#that's the back story for my wild-ass choice of first game

[cleolinda]

I never actually explained why I started playing the Silent Hill 2 remake. As many people have pointed out, it is an absolutely wild choice (complex, difficult, scary, LONG) for my first video game. (I’m a mobile gamer, I wasn’t allowed to play video games as a kid, etc.) 

Since Jacksepticeye has come back to Tumblr, I’ll be a dork and say that I became a big fan of his channel over the last couple of years, and I started watching game playthroughs generally to wind down at night. I’ll basically watch anything he plays, and in October, he played the new remake. I was maybe 20 when the original came out, but I didn’t know shit about Silent Hill. Something about Pyramid Head, The Scariest Games Ever, not really my thing, but sure. I started watching and... didn’t really get into it. Planets weren’t aligned that day, idk. I let it keep running, went on to the second video, and then we hit THIS scene:

That music comes in out of NOWHERE like strong perfume and I was like, what the fuck is this game, why is the acting so good, what is HAPPENING, I love it. 

For several weeks, I was obsessed with the Akira Yamaoka soundtrack (both versions) and the story. The Actual Autism fully kicked in, and it was better than dealing with the rest of November 2024. I watched multiple people play the game, learned everything about it, didn’t care about the combat, never thought I’d play it myself. 

And then, two months into this... I kinda... I kinda wanted to fight a leg monster. A mannequin. THEY ARE SO SASSY AND THEY’RE SMART despite having no heads. I wanted to engage in noble fisticuffs (anklicuffs?) with these things. I am proud to say that I have gone from getting stuck in the parking lot on day one to actually being really good at fighting mannequins. (It’s the lying figures that get me. Fucking splash-damage motherfuckers.) Over ten hours of practice play in the first three levels of the game, I’ve only died twice so far (and both times were when the game BOXED ME IN and swarmed me with vomit monsters. Rude).

So anyway, I decided to play the game, and @idoherty451 and I started discussing it in excessive depth, and now I want to do a text commentary for sure, and a video gameplay (voice) commentary if I can get that up and running; I already have some rough reaction audio that I've been posting. I just want all this (and the software I’m learning) to be a new set of tools in my “having fun discussing media” box, really. That said, I don’t know how far I’ll actually take the practice run, now that it’s fulfilled its purpose and I’ve diagnosed that my hapless ass needs to be on light combat. I’ve even played South Vale 2-3 times to develop basic skills! I’m doing so good! So it’s helped to do a first run, get through “I’m lost for half an hour” snarls, and practice moving the camera more smoothly. I may leave off with playing ahead before I get to the last two bosses years from now at this rate and let y’all see that happen, for better or worse, without any prep. 

The whole premise here is that I want to walk through the game and talk about all the lore and easter eggs and theories I’ve learned about. It will be the opposite of spoiler-free (minus That One Big Thing I won’t give away). If you would like to watch spoiler-free playthroughs of this long-ass game, I also recommend Marz (new to the franchise) and Gab Smolders (huge OG fan). 

Anyway, this is what I’ll be doing tomorrow while actively ignoring U.S. politics. James Sunderland has some very specific problems, and unlike mine, he can hit most of them with a steel pipe. Wish me luck with Pyramid Head. 

[ohsweetflips]

my neutral dragon age trait is that 50% of the time i'm like "the more i critique the games, the more i love them. i can appreciate each game for what they are but my criticism and frustration over what they could be are a sign of love" and the other 50% is like "this is the writing of the dragon age series. sure. why not. this may as well happen."

[coichii]

CLEATS ✭

—(🎧)—> you’re a professional soccer player, going on for what feels like the biggest game of your life. so what happens when a girl “slips” and practically fucks up your whole season while your finance calms you?

pairing - fiancé!hyunjin ♥︎ professional soccer player!fem!reader

genre: injuryfic, angst, fluff, and comfort

word count: 2.0k

warnings: cursing

A/N: i really like how this story ended up, so please let me know what you think !! also I’ve never played soccer a day in my life…so

You can hear the cheers and roars of the crowd outside, giving you that feeling you’ve had since the first time you stepped on that field.

Undeniable excitement.

It was the first playoff game of the season, multiple championship titles were on the line. As one of the key players of your team, the pressure was on to give the best performances ever.

The feeling made your heart soar with pride, but also made your body tremble in fear. The thought of letting the ball slip right past your feet, or aiming right where the goalkeeper can block it, had you sweating bullets.

However, the game had to go on no matter what. So with a shaky breath, you were stepping out onto the field with the rest of your team, the cheers getting astronomically louder.

You’re face to face with the opposing team now, a rival team at that. They had practically kicked your ass last year. 2-6. It was embarrassing. You hadn’t cried that much over a game ever.

Your boyfriend, now fiancé, Hyunjin, practically had to bring you back to life. All the hate from your “fans” and media got to you bad, and he was scared. He had never seen you like that before. So vulnerable. So broken. You never wanted him to see you like that again.

So you silently vowed to not let that happen ever again as your captain called heads for the coin toss. The referee called out her choice and threw the coin up, the arena was silent.

“Heads! Home team gets the ball.” The referee announces, and the crowd goes wild. Your heart beat relaxes back to normal as you take position on the field.

Focus y/n. Focus. Focus. Foc-

A sharp whistle cuts through your head as the ball is kicked onto the field. Your head is completely locked into the game. Every movement feels dynamic and calculated. You feel as if you can see everyone’s moves clearly, and it feels good.

Block. Run. Run. Pass. Block. It all feels so clear.

Now it’s halftime, and you couldn’t be more excited than you were right now.

The score was 3-1, your team. You were drenched in sticky sweat, but you couldn’t care less. You wanted payback for what happened last year, and you were going to get it no mater what.

During the fifteen minute break, which you swear goes by way faster than it sounds, you receive a text from your fiancé with a small “ding!”

—

new message from “Hyune!💍”

Hyune!💍: I’m watching right now.

Hyune!💍: You’re doing so good, my love.

Hyune!💍: I’m so proud of you.

You: Thank you so much baby!

You: I thought it would be really hard to face them, yk, after what happened last time

You: But the fans have been very supportive!!! And so have you.

Hyune!💍: Everybody loves you baby, told you so.

Hyune!💍: I’m sorry but I won’t be able to watch the rest of the game :( I’m super busy! But I’ll text you right after.

You: Ok :) it’s fine. They’re calling us back on. Ttyl!

Hyune!💍: Love you, ttyl <3

—

The conversation makes you smile, but that can only last for so long. You need to get back in the game as you step back onto the field.

This time, you’re able to admire the the stands filled to the brim with fans. Team colors flying everywhere, some fans even adorning a jersey with the same number you wore. That always made you feel warm and fuzzy inside, so you wish you could think about it longer.

But another whistle blows through your mind, and it’s the same situation as before.

Block. Run. Run. Pass. Blo-

All of a sudden, the silhouette of a player on the opposing team is coming out of nowhere. They ran into you clean, not even looking at where they were going.

You’re knocked back far, hearing the distant oohs and ahhs of the crowd in the background, but you couldn’t care less. You couldn’t even focus on it, because all you could focus on is the splitting pain coming from your knee.

The pain is so heavy it makes your head reel. Flags go flying in the distance, or atleast you think they do; your sight is dizzy and blurred from when you hit your head on the hard, artificial grass, so you can’t really tell.

Immediately, your teamates are rushing over to you as they scream and call for the coach and medical team to come check on you, concern inadvertently evident on their face.

“Y/n! Are you okay? That was a really bad hit.” Your captains voice cuts through the ringing in your ears. “Y/n?”

“No. No I’m not. My knee hurts so fucking bad.” You weep as tears spring to your eyes.

No, don’t cry y/n. You don’t want the media to react the way they did last time, do you?

The medical team made its way over to you by now as the crowds surprise quickly dies down to hushed whispers.

They examine rather quick that you can’t finish the rest of the game, or even walk for that matter. They lift you onto the stretcher swiftly and precisely, but it still hurts like a bitch.

You’re transported to the hospital soon after that, teammates wishing you their goodbyes as you’re carted away. To say you feel pathetic would be an understatement. You feel terrible, guilty, and embarrassed all at the same time.

◂—♥︎—▸

“Well Ms. Y/N, you’ve seem to have torn your achilles. It’s safe to say you won’t be playing anymore games for the rest of the season.“ The doctor announces flatly, as if it was the easiest thing ever. But to you, it was completely different. It was earth shattering.

You sat there in silence as even more tears cascaded down your cheeks, the doctor muttering a small, useless sorry as he walked out.

I’m so dumb. How did I not see them? Now my seasons over. I let my whole damn team down. I should just-

“Y/N! Oh my god y/n. I saw what happened on tv and I came running. Are you okay? What hurts? What can I d-” He rambles, stopping when your tears come into his view.

“Oh baby.” He pouts as he envelopes you in a tight hug, and the tears fall even harder than they had been.

Your tears soak his hoodie, but he couldn’t care less. He just wants to comfort you, and he’ll do what he has to do to make that happen.

“I-I’m sorry. I let you down. I let my whole fucking t-team down.” You sob, pushing your head impossibly farther into the crook of his neck.

“Shhh. No you didn’t, angel. You could never ever let me down. I’m so proud of you. More than you’ll ever know. And I’m sure your team understands, it could’ve happened to anyone, baby.” He consoles, and it’s working a little bit. Your breath is evening out slowly but surely, and tears are still flowing down your eyes, just not as aggressively.

