#somehow ‘above’ or have evolved passed

[kiesbrainjuice]

— CRAWLING BACK TO YOU ! bokuto kotaro

➥ syn : the volleyball captain finally realizes his feelings for you and confess in a…crawling way

➥ wc : 3.4k

➥ tw : just a crawling to the windows bokuto :)

➥ a/n : I FOUND A BIG IDEA even if I was in a lack of inspo since…days. Lmaooo enjoy reading ;)

The routine started innocently enough, just another day at Fukurodani Academy. The gymnasium buzzed with a symphony of sounds - volleyballs smacking against the polished floor, sneakers squeaking, and the cacophony of voices echoing off the high ceilings. Amidst this controlled chaos, one voice rang out above the rest, unmistakable in its enthusiasm and volume.

"Hey, hey, hey! Did you see that spike? It was like 'whoosh' and then 'bam'!"

Bokuto Koutarou, the ace and captain of Fukurodani's volleyball team, stood at the center of it all, his arms spread wide as if to embrace the entire gym. His hair, defying gravity in its trademark owl-like style, seemed to quiver with excitement. His golden eyes sparkled with an almost childlike glee that was infectious, spreading to his teammates like wildfire.

You couldn't help but smile as you leaned against the gym's entrance, your bag slung over your shoulder. This daily visit had become a cherished part of your routine, a moment of brightness before the long school day ahead. What had started as mere curiosity about the boisterous volleyball team had evolved into something more, something that centered around the whirlwind of energy that was Bokuto.

As if sensing your presence, Bokuto's head swiveled towards you, his face breaking into an even wider grin. "Hey! You're here!" he shouted, waving enthusiastically.

You waved back, your heart doing a little flip in your chest. It was time for your daily ritual.

Sauntering over to where Bokuto stood, you took in his appearance - the way his practice shirt clung to his muscular frame, the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead, the way his hair somehow remained perfectly styled despite the rigorous practice.

"Morning, Bokuto," you said, infusing your voice with a teasing lilt. "I see your hair is defying the laws of physics as usual. What's your secret? Super glue?"

Bokuto blinked, then let out a booming laugh that reverberated through the gym. "Nah, it's all natural! Cool, right?" He ran a hand through his spikes, preening slightly. "Maybe I was just born to be a star!"

You chuckled, shaking your head. "Oh, definitely. You're practically glowing." Your tone was playful, but there was a hint of sincerity in your words that you couldn't quite hide.

However, as always, the nuance seemed to fly right over Bokuto's head. He beamed at you, taking your words at face value. "Thanks! I did have a good breakfast this morning. Gotta fuel up to be the ace, you know!"

You nodded sagely, fighting back a fond smile. "Of course. Can't have our star player running on empty."

This was how it always went. You'd drop a flirtatious comment, and Bokuto would respond with endearing obliviousness. It was frustrating at times, but you couldn't deny the charm in his innocent reactions. There was something refreshing about his straightforward nature, his inability to pick up on subtle cues. In a world of complex social dynamics and hidden meanings, Bokuto was an open book - one that you found yourself wanting to read over and over again.

As the days passed, your flirtations became bolder, your compliments more direct. Yet, Bokuto remained blissfully unaware, accepting your words with the same enthusiastic gratitude he showed when receiving a perfect set on the court.

One particularly memorable morning, you decided to up your game. Bokuto had just executed a powerful spike, the ball slamming onto the other side of the court with a resounding 'thwack'. As his teammates cheered, you caught his eye and gave him a slow, deliberate wink.

"Nice kill, ace," you called out, your voice low and appreciative. "You know, you're pretty amazing when you're all fired up like that."

Bokuto's chest puffed up with pride, but his response was as innocently enthusiastic as ever. "Thanks! I feel like I could take on the whole world right now!" He pumped his fist in the air, oblivious to the double meaning in your words.

You sighed inwardly, equal parts amused and exasperated. It was like flirting with a particularly cheerful brick wall.

It wasn't until a quiet afternoon, when the usual bustle of the gym had died down, that things began to shift. Practice had been particularly grueling that day, and even Bokuto's seemingly endless reserves of energy seemed depleted. He sat on the bench, absent-mindedly toweling off his sweat-dampened hair, his usual vibrant demeanor subdued.

Akaashi Keiji, the team's setter and Bokuto's closest friend, observed him with a mix of concern and curiosity. It was rare to see Bokuto so contemplative, and Akaashi knew from experience that a quiet Bokuto often preceded either a brilliant insight or a spectacular mood swing.

"Something on your mind, Bokuto-san?" Akaashi asked, his voice calm and measured as always.

Bokuto looked up, seeming almost surprised to find Akaashi there. He opened his mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, his brow furrowing in concentration. Finally, he blurted out, "Akaashi, you're smart about people stuff, right?"

Akaashi blinked, taken aback by the sudden question. "I... suppose so. Why do you ask?"

Bokuto ran a hand through his hair, a gesture that betrayed his nervousness. "It's about [y/n]," he said, his voice uncharacteristically hesitant. "She come around a lot, right?"

Akaashi nodded, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He had noticed your frequent visits and the way you interacted with Bokuto. Unlike his captain, Akaashi was perceptive enough to recognize flirtation when he saw it. "Yes, she does," he confirmed, wondering where Bokuto was going with this.

"Well," Bokuto continued, his words coming out in a rush, "she always says these things. Nice things, you know? About my hair, or my plays, or just... me. And it feels different from when other people say nice things. It makes me feel all..." He gestured vaguely at his chest, struggling to find the right words.

Akaashi's smile grew a little wider. "Warm? Fluttery?" he suggested gently.

Bokuto's eyes widened. "Yeah! Exactly! How did you know?"

Akaashi took a deep breath, realizing that he was about to open Bokuto's eyes to a whole new world. "Bokuto-san," he said carefully, "have you considered that [y/n] might be flirting with you?"

The look of utter bewilderment on Bokuto's face would have been comical if it weren't so genuine. "Flirting?" he repeated, as if the word was foreign to him. "Like... trying to be my friend?"

Akaashi couldn't help but chuckle softly. "Not exactly," he explained patiently. "Flirting is a way of showing romantic interest in someone. It's like... testing the waters to see if there's a mutual attraction."

Bokuto's jaw dropped, his eyes growing impossibly wide. "Romantic interest? You mean... [y/n] might like me? Like, like-like me?"

Akaashi nodded, amused by Bokuto's childlike phrasing but touched by his innocent reaction. "It's very possible. She's been giving you a lot of compliments and attention. Those are often signs of flirting."

Bokuto fell silent, a rare occurrence that Akaashi knew signaled deep thought. He could almost see the gears turning in Bokuto's head as he replayed every interaction with you in this new light.

After a long moment, Bokuto spoke again, his voice uncharacteristically quiet. "Akaashi... I think I might like her too. Like, like-like her."

Akaashi felt a surge of affection for his friend. For all his bravado on the court, Bokuto could be endearingly vulnerable when it came to matters of the heart. "That's great, Bokuto-san," he said warmly. "Have you thought about telling her how you feel?"

Excitement flashed across Bokuto's face, his golden eyes lighting up with newfound understanding. "Tell her? Of course! Why didn't I think of that before? This is gonna be great!"

Akaashi blinked, a bit taken aback by Bokuto's sudden enthusiasm. "You're... not worried about how she might respond?"

Bokuto let out his signature booming laugh. "Worried? Nah! I'm the ace, aren't I? I've got this!" He puffed out his chest, his earlier doubts completely forgotten. "Besides, [y/n] is always saying nice things to me. She's gotta like me, right?"

A small smile tugged at Akaashi's lips. This was the Bokuto he knew - confident, enthusiastic, and ready to take on any challenge. "Well, if you're sure, Bokuto-san. Just remember to be respectful of her feelings, whatever she may be."

"Hey, hey, hey! Of course I will!" Bokuto exclaimed, jumping to his feet with renewed energy. "I'm gonna sweep her off their feet with my awesome confession! It'll be like my best spike ever, but with words!"

As practice wound down and the team began to disperse, Bokuto's mind was buzzing with excitement. He replayed every interaction with you, seeing them in a new light. The compliments, the lingering glances, the way you always seemed to seek him out - it all made perfect sense now.

The next morning dawned bright and clear, matching Bokuto's mood as he practically bounced into the gym. His enthusiasm was palpable, radiating off him in waves that his teammates couldn't help but notice.

"Someone's in a good mood," Konoha remarked, raising an eyebrow at Bokuto's even-more-exuberant-than-usual demeanor.

"Of course I am!" Bokuto exclaimed, his grin threatening to split his face. "Today's gonna be awesome!"

As the team began their warm-ups, Bokuto's eyes kept darting to the gym entrance. Any moment now, you would walk in, and he would sweep you off your feet with his amazing confession. He had it all planned out in his head - he'd stride up to you confidently, flash his best smile, and tell you exactly how he felt. It was foolproof.

But when you finally did appear in the doorway, something unexpected happened. Bokuto felt his words die in his throat.

You stood there, backlit by the morning sun streaming through the windows, and Bokuto felt as if he was seeing you for the first time. Your hair caught the light, creating a soft halo effect. Your eyes sparkled with warmth as they met his, and your smile - that smile he'd seen a hundred times before - suddenly seemed to hold the secrets of the universe.

"Morning, Bokuto!" you called out cheerfully, completely unaware of the internal crisis you'd just sparked in the volleyball captain.

Bokuto opened his mouth to respond, but no sound came out. His mind, usually filled with thoughts of volleyball and little else, was now entirely occupied by you. He noticed things he'd never paid attention to before - the way you tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, the gentle curve of your neck, the grace in your movements as you walked towards him.

"Bokuto?" you asked, your brow furrowing in concern as you approached. "Are you okay? You're being awfully quiet."

Bokuto nodded dumbly, still unable to form words. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. He was supposed to be confident, charismatic, sweeping you off your feet with his awesome confession. Instead, he found himself struck silent, in awe of your presence in a way he'd never experienced before.

From across the gym, Akaashi watched the scene unfold with a mixture of amusement and sympathy. He'd never seen Bokuto so flustered before, especially not in front of you.

"Earth to Bokuto," you waved a hand in front of his face, your tone a mix of amusement and worry. "Did you lose your voice or something?"

Bokuto shook his head, trying to snap out of his daze. "N-no, I'm fine!" he finally managed to stammer out. "Just... thinking about... volleyball stuff!"

You raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it, but decided to let it slide. "Okay, if you say so. Well, don't let me interrupt your practice. I just wanted to say hi before class."

As you turned to leave, Bokuto felt a surge of panic. This was his chance, he had to say something! But all that came out was a weak, "Bye!"

You glanced back, giving him a slightly puzzled smile before heading out of the gym. Bokuto watched you go, his heart pounding in his chest.

emo mode activated.

Once you were out of sight, he slumped to the floor, burying his face in his hands. "Akaashi!" he wailed, loud enough for the entire team to hear. "What just happened?"

Akaashi jogged over, crouching down beside his captain. "I believe, Bokuto-san," he said gently, "that you just experienced what it's like to be truly smitten."

Bokuto peeked out from between his fingers, his golden eyes wide with confusion and a hint of fear. "But... but I had a plan! I was going to be all cool and stuff! Instead, I just... froze up!"

Akaashi patted Bokuto's shoulder comfortingly. "It happens to the best of us, Bokuto-san. Sometimes, when we realize how much we care about someone, it can be overwhelming."

Bokuto slowly lowered his hands, his expression shifting from distress to determination. "Then... then I'll just have to try again! Yeah! I won't let this setback defeat me!"

As Bokuto jumped to his feet, his usual energy returning, Akaashi couldn't help but smile. This was going to be an interesting journey for his captain, and he had a feeling it was far from over.

"Alright, everyone!" Bokuto shouted, his voice echoing through the gym. "Let's practice hard! I've got a confession to nail!"

The team exchanged confused glances, but shrugged and got back to their drills. After all, this was Bokuto - and with him, anything could happen.

The moon hung low in the sky, casting long shadows across the quiet streets. Bokuto trudged home, his usual boundless energy depleted after an especially grueling practice. He'd pushed himself harder than ever, trying to work out the frustration of his failed confession attempt.

As he walked, his mind wandered back to you. The way you'd looked in the morning sunlight, the concern in your eyes when he'd fumbled his words, the gentle curve of your smile as you'd said goodbye. Each memory sent a flutter through his chest, a sensation he was still getting used to.

Suddenly, Bokuto stopped in his tracks. A memory hit him like a spike to the face - that time you'd walked home together because he'd discovered you lived in the same neighborhood. Without a second thought, he pivoted on his heel and broke into a run, his exhaustion forgotten.

The streets blurred past as Bokuto sprinted, his heart pounding with a mixture of exertion and anticipation. He skidded around corners, narrowly avoiding a stray cat, until finally, he found himself on your street.

