks questions. he recently has been asking me about queer identities and lgbt history

- never judges me for my health issues (that i'm very self-conscious about) and tells me to relax and not be hard on myself when i'm not feeling well. he never gets mad at me for not doing enough or pushing myself and will pick up extra daddy duties around the house to let me rest

- regularly takes me on dates and makes sure we get grown up time to spend with other adults so i don't feel like i'm only a mom, and encourages me to make plans with my friends and visit my hometown while he's working

- is an active parent who is determined to give the kids experiences. we pretty consistently take them out to see family and friends, trampoline parks, ice skating, mini golfing, bowling, play zones, zoos, pools, parks, beaches, arcades, etc. even when he's fully exhausted

- helps me do my hair when i try to style it and i get frustrated cause i can't see the back and i don't know what i'm doing

- re-arranged half of the house to be able to make me plant shelves out on our apartment balcony so that i can start keeping plants again, and got me my dream plant (pink princess philodendron)

- will do arts and crafts projects with me and the kids, and will cook meals with me and the kids. he let me teach him how to bake and we all made cookies together

- let me paint his nails and color his hair, has gotten his nails done with me at a nail studio, and will pick my nail colors/shapes for me

- dramatically sings lewis capaldi with me in the shower and washes my hair and cleans my glasses

- has a great butt

[worrywrite]

Got my license in college, instructor was an older high school teacher from the area (rural) and was really surprised that I hadn't gotten my license already. I knew he thought I was "city folk" and to be fair I've always kind of been and that doesn't really matter to me. But he said something about how younger people really need a license so they can go out and do things and drive and be free and do all the kinds of things that kids were supposed to do. And I kinda laughed at that and he seemed shocked. And I started talking about 3rd spaces (I hadn't learned the actual term yet) and how they pretty much didn't exist anymore, and then I narrowed it down to the local area (primarily a small college town) "there's like ten things you can do here. Three campsites, a lake that is a mud hole or frozen for 80% of the year, a bunch of caves where college students drive out to to smoke pot, a small rotating cast of overpriced local businesses targeted at the college crowd (like indoor paintball, axe throwing, and karaoke, which no one actually liked), and then just... farmland. And you do need to drive out to pretty much all of these. But you also need other people to do them with most of the time, and you'll need to bring food, and if your camping you need to pick up fire wood, or if you're going to an experience thing like mini golf or paintball you need to pay an entry fee for everyone, and if you're outside you need blankets (because there's absolutely no built in sitting spaces and it gets cold year round) and if you're a student you're only getting out on weekends at the same time as everyone else so you compete for space for the 12 things you can do. So most people stay home. And they play video games or board games or just go to a nature spot alone and exist there but it's still gonna be pretty crowded. And everything in town is within biking or walking distance anyway. And there aren't any legal roads that go through campus, so I only needed the car to get groceries or travel."

And he didn't really talk after that.

But I did get approval for my license. Probably because he never wanted to be in a confined space with me again. He even skipped parallel parking so that he could get out faster.

not really any memorable context he just said that

[purplesurveys]

1883

What were you doing one hour ago? I was probably going on Instagram in the middle of taking a survey.

Where were your parents born? Somewhere in the city metro for my mom; somewhere in the outskirts of the metro for my dad.

Have you ever used public transportation to get to work? The most I've done is booking a Grab to the office during my coding days; but no, I've never commuted to work.

What do you miss the most from before Covid times? My friendships were more 'alive' and accessible at the time. We all graduated mid-Covid and are all sort of living our own lives now. It's understandable now, of course, being older myself; but it's something I find myself missing from time to time.

What has been the best thing to happen to you in the past year? I've managed to travel to three countries in a single year. That leaves me feeling so happy and grateful.

Who do you have listed as emergency contacts in your phone? I don't have any on my phone, but on documents and IDs and stuff I place my mom.

Are you prone to jealousy? Honestly, like not even close these days. I no longer pay attention to people's lives as much as I used to. I focus on and am grateful for whatever it is I have and go through.

How did you get through the lowest point in your life? BTS sort of barged in and literally made me start smiling and laughing again. That's why the way I explain it to others is that my admiration for them goes beyond fangirling and squealing over looks – they've been like lifelong friends who made me want to do and be better, not for them, but for myself. I respect them a lot for what they've done for me.

Have you ever been someone's first love? I don't know. I think?

Have you ever played frisbee golf? Nah. I've played ultimate but not that variation.

What is your favorite silly, feel-good movie? 13 Going on 30 and White Chicks.

How old were you when you got your first gaming console, and what kind was it? I never had my own because I was never serious about video games, but my first console memories were with the PS1. I started regularly watching my family play it when I was 3 or 4.

Who in your family has the coolest job? Tbh I think I do LOL, but apart from me I have an uncle who is well-connected with history NGOs as his main advocacy is to get Filipino prehistoric culture more known. He also runs his own Facebook page that has thousands of followers, where he posts photos from past centuries and archaeological finds.

Is cereal technically a soup? It's not. The 'soup' part is just milk. Soup in itself is a dish that's made with different ingredients.

Have you found your first gray hairs yet? They started showing up when I was around 11 or 12, but it's always just been one or two at a time.

What is something that drains your energy really quickly? Clients that either have unrealistic needs and are delusional-ly enthusiastic about said needs; or act super conceitedly. Or worse, conceited clients who have unrealistic needs.

Did you parents teach you how to make a budget before you moved out on your own? They never taught me stuff about money, which in my personal opinion is partly why I performed so badly with my salaries for my first two years of working haha. I had literal zero savings until last year, when I finally realized I had to straighten up. Fortunately it's all good now, but I was definitely a nightmare spender for a while.

