#special ops online series

[hurpdurpburps]

Otherside Picnic Manga Yuri Club Special Story 1 English Translation

It has recently come to my attention that Japanese animanga merch store Gamers (ゲーマーズ)'s Yuri Club (百合部) benefits programme's publication of the OP manga series come with an exclusive bonus short story for every volume (not the same as the Kozakura POV shorts).

Since I haven't come across any English translations of these bonus stories online, and they seem unlikely to receive official English licensing, I've decided to translate them myself and share them with the internet.

You can check out the official Yuri Club website if you wish to find out more (Japanese-only).

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SPOILER WARNING: Takes place immediately before the events of File 3 - Station February in Vol 1 of the novels.

Written by: Miyazawa Iori

Translated by: @hurpdurpburps

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Chapter 1: Shinjuku, The First Meet-Up

As it was my first time meeting up with someone in Shinjuku, I asked about where we should meet.

A message saying "I don't know, I'm not very familiar with Shinjuku," returned in response.

What an unreliable woman. You’re the one who insisted on having an afterparty…

I was glaring at the screen of my smartphone when the next message appeared along with a goofy pop-up sound effect. "You can pick a spot, Sorawo."

You’re not supposed to say "You can pick a spot". Shouldn’t you be saying "Could you pick a spot, please?" [1]

Oh, whatever. She helped me out when we encountered Hasshaku-sama the other day, so I'll pick a meeting place as a way of returning the favour…

After consulting the internet, I decided for us to meet at 4.30pm in front of an installation called "The Eye of Shinjuku". From there, we would make our way to the commercial district along the West Exit of the station and pick a restaurant at random.

It's going to be early Friday evening, so it shouldn't get too crowded yet… Is that too optimistic of me? No, I'm sure it'll be fine. This is Tokyo, there are lots of shops, I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.

With excessive trust in Tokyo's crowd capacity that was typical of someone from the countryside, I informed Toriko of the meeting place.

The next evening. The station's layout was more complicated than I thought, so I got a little lost. I cut through the underground hurriedly and finally arrived at my destination five minutes late. Toriko, who was leaning against “The Eye of Shinjuku' - a shining eye-shaped object against a black stone wall, waved as soon as she saw me.

Toriko stood out, so she'd caught my eye before `"The Eye of Shinjuku" did, which was supposed to have been the focal point of attention. Perhaps we might have been able to catch each other anyway if I’d gotten Toriko to stand at a random location.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"No, it's okay. I just got here." [2]

"When did you actually arrive?"

"About fifteen minutes ago, I think."

"… That's a little early?"

"I was looking forward to it!"

Toriko was in a good mood despite having been kept waiting, and looked like she was about to start hopping around.

"Let's hurry up. I haven't eaten anything since I woke up, so I'm really hungry."

"Fine, fine. Well, um… I guess it’s this way."

Together with Toriko, I started walking towards the West Exit.

"By the way, why did you choose this side of the station? Isn't the East Exit side more bustling?"

"Well, that side seems a little scary… Isn't Kabukicho or whatever over there?"

"Yeah. Haven't you been there?"

"Absolutely not. Isn't it scary?"

"No it’s not. There’s lots of stuff over there, like a movie theatre. It's annoying when people call out to you when you're alone, though."

"It's scary after all."

"It'll be fine, I’m with you. Wanna head over there now?"

"Nope, I’m good. Maybe next time if I feel like it." [3]

As we engaged in frivolous conversation, I was suddenly struck by a strange feeling. Meeting up with a friend to go drinking made me feel like an ordinary college student. I wasn’t planning on going to the Otherside today, had a surplus of cash in my pocket, and I didn't have my gun with me either.

So even I can do something like that…

As I indulged myself in the sentiment, I walked side-by-side with Toriko through the streets of Shinjuku, where bars were starting to open for business.

TL Notes

General note: I adopted a more 'literary' prose style to match the tone of the novels. Hence, the translation in this series will be significantly more liberal than my usual analytical posts. Feel free to ask me anything. Feedback regarding translation accuracy is also welcome.

[1] The original Japanese here says 決めていいよじゃないよ。決めていただけませんか、じゃないの？

TLDR Sorawo is just being petty and griping about Toriko's not using formal/polite language for what was essentially a request/favour while not having the 'moral high ground' so to speak.

[2] More of a cultural note than a translation one. These two lines are something of a standard greeting for scenes depicting a (new-ish) couple going on a date.

And also throwback!!!! To their conversation at Shosen Grande when Sorawo was waiting for Toriko before their second trip to the Otherside in Vol 1 (File 2 - Hasshaku-sama survival).

“Did I keep you waiting?” “Fifteen minutes.” “Isn’t this where you’re supposed to say, ‘I just got here’?” “Did you think this was a date or something?” I said curtly, heading outside without listening to her response.

Gotta love how Sorawo just punched through social niceties and interrogated Toriko about the truth. But more importantly she didn't call out Toriko again on the date-ish line lol.

[3] Vol 5 foreshadowing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 'Nuff said.

List of Yuri Club's Otherside Picnic Short Stories [my translations]:

1. Shinjuku, The First Meet-Up (新宿、初めての待ち合わせ)

2. Hasshaku-sama Epilogue (八尺様エピローグ)

3. Ochanomizu, The First Afterparty (お茶の水、初めての打ち上げ)

4. Ikebukuro, Cafe Meal For One (池袋、ひとりカフェ飯)

5. Naha, After The Big Job (那覇、大仕事の後)

6. Ishigaki Island, A Dazed Vacation (石垣島、呆然のリゾート)

7. Mercedes AMG, The Backseat (メルセデスAMG、後部座席)

8. Otherworldly Elevator, On The Way Back (異世界エレベーター、帰路)

9. Kozakura Mansion, Pizza Party (小桜屋敷、ピザパーティー)

10. Ikebukuro Bookstore, Meet Up (池袋の書店、待ち合わせ)

11. Hannou, In The Car From The Station (飯能、駅からの車中)

12. TBD

[marosina]

Band!Eren pt. 2 (ON TOUR)

Modern AU, reader x Eren, famous!Eren, band!Eren (guitar+vocalist).

Series warning: 🌶️

Part 1

💫 When the band goes on tour, Eren is pleasantly shocked to see you’ve updated your display name to include “ON TOUR!”—you and your best friend decided to buy tickets for multiple dates and make it a summer road trip.

💫 The first night he sees you at the pre-show VIP meet & greet, he pretends to take a second to recognize your face. He positions you beside him for the photo-op, surrounded by the rest of the band in the most conservative pose known to man.

💫The next night he greets you with familiarity, and when you want to do something silly for the photo this time, he’s more than happy to get the guys in a line to carry you.

💫 On the third night he accuses you of being a stalker, to which you point out that you’re paying his bills. The rest of the band take sides, resulting in you and Eren holding fists up to each other in front of the camera.

💫 The Y/N vs Eren photo becomes a meme on bandom Twitter—even though they mostly cover your face with text (you prefer it this way).

💫 On the fourth night, Eren makes sure to be extra friendly to your phone camera as you record him from the barricade in front of the stage. You post most of your spoils but gatekeep a few for your eyes only.

💫 When your leg of the tour is coming to a close, the band whines dramatically that you’re abandoning them. It’s loud, designed to tease. When your cheeks turn pink after hearing a few murmurs from the line behind you, Eren’s heart stutters.

💫 It’s almost a relief that you don’t show up for the rest of the tour, though he’s pleased to see that you’ve been keeping up with every show online.

💫 As the last date of the tour approaches, a hometown show, Eren surprises you by reaching out via DM. He extends an offer to add you to the guest list under the playful guise of “loyalty marketing”. Really, he just wants to.

💫 You’re ecstatic. Hometown shows are huge, always extra special. You’d wanted to go but hadn’t been able to make it work, so this is a dream come true.

