#ok but genuinely interesting when i go to sleep and have clear names and locations and images of things

[nimbus-tatze]

.

[oofluc]

⌠ AXEL AURIANT, 20, CISMALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, LUC MONTAGNIER! according to their records, they’re a FIRST year, specializing in AWARENESS TRAINING, BREATH CONTROL, HAND TO HAND COMBAT + KNIFE FIGHTING SKILLS, SWORD TRAINING, PRECISION SHOOTING, FIREARMS & SWAT TRAINING; and they DID go to a spy prep high school. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of ( dried blood on busted knuckles, forced smiles and sweat drenched after training ). when it’s the (virgo)’s birthday on 09/17/1999, they always request their SEARED SCALLOPS from the school’s chefs. looks like they’re well on their way to graduation. ⌿ ooc mochi, 23, she/her, gmt ⍀  

slight warning to those who saw i originally planned him to be an anxious soft boi … i was wrong also there is a suicide mention & some subtle child abuse maybe... plus it’s kind of long ? and an incoherent mess but whatever !! plotting is welcome either on tumblr or on discord which you can find me at mochi#7066 !! his pinterest is here yes i went overboard with sections esp bc im gonna add more hdjf !! stats here and a full connection page here with most stuff i have so far ! @gallagherintro​

PARALLELS

fred jones | scooby doo

stefan salvatore | the vampire diaries

hatsuharu sohma | fruits basket

noatak | avatar: the legend of korra

FAMILY

phillipe montagnier | 54

ameline montagnier | 46

marc montagnier | ✝

luc montagnier | 20

charles montagnier | 18

elias montagnier | 18

HISTORY

the montagnier family was originally located in the south of france until luc’s grandfather moved them to quebec. their empire was in manufacturing all kinds of weaponry and selling them to governments and other spy families and organisations. if you needed something a bit obscure or unique, this was the family you'd come to.

luc grew up in a fairly isolated countryside area in a family of four brothers who he loved for the first few years of his life. first was marc, shy and respectful, luc himself two years behind, and then another two years graced the family with twins; charles and elias who lived by their own rules. marc and luc had always been close, marc was the best big brother possible and luc loved him a lot.

eventually after being pitted and forced to compete against each other for so long, it got quite personal and their bonds started being tested. their mother turned a blind eye to their father's borderline abusive methods when luc overtook his older brother in their father’s tests and training. bruises and broken bones were only natural in training so there wasn't much she could say even if she wanted to.

from as long as he could remember, he'd been firing guns. there was a shooting range on their estate and they went on hunting trips, too. his dad often had him show customers the potential of their weaponry and so he'd always been thrusted into that life whether he wanted a say or not. it’s been clear since he was around fourteen that if anyone was taking over the family business it'd be him, not his older brother, marc.

this definitely caused somewhat of a rift between him and marc, as he'd end up getting much harsher punishments when luc would disarm or ground him.

luckily for luc, he did enjoy fighting and was exceptionally gifted in the life planned out for him. he was always the most determined to gain their father's approval, which definitely showed in their results and how obedient he was in front of the man. when he finally got what he wanted, he didn't quite expect it to mean what it did. it was rare but every now and then he would kill for his dad. whether it was someone who betrayed the family or a potential threat to their business, if his dad told him to, he would, no questions asked. it was during this time he was more excluded from training with his brothers since he would be with his dad instead.

SUICIDE TW !!!!!!

his oldest brother marc was sent to blackthorne once he was eighteen and ended up committing suicide at the end of his second year, with luc set to follow the next year. this news was shocking for the montagnier family as luc's father was bitterly embarrassed and disappointed by his firstborns' death, wanting to cover it up as a murder so it couldn't be tied to the family name with such dishonour. it quickly created a divide as charles and elias defended marc's actions and revealed he'd been struggling with depression for the majority of his life, much like they did, which was all unknown to luc, who, for the first time, felt the repercussions of his father's favouritism. he had a new found rebellion against him that was violent with them going at each other's throats for the foreseeable future. luc ended up avoiding his place at blackthorne in hopes to piss off his dad and becoming more reclusive and bitter as time went on.

he really took his brother's death personally, believing he was a factor in it and wishing he'd been there for him more closely. if anyone so much as mentions marc to him he will be on guard and very easily angered. i think before marc died he was very charismatic, egotistical at times and driven whereas now he’s lost a lot of his energy and is more negative & aloof.

the following year was Rough™. he was no longer his dad's golden boy and the family dynamic shifted a lot with marc's death as luc ended up protecting his younger twin brothers instead of beating them for their dad's favour. he's certain he'd have been disowned had his mother not aligned herself with the kids as well.

i think their family dynamic is kinda like the cha family from sky castle if anyone has seen it !

luc eventually decided to enrol in school late, only to end up at gallagher instead. which... i mean, i think before marc died he was excited about attending blackthorne. so he’s bit ??? uncertain about the girls school.

PERSONALITY

genuinely i think it comes down to so many factors, whether he’s in a good mood, who’s speaking to him etc but neutrally he’s quite charming, happy to mess about a bit but more or less takes most stuff too seriously. since he’s not around his dad i do think he will explore a lot more and seek out adventure and fun but if he’s got a test or something due the next day then he’ll bail early since he is defo the type to never let his grades or performance be ruined

he’s quite cocky + likes to win no matter what so yes he will ruin a friendship to beat u at monopoly. second place is last place in his head.

at his best he can be confident, alluring, courteous, loyal… at his worst he's aggressive, destructive, apathetic and always says shit he doesn't mean !!!! will he apologize ?? unlikely but he'll try n make it right once he’s calmed down

thinks the best way to deal with things is with his fists, he’s so EASY to snap and start a fight n he’ll.... maybe apologise for it

i think he defo likes to pretend he’s got no problems and so reverts to a social, supportive friend every once in a while. the type to be brutally honest !!

he’s a definite know it all, thinks he’s the dog’s bollocks, gods gift etc !!!!! doesn’t believe in god but still. I kinda see him a bit jocky idk why but more brooding n isolating 70% of the time bc he’s easily pissed off but when he’s having fUNNNNN he’s ok like a solid guy at times just easily angered

very flirty, he's a major ladies man despite actually being GAY. which is a secret. sh. only two people know he’s gay and that’s his current beard girlfriend ellie cavanagh and childhood friend regine ren. more ppl can defo find out in time and i’m sure ppl have speculations ? maybe have seen him hooking up with guys or something when he thought no one was looking etc probs think he’s bi who knows!!! but for now those two are the only people he’s actually spoken to about it!!!! so if anyone else tries he will deny it as he’s very against the idea of coming out so will not discuss it ty pls.

and it’s not that he doesn’t enjoy sleeping with girls, he’ll be having a great time regardless but he just aint abt to love them like that pls understand

still, he is in a current relationship with ellie who is acting as his beard for him. they have ‘ dated ’ before and are off and on a lot, so they probably seem pretty toxic tbh since ellie n him can clash n argue and he defo still hooks up with other girls despite being in a relationship so feel free to kill him for cheating !

wanted connections !!!

going off the last point, maybe some of ellie’s friends who come at him for how he seemingly treats her !!!

i'd love for blackthorne ppl to have known his brother, he'd have been around about 22/23 and a fourth year now if he was still alive so ?? it might help luc with some closure if he could talk about him since it happened at blackthorne

ppl to know the family, some family friends would be amazing !!! i feel regardless of alliances etc their family would have stayed as neutral as possible since they're selling weapons so they want all the customers.

so people that know HIM while he was growing up would be interesting esp those expecting him to have joined blackthorne when he was supposed to 2 years ago, and obvs him probably changing from who they knew him as to a more negative version now

might put a wc for his twin bros as they potentially joined his arrival at gallagher as first years too but who knows. they’d be 18 so if anyone wants a family friend connection that is around that age, maybe they were closer to the twins than luc ??

he sleeps with a lot of girls to kinda ‘make sure’ no one knows he’s gay as he defo doesn't feel comfortable with being out. the guys that he sleeps with he'll always pin it on being too drunk to remember or he'll threaten them if they told etc ?? he's very on edge about it and would only hook up super secretly sooo if anyone’s down for that with him

and then obvs need a lot of ladies he’d wanna sleep with to keep his image

previous ex gfs ?? from prep schools !!!!!!!

some positive influences would be good

bad influences as well bc tho he is a bit of a party guy, he doesn’t drink loads and he doesn’t do drugs !!!!!!!!!!!!!! but…. I mean i bet he could be convinced now he’s away from home so

study / sparring buddies !!

i’d love someone to teach him pop culture n normality !! his childhood was training and competing with his bros so he defo doesn’t watch many movies or tv or play games etc so ? someone making him watch all the harry potters ?? binging parks and rec ?? he’d find it so dumb but who wouldnt enjoy it ??

[bobasheebaby]

Howard Wolowitz Prompts

1 “You know, I'm really glad you decided to learn Mandarin.” “Why?” “Once you're fluent, you'll have a billion more people to annoy instead of me.”