What is your favorite food to put gravy on? Fried chicken!!!

Do you know anyone from Canada? Yeah so many Filipinos migrate to Canada. Most recently in my circle, it was Trina, Jat, and Ysa last year; and my mom's closest work friend's family is now also in the process of migrating one by one since they finally got approved to do so. I think the dad had his flight yesterday, with the mom and kids expected to follow suit eventually.

What's your opinion on astrology? Not real. You do you, but it's a topic I never want to cover in a conversation.

Do you use TikTok? Just for work. I almost never use it in my personal life.

What do you have going on the rest of the day? Surveys and RhyHi.

[cozywithjoy]

🌸 Joy's Cozy Week 🪻

Monday, 4.29.2024 - Sunday, 5.5.2024

🎶 You've got a friend in me You've got a friend in me You've got troubles, I've got 'em too There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you We stick together and we see it through 'Cause you've got a friend in me 🎵

I have a very busy schedule full of info this week, so I apologize in advance for the long message!

Monday, April 29, 2024

6:00 PM PST [Twitch] - Genshin Impact We have the Father who we need to slowly build and I'm preparing for Sigewinne's… which means… WE GOT A LOT OF CATCHING UP TO DO! 9:00 PM PST [Twitch] - Guest Starring at GhostDogVG, for Golf with Friends! ⛳ 🐶 Fellow Pokemon fanatic GhostDogVG (aka Erin) is debuting a new model today and celebrating it with a subathon! For those of you who aren't familiar, she's a professional singer, songwriter, and a variety gamer streamer!~ I definitely recommend her vibes to my community here~! Her actual debut starts at 8:00 PM PST, so show the love her way! I'm glad to be a small part of her big debut and invite you all to support this wonderful person!

Wednesday, May 1, 2024

9:00 AM PST [Tiktok/Youtube/Maybe Twitch?] - Cozy Co-working with Spirit City: Lofi Sessions ✨ Bring the spirits (no, not the drink!) and your projects, because we're getting productive today! Much fanfiction writing and visual novel writing to work on, I invite all of your creative and busy minds to be productive together ☕

4:00 PM PST [Twitch] - Guest Starring at Crazymadman for OMORI We're continuing the unsettling adventure of OMORI over at Johnny's, along with friends Nxious_1 MudkipNinja ! Been intrigued by the game so far, and I'm curious to see what happens next! What weird voice will I procure next? 😂

Thursday, May 2, 2024 6:00 PM PST [Twitch] - Persona 3 Reload

MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD IN THIS STREAM! We're reaching a pivotal point in the story, and I CAN'T WAIT! 💙

Friday, May 3, 2024

4:00 PM PST [Youtube] - New Youtube Video released! More Genshin ASMR coming your way; I'll be exploring more Fontaine and all of its watery glories.

7:30 PM PST [Twitch] - Guest Starring at Zer0PM for Okami The bestie Zer0PM has allowed me to crash her Okami stream before and Joy is at again! 🤣 I've never played Okami before, so I'm thankful to Zer0 for allowing me to join in on her playthrough!~ What shenanigans will we run into this time?

Saturday, May 4, 2024

10:00 AM PST [Twitch] - Love_Hanami AFFILIATE DONOTHON! Hanami is hosting her 1 year affiliate donothon all day, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to be hosting in part of the festivities, with many familiar friends, too! Hanami is the loveliest bear vtuber with the coziest and gremlin vibes ever, support this wonderful bear on her special day!~ And WHEN we meet the donothon goal, she will extend her donothon into Sunday! LET'S DO IT, FRIENDS!

8:00 PM PST [Twitch] - The Wishing Well Raid Train The Wishing Well Stream is hosting a Raid Train this weekend! The members of the Wishing Well Team are wishing you well with this raid train that will occur during the entire weekend! My part in the raid train will be during this time, and I'm excited to be trying out newly released indie games Tell Me Your Story and Doronko Wanko! These are two very cozy games (doronko being on the more chaotic silly side), and can't wait to experience it all with you. Don't forget to check out the other team members and when they'll be streaming! They're all great cozy and comfort streamers! 🫶

For those who were following our Stray Gods playthrough with Cursin_Kakashi TheDiceAreCast TheUndyingPrince, do not fret!

We will be continuing our adventure next week, so mark your calendars now for the conclusion of STRAY GODS on May 14, 2024 5:00 PM PST !! (Subject to change.)

For the anticipated Voiced Fanfiction Stream, it is still being scheduled for May! Keep your eyes peeled for more pings about this exciting Isekai Fortnite fanfiction we've cooked up! Join my Discord for updates, and another sneak peek coming soon ! 👀

I want to take a moment to say I hope that this week brings you much kindness, support, love, and happy memories.

You deserve more than you think, and you are always enough, just as you are. Don't let anyone take that away from you.

💙 I hope I can bring as much coziness to your week as possible. See you soon~! 💙

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[herlifethewayitis]

You changed me. ❤️

I've spent a lot of time thinking about my growth and how this man has played a role in it. We've been together for almost 2 years now (December 16th will be 2 years) and it's been the greatest surprise of my life.

You don't consider how one person can be the game changer for your entire life.

You're entire being.

During the days that I'm struggling, I have to look back at how I've grown. Here's the timeline of our love, our journey... the love for myself, and my journey.

------

ACQUAINTANCES - The first contact

November 08, 2021 - 9:17AM.

This was a very special day, even though we were only friends. We discussed our love for music, which we both had no idea, that today, we'd be doing together.