“I tore my achilles, Hyune. My whole seasons over. All because I made a dumb mistake. I wasn’t paying attention, and now I’m gone. I’m so usele-“ But he’s cutting you off.

“Y/N, baby, you are no where near useless, you hear me? I’m so so sorry you tore your achilles, love. I know that must be so painful. But don’t you dare blame yourself. That girl fouled you, and she was thrown off for the rest of the game too. You can’t blame yourself for something that absolutely wasn’t your fault.” His voice sounding a little more angry at the thought of someone fouling you. “You were fouled, angel. That isn’t and will never be your fault.”

You allow his words to soak in, coating the insecurities swirl in through your mind with a warmth that could never be matched.

The door creaking open interrupts the moment, a random doctor you hadn’t seen before and your team’s health advisor walking through.

“Y/N, we’re going to have to perform surgery soon to make sure the injury heals well.” Your advisor says, and your heart drops.

“S-surgery? I didn’t know I would have to get surgery.” You stutter, and Hyunjin can practically feel the fear coursing through your veins.

“The surgery isn’t very invasive, don’t worry. It shouldn’t take more than two and a half hours and you’ll be unconscious. If it goes smoothly, we should have you out here by today.” The doctor reassures. Her words bringing you some since of comfort, but you’re not all that convinced.

“Don’t worry baby, I’ll be here for you when you get out of surgery and I’ll take care of you well. You’ll be fine, I promise you.” He kisses your hand as he says this, knowing how it makes you feel fuzzy inside.

“Ok. I’ll do it.”

◂—♥︎—▸

You feel dizzy as you slowly wake up from your drug induced daze. The surgery had gone smoothly and just as he had promised, he was still waiting there for you in the hospital despite his hefty work schedule.

“Welcome back, angel.” He whispers gently, kissing you right between your temples. You look over at him, your vision still a little blurry as he calmly strokes your cheek, warm hands bringing you comfort.

“Mhm. Can we leave the hospital now?” You ask. In the back of your mind, you’re wondering if your team won, but that’s pushed back even farther as Hyunjin’s strong arms envelop you in a tight hug. He always knows just what to do keep you with him.

“Yeah, there’s just a little paperwork to fill out and we’ll be out of here.” And you hum in response. “Oh yeah, your health advisor said you would need to be completely off of your leg for a while, so I took a week off of work to help you.”

“What?!” You exclaim. “A whole week? Hyune, are you sure? I don’t want to distract you from your work. I know your schedules are so busy baby, and you’re missing some recordings too.”

“Shh. Don’t worry, it’s already taken care of so there’s no point in worrying about it. Plus, I want to take care of you, what kind of future husband would I be if I didn’t.” He assures, cracking a smile.

“Are you sure? It’s really ok.” You tremble, but it’s almost fabricated worry. You want him to take care of you; it feels really nice when he does.

“I’m positive. Cmon, let’s go baby.”

◂—♥︎—▸

“I think I can ice my own knee, Hyune.” You giggle at the way he’s laser focused on making sure he’s applying the proper amount of pressure.

It’s been three days since the match occurred. Your team still won, thank god, and your teammates came to visit you after the match had ended.

The media was still as cruel and heartless as it always was. You couldn’t even count how many times you were called dramatic by various 12 year old boys who had never even stepped foot on a soccer field before, but it didn’t matter as much to you as it usually does. You have Hyunjin with you, so how could it ever?

“Nonsense baby, this is my job now.” He winks at you, stifling a smile to keep the joke alive, but he’s doing a horrible job.

“Jokes aside, thank you so much for these past few days Hyune. You have no idea how much it means to me.” You watch as his gaze softens at your admission. He smiles gently at you as he lets go of the bundle of ice and grabs your hands in his.

“Stop thanking me, angel. It’s what I’m here for. When I say those vows, I’m going to mean every word of it, and I’m going to prove it.

And he does.

He proves that through thick and thin, through sickness and health, he will always be there for you.

No matter what.

back to masterlist

[yakool-foolio]

A couple question, because I am undecided.

Do you think the Eito x Takumi ship is being (or is going to be) pushed particularly hard as the the big ship of the game?

Do you think it might be a bait somehow? [Still eyeing Eito's suspiciously Nagito adjacent traits]

And what do you think the context of the sex scene is? Is it for real, a dream, an illusion?

There isn't a shred of doubt in my mind that Takumi n Eito are going to be the next big doomed yaoi ship to hit the visual novel scene. The groundwork has been laid out before us in the marketing (mainly the little teaser videos on Twitter) and the demo and there's no going back now. Full steam ahead!

If I may delve into my prediction headspace for a moment, I'd like to bring up one of my big ideas for a potentially story-altering decision Takumi may end up making. Who will he choose to love and loyally follow: Nozomi or Eito? Will he sink back into the comfort of blissful normality with the uncannily familiar lookalike of his childhood best friend? Or will he risk life and limb to trek through uncharted territory, ensuring the safety of this naive stranger that heals the phantom pain in his heart? THE FACT THAT THESE TWO BOTH HAVE LIGHT GRAY HAIR AND MISTY BLUE EYES IS DEFINITELY ON PURPOSE. I've played enough Silent Hill 2 to know that a major theme in Hundred Line is probably going to be the choice of embracing the unsettled past for the sake of one's own solace or looking ahead towards an uncertain future full of risk and reward with the company of a flickering light in the dark (and a complimentary emotional ass-whooping for one's morally gray actions). I'm sure there can be pros and cons to both options, it just depends what the player thinks is best for Takumi in this war-ridden hellscape. And just as a small addition, it seems like there could be other romance options for Takumi such as Tsubasa, so I don't think Eito and Nozomi are gonna be the sole two options for who Takumi could end up having romantic feelings for (or maybe there's a choice to not crush on anyone at all, which would surely be appreciated as an option).

In regards to if Eito and Takumi's potential romantic relationship might be bait, I have a hunch it might not be. Kodaka is a wildcard and is prone to including character relationships that can be viewed as queer have one or both characters dying at some point (but in the Danganronpa series it is a killing game so it can be difficult to draw the line between what is 'burying the gays' and what isn't, but that's a whole other conversation). Komahina ends up being the best example out of his (probably accidental) entourage of queer-coded relationships. As for Uchikoshi, I have some more faith in him since I noticed AI: Somnium Files (just the first, haven't played the sequel yet) has confirmed queer characters: Mama, Renju, and Pewter. So in the end, I think we just have to have hope that Uchikoshi is pulling the reins for the gays since he seems to be more apt at handling queer characters and themes.

As for the context surrounding that image, it's a wild west for crack theories and educated guesses. I have several ideas for what the scene could be about, and I think Kodaka's comment in an interview (translated by the lovely Asaka-Lucy) of that moment being "one of the more intense scenes" could have implications. Kodaka says they just threw that art in the collage at their Tokyo Game Show booth to cause a stir, so I don't truly know if it connects to all the art of character deaths alongside it. Yet the main theory that's come to my mind is that this is a dream Takumi is having after Eito permanently dies (for one reason for another, most likely while out exploring beyond the Undying Flames). It would explain why Takumi looks so... indifferent. Distant. He's staring into the misty eyes he'll never get to catch a glint of an inspired sparkle again, grazed by the gentle touch of bony fingers he'll never get to entwine between his own again. He's lost a future he'll never get to share with someone he cared so deeply for. War does not allow for intimacy. Vulnerable feelings let old and new wounds blossom so they can be ripped apart at the seams and reveal corrupted insides. It's not fair.

There's a best case scenario hiding within those 100 endings. We just have to fight for it.

[solarsimblr]

I didn't get a good screenshot of it happening, so consider this a second pop post! And that's where we'll leave Noemi for now. She's the final household, so the season summary's up next!

But first, a novel-length confession. Under the cut because it's not super important to read, just kinda funny if you like hearing about the process of playing this old-ass game, but: most of these screenshots are actually from the second time I played Noemi's round.

I lost my first playthrough to corruption—actual corruption, with sims turning invisible, family trees getting messed up, certain lots throwing nonstop errors. It was 100% my fault for duplicating a bunch of character files while messing around in SimPE.

The funny thing is, the first time around, Noemi also ended up pregnant under very unexpected circumstances, but the father was a random townie. When I realized I needed to replay the round from a backup, I planned to redo everything as closely as possible and just have Noemi hook up with that townie again at her party.

But on my second playthrough, that townie didn't show up to the party, even though he did on the first. Nothing really happened at that first party, just some dancing and questionable conversations, but him flaking on Noemi the second time had a butterfly effect on ACR, I guess, and led to the disaster I've ended up with instead :')

I don't love that I've played two different versions of this round—it feels like cheating! Despite the drama being interesting, it definitely dampened my enthusiasm for playing for a while, because I struggled to view the current version as being canon, if that makes sense? It shattered the illusion of my sims being consistent tbh.

I've gotten over it now, but this (along with other discussions around the TS2 community in recent months) has also encouraged me to rely less on ACR and wants-based gameplay in the future, because I've realized I like certain events/choices in my game to be more deterministic lol and it's wild that one rando making alternate plans for his day could literally change the fate of two playable families.

Anyway! Moral of the story, back up your neighbourhoods, don't copy and paste character files if you don't know what you're doing, and brace yourself before letting a romance sim throw a party even (or especially) if you think you know what's going to happen.

