#like i remembered GameStop being such a cool store when i went in to buy a game now it's boring in most of them

[junespriince]

I miss the charm and whimsies places used to have before capitalism destroyed it all, monochrome and the sleekness is boring, it's forgettable, can we just stop making boring building and decor choices and live a little again?

[kaguraspetsims]

Just a lil life update

OK SO

I’m so very stressed. I haven’t been able to talk to my therapist since Mr. Key passed bc I haven’t been able to afford an appointment. I keep having to reschedule in the hopes that I’ll have money the next week, and I never do.

im looking for a new job atm. the one i have rn has me working 4 hours a week. my paycheck on friday was like $70 and my rent is $420 every month. Like, I had to sell my most expensive pokemon card from my collection today (one that I pulled years and years ago). It sounds stupid, but that kills me inside. (The good news is it went to sissy, who has told me I can buy it back from her when money isn’t so much of an issue lol.)

I’m in line to work a new job, but the system they use to hiring is new to them and they’re having issues. They’ve told me I’d get a minimum of 20 hours a week, which is so much better than where I am now, but I need to start there first.

to top it off, the person i was originally going to move in with last year? tried to reconnect with me. i thought we had. we spoke on the phone for an hour. i told her about everything that had happened, and that i was broke af bc of how that hardware store company treated me when i had covid.

Actually, you know what? Fuck it. It was Lowe’s. Don’t go to Lowe’s. Lowe’s not only has several OSHA complaints across the country, but they fucked me right over. The store I was at tried to hide a miniature outbreak. Wouldn’t even tell fellow employees why people came to the store after close in hazmat suits. They hid an OSHA letter from their employees. Refused to even attempt a deep clean bc I was emailed my COVID results. DIDN’T do any cleaning till 3 weeks after I showed symptoms. Don’t give them your money if you can help it. Don’t go to their stores so you can stay safe.

ANYWAY, continuing on. Person I was moving in with was my old boss at GameStop. Turns out she’s not doing too hot either financially. I thought I had made it pretty clear I was broke. She told me she missed me, loved me, etc.

I thought we were cool.

The next day she texts me asking me to help her pay her water bill. I didn’t respond. I didn’t respond bc my brain immediately thought all that sweet talk the day prior was fake. My trust issues have skyrocketed since I caught COVID, bc my dad was actively harassing me, my employer was trying to fuck me over, and my brother made it clear that he thinks me standing up for myself is “being a bitch.” I put my phone down and left it.

Next day she texted me again asking for a ride to get her meds bc her car wasn’t working. I didn’t respond. That same day she sends me a text about how she’s in desperate need of her meds and she needs a ride. I still don’t respond.

Several days go by and each day she tries to text me or call me. As of today I’ve gone about 4 days without contact from her.

It’s just been stressful. I have a feeling she remembers me being very giving and willing to help her. I have this sinking feeling in my stomach that the day we talked on the phone was just an attempt at manipulating me. I don’t think she realized how paranoid and untrusting 2020 made me.

But yeah, that’s been the last week or so. I miss my dog dearly and I can’t get comfort from him bc that would mean being near my dad and brother, so I have to settle with hoping my mom remembering to send me pictures of him :’D

[prorevenge]

It's the Little Things

I'm not exactly sure if this is "Pro Revenge," but here's a story for you all.

Which is why when I would see customers treat them like crap it would really upset me.

I can't remember exactly when in my tenure of being a regular part-time/seasonal worker this particular incident happened, but I do know it was at a time when I was working a shift with my manager and two other full time workers meaning that I was the only male employee working that day. I was restocking/reorganizing the shelves when I overheard a typical kind of incident; a group of boys (I think there were four of them, maybe around 12-13 years old) were trying to buy an "M" rated game (I think it was some form of Grand Theft Auto), which one of the full-timers and the manager politely explained that they were not allowed to sell mature rated games without seeing a valid state issued ID that proved the buyer was over 17 years of age. Despite the pleading and the "come on, be cool" remarks, my co-workers stood their ground and refused the sale. The boys eventually relented, but they didn't actually leave the store. Instead, they started having a loud conversation among themselves calling my co-workers "bitches and cunts" among other horrible things.

Now, I was a teenage boy once, and I was aware of what they were doing. They were doing that thing where they would try to one-up each other on "how badass" they could be by using "the naughty words." I didn't like it when I was a kid, and I certainly wasn't enjoying this display now.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of customer service and the fact they were minors, there wasn't anything the manager or my co-workers could do without potentially causing a huge problem. The manager and co-workers eventually got so upset that they ended up taking their breaks early, which was fine with me since I had worked there long enough that I could run a register and mind the store. The boys continued to taunt them with remarks and lewd gestures as they left the store and high-fiving each other on a job well done. By that point, I could feel my face becoming red with anger.

And then, a woman came into the store, and she turned out to be the mom of one of the kids. I felt myself get a Grinch-like smile. I approached the mother and engaged in some polite introductory pleasantries; she turned out to be really nice.

"I'm sorry to bring this to your attention, but did you know that your son and his friends tried to buy an "M" rated game?"

The boys immediately stopped talking to each other.

"No, I didn't." The mom looked at one of the boys with a disapproving look. "You know you're not supposed to play those games. We are going to have a long talk about this when we get home."

"I'm afraid that's not all," I said. I saw the boys' eyes get wide as they realized what was about to happen. I then laid out in excruciating detail every vile thing that they said, every horrible name they called my co-workers (no censoring), and how they congratulated each other after they left for an impromptu break. The longer I went on, the more visibly angry the mother got, which made the boys more visibly tense.

"I am very sorry that my son and his friends acted that way," said the mother in clipped words. She then turned to the boys and started laying into them.

She. Was. Furious.

She ordered all of them to follow her to the parking lot and they were all leaving; in addition, she was going to have to talk to all of their parents about this disgusting behavior while loudly proclaiming to her son he was grounded for the foreseeable future. None of the boys said a word as she berated them out of sight and then a minute later out of earshot.

About 30 minutes later, my co-workers came back and were delighted that the boys had left, and missed seeing or hearing the mother yelling at the group. I told them that the boys left, but my manager (who had known me for a couple of years) could tell I was being coy about the situation. I assured her that I did nothing against company policy, but that those boys would not be back for a long time. She seemed to accept that answer and we went on with our workday. I didn't want to parade around the situation as a "look what I did for you" sort of thing because I was sure that any one of them would've done the same thing I did if they happened to be around.

I never did see any of those boys come back to the store again. It's the little things, you know?

(source) story by (/u/Gyrick)

[excusemewhileiplaykh]

What This Series Means to Me: #ThankYouKingdomHearts

I used to go to a public school right next to my apartment building when I was growing up. Unfortunately, in the 3rd grade,  my mom decided to take me out of there and put me in a private school. A Catholic private school.

I was not happy.

I didn’t want to wear the dumb private school uniform. I didn’t want to go to church. I didn’t want to deal with the strict rules and the praying and all the other stuff that was “not cool” about Catholic school.

I started the 4th grade at my new school and made friends with a girl who I actually knew from elementary school. One day, she brought her KH 1 and 2 copies to school and showed me at lunch. The box art… the instruction manual… Everything was so cool and colorful. I fell in love with it. I especially remember thinking how cool Riku looked, in all his chartreuse yellow wonder.

I went home that day and looked up more stuff on the series and really got into the lore. And by that I mean I spent disgusting amounts of time every day going on kh-vids.net.

I really wanted to buy KH 1 so I can start playing the series with the first game. I wasn’t even sure how much the game was gonna cost me, but I figured it wouldn’t be more than 15 bucks (keep in mind I was in the 4th grade so that was a lot of money to me back then lol). I didn’t bother to look up the price online. Somehow I just knew that price was right. Eventually, I scraped together the money and I was so excited to finally get to buy Kingdom Hearts so I could play it for myself and not live vicariously through kh-vids.net. There was a video game store a block away from my school (my neighborhood didn’t have a Gamestop yet) and I asked my mom if we could go there after school. I asked the guy that works there if he had Kingdom Hearts, but told me he only had 2 and one copy of it at that. I asked him how much and it was exactly 15 dollars, the exact amount I had and the exact amount I had randomly guessed the game would cost.

I was kinda bummed they didn’t have KH 1, but honestly, at that age, KH 1 probably would have been too hard for me and I would have abandoned the series after that bad experience.

So it was like everything in the universe lined up just right for me to get into the series. I guessed the exact price the game would cost me. I bought 2 instead of 1, ensuring I would fall in love with the series. Hell, if I hadn’t gone to private school I never would have gotten into the series cuz I wouldn’t have befriended that girl! We were always in different classes in my public school. I guess it was meant to be.

I went home that day and rapidly did my homework so I could play it. The rest is history. I spent the entirety of that school year playing and beating and replaying that game over and over.

Unfortunately, I lost my original copy of 2 and subsequently lost my favorite game around the time I was in the 5th grade. My discovery and detachment from the series were also at the advent of extreme family issues (which I don’t want to get into).

However, 2 years later, Days came out. I was lucky enough to have a DS at that point so I could play it. My mom bought me a copy about a month after it’s release. Just like 2, I played it over and over again non-stop.  I was kinda mad at the Xion twist at first and thought it was “dumb”. So much so I stopped playing the game for a good 2 weeks. I was so shocked when I saw Sora’s face on Xion that I immediately closed my DS and went to bed in anger. I got over it though. I can still remember beating it while I was sitting on my grandma’s bed. I watched the final cutscene as we were leaving her house that night.