Panting heavily, Bokuto approached your house. The lights were still on in what he remembered was your bedroom. For a moment, doubt crept in. What was he doing? It was late, you were probably getting ready for bed, and here he was, about to...

Well, he wasn't entirely sure what he was about to do. But he was Bokuto Koutarou, and backing down wasn't in his nature.

With the agility of the ace spiker he was, Bokuto began to scale the side of your house. He'd never been more grateful for his athletic prowess as he carefully made his way up, using drainpipes and window ledges as handholds. 

Finally, he reached your window. Through the glass, he could see you sitting at your desk, engrossed in a book. You were wearing soft-looking pajamas, your hair slightly mussed, and Bokuto felt his heart skip a beat at the sight.

Taking a deep breath, he rapped his knuckles against the glass.

The effect was instantaneous. You jumped in your chair, the book flying from your hands as you whirled to face the window. Your eyes widened in shock as you recognized Bokuto, perched precariously outside your second-story window.

For a moment, you just stared at each other, the absurdity of the situation rendering you both speechless. Then, snapping out of your shock, you rushed to open the window.

"Bokuto?!" you hissed, your voice a mix of concern and disbelief. "What on earth are you doing? Get in here before you fall!"

You helped him clamber through the window, your hands gripping his arm tightly as if afraid he might tumble backward at any moment. Once he was safely inside, you stepped back, crossing your arms over your chest.

"Okay, explain," you demanded, your brow furrowed. "Why are you climbing through my window at..." you glanced at your clock, "11:30 at night?"

Bokuto stood there, suddenly very aware that he was in your bedroom, with you in your pajamas, looking adorably rumpled and confused. He opened his mouth, then closed it again, words failing him for the second time that day.

"I... uh..." he stammered, his usual confidence deserting him once again. His eyes darted around your room, taking in the volleyball posters (including one of him, which made his heart leap), the neatly organized bookshelf, the stuffed owl on your bed that he'd won for you at a festival last year.

You sighed, your expression softening. "Bokuto, are you okay? You've been acting strange all day. First, you barely said a word this morning, and now you're scaling buildings in the middle of the night. What's going on?"

Something in your tone, the genuine concern in your eyes, seemed to flip a switch in Bokuto. He stood up straighter, his golden eyes locking onto yours with an intensity that made your breath catch.

"[Y/N]," he said, his voice steady and filled with his usual enthusiasm. "I like you!"

The words hung in the air between you, Bokuto's chest heaving as if he'd just finished a five-set match.

"I mean," he continued, the words now flowing freely, "I really, really like you. Akaashi made me realize it yesterday, and then this morning you looked so beautiful I couldn't even speak, which never happens to me, you know? And I've been thinking about you all day, about how you always come to watch our practices, and how you laugh at my jokes, and how you make me feel all 'gwah' inside."

He paused, taking a deep breath before flashing you his trademark grin. "So yeah, I like you. A lot. And I climbed up here tonight because I couldn't wait another minute to tell you. Because you're amazing, and I want to spike all my tosses for you, if you know what I mean."

As his words sank in, your shocked expression slowly transformed. A blush crept across your cheeks, and a smile began to tug at the corners of your mouth.

"Bokuto," you said softly, your voice filled with warmth. "I like you too. I've been trying to tell you for months now."

Bokuto's eyes widened, his grin growing impossibly wider. "Really? That's... that's awesome! Hey he-"

His exuberant shout echoed through your quiet room, and you quickly placed a hand over his mouth, your eyes wide with alarm.

"Shh!" you whispered urgently, your heart racing. "My family is sleeping, and they definitely don't need to know that a boy climbed into my room tonight!"

Bokuto's eyes widened in understanding, and you felt his lips curve into a smile beneath your palm. Slowly, you removed your hand, your fingertips grazing his lips in a way that sent a shiver down your spine.

"Sorry," he whispered, his voice unusually soft. "I got excited. But can you blame me? The girl I like just said she likes me back!"

You couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm, even as you glanced nervously at your bedroom door. "I do like you, Bokuto. A lot. But maybe next time, try confessing at a more reasonable hour? And preferably through the front door?"

Bokuto grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess I got a little carried away. But hey, it worked, didn't it?"

As you both stood there, smiling at each other in the dim light of your bedroom, the full absurdity of the situation hit you. Here was Bokuto, the boy you'd been pining after for months, standing in your bedroom in the middle of the night, having just confessed his feelings for you in the most Bokuto way possible.

Your heart swelled with affection. Despite the late hour, despite the risk of getting caught, despite the unconventional method - or perhaps because of all these things - this moment felt perfect. It was so utterly, completely Bokuto, and you wouldn't have had it any other way.

"So," Bokuto whispered, his golden eyes twinkling with mischief and joy, "what happens now?"

You glanced at your clock, then back at Bokuto, a mix of excitement and nervousness fluttering in your stomach. This was just the beginning, and you had a feeling life with Bokuto was going to be quite an adventure.

Ⓒkiesbrainjuice all rights reserved. please to not plagiarize, repost, or translate !

tag : @haechansbbg

[haveyouseenthisskeleton]

As mosquito season is starting, how about the skeletons with an S/O with bad reactions to mosquitoes, yet mosquitoes love them. 🥲

The skellie sees their S/O covered in big bandages on their hands and arms and such, and the S/O has to explain that it’s to cover mosquito bites so they don’t absentmindedly scratch at them. They try incense, mosquito repellent, and a screen over the window but they still somehow get into their room. If they take the bandages off there’s these big swollen red spots all over their skin.

Undertale Sans - He starts digging into his science book to create a formula that will kill these nasty creatures. And somehow, it works. Sans just invented the best mosquito repulsive ever, and you told him that the world would probably want to know that, but, eh, that's too much work. You're in disbelief lol. He could do so many good things for the world if he actually tried to. That's frustrating.

Undertale Papyrus - It's his new obsession. He becomes a ninja and slaps mosquitoes passing by at the speed of light. But also in the middle of the night. It's surprising the first time he goes from deep asleep to jumping on the bed in three seconds.

Underswap Sans - He tries his best to keep the windows closed and even bought a mosquito net to hang above the bed to prevent being bitten. He's sad he can't help more, but it's actually helping so far.

Underswap Papyrus - Well... Welcome in his personal hell. Honey is badly allergic to bug bites as well, so at least you're suffering together. He even mimics you with the bandages now.

Underfell Sans - He's laughing at your misery honestly. That's why he's only bones and that you don't grow a flesh coat. It's not his fault humans are the worst at evolving. Maybe you'll learn a thing or two when you'll mutate in 2000 years or so. You're not sure how to tell him you won't be here in 2000 years.

Underfell Papyrus - He's your knight in shining armor and will protect you from all harm with his mighty fly swat. He's training hard to kill all these nasty beats and even more. Ok, sometimes he gets so invested he actually slaps the thing on your arms, legs, or face at full force, but it's working, right?

Horrortale Sans - He's growling at the mosquitoes like it's supposed to do something. At least, it's warning you there's a mosquito in the room somewhere. But he's not giving more indications of where to find it, so it's actually not really helping. But he's trying.

Horrortale Papyrus - He has a spray against mosquitoes in his pocket for emergencies. Except he often forgets you're smaller than him and sometimes, it happens he sprays you in the face with the mosquito, leaving your eyes burning for hours. He swears he's trying to be careful, and he's so sorry every time it happens. But it still happens though.

Swapfell Sans - Every time you have a button, he's staring at you like some alien laid an egg in your arm or something. He's very suspicious. And he doesn't like it. What if it's contagious? What if you start laying mosquito eggs in his bones? He knows science-fiction and you won't fool him. If a giant mosquito comes out from your stomach, you're on your own, he's not helping.

Swapfell Papyrus - He thought it would be funny to hide mini speakers everywhere in the house playing mosquito noises. You're now paranoid, living in constant fear and your whole body is scratching either you got bitten or not. He's an asshole, but at least he's a entertained asshole.

Fellswap Gold Sans - He can't stop the mosquitoes but he can for sure prevent you from scratching your bites. He slaps your hand every time you're touching the bandages, and if he's too far in the room, he straight-throws his shoes at you. And he has a very good aim. In the most extreme cases, he handcuffs you if you keep touching your arms. He has no limits.

Fellswap Gold Papyrus - He doesn't like this and seeing you scratching your arms all the time is contagious. Now he's scratching his arms too when you're scratching because he feels ghost bug bites. He knows it's impossible since he's made of literal bones, but still, he can't stop his brain from thinking he's under attack too.

[so-mordor-itis]

Black and Blue, Still Singing For You

Inspired by @scariusaquarius 's series Unlikely Salvation (Go check them out pls-) I hope you guys enjoy! I actually felt pain writing this...mmmm pining

“To be careful with people and with words was a rare and beautiful thing.” -Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Benjamin Alire Saenz (@leonskillshot ;) )

I.

The cold air of the lab brushed over your neck. You held back the urge to shiver as you passed through the mechanical doors, clipboard in one hand, coffee cup in another. This would be another long day, but at least you wouldn’t be bothered by anyone else–the lab was yours and only yours. You wouldn’t have to deal with judgmental looks or scowls from your peers as you jotted down notes on your latest subject.

“Having a rough day already?”

Said subject’s voice echoed from his glass chamber. You glanced at him from the corner of your eye, a tired expression on his face as he attempted to greet you. His cheeks and rims around his own eyes were crowded with black streaks from the Plaga parasite in his chest. The whites of his eyes a milky yellow color, his pupils–which were once a radiant, icy blue–now a dull grey. Leon was sitting on the ground of his (you honestly would have called it a prison cell at this point) chamber, his legs criss-crossed as he patiently awaited whatever you needed him for. Your heart ached with pity every time you saw him now, but you couldn’t allow it to show. Leon didn’t want to see it.

You sighed, scanning over the papers you were given just an hour prior. “You know how it is. The higher-ups just love working me to the bone.”

“Oh yes,” Leon huffed a laugh. “They make you think you’re free, but suddenly you find a 500-page document on your desk the next day.”

“Mhm, story of my life,” you replied. Squinting at a string of sentences. Experiments were placed on hold for a week after realizing just how tender the parasite was. A single cut through it would sever Leon’s nervous system and kill him instantly. You didn’t want that, and the people in the chairs higher up certainly didn’t want their weapon to perish under odd circumstances. It was a risky situation all around. One you desperately wished was in someone else’s hands. Leon Kennedy was an asset, not just to the DSO, but to the President. Anything going wrong, from him dying due to the Plaga, or to him going absolutely feral and escaping, would lead to your job being thrown out the window. Or worse, you could die in his hands, and there would be nothing anyone could do to stop him.

A year ago, he was sent to Spain to retrieve President Graham’s daughter, who had been kidnapped. She was taken by a cult, one that worshiped a parasite they had discovered underground. A lot of the details were classified, and for some odd reason, you were given only a handful. Ashley Graham had been injected with the same parasite, but thankfully, he was able to get it removed before it evolved into the next stage. Leon, having been dealt the same card, wasn’t so lucky. He wanted hers removed first, placing her safety above his. Just as the parasite was about to be removed from his own chest, it evolved. Apparently, according to the Las Plagas files, Leon maintained his humanity somehow. Perhaps his will was too strong. Or he was just too stubborn.

Either way, your nerves were calmer, knowing he was somewhat in control of himself.

“What’s on the schedule today?” He asked you. He was trying to sound bored, but a part of his sentence felt wary. You didn’t blame him. You wouldn’t exactly be ecstatic to be poked and prodded with knives and injections. “I’m guessing more parasite testing.”

“Actually, you just got a new treatment,” you told him, now facing his direction. “Gonna try a new type of medicine.”

Leon blinked in surprise. “Will it work?”

“Well, there’s only one way to find out.” You tried to give him a hopeful smile, but knowing how resistant the parasite was to other treatments, you didn’t want to give him any false aspiration. “That’s not until later, so you get to keep your superpowers for now.”

“Yes, because that’s so exciting,” he drawled, crossing his arms. “Get to be friends with the little fucker in my chest some more.”

You snorted. “Other than that, I’m just here to take notes,” you groaned a little at the idea. “Again.”

“You get to keep me company for a little while longer, huh?”

“Yep, lucky for you.”

You turned around in your chair to get started before hearing his voice again. “I’m glad it’s you, today.”

You bit back a smile. “Like my company?”

“More than you think.”

I.5

The treatment proved to be fatal. Leon had coughed up blood as it was injected into his veins. The parasite wiggled in his chest, moving his ribcage back and forth as it fought against him. You stopped the medication right away, sighing with defeat.

“Sorry, Agent Kennedy, I guess you’ll have to hang in there longer.”

“Not your fault,” he said, wiping the blood from his mouth. You wished you were allowed to give him a tissue. “And you’ve known me long enough that you don’t need to be so formal. Just call me Leon.”

II.