💫 As the days pass, Eren grows more anxious. Maybe he’d gone too far with your interactions. Favouritism is trouble for everyone involved. He should shut this down before he really starts crushing on you—but he’s never been very good at denying what he wants.

Comment or message to be added to tag list for next part <3

Part 1 | Part 3-1

Fanart

[purplekoop]

So Subnautica 2 got its first trailer today, after already having some teasers and interviews reveal its existence and main new feature of co-op multiplayer, and of course my excitement is right back at its usual highs when thinking about one of my favorite games ever. My friends I've shared the first game with are already hyped for the eventual multiplayer sessions, one even taking it as a sign to play the original on the spot for the first time. But in this excitement I checked the comments on the trailer, and saw some comments that... baffled me. Obviously looking at youtube comments for just about any game is going to worsen your mental health, but beyond the murmurs bemoaning and making edgy comments about Below Zero were people that are excited for the game, and listing what they hope a new Subnautica could offer. Such as... improved combat? New "enemies" and "bosses"? in... Subnautica??

Now, to some people this is probably just petty word choice that just puts Subnautica in line with almost any other game where things can attack you and you can attack them back. But to me, it conveys a misunderstanding of what Subnautica is, and what makes it so so special as a game, beyond just its worldbuilding and survival mechanics, but with its environment, its tone, its heart as a game made with the intention of doing more than just meet expectations.

So, here's:

A Brief Piece on Subnautica, Online Culture, and What Makes a Game Special

(note: this post will be free of any spoilers for Subnautica 1 or Below Zero, but does contain brief references to real world violence.)

If you took any number of people with a shared favorite game, and asked them why it is, it'd be bafflingly improbable to find they all like it for the exact same reasons. Most mediums of art are like this, but video games especially lend themselves to a greater number of different factors for what makes them enjoyable for different people. Not only can games have audio, visual, and narrative components capable of replicating or outright containing other mediums, but there is the added layer of interactivity and the art of creating a feel of gameplay adds a unique and extremely subjective element to a game as an experience.

Take Sonic the Hedgehog, a series that has a remarkably enduring fanbase for a franchise often panned by outside critics for the gameplay of some entries. While many fans love the series exclusively for the satisfying high-speed flow of some of the games, what draws just as many fans (if not more) is the impeccable soundtracks, or the charming and well-designed characters, or the stories that define those characters, or even the potential for further stories with them that fans realize themselves. A Sonic fan who hasn't even played a single game themselves but still loves the characters, style, music, or whatever other element has just as much reason to be called a "Sonic Fan" as someone who's played every game but never once interacted with the more character and story-oriented side of the fanbase. This dissonance between gameplay-biased fans and fans who enjoy the non-gameplay aspects isn't hard to find, but even within a gameplay focus there's a countless array of potential reasons someone enjoys a game. Minecraft fans for instance consist of speedrunners, minigame server grinders, hardcore challenge runners, people who play on peaceful because they're scared of the monsters, friend groups who goof around on a server playing normal survival badly, absolute mad lads making particle colliders or supercomputers, and your little cousin who just likes building roller coasters. Every single one of these is a valid way to play the game and enjoy it. Even if the core survival mode is the "intended" way to play, it'd be odd to say any of these other options are any less valid.

So... what about Subnautica? More specifically: why my frustration then, if those who see Subnautica's mechanics as a game with enemies and bosses to fight ought to be just as "correct" under this perspective as any other way to perceive the game?

Well, by my own logic, I can't dispute the traditional "fight enemies to win video game" approach as an objectively incorrect way to play the game. If you have Subnautica by whatever means, then you can certainly use the limited tools it offers you to kill any hazardous or non-hazardous creatures you deem fit. You could possibly even use the mods I presume exist that expand the arsenal of conventional weapons you have access to. You're taking an interactive medium and interacting with it how you personally deem fit, in a way that doesn't harm anyone else in any remotely realistic capacity. I can't stop you, or call you an objectively bad person, or even rightly think that much lesser than you.

I can still disagree though, and I'd like to elaborate on why.

Subnautica's lack of conventional weapons or general emphasis on combat is a very deliberate design choice with a very specific point of origin. According to the original game's director Charlie Cleveland, the game was first conceptualized around the time of the Sandy Hook shooting. While recognizing games aren't responsible for these real world atrocities, the idea of making another game that encouraged violent solutions and gun usage wasn't exactly appealing. Instead, Subnautica was made to be a game that encouraged other ways to solve problems. Even the worldbuilding within the game reflects this, as the PDA reveals a terrible massacare led to the banning of fabricating any weapons other than the bare essential survival knife.

This has been the one piece of developer insight on any game that's stuck with me the more than any other. Not to say that I think we should not make games with any kind of guns anymore, that'd be both fruitless and short-sighted. But it's hard for me now to see the world we live in and wonder how we choose to reflect it in the works we create.

For the unfamiliar, I have a few hopeful game projects of my own, one of which is a team-based shooter with the working title "War Bots". It exists as both a love letter to a subgenre I've sunk plenty of hours into enjoying, with the hope to expand and improve on the ideas they present. The violence is intended to be "cartoony", or at least disconnected from realistic violence due to its playable cast being robots and its enemies being hostile plant monsters. Most of their weapons are unrealistically fantastical in some form or function. The overarching story, as pathetically ironic as it may be to try and say, is meant to be a tale warning against mindless violence and mistrust, and that we can only survive by working together to not repeat the mistakes of our past.

I use the tag "war bots" to note my posts showcasing my art and writing about the project. Also using the tag is an entirely unrelated account... using it to discuss developments in drone warfare in the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. I can't say it feels great knowing I'm sharing terminology and concepts with very real atrocities committed daily on real, innocent people, and using them to talk about a video game I want to make. It doesn't feel right to scrap the project after this much effort, but I don't know how much retroactively applying themes and a story will change the fact that it's. A shooter.

Maybe a bit dramatic, but all that is to say I very thoroughly respect and appreciate Subnautica's active design against violence as an intended solution. Beyond the external reasoning and in-universe backstory, the game also has a very palpable friction against using the tools of violence it does offer you. If you do decide to kill a creature much bigger than a Peeper, which is a tedious process that gets exponentially worse with large creatures, then all you're left with is a corpse. No meat, no materials, even if it's something like a Stalker that has some other means of reaping resources from it. It doesn't poof into a convenient cloud of dust, or dissolve into darkness that gives the deed an excuse as part of a grand war of objective "good" and "evil". It simply remains a limp, static body slowly floating down as a reminder of something that did not need to be done, and brought nothing of value from being done anyways. You could scan it more easily than ever, since it can't run away or fight back. What a reward, huh?

So then... why? If nothing is gained, then why is violence still such a popular and desired approach to play the game? And why does it only seem capable of escalating, with it becoming a contest to see what's the biggest creature you can take down, even if the process is just using a Stasis Rifle to stun it indefinitely while you hack away at it with a pocket knife, a grueling tedium that can't possibly bring any joy? Why did those comments reduce this game's unique approach to dealing with innocent animals to simply be a matter of "enemies" and "combat" in the same way that thousands of other games already offer? When the game down to its very heart and soul wants you to get by in any other way, why is there such a pull to take the path of most resistance anyways?