2 “NAME does not cry.” “That's true, you'd rust.”

3 “I invented a game. Want to play?” “Sure.” “It's called NAME or DOG NAME. I give you actual quotes I've heard NAME say, and you guess if he/she was talking to his/her boyfriend/girlfriend or his/her dog.”

4 “Settle this. Those little animated pictures on the Internet, are they called ‘gifs’ or ‘jifs’?” “Well, the G stands for ‘graphics.’ That's a hard G, so I'd say ‘gif.’” “What? The guy who invented it says it's ‘jif.’” “I'm sorry, do you mean the guy or the juy?”

5 “So you can never take it (the sweater) off?” “No.” “Not even to sleep?” “No.” “So you're just an idiot?” “It's called proving a point.” “Is the point you're an idiot?”

6 “We have to go over some ground rules about NAME.” “Like when it turns out he’s/she's made of rubber, I don't say anything?” “He’s/She's very real.” “That's what it says on the box. Right next to dishwasher safe.”

7 “Aren't you gonna come with me?” “While you confront your father:mother about his/her sex life? I'd rather go back to that bar in assless chaps.”

8 “OK, is everyone clear on the plan?” “Yes, NAME 1’s going to wet himself/herself I'm gonna throw up, NAME 2’s gonna run away and you're going to die. Shall we synchronize our watches?”

9 “NAME, let me take this opportunity to point out that you are looking particularly ravishing today.” “Not with a thousand condoms, NAME.” “So there is a number.”

10 “Hey, you want to make sure he/she gets nowhere with NAME without jeopardizing your friendship with either of them?” “I'm listening.” “Just tell him/her to do everything you've done with him/her for the last two years.”

11 “On the potty, what are you five?” “It's a potty, what do you call it?” “A toilet.” “That's a little vulgar for the dinner table, don't you think?” “And potty is okay?” “Potty is innocent. Potty is adorable.” “What do you do on the potty, wee-wee?” “If I don't have to boom-boom.”

12 “Try telling him/her it's a non-optional social convention.” “What?” “Just do it!” “It's a non-optional social convention.” “Oh, fair enough.” “He/She came with a manual.”

13 [NAME smiles in a grotesque way] “Oh crap that's terrifying.”

14 “He/She didn't dump me. We were just in different places in the relationship.” “I fail to see how a relationship can have the qualities of a geographical location.” “It's very simple. NAME was living in a little town called ‘Please don't leave me’, while NAME had just moved to the island of ‘Bye-bye!’”

15 “Are you planning on kidnapping a man/woman?” “Sarcasm?” “Yes, but mixed with genuine concern.”

16 “NAME knows football? I mean Quidditch, sure, but football?”

17 “Puppies, how do you stand on puppies?” “A puppy once bit my face!” “Of course it did.”

18 “NAME, there's no place for truth on the Internet.”

19 “I see. I assume since the rest of you have set the bar so low, you're saving the most impressive contribution for last. Go on NAME, dazzle me.” “Well, my power is the ability to pretend like I give a damn about your piddly-ass problem. And that's 24/7 buddy.”

20 “You can't just throw everything in the closet.” “Hey, you can tell me what to do and how to do it, but not both at the same time. This isn't sex.”

21 “We're looking for NAME, not Marmaduke.”

22 “NAME it's the phone!” “I know it's the phone NAME! I hear the phone!” “Who is calling at this ungodly hour?” “I don't know!” “Well ask them why are they calling at this ungodly hour!” “How can I ask them when I'm talking to you?”

23 “Well no, you're mistaken. You give speeches all the time. What you can't do is shut up.”

24 “The way I see it, I'm halfway to pity sex.”

25 “Why do I even try?” “I'm going to fix this right now.” “Okay, but just make it look like an accident.”

26 “Love is not a sprint, it's a marathon, a relentless pursuit that only ends when he/she falls into your arms — or hits you with the pepper spray.”

27 “Look, if you don't want to go to the party, just don't go. You're a grown man. Act like one. Tell NAME you want to spend the weekend having a sleepover and playing video games with your friends!”

28 “Can we take a moment to discuss that I just lied to the government for you?” “Yeah, I would not have done that for you.”

29 “NAME ruined Raiders of the Lost Ark* for me, so I'm trying to find something beloved of his/hers and ruin that.” “Because his/her life wasn't enough?” *[insert any movie, play or book]

30 “I think you broke the dowels. You're not gonna have time to glue it back on. You'll have to nail it.” “With what?” “Does he/she have any pillows or wine glasses?” “He/She does.”

“Great. Neither of those. Try a hammer!” “Did that feel good? You feel like a big man now?”

31 “Why're you being so quiet? You upset or are you just rebooting?”

32 “Come on, NAME, Star Wars.” “I'm pushing play. I mean it. If we don't start soon, George Lucas is going to change it again.”

33 “Come on, one day this may double in value and be worth half what I paid for it!”

34 [Chuckles] “Look at that. There's finally a man/woman in your life you can talk to.”

35 “I shouldn't be raising a kid. I don't even eat my own vegetables.”

36 “I love you. And I'm not just saying that because your breasts are gonna get bigger.”

37 “First take a picture with me.” “Why?” “Well, NAME and I always talked about learning how to make cocktails like this together, so I taught myself and I'm putting this on Instagram so he/she can see it and feel like a turd. Say cheese!”

38 “Stop hitting on my man/lady or you shall experience my wrath.” “I am not hitting on him/her.” “And I am not your Lady.” “And you have no wrath.”

39 “NAME, relax. I am not interested in your boyfriend/girlfriend.” “I hope not. Because you don't wanna mess with me.” [Gets in NAME’s face] “I'm crazy.”

40 “How did you get so brave all of a sudden?” “It's easy. The spider's crawling up your arm.”

41 “Why are you back from your date so early?” “Well, in romance, as in show business, always leave them wanting more.” “What exactly does that mean?” “He/She struck out.”

42 “Sit, you look like you've had a long day.” “Naw, she always looks like that. ... Because she married an idiot.”

43 “You guys never use that space up there. Why not get a table?” “Do you want the long answer or the short answer?” “How come we never get that option?”

44 “You're a putz. Do you what that means?” “Yeah. Do you?”

45 “Excuse me, I happen to be very comfortable with my masculinity.” “How is that possible?”

46 “Oh, you're saying I don't do anything around here? Look at my chore chart!”

47 “Well don't come crying to me when you don't get your allowance.” “It's not an allowance. It's a stipend! And we said we weren't going to call it an allowance in front of my friends.”

48 “Neither of them will be the actual cake. I'm just using it as a bargaining chip to get NAME to agree to the whole wedding party getting rings and us getting one ring to rule them all.” “I forget, which mental hospital are you guys registered at?”

49 “You know what we should do? We should show the closet to NAME.” “Why?” “Are you kidding? He’s/She’s like a savant at organizing. Everything in his/her apartment/house has a label on it. Including his/her label maker, which has a label that says label maker. And if you look really close at that label maker label, you’ll see a label that says label.”

50 “I was so smooth on that date.” “Dude, I made you smooth. You were an idiot.” “Whatever, dude. He/She kissed me.” “It might have been on your lips, but it was my kiss.” “Oh, fine. Let's agree he/she kissed both of us.” “Okay.”

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 5/28/20

Dr. STONE, Vol. 11 | By Riichiro Inagaki and Boichi | Viz Media – Balloons! Yes, Dr. STONE is taking it upon itself to do something it does best, which is show off the gorgeous vistas of this not-really-that-explored future Japan it takes place in. And that means hot air balloons. It also means speedboats! But alas, just because Senku is a scientist does not mean he can cook. So they use some of the last remaining fluid to un-stone a butler-cum-chef-cum-everything, Francois, who is flamboyant and also a lot of fun. There’s actually some really good humor in this volume as well, be it the reporter getting her camera and its undercutting right afterwards, or Senku’s Einstein impersonation. This remains one of the essential Jump titles. – Sean Gaffney

Dungeon Builder: The Demon King’s Labyrinth Is a Modern City!, Vol. 2 | By Rui Tsukiyo and Hideaki Yoshikawa | Seven Seas – After wrapping up the cliffhanger from the first volume (he names his first monster girl, which gives her the power-up (and bust expansion) she needs to win), the cast gets down to the nitty-gritty of what he wants to do: build a city, not a dungeon, which feeds on positive emotions. Of course, there are a few problems. Location, labor costs, the neighboring demon lords, and of course Marcho’s impending death, which she seems to have accepted more than Procel has. This remains sort of mid-tier manga—not interesting enough to stand out, but the pages turn easily, and you could do worse. Also, brilliant pun for the back-cover blurb. – Sean Gaffney