You had met Leon a few times before all of this happened. Moreso just passing by him in the main office while delivering notes and progress reports. Despite his rugged exterior, he was charming. He had asked you if you’d like to join him for dinner once, but you had to decline due to a project you were assigned to then. Part of you worried he would be upset, but he was immediately understanding.

Fate was truly an evil mistress.

It was an awful feeling, not being able to actually interact with him. You felt as if you were watching a hamster in a cage. He slept, ate, breathed, did everything in that glass chamber, and all you could do was observe. It made you feel as if you were a part of the problem, part of the reason he was trapped in there, part of the reason he wouldn’t be able to smell fresh air again. Wouldn’t be able to feel another’s touch.

“Got something on your mind?” His voice interrupted your thoughts. He was standing now, leaning against the back wall, perhaps occupied with thoughts of his own.

You shook your head. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

“Well, considering you’re the person who has to be here, watching me, noting down my behavior, I can’t help but worry it is about me.”

“Actually, it’s not.” You paused, thinking if what you were about to say next was wise. “For once.”

“Am I on your mind a lot or is it the Plaga moving around?” He’s teasing you now, and you honestly appreciated the distraction.

“You know, I was gonna compliment you but now I’m just gonna ignore you.”

“Ow. Harsh.”

“You started it.”

You turned your back to him and you can’t help but wonder if he’s pouting. You wanted to know what he was thinking, if he also appreciated a distraction from what future experiments he would be subjected to.

“You don’t have to eat lunch here, you know.”

“Well, technically, I do.”

“No, I mean in front of me.” Leon scowled a little as he casted his glance at your food. “It’s rude, honestly.” He wasn’t actually upset, jealous maybe, but not angry.

“You can’t eat normal food anymore anyway.” You brushed him off.

Leon sighed. “I know, but still. Doesn’t mean I don’t miss it.”

You felt a little terrible. “I’m sorry. I guess I felt like I…actually nevermind.” You stopped the words from flowing, but you didn’t stop his curious gaze.

“What? You can’t say that and just expect me to ignore it.”

“It’s stupid.”

“Just say it. Can’t be more stupid than half the shit I’ve said to you the past few months.”

“Half of that was you high on pain meds.”

“It still applies.”

You gnawed on the inside of your cheek. “I felt like I owed you a date.”

“Owed me a date?” He echoed.

“You asked me to dinner at least a few times, and I couldn’t say yes to any of them.”

Leon blinked, realization slowly clouding his expression. “Oh. Well, if you think this is equivalent to a date…I’m a bit worried about how low your bar goes.”

You rolled your eyes, attempting to remove yourself from the spot on the floor. Your legs had started to cramp anyway.

“Hey, wait,” he said. You tilted your head in confusion.

“I didn’t say I wanted you to leave.”

You gaped at him, heart fluttering in your chest. You glanced at the office clock, your lunch break ended in five minutes. This was so stupid, getting close to your subject simply because he was a man you once knew, once thought you had a small crush on.

Though you supposed sometimes the most unwise idea was the best one.

You sat back down and somehow he no longer looked miserable.

III.

You had been transferred to another lab, away from him. You knew this would inevitably happen, not even for personal reasons, but simply because they needed you in a different department. Yet, part of you couldn’t help but believe it was because you started treating Leon more as a human than as what your co-workers saw him as: a test subject that needed to be tested. Needed to be worked on, carved into their image.

Four months went by before you finally saw him again.

You were informed by your superior that they finally found a treatment that made the parasite lose its grip on his system, but they still wanted to keep him in that chamber. To watch. To observe. To keep him as their little guinea pig. All you had to do was keep watch for the final time. You had the best notes, after all. Had known him the best before this all blew up and caused such a ruckus.

Leon looked almost the same as the last time you saw him. The black lines on his face and hands had slowly faded, but the ones on his chest and biceps still lingered. The medication was working, but slowly. Once he saw your face, his eyes lit up, his heart monitor beeped a little faster and you couldn’t help but find that endearing.

“Been wondering where you’ve been,” he commented. You could tell he didn’t want to say he missed you, but you knew him well enough to know the undertones of his words. Leon wasn’t the best at communicating, but his actions always spoke louder. “They transfer you out of state?”

“Something like that,” you approached the glass, not wanting to admit he was more handsome now. His face was less sickly and his eyes were no longer sunken into his skull. His cheekbones were more defined. He was getting better. “I hope they didn’t treat you too poorly while I was gone.”

Leon shrugged. “I mean it was the same, besides hearing your voice every other day.” His eyes met yours now and you felt your heart flutter again. “I kinda missed your stupid jokes.”

“Oh, my jokes are stupid?”

“Very.”

“Have you heard the words that come out of your mouth?”

Leon laughed a little and suddenly the room felt brighter.

“Well, lucky for you, you get to hear me all day.” You said, poking the glass as if you were trying to poke him.

“Yeah,” he said, his gaze not wavering away from yours. “Lucky me. You still owe me another date.”

You rolled your eyes, sticking your tongue out at him. He only smiled again and you peel yourself away from the glass to sit in that all familiar office chair, and the all too familiar feeling of Leon’s gaze was once again glued to your back.

You wondered how long it would be until you could actually tell him you hated the way he made you feel. If you ever could.

If there would ever be a timeline where you two could actually go on a date, and he could kiss you the way you wanted him to.

~

Tags:

@seraphiism , @uhlunaro , @izuniias , @honeyfict , @konigbabe , @airanke , @muffimtv , @justonemore-fic , @mandalhoerian , @tosuckmyweenis , @boundinparchment

[fullofgutsndopamine]

Last Call, Lost Cause (Who's Counting)

or: the charlie college dance au.

look, i don't know either.

TW: mention of drinking/being drunk/alcohol consumption, mention of panic attack

"¡ just think we as humans have evolved past the need for dances."

It's Charlie, who huffs, flops into his seat with a loud grown.

You turn your head towards Charlie, who's in an oversized periodic table hoodie that reads: i have fun periodically on it, two small cups of coffee in his hands.

He passes one to you which you accept immediately, popping the top open and taking a sip, letting the warm liquid burn your throat.

"'m right, you know." he tries again, slides the poster towards you onto your chipped desk: "like-just say you want more money. it's less work."

you accept the flyer. night on the town is on top, in a loopy font, the silhouette of a dancing couple under moonlight is front and center. Your finger traces the outline of the couple, a heavy sigh.

"Are you going to ask Amy?" you finally say, your voice quiet. "you've been drooling after her since freshman year."

now the last year at your state college with Charlie and you've heard everything you could about Amy.

He was completely lovesick, spent the nights on your bed on his back, laid starfish, his hands folded on his chest, eyes shut: "i think i'm in love."

"Charlie," you'd counter, a midterm in front of you,

"What's her middle name? Or-i'll even accept what her fucking major is, at this point."

"Look," he'd huff, taking the stuffed rabbit he bought you freshman year at the back to school fair and holding it above his head, "the heart wants what the heart wants, okay?"

He snorts, bringing you back to now: "you know i'm not one for being dramatic," he begins: "but i think i'd rather die before i ask her out."

you roll your eyes: "name the weapon and i'll do it, coward."

"Blow torch."

"Deal."

his hand hangs in the air and while you're both joking, both heavy with sarcasm, when his hand interlocks with yours you look away-telling yourself it's at the noise of other people entering the room and definitely not at the rising pink of his hand connecting with yours.

"Remember our promise?"

It's charlie. and if you aren't hyper aware of him next to you, of his presence, you'd have missed it.

And you remember, know immediately what he's talking about.

it was sophomore year. you were less than sober, and he was somehow even less then you were, two drunk messes tangled into each other in the backyard of a frat party.

"Look," he said gently in between hiccups, his eyes shut and his glasses upside down on his face, "If we don't have someone by our senior year-we should go to that stupid dance-"

he gulps, takes a second like this was on his lips, like it constantly runs through his mind-

"We should go together."

that comes out quieter, more vulnerable.

it's been on his mind, that's obvious-he's mentioned it in passing, sneering at the posters that line the hall. ("we're in college, for fucks sake.")

your head almost collided into his, laying on the grass together, his head is next to yours, your bodies facing opposite directions, star gazing.

Charlie insists it's even better when you're drunk-not that you'd know-the outside still hasn't stopped spinning.

And less than sober, you had offered your pinkie, allowing his to loop into yours before falling onto the grass, still entwined. "I think that's the big dipper," he slurred, "Or fuckin' somethin."

And now you're staring back at him, in a crowded classroom.

Of fucking course you hadn't forgotten about it; it lived rent free in your mind since he mentioned it.

"Is this how you're asking me out?" The smirk pulls at your lips, hand on your chest, "And they say romance is dead."

"fuck off." He groans, reaches over to flick the brim of your baseball cap over your head (ignoring that it's his) "Look, a promise is a promise, unfortunately."

"Deal," you nod, hoping your not sounding too eager, "Fine. It's not like I have much better to do, anyways."

He rolls his eyes but he's smiling at you finally, throws his chin at the coffee cup in your table:

"Just drink your coffee."

"I didn't even think you liked Charlie."

your roommate sits across from her on her cramped twin bed as you pace around in a zipped up gown.

"I don't!" You shake your head, "Or like, not like that. He's my best friend-"

"And now your date."

"It is not a date."

She huffs out a laugh, "Does he know that?"

Finally you flip onto your bed, ignoring how it's definitely going to wrinkle up the dress you're wearing:

"Okay fine." You hid your face between your hand:

"It's a date."

Emily, the roommate in question, snorts: "Yeah, i fucking know it is, idiot.

You groan, "He's my best friend-"

Emily huffs, "Fucking thanks-"

"And i don't want to ruin it!" You wail.

"It's one date, honey." Emily drops her voice as she sits on the edge of your bed, "It's not going to ruin anything. It's just because of a promise you made drunk. it doesn't have to mean-"

A heavy knock, four times on the door, and you know immediately by the knock who it is.

"It's him."

You shoot out of bed, "Fuck-"

Emily waves her hand at you, makes her way to the door and opens it a crack and you can hear her speak, clearly enjoying every second of this-

"Hi Charlie," She holds it out, "flowers for me?

Charlie, you shouldn't have-"

The son of a bitch is enjoying this, you can hear charlie clearly rambling an excuse before you go to the door, all but push her away with your hand on her forehead:

"I'm sorry about her-"

"Wow." he says instead, shakes his head, "I wow-you look amazing. Fuck-"

Emily let's put an obnoxious squeal that makes you shove yourself through the door: "we're leaving!"

only to shut the door as you can hear her yell back:

"be safe! don't do anything i wouldn't do!"

"Here uh-"

He stops in the dim hallway, takes your hand gently as if it's made of porcelain, his fingers expertly around yours as he slides the corsage over you.

"it's perfect, charlie." you say gently, "here."

your hands shake as you try to pin the tiny bouquet onto the lapel of his suit and as if he knows, forever your backbone, his hand goes over yours as he expertly finishes.

It's silent for a second.

"Can uh-" he shakes his head, licks his lips, his voice is low, "Can i hold your hand? Is that weird to ask?"

the tension breaks. the anxiety you had waivers-this is Charlie, for gods sake-the same guy who recruited you to play dungeons and dragons on tuesdays with the small college club he found, the one who gets excited about the little things, who's talked you off these panic attacks-

your hand laces into his without a word, and it's like his hand was made for yours.

"Can uh-" he shakes his head, licks his lips, his voice is low, "Can i hold your hand? Is that weird to ask?"

the tension breaks. the anxiety you had waivers-this is Charlie, for gods sake-the same guy who recruited you to play dungeons and dragons on tuesdays with the small college club he found, the one who gets excited about the little things, who's talked you off these panic attacks-

your hand laces into his without a word, and it's like his hand was made for yours.

"Ready?" He asks, and for a second you aren't sure if he's asking you or himself-but he's staring at you, his eyes wide and watching your every mood and he gives your hand a gentle squeeze, a quiet: i’m here without saying it, before you nod and he leads.