Well, I think one reason is kind of a natural trajectory that comes out of games as a medium, especially those that interact so heavily with online culture, to pressure players into exhausting every possibility a game can provide and then pushing them further. It feels presumptuous to call it "just human nature", as I think the drive to play games as exhaustively as possible doesn't seem to be a universal experience. Instead, I think it's more often prompted by circumstance. An obvious instance is that someone who doesn't play many different games (either by limitations or by choice) and thus would naturally try to get everything possible out of each one. But I think a more common example, especially for a game with a specific history like Subnautica's, is that it comes as a result of online culture. I recall at the end of playthroughs by the big youtubers that skyrocketed the game's popularity, like Markiplier or Jacksepticeye, one of the last things they did before ending their series was to take down the biggest Leviathans they could. Because after all, they did everything else, right? They reached the ending, had plenty of laughs and screams along the way, what's left to do that's worth doing? But viewers liked the video series, why end it if there's anything left to keep it going? And this isn't to say a big youtuber was the first to try and kill a leviathan, it was probably someone who wanted to got bored and/or wanted something to brag about on a subreddit or steam forum. And then with that community aspect, the cycle perpetuates: "if someone else did it, am I really done with the game until I do it too? Am I too much of a coward for not wanting to sink my time into this like other people already have?". And then after the greatest obstacle has been cleared with tedium but relative ease, the pursuit then becomes to go further. Bigger, badder monsters. better weapons. More rules to make it harder. More challenge. More bragging rights. More because More is all there is left to do.

And then so what we're left with is not only the modding scene of the game being so heavily biased towards these sorts of hyper-aggressive additions, but now the desires of many fans for the actual next game are simply just "More To Kill". Not because it's interesting in of itself, but because that's the expectation.

But is it wrong then for people to want this? Well, no, for reasons I already outlined. But I think it is tone deaf to the artistic intent behind the game, and also to what I think makes the game special.

To me, what makes Subnautica such a special game is how beautifully it surrounds you in a believable world that feels both so warmly familiar and yet so alien, without trying to push into an uncanny valley. The flora and fauna of this world look and move so organically similar to life in our own oceans, yet look distinct in a way that feels oddly more charming than offputting in most cases. I think there is some personal bias though, as I could only sleep most nights as a kid with Finding Nemo on my little bedroom TV, and as a result fell in love with marine life and the lovingly rendered ocean environments that Subnautica captures the feeling of so wonderfully. The way the light dances on the sandy sea floors, the vibrant fish and coral. And looking up from this ocean to see a window of light: which in the game is your guiding target as a lifeline to air in your most dire moments, but was just as much a sign of comfort in hardship and the endurance in life in the film. The very nature of light ties the game into some of my fondest memories in such a profound way.

Of course, for as many people who like me are endeared by the ocean environments the game lovingly recreates, just as many are deeply terrified of the endless, unknowable abyss of the ocean, let alone one with even more deliberately horrifying creatures. I think that sort of dichotomy between comfort and fear is something so unique about Subnautica in particular, where its genre is up for debate as a cozy and uniquely nostalgic survival game or a gut-turning horror game just based on your perspective.

I do think Subnautica's breadth of optional mechanics, while technically being what enables turning its creatures into mere "enemies", are another part of what cements it as one of my favorite games ever. The base building mechanics are so needlessly, gloriously in-depth, to where the inevitable bulk of any playthrough for me is working towards creating a comprehensive mega-aquarium of every species I can put in a tank or growbed. There's also the variety of tools that aren't useful enough to keep your precious inventory space open for at all times, but are so fun to play around with needlessly. Not to be a hypocrite, but it's so funny to breed Crashfish and then use the propulsion cannon on them to make an extremely inefficient rocket launcher that takes too much space to reasonably do any useful damage. Alternatively, you could accidentally hit a big angry fish with your car 47 times to where it's so pissed off it dies by its own fault. Highlight of my streaming career. Regardless, the expansive variety of ways the game lets you interact with it is endlessly endearing, both in spite of and because of the fact you're not required to utilize most of them.

But I think one more big reason Subnautica is special is because it defies a conventional game structure of seeing every living thing that opposes you as an "enemy" that's most efficiently dealt with by getting rid of it. Subnautica hopes you see its world as alive, filled with creatures living their lives in the same way you are. Some of them are meant to be food, for you and for other creatures, but that's part of life too. Every simulated ray of light, bed of sand, patch of coral, and motion of creature is delicately crafted to make this planet feel as believable as possible while still making a satisfying play experience. And by doing so, with just these subtle details, the game offers a question of how do you see this planet, and burdens you to consider the consequences of your presence.

I could absolutely go on further about Subnautica, going more broadly into just what I like about it, but I wanted to keep things ""brief"" just to focus on this more specific topic. I might have lost some nuance or couldn't quite elaborate on every little detail, but I didn't want to leave this tumblr post in production for too long. I was tempted to make an extensive Undertale comparison, as another chronically misunderstood game with the appeal of "these aren't just enemies" that gets boiled down by edgy teenage boys to "how much can I stroke my ego by styling and fixating on the hardest arbitrary challenges it can offer" while completely ignoring any kind of nuance or themes aside from maybe digging into Lore (tm) for the sake of Lore (tm), but it felt like too much of a tangent distracting from the actual subject. I do have a more specific post about Undertale/Deltarune's community and poorly aimed focus that I need to rewrite at some point, but that's for another time.

If you read this far, thank you so much for your time, and hopefully you got something out of my rambling here. I don't often do these long "essay" style posts unless I'm particularly inspired, and hoo boy were those trailer comments inspiring. But this took a bit to write out, so hopefully it was coherent enough to read.

All that said though SUBNAUTICA 2 WOOOOOOOO

[hotwaterandmilk]

You might have answered this in the past, but how did you get into wedding peach? It was my first anime and it holds a really special place in my heart, but I definitely found it accidentally back in the day on YouTube and I'm curious to know how other fans found it :)

Thanks for the question, going to point form due to being unwell.

First time I learned about Wedding Peach was online as a tween just seeing images of a thing that looked like Sailor Moon but wasn't. (A lot of SM pages around this time featured other magical girl anime and noted "rip-offs" like WP). I was intrigued and looked into it, saw everyone hated it, got even more intrigued lol.

First watched the anime via the Cantonese dub on VHS tapes some nice girls let me borrow at school. (Still a massive fan of the Cantonese OP. Ahhh someone shared the MV!!)

Then watched VHS fansubs which I had to import at great expense, loved it of course. Piecing together the mythology based on out of order episodes I could barely comprehend just endeared it to me even more.

Learned more, felt most websites portrayed the series with few facts, decided to make a website in '98 to provide factual info. Yazawa-sensei messaged me and helped me obtain manga volumes I was missing, was extremely kind and patient, still influences me to this day.

Am now old and it still holds a v. special place in my heart & am glad I'm not the only one.

[2amtechnicolor]

Milgram Project and Spec Ops: The Line - The Only Way to Win is Not to Play

"They are guilty. But what is justice? And how would you see it dealt?" - Konrad, Spec Ops: The Line (2012)

[TW: mentions of murder, violence, various war crimes, and the American military]

So Fuuta's second MV and voice drama premiered last night...and it's a lot. This is our first time hearing directly from a "Guilty" prisoner and honestly, probably one of the best example of how a vote can change personalities in Milgram next to Haruka's second VD.

(I will be pulling Milgram ENG translations from @onigiriico)

So we all know the basic premise of Milgram, the music videos. We watch a prisoner sing about their "murder", we listen to their talks with the warden, Es, and then we voice them "innocent/justified" or "guilty/unjustified" accordingly.

In season one, us, as the audience, had a sense of naivete. We had no idea what a "guilty" or "innocent" vote would do to the prisoners. There was no real explanation for what the consequences of our actions would be. Now, the curtain has been pulled back. Sure, we heard the story from Jackalope, but listening to a second-hand account and a first-hand account are two different things. One is clinical observation, the other is emotional.

One person's death is a tragedy, but a million deaths is a statistic.

When just given the factual events (Kotoko attacked Amane, Mikoto, Mahiru, and Fuuta before being subdued by Kazui), it's easy to digest. Person A moves to Persona B and commits Action C.

A 17-year-old boy strangles a 10-year-old girl.

An 18-year-old girl aborts her child.

A 20-year-old man harasses a middle schooler online until her death.

At face value, any one of these could easily be voted "guilty" from one sentence according to your own values. It's when you get into the specifics, when we see their point of view for ourselves, when we hear it from their mouths, that it becomes more complicated.

Why is Muu, a girl who stabbed a classmate, more forgivable than Fuuta, who never laid his hands on anyone?