See ya'll next season! 🫡

[jeanniebug623]

I don’t know if the spark is coming back or I’m just trying to disassociate from reality, but here comes another chapter of Wild Son. I’m really excited to get to the point Spider comes into the story. 🕷️

Chapter 2: Raise A Glass

”Miii-llleeesss.” Paz said for the fifth time in a sing-songy tone to snap Miles out of this crazy ass woman from claiming he had a son . With her.

Miles may not have a high body count, at least when it came to the bedroom, but he’d had his share of relations with women. Relationships, however, were even less. He had more one night stands than solid relationships and it suited him just fine. It wasn’t a fear of responsibility or commitment…it was a fear of not being able to control something.

Then again, he could easily whip a son into shape the same way as a new recru-…

Miles finally snapped out of that hypothetical scenario and grabbed the wrist attached to the hand Paz was waving in front of his face.

”Out.” Miles said lowly and monotone without emotion.

”Wha-?!” Paz said as her petite frame was jerked forward towards the door they’d just come through less than ten minutes ago. She grabbed onto his hand with her free one, trying to pry his iron grip off her green-tipped fingers. “Miles! Wait! Please!”

”Get out, Paz. You show up out of fucking nowhere and spew this bullshit story?” Miles snarled as he continued to pull her with ease.

”Miles, it’s not bullshit! Please ! I wouldn’t have come here if I had any other choice.” Paz growled right back as her temper started to flare. She had been reciting calming mantras in her mind on repeat since she first stepped foot back in the States up until the colonel stepped into that coffee shop.

”We’re even, Paz, we got nothing left between us. I can’t drop everything to play your fucking games.” Miles continued as he glared back at her as he grabbed the handle to the apartment’s main door, “Good luck to ya but if you think I’m dropping everything to save your bastard kid, you-…”

Paz was always quick.

Much quicker than Miles.

The feisty ex-merc was fast enough to twist her snared wrist in a way Miles felt her thumb dislocate as she slipped it through his fingers. An audible ‘pop’ let him know it was back in place when she wound her arm back and sent a jaw-rattling crack to the right side of his mouth. Before Miles could even realize she’d punch him, Paz shoved him back against the door and moved right up in his face.

”Don’t you DARE call my SON that!” Paz shouted loud enough for at least the neighbors who shared walls with Miles to hear. Her face was flushed with anger like he’d never seen before, not even during their worst fights. Before he could reclaim his personal space, she pushed him again and she backed up and choked on a sob.

Miles had NEVER seen Paz cry. He wasn’t sure the woman even had tear ducts.

She clumsily wiped her nose on her sleeve and her breath shook as she tried to inhale. Even without the full breath, she spoke as she cried, “Spider is the best thing that ever happened to me and I’m sorry I had to RUIN your life by telling you this, but I wouldn’t BE HERE if I didn’t need YOUR HELP!”

Miles just stared at the woman as the sharp pain in his check spread an ache through the whole side of his face. She could always throw a punch as good as she could take one…all part of the trade as Paz would put it.

”I’ve been awake for over 72 hours, chased rumors across four continents, called in EVERY SINGLE FAVOR I had left! All to find the reason I wake up everyday. There’s no one left in my ledger, Miles, NO ONE! It is so soaked with blood you couldn’t read the ink anymore.” Paz managed to clearly say through the tears as they started to drip off her chin, “Someone, somehow , has learned you are his father. And whoever figured it out gave it to someone from your list…your old list…”

Miles stared, jaw aching and stunned by the emotional outburst. He still had his doubts about being the kid’s father, but there was more to the story. Paz knew, or possibly knew, who might have her kid. That by itself made his code of honor internally reprimand himself for trying to kick out this woman who risked crawling out of the shadows just to ask him for help…

Finally, after minutes of Paz composing herself, Miles asked quietly, “Who do you think has your boy…?”

A sad smirk tugged on a corner of Paz’s mouth as she answered, “Oh, you’re gonna love this part…”

Miles narrowed his eyes slightly. He did have enemies. It was hard not to in his line of work, but he also had a lot of protection behind a desk. He did plenty of years with his boots on the ground and gun in his hand. He could still run drills with the best of them and put punk kids half his age to shame on the courses.

”Who is it, Paz?” Miles asked calmly, cupping his chin in between his thumb and forefinger to shift his jaw back and forth.

”Mister Merciless himself…” Paz said, a smile on her face but anger boiling behind her eyes, “John Mercer.”

Miles stared at the woman like she had twelve heads. Just what the fuck had she been smoking to make a bold statement like that? Sure, the man had a cold reputation to those who knew them but he was nothing more than a stuffed shirt in front of the cameras promoting the RDA’s outreach programs to third world countries. John Mercer’s obsessive nature was as meticulous as his own. Possibly even worse in some aspects.

”John Mercer…” Miles repeated and Paz nodded. They stared at each other in silence for a few moments before asking, “The same John Mercer sitting at the same table as me every month for staff meetings on foreign relations.”

”Sounds boring as hell, but yes.” Paz answered as she nodded again.

”Bullshit.” Miles said.

Like most people in the RDA, John Mercer was no angel and did some shit frowned upon by hippies and protesters. But nothing illegal.

”No, Miles, what’s bullshit is opening schools in countries that don’t ask for them and getting pissy when the kids don’t show up. He did a real bang up job with Con-1. Emphasis on ‘con’…” Paz hissed with a sour expression while crossing her arms.

”TAP Con-1 was a failed experiment, but TAP is still going strong. It’s also outside my jurisdiction, but I know John enough that he wouldn’t compromise the program with the recent successes.” Miles said flatly as he started making his way to the kitchen with Paz on his heels. He pulled open the freezer door and rummaged around until he found the only form of ice available: a silicone mold with two by two inch cubes perfect for the occasional relaxing glass of the whiskey.

”TAP Con-1 was a failed experiment because of you, Miles.” Paz said insistently as she watched Miles put a cube on a dish towel before taking a meat tenderizer to it to break it down.

“If I remember correctly, Paz.” Miles started as he pressed the bundle of ice to his cheek as he leaned back against the counter to stare her down. Like this woman could ever be intimidated. He raised a brow as he continued to say, “It was your mysterious tip that somehow made it into my briefcase one morning 16 years ago that fucked over Con-1.”

”Someone owed me a favor.” Paz said nonchalantly.

”A favor that turned out to be undeniable evidence that children were being kept at the school against their will.” Miles said to remind her, “If Mercer’s got a bone to pick with anyone, it would be you.”

Paz shook her head with a slight eye roll before planting a hand on her curvy hip and saying, “You know it was more than that, but he was never on my list. I didn’t do anything to the prick. It was all you when it came to the legal shit and getting it shut down.”

”How do you know YOU aren’t on his list?” Miles asked, wondering why he was humoring the theory that an RDA official would kidnap an ex-mercenary’s son to get back at the alleged father. She went quiet for a moment and, for the first time, he thought he’d made Paz speechless. But it didn’t last very long.

”Trust me, babe…” Paz said almost silently, “…if I was on John Mercer’s list? There wouldn’t be a John Mercer anymore…”

Goddamn.

Miles forgot how Paz could go from happy-go-lucky to cold-blooded killer fast enough to give whiplash.

”You can go ahead and ‘arrest me’ for making a threat against an RDA goon, but he started this. He has my son , Miles. OUR son. If you don’t want to get your hands dirty, that’s fine. But I need you to point me in the right direction.” Paz said without an ounce of emotion. She was all business now.

Miles stared at his old flame long and hard. The longer he looked, the more he saw. Paz looked exhausted, making sense to her claim of not sleeping a few days, but it wasn’t just physical. She was at her wits end and ready to fight or shoot her way through anyone who stood between her and her boy.

If there was anything he remembered about this woman after all these years was that she wasn’t a liar. Paz might like to play games to the point of pissing him off, but when it came time to be serious? She was a stone cold soldier and didn’t stop until the job was done. There had to be some truth to what she was saying…even if it did all sound like bullshit paranoia from a sleep-deprived mama bear itching to get her claws bloody.

”Ok…” Miles finally said, “I’ll see if John’s been up to anything he shouldn’t be. Any trips out of the country, unregistered cargo or supply trains to TAP sites…but it’s going to take me a few days.”

”Miles, please-…” Paz said urgently but was interrupted by Miles slamming the towel of ice down on the counter. She sighed but stayed quiet, even as he threw his pointer finger in his face.

”You came to me, Paz, so let me take over. I can’t go into his office, guns blazing, demanding he tell me if he kidnapped some kid I never knew I had with an ex-merc, you got it?” Miles growled as he stared into Paz’s defiant eyes.

Reluctantly, Paz answered, “Sir, yes, sir.”

”Good.” Miles snapped, content to have a bit of control in the chaotic turn of events. He placed the ice back to his cheek and cursed under his breath.

”He’s only fifteen…” Paz said quietly as she closed her eyes to avoid letting anymore tears fall.

”If the kid’s anything like you, he’ll be just fine…” Miles said with a sigh, “If anything, he’d gone through half a dozen guards just by being a pain in the ass.”

Paz let out a little snort of a laugh then let out a long exaggerated sigh before moving forward to open the corner cabinet beside him. She had to get all the way up on her tippy toes to reach a crystal decanter of some damn good whiskey. Miles didn’t stop her, opting instead to watch her eventually get her fingers around the neck and pull it out.

”How long you been fucking watching me?” Miles asked, that initial concern from the coffee shop of being watched coming back. He lived in a different city on the other side of the country the last time Paz was in his life.