Éclair Blanche: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart | By Various Artists | Yen Press – The second of the Éclair anthologies to come out over here, this one seems to focus more attention on love that is already in bloom when the story begins than love that we see the start of. There’s a nice mix of funny, heartwarming, sad, and generally melancholic. Some highlights are “Azalea Corner,” about a minion’s crush on the arrogant ojou she follows; “The Unemployed Woman and the High School Girl,” which should be awful but is by Canno so is cute instead; and “That Summer Won’t Come Again,” about a girl trapped in her sister’s past who bonds with a senpai and learns to swim again. There’s good and not-so-good here, but overall well worth buying. – Sean Gaffney

Éclair Blanche: A Girls’ Love Anthology That Resonates in Your Heart | By Various Artists | Yen Press – This is the second Éclair anthology, but aside from two continuations, all the stories here are new. The quality varies, and it seems the better stories are in the front. The first story, Fly’s “Flowers in a Storm,” sets the tone for bittersweet, ambiguous endings with the tale of a first kiss that comes too late. There are also several stories about unrequited love for a friend who loves someone else, be it another girl, an idol, or a guy. Kabocha’s “Though Summer Won’t Come Again” is a standout, about a girl who assumes the senpai she’s developed feelings for prefers her older sister, as everyone else seems to. Unfortunately, I found the stories toward the end of the volume to be less enjoyable, particularly the final one, which includes the most awkward teacher-student embrace I have ever seen. Still, I will read the next installment when it comes out! – Michelle Smith

I Didn’t Mean to Fall in Love | By Minta Suzumaru | Futekiya (digital only) – Yoshino Kiritani is a beautiful 30-year-old salaryman who happens to be both gay and a virgin. With no relationship prospects on the horizon and wanting to finally have sex, he goes to a gay bar, meets a charismatic college student named Rou, and sleeps with him. The back-and-forth that follows between these two guys is so well done. Rou is a notorious playboy with a hot-and-cold routine he has employed many times to manipulate his conquests into falling for him and confessing their feelings. He tries this on Yoshino, even though he’s actually serious about him, but it doesn’t work. Self-effacing Yoshino genuinely thinks Rou wants nothing more to do with him, forcing Rou to face the seriously scary prospect of rejection by declaring his feelings first. There are a few explicit scenes, but they serve the characters and story well. Highly recommended! – Michelle Smith

Love Me, Love Me Not, Vol. 2 | By Io Sakisaka | Viz Media – First of all, a word of advice to the author: don’t sink people’s ships in your author’s notes, OK? Secondly, this continues to have the strengths of Io Sakisaka titles—it gets teenage love in a good way, has characters who are likeable but clearly flawed, shows gradual character growth, and has clean, easy-to-follow art. She’s still trying to balance out the idealistic girl with the realistic girl, though it may be leaning towards the former. Sadly, it also contains what’s always been one of this author’s big weaknesses to me—I like her series but never love them. Each volume is fun to read and I’d call it good, but it’s never going to be tops in my favorite shoujo manga lists. It’s not life-changing the way a Yona of the Dawn is. – Sean Gaffney

Ping Pong, Vol. 1 | By Taiyo Matsumoto | Viz Media – Ever since Matsumoto was a guest at TCAF in 2013 and spoke in depth about the series, its development, and how it fit into his overall career, I’ve been desperately wanting to read Ping Pong in English. When the excellent anime adaptation came and went soon after and the original manga still hadn’t been licensed, I didn’t expect that we’d ever see it translated. But it is actually here! The first of two beautifully designed omnibus volumes. And I am absolutely in love with Matsumoto’s Ping Pong. Ostensibly a high school sports manga, Ping Pong spends very little time explaining the ins and outs of the game even though table tennis is essentially omnipresent; instead, the series devotes its attention almost entirely to the characters themselves. With strong psychological elements, in part the work’s themes explore talent, motivation, and self-determination, all supported by Matsumoto’s distinctive and spectacularly dynamic and expressive artwork. – Ash Brown

Prince Freya, Vol. 1 | By Keiko Ishihara | VIZ Media – The land of Tyr is threatened by Sigurd, the empire to the north. Our “wimpy and weak” heroine, Freya, happens to be the spitting image of Prince Edvard, who’s just been poisoned by Sigurd, and so takes on the role of impersonating him to protect her country. Alas, Freya’s performance as Edvard (and characterization in general) is inconsistent and in a way that doesn’t seem intentional on the mangaka’s part. Sometimes she boldly and capably takes action, sometimes she just cries. In my notes I wrote, “This ain’t no Basara,” prompted by a panel in which Freya is making an extremely insipid face because of something sappy her love interest has just said, but then something super dramatic and unexpected occurs and… well, now I’m cautiously on board. It may turn out to be fluffier than I would like, but I will at least give it a couple more volumes. – Michelle Smith

The Quintessential Quintuplets, Vol. 9 | By Negi Haruba | Kodansha Comics – There’s less swapping in this one, but the one time there is a swap it blows the reader out of the water. I suspect Ichika’s popularity took a nosedive after this volume, as her ideal of “all’s fair in love and war” is taken to a somewhat cruel conclusion. She’s not even the thirstiest of the quints, as both Nino and Miku are trying to make their feelings for Futaro as clear to him as possible. Meanwhile, Yotsuba is trying the opposite tactic, saying that she’ll support whichever sister that isn’t her he picks, showing off a core of self-deprecation that we’ve seen before, but never to this level. And then there’s Itsuki, who seems to have forgotten she was supposed to be first girl. Great harem antics. – Sean Gaffney

Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts, Vol. 9 | By Yu Tomofuji | Yen Press – I missed reviewing the eighth volume of this, for some reason; I’m not sure why. It continues to be quietly sweet, with a heroine who perhaps leans a little too much towards “can save everyone by the sheer power of being really nice.” That said, nice can only go so far, and when she discovers a country that’s being blackmailed into slavery, nice becomes determined and fierce. There’s also some tortured romance at the start—the king’s chief bodyguard and the princess’s attendant clearly are headed towards each other, but there are a few steps back here before we can move forward once more. I admit that I’d likely enjoy this more without its central conceit of animal people, but oh well. – Sean Gaffney

Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 7 | By Sorata Akiduki | Viz Media – I admit I was a bit more surprised than Shirayuki was at the identity of the leader of the Lions of the Mountain. That said, it does remind us that Shirayuki is another one of those great “shoujo heroines who underreacts to everything,” which can be quite amusing when done right. That said, this volume is when the series transitioned from the quarterly DX to the main LaLa magazine, and as such much of the middle part is taken up with introducing new readers to the main cast and the situation. This includes an amusing “personality reversal” chapter where Mitsuhide starts acting like a chivalrous knight. the book ends with the implication that their love is going public. How will that go? Great shoujo. – Sean Gaffney

Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, Vol. 1 | By Jougi Shiraishi, Itsuki Nanao, and Azure | Square Enix – This is a manga adaptation of the first fourth or so of the light novel, and it’s a very good adaptation. I will admit that Elaina is a lot more expressive than I was expecting… her delivery in the novels is somewhat cool… but it makes sense given the manga’s visual medium, and she’s cute. This volume shows off what we’re going to get from now on: some cute fluffy stories, some melancholic stories with deaths, some stories of Elaina having to extricate herself from a situation, and some backstory showing how she came to be wandering. The final story was one of my favorites in the book, and it’s the best one here too. A nice adaptation. – Sean Gaffney

By: Ash Brown

[pocminiseries]

Girl With The Tattoos|2

Vibes.

♦️

The nightlife of Seoul was always so vibrant and beautiful.

Na'imah was fortunate enough to have an apartment that allowed her such views as she laid in bed just like tonight.

It was only 10:30 P.M. but she knew that sleep wasn't coming any time soon. It was one of the reasons why she chose to work nights instead of the morning shifts.

Sometimes she'd purposely avoid sleeping because of the dreams they brought. They were almost rarely pleasant.

Plus if she was being honest, she was tired of going to bed alone anyway. For so long she has been purposely dismissing the idea of a relationship. A few times she has come close to being in one but of course, she would always distance herself when she thought someone was getting too close. It was unfortunate because she has come across a few good men that she knew had the potential of making her happy.

Sometimes she hated the way her mind worked.

And the one time she finds herself genuinely interested in someone, he comes in the form of an idol who she knew that realistically she couldn't have. Fuck her luck.

She had been talking to JB for about a month now and so far she enjoyed their conversations so much.

He was easy to talk to and a good listener. Although she hasn't revealed much of her past for a reason, she has started to let down her walls brick by brick. For the first time, she was beginning to let someone in.

She loved how he sensed certain things. Like a few nights ago the topic of family was brought up again and when he asked about certain family members, she would become distant which he caught immediately and changed the topic to something else. He never pressured her about anything.

And she never let the fact that he was famous get to her head. However, sometimes she would have to remind herself of who he was because the more they interacted, the more she was beginning to feel something towards him.

She had a vibe with him that she never had with anyone else.

"Fuck." She mumbled, turning her face into her pillow. Why was she thinking about him so much?

