#not with elaborate card games or giant monsters

[pbear]

Yugioh OC Week Day 3: Deck - Part 2

“What’s in this for you?” Alice asked. One of the UTS siblings—Yuamu was her name if she remembered correctly—had just waltzed up to her and requested a duel. She was bold to present herself in front of a lieutenant like that. Of course, Phaser had told her to be on the lookout for the twins or any of their friends who were trying to ruin their plans, but this was far too easy.

“If I win, you have to give me information.” Alice saw the gleam in her eye, confident she’d get what she wanted. “If I lose, then you can lock me up. I bet that was already your plan anyway.”

“Information about what?” Alice pushed back.

“About your Commander and his brother. What are their plans? Why are they doing this? What are their secrets?” Alice’s jaw tightened at that last word. Her teal eyes narrowed, weighing the pros and cons of taking up this deal. Phaser had given her a job to bring in the twins though, so that’s what she’d do.

“Okay, I agree to your terms.” Alice activated her duel disk, as did Yuamu.

“Rush Duel!”

"I'll take the first turn," Yuamu said, "I summon Alpha Burn Drake, Dragosite, and Applizard. I use Alpha Burn Drake and Dragosite for a tribute summon! Blue Tooth Burst Dragon!" A blue and white dragon roared onto the field.

"I set a card and end my turn."

"My turn. I draw!" Alice began, "I summon Starry Prophet, Fortune Stellar, and Horoscope Seer. I'll tribute Starry Prophet and Fortune Stellar to tribute summon! A melody floods through the galaxy. Can you hear it? Can you sing it? Come out, Starsinger Aquarius!" A girl with hair and elaborate dress flowing like water appeared on the field, a microphone gripped in one of her hands.

"Horoscope Seer's effect activates when I only have Water monsters on my field. I sent it to the Graveyard in order to destroy your facedown. Next, I use Aquarius' effect. By sending the top two cards of my deck to the Graveyard, I destroy your Applizard. Melodic Wave!" Alice's monster sang a note that tore right through Yuamu's dragon.

"Then, I use the spell Twelfth Star," Alice continued, "It gives Starsinger Aquarius 500 ATK until the end of the turn. Now, attack Blue Tooth Burst Dragon! Torrential Note!"

Yuamu: 3700

"I end my turn."

"I draw!" Yuamu started, "I summon Lightwave Dragon and Beta Burn Dragon. Beta Burn Dragon's effect activates when I summon it while there's another Dragon on my field. You take 100 damage for each of your monsters."

Alice: 3900

"Then, I tribute both of my dragons! Emerge, Red Boot Boost Dragon! I use Red Boot Boost Dragon's effect to return the six Dragons in my Graveyard back into my deck. 600 damage is inflicted to you and Red Boot gains 600 ATK." Alice winced at the damage.

Alice: 3300

"I'll also equip Red Boot Boost Dragon with the spell QWERTY Keyblade. It gains 200 ATK for every spell on my field. I set one card facedown. Now, attack Starsinger Aquarius!"

Alice: 2400

"I end my turn." Alice couldn't help but notice the smile on the girl's face. She bet her opponent was getting a kick out of being ahead in the game. It was time to turn this around.

"My turn! I draw! First, I summon Zodiac Keeper. Its effect sends the top card of my deck to the Graveyard. Then, I draw one card and discard one card to the Graveyard." Alice's eyes flickered to the card she just drew before making her next move.

"I send Zodiac Keeper to the Graveyard in order to," She revealed three cards in her hand, "Maximum Summon." Yuamu swore the ground shook as Alice's duel disk shifted to accommodate her monster.

"Ruler of the stars, shake the very galaxy with your presence! Celestial King Leo!" A giant warrior donning the head of a lion on his own and wielding a greatsword stormed onto the field.

"I use one of Leo's effects to shuffle 5 Water monsters in my Graveyard back into the deck. That lets me return your Red Boot Boost Dragon back to your hand, also destroying your equip spell." Alice saw that same smile cross her opponent's face. Was there some trick she had up her sleeve?

"I set one card facedown. Celestial King Leo, attack directly! Resounding Roar!"

Yuamu: 500

"This is getting really fun, isn't it?" Yuamu drew. Alice's eyes widened. Was that why she'd been smiling this whole time? Despite the stakes of this duel, she'd been having fun? Yuamu didn't fail to notice the lieutenant's reaction.

"Don't tell me you're not having fun," She laughed. Then, the same strange sadness Yudias had picked up on fell across Alice's expression. "Have you ever had fun during a duel?"

Their eyes met. "No." Alice's duel disk dropped to her side like her body had realized just how tired it was. Dueling had always been part of her job. That's what Phaser told her to do. If she didn't do it and do it well, how could she stay by his side?

"Well, there's still time to change your mind because the duel's not over yet!" Yuamu began her turn, "I summon DBF Rebuildra. Its effect lets me reveal Red Boot Boost Dragon in my hand to set Dragon's Boost Fusion onto my field from the Graveyard. I also summon Striping Wyvern and Booster Wyvern. By tributing DBF Rebuildra and Striping Wyvern, I'll bring back Red Boot Boost Dragon!" The gigantic red and black creature soared onto the field once more.

"I activate the spell Dragon's Boost Fusion! I'll use Red Boot and Booster Wyvern as materials for a Fusion summon. Red Boot Enhanced Boost Dragon!"

"Not so fast!" Alice interrupted, "I use the trap Fate from the Heavens. When I have a Level 7 or higher Water monster, all your monsters lose 1000 ATK."

"I knew you wouldn't make it easy! Dragon Boost Fusion has another effect since I used Red Boot as Fusion material. Both of us send the top seven cards of our deck to the Graveyard. Next, I use Red Boot Enhanced Boost Dragon's ability! I can return up to nine monsters to the deck from either of our Graveyards." Yuamu shuffled back five monsters while Alice shuffled back four.

"My dragon then deals you 200 damage for each card and gains the same amount of ATK!" Even with her Maximum monster, Yuamu's dragon had Alice beat.

Alice: 600

"Red Boot Enhanced Boost Dragon, attack Celestial King Leo!"

Alice: 0

The blue haired girl was thrown back by the final attack, landing on her back in the grass. She wasn't looking forward to telling the Ryugu brothers what had happened. Tremolo was already looking for ways to kick her out and Phaser....she sighed.

A hand extended towards the lieutenant, Yuamu looking down at her. Alice hadn't been beaten in a long time. A faint smile crossed her face as she took the girl's hand.

"You were right. That was fun." She brushed off her skirt. "And I believe I owe you some information." The girl was clearly eager to get her hands on it.

"The Ryugu brothers are trying to eliminate all aliens on Earth. Most of their plan is already in motion. You and your friends are the only thing really standing in the way."

"I already know a lot of that. Do you know how we can stop them? Anything they've been keeping secret?" Alice pursed her lips.

"I'm sorry but they don't tell me anything. I wish I could have given you something more useful." Yuamu sighed.

"But what I can do is try to convince them otherwise." The brown haired girl perked up at this. "I don't know if they'll listen to me, but I hope they will."

"Thanks, Alice." Yuamu extended her hand which the other girl shook.

Alice walked back to MIK headquarters as the sun set. She was going to have to request a meeting with their Commander.

@ygoc-week

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

All information on the cards I have for Alice's deck will be under the cut. There's a lot.

Monsters

Zodiac Keeper: Level 3/ATK 1200/DEF 1000/Fairy/WATER

Requirement: Send the top card of your deck to the Graveyard

Effect: Draw 1 card and then discard 1 card in your hand to the Graveyard

Horoscope Seer: Level 3/ATK 1300/DEF 800/Fairy/WATER

Requirement: Send this card from the field to the Graveyard

Effect: Destroy 1 Spell/Trap on your opponent’s field

Starry Prophet: Level 4/ATK 1500/DEF 1100/Fairy/WATER

Fortune Stellar: Level 4/ATK 1300/DEF 1000/Fairy/WATER

Requirement: If all monsters on your field are WATER Attribute

Effect: Send up to three cards from the top of your deck to the Graveyard and inflict 100 damage to your opponent for each one

Sharpstinger Scorpio: Level 6/ATK 1800/DEF 1500/Fairy/WATER

Starsinger Aquarius: Level 7/ATK 2300/DEF 2000/Fairy/WATER

Requirement: Send the top 2 cards of your deck to the Graveyard

Effect: Destroy 1 Level 6 or lower monster on the field

Lightbringer Virgo: Level 8/ATK 2500/DEF 1900/Fairy/WATER

Requirement: Shuffle 2 monsters in your Graveyard into the deck

Effect: All WATER monsters on your field gain 500 ATK. Then, if you control another Level 7 or higher monster, you can destroy 1 Spell/Trap on the field.

Maximum monster: Celestial King Leo: Level 10/ATK 3500/DEF 0/Fairy/WATER

(L): Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 0/Warrior/WATER

Requirement: Shuffle 5 WATER monsters in your Graveyard into your deck

Effect: Return 1 Level 8 or lower monster on your opponent’s field to the hand

(R): Level 6/ATK 2000/DEF 0/Warrior/WATER

Requirement: Send the top 2 cards of your deck to the Graveyard

Effect: Change the battle position of 1 monster on your opponent’s field

Center: Level 10/ATK 2500/DEF 0/Warrior/WATER

Requirement: Send 2 cards from your hand to the Graveyard

Effect: All monsters on your opponent’s field lose 500 ATK. Also, if this card is in Maximum Mode, it cannot be destroyed by Trap cards.

Fusion monster: Harmonizing Libra

“Starsinger Aquarius” + “Lightbringer Virgo”

Level 9/ATK 3000/DEF 2500/Fairy/WATER

Requirement: Shuffle 5 WATER monsters in your Graveyard into your deck

Effect: If your opponent controls more monsters than you, Special Summon WATER monsters from your Graveyard so you control the same number of monsters as your opponent. Then, this card gains ATK equal to the summoned monsters’ levels x 300.

Spells

Staff of the Twelve Stars (Equip)

Requirement: Equip this card to 1 face-up WATER Attribute Fairy Type monster on your field

Effect: The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by Trap effects. If you control 3 WATER monsters on your field, the equipped monster inflicts piercing battle damage if it attacks a defense position monster

Twelfth Star

Requirement: None

1 face-up WATER Attribute Fairy-Type monster on your field gains 500 ATK until the end of the turn. Then, you can shuffle up to three monsters in your Graveyard into the deck.

Traps

Flood of Stars

Requirement: You have 3 or more cards in your hand

Effect: Send all cards in your hand to the Graveyard. Then, destroy all monsters on your opponent’s field

Constellation Matrix

Requirement: Send the top card of your deck to the Graveyard

Effect: Level 7 or higher monsters on your opponent’s field cannot attack this turn

Fate from the Heavens

Requirement: You control a Level 7 or higher face-up WATER Attribute monster

Effect: All monsters on your opponent’s field lose 1000 ATK until the end of the turn

[swan2swan]

Shuriki is also a surprisingly scary villain because she doesn’t mess around.

There’s no “evil plot to kidnap Elena’s friend” or “I’m building a device to cause an earthquake”; she literally has one objective, and that is to murder Elena. She doesn’t mince words, either--she’ll gloat for a second or two, but then she just goes for the one-shot kill. She might as well have been walking around with a shotgun the whole time--all she has to do is point at Elena and say her magic spell, and if Elena doesn’t block or dodge in time, Elena is dead. And if Elena is dead, it’s Game Over for everyone.

So Shuriki becomes the scary monster from your nightmares, just walking slowly around and closing the distance until she makes eye contact with you, at which point she tries to kill you, and if she hits you, it’s over. She’s the Terminator walking around Disney Junior. She doesn’t want some magic crystal that she needs Elena to hand over, she’s not trying to find a hidden city or break through a wall or even hunt Elena down, she knows where Elena is and is simply trying to get to her. There’s no Xanatos Gambit, no “let’s team up”, no “can we talk about this”, no throwing hands or crossing blades--she deals with a one-shot, one-kill agenda.

The very first thing we see her do is murder Elena’s parents. Not “injure”, not “kidnap”, not “banish to the shadow realm” or “turn into birds”, but vaporize them completely in front of their daughter’s eyes. 

And it’s not even a matter of “well someone else can resist her” because we already saw that when Elena was imprisoned for forty years, Shuriki ruled unchallenged. She’s an Advancing Wall of Death--she can’t be tricked, reasoned with, deceived, or stalled. There’s no conversation, no elaborate plan, no “I just want to talk”. She has murder on her mind, and that’s scary. 

[hexhomos]

Piltover & Zaun aside,what's your favorite region / champion group?

If we lock away P&Z I think Bilgewater is my instant next favorite region, I really liked what we got to see of it in the Ruined King RPG game (setting wise, getting to actually feel the pirate hubs & cult groves & the incorporation of Giant Monsters into daily livelihood) and it also has a lot of Really Strong Cast Dynamics. It's a whimsical and/or grim place depending on the tone of the story being told, which is an extra plus for me. And I love Nilah!!!! This region gets almost an unfair edge because she's there now. Tahm Kench is not officially included as bilge lore but that's how I got introduced to him so for me he's up there too.

^Following that cue in terms of 'official' categories, the traveling Runeterra champs take the #2 spot. Kindred, Bard, Aurelion Sol, Evelynn, Fiddlesticks, Senna & Zilean all have deeply interesting story concepts that spark something, But i feel a little bit like that's cheating since its not a cohesive region by any means.

Targon would have been a close runner up bc you've got great character concepts there ( Tyari/The Traveler included, I am counting the LoR cards for all of these rankings since they deliver more flavor bits anyway) but it has the very unfortunate downside of not feeling like a real place *at all* for me. The way the lore is structured is also not my favorite, I think some writing decisions there were detrimental to it feeling like an ecosystem. Huge godly mountain shit is badass though.

I love the fairytale folklore parts of Ionia (Ivern, Lillia, Karma, Xayah&Rakan, Yone and Ahri under the right spotlight) but my enjoyment of these characters is so far removed from the overall sell of what Ionia is 'supposed' to be that I wouldn't consider it a favorite region LOL

The Void only counts as a place if you stretch the definition but I love eldritch shit and always have so the lack of set elaboration is made up for in the delusions my mind creates. Cool narrative forming there even when i have lukewarm opinions on how Kai'sa was handled etc, I like the theming and designs and how they affect other parts of the world. (Bandle CIty is also eldritch shit through a candy filter so the setting interests me a lot, though it hasn't gotten much elaboration at all.)

ALL IN ALL i have at least one or a couple favorite champs per each region, which means even when they're flopping SOMETHING in the place is working good so I cant complain 👍

[romanianwilkinson]

MONSTER CAMP QUOTES STARTERS

A collection of sentence starters from the game Monster Camp. Feel free to change words and pronouns as desired. CONTENT WARNING(S) FOR: Monster Prom/Monster Camp spoilers, suggestive, cursing, crude content

“ I just have it here because [NAME] insisted that I offer it, as a marketing stunt. ”

“ And lastly, super-horny-type players no longer get a charm buff against tsundere types! ”

“ War machines don’t turn me on or anything! ”

“ I don’t wanna be weird, but do you mind if I climb inside of you and play around with your main turret? ”

“ A wine to DIE for, you say? Well, darling, don’t threaten me with a good time! ”

“ This one just says ‘ hmu with that reaper dick, daddy ’. ”

“ You on your phone, as always! Probably making blogposts on your Tik Tok page. ”

“ Yeah, you really don’t want to witness a repeat of the last time [NAME]’s diehard fans went without a selfie for fifteen minutes. My tailbone still hasn’t completely healed. ”

“ Now hold still, this will only hurt for a moment --- ”

“ Yay! You found a shenanigan! ”

“ My poems all have two or three emotions in them, AT LEAST. ”

“ CRYING IS OBVIOUSLY A COMPETITION TO SEE WHO CAN SQUEEZE THE MOST WATER OUT OF THEIR EYES! ”

“ No way, really? The way to WIN at poetry is by LOSING at life? ”

“ I dunno, maybe fall in love with someone who’s married and develop an opioid addiction? ”

“ HELL YEAH, SPEEDRUN! ”

“ It’s morbid, but... kind of romantic? ”

“ GASP! Google+? Are you kidding me? The psychopaths behind that global tragedy are here?! ”

“ Prison has changed me, [NAME]. Would you like to trade me some cigarettes in exchange for my fundamental dignity? ”

“ Undermining the laws of reality, subverting life and death, that’s the kind of stuff my followers expect. But CHEATING? No way. ”

“ Though we are imprisoned in chalk jail, we are free in our hearts. But our hearts are also imprisoned in chalk jail. ”

“ Um, no, I am NOT groveling. I am posing a dignified query to [NAME] that just so happens to be performed on my hands and knees. ”

“ I didn’t know you condoned playing the friend card to get free labor, [NAME]. ”

“ Ah, but saving the world doesn’t put avocado toast on the table. We indie seancers and necromancers need to pay our rent too, you know. ”

“ And as you know, I am illustriously Internet-famous, so if you could shower me with adoration and give me the pizza that would be fabulous. ”

“ Do you wanna fuck the pizza or not? ”

“ Are you ready to go swimming? I must admit, darling, I’ve always wondered what you would look like while... wet.”