”Only at the cafe.” Paz answered as she set the whiskey down and opened a different cabinet to retrieve two glasses. She went about retrieving ice and placing a large cube in each glass before pouring them each a drink. Her hand was out extending him the drink as she turned around. “But you, babe, are a creature of habit. Everything has to be in its proper place.”

Miles was hesitant at first to take the drink. Aside from the broken protocol of only enjoying a glass in the evening on weekends and not at 9:00am on a Tuesday, he had to ask himself…what the hell did he just agree to?

But the stuck-up, by-the-book colonel took the glass of whiskey from his crazy, ex-mercenary ex-girlfriend and they clinked the glasses together before toasting their agreement.

To find Paz’s, and supposedly Miles’s, son.

Spider.

[ryehouses]

oh yeah I finished veilguard yesterday! #thots under the cut:

the good:

combat in this game was so fun for me. I went spellblade with a touch of ice magic and by the end was ROCKING it. great time. the camera tracking was an issue but more on that later

spite. is. my. friend. I love that weird little guy. what a character. in general there were some really excellent moments: the whole sequence of going through a mental ossuary with spite as a metaphor for trauma. kal sharok. bellara's story was lovely. the whole crew gathering around to talk shit about solas' worst memories. EMMRICH.

dorian made it and is now presumably fucking my inquisitor adras in the fantasy capitol building or whatever. good for them.

I enjoyed getting to see different parts of thedas. the environments were nice and varied and felt like their own distinct places to me. I resent visiting the deep roads AGAIN but i'll get over it.

I romanced lucanis and spite's little wings popping out to cover us up as we tenderly kissed upon the eve of battle or whatever was an excellent touch.

I like that all of my companions felt like my friends by the end of the game, not just my coworkers. it was cute that they formed their own relationships outside of rook as well.

some of the lore you found in pages and notes and things was WILD and I enjoyed picking up every single piece of paper that I found.

the crossroads were cool as hell. felassan was a piece.

GRIFFONS. BABY GRIFFONS. I LOVED THEM.

....if solas had started way back in dai by turning into a giant nightmare wolf, I would've been way more forgiving of, like, every single choice that he made. my brother in the evanuris, you could've been a nightmare dog this whole time? you made me fight TEN DRAGONS across all of thedas with your bald little ass casting weak little barriers, and you could've been huge and biting them and shit this whole time?

the bad:

wow was the final act of this game rushed as fuck

actually really everything about half of the way through act 2 and beyond was fucking rushed. I felt like I could see where storylines had been cut short or thrown aside wholesale, and did not care for it.

i think that the devs inflated the stakes so high during act 1 and 2 that they kind of... did not know where to go in act 3, and it shows.

hated that only like three choices from inquisition mattered to the plot. hate that. if incorporating choices from previous games is going to be too difficult, good news! you have literally 930 years of thedan history and multiple crises to choose from as a setting. set a story during a different blight. during the rise of the andrastian religion. during the qunari first invasion. anything.

it doesn't bother me that my companions and the people around us are nice in general, but it does bother me that almost any potential for conflict between companions, between rook and their companions, between factions, anything, had been removed.

the camera tracking sucked ass and I got whacked multiple times because the camera spun me around and I couldn't see an attack well enough to dodge

dodging was also a major combat strategy in this game and while it wasn't super annoying for me as a mage, my wife is running a rogue rook at the same time and having to dodge every 2 seconds fucked up her momentum

and my biggest irritation: why are we fucking up southern thedas and Kirkwall off screen and in notes from the inquisitor? that was. infuriating.

[hopeymchope]

I've finished playing through Another Code Recollection!

You can see my thoughts on the "Two Memories" part in this first post on the topic. But now we've got to talk about how they handled "A Journey into Lost Memories."

A lot of North American players probably never experienced the Wii original. But as big lover of CING's games, I soft-modded my Wii and imported the European release of "Another Code R." And I loved the CRAP out of it. They really took the innovative puzzles of the DS original and took them to a new level with the Wii Remote.

So. How does the "Recollection" version of ACR fare by comparison?

As I expected after playing through Two Memories, the new puzzles in the "Recollection" version of ACR are a lot simpler than the original. These are more typical to what you find in adventure games and less, shall we say, experimental. There's not nearly as much effort put into using the Switch's unique form/functionality in unexpected ways, but I still had fun solving them. I even got momentarily stymied by two of them this time! The "Two Memories" remake only ONCE had me stuck like this, so I really think they gave "A Journey into Lost Memories" a bit of escalated challenge, and I appreciate it!

Similar to how they removed the bad ending from "Two Memories," they took out some of the possible branches/decisions in ACR for this remake. You no longer have any means by which to identify/describe your lost bag to Dan, ultimately affecting whether you get it back later in the game; the path to retrieving your bag is now different and linear. The subplot where Ashley is briefly accused of robbing the guesthouse also only has ONE solution now. In the original ACR, if you were clever enough to snap a picture of Matthew in the back room while peeking through the blinds, you could actually bypass the entire "prove your innocence" semi-puzzle by just showing that photo to Tommy. But you can't pull out your camera during that part of the story in the remake, so you have to deal with the puzzle no matter what.

3. I positively love the redesign of Janet??? What a glow-up! They added some much-needed diversity into this one with her and Ranger Dan's new look, too. You can tell that both Janet and Dan are now people of some color.

4. The biggest shock is just how much Recollection changed the story of ACR. This is most notably present in how everything wraps up and comes together at the end. Matthew's storyline is NOT left hanging for a future game to pick up this time... he gets closure, though I admit the actual "solution" to his mystery doesn't quite add up and feels a little half-assed. But I understand that the devs had their hands tied a bit here... how do you end his storyline when you don't have a whole other game to expound upon the answers and you ALSO don't want to spend a ton of time destracting further from Ashley's own plotline? It's a tough situation.

5. The biggest change is undoubtedly Ryan Gray. Without spoiling anything, I'll just say that Ryan's entire backstory is now different and MUCH more sci-fi in nature. It gets pretty wild! It does at least tie into the resolution to Matthew's storyline, although he also loses some of what made his ending so satisfying in the process. But in fairness, he also GAINS something: Ryan becomes more a sympathetic presence and far less of an emotionally detached person in this version of the story. However, unlike in the original ACR, Ryan no longer leads us to learning the ultimate mastermind behind all the tragedy in the series. Which is... a hell of a choice to make, because now it's kept very VAGUE who the actual mastermind was. I'm not sure if the game actually says who it is (one person is clearly implied to be responsible, but... ) or just leaves it vague for a possible future installment. But shit, if you were gonna do that why not just leave Matthew's storyline the same at that point... ?

6. There are other small changes throughout, of course. Most of them have no real impact on the storytelling to me, but personally, I really missed the scene where Ashley talks to Matthew about D from the first game after Matthew first witnesses a ghost. It's a great moment I wish they'd kept. Also, a funny change is that the characer of Sam Hillman - who never really did jack shit in the original game - is just straight-up removed now. Janet gets a slightly expanded role that lets her step into Sam's position instead. Sorry/not sorry, Sam. LOL.

7. It is once again impossible to overstate the value of the enhanced presentation. The voice cast does an absolutely amazing job throughout, and the more detailed facial animations give Ashley so much more SASS than she ever had before. I fucking LOVE it.

8. The ending credits had me literally choking up... just like the end credits of the original ACR did, but in a totally different way. The montage of beautiful artwork and that pencil-style animation of Ashley feeling hopeful and full of joy is just... SO beautiful. Seeing Ashley in her original outfit from ACR! Seeing Matthew with his dad! Seeing Charlotte's extended family! KYLE FUCKING HYDE cameo appearance! (So glad to see MORE confirmation of the shared CING universe.) That ENDING SONG - so beautiful and touching!!! LOOOOOOVE.

9. Ultimately, if you asked me "Is it better to play the original Trace Memory/Another Code games or just play Recollection?" I'd say "Yes." I can't honestly decide if I love this revision or the originals more, so just PLAY ASHLEY'S GAMES. The story is better presented and the dialogue is better-written here, but I prefer the puzzles and small branches/choices in the originals. But either way: They're beautiful, satisfying stories that, even when they're sometimes predictable, are still thoroughly worth experiencing and full of delightful characters and touching resolutions. I want more people to love these characters as much I do. JUST PLEASE PLAY.

10. #AshforSmash6 :D

[polyhexian]

Sooooooo now that we've all been introduced to and cried over Tell-no-lies and Caitlyn, they're fair game for AUs, right?

Okay, tbh I don't have many ideas for them at the moment, cuz their story was short and happened so far back in the timeline that there isn't much information to work with and it's hard to gauge what the ripple effects would be by the time we get to the canon era.

HOWEVER. It's really easy to imagine them in the Pregnant Belos AU. The inherent crackiness excuses their impossible survival and lack of ripple effects caused by it, so canon can remain unchanged until they just…pop up.

Like, imagine they escaped and disappeared and now they're, like, an old couple living incognito on the farthest toe. They never joined up with any other rebel movements, partially because of the baby, partially because Tell was right and resistence is futile, partially because there just AREN'T any movements to join. But there's other ways to rebel, like teaching wild magic to the next generation and making sure your community is so inconvenient to reach that the coven system never takes hold, so Caitlyn contents herself with that.

So like, they're old. They have at least one adult kid. They have multiple grandkids. They've lived decent lives and have regrets and don't like the current political situation but they're making do with what they've got.