[superm4ks]

not the same anon btw but equally how would u rate osacarino's season / much-talked-about potential? i rmb u did a post on it a while back and curious if/how that's changed... and whether enough time has passed for that view to evolve with the incoming rookies as well (tho we don't really know how they'll drive yet)

Have posted a lil bit on pistachio here and here unless this apps god forsaken search function is back to sending content to the shadow realm. Tbh my opinion on aussie xanax ad hasnt really changed. I think I peaked when I called him 'kimi raikkonen wid a button nose' ((even tho Kira took sum offense to that because apparently Oscar is not like completely detached from his garage and engineers like Kimi was)) but dynamics or politics aside focusing in his wheel and pedal work bro Im sorry I think I'm cash money wid that. Above average quali laps, inconsistent tire management that either makes or breaks his weekends, random flashes of generational wheel if he's squeezed too much on a bad day. Hes literally Raikkonen. Ferrari Raikkonen even. Shits a huge compliment. Idk why its not being taken as such. What made Oscarina such an interesting competitor right from the start was that unlike most rookies he seemed fully aware of the game he was playing and to this day he still holds his cards super close to his chest. This whole mess Mclaren did of Landitos Baby's First wdc surely must've fucked wid his position inside the team somehow, but if it did we haven't heard a peep about it. Like he accepted the role Zak and Stella proposed, signed the papaya peel and watched the team rise and fail to meet the challenge wid lil to no actual stakes in the matter. Maybe those early 'veteran drives' from last year that had us all gagged were not all that impressive and just a sad indictment of the level of f1 rookies we'd been subjected to up until that moment. Rookies ARE meant to make mistakes, push too much or too little, spin on their own, get hate crimed by Croft if they're from somewhere wid good dental care. Looking back to Oscars 'mature' drives now I gotta wonder if thats not just a smart kid fully aware of the type of grid hes driving against and isnt too bothered to work on his long runs just yet. Listen. Wid respect. He absolutely has to work on his long runs. Over 1 lap hes better than the h2h numbers wud suggest but some of those stints especially in classic layouts were just shocking. The whole point of being Mark Webbers ghost was that Oscarina wud not be left to rot in Lando's shadow. Mclaren definitely derailed the dudes season a bit wid their bullshit, but a lot of it is shit hes gotta start fine tuning and quick. Like tell ur quirky white mom to get off social media, stop trying to get adopted or whtvr tf, u literally told Alpine to fuck off on twitter and nobody even moved because u have the aura of the shooter for Turkey at the olympics except higher and somehow less hinged like leave the disney shit to Lando and just fucking lock in

[cry-ptidd]

*clasps hands together* Well since you asked--

What do you think about Laura x, my OC, Augustine?

To give a bit of a background— Augustine Columba is, or technically was, an Italian priest that had no association whatsover ever with Iscariot was murdered by a group of Iscariot paladins who mistook him for a vampire they were hunting. In a panic they unceremoniously left Augustine in a ditch.

In his dying breath, he asked God to bring him back to life so he can enact vengeange and justice to the paladins who wronged him. Much to his surprise, God agreed. However after he finished with his mission, God revealed to Augustine that his current self cannot pass on to either Heaven or Hell and face eternal oblivion because his body had been brought back not his soul.

Faced with this revelation and the fact that he is a literal walking corpse, Augustine contemplates death but after saving another OC of mine throws the concept out the window and decides to spend the rest of his immortal, rotting life to care for my other OC.

In a way Laura and Augustine share a common background. They somehow somewhat have been wronged by men of God and enacted revenge on them but the similarities end there. How do you think their clashing personalities or backstories affect their relationship?

Hell just typing this, I realised... What would happen if Enrico x Augustine were to happen? A hypocritical fanatic and an actual man of God?

OOOOO OC X OC let's mash our dolls together

- personal rating: hmm, maybe a 7/10?

- HCs: I can see both of them allowing themselves to open up a bit, maybe after some banter and venomous words. There's a sense of solidarity there, and I could see both of them begrudgingly sitting after a brawl against a wall before starting to talk.

- OTP level: 5

- Would I have liked to see it canon: Now, Laura is a lesbian, so it wouldn't work romantically. However, I COULD see it in a more platonic context. That said, there will be obvious prejudice on both sides, maybe especially on Laura's, since Augustine is an actual man of God – and Augustine could take offense on the behalf of his God because Laura abhorres Him. It would be a rocky start, but they could make it work through mutual traumadumping. Maybe Augustine would actually want to help Laura in some way, which WILL be very hard.

- general opinion: I had to think about it, but I actually can see this work from enemies to begrudging solidarity to loose allies/"friends" (do either of them even let ppl in??), where they'd have to put their affiliations to the side a bit. I like it, actually. It makes for extremely interesting drama.

Now, Enrico x Augustine? Let's go

- personal rating: 8/10

- HCs: Hatefuck???? All I'm saying is Enrico probably feels REALLY insecure next to Augustine, and could even see him as a rival. I don't know if Augustine would reciprocate the rivalry or maybe dislike/despise Enrico for his hypocritical and selfish ways.

- OTP level: 6?

- Would I have liked to see it canon: If Augustine was a canon character, yes I would have liked to see it. It would've been a very interesting dynamic to explore. It would've given us more information on Enrico as a character too, exploring his views on a person he (afaik?) isn't submitting to him and is an actual man of God, as well as prejudice against an immortal being.

- general opinion: As said above, i think this one is really worth exploring. I can see it as a very bitter potential match, that may evolve into actual feelings (maybe on Enrico's side? Which would piss him tf off). Lots of potential for angst and drama here, especially considering Augustine is a character that could force Enrico to actually confront his hypocrisy and selfishness.

[thewitchfarhan]

Why are you reblogging from evilios? Do you know that they’re a zeus apologist, right? 💀💀💀

I'm going to preface this by saying this is going to be a *MONSTER* of a post, so be warned - it's gonna be long.

TLDR: “But when it comes to the spiritual people I follow and reblog from on Tumblr - I have the following rule for myself:

If I like it, I interact with it, if I don’t - I won’t. If the blog isn’t upsetting to me or triggering me then I’ll follow, if it is - I won’t. If someone isn’t harming anyone by their spirituality then I’ll respect it, but if they are - fuck 'em.”

Hi anon - thank you for your inquiry. This is actually something I have been pondering for a bit and I feel ready to express my feelings around this issue.

To start - I am *very* new to the Hellenic Pagan community. While I have been a practicing Witch and Pagan for about 10 years - Hellenic Paganism is not a practice I have worked with/within prior to 2023.

Additionally - I make a point to not pass judgment on a spiritual belief or path before researching it from a third-party point of view, and examining the historical documentation available (as opposed to just taking into account UPG).

With that being said - my feelings toward Zeus as a deity/spiritual entity are negative (as you can see below from a previous post I made).

A good portion of the myths about Zeus that I am familiar with have heavy themes that center around male entitlement, assault, r*pe, and misogyny. All of which are not only morally reprehensible - but also somewhat triggering for me as someone who grew up Catholic.

I have seen individuals say that you have to take into account the “historical context” in which myth and religious texts are written. I have seen individuals say things along the line of “These myths were written by misogynistic men so they projected their own values and beliefs onto Zeus, that’s now who Zeus really is!”

[I'm going to use the anon above as an example because their thoughts and sentiments are ones I see often from Zeus Devotees / Zeus Worshipers]

I’m not in the business of trying to tell others what to believe - not because I think all beliefs are valid - but because I know it’s pointless.

However, if you are going to use Greek Myths as the source material for your religious practice - then it would be more logical to compare these myths - not to Paradise Lost - but to the Bible.

So, if Greek Myths (the basis of Hellenic Paganism) are symbolic and not to be taken literally - then prey tell where are you getting your canonical information from? Which religious texts *are* to be taken literally?

The bottom line, and answer to this quandary, is this:

All religion is invented. All religion is made up. All religion was created by humanity.

Cows and Crows don’t have religion. They do not build altars or shrines. They do follow religious codes. They do not worship or name divinity.

We can trace a before and after period for every religion's existence. There is not one religion that has existed from the dawn of time (and if anyone claims such they’re lying because humanity evolved from other species who definitely did not have any concept of ‘religion’).

So, with that being said, if you aren’t part of an organized religion/coven/cult - then you have two options.

1. Interpret all holy and traditional texts as literal and abide by their ever moral, rule, and decision within your personal practice.

Or

2. Acknowledge that you are picking and choosing what you believe to fit your own moral and personal narrative. Admit that you are making up your own personal gnosis and acknowledge that any judgment of your personal practice is also a judgment of your person. Admit that if you aren’t taking source material literally (which is a totally fine thing to do) you are inventing your own religious gnosis.

Want to worship Zeus and ignore all myths that portray him as a r*pist? Go ahead! I have no issue with you. Just don't try to somehow make those myths "valid" or "just symbolic" - just admit what you're doing and move on.

Because if you’re going to go around saying “Oh this historical information is valid but the other one isn’t and shouldn’t be judged from a modern lens!” then congratulations! I’m going to view your practice through the same lens as those who praise the Christian God as an all-loving entity and ignore the fact that (according to the story of Noah’s Ark in the Bible) he murdered every single adult and child on planet Earth, aside from a chosen few.

At the end of the day - do what you want. I don’t have any authority to stop you and I’m not gonna fight with you. But if you want my personal opinion on Zeus worship it is this:

Zeus, for me, is categorically defined by his actions. While there are many stories of SA and Abuse in Greek Mythology, Zeus as King of the Gods takes the cake. Not only because of the sheer number of stories that center around him committing acts of SA - but also because as the King of the Gods, he should be held to a higher standard.

Since I am not part of an organized religion/coven/cult - I get to choose how I interact with spirituality, and for me, that includes judging it through a modern lens.

I chose to not ignore the myths that portray Zeus in a negative light because I think the sheer number of those myths defines Zeus' character and what he represented in ancient times.

But when it comes to the spiritual people I follow and reblog from on Tumblr - I have the following rule for myself:

If I like it, I interact with it, if I don’t - I won’t. If the blog isn’t upsetting to me or triggering me then I’ll follow, if it is - I won’t. If someone isn’t harming anyone by their spirituality then I’ll respect it, but if they are - fuck 'em.

Feel free to send any follow-up questions, I could talk about this shit for days.

[7grandmel]

Rip of the week: 05/08/2024

Super Ludacris JB World

Season 8 Featured on: The Joke-Explainer 7000™'s Highest Quality Rips: Sunrise

Ripped by Sponge Lord

Tentative rip name: Super Ludacris JB World

Y'know, I really wasn't expecting to cover another rip from the Justin Bieber event from earlier this year. I felt as if I said my piece on the song and its place in internet history back with BELIEBERDANSEN, written just a short while after the event ended. It's definitely true that the event had a lot of fantastic rips, yet a lot of them managed to slip my mind when the event was over - in part, of course, because I don't exactly have a huge emotional connection to Baby to begin with. Yet in casually revisiting the event for old times sake, I was reminded of one of those rips that had - wrongfully - slipped my mind, one that leverages Baby's qualities in a completely different way from BELIEBERDANSEN. We're back to Bieber, and I've got yet more to talk about - let's get started with Super Ludacris JB World.

On first pass, the rip isn't really anything special or grandiose - it's the kind of rip that the wiki can summarize within a single row of text, mashing up the source track Champion Road from Super Mario 3D World with the aforementioned JB song. Mashups are fantastic, of course, and we've featured plenty on here from Stickerbrush Queen to Logan Paul's Shop - but as ripping has evolved, in the years from Season 1 to Season 8, the attention to detail and focus on quality in them has grown in ways you might not initially pick up on. A low-effort mashup is incredibly easy to do, through just taking the instrumentals of one track and the vocals of another - just look at Snowball Park - Super Mario 3D World - but with each year that goes by rippers have grown more and more apt at adapting and adjusting mashups to sound far more seamless in execution. This extends as far back as with Hoopache daring attempt to mash up a 3/4th time signature song with Space Jam's iconic 4/4 rhythm, but most recently we of course have rips like Beautiful Dreamer - that not only attempt the same time signature mixing, but go above and beyond in layering vocals and pitch-shifting them all to fit the source track used. For what many will see as a simple novelty, there's layers upon layers of ways to make mashups sound far above what they did back in 2016 - yet at the same time, not every rip made necessitates such excess extravagance as Beautiful Dreamer has. Sometimes, simplicity really is key.

Which is really the key point with which Super Ludacris JB World grabbed my interest - it at once has all the spit-shine and ripping know-how reflective of a team that's been doing this for eight years, yet understands the pure joy that comes from a simple-but-effective rip. I mean, think about it - Kill & Learn (Recut Ver.) wouldn't be sitting as this blog's most-shared post if there wasn't something worth adoring in these kinds of mashups. Both Baby and Champion Road are 4/4 songs, and their moods are similar enough to where it isn't exactly a gut-busting concept for a rip to begin with - so instead of focusing on those aspects, ripper Sponge Lord zeroes in on just making these two songs sound as crystal-clear perfect together as possible. At the rip's start, this is done just through Baby's unaltered vocals and clap-percussion being added on top of Champion Road, somehow slotting right in with an orchestral backing - but as the rip goes on, extremely subtle pitch-shifting is done to have JB's vocals play along with the orchestral melody's highs and lows in mood. In having Baby's usage in the rip start out so natural, it makes the gradual use of pitch-shift sound just as natural, and it takes until when Champion Road reaches its chorus at 1:30 for Sponge Lord to fully drop the act and have the vocals fully pitch-shifted in tune to the orchestral backing. It's a surprise in some ways, yet it simultaneously feels so very earned, as if the entire rip had been building up to that point, like the 180 in sound done within Poké Village yet done so gradually as to where it feels like the most natural outcome the rip could've had.

