#if I could backflip I’d be unstoppable

[ultravioletrayz]

does cool backflips in your inbox

We got a gymnast legend in our midst, chat!!

my spider-pookie 💜

[jaskierx]

if i had an ex who was an olympic gymnastics judge i’d be unstoppable. i think the only thing that could ever give me the power to overcome long covid and a lifetime lack of strength and flexibility would be the thought of doing a floor routine to silver springs and looking the bastard in the eye while doing a triple backflip

[omniversalobservations]

Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time (2018)

Super Mario 64 is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Its large, imaginative levels and increasingly difficult challenges have defined the 3D platformer genre since its release on the Nintendo 64. Similarly, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time — the first in the franchise with 3D graphics — is considered a classic with a record 99 rating on Metacritic. Both have been celebrated with portable re-releases and a deluge of fan movies, artwork and soundtrack remixes. But never have the two games been combined in a fan-made ROM hack like Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time.

The unofficial and legally dubious project allows players to traverse Hyrule, the mystical kingdom found in the Zelda series, as Nintendo's portly plumber. The world is a little different to the one found in Link's adventure, however. Hyrule Castle, for instance, is owned by Peach and patrolled by pink Bob-ombs. The Forest Temple, located in the Lost Woods, is filled with colorful Boos instead of flaming skulls. Epona, Link's reliable steed, has been replaced with wooden carriages dragged by overzealous Chain Chomps.

The game is a meticulous recreation of Hyrule inside the Super Mario 64 engine. Kaze Emanuar, a prolific modder, rebuilt every house, dungeon and fairy fountain so it would be recognizable to longtime Zelda fans. Each map was adjusted, however, to accommodate Mario's acrobatic move-set -- unlike Link, the mustachioed hero can wall jump, triple-jump and backflip — and the placement of 170 stars. Some rooms are inaccessible or streamlined so that players can quickly reach the next boss or power-up.

It's a bizarre, but perfectly playable mashup that Emanuar has been building toward for five years. He grew up in the German city of Bremen and discovered emulators — applications that mimic older video game hardware — as a 17-year-old in high school. Most people use emulation to quickly (and often illegally) play titles from their childhood. Emanuar's first exposure, however, was through a Super Mario 64 ROM hack called Star Road. He tried to play it with a mouse and keyboard at first but quickly discovered that a controller was almost mandatory. "Playing Mario 64 mods with keyboards," he explained, is "something you should never do to yourself. If you love yourself, and like anyone, you should definitely go and get a USB controller."

[...]

Emanuar began developing Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time last August. He was intrigued by large, open world games and wondered if it would be possible to build a similar experience inside Super Mario 64. As a longtime fan of Zelda series, he felt the N64 classic would make a good foundation. So he took the original world map and started planning how his own storyline could weave through it. Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time hews pretty close to Link's original adventure, but there are plenty of original ideas thrown in too. At the start of the game, Peach tells Mario that Bowser is planning to invade the castle with an unstoppable army. He can only be defeated with 9 Grand Stars that are scattered across time and different locales.

"The last five were all sealed by our ancestors within dungeons that we can't access at the moment," Peach explains to an expressionless Mario. "However, the seals are getting weaker, and with the power of three Grand Stars you will be able to enter the Temple of Time and use the Grand Star of Time to travel into the future, where the seals will be weak enough to be broken."

The story, while imaginative, is far removed from a classic Nintendo game. At the end of the adventure, for instance, Mario fights an older version of Bowser hunched over a grand piano. "I'm an old turtle now," he croaks, "but that doesn't mean you'll have an easy time! I'd love to beat you up one last time for nostalgia, but my children are eager to fight themselves. Go get him!" This twisted version of Nintendo's finest villain will, for some, be seen as blasphemy. But Emanuar has a simple explanation: none of his works is canon. "Each ROM hack is a separate universe," he said.

Development was rather straightforward. Emanuar started with Kokiri Forest — the place where Link starts in Ocarina of Time — and worked forwards through the game. Whenever the modder reached a dungeon, he would stop and start dreaming up puzzles appropriate for Mario. The student soon realized, however, that a direct recreation wouldn't be very enjoyable. Some rooms, for instance, "were just useless" or unnecessarily confusing for the player. That's why only a third of each dungeon is required to beat Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time. The rest is devoted to optional stars and secrets. "I feel like that's a better fit for modern audiences," he explained, "rather than doing the whole dungeon because people don't have the patience anymore."

The mod was released on March 26th, 2018. The reaction was overwhelmingly positive; multiple streamers and press outlets have covered the game since its launch. But Emanuar isn't done yet. Since Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time, he's released Portal Mario 64, a game based on Valve's beloved puzzler, and a version of Mario 64 running in 4K at 60 frames-per-second. The modder is now working on a slew of follow-up hacks inspired by PUBG and Fortnite, the romance simulator Doki Doki Literature Club, and others.