Why is Mahiru, a woman whose boyfriend committed suicide, less forgivable than an organ harvester?

Does internet harassment justify losing an eye? Does a toxic relationship justify being on the brink of death? If you had known the outcome, would you even have chosen differently?

Fuuta: "You and I are exactly the same breed!...Like I’d let someone like this judge whether I should be forgiven or not!"

This brings me to Spec Ops: The Line.

For all of you who don't know what SO:TL is, it's a military shooter game in the Spec Ops series, released in 2012, near the height of the military shooter genre's popularity (Gears of War, Halo, Call of Duty, etc.) However, SO:TL isn't a video game--it's an art piece.

You play as Captain Martin Walker, a special ops soldier in the US Army, searching Dubai and the surrounding area for an missing army comrade of his: Lieutenant Colonel John Konrad, the 33rd Infantry's commander. Konrad had defied orders in an attempt to bring order back to Dubai after the worst of sandstorms in its recorded history hit.

I won't go into detail on the whole plot, but while the player searches for Konrad and the rest of the 33rd you also:

use white phosphorus against opposing forces, killing 47 civilians who were evacuated for shelter in the process

execute either a Emirati civilian who stole water from the desert city or a member of the 33rd who was sent to apprehend him, killing the civilian's whole family in the process. Choosing to not choose kills them both.

assist in decimating the water supply of Dubai, dooming the city's inhabitants to dehydration

and many, many more atrocities.

In the end, when you finally find Konrad, the man who has been taunting you over the radio the whole game...he's dead. He's been dead for a while. You, the player, as Captain Walker, did all this, killed all those innocent people, justifying that it would all be worth it in the end, to find a man that was already dead.

Konrad: "There were 5,000 people alive in Dubai the day before you arrived. How many are alive today I wonder?"

There is no way out of these missions but through. You have to use chemical weapons, you have to murder civilians in cold blood. You have no choice.

But...There's always a choice.

In the words of the game itself: "If you were a better person, you wouldn't be here."

You don't have to play this game.

Turning your console off and never touching the disc again is a valid choice.

You don't have to be a war criminal. You have the choice to walk away.

You don't have to vote in Milgram.

You, the audience, are Captain Walker. By playing SO:TL, you are responsible for the destruction of Dubai.

We, the audience, are Warden Es. By voting in Milgram, we are responsible for Kotoko's vigilante justice. We are responsible for Fuuta losing an eye. We are responsible for Mahiru's near-death experience, and Amane's broken mental state.

But we don't have to be.

...

However, There's one major difference between SO:TL and Milgram, and I'm not just talking about genre.

Spec Ops: The Line is a singleplayer video game.

Milgram is decided by majority vote.

If you choose to opt out of Spec Ops: The Line, no one has to die.

If you choose to opt out of voting in Milgram...you can't necessarily stop everyone else.

So if a "guilty" or "innocent" outcome is inevitable, which is the most moral decision?

Not voting?

Or voting with your conscience without knowing the results of your outcome?

Are you setting a shattered bone, or breaking it in another place?

...

I can't answer that for you.

Es: "It’s alright. If you and I really are the same kind of person like you say, I’ll end up like that sooner or later anyway."

[skxawngonearth]

Avatar Frontiers of Pandora (official Infos/spoilers)

What we know from Ubisoft: 

Release is on December 7th, 2023, it’ll be a single player ego game (though you have the option to play the story with 1 friend via online Co-Op), with customization options. 

Story (spoilers) We play as a Na’vi (so far probably female) who was abducted by the RDA and trained in combat to function as a soldier. The operation was dropped after the Hallelujah mountains, and the protagonist was put into cryo. 15 years later we awake as strangers to our own world, and set off to rediscover what it means to be Na’vi, to find our place among the people. But when the RDA returns, we must fight to protect our home.

Game Versions Pre-order is avaiable from now on through the official website or Ubisoft, and comes in 3 versions for PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X|S:

Standard - includes the basic game and pre-order bonus “Child of two Worlds” pack [skin]

Gold -  includes the basic game, “Child of two Worlds”, and season pass with 2 DLCs, bonus missions, resistance banshee mount [skin], and resistance equipment pack [gear set + weapon

Ultimate - includes the basic game, “Child of two Worlds”, digital artbook, season pass, and pre-order bonus Sarentu inheritance cosmetic- and hunter pack [1 character/weapon/ikran skin + weapon arsenal & special weapon]

Pre-order games will show up in your Ubisoft library on release day, but can be downloaded in advance, DLC content will be automatically implemented upon release.

Under the cut are screenshots from the panel (12/06/2023)

[satoshi-mochida]

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night version 1.5 update launches May 9 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC; May 16 for Switch

From Gematsu

The version 1.5 update for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night will launch on May 9 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, and on May 16 for Switch, publisher 505 Games and developer ArtPlay announced. It will be the game’s final update

The update will contain new game modes “Chaos Mode” and “Versus Mode,” and one free cosmetic pack. Three premium downloadable content cosmetic packs for Miriam will also launch alongside the update.

Get the details below.

■ Version 1.5 Update

Release Dates

PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC – May 9, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. PT / 11:00 a.m. ET

Switch – May 16, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. PT / 11:00 a.m. ET

We will be releasing across all regions simultaneously.

Contents

Update 1.5 will contain two new game modes, and one free cosmetic pack. Along with this, three premium downloadable content Miriam cosmetic packs will be available for purchase. This will be the final update to the game.

Chaos Mode

“Chaos Mode” is local or online co-op action that you can play solo, with a friend or be matched with other players on the same system. Fight through a series of randomized rooms to defeat demons and bosses. Complete challenges before each boss to get powerful upgrades! How long will you survive?

Versus Mode

“Versus Mode” is a special player-versus-player mode created just for Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. At the beginning of the match, players will enter a room exclusive to the match battle. Wave after wave of demons will begin to attack both players. When you defeat the demons, you will gain souls. Souls can be spent at the central statue (shop) to upgrade your weapons, armor or items. You will be able to purchase attacks that will negatively affect your opponent. Fill their room with fog, reverse their controls and more! The winner is the player that survives the longest. “Versus Mode” supports local and online play with friends or matchmaking with other players on the same platform. Please note that Chaos and Versus Modes do not support cross-platform play. More details on each game mode will be revealed when they go live.

Premium and Free Cosmetic Packs

Version 1.5 also includes three premium (paid) cosmetic packs and one free pack for Miriam that will change her appearance in the game.

Each cosmetic pack has multiple unique clothing items and weapons, each with upgradeable stats. Premium Cosmetic Packs will be available for purchase on each platform’s online store. Equipping a complete set of cosmetic pack items will enable a special stat bar for that specific pack. Included with 1.5 is a free cosmetic pack for Miriam that will automatically be added to everyone’s inventory when it is released.

Premium downloadable content cosmetic pack assets will only download after purchase.

■ Premium Downloadable Content “Classic II: Dominique’s Curse”

Release Date

To be announced

Contents

Following the 1.5 update, we will release “Classic Mode II,” a premium downloadable content game mode! It brings the same retro-gameplay as “Classic Mode,” but with a bigger map and its own canon storyline! “Classic Mode II” assets will only download after purchase. More information on “Classic Mode II” will be provided when it is closer to release.

■ Kickstarter Rewards

“Chaos Mode” and “Versus Mode” are the final stretch goals for the game. Once these two modes are completed we will begin to work on the final physical reward remaining to be delivered: the physical PC version of the game. PC physical tier backers received a digital code to play the game when it was first released in June 2019, but they still need to receive their final physical reward. If there are any backers whose addresses has changed since the original backing registration, you will have to update your address through Fangamer’s survey portal. Please check your current address. If no update is sent, the assumption will be the address has not changed and the item will be shipped to the address on file. We will make announcements on Kickstarter before that deadline occurs. Except for the physical PC version of the game, all other rewards have been shipped. If you believe you are missing a reward, you can contact Fangamer via the reward survey linked above.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is available now for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, PC via Steam, iOS, and Android.