BBS was announced. And I was pissed.

Like most people, we expected KH3, not another “spin-off”. I swore off the series and I said I wouldn’t be buying anymore KH games. Since I wasn’t going to buy that game, I decided to spoil myself. I knew about the x-blade and how Vanitas looked way before the game released in the US. I rolled my eyes at Vanitas looking at Sora and criticized Ventus being a carbon copy of Roxas. I thought to myself, “Wow, this game is gonna be so fucking stupid.”

I was watching abc family one day and commercials were rolling out and one of them was none other than an ad for BBS.

...

As soon as the commercial was over I walked into my parent’s room and told them I wanted a psp for Christmas.

Oh and by the way, Birth by Sleep is my favorite KH game now.

The family issue that began while I was still playing 2 intensified during this time. I used BBS to escape. I felt bad for Ven, Aqua, Terra, and Vanitas who were being swept up in the mistakes of others. I could relate.

It’s 2010, I found out Coded, the elusive phone game, was finally coming to the US in 2011. I was excited. I sold Dissidia and Saints Row 2 so I could buy it. Me and my mom hopped the bus to go to gamestop so I could get it because we didn’t have enough money for bus fare. Needless to say, we were in a bad place, but Kingdom Hearts was there to comfort me. I sacrificed a lot for Re:Coded so even though it was bad, I still remember it fondly.

It’s 2012. The Dream Drop Distance demo drops (no pun intended). I was absolutely in love. I was still going through intense hardship because of family issues and I was given another way to escape. Watching Riku face his demons and finally conquer the darkness that was holding him back inspired me. I thought to myself: “Maybe someday I could do the same”. I always loved Riku, but that game really made him a role model for me. I wanted to grow past the circumstances others had put me in too and start to become my own person, a person who was more confident and positive. I played through it twice back to back.

In 2012, I also started high school. Again because of family stuff, I was going through a really hard time and wasn’t immediately making friends at school. I eventually did, but those friends didn’t like video games. I still remembered Kingdom Hearts though.

In 2013, I started my blog and I immediately knew it needed a KH related name. I’ve had the same url since I started. I don’t plan to ever abandon this blog or diverge it from it’s Kingdom Hearts focus. Although my friends weren’t into Kingdom Hearts, I had all of you to talk to about it. Thanks for keeping my interest in the series alive and thanks for all the laughs throughout the years. I really mean that.

In 2013, the promise at the end of Dream Drop Distance seemed like it was about to be fulfilled. Kingdom Hearts 3 was announced to be in development. I remember being in my living room and then going to my room so I could freak out alone. I jumped and scream. I was so excited. I thought I would be playing this game by the end of high school for sure (I am now a Junior in college…)

I didn’t have ps3 at the time the remixes were coming out so I missed out on them initially. Again because of my never-ending family issues, I also lost my 3ds, psp, etc. so I couldn’t play any of my KH games. I was so starved to play one of those games again. My blog kept me connected to Kingdom Hearts during that time though and somewhat slated my desires.

I went over to one of my friend’s houses and she had a ps3 in her room. She said it used to be her brother’s but once he got his ps4, he gave it to her so she could watch Netflix. The ps3 had a Kingdom Hearts wallpaper on it and I thought it was really cool that her brother was into KH like me. I wanted to befriend him so eventually, I did. I started to talk to him in 2014 and we really got along (besides liking KH, we had the same sense of humor, views on life, politics, etc.)

It was 2015, and I had fallen in love with someone and it was all because the fates aligned on that September day in 2007 and I was able to buy the only copy of KH 2 in my local game store and because I managed to guess the exact price of the game. We’re still together today and everyday I feel more and more alive. I can actually say that Kingdom Hearts is one of the main reasons I found love.

Not only did it find me my soulmate, but it also kept me alive and hopeful when I most wanted to die. I always remembered the kind messages the series instills in its players. Small little takeaways and sayings like “There’s a light that never goes out!” or “My friends are my power! And I’m theirs!” or “Come Riku! You’ve been hanging around in the darkness too long! You gotta think positive!”

The series has always been there in some form to bring me happiness and that’s why I can never let it go.

Listen, I’m the first person to admit this series is a trash fire (my blog title is “Mickey Mouse Bullshit”). I will always view the series as a sanctuary (no pun intended), no matter what. As a beacon of hope. Sora’s incessant optimism found some way to infect me. Like Riku, I have become “Sora-esque”. I honestly believe I am the person I am today because of this series and moreover because of its characters who always fight no matter how dark it gets. I am still here because of this series.

So no matter how bad the plot gets or how dumb the time travel shit becomes or how bad the ship wars get or how elitist people are about KH2FM (which is overrated!) or all the “spin-offs” we get or the weird dialogue or all the Xehanorts and all the Soras, etc., etc.,  I will always love this series and support it.

I love Kingdom Hearts. I love Kingdom Hearts because over the years it has shown me how to love and has always loved me.

Thank you, Kingdom Hearts and thank you to this community.

[queencryo]

Journal 3

now with readmore

Journal 3

So! After typing up the last blog post, it was like… 6 am, or some shit like that. And so I finally went to sleep, very very very tired.

Silly and I had planned for me to have the buffalo chicken dip ready before she got home form work, but I… fucked that up, and slept until like 630 pm. She didn’t seem to be upset by it, but I kind of was so. Anyway!

I started on the dip, and she came home, I welcomed her (I love welcoming her home. It makes me look forward to being here long-term). Dip didn’t get started in the crockpot until like 730, 8 (I had to heat freezer chicken so it was cuttable and not frozen, I used the stove) (normally I use regular raw chicken, but I got nervous while shopping with silly’s mom so I like. Just got freezer chicken.) It turned out pretty well actually! The freezer chicken tasted very good on its own, and I’m just now realizing that after a couple days in the fridge the chicken starts breaking down in the dip anyway (I didn’t realize this until silly pointed it out, cuz I’m a [not stupid, but I don’t pay very much attention to things around me])

On that note, me and silly have started, like. Trying to be mean to ourselves less. It started cuz she. Is very mean to herself, but I then realized I still am too, so we’re! trying to do that less. It’s neat I guess. I like it. Kindness is good.

Don’t remember what was eaten for dinner that night. Something? Went upstairs to watch something while the dip cooked.

The dip was good! Silly says it was good, and that makes me very very happy. I added like. A good amount of buffalo sauce after it was done cooking, cuz it still needed some more kick. Ya know? Some  kick? (I’m typing this on my laptop so I’m like. Kind of zoning out while I’m typing it. Dw about it)

Around then I realized that silly might have problems eating that as a meal bc chips are carbs are sugar, so… bleh. Still, *I’ll* eat it as meals, nyeh. I think I’ll ocntinue using raw chicken for the dip at home, it’s nice to have the leftovers from it to put into spaghetti. Chicken spaghetti.

That night I resolved to just not sleep and stay up and eat breakfast with silly before she went to work, because that seemed very fun and nice ya know? Watched a lot of adventure time, I think I’m up to like. Season 5 now (the long one)

But… around an hour before she was scheduled to wake p I was like “oh well I mean it’ll be fine if I just… sleep for an hour and wake up with her…”

Long story short I slept until about 530 pm, and was startled to wake to an empty bed. Apparently I sleepily said I loved her before she left, though, so I guess that’s not a total loss.

So! Later that night, silly comes home all excited, and like. “Hey we should buy an xbox one”

And you know I am nothing if not someone who is willing to make very expensive decisions for like no reason. So long story short we go to gamestop, and make a delightful purchase of Halo: master chief collection, two controllers, Mass Effect: Andromeda, and NO t-shirts that say gamer girl >>>:(

Ate a place in town that is apparently The Local Wing Place. I got. Mild wings, which honestly were barely even hot. I guess I shoulda heeded the menu bit that said the mild was mostly butter. A fool am I. The fried pickles were spears not slices so they were like! Still good, EXTREMELY hot but still good.

Came home, set up the xbox. Halo requires downloading of all the games (because of course). It’s like. 70 GB, but we reduce this by setting Halo 3 to higher priority and disabling Halo 4.

Playing 3 with silly was very fun. She’s way way better at it than me, mostly bc she is smart and stays back whereas I, dumbo raised on normal difficulty that I am, rush in and die quickly in heroic.

She spent like. An hour and a half or something updating her old xbox account. Her new xbox avatar looks way better, and is extremely cool (like her). She says it feels really nice updating all of that to her new self. I can understand the feeling: ridding the wolrd of another footprint of a you that’s a lie is. Very nice, I think.

So we played more halo! No highlights, I think, but it was really nice. And fun. I’m a girl and I’m gay now and I love jesus, but I still love halo C:

I ALSO brought fable 2 along, and played it while silly slept. Gotdamn I fucking love fable 2. Silly says I’m cute when I’m really excited about something. I was REALLY excited about fable 2. I think this is the first time I’ve ever done a run that’s (hopefully) gonna be mostly strength, and possibly I’m gonna use a hammer, where before I always ALWAYS used a katana. But. I just unlocked third level shock (oo) and a very pretty steel cleaver (ooo), so… ….. hopin’ I’ll be a good bastard.