Emanuar has considered modding other games, such as the Sega Dreamcast platformer Sonic Adventure. But he's stuck with Mario 64 because of its divisive controls and physics — which he loves — and the sheer amount of hours he's poured into the game. Emanuar is still a student, but he's spent 10 hours each day, for roughly five years, dissecting Nintendo's seminal platformer. "If I was gonna do that with another game," he said, "I would have to spend at least a year of full-time work before I was anywhere near the level I am with Super Mario 64."

The modder makes some money through YouTube and Twitch. However, it's "an awful wage" for the amount of work he puts into each project. In the end, Emanuar is making mods for the love of it. "I really enjoy it still," he said. Nintendo, of course, will never approve — but for countless fans around the world, ROM hacks like Super Mario 64: Ocarina of Time are a beautiful love letter to some of their favorite worlds and characters.

Source: Engadget

(images via YouTube)

[themadandthemaverick]

Royal Renegades Dramatic OTP Asks: 1-16

Extra-Dramatic OTP Asks: Send me a ship and number and I’ll tell you…

1. Who would sell their soul to the devil to save the other. - Either one likely would, but Erissel would do so without trying to think of a better solution. She’d be terrified to lose someone else she loved so her brain would be set to one thing: do anything you must to get them back. Whatever she had to give up, whatever she had to do, she’d do it without hesitation.

2. Who would become a stalker, in the right (wrong) situation. - If situations went sideways, I feel like Damien would come off as more of a stalker because of his posessive Fae nature. In his eyes, he likely doesn’t see anything wrong with it.

3. Who would pine away in silence their entire lives without confessing their love. - Erissel, without a doubt. Damien’s much too confident in himself, his charm, and his abilities to leave his affections unspoken. Erissel, on the other hand, doubts herself way too often. She would likely debate expressing her feelings for ages, worrying how he would react and if he would feel the same. In the end, she would stress too much until she fought through her fears.

4. Who would leave their friends, family, and life to move overseas to be with the other one. - I feel like Damien is more likely to do this. He already doesn’t have a great relationship with his family, so he’d probably be willing to part with them for Erissel’s sake. (I’m not entirely sure about if he’d completely part with his friends/life, but I feel as though it’s possible.)

5. Who would be the most worried the other might cheat on them. - Erissel would worry more than Damien. They both trust each other to an astounding extent, but Erissel doubts herself too much. She has lost so much pride in herself and she constantly finds herself comparing her person to that of other women. She notices details that make her extremely different in ways that she didn’t care about before. She just worries that she isn’t good enough some days.

6. Who would run into a burning building to save a stranger while the other calls 911. - Erissel would be the one running into the building while Damien simultaneously tries to hold her back and call 911. Erissel is all blind courage and moral duty while Damien is the more level-headed of the two. He would want to keep her from hurting herself and he would try to think of a much safer, smarter solution.

7. Who would haunt the other after death and chase away other suitors. - Honestly, I could see this going either way. I find the sight of either one of them doing this to be hilarious. They’re both pretty possessive of each other, but they most likely wouldn’t cause grief for the other intentionally. 

8. Who would stand up at the other’s wedding and say they object.- I could see Damien this, for sure. No cares for what anyone else thinks, no fear, nothing on his mind but Erissel. He would do almost anything to show her that he loved her, even do something considered taboo. 

9. Who would write long, beautiful poems for the other. - They both would, no question, but Erissel would do it more often. Damien would have more of a natural talent for poetry, but Erissel would find such enjoyment in writing poems for him and showing him how much her writing has improved. I can see her going to great lengths to make sure everything was perfect, even placing the poems in his coat pocket or at his desk. She’d want to impress and suprise him as much as possible.

10. Who would love the other no matter how evil the other became. - While I can’t see either of them becoming inherently evil, I’d have to go with Erissel. She loves blindly, wholly, and without much consideration for anything else. She’s feircely protective of those she holds close to her heart, and no matter what they do, she will stick by them. I don’t think she’d ever lose faith in Damien.

11. Who would be the most likely to become an addict (gambling/drugs/etc.). - I don’t know if either would become particularly addicted to anything. Technically, both of them smoke (one cigarettes and the other a pipe) and drink on occasion, but they don’t really have addictive personalities. They’re both more than capable of throwing out bad habits.

12. Who would propose in a grand gesture of some kind. - Huh, let me thin–DAMIEN. If Erissel would let him, he’d make his proposal something huge, over-the-top, and expensive as all hell. He spoils Erissel, even though she tells him not to. He doesn’t care about cost or the public view; if it’s good for Erissel, then that’s what he’s going to do.