“ Did you turn this date into an orgy without consulting me? ”

“ Gosh, I love it when you insult me! Please do it more! ”

“ Now who wants to make a baby? ”

“ What if she puts a curse on me that makes me magically forget the location of the clitoris?! ”

“ Hey, don’t knock wacky decisions that endanger us all! That’s how I always manage to stay a step ahead of my nemeses! ”

“ Oh gods, I’ve killed so many monsters, just for being monsters. This is making me question my entire moral foundation. I NEED MORE THERAPY. ”

“ I’ve said it once, and I’ll say it again: fish give better pedicures than people! ”

“ You’re not tricking me into parenting a stupid egg. I’ve never fucked even ONE chicken! The egg is not my son! ”

“ You came to visit me at camp, Daddy! ”

“ Don’t be ridiculous, I know your brand of horny, [NAME], and this ain’t it. ”

“ I thought we both agreed to be nothing but vague and haughtily aloof about our past dalliances. ”

“ Point EAST, compass! EAAAAAAAAST! You dumb fuckboot!!!! POINT! EAST! ”

“ One time I was told a soul’s worst fear was bugs and I inadvertantly sent The Beatles. It happens to the best of us... And the worst of us. ”

“ SOMEDAY I SHALL DEFEAT YOUR FIVE STRANGE FEET! ”

“ Why do you keep suppressing your monster half? Embrace your true nature! ”

“ Wow. I didn't think this was possible, but I guess I was... wrong? About social media? Oh dear God, is this how grandparents feel?!?! Am I a GRANDPARENT?! ”

“ I don’t know! I was relying on my friends to cover up my bold and idiotic statement! ”

“ ... I ate the oars. ”

“ PSYCHE. The ocean can eat my ass. ”

“ So pucker up, [NAME]! I'm about to declare mouth war on your FACE! ”

“ YOU FOOLISHLY FOOLISH FOOL! You're showing our inexperience! YOUR HONOR, THE ENTIRE LEGAL TEAM PLEADS THE FIFTH! ”

“ That's right. I'm talking about a classic Transylvania Hot Tub, a Seth Brundle, and a REVERSE Reverse Romanian Wilkinson. ”

“ Sorry, I was in your ribcage seeing if I could use it to cut strips of crepe paper into confetti and then I got lost in your kidneys. ”

“ There's nothing sexier than a doomed romance between a dating sim player and a hot fictional character. ”

“ That's right! I secretly replaced one of you with a bear while no one was looking, to teach you a valuable lesson about the art of disguise! ”

“ Enchant my armor. I’m going into the lake. ”

“ For VIOLENCE REASONS! ” 

“ This stupid lake monster called me short the other day, but I was too low level to crush him like he deserved. ”

“ That dumb wet dinkhole won't know what hit him! But it will be me! I will hit him! ”

“ No, YOU'RE a fuckshark! Also, what does that even mean?! ”

“ You seriously didn't notice the enormous needles those interns jabbed into your veins as soon as [NAME] got here? “

“ It all makes sense! The Camp Dome is just an elaborate ploy to distract us from the giant mouth that eats campers! “

“ This is the BEST show I've ever seen in my life, which is now at an end! “

“ Am I high, or did he just tell us EXACTLY how to foil his evil scheme? “

“ What, like a few severed heads and visions of my grandpa screaming in horrendous pain are gonna freak me out? Where I'm from, you can buy that stuff at IKEA. “

“ ERROR: Due to the sixth mass extinction, the slaying of leprechauns is inadvisable. “

“ Then why do I have half-finished scarves, decoupage, pot-holders, friendship bracelets, and a taxidermied rabbit in my skeleton? “

“ The wang elemental. ”

“ I also have an uncle who works at Nintendo as a copy machine! “

“ What flavor of ice cream AM I?! Now I gotta know. HA! You know what I should be? 'Pistachio.' Because my outside is HARD, but I'm full of NUT. “

“ I mean, life is a bit like... this sandwich! No, stay with me, I'm going somewhere good with this. “

“ A survival situation without any sexy fun time isn't worth surviving in the first place. “

“ Rut the RUCK?! ”

“ The ' ambulance of the heart ' is just a regular ambulance! Ambulances treat all organs! ”

“ Yeah, that's why I made sure that my so-called ' emotional armor ' was also ' actual armor '. “

“ And being yourself is the key to living your dreams, which is the key to self actualization, which is the key to being really good at sex! “

“ So hot I'd buy that even without free shipping. 10/10, call me some time. “

“ Hi, quick question: does it count as kidnapping if I'm abducting you so you can help me do a thing you already agreed to help with? “

“ I could be wrong, but are you just upset because you DON'T have a skeleton that's inside your body? “

“ I'm gonna get SO FUCKING RELAXED MY HEAD WILL EXPLODE! “

“ Whoah, whoa, hold up. You're fucking my grandma? “

“ No, [NAME], that is a popcorn bag full of more dynamite. Put it down. “

“ I hear that at least 70% of people on Patreon aren't murderers! “

“ If you want cash, just rob banks like the rest of us! “

“ Did it work? Do you feel any less horny? ”

“ FUCK YEAH, LET'S PUNCH THAT MOUTH IN ITS MOUTH! “

“ Yes... incidentally, we are no longer allowed to enter Italy. “

“ Is anyone else turned on right now? ”

“ Yes! Yes! I know what you're feeling! I suddenly see how marrying a corpse isn't okay! “

“ JUST LET ME IMPROVE YOUR SELF ESTEEM, MORTAL! “

“ Look, choose whatever you want, but I'm not responsible for whatever you put in your mouth. ”

[seaweedsawyou]

Podcasts in review 2022

It was decidedly NOT a good year. Hence all the actual play podcasts.

Actual Play :/

These Flimsy Rituals - Divine cycle but fantasy. No seriously, they have Divines, the Rapid Evening, the Crystal Palace - and I'm 90% sure it's a coincidence. Severe lack of Keith J Carberry (or equivalent) makes it hard to listen to. Play their own system, Blades and a variety of other small games to expand the story.

Eidolon Playtest - Jojo stands in a tabletop world with moves such as "reveal your masterplan". Tarot card pulls are much cooler than dice. Their mini seasons (Giants? in particular) are a great place to start. The cast is mostly trans women who both loved and disliked Jojo (and Persona) enough to unionize and make something of their own - one of the characters in the current season is legit Naoto but good (trans). Play different versions of their own game.

Spout lore - somehow they play Dungeon World nigh gmless. The players supply the world, its geography, fauna, even reasons for this particular group of bad guys to kidnap them. Even if I consider the results of their world building inferior to some others, there sure take a ton of joy in creation (and that's beautiful). Also a TON of dick and fart jokes and the weirdest cases of no(?) homo from the cast. ALSO they do a goof (dndads style) by stealing from a more popular podcast thinking it was just a thing (princept as a gender neutral term for "ruler of a principality". look it up. there is only a urban dictionary entry from after partizan has started. a song, a firm and FaTT Wiki entry). Play Dungeon World and Blades (in bonus Patreon content).

Naddpod (Eldermourne) - there had to be a point where I put my foot down. No more dnd podcasts from now on.

The Unexplored Places (Deliverance, OH; Tango Sector) - Deliverance, OH is a cool name for a place to see monsters every week. Tango Sector is a cool name for a place to be scum and villains in, but the sum of its parts is less than. Catfishes: the Rock opera is a masterpiece. Play MotW, Scum and Villainy, Masks, Fiasco, smaller games.

Qomrades - a friend group that plays not dnd decided to record themselves on game night. Play whatever.

Tales Yet Told (Season 1) - discovered through their post in the FaTT tag here (good hustle). Cute (and sufficiently creepy) little story about siblings lost in the woods. Not in a rush to catch up, but I'm looking forward to. Play Babes in the Woods.

Rusty Quill Gaming - absolutely atrocious beginning (eps 2-8 are the same fucking combat encounter). The ending felt out of nowhere: was the fandom as analytical organ required to understand it? Grizzop voice makes me so happy it's illegal. Play Pathfinder (ugh) and a variety of games as bonus content.

Audio Drama :)

Wizards Seeking Wizards - it can be difficult to fill your quadrants when you are a wizard - but you should try anyway. Wacky wizards go on weird love, hate and friend dates. Product of voice actors in quarantine.

The Ballad of Anne and Mary - have you ever wanted to hear cool historical female pirates to sing about their life? Now is your chance. Product of actors in quarantine.

The Doctor Is Dead - ahhh!!!! Cool weird queer (thematically and otherwise) musical. Complete with astonishing songwriting and music. Favorite thing I've encountered all year.

Out of Place - alternate dimension puzzles are more fun when they are based in history (season 1), and not in sci Fi the author has read (season 2).

Beneath our Feet - doctor but not cool.

Mirrors - normally I am very easily impressed by both women and ghosts.

The Tides - I really wanted it to be In Other Waters. Hard to do so without visuals or scientific basis.

Woe.Begone - I won't be listening to another Homestuck while also being personally victimized by the writer (/j but I refuse to elaborate).

Malevolent - possession narratives are sooo fun I will keep listening to another Homestuck 💛

Arden - when fem!Hamlet goes to the nunnery. Oh my god. Oh shit. O fuck. So unfortunate you have to get through the first season to reach the second.

Tech won't save us - host's name is Paris Marx, which makes everything else self explanatory. Your leftie tech podcast.

Various unnamed philosophy podcasts - not good enough to mention. None of them compare to the One (GSSB) which isn't even one primarily.

[spookyc]

i'm kind of interesting in your cryptid au - what type of monster is each character?

Glad you asked and I'll be happy to answer! I'll also try to explain why I chose each cryptid for each character.

Alright let's start with our protagonist, Hajime, this one is pretty simple, he is a shapeshifter. This is one is pretty self explanatory, as it's meant to represent Izuru possessing every talent where as here Izuru has the ability to possess the forms of his fellow freakshows. He is one of the most anticipated acts in the freakshow, but constantly transforming his body everyday for the audience does a number on his psyche, eventually bringing Izuru out.

Nagito: As I revealed in an earlier post, was a vampire. I chose this due to his general appearance and also his condition of being sickly. I also chose it to form an interesting dynamic for Nagito. See, as a vampire, Nagito needs to drink blood but a vampire's powers increase when they are hungry, so hope's peak intentionally starves him for his shows. So, nagito grows more unhinged from starvation, and starts thinking of feeding off the freakshows. But he still has his hope complex and worships the freakshows. So he's caught in a struggle of his body and his will.

Chiaki: Now she isn't exactly a cryptid but I like what I decided for her. So she's a TV head, which I chose due to her gaming fixation but also because she was an AI, which is sort of the same here, albeit more of a kiibo situation where she is an AI in a physical body. Her shows aren't as elaborate as the others, mostly consisting of her showing emotions through the swapping of channels and playing videos games in her mind which is portrayed on her TV screen. She doesn't have as severe issues as some of the others but she faces her own problems as an AI among humans.

Ultimate Imposter: Simple enough, he's a doppelganger. This is of course referring to him being the ultimate imposter, the only real change being that his true form is that of a gray amorphous blob. His shows consist of him copying the other freakshows, though it differs from Hajime tho, as UI can only morph into people and is restricted to morphing into those he knows whereas Hajime can shapeshift into anything, even things he has not seen.

Teruteru: So, quite an odd choice, but one I'm quite pleased with. So Teruteru is a basan, or a japanese fire-breathing chicken. As for a human form, he doesn't have one, he's just a fire-breathing chicken who's a great cook, the jokes make themselves. He's still a perve but less so simply due to most of the forms the freakshows take, only really having his eye on Peko and Sonia who are both very capable of killing him with a single strike so he keeps his cards to his chest as it were. His acts of course consist of feats of fire breathing and dual acts with akane.

Peko, my beloved: So Peko is a gorgon, in the sense that she has the bottom half of a snake. I chose this because Peko reminds of a snake in the best way possible. She's fierce and mysterious with piercing eyes that cut through your soul. As for abilities, she does possess the stone vision of gorgons, but she can control when she uses it, and she doesn't like having to use it. Just because she doesn't use her stone vision doesn't mean she should be underestimated tho, she still is a pro swordswoman and is arguably more adept than she would have been with legs. She has a dual act with Fuyuhiko, more specifically an arena type duel. Of course they don't fight to the death but any injury they sustain is fair game. Peko of course always objects to this but pushing hope's peaks buttons risks detainment for a freakshow, ultimately, she doesn't have a choice.

Mahiru: Okay so, she was really hard but I decided on making her a nymph. This is because I imagined that being able to blend with nature would be able to help capture people in their most natural state, in regards to her photography of course. Her acts are also not the most eventful, just her blending with different natural surroundings. That's honestly about it, wish I had more but Mahiru has always been a blank slate for me.

Ibuki: Ibuki! So, ibuki is a Siren, this is pretty obvious, as I chose this due to her being the ultimate musician. However, I do have an interesting dynamic with her and her ability. So, since sirens usually have melodious voices and show their victims what they desire most, I wanted to flip that on its head. So, since Ibuki doesn't exactly have a melodious voice, (a great voice, yes but not melodious nonetheless) her power doesn't show those what they desire but instead their deepest fears. This causes Ibuki to hide her singing, excluding her acts, and to grow self-conscious of her aspiration for music. Her acts consist mostly of water tricks and of course her singing, which audience members say they get a thrill and a since of comfort being able to face their deepest fear. Ibuki thinks differently, wanting her music to encourage and inspire people rather than send fear through them. And that is her central conflict throughout this au, which I'll end off here for sake of brevity.

Hiyoko: Pretty pleased with what I decided for her. So Hiyoko is a kitsune, I chose this because of her noble lineage and I think the kitsune is a pretty noble animal, despite having some cursed elements. She was still forced into the whole dancing thing, which she mixes between her human and fox form. But, her mischievous nature fits that of the kitsune as she's still her normal abrasive self. She tries staying out of her fox form as much as possible as it reminds her of her lineage that she hates but she of course has to transform into it for her acts. These consist of fire tricks as well as a showcase of mastery swapping between forms.

Mikan: Alright so Mikan's is kinda wild but stay with me. So Mikan is a lich and here's why. So I chose this for her because I know I wanted her to be undead, because she would constantly have to patch herself up. Decided on a lich to give an air to her that something isn't quite right, that she holds more power that she let's on and simply doesn't express it. Also I have some extremely dark reasons as to how she became a lich but I won't get into that here for brevity's sake.

Nekomaru: So Nekomaru's pretty fun, he's a minotaur mainly just because I think it fits him, and he definitely gives off jovial bull vibes. Despite his appearance he still has his joyful personality and still takes pride in his talent of team leader. His acts consist of feats of strength primarily, nothing much besides that.

Gundham: So Gundman is an imp, because he definitely deserves to be a demon but he's gonna be the lowest demon there is. Cause I still want to emphasize his whole "overlord complex" despite him just being an imp. He does still have his hamsters and he takes very good care of them, the four dark devas live a fulfilling life even if their master doesn't. Gundham can perform some lesser demon abilities like changing his appearance, in terms of pigment, small fire control, and flight. Of which he showcases in his acts. Even tho he's just an mere imp he is the Supreme Overlord of Ice and he will not accept any other titles.

Fuyuhiko: Finally! We have arrived at the boy, Fuyuhiko. So, Fuyuhiko is a werewolf, because he's an angsty boy and because I like werewolves. The story plays out much the same way as before, though Peko was assigned not just to protect Fuyuhiko but also to protect him from himself. His acts consist of arena battles with Peko, of which he always intentionally loses. He's able to transform each day to a drug they inject in him before every match that forces a transformation. These drugs make him agitated and irritable, more so than usual and also causes him extreme mood swings. Even if sometimes he wishes he could be detained, he stays for Peko. He knows she wouldn't forgive herself if he was taken away, regardless of her involvement, so he stays in this condition. It isn't all bad tho, spending time with Peko outside of the area isn't so bad. He also is often found hanging out with Kazuichi, who Fuyuhiko refers to as a "fucking moron" and yet still hangs out with him most days. They've formed an unlikely friendship that the two cherish even if Fuyuhiko won't admit it. He also has a pretty good relationship with Ibuki, her being Peko's girlfriend and all.

Kazuichi: Okay, Kazuichi, so Kazuichi is a gargoyle and man how I got there is a story. So I wanted Kazuichi to be something constructed, something manmade in a way so that he could rebuild himself as well as other things. So orginally he was a golem but I just couldn't vibe with that so I ended up settling with a gargoyle. I do think it fits him in a way, not sure how, but it suits him imo. So he's got the standard gargoyle abilities, he's got wings and can fly and can also change into his stone form at will. He prefers to sleep in this form, and he often turns into this form when scared which is often. His acts consist flying around the stage and testing the endurance of his stone skin. He also has a close relationship with Fuyuhiko and of course Sonia, though he doesn't see her as often as he would like.

Sonia: So, Sonia's is very different but I really like it. So she is a basilisk, not the serpent one but the more giant chicken with a serpent tail. Her cryptid form is one that affects her in and out of her form, and both are just as deadly. So since she's a basilisk, she has lethal vision and this is active in and out of her form. So she walks around with a blindfold on, and she has yet to see any of the her fellow freakshow's faces. She also is kept within her enclosure at almost all times, she's only let out about twice a day and these outings don't last long. In her basilisk form she easily stands 20-feet tall, with a wingspan of 25 feet, her feets are huge and equipped with deadly talons. From her beak she leaks venom that is capable of causing a limb to be amputated with a single drop. Not as lethal as her vision, but enough would easily be able to cause death. She doesn't perform, merely has visitors come and visit her in her basilisk form. She's very lonely, wishing with every part of her that she wasn't cursed with her form, but she does appreciate the visitors she gets. Chiaki and Akane often come to visit her, Kazuichi also comes by often, Fuyuhiko having to drag him off when he's overstayed his welcome. She holds on to her friendships, as it's all she really has.

Lastly we have Akane, so I decided on making Akane a dragon. For one dragons are known to have a voracious appetite, and two, Nekomaru in the main story talks about Akane having untapped potential, which I think would fit her as a dragon. Yeah, so contrary to Hiyoko, Akane primarily stays in her dragon form, even when just walking around the freakshow traveling caravan. She's not a huge dragon as she still isn't fully grown, so she's only slightly bigger than the average person. This is partially her just preferring her dragon form, (doesn't have to wear clothes, can fly, can eat more), but it's also because if she's a dragon no one can objectify her. She doesn't have to deal with the male gaze if she's a dragon and she quite likes it that way. Her acts consist of typical dragon shit, flying, feats of strength and a dual act with teruteru for fire breathing, (she can't breathe fire herself so she places teruteru in her mouth like a mama croc does with her babies and he does all the work. Before you say anything, teruteru actually doesn't get any perseve enjoyment out of this, or at least he doesn't anymore, just gets an excuse to take a bath).

And that's about it! Had a lot of fun coming up with these guys and I do have a story in mind for them if you'd like to hear. I also will answer that ask about the talentswap, I know it's been a while and I apologize for that but I have an excuse to work on it now so I'll get to that. Thanks for the ask!

[sidgenoabofest]

Remember, you can write for as many or as few prompts as you’d like! And check out the updated FAQ and Timeline pages or send us an Ask if your have any questions. Happy writing! 

1. Mpreg

2. Courting

3. Omega/Omega

4. Jealous mate

5. Lactation kink

6. Mermaid a/b/o au

7. Mail order bride!!!

8. Subversion/Inversion

9. Non-traditional dynamics

10. Very elaborative courting

11. oral knotting + cock warming

12. Geno’s first heat in America.

13. Little Drummer Girl au but a/b/o

14. alpha/alpha first time taking a knot

15. a xeno take on heat and abo dynamics

16. Geno falling for Ace!Sid in an a/b/o au

17. Mutual pining where they’re both Alpha’s

18. Hockey player Alpha Geno, non hockey Sid

19. Alpha!Geno’s dick is too big when he knots

20. Geno and Anna (alphas) try to woo Sid (omega)

21. Regency AU arranged marriage with shy omega Sid

22. Rival teammates and one goes into heat mid game

23. a/b/o dynamics based on lions, rather than wolves

24. beta/omega; first time going through heat together

25. Alpha-Alpha dynamic going into rut on the team plane

26. cockwarming as self-care and/or somebody's love language

27. Sometimes Sid will let Geno fuck his thighs and let him knot.

28. Alien Alpha Sid captures Earthling Omega Geno in his tractor beam

29. Snowed in and/or cabin fic where one of them goes into heat or rut

30. Mafia boss Geno, with husband omega Sid, who is still a boss in his own right

31. Sid's knot takes forever to go down. They work around it with cosy movie nights.

32. Alpha Sid being all worked up over pregnant geno.... and perhaps overly protective…

33. Sid being scent blind and falling in love with Geno the long way, while Geno pines and pines

34. Sid goes into a full on mating heat at the West Point hill climb, Geno fights off all comers.

35. Geno is intersex, with physical characteristics of both alpha and omega. Sid's into all of him.

36. Evgeni always goes to Sidney post heat (or rut). It’s one of many things they don’t talk about.

37. During a goal celebration, Sid and Geno experience a spontaneous bond. It freaks all involved out.

38. Alpha/Alpha rival knight au or Alpha knight and Omega squire? Just something with romance and armour.

39. Tired of being teased and the punchlines of locker room jokes, Sid asked Geno to take his virginity/knot him.

40. Geno and Sid as two alphas who pine for each other and try to pretend they don’t want each other, but they do.

41. sid has a kink for fucking new brides, so omega geno dresses up in bridal lingerie and begs sid to knock him up

42. Alphas and omegas will fuck betas, but they don’t end up staying with them. This is what Sidney knows from experience.