And then all of a sudden the news cycle and social media are all buzzing about THE GOLDEN GUARD CHEATED ON THE EMPEROR AND RAN AWAY WITH THEIR BABY.

Caitlyn side-eyes Tell while he's staring at a news article, because she knows he's been low-key keeping an eye on every new Golden Guard who's cropped up. "Well," he says, chewing on this VERY UNFORESEEN turn of events, "that's…new." Though he's probably also like, okay, well, if they're a COUPLE that explains how this one lasted 12 freaking years when some of the others between him and Tell only lasted one or two. OKAY THEN. DIDN'T KNOW THAT WAS A POSSIBILITY.

He is also highly entertained by how uncomfortable Belos obviously is with this entire media circus. He is definitely enjoying this schadenfreude.

But then a few years later some gossip rag publishes a photo with the headline FINALLY, OUR FIRST LOOK AT PRINCE HUNTER (an attempt was made to crop the photo so viewers wouldn't be subjected to the image of Hooty, barrelling straight towards the photographer with an open maw of teeth lining far down his throat, but it wasn't very successful).

Tell stares at the picture of this adorably confused little 4-year-old and says, "Caitlyn, the lost prince is another Grimwalker."

Caitlyn looks at the owl monstrosity coiled around the child and says, "That's Hooty."

A week later, Eda hears Hooty shrieking with uncontainable joy, and she opens her door to find a pair of very familiar-looking strangers on the other side.

"Hi," says Caitlyn, "I'm your long-lost aunt, and this is my husband, who we think might be related to some of your housemates…?"

At which point Jasper comes onto the scene like "Yeah no I don't have any family, so you can take your livestreamer asses and--oh my FUCKING TITAN."

And then they're just like. Eda and Jasper/Hunter's extended family who pop up for a visit whenever it's hilarious. Dell is both extremely happy to have his sister back and extremely uncomfortable with her choice of partner. At some point the paparazzi get a photo of the Grimwalkers and Caitlyn eating ice cream and the gossip rags are like OMG ARE THOSE THE GOLDEN GUARD'S PARENTS?? Prince Hunter certainly takes after that side of the family! Now it makes sense why the Golden Guard moved in with the Owl Lady, he's clearly of Clawthorne descent!

Somewhere in the castle Belos is screaming, crying, and throwing up. Lilith is also possibly having a crisis when she puts it together that the mystery Clawthorne woman is her aunt and therefore Jasper might be her COUSIN. WHAT? WHAT??

The gang probably does nothing to dispel these assumptions, cuz like. It's another layer of protection against anyone figuring out the Grimwalker thing. But idk if Hunter would grow up calling Caitlyn and Tell his grandparents, like Dell and Gwen, or if they'd be his great-aunt and -uncle instead. Omg but he TOTALLY calls Tell and Dell the same name for like, a solid year, until he gets the difference between T and D down.

Eda would get along GREAT with Caitlyn, obviously. Darius and Caitlyn could be good friends too, I feel like they'd bond over the whole "loving an escaped Golden Guard and raising a child together" thing. Idk about Jasper and Tell? On the one hand it's like, Tell escaped but didn't help any other Grimwalkers out. In the eventually au Jasper is pissed at Lilith for ignoring the obvious child soldier, but in Runaway he very much ran off and didn't care about Will. I guess Jasper and Tell would've been in nearly the same situation here, running off to protect their family, so maybe they'd bond over the commonality.

Except for, y'know, the very obvious differences.

"Y'know," Tell says, perusing the VERY long list of blocked keywords and websites in Jasper's scroll settings, "when Caitlyn and I were on the run looking for a safe place to raise a family, it never once occurred to me to be grateful that no one was making podcasts and fanfiction about us. Never even crossed my mind. I'm going to be actively grateful for that from here on out."

"Yeah," Jasper nods, "if ONE MORE PERSON mistags their stupid AMV 'for reach', I'm going to vaporize their house."

GOD THATS SO FUNNY THOUGH. Dell like YOURE ALIVE??? YOU MARRIED A GRIMWALKER???????? jasper like sick, my survivors guilt just got a little less bad. Hunter getting a new cousin/sibling/whatever even like WOO MY COLLECTION

[bulletbilltime]

Pikmin 4 verdict: Ok this is gonna be the best game in the series isn't it

Stray thoughts below:

SPOILERS FOR THE PIKMIN 4 DEMO BELOW

The caves are... actually interesting and well designed?? no more half-assed roguelike random cave attempts (sorry pik2 fans but that game's caves just cannot compete IMO)

That being said... I'm a bit disappointed so far that we're only seeing the same styles of caves as Pik2. They do look gorgeous though, mind you.

Industrial Maze was such a cool cave, simply by virtue of actually having a proper puzzle it's already my favourite cave in the series not named Submerged Castle.

Oatchi my beloved!!! he actually works way better with the game flow than I expected when I first saw him in the trailer. He doesn't feel too overpowered; he's basically an upgradable super pikmin but he doesn't ever particularly feel like he truly outshines the actual Pikmin. (Maybe he could if he gets all the upgrades but

YOU CAN FUCKIN MOVE BASES I'M FSBGFJKSHSAJKDLHS I WAS PRAYING TO THE GODS WE'D GET AN OPENWORLD PIKMIN GAME WITH MULTIPLE BASES AND IF THIS IS AS CLOSE AS WE GET I'M FINE WITH IT

The 20 pikmin in the overworld thing might feel super limiting after being used to squads of 100 piks in the previous games... But honestly I think it's a very inspired design choice! It makes it so the early game stuff can still wreck your shit if you're not careful. You can't just easily roll up with a squad of 100 piks on day 3 and destroy everything in your path. It allows for your in-game character to become progressively more powerful which I think is more satisfying in the long run

I love how you don't just automatically get the onion upon finding new Pikmin types. Makes them feel more precious. Basically: the wild pikmin mechanic is really neat! And it could allow for the return of Purple/Whites without feeling too unbalanced.

"Olimar is the fuckin leaf boy" basically confirmed. Question is: what's with Moss? My current theory is parasite pikmin are involved.

And speaking of... the wild pikmin mechanic means we could possibly get overworld bulbmin if they add them... if this happens, I imagine the entire fandom will go nuclear (in a good way)

If you look through the controls, the Form Line controls basically confirms that you will obtain some form of SWARMING as an upgrade!!! C-STICK FANS REJOICE (The text mentions cardinal directions only but I feel like the odds are high that you will be able to actually swarm your crew with this mechanic. I'd say 70-30 odds of it being true. Don't quote me on that. But if true, then fuck yeah)

Honeywisp is back 🥹

Collecting raw material is so much fun, and

I feel like this game is really leaning on fan service, but also manages to balance it with new things to make it feel fresh!

Someone said it felt like all 3 previous games mashed together and yeah I absolutely get that feeling

Very disappointed that they only have the co-op star bits thing. This game in genuine co-op would rule.

So far the music of the game doesn't quite strike me quite as strongly as the themes from the previous games. Hopefully this will change with time.

Is this game like... an alternate timeline to Pikmin 1? Moss was definitely NOT in Pikmin 1, and the story segment seems to hint that Olimar met Moss during that first crash... Giving the "bad ending" theorists more food IMO.......

This game really, really drags out the wait between Y/N landing on the planet and the first Pikmin huh. It felt a bit too much that you went through the first cave before even getting a single pikmin IMO.

I really like the crew in this game!! They're fun, though they do talk a lot and I could see that bothering some ppl.

Honestly I was super disappointed when I thought there were only 6 crewmates to find in the entire game... but then I found the first castaway and I was back to being excited

I like that you have a little base to meet ppl and discuss tasks!

One of the castaways I saved wrote notes on the Treasures I collected. This implies that we will probably get a biologist who will make notes on the creatures 👀

TL;DR: July 21st can't get here fast enough. The 2 hours or so I've played of this game is already my GOTY and it could genuinely challenge for GOAT (game of all time) if it sticks the landing with the rest of the game.

[ballcrusher74]

hi. I'm interested to hear of the fellas.

🎥LCLethal Company/CCCleanup Crew bcs I'm curious

💔Roblox but I like hearing about stuff so any would do

💎Any, but I'd like to hear of Abstrakt or Metanoia if anyyyy— :³

💕Anything that might not get as much attention otherwise I guess

OK SO

🎥 I think for the base game, it was def the reveal of the nutcracker in the update trailer. That shit still affecting me to this very day. As for CC stuff, that's a really hard choice... There was a thing where Brain was outside the ship, Faux walked by and kinda flicked his head at him (like the kinda flick you do to say 'what's up') and then just.. walked away. I don't know why but that's a little funny to me, but for a GENUINE scene- I think it would have to be when Dopey and Inspector first fought on Offense, WAYYY back in the beginning of CC. 💔 I actually don't know for this one because there's a lot of characters that come from Roblox games, but then there's also weird like. Roblox lore relevant guys and a bunch of other baloney. I think least favorite here though would have to be Folly from Regretevator, maybe because it feels like she just kinda. came out of leftfield? Idk, I don't hate her, I just don't really hold much interest (but that also goes for the game in general now) 💎Did you know about Quasi stars being hypothetical stars that existed in the beginning of the universe and are cool ass stars powered by a fucking black hole in the center of it? It's when a protostar collapses into said blackhole, and the outer part of the protostar being so big enough to not immediately fall into the black hole or being blown away. There's a lot more mumbo jumbo that has to do with the blackhole at the core being the energy source of said star because of material falling into it and creating energy, but I feel like if I sit here and try to proper explain this with scientific terms then my head and your head will explode in due time. anyways I really like space and stars and stuff ( Also I think I've shared as much Metanoia and Abstrakt shit as I can rn so OOPS ) 💕HOOOUH. HOOUH OK. There's a couple that could go here honestly. Lewis Pepper (MSA), Herobrine (Minecraft), Null (BBIEAL), Red (BRC), KAngel (NSO), The Nutcracker (LC)- but really I do think one of these fellas take the cake.