We spent lots of time talking about music for a couple days. He sent me video files of his music. At the time I was still married and we never saw eachother as a potential love partner.

Silence, for a month.

December 2021.

The beginning of this month, I was newly single.

Heart-broken.

A mess.

Defeated.

Unhealthy.

Toxic.

Ugly.

Longing for love.

And there you were. In a Discord voice channel with me and a group of our friends. I didn't want to be alone. I had to be around others. I was scared. I was lonely. I hated myself. I hated my circumstances. I felt like a disappointment.

But... you were there.

Every person in the call was kind... we laughed a lot, played games... and you had to go to bed because you had work early. But you had noticed I looked sad and you asked if I was okay before you left. I nodded yes, with tears in my eyes; we all said goodnight and off you went.

I was too broken to even share what was going on, but the next afternoon, I messaged you while we were all in Discord again hanging out. I shared that I was newly single and hurting.

You had nothing but kind and supportive words. There was no flirtation, but in two instances, you were there for me and showed care more than any person had in our friend group.

We often played games on each of the nights we all spent together. But this night... this one was special.

This is the night we knew we truly knew we had a friendship building... but felt something more. Was it too soon? Absolutely. But my heart was longing for yours and I didn't even realize it.

We played Golf With Your Friends. Purposely, I would forget my turn just so I could hear you say my name.

"Mandii, it's your turn."

and with each time I heard you say my name, I felt my heart beat a little faster.

It was in those moments, we kept locking eyes with one another and then starts the private messaging, again.

BUILDING A STRONGER CONNECTION.

We messaged a lot for a few days, and then we exchanged numbers. We had to talk through WhatsApp, as he was overseas and that would have been really expensive had we texted through our phone services.

Through the course of 10 days, we shared our stories, he heard my pain, he encouraged me, he loved on me in a very friendly way. But, then we started connecting so closely that we started to compliment each other's looks. I couldn't not tell him how handsome he was and every time... his response melted my soul.

"You're gorgeous."

I knew that getting out of a marriage half a month ago and jumping into a new relationship immediately is very frowned upon, but I couldn't help how I felt about him.

We had a conversation about dating and of course, being overseas in a long-distance relationship is never ideal, because, will we ever meet?

December 16, 2021.

During the morning of this day, I woke up still feeling so broken, but I also was so excited to wake up to a message from him. I knew that he was off around 8am my time, which was 2pm his time.

He had said "Good morning, Mandii. I hope you slept well." There was an instant smile. I messaged back wishing him a good day, with full hearts in my eyes.

He had told me about how he was out shopping with his mom and she had bought him a new mouse and keyboard for his computer. He talked about how they went to Burger King and he sent me a picture of the two of them together.

I melted.

To see a man love his mother so deeply and have a close relationship with her is so heart-warming.

He got back home, and we texted more. He sent me pictures of his new keyboard and mouse, and I told him that I really liked him.

We opened the discussion about dating again because I had asked if he'd thought about it.

He told me that he could see that I do care about him and that I am very invested...and he said he wanted to start dating me.

I felt... so happy, but yet, still broken.

He made me feel alive. Wanted. Needed. We sent selfies to one another throughout the days and I felt so alive and seen, that I did my makeup for him because I knew he'd actually appreciate me for wanting to look pretty for him.

That was something I'd never experienced with anyone before.

And this was the start of us. ❤️

New Years Eve.

New Years Eve was rocky. Rocky is even an understatement.

It started with fun, love, friends and wine. We hung out with our friends, laughed, listened to music and drank to ring in the New Year, and for me, alcohol can be my biggest enemy.

I was separated from my ex-husband but still living in the house. It was turmoil. He knew I was dating someone and he was angry, rightfully, so we fought a lot, daily.

As we laughed, I drank another glass. With each glass, I laughed more, opened up more to my friends and also, expressed more of the feelings I had for Tobi.

And another glass.

And another.

Another one.

1st wine bottle, empty.

Then comes the danger. I'm still conscious enough of what I'm doing and saying, but another bottle is opened.

Tobi warns me to be careful and expresses his concern for me as he can see me unraveling like a ball of yarn that is unwoven enough that if you drop it out of your hand, it will become entangled and a mess.

...and a mess I was.

The second bottle opens and within 20 minutes, that bottle was about polished off.

I was in tears, I was having anxiety attacks, I felt like I couldn't breathe.

Where it was just the friend group, it turned into my mom, my best friend and others I needed there for support to get through it.

Where I dig deeper on this, with every pour, it was as if every emotion hidden deeply in my heart, was being poured out of me. Alcohol seems to push everything out of me in the worst ways.

I didn't know how I was going to get through a divorce, manage a new relationship, figure out how to be a single mom, live on my own and just... live... be alive.

2022.

This entire year was filled with so much pain, but also, so much love.

I started a new job where I was making more than enough money to sustain myself, but my self-confidence was still so slim-to-none that I couldn't even bring myself to find success there. I failed my state exams and I continued to sink.

The income sustained me enough for me to find an apartment and move into the place that would be so cold and empty for the next year and a half.

Just me, my desk and empty rooms with some boxes.

This was the most painful of every moment since the separation between my ex-husband and I, up until this point.

This is where it gets dark.

MY LITTLE GIRLS.

For little girls, they should see the a world of magic. They have an innocence about them at 6 and 3 (at the time). They just want Barbie's and juice boxes.

Unfortunately for my little girls, they didn't just have those things. They also gained a broken family, moreover, a broken mom and dad.

Separate homes.

New rooms.

New schedules.

A lack of normalcy.

Anger.

Hurt.

Confusion.