43. Medieval abo au, Sid's castle is small and he and Geno have to consummate their marriage in front of all of Sid's patrons

44. omega/omega pregnancy kink, no getting pregnant angst, just skip right to the good stuff: already pregnant and horny about it.

45. rookie sid and geno are still a bit too young for a real heat, so they put in some practice together and things get out of hand

46. “i’m rich and i’m not supposed to talk to servants but the person that scrubs my floor is really cute” (/smells fucking amazing)

47. New relationship during the holidays and somebody forgot to take their suppressant and goes into rut in between dinner and dessert

48. Omega Sid and alpha Geno hook up, it's a one night stand. Sid notices he's pregnant a couple weeks after and goes to hunt down Geno

49. Baby NHL omegas come to Sid for advice on omegas working with alphas, dating etiquette with alphas and what its like to get knotted by an alpha.

50. Alpha Geno courting Omega Sid to be allowed to mate him, over expensive gifts to dinner invitations to being possessive and protective on the ice

51. Sid can’t stand being touched or scent marked by strangers, but Geno’s never been that to him. (Authors choice re: what designations they each have)

52. Regency AU: Mr Sidney Crosby is as well know for his big estate and he wealth as he is for being an omega who tops all the alpha gentlemen he take to his bed

53. Sid is always yapping on the bench, but in relationships his communication skills go right down the drain when he has a cold and can't rely on scent cues for help.

54. you rescued me from the creepy person that was hitting on me in the bar and i’m glad you did because MMHMMM you are hot and smell like nothing i’ve ever smelled before

55. Sid is a beta who Geno always calls on when he goes into heat/rut. It’s fun and no strings attached and they’re friends. Only Geno slowly realises he wants more than that

56. one is an omega and the other is a beta (the inherent convenience of a self-slicking butthole; the beta figuring out how to satisfy their partner in heat, who can go for HOURS)

57. Only werewolves are a/b/o’s, humans are just humans. As a general rule human!Sid stays out of wolf business but Evgeni keeps making it his business by acting like Sidney’s *his.*

58. sid being teased relentlessly for his big alpha dick in the locker room, and loving it, kinda strutting around naked but also going all pink, and geno really LOOKING for the first time

59. Sid has been on high level suppressants since juniors and nobody knows if he's hiding being an alpha or an omega. Geno has been curious for YEARS but never asked, till something happens.

60. One of their alpha/omega statuses doesn't kick in until after retirement-- they spent a good portion of life thinking they were a beta but now that shit is going BANANAS. Puberty at age 40

61. Sid/Geno/Anna where Sid + Geno are both Omegas and have banded together like "we don't need any alpha nonsense" but then Geno meets Alpha Anna at the Olympics and shit gets real, real fast.

62. Tradition has it, your mate is supposed to smell best to you. But Sid usually smells like old milk. How the fuck is Geno supposed to work around that? Because Sid is definitely the one he wants.

63. Alpha Sid's enthralled with Geno's omega trills. Geno's kind of a picky eater (like he's picky about everything) Sid revels in the challenge of finding snacks and gifts that will make Geno trill

64. geno's heats come on fast and with no warning, sometimes in the middle of a game, so once in a while sid can help a buddy out and slip geno some fingers to just get him through to the intermission

65. Established Sid and Geno who have not bonded for some reason (is one beta? are they waiting for something?), with a side of whoops, accidentally bonded to someone else in a heat-related medical emergency.

66. You’re an actor/other famous person that I really admire and I just saw you in the street and as I was debating whether or not to say hi you came up to me and started flirting what do I do?? (but make it hockey abo)

67. Sexual dysfunction: Maybe an alpha who's having trouble knotting, or a bata having a hard time staying hard his fist time dating an omega, or an omaga who's having issues self lubricating. Emotional comfort through sex!

68. Camboy or porn AU where the one who does sex work specializes in alpha/alpha or omega/omega porn. Ideally the one watching is still an NHL player and has some complicated feelings around their own same-gender preferences.

69. one is an alpha and the other is a beta (first time getting knotted and being overwhelmed by it plus like LOTS of lube; or the alpha likes getting fucked but doesn't like to be knotted so a beta partner is the perfect option)

70. omega/omega sid figuring out how to top geno's giant peach ass when omegas aren't particularly well-endowed (dick-extending knotting dildo? practicing flexibility? finger-shaped bruises trying to keep those cheeks pried open?)

71. Green card heat bond au! The KHL don’t want to release Geno from his contract to let him play in the NHL. It’s becoming messy and it looks like the Penguins may lose their legal case when someone suggests a heat bond green card.

72. Trophy wife Geno: He likes to be pampered, he like his valour track suits, he likes lounging around in fur coats, and he likes getting knotted when Sid comes back from a win...and maybe even more when he comes back from a loss…

73. Heatfic PWP set during Geno’s rookie year when he barely speaks any English. Up to you which one is in heat—I just like the idea of Sid and Geno trying awkwardly to communicate & then not really needing to once instinct takes over.

74. Beauty and the beats/ or some kind of monster au. Geno is saved by Beast!Sid and nursed back to health in his castle. By the end Geno is as in love with the monster as he is with Sid's other self. This could be any dynamic combination.

75. Sid’s concussion messing up his alpha or omega cycle, or maybe delaying him from differentiating. Everyone calls him a late bloomer, which Sid doesn’t care about except when he sometimes sees Geno post heat/rut and feels confusing stuff

76. ABO specific sex toys: training knots for omega's, dilators for alphas and betas who want to sleep with other alphas, knotting flashlights, double headed dildos for omega/omega pairs? The list goes on! The only limit is your imagination.

77. Geno - omega who's never gone into heat. Maybe he never will. Despite the pessimism of his younger years, this has turned out to fine, because he and Sid have an excellent and well-established sex life regardless, and SID's heats are pretty great for both of them.

78. Nontraditional abo dynamic frat au: Either with alphas, betas, and omegas all in the same house or maybe separate different fraternities? It could be two competing alpha's from different frat houses? or maybe a beta at an omega house party feeling *very overwhelmed*

79. Geno breaks up after bonding with someone. It’s sudden and it happens mid-season and he can’t go home to lick his wounds so instead his bond-withdrawal becomes a team issue. The trainers and medics all have opinions and advice, but it’s Sid who gets him through the worst of it.

80. Omega Sid is wedded to foreign Prince Alpha Geno because male Omegas are rare and a 'sign to God'. The marriage is a sign of goodwill from the people of Sid's kingdom, he's a low noble but his Omega status makes him more worthy. They meet for the first time in front of the altar

81. Omega Sid is ‘President’ of the NHL omega groupchat/association, Sid and Seguin have a friendship forged through both declaring they “dont need no Alpha!” But cant stop having ‘issues’ with their closest Alpha on their teams. Sid-Seguin gossipy omega friendship as they explore life getting closer to alphas (Geno, Benn)

82. Beta Sid's the king of locker room talk and all the rowdy shenanigans that go on there. He flirts with everyone shamelessly and Geno has no idea how he's supposed to tell if Sid's being serious or not when he tells Geno to "take a picture, it will last longer" or something to that degree. (He really wants Sid to be serious).

83. Age difference Coach Sid/ Rookie Geno au. Geno needs to get bonded to be allowed to travel overseas and play for the Penguins. Sid agrees to be his alpha without really thinking about it until Geno shows up wide-eyed and perky at his front door and things just derail from there. (and by derail I mean office sex at the arena.)

84. Sid is an Omega but pretends to be a suppressed alpha as omegas are considered special and rare, almost local celebrities unto themselves, plus most wouldnt want to see an Omega risking injury playing professional sport. The presence of an ideal Alpha in Geno is making it harder and harder to hide his omega side and instincts.

85. After the NHL All Star Game, alpha Sid ends up with omega Geno’s gear bag. Sid doesn’t realize the mix-up until he gets home. When he opens the bag, he instantly recognizes the smell of omega arousal, and a couple of things become clear: Geno was getting hot while playing in the ASG, and Sid has unfettered, private access to Geno’s scent.

86. Pirates of the Caribbean/Black Sails au—Zhenya is a wealthy young omega hostage on pirate Sid's ship. In the end Sid can’t follow through and hand Zhenya over to the people who want him in exchange for gold. (or maybe Zhenya offers knowledge of something better for them to steal in order to save himself and they fall in love during the adventure)

87. Someone tried to take advantage of Sid while in heat/rut; it’s something that Geno hears whispers of when he is a rookie, but no one talks about it and Geno doesn’t have a nearly good enough grasp on English to try. He just stays later to practice with Sid and sits next to him at clubs and uses his body to block people when they try to touch Sid.

88. After years of dancing around their feelings, AlphaGeno and OmegaSid start ‘hooking up’ and then accidentally bond in The Playoffs bubble. This is a problem because newly bonded omegas tend to become bratty and act out in many ways and try to test their alpha, sometimes taunting other alphas to see if their own alpha will come defend them. Chaos on and off the ice ensues.

89. Werewolf/abo au: an unsuspecting Geno (omega or beta) comes across Alpha Sid's pack (maybe on a full moon run or Sid helps him with car troubles in a snow storm or maybe Geno visits Sid's pack after moving to the area as a gesture of good will.) Either way, Sid knows as soon as he sees Geno that he wants him for his bond mate, and will do whatever it takes to get him to agree.

90. Geno scent marking Sid; maybe they’re not bonded or in a relationship but Sid is *his*; his captain, his friend, the person who laughs at Geno’s jokes and exchanges knowing looks with Geno whenever one of their teammates does something dumb. It’s possessive and technically rude, but whatever. Sid likes it, Geno argues when someone (Flower, probably) tries to call him out for it.

91. Rookie Geno is ultra-competitive about everything from who goes last out of the locker room to how many eggs he can eat in a minute. Everyone sees it as Geno locking horns with Sid, competing as young alphas do. Only, Sid doesn’t seem offended or annoyed. If anything, he seems delighted and more than a little turned on. (Bonus points if everybody is wrong about one of them being an alpha).

92. Alpha sid being possessive and jealous over oblivious omega geno and maybe getting into a fight (throw in some alpha ovi shipping these idiots but also teasing sid about his and geno’s past hookups because he might be onboard the Sid geno train but he’s also a sassy bitch about it) bonus if it also has backy/ovi (if we squint not here to take the spotlight away from the two headed monster)

93. Mail Order Alpha AU: To Play in the KHL Omega Geno needs to be bonded. Metallurge team management offers him many options for Russian suitors, but Geno being Geno doesn’t like being told what to do. Instead of accepting any of those, he finds himself a nice Canadian alpha on "mail order bride" message boards. Bonus points for slightly awkward but also hot “bonding night scene” and Sid charming Geno's family with his broken Russian.

94. Sid never joins in with any of the rowdy locker room talk about hook ups/sex/knots/heats/ruts. Some of the guys joke it’s because Sid’s a virgin or frigid. Geno knows that isn’t true, because they hooked up one time when they were rookies. In retrospect he thinks it was probably Sid’s first time, and he knows he messed it up because instead of talking to Sid and seeing if they had anything real, Geno got back together with Oksana. It’s been years since then, and he and Sid are friends, but sometimes Geno wonder’s ‘what if...’

95. Geno broke an Alpha/Omega bond when he escaped from Russia to come to the NHL. He promised himself he’d never bond with anyone else ever again. He’d just have fun. And he is having fun fucking around. He was never allowed to do that at home. He probably shouldn’t be doing it in the west because he’s getting a reputation but he doesn’t care. He’s free and no one can tell him what to do. It’s his life and his choices and he’s never going to bond with anyone ever again. Only without noticing he finds himself falling for his best friend, Sidney.

96. nesting!! it can be because one of them is pregnant, or something bond/hormone related, or just a pre-heat behavior, but i love fics where the omega partner is secretly stealing the other one's clothes and small personal belongings to make a nice safe nest/den in a closet or spare room or even a trainer's room at the rink. i especially love this trope if the nesting partner is a little embarrassed or evasive about it, lol. my heart says it's sid who's building a nest out of geno's things (and being a little squirrely about it trying to keep it secret) but i think an omega!geno version would also be delightful.

97. Demisexual!Sid in an a/b/o world where designation/romance/sex has never been a big deal to him. He’s never understood his teammates stories of losing their minds with heat lust, or falling in love at first scent or losing days in bed with someone riding out their heat/rut or anything like that. Most people tell him, he’ll understand one day when the right alpha/omega/beta comes along or question if something is wrong with his designation/him. Geno never does. For the longest time Geno is one of the few friends who doesn’t think anything is wrong with him. But the problem with friends is sometimes Sid falls for them.

98. I'd love to read an a/b/o fic involving an unplanned pregnancy. Maybe they're in some kind of casual fwb arrangement off and on for years, or maybe they just hooked up the one time and had tacitly agreed to never speak of it again. I'd read pretty much any take on this prompt -- an Obvious Child-esque version where they decide to have an abortion but also realize they have feelings for each other; a version where they decide to have a baby but both think the other just wants to be friends and co-parents (not romantically involved); a version where the pregnancy forces them to reckon with their true feelings for each other... really, anything goes!

99. Loser's sacrifice / victor's prize fic, version 1: Geno wasn't drafted by the Pens, and he and Sid have spent their whole careers as rival captains (you can decide if it's a no-love-lost rivalry or just mutual respect for each other or a hatesex chemistry type dynamic). The Pens lose to Sid's team, and Sid offers himself to Geno as the victor's prize. (I'd read any version of this, but I'd especially love an alpha!Geno / omega!Sid fic where Sid's the only omega captain in a predominantly alpha league -- and this creates some weird tensions, because the sacrifice is supposed to be about the humiliation of an alpha having to submit to another alpha. Maybe Sid doesn't usually accept or offer sacrifice (someone else on the team does it for him).

100. Loser's sacrifice / victor's prize fic, version 2: Sid and Geno are together (you can decide how serious it is). After a bad loss one night, Sid offers himself as the sacrifice to the opposing team (or maybe just to their captain). Geno is insanely jealous and territorial about it and pretends to be sulky/angry, but in the days after he can't stop furtively jacking off thinking about it. Sid figures it out eventually, and somehow it becomes a thing for them. Sid starts regularly offering himself as sacrifice but always comes to Geno immediately afterwards, smelling of the opposing captain/team, so Geno can fuck someone else's come out of him while Sid tells him everything the team did to him.

101. I've been thinking about an a/o universe where non-alpha/omega pairings are still socially stigmatized, but there's an active scent-masking party/club scene, where people take blockers and go to hook up with other people without knowing what their dynamic is. Maybe the clubs themselves are a little taboo -- sort of like gay bathhouses in the '70s or private BDSM clubs -- so it's mostly people who are in the know, and there's a general understanding that you don't acknowledge people you meet there if you encounter them out in the world. I'd love an alpha/alpha fic set in this verse - could be a non-hockey AU where Sid and Geno meet at one of these clubs, or a canon fic where they don't realize the other is into alphas until they're out of town on a road trip and they run into each other at one of these clubs.

102. There are no omegas in the NHL—at least as far as anyone knows. Sid’s been taking illegal scent-blockers/suppressants and passing as a beta since he presented as an omega as a teen. The only people who know the truth are his parents, his agent, and Jack Johnson (who helped make excuses for Sid at SSM during his first heat). Sid doesn’t intend to reveal his secondary gender until his retirement—once he’s won a Cup or three and gold for Canada and proven decisively that omegas can play at the highest levels. Except something happens (his supply of blockers is interrupted, or he has a breakthrough heat, or something) and Geno finds out. I’d especially love it if this was early in their NHL careers, before they knew/trusted each other and were able to communicate well, but I’d definitely also read a fic where Geno finds out many years into their friendship, and has to grapple with how much Sid’s hidden from him.

103. old timey pirate AU! sid’s a naval officer who’s clawed his way up the ranks despite significant prejudice against omegas. he’s achieved his dream of captaining a ship, but his life is a lonely one, in part because he can’t let himself be vulnerable with anyone (in case they use it against him to challenge his leadership). the only bright spot in his life is the years-long cat-and-mouse game he’s been playing with evgeni malkin, a notorious russian pirate captain who‘s managed to evade arrest for years, often by tricking the navy or managing to cleverly conceal his crew’s stolen loot when their ship is boarded by the Navy. Geno’s an alpha, but unlike Sid’s fellow officers, he’s always treated Sid with the utmost respect—even if he also gleefully delights in tricking Sid’s men and repeatedly evading capture. in fact, after years of meeting in various port towns and at sea, Geno seems to consider Sid a friend. (Sid knows Geno finds him attractive, too, and has made it clear—always teasingly, never in a pushy or aggressive way—that he’s available, should Sid ever want to go to bed with an alpha.) up to you what the plot is, but I’d love something where Geno’s luck finally runs out, and Sid’s the one who‘s tasked with bringing him back to shore to be tried (and most likely hanged) for piracy. make Sid choose between his honor + love of rules and his unacknowledged feelings for geno!!

[ayma-nidiot]

In the White Light - Prideshipping fanfic Chapter 18

Also on AO3.

Author’s Note: This chapter is named in honour of an old Boueibu chat @queenofthefaces and I used to be a part of.

This chapter also features hints of Scandalshipping.

Chapter 18 – Big Ass Spider

Mahad returned from the infirmary, back to the court meeting currently taking place in the throne room. “Pharaoh, you’ll be glad to know that your companions have made it out of the Shadow Game alive and well. After they’ve recuperated, I’ll ask them about the foes they’ve faced.”

“Excellent work, Mahad,” Yami Yugi acknowledged as the High Priest sat back down.

Those fools actually survived a Shadow Game? Kaiba, who had reluctantly agreed to sit in on this meeting, tittered. I guess every dog has his day.

“So now that we’ve discussed everything we know so far about our enemy, what is our best course of action, pharaoh?” Isis asked.

“I want you and Mahad to stay and guard the palace while the rest of us move out.”

“A sound decision, Your Majesty,” Karim remarked. “Monster attacks on the palace have been rather scarce lately and have mostly been concentrated in the villages.”