Maybe this was just a simple crush? Something that would past with time? But would it be so wrong to allow herself a bit of happiness for once? Even if it was only temporary? She didn't know herself honestly. This whole situation was a tricky one and had multiple outcomes both good and bad.

The sound of her phone vibrating beside her pulled her from her thoughts and back to reality. Glancing down at the lit up screen, JB's name showed across the screen as the incoming caller.

"Hey." She whispered into the receiver once she answered, turning to her side to face the windows.

"I didn't wake you did I?" His voice was so melodic and sweet like honey. She could listen to him speak about something as bland as precipitation and still be intrigued as he talked.

"No. You know I don't really sleep much at night."

"Mm, we'll have to change that." He replied, thinking of numerous ways he could put her to sleep, both sexual and non-sexual. He wanted to feel bad for thinking about her in such a manner but he was a man and he would be lying to himself if he said he hadn't thought about it more than once. He was attracted to her both physically and mentally, so it was only natural.

Na'imah smirked at his words, feeling a double meaning to them but decided not to speak on it. "What are you up to this late?"

"That's why I was calling. I wanted to know if you would mind coming to see me? I know it's last minute but I could really use your company." The rest of the members had headed home but JB still had a few more tracks to lay before he would decide to call it a night. His music wheels have been turning all day and now that he was alone, the only person he could think about was her.

"Where are you?" She asked, hearing soft music playing in the background of where he was.

"The studio."

Of course, she thought to herself. She was almost convinced he lived there when he wasn't busy.

Sitting up, she removed the covers and prepared to get dressed. "And where would this studio be located?" She hadn't seen him in four days because of his scheduling, so there was no way she was passing up seeing him, especially if it was longer than a few minutes like it usually was.

"The new JYP building in Cheongdam. I'll text you the address." He tried to hide the excitement in his voice but failed miserably. This was his chance to talk to her like he wanted and touch her in ways he's never been able to.

"Are you sure that's ok? I mean, I know that they just don't let anyone inside of those buildings." The last thing she wanted to be is thrown out for "trespassing". Plus she knew that her black ass would for sure stick out like a sore thumb.

JB laughed a bit, finding her concern to be cute. "Yes. I'm personally inviting you." He said, leaning back against his chair. "Just call me when you arrive, so I can let you in." The building was almost deserted around this time with a few employees and a security guard keeping watch.

Though she was still nervous, she decided to still go anyway. It was better than laying in her bed until she felt sleepy. "Alright. Let me get dressed and I'll head that way."

Saying their goodbyes, Na'imah quickly pulled on some clothes, not thinking much of her outfit. As long as she was decent, that's all that mattered. However, she did at least pull her hair into a sleek ponytail. She debated whether to apply makeup but thought against it at the last minute, sticking to simple lip gloss instead. Once she was pleased with her final look, she grabbed her crossbody bag and headed out, locking up behind her.

The JYP building was only about 30 minutes away, so she chose to take the subway since the station was closer to her apartment complex. The whole ride made her nervous the closer she got to her destination. Here she was making a late night trip to see an idol, something she didn't even think could ever occur. Only weeks ago her life had been pretty routine, with not much excitement and in little time, she found herself in this very predicament.

As soon as the building came into view, she almost convinced herself to turn back around and go home. What the hell was she thinking?

"Relax, you can do this." She pep talked to herself after taking a deep breath.

Retrieving her phone, she dialed JB's number and waited patiently until he answered as she eyed the building in front of her. She recalled walking past it a few times, just never paying attention to the name of it. Although the kpop scene was obviously huge there, she rarely ever dove that deeply into it. Knowing a few groups, here and there. She had almost hyped herself up to go to at least one of the shows to experience the hype but never got around to doing so.

"I see you. Come here." He told her as soon as he answered. Na'imah looked confused for a second until her eyes landed on him. A smile broke out into her face when she approached him while he held one of the glass doors open for her to come in.

She barely got a good look at the place when he decided to pull her towards him, hugging her tightly. After her shock had worn off, she wrapped her arms around him, doing the same in return.

The way she molded into him was almost insane. Her sweet scent filled his nose when he nuzzled his head into her neck, pulling her closer. He had been wanting to this since the moment he had laid eyes on her. It was something so simple but meant so much more to him.

"Jae..." She groaned softly when his lips unintentionally brushed against her skin. Immediately she pulled back allowing her eyes to fully take him in up so close and personal.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, licking his lips before he allowed some space between them.

She shook her head, waving him off. "It's fine." And it was but she couldn't say the same for her body though.

"Follow me." He said, nodding his head towards the hall behind him. She silently walked behind as he walked up a flight of stairs, soon stopping in front of some double doors. Her eyes danced around the impressively sized studio, admiring all of the professional equipment in front of her. She could only imagine the type of music great music that was being recorded here.

"I work in this one until my studio gets finished." He revealed, pulling her to one of the chairs in front of the mixing console. She wondered how they even knew which ones to touch with there being so many to choose from. She was hesitant to touch anything, afraid that she might mess up something.

"Your second home huh?" She half-joked after spotting the pillow and blanket on one of the couches behind them, where she imagined he's probably slept on a few times.

JB smiled a little, not denying her words because he knew they were true. They had released their album weeks ago, yet here he was already working on new music. When he gets inspired, sometimes he can't help but express himself through songwriting. He wasn't even going to reveal that one of the songs that he's been working on was about her. Some things are better kept to himself...for now.

"I've listened to the songs you have on your SoundCloud a few days ago, it definitely seems very Im Jaebum like." She smiled, pulling out a blowpop from her candy stash inside of her bag and quickly placed it into her mouth, paying no attention to JB who was watching her every move.

"Really? Is there a song you favorite the most?" He asked, clearing his suddenly dry throat. Why out of all the candy she could have pulled out, she chose that one? His gaze was set on the way her lips wrapped around the blowpop, lightly sucking it with no care in the world. Shaking his head a bit, he realized how silly his mindset was being, letting his hormones get in the way. It was only candy.

"Holic." She answered once she pulled the candy from her mouth. "We have very similar taste in music." She added, remembering back when he told her about his love for soul music which ironically enough was her favorite genre.

JB found it very interesting that she said that song in particular because as crazy as it may seem, it held so much truth to how he was feeling right now. However, he also found it strange how songs he had written over a year ago explained so much now that he has met Na'imah.

But even he knew that no matter how much he liked her, he would have to be careful for both of their sakes.

"May I?" She asked after a while, pointing at the Mac computer in front of them.

"Go ahead."

Placing the sucker back into her mouth, she rolled her chair closer to his and pulled up SoundCloud, logging into her account. "I think it's only fair that I bless you with some good music." She smirked, glancing at him before focusing back on the screen. Plus she needed a distraction. The way he's been looking at her since they sat down was making her feel a certain way.

This has been the longest that she's ever been in his presence and she wasn't sure how to act around him just yet. What she really wanted though, was to hug him just to feel him close again. To take in his manly scent and his warmness on this cool night. She knew that he had no clue how good he truly felt. It's been so long since she had someone, especially a man who embraced her the way that he did.

Finding her playlist, she hit shuffle and let the music play, allowing it to ease her nerves.

"I don't make you nervous do I?" JB suddenly asked, seeing her truly relax for the first time. He found himself observing like he always does. It was his way of trying to figure her out whenever she didn't speak. He wanted to know what she was thinking and how she felt by simply looking at her or hearing a change in her voice.

She was still keeping him at a comfortable distance which he understood completely and he was more than willing to be patient until she was ready to let him in. Still, he was curious about her story. He wanted to know why she didn't want to go into detail about her childhood and upbring. It was clear someone had hurt her enough to where she was protecting herself like she was.

And he wanted to change that.

"Honestly? A little bit. It's just...it's been awhile since I've been alone with someone like this." The last time she was alone with a man she ended up in his bed in what was the most mediocre sex she had ever experienced in her life.

Now here she was with a man she not only found so physically attractive but one who had made her lower region throb from his lips brushing against her neck. It was ridiculous.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt his hand touch hers as he intertwined their fingers. "Don't be. What happens between us will always be up to you." Being a man of his word, he meant exactly what he said.

Na'imah could feel her cheeks begin to warm up as her gaze shifted from their hands to his eyes. Why must he look at her like that so much? As if she was the most precious gem he had ever seen. Whenever he does it, he makes it so hard for her to keep up her barriers.

"Can I at least have a taste?"

Blinking her eyes a few times, she gave him a surprised look. "W-what?"

Chuckling, JB started to pull at the blowpop, indicating what he meant. "You've been sucking on it like it's the best candy in the world and I want to see for myself if it is."

Pulling it out of her mouth, she scrunched up her face in fake disgust. "I don't know where your mouth has been."

Hitting her with the "Oh Really" look, JB snatched the candy from her hand and quickly put it in his mouth. His taste buds were hit immediately with the flavor of strawberry. All Na'imah could do was pout, that was her last blowpop too.