[least-evil-resident]

After Raccoon

A Canon divergent/sequel/au? Where the missile that destroyed the city was aimed just a little bit to the left. On purpose.

Maybe the Simmons family illuminati stuff comes into play where the direct coordinates are fudged a bit in the final order. So that Umbrella can continue its expirements in secret. Or maybe the government did it in order to use the now quarantined city as a testing ground. Developing their own bows or cures for them? Maybe later on the various organizations like the bsaa and blue umbrella send training squads there. A slightly better version of operation raccoon city, narratively speaking.

Following the Outbreak characters through the initial events? Seeing some of them we left behind? Solving a couple mysteries like what happened to x character after.

It feels very Dying Light where the city is in shambles and cut off from the rest of the world. And maybe later on or in between we can explore the rest of Arklay county, mountains, and raccoon forest. Maybe a Max Brooks style series of chain events/encounters that lead up to and after the end. Short stories about the first hikers to dissappear, the expirements done on them. Anthology about the mysterious cannibal murders and rabid animal attacks.

And then the aftermath. A scavenger city built on the ruins surrounding the smoldering crater. The teams sent in and the survivors trying to get out. Maybe air drops of potential 'cures' or new viruses. Tyrants forming, some of them half sentient or out of control.

A survivor trying to escape the city, then the county, then the mountains and forest. Grabbing weapons and building cars, exploring abandoned or still running umbrella facilities. Only to get nabbed in the end by umbrella/the government they've been dodging for so long.

I feel like there's a lot of potential in exploring what happens after the bomb. How the country outside is handling this open sore in the Midwest. Are there protests and riots and people breaking in without knowing about the undead hordes on the other side?

Do lickers climb the battlements of the walls at night, only to get beaten back by flamethrowers and turrets? How are the people who control the border trained, and what are they not allowed to know? Is there some elite special forces black ops type squad making sure nothing escapes?

Little survivor communities huddled around trash fires, trading company scripts for rations and bullets. Posting little messages to their internal network that's cutoff from the outside internet. Videos of adrenaline junkies smashing zombie heads for twitch streams. That feels sort of Dead Island 2, or a little Dead Rising. How would Frank West handle a t virus outbreak?

And of course, Hunk. The grim reaper. Maybe his new squad is going around doing clean up, trying to get cities back online, eradicating nests. Killing whatever mad scientists or their expirements are left in underground labs. How do they handle survivor groups begging for help? How calloused do you have to be about human lives and casualties? How do you handle a Tyrant that's sometimes just a young woman who can still cry and talk, but sometimes loses her mind and eats people?

I feel like there's a lot of potential for stories to tell in the aftermath. Yeah

[iampikachuhearmeroar]

idk if this is better in a separate post like this on on a reblog of a post about gaming I've already made..... but like. another thing I'm finding increasingly more annoying, since I bought a second controller, in the belief that I could play next to my nephew on our new xbox, to verse him in racing games or also vs my dad in games like trivial pursuit or boggle (yes we're boring)..... it's that these games are ALL online now, for 2 players. everyone has to have their own account to play. there's no split screen versus option with a separate controller anymore, like there was on xbox like 20 years ago..... when me and my sister had the original xbox with wired controllers.

you have to invite people to play online, they have to accept the invite. then you add them to the game or your "co-op", or your "gang" or "crew". motherfucker I have no friends. I shouldn't have to log in an 8yo or a 77yo on separate accounts just to play 2v2 games in racing and trivia/spelling!!!! I should be able to connect the exorbitantly expensive special controller that i got myself (like astral purple or whatever and it was $99.95) AND the standard controller that came with the xbox, at the same time, to vs family together in the same room. why does everyone need their OWN account and seemingly THEIR OWN CLOSE TO A THOUSAND DOLLARS MACHINE (if you're not using a secondhand like xbox one or something)???? to play what is essentially; I wanna drive fast and illegally 50 AND I'm a boring know-it-all: the game???? just to play in the same room????

or maybe it's just me being terrible with tech and not knowing how to make this work at least on boggle and trivial pursuit. but I know for a fact just having a second controller will not work in both the forza series games (i downloaded forza 5) and the crew motorsports. utterly insane.

[thecrofttomb]

Lara’s Home Gets Deep Cleaning in PowerWash Simulator

Square Enix Collective, in partnership with Crystal Dynamics, recently announced a free Tomb Raider DLC for PowerWash Simulator to be released at the end of the month across all platforms.

Developed by British studio FuturLab, PowerWash Simulator is a relaxing and oddly-satisfying game that puts you in the boots of a skilled cleaner to, as its title suggests, use a power washer on everything you can think of, from patios to public parks and even vehicles, splashing away all the dirt and grime built up over time and getting them sparkly clean. Besides a single player campaign you can also share the fun with your friends in an online co-op mode.

🧼 Tomb Raider Special Pack

So what’s the Tomb Raider Special Pack all about, you ask? Well if you happen to be a classic fan like us you’re in for a pretty nostalgic treat! Make sure to watch the video below for a quick teaser on what to expect from the DLC.

First appearing in Tomb Raider (1996), then Tomb Raider II: Starring Lara Croft (1997), and finally in Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft (1998), the most iconic humble abode in gaming returns in all of its glory free to explore and clean away. It comes complete with a short-story campaign and five levels.

Any Tomb Raider fan knows that Lara’s adrenalised by the thrill of adventure, but for you, satisfaction comes in the form of a squeaky-clean surface!

You’ll ensure the Manor is in tip-top condition to host guests at one of Lara’s upcoming fundraising events, whilst she takes care of business elsewhere. As you prove yourself against Lady Croft’s exacting standards, you’ll transition from commissioned cleaner to trusted friend; being invited into more exclusive areas of the manor to clean treasures from around the world.

“What Tomb Raider fan hasn’t explored Croft Manor and thought ‘Winston could really use some help with these grounds! I would love to power wash this place!’?” asked Dallas Dickinson, Franchise General Manager. “Now, with the help of Square Enix Collective and FuturLab that’s not only possible, but immensely satisfying as well.”

Dan Chequer, Lead Designer at FuturLab also added, “Creating the Tomb Raider Special Pack has been an honour and a fantastic experience. We can’t wait for players to get up close and personal with Croft Manor and explore its many secrets!”

🧽 FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions

Is the DLC free? The Tomb Raider Special Pack will be available to all owners of PowerWash Simulator without purchase.

What’s included in the DLC? An all-new mini campaign, with a short story and five new levels!

What time does the DLC go live? 9AM PST / 12PM EST / 5PM GMT, January 31st, 2023.

How will I get the DLC? You can access it in-game when it is live in the new Specials section of the main menu. It should be automatically activated; if not, it will link you to the store page to do so manually.

PowerWash Simulator is currently available on PC, via Steam and Windows Store, and on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S. The game will officially launch on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch alongside the DLC on January 31st.

[pandiongames]

Banda's Grove Overhaul Devlog - Design, Maps, and Terminology

Why are we overhauling Banda's Grove? See here: https://www.tumblr.com/pandiongames/711176177895735296

This will be a series of design deep dives. We want to share not just what we're changing about the game, but why we're changing it. Perhaps it could help someone in the future. I'll be using "#banda's grove overhaul" tag in each post if you would like to follow along.

Page Design

Check out the images if you want an idea of what Banda Grove's current rules are. This isn’t final text in the v2 image by any means, but we’re walking down the path of making new master pages for layout.

A Refreshed Color Palette

The background color is lightened up, and the vibrancy of all the colors is increased just a little bit for further contrast. We played around with changing the palette completely, but after a couple of hours of going back and forth, we decided to tweak the existing one because it feels unique and iconic to BG now.