 “Then I will send you and Shada with some of my forces to help protect the villagers. If you find the time, ask them for any information that may be useful to us. You have my permission to leave.”

“At once, Your Majesty.” With that Karim and Shada bowed before equipping themselves with their Millennium Items and DiaDhanks, and heading out the palace.

“But what of you, Priest Seto-”

“That’s Kaiba to you,” Kaiba corrected Mahad with a curt voice.

“My apologies… Er, what will you, Kaiba, and your companions do?”

“We will head out to Anubis’ chamber. Seeing as how he was one of our greatest enemies in the past, perhaps our new enemy is affiliated with him in some way. In fact, I’m almost certain that the zombies you’ve been seeing are getting revenge for their master.”

Kaiba knitted his brow at this announcement. “That… is a very dangerous idea, Yugi. Did the desert dry up your brains? Or are you that eager to repeat history?”

“I’ll have to agree with Kaiba,” spoke Isis. “It is possible that Anubis’ spirit may return and attack you again.”

“Not if they take two of our strongest soldiers.” Mahad called out into the hall, “Mana! Kisara! Your presence is requested in the throne room.”

“Your Eminence.” A young woman with long blue hair and plain beige robes presented herself.

“You called, Master?” A sprightly girl who looked just like Dark Magician Girl joined her. “Oh! Hello again, Pharaoh!”

“Dark Magician Girl! I’m so glad you’re all right after what happened on Atlantis.”

“Likewise, Your Majesty. I’m honoured to fight alongside you again, and on such an important mission, too. Oh, yeah, one more thing. In this world, call me Mana.”

Kaiba had nothing to say to Mana, and instead was more interested in the other young woman. She looks a lot like Maiden with Eyes of Blue!

It was then that this young woman noticed Kaiba staring at her. “Oh! Pardon me for not introducing myself properly. My name is Kisara and… well, we’ve technically met before.”

“I should say the same.” Kaiba took Maiden with Eyes of Blue out of his deck and showed it to her.

Mahad elaborated, “Kisara is the original owner of a powerful ka – or, as you call it in your world, monster – the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.”

“Then consider myself charmed.” Kaiba bowed before arising from the table. “Well, Yugi, if we’re going to go on this death mission, then let’s make it quick.”

“Hey, if rich boy is comin’, then so am I!” declared Joey.

“Figures… But you’re not riding on my back this time, Wheeler. Use your own damned dragon for once.” Kaiba turned to Mokuba.

“Ooh! Can I come?” Mokuba asked.

“Kaiba, I’m not sure taking people without Duel Disks is a good idea,” Yami Yugi warned. “I don’t want my friends to get hurt, and I’m sure you don’t want Mokuba to get hurt either.”

“Don’t you think we know that?” Tristan growled.

“I… I’m not afraid of zombies!” Téa spoke confidently. “We’ve faced them before! And don’t forget all the other trials we’ve been through… We’re tougher than you think, pharaoh.”

“Don’t worry, babe, I’m strong enough to protect us all.” Kaiba held Yami Yugi by the waist. “Don’t you know who I am?”

“My love, overconfidence is a deadly enemy. At least let me do my share of the protecting.”

“Oh my gods, guys, you can flirt after we’ve defeated Anubis’ zombies!” Joey already started running towards the palace exit and started flying on Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Tristan and Yugi. “Last one there’s a rotten egg!”

“You moron. You don’t even know where to find the damned place!” Kaiba shouted after him.

While the remaining people decided who would be riding with whom, Weevil overheard the conversation. Having just emerged from the infirmary, he made sure to stay out of sight. “Looks like Yugi and company are going to some creepy guy’s tomb to face some creepy zombies and get some awesome treasures! We better follow them!”

“Ohohoho, no. Not on your Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth, we’re not. Remember last time? We’re taking the Slash Dragon this time.” Rex summoned this monster.

“Fine, whatever. Just transform into that rabbit form of yours so we don’t blow our cover.”

“I… Um… Okay, I’ll try…” Rex concentrated all of his energy in his torso, but all that came out of it was a loud fart. “Sorry that I’m not cool like Kaiba. I can’t just transform into an animal the way he can.”

“I’ve noticed!” Weevil covered his nose for a few seconds. “Well, hun, you’re going to have to try again!”

“Since you’ve called me that, I’ll try once more for you, baby.” Rex winked before focusing again, and luckily for him, this transformation was successful. “Haha! See? Second time’s the charm. Now make sure you take care of my Duel Disk.”

“Yeah, yeah… Now hurry up before those lamebrains leave without us.” Weevil got onto the Red-Eyes Slash Dragon, and Rex hopped into his arms.

“Hmm…” Kisara closed her eyes, summoning the Blue-Eyes White Dragon - which she, Téa, and Mana promptly mounted.

“Impressive that you can summon one of my favourite monsters out of thin air!” Kaiba transformed into the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon. “But so can I.”

“Oh boy, oh boy!” Though Mokuba normally was mature for his age, he acted excited, despite the danger of the mission. “Finally, I get to go for a ride!”

“Come, I’ll help you up.” With that, Yami Yugi helped Mokuba and himself mount Kaiba’s back.

“Okay, Mokuba, it’s going to be quite a long ride. So you better hold on tight,” Kaiba advised when everyone had left the palace. “Both onto me and onto my Duel Disk.”

“You got it, bro!” Mokuba liked the breeze that greeted him as Kaiba took to the air. “Wow, what a view! The skyline is so pretty!”

“Yeah, it’s pretty, but don’t forget what we’re supposed to be looking for,” spoke Kaiba.

“Right, uh… Some stone building with a huge jackal statue in front of it.”

“How did you know?”

“Because I see it right there!” Mokuba pointed at the middle-of-nowhere building. “Wh-Whoa!”

When Kaiba had dived to the sand, and Mokuba had faceplanted, Kaiba sighed. “I told you to hang on tight… Now please don’t do anything unnecessary from here on out.”

“Got it,” Mokuba sheepishly replied after Kaiba turned into a human, and he gave him back his Duel Disk.

Kaiba noticed that Mokuba had stiffened up as the party walked deeper into the chamber. “You can talk, you know. Just don’t touch anything.”

“It’s much more elaborate than the last time we’ve visited,” Téa noted.

“And best part is, there aren’t any zombies!” exclaimed Tristan.

“Don’t jinx it, man…” Joey picked up a dagger. “Hey lookit, it’s the Dagger of Fate!”

“‘Last time?’” Téa’s remark intrigued Mana. “You mean you’ve been here before?”

“I’d rather not remember it…”

“You sure looked cool doing that double roundhouse kick, though!” Joey did a few air punches. “And so did the rest of us!”

“Yeah, you sure looked cool running away from the zombies.”

“Oh, stuff it, Tristan.”

Kaiba interrupted the silly talk. “That was around the time I summoned the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon and nearly kicked Yu- I mean, the pharaoh’s ass. How I still have the card after all that happened with Anubis – and how I can transform into said card – I wish I knew.”

“It’s like I told you during our first time travel, my love. Anubis cursed you after he died.”

“Huh…” Kisara’s voice sounded from even deeper in the chamber. “I wouldn’t be too sure about that, pharaoh.”

“Did you find something?” Yami Yugi lead the other companions to this deeper part, which began to jog his memories. “This…”

“Babe?”

“This place… It’s where I heard… Priest Seto’s last words.” Yami Yugi trembled. He would have fallen to his knees, too, if Kaiba hadn’t held him tall.

Kaiba changed the subject. “So, Kisara, what did you find? …Great. Another giant rock. You can never get enough of them in ancient Egypt, can you? Let me guess, it displays some kind of ‘epic’ battle? Or some other occult nonsense?”

“I don’t know how you can utter that overused phrase of yours after all that’s happened.” Yami Yugi stepped forward to get a better look at the giant stone tablet. The dragon in the middle, which took up nearly half of the tablet’s space, was the first thing to catch his attention. “This tablet looks just like the one I keep at the palace.”

“Guess again, pharaoh.” Kaiba pointed at the only two other pictures on the tablet – a small rabbit and a large spider. “I remember that giant rock well, and it certainly didn’t have a big ass spider on it. Now then…”

“Kaiba?” Kisara looked concerned as Kaiba reached for the sapphire on the Shining Dragon’s head.

“Will you tell me what I want to know?” Kaiba let the powers of this tablet take him and his companions into a vision quest.

“And to think, you didn’t believe in ‘occult nonsense.’”

“Wheeler, if there was a perfect time to shut up, it’s now. Or really any time you think of opening your mouth.”

“Why you…”

“No, Kaiba’s right. Look at who’s here! It’s Anubis!” Mana pointed at a man with messy long blond hair, a cape, and a teal jewel in the middle of his forehead.

Yami Yugi looked at the elderly man standing next to Anubis. He bore the Millennium Eye and wore nothing but flowing white robes. “So… So, it’s true. Aknadin really was Anubis’ accomplice.”

“Tch!” Anubis, clearly displeased at his latest creation, crushed it and sent it into a ball of shadows. “Yet another weak monster! Perhaps using just servants of the Thief King aren’t enough… I have to find the scumbag himself. Maybe then I can stop conjuring things like mere rabbits.”

“If I may?” Aknadin spoke up. In his right hand, he held up a young man – bound and gagged – by the collar. “If we can’t transform the left hand of the Thief King into something powerful, then maybe the right hand will work.”

“I suppose he will have to suffice for the time being…” Anubis sighed as Aknadin threw the young man in front of him.

“Mmmph!” The young man whimpered loudly as eight spider’s legs sprouted from his body, and his form changed.

“Yes…” Anubis admired the black and red spider that towered over him, and the four Red-Eyes Black Dragons it killed. “Finally, a monster that can defeat Aknamkanon!”

“Are you really sure?” Aknadin pointed at this monster that faded as soon as it attacked.

“No… No! What could have been wrong this time?!”

“I’ve heard that certain monsters require certain spells in order to survive. Such may have been the case with this one.”

“Then that’s the last time I’ve tried an experiment using foreign techniques… I’ll have to use Egyptian magic that can rival the Pharaoh’s Incantation. In fact… Speaking of the Pharaoh’s Incantation… Hahahaha!”

“That’s… so disgusting!” Téa started crying. “So Anubis used to perform experiments transforming humans into monsters?”

“Guys, it looks like it’s time for a scene change,” Tristan noted as the vision quest abruptly changed scenes – this time, to the throne room.

“That dickweed looks a lot like Kaiba! Let me at ‘im!” Joey tried to “swim” over to where Priest Seto stood, but only flailed about midair.

“Wheeler, just shut up and watch.” Kaiba looked to the elderly man who knelt in pain.

“What’s… happening to me?!” The elderly man could feel his time at an end, and it scared him to not know why.

“Pharaoh Aknamkanon!” Priest Seto knelt down, trying in vain to invoke the power of the Millennium Rod. “No! Don’t go!”

“S-Seto…” Aknamkanon’s soul began to fade into the shadows. “Can I see you… smile for me… one last time? One more smile… before I go?”

“Pharaoh… I… I’m a sorry excuse of a High Priest… Aaaaargh!” Seto threw the Millennium Rod at the wall, nearly breaking it in a fit of rage. “Father… Just you wait, I’m coming for you!”

Tristan asked, “What… the hell was that about?”

The scene changed yet again to Anubis’ chamber, and Kaiba responded, “Do you guys always talk during the movie?”

“Hahahaha!” Anubis held up an object that resembled the Millennium Puzzle. “With this, the Pyramid of Light, there will be no failures in my experiments any longer!”

“Then what will your next experiment look like?”

No sooner had Aknadin asked this question when an intruder made his presence known in the middle of the chamber. “Father! I should have known that you have allied yourself with Anubis!”

“Hmm… I think we’re about to find out what my next experiment will be. Aknadin, as you know, those in the royal family carry the blood of the Creator. As such, I believe they’ll serve as perfect vessels for an all-powerful monster!”

“As amazing as that sounds, I do not wish to risk my own life for your experiment.” Aknadin gave his son a sly smile. “But I willingly offer my son. Do with him what you will.”

“What the hell are you talking about? Hey!” Seto couldn’t resist the zombie army that swarmed and bound him. “Father! You fucking traitor!”

“Hehehehe…” Anubis held the Pyramid of Light in the air. “O most blessed goddess, our Creator of Light! I present to you the Pyramid of Light, crafted from the very ba of Pharaoh Aknamkanon himself! I ask you to infuse your ka with the ba of His Highness Priest Seto! Make him into a monster that can rival even the gods themselves!”

“Oh my gods…” Seto watched as his skin became aglow, and the zombies’ grip on him became even more painful. “Aaaaaargh!”

“Irot ow et on ekaoy… Edam ih ukatabah ukakat!” This dark incantation gave Seto the fuel to complete his transformation. “Arise, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!”

“Graaaaar!” Seto easily killed the zombies that bound him, but before he could motion to kill Anubis and Aknadin, the former uttered more words of the Dark Incantation.

“With these words from my lips, you have no choice but to obey my every command! Now go! Show the common people just who rules this land!”

“I’ll have to thank you.” Aknadin started to pack his things, with the intention of returning to the palace. “You have made me the father of a god!”

“…Wait. Stay silent.” Anubis heard light footsteps coming from the chamber entrance. Soon after, a singing voice followed. “No! It cannot be! How is the pharaoh still alive?”

“Look again, Anubis! It’s not Aknamkanon that stands before you…” The Millennium Pendant was now in Aknadin’s sights. “It’s his son! He’s using the Pharaoh’s Incantation!”

“Impossible!” Anubis watched as Seto turned back into a human. “Not even Priest Mahad had been able to separate his ba from the ka of his monster! …Wait, Aknadin, where are you going?”

“Anywhere is better than here! If the new pharaoh is to execute you, then I’m not letting him take me down with you!”

With that, Aknadin fled the scene right before Mahad and Isis stormed in. The vision quest now panned to the desert just outside the chamber, with Seto staring down an unfamiliar enemy.

“So… That’s how it happened…” Yami Yugi felt a tear run down his cheek. “Father… Anubis killed him!”

“I’m shocked too, babe.” Kaiba wrapped a quivering arm around Yami Yugi’s shoulders. “But there’s still more to see.”

“Yuck! That guy’s got a dragon head for a dick.” Tristan’s remark elicited a light slap to the face from Téa.

“Huh.” The enemy unfurled his purple wings as he towered over Seto. “I was under the impression that I would be facing the pharaoh. But all that I see is a priest who was too dimwitted to bring his Millennium Item to battle.”

“I don’t need the Millennium Rod this day,” Seto declared. “For you see, I am a weapon unto myself. Zorc! Your reign of terror will end today!”

“Hahaha! You really think so, boy?”

“Hah!” Seto jumped onto the base of the building and climbed it. When he reached the top, he jumped off, transforming into the Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon without freefalling. “Yeah. Yeah, I really do. You cannot defeat the power of the gods!”

“You? Power of the gods?” Zorc shot a Zorc Inferno in Seto’s direction to counter the Shining Neutron Blast coming at him. “Don’t make me laugh!”

After many more exchanges of attacks, Seto spoke, “I’ll give you credit for one thing. Of any foe we of the royal court have faced, you are the strongest.”

“Flattery isn’t going to save you – or your precious pharaoh for that matter! Why don’t I remind you?” Zorc suddenly vanished.

“Damn…” Seto tried in vain to look for Zorc. Instead, the Dark One found him, making his presence known with a sharp Zorc Inferno to the back. “Urgh…”

Zorc was pleased to see Seto barely managing to remain airborne. “You must realize that you cannot defeat me! Though in my final act of mercy, I’ll spare your life if you give me the pharaoh.”

“No! I refuse to give you the man I love more than anything!” Seto closed his eyes as his body glowed a light blue.

“Then you’ll- Huh?”

“I’m sorry, my love… But I really will be taking my love for you before Osiris.” Seto shed one last tear before launching himself at Zorc full force. “Shining Nova!”

“Argh! Damn you… Horakhty…” So were Zorc’s last words as Seto’s lifeless body fell to the sand.

Joey felt as if he were being sucked into a vacuum. “Whoa, man! I think the movie is ending, you guys!”

“I… I…” Before Yami Yugi could truly process what he had just seen, the surroundings became fuzzy. Soon, he and his companions were brought back to reality.

[clickbliss]

Maiden & Spell Review

by Amr (@siegarettes)

Maiden & Spell

Developer: mino_dev

Publisher: mino_dev, Maple Whisper

PC

Take the elaborate bullet patterns of modern STGs, give them to adorable fantasy monster girls, then combine them into a fighting game and you get Maiden & Spell. A niche within a niche, Maiden & Spell is part of a line of surprisingly varied shooter-fighting game hybrids, following in the mold set by G-Rev’s Senko no Ronde. As you might expect from a combination of such obsessive niches, Senko no Ronde was a maximalist game, one with highly detailed mechanics and obtuse nuances that required serious effort before you could begin to understand what you were playing. 

Compared to its contemporaries, Maiden & Spell is stripped down, focused on immediate communication. It turns an intimidating genre into an inviting one, one you can show to your friends and immediately have them understand. 

Maiden & Spell’s colorful designs brings to mind Akihiko Yoshida’s work on the Final Fantasy series, and the bold lines and contrasting colors make clear where threat and safety lie. Each character is assigned a specific color, and their hitboxes are on display to make sure there’s never confusion to where you can take damage.

Likewise it tosses away the flashy and elaborate HUD of its inspirations and uses familiar RPG-style skill icons, complete with cooldowns. It’s much faster to parse than the different intersecting circles and layers of meters that have become the genre standard. Health bars are even tossed out, instead using a system of hearts and cards, signalling how many hits you can take before you lose a life and the round resets. Each hit is accompanied by dramatic text declaring HIT and BREAK, making it clear what happened. 

If fighters like Senko are all out brawls, where success is measured in cumulative blows leading to the KO, then Maiden & Spell is fencing, focused on stepping around your opponent and forcing them into a corner for that single lethal hit. Fighters can get chaotic, and sometimes you’ll find yourself knocked down before you understand what exactly hit you. Maiden & Spell retains the chaos that makes them so fun, but presents it so that its clear how exactly every hit happened. 

To that effect, Maiden & Spell gives you plenty of ways to drive your opponent into a corner. There are four characters, each providing their own unique moveset and strategy. Each face button responds to a skill, with another button used to slow down for precise movements and focus your attacks. Skills are broadly categorized into direct attacks, wide attacks, and offensive and defensive skills, though those categories aren’t necessarily exclusive. 

Direct attacks force opponents to move, while wide attacks generally only work against moving opponents, so combining the two is key to putting your opponent in a bad situation. Once there, offensive skills can be used to secure the point and create an inescapable situation--unless they can neutralize it with their defensive skills. The interplay of these moves gives clear utility to each of them, creating an RPG-esque rotation you use while focusing on attempting to position yourself outside your opponent’s traps. 