I mentioned above that Champion Road and Baby don't exactly have the sort of tonal contrast that would automatically make a mashup between the two funny, in the same way as rips like My Dr. Eggman Can't Be This Evil! and Loopdeloop Griddy. Yet I do still feel like the two tracks help enhance one another through the differences they do have in tone: Baby, as I talked about back on BELIEBERDANSEN, is mostly a song remembered for being lambasted in early internet culture, which was due to a combination of factors that basically boiled down to Justin Bieber and his song being terrible and not deserving of its radio time. We can retroactively find appeal in that obnoxiousness, the same way that the scene-kid aesthetic and 2000s vibes are coming back in vogue recently, yet very few times have I found myself actually considering Baby to be a genuinely good song. That was, at least, until the rips on the event which Super Ludacris JB World was part of, finding tons of mileage from this worn-out tune - and, through this rip's use of Champion Road in particular, made it sound almost...triumphant, even bittersweet? That may of course be in huge part due to my nostalgia for Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World as games and for their soundtracks, yet Champion Road's orchestral swells and hopeful overtones manages to somehow make Bieber's vocal performance resonate in some sort of emotional reaction from me.

It's very possible that various factors are resulting in me overhyping a rip like Super Ludacris JB World, which simply aims to achieve the goal it set out to do with as much spit-shine and polish as possible. Yet in doing so, through its combination of an artifact from the old internet's golden years, and an orchestral piece that's practically synonymous with childlike joy and hope for the future as Gusty Garden Galaxy...Sponge Lord created something that's just genuinely really pleasant to listen to, elevating Baby to a level of unironic, outright *pleasant* listen-ability that I never thought it had. Put simply, it's just a good ass rip - the kind that's never in short supply on SiIvaGunner these days, yet also the kind that deserves just as much praise and attention as the channel's most ambitious projects.

[vodkassassin]

:3c Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers. Let’s spread the self-love❤

1.

and i’m reminded of the simple life (where I work and just be used) (SVSSS) Shang Qinghua

It’s my Shang Qinghua superwhump fic with an overlaying plot that evolved from a one shot I had written one morning over coffee before work a few years ago. I never anticipated it growing into something of this scale. Through this fic, I’ve been able to explore certain characters and their motivations and behaviors in ways I wouldn’t in other stories. It’s great fun for me <3

2.

Shakespeare in the Park (Skyrim) Dominic Moriah (OC)

My good old insert-OC Dominic and his adventures in Skyrim, transmigration gamer style. This one is a story I’ve been working off and on for YEARS and I still have so much planned for it. I’ve barely even started m. The fact i have gotten so many comments on this fic along the lines of “I don’t even go here (skyrim) but I love this story” is mind boggling. I hope my writing was able to inspire someone to play the game at least once 👀

Plus, Dominic as a character is just so much fun to write. And, gratifyingly, I have been told he’s also very fun to read.

3.

Ear to the Wall (Naruto) Hatake Kakashi

Ah, my baby. One of my most successful fics ever. Topping the charts of my statistics. Raking in the bread (I wish lmao).

The fact that this story, too, started from just a one shot of a vague idea I had one day and somehow snowballed into this absolute monstrosity that so many people love is what I live for as a writer. So many people nuts enjoy reading about sick baby Kakashi tumbling blindly through his own time travel fix-it, and it breathes life into me every day.

4.

above, and beyond, and below (MDZS) Su She (OC-Insert)

Genuinely I am so proud of the way I’ve written this story. I can reread it and come across barely any points in which I feel like rewriting, which is rare! The pacing, the emotion, the character voices, the implications of future plot points… I wanna chef kiss myself with tongue for the great job I’ve been doing with this story.

Plus, the amount of people who have raged at me for making them cry with this one specifically is how I survive in this cold and cruel world 💖

5.

bundle up tight (American Dragon Jake Long) Jake

Listen, this fandom could use some new blood. Not people, I mean, just stories — I mean, the world building potential alone! It deserves more attention. The sandbox is unlimited and there’s room for more people to build castles next to my small and humble home.

I’ll come back myself and read this one, and it always brings me joy. Nostalgia paired with my own ideas in writing it just makes me feel cozy.

Honorable mentions:

Pelsitheos (Percy Jackson) Percy [time travel, canon overhaul, character motivation focus, collecting adoptable characters] WIP

cornered animals bear their teeth (SVSSS) Shang Qinghua [throat tearing, badass SQH, infatuated MBJ, just 😏] COMPLETE

Attempt #2 (Trash of the Count’s Family) Cale Henituse|Kim Rok Soo [protective papa Eruhaben, best big brother Alberu, Cale Henituse Protection Squad] COMPLETE

[dailycharacteroption]

Hellknight (Pathfinder Second Edition Archetype)

(art by priapos78 on DeviantArt)

Ah yes, the hellknights. We’ve talked about them a few times on the blog before, these intimidating mercenaries that believe that Hell is a model of a perfect civilization, and that elements of it can be used by mortals to make a better, more orderly society.

The exact specifics of this varies by individual orders, but the general gist of it is that these warriors honestly believe they can emulate the forces of tyranny while somehow being above them. Their hubris aside, they can be a powerful force against monsters and bringers of chaos, but never to be trusted, not even the lesser orders with more niche and less tyrannical designs.

In any case, today we’re covering the hellknight archetype, which, much like the halcyon speaker two weeks ago, is an archetype that evolves out of another archetype, specifically the hellknight armiger, which represents those still undergoing basic training as hellknights before properly joining their ranks.

These proper hellknights are the martial arm of the orders, unlike their magical counterparts, the signifers. Though some might still use magic if they have the training.

Much like other “graduated” archetypes, the hellknight only grants a few abilities, the rewards for sticking with their training as armigers.

These abilities prove quite powerful, however, turning the warrior into an agent against chaos.

The dedication of being a Hellknight requires that the character already be an armiger, bypassing the normal need for armiger feats before taking another archetype. With it, they learn to be more intimidating and make the most of their shiny new hellknight plate.

Some among them seem to develop a sixth sense for chaos, able to hunt it down no matter where it hides.

Invoking divine power in their belief in the rule and power of law, some are able to strike down chaotic foes, dealing grievous wounds to such beings.

Many others develop further mastery in not just their armor, but also any signature weapons of their order.

And that’s it for this archetype. Fret not though, since it is meant to be paired with the hellknight armiger, the meat of your Hellknight-themed abilities will be found there, which we’ll fairly soon on the blog as well, so stay tuned for that. As it stands, this archetype is a nice little capstone which can offer martial classes improved use of their weapons and armor, as well as extra damage utility and changing damage type. Beyond that, your class and choices as an armiger will help inform your build.

I didn’t mention it before, but there is also a story prerequisite for this archetype. In order to become a Hellknight, one must pass one final test, facing a bearded devil in single combat and defeating it. Such a feat may not seem like much to a hardened adventurer, but it certainly is a daunting test to face alone, especially at the level that you’d expect to be ready to graduate. Needless to say, it’s a feat that no lesser warrior can hope to accomplish, and if you fail… well, you clearly were not cut out to be a Hellknight. Such is the harsh nature of their training and their expectations.

They say that Mt. Sunreva once plugged the great cosmic pit where devils call home. While this is surely an exaggerated folk tale, the fact that there is a thin spot leading to that hellish plane at the summit is very, very true. Dark forces consider the mountain sacred in their own way, and an order of armored warriors guards the base from the unworthy.

Though she has utterly no interest in them, the Hellknight Order of the Waves have taken the ancient brine dragon Koshaga as their symbol, seeking to emulate her control over her territory in their own seafaring patrols. They had best be careful, however, for eventually she will likely look upon them as interlopers as well, and no flattery will stop her once her ire is roused.

For years, he has been training, and now Sovis, a half-elven armiger, has finally become a Hellknight. His first mission, however, has him bringing his sword to bear on his elvish kin, freedom fighters from the forest of his birth opposing the new lord’s logging and taxation. Sovis stands on the edge of a knife, and the time will come soon when his conflicting loyalties will be tested.

[purplesurveys]

1940

When was the last time you were bitten by an animal? What kind of animal was it? Max bites me often, though never aggressively. He does scratch me both accidentally and on purpose all the time, and it's those instances that have led to lots of gashes and bleeding and Band-Aids, lmao. My arm is never not decorated with scratches anymore.

When was the last time you had sex/did something sexual? How was it? This afternoon. It felt nice.

When was the last time you did something illegal? What did you do? A few weeks ago when I was watching BTS content pirated on Dailymotion, lol.

What was the last colour you dyed your hair? Purple.

Tell me about the first five photos you have on your phone or camera. My answer would have to be a guess because my phone's in my room upstairs and I don't feel like going up to get it – in any case my best guess is that Kimi has to be in that mix of five somehow. I have no clue about the others.

Who was the last person you know to have something big happen to them (i.e., get engaged/married, have a baby, etc.)? Angela passed the boards, got engaged, and reserved a condo unit this year alone. I'm soooooooo stoked for her ♡

Is there anybody over the age of 40 that you think is hot? Nobody comes to mind.

Have you ever been punched in the face? Nope.

Do you have to watch yourself in the mirror while you brush your teeth? Hahaha sometimes I will, other times I won't bother.

Do you think your last ex deserves to die? No. I don't like her, but I wouldn't wish death on her.

How’s the love life going? There's none, and it's great that way.

Do you think the last person you Facebook messaged is a virgin? Nopes.

Have you ever been cheated on, or had a guy move on extremely fast after a long, seemingly sincere relationship? I've experienced the latter.

Have you ever had someone drag his or her nails down your back? Continued from earlier in the evening. Yes.

If you’ve been hurt in a past relationship, are you more jaded this time around? Jaded to the point of never dating again, yes.

[TW: ABUSE] Have you ever been in a physically abusive relationship? No.

Have you ever felt more like you needed someone, and less like you loved that person? Mm, not at all. I know that I loved that person.

Is there any habit, attachment, or addiction that you feel you have beaten or risen above? ARMY life. It's understandable – fans go through their baby ARMY phase for a few months wherein consuming BTS is all they'd do. I was the same. I could make every conversation return back to them if my life had to depend on it; I spent an irresponsible amount of money on merch and I had no savings for like two years (although this was really more of a personal problem tbh, lol); I'd play their videos 24/7; I went to every pop-up store, memorized every single promotion schedule by heart, save 10,000 pictures of them on my phone, etc.

The boys enlisting in the military honestly really helped me in taking it down several notches. I'm still hardcore ARMY, but I'm a lot more chill this time! No longer obsessive. I don't feel the need to catch Run Jin at Tuesdays 8 PM sharp, but I'll watch it all the same. I'd no longer memorize a member's promo schedule for their releases, but whenever they would drop a concept photo or the tracklist I'd just eventually catch up. Little things like that. They've evolved to feeling like low-maintenance besties that I can catch up with every once in a while, and it's a nice feeling to have.

Have you ever lived with a friend? Nah.

Have you ever only liked someone because you found out they liked you? No. We liked each other.

Do you think people act weirder or that stranger things happen when there's a full moon? No and I don't believe in things like that.

Do you think you would make a good parent someday? No. My patience with kids is way too short.

In which were you happiest: elementary, middle, or high school? High school, 100%.

Have you ever written something on a street sign? I have not.

Life is nothing without passion. What are your passions? Writing, animals, history and culture.

How's the weather lately? Well it's typhoon season again, so we have patches of sun-rain-sun-rain all day long. Suffice it to say it's also been consistently humid.

You can bring back one dead pet to life. Which one? Tobi, our pet bunny, so I can continue my attempts for he and I to be closer and so I can learn the formula of him not biting whenever I'd reach out to hold him. He didn't live very long so I wasn't able to achieve these when he was alive.

I know the obvious answer here would have been Kimi – but I know 100% that bringing him back would just hurt me a million times more than it would relieve me. He already had a great run. I'd much rather keep hanging out with his urn in the living room.

Is there a pillowcase on your pillow? Describe it: It's just a plain beige one.

School: what classes are you taking at the moment? I haven't been in school in four years.

What scent is your deodorant? It has powdery and floral notes.

Are you happy with what you see when you look in the mirror? For the most part, yes.

Does it get super hot in the summer where you live? Yup, so very uncomfortably hot. People here get heat stroke or faint all the time because of the heat. As for me, during the summer months, I need to have the aircon on all afternoon because I genuinely cannot think well if it's too hot; and if I cannot think well, I cannot do my work well.

Would you ever date someone of the same sex? I did.

If you HAD to be raised by another family member than you were, who? My favorite aunt. She did a fantastic job raising her kids, who have now grown to be my confident, outspoken, and intelligent cousins. They're best friends with each other and her kids are very open with her, which is a rarity in Filipino parent-child relationships to be completely honest. She's always had a very liberal point-of-view on things to begin with, which to me is a major factor in how her kids turned out.