Next day. Went with silly to work, as it was Friday and Time For The Magic Commander (Commeownder, in the local parlance). I only played commander a little bit, though, before silly called me over “hey do you wanna join the draft so that there are 5 rounds and everyone suffers” (my words not hers), and of course yes, that sounds so fun.

So! What draft is is each table (of I think eight people?) opens a pack of cards for each person there. You pick out the card you want from that pack, and pass it on to the next person. Then pick a card from the new pack, then the next, then so on and on. It was very fun, and I fell kinda quickly into running a Golgari (green and black) deck, which went well for me I think? (Also I just. Like golgari. They’re cool, and not annoying like blue). I had a lot of undergrowth effects, which depended on how many creatures I had in my graveyard. MEANING, that I had a lot of creatures in my deck, and enough land to keep them flowing. So, at one point, I had a, I think, 13/13 or 16/16 (idr) Rhizome lurker (gains +1/1 for each creature in graveyard), so that was… cool? Neat?

I won my first match of the draft, largely due to my opponent offering me a lot of tips cuz I was new (the boyfriend (boyfriend, right? They’re not married?) of the person silly had an encounter with a couple months ago. I think that was before we were dating. But that guy was my first opponent, and it went well?) largely due to his help, I won te first game of the match, then the second game timed out.

Second match was against F, who everyone silly knows apparently has a crush on (I also have a crush on them (they/them)), they were very very sweet and I enjoyed my game with them a lot even though they kicked the love of god out of my ass. But they also like. Told jokes during it, so whatevs. (turns out a deck of flyers will kick a goglari deck with no reach/flying in the ass.) they also helped me edit my deck, so that was very very kind of them, and I very much appreciate it.

Uh… other highlights… uh, I played silly’s ex (they dated for like. I think a month? But still. He’s not nearly as big as silly described him), and apparently hurt his feelings because I am a. very very mean and abrasive person if you take the things I say seriously. I. feel bad about that. And I spent the rest of the night noting to please not take the things I said seriously. I ended the night with 1 win, 1 draw, 3 losses, but that’s? very very much better than I expected, tbh. I guess using a deck I actually had a hand in the creation of helps a lottttt. So that’s cool! Silly said my deck was good, but that as after F edited it, so idk if it counts?

Silly says she’s glad I actually enjoy magic and I’m not just humoring her. I do very much enjoy it! I don’t think I want to get to the level she is at (due to cost, if nothing else), it at the very least will be added to my long list of “things I have or had an interest in, that I have a dabbling or casual knowledge of that is beyond the average person by a degree ranging from slight to significant, but still pales in comparison to the knowledge of an actual practitioner”.  … this list is much much longer than the list of things I actually know things about. ;;

Spent like 30 minutes after the draft talking with silly and two regulars. I was annoying and unkind, and felt very unhappy with myself following. I also had to actually leave the store after it closed, since that’s like. The Rules. Silence and isolation (waiting in the car) are not conducive to recovery from self hatred, so that festered a little bit. I was fine eventually, though. Uh… yeah! Had to make a mark in my calendar.

Tried to stay up and play fable, but ended up falling asleep like 10 minutes after silly (I am a fucking scourge and I fail regularly to sleep at the same time as her. I am a Night Bitch)

Oh, also I was unmedicated for the entirety of the draft night, so that’de, like… that’s why I was so fucking annoying all day. That just kinda happens when I’m off it long enough, I guess.

I don’t remember more from that night, so let’s move on.

Got up w silly the next day, ate cereal, went up to the store. Woo!

Sat down with silly’s ex, some other dude. Started reading the book gf gave me about Learning Magic Good And Shit, it was actually real neat and cool! Apparently that’s what he wanted for Christmas, so it was. Slightly awkward!

I read that for a while, then joined in on a magic game. Players: one of the regulars talked to last night before closing, some girl I’d never seen called E (who was very sweet, I now love her), and some dude I don’t remember at all.

We had two games, I only remember that in the second one I ran Estrid The Masked as commander, and that was a. Long Fucking Game. Partially because I had like 11 enchantments on the board at one point, and kept using Estrid and Oath Of Terezi (planeswalkers do TWO things on a turn). Uh…

Highlights:

I had “every time someone casts a spell, make them pay an extra mana or else you can draw another card”, which I then doubled with Estrid’s invocation (at least until I had too many cards to know what to do with, so I put some enchantments in the graveyard before I ulted with estrid) I ulted Estrid like 2-3 times, lmao At one point between ults, I had “all enchantments are creatures” on the field, and then E played “destroy all creatures that aren’t pirates”, so I. lost. Uh. All my motherfucking creatures, except Estrid (not a creature), and a God (had a mask). And ALL my fucking enchantments. WARB- anyway next turn I ulted estrid again and got them all back. Lmfao. at the end of the game it cost about 14 mana / creature to attack me, it was AMAZING, the guy who made fucktons of tokens couldn’t TOUCH me so anyway. I used sacred mesa, plus like 48 mana (untapping all my enchanted lands is GREAT) to create 24 pegasi, which then became 24 4/4 flying angels (Divine Visitation), which was GREAT holy DAMN

I lost in the end, got milled by regular dude for like. 55 cards in one turn.

I coulda prevented this by exiling the creatures he used to mill me, but I just… didn’t. Ever. :C because I’m a foollllllll I also could’ve prevented this by swinging angels at him at the same time I killed the other player (E left before then, I guess she had work or something), but I just. Didn’t do that, because I was scared something would happen to them? It was an eminently foolish thing to not do, especially since I could make So Fucking Many angels. Always. Jesus I could make so many angels.

Meanwhile, silly was moving a shitton of boxes for the Big Fuckhuge Sale the next day. I felt bad that I couldn’t help, but I couldn’t bc if I got injured I could sue. Fair, I guess, but doesn’t make it easier to just sit on the sidelines. At least I brought ibuprofen from home.

Said quick goodbye to regulars who were chill, and who I played my first couple of games with.

Silly got told to just. Go home when her shift ended yesterday, which was upsetting bc she’d been looking forward to playing magic like. The whole day. Not quite the same, but we did play a few games when we got home. So that was nice C:

I ate dip for dinner, silly ate chicken buffalo. She is so. SO bad at eating all the meat on the bones. She says it’s cuz gristle is gross, but like .it’s. it’s MEAT. Eat the meat. So I ate all the gristle off the end of her wings while she said I was disgusting.

We finished halo 3 last night. I felt like. Stupid and bad because I was bein a failure at it, but god that was like. Soooo stupid. Lmfao. I shouldn’t have done that!

I finally managed to log in to my Microsoft account. Apparently my fucking username was staffgripper36, and I have no goddamned clue why that is my username for that.

But I made an avatar and she’s like. Cool af and she has a sundress so I guess I can’t really complain too much, can I?

We also started ODST! It is Neat, and I really like it thus far. I can’t remember ever seeing that intro cutscene in my life, but I guess that’s cuz I was an impatient 12 year old at the time, lmfao.

Then I played fable 2 til 7 am while silly slept. I. Don’t know why I fucking did that. I did get married, though. To marion the bookshop owner. We live in the corner house of the bowerstone market, just like the one playthrough of fable wherein I remember the name of my wife to this day (Hannah the Traveller) That house is my Home, you got me?

Finally onto today! 2520 words in. If words were feet, this journal entry would be a half-mile.

Alright… it has now been more than a full week since I started this journal entry. I’m back in Texas, and I… feel bad for that. I fear how much has been lost.

So! Next morning, I get up with silly and we go to The Work Place. The Big Fucking Sale is going on. I still wished I could help more, but unfortunately that is… not a possibility…

Wandered around the store for a while. Picked up: 4000 AD, a very old-looking game that seems neat. Mostly bought it cuz it looked old and aged as shit founders of gloomhaven, a game I got cuz it reminded me of marielda Anime Chess, that’s not the real name but silly said she’d been thinking about buying it for like. A While, so I bought it because I hate her an AD&D character sheets book, that still had some old character sheets in it (fuckin score) some VERY old vampire the masquerade stuff, including what I’m guessing is probably the first book that offered playing a hunter rather than a vampire? Also the sourcebook as of like 1992. More is the same than is different, though I guess that’s also cuz I barely know modern world of darkness

Sat around and read the hunter book for like. Basically a couple hours or something? Idk. Talked a little bit with some of the regulars, T and her boyfriend.

Eventually, left and went to the ice cream store across the street, ate Goat Cheese Ice Cream Oh Boy, and started writing this journal.

I wrote school’s motto on the chalkboard there, and later heard someone say “I… don’t know what that means. Should I know what that means?

Was surprised by the entrance of Silly. Goodness me I love her so much.

We then went home and like. Chilled.

She made alfredo/lentil pasta (so she doesn’t die from carbs) and fish. I, meanwhile, attempted to make raspberry cheesecake.

I got kinda stressed by the cheesecake process, cuz I was trying to multitask but still didn’t feel like I was going fast enough. I started doing that dumb anxiety over-done stuff thing that I do sometimes.

I then proceeded to open a very-fizzed dr pepper and just kinda. Break down a lil bit. I managed to keep it together until I had the cheesecake done, at least, I’m kinda proud of myself for that!

