#the writing in slay the princess is incredibly powerful and effective

[mmikmmik]

I kind of don't feel like getting the endings of Slay the Princess that don't involve Shifty and the Long Quiet having their final argument, followed by LQ agreeing to leave with her and their departure in their fully godly forms. I definitely don't want to kill her or starve her. And I guess I can see the appeal in the ending with the Princess and the Hero, but it doesn't feel like the right ending for me.

I think a big part of why I think of the Shfiting Mound as the "real" "love interest" is because I judged the Damsel a bit unfairly - she falls apart if pressed, but I don't think that means she's not real, you know? All of the Princesses are only one aspect of the Shifting Mound, but they have their own complete hearts nevertheless. But I didn't really get that when I was first playing the game and got her as my first princess, so I definitely thought of the Shifting Mound as "more real". But I think my near-immediate "oh I see! this is my beautiful wife who I love very much" would have occurred anyway. I just really like her! She's beautiful and patient and contemplative, and really successful imo as a truly divine character - an embodiment of a powerful idea/force of nature, who can express a form of kindness but can't really be "good" or "bad" in a human sense.

I also, throughout my first playthrough, felt strongly that the interactions I was having, and the resulting princesses, were like gifts to Shifty. I really liked having a little chat with her and hearing her evaluation of their hearts, and I chose dialogue options for the Long Quiet as though he wanted to bring her vessels and would, if he remembered her at the start of each Chapter 1, have actively chosen to help her complete herself. So leaving together as the Shifting Mound and the Long Quiet, not as the Princess and the Hero, felt like what they were both working towards all along. And they only sort of argued about it because that back-and-forth, rough as it can get, is a natural part of how they relate to each other as gods who embody "opposite" concepts but love each other and want to be together (thesis, antithesis, synthesis...?). I wasn't even really arguing with Shifty, she just went into that spiel because I spent a really long time asking questions before we left. It was more of a passionate explanation than an attack. (And I let her keep going because it was awesome, not because I disagreed with it.)

Putting it like that, "bringing her vessels", it is rather cold, isn't it? I can see the case that the Princess and the Hero deserve more respect than that, that by leaving them behind Shifty and LQ are abandoning something worth having, something they could have explored together at that scale.

Anyway, what I want to say with this post is that like... Slay the Princess has, more than any other game I've ever played, given me the sense that the "true"/"best" ending is really up to the player. I feel like the story + central relationship changes really really dramatically if you don't perceive the Long Quiet as enchanted by the Shifting Mound and happy to be with her and learn more about her, and the dialogue options definitely give you a ton of room to play it either way. I feel that you can play the game so that the Shifty and LQ ending is the true ending, and you can play the game so that the Princess and Hero ending is the true ending.

It does make me more curious about the ending where... I haven't even looked into it enough to really know what happens, but you can kill the Shifting Mound, can't you? Or you can "starve" her by withholding vessels? My gut reaction to the Narrator is "lmao dumbass" - I don't think he understands what he's talking about, and I don't trust his evaluation that a world without the Shifting Mound would be worth living. Just the way his scenario immediately got fucked up makes it seem to me like he doesn't have a strong grasp on the metaphysics. You can't just pick out all the parts of a major universal concept like "change" that you like and throw out all the bits that you don't! But I also don't think this game, with its writing philosophy, would really have a "bad ending" in that kind of sense, you know? I seriously doubt there's an ending that would just be like "you fucked up". But I also feel like... the way the game is written, I kind of feel like I have the freedom as the person engaging with it to say... "this ending is bad, For The Game As I Played It". Does that make sense? I'm definitely touching on complicated questions of narrative theory that smarter people than me have definitely engaged with more substantively haha.

[whitecrownsblackthrones-archived]

Chosens|The Line of Infinity

As part of a deeper dive into the lore & creation of the Immortal Realm world, I will be diving into the many Chosens that were selected by Ying & Yang throughout the years, as the Chosens have shape the world more then anything. Note that, I will not be doing ALL of the chosens which existed, as some of them aren’t notable or worth talking about. I will be talking about them in no particular order, so bear with me, as I may be jumping from era to era. These characters will also be available for rps, but only via request.

In this installment, we will peak into the lives of the mystifying Lord Masters of the Mystic Arts, with their secretive lives & traditions, however, we will only go into deep drives on three people of this honored line, the two Lord Masters who acted as Chosens, Diamond & Nickel Infinity, & the current Lord Master, Quartz Infinity.

Note: Later in a different post, there will be a deep drive into the Original Lord Master who began this long line of masterminds & magical experts.