13. Who would go berserk at harm or death befalling the other. - Either one of them would lose their minds if the other died. Sure, if one of them got hurt, you can bet that whoever hurt them will hurt far worse. But if one of them got killed? That person isn’t going to be around for much longer. Damien would cause Mother Nature to do a backflip as it turned on the one who harmed his elfling. Erissel would cut down, burn, and shred whatever stood in her way. Either one would be nigh unstoppable. 

14. Who would spend too much money on expensive gifts for the other. - D-A-M-I-E-N. This isn’t even a question. As I said in #12, Damien doesn’t care one flip for cost when it comes to Erissel. If he thinks she will enjoy it, then there’s no more consideration involved. She might chastise him for spending too much on her, but she adores the fact that he cares so much for her. 

15. Who would fight an impossible battle to give the other time to escape. - Either one of them would. Damien would probably be the only one of the two who would be able to convince the other to leave them, but I had a heartbreaking vision of Erissel, battered and bloody, forcing herself to stay on her feet and keep swinging her sword to keep her enemy at bay. Then, she feels her last thread of strength give out and she thinks to herself, ‘I kept my vow. I protected him until my last breath.’

16. Who would be able to spend centuries in misery waiting for the other to be reborn. - It’s very possible that both of them would. Both are old beings, so they have experience with patience, but that doesn’t make it any easier. The emotional stress would be murder on either one of them.

[ryukogo]

flame

Summary: Jenny remembers a different Lola. One that was a brat. This Lola, she recognizes, has grown into someone else.

Prompt: Growth - Growth can encompass a wide variety of new changes, both metaphorical and literal. On the literal end: there’s something special about the first tulips that pop out of the ground in the spring. Some of us care and are quick to point it out excitedly, and some of us really couldn’t care less. Which one is whom? Has your muse literally grown and can’t fit in last year’s warm weather clothing? On the metaphorical end: character development, character development, character development. Anything and everything, give me all you’ve got. Maybe your muse is getting past a bad breakup, or an addiction? Are they trying to better themselves, like an internal spring cleaning? How about learning a new skill?

Words: 1,389

Link is in the title if you wish to read it on AO3!

Their homework for the day in English class was to use something to describe their best friend and compare them to their own description of themselves – an example given in class being Pip’s generous usage of ‘angel’ to describe Damien, who had choked on his own saliva at his words because Pip had just used ‘angel’ to describe the ‘Antichrist’; a strangely ironic description, give or take, but he had seemed so adamant on using it, and when he was asked why, he had actually listed good reasons – good reasons that had sent Damien spiraling down his seat hoping to melt into a puddle.

The breeze picked up, and Jenny Simon took a moment, tucking her hair behind her ears as the wind whistled all around her. The grass ruffled almost noiselessly, the leaves in the trees all around ruffling and shifting against each other to make a sort of natural symphony along with the occasional birdsong – one that made Jenny want to sleep, but she didn’t dare sleep, no. It’s her only unfinished homework for the day, and more than anything she wanted it over with in order to continue reading her favorite book before bed.

At the top of the paper, there were only a few sentences.

My best friend is Lola Branwen. We’ve been best friends since first grade, so, if I were to describe Lola using objects or concepts, I’d use

It stopped after ‘use’.

Jenny frowned, and inhaled deeply again. She didn’t know how to describe Lola anymore, because Lola’s… Lola’s different now, she realized then and there, and for a moment, she closes her eyes, and remembers.

She remembers Lola, in the fourth grade.

Fourth grade Lola was a brat, that much was certain, but then again, nearly all of them were brats in fourth grade – Eric Cartman notwithstanding. Fourth grade Lola used to be in love with the emotional, angst-ridden writers and singers, drowning in songs of heart-wrenching pain and grief, in novels of emotional turmoil.

Jenny remembers sitting on Lola’s bed, listening to her ramble about the latest young adult writer, and while she had wanted dearly with all her heart for Lola to stop talking about them, she couldn’t find it in her to tell her to stop. Lola’s eyes had been alight with a passion, a strange, flickering flame in her that had made Jenny stop and stare, transfixed by the light in her brown eyes.

It had left a strange feeling in her insides, back then.

“Go, go, South Park Cows! South Park Cows, South Park Cows!”

Jenny opened her eyes again.

In her cheerleading uniform, Lola practiced her routines with Annie, her partner, a little far away from where Jenny was sitting, but not far enough that she couldn’t see them clearly, and together the two performed the partner routines in sync, since the rest of the team weren’t around for them to perform the group routines. Jenny noted the way Lola’s movements seemed to be the opposite of her usual, being quick and sprightly now compared to her usually sluggish movements when not practicing cheerleading, and with a frown, she observed.