Are you close with you best friends' parents? Do you know them very well? I am extremely close with Angela's parents and they pretty much treat me like their second child. They feed me, video call me to give me advice on pretty much anything, greet me for every milestone, etc.

Basically, the relationship I have with them + even with my aforementioned aunt is the relationship I've always sought from and should have been having with my own parents.

Do you like reptiles as pets, or do they gross you out? They don't gross me out, it's just that they wouldn't be my pet of choice as I wouldn't know the first thing in giving them the proper care and conditions that they'd need to survive.

What is the youngest age you would consider dating somebody? Tbh just 25, so a year younger lol. Anything younger, to me it already starts to feel like I'm dating a kid.

Favorite type of seafood? Mussels!!! And oysters. Sashimi, too. I also enjoy crab but mostly on the crab fat side; their meat is just meh.

Are you more traditional or progressive? Progressive.

Are you into the occult? No.

How long was your longest relationship? We were involved for six years total. There was one on-off phase at some point, but even during that time you can say we were still involved with each other.

Did you ever honestly believe you were going to marry your highschool bf/gf? Honestly, yeah.

Are you a virgin? Do you believe virginity is "sacred?" No and no.

Would you say that you have a lot of friends? Not really, but it's also because I prefer my circle to be small.

Are both your parents alive? They are, yes.

Were you raised by your biological parents? They did, alongside my grandma and aunt (mom's sister-in-law).

Has your family ever been broken? It's frustratingly dysfunctional. We have walls built up around one another; it's so easy to tell. My parents have also never been the open type so naturally, as their kids, we mutually learned not to be open with them.

Do you think your parents respect your space? My dad does; my mom doesn't.

Are you close with you siblings, if you have any? I'm close with my sister.

Have you ever in anger told your parent(s) that you hated them? I wrote this sentiment about my mom in the journal I kept when I was younger. She wasn't the best. She had set such high standards for her kids and she never realized that we were just...kids. We needed to be perfect, spotless, neat, smart, polite, make zero mistakes at all times. We weren't allowed to cry, to have one notebook out of place in our school bags, to leave even a single grain of rice in our plate. But she also never explained Why We Had To Be All These Things That She Wanted Us To Be.

All we knew was that if we didn't follow her orders, we were going to be the subject of her yelling, and it didn't matter if it was 5 AM when we were barely awake, or 11 PM when she'd get home from work. All we knew was that if we made a mistake, even if we didn't know at that time that it would be a mistake, she'd give us the silent treatment for days and it'd leave us quivering and crying in fear and thinking "Is she ever going to talk to me again?" Things that no kid should be forming thoughts about.

So yes, I wrote in my journal that I hated her because that's what I genuinely felt for her.

What’s your favourite Thai dish? Pad thai!

Have you ever been on a date with someone you met online? How was it? No.

What sort of games do you like to play? I'm not much of a gamer lol and truthfully I do best with puzzle games or rhythm games. Simple ones that don't require much thinking or strategy-building.

What was the last candy you ate? I had a gummy burger and hotdog.

Do you know anyone who is deaf? I used to. My great-grandma's caregiver was deaf and mute.

Do you eat or drink as soon as you wake up, or do you wait a while? I wait a while. There's a couple of things I prefer to do first, like showering and taking the dogs out to pee.

What's your favourite kind of Oreo? Just the original one.

Do you play any games on your phone? If so, tell me about one. I've been playing Rhythm Hive since 2021. I like that it has constant quests so you can keep playing toward different achievements, as opposed to just having songs for the sake of having songs. I also credit the game for letting me discover new songs and building my interest toward the other Hybe artists.

Do you have more male or female coworkers? Female, for sure.

What's the longest stretch of time you've spent completely alone? During my breakup era when I'd only ever show up for dinner. That was from mid-September to December.

Do you have the same color eyes as your mother? Yes.

Have you ever been put to sleep for surgery? Nope.

When was the last time you went bowling? A month ago. I went bowling with my teammates. It's also how I learned that I'm not as awful at bowling as I thought, haha.

Do you personally know anyone who is transgender? Yes.

Do you have piercings anywhere except your ears? How many and where? No, you got it exactly right with ears. That's all I have and I don't intend on getting any more.

What’s your opinion on leggings as pants? Whatever, you do you. I personally detest leggings in any situation; they're SO itchy and I find it impossible to see what's so comfy about them. But if you love leggings, that's great! I wish I could too lmao.

Who was the last person you were in love with for more than a year? My ex.

Do you have a secret life? I guesssssss to an extent? This blog is a major factor in that.

Have you ever seen the last person you kissed without a shirt? Yeah.

Do your parents know EVERYTHING about you? Hell no.

Favorite thing to eat with peanut butter? Doughnuts.

If you had to get a piercing right now, what would it be? If pain/discomfort isn't going to be an issue, I'd go for either a nose ring or a lip ring.

The last time you held a baby: 2007.

Does your mom eat meat? Yes, everyone in the family does.

What would be your reaction if one of your parents said they were having another kid? I'd know at once they're pulling my leg as my mom has had a hysterectomy.

How do you feel about snails? They're cute, but I'm sorry they are also delicious lol.

Are you physically affectionate with your friends? I definitely can be, but I gauge their comfort level with affection/it depends on who they are, too. I'd never be affectionate with Andi beyond hugs because they have a girlfriend. I know Jo's iffy about physical touch so I always hold back. But I'd hold Angela's hand and lean on her shoulder whenever I want.

Do you kill spiders when you see them? No, I let them be especially if they aren't bothering me.

Would you ever adopt a child? No.

Do you like your name's meaning? Sure, it's simple and sweet.

Do you and your mom look like sisters? We get this a lot, yes.

Are you the same height as your mom? No, she's a bit taller by a couple of inches.

What subjects do you like to read about? History, pro wrestling essays, auto/biographies, and opinions.

Are there any (obviously fictional) villains you can't help but love? Gus Fring.

Can you name a villain who you could kind of side with? Walter White, though I also 'blame' that on the terrific writing the Breaking Bad crew did for him. He was never to be sided with, and yet they made me root for him – up until a certain point, that is, but the point still stands.

What color eyes does your significant other (or crush) have? (If applicable.) I don't have any.

Does anything around your home need repairing? The lightbulb in my brother's room, but otherwise that's it.

[thephysicsofmiracles]

This evening, I went for a stroll in an area I hadn't explored yet. The cloudy moon was ghostly and in the Celtic wisdom which my mother bestowed upon me, (though I was the only one listening!) I know it symbolises the caution to find stillness in the unknown and not make hasty decisions - wait for more information to come to light. I stumbled upon a community garden filled with flowers of strange varieties and burgeoning fruit and fat hens that stared at me obnoxiously. After wandering for a half hour or so, taking mental notes and snap shots for my own future permaculture planning that I've been envisioning for years, I was captivated by a fluttering ensemble that wafted over-shoulder so close I heard it's winged rapture reverberate in my ear, which turned out to be two butterflies in the midst of a balletic waltz, tumbling over, around and besides each other, amorously lost in a spontaneous orbit of mutual admiration. My immediate thought was: "If only I could be loved like that." Bold as they were, their time together seemed fragile, and I walked on as proscenium-arched jacarandas graciously harboured their momentary paradise. Wandering on and musing some more, I came by a tiny library the size of a doll house, the likes of which children had labouriously constructed containing an assortment of books and paraphernalia and labelled above in painted handwritten letters, "Free". I decided to peruse the generous but tatty collection, hoping for something with poems or a local guide to trees and native fauna. Immediately, I was surprised to see a copy of a recommendation from a friend from about 18 months ago, which I'd had on my "to read" list ever since: The Celestine Prophecy. I had recalled the conversation I had with her where I confided about finding someone I felt a strong, energetic pull toward and the confusion I experienced when they developed a serious connection with someone else. She recommended it for the clarity it provided around soul contracts and past lives and how the dance or "quantum entanglement" of two Souls can progress you just as powerfully and passionately in your Soul's development without an ensuing romance. It rang true because the inspiration I received from him to change my life was a profound turning point for me, one which I have only motioned forward from ever since. Something about his example, his heart’s intention to continuously evolve and self-invest in the face of the common adversities most Australian males almost never overcome for fear of social alienation from their immediate family and friends, mirrored my transformation intensely and helped me re-route toward my authentic individual purpose on Earth (outside of everyone's expectations) seriously for the first time. At that point I had only an inkling he had found a deep connection to someone; it wasn't until much later that my apprehensions were confirmed, although I was the same tangle of sadness and perplexity, missing someone I hadn't the opportunity to know but somehow felt a complete otherworldly sense of belonging to or with, or something. I don't know if I'll ever read it, to be honest, but it's message does give me the strength to let the beauty of the knowledge be mused over with sincerity and conscious appreciation for its value and fleeting cycle of life, before it passes out of view. I know my heart's song belongs to a great someone, and I am praying that his integrity and self-investment to prepare for a strong foundation for true love is as intentional and committed as mine. Though the meaningful passage of tangled magic that was this persons deep reflection has left a gentle imprint on my life that I hope will yield the same love which he discovered in a kind-natured someone, to me in due time. ~ Chantal Eva

[crystalelemental]

For months now, I have been replaying the Pokemon games I own, including finishing Let's Go for the first time ever. Today, I am announcing that I...am done. I'm not playing through any of the others. I'm starting to feel the burnout on it. So we're calling it there, and now it's time to talk Opinions. Behold, my current ranking of the games.

S-Tier Crystal is my favorite and I'm tired of pretending it's not. This is purely a matter of nostalgia bias. I don't think it has enough of an argument to be above the A-tier ones along strictly objective measures. I do, however, think Crystal has a lot going for it, and have kind of come around on loving the earliest generations. Being an earlier generation, there are limitations in movepool and a lot of situations where you are constantly working toward something. It keeps the game engaging as you progress through everything, and potentially into the very final area. Even late acquisitions like Misdreavus and Larvitar are great. Mismagius completely stomps Red's Snorlax, and if you decide to invest in Larvitar, Tyranitar is a juggernaut that absolutely wrecks shop, being one of the only pseudo-legends to really live up to the reputation. A lot of the region feels very organic. While there aren't major flashy landmarks, finding Johto Pokemon feels like you need to engage with the new mechanics of time, headbutt trees, etc., and it makes them feel a lot more fun. Gym Leaders never get much development, but I feel like Johto's really stand out, particular with Whitney and Clair who exude a ton of personality in their short appearances. Silver is an excellent rival who exhibits a lot of development, and they even flesh out Blue. Red is a sore spot, but I can forgive them. The game just has a lot that I adore.

A-Tier PLA is legitimately the best game. Like, if it weren't for nostalgia purposes, this would be #1. I attribute this a lot to it just being a Mystery Dungeon game in disguise, but I...think it's the only game to really do something truly interesting. Having your focus be on capturing, and having capture mechanics that are, somehow, actually fun? That's tremendous. Capture mechanics suck in this series, and PLA actually has a fun and dynamic system. Couple that with great lore development for the already strong Sinnoh, and an excellent cast with an interesting story, and it really stands out. Even on smaller measures it rules. Grit is so much easier to understand and control than EVs. Pokemon not evolving until you tell them to makes this the only game where running pre-evolutions is just pure fun. I can find very, very little to complain about. I just wish AoE existed for situations where you get ganked by three opponents at once.

Emerald is stupid fun. I really enjoy this game. Hoenn has the best regional dex additions of any game, it's a very fun region to explore, and I dunno I think some part of me just misses when all moves were physical or special. In part, I think what's fun about Emerald is that it maintains that early generation feeling of really needing to put effort into raising stuff, but everything still having viability. Boosting moves came into play in this generation in a big way, and it was a fun idea! You can get away with all sorts of nonsense with this! I, personally, ran an Iron Defense/Double Team/Baton Pass Mawile into Calm Mind Delcatty to completely sweep the Steven fight. But what really stands out for Emerald is that, despite this, almost every fight is optimized against this strat being a clean win. Brawly's Focus Punch, Wattson's paralysis, Flannery's Sun-boosted Overheat, Winona's Perish Song, Tate and Liza's Double Battle focus, Sidney's Roar/Sand Attack, Phoebe's Curse, Wallace's Rain boosted Water Spout, and Steven's Toxic/Spikes setup. They introduced great tools, but created equally effective counterplay. It makes Emerald feel extremely engaging.