Face-Claim(s): Lyse Hext, Final Fantasy XIV(Stormblood version) | Taki, Soul Calibur | Zhuge Liang, Dynasty Warriors 9

Originating from one man, by the name of Isorin Infinity, the Line of Infinity is a name passed on, from one generation to the next to those who are demeaned worthy & powerful enough to carry the title of Lord Master of the Mystic arts. There is a zero bias standard for this title, meaning when a female comes to possise this title, it does not change to ‘Lady Master of the Mystic’ but remains the same as ‘Lord Master’, & is not passed down through any blood connection to the current standing Master, only to those who are powerful enough, meaning there is no limit to who can stand to become a possible Lord Master. Race, gender, origins, beliefs, even criminal records are completely irrelevant to the standards of becoming a Lord Master, only power, wit, discipline & having the presence of an open mind matter in this field. Because of this, there have been many, many cultural changes in the home shine, named ‘Mystic Shine’ of the Lord Masters, believed to be found in the northern mountains of the kingdom, Lyttona.

Traditions

With the coming of each new Lord Master, traditions states that they much surrender their birth name & take on a new one, of which their new last name will always be ‘Infinity’, likely to represent the forever on going line, & their new first name must be a known mineral of the earth, to represent the home world they were born upon.

Living at the Mystic Shine means living similar to that of a hermit or even a monk, to live off the land around them. Chores, studying, & much time meditating. There is also much time spent exploring the multiverse, as the goal of the Lord Masters is to explore & understand the multiverse around them. To discover all it’s secrets, both good & bad, to gain the knowledge that other beings are otherwise unable to handle. Lord Master are also known to live incredibly long lives, even by age immortal standards.

A Lord Master is also forbidden from dating or getting married, if they are single when they first approached for training, & must renounce all worldly possessions, for must their focus must be to that of their study of the multiverse & that alone. It is believed to, that the hermit lifestyle, combined with not seeking out partnership & having no valued possessions will grant the Lord Masters the quickest access to Heaven upon their death.

The Mystic Arts

The Mystic Arts itself is often compared to wizardry & witchcraft, in truth the mystic arts compacts both of these magics, plus a few others, including(but not limited to) elemental manipulation, eldritch magic manipulation, some reality warping, inter-dimensional travel & dimension manipulation. Each Lord Master has their own preferred & favored form of the magic, but all of them are required to be able to preform a majority of mystic powers, if not all. More powers are always being added to the list of mystic spells, as Lord Masters are always creating new sort of magics & abilities. 

To perform these arts, the user should have a certain degree of physical strength to be able to continuously cast these powerful spells, without such begins to take a tole upon the user’s body. As such, it is a requirement for Lord Masters to have their body in a certain physical condition at all times, usually done through undertaking some sort of fighting training & practice, though it appears the style of fighting does not matter.

Nickel Infinity

Of the three Lord Masters, Nickel was the first chosen to become a Lord Master. Born under Lady Ying’s gaze, it is known she originally hailed from Vlaqinn, but there are no records of what her birth name was, or what her childhood was like. First records of her appear in 1000 B.E, when she was sighted as a shinobi-in-training, undergoing Karate, Taekwondo, & Ninjutsu combat training, while also studying magical arts closely with remarkable skills in both. She appeared to know at the beginning of her life what she wanted too do, noting many times in her personal journals that ‘she knew ever since she was a baby, that she wanted to be the next Lord Master. Like the gods themselves were guiding her to this fate.’ Such eventually lead to her taking her master’s place as the Lord Master of the Mystic Arts.

She is noted mostly for her strange ability to light her body up with symbols when casting spells, as well as her favor towards espionage based magics. Invisibility, shadow movement, mist creations & other of these sorts she used to suit her shinobi based fighting style. Supposedly, she was also the creator of the Oblivion Blade, which was originally a Kodachi, before the blade was found by Queen Figg(a chosen who lived after Nickel’s time) & was transformed into a longsword. It is unknown what the purple energy in the sword is, but it was sighted by Nickel in her person journals to ‘slay all that is unwanted, & that which should not be’. By this, it is believed that Nickel may have used this weapon to kill many times before, but what is unknown & unclear.

Nickel was know as a woman of a serious nature, her duty must come first, it must always come first. She did not like to make small talk, & was noted as something of a mute. Her position was no game to her, & rightly so. She also had something of an ego, her position as Lord Master was serious, & as such, everything she says & does must be taken serious as well, as she liked to think, but this is often lead to the gaining of much pride.