Exactly how those skills play off each other changes wildly between characters. The Hero of Frost gets in fast, with a powerful dodge roll that gives her enough invincibility frames to get out of most situations. Meanwhile the Lich of Flowers gets more dangerous as the round goes on, with flowers that create hazards across the entire screen, butterflies that act as turrets, and a charge spell that covers the screen in a giant rose. 

Other characters occupy the space in between, with different setups and game plans, and even unique movement options. There’s plenty to play around with and the way that the dynamics work off each other creates a lot of variety in the situations you can set up, or be forced to deal with. 

All the depth in the world doesn’t mean much if you can’t get a game, and on that front Maiden & Spell also happily delivers. M&S uses a lobby system not unlike the ones used by Arc System Works, with various rooms you can walk into to battle with others, and rollback netcode that minimizes stuttering and the effects of lag. I played with a friend from the UK, and despite being all the way in Chicago I only experienced two half second interruptions in over an hour of play, neither which was long enough to cause problems. The rest of the time the experience felt as if we were playing in the same room, with little to no noticeable input lag. I’d had problems with connections in other games with the same friend before, so the implementation of online play here is truly impressive. 

Maiden & Spell does a lot to invite you in, and more to keep you around. Bullet hell and fighting games are two genres with huge intimidation factors, but Maiden & Spell winning combination of colorful fantasy art and adorable characters makes it feel approachable in ways that other entries in the genre don’t. Fighters sometimes feel like they require a lecture before you can understand what you’re looking at, but M&S draws you in and uses familiar visual language to immediately explain itself. 

Maybe this is a strange way to describe a fighter, but Maiden & Spell is a game that radiates warmth. It’s charming, adorable, and every new character and stage is an opportunity to spend more time in its fantastic little world. I loved it since the first played its demo and its final form is just as easy to love.

[synthient]

Could you elaborate on what you mean about Death T re stanning and fairness? It sounds interesting and I'd love to hear about it if you don't mind sharing.

ajhfakj hoo boy. Okay.

So some time around the summer before last (judging by the point where the first baffled and frustrated readmores start showing up on this blog), I read Death-T. It made me feel…some kind of way. An…unpleasant kind of way.

Here’s the thing about me: I can’t just let myself have an emotional reaction to a piece of fiction. I have to, first, pick apart my own emotions to figure out why I had that reaction, and second, pick apart the story to figure out how it works and how it made me feel that way.

On the Feelings Front, I’ve isolated two main causes:

1. I have a brain that Needs Things To Be Fair. That doesn’t mean I can’t handle unfairness in a piece of fiction. Unfairness creates conflict, and conflict is what makes for good storytelling. But it does mean that I need the story to be aware of its own unfairness. I need the unfairness to be the point. Otherwise I start vibrating at high speeds and shaking my fist at clouds.

2. I’m a Kaiba stan. I accidentally got emotionally attached to the Funny Card Game Boy from the Funny Card Game Show. 

There’s the feelings part. That leaves the “picking apart the story” side of the equation. And I’ve been trying to do that in nice punchy little one-or-two-paragraph text posts for the past year or so, but I don’t think I’ve ever really done the argument justice that way. So I guess that leaves only one option: writing a giant wordvomit essay on Yugioh (1996-2004).

Why This Is A Death-T Hateblog: The Masterpost

An important note: I like being able to back up my thoughts with Evidence From The Text, but I’m specifically working off the (Viz translated) manga. You can read Cards with Teeth here, Capumon here, and Death-T starting here if you want to check any of my facts or draw your own conclusions. Keep in mind that the Toei anime made pretty huge changes to the s0 Kaiba storyline, and the DM anime skipped most of it entirely–if you’re more familiar with those continuities, there’re some major differences in the manga.

(Also this thing probably reads better on desktop. I think the formatting got screwed up on mobile)

How We Got Here

Before we can actually dig into Death-T, we need to start at the very beginning (♫a very good place to start♫). So that means taking a look at “The Cards with Teeth (Part 1)” and “The Cards with Teeth (Part 2).”

For its first 8 chapters, the Yugioh manga chugs blissfully (if repetitively) along with an episodic, conflict-of-the-week formula. No overarching plot. Next to no sense of continuity. No trading cards in sight.

Then this asshole shows up. 

His name is Seto Kaiba (or “Kaiba,” at least–not sure if this is just a Viz thing, but my copy of CwT never mentions his given name). Not that he bears a whole lot of resemblance to the Seto Kaiba we later come to know and love (and/or love to hate).

Almost none of his most defining traits are there yet. There’s no mention of Mokuba, no mention of Kaibacorp, no indicationthat he’s especially rich (besides the fact that he’s carrying around a wholebriefcase of trading cards), no reason to believe he has a specific obsession with Blue Eyes (he just thinks it’s a strong card and it’d help him win tournaments), and no sign of any special hacking/strategy/hand-to-hand-combat/etc. skills (the kid is hilariously incompetent). 

This dude was never supposed to be a recurring character, and it shows.

But anyway, let’s run through the basic series of events:

- Kaiba wanders into the game shop looking forbooster packs. Yugi recognizes him as an acquaintance from school (not as a famous kid CEO, and not as a recent transfer student)

- Kaiba happens to notice the Blue Eyes card lying out onGrandpa’s counter (in this version of events, he hasn’t been stealing rare cards for months before this, he didn’t creep on Yugi’s conversation and followhim home, he had no idea going in that the Blue Eyes was there, and he didn’t already have the other three)

- He offers to trade all the cards in his briefcasefor the Blue Eyes (although he doesn’t tell Grandpa to name his price—again,the millionaire CEO element isn’t a thing yet)

- Grandpa refuses, so the next day Kaiba comes up with alaughably badly thought-out plan to steal the card

- Shockingly, Yugi notices that the “color copy from the catalog” isn’t the real deal. He gently tries to confront Kaiba about it in private

- Kaiba (without showing an ounce of the cool head you’d think you’d need to take over and run a company) panics, starts stammering and unconvincingly denying it, and then smacks Yugi with his briefcase

Annnd then Part 2 plays out like a standard s0 chapter.

“Yami Yugi” takes over. They play a shadow game. Kaiba cheats by slipping the stolen Blue Eyes out of his sleeve (Atem’s like “That’s my Grandpa’s card!” and Kaiba straight up goes “Whaaat, nooo, that’s my card that I, uh, found on the street just now.” A teen genius criminal mastermind, everybody). The shadow magic gives him a spritz from its metaphorical Karmic Cat-Training Spray Bottle and makes his Blue Eyes dissolve (I’d like to think that was Kisara going “I’m not mad, just disappointed,” and Memory World tries to retroactively make that connection, but it’s pretty abundantly clear that nothing about this series was planned that far ahead). He loses. Yadda yadda yadda.

And then Atem goes in for the penalty game.

To recap: 

Some random 10th grader from Yugi’s school stole a trading card, hit someone, and was generally kind of a jerk. As punishment, he was trapped in a hyper-realistic illusion of being ripped apart and slaughtered by half a dozen monsters at once.

Y…ay…?

Let’s Stop and Reflect for a Sec

In theory, I shouldn’t be that much more upset about Cards with Teeth than I am about any other part of s0, right? It’s not like the manga framed it as horrific and wrong when Atem set off an explosion in some teenage bully’s face a couple chapters ago. Giving us the vicarious pleasure of punishing our bullies in over-the-top, Carrie-style ways without actually exploring any of the consequences is, like, the early manga’s whole thing.

But even taking into account the fact that I already had an attachment to this Nasty Bowl Cut Boy thanks to the anime, I do actually think that there are at least two factors that set CwT apart.

The first is that Atem’s karmic punishments are usually…well, karmic. If he inflicts physical harm on someone, it’s because they already inflicted or tried to inflict roughly the same amount of harm on Yugi & co. If the crime was relatively minor, then he only gives out a minor punishment–like, say, when the homeroom teacher was Just Kinda Mean, all he did was allow the class to see her without her makeup on (…setting aside the Let’s Get Into Gender Politics-ness of that chapter).

There’s even a few cases where you could argue that the punishment is too light to fit the crime. Ushio beat Jonouchi and Honda half to death and tried to murder Yugi with a knife, and all he got was this lousy t-shirt an illusion that made the trash on the ground look like money.

In another chapter, the villain of the week tried to rape Anzu, and the only punishment he faced was having his side business exposed as a scam (Let’s Get Into Gender Politics).

Yet in CwT, we see one of the most harmless villains in all of s0 (no prolonged beatings or attempted murder? unheard of!) receive what’s arguably the most horrifying penalty game in the whole manga. At least when that guy got set on fire, it was over fast.

And that brings us to factor number two: Kaiba is the first penalty game victim in s0 who comes back. 

Capumon: Gotta Catch ‘em All!

Well, technically he doesn’t come back in person, at first. Someone else shows up to fight in his name.

Oh hey Mokie. How’s it going?

Rather understandably (imo), Mokuba wants the guy who tortured his brother last week to face some actual consequences for it.

Now here’s an interesting opportunity that the manga has set up for itself. Is it going to dig deep into the balance between defending yourself vs lashing out and causing undue harm? Is it going to remind us that most of the penalty game victims so far, whatever their crimes,have been children? Is it going to demonstrate that when you take out your anger on someone, you don’t just hurt your immediate target, but their loved ones as well?

Nah, who am I kidding.  

Hurting or inconveniencing the Good Guys in any way is Bad. Anything the Good Guys do is Good and Justified. Using magic to stick an already-hurting eleven-year-old in his own personalized hell? Good and Justified.

Before he’s shoved screaming into the Giant Vending Machine Capsule Where Bad And Naughty Elementary Schoolers Go To Atone For Their Crimes, Mokuba mentions that the other penalty game he heard about “made my brother go crazy!”

He also drops a hint of things to come with all the subtlety of an anvil. So I guess by this point, the numbers had come in and the card game chapter had proved unexpectedly popular enough that a sequel was in the works.

Death-Twink? Death-Tastic?Death-Two: Electric Boogaloo?

I’ve been pretty hard on Cards with Teeth and Capsule Monsters Chess so far. But you want to know the truth?

On their own, they aren’t necessarily that bad.

What really matters in a story isn’t the literal events: it’s how those events are framed. At the moment, we’re only midway through an incomplete storyline. Maybe we’re supposed to be horrified. Maybe we’re supposed to be questioning whether or not the hero is really in the right. It all hangs on what these chapters are building to.

As it turns out–as Mokuba just helpfully clued us in on–they were building to Death-T.

And that’s where the shit hits the fan.

Over a dozen chapters after we first met Kaiba, a whole bunch of completely-unforeshadowed facts about him are suddenly dumped on us all at once. He’s rich! The kind of rich that allows for limo rides, a giant mansion, and flouncing around in a fur-lined cape like feudal European nobility! And he’s the president of a company, even though “Whaa?!! But he’s still in high school!” Speaking of which, apparently Kaiba “hasn’t been at school recently.”

The Death-T arc opens with Yugi and Jonouchi attending the world’s most awkward sleepover–the host never shows up, and they don’t even get to paint each others’ nails or watch movies. Also Mokuba tries to murder them in the night, but you know what? If someone tortured my brother, “made him go crazy,” and left him huddled in the house feverishly working on a bizarre project and refusing to go to school for the next few weeks, I’d probably poison them too.

The morning after the sleepover, we learn another new Kaiba Fact…

Ever since the Experience of Death happened, he’s been having horrible recurring PTSD nightmares about it. As you do. When you get tortured.

(This is why, even though I know intellectually that it’s Not That Deep and people arejust having fun, I still get a little skeeved out when I see jokes about howDeath-T happened “just” because Kaiba was that mad about losing a card game or “just”because he had a crush on Yugi and he didn’t know how to deal with it. I’malways internally like “Nnno, I’m pretty sure it was the torture?”)

So far we’ve been shown in pretty brutal detail that our “hero” psychologically broke a fifteen-year-old for no good reason. The manga’s going to have its work cut out for it if it really wants to do a convincing redemption arc for its protagonist. And there’s no way it could possibly try to spin that random act of torture as an acceptable thing, right?

…right?

Crime and Punishment

That’s one of my first big problems with Death-T: to me, it reads as a way of trying to retroactively justify the Experience of Death.

That seems to be the purpose of suddenly giving Kaiba all this wealth and power that was never hinted at in Cards with Teeth. See, he wasn’t just some random high school kid who had the bad luck of crossing someone with magic powers; he was (however improbable that is, as the story lampshades) a high school-aged CEO. He’s so ludicrously powerful that he can torture an old man in front of a live audience and get away with it. Punching up looks a lot better than punching down, doesn’t it?

And you can’t really fault the hero for torturing someone evil, can you? Kaiba used Grandpa’s sanity as a blackmail chip! He ran experiments on human test subjects! He wants to kill Yugi and everyone he loves! Surely a little torture is no worse than he deserved.

There’s only one one problem with that: the Experience of Death happened before Death-T. There’s no way Atem could have known any of this was coming. The audience couldn’t have known it was coming. Takahashi didn’t know. Chronologically speaking, the Experience of Death wasn’t revenge for Death-T. It’s the other way around.

Best Served Cold

So Death-T is a form of eye-for-an-eye vengeance: “Yugi” beat Kaiba at Duel Monsters and tortured him, so now Kaiba’s gonna beat Yugi and torture him, using his own perfect virtual recreation of “Yugi’s” penalty game (oh yeah, that whole “the average person goes insane in about 10 minutes” thing? Kaiba was able to program that detail from personal experience).

But wait! This isn’t really eye-for-an-eye! Kaiba’s going after Yugi’s loved ones, not just Yugi, and that’s worse than what Yugi did to him! And even if it was proportionate, revenge is bad and wrong. That’s how you get endless back-and-forth chains of vengeance and generational blood feuds and stuff. Two wrongs don’t make a right!

And those could all be reasonable points, except…

This entire story is about how great and badass eye-for-an-eye justice is.

“Wouldn’t it be cool if you could take everyone who ever hurt you and make them suffer even worse” is practically the thesis of Season 0. You can’t make something look awesome when the protagonist does it and then turn around and make it seem evil and inexcusable coming from anyone else.

And while Kaiba does wind up targeting Yugi’s friends, that wasn’t part of his original plan. He’s surprised when random people start jumping out of the bleachers/the Kaibacorp employee roster and insisting that they won’t let Yugi do this alone. The writing uses his surprise as proof that he just doesn’t understand The Power of Friendship, but it’s also evidence that his original target was just Yugi.

“If you’re gonna side with my torturer, then you can have the same fate as him, I guess.” It’s not even that far outside the logic Atem’s been using all this time. Just because there’s only one main gang member who personally hurt his friend, that doesn’t mean that Atem won’t rope every random mook who gets in his way into the death game too. (Granted, this doesn’t really apply to Kaiba’s treatment of Grandpa. Or the offscreen experimentation/blackmailing. Or Mokuba, but…we’ll get to that).

…But like I said before, the big issue isn’t the events. It’s the framing. Maybe the point will ultimately be that if penalty games are wrong when the bad guy does them, then they’re wrong when the hero does them too. Maybe this is all leading up to a big reexamination of Atem’s moral code and some much-needed character development.

Maybe. Let’s keep going and see.

*Great Gatsby comic voice* Baby? What Baby

Death-T runs for 14 chapters, but Kaiba isn’t actually there for, like…half of them.

I mean, he’s technically there? Occasionally? He’ll show up long enough to dramatically play chess for a panel or so, or to stick his head on a TV monitor and provide some Helpful Death Game Hints. But for all practical purposes, he’s pretty much absent for the entire middle section of the story arc.

And, uh…let’s just say I 100% understand and respect the DM anime’s decisionto go straight from Grandpa’s heart attack to the final duel and skipeverything in between.

If Kaiba’s real goal is to beat Yugi at Duel Monsters, then all the death games leading up to that one are basically filler. And they manage to be just as contrived and nonsensical as any anime filler arc, without a fraction of the fun.

It’s largely a tonal issue. The writing swings wildly between grimdark dramatics, sentimental conversations about friendship where everyone hugs and cries (tbh that’s one of the few redeeming qualities of the arc), and “comic relief” where the “““comedy””” is all either bodily function jokes or sexual assault jokes (L̠̤̯͍̦e̮̪͎̞t's̞̮̳̱̰̦̲ ̲G͖͉̹̻̯͉͖e̜̝̗͓̟͚t̖͚ ͚̰̞̮̝̫͎I͓̜̦̳̭͚͎n̪̪͈t͍̥̰̼o͚͎͇̣̘̝ ̪̼̜̣̳G͈̠̫e̳̝̗̪ṋ͚̞͎ͅd͔̙͓̯̹e̯̺̯̩r͔̣̲͔̳̗ ̘͙P̖̦o̩̺͖͎̞̬l͎̺͕̹i͇̣̼̦t̰i̬̰̝͙̗̝c̜̼̺̪̲̞s).

Honestly, in terms of the “stanning and fairness” argument, there’s not much to talk about here. It just adds insult to injury that not only does Death-T throw my fave under the bus, but it’s really badly written.

The Mokuba Thing

Okay, let’s fast-forward through the filler zone and stoppp…here. 

In the context of the anime, where we know (and see multiple flashbacks demonstrating) that their whole life has been an “us against the world” story, this scene is tragic. Seto’s trust in people has been eroded so much that he even thinks Mokuba is conspiring against him? Their love and support for each other, which has survived through so much hardship, has finally cracked under the weight of this latest trauma? There’s a lot of dramatic and tearjerking potential there.

I think it’s pretty safe to say that most of us bring our baggage from the anime with us when we read the manga. The vast majority of the western Yugioh fandom did start with DM. 

But if we look at this purely in the context of the manga–if we can pretend, for a second, that none of us have ever heard of the anime–this is the first time we see the two of them interacting onscreen. And none of those touching flashbacks of Seto comforting Mokuba and defending him from bullies and promising to be his father exist here. All we ever really learn about their relationship before this point is “They used to be a little closer when they were younger. Source: one (1) photo of them playing chess.”

So instead of serving as the tragic lowpoint of their relationship, this scene sets the baseline for it: Mokuba desperately wants to make his brother happy and earn his approval, while Seto responds with dismissal and cruelty.

In the anime (and to a certain extent in the later manga), Mokuba’s purpose in the narrative is to humanize Seto. But in Death-T, he serves the opposite function. Every interaction they have is an opportunity for Seto to kick the dog and prove what a monster he is.

And it’s all downhill from here.

………………

…So.

I have…mixed feelings about this.

On one level–a meta level–I think this scene serves the same purpose as taking that random high schooler from CwT and suddenly giving him ridiculous amounts of money and power and mustache-twirling levels of villainy. It’s a way of making the Experience of Death seem retroactively justified (and also a way of making the upcoming penalty game look fair).

On the other hand. It’s. 

Horrific.

This scene is supposed to make us hate Kaiba, and it does it’s job really really well.

Personally speaking? I’m of the opinion that trying to hurt the child under your care as badly as you conceivably can is a “don’t pass go, don’t collect $100″ kind of deal. There’s no coming back from that. There’s no fixing or salvaging this relationship.  