But yeah. Then I started crying or something, I don’t fully remember. I remember I accidentally made silly cry because I am an idiot, and also I was feeling bad because I felt helpless and pathetic, and typical consolation doesn’t really help with that. I’m sorry for that, darlin.

Anyway. She’s a really good fucking cook, like she’s better than my mom and dad both. Like not to be the kinda person who overpraises ther significant, but :eyes: !!! who knew that adding spices and not cooking from a box improved things??? @mom

I don’t really remember the rest of the night, nothing interesting I suppose. We probably played halo odst or something, and cuddled.

The cheesecake was… not to my taste, personally. Silly claims to kinda like it, but personally it fell into the “this isn’t really that good at all, why do I keep wantng to eat it”, probably my favorite part was the pre-baked crust.

Yeah! Stuf like that.

We got up the next morning. Busy day!!! The next 3 days, silly had em off and we were gonna make this day fuckin WORK for us

So we went to like. The nearby game store

There was a cat! And also I bought some magic card boosters. No news. Why the fuck was there a shitton of pathfinder corebooks on the Shelf O’ Unloved Games. Rude.

Had a fun conversation at a pet store

The game store near where silly worked had some things. She got halo 5, meaning she had The Complete Collection, not that it matters cuz everything after reach sucks. But anyway. She also got an application for there! So that’s really good, yay! Woo!

The nearby hobby shop was very neat, it had a shitton of gundam stuff, and like. Model trains! Wow! Apparently model rockets don’t fuckin come with the engine or anything.g that seems a little silly to me. Also they had some 3-d printing stations, but they’re apparently out for now. Idk whassup there.

Got some jingle bells at the nearby craft store, or whatever. Ran into a coworker of silly’s. she revealed that she almost named herself Katherine, and would’ve shortened it to Cat, meaning we fucking skated THIS close to me just absolutely refusing to talk to her in that alternate timeline.

Ate at dairy queen bc I had a gift card

THRIFT STORES

I made some very VERY nice discoveries. Oh HO, how delightful… some nice mugs, that I decided not to get on account of I was already transporting 3 of the things back home. But uhhh…. I got some cute skirts I think, basically just some bottoms, from the first store. Learned that my feet are not made for thrift store women’s heels. Sob.

Thrift shop two I found some very VERY nice things, including BASEBALL MOM SHIRT, and also a shirt for a basketball team for the immaculate conception high school, or some shit. I’m so excited to reveal that one. Also some things that were actually women’s tops, that might actually fit me or some shit (spoiler, they will not once I retry them on) (lol)

I uh… THINK after that we went home? And made tacos!!!!!! Holy shit silly makes such good fucking tacos oh my god. Like. I used to hate taco night at home, cuz that meant like. Dry hamburger meat with Taco Seasoning from HEB, in a hard taco shell.

But. I have discovered the truth of mixing a bit of salsa, corn, and beans into the meat, and getting it all moist, and also applying sour cream to the tacos. God they were so good holy fuck. Holy fuck. What a goddess.

We then proceeded to, I think, finish halo odst. What absolute heroines we are. I think we also watched all of otgw. I gushed about, like. The painfully o bvious metaphors and stuff that I knew about, and silly thought I was dumb I’m sure. But she did cry at the end, bc it’s very good and also because I was crying.

Stayed up later than silly did. Cried a little bit before I went to sleep because I. love her so much. Dear fuck I love her.

Ate breakfast the next morning. Returned from showering to find that silly was shooting me with a nerf gun. The fucker. We had a nerf gun fight and I’m PRETTY sure I got the better of her, because I’m very good and also extremely cool. :3 side note but she’s so amazing and I love her so much. NOT tearing up a little bit about how I am so extremely blessed to have met her. Jesus.

But uh. After that it was time to start packing, kind of. There was a not-small amount of crying. And divvying up of stuff, since I like. Did NOT have space for all of my things. Three piles: taking with me, hopefully to have mailed back to me (seriously, I need some of that stuff please. :C ), and Giving to silly because I love her and I love giving her things.

In that last group was: my first fountain pen (idk if that one or the one leye gave me was the first one I owned. But hey. Meh.) (I’m just gonna pronounce that as Ley-yey for the rest of my life. For anyone who’s not me, though, it’s like lye). She used it to write poetry on the piece of paper I used to demonstrate how to use it, and to get the ink going, and stuff. She then folded it up to look like a heart, because she’s the biggest dork on earth and also my favorite person ever to live. She did this while she was, in her words, “picking stuff out of the downstairs laundry baskets”, which is why I walked in on her doig this. The second time a ploy like this was foiled by my walking downstairs. What a loser. And yes I cried a LOT on reading that poetry, because, just… jesus. How could I not. my tentacle skirt. Please take care of it, it’s important! Hopefully I have found suitable replacements for it… probably some other stuff? I don’t fully remember… sorry….

She gave me the shirt for the now-defunct electric company owned by the Shithead dad of her childhood friend. Holy FUCK the perfect gift for me. Wow. I love artifacts!!! (we are both magpies lmao)

Never did find that pair of compression shorts she gave me last time I was down. I hope those turn up sometime, they were super handy.

Uh… so yeah. We packed up. Got most of my stuff sorted out, and figured out an outfit for the next day. I think here was where we watched otgw, actually. But yeah! Uh…

I don’t really remember much more, except hugging each other and crying. And remembering that soon I would be apart from her and feeling a deep, yawning sense of loss. And a longing to graduate so I can join her up north.

I tried to go to sleep with her, but I failed. I ended up closing my eyes for a little while, then stealing the 8.5x11 boarding pass I printed and gave to her (we each got one of the boarding passes, and one of the like. Ticket printed things? Of when I went up there. Even), and wrote her a letter on it with my/her fountain pen. I don’t remember much of what it said, beyond that I loved her in a way I never thought possible.

Went to the airport. Cried a little bit on the way there. Focused more on keeping intact for both of our sakes, since we were going on the Frightening route to the airport. I started to break down as I started getting close, thugh. Cried into her arms a little more as I got out of the car and left her behind for another few months. God,  Ihate it so much.

Writing these journals this far after the fact is bad both because I don’t remember as much, and also because I start missing her all over again. :C:C:C:C:C

But uh… yeah,  Ithink that’s it. Became emotionally dead as I went through the airport. Had to rush to make my first flight. Cuz… wanted to spend as much time as possible with my beautiful girlfriend before we had to go to the accursed birds’ nest. The TSA saw me as a girl. That was cool, but then they patted me down real fuckin thoroughly. Ate a biscuit after getting through. Basically slept through the rest of the thing.

Only started crying again once I got home.

Alright. We’re done here I think. I know I forgot a lot and that *hurts* me, but it’ll be alright. Honk.

These journals will likely get less detailed as time goes on. But as their number is yet small I think it’s okay.

[victoriazanaademi]

My extensive collection of Funko Pops. We have in order Sam, Dean, Jotun Loki (He glows in the dark), Eleventh Doctor , 80s Voltron, Newt Scamander, Percival Graves, Chat Noir and Plagg and my recent additions Izuku Midoriya and Shouto Todoroki. I feel like the collection will only grow. Now each of my Funko Pops have a story behind them so under hte read more is the stories behind each Funko Pop.

Sam and Dean WInchester: Now these two are the ones that started my Funko Pop collection. I ordered them both from a catalouge of a very awesoem Swedish book store called Science-Fiction Bokhandeln (The Science-Fiction Bookstore) which is Nerd Nirvana. I couldn’t just choose which one to pick so I chose both brothers instead.

Jotun Loki: I found Jotun Loki at GameStop. The GameStop I was in has this huge section full of Funko Pops and turth to be told I wasn’t actually plannign to buy more Funko Pops after Sam and Dean but that went completely out of the window when I saw Loki. He glows in the dark so when I have the lights on in my room he kinda charges under the light nad he faintly glows when I am in bed. Oh yeah and he is also a bobblehead.

Star-Lord: Ok so Star-Lord I found when I went to my very first convention back in 2014. The Con being Stockholm Comic-Con. One of the booths had literally like three or four shelves of Funko Pops which all were sorted after move and/or tv-series so it was easier to find the Pop you wnated and seeing as Guardians of The Galaxy just had become my new favorite movie I picked Star-Lord.

The Eleventh Doctor: I got the Eleventh Doctor during a trip to Estonia with my uncle. We went to a bookstore that had all sorts of cool things besides books and they had this almost empty Funko Pop shelf and I saw Eleven there and I was like I had to pick him the frick frack up.

80s Voltron: Ok this one was found at the same GameStop I found Loki. I was again nad I remember looking forever for Voltron online but to no avail bu then I saw him almost at the top of the big wall of Funko Pops that they had. I grabbed him nad paid for him and loved him.

Newt Scamander: Newt was actually a Christmas present 2016. My uncle knew Newt happened to be my favorite character in Fantastic Beasts and decided to gift me the Funko Pop for Christmas.

Percival Graves: I aquired Graves from GameStop in Gothenburg cus a) I ship Gramander and b) he was kinda awesome as a character well except for the reason that is obvious.

Chat Noir (with Plagg): I love Miraculous.  Chat Noir is my favorite and with Plagg its kinda like you get two for the price of one. I ordered him online. 

Izuku Midoriya: I actually got him from GameStop last Saturday. Yes the same GameStop as I got Loki and Voltron.