New and more fonts

We stuck with Oil Can as the header and title font after looking at a ton of different options. This is a special font for me because it is no longer available from Lost Type co-op and hasn’t been for almost a decade now. Back when we started this project, I emailed them to get reconfirmation of a commercial use. I covet and backup the .otf file religiously. That certainly increases the likelihood this will remain a unique look.

But for the body text, we’ve swapped out Courier Prime with three fonts, two of them are on display here. The Paragraph is Bitter from Google Fonts, while the in-game handwriting is KH Sober Draftsman from Kern + Hide.

The callout boxes (post-it notes) in the game will use Ultra-Classified by Kern + Hide - this wonderfully jaunty typewriter/newsprint type of font.

We will be working with columns where it makes sense, but there will be a mix.

This is all to give the book a cleaner, easily readable interior. Previously, I was using different colored callout boxes to differentiate between “in world” notes from Ranger Murie, and game text. Now, however, we can represent that by font styles, which keeps the pages a bit more tidy.

The rectangle and pink triangle in the header is an anchor design and be used throughout everything to tie things together.

Maps, Mapping, and Hexes

We’ve been working the last few days on the mapping system in Banda’s Grove. Please note, things are still influx, and may change more.

Mapping in Banda’s Grove has been tedious at best from the very beginning. It originally had a tetris-style chunk of hexes you could lay down on a massive hex grid. That was replaced with a simpler 19 hex flower, and you started by building out 7 of them to start. But each individual hex also had its detail map of another 7 hexes to track little details. This was a lot to manage, to say the least, and made online games dang near impossible.

I had a big conversation today with another designer on the purpose of a hex on a map, and Banda’s Grove does not have any travel or time mechanics tied to traversing a hex. It is not a hex crawl or point crawl. The purpose of the map is to draw, sketch, and laugh together when you talk about the worlds you’re building.

So, we are getting rid of hex grid and detail maps entirely.

Instead, we are working on implementing a single free form map, plus a shared notebook. We’ll still provide a themed map, but players can also just use the biggest piece of paper they can get their hands on to draw the twisting, winding, Planes converging at the Grove. Players still draw together with Jamboard, Figjam, tldraw, aggie.io, or Miro for online games, or ignore the map aspect completely.

We’ll provide tips on how to setup your shared notebook or gdoc and offer optional templates in PDF and .gdoc formats. We’re investigating other online worldbuilding tools to build templates for them as well.

This change has an additional upside: We can remove an entire technical term from the game, reducing jargon and confusion.

Before, we used the word “Fragment” to denote we were talking about a hex tile in general, and “Plane” to talk about the biome and culture on that Fragment. The word Fragment has now been completely removed from the game, and we only have Planes.

As an example, Maps in Banda’s Grove will become more free form like this, rather than the more bounded hex grid style. And no, I cannot draw. This is why I hire artists!

And this actually opens up some interesting possibilities for using mechanics to add limits, encouraging players to use the Convergence Event move, which also risks adding blips to the map, which in turn causes more narrative friction.

I’m playing with limiting the number of facilities you can build on a single Plane - we have to make sure we don’t overcrowd the environment! However, now a Convergence Event can add a new Plane you come up with yourself, or expand an existing Plane (you still need to roll to see which Plane is extended). Extending a Plane doesn’t add any new overhead to your note-taking now. You just continue adding details and notes under the “Cluthar” section.

When blips occur, you still roll a pebble over the map, and the Plane it lands on becomes shrouded in primordial darkness and is unavailable until mended.

Actions, Phases, & Quantum Events

First, let’s discuss a quick term rename I did. We mistakenly used the name “Action” to represent the special abilities of a playbook, facility, or downtime phase that cost a pebble to use. These are now called Moves. This will free up the word “action” for another mechanic to reduce confusion further.

The other piece I’ve been working on is how Phases work. Phases were always meant to represent the passage of a week, but their naming and how I implemented them muddled that, and it was… confusing at best.

I’ve always had this idea that the “Downtime” phase was the weekday, that’s why you have 5 actions to take. One for each day of the week.

The Update Phase was supposed to represent Sunday Evening, when you’re settling in and taking a moment to prepare for the weekday.

And the Quantum Event phase, was meant to be the weekend, a time of adventure, and shenanigans around the campgrounds.

The phases and quantum events have been renamed to reinforce that weekly cycle concept fully:

The Weekday - You take 5 Weekday Actions. You can spend pebbles to perform Weekday, Playbook or Facility moves, or have slice of life roleplay scenes to gain pebbles.

The Weekend - This is when you go on Weekend Adventures! Time to get into and out of trouble, help peoples, and discover hidden mysteries.

Sunday Night - This is the time to settle in after your big adventures, take stock, reduce your dice, and prepare for the Weekday.

Even though these are just terminology changes, they help reinforce the concepts of the gameplay loop, what it means, and connect the mechanical concepts together better.

And speaking of the Weekday Phase, we have simplified the “Downtime Actions” (now called Weekday Moves). Before, you had Downtime Actions. Some were nestled under a “Grove Projects” action, which itself was several possible actions. Wow, that’s confusing. That is all rewritten and organized, so there’s no nesting. Just a list of comprehensive Weekday Moves now.

Because The Weekend is a cleanly defined phase of free form adventuring and roleplay, but with the limitation of not being able to use Weekday or Facility moves, I can also organize gameplay better.

The biggest one here is Events (previously “Festivals” & “Special Events”, also simplified). They were always a free form adventure. They were designed as roleplay heavy, low stress, celebratory “Quantum Events” with boons and bonuses for your efforts - they have an introduction, complications, and your reward for participating.

But, they didn’t really fit in the Weekday phase’s gameplay, where they currently take place. But that’s where they had to live because The Quantum Event Phase was for Quantum Event. As written, it didn’t leave room for anything else.

Now the Weekend is a phase of adventuring where you just can’t use Weekday or Facility Moves, only your Playbook Moves, inventory, and wit. By default, a Weekend Adventure takes place - either one we wrote, or one you create.

However, now an Event can replace that Weekend’s Adventure. There are some Facility Moves that also initiate Events, like putting on a play at the Stage. That will take place during the Weekend in lieu of a Weekend Adventure now as well.

All these little tweaks and changes are to streamline and organize play, reduce jargon and drastically increase clarity.

Until next time!

-Andy

[jalapenobee]

Ooh you like bta and bsd? (I like you, we're best buds now)

first off, love the bta opening, it's a bop.

Secondly, I've learned a ton from bta! It's just so fascinating learning a bit more about the authors. (Very pleasing to my short attention span too. Its a lot easier than reading about them online)

Thirdly: just like the message of it is great. Talking all about how we need books and it's the authors experiences or stories that help make the book.

Its a ton of fun just merging my knowledge between bsd and bta too. (Aka me smiling as soon as no longer human appeared in bta and being incapable of being normal around the characters.)

I MEAN COME ON ODA ANGO AND DAZAI ARE TOGETHER IN THIS! and then there's chuuya ofc!

Sorry eheh I know we've never interacted before or anything but yeah! Feel free to ignore this<3

OMG HI NEW PERSON

first of all tysm for being in my inbox :D

Ok ok tHE OP IS FUCKING AMAZING HDSKJAJDKSHSK it's so silly TvT

SAME SAME omg just by watching bsd I wouldn't have known like. Half of what I know now abt the authors (lmaoo same plus its nice that it's a short series)

YES YES TY it's sooo cool how they use the taints as like a symbol 'we must protect the books' love that (HEHE SAME)

RAHHHHHH YES THEY ARE they're so. So special and oda slays so hard in bta <3

AHHHH YES CHUUYA he was also very good in bta I loved the way his va did him

[the-virgoperspective]

Character Analysis (Grey’s Anatomy): Cristina Yang

OP Note: I am not accepting opinions on this series!! These are solely my personal predictions on the natal placements of these characters. The first character chart is of my own creation while the second chart has been created from a canon birthdate available online. In this post and future ones, I will be comparing the chart I created to the chart created with the sourced information. You can find the source I used here for a majority of the characters’ birth years, dates, + locations. They will not all be the same as I had to make small adjustments for the timeline to make sense.