Nickel was believed to have died around 2019 B.E, a shorter life then what most Lord Masters live. The Lord Master, Mica Infinity, was known to have come after Nickel’s death.

Diamond Infinity

Born under Yang’s sigil, Diamond appears first in 2050 B.E, a few years before the coming of the Death Plague that would ravage the world. Because of this even less is know about her then normal Lord Masters. Though she is sighted as a survivor of the Death Plague, who went on to live until 5971 B.E. Few who knew her called her a joyous spirit, who enjoyed the outdoors, & loved to do painting & needle pointing in her free time, if she was not mediating. She was always calm, but she always had something of a light in her voice, that showed her enjoyment of life.

It is unknown where she originally was born, the best theories suggest she hailed from Jailiam or Vlaqinn, as she was noted to be able to write in the languages from those countries(Latin, Koran & Japanese).

Her favorite use of magics appeared to be those like levitation, teleportation, transformation & the use of power seals & signs for varying effects & uses. Diamond was also believed to have an incredibly powerful form of foresight, more powerful then the foresight normally used by other Lord Masters. She also appears to have greatly studied a form of martial art, but which one & how many has been left unclear.

She was also noted to be a great beauty of the ancient world, often called ‘One of the Seven Greatest Beauties in the world’. The saying ‘Shine bright like a Diamond’ was originally ‘To shine bright like Diamond’ & was to compare a person(usually a woman) to Diamond Infinity, meaning they were beautiful, wise & powerful as Diamond was.

After her death, the next Lord Master know to take her place was the man called Natrolite Infinity.

Quartz Infinity

As of 9818 B.E to now(2020 A.E.), Quartz Infinity was served as the Lord Master of the Mystic Arts. He is not a chosen by any means, but has much knowledge about chosens, including the ones of the current day Princesses Ann Yang Li & Suzanne Ying Li. 

Quartz is described as a humble man, who enjoys late nights under the moon, & spending his time away doing calligraphy & stargazing with his favorite cup of tea in hand. His preferred form of physical training is Jiu-Jitsu, specifically Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu to use only as a defense measure, while his preferred forms of spells appear to be all wind-based spells. Showing he is easily a man who wants to avoid all conflict, & will not strike until all opinions have been exhausted.

It was by his advice that the old war that once ravaged the world came to an end, after assisting the King of the Intelligence Kingdom, John Li, in organizing a Declaration of Peace & having the Kingdoms of the world come together to sign it. This massive feat has earned Quartz much respect & adoration from across the Immortal Realm.

Today, he still lives at the Mystic Shine, though it may be that he is looking now for someone to take his place as Lord Master, to be blessed with a worthy protege.

[bubble-tea-bunny]

if the sky could dream 

[mike wheeler x reader]

author’s note: been wanting to write this but just didn’t know how to go about it, kinda happy w/ how it turned out tho. i love writing the boys so much, they’re the perfect practice for writing a conversation involving multiple people 

word count: 1,671

It’s not exactly like he can control the way his heart practically stops the moment he hears your laughter floating down into the basement.

It’s jarring, but not unpleasantly so. The battle at hand is pushed to the side as Mike looks away from the map on the table and towards the stairs leading up to the first floor. The door is open and he can hear two people’s voices, but the only one he’s focusing on is yours. He’s stopped paying attention to the campaign, but the others only notice when it’s his turn to roll.

“Uh, hello? Earth to Mike?” Lucas waves his hand in front of Mike’s face in an effort to grab his attention.

“Huh?” Mike blinks and looks over at Lucas, whose expression is unamused. “What?”

“This isn’t the time to get distracted! In case you’ve forgotten, we’ve lost to Caligari two times already and now is our chance to beat him!”

“Oh. Yeah. Sorry,” Mike mumbles, returning his attention to the map. Atop the piece of paper rests three small figures, one for each party member: him, Will, and Lucas. Dustin sits across the table with a screen to hide all of his information as dungeon master, and he’s narrating the newest portion of their campaign—their third (and hopefully final) fight against Caligari, a minotaur that fights with a giant ax. Each battle with this boss has nearly resulted in a game over, but they’d pulled through, and Will commented that this was a sign that they were destined to stop Caligari, no matter how long it took.

“Give him a break,” Dustin remarks with a smile, breaking character for a moment. Just several seconds ago he’d spoken with urgency, describing the intense scene to the party members and the immense power of Caligari and how they might actually meet their end here if they don’t watch themselves carefully. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t act the same way if your crush was nearby.”