All of the back and forth was the worst. For them, confusing, for me, lonely and pain-filled.

I hated the thought that I wouldn't see my girls but select days of the week and I hated more that it was actually happening.

I know a lot of this middle text is mostly about myself and doesn't show a lot of the man I love and how he impacted me this time, but that will come soon.

I moved into this apartment with $100 to my name. I had to choose what that was going toward, and the easy answer, my kids.

I bought them beds, pillows and blankets. That's all I could afford.

On the nights I didn't have them, I slept on these beds.

On the nights I had them, I slept on the wood floor and they slept in their beds.

I had never cried more tears in my life than the nights I slept alone. I had Tobi on video calls with me day and night because I couldn't sit alone otherwise I'd really break.

Without him and my daughters, I'd be dead.

LOOKING UP? NOT. A. CHANCE.

I started working at Domino's Pizza as a delivery driver, and within a month, I was a manager of the store.

I loved the job. I thrived. I was happy, my bills were paid and this brought me some sort of normalcy.

I finally had made friends, and I call them family now.

During this time, I was proud of myself, Tobi was proud, and my family was proud. I worked so hard. Double shifts, I took deliveries and managed the store.

and then came August... 💔

THE BREAKUP.

During the previous 6 months that Tobi and I were together, we made plans for him to move from Germany to Michigan.

We were ecstatic.

We booked his plane ticket, he emptied and gave up his apartment, quit his job... we counted down the days.

He hopped on his first flight, got off, and went to get on his second flight and he was denied entry into the USA.

I cried.

When I say that I cried...

I sobbed.

My heart was so completely shattered that I couldn't breathe. I thought that this was the end and that he would never get here. I thought that our relationship wasn't meant to happen, that he was just a season in my life.

I also realized in this moment that I was so broken that I needed to get help for myself because if I didn't, I definitely wasn't going to be okay.

We sat on a call and we discussed what this meant for us. I cried for weeks, and weeks. Until, a month and a half later, I decided I could not handle being apart, the distance was just too much for my broken heart to handle.

We broke up.

He begged me to stay because I am the love of his life and he knew that I was the woman he wanted to marry and that I was breaking his heart.

and this is where I break even more.

END OF AUGUST 2022 - I LOST ME.

Being without the love of my life, I didn't know who I was anymore. Because I didn't know who I was, I became someone that I wasn't.

I posted revealing photos of myself online, I dated someone briefly who was just as broken as I was for one simple reason...

To cope with the fact that I was trash for leaving the one person who brought me to life.

...and because I left the love of my life, I died inside, all over again.

While I was co-existing with the world, I wanted to die on the outside too.

I received all of the WORST attention and died more.

I received messages from Tobi, who was furious because he knew this was not me and it certainly wasn't my heart.

Tobi and I went back and forth for weeks about what I was doing. My heart was in and out of the conversations.

One moment I was sure I wanted to be with him, then the next I was terrified of the distance.

I made him an option when I knew he was not, he was my person and that was all.

I played with his heart and his feelings. I was so mentally unstable that I couldn't think clearly for one second during this time.

We fought on a phone call and I begged him to take me back because I was afraid I would really kill myself.

He thought I was being manipulative, but in that moment, he didn't see that my pain was so real without him that I didn't want to be alive.

Some call that an unhealthy addiction to a person, I call that the realization that you've made such a deep wound within yourself for no good reason that you feel there's no other way out of the pain.

End of the phone call, the end of us, for now.

END OF NOVEMBER 2022.

I quit my job.

I broke things off with the guy I was dating.

I was done with life.

I called my kids, I told them I loved them.

I went to bed.

I laid in bed. I sobbed. I called Tobi on a video call and we fought. I told him that I was done with life. I told him that I was gonna kill myself.

All I wanted was to be with the love of my life because I knew that night that I made a grave mistake.

He sat in silence watching me grip onto my pillow and crying every tear I had left in me.

All I could say over and over was...

I love you.

I'm so sorry.

...and he looked at me and said...

I love you too.

I want you back.

We got back together. For 1 day.

TERMS OF THE RELATIONSHIP.

We set boundaries with one another and he listed out some terms for our relationship to be able to work.

Block the guy I was with.

File the Divorce papers with my ex-husband.

Seek therapy.

I agreed to these terms. I would have done anything to be with him.

BREAKING UP...AGAIN.

But after a day, his heart was conflicted. He realized everything that had happened that had lead to this and decided he didn't deserve it.

He didn't deserve it.

So there, I then cried, begged him to stay with me, told him he was the love of my life and I knew that he was who I wanted to marry one day... just as he said to me when I broke things off initially.

A week went by and again, I broke more.

I was done with life at this point.

I paced around my house, I looked in my medicine cabinet for pills I could take.

I looked for something that could end my life, for good.

I couldn't find anything.

I threw things at the walls, screamed into my pillows, called one of my close girl friends and cried. I told her about how badly I messed up and how badly I wanted him.

I had to be patient and allow his heart to heal if we were ever going to have a chance again.

Tobi and I messaged back and forth for the week and I apologized over and over for breaking his heart.

He told me he didn't love my anymore, that he didn't feel anything for me anymore.

Slowly I was falling into acceptance of what I had done. I accepted that I was trash, that I was a mistake to the world, that I was a horrible girlfriend for what I did, that there was no point in me trying to beg him anymore.

I sent him a long letter thanking him for the love he'd given me in the 6 months we were together and left him be.

I laid in bed the entire day in tears and prayed that God would send him back to me.

He called me that night, we talked, and we got back together, for good.

THE SPIRAL.

We got back together like nothing had ever changed and for a month every thing was good between us. He forgave me and we moved on.