___________________________________

Natal Chart 1 (OP Made)

Sun in Capricorn (5H)

Moon in Capricorn (6H)

Ascendant in Leo (11°)

Mercury in Sagittarius (5H)

Venus in Aquarius (6H)

Mars in Capricorn (6H)

Jupiter in Leo (12H)

Saturn in Virgo (2H)

Uranus in Scorpio (4H)

Neptune in Sagittarius (5H)

Pluto in Libra (3H)

MC in Taurus (1°)

Chiron in Taurus (10H)

___________________________________

Natal Chart 2 (Source Made)

Birthdate, Time, + Location: 04/15/1978 12:19PM Beverly Hills, CA

___________________________________

Comparison + Analysis

Capricorn Sun in the 5H / Aries Sun in the 9H

Now there is a difference here, even though they are both cardinal signs, this is an either or. In my opinion of Cristina’s personality & ego, she is a highly ambitious, calculating, and at times quite dry Capricorn Sun. Her career is her lifeline and without it she has no direction; no compass. Her sole goal in life is to become the absolute best in her field. While she is still very hardworking and practical, she also knows when to let loose and enjoy a moment. Cristina is known for her wild side, and in the first series of the show, she drove a motorcycle to work and began a secret affair with her new mentor. Fun is never far from Cristina’s life, even in the hardest of times, and she takes those moments in fully when they come. She has a great value for life and the joy and pain that comes with it, she understands the hardships in life, and she understands a true loss from a young age. Losing her father at the age of nine most certainly had an affect on her, as she was not able to help him, which is something that would absolutely kill a Capricorn sun. Being of help to the ones they love is of great importance and at times can be seen as a duty to them. Seeing how Cristina extends this want and need to save others’ lives and fix them after not being able to save her father (specifically their hearts; 5H energy) shows how much of an impact that loss made on her direction in life and how she approaches life itself. I personally do not see enough qualities in Cristina for her to be an Aries Sun, as she has similarities, but it seems more appropriate for another placement rather than her sun.

Capricorn Moon in the 6H / Cancer Moon in the 12H

As for Cristina’s moon placement, these two are complete opposites, and I’m going to be biased again simply because Cristina does not warrant enough Cancer moon qualities. Her emotions stay deeply buried to those around her unless they are very special to her (ie. Meredith, Preston, & Owen). She also is not one to be very nurturing or empathetic to those experiencing hardships unless they are heavily traumatizing or involves someone she knows. Even then, her reaction is usually dry or completely detached emotionally. Emotional closeness often makes her uncomfortable and she avoids it with her work, mindless conversation, or tequila. Opening up does not come naturally to her, and in my opinion, that’s a Capricorn moon if I’ve ever met one. With her Capricorn moon in the 6H, her emotional well-being literally revolves around her work. When work is not going well, Cristina is usually not doing so well either, and is racked with emotional turmoil. For example, after the mass shooting at the hospital, Cristina didn’t come back to work for months due to the trauma she experienced, regardless of how much she really wanted to get back in the OR (which in turn just made everything worse). She is definitely one to be in complete denial of her true emotions. She will however accept a challenge head-on, willing to do whatever it takes in order to excel and/or keep her position at the hospital. The people (either co-workers or superiors) that come into her life at work also soften her heart a bit, for example her relationship with her mentor at the Mayo Clinic, Dr. Thomas.

Leo Ascendant at 11°/10°

As for Cristina’s ascendant, I was able to choose both the sign and degrees, so both are my personal opinion. Cristina, despite her practical and hardworking demeanor, is a very fun-loving and bright person. She is loyal to the people she chooses to be in her close circle and is willing to step up for them whenever they need her. She is the one in the room that everyone knows about already, due to her reputation and shining personality. Also did I mention her hair? Come on. Her ego is most definitely inflated due to her Leo ascendant, as she will always see herself as the best in her class, the smartest, the sexiest, the funniest, etc. She is also not shy to voice that if anyone dares to challenge her. Her movements as well, I’ve noticed as watching her character, are very feline and quick. She reacts quickly and usually physically, so her being a Leo ascendant really just fits perfectly in my opinion. As for the degree of her Leo ascendant, I feel as though 11° is more suitable due to her natural innovativeness and rebellious tendencies.

Sagittarius Mercury in the 5H / Aries Mercury in the 9H

This placement for Cristina was a bit challenging for me mainly because I can see her having both of these mercuries. She is never one to shy away from wanting to learn, even to a fault, at times. Her eagerness to be the first one to try a technique in the OR, or the first for their solo surgery, or first at anything. She communicates quickly and sharply, with no words wasted, and those words usually sting. Cristina is not going to sugarcoat a thing. She also has no filter whatsoever and her mouth tends to get her in trouble due to her lack of awareness and empathy. Her laughter is also highly contagious and quite loud and you don’t even need to know what she’s laughing for, it’s still hilarious. In light of this, I feel like Sagittarius mercury is more fitting for her, it would also make sense astrologically other than Aries (as that wouldn’t be possible with her being a Capricorn). With her mercury being in the 5H, her conversations mainly consist of her love life, children, pleasure, etc. Cristina is often seen discussing her current love and sex life with Meredith and we all know how she feels about children. Despite her not ever having a desire to be a mother and despite how good she is with them, she finds herself in a repetitive conversation regarding having children with Owen over many years. This is a great example of Cristina’s mental fortitude when it pertains to her personal desires. Her opinion or standpoint will not be swayed, no matter what or who is involved, especially if it goes against her own moral and life compass. She is very headstrong, knowledge-seeking, and often arrogant.

Aquarius Venus in the 6H / Taurus Venus in the 10H

Another opposite and again I will be biased here. I personally do not see Cristina’s Venus being in Taurus due to there not being enough qualities for it to be plausible (also it wouldn’t make sense). The way Cristina loves romantically is erratic and unique and she normally goes for the person you’d least expect her to. People who are inspiring and just as independent as she is are the ones that catch her eye. Her love is casual, jealousy or possessiveness is not really her thing, and a free-loving/free-thinking bond is what she truly desires. She is highly attracted to wisdom and intelligence and wants to learn from and with people she loves. Despite her being nonchalant in love, she does love very deeply, and when she decides to commit to someone it is the real thing. Extreme Aquarius Venus vibes. As a 6H Venus, she usually winds up in relationships with those she works with (whether it be a co-worker, subordinate, or superior) and this is a very common theme for her. Before the end of the first season, she is in a relationship with one her new mentors at Seattle Grace, and it is later revealed that she is definitely the type to look like she’s sleeping her way to the top; even though that isn’t the case. Her love is service oriented at times, especially when her partner is sick or hurting, and she will drop almost everything but work to help them. Despite how her love appears, it is a subtle and warm love that shows to be a constant with her friendly and romantic relationships.

Capricorn Mars in the 6H / Leo Mars in the 12H

As for Cristina’s mars, I thoroughly side with it being in Capricorn. Her reactions are calculated and realistic, and her drive is at an all time high, especially her sex drive. Her mars placement shines through quite strongly in certain moments and shows her capability of dealing with problems under great stress. Even when she’s out of her mind she still somehow keeps it together until she knows the job is done. For example, after the plane crash, despite her experiencing extreme shock and physical trauma; she was able to tend to others with injuries and find resources to keep (almost) everyone alive until rescue came. Her determination and self preservation skills prove to be very useful to her in the series, and especially in her work, with her mars falling in her 6H. Cristina lives at Seattle Grace, she is known throughout staff to be extremely efficient and hardworking, and the one thing that truly drives her is her work. Her work keeps her focused and sane and without it she really doesn’t know what the hell she’s doing. Even once, when the residents were forced to take time off from the hospital due to overtime, she still found a way into the hospital to work. Her job is her lifeline and there’s no changing that. The only thing that could keep her away is pure exhaustion or illness and you’ve got to love her for it. A boss bitch tbh.