“I don’t have a crush,” Mike rushes out, but he doesn’t meet Dustin’s eyes. This isn’t the first time he’s had to say that.

Will laughs. “Sure. So why’s your face red?”

“It’s just… warm in here.”

The others respond with something to the effect of “Oh yeah of course" but it’s clear they don’t believe him. And Mike isn’t surprised. It hadn’t been a very good reason. At this point, he doesn’t know why he’s trying to pretend he doesn’t have a crush. They’d figured it out almost right away and no amount of excuses could get them to think otherwise because they see how Mike reacts when he so much as hears you and that’s not the kind of shit you can hide. No, sir. Breaking his immersion in the midst of a very important Dungeons and Dragons boss battle is quite the feat, especially if it’s one as high stakes as this. Mike supposes, then, that he’s doing it to save face. What face there is left to save anyway. The teasing has been unrelenting since they realized how hopelessly infatuated he was with Nancy’s best friend.

“Are you gonna go say hi?” Lucas questions, small smirk on his face. Dustin and Will are stifling giggles to no avail.

Mike takes a deep breath, willing the heat in his cheeks to go away as he looks down at his character sheet. “No. It’s my turn to roll isn’t it?” He holds his hand out and Lucas gives him the various-sided dice.

Luckily that remains the extend of their teasing for the rest of the evening they hang out. The campaign keeps them distracted, and Mike can no longer hear you; you must’ve gone upstairs to Nancy’s room. The party ends up defeating Caligari once and for all, an accomplishment resulting in loud cheers that surely reached the main part of the house. By the time they call it quits for the night, they’ve since arrived in a new town with more people to interact with and more quests to embark on. Mike walks the other three to the front door.

“I can’t believe we finally got him,” Lucas remarks. There’s a ghost of a smile on his face as he thinks back to the moment.

“If it weren’t for that high roll you got, we would’ve died for sure this time,” Will says.

“Okay, I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting you to defeat him,” Dustin pipes up. “I purposely made him really, really difficult.”

“We noticed.” Mike deadpans, but then he laughs. “But now he’s gone and that’s all that matters.”

Lucas, Will, and Dustin left their bikes on the front lawn and Mike stands on the driveway as they grab them. Before the three of them take off, Dustin turns back to Mike. “Say hi to [Name] for me.”

Mike groans. “Shut up.”

Dustin’s laugh seems to echo in the night as they start maneuvering their bikes down the driveway and onto the street.

“See you tomorrow, Mike!” Will yells. Lucas throws up a hand to wave, and Mike returns the gesture. As he starts his walk back inside, he exhales, and his breath materializes in front of him. The nights are getting chillier and chillier. The snowfall will be here before they know it.

Mike closes the door and turns around just in time to see you come down the staircase. He’s frozen right where he is. It’s like his body’s forgotten how to work.

“Oh, hey, Mike!” you greet, a bright smile on your face. You get to the bottom but don’t move, hand resting on the bannister. “I didn’t see you when I got here.”

“I was in the basement with my friends,” Mike explains, trying to put on a relaxed smile (it probably looks more like a cringe).

You hum and nod. “That’s right. Playing that game of yours. What was it called again?”

“Dungeons and Dragons.”

“I always thought that name was so cool.” The smile is still on your face. Mike’s confident you can tell how nervous he is and he wonders if you know about his crush. Well, you have to by now. He’s not exactly good at hiding it, and even if he might not see you much in the daytime, since you’re at Hawkins High School, you’re always at the house sleeping over. Given the time and the fact you’re still here, that’s the case again tonight. “Anyway, I was just down here to grab a glass of water. Your sister and I have been gossiping and all that talking’s made my throat dry.” You laugh quietly as you head into the kitchen.

Mike trails in after you. “This whole time? There’s that much to talk about?”

It’s silent for a second as you gulp down some water. “Oh yeah. High school is…” you trail off, trying to find the right word, but shrug when you can’t find it. “It’s something. But it’s definitely not as exciting as slaying dragons.” You grin at Mike before refilling your glass.

“There are all sorts of monsters to kill in the game actually,” Mike explains.

“Really?” You’re genuinely curious. It shows in your eyes. As the two of you slowly ascend the staircase, Mike is rattling off information about the role-play game. Just the most basic stuff that could be explained quickly. Even when you two get to the second floor, you remain standing in the hallway. He mentions that he and his friends defeated Caligari tonight, and so if you’d heard shouting, that was why. You laugh and tell him you do remember hearing cheering from Nancy’s room.

“Well, should you ever come across an evil dragon, kill it for me, okay?” You smile.