There was still hurt, long discussions and trust was rebuilding.

While we rebuilt, I was still hurting so deeply inside from the beginning of the split from my ex-husband up until this point.

It felt as though my heart was taking hit after hit after hit.

It was almost as if every day to every other day that I was telling Tobi that my dark thoughts weren't going away.

I had the love of my life but I still wanted to die.

I found another job, and shortly after, I got extremely sick with pneumonia.

I couldn't work for almost a month. I couldn't pay my bills. I couldn't even afford the medication I needed to heal physically.

Tobi took care of me as best as he could emotionally and financially, but I needed help.

I felt extremely alone and exhausted in every way.

I started therapy, but it was just the beginning of my journey of healing.

My parents wanted to help, but I never asked because of my own pride. I assumed they wouldn't help.

THE CALL.

I called my ex-husband to say goodnight to my kids and that I loved them. Then I had a conversation with my sister to be transparent about how I was feeling, and she told my parents. I was beyond furious that she did, but I didn't know she did, until I heard Tobi yelling at me to wake up while we were on a video call.

I had fallen asleep because I had been coughing so badly for weeks that my sleep was extremely broken.

I woke up to him saying my Dad was on his way to my apartment.

I saw phone calls and text messages from my parents and siblings asking if I was okay and that they were on their way to me.

Not even 2 minutes after I woke up, I heard banging on my door.

I ran to the door, trying to breathe, opened the door, to see a cop with my parents and brother.

All I could say is "What the fuck is going on... what are you doing here? Why is there a cop at my door!"

I was furious.

My parents looked relieved but my Dad looked like he was going to die because he didn't know if I was going to answer the door and be alive, or if the cop was going to kick the door down and find me dead.

I was very much alive outwardly, but not on the inside.

The cop came in, sat with me and I cried.

He showed so much compassion because visually, with my apartment looking how it did, he could see the depression everywhere. With my tears, he could see my pain.

He had to ask if I needed any medical attention or psychiatric care.

I explained that I was very depressed and hurting, but I wasn't going to kill myself, I was just asleep.

The cop left after telling my parents I was okay, and then I went to the door to talk to my parents.

My dad was angry at Tobi, thinking that he was purposely ignoring his messages and thought that my mom was with holding information from him.

This was farthest from the truth.

This time, I was truly just sleeping and very sick.

Needless to say, I was very angry at my family. More than I was for feeling like they wouldn't support me in a time of desperate and real need.

I provided my parents with Tobi's information so they could easily contact him.

My parents went back home, and I got into bed and cried. I was so upset by the situation, and then went back to sleep.

Looking back, I know this was the right move, because really, I was suicidal. I just hadn't acted on it and I certainly wasn't going to tell my therapist this at the time.

I had fears of just being locked up in a hospital where I wouldn't truly get the help and healing I needed because the only way I'd get that is if I really made the effort to make changes in my life.

2023.

It's the start of 2023 and I'm starting to heal.

Therapy has been life changing just after a couple of months, I wasn't sick anymore, I started a new job, everything was amazing.

I thrived at my new job, got promoted 3 times within a month, my relationship with Tobi was blossoming.

This year we had plans to finally meet in person.

Plane ticket booked.

Got my Covid Shot.

Got my Passport.

I was so. ready. to. meet. my. man.

For the first time.

We were absolutely over the moon about the fact that we could actually be together and solidify us.

I struggled mentally still for the first 4 months of the year. Therapy was helping me process through everything I was going through inside so I wasn't internalizing it, but I knew I still needed more help.

LIFE CHANGING.

In May of 2023, I finally saw a psychiatrist. I got the answers I have been longing for my entire life.

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder and was put on medication.

The medication was the immediate game changer that I needed so I could truly find me again.

All of the highs and lows made sense for once.

What I was experiencing was Mania and Depressive lows. When I was in a high, I was in a really bad high. When I was in a low, I was in a really bad low.

I would be up for 15-24 hours at a time, not sleeping and then I would crash hard. I went from being super loud, to crying so badly I wanted to die.

The anxiety attacks were paralyzing and made the depressive states so much worse.

But... with the medication, I feel more normal than I ever have.

Whatever normal is...

While I was feeling better, I dipped into a really bad low between April and July, even being on medication.

My job was giving me no more than 10 hours a week, if that because tax season was so slow.

I couldn't pay my bills. I couldn't live.

My parents had helped me once, and when I asked again out of shame, they gave again, but as a final helping with knowing that I would find financial security after that.

It helped a ton.

But a month later, I was still stuck. I ran a fundraiser, and only came up with half of my rent. I had to ask my parents for help again and they said no.

I explained my situation and told them I understood and didn't hold any resentment because they'd helped so much previously.

I ran the fundraiser for another week, praying that someone would help. My Dad called and told me that I was his daughter and he didn't want to see me struggling, so he helped me pay my rent again.

I was more thankful at this point that I was in tears. God provided, through my parents.

I still carry a ton of guilt because as an adult, I feel I shouldn't have to ask my Dad for help at 29 years old.

JULY 31, 2023.

This is the day that I hopped on a plane to meet the love of my life for the first time. This month was filled with fears, preparing, tears, laughs, excitement and love.

I had no idea what I was I was in for. I had so many fears that it was covering up the excitement.

What if I'm not who he thinks I am?

What if I'm not pretty enough?

What if he thinks I'm fat and hates my body?

What if we don't connect the same?

What if he really is catfishing me?

What if the rumors are true about him using me?

What if we absolutely despise one another?

Boy, were these lies above exactly what they are: lies.