Herobrine.

Despite the fact that his original story is literally just the play on the dead brother trope, despite the story being so short, literally despite everything- this guy has been sticking with me ever since I was a wee little creepypasta fanboy, lurking over my shoulder. It doesn't help with the discovery of White Eyes and the original Copeland stream being found that this has fueled the fire even more. There's something so alluring about the mystery behind him, but also with how malleable his character is because there... really isn't a canon way to portray him. Sure, he's just a little stalker, but that's all we really knew. He's just a husk to free form and I think that's why I like him a lot. I like seeing all different interpretations of him, I love seeing the creativity this white eyed freak brings, and I love seeing the stories people weave based on this crusty ass picture.

Sure, the other characters I listed have either better and more creative designs or well thought-out and complex stories and I still do adore them very dearly, but there's just something about Herobrine that I don't think any other character could do, and for him to stick around with me for this long is fucking wild dude.

[andmaybegayer]

Last Monday of the Week 2023-11-13

Snack time

Listening: Recommendation from The Friends after movie night, Czech Cultural Anthropologist and Weird Synth Guy Ventolín. This song is MHD, an ode to the public transport network.

It kicks ass and I will brook no argument.

Reading: I finally reestablished my RSS reader and got digging into Tons Of Bullshit I have not been reading for a long time. It also makes me much more eager to explore new blogs since I can add them to a collection, one of which was Soatok's bias-affirming (for me who has used ed25519 for years now) rundown of elliptic curve cryptographic algorithms.

Yes boss I assure you I'm looking at this blog of a blue anthro dhole for work reasons. A customer asked for guidance on key replacement.

Watching: Troll 2, at Bad Movie Night with the friends. A very well put together movie held back by not being a very good movie. A lot of fun to watch.

Really solid makeup work going on in this movie. The troll queen's actor is really having a great time playing a sexy evil goth character.

Playing: Getting back into In Other Waters. I was starting to tear through the story a little and was like "huh I should go check out this rock outcropping" and stumbled onto an entirely new ecosystem that I had not encountered before and ended up bringing back a full load of samples to analyze.

The game does a really great job of explaining the surface appearance of the ecosystem while leaving some of the deeper interactions as speculation, that makes it feel a lot like reading actual research literature about ecosystems. Even when you've filled out the folio on a species you've only just scratched the surface of why it is the way it is, you've fully described its behaviours but that's not near complete.

Making: Diwali over the weekend, so lots of confections. Making a lot of these start to finish for the first time, since I'd usually be in a production line at home.

It went well and involved some interesting problem solving, such as 3D printing a forming die for one of the snacks that needs to be squeezed into noodles directly into hot oil.

Tools and Equipment: Online RSS readers. My last RSS reader was a local affair on my PC and that's fine, but it runs into annoying limitations if you want to read while away from your desk. I would often read comics or blogs while out and then have to come home and manually clear them from my reader.

I'm now self-hosting FreshRSS but you don't have to do that, you can just use one of the many cloud readers. This way I have one reading list always syncing in the background and available on my phone, PC, laptop, work laptop, and anywhere else I want.

[dirtyoldmanhole]

time for analyzing the absolute most freak-ass set of supports i have ever seen nintendo handle (affectionately)

A-support first since this got overly long, and i also touch on the JP versions as well.

half meta analysis, half lengthy shitpost because.

well ~

Last time in the Gunter/Corrin support train, we learned that Gunter used a little toy ball to coax Corrin out from her shell post the mind wipes when she was as skittish as a kitten, and then in the B support, Gunter/Corrin played catch again for the first time.

A little odd, but fairly tame. Here though ..... :')

(pardon me for the different "Corrin" look -- i ripped these screenshots off of a youtube version b/c i was lazy about not getting into the game proper) god do you know how many random ass files i have as reference for gunter JP/EN voicelines, JP/EN my room bits, transcripts, sprites, etc ... after this fic is done i'm totally making that fanshrine if only to stick all this shit in one place lol

anyway, corrin starts this bright and peppy and eager for more.

eyebrow waggle-/shot

cute. :D

(the stretching's cute, too. like, more seriously, this isn't just wind-down/playtime, you can tell he's always incorporated this subtly as part of her training, likely modifying some soldier's training in a manner a little bit more befitting of her.)

they keep going...

Corrin: Ready as I'll ever be! There's no way I'm missing one of your throws! Gunter: All right, then. Here we go. Corrin: And easily caught. I have to say, Gunter, you have excellent form and follow-through. You know, I just remembered… Wasn't this ball made from a whip? Gunter: It was indeed. A pretty odd choice for material, I know… Corrin: Gunter… Would you be willing to tell me a few stories from when I was growing up? I still have a lot of holes in my memory from when I was little. Gunter: Of course. But you'll have to pay attention to the ball at the same time!

i do find it interesting garon was keeping tabs enough on corrin to have opinions on how she was being raised, but not close enough that she has any recollection of him.

now for an absolutely wtf level of fridge horror: there's a part of the same JP lines above that made me sit way the fuck up.

Gunther: Of course. Then, as we’re playing… On that day, King Garon was in an incredibly terrible mood… He handed me this whip. He told me that until you were obedient, I was to continue whipping you.

"continue whipping" [record scratch] wait what the fuck

... i think that implies that garon was whipping corrin before she was she was sent to the tower?? man what the hell kind of life did corrin have between being kidnapped out of hoshido and before ending up in the northern fortress under gunter's aegis.

gunter's no saint, not in the least bit (i have sooooooo many issues with the side of fandom who thinks he's just a sweet wholesome old grandpa lmao lol looooooooooooool no), but damn did he sure protect her from the worst of krakenburg.

okay this is interesting

a) she doesn't trust her memory like, at all. it's wild to think that gunter's literally likely the one dude that remembers her early lived life the best considering her other retainers (jakob/flora/felicia) were kids even slightly younger than she was, the hoshidan siblings were really young as well, and no other playable nohrian character was around much other than the occasional visit, post her kidnapping.

it's a little terrifying to think about how (i guess, if you interpret the game that way?) anankos was possessing him way back when and had free reign around corrin. that's kind of why i'm not totally in love with that interpretation (that'd be the perfect time for anankos to take out/corrupt corrin. why didn't he?).

anyway

b) that 'closed off' line says a lot from him, considering Gunter's hardly a socialite, either. in fact their whole support chain was framed around corrin seeking him out because he starkly seeks out alone time so much that it's a little ... isolating.

so like, if mister 'nah i don't need to be around people' is saying that, sheesh. i dabble in it with this slowburn fic, but i could almost see corrin being selectively mute at times, and hiding from people days at a time.

their dynamic ain't normal by any means but you can see how that kind of early-stage trauma bonding on both of their sides would influence [gestures at] everything, you know?

gunter's not just a father("figure"). or just a combat instructor. or just a mentor, or later, just a lover -- he's something that's more, even all combined. there's a hardwired sense of trust and codependency that's seared into them from the get-go.

(it's fucked up! god it's fun to write though.)

so i ambled away from my computer at this line while screenshotting these and only afterwards realized that this out of context sounds like a goddamn porno LMAO

[whispers] what in the fuckity fuck nintendo

corrin, sweetie.....

...................how in the fuck are we supposed to read that with a straight face sjkhshajhjhjjh

lol. lmao.

okay [drags hands down face and cackles]

so this is right about where i really have to say i genuinely cannot see their (romantic) relationship being anything but a kink relationship. (and i say this in the fic notes but it's not the 'bdsm acronym pasta garbage' sense, and it's not in the 50 shades of grey cliche 24/7 M/s sense either, god i cannot fucking stand the cliche version of that shit. shoot me if i ever write that.)

and i say that for several reasons.

one - if you're shipping them, their mutual power dynamics are so hopelessly tangled between them and it's the one language -- in a way -- that they both "speak" later on that is uniquely equipped to handle a lot of that and the trauma junk from both of them in a private, loving, dignifying way. i genuinely mean that, too. rev's possession arc with him, corrin recovering from the mind wipes, etc. they're gonna have to face a lot of unpleasant shit together, and actively grappling at and mutually playing with those realities is, in a complex way, hell of a lot healthier than simply pretending it doesn't exist in the first place.

(two - metatextually i think nintendo intentionally encouraged a kink flavor to gunter/corrin because this ship does squick the fuck out of most other people and i'm not totally unsympathetic to that, so i think it's a way of quickly weeding out everyone except the folks who are genuinely here for this in an unironic sense. )

three - i already wrote up kink analysis re: gunter here lol (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ

four - and sorta on this note, what's interesting is... with a lot of kinksters i know, they knew they vibed differently in that way really early on, even as kids. like even in stupid silly make believe play games they'll tie up barbies in random ass ways or discover in a genuinely innocent way that they like specific sensations of pain they can control. later on as adults, a lot of times the brain wires go [bzzt] and suddenly the world of power or sensation play makes a hell of a lot more sense, and frankly, is a lot more fun in certian sexy arenas of life. sometimes it comes along with trauma junk, sometimes it doesn't, it's not a binary thing (as basically everything isn't).