Platinum was the favorite for a while, and I do still love it. But I think it ranks below the previous two tertiary games. On the positive, Platinum continues the strong challenge and design aspect of Emerald. Cynthia is a known brutal fight, and part of this is because Platinum restricts tools in a way Emerald didn't. It forces compliance with a specific approach. Which can also be a bit of a detriment, but there are options that boost, and they stand out a lot more when it's not omnipresent. Pachirisu is funny when it has good paralysis rates, and Thunder Wave isn't a TM you have easy access to. I feel like it also generally structures itself well for keeping on level pace now that Badge Boosting is removed, using Double Battles with trainer partners that heal you each fight to ease the grind. On the negative side...Sinnoh as a region has fascinating lore and a great pantheon of legends, but is otherwise really bland. There aren't that many fascinating regional landmarks, and the gym leaders really do not evoke the same whimsy in me that other regions do. I legitimately struggle to pick a favorite, because no one really stands out to me. It really is a cast carried by Cynthia and Cyrus. I'd also be willing to put Diamond and Pearl really low on here if I could replay them, because the regional dex relies on a lot of new evolutions those games gated to postgame for no real reason. So like...Sinnoh has flaws. I still like it, but it's definitely not the favorite anymore.

B-Tier You know what? Sure. XY was pretty good. As someone who has often identified it as the point the series started its downward spiral, I have had many negative things to say about its general structure and story. The EXP Share was overpowering, nothing in the game's structure changed to accommodate it, and story-wise it feels very disconnected at times and not quite hitting its dramatic mark. But truth be told, I have come around on the merits of EXP Share, and think the story was cooking, even if the final product was a bit undercooked. EXP Share allowed a lot of really low-tier picks, including pre-evolutionary stages, to suddenly compete with the game just fine, in a way previous generations had grown increasingly hostile toward. It lends itself to really fun challenges, using weaker picks and keeping pace just fine without grinding. I think the story can really drag, especially with your friend group and the later segments, but I do see what they were going for with Lysandre and Sycamore, who I've kinda come to enjoy. I had legitimate fun with XY, and that...is not what I expected out of this.

SoulSilver, as a remake, doesn't feel as fun as Crystal. I struggle to fully articulate why, beyond "it feels too different." Which is nonsense, by the way. It's not that different. I think I'm just stubborn. I did have fun with my run, even if a lot of my picks wound up being really unimpressive. Feraligatr rolled terrible Spd IVs, and it showed. But like. It was enjoyable. I even used Lugia, who it turns out is really funny against a lot of Red's team given its bulk. I didn't get Ho-oh but I feel like this game in particular really wanted you to use Legends. GSC kinda do as well; leveling is time consuming, and legends come in at high levels well on par with current challenges. SoulSilver expands this by letting you get the Kanto birds and Mewtwo, as well as the Hoenn legends, both of which are hysterically effective against Red given their ability to set perma-weather over the Hail, ruining his Blizzard spam strat. And you know what? In a series that often relegates legends to endgame and post-game, it's kinda nice to have one where you have a good stretch of access, and where Legends are encouraged to be front and center. I do think it over-relies on HMs, though. The climb up Mt Silver needing Rock Climb now is. A choice. Also the shift in the structure of Red's fight combined with the irritating method of acquiring gym leader rematches makes that last postgame stretch a slog, especially if you don't rely on legends.

But if you want to talk about slogs in postgame, oooh man. Let's talk LeafGreen. LeafGreen is interesting. I, personally, adore it, because it gave me Leaf. I am not joking. I really like Leaf's design, and I don't like being forced to play a male protagonist. It's also nice to have Vs Seeker, and I think by and large the game play comparably to its original version despite mechanical differences. However. It also does some things that take away from the Gen 1 experience. It lacks the same shenanigans that make Gen 1 stand out; you can't have Crabhammer always criting to make up for Kingler's everything else, for example. Again, for main game, this is fine. But once you get into postgame and the rest of the Sevii Isles...the game turns brutal. The League rematch sees a massive level spike that is very difficult to keep up with, short of arbitrarily completing the rest of the Sevii Islands in full. There's really no reason to do this, either; there are very few tangible rewards for it. No real new TMs, maybe an evolution item like Metal Coat or Dragon Scale if you've been using Onix or Seadra this whole time, but it's far less likely you're changing your team at this juncture in this game. But on the third hand...Mewtwo. Much like HGSS, reliance on legends carries you. Should you will it, you can just ignore the rest of the Sevii Islands, and pick up Mewtwo, who can and will sweep the League with a set of Psychic/Ice Beam/Thunderbolt/Flamethrower. Yes, even the Tyranitar on Blue's team can be beaten if you get that freeze chance like I did. There's a cheat button right there, but if you don't use it, I do feel like it is a massive slog to catch up.

"But performance issues-" yeah I know. Still think the game is generally fun. Scarlet and Violet just...work for me. Open world is not my favorite concept. I don't like the new Zelda games, for instance. But I think Pokemon can make it work, given that they actually have the variety for things to feel different across the region. I think the Gym Leaders have a good amount of personality, and this is the best E4 we've ever had, with some of the best rivals. I think the story is surprisingly strong, which is not what I expected at all. I think that, much like XY, a lot of complaints about "too easy" start to evaporate when you use the really bad stuff and pre-evolutions instead of relying on the early access Larvitar they hand you. I do hate the raid battles, and I think a lot of the story prior to The Way Home can be kinda whatever, I'm personally not taken with Team Star like everyone else, and I think the open world concept combined with every area having a "Beat X trainers to receive reward" makes it feels a lot more tedious than it needs to be. Coupled with the lack of excellent QoL feature from PLA, this game does feel like a significant step backwards. But on a personal level, I would not mind the series taking this direction moving forward. I think it legitimately works, because I can actually play the game without getting railroaded by constant plot interruptions every fifteen minutes for the first time since generation 4. I PLAY THE GAME TO PLAY THE GAME

C-Tier Pokemon Blue can be a lot fun. I think if there's one thing I'm willing to give the Genwunner crowd, it's that there is an argument for this game being the most personality the series had. Later games start to refine systems toward a sense of balance and structure that make them feel more polished, but also more same-y. A balanced game is not necessarily a more fun one. For a separate example, Nexomon 2 is a much more polished game that, mechanically, feels more devoid of personality than its ridiculously broken predecessor. Gen 1 is broken and goofy, but in that, it is fun. Badge Boosting and sleep mechanics and crit chance being tied to base speed and Lance's Dragonite being unable to hurt Fighting or Poison types because of "Smart" AI using Agility/Barrier to target a Psychic weakness thus never dealing damage. All of that is goofy shit that is fun. If anything, it's only low on the list because of its status as an earlier game. Yes, technically there are so many combinations of Pokemon and movesets and stats you could never run the same thing twice. But also, most movesets and pretty clear, and there's only so many times you can run the Kanto mons before they get boring. Coupled with FRLG, it's...hard to always feel like Blue has what I'm after. I like the greater variety of later generations, and I do think Emerald and Platinum's approaches result in more engaging challenges with more to do. Also the region is kinda boring? Is that just me? Kanto's not that exciting.

OmegaRuby is...as a remake, I think it is solidly okay. Emerald is obviously much preferred, but it has merits. It keeps mechanics from XY, which means your weaker picks can still thrive. Luvdisc gaming is real. I do, at times, enjoy this game. But it's also...hard to get into. FRLG I do like slightly better than Gen 1, and while Crystal is my baby, sometimes I am feeling HGSS. I am pretty much never feeling ORAS over Emerald. I say this so profoundly that I have considered playing Ruby recently, over OmegaRuby. I cannot fully articulate why. Having replayed Delta Episode, I do feel like this postgame kinda sucks. It's not that exciting. And like...okay is it bad to say I think a huge part of it is Mauville? I absolutely despite Neo Mauville, that place sucks and I cannot navigate it even now. It bothers me so severely and I could not tell you why I hate it so. I dunno. Maybe I have so little to say because this is like the middle of the pack. It's fine.

Gen 5 is...interesting. It's well loved by fans now, despite being the worst selling generation. And I think that's because it's not a very good game? EXP scaling, really high levels of evolution, and generally high damage from opponents, combined with the ongoing movepool bloat and this era's fixation on Really Hard Boss Fights, resulted in serious gameplay problems that make it more frustrating than most generations. Even story-wise, I feel like it's less profound than it's often made out to be. Despite interesting concepts, the moral dilemma immediately and totally falls on the side of the status quo perception, making everyone who believes otherwise out to be either actively evil like Ghetsis, or just horribly misguided like N. They treat the opposing perspective as more of a joke. So despite a lot of dialogue, and a lot of scenes interrupting gameplay, it doesn't actually offer much more than its predecessors. I can still enjoy Gen 5, but this feels much more like an acquired taste. It does have Caitlin, though.

Gen 8 got a lot of backlash, and while I feel much of it was deserved, I have kinda backtracked on my initial stance. I think Dexit was fine, actually, and argue they didn't go far enough to force players into new approaches. Gen 3 and 5 did the cool thing of basically forcing engagement with the new mons, while Galar played a little too safe with ensuring people the top fan favorites would always participate. It's cowardice is what it is. Galar's real sore spot is one of feeling empty. The region finally takes notes on adjusting for EXP Share, and unfortunately its conclusion is "if we have few fights, we can control for EXP more effectively without the grinding frustrations of Unova." They were right. But this has the side-effect of no area standing out, and Galar feeling much more devoid of experience than its predecessors. The Wild Area in particular is a massive letdown, failing to live up to the notion of catching anything you want by enforcing an inability to catch Pokemon above your level, and a reliance on the den battles which are honestly the worst mechanical decision of the main series, barring one that shouldn't count but does since it's on the list. In spite of that, meeting Gen 8 where it's at can result in a decent time. It's far from my favorite, but I can have a legitimately good time with the overall experience. I just also think it's hilarious to talk into something like Leon with a GMax Butterfree, and just Sleep Powder/Quiver Dance until you're OHKOing his entire party, Zard included.

D-Tier If the chart visual wasn't clear, Gen 7 is my least favorite generation. All the worst decisions happened here. In the case of Moon, its problem is similar to Gen 5. Its story is a bit more worth talking about, but only in regards to the Aether Family. Everything else is really not compelling, yet takes a ton of time to slog through. EXP scaling is back for no real reason, other than backlash against EXP all. Totem fights are particularly annoying, being either just as easily beaten as ever with strong Pokemon, or ridiculous with weaker picks as they become 1v2 fights. Call for Help makes every random encounter potentially devastating if you can't OHKO, just constantly summoning more enemies to keep up that 1v2 pressure on every single fight. Training something new is a constant nightmare. They removed the easy mechanics of Super Training from XY, and offer nothing of value in its place. The game just does not feel engaging. It never has. Nothing mechanically is particularly groundbreaking or fun. It doesn't even lean into this being a region independent of a League; the core of the non-Aether Fam story is that Kukui is building a league, complete with the most sensual Kanto dick-sucking of the series. It betrays its most interesting concept, boiling all of this Island Trial stuff back down to eight type challenges into the same Pokemon League as always. I do not respect these games.

USUM is worse, because it's all of that, but now the story sucks really bad. I'm not lingering on this, you know what I'm talking about. However, I did briefly consider giving this a higher spot than SuMo solely because of gameplay elements that work better. Expanded regional dex means more options to pick from (Which I enjoy because Alola is also my least favorite regional dex barring its legends and UBs), and Roto Powers allowed my Litten to stay unevolved and still sweep Hau. However, Roto Powers are extremely random and finite, and barring some counterpicking options and the application of these skills, some of these boss fights are disgustingly impossible. Ultra Necrozma is brutal in the extreme, being a massive level spike and tremendous BST, all boosted 50%, with obscenely good coverage and boosted super-effective damage. I had a Blissey. I beat it with one Roto Boost and Ice Beam. But like. I remember the first time, and it was basically impossible with the worse team. It's the kind of pivot that grinds things to a halt, and requires going back to buy items if you can't brute force it, which sucks because motion controls on that minigame to get here are wretched. I still do not respect Gen 7.

BDSP is a bad remake. Just on a bare minimum level, they did nothing different. No updated character designs, no little tidbit additions, no changes in where Pokemon appear, no fixings like the old remakes had. But beyond that...its response to growing complaints about difficulty was poor. XY introduced EXP Share, Gen 7 cuts that back with scaled EXP, Gen 8 dials it back a bit, and then BDSP introduces a league with perfect IVs, 252 EVs in relevant stats, and a positive nature. This, by itself, is not intrinsically awful, given the many tools that are added for players to become stronger. Grand Underground is a wild leveling zone, and friendship giving options like sudden dodge and endure effects makes players wildly powerful. The specific problem is when and how it's implemented. Playing this game, it feels entirely like previous generations. Rotate your party, you can win just fine with challenge conditions veterans have been using, etc. Right up until the last minute, where you find out enemies are so optimized, you cannot keep up even at the same level as them. And you're likely lower level. Nothing prior suggested this would be a problem. So now you're forced to contend with significantly worse grinding than any previous game in the series, just to offset this. While it can be argued that this is a player issue, players enforcing arbitrary rules and getting mad the game doesn't play along...I disagree. Pokemon difficulty has always been, in some measure, under player control. You pick better or worse things to suit a situation, you try not to grind to force certain plays, you remove beneficial mechanics you don't need. Pokemon is all about tailoring your experience, and we had two and a half generations of experience trying to circumvent ever expending benefits. And for 95% of the game, nothing suggests this is going to be any different. It's only different right at the end, when suddenly it's so much worse than before, and you're left scrambling to catch up to something you could've seen coming if prior challenges has presented more of a demand. This is de facto a design issue. And it complicates an already intensely disappointing remake, resulting in one of the worst experiences produced.