I sat on a plane for 9 hours, traveling to meet my love.

IS THIS REAL LIFE?

I arrived in Germany, and we walked around eachother at the airport, trying to find eachother.

He texted me.

"Do you see a Subway?"

I was right next to it. I turned to my right and saw him. My body went cold. I couldn't believe it.

I had two thoughts in my mind:

He's so short. 🤣

He's so perfect. 🥰

and after asking him his first thoughts:

She's so tiny. 🤣

She's so pretty. 🥰

We looked at each other and smiled. He hugged me and immediately kissed me.

3 WEEKS OF BLISS. PURE. BLISS.

Every thought, every fear we had, was so unnecessary.

We connected instantly, I gained a new family, and we built beautiful memories together.

We spent time eating at different places, sight seeing, talking, snuggling, making love and moments I'll never forget for the rest of my life.

He made me feel special every second of every day.

While I loved going to the zoo, walking around his town, spending time with his family, trying all of the good foods of Germany... my favorite moments were the quiet moments when we were alone.

Whether that be at 3 in the morning sitting on a bench talking, or snuggling up in bed and just staring at one another. Memorizing every feature of his face, hearing his voice, remembering how his skin feels and how safe I felt just being with him.

We talked about our goals and dreams individually and what we wanted for us. Those were the times that I cherished the most. The quality time.

Every day that went by, what I thought I wanted became what I knew I want for us. I want to spend the rest of my life with him.

THE PROPOSAL.

There's a million more things I could say that made this trip so special... but the day this day... is tattooed on my heart.

We woke up in the morning, he made me breakfast, I cried knowing that I had 2 days left before I had to go back home.

I spent those two days in tears and all I could say...

I don't want to leave.

But this day, I got dressed, did my makeup and decided to just embrace these final moments with him. It wasn't the end, it was just the beginning of our forever together.

We took a walk to the castle by his home like we did multiple times during this trip trip to just talk and spend more time together.

He took me to a beautiful part of the castle overlooking the river, and he proposed.

I cried like a baby. This moment was bliss. It was a dream. I couldn't believe that 2 years ago I was a broken mess and here I am this day so happy, so in love, so healthy mentally AND ENGAGED TO BE MARRIED.

WHAT!?

SEE YOU SOON, MY LOVE.

This was not a goodbye, but an emotional see you soon.

To spend a beautiful vacation with this man and then have to go back home was beyond heart-wrenching.

I felt like I was leaving the love of my life for good, even though it's not forever.

I could write a novel about those 3 weeks in detail and I truly believe that it's the most beautiful story anyone would ever read.

I slept on the entire plane ride home and every moment I was awake, I was filled with anxiety and crying my eyes out.

To think that I went from being so heart broken and believing I would never find love again, to finding my best friend and my soul mate still blows my mind.

While the first week back home was so, SO hard, We are now making plans for him to be here permanently. We are wedding planning and doing all the research possible so that he can be here.

HOW YOU HEALED MY HEART.

In our 2 year journey so far, it's been filled with pain, heart-ache, tears, darkness, laughs, love, hope and joy.

While much of this was a very personal journey, you made my heart whole.

You stuck around when no one else would. You showed me true love, compassion, empathy, grace, forgiveness, encouragement, and what it's like to have a genuine best friend. You've shown me that even though I'm a mother of two beautiful daughters, you are willing to take on the role of step father and take them as your own.

When you find the right person, they change the way you see the world. You see colors in your life that you'd never expect. Everything is brighter, and even when it's dark, that person provides a light for you and lifts you up even when you feel empty.

To say that I am the luckiest girl in the world is the biggest understatement I have ever heard.

Thank you, my love. I cannot wait to spend my life with you, build a family, buy a home with you and make more memories that we will cherish forever.

[dennisquaidsson]

[text; chace] I don't even know if I'd be working right now but I still feel like I don't know what to do with my time. besides golf. sounds like I've become an old man...

Text: Yea. I hear ya. I at least woulda had press to do before Opp dropped but we couldn't really do any of that. Golfs better than what I've been doing, really. Which is sitting around eating microwave pizzas and playing video games like I'm 16 again or soemthing.

@crawfordtt

[droptoeholdyourhorses]

My Nine Platinum Trophies

On PlayStation. Not literal platinum trophies.

It's rare that I actively go after a platinum trophy in a video game but last night, in the early hours of the morning, I got my ninth so I figured it would be nice to go back and look at the ones I do have.

1. WWE SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 (PS3)

First Trophy: 22/08/2011

Platinum: 20/11/2011

Time: 2 months, 29 days

Rarity: 1.9%

Given WWE SvR 2010 came out in October 2009, you might be wondering why I was late to the party on this one. Until 2011, pretty much the only games I played at all were the WWE ones and I stayed loyal to my PlayStation 2 until the bitter end. When WWE '12 was announced to be exclusive for the seventh generation, I caved and got myself a PS3. For whatever reason, I actually skipped SvR 2010 when it came out on PS2 so I picked up a cheap copy for the PS3 instead and managed to get my first platinum a few days before WWE '12's release.

2. Family Game Night 3 (PS3)

First Trophy: 17/07/2012

Platinum: 26/09/2012

Time: 2 months, 9 days

Rarity: 2.7%

Ah yes, arguably the most prestigious platinum of all. Accomplished by achieving such feats as winning The Game of Life 10 times, having a perfect game of Twister, locking another player in any room in Clue, building all five trap variants in Mouse Trap, and gaining six combo cards in Yahtzee.