THAT IS A LOT OF WORDS TO SAY corrin also inadvertently being wired that way and having these little semi-accidental lines doesn't actually surprise me that much. (i can also see this specific line being a little bit of a 'hrmm' flag for gunter in that she's not going to run away instantly screaming at the idea of playing these specific kinds of games, later on once when/if they're romantic)

am i projecting a little? fuck yes, that's what we're here for

Gunter: Indeed. I knew that striking you wouldn't ever get you to open up to anyone. So I came up with a different method - one that used this ball. I returned to your room sometime later, and I rolled the ball over to you. Corrin: Which I immediately picked up, examined, and threw back to you. Gunter: Oh, you remember this part? Good.

that actually is incredibly wholesome she remembers this part. ;a; you know gunter was always probably lowkey sad at her not remembering key parts of her childhood, regardless or not if it was moments between them or not.

wheeze

so did you know, treehouse actually neutered this down from the JP version which was straight up, i shit you not:

Gunther: …It’s nostalgic… It really is. Kamui: …How long has it been since? I’ve always considered you like my real father, Gunther-san.

l u l "real father"""""

i'm dying man

every single goddamn time i think this ship can't possibly get more fucked up IT DOES

YOU STRAIGHT UP MARRY YOUR DAD IN THE JP VERSION LMAO

it would be hilarious enough just knowing the whole existence of a (married) S-support coming up but coming right after the heels of that THE BALL WAS A WHAT realization.... hee

anyway here's the last chunk:

Gunter: You… You are much too kind. Ah, now look at what you've made me do. Corrin: Gunter! It's rare that you miss a catch. Gunter: My sincerest apologies. There was… something in my eye. Corrin: Getting sentimental in your old age? Hang on, I'll get you a handkerchief.

damn girl, 'sentimental in your old age'. you vicious! :D

it is horrible of me but every time i think about the end of this support i bust out HYSTERICALLY LAUGHING for a completely different reason since if you headcanon Gunter as always holding a flame for/romantically harboring feelings for Corrin-

CAN YOU IMAGINE WHAT HIS THOUGHTS WERE TO THAT ""FATHER" LINE LMAO

on one hand: 'i'm special to her :'))))'

on the other: [ O H K O ]

anyway half of what makes the A-support peak fridge-[everything] is the S-support right after ~ coming soon!

[chemicalplants]

i've been playing through the Unleashed recompilation on my steam deck and a couple hours in i have some thoughts

first off, it runs flawlessly on Deck and looks amazing. it's wild how well this game aged visually, and with reduced lag even on something as comparatively underpowered as the Deck, this is The definitive way to play this game, period. it's wild we have a flawless native PC port of this game, truly. what a labour of love.

this game's big issue in terms of making a first impression, in retrospect, is pacing. the pacing sucks ass at the start. for a game with a deliberately slimmed down, bare-bones, cartoony story (in reaction to the backlash against 06's story), it frontloads a lot of looong cutscenes. and yeah, the FMV is gorgeous and to this day some of the best 3D Sonic animation the franchise has ever had- but even that feels too long, and then the cutscenes keep GOING. if they wanted a back-to-basics plot, they needed snappy, short, punchy story cutscenes, and instead they go on forever.

and THEN, you get a daytime stage that gives you a brief look at 'hey, we have some great ideas for making 3D sonic really work'... before a slog of hub world stuff that feels way too padded for its own sake followed by an overlong night stage and the interminable Tornado stage. And then. ANOTHER NIGHT STAGE. Baffling choice. Daytime followed by night followed by day and then you do the hub world bit would have been forgiveable, but after one day stage the game feels like it just grinds to a halt, tbqh. it's just. not good. yes, the night stages are not as bad as they perhaps were thought of at the time, but the hyperbolic reaction is clearly influenced by the fact the game gives you a brief little 'hey, here's your Sonic game!' stage and then promptly acts like the Real Game is the werehog stuff, and with those stages being so long it really starts to feel like the game is trying to tell you this is what Unleashed really is. the first daytime stage almost feels like a cheeky little 'here's a classic Sonic level to set the scene before the game starts!' moment, which isn't truly the case but. bad, bad design choice, bad pacing, bad emphasis. it's so frontloaded with the game's worst parts.

the Tornado stage truly sucks ass. it's less repeated than the SA1 ones, but makes up for it by sucking so much more. i understood how QTEs worked after twenty seconds, game. come on.

still, if you can get through the rough pacing of the first section of the game (and playing a version not plagued by so much lag in the werehog stuff helps), it probably deserves the reevaluation as 'better than you remember', i think. it's not a masterpiece, but it's a solid 7/10 game with some genuinely good ideas in those daytime stages. and the werehog stages, when you know they aren't the entire game in retrospect, are- not amazing, but not totally devoid of fun either. they should be shorter and he should have snappier movement and attacks, and finding a better middle ground would have been ideal, but they can be fun when you get into the groove. for a bit.

and seriously, this game looks fucking incredible for its age. they pushed that engine to the limit. it looks better than fucking Frontiers, imo, because the art design truly carries it and lets it punch above its weight. i don't think a 3D sonic game would look this good again until Shadow Gens, tbh! the lighting design alone is often just incredible.

the human designs are too uhhhh. wannabe pixar though. i know it was such a big improvement over prior attempts we all point at it like 'do this!' but really. they still look. odd, often. i get the vision, but i far prefer the recent move back to an anime-ish vibe, ngl.

overall i would absolutely say that Unleashed Recompiled is clearly the way to play this game. in particular, i am playing unmodded because steam deck (it supports mods, i'm just lazy and it's a pain to get it running) but like. get the quality of life mods. much like Shadow 2005, mods that tweak it so the worst of the elements of grinding are balanced out will make this a wayyy better experience.

[theexaltedbride]

Dead Island 2 Slayers X Reader Headcanons (Part Two!)

(Since so many people liked the first one, and some even asked me for more, I decided to let my muse run wild again. Having a great time with the game so far and I hope you all enjoy the little stories that have sprung up from my playthrough and can have a good time with your favorite slayer(s). If you feel I missed any characters or areas it’s because I haven’t heard or seen them yet and I’m writing based on what inspiration comes to me.)

Amy:

-Amy won’t immediately admit it, but sometimes she wonders if she made the right choice in giving up her seat to other people on a previous evacuation flight. It can be hard to keep up the morale, but then you remind her that it was thanks to that which let the two of you meet, and that since then Amy (and the others) have saved so many innocent lives. Not only did Amy make the right choice, you remind her that so many people owe everything to her because of it.

-Sometimes she forgets to work out the kinks in her muscles, and likes to say that she can handle it. But when you put your hands on her and begin working the knots out of her shoulders and back, she melts into your touch and allows herself to be vulnerable with you.

-Always appreciates when you can bring her some chewing gum, especially if it has some good flavor to it or has a nice scent, so she can use it to ignore the rotting stench in the air around the zombies.

-Whenever you start humming or singing or playing the Rocky montage music it just causes Amy to laugh uncontrollably. It gives her that little bit more spirit, and she returns the favor by sometimes acting like a sports announcer when you are training in gym back at Emma’s mansion.

-She always loves giving you a quick peck of a kiss after a successful fight. If you want more you’ve got to catch her (good luck, she can easily run circles around you).

-Once when you were alone, she admitted it was always her dream to win the gold at the Paralympics, but that she’d happily give it up to spend the rest of her life with you safe and away from all the fighting and killing. Sometimes when she thinks no one is looking, she has a little cross she will pull out and use to pray, and she prays for your health and safety, and that if anything happens to her, that you will survive and heal from the loss of her.

Bruno:

-Nearly got shocked to death trying to charge his phone from a Shocking Walker, but you managed to shove them away with a rubber tire, and saved Bruno’s life, this is how you both met, and he gave you directions back to Emma’s mansion where the others could help him, he’s been on you like glue since then.

-If you let him, he will go on and on about whatever internet based shows or media he’s into, and will give your stuff at least a three episode try before he makes a decision of if he’s into it or not.

-Sometimes can get too far into Gen-Z slang when talking about you, to the point you have no idea what he’s saying, but from the joy in his eyes you know he cares about you and is praising you.

-He has dozens of music playlists saved on his phone, three of them are specifically tailored to you, for you, or which remind him of you.

-Over at the Goat Pen mansion he acted like a DJ and got on the mike, announcing to all the zombies that could hear about how amazing you are and how the Zeds better run because the two of you were gonna make today special by going for a world record in zombie kills. 

-Once got super pissed off when some influencer survivor started insulting your fashion choices and he practically spoke in tongues from how he swapped languages in his anger and just couldn’t even focus on his words. No one talks bad about his lover, especially not some fake ass industry plant looking influencer who sold out to the big companies before they even hit it big. 

Carla:

-Carla is proud of her size and strength, never missing a chance to boast about it, especially if you show signs of being into it. When you cuddle or sleep together, you are absolutely the little spoon, and sometimes she likes to joke about crushing your head between her thighs, but if you act like you like it she will start blushing hard and have no idea what to say next.

-She likes to boost your confidence by sometimes letting you one up her during a sparring match at the Gym back in Emma’s house. Half of fighting is keeping the proper mindset, and the other half is a mix of skill and training.