Shoto Todoroki: Ordered him from the same place I ordered Chat from got him today and I even reviewed him along with Izuku which you can watch here 

[recentanimenews]

FEATURE: How The Pokémon Trading Card Game Became a Recent Gold Rush

  A few days ago, as part of the cross-medium celebration of Pokémon’s impending 25th anniversary, McDonald’s released a Happy Meal set emblazoned with Pikachu’s iconic face and carrying a special pack of new collectible cards. It isn’t the first time these little monsters have appeared under the Golden Arches, as the Pokémon franchise has a long (and sometimes infamous) history with fast-food chains. However, this particular promotional exercise quickly grew sour, forcing The Pokémon Company International to release this statement about replenishing their goods on Twitter:

  We’re aware that some fans are experiencing difficulties purchasing certain Pokémon TCG products due to very high demand. In response, we are reprinting impacted products at maximum capacity to ensure more fans can enjoy the Pokémon TCG. More info here: https://t.co/sClZo3BXsp

— Play Pokémon (@playpokemon) February 10, 2021

  What happened? Well, scalpers. People have been purchasing the Happy Meals in bulk (and apparently just entire boxes of the cards as well) aiming to resell them at a higher price now that all of those Charmanders are becoming scarce. Meanwhile, stores are having their whole Pokémon card stock bought, leaving aisles that were once close to bursting with merchandise empty and desolate. Of course, scalping products is nothing new; A UK Member of Parliament introduced a bill as recently as February 3 that would attempt to prevent or at least cut down on the scalping that ran rampant during the PlayStation 5’s troubled release in 2020. That a government employee has announced in the midst of several global crises, “We need to give everyone an equal chance to play Spider-Man: Miles Morales” really says something.

  However, this wave of adults buying potentially profitable Pokémon trading cards is nothing new either, especially when you look at the last few months. Ranging from celebrities like Justin Bieber (showing off his collection), Logan Paul (who may have kicked off this whole thing), several WWE performers (who just seem to want cool cards,) to big spenders (that have sometimes gotten scammed in the process) and various auction winners, Pokémon cards have become a hot item on a mass scale for the first time in about two decades. The days of “A holographic Charizard? That must be worth, like a billion dollars!” have returned from the crypt of 1999, only this time, it’s playing out in front of us.

    A lot of this interest is not only fueled by the obvious financial impetus, but the inherent nostalgia of the Pokémon franchise, one that saturates every part of its wide array of games, series, and products. From the first time you interact with your home’s TV in Pokémon Red and Blue — which makes a reference to a scene from Stand By Me, a movie  based around dealing with how we remember the past and our youth — the video game series has existed with one foot in the future and one in the past. When Satoshi Tajiri created Pokémon, his aim was to recapture the feeling he got collecting bugs in the rural wilderness near his hometown, one that was quickly being paved over during rampant urbanization.

  So to see these being opened, and to see the people we watch, enjoy, and perhaps even idolize burst with delight over that special card they couldn’t collect when they were a kid, brings a wave of sentimentality. I mean, it’s Pikachu? How can you not like Pikachu? But what we’ve seen over the past few months has effectively been a Pokémon Gold Rush, with people discovering the jewels and rushing to openly collect, perhaps preserve, and possibly sell later. And it’s…troubling. 

  Mainly because it calls into question how we approach buying children’s media in the first place. Every time a new Star Wars or Marvel film hits theaters, we’d become flush with news about tickets selling out in seconds, leaving stragglers (or people without a pristine internet connection) unable to get their coveted opening night spot. These, too, fall prey heavily to scalpers who know just how much we want to enjoy whatever Iron Man is up to lately. But the pushback against these rarely feels ubiquitous. While they are definitely pieces of media built for kids, our reasoning behind this rush to buy and/or sell is much more “Better luck next time, sucker!” and much less “Hey, my son wanted to see that.”

  Pokémon has not yet reached the “It’s for kids AND adults” plateau that these other franchises have ascended to when it comes to our consciousness of it in the United States. And this is possibly because it wasn’t made in the US, leaving many eternally scrambling to see how it fits in our pop culture-sphere occupied by other various mega-series. So the ethical dilemma here is much more open. Because yeah, if a McDonald’s is out of cards and you’re a second grader being taken through the drive-thru, you probably will be pretty disappointed when you hear that a bunch of twenty-somethings bought 100 Happy Meals. That would suck. 

  If you collect the cards on a consistent basis, learning that the latest set has been bought out in total in the latest step of a frenzied trend would also be a bummer. If you go online, these McDonald’s cards are everywhere, with prices ranging from “That’s too cheap and possibly a scam” to hundreds of dollars. It turns the Pokémon Trading Card Game into a system of people wealthy enough to buy them, selling them back and forth to those wealthy enough to purchase them. It brings true the dystopian toy store vision found in newspapers in the late ‘90s and early aughts which saw parents decrying the cute little money sinkhole that had enraptured their children. Except, this time, it’s people old enough to have grown up with the franchise. 

    It’s also hard not to look at it as a contrasting vision of the WallStreetBets/GameStop controversy from mere weeks ago, which saw people exploiting the tricks that hedge fund owners had used to amass millions off the stock market. There, the buying and selling was almost heroic, proving that a system that had formerly locked out all of those without the financial means and know-how to participate could be overturned and ridiculed. Here, though, it’s something else — social media clout, influencer tactics, and boatloads of dollars (and potential boatloads of dollars) attaching themselves to Pokémon, which is often seen as remarkably innocuous. 

  When Pokémon first made its blockbuster debut in the US, it came with the catchphrase “Gotta catch ‘em all!” — a tagline and mission statement that appeared on video game boxes and in anime ending themes alike. It went everywhere the franchise went, affirming that Pokémon didn’t have to be something you collected in part. In fact, it was better if you played the games, bought the cards, watched the show, and filled your Super K-Mart bag with figurines. While this slogan has more or less departed from Pokémon merchandise, it remains the series’ branding alpha and omega. You must collect. It is the feature, not the bug. 

  I’m not saying this is what Nintendo intended when they urged you to nab both Red and Blue in order to amass all 150, but it does feel like the dark side of that ethos. I do think that buying up all the Happy Meals at your local McDonald’s in order to find people willing to pay $10 for a Squirtle does sound ridiculous and I do think kids should be able to get all the Pikachus their heart's desire, but that’s just me. I also think this new phase of the card game didn’t come out of nowhere. It’s just laid dormant, waiting to evolve. 

      Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

  Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features.

By: Daniel Dockery

[sage-nebula]

Some of you may remember that I made a post a few days ago about an e-mail I received from GameStop saying that I had $61 in trade credit waiting for me thanks to trade-ins that I did at a store in my hometown ages ago that I honestly forgot about. You may also remember how GameStop’s website insisted that my e-mail address didn’t match what they had on file, despite how little that made sense.

Well, it’s time I brought you up to speed on that ongoing saga, because there have been updates.

I didn’t have time to call GameStop during the week because I work a full time job and kept forgetting about needing to call GameStop Power-Up Rewards Support during my working hours. (They are open for a couple hours after I get off work, but honest to god, I just kept forgetting.) It’s the weekend now, though, and was at 1am last night / this morning as well, so I decided to go ahead and give it another shot. Both to get the support number and just to see if it would work, I tried entering my information on the website again last night and---voila. It worked. I don’t know why they suddely recognized my e-mail address now, but it worked, and their site said that they would send me a code with my digital card information within four hours.

Cool! I don’t know why it would take four hours, but cool.

Anyway, so the first attempt at this was actually at 9pm last night. I waited four hours, and never received an e-mail. I checked in my spam folders, and nope. Nothing. The e-mail was just not there. So I went to the site and tried again (it was 1am by this point), and then waited another four hours, and still, nothing.

So today, when I woke up, I once again checked my spam folders and the like. No e-mail. That being the case, I called GameStop Power-Up Rewards support at last, and after waiting on hold for about twenty minutes, I finally spoke with a person who was able to help me. (There were plenty of moments waiting on hold once I explained the situation as well, but whatever, no big deal, I got the help I needed.) She ended up giving me a digital card number and PIN that I could use to use my $61 in trade credit. Awesome.

Now, by this point it has come to my attention that not only is Pokémon Ultra Sun coming out on the 17th, but Sonic Forces is also coming out on the 7th---and yes, I do want to play that game, don’t judge me. $61 is not enough to afford both of these games, and I can’t afford to pay money out of pocket for games right now. Those are a luxury, and every cent I have needs to go to necessities. However . . .

Way back when Sonic Mania released, I traded in my Wii U and Wii U games in order to afford it. Well, that, and I had no use for my Wii U anymore since Splatoon 2 came out on Switch, so I figured I might as well. Anyway, that trade-in earned me more money than I needed for Sonic Mania, but I had to download Sonic Mania off the eShop since no stores in the area had it. For this reason, I put all the trade-in money on an eShop card, and then loaded that eShop money into my Switch’s eShop account (which is apparently not shared between the Switch and 3DS despite both using Nintendo Network, and yes, I’ve checked). After purchasing Sonic Mania, I still had $30 left over in my Switch’s eShop account (yes, I’ve checked). This means that I technically have $90 to spend on games right now, albeit $30 of which is locked into the Switch’s eShop at present.