3. Rocket League (PS4)

First Trophy: 16/08/2015

Platinum: 05/01/2017

Time: 1 year, 4 months, 20 days

Rarity: 2.7%

Another case of being behind the times. Rocket League was free on PlayStation Plus upon its initial release in July 2015 but I don't remember actually having a copy until Christmas 2016. However, when looking through the trophies, I have two dating back to August 2015. I can only assume I did download Rocket League briefly, lost interest the first time around, uninstalled it and eventually got back round to wanting to play it again. Mysterious circumstances whatever happened meaning the platinum took close to 17 months as opposed to just 11 days. In between FGN3 and Rocket League, I also 100% completed Monopoly Plus, Firewatch, and Hitman but none of those offer a platinum.

4. Killing Floor 2 (PS4)

First Trophy: 08/06/2017

Platinum: 29/06/2017

Time: 21 days

Rarity: 1.7%

This one I did get when it was free on PlayStation Plus. However, I picked it up at the insistence of my friend Chris. He currently has 92 platinum trophies for comparison sake. A fun little game that helped pass the time during a period of unemployment for myself until I found a job that September. A couple of months prior to the KF2 platinum, I also 100% completed Disc Jam, meaning my overall platinum count should really have been 8 at this stage.

5. L.A. Noire (PS4)

First Trophy: 25/12/2017

Platinum: 23/03/2018

Time: 2 months, 26 days

Rarity: 1.8%

I never played L.A. Noire on the PS3, instead getting the enhanced edition for Christmas 2017. I soon realised what I had been missing. A lovely game with a fantastic story that never outstayed its welcome. Probably the first time I actively wanted to achieve a platinum as opposed to having a majority of trophies and then just picking up the ones I didn't have. On the topic of Rockstar games, I got Red Dead Redemption 2 as a gift for Christmas the following year. I have 81% of the trophies for that game, missing out one single player trophy and a few of the online ones. I do however have 100% in-game completion which is good enough for me.

6. Golf With Your Friends (PS4)

First Trophy: 23/05/2020

Platinum: 11/06/2020

Time: 19 days

Rarity: 0.5%

The fastest platinum I've achieved to date. Golf With Your Friends was a quite handy game for a group of us to play during a time where none of us could see each other in person for reasons I forget. I've not played any of the GWYF expansions though.

7. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4)

First Trophy: 11/12/2014

Platinum: 24/01/2021

Time: 6 years, 1 month, 13 days

Rarity: 0.1%

Now, to be fair, while I did play GTA V throughout those six years, I didn't spend all that time trying to get the GTA V platinum. Between May 2016 and December 2020, I didn't earn a single trophy for it. So why did I suddenly make it a goal when for so long it hadn't concerned me? There was some reason I couldn't go into work for a few weeks around the end of 2020/early 2021 - who knows what it could have been? - and I needed something to pass the time. I decided to replay the story of GTA V and then realised the platinum actually seemed doable after all. One month later, I got my rarest platinum of all. Much better than the 55% I completed on the PS3 version of the game. I don't have any desire to do it again once I own a PS5.

8. Zombie Army Trilogy (PS4)

First Trophy: 25/01/2023

Platinum: 30/05/2023

Time: 4 months, 5 days

Rarity: 1.4%

The second zombie related game on the list, also at the instance of my friend Chris oddly enough. Did end up preferring it to Killing Floor 2 after some initial reluctance on my part to play it. Chris is now trying to convince me to buy Zombie Army 4 and get the platinum on that as well. He does play other genres of games, I promise.

9. WWE 2K23 (PS4)

First Trophy: 29/04/2023

Platinum: 28/06/2023

Time: 1 month, 30 days

Rarity: 0.1%

A historic platinum for me, for a couple of reasons. It marks the first time in my gaming history I've got two platinum trophies in a row. It's also the first WWE game since SmackDown vs. Raw 2010 that I've achieved the platinum for. It's going to feel odd playing it now and not having to worry about trophy hunting.

[alittlebirb]

Some excitement and enthusiasm from the MCC 23 Lime Llamas!

The panic and excitement from Antfrost when he was able to sub in, as well as his determination to be PGfrost

Antfrost saying he's been wanting to team with Scar for a while

"I'm so glad you're on our team, because you destroyed me yesterday. You had your claws out!" -Scar to Ant

Jimmy being very impressed at Ant's dedication to getting the Mike Wazowski skin on short notice

Scar doing a Ghost of Top Gun Past bit in order to roast Timmy for not watching the movie

Scar's destressing techniques including holding a hamburger Cub gave him and petting a cat that's playing chess

"I am the slushy fairy here on MCC. I do what I can." -Scar

Jimmy turning into an advertising bot and calling for everyone to join Youtube Gaming today!

Scar giving out fries and keeping everyone salted up

Everyone one upping each other on the amount of times they rewatched the update video

Scar setting everyone up in a burger line, Ant - Cub -Tim -Scar, and pronouncing this will be the order they play the games in

Scar comparing the light show at the beginning to the Disneyland fireworks

"I always find a way to tie it back to Disneyland, you know that." -Scar

"I hope we're intimidating the other teams with our crazy cool skins." -Scar

SG being chosen and Scar asking Ant, "have you ever heard of the barn strategy?"

"They will sense blood, because I watched the vods last time and they were all, Scar Bad! Get Him! We'll stay in the shadows, and then I'll water bucket mlg them to death." -Scar

Scar going on a rant about how disrespectful and ugly capri pants are, and sliding in "Impulse, big capri pants fan, by the way."