(God, this whole thing is wrapped in so many layers of fantasy that I’m not even sure what the real-world equivalent would be. Trying to beat your child not quite to death?)

Mokuba should not have had to continue living with his brother after this, any more than the Ishtars should have had to stay with their dad or Seto should have had to stay with Gozaburo. Mokuba forgiving Seto for this isn’t touching to me, it’s gut-wrenching. Every “heartwarming” brotherly moment in the later manga (all, like…2 and a half of them) feels hollow and sad.

As far as I’m concerned, this scene doesn’t “complicate” their relationship in any interesting or meaningful way. Their anime relationship already has plenty of complications–their sometimes unhealthy co-dependence, the fact that Seto is still a kid himself and he’s not really equipped to be a parent,Mokuba’s difficulty understanding that Seto can’t just “go back to who he was” before his trauma, the times when Seto is too caught up in his own pain to really be there for Mokuba, the manipulation involved in Seto’s takeover plan, etc. This just makes their relationship outright child abuse.

But hey, they hugged that one time in Duelist Kingdom, so it’s fine, right?

ExODiA iiiIIIIT’s not pAHsible

The final duel happens. The big Blue Eyes vs Exodia showdown.

*Bill Wurtz voice* So that’s pretty nifty, I would say.

It’s..? A genuinely cool and dramatic duel. There’s a reason it’s one of the, like, three Death-T elements the DM anime actually bothered to keep. Not much to say about it.

Sure was a whole lot of buildup just to end things with one (1) deus ex machina instawin card, tho.

The Tragic Backstory

So if all this happened because of a penalty game, what do you think the solution could be?

Did you say “another, even harsher penalty game”?

Ding ding ding!

This time, instead of torturing the fifteen-year-old, our hero puts the fifteen-year-old in a vegetative state as he begs for mercy.

Yaaaayy! 

Some fun facts about the Mind Crush that we don’t actually learn until Duelist Kingdom:

1. It lasted for 6 months

2. Mokuba spent that entire time alone, in the big empty mansion, with no parental guidance or adult supervision except the butlers and maids, caring for his brother’s comatose body 24/7

3. When Atem put Kaiba in that coma, he had absolutely no idea if he’d ever be able to wake up or not. He thought he could, maybe–Kaiba’s pretty strong, right? But he also finds the idea that Kaiba died in his coma and came back to haunt him perfectly believable. “Fixed,” dead…eh, it was kind of a coin toss.

But wait, the story’s not over yet! First we have to find out Why Kaiba Is The Way He Is (“Because your buddy tortured him last month” isn’t enough of an answer, apparently).

This is communicated in the most natural way possible: Mokuba just starts monologuing about all his brother’s deepest darkest traumas to a bunch of strangers his brother hates.

The claim that Kaiba’s backstory is “more complex” in the manga than it is in the anime has always confused me, because this is…it. These three pages are the whole backstory. I mean, in Battle City we do get one more passing line of dialog about how Kaibacorp used to be a weapons manufacturer and Gozaburo “sold Seto’s soul to the military industrial complex,” but other than that… The anime took these bare bones and fleshed them out significantly, but from a pure manga canon standpoint, it’s not a whole lot to work with.

But there’s still enough here to rub me the wrong way.

For one thing, this sequence is almost an exact parallel to two later moments in the manga: Pegasus’s backstory dump at the end of Duelist Kingdom, and Malik’s backstory dump mid-Battle City. In both of those cases, the purpose of the scene is to take a villain whose motives seemed cruel and inexplicable and finally reveal the reasons behind his actions. We’re supposed to be seeing these characters in a sympathetic light for the very first time.

But Kaiba’s motives in Death-T, uh, weren’t exactly a mystery. He already made it pretty explicitly clear that this was about the torture. So as a narrative tool, Mokuba’s monologue:

1. seems a little superfluous

2. seems like a way of taking any responsibility out of the protagonist’s hands. Kaiba didn’t snap because of anything Atem did, he just had a bunch of fucked up baggage that Atem couldn’t possibly have known about or accounted for. Who knew some people take it badly when you torture them??

3. seems to suggest that we weren’t supposed to be sympathizing with Kaiba before this point. If this is the big “oh, now that I know why he did it, I guess I feel a little bad for him :(” moment, then that means the part where he got tortured…wasn’t?

And, as always, there’s the issue of the framing.

The grace note of the monologue–the thought it leaves us with, the intended takeaway–isn’t “If only he hadn’t gone through years of abuse, in circumstances he had no real control over because he was a child.” It’s “If only he hadn’t brought all this upon himself by cheating.”

Even if we ignore the fact that it’s physically impossible to cheat at chess (which seems like kind of a big oversight for a gaming manga, but oh well, That’s Yugioh Babe)…

How can you possibly present a ten-year-old cheating at a board game in a desperate gambit to get himself and his brother out of an orphanage as his start of darkness?

Yet that’s exactly what the writing does. This is a story about how games “reveal the true hearts” of their players and bring karmic retribution down on anyone who doesn’t respect the game and follow the rules. The implication is that the child abuse Seto suffered was karma. He rightfully earned it by cheating at chess, just like he brought the Experience of Death upon himself by cheating at Duel Monsters.

Oh yeah, speaking of which…

Wheel of Morality, Turn Turn Turn, Tell Us The Lesson We Should Learn

What was the outcome of Death-T? What impact did it actually have? 

Did it bring about any big moral reckoning? Any questioning of the heroes’ values? Did Atem learn the difficult but important lesson “torture bad”?

Nnnnope!

Death-T is immediately followed by a series of episodic chapters that take us right back to the status quo like nothing happened. Atem keeps merrily handing out penalty games all the way up to the very end of Duelist Kingdom. When he does finally stop doing them, his decision has nothing to do with Death-T. It takes a comment from Pegasus about the Millennium Items having an “evil intelligence” to make him wonder “wait…I’m from a Millennium Item…I’m an intelligence…could evil…maybe include…torture????”

And even after the manga lukewarmly reverses its position to “torture sort of bad I guess,” it never really does anything with that revelation. None of the past penalty games are ever reexamined. No apologies are made. The Experience of Death is quietly swept under the rug, and the Mind Crush, when it’s brought up at all, is framed as noble act that “fixed” Kaiba (because “if you make someone suffer badly enough, you can hurt them into being a better person” is a great message).

Basically, we learned nothing from Death-T, nothing changed, and our takeaway is supposed to be “Atem was 100% in the right and Kaiba was 100% in the wrong, and also he’s an evil monster who deserved everything he got.”

Guess I Need A Satisfying Conclusion of Some Kind Even Through Death-T Didn’t Really Have One, Huh

Wow.

That was…a whole lot of words of Death-T rage that I apparently had in me zjkghzkkf. 

I tend to feel less justified about constantly harping on Death-T then I do when it comes to, like, the racism in Memory World, or the series’ general Miss O’Gyny. It’s not like “magical vigilantism” is exactly a real-word social issue that’s being reflected in this piece of fiction. I realize a lot of my anger pretty much boils down to “hey,, ! thats…my fave. stopp...being mean to him >:(”

But I also feel like the issues in Death-T aren’t limited to Death-T.

The manga has this…this thing where it wants to be able to pinpoint a few clear, unchanging moral rules (“cheating is bad!” “graverobbing is bad!” “patricide is bad!”) and just apply them neatly to every situation, without having to take into account any of that inconvenient stuff like “what were the circumstances of this specific situation,” or “how many choices were actually open to this person,” or “how much harm was done by this choice compared to its benefits in terms of basic human well-being.” Yet at the same time, that moral absolutism is somehow coupled with a reluctance to apply any moral judgement to its protagonists at all. 

The two points where that becomes clearest are Death-T and Memory World. And I feel like even when people acknowledge the issues with those arcs, they still want to be able to write it off as “oh, that was just a problem with the early chapters, it was fixed as the writing matured,” or “oh, that was just a problem at the end because of the mad rush to finish the story before it got canceled, it was never a thing before then.” But it’s not an isolated problem. It’s there at the beginning of the story, it’s there at the end, and it’s baked into everything in the middle.

…but anyhow. 

hey,, ! thats…my fave. stopp...being mean to him >:(

[madluv]

Hard Boiled / SS scene rewrite (Joker x Harley)

so this is a rewrite of the Joker’s club scene in SS, that I’ve changed to give a more classic feel and dynamic to the clown duo. requested after posting a headcanon, I figured this setting fitted them both better imo. Enjoy babies ! M rating / oneshot

🔷♦️🔷♦️🔷♦️🔷♦️🔷

A coyote was crushed beneath a giant anvil, dropped from a cliffside and down into the cavern. An insufferable talking rabbit was evading the gunshots of a stuttering hunter. A cute-eyed canary taunted a skinny, desperate, stalking cat… Animated and action packed, the brass band of the Looney Tunes theme song crackled out of old speakers, cracking and popping in its loudness. The tiny television’s signal kept dropping, from cartoon to white noise, cartoon to static, but the Joker wasn’t paying much attention to the constant flitting of picture quality. He was staring endlessly at the colours, the quirky animation, eyes glazed and mindless. He was leant back, legs spread, sinking deeper and deeper into the soft comforts of their scuffed leather sofa. Harley’s tunelessly high humming kept him teetering on the edge of awareness, just irritating him enough that he didn’t drop off into a totally dissociative state. Not quite lost to the childish violence of the cartoon crazy. The warehouse – what was their humble abode – amplified noise and echoed, a cacophony. The TV, Harley’s humming, her hurried use of pots and pans bang-clang-clanging in their crudely made kitchen filled the vacant space, a heightened sound of exaggerated homelife kept the Joker from disappearing into his endless thoughts completely.

Harley was happy like this, without the clown white, her blonde hair wrapped up in a scruffy bun. She loved to play mommys and daddys whenever they shared little moments of downtime together. She’d flip pancakes (he’d find flakes of plaster in his portion since she failed to catch them, always.) She would redecorate and customise the warehouse, fairy lights were wound around every steel beam, splatters of green or red paint would freckle her face. She’d hang his best newspaper clippings in colourful frames and littered with lipstick kisses. He really did love her in those small moments, when she’d smile proudly, a shadow of a woman she desperately wanted to be, how she wanted them to be, and somehow, sometimes they were. Harley worked hard at being the doting wife, the soft lover, the loyal sidekick and companion. It was an elaborate roleplay of another life that Joker couldn’t quite partake in, so he’d placate himself, sit his ass on the couch and stare at the screen like any other husband would do.

The Joker shifted, adjusting his pants and sighing at the shitty signal. “Harley!” He aimed his pistol lazily at the bent wire above the television box. It wasn’t that Harley’s games were boring per say, but there was a real reason why Daddy kept himself busy. Without the meticulous planning, the sleeplessness, the chaos – memories came creeping in the stillness and quiet. But tonight, downtime was necessary. Partly running the Gotham criminal underground meant for meetings behind closed doors (much to his disappointment) and quiet nights that didn’t always draw police attention or panicked crowds (then what really was the point?) Harley made the most of these particular moments, while the Joker played the role she saw fit of him, watched absently when she rolled his cigars or adjusted the television set.

“How’s that puddin’?” she planted a kiss on his cheek and the cartoons were back in all their violent vibrancy, though his gaze followed her as she waltzed back to their kitchen. Harley smiled widely from behind the countertop, catching his eye, looked mild and warm in her flowery apron and a white shirt of his own. Something squeezed viciously at his throat, suddenly unable to swallow and he snapped away from her waving with a wooden spoon in hand, sneered instead of smiling and rummaged for the remote amongst a mess of cushions.

“I hate this channel!” Shouting. A sudden nervous anger stirring in the pit of his stomach. It became too important to change up the channel, an antsy need to get up off the sofa and throw things around in his searching. “Harleeeeeeeey, where’d you put my Tom n’ Jerry tapes?!”

Before she could even answer over the din, the wide shutter doors threw open, bleeding street light into their hideout home. Frost stood, his standard suited unflappable self, accompanied by another figure, their invited guest for the evening, newcomer and self entitled gangster in Gotham City, Monster T. Who nodded, smiled smugly and naively felt welcomed into the warehouse by Joker’s upward glance alone. That tightness was still at his throat. Jaw solid, he watched this acquaintance and his sharply dressed right-hand approach. Monster T was certainly imposing, impressive in both size and swagger, but an idiot for ever accepting an invite to the Joker’s own Hahacienda without considering the cause. Joker smiled, all teeth and tight – stared at T’s outstretched hand and said nothing.

“No touching,” Frost explained curtly.

“Fair enough,” the man shrugged simply, and he sat when Joker gestured him to, only after taking a seat and settling himself first.

Monster T was mighty pleased with himself, he could tell from the slight simper, his relaxed demeanour, he believed himself privileged (important) to be personally escorted by the Joker’s own PA. Sat back, arms spread, he surveyed Joker’s warehouse with an eyebrow raised, a humoured expression across his scarred face. “Nice place ya’ got here,” he commented, glancing across at Harley less subtley than he most likely thought. Joker felt his molars grind, but offered a tiny fleeting smile at T’s feigned compliment nonetheless.

This wasn’t usual procedure for the Joker, to open house to every wannabe thug in Gotham City. The well educated folks, likes of Falcone and Maroni’s men, never attended any one-to-one time with the clown prince of crime. Considered his business a waste of time and money, knew the likely consequences of meeting with the Joker alone… but sometimes new naive blood, the likes of Monster T, arrived in the city with big dreams, to make a dollar or two in the drug trade, would set up shop on the Joker’s turf unknowingly, mistaking themselves for big shot gangsters, barely grown and stepping on toes all over Gotham. He’d need to be quick to learn it didn’t work like that, either the Joker’s empire got a generous cut, or Monster T got cut, his choice.

The politics of this bored Joker completely, but he understood it necessary from Frost’s strategic suggestions and Harley’s constant nagging for cash. A long time back, before the clowns, cards and needless carnage – before the Bat – he knew he’d relished in the backstabbing, double crossing, dangerous game. Some life of long ago. And there were parts of him that clung to the taste of it. That if he let go he’d lose it completely – and it would be lost to the dark, like so many other memories.

T coughed to clear his throat and Joker was rudely roused back to the land of the living. Smoke filled the room and a strong, bitter, burning odor assaulted his senses. Despite himself, he choked too. Harley was fanning a flame with a tea towel, was loudly apologetic and flustered, face flushed from the heat of the stove. Whatever she was cooking, was wrecked and oil bubbled. Harley let out little squeaks as she was splattered. “Oops!”

“Oh, wow,” T laughed, waving the smog from his face. “I don’t know how you do it Joker.”

“Do what?” He didn’t like that condescending tone.

“You gotta get ya’self a girl that can cook,” T continued matter of factly, chuckling. “Nothin’ better than comin’ home to a hot meal and a warm bed.”

Joker laughed too and he laughed loudly – a sharp and barking sound that came suddenly and unexpectedly, breaking the casual conversation and shattering the illusion of their like-mindedness. He rolled his eyes. Typical Harley, right? What a useless, stupid woman, couldn’t even cook a couple of eggs right, and all in front of their welcome visitor! He glared, grinning at T, “you’re tellin’ me!” Joker cracked, slapping his thigh. The chaos in the kitchen went silent. “Hey, why don’t you join us for dinner?” Joker leaned in, elbows on knees. “What d’ya say?” He didn’t wait nor care for a response. “Harley, sweetness, light of my life, get out the good china – we got ourselves a guest!”

“Oh goodie!” Harley squealed, followed by some more bang-clang-clanging of pots, the fire finally extinguished. Room for more failing of Harley’s home economics.

“Look, Joker, man, I didn’t mean –”

He raised his hand, kept his smile. “Ah-ah-ah. Dinner first, business second.”

It was true, Harley had her faults. Hell, she had more faults than the next one – and if he were to write a list, it’d be as long as his arm. She couldn’t cook for shit, sure. She didn’t make much sense, she had a tendency to blow off the handle at every little thing. She was difficult. She was a disaster. But Harley was his woman, riddled with mistakes and imperfections that made her all the more perfect for him. Who was this jumped up prick to be telling him the kinda woman he needed? Who was he to speak up at all? He was just some cunt from Chicago, selling coke on his streets, with the cheek – the ignorance, the sheer fucking audacity – to open his snake mouth and spit shit on his Harley Quinn.

T was no longer slouching, back straight and solid, and no longer as smug or as proud as his entrance. He shifted his dark eyes from Harley (who was sing-songing so happily) to Joker, whose head was tilted, watching in silence. “Serious – no need, I already ate,” T tried, squirming and swallowing, his adam’s apple bobbing.

“Don’t be so silly,” Joker waggled one signet ring finger. “A man’s never full, is he?” He narrowed his gaze, grinning. “Don’t insult me now.”

T gushed, guffawed, “I ain’t ever –”

“Hope yer hungry boys!” Harley crooned, in that dulcet high and trying tone of hers. “Mama’s made her best yet!” She pulled, with an excruciatingly painful scraping on concrete, the coffee table up to their feet, set down three bowls, three sets of rusty spoons. “You too, Frosty? This’ll warm ya' right up!” She giggled at her own terrible pun and Joker felt his eyes rolling upwards.

“Hurry it along Harls–” Joker was persistent. “We’re starving.”

“Yessirree!” She saluted, her hand inside a massive oven mitt. “Comin’ right up!” and tottered back to the oven where her burnt broth was bubbling.

Monster T was sweating, his t-shirt was soaked at the neck and it wasn’t the heat from the kitchen that had him shifting uncomfortably. He blinked at the bowls, and the table before him. Fingers were twitching, he looked to the shutters. “Have I done somethin’ to–”

“Let’s eat!” Joker had grabbed for his spoon, sat anticipating a feast with his feet tapping the floor.

Harley returned, stumbling with the sheer weight of the cooking pot, a mitten and a thick towel wrapped up to her elbows. She was smiling proudly, though the pot smelt rancid. Even the infallible Frost flinched as the scent reached him. Joker gave an exaggerated “can’t wait,” meeting with Monster T across the table. He was clearly panicked by the pot and it’s bubbling. The stench of hot oil. The simple man seemed like he was finally getting the message.

“Look, Joker, I don’t want no beef…”

“No beef?” Joker repeated, scoffing. “No beef?” And Harley hung at Joker’s side, joining in on the forced laughter. “You hear that sweet cheeks, he doesn’t want any beef!”

“Just as well then puddin’ that I made minestrone!” Harley cackled. And with all of her might, thrust the pot over, pouring all of it’s scalding contents onto T’s head. He reacted too late, taking a face full of the molten liquid. Clothes stuck to his flesh and tore in one fluid, flailing movement. He screamed only once before the screeches turned to gurgles. Skin sloughed from the bone, soft tender threads of blood and tissue, sinew that fizzed and bubbled and bloated. He was blinded, bawling and mouth gaping silently for mercy. And then he was gone, twitching as he tumbled onto the table. Nerve endings buzzing as he bled out and boiled over.