"You're lucky I like you or otherwise we would've been fighting." She joked right as he bit into the hard coating. "JB!" She squealed not thinking that he was going to eat the whole thing. She only thought he wanted a simple taste, not for his greedy ass to devour it for himself.

JB watched her unfazed and continued to chew the overly sweet bubblegum that was hidden in the middle, tossing the white stick into the trashcan behind him.

She couldn't stop the mean mug from appearing on her face which he found to be pretty cute. "Here." He offered, wrapping the gum around his finger and pointed it at her lips.

"Just eat the damn gum." She snapped, softly pushing his hand away from her.

Shrugging, he did what she said until the flavor started to disappear. "I'll make it up to you." He told her as he stood up, throwing the gum into the garbage before taking his seat again.

"Oh, you most def-" Barely able to finish her sentence, JB grabbed the arms of her chair, sliding it to face him. With her legs between his, she watched him lean closer, invading her personal space as her heart thumped rapidly inside of her chest.

A small smile pulled at his lips, seeing her go stiff while his gaze slowly moved from her eyes to her lips that she subconsciously bit into. "I always keep my word." He assured her, placing his hands on her thighs.

Na'imah didn't know what to do. She didn't want to give him this vibe like she didn't like what he was doing but she also couldn't force her body to respond like she was screaming for it too. Even when he had the nerve to purposely slide a hand to softly grip at the back of her neck pulling her closer, she still didn't dare move.

"Let me-"

"Yes." She said a little too quickly but she didn't care, she was more than ready for this.

Needing nothing else, JB connected his lips to hers, taking the lead of a kiss that was filled with so much unexpected passion and need the more their mouths moved in complete sync. He teased at her bottom lip, biting and sucking the plump flesh until she opened wide enough for him to slip his tongue inside without missing a beat.

Na'imah could still taste strawberries as he flicked his tongue against hers, tasting her in ways she never allowed anyone else.

It wasn't supposed to feel like this so soon. He wasn't supposed to be able to ignite this fire inside of her just yet. And he wasn't supposed to taste this damn good either.

[indigozeal]

Sweden Simulator 2017

A while ago, I mentioned picking up Profound Red, an adventure game whose title was clearly taken from Dario Argento's giallo meditation on gender constraints, Profondo Rosso, and whose launch icon was pulled from James Sunderland's mental depths.  Unfortunately, the promises of these references did not deliver, but the game is such an unusual production that I thought I'd take an extended look at it.

The driving concept behind Profound Red seems to be: "hey, gang, we know code, we have a camera  -  let's get together and put on an adventure game!"  The game environments consist of photographs of real locations from around the designers' hometown of Norrköping, Sweden; characters are acted out and voiced by apparent friends of the designers.  The homemade approach continues right down to the method of sale: I purchased Profound Red not by visiting Steam or another storefront but by PayPaling the designers $12 and receiving a download link in my inbox several hours later. 

While the prospect of Argento parallels pushed me into a purchase, it was actually this make-do, will-do attitude that drew me to this studio's work in the first place (first gleaned from a screenshot from a review of one of the developer's earlier titles, featuring an actress portraying a bedridden hospital patient but wearing full makeup: OK, I'll be in your computer game, but I'm not taking off my face for you).  I unreservedly admire the gumption behind this production; the designers found a way to use the resources they had at hand to work in a field they apparently love.  They've found success, too, as Profound Red is the 12th in its series.  "Homemade" here doesn't denote jank, either; the photos are professionally composed and shot, and the technical side of the game runs quite smoothly. 

Profound Red stars Sweden-dwelling English expat (and major classic adventure game enthusiast, judging from her bookshelves) Carol Reed, who here is summoned by her hotel-manager friend to investigate a suspicious suicide-note text from a recently-deceased guest.  The trail leads to the dead woman's isolated country cabin, a derelict housing development abandoned after a rash of apparent poisonings, a downtown "motorbike basement" (that seems to house primarily non-motorized bikes), and other locations around Norrköping and its outskirts  -  but it focuses on the city's local swingers' club, where the woman was a frequent patron. Further investigation reveals that the owner was perhaps not privy to the complete range of activities taking place in his establishment.  

As one might surmise, the club is where the "Profound Red" of the title is most prominently manifested.  I was extremely disappointed, though, that the game takes nothing but one salient plot element from its Argento inspiration.  Gialli deal in over-the-top visuals and lurid emotions, neither of which are really present in Profound Red; the designers apparently figured, "well, the plot centers around a sex club," and left it at that.  The fan base seems sufficiently scandalized by finding enema bulbs and stim cream in examining the environment, with no deeper meditation on sexuality needed or sought.  However, if your game invokes the name of Deep Red, a movie that's really invested in examining gender roles and sexuality, you have somewhat of a responsibility to take your treatment of this material beyond the tee-hee level.

We're left with what the developers wanted to accomplish via their strengths: photography and knowledge of their hometown.  All the sets in Profound Red, of course, are real locations in Sweden, and the developers take care to include a few regional landmarks in each of their titles (here, a local museum, a city garden; even the sex club is an actual business).  Some of the sights are photographed in close-up seemingly just because the photographer found them visually interesting and wanted to share them, be they local fixtures or happy, fleeting accidents  -  a friend's rabbit, sleeping it its little house-shaped hutch; a spiderweb artistically spun between the rails of a bridge, glistening in the sun; a trio of decorative boulders covered in an Argus's worth of hand-painted eyes.  It seems as if the developers are in part using the adventure-game medium to document and share the history and sights of their hometown, which is an admirable goal and a truly unique use of gaming.  It is this decidedly personal portrait that is the most striking aspect of Profound Red.

That touch permeates how the designers present their actors and the private residences they used for shooting.  While the photos are clean & well-composed, it's also clear that the devs are working with friends, their homes, and the detritus of said friends' daily lives.  The creators handle this, though, by letting the player in on the production to an extent.  Click on the right places, and you can peek into closets to see the flotsam that had to be corraled to get the location into shooting condition.  One of the developers apparently plays a role in each of the games as a running joke, as does a biker-like man in glasses known only as "Bigge," who has, based on forum reactions, evidently become a fan favorite.  Series fans are revisiting not only characters, but actors, and Profound Red, to an extent, is about the process of making an adventure game.  Given this candor, even the awkwardness many of the actors evince comes off as charmingly authentic, in a way, instead of off-putting  -  the product of friends' efforts rather than professional entertainers.  The end product can at times be weird, but it's a forgivable, earnest-people-trying-their-best weird.  Overall, it's instructive how Profound Red's producers have used familiarity and friendliness to turn weaknesses  -  a limited budget, amateur actors, a shooting location that triple-A gaming would dismiss as unglamorous  -  into strengths.

I'm coming off as more positive about Profound Red than I feel, though.  The game has decided problems with puzzle design.  The designers attempt to head off any gameplay trouble by including an in-game hint system that reveals the very next step in your investigation (but no more) with a couple clicks in the inventory menu.  In theory, making direct help safely hidden but easily-accessible should work quite well: it caters to folks who might not be HARDCORE ADVENTURE GAMERS and are more invested in advancing the story, but it frees the designers to work out more involved riddles for those who do want a challenge.  In practice, though, the presence of ready help is often taken as a license to play fast & loose with solid puzzlemaking: I frequently found myself stumped because I wasn't clicking in exactly the right place, and the use of certain items, such as the window cleaner, hems too close to cat-hair moustache territory.  It's not across-the-board questionable by any means, but there were enough frustrating parts for me eventually to stop engaging with the puzzles and lean full-on into the hint system to get through the experience.

The other big mechanical sticking point is movement.  The basic system is fine: locations are selected from a map and navigated via Myst-like clicking through a series of still images.  There's only one entrance/exit per venue, though, and the game design frequently requires you to trek deep in and out of locations to pick up or use a single item, which weighs down Profound Red's pacing considerably.  (A big long fetch-quest puzzle chain near the end of the title contributes mightily in this regard.)  A "leave location instantly" option would help the tempo immensely here.  

I'd like to talk about the story in-depth for a bit, particularly as it compares to Deep Red.  Spoilers for both the game and movie lurk below the dark mirror of the soul below.  You're safe when the comforting visage of Bigge appears!

OK, **SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS** ahead: When the mom appeared, I was dearly hoping that she would turn out to be the killer, and I was not disappointed in that regard.  You even get the side bit about the son appearing for a short while to be the killer but in fact acting only to protect her.  (Upon seeing that she was wearing a gold necklace, I was also hoping that that would be the method of her demise, but I suppose decapitations are a bridge too far for this series.)  