Mike smiles back, one much more comfortable than the one earlier when you caught him by surprise after he’d said goodbye to the others. It’s strange. He always feels so nervous at the prospect of talking to you, and whenever he thinks about it, his hands get clammy and his heart starts to race. But then he does talk to you and it’s so easy. You’re incredibly nice, clearly wanting him to be able to talk to you like you’re any other person. You want him to be relaxed around you (since you’re at the Wheeler house all the time it seems). But you’re not just “any other person,” not to Mike anyway. And maybe you knew that. Maybe you didn’t. He just knows that out of all the people Nancy could’ve been best friends with, he’s glad it was you. “Okay.”

It happens so quickly that Mike thinks maybe he’s imagined it, but the residual warmth of your lips on his cheek is all too real. His eyes are wide as he looks at you and your smile that has only grown. “For good luck,” you explain offhandedly, as if it’s no big deal, but there’s mischief dancing across your face, and Mike blushes heavily.

“Yeah… For good luck.” He smiles sheepishly, nodding when you tell him you’re heading back to Nancy’s room now, as she’s probably wondering where you’ve been this whole time. When you open the door to his sister’s room, he hears her speak up—“How long does it take to get a glass of water?���—and then your laughter before the door closes behind you, and he’s alone in the hallway.

You knew. You definitely knew. And Mike knows he will never hear the end of it from the others. As he enters his room, he absentmindedly brings a hand up to his cheek, to the spot where you’d kissed him. Dustin did mention an abandoned castle on the outskirts of the town the party had arrived at in-game. Maybe there would be a dragon in there guarding a princess they needed to go save.

(When they reconvene a couple of nights later to resume the campaign, this turns out to be the case. And because Dustin is, well, Dustin, the princess bears a striking resemblance to you.)

[the-meandering-manuscript]

How to Learn from Your Favorite Characters

Hello!

Today I thought I’d take a look at some of my favorite characters, and see how I can use them to improve my own writing.  This post may contain spoilers, so be careful!

Benjamin Tallmadge, TURN: Washington’s Spies

This character is actually based on the revolutionary war hero of the same name, and the same revolutionary war hero that my Benjamin is based upon, which probably accounts for why I love him so much.  Now I’ve only been watching TURN for a little bit, but he has easily become one of my favorite characters.  Incredibly brave, and at times a little reckless, Ben usually is the one who takes action into his own hands, whether it's starting a spy ring, or laying a trap to catch traitors.  But that isn’t why I’ve come to love him.  Ben makes mistakes.  A lot of them.  He doesn’t follow orders.  He doesn’t know when he is asking too much.  He guides himself by his own innate sense of right and wrong, rather than George Washington’s instructions.  Even if I’ve never had to start a spy ring to save my country, I can relate to him.  Ben wants to do what’s right, and he’ll stop at nothing to make sure that it gets done.  And, like a lot of us, Ben wants validation.  He wants George Washington to be proud of him, but that doesn’t always happen.  For all the times he’s succeeded, there’s been a time where Ben has gone too far, and plenty of times where Washington almost fires him.  In the end, Ben is like all of us.  Desperate to prove himself, learning as he goes through life, and just wants to do the right thing.

What we can learn from Ben:  Just because your character is in an unimaginable situation- he’s an alien trying to blend in among humans, or an assassin just wanting to make enough money to scrape by- doesn’t mean that reader can’t relate to him.  By giving these characters fears that we all have, readers are able to see a piece of themselves in your character, even if they will never experience the same situation.

2. Mary Woodhull, TURN: Washington’s Spies

I’m sorry for another TURN character, but the show is really good, and everyone should go watch it.  As much as I love Benjamin, Mary is my favorite character on the show.  Once a staunch loyalist, she soon loses her loyalty to her country and decides that her family is more important than choosing between King George and the Congress.  With her patriot spy husband, Abraham, constantly putting their family into danger, Mary quickly adapts and starts to cover up his crimes, and she begins to take matters into her own hands.  When a British officer starts to terrorize her town, Mary is the one who tries to shoot him, and even if she misses, she does incapacitate him for a couple of days.  But don’t think she’s doing it for the Patriots.  In the process of shooting the British officer, she uses a patriot spy, one of her husband’s best friends, as a decoy, sending the redcoats after him so she would have her chance.  On top of it all, Mary does all of this for little to no credit.  Her own husband didn’t even know that she shot a British officer to protect him, and the patriot spies still see her as Abraham’s interfering, loyalist wife.