With that in mind . . .

Although I prefer to have physical copies of games because I like to see the game cases lined up on my shelf (and to that end I need to get a couple cases for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Sonic Mania), desperate times call for desperate measures. The plan I concocted was as such: Using GameStop’s website, I would purchase one $10 eShop card, and then put the remaining $50 on another eShop card. The $10 eShop card would be added to my Switch funds so that I would have the $40 to purchase Sonic Forces (since it’s $39.99---might have a little more to pay due to taxes and such, but a couple cents never hurt anyone). The $50 eShop card would then go to the 3DS to buy Ultra Sun (probably I should have just saved the $50 to buy the game physically, but whatever, I don’t care if I have to download it onto the 3DS, it’s not like I’ll use the 3DS after this, and besides, I can use the remaining funds for PokéBank, or merge them with the Switch later---or alternatively, maybe I can even return the $50, anything is possible). I completed these purchases, and GameStop’s website said they would e-mail me the download codes.

I’m sure you see where I’m going with this.

So far, I have received an order confirmation for the cards. However, I have not received the download codes. They’re not in my spam folder, either. I have a strong feeling that GameStop is bamboozling me again, which means guess who is going to get to have another fun time on the phone with GameStop support?

Honestly, GameStop, you practically have a monopoly on the video game retail industry. There’s really no excuse for this. Please just send people e-mails when they need them and stop trying to cheat them out of money, thanks.

Anyway, wish me luck. Hopefully this saga will be resolved peacefully.

(please don’t reblog this, thanks)

[pacman-tattoo]

I would really appreciate it if you did head canons if Jeremy was your older siblings! Thanks! >3

omg this is a cute idea aaa

aLSO THIS IS GONNA BE LONG BC I RAMBLE

alright u know what this is going under a readmore because this is basically me inserting reader into bmc as jeremy’s younger sibling plus some headcanons sprinkled in

(as i near the end of the musical all i can say is i aaaaaam sorry. there’s so much but i got carried away with rambling about you getting pissed over the SQUIP and just wanting your brother back in the end)

(i pROMISE IF ANYONE ELSE SENDS A “hey what if michael was ur big brother” OR ANYTHING IT WONT BE THIS LONG)

(y’all this got to the point where i might as well write this and i might if anyone requests it. it might not be soon since i got other requests i should be paying attention to but i’ll do it)

so i imagine ur like, a year younger than jeremy so ur a sophomore for this

good times except not, school sucks

you two def play video games a lot like it just comes with jeremy in general

im gonna go ahead and get it out of the way: jeremy and you are extremely close, especially after your mom left….

sometimes you would wander to his room and you two would just end up talking for a bit

“jer?” “yeah?”

“i’m… worried about dad.”

as you two got older these talks became less frequent

that’s all im gonna say because i’m not really the best person for the topic but you two are really close.

you kinda worry about jeremy a lot??? like, you asked him about going out with his friends and he kinda shut up and then mentioned michael was coming over and you kinda realized jeremy doesn’t really… have friends…..

but honestly??? the two of you are supportive of each other no matter what

you complain about school together. it’s a good thing to bond over.

especially because jeremy had some of the same teachers as you did so he just knows what you’re going through when it comes to really specific things

sometimes you eat lunch with him!!! like you have your own friends but you’re like ‘cmon he’s my big brother n he only ever sits with michael, i should at least talk to him some’

they kinda get it since ur brother is a neeeerd

plus you don’t always eat lunch with him so it’s not like you’re constantly abandoning them or something

“you’re signing up for the play?” “yeah, why?” “is it because of christiiiiine?” “shut up”

you 100% know about his crush on christine and honestly, can you blame him? she’s an angel

you end up tagging along with him and michael to the mall for the… squick??? whatever, dude.

“alright, jer, but hear me out: do you really need some pill to be cool? you’re cool enough as is” “ur… literally just saying that bc ur my younger sibling” “shut up dude ur the coolest big brother”

no point in fighting him since he’s gonna do it anyway. michael’s going to spencers??? there’s a gamestop nearby so yolo might as well walk with him

(also yes i 100% found the website for that mall and looked up a map so get an idea of how this whole scene goes???)

u leave gamestop, maybe after buying some merch because video games??? expensive. too expensive.

maybe one day.

where the fuck is jeremy.

michael has to go so either you gotta go with him or go find jeremy and you ultimately go looking for jeremy since he’s ur brother, what else are you gonna do?

jeremy is… weird.

you don’t question it at first bc he’s probably upset but whatever

at some point during school michael approaches you… alone???

“dude where’s jeremy”

“that’s… what i came to ask you about???”

you’ll beat up jeremy later like what the fuck, michael might as well be ur brother-in-law because they might as well be married

you end up going home alone

i like to imagine ur also friends with michael because of jeremy and sometimes he texts you when he can’t get ahold of jeremy so you can go tell jeremy to stop doing whatever and talk to his friend about whatever

so you just get a text from michael like ‘what the fuck is up with your brother’

squipped!jeremy kinda starts ignoring you and telling you off??? what the fuck jeremy???

“jeremy if being cool means you’re going to be an asshole, then maybe you shouldn’t be cool”

you two fight??? and like, the two of you rarely have a serious fight but it ends in you slamming your bedroom door and your dad gets worried and tries to talk to you but you kinda end up shutting him out as well

you feel bad about it but you just want to be alone

fast forward to halloween eve (which you’ve kinda abandoned your friends for sitting with michael?? they’re pissed and they aren’t talking to you but you couldn’t care less, michael needs someone)

jeremy comes downstairs and ur sitting on the couch, alone for once

“halloween party?”

he’s… kinda caught off guard?

like you two don’t really talk after you fight until one apologizes.

“be careful.”

he just stares at you.

“hey, uh, [y/n],” and he just kinda stares at you before he jerks slightly, as if… someone shocked him? “don’t wait up.”

you nearly get pissed before deciding fuck it, discount halloween candy awaits you after halloween-

… jeremy and you always get discount halloween candy. the two of you always would go to the store and roam around the aisles finding the Good Shit and then you two would go home and eat until you were sick but it was great because, yeah, you feel like shit afterwards but sibling bonding, man.

it isn’t the same. it just isn’t the same by yourself.

you end up staying up late anyway. jeremy might be an asshole now, but he’s still you’re brother. you might as well stay up and make sure he at least makes it inside.

you fall asleep watching a movie before you know he’s home.

but you do wake up when your phone keeps buzzing

it’s michael. he’s asking about jeremy and before you can even respond he’s calling you and jake dillinger’s house burned down??

jeremy is fine, physically at least, but now he’s just straight up ignoring you.

can i mention your dad is getting worried? you two were close.

hey, remember rich? the guy who recommended the SQUIP to jeremy? you talked to him. he’s genuinely upset by the way.

you also learn a lot. about the SQUIP, at least.

its the night of the play and your sitting and talking to your dad and basically rambling about jeremy without giving details

and then there’s jeremy.

you take your dad’s side for once, and jeremy fucking yells at you about it.

“you were supposed to support me, i’m your brother! we’re family-”

“not anymore, jeremy - you’re not my brother because my brother wouldn’t treat his friends and family like shit!”

he gets pissed at you and your dad tries to defend you and then he says shit to your dad

you straight up punch jeremy for that shit. you hit harder than he’d think.

after the play you basically live at the hospital waiting for jeremy to wake up

the moment he wakes up your at his side like “is it gone?? please tell me it’s gone, jeremy, fuck, please tell me i have my brother back.”

(you kinda freeze because you forgot rich was there???)

he… kinda sees how much he hurt you for the first time. it’s a really shitty moment. michael pops in and you just kinda excuse yourself for a few minutes and wander away for a few minutes

there’s still a lot of strain on ur relationship??? like, you aren’t just happy siblings anymore who fight over little shit and scream at the other when they cheat at video games or complain about homework and teachers. 

he and christine eventually date a little??? you’re happy for him but at the same time it just kinda… bothers you. sometimes he gushes about her and how she’s so sweet but it just kinda makes you sick because of all the shit that everyone just went through…

heck, jeremy notices that you’re… really, really off. he misses being able to sit back and laugh with his little sibling??? he misses being able to just be a complete dork around you.

one day you’re having a really shitty day and you’re sitting at the kitchen table burying yourself in homework and you just hear the rustling of a wrapper and he sets down ur fave candy in front of you

“look, i know i was an asshole and the worst big brother, but just… i’m sorry.”

it’s not enough, but it’s a start.

one night you wake up from a nightmare that everyone??? was squipped again??? you go downstairs and there’s jeremy, standing in front of the fridge, just staring

you wander over and peek in and he’s just… staring at a bottle of mtn dew red. at least, he was until you stepped behind him. he quickly shuts the fridge and immediately asks why you’re awake because??? it’s 3 am????

for the first time in a while you two confide in each other. 