“How’s that tastin’ huh?” Harley asked, clearly just as (if not more so) offended by Monster T’s comments.

Joker was still laughing, snarling, prodding at the trembling mess as a crackling scent of pork hit the back of his throat. He howled with sadist delight and disgust. “Just like mother used to make!” And pulled Harley in for a smack on the cheek. That’s my girl. Who says she’s a bad cook? Joker clicked his fingers. “Frost, clear this shit off my table. Harley’s gonna make us some eggs.”

“Sunny side up, baby?”

“Sunny side up poo.”

🔷♦️🔷♦️🔷♦️🔷♦️🔷

If you liked it, feel free to hit up my inbox and suggest another scene from SS you’d like rewritten ! ( jarley content only ) much love, madluv 😘

[ladystylestores]

You should play Namco’s lost arcade-action classic, Mr. Driller DrillLand

Enlarge / Right about now sounds good for a blast of 2002’s best arcade-puzzle gaming.

Bandai Namco

In recent years, Japanese game makers have tried to revive the 16- and 32-bit era’s beloved niche of arcade-puzzle series, but these nostalgia cash-ins have mostly failed. Capcom’s Puzzle Fighter came back to life on smartphones as a free-to-play gacha mess. Sega’s Chu Chu Rocket returned with too many complications as an Apple Arcade exclusive (and, crucially, zero multiplayer). And Hudson’s Super Bomberman sputtered onto the Switch’s 2017 launch lineup as a mess, though it eventually received some face-saving patches.

As a result, I shudder whenever I see a cult-classic, puzzle-arcade series return on modern, download-only storefronts. The genre that used to thrive on cartridges and CD-ROMs has become ripe for microtransactions and slot-machine mechanics. Which is why I’m taking the unusual step of reviewing such a launch going right.

Mr. Driller DrillLand, out today on Windows PCs and Nintendo Switch, is one of the rarest games from Namco’s early-’00s period, which was otherwise marked by the blistering 3D likes of Ridge Racer and Tekken. The cartoony, 2D game, which launched exclusively in Japan in 2002 for the GameCube, was arguably a swan song for the studio’s legacy as an ’80s arcade juggernaut. Thankfully, today’s updated, translated version leaves well enough alone: its pure gameplay experience returns with 1080p-friendly touches.

$30 may be a bit steep for this classic game, but it’s the best Mr. Driller game ever made, and it’s a remarkable love letter to the Namco of old.

Clearing a path to a flow state

The “basic” mode mostly resembles the classic gameplay of the 1999 original. Every mode in this game has an amusement park theme, and this one is clearly the “It’s A Small World” segment.

Dig further, and you’ll find other countries. Here, Puchi makes his way through France.

Different characters have different strengths and weaknesses. This robot character is a bit slower, but he gets double the health.

That’s the star of Dig-Dug, if you’re wondering.

This Indiana Jones-like mode is the most interesting, thanks to its treasure-routing challenge.

This mode, an homage to Namco’s Tower of Druaga, has some cool adventure-mode tweaks.

Collect potions, then use their powers to trap and capture ghosts.

The least interesting mode in the package merely makes you contend with randomized bonuses.

Plus, quite frankly, I’m happy to have this enormously cheery and weird game right now.

Like other puzzle games from its era, DrillLand comes with a silly and largely unnecessary plot, and it includes the same Japanese voice acting found in the 2002 version. Mr. Driller and his friends have been invited to visit a fictional amusement park, and its every attraction twists or modifies the core Mr. Driller gameplay formula with some thematic gimmick. (His friends, if you’re wondering, include his dad—as in, the guy who starred in Dig Dug—and a cheery, talking dog named Puchi.)

One of these attractions is essentially a port of other Mr. Driller games, because it simply asks players to dig, dig, dig. Your primary object is to dig through colorful blocks from the top of the screen as deeply as possible. That may seem simple, but if you dig carelessly, you may leave hanging fragments that fall and crush you, and your digging path is complicated by “solid” blocks and a requirement to pick up oxygen tank refills. This is a high-score chase mode, since you’ll get more points for clearing various depth amounts quickly and efficiently.

Since the first Mr. Driller game launched in 1999, no other puzzle game has copied its formula. Unlike color-matching and piece-fitting classics, Mr. Driller emphasizes the flow state of constant, efficient movement and digging, which benefits from spatial awareness of shapes and colors all around you. Matching other colored blocks factors into your success, and your downward digging can put color-matching combos into motion, so there’s a two-headed thrust to your Mr. Driller DrillLand progress. That this gameplay still feels special and unique makes this 2002 re-release a worthy puzzling option for anyone who may have missed the series before.

But even if you find that puzzle system a bit wanting, the four other modes add clever twists to its formula. The best mode removes the oxygen-filling requirement and converts the whole game to an Indiana Jones spoof, where you’re forced to create digging paths that lead to treasure pickups while avoiding traps and—oh, I love these—giant rolling stones that will smash through your digging path and threaten you, like the chase scene from Raiders. Another mode pays homage to Namco’s classic Tower of Druaga series, as it forces Mr. Driller to take specific paths through a dungeon, collect treasure and keys, and fight bosses. And a haunted-house mode turns you into a ghostbuster of sorts, as it makes you freeze and capture ghosts within the blocks that you’d otherwise dig through.

That’s the Puchi attitude

Need a cheery, silly game? DrillLand has you covered.

You’ll switch from mode to mode by wandering across this map interface.

As far as a silly, family-friendly script is concerned, DrillLand delivers. Expect plenty of groaners and cheese.

Boy, I’ll say.

The points you accrue in every level can be spent on things like cards.

These appear to exist primarily to dole out trivia.

Want to buy some utterly worthless collectibles? Go ahead.

Between each of these challenges, a fully voiced cut scene will play out with the Driller crew’s personalities clashing in giddy, Saturday morning fashion, and while you can mash buttons to skip these, I’d suggest not. The whole package radiates with DayGlo-bright designs—all handsomely scaled to modern screen resolutions and a 16:9 ratio—and part of the inflated $30 cost is that you’re sometimes expected to sit back and marvel at how weird and elaborate the game’s story gets.

This should particularly delight anyone who still fondly recalls Katamari Damacy, which debuted on PlayStation 2 two years after DrillLand‘s launch. You can see the seeds of Katamari‘s wacky plot and King Of All Cosmos character planted by the Driller family’s saccharine-sweet trials. Meanwhile, DrillLand‘s perky J-Pop soundtrack, presented here at full fidelity, isn’t identical to Katamari‘s classic tunes by any stretch, but the up-tempo charm and vocal-melody components are almost identical.

The weirdness doesn’t end there. At any time, you can load a lengthy, music-driven parade sequence, where various Driller-series characters stomp across your screen, almost-but-not-quite in time with the music. There’s no way to fail this mode; it’s not technically “gameplay,” and you can only modify it by pressing a joystick to change the marchers’ tempo. Why is this in the game? I have no idea. But now I kinda wish every video game had an optional parade sequence as an amusing distraction. (Just think of how TLOU2‘s post-apocalyptic Seattle might look with its mutated monsters stomping to the music while holding batons.)

Big-screen treatment for two-player modes.

Smaller screens for three- and four-player modes.

On PC, it’s easy to set up everyone’s preferred controllers.

To finish the package, the game includes a pair of four-player battle modes. One is a parallel race through standard Mr. Driller gameplay, where each player races to dig through identical content, and the other is a ho-hum battle mode where players dig through the same, shared screen in search of a randomly placed treasure. The latter feels unfair as a versus game, while the former is pretty meager with its battling and “garbage” mechanics. Still, as family-friendly four-player modes, they’re better than nothing (but, sadly, don’t work online).

Nitpicks, not dealbreakers

The biggest drawback to the whole package is a $30 pricetag, which is high for a 2002 re-release. As far as “new” content, you’re getting a newly translated script (no new English voice acting), an admittedly smooth upscaling of the original 2D assets to 1080p resolution, and a new “casual” difficulty level—which, I should be blunt, is far from casual. Mr. Driller DrillLand can be pretty unforgiving to new players due to how quickly its falling block fragments fall and harm your character, and entire runs will get wiped out due to a severely limited pool of lives. (Casual mode only adds a single extra life to each mode, which, I have to say, doesn’t suddenly make the package newbie-friendly.)

Worse, the game’s digital download doesn’t include any form of instruction manual, so you’ll go through trial-and-error to answer serious questions about the game. Which levels should I play first? Do shiny blocks, which disappear after a certain amount of time, mean anything in a level? Why don’t each individual mode’s “level 2” and “level 3” sections unlock? Is there a point to spending in-game coins on a shelf of collectibles? And how do all of the items in the item shop work? The last question is crucial, because beginners will rely on that item shop, not the “casual” mode toggle, to survive their earliest sessions. Some in-game guidance to that effect would have been appreciated.

Thus, it’s not a perfect collection. Still, I’ll take a re-release that’s doggedly old-school over the microtransaction alternative. DrillLand is exactly the kind of unique, satisfying, and cutesy puzzle-action game I want right now, and its brand-new appearance on the portable Nintendo Switch is particularly welcome. (And since the series’ iOS $1 version from 2009 is dead, thanks to a lack of 64-bit update, we’ll have to settle on this week’s solid port.)

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[tabletoptrinketsbyjj]

Trinkets, Worthless, 5: These trinket are garbage plain and simple. They would be termed vendor trash or junk loot in video games. They aren’t touched by stray magic or mystery as with regular trinkets, aren’t made from valuable materials and aren’t particularly useful even if they aren’t damaged.

A thimble that’s been hammered flat.

A thimble once used by a witch.

An ancient flint arrowhead.

A child’s wooden toy owlbear

A child’s wooden toy rust monster

The ace of tears from a deck of cards

A rowel ( The little wheel part) from a rusty spur

A holy book of a dead god. Most of it pages have been abused and blacked out, most likely by the followers of the gods that replaced the fallen deity.

A six-inch-tall wooden figurine of a mummy, its arms crossed over its chest.

A cloth bag full of calcified bat guano.

---Keep reading for 90 more trinkets.

---Note: The previous 10 items are repeated for easier rolling on a d100.

A thimble that’s been hammered flat.

A thimble once used by a witch.

An ancient flint arrowhead.

A child’s wooden toy owlbear

A child’s wooden toy rust monster

The ace of tears from a deck of cards

A rowel ( The little wheel part) from a rusty spur

A holy book of a dead god. Most of it pages have been abused and blacked out, most likely by the followers of the gods that replaced the fallen deity.

A six-inch-tall wooden figurine of a mummy, its arms crossed over its chest.

A cloth bag full of calcified bat guano.

A cloth bag full of mummified frogs

A bag of 20 wooden clothespins

A belt pouch containing a dozen deep purple seeds of unknown origin

A belt pouch containing a handful of bone dice with various numbers on the sides rather than pips

A belt pouch filled with hard mint candies that have fused together into one large sticky, lint covered mess.

A bar of soap that smells of brimstone

A small iron basin filled with razor blades, crusted with dried blood

A battered tin cup.

A sack containing a bent iron spike, the head of a hammer, and a shard of incredibly tough stone.

A black silk pouch filled with spider webbing, but suspiciously absent of spiders

A blank copper coin

A small block of wood that has been rubbed so many times it has a thumb groove worn into it.

A blood-red fen fern root shaped like a man

A blue dog’s paw

A boar tusk with a numeral ���10” engraved on it

A bone stylus tipped with a long claw.

A boot of incredibly durable and flexible leather shaped for a creature with velociraptor-like claws.

A clear glass bottle of a shiny, sand-like substance

A branding iron with an unknown symbol on it

A brass listening horn that makes the person using it go deaf while it’s in their ear.

A heavily tarnished brass teapot

A broken sword hilt with strange runes on the remains of the blade

A broken spyglass with a personalized inscription engraved on the case.

A straw broom with complex designs carved into the handle

A bunch of needles stuck through a doll made of stuffed sackcloth.

A bunch of nondescript keys hanging from a small, overloaded ring. Some of the keys are worn and several are broken.

A smoked glass cameo with the profile’s face scratched away

A ceramic whistle on a string

A child’s doll made entirely of iron

A battered scroll tube containing a child’s crude sketch of their family.

A battered scroll tube containing a child’s picture of their imaginary friend

A clay ball with something rattling inside when shaken.

A clay panel with a child’s hand print pressed into it.

A clay whistle that makes no noise, no matter how hard it is blown.

A clump of blonde hair tied with fine string.

A coil of seven-foot long bloody rope has been used as a crude (and heavy) whip. One end of the rope is matted with blood and hair; the other ends in a thick, tight knot.

A pouch holding a collection of old stone arrowheads

A compass that always points to where you were moments ago

A crow’s claw

A crude red hood with holes for two eyeholes and a mouth.

A crude travel case of draughts (checkers) made of badly dented wood and peeling paint.  

A crudely wrought birdcage. A rather drab and miserable-looking stuffed bird is perched within.

A curved bronze knife encrusted with dried blood that lies in a beaten copper bowl similarly covered in blood.

A dead fish with a human child’s face

A defaced brass aquilla in the shape of an eagle

A hand mirror which has been shattered by a single strike to the center of its glass

A dirty and faded black tablecloth

A dirty mirror so small it fits into a pocket

A dirty, bloodstained strip of cloth wrapped around a two-foot long wooden cudgel. The cudgel’s handle is worn, suggesting it has seen prolonged use.

A child’s doll shaped like a pixie

A dozen dried membranous wings in a clay jar

A dozen large dead insects skewered on long pins

A dried length of umbilical cord, tied into an elaborate knot

A dried lizard

A dried octopus tentacle.

A dried up snakeskin wrapped into a tight coil.

A dusty goblet that can never be cleaned

A fetish doll sewn from canvas and stuffed with human hair, pierced with pins

A few pages of horribly written poetry.

A finger bone from an executed man in a small wooden box.

A fist sized lump of stone with flecks of gold embedded in the rock.

A fist sized petrified egg

A pirate flag from a ship that was lost at sea

A flat wax disc with grooves carved in it

A flyer to a house of ill repute.

A glass of vinegar mixed with blood with half a frog floating in it

A grey headband that causes the bearer’s body to attract dust.

A grime encrusted bone ring

A half burnt candle, with wicks sticking out at both ends.

A glove sized for a creature half again as large as a human with seven fingers and two thumbs.

A gnarled pine walking staff

A shabby hand-crafted ale stein, “Wurldz gratest Worelord” engraved.

A ripped apart piece of a leather cap, “For Dad” sewn on the inside.

A painted metal figurine of a frost giant, missing one arm.

A hat made from kobold tails.

A hammer that bends every nail it strikes.

A plaid handkerchief with the initials “O.P.” stitched on one corner.

An oddly shaped hat designed for a two-headed being.

A heavy, well-worn leather strap. Some of its stitching is frayed.

A hefty piece of magnetic ore

A brass horn that, when blown through, produces no sound

A horseshoe so rusty it could be snapped in half with a good tug.

A human skull painted with occult symbols

A human-like skull with sharp fangs

A jack-in-the-box that never opens

A jar containing the pickled fetus of a mutated dog

A jar of pickled ghouls’ tongues

A jar of polished stones

A jar containing the pickled fetus of a mutated cat

A knife that can only cut food.

[tinylionprototypes]

Researching, The Past, & Glitter Kittens

I grew up researching. Basically everything I know I learned from being around folks who like to orate, teach, perform, & create.

We used to joke about how I would start GrandpaStats.com as a website for fact checking my grandpa’s stories, because he preferred to argue & tell stories more for the sake of arguing than for dissemination of information--Admittedly he was great at these stories--I didn’t much take to arguing, though, so I learned to research & hide in worlds of “facts” retrieved from the early days of public web searching as a child (from 5+ years at the latest, maybe earlier, my dad got into computers early, which his younger 3 children, out of 5, definitely utilized--The nerdy kid that read encyclopedias & manuals & hung in the library got to raise his kids with a clunky vast digital library basically). I was always exploring virtual realms.

Growing up in the Valley (think valley girls & the northridge earthquake), everyone had some connection to film & theater. I grew up doing theatre with Southern California Children’s Theater & hanging around my mom as she used cardboard to build elaborate set pieces & costumes. I would get to do odd jobs & was always shuffling between this manager & that audition, because that’s just what you did.

Walking through a spooky maze to the back stage of the auditorium during lunch so I could learn to tell time as my mom helped build my elementary school’s ridiculous annual haunted house is firmly imprinted in my mind. I still know exactly where the absurd Toad & Game Boy Color costumes my mom made from things like duct tape, cardboard, school fundraiser wrapping paper, foam, dye, & some sheets are in my house.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A roll through the hits of some of my favorite costumes that I wore around to school, to performances, for Halloween, for myself, for fun include:

a pink feather duster (many times in fact, i got to wear monochrome feathers & sequins it was a loooook), punk rock princess (actually just me wearing a cut up t-shirt covered in the lyrics to a something corporate song because i was extra & punk af since day 1),

the Fame Monster (which entailed me wearing a cut off sequin dress from my mom’s closet with v drag make up while carrying around a pair of tights stuffed with padding & a Styrofoam head covered in green paint, multicolored feathers, & rhinestones that was my baby alien in a small production I did that year),

shadow dancer (black tutu, mask that was poorly designed for the nights activities. & leather jacket with rain boots & layered thigh high socks),

pop art (vaguely copied some andy warhol photographs while using the costume as an excuse to cover everything with me in paint in the middle of a train station locker room in amsterdam), & those are just a few from the top of my head.

There were some ill-advised choices there, too, unlike all of these, these are all wonderful choices

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My mom’s main job for most of my life was selling middle class art in formats similar to tupperware parties or eventually renting a space at our local mall after we moved & thought we could afford to get a full location.

There are a lot of jokes anytime we take a roadtrip about how they could throw some frames or suitcases on me in case I missed them. We used to pile all 5-6-however many of us we had at any given time into the car & go on silly adventures that were also vaguely technically ways for my mom to pick up merchandise or someone to do some work of some kind while actually just wanting to visit family & hang out in LA or Chicago or wherever family was then.

I got to grow up around pieced together everything & there was this culture of , saving this random thing or getting that deal so we can use it for something cool later, & that culture allowed me to take risks. Having a giant family & giant community surrounding me has always allowed me to just fucking try stuff. Not having a stable situation allowed me to not fear taking leaps. Those leaps are how we survive after all.

Now I have learned a fair bit of building from the myriad other cool tech, performance, theater, art, activist, etc. folx I have met over the years, & I get to do things like climb around a several decade old blackbox on 4th arts block trying to fix some speakers.

I get to do silly shit like play the lighting board like a keyboard for a show that I am lighting basically on the fly opening & only weekend (That is still one of my fav theatre pieces I have ever seen, I could gush), or end up troubleshooting a light rig in a theatre space in my first two weeks there. Shit, I was there & willing to help/learn. I still am. I still get to do cool shit.