What we can learn from Mary: Play with your character’s loyalties.  What happens when they’re not loyal to a side, but one person?  How does this change their actions?  How do other people view this character?  Or, instead of one person, try a character whose only loyalty is towards their family.  Mary will do anything to keep her son and husband safe.  Does this make her dangerous?  Or is she less of a threat this way?

3. Carlton Lassiter, Psych

In Psych, Lassiter is usually the one who squashes the main characters’ plans, which can make him come across as a grumpy old stick-in-the-mud.  But trust me, he has his redeeming qualities.  Lassiter, or more affectionately known as Lassie, puts himself fully into his police work; is always looking out for his partner, Juliet; and he’s been hurt, just like the rest of us.  Lassie always fully applies himself to his job, and always strives to do a good job, and while sometimes it seems like police work is the only thing he cares about, he is truly passionate about it.  To me, Lassie views his partner, Juliet, as more of a little sister, and while this dynamic can sometimes be problematic (suggests that women need a man protecting her), their relationship is truly very sweet, and Lassie doesn’t want Juliet being hurt like he was by his ex-wife.  Also, while it can seem that Lassie is incapable of loving anyone or anything, he does find love and get married, which shows a side to Lassie that hadn’t been seen before.

What we can learn from Lassie: Even if a character is usually at odds with your protagonist, that doesn’t make them wrong or evil.  Make sure this character is well-rounded, with both flaws and redeeming qualities, so they don’t come across as one-sided.  Also, if this character is one-sided, it reflects poorly on your protagonist, since it can make them look perfect and Mary Sue-like if everyone who disagrees with them is bad.

4. The Eleventh Doctor, Doctor Who

The Eleventh Doctor is my favorite doctor for a reason.  While he comes across as kiddish and immature, he really feels quite guilty over his past lives.  He struggles with coming to terms with his past actions and truly is running away from his mistakes until he is forced to face them.  This inner darkness is something that separates Eleven from his counterparts, and what makes him my favorite character.  He isn’t completely consumed by his guilt though.  He’s silly and awkward, and extremely compassionate, almost sometimes to a fault.  But it’s the combination of his silliness and the darkness that make Eleven so interesting.  His occasional angry outbursts are somewhat terrifying, and they’re something we haven’t seen from the other doctors, but they’re always sandwiched between episodes of goofiness, which makes him lovable as well.

What we can learn from Eleven: All characters need balance.  They can’t be all bad, all good, all silly, all serious.  It’s impossible to pick one trait to define a person, so you can’t do the same with your characters.  Maybe you have a silly character, but they need to have a personality trait other than silly.  Take a note from the Eleventh Doctor and give your character a conflicting personality trait so they don’t come across as one-sided and unbelievable.

5. Eowyn, The Lord of the Rings

In fantasy, a genre where many women are saved by men and don’t do much else, it is refreshing to see a character such as Eowyn.  Loyal to Rohan and her uncle, King Theoden, Eowyn wants to fight to save her homeland but isn’t allowed to because she is a woman.  She finds solidarity in Merry, who is also unable to fight because he is a hobbit.  In the end, she is the one who slays the Wraith King, one of the most powerful villains in Middle Earth.  Sadly, J.R.R. Tolkien’s female characters really aren’t very developed past their love interests (Eowyn and Arwen both serve primarily as Aragorn’s love interests), but Eowyn shines the most out of all the female characters.  She is guided by her emotion, and though does fill the stereotype of a disgruntled princess, she will to anything for her home and her people.

What we can learn from Eowyn: Women can be just as effective as men in battle.  Eowyn kills the Wraith King, something that no man can do.  We can learn from Tolkien’s mistakes here.  A character can be a love interest, but that shouldn’t be their only defining quality.  Think about it.  If you like someone, it’s usually because of their personality.  They’re funny, smart, kind, just like love interests in books should be, but hardly are, especially in older fantasy.  Also, remember that people in real life have other interests other than their romantic partners- consider hobbies, schooling, a career, and a family for your character.  Also, be careful about just making your love interest useless in all other aspects.  If they have no place in the story, other than being a love interest, you need to rework your story or get rid of the character altogether.

[entergamingxp]

DualShockers’ Favorite Games of 2019 — Tomas’ Top 10

December 26, 2019 10:00 AM EST

Astral Chain, Death Stranding, Super Mario Maker 2, and Erica were some of my favorite games from 2019, with plenty of others in the running.

As 2019 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2019 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2019 releases — can be considered.