As mentioned, though, that is the limit of the game's Argento influences; for all its invocation of deeper material, the game seems studiously to avoid any closer reflection on its own story.  For example: how does Sven, the club owner, feel about everything that's happened?  He and Louise, the victim, seemed to be close; Louise seemed genuinely to love him; she was, however, sabotaging his business for self-enrichment via a blackmail scheme.  And how did Louise feel about that?  Her history of confidence schemes speaks to an ingrained sociopathy, but we never address this contradiction in her character.  Then there's the thread about criminal behavior running in the family, which seems to be a major part of the story but is left undeveloped.  Yeah, I get the sense that the folks who follow this series aren't looking for deep introspection  -  but, well, the story elements are there.  The designers had an opportunity to go psychological with their inspirations and explore the plotlines they set up, and it would have cost nothing but text...they just chose not to do so.  

Profound Red leans hard and somewhat unwittingly into the adventure genre's underobserved wackiness, such as the plotline (played completely straight) revolving around hardcore skateboard forgery, or the blackmail note demanding Bitcoin as payment, or how, at one point, my inventory consisted of a ten-foot-tall ladder, a trampoline, and a packet of lube.  What I remember more, though, are the actors, and the sights of Norrköping, and all the photos of soda bottles in closets.  I connected with this setting and could relate it to my own everyday experiences and environment (hey, Swedes have those dumb signs about the lake, too!); the game gets its primary focus right.  It's an interesting artifact  -  though your interest may be limited if you're looking for something beyond interesting.

[help-who-am-i]

Do you secretly like to go grocery shopping? No, I actually dislike it. I still feel pressured to pack everything, pay and leave as quickly as humanly possible for the next customer in the queue and I’m nearly 24. I’m so British, it hurts...

What wild animal would you love to have as a pet? OK, in truth I wouldn’t like to go and capture any wild animal unless I deem it necessary (i.e. orphaned, injured). If I could adopt a rescued wild animal who is unable to be rehabilitated and re-released, I’d like it to be a corvid, psittacine or fox.

What brand name do you think is just way over the top expensive? Well, which to choose? I’m just going to stick them all in the burner and go with designer brands in general.

What’s your favourite magazine to read, if you read them at all? I don’t read magazines, I lose interest far too easily. I used to buy car magazines but found them too technical for my understanding, so in that respect my favourite magazines are animal mags because I can at least understand them.

Do you find it hard to concentrate in really loud places? Yes.

Do you tend to get more sleep on the weekends or during the week? Currently, during the week because I’m unemployed (it’s OK, you can throw tomatoes at me).

Breakfast; yay or nay? Sure, if I’m up for it. Not bothered either way - I’ve survived with or without it. Did faint once when I was a child because I skipped it however, so I’d make sure your children get the energy they’ll need for their active daily lifestyles.

What’s your opinion on Tiger Woods, after all that he’s done? I don’t follow up on celebrity gossip, sorry.

Do you feel the media can be too harsh on people? Absolutely, and they know it and know that people love the gossip they create - it’s how they get £££. I’ve seen too many articles written by authors who haven’t done their research properly, or have severely exaggerated something, and it makes me want to hit my head against a brick wall.

Are you comfortable talking to strangers? Generally speaking, yes.

What’s the most creepy experience you’ve ever had? Probably the TV turning on by itself on midnight of Halloween. Actually pretty mild experience as things go, I know of others who have experienced far worse.

What’s the most boring game to exist? Why do you dislike it so much? Naughts and crosses. Too simple and repetitive.

Do you lie about not having extra pens, so you don’t have to lend them? Haha, I used to do this at school a lot, but now I don’t need to lie because I genuinely often don’t have >1 pen on my person.

Do you think the world is really going to end in 2012? N/A

^ Have you seen the movie 2012? What’s your opinion on it? No, sorry.

Yay, you’re going out on a date! What do you wear? What?! That’s not a yay situation, that’s terrifying. I have so many questions. Who with? Age, interest, gender, sex, location, how long have I known them, how much do they know about me? This will all determine what I decide to wear.

What’s the last movie you saw in theatre? Was it good? Aquaman. It was good, I liked it.

What are some of your biggest fears? Never feeling like I have helped to make the world a better place, failure, being taken advantage of, disappointing others, death of loved ones.

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up? A fire(wo)man or a vet.

Do you think there is a lot of pressure on students these days? Absolutely.

Do you tend to like surveys with long detailed questions, or short ones? A blend of both is best.

On average, how long would you say you’re on the computer per week? That’s very hard to gauge... especially since my weeks are very unstable currently. I’m going to politely refrain from answering this question because I can’t give a consistent answer.

Do you like your music loud? Yes, especially if it’s rock music.

If you had to lose one of your five senses, which would it be?

I don’t like touch, but I’ll need it to save myself from detrimental physical damage unfortunately. Sense of smell, I think.

Would you rather have no computer or no cellphone for a week? No computer.

What’s your favourite thing to have for dessert? Pumpkin pie.

Do you tend to straighten or curl your hair more? I don’t do either any more, but I used to straighten my hair for school.

What’s your favourite summer sport? Scuba diving.

Can you dance, or do you just completely fail at it? I can if I genuinely want to, which is very rare.

What’s your favourite YouTube video? What’s it about? Jax Jones, Years & Years - Play (Visualiser)

The animation is so good! The dance routine really flows with the rhythm of the song and the style of the characters (Jax and Olly) is adorable yet cool. Isn’t it catchy?

Do you get nervous when you’re about to get a haircut? No, I’m very lazy when it comes to having my hair cut. I’m notorious for letting my hair get many split ends and just generally not looking after it properly. What can I say? Wild at heart.

Choose one: Hanging out at the beach, or playing some winter sports? Ooh, depends what’s going on really. If the winter sports involve snowboarding, cross-country skiing or husky sledding then I’m game, but if someone’s bringing a boombox and organising a BBQ on the beach after a dive then I’m so game for that.

Do you believe everything happens for a reason? Yes, and it’s not always a good one. Nature isn’t always nice or beautiful.

What’s the coolest place that you ever been too? What’d you do there? So many cool places... I’m going to pick Banff in Canada, though. Very touristy, but very friendly with great food, sports and leisure facilities. Great wildlife and natural scenery, too.

Don’t infomercials make you laugh? What’s your favourite? I have never seen one.

What’s your most played song on your iPod? I no longer have an iPod.

Oh look, a shooting star! What’s your wish? To become a successful and influential veterinarian.

When you were a kid, weren’t I Spy books the coolest thing ever? Never read one. I remember reading Famous Five, Spot the Dog, and the odd Christmas story about poor old abandoned teddy bears up in the loft.

What do you do to pass the time when you’re waiting for something? Browse Facebook. Used to read a book, but I’m usually too anxious to concentrate properly.

What’s the earliest time you ever had to wake up? Was it hard for you? Around 3am. Sometimes. I think what made it easier was that I was getting paid for it, and I wasn’t the only one. We were surveying for bats.

What radio station do you listen to most? Capital (London).

Whenever you take pictures, do they always end up posted on Facebook? No.

What’s the background on your computer right now? Just a colourful art background of a yellow Audi TT on a colourscape.

You have unlimited money, what do you do with your life? Wouldn’t that make quite the difference? I clear my parents’ mortgage. I use it to overthrow corrupt people and organisations. I use it to travel to places and help people or animals in need. I use it to qualify as a vet surgeon. I use it to help businesses become more sustainable, more responsible, more ethical and less wasteful.

Do you want to do something to make a difference in the world?

Yes, I want to become a vet and be able to volunteer for wildlife rescue organisations while helping domestic animals as a stable form of income. I want to discourage cruelty, carelessness and destructive behaviour and encourage compassion.

[thesffcorner]

Dishonored Retrospective Part 3: Levels 1- 4

Part 2 was an overview of the gameplay, level design and the tutorial area. In this part we will go over the first 4 levels a talk a bit more about the world and characters. 

High Overseer Campbell:

This first level is by far the best designed and if not the longest, then definitely a close second following the Flooded District. It introduces a lot of locations and characters and has several notable side-quests.

To start, Samuel drops you off on the shore of the Textile District and mentions off hand that you should find Granny Rags to help you traverse the area around the Distillery. If you listen to him and track her down you will be introduced to not only the best character of the level, but a series of side-quests. The awards for these are usually runes, which, especially this early on (and if you’re planning on playing low chaos) are very useful.

Granny Rags asks you to get rid of her Gentlemen Callers, members of the Bottlestreet Gang. Their leader is Slackjaw who you will be seeing soon if you decide to take Granny Rags’ second side-quest. For now, use the balcony or sneak through the street to deal with the thugs outside.

This is a good time to talk about healing. Like mana, healing depletes every time you take damage, and you can replenish it by eating food and using Sokolov’s elixir, which you can either find or purchase. One of the vendors you get to meet right away; Griff who is currently being hassled by more of Slackjaw’s thugs.

After saving Griff you have the chance to find your first Outsider shrine. There is usually a shrine in each level and the Outsider speaks to you through these shrines, usually telling you something about your target. Like many other things, this gets improved and expanded on in the DLC/sequel. For now, the Outsider talks some shit about the Abbey of the Everyman and you get your runes.