Theater spaces are built out of collaboration, open source code is built out of collaboration, education is built out of collaboration. I love taking on large scale projects that d e m a n d collaboration. So much of our built environment has collaborative entities that have been thriving for years on models like WOW’s sweat equity model. Basically running by you help me, I help you, & everything else is everything else.

This is not that different than capitalist structures beyond the fact that: there is no inherent loser for everyone winner.

There are certainly spaces where this is not true, & I have experienced plenty of degrading & dangerous situations. This is not to say those aren’t a huge part of my history, present, hell, probably future. I am an out trans person speaking openly about my trauma, that just comes with the territory. Our society weaponizes my identity.

Our society weaponizes identity.

Yet spaces & movements built by queers, woc, immigrants, disabled, homeless, poor folk, & the like has & will continue to shape art & culture. Because that is what we do. We survive. We build. We try to make it easier for the generation after us to pick up the torch. Community is family is country is organism. We naturally build symbiosis. We are communal organisms, we exist on each other’s shoulders. I just want to build more spaces that are helping everyone climb rather than using bodies as the fodder for the ladders.

But that harsh reality is not what I am here to discuss.

I came here to discuss how we thrive. I go back to my childhood:

 I would make stories out of decks of cards. My family would lament all our piece meal board games, knowing that at some point someone would happen upon a stash of monopoly money & bizarre tokens that I could never fully explain. I was always building models & dioramas & systems & getting lost in tactile education. 

I would run away every few days leaving a note & taking a bag of gummy worms & maybe something to drink & a change of clothes. We would climb on awnings & watch people walk by & leer at our friends when they came or be silent & watch when it was anyone else.

I still climb around building, playing with broken tech, surviving by teaching & telling stories & passing down the history that was hard wired into me.

& I still don’t do it alone, even if the who, where, & what isn’t fixed.

This was meant to be a Glitter Kitten, which is a shorthand I use for a lesson Chris Howard taught me when I was showing my work at Come Out & Play After Dark a little over a year ago. Basically a glitter kitten is what I call any work I create that is meant to be silly & whimsical & fun. I have started collecting a good amount of glitter kittens since then, & I am always happy when a new occasion arises. I think this is something a little different. This is more like a glitter bolder or maybe a sequin river. It’s heavy & fluid & inundating, but sometimes stories do that: turn from cats to lions to roaring waters.

I don’t plan to make a sequin river tag just, yet, but I’d say glitter kittens are relevant enough to deserve their own space here.

[emalia056gaming-blog]

VBUCKS Possibilities and Desires

The Fortnite News

With Week 9 of Fortnite Season 7 is after us, the Captive skin say now arrived. Epic's virtual currency can be acquired with really dollars, but how do you receive free V-Bucks? There are a several ways to do this, but the spot is you have to have gotten Save the planet, first. Legitimate Fortnite V-Bucks giveaways do exist, and you really should occur quite particular because plenty of links and locations claiming to offer free V-Bucks will more frequently than not necessarily take place scams. In Protest 2018, Epic manipulated the tweet under to urge Fortnite fans to be mindful with their personal details.

The main mechanic that Fortnite Battle Royale acquired since its sister game, Fortnite, and the one thing which places Fortnite Battle Royale apart from PUBG is the knack for participants to build structures. Fortnite Battle Royale players collect wood, components, and steel as they scavenge for guns, shelter, with strength articles, then operate those natural ideas to put up sides with steps. Skilled Fortnite Battle Royale players are generally good builders, then they use this building mechanic to develop sniper towers out of high appearance, to negotiate mountains using stairs instead of natural directions, with to set barriers between themselves and beat enemies.

It is interactive yet our high challenge is there to combination play is a great idea but the reason isn't it open between Xbox and PlaystationIn my opinion it is the best way to make money ,because a lot of players perform at consoleI switched over to pc fortnite from Xbox ,as my good friend every performance about PlaystationWhen I bought the Playstation I could possibly link my Xbox consideration toward my own PS4 but was lucky adequate to bond my Xbox accounts with our pc.

If they're playing on an Xbox, PlayStation or Replace you can use the parental controls to ceiling the length of gaming sessions (or exclude them through the game entirely if you're feeling despotic). It's a good idea to set definite play meetings of, voice, an hour or 90 minutes using some sort of timer (a stopwatch, the egg timer, or maybe ask Alexa used for a countdown). People might must have a Mastermind-style I've found so Bad finish” rule though: Fortnite matches may live up to 20 minutes if anyone question they complete playing in the middle of a match, they'll leave colleagues in the roll and lose any points they've earned during that bout. That's likely to cause a lot of resentment.

What are V Bucks? V Bucks are the real change currency in Fortnite Battle Royale. In PvE means, you can use them to buy llamas that have various products that will get you through the game. Battle Royale mode requires V Bucks hack to buy cosmetic items. As a natural Battle Royale player, that not easy. V Bucks cheats are powerful to generate in performing normally. Although the Battle Pass drops some V Bucks, if you do not spend on the card, the amount is minimal.

After Epic Games debuted the "Movement Royale" style of "Fortnite" in Sept 26, 2017, the game's popularity surged to the point exactly where it currently take over 125 million players around the world. In addition to celebrating the one-year wedding of challenge royales in "Fortnite" on Wednesday, Sony and revealed which it will help cross-play with the tough on its PlayStation 4 systems (which shows that PS4 players can recover previous "Fortnite" match and in-game purchases from some other units, like Xbox and Nintendo Switch).

The PlayerUknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) and Fortnite are virtually the same in terms of game concept, although there are quite a few changes when it comes to experimenting with the mechanics with the sport. Away, the action of Epic Sport is finally free, while the PUBG say a sacrifice of € 29.90, although sometimes it has come to live with a cheaper price.

In Fortnite, participants may touch their pals with acquiring ideas, then they could form forts, and competition says of shells and monsters. Select through four heroes: (1) crafty constructors, (2) versatile soldiers, (3) lethal ninjas, and (4) speedy outcasts to contest against husks. Constructors are critical by building things while Gifts are well-rounded and can fit various roles. Ninjas are masters at nearby range fight and pursuit, and Outlanders are the treasure hunters excellent at gathering resources for body and other valuable things.

When Fortnite launched as a paid Early Access activity in July 2017, it was solely as a PvE (player vs. environment) experience. Participants completed levels by obtaining objects and expertise super-elaborate roots to hold off hordes of zombies. Assessments were mostly good, but Epic kept one look at on the achievements of an additional Early Access game - PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) - then swiftly spun shown a free-to-play mode, "Battle Royale," the following September.

VBUCKS: The Google Strategy

The assistance method in Fortnite is based on intensive campaign against says of zombie-like monsters, constant accumulation of supplies, pursuit of location and developing properly fortified building forms. The participants are able to collect various points necessary for building a safe and even fort. Game players get plenty of option to co-operate, due to which they considerably increase the chances of protection from the attacking monsters. Particular reasons with boxes with provisions are making at random, directly for the game map. During the war players get a variety of firearms with white arms, such as a sniper go through, a saber, a shotgun or a katana.

Fortnite is a cross-platform game, which means you can show with friends no matter what machines they have. If you own the Xbox One, you can perform within the same squad like somebody with a PS4, Nintendo Switch, iPad, before a Android phone. For making that do however, everyone has to produce an Epic Games consideration, and they'll need to be friends on the Epic Games approach. The sport online FAQ reveals how to do this.

Fortnite films then their own respective creators have seen the equally large growth in recognition as the game has grown. Ninja, the most popular Fortnite gamer, has 9.1 million clients on his YouTube canal and prepared a steady stream on the streaming service Twitch with the rapper Drake, which brought in 635,000 live viewers (a globe evidence for viewers to a stream).

The whole something for you” adage continues when the relatively new Creative mode goes to the situation. While this not drive royale by definition, Creative is an wing of the Playground sandbox mode that was introduced nearly a year before. Epic has an objective of transforming Fortnite into a service rather than a single game, with their main step in getting that goal has appeared with Creative form. That definitely shows a big leaf out of Minecraft's creative mode but without being limited to individual blocks, kills the plan much more impressively.

The pure replayability of Fortnite Battle Royale is among the greatest strengths. Despite there merely being one road, nobody ever plays out the same from contest to sport. Your learned knowledge about chest spawns, ground, and artillery functionality carries over, yet how these qualities intersect is bright every time. Maybe you territory with 10 new persons in the middle of a house, forcing you to choose whether or not to charge that to the next spot or go Rambo, jumping to acquire the prize as the lone survivor of the grim melee. You make a great system right out, but wander into the focus of a fight involving two snipers. Like Dota 2 or Category of Stars, despite the one most important playspace, the rest of the variables mean that one plan is sufficient.

Fortnite Battle Royale is the free 100-player PvP fashion in Fortnite. One giant record, a campaign bus, Fortnite building proficiency with destructible environments combined with intense PvP combat while the last one have successes; and Store the World is a company shooter-survival tough with up to 4-man squad to attack off shells and secure mission objectives with defense and defenses.

The in-game digital currency of the Fortnite Battle Royale plays a really essential component in the sport, The more the quantity of V Bucks, a lot more you can buy products such as limitless tools, outfits, and also numerous various other unusual things. Being them immediately isn't really really quick which is why you doubt concerning alternate means to gain unrestricted V dollars in quicker time. Do not you wish to provide your gamer that elegant, awesome appearance with an powerful tool.

If you have any great friends that enjoy playing Fortnite then make sure to report to them about the amazing news that a designing with 100% free Fortnite V Bucks Hack has been found. I'm sure they will love to divine and use it on their own. Well you can always tease them for 1-2 days before, bragging how we receive free V Bucks with those Fortnite Cheats without using a single cent of your money. Be creative although, if any funny conversation happens that get sharing about this Fortnite Hack then be sure to send it toward us. We can gladly publish it happening our own website here to help entertain other Fortnite Players.

VBUCKS The Right Path

You can earn V-Bucks in the single-player mode Save the planet PVE component. But the bad intelligence is you can have to hold this aspect on the competition. It is not for open like Fortnite Battle Royale. The good news is sometimes you can find a discount as you can get it cheaper rate. Once you get got the Fortnite's original means, you can earn 50-60 bucks in doing daily challenges. Despite the starting price tag being completely large, you will earn more V-Bucks than if you bought them with really money.

Congratulations! That December 21. Which capital you've just made a few more days to do Christmas shopping, with you may be freaking out. I'm not now to help you with most of to, although if you've found a Fortnite player in your years https://ntfsonmac.com this shouldn't be too difficult to get something fast and easy to put into a stocking or within the tree. If you don't know Battle Royale from But the planet, but, you might not necessarily have any feeling regarding how to provide a gift associated with this particular craze. So whether you want to give V-bucks or something else, read by for some suggestions on late Fortntie shopping.

If which position of event does follow to you, however, then in this article you might be capable of finding an instant reference for all the free Fortnite v bucks generator no person verification buying methods that are now acknowledged. We're going to happen our own personal warning as nicely and that is that you have to get really careful about just click with links to get free V-bucks or installing hacks - people have a wholly real warning of stopping the report, or worse your money in problem you're wanted anything up top.

You'll also rack up Against Cash for finishing challenges in the Store the planet mode of Fortnite, for example keep a complete of 25 survivors within missions, or completing levels within the StoneWood Storm Shield Defence section of the game. You're not exactly going to earn V Responsibilities so swiftly over that system when you would from getting them with your money, but that even an exchange method.

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PAX East is Fun

The beginning of “Convention season” always gets me excited for PAX East which fortunately for me, is in the first quarter of the year. PAX (Penny Arcade Expo) started out west in Bellevue, Washington for their first show in 2004. Then in 2010, it expanded to Boston for PAX East, and it has been growing ever since. What makes this special for me is that it’s a convention focused only on games, but not just video games. From hardcore D&D to casual tabletop games & card games, they have it all covered. Many of these truly wonderful tabletop game creators even allow you and your friends can try out whole games before you even buy them in a special section of the convention designated for that purpose. The people of PAX are a very friendly community and it is always an enjoyable experience.

PAX East is a much smaller convention than the ones I’m used to, which is a breath of fresh air. I only purchased a Saturday pass because I can normally get through the whole show floor in a day. This year there was a much larger indie gaming presence and while I couldn’t have been happier, it did present me with a challenge. Being the completionist that I am, I had to attempt to get to each booth and find something that would leave a lasting impression on me.

As soon as you get onto the escalator to the show floor, you immediately know where all the big-name studios are. What surprised me was that Twitch had a much larger presence this year than in 2016. They had a lounge where you could network with Twitch streamers and relax. It was a nice addition because all they did last year was hand out deodorant (which I certainly didn’t mind. It sometimes gets a little stinky at the convention) and pamphlets to let people know about Twitch. Then there was also a see-through box with a single streamer inside playing a game. People would press their hands and faces against the glass and watch them like they were in a human exhibit at the zoo. There was also an area where an interviewer would talk to people and developers from the stow floor, but I was more interested in the indie games.

My first stop of the day was at a gaming booth dedicated to Polish game studios. The publisher of the following games was 11 Bit Studios:

Digital Sun is the developer of a game by the name of Moonlighter, an Action RPG with rogue-like elements. You play as Will, a shopkeeper that dreams of becoming a hero. This was my favorite game at the booth. You’re told a story of how the village you live in was once a profitable merchant town and shop owners would venture into the caves and bring back supplies to fill their shop, but soon the caves became too dangerous and the merchants began to leave. You are a brave young hero who dreams of becoming a hero and vanquishing the monsters in these caves. It's a dungeon crawling game, bit it's also a shopkeeper simulator. When you get back from exploring caves you can put the items you find on sale.

Pixel Crow is the developer of Beat Cop, a game where you play as Jack Kelly, a former detective framed for murder. You are reassigned to a new precinct where you are stuck writing tickets. Yes, you read that right. This is a text-heavy, story-driven game with multiple endings and sadly I didn’t get enough time it. I’d love to sit down with this one some more and read every bit of the text I can find. Lucky for me and other fans of the game, it releases in Spring of 2017.

The final game in this booth was Tower 57, a top-down twin stick shooter with 16-bit-inspired pixel art, destructible environments, and a heavy focus on co-op. This game was a lot of fun, and the way the “display” was set up was very cute. There was a couch at the very end of the booth. I was handed a controller and taken to the character select screen. There are 7 different characters you can choose from with different abilities. I obviously picked a female scientist, steampunk Abraham Lincoln, and a detective. You pick these 3 character and they act as your lives. If your first character dies you switch to the 2nd one, and so on. This game took me back to my childhood where I’d play these types of games with my little brother. I loved the couch setup which made it seem like you were in a living room playing with friends.

My next stop of the day was the Shovel Knight booth which was oddly tucked into the back corner of the convention. There were only a few show-goers there so I decided to try out the new co-op mode. If you weren’t aware, like myself, Shovel Knight and all of its related DLC are available now on Nintendo Switch, including Specter of Torment, which is currently only available on Switch, and hitting all other platforms in April. Playing it on the Nintendo Switch wasn’t really my cup of tea because the Joycon controllers were a bit too small to work with. After beating the first boss, the trial was over and I left to pick up a Shovel Knight keychain.

My next destination was the Raw Fury booth. The games they had were GoNNER; a cute 2-d platformer with an award winning soundtrack, Tormenter X Punisher; a top-down twin stick shooter where the goal is to survive and you only get 1 life, Kingdom; a kingdom-building simulation game where you control a king or queen and spend your coins expanding your kingdom, and finally Dandara; a metroidvania gravity bending game based on an Afro-Brazilian woman in the colonial period of Brazil.

Across the way was an elaborate set-up of booths for Melbourne International Games Week, Asia Pacific’s largest digital games celebration featuring conferences, events and activities for the games industry, game enthusiasts and the general public. The game that stuck out most was a beautiful water-colored mobile game called Paperbark.

“Paperbark is a game that tells a playful short story of the bush, a wombat and a very hot Australian Summer. It presents a sincere representation of Australian bushland, which has been inspired by iconic historical and contemporary landscape Artists and Australian children’s literature. The player follows a sleepy wombat; who spends it’s day exploring, solving problems and foraging for interesting things. As the story unfolds and new locations are discovered, the adventure builds with the heat of the day. The game has been created as a love letter to wandering through the bush and can resonate with anyone who grew up in Australia, or is interested in it.”

It was a cute whimsical game where you would swipe the screen to make the wombat walk around and if you swipe over the white space that uncovered more of the area around you.

Afterwards I decided to switch gears and try out some VR games. My friend had been deciding between getting VR or the Nintendo Switch and this was a perfect place to try both. Unfortunately for her, she hates horror games which is the biggest genre in VR right now but, we were able to find a few games that were safe for her. The first one we found was called The Lab, a mini-game collection created by Valve. After putting on the headset I was told by the woman at the booth to select the “Longbow” mini-game which is a bow and arrow “shooter”. This game was pretty straightforward. You are perched on top of a wall in your fort and you must shoot at the stick-figure people who are trying to break down your fort’s gate to enter it. When you shoot the stick-figures they release balloons you can shoot to regain your health. It was a silly game but it did a pretty great job of introducing you to the VR world.

We moved onto another VR shooter called Dick Wilde on the Oculus Home. In this particular game you must shoot mutated alligators and other giant swamp creatures while actively dodging projectiles being shot at you. This one was a bit more involved than the other VR shooter, but also more difficult because you have to remember to move around shoot. At the end of each round your score is tallied up according to how many creatures you shot and how many projectiles you were able to dodge.

The Cartoon Network booth was my next stop. Grumpyface Studios, which brought us the critically acclaimed Steven Universe game Attack the Light, is releasing their sequel Save the Light on consoles this summer. I never played Attack the Light, but had heard nothing but good things about the game. It is a blend of turn-based and real-time combat, sort of like Paper Mario, featuring the main characters of the Steven Universe show. The game will still be co-written by the shows creator Rebecca Sugar and it looks like it will further explore the lore in the Steven Universe universe. The only other game at the Cartoon Network booth was OK K.O.! Lakewood Plaza Turbo based on an upcoming Cartoon Network show OK K.O. Let’s Be Heroes. This game is a beat-em-up featuring characters from the show. The portion of the game I played had rhythm elements to it almost like DDR or Stepmania which I enjoyed.

My final destination of the day was the IndieBox booth. I had been excited about this for weeks because there was a rumor they would have Jotun, an action exploration game where you play as a viking warrior who must prove herself to the Gods so that she may enter Valhalla. I grabbed the box and was on my way to purchase the game when a sales rep at the booth informed me that they were having a special deal that day. If I spent another $20 I would get one IndieBox for the following month and 5 game codes. Typoman is their game for the next month and after receiving such high praise I thought it was an amazing deal.

As I headed up the escalator to leave the convention I couldn’t help but feel a little sad leaving my favorite convention. It’s wonderful to be able to get through a whole convention in a day, but I always think about the games I had missed out on playing or the people I never got a chance to talk to. All in all this is a great way to start the convention season and I wouldn’t want it any other way.