2019 has been a very odd year for games. While we didn’t have any heavy hitters like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Super Mario Odyssey, God of War, or Red Dead Redemption 2, everyone had their niche catered to, so I think DualShockers‘ personal GOTY lists will be quite varied this year. I have rounded up the 10 games that stood out to me the most in 2019, and they are all quite different from each other.

Of course, I did not have the time nor the patience to get through every single game that came out this year. That means some notable releases like Resident Evil 2, Gears 5, and DualShockers‘ Game of the Year Judgment did not make my list. Some great games were also just barely beat out, but I’d still recommend Ape Out, Baba is You, Samurai Shodown and Mortal Kombat 11 if you are looking for a good time. Without further ado, here are my 10 favorite games of 2019:

10. Erica

While this live-action interactive game is very short and definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, it is an experience that has certainly stuck with me this year. Unlike most FMV heavy games, Erica doesn’t try to justify its use of live-action through its premise, it’s just how Flavourworks wanted to tell this story. That was an incredibly risky move, but the experience is held up by good writing and a great performance by Holly Earl.

I always love trying games that are innovative, weird, and unorthodox and Erica was able to check all of those boxes. For that reason, it’s still on my mind at the end of 2019 despite a couple of problems. If you’re done with Telling Lies and are looking for another intriguing FMV game, Erica should be on your radar. The game, not the person. That’d be quite creepy.

Check out DualShockers‘ review of Erica.

9. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

After Star Wars Battlefront 2 got struck down, EA’s Star Wars games have become even more powerful than you could possibly imagine. While the discourse surrounding Star Wars is hitting an apex of toxicity following the release of The Rise of Skywalker, fans should still remember that the franchise received two great additions this year: The Mandalorian and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

Capping off a great year for Respawn Entertainment, this game finally provided the engaging single-player focused Star Wars experience that players have been yearning for ever since EA and Disney struck their Star Wars game deal all those years ago. In fact, the only reason this game isn’t higher on this list is that I haven’t beaten it yet, and I’m sure my love for it will only grow as I play it more.

Check out DualShockers‘ review of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.

8. Lonely Mountains: Downhill

I initially slept on this game upon its October release, even though I enjoyed my time trying it at E3. When I recently got an Xbox One and Game Pass, I decided to download this game and have been hooked on it ever since. Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a great podcast game, and I have now played it while listening to everything from stand up comedy to podcasts to the last democratic debate. Still, even if I wasn’t listening to anything, the game remained enjoyable.

Just like the Trials series, half of the fun is in mastering the course, and a few unique objectives across the game’s sixteen tracks and four mountains add to its replayability. Lonely Mountains: Downhill can still be quite difficult and somewhat irritating at points when you just can’t get a part of the course down, but overall Lonely Mountains: Downhill is a soothing and relaxing game to play if you aren’t doing anything else or want to do something more than just listen to John Mulaney, Ben Hanson, or Andrew Yang.

7. Super Mario Maker 2

I’m not much of a creator, but I’ve had a ton of fun seeing what everyone’s made in Super Mario Maker 2. Whether I’m rating levels for StephenPlays’ Morning Mario, getting random grab bags of levels in multiplayer or endless mode, or just browsing for myself, I am always surprised by the masterpieces and monstrosities that people can come up with if you give them the right tools.

On top of all of that, the story mode provides a meaty and varied single-player 2D Mario experience, which is something that the series has needed for years. It is my favorite platformer of 2019, and the first of many indicators on this list that 2019 has been an amazing year for Nintendo Switch. Also, Super Mario Maker 2’s multiplayer is terrible, but I love it.

Check out DualShockers‘ review of Super Mario Maker 2.

6. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate also made my top 10 list last year. In that article, I said it could make the list this year if the game added Geno. While they weren’t added to the game, we still got exciting characters like Joker, Hero, Terry Bogard, and most surprisingly Banjo.

Thanks to its hefty post-launch support and just being a damn good game in general, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is one of my most played Nintendo Switch games of the year and has managed to make my top 10 once again. Even though it didn’t work last time, I will say it again: now just add Geno, Sakurai, and we’ll talk about Super Smash Bros. Ultimate making it onto my 2020 GOTY list as well.

Check out DualShockers‘ review of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

5. Tetris 99

I was simply addicted to Tetris 99 earlier this year. I played it every day non-stop and had to actively draw myself away from playing it when I had other things to take care of. While battle royale and puzzle games don’t seem like they would mix, boy howdy they certainly do. While Fortnite remains the king and Apex Legends brought a lot of innovation to the genre, Tetris 99 proved that the mechanics of battle royale aren’t limited to just shooters.