Granny Rags’ second side-quest involves poisoning the makeshift plague elixir that Slackjaw produces. If you do, you get a first-hand view of what high chaos looks like, but we’ll save that for the next level. For now, you need to break into Dr. Galvani’s apartment and steal the rat intestines to do the poisoning which takes you to Clavering Bulevard where you get to see the first wall of light.

The wall of light is this game’s version of a checkpoint. It was designed by Anton Sokolov to keep rats and the infected from crossing between districts and spreading the plague. In reality, this is a convenient way to separate areas and you can only traverse it if you shut it off (which alerts all the guards nearby) or finding a way around it.

Your next objective (regardless if you poisoned the elixir) is saving Overseer Martin. Martin is my favorite of the Loyalists; despite being a religious man, he is the most openly snarky and dirty-minded of them all, demonstrating this by making your mama jokes to the man that has him trapped in a metal headlock. Martin explains that Campbell is planning on poisoning Captain Curnow, which should give you a hint on how to dispose of him, though if you are playing non-lethal, listening to the conversation of the Overseers in the next plaza will reveal the branding that Overseers use for people who are heretics or have betrayed the order.

This is the first time the game teaches you there are multiple entrances into your target. You can go head in, you can use the kennels, you can use the barracks under the Residence, or the roof and window on the third floor. Either way this is the point in the level where you have to decide how you plan on disposing of Campbell.

If you decide to kill him, using the window to swap the glasses and poison him or just simply shoot him is easy. If you want to save Captain Curnow make sure you clear a path and knock out most of the guards on the third floor and disable the alarm. You can find the books on branding and administer the brand yourself and thereby get rid of Campbell nonlethally.

The following area has you potentially save an Overseer and his sister, witness an Overseer spreading the plague to his brethren and learn more about the religion and the order by exploiting their quarters. The only thing left to do is make your way to Samuel at and complete the level.

House of Pleasure:

The second level is also fittingly, my second favorite. I have a thing for brothels and gangsters and it’s very fun tackling of both.

Before you get back to Dunwall you have to do a little quest for Piero. This is where you are introduced to the Wheepers. There are two in the sewers under the pub and you get some sleeping darts if you knock them out instead of killing them.

You are then briefed on your next target; Pendleton’s twin older brothers Custis and Morgan. I found this a very unsettling aspect, which definitely endeared me to Pendleton. I know it sounds strange saying that, but it made him a much more interesting character; he is reluctant yet willing to have you kill his brothers at Havelock’s behest (and his journals say that it’s partly to convince Havelock of his commitment… holly shit). Couple that with his later comment about wanting Sokolov to paint a portrait of just him later on (Sokolov had painted a portrait of all three Pendleton brothers which you can find in game) it’s clear he thinks of himself as the overlooked third brother, living in their shadow. But it’s also clear he still loves them; if you do end up going the non-lethal way, he thanks you and gives you a rune. To make matters worse, the twins are the ones responsible for ‘taking care of Emily’, and their idea of doing so is hiding her in a brothel for 6 months. Yikes.

Either way, Sam takes you back to Dunwall and you are immediately approached by the Bootlestreet gang. This is where you get to see high chaos in action; poisoning the elixir has turned a lot of Slackjaw’s men into Wheepers. You can even see a fight break out between them and the remaining gang members. This made me feel incredibly bad; Slackjaw is a criminal yes, but he never attacks you unless you trespass in the actual Distillery and after you complete his side-quests he keeps his word and never turns hostile. And yet here you are, brave protector, decimating his entire gang for a rune and the word of a crazy old lady.

Slackjaw even seems to know you are the one who poisoned his gang, and yet he still bargains with you! What a trooper honestly. Like Granny Rags, he too gives you 2 quests. The first one is to find out what happened to his boy Crowley and that requires to visit Galvani’s apartment again. When you do report it, Slackjaw shows genuine concern and sadness which cemented the idea that maybe you shouldn’t be listening to a crazy old lady! I just really like Slackjaw, and his dynamic with Granny Rags, which we’ll get to later.

For now you can carefully make your way to Griff. Two Whalers are waiting for you. This is the first time you encounter them, and like at the start they can pull you closer to them and teleport so proceed with caution. After speaking with Griff you can find Crowley at Galvani’s apartment. You can also save a serving girl who gives you a key that will be useful later if you want to finish Slackjaw’s quest yourself, though this task requires you going to the Golden Cat so let’s talk about that.

There are several ways into the Cat. One involves Granny Rags who has made a new home in an underpass infected with Wheepers. This is a way into the Cat, though my preferred way is through the Captain’s Chair Hotel.

This is where things really differ depending on what chaos rating you want. If you are playing low chaos, there is a way to get rid of the Pendleton twins that doesn’t require you to ever encounter them. To do this, you need to finish Slackjaw’s request.

Slackjaw asks you for the combination to a safe from an artist. You can get this password by torturing the artist (it’s ok he’s into it) via electroshock in the Cat. If you report the code to Slackjaw he gets his boys to kidnap the twins, cut their tongues off and put them to work in the very silver mines they own and exploit. Like I mentioned several times, the way to dispose of the targets without killing them is truly gruesome (which we’ll see especially with Lady Boyle). The only thing remaining is to rescue Emily from the third floor. You can kill the twins in pretty creative ways (one of which is listening to Prudence talk about the ‘loose pipes’ in the steam room).

Either way you can escape with Emily in tow. The only thing left to do is to rob the artist apartment yourself.

The Royal Physician:

This level is the first one that takes place during the day and it’s actually set in a different location; Kaldwin Bridge. It’s also the first level where you don’t have to kill anyone; instead you are kidnapping Anton Sokolov from his residence.

This is a rather hard level with many paths and ways around it. The first objective is using the electric car to get closer to the drawbridge. After that you can use the Prattchet’s house to get closer to the bridge, by knocking him out and stealing his key. His neighbor is a lunatic, driven mad by the Oustider shrine which actually offers some rather scathing reviews of Sokolov (mind you Sokolov is my second favorite character in this game after Daud).

Another great world-building moment is seeing two thugs do a suicide run at the City Watch to cross the bridge. If you listen to the guards talk, lots of poor, younger people feel like they have no prospects or future, so they are perfectly willing to die at the hands of the City Watch in a suicide run, rather than getting left behind and die to the plague.

The way to the bridge is very hard and it requires upgrading your Blink to max if you intend to play non-lethal. The bridge itself is rather complicated and has a lot of guards and moving parts. I know there is an NPC named Alec in a brig but in my two playthroughs I haven’t found him. Because of this I also haven’t done the River Crust path, but considering the River Crusts are the actual horror that lurks beneath the city streets, I’m fine with that.

The best way to get to Sokolov is through the roof, since he’s in his greenhouse. You can talk to him and he won’t attack you; however you do need to knock him out if you wish to proceed. The hard part is actually getting Sokolov to Samuel. The house is crowded with guards and if Sokolov touches water he immediately drowns. This is a hard level to do without killing anyone and not getting noticed; my advice is clearing the house first, and then bringing Sokolov down with the service elevator.

Lady Boyle’s Last Party:

This is one of my favorite levels, and the main reason is that it’s a level that’s not focused on combat! Or even stealth! Well ok, yes to stealth but it’s a different kind of stealth. Anyway I’m getting ahead of myself; first we need to get Sokolov to cooperate.

Sokolov is a great character. He’s a Renaissance style man; a genius inventor who develops a lot of the City Watch technology like the arc pylon, the tallboys, the wall of light, and the elixir. He’s also a doctor, a painter and a big glutton, and occultist with loose definitions of morality and ethics. The Outsider’s comments about how he never talked to or appeared to Sokolov because he’s boring was hilarious (though it becomes sad when we get to the sequel).

You can get Sokolov to talk in two ways; sending a swarm of rats on him or bribing him with expensive alcohol. You can guess which one I picked.  

He tells you that the person who has been financing the Lord Regent is also his lover; one of the three Boyle sisters. Sokolov painted her portrait but never saw her face; he was to be introduced to her that evening at a glamorous ball in her mansion.

Can you guess why I love this level? It’s a ball!

Well, to be fair it’s kind of hard to get to said ball. Because of the party, the entire City Watch is camping around the mansion, and they bring out the big boys: tallboys (I’m so sorry). These are mechanical giants that are pretty hard to avoid and hide from since they can see you from above.

Like always there are multiple ways inside, and a great moment is when you can sign the guestbook as Corvo Attano to piss off the Lord Regent. The gimmick of this level is figuring out which sister is the target, since all three are wearing identical masks and costumes save for the color. You can discover this by talking to party attendants, the sisters themselves or breaking into their bedrooms and reading their letters and journals.

This level has another side-quest given to you by Pendleton. This is pretty hard to do on non-lethal and it involves upgrading your slow time ability. Basically, Pendleton gives you a letter you should deliver to a Lord Shaw. You don’t know what’s in the letter; and when you hand it to Shaw you realize it’s challenging him to a duel.