F-Tier But not as bad as Let's Go. Listen, there's some merit to the concept in Let's Go, but it does too much wrong for it to land. Primarily, it is capture mechanics. The reliance on motion controls results in worse systems than previous games by an unbelievable margin. It was never good, but this pushes into physically painful territory. The fact that catching is not something that can be avoided despite how overpowered Eevee is, solely due to captures resulting in significantly more experience than battles now, and the need for candy to offset opponents having it, is infuriating. And like most post-game experiences, this one is bad, but it transcends the usual due to its gacha-esque style. Every single Pokemon has a mirror match trainer you can face, and they have 150 candy points in like three relevant stats. If you can't keep up, you're dead meat. I put all my candy from the playthrough into Eevee and hit 80 in like two stats. The grind is obscene to the point to unmanageable. I cannot shit-talk the decisions in this game enough.

[jestershark]

if you say "i like everything except country and hip-hop"

there was a post going around a while ago which had people justifying why they don't listen to black music and rap and it pissed me off so i made a baby's first rap playlist.

some personalized recommendations below the cut

Being An Ally (tm) means complaining about racism and also Pushing The People You Are In Community With To Do Better. so I've compiled a list of excuses I've heard people make and some songs to counteract those excuses.

so i went through the post and then some reddit/quora responses for "why don't you like black artists" and "why don't you like rap"-- the general answer for lots of these is "you have uninterrogated racism and bias and you aren't working on fixing that"

so while i don't think a lot of these excuses are like, good excuses, I'm going to go down a list of excuses and recommend some starter songs

i think a lot of White Kids have this response of "i like everything except rap and country", but black musicians make every kind of music! rap itself has a ton of variation-- it's not just mumble rap and gangsta rap, there's tons of artists with different voices, different styles, and different results. (honestly a lot of you would like backpack rap and nerd rap. i see you)

here's my list

"I like music with good lyrics"

try out doechii

By the time you hear this I'll have taken on another form The way I been snappin ya'll gon end up my children of the corn I think I've adapted to all of the cannibal savages I feel a Possession in this session I need a catholic to Assess it Come and bless it Then undress it

mf DOOM is a favourite for a fucking reason:

There's four sides to every story If these walls could talk, they'd probably still ignore me Contemplate war over a cup of warm coffee It's really getting gory, tell your problem to Maury

Don't bore V with the "Glory, hallelu-ey" Crews be like, foo-ey he's just a buncha hoo-ey I knew he had new G, who he? Viktor Vaughn He had a new sicker song, I think he call it "Lickupon"

like 90% of hiphop is just incredible lyricism and puns. what's not to like.

"rappers just write about drugs and violence"

writing about violence well is art! this song is art:

this song talks about violence, does that make it bad? unrelatable? why does it do that?

also if you like music that has INSANE lyrical flexibility, please listen to this:

"i only like music if i can somehow tie it to my ocs"

everything is going wrong in my oc's life and they're barely keeping it together:

"i like strings and traditional instruments"

this baseline + godzilla sampling is so good-- listen to how they pass the verses back and forth!

this whole album is a master class in good sampling and i really recommend it!

"i like kpop"

here's a rap song with miku in it

"i like gay music only"

there are SO MANY gay rappers and hip hop artists, so many. do you deny the internet? this song by ilovemakonnen is extremely Gay Love. here's a song about being a huge lesbian.

here's a huge playlist: find SOMETHING. here's a bunch more.

"Most all rappers sound the same", "the beats nearly all the same", "Not a whole lot of melodic value to rap" , "Most modern rap is crap with no actual musicianship or storytelling", "Because rap is hedonistic, narcissistic, misogynistic and worst of all violent."

ok go through and listen to what I've linked above. do those all sound the same to you? think about why. think about what you like about other music, and what it might be about this music in particular that you don't like.

if you listen to a song by tupac, or snoop dog, or any other 90s rapper, their music is the cornerstone of all of modern music. including country. including kpop. including stuff that's far away from any other music. without hiphop and rap you don't have like. half the other genres that currently exist, and the other half have no reason to evolve or change.

"I just don't like their vocal timber"

you're racist. find jesus.

A final word:

listen to critics who say this stuff better than i can-- and i guarantee these are fun youtube videos to watch by creators who Are Good At Their Jobs

the rap critic

fd signifier

foreign man in a foreign land

khadija mbowe

princess weekes

bonus some of you should watch this video and this video

[onlyhereforghosttrick]

Alright if I am to truly be a Pmd blog I must have a hastily drawn loredump at some point so

Starting with the partner, Aigiel! Now, Aigiel was raised as part of a clan of Espeons known as the Kirien clan.

They live somewhere northwest of the Luminous Springs, mainly differentiated by one particular genetic trait in a marking in their eyes or on their eggs (as pictured above, in an example of it in their eyes).

Now, something I have yet to mention is their main tradition, that being when one of their children turns *rolls d20 offscreen* 18, where they take an almost weeklong journey to Luminous Spring proper in order to completely evolve into Espeon. It's always viewed as a rather important event in the clan, seen as passing the legacy to a new generation, more so important given there aren't many children born into the Kirien clan. (There are like, 10 Espeons tops at any given point.) And of course, with how important this event is, any mistakes are meant with less tolerance than usual (which already isn't much). Now, while the last one from three years ago failed this process and managed to evolve into a different eeveelution, a disgrace if they've ever known it, that means nothing of Aigiel's ceremony or how it would go. ...and yet...

... Through some (admittedly crudely drawn and predictable yet) tragic twist of fate, something went wrong. And so, she was abandoned. Left in the forest like an experiment gone wrong at best, without a care for her safety. That day... She had been meant to die a failure, unable to uphold a legacy that she had been trained to inherit. And yet, like the failure before her... She kept fighting. She may not have known too much about survival, the children in the clan having been fairly sheltered for most of their lives, but she knew what she should and shouldn't eat, and that going back and begging for a second chance would do no good.

Despite her limited survival skills, the thing is that they were exactly that: Limited. And a while into wandering, looking for some other sign of civilization... She made the poor choice of wandering into a random cave. Now, it wasn't the cave in specific that was the problem here, quite the opposite- The problem was not knowing too well how to fight or defend yourself, and then cornering yourself in a room with no exits.

While what pokemon it was isn't entirely certain (if only because it isn't all that important, just that there were three of them and they were imposing), The terror they gave the young Eevee was. And so... all they could do was pray. Pray for some kind of hope. Some divine intervention, anything... But all she could do was hope someone would somehow hear her wish... "I want to live".

And somehow, through some miracle, her wish to live was heard- and some force of fate gave her the opportunity to keep living. And so she took to running, hoping to escape her current predicament. And yet... for every blessing, misfortune must also fall... some extra emphasis on the fall. While being in the wrong place this time didn't kill them, well... you read the text on their artfight ref.

Honestly, looking back, Aigiel realized she was rather lucky to have escaped with just a broken tail. At the time though... all she could concentrate on was ignoring the pain and getting out of there. Taking a stone she'd found in the cave as a reminder of what she'd been through, Aigiel somehow managed to find her way over to a nearby town- not the Treasure Town known in Explorers, but one surrounded mostly by forest aside from the connections to some underground lakes known as Cedar Town.

And so, after all she had survived... she decided something. She would be one of the kinds of pokemon who could help others, and who were strong enough to do it. An exploration team, Aigiel decided. That would be the kind of pokemon she would become. And thankfully, the wait for a partner didn't take very long...

[thegamecollection]

UBISOFT FORWARD 2023!

Good morning/afternoon/some time of the day or night from across the pond! I'm making the most of this jet lag with some Peanut Butter m&m's and a blog on our time at yesterday's Ubisoft Forward event! It was a morning accompanied by popcorn that showcased their (very) impressive lineup for this year and beyond!

Before I get into it, can you believe there's no coffee machine in this hotel room? Why must I suffer? It's simply unacceptable.

Now that I've had a moan we can get into it. Thanks for listening.

We had planned some video content for TikTok but upon arrival and having passed the awesome Assassin's Creed cosplayers above, we were met with this potentially day-ruining sign:

We're sorry. It's not our fault.

JUST DANCE 2024

The event got underway with one the most popular music game franchises (if not THE most popular) of all time, back for 2024 with 40 new tracks and a vibey trailer that somehow transitioned from screen to live dancers on stage! I'd be lying if I said Just Dance was personally my thing but its player numbers around the globe speaks for itself! Fans will be pleased to know that "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus has made the cut, as well as all-time banger "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" by Whitney Houston!

Launching on 24th October, you can now pre-order with us here.

AVATAR: FRONTIERS OF PANDORA

Getting to see more on this first person action adventure that gives us the opportunity to become Na'vi and seek revenge on the invading RDA, well, it was absolutely fantastic. We weren't exactly sure on how this title would play out but after yesterday's gameplay, consider us SOLD. Set after the events of the first Avatar film, you’ll embark on a journey across the Western Frontier, a never-before-seen continent of Pandora! Fans of Far Cry will no doubt have also been frothing at the choice of weapons, skills and stunning scenery that awaits on this breathtaking planet! Oh and we got a release date too...

Launching on 7th December, you can now pre-order with us here.

THE CREW MOTORFEST

Car enthusiasts, fasten your seatbelts! The Crew Motorfest will officially launch on 14th September and will be using the vibrant island of O’ahu, Hawaii as its playground! The 3rd instalment in the franchise looks the part, that's for sure. From the Lamborghini Revuelto to the Toyota Supra, Hummer EV or Porsche Taycan Turbo S, there's a set of wheels and a racing feel for EVERYONE!

We were told no photos but I did manage to snap this beauty as we were leaving! Sorry, Ubi - it was too good to leave without memento.

You can now pre-order with us here.

PRINCE OF PERSIA: THE LOST CROWN

No, we didn't get any news on the Sands of Time Remake but after its announcement at Summer Game Fest last week, we did get to see more on this epic side-scrolling, sword slashing, time-dashing new adventure in Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown! Play as Sargon and evolve from sword-wielding prodigy to extraordinary legend as you master acrobatic combat and unlock new Time Powers and unique super abilities.

Having seen this earlier in the year on a confidential presentation, its improvements since then are astounding. This metroidvania type game has found huge popularity in recent years with many titles adopting the style! But nevertheless it stands out from a crowd and looks to be an absolute MUST play for me!

Launching on 18th January 2024, you can now pre-order with us here.

SKULL AND BONES

We're all familiar with this right me hearties? Of course. It's been due to set sail for a number of years but has regularly been met with choppy waters and uncertain tides...

Yesterday didn't deliver too much on when we can actually expect Skull and Bones to get those anchors away, but we were treated to this new trailer accompanied by a live performance from the band 'Home Free' as they sang their tune from the game!

The Closed Beta will be available 25th-28th August and you can now register here.

Of course with this already being announced, you can pre-order on our website here!

STAR WARS OUTLAWS

Having seen the trailer a couple of days ago for the long awaited open world Star Wars game that was originally teased in 2021, we've already been feeling pretty blessed... But seeing a 10 minute gameplay walk-through yesterday has excited all of us scummy, villainous gamers to no end!

Seeing Kay Vess and the adorable Nix in heist action reminded us of the loving relationship between Cal and BD-1, and that is NEVER a bad thing. From the heat of blaster-fire battle to the foot-down freedom of a speeder chase, this footage shows that 2024 will be a great time to be an Outlaw!

No official launch date has been confirmed and so there's no pre-orders just yet! But sit tight, watch the gameplay again and prepare to revel in what will be the first and incredibly ambitious open world Star Wars game to date!

ASSASSIN'S CREED MIRAGE

We're finishing up here with the extended gameplay section we saw from Assassin's Creed Mirage, and its back-to-basics stealth-centric footage that fans in the presentation were cheering for with joy and rapture!

Our assassin Basim is light on his feet and making even lighter work of those that stand in his way... The gameplay showed that mixing stealth with creativity really does deliver supreme results! Smoke bombs, blow-darts, hidden blades, it's all in a day's work for this agile and acrobatic executioner!

Ninth-century Baghdad has never looked better and we can't wait to take our place with an ancient organization known as the Hidden Ones...

Launching on 12th October, you can pre-order with us here.

If you've made it this far then I thank you for reading! For those wondering exactly how I've made it without that coffee, a five minute break at Dunkin' Doughnuts around the corner has gotten me over the line!

God bless America.

-Jack