Tetris was already great on its own–just look at last year’s Tetris Effect–and splicing battle royale mechanics in there only embellished the whole multiplayer experience. As the game has received some single-player and local multiplayer modes since launch, Arika and Nintendo’s game has cemented itself as one of the best Tetris titles of all time. It’s becoming a mobile game too. That’s always a good sign, right?

Check out DualShockers‘ review of Tetris 99.

4. Death Stranding

I really like Death Stranding, but for the opposite reasons of most people. Many despise the traversal mechanics and adore Kojima’s writing. I can barely stand many of Kojima’s cringey scenes, but love the melancholic but tense and engaging delivery mechanics. Death Stranding tends to struggle anytime other than when it does do that. While the writing can be bad and the shooting sucks, I was still totally engrossed by Death Stranding and couldn’t put it down until I finished it. Its “Strand Genre” mechanics are also very innovative, showing how multiplayer elements can be combined with a single-player experience for maximum impact.

We’ll be seeing this game’s influence on the industry over the next couple of years, whether that be via making traversal interesting alongside the online mechanics. We need more games like Death Stranding. Still, I don’t think I can ever hear another line as terrible as “Like Mario and Princess Beach.”

Check out DualShockers‘ review of Death Stranding.

3. Dicey Dungeons

PLAY THIS GAME!!! Dicey Dungeons is dice-based in both a mechanical and literal sense, and is by far the most underrated title on this list. It turns standard roguelike and deck-building mechanics on their heads with its dice-based actions and differing playstyles between its six characters. I tend to be very lukewarm on deck-building or card games, and while games like Slay the Spire are fun, that still served as a roadblock for me.

Dicey Dungeons made deck-building interesting by turning genre conventions on their head in its various playstyles. It is a game that everyone should give a whirl, even if they don’t typically like roguelikes or deck-based games. Dicey Dungeons never stops being fun and is far and away the best indie game I played this year. I don’t have a joke for this one, but I think the jokes have been on a good roll thus far.

2. The Outer Worlds

The Outer Worlds was everything people wanted it to be and more. While studios like BioWare and Bethesda have seemed to abandon their roots in recent years, The Outer Worlds revels in its old-school RPG design. It isn’t the largest or most grandiose game out there, but it is certainly one of the most well-written and replayable RPGs in a long time.

I’d rather play a 30-hour RPG 4 times than a 120 hour RPG one time. The Outer Worlds seems to understand that mentality and delivered an experience that can be quite diverse depending on one’s character build and choices. It was just barely edged out of being my game of the year and is certainly a must-play for those who have ever remotely enjoyed an RPG at some point in their lives. On that positive note, Parvati is my daughter and if any of you hurt her, you’ll be hearing from my lawyers.

Check out DualShockers‘ review of The Outer Worlds.

1. Astral Chain

I don’t really have any problems with Astral Chain and it’s super innovative, which is why I gave it a 10 earlier this year. Astral Chain features the tight and rewarding action PlatinumGames is known for but is quite accessible at the same time. Its detective case-solving portions feel like better versions of similar segments in the Batman: Arkham games. Astral Chain is one of the best-looking games on Nintendo Switch. And finally, the Legion is the most innovative thing to happen to action games since Bayonetta’s Witch Time. Creating a unique weapon-user relationship I’ve never seen in a game before, Astral Chain remains fun and manageable while still tasking players with controlling two things at once.

Just like many of the other games on this list, Astral Chain is a trailblazer within its genre and will push the industry forward. While 2019 didn’t have one or two truly groundbreaking games like previous years, games like Astral Chain show that the game industry is at an all-time high when it comes to creativity and quality. I don’t have a joke this time either, seriously.

Check out DualShockers‘ review of Astral Chain.

Check out the rest of the DualShockers staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 23: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2019 December 25: Lou Contaldi, Editor-in-Chief // Logan Moore, Managing Editor December 26: Tomas Franzese, News Editor // Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor  December 27: Mike Long, Community Manager // Scott White, Staff Writer December 28: Chris Compendio, Contributor // Mario Rivera, Video Manager December 29: Scott Meaney, Community Director // Allisa James, Senior Staff Writer // Ben Bayliss, Senior Staff Writer December 30: Cameron Hawkins, Staff Writer // David Gill, Senior Staff Writer // Portia Lightfoot, Contributor December 31: Iyane Agossah, Senior Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Senior Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Contributor January 1: Ricky Frech, Senior Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer

December 26, 2019 10:00 AM EST

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