Find more characters here!

[demifiendrsa]

Sonic Superstars - Multiplayer Trailer

Sonic Superstars will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on October 17, 2023.

The newest trailer for Sonic Superstars showcases more gameplay from Sonic’s upcoming adventure including deeper looks at local co-op and Battle Mode. Play through the entire campaign with up to three other players in drop-in and drop-out local co-op, or challenge up to seven other players online or three other players locally in the new Battle Mode.

SEGA also unveiled Sonic Superstars‘ Digital Deluxe edition, which will include the base game, LEGO Fun Pack with LEGO character skins for Amy, Tails and Knuckles and levels for Battle Mode, as well as extra content including a special Sonic Rabbit skin that shows off Sonic’s original character design, Mecha Sonic parts for Battle Mode, exclusive wallpapers, a digital artbook and a mini-original soundtrack for $69.99 USD.

Sonic fans can pre-order the physical and digital standard or Digital Deluxe editions of Sonic Superstars ahead of launch at sonicsuperstars.com to receive an exclusive in-game LEGO Eggman character skin. Plus, every player of Sonic Superstars will be able to experience the Blue Blur in brick form with a free LEGO Sonic skin available at launch!

Standard Edition ($59.99 USD)

Base game (Physical or Digital)

Free LEGO Sonic skin

Digital Deluxe Edition ($69.99 USD)

Base game (Digital Only)

Sonic Rabbit Skin

LEGO Fun Pack

Mecha Sonic parts for Battle Mode

Additional menu screen wallpapers

Digital art book and mini-original soundtrack

Free LEGO Sonic skin

Adventure through the mystical Northstar Islands in this all-new take on classic Sonic high-speed action platforming. Play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose and harness all-new Emerald Powers to move and attack in dynamic new ways. Navigate gorgeous, never-before-seen environments solo or with up to three other players and stop Dr. Eggman, Fang and a mysterious new adversary from converting the islands’ giant animals into Badniks before it’s too late!

Key Features

A New Spin on a Classic – The 2D Sonic high-speed sidescrolling action platforming you know and love, reimagined with fully 3D graphics, new powers and abilities, an all-new setting, and new ways to play! You’ve never played classic Sonic like this before!

Play as your Favorite Characters – Choose from Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose and take advantage of their unique abilities to blaze a path across the Northstar Islands as they race to defeat Dr. Eggman, who has teamed up with an old nemesis, Fang.

Harness the Power of the Chaos Emeralds – Multiply, swim up waterfalls, change form, and more with the powers of the Chaos Emeralds.

More Friends, More Fun – For the first time ever in a Sonic game, play through the entire campaign with up to three other players with drop-in and drop-out four-layer local cooperative play.

Battle Your Friends – Compete online with up to seven other players, or three other players locally, in an all-new player-versus-player minigame!

[kanzgamesandtrailers]

MultiVersus – Gizmo Gameplay Trailer | PS5, PC , XBoxSeries ,XBox one, ...

MultiVersus is a fighting video game developed by Player First Games and published by Warner Bros. Games, released in August 2022 on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series in free-to-play and cross-platform. Multiversus pits licensed characters from Warner Bros. against each other in a crossover. in 2 against 2, in 1 against 1 or each for himself with 4 players. Game system: The game wants to emphasize collaboration and thus makes it possible to create guilds and develop strategies between players by combining the special attacks of such a character with another. Each character also has a level of mastery which increases with each game played. with it, which unlocks rewards including perks that can grant bonuses to that character. Extremely dangerous combo. Gizmo is now available to play in MultiVersus! In MultiVersus, the Multiverse is at your fingertips as you battle it out in intense 2v2 matches. Up against Batman & Shaggy? Try using Bugs Bunny & Arya Stark! This platform fighter lets you play out your fantasy matchups in a fun co-op or head-to-head fight for supremacy. MultiVersus is an all-new free-to-play, platform fighter videogame. With an ever-expanding cast of iconic characters and legendary universes, MultiVersus will feature multiple online modes, including a team-based 2 vs. 2 format, 1 vs. 1 matches and 4-player free-for-all, along with upcoming content-filled seasons. From their world, straight into ours! Check out our legendary roster of Icons! https://lnkd.in/egg4yF5Z Check our FAQ for any questions you have! https://lnkd.in/eayprKFw

#Gizmo #gremlins #MultiVersus # MultiVersus #ps5 #ps5gameplay #ps5share #ps5games #ps4 #pcgames #gameplay #newgame #gamestrailer #gameplay #games #higthligths # trailers #cinematic #demostration #pc #games2022 #gameshow #gamestrailers #youtubegaming #youtubegamer #youtubegamingchannel #youtubegamers #googlegaming #googlegaming7 #googlegamerff #youtubegamingvideos #youtubegamevideo #youtubegames #gamestrailers #rpggamer #rpggames #rpggame #rpggameplay #player #players

[satoshi-mochida]

Sonic Superstars launches October 17

Gematsu Source

Sonic Superstars will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC on October 17, SEGA announced.

Get the latest details below.

The newest trailer for Sonic Superstars showcases more gameplay from Sonic’s upcoming adventure including deeper looks at local co-op and Battle Mode. Play through the entire campaign with up to three other players in drop-in and drop-out local co-op, or challenge up to seven other players online or three other players locally in the new Battle Mode. SEGA also unveiled Sonic Superstars‘ Digital Deluxe edition, which will include the base game, LEGO Fun Pack with LEGO character skins for Amy, Tails and Knuckles and levels for Battle Mode, as well as extra content including a special Sonic Rabbit skin that shows off Sonic’s original character design, Mecha Sonic parts for Battle Mode, exclusive wallpapers, a digital artbook and a mini-original soundtrack for $69.99 USD. Sonic fans can pre-order the physical and digital standard or Digital Deluxe editions of Sonic Superstars ahead of launch at sonicsuperstars.com to receive an exclusive in-game LEGO Eggman character skin. Plus, every player of Sonic Superstars will be able to experience the Blue Blur in brick form with a free LEGO Sonic skin available at launch!

-Standard Edition ($59.99 USD)

Base game (Physical or Digital)

Free LEGO Sonic skin

-Digital Deluxe Edition ($69.99 USD)

Base game (Digital Only)

Sonic Rabbit Skin

LEGO Fun Pack

Mecha Sonic parts for Battle Mode

Additional menu screen wallpapers

Digital art book and mini-original soundtrack

Free LEGO Sonic skin

Adventure through the mystical Northstar Islands in this all-new take on classic Sonic high-speed action platforming. Play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and Amy Rose and harness all-new Emerald Powers to move and attack in dynamic new ways. Navigate gorgeous, never-before-seen environments solo or with up to three other players and stop Dr. Eggman, Fang and a mysterious new adversary from converting the islands’ giant animals into Badniks before it’s too late!

Key Features

A New Spin on a Classic – The 2D Sonic high-speed sidescrolling action platforming you know and love, reimagined with fully 3D graphics, new powers and abilities, an all-new setting, and new ways to play! You’ve never played classic Sonic like this before!

Play as your Favorite Characters – Choose from Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and Amy Rose and take advantage of their unique abilities to blaze a path across the Northstar Islands as they race to defeat Dr. Eggman, who has teamed up with an old nemesis, Fang.

Harness the Power of the Chaos Emeralds – Multiply, swim up waterfalls, change form, and more with the powers of the Chaos Emeralds.

More Friends, More Fun – For the first time ever in a Sonic game, play through the entire campaign with up to three other players with drop-in and drop-out four-layer local cooperative play.

Battle Your Friends – Compete online with up to seven other players, or three other players locally, in an all-new player-versus-player minigame!

Watch a new trailer below.

Multiplayer Trailer

English

Japanese