“And a lift-!” Annie stretched out her pompoms and one of her legs as Lola lifted her nearly effortlessly, and Jenny fought back the urge to cheer for her best friend as Annie did a front flip off of Lola’s hands to perform a cartwheel and then a split. With the routine over, Annie cheered, and threw her arms around Lola, saying, “That was great, Lola! We should totally show the others!”

Lola smiled softly, and Jenny’s stomach wrenched, strangely enough. “Maybe next practice, Annie. I’m feeling pretty tired, and Jenny’s still waiting for me, you know?”

“Oh?” Annie looked up and around until her eyes fell on Jenny, leaning against a tree, and Jenny suddenly felt like she was being scrutinized on the spot, sweating a little, until Annie grinned and winked at Jenny. “Oh, okay, okay, gotcha! I’ll just head on home then, okay? See you tomorrow Lola, see you tomorrow, Jenny!” The last part had been screamed over a distance of a thirty meters, and with a wave, Annie darted off in the direction of her house, leaving Lola to slug her way over to where Jenny had been waiting.

“Hey.”

“Hey,” Jenny answered. Lola’s demeanor had immediately reverted back into her usual – morose and sleepy, judging from the way she stretched.

Eleventh grade Lola was very much unlike fourth grade Lola, finding solace in the quiet, nature themed poetry she found in the darker and dustier libraries of the neighboring towns rather than the emotional anguish of the likes of young adult writers like she had, years ago. This Jenny knew very well, having grown up with her and everyone else in the town – save for the likes of Estella and Charlotte, and Gary and Damien, maybe. They were outliers.

Lola flashed her sleepy smile at Jenny, one that sent Jenny’s stomach on vacation to Orlando for a few weeks. “I hope I didn’t keep you waiting long.”

“You were doing backflips with Annie, of course I was waiting long!” Jenny harrumphed in an attempt to hide the fact that her best friend’s smile made her want to fly upwards and never return. “And to top it all off, I still haven’t finished my homework!”

Lola took a glance at Jenny’s homework, still mostly empty, and with a laugh and a twinkle in her eye, she replied, “That’s okay. You can finish it tonight, right?”

“Yeah, but…” Jenny pouted. “I still have a book to read.”

Lola considered this for a few minutes, but soon she just smiled, holding out a hand to Jenny to help her up. “You could stay up late to read.”

“Scandalous; I’d be losing beauty sleep,” Jenny teased as she stood up, gathering her things. “Oh, the things you imply, Lo.”

It was then that Lola’s eyes suddenly blazed brightly – something that startled Jenny into remembering fourth grade Lola, with her passionate eyes and burning fire. “You don’t need it.”

“Wh-wha-“

“You don’t need any more beauty sleep,” Lola told her in a determined tone, her sleepy demeanor falling away for that moment to make way for her fiery gaze as she gripped Jenny’s shoulders. “You look beautiful already, okay? You don’t need any more beauty sleep.”

Jenny stammered wordlessly before turning bright red, a flame burning at the pit of her stomach. “I-I- um- that is- o-okay?”

“Good,” The fire died away, and soon Lola was back to her sleepy self, yawning as she stretched. “Geez, I’m tired. Let’s go home now, ‘kay?”

“’K-kay,” Jenny stuttered, and with a sleepy smile, Lola took her hand in hers, and together they walked down the street, hand in hand.

Mental note: fire. Fire best describes Lola.

-=-=-=-

My best friend is Lola Branwen. We’ve been best friends since first grade, so, if I were to describe Lola using objects or concepts, I’d use fire.

She’s like all sorts of fire. Sometimes she’s a candle’s flame, soft and small, but sometimes, when she really likes something, she gets this look in her eye. It’s like someone set a bonfire in her eyes because when she gets that look in her eye, she’s unstoppable, like wildfire. She surprises everyone when she blazes through, which doesn’t happen very often, but when it does, she’s bright and fiery and beautiful.

My best friend is sleepy nearly all the time, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t a fire. Dying embers don’t die out immediately – if you fan the flames, you can get another fire going. That’s my best friend Lola. She used to be a bright fire all the time, and she still is, but now she knows better – she knows to keep it low until needed. She knows that a fiery passion is important, but only in the right places.

I wish I could say I was a fire, but I’m more of a rock. Stubborn and unyielding. I guess you could say sometimes I refuse to change. But Lola? She changed. She grew up into this fire that even I can’t control myself, but she can control herself, and that’s what makes us so different. In a way, she grew up, and I didn’t.

Maybe I should grow up, too.