-If you complain too much about how hard it is building up your muscles she will make a challenge. If you can build up your muscle mass to a certain level without enhancers or other methods of cheating, then she will start training naked with you. Is she joking? You have to get those gains to find out!

-Carla likes to be on point when fighting Zeds, trusting you to have her back while she handles the bigger enemies up ahead. She always tells you to stand back whenever you encounter Crushers.

-Genuinely hates the insect swarm walkers, or any other infected covered in insects. More than once you’ve had to brush them off of her or tell her there is nothing crawling in her hair. She’s a little embarrassed about it, but prefers not talking about it and just crushing more Zeds under her feet.

-When the two of you sit together, Cala’s always putting an arm around you and keeping you close to her, and if she’s very relaxed then she will lean her head over on your own.

Jacob:

-Won’t admit it, but he’s got a thing for cowboys and you once caught him wearing some scavenged red cowboy outfit, with a hat and boots and belt, etc. He got so embarrassed when you found him, but brightened up once you played along and reassured him there was nothing to be ashamed of. There’s no dress code for the apocalypse, and so long as he is happy, you are happy.

-Jacob is absolutely the kind of guy to roleplay in the bedroom with you (especially if it feeds into his love for old Westerns), and will play along with your own fantasies if you play along with his. 

-If you have a major issue with his smoking he will try (emphasis on try) to get it under control, but you’re gonna have to get him a lot of nicotine gum or patches. Though you could also distract him from needing to smoke by sharing a kiss with him each time the urge hits him.

-Once you had a night terror (sadly common for everyone these days) while sleeping next to him, and his normally devil-may-care, class clown, demeanor dropped. He was incredibly gentle with you, asking you if you were okay, and willing to stay up all night, just holding you until you drifted off to a more comfortable sleep again. 

-Would love to introduce you to his family, but is a little nervous as he sometimes feels that you are too good for him, and could do better than him. A fear you always remind him is untrue. You love him no matter what.

-It is slowly becoming a thing for the two of you to try and one up each other with jokes, and while it aggravates the others to hear the constant comedy routine between the both of you, its the happiest either of you have been in a while. 

Ryan:

-Absolutely has a ‘Fireman’ voice he slips into (both consciously and unconsciously) when he’s trying to impress you or put you at ease. Gets a blush if you bring it up to him when he’s doing it unconsciously. 

-Is always happy to share stories with you about his brother, but sometimes he will get sad and worry his brother might be hurt or dead...or infected. Whenever those fears come, you chase them away with a firm hug, kiss, or a promise that his brother is okay and will be the best man at your wedding.

-Is the best hypeman of the entire group when it comes to working out at the gym and always knows what to say to help you complete a set and build up your strength for battles to come.

-Whenever you feel bad about your body, Ryan will remind you of how perfect you really are. With just a gentle hold of his hand, and the shine in his eyes, its as if you are catching a second wind when you were at your lowest point.

-Ryan actually ran through fire (thanks to having real firefighter’s pants and boots) to pull you out of danger, and pulled off a good fireman’s carry to get you to safety when some oil caught fire during a fight with the undead.

-Ryan sometimes likes to get a tan when the group takes a day off, and likes to make sure he stretches or does poses when he thinks you’re watching. Sometimes it works, and other times hilarity ensues.

General group headcanons:

-If you can convince the others to try a tabletop RPG together, Luciana will instantly jump in as the GM, though she seems to hate D&D for reasons she will not explain. (Bruno has a bet going that its because Andrea fell for the Satanic panic nonsense). But for just about every RPG out there Luciana has a PDF of it ready to go, even super obscure ones almost no one plays. She’s a big nerd about the lore, theories, and stats about each game and will go on about it till she’s too exhausted to talk.

-Bruno makes movie references and got Carla laughing when he once compared her to the character Byron from Mars Attacks when he started punching out a bunch of Martians single handedly because Carla had been doing the same against a swarm of weaker Shamblers and 1 hit KO’d almost a dozen Shamblers.

-Whenever someone in the group wants to get intimate, everyone else runs interference for them so they aren’t interrupted or ruin the moment.

-Andrea has started to warm up to you the most out of all the Slayers and sometimes packs you a lunch if you’re going to be out with the group for the whole day. 

-If you can find a proper mixtape of Sam B’s songs (even beyond ‘Who do you voodoo bitch?’) he will be in a good mood at someone recognizing his songs beyond his one-hit-wonder song.

Back at Emma’s Mansion: 

-There is a general rule of ‘No Politics’ at the safehouses. Everyone has their own opinion and tensions can run hot after a difficult mission, the last thing anyone needs is fists being thrown over idiot politicians thousands of miles away. (Given some of the encounters and revelations about influencers around Hell-A, this rule is also starting to apply to them too).

-You, Sam-B, and Luciana are the ones actually making notes in the Zompedia based on encounters you’ve all had and what you’ve observed in the field. Luciana wants to turn it into a real zombie survival guide.

-Elizabeth has a near encyclopedic knowledge of random facts and data from all the different books she’s read.

-Curtis will teach you how to shoot his hunting rifle, but make the shots count, he doesn’t have infinite bullets. 

-Carlos helps you with fixing your equipment and learning to clean it without cutting yourself. 

-While Amy is the most mature of the group and tries her best to set a good example, Dani is effectively becoming team mom. She’s rough around the edges but will tell you what you need to hear even if its a tongue lashing for having messed up. 

Movie Night:

-Amy loves picking Forest Gump and will always swear that the original book is a piece of shit, and that the movie is so much better.

-Bruno picks action or heist movies, or wants to watch HBO miniseries.

-Carla’s favorite choices are the Keanu Reeves John Constantine movie, or the first Matrix movie.

-Dani is into musicals. Laugh and she will smack you on the mouth. 

-Jacob loves anything that has a Wester/Cowboy vibe to it.

-Ryan has watched that old Disney version of John Carter of Mars like four times now. 

-Carlos loves sports movies, especially from the Rocky or Creed series of movies. Though he also has a soft spot for Stand and Deliver (1988), he might be convinces to watch BSG (2003) because it also has James Edward Olmos.

-Amanda the influencer is no longer allowed to pick movies.

-Curtis loves picking his own movies and sharing behind the scenes stories about cast and crew.

-Emma never watches her own movies, while Sam B only ever wants to watch Emma’s movies.

-Elizabeth picks movie adaptations of her favorite books, and then comments the entire time about how close or different it is to the book.

-Luciana picks the nerdiest movies you can imagine, but lately has been picking the Evil Dead series, and will totally geek out if anyone quotes Ash while killing zombies.

-Andrea loves historic dramas.

-You know your own choices. The hard part is finding unbroken DVDs in Hell-A and bringing them back to the safehouse to watch. Surprisingly Patton had a couple of them.

In Patton’s Safehouse: 

-Patton really appreciated you taking a gentle tone with him, without talking down to him like a child, or getting jumpy like he was going to bite you. For this he gave you a key to his bunker.

-Has a hidden popcorn machine he uses for when anyone actually sits to watch movies with him and tends to shush people if they talk too much. 

-After the end of the game, you and the other slayers turn his safehouse into a shelter for other survivors and a home away form home for you all. 

-You are very particular about making sure Patton’s safehouse is not messy, in case he ever comes back.

[asongoftinandfoil]

While rereading ASOIAF, I started keeping a Google doc with a catalog of every character. Yes, every. Or the ones with names, at any rate.

It started as a way to keep track of the Houses without flipping to the appendix every few pages, and the appendix only covers the major ones. I needed to be able to see the connections between the Glovers and Tallharts and Hornwoods and Manderlys without clicking through 10 wiki pages. So, the list.

And honestly? It's an eye-opening way to read a book. I think of Alice Oswald's reimagining of the Iliad, of reducing the text to a list of names that die. As a reader, I'm adjusting the catalog as I go. I had to italicize Eddard "Ned" Stark and add to his entry "killed by Ilyn Payne," after the bullet points that list his relationships and titles. I sort of got to experience the execution, in my own small way. I made the choice to list him as "alive" at the start, despite knowing his fate, and knowing that I would have to "kill" him later.

On a more macro sense, you see how and where the story grows and changes. The Night's Watch is one of the largest sections of non-noble names, along with the Winterfell household. There are also a lot of italics in those sections. (Just got through Chett's prolog so I'm prepared to wipe out even more.) The Essosi characters, divided into smaller lists based on ethnicity, are few and far between as of yet. There are markedly fewer women than men--which checks out, given how many monastic, all-male "take no wives and father no sons" orders there are in Westeros. It's gonna be biased toward dudes.

The first time I attempted this catalog (some years back, and I can't find the old doc), I hadn't meant to include any smallfolk. I just wanted noble houses with family trees I could follow for politics. But as the Night's Watch stuff ballooned, and I wanted to keep track of all the Dothraki with names I kept mixing up, my vision for it changed.

And I feel like that's the point of the series. Or a point. It's not just about the nobles. The story belongs to Clydas and Rakharo just as much as it does to, idk, Benfred Tallhart. (RIP my wild hare baby boy.) ASOIAF lures you in with the intrigue of nobility and politics and the so-called game of thrones--but it's more about learning to see people as people, to stop "othering" others. Wildlings and Dothraki and Mountain Clans and smallfolk and Will the poacher who went to the Wall for wanting to hunt large game but having the misfortune of being born poor--they're all people, and they all matter.

Anyway my neurodigergent ass loves lists and I recommend this method of slow reading.