“i… really did a lot of shit, didn’t i?” “yeah. i mean, it’s not all your fault - rich said the SQUIP made him do a lot of shit too.” “yeah but still, i did it-”

it takes a while but eventually you two get to be back to the sibling bond you two had - even if there is a little bit of strain

alright that’s a lot of shit of just reliving the musical so i’ll throw in some headcanons rly quick:

there’s always a constant bicker over small shit. “JEREMY ATE ALL THE CHIPS” “[Y/N] FINISHED THE LEFTOVERS” “kids please stop yelling” “JEREMY STARTED IT”

y’know how siblings can be embarrassing? never a problem with you two. the reason? both of you have plenty of embarrassing stories about each other and no one else will ever hear them

the closest it’s ever come is when you kinda just popped into jeremy’s room while he was playing video games with michael and nearly spilled a story about jeremy before u got a quick jab in the side

“nO NO [Y/N] GO ON” “[y/n] i swear i will tell him about the time-” “michael i value my life so…”

michael still wants to know about the time at the amusement park.

he’ll never get to know. not from you, at least.

BTW THE TWO OF YOU??? POKEMON GO

YOU HUNT.

YOU  G O 

michael joins but sometimes it’s just “no sibling bonding time we gotta”

alright i’m done sorry if shit is ooc i spent over 3 hours on this

[the-giant-made-of-stone]

you as well have to do all the numbers, todd coward ass binch

First of all, I’m no todd you muppet.1. First game you played obsessively?Modern Warfare 3. Get all the things, do all the challenges, get the good guns, every now and then remember to actually try to do well.2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.I’ve never really written or drawn much but I think aesthetically speaking Star Fox 64 got me down the path of Sci-FI and star ships and such. I never actually owned it which just furthered my intrigue whenever I could get my hands on it.3. Who did you play with as a kid?I didn’t play with anyone really. I’d occasionally play against my brother but he would only ever want to play Sport Game 2kYear.

4. Who do you play with now?@thisisbud Tanner who deleted his tumblr @delicontessa @charizardon5. Ever use cheat codes?Usually only the funny ones. Or costumes. And unlimited webbing in Spider-man the game cause it made it actually playable.6. Ever buy strategy guides?I distinctly remember having two strategy guides. One was the official Donkey Kong 64 strategy guide, and the other was this strange off brand Mario 64 strategy guide that had, like, how-to draw-anime-characters looking dudes telling you tips.7. Any games you have multiple copies of?Bioshock and Bioshock 2 thanks to the purchase of the full remaster collection.8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?The Metroid Prime Trilogy Collector’s Edition for Wii. Bought it on a whim when it came out and never looked back.9. Most regrettable purchase?Either Mirror’s Edge Catalyst or Star Wars Battlefront. I wanted both of them to be so good and they just absolutely did not execute. At least I got Mirror’s Edge Catalyst once it got cheaper though.10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?The Smash 4 Wii U/Pokemon Alpha Omega midnight release. Just a bunch of people standing in the cold playing other Pokemon games. I was there exclusively for Smash though.11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?I probably owe it to Smash for having my best friends.12. Ever get picked on for liking games?In general? Not recently. Occasional crap from a family member. As for specific games I don’t really have any guilty pleasures besides Brink but I absolutely stand by it.13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?Any Final Fantasy game, Pokemans Red Blue Yellow, basically anything that only went to a Sony system like Spyro or Crash or Uncharted.14. Favorite game music?Splatoon. All day every day. If I have to be specific Splatoon 2 has passed it’s predecessor.15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?Probably something Metroid related. Like the screw attack emblem.16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?Smash Bros every time. Fun skill game that can be made lighthearted with a few item switches.17. Ever lose a friend over a game?Not for more than a few hours. Yes in Smash.18. Would you date someone that hates gaming?I would date @delicontessa19. Favorite handheld console?You can just say favorite portable Nintendo console. DS. I have no nostalgia for the Game Boy (and Switch doesn’t count)20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?Mario 64. I don’t know any glitches or anything but I can 100% that with relative ease.21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?I didn’t get Tetris at all cause nobody told me you were supposed to clear lines by filling them. Now that I have that information I like to indulge in some Tetris every now and then.22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?A frankly ridiculous amount.23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?Modern Warfare 3. I really. REALLY. like clearing challenges.24. First Pokemon game?Diamond. I am like little baby. 25. Were you ever an arcade game player?Physically am not old enough to have been to arcades that aren’t located in a pizza based restaurant26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?That’s pretty much what Smash was for my friends when it came out. A lot of these are Smash based.27. Game that makes you rage?League of Legends. Other than that I tend to avoid anything I know makes me mad.28. Ever play in a tournament?Smash Doubles for a club in college. Think we won? We didn’t go back.29. What is your gaming set up?A TV, four consoles, one HDMI port, and a Macbook that has served it’s purpose in getting me through school.30. How many consoles do you own?5 counting a 3DS I probably should use more. 6 counting a Wii that was made obsolete due to the power of backwards compatibility.31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?Can’t speak on Virtual Boy but 3DS only happens after like several hours.32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?I absolutely did. Who hasn’t? Movie tie-ins are pretty much always bad. Show tie-ins are usually the same way. The comic games tend to be fun though. Like Ultimate Spider-man or the Arkham series.33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?I had some of the Namco plug n plays that did like Galaga and Pac-Man and Pole Position. They were pretty solid.34. Do either of your parents play video games?My dad used to play our NES and sports games with my brother. My ma recently picked up a Disney themed candy crush clone for her phone.35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop?Nope. As for favorite game shop, if you can call it being the only game store for miles being my favorite, GameStop36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?Sweat, a lot. Palms sweaty when stressed. Definitely no blood. I have cried when I was younger but that’s cause I would get kicked off the games I was playing via force from my brother.Oh. And bile. I used to get headaches if I played games too much. These would make me vomit.I would get headaches a lot.37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?I have not. I have seen the footage. This is fair.38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?I don’t really have game shame so here’s a hot take: Nintendo Land is one of the most criminally underrated party games ever and should get a sequel.39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?Dying is a weird kickstarter donation tier. That said, Jet Set Radio Future. I need it. And Sega knows it exists cause it’s in that damn racing game so WHERES THE GAME SEGA?40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?HTC Vive looks lit. So much so it makes everything else look inferior. That said I also think augmented reality headsets are crazy cool.41. A genre that you just can’t get into?Sony as a whole due to shored up bitterness that I’m trying to tone down. Also sport games besides WWE.42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?Probably either Mario 64 or Donkey Kong 64. Both were the first ones that really game me clear cut objectives in a game that I paid attention to.43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?Most of the time I’m playing games I should be doing something else. Especially sleeping.44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?Tron. Good game. Fun game. A E S T H E T I C.45. How are you at Mario Kart?I can usually podium if I try. 46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?I used to like Animal Crossing more but it’s such a hassle to move from entire real life to entire fake life these days.47. Do you like competitive games?I like competitive games with friends and the occasional shooter.48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?Usually a decent chunk of time. The simpler the customizer, the more time I’ll spend making adjustments as well. Back when I played Halo if I saw anyone using the same armor or same color scheme I had to immediately change.49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?Nah I like to mix it up. I constantly rotate on wanting to be an immovable object of strength, a stealthy sneaky boy, or some ridiculous meme. Fallout 3′s Rock-It Launcher is the best weapon in the game and I’ll argue about this.50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?Jet Set Radio Future sequel. It needs it. It deserves it. In glorious 4k cartoon rendering.51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?Yes. Enough that it isn’t worth mentioning all of them.52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?Guitar Hero World Tour. No regrets. Quality game with a banging soundtrack. That said I always had to be on drums at parties and stuff cause everyone else sucked at them.53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?Most of the time it sucks. Seems kind of shitty that you can tell me the contents of the season pass several months before the game releases. Maybe just add that content in? Hmmmmm? Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2 is a treasure though.54. Do you give in to Steam sales?I have a Mac so most Steam games won’t run for me. That said I expect to fall victim to them soon.55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?I literally never played the Sims before. So no.56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?Did not play Roller Coaster Tycoon. Maybe I should add these to the “never played but everyone else has” list.57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements?Any game I like that has a mildly realistic 100% is one that I will 100%. I’ll even do it for games I don’t like that much.58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?League of Legends, Overwatch, Smash Bros. Ultimate. If I can only play them for the rest of my life, I want to make sure that they’ll at least keep getting updated and let the servers keep running.59. Do you play any cell phone games?I am not a fan. I don’t like the way the kill my battery and most of them seem pretty shallow.60. Do you know the Konami Code?Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start Slide to the Left Slide to the Right Right Foot Lets Stomp Left Foot Lets Stomp FREEEEEEZE.EVERYBODY CLAP YOUR HANDS61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever?I used to do trade-ins but I realized that months later I would want to play them again. So now I keep them forever.62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?Nope. I got several games for every console.63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? I don’t think Comic Con counts but Immah count Comic Con.64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?I have not. I’m not too picky graphically.65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file?Nope and nope.

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?My grandma did. I did play it a lot.67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?I mean they’re pretty much all happy.68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?I’ve saved up a bunch of tickets and got something so shitty I can’t remember what it was.69. In your opinion, best game ever made? Hey how about fuck this question. I’d probably have to say Breath of the Wild. In terms of games, it was absolute top quality, excellent writing, and a very unique experience.70. Very first game you ever beat? I actually don’t know. It very likely was on the Xbox though. It’s possible it’s The Godfather but that might just be the one I remember clearing most earliest.

[extraquarterblog]

The mysterious nature of Amiibo

Amiibo have easily become one of Nintendo most unique, creative and questionable ideas in years. While the rest of the Industry has pursued a path of downloadable content that is easily reachable, with a few simple clicks from the comfort of your sofa, you can download a plethora of DLC that's available. Nintendo however, decided to take a different direction for this.