In order to win the duel and retain your non-lethal run, you have to wait for the countdown, slow time, and shoot him with a sleeping dart. If you do, Pendleton will give you a rune. I found this a pretty entertaining conundrum; on the one hand it’s easy to see how Pendleton maybe hoped to set you up and get you killed as revenge for what you did to his brothers. However on the other, if you do kill Shaw he thanks you, and if you don’t deliver the letter he gets agitated and angry for putting him in a precarious position. So was he hoping you would kill Shaw, knowing you could do it after the previous two missions? Or was he trying to get you killed?  

As for Lady Boyle, she gets my vote for most horrifying way to dispose of a target without killing them. The only thing that comes close is the Pendleton twins or Jindosh from the sequel, but let me remind you, Lady Boyle did NOTHING wrong. She is the Regent’s mistress, and it’s pretty clear that she’s terrified of anyone finding out or breaking up with him. So the way you dispose of her?

At the ball you are approached by a Lord Brisby. He tells you he knows about your mission and begs you not to kill Boyle. If you agree he promises to take her to a house somewhere hidden where he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, because he’s in love with her. There is never any mention that she EVEN KNOWS who he is, let alone likes him back. And yet, you go along with this scheme to lure her to the basement, knock her out and hand her over to this stranger to be trapped in a house and probably sexually assaulted for the rest of her life. It makes me uncomfortable just thinking about it.

And the best part? Her family sends you a letter thanking you for not killing her and saving them from the situation she put them in by dating and financing Burrows! What? If the intention was that she sort of was interested in Brisby but was afraid or unwilling to go with him because of Burrows, that should have been communicated way more clearly, and it’s not like the game doesn’t have an opportunity to do that, since, may I remind you, you can read through her personal journals!

After you do this you have to avoid the watchtower and lights on the river and get to Sam’s boat.

With that, we finish the first half of the game. I’d say the turning point of the game really is in the next level, but I feel like this is the last really well designed part of the game, so this is where we split. Join me next time for the rest of the levels and my final thoughts. 

part 2 < > part 4

[ouraidengray4]

I Spent My Honeymoon Playing a Video Game. What Is Wrong With Me?

In my defense, my honeymoon wasn’t terrible, and I’m not a horrible person. I am, however, a self-indulgent manboy who is at times prone to lengthy video game sessions in lieu of say, eating or sleeping. So when Nintendo and Niantic released Pokémon Go in the same month that my newly wedded wife Christine and I were set to take the honeymoon of our dreams, there was bound to be some tension over diverted attention. I wish I could blame Pikachu for single-handedly forcing my wife to the brink of divorce after one month of marriage, but I can’t. Charizard was at fault too. And also me. Largely me. That’s my gamer shame to bear. Here’s what happened.

For our honeymoon, the plan was to road trip through the entire northwest quarter of the United States. Start in Chicago, head west through a bucket list of national parks, hit the West Coast, and take our time heading down to Los Angeles, our new home. We wanted to bask in hot springs in Yellowstone and get weird at as many bars as possible in Portland.

Seriously, it was everywhere.

But then we got married and left for our trip in July of last year, which as you may recall, was also the month Pokémon Go was released. Do you even really remember Pokémon Go at this point? For a brief, heady moment, the GPS-driven augmented reality mobile game had most of humanity swearing at digital pigeon monsters. Pedestrians were run over; relationships were formed; and an empire of Poké-specific content was gathered, consumed, and excreted instantly. It was a fun phenomenon while it lasted, which was approximately one month before everyone was completely over it. I have one friend who still plays. He just reached level 27, and we are concerned about him.

But during the summer of '16, everyone was Go-ing; it was the thick of Pokémon fever. I began dabbling, working the game into my very adult life, playing when there was downtime on the train commute home, having it on during morning jogs. Within a week, I was playing during every car ride I took, taping my cell phone to a ceiling fan to hatch a 10K egg.

On my honeymoon, this translated into visiting tourist traps, booking Pokémon-friendly Airbnbs (our apartment in Minneapolis sat on two PokeStops!), and generally ignoring Christine for chunks of time. The trip brought to light some of my less-than-glowing gaming tendencies. Primarily the fact that I do not know when to stop playing a video game.

You might also like READ

On day 10 of our honeymoon road trip, we traveled through Devils Tower National Monument in South Dakota (the more interesting Dakota). Devils Tower is a beautiful butte—smaller than a mesa, nowhere near as large as a plateau—and on the loop around the tower, you can see its resplendent frozen magma facade emerging from the line of spruce trees below. You might even see some rock climbers.

If you were at the park on August 9, 2016, however, you’d see me with my face in my phone hunting digital monsters, looking up only every five minutes or so to pretend I’m acting like a functional adult. Christine would be talking to me, and I’d nonchalantly reach into my pocket for my phone upon every vibrating Poke-notice. I convinced myself that I was doing an OK job multitasking, but I was just really splitting my attention to such an extent that I wasn’t focused on anything.

A picture my wife took of the butte I did not really look at.

A big part of the thrill of playing Pokémon Go was discovering new, rare Pokémon, and in a clearing outside a vista point, with the scope of the Black Hills Forest begging for my awestruck wonder, my focus was lasered in on a level 17 Ninetales. The majestic, fox-like creature broke free from every Ultra Ball I threw its way before fleeing the scene entirely, leaving me genuinely bereft.

This was the point when Christine rightfully took my phone away, which for a millennial is akin having at least one eye poked out. She communicated to me that choosing Pokémon Go over choosing true quality time with her on our honeymoon was really testing her loyalty and love. These were not the terms and conditions of the marriage she signed up for. I might not have been the guy playing on his phone while driving and crashing head-on into a cop car, but I wasn’t any less reckless in my dedication to the game.

I would love to say this blemish is an outlier in a lifetime of flourishing social interactions balanced with a healthy hobby of video gaming. It is not. Since I was a kid, subsisting on oatmeal cream pies and turn-based tactics role-playing games, there’s a system to the way I play video games: I lock in, zone out, and never know when to quit.

In today’s gaming environment, where most games auto-save your progress so as to keep gameplay fluid, having a lack of self-restraint becomes destructive. Nintendo’s upcoming system, the Switch, has a parental control app that lets parents set gaming time limits for each day of the week. Not only would that have been useful for me as a kid, it would also be useful for me now as an adult. Finding the appropriate work-life-game balance is a struggle.

From 2007-2009, I quit playing video games altogether; I made an active decision that they were a dead end, a waste of my time. I broke my digital abstinence in 2010 when I needed a cheap DVD player, so I got a PS3 for $100 off craigslist and essentially picked up from my last save point. I was back to being Solid Snake of Metal Gear, sneaking up on robotic ninjas and snapping their necks.

The end result of a marathon gaming session for me often includes the onset of gamer shame, which is a very specific form of guilt. I feel ashamed that I’ve dedicated my energy to manipulating pixels without anything to show for it in real life. The word "achievement" comes up in a lot of modern gaming, but I don’t feel like I have much to show for defeating countless waves of bosses and monsters.

For my 10,000 hours spent expertly gaming, what have I achieved? If I had poured the man-hours of gaming into carpentry, I’d have a set of cabinets. If I had spent that time making art, I’d at least have my apartment’s decor taken care of. But I’ve spent my time playing games... which means I have a set of thumbs with decent fast-twitch muscles and a mental vault of gaming trivia that holds the names and locations of all Espers in Final Fantasy 6. This feels like a false reward.

I would love to say this blemish is an outlier in a lifetime of flourishing social interactions balanced with a healthy hobby of video gaming. It is not.

Gaming serves as more of a distraction than a muse to me, and sure, there’s the occasional inner voice saying "scale it back," but then that voice is met with a flying blue koopa shell and explodes. I can readily admit that there are positive aspects to gaming, but things like camaraderie, stress reduction, and hand-eye coordination have diminishing returns when I obsessively play like a zombie. It’s something both Christine and I know I’m working on, but the honeymoon trip was tangible evidence that my lazy gamer persona is not tethered to the couch at home. Occasionally he finds reasons to zombie-walk outside for some fresh air.

I don’t know if I’ll ever find a healthy homeostasis with video games in my life. I wrestle with gaming as I enter a phase of life when I’m considering having kids, accelerating my career, buying a house (or at least not paying rent to a slumlord). I’m not sure that all them can be reconciled.

Wise philosopher Anthony Bourdain once said, "I understand there's a guy inside me who wants to lay in bed, smoke weed all day, and watch cartoons and old movies. My whole life is a series of stratagems to avoid, and outwit, that guy." I feel the same way, just with an inner slacker that will never not want to play Smash Brothers. And if I can learn to successfully stave off that guy, maybe I’ll eventually show enough self-restraint to ward off the other guy who’s obsessed with pro wrestling.

from Greatist RSS http://ift.tt/2kVTRqw I Spent My Honeymoon Playing a Video Game. What Is Wrong With Me? Greatist RSS from HEALTH BUZZ http://ift.tt/2lnCRKe