Martyn staring at the team and Scar saying he's killed him twice in Double Life, and he'll kill him again

Jimmy trying to find allies for his refusal to use a mouse pad and in absolute contrast, Ant saying he has a special mouse pad which fits to his keyboard

Cub saying he never finished Harry Potter and asking for no spoilers, please

"I don't think Scar can read." -Jim

"I often go on long, winding monologues." -Scar

Ants beginning to crawl up Scar's legs, and Scar talking about how one time ants crawled in his ear, to everyone's great chagrin

Scar quietly saying hawkeye! in the background

Lime winning SG!

"I've got tears in my eyes, tears in my eyes!" -Jimmy

Scar having trouble saying multiplier and asking for Bdubs

Scar comparing the elevator joke to the Twlight Tower of Terror...rip to the Twilight Tower of Terror

Scar muting before AR in order to go on his winding monologues

Tim somehow thinking that there were 2 laps in the new AR map and being aghast at the fact there's 4

Scar calling PeteZahHutt "Pete the Pizza Man" in GR

Jimmy asking Scar if this is what they do in Top Gun when shooting targets, and Scar telling him that "if you bring up that sore subject again, I'll burn your barn down."

The struggle of trying to get everyone into the tubes in the golf room, with Ant trying to get everyone across and then falling off himself

"It's in the hips, it's in the hips!" -Cub

"Send me home!" -Scar

"He was too busy hitting us to think about himself!" -TJ

Scar saying he has the glasses ready for when they play RSR

Scar calling Cub the speedrunner and giving him the job of crafting during SB

Jimmy calling Sapnap's win in the last round "actually criminal to watch"

Ant finally getting into the Top 5 players, after being gatekept for so long

Scar saying it's now his time, it's slurpee time! during break, and giving every afk player (including Ant) slurpees under the name of the slurpee bandit

Cub helping Scar in this endeavor by pointing him towards which players are afk

Jimmy scolding Quig and telling him to put his glasses back on

Scar saying they can only speak in W's during PKT, greatly taxing their vocabulary, and the three of them going through the repertoire of chanting "We Will Win Whales!", "We Will Win Wales!", and "When Will We Win?"

"I've mcfallen." -Timmy

The chat calling them the Winning Wazowskis and Marvelous Mikes

"Scott hit me with no hesitation. Joel too, not even a hello!" -Jim

MD coming into the decision dome and Jimmy pointing and saying "There's our boy. There's our boy."

Scar getting the dunk and being directed to dunk Aqua, but dunking the innocent Cyan instead and getting blasted by Jimmy

"This man doesn't know his colors!" -Tim

Ant, Gumi, and Cub peacefully crossteaming for a few seconds in RSR before the platform is destroyed along with their friendship

Scar attributing his top 4 RSR performance to his glasses and the fact he was daydreaming about Disneyland

"I've actually only played BuildMart once. And I made a catastrophic mistake that haunts me to this day." -Scar

"...maybe should've mentioned that earlier bud." -Tim

"What are the snowballs in TGTTOS for?" -Jimmy

"Uh...griefing." -Ant

Cub watching Ant toss Tommy into the lava, and Scar watching Wilbur punching Eret and saying "I can't believe I witnessed a murder."

Everyone consistently calling themselves Team Consistent

"I don't think I killed anyone that time around, and I was out for blood!" -Scar

"Why is Phil standing alone in the bathroom right now?" -Cub

Scar saying he doesn't want to play BM without Grian, he wants a sand duo BM

Ant being the ultimate leader in MD

Ant getting an ace against Purple and Tim calling it a "quad freeze!"

"We didn't hold out for consistency, we said put it in the last!" -Timmy

Cub calling them the Meltdown Mikes

Cub saying that if Martyn wins this one he also wins against Covid, so it's two wins

Jimmy having no faith and believing Martyn's going to lose

Scar turning on his lightsaber during DB

"Martyn's heartbeat just went up 15 beats. Mine did too!" -Scar

Jimmy yelling "HE PLAYS THE SIMS!" when Zeuz gets the 1v3 clutch

Scar calling Martyn "the Covid Crusader" when he wins

Lime Llamas finished MCC 23 in 5th place!

[myu21]

The story behind the 'sugar'

Many fans have seen the following pics of GJ holding up his fan to keep the sun off ZZH.

But what many people may not know is what might be motivating GJ apart from friendship and care between acting partners.

For the role of ZZS, ZZH had to lose a lot of weight to look more frail. The original shooting schedule was for it to be done during winter or spring period, but instead they were filming with thick period costumes in the middle of summer. This double burden caused ZZH to struggle coping with heat and to have at least one heat stroke.

Warning: following video contains footage of ZZH actually fainting

In an interview since the airing of the show, GJ has said that he dislikes most when people he care about do not take care of their own health.

At this point, I need to talk a little about ZZH the actor. International fans may not know that ZZH was an amazing basketball player. I've seen a video where he had just won MVP for a game he played, and was very emotional and said on the verge of crying that his dream was always to play basketball. ZZH then suffered a knee injury at one point. However at the time he was under the management of Yu Zheng (a very influential producer who is behind the success of many famous actors in China). Yu Zheng encouraged/made/pressured (who knows) ZZH into taking on acting projects even while he was injured.

The end result being that this exacerbated the injury and meant that ZZH can never play basketball again (to the intensity that he would want), which is why he turned to become an avid golfer (in fact he has a golf tournament upcoming during June). ZZH hasn't been shy in stating that he regrets acting while injured till this day.

Now Gong Jun has openly spoken about this experience of ZZH's with clear sympathy, concern and care in joint interviews. And fans like to share moments when they feel GJ seems to in small actions always be aware of ZZH's knee injury, and take care to not hurt him further in that way.

So when you come back and look at this again...

Does it hit differently?