Nintendo, always looking to take a distinct approach, constantly thinking outside of the box, decided to take a play from its roots. While it's commonly known, people often forget, Nintendo was a Toy company. Well, technically, Nintendo was many things throughout the 1900s, getting most attention in the 1960s, making playing cards and then in the 70s really started to plant the first gaming seeds, which would grow into the company we recognize it of today.

So Nintendo making Toy figures of everyone favorite characters is actually a brilliant idea. Who doesn't mind official, beautiful crafted figures right? Nintendo then takes a modern approach by applying a simple NFC chip inside the base of each figure, when placed atop of the Wii U Gamepad or New 3DS, reads the chip information and unlocks new content with compatible games. 

Many called it Physical DLC, and on paper it does appear that, but what I do enjoy is that where DLC is strictly attached to one game, Amiibo in theory can be universal. Long as Nintendo supports an Amiibo figure, you can unlock additional content across multiple titles. But as I said, long as its supported that is. 

When first hearing about Amiibo and learning about the course Nintendo was taking with them, I was delighted but not sold on it. I would much rather spend my money on other things and honestly, at the time, only one game supported Amiibo anyways. Not really something worth burst through store doors to get. Though the whole idea of figures unlocking content was a pretty novel idea, you would figured it be pretty cut dry and simple. Nintendo makes figures, you buy it, tap it on your Wii U and your done. 

Oh, how quickly everything went off the tracks.

Is Nintendo cursed, or is it Nintendo can't get a single project off the ground smoothly, whatever the reason, Amiibo, when releasing out to the public has been nothing short of a frustrating train wreck that for the life of me, couldn't quite understand. I kid you not, I wouldn't be surprised in the least if a Hollywood producer somewhere is writing up a story around these little figures and just how painful they are to come by for the fans, and for the fans who actually own a Wii U.

Let me break down the odd reality of the world with Amiibo.

"Previously, you couldn't purchase all the Amiibo from one source"

So let's say, you recently purchased a Wii U, and eagerly excited to start collecting Amiibo figures to use. Well, I hope you have plenty of gas in your tank cause you will be driving to multiple different stores. Nintendo cooked up this brilliant plan to have various Amiibo's exclusive to different stores. For example, if you wanted Shulk, you would have to shop at Gamestop, if you wanted Rosalina, you have to go to Target. What's that? You want Lucario? You have to find a ToysRus for that. 

Why did Nintendo come up with this idea? !@#$ if I know. Basically, in the end, for a few different Amiibo's, all conveniences are simply stripped away, You will have to put in some serious effort on foot if you wanted to purchase in-store, that is if a store even has availability. Not to sound lazy, it's not difficult to drive up to a store or two, see what they have in stock. But when it comes to Amiibo, you'll find yourself traveling across town, several times over just for a few. 

While it's tempting to simply shop at Amazon or other online retailers, you will end up paying prices far above MSRP listing for it. Making it incredibly frustrating, when you simply want to buy select Amiibo for the price Nintendo gives on it. So either you cave in and buy from Amazon or Ebay or you'll be driving across the state in hopes to find that at least one retailer has the figure you're looking for. 

Nintendo barley prints any, let alone restock

You're stuck in the office, the meeting will run over the scheduled time and won't be able to leave till much later. Not to worry, very skillfully, like a Ninja, you pull out your phone, slowly and carefully, you shop online to place an order to buy an Amiibo. What's this? The availability is none? There must be some mistake. You try to remain your composure, or the boss will notice your not writing down notes. You start feverishly looking for in-store availability, but alas, all stores with-in a 100 mile radius, also show none available...

Story aside, for many Amiibo figures, it's like winning the lottery. Which absolutely no one saw coming. Why no one expected Amiibo to be so big? Simple, to date there's been 9.2 million Wii U units sold and only the New 3DS units can use Amiibos. Realistically, world-wide, there's only around 10 million people who actually have a need/use for Amiibo. If I were to break down the numbers down to per region, per state, per area code. There's only a few people in each area that have a specific need for Amiibo.

And yet there's literally people waiting outside stores to open, to be the first at a chance to buy Amiibo. Worse yet, Amazon had to list very specific instructions on how to purchase Amiibos; when they're available, and for only certain time slots of listed days. 

What the hell? I'm just trying to buy a plastic figure that costs around $12.99, this isn't Super Bowl tickets or VIP concert tickets. And yet magically, despite there only being so many Wii U owners, the mass amount of traffic online, for when the next wave of Amiibo comes out, has caused stress for online retailers. 

Who knows the reasons, but Nintendo is either asleep at the wheel or they feel the need to only produce a limited amount, which sadly, are the perfect conditions for a certain species to breed...

Amiibo are a Scalpers paradise

Nintendo more or less gave all the key ingredients for Scalpers to have a prime opportunity to make some easy serious cash. We know there's only so many Wii U/New 3DS owners, not near enough to cause online retailers' server problems or every store in the country to have Amiibos stripped off the shelves.

No, this is the massive success of Scalpers. Nintendo over the past few years have truly been the go-to company for Scalpers, due to Nintendo silent cryptic nature when it comes to availability and stock. Are the prime ingredients for anyone wanting to make a quick buck selling online. What also makes it so easy is the low cost investment. While $12.99 for a single figure might be expensive if you were just wanting a new outfit for an in game character, but for a scalper, that's friggen cheap compared to buying cell phones or consoles. 

To highlight just how targeted Amiibo are, in the UK a truck filled with special editions Splatoon Amiibos was stolen. 

Now, yes, there's plenty of other people who have interest in Amiibos that don't own a Wii U or New 3DS, and there's nothing wrong with that, like I said, who doesn't want a cool figure of a Pokemon or Link? It's just the combination or limited release with Scalpers that make it hell for anyone.

Nintendo remains quiet on how it handles Amiibo

As if the scalpers, multiple store shopping and limited quantity weren't a headache already, if you were looking answers from Nintendo, you won't get many. Rare is it for Nintendo to publicly state on Amiibo orders, quantity and releases. With each coming wave of Amiibo launches, Nintendo continues to promise the same broken song, that next time, it will be better. Same results every time. 

Its why Scalpers love Nintendo, the company does little to address issues known or relies on retailers to react to customer complaints. Now, it is possible, Nintendo had no idea Amiibo were going to be this big, that the amount it pinned to make would previously thought to be more than enough. However, the amount of people being vocal across social networks is pretty alarming. Too big for a company like Nintendo to ignore. 

Or maybe it's a brilliant play from Nintendo, an extreme measure of supply and demand. Have it appear they're making Amiibo raining from the sky and the demand is just so hot, there's no possible way they can produce enough. I'll give Nintendo a slight benefit of the doubt on this, but judging just how pressed everyone is for various Amiibo figures and being little hard facts from Nintendo to go by. Tells me Nintendo is dangling the Amiibo carrot in front of everyone. 

Amiibo Rare? Collectors items?

Generally, whenever something hot hits the market, Toys, cards, electronics ect, and because the items are tough to get a hold off, people quickly presume its because it's extremely rare and should be held as collectors items. Always makes me cringe when I hear Collectors Item, as so often history has shown, it's not. 

I remember how Tamagotchi, Furbies, Pokemon Cards, Beanie Babies, and so on, were held as collector items back in the day. That they would hold value and be worth something great years later. Yet here we are today, and many of the hot previous toys of yesterday, really haven't held their value, though not to say all are worthless, there will always be a few select items out of the batch that fans are willing to shell out for, but the mast majority, you'll be lucky to break even. True collectibles are rare in nature, and generally don't become collecting worthy until many years later, long past the hot crave. For example, let's look at Rosalina, the rare and limited released item to Target. Let's just see how rare it is on Ebay.

Well, would you look at that over 190 Rosalina Amiibo available. Not really something I would consider "Rare", and if you have been paying attention to prices, as more and more become increasingly available, prices drop. If you want to talk about Rare, try collecting Neogeo AES titles, then get back to me. 

And sadly, most of those figures remained sealed with their packaging, never to breath the fresh air and be used on a Wii U. Truly a shame. 

Wrapping up

Ok, I've ranted on long enough. Amiibo has been one of Nintendo most successful and over complicating, frustrating product in years. It's getting attention and being very profitable for Nintendo, but It all depends on your definition of success. For me, once again I find myself at odds. I've mentioned this again and again, at how I would love to buy in, drink the koolaid, become a believer in Nintendo methods, but, I just can't. Even owning a Wii U and actively enjoy it. Amiibo remains something I can't connect with, nor do I want to deal with the issues surrounding it. 

As I really don't need Amiibo, seeing how some of the best additional content for Super Smash Bros has all been DLC, I can simply unlock from the comfort of my sofa, with a few simple clicks I now have Mewtwo unlocked to play. No need to rush around stores, wait hand n foot in-front of a computer screen, watching the clock tick down on a retailers website. Nope, none of that is necessary or required.  

Now what does worry me as Nintendo started to flirt with games being entirely based around Amiibo figures, such as Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival. Which seeing how difficult and painful Splatoon Amiibos have been, I can only imagine the Hell it will be for Animal Crossing if Nintendo doesn't straighten out, which honestly, don't see any time coming.